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Welcome to our Bible Study
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time A19 February 2017
In preparation for this Sunday’s LiturgyAs aid in focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM
1st Reading: Leviticus 19,1-2.17-18
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
17 "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him. 18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
The focus is on being holy.
1st Reading: Leviticus 19,1-2.17-18
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
17 "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him. 18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Commentary: In v.2, God requires his people to
be holy like him. In v.17, God forbids us to have
rancor with our brothers (blood brothers, relatives).
We may correct their mistakes but in the process we should not sin.
In v.18, God forbids vengeance and grudges against townmates and countrymen.
God requires us to be more positive: to love others.
God wants us to listen to him and do his commands.
It is the Lord / God speaking, the Holy One.
We cannot ignore him.
Reflections on the 1st Reading
We are called to imitate God. We should imitate God’s holiness. To be holy is to listen to God. God commands us to love our brothers,
sisters, and neighbors (relatives and non-relatives). We cannot be holy if we harbor grudge and
rancor against them. Choose love over hate.
Resp. Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13 R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;and all my being, bless his holy name.2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits.
3 He pardons all your iniquities,heals all your ills.4 He redeems your life from destruction,crowns you with kindness and compassion.
8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD,slow to anger and abounding in kindness.10 Not according to our sins does he deal with us,nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
12 As far as the east is from the west,so far has he put our transgressions from us.13 As a father has compassion on his children,so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
Resp. Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13 R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;and all my being, bless his holy name.2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits.
3 He pardons all your iniquities,heals all your ills.4 He redeems your life from destruction,crowns you with kindness and compassion.
8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD,slow to anger and abounding in kindness.10 Not according to our sins does he deal with us,nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
12 As far as the east is from the west,so far has he put our transgressions from us.13 As a father has compassion on his children,so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
Commentary The psalm is classified as hymn of
praise. In vv.2-3, the psalmist blesses
(praises, give thanks to) God. He reminds himself of God’s
graces. V.3 says God is a forgiving God.
He pardons our sins and heals us. V.4 says God is redeemer. He
saves us from destruction. He is kind and compassionate. V.8 says God is merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, very kind. V.10 says God deals with us not
according to our sins and crimes, (but according to his mercy.)
V.12 says that God’s compassion is boundless.
In v.13, God tenderly shows his compassion
Reflections on the Psalm We should bless (praise) the Lord, for he
is good. God is forgiving and compassionate. We must not be afraid to approach him
for the forgiveness of our sins and the healing of our infirmities.
Can you affirm, based on your, that God is really merciful?
Bless the Lord, my Soulhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY7craSYV9Y
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
16 Are you not aware that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple. 18 Let no one delude himself. If any one among you thinks he is wise in a worldly way, he had better become a fool. In that way, he will be really wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is absurd with God. Scripture says: "He catches the wise in their own craftiness,“ 20 and again: "The Lord knows how empty are the thoughts of the wise.” 21 Let there be no boasting among men. All things are yours, whether 22 it be Paul or Apollos or Kephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all these are yours, and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.
The focus is on being Temples of the Holy Spirit.
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 16 Are you not aware that you are
the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple. 18 Let no one delude himself. If any one among you thinks he is wise in a worldly way, he had better become a fool. In that way, he will be really wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is absurd with God. Scripture says: "He catches the wise in their own craftiness,“ 20 and again: "The Lord knows how empty are the thoughts of the wise.” 21 Let there be no boasting among men. All things are yours, whether 22 it be Paul or Apollos or Kephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all these are yours, and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.
Commentary In v.16, Paul teaches that we
are the temple of God, temple of the Holy Spirit.
V.17 warns those who destroy the temple of God (humans). They, too, will be destroyed by God.
V.18 says it is foolishness to think ourselves better than others.
Vv.19-20 teach that man’s wisdom is absurdity to God.
It holds no water. Vv.21-22 forbid boasting.
God owns us and Christ.
