13th Sunday of Ordinary Time: June 27, 2010

1st Reading, from the 1 Book of Kings, 19: 16b, 19-21
-Elijah on Mount Sinai- & -The Call of Elisha-
It is possible that earlier in life, the majority of us have already faced situations that require us to spring into action at a moment’s notice, without preamble or preparation. Something as simple as choosing a dish from a fast food’s menu, or maybe something more life changing like choosing between the police academy scholarship or the medical school grant. We know as we debate between one and the other, that the opportunity at hand might be a one-time thing. So at the time of getting such call, we hope to have our ears open and to be attentive to the moment when the call rings on our life’s phones.

Today’s first reading brings us to the time when Elijah receives God’s call, instructing him to go to Mount Sinai. Elijah is afraid of God, and though in his heart he wants to serve God, his spirit is weak and, after eating, Elijah falls asleep and when awakened, hides. God comes back to Elijah and sending him in search of Elisha, leaves him with the instructions of instruct Elisha to leave everything behind to follow God.
Elisha himself hears God’s call and his only request is for the opportunity to say goodbye to his parents. Elisha is ready to go. He is focused and understands the importance of Elijah’s request. In Elisha’s heart there is complete certainty of what needs to be done.

God is a very loving father. He is our creator and is aware of our strengths and our weaknesses. When God asks one of his children for something in particular, he knows if the child needs a boost, or maybe even a 2nd call. He knows if the request to say goodbye is coming from the heart or if it is a smoke screen to find an opportunity to avoid complying with his request. As children of God all we have to do is give him our best when our souls hear the celestial ring.

All loving Father, may we be like your son Elisha who heard the call and responded without delay, so we too are able to serve you anytime you call for us.

**********************************************

2nd Reading, from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians, 5:1, 13-18
-Preserve Your Freedom- & -The Spirit and Human Nature-
During the 70s the younger generations called for freedom from military service. During Dr. King’s time the call was for the black population to be free from society’s shackles and from the banning of seating on the front of the bus. The American Indians fought for their freedom from the white settlers and the white settlers fought for their inalienable right to freedom of religion and the pursuit of happiness.

Humanity has always demanded its right for freedom. For doing as we please feels as natural and normal as breathing oxygen or as the sun setting at night. And yet not always our desires are as pure or as basic as the desires that called for freedom from slavery or from police brutality.

Our heart’s desires can also lead us to trouble.
And so this is how we introduce this fragment of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, when Paul reminds them that they were “called to be free” and that freedom can only be found after surrendering to the Spirit, and not before.

When folks surrender to their human desires, their connection with the Spirit -and thus to God- is lost. Giving in to our human nature drives us away from the Heavenly Kingdom of God.

**********************************************

The Gospel according to Luke, 9: 51-62
-A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus- & -The Would-Be Followers of Jesus-
If the Country’s President announced that he would be passing through town, I would be the first one to tidy up my house -inside and out-, just in case he decided to stop by and maybe, just maybe, pay this humble citizen a short visit.

I imagine it is the same for others, whether the visitor is a famous movie star, or a NASCAR pilot, or a World Cup footballer. It is very unlikely that anyone would voluntarily become “occupied” in the event of a potential visit of a public person.
And yet, such anomaly occurred when Jesus passed by a Samaritan Village. Its residents did not open their homes to the Son of Man. Jesus, wisely and always forgiving, chose to continue on with his journey rather than confronting the Samaritans and their poor interest in God’s good news.

As Jesus moved on with his mission different people offered to accompany him on his journey. While one man in particular said “I will follow you wherever you go”, another one offered to follow Jesus after he had said “goodbye to (the) family.” Though some of the excuses said to Jesus seemed reasonable ones -bury a dead parent or simple say goodbye to them-, God could tell that they were nothing but excuses masking a false offer to follow him.

When we hear the call of God we fear the destination where the call will leads us to. We fear what the message within the call is about. We know that God’s path involves sacrifice, pain, and suffering. We know it because we are witnesses to what humanity did to Jesus. And Jesus knew it too, the price of his sacrifice, the cost of his Father’s call. But this knowledge did not deter him from answering with an open heart.

