The Word God Spells

Luke 13: 22-30
Rom 8:26-30 / Ps 13:4-6

Strive to enter through the narrow gate; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be strong enough.
(Luke 13:24)

“Enter by the narrow gate”,
The road to Life is hard and narrow.
Repent before it’s too late,
Don’t wait for death’s surprise tomorrow.

Jesus went through towns and villages, teaching as He made His way to Jerusalem. Someone asked Him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be strong enough. After the owner of the house has arisen and shut the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ In reply He will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves cast out. Then people will come from the east and from the west, from the north and the south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Reflection

Definitely, when one is physically fat or spiritually flabby, he or she will not find it easy to enter through a narrow gate. Aware of the need to take long brisk walks every morning (to counter the rich foods served in BCBP group meetings), my wife Ollie and I do this routine at the nearby SM mall. At the early hours of dawn, the gates of the mall are still closed, but we can just slip through between the posts of the gate and the fence to get inside. This narrow passage has become the yardstick of how our battle of the bulge is faring, and so far our efforts have not been in vain.

In today’s Gospel passage, our Lord was warning the Jews that the gate was closing in on them, and only those who were strong enough in their faith would be able to gain access. The opportunity for salvation was limited and becoming narrower as the Jews persisted in rejecting His teachings. That was why Jesus kept telling them that “Indeed, some are last who will be first (the Gentiles), and some are first (the Jews, considered God’s Chosen People) who will be last.” This people had become fat and complacent in their antiquated traditions and practices.

“Many will try to enter but will not be strong enough.” Jesus is likewise warning us that we need to be spiritually strong to enter the “narrow gate”. Jesus is the Gate (Jn.10:9). No one comes to the Father except through Him (Jn.14:6). But salvation is not for the weak and the half-hearted. Spiritual strength is needed to carry our cross and follow Him. Just as we need a regular work-out in the gym or aerobic walk on the road to build physical strength and stamina, we also need to have a regular spiritual exercise to build up the muscles of our soul. These exercises are: prayers, bible reading and meditation, and attending the Eucharistic celebration more than once a week. The Holy Mass is just as important because it provides the spiritual nourishment that comes from Jesus Christ Himself. No supplement is more powerful.

Lord God, thank You for making us understand the importance of spiritual strength and fitness that we must develop in order to withstand the temptations of the world and be prepared to enter into a closer relationship with Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit build up our strength, as we strive to enter the narrow gate to Your kingdom. Amen.

Luke 13: 18-21
Rom 8:18-25 / Ps 126

What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden.
(Luke 13:18)

Like mustard seed or leaven dough
May we be changed in mind and soul,
Slowly but surely in spirit grow...
To reach our everlasting goal.

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.” Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Reflection

It seems our Lord was quite fond of using seeds as an analogy for His teachings. We are all familiar with His parable of the sower, where seeds are sown in different kinds of soil (Mt.13:1-8), and only a few produce abundantly. His parable of the good seed and the weeds (Mt. 13:24-30), shows that good and evil co-exist in the world. In citing the power of faith, Jesus taught, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” (Lk.17:6) And in prophesying His own death, He said, “Amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (Jn.12:24) He also likened the kingdom of God to a seed that grows by itself without man’s intervention (Mk. 4:26-29). But in today’s Gospel, the kingdom of God is more graphically compared to a mustard seed — so small and insignificant at the start, but grows into a large shrub that can accommodate birds of the sky in its branches.

It is the Holy Spirit Who plants the seeds of God’s kingdom in our hearts. In most instances, we may not be aware of it, as ‘of its own accord it grows’ (Mk.4:28) from a very small seed to a plant yielding abundant fruits. In our Christian Life Program’s ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit,’ I failed to experience any manifestation of the Spirit, and was initially disheartened, seeing as many of the other participants were either ‘slain’ by the Spirit, speaking in tongues, or breaking down with ‘the gift of tears’. It was only years later when I came to realize that external manifestations, like the fig tree full of leaves in Matthew 21:19 do not necessarily a productive disciple make.

The kingdom of God is about transformation. It is a tiny seed becoming a large bush, providing shelter and food to God’s winged creatures. It is a small amount of yeast (leaven) mixed into a large amount of flour that brings about an abundance of bread to nourish hungry souls. It grows quietly in our hearts and in our Church, while we sleep and do not take notice. For as long as we have faith, even just a small amount, the Holy Spirit will make God’s kingdom grow, and multiply abundantly. And no evil on earth can grow alongside and withstand the will of God Who has planted it.

Dear Father, our Lord Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is among you” (Lk.17:21). Grant that we may always nourish Your kingdom in our hearts by meditating on Your Word daily, and receiving Him constantly in the Holy Eucharist. Amen.

