Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Author: A Dose of God Today

  • Our possessions can possess us

    Our possessions can possess us

    August 4, 2019 – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    From the Book of Ecclesiastes (1:2; 2:21-23)

    Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
    vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!

    Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill,
    and yet to another who has not labored over it,
    he must leave property. 
    This also is vanity and a great misfortune. 
    For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
    with which he has labored under the sun? 
    All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;
    even at night his mind is not at rest. 
    This also is vanity.

    From the Letter of Paul to the Colossians (3:1-5,9-11)

    Brothers and sisters:
    If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
    where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
    Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 
    For you have died,
    and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 
    When Christ your life appears,
    then you too will appear with him in glory.

    Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:
    immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,
    and the greed that is idolatry. 
    Stop lying to one another,
    since you have taken off the old self with its practices
    and have put on the new self,
    which is being renewed, for knowledge,
    in the image of its creator. 
    Here there is not Greek and Jew,
    circumcision and uncircumcision,
    barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;
    but Christ is all and in all.

     From the Gospel of Luke (12:13-21)

    Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
    “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” 
    He replied to him,
    “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” 
    Then he said to the crowd,
    “Take care to guard against all greed,
    for though one may be rich,
    one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

    Then he told them a parable. 
    “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. 
    He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
    for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
    And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
    I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. 
    There I shall store all my grain and other goods
    and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
    you have so many good things stored up for many years,
    rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
    But God said to him,
    ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
    and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
    Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
    but are not rich in what matters to God.”

    HOMILY

    According to the study of OXFAM International, an independent non-governmental organizations, one in three persons lives in poverty[1] and in their 2018 report on the Word’s wealth, Oxfam found that the richest 1% people in the world have 82% of the world’s wealth. Moreover, Oxfam also reported that the 26 wealthiest people in the world possessed 1.4 trillion USD and this is just equivalent to the wealth of the 3.8 billion poorest people in the world.[2]

    The world has so much wealth and resources for all of us but then only few are possessing them. To possess material wealth is not in itself evil. Material wealth is God’s gift to us. However, material wealth becomes a problem if we would allow this to possess us. We might believe that to possess so much wealth will give us security and joy.

    However, this is not the case because the more we possess things, the more we also become insecure and anxious. Just observe ourselves. The more a person possess wealth, the more the person also becomes defensive. High walls are built to protect a rich house, sometimes with electric current running 24/7 on barb wires and with a 24-hour security personnel. And when the person becomes unaware of his/her unquenchable desire to possess more, then the heart turns greedy and insecure, and even corrupt and oppressive.

    Our readings this Sunday have something to tell us. The Lord invites us to examine our attitudes towards our material wealth, the resources that we have gained and received, and the riches that we possessed. Even though we may not be part of that 1% wealthiest people in the world, but then, the possessions that we have may have already possessed us. This may prevent us from being grateful to the source of blessings and generous to those who are in need. Let us explore then our readings and see how God unfolds his invitations for us today.

    The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes tells us that what we possess now and our worldly achievements could not guarantee satisfaction to our desires. Qohelet says, “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” Indeed, everything will be in vain when we become too focused on material possessions and when our heart becomes materialistic. With this attitude, we will lose the essential things in life and that include our relationships.

    This is the reason why Jesus warns us of our tendency to be greedy. Greed comes from a heart that believes in self-containment and self-satisfaction and that desires total independence from God. But then, material things could never quench our greatest desire to be satisfied and fulfilled. Thus, a person will tend to accumulate more and possess more even at the expense of others.

    This is how the cycle of corruption and oppression happen. When our desire becomes unsatisfiable, we become greedy of many things, who will tend to collect as many material things and wealth us much as possible.

    Such attitude will not just appear in our heart out of nowhere. Sometimes, this has something to do from our childhood memories. A child who has been deprived from many things particularly of essential things in the child’s development such us food, shelter, toys and clothing and even affection and love from parents may become a form of emptiness in the heart of a child. When the child becomes adult, that kind of experience could give the person the anxiety to be deprived again. Hence, in order to gratify such anxiety the person could become a hoarder who accumulate things and possessions.

