31st Sunday A Mt 23:1-12
"The greatest among you must be your servant" (Mt. 23:11)
There was an army major who was in his new office when a private appeared at the door. He wanted to impress the soldier, so as he let him in, the major said, "Come in, soldier! I'll be right with you after I answer this phone call." Speaking on the phone he said, "Well, General, good to hear your voice. How can I help you?" After a pause, he then said, "Fine General, I'll call the President within an hour!" Then he said to the rpviate, who was staring at the floor nervously, "Now soldier, what can I do for You?" Without looking up, the private said in a loud voice, "The sergeant told me to come in and hook up your telephone."
Jesus always rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees because they did not practice what they preached. They tied up heavy burdens and laid them on people's shoulder, but not lift a finger to move them. All their works was performed only for show. Just like the major in our story, the Scribes and Pharisees merely wanted to impress people.
For Jesus, greatness does not consist in taking places of honor at banquets, or seats of honor in synagogues, being greeted in marketplaces and being called "Rabbi". Rather, he or she must be the one who serves others.
Jesus invites us to reset our values. While the world tells us to aspire for position, Jesus is saying the opposite, "The greatest among you must be your servant" (Mt. 23:11). The disciples whom Jesus looks for is a humble servant.
Can we serve the Lord, even if there is no position, or we are not elected as parish council officers? Can we serve the Lord even if there is no applause, recognition or publicity? Can we serve the Lord even if nobody sees us? Can we serve the Lord even if we are rejected and humiliated? Can we serve the Lord even if people laugh at us? Can we serve the Lord even if people do not say thanks to us? Can we serve the Lord even if our task is the most menial ones?
William Barclay told a story about a type of disciple that Jesus looks for. A monk was dispatched from one manastery to another as abbot. When he arrived at his new jurisdiction, the monks did not inquire who he was. From his manner and appearance, they judged him beneath them. So they sent him to work in their kitchen at the most menial tasks. Without complaints, their new abbot spent long days scouring pots, washing floors, and shelling beans. Finally, the bishop of the diocese arrived at the monastery. When he could not find the long overdue abbot, he went on a search. Of course, he found him in the kitchen preparing the night's supper. He officially presented him to the monks in their chapel at Vespers. The disposition of this abbot taught them a lesson in humility.
God calls us to serve Him many various ways. Titles and positions are only good if they help us fulfill our tasks. But if they will make us proud, we are no better than the Scribes and Pharisees. Remember, for Jesus, the greatest is not the person with titles or positions but the one who serves others.
Our faith is not a matter of performance geared to impress people. It is a matter of humble service.
- Fr. Nony S. Villaluz
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Friday, October 07, 2005
What Kind of Guests are we to Christ's Feast?
28 Sunday A
Mt.22:1-10
“Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Mt.22: 14)
One Sunday, a gentleman was coming out of church when the priest grabbed him by the hand, pulled him aside and said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!" The man replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Father." The priest questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?" He whispered back, "Father, I'm in the secret service."
Christ told us the story of a king celebrating the wedding of his son. This was a metaphor of God’s invitation to experience His salvation. There were different kinds of guests mentioned in the parable. The ones who were invited but refused to come; the invited guests who paid no attention and went away, some to their fields and others to their work.; the guests that the servants found on the road which filled the hall, and a man not wearing a wedding garment.
In the Eucharist, God invites us to celebrate His love and our salvation. It is here where we hear the word of God telling us how much He loves us. In the Eucharist we are spiritually nourished as we partake in the body and blood of Christ. But how eager are we to come to this celebration?
Are we in the active or are we in the secret service? What kind of guests are we to Christ’s feast? For our reflection, let us compare ourselves to these different kinds of guests.
There were guests who went to the fields or to their work. They were not bad people but they were preoccupied with their own affairs and business. It is not bad to be serious in our job. We need to work, but we become preoccupied with the necessities of life that we cannot attend the Eucharist anymore. It becomes a hindrance for us to experience the joy of celebrating God’s love and salvation.
