The Book of Genesis in the story of Noah with God, we have heard how the Lord renewed the covenant with the whole human family. The Lord God still sees hope in us. And the wonder of this renewal of the covenant with God, as God says, “I am now establishing my covenant with you,” carries with it the call and responsibility to nurture, cherish, develop and give life.
What does it mean? As the Lord renews the covenant, God also demanded an accounting for the life of every animal and an accounting for every human life. This is not a threat from God but rather the Lord wants us to value every life. This is how the Lord wants us to flourish and discover the wonder of life here on earth and be embraced by life itself through the whole creation of God. Every creature of the Lord reflects God’s goodness and love and every human being also reflects and carries God’s image.
Thus, the call to be fertile and multiply must be understood within the context of life, in nurturing, cherishing, developing and giving life. This indeed, calls us to defend life from anything that will suppress life, abuse life and destroy life.
The very covenant that we have with God is a testament of that life and promise of the fullness of life. The rainbow is not just some ideological color, however, it is a biblical sign of God’s presence among us, a sign of life and a sign of renewal.
This calls us further to commit ourselves into that covenant with God so that we too shall become cooperators of God’s action and presence in the world in bringing and giving life. This can be fully expressed in our homes, communities and organizations, and into our relationships. Every time we give hope to those who felt hopeless, every time we give a helping hand to those who need it, every time we give more attention in taking care of animals and of nature – these are simple ways of expressing that covenant and call to give life.
In a way, the Gospel today tells us also how Peter recognized the fullness of life in Jesus as he confessed that indeed, Jesus is the Christ. However, after realizing that Jesus is to be persecuted, will suffer and die, Peter retreated from his commitment to be with Jesus, the Christ.
Like Peter, if we confess that Jesus is the Christ, our Lord and Savior, then, this confession implies commitment and risk. After all, when we commit ourselves to somebody we love, risks and sacrifices are implied.
Thus, as we embrace the covenant God made with us, may we come to fully commit in that relationship with the Lord. Let us therefore, allow our human relationships and relationship with the rest of the created world to be fertile where we can multiply love and multiply life. Hinaut pa.
For the second time, Jesus has to do it again. The blind man still could not see clearly when Jesus touched his eyes the first time. Yet, another interesting part of this healing story was on how Jesus brought the blind man away from people and out of the village and then told the man to go home but not to go back to the same village where he had been.
This tells us that healing may not be instant and that it takes patience because healing is a process. Hence, the man was healed not just with his physical blindness but also of his spiritual blindness. The darkness that covered his eyes prevented him to not just see but also not to recognize. Hence, Jesus told him not to go back to the village of Bethsaida. That village became a symbol of unbelief, sin and rejection of God’s presence. Jesus was not welcomed there because people wanted to remain in their wicked way of life. The people did not want Jesus to change them, to heal them and to renew their life. Thus, going back in that village would only make the man go back to the same cycle of darkness in his life.
Indeed, the healing of this blind man tells something about the disciples and about us today. Jesus has to take the man outside the village with his disciples so that they may see and realize their blindness. The disciples have been with Jesus and have seen great things that Jesus did to the people. Yet, the disciples remained spiritually blind. Their minds were still clouded with doubts and fears. They could have seen something about Jesus but could not see it clearly.
This blind man represented the disciples, no doubt. As Jesus did the healing, notice, that the man was not immediately healed. We may wonder, why was he not healed immediately and completely? Was it because the man doubted Jesus? Or was it because of his lack of faith?
What was only certain was that the eyes of that man were still prevented by some darkness. He still could not see clearly. However, Jesus remained patient with the man. He did not condemn the man for having a lack of faith. Jesus has to do it again so that the man could see clearly and to take away the darkness that covered his eyes.
Jesus was doing the same thing also with his disciples. The disciples were spiritually blind because they have not yet figured out at this moment who Jesus really was. They were still anxious of what to eat and what to do even though Jesus was with them. Hence, Jesus taught something to them through the healing of this blind man.
