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 08, 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 Phil 3:3-8a

Brothers and sisters: We are the circumcision, we who worship through the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh, although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I. Circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee, in zeal I persecuted the Church, in righteousness based on the law I was blameless. But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (3b) Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Lk 15:1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So Jesus addressed this parable to them. "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

"Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.' In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

HOMILY

Brothers and sisters, St. Paul tells us: "We are the circumcision. we who worship through the Spirit of God." This pictures to us two frames of mind - the Jewish frame of mind and the Christian frame of mind, which has consequences in one's relation to God and neighbor.

The first frame of mind is from the context of who St. Paul is. St. Paul was a Pharisee. Nang sabihin niyang "we are the circumcision" - the key word here is "circumcision" - how is that understood in the Jewish and the Christian sense? The word "circumcision", both in the Jewish and Christian understanding, means an 'act of initiation'. Ito ay pintuan ng pagpasok sa isang disposisyon. Para sa isang Hudyo, circumcision is an initiation to a relationship with God, mediated by the law. One's relationship to God is spelled out in one's faithfulness to the Mosaic law. Kung ikaw ay tapat sa batas na inilapag ni Moses, then you are defined as a righteous person. Ang pagiging maka-Diyos ng isang Hudyo is defined by the faithful and meticulous observance of the law. That is Jewish.

Kung kaya't ang implikasyon po niyan, ang pakikipag-ugnayan nga tao sa kapwa tao ay very exclusive. If you are 'just', as defined by the faithful and meticulous observance of the law, which defines your being a godly person, then there is no room for a just person - in the law - to mingle with breakers of the law.

Kaya't sa Ebanghelyo, makikita ninyo ang reaksiyon ng mga Pariseo. Nagtataka sila kung bakit itong Rabbi na si Hesus ay nakikihalubilo sa mga makasalanan. It is because in the Jewish point of view, righteousness excludes the sinners, because sinners are defined as breakers of the law. If you are an observer of the law and you mingled with the sinners who are breakers of the law, the law of Moses will say that you contaminate your righteousness because of the presence of breakers of the law. Nakakasunod po ba kayo? Those who are righteous in the Jewish sense cannot even mingle with sinners because the basis is the meticulous observance of the law, which makes you ritually impure once you mingle with the law breakers.

Now, let us go to what St. Paul is trying to tell the Philippian communities. "We are the cirmcusion". Ang ibig sabihin nito, tayo ang ganap na 'initiated'. Why? According to St. Paul, "we worship through the spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in the flesh". In contra-distinction to the Jew, the Christian's relationship to God is no longer defined by the meticulous observance of the law, because the mediator between God and man is no longer the law, but a person. And that is the person of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus will tell his Disciples in the Gospel of John, "No one comes to the Father except through Me." The mediator now between God and man is already Jesus Christ - the Living Word. And the relationship of the Christian to God in terms of Jesus Christ is a matter now of LOVE. The emphasis now is love, because it is Jesus Christ who defines the relationship of man to his God.

Bakit si Kristo? Bakit pagmamahal? Ayan o (pointing to the cross). What is the crucifixion? The dying of Jesus Christ on the cross is the highest expression of love. As has been said, "there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends". That is the highest definition of love. Therefore, to relate to God by way of Jesus Christ is to relate to God by way of love, which has its consequence on one's relationship with a fellow human being.

Ano ang consequence niya? Instead of the Jewish understanding of not mingling with a sinner, because the sinner is also loved by God, we who love God cannot but love our neighbor as well. The motive for searching out the one who is lost, is because of the love that one has received from Christ, the same motive that must move the Christian to look for the lost, not because he broke the law, but because you love the person who is lost, and therefore, the motive is to bring him back to the fullness of that love relationship with God, in Christ. Kitang kita ninyo ang pagkakaiba ng Hudyo sa Kristiyano. Sa Hudyo, "Wala na akong pakialam sa iyo, kung breaker ka ng batas, sapagkat ayokong madungisan ng pagkakasala mo dahil ako ay malinis sa batas."

That is why Jesus Christ was teaching His love. He had no fear; He had no qualms mingling with sinners. And if Christ is the Good Shepherd who brings back the lost sheep, we who are followers should try to follow Jesus, and must also be exhorted to exhibit this degree of love for one another. Beginning with our own home, especially those among us who have grown cold in their relationship with God, ay kinakailangan po nating mapanumbalik sa kanila ang pagmamahal sa Diyos, by means of our loving them also.

