A SUPPER INVITATION

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 11:1-13

            My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let me invite you to a supper. This is a very special supper, something beyond your imagination. Why? This is because it is all imaginary and who knows it could be your last supper too. Come! Follow me as I lead you to the place.

            Here we are. Welcome to the Garden of Eden and what you see is the heavenly banquet prepared especially for you. I know that you like the place very much but let me have your attention first. Each seat has a name and one of those names is yours. As soon as you’re done enjoying the beauty of the garden you may immediately find your seat.  

            Now that you’re all on your seats, may we call the angels to serve the food. Oh yes! I know that you are all surprised that the angels can do it in just the wink of an eye. And of course, I see your eyes and astounded faces as these are food you have never seen and tasted before. Do they smell very delicious? Yes, I know and let us start the dinner with a prayer. Let us pray the prayer that Jesus told His disciples.

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

AMEN.

            Enjoy your dinner and by the way, this dinner is sponsored by Jesus. Before I leave, let me read to you His message.

“Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and it will be opened to you.

For the one who asks receives,

and the one who searches finds,

and to him who knocks the door will be opened.

Good bye!

God, the One Thing

Luke 10:38-42

July 21, 2013

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We read in the gospel that Martha was “distracted by all the preparations.” And Jesus gives this advice to her: “You are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is needed.” But what is that one thing?

It could be said that the one thing that Martha, and all busy people, need is time. In a sense Jesus is saying: slow down. In your busyness you are missing out on life. It is not so much that you’re busy, but that you’re exhausted. Today, it is busy Martha that most of us identify with. I think that we all recognize the need to slow down for more quality time in our lives - with spouses, parents, children, and friends.

It could also be said that Martha needs discernment. Her fault in this story is that she failed to discern that all her bustling activity was out of place at that particular time. Jesus, whose time was fast coming, needed something else - perhaps a quiet meal and time with non-anxious friends. Today, with all our activity, we never find ample time to reflect on our lives. We make the wrong decisions and we lose direction. We lose sensitivity to the real needs of others, especially our families.

But neither quality time nor discernment is the one thing necessary, but God. The lesson is not just that busy people should slow down; or that busy people can get so disoriented that they make bad decisions. One thing is needed, and when we get that right, all the other things follow. That one thing is surely God. When GOD IS OUR PRIORITY, then quality time with others, and discernment about when to act and when to be will naturally follow.

In the gospel, Martha chose the many parts, but Mary chose the one part that is best of all. By setting aside everything else to sit at the master’s feet and listen, Mary exemplifies what it means to love the Lord will all your heart, soul, strength and mind.

Lord, when you are not on our side, everything is in vain. Come to us, be the center of our lives. Amen.

And with your spirit

The Church has released a new English Translation of the Roman Missal. It shall be implemented in the Philippine Church starting in the Advent Season of 2012. One of the few changes brought about by the new translation in the way we celebrate the Holy Mass is that the response “And also with you” is replaced by “And with your spirit.”

In some parts of the Holy Mass, the priest greets us by saying “The Lord be with you”. This greeting affirms the presence of the Lord in our midst as a people gathered in worship. It is also a prayerful wish that the Lord continue to abide with us. Our response returns the greeting to the priest with the same prayerful affirmation of the Lord’s presence in him.

The response “And with your spirit” is nearer and more faithful to the original Latin and Greek language of the Liturgy. In Greek, the term “spirit” evokes the best and the most noble in a person. It is, therefore, the most courteous way of addressing a person. “And with your spirit” simply means “and also with you”, but it is the more holistic, more respectful way of returning a greeting, especially in solemn and prayerful occasions like the Holy Mass.

Cannot Please Everybody

In our lives we meet people with whom we get along instantly; but there are also people whom we cannot please no matter what we do. It is very frustrating on the part of the person exerting efforts to please the other, especially when it seems that everything was already done but all the efforts were in vain. But try to think of it, we’ll not be frustrated if in the first place we accept the fact that we cannot please everybody.

Yes, we cannot please everybody and we know that and even Jesus knows that. That is why before he sent his disciples he instructed them on what to do in every town that welcomes them and in every town that does not welcome them. This instruction of Jesus to his disciples only shows us that in our life we will meet people who will welcome us as we are and there are also people who will not. Being welcomed or not by the people around us should not be a big deal for us. Instead of focusing on what others would think about us or instead of pleasing the people around us, why do we not focus on pleasing God, for what could be greater than pleasing the one who is the source of our love and happiness?

As Christians, we are also taught to be good to our neighbors. How is that? We must realize that being good to our neighbor does not necessarily entail that we must also please them. Sometimes what pleases our neighbors is not actually good to them. It might seem good at first but eventually it will just contribute to the corruption of the heart and spirit of that person.

As we are reminded by today’s Gospel, we must always remember that it is better to be ‘good’ than to be ‘pleasing’.