PAULINES

MABUTING BALITA l SETYEMBRE 8, 2022 – HUWEBES

Ika – 23 na LINGGO sa Karaniwang Panahon

Ebanghelyo: Mt 1:1-16, 18-23

Ito ang libro ng pinagmulan ni Jesucristo, anak ni David at anak ni Abraham. Si Abraham ang ama ni Isaac, si Isaac ang ama ni Jacob, si Jacob ang ama ni Juda at ng kanyang mga kapatid. Si Juda na ama ni Farez at Zara, si Tamar ang kanilang ina. Si Farez ang ama ni Esrom, at si Esrom ni Aram. Si Aram naman ang ama ni Aminadab. Si Aminadab naman ni Naason. Si Naason ni Salmon. Si Salmon ang ama ni Boaz at si Rahab naman ang kanyang ina. Si Boaz ang ama ni Obed, si Ruth ang kanyang Ina. Si Obed naman ang ama ni Jese. Si Jese ang ama ni Jeroboam na ama ni Abia. At sumunod naman ang mga haring sina Asa, Yosafat, Yoram, Ocias, Yoatan, Ahaz, Ezekias, Manases, Amon at Yosias. Si Yosias ang ama ni Yekonias at ng kanyang mga kapatid, sa panahon ng pagkatapon sa Babilonia. Pagkatapos naman ng pagkatapon sa Babilonia-si Yekonias ang ama ni Salatiel na ama ni Zorobabel. Si Zorobabel ang ama ni Abiud, si Abiud ni Eliakim, at si Eliakim ni Azor. Si Azor ang ama ni Sadok, si Sadok ni Akim, at si Akim ni Eliud. Si Eliud ang ama ni Eleazar, si Eleazar ni Matan at si Matan ni Jacob. Si Jacob naman ang ama ni Jose-ang asawa ni Maria na siyang pinagmulan ni Jesus na tinawag na Kristo. Kaya may labing-apat na salinlahi mula kay Abraham hanggang kay David sa pagkatapon sa Babilonia at labing-apat din hanggang sa Kristo. Ito ang pangyayaring napapaloob sa kapanganakan ni Jesucristo. Ipinagkasundo na kay Jose ang kanyang inang si Maria pero bago sila nagsama bilang mag-asawa nagdalantao na siya gawa ng Espiritu Santo. Kaya binalak ni Jose na hiwalayan nang lihim ang kanyang asawa. Matuwid nga siya at ayaw niya itong mapahiya. Habang iniisip-isip niya ito, napakita sa kanya sa panaginip ang Anghel ng Panginoon at sinabi: “Jose, anak ni David, huwag kang matakot na tanggapin si Maria bilang iyong asawa. Gawa ng Espiritu Santo kaya siya naglihi, at manganganak siya ng isang sanggol na lalaki, na pangangalanan mong Jesus sapagkat siya ang magliligtas sa kanyang sambayanan mula sa kanyang kasalanan.”  Kaya pagkagising ni Jose ginawa n’ya ang sinabi ng Anghel ng Panginoon at tinanggap n’ya ang kanyang asawa.

Pagninilay:

Happy Birthday Mama Mary. Isang napakagandang araw ito para sa ating lahat na mga Kristiano dahil ngayon nga ay ating ginugunita ang kapanganakan ng Mahal na Ina ng Diyos at ina rin nating lahat. Isa lamang itong patunay na ang Mahal na ina ay tunay ngang nabuhay sa mundo at tunay na ngang Ina ng Diyos. Naalala ko… nung nag-aral po ako sa kolehiyo isa sa mga naging requirements sa amin ang birth certificate. Nagpapatunay na ako ay nabuhay, at ipinanganak sa Marikina. Isa pa pong mahalagang impormasyon na nakalimbag dito ay ang tungkol sa aking mga magulang. Ako ay lehitibong anak nila. Sila ay pinagtagpo at itinandhana na maging aking mga magulang. Mga kapatid, sa araw na ito ating natuklasan sa ating ebenghelyo hindi po ang birth certificate ng ating Panginoon pero ang dalawang importanteng character sa buhay ng ating Panginoong Hesus. Si Maria na kanyang ina at si San Jose na kanyang naging “foster father”. Parehong may ginampanang papel sina Maria at Jose sa plano ng kaligtasan. Mga kapanalig, ang pagpapahalaga sa papel ni Maria ay pagpapahalaga rin sa papel ng Iglesya sa buhay Kristiyano. Pasalamatan natin ang Diyos sa ating mga magulang na nagpamulat sa atin sa pananampalatayang Kristiyano. Panginoong Hesus, kami’y nagpapasalamat at nagpupuri sa kapanganakan ng Mahal na Ina. Katulad niya, maging saksi rin nawa kami ng Iyong pagpapala, AMEN.

