25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all. (Mk 9:30-37)

Two drivers had an altercation along Wilson road. One of the driver went out of his car and shot the other driver who happened to be a college student. Abuse of power.

Two students were held up by "palengke" boys (toughies). Abuse of power.

A politician owned a subdivision. He had the DPWH construct a concrete road to connect his subdivision to the main road. Abuse of power.

A young congressman was found with drugs at the airport. No charges were ever brought against the congressman. The man who found the drugs was removed from the airport. Abuse of power.

A teacher sells shoes, encyclopedia, kitchen wares to the her students or to their parents. Abuse of power.

What is power for?

The response of Jesus: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”

Power is for the exercise of servant-leadership.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (Mk 8:27-35)

“Who do people say that I am?”

The people had a common opinion of Jesus. He was a prophet. But the disciples who have been sharing the life of Jesus was able to perceive who Jesus was, the Christ in Greek or the Messiah in Hebrew.

Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

This is another instance of the Messianic secret in Mark's gospel. He didn't want the people to know that he was the Messiah because people expected the Messiah to be a military leader who would drive away the Romans and re-establish the glory of the kingdom of Israel as of old.

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly....

Once the belief of the disciples in him had been expressed, Jesus began to teach them the truth about the Messiah. The way of the Messiah was suffering.

At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan."

Peter could not accept the idea that the Messiah had to suffer and so he attempted to dissuade Jesus from taking that route. In doing so he acted as the devil acted when Jesus stayed in the desert forty days and forty nights. There the devil also tempted Jesus to take a different route, the route of power.

What does it mean to be a Satan? To be a Satan then means to be a stumbling block to the fulfillment of the Father's will.

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,take up his cross, and follow me.

In Matthew and Luke, only the disciples received this instruction. In Mark, the crowd received it, too. The way of the cross then is for all who would follow Jesus. The cross is part of the Christian life.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

"Something to suffer, something to offer
little to suffer, little to offer
plenty to suffer, plenty to offer
nothing to suffer, nothing to offer"
(Fr. Rizzato SDB)

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

He has done all things well.He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. (Mk 7:31-37)

And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment.

Someone who is deaf can not speak correctly because he has no idea how to make the proper sound with his tongue and mouth. He

In life, we are to say the right thing, we have to hear clearly. I do not mean the words the other person says. I mean we have to be able to read between the lines. We have to catch what is not being said.

For instance, if the wife tells her husband, "How do I look?" woe to him if he is unable to get what she wants to say. For he will not be able to give a satisfactory answer. But if he understands that his wife wants some reassurance that she is still attractive. Or if she is no longer the beauty she was before, the husband must reassure her that she still matters to him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd.

Why did Jesus do that? Why is it that Jesus didn't want the crowd to see his miracle? St. Mark's Gospel has one peculiarity. It's called the Messianic Secret. In his gospel, Jesus is portrayed as not wanting the people to know that he is the Messiah. The reason? Because the people have a wrong idea of the Messiah. They thought he would be the one to drive away the Romans, re-establish the Kingdom of David and make Israel a regional power again. And Jesus didn't want to be identified with that kind of Messiah. This also explains why "he ordered them not to tell anyone."

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!”

Why did Jesus have to touch the man? Jesus could have just commanded, "Be opened!" and the man would have been healed all the same. By touching the man Jesus wanted the miracle to be a personal encounter. For the human touch establishes a personal connection between people.

The hug is a kind of human touch that does not only establish a personal connection but promotes emotional health. For the hug is an expression of affection. And people thrive when there a lots of affection. When was the last time you have given a hug?

He has done all things well.

If the people were teachers, they would have given Jesus a grade of very good. It was not so much because of the miracle. But it was because of the kindness he has shown. He has done a good deed to this poor man who would otherwise have remained deaf and dumb all his life.

At our death would we receive a eulogy that would say that we have done all things well? Would people have stories to tell, stories of acts of kindness that we have done in our life time?

If we go to a cemetery, we would notice that the tombstones would have two important dates--the date of birth and the date of death. In between those dates is a dash. They say that neither dates is that important. What is important is the dash in between. For that dash represents our life lived on earth. May that dash be a witness to a life well lived.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders." (Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23)


When I was reading the gospel for this sunday, I came across the word tradition. Something clicked in my mind, as if a bulb had been suddenly turned on. The movie/broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof came to mind. I guess it was the song about tradition that was responsible.

Jesus was condemning the scribes and Pharisees because they were giving more importance to human tradition at the expense of God's Laws.

We also have traditions and Tradition in the Church. And sometimes we hold on to these traditions as if they belong to Tradition.

Let me explain.

Traditions (plural and with a small letter "t") refer to expressions of the Faith that might be appropriate for a certain time in history but which may have become meaningless or less helpful when the Church enters another period. These have to give way to another more appropriate or clearer expressions of the Faith.

For example, Mass used to be celebrated in Latin and in the way decided on by the Council of Trent. But with Vatican II the Church leaders saw the wisdom of a liturgy in which the faithful could participate actively, consciously and intelligently. Hence, liturgical texts were translated into languages that people understood. And the celebrant now faced the people.

Another example. Women used to wear veils in church. But Church leaders saw that this was a practice that might have been appropriate for a certain time and a certain culture. Today it is no longer obligatory. Now women do not wear veils for Mass.

But Tradition is another matter. It is the deposit of Faith that has been passed on faithfully from one generation to the next. This deposit does not change, although our understanding of it may grow.

Today what we believe about the Eucharist is the same as what the early Church believed. We believe in transubstantiation as our ancestors in the faith did. We believe as they believed that Christ is really present in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not merely a symbol.

Our belief in the dogam of the Immaculate Conception did not only begin in the 19th century, although the dogma was proclaimed in that century. It had roots in the Faith of the early Church.

What has Tradition to do with us?

Parents are the first teachers of their children. First, it is important that they know and practice their Faith. And secondly, that they fulfill their obligation to pass on this Faith to their children. For the faithful handing down of the Faith is not just the business of priests and bishops. It is the responsibility of the whole Church. And that includes lay people.