25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B, Year II)

Community Word:  Obeying God’s word purifies us, giving honor to Him.
Theme:  We obey God’s word when we practice servanthood within and outside of the community
Promise:  “… the Lord sustains my life.”  (Ps 54:6)

Reflection:
Humility is the secret of greatness (H. Willmington, The Outline Bible).  That was the main point Jesus was trying to make when He introduced a child to His disciples as their model. A child is innocent, free of guile. He represents the small, the powerless and vulnerable in our society. And Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes a child such as this for my sake welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes, not me, but him who sent me.” (Mk 9:37)
Jesus was sent by the Father into the world that we human beings may have life, and live it to the full.  So, when we welcome and serve Jesus, we are actually welcoming and serving the Father, in both our actions and words, God looks into the thoughts and motivations of our hearts.  He judges not by appearances or superficial that eyes see and ears hear, but by what is in our hearts. And it would be foolish for us to imagine that we can fool Him because He is omniscient and omnipresent.

And yet, how frequently do we allow our pride to get in the way? True, no one wants to suffer, but while pride and the instinct for self-preservation are part of our sinful nature, suffering is equally a normal part of life, and cannot be avoided.

We are attached to the standards of the world, but the gospel calls us to use a higher measuring stick, a heavenly standard.  When challenged to be righteous, are we unable to rise to the occasion because we fear losing our good name, our reputation, our possession, our exalted position in society? Hence our human nature is constantly at war with itself because we are always presented with choices.  Should we respond for the glory of man (ourselves) or for the glory of God?

As our name Bukas-Loob sa Diyos implies, we in community must be truly open in spirit to God.  That is to say, we accept His lordship over our lives and obey His every command.  And His one commandment to us is to love the way He loves us, a sacrificial, self-giving love that goes beyond the self for the good of the other.  This kind of love requires a dying to self, a yielding of our own personal ambitions and agendas to make way for His plan for us as we seek to do His will and accomplish His plan for our lives.  It calls for a surrendering of our whole being in love and service to the Lord, as we obey His command to love one another and live in peace.

Jesus came to serve and not to be served.  We are called to continue the service He exemplified to us, to give of ourselves as he did for the benefit of others.   Membership in a community such as ours puts to a test our sincerity to follow Christ.  But as we are tested, our prideful selves are being pruned to become more humble and more worthy to be called servants of the Lord, more so, as children of God.  The more we accept the pruning of the Master Gardener and Vinedresser, the more we grow in holiness and humility, and become God’s fruitful vineyard. Individually and as a community, God is pleased with us when we learn the lesson that to be great in His eyes is to be lowly like a child, “for by contrast, wisdom from above is first of all innocent,” (Jas 3:17).

Let us guard ourselves, therefore, to be free of jealousy and strife, envy and malice, selfish ambition and self-importance that result in conflicts and disputes.  Let the seed of love grow in our midst, and wisdom to permeate our minds and tongues, and let the peace of Christ reign in our hearts and within our community.  Let us be reminded of Scripture which says: “The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace,” (Jas 3:19)

Prayer:
Loving Father, it is You who gave me life, and I thank You for the breath of life that allows me to enjoy Your wondrous creation and bountiful love and mercy.  Thank You for Jesus, Your Son, who took away my sin and gave new meaning to life. Jesus my Lord and Savior, I come to You with a grateful heart, for calling me back to Your fold, and for Your Holy Spirit who empowers me to see and feel your great love for me.  In You I put my trust; my life is in Your hands. I want to be pleasing to You. As I serve You, help me to be humble, to seek Your glory and not mine. I know too that as I labor in Your vineyard, You will take care of all my

Reflection Questions:

1.    What difficulty am I experiencing (or have experienced) in letting go of my pride, my ambitions, or possessions, and in dying to self for the glory of God?  How did I deal with my situation? How did it make me feel?

2.    What is my response to the mission activities of the community and in what other ways can I serve God in community that will help me grow in humility?

Share any obstacles, hindrances in your immersion in mission work, and conviction as to the Gospel.

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
September 23, 2012 (Sun)    Wis 2:12,17,20/ Ps 54:3-8/ Jas 3:16-4:3/ Mk 9:30-37
September 24, 2012 (Mon)    Prv 3:27-34/ Ps 15:2-5/ Lk 8:16-18
September 25, 2012 (Tues)    Prv 21:1-6, 10-13/ Ps 119:1,27,30,34,35,44? Lk 8:19-21
September 26, 2012 (Wed)    Prv 30:5-9/ Ps 119:29,72,89,101,104,163/ Lk 9:1-6
September 27, 2012 (Thur)    Ecc 1:2-11/ Ps 90:3-6,1-14,17/ Lk 9:7-9
September 28, 2012 (Fri)    Ecc 3:1-11/ Ps 144:1-4/ Lk 9:18-22
September 29, 2012 ( Sat)    Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 o rRv 12:7-12/ Ps 138:1-5/ Jn 1:47-51

Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”