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THE WORD

Rom 8: 31–39 / Lk 13: 31–35

At that time some Pharisees came to him and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. (But) I tell you, you will not see me until (the time comes when) you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

Our life is guided by our vision. And we try to translate this vision through mission. This is the reason why some of us project our future with specific targets or things to be achieved, say, within a year. Just like my friend. He shared to me that before he turns 40 years old, he must earn a PhD degree and be in one of the top positions in their institution. And when he reaches 55, he will avail the early retirement privilege. Right now, he is very busy trying to attain these projections. He is clear with what he wants in his life.

Jesus in our gospel today is also very clear with the reason for his coming to Jerusalem. Even if he was forbidden to enter Jerusalem, even to the point of death, he insisted and argued because he knew his mission and that is to fulfill God’s will and to establish the kingdom through his exorcisms and healings. What is very interesting here is the moment when Jesus fought for what he believed in because he knew what it was. He did not argue with the Pharisees for the sake of argument and for simply insisting what he wanted. But he did this because he knew that going to Jerusalem was the only way to fulfill his mission. That is why, despite the many difficulties he encountered, he continued to move on.

Today, we are also invited by the gospel to have a vision in life and translate this into action. We are encouraged to model ourselves to Christ who, despite the many challenges in his life, continued to look for ways to fulfill them. We are also inspired by Jesus to set a direction into our lives. But we are reminded by him that our vision should not only benefit us because when Jesus risked his life, he did it for the common good. Let us continue projecting our lives by including others!

  • Ross Heruela, 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

Eph 2: 19–22 / Lk 6: 12–16

In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

 

IN OTHER WORDS

If the twelve apostles have applied for employment in today’s modern church institutions, they would not have been accepted for the job, for they are neither rabbis nor religious scholars; they are simple fishermen and government accountants. Some have suspicious backgrounds like zealots or rebels. If the apostles were to undergo strict job examinations today, most of them would not meet the expected academic standards.

But the apostles are not simply ordinary followers of Jesus. There were lots of disciples or students following Jesus, but the apostles were those whom one might call the “top-twelve students,” to whom Jesus gave special assignments like preaching, baptising, exorcising and healing. And yet, the apostles seem like ordinary men without outstanding abilities.

Perhaps precisely because of this lack of religious superiority, Jesus has chosen this ragtag group to be his missionaries. The work requires a different set of skills. Jesus finds it more effective to send common men who know how to communicate effectively to ordinary folks, unhindered by complicated religious parlance. They can withstand difficulties in the journey because they are used to hard work and not spoiled by a life of comfort and privilege. Most importantly, the apostles are convinced believers in Jesus’ message of God’s kingdom. They are action-oriented men so extremely dedicated to their mission that they are even willing to sacrifice family life and leave their homeland.

These are the qualities that Jesus looks for his apostles. Discipleship is not based on the usual worldly standards characterized by ambition and self-profit. A missionary will be disappointed and eventually fail, if he thinks he can make a career and become rich out of his mission. Jesus senses the potentials of his chosen apostles. They have a strong sense of dedication and faith which can withstand doubts and difficulties. Jesus has chosen these men with varied personalities for the different needs of the mission. There is no single mold and patent recipe that everyone must follow. When Jesus calls you to be his missionary, you may be ordinary or even a nobody. But you are thereby somebody, one who can do the will of God in an extraordinary way.

  • Simon Boiser, SVD (Hamburg, Germany)

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

Rom 8: 18–25 / Lk 13: 18–21

Then he said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and ‘the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.’” Again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed (in) with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

In today’s gospel, the apostles asked our Lord: “Increase our faith.” The apostles, whom Jesus had sent forth to preach, were apparently overwhelmed by the demands of their work and dejected by the people’s cold response.

Our Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted’..and it would obey you” (Lk 17,5).

That does not mean that faith will give us the power to move trees literally. But faith will give us power to COPE with difficulties and obstacles, and not lose hope.

A retreat master once compared faith to a pair of sunglasses. When you go outside under a noonday sun, you strain your eyes to see the surroundings because of the sun’s harsh glare. But when you put on the sunglasses, the glare is removed and you can see more clearly. Applied to our relationship with the Lord, you can understand better the will of God through faith despite the harsh circumstances.

But faith or trust in God alone is NOT ENOUGH. As much as we must implore God’s help in turbulent situations, so much must we do our part. Remember the oft-quoted saying, “God helps those who help themselves”?

When people come to me asking to bless their cars, I tell them: “My blessing is good only up to 90 kilometers per hour; what’s beyond that is your responsibility.” Obviously, that’s just a joke.

But the point is: Even if I pour a drum of holy water on your vehicle, if you’re a reckless and speed driver, my blessing won’t work. (Maybe the holy water should be poured on the driver!).

That’s true also in solving our national problems. We may be a prayerful people but if our leaders think only of their vested interests or keep on plundering government funds, we will not prosper as we should.

May the Lord increase our faith and may we do our share, especially in difficult situations.

  • Bel San Luis, SVD (CKMS, QC)

 

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

Rom 8: 12–17 / Lk 13: 10–17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

 

IN OTHER WORDS

The scene in the Gospel is fraught with interesting particulars. Jesus was in the synagogue teaching on the Sabbath. This suggests that He was not only a devout Jew who observed God’s Law with diligence and faithfulness. He was also a highly admired Teacher who presumably taught in the place of worship on a regular basis. It may be supposed that like any good preacher, Jesus would always take time preparing His weekly discourse (homily), which sparkled with splendid insights and brilliant metaphors.

It is also remarkable that Jesus spotted the crippled woman among the crowd of worshippers. This shows that Jesus’ innate disposition is person-oriented. He does not deal with the crowd as an abstract, faceless whole; he regards people in their flesh and blood individuality.

Note that Jesus cured her by laying His hands on her. What a very reassuring and affirming gesture! What gentle and caring man Jesus was!

But why was the disabled woman present in the synagogue? Presumably, she was also a pious woman who, despite her physical handicap, regularly frequented the synagogue to worship God. Bodily infirmity, therefore, is not a hindrance to go to Church on Sundays and participate in the Eucharist. It was most likely on account of her religious piety that Jesus called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” She did not ask for deliverance from her infirmity. (It was Satan who bound her for eighteen years!) It was Jesus Himself who volunteered it.

Another character who catches our curiosity is the captain of the synagogue who became incensed that Jesus cured the woman on a Sabbath. Take note that he did not even look at Jesus in the face. He addressed his impertinent words to the assembly, while taking a cheap swipe at Jesus: “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the Sabbath day.” What a wretched man!

So we have three interesting characters in today’s Gospel: Jesus, the Teacher and Healer; the crippled woman who persevered in worship despite her physical immobility and got cured; and the impudent synagogue leader. Let us imitate the first two and forget the third.

  • Raymun J. Festin, SVD (CKMS, QC)

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. October 25, 2015 Sunday
  2. October 24, 2015 Saturday
  3. October 23, 2015 Friday
  4. October 22, 2015 Thursday
  5. October 21, 2015 Wednesday
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