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.

Gospel Reflection

July 21, 2012

Saturday
St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest, Doctor of the Church (Feast)

Anticipated Sunday Mass (Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

by Rev. Fr. Jim Ferry

Greenbelt

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 should be good and loving shepherds to one another like Jesus is to us. As responsible shepherds, we should care for one another and pray for God’s grace so that we can be good examples of God’s love. He admonished parents to be good role models to their children. We should bring people closer to God, and not drive them away from God’s love.

Gospel Reflection

July 19, 2012

Thursday
Weekday

By Rev. Fr. Matthieu Dauchez

Edsa Shrine

First Reading:   Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19

Psalm:             Psalm 102:13-21

Gospel:            Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

HOMILY

God is calling us to come to Him and cast our burdens on Him. Let us not do things by ourselves, as it is only in God's love and mercy that we we can truly find rest, and accomplish everything. When our hearts grow tired and weary, let us come to God and He will always renew us.

Gospel Reflection

July 18, 2012

Wednesday
29^th Greenbelt Anniversary Mass

by Bishop Milo Vergara

Greenbelt

First Reading:   Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16

Psalm:             Psalm 94:5-10, 14-15

Gospel:            Matthew 11:25-27

25 On that occasion Jesus Said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed to simple people. 26 Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

27 Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father, except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

HOMILY

Since it was Greenbelt's anniversary, Bishop Milo emphasized the meaning of being a servant - on fulfilling our mission.
According to Bishop Milo, there are three things that we, servants, should remember:
One is proclamation. We should be steadfast in proclaiming God and His truth, so that people will come back to Him. Whether off season or not, we should share God's word to others.
Second is presence. As servants, we should have a deep personal relationship with God. Before we can be on mission, we should have intimacy with God through prayer. One good example is praying before the Blessed Sacrament. It is when we receive God that we become fruitful and we can make things possible. As we allow God's presence to fill us, we should also make others feel God's love. We should let others feel our reassuring presence, with our loving concern, time, gifts and sense of service.
Third is perseverance. As servants, we should follow God's call with "staying power" - no "ningas kugon". Dapat tuloy tuloy lang tayo, because the Lord will never abandon us. Let us continue to persevere in our faith and continue to serve, helping and reaching out to others, even if we encounter struggles. It's not easy but that is what real mission means. After attending our masses, we should lead a good and holy life. This is how our mission moves on - by becoming fruitful bearers of the grace of God, not only in the mass, but through concrete action in our daily life.

Gospel Reflection

July 18, 2012

Wednesday
Weekday

by Rev. Fr. Joel Jason

Megamall

First Reading:   Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16

Psalm:             Psalm 94:5-10, 14-15

Gospel:            Matthew 11:25-27

25 On that occasion Jesus Said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed to simple people. 26 Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

27 Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father, except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

HOMILY

The Gospel speaks about the Kingdom of God being revealed, not to the wise or the learned, but to the childlike. The key to today's Gospel is for us to have a childlike disposition.

No matter how intelligent we are, we should leave space for faith. We should look at God - His love, and His ways - with purity and innocence as of a child. As we thank God for making us smart, for making us wise, for making us successful, we should also follow God with humble prayer like that of a child.

 

Gospel Reflection

July 17, 2012

Tuesday
Weekday

by Rev. Fr. Lito Ignacio

EDSA Shrine

First Reading:   Isaiah 7:1-9

Psalm:             Psalm 48:2-8

Gospel:            Matthew 11:20-24

20 Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 "Woe to you, Chora'zin! woe to you, Beth-sa'ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Caper'na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

HOMILY

The key to today's Gospel is conversion. It is through steadfast faith and repentance (especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation) that we are able to continue our work of evangelization. "If your faith is not firm, you have no faith." We have to be persistent in our faith, whether it is convenient or inconvenient.
Father Lito ended his brief homily by sharing a prayer of Blessed Theresa of Calcutta: "Jesus, in my heart, I believe in Your tender love in me....and I love you". He told us to say the prayer over and over again. For him, this short prayer from Blessed Theresa is a prayer of such humility, faith and love for God.

Gospel Reflection

July 16, 2012

Monday
Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Optional Memorial)

by Rev.  Fr. Joed Buenaventura, Diocese of Balanga, Bataan

EDSA Shrine

First Reading:   Isaiah 1:10-17

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

Gospel:            Matthew 10:34 -- 11:1 

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man's foes will be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. 40 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 41 He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."

 

HOMILY

The key to today's Gospel is consistency. God does not look on our outward sacrifices and offerings, but on the true state and intentions of our heart. We may have all the best offerings given to the Church, we may have all the money to give, we may have all the talents to share, but if we only do this to show off, it is useless. We may be "holy" in public, but are we also holy inside the privacy of our rooms, when nobody can see us?
In the Gospel, Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace, but the sword. Jesus did not literally mean "sword". Jesus was pertaining to "division" among family, among kin, in terms of consistently upholding God's commands. For example, if your parents tell you to be dishonest, even if you know that it is not the way of God, and your heart knows it is bad, will you still do it? No matter what, we should be consistent in doing good deeds.

Gospel Reflection

July 14, 2012

Saturday
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin (Memorial)

Anticipated Sunday Mass (Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Greenbelt

First Reading:               Amos 7:12-15

Psalm:                         Psalm 85:9-14

Second Reading            Ephesians 1:3-14, or 1:3-10
Gospel:                        Mark 6:7-13

7 And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." 12 So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

HOMILY

Like the apostles, we are modern-day missionaries and should continue God’s loving presence to those around us. But before we do that, in Tagalog he said, “Tulad ng mga Apostoles, dapat  tayong maglaan ng panahon para kilalanin ang Diyos at maranasan ang kanyang pagmamahal bago tayo tumugon sa Kanyang paanyayang magpatuloy ng Kanyang misyon”.

There are three things by which we can respond to God’s call and to share His mission to others. First, like the apostles, we should help in expelling demons and evil spirits that prevent others from being close to God.

It does not mean that we need to be exorcists or authorities in expelling demons. In our own simple way, we can do that by being a GOOD influence and not a bad example to others. We should remind others to stop their bad habits at “huwag maging konsintidor”. We should remind others of their obligation to do good and to be constant witnesses of our faith. Hindi ‘yong tayo pa ang magyayayang mamasyal na lang o manood ng sine kaysa magsimba (Father's example).

Second, like the apostles, we should preach the good news BOTH in word and in deed. Hindi natatapos sa salita lang ang pagshare ng Good News. We should be living witnesses of Christ’s love by our good actions and willing sacrifice for others.

Third, like the apostles, we should bring healing and comfort to others. People have frailties, struggles, and problems. We should comfort our brothers/sisters to alleviate their pain, to give hope and encouragement, and to uplift the spirit. We should extend to them our prayer, care and concern by being present for them and making them feel loved and important.

We should pray for the grace to continue to be modern-day missionaries like the Apostles. We should listen to God’s call and give an affirmative response, by saying “Here I am Lord; I will extend your mission to others and respond to their needs all for Your glory”.

Gospel Refleionct

July 13, 2012

Friday
Votive Mass of the Precious Blood

by Rev. Fr. Chris Habal

Edsa Shrine

First Reading:               Hosea 14:2-10

Psalm:                         Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9. 12-14, 17

Gospel:                        Matthew 10:16-23

16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.

HOMILY

God’s love is a forgiving love. Even if we repeatedly sin, He repeatedly forgive us especially through the sacrament of reconciliation. We should, therefore, also touch others with our forgiving love.