Reflection:

Holy Week which is an important event for us Catholics brings to a close the period of sacrifice and self-denial that was the underlying theme of the Season of Lent. Beginning on Palm Sunday, our focus shifts to the passion of Jesus Christ and his Resurrection.

Some may ask why we continue to commemorate Holy Week, and the usual response is that it reminds us of the sacrifice and suffering that Jesus Christ endured to save us and restore us to the image and likeness of God. Those who made a vow to spend the entire paschal event – from the Ash Wednesday to the Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and the 50 days of Easter – in deep reflection will find that their lives are changed forever because there is now a deeper appreciation of what Christ went through for love of us. The feeling that we are special reaches its crescendo during the Easter Triduum because it provides us with the opportunity to understand what it is to be a Christian.

 Holy Week is a time for us to clear our minds of unnecessary worries and concerns, and fix our gaze, our minds and our hearts on what Jesus has done for us. We must feel the weight of the cross so that we may be lifted up with him in glory.

First Week: Love and Betrayal (Mk 14:1-15, 47)

For the Jews, the Feast of Passover is a highly anticipated event commemorating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It was also a popular belief among the Jews that the promised Messiah would come during the Passover. And the religious leaders were plotting to arrest Jesus when he comes for the Passover Feast.

The Gospel for this Palm Sunday is a beautiful narrative of two contrasting scenarios. On one hand there was the love of Mary (the sister of Martha and Lazarus) for Jesus whom she anointed with the most precious ointment used only for burial purposes. Juxtaposed against this is the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, one of his 12 Apostles. Mary’s action is motivated by love; she had taken the most precious thing she had and poured it out on Jesus’ feet. Mark the Evangelist draws the contrast between this love and the treacherous act of Judas.

While Jesus knew what would befall him, still it must have been painful to be betrayed by someone so close to him. But just as God can use any individual as his instrument, so too, can Satan, his arch-enemy and our adversary, use people to carry out his purpose. We can either be instruments for good and servants of God, or instruments of evil, and servants of Satan. The choice is ours. Are we, like Judas, to allow greed and selfishness to rule our hearts, or would we rather bask in the extravagant love and mercy of God?

The same passage demonstrates yet another contrast. Judas and the other disciples view Mary’s action as a waste of an expensive and rare ointment (vv.4-9), Jesus saw it as a form of worship. The disciples failed to see that the anointing of the feet of Jesus by Mary was a foreshadowing of his death, and the first step in preparing His body for the grave.

This scenario raises the question – how do we honor our Lord? Do we faithfully give tithes and love offerings? Do we make use of our time, talent and treasure to serve him even when it is inconvenient for us? What act of worship do we give to Jesus while we still have the opportunity? Jesus Himself gives us a clue when he credited Mary for “doing a beautiful thing to me” (v.6). In other words, genuine humble service is what pleases the Lord.

Second Week: Promise Fulfilled (Jn 20:1-9)

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the most amazing news the world has ever heard. That Mary Magdalene, Peter and John found an empty tomb could only mean that Jesus had risen from the dead, and was indeed the Son of God. For us, it means that Jesus Christ is alive today, and through the gift of the Holy Spirit working in us, we can be touched by His life and power so that we may come to know him (Jn 17:33), love him (Matt 22:37), serve him (Jn 12:26) and be happy with him through all eternity (Jn 16:22) .

The resurrection of Jesus holds the key to Christian faith. Why? Because it is the fulfillment of his promise. And there are at least four major pieces of evidence to support that Jesus indeed rose from the dead. (1) Jesus died and this could not be denied (Jn 19:33). (2) There was no way anyone could have gone past the guards at the entrance to the tomb, but it was found empty by Mary Magdalene, Peter and John. Jesus could not have rolled the stone from the inside and the linen cloth used to wrap his body lay as if he had simply passed through them (vv.5-9). (3) Jesus appeared to many witnesses after his death. Mary Magdalene saw him (vv.11-18). He appeared before his disciples (vv. 19-20). He appeared to Thomas (Mk 16:14) and to seven disciples in the Sea of Galilee (Jn 21: 1-25). (4) The countless numbers of people, including atheists, who have encountered Him and who have been transformed from their unbelief, skepticism, doubt and indifference to faith in Him. What, but meeting the living Jesus, could have changed them?

Jesus is as alive now as he was on that first Easter morning, and He continues to invite people to know him, to love him, to serve him, for it is only in him can we find true joy.

Third Week: Equipped and Empowered (Jn 20: 19-31)

Aware of the difficulty his Apostles may have in understanding the truth about him, Jesus revealed the glory of his resurrection to them gradually, over a period of time. Even after they had seen the empty tomb and heard reports of Jesus’ appearance to the women, they remained weak in faith. One, Thomas, even refused to believe until he could personally touch his pierced hands and side.

Jesus brought them peace, the kind that reconciles and makes sinners friends of God. Jesus did something else which only love and trust can do. He commissioned his weak and timid apostles to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This sending out of the Apostles parallels the sending out of Jesus himself, by his Father. Jesus fulfilled his mission through his perfect love and obedience to the will of the Father. He called his disciples to spread the gospel, and he is calling us to do the same.

