Sunday Readings - Reflections

29/09/2026

For this coming Oct 4th Sunday
October 4th, 2026
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Isaiah 5:1-7
Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a w**e press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Reading 2
Philippians 4:6-9
Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.

Alleluia
Cf. John 15:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord,
to go and bear fruit that will remain.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a w**e press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

REFLECTION:

In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah mentioned about the Lord’s vineyard. That after giving it all that is needed to have it bore good grapes, it bore wild grapes instead which displeased God. The wildness of its fruit had caused the vineyard to suffer and cry in pain.

In our second Reading, St. Paul preached that it is not enough to live humbly and lowly and be treated as an outcast or of the lowest class in a society. We may be oppressed (api in tagalog) but we should never give up the values we learned in living our faith in Jesus Christ.

Thus he enumerated them as being truthful, honorable, just, pure, loving, gracious, excellence that is worthy of praise. Just because we are considered the poorest, this should not trigger us to embrace lies, disrespect, unfairness, hatefulness, selfishness, and consider our lives as trash. No we need to stand with our Lord Jesus and keep that dignity of being God's children.

In our Gospel this Sunday, our Lord Jesus cited an old testament verse, saying, the stone which the builder's rejected has become the cornerstone and how wonderful it is.

How many of us here considered themselves as the oppressed (or inapi in Filipino). The first one on our list are the orphans, followed by the widows, and then the poorest of the poor. For as long as they remain faithful to God and abide by His laws, they will be given their full blessings in due time. I've seen this happen to many individuals where they waited and remained faithful to God and when the right time comes, they received overflowing grace that changed their lives.

On the other side, we have the privileged and most of them, in one way or another, have become the OPPRESSORS (mga nangaapi in Filipino). I'm sure there are some of you sitted here right now who look down on those less privileged. But it is only in the Philippine Catholic churches where the oppressed and the oppressors sits side by side in front of God. I remember attending a Mass in Singapore where the domestic helpers have their designated place in the church. This should not happen in a Catholic Church.

Let us examine ourselves today if we are the rejects or the rejectors - the oppressed or the oppressor.

For those who are considered oppressors by their kin or their neighbors, God has given you a very short time to turn from your evil ways. For the axe is already laid at the foot of your tree, ready to be cut down.

As for those who have considered themselves as oppressed for many years, as long as you keep your faith in God's Providence, and be patient enough to wait for your turn to receive the blessing, you will surely get what you deserve. This means, you need to keep cool in front of your oppressors, keep calm, always considerate, hopeful, loving, prayerful, and gracious at all times. Keep smiling and have that joyful feeling in the face of so much hardships. The more you sacrifice these hardships and be consistent in praying for your wishes to God, who knows what you need, you will surely shorten the days for your blessings to flow freely for the rest of your life.

God bless!

29/09/2026

For this coming Sunday,
October 4th, 2026

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Isaiah 5:1-7
Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a w**e press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Reading 2
Philippians 4:6-9
Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.

Alleluia
Cf. John 15:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord,
to go and bear fruit that will remain.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a w**e press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

REFLECTION:

In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah mentioned about the Lord’s vineyard. That after giving it all that is needed to have it bore good grapes, it bore wild grapes instead which displeased God. The wildness of its fruit had caused the vineyard to suffer and cry in pain.

In our second Reading, St. Paul preached that it is not enough to live humbly and lowly and be treated as an outcast or of the lowest class in a society. We may be oppressed (api in tagalog) but we should never give up the values we learned in living our faith in Jesus Christ.

Thus he enumerated them as being truthful, honorable, just, pure, loving, gracious, excellence that is worthy of praise. Just because we are considered the poorest, this should not trigger us to embrace lies, disrespect, unfairness, hatefulness, selfishness, and consider our lives as trash. No we need to stand with our Lord Jesus and keep that dignity of being God's children.

In our Gospel this Sunday, our Lord Jesus cited an old testament verse, saying, the stone which the builder's rejected has become the cornerstone and how wonderful it is.

How many of us here considered themselves as the oppressed (or inapi in Filipino). The first one on our list are the orphans, followed by the widows, and then the poorest of the poor. For as long as they remain faithful to God and abide by His laws, they will be given their full blessings in due time. I've seen this happen to many individuals where they waited and remained faithful to God and when the right time comes, they received overflowing grace that changed their lives.

