Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Author: A Dose of God Today

  • New Normal

    New Normal

    January 2, 2022 – Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

    Click here for the readings (https://catholicreadings.org/the-epiphany-of-the-lord/)

    A man once asked a wise priest: “Father, how come unlike before God seems to be not talking or speaking to us anymore?” The priest replied: “It is not that God is not anymore talking or speaking to us. But rather it is that nowadays nobody is humble enough to stoop down to listen to Him. Nobody… nowadays… are humble enough… to stoop down … to listen to Him. Bihira nalang ang mga tao ngayong panahon na lumalapit sa Kanya na may pagpakumbaba upang marinig Siya at makinig sa Kanya.

    True enough that there are times in our lives that God seems to be silent and absent to us. But during those moments of our frustrations and hopelessness with God, perhaps it is better to consider not His seeming absence or silence, but rather perhaps that we have reach already too far and high in life that we don’t anymore get near and low to listen to Him. Siguro napakataas at napalayo na ng ating narating na hindi na tayo lumalapit at may pakumbabang marinig Siya at makinig sa Kanya.

    For the past Sundays, during Advent and these Christmas Seasons, we came to know several people who became involved in the birth story of Jesus and happened to encounter God and begun to know God’s will for them in life. Mary met God through angel Gabriel and became the mother of Jesus. Through a dream, Joseph became responsible poster-father of Jesus. Zacharias became the father of John, after meeting an angel in his old age. Elizabeth became pregnant with John in her old age after her husband’s encounter with the angel. Shepherds saw and learned from an angel that God’s gift to all has been borne in Bethlehem and they became witnesses (godfathers’ or ninong) of baby Jesus. And now in our gospel, the three kings come to know where baby Jesus, God-promised they have been searching, is through a bright-guiding star.

    All these people and their experiences are telling us that God had made Himself and His will know to them, and God will always continue to make manifest Himself and His will to us until now. Same way as before, we might experience once again God and His will for us now, if and when we honor our dreams, listen and witness God’s word and actions in us shown to us by his angels or messengers. God still continues to manifest or reveal Himself to us in many ways through the faith and actions of our community and church as we share each other God’s word, good advice, kind and loving service with others, and responsible guidance and parenthood of our elders and leaders. Even in a special way for us Filipino Catholic, we sense God through our kalooban and pangdama. Kilala ko siya dahil dama ko siya. Malapit ang loob ko sa kanyang salita at galaw.

    Today, in the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, marks the end of Christmas Season. Today is to remind us that more than about the three Kings, God is still making Himself and His will know to us. He is still reaching out and communicating to us many many ways. He is still talking and speaking to us, like before. All we need to do is to be humble enough to stoop down to listen and be sensitive to Him and His ways of revealing Himself to us.

    Moreover, Epiphany also reminds us that once we become humble enough to sense, hear, and honor God and His will to us now, we must change our ways.

    In our gospel today, we are reminded us of what happened when the three kings found the child Jesus lying in the manger in Bethlehem. Guided by the star, in great joy, they saw the child Jesus and they did him homage. Their encounter of Jesus and the Holy Family in Bethlehem brought the three kings great joy for they have finally found what they are looking for. With this, they offered their gifts in homage and thanksgiving to God’s greatest gift to all.

    But let us not forget that after they have witnessed the Son of God, they returned by another different way. This is not because they were afraid of Herod, but their encounter with Jesus has also changed their lives. Because of their experience with the baby Jesus, their lives were never the same again. They did not follow the usual path, but they now tread a different way, perspective, and attitude to life. Like our experience with a newly born baby, after they have recognized God in the child Jesus, the lives of the three kings were never the same again. The child Jesus brought them great joy as well as great changes in their way of life. 

    In the same way, the moment we recognize and accept the Lord, life will never be the same again. This would mean that once we listen and honor God’s will for us, life will never be the same again, for it has to change for the better. As God comes into our lives, New Normal life should be.

    As we say goodbye to Christmas season & start a New Year of pandemic realities may we be more sensitive to God’s continuing manifestations to us (His ways of making Himself and His will know to us) and be more open to be change and be responsible for the gift of life God is offering us always. Amen.

  • Parenting 101

    Parenting 101

    Decemember 26, 2021 – Feast of the Holy Family

    In our Wednesday novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, one intention we pray is that we may learn to adapt to our growing children. Parenthood, as we all know, is not only about raising children but also adjusting to our growing children. Thus, to parent a child is more than just caring for the growth of the children; it is also learning in the process, as children grow in maturity and age.

