Bisaya Bloggers

Mark 5: 21-43
2 Sam 18: 9-10,14,24-25,30–19:3 / Ps 86:1-6

Do not be afraid; just have faith.
(Mark 5:36)

A little faith can gain so much
Once we give in to plans divine,
And from our pain His healing touch
Will transform us to God’s design.

When Jesus sailed back to Capernaum from the Gerasene district, two people of different social status were eagerly awaiting His return: Jairus, a synagogue official, and an unnamed woman with an incurable hemorrhage, considered as a social outcast. They were both in similar desperate straits: Jairus’ 12 year old daughter was at the point of death, while the woman had a 12-year old hemorrhaging affliction. Both also shared the belief in the power of touch: Jairus, asking Jesus to lay His hand on his daughter to heal her; and the woman thinking that if she could only touch Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. Both of them received the Lord’s healing power because of their faith.

Reflection

Both of these two persons in Mark’s Gospel had only heard about Jesus, but believed that He was their last and only recourse. The woman with the hemorrhage believed that even just the clothes of the Lord had the ‘magical’ power to heal her, and her faith moved Jesus’ healing grace to flow to her. But being ‘unclean’, she was greatly in fear when it was discovered that she had touched Jesus (making Him and others she came in contact with ritually ‘unclean’ also). But our Lord assured her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” He also assured Jairus when the news came that his daughter had died, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” Our Lord had good reason to stop and confront the woman who had secretly touched His garment. It was to let her know that it was her faith, and not His clothes possessing any magical power that caused her healing. The interruption was also Jesus’ way of testing the faith of Jairus, who must already have been “going ballistics” because of the delay. But he kept his peace even when it seemed they were too late. He believed Jesus that He could bring his daughter back to life.

Many Christians today still believe in the ‘spiritual powers’ of relics of saints or holy objects, and even ‘miraculous water’ from springs under grottoes that heal them of various afflictions. We once had a natural grotto in our farm where we put a statue of our Blessed Mother (like the Lady of Lourdes). Many people claimed that they were healed of their ailments when they prayed and bathed at the grotto. One day, the ‘miraculous’ statue was stolen. If only the thief had believed in God’s compassion for the sick, he would realize that it was their prayers and faith that led to the healing of the devotees and not the statue. May this Gospel passage teach us that nothing is impossible if we reach out to God for our healing.

Thank You, Father, for making us see that the purpose of Your miracles is not only to show us Your compassion, but also to increase our faith. Amen.

Luke 2: 22-40
Mal 3:1-4 / Ps 24 / Heb 2:14-18

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God…
(Luke 2:28)

Like Simeon and Anna, may we see
That Jesus Christ is life’s true goal;
Lord, please be present constantly
In the sanctuary of my soul.

When the time of their purification had been completed, Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, according to the law. There was a man there called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Lord, as you have promised, you can now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary : “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was 84 years old. A widow after 7 years of marriage, she never left the temple since, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. After this, Joseph and Mary returned to Galilee to their town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Reflection

There is an old adage that says, “Anything worth having is worth waiting for.” The presentation of the baby Jesus, which is narrated only in the Gospel of Luke, tells about the long wait of two old prophets of God, Simeon and Anna, whose whole lives, it seems, were lived solely for this divine encounter with the Messiah in the temple. They exemplify the need not only to be prayerful, but also to be patient in waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled. For their patience and devotion, the Holy Spirit empowered them to see and recognize immediately God’s promised Savior — despite their failing eyesight and the throng of people in the temple area.

Aspiring to be disciples of Christ, how can we “see” and recognize Jesus when he is presented into our lives? Simeon and Anna are Luke’s first models of discipleship. For decades they frequented the place where they could commune with God. They put themselves continually in the presence of Yahweh, where they could “hear” His voice. How often do we present ourselves to our heavenly Father in His holy temple? How many hours in a week do we pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and keep Jesus company? Simeon and Anna were also able to recognize God because they were prayerful. As a priest, Simeon’s prayers were filled with hope and confidence in the promise of God. Anna not only prayed, but even in her advanced years she did regular fasting. Finally, these two people must have spent a lot of time reading the Word of God. They steeped themselves in Scriptures because they believed that this would lead them to His presence. Let God’s Word be a daily presence in our life.

Lord, let me be like Anna, who, upon recognizing her Savior, immediately gave witness to all about Your Good News of salvation. Let me also be like Simeon, who took Jesus in his arms. May I put down everything I am holding on to, because He is the only One worth holding on to for my soul’s salvation. Amen.

Mark 2: 23-28
1 Sm 16: 1-13 / Ps 89: 20, 21-22, 27-28

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
(Mark 2:27-28)

It's more than just a day of rest,
The Sabbath’s meant for our delight;
God therefore set aside the best
To worship Him with all our might.

