26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B, Year I)

Community Word:  Those who trust and serve God are open to His will.

Theme:      We are open to God’s will when we do not allow sin to separate us from the love of God and of one another.

Promise:    “because you belong to Christ …you will surely not lose his reward.”  (Mk 9: 41b)

Reflection:

The Spirit of God falls upon those who are open to His will and follow His precepts.  In the First Reading, a young man asks Moses to rebuke Eldad and Medad for prophesying in the camp and not at the gathering of elders.   Moses explains that once the spirit of the Lord rests on His people, they are automatically anointed to prophesy, and such anointing is given regardless of where they are.

In the Gospel, the disciples tell Jesus how they tried to stop a man from casting out demons in His name. Jesus corrects them, saying “Do not stop them, for no one who does a miracle in my name can in the  next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us,” (Mk 9:40).

We, in the BLD Community, are privileged to have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit through our LSS.  The spiritual gifts we were given empower us, not for our own personal benefit, but for the purpose of building up others.  Our mission is to open our doors wide, so that more and more people can come to know the greatness of God’s love, accept His mercy, and be reconciled with Him again.   Through the Church, and the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, we enjoy the fullness of the revelation of God’s Kingdom,

There is nothing exclusive, or exclusivist in serving God. Neither is it an opportunity for self-glorification or power.  Far from it. God will seek and exalt those who humble themselves, and He will pour grace upon those who acknowledge and repent of their shortcomings and unworthiness.  Sin separates us from the love of God. And among these sins is our tendency to be judgmental and unforgiving of others.  Judgement belongs to God alone, and we can only receive forgiveness as we forgive others.  The Lord calls and invites us all and we cannot reject anyone we perceive to be a sinner, because we, ourselves, are sinners.  If we exclude others from the Body of Christ on earth, God will also reject us from the eternal Body of Christ in Heaven.

We have a serious responsibility towards the flock entrusted to our care.  “If anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and be thrown into the sea.”In fact, he warns: “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. If your foot causes you to stumble, it is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.”  Bad witnessing and poor stewardship are pitfalls to watch out for. Could some members have left our community because they were probably scandalized or disillusioned by the dichotomy between what we preach and what we practice?

Finally, Jesus reminds us that kindness shown to others will not go unrewarded.  Helping others need not be a grand or complicated gesture.  In fact, Jesus uses the example of a cup of water to drink.  There are many opportunities in BLD to demonstrate kindness and compassion, especially through our mission programs.  St. James says that faith alone cannot save us and that faith without good works is dead.  Bringing others to Christ means having a demonstrable faith, which in turn means that even as we worship and praise God, we should also show our love for Him through our love of our neighbor.

Doing God’s will, following His commandments, strong faith and good works give us an assurance that we are not far from embracing His Kingdom.  Jesus is very clear on this:  “Because you belong to Christ…you will surely not lose your reward,” (Mk 9: 41b).

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help us to be instruments of your love for your people.  You gave us our community, Bukas Loob sa Diyos (Open in Spirit to God) where we continue to be open to Your holy will and directions, and where we strive to bring more and more people to Your heart through our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are grateful to You for making us Your disciples and for showing us the way to your Heavenly Kingdom.  Amen.

Reflection Questions:
1. In recognizing your failings and unworthiness before God, reflect on the sins that prevent you from receiving the grace of serving Him in community.

2. Do you abide by the teachings of Jesus that are found in the Catholic Church?  How do you intend to grow as a practicing Catholic?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
September 27, 2015 (Sun)    Nm: 11:25-29/Ps 19:8,10,12-13,14/Jas 5:1-6/Mk 9:38-43,45,47-48
September 28, 2015 (Mon)    Zec 8:1-8/Ps 102:16-18,19-21,29,22-23/Lk 9:46-50
September 29, 2015 (Tue)    Dn 7:9-10,13-14/Ps 138:1-2,2-3,4-5/Jn 1:47-51
September 30, 2015 (Wed)   Neh 2:1-8/Ps 137:1-2,3,4-5,6/Lk 9:57-62
October 1, 2015 (Thu)          Neh 8:1-*4,5-6,7-12/Ps 19:8,9,10,11/Lk 10:1-12
October  2, 2015 (Fri)           Ex 23:20-23/Ps 91:1-2,3-4,5-6,10-11/Mt 18:1-5,10
October 3, 2015 (Sat)          Bar 4:5-12,27-29/Ps 69:33-35,36-37/Lk 10:17-24

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

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