Gospel Reflection

July 31, 2012

Tuesday

St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Memorial)

by Rev. Fr. Paul Marquez

Greenbelt

First Reading:               Jeremiah 14:17-22

Psalm:                         Psalm 79:8-9, 11, 13

Gospel:                        Matthew 13:36-43         

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

HOMILY

Looking at the Gospel on the parable of the weeds in the field, let us pray for the grace to be ‘good crops’ always, despite the bad crops around us – worldly lures, temptations – and even those that are within us – bad thoughts, anger, ill and negativities – which try to overpower the good crops in us. Let us remember that God is always with us, to guide us, help us and make us triumph against evil.

Let us also pray for sinners, those who have hurt us or caused us harm. We have to be patient with them, as God has been patient with them. Like us, they too are given the chance to change and grow into good crops again before God makes His harvesting.

Gospel Reflection

July 30, 2012

Monday

Weekday

Megamall

First Reading:               Jeremiah 13:1-11

Psalm:                         Deuteronomy 32:18-21

Gospel:                        Matthew 13:31-35         

31 Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." 33 He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." 34 All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."

HOMILY

Jesus uses parables to convey His message to us. Ang buhay din daw natin ay parang parable, kasi God also uses us to convey His message to others. Like the mustard seed that becomes the largest of plants, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant our good deeds are, or our actions to help, let us continue to do so, as it may mean a big difference to others.

So let’s continue to do good and encourage others to do the same. Let’s also pray for those who refuse to be good.

Gospel Reflection

July 28, 2012

Saturday

Anticipated Sunday Mass

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

by  Rev. Fr. Jun Sescon

Greenbelt

First Reading:               2 Kings 4:42-44

Psalm:                         Psalm 145:10-11, 15-18
Second Reading:           Ephesians 4:1-6

Gospel:                         John 6:1-15      

1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiber'i-as. 2 And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" 6 This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?" 10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!" 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

HOMILY

Father Jun said that we should be reminded and challenged by our missionary vocation by virtue of our baptism. As missionaries, we should be one with the Church in sharing God’s love and gift of faith to others, thankful that we also received this faith. We should pray for the grace to grow more in trust and in hope, under God’s provident love.

Father Jun asks us to pray for our Filipino missionaries and their families who are sacrificing for the sake of spreading God’s Word. Apart from our financial support, our prayers inspire and strengthen our missionaries in answering the call to sharing God’s faith throughout the world.

Gospel Reflection

  

July 28, 2012

Saturday

Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

by  Rev. Fr. Allan Dialogo

Megamall

First Reading:               Jeremiah 7:1-11

Psalm:                         Psalm 84:3-6, 8, 11
Gospel:                        Matthew 13:24-30         

24 Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' 28 He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

HOMILY

Gospel about the wheat and the weeds growing together. He said that each of us have our bad side. We are fortunate that God allows us to change and to reform. Let us pray for the grace so that we can remove our ‘weeds’ step by step, and let our ‘wheat’ grow. Every day, God gives us this chance to make ourselves better and to bear much fruit.

Gospel Reflection

July 27, 2012

Friday

Weekday

by  Rev. Fr. Matthieu Dauchez

Megamall

First Reading:               Jeremiah 3:14-17

Psalm:                         Jeremiah 31:10-13
Gospel:                        Matthew 13:18-23

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

HOMILY

The parable of the sower means we have to bear fruit every day. We have to be consistent in bearing fruit and in leading others to being the same.

Gospel Reflection

July 26, 2012

Thursday

Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)

Megamall

First Reading:                Sirach 44:1, 10-15

Psalm:                          Psalm 132:11, 13-14, 17-18
Gospel:                         Matthew 13:16-17

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

HOMILY

We should always honor our parents, kahit na may maysakit na sila o di na makaalala. Kahit na nasaktan nila tayo, igalang at mahalin natin sila, in the spirit of love, forgiveness and reconciliation.

On the other hand, all parents should teach God’s love to their children and lead them to holiness. 

Gospel Reflection

July 25, 2012

Wednesday

St. James, Apostle (Feast)

Megamall

First Reading:               2 Corinthians 4:7-15

Psalm:                         Psalm 126:1-6
Gospel:                        Matthew 20:20-28

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zeb'edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." 22 But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." 23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; 28 even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

HOMILY

Today’s Gospel is about the essence of servanthood. Kung napanood daw natin ang SONA ni President Noynoy Aquino noong Monday, it speaks of accomplishments, promises unfulfilled, of blaming others. Ganoon din daw ang karamihan sa atin. Proud tayo sa ating mga accomplishments but alongside that, marami tayong unfulfilled promises – mga pagbabagong di natin alintana kung tayo ang may pagkukulang.

