Why Cause Grief?

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Feb 16
First reading Ecclesiasticus 15:16-21

If you wish, you can keep the commandments,

  to behave faithfully is within your power.

He has set fire and water before you;

  put out your hand to whichever you prefer.

Man has life and death before him;

  whichever a man likes better will be given him.

For vast is the wisdom of the Lord;

  he is almighty and all-seeing.

His eyes are on those who fear him,

  he notes every action of man.

He never commanded anyone to be godless,

  he has given no one permission to sin.

Psalm                                                                            Psalm 118:1-2,4-5,17-18,33-34
Second reading                                                        1 Corinthians 2:6-10

We have a wisdom to offer those who have reached maturity: not a philosophy of our age, it is true, still less of the masters of our age, which are coming to their end. The hidden wisdom of God which we teach in our mysteries is the wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known, or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory; we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.

  These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God.

Gospel                                                                         Matthew 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.

  ‘For I tell you, if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

  ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.

  ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your right hand should cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body go to hell.

  ‘It has also been said: Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. But I say this to you: everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

  ‘Again, you have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’

Reflection by Rosalinda Markell

The relationship between spiritual leaders and followers can sometimes become troubled. Jesus was very aware of this reality which is why in today's Gospel, He challenged His followers to cultivate a virtue deeper than that of the Pharisees and scribes.  It is unfortunate that these Jewish spiritual leaders did not live up to God's and men's expectation of them.  Jesus was quite blunt to call them hypocrites and blind guides. In another chapter of St Matthew's Gospel, He told people to do what these leaders teach them to do, but not what they do (Mt 23:3). 

Until now, we could still hear or even witness scandals caused by spiritual leaders.  Some of us lose heart that we generalize all spiritual leaders to be bad. Maintaining a cooperative spirit is necessary in order to benefit from those who provide spiritual direction to us. Our first response should be prayerful submission: "obey those who rule over you, and be submissive" (Heb 13-17).  For both leaders and followers, an attitude of mutual submission should prevail: "We are to (submit) to one another in fear of God."  (Eph 5:21). Lest leaders abuse such obedience, Jesus emphasized a heart of servant leadership to those who provide us with direction; "most assured by, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor he who is sent greater than He who sent him." (Jn 13:16). 

Let's ask the Holy Spirit to grant healing to those of us who have been hurt by our leaders' impropriety. Let's also pray for a change of heart to those who have caused grief to their flock.

Prayer

Our gracious Father, thank You for the people You have called to lead our Church. Protect them from errors in both words and actions so that they may lead Your people to the truth. May we provide them encouragement and support. Bless too our government, the leaders of our country, that they may be trustworthy instruments in bringing good to society, not war, envy, greediness, and most of all evil. Give them wisdom, an insight beyond the scope of partisan interests. Maintain peace and increase righteousness throughout the land now and for always. This we beg of You, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Tough Job!

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
04 September 2011


Come, let us rejoice in the Lord: let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.


First reading Ezekiel 33:7-9
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name. If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man to renounce his ways and repent, and he does not repent, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life.’

Psalm: Psalm 94:1-2,6-9

Second reading Romans 13:8-10
Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.

Gospel Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said, ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.
‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.
‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’

Reflection
By Gharri Tulabut

Just a few weeks ago, there was this controversial artist who participated in an art exhibit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). His medium was the images of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Crucifix and many other religious symbols which he blasphemed by doing different sort of things such as putting condoms on one, adding a male organ to another, among others. Many, of course, were offended. Me, personally, I could not even find his works artistic. At first, though I also felt offended, I did not bother to care. I was then thinking that he was only trying to get attention and he does not deserve mine. But when even my non-Catholic friends were posting protests against him on Facebook, I became ashamed and sorry for my initial reaction.

Good thing, the Church leaders did not have the same initial response as mine. The Church was ready, as always, to take the necessary actions to rebuke what they think is not according to the will of God, especially something blasphemous or sacrilegious.

Today in the first reading, God tells Prophet Ezekiel that he must warn the people of their wickedness so that they may be saved. If he did not warn them, he will be held responsible for their death. But if he warned them and they refused to listen, Ezekiel will not be responsible.

Tough job for prophets, huh? Maybe that is why prophets were the least tactful people in the world. They will tell you in your face if what you are doing is not according the will of God. According to this book I read a long time ago, “tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” True enough, prophets made enemies with the people whose ways they try to reprove or reprimand. The consequences? Well, not only were they abhorred, many of them were put to death. Just look at what happened to St. John the Baptist. Or even what happened to our Lord Jesus.

This is also what’s happening to the Church nowadays. In the example I gave, it just so happen that many, including national artists, also found the artist’s works as distasteful, irresponsible, and disrespectful. That is why the Church was not hit that hard by the public, especially by the netizens (people using the internet). But there were other issues wherein possible consequences are far greater than what those so-called artworks, can bring. Issues such as the RH bill and divorce law where the Church’s stand did not receive popular support.

If you are the Church leaders, what would you do if you see something about to happen that will change the morality of the people and will destroy the Filipino family for good, just like what happened to the nations that embraced these kinds of change? Will you just not care like I first did with the issue of the artworks? Or will you warn about the consequences just like the prophets have done?

Forgive us Lord for failing to defend You at times. Grant us the strength, courage, and wisdom to always stand by You. And Lord, may Your body here on earth be firm in fighting against the disguises of the evil one. And should our efforts be not enough and suffer temporary setbacks, give us the courage and integrity so that we may not fall to the pressure of compromising our values for the sake of what is popularly acceptable to the world. Amen.