Category: Ordinary Time

July 11, 2019 – Thursday 14^th Week in Ordinary time

Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot

From the Book of Genesis (44:18-21,23b-29;45:1-5)

Judah approached Joseph and said: “I beg you, my lord,
let your servant speak earnestly to my lord,
and do not become angry with your servant,
for you are the equal of Pharaoh.
My lord asked your servants, ‘Have you a father, or another brother?’
So we said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father,
and a young brother, the child of his old age.
This one’s full brother is dead,
and since he is the only one by that mother who is left,
his father dotes on him.’
Then you told your servants,
‘Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.
Unless your youngest brother comes back with you,
you shall not come into my presence again.’
When we returned to your servant our father,
we reported to him the words of my lord.

“Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family.
So we reminded him, ‘We cannot go down there;
only if our youngest brother is with us can we go,
for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.’
Then your servant our father said to us,
‘As you know, my wife bore me two sons.
One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude
that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts;
I have not seen him since.
If you now take this one away from me, too,
and some disaster befalls him,
you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.’”

Joseph could no longer control himself
in the presence of all his attendants,
so he cried out, “Have everyone withdraw from me!”
Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers.
But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him,
and so the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.
“I am Joseph,” he said to his brothers.
“Is my father still in good health?”
But his brothers could give him no answer,
so dumbfounded were they at him.

“Come closer to me,” he told his brothers.
When they had done so, he said:
“I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.
But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you.”

 

From the Gospel of Matthew (10:7-15)

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”

Homily

I was about to leave for a mission exposure, I made sure that everything I need was in my bag. I doubled checked my things to be sure that I have not forgotten anything. My bag was full and heavy as I walked and passed through the hills and corn fields. When I reached the area, I realized that I brought a lot of useless things.

At home and at school, I was trained to be prepared, to be secured and self-sufficient. Most of us also were brought up in that kind of practice. Thus, it is very common that we make ourselves ready, prepared, and independent.

However, in today’s Gospel, Jesus reminded his disciples to travel light as they were sent to cure the sick, to bring life and forgiveness, to bring blessing and peace to many homes. The disciples were told by Jesus to practically bring nothing.

This is quite harsh and truly difficult, isn’t it? However, there is wisdom behind the words of Jesus. Our desire to be prepared, to be self-reliant and self-sufficient would sometimes come from our deep anxiety of the future, of what would come next.

But what if a circumstance would not allow you to have any preparation? What if an event would surprisingly come and you have nothing to bring but go ahead with nothing? We will certainly be most insecure and helpless.

This reminds me of the journey of Joseph as what the Book of Genesis told us today. Practically, Joseph was stripped of anything he had. He was sold as a slave to the Egyptians by his own brothers. He was seduced by the wife of his master and then, imprisoned unjustly. He was forgotten in the prison for 13 years.

However, considering all these terrible and horrible events in the life of Joseph, he remained faithful and trustful to God. He might have asked God for these dreadful tragedies. He surely had sleepless night. But Joseph was calm and a discerning person. How could he remain calm and be discerning to what God planned for him?

As Joseph had nothing with him in his journey to Egypt as a slave, Joseph also did not have any grudges and bitterness in his heart. He did not let anger, resentment and hatred to burden him and prevent him from discovering and doing what God prepared for him. This is how Joseph found himself to be the savior of his own family and many peoples when hunger hit their land. God prepared him for this so that in Joseph forgiveness shall be granted and life will be given.

We also find such attitude of traveling light in the life of St. Benedict whose feast we celebrate today. Benedict found that there are many things in his life that only kept him away from God. For this reason, Benedict let go of those baggage that he found unnecessary in his life. These include the busy and complicated life of the city, his material possessions and even power and authority as a rich man. He found the life of being a monk as his means of attaining such freedom and peace and encountering God. In fact, it was in this way too that Benedict became instrumental in helping people to find peace and discover God in their life.