Now you will understand why Jesus Christ teaches us to "Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you." Why? Dahil kung mahal tayo ng Diyos, mahal din ng Diyos ang mga taong iyon. Kung mahal din sila ng Diyos, it is that love which should be pushing us forward to bring them back to the family, which is centered in the love of God.

So mga kapatid sa pananampalataya, hilingin po natin sa Diyos na makita po natin ito. Na tayo ay makipag-ugnayan sa Diyos - out of love - not out of meticulosity for the observance of the law.

Gospel Reflection

October 18, 2012

Thursday – Year of Faith

St. Luke, Evangelist (Feast)

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

Mass at Megamall, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord

Reading 1 2 Tm 4:10-17b

Beloved: Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our preaching.

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.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Gospel Lk 10:1-9

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

HOMILY

The specific celebration we have today reminds us of the general vocation of all followers of Christ, and that is to be an evangelist, which means to be a proclaimer of the "Evangelium" or the Good News. Every disciple is a proclaimer of the Gospel. This is not the sole work of the hierarchy or the religious; this is the work of the entire Church - priests, religious and laity altogether. Therefore, everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian cannot avoid or turn his back on the vocation attached to being a Christian, that of the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
But the second point we have to consider is - how did Jesus stipulate the manner of proclaiming the Gospel? Number one, sabi niya sa Ebanghelyo, "I am sending you like lambs among wolves." Meaning that in the work of proclaiming the Gospel, the proclaimers or the evangelists will find themselves in a dangerous situation. Malinaw po 'yan. We will be proclaimers of the Gospel like lambs in the midst of wolves - mga asong nanlalapa, because the proclamation of the Gospel is never easy. That is why even St. Paul pictures to us his difficulties in his own manner of proclaiming the Gospel. Yong mga katulong na niya, he describes as deserting him. Iniwanan siya ng kanyang mga supposedly collaborators in the ministry. May isa pa - the coppersmith did him great harm. At nang dedepensahan na niya ang kanyang sarili, sabi nga niya, "every one deserted me". Only God stayed behind me. Only God remained faithful and gave him strength.
 
Kung kaya mga kapatid sa pananampalataya, ano ang sinasabi ni Kristo sa atin dito. Since the proclamation of the Gospel has its share of danger and challenges, the second important reminder ought to be in the consciousness of every evangelist for that matter. And what is that? Carry no money bag, no sack, nor sandals. It simply meant that there should be no dependence on material things. Hindi doon naka-depende ang pagpapahayag ng Mabuting Balita. Nor greet anyone along the way. Hindi naman siguro sinasabi ni Kristo na maging bastos po tayo, not to greet anyone along the way. But the whole point of that is, in the proclamation of the Gospel, we should not allow even people to delay us, to be a hindrance to the proclamation of the Gospel, because the proclamation of the Gospel has an urgency, because any time the end might come, and we do not know that. We'll never know that. Therefore, nothing or no one must hinder the proclaimer from his task of proclaiming the Gospel.
 
In short, the dependence of the evangelist should be on God alone. The evangelist ought to acquire the attitude or the disposition of an "anawim". The Gospel of St. Luke is technically called the Gospel of the "anawim", or the "lowly ones". The "anawims" are people who are not dependent on anything or anyone else except God. Wala silang sinasandalan kundi ang Diyos lamang. Therefore, an evangelist - a Christian proclaimer of the Gospel - ought to be disposed as an "anawim".
 
Mga kapatid sa pananampalataya, let us be reminded of our vocation to be evangelists in our own right, and make our proclamation of the Gospel be as lowly as the "anawim".

Huwag kang mangamba 
Di ka nag-iisa, sasamahan Kita
Saan man magpunta
Ika'y mahalaga sa Aking mga mata
Minamahal Kita, Minamahal Kita.

St. Luke, Evangelist – Pray for us

You may also want to see: A Holy Life - St. Luke, Evangelist

Gospel Reflection

October 04, 2012

Thursday

St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon, Religious, Founder of the Three Orders (Solemnity)

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

Lunch Mass at Megamall, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord

Reading 1 Jb 19:21-27

Job said: Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! Why do you hound me as though you were divine, and insatiably prey upon me? Oh, would that my words were written down! Would that they were inscribed in a record: That with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever! But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him, And from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14

R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Gospel Lk 10:1-12

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.' Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 'The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.' Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town."

HOMILY

Today, let us look at the Reading and the Gospel in the context of the fundamental teaching regarding God's plan of salvation, which is found in Genesis Chapter 2, verses 4-6. It says,

"At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens--
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth and was watering all the surface of the ground."