Luke 13: 10-17
Rom 8:12-17/Ps 68:2,4,6-7,20-21

Shouldn’t this daughter of Abraham be set free from what binds her?
(Luke 13:16)

Of women, this all men must learn:
In numbers they showed more concern
To Jesus, bent by our sins’ weight,
Was urged on by their steadfast faith.

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on a Sabbath when He saw a woman there who had been a cripple for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up. Taking compassion on her, Jesus called her forward and said, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Putting His hands on her, she immediately straightened up and started praising God. The synagogue ruler, indignant that Jesus had healed on a Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” But Jesus told him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

Reflection

It was all too much to take for the strict synagogue ruler. Jesus had discarded all the rules of protocol, interrupting His teaching and calling an infirmed woman to the front of the synagogue (women’s places were always at the back). Disregarding His station as a rabbi, He touched the impure woman, and then desecrated the Sabbath by healing her! But for his outburst, Jesus rebuked the synagogue ruler and his kind as hypocrites. How rich in lessons this incident in the synagogue brings to us today.

There were a number of things in Jewish society that needed to be straightened out, and Jesus saw the opportunity to do it when a woman bent with a crippling disease entered the synagogue that Sabbath day. First, by calling the woman to the front of the synagogue, and calling her a “daughter of Abraham”, He elevated the status of women to the same level of men, they being also children of God, and co-heirs of His kingdom. By touching her, Jesus showed the Jews that her affliction was not the result of sin; she was not impure, and therefore could not defile Him. He had to humiliate His adversaries by calling them hypocrites to expose them for what they were, and to open their eyes to the fact that their man-made laws had made them blind to God’s compassion and mercy.

In some ways we might also be guilty of hypocrisy like that synagogue official if we are only concerned about the legal observance of the Sabbath (Sunday Mass). How do we keep God’s day of rest holy? Is an hour spent in church sufficient? Did we show a little concern for that bent woman begging at the church entrance as Jesus did? Or was our money for her decent meal too much of a sacrifice? Jesus said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Mt.12:7). It is not in sacrifice or in the observance of laws or rites that sanctifies our day or our life. It is in showing mercy and compassion to the weakest of God’s children. Women have always been taken advantage of because of their weakness. We hear and read of rapes and physical abuses against women. Amnesty International, in its campaign to stop violence against women, said, “From the battlefield to the bedroom, women are at risk.” We must all do our share to stop “bending” women’s lives, whether at home or in the marketplace. As we end this month dedicated to Mary, Jesus’ Mother, let us pledge to honor her by treating all women like our own mother or sister.

Dear God, our prejudices against women may have caused our values to be bent and crippled. Thank You for making us realize how important it is to honor all women, just as our Lord Jesus showed respect and compassion to all of them. Amen.

Luke 13: 1-9
Rom 8:1-11 / Ps 24:1-6

For three years now I have been looking for figs on this tree and I have found none. Cut it down, why should it use up the ground?
(Luke 13:7)

May the Lord show us how to serve
With compassion and true leadership;
With His Spirit help us to deserve
The Commission of His Stewardship.

Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ” (Luke 13:6-9)

Reflection

For three years, during our stint as Mission couple of our Brotherhood, Ollie and I gave much of our time and energies in going to our BCBP outreach in Gen. Santos city to attend the twice monthly breakfast fellowships there as well as the weekly afternoon seminars called Christian Life Programs that were held for building up the membership of the community. The CLPs ran for nine weeks, and we would normally be heading back home with the mission team on the two-hour trip when it was already dark. During those three years, we were able to hold five Christian Life Programs which ‘harvested’ a total of 100 new graduates for the outreach, half of whom are now active members of the community. As head of Mission, we were also responsible for overseeing two other older outreaches in Digos and Tagum cities.

Since the time our term in the Mission ended, we no longer go to Gen. Santos city as often as we used to, but whenever we do — to accompany a speaker or attend a special occasion — it never fails to enlighten us to see our brothers and sisters there still full of joy in their new life with the Lord.

All of us who are called to go on mission for the Lord experience a vigorous spiritual purpose in our lives. There is a strong feeling that we are at the cutting edge of what Christian renewal is all about.

Many in the community think that attending seminars, group meetings and prayer assemblies are enough to be considered active members. But these are just part of the growth and maturity of our commitment. What is the sense in raising a healthy tree if it does not bear fruits? It is better to cut it down than have it using up the fertility of the earth. If we have received a commission from the Lord, and our formation is complete, then it is time to step out and share our new life with others who are still searching for some meaning in their lives. And one does not have to go to far-flung outreaches to serve God and His community. He or she can take a cue from Bro. John, who rarely fails to invite at least one first-timer to the brotherhood’s weekly breakfasts. He doesn’t mind paying for their breakfasts either; for him it’s just part of paying his tithes. And for his efforts, the Lord has made his professional career in the insurance business bear fruits abundantly.

