Gospel for June 26, 2015 (Friday)

Mt 8:1-4

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.  And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean".

He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I will do it.  Be made clean."  His leprosy was cleansed immediately.

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them".

The Word in other words

For many years, from elementary school to college, I suffered skin asthma, a disease triggered by eating seafood, chicken, and so on.  My feet was so much affected that at times, I was forced to wear slippers in school.  Eventually, it became a source of laughter ans ridicule among my classmates and friends.  Several times I was hurt by the way I became a center of jokes.  For more than twenty years my sickness became part of my prayer life.  I always prayed for God to cure me someday.

My parents did their best to find a cure to my condition.  We went as far as Cebu, Bohol's island neighbor, just to look for a doctor specializing in skin diseases.  Our relatives and friends suggested a lot of clinics and hospitals.  Alas!  Even the most popular dermatologist could not prescribe a medicine that might liberate me from my skin asthma.  And so I accepted my fate and moved on with the reality of living with skin asthma forever.

When I was a postulant, I was surprised to realize that skin diseases could be considered as a reaction to certain needs such as belongingness, intimacy, and affection.  As a son of OFW parents we were either away from home or so much engaged in work , I eagerly sought for the satisfaction of these psycho-emotional needs.  Deep inside me, I was desperate for God's healing.  I could emphatize well with the leper in today's gospel- his feeling of being ostracized and bullied, his continuous search for the best doctor in town, and his longing for Jesus to liberate him from the evil of leprosy.

The leper's cry is also my cry.  As a wounded people, it is our cry too,  Today, thousands of 'lepers' in our midst await to be healed and freed from all sorts of sicknesses and maladies.  Imagine those people who flock to healing masses and fellowships.  Yet let us not despair, for the Lord shall one day descend from the mountain, and we, 'lepers' of all sorts, shall approach, do him homage and be made clean- not only physically but holistically, not only at that moment but forever.  It will be an experience of healing grace from the Divine Healer.

                         -Fr. Kevin James Pizarras, SVD (DWST, Tagaytay City)

Gospel for June 25, 2015 ( Thursday)

Mt 7:21-29

Jesus said to his disciples, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.  Many will day to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord. did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' Then will declare to them solemnly, ' I never knew you.  Depart from me, you evildoers.'

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.  And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

The Word in other Words

A story is told of a very hungry hyena.  While hunting for food, he came to a thicket where he saw two goats at the far end of two different paths,  With his mouth watering in anticipation, he took the right path with his right leg and the left path with his left leg.  As the two paths veered father apart, he tried to follow them both at once.  Finally, he split into two.  Hence, the African proverb: Two roads overcame the hyena.

Today's gospel reminds us of the folly of splitting ourselves- calling to Jesus, "Lord, Lord', yet not doing the will of the Father.  For many of us, consistency in words and deeds is a huge mountain to climb.

A case in point: our country the Philippines.  The irony is that it is oftentimes ruled by corrupt politicians and government officials who mostly are Catholics.  We wonder: Are they corrupt because they are Catholics, or are they Catholics because they are corrupt?  The two seem to have causative relationship.  Yet, even if we succeed in arguing that being a Catholic has nothing to do with being corrupt or vice versa, it would not stop us from questioning how Catholic politicians and government officials could have no social conscience so as to steal from the people the have pledged to serve?

Selfishness is our greatest enemy.  Our inability to concretize our faith and live it out in every aspect of our life is, in many ways, triggered by self-seeking ambitions.  Even our acts of worship are oftentimes motivated by our demands that God would grant our request for material blessings.  "Lord, I pray that I'll get salary increment this year, so that I will still have my car.  Without it, how could I continue attending Mass on Sunday?" said the proud owner of an SUV`.

We all have a long way to go towards fulfilling our Christian calling.  The spiritual imprint we received during baptism is just the beginning of an arduous journey that is meant to change our lives as well as inspire others to do the same.  Our words and deeds often lack coherence, and our 'Lord, Lord' utterances are not always predicated on doing God's will.

