It was the morning after my son passed away. I woke up, not with a heavy heart, but with an unbelievably joyful heart! My heart burst not with sorrow but with gratitude and joy, knowing that he was surely in heaven already.  It was not wishful thinking, but a knowledge of certainty. Aside from receiving the apostolic pardon twice, David lived a life not ever knowing any resentment or harboring anger. I realized that being visually impaired spared him from seeing things that will cause him to judge people. (I can’t even go through Mass without judging those in mini skirts or plunging necklines!)

Being differently-abled enabled him to love people in such a pure and unconditional way. David was like those children that Jesus told us to emulate. David always felt the love and saw the good in the people around him. 

The world labeled him a special child.  But Jesus called him “My special child”! 

Ronna Singson Ledesma (ronna_ledesma@yahoo.com.ph)

reflect

“A pure soul is like a fine pearl. As long as it is hidden in the shell, at the bottom of the sea, no one thinks of admiring it. But if you bring it into the sunshine, this pearl will shine and attract all eyes. Thus the pure soul, which is hidden from the eyes of the world,will one day shine before the Angels in the sunshine of eternity.” (Saint John Vianney)

Father, bless me with a pure heart to love unconditionally.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr, pray for us.

First Reading | Romans 4:1-8

Our righteousness before God is a gift given to us through the generosity of Jesus. His life, death, and resurrection make us righteous. We cannot earn such righteousness, no matter how many good deeds we do. Abraham’s justification comes 430 years before the Law was given to Moses. This means that justification and righteousness are not based on the Law but on God’s grace given to us through faith. Let us be grateful to Him who loves us so much.

¹ Brothers and sisters: What then can we say that Abraham found, our ancestor according to the flesh? ² Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works, he has reason to boast; but this was not so in the sight of God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. ⁴ A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. ⁵ But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ⁷ Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. ⁸ Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11

R: I turn to you, Lord, in times of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.

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) ¹¹ Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you just; exult, all you upright of heart. (R)

Gospel | Luke 12:1-7

We must always think of the needs of others and not just focus on our own. Selfishness is one of the great enemies of love and salvation. St. Ignatius of Antioch, whose feast we celebrate today, was a man who lived his life in the service of the Gospel. He desired to become a martyr, so he wrote to the churches of his time, imploring them not to pray for his release but to allow him to give glory to God through his death for the sake of the Gospel. This is admirable but unsustainable as a universal response to the Gospel. Let us seek to live for the sake of the Gospel and not just die for it.

Gospel Acclamation 

May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us; who have put our hope in you. 

¹ At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees. ²“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. ⁴ I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. ⁵ I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. ⁷ Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

Reflect:

How are you living your God-given calling? 

What more is the Lord asking you to do in service of the Gospel?

Read the Bible in one year! Read HABAKKUK 1 - 3 today.

Real Talk

Those who saw Jesus’ wonders were sincerely in awe of everything He did. But it was time to get real and do some serious talk. He was getting too popular for comfort, and the Pharisees and everybody who was somebody among the Jewish people were getting more than just insecure. While they joined the crowds who adulated the Teacher and showed that they, too, were amazed at everything He said and did, they were out there with something sinister in mind. 

That real talk about something real and serious had to do with what Jesus called the “leaven of the Pharisees.”

I am no baker and have little understanding of leaven, but I know this much. Leaven is invisible when mixed in the dough. One does not immediately see the leaven’s effects, but within hours, the dough rises, and the batter takes shape, waiting to be put in the oven.

The Pharisees and those who pretended to follow the Lord wherever He went were doing their job in a most sinister way. Jesus warned His hearers about them and told them like it is: “Fear them!”

But real talk led to something even more invisible but no less real. It is OK to fear the Pharisees and their hidden agenda. But that fear is mortal fear. The Lord raises our awareness to a type of fear that is salutary: fear that we need to have, that does not paralyze, but energizes us to do something positive. Theologians call it filial fear, the fear of the Lord who alone can give life in its fullness.

It is alright to fear hypocrites who can destroy you from behind. But it is better to “fear the Lord” and work for salvation with fear and trembling. 

Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

reflection question

What is it about the fear of the Lord that energizes you?

Lord, You know everything. You know that I love You. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ____________________________________