Gospel for August 10, 2015 (Monday) Feast of St. Lawrence

Jn 12:24-26

Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.  "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.  The Father will honor whoever serves me."

The Word in other words

Growing up, we used to watch farmers planting rice in the field.  They first buried the seeds in separate rice beds; then when the seedlings sprouted, they planted them into the soggy rice fields.  It was no fun.  In fact, a song immortalized the hard work: "Planting rice is never fun; bent from morn til the set of sun;cannot stand, cannot sit; cannot rest for a little bit..."  But come harvest time, our parents would give us the hand-sickles and hat; and off we went to the harvest fields.  We saw that what was once only a sack full of seedlings buried into the soil had produced grains a hundred fold and more!

Jesus says: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (John 12:24).  In this amazing paradox, Jesus teaches that only by death comes life!  The grains were hopelessly alone, ineffective and fruitless, until they were thrown into the earth and buried there as in a tomb- to die, but later to resurrect and bear fruits aplenty!

This has deep meaning in our Christian life today.  Tertullian, an early Church writer, had this maxim: "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church."  It was by the death of martyrs that the nascent Church grew up rapidly to change the pagan Roman Empire.  As students in the seminary we read the "Roman Martyrology," a book that chronicled the lives of the first witnesses (=martyrs, in Greek), how they lived, who tortured and executed them.

John Allen, a former Vatican correspondent, writes: "We're living now in the greatest era of persecution in Christian history.  More Christians died for the faith in this century than in the previous nineteen centuries of Christian history combined."  He also relates about the martyrs in Pakistan, Iraq, Algeria, and North Korea, e.g. how pastors and elders were crushed to death by a bulldozer in front of their church.

Today, more than ever, we are called to give witness like "wheat that falls on the ground and dies."  Lord, if that time ever comes to me, be by my side!


                                      -  Fr. Dom Flores, SVD (Sydney, Australia)

Gospel for June 23, 2015 (Tuesday)

Mt 7:6-14

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

"Do to others what you would have them do to you.  This is the law and the prophets.

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.  How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.  And those who find it are few".

The Word in other words

Pedot was a farmer, and so was his older brother Sidro who was married and had two children.  They lived in the same area not too far from each other.  Pedot always felt sorry for his brother because he had more mouths to feed and care for, and so needed money and help more than he,  During harvest time, he would therefore secretly bring half a bag of rice to his brother at night and put it under his house.  Sidro, on the other hand, felt sorry for his younger brother who was living alone without any help in his farm, no wife to cook for him and o loving arms to welcome him when coming back from the farm.  So, Sidro would once in a while bring a half a bag of rice and secretly deposit  it under Pedot's house at night.  Then, one evening, the brothers met each other on the path, each carrying half a bag of rice.  Each uttered and "Ow!" now fully understanding where the occasional and mysterious gift of half a bag of rice was coming from.  They smiled at each other, and embraced each other, and then exchanged bags.

In the gospel today, Jesus mentioned the Golden Rule,  " Do unto others what you want others do unto you."  This rule is found in all religions and tribal law expressed in different ways.  However, it has been pointed out that the Christian expression is positive, whereas in other religions, the expression starts with a  "don't" and is therefore negative.

Our common belief is that we are surrounded by a kind of goodness.  Just take a look at the services around us daily where we get food, transport, clothing, etc.  People of good will are found everywhere.  In a way we are dependent on them for our daily life.  We often take for granted that, with his statement, Jesus is affirming something that we already know in the deepest part of our being--- that our hearts are in touch with the ONE who created us.

                       - Fr. Carlos Lariosa, SVD (Radio Veritas Asia, QC)