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 17, 2013

Thursday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

by Rev. Fr. Romeo Agustin Ma. 'Ting' Miciano, SDB, (Parish Priest, St. John Bosco Parish Church, Makati)
7:30AM Mass, St. John Bosco Parish Church, Makati

Reading 1 Rom 3:21-30

Brothers and sisters: Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, through the forbearance of God– to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Responsorial Psalm PS 130:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.

Gospel Lk 11:47-54

The Lord said: “Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets  whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

HOMILY

We begin our reflection today on the First Reading. I was stressing during these past days that in the introduction of St. Paul, he was telling the people, 'You have done this - both you pagans and Jews. All of you are sinners.' The pagans, because even if they see the beauty of creation, they did not accept that there is a Creator. And for the Jews, they were judging themselves, as better than the others. They were condemning the others, even if they are doing the same. This constitutes the sinfulness of humanity, of everybody. But everybody has to be saved. Everybody has to find a vision somewhere. Or someone must offer this sinful people a way to salvation. And in our Readings, St. Paul will offer, what is the way to salvation.

It is written in the First Reading: "For we consider that a person is justified by faith, apart from works of the law." There is this distinction - justified by faith, and justified by the works of the law. We may hear that continuously in the next few days. To be justified, to be righteous - what is the meaning of that? It is precisely to be saved from our sins, to be made right in front of God.

How will that happen? For the Jews, it is by the works of the law, or by obeying what the law says. If you do this, you will become right. If you do this, following the law, God will forgive you. That is the mentality of the Jews. What you do will force God to save you, to forgive you. They have to do a lot of things. That is the meaning of the works of the law.

But St. Paul says, 'no'. You cannot be made righteous, you cannot be forgiven by God just by doing something. A person is only justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Because we have already been forgiven by God. When did that happen? On the Cross, through the sacrifice of Christ. Jesus Christ has taken every sin of everybody, from the beginning, up to the end of time. That is why, if you look at the Cross, Jesus' arms are open, meaning to say, it encompasses everybody from the beginning up to end. The sacrifice of Christ is for all, and for all time. We have been forgiven already by God through the sacrifice of Christ.

So, what shall we do? We should accept Christ and have faith in Him. We should believe in Him, and that is what St. Paul stresses here, which the Jews could not understand. That is why in the Gospel, St. Paul continues to condemn them. He tells them to believe in Jesus. And Jesus says if we want to follow Him, we should take up our cross. We have to do something. But the main thing is, we have been saved by God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us accept Him, believe in Him, and have faith in Him, and that is the beginning of our salvation.

Gospel Reflection

September 28, 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 Zec 2:5-9, 14-15a

I, Zechariah, raised my eyes and looked: there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how great is its width and how great its length.”

Then the angel who spoke with me advanced, and another angel came out to meet him and said to him, “Run, tell this to that young man: People will live in Jerusalem as though in open country, because of the multitude of men and beasts in her midst. But I will be for her an encircling wall of fire, says the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.”

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD. Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you.

Responsorial Psalm Jer 31:10, 11-12ab, 13

R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd guards his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Gospel Lk 9:43b-45

While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”  But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

HOMILY

Good morning and Happy Feast Day to everyone. I offer this Holy Mass for those among you who are called Laurencia and Lorenzo.

My dear brothers and sisters, throughout the centuries, thousands of men and women of all races have been put to death because they believed in Jesus. And one of them is our very own San Lorenzo Ruiz - the first Filipino saint - whom we are honoring today. When Lorenzo was threatened that he would die if he would not abandon his Christian faith, Lorenzo said, "I am a Christian, and this I profess until the hour of my death. And for God, I shall give my life. Although I did not come to Japan to be a martyr, nevertheless, as a Christian, and for God, I shall give my life."

When given the offer to abandon his Christian faith and save his life, Lorenzo said, "That I will never do, because I am a Christian. I shall die for God. And have I many thousand lives, I shall offer them for Him." Because of his public profession of faith, Lorenzo Ruiz was water tortured and finally hanged inverted from the gallows with his head inserted in a small pit. He died a martyr's death in Nishizaka Hill near Nagasaki on September 28, 1637.

My dear brothers and sisters, the message of our faith today is loyalty to Jesus. Loyalty to the Lord. Can we, in our daily life, offer our life to Jesus? Can we love Him above anyone and anything else? The Lord tells us, where your heart is, there your treasure will be. Is our faith in the Lord our treasure? Is our heart really for Him? Is the law of the Lord really ruling in our lives? Is this reflected when we are at home, when we are at work, when we are with our friends?

Quite often, we forget these realities, these truths. And I would like to remind myself and all of you gathered here about this. Christianity is not a theory about Jesus. It is not an idealism. Christianity is loyalty to Christ, as Peter would declare, the Son of the living God. And this loyalty simply means obedience to the Lord. Our Christian faith is not a dress that we can wear and remove as we like. Our Christian faith is a way of life. Our ideas will show we are Christians. Our words will speak we are Christians. And above all, our examples will profess our loyalty to Jesus. 

And I would not be wrong when I say that when a person is loyal to someone, don't even doubt it, he is also faithful. And when one is faithful and loyal to someone, do not doubt it, he will also be true and honest to that person. And when one is honest and faithful to someone, you can be sure that he has that sense of justice to give to anyone what is due to him. And this is the kind of Christianity that we are called for - not the devotional Christianity - that will eliminate corruption in our families, and most especially in our society.

We, Christians of today, should wake up and never believe that just because I am devoted to so many religious things, I am already an authentic and true Christian. As I would always say, our devotional practices should be the fruits of true Christianity. Meaning to say, I am loyal to Jesus, I am truthful to Jesus, I am fair in dealing with my God, and the devotional practices are simply expressions of who I truly am. And when the time comes, we will appreciate the devotional practices that we are doing. And the others who will see us performing them will believe us because they are fruits of who we really are. 

This is my Word of Life for you today: Our Christian faith is a breastplate of identification that we accept Jesus in our lives as our Teacher, Master, Ruler, King, and our God. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.