The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph -

Commentary

Luke 2: 22 - 40

My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation

This Gospel passage gives us two lessons on both receiving and sharing God’s salvation.

Receiving God’s salvation:

Simeon’s desire, a desire of his lifetime, is to “see God’s salvation.”  Once he has seen God’s promise fulfilled, the longing of his life is also fulfilled. 

Do we have the same absolute desire for God?  When we do, we would be more ready to recognize God’s presence around us, and would know more and more how great a gift it is.

Sharing God’s salvation:

The gift of God’s salvation is given to Simeon in an infant, and through a family carrying out their religious duties. 

Many a times, we bring God and God’s salvation into the lives of others by doing what God asks of us, as ordinary and routine as they can be.

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph (December 28, 2014)

Readings

Image source: Peter Paul Rubens, Presentation in the Temple.  Website:  Art and the Bible: http://www.artbible.info/art/

4th Sunday of Advent - B

Commentary

Luke 1: 26-38

“The Lord is with You”

The angel’s words of greeting to Mary are the same words we use to greet each other in the Liturgy, after the Sign of the Cross, before the proclamation of the Gospel, at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer (to begin the Preface before the Holy, Holy), before the sign of peace, and before the final blessing.  We believe that the Lord is with each one of us.

Like Mary, we are full of grace, not because of our credits or efforts, but because “the Holy Spirit has come upon us, and the power of the Most High overshadows” us, and we become the sanctuary of the Son of God.

It is the same Son of God who entered human history at Christmas, who brought us into one with Him in Baptism and Confirmation, and is now one with us in the Eucharist. 

Indeed, we are all “full of grace.”

May we become more like Mary, who brings Christ to the world.

4th Sunday of Advent - B (December 21, 2014)

Readings

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3rd Sunday of Advent - B

Commentary

John 1: 6-8, 19-28

The Voice in the Desert

It might be relevant to note three descriptions of John the Baptist in this passage of Scriptures. 

• His origin:  He “is sent by God.”
• His mission:  “to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.”
• The circumstance or manner of his mission:  He was “a voice crying out in the desert.”

How do these things relate to each one of us?

When I might be the lonely voice crying out in the desert, John reminds me that, like him, I am indeed sent by God  to testify to the light, so that all might believe through me (not in me).

3rd Sunday of Advent - B (December 14, 2014)

Readings

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2nd Sunday of Advent - B

Commentary

Mark 1: 1 – 8

The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

By the opening line of his Gospel, Mark already tells us what he is writing about, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.”

And this Gospel is based on the testimonies of God, spoken through the prophets in Sacred Scriptures, and of John the Baptist.  [1]

That is just the beginning. [2]

The Good News will unfold in the life of Jesus.

And it will continue because the eternal Word of God never ends.

The Good News of Jesus is also proclaimed continuously through the witness of the lives of all those who are called to point out Jesus to others – that is all of us. 

It is important to note that it is the Gospel of Jesus, not ours, that we are called to proclaim and to testify to.  And like John, the authenticity of our lives is the most convincing testimony of the Gospel.

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[1] Frank Moloney, This is the Gospel of the Lord: Reflections of the Gospel Readings, Year B. Homebush, NSW, Australia: St. Paul Publications, 1993; p. 68.

[2] John Petty, “Lectionary Blogging,” www.progressiveinvolvement.com

2nd Sunday of Advent - B (December 7, 2014)

Readings

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1st Sunday of Advent - B

Commentary

Mark 13: 33-37

Each with His Own Work

The man “leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work.” 

As a result, the best thing one can do to remain watchful and alert is to carry out the task given to him/her.

In the context of the Liturgical Calendar, we now begin a new year, with the readings of the Gospel According to Mark.  However, the two passages from Matthew for the last two Sundays of the previous liturgical year transitioned smoothly into today’s passage. 

In the parable of the talents, the master of the house entrusted with his servants different amounts, “each according to his ability” (Matthew 25: 15).

Then, in the parable of the judgment of the nations, the work given to each follower of Christ is to be carried out in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for those in need…. 

That is the work of building the Kingdom and at the same time preparing for the return of the King.  This task has been entrusted to us, “each with his own work.”

1st Sunday of Advent - B (November 30, 2014)

Readings

Image source:  http://www.saintalbansepiscopal.org

Christ the King - A

Commentary

Matthew 25: 31-46

Where is the King?  Who is the King?

This parable ends Matthew’s account of Jesus’ public teaching.  [1] (Jesus’ passion narrative begins with the following chapter).

