August 24, 2019 – Saturday: Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle
A reading from the Gospel according to John (1:45-51)
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Homily
Have you been judged because of some particular opinions about you and your background? Jesus was also a subject of such prejudice by some people. Because of his background as coming from a remote town called Nazareth and from a family who was unheard of in the whole of Jerusalem, this made others to belittle Jesus.
The gospel story that we have today tells us about Nathanael, who is also traditionally identified as Bartholomew, who seemed to demean the background of Jesus. His friend Phillip testified about the presence of the Messiah whom Moses wrote about in the law and prophesied by the prophets. However, the skeptical Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” For Nathanael, it was too much to believe that the Messiah would come from this insignificant town. This was not his expectation. Thus, for Philip to tell him about it, was simply ridiculous by Nathanael.
However, despite the discriminatory behavior of Nathanael, he was persuaded by his friend Philip to come and see for himself Jesus. To come and see meant that Nathanael whose name means, the gift of God, opened up himself for Jesus. It was a welcoming attitude of allowing the Lord to touch him.
And certainly, Jesus was able to touch Nathanael because the man allowed Jesus. Jesus knew Nathanael even before they met. The Jewish metaphor used by Jesus to Nathanael, “I saw you under the fig tree,” refers to studying the Torah or the Law. This means that Jesus, the God made flesh, have met Nathanael already. For Nathanael to study the Law of Moses, it was an encounter with the Lord. But at this moment, what was revealed to him was not anymore letters but flesh and physical presence of the Lord.
And this surprised Nathanael and made him to drop his discriminations and doubts about Jesus. However, Jesus promised him that he “will see greater things than that.”
Indeed, when we are able to encounter the Lord without any fears or anxieties, we too will surely be surprised of the greater things that we shall witness. God has so much more prepared for us. If only we are able to let go and drop our fears and let God reveal Himself in our life, we shall see and discover so many things, many wonderful things.
Therefore, the invitation for us today is to allow ourselves to have an encounter with the Lord. This very encounter will not take place in a heavenly ambiance but in its most ordinary way. As Nathanael encountered the Lord in his studies of the Law and through his friend Phillip, allow also the Lord to touch you in your studies, in your work, in the things that you love most, among the people you meet every day, among and through your loved ones and friends.
May this opportunity of encounter with Jesus make us more resolved in our faith in him and in our commitment to God’s call for us today. Hinaut pa.
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 22
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke (1:26-38)
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Reflection
Today we celebrate the Queenship of Mary, 8 days after we celebrate the Solemnity of her Assumption to heaven. This feast was formally placed in the calendar in 1954 although the title Queen of Heaven has been used since the fourth century.
Just like the image of queens and royalties in Europe, many of us might also imagine and think that Mary as a queen is adorned with gold and precious jewels. Many of us might be imagining her seating on a golden throne, dressed in a golden dress with a golden crown on her head surrounded by a royal army inside a golden palace.
Well, I believe that Mary is none of those golden imaginations. Mary rather would prefer a simple one and an ordinary one as she was used to. Thus, her queenship is not about gold and jewels, throne and army, but rather, of attitudes of generosity, love and faith.
Our Gospel today reveals something to us as we celebrate her as our queen. Thus, in her simplicity and being an ordinary woman, she accepted God’s invitation extra-ordinarily because ‘she believed’. In her simplicity, Mary felt the trouble of being honored as favored by God. I am sure that Mary with her human emotions felt confused and afraid when the angel appeared before her. The revelation of the angel was difficult to understand, thus, she pondered in her heart the meaning of those.
These troubles, confusion and fear led her to ask in all honesty, “how can it be?” It was neither a question of defiance nor of doubts but of concern on how she would go about it. The answer she got was God’s promise, that God is with her.
This promise from God inspired Mary and motivated her to give her consent, her big YES to God. Mary was called by God to be the Mother of Jesus, and Mary responded with joy and confidence. Her response is out of gratitude to God for being good to her and out of love and kindness for that was her experience with God. Everything became possible with God because Mary believed. Remember, God cannot and will not work wonders with us unless we give our consent and believe.
