THE WORD
Eph 1, 11-14 / Lk 12,1-7
So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”
IN OTHER WORDS
In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote about his three years in extreme situation in the Nazi concentration camps where prisoners survived on meager ration. Frankl recalled, there were “men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offered proof that everything could be taken from a man but one thing: the freedom to choose his attitude in any given set of circumstances.” These inmates could have become selfish, but they opted instead to share the little they had. “Do not fear those who deprive the body of life but cannot destroy the soul,” our Lord teaches in today’s gospel (Luke 12,4).
Today Christ’s followers may not live in the same milieu as that of the biblical ancestors. But they can suffer the same lot for their moral convictions. A friend in Laoag City who owns a video rental shop said, “Despite the stiff competition among video shops, I don’t resort to renting X-rated movies. Nonetheless, my business is doing well.”
A spouse is tempted to quit amidst marital difficulties. However, aware that marriage is a lifetime commitment, he/she strives to remedy their problem and their personal differences. Although their marriage is not perfect, both are trying hard to preserve it.
Everyday we encounter pressures to abandon our Christian moral convictions. Christ exhorts us: “Do not let men intimidate you.” Meaning, don’t follow their wrong opinions, and don’t imitate their bad example. We may suffer the loss of our health, our job; we may see our home burned, our marriage broken up. But none of these should topple over our faith and hope that some good will come out of all this.
- Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD | CKMS,QC
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
