READINGS for 2007-05-28
BELIEVE “All things are possible with God.” – Mark 10:27 REFLECTION |
1st READING Sirach 17:19-27 P S A L M G O S P E L Mark 10:17-27 _________________________________________________________ God’s special verse/thought for me today________________ _________________________________________________________ Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________ _______________________________________________________ READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Psalm 45-51 |
THE TRAP OF THE SIN OF OMISSION
Blessed Robert Johnson, martyr, pray for us. Chapter 10 of Mark points out who the real disciples of Jesus are. There is first the rich man approaching Jesus full of enthusiasm and eagerness. He seems to be the best candidate. He is serious, he wants to be saved, he can say what many of us cannot say, that he has kept most of the Ten Commandments. Maybe he was too eager, too emotional. That is why Jesus had to pull him down first from the clouds. We cannot become good followers of Christ by being guided by emotions only. They easily evaporate. Jesus remains calm and tells him: Please, no flattery, calm down, think clearly! Then He points him to the Commandments. Jesus quotes mostly negative Commandments. In other words the man has done nothing wrong to others. But what good has he done? With whom did he share his riches? How many poor people has he helped? In the Gospel of the Hebrews (which is not in the Bible but is considered by scholars to contain many authentic sayings of Jesus) the story of the encounter is more vivid. Here is a quotation from that gospel: “But the rich man began to scratch his head, and it pleased him not. And the Lord said to him, ‘How can you say, I have kept the law and the prophets? For it is written in the law: You shall love your neighbor as yourself; and see, many of your brethren, sons of Abraham, are clad in filth, dying of hunger, and your house is full of many good things, and nothing at all goes out of it to them.’”We discover here the danger of the sin of omission! When we don’t steal or commit adultery, we think we are good. Not harming anybody and not committing these sins is only a first step on the way to perfection. Not doing bad things is good, but not doing good things is worse in the eyes of God. Why did Jesus look at him with love? I think Jesus looked at him with love because next he demands from him the greatest sacrifice and the man needs all the love of God to say Yes to it. But the rich man was not able to escape from the trap – like so many of us. Here is a suggestion for your next Confession: try to confess all the omissions you can detect in your life. It will not be easy and will take a little more time for the examination of conscience. But in doing so you will discover that there might be more sins of omission in your life than actual wrongdoings. Fr. Rudy H. REFLECTION QUESTION: Have you ever confessed your sins of omission? Oh, my God, how often have I fallen into this trap! I thought I am fine in your sight but was not aware of failing in what I should do. Thank you for this eye-opener. |
Live Chat Software by Kayako |

-
The FEAST is one of the happiest places on earth.
Click Here to find a Feast near you! -
KERYGMA TV! is BACK
KERYGMA TV is on a new time slot and new channel Sundays 8 a.m. at IBC 13 -
Need Counseling? No Landline?
Now, you can use your mobile phone to call a friend for counseling at 09228407031. Or you may call our landlines 7266728, 7264709, 7259999 Mon-Fri 24-hrs, Sat 6am-5pm, Sun 6am-10am -
BO BLOGS!
Go to Bo's Official Site and read his almost daily blog! Its not news, but thoughts and musings of Bo Sanchez. Get to know Bo in a more personal way --and find out what it means to live the life of a preacher. You get to enrich your faith as well. -
DONATION
Remember to always donate your "first fruits"-not the last. Click on the "Donation" Box under the members menu - and you'll even see links to the nearest branches of the Banks where you can deposit.