Did you not notice anything strange? How come walang nabubuhay samantalang may tubig naman? Science believes that if there is water, there is life, hindi po ba? Even experience will tell us lalo na kapag tag-ulan, ang lakas tumubo ng damo, tama po ba? So paanong walang tutubo samantalang nababasa naman ang lupa? Why is it that despite the presence of water, there is no life? And the writer offers us two basic reasons why this is so. Sabi niya - and this is another strange thing - it is because God has not sent rain on the earth. Eh may tubig na nga eh, and yet the writer says, "God has not yet sent rain". Point number two, "there was no man to till the soil".

Ano ang itinuturo sa atin nito - which is the fundamental thing of our salvation history. Number one, in order for life to come about, the first and most important ingredient - if we can call it that way - is the action of God. It is God's action, the grace of God, which we call the "providence of God" - the God who provides. But equally important to the providence of God, which is connected by the linking verb "and" is the "presence of man to till the soil". But the question is - hindi pa ba sapat 'yong providence ng Diyos para magkaroon ng buhay, at idinugtong pa roon ang "man to till the soil"?

Ano ang itinuturo nito sa atin, mga kapatid sa pananampalataya? The fundamental teaching is that ang buhay sa ibabaw ng mundo, is dependent not only on God himself, but also on the cooperation of man himself to the providence of God. Na ang ibig sabihin ay kumikilos ang Diyos, yes, which is the most important thing - the decision of God to provide life for everything, but equally important is the role of the human being, who was created in the image and likeness of God, to work in cooperation with the providence of God.

Thus, it is a wrong notion, contrary to Scripture, na sabihin ng tao, "Bahala na ang Diyos, at ako ay uupo na lang." That is a wrong attitude, because it is explicitly told in Scripture, that "man must till the soil". Another wrong notion is the opposite extreme. And that is when one says that "Ang ikabubuhay ko sa mundo ay nakasalalay lamang sa aking pagsisikap, walang pakialam ang Diyos." That is the other extreme - at marami pong taong ganyan, na ang paniniwala nila ay sila ay nabubuhay dito sa mundo dahil masipag sila, at walang kinalaman ang Diyos.  

Let us all remember that the first thing we need is the providence of God. If God does not provide, papaano ka makakakilos, kung hindi ibibigay ng Diyos ang opportunity for you to be able to till the soil? What if God does not give you the soil to till, hindi po ba?

Therefore, given this, we should understand what Job said in the First Reading, na sa kalagitnaan ng kanyang paghihirap and his trials, at sinusumbatan pa siya ng kanyang tatlong kaibigan, he still relies very much in the end, ultimately, on God, to be his vindicator. Job was confident that despite the trials, God will vindicate his cause. Then we will understand when Jesus told the 72 disciples to go to the places that Jesus intends to visit, to prepare and proclaim the Gospel there. As disciples, they were to rely totally on the providence of God, when Jesus said, "Do not bring a sack, not even an extra tunic." He was teaching them to live on God who provides for them, as they do what they are supposed to do.

Lastly, we will understand the spirituality of the great "poor" man, St. Francis of Assissi, whose Feast we celebrate today, that in the middle of his spiritual journey, he realizes that he is a creature like the birds and other creatures on the earth. He even calls the sun and moon, "brother sun" and "sister moon". And what did he do? Siya ay anak mayaman. But as he realizes God's providence for him, tinalikuran niya ang yaman nila, and lived a life of mendicancy. Namamalimos siya para sa kanyang kakainin. He walks around town barefoot, only clothed with a simple garment. Why? It is because it is clear to him that he lives his life not according to his own ability, but by the grace of God.

And so, mga kapatid sa pananampalataya, pagnilayan po natin ang ating pamumuhay sa kasalukuyang panahon. Kung tayo man ay nabubuhay ngayon, it is because of two things - God's providence, and our effort in cooperation with the providence of God. Let us not fall into the error of thinking na ang lahat ng bagay, sa Diyos na lang, at ako ay hindi na kikilos. We are made in the image and likeness of God, therefore, we share in the creativity of the Divine Lord. Let us not also fall into the error of thinking na ang lahat ng ikinabubuhay ko dito ay bunga lang ng aking abilidad, excluding God. It is very clear that in order for life to come about, there has to be, first and foremost, the providence of God, and the effort of man in cooperation with the providence of God. Maging prinsipyo nawa natin ito sa buhay, nang sa gayon ay magkaroon tayo nang buhay na ganap.

 

St. Francis of Assisi – Pray for us

You may also want to see: A Holy Life - St. Francis of Assisi