Feeding of the Five Thousand

The Sunday Gospel [July 31, 2011]

Matthew 14:13-21

14 When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 (Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." 17 But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." 18 Then he said, "Bring them here to me," 19 and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over --twelve wicker baskets full. 21 Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Reflection

“Taking up the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, and gave them to his disciples.” ~ v. 19

The gospel today tells us how compassionate Jesus was. Faced by a multitude of hungry people, he did not send them home, as his disciples suggested, because he did not want them to faint along the way. Jesus made a miracle instead, multiplying the five loaves of bread and two fish to feed the multitude.

We cannot make miracles like Jesus. Still, we have the obligation to feed the hungry. Poverty in the Philippines has reached a critical stage. At least 30% of Filipinos live below the poverty line.

Millions of Filipinos are hungry and millions more are dying because of poverty. They do not have the money to buy nutritious food, nor to pay doctors and buy medicines when they get sick. They do not even have the money to bury their loved ones when they die.

The commandment to love our neighbor calls us to do something for the poor. The best way to do this is to empower them.

Credits: Fr. Pedro Salgado, OP; Homilies for all Sundays, excerpts; slightly adapted

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).

On Obedience

[Diary 894]

Today the doctor decided that I am not to go to Mass, but only to Holy Communion. I wanted very much to assist at Mass, but my confessor, [162] in agreement with the doctor, told me to obey. "It is God's will, Sister, that you should get well, and you must not undertake mortifications of any kind. Be obedient, Sister, and God will reward you for it." I felt that the confessor's words were Jesus' words, and although it made me sad to miss Holy Mass, during which God had been granting me the grace of seeing the Infant Jesus; nevertheless, I placed obedience above everything else.

I became absorbed in prayer and said my penance. Then I suddenly saw the Lord, who said to me, My daughter, know that you give Me greater glory by a single act of obedience than by long prayers and mortifications. Oh, how good it is to live under obedience, to live conscious of the fact that everything I do is pleasing to God!

[Diary 895]

January 23, [1937]. I did not feel like writing today. Then I heard a voice in my soul:My daughter, you do not live for yourself but for souls; write for their benefit. You know that My will as to your writing has been confirmed many times by your confessors. You know what is pleasing to Me, and if you have any doubts about what I am saying, you also know whom you are to ask. I grant him light to pronounce judgment on my case. My eye watches over him. My daughter, you are to be like a child towards him, full of simplicity and candor. Put his judgment above all My demands. He will guide you according to My will. If he doesn't allow you to carry out My demands, be at peace; I will not judge you, but the matter will remain between Me and him. You are to be obedient.


Source: DIARY, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul © 1987 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.  Stockbridge, MA 01263.  All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Note: If you like my post then consider buying the Book "Divine Mercy in my Soul" from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception website. The owner of this blog have no other intention but to spread and proclaim the "Divine Mercy".

Three Parables

The Sunday Gospel [July 24, 2011]

Matthew 13:44-52

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. 48 When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. 49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 51 "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes." 52 And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."

Reflection

“The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.” ~ Jesus in v. 47

How much we want life (and religion as well) to be either one thing or another. To be either black or white. No shades. No mix of good and bad. The fact that everything and everybody is a mixture of good and bad makes it all so messy – much like a fish net writhing with all kinds of icky creatures.

The great dragnet that Jesus talks about does not discriminate, but contains “all sorts of things,” good and bad and mediocre, sorrow and joy and boredom. We want only good fish in the net of life. No electric eels. No sting rays. No octopi. No sharks. No other undesirables. But Jesus says that only at the end is the sorting out – and that by God and the angels, not us.

This metaphor forces me to ask, Do I look on the universe too moralistically? Do I accept as good only what conforms to my narrow definition? Do I act as if “evil” can be abolished once and for all and “good” enthroned forever? To live in God’s often curious and frighteningly diverse world requires compassion and patience and joy. Those are the “dragnet” virtues. ~ James E. Adams, Living Faith

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).

Conversation of the Merciful God with a Suffering Soul

[Diary 1487]

Jesus: Poor soul, I see that you suffer much and that you do not have even the strength to converse with me. So I will speak to you. Even though your sufferings were very great, do not lose heart or give in to despondency. But tell Me, my child, who has dared to wound your heart? Tell me about everything, be sincere in dealing with Me, reveal all the wounds of your heart. I will heal them, and your suffering will become a source of your sanctification.

