“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.” – Matthew 13:16

       A mother and a baby camel were lying around, and suddenly the baby camel asked, “Mom, may I ask you some questions?”

       Mother said, “Well son, we are desert animals. We need the humps to store water for our survival.”

       Mother replied, “Son, obviously they are meant for walking in the desert.”

       With pride, Mother answered, “My son, our long thick eyelashes protect our eyes from sandstorms.” Baby stopped to think then said, “I see. So if the hump is to store water, the legs are for walking through the desert, and these eyelashes protect our eyes, then what in heaven’s name are we doing here at the zoo?”

       Funny but this story above challenges us not to put our greatness to waste. God gifted us with so much and He challenges us to be His witnesses to the world. C’mon, it’s showtime! JC Libiran (jclibiran@ymail.com)

Reflection: We are all God’s ambassadors. Are you ready to live this out?

St. Sharbel Makhlouf, pray for us.

We often start out on a journey or task with great enthusiasm. However, when trials come and the enthusiasm begins to wane, then we start to lose heart for the goal. This should never be the case when it comes to service in the Kingdom of God. Working for the salvation of others is enough motivation to give our best at all times.

1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear! I remember the devotion of your youth, how you loved me as a bride, following me in the desert, in a land unsown. 3 Sacred to the Lord was Israel, the first fruits of his harvest; should anyone presume to partake of them, evil would befall him, says the Lord. 7 When I brought you into the garden land to eat its goodly fruits, you entered and defiled my land, you made my heritage loathsome. 8 The priests asked not, “Where is the Lord?” Those who dealt with the law knew me not: the shepherds rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after useless idols. 12 Be amazed at this, O heavens, and shudder with sheer horror, says the Lord. 13 Two evils have my people done: they have forsaken me, the source of living waters; they have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.

R: With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.

5 [6] O Lord, your mercy reaches to heaven; your faithfulness, to the clouds. 6 [7] Your justice is like the mountains of God; your judgments, like the mighty deep. (R) 7 [8] How precious is your mercy, O God! The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 [9] They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house; from your delightful stream you give them to drink. (R) 9 [10] For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. 10 [11] Keep up your mercy toward your friends, your just defense of the upright of heart. (R)

It makes sense to entrust more gifts to those who use it and to take away from those who do not bear fruit what little they might have. This is good stewardship, but we have a God who is infinitely generous and, thus, He never gives up on us. He will keep encouraging us to use our gifts well even when we do not respond. However, we should not be surprised if those who respond well get more and more gifts.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

10 The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. 12 To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. 15 Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them. 16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17 Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

think:  Working for the salvation of others is enough motivation to give our best at all times.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Judith 1-4

WASTING AWAY OPPORTUNITIES FROM GOD

In the First Reading, the people of God “have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.” This is directly opposite to how the Responsorial Psalm describes Jesus as “the fountain of life.” There is a similar contraposition between opposite poles in the Gospel today: Jesus warns His disciples, “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not even what he has will be taken away.”

       Because of this, Jesus justifies His use of parables as His preferred tool for preaching. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, He points out the incapacity or, worse still, the unwillingness of the people to grasp God’s message. Jesus even uses concrete language, in the form of bodily senses (ears for hearing and eyes for seeing) to bring home His point.

       And yet, He praises His disciples: “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

       We can do well to apply the above words of Christ to ourselves. We can consider ourselves blessed by God, for example, for the many things we learn in our faith and spiritual life. We are fortunate when it comes to our religious and spiritual formation, for we have so many possibilities not readily available to others, like seminars, conferences, retreats, recollections, courses, pilgrimages and so on.

       But how much of these have we really availed? Or have we been just content with the minimum possibilities for our faith, like limiting ourselves to a few prayers and Sunday Mass? Might God take away from us the many opportunities and privileges He has bestowed on us because we don’t take advantage of them? Have we become broken cisterns, rather than the fountains of life that God has meant us to be? Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Have you used well the opportunities for spiritual growth that have come your way?

Thank You, Lord, for all people and opportunities that You’ve sent my way to help me grow in loving and following You.