Cycle B, Year II

2 September 2012: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

Personal intimacy with the Lord!

After Jesus' discourses on himself as Bread of Life in chapter six of John, the liturgy goes back to the gospel according to Mark.

We hear a dispute between Jesus, the Pharisees (who were rigid defenders of the Jewish religion and traditions)   and scribes (the teachers of Jewish law). They question why some of Jesus' disciples do not observe religious traditions and customs of washing their hands before meals, and other Jewish traditions on purification handed down by their elders. For the Jewish people, their religious traditions form part of God's law.

But Jesus takes issues with the legalism and hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes, who prefer to focus on the external or details of the law rather than the spirit or essentials of the law. So Jesus tells them that what counts most is inner personal holiness, or authentic relationship with God,  and not the scrupulous external observance of the law.

In other words, religious traditions and practices are fine but they are not substitute for our lack of personal intimacy  with the Lord. So the Church invites us to joyfully observe religious traditions not with rigid legalism or fear of committing sin but out of genuine love of God. Because observance of God's law is rooted in the love of God and must be an expression of that love.

The best criterion of any law is in fact the Greatest Commandment: love of God and love of neighbor by relating personal holiness to the care of the needy. Because genuine holiness is one that leads us to the service of others, particularly the less fortunate. Such act of concern and love for others is always a manifestation of an overflow of our inner relationship with God.

A blessed  Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Sunday Gospel Sharing

Cycle B, Year II

26 August 2012: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

John 6:60-69

It's time to make a choice!

The evangelist John is known for his expanded discourses in his Gospel that use various symbolisms or images to reveal who Jesus is.

If we remember for several Sundays our Gospel readings were from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, from the working of the sign of the feeding of the five thousand. Then Jesus began his life-giving teachings as he spoke of himself as the "Bread of Life". In later verses, Jesus began to speak of people eating his flesh and drinking his blood, in a clear allusion to the Eucharist.

The followers of Jesus were said to be struggling with his teaching, and particularly his teaching about the Eucharist was difficult to some of his followers to accept.

The Gospel for this Sunday is the end of his discourse on himself as the "Bread of Life", or the closing of John's chapter six. Now Jesus confronts his followers to make a choice. Either they believe him and ask for this "Bread of Life" or reject his claim as preposterous. Sadly, many of his followers found his teaching on himself difficult to accept. They returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.

Here we immediately see a contrast or difference between the followers of Jesus and the chosen Twelve. It is the Twelve who are then challenged by Jesus: "Do you also want to leave?" The response of Peter comes in a firm commitment to Jesus:

                   "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 
                    We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the 
                     Holy One of God." (Jn 6:68-69)

Perhaps we can understand the perplexity of the ordinary followers of Jesus, but for the Twelve, who have been with Jesus throughout the ministry greater insight and greater fidelity is expected. But again the Twelve were themselves ordinary people and no learned minds. We can assume that they themselves did not really understand what Jesus was saying. But they chose to believe with their hearts because of their personal experience of him, rather than what their intellect could comprehend. And so the speech of Peter is his profession of faith on behalf of the others of the chosen Twelve.

Today Jesus also gives us the same freedom to make a choice. In our era when there is much noise, where media speaks to us all all day long, we as Christians must be able to distinguish the voice of God among the many voices that are speaking. Do we listen to Jesus with our heart as he speaks to us the Good News, or we accept only what is comprehensible with our mind? Do we believe in Jesus through the teaching of his Church, or we prefer the easy way of following only what is convenient and pleasurable to us? In other words, do we change the teaching of God with the teaching of men?

The Church invites us to constantly assess the depth of our belief-commitment. We judge our belief not on what we say or think but on what we do. We need a deeper experience of Jesus to trust in his teaching. Because we believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life.

So today we are challenged to follow Peter in his profession of faith in Jesus as the Bread of Life who alone can give us eternal life. It's time to make our choice!

A blessed  Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Deo Optimo Maximo

Moment With God: August 19, 2012

Cycle B, Year II

19 August 2012: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

John 6:51-58

Jesus our Living Bread!

In the aftermath of the recent massive flooding in Metro Manila and neighboring places the demand for food was high in order to feed the many hungry people devastated by floods. In the bible "Bread" is the symbolic representation of food.

So today's gospel from John seems timely because Jesus speaks of himself as "Living Bread". This sounds familiar by now because for several Sundays the gospel readings from the evangelist John have passages repeating some themes. But actually each Sunday's gospel reading has its own emphasis.

For this Sunday the focus is on Jesus "Living Bread" as real flesh and blood for us to eat.

"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." (Jn. 6:51)

Jesus meant the above words literally and not just a figure of speech. We remember that at the Last Supper the night before he died, this was what he told his disciples, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

Christians, particularly Catholics, have been celebrating the breaking of bread ever since. In Mass we come together to share a meal and be fed with the bread and wine that is Jesus himself.

Bread is so basic to our life. That is why God in his wisdom wants to nourish us with divine life in the form of bread, the Eucharist. Every time we partake of the Eucharist at Mass, Jesus literally feeds us with his body and blood. When we receive Jesus we enter into communion with him and with one another. Unlike other food, which become part of us, Jesus in the sacred bread and wine of the Eucharist makes us more like him. Thus, we, too, become the bread for the world by being Christ-like to others. Because the gospel becomes only good news when we become persons of God and for others.

The Eucharist is a gift of Jesus' love through which we remember his death and share in his resurrection. In our Catholic faith we believe that when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist as our Living Bread he sustains and prepares us for that day when we will come to the heavenly banquet. It is our pledge of future glory.

Let us, therefore, pray: Give us this day our daily bread.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Deo Optimo Maximo