Restorer

    

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

30 June 2024

 

First Reading: Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

Second Reading: 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15

Gospel: Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43

 

Reflection

By: Pietro S. Albano

 

During the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in our parish church on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, there was a white cloth placed on the altar from the monstrance down to the steps of the sanctuary. Before bringing the Blessed Sacrament back into the tabernacle, the leader invited us to approach the altar and touch the cloth while gazing at the Blessed Sacrament. It was a powerful experience kneeling together with my family on the steps of the sanctuary. Touching the cloth “connected” us with our Eucharistic Lord. 

Such experience gave us a glimpse of what the woman in today’s Gospel experienced when she touched Jesus’ clothes. A healing experience! “If things created are so full of loveliness, how resplendent with beauty must be the One who made them”, St. Anthony of Padua once said. However, this state of loveliness became obscured “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world” (Ws 2:24). Sickness and death, then and now, show us the effect of sin. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 6:23). Restoring humanity to God’s image (Gn 1:27) cannot be done by any creature though. Only Jesus, who is both God and man, can do it. In fact, He has already achieved it.

“Dying, you destroyed our death. Rising, you restored our life”, goes an old version when we proclaim the mystery of our faith after Consecration. We can experience Jesus’ restorative action through the sacraments. As sinners, we need healing through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. Reconciled and healed, we need nourishment through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. St. John Bosco once said, “The devil is deadly afraid of fervent Communions and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.” How often have we received the sacraments? When was the last time we spent moments adoring our Lord in the tabernacle? Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle, which we can only win if Jesus is on our side. Remember, “Though he (Christ) was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we praise You for You have rescued us. Through our frequent reception of the sacraments, especially receiving Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion, and our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, may we conquer the enemy so that we may share in Your glory. Amen.

    

First Sunday of Lent

26 February 2023

 

First Reading: Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7

Responsorial Psalm: PS 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17

Second Reading: Rom 5:12, 17-19

Gospel: Mt 4:1-11

 

Reflection

By: Benj Santiago

 

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil...One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. The first reading reminds me of the "original sin" the sin committed by Adam and Eve at the garden in Eden. Eve was tricked by the serpent to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. In the Gospel reading, Jesus went through three temptations. First one was again about satisfying hunger. But unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus did not fail into the temptation of the devil. Jesus was able to rebuke the devil by the power of "what was written" or the WORD OF GOD.

Every day of our lives is filled with temptations to be tricked by the devil to do something that is not according to HIS Words. Temptations to be concerned with material possession, wealth, power, and prestige for selfish motives. We are surrounded by people who are obsessed with wealth, position, and power that influences and tempts us to do the same. As we begin our Lenten Season this year, I pray that like Jesus who possesses all the power and glory as the Son of God; we won't be tempted to love money or material wealth, to usurp our position and power for personal gains. But instead we use our wealth and power for service of others and to worship the Lord!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we praise and glorify You. We give You thanks for all the provisions You have given us. We pray that as we enter the Lenten Season that we fast, abstain, and pray like Jesus. Amen.

HALT before you Act

 First Sunday of Lent

06 March 2022

 

First Reading: DT 26:4-10

Responsorial Psalm: PS 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

Second Reading: ROM 10:8-13

Gospel: LK 4:1-13

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo M. Gonzales

 

Have you ever had a hard time when in only an instant, you utter some words you can ever get back? When we are visibly typing a paper we have been working to finish and we see a friend approach us with a glass of coffee placed insecurely in hand, there could be a jolt on us to say, "Don't come any nearer, you'd spill that coffee on my laptop!" The instant surge of energy could make it just as easy to deliver the rest of the piece: "You are always like this. How many times do I have to tell you not to do this over and over again?!" In our mind, we are only being reasonable. The friend has really spilled coffee on our laptop at least two times last month, and it is not at all bad to tell others what to avoid doing; but we soon wonder why our friend has been noticeably coming over less frequently. Days turn to months until we do not see them coming over anymore. There was nothing else that happened before or after the encounter that we could trace to this change in behavior, so we reckon, it must have been our sharp admonition that made our friend wary of being with us again. This exchange can happen in different forms at varying levels in many places: in school, in the workplace, or even at our dining tables.

