NOURISHED BY GOD'S WORD YEAR C by Paulines Publishing House

Msgr. Jesus-Romulo C. Rañada

NOURISHED BY GOD’S WORD Sunday Gospel Reflections

YEAR C

PHILIPPINES

Third Sunday Fourth Sunday Fifth Sunday Sixth Sunday Seventh Sunday Eighth Sunday Ninth Sunday Tenth Sunday Eleventh Sunday Twelfth Sunday Thirteenth Sunday Fourteenth Sunday Fifteenth Sunday Sixteenth Sunday Seventeenth Sunday Eighteenth Sunday Nineteenth Sunday Twentieth Sunday Twenty-First Sunday Twenty-Second Sunday Twenty-Third Sunday Twenty-Fourth Sunday Twenty-Fifth Sunday Twenty-Sixth Sunday Twenty-Seventh Sunday Twenty-Eighth Sunday Twenty-Ninth Sunday Thirtieth Sunday Thirty-First Sunday Thirty-Second Sunday Thirty-Third Sunday Solemnity of Christ the King FEASTS / SOLEMNITIES Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

98 101 104 107 110 112 115 118 120 124 126 129 132 134 137 140 142 145 148 150 153 155 157 160 163 165 167 169 171 174 176 179 184 188 191

Third Sunday of Advent Luke 3:10-18 The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

he Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. From the Latin verb gaudere meaning “to rejoice,” the term distinctively describes this specific Sunday of Advent as its liturgy urges us to rejoice on this day. It is an exhortation addressed to us all who await with hope and expectant desire the coming of the Lord. Rejoice! For the Lord is near. Joy, noticeably, is the long running theme in all our Sunday readings today, and this theme is reflected, as well, in the specific color of this particular Sunday which is magenta. In contrast to purple, this shade of color is much lighter in tone and stands more to the side of red than blue. As such, a happy color, magenta conveys a sense of lightness, brightness, expectation, and joy. From a liturgical point of view, the Third Sunday of Advent ushers us directly into the traditional Misa de Gallo. It signals the shift of focus and emphasis of our Advent preparation, as mentioned earlier in our Advent introduction, from one of expectation for the Lord’s Second Coming in final judgment

3rd Sunday of Advent

to that of anticipation for the joyful Feast of the Lord’s First Coming, Christ Jesus’ Nativity. The joy and the excitement become more and more pronounced and clearly palpable even as our Church environs also begin to reflect and anticipate the Holiday cheer. Still, and for the second successive time within the Advent Season, we hear about John the Baptist. Immediately what comes right back to our minds is his urgent message: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” With this pressing message we, therefore, come back to pick up the thread of last Sunday’s Gospel presentation of Luke about this extraordinary prophet, John the Baptist. Accordingly, the crowds, the ordinary people, whose attention John the Baptist had compellingly captured, began to ask more serious questions. They asked moral and practical questions such as what they should do exactly in response to his call to repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. John’s no non-sense answers to the various representative groups—the common folks, the tax collectors, and the soldiers—were all a call for a radical move, a 180˚ turn. It involves, on the one hand, a turning away from sin, and, on the other hand, a turning towards the Lord God, with right moral conduct and good behavior. He urged a change in their lifestyle, in the way they lived and conducted their affairs, and in the way they related to and dealt with others, especially with those in need. He said, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Notice however that John did not call for people to offer more prayers, holocausts and sacrifices to God. Nor did he call them to follow and imitate him by leading a more ascetic way of life as he himself did. He simply advised them to be more selfless, considerate of others and sensitive to their needs. He enjoined them to share what they had with these people in dire need and so to make well use of whatever they possessed; e.g., clothes, food, for the benefit of others. To the tax collectors and the soldiers who were used to graft and corruption, violence and extortion, John asked them to be honest, fair, peace-loving and contented with whatever they had. John the Baptist directed the people to prepare for the Lord’s coming by calling on them to make their lives and their values conform to those of their Lord God. He called for compassion, righteousness, and integrity: the very qualities of their God. Needless to say, the message of John the Baptist to the people of his time remains valid and relevant to us today, as we prepare for the Lord’s coming to us, particularly