Every Sunday all the churches in the Philippines are filled with people. But do you know that they are not even 30% of the church total Catholic population? It is a sad reality: All is invited but many refused to come. Many people who missed mass on Sunday felt guilty because they failed their Sunday obligation. But how many are truly sorry not because they failed in their obligation but they missed this great celebration of God’s love?
Who is the guest not dressed in a wedding garment? There are people who go to church not modestly dressed that can be a cause of distraction. However, this can also be likened to those people who are physically present in the church but their hearts and minds are not in the celebration. They go to church for show and chat while the mass is going on. They never turn off or put their cell phones in a silent mode. They look for people to criticize and even judge how the lectors do the reading or how the priest delivers the homily.
What kind of guests are we to Christ’s feast? Like those who ignore the invitation? Like those who come but not properly dressed? Or like those who accept the invitation with joy and celebrate Christ’s feast with faith, hope and love?
God Bless you all!
Mt.22:1-10
“Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Mt.22: 14)
One Sunday, a gentleman was coming out of church when the priest grabbed him by the hand, pulled him aside and said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!" The man replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Father." The priest questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?" He whispered back, "Father, I'm in the secret service."
Christ told us the story of a king celebrating the wedding of his son. This was a metaphor of God’s invitation to experience His salvation. There were different kinds of guests mentioned in the parable. The ones who were invited but refused to come; the invited guests who paid no attention and went away, some to their fields and others to their work.; the guests that the servants found on the road which filled the hall, and a man not wearing a wedding garment.
In the Eucharist, God invites us to celebrate His love and our salvation. It is here where we hear the word of God telling us how much He loves us. In the Eucharist we are spiritually nourished as we partake in the body and blood of Christ. But how eager are we to come to this celebration?
Are we in the active or are we in the secret service? What kind of guests are we to Christ’s feast? For our reflection, let us compare ourselves to these different kinds of guests.
There were guests who went to the fields or to their work. They were not bad people but they were preoccupied with their own affairs and business. It is not bad to be serious in our job. We need to work, but we become preoccupied with the necessities of life that we cannot attend the Eucharist anymore. It becomes a hindrance for us to experience the joy of celebrating God’s love and salvation.
Every Sunday all the churches in the Philippines are filled with people. But do you know that they are not even 30% of the church total Catholic population? It is a sad reality: All is invited but many refused to come. Many people who missed mass on Sunday felt guilty because they failed their Sunday obligation. But how many are truly sorry not because they failed in their obligation but they missed this great celebration of God’s love?
Who is the guest not dressed in a wedding garment? There are people who go to church not modestly dressed that can be a cause of distraction. However, this can also be likened to those people who are physically present in the church but their hearts and minds are not in the celebration. They go to church for show and chat while the mass is going on. They never turn off or put their cell phones in a silent mode. They look for people to criticize and even judge how the lectors do the reading or how the priest delivers the homily.
What kind of guests are we to Christ’s feast? Like those who ignore the invitation? Like those who come but not properly dressed? Or like those who accept the invitation with joy and celebrate Christ’s feast with faith, hope and love?
God Bless you all!
Sunday, October 02, 2005
We are only tenants of God’s blessings
27th Sunday A
Mt.21:33-43
"Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit” (Mt 21:43).
I have been to many churches but I have never seen one without doing any fund raiser for their projects. I have seen a lot of generous people and I admire them for supporting the church. I am annoyed though to hear people saying, “I will help build the church if I win in the lottery.” Or “I will donate to the church when good fortune comes to me.” If churches depended on these kinds of people, I wonder how they would survive. Churches would be closed. Sometimes I ask, “Why is it that when it comes to the church we are cheap when in fact whatever we have comes from the Lord?”