Matthew begins his account of Jesus’ teaching with the summary of his message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17).

Jesus goes on to call “blessed” the poor, the hungry, the meek, …  because they are citizens of the Kingdom (“theirs is the kingdom of heaven”)(5:3). [2]

Now, as the conclusion of his teaching, Jesus goes further to identify himself, who sits on his glorious throne, with those who are poor, hungry, the prisoners, the strangers, etc.

 

Not only are these suffering people citizens of the kingdom, they are the King in the flesh. 

The mystery of Christ’s Incarnation continues.  Christ now lives among us in the poor, the hungry, the prisoners, the strangers….  In them lives the Emmanuel, God-with-us.  In them, His Kingdom is at hand. 

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[1] and [2].  John Petty, Blog.  Progressive Involvement at progressiveinvolvement.com

Solemnity of Christ the King - A (November 23, 2014)

Readings

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33rd Sunday - A

Dedication of the Basilica of St John Lateran

Commentary

John 2: 13-22

Temple or God’s house

In the first part of the passage, the narrator uses the word “temple.” Webster dictionary (online version) defines temple as “a building for religious practices.” This meaning implies human initiative, even if it is the act of worship.

The people who Jesus chases out of the Temple with their merchandise certainly have treated it as a place of human activities, and probably some of the worst kind.

Jesus, on the contrary, refers to it as “my Father’s house.” He restores the place to its noble purpose, namely, the dwelling place of God among God’s people.

How do I treat God’s dwelling places of my own being, in my brothers and sisters, in the church (both lower case c church and upper case C Church). There, God’s dwelling places.

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9, 2014)

Readings

Image source: http://www.agnusday.org

All Souls (November 2, 2014)

Gospel:
(This passage is a part of one of of the options for the Gospels that can be used for this Commemoration of the Faithful Departed.)

Luke 24: 1 - 6a

The Resurrection of Jesus

At daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.   They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  

While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.  They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.

They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised"

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Commentary:

The Greek verb translated here as "puzzle" can also mean "to be entirely at loss" or "to be perplexed." [1] 

The women are entirely at loss because they look for him where he is not to be found.  He is not "among the dead."  He is alive.

Do I look for life where life is to be found - in God?  

Or do I look for it "among the dead," in things and people that do not live forever?  If I do that, I will for sure be entirely at loss.

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[1]  Blueletterbible.org

30th Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 22:34-40

Love God First, or God Loves First

The order with which this Gospel passage is arranged for the Sunday Gospel might provide us one possible interpretation and lesson.

It is God who has given us all (last Sunday’s reminder of “giving to God what belongs to God.”).  Thus, even our ability to love comes from God. 

Consequently, when I love God, I just try to respond to the One who has loved me first, and without whom I would not even exist.

Then, I am called to love my neighbor, who like me, comes from God.  And like me, he belongs to God.  Moreover, I am called to see the neighbor as the gift of God’s love for me. 

In loving my neighbor, I again respond to God’s love with love.  

30th Sunday - A (October 26, 2014)

Readings

Image source: http://www.agnusday.org

(Note: the comic was inspired by Mark 12: 28-34, the parallel passage with this passage in Matthew 22: 34-40,).

28th Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 22: 1-14

God Gets in My Way

There are times when we allow our things get in God’s way.  The list includes our own plans and desires, sins, pride, things that we don’t want to let go, our lack of trust, etc.

However, can there be times when God gets in our way?

That might be one way of looking at the reaction of the first group of guests in this parable.  

Jesus identifies them as “the invited guests” who are now “summoned” to the feast when “everything is ready.” 

The description “invited guests” suggests that they have received an earlier invitation prior to this moment.  They knew about it.

But they already have their plans.

And now, God’s plan for them gets in their way.  We know how they react.   

Have I ever allowed such a situation to happen in my life?

28th Sunday - A (October 12, 2014)

Readings

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27th Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 21: 33 – 43

The Vineyard Entrusted to Me

The landowner first “planted a vineyard.”  Next, he “put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.”  In other words, he took good care of his vineyard.  Only then did “he [lease] it to tenants.”

(Today’s first reading from Isaiah 5 has even a more detailed description of God’s care for the vineyard).

With such great care, God prepares the vineyard that would be entrusted to me.

The vineyard can be (or includes) my own wellbeing, both in this world and in the next, and the people God puts in my life – family members, friends, co-workers, …

Besides, God sends help and reminders (the servants and His Son) to assist me in caring for the vineyard.

