Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Author: A Dose of God Today

  • Relationship Status Update…

    Relationship Status Update…

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    June 7, 2020 – Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060720.cfm)

    What is your relationship status? The state of your relationships – your being with others? 

    Social media netizens nowadays have the option to post in public their own relationship status in their profile. This is more than just about their usual civil status of being single, married or separated, but more so about the description of the present state and quality of their relationship with an-other special person: be it in-love, complicated, available, committed and others. (perhaps same way as MU: mutual understanding and SS/DU: Sikit-Sikit/Dili Uyab, as we used to describe before).

    As others may concern about their relationship status, we might as well consider our relationship status at the time of social distancing in today’s pandemic world. Quarantine and social distancing have rendered us nowadays isolated and distance from others and with one another. And surely this has affected the quality of our relationships with others: be it too/less close or far; too/less deep or hollow, too/less presence or absence. Social distancing during pandemic has deeply and uniquely affected our social relationships. While it may have shaken and threatened our family, community and love life to possible break-up, dryness and dying, we could not deny also that our distance from and/or being “stuck” at-home with them may have also re-ignited, rekindled, renewed, and deepen our relationships with another. So also as we consider our relationship status during these times, healthy for us to consider our faith status – our relationship with our God: on how social distancing have affected the state and quality of our relationship with God.

    Today, first Sunday after Easter Season, is Solemnity of Most Holy Trinity or simply called Trinity Sunday. More than just a reminder of our Christian faith in the Triune (the three in one) nature of our God, our celebration today invites us to reconsider our relationship status with God. 

    In our gospel, (as the key text and core message of St. John’s gospel), Jesus gives us the description of the status and quality of God’s  relationship status with us. God is so in-love with us that He gives us His Son to believe and follow, for us not to be condemned in life but to have eternal life with Him. With these words, we can highlight here two points to describe the quality of God’s relationship status with us: God is in covenant with us and God is in collaboration with us. 

    The word covenant roughly  means “coming together”. To describe God’s relationship status with us as “in-covenant” would mean that God “comes together” with us – God is one, in community, in loving marital relationship with us, because He is so in love with us. Moreover, the word collaboration would also roughly mean “working together”.

    To describe then His relationship with us as “in-collaboration” would mean that God “works together” with us – God is in sync, tandem, partnership with us  by offering us to adopt and be co-responsible for His Son in our life and faith. By His Love for us, God is in relationship with us, and by giving us His Son, God is responsible for us and with us. This is how blessed we are and should be, for God is in covenant relationship and in collaborative commitment with us. 

    Now, what is and should be our relationship status with God? 

    Moses wished that though we may stiff-necked and wicked, God may “come along in our company” and “receive us as (His) own”. Paul prays that “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, BE with all of Us.” It is thus the hope and prayer of the forefathers of our faith, and still now, that we also may be “in covenant” and “in collaboration” with God – that our faith, our relationship status with God is in sync also with God’s status with us – however righteous, limited or stubborn we might be.

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    A wise man once said, “Each one of us are but angels with one wing. We can only fly by embracing one another.” True enough, this saying not only affirms our limited human nature of being one-winged, but more so highlights our spiritual nature of being angels. Our present life then is and should be in relation, in sync & in tandem with God and one another, so that we can sore and rise above to the occasion of living our lives to its fullness as we journey back to our heavenly home, and share in God’s offer of eternal life with Christ. 

    Ironically to protect and keep us safe, our pandemic world rendered us now limited, restricted, set apart and distanced from one another. However, our natural longing to be social – to be one and together with one another and God offers us breath, life, hope and support in the during these trying and difficult times. And putting value anew, upgrading and working out to improve the quality of our relationships status (our being with God and others) could somehow alleviate and bring more purpose and meaning to our present predicament.Though limited angels with one wing may be and due to pandemic realities now set apart from one another, may we always keep the faith, and come and work in one – together with our Triune God, as He is forever in covenant and collaboration with us. Amen. 