NOURISHED BY GOD’S WORD — YEAR C

at Christmas time. As we get ready for the glory and festivity of Christmas, as we look forward to the joy and peace it promises, we first come and allow ourselves to be admonished: to turn from our old sinful, selfish ways and become more selfless and considerate of people; to be more giving and generous to others; to be more sensitive to their needs and compassionate towards them; to be fair and honest in our own personal and business dealings with others; to be thankful for our blessings and more appreciative of others too; to be peaceful and peace-loving, and to be peace-makers so as to forge harmony with others and among ourselves. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). The figure of John the Baptist stands before us this Third Sunday of Advent urging us to get ready and prepare the Lord’s path. John’s call is very urgent as the coming of the Lord whom he proclaims can no longer be delayed. At Christmas time, let us welcome the Lord once again into our lives and bid Him stay and live in us and among us. There is joy in His coming as there is joy especially in His every return. If we have neglected and ignored Him by the kind of life we have lived lately, in ways contrary to His teachings, if we have practically shut Him out of our hearts and out of our lives just so we can do as we please, now is the time to change. John the Baptist calls us to repent of our sins and seek forgiveness from the Lord. Once we have done this with sincerity, and have finally resolved to mend our ways, then shall our hearts rejoice in the Lord and we can say to others as well. “Rejoice!”

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY Luke 2:41-52 Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

he reading today is part of that special section in the Gospel of Luke, which tells us about certain events in very early life of Jesus. Concentrating on his childhood, the stories comprise the socalled Lucan (Luke) Infancy Narratives. Here we find the concluding episode of that section. With Jesus as the central character, the Gospel story tells us about his parents’ experience of losing him on their way home from their pilgrimage in Jerusalem and finding him again back in Jerusalem. We are told that the devout and pious parents of Jesus regularly went to Jerusalem to observe the annual Feast of Passover. They brought their little boy Jesus to the Feast when He was twelve years old. It was a rather awkward stage in the life of a person in which while He no longer was considered a child, neither was He considered an adult. Under the Law however, He was still under the care and responsibility of His parents.

NOURISHED BY GOD’S WORD — YEAR C

Jesus’ parents seemed to assume that their boy Jesus was just like any other normal kid. Having gone through their usual pilgrimage customs, they were so confident that He would travel back with them; i.e., in the company of relatives and friends. However, the young boy had chosen to stay behind in Jerusalem. It took Mary and Joseph three days to look around for their “missing” Jesus. First they searched within their own travelling group in the caravan, then back in the city of Jerusalem, and finally in the Temple itself. There they found him “sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and answers.” His parents’ reaction was naturally one of astonishment, and who would not be astonished? His mother voiced her own as well as her husband Joseph’s deep parental concern for their little boy, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” But Jesus’ response to them filled them with more astonishment as they failed to understand their child’s reaction and behavior, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” After the confusion, the boy Jesus decided to join his parents back to Nazareth. Luke tells us, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.” This infancy story tells us that even as a young boy, Jesus was already deeply concerned with the affairs of God whom He affectionately referred to as “my Father.” He expected His parents to know better and be the first to understand His mission. Still, the child Jesus went down with them. It is evident that the divinity in Jesus deems it necessary and worthwhile to humbly appreciate the wisdom and the righteousness of really going through the complete and integral process of the Incarnation. His becoming truly human certainly involved the slow and lengthy course of growing up and getting ready for the mission ahead. With this, Luke thus recounts, “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” Today’s Feast of the Holy Family presents the boy Jesus and Mary, His Mother, with Joseph her husband, patiently in pursuit of God’s will. They respected the faith-life and customs of their own people. They treated one another with care, respect, sensitivity, kindness, and consideration. They seemed to know what needed to be accomplished and how things should be done in pursuit of the same goal and mission, that is, to do God’s will and to carry it out faithfully.

Feast of the Holy Family

Mary and Joseph were truly responsible and caring parents to the child God entrusted to their care. Jesus, burning with zeal for His Divine Father’s will, respected and loved His parents. He obeyed them and went through the normal process of growing up and maturing within the human family of Nazareth. In short, Jesus chose not to do His divine mission alone or even with God alone. He realized He also needed God’s people, His human parents in particular. They cared for Him and loved Him and they, likewise, needed His filial respect and obedience towards them. After all, this is part of God’s own will; His parents, Joseph and Mary, have also a part in it, a share and responsibility in their Son’s mission to the world. Given their own devotion and love of God, Jesus must have learned the value of obedience to his Father’s will from Mary and Joseph. It was a kind of obedience that showed humility, respect, sensitivity, patience and selflessness. It was also part of the process of truly loving another, which entails selflessness and self-emptying. Imagine how the God-in-Jesus went through it all in the process of His becoming flesh, of His becoming human like us; growing up, living, and dying in a very primitive human and worldly environment that was Palestine, for instance, or in such a poor and lowly home that was Nazareth. As a member of a family, each one of us can always look up to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their loving dedication to God and His will, in their example of humility born out of love, commitment, and responsibility. Their humility translates itself into obedience which is not blind but responsible, dedicated, and free.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT Luke 15:1-3,11-32 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”So to them Jesus addressed this parable: “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the elder son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply,

