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THE WORD

Jer 7,1-11 / Mt 13,24-30

Jesus proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off .

When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

IN OTHER WORDS

There is a famous story of three Japanese warlords who have three different reactions to a bird not singing. One says he will by force make the bird sing. The other says that if the bird does not sing, he will kill it. The third says that he will wait for the bird to sing. This story depicts the temperament of these warlords. Two are impatient and want to use force to get what they want while the other exudes the value of patience. Patience is de ned in Wikipedia as the “state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way”. In today’s gospel, the Master of the household asks his servants to be patient and not succumb to a hurried solution that might destroy the wheat when they pull the weeds at the early stages of their growth. What Jesus is telling in the parable is that things can still change. There is always the possibility of conversion. God is infinitely patient with us. In spite of our repeated sinfulness, His love for us makes Him wait for our renewal and conversion. The President of the Federation of Parents Teacher Association of Holy Name University, said in a speech: “Patience to a child is love. Patience to a spouse is trust. Patience to oneself is confidence. And Patience to God is faith.” Let us constantly ask for the grace of patience in our lives.

  • Fr. Francisco “Kito” Estepa, SVD | Tagbilaran City, 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.

 

 

THE WORD

Sg 3,1-4 or 2 Cor 5,14-17 / Jn 20,1-2.11-18

On the rst day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and

I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her

IN OTHER WORDS

“I do not want to see you cry again and cause you anymore pain.” Filled with remorse, this was what I said to myself while watching my mother shed tears abundantly. That was thirty-six years ago.

Mary Magdala thought that someone dear to her would no longer be present and visible. She thought that Jesus was taken away from her. Separation could easily put anybody to tears. My mother wept because my wrongdoings could take me away from becoming a good person that she had wanted me to be.

It was the experience of the resurrected Jesus that made Mary Magdala announce the good news to the disciples. The renewed communion with the Lord must have filled her heart with joy.

It was when I saw the presence of Jesus in the goodness and the sacrifices made by my mother, despite the absence of my deceased father,  that changed my heart. Communion with Jesus has brought joy to me, to my mother and my family. It has led me to announce the Good News.

  • 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.

 

 

THE WORD

Jer 2,1-3.7-8.12-13 / Mt 13,10-17

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’ Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but not understand you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.’

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

 

IN OTHER WORDS

There is no one as blind as one who has eyes but refuses to see and no one as deaf as one who has ears but refuses to hear. This may explain the prevalence of poverty, evil, and sin. When people pretend that they do not see or hear, they are showing that they do not want to be involved and may admit powerlessness.

Jesus in today’s gospel reminds us about this human condition and challenges us to improve the situation. The disciples were blessed to know the mysteries of the kingdom. To lead others to conversion– to open people’s eyes and ears – was their mission, as well as the call to those who want to be counted among the people of God.

Pope Francis’ Philippine visit was an “eye-opener.” Jesus told parables; Pope Francis gave examples of mercy and compassion. By his concrete actions, Pope Francis was a parable himself through which the eyes and ears of people were opened, making them return to the Church.

We are challenged then to act more concretely on the issues of poverty, evil, and sin so that others may be enlightened and inspired by what we do. May our lives become parables that will lead others to see, hear, and understand.

  • Fr. Gil Alejandria, SVD | CT Manila

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.

 

 

THE WORD

Jer 1,1.4-10 / Mt 13,1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.

And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

IN OTHER WORDS

The parable of the sower reminds us of four hearers of the word of God:

(a) The hearer with a shut mind. This person does not enjoy growth in society - new discoveries that widen horizons, the ever wonderful unfolding of God’s creation. Prejudice can shut a mind, blinding one to things that he doesn’t want to see, refusing to recognize his shortcomings and failures. He feels inadequate in facing the challenges of life.

(b) The hearer with a mind like a shallow ground. This person easily gets excited with new ideas but also easily wanes in enthusiasm when other interesting stuff comes along. Anything new becomes an obsession. He fails to highlight the importance of spiritual matters, neglecting to reflect and meditate on things of lasting value.

(c) The hearer who has so many interests in life that often the most important things get crowded out. His disorganized mind fails to focus on what matters most; a mind that is anxious to accommodate everything as urgent and important. He can be a member of various groups but may not be able to cope with the assigned tasks. His many interests makes religious matters seem like second fiddle because these require understanding, reflection, and appropriate action. Consequently, his spirituality suffers.

(d) The hearer whose mind is like a good ground. He is very receptive - willing to listen and meditate on the received word. He has a heart that absorbs the message and actively implements its demands. He pursues the message with a joyful heart and ful lls it to the best of his ability. And the result is always satisfying and ful lling.

  • Fr. Jojo Caballes, SVD | (SHP, Kamuning, 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.

 

More Articles ...

  1. July 19, 2016 Tuesday
  2. July 18, 2016 Monday
  3. July 17, 2016 Sunday
  4. July 16, 2016 Saturday
  5. July 15, 2016 Friday
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