Sunday, October 14, 2012

Gospel Reflection



October 14, 2012
Year of Faith
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Rev.  Fr. Chris Habal
Mass at EDSA Shrine/Shire of Mary, Queen of Peace/Our Lady of Peace Quasi-Parish


Reading 1 Wis 7:7-11


I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.

 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17


R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Reading 2 Heb 4:12-13

Brothers and sisters:
Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.

 

Gospel Mk 10:17-30


As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." Peter began to say to him, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."

 

or Mk 10:17-27

 

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,"You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."


HOMILY

Perhaps the Gospel we just heard is one of the most beautiful Gospel stories we can find in the whole collection of Gospels. We can see the drama unfolding in this encounter between Jesus and the rich, young man. We can almost feel the emotions that go with the words and actions related to us in the Gospel. We can feel the idealism, the youthful enthusiasm of the rich young man, as he ran towards Jesus. We can see, we can feel the love, the gaze which Christ gave to the rich man, with all his good intentions, his desire for eternity. We can also feel the astonishment of the Disciples - astonishment, which is almost unbelief, on the words of Jesus. We can feel the drama, we can feel the emotions, the sentiments of the words and the actions of the Gospel.

But this Gospel is beautiful, not only because of that. I believe that this Gospel is very beautiful because deep within each one of us, deep within every human being, is the rich, young man of the Gospel. The rich, young man mirrors to us the deepest longing of the human heart. "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life"? Deep down every human being, there is that search, longing for the eternal, for that which will last, for that which will remain unchanged in the midst of the many changing things around us. Deep down every human being is a longing for true love, for true happiness. Deep down every human being is the rich, young man, searching for life's meaning. So we must imitate the rich, young man in this regard. Let us not be afraid to think, to reflect, to contemplate, to feel that longing - our longing for eternity, for values that will last, our longing for God Himself.

In the classic, all-familiar words of St. Augustine, we can see the rich, young man. "We are made for You, O God, and our hearts remain restless, wandering, until they rest in You." Sa puso ng bawat isang tao, naghahangad tayo ng kahulugan - malalim na kahuluguhan ng ating buhay. Let us not drown that longing, that innate thirst for eternity, with superficial things - with too much entertainment, with too much luxury, pleasure, with too many diversions blinding our hearts, our minds, shallowing our spirits. There is something eternal in each one of us, because we are created in the image and likeness of God.

We should also imitate the eagerness of the rich, young man. He felt the ultimate questions of life and he ran to the right person. Faced with his search for meaning, he sought it from Christ. Not in money, although he has a lot of that. Perhaps because he has a lot of that, that he felt that money and wealth were not enough. This is the second point that we should learn from the rich, young man. Faced with the deep questions of life, we must run to Jesus. For He alone can give us and show us the ultimate meaning of our existence, of our lives. He alone can lead us to eternal life. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, who came to give us life to the full. He is the Living Water that can quench the thirst of the human heart; He is the Living Bread, food that leads to eternal life.

Yes, we should not be afraid to ask the deepest questions and longings of our human heart, but we must also seek it from the right person, who is Jesus Christ himself. Anything less than God, anything less than Christ is incapable of giving meaning to our lives. I say that with conviction. Anything, anyone less than God cannot satisfy the human heart.

The rich, young man was almost there. Jesus gazed at him with love and asked him, "sell what you have and follow Me". It was an invitation to discipleship, it was an invitation to friendship with Christ. But the rich, young man went away sad. His face fell because according to the Gospel, he has many possessions, and this hindered him from responding to the loving gaze of Jesus, from the voice of Jesus calling him to follow. If that is the case of the rich, young man, we should ask ourselves - what hinders us from following the Lord? What prevents us from encountering Jesus? What prevents us from experiencing the meaning that comes from God?

