The Word God Spells

John 1: 47-51
Dn 7:9-10.13-14 or Rv 12:7-12 / Ps 138

Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
(John 1:51)

May God’s angels keep us aware
That not all things are what they seem,
And we can only trust in prayer
To counter Satan’s lying scheme.

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

Reflection

These words of Jesus that end the first chapter of John’s Gospel refer to the dream that the patriarch Jacob had at Bethel when he fled from the rage of his brother Esau. In his dream he saw a ladder reaching up to heaven, and on it thousands of angels were ascending and descending. (Gen.28:12) For acknowledging Jesus as “the Son of God, the King of Israel,” Nathanael was assured of seeing the glory of God in His majestic host of angels as Jacob did in his vision.

Today is a special feast to honor what many people do not give much importance to, either because they don’t believe, or just take for granted the reality of angels. The Bible mentions angels more than 300 times. These celestial beings are spirits created with superior intelligence and will, immortal creatures who serve as God’s messengers, and protectors of men. The most prominent leaders of the angels (called Archangels) are Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Michael is the head of the angelic forces who defeated Satan and his demons. He is revered as the defender of the Church. The archangel Gabriel announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah, and to the Virgin Mary proclaimed that she was to become the mother of the Messiah. Raphael is mentioned in the Old Testament book of Tobit as the angel who healed his blindness, and guided and protected his son Tobiah in his travels.

We need to pray to our guardian angel. They are not only God’s messengers, but are there also to intercede for us, and protect us. I believe God’s Word in Psalm 91: “He will put you in His angel’s charge, and guard you wherever you go.” (Ps.91:11)

Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protector against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. Do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. (Prayer of Pope Leo XIII)

Luke 9: 18-22
Hg 1:15–2:9 / Ps 43

Who do the people say that I am?
(Luke 9:18)

What Christ means in my life matters
More than what I want my life to be;
What I am and do for others
Show how real my Jesus is to me.

Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with him; and he asked them, “Who do the people say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen.” And he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” But he charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Luke 9:18-22)

Reflection

In yesterday’s Gospel passage (Lk.9:7-9), we read about King Herod asking the very same question: “Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” The writer of St. Luke’s Gospel seems to present a contrast between a powerul and corrupt tetrarch who was blind and ignorant about salvation, and a simple fisherman, who was given wisdom by God for his humility. Peter became the leader of the apostles and the first head of Christ’s church because he was the first among them to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. God gave Peter wisdom and discernment because he loved and followed Jesus more intensely than any of His followers. He was always present in all the activities of his Master.

It is to develop a personal relationship with Him that Jesus is offering each one of us. One of the great mysteries in life is that we can never get to know ourselves fully until we come to know our Lord Jesus Christ in a deeply personal way. Unless we establish a profound relationship with Him, we will never discover the real purpose of our existence. By getting to know Jesus intimately, we will experience true faith. Consequently, how real Jesus is to us will show in how real we are to others.

When we have come to know Jesus fully as our Lord, Saviour and Friend, we will want to cultivate fellowship with Him more and more. And when we have come to know Him, love Him, and establish a personal relationship with Him, then we will experience the abundant life that He promised when He said, “I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

This is what most of us in the renewal have experienced. Since the time we acknowledged Jesus as the Way to the Father, the Truth in our faith, and the Love of our life, committing ourselves to serve Him in our community, His Holy Spirit has revealed many things once unknown to us. God wants us to bring this bit of Good News to others too, so that they also may come to know who Jesus Christ is. Have we introduced Him to somebody lately?

Forgive me, Jesus, if I have been keeping our relationship all to myself. Grant me the opportunity to bring others to Your fellowship too. Amen.

Luke 9: 7-9
Hg 1:1-8 / Ps 149

Who, then, is this I hear such things about? And he tried to see him.
(Luke 9:9)

In our dealings for personal gain,
Or in any material pursuit,
Lord let no lies or malice obtain,
Instead help us abide by the truth

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he kept trying to see him. (Luke 9:7-9)

Reflection

Despite His efforts to keep His works from public knowledge, the fame of Jesus as a great prophet and miracle worker spread like wildfire throughout Galilee. It was not His intention to become known as a great spiritual or political leader. On the contrary, He taught His disciples, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must serve you like a servant; whoever wishes to become the most important must serve all of you like a slave. In the same way, the Son of Man did not come for other people to serve him. But the Son of Man came to serve other people. The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk.10:43-45).

Indeed the main reason why Jesus healed so many was simply due to His innate loving nature, especially His deep compassion for the poor and the suffering masses. But the more He pleaded with His beneficiaries not to make His miracles known, the more the people talked about Him, until His wondrous works reached the ears of King Herod, who wanted to see Him. But Herod would never get the chance to see Jesus perform a miracle, not even when he finally met Him face to face (Lk.23:8-9).

Satan can use fame as a potent distraction from the real purpose of God for our mission. Or it can be the cause of friction and division in any successful organization. This may have been the case in one progressive renewal movement that has recently experienced a schism, because one faction claimed that the other side was veering away from the organization’s original vision. In our own brotherhood, a couple who had been longtime leaders broke away and formed their own group because they believed they had been given the gift of healing, and should lead others in their new ministry. We can only hope that it was not out of a sense of self-importance and a refusal to submit to others’ authority that were the real reasons for their departure.

Grant us the humility like that of our Lord Jesus to submit to Your Will, Father God, and not the adulation of others as the reason for our service. May we perform mighty deeds for Your kingdom not for our glory, but to be pleasing to You, our God. Amen.

Luke 9: 1-6
Ezr 9:5-9 / Tb 13:2-8

So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
(Luke 9:6)

Proclaim the Gospel everywhere;
This is Christ’s mandate in our lives.
For gold or tunic have no care,
Just depend on what God provides.

