Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

Gospel: Luke 10:1-9
After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them, two by two, ahead of him, to every town and place, where he himself was to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest. Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know.
Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.
When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.'

Reflections
“He sent them, two by two.“
The gospel today describes the sending out of the 72 disciples in pairs, two by two. Perhaps, Jesus wants the disciples to understand the importance of mutual help in the mission. They have to see their mission in the context of community. A priest once shared that as Christ’s dis- ciples, our mission is not individual, but rather communitarian. And we could learn something from St. Luke, the Evangelist, whose feast we celebrate today. Luke is Paul’s faithful companion in the ministry. He is believed to have accompanied St. Paul in his journey, acting either as his personal physician or his secretary (amanuensis) particularly when he was in prison. He is identified as the author of the third “Synoptic Gospel”, which reminds us of the great sacrifice Jesus made through his death on the cross and his Resurrection. Moreover, he is also believed to have written the Acts of the Apostles, which covers the earliest history of the Church after Jesus’ earthly ministry. As we celebrate his feast, let us ask the Lord to help us fulfill our mission in the Church by deepening our understanding of God’s word.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 11:47-54
A curse is on you, for you build monuments to the prophets your ancestors killed. So you approve and agree with what your ancestors did. Is it not so? They got rid of the prophets, and you build monuments to them!
For that reason the wisdom of God also said: I will send prophets and apostles and these people will kill and persecute some of them. But the present generation will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the Sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will have to answer for them all. A curse is on you, teachers of the law, for you have taken the key of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you prevented others from entering.”
As Jesus left that place, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to harass him, asking him endless questions, setting traps to catch him in something he might say.

Reflections
“A curse is on you, for you build monuments to the prophets your ancestors killed.”
It is unnerving picturing Christ addressing the words, “A curse is on you…” to me. I felt that the words were humiliating rather than humbling. And so I also imagine how unsettling must have been for the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. They must have felt defamed and disgraced in public. The words appear so harsh and blatant. But surely these words bring to light how profoundly critical it is to mend our ways and what a great challenge it is to follow Christ.
We are not teachers of the law and Pharisees but we have a share in the blunder they have committed: they do the total opposite of what their life is sup- posed to exhibit. We are Christians and we live un-Christian lives. Time and again we remember that it is easy to become a Christian but difficult to live as one. It is therefore imperative for us to look at ourselves and examine our lives constantly. As Christians we must live the values and the options of Christ, we must be obedient to his Words, and we must always walk along his path.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 11:42-46
A curse is on you, Pharisees! To the temple you give a tenth of all, including mint and rue and other herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These ought to be practiced, without neglecting the other obligations. A curse is on you, Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplace. A curse is on you, for you are like tombstones of the dead which can hardly be seen; people don’t notice them, and make themselves unclean by stepping on them.”
Then a teacher of the law spoke up and said, “Master, when you speak like this, you insult us, too.” And Jesus answered, “A curse is on you also, teachers of the law. For you prepare unbearable burdens and load them on the people, while you yourselves do not move a finger to help them.

Reflections
“You neglect justice and the love of God.”
You know what I fear most as a priest? That I will fail to hear the Word of God correctly and miss to lead the people to God well! Despite some bits of con- troversies, we priests still enjoy a lot of attention and care. There are “privileges” reserved only to us priests that even well-known political figures do not enjoy. We are more than celebrities. Even in small and farflung communities it is not difficult to see the prominence that people assign to our stature: they greet us, they kiss our hands with reverence, some even make the sign of the cross when they see us, some bow before us, they make us occupy the head of the table, they make us eat first, they serve us food instead of us lining up waiting for our turn, they set aside particular dishes meant only for us, and there are others who would not mind sacrificing their convenience for our sake. I find it alarming and dangerous when the time will come that I will forget why I am a priest. I find it even more frightening leaving this world and facing Christ not having lived as a priest. And so I am grateful that in spite of the prestige I enjoy as a priest, there have been a number of lay people who served the role of Christ in my life reminding me of who I am and what I must do.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 11:37-41
As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to have a meal with him. So he went and sat at table. The Pharisee then wondered why Jesus did not first wash his hands before dinner. But the Lord said to him, “So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools! He who made the outside, also made the inside. But according to you, by the mere giving of alms everything is made clean.

Reflections
“He who made the outside, also made the inside.”
Especially during my high school years, I used to scold my younger siblings. And I must ad- mit that there were times that I hit them too. I was the eldest and thought it was my responsibility to discipline them. I was not brutal though and I am sure my disciplinary measures were not excessive. But I cannot for- get one occasion when after scolding one of my sisters she said, “You don’t love me.”
Love is a heavy word. Many people would imagine that what constitutes it are all positive attributes and good vibes; any- thing negative or adverse can- not be love. Well, this is not love. While love appreciates, it does not tolerate. Love desires the best and will therefore correct and admonish when needed. Reprimands and punishments can also be expressions of love. Every act aimed at making people realize the bad and the wrong are expressions of love. So, did I not love my sister? I did, and I still do. But my love for her cannot allow that she grows without discipline.
The love of God for us is pretty much the same. It demands perfection (cf. Mt. 5:48) so that when we wander from time to time, we need scolding and discipline.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019