One day, Jesus and His disciples were walking through a field of grain, and His disciples began to pick some grains to eat. The Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Jesus answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? … he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Reflection

Today’s Gospel account of Mark again brings to focus the conflict between our Lord’s concern for human needs and the Jewish officials’ strict observance of their religious rituals. It was about these religious officials in Jesus’ time that Isaiah wrote, “Yes, you fast but end up quarreling, striking each other with wicked blows. Fasting as you do will not make your voice heard on high.” (Isa.58:4) They were too blind to realize that if Jesus could exercise authority over demons, illness, and sin, then He certainly had authority over the Sabbath law.

God instituted the Sabbath not as a yoke to burden man, but to compel him to take a rest for his physical, spiritual and emotional renewal. The Sabbath was intended to benefit man’s personal well being, and at the same time remove him for a day from his labors so that he could contribute to other endeavors beneficial to others.

The observance of the Sabbath should not be out of obligation, but out of love and devotion. Many of Christ’s leaders today spend their day of rest (after hearing mass) by reaching out to the less fortunate, like the poor, the sick and the imprisoned. God never wearies in all His work, and did not really rest on the seventh day. He merely paused to admire the beauty of His creation. In the same way, He wants us to set aside a day when we can thank Him fully for all our blessings by expressing our love to others. It is also the day when we can reflect on His Word, and be fully reinvigorated by His Holy Spirit in a quiet time and place with prayer and worship.

Help us, dear God to devote one day of the week to contemplate on Your Word, and to bring others to You through prayers and good works. Amen.

Luke 5: 12-16
1 Jn 5: 5-13 / Ps 147: 12-15,19-20

Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.
(Luke 5:12)

Your graces are what free us, Lord
From the leprosy of evil.
We thank You, Jesus for Your Word
Conforms us to the Father’s Will.

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man, saying, “I do will it. Be made clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him, “Do not tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a proof to them.” Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their ailments. But Jesus often withdrew to deserted places to pray. (Luke 5: 12-16)

Reflection

People who were stricken with leprosy during the time of Jesus were considered to have the worst kind of existence, if they were to be regarded as existing at all. For the Jews, they would be like our movie version of zombies, the living dead, who were literally rotting away. They were cast out of society, could no longer live with family and friends, and worst of all, could not worship God in their temples or synagogues. In effect they were both physically and spiritually damned, ostracized from society and from God. This expulsion recalls the fate of Adam and Eve, who were expelled from the Garden of Eden because of their sin, and their loss of favor with God.

To the knowledge of the Jews at that time, only two people had been healed of this incurable disease: Miriam (Num.12:9-15), who was stricken for speaking against Moses, and Naaman, a pagan general from Damascus who was advised by Elijah to wash seven times in the river Jordan to be healed (2Kings 5). Since then, for hundreds of years, there had been no record of any leper being healed again. The healing of this leper therefore was a great sign of God’s presence among His people.

The first lesson that comes to mind as we reflect on this Gospel passage is that there is no sin that cannot be forgiven, just as there is no disease that cannot be cured if only we implore God’s mercy. Like that leper who never doubted Jesus’ healing power, all we need to do is to ask for God’s will: “Lord, if you are willing…” never doubting His ability. Jesus healed the leper because of his remarkable faith. The next thing that gives us pause to reflect is the great mercy and compassion of God that Jesus reveals in this passage of Luke. Jesus reached out and touched the leper (to the horror of the Jews who considered the man unclean). God, Who is all pure, reached out to mankind, making Himself “impure” (by becoming man) in order to heal us of all our sins. This kind of love a lot of people find hard to comprehend. And finally, we read that “Jesus often withdrew to deserted places to pray.” Whatever the occasion, wherever He was, Jesus always made it a point to withdraw for prayers. After healing and preaching, His most important activity was praying, because even though He was the Son of God, He knew the importance of being with the Father.

Father most loving, You keep us healthy and clean; help us not to veer away from the downtrodden and “unclean”. If ever we have to keep away from other people, let it be because we need to be with you in prayer. But grant us the grace to be able to reach out to others in kind words and deeds, especially to those in need. Amen.

Luke 1: 67-79
2 Sm 7:1-5.8-11.16 / Ps 89:2-5,27,29

He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David.
(Luke 1:69)

Be of good cheer, He is coming,
Christ, the Horn of our salvation!
A peaceful year He is bringing,
The prize for our preparation.

Zechariah prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has visited and brought redemption to His people. He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David His servant, even as He promised through the mouths of His prophets from of old: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers, and to be mindful of His holy covenant, and to the oath He swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship Him in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1: 67-79)

Reflection

Right after Zechariah wrote on a tablet “His name is John”, his mouth was opened, and his tongue was freed, and he started to praise God (v.64). For nine months he had been rendered deaf and dumb (v.62) as a result of his lack of faith that he and his wife, now well beyond bearing age would be the parents of John the Baptist, as the Angel Gabriel had declared. But Zechariah’s 9-month “incarceration” in a prison of silence served a greater purpose: to be able to meditate deeply on Scriptures, and then filled with the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the beautiful canticle that has become our Gospel for today for our reflection on the eve of our Savior’s birthday.