The invitation is detachment, my dear brothers and sisters. Readiness, courage and boldness to leave everything behind - anything, anyone, any lifestyle or attitude that hinders us from following the Lord. Detachment may sound alarming or frightening because it entails giving up something, but Jesus assures us eternal life. When we give up something for Jesus, it is only then that we can really say that we have found the meaning of what we have given up.

These are the beautiful lessons that we can learn from this beautiful Gospel. Never be afraid to face the deepest questions of your life. Search for meaning, search for eternity. But we must find it and seek it from the right person - who is Jesus Christ. He is the meaning of our lives. He leads us to eternal life. We should also be ready for detachment, to part ways with anything or anyone that hinders us from following the Lord. We ask for this grace. May the Lord fill our hearts with His joy, with His healing, with His life, Amen.



Gospel Reflection



October 14, 2012
Year of Faith
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Rev. Fr. Ricky Montanez (Assumption Fathers)
Sunday Anticipated Mass, San Pedro Poveda College Chapel)

Reading 1 Wis 7:7-11


I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.

 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17


R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Reading 2 Heb 4:12-13

Brothers and sisters:
Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.

 

Gospel Mk 10:17-30


As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." Peter began to say to him, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."

 

or Mk 10:17-27

 

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,"You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."


HOMILY

I remember running home from school one day, with my grade report. I was so excited to show my semestral grade report to my formator. This was in the States. With all my pride and dignity, I showed my grade report to my formator, waiting for what he will tell me. He looks at my grade report with careful scrutiny, looks at me, and tells me "This couldn't be real. This couldn't be possible." And you could imagine how disappointed I was.

Today's Gospel brings back that memory. I know that my formator was very proud of me and was very happy with what I have accomplished, yet he was challenging me to do even better, and to realize that there was, and still is, room for improvement. He even told me, "you can never be God".

I am like the man in the Gospel that we have just heard - the man who ran to Jesus, eager to know how to inherit the Kingdom of God, and wanting to let Jesus know that I have lived a good life by following the commandments since my youth, only to be told that it was not enough. Of course, Jesus looked at the man with love, and Jesus probably appreciated what he did, for having kept the commandments. But like me, his demeanor changed when Jesus challenged Him to do one more thing, and that is to give up everything in order to follow Jesus. We know that the man walked away sad, because the Gospel said that he had many possessions. We do not know whether he went back and changed his mind and followed Jesus. But he went away sad. That is where we had left off.

In the Gospel, we know that giving up possessions is a metaphor for total surrender of oneself, not only things. Sometimes, it is easier to give up things, but it is harder to give up our very selves. Nothing or no possessions should stand in the way of following the Lord. And we are even invited to give up the greatest possession that we have - our very selves. I know it is not easy.

We had a brother (again in the States) in the community, who sings the loudest during our community prayers. For a while, it became a problem for all of us because first of all, he was not blessed with a good voice, and secondly, he does not really get it quite right. Every time he sings, either it is lower, or higher, and then he brings everybody down because of his loud voice. And so when it became really a problem in the community, somebody had the courage to confront him, to tell him that "This has been affecting the community because your voice is really loud, everybody is disturbed, and we could not pray". And our brother said, "Well you see, my voice is as big as my ego". How can you possibly answer to that? How can you possibly resolve the conflict?

Many times, it is the giving up of ourselves, of our pride, of our opinions, of our ideas, our way of seeing and doing things, that is hardest to do. How can they not think the way I think, or how could they possibly not see the things I see? And this is what Jesus is trying to invite us to - and this is also what the First Reading is trying to point out to us. A truly wise person is someone who realizes that possessions will not bring him to eternal life or will not merit him the Kingdom of God. In the Gospel, Jesus is teaching us that following Him is greater than any possessions, and this is the way of wisdom. Wisdom is more than all the possessions that one could ever acquire. That is what the First Reading is trying to tell us.

