STUMBLING BLOCKS

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26^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Nm 11: 25-29/ Ps 19/ Jas 5:1-6/ Mk 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48

There will always be stumbling blocks as we journey through life. For example, ABS – CBN’s Showtime has to accept the truth that AlDub’s Kalye Serye has been its stumbling block for some time now in getting the top stop of noon time shows. Well, on the other hand, GMA’s evening teleserye has also to accept the truth that JaDine’s On the Wings of Love is overwhelmingly hitting the top spot of the primetime shows, a stumbling block! Indeed, life is not just a simple walk around the park. It has to face and conquer some hurdles, some stumbling blocks.

Our Gospel reading today happened during the journey of Jesus and his disciples to Jerusalem. Since the other Sunday, Jesus has been preparing his chosen friends on the events that will soon happen through his passion predictions. At the same time, he is also teaching them on genuine discipleship. If last week, the disciples were arguing on who was the greatest among themselves, this time, they were discussing on who can use the name of Jesus. They reported to Jesus of an exorcist driving out demons using his name. However, Jesus wanted them to focus on their own selves. When he told his disciples to cut off their hands and feet and pluck out their eyes, Jesus was simply highlighting his point – one must “cut off” those things and events which can become stumbling blocks in discipleship. 

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.”

We need to cut off our hands which have become greedy for wealth and power because a genuine disciple only holds on to God’s providential hands. We need to cut off those dark events in the past which we have walked through and have made us unforgiving today because a genuine disciple relies on God’s mercy and compassion. We need to pluck out our eyes which have become used to seeing things from the point of view of the world today because a genuine disciple sees the world of today with the eyes of God.

“Cutting off” those things and events which are stumbling blocks in our being Disciples of Christ means to sacrifice. This is therefore an important feature of discipleship – the readiness to sacrifice. Sacrifice comes from two Latin words, “sacra”- holy and “facere” – act, make. To make a sacrifice means to make a holy act. To cut ourselves from stumbling blocks is a holy act because it makes us see more the Holy of holies. Without sacrifice, then, it is not discipleship but mere spectatorship. Without sacrifice, then, it is not discipleship but mere idolatry.

My dear friends, this is our challenge as we celebrate the 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – that we make daily small acts of sacrifice by cutting off, by detaching ourselves from those which block and make us stumble in our Christian discipleship.

For Showtime, AlDub’s Kalyeserye is a stumbling block.

For GMA’s Teleserye, On the Wings of Love is a stumbling block.

How about you? In following Christ, what are your stumbling blocks?

Amen!

Photo taken from internetcafedevotions.com

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SUFFERING

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 2:12, 17-20/ Ps 54/ Jas 3:16-4:3/ Mk 9:30-37

We have always been indifferent to human suffering. We would rather talk about the recently concluded US Tennis Open, o ‘di kaya ang mas kumikilig na kalyeserye ng AlDub, o ‘di kaya ang pagpili ni Ms. Pastillas kay Toffer kaysa nina Jess at Evan than the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and the problem of refugees from Syria. We have always been indifferent to human suffering because in the very first place, we do not want to suffer.

This is also the case of the disciples in our Gospel today. For the second time around, Jesus told his Twelve about his impending passion and death. If last Sunday, Peter immediately reacted to the passion prediction, this time, no one dared to say something because “they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.” Scholars would also comment that when Jesus talked about his passion, the disciples did not take notice of it because they themselves were afraid of their own deaths. That is why they would rather talk about who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God – a topic which is comfortable and pleasing to the disciples.

In life, we, too, are like the disciples. We do not talk about suffering and death because we are either afraid or simply ignorant about its existence. St. John Paul II, in Salvifici Doloris, has reminded us that “suffering is part of human existence from birth until death, and every human person suffers in a variety of ways (SD 6).” Thus, it is an inescapable feature of human existence.

Despite its being inescapable, John Paul II has offered us an answer to the “why” of suffering. “Love is also the fullest source of the answer to the question of the meaning of suffering. This answer has been given by God to man in the cross of Jesus Christ.” In the face of suffering, we are therefore asked to gaze ourselves on the cross of Christ. Why? Because as we look at the cross of Christ, we do not only see human suffering but also salvation bought by so great a price. When we look at the cross we see a transformation from condemnation to salvation, from death to life, from sin to grace.

This is therefore our challenge today: that our own share of human suffering be united to the suffering of Christ so that it will lead us to becoming a completely new person – a better and stronger Christian. And our saints are the witnesses to such a challenge.

