Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

THE WORD

Ac 22,3-16 or Ac 9,1-22 / Mk 16,15-18

Jesus said to the eleven, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

IN OTHER WORDS

When we hear the word “conversion” we usually think of a great sinner who becomes a good

person. St. Paul was actually not a bad person. When he persecuted the Church he did it out of zeal for God. He just did not understand yet who Christ was.

What we commemorate today, therefore, is more an enlightenment of Paul, a call to a new understanding of God, a vocation to bring this new understanding and the Good News of Christ to the nations, as Jesus told his disciples before his Ascension.

All of us are called to an ongoing conversion. This does not mean that we have to be first bad persons who need to turn away from evil and become good Christians.

Pope Francis revealed that he goes to Confession every 15 days, an indication that he is aware of the necessity of an ongoing conversion. The Greek word for conversion is “metanoia,” a word that indicates a “turning.” Two kinds of turning are required: a turning away from the present way of life, and a turning to a new way of life, to a new understanding of who God is and what Christ wants us to do.

‘Turning away from’ and ‘turning to’ is an adventure, as it was in the life of St. Paul. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that he would travel more than 4,000 kms by land and sea to preach to countless people the One he had persecuted. But his readiness to leave the past behind, kept him strong until the last moment of his life. And it filled him with joy. He wrote the letter to the Philippians, the “Letter of Joy” as it is called, while in prison, not knowing whether he will be freed or killed. Oh yes, we might be “good Christians” but we still need conversion: a turning away from routine and a turning to a new, exciting future guided by God’s Spirit who is always full of surprises.

• Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD | (CKMS, Quezon City)

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THE WORD

FIRST READING

Neh 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10

Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand. Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate, he read out of the book from daybreak till midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion.

He opened the scroll so that all the people might see it— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —; and, as he opened it, all the people rose.

Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, “Amen, amen!” Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to the ground. Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read. Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all the people:

“Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep”— for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”

SECOND READING

1Cor 12:12-30

Brothers and sisters:

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.

Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated in the church to be, fi rst, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

GOSPEL READING

Lk 1,1-4. 4,14-21

Seeing that many others have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outset were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theopilus, so that your Excellency may learn how well founded the teaching is that you have received.

Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread through the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him.

He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written: The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’

IN OTHER WORDS

I just visited a very dear friend, a lay Eucharistic minister, who used to have a bubbly personality and boisterous laughter, but who has been suffering tremendously and dying of colon cancer. He now wants a peaceful death to end his horrible pain quickly.

As I served him the sacraments and gave him Jesus in the Eucharist, I said: “It is not your end yet…!” Then quoting the Second Reading of that Sunday, he smiled: “Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5)?” “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life!”

What a sigh of relief, a sign of hope, a sight of joy for people who listened to the Word of God as Jesus read the Book of Isaiah and then declared: “Today this Scripture passage is ful lled in your hearing.”

I imagine the people gathered before Jesus would reply: “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life!”

The Lord is offering wisdom to the downcast, to anyone like my cancer-stricken friend, to any broken relationship, and to you, my reader, who may have tons of concerns and burdens. It is the wisdom that changes the way we think.

To those men, women and children who were weeping as they heard the words of the law, Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites declared: “Do not be sad, and do not weep…do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!”

And I visualize that they would reply: “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life!” The word of the Lord is reaching out, giving reassurance and comfort to those in tears because the untimely death of someone dear is hard to understand; to those far from their family and lonely; and to those, whose weakness has been abused, like raped and maligned.

St. Paul likened the Corinthians as Christ’s body because of the one Spirit they received in Baptism. He emphasized that the parts of the body, meaning the members from various sectors, should work harmoniously in one Spirit. For him, there should never be divisions, pride and envy among the Corinthians but rather order, peace, humility and cooperation.

And the Corinthians as affirmed would reply before St. Paul: “Your words are Spirit and life!”

Through all the readings today, the Word of God has given us Wisdom (Gospel) that nourishes the way we think; Order (2nd Reading) that makes us desire to live harmoniously together in a community; Reassurance

(1st Reading) that comforts us in our struggles; and finally, Direction that guides us in our day-to-day life.

Then we have the WORD.

Now, my dear friend is wiser, putting things in order, reassured of God’s continuing blessing and directed to the path of the Lord as I pray for his healing and full recovery.

The Word of God is truly Spirit and Life.

• Fr. Arlo Bernardo S. Yap, SVD | CT Manila

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.

