Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

THE WORD

1Jn 4,7-10 / Mk 6,34-44

As Jesus stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length. By now, it was getting very late, and his disciples came up to him and said, “This is a lovely place and it is getting very late, so send them away, and they can go to the farms and villages round about, to buy themselves something to eat.” He replied, “Give them something to eat yourselves.” they answered, “Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?” “How many loaves have you?’ he asked “Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said ‘five loaves and two fish,’ then he ordered them to get all the people together in groups on the green grass, and they sat down on the grounds in square of hundreds and fifties, then he took the five loaves and the two sh, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fishes among them all.. They all ate as much as they wanted. They collected twelve basketfuls scraps of breads and piece of fish. Those who have eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.

IN OTHER WORDS

The pastoral visit of Pope Francis last January 15-19, 2015, was a concrete manifestation of the challenge for us to participate in the multiplication of the bread in this time, when Filipinos are tossed in a sea of turmoil. Natural disasters caused by storms, tidal waves, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes as well as man-made calamities triggered by illegal logging, irresponsible mining, and human trafficking, have inflicted so much pain and misery especially to children.
Aware of these realities, Pope Francis grieved with the people. He kissed the children, embraced the poor, the aged and the sick. He appealed for help for the poor, the end of corruption, value for family life, and care for Mother Earth. Yes, if we truly live out the values of Christ, there will be more bread for the hungry - bread for everyone’s need. A real multiplication of bread- physically, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically.
Am I willing to go out of my comfort zone, to share “bread” and “ sh” especially with the hungry?
Am I ready to share “mercy and compassion”
     - Sister Mildred Arcos, SSpS | Tayum, Abra

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 Jn 3,22-4,6/Mt 4,12-17.23-25
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.”
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

IN OTHER WORDS
In a museum in Hamburg called “Dialog im Dunkeln” the visitor sees nothing. He is guided by blind persons as they walk thru dark rooms and corridors. Without eyesight, the blind person’s other sensory faculties are awakened by various scents, wind, temperature, sounds and textures. After this unusual museum visit, the visitor feels grateful for the gift of sight and how light makes the world colorful and beautiful.
Light enables us to see beauty and truth. Without light we cannot enjoy all God’s remarkable creation. Light eliminates our fears, gives reassurance and creates a feeling of peace. Children are usually afraid of the dark. Adults turn on night lights to deter crime. Light is also the source of life. Without the sun, no plants and animals will survive.
Light’s attributes make it a potent religious symbol. Prophet Isaiah used it: “People sitting in darkness have seen a great light” (Mt 4:16). Jesus himself used the metaphor of light: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have light of life” (Jh 8:12) and “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”(Mt. 5:14-15). Light signifies truth, life and goodness, while darkness is associated with ignorance, death and evil. However, this light-darkness vis-à-vis good-evil schema cannot simply be applied to judging people. All of us have both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. Let us figth battles with darkness by being a light to others. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light. May the light of Christ shine in our lives and reflect inside us its beauty and power to inspire others.
- Fr. Simon Boiser, SVD | Hamburg, Germany

The Word in other words 2016

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

FIRST READING
Is 60: 1–6
Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you.  Though darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds, the peoples, upon you the LORD will dawn, and over you his glory will be seen. Nations shall walk by your light, kings by the radiance of your dawning.
Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you—Your sons from afar, your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall throb and overflow. For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you, the wealth of nations shall come to you.  Caravans of camels shall cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and heralding the praises of the LORD.

SECOND READING
Eph 3: 2–3.5-6
If, as I suppose, you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, [namely, that] the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier.
Which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

GOSPEL READING
Mt 2: 1–12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”  When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