St. John Paul II. We can never forget his endearing and inspiring smile as he meets people anywhere in the world. Yet he was in third grade, when his mother died; three years after, his only brother died; he also discovered his father lying dead on the floor of their apartment. At 20, he was already an orphan. When the Nazis took over his country, he was working in the quarry. Some of his friends were killed for the crime of studying for the priesthood. At 60, he was shot by an assassin and suffered many assassination attempts. When he was old, he was afflicted with Parkinson’s disease that killed him softly. It made him immobile, distorted his physical appearance, and finally took his ability to speak. St. John Paul II was never indifferent to human suffering. Yet such suffering did not make him passive and rebellious to God. Rather, such pain and suffering transformed his life by becoming a joyful witness to the cross of Christ.

We have always been indifferent to human suffering. But God has never been indifferent to it. His Son became one like us except sin and experienced our humanity even to the point of suffering and dying on the cross. How about you? Are you indifferent to human suffering? Or has suffering made a difference in your life? Amen!

Photo taken from http://www.limeadestudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/limeade_2012_paintSyria.jpg

“U – TURN SLOT”

Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 50: 5-9/ Ps 116/ Jas 2: 14-18/ Mk 8: 27-35

One of the ways to solve the terrible traffic situation in the metropolis is to designate "U-Turn" slots along the highway. When one passes through this slot, one moves towards a new direction.

Our Gospel narrative today taken from Luke is a “U-Turn” in the ministry of Jesus. If we trace Jesus’ ministry in Israel according to the Gospel of Mark, we realize that prior to this Caesarea Philippi event, Jesus was doing his Galilean ministry which was marked by a lot of signs and wonders. People were amazed by what they have seen except in the Nazareth where he was rejected. Our Gospel today takes place farther north from Galilee at the foot of Mount Hermon. From here, Jesus makes a “U-Turn” a journey towards Jerusalem where he will suffer and die.

When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?...But who do you say that I am?,” he was not simply asking from then an information about himself. Rather, Jesus was checking on how deep is his relationship with them. Now, that he will be making a “U-Turn” not just geographically but also in his ministry and mission where things will be more difficult, it is but fitting for Jesus to also prepare his disciples for such turn.

In life, we also have our own “U-Turn” slots. These are the events which are decisive and life-changing. Thus, in our Gospel today, we are invited that in moments of making a life “U-Turn,” we should never forget to consider our relationship with Jesus. If we are about to choose our career, establish our future, or build our family, let us never forget to consider Jesus. Is such “U-Turn” bringing us to a deeper and closer relationship with Him?

Since our relationship with Jesus is fundamental in our lives, our second reading today from the Letter of James has given us two important elements which we must consider in our journey with Jesus. “Faith without works is dead.” Bishop Barron commenting on the reading finds no contradiction between faith and work. For him, “faith is the door and work i.e. love is living inside the house.” Faith is our door towards our relationship with Jesus. While love is the law in such relationship. Thus, let us try to revisit our faith. Has our faith informed, formed, and transformed us? Let us try to revisit our love. Has our loving become our way of living?

When one makes a “U-Turn,” one moves towards a new direction. In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus makes a “U-Turn” not only geographically but also in his ministry. Thus, he moves towards a new direction, towards Jerusalem where he will suffer and die. Yet such movement did not stop at Calvary. His “U-Turn” at Caesarea Philippi led him back to heaven after his resurrection. In our lives, may all our “U-Turns” lead us back to where we truly belong – heaven. Amen!

Photo taken from http://www.thisischurch.com/images/caesarea.gif

A DOUBLE GRACE

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF MARY

What is the most widely sung song in the English-speaking world? The Guinness Book of World Record lists it as the “Happy Birthday Song.” And the reason for this is simply because we want to celebrate, to mark birthdays . . . well, except perhaps for those who are afraid of getting old. There are many reasons why we celebrate birthdays. For some, they simply want to receive a lot of gifts. Others, especially those who are nearing their 60^th year, mark their birthdays in order to finally avail of the 20% senior citizen discount. While others simply want to thank the Lord for giving them another healthy and blessed year.

But why do we celebrate our birthdays? It is a pagan belief that on a person’s birthday, evil spirits would visit. And so people gather around the person to ward off the evil spirits. Perhaps this is the origin of birthday parties.

Today, we are all in party mode to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And we ask ourselves the same question: Why do we celebrate her birthday? Why do we remember her birthday even if it is not mentioned in the canonical Gospels? We take our answer from St. Andrew who in one of his discourses wrote, “Justly, then, do we celebrate this mystery since it signifies for us a double grace. We are LED TOWARD THE TRUTH, and we are LED AWAY FROM OUR CONDITION OF SLAVERY.”