Just as he gave his first disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit (v.22), he also breathes on each of us the same Holy Spirit who equips us with new life, power, joy, and the courage to live each day as followers of the Risen Lord. While some require signs to come to belief, Jesus says they are blessed who believe without seeing (v.29). The same Jesus who equipped and empowered the Apostles and first disciples also empowers us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20).

Fourth Week: The Vision Revealed (Lk 24: 35-48)

What comes as concrete proof that Jesus indeed resurrected, is the fact that he appeared before his disciples, not as a disembodied ghost without form or substance, but as a glorified body, a person they could touch, eat a meal with, talk with and walk with. His resurrected body wasn’t merely like that of Lazarus who was simply restored to life. He could pass through closed doors and could appear and disappear at will, which can only mean that his resurrected body is immortal.

Jesus spent the next 40 days following his resurrection being physically present to his disciples. He walked with two of them on their way to Emmaus, and showed himself to his disciples in Jerusalem to give them his final instruction, sending on their mission in what is now known as ‘The Great Commission’.

Jesus has shown us the way to overcome sin and despair, and that is by dying to our sinful selves. Just as the first disciples were tasked to bring the Good News of salvation to all the nations, so we, too, are called to be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who live on the face of the earth.

Fifth Week: Power in Self-Sacrifice (Jn 10:11-18)

The Old Testament often speaks of God as shepherd of his people, Israel. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Jesus is also pictured as the shepherd of God’s people: He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms (Isa 40:11). Jesus says he is the Good Shepherd who will risk his life to seek out and save the stray and the lost (Matt 18:12, Lk 15:4). He is the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Pet 2:25).

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus made three promises to his followers. He promised them everlasting life, and if they will accept him and follow him, they will have the life of God in them. Jesus also promised them a life that knows no end. Death would not be the end but the beginning and they would know the glory of an indestructible life. Jesus also gave the assurance of a secure life, promising that nothing could snatch his own from his hand, not sorrow nor death, for he is everlasting life itself, and our lives are safe in his hands.

In this Gospel, Jesus shows us his power to keep us secure in his love Only Jesus has this kind of power and he is now impressing upon us his ability to lay down his life for others (vv.17-18). Today, we are being commanded by Jesus to do the same, to look out not just for own interests, but also for the interest of others (Phil 2:4).

Reflection:

In three weeks time, on February 22, Christians all over the world will observe the beginning of the Lenten season with Ash Wednesday. And how appropriate are the messages of the readings on the 5th Sunday of Ordinary time in preparing us for this very important event in our Christian life and setting the tone for our personal conduct and guiding our spiritual disposition. There are three important factors to consider in making the Lenten season more meaningful to us and for our relationship with the Triune God.

First, we must realize that trials and challenges will continue to face us as we go about our day-to-day activities. And if our mindset has a defeatist attitude, then we become like Job who at the outset could see no ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ when he declared, “When shall I arise?”

Second, this negative mindset keeps us from coming to terms with our community vision and mission, which is to proclaim the Good News of salvation, Jesus Christ. And if and when we do proclaim it, we find our motivation suspect, tinged with pride and arrogance and self-serving, aimed at grabbing the credit for ourselves, failing to realize that it is the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit that enable us to do our mission.

Third, we should realize that our relationship with our God is always based on constant communication with Him. The readings tell us that Jesus always found time to isolate Himself from the crowd or mission work, to go to a deserted place to pray and commune with his Father. If we occasionally find ourselves in unpleasant situations, it is because we are remiss in our prayer life.

Based on the above, what should we be doing in order to free ourselves from the clutches of the evil one?

First and foremost, we really need to establish a regular prayer life and consistent communication with our Triune God and in all things give Him thanks, not only during the Lenten season, but everyday of our lives and through all the liturgical seasons of the year. In so doing, we can accomplish the following… first, we will eradicate the Messianic complex that hinders us from fully grasping the mercy, forgiveness and love that Jesus has shown in His passion, death and resurrection. Indeed, we are reminded that it is not by might or by strength, but by the Spirit of the Lord that we are made into the person He wants us to become.

Likewise, we are to fully commit to ourselves to our covenant with the Lord when we said ‘Yes’ to becoming Committed or Covenanted disciples of the Lord in BLD. We made the promise to faithfully exercise the gifts and fruit of the Spirit given to us and our 8-point Pledge. Likewise, we are to check and recheck where we are in the mission/vision of our Community. We are not to be selective in doing our mission work, as exemplified by Jesus himself when he obeyed the will of the Father, even unto death, recognizing that we are all children of God, and can do all things in Christ Jesus by the power of His Holy Spirit.

That, when all is said and done and we meet our Creator face to face, we may be humble enough to say, ‘Lord, dispose of us as you will, we have done our best!’