Jesus invites us today, as he urged also his disciples in the Gospel, to “travel light” by having a childlike trust in the providence of God. We are called to travel light and to get rid of those unnecessary baggage behind.

Today, our unnecessary baggage would range from our own material selfishness to our addictive compulsions and negative behaviors and to our unhealthy thoughts such as endless complaints, anxieties, worries and doubts. All these unnecessary things would only make our journey heavy and tiring. These will only prevent us from enjoying our journey and missing the many surprises that may come.

To travel light also means to be able to welcome the goodness of God through other people. This is basically the reason why Jesus told the disciples not bring anything so that they too will be able to welcome the generosity of God through the generosity of the people. Joseph was also grateful for those people who helped him and especially to the Pharaoh who gave him freedom and responsibility to bring life to others.

Let us allow ourselves then to be helped and to be assisted by others. And in return also, let us allow also ourselves to be of help and of assistance to those who are in need so that through us, God’s generosity will be best expressed. It is in this way that we shall be able to bring healing, life, forgiveness and peace to our brothers and sisters. Hinaut pa.

Jom Baring, CSsR

July 10, 2019 – Wednesday 14th Week in Ordinary Time

From the Book of Genesis (41:55-57; 42:5-7A, 17-24A)

When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt
and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread,
Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph
and do whatever he told them.
When the famine had spread throughout the land,
Joseph opened all the cities that had grain
and rationed it to the Egyptians,
since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt.
In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain,
for famine had gripped the whole world.

The sons of Israel were among those
who came to procure rations.

It was Joseph, as governor of the country,
who dispensed the rations to all the people.
When Joseph’s brothers came and knelt down before him
with their faces to the ground,
he recognized them as soon as he saw them.
But Joseph concealed his own identity from them
and spoke sternly to them.

With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days.

On the third day Joseph said to his brothers:
“Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man.
If you have been honest,
only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison,
while the rest of you may go
and take home provisions for your starving families.
But you must come back to me with your youngest brother.
Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die.”
To this they agreed.
To one another, however, they said:
“Alas, we are being punished because of our brother.
We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us,
yet we paid no heed;
that is why this anguish has now come upon us.”
Reuben broke in,
“Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy?
But you would not listen!
Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”
The brothers did not know, of course,
that Joseph understood what they said,
since he spoke with them through an interpreter.
But turning away from them, he wept.

From the Gospel of Matthew (10:1-7)

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Reflection by Bro. Vincent Chloe Que, CSsR

In our gospel today, Jesus sends his disciples to proclaim that ‘the kingdom is near’. Did Jesus imagine his disciples going around cities and villages repeating these words? Or did he intend them to gather the people and explain to them how the Kingdom is near? Perhaps. But positively, Jesus was inviting them to do it in a more profound manner – by means of their life-witnessing. Let us take our first reading as an example.

Joseph experienced a great amount of ‘bullying’ from his brothers. In fact, it was his brothers who sold him as a slave. Several years later, when Joseph gained a prominent role in Egypt and his brothers were in need, he was greatly tempted to show the same cruelty that his brother’s showed him. He had the power to do to them whatever he wanted to. And he did. He placed them in prison. He gave them very steep deals. And he inflicted them injuries. Out of anger and remorse, he was willing to close his eyes and forget who they were.

But after a while, when he saw the suffering of his brothers, he was overcome by regret. He was filled with mercy for his brothers and “he wept.” There is so much in common between our experience and that of Joseph. Indeed it is easier to get even and be cruel to people who are cruel to us. But Jesus taught us that the way is narrow and the path is difficult. We fall, and we commit mistakes; but if we see others as our brothers and sisters, just as Joseph did, we have the power to change… we can forgive and ask forgiveness as well.

When Jesus called his disciples, he did not chose them because they were perfect. He chose them because even in their imperfections, they saw each other as brothers. And that is how I imagine the Kingdom of God. And people will know the Kingdom when we, His children, will treat each one with love, respect, kindness, compassion, genuine care, and forgiveness. So when Jesus sent them to proclaim that ‘the kingdom is near’ I imagine Jesus telling them, “go and be kind to one another, go and forgive each other, go and love all the way I have loved you. And people will know that the Kingdom is here.”

