Seeing Jesus

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 27 October 2024
Jeremiah 31:7-9 ><}}}}*> Hebrews 5:1-6 ><}}}}*> Mark 10:46-52

*Photo by author, Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.*

“Seeing” is a word with so many meanings for us. More than its literal sense of having eyesight, “seeing” is used as a metaphor like referring to understanding when we say “I see your point” or poetically as in to see with one’s heart.

Filipino mothers have a very funny, unique expressing about seeing when telling us children to look for something that if we could not find it, every Nanay fumes with a warning saying, “kapag hindi mo nakita iyan, makikita mo sa akin!”

Whatever that means, it shows “seeing” reveals to us a lot about ourselves and others, of life and most especially of God.

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me”… he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him”… Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way (Mark 10:46-48, 49, 51-52).

See Mark’s gift in storytelling in this second crucial teaching by Jesus on discipleship sandwiched between His third prediction of His Pasch and entrance to Jerusalem.

See the contrast between James and John “wanting” fame and power by seating beside Jesus in glory and Bartimaeus “wanting” to see Jesus: the brothers were rejected after being told “you do not know what you are asking” whereas the beggar’s plea was granted after asking him “what do you want me to do for you?”

Clearly, this is about what we see in Jesus, of how ironic like James and John that we who have eyesight and closer to Jesus do not have the vision of a blind beggar like Bartimaeus asking to see more of Jesus, more of faith, more of life!

The scene has many layers so beautifully assembled together by Mark for us to see beyond our sight in order to have a clearer vision of discipleship and ultimately of God in eternal life.

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, 
he began to cry out and say, 
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." 
And many rebuked him, 
telling him to be silent. 
But the more he kept calling out all the more, 
"Son of David, have pity on me."

*Photo by author, Jericho City, the Holy Land, May 2019.*

Though blind, Bartimaeus “saw” Jesus, calling Him “Son of David” which is the messianic title of the coming Savior so awaited by the Jewish people. It is a title so unique among them, referred with David in the Old Testament being their greatest king and deliverer. Jeremiah tells us in the first reading today of how “the Lord has delivered his people… gathering the blind and the lame” (Jer. 31:7,8) now fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

How amazing that Bartimaeus without eyesight staying at the sides of the road of Jericho being able to “see” Jesus as his Savior, asking most especially the vision to see eternity like that man who approached Jesus two Sundays ago. The big difference is that Bartimaeus was convinced of his faith in Jesus based on what have heard about Him.

Very crucial here are the cries of Bartimaeus to Jesus as “Son of David”. See how the crowds around him tried to silence him but the more he shouted aloud to Jesus. That is more than persistence in prayer but a conviction in the very person of Jesus as Savior, as Messiah, as God, truly a Brother and a Friend.

Bartimaeus reminds us to go back to Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked the Twelve and us everyday, “who do you that I am?” Our answer to that question is essential because it is on that conviction and faith in Jesus where our prayers and prayer life itself are essentially hinged on. Now, compare what James and John saw in Jesus last Sunday with their request and with what the blind Bartimaeus saw in asking for his sight.

When we truly know Jesus, then we know what we want from Him. Many times in life, when we feel so blinded, when everything seems so dark we could not see where we are, who our friends are, when all we can do is simply cry like Bartimaeus, whispering Jesus, Jesus… that is when we unconsciously see Him right beside us.

*Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, Katmon Nature Sanctuary & Beach Resort, Infanta, Quezon, 2020.*

As Jesus was leaving Jericho 
with his disciples and a sizable crowd, 
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, 
sat by the roadside begging...
And many rebuked him, 
telling him to be silent.

See my dear friends how in this scene those traveling with Jesus looked upon Bartimaeus as an interruption on the journey to Jerusalem. It seemed like a distraction but the truth is, Jesus saw Bartimaeus as the very point itself of His journey!

We have seen this year how Jesus visited even the most unlikely places of pagan territories, of where lepers are even Samaritans to heal and speak to them. Jesus is always passing by in our lives but, are we there to meet Him?

Recall those failures and disasters that punctuated our lives, when we saw them as distractions and interruptions that have delayed and even set aside many of our plans, but, look now how those disasters were actually providential that led us to success.