    Being Redemptorist missionary involved in parish, retreat, missions, and migrant ministry for many years, I became aware of the difficulties of parenthood. Difficult it is to adapt with life-changes, how much more adapting to growing children. In confessions and counseling sessions with faithful people, I become conscious of the hurts & pains suffered by both parents and children in their difficulties with parenthood. Parents hurt by their children’s disobedience, i.e., going against their will; children blaming their parents for their misfortunes in life. Sipmply because of our limitations in parenthood. Parenthood indeed is not an easy task, & rightly so that we pray to OMPH that we may learn from our experiences of adapting to the growth of our growing children.

    Today, we honor the Holy Family, the family who parent the child Jesus. Our gospel tells us that like any other family, the Holy Family also experienced the difficulties of parenthood. As parent, Joseph and Mary followed the proper traditions of raising the child Jesus. They did their best. But as we all know, they also experience how Jesus became disobedient to them, going against their will.

    Surely parents here could resonate with the hurts, pains, and anxieties they experience when children start to grow up and be on their own. Like my mother would even say, when we, her children started to have our live our own, “Kung puede palang ibalik sa tiyan.” (If I could only bring you back in my womb…) It is the same way with the experience of a hen that raises ducks as her chicks. When the duck-chicks, which by nature a swimmer, start to swim and float on a fond, the mother hen – because she cannot swim would be extremely worried and anxious that her chicks-ducks might get drowned. This is also what and how Joseph and Mary experienced parenting Jesus. When the child Jesus began to grow up in age & maturity, his parents also experienced the difficulties of parenthood.

    However, the Holy Family’s experience might teach us more about parenting and parenthood, especially in terms of adapting to our growing children.

    First, Parenthood is a whole family matter – not only of parents but also of children. To parent a family is not only about the husband-and-wife tandem in raising their children but it is more on the dynamic teamwork between parents and children. If it was difficult for Mary and Joseph to raise and adjust with Jesus, it was also difficult for Jesus to grow up in his own family. In as much as being parent is difficult, we also know that growing up maturely (to be on our own) is difficult. If Jesus only obey his parents’ will, I wonder would we able to benefit from and share with the salvation God has given us through Jesus, who did not remain a child of Mary and Joseph but become our Christ, our Savior? As the parent adjust, children also adjust.

    Second, Parenthood is also about trusting in God’s way of parenting us – of raising and forming us His children. Inasmuch as we are tasked to parent our little ones – raising and adapting to their growth, we must never forget that ultimately God is our Father, our ultimate parent; and we are all His children. If we do want the best for our children, God also knows, wants, and does what is best for each one of us. God knows what was best for us when we were children, surely, he knows what is best for us when we become mature adult parent to His little ones. If we do want our children to obey us, we also are to obey God our father who knows best & better than what we want. So, trust and have faith in God’s will, in God’s way of parenting us.

    To parent a child is to work together then with one another as family of parent and children as well as to work with and in deep faith and trust of God’s way of parenting us.

    Christmas challenges us Christian to be responsible parents of Jesus in our lives today. Parenting our growing children is also our way of being responsible to the child and adult Jesus – God’s word made flesh, into our very lives now, according to God’s will & not our own ways.

    As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, we pray that the Holy Family will continue to inspire all Christian families and communities in parenting our growing children for God’s glory, not ours. Amen.

  • Faith-Sharing

    Faith-Sharing

    December 19, 2021 – Fourth Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121921.cfm)

    Once during our Mission at the outskirts of Dumaguete City, I happened to visit an old lady in her home. She was sick, bedridden, and alone in her payag-payag. When she saw me, she cried out with joy because someone cared to visit her. After we introduced ourselves as Redemptorists missionaries, I heard her confession, prayed over her, administered to her the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and gave her Holy Communion. Again, she cried for joy because it has been quite a while since she last received Holy Communion. To lighten the situation, I asked her if she could still sing. Right there and then, she sang, “O Birhen Maria” the whole song, since she missed the Wednesday novena for OMPH in our Perpetual church in the city. As we were about to leave, she also asked me if I could visit her sickly neighbor. She also wanted to share to her sickly neighbor her experience of faith & joy in our visit with her.

    Such experience reminds me of our gospel today and of how Elizabeth responded to the event. As Mary visited her, Elizabeth felt so honored, blessed, and happy that she praised the Lord, professed her faith, and blessed Mary. The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is a sharing of joy and faith.