Jesus called the Twelve together, and gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. As for those who do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” (Lk. 9:1-5)

A divine mandate had been given to the apostles, with both the authority and the power necessary to carry out their mission. And that mandate lives on to the present time in the hearts of all Christians who profess to follow Jesus.

Reflection

It may seem strange that Jesus gave specific instructions to His disciples not to bring any kind of provisions in their journey to different villages to heal and to proclaim the Gospel. But He did this for three reasons: 1) He wanted His apostles to subordinate their temporal needs to their need to obey and to trust in His word; 2) He wanted them to be totally focused on their mission, sacrificing everything, doing without (as He did in the desert); and 3) He wanted the people who would receive His missionaries to practice charity and tithing (“for the worker deserves his keep” -Lk.10:7). Those who did not do so would be treated like dust shaken off their feet.

As our love for God’s Word reaches full maturity in our brotherhood, the Holy Spirit will lead us to pursue the same mission that the apostles were called upon to undertake. God’s Word tells us that lacking the resources for our needs is no excuse to refuse God’s call. It teaches us to put our total trust in His Divine Providence, and even in the positive outcome of our mission. All that is needed is our “yes”, and God will provide the rest. As a text message aptly puts it: “It is when we have nothing that we find God is everything.”

I believe that when we signed on as full-fledged members of our brotherhood, the Great Commission became our primary goal in life. Each of us shares this vision to save our dying world by sharing the Good News of the Gospel. We have Christ’s promise that He will be with us as we carry out this mission. For sure the task would be daunting if we rely merely on our own abilities or resources, but with the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power, no mission is impossible.

In our mission to spread the Gospel, we only have to trust in Your promise, Lord, that all our needs will be met, and we believe it will be done for us. Amen.

Luke 8: 19-21
Ezr 6:7-8.12.14-20/Ps 122

My mother and my brothers are all those who hear the Word of God and obey it.
(Luke 8:21)

Blessed are those who hear the Word
And act on it as Jesus said.
They shall not lack for God’s reward,
His heirs they shall become instead.

Jesus’ mother and some relatives came to see Him, but they could not get inside the house where He was preaching, because of the packed crowd inside. Someone then relayed the message to Jesus that “Your mother and relatives are standing outside and wish to see you.” Then Jesus answered, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.”

Reflection

At first it might seem strange that our Lord Jesus would disregard His own mother who had come all the way from Nazareth just to see how He was. However, it does not say in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus did not go out to meet her. Our Lord merely took the occasion to emphasize His deep affinity for those “who hear the Word of God” and manifest it in their lives.

Before His mother and relatives arrived, Jesus had been preaching about the Word of God in two short allegories: the parable of the sower, and the symbolism of a lamp. In the first story, our Lord was saying that even if only a few people receive the Word of God, “like a fertile soil”, they would bear fruit abundantly. In the second allegory, He was telling His audience that the Word of God must not be hidden like a covered lamp, but must shine forth for the benefit of all men. Otherwise, from those who do not make good use of the Word of God, even the little faith that they have will be taken away from them. Indeed, many of those who followed Jesus were not able to achieve discipleship because they did not persevere in searching for the meaning of His words. Most of them listened, many understood, but only a few of them obeyed. The key then is not only in hearing or reading God’s Word, but obeying Him. The entire chapter 8 of Luke’s Gospel is about hearing and responding appropriately to God’s message.

We do not become part of Jesus’ family because we deserve it. Even the most unlikely people become members of God’s family because they hear and respond to the will of the Father. They may not be worthy, but their willingness to follow the way of Jesus makes them God’s sons and daughters.

Lord God, we thank You for making us members of Your family in our community through our adopted brotherhood with Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in Whose Name we pray to You, our heavenly Father. Amen.

Luke 8: 16-18
Ezr 1:1-6 / Ps 126

No one who lights a lamp conceals it in a vessel or puts it under a bed. Rather, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
(Luke 8:16)

Let our lamps dispel the darkness,
Live a life of truth and goodness;
Drive away evil where it thrives,
And let God’s Word shine in our lives.

“No one who lights a lamp conceals it in a vessel, or puts it under a bed. Rather, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.”

Reflection

Some of us are lamps that need to be lighted in order to spread God’s brightness and dispel the darkness of evil. This is just another allegory that our Lord uses in order to enlighten His disciples, similar to His earlier parable of the sower, where some of us must be like fertile soil so that the seed of God’s Word can produce a hundredfold. In the same way, the brighter our lamp, the more people we can lead to Christ.

We are beacons of light whenever we join the cause of fighting for the truth. As God’s lamps, we have no doubt that “nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.” Our Brotherhood’s advocacy for honesty has made inroads into the darkness of corruption in a number of government agencies as well as in the business sector. Many BCBP billboards and streamers in the country’s urban centers declare our stand: “Be Honest even if others are not, even if others will not, even if others cannot.”

Jesus’ message is clear: “To those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.” Unless we fight for honesty and truth, letting the Gospel values shine in our life, we will lose even the veneer of integrity that we appear to possess. Only those who strive to follow His way, spread His truth, and live His life will continue to grow spiritually, gaining more of God’s gifts and graces. Jesus is telling us that we cannot afford to hide our lamp in a vessel, or put it under a bed. We cannot refuse an offer to declare God’s miracle in our life by giving a life testimony, just as we cannot accept bribe money to give a false testimony in court. His light must shine in our life in every opportunity.

Lord, fill our hearts and minds with Your light and truth, and disperse the darkness of sin and deception that we may see the way to You clearly, and discern Your will in our lives. May we radiate your light and truth to others in word and deed. Amen.