-Fr. Januarius Paglinawan, Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross

GOSPEL POWER l SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 - FRIDAY

22nd Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Lk 5:33-39 

33The Pharisees and scribes said to Jesus, “John’s disciples, like the  disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples  eat and drink.” 34Jesus said to them, “You cannot make wedding  guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? 35The days  will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and  then they will fast in those days.” 36He also told them a parable: “No  one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment;  otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will  not match the old. 37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins;  otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and  the skins will be destroyed. 38But new wine must be put into fresh  wineskins. 39And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine,  but says, ‘The old is good.’” 

Jesus embodies God’s totally new way of dealing with the  world. He reveals the divine identity in a surprisingly  intimate way symbolized by table-fellowship and wedding  banquet, marked by joyful celebration. But precisely because the  revelation is totally new and unexpected, the disciples of John and  the Pharisees miss the signs that herald the arrival of the Messiah they  have been waiting for. They remain stuck in the period of preparation,  in which fasting and penance serve as appropriate expressions of  waiting. But the old wineskins of their religious observances can no  longer support the dynamism of the new wine of the Kingdom. They  need new eyes to see, new mindset to grasp, and new heart to accept  that in the person of an ordinary carpenter, God is present in the  midst of his people. 

Lord Jesus, burst the old wineskins of our stubborn attachment to prejudices  and biases that cause us to resist the new wine of the Kingdom. Amen.

GOSPEL POWER l SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 - Saturday of 22nd Week in Ordinary 

Saint Gregory the Great, pope  and doctor of the Church 

Gospel: Lk 6:1-5 

1 One sabbath while Jesus was going through the grainfields, his  disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands,  and ate them. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing  what is not lawful on the sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered, “Have you not  read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He  entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence,  which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to  his companions?” 5 Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of  the sabbath.” 

As Jesus’ opponents continue to watch his disciples,  hoping to catch them in a serious misdemeanor that can  implicate their teacher, they discover the usefulness of the  Sabbath for their wicked purposes. Jesus interprets the Sabbath with  the freedom that flows from genuine love. Being the Son of the Creator  who instituted the Sabbath, Jesus knows that this law is in view of  the welfare of his Father’s creatures and must not be interpreted in  a way that subordinates and ignores that welfare. Jesus’ opponents,  seeing his relaxed attitude toward the Sabbath, suppose that with  a little technical manipulation of the Sabbath restrictions, they can  make Jesus appear as a violator of the Sabbath. This scheming by  religious leaders shows that even the holiest of days can be turned  into an instrument of evil. The problem is not with the Sabbath law  but with the heart of the person who interprets it. It is the heart that  must be put in the right place by aligning it with God’s purposes. In  any age and place, this non-alignment with God’s purposes is really  the reason why the powerful can manipulate laws to serve their own  interests. 

Lord Jesus, deliver us from scheming lawmakers and law-enforcers who  twist and turn laws to serve their interests, at the expense of the common  good. Amen. 

GOSPEL POWER l SEPTEMBER 5, 2022 - MONDAY

23rd Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Lk 6:6-11 

6 On another sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught, and  there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes  and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the  sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. 8 Even  though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who  had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood  there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to  do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” 10After looking  around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did  so, and his hand was restored. 11But they were filled with fury and  discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. 