Let us keep this in mind and in our hearts that Jesus’ invitation extends even to us today. Our invitation is captured in the words of St. Francis to his brother, “preach the Gospel at all times, use words when necessary.”

July 10, 2019 – Wednesday 14^th Week in Ordinary Time

 

From the Gospel of Matthew (10:1-7)

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Homily

An encounter with the Lord leads to discipleship and to be on mission. This is message for us today. But for us to grasp better the message, let us make a step by step discovery.

First, the call or the invitation is God’s initiative. It means that it is God who calls us and God chooses us to be His servant, to be his disciple. God’s way of choosing is not through the wealth we gathered, or how much power and influence we possessed. God calls us when we are open to him regardless of our profession, status and state in life. This is how Jesus summoned the ordinary 12 disciples and then sent them to proclaim the kingdom.

Second, we need the help of our family, friends, and community to lead us to God. An encounter with God, though that can be very personal but it is essentially always in the context of the community. Thus, seek the help of others. It will be easier for us to recognize God when we have a friend who will help us to see God.

Third, our God-experience or personal encounter with God is the most wonderful experience we will ever have. Because it is so wonderful that we cannot just keep it by ourselves. Our encounter with God leads us to action – it leads us to follow the Lord and leads us to tell others about what we have seen, heard, felt, and experienced with God. The 12 disciples’ personal encounter with Jesus led them to this point where that encounter moved them to action to become healers, witnesses and preachers.

Each of us today, whoever we are and wherever we are, as Christians we are called to preach Christ, to preach the Gospel by our life that we may become agents of healing and reconciliation, and bring other people closer to God.

This identity makes us different from the rest of other Christian denominations because the call to follow Jesus and to preach the Gospel is not only limited in our Eucharistic celebrations and other religious practices. My faith and your faith, is not only confined within the walls of our Church and within the letters of our prayers. Our Christian belief, our confidence in the risen Christ has called us to actively participate and to enthusiastically involve ourselves in all aspects of human life and the whole community not just in the spiritual aspect but also in cultural, social, economic and political aspect of life.

May we always remember this and become true Christians in the way we live our life, in the way we perform our work and in the way we relate with others and with one another so that we who have experienced God’s goodness will also become instruments in bringing other people closer to God. Hinaut pa.

Jom Baring, CSsR

July 9, 2019 – Tuesday 14^th Week in Ordinary Time       

From the Book of Genesis (32:23-33)

In the course of the night, Jacob arose, took his two wives,
with the two maidservants and his eleven children,
and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
After he had taken them across the stream
and had brought over all his possessions,
Jacob was left there alone.
Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.
When the man saw that he could not prevail over him,
he struck Jacob’s hip at its socket,
so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled.
The man then said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.”
The man asked, “What is your name?”
He answered, “Jacob.”
Then the man said,
“You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel,
because you have contended with divine and human beings
and have prevailed.”
Jacob then asked him, “Do tell me your name, please.”
He answered, “Why should you want to know my name?”
With that, he bade him farewell.
Jacob named the place Peniel,
“Because I have seen God face to face,” he said,
“yet my life has been spared.”

At sunrise, as he left Penuel,
Jacob limped along because of his hip.
That is why, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat
the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket,
inasmuch as Jacob’s hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle.

 

From the Gospel of Matthew (9:32-38)

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said,
“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Homily

Have you been so deep in your prayers now because you are asking a blessing from God? How badly do you need that blessing?

Somehow, such need would move us to advance our prayers. Some would visit Churches and offer candles so that their petitions will be heard. Others would call their friends and ask for their prayers too. Moreover, because we seriously need that blessing that we are hoping for, we somehow may become anxious. We might become also worried and will seem to lose our peace of mind.

