Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

THE WORD

Ac 8, 1-18 / Jn 6,35-40

Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”

Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and nd pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

IN OTHER WORDS

Archbishop Dom Helder Camara (Recife, Brazil) shocked his host, a rich landowner, when he refused an invitation to sleep in this person’s mansion. He chose to sleep in a chapel nearby owned by the rich man. For him the chapel was there to help the workers accept their subhuman condition.  Religion was being used as the opium of the people (D.H. Camara, The Conversion of a Bishop, 1979 ).

Contrary to the spirit of the good shepherd in the gospel, a man can be a thief or a robber, if he enriches himself out of others’ misery. The presence of thieves and robbers necessitates a good

shepherd. For Camara, a pastor in the Church must be reflective of Christ the good shepherd. Christ bears on his shoulders as he walks in today’s roads the underdeveloped world, underdeveloped people, the poor, the voiceless (D.H. Camara, The Church and Colonialsm, 1969). Development work led him to go beyond charitable acts but made him engage in social justice. Here, helping the poor to be agents of change was highlighted. Camara as a shepherd encountered various near death experiences: his house was sprayed with machine gun re, killing those associated with him.

In fact, a hired assassin was sent to his house, knocking on his door. At the sight of the frail and diminutive bishop who identified himself, the man refused to kill. “I can’t kill you.” he said “You are the Lord’s.”( R. Ellsberg, All Saints, 1997 ).

Do we have a life that promotes action towards the poor, to the frail and the diminutive people

around us? Christ the Good Shepherd is in us disturbing our conscience. Have we acted from that

conscience? Let us not desire to be carried always on the shoulders of the good shepherd. We must be shepherds: instruments or enhancers of integral human development.

• Fr. Martin I. Mandin, SVD | St. Arnold Janssen Parish Shrine, Cainta Rizal

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: Ac 13,14.43-52

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered (into) the synagogue and took their seats.

After the congregation had dispersed, many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord.  All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the holy Spirit.

SECOND READING: Rev 7,9.14-17

After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.  I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“For this reason they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

GOSPEL: Jn 10,27-30

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

IN OTHER WORDS

Today is the fourth Sunday of Easter and we also celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday. Good Shepherd Sunday is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Easter. Good Shepherd. Vocation. Three BIG IDEAS. Three BIG CONCEPTS. Three BIG POINTS. But ONE common denominator: JESUS and HIS MISSION.

Let me make a confession: I like boxing bouts and UFC fights. And I have been criticized by many, of course, by those who don’t like these “sports”. They would tell me “Ruper, that’s not sports, that’s violence”. I usually don’t argue with them. I simply say, “Hmmm…perhaps yes. But I like it. I’m sorry. I also sin”.

We are taught that Jesus died for our sins. But, every time I contemplate on the passion and

suffering of Jesus or on the Christ Crucified with His wounds and blood, I’m reminded not only that He has redeemed me from my sinfulness, but also –and I cannot help it - that He is the Greatest of all fighters, as the Champion of all champions. And His way of winning the crown is much different if not totally different from that of other “fighters”. His character, his attitude and his style are far distinct from all those of other fighters. His discipline and passion for His mission are far beyond compare.

This is my humble and elementary analogical reflection of what we celebrate today, World Day

of Prayer for VOCATIONS, GOOD SHEPHERD Sunday, and 4th Sunday of EASTER with its great denominator JESUS and HIS MISSION. First, as I always respond to Fr. Roderick Salazar, SVD (the Mission Director) “Our Vocation is Mission, I’m always at your service Father”, whenever he sees me and to which he cheerfully responds, “Take care of your vocation, father vocation director”. Yes, I believe that our Vocation is Mission. With this, we are like the “sheep who hear His voice” and follow him in His mission. Second, His Mission is to be a Good Shepherd (“He lays down His life for the sheep”), and this is also our mission, to be like Him, to be good “ fighters” in our everyday “battles”, to be ready to lay down our lives in helping and extending our hands to others (“No one can take them out of my hands”). And lastly, Easter is the Crown (or the Belt of the Champion of Champions) of the Mission. Easter is the fulfillment of the Mission, the victory of the “greatest fight” ever known. When we share His Vocation and Mission, we also share His crown.

• Fr. Ruper Solis, 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

Ac 9,31-42 / Jn 6,60-69

Then many of [Jesus’] disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.  And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

IN OTHER WORDS.

The chaplain finally said, “No more new groups!” Filipino religiosity is a fact here in Rome. However, it also reveals a malady that weakens these otherwise lively, spiritual people. We tend to disintegrate into splinter communities because of misunderstandings and diverse grudges or animosities towards each other. This illness progressed into a “plague” when 10 or more groups began to pop up like crazy and each with a horror story to tell and axes to grind. When the Lord spoke of his body and blood as true food and true drink to be eaten and drunk, the followers began to distance from Him.

The parables, the miracles, and the friendship were ne but the Eucharistic teaching, the suffering, the crucifixion, the paschal mystery – were unacceptable. The offering of Spirit and Life – the very divine spirit life of God – was rejected because it demanded conversion, obedience and trust in the Son of God who, by his words, began to challenge their well-kept comforts of mind, body and spirit.

Thus, after spending time together, many stopped on their tracks and returned home, to their own selves, to the lives they had prior to the disturbance caused by the man of Nazareth. Except for Peter and the rest, where the friendship deepened and so was their faith in the Lord. The companionship no longer revolved around food, drink and sweet talk, but around the Lord and His Word, the mystery of His Eucharist and the encounter with fellow believers in Community, as the center of discipleship. “What kept you in the community after all these years?” I asked one community member of many, many years. She narrated her struggles and pains in and outside the community but concluded, “Nandito po ang Panginoon!” Call it cliché, corny or cheesy but didn’t Peter say of it as well? I think the question should have been, “Who kept you in the community after all these years?”

• 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

Ac 9,1-20 / Jn 6,52-59

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

IN OTHER WORDS

Great was the confusion and sadness that followed when our extended family received the news that Dionisio and Victor, two of the best and the brightest in the clan, had left the Church to join

one, a born-again group, the other an evangelical church. They claimed that they could not believe, much less accept wholeheartedly, the Catholic teachings, especially the mass. In their new faith communities they say they have found warmth and companionship, joy in the lively singing and meaning in the personal, spontaneous prayers of their ministers and elders.

Jesus spoke about the Eucharist, he being the bread come from heaven, the bread of life. He also said that unless one ate the bread he gave and drank his blood, that person would not have life everlasting in him. So difficult were Jesus’ words for his listeners to accept that many left and no longer walked with him. Saddened, the Lord asked those disciples who remained, “Will you also go away?”

Many former Catholics find joy and warmth in their newly found faith-communities. But, not a few confess that, especially during Christmas and Holy Week, they miss the beauty and the depth

of meaning Catholic liturgies offer. Remembering the bread of life that they share and the cup of salvation they drink from, they feel a unique kind of homesickness, realizing that eating crackers instead of the sacred host and drinking grape juice are not the same.

Today, our family prays earnestly and hopes fervently that one day Dionisio and Victor will realize the Lord’s truth when he said, “Unless you eat the esh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you….He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.”

• Fr. Flor Lagura, SVD | U.S.A.

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