A PAT ON THE BACK

There are many prominent historical figures in the Old Testament whom we see the prefigurement of Christ. I can never forget how Fr. Tony in his desire to define the great act of love that God wanted to convey to us referred to it as a strip tease act. This is to emphasize how Jesus Christ in the fullness of time came to be the fulfillment of all that is written in the Old Testament. For our teasers we can start off with Jonah who was thought to be dead after being swallowed by the whale for 3 days. At first he resisted God’s plan only to come forth alive and proclaimed the words to a conversion of life. Moses himself is promised the Messiah and led his people from slavery in Egypt to the promised land. We all look to one day being with Go in heaven. Solomon sits on the throne with great wisdom and people come from all over to hear him speak. He built a beautiful temple in the Holy City and we know historically what he spoke. Though, Solomon’s wisdom is nothing compared to Jesus. In today’s 1st reading from Hebrews he has this description of Melchizedek which is also in Genesis 14:18-19, “…priest of God Most High, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; “ This is also a prefigurement of Jesus being offered as a sacrifice in the Holy Mass. The type of sacrifice he offered is bread and wine. What do we offer during the Holy Sacrifice of Mass we also offer the same bread & wine. We have the ultimate sacrifice once and for all in Jesus the true priest. Amen. Hallelujah!

Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17
1 “Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,” “met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings” and “blessed him.” 2 And Abraham apportioned to him “a tenth of everything.” His name first means righteous king, and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace. 3 Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. 15 It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become so, not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 For it is testified: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

We have a high priest in Jesus Christ our Lord who intercedes for us before God now and forever. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4
R: You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Rule in the midst of your enemies. (R) 3 Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”

Today’s gospel wanted us to realize a very important and essential matter in following God’s commands. We may all know the 10 commandments but do we truly know them by heart and abide by them in the Spirit of God. Sometimes we are too preoccupied by the letter of the law and have a tendency to neglect what truly matters, the spirit of the law which is love. There should be no room for any doubt that God speaks to us through our daily circumstances. We can never deny that there are moments when we hesitate to do something, hold back or question the reason for a certain act. It is very consoling to know that we have a God who knows exactly what we are going through. If we come to Him for guidance and direction, He will surely not lead us astray. In the gospel a question arises, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Sometimes there are instances in our lives when we are confronted by a dilemma. Whether we do something or not is always a question that we need to face daily. In fact just today I was compelled to do something I am not totally happy about but just the same I needed to do what I had to do. I am very touched and felt like God gave me a pat on the back upon reading Fr. Benny’s reflection from Sabbath. Here it is entitled , THE WITHERED HAND
The Jews had a very high, if not an absolute, respect for their laws. These laws were derived and sourced out of the laws given by Yahweh to Moses. Jesus, a Jew, knew all of these laws by heart and lived them to the full. In the Gospel today, we can dispense the idea that Jesus was not aware of this regard for the Law, which includes the law on the Sabbath — that no one is to cure on that day, among other things.
But Jesus took the opportunity here, in the case of the man with the withered hand, to bring forth the true and essential spirit of the Law. He asked the disturbing question to those around Him, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Jesus did not really violate the Law but put it in its correct perspective. The ultimate end is goodness and life. “Good” here is not the relative worldly good but the absolute divine good. Life here is really more of life in the Lord than just mere breathing. It is not against the Torah but a deepening of it. Once I was in a retreat together with priests from other countries in Europe, Asia, USA and Latin America, in Novara, Italy. Near the end of the retreat, it was announced that we would take a break after dinner, which was unusual. No reason was given. I asked my Argentinian seatmate why and he said it was because of the World Cup in football and Italy was playing against Argentina. I could not believe what I heard! Later, seeing them watch the game made me appreciate the decision even if I did not fully understand it.
Only God knows whether it was reasonable enough or in accordance with the Spirit. I tend to believe it is. The message in today’s Gospel becomes clearer. Each of us, in our heart, has a good connection with God. The decisions we make are guided and influenced by various people, events and faith. In the end, it is between us and God. As Cardinal Rosales once said, “With love and God, you cannot go wrong.” Goodness and life are testimonies of loving and a spark of the divine! Fr. BennyTuazon

Reflection Question:
Am I a stickler for rules or do I have enough sensitivity to put the spirit above the law?

Lord, grant me an open heart and mind to always listen to the dictates of the Spirit rather than the letter of the law.


Mark 3:1-6
...He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.” 4 Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. 5 Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.