May we follow Jesus’ example, and be ready to pick up when we hear God’s call.

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time: June 20, 2010

1st Reading, from the Book of Zechariah, 12:10 – 11, 13:1
-The Future Deliverance of Jerusalem-
This fragment from the Book of Zechariah delivers a message from God the Almighty.
Prosecuted Jerusalem is given hope about the future. Its oppressors won’t last for too long. Soon the Lord will deliver her from them, and she will be restored to glory. Her people, the descendants of David, will enjoy victory over their enemies, and the victory will be crowned with their hearts being filled with great mercy and compassion for their fallen oppressors.
God not only turns his people into triumphant warriors, but on top of that, gives them the great gift of mercy. The winners will mourn the losers’ faith, and through their pain, “the descendants of David and the people from Jerusalem” will be purified “from their sin and idolatry.”
Forgiving Father, may your mercy be extended to us too just so, like the children of Jerusalem, our sins can be purified and our souls can be free.

2nd Reading, from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians

The Gospel according to Luke, 9: 18-24
-Peter’s Declaration about Jesus- & -Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death-
On this passage of Luke’s Gospel we hear Jesus asking the disciples “Who do the crowds say I am?” From all the different answers that were given to Jesus, it was Paul who said “You are God’s Messiah.”
Once Paul’s heart opened up to God’s good news, Paul had no trouble recognizing Jesus from who he was. Paul understood with mind and soul that the man standing in front of them was the one whom God had told them about.
Jesus, the Messiah, had full comprehension of the demands of His chosen path and thus, asked the disciples to maintain his real identity at bay. For the only way that God’s plan could happen, was if the suffering of the Son of Man took place. Jesus’ pain, his rejection, death, and resurrection, were all intertwined steps in the goal of saving men from their sins.
Jesus asked the disciples to follow him by accepting their crosses and by bearing them every day. For, in giving up their lives for His sake, they would gain an eternity with Him around God’s heavenly table.
Though we are not as fortunate as the disciples, who got to hear these instructions from Jesus himself, we are blessed to have the Scriptures to show us the way. We have the advantage of 2000+ years of education which signals us what to do in order to be able to sit alongside Jesus on the table of plenty.
Not always do we get to hear the good news from people who share our same customs or traditions. Sometimes the flag of wisdom comes from folks who are “different” from us. We must remember that the difference is only external, as inside we are all one in God. Internally we are all the same, we are but branches of the same tree, and though some of us might be darker, or curlier, or richer, or poorer, we remain children of God, the Only One, the Almighty.
Jesus asked the disciples to give up themselves in order to become winners, and the instructions that we receive today have not changed one bit. Every time we give, expecting nothing in return, we are acting upon Jesus’ instructions. For every act of mercy, for every donation in the form of a check, for every smile, for every hour “worked” cooperating with the improvement of our brothers and sisters’ lives, we are explicitly acting upon Jesus’ request. We might be “losing” an hour here and there, or giving up the chance of buying a new pair of shoes, or sacrificing an outing on account of funneling the cash towards a donation to the less fortunate, but in reality what happens is that to the eyes of God our stock market value increases like there is no tomorrow.
May we find joy in giving, not just a little bit but a whole lot, because it is in giving that we receive the blessings promised by our Jesus, God’s Messiah.

