Word: True disciples are living witnesses of Jesus, through faith in Him.
Order: “Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with strength that comes from God.” (2 Tm 1:8)
Reflection:
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen,” (Hb 11:1). There are many scriptural verses about faith but this one encapsulates the faith that is expected of a true disciple of Jesus. It is our Word for the month of October: True disciples are living witnesses of Jesus, through faith in Him.
The Order- “Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with strength that comes from God.” (2 Tm 1:8) – reminds us to draw our strength from God in living out this faith. Hebrews 11 tells of numerous miracles, with faith as common denominator. “…the prophets who by faith conquered kingdoms…closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped the devouring swords; …Women received back their dead through resurrection,” (Hb 11:33-34). As members of Bukas Loob Sa Diyos, how are we witnessing to Jesus through our modern day faith in Him?
Week 1 (27th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
“We are living witnesses of Jesus when we fulfill God’s vision for the community.” Our theme focuses on the fulfillment of BLD’s vision. A vision is a long-term view of goals and objectives, and may take time to transform into reality. And God may seem distant during the long wait, as the prophet Habakkuk experienced in our 1st reading. It is the gift of faith that allows us to persist and to keep our trust in God.
God can do things by Himself, but He gives us the opportunity to move mountains by faith in the pursuit of our BLD vision: “We are a community of disciples inspired by the Holy Spirit to be living witnesses for transformation in Christ to bring about a world of justice, human development and true peace.” To have faith means to have the patience to wait for the unfolding of God’s plan, just as Paul urges Timothy in the 2nd reading to remain fervent and faithful, and reliant on the Holy Spirit for help, assuring him that it will surely come as the Lord has promised: “Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.” (Hb 3:2)
Week 2 (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
“We are living witnesses of Jesus when we glorify Him with gratitude.” It is difficult to comprehend why only one of the 10 lepers in the gospel bothered to give thanks. Stranger still, that it was the lone Samaritan, an outcast, and considered a despised enemy of the Jews. The other nine were never to be seen again. We must recall that leprosy was an incurable disease during the time of Jesus, much like cancer is today. If somebody we know is miraculously healed of the dreaded big C, wouldn’t we find it incredible for that person to fail to express gratitude for his new life?
Frequently, we are no better than those nine lepers. We take for granted the many miracles that happen to us everyday. Every breath we take is a favor we receive from the Lord. All that we are and all that we ever hope to be are gift. We owe Him our life on earth, and the life to come, for He sent us His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross that we may gain eternal life. Everything we do as members of Bukas Loob Sa Diyos community is meant to glorify God with gratitude in our hearts. Receiving the Holy Eucharist is one of the best ways of expressing our thanks. The Eucharist is another name for Holy Communion, and comes from the Greek word, meaning “thanksgiving.” This is the Lord’s promise: “If we persevere we shall also reign with him.” (2 Tm 2:12a).
Week 3 (29th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Prayer has been engrained in our hearts from the first time we started our growth in BLD: “We are living witnesses of Jesus when we persevere in prayer.” This theme is well aligned with our Word for October because faith and prayer indeed go together. Such was the case of the widow in the parable, who finally wears down an admittedly hardened judge with her persistence. “For a long time the judge was unrelenting, but eventually changed his mind, thinking, ‘…because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her’…” (Luke 18:4-5).
Persistence, patience and perseverance are important virtues “…will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” (Luke 18:7). Then can we attain the promise: “The Lord will guard you from all evil; he will guard your life.” (Ps 12:7)
Week 4 (30th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
“We are living witnesses of Jesus when we are pure and humble of heart.” Jesus tells a parable of a Pharisee and a tax collector at prayer in front of an altar. The Pharisee generally regarded as hypocritical and self-righteous, focuses on his own virtues, superior status and perceived spiritual giftedness in his prayer. On the other hand, the tax collector, generally described as greedy and inclined to take more money than entitled to, refuses to justify himself before the Lord. Instead, he acknowledges his sinfulness and begs for the Lord’s mercy. When we recognize our sinfulness, and in true contrition ask for mercy, Jesus himself justifies us through his death on the cross.
Pope Francis exemplifies what it’s like to be pure and humble of heart. He prefers to live simply in humble quarters among colleagues rather than in the luxury and grandeur of the Vatican suites. When he attended the World Youth Day, he paid his own hotel bill, carried his own bag onto the plane, and is known to describe himself as a ‘sinner’, not unlike the tax collector in our gospel reading. Next to Jesus, there can be no better role model then the pope. “When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them.” (Ps 24:18)
