The Nexus

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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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“My kingdom does not belong to this world.”

The passion narrative from the gospel of John
is unique from the other gospels as there are
some passages that are solely in this gospel
(whereas it is not present in the other gospels
- which often share many similar passages). 
One such passage that is unique to John’s
gospel is the presence of the three “Marys”
at the foot of the cross: Mary, the mother of
Jesus, Mary the wife of Clopas, & Mary Magdalene. 
Also at the foot of the cross is the beloved
disciple of Jesus, whom tradition ascribes to
be John.  It is also in this passion narrative
of John that we find the Lord telling His mother,
“Woman, this is your son.” And then to His beloved
disciple, “There is your mother.” Spiritual
tradition reflects on this moment in the gospel
as Mary symbolizing the Church and the beloved
disciple symbolizing the members of the Church. 
Mary, therefore, plays a more significant role
in this passion narrative of John - being given
a role as the Mother of the Church.

One of the reasons why Christ was put to death
without any worldly help is the answer given
by Jesus Himself: “My kingdom does not belong
to this world.”  This statement of Jesus is an
echo of what He said also during His preaching
ministry when He said, “the kingdom of heaven
is within you”.  That is the reason why Christ
is “hated” by the world - because He represents
the values of a kingdom that runs counterculture
to the values of the world.  And those who follow
Him often live counterculture to the values of
the world (especially those who follow Him fully
and radically like priests and religious). Those
who follow Jesus totally and who are outspoken
in their following of His teachings create a
situation where they are at loggerheads with the
system or culture they are denouncing. And so,
like Jesus, they either suffer or die the same
martyr’s death and by their sacrifice, strengthen
the faith of those they have left behind.

Not all of those who follow Jesus receive the
gift of martyrdom.  The majority live very simple
lives of sacrifice, humility, abandonment to
God’s Providence, obedience, poverty, chastity,
service, celibacy, heroic suffering, silence,
solitude, contemplation, apostolic ministry,
preaching, teaching, healing, sanctifying the
family, sanctifying the world of work and so
many more “activities” and “values” of Christ’s
kingdom which lie hidden from the public eye.
Like Jesus, they too share in His passion through
the daily sufferings and stresses that go with
their state of life.  And like Jesus, they also
express their faith in a God who will in the
end reward them with eternal life after all the
sufferings and pains they have experienced in
this life.

We who are also called to follow Jesus, are
especially given the gift of this Holy Week to
remember how great is the love of God for us
through the very obedience that Jesus expressed -
an obedience that led Him even to an ignominious
death on the Cross. This Good Friday is an
opportunity for us to reflect on how faithful
is our following of Jesus. For certain, given
the graphic example of how Jesus literally was
bruised, bled, was beaten, was mocked, was
scourged, was crowned with thorns, was crucified
and was pierced with a spear, we will discover
how really little is our faith, our hope, and
our love for God.  And more certainly, we will
see how we pale in comparison to His sacrifice
and His strength in resisting the temptation to
give up the challenge of the cross and death.
When we discover this in our reflections, then
it is a call for us to renew our commitment to
follow Jesus and to pray for more strength that
we may, in our own little way and states of life,
follow Jesus more seriously in our lives.

Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives

Lectionary Readings for the 33rd Sunday of the Year,
Year C

“By patient endurance you will save your lives.”

In the gospel for the 33rd Sunday of the Year,
we find a prophecy of Jesus about the cataclysm
that is to come: wars, disasters, fearful omens
in the sky, and persecution of His followers.
But Jesus encourages those who hear what He says.
He tells them not to worry for He will give them
words of wisdom that none of their persecutors
can contradict.  And because of His protection,
“not a hair on their head will be harmed”.  All
His followers have to do is to patiently endure
these trials and He will save their lives.

In the liturgical calendar of our Catholic faith,
when we approach the end of Ordinary Time and
celebrate soon the solemnity of Christ the King,
we are given readings that tell about the end
times - that time which speak about great trials
and persecutions. But the readings tell us always
not to worry when this will be, because the Holy
Spirit will give us the words to be able to
defend ourselves against our persecutors.  And
since the feast of Christ the King nears, we look
forward to the victory of Christ over all those
who persecute His followers.  Despite all trials
and hardships, and despite even death, Christ,
the Way, the Truth, and the Life, will save us.
What is only required of us is to patiently
endure.

