Gospel Reflection

November 15, 2012

Thursday – Weekday – Year of Faith

by Rev. Fr. Agapito "Aga" Tarog (Immaculate Conception Parish, Las Pinas)

Lunch Mass at Megamall, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord

Reading 1 Phln 7-20

Beloved: I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the holy ones have been refreshed by you, brother. Therefore, although I have the full right in Christ to order you to do what is proper, I rather urge you out of love, being as I am, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus. I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment, who was once useless to you but is now useful to both you and me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the Gospel, but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary. Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord. So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay. May I not tell you that you owe me your very self. Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 146:7, 8-9a, 9bc-10

R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Lk 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, "The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."

Then he said to his disciples, "The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, 'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.' Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation."

HOMILY

Let us zero in our reflection on the discourse on the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God, first and foremost, is not an external kingdom. 'Yon ang unang sinasabi ni Hesus. It is not defined by territory, it is not defined by institution, it is not something which is purely institutional. Kaya nga sabi ni Hesus, "It cannot be observed." No one will announce "look, here it is" or "there it is". It is not external.

But what is the Kingdom? Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is among you." Zero in on that phrase "the Kingdom of God is among you". What does it mean if something or someone is among you? It simply says that if the Kingdom is among us, it is already present and active. Now, question. What is that, which is already present and active? Balikan natin 'yong text. Jesus does not define it directly, but the subsequent verses focus now on the discourse on the days of the Son of Man. Therefore, based on that textual criticism of God, what is the Kingdom of God being equated with? The answer to that is: The Kingdom of God is equated with no less than Jesus Christ himself. Why? Let us go back to the prologue of the Gospel of John. In his prologue, Chapter 1, John says, "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God.....And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." See the connection? The Kingdom of God is among you, and the prologue of John will define that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Now it is easy to understand the phrase "dwelling among the people" during Jesus' time, because during His time, 2,000 or so years ago, during the earthly ministry of Jesus, malinaw na nandoon siya, physically present. Gumagalaw siya at nagmiministeryo among the Jewish people and even the Gentiles during that time. But if the Kingdom of God is among us, among the people, how will this passage be understood now? There must be a reality of this verse now. Ano 'yon? After all, Jesus has ascended to the heavens, and sits at the right hand of the Father. How can He still be among us, still present and active right now?

Balikan natin 'yong the great commissioning towards the end of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus told Matthew, paakyat na Siya noon, "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." And in Chapter 28, He will say this, "And know that I am with you always until the end of the world." Let us pause for a moment. Aakyat na si Hesus pabalik sa Ama, and yet He makes a statement that "I am with you." Not "I will be" but "I am", in the first person. It is a statement of actuality. Pero aakyat Siya. Meaning, He will continue to be present here, and active even now, today, November 15, 2012, active Siya. But in what way? What will be the manner of his presence and activity?

To reflect on that, let me go back a few chapters before. You will see the teaching of Jesus Himself in Chapter 18, verse 20 of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus says, "For where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I in their midst." What is the equivalent of "in their midst"? The equivalent of that phrase is "among them". Kung sino man ang dalawa o tatlo o higit pa na nagtitipon sa Kanyang Pangalan, nandoon Siya, in their midst, or among them. Let us pause for a moment again, kasi medyo challenging na ito. Challenging na ito. Since the Kingdom of God is not an external thing which cannot be observed, which is challenging, who can discern the presence of this Kingdom? 'Yon ang tanong. One thing is certain - the Kingdom is present and active. But it cannot be observed. So if it cannot be observed, it can be nevertheless discerned.

But the question is, there will be those who will be able to discern the Kingdom, but there will also be those who will not be able to discern the Kingdom. Let us go first to those who will not be able to discern the Kingdom. Sino ang hindi makadi-discern ng presence and activity of Jesus Christ? Ituloy lang natin itong Gospel of Luke Chapter 17, from verse 26 onwards which speaks about Jesus' teaching regarding the event of the deluge. Jesus says, " People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, up to the very day Noah entered the ark." Meaning that, naroon na ang indicators, binalaan na ang tao, hindi pa rin nila pinansin. Why? Because they were more pre-occupied with so many things, other than the Word of God. They were too pre-occupied with secular things that they have no room anymore for the Word of God. And therefore those will be the people who will not be able to discern the Kingdom of God.

Last but not the least, sino ang mga taong makadi-discern nito? Let us not forget that we are reading the Gospel of Luke. And the Gospel of Luke technically is the Gospel of the 'anawim'. And what is the 'anawim'? The 'anawim' are people who have nothing or no one else to turn to, except God. These are the 'anawim'. And one of the primary 'anawim' characters in the Bible, in the Gospel of Luke, is Simeon. Who is Simeon? In Chapter 2, verse 25 in the Gospel of Luke, Simeon is described as the "one who is waiting for the One who would comfort Israel." Therefore, Simeon, as an 'anawim', is someone whose attention is so focused on the coming of the Messiah, whose attitude and disposition is that of anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. His whole life was spent in waiting for the Messiah. Kung kaya't sinabihan siya, "You will not die, until you behold the Messiah." Kaya nga nang makita niya ang sanggol, that was His prophecy that follows. "Now, let Your servant go in peace. My eyes have beheld the salvation of Your people."