IN OTHER WORDS
The church celebrates today the Epiphany, “the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, son of God and Savior of the world”, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it. From this alone, we’d get the idea that this feast is a “heavy weight”.
Furthermore, the Greek word epiphany was used to refer to “the splendid appearance of a wealthy city”, or more commonly to the “spectacular appearance of a hidden divinity”. And I think this nuance of the word Epiphany puts some glitz and glamour to this already heavyweight feast.
And then we have the rst reading which speaks of Isaiah’s breathtaking vision of the Light and the Glory of the Lord rising upon Zion, attracting nations and kings and even camels to come streaming toward her.
Now, if we put all these together then we would have an irresistibly beautiful, spectacularly glamorous, heavyweight feast. But the Gospel tones it down a little bit. By all means it does not take away its beauty; Matthew puts together the image of a star and a little child in a manger, which is not only beautiful but also tender. But then he adds a very sober reminder for us all: the Epiphany of God is a tender, irresistibly beautiful, spectacularly glamorous, heavyweight event for SOME, but not for OTHERS. So that really this feast challenges rather than pampers…
I saw an interview of a champion Mixed Martial Artist once. He was asked what the hardest part of being a champion was. And he replied, “People see the shiny belt around my waist, they hear the accolades I receive everywhere, they read about how much money I have in the bank… the most diffi cult part is that which people do not normally see, and that is the sweat, the blood and the tears that I paint the gym with every day”.
Epiphany rhymes with shiny. And traditionally the magi look shiny and even kingly. But everybody needs to see, that before they got to where they needed to be, they had to study the skies night and day. And to nally see the “baby”, they had to spend time, money and energy. Epiphany is indeed shiny. But to be able to bathe in its beauty, one would have to be willing to get down and dirty.
- Fr. Dante Barril, SVD | Rome, Italy

The Word in other words 2016

The Word in other words 2016

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 Jn 2,22-28 / Jn 1,19-28

And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” he did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Messiah.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

IN OTHER WORDS

Ulf Ekman and his wife Birgitta caused uproar in Sweden, a predominantly Protestant country, in March 2014 when Ulf announced their intention to convert to the Catholic Church. Their conversion produced such a spectacle and impact because they were not ordinary Christians converting to Catholicism. In 1983 in Uppsala, Ulf Ekman founded a Megachurch of Sweden called World of Life Church. He also helped in the establishment of more than 1,000 church communities in the former Soviet Union and founded Scandinavia´s biggest Bible School which produced more than 10,000 graduates. In fact, he was called “a pastor of pastors”.

In an interview with Luke Coppen (Catholic Herald, 24 April 2014), Ulf Ekman revealed how his quest for answers to pressing questions led him to the Catholic Church. It was in 1998 when he started wondering: “What are we really doing? What are we really part of? And where does this lead us? What will happen to the Free Church movement 100 or 150 years from now? How come that the historic churches, especially the Catholic Church, seemed to keep on going?” Intrigued by the stability and historicity of the Church, he began to study it and, in the process, met diff erent types of Catholics – from the conservatives to the charismatics. Such encounters opened his eyes, heart, and mind to the Catholic Church. Talking about his main reason for conversion to the Catholic Church, he later declared in that interview: “… I do feel that the reason for [my] being drawn into the Catholic Church is that I need – we need – what the Lord has given to the Catholic Church [for us] to live fully as Christians. That is why we want to be part of the Catholic Church.” When asked what he was looking forward to about being a Catholic, Ekman answered: “The sacramental life.

That is what I’ve been longing for…I’ve always had a strong sentiment for the sacraments, but when I started to discover what they really are and how they work I felt really on the outside looking in. I had a longing to participate in and to draw life from the sacraments in a way that I’ve not been able to do… So I would say that the fullness that the Lord has put in the Catholic Church – that is what I discovered and long for.”

His conversion to the Catholic Church, however, was not all that easy. Being the founder and leader of a community, Ekman’s outmost concern was his congregation and how its members would react to his decision to become a Catholic. He feared that many of the 3,300 members of his congregation in Uppsala would feel let down and he wanted to handle the situation properly as much as he could. So he had to take things slowly even if it was becoming clear to him that the Lord was leading him to the Catholic Church. There was also the question about his nancial upkeep given that his main source of income was from his ministry as a pastor. “Is this true or not? If this is true, then I have to act. If this is not true, then it will go away. But it was becoming more and more, not just a personal truth, but that there was truth here that I had to relate to.” And, as he realized that the call of the Lord was true, he stepped down from his post as pastor of his congregation; he and his wife were admitted nally to the Catholic Church on May 21, 2014.

Despite all that was at stake – the possible backlash from his followers, nancial uncertainty outside his pastoral ministry, etc., – Ekman, at the bottomline, was concerned solely about the truth to which he held on steadfastly. In a way, Ekman mirrors John the Baptist’s attitude in the gospel today: he held on faithfully to the truth of his identity as the “voice in the wilderness”, the Lord´s prophet and not the Messiah; and, his mission was to prepare for the way of the Messiah. He never wavered in his proclamation of the truth and in witnessing to the Messiah. Iquodigent ut esse.

• Ronnie R. Crisostomo, SVD | DWS Tagaytay City

The Word in other words 2016

The Word in other words 2016

The Word in other words 2016

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