On the other side, we have the privileged and most of them, in one way or another, have become the OPPRESSORS (mga nangaapi in Filipino). I'm sure there are some of you sitted here right now who look down on those less privileged. But it is only in the Philippine Catholic churches where the oppressed and the oppressors sits side by side in front of God. I remember attending a Mass in Singapore where the domestic helpers have their designated place in the church. This should not happen in a Catholic Church.

Let us examine ourselves today if we are the rejects or the rejectors - the oppressed or the oppressor.

For those who are considered oppressors by their kin or their neighbors, God has given you a very short time to turn from your evil ways. For the axe is already laid at the foot of your tree, ready to be cut down.

As for those who have considered themselves as oppressed for many years, as long as you keep your faith in God's Providence, and be patient enough to wait for your turn to receive the blessing, you will surely get what you deserve. This means, you need to keep cool in front of your oppressors, keep calm, always considerate, hopeful, loving, prayerful, and gracious at all times. Keep smiling and have that joyful feeling in the face of so much hardships. The more you sacrifice these hardships and be consistent in praying for your wishes to God, who knows what you need, you will surely shorten the days for your blessings to flow freely for the rest of your life.

God bless!

24/09/2026

(For this coming Sept 27 Sunday)

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Ezekiel 18:25-28
Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
and does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Reading 2
Philippians 2:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Alleluia
John 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion? A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not,'
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, 'but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."

REFLECTION:
Great is the reward of those who obey God.
Do you believe in this?

Our Gospel this Sunday (Sept. 27) is all about obedience. What is the true essence of obedience?

You might be asking what's the difference between secular priest and religious priest? Religious priest has vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty. While diocesan or secular priest only promises to be obedient and celebate and that they should be praying many times during the day and celebrate at least one Mass. As you see, they both have this promise of being obedient. Secular priest may own properties and material things like house, car, etc. Though they do not have this vow of poverty, they are expected to live a simple and frugal lifestyle so us not to scandalize the people around them especially the poor.

While religious priest has this vow of poverty where whatever he gets from anyone becomes a common property of the congregation he belongs.

In our first reading, the prophet Ezekiel asked if God's ways are unfair for giving life to the virtuous and death to those who do evil without repenting.

In the second reading, St. Paul points to living a humble life where we should prioritize on the needs of others and not to be selfish. He also mentioned the kind of obedience our Lord Jesus has shown to us.

Now, let's talk about the true essence of obefience. The word itself comes from the Latin word, ob-audire, which means to listen intently. Listening intently means the person we are listening from is very important. That person is important to us because either we are afraid of that person or we cherish and love this person. The two sons in our reading have both listened to their father. Both did not take their father's instruction seriously and both went on with what they were doing.

After we listen, comes our conscience. Blind obedience is doing the instruction without thinking of the consequence of our action. This is not true obedience. If we ever hear an instruction that goes against any higher moral principles, then we should be strong enough NOT to do it even if it will cause us our death.

Now, the obedience of the first son, after thinking deeply about it, moved him to do it because it is the right thing to do. Thus, he is the obedient one.

But what does our Lord Jesus want us to do? He want us to learn from his way of obeying God.
Here we go deeper in our understanding of true obedience. Our Lord Jesus clearly shown us by his example that obeying God, our Father, is done with filial love. A love who trust the instruction giver with all his mind, body, and spirit. It is not self-centered nor selfish but rather benefiting others and more people. He completely understand the purpose of following God's will. The more he thinks about it, the more he is convince that obeying this instruction means affecting many souls.

How do we obey God? Do we just listen in one ear and it goes out from the other ear? If we have been obeying God's will for a few years, our life by now would have been full of blessings.

Obeying God means obeying in the way of our Lord Jesus Christ and not just listening as we are doing right now.

God bless!

16/09/2026

16/09/2026

For this coming Sunday, Sept. 20th, 2026

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading
A reading from the Book of Isaiah
55:6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

2nd Reading
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians
1:20c-24, 27a
Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.
Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Gospel of the day
From the Gospel according to Matthew
20:1-16a
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o'clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.' So they went off.
And he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o'clock, the landowner found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

REFLECTION:

Have you harbored grudges to anyone for not considering the values you have contributed? Have you experienced being bypassed by your boss for a promotion you deserved but has been given to someone younger? Does your place of work respects seniority and make sure that tenured employees are given priority?