    (By: Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay CSsR, a Filipino Redemptorist  Missionary stationed in Gwangju South Korea, though now still stranded in Cebu until further notice for available flights.)

  • The Word of God nourishes and challenges us at the same time

    The Word of God nourishes and challenges us at the same time

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    June 5, 2020 – Friday 9th Week in Ordinary Time; Memorial of St. Boniface

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060520.cfm)

    The Holy Scriptures or the Bible is of great importance and gift to our Christian faith. The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy tells us that the scriptures will give us wisdom that leads to salvation, through faith is Christ Jesus. This means that by knowing and developing a relationship with Jesus brings us to freedom being experienced as individuals and as a community, as a church.

    Paul reminds us too that “all scripture is inspired by God.” As this is inspired by God, the Bible teaches us how God reveals the Divine Plan of Salvation. Hence, God in his great love for us has become man like us to feel what we feel, that God may be in solidarity with us.

    Moreover, the scriptures also refute error and corrects us. It means that the bible is not merely a passive literary work of some people, but it confronts us of what is wrong with us, of what is unjust and oppressive, of what is sinful. The scriptures then, bring us to be closer to God’s presence and to understand better the wisdom of God working in our life.

    Consequently, the scriptures serve as our guide to follow closely the Lord in our life. This is what Paul shared with Timothy. Following the Lord gives us peace and confidence in what we do yet this will also bring us challenges and difficulties as Paul experienced persecution from people who rejected Jesus.

    Paul was inspired by the Lord and committed his life to God. This was how Paul’s heart was captured by God. Paul’s heart gladdened at the revelation of Jesus to him which made Paul to be converted. This is what we have heard from the Gospel today, “many people came to Jesus and listened to him gladly.”

    That gladness came from that revelation of God, of God speaking to us. As Jesus spoke to Paul, Paul could not keep silent then. This was how Paul turned from being a brutal persecutor to a life-giving apostle of the Lord.

    Today, the Lord invites us that as we celebrate the Liturgy of the Word, let us also listen gladly to the Lord.

    Thus, let us allow the Lord to speak to us, to nourish us and at the same time to teach, correct and challenge us. Let the Lord confront us of our passivity and indifference towards others, of our sin and guilt, to confront us when we only settle to what is only comfortable and beneficial for us and to confront our hearts and conscience when we choose to keep our eyes blind from an unjust system.

    In this way, we may become Christians who like St Paul and St Boniface who were martyred because of what they preached, to also become a light and inspiration in this time of pandemic where our religious freedom is also being tested. Hinaut pa.         

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Look at God, and you will be at rest

    Look at God, and you will be at rest

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    May 31, 2020 – Pentecost Sunday

    Click here for the readings (http://cms.usccb.org/bible/readings/053120-day.cfm)

    Corrie ten Boom, a Nazi concentration camp Christian survivor of the Holocaust once said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest”.

    Though her words was spoken of World War II’s genocide of European Jews, somehow these words also describe our present reality in today’s pandemic world. When we come to think of it, distressing it is to find that our world we live in now is sick, infected and under serious death-threat.  Worse, as we try to cope with its daily challenges, and as our leaders are doing what they can to protect us from this threat, there are still quite a number of people who are in denial, resorts to blame game and even do stupid acts at the expense of and putting others’ health in jeopardy.

    Also, not only mental health problems and concerns are of rise nowadays, depressing it is to find ourselves  isolated, limited and quarantined. In the midst of our challenging reality, we do find ourselves stressed, restless, and helpless.  From our perspective, distressing and depressing our life these days is and can be. However, as Corrie suggests, if when we go beyond our perspective & try to see it with God’s perspective, we will find consolation and meaning in what is happening in our lives and what we are going through now. Thus, “if you look at God, you’ll be at rest.”

