Gospel for August 14, 2015 (Friday) Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe

Mt 19:3-12

Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"  He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate."  They said to him, "Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?"  He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."

(His) disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  He answered,  "Not all can accept (this) word, but only those to whom that is granted.  Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some because they were made so by others; some because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

The Word in other words

This is how my professor at the seminary explained the sacramental bond of marriage to us.  He said:  A man, his mother, and his girlfriend are in a boat on a lake.  They have an accident.  The boat sinks and they are all in the water.  Only the knows how to swim.  He can only save one person at a time.  Whom does he save first?  In this instance, the bond between mother and child is stronger than the bond between boyfriend and girlfriend.  So he is morally obligated to save his mother first.

Imagine now a man, his mother, and his wife.  The same thing happens.  However, this time the man is morally obligated to save his wife first because the bond between the husband and wife is stronger than the bond between the mother and child.

This is why the Church admonished people not to take the sacrament of marriage lightly.  Choose your partner wisely and prayerfully.  My sociology professor in college used to tell us this quotation:  When going to war, pray twice.  When getting married, pray a million times.  Married life is not an easy path to take.  It involves a lot of patience, understanding, and sacrifice.  But the underlying force in all of these must be love.  Without love, no marriage stands a chance of succeeding.  A marriage blessed by God through the sacrament of marriage is a union that not only relies on the determination of the couple to make it succeed but also has the special grace from above which definitely makes it stronger.

Let us pray for all married couples that they may continue to love each other that they may always seek the counsel of God and ask for His blessing as they strive to be faithful to the vows they shared on their wedding day.

          -  Fr. Jose Luis "Chito" Lorenzo, SVD (Japan)

Gospel for August 13, 2014 (Thursday) Feast of Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus

Mt 18:21-19:1

Peter approaching asked Jesus, " Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?  As many as seven times?"  Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.  That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king, who decided to settle accounts with his servants.  When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.  Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.  At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'  Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.  When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him much smaller amount.  He seized him and started to choke him, demanding.  'Pay back what you owe.'  Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'  But he refused.  Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.  Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.  His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.  Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?'  Then in anger hi master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.  So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

The Word in other words

The story is told about a senior citizen who asked his drinking buddies one on his right, and one on his left: "Did you spill beer on my pants?"  When both of them said no, he said: "Then it must have been an inside job!"

Forgiveness, so to say, has to be an "inside job".  Without the grace of God, it is difficult, almost impossible to really forgive and forget.  All we need is to make a small opening for the Holy Spirit to come in and bring us out of our misery and sadness.  Humility is that small opening.  Aware and grateful that we to have been forgiven so many times by our Heavenly Father, may we swallow our pride and forgive those who have wronged us.

The evil one will always make us focus on our hurt, and if we do just that, we will never come to true forgiveness.  The Lord tells us today to focus instead on the heart, His heart that is full of mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.

Are you still hurting, still going around in circles, and still not moving on?  Forgive, let go, let God, and the hurt is gone, the road ahead opens up, and you are moving on!

                 - Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD (DWMC, Batangas City)

Gospel for August 12, 2015 (Wednesday) Feast of St. Frances Chantau

Mt 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.  If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'  If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.  If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or tax collector.  Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed on heaven.  Again, (amen), I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.  For where there are two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

The Word in other words

The reality of conflict is an inevitable circumstance of human existence caught  between the intricacies of human diversity.  Nevertheless, Jesus provides a practical solution to glitches that may arise from this seemingly unavoidable fact of life.  In other words, He does not detach this challenge from a true disciple's journey towards holiness and Christian maturity.

Once Thomas Edison was approached by one of his assistants complaining, "We have learned nothing from our experiments; until now we have not been able to single out an element that would suit our bulb!"  Edison confidently replied, " Oh, not so, for we have learned that thousands of these elements do not fit to make a suitable light bulb."  And so they continued experimenting until they succeeded in finding the right element for their groundbreaking discovery.

In a similar manner Jesus reminds us never to give up on each other, and that there are thousands of good and right ways to settle our differences.  Our community also plays a part in bridging over these difference, regardless of the fact that no single person is totally the same as the other.  We should therefore not be a hindrance to one another's striving after the true kinship in the Kingdom of God.  After all, we are all children, thus brothers and sisters, bound by the greatest love of all, the one offered on the cross.

