Wednesday, February 19, 2014
6th Week in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Jas 1:19-27
Gospel: Mk 8:22–26
When Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida, Jesus was asked to touch a blind man who was brought to him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had put spittle on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked, “Can you see anything?” The man, who was beginning to see, replied, “I see people! They look like trees, but they move around.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again and the man could see perfectly. His sight was restored and he could see everything clearly. Then Jesus sent him home saying, “Do not return to the village.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Every return of a sinner to the Lord is an insult which the devil does not take sitting down. Being no humble loser he fights tooth and nail to pull the convert back. Conversion therefore is a warfare which, considering the power of the enemy, must be fought with tenacity. For this purpose today’s Gospel gives us one useful hint: converts should no longer return to the same sinful path.
Literally taken, Jesus’ instruction to the blind man in today’s Gospel reading “not to return to the village” (Mk. 8:26) had very practical implications. Everyone in the village knew the man very well as a blind person. If he returned there as a healed man the community would search for Jesus out of curiosity – a scenario no serious spiritual leader would welcome. Figuratively Jesus’ instruction is even richer in meaning especially when understood as a prohibition from returning to one’s old ways.
Some converts make a come-back to occasions of sin intending to vindicate the Lord. They court danger. When a convert traces the same evil path confident that he has the complete spiritual arsenal to fight temptations, he heads for destruction. One can never be that strong to fight evil inside the devil’s well equipped arena. The devil takes every conversion as a big slap on his face and retaliates by putting all satanic resources to work in order to pull the sinner back.
Conversion, to be complete, must not only involve returning to God but also turning away from sin. This necessitates the employment of radical steps to preserve God’s grace, like running away from occasions of sin and restructuring one’s lifestyle through the cultivation of good habits. The restructuring can be a painful process because it can involve abandoning old friends. “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are” is still a very sound maxim.
One who turns to God but clings to his old ways can be likened to a man who keeps arsonists off his house but plays with fire himself. Sooner he triggers a conflagration and produces his own hell at no cost to the devil! – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: http://www.frdan.org.
Prayer for the day: God our Father, protect us with your grace so that we may abandon evil ways and tread the path that leads to salvation. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
CHURCH BULLETIN
SAINT OF THE DAY: ST. CONRAD OF PIACENZA, Hermit. He was born in 1290 to a noble family of Piacenza, Italy. He married a nobleman’s daughter. Conrad was on a hunting trip when he accidentally set a bush on fire which spread and destroyed the entire grain field and a neighboring forest. Conrad fled to the city for fear of being apprehended. An innocent fellow was accused of what happened and he was tortured and condemned to die. But Condrad acknowledged his responsibility. He and his wife had to sacrifice their property and wealth to restore the damaged property. This was the turning point of their life. He joined a group of Third Order Franciscan hermits while his wife entered the Poor Clares.
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