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THE WORD

Joel 2,12-18 / 2 Cor 5,20-6:2 / Mt 6,1-6.16-18

“Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow the trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your alms giving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received they reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

 

IN OTHER WORDS

During a celebration of the Holy Eucharist on an Ash Wednesday in Pamplona, Cagayan, I noticed one of the students kept on touching her forehead. After the Mass, I asked her about it. “Nakakahiya sabihin, father, but I really had the very strong urge to remove the ash you put on my forehead. My mind kept telling me it was itchy. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling I had”.

Today, the prophet Joel in the rst reading invites us to commence the annual Lenten journey of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. But Lent is not only the time for fasting or almsgiving but basically a time for repentance. During this time we feel the weight of sin as we come to terms with our consciences. It is here where my reflection regarding my personal experience with that young fellow Christian above comes into play. I remember telling her and her group that it was alright when she felt like removing the ash on her forehead and that anyone could feel uncomfortable with it. I went on to admonish them to consider seriously what the ‘ashes’ had to do with their lives. That the ashes were to remind them including myself that life is short and that “We are dust and unto dust we shall return”. The ashes on the foreheads also urge us who have received them to change our innermost attitudes and manners that are bad and sinful. When we, like that student I met, feel strongly the urge of removing the ashes too soon, it is because the presence of sin in our hearts makes us uncomfortable.

St. Paul in the 2nd reading redirects such strong feeling towards reconciliation with God. The words spoken by the priest “Repent and believe in the Gospel” becomes then a rule of new life in us. In this way, our anticipation of a glorious resurrection becomes more meaningful as ever.

  • Fr. Emil Pati, SVD | San Fernando, La Union

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

1 Kgs 8,22-23.27-30 / Mk 7,1-13

Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles.

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded,

“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.’

“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition. He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, any support you might have had from me is qorban”’ (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

One interesting tradition here in Timor-Leste is how people bury their dead. After the funeral mass, they have long speeches and rituals that make some priests feel distressed. When the dead is already buried and when people are already gathered at the house, a wash basin is normally prepared at the center for people to wash their hands/any part of their bodies. This washing symbolizes purification. It’s about driving away of evil spirits and that death may spare them. Then, food is served just like a barrio fiesta in the Philippines. On one occasion, there was no spoon to use nor water to wash our hands before eating. My companions just shook their hands and started eating. And, I followed suit.

Reflecting on our gospel today, I look back on that experience of eating with unclean hands as would have been a violation of the Mosaic Law as observed by the Pharisees. Their religious custom regarding hygiene was truly honorable and commendable. But considering unwashed hands, cups, jugs, kettles used for eating as impurity of heart, or moral deflement or as violation of the revealed Commandment of God, are only forms of prejudices levied on by human ingenuity. They invalidated three important values: purity of the heart, authenticity of worship, and truthfulness in doctrinal teaching (Jesus quoting Isaiah’s prophecy). Jesus further explained that upholding traditional precepts and practices to the point of disregarding God’s revealed Law was hypocrisy.

For example, the fourth commandment: “Honor your father/mother” is always true. It will never be reverted because parents are supposed to hold the place of God. Parents are naturally endowed with power to take care and teach their children. Thus, children are born to give honor to their parents. Whatever the cause of “donating money/property/ gifts to the Temple doesn’t exempt children from the obligation of honouring their parents. Jesus precisely denounced the abuse of this corban” (see Scott Hanh and Curtis Mitch, Commentary on the Gospel of Mark) for it nullifies the Word of God in favor of a selfish tradition.

Our hearts are always larger than our lips! ‘More heart-fullness less lip-service’.

  • Fr. Jay Baliao, SVD | Timor Leste

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

1 Kgs 8,1-7.9-13 / Mk 6,53-56

After making the crossing, [Jesus and his disciples] came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

 

IN OTHER WORDS

I was sitting for lunch with my housekeeper when suddenly, the phone rang. My sacristan picked up the phone, and then said that a dying woman wanted to go to confession. I stood up, took my car keys and went. The daughter waited in front of the house and immediately pointed to me the room where the sick mother was lying. So I went inside. In the dimly lighted room was a small table with two lighted candles on each side and a cruci x and a bible in the middle. Beside the table lay the dying woman on her bed, well dressed for the burial, hands folded holding the rosary and both eyes closed. Not wanting to lose time, I began to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with the sign of the cross. Then suddenly, the supposedly dying woman sprang out of her bed and protested: “No, Father, not here!” I was frozen, shocked to death. Without minding what I felt, the “dying” led me to a more friendly, well lighted room and invited me to take a seat. She dropped on her knees and began her confession. Afterwards, I asked her if there was anything still that I could do. “Yes, she replied. “Please touch my head.” I lay both hands on her head in silent prayer.

We read Jesus hearing the voices of the sick begging him to allow them to touch even only the tassel of his cloak. Jesus readily obliged. And all who did it were healed.

My housekeeper reported: “The woman is dead.” It happened three hours after my visit. The daughter told me later that her mother had long suff ered severe pain in her head. But, on that day, after her confession, she felt no more pain and died peacefully. I thought, Jesus touched the woman in her confession. Or, maybe the woman touched the tassel of Jesus’ cloak during her confession and was healed.

  • Fr. Roberto “Jun” C. Alda Jr., SVD | Missionhaus St. Wendel, Germany

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: Is 6,1-2.3-8

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment fi lling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they hovered. One cried out to the other: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!”

At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar.

He touched my mouth with it. “See,” he said, “now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

 

SECOND READING: 1 Cor 15,1-11

Now I am reminding you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fi t to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me. Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

 

GOSPEL: Lk 5,1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”

Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”

When they had done this, they caught a great number of fi sh and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

 

IN OTHER WORDS

If you were a medical practitioner, how would you feel being taught by a farmer on the proper

way of practicing medicine? Or if you were a fisherman and instructed by a carpenter on the right way of fishing? This is the scenario of today’s Gospel. After having caught nothing, the fishermen were fixing there nets for the next fishing ventures, and here came Jesus, a carpenter, asking them to lower their nets again. After a very tiring night, without catching anything, they were asked by

Jesus to go fishing again. Simon’s initial response was that of hesitation. Probably, he was a bit sarcastic towards Jesus’ request because deep within, he knew from experience that such venture was but a waste of time. Fishing had been his trade and life and nobody could question his expertise there. But when he gave up his expertise and gave Jesus a chance in his heart, what happened next led to Simon’s conversion. Realizing the error of his ways, Simon immediately fell on his knees. His unbelief was replaced with conversion. On the experience God’s immense goodness and generosity, his doubts were replaced with faith.

We must, therefore, remember that none of us has the monopoly of the truth. Even if we are experts in our respective crafts, it is no guarantee that we possess the whole truth. That is why the Gospel for today reminds us to open our hearts and minds and be sensitive to God’s presence in our lives. Most of the time, God sends ordinary people, events or experiences so that we realize His presence. But sometime God’s ways are diffi cult to understand for He continuously works in mysterious ways. All we need is to look at everything from the eyes of faith so that we may become sensitive to His presence and to what He is telling us in our day to day life.

  • Fr. Roger Solis, SVD | HNU, Bohol

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.

 

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  3. February 4, 2016 Thursday
  4. February 3, 2016 Wednesday
  5. February 2, 2016 Tuesday
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