11th Sunday of Ordinary Time: 13 June, 2010

1st Reading from the 2 Book of Samuel, 12: 7-10, 13
-Nathan’s Message and David’s Repentance-
“Nathan answered David: ‘The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die.’”
This fragment of Samuel’s Book leads us to the time when David was King of Judeah & Israel. David had been blessed by God, who loved him dearly.
Nathan the prophet said to David, God “made you King of Israel and rescued you from Saul. (He) gave you his kingdom and his wives; (He) made you king over Israel and Judah.” God was disappointed at David’s actions, at his sins of lust and murder. David had pretty much broken God’s heart and yet, in seeing David’s real contrition, God forgave David’s sins.
Although David could not get away with the murder of Uriah, he obtained God’s pardon once he truly recognized and acknowledged in front of God, that he -David- had done wrong. For David, the truth really set him free.
In our lives we all have been tempted to cover a misdeed or a sin, either because we feel embarrassed or maybe because we are afraid of the consequences of what we have done. Fear will paralyze us and take us away from the path of honesty, because covering up a sin is whole lot easier than facing the reality of a bad action. The proverbial battle that takes place between the little angel and the little devil who reside on each one of our shoulders becomes a fearsome one, leaving us the end, confused and lost under the forces at war. It takes great courage and strength, to take a stand, and face reality. Though the action of facing our sins is a very draining one, we become refilled and plenty once we allow God back into our hearts. All we need to do for him to get inside is to open the door that welcomes an honest reconciliation.
May we be as strong as King David, who chose the truth in front of God. May we be honest with ourselves and with the world, because it is only in the truth that we can seek forgiveness for our sins.

2nd Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians, 3: 26-29
-Jews and Gentiles are Saved by Faith-
“… as the Law is concerned … I am dead -killed by the Law itself-, in order that I might live for God.”
As Christianity grew and many Jews chose to embrace the new Christian faith, the question arose of whether the new converts needed to follow the Law of Moses to become “real” Christians. Churches in Galatia, a Roman province is Asia Minor, claimed that the Law of Moses needed to be followed, because -according to them-, salvation could only be found through strict adherence to the practice of Moses’ teachings.
Paul’s work and his letter to the Galatians came to be after Paul realized that the Galatians were on a wrong path and needed to be brought back to the true faith and practice. He had discovered that they were being mislead by the believe of the Law of Moses as the only way to be good with God.
Paul explained to the Galatians that a person could only be put right with God “through faith in Jesus Christ.” The Law, wrote Paul, “was in charge of us until Christ came”, because before Christ’s arrival the world was “under the power of sin.” Once the Son of God was revealed to us, we learned that the only way we could be one in God was through faith. So, “now that time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us.”
And although the Law is the equivalent to the GPS that allows us to stay within Moses’ prophetic route, it is not through the Law that will be right with God. We must realize that dietary limitations and circumcision will not lead us to a place on God’s heavenly table; instead, it is through faith and love in God’s Messiah that we will ultimately be able to enjoy eternal life.
May our faith strengthen with each passing day, as we read the Scriptures and get to understand what God is asking of us. May we be able to imitate Jesus’ example so that the grace of God will enrich our experience as Gentiles learning from his son, the Messiah.

The Gospel according to Luke, 7:36 – 8:3
-Jesus at the Home of Simon Pharisee- & -Women Who Accompanied Jesus-
On the day when Simon Pharisee invited Jesus to have supper at his house, other people attended as well. One of them was a woman who had led a sinful life. Throughout the gathering she spent time cleaning Jesus’ feet. First she washed them with tears from her eyes, and later wiping them dry with her hair. After kissing Jesus’ feet, she opened an alabaster jar that she had brought along, and applied the perfumed contents on his feet.
Simon Pharisee, alone with his thoughts, kept on thinking that it was very likely that Jesus did not know of the woman’s reputation. He said to himself that if Jesus knew of the woman’s story, she would be removed from such closeness to him, and would be forbidden from giving him all that attention and care. Hearing Simon’s thoughts Jesus shared with him the parable of the two men whose debts had been cancelled and that how the one man whose pardoned debt was greater was probably the one most thankful for the obtained favor. And then, in front of a silenced Simon, Jesus told the woman that he had pardoned her sins; she could now go in peace because her faith had saved her.
How many of us have avoided those friends from school or from work who were not cool enough? How many of us have looked the other way just so we would not be associated with the pariah, or with the ugly one, or with the dumb one? How many of us have felt, like Simon, that a person’s past should determine whether or not they are worth of our company? We are in no position to judge others. We do not know if, despite people’s exterior, their interior could be cleaner and better than ours.
Jesus protected and stood up for those less beautiful, for the less rich, for the sinners, and for the sick. One would venture to say that Jesus actually enjoyed the company of the less fortunate, and we are likely right in the assumption that Jesus preferred to be with them rather than partaking with the church’s elders or with the Pharisees.
Jesus knew that his mission required him to protect those who had no one to protect them, and he accomplished his mission with a joyous heart. He did not forget the poor, the sick, or the rejected members of society. Every step of the way Jesus was fully aware of who was with him, of the reputation of his companions, and above all Jesus knew how much his presence helped those who were ready to share their lives, time, and talents with him. Jesus did not shortchange anyone and gave his own life for mankind that was not even born.
Following Jesus’ example, may we discover ways to give and to share with others regardless of their reputation; and may we be able to help our brothers and sisters so they too can find the road that leads to eternal salvation.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi : readings for Sunday June 6, 2010