The Sabbath is meant to honor the Creator. While the Jews  allow their bodies to rest, they must direct all interior  faculties — mind, will, and heart — toward honoring God.  Ironically, while the scribes and Pharisees are present at the Sabbath  synagogue service, their interior faculties are not directed to God  but are busy plotting evil against Jesus. For them, the man with a  withered hand is nothing more than a “test case” that will expose  Jesus as a violator of the Sabbath. While exteriorly these men appear  to be observing the Sabbath, interiorly they are its real violators.  Jesus unmasks them and brings their evil intentions to the surface by  performing the cure they expect. As he exercises his freedom to do  good, Jesus releases the spirit of the Sabbath from its bondage to the  letter of the law. He proves that life-promoting acts on the Sabbath  honor God much more than rigid abstention from work that may  lead to omitting the good that must be done.

 Lord Jesus, may our religious observances always yield to occasions that  call for compassion. Amen. 

GOSPEL POWER l SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 - TUESDAY

 23rd  Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Lk 6:12-19 

12Jesus went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night  in prayer to God. 13And when day came, he called his disciples and  chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 14Simon, whom  he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and  Philip, and Bartholomew, 15and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son  of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, 16and Judas son  of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great  crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea,  Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18They had come to hear  him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled  with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying to  touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. 

Jesus is aware of being sent on earth for the fulfillment of  a cosmic plan that only his Father has full knowledge of.  He will carry out his role in total dependence on his Father.  Thus, even the choice of people to work closely with him needs the  Father’s approval. The Twelve Apostles — ordinary men, unqualified  for the magnitude of the mission — are not just Jesus’ arbitrary choice  but the fruit of an entire night of consultation with his Father. Childlike  dependence is the necessary disposition of those who belong to God’s  Kingdom. Jesus, the inaugurator of this Kingdom on earth, is the  Child par excellence, the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, called  to live in trustful reliance on God. For God alone knows the master  plan for the whole creation and will bring it to fulfillment with our  participation. 

Lord Jesus, may we never fail to consult God in prayer, nor presume to  know better how to navigate the tortuous ways of the world. Amen

GOSPEL POWER l SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 - WEDNESDAY

23rd Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Lk 6:20-26

 20Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you  who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21Blessed are you  who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep  now, for you will laugh. 22Blessed are you when people hate you,  and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account  of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely  your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to  the prophets. 24But woe to you who are rich, for you have received  your consolation. 25Woe to you who are full now, for you will be  hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and  weep. 26Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their  ancestors did to the false prophets.”

Material deprivation and misery have a way of keeping us  in touch with the deepest truth about ourselves — our  existential emptiness. We are creatures totally dependent  on the Creator for everything. Such awareness leaves no room for  an illusion of self-sufficiency and independence, which material  possessions and the passing joys of this world may induce. Those  who experience being poor, hungry, grieving, and hated can look  forward to the promise of something greater and unimaginably  desirable, which is the full coming of God’s Kingdom. It is a promise  whose fulfillment is certain. And it is this certainty that transforms  the present experience of suffering into “blessedness.” On the other  hand, the present experience of material abundance and satisfaction  can dull one’s sensitivity to and yearning for the greater-things-to-come. To miss this ultimate purpose of our existence is indeed a woe! 

Lord Jesus, turn our experiences of lack into yearning for the greater

MABUTING BALITA l SETYEMBRE 7, 2022 – MIYERKULES

Ika – 23 na LINGGO sa Karaniwang Panahon

Ebanghelyo: Lk 6:20-26

Tumingala si Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad, at sinabi, “Mapapalad kayong mga dukha: sapagka't sa inyo ang kaharian ng Diyos. Mapapalad kayong mga nagugutom ngayon: sapagka't bubusugin kayo. Mapapalad kayong mga umiiyak ngayon: sapagka't tatawa kayo. Mapapalad kayo kapag kinapopotan kayo ng mga tao, at itinatakwil at iniinsulto, at sinisiraang puri dahil sa akin. Magsaya kayo at lubos na mag galak sa araw na yon, sapagka't malaki ang inyong gantimpalang nasa sa Diyos. Gayundin ang ginawa ng kanilang mga ninuno sa mga propeta. Ngunit sawimpalad kayong mga mayayaman! sapagka't tintamasa na Ninyo ang inyong ginhawa. Sawimpalad kayong mga busog ngayon! sapagka't magugutom kayo. Sawimpalad kayong humahalakhak ngayon! sapagka't magluluksa kayo at iiyak. Sawimpalad kayo kapag pinaguusapan kayo ng mabuti sa lahat ng tao dahil ganuon din ang ginawa ng kanilang mga ninuno sa mga bulaang propeta”.

