The Word God Spells

John 21: 15-19
Acts 25: 13-21 / Ps 103: 1-2,11-12,19-20

“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
(John 21:16)

How much we love our Lord Jesus
Depends on how we care for His sheep;
From our sins His grace will free us,
Trust that this promise He will keep.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21: 15-19)

Reflection

Every time Peter answered that he loved Jesus, he was told to take care of His sheep. Our Lord’s message for His leaders in this Gospel passage defines love for Him as not merely lip service or an emotional experience, but in active service of the flocks under their care. This brings to the fore a question that every servant leader of Christ should ask himself before he takes on the tasks of ministry: ‘What is my motive, or reason for serving in my community?’ If the answer is ‘For the love of God and Jesus Christ,’ then he can look forward to a Spirit-filled and fruitful service.

There are two kinds of members in any religious organization: those who are active because they love the fellowship (or the singing, or the camaraderie), and those who join because they seek Jesus and want to develop a more intimate relationship with Him. It is usually the latter who readily accept any assignment requested of them. And they are the ones who stay on through the years and become strong leaders and pillars of the organization.

Throughout the Gospel books and the epistles, we are commanded to love. As Jesus said: “A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn. 13:34-36) Jesus showed His apostles (and us) how to love. Love is patient (1Cor.13:1-7): He was patient with them to the end, until they understood fully His plan of salvation. Love is kind: Jesus showed kindness to all who came to Him for help, and never discriminated even the lowliest and the most hideous (lepers). Love is respectful: Jesus showed His respect for all men, friends and sinners, rich and poor alike. He even asked forgiveness for His tormentors in Calvary. Love is humble: Jesus is our model of humility; He chose to be born poor, and mixed comfortably with the masses. He rebuked the Pharisees and teachers of the law for their pride and lack of humility. Love is forgiving: Jesus guaranteed remission and forgiveness of sins for all who repent. Repentance and forgiveness are major themes in His Gospel messages. Finally, Love is sacrifice: Again, Jesus is the perfect model of life-giving sacrifice, when He accepted death on the cross for the forgiveness of all sins. Jesus is our model of love. Let us follow Him in order to be assured of a place in heaven.

You know our hearts and minds, Lord God, and know how much we love you. Increase our knowledge of Your love, so that we may serve our brotherhood more intensely, and come to love You even more. This we ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Matthew 1: 16,18-21,24
2 Sm 7:4-5,12-14,16 / Ps 89:2-5,27,29 / Rom 4:13,16-18,22

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife into his home.
(Matthew 1: 24)

St. Joseph, humble spouse of Mary,
Blessed model in our hurts and pain,
Inspire us never to grow weary
Serving God for our eternal gain.

Joseph (was) the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife into his home.

Reflection

Of all the saints and martyrs of the Church, none enjoys more prominence — aside of course from his blessed wife, who happens to be the Mother of God — than St. Joseph. His stature is not only by virtue of being the foster-father of Jesus, our Redeemer, as well as spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and head of the Holy Family, but by his exemplary gifts of humility, obedience, patience and great faith in God. The Church honors this great saint as its model and patron saint of fathers and husbands, of laborers, especially craftsmen, and as protector of the universal Church. And yet so little of the life of this humble saint is featured in the Bible. He is only mentioned in the Nativity account of the first two chapters in Matthew, and only in passing in the Gospel of Luke, and none at all in the other two Gospel accounts. It is only by inference that we can have a glimpse of the man’s strength of character, who never spoke a single word in the Gospel accounts. When he learned that his betrothed was pregnant, there was no rancor or bitterness in his heart, but rather a deep concern for the safety of Mary, who would have been stoned to death on mere suspicion of adultery. He never questioned his role when an angel appeared to him in a dream on two occasions, but immediately took action (Mt.1:24, 2:14). When their child Jesus went missing for three days, and they finally found him in the temple, Joseph uttered no word of chastisement; it was Mary who complained to Him, saying, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” (Lk.2:48-49). As the adoptive father of the Redeemer, he performed his duties as provider and protector diligently, and was content to stay in the shadows of Jesus and Mary, the principal characters in God’s plan of salvation.

