Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them. – Mark 10:16
SEEDS YOU PLANT WILL BEAR FRUIT
Last year, I received news that filled
my heart with so much joy. You see, 17 years ago, I worked with a bunch
of teenagers in the Light of Jesus Family. I personally took them under
my wing.
But when they hit their twenties, some of them got busy with their
careers, got married, had babies, and worked abroad. I didn’t hear from
them for many years.
When our international missionary, Roy Pasimio, came home from a visit
to the Middle East last year, he told me that we now have new video
Feasts in that part of the world. I asked him, “Who are our leaders
there?” And Roy told me, “Remember the teenagers that were part of our
youth group years ago? They’re now our leaders there.”
Yes, the seeds planted in their youth are now flourishing and bearing fruit.
Friend, don’t be discouraged when it seems like nothing is happening to
the people you’re trying to disciple. Your role is to continue to plant
and bless them. God’s role is to grow the plant. As they say, you may
be the only Bible that people will read. Believe that, one day, the
harvest will come. Bo Sanchez
1ST READING
We
never stand alone when we have faith. We always stand as the community
of the faithful, the Church, when we confront the various events of our
lives. Our challenge, as always, is to trust that whatever happens, God
will have His hand in there somewhere. Even when we make wrong decisions
or are suffering, God draws us closer to Him in one way or another.
James 5:13-20
13 Beloved: Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing a song of praise. 14 Is
anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church,
and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the
Lord. 15 The
prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him
up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore,
confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may
be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. 17 Elijah
was a man like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and
for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land. 18 Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit. 19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, 20 he
should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way
will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
P S A L M
Psalm 141:1-2, 3, 8
R: Let my prayer come like incense before you.
1 O Lord, to you I call; hasten to me; hearken to my voice when I call upon you. 2 Let my prayer come like incense before you; the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice. (R) 3 O Lord, set a watch before my mouth, a guard at the door of my lips. 8 For toward you, O God, my Lord, my eyes are turned; in you I take refuge; strip me not of life. (R)
GOSPEL
Jesus
wants us to know that we are never too young to come to Him. It is not a
matter of how wise or strong we are, but that we want to be with Him.
This is the message of the Gospel today. Let us always be open to the
work of the Holy Spirit, who draws and attracts us to the way of
discipleship. He is always fighting against the various attractions of
the world that are more immediate and palpable. Let us be extra vigilant
to the voice of the Spirit in our lives.
Mark 10:13-16
13 People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When
Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children
come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such
as these. 15 Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” 16 Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
REFLECTION
REFLECTION
WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT
As a priest, people approach me to ask for a lot of things. Some ask for counsel,
for information, for clarifications about the faith. Sometimes I get
asked questions which have nothing to do with who I am or with what I
represent. I was once asked which stock is performing best in the
market. I don’t even know what a stock is and how it works. I guess it’s
because, as a priest, I represent what a community recognizes as an
elder.
In the First Reading today, James paints a picture of a typical early
Christian community. James commends the concerns of the community to the
pastoral attention of an elder. An elder in a community plays the role
of advisor, healer, comforter, reconciler and, above all, a prayer
advocate. It is summed up in the line, “The prayer of a righteous person
is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). There are many versions of
this verse describing the character of the elder, but this is what I
like best: “The fervent petition of a holy man is powerful indeed.”
I’m not sure if I fit the category of the “holy man” in James 5:16 but
I’m sure his prayer request is not something that a holy man prays for
and God blesses. A holy man does not and cannot blackmail God into
submission. One cannot pray, “This I pray, whether you like it or not.”
It doesn’t work that way. The unwritten dictum is that a holy man prays
only for holy things — things that are true, good and beautiful.
One time, a guy subtly asked me to pray for the failure of his
competitor’s business venture. “He pirated some of my business ideas and
so I pray he doesn’t succeed,” he explained. “Malakas naman kayo kay Lord, di ba?” he added. (Your prayers are powerful with the Lord.)
In reply, I told him, “I will pray instead that God prospers the work
of your hands and that the other one might be sorry for whatever wrong
he has done to you.” I believe that was more compatible with the prayer
of James 5:16. Fr. Joel Jason
:Purify my heart, Lord, that I may only desire that which is true, good and beautiful."
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