When we review our lives, we see God truly writing straight with crooked lines with those countless times when He turned our failures into triumphs, sadness into joy, losses into gains. It was during those blinding moments in life when we were actually able to see clearly our selves, our family and friends, and most especially, God in Jesus Christ.

This is what the author of the Letter to the Hebrews is telling us in the second reading, of Jesus the Son of God, our eternal high priest exceedingly better and perfect than any high priest “able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness” (Heb. 5:2). Jesus is the Son of God who transforms not only water into wine or bread into His Body but most especially us like the blind Bartimaeus into whole persons again. The key is to keep our sights on Him, to see Him more clearly so that we can follow Him closely.

Jesus said to him in reply, 
"What do you want me to do for you?" 
The blind man replied to him, 
"Master, I want to see."

Jesus today is asking us too, “What do you want me to do for you?” What would our request be? What do we want? Jesus wants us to focus our sights to Him alone.

Discipleship is never about us but always Jesus, only Jesus who invites this Sunday to take a sincere look into ourselves like Bartimaeus, without alibis and excuses to root out whatever that keeps us from seeing Him truly like self-centeredness and selfishness or preoccupation with wealth and fame, or pleasures and comfort.

To see Jesus truly like Bartimaeus is to be like a child, to die into one’s self by “throwing aside” whatever we have, “springing up to come to Jesus”. That is when we discover too that the more we see Jesus, the more we realize that Jesus gives us more than what we ask Him because He is actually never far from us especially when we cry out to Him!

To see Jesus truly like Bartimaeus is to leave the sides and walk the main roads with Jesus to Jerusalem, up to His crucifixion. In doing so, we must learn to always stop for others struggling in their blindness to see Jesus too.

Most of all, to see Jesus like Bartimaeus is to keep on asking Him, “Master, I want to see” so that we keep on experiencing a new way of seeing Jesus in life’s many complexities these days that have rendered so many of us blinded by the enticing lures of the world. Amen. And, see yah! Have a new way of seeing life and others this week in Jesus!

*Photo by the author, Pundaquit Mountains in San Antonio, Zambales at the back of Nagsasa Cove, 19 October 2024.*

Is this meant for us or for everyone?

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Memorial of St. John of Capistrano, Priest, 23 October 2024
Ephesians 3:2-12 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 12:39-48

*Photo by author, Pampanga, September 2024.*

Lord Jesus,
many times I find myself
like Peter asking You
so often with his same
question especially 
when things get 
so difficult,
so trying:

Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so” (Luke 12:41-42).

Forgive me, Jesus,
when there are times I exclude
myself from the rest,
when I exempt myself
from your teachings,
when I unconsciously demand
from You some perks
and privileges for following You;
let me be your faithful servant
who takes care of others
even if my other fellow servants 
are remiss of their responsibilities
or worst when those You have
entrusted with authority
forget to be humble,
throwing their weight
around us,
insisting on their powers.

Give me the grace, Jesus,
to imitate St. Paul 
of ably dispensing God's grace
and mystery of salvation
to everyone despite the
many hurts and pains 
that often come with it.
Amen.

Unity in Christ

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of St. John Paul II, Pope, 22 October 2024
Ephesians 2:1-10 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Luke 12:35-38

*Photo by author, mountain range off the coast of Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.*

Glory to You,
O God our most loving Father
for this blessed Tuesday
as we celebrate the Memorial
of one your great servants in modern
time, Saint John Paul II,
the Pope who truly worked so hard
to spread the Good News 
of Jesus Christ our Savior,
especially to children and young people,
to the sick and suffering.

Oh how we miss him so much
most especially in his efforts to
promote unity in the real sense
without bending Church teachings
and traditions like St. Paul
who taught the unity
effected by Jesus Christ:

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Grant us through your Son
Jesus Christ the grace to have Him
always at the center of our lives
and in our efforts to bridge people
together despite their many differences
so that we may truly build the Body of
Christ here on earth.

