20th Sunday in Ordinary Time(Cycle A, Year I)
Community Word:
The glory of God transforms our lives.
Theme: We are transformed as we put our trust in the love and mercy of God.
Promise:“All who… hold to my covenant…I will bring to my holy mountains.” (Is 56:6b, 7a)
Reflection:
Perhaps, many of us would still find it difficult to comprehend the height, depth, length and width of God’s love and mercy. Some may think that God will love us only when we are good and He will accept us only when we are perfect in His eyes.Many are still fearful of God’s justice, that there is only one or a few chance for one to receive His forgiveness. But these are limited understanding of God’s unconditional love and infinite mercy. The truth is that He sent His only Son Jesus who gave His life for us and cleared our path to be His co-heirs of God’s inheritance.
Paul tells us – “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus,” (Rm 8:1). Jesus knows our fears, our pains and our weaknesses. He knows us more than we even know ourselves. That is why He is gentle and patient with us. He is a friend who feels compassion for all, who lifts us up and carries our burdens. His grand plan and desire is for us to be truly and endlessly happy. In the gospel of John, He says: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly,” (Jn 10:10b).
Our Lord’s faithful love and generous mercy may still be a mystery to some whose perception of love is limited by our understanding of a finite, conditional kind of human love. But it is not mere emotion or passion that encourages us to trust in the Lord. It is the spiritual yearning that consumes our soul and leaves us feeling assured and secured in His promise, comforted by His word and consoled by just being in His presence day after day. The experience of our unity with God is a fulfillment of everything we long for in our lives.
In the gospel of the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Canaanite woman has her faith experience when she meets Jesus. She approaches the good Teacher with her full trust, believing that He can heal her daughter. Her faith transforms her to be humble in pleading with Jesus, and she is persistent in her prayer as she implored the Lord. The story is very appropriate for this week’s community theme – We are transformed as we put our trust in the love and mercy of God. When Jesus sees the mother’s heart full of trust, she is rewarded with what she earnestly pleaded for when Jesus tells her – “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted,” (Mt 15:28b).
Jesus declared to St. Faustina – “I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I will fill it with such an abundance of graces, that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to others”… (Diary 1074). He is inviting doubters, skeptics, and sinners like us to draw near Him, waiting for us to repent of our sins and experience His rich mercy. His great love embraces and kisses us, whispering to us – “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more,”(John 8:11).
As the Lord’s mercy and grace pours upon us, we are also transformed to be loving and merciful to others, especially those who are unloved, weak, marginalized and despised, deprived of any favors and justice.We begin to experience transformation that softens our hearts to care for the least, the last and the lost with compassion and empathy. There is no more barrier or discrimination when we act as one people of God. We become instruments in His work of bringing others closer to the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Needless to say, to be loving, merciful and compassionate entails sacrifices on our part. There are obstacles and difficulties doing the mission that Jesus entrusted to us and we will encounter testing, trials and temptation. But there remains one thing – to hold on to our faith in the Lord. As our transformed hearts continue to respond to God’s love, we will surely receive His assurance in this promise – “All who… hold to my covenant…I will bring to my holymountains,” (Is56:6b, 7a). Eternity awaits those who have great faith in God’s eternal love.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, consume me with Your boundless mercy that my heart may become completely one with Yours and You may be my dwelling place forever. By your great love and saving power, deepen my faith that my whole being may be truly transformed and I may be an instrument of mercy towards others. Today and always, I give my heart to You for Your perfect purpose and will. Amen.
Reflection Guides:
1. How does putting your trust in the love and mercy of God help youface and overcome your struggles and challenges in life? Share your experiences.
2.If you believe that your heart has been transformed by God’s love, how do you handle people who are difficult to deal with? What virtues will you continue to practice?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
August 20, 2017 (Sun)- Is 56:6-7/Ps 67:2, 3, 5, 6, 8/Rom11:13-15, 29-32/Mt 15:21-28
August 21, 2017(Mon)- Jgs 2:11-19/Ps 106:34, 37, 39, and 40, 43/Mt 19:16-22
August 22, 2017(Tues)- Jgs 6:11-24/Ps 85:9, 11-14/Mt 19:23-30
August 23, 2017(Wed)- Jgs 9:6-15/Ps 21:2-7/Mt 20:1-16
August 24, 2017 (Thur)- Rv 21:9-14/Ps 145:10-13, 17, 18/Jn 1:45-51
August 25, 2017 (Fri)- Ru 1:2, 3-6, 14-16, 22/Ps 146:5-10/Mt 22:34-40
August 26, 2017(Sat)- Ru 2:1-3, 8, 11; 14:13-17/Ps 128:1-5/Mt 23:1-12
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
