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THE WORD

Jer 15,10.16-21 / Mt 13,44-46

The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in the field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.  When he finds a pearl of a great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

IN OTHER WORDS

Fr. Jose Vicente Braganza SVD, our former novice master and philosophy teacher, told us repeatedly, “In order to be known, one must be either a great thinker or a great lover.” For St. Augustine, however, it was not a case of “either/or,” but of “both/and.” Yet the way to greatness was not easy.

In his youth St. Augustine searched for what was really precious and lasting. For truth he delved into philosophies which were enticing but dangerous. For beauty that he could love passionately and for always, he sank into a dissolute life. Yet, while he was “sowing his wild oats” he felt an immense abyss in his life, a yearning so intense that more than once he exclaimed, “I was in misery, and misery is the state of every soul overcome by friendship with mortal things and lacerated when they are lost…Thou hast made our hearts for Thee, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”(Confessions)

He was fortunate to have a mother who, borne by her faith in God and love for her son, prayed earnestly and shed tears copiously for so many years. By the grace of God and through the unwavering faith of a loving mother the son received the blessing of a true conversion.

When he finally saw the light, St. Augustine gloriously proclaimed as one who had discovered at

last “the treasure buried in a field”, “Late have I known Thee, O Beauty ever ancient yet ever new, late have I known Thee.”(Confessions)

The world has been truly blest with the gift of a St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, who—in the words of Fr. Braganza—was an extremely great thinker and equally a passionate lover of the

Beauty that is truly divine.

  • Fr. Florencio 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.

 

 

THE WORD

Jer 14,17-22 / Mt 13,36-43

Jesus spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.”

Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

Just as weeds are collected and burned (up) with re, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.  They will go them to throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

In an SVD school in Chile was a parent who frequently raised questions about faith. One day, she asked me: “Padre, why doesn’t God simplify things for us? Can’t He simply bring about peace by keeping good people alive and eliminating all those who are evil?” I replied with a question: “If you are a mother of ten children five of whom are behaving well, and the other five are giving you terrible headaches, will you eliminate your bad children?” Immediately, she said: “Of course not!”

In the parable of the weeds, Jesus presents to us the Kingdom of God as a reality that grows but not without threats and obstacles. We hear bad news and frightening situations daily. In our small communities and families, we also find “weeds” growing among the wheat. When we scrutinize our own self, we find lights and shadows. We have to deal with our weaknesses and resolve our conflicts. The psalmist reminds us of God’s merciful love and the hope of our salvation: “Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who could escape being condemned? But you forgive us, so that we should stand in awe of you” (Psalm 130:3-4).

The Lord shows us incomparable patience and kindness and endless opportunities to make the goodness within us grow and flourish. We have to decide whether to let the good seeds grow or to allow the weeds to extinguish the light of goodness in our hearts. In the parable, Jesus speaks of harvest, of reckoning, of judgment, of having to give an account of our life to the Author of life.

When that moment comes, may we find ourselves smiling and singing because the good seeds ofthe Kingdom sown within us have definitively triumphed over the weeds of our pride and sel shness.

  • Fr. Edwin Fernandez, SVD | DWC, Laoag

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

2 Cor 4,7-15 / Mt 20,20-28

The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left , in your kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, (this) is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers.

But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be rst among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

 IN OTHER WORDS

In approaching Jesus, the mother wanted for James and John glory, position, and rank. And at this occasion, Jesus chose to reveal that following Him wouldn’t be their expected splendid rise to power but that they would have to suffer for him; if they wanted to be leaders in his Kingdom, they had to be servants. Their mindset must be “What can I do for others?” not “What can my subjects do for me?”

Among the principles offered by Robert Greenleaf on “Servant-Leaders” ve are worth mentioning:

  1. Listening - Servant-leaders seek to identify and clarify the will of a group. They seek to listen receptively to what is being said (and not said).
  2. Empathy - Servant-leaders strive to understand and empathize with others. People need to be accepted and recognized for their special and unique spirit.
  3. Healing - Servant-leaders have great potential for healing one’s self and others in view of transformation and integration.
  4. Foresight - Servant-leaders aim to understand lessons from the past, the realities of thepresent, and the likely consequence of a decision in the future.
  5. Commitment to the Growth of People - Servant-leaders believe in people’s intrinsic value beyond their tangible contributions as workers and are thus deeply committed to people’s personal, professional, and spiritual growth.

