Gospel Reflection

October 30, 2012

Tuesday – Weekday – Year of Faith

by Rev.  Fr. Nilo Mangussad (Rector Our Lady of Peace Quasi-Parish)

5:30 PM Mass at EDSA Shrine/Shire of Mary, Queen of Peace/Our Lady of Peace Quasi-Parish

Reading 1 Eph 5:21-33

Brothers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the Church, he himself the savior of the Body. As the Church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the Church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the Church, because we are members of his Body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband.

or Eph 5:2a, 25-32

Brothers and sisters: Live in love, as Christ loved us. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R. (1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Gospel Lk 13:18-21

Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches." Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened."

HOMILY

'Pay It Forward' - This wonderful film gives a very wonderful definition of what the Lord is trying to tell us in the parable of the mustard seed. If you do something good, and if only that person you've done good will give it to two others, then we spread the goodness of the Lord. Just like the mustard seed.

It is so wonderful that Jesus talked about this 2,000 years ago, because right now, we are experiencing the effect. 2,000 years ago, he started with twelve. Twelve Apostles. Now, we are over billions of people, Christians and Catholics around the world. We are the recipients of these wonderful branches of the mustard seed.

Likewise, this beautiful parable is given to the husband and wife. Sprinkled with love in their hearts, they start producing the fruits and the branches, as they beget not only children, but also as they come to get in contact with other people spreading God's love.

But we fail to realize the importance of these words. Therefore, it is good to be reflective my brothers and sisters. We as recipients - are we bringing and continuing this generation of love started by Christ to others, or has this love ended in our personal line?