NOURISHED BY GOD’S WORD — YEAR C ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”

he Pharisees were all members of the renewal movement in Jesus’ time. Their purpose was to help bring about the rekindling of people’s loyalty and commitment to their covenant with God. Their intention was to make the religion of Moses more accessible to the people. Many of the Pharisees were sincere in their faith, as many of us are. But there were a few of them who were not so sincere, again as some of us are. The scribes, meanwhile, were experts in the Law of Moses. They have read, studied, interpreted, and taught the Law. Like the Pharisees, many of the scribes were sincere and truly Godfearing, but there were also a few of them who were not so, again as some of us are. Both religious groups were puzzled by the attitude of Jesus, especially toward sinners: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” It seems that the saying, “a person is known by the company he keeps,” serves as their own guide in assessing who Jesus truly was. “He welcomes sinners and eats with them.” But sinners are impure; any contact with the impure renders a person impure. Therefore, Jesus by His actions has rendered Himself impure, if He is not in fact already impure. He cannot be a righteous man. He must be a sinner like them, certainly not a prophet. Jesus was, therefore, put on the defensive. And to make His side clear, He told the Pharisees and the scribes the story which become popularly known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We are all familiar with the story. The youngest son is labelled “prodigal” because after having left the family, he wantonly squandered his inheritance. The wealth that his father had worked hard for, he simply wasted away “on a life of dissipation.” But the story also reveals that prodigality or extravagance is not only the trait of the younger son but also and, certainly even more so, of his father. The father in the story is prodigal in the way he lavished love on his sons especially on the younger one. If the latter was prodigal in

4th Sunday of Lent

the negative sense of being wantonly extravagant and wasteful, the father was also prodigal in giving away his love, his kindness, and mercy to one considered unworthy and undeserving. The father was quite extravagant in giving to his younger son his inheritance even if he (the father) was still alive. When the irresponsible son returned, having squandered all the money given him, the father welcomed him back and he did so quite extravagantly again. But were all the father’s prodigal love and compassion for naught? Were all his compassionate gestures a waste of effort and time? This was precisely the complaint of the older son who refused to welcome his younger brother, not only because the latter misspent the family’s wealth, but also in protest of the father’s wanton extravagance. The parable was told by Jesus to the Pharisees and the Scribes who objected to his open table fellowship with sinners and tax collectors. It was a continuing source of scandal for these pious people. But Jesus reflectively explained that what He wanted was to reach out to these “sinners” to bring them to repentance. His supposedly odd and scandalous way was really God’s own way of dealing with us, poor sinners that we are. God is rich in mercy and love and is extravagant with it. Jesus is simply mirroring this extravagance of the Father. The Father is prodigal with us sinners and so is Jesus His Son. Now what about us, followers of Jesus Christ the Lord? Are we also prodigal with our love or judgmental toward others? If we are stringent and unforgiving towards those who have sinned, we ought to hear Jesus again tell us of the moving story: “A man had two sons…”

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Good Shepherd Sunday John 10:27-30 Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

oday we celebrate the Feast of Jesus the Good Shepherd. In John 10:11 we recall Jesus who said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This is a profound revelation of who Jesus truly is as a person sent to us by God the Father. When we come to think of it, Jesus was in fact never a shepherd by profession but a woodworker, thus taking simply after the profession of Joseph His adoptive and legal father. Still, Jesus was truly a shepherd to the people of Israel in many ways: He led, taught, and showed them the way to their God, to true blessedness, happiness, and peace. He healed the sick, comforted the poor, forgave sinners, admonished the erring, searched for the wayward and led them all to God. He constantly sought the company of the marginalized, befriended and accommodated those who were long considered outcasts by their own society such as the tax collectors and the prostitutes, and all because He wanted to save them from depravity and sin, give them the chance and opportunity to change, and bring them back to God’s good graces and fellowship in His community. These He did even at the expense of His own personal good and reputation, and, eventually, even of His own life. Indeed, Jesus’ merciful words and compassionate deeds with sinners often led to His being identified as a sinner Himself and treated as a marginalized person, the way a leper would be treated then. In an effort to lead, to teach, and to heal His own people, He risked His very own comfort and security. And when these were still seemingly not enough, He gave up His own life for them. On the cross Jesus laid down His life—for the sake of the kingdom of God that He preached, and to set a concrete example of what it means to live within God’s

