One Sunday, I went to church and saw a beggar using two jars to ask for money. I was intrigued and asked, “Sir, why do you have two jars?” He smilingly answered, “I opened a new branch already.”

I laughed—but it made me think.

When we give to those in need, we shouldn’t give without knowledge and wisdom. We need to understand—even just a little—how deeply they need what they’re asking for.

If you know the money will be used for vices, then you shouldn’t give. You can always decide, on a personal level, who to help and how much to help.

My suggestion: if you feel guilty for not giving, donate regularly to a trusted institution. In our community, we support ministries like Anawim (home for the aged) and Jeremiah (shelter for abused women). In doing so, your giving becomes intentional, meaningful, and truly helpful. You are following Jesus’ call to be ready and willing to help.

Arun Gogna (gognuts@yahoo.com)

reflect

“Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.” (Brian Tracy)

Help me, Lord, to be sensitive to the needs of the poor. Amen.

Saint Alice, pray for us.

Why do you think the rich want to get even richer? There is only so much money a person can use, and let me warn you now: the more wealth you have, the greater your responsibility to use it for others. It may not be explicitly stated in the Gospel, but I am sure love demands that if I have excess, I cannot consider such wealth as my own.

¹ Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. ² Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it is close by, next to my house. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.” ³ Naboth answered him, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage.” ⁴ Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: “I will not give you my ancestral heritage.” Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat. ⁵ His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so angry that you will not eat?” ⁶ He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’ But he refused to let me have his vineyard.” ⁷ His wife Jezebel said to him, “A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed! Get up. Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” ⁸ So, she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and, having sealed them with his seal, sent them to the elders and to the nobles who lived in the same city with Naboth. ⁹ This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰ Next, get two scoundrels to face him and accuse him of having cursed God and king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” ¹¹ His fellow citizens—the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city—did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing, through the letters she had sent them. ¹² They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation, “Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death. ¹⁴ Then they sent the information to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned to death. ¹⁵ When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Go on, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he refused to sell you, because Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.  

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 5:2-3, 4-6, 6-7

R: Lord, listen to my groaning.

² Hearken to my words, O Lord, attend to my sighing. ³ Heed my call for help, my king and my God! (R) ⁴ At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you. ⁵ For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; no evil man remains with you; ⁶ the arrogant may not stand in your sight. (R) You hate all evildoers. ⁷ You destroy all who speak falsehood; the bloodthirsty and the deceitful the Lord abhors. (R)

Gospel | Matthew 5:38-42

Vengeance is not a Christian nor Jewish teaching. The interpreters of the Law have made it impossible for the State to sanction the killing of people for their crimes. The option to lock people up in order to protect the society from criminal acts is the only moral road to take. If this is impossible to do, then perhaps there is room to consider capital punishment. Let us avoid taking lives as we may make a mistake in doing so.

Gospel Acclamation

A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path.

³⁸ Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ³⁹ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. ⁴¹ Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read 2 KING 7 - 9 today.

The Gospel passage today is a difficult one for me. Even the least schooled in biblical matters would know by instinct that it has to do with not retaliating, not taking revenge, and not giving tit for tat. 

We, Pinoys, have a way with words. Resbak is what we use to refer to all of the above. But we have other words with other shades of meaning that are related to getting even. Social media language uses the concept of resibo, which refers to the equivalent of the “smoking gun evidence” to prove someone’s inconsistency, failures, or misconduct. 

Let us admit it. The “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” culture is not dead. The negativities, recriminations, and the no-holds-barred colorful language used on- and off-screen by both the leaders and the led alike are proof that we need to hear this difficult teaching.

Oftentimes, the legitimate anger at injustice degenerates into anger as injustice. The me-first culture, along with the deep sense of entitlement, made us more and more averse to offering “no resistance to one who is evil.” No, we wantto dish it out immediately and sock it to our perceived evildoer.

But there is a growing tendency to be a little more subtle and lowkey with our resbak methods. We can sense this in our fast-evolving language. We may not call people names. We may not curse them and tell them every imaginable unprintables like tabogo (tanga, bobo, at gago, all rolled into one), but we have sopla—our current version of giving someone the cold shoulder. It is rejecting and ignoring someone who has done us wrong. By resorting to sopla, we take revenge without trying hard. We do it subtly but surely.

Resist evil, yes. Reject others, no. Soplahin natin ang masama, hindi ang gumagawa ng masama. 

Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

reflection question

What is your normal reaction when someone does you wrong?

Give me a gentle spirit, Lord, that I may resist the urge to retaliate whenever I am wronged. Amen.

Today, I pray for: __________________________