                                 - Fr. Narciso Cellan, SVD (Kenya)

Gospel for June 24, 2015 (Wednesday) Birth of St. John the Baptist

Lk 1:57-66.80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son.  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.  When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zachariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, "No.  He will be called John".

But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this name".  So they made signs, asking the father what he wished him to be called.  He asked for tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed.  Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing to God.  Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.  All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be?"  For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.  The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

The Word in other words

With the exception of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist is the only saint whose birthday we celebrate.  The importance of John's nativity gave a signal to the coming of the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ.  John the Baptist was considered to be the last prophet before the coming of the Song of God.  His birth came under "mysterious" circumstance- barren wife gave birth to a child in her old age.  Neighbors asked, " What, then, will this child be?" They asked this question because it was clear that God was with him.

John the Baptist, whose name means "God is gracious", consecrated his life to the Lord and became the precursor of the Messiah.  He was the voice crying out in the wilderness, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand".  He prepared the way for the Lord, and like the other prophets he was given the opportunity to offer his ultimate act of obedience to the will of the Father by shedding his blood.

God chose John to prepare the way for the coming of the Savior and arrange everything for him.  His parents waited for his coming and they were filled with joy upon seeing him.  He grew in righteousness "until the day of his manifestation to the people of Israel."

Like John, our existence in this world might be short but it will not be futile if we do the will of God, if we do what is supposed to be God's plan for us.  Our mission is to be a witness to what is right and true, to bring joy to the world by living out the gospel values.  John did not wish to become powerful; humbling himself before the Lord, he declared,  "He must increase, I must decrease".

To live is not to possess power, glory, and riches, but to live the life in joyful humility, simplicity, righteousness, and love.

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)

Gospel for June 22, 2015 (Monday)

Mt 7:1-5

Jesus said to his disciples, "Stop judging, that you may not be judged.  For as you judge, so you will be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.  Why do you notice the splinter in you brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye?  You hypocrite,  remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."

The Word in other words

A 1994 classic film, "Forrest Gump", depicts the story of a naive and dim-witted man, who is able to unknowingly influence the historical events of the United States in the late 20th century.  As a child Forrest wears leg braces and other children bully him for it.  He is often insulted for being dumb.  Fortunately he is athletically adroit, which enables him to become successful in college and the military, and eventually become popular in public.  Despite his low IQ, he has an endearing character which is seen in his devotion to his duties and loved ones.  The unconventional life of Forrest Gump calls to mid the adage:"Do not judge a book by its cover".

Judging people according to their outward appearance seems however natural and prevalent. External display tells us whether somebody is dangerous or friendly, suspicious or trustworthy.  The Germans say, "Kleidung macht den Menschen" (Clothes define the person).  What we wear reveals something essential about status of a person.  We also think that it tells us about the economic and educational status of a person.  This shallow thinking may lead us to overestimate the face may also be more intelligent, richer, and happier than the relatively uglier ones.  That is why advertising agencies and cosmetic companies profit immensely from this prevailing human trait of superficiality.

Jesus admonishes us not to judge others rashly, according to their appearance or according to our moods and preconceptions.  It is better to know the people before judging them.  The imperfections of others, which we immediately discover, often disguise our own imperfections, which we seldom notice.  We need to be aware that we don't always make the right decisions and that we often do the wrong things.  Our lives are far from perfect, so we cannot expect moral perfection from others.  We may disagree on disputable matters, but we should allow people to form their own convictions.  When we search within our own hearts, we will find plenty of reasons to keep us humble before the Lord without being occupied with other people.

                              - Fr. Simon Boiser, SVD (Hamburg, Germany)

Gospel for June 21, 2015 (Sunday) Father's Day

First Reading 
Jb 38:1.8-11

Then the Lord answered Job out o the storm and said:
Who shut within the sea,
when it burst forth from the womb,
when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door,
And I said: Thus far shall you come but no further,
and here shall  your proud waves stop?

Second Reading
2 Cor 5:14-17

For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore all have died.  He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.  Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer.  So whoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.

Gospel Reading
Mt 4:35-41

With the coming of evening that same day, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side'.  And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him.  Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that is was almost the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped.  But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion asleep.  They woke him and said to him, 'Master, do you not care?  We are going down!' And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea. 'Quiet now! Be calm!' And the wind dropped, and all was calm again.  Then he said to them, 'Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?' They were filled with awe and said to one another, 'Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him'.

