Community Word: The Lord rewards those who believe in Him as the Bread of Life.
Order: “Take courage… do not be afraid.” (Mt 14:27b)
Reflection:
Through the whole month of August 2014 the gospels will lead us to a series of teachings coming from the parables narrated by Jesus many of which you are familiar with and events that will challenge your own faith especially when you try to relate the trials faced by the disciples of Jesus with the storms that you may have or could still be experiencing in your life today.
1st Week – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Verse 14 of the Gospel says: “when he had disembarked, he saw a great crowd, and he was moved with compassion for them to the depths of his being, and healed their sick.” This sums up not only what Jesus felt at the time but it provides us with a picture of the true nature and character of Christ. “To the depths of his being” meant that compassion filled his entire being that there was nothing in his heart that did not translate to compassion. Jesus showed the kind of character that every servant must have. A servant must be able and willing to sacrifice even his own time in the service of others.
In order for the Good News to reach the ends of the earth, Jesus has to use us because it is through us that the truth can be proclaimed. But more than anything else, Jesus is showing us that anything is possible when it is done in love. This is the same attitude that Jesus asks of anyone who will come and follow him. We are to share this same love that we received from Jesus so that others may also be blessed. In times when we may feel that what we give to Jesus may not be enough, the miracle of the five loaves and two fish assures us that whatever we give to him will be multiplied.
2nd Week – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
When faced with such enormous problems in life, the only alternative is to call on our God who made heaven and earth. But we need to qualify which of the storms of life tend to overwhelm us so that when Jesus comes into our lives and provides us the balance that we need, he will do so in accord with our need. In our life, the winds that we experience normally blow against our faces and many times we experience difficulty in living our lives. There are struggles we need to overcome and it is during these times that we can invite Jesus to come into our lives because when he does, the winds that we face will sink as with the storm the Apostles faced.
We can trust Jesus and have complete faith in his word because he will come when we ask for his help and he will as much calm the storms of life that we face.
3rd Week – 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Despite the healing and miracles that Jesus performed, the Apostles still lacked compassion – the most basic ingredient which to Jesus is the most important in evangelization. In the Gospel narration, the Apostles wanted Jesus to get rid of the woman because to them she has become a nuisance. This is also true for many of us who have become oblivious to the needs around us. We show prejudice against people in need especially in times when we are inconvenienced by their presence.
But Jesus showed compassion when the woman knelt before him. Though the woman may not have known it at that time, the act of worship was what moved Jesus to listen to her plea as he said: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish,” (Mt 15:28). What this narrative shows us is that Jesus will respond and grant the prayers of anyone who possesses such impregnable faith as that of the woman that is founded on humility and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior.
We should view this Gospel passage as a reminder that we need to put more faith in our prayers. But if our prayers are not answered it doesn’t mean that God has turned a deaf ear to our cry for help. But if you feel that you are not getting any answer to your prayers, perhaps it is time to look inwardly and ask where you may have come up short.
4th Week – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
If we are to reflect upon the Gospel, we will find that Jesus carefully laid down the realities in which we the new disciples of Jesus are part and parcel of. When he asked: “who do people say the Son of Man is?” Jesus merely wants to know how the people perceived him. And when he turned to Peter and asked “Who do you say that I am? Jesus wanted to know if his own disciples know him by heart.
It really doesn’t matter to whom these two questions were being directed by Jesus. What matters is that Jesus is still asking us the same question. Who is Jesus to us? This is where the problem lies because many of us want to benefit from the salvation that Jesus promised to everyone who will come to him, believe in him, love him and love our neighbours, but we don’t want the responsibility that goes with the anointing. And this is what ails the Church and society today. Each one of us has their own agenda in the pursuit of their goals and many are using their own reference point. What the BLD Community needs now is a universal reference point so that we can say, “You are Jesus the Christ, my Savior and Redeemer.”
Indeed, Jesus should not just be the cornerstone of our lives but he should be the reference point for us all who have made a commitment to follow him. We must constantly ask ourselves: “What Would Jesus Do?” I believe that this is a question that will continually help us in our quest for a true Christian life. As Christians, we are not supposed to know about Jesus but we must strive to know Jesus. To enter into a relationship with Jesus we need “to know” him, and he is now asking all of us the same question that he asked Peter: “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?” Before we respond, we must reflect and pray because with our response comes our commitment to surrender our lives to him.
5th Week – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
In this Sunday’s gospel, Peter is again in his usual self. He would have none of the suffering that Jesus said he would experience but Jesus rebuked him “get behind me Satan!” Like Peter there are times when we may unknowingly be walking in front and leading Jesus, instead of Jesus leading us when we allow our impulsiveness to rule our lives instead of giving way to humility and obedience as the foundation in our journey of faith. And out of his goodness, our Lord Himself offers us a way to get back on track when we get behind and follow him once more.
“If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and let him follow me.” Jesus summarized the conditions of what it takes to become his disciple in just this one verse. To deny ourselves is to deny that we even exist. And this usually happens when we accept Jesus to be our Lord and our personal Savior, subsequently allowing the Holy Spirit to take over our entire nature.
Sadly, the most important condition to become a disciple of Jesus is where many are lacking in. To follow Christ is to obey Christ. A would-be disciple will just have to obey all the things that Christ taught which is encapsulated in his most important commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your mind, heart, soul and strength.” And the second is more like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And this brings us to the question of whether we are spending our lives for God, in God and with God. To know the difference matters insofar as it will point us to the right direction in life. To deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ is to spend a life in God and with God.
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