    Christmas is also about visitation and sharing of faith and joy. Christmas is not only about Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and others, but most of all, about God. The story of our salvation is all about God visiting us, and we, welcoming Him into our lives. Then, God offers us His son, and we are blessed and honored to accept His Son into our lives and to share Him to others. Like the experience of lola and Elizabeth, it is a great honor and blessing for us to be visited by God and being given us His son as His first gift to us. Same feeling we would have, when a mother and her newly-born baby come to visit us in our home. It brings great joy, honor, praise, and fellowship amongst us.

    https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=mary+and+elizabeth&sxsrf=AOaemvL_auRFe6RansIc_sc0TK4MtjANlA:1639874640410&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjimauL0e70AhVdUGwGHZ70Ci0Q_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1409&bih=670&dpr=2

    This is the story of our Salvation – a series of visits and sharing. We celebrate and share life, blessings, graces, and faith – which should be the essence and importance of Christmas.

    At Christmas, we usually gather for the Eucharist and share food, time, stories, and gifts with one another. But seldom we do talk and share with each other about our faith in Incarnation, the Word of God made flesh in our lives, and its implications. Each of us has a private belief, theology, or understanding of Christmas, which, with regret, we usually keep private. We rarely share our joy and faith in God with others.

    Time for us now to share our faith, most especially during these pandemic times, where & when we do feel at times estranged, isolated & neglected from one another. Deep inside, we do like to be visited, blessed & encouraged by others & one another. We do also like to share our life-stories & faith-journeys with one another. All it takes is just a simple act of kindness through our personal smiles, hellos, kamustahan, and above all, our virtual or face-to-face visits. 

    Remember, Christmas is more than just about food, gifts, and presents, but most of all it is about faith. The deepest, most personal, and most memorable gift we can and have to share with others this Christmas is our Christian faith. Our Faith is an expression of God’s word becoming flesh in our lives. To share our faith with others & one another is our great gift to others this Christmas. We know and believe in the message of Christmas. Time for us now to be the messenger of Christmas. Time for us now to be faith-sharers to others & one another.

    As we are about to celebrate Christmas, like Lola and Elizabeth, may we joyfully expressed and share our faith to others since “Blessed are they who trusted that the Lord’s message to them would be fulfilled”

    So be it. Amen.

  • OF DREAMS & ASPIRATIONS

    OF DREAMS & ASPIRATIONS

    December 12, 2021 – Third Sunday of Advent, GAUDETE SUNDAY

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121221.cfm)

    Three parents were asked about their dreams and aspirations for their respective children. The first one said: “I wish that my kids will be successful in life”. The second one said, “I want my kids to be happy in life”. The third one said: “All I wish is that my kids will grow in life righteous and worthy before God and others.

    Success, happiness, and righteousness are three great and nice aspirations in life. We all wish to have all these dreams in life, but we do also know that we cannot have always all these in life. That is why it is important for us to recognize our own dreams and aspirations in life, as well as what is proper for us, as Christians?

    To aspire for success in life today is never easy, because there are many options and standards. As a consequence, we are not easily contented with life. In order to succeed, we have to aspire for more and better than others. Thus, making others easily discouraged in life because they are not the dean’s lister, cum laude, boss, or millionaire, and hopeless because they are “not-yet but only a” from what they aspire to be. Others may have been already successful in life but done through corruption, lie and deception, and still not happy and still discontented in life.

    Nowadays, to aspire for happiness is also difficult because there are endless and unsatisfying possibilities. Like, a simple telephone or watch is not enough, it has to be a smartphone or smartwatch. Some would even be willing to lie and exploit others, just to keep up with Jonesses, with the latest and fashionable trends. That is why Gadgets are getting smarter while the people getting stupid. Others even may be enjoying a happy life now but at the expense of others by being a burden and dependent on others. 

    Yes, there are demands and shortcomings in life, but to aspire to be right and worthy before God and other has always been close and gentle in our hearts. To behave rightly before God and others is not only expected of us but also usually satisfy our hearts-desire.

