REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

20^th Sunday A

Fr James McTavish FMVD

Intercessory Prayer.

In the gospel today we meet a remarkable woman. She was a Gentile, a non-Jew, who approached Jesus with a request. She calls out “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon" (See Matt 15: 21-28). In the Marcan version she falls at the feet of Jesus. She asks the Lord to have pity on her, not for her own sake, but for her daughter who is possessed by an evil spirit. What catches our attention is the apparent indifference of Jesus who did not say a word to her. How can this be seeing as Jesus is always presented as caring and compassionate? The disciples then try to send her away but she is so very persistent. Jesus tells her that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The woman responds by kneeling down in front of Jesus! Jesus then delivers what seems to be the killer blow – “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."

Once I had a little dog called Dougal. He was a West Highland terrier or what sis typically known as a “Scottie dog.” He had white fur and was very cute. My brother and I would feed him at the table. After we had eaten we would pass him the scraps but our parents told us not to feed him at the table. Once I did not want to eat my dinner so I passed some if it secretly to Dougal under the table. However he gave the game away when he started whining for more! Well anyway this image helps us understand the custom of feeding the children first before the dog! What Jesus is saying is that his priority is first to the Jews and not to the Gentiles. To call them dogs (actually the Greek word used, kunariois, means little dog or puppy) was a Jewish term of contempt, along with swine, for Gentiles. But the woman in a beautiful response turns the tables and says to Jesus “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Wow, touché! Well done girl! And Jesus is impressed. He commends her not for a smart answer but for her faith. He said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

What can we learn from this episode? Well this woman is an example of prayer and perseverance. She does not give up! Jesus ignores her at first and it seems that at times the Lord does not answer our prayers. Well actually sometimes he does and the answer is “no”! We have to accept that. It depends on what we are asking. One missionary brother told us that he would bargain with the Lord when praying about his lottery win – he was asking the Lord to win 50 million pesos. He prayed hard for the winning numbers with the promise that he would give 10% of the winnings to the Church. He persevered and upped the stakes, “Ok Lord, 25% to the Church and the rest to me.” He finally settled for a 50:50 split. He did not win! God will only give us something if it will really benefit us. Anyway don’t wait for the lottery win to start to be generous!

It is like the friend who asked his mate if he would give him a Ferrari if he had two. His mate insisted of course he would. So the friend said if he had two houses would he give him one. His mate confirmed with certainty. “And what about if you had two cellphones?” His mate said “Wait a minute. I did not promise.” The friend was a little confused and asked “How come if you had two Ferraris you would give me one, if you had two houses you would give me one, but if you had two cell phones you would not give me one?” His mate responded “Well, I actually have got two cell phones.”

God will answer our prayers in his own way. He knows best and we have to humbly accept that. Persistence and perseverance are very necessary as Jesus reminded the people in other moments with the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18, 1-7) where Jesus declares “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?” What is touching in the gospel of today is that the woman is not asking for herself but for her daughter. It reminds us of the importance of intercessory prayer, when we come in front of the Lord just simply with our own needs but also with those of others. There is a saying attributed to St Augustine which says “Nothing will give us a more firm assurance of being eventually saved than to help as many people as we can to attain salvation.”

Once I was talking to a man who was really struggling to maintain the faith of his brother. His brother was living a dissolute life, far from the Lord, not seemingly interested in anything vaguely spiritual, or anything other than money! This is a situation faced by many wives too whose husbands do not go to Church and do not seem so immediately interested in spiritual things. When I was speaking to this man, the phrase of Pope Pius XII came to me - the salvation of many depends on the sacrifice and prayer of the few. Wow! This was the light the man needed. He looked at me, his eyes widened and he said “Repeat. I must write that down.” He took out a ball pen and a piece of paper and carefully noted it. I never bumped into him again but the Holy Spirit spoke to him that day. Let us have faith in the power of our prayer especially when we intercede for others. And in that line, don’t forget to pray for me and our mission as Verbum Dei to spread the Word of God.

I close with the life of St Maximilian Kolbe who the Church also remembers today. He gave his life for another in the concentration camp. He interceded for a stranger, a father with a family, and gave his own life instead. Maximilian Kolbe gave an incredible example of faith and courage and helps many Christians today to take steps forward in their faith amidst challenges and even persecutions. Let us pray for his intercession and ask that he inspire us to intercede for others also. Amen.

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

19^th Sunday A

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

Begin well and end well

Have you ever started something, like putting an initiative into practice and halfway through losing courage? Last Sunday we had a youth activity with about 40 youth. Many of them were from poor backgrounds and were slightly shy to speak to me in English. I decided to celebrate the mass in tagalog as a way of being closer to them. When the mass started one teenager came to read the first reading in tagalog. However she instead started with the introduction and then began to recite the penitential rite. I had to go over and point out where to read from. The second reading was read by a boy who much preferred English and stumbled over the long tagalog words like the word for faith – pananampalataya. “oh dear,” I thought “things are not going too well!” When it came to the homily I was wondering whether to give it in taglish (tagalog and English) or just plain English. I remembered my previous option to try to reach out to the youth and decided to go for taglish. It worked out just fine. It is easy sometimes to lose courage on the way.

