Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

THE WORD

Ac 12,1-11 / 2 Tm 4,6-8.17-18 / Mt 16,13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

IN OTHER WORDS

Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines engraved a lasting memory in people’s hearts. . Christians and non-Christians tailed him everywhere, followed him on television, on the radio - watching and listening to him, catching some words that touched them. Perhaps the most moving was his visit to Tacloban where everybody, including the Pope in a raincoat, braved the storm to celebrate the Eucharist.

How could an old man, a stranger who could hardly communicate in English, gather such a big crowd and touch their lives? The answer: he is the successor of Peter, the rock, upon which Jesus, the Messiah built his Church. Matthew’s gospel mentions the Greek term ekklesia (Mt 16:8) – Iglesia in Spanish and Church in English. In Mt 18:17, it is translated as “community.” Indeed the Church is an “assembly called by God himself.” Her members through their Christian lives and witness make visible the Kingdom of God already here on earth. The growth of the Church confirms its foundation on Christ. In sub-Saharan Africa there were fewer than two million Catholics in 1900; by 2000 there might be two hundred million!

Our English-speaking community in Kinshasa has people from different countries and continents united in faith. We owe this to missionaries who left their countries to announce the Good news to those who hadn’t heard of it. First was Saint Paul, the Apostle, who preached to the Gentiles (i.e., nations of different races and cultures). From his conversion until his death he consecrated his life for the missions. “The Lord stood by me and gave me power so that through me the Gospel might be fully proclaimed to all the gentiles to hear” (2 Tm 4:17).

• Fr. Xene Sanchez, SVD | Congo, Africa

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

Am 3,1-8; 4,11-12 / Mt 8,23-27

Jesus got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep.  ey came and woke him, saying “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”

Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”

IN OTHER WORDS

A typical bad-day moment. I went home with a heavy heart one late afternoon owing to problems in the chaplaincy work and anxiety over requirements and exams. I made a visit to the chapel

where at first, my mind was all a mess and I felt like an embodied but restless soul on the pew.

Just when I was about to leave the pew, the chapel door opened and in came my confreres: a student, one of the superiors, and another confrere whom I knew had just recovered from an illness.

In no time, there was a cohort of quiet and praying SVDs – each coming from various places and circumstances in the Lord’s vineyard. It felt like we were all in the same boat with the same yell:  “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

Storms causing fears and doubts come in life and we simply have to survive. It is not easy to trust in the Lord when one faces a terrible problem or is going through a suffering. In the art of surviving the storm, it is easy to lose heart. However, it is the same storm that can also invoke in us the great reserves of faith waiting to be unleashed and bring back the images of this gospel event. It is the same trial that can echo the words, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” and we get to know again the only One who can rebuke the winds and the sea. I pray that as we read the gospel and continue to hold on to him, we will experience the great calm that we will soon experience in His perfect timing.

• Fr. Ferdinand Bajao, SVD | Rome, Italy

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

Am 2-10 .13-16 / Mt 8,18-22

When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side. A scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Another of (his) disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”

IN OTHER WORDS

One of our priests loves cats. He has several of them. Oftentimes I see these felines lying comfortably confident they will be fed soon. Like those cats, all creatures seek that condition we call homeostasis. It is natural for us to seek comfort; we look for equilibrium, or stasis. We detest indeterminate conditions or uncertainties. They make us very anxious! Whatever it is that makes us comfortable, consciously and unconsciously, we seek it. It could be material, emotional, physical comfort; we all seek our comfort zone!

In the readings for today, we see that following Jesus is not defined by seeking our comfort zone. There is no comfort zone at all, as we understand it. The greatest obstacle to following Jesus is our propensity to protect our comfort zone. Put it in another way, the cost of discipleship is starkly presented by Jesus: “nowhere to lay His head. . . follow me and let the dead bury their dead.” To have nowhere to lay one’s head is very uncomfortable. Our body needs rest to be reinvigorated. If we are not well rested we tend to be easily irritated, we function less. However, to follow Jesus does not mean to avoid relaxation. It does not mean either to work ourselves to death. Rather to follow Jesus is to give up that tendency to always seek what makes us comfortable. Following Jesus means seeking His Kingdom instead of our own comfort.

• Fr. Melchor Bernal, SVD | CKMS, Quezon 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

FIRST READING: 1 Kgs 19,16.19-21

You shall also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel, and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed you.

Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak on him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please, let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “Go back! What have I done to you?” Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their fl esh, and gave it to the people to eat. Then he left and followed Elijah to serve him.

SECOND READING: Gal 5,1.13-18

For freedom Christ set us free; so stand fi rm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

GOSPEL: Lk 9, 51-62

When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “(Lord,) let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but fi st let me say farewell to my family at home.” (To him) Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is first for the kingdom of God.”

IN OTHER WORDS

Along the way to Jerusalem, Jesus meets three men who want to join his group and become his followers. The evangelist Luke presents these three encounters to teach us three tough lessons about what it means to follow Christ, to be a real Christian.

Jesus makes it clear that if we want to follow him, we have to expect difficulties. It is popular nowadays to focus only on the advantages of being a Christian: the blessings God wants to give us, the forgiveness and the peace of heart and mind that comes with it, the strength God’s grace gives to live truly decent, righteous lives. These are real bene ts, no doubt. They are not to be ignored. We should desire them and be grateful for them. But they are not the whole story.

Never forget: Jesus only reached Easter Sunday by passing through Good Friday, and Christians can expect nothing less.

Keeping our hands to the plow applies also to the dramatic temptations that try to lure us away from our friendship with Christ. And it applies to the normal, ordinary difficulties of every day.

Plowing fields is not a very exciting or dramatic work. And yet, without it you can’t bring in a harvest. In the same way, unless we are faithful to Christ in the normal tasks of our daily lives, we cannot grow in Christian virtue, and we cannot bring in the harvest of joy, peace, and fulfillment that Christ wants to give us.

In the case of the third man who wants to follow Jesus, he uses an image from the world of farmers: Keep the hand on the plow and look ahead! Keeping our hands to the plow in daily life means being faithful to our everyday responsibilities. It means doing our jobs the way Christ would do them if he were in our position. It means doing our chores the way the holy family did them in Nazareth: responsibly, thoroughly, and humbly. It means using our time well, not wasting it on habits of laziness and self-indulgence. It means patiently putting up with the imperfections of those around us, day after day, just as God puts up with our own imperfections.

It means – to use Pope Francis’ words - to be not “Christians of words,” the “Lord, Lord, Lord Christians” as he called them… “masquerading as Christians” but be “Christians of action and in truth.”

This is the bread-and-butter of Christian living. This is what it means to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This is keeping our hands to the plow. It’s not always dramatic and exciting, but it’s the only way to heaven.

• Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD | CKMS, Quezon 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