"If a man wishes to come after Me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps."
Lectionary Readings of 22nd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/22nd-sunday-a.html
We who are fortunate to be in an information rich society and context sometimes forget that there are poor among us who may not even know how to read and write. They may live below the poverty line - where they have to live on a very small amount of income. There are also those who are spiritually poor: the despondent, those who are discouraged and faint-hearted, those who suffer from lack of faith or hope, etc.
How often we forget that to follow in Christ's footsteps means denying much of our self and needing to go out of our comfort zones. Though we need not be missionaries who go out into the jungles of Africa or Papua New Guinea, or go up the mountains of much of Asia, we can just go out of our ordinary routine and help the person we know who is suffering from a problem or difficulty in life.
The communicant I give to (she is a senior citizen who suffers from shingles), tells of how she would, in our present hard times, encourage a friend not to give up hope and faith in God. Her friend has many problems and suffers from many difficult situations in life. However, this sick (not really very sick since she can still drive though she wants to stay at home on Sundays to take care more of her wheelchaired sister), goes out of her way to take time to encourage this friend of her to hold on to God, to continue to go to Sunday Mass and not to abandon the Catholic faith. And, after all her positive and encouraging proddings and through the own efforts of her friend herself, her friend was able to slowly recover from her difficult situation and slowly returned to a stronger faith in God.
This gospel passage is a call for us to go out of our comfort zones. To deny ourself some conveniences in order to take up the responsibility of Christ (share in His cross to build the Kingdom), and follow Him in His desire to save people from despondency, darkness, discouragement, loneliness, and all forms of realities that choke the gift of life that God has given us. How we will do this: to deny ourself, take up our cross and follow Christ - depends on our state of life and the social environment in which we find ourselves. One thing is for sure though. If we take to sincere heart this injunction and directive of Christ, we too shall share in eternal life with Him forever in His kingdom. And we will have glimpses of this kingdom when we ourselves have acted according to His will in our daily life.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Sunday, August 21, 2005
21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
"You are the Messiah,"..."the Son of the living God!"
Lectionary Readings for 21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/21st-sunday-a.html
This statement and confession by Peter was praised by Jesus because Peter exclaimed it not of his own accord but as inspired by the Spirit of God. We know that Peter is human and also has its faults. But despite all his faults and all his defects of personality and character, Jesus still chose him to be the "rock" by which the Church would be built. It was not because of Peter's merits then that Jesus chose him but because Peter had faith in Jesus as the Messiah and as the One who would save man from his sins.
Peter represents the papal leadership in our Church. Like Peter, there are popes in our history who have committed many mistakes and may even have caused shame to the Church because of their deeds. But this is because the Church is human and all its leaders, despite their being chosen by God are also human and can be subject to temptation and fall into sin. What is important though is that we continue to believe that God-in-Jesus has seen in the seat of Peter, the very foundation by which the Church would follow his teaching. We therefore are called to have the same faith in a leadership that was founded by Jesus Himself.
And what about the "Peter" in us? How is the level of our faith in Christ? There may be times when we understandably feel that our faith is weak and we trust in many other things other than God. When we do so, let us not forget that it is by the Spirit of God that Peter was able to confess that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Savior who is to save us from our sins. Therefore, if we pray for the gift of faith and genuine trust in God, we shall truly not forget that it is in God that we can really have genuine faith in the teachings of Jesus. The Spirit will strengthen us and help us to place our trust where it should really be placed.
Our level of trust in Jesus as the Savior shall grow and mature as we journey like Peter, who after he confessed in the Spirit that Jesus was the Christ, eventually learned by experience that that confession will be tested very much when Jesus became powerless in his eyes and was captured by the Roman authorities under the instigation of the Jewish religious authorities. We in our time will also be tested after we truly confess that Christ is our Savior. We will be tested many times over through various experiences which will make Christ's message appear ridiculous to us or the Catholic faith as something negative and scandalous. But we must not lose faith for if we cry out to the Lord to help our unbelief, and repent of our sinfulness, we will be restored in our faith in Christ. Each time that we are restored in our faith and in our relationship to Christ (like Peter was), we will be called to strengthen our brothers and sisters in the faith context we are living in: the family, the workplace, the parish or the community.
Lectionary Readings for 21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/21st-sunday-a.html
This statement and confession by Peter was praised by Jesus because Peter exclaimed it not of his own accord but as inspired by the Spirit of God. We know that Peter is human and also has its faults. But despite all his faults and all his defects of personality and character, Jesus still chose him to be the "rock" by which the Church would be built. It was not because of Peter's merits then that Jesus chose him but because Peter had faith in Jesus as the Messiah and as the One who would save man from his sins.
