Crossroads

    

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

25 August 2024

 

First Reading: Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Second Reading: Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32

Gospel: Jn 6:60-69

 

Reflection

By: Theresa B. Manio

 

There may be times where we find ourselves lost in following God’s will, moments when we doubt God’s providential plan, times when we become so unfaithful to Him, moments we feel so alone and fail to recognize God’s presence in our life. The Gospel we have today is a promise of Christ's deeper commitment and faithfulness to us. Jesus has become one of us so that we become like Him.

Jesus is asking us, “Do you also want to leave?” Do you want to quit? Humans that we are, sometimes our faith is also challenged by the problems that we have. Some of us fall short of our personal needs, wants, biases and whims. We also have our defense mechanisms in place.

When we encounter people or situations which are different to our tastes and personal views, we tend to reject them outright without first trying to understand. Today’s Gospel invites us to remain faithful to the Eucharist even when we don’t fully understand the mystery of it. When we take it, Jesus lives in us, thus, we have to try to be like Jesus to the people who judge and hurt us, stay to be kind and respectful no matter our differences in views and ideas, and be with the people who need most of our help and assistance. 

Our regular attendance in the Mass and having a genuine quality time in worshiping, praying, and receiving Jesus' body and blood, really makes a difference in making our heart so strong like Christ’s, able to trust God, and live with the Holy Spirit. For when we allow the Holy Spirit to move within us, we will be drawn to our Father through Jesus. May we devote our full presence and attention each time we attend the Mass. 

Jesus has the words of eternal life. If we want to have eternal life, let us listen to Him wholeheartedly without any hesitation. Let us pray then that our Father in heaven grants us a welcoming and faithful heart and that Jesus may become the King in all aspects of our lives.

“Do you also wish to go away?” When Jesus asks us this question, may our answer be like Peter: “To whom shall we go?” May we remain steadfast in our faith and trust in the Lord. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I stand at this crossroads, I seek Your guidance and wisdom. Strengthen my faith and help me trust in Your plan. May Your light lead me, and Your presence give me peace. Grant me the courage to follow Your path, knowing that Your love and faithfulness will see me through.

Amen.

First things first

    

Fourth Sunday of Easter

(World Day of Prayer for Vocations)

30 April 2023

 

First Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 23:1-3a, 3b4, 5, 6

Second Reading: 1 Pt 2:20b-25

Gospel: Jn 10:1-10

 

Reflection

By: Pietro S. Albano

 

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. (Jn 10:9)

A few months ago, a parishioner from our neighbouring parish spoke in our church to invite us to join in their Prayer for Vocations devotion every Sunday afternoon. Prior to his talk, I have been expressing my personal views on the declining vocations to the priesthood in our diocese and in the whole world. I thought, the Church should have done this or that to address such a dilemma. When I heard that talk, I came to realise the first thing that Jesus Himself told His followers: "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). More often than not, I have taken this one simple act for granted.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus identifies Himself as the gate. A gate’s purpose is to protect the sheep from thieves who come “to steal and slaughter and destroy” (Jn 10:10). Reading the rest of the Gospel, Jesus identifies Himself as “the Good Shepherd” who “lays down His life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11). 

As we continue to celebrate the Lord’s victory over sin and death, let us follow His command to pray for more labourers - priests, deacons, and religious sisters and brothers – into the vast harvest, into the enormous flock of sheep.  Doing so, they would be able to gather all sheep and lead them to Jesus where there is salvation. And as we pray, let us also strive to be role models and affirm God’s calling to those who are discerning the priesthood, diaconate, or religious life.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. With you as our Good Shepherd, we shall not want. In Your powerful Name, please touch the hearts of men and women whom You call to Your rich harvest, to Your flock scattered all over the earth. Make them realise Your personal love for them. Give them the understanding, generosity, and courage to discern their service to the Church and follow Your call. Amen.

Constant Discernment

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 30 August 2020
First reading Jeremiah 20:7-9

O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

Second reading                                                          Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Gospel                                                                          Matthew 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you. ” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. ” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.

Reflection

By Bernard M. 

“Purpose” is a very common word today, or at least for me. Some 20 years ago, people didn't seem to be bothered about “finding their purpose in life”. As long as we do good things and have a clear direction of what we want to achieve, we consider it as our purpose. Books and discussions about this have not been popular during those times. Today, there are many advocates about finding purpose in life. Discussions range from “what are your dreams in life?” to “what is the reason that you exist?” Self-help books, talks, inspirational and motivational workshops, and other ways of preaching about purpose have gone in different directions. While these may help some people to live a contented life, there are people who have been following some of these teachings but still seek fulfillment. I can go on doing charity work but if I do this because “it’s a job” or “my friends are doing it” or “I feel a sense of belongingness”,  I won’t find true fulfillment. I can work hard to gain wealth and help the poor but if this is not the will of God, my heart will never find contentment. I believe that finding our purpose is a result of finding life when we completely offer ourselves to God. Like the prophet Jeremiah when he tried to stop himself from including God in what he does in life, we are imprisoned in our own desires to seek our purpose by doing what we love, but forget to include what God has to say.

St. Paul talks about the transformation by the renewing of our minds, and discerning for ourselves what is the will of God. I believe this does not mean that we find fulfillment in life by doing what we love, which is a common theme in some teachings today, but because we should not model what we do on what is common. St. Paul affirmed what Jesus said to His disciples, “Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.” when he urged us to offer ourselves as a dedicated and acceptable living sacrifice. Constant discernment may help us to open our hearts and listen to what God wants us to do.

