Sparkles of Light (Mk 8:14-21)

14 February 2012, Tuesday, 6^th Week of the Year

 ARE YOUR HEARTS HARDENED?

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus enjoined them, "Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. When he became aware of this he said to them, "Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?" They answered him, "Twelve." "When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?" They answered him, "Seven." He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

Mk 8:14-21

In the Gospel for today we can see how Jesus is saddened because his disciples still didn’t understand who he is.  Jesus warns them not to be alluded with the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Herod, which perhaps indicated how the disciples -- actually the intention of the Gospel according to Mark -- were not really strongly rooted with their faith in Jesus.  Jesus used “leaven” for two reasons.  First, Jesus reminds them about the leaven in the multiplication of loaves, from five loaves and two fish, Jesus performed a great miracle to feed thousands who were there with them.  Secondly, Jesus is the bread of life.  No other “loaves” can offer what Jesus is offering which brings about the eternal life with God.  

Many of our people here in the Philippines are Catholics.  It is saddening to note that many Christian denominations would usually “entice” easily some Catholics who are not deeply rooted in their faith to change religion and join theirs. The usual point of argument that they normally use is that we Catholics have images and we allegedly worship these images which are all falsehood.  We are like the disciples then who can easily be allude not because that the other religious group can’t offer anything better, but because we ourselves as Catholics take for granted our rich and deep faith.  We are then invited to deepen our faith through a desire to know our faith better and Jesus dearly.  This is a serious and also a complex problem that we are facing.  Everyone should work, not only the hierarchy, in order to address this problem.

Even the secular world has many inducements too such as money, greed, popularity, lust, ego, self-centeredness, and many more.  These inducements seem to give such pleasure and contentment in life but it is not.  This brings us far away from God and even the real love of family and friends.  We should be careful of these things, we should not let ourselves be deceived by these worldly inducement.

Today, all over the world, people celebrate Valentine’s Day.  Just like the celebration of Christmas, it has in a sense become a kind of very secular celebration for many people rather than a religious celebration.  Originally, Valentine’s Day is a holiday in the Roman calendar of saints honouring early Christian martyrs especially Saint Valentine.  These are martyrs who gave their life for the faith.  Though this was taken out in the calendar, yet may this be a reminder what Valentine’s Day is all about.  It is not only a day to celebrate love through flowers, chocolates, good date meals and music, or greeting cards.  It is a day to celebrate real love which grows and nourishes the soul, just like the martyrs of the early times.

Let us be steadfast with our fellowship with Jesus through our words and actions so that our hearts may not be hardened.  Jesus is the bread of life and whoever eats this bread shall have eternal life.

St. Cyril, pray for us.

Sparkles of Light (Mk 7:31-37)

10 February 2012, Friday, 5^th Week of the Year

 BE OPENED

Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!") And immediately the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Mk 7:31-37

            The Gospel for today seems to be detailed and perhaps unpleasant on the way how Jesus healed the deaf man.  “He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’”  Then the man could hear and there was no problem with his speech.  But why did Jesus heal in this manner?  For me, Jesus was communicating with a deaf man who is brought to him.  So in a sense, he uses sign language to get his message across to the man before he heals him.  But in so doing, and then in actually healing the man, Jesus is also sending a message to us – that we must be opened to God’s signs in our life so that we may be able to see, hear, feel, even smell and taste God’s presence.  How shall we read the signs?  Let our Gospel story tell us how.

                The first thing Jesus does is to take the man off to the side, apart from the midst of the crowd. Jesus wants his full attention, no distractions.  If we want to know God’s desire for us, we must take time to quiet ourselves and focus our reflection and prayer on God, no distractions.  Jesus then puts his fingers into the man’s ears to signal the man that it is his deaf ears that Jesus is going to heal.  If we quiet ourselves, with no distractions, perhaps we might also feel Jesus’ finger into our ears telling us to listen intently to him.

The next thing Jesus does, though it may sound strange, is to spit at the man.  Though it didn’t say where Jesus spat on – could be onto the ground or could be on his own fingers or anywhere.  Perhaps the point for spitting, though how gross it may seem, makes the man feel in a sense alive and alert, that Jesus was with him.  In our lives, God will reveal himself to as a surprise, in the most unexpected and lease moment.  Jesus then touched the man’s tongue to show that he will take away the impediment from speaking clearly.  Not only will that, but the power to heal come from Jesus.  Whatever pain we have in our lives, we must offer it to the Lord and have faith that Jesus will take away our pain, in his time.

Jesus then looks up to heaven because he wants the man to look to God in faith for this blessing. And he wants the man to make the connection, that the power Jesus is going to use to heal him comes from God, comes from heaven. Even more so, that Jesus himself comes from God has come down from heaven. That is the goal of this healing: to recognize something about Jesus, that he is the divine, heaven-sent man of mercy, sent to heal all our ills.  Just like the deaf man, Jesus is inviting us to lay our needs before God in an attitude of supplication and prayer.  We come before God with all our hurts, all our ailments and afflictions, all our sins and sorrows, our frustration and our exhaustion, and we lay that bag of misery before God with the sigh of faith. And we say to him, “Lord, have mercy.”  In his rich mercy, our heavenly Father hears our sighs and supplications, and he answers in the way that is best for us.

And finally, after doing all these gestures and actions to the deaf man, Jesus is ready to speak with one powerful word -- “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened.” “And the deaf man was healed.  Thus, when Jesus speaks, things happen. His words are powerful and active, accomplishing the purpose for which he speaks.  Have faith in Jesus and be opened.  We have just seen the signs of Jesus for the deaf man.  God is inviting us to see, hear, feel, even smell and taste God’s presence because he is always with us.