Reflection:

As we start the New Year 2012, the word for the month of January – Obeying the Will of God makes us a blessing to others, reminds us who the disciples of Jesus Christ are. They are those who follow the Will of God our Father just as Jesus did, (Jn 5:30). As we obey God’s Will, we will not lack in anything; we will fear no harm; and only goodness and love will pursue us all the days of our life, (Psalm 23). By our obedience to God’s Will, other people will also be blessed when they witness the peace and joy of Christ within us whatever circumstance we are in. They will recognize our generosity by how much we share our time, talent, and treasure with the poor and those around us. Even when we are beset with problems, we are open to help and we ourselves will be compassionate with others who are also undergoing trials in their life. When they are in the midst of suffering, they can approach us to pray with them and for them. Slowly, as they open their hearts to Jesus because of our witnessing, they too will be blessed with the presence of Jesus in their lives.

When we follow God’s Will by being faithful to His Commands in word and in deed, we should continue to share ourselves to others, be a blessing to them, and follow the Order of the Month: “Say to them: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!’” (Nm 6:22-26).

The following Weekly Themes and Promises for the Month of January 2012, then exhort us to follow the ways by which we can be a blessing to others:

Week#1 (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God)

Theme: We are a blessing to others when we are humble and obedient like Mary

Promise: “So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.” (Gal 4: 7)

Week#2 (The Epiphany of the Lord)

Theme: We are a blessing to others when the glory of the Lord shines through us.

Promise: “Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overthrow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought you.” (Is 60:5)

Week #3 (Feast of the Sto. Niño – Phil)

Theme: We are a blessing to others when we care for the ‘little ones’ in our midst.

Promise: “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14)

Week #3 (3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Int’l)

Theme: We are a blessing to others when we heed God’s call to evangelize and testify.

Promise: “God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.” (1 Cor 6: 14)

Week #4 (4th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Theme: We are a blessing to others when we reform our lives and believe in the Good News.

Promise: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mk 1:17)

Week #5 (5th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Theme: We are a blessing to others when we speak God’s word with authority.

Promise: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.” (Dt 18:18)

Amidst the excitement of preparing for Christmas festivities, the season of
Advent reminds us that we have to make preparations for the deeper meaning of what
Christmas is all about, namely God’s presence among his people in the person of Jesus
Christ. Echoed and re‐echoed in the readings is the warning “Be on your guard, stay
awake because you never know when the time will come.” It is a grim reminder that a day
of reckoning lies ahead. To be found wanting and unworthy of the kingdom on that
occasion will be painfully frustrating.

Advent, therefore, is a time to be alert. One is alerted that Christmas is soon at
hand, the birthday of the Savior. He became one of us to bring peace, joy and fellowship,
to make us one family of God. All the preparations during the weeks of Advent are
directed to that happy event, even though many are no longer aware that Christ is the
focal‐point of Christmas. These preparations are meant to renew us in the true spirit of
Christmas, which Christ set before the world in the proclamation of the Good News.
Renewal in Christ, as each succeeding Advent season rolls around, has a further
purpose, namely to keep us alert that this is a passing world, so it is futile to attach
ourselves too strongly to it, because the world and everything in it is passing away (1 Jo.
2/17), to be transformed into a new world by the glorious coming of the Savior when He
inaugurates the end‐kingdom. Then all our preparation of the present time will be amply
rewarded and everyone will receive from God the praise he deserves (1 Cor. 4/5). Then
the just will share in the glory of the Risen Christ, when he comes to reward everyone
according to his works.

+ ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO
Archbishop of Jaro &
BLD Spiritual Director
November 29, 2011

From the eschatological liturgical readings of the past several weeks, we now come to a season that is brimming with hope. And from reflections on end times, we now come to a new beginning, a time of joyful preparation that will clear the way for us to enter into a relationship with the Lord.

1st Week
It would also be good to know that there are actually three ways in which our Lord came and made himself manifest to us. First, as the Word made flesh through his birth into an ordinary human family, thus enabling him to dwell among us (Jn 1:14). It is this co-mingling of the divinity of Christ with our humanness that transforms us into supernatural beings. Second, he came to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, a transforming event. Having received power from on high (Acts 1:8), man will never be the same again. In the third and final manifestation, Jesus Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (CCC682).

As the Advent season is also referred to as a “little Lenten season” it presupposes that we are also called to a life of prayer and fasting. CCC522 also tells us that “The coming of God’s Son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed to prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything – all the rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the First Covenant – converge on Christ. . He announces him through the mouths of prophets who succeeded one another in Israel. Moreover, he awakens in the hearts of pagans a dim expectation of this coming.”

2nd Week – Prepare the Way of the Lord
The preparation begins with Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, from whose womb John the Baptist will come to announce the coming of the Messiah to the world. Scriptures tell us that John the Baptist’s life was committed to one burning mission – to point others to Jesus Christ and to the coming kingdom.

Like Jesus who emerged victorious and with great wisdom from the temptation in the dessert, John was likewise tested in the wilderness, but grew in the Word of God and began to call the people of Israel to repentance. Do we, like John, also point others to Christ in the way we live, work, and speak?

We must remember that through John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit began our restoration into the divine likeness of God, prefiguring what would be achieved with and through our Lord Jesus. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance – a turning away from sin to a new way of life based on God’s word. Our baptism of water in Jesus Christ, and baptism in the Spirit results in a new birth and entry into God’s kingdom as his beloved sons and daughters (John 3:5).

