21st Day of Ignatian Reflection

    Gospel:  John 20;1-2,11-18

1             Now on the first day of the week Mary Mag'dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

2             So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."

11           But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb;

12           and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.

13           They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."

14           Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

15           Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."

16           Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher).

17           Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

18           Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Reflection:

In the gospel today, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene was known to be a repentant sinner who became a devoted follower of Jesus. Magdalene was weeping when she learned that the body of Jesus was not anymore in the tomb. But Jesus appeared to her and comforted her. At first she didn’t recognize Jesus but when Jesus called her name, Mary immediately knew and believed that it was Jesus. Jesus has given her an important task and that is to announce to his disciples that the son of God is risen.

Like Mary Magdalene, we also weep when we experience grief, regret or distress in life. But in all our woes Jesus is there who gives comfort. Do you hear Jesus’ comforting words?... Recognizing Jesus’ presence in our lives gives comfort and joy. Just like Magdalene, her sorrow turned into joy when Jesus assured her that he is alive. That is what others would also feel if we make Jesus alive in our hearts and be a witness of his resurrection. We give joy to others especially to our friends, families and other people in the community. As a disciple of Jesus, we are challenged to be a witness of Jesus’ presence and to announce that He is risen.

Ignatian Value : Cura Personalis

Reflection of : Editha A. Llanes  

  

Ignatian Reflection

July 20, 2014 Sunday -   Reflection on the gospel: Matthew 12: 38-42

  By: MS. NIMFA MOLE

        Grade six teacher

When I went over the Gospel passage, Matthew 12: 38-42, the first thing that came to my mind is the virtue of faith, which is one of the three Theological Virtues. The virtue of faith is said to complement and perfect our intellect.  St. Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews, also, expressed that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence  of things not seen. We can possess it not through our own effort, but rather, it is a gift  bestowed  to us by God. For someone who truly loves God, one need not ask for a sign in order to believe in and follow Him. One simply places one’s complete trust and faith in Him.

A beautiful imagery that I have come across to about faith is a mountain covered with a thick fog/cloud. Let’s take for example, the majestic Mt. Apo that I see on my way home going south.  During cloudless days, I always behold it’s resplendent beauty . But there are times when it's beauty is hidden by the thick clouds that cover it. But, whether I see it or not, I know that the majestic Mt. Apo is there standing proudly behind the clouds. In our lives, too, there are instances when we feel most God’s presence especially when we are happy and receive blessings in abundance from our gracious God. But there are ,also, instances when it’s difficult to feel His presence and this happens when we experience problems and difficulties in life. But whether we feel His Presence or not , God  is always there in our midst, journeying with us in our ups and downs, high and low moments – and He asks from us only one thing  and that is,  that we completely trust and believe in Him.

            There are ,also, instances in our lives, when like the scribes and the Pharisees  we ask for a sign from God.  Although, we have known Him and experience His presence in our lives in a very personal way, like providing us with our needs, protecting us from harm, guiding us constantly,  and showering us with His abundant blessings  yet, still, there are instances when we find it difficult to recognize Him. The scribes and Pharisees are said to be learned when it comes to  the Jewish laws and traditions. With the knowledge that they have of who God is, one could  expect  from them that they would be the  first ones  to recognize the Presence of God in their midst. Unfortunately, their hearts and minds are clouded by their evil thoughts/acts and unfaithfulness. They are not able to recognize the Divine in their midst- the fulfilment of God’s promise made  from of old and they  ask for a sign from Jesus. These were the signs given them by Jesus – first, Jonah and then Solomon.

            Jonah is considered as a prototype of Jesus. Just as he stayed in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so too, Jesus descended to the netherworld when He died and was risen from the dead on the third day. Using Jonah as a sign, Jesus wants us to realize that as the  people of Nineveh listened to the preaching of Jonah and were converted, how much more should we listen to Him who is far greater than Jonah and allow Him to speak to us and change us and be converted. Also, just as the queen of the south journeyed from afar to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, how much more should we give importance to the Presence of Someone who is far greater than Solomon for He is the Source of Wisdom – the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, Himself – the Son of the Living God.

            Most often, we take His Presence for granted. We become blind to His Presence in our midst, that is why it is very important that we take time to really reflect and meditate on the events in our lives. Let us always ask from God the gift of faith  so that just like Saint Ignatius of Loyola we will be able  to see/find God’s  presence in our midst – with the people we meet, in our daily experiences, in nature,  in His Word,  in the sacraments and best of all in the Eucharist which is the summit of our Christian communal faith. But this should not be enough. Just like the people of Nineveh, we should allow our faith in Jesus Christ to change us – every aspects of our life – and to transform us, so that we may become truly sons and daughters of the Living God.