There is great temptation to let others know what wrong things they do, and a greater temptation to hold back when what we are to deliver would make a lasting impact. When we are at the receiving end, it could take just as much energy to snap back, regardless of whether we are guilty of the charge or not. As it is, temptation can be tricky to deal with. It only needs to find a host in our agitation to be properly put into damaging action.

The story of Christ's temptation gives us something comparable. The temptation Jesus weathered could have been so compelling to let Him give in. After all, He was hungry. Forty days – a month and ten days over – is not a short time to abstain from eating. If we could only remember how much we become irate after a day with no proper meal, not even cheat-eats in between, we would understand how convincing the devil could have been. The hungry Jesus could have been mentally tired on top of this; imagine – over a month's worth of deep reflection. Furthermore, with a sudden entity making entry, with charges that could have made Jesus restate His place as the Son of God, it was all the more impressive how Jesus held His own and not let the devil's leading dictate His demeanor. The devil knew scripture, but more so did He –fully, and in proper context.

As troubled creatures we truly are, we are not deprived of the chance to be led to a better moral stature. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus, made human, was like us in many things: "tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin."  Jesus gives us a stellar Example of how to properly deal with temptation. He knows our human weaknesses – the gaps we have between who we are and what we strive to become – and how would He not know any better? The first part of the same verse would say: "we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses." In this, we have confidence that we can come to a Father who states primarily how we should conduct ourselves in a context with others, but nevertheless understands the failings that bar us from its perfect delivery. We can make our earnest efforts to be exemplary Christians to each other, and in prayer and genuine intiimate confession with the Lord, recount candidly what it is that hinders us from properly handling temptation. The forgiveness and the providence of the Father could make us better Christians in each progression so we can make "perfection" more a stage of refinement instead of a constant state by which our accomplishment, though worldly impossible, would leave us no room anymore to grow. Furthermore, this constant state is so far from human character that in each failed attempt, it could discourage us into despondency – the dispirited feeling not to perform any good anymore because we just can't... we just can't be "perfect" in this world. The relationship we have with temptation, particularly the negativity so readily ascribed to it would be attenuated by the teachings of the Church that say: it is not temptation itself that makes us sin, but our conscious decisions to succumb to it. May we come to Jesus in hopes that we can handle temptation better and become better Christians to each other as we refine ourselves always in His instruction and help, even to the people outside of our faith. After all, as the first reading for today would point out "there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon Him" (Deuteronomy 26:4-10).

As a last note, a contemporary tool we have learned from our training, courtesy of the Emmaus Center for Psycho-spiritual Formation, could help us better hold our tongues before dealing others a fatal blow. We should halt when we are HALT (hungry, angry, lusting, or tired). When any of these feelings makes us sensitive to even slight disturbances, it is best to first acknowledge that we are in such state so we can distance ourselves from damaging others or maneuver the negative energy into a positive or non-damaging expression. In the end, it is not so bad to tell others where we could change, and there is only so much coffee our laptops could take but always deliver in a tone, spirit, message, and degree that we, ourselves, would appreciate; in a space and time that would not devalue anyone's dignity. The potentiality to maintain friendship in good faith outweighs the vindication to always keep right but let others fall way, but should there be prompting to put our foot down in a situation and properly admonish, always discern if there is need to confront and to what extent, and maintain instruction from the right loving and humble Spirit of God, so that if others misunderstand us no matter our positive delivery, we can ascertain that we come from the right place. On our part, this is sternly not an invitation to militantly keep right in areas that necessitate to aggression, as a scrupulous mind can do that more than a truly moral and spiritual disposition. This is only consolation in times when we must rebuke others and they unattributed our positive intentions. Overall, it is harmony with the Christian spirit to commune with all, and to strengthen conviction when there is need: in standing with the Lord, in standing for truth, and in standing for the values of a higher level than withstanding a norm that disadvantages the last, the least, and the lost. In discerning everything, it is the Lord who knows. It is Him we must ask always for proper direction.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for being our good Father and for all the graces You give us. Please still our hearts in moments of temptation and make iron of our wills to overcome them; but in moments when we cannot withstand them still, we would like to request You forgive us and reconcile us to You again, that in each time You admit us back into Your love, we would be energized in living Christlike lives again. These we ask in Jesus' Most Holy Name, Amen.

