Gospel for July 20, 2015 (Monday) Feast of St. Apollinaris

 Mt 12:38-42

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, " Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."  He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign Jonah the prophet.  Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.  At the judgement, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here.  At the judgement the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends to earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here."

The Word in other words

An acquaintance is discerning to enter the convent.  What she is waiting for is a sign so that she can decide.  A friend is thinking of migrating to Canada and is likewise praying for a sign.  Another friend has received several marriage proposals from her boyfriend, but until now she is still waiting for a sign.

The demand for a sign is common to one's expression of belief.  We ask for a sign to make certain that our desires are God's desires.  We look for a sign as an assurance, a confirmation that our decisions coincide with what God wants.

In our gospel today, people are looking for a sign.  They are clamoring not merely for a sign, but for a sign coming from Jesus (v.38).  They might have heard so much about him that they would like to witness his miraculous signs, maybe because they would like to be assured that He is truly God.  Interestingly, what Jesus does to pacify them is to make them remember Jonah's experience in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights, and connect this to his future "in the heart of the earth" (v.40).  Jesus intentionally recalls this event to inculcate in them that if those who believed in Jonah's preaching repented and were saved, so will those who believe in him be saved, because he will go to the realm of the dead to conquer death.  Hence through him, those who will believe will also rise to heaven.  This is the invitation of Jesus to his listeners.

Thus, we may be asking signs from him for the sake of serenity in this life, but we should not lose sight of the greatest sign offered to us by him: life with him in eternity.

               -  Fr. Ross Heruela, SVD (DWST, Tagaytay City)

Gospel and Readings of July 19, 2015 (Sunday)

First Reading
Jer 23:1-6

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock  of my pasture- oracle of the Lord.  Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.  I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have banished them and bring them back to their folds; there they shall be fruitful and multiply.  I will raise up shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear or be terrified; none shall be missing- oracle of the Lord.
   
See, days are coming- oracle of the Lord-
when I will raise up  a righteous branch for David;
As king he shall reign and govern wisely,
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name to be given him:
"The Lord our justice."

Second Reading
Eph 2:13-18

But now in Christ Jesus you who were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.  For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it.  He came and preached peace to you  who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Gospel
Mk 6:30-34

The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught.  He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat.  So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.  People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.  They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.  When the disciples embarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things."

The Word in other words

Jesus wants us to also to serve and love others selflessly and unconditionally.  I feel we only need to consider how much of the basic elements of time, treasure and talents we are willing to put into our actions in order to serve others and assess the intensity of our love for them.

                        -  Fr. Patricio R. delos Reyes, Jr,, SVD (Tacloban City)

Gospel for July 18, 2015 (Saturday)

Mt 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death.  When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.  Many (people) followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known.  This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight;  I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.  "He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory.  And in his name the Gentiles will hope."

The Word in other words

A big number of people of various sorts (about 600,000 men) left Egypt to escape from the dictatorship of the Pharaoh.  This represents the Church and the diversity of its members all over the world.  The Church today has been under attack in countries where Christians are minorities, especially in Muslim countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.  Most of them have been forced to leave their homes in haste to save their lives and families when attacked by the aggressors.  Symbolic of this is the unleavened bread that they brought with them on their journey.  Because of their unexpected departure, they had to leave the material comforts of their homes to seek freedom and liberty.  But they always bring their faith with them wherever they go and bear witness to the people whom they meet.  It is amazing to see how the Christian migrant workers bear witness to their faith in the affluent countries where the practice of religion is no longer a priority.  Filipino migrants for example fill their churches on Sundays.  Without them, many churches would have been closed and would serve only as museums.  Because of their faith, the Christians are always available to answer the call of their God, manifested in the person of Jesus Christ.

The gospel shows the Pharisees plotting to kill Jesus.  Their jealous hearts blinded their eyes from seeing the good things Jesus was doing.  Their minds were closed to Jesus' new interpretation of the law.  Jesus avoided them but continued to cure the sick and warned them not to make him known.  Was Jesus afraid of them?  St. Matthew answered this question by long citation from the prophet Isaiah which is an important key to the understanding of the personality of the Savior.  Jesus Christ is the true "servant" of God, the  "beloved" of the Father!  Does this reality give us joy and inspire us to become true servants of God?

The saving role of  Jesus is not only for those people who have the chance to receive the gospel; it is for all the nations who are loved by God in Jesus Christ whose mission is universal.  What marvelous vocation of Jesus: the vocation to love.  His role is to heal wounds, to give hope, not to let a small flame in one's life die, and to encourage sinners to go back to God.

