How sensitive are you to the needs of the people around you, particularly those in your family, your workplace, your community? - Daily Reflections July 8,2014

BE DISCERNING JUST AS JESUS WAS

 

In today’s First Reading from the prophet Hosea, there seems to be an irony underlying the idolatry of Israel which the prophet strongly condemns. This is when Ephraim “made many altars to expiate sin,” which, however, “became occasions of sin.” How did that happen? Hosea did not condemn the altars as such, but the lack of discernment of the people who used them. Similarly, in the Gospel, the Pharisees’ negative reaction to Jesus’ healing of the mute demoniac suggests a hasty, misplaced judgment — that of wrongly interpreting Jesus’ action and immediately putting a biased view against it.

       How easy is it for us as well to mistake God’s ways in our lives. How readily do we harbor a tampo (ill will or grudge) against Him! If only we can be more discerning and more discreet, in our prayer to Him.

      In the latter part of the Gospel, Jesus commands us to “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest” (the famous “rogate ergo” for more vocations). Given the sad reality of the dearth of vocations in the Church, especially vocations to the priestly and religious life, we have to heed and obey Christ’s directive. How often have we done this?

       We probably think that all is well anyway, or we indifferently refuse to see and to be involved. But Jesus’ own assessment of the situation should shake us up and make us see the not-so-pleasant truth. Upon the healing of the demoniac, the crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” Jesus Himself didn’t simply gloss over the misery of crowds of sick people. In fact, He was “moved with pity for them for they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” That urged Him to make the prayer-command to His disciples.

       If only we can be compassionate and sensitive just as Jesus was. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: How sensitive are you to the needs of the people around you, particularly those in your family, your workplace, your community?

 

Grant me a compassionate heart, Lord, that can listen well to the unspoken pleas for help from the people around me.