We do not know when these end times will be;
only the Father knows.  If we remember the time
when the new millenium, the year 2000, was
approaching, everybody was apprehensive because
some were predicting it would already be the
end times.  Much more, since many institutions
have already computerized their systems, people
are worried that the change of the year from
1999 to 2000 will affect all the data and the
records that are stored in computer systems.
This feeling of anxiety, of worry, of fear,
of apprehension, is a reflection of what we
will really feel when the end times arrive.
But the gospel for this Sunday reassures us
of Christ and His saving power. Even though
the end times will come, Christ will be with
us; He will save all of those who have made
great efforts to patiently endure the trials.

Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives

Lectionary Readings for the 32nd Sunday of the Year,
Year C

“…God is not the God of the dead but of
the living…”

In the gospel for the 32nd Sunday of the Year,
we find a teaching on Jesus about the resurrection.
He taught about the resurrection because the
Sadducees posed a question for him regarding it.
Jesus ties up His teaching on the resurrection
with those who are called and “worthy of a place
in the age to come” and those who are not given
to marriage in this world.  He also adds that
these people, the “sons of the resurrection”.
“become like angels and are no longer liable
to death”.

When speaking of spiritual realities, it is
often hard to understand what it really means
because our way of knowing is mainly based in
this world rather than in the next.  That is
why the Sadducees posed a question to Jesus
that concerned a widow who married seven times
but all her husbands died consecutively without
leaving her an heir; and they asked Jesus whose
wife will she be in the “next world” - at the
resurrection?  Although we cannot completely
comprehend what is a mystery to us all, the
Holy Spirit gifts us with the gifts of knowledge
and understanding so that we can have a glimpse
of what Jesus really means.

We have already an intuition of what Jesus means
by the Resurrection when He says that God is a
God of the living: God is Life and the Resurrection
is equated with Life in God.  What this means to
us is that whether we are married or not, we are
called to live life here with the aim of attaining
the life that God promises us at the resurrection
of the dead.  Jesus’ life is an example of how
we are to attain the gift of new life - the
gift of the resurrection: we are to share in His
passion, crucifixion, and death.  Maybe not as
intensely as He did but in the way that God
expects of our uniqueness as His son or daughter.
As we live our Catholic life and share in Christ’s
passion and death, we shall also share in His
resurrection and share in His glory.

Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives

Lectionary Readings for the 25th Sunday of the Year, Year C

“You cannot give yourself to God and money.”

The gospel for this Sunday involves a parable and
a teaching on Jesus on money matters.  The parable
is about a dishonest manager who dissipated his
master’s property.  When the owner learned about
this, he told the manager that his service is
about to come to an end.  Since the manager had
to find a new way of making and earning a living,
he thought of a means to renew and make new business
relationships with his master’s clients.  He went
back to these clients and “reduced” their debts
in his master’s business.  When his master learned
about what his employee had done, he was surprised
at his employee’s enterprising and wise act.

Aside from politics and religion, money matters are
one of the realities that sometimes causes strife,
division, and enmity among those who are involved
in it.  Even in the very sanctuary of marriage and
family life, painful conflicts may arise if the
family members are not careful in dealing with
these matters.  It often arises when inheritance
is being divided among family members.  It is at
this time that a lot of prayers must be made by
the family and friends of the family. Or relatives
of the family members would do the family a great
favor if they also pray that the family may not
be destroyed by money matters.

Money is also important in our modern life as
Catholics.  It is a means for us to improve our
living and make our life one that is pleasing to
the Lord.  But we need to be very careful in
dealing with money.  If we are not careful, we
may succumb to the temptation to give ourself
to money instead of to God.  The way we can
proceed in caution with regards to these matters
is to keep our eyes fixed on Christ.  For when
our finances are shaken and there seems to be
little left in order to continue living, if
we focus on this problem and turbulence, we
may sink in hopelessness and lack of faith in
ourselves and in God.  But if we fix our gaze
on the provident care of God, He will grant us
faith and confidence that will help us deal with
our family’s finances.  Placing our trust and
confidence in Jesus can also guide relations
with one another so that people may place the
center of their lives on God.

Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives

Lectionary Readings for the 19th Sunday of the Year, Year C

“Be on guard, therefore. The Son of Man will come
when you least expect him.”

This Sunday’s gospel tells about the importance of
being alert and ready - like the parable of the wise
virgins who had oil in their lamps awaiting for the
groom to arrive.  This parable is similar to that
and speaks of servants who are vigilant and awake
that when their master arrives even at midnight,
they will be ready to open the door to him and wait
on him.

This parable taught by Jesus is a teaching on the
need to be prepared for the coming of the Son of
Man.  In the Old Testament, the prophets speak also
about this in terms of the “day of Yahweh”. Bible
scholars tell us that it has to do with judgment.
In the Old Testament, punishment and judgment
were common themes in the writings of the prophets.
In this passage from the gospel however, the theme
is not really directly related with judgment.  It
it more related with what we are supposed to do
even when our “superior” or “boss” is not around.
So in the parable, since it speaks of servants,
then they are supposed to be doing their jobs as
servants of their master.  Now when their master
arrives, they need to be ready to wait on him.

If we translate this parable to our daily life,
we can derive a lesson from this by seeing the
value of doing what we are supposed to do even
when somebody in authority over us is not around
to tell us to do what we are supposed to do.  It
is a call to maturity in our being Christians -
to do the right thing always.  A passage in the
second book of Samuel expresses aptly what our
gospel passage is teaching us:

“Yahweh requites me as I act justly, as my hands
are pure so he repays me, since I have kept the
ways of Yahweh, and not fallen away from my God.”
[2 Samuel 22:21-22]

Charity that Grows Becomes Significant

Readings:
Eph 5:21-33
Lk 13:18-21

The vocation of marriage
In the first reading, St. Paul speaks about the vocation of
marriage.  Though he teaches many things about marriage, one
thing that can catch our interest is his mention of it as
a mystery.  And indeed it is a mystery, for in the state
of married life lies the seed of life for many institutions:
the State, the Church, the economy, cultural life and for
certain, family life.  Once we see that the state of marriage
between man and woman is a mystery rooted in God as Creator
of us all, then we see its sacrality and its identity
founded in the love of Christ for His Church.

The sacrality of married life
Because of its sacrality, we are thus called to help those
who were called to this life.  When we understand how much
married life is rooted in the sacrificial love of Christ
for His Church, then we truly see the value of great charity
that goes into this vocation.  And the seed of love and
charity that has shepherded the couple towards a definitive
commitment in Christ must continually be safeguarded by
continued acts of love, charity and sacrifice.  Whenever
we see friends or people we know who are having difficulties
in their married life, let us remember that when we help
them and support them in their vocation, we are actually
continuing Christ’s mission on earth to found love and
charity in His Church.  The success of a marriage is in
how much they continue to follow Christ in His sacrificial
love for all people.

The kingdom of God is within us
In the gospel reading from the gospel of Luke, we find
Jesus telling about the parable of the mustard seed and
the woman who leavens the dough.  Jesus always used
familiar things that the people of His time knew for
His parables.  This is so that the people can have a
concrete picture when He is telling about spiritual
realities like the Kingdom of God.  So when He speaks
about such spiritual reality, he likens it to the
mustard seed and the woman who leavens the dough.
What He really wanted to say was that the Kingdom of
God [which is really within us], starts like the
mustard seed and the dough: small and insignificant.
But when the mustard seed grows, and when the dough
leavens, then it becomes something significant -
something more noticeable.  And so is the kingdom of
God within us.  As we continually do good things to
our brothers and sisters and serve them in charity
and peace, the kingdom of God within us becomes more
significant: like the mustard tree!

Growth in charity makes Christ more significant
For those in the marital state, their vocation is one
of growth in love and charity.  Like the mustard seed,
it starts small.  But as time goes on, when married
people live on till their jubilee anniversary or
even their diamond [!], that love and charity is
no longer a mustard seed but a tree that has grown
where many birds take their shade.  It is no longer
insignificant or small.  Rather, it has grown but
so many sacrifices and acts of love and charity
that many people can truly say that this is something
of a mystery really rooted in God’s love for all
of us.