Soul: Lord, my sufferings are so great and numerous and have lasted so long that I become discouraged.

Jesus: My child, do not be discouraged. I know your boundless trust in Me; I know you are aware of My goodness and mercy. Let us talk in detail about everything that weighs so heavily upon your heart.

Soul: There are so many different things that I do not know what to speak about first, nor how to express it.

Jesus: Talk to Me simply, as a friend to a friend. Tell Me now, My child, what hinders you from advancing in holiness?

Soul: Poor health detains me on the way to holiness. I cannot fulfill my duties. I am as useless as an extra wheel on a wagon. I cannot mortify myself or fast to any extent, as the saints did. Furthermore, nobody believes I am sick, so that mental pain is added to those of the body, and I am often humiliated. Jesus, how can anyone become holy in such circumstances?

Jesus: True, My child, all that is painful. But there is no way to heaven except the way of the cross. I followed it first. You must learn that it is the shortest and surest way.

Soul: Lord, there is another obstacle on the road to holiness. Because I am faithful to You, I am persecuted and suffer much.

Jesus: It is because you are not of this world that the world hates you. First it persecuted Me. Persecution is a sign that you are following in My footsteps faithfully.

Soul: My Lord, I am also discouraged because neither my superiors nor my confessor understand my interior trials. A darkness clouds my mind. How can I advance? All this discourages me from striving for the heights of sanctity.

Jesus: Well, My child, this time you have told Me a good deal. I realize how painful it is not to be understood, and especially by those whom one loves and with whom one has been very open. But suffice it to know that I understand all your troubles and misery. I am pleased by the deep faith you have, despite everything, in My representatives. Learn from this that no one will understand a soul entirely-that is beyond human ability. Therefore, I have remained on earth to comfort your aching heart and to fortify your soul, so that you will not falter on the way. You say that a dense darkness is obscuring your mind. But why, at such times, do you not come to Me, the light who can in an instant pour into your soul more understanding about holiness than can be found in any books? No confessor is capable of teaching and enlightening a soul in this way.

Know, too, that the darkness about which you complain I first endured in the Garden of Olives when My Soul was crushed in mortal anguish. I am giving you a share in those sufferings because of My special love for you and in view of the high degree of holiness I am intending for you in heaven. A suffering soul is closest to My Heart.

Soul: One more thing, Lord. What should I do when I am ignored and rejected by people, especially by those on whom I had a right to count in times of greatest need?

Jesus: My child, make the resolution never to rely on people. Entrust yourself completely to My will saying, "Not as I want, but according to Your will, O God, let it be done unto me." These words, spoken from the depths of one's heart, can raise a soul to the summit of sanctity in a short time. In such a soul I delight. Such a soul gives Me glory. Such a soul fills heaven with the fragrance of her virtue. But understand that the strength by which you bear sufferings comes from frequent Communions. So approach this fountain of mercy often, to draw with the vessel of trust whatever you need.

Soul: Thank You, Lord, for Your goodness in remaining with us in this exile as the God of mercy and blessing us with the radiance of Your compassion and goodness. It is through the light of Your mercy that I have come to understand how much You love me.


Source: DIARY, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul © 1987 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.  Stockbridge, MA 01263.  All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Note: If you like my post then consider buying the Book "Divine Mercy in my Soul" from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception website. The owner of this blog have no other intention but to spread and proclaim the "Divine Mercy".

Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat

The Sunday Gospel [July 17, 2011]

Matthew 13:24-43

24 He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 26 When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. 27 The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' 28 He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 29 He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

Reflection

“Let them grow together until harvest. “ ~ Jesus in v. 30a

The human tendency is to segregate evil men from the good especially when the former become a threat to the latter. Jails and other measures exist for this, a protection provided by society against evil or criminal elements.

With regard to the kingdom of God, in the parable of the Weeds among the Wheat, Jesus presents another perspective. Here Jesus addresses a crowd familiar to life in the farm. To have a good harvest, the farmer roots out the weeds so that the wheat can have all the soil nutrients. Moreover, Jesus speaks of a darnel, [a noxious plant that looks like wheat in its early stage of growth]. The farmers do not have second thoughts to root out this weed and burn it.

But Jesus offers a different solution: wait for the harvest; let the weeds mature with the wheat, and at harvest time the owner can easily separate the wheat from the weeds which must then be burned.