So mga kapatid sa pananampalataya, the Kingdom of God is here, present and active. Jesus is here, present and active, in the midst of His people gathered in His name. He continues to be here until the end of the world. But only those who are disposed in anticipation of the Kingdom, who are focused on that Kingdom, will, alone, be the ones to discern the presence and activity of the Kingdom. If we are too focused on secular things, and have no room for the Word of God, then the Kingdom might overtake us. Just as Jesus said in today's Gospel, "The coming of the Son of Man will be very swift like the lightning that flashes from one end to the other." Ganoon lang kabilis 'yon. If we are not discerning, hindi natin makikita, hindi natin mapapansin 'yong pagdating ng Kaharian ng Diyos.

No wonder, those who would want to take pictures of lightning, must open their cameras on prolonged exposure. Hindi ho ba? They must spend reels and reels of film to capture just one flash of lightning. Bakit? Sapagkat ganoong kabilis eh. Kung kaya't kinakailangang matagal na exposed 'yong kanilang camera to catch at least a small flash of lightning. The Christian disposition is to be compared to that camera, which always makes that openness, to capture the flash of the lightning.

Hilingin po natin mga kapatid sa Espiritu Santo na hindi tayo ma-overtake-an ng Kaharian ng Diyos. But rather, may we be caught up in this Kingdom instead.

Gospel Reflection

November 14, 2012

Wednesday – Weekday  – Year of Faith

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

Lunch Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

Reading 1 Ti 3:1-7

Beloved: Remind them to be under the control of magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise. They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another.

But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1b-3a, 3bc-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Gospel Lk 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."

HOMILY

Good afternoon, my dear brothers and sisters.

We are a thankful people. We know how to give thanks and we know how to appreciate, especially those who give their services to us. But sometimes, we forget. When I say we forget, we only thank those who are visible to our eyes, but forget those who we do not see. There is a saying that goes, "We thank the trees and praise them for the fruits that we enjoy, but we forget the grass that we trample on for keeping the trees green."

When we do not see, we do not know how to thank. When we do not see God's hand helping us, we do not know how to thank. We only thank if our requests are granted.

I remember this week, when I visited one of my friends whose husband has Stage 4 cancer. The husband has two bags - one for the refuse, and one for the urine, because he cannot use his system anymore. But my friend was saying, "I thank God for the gift of life for my husband. Despite the fact that he may be dying, I thank God because He gave me my husband to love. I thank God because He keeps him alive through my faith, and through His love. I thank God." The hand of the Lord is no longer visible in the dying man, but the wife thanks God.

How many of us can do the same thing? How grateful are our hearts for the gifts that God has been continuously giving to us?

It is good to be reflective on the gratefulness of our hearts. Do we thank, not only God, but everybody around us, even if we don't see them helping us? Or are we so selfish that when things do not go according to our plans, we become bitter?

Gospel Reflection

November 13, 2012

Tuesday – Year of Faith

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

by Rev. Fr. Roland Roberto (Parish Priest, Holy Cross Parish, U.P. Diliman Quezon City Diocese of Cubao)

Lunch Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

Reading 1 Ti 2:1-8, 11-14

Beloved: You must say what is consistent with sound doctrine, namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance. Similarly, older women should be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink,  teaching what is good, so that they may train younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled, chaste, good homemakers, under the control of their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.

Urge the younger men, similarly, to control themselves, showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in your teaching, dignity, and sound speech  that cannot be criticized, so that the opponent will be put to shame without anything bad to say about us.

For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.
 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 37:3-4, 18 and 23, 27 and 29

R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,
and he approves his way.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
The just shall possess the land
and dwell in it forever.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Gospel Lk 17:7-10

Jesus said to the Apostles: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

HOMILY

Our Gospel for today is a Gospel which serves as an admonishment for all of us to identify ourselves with the subject of the story. Perhaps our reaction would be, "Bakit naman ganoon ang sinasabi ng Panginoon?" It is as if Jesus is telling us to be masters. We know that Jesus is not anti-laborer. He is always pro-poor. He is always for the weak; He is always for the lowly. But the Gospel would somehow seem to express that Jesus is emphasizing the role of the master.

That is the way that a person will perceive the Gospel if he relates and identifies himself with the master. But the admonishment - the focus of Jesus - is not in the master, but rather the servant. The kind of service that we have. What kind of service do we give? Sometimes, service becomes confused with merely working, that which has an equivalent compensation. As if, if we do something good, utang na loob sa atin 'yon ng mundong ito. As if utang na loob sa atin 'yon ng Diyos.

