“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over...” – Luke 6:38
A BUFFET OF BLESSINGS
As
a Christian serving in various ministries for decades, I had wanted for
years to attend the Hillsong Conference in Australia — an annual
conference-cum-concert kind of event. When the opportunity came that I
could go for free, I jumped at the chance.
It was a treat to see Christian stars of mega-churches in person. For
five exhilarating days that would start at 9 a.m. and end at 9 p.m., we
soaked in electrifying worship twice a day and attended power-filled
learning sessions three to four times a day.
To top it all, when I got back home, my bank balance was higher than
its level before I spent for all the conference expenses. My investments
in mutual funds had increased in value and covered all my expenses for
the trip with my wife and all the extra vacations that we took. I didn’t
have to request for an expense reimbursement from the community that
was supposed to sponsor my trip.
It was God’s way of saying to me that a person serving Him deserves
blessings — spiritually and financially — beyond measure and running
over! Rolly España
1ST READING
There
is no excuse for our sinfulness. We cannot simply blame the
circumstances or what others have done to us. There may be mitigating
factors to some aspects of our sinfulness, but they should not excuse us
from our personal responsibility for them.
Daniel 9:4-10
4 “Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments! 5 We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws. 6 We
have not obeyed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to
our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land. 7 Justice,
O Lord, is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day: the men of
Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel, near and far, in all
the countries to which you have scattered them because of their
treachery toward you. 8 O Lord, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers, for having sinned against you. 9 But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness! Yet we rebelled against you 10 and paid no heed to your command, O Lord, our God, to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.”
P S A L M
Psalm 79:8, 9, 11, 13
R: Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
8 Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. (R) 9 Help us, O God our savior, because of the glory of your name; deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake. (R) 11 Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you; with your great power free those doomed to death. 13 Then
we, your people and the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you
forever; through all generations we will declare your praise. (R)
GOSPEL
This
text parallels the one in Matthew 5:48 and seems to also have its roots
further back in the Holiness Code of Leviticus and the exhortations of a
number of the Prophets. The fact that Luke tells us to be holy, whereas
Matthew uses the word “perfect,” seems to make the idea a little easier
to grasp. Seeking holiness seems to be easier than seeking perfection.
Luke 6:36-38
36 Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. 38 Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
REFLECTION
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
The
First Reading from the book of Daniel is one of the most beautiful
prayers one can read in the Scriptures. It is beautiful in its sincerity
and in its vulnerability, but most of all in its intimacy. No one
“composes” such a prayer. Such a prayer can only be the product of a
real encounter with God and a confrontation with one’s self in the stillness of silence.
We have alienated silence from our souls. Walk down the street, watch
the people in the buses and trains. I bet five in every 10 people you
see will have earphones plugged into their ears. All day we listen to
someone else’s words and lyrics. It is no wonder we can no longer hear
ourselves and the God who speaks within. Occasional silence — silence
that is fragile, artificial and shallow — will not do. What invites the
heart to surface is the silence that is positively sought, cultivated
and sensitive to presence, especially to Divine presence. Without this
silence, we are as good as deaf.
In San Carlos Seminary where I work, we presently have 140 candidates
for the priesthood. San Carlos is the seminary of Manila but
interestingly, only half of the community comes from Manila. Last year
it was even less. The rest are from the provinces. Has God stopped
calling His young men in Manila? I don’t think so. The case is not that
God has stopped calling. I believe, it is that Manila no longer knows
silence and can no longer hear the voice of God, the heartbeat of the
God who calls. Manila has become so noisy and noise is not the language
of love.
Why do angry people shout at each other even when they are face to
face? They have to because shouting is the external manifestation of two
hearts that have gone distant from each another.
But look at lovers. They whisper into each other’s ears. In fact, for
those truly in love, words are not even necessary. Heart speaks to heart
simply in silence. Why is silence the language of God? Because God is
love. And one can only encounter genuine love when it is comfortable with silence. Fr. Joel Jason
"Father in heaven, I thank
You for calling me to serve You. It is in serving You that the gates of
heaven are opened and blessings are poured out."
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