Like St. John Paul II,
let us be faithful servants,
let us "gird our loins
and light our lamps"
awaiting your presence,
Lord Jesus,
of your coming
among people who open themselves
to building unity,
to coming together in your name
to promote peace and harmony
not a unity for the sake of appeasing
modern thoughts and trends,
nor to win favors or be popular
but truly standing firm in Jesus
and His teachings because truly,
as St. John Paul had taught us,
"Unity not only embraces diversity, 
but is verified in diversity."
Amen.

*Pope John Paul II, using his crosier for support, celebrates an outdoor Mass in Slovenia, Sept. 19, 1999. (photo: Gabriel Bouys / AFP via Getty Images)*

We are God’s handiwork

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Twenty-ninth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 21 October 2024
Ephesians 2:1-10 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 12:13-21

*Photo by author, the pristine Nagsasa Cove in San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.*

Your words today, O loving God
through St. Paul are so refreshing,
so lovely to read and hear,
very reassuring especially for 
those of us losing hope in life,
those so tired and exhausted,
those about to give up;
let us sing joyfully to You, O Lord,
and serve You gladness!

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them (Ephesians 2:10).

Everything that we have become,
every good and beautiful thing we do
is simply because of You, O God,
at work in us,
through us;
what a great honor, O God
You made us so good and beautiful,
You brought us here,
You sent us for a mission;
let us be open in order to give
our unconditional "YES" to Jesus Christ
in faith daily so that we may do continue your work
in keeping this a better and more humane world;
let us give our unconditional "YES" to Jesus daily
so we may experience your guidance 
and help in our undertakings
to reflect You, dear God,
so that it is You who is always
found and recognized in
everything we do that is true,
good, and beautiful;
let us not be preoccupied
with so much material wealth
and fame that fills us with greed
unable to satisfy the deepest 
longings of our hearts 
found only in You.
Amen.

*Photo by author, river leading to Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.*

When we do not know what “we want”

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 20 October 2024
Isaiah 53:10-11 ><}}}}*> Hebrews 4:14-16 ><}}}}*> Mark 10:35-45

The Jewish Cemetery of Mount of Olives facing the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem where the Messiah is believed would pass through when He comes, exactly where Jesus entered on Palm Sunday over 2000 years ago (photo by author taken in May 2019).

Jesus Christ’s three predictions of His coming Passion, Death, and Resurrection punctuate Mark’s narration of the Lord’s journey to Jerusalem. They were already fast approaching Jerusalem when Jesus revealed His third prediction of His Pasch to His followers.

According to Mark, the Twelve and the crowd were “amazed and were afraid” after hearing for the third time Christ’s coming Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

*Photo by author, Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, April 2017.*

And this was the prevailing mood among the followers of the Lord as they approached Jerusalem; beginning today and next Sunday, Mark reminds us of the need to have a clear sight and understanding of Jesus and His mission so that we may not be blinded by fame and glory in following Him like the brothers James and John:

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking… but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared” (Mark 10:35-38, 40).

Jesus said to them, 
"You do not know what you are asking."

*Photo by author, Betania Tagaytay, 2018.*

Whoa…! We might all exclaim with some indignation like the other ten Apostles upon hearing this request by James and John, two of the most intimate friends of Jesus with Simon Peter.

Were they trying to ease their worries and fears that they made the request without thinking it so well, a case of mema, me masabi lang? Or, do they really understand nothing at all of the Lord’s teachings especially last Sunday of the need to let go of our possessions to enter eternal life?

Whatever may be the reason, we could just imagine the treachery of the two who left the group behind, trying not to be noticed by the ten, and approached Jesus who was walking ahead. They have both belittled Jesus who reads the minds and the hearts of everyone. And most sad is the fact that many times, we too act like James and John.

Oh yes! We know so well of the sufferings and trials, of the “cup we have to drink and baptism we have to undergo” Jesus told the brothers. Very much like the two, we also know Christ always triumphs! Jesus never fails!

And that’s the crux of the matter here not only with James and John but with us: we bet on Jesus like in gambling casinos for we know Jesus wins all the time, hoping for some rewards following His glory.