                       - Fr. Sedfrey Nebres, SVD (Holland)

Gospel for August 11, 2015 (Tuesday) Feast of Sta. Chiara di Assisi

Mt 18:1-5.10.12-14

At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.  What is your opinion?  If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?  And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not astray.  In just the same way,  it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost."

The Word in other words

Who is the greatest in this world?  In the world of politics, undoubtedly President Barack Obama is one of them.  Ecclesiastically, Pope Francis is in the list.  In the world of boxing, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are certainly included.  On the other hand, today's Gospel, the disciples of Jesus asked him, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  The Lord presented the child to them as the image of greatest person in the kingdom of heaven.  He wants us to be childlike but not to be childish.  To be childish means to think of ourselves, and ourselves alone.  To be childlike means to be a real CHILD, that is:

...Called.  Children know that they are called by their name; and their parents have all the reasons why they are given and called by that name.  Thus, to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven is to always heed the call of God to be His faithful disciple.  God said," I have called you by your name, you are mine." (Is 43:1)

...Humble.  They know that they are limited and cannot do everything they wish/want.  Thus, to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to always have virtue of humility.  For the Lord Jesus said, "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." (Mt 23:12)

...Inquisitive.  They know that they are weak in intelligence.  Thus, to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to be eternal student of the greatest teacher who is Jesus.  For He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest." (Mt 11:29)

...Loving.  They know that they are a gift of love from God to their parents.  Thus, to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to always follow the commandment of the Lord, which is to love God and our neighbor as ourselves.  For "God is love." (1 Jn 4:8)

...Dependent.  They know that they are physically weak, and that they need the help of other people.  Thus, to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to always accept the reality that we need the Lord who is always here with us.  For He is indeed the Emmanuel, which means, "God is with us." (Mt 1:23)

                        -  Fr. Ferdinand Alfante, SVD (CT Manila)

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)

Readings and Gospel for August 9, 2015 (Sunday)

First Reading
1 Kgs 19:4-8

And went a day's journey into the wilderness, until he came to a solitary broom tree and sat beneath it.  He prayed for death: "Enough, LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."  He lay down and fell asleep under the solitary broom tree, but suddenly a messenger touched him and said, "Get up and eat!"  He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water.  After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the Lord came back a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!"  He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

Second Reading
Eph 4:30-5:2

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.  All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.  [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

Gospel Reading

The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother?  Then how can he say, ' I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves.

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.  It is written in the prophets:  'They shall be taught by God.'  Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God;  he has seen the Father.  Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.   Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Word in other words

"Di ko na kaya" or "Ayoko na."  These words express the emotional and spiritual condition of many people today, revealing their exhaustion and burnt out by stress, disappointment and opposition, within the family, at work and even in the parish.  We are tempted "to throw the towel", "Suko na ako!" Can we get out of this?  Can we recover the meaning of life, our peace of mind ,our determination to act?

Elijah (in our first reading) is a typical case of "burn-out".  As a prophet he presented God and the demands of social justice to the people.  But he was rejected and even persecuted.  Tired of preaching and tired of life, he no longer saw any meaning in serving God.  "This is enough," he said, "Lord, take my life."  His faith and fidelity were in deep crisis.  Was Elijah able to recover? How?

Twice an angel woke him up from his sleep of despair and invited him to eat and drink.  The food came from God!  God gave Elijah new courage.  When the angel told him, "There is a long road ahead of you," the intent was to infuse meaning into his life, as if to say "May bukas pa sa iyong buhay," Elijah thus regained his faith and trust in the Lord.

The Gospel tells us that the food from God, which gives us new life, is Jesus himself.  "The person who believes in me has everlasting life.  Whoever eats of this bread, shall live."  As I adhere to Jesus in humble faith, I once again acquire the will to live.  I get a boost in life and gain the patience necessary for faithfully doing my task.

In the midst of doubt, stress and tiredness, it seems hard to regain faith and fidelity.  But today's Gospel assures us that God the Father himself is instructing us and drawing us closer to Jesus.  In our anguish we might say,  "Lord I believe, help my unbelief!"  Thus, we overcome life's stresses.  We recover our personal adherence to Christ.  We regain the courage and patience we need in order generously to serve others.  Jesus is the living bread for my life, but also "for the life of the world!"