We too are just like the disciples and that blind man. We could have claimed that we have seen and understood something about our faith, about the Church, about Jesus or even about other people and ourselves, yet, not completely. Not completely and not clearly because we might be prevented by our fears, anxieties, by our pain and trauma or even biases. We might also be trapped in the cycle of self-pity or self-righteousness and arrogance, in the cycle of blaming others over our failures or in bitterness and hatred, or in the cycle of habitual sins, addictions or unhealthy coping mechanisms because we find life already dark and hopeless.
It would be good for us today to identify and recognize aspects and areas in our life that prevent us from truly believing in Jesus, from truly believing that we can be healed, be at peace and reconciled, be free and truthful about ourselves and to what surrounds us today.
Let us be assured also that Jesus will be patient with us. So, let us allow him to touch us even for a second time so that any forms of darkness in our eyes and hearts may disappear and that we may see Jesus clearly among our sisters and brothers, no matter who they may be. Let us allow Jesus to challenge and to bring us out of those unhealthy cycles that only bring us to darkness and blindness. May the grace of healing grant us freedom, peace and life. Hinaut pa.
What and who is it that can easily influence you? Indeed, each of us can be easily influenced by many things and people around us. Sometimes, we may not be aware what really influences our thoughts and hearts because we are not aware of our environment. The popularity of the Social Media, of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram bring so much influence into our individual lives and even into the consciousness of the society. This is how these social media platforms crept and reshaped cultures, social status, gender, age, even beliefs and values.
However, when one is not also aware of the kind of influences that he or she is welcoming, those influences may bring the person into better or into worst. Moreover, even our own words, spoken or written, can also influence others to become better or to become worst. The rise of fake news and disinformation entertained by many has been very damaging into our culture and relationships. People who are not aware of the sources and the credibility of the reports, are being deceived and in effect brought more damage to the community by spreading them.
Such is the warning that Jesus reminded to his disciples. The Lord firmly warned his friends, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” The leaven being used to make the dough to rise, was used as an image by Jesus to depict the silent but cunning influence of the Pharisees and of Herod. The passive yet indifferent, aggressive and oppressive attitudes of the Pharisees and of Herod can become attractive to people who tend to seek recognition and praise and those who tend to worship the powerful and the corrupt, the arrogant and the aggressive.
These tendencies were also present among the disciples. This was the reason why Jesus reminded them when they began to worry of having not enough bread. Even until that moment, they did not yet recognize that the Lord was with them and had already worked wonders by feeding thousands of people. This prompted Jesus to ask them, “Are your hearts hardened?”
Moreover, The Book of Genesis reminds us also of a disheartening event as God regretted and his heart was grieved. God found evil in the hearts of humanity. The hearts has been influenced and consumed by wickedness and evil that God decided to wipe out the earth and reshape it. Yet, Noah found favor with the Lord. Noah was neither influenced nor consumed by evil, but by love and concern. This was how the Lord found hope in us to reshape the earth and renew our hearts.
Today, like the disciples and like what happed in the story of the Book of Genesis, the Lord also calls us to watch out of those distractions that may lead us away from the grace of God and from God’s presence. We may always realize that God is working wonders in us and through us.
Thus, recognize today those wonders that God is doing to you. Let not our hearts be influenced by passivity, by indifference, by arrogance, by aggression or by any fake news about God, about ourselves and about others. Rather, look always of those many wonders that God is doing in our lives. Be influenced by God’s grace in our sacraments. Be influenced by His words in the bible. Be influenced by the Holy Spirit. And as this Valentine’s Day reminds also, be influenced by love and concern and not by hatred and indifference. Kabay pa.
What motivates and inspires you? What fulfills your day? What brings you to life? Depending of our status, situations and circumstances in life, our answers may vary from God, family, children, wife or husband, community, our career or business, our passion and advocacies, our dreams and aspirations.
There is always a reason why we get up in the morning and continue to live on. We get inspirations from people around us, and that keep us going. For many of us, it is very important that at the end of the day we feel fulfilled in life. However, when we find ourselves unfulfilled and unsatisfied, we feel disappointed or depressed or even feel angry at ourselves or towards others.