Through baptism, Jesus gives us the fire of his Spirit that we may radiate the joy and truth of the gospel to a world in desperate need of God’s light and truth.

3rd Week – Who are we?
“Who are you really?” It was not difficult for John the Baptist to answer this when the authorities posed the question to him. But supposing someone challenges your identity with the same question. How would you answer? There’s an identity crisis in the world today and many are confused. While we can manufacture our identity with an assumed personna, our true nature rests in God who made us in his image and likeness.

John the Baptist had no identity problems. He appeared in the Judean landscape speaking and urging the people to prepare the way for the Lord. He bridges the Old and New Testaments. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets, pointing the way to the Messiah and was the first of the New Testament’s witnesses and martyrs. He is known as the herald who prepared the way for Jesus and who announced his mission to the people: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” John saw from a distance what the Messiah came to accomplish — our redemption from slavery to sin, and our adoption as sons and daughters of the heavenly Father.

Like John, we too must recognize our identity as children of God and citizens of heaven. So too, must we live like John, as a humble and faithful servants of God, pointing others to Jesus, through our example and witness.

4th Week – Be obedient by saying Yes!
Christ’s birth into the human family largely depended on Mary’s response to the announcement of the angel Gabriel. It determined our salvation, and aren’t we glad she did respond positively, in all humility and obedience. It couldn’t have been an easy decision to make, because what the Gabriel told her surpasses all human understanding.

Her question, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” was not prompted by doubt or skepticism, but by wonderment! But Mary was a genuine listener of God’s word and was able to respond with faith and trust. Her “Yes” to the divine message should be the model of faith for all believers. Mary believed God’s promises even when they seemed impossible. She was filled with grace because she trusted that what God said was true and would be fulfilled. She was willing and eager to do God’s will, even if it seemed difficult or costly.

Like Mary, God will also give us the grace to respond with the same willingness, obedience, and heart-felt trust. When God commands us to do something, he also gives us the strength and the means to respond in faith. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. But if we believe in God’s promise of eternal life to those who will believe in him and remain obedient in faith, he will fill us with grace as he did Mary.

It’s Christmas – the King is born!
Why does John the Evangelist begin his gospel with a description of the Word of God? The “Word of God” was a common expression among the Jews. Thus, John presents Jesus as God’s creative, life-giving and light-giving word that has come to earth in human form. Jesus is the wisdom and power of God that created the world and sustains it by assuming a human nature in order to accomplish the promised salvation

Gregory of Nyssa, one of the great early church fathers (330-395 AD) wrote: Sick, our nature demanded to be healed; fallen, to be raised up; dead, to rise again. We had lost the possession of the good; it was necessary for it to be given back to us. Closed in darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Savior; prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it, since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state?

Pope Paul VI says in his encyclical Gaudium et Spes: “The Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. The Son of God …worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin.”

Indeed, if we are going to behold the glory of God we can only do it through Jesus Christ. Jesus became the partaker of our humanity so we could be partakers of his divinity (2 Peter 1:4). God’s purpose for us, even from the beginning of his creation, is that we would be fully united with him. By our being united in Jesus, God becomes our Father and we become his sons and daughters. Indeed, we should be grateful to our Father for sending his only begotten Son to redeem us and to share in his glory.

Psalm 23:1-3, 5, 6 November 20, 2011

1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

Matthew 25:31-46

Word: Christ’s disciples stay awake and are vigilant for the Lord’s second coming

Theme: We stay awake and are vigilant for the Lord’s second coming when we respond to the needs of the poor.

Promise: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Mt 25:34)

There are two words in this Gospel passage that we must all try to understand because these are the only two choices we have. It would also be good to pull out from your book shelf your Thesaurus to be able to comprehend what these choices are.

One is punishment which is associated with chastisement, retribution, torture, suffer, beating, flogging, scourging, and judgment referring to providential punishment. The other is the term righteous which refers to those who are virtuous and godly. Those who are virtuous act with moral rectitude, saintliness, godliness, right-minded. They can also be described as good persons, respectable, pillar of the church and society. Godly persons are those possessing purity of heart, spiritual-minded, good-natured, and unworldly.

 It is important for us to know these so that we may know why we need to stay awake and remain vigilant to prepare for the Lord’s second coming. We need to be alert so we can be clothed with the righteousness that God requires so we can avoid the punishment that awaits those whom God will place on his left.

I look at life as an educational system that we all need to go through and there are preliminary exams we have to face (trials, challenges, frustrations, persecution, loss of jobs) and, the mid-term exams (sickness, loss of loved ones, failed relationships, spiritual dryness, indiscretions, among others), and I know that there is a final exam that we need to hurdle and it is not as easy as it may seem to be. The good thing with this final exam that will determine how we will be graded by Our Lord is that we already know what are in the questionnaire and we also know that we will pass this final exam by simply doing what are being asked of us. Granting that we may have missed these opportunities, Our Lord who is the final arbiter provides us with the time we need to reorient our priorities in life and align it with the terms specified in our final exams.