Peter represents the papal leadership in our Church. Like Peter, there are popes in our history who have committed many mistakes and may even have caused shame to the Church because of their deeds. But this is because the Church is human and all its leaders, despite their being chosen by God are also human and can be subject to temptation and fall into sin. What is important though is that we continue to believe that God-in-Jesus has seen in the seat of Peter, the very foundation by which the Church would follow his teaching. We therefore are called to have the same faith in a leadership that was founded by Jesus Himself.
And what about the "Peter" in us? How is the level of our faith in Christ? There may be times when we understandably feel that our faith is weak and we trust in many other things other than God. When we do so, let us not forget that it is by the Spirit of God that Peter was able to confess that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Savior who is to save us from our sins. Therefore, if we pray for the gift of faith and genuine trust in God, we shall truly not forget that it is in God that we can really have genuine faith in the teachings of Jesus. The Spirit will strengthen us and help us to place our trust where it should really be placed.
Our level of trust in Jesus as the Savior shall grow and mature as we journey like Peter, who after he confessed in the Spirit that Jesus was the Christ, eventually learned by experience that that confession will be tested very much when Jesus became powerless in his eyes and was captured by the Roman authorities under the instigation of the Jewish religious authorities. We in our time will also be tested after we truly confess that Christ is our Savior. We will be tested many times over through various experiences which will make Christ's message appear ridiculous to us or the Catholic faith as something negative and scandalous. But we must not lose faith for if we cry out to the Lord to help our unbelief, and repent of our sinfulness, we will be restored in our faith in Christ. Each time that we are restored in our faith and in our relationship to Christ (like Peter was), we will be called to strengthen our brothers and sisters in the faith context we are living in: the family, the workplace, the parish or the community.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
20th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
"Woman, you have great faith! Your wish will come to pass."
Lectionary Readings of 20th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/20th-sunday-a.html
In life, there will be many times when we will encounter problems and difficulties. We do not know what it is that will befall us for we are all under the mercy of God. It may be sickness, an early death, loss of a family member, bankruptcy, loss of a job, war, famine, economic disasters, or anything that will truly test our faith. Whenever we do so, it is good to follow the example and witness of the Canaanite woman here in the gospel for this Sunday. Her daughter is plagued with a demon and she wanted Jesus to cure and heal her daughter. Jesus' reply was: that He was only called to the House of Israel (excluding Canaanites). But the Canaanite woman knew and with faith that like the dogs that are under their master's tables, these dogs are able to eat the morsels and bits of food that fall from their master's tables. Therefore, this Canaanite woman, even though she knew that the Jewish society of that time was discriminating her, she knew with great faith that Jesus can heal her daughter. And because Jesus was amazed by such a great faith, Jesus granted her request.
Whenever we are burdened with trials and difficulties, how easy it is for us to be tempted and to give up. We often are sapped of our energy and our enthusiasm when times become hard and it is so difficult to earn a living, to get people's support, to serve a family, to keep a marriage, to gain job security, to make the business survive, to lead a parish or a mission, to fix a very difficult moral situation, etc. All these situations and many more will truly test our faith in Christ. We are therefore called to be inspired by the Canaanite woman, who despite the fact that she was powerless to ask for help in a very Jewish setting that discriminates their ethnic group, she continued on and pleaded for help from God in Christ Jesus. Perhaps, when we are indeed in dire straits for our situation or the situation of members of our family, we are called to express great faith in God and to cling totally to Him and know deep down in our heart that even though we are sinners, He is good and will always be faithful in His kindness and mercy to us.
Whatever be our situation now, let us not lose heart when things become very difficult and situations bring so much pain and hardship, but let us be called to be inspired by the example of the Canaanite woman: her faith teaches us that God answers the prayers of all - especially the least and the little people.
Lectionary Readings of 20th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/20th-sunday-a.html
In life, there will be many times when we will encounter problems and difficulties. We do not know what it is that will befall us for we are all under the mercy of God. It may be sickness, an early death, loss of a family member, bankruptcy, loss of a job, war, famine, economic disasters, or anything that will truly test our faith. Whenever we do so, it is good to follow the example and witness of the Canaanite woman here in the gospel for this Sunday. Her daughter is plagued with a demon and she wanted Jesus to cure and heal her daughter. Jesus' reply was: that He was only called to the House of Israel (excluding Canaanites). But the Canaanite woman knew and with faith that like the dogs that are under their master's tables, these dogs are able to eat the morsels and bits of food that fall from their master's tables. Therefore, this Canaanite woman, even though she knew that the Jewish society of that time was discriminating her, she knew with great faith that Jesus can heal her daughter. And because Jesus was amazed by such a great faith, Jesus granted her request.
