The Nexus

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“The reign of God is like a buried treasure which a man found in
a field.”

In the gospel for this 17th Sunday of the Year, we will encounter Jesus, as
He speaks about the reign of God through three parables: like a buried
treasure which a man found in a field, like the finding of a really valuable
pearl, and like a dragnet in which its haul of contents were separated into
what was worthwhile and what was useless.  Jesus spoke these three parables
to a crowd, which He was always accustomed to do, since the people will
understand what He is saying about the Kingdom through familiar things
and realities.  Common folk in the time of Jesus will understand what a
buried treasure is, what fine pearls are, and what a dragnet that is thrown
in the lake can haul ashore.

Bible scholars and commentators have full explanations and comprehensive
analyses of what these parables mean: both in text and in context.  They
are able to study the implications of the message in the time of Jesus
and also for us now in the present times.  The meanings they obtain from
their studies are replete and pregnant with various nuances and shades
of understanding for everyone or anyone who wishes to fathom the deeper
meaning of these parables.  Reading some of their commentaries can help
us see dimensions of meaning not often found through ordinary meditation
or reflection.

For our purposes, it is enough to listen well to what Jesus says to us
through the text, and to listen also to what the parish priest explains
in relation to the context in which these parables are given.  The familiar
meaning is clear to us and the application for our Christian lives will
depend on what we discover as really valuable in the message which this
gospel conveys for our particular life situation.  What may be common
for all of us to see and recognize is that the valuable thing that Jesus
wants us to see in the reign of God is what we should place above all
things - and sometimes sacrificing other things so that we could give
more attention to this valuable thing.  When we see that valuable thing
in our Christian life, then like the people in the parables of Jesus,
we are to give up other less valuable things in order to make more room
for that more important and more precious thing in our life and in our
family.

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“Let them grow together until harvest…”

Jesus speaks another parable for the 16th Sunday of the Year. Last
Sunday, He spoke about the four types of ground that receive the seeds
sown upon them.  The lesson we have learned from that parable is that
only the good soil will bring about a bountiful harvest.  So, when applied
to our life, when we are able to become “good soil”, that is also fertile
with prayer and good works, when the seed of God’s Word enters our being,
we too will reap a bountiful harvest of God’s blessings.

In the parable for this Sunday, Jesus speaks again of seed, and crop,
and yield.  However, this time, the situation is about a farmer ordering
his slaves to sow good seed - which grew, matured, and yielded grain -
and then an enemy of the farmer who, when everyone was asleep at night,
sowed weeds through the farmer’s wheat.  When the problem was noticed
by the farmer’s slaves and reported it to their master, the slaves
wanted to solve the problem by pulling out the weeds. However, the
decision of the field-owner was to let the weeds grow with the wheat
- because pulling out the weeds might pull out also the wheat along
with it.  The field-owner’s wisdom and prudent judgment saw that the
better solution would be when harvest time comes.

At first, the disciples of Jesus did not know what the parable meant
for them. But Jesus explained it to them: saying that the farmer sowing
the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed
the citizen’s of the Kingdom; the weeds are the followers of the evil
one; the enemy who sowed the weeds is the devil; the harvest is the
end of the world when the good will be received by God and the evil
thrown into the fiery furnace of Gehenna.

Our life on earth is filled with good and evil - in ourselves and in
others. This parable of Jesus teaches us to be kind with all people
- even diehard criminals and those notoriously known to be evil.  It
is not in our authority to judge, for the exercise of true justice
is a virtue infused by the supernatural grace of the Holy Spirit.
But even if justice in the world is not perfect, there is a just
order sustained by universal ideals which all of humanity adhere to
and agree.  What we are called to reflect upon and to really think
more deeply is to see the wisdom of God’s judgment and justice as
one involving punishment but also qualified by His saving mercy.

As we live everyday serving our family, working in our jobs, and
relating with people in many situations, we may encounter mean
remarks, disrespectful actions, verbal abuse, those who intentionally
ignore us when we need service, or those who bully and trample upon
the weak. When we experience such situations, this is the time we
are called to stand back, stand our ground, and prudently do what
ought to be done so that the fruit of the encounter is not enmity
or hatred but one that is directed towards a peaceful resolution.
And when we had finished our day experiencing one of these stressful
encounters, let us sit, settle, open our eyes to God’s wisdom, and
remember what the field-owner said to his slaves: “Do not pull up
the weeds for you might take the wheat along with them. Let them
grow together until harvest - when the weeds will be burned and the
wheat gathered into the barn.”  Our task and responsibility is to
be the good seed that yields the grain; not the weeds that are sown
by the Evil One.