The Word in other words

One of the first things they taught me as a "bush missionary" was to take off my shoes before boarding the canoe.  Crossing the wide river was dangerous and the canoes made of hollow tree trunks could capsize easily.  Without shoes it was easier therefore to swim and save one's life.  I was told that in the nearby village a group of pregnant mothers was on board the canoe.  They had to be on the other side of the river to have medical checkup in the health center.  A storm caught them by surprise and the canoe sank.  Everybody drowned including the boatman who preferred to die with the mothers than to face the blame of the whole village.  Lakes and rivers are more perilous than the sea.  No wonder many people are scared of them.

In the Old Testament the waters were considered as a terrible monster and symbol of all negative and evil forces.  If you see the big waves rocking through your boat and the strong winds blowing with horrifying  sounds you can really be frightened.  Only God was capable to tame the sea and prevent it from harming people.  The  setting of the Gospel today is in the Lake of Genesareth.  Jesus asked the disciples to cross the other side and, while doing so, they fell asleep.  A terrible storm came, so strong that even the disciples, mostly expert fishermen, panicked.  They woke Jesus up, "Master, do you now care? We are going down!" Jesus talked to the sea as if addressing a person:"Quiet now! Be calm!" A great calm followed.  Now Jesus questioned them in return: "Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?"

Mark recounts the story to impart many lessons.  Leaving the shore, the stable ground, to cross the rocking waters is to take a risk.  Following Jesus entails letting go of our security and being ready to face danger for a cause.  The consolation is we are not alone; we are on the same boat with other disciples.  In times of trouble we get the impression that Jesus doesn't care.  He seems not to know that we are perishing.  But he is just testing our faith.  If the boat collapsed, he would have drowned, too.  Note that Jesus did not say: "Have you no faith?" It is important to underline the word "still".  That means that faith is not static, it is in constant growth.  Later on the disciples' faith will grow and become so strong that Jesus is in the same boat with them.  He is capable of calming all kinds of storms.  Even the wind and the sea obey him.

Gospel for June 20, 2015 (Saturday)

Mt 6:24-34

Jesus said to his disciples, "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon.  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds in the sky; they do no sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are not you more important than they?  Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?  Why are you anxious about clothes?  Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.  They do not work or spin.  But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.  If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the open tomorrow, will he not much provide for you, O you of little faith?  So don't worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or ' What are we to drink?' or What are we to wear?'  All these things pagans seek.  Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.  Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.  Sufficient for a day is its own evil".

The Word in other words

There is a story about a man suffering from insomnia.  He decided to try the old remedy: counting sheep.  He went to bed and closed his eyes, but when the first sheep came along, it stumbled and fell.  Would someone come along to help the sheep?  How many more sheep would come along and stumble over the fallen sheep?  How many sheep would be injured?  How much more would the shepherd lose as a result of the accident?  The man was so personally involved with the situation that the more he could not sleep!

In today's gospel, Jesus teaches us not to worry and put more trust in God.  When He tells us that we should learn from the lilies of the field and the birds of the sky, He is saying that God, in His Providence, takes care of us "who are much more of value than they".

But the write J.C. Holland had this insight on God's Providence: "God gives every birds its food, but He does not throw it into the nest.  If you observe the birds, they work so hard scraping food here and there in order to feed their nestlings."  When Jesus says, "Don't worry", He doesn't mean, "Don't work".

Following Jesus' teaching on worrying, some might say, "Do you mean to say I should not worry if my creditors are running after me over my two-million peso debt?"  Or, "should I not worry if I'am on the verge of losing my job due to retrenchment?" Or "if this lump on my neck is diagnosed as terminal cancer?"  These should be causes for worry, indeed.  But with firm faith in the Lord, we should do our utmost best to remedy them.  But if the situation is beyond human control, say, the unexpected death of a loved one or an incurable sickness, then we just have to accept them in faith.  As someone rightly said, "Don't worry about things that you can't do anything about."  Do your best, then, God will do the rest.