6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalm 1.1-4.6
1Corinthians 15:12.16-20
Luke 6:17.20-26

THE WAY TO TRUE HAPPINESS

Everybody wants to be happy and prosperous. But the way you chose to get there may bring you blessedness and peace, or it may lead you to woe and curse. Curse and blessing, happiness and sadness, death and resurrection, blessedness and woes: behold the two ways laid before us in today’s readings. 

In effect, he who puts his trust in men and in created things avails himself to curse, sadness and woes. He is like a dried leaf tossed about by any kind of wind. On the other hand, the man who puts his trust in the Lord is blessed and joyful. He is like a tree planted near the river. He has no fear of anything. He bears fruits in season and out of season. Nothings can rob his inner peace and interior joy. If therefore we trust in the crucified and risen Christ, blessed are we.

As such, those who are materially poor, the sad, the hungry and persecuted because of Christ are blessed and therefore should rejoice, says Jesus in the Gospel. For God is their consolation, in contrast to those who put their trust and consolation in their material possessions.

Like Moses who set before the people of Israel life and prosperity, death and adversity, and exhorted them to choose life (Deut. 30:15-20), I challenge you to trust in the Lord. Walk in his ways. Obey his Word. And you will be blessed, happy and fruitful all the days of your life, no matter the storms, challenges, and problems you may face. May the Holy Spirit help us trust God at all times so that we may inherit eternal life. Amen

5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Isaiah 6:1-8
Ps 137:1-5.7-8
1 Co. 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11

CALLED TO BE MESSENGERS OF GOD

Christian life begins with the encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. This encounter not only transforms our life, but also entrusts to us a mission. In effect, Isaiah had a vision of God in the sanctuary. Filled with awe, he acknowledged his sinfulness before the holiness of God. Purged and strengthened by God, he received his call to be God’s messenger.

St Paul had an encounter with the crucified and risen Jesus on his way to Damascus. This encounter, or better still this experience, changed his life. From a persecutor of the Church, he became an apostle of Christ, a witness of the Gospel. Thus he worked and preached with much zeal, conviction and pride in God’s grace.

In the Gospel, St Luke narrates the call of the first disciples. Simon Peter and his companions were fishermen by profession. After a fruitless fishing adventure, in their despair and tiredness, they encountered Jesus. Though with hesitation and protest, Simon obeyed this itinerant preacher who told him: “Put out into deep water and lower the nets for a catch.” Out of this trust and obedience, they caught many fish. This miraculous catch changed their lives and perspective. They left everything and followed Jesus. From fishermen they became fishers of men.

As such, God can transform and make you too a testimony to his glory and power. Therefore, do not think of quitting or giving up no matter what you are going through. God has a grand plan and a mission for you. He is able to use you irrespective of your past or sins. If you allow the Lord to encounter you where you are, if you accept his call to become his messenger, your life will never be the same.
Remain blessed! Amen

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Jeremiah 1:4-5.17-19
Psalm 70
1Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30

THE LOT OF A PROPHET

A prophet is the spokesperson of God. He speaks on behalf of God. As such, prophets are often not welcomed. They may be rejected, maltreated or persecuted, especially by their own kins: “No prophet is ever accepted in his own country,” Jesus tells his townsmen. This was the experience of Jesus and many prophets including Jeremiah.

The evangelist Luke continues his report of the visit of Jesus to the synagogue of his hometown. He preached so well that the people marveled at his gracious words and eloquence. But this admiration turned into rage. Their amazement quickly turned into hatred. Thus, they ejected him out of the synagogue. They wanted to push him off the cliff on which their town was built. But Jesus walked through them and left.

Such treatment of men of God was not uncommon. The prophet Jeremiah was to have similar experience. Since his mother’s womb, God had chosen him to be a prophet to the nations. But he was to face opposition and hostility. The people would fight against him, but they would not overcome him because God had made him a fortified city. The Lord was with him to deliver him.

By virtue of our baptism, we too are prophets. We must speak and proclaim the words of God to our contemporaries. But we must keep two things in mind. First, we will face challenges, rejection, criticisms and oppositions. And yet, we should not be afraid because the Lord is with us. With God, we shall overcome. Second, we may have all it takes to be a good prophet; but without love, we are “simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing”. Love is a gift that lasts forever, says St Paul in the second reading. Yes, love is everything and it changes everything. Let our love for one another become a testimony in today’s world.

Amen