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“Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.”

In the gospel for this Sunday, July 6, we will learn how Jesus sees the
people and Himself.  First, Jesus praises the Father for He has revealed
something precious to the simple and the merest children, and letting it
remain hidden to the clever and the intelligent. And when Jesus says that
“no one knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father but the
Son — and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him”, we can infer from
the text that it was this relationship that was being revealed to the
simple and merest children.  From other passages in the gospels, we will
also learn that it is to the childlike that the kingdom of God and its
spiritual treasures and mysteries will be known and given.

In the second paragraph of the gospel, Jesus invites the people - those
who are especially burdened by life - to take up His yoke and learn from
Him, for He is gentle and humble of heart. Jesus making Himself known to
the people with these words makes us remember of His image as the Sacred
Heart and the Lamb of God.  Since people during the time of Jesus were
literally carrying heavy loads as part of their means of livelihood, this
commandment of Jesus to follow Him and learn from His teaching is a lighter
load to carry, since unlike their masters - who may probably be very taxing
stern, and strict - this Master is one of compassion and love, humble and
gentle of heart.

In these hard and difficult times, when we, our family, and people who are
dear to us, are experiencing the increasing burden of the rising cost of
living, we are fortunate to know Jesus as the Master who is humble and
gentle of Heart - whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. We only
need to remember how Jesus carried the Cross - a symbol of our sinfulness
and evil - so that we may be saved from the effects of humanity’s sin
and evil.  The love of Jesus lifts us up from our hardships, his gentleness
is a boon to the harshness of the times, and his humility neutralizes our
pride so that we may source all our strength and power from Him and the
Father alone.  After a week of working hard and earning our keep, we only
need to listen to His Word and receive His Sacrament, and we will surely
find rest and feel refreshed from the burdens and problems we have been
carrying and solving the whole week.

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“Do not fear those who deprive the body of life but cannot destroy
the soul.”

For the gospel this Sunday, June 22, we will be led to learn what it really
means to follow Jesus.  The passage excerpted from the gospel of Matthew
is part of the discourse of Jesus - urging and telling His apostles to
go forth and spread the Good News, even amidst an opposing or persecuting
force. So Jesus encourages His apostles not to fear any opposing force
that may destroy their physical life but not the soul wherein the life
from God dwells.  And Jesus assures His apostles strongly that as they
acknowledge Him before all people, so shall He acknowledge them before
His Father in heaven.

All the apostles of Jesus, with the exception of John, died a martyr’s
death - the same way as their Master, Teacher and Risen Lord. Tradition
also tells us that St. Peter was crucified upside down, while St. Andrew
was crucified in an X-shaped cross.  Not only did the apostles shed
their blood for God like Jesus, but they also inspired many others to
this gift of martyrdom - with numerous martyrs witnessing to Christ
many generations thereafter.  This truth makes us aware that like Jesus,
and the apostles, our following of Christ, the Christian ideal, and
the Catholic vision, may entail some physical suffering and other manner
of afflictions in our life at one time or another.

Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to encourage all His
apostles and disciples, to share in His ministry and mission.  The
Holy Spirit, of which Christian tradition speaks of as the “Soul’s-
hardening for the fight”, will help all the failings of our flesh
and supply it with never failing power.  But the fight which the
Spirit is helping us, so that we may share in Christ’s victory, is a
spiritual fight - one that resists the temptation to sin and to do all
manner of good amidst adversity and difficulty.  We know that not all
are called to have the gift of martyrdom, but all are called to share
in the Cross of Christ.  And sharing in Christ’s Cross may mean, in
the world of family and work, opposing or resisting any spirit that
seeks to destroy the Christian soul of the family, or the Christian
spirit in which we work and earn our living.  It is by a life of prayer
and union with the Spirit that we shall obtain the strength and the
power to resist and oppose sin - in ourselves and among us.

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“…the heart of Jesus was moved with pity…they were…like sheep
without a shepherd.”

The gospel for the 11th Sunday of the Year tells the story of Jesus in
His ministry to His people.  The crowds were gathering before Him because
they sense in Him the spirit of life, compassion and guidance.  He had
twelve disciples whom he gave authority to be with Him in His ministry
of expelling unclean spirits, curing sicknesses, and gathering the lost
sheep of the house of Israel.  Jesus tells and instructs these disciples
of His to make this announcement: ‘The reign of God is at hand!’ Cure
the sick, raise the dead, heal the leprous, expel demons.’  And His
disciples followed His commandment and became His laborers to gather in
the harvest of souls for the reign of God.