This is the invitation today for us, TO BELIEVE, because God reveals His presence in the events of our ordinary life. That day for Mary seemed to be just an ordinary day, but the revelation from the Angel just made the day anew.
TO BELIEVE, then, is to be constantly aware of God’s many revelations every single moment of our life. TO BELIEVE is to trust in the Lord’s Words despite our troubles and questions, worries and anxieties. Mary pondered in her heart what had been revealed to her.
TO BELIEVE in the Lord also means to be aware of the needs of others. Mary responded to God because her participation is vital for our salvation.TO BELIEVE is to listen to God’s invitation that through our life, God can make wonders, that through Mary’s simplicity, God brings forth creation.
TO BELIEVE also means being pregnant with God’s presence. Yes, God invites us today that our life, our words and actions, and our relationships with one another will become pregnant with His loving and compassionate presence.
August 21, 2019 – Wednesday; Memorial of St. Pius X, pope
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (20:1-16)
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Homily
The Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers and priests represented the group of people in the Jewish society who believed so much of their righteousness. Among them and the common people, there was a clear distinction in terms of social status. Because of their standing, they could display an indifferent attitude towards those who were considered lower in status. These low class people include women, children and particularly, the poor, the sick, the disabled and public sinners.
Moreover, Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers and priests believed that their superiority made them deserving of all God’s goodness and graces. Thus, these people loved to be praised and recognized. This is the reason why they cannot accept the teaching of Jesus that others could also experience God’s goodness. They even despised Jesus for offering God’s forgiveness and gift of healing to the poor, the sick, and sinners. They despised Him because they believed that God’s grace is reserved for them alone.
This tendency to accumulate praises and demand for greater reward because of the good qualities we have, only poisons our hearts and relationships. It makes our heart unwelcoming to others who need more than us.
This is what we find in the Gospel. It teaches us how God treat all of us, showing concern and compassion.
The parable speaks of the generosity of the landowner towards the workers. The first ones who were hired on that day felt jealous with those who were hired at the last hour. The first ones worked the whole day and the last ones worked only for an hour. But then, they all received the same wage according to the agreed wage for that whole day work.
The first ones were disappointed because they thought that those who only worked for one hour did not deserve for that wage. Since they worked hard, they should be above them and those who worked less should not be treated like them. But then, for the landowner, if he will not give the usual wage for those who were hired last, then the food that they will bring for their families will not be enough. They will starve on that day. It means that the parable actually is not about labor issues but of God’s generosity to each of us.
Indeed, this is what we believe that when we are more gifted than the others, more intelligent, more gwapo or gwapa then we should have more; and those who are lesser than us should have less. When we feel that we are more righteous and religious, going to church and saying the rosary daily and regular novena to Mary, we might think that we are far better than those who don’t go to church and do not pray.
Unconsciously, we also become the Pharisees who do not have the sympathy for those who are struggling in life. The poor, the sick and the weak sinners at the time of Jesus can be today’s young people who have been addicted to drugs, or to alcohol, sex or gambling not because they are bad but because of family problems, broken relationships, traumatic experiences, and low self-esteem. They can also be our friends or family members whom we continually bully because they are weaklings, untalented and less intelligent than us.
But remember, God relates to us not merely because of the effort that we did but because of “who we are” to him. God is good to us not because we are deserving but because God is so good and generous. We are all loved by him no matter what, no matter how big our failures were, no matter how serious our sins were.
Thus, for those who have worked hard, for those who have been so faithful to God this gospel is not meant to discourage you of working hard, for doing your daily devotion, but this is meant for us to know that God is generous also towards those who are less fortunate. And we have the role to lift up those who are less fortunate in this life. For those of us who felt that we are lesser beings, felt unworthy because of our mistakes, failures and sins – this Gospel is truly good news for us because God tells us today that we too are blessed because we are loved.
I would like to give you an assignment today. Identify in your circle of friends or family and relatives those who feel low, who believed that they are not deserving of anything good in this life… once you have recognized them, approach them and tell them that they too are loved. That they can find support in you, in your other friends and family members. Let us lift one another together especially those who need it more. In this way, we will become God’s reflection of generosity and love to others. Hinaut pa.
