Sparkles of Light (Mt 18:21-35)

13 March 2012, Tuesday of 3^rd Week of Lent

 SEVEN TIMES SEVENTY-SEVEN TIMES

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."

Matthew 18:21-35

            The Gospel for today speaks about forgiveness.  Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?”  Jesus answered him with a figure, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”  This figure doesn’t indicate to us that we should only forgive 539 times.  No.  That is not the point Jesus is making.  Jesus emphasizes that when we forgive, we don’t count, but we forgive with our whole heart.  Hence, this parable of the unforgiving servant emphasizes this very important Christian quality which Jesus invites us to do to others especially those who have wronged, hurt, or indebted to us.

            When I was working in the New Bilibid Prisons as a rehabilitation officer, one of my main tasks was to help bridge or reunite my inmate-clients with their families as part of the transition for their release.  So I go to the houses of my inmate-clients and assist in the reconciliation phase between the inmate and their families.  Many families would open their doors to me and it brings me such joy to see families being united again with my inmate-clients.  However, there are also families who would send me away and they do not want their father, brother, or son to go back again into their lives.  And mind you it is so hard to be a bearer of such news to the inmates.  And this saddens me that even their own family, it is hard to forgive.  It even pains me because I witness how my inmate-clients have tried so hard to make that promise of a renewed and better life outside with their families.

            On the other hand, I could imagine how hard it must be also for the families to simply forgive their father, brother or son who have committed a crime and caused so much pain and burden for them.  In short, it is really hard to forgive.  So who could blame them, right?  Yet what I have learned from this experience is that forgiving is a process, even a very long process that could take up years or even a lifetime.  And forgiveness will take place when one opens his heart, even how small the opening is.  As long as your heart is open for reconciliation, forgiveness takes place.  And Jesus gave us a hint on how we should forgive through the parable.  When somebody asked for our forgiveness, we should remember our experiences when we were also forgiven by our family or friends.  We should forgive others as we were also forgiven.  And most of all, we must remember the one who truly forgives us – Our Father.  As the Father has forgiven us, loves us, so too we must try our very best to forgive and love others.

            In this season of Lent, may we strive to reach out those who have wronged or hurt us.  Eventhough it is difficult, yet gradually, one day at a time, we slowly open our hearts for them to enter again.  As an old saying goes, “No heart is small enough to love and forgive.” 

Sparkles of Light (Mt 23:1-12)

6 March 2012, Tuesday of 2^nd Week of Lent

 PREACH WHAT YOU PRACTICE

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Matthew 23:1-12

In the Gospel for today, Jesus was preaching to his disciples about being true to what you preach.  You can’t preach something that you yourself do not practice.  Let me tell you two stories.  The first story is about a boy I have heard from a parent in our Jesuit parish in Iloilo.  The other story is about someone whom I consider as a true saint.

First story.  There was a little boy who attended a mass with his grandfather. The church they were going to had beautiful stained-glass windows. The grandpa told his grandson that the windows contained pictures of Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and many other saints.  When he got home, the boy told this to his mom and dad.  The father, wanting to be funny and curious about what his son had learned, asked, "What is a saint?" The boy thought for a minute and then replied, "A saint is somebody the light shines through." When I heard about that story, I realized that it was a pretty good definition of a Saint. Who are your saints? Who are the people in your life who let the light of God shine through them for you to see?

This brings me to my second story.  There was a quiet and pious church worker, again in one of our Jesuit parish in Iloilo that I always admire.  Her name is Grace.  Grace was very active in many of the parish activities but I think her greatest act of stewardship, service and sacrifice were her birthday and anniversary cards. This was Grace's love and passion. Usually we printed a list of the birthdays and anniversaries of our parish workers in our newsletter. Grace would send everyone a birthday or anniversary card. We usually tried to help her by giving her boxes of generic cards that were donated but Grace wouldn't take them. Grace delighted in going to the card shop and selecting cards just for each person. She prayed for them while she was selecting them and while she was filling them out.

Because of this, Grace had a huge impact on the life of our parish. When Grace died, they found her, lying in bed. Her Bible was open and laying on the bed next to her. And her hands were folded in prayer.  When her children came, they found three months’ worth of birthday cards. The cards were already addressed, signed and dated. You see, Grace would pencil in the date that the card needed to be mailed under where the stamp would go, so that everyone would get their card on or before their birthday.  She was doing a very simple task, yet Grace did it faithfully and lovingly.  Grace is indeed a saint in my book.

 So what made Grace so special? Grace did what the Pharisees in this passage didn't do. Although she was one, Grace never thought of herself as a Saint. She only thought of herself as a steward and a servant. Grace let the light of God shine through her. And when she did, lives were influenced and changed.  This Lenten season, may we be a light to others by practicing what we preach.  Always practice what you preach and truly the light of Christ shines brightly to others.

            

Sparkles of Light (Mt 7:7-12)

1 March 2012, Thursday of 1^st Week of Lent

ASK, SEEK, KNOCK

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.  This is the law and the prophets. or mother.

Matthew 7:7-12

Our Gospel for today is the continuation of the Sermon on the Mount.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned his disciples against formal, hypocritical prayer, and thus he gave them a model prayer to start them on their prayer journey. Now he takes the lesson a step further by teaching them to ask in faith. The teaching seems to be simple -- and at one level it is.  Jesus introduces three words that indicate desire in our prayer: ask, seek, and knock.

Ask seems to refer to simple petition, with the promise "it will be given to you." It is to ask for, with a claim on receipt of an answer, ask, ask for, demand."  Many of our prayers are of this kind. Finding that parents are the key to getting many things, our children commonly ask for what they want: "Mom, can I have some cookies." Or "Dad, can I drive the car tonight?"  And the answer, though, is not so simple. It could be, "Yes, I'll bring some to you on a plate." Or, "No, they'll spoil your dinner." Or, "Not now, but after you finish your math homework you can take a break and have three cookies -- no more."

One of the lessons Jesus is teaching us is to ask for the things we desire, rather than just trying to seize them on our own. One thing we eventually learn as children is that for some things the answer is always, "No." We learn not to ask any further. We also learn that in some areas if we ask, and conditions are right, we will receive. As we listen to our parents, we are educated in what to ask for and how to ask.  We don't learn these things by never asking. We learn by continuing to ask, and gradually learning our parents' mind, and asking according to what we perceive to be their mind. Hence, we are told to ask.

"Ask" indicates a petition. "Seek," however, indicates a search for something that is either lost or has not yet been found or discovered. "Seek, and you will find," Jesus says.  Just previously in the Sermon on the Mount, he had instructed his disciples, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (6:33). It is as if Jesus calls his disciples to a Quest for a kingdom and righteousness that are not immediately obvious.

Seeking can be frustrating, but we must not give up. Jesus has told us to seek his kingdom and his righteousness. The seeking process is a maturing process, a sifting process, and -- if we continue and don't give up -- becomes a single-minded Quest to know God. "Seek, and you will find." There is a promise here that if we will seek to know the Lord, and seek after his presence and blessing, we will find it. There is a looking that can be frustrating, but we are not to give up because we will find Him if we seek him with all our heart.

The third command is "Knock, and the door will be opened to you." Basically, knocking is confined to closed doors, not open ones. You've faced closed doors in your life, ones you sought desperately to open or reopen. Some of them you have banged on again and again. But then you learn to try other doors to see which one God will open.  "Knock," says Jesus, "and the door will be opened to you." We are to continue to knock on doors until God opens to us the opportunity he has in mind.