Something similar happened to Peter in the gospel today (See Matthew 14:22-33). With the other disciples, he was caught up in a storm. Jesus came walking towards them on the water. By the way I remember reading a report on National Geographic a few years ago that Jesus did not actually walk on water but instead made use of freak weather conditions to perform his stunt. Give me a break! Do we honestly think that the other disciples would not have worked it out if it was just some natural phenomenon? They were fishermen. Just tell me this, who would know the sea and all its nuances better? A fisherman or a carpenter? The answer is so obvious that I felt sorry for National geographic for being so obtuse and naive in making that suggestion. Come on! Anyway sorry for that ranting but it was important for me to get it off my chest.

Ok, back to Peter and seeing Jesus walking on the water. The disciples were terrified and started to scream that they had seen a ghost (phantasma in Greek). Peter then does a crazy thing. He says to Jesus “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." How spontaneous is Peter. Jesus tells him to come and Peter begins to walk on water. Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" It happens to all of us. We can start off in God but lose sight of him or lose faith on the way. Once St Paul reproached the Galatians in a similar vein “After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3).

It is very helpful for us every so often to stop and have a time out. As Socrates reminded us “an unexamined life is not worth living.” To reflect on the steps that we have taken. To see where we are and take stock in a way. In this way when challenges come we can be more clear of which direction we are going in. A fortnight ago we went to celebrate a mass in a school and felt it was an ideal moment to meet new people. After the mass there was a program and it seemed a challenge to carry out our initial goal. I gathered the missionaries together again and we reminded ourselves of the aim of our visit and encouraged each other to go for it. Within 5 minutes we were all sharing with different people and I must say I enjoyed so much the people I met that afternoon. In actual fact a week later I caught up with some of them again. What can I learn from that experience? That entering into situations it can be helpful to live with intentionality as opposed to just doing what I always might do, called ‘habituation.’ Then reviewing the progress and seeing what needs to be done to correct it. Perhaps many are used to doing this in their business or professional life but often do not put it into practice in their personal lives.

The Lord is always ready to help us when we call out to him. In Romans 10,13 we find “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Peter calls out to the Lord for help. What happened? Well he started off well and was even managing to walk on the water but on the way he noticed the strong wind. He lost sight of those words of Jesus – “Come!” He started to drown and cried out "Lord, save me!" How did Jesus respond? By saying “I will let you drown a bit more so you will learn the hard way”? No! Matthew the evangelist records that “immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him.” Thank you Jesus because you are so close to us and so willing to help us when we fall or are sinking in our sea of doubts and lack of faith. Imagine that strong hand of Jesus hauling him out of the foaming sea. It is very comforting and reassuring to know that we have a God who understands our humanity and our weaknesses.

Why did Peter sink? Jesus tells him "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" We need faith to do what Jesus asks us. How is my faith Lord? Even George Michael recognized that “you gotta have faith!” Faith in what Jesus is telling me. Lord, where are you inviting me to walk on water? Where are you inviting me perhaps into situations that I find daunting or challenging, where I do not control everything as the ‘ocean’ or situation is too powerful. How to recognize where God is inviting us? Well the first reading is helpful. God speaks to Elijah, not in the strong and heavy wind, nor in the earthquake or fire. Instead God spoke to him in a tiny whispering sound. The tiny whispering voice of a well formed conscience, the tiny whispering of God in his Word, in the experience of the sacraments, in the life situations, in the advice of others.

Let us open our hearts and ask for the grace of perseverance. To begin well, to continue well and to end well. Lord help us keep our eyes fixed on you in the storms of life. May we not lose our courage or faith and always remember that you are close to us, ready to grab our hand and save us when we start to sink. Amen.

18^th Sunday A

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

Show the food to bring out the hunger!

There exists a very common gastronomic experience among people of all races and nations. I have not done a detailed anthropological or cultural study on this but I have seen it repeated in various cultures in different nations. To what do I refer? Going to a house and discovering that they are serving food. At first one might say that they do not feel hungry or even insist that they are not hungry at all. What happens? When you see the food, its colours, its shape, the smell...you lick your lips, the stomach juices start to swirl, the pupils widen...in a word you experience hunger! In the end you eat more than the others at the table. Apply this very human experience to the spiritual realm. A person or most people today are not immediately or apparently in need of anything spiritual. They are doing just fine. They do not go to Church perhaps and even may never make much effort to pray. What is the verdict? That they are not hungry for spiritual nourishment? That would be a premature conclusion without bringing out the food. You need to show the food to bring out the hunger!

This week I celebrated a mass for 150 parents of a school, where the pupils are aged 2-5 years old. I was told beforehand that many of the parents do not seem so interested in spiritual things. I gave the homily and with the help of the Holy Spirit, delivered an animated sermon, full of personal experiences and the Word of God. Afterwards what a response. Some people told me that normally they do not listen much to the homily, another lady told me it was the best homily she had ever heard and other couples were asking where they could hear more. Why am I telling you this? As publicity for my forthcoming book of homilies? Yes. Just kidding although it is true I am looking into the possibility to publish a book of my preaching and some parents there even pre-booked a copy! Actually I am telling you this to show that when you produce the spiritual food the person discovers their deep down hunger for God, their deep seated need for what is spiritual. You need to show the food to bring out the spiritual hunger.