19th Day of Ignatian Reflection

July 19, 2014

Gospel: Matthew 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Reflection:

Jesus is not just a doctrinal indicative. He is a moral imperative. No one looks at Jesus and admires Him from a distance. He draws us to be like him. He attracts us to follow him. One thing that this reading emphasized is how Jesus looks at the greater good and that greater good is not to protect His life but to continue to serve the people that He dearly love.  And this love for His people eventually culminated in His death on the cross. That is the whole idea of magis –What more can I do for the crucified glorified Jesus or the CGJ?

 I think in the gospel today, we are challenged to see Christ more clearly in our desire to serve Him and His people. We will do what Jesus did in the reading where he continued to do His acts of mercy even if His life was already in danger. We should not be afraid to give our very life for the sake of our fellowmen. I have known so many people who selflessly gave and offered their lives so that others may live and be free. This is best exemplified by our heroes, parents, teachers, missionaries and priests who selflessly gave their lives for our sake. This the challenged of St. Ignatius for us to do more for Christ. It is always to do more for Christ, more for God, more for Christ even up to death. We should love Jesus more than we love our life and we should also concern with greater need of our fellowmen, other people and fellow Ateneans. We must always treasure time and life for other people. It is because if we truly follow Christ we should not have self-preservation and hesitation.

Questions:

1.     What more can I do for the crucified glorified Jesus?

2.     How can I make an offering of greater love like Jesus?

3.     Why do I need to protect my fellowmen as what Jesus did in the gospel?

4.     How am I going to serve the people that Jesus dearly love?

Reflection by: Zenon Batubalonos

18th Day of Ignatian Reflection

July 18, 2014 :Matthew 12: 1- 18

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Reflection: 

In today’s gospel the Pharisees complained to Jesus about His disciples who were picking up heads of grain of wheat and ate them because they were so hungry. Such kind of thing is clearly prohibited under the Law of Sabbath and therefore Jesus’ disciples violated the law. But Jesus came to defend them by citing two known exemptions from the strict rule on the Sabbath rest, that of David and the priest doing temple services.

Jesus looks beyond the letter of the Law and sees the person first; the person’s needs and wants go before the law and more, the person for Him is the qualifier of the law. He asserts the importance of human life over the Sabbath. I find people who are super involved with church activities but don't apply the Lord’s teachings when they reach home or work Ex. He/She praises, sings, a good adviser to the church group but when he goes home. I hear him curse on the jeepney driver and a vendor. This same person who is surely active in church dresses very well when he’s there to boast his new car, new bag perhaps but his kids had dirty shirts, no food on the table because he’s busy with church activities. At work, he is a good leader but criticizes colleagues a lot. This is sad but this is true, it is a reality. At times, we are not also spared for this attitude. We tend to focus more on the strict implementation of the rules to the extent that life-giving relationships are endangered. Honestly, I do remember so many pains, perhaps, because of people who are like the Pharisees in the gospel today. Yes, there have been tensions and areas of conflict because of  the seemingly problematic implementation of rules but all the values I learn in my Ateneo life like Cura personalis, Finding God in all things,  Magis, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, Men and Women for others to name a few erased them all by witnessing inspiring people who make these values real, actual and in the very concrete. Who can remember pain? Maybe because I have seen people in the workplace live what I thought Ateneo could be. They have shown me how persons are important and could be moved and changed by simple act of kindness or by a single act of selflessness. They always find joy in developing daily the reality of lay partnership with Jesuits, defining and refining it. Finally, the first Jesuit I really knew was Fr. William J. Malley, SJ. He helped people earn scholarships in Ateneo through Ignatian Institute of Religious Education (IIRE). He gave so generously of himself. He gave importance on the human person. He gave us future. He prepared us to become Ateneo teachers. Still, I am grateful. I am happy. Fr. Malley,SJ taught me how to love and care other person with passion. Thus, the real priority of God is the human person, cura personalis. For me, I think that is what actually pleases God is the act of charity, that is, charity that acts immediately and does not delay. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” Jesus reminds us today that it is mercy, forgiveness and compassion which I would say the recipes for happiness and not sacrifice that matters. It is associated with God’s loving kindness of which forgiveness is a fundamental manifestation. Therefore, Mercy is one of the fruits of charity and proceeds from the love of God and neighbor. It is alright to be legal but being legalistic is a different matter. The Pharisees were so fixated to the letters of the law that they had hardly any regard for the human person. I have known people who are too legalistic and structured. Who make instant judgments and counting the mistakes of others become then so natural that mercy, forgiveness, cura personalis and compassion are on the sideline. I understand that rules, laws and regulations and traditions, all these are good for they are meant to provide peace and order, social order to give direction to one’s life and to promote life. They are beneficial to us. But the moment we forget the person, for whom the laws were made and become too legalistic, too formalistic and structured, the laws ceased to be life-giving.

What is my priority in school as an Atenean?

How has cura personalis influenced me as an Atenean?

How do I incarnate cura personalis over the rules and regulations in school?