James and John like us today believed so much in Jesus that despite His coming Passion and Death, they knew as we do that He would rise again and be King. Long before the Passion of Jesus had begun, still far from entering Jerusalem, James and John were already betting on the success and glory of Christ because they wanted a guarantee of a reward. It was a sort reminding Jesus they have always been with Him since the beginning like Peter last Sunday who bragged about having left everything to follow Him.

Are we not like them? It is the same attitude found among many of us not only in politics and government but even at home, in school and offices, or the church! Be the first to register to make it known how well qualified we are for commendations and rewards simply because of being in the company of every journey or advocacy or struggle.

It is the tragedy that happens even in our faith journey as Christians when we are blinded by so many worldly things about Jesus whom we see merely as a miracle-worker or worst, an ATM who never runs out of cash. We believe in Jesus as the Son of God, all-powerful and merciful who can do everything, especially the impossible as He had assured us last Sunday but many times, we do not know what we are asking like James and John.

When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be with so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you you will be slave of all. For the Son of God did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:41-45).

*Photo by author, wailing wall of Jerusalem, May 2019.*

Jesus clarifies today with us that His glory has nothing in common whatsoever with those things we gain here on earth by claiming our rights or resorting to undue favors, by competing with others to get the better of them or even push them away or step on them to crush them for us to be on top.

We cannot be Christ’s disciples if we are preoccupied with rewards. We serve Jesus because we love that we want to be with Him in eternal life. And in loving Him, we serve lovingly others without expecting anything in return simply because we love.

See how in calling together the Twelve, Jesus reminded them and us today of His central teaching of becoming like a child, confidently entrusting everything into the Father’s hands, exactly like Him, the Suffering Servant of God referred to by the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading who “gave his life as a ransom for many” (Mk.10:45).

Jesus reminds us this Sunday that love alone – like His self-sacrificing love on the Cross – is the basis of our relationships with each other, unlike the world where relations are based on power and domination.

Noteworthy too is the reminder of the author of the Letter to the Hebrews today about Jesus our High Priest who entered the sanctuary of heaven through the Cross so that we may be saved and receive mercy from the Father.

What else do we want Jesus to do for us when He had done everything for our salvation? Let us pray for a clearer vision of Jesus, to always see and find Him in our lives so that we desire only Him and share only Him. And follow Him like the blind Bartimaeus next Sunday. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead!

Only One

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist, 18 October 2024
2 Timothy 4:10-17 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 10:1-9

*Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, an orange-bellied flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonostigma), December 2023.*

Beloved: Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me… (2 Timothy 4:10-11).

Lord Jesus Christ,
I pray on this beautiful Friday
for those friends and dearest
ones who are like St. Luke to me:
"the only one with me"
in my moments of darkness,
of trials and sufferings,
when everyone was so busy
and never noticed me,
of my need for company
and comfort,
most especially
who reminded me 
of your fidelity 
and love.

Thank you, Jesus
for those people You
sent me like St. Luke,
"the only one with me"
in prayers as I journeyed 
through life's many adventures
and misadventures;
"the only with me"
who readily saw my points
of view;
"the only one with me"
who cheered me up
and let me cry;
"the only one with me"
in poverty;
"the only one with me"
who truly sought to understand
everything to bring out
the best in me,
to find the Christ in me.

O dear Jesus,
I pray for the other
St. Lukes You send us daily,
"the only ones" who care
and stand for women and children
still taken for granted in this world;
"the only ones" who work 
to uplift the marginalized like
the poor and widows,
the sick and those old
people living alone and dying;
most especially,
"the only ones"
still believing in You
and your Church,
still praying and
still proclaiming
your Gospel,
still remaining in Your side
amid the many lures
of this selfish, 
and godless world.
Amen.

Led by the Holy Spirit

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Twenty-eighth Week of Ordinary Time Year II, 16 October 2024
Galatians 5:18-25 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Luke 11:42-46

*Photo by author, Fatima Ave., Valenzuela City, 25 July 2024.*

Lead and guide us,
O Most Holy Spirit;
set us free from "the works
of the flesh: immorality,
impurity, licentiousness,
idolatry, sorcery, hatreds,
rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury,
acts of selfishness, dissensions,
factions" (Galatians 5:19-20);
cleanse our nation now facing
the realities of the truth of what we
have long suspected of filth and evil
that have shrouded the past 
administration's drug war;
so many lives were lost
and destroyed not only by
the deaths but all the lies
that were glorified;
be the courage and strength,
O Holy Spirit, of those finally
given the chance to stand for what is true
so that never again such reign of
darkness and terror be repeated.

