Christian Humility

 Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

27 February 2022

 

First Reading: SIR 27:4-7

Responsorial Psalm: PS 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

Second Reading: 1 COR 15:54-58

Gospel: LK 6:39-45

 

Reflection

By: Sem. Carlo Alexis R. Malaluan

 

Have you ever heard of the consciousness examen? It is an integral part of the Ignatian Spirituality whereby you will look unto the past experiences of the day, examine each encounter, and recognize God’s presence throughout the day. During the examination, one also comes face-to-face with his own flaws and shortcomings. It is an opportunity to confront oneself in the light of the faith. It requires both honesty and humility.

This Sunday’s Gospel passage offers a concrete example.  Jesus' preaching seems only to be about loving our neighbor:  specifically, a sinful neighbor.  Since the two great commandments of Jesus—to love God fully and to love our neighbor as ourselves—converge in Him, we are not to look down on our sinful brother, but rather to look up at him.

You can only see the woundedness and fragility of the other through the eyes of Christian humility.  Both my brother and I are sinners.  We are equal in this – we both share in this.  But Jesus calls me to serve my brother as if I were serving Jesus Himself. Only if we have the capacity to see through our own wounds, we come to relate to other people’s wounds. If we cannot recognize our own weakness, we remain blind of the plight of others.  For this reason, from my state of sinfulness, I look up at my sinful brother.  From this stance, I may help him remove the splinter from his eye.

There are moments in my life wherein I am overwhelmed with my own share of sinfulness and feebleness. At times, I would deliberately ignore or pretend as if they are not present. When I consulted my Spiritual Director and told him this experience, he consoled me and told me: "That’s exactly what God wants you to experience. How can you imbibe the smell of your sheep if you are not one of them?" It makes more sense now. It is only through looking at our own experiences of darkness can we begin to understand and accompany our brothers and sisters.

This Christian way of looking towards others is not a judgmental act of comparing oneself to them, rather, it is an invitation to grow together in holiness. Jesus invites us to become good trees which bears good fruits. And how should we become good fruit-bearing trees? Jesus calls us to be deeply rooted in him – to go deep into our own dirt of woundedness and brokenness and to allow ourselves to be immersed in God’s transforming mercy and love. The more we go down, the more we produce good fruits. 

Prayer

God, we are Your beloved. Even in our unfinished state, You take delight in what we are and we will become. Help us to claim for our own Your gentle leading in our lives and help us to know that You are always hoping for more for us and from us. Give us the strength and peace of heart to be filled with Your power. Amen.

 

Mahinang Bulong

Thirtieth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
October 25, 2015

“ Christ is the great Healer. “

First Reading: JER 31:7-9

Thus says the LORD:

Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble. For I am a father to Israel, Ephraim is my first-born.

Responsorial Psalm: PS 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

Second Reading: HEB 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters:

Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this , must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him:

You are my son:

This day I have begotten you; just as he says in another place: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel MK 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.  But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."

So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.  Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"  The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."  Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."  Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Reflection:

Nabasa ko noon sa aklat na Trip to Quiapo ng batikang manunulat na si Ricky Lee na tayong lahat ay half blind dahil may mga blinders na nakatakip nang kalahati sa ating mga mata. Tungkol kasi sa pagsusulat ng kuwento para sa pelikula ang aklat kayat pinapatungkulan niya ang mga nagnanais maging manunulat sa pelikula na kailangang tanggalin ang mga blinders upang makakita nang maayos o kung matanggal nga ng manunulat ang blinders ay nakakakita siya ng mga hindi nakikita ng mga karaniwang tao. 

Maaaring bulag nga tayong lahat, tulad ng lalaki sa Ebanghelyo na narinig ang pagdating ni Jesus. Nabulag marahil tayo sa napakaraming pagbabago sa mundo na naglalayo sa atin sa Diyos. Sapagkat gusto naman nating laging masaya sa mundong ibabaw, lagi na lang tayo nahahalina sa pang-akit ng mundo, lalo na sa mga makabagong entertainment na kadalasang bumubulag sa ating mga mata at nagdadala sa atin sa pagkakasala sa kapwa at sa Diyos. 

Kung tayo nga’y bulag, hindi naman tayo bingi kung kaya’t napakahalagang gamitin ang pandinig upang masumpungan nating muli ang Panginoon. Madalas na bumubulong nang mahina sa atin ang Diyos upang makapag-isip tayo ng ating mga hakbangin na magbabalik sa atin sa piling ng Diyos. Ang mahinang bulong na ito ay grasya mula mismo sa Diyos upang punan ang kakulangan natin sa paningin. 

Mapapansin natin na laging napakaraming paraan ng Diyos upang biyayaan tayo. At kapag narinig na natin ang bulong na ito, masigasig tayong nagpaparamdam sa Diyos, kadalasa’y sa pamamagitan ng matapat na pananalangin. Kahit pa nga dumating ang napakaraming balakid o hadlang sa pananalangin, magpapatuloy tayo sa pagtawag sa Kanya dahil dalisay ang ating pananampalataya. 

Hindi naman nagtatagal, mabilis na tumutugon ang Diyos sa ating pagbabalik-loob. Kailangang iwanan na ang anumang bagahe ng buhay, talikdan na ang nakaraan, hubarin na ang balabal ng mga kasalanan, upang agad na muling makaharap ang Diyos. Kapag napanumbalik na ang ating paningin, malinis na ang ating konsiyensiya, pinalakas na tayo ng grasya ng Diyos, saka tayo muling sumusunod sa ating Panginoong Jesus.

Prayer: 

Panginoon, salamat sa patuloy na pakikipag- usap sa amin upang mabuksan Ang aming mga mata at aming makita Ang yong walang wagas na pagmamahal. Nawa'y sa aming pagkakita ay makasunod kami sa Iyong kalooban. Amen.