Pagninilay:

Sinasabing ang ginawang paghahambing ni Hesus sa blessings at woes na kanyang ipinahayag ngayon sa mabuting balita ay isang pagtatangi niya sa mga biyaya at pangako ng kaharian ng Diyos laban sa ginhawang napaparam o natatamasa lamang natin dito sa mundo. Paano naging mapalad ang nagugutom? Mahihirap? Inaapi? Tumatangis? iisa lang ang sagot, may Diyos tayong tapat at hindi lumilimot sa kanyang pangako. Mga kapatid, wala naman tayong maipagmamalaki sa Diyos na buhat sa ating mga natatamasa natin dito sa mundong ibabaw. Sabi nga’y lahat lamang ay hiram natin mula sa kanyang kadakilaan. Totoo po, minsan tayo’y kinakapos, nagkukulang, inaapi, kinamumuhian, pinagtatawanan ng mundo. Dahil, ang akala nila’y kahibangan ang umasang ipagtatanggol tayo ng Diyos na hindi nakikita. Dahil, akala nila’y bulag ang Diyos sa kung ano ang katotohana’t Mabuti. Huwag nawa tayong magsawang kumapit sa Diyos. Yamang siya lamang ang magtatangol sa atin, pupunan ang ating mga kakulanga’t kakapusan, yayakap sa tuwing tayo’y tatangis, at kaganapan ng lahat ng ating inaasam sa buhay. Amen.

-BRO. VINZ AURELLANO, SSP

ST. HEDWIG OF SILESIA l PATRON OF ANDECHS, ROMAN CATHOLIC OF WROCLAW AND DIOCESE OF GORLITZ

Feast Day: October 16

Born in 1174 as Duchess of Bavaria, Germany, St. Hedwig, our saint today, was an illustrious child and grew up more distinguished for her virtues and holiness of life. At age 12, her parents gave her in marriage to Henry, Duke of Poland, whom she influenced to a life of holiness. She loved the Eucharist and the Scripture. During mealtime, she had the Scripture read aloud for the entire household. She prayed, fasted, ate simple food, and was simple in her clothes. She was a dedicated wife and mother, however, she also spent much of her time to serving the poor, the sick, and expectant mothers. She would bring some sick people in the castle and personally attended to them. She sent money to prisoners and to poor debtors who could not pay their debts. Her husband, Henry the Duke, meanwhile, met oppositions from his close relatives, who were enviously after the throne.  At a certain encounter, the Duke was seized by his rival and narrowly escaped death. Only the pleadings of Hedwig led to his release. This event widened the reign of her husband, who afterwards was promoted as Duke of Greater Poland and the High Duke of Krakow, following a 1138 Testament of Seniority. After the birth of their sixth child, Hedwig persuaded her husband to make the vow of chastity. They made the vow in the presence of a Bishop. Henry and Hedwig faithfully lived this vow and they supported each other’s projects for the poor. He donated a building for the Augustinians and also founded a Cistercian convent, and other monasteries and hospitals at Trebnitz. He died in 1238, and was buried at a Cistercian monastery of nuns, the one he had established in 1202 at Hedwig’s request. After Henry’s death, Hedwig continued to help the needy. She established hospitals for the sick and the lepers. She donated all her fortunes to the Church and lived a truly poor life. A story was told that she went barefoot in visiting some sick persons and it was reported to the Bishop. When the Bishop told her to use slippers, she brought a pair but carried them in her hands. Years later, she moved into a monastery, · of nuns. She assumed the religious habit of a lay sister, but she did not take the vows. She invited many German women and other settlers in Silesia to join them. Hedwig died on October 15, 1243, and was buried in Trzenica Abbey with her husband. A few of her relics are kept at Andechs Abbey and in St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin. Hedwig was canonized in 1267 by Pope Clement IV, a supporter of the Cistercian Order. She is patron saint of Silesia, and of Andechs, the Catholic Diocese of Wroclaw and Gorlitz. St. Hedwig was devoted to the Virgin Mary, and would bring her statue to bless the sick, some of whom were healed. She was buried with this statue and tradition says that when her tomb was opened years later, the fingers holding the statue were incorrupt. Lately, Bishop Andrzej Siemienieswski Jacek Kicinski, current auxiliary Bishop of Wroclaw, Poland, commented that St. Hedwig showed the world that Germans and Polish could live together harmoniously as members of one Church.