Jesus rebuked Peter because “he thinks not as God thinks but as human beings do.” Like Peter, if we only believe what we like in Jesus’ words but reject what makes us disagreeable, it’s not Jesus who we believe but ourselves. There are times when we are unconsciously tempted to go our own ways and do what we want because we forget how God thinks. Like the disciples when they only have five loaves and two fish, we feel stuck or trapped not because God wants us to feel this, but because we choose to do things on our own and forget that God is with us. Like the disciples when they felt bothered by the Canaanite woman, we feel burdened by the work that we do because we deny our hearts to feel the compassion and sensitivity to the needs of others. Like Peter who lost his focus on who made him walk on water, we feel that we are sinking because our attention is on what can drown us. We forget to focus on the grace of God which has always been life-giving.

Like St. Augustine says, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.” We lose our life when we do things without God and our hearts will continue to be restless. We find rest and fulfillment, and eventually find our purpose, when we constantly discern what God wants in everything that we do.

Prayer

God Almighty Father. We praise You for all that You are. Your faithful and unconditional love for us will always be greater than the life we seek on our own. Help us to find You in all things as we constantly discern Your wisdom to do Your will. May we find enlightenment in the darkness that we go through every moment when we fall astray. We beg for the grace of rest and true freedom as we continue to desire to dwell in Your heart. In Jesus’ Name we pray, with Mary His mother who also intercedes in our discernment,

AMEN.

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CONSTANT DISCERN

The One

3rd Sunday of Advent
12 December 2010



Come, let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.


First reading Isaiah 35:1-6,10

Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult,
let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,
let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil,
let it rejoice and sing for joy.
The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it,
the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they shall see the glory of the Lord,
the splendour of our God.
Strengthen all weary hands,
steady all trembling knees
and say to all faint hearts,
‘Courage! Do not be afraid.
‘Look, your God is coming,
vengeance is coming,
the retribution of God;
he is coming to save you.’
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
the ears of the deaf unsealed,
then the lame shall leap like a deer
and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy.
They will come to Zion shouting for joy,
everlasting joy on their faces;
joy and gladness will go with them
and sorrow and lament be ended.

Psalm Psalm 145:6-10

Second reading James 5:7-10

Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example, brothers, in submitting with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Gospel Matthew 11:2-11

John in his prison had heard what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?’ Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.’
As the messengers were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says:
Look, I am going to send my messenger before you;
he will prepare your way before you.
‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.’

Reflection
By Pietro S. Albano

December has been the month of weddings in the Philippines. Most couples would prefer this month because, it seems to be a more suitable month than June as the climate is much better and families and friends alike would have more time to reunite (and enjoy it!). Nidz and I tied the knot in December almost eight years ago because of those reasons (and many more!).

Settling down is and should never be taken lightly. That’s why anyone wishing to embrace a vocation such as marriage should really discern if this is the right course of action. (Who said that discernment is only for those aspiring for the priesthood or religious life?)

For those who have been in a relationship and would look forward to marry in the future (ditto those who are thinking of other vocations), there is one nagging question that they have to ask again and again as part of their discernment: Is he/she the one?

A similar question was asked by John the Baptist when He heard news about what was Jesus doing. It wasn’t because he doubted Jesus. John, who ardently exhorted his audience to repent in preparation for the Messiah’s coming, asked the question because, he wanted to be sure that Jesus is “the One”.

Jesus’ reply to John’s question wasn’t a direct “Yes”, but an elaborate response of what the Promised Messiah will do: the blind can see, the lame can walk, etc. Although “the One” that young ladies or gentlemen are looking for won’t be such a wonder worker like Jesus, I think they should still check if indeed the person they yearn for would have Christ-like features (not the likes of those who promise to pick the stars in the sky or pull the moon from its orbit). Here’s a checklist based on what Jesus' reply in this Gospel:

1. Does this person lead us to the light (i.e. Christ/truth) instead of darkness (i.e. vices/despair/evil)?
2. Does this person enable us more to rise up again from our failures and walk in Christ’s way than hinder us from walking in the light?
3. Does this person support us more in living a clean life than pull us down to the ground?
4. Does this person allow us to hear more clearly the truth than lies?
5. Does this person inspire us to live life to the full?

If your answer is “Yes” in all of these, then you are certain that he/she will continue to do so in married life. You are indeed on the right track! If not, “Be patient...Don’t lose heart!” as St James wrote in the Second Reading today. The right one will come soon. There is no rush to leave the SMC (Samahang Malamig ang Christmas) group!

It has been said that John became great because he didn’t settle for anything less. Although noting was written in the Gospels about John’s reaction to Jesus’ reply, I am very sure that he rejoiced that his patient waiting has bore fruit.

Young people aspiring to become husbands and wives soon: follow John’s example of not settling for anything less! Otherwise, your life would be in shambles! That’s not what God has in mind for you!

On a larger scale, as we continuously prepare for the Lord’s coming, let’s not settle for anything less! Didn’t Christ say that apart from Him we can’t do anything?

Prayer
Lord Jesus, Your coming has fulfilled the Father’s promise. May our hearts be always ready and focused to recognize Your presence in our midst. Strengthen us, especially the youth, that we may all discern patiently and choose wisely so as to gain life-long happiness in Your presence. Forgive us for the many times that we have settled for the wrong options. We ask these through the intercession of Mother Mary and of John the Baptist. Amen.


Next week on God-speak
The Dreamer, the Mover