Liturgical readings
Isaiah 50:4c-9a
Psalm 116
James 2:14-18
Mark 8:27-35
"Judge by God's standards, not by man's."
When Peter declared that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus took the opportunity to teach them what this meant - in relation to Himself, and to Peter and his companions. It was a difficult teaching that Peter's limited understanding took hold of him, and made him dissuade Jesus from the terrible fate of the Cross. Jesus, understanding God's will, rebuked Peter, and took occasion to teach everyone within hearing about self-denial, the cross, Christian discipleship, and life itself. All the truths that Christ taught on that occasion is in our Christian faith - often heard during the liturgical season of Lent. These truths that Jesus emphasized become more real for us whenever we find ourselves in a situation of adversity.
Going back to the gospel passage, we will see that Peter appeared to have missed hearing the end of Jesus' explanation: "...and to rise three days later." Suffering, rejection and death from Jesus' first words struck Peter's attention, that he missed listening to what would happen after all that. Humanly speaking, it can happen to us too. Perhaps not in the same way as Peter's but similar, according to how we are overwhelmed by a series of negative, death-related events. Like Peter, we get absorbed by the bad appearance and forget to "listen" to the good God can still do. We must avoid judging on human standards alone.
God became man in Jesus to show us that human suffering and death is not the end. By His resurrection, He showed a path to love, hope and life. We understand all human pain and death from this perspective of Christ conquering death. Jesus has created a new standard above our ordinary way of seeing and understanding. It is a noble standard. We are reminded of this noble standard every time we celebrate the Eucharist. In communion, when we receive the Body of Christ, our lives are elevated to the standard of Christ's Life. This is the reason why we revere much the image of the Crucified Jesus. Although our physical sight sees suffering, by prayer and the gift of faith, we know that God sent His Son Jesus to elevate our human understanding to God's standards.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
"Ephphatha!"
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm 146
James 2:1-5
Mark 7:31-37
"Ephphatha!"
Healing from Jesus' hands comes about because of an act of humility and a response of faith on the part of the one who seeks healing. This act of humility and and response of faith can also be made by a group of people concerned with their ailing companion. A passage from Mark's gospel is a good example of this act of humility and response of faith. A group of people from the Ten Cities begged Jesus to cure their companion who was both deaf and mute. Some of Jesus' healing miracles involved just a word from Him. But in this healing act, Jesus used extra care: "He put His fingers into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue, then He looked up to heaven and said to the man, 'Ephphatha'!" Ephphatha means be opened.
It is very rare for anyone to be healed apart from family or community. When a member of the family or community is sick, the family or community is also concerned with the person's healing. They give support in terms of prayers, encouraging words or being with the sick person until he is healed. Every family or community is a unity. Like the physical body, when a part of the body like the thumb hurts, or becomes dysfunctional, the whole body suffers and feels the pain. So it is with the family or community. When a member of the family or community is ailing, all other members are affected and concerned.
It is the same with the Body of Christ. When a member of the Body is sick and needs healing, everyone is affected and concerned. Prayers are often offered in the Mass, and the priest or his communion ministers bring the consecrated host for the sick or elderly in their homes. The Sacrament of Anointing is also administered when the sick person needs to recover from a major illness. This service can only be done by the parish priest. For the many who believe, acknowledging God-in-Jesus as the ultimate source of healing, leads not only the sick, but also the entire family or parish community to complete trust and faith in God for the health of everyone.
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm 146
James 2:1-5
Mark 7:31-37
"Ephphatha!"
Healing from Jesus' hands comes about because of an act of humility and a response of faith on the part of the one who seeks healing. This act of humility and and response of faith can also be made by a group of people concerned with their ailing companion. A passage from Mark's gospel is a good example of this act of humility and response of faith. A group of people from the Ten Cities begged Jesus to cure their companion who was both deaf and mute. Some of Jesus' healing miracles involved just a word from Him. But in this healing act, Jesus used extra care: "He put His fingers into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue, then He looked up to heaven and said to the man, 'Ephphatha'!" Ephphatha means be opened.
It is very rare for anyone to be healed apart from family or community. When a member of the family or community is sick, the family or community is also concerned with the person's healing. They give support in terms of prayers, encouraging words or being with the sick person until he is healed. Every family or community is a unity. Like the physical body, when a part of the body like the thumb hurts, or becomes dysfunctional, the whole body suffers and feels the pain. So it is with the family or community. When a member of the family or community is ailing, all other members are affected and concerned.