I will share with you an experience. I am currently assigned as a parish priest at the Holy Cross Parish in U.P Diliman, and our parish is very poor. That is why we do not have maintenance. We ourselves clean the parish, si Father po ang nagwawalis, si Father po ang nagma-mop kasama 'yong mga tao doon kasi nga medyo mahirap 'yong parokya. Last summer, when I celebrated my first Holy Week there, I think it was Holy Thursday, after lunch we were preparing the Church for the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Naglilinis kami, I was in my working clothes. Naka-shorts and T-shirt si Father. But people there know that I am the parish priest.

Then suddenly, a woman came into the church and sat in one of the pews. She then started to look around. And then she called me. "Pssst....! Boy....." 'Yon ang tawag niya sa akin. Lumapit naman ho ako. At ang sabi niya, "Anong oras ang misa?" Ang sabi ko, "Ay 4:30pm po, 'yong Mass of the Lord's Supper, with the rite of the Washing of the Feet." "Ah ganoon ba, 4:30?". Tapos sabi niyang ganoon, "Gumagana ba yang electric fan n'yo? Buksan mo naman, ang init eh." (laughs) And so I turned on the fan. Then eventually, she attended the mass and she saw that I was the parish priest. And she was so embarrassed.

During the time when the lady was calling me, na sinusutsutan ako at pinapalapit ako, there was, of course, the human side of me, saying "Teka lang ako 'yong parish priest dito." But the experience told me that well, this is the kind of service that God is demanding from me. Yes, we have positions in the Church, yes we have authority in the Church, but then again, we are being called to be servant leaders. To recognize your power, is to recognize your own servanthood. To be lowliest among the lowly. In order for you to be great in the eyes of God, you must humble yourself. Before you can empower people to serve others, you must first serve them. 

 

 

 

And there is this second story. Every day, dahil mahirap nga 'yong aking parokya, kami ang nag-aayos nito. During my first two weeks in the church, araw-araw, may nakikita akong babaeng maganda 'yong suot. Pag hapon, siya ay papasok ng simbahan, and then she would start pulling out basahan from her bag and clean the altar and the pews. I was wondering, 'sino kaya iyon'? No one was talking to her, she was very silent. Nagtatrabaho lang siya, naglilinis, with her office clothes.

For two weeks, I tried to observe her. And then hindi na ako nakatiis, I asked a parishioner kung sino ba 'yong babaeng araw-araw nagpupunta sa simbahan at naglilinis. Ang sabi sa akin ng aking parishioner, "Ay Father, siya po si Attorney." A lawyer. A lawyer who practices her profession and goes to office every day, and yet spends time to go to the church, to clean the church. It is a great challenge, especially for me. Isang malaking hamon na ang isang taong tulad niya ay mag-aalay ng oras para sa simbahan upang maglinis. The precious time that she has, she will offer to the Lord. Instead of going home to rest because of the stress that she carries on her shoulder as a lawyer, she would go to the church and help people clean the church.

Doing service to people and service to the Church, is not something that God owes. Hindi ito utang na loob ng Diyos sa atin. That is the problem with people nowadays. Service, or volunteerism at that, sometimes loses its meaning. Pag sinabing volunteer ka, hindi pwedeng mag-demand sa iyo. Pag volunteer ka sa paglilingkod, pipiliin mo ang oras na gusto mo. Which is wrong. The right concept of volunteerism, of service, is giving oneself entirely to the Lord.

I remember the Gospel last Sunday. Jesus was speaking about the real meaning of giving, when the old, poor widow gave two cents to the treasury of the temple. Jesus recognized her contribution as the greatest of all. Why? Because it was her whole livelihood. Widows during the time of Jesus are considered the poorest of the poor, because they cannot work, they do not have money. They are solely dependent on their husbands who died already. The mere treasure that the widow had, ibinigay pa niya sa templo. That is real giving. A part of you is being taken away from you para pakinabangan ng iba. Masakit - that is the real kind of giving that Jesus is referring to. When we want to become servants, when we want to volunteer ourselves to the Lord, dapat makaramdam tayo ng sakit. Kung gusto mong maglingkod sa Diyos, dapat ang pag-aalay mo ay masakit. Dahil kapag hindi ka nasasaktan, ang ibinibigay mo lang ay ang sobra sa kung ano ang mayroon ka.

And this is the challenge for us, my dear friends. For those striving to become holy, for those trying to follow the Lord towards being real Christians, to be servants of Christ, every day we should ask ourselves:  Do we really understand what servanthood is? That servanthood is offering oneself to the Lord without asking or demanding any condition, without asking or demanding anything in return. Let us pray for the grace that we may always give generous and humble service.

I would like to share with you one of my favorite prayers during the time that I was still in the seminary. It is called the Litany of Humility. In silence, I would like you to join me in this prayer. 

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me. From the desire of being esteemed,  deliver me, Jesus.  From the desire of being loved, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being honored, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.   From the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.   That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.  That in the opinion of the world, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.  others may increase, and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.  That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.   That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.  That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.   That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should.  Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.   Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini – Pray for us You may also want to see: A Holy Life - Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini