The WORD in other words (2010) by Father Hermogenes Bacareza SVD – Catholic Trade Manila
Thursday 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
I have a beautiful niece named Babie. When she was barely nine years old, she invited me, her aunties, and some family friends to attend her make-believe class at an SVD retreat house in Panglao. I gladly accepted the invitation. It was such a joy to watch her act like a professional teacher, with confident gestures, sparkling eyes, and remarkable poise. Her “lesson” was delivered with surprising enthusiasm and conviction.
Can this scene teach us something about today’s Gospel?
The little girl had spent countless hours observing her mother. She followed her everywhere and could hardly bear to be away from her for long. She had experienced her mother’s love in a thousand little ways and had developed deep trust in that love. Her mother was an outstanding elementary school teacher, and Babie wanted to be like her. Thus was born her game of playing “Mommy.”
Is this not the way Jesus invites us to become compassionate as our heavenly Father is compassionate? “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). For this reason, He called the apostles first “to be with him” (Mark 3:14). They walked with Him, observed what He did, listened to His words, witnessed His compassion, and experienced His love. Gradually, His values became their values, His mission became their mission, and His heart became their heart.
When many disciples found His teachings difficult and abandoned Him, Jesus asked the Twelve if they too wished to leave. Peter answered on behalf of all believers: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
We too are given the opportunity to “follow Jesus around.” Every time we listen to the Gospel proclaimed at Mass, every time we pray with Scripture, we have the Gelegenheit (opportunity) to observe Christ, to discover what matters to Him, to encounter His love, and to let His values shape our own.
But do we truly take advantage of that opportunity?
Do we listen to Jesus while remaining uninvolved with Him? When He says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”(Matthew 5:44), do we react at all? Do we rejoice because we find ourselves capable of such love? Do we become angry because His command seems impossible? Do we feel sad because we cannot yet forgive?
Have we even stopped to recognize our reaction?
Awareness of our response is the first step toward genuine involvement with Jesus. Faith begins not merely by hearing His words but by allowing those words to touch our hearts.
Then, share your reaction with Him. Tell Him honestly your joy, your anger, your fear, your confusion, or your sadness. Of course, God already knows everything. As the Psalmist says: “O Lord, you search me and you know me” (Psalm 139:1). Yet we speak to Him because relationships grow through communication.
Just as every friendship deepens through honest conversation, so too our relationship with God grows when we open our hearts to Him. The more we share our lives with Christ, the more we experience the transformation He desires for us. This is what the Gospel calls metanoia—a conversion of mind and heart (cf. Romans 12:2).
Like little Babie, who became like her mother by observing, admiring, and loving her, we become like Christ by staying close to Him, listening to Him, and allowing His love to shape our lives.
May we spend enough time with Jesus that, little by little, we begin to think as He thinks, love as He loves, and become compassionate as the Father is compassionate. For the goal of discipleship is beautifully expressed by St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Amen.