	Production : Fr. Carlos Maria de Guzman, Jr., SVD and Staff of Logos Publications
	Cover Design : Malou E. Domingo
	Liturgical Calendar : Fr. Atilano Corcuera, SVD
	Production Consultant : Fr. Gerardo del Pinado, SVD
	Scriptural Texts : New American Bible and Daily Roman Missal
	Cover artwork based on photos by Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD
	Published by : Logos Publications, Inc. 1916 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
	Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Telephone : +63 2 711 1323
	Fax : +63 2 732 273
	Copyright © 2015 Society of the Divine Word

 

THE WORD

2 Sm 1,1-4.11-12.19.23-27 / Mk 3, 20-21

[Jesus] came home. Again (the) crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

IN OTHER WORDS

On the morning of January 25, 2015, in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, 44 members of the PNP Special Action Force were killed in an ambush by Muslim ghters. It was a tragic and horrible incident. Those who might be blamed and be made accountable for the massacre cavalierly dismissed the tragedy as a “misencounter”. Forty-four policemen were killed and it was just a “misencounter?” What a Pilate-way of washing one’s hands. It is indeed very easy to simply dismiss the whole incident as a misencounter. And it is very diffi cult to admit that it was a botched operation attended by breach of protocol, lack of coordination and communication, treachery, perfidy, distrust, a wild grab for fame and glory, miscalculation, inadequate intelligence service, poor military strategy and tactics.

This kind of response to the massacre that labels it as a misencounter, is akin to the response of those who heard the preaching of Jesus but did not want to change their way of life, beliefs, and principles. They heard Him but they refused to listen. They refused discipleship to Jesus and rationalized their refusal by saying that Jesus was“out of his mind.” It is easier to say that Jesus is a crazy guy than to accept His teaching that we should forgive others

seventy times seven times. It is simpler to say that Jesus is a mental case than to internalize His teachings that we must love others – Jews or Gentiles, Caucasians, Africans or Orientals.

How we respond to the teachings of Jesus is shaped and colored by our own biases and prejudices. Just as a prism makes light that passes through it come out in many colors, so does our perceptual field of reference filter that which is perceived by our senses. Hence, we must clean our minds, free our hearts from prejudices, and be open to the guidance and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit for us to be able to see the truth and to be open to change. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us extricate ourselves from our comfort zones where familiar lifestyle and rules bend to our temptations, cater to our whims and caprices. If we nd His teachings hard to accept and difficult to practice, let us be humble enough to admit that. If we reject His teachings because we do not want to change our life, let us admit that. But we should not take the easy way out of simply dismissing Him as someone crazy and His teachings as crazy as he is. There is no easy way to the Father: there is no expressway to His kingdom of peace, justice and love – there is only the less travelled road.

• Fr. Ernie M. Lagura, 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.

	Production : Fr. Carlos Maria de Guzman, Jr., SVD and Staff of Logos Publications
	Cover Design : Malou E. Domingo
	Liturgical Calendar : Fr. Atilano Corcuera, SVD
	Production Consultant : Fr. Gerardo del Pinado, SVD
	Scriptural Texts : New American Bible and Daily Roman Missal
	Cover artwork based on photos by Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD
	Published by : Logos Publications, Inc. 1916 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
	Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Telephone : +63 2 711 1323
	Fax : +63 2 732 273
	Copyright © 2015 Society of the Divine Word

 

THE WORD

1 Sm 24,3-21 / Mk 3,13-1922

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: (he appointed the twelve:) Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

IN OTHER WORDS

The mission of the twelve apostles simply began with an invitation, a call. However, this was no ordinary call. The summoning of the Twelve entailed great responsibility; that is, sharing in the mission of Jesus himself! Vocare is a Latin word meaning “to call.” Each one, I believe, has a call. Sometimes, we tend to associate “calling” exclusively with a calling to religious life. In fact, a calling comes in many forms and ways. God meets us in the situation where we are, and where we are right now and what we do is our calling. What we need to do is to off er what we are doing to God and lift it up for His greater glory.

To call means to communicate. Communication involves a two-way process between a listener and a speaker; it involves dialogue. In communication, words play a vital role. However, one important thing that is sometimes taken for granted in communication is eye contact. I can imagine how the rst apostles were touched by that look in Jesus’ eyes. No matter how sinful and unworthy they were, they did not and could not resist the call. They left everything and followed Jesus. Thus, a calling begins with that amiable and amorous gaze of Jesus!

When Jesus calls, he never goes wrong. He calls the unworthy, the weak, the sinner. Those who followed him were the unqualified. In times of doubt and in an abominable situation, always remember that gaze in Jesus’ eyes. He calls all of us in so many ways. How about you, are you willing to join the march of the unqualified? Don’t dare miss and ignore that gaze.

• Sem. Karl T. Cabanalan | CKMS, Quezon 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.

	Production : Fr. Carlos Maria de Guzman, Jr., SVD and Staff of Logos Publications
	Cover Design : Malou E. Domingo
	Liturgical Calendar : Fr. Atilano Corcuera, SVD
	Production Consultant : Fr. Gerardo del Pinado, SVD
	Scriptural Texts : New American Bible and Daily Roman Missal
	Cover artwork based on photos by Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD
	Published by : Logos Publications, Inc. 1916 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
	Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Telephone : +63 2 711 1323
	Fax : +63 2 732 273
	Copyright © 2015 Society of the Divine Word