Consequently, it is also important that we are aware of those that motivate and inspire us. By being able to know the reasons why we do things, why we do sacrifices and make decisions, why we commit and give ourselves, then, these help us to become grounded and mature in our relationships.
On this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, allow me to journey with you through the readings that have been proclaimed to us and together let us discover how the Lord invites to find what really motivates and inspires us and what brings us to life.
The readings we have this Sunday are all talking about God’s commandments and the call to become obedient to God’s commands. Our childhood catechesis would remind us that for us to go to heaven then we have to follow the commandments of God or else we shall be damned in hell. Fear of being terribly punished is usually instilled into our minds. Well, let us rather look at these fundamentals of our faith at the level of a mature relationship with God.
Let us start with what the Book of Sirach tells us. Sirach reminds us that God’s commandments are not meant to restrict and enslave us. These are also not detrimental to our human freedom and knowledge. The commandments of God are rather to bring us to the fullness of life, to God’s Divine Self. Sirach says, “if you trust in God, you too shall live.” Trusting the Lord, then, means being able to uphold and follow God’s commandments.
Moreover, though “God’s wisdom in immense, he is mighty in power, and all-seeing,” yet, the Lord never imposes that power on us or threatening us just to obey the commandments to love. God rather gives us freedom to choose to love freely, to choose God freely and to choose life freely.
Though Sirach reminds us again to “fear the Lord,” however, “fear” here is not about the “fear of being punished” so that we obey just as a child obeys a parent because of fear of corporal punishment – of being hit or scolded. If our “fear of the Lord” remains at this level, then, it means that our faith and relationship with God has not grown to maturity.
Fear of the Lord is an attitude of deep respect and reverence to God. Thus, fear must come from the knowledge and belief of the possibility of being away from the grace of God, away from the fullness of life. This will only happen when we choose freely what is evil, choose not to love, thus, not choosing God.
Yet, God does not want us to be away from him, away from his love and from the fullness of life. God desires that we freely, knowingly and consciously choose the Lord, choose to love and choose life. These should rather motivate and inspire us as individuals and as a community of believers because as the Psalm proclaims today, “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord.”
Likewise, Paul also tells us that God’s wisdom is mysterious and hidden, yet, the wisdom of God has been “revealed to us through the Spirit.” The person of Jesus, his whole life – is God’s wisdom revealed to us. Again, Paul tells us that having the Lord in our life and in every decision we make in life should be the reason behind and the power that inspires us. This is what the Gospel of Matthew wants to tell us as well. Jesus who is God’s manifestation of wisdom, is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets that basically nurtures our relationship with God and with one another.
In the Gospel, we have heard an argument between the Jewish leaders and Jesus. They thought that Jesus abolished the Law and Prophets, which composed the whole tradition of their people. For them, the Law and the Prophets, and all those teachings were the fundamentals of their faith. The commandments written in the scriptures motivated them to live as faithful Jews.
However, Jesus himself denied that he abolished the law and the teachings of the prophets and the whole tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus is actually the fulfillment of the promises in the whole Hebrew Scriptures. The person of Jesus is the very inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures.
But then, the Jewish leaders missed the whole point. They were not able to recognize Jesus, as the true inspiration. They focused more on themselves, on what they can gain, on their privileges and influences over the people.
This happens also to us when we think that our achievements, influence and power over others, and our titles are our main inspiration and that having them is our motivation; when we believe that pleasing people around us will make us fulfilled or satisfying our every selfish desires will make us truly happy and contented. Nevertheless, these will only make us anxious, fearful and more unsatisfied.
We are rather called to ground ourselves to the most important part of life, and that is, our relationships. These include our relationship with God and with one another, with our family and friends, organizations and communities. God’s commandments are given to us to essentially nurture, cherish and develop our relationships with each other and with God. Thus, to freely choose to love, life and God are the very areas where we are called to find inspiration and motivation. Choosing away from these would lead us rather to be separated from grace which will ultimately make us to hurt and cause pain to others because of our selfish intentions.
