They say that the dog is man’s best friend. This was proven true when a fire razed the house of my friend. Her daughter was sleeping in the room, unaware of the fire slowly eating up the roof and the walls. She woke up to the barking of her dog, Rocky, who also banged on the door of her bedroom with his body.

       When she opened the door, the smoke began to envelop her. Rocky pulled on her dress, but she was scared stiff and didn’t want to step out of the room. He went behind her and pushed her legs with his head and paws. Recovering from the shock, she ran with him — Rocky leading her until they reached the door that was already in flames. Her dog bit her dress again and pulled her out to safety. She couldn’t stop her tears as she embraced, kissed and hugged Rocky for his love and faithfulness to her.

       Stories of loyalty never fail to warm our hearts. So let us not forget that the most loyal of all — our God who remains faithful even if we hurt and sin against Him — never tires of loving us, giving us many chances to repent and be closer to Him. His salvation is always near, and He will use all means, even a dog, to save us. Chelle Crisanto (ellehcmaria@yahoo.com)

Reflection: When everything seems to be against us, our God is there to cling to and to seek help from.

For the many times that I forget You, and the times when I am lost, please rescue me and remind me that You are there for me, my God.

St. Anthony Zaccaria, priest, pray for us.

Amos foresees both disaster and blessing in the future for Israel. He is right! The people will be exiled by two powers over the next 250 years but will eventually be restored to their homeland when Cyrus reigns in Babylon. Sin is the major cause of their and our suffering. If we want a better life, the first thing we should address is our sinfulness because, no matter how prosperous we become materially, we will never be right with God if we maintain a sinful disposition.

11 Thus says the Lord: On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David; I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old, 12 that they may conquer what is left of Edom and all the nations that shall bear my name, say I, the Lord, who will do this. 13 Yes, days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the vintager, him who sows the seed; the juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains, and all the hills shall run with it. 14 I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel; they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities, plant vineyards and drink the wine, set out gardens and eat the fruits. 15 I will plant them upon their own ground; never again shall they be plucked from the land I have given them, says I, the Lord, your God.

R: The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

8 [9] I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord—for he proclaims peace to his people. 9 [10] Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. (R) 10 [11] Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. 11 [12] Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. (R) 12 [13] The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. 13 [14] Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. (R)

As the world changes around us, so does the way in which we proclaim the Gospel have to change. Languages, ideas and stories all have to have their cultural relevance in order to speak to the people being evangelized. Inculturation is important; however, we need to ensure that the essential elements of the Gospel message are not lost in translation. The Gospel stands over and above culture as a source of truth and we need to respect this hierarchy.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.

14 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. 17 People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

think:  The Gospel stands over and above culture as a source of truth and we need to respect this hierarchy.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Chronicles 7-9

FRESH BLESSINGS

We often seek blessings, whether from drops of holy water sprinkled on us during ceremonies in church or from members of the clergy by taking their hand and touching it on our forehead. There is nothing superstitious or idolatrous with these. Blessings simply mean fullness of life, abundance and protection, most especially from God, the source of all good things. In our typically human categories, we want tangible ways and means for those blessings to be communicated to us.

       Our readings today, on the other hand, make use of imageries to depict blessings. The prophet Amos uses agricultural terms: “Yes, days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the vintager, him who sows the seed; the juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains, and all the hills shall run with it.” Jesus in the Gospel, on the other hand, prefers a wedding imagery to talk about the blessings that accompany the arrival of God’s reign in Him and in His ministry.

       In this second instance, there is a “leveling up.” Even if Jesus uses parables, He nevertheless declares convincingly that in Him God is blessing Israel in a new way — not anymore like before in the Old Testament. This newness which Jesus brings shakes up and shatters old categories and conventions and brings with it fresh perspectives and paradigms. How open are we to the Lord’s fresh prods? Or even to His disturbing interventions or urgings to reform? Insisting on the status quo or on our old ways of living our faith and spiritual life might not do us good anymore. As though continuing the wine imagery from the First Reading, Jesus insists that new wine should be poured into fresh wineskins. A win-win situation results: both wine and wineskins are preserved.

       That would be a marvelous blessing for us. Whether through tangible ways or through imageries, God always sends us fresh, new blessings. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: How open are you to God’s fresh proddings to you? Do you tend to cling on to your old way of life even when the Lord is calling you to change?

Lord God, I welcome You into my life. May I be a worthy “wineskin” of Your fresh blessings.