This final exams has only six questions and these are: 1) Did you feed me when I was hungry? (2) Did you give me a drink when I was thirsty? (3) Did you welcome me when I appeared as a stranger? (4) Did you give me clothing when I had nothing to wear? (5) Did you take care of me when I was sick? And, (6) Did you visit me when I was in prison? What is amazing with this exam is that we can bring home the questionnaire and ponder on it and Our Lord Himself requires that we be honest with our responses.

On the other hand, granting that we come up short of the answers required in the questionnaire, Our Lord Jesus out of the generosity of his heart still gives us the opportunity to work on it so that when he comes we will have completed the conditions he requires.

This Gospel passage should ring clear in our ears in that there is no doubt there is a day of judgment when we will be classified either as goats or as sheep. The Lord used this example and this may have shocked his listeners because to the Jews any referral to goats represent evil and Our Lord will judge us not only for the wrong we have done but even for the things we failed to do. In reading this parable, it would be good for us to again read the previous parables on the wedding feast, soil, sower, vineyard workers, and talents among others, because these will show that there is indeed a time when we will be judged and made to atone for how well we lived our lives in accordance with the two greatest commandments that Our Lord had specified – love of God and love of neighbor.

There shouldn’t be any doubt that we will be judged when the time comes. The only variable that still isn’t clear is whether we will be made to stand on the right hand of God as sheep and inherit the Kingdom prepared for us or on his left as goats and be left out. But God is merciful and we should be able to take advantage of his love for us that should compel us to address the six scenarios specified in the questionnaire.

These acts that we may also term as corporal acts of mercy are things that we can do everyday and such acts are not dependent on wealth, talent or intelligence as these are actions that we can give for others to receive. These are acts that are exclusive to us and we are responsible for these and should not pass on the responsibility to either the government or the church because the men running these two institutions also have their own set of questionnaire. To see Jesus in our neighbor is not easy because we have our own human biases to contend with. But this parable today requires that we rise about our prejudices and use our spiritual eyes to be able to see Jesus in those around us especially the hungry, thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison.

There is no time to vacillate because we do not know the hour the thief will come. To refuse help to the least of our brothers and sisters will incur for us eternal punishment and there is no doubt about it. But the righteous will go to eternal life and there’s also no doubt about it. (v.46)

Reflection Question Guides:

1. What have you done to prepare yourself for the Last Judgment? Have you helped the poor and the needy – the least, the last and the lost?

2. How do you sustain your corporal works of mercy towards them?

Serendipitously, the Church has associated the end of liturgical year with the month of November – a time to remember the dead and also a good time to examine how well we have done with our own lives. The order for this month is “Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour,” (Mt 25: 13). As Christ’s disciples, we are exhorted to prepare, and to be vigilant for second coming of the Lord.

The Theme for the first week is: We stay awake and are vigilant for the Lord’s second coming when we seek to know and follow God’s will. This week’s parable tells of two types of bridesmaids: the wise and the foolish. The foolish ones are excluded from the wedding feast and remain shut out in the dark. We may consider this an excessively severe punishment, but the parable is not about the last minute rush or dash to catch up, or as in the case of the foolish bridesmaids, a last minute effort to secure extra oil for their lamps, but about how we view the invitation for us to take our place in the kingdom of God. Admission to the banquet of eternal life should not be taken for granted. Christ teaches us through this parable that the day of the Lord may come suddenly, like a thief in the night. And Wisdom 6:12-16, tells us that we should put first things first, making our first priority the pursuit of what matters the most.

In this world of uncertainties only one thing is certain – death. We do not know the day or the hour of this appointment we cannot cancel. Hence we focus on what is important in our life. If we live with no thought about what direction our life is taking, death may catch us unaware with no oil for our spiritual lamp. Are we prepared for the Master’s return? As we advert to death and dying in November, may we come to see that every day is grace – the more time to know Jesus more fully. And when the Lord comes, may our lamps be burning brightly to illuminate Christ, the Bridegroom, and we have sufficient oil to keep the flame burning all the time.

The second week gives us another sobering parable, that of the talents and how three individuals deal with them.. This week’s theme is: “We stay awake and are vigilant for the Lord’s second coming when we make good use of the gifts and talents given us for the glory of God.” This parable is about judgment and accountability. There is a side to us which identifies with the insecurity of the man who is severely punished for his laziness in not wisely using God’s gifts. The gospel is a forthright reminder that the gifts of God are not ours to dispense with as we please. Neither does it suffice to hide them away, leave them unused or allow them to wither. As Christians, we are stewards of whatever gifts we are given, and we are expected to make full use of them for the glory of God, perhaps through the BLD mission. This is a call to be energetic and active in living the gospel.

The first reading from the book of Proverbs extols the gifts of the virtuous wife, not in spectacular deeds but in small, yet meaningful actions like caring for a spouse, managing a home and keeping a family together. It is in making the best of use of the 3 T’s (Time, Talent & Treasure) that we can serve God completely and diligently. When shared with others, these 3 T’s are the way to offer back to the Father what he has given us. Jesus teaches us to live in a fruitful manner because each of us is accountable to God as stewards of his gifts. We pray for the grace to choose well and prepare well for the day we know will inevitably come to us all.

