WHITE ENVELOPES

Human goodness is like a signet ring with God, and virtue he keeps like the apple of his eye. – Sirach 17:22

I was seated in a jeep when a boy jumped in and handed white envelopes to everyone onboard. The envelope said: “I need help. I am a Badjao.” For regular commuters, this is nothing new, and my usual reaction would be to ignore the boy, as with everyone else.

But the man seated in front of me was different.
The poorly dressed man began digging through his pocket, and from the few coins he managed to pull out, he picked the largest denomination—a five-peso coin—and gave it to the boy. The boy thanked him, rounded up the empty envelopes and got off.

My conscience hammered me. I had more than five pesos in my wallet, but the paper bills remained inside, along with kindness and compassion. Yet, this man gave what he could.

I think it is not lack of compassion but fear of getting duped that prevents us from giving. But in case we do get duped as we help, rest in the truth that our intention was good and our conscience is clear. God sees our efforts to do good, and He will be the one to reward us. Osy Erica (osy.erica@gmail.com)

Reflection: Jesus said we should love God and love our neighbors. Have you shown love to your needy brothers and sisters?

Jesus, grant us a compassionate and fearless heart. Teach us to reach out to those in need.

St. Casimir, pray for us.

God always makes a way for us to turn away from sin and temptation, and to go back to Him in the sacrament of reconciliation. Jesus Himself experienced the attraction and seduction of temptation, so He knows what we struggle with every day. Let us draw strength from His victory over sin and persevere to the end to overcome it.

Sirach 17:19-24

19 To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope and has chosen for them the lot of truth. 20 Return to him and give up sin, pray to the Lord and make your offenses few. 21 Turn again to the Most High and away from sin, hate intensely what he loathes, and know the justice and judgments of God, stand firm in the way set before you, in prayer to the Most High God. 22 Who in the netherworld can glorify the Most High in place of the living who offer their praise? Dwell no longer in the error of the ungodly, but offer your praise before death. 23 No more can the dead give praise than those who have never lived; you who are alive and well shall praise and glorify God in his mercies. 24 How great the mercy of the Lord, his forgiveness of those who return to him!

P S A L M 

Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R: Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.

1 Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile. (R) 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,” and you took away the guilt of my sin. (R) 6 For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress. Though deep waters overflow, they shall not reach him. (R) 7 You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me; with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round. (R)

GOSPEL 

We can only do so much good on our own. There will come a time when it will be difficult to do the good we need to do. We need humility of heart and to reach out to God in times of need, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome evil. To sin is only one bad decision away. God’s grace is always there to help us turn away from sin.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

Mark 10:17-27

17 As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.” 20 He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

think: What is the good you still need to do? Ask the Lord to give you the grace to do it.

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A SHIFT FROM FEAR TO LOVE

William Shannon reports of a case of a dying man in his seventies who, though relieved from pain associated with terminal illness, continued to bear a look of anguish that he seemed unable to let go of. He simply had that look of sadness as he muttered: “I am not ready yet.” Clearly, he had a lot of unfinished businesses. While the story ended well and he eventually made peace with himself and with others, the Gospel parable ended with a sad note. We are told that the young man “went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

Merely having possessions is not the point of the story. The parable points to what the Lord Himself referred to as the sole missing ingredient for anyone to achieve the fullness of human flourishing or happiness.

Psychologists tell us that there are only two natural fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. All others are man-made, acquired, or imposed by culture or society, and therefore enslaving. One such servile fear is the fear of losing.

The man in the parable was a stickler for rules. He did what was prescribed—to the letter. But he probably did it all out of fear and not much else besides. He did it mechanically and perfunctorily. He lacked just one thing—the very element that would have liberated him from enslaving fear.

Shannon’s story above ended well, for the man wended his way to the other life liberated. He found it in his heart to forgive others and himself, to let go of grudges and regrets, and everything related.

The man in the parable went away sad. He missed the opportunity to do a little miracle with all the right elements and pointers given by the Miracle-Worker par excellence. “I am not ready yet” was what was probably running through his mind and heart.

The man stands for me and for you. In many ways, I, too am not ready yet. But as Marianne Williamson suggests, a miracle is, simply put, a shift in thinking, a shift from fear to love. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

-------- REFLECTION QUESTION -------

Do you follow the Lord out of fear or out of love?

Convert my fear into love, Lord, that I may follow You with an open heart.

Today, I pray for: __________________________