A Reading from the Book of Prophet Jeremiah (38:4-6, 8-10)
In those days, the princes said to the king: “Jeremiah ought to be put to death; he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin.” King Zedekiah answered: “He is in your power”; for the king could do nothing with them. And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah, which was in the quarters of the guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech, a court official, went there from the palace and said to him: “My lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah, casting him into the cistern. He will die of famine on the spot, for there is no more food in the city.” Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite to take three men along with him, and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he should die.
A Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews ( 12:1-4)
Brothers and sisters: Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke (12:40-53)
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
HOMILY
Did you ever wonder on what you have just heard from today’s Gospel? Did it ever catch your attention on what Jesus said to us today?
He asked, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Why would Jesus say that he has come not to bring peace but division? Is he not the Prince of Peace at all? Is he not going to give his peace on the fearful disciples after his resurrection?
What Jesus actually means of this peace is the peace that the world knows. This peace is about the comfort and routine of life or ‘business-as-usual.’ This means that we go and proceed to what we usually do in life by doing what we want and by satisfying our needs and desires, from mere complacency. This peace only knows about maintaining the status quo, maintaining the order that we are comfortable with and preserving an environment that will not disturb us. Yet, this peace is shallow and remains self-centered. It merely focuses on our ego.
However, Jesus is not bringing this kind of peace but fire and division that will disturb us. This include disturbing our comfort, our current situation, our complacency, passivity and routine. And our readings today, beautifully capture God’s invitations for us.
The Book of Jeremiah tells us how Prophet Jeremiah disturbed those in power. The leaders who enriched themselves with wealth from the people and who were only concerned of preserving their comforts and privileges were threatened by the preaching of the prophet.
Jeremiah prophesied how Jerusalem will be destroyed by their foreign enemy, the Chaldeans. The city will be burned by fire. This was due to the laxity and corruption of the leaders and turned away from God.
This made Jeremiah a great critic of those in power. He challenged them to heed the call of God and to change. He was indeed, a man of God and a man for the people.
Because of this, the princes hated him and promised to bring him down and to make him suffer. As a result, these leaders maligned the prophet by informing the King that Jeremiah was causing fear and division among the ordinary people. They released fake news telling the king that Jeremiah was demoralizing the soldiers and was not interested with the welfare of the people but their ruin.
They did this in order to get rid of the prophet. And indeed, the Lord comes to disturb us when we have grown so attached with our comforts and when we are so caught up with maintaining to what is only beneficial for us.
This is the reason why most of the times, we choose to be passive because like these leaders, we do not want to be challenged, we do not want to go beyond and become life-giving. On the other hand, we do not want also to become like Jeremiah. We do not want to confront ourselves and others because it might cost us conflict and division or to sacrifice the contentment that we apparently enjoy.
But, God does not want us to become a person like this because we will become prisoners of our own selfish desires. We will become abusive and corrupt yet the most insecure of all.
Moreover, Jesus does not want us also to just go with the flow of life and remain passive. We might find ourselves to settle to what is only easy, comfortable and beneficial by doing the same things, thinking the same thoughts and imagining the same ideas to the point that we refuse to do more and give more.
This happens also to us when we are trapped with our routine. We go to mass every day, receive communion, say our prayers, doing the same sin again, do our work and struggle with the same problems without any change in our thoughts and actions as we relate with others. Or we make ourselves buried in the same addiction, fall into the same bad habit and then feel guilty and later do the usual things again.
That is why, the Letter to the Hebrews calls us to let go of every burden and sin. It would be also good to ask ourselves, “What are the burdens that I am carrying? What are the sins that prevent me to go forward?”
If we are able to ask ourselves these questions, then, this will help us to be open to the presence of Jesus. Yet, this presence of Jesus will disturb us because it will make us recognize our selfish desires. He disturbs us because he challenges us to go beyond, to go forward and not to settle to what is only comfortable for us. He disturbs us so that he will be able to bring true peace in us.
Thus, the Lord wants us to find freedom. Jesus is not in favor for making ourselves passive, complacent, self-contained and self-satisfied yet stagnant. Jesus wants us to grow, to be mature and to become the person He wants us to be.
This means that our relationship with God is not limited with what we are doing now, by just attending this Eucharist and that’s it. This Eucharist and the presence of Jesus in this celebration is not to be taken so lightly then.
