I visited my office to pick up a delivery. Since I’ve been working from home during the pandemic, I’ve only been there three or four times.

The building lobby guard was supposed to have the item I was to pick up. As soon as I entered the building, he recognized me even though I wore a baseball cap and a face mask. Only my eyes, their accompanying bags and a bit of wrinkled skin, were visible. Before I could ask, he said that my item had been taken upstairs to my office. I was impressed by how he was able to recognize people despite their ninja covers. At my age, I already find it a big challenge to match faces with names. The face masks have only made it even more difficult.

But age is no excuse when the person before us is someone very dear and important in our life—like the Lord Jesus Christ. He is in each of us, although we sometimes cover Him up with our faults and sins. We must take the extra effort to know Him better so we do not only see Him in others but also make Him more recognizable in us. Because, surely, He resides in all of us. Rene Espinosa (coffeewriter@coffeecupreflections.com)

reflect

Everyone is created in the image of God. Do you see Him in others?

Lord, help me remove the log in my eye that I may clearly see You in my neighbors.

Saint Paul Miki and Companions, martyrs, pray for us.

God creates the world in an orderly way according to a plan. This is what is known as the priestly account of creation. God works and follows a plan that includes resting on the seventh day. This affirms that what He does in our lives is carefully planned to bring about our salvation. All we have to do is go along with Him for the ride and follow His instructions.

¹ In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, ² the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters. ³ Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw how good the light was. God then separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day. ⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.” And so it happened: ⁷ God made the dome, and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it. ⁸ God called the dome “the sky.” Evening came, and morning followed—the second day. ⁹ Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear.” And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared. ¹⁰ God called the dry land “the earth,” and the basin of the water he called “the sea.” God saw how good it was. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it.” And so it happened: ¹² the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw how good it was. ¹³ Evening came, and morning followed—the third day. ¹⁴ Then God said: “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years, ¹⁵ and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth.” And so it happened: ¹⁶ God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night; and he made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. ¹⁹ Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 24, 35

R: May the Lord be glad in his works.

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, you are great indeed! You are clothed with majesty and glory, ² robed in light as with a cloak. (R) ⁵ You fixed the earth upon its foundation, not to be moved forever; ⁶ with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it; above the mountains the waters stood. (R) ¹⁰ You sent forth springs into the watercourses that wind among the mountains, ¹² Beside them the birds of heaven dwell; from among the branches they send forth their song. (R) ²⁴ How manifold are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have wrought them all—the earth is full of your creatures; ³⁵ Bless the Lord, O my soul! Alleluia. (R)

Gospel | Mark 6:53-56

It is amazing how people believed that touching Jesus’ cloak would be enough to heal them. But the truth is, it was their faith that brought them healing. Touching the cloak of Jesus was just a physical expression of their faith. They sought to fulfill this to show their deep faith in the healing powers of Jesus.

Gospel Acclamation

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.

⁵³ After making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. ⁵⁴ As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. ⁵⁵ They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

Read the Bible in one year! Read 1 CORINTHIANS 5 - 8 today.

Religion has always been defined as a man’s quest for God, man looking for God. But what makes Christianity unique is the doctrine that man looks for God not in isolation but in communion with the rest of humanity. Religion is not only a matter of me and my God. Religion is, above all, me, God, and the rest of my brethren.

The central doctrine of Christianity is that the Church is the Body of Christ. Christ is the head; we are the members. As the parts of the body are intrinsically connected to one another, so are Christians intimately connected to their fellow believers.

This is in full display in today’s short Gospel episode. Jesus and the disciples just got off the boat and, at once, people recognized Him. They immediately ran toward Jesus. But what made the scene very moving is that they did not try to outrun one another, as if they were in a race.

People actually carried the sick who were immobile and lying on their mats and brought them to Jesus in order to be healed. They were not in a race or a sprint. They were in a relay of fraternal charity.

Fraternal charity has always been the mark of a genuine Christian community.

In the historical accounts of the Early Church, Tertullian wrote that pagans were struck by the witness of Christian love. “See how they love one another!” they would remark. Many of them were won over to Christianity precisely because of that Christian witness to charity. The first Christians took to heart Jesus’ farewell admonition to them: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another” (John 13:35).

Today, and every day, look for a brethren who is “on his mat” of need and

isolation and carry him/her in an act of fraternal charity. May the modern-day “pagan” be struck and remark, “See how they love one another!” Fr. Joel O. Jason

reflection questions

Have you been competing in a race all your life? Why not try joining the relay this time?

Lord, You are our Head and we are Your members. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ____________________________________