Saturday,
September 28, 2019
25th Week in
Ordinary Time
First Reading:
Zec 2: 5-9, 14-15
Gospel: Lk 9:43-45.
And all were astonished by the majesty of God. While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men”. But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
I had a friend who became a victim of a dubious marketing strategy. An agent told her that she was an instant winner in a raffle draw by random counting of passersby. To claim her prize, however, she had to enter the store to register. After registering, she was asked to buy an expensive item from the store to validate her win. She felt deceived.
Reflecting on her story I turned to the experience of the apostles. They thought they had followed a political Messiah – one who would fight for their rights. But they ended with a spurious Savior who did nothing but teach them how to look at the oppressive status quo from another perspective.
He himself died as victim of that status quo. Judas is the face of that disappointed segment of the citizenry. One theory is that Judas Iscariot was a member of the “Sicarii”, a cadre of assassins among Jewish rebels determined to drive the Romans out of Judea. Perhaps this explains why he handed Jesus over to the Romans. He wanted to force him to fight back and start a bloody revolution. This is one theory with lots of loopholes though. But the bottom line is the disappointment that befell those who followed Jesus thinking he was a political savior.
If they felt swindled, they couldn’t blame Jesus. From the start Jesus had laid down his cards. He said: “If you want to follow me you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow in my footsteps” (Matt. 16:24). Nobody asked him for any clarification. Peter did ask some questions, but he was more interested about the reward. Peter said to Jesus, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” (Matt. 19:27). We frown at Peter’s query because we know what he gave up: tattered fishing net, old fishing boat, and a nagging mother in law!
My friend went inside the store smiling but came out grumbling because she was manipulated into buying expensive things inside the store. No such manipulation happens in the company of Jesus. The requisites are clear. We must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow in his footsteps. If his footsteps led to Calvary, ours should go that way! – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.