The REAL SOIL OF JERUSALEM

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflections on Isaiah 25:6-10A/ Psalm PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6/ Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20/ Matthew 22:1-14

The REAL SOIL OF JERUSALEM

by Frank D. B. Savadera, SJ

There is a story that I’ve picked up from one my readings.  A farmer who owned vast tracks of land in Jerusalem (a place which is almost a desert; a place where it is difficult to farm and grow trees and plants).  But this person was a diligent farmer and because of this, he got rich, super rich.  This farmer was a good person, a good family man, a good husband to his wife and good father to his children.  He tilled the soil and was also a good employer to his workers; an honest businessman, very religious and faithful. God indeed blessed him with aplenty.  He loved his city Jerusalem very much.  This was where he learned a lot in life.  This is where he found deeper faith.  Jerusalem is where he established his family and lived a truly blessed life. But then, he was getting older and he knew his last days will come.  Thus, in his last will he wrote: "When I die, I only have one request. Allow me to ascend to the Father with the soil of Jerusalem in my hands.  I want to die with the soil of my beloved Jerusalem in my hands."    Thus, when he died, his close of kin acceded to his last wish. 

At the gates of heaven, there he saw Saint Peter smiling at him saying:  "Your name my good farmer of Jerusalem is written in the books of heaven.  You may now enter the pearly gates and receive your eternal reward."  As the farmer was about to step in, Saint Peter noticed something he was holding in his hands.   Can we guess what? He was holding the soil of Jerusalem in his hands.  "Oooops ... Saint Peter stopped the farmer.  "You cannot enter heaven with that soil in your hand,"  Saint Peter quips.  "But this is my beloved Jerusalem," the farmer rebuts.  "Oh no," Saint Peter says, "Think about it first.  Unless you leave that soil behind, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven."  

The good farmer was troubled.  "How can I leave my beloved Jerusalem behind?  The land had been very kind to me.  With the land comes great memories of my life and my loved ones."  But then, Paradise calls.  After days of crying out loud outside the gates of heaven, the farmer approached the front of the pearly gates, dropped the soil behind him and walked toward the city Saint Peter was asking him to see.  Waaah!  He said:  It's my beloved Jerusalem!        

Our LIVES ARE GEARED TOWARD A REAL FACE TO FACE ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD.  This is our GOAL, direction and END.  And as proto-Isaiah (1-39) would stress, this is what we are to await ALL the days of our lives. "Behold our God, to whom we KAVAH (waited) looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we (waited) looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!" 

Most of us have not seen God (?) … yet this experience is what we try to SIMULATE in our prayer and worship.  Isn’t it true that praying the way we do in community sometimes allows our spirits to be pulled away and pulled out of our bodies toward an experience that is indeed heavenly.  Isn’t it true that there is such a thing as a REAL and GENUINE DESIRE to ultimately come face to face with God? Precisely because our lives are geared toward that final and ultimate encounter with the Lord, that challenge is to let go of things that we think is second best.  Question:  What prevents us from becoming the BEST PERSONS God wants us to be?  Yes … we say SIN!  Not quite so!  What prevents us from becoming the BEST PERSON is settling with what is SIMPLY GOOD.  Good is good but it is not the BEST!  

WHAT IS THIS FINAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD ABOUT?  The imagery provided us in scriptures is that of a BANQUET.   The LORD prepares a HOUSE and a BANQUET for us.   The LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.  Wow!  What an image of eternal life!  A TEASER/ A COME ON to help us aspire as our Psalmist today wished:   I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