May we always cling to You, Lord Jesus, our True Vine, for You nourish us with Your Word and make us produce fruit that is pleasing to the Father. Amen.

Luke 12: 54-59
Rom 7:18-25 / Ps 119:68,76,77,93,94

You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you don’t understand the present times.
(Luke 12:56)

If we read the Bible all our days
We will learn to judge what is right
It will lead us in subtle ways
To discern God’s will in our life.

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once: ‘Rain is coming,’ and so it happens. And when the wind blows from the south, you say: ‘It will be hot,’ and so it is. You hypocrites! You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you don’t understand the present times. And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? When you go with your accuser before the court, try to settle the case on the way, lest he drag you before the judge and the judge deliver you to the jailer, and the jailer throw you in prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

Reflection

Jesus is telling us in today’s Gospel that when we see the obvious signs happening around us, then it should be time to act accordingly, to discern ‘what is right.’ What He was saying to the Jews then was for them to repent and change their ways, in the light of the many wondrous signs that He had been performing in their sight. The miracles that He performed were not the main purpose of His mission, but were merely signs meant to prove His divinity and lead sinners to their conversion.

Early one morning, Sis. Sally finally succumbed to the inevitable, after her long battle with the big “C”. She was the fourth victim claimed by this modern-day scourge among our friends and acquaintances within a period of one month. As we reflect on today’s Gospel passage, what does this “sign” tell us of “the present times”? It is simply this: that our life here on earth is so fleeting that we do not have the luxury of taking our sweet time to put our life in order, and settle our ‘debts’ with God and neighbor. They say that those who are stricken with cancer are in a way more fortunate than those who die from stroke, heart attack or accidents. At least they are given more time “to settle the case on the way” to the Judge and the Jailer. But why do we have to wait until the final hour before we begin to prepare?

Father in heaven, grant me the grace to discern the more important things in life that we should be concerned about, like purifying my heart and mind by receiving You more often in the Holy Eucharist of the mass, by seeking guidance in Your Holy Scriptures whenever confronted by signs that I fail to understand, and by committing myself totally to whatever ministry is entrusted to me in my commmunity. All these I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Luke 12: 49-53
Rom 6:19-23 / Psa 1

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
(Luke 12:51)

We must be bold to face the fires
Of life’s trials and tribulation,
This much from us our faith requires
For our own purification

Jesus said: “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three. A father will be divided against his son and a son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Reflection

We find many accounts in the Bible when fire fell from heaven. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone in the book of Genesis, 19:24-25. Moses called down fire from heaven as one of the ten plagues against the obstinacy of Pharaoh (Exodus 9:3). The prophet Elijah also called down fire from heaven that destroyed the soldiers of King Ahaziah whom he sent to fetch Elijah (2 Kings 1:9-17). But Jesus was not talking about the Old Testament kind of destructive fire. Our Lord was simply conditioning His disciples about the baptism of fire that He would soon undergo, and which they too would have to follow. However, they would be given the fire of the Holy Spirit first on Pentecost so that they could persevere in their trials of fire in their mission to spread the faith. Perhaps Jesus was also making a prophecy about the fire of division that His Church would undergo in the future generations.

The early Church was almost divided between the camps of Sts. Peter and Paul, due to the question of applying Judaic laws to the gentile converts. Then came the breaking away of the Eastern Orthodox Church from Rome. This was followed by the fire of Protestantism that split Christendom in Medieval Europe. Even in the present age, the Church continues to be rocked by the so-called liberation theology advocated by some members of the church hierarchy, and the disobedience of Catholic Masons. During the necrological services for Bro. Nelson one afternoon, the officiating priest bluntly acknowledged in his homily that he was a Mason and started to defend his brotherhood against excommunication, much to the dismay of the conservative Catholics present.

Our own Brotherhood was not spared of this fire of divisiveness. Recently, an idea was proposed by the national governance to do away with the altar with its crucifix and image of the Blessed Mother during our breakfast fellowships in order to attract non-Catholics to our breakfasts. The proposal drew strong objections from many chapters and outreaches of the BCBP, and even bitter altercations among some of its members. In the end, it showed us that the fire of division is also one of purification, because many of us have gained a stronger faith for it.

Dear God, may the fire of the Holy Spirit transform us and fill us with boldness, that we may enkindle Your message of salvation in the hearts of other people. Amen.