Today, many of us have finally ended the nine-day novena of waking up very early in the morning to attend the Misa de Gallo. This novena has been quite a big sacrifice for most of us, considering the holiday night-outs that we had to forego in order to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Savior. But this sacrifice was nothing if we compare it to the 9-month period that Zechariah had to endure, living in total silence to fully comprehend God’s plan of salvation and his son’s participation in it.

Just as Zechariah’s long period of silence was a prelude to a great event, it is hoped that our novena of going to the Lord’s Eucharistic celebration before dawn for nine consecutive days would also be the perfect preparation for the coming of the “Horn of our salvation,” Jesus Christ. He is the “daybreak from on high” Who is now living in our hearts, so that we too may “shine on those who sit in darkness” and be guided in the path of peace. May His peace reign in our land now and in the coming year!

We thank You, Father God, for the hope of salvation that we have acquired through Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, Whose coming we greatly anticipate and celebrate. Grant us Your grace to be worthy to welcome Him into our hearts. Amen.

Luke 1: 5-25
Jgs 13:2-7.24-25 / Ps 71:3-6,16-17

So has the Lord done for me at a time He has seen fit…
(Luke 1:25)

God’s kindness we must never doubt,
He answers prayers in His time.
Have faith that it will all work out;
He only has our best in mind.

The priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth both led righteous lives, blameless in all their deeds, observing all the commandments of the Lord. But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both already advanced in years. Then one day, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the temple and told him that their prayers had been answered. Nothing escapes the attention of the Lord — no prayer is left unanswered. Everything will unravel at the time He sees fit. Perhaps Zechariah and Elizabeth had been praying for a son for a long time since they were young. But the coming of their son, John, must be timed to the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, so the answer to their prayers had to wait until the appropriate time.

Reflection

Advent is the season of expectation, a time of hope for good things to come. Today’s Gospel reading teaches us the importance of trusting in God that He will provide the things we hope for at the proper time. It may have seemed like an “endless advent” for Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, who had both aged past the years of procreation, but as the angel Gabriel proved to them, nothing is impossible with God.

One of the things that most people hate is waiting. But waiting is an inevitable and common circumstance in daily living. We wait in line at the store register or movie counter; we wait for the traffic light to change to green; we control our emotions waiting for someone who is late for our appointment; we fret and fidget as we wait for a scheduled flight that has been delayed. In fact, most times I’ve had to wait for the Holy Spirit to give the inspiration to write a Gospel reflection. But we must never let our waiting affect our good disposition by becoming impatient or recriminating. Such was probably the case with Zechariah, who had already given up hope of ever becoming a father, when he replied to the angelic messenger, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is (already) advanced in years.” (Lk.1:18) (Like saying, probably with an edge in his voice, ‘Why tell me now, after making us wait for so long?’) Thus he was rendered speechless for nine months. He should have been so grateful instead. To be the parents of John the Baptist was surely worth the long wait.

It’s barely a week before our waiting is over and we celebrate the birth of our Savior. May our waiting teach us to be more patient, generous, courteous, and forgiving. And most of all, may we always trust God that He will deliver what we hope for in His own good time, so that we can wait in expectant joy in the true spirit of Advent.

In You, Lord God, we put our trust, confident that all Your promises will be fulfilled. Your Word is our firm foundation, and in the Gospel may we always abide. Amen.

Luke 21: 34-36
Dn 7:15-27 / Dn 3:82-87

Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.
(Luke 21:36)

Come let us sing in jubilation
To the Rock of our salvation;
But for Him let us also prepare
In works of charity and prayer.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Reflection

It is again the season of Advent. Christmas will soon be upon us once more, that time of the year dreaded by uncles and aunts who belong to large families, and have innumerable godchildren to give Christmas presents to. Yesterday afternoon, when my wife Ollie and I went to the mall to buy our grandniece a birthday present, we couldn’t believe the huge crowd of people that thronged the department stores and novelty shops for their early Christmas shopping. Of course it was the end of the month, payroll time, but something in the air tells me the economy is in the upswing, and the consumer index is soaring, pushed by overseas workers’ $$$ remittances.

It is during this season of “carousing and drunkenness” that we must step back and reflect on the message of our Lord in today’s Gospel. The circumstances that existed just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 were probably very similar to those that we are experiencing today. It was a time of affluence, when people were more concerned with worldly pursuits, and those who were drawn to the faith by the early Church were being severely persecuted. In such a state, apathy and apostasy had become commonplace. So, to be “vigilant at all times… and have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent…” let us keep in mind the great tsunami tragedy that shook the world by surprise in December 26, 2004. Just a day after Christmas, those who perished (almost 300,000 people) were on a holiday vacation in the various resorts along the coastal regions of East Asia. Not a care in the world, things of God, death, or destruction were farthest from their minds.

As we prepare for the coming of the Lord, let us temper our celebrations with prayer, meditation of God’s Word, and charity towards the poor, which never fails to make this season more meaningful. These are what will put us in good standing before the Son of Man when we come before Him in judgment.

Father God, on this eve of Advent, please let Your Holy Spirit keep us vigilant and prayerful, well prepared for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, for it is during times of celebration that we become complacent and vulnerable to the temptation of the evil one. Help us, Father, to be worthy of His coming. Amen.