This is not something strange, but natural for a person who feels uncertain of what lies ahead. This kind of situation has been retold to us in that story of Jacob, who wrestled with God, in the Book of Genesis.

Jacob was troubled and was in great distress. He was with his two wives and children but he chose to be left alone to spend time with himself. He was about to meet his twin-brother Esau who had 400 men waiting for him. Jacob knew that his brother was also desperate to kill him for the deception that he did with his mother, Rebekah, by stealing the blessing from their father, Isaac.

Thus, Jacob must have been looking for comfort from God. However, instead of comfort and sweet words from the Lord, a man came and wrestled with him. This was not what Jacob expected. Yet, Jacob also wrestled with all his strength to seek the blessing from that man. Jacob did not surrender even though his hip had already been dislocated.

This showed us the determination of Jacob that despite the difficulty of the situation and the pain that he endured on his hip, he did not let go. And this amazed God!

Jacob realized that it was God who wrestled with him. In seeking God’s blessing, Jacob was so persistent until God blessed him. Consequently, Jacob was given the blessing. This is the reason why he was renamed from Jacob (which means deceiver) to Israel (which means who wrestles with God).

Now, Israel realized that he had a face to face with God, and with that he had been transformed by the Lord. This tells us that our struggles and every wrestle with God is an opportunity for us to have a face to face with God. Remember this, God makes himself more present when we are vulnerable and weak. This is symbolized by the dislocation of the hip of Jacob.

God uses our weaknesses, illnesses, fears and anxieties as windows for him to reveal his power in us and his blessings for us. This is what we find as well in the Gospel today. A man was brought to Jesus. He was made dumb, he could not speak because the demon in him prevented him. But when this man had a face to face with Jesus, his dumbness was transformed. The demon was driven out, and the man found freedom and began to speak. This is another story of blessing and transformation.

The encounter with Jesus was the blessing and that blessing transformed the man to be free and his sickness was that window to let God’s power be manifested.

This is the invitation for us today. We might be wrestling with a particular issue, problem, challenge, or sickness or concern at this very moment. This could have caused us with sleepless nights, with feelings of fear, desperation and weakness, with loneliness and anxieties, but remember, God comes to us in a surprising way, as he did it with Jacob.

God invites to wrestle with him in those moments of difficulties. Not to be afraid but to find our strength in the trying moments of our life. As we would wrestle with God in our prayers, let us be open also to God’s surprises for us because his blessing may not be in the way we expect it or would imagine it. But surely, like Jacob, at the end we shall be blessed and be transformed in the way God desires it to be. And like the possessed man who was healed and freed, our face to face with Jesus in our moments of desperation and trials, will also bring us healing and freedom, which is God blessing to us. Hinaut pa.

Jom Baring, CSsR

July 8, 2019 – Monday 14^th Week in Ordinary Time

From the Book of Genesis  (28:10-22)

Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and proceeded toward Haran.
When he came upon a certain shrine, as the sun had already set,
he stopped there for the night.
Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head
and lay down to sleep at that spot.
Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground,
with its top reaching to the heavens;
and God’s messengers were going up and down on it.
And there was the LORD standing beside him and saying:
“I, the LORD, am the God of your forefather Abraham
and the God of Isaac;
the land on which you are lying
I will give to you and your descendants.
These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth,
and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south.
In you and your descendants
all the nations of the earth shall find blessing.
Know that I am with you;
I will protect you wherever you go,
and bring you back to this land.
I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you.”

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed,
“Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!”
In solemn wonder he cried out: “How awesome is this shrine!
This is nothing else but an abode of God,
and that is the gateway to heaven!”
Early the next morning Jacob took the stone
that he had put under his head,
set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it.
He called the site Bethel,
whereas the former name of the town had been Luz.

Jacob then made this vow: “If God remains with me,
to protect me on this journey I am making
and to give me enough bread to eat and clothing to wear,
and I come back safe to my father’s house, the LORD shall be my God.
This stone that I have set up as a memorial stone shall be God’s abode.”