                       -  Fr. Popo Perey, SVD (DWST, Tagaytay City)

Gospel for July 17, 2015 (Friday)

Mt 12:1-8

At that time Jesus was going through a field of grain on the Sabbath.  His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath."  He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests serving i the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?  I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.  If you knew what this meant, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned these innocent men.  For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

The Word in other words

In many and various ways, Matthew wanted to show that Jesus was the New Moses.  Moses as we know was the one to whom God gave the law in Sinai.  Matthew shows, in his gospel, that Jesus came to fulfill the Law God gave to Moses, by teaching a new principle of interpretation.  The prevailing principle then was "be pure" because of God is pure.  For Jesus, however, the principle "be merciful" as God is merciful.  By quoting the Prophet Hosea: "I desire mercy not sacrifice"(6:6), he indicates by what principle to judge the following or observance of the law.  The end and purpose of every law is to help so that the true image of God may emerge from within every human being.  This is what Jesus tried to do and in so doing he revealed who he really was--- the fulfillment of the law.

                    - Fr. Magdaleno Fabiosa, SVD (VCR, CKMS, QC)

Gospel for July 16, 2015 (Thursday) Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Mt 11:28-30

Jesus offers an invitation: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

The Word in other words

The effects of modern technology may two-sided.  Home appliances may shorten time spent in cooking, washing, cleaning and other household chores, but this "saved" time is often wasted in front of the television and the computer at home.  At the office, plenty of productivity time is lost answering e-mails and reading facebook posts and messages.  Mobile phones give digital access to social networks and real-time news.  But this ubiquitous accessibility of technology causes constant stress, which disrupts relaxation and recovery.  It encourages gadget addiction, which eventually hampers real social communication and personal encounter.

As if people in today's hectic world are not strained enough from the pressures of family and career work, many are yet faced with mounting and seemingly never-ending workloads.  We are expected to balance the demands between our jobs and ourselves.  We are torn apart between wants and needs.  Oftentimes personal creative projects are overtaken by practical concerns.  When unchecked, many stressed people suffer from burnout, feeling depleted and devoid of interest.  They often don't see any hope for positive change, nor do they find any exit from their stressful situations.

Jesus invites the burdened to come to him, because "his yoke is easy and his burden is light."  How does this apply to the modern predicament of work overload?  Jesus offers a change of mentality.  His gospel allows us to reassess our priorities.  Do we live in order to work or do we live for bread alone?  Can't we switch of our gadgets without feeling left out and take time to meditate and pray?  A healthy holistic spirituality entails taking care of our soul and body.  Jesus seems to tell those who are trapped in the web of modern entanglements to adopt healthy ways of eating, exercising, and sleeping.  Take a daily break from technology.  Even Jesus himself took him to pray and be alone after his public ministries.  Hermann Hesse, a German poet and novelist, once wrote, "Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself."  In this inner sanctuary, one may find God.

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

Gospel for July 15, 2015 (Wednesday) Feast of St. Bonaventure

Mt 11:25-27

At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son wishes to reveal him."

The Word in other words

A visiting friend told me of her experience when she visited one of our communities in the north.  When requested by one of the Sisters to bring the community to a place for a funeral, my friend readily agreed.  The Sister promised to direct the driver since she had previously been assigned to that place.  When it seemed that they were lost, another Sister suggested that they inquire from the people they passed by, but the confident Sister insisted she knew the place.  In the end, they were not able to find their way and had to go back home instead.

It is against this way of thinking that Jesus warns us in today's Gospel.  Jesus does not condemn intelligence.  In fact, it is one of God's gifts to us.  What Jesus condemns is our arrogance in thinking that, because of this gift of intelligence, we know better and therefore no need for further instruction, or that we don't have anything to learn from others anymore.

Through the attitude that Jesus enjoins us to acquire today, we can be open to another message of the Gospel; that, however advance is our intelligence, it is only Jesus who reveals God to us.  It is our Christian conviction that it is in Jesus Christ alone that we see what God is like, and that Jesus can give knowledge to anyone who is humble and trustful enough to receive it.

                 - Sr. Arlene F. Lobitana, SSpS (Manila)

Gospel for July 14, 2015 (Tuesday) Feast day of St. Camillus de Lellis

Mt 11:20-24

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.  But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum; 'Will you be exalted to heaven?  You will go down to the netherworld.  For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

The Word in other words

A HEART OF STONE!  Is that what you have?  Do you have a cold and unfeeling heart?  In the gospel today, Jesus expressed His disappointment with the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum for the hardness of their hearts.  In these towns, Jesus performed "mighty deeds" but the people rejected His works,  Jesus then compared these towns to the cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom.  These cities were symbols of immorality, perversion, pride, and sin.  Had the people of these cities heard the works of Christ, their repentance would have been swift and profound.  But the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, in spite of seeing the works of Jesus, did not repent. In the gospel, Jesus us about conversion and warns us of the danger of being repentant.

Sometimes, we are like the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida.  We receive abundant blessings from God and yet we remain indifferent to His goodness.  Sometimes, we are like the people of Capernaum,  God makes us feel so loved like His favorite children yet we remain cold and proud.  Today the gospel invites us to look into our own hearts.  Do you have a heart of stone of do you need a "new heart"?

Read again the gospel for today.  Recall the times when you felt like the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.  Ask God for the grace of conversion.  As you pray, remember the words of Ezekiel 36:26: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

                      -  Fr. Jose Honorio P. Mateo, SVD (Paraguay, South America)