Isaiah talks of this hunger in the first reading “All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life” (Isaiah 55:1-3). The prophet Amos also talks of this – “Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD, when I will send famine upon the land: Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the LORD. 12 Then shall they wander from sea to sea and rove from the north to the east In search of the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it. 13 On that day, fair virgins and young men shall faint from thirst” (Amos 8:11-13).

Dramatic stuff! We can easily pass over this and think it is too much, a little exaggerated. Have you seen a youth passing out from hunger? Last week I was talking to a youth who was addicted to computer games. He was so hungry that he was eating them or playing them for 18 hours a day. He was fainting in his studies and the only “friends” he had were virtual ones. How many youth are trying to satiate their hunger and thirst in pornography, alcohol, drugs, promiscuity both heterosexual and homosexual. Can we not see how hungry this world is or are we just blind?

It is not just to talk about Jesus but it is to give him. Jesus said “I am the living bread.” It is to give the living bread to this world and to discover that modern man is more hungry than ever for this. This weekend in Manila we are having a retreat for teenagers. More than 40 have signed up. One of them, aged 15, was very keen to attend. Not because his parents forced him but because he wanted to go. I asked him why. He was very honest – “I need a break. So many studies but I need to know the why of it all.” Well done young man! Actually the theme is “Young one get up!” which is what Jesus told the lifeless young man.

In the gospel today there is a big hungry crowd and the disciples want to send them away. But our Lord is very clear - Lord is very clear – “You yourselves give them something to eat!” (See Matthew 14, 13-21). It is easy to think or hope that others will do it. This is called omission. Often a great sin is the sin of omission. I always relate omission to o-mission or zero mission or no mission. Anyone who knows the right thing to do and does not do it commits sin said St James (James 4, 17). How great when the Holy Spirit is the one moving you, prompting you to reach out to others. I experienced that this week on the feast of ST James. One nun texted me to tell me that she needed to speak to me, in a crisis. I had a busy day, but I told her to come in the afternoon. She texted me back “too urgent Father, I am in crisis. I will come at lunch.” I was very concerned. She arrived and I said we could talk in the chapel. “No need,” she replied looking very happy. “I am not in a crisis. I just said that to make sure you would see me. You see I made a dessert for you and the community. Happy Feast day!” When I recovered from my surprise I started to laugh. She really got me! The dessert, a mango float was delicious. The other missionaries said that they would pray she would have another “crisis” soon!

This Sunday I will celebrate the mass in tagalong in a poor neighbourhood. I will close now because I want to prepare a wonderful dish for the people, a sumptuous fare that will nourish them – my homily in Tagalog. I hope it tastes as good as the mango float! Let us pray for the grace this day to be able to offer Jesus to others. Show them his face, reveal to them his love, give them the living bread of the Word of God and see how hungry the people will become. Amen.

REFLEXION Evangelio

“Dadles vosotros de comer”

P. Luis J. Tamayo

Jesús se marchó a un sitio tranquilo y apartado. Al saberlo la gente, lo siguió por tierra desde los pueblos. Al desembarcar, vio Jesús el gentío, le dio lástima y curó a los enfermos. Como se hizo tarde, se acercaron los discípulos a decirle: «Estamos en despoblado y es muy tarde, despide a la multitud para que vayan a las aldeas y se compren de comer.» Mateo 14, 13-21

La Palabra dice que Jesús sintió lastima al ver a la multitud, pero también vemos que los discípulos también estaban preocupados por la multitud: “…es muy tarde, despide a la multitud para que vayan a las aldeas y se compren de comer…”; pero jamás se les había pasado por la cabeza que ellos mismos pudieran hacer algo más por esas personas. A nosotros nos pasa lo mismo. Pensamos que nada podemos hacer, en nuestra cabeza está que eso es tarea de los curas… o recomendamos a un psicólogo, leemos horóscopos buscando la fortuna, etc.

Antes de ayer una persona de la parroquia me pidió si tenía tiempo para hablar con una chica. Decía que estaba muy desanimada, 30 años, estaba en el paro, sus amigos se iban casando y ya no llamaban, se encontraba sola, etc. Quedamos en una terraza del barrio a tomar una cocacola. Hablando, abriendo ventanas, mostrando posibilidades… Ayer mañana recibí un email de la chica de la parroquia diciendo que salió aliviada y mucho más animada.

La enfermedad de nuestra sociedad es el individualismo. Vivimos en una sociedad individualista. No tenemos tiempo para los demás, no queremos comprometernos pues solo miramos por nuestros intereses, no queremos complicarnos. Pero en el fondo no nos damos cuenta que con esa mentalidad nos vamos cerrando el circulo y nos asfixiamos, puesto que estamos hechos para los demás, somos seres sociales.

