The wise bridal maids
AS we approach the closing of the liturgical year, the unpredictable coming of the Lord at the end of time is something we must be ready for in active watchfulness like the wise bridal maids did (Matthew 25:1-13).
`
Posts by author
AS we approach the closing of the liturgical year, the unpredictable coming of the Lord at the end of time is something we must be ready for in active watchfulness like the wise bridal maids did (Matthew 25:1-13).
IS our religion vain ostentation or sincere practice? The tirade against the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-12) is not only relevant during the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees, or as a challenge to the early Christian community, but also for us today. Are we in fact today “the Pharisees”?
The basic principle Jesus stood for in confrontation with his critics is the ground rule of Judaism and Christianity: the love of God and the love of neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40), an episode retold seven times in our Lectionary. This greatest and most familiar commandment of God needs to be recalled into actual practice if our faith is not to be a caricature.
IN confrontation with his critics, Jesus answers the trap-question: “Is it lawful to pay census tax to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:15-21). For those really searching for the truth, honesty is needed to find the interconnection and balance between the spiritual and social realms.
The deceptive disobedient son, then the greedy killer caretakers, and now the contrary and insolent wedding guest (Matthew 22:1-14), all illustrate to us the fundamental rule that we shall be judged by our Lord on the basis of our deeds and actions. Our life and practice must harmonize with our faith.
What Jesus in His time intended for the ears of the chief priests and Pharisees, and which the evangelist in turn directed to the attention of His Christian community and their leaders, now apply to us in our own times and circumstances—the parable of the greedy and murderous caretakers (Matthew 21:33-43).
IT is easy to mistake good intentions with the necessary actions required by true, living faith. The parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32) strongly reminds us that we shall be judged on our actions and not just on our sweet intentions.
Life in our communities of faith eventually reveals the big difference between what we think is proper and what God thinks and does. The gospel parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) shows that our way of thinking is not God’s way, which we should appreciate more and more, and imitate.
Last Sunday we reflected on the community of believers’ uncompromising stand against sin even as we were reminded of our responsibility to be there for one another in our struggle to overcome evil. On the note that a caring community must be a praying community, we realize next that our readiness to forgive one another is necessary to maintain our communion with God and with one another (Matthew 18:21-35).
AS a communion of believers in Christ, we have our community rules of life. Fraternal correction and communal prayer are two basic concretizations of our responsibility for one another particularly in the context of the reality of sin among us (Matthew 18:15-20).
WE saw Peter expressing faith in Jesus as the Messiah. And he was tasked to take care of and serve the Church against the forces of evil and death. Thereafter Matthew narrates how Peter found difficulty with the fact that Jesus was to undergo His passion (Matthew 16:21-27).
These next two Sundays we shall meditate on Peter’s ministry as Jesus’ chosen servant for a special task in the service of the Church. Two Sundays back in the story of the Lord walking on the stormy sea, we saw Peter typifying the disciples’ faith, daring but doubting and needing the outstretched hand of Jesus. Now, in speaking out the faith of the disciples in Jesus, Peter receives from Him an unexpected responsibility in the community of faith (Matthew 16:13-20).
After the little faith demonstrated by Peter in a stormy sea, Jesus was amazed to encounter a gentile woman, a stranger, with an irresistible faith in Him (Matthew 13:21-28).
WE need to have real faith in Jesus as we try to live up to our tasks in this world. For we are asked to cross to the other side of the sea and on a boat buffeted by waves and with opposing winds, and to do what Jesus does (Matthew 14:22-33).
Following the Sundays focused on the kingdom of heaven as illustrated in the parables, we now turn our attention to the community of disciples, the Church, being formed by Jesus. Faith in Jesus is our present theme, the teacher who feeds the multitude with the multiplication of bread (Matthew 14:13-21).
The twofold parable of the treasure found in a field and of the invaluable pearl discovered by a merchant plus the parable of the net filled with good and bad fish, round up three Sundays of comparison for the kingdom of God, teaching us as much about God’s reign as about ourselves (Matthew 13:43-52).
Staying within the agricultural experience of His audience, Jesus tackles the issue of the presence of evil persons in God’s creation with His parable of the weeds among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-43).
All who labor and are burdened are invited to come and learn from Jesus, we heard it said last week. How? We need to hear and understand and welcome His word like good soil receiving seeds sown in order to bear in us the fruits of life (Matthew 13:1-23).
WE have been told by Jesus not to be afraid however daunting our task seems to be, and also to be totally committed to Him so that we love no one more than Him. This is because in Him we the little ones have the Lord who is gentle and humble of heart (Matthew 11:25-30).
The discourse of Jesus on the cost of discipleship, or on the mission His disciples share from and with Him, details fundamentally the detachment they must have from everything else and the total commitment to Him demanded of them (Matthew 10:37-42). The love of Jesus Christ must come before all else and must be the basis of all else.
The mission of mercy on which Jesus sent His apostles, then as now, tests and develops the faith of His followers (Matthew 10:26-33). We need to meditate on the cost of discipleship and the risk inherent in living the Gospel in the midst of the world.
Our spiritual growth and development, the focus of the Ordinary Time in our Liturgical Year, gets an initial boost in the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Christ’s Body and Blood as our extraordinary sustenance. The gospel text (John 6:51-58) gives us a portion of the “Bread of Life Discourse” in the Fourth Gospel about the primacy and significance of Jesus Christ in the life of the world.
Our liturgical calendar’s period of the Ordinary Time following the Easter Season is launched within the context of the mystery of the Triune God. Our salvation rests on the love of the Father expressed in and through the Son. The gospel narration (John 3:16-18) invites us to listen in at the personal reflections of the evangelist after the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.
AS the finale to our celebration of Easter, Pentecost 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus focuses on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. The gospel account (John 20:19-23) powerfully summarizes the meaning of the coming of the Spirit upon us all, leading to the birth of the Church.
To enable the faithful to participate in the celebration of Jesus’ Ascension to heaven, the solemnity is held in the Philippines on Sunday (the Seventh Sunday of Easter) instead of exactly on the 40th day after Easter. The departure of Jesus from the company of His followers does not mean separation or abandonment; He remains with His own even to the end of the world with all power in heaven and on Earth (Matthew 28:16-20).
Going deeper into the meaning of our life of faith in the risen Jesus, we are next led to reflect that our communion with the Lord is based on a Trinitarian interrelationship that we must share in and live by and bear witness to in our fidelity to His commandments (John 14:15-21).
IN the light of Easter, sayings of Jesus heard earlier become clear in their full meaning. In our gospel text (John 14:1-12), things Jesus is narrated to have said just before His passion in the beginning of the so-called Last Discourse now reveal their real import to His followers when meditated upon in the context of the Paschal victory.
Traditionally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” the Fourth Sunday of Easter portrays Jesus in His mission as both the Shepherd of the flock and the gate of the sheepfold (John 10:1-10), ensuring the welfare of the sheep. He has come that they may have life and have it in its fullness, a life of communion with God.
Luke’s account about the appearance of the risen Jesus to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (24:13-35) is his powerful statement on the meaning and implications of the resurrection of our Lord. The issues covered are the apostles’ experience of seeing Jesus risen as the basis for the faith of others, the needs and responsibilities of believers, and the necessary encounter with the glorious Lord now being available to all.
Every year the Sunday following Easter has the same gospel account of the appearance of the risen Jesus to His disciples (John 20:19-31). Paradigmatic for us is the way the followers of Jesus, to carry out their mission to the world, have to move on from seeing to believing, even as the divine mercy (which gives the title to this Sunday since 2000) envelops humanity.
Input your search keywords and press Enter.