The last week of the month, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, the Good Shepherd of all the earth. The feast brings the church’s year to a close, and with it comes as the reminder that the cycle of our own lives here on earth will also reach its completion. The end of the year is review time and gives us the opportunity to take stock of our lives as individuals and as members of God’s community. This week’s parable of judging the sheep and goats takes on exceptional importance as a metaphor for the final judgement and presents us with choice of being for or against Christ. There is no in between. God is going to judge us on the works of mercy we perform in response to the poor. Our theme for this week is “We stay awake and are vigilant for the Lord’s second coming when we respond to the needs of the poor.”

One thing is certain, there will no excuses on the last day. “Whatever you do to least of these, you are doing to me, what you failed to do for them, you failed to do for me.” These words are both disturbing and comforting because they give us proof of how much we love the Lord.

As the world around us is placed into our hands in trust and stewardship, Christianity lays the burden on us, as in Matthew 25: 35 – 36 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Aside from helping provide such basic necessities as those mentioned above, we, in the Community, are challenged to do even small intangible acts of mercy, including giving words of encouragement, acknowledgement and recognition to the deserving, smiling and greeting the poor to convey to them a sense of warmth and acceptance, and to make them feel valued. Christ, our King and Good Shepherd will become real when we reach out and show our concern for the welfare and dignity of the least of our brethren. Let your heart be your guide in sharing of your time, talents and treasures with those of the less fortunate. When all is said and done, what really matters is your answer to the question: “Have I done enough? Have I been Christ to others?” The answer will tell you the truth about yourself, the depth of your faith, and your eternal destiny.

The month of November is a good time to reflect upon our end, not as gloomy preoccupation with death, but an appreciation of life with a healthy dose of Christian realism. It is also an opportune time to see the areas of possible change and improvement, and the missed chances and opportunities we have to take action now, working with God’s grace for the establishment of his kingdom. This month leads us to Advent – a time to prepare for the coming of Christ.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help us to show your goodness, warmth and kindness to all we meet, so that when we are called to render an account of our lives, we may not be found wanting, but rather pleasing in your sight, having had the grace of obeying your every direction to the fullest possible extent in our life, as we continue to invite you to be the Lord and King of our lives now and forever. Amen.

Reflection:

“Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” This is the last verse from our Gospel reading for the 1st Sunday of October, Year A, otherwise known as the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is clear from the words of Jesus that God expects results from us. He expects us to act on His words and to be faithful and fruitful. It pleases Him the most when we bear fruit, because as we do, we glorify God.

On the other hand, He reserves the severest judgment for those who are unfruitful and are deaf to His words and His calling, like the fig tree in Mt.21:19: “May you never bear fruit again. Immediately the fig tree withered and died.” Israel as a nation lost its privilege because of the people‘s unbelief and unfruitfulness.

Our Community Word for the month of October speaks of fruitfulness as a gauge of our love response to the Lord. He is the landlord who calls us to work in His vineyard, and whose stamp of ownership is upon us, for we are truly His own. As a community of believers, ‘Open in spirit to God,’ we express our allegiance to Him by adhering to our Community Values, Norms and Culture, and by responding in love to the Community Vision and Mission, because BLD is a vineyard, whose cornerstone is Jesus, and we are guided by His Word and inspired by His Holy Spirit.

In community, we find avenues for growth that lead us to fruitfulness. Once a month, our ECSL (Executive Council of Servant Leaders) spends time in prayer, pondering the Word of God, waiting on Him to give to the BLD Community the Word, Order and Direction, Theme and Promise for each week of the month, which serve as the basis of our Corporate Worship and Word Sharing Circles. If we are sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will find these directions to be lampposts guiding our everyday lives. There is no way we cannot bear fruit, individually and as a community, when we look at these as the spoken words of God to us, leading us to know Him more deeply, to see Him more clearly and truly taste the goodness of His love. Philippians 4:9, says, “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” This is our Order for the month, meaning, as a community, BLD is ordered, commanded explicitly by God to persist, persevere, and be faithful in keeping and obeying His word. As servants in His vineyard, we follow the voice of the Master, trusting that as we do, we will reap good fruit.

In the 1st week, there is the call to gratefully surrender to the will of God, act on it, and trust that as we do, His peace will surround us. God knows what is best for us; He sees far beyond what we can see. As we learn to entrust our will to His, we are better able to experience His love and care. As the cornerstone, Jesus leads us to greater understanding of things, allowing us to see more clearly the purpose of our calling, thereby guiding us to make better decisions. Our call is not mere words or a passive mindset but one that requires positive action – “Go and bear fruit that will remain”.