For the disciples of Jesus, servanthood was the only way to lead in God’s Kingdom. This is the same call and challenge for us who seek to follow Jesus.

  • Fr. Lex Ferrer, SVD | DWST, Tagaytay 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.

 

 

FIRST READING: Gen 18,20-32

So the LORD said: The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down to see whether or not their actions are as bad as the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.

As the men turned and walked on toward Sodom, Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said: “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous people in the city; would you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! Far be it from you! Should not the judge of all the world do what is just?” The LORD replied: If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake. Abraham spoke up again: “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am only dust and ashes! What if there are fi ve less than fi fty righteous people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?” I will not destroy it, he answered, if I find forty-five there. But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?” He replied: I will refrain from doing it for the sake of the forty. Then he said, “Do not let my Lord be angry if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?” He replied: I will refrain from doing it if I can find thirty there. Abraham went on, “Since I have thus presumed to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?” I will not destroy it, he answered, for the sake of the twenty. But he persisted: “Please, do not let my Lord be angry if I speak up this last time. What if ten are found there?” For the sake of the ten, he replied, I will not destroy it.

SECOND READING: Col 2,12-14

You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead [in] transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

GOSPEL: Lk 11, 1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” And Jesus said to them, “When you pray say:

‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us. And do not subject us to the test.’”

And Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will fi nd; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

IN OTHER WORDS

The focus of this Sunday’s readings is our need to express our concerns to God in prayer and on how we should pray. I would like to focus on the truth revealed by the first words of the Our Father, which I believe is the substratum of what prayer truly is.

Jesus in prayer must have been a sight for the disciples to ask him to teach them how to pray.

Together with what Matthew in 6:7-8, tells us: “When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do for they hold that the more they say, the more chance they of being heard. Do not pray like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him;” this might give us a clue about an important aspect of the message of today’s gospel.

Luke tells us that at the most decisive and important moments in Jesus’ ministry—his baptism, choice of the Twelve Apostles, sermon on the plain, trans-figuration and especially during his passion—Jesus prayed. His teaching was a sample of his own practice of prayer. He teaches first to address God as a loving father, revealing the very heart of his rapport with his God. Yahweh is Abba. Jesus concretely experienced the unconditional love of God his Father. This was like a re which burned from within him and which he wanted to share with everyone making it. This passion explains why the Father’s love became the central message of his preaching – that his hearers might be red by this same experience which the New Testament writers call the experience of God’s Kingdom. This for Jesus was an experience of the Pearl of Great Price, the Treasure in the Field, the one thing necessary as he advised Martha – the God who is love.

If prayer is one of the most important expressions of our relationship with God, then when Jesus asked us to also call God as Father, He must have been teaching us that prayer could only be rooted in the conviction that God is Father to us; that this relationship must be approached from the perspective of total trust and belief in being accepted and loved by Him with no conditions at all.

We pray not in order for God to know our needs (He knows them already even before we ask Him, (Mt. 6:7-8), but so that we may know what he wants from us. Prayer “is not a matter of converting Him to us, but we to Him.” Perhaps this is to which Jesus wants us converted. God’s love is like the sunlight, it is there totally free, undeserved, and at our taking. All we have to do is to bask under that sunlight and let it change us from within. St. John puts it so beautifully and succinctly: Yes, we believe in God’s love! This is what should surface in our awareness every time we say the Our Father.

  • Fr. Magdaleno Fabiosa, SVD | USC, Cebu 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.

 

More Articles ...

  1. July 23, 2016 Saturday
  2. July 22, 2016 Friday
  3. July 21, 2016 Thursday
  4. July 20, 2016 Wednesday
  5. July 19, 2016 Tuesday
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