Tenemos sed de los demás, de servir, de amar, de ayudar… la primera lectura nos lo dice (Isaías 55, 1-3): “Oid, sedientos todos…” “¿Por qué gastáis dinero en lo que no alimenta, y el salario en lo que no da hartura?” ¿Por qué inviertes tiempo en aquello que no te llena? ¿por qué tanto mirar solo lo tuyo y al final no sales satisfecho? Cuantas veces uno gasta tanto tiempo en el televisor… y que poco tiempo en el servicio a los demás, en el compromiso con tu comunidad parroquial.

Pero hay una solución: Leemos en la carta a los Romanos (8. 35. 37-39): Solo el amor de Dios cura, sana, ensancha el horizonte, te hace salir de ti mismo… el amor que pasa por el compromiso y el amor al otro… el amor que se traduce en servicio, disponibilidad, actos generosos, participación y comunidad… una clase de amor que no es sensiblería, que cuesta, pero que es el que más satisfacción da.

Seamos sinceros: La gente deja de creer en la Iglesia no sólo por que el cura pueda ser un rollo, sino por que los cristianos de a pie no dan testimonio de preocupación por los demás, de compromiso, de ofrecerse desinteresadamente al otro... Sólo mirar cómo funcionan las sectas… Tienen muy trabajado el Network, el fellowship, grupos de acción y apostolado.

Estos días atrás que estuve visitando varias Parroquia en USA me impresionó ver algunas comunidades muy vivas con voluntarios para todo… en la acogida, ministros de la eucaristía, los que visitan a enfermos, aquellos que ofrecen oraciones por las necesidades de otros, os que organizan la exposición del santísimo, etc.

Todo hay que decirlo, en nuestra comunidad parroquial, preparando la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud (encuentro de los jóvenes con el Papa: http://www.madrid11.com/es) soy testigo de personas que se han ofrecido con una maravillosa generosidad para ayudar en lo que sea, ofreciendo su casa, su tiempo, su ayuda, su disponibilidad, etc. El Evangelio de hoy se está cumpliendo en estos días entre nosotros:

“Jesús les replicó: «No hace falta que se vayan, dadles vosotros de comer.» Ellos le replicaron: «Si aquí no tenemos más que cinco panes y dos peces.» El les dijo: «Traédmelos.» Mandó a la gente que se recostara en la hierba y, tomando los cinco panes y los dos peces, alzó la mirada al cielo, pronunció la bendición, partió los panes y se los dio a los discípulos; los discípulos se los dieron a la gente. Comieron todos hasta quedar satisfechos.

Mateo 13, 44-52 El Reino de los cielos es…

P. Luis J. Tamayo

Llego ahora de unas semanas de descanso, por eso no habéis recibido las reflexiones en estos últimas semanas… “Home, sweet home.”

El Evangelio de hoy nos muestra a un Jesús sencillo, espontáneo, y campechano. Jesús intenta explicar que es el Reino de los cielos a varias personas, y para ello se amolda y se adapta a su capacidad de comprensión:

Cuando habla a los labradores del campo les dice: “El reino de los cielos se parece a un tesoro escondido en el campo: el que lo encuentra lo vuelve a esconder y, lleno de alegría ' va a vender todo lo que tiene y compra el campo.” Cuando habla a los comerciantes: “El reino de los cielos se parece también a un comerciante en perlas finas que, al encontrar una de gran valor, se va a vender todo lo que tiene y la compra.” Y cuando habla a los pescadores: “El reino de los cielos se parece también a la red que echan en el mar y recoge toda clase de peces”.

Tenía un compañero en el seminario regordete, que le encantaba comer mucho… y un día para hacerle entender a los jovenes esa sensación de la que habla Jesús les hizo una comparación muy simpática en una predicación: El Reino de los cielos es como estar muerto de hambre y entrar en el McDonals y tener barra libre de hamburguesas.

En el fondo, lo que Jesús quiere subrayar es la alegría que uno experimenta al encontrar un tesoro inesperado, o la perla que siempre había buscado o llenar abundantemente la red de peces. El Reino no es la perla o la red llena, sino el tesoro escondido en el corazón de la presencia de Dios que colma el corazón del hombre. El Reino de los cielos es esa alegría profunda que uno encuentra en Dios, en la comunión con el.

La experiencia cristiana del Reino de los cielos no es sólo algo de lo que esperamos en la vida eterna; sino que podemos experimentar ya en nuestras vidas las primicias de ese Reino. Uno puede pensar: “como ya voy a misa todos los domingos… como ya cumplo con mis obligaciones…” y creer que ya lo tiene todo. La vida cristiana pide una experiencia creciente de búsqueda de ese Reino en el corazón. No es sólo el cumplimiento de unas normas, sino también es una relación con Dios en Cristo que completa el corazón del hombre. es un crecimiento en la relación de amistad que nunca acaba. Es un compromiso creciente con la vida de la comunidad cristiana.

