Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
A reading from the Gospel of Luke (4:31-37)
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
Homily
How often in a day do we speak of blessing for others? Or how often does our speech bring life to others? Or perhaps there are more cursing and hatred, complains and bitterness in our words.
You know, the people in Capernaum were quite amazed at Jesus when we spoke and taught them. They were not amazed at his eloquence and fluency in the language but more astonished at his words that were spoken with authority.
Well, what does it really mean? When I was younger, those people whom I considered as authorities would always have a weight when they would speak. Yet, I was always afraid of these authorities because they were the same people who would give punishments. It means that I associated authorities before as mere givers of punishments. And it was not a good association of them because I was always terrified by them.
However, such concept of mine is totally different from what the people experienced with Jesus. Jesus spoke and taught them not like the Scribes and Pharisees who would always bragged about how good and righteous they were but burdening the people with many laws to observe and punishments of not following the law. He spoke to them not like the Roman authorities and soldiers who would demand that they should pay their taxes.
The words that Jesus spoke to them made them alive and free and not fearful and resentful. It means that the words of Jesus generates life and freedom, peace and reconciliation.
This has been portrayed concretely when Jesus encountered an evil spirit. The evil spirit that burdened the man, made him suffer and subjected him to bitterness and hate, was powerless before Jesus. The words and the presence of Jesus brought light into the life of that man. Jesus healed the man and broke the oppressive influence of the evil spirit.
These powerful words of Jesus came from his very person. Because Jesus’ intention was honest, his words were of kindness, and his actions generous, that encounter became life-giving and freeing.
Today, Jesus also calls us to find life and freedom in his words and presence in the scriptures and in this Eucharist. And hopefully, what we have found here will also be transmitted into our life that we ourselves will become life-giving and instruments of freedom.
It would be good then to examine our words and our encounters with people today. Let it be the object of our discernment today. Are my words and presence life-giving or condemning? Am I giving freedom or condemnations? Are my words filled with hatred and anger or peace and kindness?
Then, if we find that our words and presence express more of condemnation, and judgments, of hate and bitterness, allow Jesus to transform us. Allow Jesus to cast the evil spirit in us so that we too will become free and at peace. Hinaut pa.
A reading from the Book of Sirach (3:17-18,20,28-29)
My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise. Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 68
R. (cf. 11b) God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor. The just rejoice and exult before God; they are glad and rejoice. Sing to God, chant praise to his name; whose name is the LORD. R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor. The father of orphans and the defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling. God gives a home to the forsaken; he leads forth prisoners to prosperity. R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor. A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance; you restored the land when it languished; your flock settled in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy. R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (12:18-19,22-24a)
Brothers and sisters: You have not approached that which could be touched and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and storm and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to them. No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke (14:1,7-14)
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Homily
Did you know that our church is actually filled with many trashes? Most of those remain unseen to us because they are hidden under the pews and chairs. I am referring to the countless bubble gums that were stuck underneath.
Those hundreds of bubble gums inside this church are harmless. They do not cause environmental degradation or decay to our wooden pews and plastic chairs. But what is alarming is our attitude in disposing our garbage. Because it is very easy to dispose a bubble gum discreetly under the pews and chairs, we do not take the effort to properly dispose it into the garbage bin.
Now, what is really its connection and significance? Today, Pope Francis asked us to pray for the Care of Creation. Moreover, starting today and for the rest of the month of September, we raise an awareness in our community that each of us has a responsibility to take care of each other and that includes our common home, the earth.
In addition to that bubble gum, our single-used plastic lifestyle has its tremendous contribution to environmental degradation and pollution. Indeed, we are so used to disposable things that are mostly made of plastics. These ranges from plastic straws, plastic cups, plastic plates, plastic spoons and forks, plastic bottles and plastic bags. And because we use them every day and it is the normal lifestyle, then, most of us are not aware of the danger that they bring into our common home, the earth.
Scientists tell us that plastic waste items can last up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills.[1]Plastic bags that we use every day can last from 10 to 1000 years too. While plastic bottles can last up to 450 years or more.
Moreover, the millions of straws that we use can last up to 200 years or more. And a study revealed that there are about 500 million straws being used every day and an estimated 8.3 billion plastic straws contaminate our beaches around the world.[2]You might have seen a video too of a turtle in which a plastic straw was stuck on its nose. It’s horrible!
