Gospel Reflection

October 27, 2013

Sunday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Caloy Reyes (Executive Secretary, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue) 

12:15PM Mass, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine)

Reading 1 Sir 35:12-14, 16-18

The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint. The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23

R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Reading 2 2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18

Beloved: I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.  To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Lk 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.  "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.  The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -- greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

HOMILY

The Gospel reading for today is quite opportune for the signs of the times for the Catholic Church. We have just recently concluded the first Philippine Conference on New Evangelization last week, that was held at the Royal and Pontifical University of Sto. Tomas, and we are still earning the fruits of that Conference. 

Why am I connecting the Conference on New Evangelization to our Gospel today? You know, I think that in the Philippine Catholic setting, there is what we call the 'first son' syndrome, or, better yet, the 'Pharisee and the tax collector' syndrome. What is the 'first son' syndrome? In the parable of the prodigal son, the first son, who is hardworking and loyal, got mad with the second son, because the second son was given mercy and forgiveness by their father.

We have had some issues lately between the Church and those who are rather contending the position of the Catholic Church, on matters such as the RH Bill, which is now the Reproductive Health Law, same-sex marriage, divorce, etc. There is, therefore, a tendency for the Catholic Church to be militant or reactionary. 

There is the tendency to have the 'first son' syndrome because some groups think they are always right. There are those who believe that the Diocese of Rome has been vacant since Pope Pious XII, or since the implementation of Vatican II. There are well-meaning Catholics who do not like Vatican II. Meron pa ngang galit na galit sa Vatican II, because of the reform of Vatican II. Pag tinanong ko naman kung nabasa na nila ang Vatican II, eh hindi naman pala nila ito nabasa, kahit isang dokumento nito. But this is not the way things should be. 

Now, what was the Gospel all about? Jesus addressed the parable to those who are convinced of their own righteousness, and those who despise everyone else because they are convinced of their own righteousness. The Pharisee in the Gospel spoke his prayer to himself. He thanked God that he is not like anyone else, and that he is God's gift to humanity. Praise me, praise me, praise me. Tama ba 'yong dasal na 'yon? But you might have that syndrome. 

But there is the tax collector who was aware of his faults and weaknesses, and asked for God's mercy....An instance that has really perked me up was the time when the late Pope John Paul II asked for forgiveness. He asked forgiveness from different sectors of society. He asked forgiveness from the Jews whom the Christians persecuted...for the Holocaust. He asked forgiveness for persecuting Galileo for this theory of the earth revolving around the sun (because the Church otherwise). Thank God. The Pope asked forgiveness for the errors of the Inquisition, the Roman Catholic tribunal which tortured and burned many. Because the way of the Church is the way of humility. It is the prayer of the tax collector, who could not even raise his eyes to heaven and could only say, 'Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.' This is the way of the Church.

During the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization, Cardinal Chito Tagle also asked forgiveness. Forgive us for the wrong we have done. He asked forgiveness from the youth, dahil napabayaan namin kayo. Sa mga kababaihan, sa mga Muslim, our Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters, patawarin ninyo kami. 

I think the Church's position against the RH Bill, against same-sex marriage, is correct, and I support the Church's decision. Pero sa tingin ko, nagkamali tayo sa approach. We cannot condemn people. How will we be able to convince them to go to Church, if we tell them that they will go to hell? The Church is about dialogue, kailangang makipagkaibigan tayo sa kanila. But first, we should ask forgiveness. We should begin from the view point of humility.

Are you humble? Sino dito ang humble, taas ang kamay. (laughs) 'Father, ako humble. And I am proud of that.' (laughs) No. If you are proud, you are going to be humbled. Everyone of us will be judged. And if we are aware of our sins, and are sincerely sorry for them, we will do what the tax collector did. Makasalanan ako, ni hindi ako makatingin sa langit, kaya dito ako titingin sa lupa. Mahihiya ako. Shame is a good thing. We try to boost self-esteem but shame is a good thing, kung nahihiya ka sa mga kasalanan mo. Shame is the beginning of redemption. Kung hindi ka na nahihiya sa mga kasalanan mo, wala nang redemption. 

