August 3, 2008
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Is 55:1-3 / Psalm 145
Second Reading: Rom 8:35,37-39
Gospel: Mt 14:13-21 Jesus feeds five thousand
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
Jesus’ heart is once again moved to pity at the sight of the crowd so that he cures the sick and, in the evening, feeds “five thousand men, not counting the women and children.” He, therefore, not only heals the body of its many ailments, he also nourishes the body with food.
The message is, definitely, crystal clear. In my moments of sickness, I turn to Jesus, in particular, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick where my sins are forgiven and my body anointed. In my moments of hunger, I turn to the Lord in the Eucharist, where I am nourished, not only by his life-giving words but also by his Body and Blood.
August 10, 2008
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings of the Day
First Reading: 1 Kgs 19:9a,11-13a / Psalm 85
Second Reading: Rom 9:1-5
Gospel: Mt. 14:22-33 Jesus walks on water
O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
Jesus walks on water and invites Peter to come and walk towards him on the water. Fright, however, takes hold of Peter as he sees the strong wind so that he begins to sink. In the end, Jesus chides Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Focus, therefore, is crucial in carrying the invitation of Jesus to walk towards him. I, then, should not lose sight of Jesus as I try to get near him. Distractions, like the strong wind that caused Peter to become afraid and to sink, will always be there. Hence, I shall not allow them to take precedence in my mind. I shall have faith in the Lord.
Should I sink, however, I am certain that Jesus will stretch out his hand – just as he did to Peter – and save me.
August 17, 2008
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Is 56:1,6-7 / Psalm 67
Second Reading: Rom 11:13-15,29-32
Gospel: Mt 15;21-28 Great is your faith
Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.
Jesus refuses to heed the Canaanite woman’s request that he heal her daughter tormented by a demon. Worse, he insults her by saying, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Humbly, however, the woman responds, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters” and, in the end, has her daughter healed.
Humility, then, is needed in seeking the Lord’s help. Among other things, humility demands persistence – the woman pestered Jesus’ disciples. It also requires the capacity to bear harsh words – the woman took Jesus’ insult calmly. And it calls for meekness – the woman comparing herself with dogs.
August 24, 2008
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Is 22:19-23 / Psalm 138
Second Reading: Rom 1:33-36
Gospel: Mt 16:13-20 You are the Messiah
You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
Jesus entrusts Peter with the keys of the kingdom of heaven after Peter declares, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
How did Peter “capture” the right words to say to Jesus and, in the process, reveal the true identity of Jesus? According to Jesus himself, Peter was able to do so not through a revelation from “flesh and blood” but through a revelation from “my heavenly Father.”
Like Peter, then, I can only grasp at Jesus’ true identity through prayer – because it is only through prayer that I get to commune with the Father.
August 31, 2008
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Jer 20:7-9 / Psalm 63
Second Reading: Rom 12:1-2
Gospel: Mt 16:21-27 Conditions of discipleship
Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
To follow Jesus, a person needs to die to Self.
Jesus’ life was a life poured out for the good of others. His life was a life spent to manifest the Father’s unconditional love for the world even if it meant a life brutally cut short by death on the cross. His was a life emptied for man and for the Father.
I need to realize, then, that the moment I follow Jesus, my Self has ceased to exist. My life, from then on, shall be one that is poured out and emptied for others and for the kingdom of God.
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