How do I take care of the well-planted vineyard that God has entrusted to me?

27th Sunday - A (October 5, 2014)

Readings

Source:  http://www.agnusday.org

Commentary

Matthew 21: 28-32

Freedom and True Love

The father, a figure of absolute authority in an ancient culture, only asks his sons to go and work in the vineyard.  He does not force them.

God gives us free will, and God allows us to freely choose how we would respond to God’s love. 

The father does not check on the son who said “yes,” to see if he keeps his words.

We know we do not always deserve the trust and respect God puts in us.  But God stills respect the freedom that God has given us. 

There, God does not impose on us God’s love with a kind of force obligation.   Rather, God offers us a constant invitation to grow in true love.

Lastly, we have Jesus, who is the exemplary Son of the Father.  By this time in Matthew’s narrative, Jesus has entered Jerusalem.  There, he would soon offer the supreme act of obedience and love to the Father: he freely chose to do the Father’s will by accepting the cross.  His whole life, in attitudes, words and action, is an act of love.

26th Sunday - A (September 28, 2014)

Readings

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25th Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 20: 1-16

“Am I not free to do what I please with my own?”

The landowner hires five groups of laborers.  Yet, it is only with the first group does he have an agreement with them about their wages. 

At the end of the workday, he pays them the agreed amount.

Jesus does not say anything about the attitude of all the laborers who were hired late in the day.

Only the first group complains.  It is probably understandable that they feel cheated.  But they receive the amount they have agreed with the landowner.

Jesus begins the parable with, “The kingdom of heaven is like.”

Membership in the kingdom is not something upon which we agreed with God.  God is not obliged to give it to us, as the landowner asks the first laborers, “Am I not free to do what I please with my own?”  

It is a grace, freely given.  Blessed are those who recognize God’s graciousness to us.

25th Sunday - A (September 21, 2014)

Readings

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Exaltation of the Holy Cross - A

Commentary

John 3: 15 – 17

The Bridge Love Builds

The basic tenets of the Christian faith can be found all in this passage of John’s Gospel.  Indeed, the Cross summarizes it all.

• We can’t go to God on our own (“No one has gone up to heaven”).
• God loves us so much that God does not want us to perish, but to have eternal life.
• God’s love is so great that God’s only Son comes to bring us to God
• That’s the only way.
• And the Son does that by his death on the cross.  

There, the cross is the bridge between us and God.  It is the bridge built of love.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Readings

Image source:  Holy Cross Church, Champaign, IL

http://www.holycrosscatholic.org

23rd Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 18: 15-20

In My Name

There are two contexts we should take into consideration in reading this Gospel passage.

First, the context of the Sunday Gospels of Year A. This passage of Matthew 18: 15 – 20 follows what we heard a week ago from Matthew 16: 21-27. There, Jesus invited anyone who “wishes” to become his disciple “to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

And today, Jesus gives a concrete demand of how to put that instruction into practice, namely what to do when others sin against us.

Second, the context of Chapter 18 of Matthew. This passage is preceded by Jesus’ instruction on how to care for “the little ones who believe in [him].” The greatest crime occurs when scandals cause the loss of one of these little ones.

Next comes the parable of the good shepherd who goes searching for the lost sheep.  The parable ends with Jesus’ affirmation, “it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” (v. 14)

And then, in today’s Gospel (verses 15-19) Jesus insists that efforts must be made to keep God’s children in God’s house.

Following this passage, Jesus teaches the seemingly impossible demand of forgiving one’s brother “seventy-seven times” (v. 21-22). Afterwards, Jesus expands on the reason for such a demand – God has forgiven us first to the greatest extent. He teaches this with the parable of a servant whose master forgives him a huge debt, yet he is unforgiving toward a fellow servant who owes him a tiny amount.

Jesus calls his followers to form and follow him carrying the cross to preserve the community of love and forgiveness where two or three are gathered in his name. Such a community witnesses to the presence of God among humanity. In this kind of a community, “There am I in the midst of them” (v. 20)

23rd Sunday - A (September 7, 2014)

Readings

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22nd Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 16: 21-27

What Messiah

Today’s Gospel passage follows immediately the passage we heard last Sunday.

In the full text, there is a transition phrase that is omitted here, which is “From that time on.”

 A small detail, perhaps. 

But we must not lose sight of the link that connects the two passages.

Peter and the other disciples professed their faith in Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:16).  And it is their faith in a Messiah of their own definition. 

