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Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by junix28 on July 30, 2011 in Homilies

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflection

 

During the week , as I surfed through the net I saw this picture  labelled as the ‘image of famine.’ The image was that of a very young Somali boy, literally looks like  mere skin and bone carried by his mother. That image really broke my heart. And then when I read the article about it, it said that that boy would have been only hours away from his death if he wasn’t taken to the Refugee camp. I felt so sorry for the boy that I wanted to cry. I was heartbroken. I wished I can help these people in some ways. From the bottom of my heart I asked God to help these people, for I believe he is the only one who can help them for I don’t have enough means to do it.

But today’s gospel reminds me of my insensitivity. Matthew’s account today is the first of his two accounts of Jesus’ miracle on the loaves. When his disciples suggested  that Jesus should tell the people to go and buy food, Jesus answered them “There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.” The disciples protested “we only have five loaves and two fish.” Jesus would have answered, “and that is something, give it to them.”  And we know the rest of the story. All were filled even they collected baskets of leftovers afterwards.

Friends, we have something. God supplies us with everything we need. We don’t have anything really that we can call our own, except sin. All that we have comes from God. And Jesus in our gospel today is telling us to ‘give this something’ to those people who are in great need. Jesus didn’t say ‘everything’ we have, we would give. He said just ‘something’ but this needs to be given to him because he is the only one who can make our little contribution bigger and greater for the benefit of many.

What can we do then?

First: Listen to God as Prophet Isaiah tells us in the First Reading today. If we look at this event and all other events in the world today, and listen, we can hear that God is actually saying something for us there. He’s saying enough ‘loving things’ but Love ‘my people’. At the end of our life we are judged by love John of the Cross said. Jesus would say to us later “I am hungry and you gave me food’, I am thirsty and you gave me drink…etc.” We can only claim we’ve done this if we love our neighbours, if we are sensitive to the needs of our brothers and sisters.   

Second: Let’s us examine our lives. What is that something that Jesus wants us to give away for the people who need our help? For instance, a portion of our day’s wage to be given to Caritas, Red Cross, Catholic Mission, and many other ways provided by God for us to be instrument of his love for all.

Jesus, help me to be someone to other people and make me do something to share your love to others. Amen.

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The Parable of the dragnet

Posted by junix28 on July 28, 2011 in Homilies
By: Fr Binh Le…Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Melbourne

Today’s gospel the parable of the dragnet is the seventh and the last parable which Matthew used to explain Jesus‘ teachings on the kingdom of  heaven. Similar to the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price, the parable of the dragnet has a subtle tension between ‘present and future.’ God‘s grace is like a ‘net’ thrown over all, good and bad alike; one does not need to be good to be included in the kingdom. However, once one is within, conversion is required. Those who do not respond positively to God’s  generosity will find themselves cast out, as fishermen throw away bad fish. Like the parable of the weed, the parable of the dragnet explains the presence both of good and bad in the kingdom, but also asserts that this situation will not remain in the future.

At the end of his discourse, Jesus asked his disciples: Do you understand what the parables of the kingdom mean? To this question, they confidently answer ‘Yes.’ How about us? Would we answer yes with the same assurance hat he Lord’s first disciples had?

To understand all these things is not a question of human intelligence- that of the wise and the learned- but of spiritual intelligence- that of the humble and lowly, to whom God  gives the understanding of the mystery hidden from this world and to act accordingly. It is one thing to hear the words of Jesus at daily Mass, to read them daily for meditation and to study them for comprehension. But it is quite another thing to accept and live out the words of Jesus in the midst of daily challenges, temptations and disappointments. After all, the longest journey one must take is from the head to the heart.

Just as the disciples draw near to Jesus in  order to receive from him the explanation of the parables, so too, only being familiar with the one who proclaims the parables can we explore their meaning, and having become his disciples we will be ‘like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’

The kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea which catches all kinds of fish. When it is full, the fisherman hauls it ashore. Then he sits down and sorts out the good fish from the bad. The good he keeps, the worthless he throws away. In a sense, all of us are fishermen. Each day we cast out into the formation sea of spirituality, academically, pastorally and humanly. And at the end of the day we have a catch, sometimes small, sometimes large. May we take time in solitude to sift through that catch. And may you Lord give us the wisdom to know what to keep and what to throw away. 

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God’s plan for us…

Posted by junix28 on July 27, 2011 in F.Y.I. (For your Information)

Have we realized by now, what is God‘s plan for our life? Do we allow God to work in us, with us and through us?

It’s not always helpful for us to imitate someone else. God does not want us to become another ‘St. Francis’ or ‘Mother Teresa.” He wants us to be our real selves just like what all the saints did. 