That is why, Pope Francis is appealing to each of us to have a deeper awareness in caring for the whole creation. This world day of prayer for the care of creations aim that you and me will do something today to actively participate in taking care for our common home.
I would like to invite you now to listen and watch this short video from Pope Francis.
Pope Francis asks us to pray for the Care of Creation
The Pope’s request is that we may be able to take good care of the creation – a gift freely given to us, by cultivating and protecting it for the future generations. We will only be able to take care of the earth and express our intimate connection with the rest of the creation, if we too are aware of our place and role in the whole creation. We are not masters and dominators of nature though we have made drastic and tremendous change in the place where we live in considering the technology that we have developed and the big cities that we have built.
However, when nature expresses itself through natural disasters, we are completely helpless. The Typhoon Yolanda and the many typhoons that our country had experienced were evidences of our helplessness in those times. The recent flooding in Davao left many homes destroyed. There were 3, 559 families displaced because of that.[3]Four Baranggays of our City have been placed now under State of Calamity.
The readings we have this Sunday would help us to become aware of our place and of our connection with nature. Our Psalm sings today, “A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance; you restored the land when it languished; your flocked settled in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.”
This tells us of God’s generosity to us. Pope Francis affirms this that the earth is a gift freely given to us. The Lord poured down the rain and restored the land that deteriorated. Should we not be grateful then? A gift freely given to us, and we are called to be grateful.
It is when we become grateful that we also acknowledge the gifts that we have received. Not just that, but also we become a person who is more aware of the presence of God, the giver of blessings and gifts. In this way, we recognize God in everyone and in everything. This calls us then, to be humble because of the amount of generosity from God.
The Book of Sirach expressed this invitation – that is to humble ourselves. The greater the gifts that we have received, the more we are called to be humble. In that way, we will find favor with God. To find favor with God means to be invited in a banquet such as these, the Eucharist. It also means being able to receive God’s abundant blessings particularly of God’s faithful presence in us. Having that confidence in God, will surely make us joyful.
That joy will move us then to become generous towards everybody else, to people and to every creature. It is in this attitude that we are able to take care of others. Because we are grateful, we become joyful and that joy makes us generous and that generosity is transformed into concrete actions of love and kindness.
This is what the Gospel is actually telling us today. A true generosity is not after any repayment because it comes from the heart that recognizes the first generosity of God. This kind of generosity calls us then to become life-giving especially to those who are in need. This is the reason why Jesus proclaims that the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and all those who are wounded in many ways, should rather be the subject of our generosity. With this sector of our society, the environment which has been wounded in many ways should also be included.
Now, the taking care of the creation should also come from that gratefulness in us. Because the danger also comes when we are ungrateful to God’s gifts including the creation. When we become ungrateful persons, we become self-entitled and dominators. We become demanding yet stingy of our time and energy and ungenerous of our resources and presence to those who are asking for our help. And most of all, we become indifferent to what surrounds us and indifferent to God, the source of all blessings.
As an expression of our gratefulness to God for the gift of creation, let us begin or continue our concrete actions of taking care the creation. So, I would like to invite you then to remember these small invitations.
First. Be aware and be grateful. Awareness is the first step in expressing our care. Thus, be aware that everything is a gift and be grateful.
Second. Reduce and if possible refuse to use single-used plastics. This is a concrete way of protecting the environment. This will be difficult if it has been our normal way to use single-used plastics but be patient until we get used to it by using other means.
Third. Raise awareness and inform others. Tell others of what you have realized. Share to your friends and neighbors on how we could care and protect the environment. Share your enthusiasm and your conviction because what we are protecting are not just ourselves, but particularly those who are materially poor because they are the ones who greatly suffer due to environmental degradation and the future generations.
These are small steps and hopefully it will inspire others to also take part in praying and taking care of the gift of creation. In this way, we may become a community of believers that truly promotes and gives life. Hinaut pa.
A reading from the Gospel according to Mark (6:17-29)
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias’ own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Homily
The Gospel told us about this story on how John was beheaded. Thus, today, the Church remembers the passion of St. John the Baptist.