The heart of Jesus is the heart of a spiritual father: one who cares for
the direction of the people.  When he saw the crowds and had pity on them,
He immediately commanded His twelve disciples to pray that there would
be laborers to gather the harvest for God.  And He Himself set the example,
by ordering His apostles to preach that the reign of God is near. And to
show evidence of this sign, they were to cure the sick, raise the dead,
heal the leprous, and expel demons.  The leadership of Jesus is one that
involves the heart - the core of our being where God Himself dwells. Thus,
Jesus leads with a fatherly spirit - caring for the people as a father
would care for his children.  And to set an example of this fatherly
concern, He instructed His disciples to do as He does in His ministry
and mission of caring for the sick and expelling demons who threaten the
life of persons.

Every family is part of a greater spiritual family: the Catholic Church
and the family of all humanity. Each father is called to imitate the
heart of Jesus and to guide his family to a direction of life, as Jesus
shows by example in His ministry. Catholics are fortunate to have the
Catholic Church to guide all families in what is true and what is according
to God’s will (through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration).  The family is the
domestic Church, the Catholic Church in its basic nucleus.  With each
father guiding his family like the heart of Jesus and the mother assisting
in this mission, and both of them following the teachings of the Church as
regards family life, then the social unit of the family shall be a strong
foundation for the betterment of the society and culture in which it lives,
and contributes to the service of charity, dialogue and peace.

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“I have come to call not the self-righteous, but sinners.”

The gospel for the 10th Sunday of the Year tells the story of the call of
Matthew.  Matthew was a tax collector, and tax collectors at the time of
Jesus were considered outcasts of the Jewish society - together with other
sinners.  Tax collectors were outcasted because they work for the Roman
Empire, and obtain income by taxing their fellow Jews.  But in this gospel
passage, it tells us that Jesus was moving about until he saw Matthew
at his post collecting taxes.  Jesus said to Matthew, “Follow Me”. At
this call, Matthew got up and followed Jesus.  Since Jesus accepted
Matthew as one of His own, Matthew invited Jesus to his home and there
was a celebration together his fellow tax collectors.  The Pharisees
saw this and took it against Jesus for dining and associating with such
people.  But Jesus replied: “People who are in good health do not need
a doctor; sick people do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘It
is mercy I desire and not sacrifice.’ I have come to call not the self-
righteous, but sinners”.

The majority of Jesus’ followers were fishermen: ordinary people who
found in Jesus the hope of Israel and the salvation of their life. And
many who believed in Jesus were simple folks who found in the words and
teachings of Jesus the very Truth from whom they found light, love and
life.  Sometimes, although not in all cases, a lot of knowledge and
status and power may blind people from knowing the ultimate truth about
God and life.  But when people, and this means also the learned, the
rich, the powerful, the influential, together with the simple and those
who are unlettered, suddenly discover their sinful nature and the wisdom
of seeing themselves as creatures before an all-powerful, all-merciful
and all-saving God, they realize that all hope and salvation lies in
the God of life in Jesus of Nazareth.  That is why Jesus told the
Pharisees in this gospel passage that it is not the self-righteous that
He calls, but sinners.  Jesus knew human nature in its very essence and
is certain that when He calls sinners to Himself and lead them to His
saving and merciful help, they will at once follow Him.  Matthew is a
very good example of this because he was well aware that the society
he lives in looks down on his sinful social status.  Jesus thus became
his hope, his salvation, and his future.

In our life journey, there were many times we probably heard the call
of Christ but did not heed it because we were so immersed in a life in
which our hearts were filled with riches and material things.  The
inordinate desire for these has crowded out the spirit from our hearts
and souls in a way that we become blinded by the reality that we will
never bring all our material possessions and treasures with us to our
death.  It is not bad to have wealth or to possess many material sources
of comfort and ease.  But when it becomes the sole love and treasure of
our heart, we become deaf to the call of Christ to share our wealth with
others.  We can have material possessions and wealth without loving them.
Instead, if we become charitable with what we have, we bring the Spirit
of Christ within our hearts and we safeguard our soul from the works of
the flesh: envy, jealousy, competition, dissension, disunity, anger,
pride, greed, lust, and so on.  When we heed the call of Jesus and strive
to live more in charity, like Matthew, we will find our treasure not so
much in our possessions or our status, but in Christ Himself - the One
who is the source of all that we need in life: for ourselves, our family
and our loved ones.

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“Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that
whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life.”

