Friday, June 17, 2005
12TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
12TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR A
JUNE 19 2005
JEREMIAH 20:10-13
Jeremiah said: "I hear the whisperings of many: 'Terror on every
side! Denounce! let us denounce him!' All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine. 'Perhaps he will be
trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.' But the
LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble,
they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter
shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who
test the just, who probe mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance
you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the
LORD, praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor from
the power of the wicked!"
ROMANS 5:12-15
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and
through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all
sinned -- for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though
sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from
Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of
the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come.
But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the
transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace
of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for
the many.
MATTHEW 10:26-33
Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that
will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say
to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered,
proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the
body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can
destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for
a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your
Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So
do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who
acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly
Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my
heavenly Father."
REFLECTION
The world we live in can be scary at times. Just reading the
headlines or watching the TV news makes you wonder what kind of
future we have. Our concerns range from the unchecked killings,
bombings, rapes, kidnappings, to drugs, bank robberies, corruption of
a larger number of public officials, to wars, poverty, problems of
oversea workers and their families, nuclear armament - the list can
go on and on.
Young people just starting out in life usually worry about the
future. Old folks fear that their lives will become a burden to the
people they love. Those in between are concerned about their
families and the thousand other things that could happen to them.
Some people think that the government is interfering too much while
others think it's not doing enough to protect them. People concerned
with traditional Christian values see the popular culture of our
society as anti-Christian and a threat to spiritual life.
The root of all these problems and sufferings is human freedom. God
gave us freedom to choose. And God respects our freedom to choose.
Our days are full of choices between two or more actions, which
usually do not seem to be very good or very bad in themselves.
However, if we look a bit more closely, we will see that all our
deliberate actions are nevertheless either good or bad. For example,
I might want to sit over there outside the church, so I can say I go
to Mass and at the same time be courting my girl friend or continuing
my favorite tsismis - not a very good choice. Or, I sit over there
outside the church, because I'm not feeling well and I might have to
leave the church in a hurry to avoid fainting or suffering a coughing
spell - a very good choice.
But, if I am free, I can always choose to do very bad actions. I can
choose to hurt other people, to beat them up, to rob them, to kill
them. Why does God allow this to happen? Because He wants us to be
free. When He made me a man and not an animal or plant, He made me
free. And He respects my freedom so much that He will not strike me
dead if I decide to abuse my freedom by choosing to do bad actions.
This explains in part why people suffer so much and why there are
martyrs. Why does God not intervene and protect them from death?
Because He respects human freedom, even the freedom of those who
freely choose to kill Christians.
Yet, this is only half of the story, which deals with our life in
this world. The story continues after our death. Then freedom of
choice ceases and God takes over. The one who suffered from the
persecutor's evil choice is made happy forever, whereas the
persecutor is punished. Sure, He says, if things come to worse, you
might die. But God is present at your death and will eventually
compensate it surpassingly. If all your hairs are counted then that
is how valuable your life is in the eyes of God! If someone does
take it away through the abuse of freedom, God will restore it to you
when the time comes. Do not fear.
In a sense, God is powerless before my freedom. If I choose to hurt
others, He will not stop me. He will only look down with great
compassion on those I hurt and help them to bear their suffering.
But if I choose to love others instead of hurting them, He will also
let my decision bring its good effects on me in terms of inner
growth, harmony, peace, and joy.
On the road of faith we must expect to encounter opposition,
division, conflict, betrayals, and tensions. We must mercilessly
expose the myth of an easy and uneventful evangelization and of a
triumphalistic welcome everywhere.
Yet Jesus said, "Do not be afraid." He fully realized that those who
would hear his words, both in his own time on earth and later on, had
much to fear. Although the full extent of his message would become
known only after his death and resurrection, he wanted his disciples
to be prepared to proclaim it openly to the world. He urged them to
put their trust in God and assured them that his heavenly Father
would take care of them.
People who enjoy the world's wealth and power will have a greater
struggle in accepting Christ's message. He taught that what is
important in life is not selfish pleasure derived from the goods of
this world, but the humble enjoyment of God's love.
In God's kingdom what counts is not strength of body or physical
satisfaction, but spiritual strength. We are to surrender to God's
spirit of love that is manifested in the love of other people.
Since the dawn of human history people have turned away from their
Creator in order to promote their own desires and interests. It was
to counteract this power of sin and darkness that Jesus Christ came
into the world. He came to lead humanity back to the peace and light
of God's love.
When Jesus tells us not to be afraid, he is not promising that we
will be protected from all the perils of the world. He is not
pretending that people whose sole concern is their own interest will
not continue to take advantage of others.
On the contrary, he warns us that we will have to undergo hardships,
perhaps even death. However, he gives us the assurance that God will
be with us to strengthen us to face whatever evils we must endure.
Jesus promises that his Father will reward us for our fidelity.
If we are willing to commit our lives to the kingdom of love that
Jesus preached, the world might still be a scary place. But we will
begin to realize how much God loves us, so that even the worst the
world does to us will be less terrifying.
As we surrender selfish interests, and concentrate more on the power
of God's love, we can take comfort in the inner peace that love
brings us. Just as his divine Father raised Jesus, that same God
will deliver us from suffering and welcome us to an eternal life of
love.
Jesus says to his followers, "Fear not!" And that's what he says to
you and me here today: "Fear not!"
This is the message contained in today's Old Testament reading and,
especially in today's Gospel reading. This is the good news that
Jesus wants to share with us today, just as he shared it with his
followers in his lifetime here on earth.
Let us close with a prayer:
God our Father,
Give us the courage to bear witness to You
In every area of life,
In our homes, in our schools, in our work place,
In our community, in out country.
If we bear witness in these areas of life,
We will truly experience the effects of the right use of our freedom
-
Namely, inner growth, love, harmony, peace, and joy.
We will not be afraid.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: John Marveen Onal
- Prayer Intention: Emelinda Teck Yu
- Prayer Intention: Mark Jason Aquilino
- Wedding Anniversary: Winston Chan Dy & Olivia Son-Dy
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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