It was through the daughter of Herodias who danced before King Herod that the head of the prophet was requested. King Herod and Herodias, the wife of his brother, had an adulterous relationship. Even though everybody knew about this but no one would like to speak about it. The scandal and immorality of Herod and Herodias was as bright as the sun, but every one was afraid to look at it or even speak about it.
It was only John the Baptist who spoke about it and reminded King Herod for breaking God’s law. John spoke against it even though the rest chose to remain silent. He chose to look at it and confront it even though many pretended not to see it. John being a chosen prophet of God, had been really true to his identity. John was a real troublemaker and a “disturbance to Israel” because he disturbed the conscience of Herod and the conscience of the people.
Consequently, being a prophet, by speaking out the truth and disturbing the conscience of the people, he was silenced by those who hated him. In the end, he was beheaded.
Like most of the people at that time of John the Baptist, many times we find ourselves choosing to remain silent and not to speak out about the truth. We too find ourselves to pretend not to see the scandal and feel indifferent about it.
There are reasons of course why we do this. To be an honest person is difficult. A friend once shared to me. His conscience has been disturbed because of the corrupt practices in their office. Yet, he found it difficult to confront the people doing such corruption because almost everyone does it and their senior officers seemed to tolerate such practice. In speaking out, he thought, he might lose his job. So he remained silent about it and choose to be indifferent.
Hence, we chose not to stand or to speak up because we are afraid that we might lose our job, our career, our position and influence, our name or our life. We are afraid because we might lose the comforts and the peace that we seemed to be enjoying. Moreover, we also choose to remain silent because we ourselves are guilty. It is indeed a risky thing to do and we dare not to take the risk.
However, having such attitude is not what God wants us to be. God calls us to be honest even if others are not, to speak even if others would remain silent, to see even if others would tend not to see.
Thus, through the inspiration of John the Baptist, we may find courage when it becomes difficult for us to live faithfully our Christian life. Hinaut pa.
August 28, 2019 – Memorial of St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church
A reading from the Gospel of Matthew (23:27-32)
Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”
Homily
In today’s Gospel and as it was in the past few days, Jesus pointed out the danger of self-righteousness that leads to bitterness, discontentment and insecurity. There is a need to recognize our faults and sinfulness rather than undermining them by finding the fault of others in order to cover our own.
Jesus addressed the teachers of the law and the Pharisees who seemed to be so righteous, yet, sickly and sinful inside. Jesus compared them to “whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of dirt.” Jesus called them hypocrites.
Jesus demands consistency in our words and actions, in the way we relate with others and with God. Consequently, there is a need for us to recognize our own “tombs,” which also means recognizing our own sinfulness and failures. When we choose to blind ourselves from own sinfulness and failures, then, there is a danger of making ourselves distant from God, from others and from our own reality.
It would be good then, to be reminded of the forms of denials.
First, we will tend to overemphasize the faults of others yet; there will be no acknowledgement of our personal defects and sinfulness. This overemphasis of the faults of others is a mere cover up of one’s skeletons hidden in the closet.
Second, there will be an air of self-righteousness and arrogance in our hearts; claiming that we are always right and good and the rest are stupid. When we ourselves are being criticized then we become violent to our critics and would even seek to destroy them. This kind of attitude boasts oneself of his or her good image but hungry of recognition and praise from people around him or her.
Jesus does not want us to become bitter, hateful and pretentious persons but rather disciples of him who are humble enough to recognize our wrongdoings, and courageous enough to speak our own unjust and oppressive attitudes. Jesus desires that each of us becomes free by being able to recognize our sins so that transformation of hearts will be possible. It is in this way that we become of help to one another, so that as parents, leaders, mentors and authority figures, we will be leading others with honesty and sincerity. Moreover, that we may become persons who are not after recognition and praise from others, but persons who express deep gratitude to God.
And in a special way, we remember a great saint today, St. Augustine, who became a pillar in our Church doctrines. He himself struggled with his own pretentions. However, when he had the courage to face his sinful self, then, he also found God most merciful to him. His generosity, his wisdom and his commitment to be of service of others and of the whole Church sprung forth from that conversion of Augustine.
And so for today I would like to invite you to see ourselves closer and ask, what are my inconsistencies, my bitter and hypocrite-attitudes? We will only be able to answer this when we also stop pretending and will humble ourselves before God to accept our imperfections. Hopefully, when we are able to identify our attitudes that are inconsistent with our faith then that will move us to be converted back to Christ, to be closer to him. Hinaut pa.