    As our risen Lord made himself known to them in our gospel, Jesus gave His disciples three gifts. First, the gift of Peace: “Peace be with you” – as healing consolation for their troubled and anxious heart during difficult times. Then, the gift of mission “I send you” – as direction and mandate to be His living witnesses in present the world.  And above all, the gift of the Holy Spirit: “Receive the Holy Spirit” – as power, courage and guide to respond to the challenges of faith and life ahead. Peace, Mission & Holy Spirit are our risen Lord’s gifts he left behind for His disciples then & for us now His church, as necessary components to live out and practice our faith in our very lives as His living witnesses to the world today. And behind these gifts is the call to “Look at God”, that is, the challenge to go beyond ourselves, rise above the occasion, and be inspired.

    Meaning, “Looking at God” invites us to go beyond our views of things and discern God’s plan and will for our “is and can-be” distressing and depressing life. “Looking at God” provides us also with identity, meaning & authority to fulfill our very mission and tasks in this life – thus, rising for the occasion to share our unique gift we can offer in this life. And “Looking at God” is to be IN God’s spirit – to be in one spirit, mind and will with God, whenever, whatever, however, wherever life has in store for us.  

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    Moreover, we look at God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our first reading reminds us that on the day of Pentecost, as they receive the Lord’s gift of Holy Spirit, the frightened disciples of crucified Christ is now transformed into brave heralds of God’s mighty works. As St. Paul insisted, only inspired and empowered people who look at God can say and can go out and proclaim: “Jesus is Lord”.  Jesus thus moves us to look at God and inspire us to be His living faithful and practicing followers.  Interestingly, somehow nowadays many so-called “non-practicing Catholics” have updated their status into “practicing Catholics again” – even without (or with limited) avenue for public worship, not only as a reaction to the challenges of our trying times but more so because they “look at God in Jesus” again and anew for consolation, direction & inspiration in their own very lives.Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, which marks the birthday of the Holy Church, and the end of Easter Season for this year. Beyond the distressing and depressing challenges of our life ahead this time, may we be reminded that we are (& our church is) an inspired Church continually looking at God through our risen Lord Jesus. With  our risen Lord, may we go beyond our present predicament, rise for the occasion to be His living witnesses, and always be inspired to share our gifts and proclaim Jesus to our world today. Amen. 

    (By: Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay CSsR, a Filipino Redemptorist  Missionary stationed in Gwangju South Korea, though now still stranded in Cebu until further notice for available flights.)

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  • Jesus prays for me today, and so I pray for others too

    Jesus prays for me today, and so I pray for others too

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    May 26, 2020  – Tuesday of the 7th Week of Easter

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052620.cfm)

    During these days of Covid-19 pandemic when Churches were forced to close and people to be quarantined at home, we have also realized how we need each other’s prayer. Prayer gives us comfort in these difficult times. Prayer helps us develop a close and intimate relationship with the Lord despite the deprivation of the public celebration of the sacraments.

    To pray for one another has given us hope too. To pray has helped us to grow in our faith and widen our consciousness to respond to those in need. 

    Today’s Gospel reminds us of the intimacy Jesus shared with his Father. This is evident in the way the Lord Jesus prayed to his Father in heaven. There is tremendous confidence in Jesus and at the same time, that oneness he has with the Father. This is expressed by Jesus saying, “everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine.” This is how the glory of Jesus is also the glory of the Father. Hence, the suffering and pain of Jesus at his passion and even death is also shared intimately by the Father.

    All of these have been revealed to Jesus’ friends who were also dear to the Father. Jesus treasures this friendship. And as a friend, Jesus manifests his concern by expressing his desire to pray for them. 

    Jesus is about to leave physically in the world. But it does not mean that Jesus will abandon his friends. In fact, Jesus prays for his friends. “I pray for them,” said Jesus. This means that Jesus remembers his friends in his thoughts.