St. Joseph is my patron saint, having been born a day before his feast day. He is my model of what an ideal husband and father should be. His strength of character has always been my inspiration in fidelity to my marriage vows, and his humility and great faith in God the ideals worth aspiring for in my life. I follow his example in my attitude towards my children, providing for all their needs and protecting them from evil influences, but never imposing my will on them, acknowledging that God has put them under my care and stewardship. In the spiritual plane, like St. Joseph, I am also their “adoptive father”, who must give them the proper moral and spiritual guidance that will hopefully lead them to their heavenly Father.

Father God, thank You for the influence of St. Joseph, Your model of devotion to Jesus and fidelity to His Mother. As we honor his name, grant that he may also be our intercessor for the graces we need to fulfill our own mission in life. Amen.

Luke 14: 12-14
Rom 11:29-36/Ps 69:30-31,33-34,36-37

Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others.
(Philippians 2: 3-4)

All blessings in life we receive
There’s no way that we can repay;
In turn that’s the way we must give,
As God’s Word has shown us today.

At a dinner, Jesus said to His host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Because they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Reflection

What a small investment it is indeed to give a party to the poor and the handicapped, and be guaranteed a payback of eternal banquets in the kingdom of God! But was this really the quid-pro-quo arrangement that our Lord was proposing in order to teach His listeners to be generous and self-effacing? More likely, this lesson was a continuing indictment of men’s preoccupation with self-promotion (inviting only those with means or influence to maintain one’s social status), and extolling those who prefer to keep company with the humble. One invites the rich and powerful to exalt himself, but the other humbles himself by inviting the poor and the weak.

Those of us who have never known what it is like to be needy and underprivileged have much to learn from our poorer brothers. They can teach us about genuine gratitude, which has become an “endangered species” among our richer friends and relatives. We can also learn from them how to value many things in life that we often take for granted. These precious lessons came to pass in one of the out-of-town trips that our running club took one summer vacation. The members of our club come from diverse strata of society: from wage earners, to students, to businessmen and professionals. We are all bound together by a common love for the sport or exercise of jogging and running. Once a year, 30 to 40 of us hire a big bus to travel to distant places of interest where we can run and frolic for a week-end. On this particular trip, some of us decided to subsidize the expenses of six members who could not afford to come as a way of rewarding them for their selfless services to the club. At the pool over some bottles of beer and wine they all expressed their gratitude for this once-in-a-lifetime favor, one even tearfully relating it was his first time to swim in a real swimming pool, and sleep in an air-conditioned room. One could almost slice a knife through that moment of catharsis, which had become a memorable part of our trip, an enriching experience no money can buy, for which we will always be grateful.

Thank you, Jesus for teaching us that an act of charity to one poor neighbor is more rewarding than inviting a hundred rich friends and relatives. Amen.

Luke 14: 1,7-11
Rom 11:1-2,11-12,25-29 / Ps 94:12-15,17-18

. . . everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
(Luke 14:11)

Pray that from pride we may be freed,
A place of honor not to seek;
A humble heart God loves indeed,
He spurns the proud, exalts the meek.

One Sabbath, Jesus was invited to a dinner at the house of a leading Pharisee, and they observed Him carefully…. When He noticed how they chose the places of honor at the table, He told a parable to those who were invited, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:1,7-11)

Reflection

Jesus knew He was invited to dine in the house of a leading Pharisee not because He was being honored as a special guest, but because they wanted to catch Him with some offense they could later use to accuse Him. And as usual, our Lord used this occasion to turn the tables against them through this parable about humility.