Thus says the LORD: I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory. I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels. Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.
A Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (12:5-7,11-13)
Brothers and sisters, You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children: “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.” Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke (13:22-30)
Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Homily
It is common to see in the airports the x-ray and metal detector machines that each passenger must go through. Each passenger will pass these, and the nearer you are at the gate, you have to pass through the machines and by this time in a more thorough and stricter manner. Metals in the body are removed, these include, mobile phones, watches, belts and even shoes. When there will be undesirable objects like scissors, lighters or any pointed objects and even breakable items like bottles which exceed to the allowed size, are all to be surrendered. A passenger has to let go of them or take the hassle again of going back to the check-in counter.
Thus, I realized too that the more I bring unnecessary things in my flight the more it becomes troublesome for me. Besides, if I bring undesirable items too then, I am asked to let go of those things that are not allowed in the flight just for me to be allowed to board on my flight.
This realization brought me into today’s readings. So, I invite you that we see again and discover how God unfolds his invitations for us today.
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”someone asked Jesus. We could wonder why that man asked about that. Well, the path that Jesus was taking seemed too difficult for this man. This was the reason why he asked the Lord about this. Jesus’ way was totally different from the trend at that time. People believed in a God who was so far away, too powerful and almighty. Yet, Jesus presented a God who is so close with the people. The people believed in an untouchable God who burdens them with so many laws to follow. Yet, Jesus introduced to them a God who heals the broken-hearted, who favored the poor and the despised. Their world taught them that they should be above others, to be rich, famous and powerful. But then, Jesus remained humble and poor, simple and unassuming, weak and powerless.
The Lord desires that everyone will be saved, and will experience healing and peace, reconciliation and freedom. This is what we have heard from the first reading in the Book of Isaiah. It was an affirmation of God’s desire to gather every one whether Jews or Gentiles, sinner or saints, rich or poor. People from all nations will come to worship the Lord.
However, as it was at the time of Jesus, we continue to prevent the Lord from making us closer to him. Our tendency to advance our selfish desires and interests at the expense of others, stops us in allowing the Lord to work in us. Selfishness and arrogance continue to hold us back from God.
Yet, God’s salvation is offered to us freely, but not imposed on us. And so it means that salvation also requires our participation. This makes the door of salvation “narrow” because of the commitment that it entails as we live our life.
To understand this better, the Letter to the Hebrews tells us on how we could enter that narrow gate. It is simply through “discipline.” The author wants to tell us that the trials and sufferings that we endure in this life are opportunities for us to be disciplined by God. And this is where we can participate with God.
When we encounter problems and difficulties, and disappointments, particularly in your marriage, with your families, with your friends, with your studies, or work or business – do not retreat or become aggressive. Retreating or being aggrieve will do us no good. These trials are opportunities for us to build our personality, to be responsible, to grow with confidence, to be committed, to be honest, and to gain more wisdom.
But remember, in this kind of discipline, God never desires us to suffer or to be in pain. Pain and suffering are just part of this world where we are now. Yet, God, in His wisdom, uses these human experiences of pain, suffering, disappointments and fears as ways to discipline us. These are doors for us to welcome God in our life so that He may be able to bring blessings upon us, to give us His peace and freedom. Certainly, God desires that we turn to Him and become closer to Him.
Indeed, trials in life are ways for us to strip ourselves from our arrogance, to let go of our selfish desires, and to turn away from our sinful ways. These are the unnecessary baggage that will prevent us from entering the narrow gate. Yet, if we come as we are, without any pretentions and selfishness, then, we shall see that the narrow gate of Jesus is wider than us.
Thus, God’s way of disciplining us is not about punishing us and giving more pain to us, but to correct us, to mold and to form us according to His desire for us. As we become conscious of this, we will discover the wonder of the process of working with God to mold us.
Today, let us also show and express our desire for the salvation of all, the giving of peace and freedom to all as desired by Jesus. As we participate with God let us listen attentively to His voice in the scriptures, in our sacraments, in our culture, in our current events and with those who are suffering in many ways in our community. Hopefully, this will lead us to respond to God’s invitation in becoming his instruments of salvation for our brothers and sisters and of the rest of God’s creation. Hinaut pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 