On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
Lk 14:1, 7-14
PARABLES
Parables are stories with a lesson. Jesus loved to tell parables. They are his favorite teaching technique. The target of parables is the audience. Through the parable Jesus challenges the audience to examine their behavior, their beliefs and their attitudes. In this particular instance, Jesus points out to his audience their obsession with taking the places of honor and invites them to do away with that obsession.
PHARISEE
Jesus had become a celebrity. And people want celebrities in their parties. Celebrities are also objects of attention. But in the case of Jesus the reason why they watched him closely was to be able to catch him do or say something that they could use against him.
HYPERBOLE
Jesus also uses hyperbole as a teaching methodology. A hyperbole is an exaggeration used to drive home a point or teach a lesson. For example, a boy broke the mother’s favorite vase. The mother tells the boy: “I’ve told you a million times not to touch that vase.” Million times is a hyperbole, an exaggeration. The point is that the boy has been told many times not to touch the vase.
The teaching of Jesus, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter heaven blind in one eye than to go to hell with both eyes” is a hyperbole. The point of Jesus is that no sacrifice is too great if it will help you go to heaven.
What is the point of Jesus when he said: “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”? Use your money to do something good for those in need and are not in a position to do something in return. God will not forget that. It will not go unrewarded.
EATING - KAINAN AT HANDAAN
My reflection this Sunday takes its inspiration from eating. I will cite the different occasions when we eat and draw some reminders from them.
Wedding reception
The wedding reception is a time of joy. The newly married couple are with their families, relatives and friends. But will the joy last? Will the marriage last?
I have read the following pieces of advice which I give to those I prepare for marriage.
• Don’t marry someone you can’t live without. Marry someone you can live with.
• The wedding is not the end. It is the beginning of another chapter when the couple learns how to be a good husband and wife and how to be good parents.
• Unity candle. Every wedding anniversary light the unity candle and renew your marriage vows before God. At difficult times light the unity candle and pray to God for assistance.
Passing the board
I keep a blog at blogspot and multiply. One of my contacts wrote that his kuya passed the board exams for nurses. That, he said, calls for a celebration.
I remember my aunt preparing for her board exams as a CPA. She would go to Baclaran every Wednesday and study for weeks. She passed the board. Later she went back to Baclaran for a thanksgiving Mass.
Do we remember to say thank you to God for answered prayers? Do we say thank you to one another? In Italian and Pilipino, it just takes one word: grazie or salamat. Or even just two letters, TY.
Birthday
I was scanning the pictures in my album. I came across my birthday pictures when I was perhaps 2 or 3 years old. One of the pictures was of me blowing the candles. I love birthdays because of the food, the gifts and the guests.
I learned about a different way of celebrating a birthday. The parents organized their son’s birthday celebration among orphans. An executive of Pru Life celebrated her 40th birthday by offering to pay for the board and lodging of a seminarian. You celebrate your life by sharing the blessings of life.
A beautiful custom that should not be forgotten is to go for Mass. It is a way of saying thank you to God for the year that was and also of asking for his blessing for the year that will be.
Christmas and New Year
I will never forget the Noche Buena and the Media Noche. My favourite food were the halaya, castanas, Chinese ham, imbutido and puchero. But what is it that makes the Noche Buena and Media Noche important? Not the food. It is the presence of the ones you love. I think that is the reason why I have heard that when Christmas comes men in Saudi would cry. They miss their loved ones.
Regarding family relationships, St. John Bosco reminds parents that it is not enough for you to love your children. They must feel that you love them.
The economic situation in the country has forced 8 million Filipinos out of the country. The remittances of overseas Filipinos have kept our country afloat. But the price has been too steep. Marriages have failed. Children have become problematic at home and at school. The problem is complicated. There are no easy answers. But something must be done.
Outing
One of the things we do during summer is to go for an outing. Summer is the peak season for beach resorts and swimming pools. And when there’s an outing, there will always be food, lots of food. We eat on the way. We eat upon arrival. We eat on the way back. Swimming and eating make up the fun.
To be happy and to have fun is important. Happy people live longer. Happy people get well faster. It feels good to be with happy people.
Have you ever seen in some offices the poster of a gorilla with the words, bawal ang nakasimangot? Unhappy people spread gloom in the room.
But happiness is also important for the spiritual life. St. John Bosco used to say, sin and gloom out of my room. He also said, “Jump, run, make noise (that is, have fund). But do not sin.” Two values that he inculcated were joy and optimism.
Why is happiness important for the spiritual life? St. Thomas Aquinas taught that it is very difficult for the devil to take possession of the heart of someone who is happy. How true!
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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.
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