In this Sunday’s gospel, the gospel for Trinity Sunday, Year A, we read
a passage that tells about Jesus - teaching one of the Pharisees, whose
name was Nicodemus, about the love of the Father for mankind.  If we
read the beginning of chapter 3 from which this passage was taken, we
will find that Nicodemus went to Jesus by night (which bible scholars
interpret as a discrete move by Nicodemus so that he would not be seen
in a bad light by his fellow Pharisees) to learn more of Jesus and
His teaching.  And one of the teachings that Jesus emphasized to this
searching Pharisee is how God wanted the world to be saved through His
Son.  Whoever believes in the Son will be saved and merit eternal life,
while those who do not believe in the Son will be condemned by their
lack of belief.

From this passage in the gospel of John, we see the relationship between
the Father and Jesus - Jesus as the Son who was sent by His Father to
save the world from sin.  Last Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we read about
the resurrection appearance of Jesus to His apostles and wherein He
“breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit”.  We can thus learn
from these passages how God redeems us through His Fatherhood, His
Sonship, and His Most Holy Spirit.  Just as the apostles received the
Holy Spirit, we who are members of the Church Jesus founded, receive the
same Spirit through them.  And when we are called to reflect who God is
for us, one of our responses is: “God is Father, Son and Spirit”. Thru
this triune relationship, we are saved from our sins and will be rewarded
with eternal life, if we continue to believe in God-in-Jesus, who sends
His Spirit among us, so that we can also participate and continue the
mission of redemption which Christ commissions us to do through our
baptismal consecration.

We believe in one God in three persons whenever we make the sign of the
cross on our forehead, shoulders, and chest.  We also profess this faith
whenever we recite the Apostles Creed in the Sunday Eucharist.  God in
three persons is a mystery that we are called to believe and live out
in our daily lives.  It is a relationship of love and community that
seeks to dwell in our heart and soul so that we too may share this spirit
with others.  We are lucky to profess this faith simply in our Christian
lives whereas in the early centuries, many saints have struggled so that
this truth of one God in three persons and three persons in one God may
be proclaimed in our Catholic Church.  As we now celebrate the mystery
of the Trinity this Sunday, let us pray to recognize the triune mystery
that pervades through the whole Eucharistic liturgy beginning with the
sign of the Cross at the start of the Mass and ending also with the sign
of the Cross when the priest dismisses the congregation for a mission of
peace.

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“Then He breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy
Spirit…’”

The solemnity of Pentecost reminds us of the birth of the Church.
In today’s lectionary readings, the vivid account of what transpired
on that day is given in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. The
passage tells us that in the place where Mary, the apostles, and
other disciples were gathered, “suddenly from up the sky there
came a noise like a strong, driving wind which was heard all
through the house where they were seated…tongues as of fire
appeared which parted and came to rest on each of them…all were
filled with the Holy Spirit.”  After this manifestation of the
presence of the Holy Spirit, the apostles then preached to the
people in different tongues and native languages about the
marvels God has accomplished.

In the gospel account, we are then given a passage of one of
the resurrection appearances of Jesus to His apostles.  In this
account for the feast of Pentecost, we read that “though the
disciples had locked the doors of the place where they were
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood before them…[and
said] Peace be with you”. At the sight of Jesus, the disciples
rejoiced.  And then Jesus “breathed on them and said: ‘Receive
the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven
them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.’”

Devotion to the Holy Spirit was not popular during much of
the history of the Catholic Church.  However, the devotion to
Him became more prominent as a charismatic renewal movement
swept the Catholic Church in the middle of the twentieth
century.  The second ecumenical Vatican Council, under the
leadership of Pope John XXIII had the Holy Spirit much in
mind in the renewal of the Church according to the “signs of
the times” - the present situation of the world.  But even
before this Council was convened, many Catholics around the
world were already participating in the charismatic renewal
movement - a movement inspired very much by the Holy Spirit.
Through this movement, those who formerly were lukewarm in
their practice of the faith, suddenly became ardent in their
Christian life and much inspired to prayer and community
worship because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their
life and among their friends, family and loved ones. Many
were converted also because of this charismatic movements.

The feast of Pentecost can help us to reflect on the many
gifts the Holy Spirit gives us.  We receive these gifts
through the sacrament of baptism and confirmation and also
through our regular attendance of the Mass and practice of
the sacrament of reconciliation.  The gifts of wisdom,
knowledge, counsel, understanding, piety, courage or
fortitude, and fear of the Lord are given to us as
individuals so that we may do the Lord’s will and serve
our brothers and sisters in Christ. Through the Holy
Spirit, we are able to pray well and practice the virtues
of strength, justice, prudence and temperance.  Not only
this, by our docility to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and
our attentiveness to the Word of God and reception of
His Sacrament, we shall bear spiritual fruits: joy, peace,
faith, charity, goodness, kindness, patience, generosity,
chastity, modesty, gentleness, and self-control.  And as
a community, some of us may be gifted with the Holy Spirit
to teach, to preach, to heal, to give words of wisdom,
to counsel and to be instruments of God’s miracles to
others.