Woe to us
and everyone who continue
to overlook the good of others!

Let your Spirit, dear Jesus,
bear fruit in us with "love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control"
(Galatians 5:22-23); fills us with your
Spirit today, Jesus, so we may be
more loving, thinking always of the
good of others above all.
Amen.

Faith working through love

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, Virgin & Doctor of the Church, 15 October 2024
Galatians 5:1-6 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 11:37-41

*Photo by author, somewhere in Pampanga, August 2024.*

What a wonderful Saint 
You have gifted us today,
dear Jesus in St. Teresa of Avila;
what a wonderful saint
we need so much these days 
to guide us in your Church,
one who has "faith working 
through love" (Galatians 5:6).

In this time when people
laugh at our traditions of old,
when liberalism is so adored,
modern thoughts highly praised
and so embraced that many of us
are so concerned in "cleansing the outside
of the cup and dish while inside us are
filled with plunder and evil" and pride,
so highly speaking of freedom, inclusivity
and sensitivity that in the process
we forget You, Jesus;
like St. Teresa of Avila,
lead us back to our faith
working through love that seeks
You in deep prayer by detaching
ourselves from the trappings of
this modern world like social media's
very alluring style of story-telling
that's empty inside because
of all outside as "palabas" -
one big show,
a circus.

We pray to You, Jesus,
through St. Teresa of Avila
for the grace of a contemplative spirit
in a world so active that frees us
from the slavery of one's own passions
and fantasies so that we can be
more free to become a loving person
who sees You in others we must serve.
Amen.

*Photo by author, 21 August 2024, St. Scholastica Spirituality Center, Tagaytay City.*

Evil generation

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday in the Twenty-eighth Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 14 October 2024
Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Luke 11:29-32

*Photo by Ms. April Oliveros at Mt. Pulag, March 2023.*

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This is generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah… and there is something greater than Jonah here” (Luke 11:29, 32).

Your words today,
O Lord Jesus are so striking - 
so destabilizing on a Monday
morning but looking back 
to our lives,
we deserve them
because they are true!

More than the evil
of the sins we have committed
that have hurt us all,
strained our relationships,
and destroyed our environment
is the evil of our continued 
disregard for You;
if sin is a turning away from
You, dear Jesus,
more evil is our rejection
of You like those people
in your time.

How sad until now
we keep on seeking signs
of God's presence among us,
of God's love and mercy for us
without realizing You are
God-is-with-us, 
the Emmanuel.

Worst than our sins
against each other and You
Jesus is our refusal to recognize
You because we cannot let go
of our own convictions that are
self-centered and self-serving,
thinking it is freedom.

Forgive us, Jesus
in our never-ending lists
of signs we ask from You
to prove us your love,
your presence,
your approval 
not realizing that the life
we now have, 
and continue to waste,
is more than enough of
your loving presence.


Let us realize, Jesus,
as St. Paul reminds us in the
first reading today
that You have come to set us
free from the slavery of sin
and evil in order to be free to
love and be faithful to You.
Amen.

Jesus “looking with love”

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 13 October 2024
Wisdom 7:7-11 ><}}}}*> Hebrews 4:12-13 ><}}}}*> Mark 10:17-30

Lately in my prayers I have felt so drawn on the “face” of Jesus, trying to imagine and feel how He looked at the various people He met in the gospel accounts. Most of all, of how Jesus looks at us too (https://lordmychef.com/2024/10/09/to-his-face/).

Consider our gospel this Sunday that shows us how Jesus has that “look of love” to everyone. No matter how bad and sinful we may be, He is full of love and mercy, compassion and joy in seeing us. The problem is often the way we look at Him like that man who approached Him as well as the disciples conversing with Him who were all so much like us.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments…” He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!” It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things possible for God” (Mark 10:17-27).