Whenever we are burdened with trials and difficulties, how easy it is for us to be tempted and to give up. We often are sapped of our energy and our enthusiasm when times become hard and it is so difficult to earn a living, to get people's support, to serve a family, to keep a marriage, to gain job security, to make the business survive, to lead a parish or a mission, to fix a very difficult moral situation, etc. All these situations and many more will truly test our faith in Christ. We are therefore called to be inspired by the Canaanite woman, who despite the fact that she was powerless to ask for help in a very Jewish setting that discriminates their ethnic group, she continued on and pleaded for help from God in Christ Jesus. Perhaps, when we are indeed in dire straits for our situation or the situation of members of our family, we are called to express great faith in God and to cling totally to Him and know deep down in our heart that even though we are sinners, He is good and will always be faithful in His kindness and mercy to us.
Whatever be our situation now, let us not lose heart when things become very difficult and situations bring so much pain and hardship, but let us be called to be inspired by the example of the Canaanite woman: her faith teaches us that God answers the prayers of all - especially the least and the little people.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
19th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
"Lord, save me!"
Lectionary Readings of 19th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/19th-sunday-a.html
In this gospel passage, we see an image of Christ walking on the water and bidding Peter to come unto Him. At first, Peter was able to walk a distance. However, after seeing the strong waves around him, he faltered and began to experience fear. This doubt led to his slow sinking into the waves. As he began to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus at once stretched out his hand and caught him. Then Jesus remarked, "How little faith you have!" "Why did you falter?"
In our faith journey, we will experience both success and failure, victory and defeat, sickness and health, poverty and riches, and all experiences that will either strengthen or weaken our faith. In those times when we experience successes, most of us forget that it is the Lord who gave us our abilities so that we may succeed. And so we become proud and and forget the Lord. When, however, we began to experience failure again, only then will we remember the Lord and like Peter, cry out, "Lord, save me!"
We thank the Lord for the times that He gives us the gift of faith - a gift that helps us "walk on the water". But we must not forget that this faith is a gift and must be nurtured with humility, service, servanthood, sacrifice and fear of the Lord. Sometimes this gift of faith from God will help us go on even though we see obstacles and even if we see all kinds of hindrances towards our life objectives and goals. But sometimes, we may see the difficulties and the hardships and the problems and forget to focus on God who can give us that faith that will see us through all manner of difficulties. Then, in our doubting, we sink and fail to do His will.
The lesson we are taught in this gospel is to always put our focus on the Lord. We are called to look always toward Him. He is the real objective and goal of our life. If we focus on the problems and difficulties we encounter in our faith journey, we will forget the Lord and lose our faith. Keeping our eyes on Him all the time through prayer and service and humility will help us "walk in the water" and reach our destination of eternal life in Him. So if we continue to keep to our life of prayer and our life of service to the Church in our work, we shall have the faith to surmount any difficulty and we will be able to do the Lord's will to serve Him.
Lectionary Readings of 19th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/19th-sunday-a.html
In this gospel passage, we see an image of Christ walking on the water and bidding Peter to come unto Him. At first, Peter was able to walk a distance. However, after seeing the strong waves around him, he faltered and began to experience fear. This doubt led to his slow sinking into the waves. As he began to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus at once stretched out his hand and caught him. Then Jesus remarked, "How little faith you have!" "Why did you falter?"
In our faith journey, we will experience both success and failure, victory and defeat, sickness and health, poverty and riches, and all experiences that will either strengthen or weaken our faith. In those times when we experience successes, most of us forget that it is the Lord who gave us our abilities so that we may succeed. And so we become proud and and forget the Lord. When, however, we began to experience failure again, only then will we remember the Lord and like Peter, cry out, "Lord, save me!"
We thank the Lord for the times that He gives us the gift of faith - a gift that helps us "walk on the water". But we must not forget that this faith is a gift and must be nurtured with humility, service, servanthood, sacrifice and fear of the Lord. Sometimes this gift of faith from God will help us go on even though we see obstacles and even if we see all kinds of hindrances towards our life objectives and goals. But sometimes, we may see the difficulties and the hardships and the problems and forget to focus on God who can give us that faith that will see us through all manner of difficulties. Then, in our doubting, we sink and fail to do His will.
The lesson we are taught in this gospel is to always put our focus on the Lord. We are called to look always toward Him. He is the real objective and goal of our life. If we focus on the problems and difficulties we encounter in our faith journey, we will forget the Lord and lose our faith. Keeping our eyes on Him all the time through prayer and service and humility will help us "walk in the water" and reach our destination of eternal life in Him. So if we continue to keep to our life of prayer and our life of service to the Church in our work, we shall have the faith to surmount any difficulty and we will be able to do the Lord's will to serve Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)