Estos días de descanso estuve en USA para mi 25 aniversario de graduación. Uno de mis mejores amigos me había preparado un viaje sorpresa. Fuimos a visitar el “Yosemite National Park”. Impresionante!! Al ir adentrándonos vimos una primera catarata pequeña de agua que caía de arriba de una roca… WOW! Le dije, para el coche que voy a hacer una foto… El me dijo, esto no es nada comparado con lo que vas a ver… Y así fue… todo lo que veía, lo siguiente era mejor, más sorprendente… era absurdo quedarse entretenido en las cosas de la entrada, lo desconocido que nos esperaba era mucho más maravilloso.

La experiencia del Reino de Dios en el corazón del hombre no es estática, sino que uno necesita alimentarla y darle crecimiento. ¿Cómo es mi formación como cristiano? ¿Qué libro leo con contenido que me ayude a conocer mejor a Dios? ¿Intento revisar mi día a día para vivir más los valores de la vida cristiana? ¿Alimento día a día mi amor y relación con el Señor?

Por otro lado, y para concluir, Jesús también dijo que “el Reino de los Cielos exige violencia, y solo los que se esfuerzan entran en él”. (Lc 16,16), es decir, que muchas veces confundimos la experiencia del Reino con algo estatico… pero muchas veces el reino se construye con violencia: corregir a un hijo, decir la verdad, levantarse pronto para sacar un rato de oración, prestar atención en misa, pedir perdón a tu marido o mujer… La experiencia primera no es placentera… pero el Reino brota de esa violencia.

En definitiva, desde la experiencia antropológica del hombre, leemos la experiencia del Reino como algo placentero… pero hay que decir que el reino es la persona del Cristo. El es el Reino, y nosotros en la medida que nos unimos a El participamos del Reino.

up side down / dale la vuelta

Overcast from Cartoon Brew on Vimeo.

Sometimes negative things may turn out a good thing... Dont fight, but accept!

A veces cosas negativas pueden volverse a favor nuestro... No luches, sino acepta!

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

17^th Sunday A

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

Searching for treasure!

Recently the BBC news reported a spectacular find of treasure. What was discovered was an intact Roman bronze helmet, one of only three ever unearthed like it. It would have been used as a ceremonial mask in the circus and games. The famous auction house Christie’s sold it for 2.3 million pounds! It really was a rare find. Sometimes in the UK you her stories of treasure hunters making spectacular finds with their metal detectors. Beep, beep, beep...BEEEEEEPPPPPPPP! Bingo! The metal detector helps them find the treasure.

In some ways our hearts have a capacity to detect treasure. They can easily latch on to things that will bring enjoyment. We can fall in love with Scrabble, chess, skydiving, knitting, origami and a host of other pastimes. The heart can fall in love with objects of all shapes and sizes! Thankfully our hearts can be guided by reason too. This week I have met businessmen in love with pistol shooting and longing to buy a $5,000 dollar target pistol, a businesswoman in love with Korean soap operas and a college student in love with computer games (18 hours a day!) Sometimes our hearts are not too picky and need to be educated.

In the first reading today we hear of the wisdom of Solomon (1 Kings 3, 5. 7-12). I first heard of the “wisdom of Solomon” from my dad. One day I was fighting with my twin brother over the chocolate cake and who would cut the biggest piece. The solution of my father? One could cut, but the other would choose. Perhaps that is where I first started to learn how to cut with surgical precision! I knew that if I did not cut the cake exactly in half my twin would choose the bigger piece and I would lose out. It was then my father said “See, your dad has been given the wisdom of Solomon!” What was the real reason for the wisdom of Solomon? God speaks to King Solomon and tells him to ask for whatever he wants. Solomon, being wise, does not ask for a target pistol, a new computer game or a DVD of Korean soap operas. Instead he prayed “Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” God was very pleased with this and gave a heart so wise and understanding like none ever before.

What can guide our hearts to make good choices? Sometimes they need guidance. How lucky we are to have the gospel and the Word of God, to be a light for our path and a lamp for our feet (and intellect!). The Word lights up and shows us the way. It purifies our intentions and we are indeed “made clean by the Word” (John 15, 3). Pope Paul VI reminded us that the Gospel must affect and upset “mankind's criteria of judgment, determining values, points of interest, lines of thought, sources of inspiration and models of life, which are in contrast with the Word of God and the plan of salvation”(Evangelii nuntiandi, #19). That is why the psalmist today pronounces “the Law of your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces…I love your commands…wonderful are your decrees…the revelation of your word sheds light giving understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119). We are so lucky to have the gift of the Gospel and the Word of God!!! It is like a metal detector which can point us towards the real treasure. But we have to listen to it and put it into practice.