 

Resist Temptations Like Jesus

First Sunday of Lent

21 February 2021 

 

First Reading:  GN 9:8-15

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

Second Reading:  1 PT 3:18-22

Gospel:  MK 1:12-15

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo M. Gonzales

 

Clear today in the Gospel is how, though God and Human, Jesus was tempted no less than by the enemy. As Matthew 4:1-11 recounts elaborately, the scene first takes place in a desert—a barren land. Jesus was hungry after fasting for forty days and nights, so the enemy thought that it was perfect recipe for disaster. He showed himself to the Lord and said: "If You are the Son of Man, command that these stones turn into loaves of bread."  But Jesus unperturbed, responded: "It is written: one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." And so passed the first temptation.

 

The story was much the same for the second and the third temptations. In the second, on top of a synagogue, the devil goaded Jesus to throw Himself down, for the angels of the Father would surely come to His protection "lest He dash His foot against a stone." Jesus said back: "Again it is written, you shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."

 

In the third temptation, the devil took his brazenness to the brim. Looking down a mountaintop, gazing at the magnificent properties sprawled across the land, he told Jesus to swear allegiance to him instead of the Father. Jesus, with character confidence, retorted: "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve."  The devil left Jesus, convinced finally that our Lord cannot be moved the other way.

 

Such is the obstinacy of sin: it is not content with us, humans. It insists on spreading its teasing—its temptations—even in the face of our Lord in His humanity; but the marvel is how unlike us, Jesus did not waver.

 

Daily tussles with life would prod us over and over to succumb. Struggles of varying degrees would compel us to relinquish integrity: to sin as if deplorably, so inevitably, to live. So is the dark side of human nature: in its limitlessness, it looks to circumventing rules in its exhaustion of ways to subsist—to barely live, more so with uprightness.

 

This is no condonement to sin when one gives in to temptation, but it is not like we have a God who does not understand. He took on human form here on earth. He occupied the same flesh as we did, and was subject to the same fleshly limitations. He knows what we are—who we are, and how far down we can fall in desolation. But though subjected to temptation just the same, unlike us, Jesus did not sin. We can only hope to be like Jesus through the persistent struggle to be good, but in that endeavor, we are not fallible. So let us take to Jesus to help us in our ordeal and to forgive in times of need, "for we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way just as we are—yet He did not sin."  (Hebrews 4:15)

 

As if the temptation stopped with the third, the Gospel today provides us with an apparent fourth that also could have urged Jesus to surrender. John was apprehended by the officials, and this could have been cause enough scare to flee and desist from spreading the Gospel; but similar to the first, second, and third temptations, Jesus was unswerving to the devil's machinations. He continued His evangelization of the Gospel. "This  is the time of  fulfillment," Jesus said. "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel." (Mark 1:15)

Prayer

 

Jesus, amid temptation, please help us to become like You, unbending as much as possible. In the times when we fall, please extend us Your forgiveness and restoration. Please help us to turn down sin and its temptations. Please help us spread Your word, our ultimate Mission. In Your Most Holy Name, o Jesus, Amen.

 

 

 

Desert

First Reading: GN 2:7-9; 3:1-7

The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground  and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,  and so man became a living being.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow  that were delightful to look at and good for food,  with the tree of life in the middle of the garden  and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made.

The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" The woman answered the serpent:  "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;  it is only about the fruit of the tree  in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"

But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil." The woman saw that the tree was good for food,  pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it;  and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,  and he ate it.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked;  so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Responsorial Psalm: PS 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17

Second Reading: ROM 5:12-19

Brothers and sisters:

Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned— for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,  though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,  who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died,  how much more did the grace of God  and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ  overflow for the many. And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned.

For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one,  how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification  come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,  so, through the obedience of the one,  the many will be made righteous the many will be made righteous.

Verse Before The Gospel MT 4:4B

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel: MT 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." He said in reply,

"It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.