Reflection by: Zenon Batubalonos

17th Day of Ignatian Reflection

July 17, 2014 Thursday – Reflection on the Gospel Reading:

Matthew 11:28-30 – Take My Yoke Upon You

28)  Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you

        rest.

29)  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; 

        and you will find rest.

30)  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Reflection:

We are in a jungle of troubles and trials in this world and thus we encounter variety of concerns that worry our hearts and souls.  Worrying may lead us to be weary and overburdened. Jesus Christ is aware of all the possibilities and situations that we encounter. Thus, His  being an all -knowing God invites us to be steadfast in our faith .

In many occasions, we may resort to finding rest upon “something else” that would give us nothing but temporal relief from our loads.  That is the very reason why Jesus Christ, with His heavenly power, has invited those who are laboring and burdened, to  a rest of their souls that He alone can provide. The Lord’s invitation requires faith and obedience to His teaching and submission to his authority, His yoke. Christ, in His infinite compassion with humans, speaks of His meekness and humility in order that He might have them come to Him for a rest that provides peace and comfort for every weary soul. Anyone who comes to Jesus Christ is assured with the pleasantness of His yoke when His commandments are kept and lived with/for.

In this gospel reading, God simply wants to convey a message that nothing is more comforting than to find rest with Him during times of troubles and trials or even times when our hearts and souls are all weary and burdened. A rest that would give us spiritual peace and comfort.

Reflection Questions:

Are you in a midst of a challenge today?

To whom do you put your trust for the help that you need?

Reflection by: Louise Jayne A. Española

                                                                                                IV – Xavier

Day 16 of Ignatian Reflection

July 16, 2014- Reflection on the Gospel Reading: Matthew 12:46-50

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Reflection:

Jesus addresses His disciples as His brothers, and Mary, His mother. They are His companions in making known God’s perfect will and plan. As He said, “…For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

What does it mean to be a “Christian”? It is being another Christ in the world by doing God’s will. It is more than knowing that a supreme being exists among us. It is more than merely believing in Jesus Christ and admiring His sacrificial act that saved us from sin. To be a Christian is to understand that the Holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit – is a community of love that shows the most perfect of all relationships. We are invited to be part of a rather Divine relationship with Him and His Father by asking our help to fully establish the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth by creating connections and nurture relationships with others that is rooted in God’s perfect love.

Jesus’ message, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother” is actually an invitation to build a relationship with Him and God the Father. We become family by doing the will of the Father.

It is a loving and welcoming invitation especially to Gentiles then that salvation and union with God is offered to everyone.

Establishing a relationship means making time for others, getting to know others and finding ways to express our sincere concern and love for others. If we are to have this relationship with God , it entails spending time knowing, loving and serving Him by loving and serving others, and this is the essence of beaing  “mother, brother and sister” to others.

Jesus’ words serve as a call for us to turn to Him, pick up our cross, and follow Him. Through this, we are able to acknowledge the higher reality that we are not just human beings, but God’s beloved children. Through Jesus, we are reunited with our Creator who constantly seeks for ways to call us.

Reflection Questions:

1.      How do we respond to God’s call to be “brother, sister and mother to others?

2.      How do we build and nurture our relationship with God and others through our daily lives?

3.      Do we extend the same invitation to know ,love and serve God to others?

Reflection by: Jed Diamante

4th Year- Xavier

Day 15 of Ignatian Reflection

July 15, 2014 - Reflection on the Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:20-24

20  “Then he began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented.”

21  "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.”

22  “But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.”

23  “And as for you, Capernaum: 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.'  For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.”

24  “But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."”

Reflection:

REPROACH – to express disapproval of or disappointment in (someone); WOE - deep distress or misery, as from grief, wretchedness

Two strong words from Jesus that could only have come from deep sadness over the lack of change: what with all the good things we can count in our lives!  It is an occasion for us to be uncomfortable and ask compellingly: How have we enlivened the works of Jesus in our lives?  How have our privileges and opportunities a vessel of Jesus’ loving for God’s creation – for others?  for nature?  for humanity?  Surely, we don’t want these blessings come to naught in our person.  We only have a lifetime chance to do so!  How would our hearts respond if asked:  How deep is Jesus’ sorrow be looking into our lives?  What strong words would he throw at us?

St. Ignatius himself didn’t waste the invitation to change, and what a change he did make!  His life’s work continued to be meaningful for 458 years now and still counting.  His is a worthy example of one who has multiplied the wondrous deeds of Jesus that time itself could not obstruct.  Such is the joyous mystery of love and refreshing sustenance for continuing the mission of the Church.

We, too, are shown the same invitation.  How shall you respond?

1.     What is making us hard to believe even after the countless revelations of God’s goodness and love?

2.     What more convincing does our Lord need to make to move our hardened hearts?

3.     What “reproaches” and “woes” in our lives do we need to turn into “exultation (delight)” for Jesus?

Reflection by: Mr. Bong Villanueva

CLE Teacher