Sometimes we struggle to know exactly where the Lord is leading us and sometimes he leads us by ways unknown. If it good to experiment sometimes. Our hearts are generally well made – “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139) and where your heart is your treasure will be. Our hearts have been made restless until they rest in God so if we follow their GENUINE signals it should lead us to God. If we are honest it is not easy to trick our hearts. They have been well made but of course we should discern well. After that don’t procrastinate too long but to try to put into practice what we know. St Paul reassures us in the second reading that God works in all things for the good of those who love him (See Romans 8, 28-30). Sometimes when you look back on an experience you can really see God’s hand working there. At the time maybe it was not clear but later you see it. Sometimes even in a difficult experience you later come to realize the work of God. It reminds me of how a pearl is formed. A beautiful pearl is formed when the oyster gets a bit of sand under its skin. The sand causes great irritation when it cannot be expelled and so the oyster reacts. Layers are formed over it under a beautiful pearl is formed! Sometimes we have irritations and we want to get rid of them immediately. Maybe a task or even a person can irrigate and get under our skin. But hold your horses! Maybe God is making a beautiful pearl out of it because He works for our good in all things.

In the gospel Jesus compares the Kingdom of heaven to a merchant finding a fine pearl and a man finding treasure (Matthew 13, 44-52). What moved them to search? Certainly one huge motor is prayer itself. Listening to the Word of God gives an incredible dynamism to a person. Otherwise the tendency is to stagnate or to have a following that is static. But as Christians, Jesus says “Follow me” and he is moving. We need to have as our theme song “I like to move it, move it! I like to move it, move it!” When the man finds the treasure out of joy he goes and sells all. When one really discovers the treasure things like target pistols, Korean soap operas and computer games lose their taste although a bit of chocolate cake is still fine! Am I following Jesus and making options for him out of joy or because “I have to”! How wonderful, praying with the Word of God, being guided towards the treasure and enjoying the quest and discovery more and more. It puts you in a real dynamism to keep running the race.

Let us be wise like Solomon and ask for a wise heart, one that is capable to recognize the real treasure. Remember that all that glitters is not gold but if we listen in sincerity and truth our hearts, which are well made, our genuine desires can lead us towards the love of God and guide us towards Jesus, the true treasure of our hearts. Amen.

16th Sunday A
Fr James McTavish FMVD

The Wheat and the Weeds

After the parable of the sower this week we have a related parable – the wheat and the weeds. "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn"'" (See Matthew 13:24-30). The young weed has a similar appearance to the wheat. One danger in pulling out the weed is that you might actually pull out the wheat instead. In this simple parable are many applications

Don’t be too quick to judge
When presented by the proposal of another, don’t be too quick to condemn or think negatively of it. We should not judge so quickly. Sometimes we are quite harsh especially in judging ourselves. It is quite easy to judge yourself very fast without first listening to all the evidence from the defence. Instead we pronounce ourselves “Guilty!” without a proper trial. Often here in the Philippines the judicial process is infamous for being so long at times. So how come we are so quick to judge ourselves and thus others too. The value of respect is important especially self-respect. The root of this term means to relook at yourself again. When we see what appear to be weeds go back and look again. We may discover that in fact it is a young wheat which if given care and attention can produce a rich harvest.

Discern well
It reminds us of the importance to discern well. They were three men in front of the firing squad. A Filipino, a British and ...an American. They had one last request. The Filipino, a man of discernment told the others not to worry but instead in the last moment to shout out the name of a natural disaster. This would distract the firing squad and in that moment to run away. He led by example and in the last request shouted “tsunami!” The firing squad wondered where, turned around to look behind them and the Filipino ran off. The British in the crucial moment shouted “Earthquake!” and managed to escape to safety in the ensuing melee. The American, a man little accustomed to discern was asked for his last word in this cruel life. He shouted out the first natural disaster that came to him “Fire!”

To be aware of our weak points
In modern psychology the terms consistency and inconsistency are used to describe the coherence and integrity of a person. Consistency is when all the parts are generally working together for the function of the whole and inconsistency will be when for example I have a goal (to pass an exam) but I do not put the means in place (I am lazy in my studies). In some ways we all have areas of inconsistency and we have to try to minimize their deleterious effects. If we say we will do something or pursue it then by all means we should attempt to fulfil that good resolution. What things are still outstanding in your life? What resolution do you still need to put into practice? Seeing as we all struggle in these areas we can be grateful that God has provided us with a Helper, the Holy Spirit. St Paul reassures us that “the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness” (See Romans 8: 26-27). Yesterday I was talking to a man who feels unsettled in their work and is not sure why. They felt more peace to know that it can also be a manifestation of the Spirit, who expresses in “inexpressible groaning” our desires to God.

If weed if obvious get rid of it
Whilst it is true that at times we have to take care to distinguish the wheat from the weeds it is also true that at times the weed is so obvious! At Easter I was in Australia visiting the family of some missionaries. They have a farm in the outback and were showing me around. In one moment, the dad, a farmer, slammed on the brakes of the pick up truck, jumped out and in one flash took a swipe at a big weed bush in the middle of his crop. Before I had even got out of the truck, he had uprooted the offending herb, thrown it into the back of the truck and was climbing back in again. Wow so agile! We need that same agility when we clearly recognize our sinfulness or wrongdoing. All our tendencies to sin such as selfishness, greed, lying, lust, jealousy, anger, impatience and the like are the weeds that need to be dealt with in our own lives.

