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THE WORD

Rom 4: 13.16–18 / Lk 12: 8–12

Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

“God is good? All the time! All the time? God is good!” I often hear this when charismatic communities gather and especially when they share life testimonies, serving to punctuate their sharing about the wonders of God’s works. They marvel at what they hear and what they have gone through.

It strikes me what the implications of such declarations are. What about pain and suffering? Where is God’s goodness in a cancer patient? Where is God when the strong earthquake hit the province of Bohol, or when super typhoon Yolanda landed in Samar-Leyte?

In the midst of catastrophic situations, some people are still able to believe that God is good. This is faith. No one is spared from challenges and difficulties, yet not all are able to overcome it with faith.

Jesus was a herald of faith and total trust in the Father’s goodness. Indeed, he has encountered difficult circumstances that call for great transcendence. However, when he performed good works, some people still criticized him. Even when he tried to subdue evil in a situation, his adversaries failed to recognize his good intentions. Unable to detect the simplest goodness, these persons became blind and unable to decipher God’s presence and saving grace which are abundant even in negative situations.

Blasphemy is lack of reverence for God, an insult against the Holy Spirit. It is unforgivable because it brings the person into hopelessness and helplessness. It is the end of the road.

Today, let us pray that we be persons of hope. Let us remain as light amidst the darkness. We will soon realize that the world needs people with faith – to encourage the lonely, inspire the lost, heal the sick, and forgive sinners. God is good all the time.

  • Lorz A. Estomo, Jr. SVD (Zamboanga, Sibugay)

 

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 4: 1–8 / Lk 12: 1–7

Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven— that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

Here in Australia, in an effort to aid umpires during games of rugby, cricket, tennis and other sports, they use various technologies like super slo-mo, microphone recordings, and even heat-sensitive cameras. In other words, there is no way one can cheat. If a player thinks that he can escape from the eyes of the umpire and get away with it, the technology is so advanced that any player who violates the rules will eventually be caught.

The gospel is a compilation of snippets of Jesus’ sayings and we can make at least half a dozen of reflections from this passage. But for now, let us focus on the saying “nothing concealed will not be revealed.” This saying makes us realize how all-knowing is our God; he knows what we are thinking and doing. In a way, we really cannot escape for he knows everything about us and knows us even better than we know ourselves. For many of us, this fact is quite scary because we might feel that God is a sort of a “Big Brother” who watches everything we do and from whom we can’t escape. Whatever “data” God gets could be used to judge us at the end of our life or at the end of time. But is this the God we know? Perhaps God sees our every move so that he may help us when we falter. Or entice us to come back and be reconciled with him.

Our God is a loving God, not a condemning God. However, while we know that God is a loving God, we should also be aware of our own actions. To love God, we must love him not only with our words but also through what we do and how we live our lives.

  • Elmer I. Ibarra, SVD (Sydney, Australia)

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 3: 21–30 / Lk 11: 47–54

Jesus exclaimed: “Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When he left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

 

IN OTHER WORDS

The Bible speaks a lot about hypocrisy. On many occasions Jesus himself denounces both hypocrites and hypocrisy. What are they exactly? Dictionary.com gives us a useful definition of a hypocrite: “A person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.” Or “A person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.”

Does this sound familiar to us? Can we name people who fit this description? Certain politicians perhaps? Various government officials? True enough and sometimes even spectacularly so. However, let’s not be too selective. Can we recognize ourselves there as well? It is important to realize that the words of Jesus are no longer being addressed to the Pharisees of long ago. They are now being addressed to the people of our time and place, including each one of us. Do we not have to constantly struggle to have our actions and way of life live up to our words? Will we ever completely succeed in the struggle?

We priests should be the first to admit how difficult it can be to live what we preach. We need great humility to admit that we are so inadequate at times and to trust in God to complete what is lacking in us. Let the words of the great St. Teresa of Jesus, our saint of today be our support and consolation: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. All things pass away, God never changes. Patience obtains all things. He who has God finds he lacks nothing. God alone suffices.”

  • John O’Mahony, 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

Rom 2: 1–11 / Lk 11: 42–46

Jesus said, “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

 

IN OTHER WORDS

The Germans say: “Das Leben ist hart genug!” “Life is hard enough!” Though they are among the richest people in the world, they know and acknowledge the fact that life is difficult. That is why they have gained the reputation of being among the most disciplined and most hardworking people in the world. Comfort has its price.

Jesus criticized the devout Pharisees and experts of the Jewish Law: “You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.” The law experts and the Pharisees are teachers and persons of authority in Judaism. As such, they have the power to interpret the law of God, as well as instruct people what to do and what to avoid in order to be considered upright. Many of them, however, abuse their power of legislation and instruction.

So much so that instead of helping people, they add more burden to their already difficult circumstances.

We too could ask ourselves as a community of believers and as individual Christians: Do we help make peoples’ lives easier, or are we complicating their lives and making them suffer more by requiring from them more than what we ourselves are willing to do?

  • Roberto C. Alda, Jr. SVD (Wendel, 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.

 

More Articles ...

  1. October 13, 2015 Tuesday
  2. October 12, 2015 Monday
  3. October 11, 2015 Sunday
  4. October 10, 2015 Saturday
  5. October 9, 2015 Friday
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