I am unworthy, but God makes me.

   

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

09 February 2025

 

First Reading: Is 6:1-2a, 3-8

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

Second Reading: 1 Cor 15:1-11

Gospel: Lk 5:1-11

 

Reflection

By: Bro. Emerson C. Maala

 

Last year, we had our 30-day Ignatian retreat at Sacred Heart Novitiate in Quezon City. it is an intensive spiritual retreat conducted in silence, where we engage ourselves in prayer, meditation, Gospel contemplation, and discernment. One of the Gospels we contemplated was the call of Peter and Andrew in the Gospel according to Luke.

Looking back at my journal, I remember how I was able to be in the shoes of Peter. There, Jesus told me to cast off the net even though we caught nothing overnight. Then I was surprised to catch so many with the commands of Jesus and there, I recognized Jesus as my Lord, and savior saying, "I am a sinful man, and I am not worthy to be with You." At that moment, I was ashamed of Jesus. I am nothing before Him. However, He still calls me.

In the Gospel, Peter is struck by the realization of who Jesus is upon seeing the miraculous catch. He falls to his knees and exclaims: "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Why does Peter feels unworthy? Because encountering God's holiness always reveals our own sinfulness. But instead of leaving Peter, Jesus calls him to a mission: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be fishers of men."

Like Peter, we often feel unworthy of God's calling. "I'm not holy enough." "I've made too many mistakes." "I don't know enough about my faith." But Jesus does not call the qualified - He qualifies the called. However, if we respond to Him in faith, He will transform our weaknesses into strengths so that we can respond to Him fully, leave everything behind, and follow Him. Amen.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You called Peter and Andrew to be fishers of men and lead them into new life with You. Unworthy of Your call, make us also fishers of men and leave everything behind to follow You and serve You. For the greater Glory of God. Amen.

The Road to Conversion

    

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

21 January 2024

 

First Reading: Jon 3:1-5, 10

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: 1 Cor 7:29-31

Gospel: Mk 1:14-20

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo Gonzales

 

Today’s Gospel cues us into the spectacle of conversion. Conversion is comparable to the ‘toss and turn’ we run through as we try to sleep and go in search for the spot that gives us the greatest comfort; do we sleep on one side? On our bellies? On our backs? The shuffling on bed we experience gives us that: the chance of finding which position is most comfortable. While conversion involves quite a longstanding series of toss and turn… of trial and error, in the story of conversion, comfort is where we depart, as the road to conversion is anything but comfortable.

John the Baptist is associated strongly to conversion. As he earnestly called people into repentance, he was labeled rather harshly. His zeal for service among other things that would have him living so austerely such as going from place to place homeless, wearing camel hair over his body, and feeding on locusts and wild honey would brand him upon others a madman; but all this would only bring more attention to his untamed fire for evangelization.

 

Special was John’s relation to the Lord that the Lord would find Himself weeping strongly upon his later execution; but the Lord we see in today’s Gospel did not steer away from service, despite John being delivered up to his captors. Jesus went on to continue His mission, proclaiming to people the Good News of salvation.

In mission, Jesus would find two of His early apostles – Simon who would be called Peter, and his brother Andrew, who would believe in His Messianic Identity. The brothers were casting their nets into the sea, only to be told they would be fishing for much bigger catch – people themselves. If only they knew how much more baffling it would be to perfect the self, let alone to lead others to a life that is spiritually spotless, their ‘yeses’ could have been a more difficult give; but it remains – people are in for some spiritual reeling.

Here, the amazing display we could emulate is how instant Simon and Andrew were to follow the Lord. While not all instant things are good and at times being instant could mean the lack of preparation or thoroughness, Simon and Andrew’s instant ‘yes’ in this case signifies the abandonment of self in the Face of One with Whom they can place their trust in confidence and childlike innocence.

The road to conversion is not always to be spoken of in third person as written accounts of conversion would have us think instantaneously. it is not for the people only – those outside us – to undertake. In the First Reading, in the story of Jonah, it was revealed: the prophets themselves (as are we) may be just in equal need of conversion, if not greater.

In more expounded accounts, Jonah would be shown to be rather obstinate. God would tell Jonah to call Nineveh to repentance, and Jonah, repeatedly, would turn away from the Lord, going into a place he thought he would not be found. He was angry with God for giving importance to Nineveh enough for him to be instructed to deliver God’s message there personally, and so because God was patient with the Ninevites and gave them considerable leeway to correct themselves. These were grating for Jonah to see; but the Lord would later lovingly reply: “is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4) “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left? […]” (Jonah 4:11) The Lord would send a big leaf to grow over Jonah’s head, sheltering him from the sweltering heat (Jonah 4:6) – all this love for the dissenting and angry Jonah.

