Cycle C - Year I:  

18 August 2019: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10

Second Reading:   Hebrews 12:1-4

Gospel:  Please Read  Luke 12:49-53

To "set the earth on fire!"

We wake up this morning to shocking statements from our Lord Jesus Himself in this Sunday's Gospel proclamation:  "I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing!"  (Lk 12:49)

Shocking statements, events or news, can jolt us from our comfort zone. They shake us from believing, thinking and doing what is routine and normal. 

But also shocking statements can challenge us to open up to new horizon and possibilities, and deepen our faith in the almighty and powerful God.

This seems to be the purpose of the Gospel proclamation for this Sunday.

Jesus "shocked" His disciples  when He declared that He would cast fires and cause division rather than peace on earth.  Now, we know that our Lord often uses shocking overstatement to convey certain truth or make a point.

But just what did Jesus mean by these "shocking" words in today's Gospel narrative?  If Jesus is the "Prince of peace" then how come that He now says to the disciples that He comes to bring division instead?

Well, Jesus is talking about the impact of His teachings on relationships.

Let us understand that. Jesus preaches the coming of God's kingdom as a time of judgement.  He warns us to take seriously the consequences of our choice, meaning either for or against God.  Because to be a follower of Jesus Christ is like walking the difficult path, especially in a world consumed with things pleasurable here and now.  So that preaching the Good News of God's kingdom is met with great resistance, and sometimes ridicule and even martyrdom.  It seems  that being a disciple of Christ means sacrificing a big deal in terms of our relationship with others and among ourselves.

In the national scene, for example, the continuing drive against illegal drugs and the Catholic Church's stand against the culture of death and extrajudicial killings seem to cause deep division among the nation and even those who professed to be Catholics.   And yet, it is the moral obligation of the Church to oppose something that is clearly against the will of God, even if this causes the Church's own persecution and ridicule from those in power and some who called themselves "Catholics".

This is not unexpected because Jesus states that even family loyalties would be challenged on the basis of whether people accept or not the kingdom of God.  And this challenge is also with us today in our generation.  For the essence of Christianity is loyalty to our Lord Jesus Christ, a loyalty that takes precedence over every other relationship.

Thus, Jesus challenges the disciples to examine who they love first and foremost.  He insists that His disciples give Him the loyalty which is due only to God, a loyalty which is higher  than relationship of spouse or kin or any other human relationship.  Because the love of God compels us to choose who will be first in our lives.  

Also, the image of fire is frequently mentioned in the Bible and does not have just one meaning.  It could mean the image of purification and illumination, but fire also could be the image of devastation and punishment.

But as Christian we are meant to be "on fire" with God's love, and be moved by the Holy Spirit in listening and practicing our Lord's teaching.

So in sum, the Gospel this Sunday is really a call to conversion to becoming a new creation in Christ.  It means shedding the skin of our former way of living, and converting into a blazing fire of God's love.

Let us pray. Lord Jesus, shock me out of complacency and make my heart burn within me.  For Your message is not just being nice all the times, but also being angry at times, confronting injustice and evils in our midst, and making a stand for God's kingdom.  So help us, Lord of fire, to be ablaze with Christian love and justice, when times call for us to act decisively.  Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle C - Year I:

11 August 2019: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19

Gospel: Please Read Luke 12:32-48

Getting ready with vigilant faith!

The famous quote: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life!" But it may also be that today is actually the last day of our earthly journey, and that there is no more tomorrow. Then how would you spend your last day?

How we deal with the last day spells the difference between believers and non-believers. For those who believe, we know that life is not ended but only changed. But for non-believers there is nothing more after this life. So enjoy and be merry while it lasts... till the very end.

This Sunday's liturgy is about vigilant faith of believers. The Gospel exhorts us to be vigilant and watchful, like the faithful servants in the parable who stay awake waiting for their master. Now the theme of readiness for the second coming of the Lord is to be found towards the end of the Gospel account of St. Luke.

Life is a challenging journey and we can never be ready for every event in our lives. That is why the Gospel admonishes us to be dressed for action, so to say, and blessed are those who are ready and alert. And we know that it takes a deep breath of faith to be ready for any unexpected event which may come upon us.

So then, the message of the parable in the Gospel reading is that disciple-servant must be ready for the return of the master, who will come and knock at the door "at an hour we do not expect". We must be like the faithful servants in the parable who stay awake for their master.

Likewise, we, too, don't know when our Master will come and take us to the heavenly banquet of eternal union with God. Will we be ready by that time? But we will not be ready when we are more interested in feeding our worldly desires. Our Lord Jesus Christ warns us not to waste time being lazy about purging our lives of earthly treasures and concerns.

Now we know in the Gospel reading that the reward for being ready for the return of the Lord is the opportunity to serve Him. If we are not ready for Him, and He comes in our daily lives in the form of some need, then we will miss the chance to serve Him.

In practical life, how do we really prepare for the end time? In other words, since we do not know when death will come, what should we do?

Well, our Lord Jesus says that we must stand ready at all times. That means to say we don't wait for God to tell us when or where we will die, because that will not happen. Instead, we must live a life of vigilant faith, putting things right this very moment, here and now. We must open our hearts and minds so that we shall be aware of the Lord's coming in our lives. There is nothing more urgent today than to cleanse our heart and pray for God's forgiveness. Then we need not worry when the call to final judgment comes.

Because for practicing Christians death will be our graduation day, and not an examination day.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!