The general feeling I have, given this imagery is that of JOY and CONTENTMENT.  Being in the banquet of the Lord is an invitation to a JOYFUL, HAPPY and CONTENTED LIFE.  Are we EVER HAPPY, JOYFUL and CONTENTED? Are we? WE HAVE A VOCATION TO BE HAPPY IN LIFE.  We have to know what truly makes us happy?   There is SOMETHING VERY SAD ABOUT A PERSON WHO SOMEHOW GETS TO HURT OTHERS consciously or unconsciously.  This is not HAPPY.  This is SAD, LONELY and SELF-ISOLATING.  We HAVE A VOCATION TO BE HAPPY!  This is what it means when we say THE LORD IS PREPARING A HOUSE AND BANQUET FOR US.  And if we are HAPPY... and GLAD already in this life ... what the Lord is preparing for us SURPASSES everything that we can experience here and now.  HAPPY ARE WE … BLESSED ARE WE WHO ARE INVITED TO HIS BANQUET (not SAD, not SELFISH, ... HAPPY ARE WE WHO ARE INVITED TO HIS BANQUET).  DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SOME OF US CANNOT BE HAPPY ... AS IF THERE IS NO HAPPINESS IN THIS LIFE.  How do they expect to experience ETERNAL HAPPINESS if they have no notion of HAPPINESS in the first place.  The LORD prepares a HOUSE and a BANQUET for us ... WE HAVE A VOCATION TO BE HAPPY (hopefully not at the expense of others).

CHARLIE BROWN asks us to be happy about the simplest things:   "Happiness is finding a pencil ... telling the time ... learning to whistle ... tying your shoes for the very first time.   Happiness is morning and evening, Daytime and night time too. For happiness is anyone and anything at all ... That’s loved by you."

Lastly, from the Gospel today, we picked up the following lines:  'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’  Not only is LIFE GEARED TOWARD ETERNITY, NOT ONLY ARE WE BEING CONSTANTLY INVITED TO GOD’S BANQUET … WE ALSO NEED TO COOPERATE and RECEIVE GOD’S UNIQUE INVITATION.  

Our reflections thus summarized: Our LIVES ARE GEARED/ DIRECTED TOWARD A REAL FACE TO FACE ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD.

HAPPY ARE WE … BLESSED ARE WE WHO ARE INVITED TO HIS BANQUET.  WE HAVE A VOCATION TO BE HAPPY.

CONSTANTLY DISCERNING HOW I, given the life that I live COOPERATE and RECEIVE GOD’S UNIQUE INVITATION. 

Not Missing the Voice of the Shepherd

Saturday of the 27^th  Week in Ordinary Time

Reflection on the Gospel:  Luke 11:27-28

Not Missing the Voice of the Shepherd

by Frank D. B. Savadera, SJ

I've heard of some who use the Gospel today to DOWNPLAY the role of Mary in our history of salvation.  Jesus appears to be rebuking a woman who comes to appreciate His mother: "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts that nursed you."  Jesus, as if parrying credit for Mary instead says:    “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

In Mary's defense, we say:  Blessed is Mary who heard the word of God and observed it.

I think if there's one helpful question that I wish to ask myself, it  is this:  Much like Mary,  Am I able to hear God?  Am I able to follow his word?

Let me site some possible BLOCKS to not hearing the Word of God:

1.    SHEER NEGLECT or an underdeveloped sensitivity to God’s presence.  This maybe due to a lot of things i.e. laziness to pray,  busy-ness of life, incapacity to be still, etc.  Can I while away my time in prayer? We instill FAITHFULNESS in prayer:  Can I actually say: I enjoy praying.  This may be the only time I can pray.  Thus, I make the most out of it.  Can I give my full attention to what God may tell me?  This is about the direction of life that I wish to live.  Do I can to listen and be faithful to my prayer?      

2.   SPIRITUAL DEAFNESS due to anger, pain jealousy, bitterness, malice and resentment.  Isn’t it true that when we are AT WAR with another, we tend to defend and over-defend ourselves.  Oftentimes, we even seek revenge and justification.  We can actually be so consumed by our negative emotions … that we are just so compelled to air them out … to speak, to criticize, to defend ourselves.  We fail to listen. Fr. BERT ALEJO has a good image of what it means to come home.  HOME in the Tagalog vernacular is TAHANAN, that which comes from the root word TAHAN or TAHAN NA … STOP CRYING!  Thus,  HOME is a place where we STOP CRYING.  We are finally AT HOME with ourselves, at home with others.   How are we moving toward being at home with ourselves and the concerns, issues and the drama of my life.  Can I settle and be ready to listen and not be deaf.  The call perhaps is to have a GREATER SENSITIVITY TO THE GRAND DESIGNS OF GOD.  We do not tackle our issues simply for the sake of burdening us and hitting our heads with stone.  We also would like to believe that God does not mean us to suffer.  But even our worst situation/ experience in life can actually prepare us for what the Lord wishes us to do.  Can we have a listening ear as to where God is always leading us?

