TEACHING, LIFE, BREAD AND PRAYERS

 

There was this story of an old man who, after back-breaking work in the fields, would drop by the church and stay there for hours each and every single day, with gaze focused on the Blessed Sacrament. The pastor sort of got curious and, one day, asked the old man what he did in church for so long every day. The old man answered the priest without batting an eyelash, “I look at Him and He looks at me, and I feel blessed for the day.”

He sure had commitment and dedication, not to mention single-mindedness. In his simple faith, the old man has taught us a whole lot aboutthose values, and a whole lot more, about prayer.

It is hard for postmoderns like us to be focused on anything. Parents would worry about a thousand and one things first thing in the morning: what the children would wear, what they would bring to school, etc. Young adults have their own share of worries: how to blend in with their peer group and still maintain their uniqueness and autonomy; their ability or otherwise to keep up with what is fashionable and cool. Name it,

we have it: issues and concerns that occupy our waking and even our sleeping thoughts.

The early Christians, a very small band of believers then, must have had their own share of worries, issues and concerns, too. They did not exactly wake up to see a society warm and cuddly towards a group of followers of Someone the authorities had just condemned to death recently. They were not exactly liked by the powers that be in those days. And given the spreading rumors that their leader had reportedly risen from the dead, they sure had to watch their back as everyone suddenly became wary of that band of believers.

But their conviction that the Lord is risen led them to commitment and dedication. We all know what it was they committed and dedicated themselves to: His teachings, the communal life, the breaking of bread, the prayers — the whole works done by a serious follower of the Risen Lord. That old man sure got his priorities right!  Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

Reflection Question:

How committed are you to live out your Christian life? What area of your spiritual life needs reinforcement?

 

Risen Lord, help me to rise up, too, and be worthy of my calling as a Christian.

 

St. Grata, pray for us.

WE ALL NEED A FOCUS IN OUR LIVES

 

One of the requirements for a good moral life is that a person needs to be committed to some long-term goals in their life. It is these goals that will provide the foundational meaning to their lives. It is also important, within the context of our commitment to certain goals, that we remember things can simply appear and demand our attention as well, even to the point of having to modify our long-term goals.

Jesus was sent to proclaim the Gospel primarily to the Jews. This does not mean He favored the Jews over the Gentiles; it is merely a reflection of the fact that God had been preparing the Jewish people to receive His Son for the last 2,000 years and so the Gospel was going to have a better chance to take root and flourish in the Jewish culture than anywhere else. Yet, from time to time in the Gospel, we see Jesus ministering to the Gentile people just as was the case in the times of Elijah and Elisha. The main goal is still the same, but there should always be room for limited accommodation of other ministries and missions as well.

As regards the Gospel, it is important for us to see Jesus ministering to the Gentiles as it gives credence to the mission to the Gentiles that the Early Church will discover being thrust upon it by people such as Paul and Barnabas. If Jesus had refused every opportunity to open His ministry to the Gentiles, then it would be very difficult to justify the mission to the Gentiles that so captured the imagination of the Early Church and led to the rapid expansion of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.

Jesus lays the ground work for the Gentile mission when He ministers to the Canaanite woman, the Roman centurion and others during His primary mission to the Jews. These cannot escape our attention as they were unexpected and also caused a great stir among the Jewish leaders at the time.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What am I committed to in my life? Or do I just wander from day to day without any real focus or goal?

 

Holy Spirit, help me to set my life on a firm footing and grant me the grace to have a goal in my life so that I can work towards it with perseverance and commitment.

 

St. Stephen Harding, pray for us.

NO HIDE, NO CHRISTMAS BOX!

I thought I would use the title of this reflection to introduce you to an old British adage that basically affirms that if we do not have the courage to ask for something, then we should not complain when we do not get it. Without shedding our shyness, we will not receive a present. Jesus is affirming here that we need to be forthright in bringing our petitions before God, as He wants to know what we want and the degree of commitment we have as regards this desire.

It is important to God that when we come asking for a grace, He knows we are going to use it well. There is no point in Him giving us a gift if we are never going to use it. I meet with this sort of attitude quite often as I am known to give away gifts given to me if I do not see how I can use them. Why keep something that is just going to be a clutter in my room or house or wherever it is kept? I am supposed to be living a simple life in imitation of Jesus and so I see this as important in this regard. Thus people often ask me what I need before they give me a gift. It takes the surprise out of opening the gift but it is certainly far more practical. I appreciate the gift no less even if I know what is coming.

God looks at this dynamic from the point of view of the giver. Even though His grace is unlimited, He does not want to waste it. Just because you have more money than you can possibly use in a lifetime does not make it sensible to use it as fuel for a fire to keep you warm. One of the aspects of living a good moral life is making choices that are efficient as regards achieving their desired end. Thus, there is a sense that God wants to be convinced that we will use responsibly all the gifts and graces we ask of Him.

Jesus tells us not to give up easily when seeking the graces of God for our lives. This will demonstrate our level of commitment to God and our intent to really use this grace well in our lives.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Do I tend to give up easily when things do not immediately go the way I want them to? If so, then it is time to change this character flaw and seek to grow in perseverance.

 

Father in heaven, help me to open my life to the many graces and gifts You want to give me so that I will be better able to give my all in Your service.

 

St. Joseph of Arimathea, pray for us.