Cycle B, Year II

4 November 2012: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 12:28b-34

Love: the greatest of all commandments!

We rejoice with the universal Church as we share the joy and the blessing on the canonization of the second Filipino saint in the person of Pedro Calungsod in October 2012. The fidelity, commitment and martyrdom of this youthful saint is our inspiration how to be true followers of Jesus Christ, even to the extreme sacrifice of one's life. Indeed, this is a great testimony that faith is alive in the Philippines as a Catholic country in this part of creation.

The readings for this Sunday also provide helpful tips on Christian living. The theme of the Gospel narrative, for example, draws us back to the heart of our faith.

One of the scribes engages Jesus in a discussion and asks him what is the most important of God's commandments. Although as a scribe he knows the Law himself, perhaps he wants Jesus to confirm his understanding of the Law.

In response, Jesus points out that in fact the whole Law can be condensed into just two commandments of love.

The first, and most important, consists in unconditional love of God: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength!"

The second commandment is a consequence and the result of the first: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." The word "neighbor" here means whoever is in need.

The summary of the Law means that behind the commandments is a life of love that God demands from his people. Thus, our love of God must show itself in the love for our neighbor.  Because the latter springs from our love of God, and because man is created in the image of God.

A person who genuinely loves God loves his fellows as well. Because they are brothers and sisters, children of the same Father, and redeemed by the same Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All our external worship and piety becomes empty and meaningless if it does not express our internal loving attitude. And without such love, following God's commandments become burdensome.

In other words, the heart of our faith is the love of God, which is shown in the love for others, especially the poor and the helpless. Love then is the very foundation of our Christian life.

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

Deo Optimo Maximo

Cycle B, Year II

28 October 2012: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 10:46-52

Lord, heal our blindness!

 It sounds romantic to say "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!" But what is beauty if we are unable to see? So do we ever appreciate the gift of sight?

Today's Gospel narrative tells us about the encounter of Jesus with the beggar Bartimaeus, who was blind. The blind man in the story was persistent. Having heard of the many miracles Jesus had performed, he would not stop to call on Jesus to heal his blindness. Jesus granted Bartimaeus his most cherished wish:"Go your way; your faith has saved you", Jesus told him. And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.

How do we relate to the gospel story? We are not blind, neither are we beggars. Can we say the story does not apply to us at all?

Such attitude is a mistake. Because we all need healing; it can be physical or spiritual. And in the eyes of God we are all beggars, for his mercy.  We are all in need of God's mercy. In other words, we are all just like Bartimaeus in the gospel story.

The Good News is that Jesus can heal us from our physical and spiritual blindness, so that we can see clearly the path to salvation. But we need to come to Jesus, put our trust in him, like Bartimaeus. Because God does not impose his salvation upon us.

The gospel calls us to learn from Bartimaeus, to call out for mercy from God; to follow Jesus; and to ask him for the gift of vision, so that we can see Jesus standing in our midst.

We need the gift of vision to see Christ in one another, and to see clearly how to follow him on the way, even the way to the cross.

We need the gift of vision so that we can see Jesus in the homeless and hungry of society; so that we can see Jesus in people who are different from us, even in our enemies.

We need the gift of vision to see Jesus in those we dislike and the marginalized, in every one we meet in our journey of life.

So that from now on we are a Bartimaeus people, totally confident in Jesus' healing power, as we surrender ourselves, our woes, and our hopes to the Lord.

Because just like the psalmist we declare with conviction:"The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy (Ps 126:3).

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

Deo Optimo Maximo