Kung may SONA, dapat daw tayong magkaroon ng ating SOSA – our State of the Soul Address. When did we last have a check on our conscience? When we did last have our SOSA? With our SOSA, we will realize that there is nothing we can claim as our own – everything comes from God. Wala tayong magagawa kung wala ang Diyos sa buhay natin.

As servants, we should let go of our pride and self-interests. Instead, we should strive to do good for the benefit of many and to share to others that God is the foundation of truth and our identity as Christians. As St. Thomas Aquinas said, to be a good servant is to achieve three things – humility, humility and humility.

In the end, once we do our SOSA, dalawa lang ang ating sasabihin sa Panginoon: “Salamat po sa lahat ng biyaya”, at “Ako po ay isang makasalanan Panginoon, patawarin mo po ako”.

Gospel Reflection

July 24, 2012

Tuesday
Weekday

by Rev. Fr. Bob McConaughey

Edsa Shrine

First Reading:   Micah 7:14-15, 18-20

Psalm:             Psalm 85:2-8

Gospel:            Matthew 12:46-50

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother."

HOMILY
Most of us want things be done our way - let our will be done, and not God's. But that is not the way things should be. In everything in our life, most especially in major decisions that we have to make, we should ask God's guidance, and seek His will.
But how do we do it? How do we seek God's will? According to Father Bob, we should ask the Lord for discernment. And there are three ways by which we can do this.
First, we should have an open heart. In prayer, let us first approach God and tell Him "Lord, here I am. I am giving my heart to You, and trust in Your grace. Please show me Your will."
Second, with our mental capacities, we should think things through. We should gather as much information about the problem, situation or decision that we need to make. Here, Father Bob suggests that we seek the advice of people close to us - those who know us, and those we trust, those who we know are genuinely concerned about us and will be there to help us. If needed, we should also seek the counsel of a priest or someone who is not personally attached to us - so that person can give us a neutral opinion. Then balancing these, we should be able to make a stand or be more firm in what option we would like to take.
Third and finally, once we are already able to think things through, we should come back to God, and present our heart to Him, saying "Lord, this is what I believe is best. Please show me what is Your will". According to Father Bob, as we seek God's will, He will find a way to communicate it to us. Sometimes, we may still even make a mistake in our decision. But what is important is we sought God's guidance first, and in His time, He will show us the way.

Gospel Reflection

July 23, 2012

Monday
Weekday

by Rev. Fr. Roland Roberto ( Diocese of Cubao )

Edsa Shrine

First Reading:   Micah 6:1-4, 6-8

Psalm:             Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16-17, 21, 23

Gospel:            Matthew 12:38-42

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

HOMILY
The problem with people today is that we always look for signs. Normally, we want to see something solid - something concrete first, before we believe. Faith in God is not like that. Sometimes, God's miracles are found in the very ordinary things of life - when we wake up in the morning alive and well, when we are able to help a friend in need, when we kiss our loved ones as we go out of the house, when there is unpoisoned air to breath, and unpoisoned water to drink - these are all God's miracles. It is through these small, ordinary things that God's grand works are done. The problem is we miss the point, as we have become too busy, too materialistic, too demanding of signs.
Fr. Roland shared a story of a man and woman who became sweethearts - both are already very sick. But still, they always manage to go out to stroll, to go on a date, to hold hands and be sweet to each other. One day, the girl told the boy "You know, I have always traveled and have also held hands with my other lovers. I have also gone out on dates, and have spent money to enjoy with friends. But now I know the difference - and that is, this time, I paid attention".
Let us pray for God's grace, that we may appreciate God's great works even in the most ordinary things - to believe, even if we do not see. Beyond our sights and senses (eyes, ears, nose, etc), let us pay attention and let our hearts see God's love and miracles every day.

Gospel Reflection

July 22, 2012

Sunday

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Caloy Reyes

Edsa Shrine

First Reading:               Jeremiah 23:1-6

Psalm:                         Psalm 23:1-6

Second Reading           Ephesians 2:13-18
Gospel:                        Mark 6:30-34

30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

HOMILY

We need a shepherd because we need salvation. We cannot save ourselves. We need Jesus to save us. As a shepherd to His sheep, Jesus will never abandon us. Para kay Hesus, walang iwanan. That is why in moments of struggles, of problems - in our lowest moments, we should not be afraid, for Jesus our Shepherd will always be with us.

Kung ano ang nararamdaman natin, nararamdaman din ni Hesus. Kung may problema tayo, may problema din si Jesus. Kung nawawala tayo, hahanapin tayo ni Jesus para ibalik sa piling Niya. Our obligation then is to listen to God’s call and to pray that we may also be good shepherds to each other.