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THE WORD

1 Pt 5,1-4 / 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 esh 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

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?... But who do you say that I am?” The answers came with names of people of great repute like John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah. When Peter replied, he did not associate Jesus with these respected predecessors nor with others’ views and opinions. He answered from his understanding as the Father had revealed to him. The Father’s knowledge of His Son: “You are my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased” was heard through Peter’s confession, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

This outstanding articulation of Peter merited from Jesus not only an affirmation but also a specific ministry proper to someone specified by the Father to take on a particular role – “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind…whatever you lose will be confirmed in heaven.”

He may be Peter (which means, Rock) but a rock does not oat; rather it rests on a solid base. This rock’s “revered center” is the Lord Himself. Peter’s knowledge about the Christ did not spring from what he simply knew from the people around him but from what he understood and experienced. Peter’s confession is a model for us believers. We need to know the Lord more. We will benefit definitely from the teachings and catechism about Jesus. Living these teachings will be a confession of faith. How wonderful when people who do not know Christ will come to know and confess Christ because they know us.

  • 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.

 

THE WORD

FIRST READING: Gen 15,5-12

He took him outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants be. Abram put his faith in the LORD, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him: I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession. “Lord GOD,” he asked, “how will I know that I will possess it?” He answered him: Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon. He brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up. Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram scared them away. As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great, dark dread descended upon him.

When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fi re pot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates

 

SECOND READING: Phil 3,17-4,1

Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.

 

GOSPEL: Lk 9,28-36

About eight days after he said this, he took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.

Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

 

IN OTHER WORDS

We have just entered into a new liturgical season – Lent. What is Lent? It is a time to meditate on the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a time for us to re ect on our human sufferings. For us Filipinos, Lenten time is a precious time because Jesus’ sufferings reflect our own pain and struggles.

We should be focusing on sufferings, right? Why is it that every second Sunday of Lent, the gospel is about Transfiguration?

Let’s review the Gospel. Jesus took Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray.

While Jesus was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

What is Transfiguration? For me, more than the external change of Jesus’ appearance, it was an internal event where Jesus was affirmed by the Father. God called Jesus “My Chosen Son” or “My Beloved Son.”

Transfiguration was also Jesus’ anticipation of his glory! Before he suffered, he had already a foretaste of his future victory. God, in his immense goodness, immediately affirmed Jesus and gave, in advance, his reward. It’s like, before the game started, it was already “foreshadowed” that Jesus would be the champion.

What lesson can we get from this? Are we confronted with trials and problems at this very moment? We shouldn’t lose hope. We should go beyond our hurt and grief. Experiencing our own “transfiguration” means listening to the voice from above: “You are my chosen/beloved son/daughter.” We should anticipate immediately our glory! We’ll surely get our future reward as we bravely confront the agony and affliction that beset us today.

  • Fr. Glenn Paul Gomez, SVD | DWC, San Jose,Occ. Mindoro

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

Dt 26,16-19 / Mt 5,43-48

Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS.

I used to cringe everytime I read this Gospel especially that part that says, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect”. We have this saying, “mapanduw man ganinang kabaw nga upat ang tiil, sani na kahaang tawo” (even carabaos that have four feet stumble, how much more people). Just how in the world could anybody be perfect?

This passage is part of what is referred to in the Gospel of Matthew as The Sermon on the Mount wherein the overall theme is the relationship between the Father (God) and His children (us – supposedly).

I grew up in a unique family set-up. Nanay works and Tatay stays at home to do the household chores. Most importantly, Tatay was he who was with me and my siblings most of the time. I heard his stories everyday (mostly war stories), so I grew up admiring guns and dreaming of wars; I admired his social life (he had none), so I stayed at home most of the time; I idolized his communication skill (sound of silence), I reckon it’s because “silent rivers run deep”.

People have labeled me as “war freak”; a good number think I am “anti-social”; the seminary

tried but failed to kick me out because I didn’t ‘talk enough’. Tatay likes to joke that the first time he saw me he doubted whether I was “his.” Now, there is no shadow of a doubt whose son I am. I am PERFECTLY like him.

The call to perfection is not about becoming immaculate, spotless lambs, but rather an invitation to an intimate relationship with the most tender of Fathers, such that there wouldn’t be any iota of doubt as to whose children we are

  • Fr. Dante Barril, 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.

 

THE WORD

Ez 18,21-28 / Mt 5,20-26

Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to every Gehenna. “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gifts there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift . “Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise, your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

Archbishop Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana talked at our Provincial Chapter (Chicago) last year on the gift of the religious in the church and in society. Asked whether the religious could be considered “prophets,” he replied: “It will be up to the people to consider that. We cannot say that for ourselves. What we are asked to do is to be witnesses!” Archbishop Tobin’s remark was a timely reminder for all the baptized: we are God’s witnesses throughout the earth.

Before he ascended into heaven Jesus said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).

One can be a witness without being a prophet. One can have the spirit without having the truth. Whoever has both spirit and truth is not only a credible witness but also a prophet. Whoever walks the talk can be considered a credible witness and indeed a prophet. One whose righteousness (doing the will of God) surpasses that of the Pharisees will enter the kingdom of heaven.

During this Lenten season, let us think not only what we should not be doing but also of what we ought to be doing. It is easy to give up things as a form of sacrifice for Lent but the real sacrifice is what we actually do: forgive those who have wronged us, reach out to the needy, be more patient with loved ones especially the elderly and those with special needs. If we can do all this, we will indeed be credible witnesses of God’s kingdom and be also considered prophets. Let us pray for the courage to do what we should.

  • Fr. Kaloi Macatangga, SVD | Toronto, Canada

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. February 18, 2016 Thursday
  2. February 17, 2016 Wednesday
  3. February 16, 2016 Tuesday
  4. February 15, 2016 Monday
  5. February 14, 2016 Sunday
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