Puso!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

02 September 2018

First reading                                                                   Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Moses said to the people: “So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you.
You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?”

Second reading                                                     James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Gospel                                                                     Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

When the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.)

So these Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Reflection

By  Arthur B. Reyes

I was heartbroken when our national basketball team lost a very close game to China and Korea in the recent Asian games. But I knew that they gave everything they’ve got. We may have disadvantage in size and heft but we obviously have the bigger heart. They say that as long as you pour your heart out to everything you do, you are already a winner! Their battle cry – Puso!

And speaking of “puso”, I remember a story about a man who has a heart attack and is brought to the hospital emergency room. The doctor tells him that he will not live unless he has a heart transplant right away. Another doctor runs into the room and says, "you are a lucky guy, two hearts just became available from the donor. You will get to choose which one you want. One belongs to a politician and the other to a social worker".

The man quickly responds, "the politician's!". The doctor, surprised by the quick answers blurted out - "Wait! Don't you want to know a little about them before you make your decision? The man says, "I already know enough. We all know that social workers are bleeding hearts and the politician's probably never used his. So I'll take the politician's!"

In today’s Gospel (Mk. 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23), Jesus speaks about the importance of the heart. All our words and actions are futile except if they are results of what really is in our hearts! If there is no integrity in what we do, say, or think, we are guilty of hypocrisy. Our Lord sees the heart!

There is no denying that most of us are not heart-driven. One good example is in our job place -we work but we don’t commit. With our friends and at home - we care but we don’t show the love. Most of the time we speak a lot and follow it with hollow actions. In our society many people are money-driven and fame-driven. What people now want is instant power, instant fame, instant success no matter how it is achieved, putting morality and righteousness aside in the process.

We are now living in a world where we do everything just to be beautiful and attractive physically. This is true especially in social media! We hide by the “filters”, our inner beauty covered by smoke. Let us not be deceived. For us, the bottom line is still the heart.

Today is also the first Sunday of the month of September! It is the first Sunday of the “ber” months. Christmas is around the corner. Carols will be on the radio soon or they already are. There is one Filipino song that is immensely popular among us as the message is catchy and compelling! And I want to share the last line of this song - “And may the spirit of Christmas be always in our hearts”.

Prayer

Lord, I come into Your presence now. I give myself to You—body, soul, and spirit. I give my heart to You, in every way—including the broken places in me. I declare Your authority over my heart, for You made my heart and You have redeemed my heart.

Heal our hearts so we may know and love you more. 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.

Compassion and Integrity

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Moses spoke to all the people, saying: “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen. This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God, nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘This was well said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him. Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it. But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.’”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9

Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 7:32-35

Brothers and sisters:

I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.  I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction.

Gospel:  Mark 1:21-28

Then they came to Capernaum, and on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority.  He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Reflection

By Grace B. Madriñan

When we say “authority”, what comes first into your mind? Someone who has power? Someone to be feared? In today’s Gospel, Jesus demonstrated a different kind of authority, something that they did not see in the Pharisees. When Jesus speaks, He drives out demons, He heals the incurable and His words are sharp enough it can expel the egoistic one.

On Pope Francis’ homily during his first Mass in Manila Cathedral, he spoke with so much authority and integrity, it moved me to tears. And to think I was just watching the television. His mere aura as he passes by the streets on his pope mobile was enough to move people to tears. That’s the kind of authority that Jesus wants us to have --the kind that moves people to be blessed and be changed forever; not the kind that brings fear and anxiety.

I believe this kind of authority can only be achieved if we demonstrate compassion and integrity. If we teach someone about simplicity and yet we are living a lavish lifestyle, I doubt if they would even listen to what we say. If we force someone to follow our orders, it would not be fulfilling if we know they only heeded out of fear. It would be good if people are drawn to us and are moved to action because they respect us and trust our good judgment.

Prayer

Father, make us a good example of authority. Further enhance our faith so that we may be able to draw more people closer to You, and not away from You, through our imitation of Your life. Amen.