4th Sunday of Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday)

rule. Ultimately, as we know and believe, the Shepherd who had laid down His life for His sheep, the Christ who had died on the Cross to redeem His own people, was raised up by God to life again in order that He also may share this new life with others, with His people, His flock, His faithful followers. Evidently not everyone belongs to this flock of Jesus the Good Shepherd, at least not yet. Not everyone is His sheep. Not everyone is His follower. In the Gospel reading today, He says, “My sheep hear my voice; I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” His sheep are those who belong to Him, those who hear his voice, who truly follow Him. Just as there is a certain intimacy or closeness between the shepherd and the sheep so too, with Jesus and those of His own flock. Intimacy is born from being together for a long period of time, of real bonding, communion and fellowship, so that the sheep and the Shepherd naturally feel a strong sense of mutual belonging and mutual identification. “My sheep hear my voice.” The sheep know their shepherd and can identify Him even by His voice alone, so that they follow and obey Him. Consequently, His sheep or followers receive life from Him and because of Him, “they shall never perish.” Moreover, the safety, security, and life they have in Him are so guaranteed by God Himself, the Father of Jesus Christ, whose intimacy with Him is such that they form one identity: “The Father and I are one.” Jesus is the one and only Good Shepherd of our heart, of our life and soul. To Him alone we can absolutely and completely entrust ourselves, our life, our future, our destiny. The act of entrusting ourselves to Him must be total and absolute, for indeed “no one can take [us] out of [his] hand.” Consequently, we ought to strive to be attentive to Him in order to hear His voice always, to follow Him closely in faithful obedience to God and faithful service to others. The Feast of the Good Shepherd at Easter tide is a time for us to celebrate with thanksgiving and hope for the very presence of Jesus Christ the Risen Lord in our midst as our true living and life-giving shepherd. He is the Risen Lord who forever will be our only true Good Shepherd, the one and only true and ever Caring Pastor and Leader of our life and our soul.

TENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Luke 7:11-17 Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and, “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

ast Sunday’s story was about the healing of a man described as “ill and was about to die.” Today’s story is not just of a sick and dying man, but of one who already died. What adds drama to the Gospel story of this Sunday is the fact that the beneficiary of Jesus’ miraculous deed is the only son of a widowed mother. The mother is described as already widowed and losing her only son is like losing her only hope for survival. She could readily count her days on earth just as well. The encounter of the widowed mother with Jesus was poignantly set in the context of a burial procession. The dead man was being carried out of the town of Nain, accompanied by a sizeable crowd that sympathized with the bereaved mother. She must have been overwhelmed with grief that she hardly noticed Jesus looking at her with a similar grief in His heart. Luke says, “When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her...” “Do not weep.” These were Jesus’ words to her, words of comfort certainly, but also words of hope. Death was not to be the end of her son’s story, nor of hers. Jesus “stepped forward and touched the coffin” and as if on cue, “the bearers halted,” and Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” Luke tells us simply as a matter of fact, “the dead man sat up and began to speak.” Then, Luke adds, “Jesus gave him to his mother.” It was without any extravagant display of effort on the part of Jesus. With the

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

119

dead man restored to life and given back to his mother, the widowed mother’s sorrow turned into joy, her mourning into gladness. The effect of that event on the witnesses was instantaneous—“Fear seized them all.” A holy fear enveloped them and they blurted out words of praise to God. They remarked, “A great prophet has risen in our midst.” They must have recalled the prophet Elijah who likewise raised a dead person to life. They said in addition, “God has visited his people.” Jesus is a prophet who raised a dead man to life. God has not forgotten His people. God has come again to bring His people joy. Luke ends the episode by saying, “This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and the surrounding region.” Luke’s story of the raising of the young man to life parallels John’s story of the raising of Lazarus (Jn. 11:1-44) and Matthew’s and Mark’s stories of the raising of the young girl to life (Mt. 9:18-19, 23-26; Mk. 5:35-43). In all these stories, the same message is clearly anticipated— Jesus is the resurrection and the life. These stories of Jesus’ raising these dead persons to life prefigure His own rising from the dead on Easter day. The stories anticipate His final victory over sin and death and His disciples’ later proclamation of Jesus as the Lord of life. We can say that in the Gospel, Jesus’ raising of the dead proves to be the height of His many healing miracles and they are surpassed only by the story of His own rising from the dead. Both in life and in death, therefore, Jesus is being proclaimed as He truly is—the Resurrection and the Life.