The 2nd week speaks of preparedness. We have been called and for us to stay in community is truly a blessing because we know that Jesus is the cornerstone of BLD. Through the years, following His directions, we have grown to what we are today, from one to 51 districts worldwide, and we continue to grow as His love breaks through to all continents of the world. We are not a perfect community, but God has showed BLD the immensity of His love and faithfulness, as a true Shepherd guarding His flock from the snares that could lead to destruction. In community, we continue to grow in wisdom and learn what joy it is to share the love of God, especially with those who do not know Christ. As we respond to our mission call, we experience all the more the presence of God in our midst. All our longings, all our fears are set aside because of the assurance of His loving presence that strengthens us to do mighty works for Him and His glory. As we pursue the purpose to which we are called, our plans, our wills become synchronized to His, allowing us to decrease as he increases in our lives. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Ph4:13 &19)

From the time of our LSS, the reality of who we are in God’s kingdom has been drilled into our consciousness, and it is reassuring to know that we have an inheritance in Jesus, because we too are God’s children. The 3rd week speaks of this, because it is important for us to know who we are, and to appreciate our identity as children of God, so that we can give our loving Father what is due Him. He is God, the Almighty Father and even though He gives us the freedom to do whatever we plan, ultimately, He is sovereign and it is His will that will be realized and nothing can foil His plans. As we recognize the lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives, we give of ourselves to the work that we do to proclaim His kingdom with hearts full of love and gratitude for what the Lord has done for us. It is for His glory and honor and not ours to claim or assume. All glory belongs to Christ Jesus. It is important that we focus on Him and attribute everything to God, making Jesus the true cornerstone of our hearts. In Him we live, move and have our being. Our community vision tells us that we get our inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and that all our actions, the work that we do as a community, lead us to be transformed continually into the likeness of Christ. That way, we glorify Him in our lives.

The 4th week brings us to the greatest commandment of all – love. Jesus summarized all the 10 commandments given to Moses in the OT into two – Love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself. Our call to proclaim the Good News is actually a call to love. God wants all to be saved and be given the opportunity to experience His love. It is a tall order and a daunting task but Jesus assures us that “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.” Our mission statement defines the many areas where we can carry out this commandment of love. Whenever and however we respond or participate in the mission activities of our community – whether through hospital visitations, prison ministry, at Encounters as sharers, teachers, or shepherds, or at BLD-GK activities, or as tutor or benefactor of the SOH, and in whatever way we serve the Lord in the poorest of the poor – we share in the mission of Christ, work in His vineyard, and become fruitful. Our gifts from the Holy Spirit will be put to good use and surely, His fruit will grow in us too.

Humility is one fruit of the Holy Spirit that is vital in our spiritual growth. The witnessing of our lives should be that of Christ in us and not the self. God deserves all our reverence as we fulfill our mission with integrity and faithfulness. We bring Christ to the poor because He is the answer to all of man’s longings and pain. He is our hope of glory. We share Christ humbly to those in need because we are the people who have received mercy from God’s merciful heart. It is not our own selves we bring. It is Jesus we bring, and the power of God’s love that healed our brokenness. This is what we talk about in the 5th week. Humility is when we do not exalt ourselves. “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever humbles himself will be exalted; whoever exalts himself will be humbled.” (Mt 23:11-12).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “Faith is first of all personal adherence of man to God.” It means we must entrust ourselves wholly to God and believe absolutely in what He says, (CCC150). As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must listen to His word and act on them (Lk 6:47). We are to persevere in our walk with Jesus, remain firmly rooted in Him and established in our faith, and abound in thanksgiving, (Col 2:6-7), for there is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to man by which we are to be saved, except the Name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

And as we follow Jesus and His commandments with unwavering faith, when we cry out to Him,. He will save us from useless anxieties – what to eat, what to drink, what to wear (Mt 6: 33. Jesus will shield us from the storms of life, from our fears and from our sinful inclinations and give us the reward of eternal life. Therefore our Community Word for August reminds us that ‘Jesus saves all who have faith in Him.’

Our Theme for the First week is: We have faith in Jesus when we remain focused on Him. In the first reading, Elijah had defeated the 450 false prophets of Baal and when he prayed for rain, it rained after three years of drought. But he continued to focus on the miracles and failed to remain in communion with God. Similarly, Peter, at a word from Jesus, walked on water, but nearly drowned when he lost focus on Jesus and became distracted by the big waves around him. By wavering, his faith weakened despite having personally witnessed the many miracles that Jesus has performed in his presence. Both Elijah and Peter failed to stay focused on God. We are reminded therefore we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus that we may remain unwavering in faith. The Promise of the Week is: “The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps.” (Ps 85:13-14)

The Theme for the second week is: We have faith in Jesus when we persist in our prayers. The Canaanite woman persisted in appealing to Jesus to heal her daughter, though Jesus did not answer her and even the disciples tried to dissuade her from coming to Him. Because of her persistent faith, Jesus healed her daughter. As disciples of Christ, we have to follow the exhortation of St. Paul to “pray without ceasing…in all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (2 Thess 5: 17-18), for we do not know when and how Jesus will answer our prayers. However, we know in faith that Jesus hears and answers our prayers. The Promise of the Week is: “…Great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you wish.” (Mt. 15:28)

The Theme for the third week is: We have faith in Jesus when we proclaim Him as Son of the Living God. Just as Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Son of the Living God, we too, as disciples of Christ, should be ready to proclaim Him in our witness to what He has done for us in our lives. Then people will be encouraged to know more about Him and to follow Him. The Promise for the week is: “…Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Mt. 16:18)