This is the invitation for us this Sunday, and that is to allow the Lord to disturb our complacency, passivity and routine so that we will be able to see things differently and wonderfully.
And hopefully, as we allow the Lord to disturb us, we may be able to see new perspectives in life despite its monotony, more dynamic and life-giving ways of relating with people around us, and a deeper and life-changing encounter with God through the ordinary expression of our faith. And remember, this call us to be pro-active, honest and courageous in expressing our faith and to the values that we believe as Christians. Hinaut pa.
August 17, 2019 – Saturday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time
From the Book of Joshua (24:14-29)
Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and addressed them, saying: “Fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods. For it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed. At our approach the LORD drove out all the peoples, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”
Joshua in turn said to the people, “You may not be able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If, after the good he has done for you, you forsake the LORD and serve strange gods, he will do evil to you and destroy you.”
But the people answered Joshua, “We will still serve the LORD.” Joshua therefore said to the people, “You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” They replied, “We are, indeed!” Joshua continued: “Now, therefore, put away the strange gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.” Then the people promised Joshua, “We will serve the LORD, our God, and obey his voice.”
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem, which he recorded in the book of the law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was in the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said to all the people, “This stone shall be our witness, for it has heard all the words which the LORD spoke to us. It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God.” Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his own heritage.
After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten.
From the Gospel of Matthew (19:13-15)
Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away.
Homily
Children are very special to Jesus because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Even though at that time, people believed that children have no social significance and status. Children do not have anything to play in the Jewish society. This was the reason why the disciples tried to stop those who brought the children near Jesus. The disciples believed that there was no reason for Jesus to waste his time with these insignificant children.
However, what we have heard from the Gospel was the other way around. Jesus made that event to teach something to the people. He emphasized the qualities of children who are dependent to adults. This reveals that children are more open and trusting to people around them. They are open to the surprises of God. Thus, their humility and simplicity make them also sensitive to God’s presence.
In today’s readings we are invited to dwell on both qualities of children, of their weakness and strength from which we adults could greatly learn. So, I want you to remember these two characteristics, the attitudes of being childish and childlike.
Being “childish” reveals our negative and selfish attitudes. A child can throw up tantrums when he/she will not get what he/she wants. When this happens, a child cries aloud and would even scream on the spot particularly when there are more people around. This is unconsciously by a child to draw attention. This attitude is an unconscious form of control and manipulation towards a parent until the parent gives in to what the child wants.
Being childish is being selfish to get what we want no matter how unfair that would be to others. Being childish only focuses on what “satisfies me” – for self-satisfaction and on what “I can gain”- for self-promotion. Thus, being childish prevents us to “listen” to what is more important. It also prevents us to believe and to accept other ideas because we are already convinced of our own judgments and beliefs.
This is what our first reading from the Book of Joshua tells us. Joshua reminded the people to “put away the strange gods that were among them.” The tendency of the people to seek strange gods other the true God was a form of selfishness. They sought the gods of their foreign neighbors because they believed that those gods can satisfy their wants and desires. And because God’s way is difficult and different so the people would choose an easy one.
This happens also to us when we opt to choose our personal desires rather than God’s desires, or when we choose to trust our human will and understanding rather than God’s wisdom, or when we desire to become dependent with our addictions and compulsive behaviors rather than God’s invitation for us to be free.
Being childish makes us blind to what God shows us and to what is happening around us today. We refuse to see the suffering of others because we tend to only see ourselves. This attitude would also make us deaf to what God is telling us now. It makes us deaf to the many cries of those who are continually killed, murdered, abused and oppressed because we only tend to listen to our own cry for self-satisfaction.
Hence, Jesus calls us to put away our strange gods and those childish attitudes in us and to become childlike. A person who is childlike listens and discerns to God’s desires. It means that despite our insecurities and anxieties in life, we put our trust in the generosity of God. It also requires that we grow in our confidence with God.
And when we learn these, then, we allow ourselves to be surprised by God because we become open and welcoming of God’s presence. Our sensitivity to God’s presence shall move us too to become aware of the needs of others which makes us self-giving and life-giving to others, a true quality of being childlike. Hinuat pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 