It is the same with the Body of Christ. When a member of the Body is sick and needs healing, everyone is affected and concerned. Prayers are often offered in the Mass, and the priest or his communion ministers bring the consecrated host for the sick or elderly in their homes. The Sacrament of Anointing is also administered when the sick person needs to recover from a major illness. This service can only be done by the parish priest. For the many who believe, acknowledging God-in-Jesus as the ultimate source of healing, leads not only the sick, but also the entire family or parish community to complete trust and faith in God for the health of everyone.
Monday, September 03, 2012
St. Augustine: "Clean up your heart"
Liturgical readings
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Psalm 15
James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
"All these evils come from within and render a man impure."
In passages of Leviticus, the Hebrew tribes were prohibited to eat animals that were specified as unclean. This tradition of clean and unclean (which also extended to other situations and not just food) has been handed down from generation to generation. The Pharisees in the time of Jesus made the people observe these traditions, but neglected to teach the people the importance of interior purification. They overemphasized external rituals and neglected the path to a "clean heart". And this is what the Lord did not like His followers to do. For Jesus, it is also and more important to be clean within.
This interior process of purification emphasized by Jesus has also been handed down to generations of Christians in the history of the Church - especially in religious life. One of the best guides for this is St. Augustine. Augustine says that vices and sins cloud "the eyes of our heart", making it difficult to see the good well. We are called to take the painful (but healing) step of renewing our faith, of making a leap into the Good, hoping to see the light amidst the darkness around us (cf. St. Augustine's Sermon #53). Vices that stand in our way should be swept away before we can practice virtue. St. Augustine's advice rings out clearly for us today: "clean up your heart as much as you can! Work at it so that God may come and help you prepare the place where He wants to stay."
It has always been a practice in the Church to examine one's conscience by reviewing all that one did during the whole day before retiring for sleep. Taking time for silent prayer, we can review the disposition of our hearts and see what actions flowed from it. Doing this helps us to examine our souls and see where we are lacking in virtue and how we are to practice it more. This practice of examining one's conscience at the end of the day is a classic spiritual exercise for greater self-knowledge and a knowledge of God's grace acting in our lives. If we begin this discipline then we can work on our faults and imperfections and avoid the paths that lead to vice and sin. Perseverance in prayer and the practice of virtue, most especially to love God above all, and to love Him in others and in ourselves, is what the Christian life and community living is all about.
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Psalm 15
James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
"All these evils come from within and render a man impure."
In passages of Leviticus, the Hebrew tribes were prohibited to eat animals that were specified as unclean. This tradition of clean and unclean (which also extended to other situations and not just food) has been handed down from generation to generation. The Pharisees in the time of Jesus made the people observe these traditions, but neglected to teach the people the importance of interior purification. They overemphasized external rituals and neglected the path to a "clean heart". And this is what the Lord did not like His followers to do. For Jesus, it is also and more important to be clean within.
This interior process of purification emphasized by Jesus has also been handed down to generations of Christians in the history of the Church - especially in religious life. One of the best guides for this is St. Augustine. Augustine says that vices and sins cloud "the eyes of our heart", making it difficult to see the good well. We are called to take the painful (but healing) step of renewing our faith, of making a leap into the Good, hoping to see the light amidst the darkness around us (cf. St. Augustine's Sermon #53). Vices that stand in our way should be swept away before we can practice virtue. St. Augustine's advice rings out clearly for us today: "clean up your heart as much as you can! Work at it so that God may come and help you prepare the place where He wants to stay."
It has always been a practice in the Church to examine one's conscience by reviewing all that one did during the whole day before retiring for sleep. Taking time for silent prayer, we can review the disposition of our hearts and see what actions flowed from it. Doing this helps us to examine our souls and see where we are lacking in virtue and how we are to practice it more. This practice of examining one's conscience at the end of the day is a classic spiritual exercise for greater self-knowledge and a knowledge of God's grace acting in our lives. If we begin this discipline then we can work on our faults and imperfections and avoid the paths that lead to vice and sin. Perseverance in prayer and the practice of virtue, most especially to love God above all, and to love Him in others and in ourselves, is what the Christian life and community living is all about.
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