Gospel for August 6, 2015 (Thursday)

Mk 9:2-10

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them and his clothes became dazzling white. such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.  Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.  Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here!  Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him."  Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.  As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

The Word in other words

Working in school for the last 14 years, I found that one of the most challenging decisions to make every year is where to hold major retreats and recollections. This is true not only for our faculty but also for our students, especially the graduating 4th year students whose parents can usually afford out of town activities for their children,  And what should be the gauge of a good place for such activity?  For us administrators, foremost is that it should be in a far and isolated place.  We discourage retreats in our city because there is always the temptation to go home which is anyway just a stone's throw away.  Moreover, making "valid reasons" for "hard to refuse" permissions is as easy for our employees or students as buying puto (rice cake) in a nearby store.  Looking back to the planning stage of every retreat or recollection, a great number would insist that it be held locally for various reasons like it saves money, makes it easy for the "SC" (Senior Citizen) members of the community, facilitates the feeding of their babies, and many more,  Of course, some reasons are valid, but others are obviously not convincing enough compared to the annual spiritual activity,

But experience also shows that common to all these retreats or recollections is the fact that at the end of the activity, one normally hears comments like, "Can we extend?" or "Bitin", or "Sana dito na lang tayo" (I hope we can stay here forever).  In short, if possible, the participants would want to postpone even for a little while.

As my parishioners would say, when I was still a parish priest, "Kada bagting, kaon" (Each time the bell rings, we eat).  But I think it is not only the eating which makes a retreat something to miss, since that part is something they can always do at home anyway, maybe even more often.  It is not only the physical comfort or the experience of being away from daily concerns that makes a difference, but more so the experience of being in a state of an unfamiliar "peace".  When we invite speakers, we see to it that we get the best ones, Our Campus Ministry Office would always prepare beautiful liturgical and other para-liturgical exercises and we see to it that they are well-prepared for a meaningful reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation,  And of course, what more can one ask after a foretaste of heaven?

What about the "going-home-part"?  Many have actually turned into "Peters".   Remember when Peter told Jesus, "Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"?  They also wanted to stay on Mt. Tabor!  Home for some means worrying again for the next meal, or being back to a nagging wife or a suspicious husband, or dealing with a troublesome neighbor, or returning to a pile of papers for evaluation and signature, or doing lesson plans.  In short, home could mean going back to the harsh realities of life.

No, they just have to go back.  They just have to bring back with them that newfound peace- the peace that is the result of the realization that this Jesus Christ taught to them by their catechist, by their parents and teachers, by the books they read, by the movies and videos they watch- this Jesus Christ is God.  In fact, He is the Son of God. He was introduced to them and they have seen and experienced the truth of that during the retreat, confirmed just as it was confirmed to Peter, James, and John who heard a voice from heaven saying "This is my Son, the Beloved.  Listen to Him."

No.  Don't stay.  Rather, go back and face the realities of home- this time as a better and stronger person, because you know that somewhere up there, a reward is waiting.

                            -Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD (DWC, Calapan City)

Gospel for July 8, 2015 (Wednesday)

Mt 10:1-7

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out 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 him.  Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.  Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  As you go, make this proclamation: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."

The Word in other words

Jesus called His twelve disciples, gave them authority over unclean spirits and all manner of diseases and commanded them to go out and proclaim the Good News: "The Kingdom of God is at hand."

During His time on earth, Jesus gradually revealed the vision and demands of the Kingdom of God.  God's Kingdom brings transformation, especially the transformation of human relationships.  It grows gradually as people learn to love, forgive, and serve one another.  With the outpouring of the Spirit at baptism, we are empowered to proclaim and witness the Good News of God's Kingdom.

Another important aspect of God's Kingdom is its universality.  It is everyone's concern- individuals, communities, parishes, families and society.  Working to establish God's Kingdom means acknowledging  and promoting God's activity in everyday life.  As we say in the Our Father, it is about forgiving one another and working for liberation from all forms of evil.

We are called through baptism to be disciples of Christ.  Being a disciple of Jesus is about the values we live by, the attitudes we have as we go about raising a family, earning a living, or being involved in church or community activities.  The transformation of society doesn't just take place in the church.  It happens also in the marketplace where people are meeting, doing business, debating, and even relaxing.  We can ask ourselves if we, as believing followers of Jesus, are putting into practice our commitment to the Gospel or if we have an impact on any sphere of life.

All of us have been given a share in the same Spirit, at baptism and confirmation, to enable us to be disciples, announcing the Good News, in our day, time, and place.  The context of each one's life is unique but it contains the opportunities for living out the faith, witnessing to the presence of Jesus in our lives an in our hearts and, as a result, influencing whatever sphere of life we are in.

                                  - Fr. Alex Muana, SVD ( South Africa)

Gospel for June 28, 2015 (Sunday)

First Reading
Wis 1:13-15;2:23-24

Because God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being,
and the creatures of the world are wholesome;
There is not a destructive drug among them
nor any domain of Hades on earth.
For righteousness is undying.
For God formed us to be imperishable;
he image of his own nature he made us.
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who are allied with him experience it.


Second Reading 
2 Cor 8:7.9.13-15

Now as you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this glorious act also.

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your surplus at the present time should supply their needs, so that their surplus may also supply your needs, that there may be equality.

As it is written:
"Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less."

Gospel Reading
Mk 5:21-43 (Mk 5:21-24. 35-43)

When Jesus had crossed again (in the boat) to the other side, a large crown gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.  One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.  Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death.  Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live."  He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"  Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith."  He did not allow anyone to accompany him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.  When they arrived at the house of the synagogues official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.  So he went in and said to them.  So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping?  The child is not dead but asleep."  And they ridiculed him.  Then he put them all out.  He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was.  He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"  The girl, a child of twelve arose immediately and walked around.  (At that) they were utterly astounded.  He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

The Word in other words

Suffering and death are painful realities which we are all afraid of.  Have you ever prayed so hard for the healing of someone who is sick and has been suffering for so long?  Have you ever pleaded God for the life of your dying father?  In such a desperate situation, did your faith in God waver or did it remain solid?

The gospel today presents two miracle stories of Jesus.  Here Jesus first raises a dead girl and then heals a sick woman.  The gospel also shows us two ways of expressing the faith: in secret and in public.  Jairus went to see Jesus and, in full view of the large crowd., fell at his feet and asked for the healing of his daughter.  On their way home, they received the news that the girl had died.  In spite of that, Jairus never wavered in faith in Jesus.  Upon reaching home, Jesus raised the dead girl to life.  Then, the woman who was suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years approached and touched Jesus in secret, trusting in His power to heal.  Jesus cured her and then sought to speak with her.  With that contact, the woman gained confidence to dialogue with Jesus without hiding herself anymore from Him.

Read again the gospel for today.  Feel the pain and despair of Jairus and the woman.  Remember your own pains and fears.  Look at the faith of Jairus and the woman and examine your faith in Jesus.  Is your faith unwavering like that of Jairus, timid like that of the woman, or at times so little like that of the disciples?  We cannot escape from suffering and death, but we can hope for the healing and the fullness of life because of our faith!