It is 11th August 2017. We celebrate the memorial of St Clare, Virgin and Religious. The first woman follower of St. Francis of Assisi. She founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a Franciscan religious order for women. She was the first to write the Rule of Life, the first monastic rule known to have been written by a woman. After her death, the Order is known in her name as the Order of Poor Clare. A lady solely depended and was faithful to God and God’s providence through her untiring prayer and penance. The readings are from Deuteronomy 4:32-40; and the Gospel from Matthew 16:24-28. We begin to read the book of Deuteronomy, which teaches us to be faithful one God. It is the collection of three long sermons of Moses before entering the land of Canaan. God is God indeed. God is not a concept of human rationalization, or an abstract or a mystical being. God is the spiritual being living among us and participating in our daily lives and duly worshipped in our sanctuaries. The reading of the day reminds us that how we need to appreciate and recall what God has done in the lives of people of Israel. We need to learn acknowledging God in our daily lives. When this world and the political and social structures are willfully removing and not mentioning God in the discourse of lives, we have our responsibility to acknowledge God for all that God has done to us and to the world at large from the time immemorial. “So acknowledge today and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” (Deut.4:39,40). Let us begin to value the presence of God amidst us and acknowledge it as God deserves. The responsorial Psalm praises, “I remember the deeds of the Lord.” (Ps.76:12). The Gospel teaches us that our love must not end with ourselves rather it needs to be seen in company of people. The basis and foundations of our neighborly love is from us. Our self-denial and personal penance is very much required for such deep committed love as a believer. May you have a good day.