 

The Gospel of Matthew  (9:18-26)

While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,
knelt down before him, and said,
“My daughter has just died.
But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.”
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
“Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you.”
And from that hour the woman was cured.

When Jesus arrived at the official’s house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,
he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.”
And they ridiculed him.
When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose.
And news of this spread throughout all that land.

Homily

How do you approach people around you? Each of us has our own way of approaching and relating with people around us. We could be warm and welcoming to our dear friends. We could be pleasing to people whom we ask for help. We could be bitter to people to whom we get jealous at their success. We can be flattering to people who also seek recognition and praise. And we could also display an indifferent and unkind attitude to people who may be different from us in terms of what we believe, or culture, or principles or even of status.

The readings we have heard today tell us about the kind of approach or relating that God showed to us. So, let us briefly explore them and see how God also invites us to learn in relating with one another.

In the Book of Genesis, we have Jacob who ran away from home because of fear. The lie and deception that he made with his mother Rebekah towards his Father, earned him an angry and bitter treatment from his twin-brother, Esau. Though by right, Jacob was the rightful heir of the birthright but Isaac favored his other son, Esau. Isaac, in a way went against what God planned by giving the blessing to Esau. Yet, Rebekah wanted to preserved that, by also deceiving her husband and another son in favor of her favorite, Jacob. Indeed, Jacob received the blessing from his father, Isaac, but it left the family in great trouble.

The family relationship had been ruined by their own fault, of Isaac from going against the plan of God and of Rebekah by insinuating deception. And now Esau was after the life of his brother Jacob. Yet, God’s plan cannot be prevented by any human sin and weakness. Instead, God turned this tragedy into a blessing . And we have heard, how God revealed himself and his plan to Jacob in a dream.

God initiated such movement towards Jacob. God fulfills His promise. That is why, God assured Jacob. God promises him, “I will be with you and will keep you wherever you will go.” Consequently, this made Jacob to realize that, “The Lord is in this place and I did not know it.” Jacob realized God’s presence and now it animated and empowered him to go where God would lead him.

This tells us how God makes himself ever present in our life. Trials and struggles could be reasons for our doubts, disappointments and struggles, yet, even in those situations, God makes himself present. And God is there even when we are not aware of it. God has promised, “I will be with you and will keep wherever you are.”

Such attitude of relating from God is what we could also find in the Gospel. The grief and sorrow of that Synagogue official and the pain and sadness of that woman with hemorrhages, were situations where God made himself present in a very surprising way. God’s presence was revealed in Jesus as he willingly journeyed with the official towards the place of his sorrow and grief, towards her dead daughter. Jesus got up and followed the man. And it was in that experience that surely the Synagogue official felt closer to God.

Moreover, the woman with hemorrhages was surprised at the power of God. Certainly, Jesus had somehow allowed the woman to touch him. And when Jesus saw her, Jesus also treated her warmly and affirmed her faith.

Through Jesus’ way of relating and approaching with these people, he brought life and healing, joy and assurance. This tells us now of the welcoming and generous attitude of Jesus towards those who ask for help, who seek for healing and peace, and of those of friendship.

This is the invitation for us today. First, God reminds us that He is ever present. God is faithful to His promise. God is absolutely with us. And so, like Jacob, like the synagogue official and the woman with hemorrhages, let us allow God to surprise us with His presence. But let us not forget, in this surprise of God’s presence, faith is fundamental as the very ground of our encounter with God.

And so as we deepen our faith that finds strength in our community, we may find healing and peace, life and joy in God’s presence revealed in our own human experiences of pain, trials and struggles.

Second, God never condemned Jacob for what he did. Jesus also was so generous to accommodate this seemingly hopeless father of a dead daughter and be disturbed on the way by this sick woman. We may also learn to become more accommodating, welcoming and warm, less judgmental and less condemning of people around us, no matter who they are. When we learn this, we shall find that our presence and the gift of our friendship will bring healing and peace, life and joy to others. Hinaut pa.

Jom Baring, CSsR