Does this story remind us of anyone familiar? I am welling up with droplets as I am writing this. This show of complicated feelings represents us all. The road to conversion is not at all easy and as others are called to it, so are we. Conversion does not mean perfect – as a standard that impeccable would have everyone falling short; it points instead to the unyielding zest to lay down our arms, to relinquish all defense, to turn back to the Lord with contrite hearts over and over, seventy times seven, the only perfect thing here being God’s love… God’s patience… God’s mercy.

On the road to repentance, does it matter if we start perfectly? Not so. For in the eyes of heaven, who is the son obedient to his father’s request? The son who has said “no” but had a later change of heart and went to follow his father’s wishes, or the son who said “yes” but later recanted his decision? The hearers of the parable would say: “the first.” (Matthew 21:28-32)

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for Your being patient with us in our conversion.

Though we have hearts of stone, please help us gain hearts of flesh and please send within us Your Spirit to help us live in Your statutes. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

Though our sins be like scarlet, please make us white as snow; though our sins be like crimson, please make us white as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

In all these, please shower Your love upon us, to make our yokes easy and to make our burdens light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

These we ask in Jesus’ most holy Name, Amen.

Great Men of Faith

    

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

14 January 2024

 

First Reading: 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

Second Reading: 1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20

Gospel: Jn 1:35-42

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo Gonzales

 

Featured in today’s Readings are great men of faith – called to undertake a special service for the Lord, and whose ‘yeses’ resounded in characteristic honor. In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist, deemed by Jesus Christ Himself as one who, born of women, would find relative to himself no one greater (Matthew 11:11) was to go before Christ to direct our paths to Him – to predispose ourselves for the Christ to come. When John the Baptist saw Christ passing by, he was quick to turn the attention of his disciples Andrew and Simon to Christ, making no short work of the mission assigned to him. Andrew, compelled by Jesus’ Identity as the Messiah, eagerly recounted this news to Simon, who would then be called Peter – the rock from which the Church would be built. Such an exchange is overall reminiscent of how we are called into Church – with one having testified, us being convinced, and we all pulling each other invitingly into community.

In the First Reading, we see Samuel, a model character himself. He was to act as prophet and judge among God’s people, leading them towards repentance and providing them with counsel over spiritual and civil affairs. On many accounts, Samuel was touted an impartial judge, arbitrating fairly among God’s people, listening day in and day out to their myriad disputes, and turning them away from their evil ways.

Samuel’s call to service is one we could find some fascination in. He was sleeping in church – an act others would look disapprovingly upon; but the way he was called repeatedly by the Lord nevertheless tells us that the circumstance we find ourselves in when we are called does not matter so much as the purpose for why we are called – and the purpose for which we are beckoned into service is a piece of knowledge only God holds in full. Although appreciated when known, what matters is that we are called, and what we actually do about our calling. John the Baptist and Samuel were model characters of this calling set into proper motion.

To align our bodies with the purpose they were intended for, that is, to run abreast with Christ’s mission, lends us to a life in unity with the Lord and His community – the Church. In today’s Second Reading, not to fornicate is [only] an example of how to preserve the sanctity of our bodies. Anything we do that maintains our body’s honor is homage to the rightful state in which God wants us to treat our bodies – as His very temples or tabernacles; and in so far as we live in consonance with the community around us, being social creatures that we are, the good we do to ourselves is generosity extended to our brothers and sisters.

As we assess our whereabouts for the day, a question we could ask ourselves – one simple enough that we can take with us conveniently would be: “how Christlike have I lived my life today?” Or as we go through the day when we are right in the middle of everything, a variation of this would be the more popular: “what would Jesus do?” In all these, may the Holy Spirit be our ever-living Counsel.

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for giving us good examples to emulate for the conduct of our personal lives.

As we go through each day, may we pattern our lives after Your shining example; and in all the times we fall short of Your golden standard, please give us the grace of forgiveness for the shortcomings with which we have no way else than to make peace, or the grace to persist for those with You we can amend. Please give us the wisdom to know the difference.

These, we ask, in Jesus’ most holy Name, Amen.