The solution sounds strange, and this is precisely Jesus’ point. In God’s kingdom, human solutions do not always work. The concern of the kingdom is salvation, which is given to all. Jesus opens the strange way by which God sees to it that everybody is given a chance to enter the kingdom: the burning should take place after the harvest and only he can do this. Meanwhile, people should be patient because the weeds of yesterday may yet turn out to be wheat of tomorrow.

The wisdom of this parable is revealed on Calvary when the thief crucified with Jesus is promised entrance to paradise. As long as a little good vibrates in the heart of man, salvation is always possible. God wants to fan to life the dying embers of goodness.

Jesus does not disregard the right of society to protect them from criminals, but presents the different standard of his kingdom, founded not on laws, but on God’s ability to read the hearts of men and women. Salvation is the right of everybody, and no one on earth is damned. Nobody has the right to categorize people into saved and the damned.

We are all fields sown with seeds of good and evil. In damning others, we may be condemning ourselves. The “final solution,” says Jesus, rests in God alone. The perspective that God is the ultimate Judge brings about humility, patience, and the spontaneity of forgiveness which are prerequisites to belong to God’s kingdom.

Credits: Fr. Gil A. Alinsangan, SSP, From the Mountaintop

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).

True works of God

[Diary 270]

Without humility, we cannot be pleasing to God. Practice the third degree of humility;[76] that is, not only must one refrain from explaining and defending oneself when reproached with something, but one should rejoice at the humiliation.

If the things you are telling me really come from God, prepare your soul for great suffering. You will encounter disapproval and persecution. They will look upon you as a hysteric and an eccentric, but the Lord will lavish His graces upon you. True works of God always meet opposition and are marked by suffering. If God wants to accomplish something, sooner or later He will do so in spite of the difficulties. Your part, in the meantime, is to arm yourself with great patience.

Source: DIARY, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul © 1987 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.  Stockbridge, MA 01263.  All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Note: If you like my post then consider buying the Book "Divine Mercy in my Soul" from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception website. The owner of this blog have no other intention but to spread and proclaim the "Divine Mercy".

Parable of the Sower

The Sunday Gospel [July 10, 2011]

Matthew 13:1-23

1One day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. 3And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, 6and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. 7Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. 8But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 9Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Reflection

“And he spoke to them at length in parables.” ~ v. 3

If you are like most people, you remembered this one because it featured a compelling memorable story. And this, as the title of a recent business book puts it, produced a message that is Made to Stick. Jesus was a master of “sticky” messages, parables like today’s Gospel reading of the sower and the seed.

Jesus’ parables stick with us because they open our minds and invite us into the story, which, if we have ears to hear, is endlessly deep. Each parable is like the seed in today’s Gospel – alive, good in every season, and capable of yielding an abundant harvest year after year, if the soil is receptive.

In a way, Jesus himself is the most wondrous parable of all. His life, to quote another book title, is truly The Greatest Story Ever Told. The whole gospel story presents the gripping drama of a Father who longs to save his children; about his Son, whose love moves him to carry out the ultimate rescue mission; about the Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus and now fills and transforms us into the likeness of Christ.

And now that greatest of stories continue on in each us. Will its message stick? It’s up to us.

“Welcome, Master of the harvest! Sow your word in every part of me. Grow whatever crop you desire. I want to know you and love you more each day.”

Credits: the WORD among us

“God cares about the big things and the little things in our life. No matter what.” ~ John Hull

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).

A High Degree of Spiritual Life

[Diary 271]

When the Rev. Dr. Sopocko went to the Holy Land, Father Dabrowski, S.J., was the community's confessor. During one confession he asked me if I was aware of the high degree of [spiritual] life that was present in my soul. I answered that I was aware of it and knew what was going on within me. To this the Father replied, "You must not destroy what is going on in your soul, Sister, nor must you change anything on your own. It is not in every soul that the beautiful gift of a higher interior life is manifest as it is in your case, Sister, for it is manifest in an immense degree. Be careful not to waste these great graces of God; a great..."[Here the thought breaks off.]


Source: DIARY, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul © 1987 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.  Stockbridge, MA 01263.  All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Note: If you like my post then consider buying the Book "Divine Mercy in my Soul" from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception website. The owner of this blog have no other intention but to spread and proclaim the "Divine Mercy".