Thus, for all of us, we are called to mature and be grounded with our relationships, and most essentially with the Lord. Allow ourselves to be taught, to be molded and to be inspired through our experiences in our relationships may it be in our families, friends, or special someone. Allow those relationships also to be the space of God to reveal the Divine presence in us. With that, we shall surely find true fulfilment in life as we follow God’s commandments. Hopefully, we will be animated by Jesus who gives us life and fulfills our life. Kabay pa.
“Do you believe in chain letters? Or nowadays we may call it as Copy-Paste & Post OR-ELSE…. Facebook, Messenger, or Twitter posts?”
At times, I have been asked about this, & I find myself giving the same answer. I say: “In general, I don’t trust anything that offers promises or threats, IF (meaning, with conditions) you do or don’t this or that, with the usual addendum “Or Else…”. In my book, deserved gifts are called prizes or salary, but underserved gifts are called Grace and blessings. God’s grace is not something we do to God, but what God does to us. Just try to be the better Christian, as you choose and can be, not as what others (in chain letters, posts, or messages) want you to be.”
For the past Sundays, we have been hearing about the public ministry of Jesus where he proclaims to us the Good News of God’s salvation. In his preaching, Jesus basically calls us to change our ways for God is with us (Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand). He then in Beatitudes makes known to us how blessed we who are meek, humble, merciful, righteous, and sensitive enough to welcome God’s blessings into our lives (Blessed are you…). He also reminds us that much as we are blessed, we are also a blessing to others (You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world). Wow, what GOOD NEWS indeed to us!
In a nutshell, we need to change our life since we are already and always blessed and a blessing to others because God is with us and his Kingdom is at hand. This is the very core message of Jesus ever since and until now as being always proclaimed to us and by us, His Church.
After always hearing, reflecting, and knowing Jesus’ good news of God’s salvation, what now then for us?
Somehow, we wonder as to how to gratefully respond to and live out such great blessings into our lives. We ponder on how can we remain, endure, and persevere in living with Jesus’ gospel in our day to day living? Like, now what are we to do to respond and be converted and practice His gospel into our lives?
Surely for Jesus, it is more than just keeping the Ten Commandments or observing the Torah, the Law of Moses. In our gospel today, we hear the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus wherein he directs us how to live in the good news of God’s salvation. By reviewing and commenting on the Torah, which is the Jewish standard of righteousness, Jesus reorients people that there is far better in His message of God’s salvation than just observing the Law of Moses. He reiterates that God’s kingdom is more than just the practice of not killing, not committing adultery, and not making false promises. God’s kingdom is more so and above all about respecting life, reverence for people’s union – making marriage sacred, and living life with integrity.
For Jesus then, to live in His blessing of God’s salvation is not a matter of just practicing and observing but more so fulfilling the Law of Moses. Here Jesus is upgrading the Jewish Law of Moses into His message and mission of teaching, preaching, sharing, and witnessing the values of God’s kingdom in our lives. An Upgrade from Torah to the Spirit of Jesus.
Important here is the consistency between our being and our doing – our person & action now as Christian. In a way, Jesus is teaching us that our actions must now reflect our being as blessed and blessing people. In other words, Be and become consistent with who you are now with what you do, as Christian.
Meaning, far beyond the practice (living out) the values of God’s Kingdom, there must be spirituality. For Spirituality is the “because I am” of the “why”s in life, i.e. “Why I do this or do that?” “Because I am…”. Spirituality is thus the spirit behind the action, the meaning behind the practice. What matters is not just about the practice but also the spirit behind the practice and action – not only about what we do but why we do it, knowing that ours is a grateful response in thanksgiving to what God does and doing to us, and not like chain-letters, what we may do as bribe or payment for His graces.
Perhaps you may reflect about your spirituality nowadays. Ask yourself: “Why you do what you do?” Be in touch with the meaning and spirit behind your behaviors & actions. Pray that you be a better blessed and blessing Christian you choose and can be, not as others may want you to be. Pray also that our actions be a response in thanksgiving to what God does and is doing to us, rather than as what we do to Him to gain His favor.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 