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THE WORD

Is 56: 1–3.6–8 / Jn 5: 33–36

Jesus said: “You (Jewish leaders) sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say this so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.”

IN OTHER WORDS

I once met a student inside the elevator and he smiled at me and said, “Father, I am now a graduate!” I replied, “Are you sure you really graduated?” And he showed me his framed diploma. I retorted, “Are you sure that is your name?” He had a bigger smile when he said, “Yes, Father!”

In a world where qualifications are looked up to and required, we have developed a culture where “testimonies” are written down and framed to answer those who question us. We show educational degrees affixed at the end of our names to testify to how much we know. We flaunt flashy cars to show how much money we have. We crave to be near famous people and have an autograph or a photograph with them as a proof of that. We give out roses and chocolates to prove our love and devotion.

Jesus said, “... these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.”

There are certain things whose proof of existence cannot be flaunted except in silence. Love, for one, must be shown day in and day out. Commitment is another one that must encompass every thought and action. Faith or religiosity cannot be done to attract applause (like what the Pharisees were doing that earned Jesus’ ire). Good works are another. To show them off will invite suspicion to their authenticity.

When we come to think about it, the proof of one’s worth is really who one is. That is what God looks for – the testimony.

  • Fr. Vic Rayco, SVD (St. Jude Cath. Sch., Manila)

The Word in other words 2015

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

Zep 3: 1–2.9–13 / Mt 21: 28–32

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, ‘My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not go,’ but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, ‘Certainly, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?” “The first,” they said. Jesus said to them, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him. And yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.

IN OTHER WORDS

Many parents, teachers and other guides of the young probably will smile or nod in recognition as they listen to this parable. How often does a son/daughter or a pupil say “yes” to a request, and then go away and forget all about it! Or, having initially said “no,” then have a change of heart and finally obey. This can be exasperating at times but it can also be amusing as Jesus turns it into a parable. It seems he understands our frustrations as parents.

Jesus is a master storyteller who uses colorful language to capture the hearer’s attention. However, I’m sure he does not wish merely to entertain us. There is a deep lesson and challenge for us here. If the man in the story is the heavenly Father, then all of us are his children. If the scribes and Pharisees thought of themselves as being the obedient ones, then we - the churchgoers, members of parish organizations and prayer groups – may consider ourselves to be in that category now. Yes, even those of us who are priests and religious could be caught in the same trap. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being virtuous. The problem is that it so often leads us to making harsh judgments against the so-called “unvirtuous” or “disobedient.” Rather than rejoice at their conversion we can at times discover a resentment within us that they are being so easily and joyfully accepted by the loving Father. Or, without in any way justifying the wretched way of life of many of the “disobedient,” we can find ourselves very distant from them and lacking in compassion as they cry to God in their desperation. This is, in fact, our disobedience: to be satisfied with our own virtue and not to do what God really wants of us.

The truth is that both sons in the parable are far from doing the father’s will. We all need to be lowly and humble in order to enter the Kingdom of God. “Create for us a clean heart, Lord, that at your Son’s coming this Christmas we may be found among the humble and lowly people who are worthy to become his sisters and brothers.” (Columba Breen, OSB)

  • Fr. John O’Mahony, SVD (DWST, Tagaytay City)

The Word in other words 2015

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

Nm 24: 2–7.15–17 / Mt 21: 23–27

When he had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.

IN OTHER WORDS

We cannot please everybody. Indeed, no matter how much we do our best and no matter how good our intentions are, we still find people who cannot even express a simple appreciation for what we are doing.

In the Gospel for today, Jesus encountered another challenge to his authority from his “favorite” dialogue partners – the Jewish leaders. We have to understand that during the time of Jesus the culture of honor and shame was very strong. Honor was a highly sought-after good. This was one reason why the Jewish leaders didn’t enjoy Jesus being around. As Jesus gained reputation, they themselves were losing it. As a line of defense to uphold their own repuration, they had to question Jesus’ identity and challenge his authority in public. Jesus was very much aware of this. In fact, he used the same weapon against his adversaries. Knowing the intention of the Jewish leaders, he posed a challenging question that put them into a dilemma. He turned the table on the

Jewish leaders. The burden of securing honor was now on their shoulder. Since they could not afford to be humiliated in front of the crowd, they had to choose whether to be truthful or to take the safer course and lie; they chose the latter. Their ego led them to compromise what was true on this pretext, “We do not know.”

Often in our lives we are faced with a similar dilemma, and then we compromise the truth. In our desire to always look good, envious of what others have done, greedy for power, wanting to get praise and honor, we end up guarding ourselves at the expense of others. Worse, we compromise what is true and settle with the safer course of self-preference.

Jesus, in this season of Advent, is challenging us, first, to stay grounded and humble, and recognize the goodness of each other. Goodness is not to be monopolized; rather, it is to be acknowledged and shared. Then, as Christians, we are to stay truthful no matter what. Truth is not to be compromised but to be lived and proclaimed in daily life.

  • Fr. Mark Angelo M. Ramos, SVD (DWS-Tagaytay)

The Word in other words 2015

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

Zep 3: 14–18

Shout for joy, daughter Zion!
sing joyfully, Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, Zion,
do not be discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior,
Who will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
Who will sing joyfully because of you,
as on festival days.
I will remove disaster from among you,
so that no one may recount your disgrace.

SECOND READING

Phil 4: 4–7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL READING

Lk 3: 10–18

And the crowds asked John, “What then should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

IN OTHER WORDS

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is credited for coining the phrase “Death of God.” He is also believed to have said: “If you Christians would only come out of church smiling, I just might become a Christian myself.”

Today is ‘Gaudete Sunday’, a day of rejoicing. In the anxiety-laden season of Advent, the third Sunday appears pleasantly unique. Today’s responsorial psalm, for example, summons us to “sing and shout for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” The second reading also bids us the same: “I want you to be very happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness” (Phil 4:4).

How do we regard the importance of happiness in our lives? How badly do we need it? Well, it is essential enough that people are willing to spend thousands of dollars to travel to some parts of the world, build extravagant houses, organize or attend lavish parties, own expensive possessions all in search of happiness. There are many things that can make a person happy. Yet, there are also many things that can make a person unhappy. Oftentimes, it is what we have or see or hear that make us unhappy. It is not always that we become unhappy because of what we do not have. In several instances, it is our inability to achieve balance between having and not having that makes us unhappy?

The Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, once made an assertion, saying that “the meaning of life is finding your gift, and the purpose of life is to give it away.” I may add that happiness is when the finding leads to giving, and the meaning to purpose.

Once upon a time in an African village, a group of youngsters competed in a race to the peak of a steep, rocky mountain. Some people in the crowd commented that the path was way too difficult and nobody will make it to the top. And so it happened that some competitors started to collapse, and others got injured and quit. Eventually, all but one gave up. When asked how he managed to finish the race and reach the top of the hill, the young lad remained quiet, for he did not hear the question. He was deaf!

Lacking something could mean being blessed with what is more important. Not having many things could open doors for us to appreciate the true worth of who we are and what we are capable of. It comes as no wonder that the poor are oftentimes more generous than the wealthy ones. They are happier, too, and closer to God.

This Advent, let us be thankful to God both for what he has given us and what he has not given us, and let us be simply happy with him

  • Fr. Narciso Cellan, SVD (Kenya)

The Word in other words 2015

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. December 12, 2015 Saturday
  2. December 11, 2015 Friday
  3. December 10, 2015 Thursday
  4. December 9, 2015 Wednesday
  5. December 8, 2015 Tuesday
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