“St. Hedwig, you gave up all the pleasures and comforts of this world, come quickly to help those who are suffering due to poverty and privations. Amen.”

Do I sometimes leave my comfort zones so as to help others?

MABUTING BALITA l SETYEMBRE 6, 2022 – MARTES

Ika – 23 na LINGGO sa Karaniwang Panahon

Ebanghelyo: Lc 6: 12-19

Umakyat si Hesus sa bundok para manalangin at magpalipas ng magdamag sa pagdarasal sa Diyos. Nang nag umaga na, tinawag n’ya ang kanyang mga alagad at pumili s’ya ng labindalawa sa kanila na tinawag n’yang Apostol: si Simon na pinangalanan n’yang Pedro, si Andres na kapatid nito, si Jaime, si Juan, si Felipe, si Bartolome, si Mateo, si Tomas, si Jaimeng anak ni Alfeo, si Simon na tinaguriang Zelota, si Judas na kamag-anak ni Jaime, at si Judas Iskariote na naging taga-pagkanulo. Pagkababa kasama nila, tumigil si Hesus sa isang patag na lugar. Naroon ang maraming alagad n’ya at napakarami ring tao mula sa buong Judea at Jerusalem, at mula sa baybaying dako ng Tiro at Sidon ang dumating para makinig sa kanya at mapagaling sa kanilang mga karamdaman. Gumaling din ang mga pinahihirapan ng masasamang espiritu, kaya sinikap ng lahat ng tao na mahipo s’ya dahil may kapangyarihang lumalabas sa kanya na nagpapagaling sa lahat.

Pagninilay:

Alam nyo ba na ngayong araw, September 6, inaala-ala natin ang pagtatapos ng buong mundong paglalayag ng Barkong Victoria? May apat pa itong kasamang barko, at ang lead ship na Trinidad na doon nakasakay si Ferdinand Magellan. Mula sa Espanya dala nila ang full support ni King Charles, the First. Sa paglalayag nila, nakasama ang bansa natin sa history. Ang Barkong Victoria lang ang nakabalik na ligtas sakay ang natirang labingwalo. Mula sa 270 na nakibaka sa pangakong uunlad ang Espanya, mayroong nagbuwis ng buhay gawa ng natural disasters at ang iba naman, nasawi sa mga katutubo kasama doon si Magellan. Ganito ang buhay, tumutugon tayo sa panawagan na malimit hindi natin alam ang kahihinatnan. Tulad ng mga tinawag na apostol ng ating Jesus Maestro. Labindalawa sila, na may iba’t ibang personalidad, iba’t ibang pinagkukunan ng ikabubuhay, iba’t ibang family background, at iba’t iba rin ang intensyon ng kanilang pagsunod. Hindi tayo naiiba sa kanila. Iba’t iba ang ating ugali, iba’t iba ang pinag-aralan, iba’t iba rin ang karanasan natin sa ating pamilya, iba’t iba ang outlook natin sa buhay. Pero iisa ang inaasahan sa atin. Ang tumugon sa calling ni Lord hindi man natin alam what lies ahead. Maraming nakakubling bagay at unti-unti itong na-uunfold. Alam natin ang naging kinahinatnan ng mga apostol. Si Mateo, sinaksak ng ispada sa may Ethiopia. Si Lukas, binigti sa puno ng olibo sa Gresya. Si Juan, pinakuluan sa talyasi bagamat nakaligtas, doon siya napalaboy sa Patmos. Si Pedro, ipinako na patiwarik sa Roma. Pinugutan naman si Jaime na kapatid ni Juan. Nakatago ito sakanilang kaalaman nang sumunod sila kay Jesus. Sa mata ng mundo: pagkabigo. Sa mata at kalooban ng Diyos: tagumpay. Kaya’t sa patuloy na pagtataya natin ng lakas kapag marami ang nanghihina; o ang lakas-loob na itinataya natin ang ating tiwala para magwagi ang iba; o buong-puso na itinataya natin ang ating pagmamahal para bumusilak ang iba; magtiwala… magtaya… manampalataya. Di ba, sa buhay na inialay ng mga apostol, tayo ang naging bunga? Kaya’t sa bawat pagtugon natin sa Diyos bagamat walang kasiguruhan, para sa Kanya, pinapaging-alay tayo sa kapwa natin na naliligaw ng landas, ng mga nag-aalinlangang magtiwala, ng mga nagiging sanhi ng kaguluhan. Hindi man natin ngayon nakikita ang talukap ng mata ng umaga, para kay Jesus, ikaw ay sinag na Kanyang nakikita.