Now, Jesus tells them God’s definition of the Messiah. 

Don’t we often find ourselves like Peter, believe in and are ready to follow the Messiah who operates according to our agenda?

The invitation and challenge of discipleship is to follow the Messiah who operates according to God’s agenda.  

22nd Sunday - A (August 31, 2014)

Readings

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21st Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 16: 13-20

Listening and Observing

A review of the most recent Sunday Gospel passages might give us some background in understanding today’s passage.  For three weeks, we heard Jesus teaching the mysteries of God’s Kingdom through parables (15^th, 16^th, and 17^th Sundays).  The next three weeks, Jesus revealed the presence of God’s Kingdom and power through miracles and healing (18^th, 19^th, and 20^th Sundays).

The disciples were present in the audience listening to the parables.  They were also present or even took part in the miracles (feeding the people). 

Now, Jesus asks them, “Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus is among us.  He continues to reveal God’s Kingdom to us through his teachings and his actions.

And the same question continues to be presented to each one of us today.  

I can answer that question only if I listen to the voice of Jesus and observing his actions in the events of my life.  If either part is missing, I might not get the full picture of who he is.

21st Sunday - A (August 24, 2014)

Readings

20th Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 15: 21 – 28

“Great is Your Faith”

Last week (19^th Sunday), Jesus walked on the water and calmed the storm.  But at first, the disciples were “terrified” and “cried out in fear.”  They quickly forgot that it was Jesus who “made them get into the boat” and cross the sea.  Peter doubted even when he asked and Jesus told him to come, walking on the water.

The disciples could recognize Jesus as “the Son of God” only after they had seen his power.

Today, a gentile, the Canaanite woman, recognizes and professes Jesus as “Lord” and “Son of David.” 

Unlike the disciples, she has faith in Jesus and professes it even before Jesus heals her daughter.  She does not need or demand the Son of David to respond to her request as a condition of her faith.  Acknowledging him as Lord, and knowing who she is, she could beg him, “Have pity on me.”  Then again, “Lord, help me,” after having done him homage.  

Thus, Jesus commends, “O woman, great is your faith!”  

20th Sunday - A (August 17, 2014)

Readings

Image source:  Jean-Germain Drouais - The Woman of Canaan at the Feet of Christ

[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

19th Sunday - A

Commentary

Matthew 14: 22-33

It’s Painful, but ….

Hardships, challenges, and even sufferings are all parts of our human reality.

We know that.  We all have experienced hardships, challenges, and sufferings. 

But it is not easy to know or to explain why.

The disciples in today’s Gospel actually run into the storm as a result of doing what Jesus “makes” them do.  Other translations even suggest stronger verbs such as “to force” [1] or “to compel” [2].

In the case of Peter walking on water, becomes frightened and about to sink, though Peter asks for it, it is Jesus who allows Peter to get into that situation. 

Both events are the opportunities for the disciples to recognize the power of Jesus and to acknowledge, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

How do I take the difficulties and sufferings that God allows to happen in my life?

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[1]  Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., The Gospel of Matthew.  Sacra Pagina Series.  Collegeville, MN., Liturgical Press, 1991; p. 223.

[2] Carla Works, “Commentary on Matthew 14: 22-33,” http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2144

19th Sunday - A (August 10, 2014)

Readings

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17th Sunday - A

Commentary
Matthew 13: 44-52

God Searching for Treasures

Today Jesus gives us a pair of parables that complement each other.

Let’s just look at the main verbs that describe the actions of the two characters in the two parables, namely “to find” and “to search.”

Merriam-Webster Dictionary online gives three main definitions for “to find.”
1. to discover (something or someone) without planning or trying to : to discover (something or someone) by chance
2. to get or discover (something or someone that you are looking for)
3. to discover or learn (something) by studying about it

“To search” also has three definitions
1. to carefully look for someone or something : to try to find someone or something
2. to carefully look for someone or something in (something)
3. to carefully look through the clothing of (someone) for something that may be hidden

The image of the “merchant searching” clears any ambiguity that the Kingdom of God can be discovered “without planning” or “by chance” (the first meaning of “find.”)

There is nothing “by chance” or “without planning” with God and God’s Kingdom.

Some commentators also suggest that the treasure and the pearl of great price can be references to each person created by God, and redeemed by the passion, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ. For sure, our existence and membership in God’s Reign is not by chance nor without God’s planning.

How do I treasure myself and the gift of membership in God’s Kingdom?