    Thus, it is not our worldly success or happiness, but our worthiness before God and others is our deepest hearts-desire and God’s wish for us, and what should be proper for us Christians, as believers and followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

    When asked how to be and what to do  before God’s offer of salvation, John in our gospel today teaches the people then and us now to aspire and to be worthy and righteous as we are before God and others. What is required of us then in God’s salvation is our worthiness before God and others, and not our successes and happiness in life. He said, “If you are rich, share what you have. If you’re a tax-collector, don’t take advantage of others. If you’re a soldier, be fair and just with others”. In other words, Be worthy and righteous as you really are now before God and others.

    https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/205617539222809240/

    John knows himself. He is not the Messiah himself. He is only the voice and just the precursor to prepare the way of the Lord. But he also aspires to be a worthy friend of the bridegroom. He is not the Groom but the Best Man for the Groom. This is also what John wish for us – that We become the Best (worthy and righteous) Person for the Groom before God and others. 

    We may aspire to have a successful and happy Christmas this year and life next year, but may also not be righteous and worthy before the Lord. Or we may have an unsuccessful and unhappy Christmas and life ahead but still worthy and righteous before Him, as we behave rightly as we are called to be Christians to others. 

    Rejoicing at the Lord’s coming and being into our life now, is not about we being happy and successful in life, but because we behave and act rightly and worthily before God and others in life. To be worthy and righteous before God and others then is what we should and are we to do in life, even in these trying pandemic times, for us to once again and always openly received God’s continuing blessing of grace to us in life through His son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

  • General House Cleaning

    General House Cleaning

    December 5, 2021 – Second Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120521.cfm)

    To clean the whole house. A family activity and exercise that should be done regularly but rarely done, because it is demanding & requires a lot of work.

    To do general house cleaning is difficult indeed, but if & when we do it occasionally, we can learn a lot of good things & may promise some changes in life. Simply because, we know that general house cleaning is not only about cleaning things in our home.

    General house cleaning could be our chance to treasure the treasures-found. As we go through daily lives, eventually we collect a lot of things received, bought, and possessed along the way. As we clean our house then, we got the chance to re-evaluate, i.e. to give value again & anew the treasures what we have owned & collected, to let go the excess & what we do not really need, & share these now to those who are in need. Through this, we may able to recognize, count and share our blessings, and may able to declog & make our lives easier & lighter from unnecessary burdens & concerns.  

    General house cleaning may also be our chance to review our life. As we clean our things in the house, it could happen that we remember our past experiences & memories, become in touch once again with the spirit, values & principles-held in life, recognize our present realities & state of life (like, kids are not anymore kids but now teenagers, & teens are becoming adults), & realize the new changes & challenges required to adjust with our current status of life.

    General house cleaning may also be our change to rearrange our lives (not only our home). By responding & planning for the challenges of the new changing realities in life, we may update, upgrade, reconfigure or reformat our outdated systems & ways within the house that would best suit to our changing & growing family. In other words, to do the things rightly in order to make things right in life now.

    To re-evaluate, review & re-arrange may just be some of the good things & benefits of doing general house cleaning. Demanding it may be, but if & when we do it, it offers us ease & direction in living our lives.

    During this 2nd Sunday of Advent, we are challenged to, through the witness of St. John the Baptism, from the words of Prophet Isaiah: “Prepare for the way of the Lord.” But we may ask: “What is more to prepare? What more we should prepare? Come to think of it, we are already prepared. As early as before October, we already decorated our house. Christmas trees & decors are already placed. Gifts to be given, food for celebrations are being prepared. Some have their parties & reunions already. Some were already tired & impatient waiting for their gifts & bonuses. What else is & should be prepared? 

    The preparation we are challenged to by the Sacred Scripture is not our usual preparation of decorations, gifts, food, parties, bonuses & others. The expected preparation required of us is “to make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain & hill shall made low. The winding road shall be made straight & the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord.” Simply put, To do General House Cleaning – to clean our whole home, to make things right rightly for the Lord. What is asked of us then is – an update, upgrade, reconfiguration & reformatting of lifestyle suited for the Lord, us & others now.

    The Lord become one of us & being with us is not just a decoration in life where we only use when needed or where we only maximize when we wanted it. Christmas – the birth of the Lord, God’s incarnation into our lives should be the suited Center, Way, Guide & Direction of our Christian lives. Meaning, what preparation expected of us is not house decoration but general house cleaning.

    Now, when was the last time you had your general house cleaning? When is your general house cleaning?

    As the year about to end & we are now fast approaching Christmas, why not do your general house cleaning these days? Ask nobody to do it for you, but rather do it yourself, so that, you may have a new perspective, meaning, & purpose in life, and thus, may have carved a new space for God’s word, Jesus Christ into your life. Amen.

    NB. Say a little prayer for me as I also celebrate my 25th year of priesthood today on  this year’s 2nd Sunday of Advent.