God is patient with us
The first reading reveals the might of God and in fact mentions it three times! (Wis 12, 13. 16-19) “For your might is the source of justice; your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all. For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved; and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity. But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for power, whenever you will, attends you.” God is the master of might but thankfully does not treat us as our transgressions deserve. As one commentator notes “What are we going to do with the weeds in our lives? Some must be pulled up, which means a lot of death to self as we learn to say “no” to the temptations in our lives. But some weaknesses cannot be pulled up even as we pray to have them taken away. We may pray to be patient, but situations arise and we find ourselves very impatient. God allows some weaknesses to remain. He knows what he is doing. If he removed all our weaknesses, we probably would not remember how much we need him” (See Anawim Community reflections). God is patient with us and this reveals his mighty love for us. But it is also true that he is just and the time for harvesting will eventually come.

Let us pray and work hard! To maximize the yield of wheat in our lives. To minimize the weeds and do all we can to remove them. How lucky we are that we don’t need to wait until harvest to remove those irksome weeds – we can go to the sacrament of reconciliation even now. Amen.

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

We are all sowers

This morning we are presented with the well known parable of the sower. The sower goes out to sow the seed. Some falls on the path, some on rock, some on thorny ground and some fell on good soil and bore fruit 100, 60, 30 fold. So we are presented with 4 possibilities – only one bore fruit – the seed that falls on good soil – the other three are fruitless. Sometimes listening to this parable it seem like we have to decide which of the four represents me – A, B, C or D – path rocks, thorns or good soil? Or sometimes, all of the above. What do they represent?

The seed falling on the path – easy prey for the birds. The seed of the Word does not even get a chance to grow. This can happen when we don’t really listen to the Word of God. When I celebrated mass two weeks ago, during the Gospel reading there was a lady doing her nails. In the homily she was moving her head – seems like she was agreeing but she was actually doing her nails! Let’s hope she was listening at the same time! Anyway it reminds us we need to listen well to the Word of God. In other words, to love Jesus with “all our mind,” as he asks us to.

OK – the seed that falls on rocky ground has little soil. The roots are not so deep. Brothers and sisters, we have to always beg for the grace to be more deeply rooted in Jesus, more deeply rooted in prayer. If not, what happens to our Christian life? Have you seen a Bonsai tree? It is a cute little Japanese tree. I saw one, very little really, an orange tree, with little oranges. Cute, sitting prettily, decoration… Its fruit – you cannot eat them. Cute, but useless. Why aren’t the fruits bigger? No roots. They cut the roots. Short roots = small fruits. If we are not rooted in prayer – I cut my prayer time, snip, snip, snip, snip, snip – what happens to the fruits? Smaller and smaller and smaller… Less and less patience, less and less creativity, less and less enthusiasm... Lord, teach us how to put deeper roots in you, in your Word.

OK, the seed falling among the thorns – the worldly anxieties and the lure of money. Even in religious life we can be taken away by many worldly anxieties. The psychologists say one group that is very prone to overwork is the sisters and nuns! Earlier this year I gave an eight day silent retreat to the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s congregation, in Tagaytay. I met one sister, she was working very hard with the poor in the northern Philippines. She said, “Wow, my work is very hard. My name is Sr Rice.” Why? All day long, people coming in asking, “Sister, rice.”

They told me the story of how Mother Teresa began work in a city in India – the people were suffering, in poverty, sick people, children to be educated – but in all of this she insisted on the sisters spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Some other congregations, other religious sisters, started to complain, “So much work and you are going off to pray…” We are doing this work, but doing it for Christ. John 15:5 If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. The situation in the city worsened, the work got harder and the congregations started to leave one by one. In the end only one remained, the Missionaries of Charity, bearing fruit 30, 60, 100 fold. In fact, as Christians we are called to be fruitful, to bear much fruit - 30, 60, 100 fold. This should be a growing dynamism, of bearing fruit. When you listen to the Word of God, it is as if you receive a seed. We need work that seed, take care of it, water it, to make it grow.

There was a man who wanted to be more generous. His friend said, “Look there is this store where you can buy generosity – it is quite expensive but you can buy it.” He went to the store – all the virtues you want: joy, patience, kindness… Mmmm generosity - $1500 – wow, OK, he bought it. He got given an envelope – generosity. What is in it? The seed of generosity. If you want the fruit of generosity, plant the seed.

You see brothers and sisters, in our parable, it is not A, B, C or D – in fact you are called to be the SOWER! In your family, in your community, is there something lacking? Sow it. St John of the Cross said, “Where there is no love, put love.” Each one of us is called to be a generous sower. What seeds am I sowing? A parent is called to sow the seeds of faith in the children, by word and example. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to grow. It reminds me of a certain type of bamboo. You sow the seed, water it, nothing happens. You keep watering it, nothing happens. Suddenly it bursts into life - 30, 60, 100 feet tall! In my life, my parents sowed the Word, bringing me to mass, showing me a good example – but if you saw my life at college you would not have seen any effect. It is as if all the effort is wasted but the Word that is sown is powerful, alive; Isaiah said, “It does not return until it has done the will of God”… Suddenly one day in my life, I met my order and that seed burst into life and now it is bearing fruit 100, 60, 30 fold.

