One spiritual writer once said: IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE, WE GROW NOT BY ADDITION BUT BY SUBTRACTION.
The Gospel for today’s liturgy, the sending of the 72 speak to us today saying – SIMPLIFY
We all need to simplify our lives materially so we are free to focus on the spiritual goods of friends, family and faith. The Lord says: Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals… It is easy for us to accumulate things as individual or as a community, as a Church. We need to simplify our lives materially because that can help us focus on the spiritual goods of friendship, faith and family that really make life worth living. There is such a thing as a slavery to things and possessions in the hope that they will ensure happiness.
The words in the gospel and in the 2nd reading also is a call to simplify our mission in life. Maybe we can plan to do too many things for the Lord, We can become involved in too many issues, try to do too much too soon, and end up doing none of them well.
Jesus sent the 72 ahead of him to prepare the place he will be visiting, this is our mission too. We can be distracted in trying to do great things for Christ only in the big city and miss the opportunities for being a witness in our own town and place where we live. It is not about great results that will assure us of salvation, but rather it is about faithfulness of our daily living that prepares the way for Christ in the life and in the lives of others.
The story of the mission sending of the 72 have an exciting success as regards their preaching, healing, exorcism. However, Jesus was also quick to remind them that the power they used was not theirs. The power to tread over snakes and scorpions and over the full force of the enemy came from Jesus himself. Emphatically, Jesus said, ‘I have given you the power…’ That only mean, we can only be effective ministers of the Lord for as long as we recognize our connectedness with Jesus. Our effectiveness in our ministry is not because of what we do, but it because of what we allow the Lord Jesus to do with us and through us. As ministers, we must allow the Lord to minister to us.
Fr Lito Layug
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
12th SUNDAY (C) 20 Jun 2010
Today’s scene opens with Jesus praying alone. Luke presents Jesus as praying before all the important events of his life. Maybe there are some who wonder why Jesus, if he was the Son of God, had to pray. Who did he pray to? What did he pray about? These questions might be a hint that we have a limited concept of what prayer is about. Prayer is primarily being in communication with God. It involves both listening and speaking. In some of the deepest forms of prayer, nothing at all is said. One is just bathed in the all-surrounding presence of God.
It is to our best advantage to open ourselves totally to those transcendent values which the Gospel presents to us. And to take up our cross every day is not to go out of our way looking for pain and trouble. That would be a very unhealthy way of behaving. It means accepting what comes into our life and positively and constructively seeing God’s love and grace in every experience, even the most painful.
Anyone who actively lives out the way of life proposed to us by Jesus is almost certain to run into opposition, to rejection and even contempt. But, in the words of Paul who had his own full share of crosses, “Everything works together for good to those who love God.”
Do we want to experience Jesus? Do we want to experience his peace, his love, his joy, his forgiveness, his healing? Clearly, Jesus indicates in today’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” That means we must be willing to have less space for ourselves, so that there can be more space for Jesus. Even the law of natural and physical science teaches that no two entities can occupy the same space at the same time. Faith which is required in our relationship with Jesus is not so much a matter of reaching out to Jesus as it is a matter of opening to him, opening to what he wants, what he wills.
Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We reflect on these familiar words of Jesus in reverse:
Follow me – this is the main and absolute objective of discipleship. It is not to be an admirer and a member of Jesus’ fans club. It is to be identified with Jesus―his mission, his teachings, his values.
Take up your Cross – the trademark of Jesus is the Cross, no Cross, no Christ.
Deny self – We cannot be like Jesus if we cannot empty ourselves of many things: sin, pride, worldliness, a logic that follows the reasoning of success in the world. Rather we think and do what gives us treasures in heaven.
Fr Lito Layug
It is to our best advantage to open ourselves totally to those transcendent values which the Gospel presents to us. And to take up our cross every day is not to go out of our way looking for pain and trouble. That would be a very unhealthy way of behaving. It means accepting what comes into our life and positively and constructively seeing God’s love and grace in every experience, even the most painful.
Anyone who actively lives out the way of life proposed to us by Jesus is almost certain to run into opposition, to rejection and even contempt. But, in the words of Paul who had his own full share of crosses, “Everything works together for good to those who love God.”
Do we want to experience Jesus? Do we want to experience his peace, his love, his joy, his forgiveness, his healing? Clearly, Jesus indicates in today’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” That means we must be willing to have less space for ourselves, so that there can be more space for Jesus. Even the law of natural and physical science teaches that no two entities can occupy the same space at the same time. Faith which is required in our relationship with Jesus is not so much a matter of reaching out to Jesus as it is a matter of opening to him, opening to what he wants, what he wills.
Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We reflect on these familiar words of Jesus in reverse:
Follow me – this is the main and absolute objective of discipleship. It is not to be an admirer and a member of Jesus’ fans club. It is to be identified with Jesus―his mission, his teachings, his values.
Take up your Cross – the trademark of Jesus is the Cross, no Cross, no Christ.
Deny self – We cannot be like Jesus if we cannot empty ourselves of many things: sin, pride, worldliness, a logic that follows the reasoning of success in the world. Rather we think and do what gives us treasures in heaven.
Fr Lito Layug
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