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THE WORD

Neh 8: 1–4.5–6.7–12 / Lk 10: 1–12

Jesus appointed seventy (two) others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

People today don’t carry a lot of cash anymore. They bring only credit cards or traveler’s cheques. They travel light. They stay in hotels in order not to disturb others. They eat in restaurants so as not to worry about cooking.

In spreading the Gospel of the kingdom Jesus suggested that the messenger carry no money or clothing. He assured that the messenger will be taken care of. He assured that the messenger will be offered bed and breakfast wherever he goes. He needs only to bring peace, healing and the assurance of the presence of God’s kingdom among people. He also suggested that the messenger should not be picky about food. For me, as a messenger of the Gospel, I need to be a man of peace. I need to believe in the power that is given to me by virtue of my priestly ordination. I need to be familiar with the Kingdom of God. I also need to have simple needs, or else I won’t be able to travel light and I won’t be able to sleep given simple accommodation; I won’t be able to eat what is served on the table.

On the other hand, as a receiver of God’s messengers, I need to be open to embrace the peace brought into my household or I will lose the blessings of peace, healing and redemption.

Both parties ought to have authenticity. I ought to be a sincere and true messenger of the Gospel. I must be a lamb, not a wolf. As a receiver, I ought to be sincere in my acceptance of the messenger and the message he/she brings into my household.

  • Patricio R. delos Reyes Jr., SVD (LVD Tacloban)

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

Neh 2: 1–8 / Lk 9: 57–62

As Jesus and his disciples travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me.’ The man replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’

Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good-bye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

 

IN OTHER WORDS

As a parish priest, I have noticed many people who enthusiastically joined parish organizations left and right, only to die out in their commitment when regular prayers, meetings and activities set in. I asked one volunteer why she left. She replied: “Father, my three barkadas left the organization, so I left too.”

Today, three volunteers come to Jesus and express their willingness to follow Him. However, the commitment of each one is faulty, because it has its implied limits. The first one volunteers to go with Him wherever He goes, thinking about accompanying Him to this or that town. The last two volunteers express delayed commitments. They fully intend to be His disciples sometime and somehow, but not immediately. The second wants to bury his father first. The third wants to bid goodbye first to his family.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with what these three volunteers propose. There is nothing wrong with commitment to one’s family; there is nothing wrong with having a home; there is nothing wrong with carrying out one’s filial responsibilities; there is nothing wrong with saying goodbye — unless these are what keep you from wholeheartedly following Christ.

Jesus is talking about having the right priorities. Jesus is saying that those who would be His disciples – those who would follow Him – must be those who put Him above all things, including one’s family. Our love for God must always have a higher priority than our love for family.

Certainly, an uphill climb! However, the Bible teaches us that the heart of life is not to be found apart from a living, saving relationship with Jesus Christ. I can delight in my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, without ever being married, and without ever having a family. It is also possible that God may enable you to better serve Him through marriage and family than by serving Him alone. But the ultimate issue is that we choose to follow Him.

  • Felmar Castrodes Fiel, SVD (WBC – Cebu 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

Dn 7: 9–10.13–14 or Rv 12: 7–12 / Jn 1: 47–51

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus  answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

Duplicity is adopting double standards that go against each other. In a drinking session, one man, after having one drink too many, admitted to his friends that the most difficult life is one of duplicity. He described it as namamangka sa dalawang ilog. The others in the session advised him to apply faithfulness – in work, in relationships, particularly in his own family. Success in life, according to one of them, is possible only with a focused vision. That focused vision motivates faithfulness. As in the corporate world, the vision of a company can be kept only when such vision is given a distinct focus each day.

Jesus called Nathanael a true Israelite because there was no duplicity in him. Nathanael always kept a focus on what God had done to Israel. His focus enabled him to be faithful to the God of Israel. Because of this, Nathanael recognized Jesus as the Son of God. For every Christian disciple, focus on the spiritual life implies a life of faith. A life of faith is one that thinks about God — in prayer, in meditation, in service, in relationships – in other words, in the entirety of life. Life becomes characterized by living the Christian faith, and Christian faith becomes the expression of one’s life.

Faith is not simply believing in God. Faith is living the God-life, which is the life of Jesus through obedience to his teachings. It is the faith that empowers a believer to “see Jesus”and to recognize him in the sacraments as well as in the signs of the times. Jesus told Nathanael: “… you will see things greater than this. Amen, amen I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” With a life of faith, Jesus will open our eyes to see and recognize him as the Son of God who lives among us.

Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace of deep faith to see you. Bestow on me a focused vision of you to purify my faith so I may see you, and seeing you, live your life. Amen.

  • Fred Saniel, 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

Zec 8: 1–8 / Lk 9: 46–50

An argument arouse among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives he one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

Today is the feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz. Among the six martyrs from the Philippines who went to Nagasaki, perhaps we can say that Lorenzo was the “least” in human terms. Pope John Paul II himself who canonized them referred to Lorenzo as the “most improbable of saints.” Three were Dominican priests, brave European missionaries; one was a Japanese priest; and one was a layman whose identity we don’t know much of. Lorenzo, on the other hand, was an altar boy, a sacristan, and later a calligrapher. He was accused of murder, fled the country for his life and sought asylum from the priests. He preferred to go with the Fathers to Japan afraid of being hanged if he dropped in Formosa. If we stop his biography at this point we see him as a very unfortunate man. If we go further we will see that Lorenzo had to face another big misfortune. They landed on a place hostile to Christians. All six of them were tortured and Lorenzo was among the first to die. But before his last breath God gave him the grace of courage never to renounce his Christian faith. Had he thousands of lives, he said, he would give them all for God. His testimony turned all the chains of humiliating “bad lucks” into a supreme everlasting blessing. Lorenzo Ruiz became the first canonized Filipino Saint! Really true are the words of Jesus saying: “For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

Our former General Superior once said that misfortune begins as we start comparing ourselves with others. Who is the greatest? Who is the least? Comparison breeds dissatisfaction of oneself and jealousy of others. But the desire to be better than the others, if not the best, is so natural that even the disciples were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest. Jesus taught them what constitutes true greatness: humility. Another weakness of the disciples motivated by the same pride was the spirit of exclusivity. Christianity opens, not closes, the door to everybody.

  • Xene Sanchez, SVD (Congo)

 

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. September 27, 2015 Sunday
  2. September 26, 2015 Saturday
  3. September 25, 2015 Friday
  4. September 24, 2015 Thursday
  5. September 23, 2015 Wednesday
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