The seed of the Word is alive, it has a dynamism – it moves us. Let us never be tired of sowing. If we lack a fruit of virtue, no problem, ask for it. Say, “Lord, I lack generosity.” God will grant us the seed and then we have to do our part – to cultivate it with little acts of generosity. As I become more generous, or kind or patient or courageous, I am sowing those seeds in my family and community. We are all sowers. What are you sowing today?

And if we want a model, we can look at Mother Mary – this good soil who received the seed of the Word in her womb, and through perseverance bore fruit – blessed is the fruit of her womb. All the graces, fruits, virtues we need are coming now in this Eucharist, in the person of Jesus. Let us open our hearts to receive him, and may his love bear much fruit in our lives, 30, 60, 100 fold. Amen.

14^th Sunday A (3 July 2011)

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

I will refresh you

Refreshments are always welcome especially after one has been working hard. Sometimes you need to splash water on your face to freshen up. Even on a PC there is a function called “refresh”. But how great to have a friend who can refresh us – this is Jesus. In the gospel today (Mt 11, 25-30) Jesus says “Come to me all you who labour and are burdened and I will refresh you.” Only a God-man can say that and mean it. These days we have celebrated as Church the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (last Friday) and yesterday the Immaculate heart of Mary. When we enter into the Sacred heart of Jesus what do we find? A lot of love of course! A lot of love for you and for me.

This week I was quite busy preparing for a conference I will give with some elements of Pope John Paul II’s ‘Theology of the Body’ in it. I was also preparing a homily, writing letters and so on. I am sure we all experience those moments of being quite busy. In one moment of prayer I went to the chapel and prayed with those words of Jesus “Come to me all you who labour and are burdened and I will refresh you.” It worked! What Jesus tells us is true. Afterwards I experienced new energy to continue. In the Word of God it says “Cast all your worries on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5,7). Imagine that. We have a God who cares for us, who is concerned for us. My God cares for me. And he cares for you too!

The sacred heart of Jesus is really on fire for each one of us and for humanity. In one moment of the life of Jesus he exclaimed “I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it was already blazing!” (Lk 12, 49). How is our heart for Jesus? On fire too? In front of God we can be a little afraid at times – what will he tell me to do, what will he command me. Would you be surprised if instead of a command, instead of telling you what to do he asked you a question. We would be rather unsettled! Sometimes we prefer a God or a religion that just tells us what to do and what not to do. But what if God were to ask you the same question he asked those first followers “What are you looking for?” What would you answer? Could you answer? Even Jesus once asked “What do you want me to do for you?” Sometimes in studies we need exactly what we want – to pass the exam, pass 2^nd year, then graduate, get a job here...or in the work place, many companies will have a vision-mission statement with goals, strategies and targets. But when it comes to the spiritual life often we can be rather lacklustre, living without intentionality and somehow drifting along. But if we need challenges in the arenas of studies and work/career, also in our spiritual lives.

Let us ask for the grace to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. If it not merely to enjoy our lives knowing we are loved by Jesus. True love desires a response. “If you love me, feed my sheep,” said Jesus to Peter. The lover loves the beloved but the beloved on experiencing this love will naturally one to love the lover in return. A step of maturity is not only to feel loved but to respond to that love. Like the 3 questions of St Ignatius “What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What should I do for Christ?” It reminds me of the wedding feast of Cana. Mary told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Recently I gave a talk to a group of Doctors on conscience. I thought maybe it could be published. I sent it to a respected journal and they gave me some corrections. A friend suggested not to give up but to modify it and send it somewhere else. I followed the good counsel and sent it to a very prestigious journal of bioethics (the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly in the USA). To my surprise and great joy they accepted it for publication later in the year. Feeling on a roll I decided to send in another talk I gave to healthcare workers which contained my testimony of how I worked before as a doctor and later became a missionary priest. Lo and behold they accepted it too. Wow, I was very happy. It reminds me of three inter-related Spanish words: fidelidad, fecundidad and felicidad. The three dad’s! Worked out what they mean? Fidelity, fecundity (fruitfulness) and happiness. When we are faithful to what the Spirit asks us it can bear a lot of fruit. In this case for the doctors who will read those two articles. And with fidelity and fruitfulness comes joy, happiness and felicidad!

What can you do to show your love for Jesus? Come on, take the risk while we still have time! One day when we are in heaven we will be sad at all those missed opportunities. As St Alphonsus Liguori commented “If the Saints in heaven could cry there is only one thing they would be sad about. That they did not use their time more productively on earth.” Thanks St Alphonsus for reminding us that life is short, time is precious and that Jesus values all our efforts to make him more known and loved.

Let us enjoy this day, a day when Jesus reassures us not to worry if our endeavours for the Kingdom will be challenging and may even tire us. “Come to me if you get tired running the race and fighting the good fight and I will surely refresh you because you are doing my work!” And may Mother Mary help us to be more faithful to what our Lord is asking us. Amen.