Let us ask forgiveness from the Lord. And then let us ask forgiveness from those who we have offended. Don't wait until you are about to die. Pilots say that in flying a plane, 'to take off is optional, but to land is mandatory'. Kung nasa taas ka, ang sarap sarap ng pakiramdam kaya mayabang ka, kasi may gasolina ka. Eh kung wala ka nang gasolina? Kaya hanggang may gasolina ka, i-landing mo na ang iyong eroplano nang dahan-dahan. Ganoon din sa buhay natin. The way of humility is slow, dahan-dahan lang. Let us accept our sins, our faults, and sincerely ask for forgiveness. 

'Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.' There is no other way. No other way.

Gospel Reflection

October 26, 2013

Saturday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. David 'Dave' T. Buenaventura, SDB
Councilor & Pugad Centre Director and Counsellor, St. John Bosco Parish, Makati
7:30AM Mass, St. John Bosco Parish Church (Don Bosco Church), Makati

Reading 1 Rom 8:1-11

Brothers and sisters: Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death. For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do, this God has done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit.  The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace. For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Responsorial Psalm PS 24:1b-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Gospel Lk 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply,  “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way  they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed  when the tower at Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty  than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,  and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree  but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also,  and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;  it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”

HOMILY

Just a brief reflection on our Gospel for today's liturgy. 

What can a barren fig tree tell us about the Kingdom of God? Fig trees are a common and important source of food for the Jews. A decaying fig tree was used in the Gospel to mean evil deeds and spiritual decay. The fruitless fig tree symbolized the outcome of Israel's unresponsiveness to the Word of God. The prophets depicted the languishing tree as a symbol of destruction that would fall on Israel because of their unfaithfulness to God. We find this in the books of Joel, Habakkuk and likewise, the book of Jeremiah. And Jeremiah, himself, said that evil people are like rotten figs. 

Can the parable of a barren fig tree be a warning to us also? We can ask ourselves - are we responsive to the Word of God? Is the Word of God part of our spiritual nourishment? Do we use the Word of God for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for trimming to righteousness, as we find in the letter of Paul to Timothy?

The parable of the barren fig tree also shows the patience of God. But at the same time, it contains a warning that we should not presume upon it. God gives us time to get right with Him, but the time is not tomorrow. It is always now. We must not assume that there is no hurry. A sudden or unexpected death gives us no time to prepare, to settle one's accounts, when we stand before the Lord on the Day of Judgment. The Lord wants us to be ready at all times. 

Tolerating sinful habits and excusing unrepented sin will result in bad fruit and eventual destruction. The Lord, in His mercy, gives us both grace and time to turn away from sin and from worldliness. But that time, again, is not tomorrow, but it is now. If we delay it even for a day, we may discover that God's grace has passed us by, and our time is up. Do we hunger for the Lord's righteousness and holiness?

This is my Word of Life for you this morning, in the form of a prayer. Lord, increase my hunger for Your righteousness and holiness. May I embrace the grace of the present moment, to say 'yes' to You, to Your will, and to Your way of holiness. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Gospel Reflection

October 25, 2013

Friday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Leo Nilo C. Mangussad, - Rector, Shrine of Mary Queen of Peace (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine) 

12:15PM Mass at the EDSA Shrine

Reading 1 Rom 7:18-25a

Brothers and sisters: I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm PS 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94

R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Never will I forget your precepts,
for through them you give me life.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Gospel Lk 12:54-59

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

HOMILY

Everybody wants peace. But the problem is we seek our peace from the outside, not from the inside. As Jesus said in the Gospel, we are good at seeing things, and reading signs around us and from other people. But we cannot read the signs inside our hearts - our pains, our sufferings, our resolutions, our faith in God. The Lord is telling us to look from deep within us, for us to use our intellect to see what is happening inside of us, before we start healing others. 

Just like in the First Reading, we want to do good, but the bad continues to take over us. If we are able to master this, peace will come. We do not need to look for it; it will come, because peace must come from within us first, before it can be felt by others. 

The question we must ask ourselves is - I am very good at interpreting signs outside of me, but am I capable of interpreting what I have inside my heart?