    When this happens too, a hoarder or a greedy person is blinded to see the needs of others. It will be difficult for the person to open up and be generous to those who are in need around him or her because the person feesl insecure every time he or she gives.  The person would only look at his/herself and never to others. This is now an attitude of the heart that is truly being possessed by possessions.

    Thus, Jesus said, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Jesus tells us that our life is more than our possessions. Consequently, St. Paul in the second reading calls us “to put to death parts of us that are earthly.” These are attitudes that are driven by greed.

    Be mindful, then, of our possessive attitudes because these may affect and endanger our relationships with our families, friends and colleagues.

    We may ask, what is it that possessed me? What are those that kept me from being free? We do not have to think of millions of pesos because even a single smartphone may possess us. Remember, when we put so much focus and attention to a material thing, it could make us indifferent, ungenerous and unkind towards others. Our attachment to a single smartphone may indeed, prevent us from giving more time, attention and focus towards our studies (for the students), or may prevent us from giving our affection and presence to our loved ones.

    We believe that what gives us true satisfaction, freedom, joy and contentment is a life with God. Thus, Jesus calls today to have a life with Him and to let go of whatever that possessed us because this is the way of making ourselves free for Jesus. Then, by being free for Jesus, we shall be able to let ourselves be satisfied truly by the Lord himself. And in response, our self-satisfaction from the Lord will lead us to recognize that everything we have is God’s blessing that must be shared to others. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

    [1] https://www.oxfam.org/en/about)

    [2] https://time.com/5508393/global-wealth-inequality-widens-oxfam/

  • Never ignore what is familiar and ordinary because God reveals His grace to us in there

    Never ignore what is familiar and ordinary because God reveals His grace to us in there

    August 2, 2019 – Friday 17th Week in Ordinary Time

    From the Gospel according to Matthew (13:54-58)

    Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
    They were astonished and said,
    “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
    Is he not the carpenter’s son?
    Is not his mother named Mary
    and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
    Are not his sisters all with us?
    Where did this man get all this?”
    And they took offense at him.
    But Jesus said to them,
    “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
    and in his own house.”
    And he did not work many mighty deeds there
    because of their lack of faith.

    Homily

    Have you experienced being judged by friends of family members because of your past sins, weaknesses or failures and because you are just too familiar and ordinary for them? Or have you ever judged others too because of their past sins and failures and because they also are very familiar and ordinary to you?

    When I was in high school, I had this classmate who appeared to be always untidy, late and worst would usually fail his exams. Yet, when we moved up to a higher year, there was something that surprised the class about him. Though he still looked untidy and sometimes came late, but, his exams got higher and better results. Every time he passed an exam, we were bitter. Everyone suspected him that he cheated. Most of us couldn’t believe that he had the potential. Others became angry and felt bad whenever he got a higher score than those who usually got high scores.

    Indeed, most of us judged him that he did not have the capacity. We judged him of his past behavior and of his failures. Thus, we have failed to recognize that he had actually that capacity. We refused to believe in him because we felt insecure of his capacities and potentials.

    Though Jesus never failed and sinned, yet, such judgment and bitterness are not far from the experience of Jesus. When Jesus went home to Nazareth, he was treated badly by his own people. The good news that he preached and God’s power that he revealed to his neighbors were treated with cruelty and insecurity.

    When Jesus stood in their midst, the people merely saw a carpenter and an ordinary man who once played and worked with them. The people limited Jesus by what he was used to do, in doing carpentry, nothing more and nothing less. They couldn’t accept that there was actually MORE in Jesus.

    This is very similar with our judgment to that classmate of mine. For many of us, he was just a lazy boy, untidy classmate, not capable of anything except in failing his exams. We too could not accept that there was MORE in him.

    Thus, instead of welcoming the power and wisdom that Jesus shared with grace and faith, the people refused to accept because of their insecurities and bitterness. They rejected Jesus because they could not accept that this ordinary carpenter brings God’s presence to them. They questioned him, “Who is this man? Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?”