Therefore, in following the Lord, we are invited to minimize the things that distract us from genuine discipleship and to increase or maximize those possessions that will help us follow the Lord more closely. And what are those? Perhaps, for example, we can increase our time and energy in doing good for others. Perhaps it is deepening our concern for others, especially this Sunday, when we are invited to think about our indigenous brothers and sisters and the less fortunate in our midst. Perhaps it is strengthening our capacity to love others, especially those who we find hard to love. And even perhaps to love ourselves, or to expand our hearts to forgive those who have hurt us, or perhaps to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes. And to make extra effort to really live out the Gospel in our lives. Perhaps those possessions will help us to become more and more genuine disciples of the Lord. Perhaps not really running, not really racing, not even brisk walking, but moving steadily towards the Kingdom of God which has been promised to us.

And so we pray for this grace in our lives, that we may steadily move toward the Kingdom of God. Our own efforts cannot guarantee it, but we can do it with God's grace. 


Gospel Reflection



October 14, 2012
Year of Faith
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Rev. Fr. Nicandro Lim Jr.
A homily delivered in St. Mary’s Church, Bunbury, Australia

Reading 1 Wis 7:7-11

I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.

  

Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Reading 2 Heb 4:12-13

Brothers and sisters:
Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.

 

Gospel Mk 10:17-30

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." Peter began to say to him, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."

or Mk 10:17-27

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,"You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."


HOMILY

Let me share with you this story I found in one of the commentaries I read a while back. The story goes like this:  A hill shepherd's wife wrote a most interesting letter to a newspaper.  Her children had been brought up in the loneliness of the hills.  They were simple and unsophisticated.  Then her husband got a position in town and the children were introduced to its' life and ways.  They changed very considerably --- and they changed for the worse.  The last paragraph of her letter read ---'Which is preferable for a child's upbringing --- a lack of worldliness, but with better manners and sincere and simple thoughts, or worldliness and its present-day habit of knowing the price of everything and the true value of nothing?'

Some people would say that if a man's main interest is in material things, he will think in terms of price and not in terms of value.  He will quickly think in terms of what money can get.  And he may well forget that there are values in this world far beyond money, that there are things which have no price, and that there are precious things which money cannot buy.  Indeed, it is fatal when a man begins to think that everything worth having has a "price tag."

Interestingly, Jesus in the gospel, is saying indirectly that possession of worldly goods is two things: 1) It is an acid test of a man.  What do I mean by this?  For a hundred men who can stand adversity, only one man can stand against prosperity.  Prosperity can easily make someone arrogant, proud, self-satisfied, materialistic.  That's why it takes a really big and good man to bear it worthily.  2) Prosperity is a responsibility.  Correct me if I'm wrong but at times, we are being judged in two standards --- how we got our possessions and how we use them.  The more we have, the greater the responsibility that rests upon us.  Now, will we use what we have selfishly or generously?  Will we use them as if we had an undisputed possession of them, or remembering that we just hold them in stewardship from God.

Realising what Jesus had taught them, the disciples' reaction was that, if what Jesus said was true, to be saved at all was well impossible for men.  However, Jesus clarified this in saying that "if salvation is depended on man's own efforts it would be impossible for anyone.  But remember, salvation is the gift of God and all things are possible to Him."  Dear friends, the man who trusts in himself and in his possessions can never be saved.  On the other hand, the man who trusts in the saving power and the redeeming love of God can enter freely into salvation since he relies on the very power of God and not his own.  The question we ought to ask ourselves then is, "Can we gradually let go of those things that thwart our love in our faith response?  Or must we go away sad like the rich young man in gospel?...

A hill shepherd's wife wrote a most interesting letter to a newspaper.  Her children had been brought up in the loneliness of the hills.  They were simple and unsophisticated.  Then her husband got a position in town and the children were introduced to its' life and ways.  They changed very considerably --- and they changed for the worse.  The last paragraph of her letter read ---'Which is preferable for a child's upbringing --- a lack of worldliness, but with better manners and sincere and simple thoughts, or worldliness and its present-day habit of knowing the price of everything and the true value of nothing?'