3.   UNBELIEVING HEART or our incapacity to trust and risk.  Is this really true?  Is this really happening to me? Am I just fooling myself?    But I have a lot to lose?   I may be asked to surrender my attachments … what principle and beliefs that I may hold true.  I may further hurt myself or make a bigger fool of myself.  Can I afford to make a mistake.   Amidst our constant doubts and fears, it may help to ask ourselves:  WHAT’s THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN?  Shame, embarrassment, failure?  CAN THOSE KILL ME?  What cannot kill you can make you a better person … isn’t it?  The call therefore is to SURRENDER  with great GENEROSITY.  What is your will, Lord?  We remember the evangelist John's image image of a true SHEEP.  The true sheep will hear the voice of the Shepherd and will be led by Him (John 10:1-5). The true sheep will not follow a stranger’s voice, only God’s.

Thus, we pray to remember:  God speaks to us in a very specific and personal fashion.  We cannot miss his word.    We must all expect to hear God’s voice and then follow it … thru our FAITHFULNESS TO PRAYER,  GREATER SENSITIVITY TO THE GREAT AND GRAND DESIGNS OF GOD and  our SURRENDERING and our GENEROSITY to risk and follow the voice of the Shepherd.

Lord, Let Your Face Shine Upon Us

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

Reflections on  Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17/   Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130  /  Luke 10:17-24

by Frank D.B. Savadera, SJ

Today the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we find in our readings images of people rejoicing and celebrating. Done were the drama days of Job; he who earlier noted – God gives and God takes away.  Blessed is the name of the Lord. After all his life travails, today Yahweh gives him back everything.  According to our account: “the LORD blessed the latter days of Job MORE (even more) than his earlier ones.”

Similarly in the Gospel of Luke, the disciples were partying:  “The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”  Indeed, there is rejoicing in knowing that all our demons have no power over us.  Satan can fall like lightning from the sky.  Wouldn’t you party and celebrate knowing that the Lord had given you power ‘to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of your enemies and nothing will harm you.

The first message that I’m picking up from our readings today is that of JOY and celebration.  God gives us back MORE than what we’ve had initially received… and He assures us that our demons will never never have power over us … we can walk upon serpents and scorpions and never be harmed.  Would we like that?  Would we like to claim that for ourselves?

But as you may know, this feeling of joy and celebration did not come easy for Job.   Everything was taken away from him.  Remember how God and the devil conversed and ventured to test his faith.  Thus, after being given so much in life, his properties were seized, his loved ones perished and Job found himself living the life of a destitute.   Likewise, the very fact that the 72 disciples talked about devils … can mean for us that they battled … even perhaps fearlessly against a battalion of devils.  

Thus, for our second point, I wish to stress that JOY is a consequence, a by-product of faith and forbearance.  As the cliché’ goes … there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Or if we refer to Saint Francis: “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”  Or “A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.”

We refer to Job’s prayer and note how faith and forbearance can come only from a knowledge that God can do all things and that no purpose of His can ever be hindered.  Faith and forbearance come with a realization … that Lord … I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.  

Thus amidst all the drama of life that we go through, we pray as the Psalmist prays …as we beg:  LORD, LET YOUR FACE SHINE ON ME.  I want to see you face and your light amidst all of these things happening around me. Teach me wisdom and knowledge.  Help me accept and bear with things that afflict me and realize that I have a lot to learn about the world, about myself, about you … my life and vocation.   Give me faith.  Give me forbearance.  Friends, the prayer:  LORD LET YOUR FACE SHINE ON ME is a prayer of faith and forbearance amidst our experiences of troubles.

Finally, true joy and celebration come from a genuine experience of seeing and being convinced that it is indeed the Lord that talks and guides me all the days of my life.  Job affords to be joyful not only because he had simply heard about Yahweh.  “I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you,” says he.

Let us allow ourselves to see as Job saw the Lord.  Find assurances in the very words of Jesus when he said:  “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.  For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” 

Friends, I suppose … this is the way of the saints … and the same is true for Saint Francis.  We continue to battle against all our demons.  We are asked to beg:  Lord, let your face shine upon me and from our experiences derive greater faith and forbearance.  Doing so … we pray that we will see and genuinely experience real joy.