St. Scholastica, pray for us.

Sparkles of Light (Mk 7:24-30)

9 February 2012, Thursday, 5^th Week of the Year

 FIND JESUS IN ALL THINGS

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied and said to him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps." Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter." When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Mk 7:24-30

            The Gospel for today presents to us a very human Jesus.  It seems that Jesus wants to take rest and have personal time for himself.  Hence, he doesn’t want anybody to know that he is in Tyre.  Unfortunately, due to his popularity, he really can’t escape the crowd.  Even a Syrophoenician woman, who is considered a pagan, came inside and begged Jesus to drive away the demon that has plagued her daughter.  Jesus, perhaps tired and hungry, at first didn’t give a purely positive response to her request.  Yet despite being a pagan, the woman was able to tell Jesus, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”  Such begging for compassion moved Jesus to fulfil her request.    

            If we take a closer look at the details of this Gospel passage, it speaks about the reality of the Kingdom of God.  In working for the Kingdom of God, God is at work in the hearts of ALL men and women, not just those who are Christian.  In the story we can see a very persistent woman who wants her daughter to be healed confronts Jesus.  She is so persistent that Jesus gives in to her and fulfils her desire.  Despite that she is a pagan, she has faith in Jesus and what Jesus can do to her daughter.  How was this possible?  This is what the theology of religion is teaching us.  That the Church affirms there are elements of the truth at work in all cultures and religions and that the Church affirms and encourages these aspects of them.  St. Paul said that all people have the ability to know and come to believe in God through the wonder and glory of creation, even without specifically hearing the Gospel proclaimed.

            Some years ago when I was in Thailand, I had a conversation with a “red truck” driver (like jeepney driver here in the Philippines).  Perhaps he noticed that I was a foreigner, so he asked me some questions like who am I and what was I doing there, etc.  And so I said that I was a Jesuit seminarian and I was taking a course in inter-religious dialogue.  As a Buddhist (the majority of Thailand for that matter), he does not know what a seminarian or a priest is.  So I tried to explain to him in my simple ways.  In the middle of the conversation, we came upon a stop sign.  While waiting for the go sign, an old lady (in her bare feet) went to the driver’s window and raised her hands asking for some change.  What happened next really touched my heart.  The driver went out of the “red truck” and gave his slippers to the old lady.  He even gave her a bottle of water and a pouch of biscuits which is perhaps his own baon.  Then we went our way.  I said to the driver that he was so kind and I was touched with his actions.  He simply replied to me, “We must help those who are sick and hungry.”     

            Jesus is very much present and alive in the driver despite that he is a Buddhist.  Though he doesn’t know about Jesus, he is like Jesus through his words and action.  Isn’t this what Jesus is teaching us?  Often times it is quiet saddening when we ourselves as Christians have the notion of “show me first then I will believe” rather than “believe first and you will see.”  The Lord works with each and everyone of us who are humble and obedient to him and his ways.  As Christians, we are the bearers of the light and truth in Jesus.  Hence we invited to live like Jesus and find Jesus in others.  

Sparkles of Light (Mk 7:1-13)

7 February 2012, Tuesday, 5^th Week of the Year

 MEANINGFUL TRADITIONS

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.) So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?" He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." He went on to say, "How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and whoever curses father or mother shall die. Yet you say, 'If someone says to father or mother, "Any support you might have had from me is qorban"' (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things."

Mk 7:1-13

            Today’s Gospel reading is similar to what happened in chapter two of Mark when Jesus’ disciples started to pluck head of grains during Sabbath.  And we know that it is considered a crime to “work” on Sabbath as interpreted by the religious authorities such as the Pharisees.  Hence, the religious leaders questioned Jesus about the law on Sabbath.  Yet Jesus and his disciples didn’t break the law for they were just addressing a human need.  Thus, Jesus reminds us that love is beyond any human law.  We are again reminded about this in today’s Gospel.  Moreover, Jesus reminds us that our traditions will be meaningful if we put our hearts into it.

            In our Roman Catholic Church, Tradition is placed equally with God’s Word, the Sacred Scriptures.  “It is therefore to be received with the same internal assent of Scripture, for it is the word of God.”  Thus, we have different rites and practices in masses and sacraments; we have Lenten fasting and meatless Fridays; we have the rosary and benediction; and more.  This makes our faith richer and meaningful for these are articles of faith the leads us closer to God.

            However there are some things we need to pay attention when we are following traditions.  Just like the Sacred Scripture, it becomes truly alive and powerful when we embrace the word of God, allowing it to transform our lives and others through our words and deeds.  Traditions should also be taken in the same manner.  It doesn’t mean that when we do our traditions, we are fulfilling our “obligations.”  No.  If our traditions, prayers, worship and sacrifice are not transforming us and others, then it is just an empty tradition.

            Perhaps you have heard stories of a rich lady who faithfully attends daily masses, but doesn’t give a single centavo to the beggar outside of the church; or the story of a teenager who fast in order to win favour from his parents to buy that new gadget; or the story of a man who devotedly prays the rosary, but always shouts and demands to his wife.  What happened to meaningful traditions?  Our traditions should reflect both what is interior and exterior of us.    

            In the Gospel story, Jesus’ disciples didn’t follow the tradition by eating with unclean hands.  Despite not having clean hands, their intentions were pure and deep.  Despite how dirty the religious authorities think, their hearts were so clean.  All of us have traditions and there is nothing wrong in following and doing these traditions.  I think the message of Jesus is clear.  If you do these things yet there is no change in our heart and our souls, then there is no meaning in our traditions.