Reflections on the 2nd Reading
We, Christians, are sacred. We are God’s dwelling place (by virtue of our
baptism). No one should destroy or desacralize us. We should not lower our level by boasting
or by taking pride in human wisdom. We must believe and admit that we are
God’s own and act accordingly. Do you know who you are sacred in
God’s eyes? Act as such. Don’t be stupid.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5,38-48 38 JESUS said to his disciples: "You have heard the
commandment, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But what I say to you is: offer no resistance to injury. When a person strikes you on the right cheek, turn and offer him the other. 40 If anyone wants to go to law over your shirt, hand him your coat as well. 41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the man who begs from you. Do not turn your back on the borrower.
43 "You have heard the commandment, 'You shall love your countryman but hate your enemy.' 44 My command to you is: love your enemies, pray for your persecutors. 45 This will prove that you are sons of your heavenly Father, for his sun rises on the bad and the good, he rains on the just' and the unjust. 46 If you love those who love you, what merit is there in that? Do not tax collectors do as much? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is so praiseworthy about that? Do not pagans do as much? 48 In a word, you must be perfected as your heavenly Father is perfect."
The focus is on being perfect.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5,38-4838 JESUS said to his disciples: "You have heard the commandment, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But what I say to you is: offer no resistance to injury. When a person strikes you on the right cheek, turn and offer him the other. 40 If anyone wants to go to law over your shirt, hand him your coat as well. 41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the man who begs from you. Do not turn your back on the borrower.
Commentary The gospel reading is part of the teachings
of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount. (Mt 5-7)
In v.38, Jesus teaches us, Christians, not to be vengeful.
V.39 teaches us how to practice non-vengeance: No resistance, turn the other cheek, v.39
In v.40, Jesus teaches us, Christ’s disciples, to be more charitable. If people ask something, we should give more.
In the same vein, in v.41, when people ask us to accompany them, we should go with them a mile more, or, more than what is requested. We get out of our way.
In v.42, Jesus teaches us to be generous. We should give unconditionally.
Don’t be selfish.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5,38-48 43 "You have heard the
commandment, 'You shall love your countryman but hate your enemy.' 44 My command to you is: love your enemies, pray for your persecutors. 45 This will prove that you are sons of your heavenly Father, for his sun rises on the bad and the good, he rains on the just' and the unjust. 46 If you love those who love you, what merit is there in that? Do not tax collectors do as much? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is so praiseworthy about that? Do not pagans do as much? 48 In a word, you must be perfected as your heavenly Father is perfect."
In vv.43-44, Jesus teaches us not to be selective in our love.
We should embrace everyone. We should show our love to all, including those who give us headaches and heartaches, those who make us insecure.
V.45 gives the reason why we should be doing extra. To prove we are God’s children, who try to
imitate God. God takes care of everyone, just and unjust.
In vv.46-47, Jesus teaches that there is no merit in loving those who love us. There is nothing unusual in that. We must also exceed the “holiness” of sinners, not only that of the Pharisees and scribes.
In v.48, Jesus challenges us to be perfect in our love, to imitate the heavenly Father.
Reflections on the Gospel To be Christians, we must make a difference. Our love and virtues must be outstanding (they stand
out) and extraordinary. We are not supposed to be mediocre in our practice of
love and charity. We must all do this to imitate God in heaven, to be
perfect like him. Are you a forgiving and loving person? Do you give extra time (mile, money, dress) to your
loved ones and the needy? The meaning of perfection here is not flawlessness,
not being without error, but expanding your capacity to love, to accommodate/embrace more people in your heart. Level up!
Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm
The first reading teaches us to be holy, to love our neighbors.
The psalm teaches us to love God, because he is a forgiving and compassionate God.
The second reading teaches us to love ourselves, the temples of the Spirit.
The gospel reading teaches us to be perfect, to love everyone.
How to develop your homily / sharing
Love is the theme of the readings. For lovers, young and adult, this topic is
hot and exciting. We frequently talk about our boyfriends,
girlfriends, our ex-lovers, husbands and wives and children.
Experts in relationships talk about filial love, agapic, erotic, romantic love and platonic love.