Finally the Theme for the fourth week is: We have faith in Jesus when we deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Him. As His disciples, we have to allow Jesus to constantly transform us and bring us to new life in the Spirit. By His mercy and grace, we can resist the attractions of the world, die daily to our self-centeredness, and persevere in following Jesus, who will lead us to a fruitful life here on earth and preserve us for eternal life (Jn12:24-25). The Promise for the week is: “…whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 16:24b)

The Sacrifice of the Mass is the sacrificial offering of Christ, offered on the Cross on Calvary but made eternal by virtue of His divinity. He is King, Glorious in Heaven, yet He also remains Priest and Victim–Priest because He offers His one eternal Sacrifice to God the Father forever on our behalf, and Victim because the Sacrifice He offers is No One other than His very Self. This eternal Offering of Himself, begun on Calvary and eternal in Heaven, becomes *present* in reality at *every* Mass, but hidden and invisible.

The infinite power of the Son of God’s divine love, expressed ultimately through His complete sacrifice of His human Body in His Crucifixion, is *made present* at every Mass on earth. Only a sacrifice by God the Son could atone for the Original Sin against God the Father, the Sin which originated all suffering and allowed death into life. Only the Son of God could suffer the pain of every victim of every sin in history; only the Son of God could suffer completely the entire punishment deserved by every sinner in history.

Why do we go to Mass instead of praying at home? At home, we pray and offer what we can to God, but our prayer has limited value, finite value, because we are limited, finite human beings. In the Mass, however, it is JESUS Who prays as High Priest in Heaven, and our prayers and offerings are offered to God *through HIM* and through His perfect and eternal sacrificial Offering of Himself; and therefore, our limited, finite, imperfect prayers are taken up into His unlimited, infinite, perfect offering as God the Son to God the Father.

At the Mass, the Sacrifice of Calvary is present, which is the same Sacrifice of the Son to the Father eternally in heaven, which is the same Sacrifice offered sacramentally with the Apostles at the Last Supper. Therefore, at every Mass, the graces (all conceivable graces!) that Jesus won for all humanity in all of history are *APPLIED* to those who are present, to the degree that they pray with faith and hearts cleansed and open to the Lord’s graces. The Mass, the Eucharist, is the *source* of all Christian life, so all the sacraments flow from it; but the Eucharist is also the *summit* of all Christian life, so all the sacraments lead back to it, because nothing surpasses its power, its value, and its perfection, because no one other than Christ Himself–as God and Man–offers the Perfect Sacrifice of Himself to God the Father in the Holy Spirit.

Now, the Eucharist as Holy Communion is inherently linked to the Mass and should never be thought of separately from it. Every smallest particle of Holy Communion is the complete, whole Jesus Christ, God and Man, united with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and united with every saint and angel in heaven. Holy Communion is the summit, the high point of the Mass–it is the fruit of the Lord’s *Sacrifice*, because the words of Consecration are words of *Sacrifice* (“This is My Body, which will be given up FOR YOU”), and these words of Sacrifice are *precisely* the words that make Jesus, God and Man, present in the Blessed Sacrament.

There can be a great risk of devaluing or neglecting the critical and *essential* link between the Sacrifice of the Mass and Holy Communion, for example, if one attends Mass with the mentality of going “just to get Communion”–or if one habitually receives at Communion services in the absence of a priest. Without the priest, there is no sacramental action of the High Priest; without the sacramental action of the High Priest, no Eternal Sacrifice is made present at the altar; if the Eternal Sacrifice is not made sacramentally present, neither are the unsurpassable graces present in their fullness of forgiveness, redemption, reparation, and salvation–the graces that were won by that One Sacrifice and that the Lord intended to be applied through His institution of the Mass at the Last Supper.

“Communion services” in the absence of a priest were intended for extraordinary circumstances on Sundays in cases where the faithful were not able to attend Masses at nearby churches. For days when there is no obligation to attend Mass, if a weekday Mass is completely available, one would do beautifully to develop a spirituality of making “spiritual communions.” St. Thomas Aquinas described spiritual communion as “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him.”

Blessed John Paul II wrote in Ecclesia de Eucharistia #35:

The Eucharist thus appears as the culmination of all the sacraments in perfecting our communion with God the Father…In the Eucharist “unlike any other sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it brings us to the heights of every good thing: here is the ultimate goal of every human desire, because here we attain God and God joins himself to us in the most perfect union”. Precisely for this reason it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist. This was the origin of the practice of “spiritual communion”, which has happily been established in the Church for centuries and recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life. Saint Teresa of Jesus wrote: “When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you”.

For example, an “Act of Spiritual Communion” is a prayer by St. Alphonsus Liguori:

“My Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as being already there, and unite myself wholly to Thee; never permit me to be separated from Thee.”

But one can make a spiritual communion with any sincere prayer that expresses the desire to be spiritually in communion with the Lord. By doing this, one receives the graces one would receive spiritually with sacramental Communion (to the degree that one is disposed and in a state of grace), and the desire and love for the Mass deepens. Why not try this beautiful spirituality that has been the practice of great saints with great love for the Lord and His Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?