In the parable of the tenants, the landowner leased the vineyard to the tenants. When vintage time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants, and one they beat, another they killed and a third they stoned. The landowner never gave up, he sent more servants but they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son thinking that they will respect him. But when the tenants saw the son they killed him also to acquire his inheritance. The vineyard in this parable stood for the people of Israel. The owner was God. The farmers were the rulers and priests who supervised the country. The servants were the prophets sent throughout the centuries and the son was clearly Jesus. The chief priests and elders had been placed in charge of the law, the prophecies, the sacrifices and all the riches, which God bestowed upon the Chosen People. But sad to say they were more concerned with themselves than with the work of God’s kingdom.
God has also entrusted us with time, talents and treasures, which we can use to promote God’s kingdom. At the day of reckoning, we are all accountable to the Lord to return its produce. Whatever we have is not actually ours because we are only God’s stewards, and we have to share our time, talents and treasure for the good of the community to promote God’s kingdom. But are we like the tenants whose greedy purpose is to keep God’s blessing for themselves? Why is it so hard for us to be generous to church? Why are we apathetic to the poverty around us? I think the problem here boils down to the fact that many of us opted to be avaricious.
Aesop has this fable about the dog and the shadow. A dog, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his mouth, saw his own shadow in the water, and took it for that of another dog, with a piece of meat double his own in size. He therefore let go his own, and fiercely attacked the other dog, to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both: that which he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow; and his own, because the stream swept it away.
Even though people who are greedy are dissatisfied with what they have, they still cannot share it to others. Let us not forget that whatever we have is God’s blessing to us. We are only tenants of His blessing and not the owners. We are responsible and accountable to Him for the way we use or abuse our endowments.
Are we using our gifts to promote God’s kingdom or are we using it to advance our personal interests?
Rev. Fr. Nony S. Villaluz. CRM
Mt.21:33-43
"Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit” (Mt 21:43).
I have been to many churches but I have never seen one without doing any fund raiser for their projects. I have seen a lot of generous people and I admire them for supporting the church. I am annoyed though to hear people saying, “I will help build the church if I win in the lottery.” Or “I will donate to the church when good fortune comes to me.” If churches depended on these kinds of people, I wonder how they would survive. Churches would be closed. Sometimes I ask, “Why is it that when it comes to the church we are cheap when in fact whatever we have comes from the Lord?”
In the parable of the tenants, the landowner leased the vineyard to the tenants. When vintage time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants, and one they beat, another they killed and a third they stoned. The landowner never gave up, he sent more servants but they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son thinking that they will respect him. But when the tenants saw the son they killed him also to acquire his inheritance. The vineyard in this parable stood for the people of Israel. The owner was God. The farmers were the rulers and priests who supervised the country. The servants were the prophets sent throughout the centuries and the son was clearly Jesus. The chief priests and elders had been placed in charge of the law, the prophecies, the sacrifices and all the riches, which God bestowed upon the Chosen People. But sad to say they were more concerned with themselves than with the work of God’s kingdom.
God has also entrusted us with time, talents and treasures, which we can use to promote God’s kingdom. At the day of reckoning, we are all accountable to the Lord to return its produce. Whatever we have is not actually ours because we are only God’s stewards, and we have to share our time, talents and treasure for the good of the community to promote God’s kingdom. But are we like the tenants whose greedy purpose is to keep God’s blessing for themselves? Why is it so hard for us to be generous to church? Why are we apathetic to the poverty around us? I think the problem here boils down to the fact that many of us opted to be avaricious.
Aesop has this fable about the dog and the shadow. A dog, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his mouth, saw his own shadow in the water, and took it for that of another dog, with a piece of meat double his own in size. He therefore let go his own, and fiercely attacked the other dog, to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both: that which he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow; and his own, because the stream swept it away.
Even though people who are greedy are dissatisfied with what they have, they still cannot share it to others. Let us not forget that whatever we have is God’s blessing to us. We are only tenants of His blessing and not the owners. We are responsible and accountable to Him for the way we use or abuse our endowments.
Are we using our gifts to promote God’s kingdom or are we using it to advance our personal interests?
Rev. Fr. Nony S. Villaluz. CRM
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