4th Sunday in Ordinary Time(Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: Those who diligently search Jesus will find joy in the Light of God.
Theme: We find joy in the Light of God when we are willing to stand up and be witnesses to the Truth.
Promise: “They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you.”(Jer 1:19)
Reflection:
In his youth, Jeremiah was no different from any ordinary youth who dreamed of marrying, raising children and leading a peaceful life in his hometown.But God had other plans for him.God had chosen him to be a prophet.And like Jeremiah, God calls all of us to be prophets too, not just “hearers of His word, but bearers of His word as well.” In other words, we are to exercise our gift of prophesy without fear or letup.We are to see the world with the eyes of God.We cannot just keep quiet at the sight of injustice and abuse of power.
As prophets we are called to denounce oppressions, unmask corruption, and censure those who perpetrate violence and lead people astray. Easier said than done. But that is our calling and we should not fear because the Lord has promised in Jeremiah 1:19…“They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you.”
In the 2nd reading, St. Paul names love of God and neighbor as the underlying foundation and motivation behind the use of our spiritual gifts. Only through love are our charisms made more effective as we set out on mission. We are reminded too that love is not to be confused with selfish passion that seeks to serve one’s own interest and pleasure. Jesus did not love mankind because man is good (on the contrary, many men are in fact thieves, murderers, adulterers); He made them good by loving them unconditionally. One can have many virtues or good qualities, and even accomplish many wonderful things, without possessing the kind of love Jesus has.St. Paul reminds us, in the end three gifts are left… “faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.”
The gospel is rather difficult to understand. How could the admiration of the people of Nazareth turn into sudden fury and hostility against Jesus, to the point they wanted to kill Him? Simple answer… their expectations and worldly mindset had betrayed them. First, they did not expect the Son of God to be amongst them.And, if they had known, they expected Jesus to perform the same wonders and miracles in their hometown. But Jesus did not; Jesus wanted them to understand that He did not come to solve all their problems at the flick of His finger.He wanted His town mates to believe and proclaim His gospel, exercise their prophetic gifts, and give their lives over to spreading of the gospel. Similarly, Jesus wants us to realize that the salvation of God is not a privilege reserved exclusively for members and disciples of Bukas Loob Sa Diyos (Open in Spirit to God) but for all peoples.
Today, Jesus is asking for the kind of open-hearted love from us that He had hoped to find among the people of His time and place. We cannot love Jesus in an intellectual vacuum, or simply by repeating, “Lord, Lord” without internalizing and living out our faith.Our Catechism reminds us that we can even sin by being ungrateful, indifferent, or lukewarm toward God’s love.
Prayer:
Lord, Jesus Christ, lead me to accomplish the mission you have called me to do and to exercise the spiritual gifts you have graciously given me in Your love. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do we practice our charisms despite the opposition we may sometimes encounter?
2. Do we get agitated or insulted when a brother’s prophesy seeks to correct us or our community?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
January 31, 2016 (Sun) Jer 1:4-5,17-19/Ps 71:1-2,3-4,5-6,15,17/1Cor 12:31-13:13/Lk 4:21-30
February 1, 2016 (Mon) 2Sm 15:13-14, 30,16:5-13/Ps 3:2-3,4-5,6-7/Mk 5:1-20
February 2, 2016 (Tue) Mal 3:1-4/Ps 24:7,8,9,10/Heb 2:14-18/Lk 2:22-40
February 3, 2016 (Wed) 2Sm 24:2,9-17/Ps 32:1-2,5,6,7/Mk 6:1-6
February 4, 2016 (Thu) 1Kgs 2:1-4,10-12/1Chr 29:10,11,12/Mk 6:7-13
February 5, 2016 (Fri) Sir 47:2-11/Ps 18:31,47,50,51/Mk 6:14-29
February 6, 2016 (Sat) 1Kgs 3:4-13/Ps 119:9,10,11,12,14/Mk 6:30-34
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