For it is written:

He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test." Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you,  if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan!

It is written:

The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve."

Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Reflection 
By Grace B Madrinan

 “At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil..” – Matthew 4:1

In today’s Gospel, Jesus was “led” to the desert. He was led to a setting away from convenience, separated from the crowd.  Jesus was really brought to a situation where any man would certainly fail.  Imagine a man in the middle of nowhere, exposed to hunger and thirst, exposed to every kind of danger under the scorching heat of the sun, or even cold during the night.  But Jesus is no ordinary man. He is the Son of God, so He passed the test in flying colors despite desperate efforts of the devil.

Ironically in today’s world, we are experiencing the same temptations. But no, we are no longer led to the “desert” like it used to.  We do not need to be separated from the crowd; we are already isolated even in the midst of the crowd. The devil did not even have to offer us anything or be creative with his tactics to lure us. He went unnoticed in what seemingly harmless social media.

If we are not careful, some content in social media can condition our minds into believing that some behavior are acceptable or “cool”. We are made to think that pursuing what is convenient is not a sign of selfishness but love for self.

Unlike the temptations in Jesus’ time, the temptation of our times did not come as obvious as offer for wealth or power.  It comes in a form of little things that seems negligible. Like telling your boss you are sick just so you can go for an extended weekend on the beach, or bribing the traffic enforcer so you can get to the office on time. We failed on small temptations, how much more then if we are faced with bigger ones?


“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” – Luke 16:10

Prayer

Father, there are too many distractions that keep us from Your love. May we be able to decipher the lure of this world in order to surpass all temptations. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Anger Management 101

First Sunday of Lent13 March 2011
Come, today, and listen to his voice: do not harden your hearts.

First reading Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7
The Lord God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being.
The Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. The Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.
Now the serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.” ‘ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 50:3-6,12-14,17

Second reading Romans 5:12-19
Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.
Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Gospel Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says:
Man does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:
He will put you in his angels’ charge,
and they will support you on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:
You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says:
You must worship the Lord your God,
and serve him alone.’
Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

Reflection
By Pam Manzano

I worked in several call centers here in the Philippines while I am on LOA in college. As we all know, working as an agent in BPO companies require extensive trainings not just in product knowledge but in working social and emotional skills as well. Of all the fancy trainings and sessions I have attended, one that really caught my attention was the one given by our HR manager in the last call center I have worked with.

Anger is an easy escape in an agent’s life. Calls easily come and go but the stress and intolerance in each of the calls are escalating. At the end of the day, an agent is affected, in one way or another, if he does not know how to manage stress and let go of each calls as easily as they have to.

The talk given to us is entitled Anger Management 101. We, the agents, were given scenarios and asked to respond to each one as we would if it is an actual call. As I have said above, anger is inevitable especially if the caller is irate and is hitting us below the belt, or so we thought. We responded in a way that a normal person would respond if ridiculed or “mis-calculated”. We were not surprised of how we reacted because for us, it is just normal. What we were actually looking forward to was how the HR manager himself would react and give feedbacks regarding our answers.

“Do you want to know what is an easy way to manage your anger and live a life full of happiness?”, the manager asked. Of course we all do! What surprises us is his answer: “Then just don’t get angry”. He said it will make all the difference; and he got us right there.

Jesus was tested and tempted three times in the Gospel and never once did He succumb to any of those three. Power, pride, and glory wer offered to Him by the devil but Jesus stood firm in His faith in the Father and fixed His eyes on the mission He has been given. In the end, the devil lost the battle and flew away from Jesus. The Jesus we saw in the Gospel was totally human, with His hunger and fatigue, He can be easily tempted by the devil but showed that He could resist sin and eventually triumph over death.

When things go the way we do not want it to, just don’t get angry. When we are tempted to do things we know is not right, just don’t give in. We have been given the law, we should live with it. We have the power to resist temptation and worldly desires and we have the right to exercise that power.

Putting an end to this week’s God-speak article, a challenge was given to us by the Gospel: Will you resist temptation and live forever with God or will you not?

Father, as we enter the season of lent, let Your words and wisdom be our guide. Fix our eyes on You that we may not be blinded by this world’s riches, Amen.



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