Take My Yoke Upon You

The Sunday Gospel [July 3, 2011]

Matthew 11:25-30

25 At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. 28 "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Reflection

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” ~ Jesus in v. 29a, 30

The yoke generally denotes servitude, bondage, or oppressive burden. In Hebrew tradition, the image was used to indicate the law and its demands, suggesting that man has to submit himself totally in obedience to Yahweh, just as a slave was bound totally to his work.

Jesus takes up this image, strips it of its oppressive element, and gives it a new meaning. He invites the weary and burdened, “Take my yoke upon your shoulders.”

While the Jewish teachers spoke of the yoke of the law, the yoke of the commandments, the yoke of the kingdom, and yoke of Yahweh, Jesus presents only his yoke. To take the yoke of Jesus is not to carry a sack of laws and prescriptions; rather, it is to adhere to his person, to follow him in love. The many demands of religion and morality are brought together in a single, all embracing demand – the yoke of love.

Jesus calls it “my yoke” because he carries it first, unlike false teachers who lay heavy burdens on people’s shoulders but do not lift a single finger to help them (Mt. 23:4).

But what is this yoke of Jesus? The only yoke that Jesus bears and presents is his Father’s will. “My food is to do the work of the one who sent me … “Not my will but yours be done.” Thus, a person’s relationship with God is to be ruled no longer by cold duty and fear of judgment. Instead, it is to be founded on spontaneous love of, and childlike confidence in, God as Father.

Following Jesus in doing the Father’s will is radical and demanding. So how can Jesus say that his yoke is easy and his burden is light?

Jesus does not abolish the law. Instead, he brings it back to its center. Complicated laws, involving minute prescriptions, give way to the simple, though no less demanding commandment of love. Moreover, Jesus gives primacy not to law but to grace, to the joy that the good news of the kingdom brings. He does not ask for less, but his demand is different. One first receives the good news, then as a joyous response he keeps the law, in the manner of the man who finds a pearl of great price and sells everything he has to buy the pearl (Mt. 13:46).

Finally the yoke of Jesus is not one that he places on us but one he shares with us. He assures us that we do not carry it alone; he walks with us and is with us always, till the end of time (Mt.28:30).

Credits: Fr. Gil A. Alinsangan, SSP, From the Mountaintop

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).

Faithfulness to the Inspirations of the Holy Spirit

[Diary 291]

On a certain occasion, I saw a person about to commit a mortal sin. I asked the Lord to send me the greatest torments so that that soul could be saved. Then I suddenly felt the terrible pain of a crown of thorns on my head. It lasted for quite a long time, but that person remained in the Lord's grace. 0 my Jesus, how very easy it is to become holy; all that is needed is a bit of good will. If Jesus sees this little bit of good will in the soul, He hurries to give himself to the soul, and nothing can stop Him, neither shortcomings nor falls-absolutely nothing. Jesus is anxious to help that soul, and if it is faithful to this grace from God, it can very soon attain the highest holiness possible for a creature here on earth. God is very generous and does not deny His grace to anyone. Indeed He gives more than what we ask of Him. Faithfulness to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit-that is the shortest route.


Source: DIARY, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul © 1987 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.  Stockbridge, MA 01263.  All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Note: If you like my post then consider buying the Book "Divine Mercy in my Soul" from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception website. The owner of this blog have no other intention but to spread and proclaim the "Divine Mercy".

The Gentle Mastery of Christ

The Holy Gospel [July 1, 2011 - Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus]

25 At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. 28 "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Reflection

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” ~ Jesus in v. 28

The gospel today gives us significant insights into the person of Jesus Christ. He is not only the Messiah; he is more importantly the Son of God. In the same way that we know our earthly father, Jesus knows his heavenly Father. Thus he is able to make his Father known to us. Only a son, who knows his father intimately, can do this.

Jesus not only reveals his Father to us; he invites us to cling to him so that we can be joined to his Father. Verses 28-30 deserve our attention and serious reflection too. To receive the promised rest, we have to put on the yoke of Jesus on ourselves. A yoke was placed on an animal to harness it for work during the time of Jesus. It was also a metaphor for taking up a pattern of life. The gospel today challenges us to come to Jesus, accept him and follow his pattern of life.

Meditate on verses 28-30. What are its implications for you? Can you accept the ‘yoke’ of Jesus?

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).