Mother Teresa, who provides us with a program for recovery, says: "The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace."  From silence to faith to service.  No basketball game is won without "time-out".  No burn-out is healed without moments of silence leading to prayer and faith.  And if we pick up the love that leads to service, we arrive at peace: Peace of heart and mind, and the determination to act for peace in the family, church, and nation.

Gospel for August 8, 2015 (Satuday) Feast of St. Dominic

Mt 17:14-20

When [Jesus and his disciples] came to the crowd a man approached, knelt before him and said, "Lord, have pity on my son who is an epileptic and is in  a wretched state.  He has often fallen into the fire and at other times into the water. I bought him to your disciples but they could not heal him."

Jesus replied, "You, faithless and evil people!  How long must I be with you?  How long must I put up with you?  Bring him here to me."  And Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave the boy, and the boy was immediately healed.

The disciples then gathered around Jesus and asked him privately.  "Why couldn't we drive the spirit?"  Jesus said to them, "Because you have little faith.  I say to your:  if only you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to here, and the mountain would obey.  Nothing would be impossible to you."

The Word in other words

Thelma is her name, a woman in her forties, married, with two children: a girl and a boy.  The boy is a school dropout and a drug user.  The girl, the older one, is a third-year student at a local college in Talamban, Cebu City, getting good grades in her studies.  However, attending college has always been am uphill climb for the girl, financially.  Thelma is employed as a helper in a home for the aged run by the Camillian nuns in Talamban.  And her husband?  Unemployed.  Once, when Thelma turned to him to find a way to support the family, his curt reply was, "Tell Joy to quit school."

But for Thelma, Joy, their daughter was the only hope for them ever to come out of their misery.  And so, against all odds, she decided to let Joy continue her schooling She approached individuals and agencies for help.  She was about to go to a lending agency when a nurse frequenting a home for the aged suggested that she get counsel from a certain priest in the neighborhood whose counsel the nurse also sought at one time.  And so, eventually Thelma found herself face to face with the counselor priest.

Thelma (having told her problem in all its details): Father, I don't know what to do anymore. At night, I stay up awake, trying to figure out what I should do.  I reached the point when I told myself, "Bahala na, I will go to the lending institution.'  You see, Father, my daughter cannot take the semi-final examination this week if she cannot come up with the needed amount for her tuition fee.  These past days, I was not feeling well and so could not report for work, and so a deduction was made on my salary at the latest payday.  After providing for our barest needs as a family, what is left of my salary is not even enough to pay for my daughter's tuition fee.

Counselor:  I see that your burden is truly heavy; tat you feel depressed is understandable.  But you don't have to be carrying your load all by your lonely self.  This is what I miss in the way you respond to your problem:  You don't go to God for help!  Yes, we have a God who is bigger than any of our problems.  He is our Father in heaven who loves us so much that He would not want us to get crushed under our loads.  All we need to do is call on Him.  Nothing is impossible to Him.  Believe in Him, trust in Him.  Go also to Mary our Mother.  At the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee, when the wine had run out, she turned to her Son and said, "They have no win." And Jesus worked his very first recorded miracle:  changing water into wine.  It would be so easy for Mama Mary to tell Jesus, "Thelma has no money for her daughter's tuition fee."

Thelma was all ears to the counselor, weeping.  Then wiping away her tears, she admitted that she had not called on God or the Blessed Mother, "But, hopefully, from now on it's going to be different," she said.

What a world of difference faith makes when it comes alive in the person who has it!  Just compare Thelma's way of going about her problems with the father's way of handling his in our gospel today.  Thelma worried about her problems in the extreme, spending sleepless nights over them.  On the other hand,  the father in our gospel  had recourse to the disciples of Jesus believing that they could heal his son who was a lunatic.  And when they could not, he did not give up but approached Jesus, the best healer of all, and, kneeling down before him, pleaded with him to heal his boy.  Seeing his faith, Jesus healed the boy right there and then.  In that sense, the father's faith was such that he was able to move his "mountain"- by the power of Jesus, the Son of God.

                  -  Fr. Dong Alpuerto, SVD (USC, Talamban Cebu City)