In the footsteps of our Lord Jesus, the greatest in the annals of history were almost always the most humble: St. John the Baptist, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Therese, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Benjamin Franklin and Sir Winston Churchill. They all became great because of their passion to serve humanity, and yet they never aspired for greatness, nor even for the greatest of virtues, which is humility. Benjamin Franklin once said, “If I ever achieve humility, no doubt I would become proud of it.” And yet he was a leading politician, scientist, inventor, printer, civic activist, foremost diplomat, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. For all his accomplishments and great stature, he signed his letters merely as B. Franklin, Printer. Greatness comes to those who possess a humble spirit. Sir Winston Churchill was ridiculed, and made a political pariah in his own country because he predicted Hitler’s ambition to conquer the world. When World War II broke out, Churchill was vindicated, and honored to lead the British nation against Germany. “Humility comes before honor.” (Prov. 18:12).

To be Christ-centered, (and not self-centered), let us remove all desire for important positions, whether in our community or in the workplace. The struggle to acquire this virtue of self-denial can be a life-long process, and requires much prayers and works of charity. It is never an easy goal. The devil and the world will constantly incite our human nature to pride and self-exaltation. Christ’s dying on the cross has provided our salvation, but still we must continue to strive in repentance and faith. Let us be inspired by role models like Moses, Benjamin Franklin, and Sir Winston Churchill to help us attain this elusive grace of humility. “Claim no honor in the king’s presence, nor occupy the place of great men; for it is better that you are told, ‘Come up closer!’ than that you be humbled before the prince.” (Prov 25:6-7) “The reward of humility and fear of the Lord is riches, honor and life” (Prov. 22:4).

Teach me, gentle Jesus how to be meek and humble of heart. Let Your blood on the cross wash away all my pride, self-importance, and the need for recognition. Amen.

Luke 9: 46-50
Zec 8:1-8 / Ps 102

Whoever is least among you, is the one who is the greatest.
(Luke 9:48)

Lord, make me be like St. Therese,
Your “Little Flower” undefiled;
Not for glory seek to increase,
But to follow You like a child.

And an argument arose among them as to which of them might be the greatest. But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by his side, and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives Him who sent me; for whoever is least among you, is the one who is the greatest.” Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:46-50)

Reflection

The apostles would rather argue among themselves about who was the greatest than try to understand what the Lord meant when He said, “Pay attention to what I’m telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men” (Lk.9:44). Fresh from their “transfiguration experience” of Jesus on the mountain, how quickly Peter, James and John seemed to have forgotten God’s voice in the cloud, saying, “This is My chosen Son; listen to Him” (Lk.9:35). To hold their attention to the lesson Jesus was imparting, He took a child aside as their model, saying, “Whoever is least among you, is the one who is the greatest.”

How often we fail to follow the Way of the Cross, or understand the true meaning of God’s Word because we were too absorbed with our position or our ministry. We can fall into the “status trap” without being aware of it when we start feeling that our efforts in the community are not being appreciated, or we aspire for a higher rank in the organization “to show them” how things should be implemented.

Today is the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux, the saint known as the “Little Flower.” As a cloistered Carmelite nun, her convent life lasted less than ten years, as she died of tuberculosis at the young age of 24. She never went anywhere, never founded a religious order, or performed any miracle. The only book she wrote was an edited version of her journal entitled “Story of a Soul.” And yet within 28 years of her death, because of public demand, she was canonized. By her example she showed that doing small sacrifices instead of great deeds was the way to greatness in our ordinary lives. St. Therese of Lisieux is one of the patron saints of the missions, even though she never went anywhere, because of the prayers and letters she gave in support of missionaries. She was like the child that Jesus presented to His apostles who could do almost nothing, but because of her faith, the little things that she did kept God’s kingdom growing.

Lord God, we remember Your precious “Little Flower” on her feast day today; we pray with her that we may also see that true greatness in Your kingdom is doing the menial things that others shun, but leads to holiness because they please You. 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.