Monday, November 5, 2012

Gospel Reflection



November 05, 2012
Monday – Weekday – Year of Faith
by Rev. Fr. Prudencio 'Jun' T. Solomon (Rector and Parish Priest)
(Archdiocesan Shrine of the Our Lady of Loreto Parish, Sampaloc Manila)Guest Priest, Lunch Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

Reading 1 Phil 2:1-4

Brothers and sisters: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 131:1bcde, 2, 3

R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
O LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor are my eyes haughty;
I busy not myself with great things,
nor with things too sublime for me.
R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted
my soul like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child on its mother's lap,
so is my soul within me.
R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
O Israel, hope in the LORD,
both now and forever.
R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.

Gospel Lk 14:12-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

HOMILY

"When you hold a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers or sisters, or your relatives, or your wealthy neighbors." 

Mga kapatid, sa narinig nating salita ng Ebanghelyo, nangangahulugan bang si Hesus ay laban sa mga pagtitipon at pagsasalu-salo? Si Hesus ba'y hindi sumasang-ayon sa mga pagdiriwang? Is Jesus anti-social? Hindi po. Sapagkat kung titignan natin ang buhay ng ating Panginoon, madalas nga Siyang nakikikain, lalong-lalo na sa mga makasalan. Madalas nga Siyang dumadalaw sa mga hapag ng mga bahay na kanyang pinupuntahan. Si Hesus ay nakikitungo, nakikisalamuha, nakikisama sa iba. 

Kung ganoon, ano ang punto ng ating Ebanghelyo? 

Mga kapatid, kung tayo ay magbibigay, ang isang bagay na dapat nating isa-alang alang, ay kung papaano tayo magbigay. At ano po 'yon? Dapat, tayo ay maging bukas-palad. Ano ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging bukas-palad? Mga kapatid, ang mga katangian ng pagiging bukas-palad ay tatlo. Una, kusa. Ikalawa, lubos. Ikatlo, wagas. At ang ibig sabihin nito'y kung tayo'y magbibigay, mula sa ating pagiging bukas-palad, dapat wala tayong hinahangad. Walang hinihintay na kapalit. Walang inaasahan. Dapat kusa, mula sa atin. Hindi pilit. Dapat lubos - kung magbibigay ka, you give 100% of your heart. Dapat wagas - walang intensiyon, walang hidden desires, walang pasubali. 

Mga kapatid, sa pagbabahagi at pagbibigay sa iba, dapat naroon ang katangiang iyon - ang pagiging bukas-palad. Kusa, lubos at wagas. Tayo, kapag tayo ay nagbahagi sa iba, naroroon ba ang mga katangiang iyon? Kusa ba, lubos ba, at higit sa lahat, wagas ba, ang ating pagbabahagi, ang ating pagbibigay, ang ating pagiging bukas-palad sa ibang tao?