Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Perfect Discipleship

Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth week in Ordinary Time

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 9:1-6. 

Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 
and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. 
And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.


Reflection:

Jesus authorises anyone to be like him. Being a Christian we are oblige to follow Jesus' footsteps. We should be like him. So, when following Jesus we will take nothing. This means we should not worry for anything. However, He warns us that despite we are authorised by Jesus to do like Jesus did, there are still people who will not welcome and follow us. In case there are people who are against us we must protest them and tell them the work of Jesus by proclaiming His kingdom.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Be an example to others

Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist - Feast

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9:9-13. 

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. 
While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. 
Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."


Reflection:

Most of us tend to dissociate with the people whom we considered sinners. But who are we to say that they are sinners? If we will meet a person who are law breaker or maybe a person who oftentimes commit something which we think wrong, we tend to dissociate with them. However, Christ is really clear in his message from this gospel that He did not come on earth for the righteous but for the sinners. Based on Christ's actuation, we should never dissociate ourselves with sinners. We should help them instead not to commit sin again. We know how difficult to convince a person who oftentimes committed wrong especially that they are already of age and have already an independent mind in knowing what is wrong and what is right. But since we are Christians, we should follow what Christ has done. We should also come to this earth for the sinners not to commit sin again. But how? Especially we, Filipinos, don't like confrontation. But doing what is right and be a role model to others, that could be of great advice to sinners not to commit sin again. Be an example to others.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Doing good or evil on sabbath

Monday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:6-11. 

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. 
But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. 
Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" 
Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. 
But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. 


Reflection:


Sabbath day is really important to everyone. In fact, no one is allowed to work during the sabbath. In Genesis, it was emphasized that our God takes rest during the seventh day of the creation. That seventh day is called the sabbath. However, Jesus question not only the scribes and the Pharisees. He also question us readers of the bible wether to do good or bad during the sabbath. There are professions in the society that really need to work even during the sabbath such as, those working in the hospitals wherein it really need to cure the sick even during the holy hour. We need to consider this kind of profession to work during the sabbath as their profession involves saving of life and health. Jesus also reminded us in this gospel that we should be careful in whatever we do as there are people that surrounds us like the scribes and the Pharisees. They are there just to find fault against what we are going to do in our everyday life. On the other hand, we should also have to extend a strong faith to Jesus so that we may be like the man with withered hand that is cured by Jesus because of being so faithful.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Healing of the Deaf

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 7:31-37. 

Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. 
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. 
He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; 
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!") 
And (immediately) the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. 
He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and (the) mute speak."


Reflection:

Jesus really makes miracles anywhere to anyone and to anybody but we should do this with others. The gospel of today says that people brought to Jesus a deaf man and begged Jesus to lay his hand on the deaf man. This particular statement implies that when you come to Jesus we need other people to ask what we need. We need others to be with us in our prayer. It is powerful to pray with others. That is why a community prayer is more powerful compared to a solo prayer. Besides, the later portion of the Gospel also emphasize the need to proclaim Jesus on the things that He has given to us. We need to proclaim to the whole world that Jesus creates a miracle in our lives. This is the way of glorifying Jesus as our God being the Son of the Father.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Lord of the Sabbath

Saturday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:1-5. 

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 
Some Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?" 
Jesus said to them in reply, "Have you not read what David did when he and those (who were) with him were hungry? 
(How) he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions."
Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath." 


Reflection:

We don't really know when is exactly the day of the Sabbath. When we talk about the sabbath day, we just follow that on the seventh day of the creation God take a rest. So, we follow that we should take our rest and make the seventh day our rest and holy because God also take a rest on that day. However, who among us knows the exact day of the sabbath which is the seventh day? Remember, that God created the world without a calendar. So, to my mind, when we talk about the sabbath we must follow our conscience. It's up to us what particular day that we will make it a sabbath day. It maybe Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. But since our Catholic faith told us that we must make Sunday as the day of the Sabbath, then we shall follow it, as Sunday is almost all Catholic's Sabbath day. However, if you are working on Sundays, you can always designate what particular day you wanted to make it your sabbath day. In the end Jesus said "The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath".

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Anyone could be Jesus' disciple

Thursday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5:1-11. 

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 
He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. 
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." 
Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." 
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. 
They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. 
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." 
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, 
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." 
When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.


Reflection:

Jesus chooses people who humble themselves. It is very clear that when Simon Peter saw the miracle of Jesus, he recognize Jesus as the Son of the Father. But when Simon Peter knelt down Jesus also recognizes him and choose him to be one of his disciples. So, Jesus will never select people who are perfect to follow Him. He select people who are interested to follow him by heart to be a fisher of men. Anyone of us could be His disciple if we will allow Jesus to sink in our heart and follow Him.