The readings warn that love is hard work.
The first reading enjoins us to love our neighbors.
Our neighbors are the people next door, the strangers, our relatives, classmates and officemates, those who don’t belong to our inner circle.
We are commanded to love and to take care of them, as we love and take care of ourselves.
If we hate ourselves (because we are not that beautiful, intelligent, rich, loveable, attractive, charming, smart, etc.), we have a big problem.
Do you love yourself? Do you eat healthy food, get enough
rest and sleep? Do you follow a certain regimen
(discipline) and a rhythm, like regular meal, regular prayer time, regular work, regular exercise, etc?
Are you preoccupied so much with your external appearance?
Do you have a good attitude?
The second reading teaches us to love our bodies, our corporeality.
Our body is not just a material thing, composed of elements and electrical charges, but the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Each person is a sacred place of God. We should love it by treating it with respect
and reverence. It is the first place to encounter God.
You cannot feel God’s presence in your heart, if you treat your body shabbily, if you have no self-respect and if you don’t pray.
Do you avoid having a toxic lifestyle? (Always eating unhealthy foods, smoking, drinking, exposed to elements, chemical or substance addiction, in the company of the disrepute, no human and spiritual values)
Do you protect yourself from stressful lifestyle? (being workaholic, having many appointments, compromises, seldom home, etc., no time to eat, drink, rest and sleep)
Do you want to please everybody or to prove yourself?
Stop being foolish. You should know your priority.
Holiness is doing your priority.
The gospel reading teaches us to stretch out our hearts and hands to others.
We cannot be choosy/picky in our love.
We must love those whom we don’t like.
We must train ourselves to love (to have passion) people who are in need.
We must know how to handle those who offend and hurt us so much (no vengeance).
Christians do not have to be with friends all the time.
Perfection consists in embracing everyone with love.
Love is hard work, not emotionalism, eroticism, daydreaming, fantasizing or sentimentalism.
To love, you have to sweat it out. It is not convenient to love.
How do you show your love?
In our world today where there is so much violence, hostility, fragmentation, division, suspicion, destruction, etc., love must be shown in a concerted effort.
Agencies of governments and nations must coordinate with one another to eradicate the causes of violence.
Churches must be involved in inter-religious and intercultural dialogues (ecumenism) and common action.
No religion should preach hatred. (We cannot use religion to justify violence. – Pope Benedict XVI)
Couples must be trained to handle their problems, to reduce domestic violence (child abuse, wife battering, sexual assault, abandonment).
Our parishes, shrines, and religious organizations must promote love and healthy relationships.
They should not become breeding places of hatred and violence.
The leaders, the priests, the religious and the catechists must exhibit love and patience.
Parish programs must prioritize formation and character building.
Those who don’t attend formation must not be allowed to lead in the church.
We must reduce church riders or opportunists (they come when there is food, outing, video, and parties sponsored by the church. They disappear when there is formation and work.)
They must be formed to love and be relevant.
The eucharist is the sacrament of love. We cannot receive the holy eucharist if
we have no love. The eucharist is for those who respect,
revere and love their bodies, their neighbors and their God.
In the eucharist, Jesus comes down to us to give us love.
Our Context of Sin and Grace
Selfish Full of hatred Unholy, irreverent
conversations Vengeful, vindictive Culture of violence Acts of provocation Capitalistic, imperialistic (no
consideration and love for the weak and poor)
Playing with other people’s sensitivities, making fun of their deprivations
Absence of good will Having good intentions only
True Love Waits Movement (no sex before marriage)
Loving, compassionate Forgiving, big capacity
to understand Networking Altruism Generous Advocacies Holy, perfect
Suggested Songs
If we only have love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiCCXImRpeA&feature=related
One Man’s Hands http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxxxIcKJoMI
O Tao http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXhwzDRL7bM
Love Makes the World Go Round Peace Prayer of St. Francis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ8TGBB385c
Make me a Channel of your peace
Dear sisters and brothers,
Let us learn to love and to be holy.
Fr. Cielo