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.*

Jesus, looking at him, loved him...
his face fell, went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

We readily identify with this man because all of us have the same question deep in our hearts to Jesus, wondering there must be more to keeping the commandments, of being good, of a better way to get into eternal life that is not necessarily a shortcut.

In fact, we have to rejoice, dear friends if we ask the same question because it is a grace that can only come from God, so unlike the Pharisees who asked Jesus last Sunday on the legality of divorce because they wanted to “test” Him. See how Jesus like last week brought us all back to the Sacred Scriptures, the very word of God expressing His will in human terms. The question was a sincere longing for God like the Psalmist, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counsellors”; “I observe your precepts and testimonies; all my ways are before you” (Ps. 119:24, 168).

Jesus looked at the man with love because He saw a great opening for more grace in him that is why He told him to sell everything he had, give it to the poor and follow Him. At that moment, like most of us, his face fell and went away sad because he had many possessions.

Are we not this man too who can’t look at Jesus with the same love because we probably love somebody or something else than Him found among those in the margins of our lives?

Jesus looked around...
the disciples were amazed.

If Jesus did not care at all and has no love for those around Him, He would have not looked around after that man had left. Here is the lovely thing with Jesus: His look is always filled with love for us His disciples, a look so penetrating, so luminous because He is divine.

What is amazing is not only that it is difficult for us to enter the kingdom of God due to our many attachments, sinfulness and weaknesses, but, despite all these, Jesus still speaks to us, conversing with us because He simply loves us so much! Jesus never looks on qualifications but instead qualifies His call so we can follow Him. Most of all, look at Him too!

Consider the amazing grace for us to remain in Jesus, albeit hiding that question in our hearts so afraid to ask because we know His answer would be so unexpected like in this scene and yet, here is Jesus looking around, looking at us with love sincerely telling us it is not easy at all. Remember the bread of life discourse of how Jesus talked straight because He was sincere and truthful to us that it is difficult to follow Him to the Cross which is what discipleship is all about. Just keep following Jesus, keep looking at Him no matter what!

*Photo by Mr. Jay Javier, Quiapo Traslacion 2020.*

Jesus again said to them...
they were exceedingly astonished.

Wow…! See the style of Mark who was not contented in writing how astonished the disciples were by describing them as “exceedingly astonished”. See his attention to details, so wonderful and beautiful because what is exceedingly astonishing is Jesus Christ’s love for us, not just His words!

Here, Jesus was already telling the disciples what would happen on Good Friday, of how Jesus would do everything for us all – that is, in doing the impossible that is only possible with God because He loves us so much.

Like what St. Paul had extensively reiterated to the Galatians in the weekday readings last week, Jesus did everything for us to be saved. Salvation is a gift, a pure grace from God. It is never our work; stop playing God, or a Messiah! There is nothing we can really do to be saved except to be like a child as Jesus had reiterated these past two Sundays.

To be like a child is to completely trust Jesus every step of the way especially on His way to Jerusalem. Now we see the importance of having that child-like attitude to belong in the kingdom of God as Jesus identified what await His disciples in following Him: “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come” (Mark 10:30).

Don’t be sad now. Mark had a purpose in writing the persecutions that await every disciple of Jesus because these shall purify us, give more depth and meaning to our lives and existence.

Mark knew so well how everyone is like the author of the Book of Wisdom who lived in a time similar with ours with all the affluence around us that deep inside us we still feel and know for sure that life is more than comfort and pleasures. He knew too the story of King Solomon like us so blessed with that consciousness that more than the material wealth and fame the world offers us, what matters most in life is wisdom to discern what is right and good.

These are difficult indeed for us, like getting married threatened by divorce then and now; but, again Jesus proposes an ideal, inviting us to remain in Him in prayers. After all, Jesus is the word of God who became flesh is “living and effective” among us found in the Sacred Scriptures (second reading) to guide us closer to Him.

Let us not worry because Jesus had done everything for us to be saved. Stay in the Lord, and let our face shine with His love! Keep looking at Jesus who looks at us full of love today and always. Have a blessed week ahead!