Many companies today protects itself from being unfair by making clear policies about promotion and tenureship. These policies help the organization to provide protection for their employees and leaders so their value and contribution to the company gets acknowledged and rewarded properly. Because of this, many tenured employees have this feeling of being entitled. But this feeling of entitlement only applies in the organization where they work and should not be allowed to spill over when we are driving, eating in a oublic restaurant, staying in an exclusive resort or place. In public, we must consider ourself equal to all and therefore can be treated like anyone else.

In our first reading, (from the prophet Isaiah)
we are reminded that God has His own way of dealing with every situation which we may not understand and we can't complain about it.
Who are we to contradict God's ways.

In our second Reading, St. Paul confessed that as long as his life is spent in working for God in spreading the good news, it is worth it and nothing else matter.

Now, reflecting on our Gospel reading this Sunday, our Lord Jesus relates a parable to his disciple about a landowner who seemed to be unfair in dealing with his employees or day laborers. We need to understand, that in working for our God, every one of us is equal. Whether we have been working for many years or have just started working as laborers of God, we get the same pay, the same grace, the same benefit.

We can't be exclusive as to claim our entitlement. We should be inclusive to anyone who has faith in the true God whom that person love and fear. But to those who insist in their evil deeds, we must distance ourselves lest they corrupt us and our little ones.

In our daily work, we must always be thankful to God for allowing us to work and earn our daily bread. As long as we earn our keep, we are satisfied. Anything more than this must be shared to the needs of our neighbors. Never allow yourself to build up unnecessary wants that enslave us to work so hard that we forget what we just need. God knows what we need all the time and gives when it's right for us.

Finally, we should never envy those who we think are getting more than us. For if they don't share their riches sufficiently to the poor, God will make them accountable for it up to the last penny. God favors the poor and the children all the time. Neglecting the plight of our poor, means we are neglecting our relation with our God which hinders grace to flow smoothly to the rest of the population.

In the end, our faith should always move us to be steadfast. Never giving up but continue to spread joy, the hope, and above all, love or charity. In this way, people will know who we really are - a child of Father who is in heaven.

God bless us all!

10/09/2026

(In case you need this for this coming Sunday)

Date13/09/2026
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading
Sirach 27:30—28:7
Wrath and anger are hateful things,
yet the sinner hugs them tight.
The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,
for he remembers their sins in detail.
Forgive your neighbor’s injustice;
then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the LORD?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,
can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,
who will forgive his sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin!
Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;
remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R. (8)The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R.The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R.The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R.The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R.The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Second Reading
A reading from the Letter to the Romans
14:7-9
Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Gospel of this Sunday
From the Gospel according to Matthew
18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

REFLECTION:

If we have listened intently to our readings this Sunday, it is very clear that God, our Father, is telling or reminding each one of us not to hate or be angry so we can easily forgive those who has offended us.

By the way, the first reading which is from the Book of Sirach, is something we must always try to read to remind us about our anger and hatred. Also, if you can't find this book in your Bible at home, it means you are reading a Protestant Bible and not the Catholic and orthodox one. Better get the right one so the truth you read is whole and complete.

When Peter asked our Lord, Jesus Christ, how many times should we forgive our neighbor, our Lord simply answered, seventy-seven times.

What does our Lord mean by this?

It's true that as humans, it's hard to forgive those who bully us or do harm to who we are. Especially if the thing they mock is something we earned and valued so deeply. It is also true that most poor people who possesses nothing are humbled to the point that they do not have anything valuable or something they could be proud of. This is why they are blessed by God above all because they are poor in heart and spirit and they always forgive those who offend them.

Fear is the root of all evil. But fear of God is the best weapon we have against all evil. If fear of evil overwhelm us, it leads to frustration and deep anger. This anger leads to hatred and hatred leads us to vengeance and rage. This hatred and rage leads us not to forgive. Not being able to forgive makes our spirit rot slowly leading to the lost of our soul.

If you find yourself getting irritated or angered by someone once in a day, this is normal. But if our anger happens more than twice a day, we need help very badly. Anger leads to unforgiveness.

