Opinion

Once again, we are given a glimpse of the compassionate heart of Jesus in today’s gospel. Earlier Jesus gives up his much-needed rest to teach the crowd upon seeing them like sheep without a shepherd. Now, moved with the same pity, Jesus inquires from his apostles where to find food to feed the people. Philip argues against the possibility of buying food for a crowd of five thousand in the middle of a deserted place. Meanwhile, Andrew introduces a boy with five barley loaves of bread and two fish, although he himself is skeptical how the meager supply could help.Jesus then asks the people to recline on the grass as he takes the loaves in his hands, blesses and distributes them. He does likewise with the two fish. After everyone is filled and satisfied, Jesus asks his apostles to gather...

The apostles returned from their mission and reported all that they had done with great joy and enthusiasm. Jesus invited them to come to a quiet place to rest for “people were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat.”Reading this verse, I cannot help but think of our own priests who celebrate four to five Masses on Sundays, wake up in the middle of the night when called to anoint a dying patient or to exorcise a possessed. Some travel several kilometers on foot to attend to the needs of our far-flung communities. I remember one priest who literally drags himself to the altar and to the BEC’s on Sundays, when attacked by severe gout. One Holy Thursday during the Mass of the Last Supper, he crawled on the sanctuary from one apostle to another to wash a...

Jesus is rejected by his own people (last Sunday’s gospel). Amos is rejected by a people not his own (today’s first reading). Amos who hails from the kingdom of Judah is sent by God to prophesy in Israel, its rival kingdom. In the gospel, Jesus sends his apostles on mission, warning them beforehand that not everyone will welcome them or listen to them. Rejection seems to be the lot of every prophet.The irony is that the prophets are sent to bring God’s message of hope. In the Old Testament God’s message to his people is a one of salvation (often from their enemies). In the New Testament, it is the good news of the coming of the kingdom. What makes the people resistant to God’s message is what it requires - conversion. God’s message is a call to return to him who alone is salvation and ...

Jesus left Nazareth when he was about 30 years old to start his ministry. He traveled around Galilee preaching the kingdom of God, healing the sick and driving out demons. Soon his name became known all over the region and even beyond as an extraordinary teacher and wonder-worker. People sought him from everywhere to listen to his word and be cured of their illnesses.In today’s gospel, we see Jesus returning to Nazareth. One would expect a hero’s welcome from his townsfolk who could only be proud that one of their own had become famous and put their little town on the map. Instead, Jesus received a different reception.At first, his townmates listened to him as he preached in their synagogue. They were astonished at his eloquence and the power of his word. Soon their astonishment tu...

Death is the great equalizer of life; it respects no one. Rich or poor, young or old, important or insignificant… it spares no one. In today’s gospel we read the story of Jairus, a powerful member of the community, who finds himself utterly powerless in the face of the life-threatening illness of his daughter. In the same story is inserted that of a poor woman who is suffering from internal bleeding for twelve years. She suffers not only physically, but also psychologically, socially and spiritually. Because of her ailment, she is considered “ritually impure” and is forced to avoid social contact. She has become an outcast, barred from community life and religious worship. To cap it all, she is left totally penniless, having spent everything she had on medicine and the doctors. Constantly ...

We often associate water with life. In today’s readings, however, the image of water is used to depict destruction, disorder, and death.In the first reading, God addresses Job out of the storm and reprimands him for questioning his wisdom. God asks Job, “Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb?” This rebuke alludes to the story of creation in the book of Genesis when the Spirit hovered over the turbulent water, the ancient symbol of chaos and destruction. To control such forces is a prerogative of God alone.The same divine attribute is recognized in the responsorial psalm. The sailors who are in danger of sinking in the sea address their cry of distress to God who alone can “hush the storm and still the sea.”Thus, the two readings fittingly serve as a b...

It is timely that as we re-enter into the Ordinary of the Year, our gospel reading presents the two parables of Mark on the kingdom of God. The first tells of the sower who scatters seeds which grow by themselves until they mature and bear bountiful harvest. The second is about the mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds which becomes the largest of plants. Both parables illustrate how the kingdom of God works in our ordinary life.The story of the sower reminds us that the kingdom of God is God’s, not ours. He provides the seed and sustains its growth. As the sower sleeps and rises night and day, the seed grows without his knowing how. And so it is with life. The parable thus invites us to entrust ourselves to the Lord of life. “All shall be well.” (Julian of Norwich)Growth is slow...

Any good we do may not always be met with approval and appreciation. In fact, it can cause conflict and opposition from people with malicious intent or even from others who may mean well. This is what happens to Jesus in today’s gospel.Returning from his mission, he comes home and is welcomed by a great crowd of people. While the majority are happy to receive him, there are others who are not. For one, his relatives do not understand him and want to pull him out of the crowd, thinking that he is out of his mind. Then there is the group of scribes from Jerusalem who accuse him of being possessed by Beelzebul and of driving out demons by the prince of demons. Unperturbed, Jesus deals with the accusations serenely and takes the occasion to further his teaching about the kingdom of God....

As he neared his death, Morrie realized that one thing alone is important in life – our relationships. Everything dies with us except our relationships. Long after we’re gone, we continue to live in the hearts of those we loved.Our human relationships are the closest experience we can get of God. Isn’t God, after all, pure and perfect relationship? “He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1Jn 4:16)Today we celebrate the solemnity of Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is greatest mystery of our faith from which we derive all that we know about God. It is also the mystery that defines our deepest identity and destiny as God’s beloved children. (second reading)Yet for all its paramount importance and significance, the doctrine of the Trinity has little impact, if any, in t...

Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. Fifty days after the Lord’s resurrection, the disciples gathered in the upper room together with Mary when the Holy Spirit descended on them in the form of tongues as of fire. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to proclaim in different languages that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who died and resurrected. Thus began the great missionary journey of the Church.While it may be inaccurate to say that Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, Pentecost is certainly the birthday of the missionary Church. It was on this day that the apostles, emboldened by the Spirit, came out of their hiding place, and carried out the Lord’s mandate to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mk 16:15)Pentecost affords us...