Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

THE WORD

Eph 3,2-12 / Lk 12,39-48

[Jesus said to his disciples,] “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival nds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.  But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly.  Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

IN OTHER WORDS

Paul speaks of stewardship as a grace and privilege while Jesus stresses it as being both urgent and obligatory for us. In the New Testament both Paul and Jesus see stewardship as evangelization, meaning, helping other people to come close to God and to each other.

The message in today’s readings is of particular importance during this year, dedicated to the Eucharist and the Family, as part of the general renewal of our Church in preparation for the five hundreth anniversary of her arrival in the Philippines. Some years ago Pope Saint John Paul II spoke of the family as the Munting Simbahan, the starting point of evangelization. This concept of family extends to all humanity as con rmed at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu last January.

Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium endorses at length and in more detail the words of Paul and  Jesus: “In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized.

Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization, indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love.” (# 120) Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in tomorrow’s first reading is an excellent illustration of the joy and hope of stewardship.

I would like finally to echo Pope Francis again: “For all this, I repeat: Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the joy of evangelization. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope!” (# 83 & 86)

• Fr. Alan Meechan, SVD | Naujan, Or. Mindoro

THE WORD

2 Tm 4,9-17 / Lk 10,1-9

The Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘the kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

IN OTHER WORDS

For so long, the word vocation was identified with the men and women who consecrated themselves to God in the priestly or religious life. Lately, its meaning has expanded to include a whole range of ways where lives can be totally given to God. Pope Francis said recently that “a religious vocation is a response to a call and a call to love.” This means that there are varieties of ways in which

Christian life expresses itself in different paths to relatedness with God touched by this sense of calling. In 1981, St. John Paul in an exhortation The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World wrote: “Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.”

This view of vocation can encompass not only celibacy, consecration and marriage, but also many related vocations that pertain to the giving of self to the lived journey of Christian love.  Vocations then are modes of living that orient our lives toward God. They are varieties of different lives all lived on the same path to God.

• Fr. Magdaleno Fabiosa, SVD | USC, Cebu City

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.

	Production : Fr. Carlos Maria de Guzman, Jr., SVD and Staff of Logos Publications
	Cover Design : Malou E. Domingo
	Liturgical Calendar : Fr. Atilano Corcuera, SVD
	Production Consultant : Fr. Gerardo del Pinado, SVD
	Scriptural Texts : New American Bible and Daily Roman Missal
	Cover artwork based on photos by Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD
	Published by : Logos Publications, Inc. 1916 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
	Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Telephone : +63 2 711 1323
	Fax : +63 2 732 273
	Copyright © 2015 Society of the Divine Word

 

THE WORD

Eph 2,1-10 / Lk 12,13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, ‘Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’

Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

IN OTHER WORDS

When we die, we cannot bring along with us anything that we own. That is why Jesus challenges us to focus on things that really matter.  If we were going to die next week, what would we need to do so that our last day on earth would become worthwhile? I threw this question to a group of professionals at their Lenten recollection.

Their first answer was forgiveness – asking and giving forgiveness especially to those whom they had hurt and had hurt them. It feels ethereal realizing that before we die we can resolve our conflicts with people whom we have not talked with for years. The heart of Christianity, the very core of  Jesus’ teaching is to forgive and be forgiven. Secondly, they mentioned the desire to spend special and quality time with their family. Most of today’s working parents are preoccupied with their jobs, distorting, in a way, emotional support for their children. The desire to be with our family gives as an assurance that whatever happens, we have our family to lean on. Lastly, they said they wanted to be happy and enjoy life to the fullest. Some people may have forgotten to live and enjoy life because of too much work. They are so preoccupied with family and workplace problems that they forget living life to the fullest. We are challenged to reevaluate our priorities in life because we only live once.

These were sentiments of people who realized that they were not in control of everything. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us to focus on things that really matter. We only live once. We should be grateful for all our blessings and make the most out of them.

• Fr. Roger Solis, SVD | HNU, Bohol

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.

	Production : Fr. Carlos Maria de Guzman, Jr., SVD and Staff of Logos Publications
	Cover Design : Malou E. Domingo
	Liturgical Calendar : Fr. Atilano Corcuera, SVD
	Production Consultant : Fr. Gerardo del Pinado, SVD
	Scriptural Texts : New American Bible and Daily Roman Missal
	Cover artwork based on photos by Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD
	Published by : Logos Publications, Inc. 1916 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
	Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Telephone : +63 2 711 1323
	Fax : +63 2 732 273
	Copyright © 2015 Society of the Divine Word

 

THE WORD

FIRST READING: Ex 17,8-13

Then Amalek came and waged war against Israel in Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men for us, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle while Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses’ hands, however, grew tired; so they took a rock and put it under him and he sat on it. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset.  And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.

SECOND READING: 2 Tim 3,14-4,2

Beloved:

Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known [the] sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

GOSPEL: Lk 18,1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that

I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”

The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

IN OTHER WORDS

St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the Patroness of Mission, once said in her native tongue, “Il vaux mieux parler a Dieu, que de parler de Dieu.” (It is better to talk to God, than to talk about God.)

The World Mission Sunday’s liturgical readings remind us of the importance of persevering prayer. Aside from today’s biblical text, we know of another that talks about Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. Being always with the Lord, the twelve knew that their master spent a lot of time in prayer, just like a pious Jew would. What made it more surprisingly interesting for them was Jesus addressing God as Father.

When they asked him how they should pray, Jesus taught them the Lord’s  prayer. He emphasized that they should say “Our Father”. Though nobody suggested that it would sound better to use the more personal “My Father”, they understood that it was not the right way to do it. We should also understand that we became children of God through Jesus. God became our Father through Jesus.

Separate from Jesus, we cannot call God as “my” Father. We say “Our” Father because we invoke  God’s name always WITH Jesus.

I have always been experiencing the presence of God and the power of prayer ever since I was a young boy. After the death of my father in 1977, I got very sick. My mother thought I would also die.

From my bed, I saw her fervently praying the rosary. Several years later, the situation was reversed.

It was me praying for my mother’s healing with a promise that I would do everything for Him in return. When I entered the seminary, the fulfillment of a promise long forgotten came to mind.

When I was assigned in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I also experienced God’s intimate and consoling presence. I left my comfort zone then and let go of many things I held dear, now lifting up everything unto His hands. It was when I felt I had everything. In times of diffi culties, challenges, anxieties and danger, moments when I was pleading for Him, He was there. When I was interceding for the people entrusted to my care, He did not fail me.

Now that I am journeying with the Filipino migrants in Madrid (Spain), I am more con dent not only with the God who listens, but with people, like Aaron and Hur, who give support.  There are countless testimonies about the power of prayer. The stories about Moses in the first reading and the widow in the Gospel will continue to remind and inspire us to talk not only about God but to talk to God.

• Fr. Redz Domino, SVD | Madrid, Spain

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.

	Production : Fr. Carlos Maria de Guzman, Jr., SVD and Staff of Logos Publications
	Cover Design : Malou E. Domingo
	Liturgical Calendar : Fr. Atilano Corcuera, SVD
	Production Consultant : Fr. Gerardo del Pinado, SVD
	Scriptural Texts : New American Bible and Daily Roman Missal
	Cover artwork based on photos by Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD
	Published by : Logos Publications, Inc. 1916 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
	Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Telephone : +63 2 711 1323
	Fax : +63 2 732 273
	Copyright © 2015 Society of the Divine Word