LAITY REFLECTIONS FOR THE 10TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
1st Reading: Genesis 3:9-15
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 130: 1-2.3-4.5-7a.7b-b (R. 7bc)
2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5: 1
Gospel Reading: Mark 3:20-35
Where Am I
The phrase "where are you" in Genesis 3:9 is translated from the Hebrew word "ayeh" (אַיֶּהֶה), which means "where" as in a state or condition, or "where are you?" as in a location. God's question to Adam is not just about physical location but also about spiritual condition. In the context of the fall, Adam and Eve hid from God, and Adam blamed Eve for the sin (Genesis 3:12). This attitude of blaming others blinds us from acknowledging our true spiritual state and hinders us from seeking God's help.
God's question "where are you" is an invitation to confront our true condition and acknowledge our need for Him. Similarly, in our faith journey, God continually desires to lift us up from wherever we are, but our tendency to blame others or circumstances can prevent us from recognizing our true spiritual state. Jesus' teaching in the gospel warns against blaspheming again the Holy Spirit, which can lead to despair and hardness of heart. This can cause us to refuse God's help and remain in our fallen state.
However, when we acknowledge our true condition and cry out to God, like the tax collector in Luke 18:13, "God be merciful to me, a sinner," we can experience His lifting power (Luke 18:14). God's question "where are you" is a call to spiritual self-awareness and surrender, while blaspheming against the Holy Spirit can lead to despair and separation from God. May we humble ourselves, acknowledge our true state, and cry out to God for His lifting grace.
Who are my brothers and sisters, Jesus says they are those who hear the word of God. O that today you would listen to His voice harden not your heart.
MY REFLECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD.
There are three lessons I want to reflect on in the 1st reading:
1. Act of disobedience and Contentment. God gave Adam and Eve all the fruits to eat except one. But they were not satisfied with all they had. I know that Economic Students won't agree with this, but the truth is that, when ever we are not contented with all our possessions we stand at the higher risk of falling into temptation and eventually committing sin. They had everything, but the ONLY ONE that God said don't touch, Eve still went ahead to collect from the Serpent and ate. That was disobedience of the Highest Order.
2.Confession. When we confesses our sins, we acknowledge our guilt and at the same time shows true repentance. In the case of Adam and Eve, non of them were ready to confess that they have sinned, and eventually they ended up being driven out of the garden. Most of us are still guilty of this act today. Sometimes we feel reluctant to go for confession when we sin. Possibly because we are not sure of staying away from those sins or such sin. But the truth is that, at anytime we confesses our sins and do our penance, the grace to stay away from such sin is giving to us through prayers. Because God Himself knows our weaknesses more than we know them ourselves. So whenever we made up our minds to go for confession, we are showing humility, acknowledging our guilt and showing true repentance.
3. The Blame game. God first questioned Adam who was the head of the family why he ate of the forbidden fruit. Adam blamed God that it was the woman whom God had given him that gave him the fruit to eat. He didn't want to accept that the fault of a wife is also the fault of the husband as a family that is truly United. At this point they were no longer that one United and Loving family. He abandoned his wife to her sin to face God alone. Most of us at times too fail to fight for our families, friends or loved ones when they are at fault. We disassociate ourselves from such persons because we don't want them to stain us with their guilt. But what is love when we cannot truly stand up for one another? The same way Peter denied Jesus 3times, that is how some of us often denied our loves ones whenever they're at fault. The blame game continues from Eve whom ate the fruit in the first place, but again she too shifted the blame to Satan. Perhaps, just perhaps, if any of them had said Sorry Lord, we have sinned against You by eating from this tree, may be, somehow, we would still be in that garden today. We would not be facing with all these hardships and death everywhere. Sorry can go a long way in repairing the damages that one cause. May the good Lord help us to be people that will always acknowledge our sins, say sorry and truly repent from them amen.
My Reflection from the First Reading!!
One of the Vatican II Council Fathers of the Church, Karl Rahner rightly observes that "God's interrogation to Adam, where are you?" Does not pertain to geographical location or space but to the state of Adam's life. God is simply asking Adam, 'where are you as regards your relationship with me?'. This is synonymous to the question God poses to all of us any time we deviate from His injunctions.
We pray for God's grace to always do His will. Amen!
What if Adam and Eve broke down and asked God to forgive them, what would have been the reaction of God?
The sacrament of penance is not an avenue for us to narrate and give reasons why we fall into a particular sin or sins.
It is a session for us to pour our hearts to God in total submission for help and grace never to return to the sin again.
May God grant us His grace.
Nathaniel Onwuasoegwu
My Reflection is on the first reading.
Mary has always been in the mind of God from the very beginning.
Gen 3:15.
......enmity between you & the woman first.
Secondly between your seed & her seed.
The woman.Who is the woman?
It wasn't Eve for sure.
Little wonder she went into hiding when God came visiting.
So who could the woman be?
The only person to readily come to mind is Mary.
Rev 12:1-4.
The woman gave birth to a child who is to rule the world.
Is it possible to be hiding from God yet we do not know?
It's only SIN that can make us hide from God just like Adam & Eve.
All through the scripture never was it known that Mary hid from God.
We hide from God when we stay away from the sacraments.
When last did we go for confession?
We are hiding from God if it is more than 6 months.
When last did we receive the holy Eucharist?
We are hiding from God if it more than a year.
When last did open our Bible or say the rosary?
We are hiding from God if it's more than 6 months.
When was the last time we attended mass?
Let's learn from Mary.
The woman who never hid from God but cooperated with God in our salvation.
Her fiat is worth emulating.lets say YES to God's will at all times in all places.
Let's stop hiding from God.
Go for confession.
Go for holy Eucharist
Go far Mass.
Say the Rosary.
Many of us like Adam
We hide from God.
When we have stayed out of the sacrament for years
Especially that of penance & holy Eucharist.
We hide from God when we no longer attend Mass.
My Reflection
I keep imagining in my small head most times how the world would have been if not for the sin of our first parents Adam and Eve which was disobedience.
This sin was the Genesis of the evil in the world with the accompanied destructive result. To make it worst they even played blame game instead of accepting wholeheartedly the responsibility of their actions. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent and finally everyone partake in the result of it both Adam, Eve and the serpent. My mind keeps telling me that if Adam has accepted his failure as the man of the house as well as Eve accepted her failure as the woman of the house and they both begged God for forgiveness rather than Adam telling God it is the woman you gave me and Eve telling God it's the serpent, things wouldn't have been this way.
Nevertheless, me and you keep playing such attitude even when we ve seen it didn't benefit our first parents.
That time Adam and Eve was even hiding because they knew they ve disobeyed God's commandment, but today what do we do? We will even stand out as if it's nothing and even challenge God or begin to justify our sinful attitude.
That's the reason that loving relationship between man and God keep deteriorating and that mutual love relationship between Adam and Eve weakened too.
May the sacred heart of Jesus and the immaculate heart of Mary grant us the grace we need to always strive to obey God in all our actions