We celebrate her nativity because we receive a DOUBLE GRACE. First, we are led towards the truth. And what is this truth? Our Gospel, quoting Isaiah, said, “Behold the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Today, we are led to the truth that God is with us! And this God does not simply join us in moments of joy and jubilation. Pope Francis, in his homily in Tacloban, said that “we have a Lord who cries with us and walks with us in the most difficult moments of life.” My dear friends, if at this very moment you are down, depressed, and alone, rejoice! For with the birth of Mary, God’s becoming man, God’s “dwelling with us,” was made possible. You and I are never alone.

The second grace: We are led away from our condition of slavery. The angel informed Joseph that Jesus will save his people from their sins. And we have to remember that this moving away from the condition of slavery took place at the Cross. Again Pope Francis reminds us that the “victory of God’s love for man is revealed precisely in the apparent failure of the Cross.” My dear friends, we too are carrying our own heavy crosses. But we are challenged to unite these crosses to the cross of Christ so that we too can experience in our lives the victory of God’s love that sets us free from all forms of slavery. But God accomplishes more than just setting us free; God re-creates us, and Mary, the glorious Immaculate ever-Virgin Mother of God, is the exemplar of that new creation that we are called to be.

Indeed, we celebrate Mama Mary’s birthday today not because of her own self but because of her role in the story of salvation. Her birth is the dawn of our salvation, that double grace, wherein we were led to the truth and we were led away from our condition of slavery. Mama Mary’s birthday is not just a warding off of evil spirits. Rather, her birthday marks the beginning of God’s new creation: the victory of Truth over deceit and the triumph of love over indifference. May Mama Mary, who is also Mediatrix of all Grace, obtain for us this double grace. Amen.

A DETAILED PROCEDURE

Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 35: 4 – 7/ Ps. 146/ Jas. 2: 1 – 5/ Mk. 7: 31 – 37

One of my unforgettable experiences during my hospital exposure was to witness a surgical procedure inside an operating room. Though my task was to pray during the entire procedure, I was also privileged to see how detailed and careful the doctors were. They were very particular with the instruments to be used and the steps to be followed. After more than two hours, the surgery was successful and the patient went out of the room in pain because of the wounds yet with joy in his heart for he was alive.

Our Gospel reading this Sunday is one of the detailed miracles stories in the Gospel of Mark (8:22-26 – the Cure of the Blind Man of Bethsaida; 9:14-29 – The Healing of the Boy with a Demoniac). Mark presented to us in a particular manner how this deaf mute was brought to and healed by Jesus.

“And people brought him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took off by himself away from the crowd.”

People went to Jesus and asked him to heal the deaf mute through the laying on of his hands. But this was not the case of Jesus. He does not simply heal a man and send him away. He took him away from the crowd because he did not want too much publicity on his miracles. But more importantly, Jesus wanted to meet him personally “cara a cara.”

In life, we too have our own share of infirmities. People around us would also provide a lot of solutions. Some are good while others are not. However, our Gospel is reminding us to go to Jesus. Yes, let us allow people to help us with our problems. But let us also allow Jesus to take us away from them in order to meet him in a more personal way. And this can happen in prayer. In our problems and shortcomings, we undergo a lot of processes and procedures but let us never disregard the power of prayer. It is in our prayer that we meet not just any human being but Jesus, the Great Physician.

“He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue.”

Jesus did not use words. Instead, Mark provided us with the detailed actions of Jesus. Well, Jesus’ actions are logical simply because the deaf mute cannot hear nor speak. When Jesus touched his ears and tongue, he was touching the deaf mute’s weakest points, the source of the curse of his life.

This is also true in our lives today. Jesus does not only meet us personally, he also touches our weakest and darkest selves. He meets us in our wounded selves in order to truly give us the healing which we badly need. Our challenge therefore is to allow Jesus to touch our weakest points. Let us neither be ashamed nor be afraid to present to Him our fallen humanity. Why? Because Pope Francis has reminded us that Jesus is the Misericordiae Vultus, the Face of Mercy! If we are not afraid to go to our loved ones every time we are sick, how much more to God who has created us and made us his own. God meets us where we are in order to bring us to where we should be.

He looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, Ephphatha! (that is, “Be opened”)

The deaf mute was not only physically cured. His healing gave him a new opening. He can finally live like an ordinary person without having ridiculed for his cursed infirmity. Jesus opened to him new life.

This is also the result if we meet God in prayer and allow him to touch our darkest and weakest selves – we gain new life with Him. We earn a deeper kind of joy that flows out from within.

My dear friends, whatever infirmity you are experiencing right now – physical, psychological, emotional, and even spiritual – the story of the deaf mute and Jesus challenges us to meet God in prayer and allow him to touch life’s weakest points. And by doing so, a new life has been opened to us.

And so, we pray these words from a Christian song: “Change my heart oh God, make it ever true, change my heart oh God, may I be like You. You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, this is what I pray.” Amen.

Photo taken from joyreceived.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/p_aurora_detail_full.jpg