Work Mode

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

10 June 2018

First reading                                                                      Genesis 3:9-15, 20
The Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Second reading                                                     2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1

Just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture – “I believed, and so I spoke” – we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Gospel                                                                     Mark 3:20-35

Jesus came to the house with his disciples; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.”

He called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” – for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Reflection

By Bernard M. Borja

I have experienced working in a corporation, with a regular 8 hours, 5 days in a week. When I started, the workload seems light. As I grow in the company, my tasks and responsibilites
increased. There were times that I extended my working hours to finish some tasks. I even
brought home some of it just to meet a deadline.

I was raised well enough to know that having a job is very important. My father taught me to
value a job given. He always said that it is a life mission entrusted to us especially when it's
about working for something more valuable.

My father told me stories about his childhood and how he worked hard to support his own
education. It seems his life mission was entrusted to him early, that he grew up having that
principle of working hard for something valuable. I remember during my childhood, he spent
most of his time going to office for work. He always has the strength to work even on extended hours, and still gives time for us to spend with him on a Sunday. He has always inspired me to work hard for my dreams.

But there were times when he was criticized not only by other people in his work, but also by his relatives. People around him were saying that he's working greedily and that his strength is not going to last long. They kept telling him things which can discourage him and bend his
principles. Even us, his family, were trying to convince him to slow down. We were concerned about his health especially when we noticed he is working beyond hours, not being able to give more time for a vacation. But he was determined to go on and keep moving forward. 

I realized that his strength and determination has always been about something he valued most - family. His life mission. One of the greatest things he has been working for all his life.

Jesus worked hard for the Church. He selflessly went beyond His comfort zone especially the time when He went home, but crowds gathered to hear His teachings. People around Him had different concerns and some are just trying to put Him down. Though different from the way the scribes want Jesus to slow down, His family's concern was about Him working beyond what's needed. They asked for Him because they were concerned that He might get physically drained doing His mission (especially when the crowd gathered and it was impossible for Him and His disciples to eat). 

Hard work is what God has been doing ever since the beginning. And He does this, maybe even beyond what is needed, for our greater good. As we are created in His likeness, we too, have inherited this. Being in work mode almost all the time seems easier when we do it for something more valuable especially for our loved ones.

Prayer

Dear Father,
Thank you for giving Your all for us to live life in full. We ask forgiveness for the times we do not value the blessings You have for us. May we learn to value our life mission and do it lovingly for the greater good. Send us Your Spirit and ignite our hearts to work hard and spread Your great love to others. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Tempted

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. "And you shall make response before the LORD your God, `A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. Then we cried to the LORD the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O LORD, hast given me.' And you shall set it down before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God;

Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15

Second Reading: Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone." And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours."

And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'" And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" And Jesus answered him, "It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

“You know the reason why you have not found a man for yourself? It’s because you are spending too much time inside the church!”


A friend of mine once told me this straight to my face. I was caught off-guard, and for a second, I did not know how to respond. At first minute, I thought maybe he is right. But at the second minute, I knew he is wrong. So I responded, “How can my service to the church be a hindrance to my love life? Most probably, it could be very well that my close proximity to the church has saved me from meeting the wrong kind of man.”

I sort of distanced from this friend after that. This happened more than a year ago at the time when I was travelling alone in a foreign country. Being a single in a foreign country, some people would expect me to ‘mingle’, including this friend of mine. I did socialize, I go out and meet new friends and enjoy good conversations. I do admit that there are times when I thought of going beyond what my moral values dictate. Just to go with the flow, so they say.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus secluded Himself for forty days in the desert and was tempted. At first, I wondered why Jesus had to undergo such ordeal. We all know that Jesus will definitely pass with flying colors. Besides, He is God! But I realized later on, that aside from the need to experience it all in order to prepare Him for the great task ahead, He is also showing to us a model of how to face and win over temptations.

Like Jesus, I myself have my own taste of temptations. Maybe not as extensive as what Jesus had to go through, but I felt every inch of spiritual struggle. I do not regret having to experience such because it made me learn more about myself, my weaknesses as well as the grace that is bestowed upon me in these times of trouble. I learned that as much as there are temptations lurking around to snatch me, God supplied me with all the necessary resources to overcome the like. During that same time, I met new friends who happens to be Christians. They have kept me company through the rest of my stay. Not only did I have my moral values intact but they enriched my spirituality as well. Truly, it is a showcase of God’s protection over me.

Prayer

Father, danger is ever present in our everyday life. But we need only know how to tap into Your grace and Your protection is ever present, carrying us to safety. Amen.