1st Reading, from the Book of Genesis, 14: 18-20
-Melchizedek Blesses Abram-

This reading narrates the rendezvous between Abram and King Melchizedek, after Abram's returned from war.

Despite the fact that the two men participating of this meeting were of great importance, their celebration was simple. Abram, returning from war as a hero, is a man who has everything: he has conquered the loot, the men, and has God on his side. His triumph is so overwhelming that, on top of keeping nothing for himself, he gives a tithe to the King. Melchizedek, a King who happens to be a priest as well, amazed at the humility of the man in front of him, decides to celebrate with a simple dinner.

And so it happens that two great men get together and, instead of an opulent celebration, all they partake is simple bread and wine. People of faith would dare to call this meeting as the precursor of Jesus' last supper, because Abram did not only receive an uncomplicated meal, but he also received a blessing from a representative of God's on earth.

We can learn from these two examples that extravagant celebrations not necessarily dignify an important meeting. The reason for a meeting and its participants are enough motivation to determine the relevance of a gathering. A pompous menu will not necessarily add importance to an engagement that is already brightened with the presence of people of goodwill.

May we be able to find peace, honor, and blessings in every simple celebration, from the one that takes place at the kitchen table to the one that takes place during the celebration of mass.

*****C**O**R**P**U**S*****C**H**R**I**S**T**I*****

2nd reading, from the 1 Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, 11: 23-26
-The Lord's Supper-

This fragment of Paul's letter addresses the importance of the meal upon which we honor our Lord Jesus Christ, because it is the sharing of this meal that we proclaim "the Lord's death until he comes."

I remember as a child, before every meal, Mother and the Grandparents saying "Did you wash your hands?" This was the rule and everyone had to follow it. No one dared to challenge the adult's instructions and every kid seating around the table had, not only sparkling hands but also a properly cleaned face. The hygienic rule of arriving clean to the table was also indication of respect towards the occasion of getting together as a family.

At the time when Paul wrote his letter, the people of Corinth had bigger problems than arriving to table with clean hands. The text of the letter stressed the importance of joining the Lord's table with a clean body that is paired up with a clean soul, because to God the exterior appearance is secondary to what happens in the interior of those participating of his supper.

May we remember to bring to the table, that which is important to God when we share his body and his blood.

*****C**O**R**P**U**S*****C**H**R**I**S**T**I*****

The Gospel according to Luke, 9: 11b - 17
-Jesus Feeds Five Thousand-

This portion of the Gospel narrates the day when, having finished preaching and healing the sick, Jesus and his disciples are followed by a multitude of people who refuses to leave them. The disciples panic when they hear Jesus' request to feed the multitude, as all they have is five loaves of bread and two fish.

Following Jesus instructions the disciples gather the people in groups of fifty each, so they can be properly fed. Jesus then says a prayer to God the Father, and a while later everyone is eating. With amazement the disciples discover that after feeding each and every person present, they still have 12 baskets filled with leftovers.

We are called to share what we have, from our talents to our richness. It is in sharing that we receive, it is in sharing that we feel complete and satisfied. Jesus taught us by leading us with his own example.

May we be able to listen to our Lord's call, so we can share our bounty with an open heart.