    Being in the thoughts of Jesus also means that Jesus makes his person present in the life of his friends. It is a promise of faithfulness and of constant presence of God in our life, in each of us.

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    Today, Jesus reminds us too, that he prays for us and with us. Jesus joins us in our prayer. The Lord is there every time we pray. The Lord makes himself ever present the moment we also dispose ourselves in prayer. We can say this confidently, Jesus prays with me because he remembers me and he is with me.

    Being remembered by Jesus in his prayers, let us make an effort too, to pray for others today. Pray for your friends, for your family members and those who really need our prayers. Prayer will make us more conscious of others as we become one with them in their hopes, joys and suffering. Prayer moves us also to respond and to be in solidarity with those who are in need of our help. In prayer, we also become more present with God as we grow in our confidence and faith in Him who calls us and loves us. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • I tell myself today, “I am never alone”

    I tell myself today, “I am never alone”

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    May 25, 2020 – Monday 7th  Week of Easter

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052520.cfm)

    You can be in a place where there is nobody present, but filled with confidence and contentment with what you have in life. However, one can also be in the midst of hundreds of people, surrounded by friends and family but feeling alone and lonely. 

    It must be a terrible feeling to feel alone and lonely. The insecurities and the anxieties that we would feel could overwhelm us. People who are severely ill, those who are haunted by their traumatic experiences, and those who suffer chronic depression would mostly agonize these feelings of being alone and lonely.

    These kinds of feelings would make our day to be so dark. Thus, even when there are people around us physically, but these feelings detach us from their presence.

    No wonder, such kinds of feelings disturb our mental state that also affect our whole being – emotionally, physically and spiritually. This anguish would cause people to be so sad and depressed. And how much more when our loved one would leave us alone, physically? When someone we love and so dear to us would just go away and leave us, then, we could face an awful feeling of loneliness and pain.

    The separation from their families of those in the frontlines in fighting Covid-19 must have felt this kind of feeling. Those who have been sick but cannot be with their loved one, must have endured such worries, anxieties and disappointment of being not present during these trying times. 

    People who work away from their family would also feel being alone. They cannot help it but to work a far to give more opportunities for their family and children especially. Yet, as a consequence, they have to endure such loneliness for their sake.

    With this kind of human experience, Jesus has something to remind us today. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminded us of his conviction of the presence of his Father. Jesus knew that his disciples would abandon him when he will undergo his passion and death. The disciples will retreat and hide because of fear even though that would mean that Jesus will be left alone to suffer and die.

    However, Jesus was filled with confidence that his Father will never abandon him. The Father was there with Jesus even on the cross where Jesus felt being abandoned. In his humanity, Jesus expressed that deep anguish within him as he cried, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

    Moreover, it was there in that deep sorrow of human suffering where Jesus also found his Father and became more convinced of the presence of his Father. Jesus said with confidence, “Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.”

    Today, Jesus also wants us to have that same conviction. We are never alone. The Lord is with us, always with us. This is the promise of Jesus to us today.

    His words to his disciples are also his invitation to us today, “I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.”

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    Therefore, when we feel alone, let it be known that we are never alone. When a terrible sickness strikes us, when a traumatic experience haunts us, when depression bothers us, when anxiety and uncertainty disturb us, remember, God is with us.

    Those of us who are away from home and away from our families, Jesus comforts us that he is always with us too. Those who feel alone and lonely for whatever reason you may have, those who feel uncertain of what is ahead of us, today, we tell ourselves, “I am never alone.” 

    Jesus promises us too that with him we shall have our peace. When we allow Jesus to come into our life, definitely, we will be at peace. We will never be lonely. We will be at peace because we will be assured, and we will be satisfied with Jesus. Jesus brings peace because he brings us confidence, courage and faith.

    Today also, may I invite you to be more sensitive of people who feel alone who could just be your friend, sibling, or child, or parent or co-worker. Let them feel that Jesus is with them and you too are with them. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

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