We need to search deep in our heart to check if we have deep sitted grudges and hatred to anyone. This makes us unworthy of facing our Father in prayer.

We need to keep in mind, that anger and hatred make us more unforgiving and being unforgiving does not make us true children of God.

We need to strive hard to be forgiving at all times. Slow to anger and abounding in love. This is the only way we can Worthily claim that we are Christ's believers and followers, and by this, we bear witness to God's saving grace by forgiving those who trespass us.

God bless!

(Sa tagalog)

REPLEKSYON:
Kung nakinig tayong mabuti sa ating mga pagbasa ngayong Linggo, napakalinaw na sinasabi o ipinapaalala sa atin ng Diyos, na ating Ama, na huwag map**t o magalit upang madali nating mapatawad ang mga nagkasala sa atin.

Siyanga pala, ang unang pagbasa na mula sa Aklat ng Sirac ay isang bagay na dapat nating laging sikaping basahin upang paalalahanan tayo tungkol sa ating galit at p**t. Bukod dito, kung hindi mo mahanap ang aklat na ito sa iyong Bibliya sa bahay, ibig sabihin ay Protestanteng Bibliya ang iyong binabasa at hindi ang Katoliko at Ortodoks na Bibliya. Mas mabuting kumuha ng tamang Bibliya upang ang katotohanang iyong binabasa ay buo at kumpleto.

Nang tanungin ni Pedro ang ating Panginoong Hesukristo kung ilang beses natin dapat patawarin ang ating kapwa, simple lang ang sagot ng ating Panginoon: pitumpu't pitong beses.

Ano ang ibig sabihin ng ating Panginoon dito?

Totoong bilang tao, mahirap patawarin ang mga nambu-bully sa atin o pumipinsala sa kung sino tayo. Lalo na kung ang bagay na kinukutya nila ay isang bagay na pinaghirapan at pinahahalagahan natin nang lubos. Totoo rin na karamihan sa mga mahihirap na walang anumang ari-arian ay nagpapakumbaba hanggang sa punto na wala silang anumang mahalagang bagay o maipagmamalaki. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit sila pinagpala ng Diyos higit sa lahat, dahil sila ay mahirap sa puso at espiritu at palagi nilang pinatatawad ang mga nagkakasala sa kanila.

Ang takot ang ugat ng lahat ng kasamaan. Ngunit ang pagkatakot sa Diyos ang pinakamahusay na sandata na mayroon tayo laban sa lahat ng kasamaan. Kung ang takot sa kasamaan ang mananaig sa atin, humahantong ito sa pagkabigo at matinding galit. Ang galit na ito ay nagiging p**t, at ang p**t ay umaakay sa atin sa paghihiganti at p**t na nagngangalit. Ang p**t at nagngangalit na ito ang nagiging dahilan upang hindi tayo makapagpatawad.
Ang kawalan ng kakayahang magpatawad ay unti-unting nagpapabulok sa ating espiritu, na nagiging sanhi ng pagkawala ng ating kaluluwa.

Kung naramdaman mong naiinis ka o nagagalit sa isang tao minsan sa isang araw, normal lang ito. Ngunit kung ang ating galit ay nangyayari nang higit sa dalawang beses sa isang araw, kailangan na natin ng agarang tulong. Ang galit ay humahantong sa kawalan ng pagpapatawad.

Kailangan nating saliksikin nang malalim ang ating puso upang suriin kung mayroon tayong nakatanim na matinding tampo at p**t sa sinuman. At meron man, dahil dito, nagiging hindi tayo karapat-dapat na humarap sa ating Ama sa panalangin.

Kailangan nating itanim sa isip na ang galit at p**t ay nagpapalayo sa atin sa pagpapatawad, at ang hindi pagpapatawad ang hindi pagiging tunay na mga anak ng Diyos.

Kailangan nating magsumikap nang husto na maging mapagpatawad sa lahat ng oras. Mabagal sa pagkagalit at sagana sa pag-ibig. Ito lamang ang tanging paraan upang buong-puso nating mapatunayan na tayo ay mga naniniwala at tagasunod ni Kristo, at sa pamamagitan nito, nagiging saksi tayo sa nagliligtas na biyaya ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatawad sa mga nagkakasala sa atin.

Pagpalain kayo ng Diyos!

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