We receive so much from God through the Holy Spirit that
we are called to be really thankful and grateful for all
God’s goodness, mercy and kindness.  Pentecost is a time
for us to thank God for the gift of prayer, for the gift
of community through our loved ones and through our
co-workers, and most especially for the gift of the Church
- from whom we are nourished daily or every Sunday with
the Body and Blood of Christ - a sacrament that strengthens
us to do God’s will, obey the Church, and serve our brothers
and sisters in Christ.  Let us praise and thank God always
for the gift of Himself through His Most Holy Spirit.

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“I came that they might have life and have it to the
full.”

This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday.  And the gospel
for this Sunday is taken from the gospel of John. In
John, Jesus speaks of Himself as the “sheepgate”, the
“gate”, and as the “shepherd of the sheep”. He contrasts
Himself to the thief and the marauder - to the stranger
whom the sheep do not recognize.  These the sheep will
flee from as they do not know him and his voice. They
know that these come only to steal and slaughter and
destroy.  But the sheep will follow only the voice of
the shepherd who calls each of the sheep by their names.
The shepherd will lead them as they follow him and
recognize his voice.  Since the sheep recognize the
voice of the shepherd, they will be safe and find
pasture.  Through the shepherd, the sheep are able to
have life as they follow the shepherd and his voice.

With this teaching, Jesus teaches a leadership that
is different from other styles of leadership.  What
He teaches is a leadership that leads its followers
to life and to have it to its fullness.  As we just
celebrated the Easter Triduum several weeks ago, we
can have a glimpse of what this leadership entails:
self-sacrifice to the point of giving one’s very life
for one’s followers.  That is why Jesus is a Good
Shepherd.  By his very word and life, He has taught
many to believe and trust in the Father - who will
reward all who follow His Son with the fullness of
life, eternal life.  And the more we follow in the
steps of the Son, the more the fullness of God’s very
own life will be ours to inherit.

Many of us would probably shirk at the idea of
leadership, saying to ourselves, that is only for
those in politics.  But in our pursuit of Christian
holiness, we exercise a form of Christian leadership
in our ordinary life.  By our simple words and deeds,
we can witness to the truth that there is hope for
all of us - even those who have committed grave
sins or errors or those who have lossed something
very valuable in life.  By making Christ as the
source of our Christian leadership, we make His
light shine through us so that it may also shine
to others.  The more we are rooted in Christ as
our Good Shepherd, the more our Christian leadership
will truly lead others to the very life that Christ
has promised for all of us - eternal life.

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“Do not persist in your unbelief, but
believe!”

The gospel passage for the second Sunday of Easter
Easter Sunday is taken from the gospel of John. It
recounts the story of Jesus appearing first to the
group of apostles without Thomas with them. And so,
when Thomas came back to the group and the group
narrated to Thomas that the Lord had appeared to
them, Thomas did not believe.  He said, “I’ll never
believe it without probing the nail-prints in his
hands, without putting my finger in the nail-marks
and my hand into his side.”  A week later, the
group of disciples were gathered, and Thomas was
with them this time.  Jesus again appeared in His
resurrected body to the apostles and said to Thomas,
“Take your finger and examine My hands. Put your
hands into My side. Do not persist in your unbelief,
but believe!” Thomas said in response, “My Lord
and my God!”

For many of us Catholics and Christians, we take
for granted our belief in Christ the Risen Lord.
But during the time of the apostles, not all may
have believed that Jesus has really risen from the
dead.  And Thomas was one of these disciples. The
apostle Thomas was lucky that the Lord made His
appearance again to the disciples with him present
amongst the group.  But Jesus exclaimed something
even greater than what transpired in the sudden
faith of Thomas:

“You became a believer because you saw Me, blest
are they who have not seen and have believed.”

Faith is a gift and is not given to all people.
Sometimes it is obtained through an intense
conversion experience.  At other occasions, it may
be the result of a great hope that God will make
things better; He shall make all things well.
But we usually project our faith from our present
situation into the future where our hope lies in
God.  This is the challenge for most of us -
especially when the times of testing and trial
arrive into our family circle or our social network
of friends and acquaintances. The attitude we can
take is to be open to God in prayer and be humble
to accept that we need the help of others. Like
Thomas, we are called to go back to those whom
we have shared our faith, and believe together
with them, so that we too may see the Lord as
they did.