When the prices of commodities rose, I found it difficult to give my tithe to our parish. Even though I knew it would be used to help the poor, my silly reasoning was, “I’m poor anyway. I need this money to help myself.” One Sunday, I felt guilty about it and spoke to Papa about it. He regularly gave to the church even though he was already retired.

“I give because I know how hard it is for priests to collect funds for their parish and the poor families they help,” Papa said, recalling his seminary days. He added, “These priests rely on what we, lay people, give to the church. They don’t have any other source.”

Although I’ve heard this from him before, his words moved me. The priest’s reality became more real in my head. It made me eager to give tithes to the church. That day, I realized that empathy is the first step in avoiding the sin of omission. Elaine Marie Factor (elainemariefactor@gmail.com)

reflect

Recall the hardships that you surpassed in the past. Think of people who experience the same hardships and find a way to help them.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of empathy. May You give us the grace to lend a hand whenever we encounter You in our neighbor who is in need. Amen.

St. John Ogilvie, pray for us.

Majority of the Lord’s Ten Commandments speak about the way we should relate to one another. This emphasizes the importance of relationships. If sin damages our relationships, then we will experience trouble and difficulty. Let us exert effort in keeping our relationships healthy so we will experience a fulfilled life.

¹ The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. ¹¹ “You shall not steal. You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another. ¹² You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. ¹³ “You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor. You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer. ¹⁴ You shall not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the Lord. ¹⁵ “You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly. ¹⁶ You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the Lord. ¹⁷ “You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove him, do not incur sin because of him. ¹⁸ Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” 

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

R: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. 

⁸ The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) ⁹ The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye. (R) ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just. (R) ¹⁵ Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (R)

Gospel | Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus emphasizes that we are called to love and care for everyone. There are no exceptions. Love is a calling, and it always has a place for another human being no matter what our relationship with that person may be—even with strangers. Let us seek to imitate Jesus’ universal love for others as we strive to be His disciples.

Gospel Acclamation

Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

³¹ Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, ³² and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ ⁴¹ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ ⁴⁵ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read REVELATION 19 - 22 today.

Holy? Not me? I’m not worthy! We often dismiss immediately anything that links us to holiness. That is why Yahweh’s instruction in the First Reading seems impossible: “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” We forget that we are made in the image and likeness of God. We lose sight of the fact that holiness is intrinsic in us. Do you know why you feel bad when you fall short of the high expectations you set for yourself? This is because deep within us is a desire to be holy. The desire for holiness is built in us and we are destined for holiness. 

Let us understand two facets of holiness. First, holiness cannot come from us and our efforts alone. Holiness is a gift, completely unmerited; we can only desire it and be open to God’s ongoing work of holiness in us. This is what the Lord desires: that we aspire for holiness and allow Him to unleash our intrinsic holiness by freely molding, shaping, remolding, and reshaping us. This includes the dissatisfaction and disappointment we feel when we fall short of the perfection we so aspire. In short, we never allow dissatisfaction and disappointment to halt the process of sanctification. 

Second, our ordinary living and the many interactions we have daily are occasions for our holiness to blossom. When we choose to bite our tongue rather than slander someone, we activate the holiness in us to burst forth. When we decide to give the person the benefit of the doubt rather than condemn him, we allow holiness to shine in us. When we choose to forgive rather than take revenge, we activate God’s work of holiness in our lives. Therefore, holiness is not something far-fetched but is workable and possible. We are all God’s work in progress! Fr. Bros Flores, SJ

reflection question

Why do you resist being called holy? 

Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to humbly appreciate my intrinsic holiness and to willingly cooperate with You in working it out. Amen.

Today, I pray for: __________________________________