Look at this amazing video of a young talented Filipino guy who can sing with both male and female voice.  I supposed he might have been ridiculed before as ‘doble-kara’ [double-faced] because of what he is capable of. But he has realised this is God’s plan for him. So he joined the reality TV show in the Philippines and showcased his incredible and unique talent. He won the grand prize of 2 milllion pesos plus all other awards. However the most rewarding of it all for him is that he has united all his family members which he has been dreaming of ever since he was a child.

(N.b. if you don’t want to listen to the interview or you can’t understand the language just play forward to 2:34.)

or ponder on this story…

Once upon a time three young trees were growing side by side in a huge plantation. With a typical youthful enthusiasm, they shared with one another their hopes for life when they reached maturity.

One hoped to be used in the building of some mansion, so that its grain and quality would be admired by the great and the famous.

The second hoped to form the tallest mast in the most beautiful sailing ship, thus gaining full attention as it sailed into any port.

The third hoped to  be part of some big public spectacle, well out in the open, so the passers-by would stop and look on in wonder.

The reality for the trees, according to the legend was:

– The first was cut down and part of it was used to make a trough for animals, and it later became a manger in a stable.

– The second was cut down, and part of it was used to make a very simple fishing boat that spent a lot of its time tied up on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

– The third was cut down, and part of it was used to form the beams of a cross, which was used for crucifixion. 

*The ideal is to be available for God to use me in any way he chooses to establish,to promote, and to build up the kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ.* [J. Mcardle]

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Homily for 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Posted by junix28 on July 23, 2011 in Homilies

17th Sunday Homily (Year A)

A few months ago,  I read a news of a 13-year-old boy in Cebu Philippines who committed suicide for the reason that his mother did not buy him a laptop computer. Reading that  I felt so sad and upset. I didn’t blame anyone though, because I realized that it was not anyone’s fault. It’s a symptom however of our materialistic society. Many people think that material thing is all that is. Many believe that material things can really make us happy and contented. Not a few people think that money is all that we need because through it, we can get everything that we need or want.

But we know, we who are here today don’t really believe that material things are all that we need, do we? If we do, we would not have been here. We are here because we believe as our faith- experience tells us that there is more to our life than material things. We are here, I hope and pray, because we are looking for that treasure of the kingdom that would really guarantee us of eternal happiness, real contentment and complete satisfaction.

In our Gospel today Jesus tells us another set of parables about the kingdom of God-a priceless treasure, that once it is found, we would consider all other things as mere shadows. But what is this treasure? What is this kingdom of God?

It is the kingdom of love, of peace, of justice, of solidarity, of sharing, of making God as the centre of our life…The point in our gospel today, is for us to seek for this kingdom.  But where? Jesus said, the kingdom of God is among us now, is within us. So let’s look at our heart. What are our priorities? If we feel sad hearing the news of  starvation in Somalia, it’s the sign of the Kingdom of solidarity and of justice. If we feel sorry for that boy who took his own life because he couldn’t get a laptop, it’s a sign of the Kingdom that we want God to be focus of our life rather than things. And as we read the papers everyday, we are in some ways moved to reflect on  some of the events happening around us. But  reading or reflecting on these things are not enough. We have to do something. As I mentioned last week, each one of us is given a ‘seed’ of the kingdom. Let’s work from there. Let’s develop it, share it, make it bear fruit.

But to do it in our time, is quite a challenge. Because there is another kingdom that is in opposition to the Kingdom of God-the kingdom of Satan. Satan is real and he is working now, more than ever. He even seems to have succeeded in some ways. Sin becomes so rampant now, that as John Paul II observes, leading us to believe that doing ‘it’ is just normal and part of our ordinary human life. The late Pope said, because of this reality of sin pervading in the individuals and in the structures, we lose the sense the sin. We are experiencing the eclipse of sin.

But seeing us here today in this Eucharistic celebration is a sign of hope that still we seek for the Kingdom of God, that we want to promote the kingdom of God, that we want to defeat the forces of evil around us.

But what can we do? What do we do then?

Three things: First, more than ever, we need the wisdom of Solomon to help us discern the Kingdom of God from the kingdom of satan; to discern between good and evil;  between right and wrong; between truth and lie; between life and death. Let’s pray that God would grant us this same wisdom.

We need Jesus in defeating the evil forces us. He stood for the truth, no matter what happens, even if he was standing alone, even if it led him to his death. Let’s keep close to his side.

And finally we need to do something to help those people who are really in need, not only of our prayers which is the first thing, but also because we have the means and the ways to do this. We have Caritas, Red Cross, St Vinnies, Catholic Mission, etc. God gives us these ways and these means NOT to put burden on us, but to enable us to share in promoting the kingdom of God here on earth. Let’s seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will be provided.  Amen.

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