-SR. GEMMA DELA CRUZ

MABUTING BALITA l SETYEMBRE 5, 2022 – LUNES

Ika – 23 na LINGGO sa Karaniwang Panahon

Ebanghelyo:  Lc 6:6-11

Sa iba namang Araw ng Pahinga, pumasok si Hesus sa sinagoga at nagturo. May isang lalaki na hindi maigalaw ang kanang kamay. Pinagmamasdan siya ng mga guro ng Batas at mga Pariseo, at baka pagalingin ito ni Hesus sa Araw ng Pahinga at nang maisakdal nila siya. Ngunit alam ni Hesus ang kanilang iniisip kaya sinabi niya sa lalaking hindi maigalaw ang kamay: “Tumindig ka’t tumayo sa gitna.” Tumindig nga ito at tumayo roon. Sinabi ni Hesus sa kanila: “Matanong ko nga kayo: ano ang ipinahihintulot sa Araw ng Pahinga, gumawa ng mabuti o gumawa ng masama, magligtas ng buhay o pumatay?” Tiningnan niya silang lahat sa paligid at sinabi sa tao: “Iunat mo ang iyong kamay.” Ginawa niya ito at gumaling ang kanyang kamay. Galit na galit naman sila at magkakasamang nag-usap-usap kung ano ang magagawa nila kay Hesus.

Pagninilay:

May isang post na naka-agaw sa aking pansin sa Facebook. Sa naturang post ay isang chatbox na nagpapakita ng sandamakmak na pagsabi ng “mahal kita” na may isang “ang pangit mo”. Natural, ang taong sinendan ng mensahe, ay nagtanong kung bakit may naiibang message doon. Ang sagot lamang ng tao ay “ganyan tayo eh, sa dami ng mabuti kong sinabi, doon ka nakatingin at nakapokus sa masama.” Mga kapatid, ganito rin ang situwasyon ni Kristo sa ating Mabuting Balita ngayon; sa dami ng mabuti niyang ginawa, ay mas nakatingin at nakatutok pa rin ang mga eskriba at mga Pariseo sa kung anong mali ang pwede niyang gawin. Ang kanilang mga puso ay puno ng galit, poot, at inggit na nagpigil sa kanila upang makitaang kabutihang dulot ni Hesus. Kaya kaniyang pinaalala sa kanila ang isang importanteng bagay: ang pagpili ng paggawa ng mabuti sa ating kapwa kailanman at saanman kahit na anuman ang isipin ng iba tungkol dito. Madalas, hindi natin nagagawa ang mga gawaing mabuti sa iba, dahil takot tayo kung ano man ang sabihin ng iba. Ang mga salita at paratang na tinatapon sa atin ay hindi repleksyon kung ano tayo, kundi ito ay nagpapakita kung anong klaseng tao ang mga humuhusga sa atin. Nawa’y huwag nating hayaang diktahan tayo ng ibang tao sa mga mabubuting gagawin natin para sa ating kapwa. Ating alalahanin ang sinabi ni San Juan Maria Vianney, “Huwag subukang pasayahin ang lahat. Sikaping pasayahin ang Diyos, ang mga anghel, at ang mga banal - sila ay iyong publiko.”

-Nov. Anjon Fredrick C. Mamunta ng Society of Saint Paul