    The too-ordinary life of Jesus prevented them to welcome him as God’s revelation to them. Resentment and hate overwhelmed the people which made their hearts, unbelieving. This was the reason why Jesus was not able to perform mighty deeds for them because God’s grace will only work when it is received with faith. Jesus is after all, not a magician who will attract people’s attention for a short span of time. Jesus reveals God’s presence and power through ordinary means.

    And this is not far from our own experiences too. Many times we reject what is ordinary and familiar to us. We ignore God’s grace and invitation to us because we are busy looking for extra-ordinary things, for a magic to appear. That instead of recognizing God’s power in an ordinary sunrise and sunset, we busy ourselves looking for a “dancing sun” or “falling petals from heaven.” Thus, we refuse to believe that there is MORE in the ordinary.

    Miracles happen every day in its most ordinary way. God’s grace is being unfolded even in our everyday experiences. God’s healing power is also revealed to us through our familiar sacraments in the church and through the embrace of people who love us like your parents, siblings, relatives and friends.

    This is the invitation now for us today – that is, to make ourselves more aware of God’s work even in the most ordinary way, to recognize God even among the familiar people, places and events. When we are able to learn this kind of awareness, then, we too shall discover the wonders that God gives us every day, and we shall realize that there is MORE in every ordinary experience, and in every ordinary and familiar person we meet.

    This calls us not to judge quickly to what is familiar and to what is seemingly ordinary, but, to be more welcoming of God’s grace. This reminds us now to be more open to the many potentials of those people who are familiar to us, and not to limit them to their past failures and sins. This calls us too to recognize how God unfolds his grace and his gift of healing through those people who love us. This calls us also to listen to God’s message and invitation through our present situation and through the people who might be God’s prophet today even though they look so familiar and ordinary for us, because there is always more that God offers to us. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Seeking one’s happiness is seeking God

    Seeking one’s happiness is seeking God

    August 1, 2019 – Thursday: Solemnity of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

    From the Book of Prophet Isaiah (61:1-3)

    The spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion – To give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

    Responsorial Psalm : Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

    From the Gospel of Matthew (9:35-10:1)

    Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When se saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but he laborers are few; Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.

    Homily

    Who among us here who is not seeking one’s happiness? I am sure each of us desires it. However, we may be prevented by many things especially when expectations from our families and friends are different from what we truly desire. People around us may have something in mind for us, believing that what they think is better for us. Yet, this is not always the case. That is why, there would be individuals whose lives become miserable because they have to follow the desires from others for them.

    This reminds me of the life of Alphonsus whose feast we celebrate today. That is why, as a Redemptorist priest myself, I also wonder of the kind of life Alphonsus had when he was young and what led him to affirm his vocation by giving his life for the poor and the most abandoned.

    Alphonsus came from an aristocratic family in Naples, Italy. As the eldest in the family, his father had so much expectations from him. At an early age he had many books on his hands instead of toys. He must have been deprived of playing with other children because as an aristocrat, he needed to receive instructions from various teachers. He was indeed an exceptional boy who even finished his studies in both civil and ecclesiastical laws at the age of 16. In his twenties, he was already a known lawyer in Naples. Not just that, he also excelled in arts and music and authored many books.

    With all these things on him, Alphonsus had felt so much pressure from the family and particularly from his father. His father expected him to succeed and follow him as what had been practiced in their family. His relatives and the whole clan had surely expected him also to follow the footsteps of his father as an aristocrat. This was the reason why that at an early age he was expected to follow whatever was told to him. Alphonsus was very careful to follow everything and not to commit any mistake.

    At that time, any mistake will go unpunished. We could imagine how Alphonsus had to endure the corporal punishments and the shame, every time he would commit a mistake or a failure. This kind of upbringing had actually a deep influence on the spiritual life of Alphonsus. He was a very scrupulous man. Alphonsus was very afraid of hell and of eternal damnation. He was indeed very careful not to sin and not to commit any mistake because he believed that God would not be able to forgive him.

    Being scrupulous prevented him actually to be free from shame. He was always haunted by guilt too. Now, we understand how family pressures and his severe upbringing affected his relationship with God. At his lifetime, he struggled to believe that God could forgive him. No matter how small was the mistake or the sin he committed, he would go anxious and worried.

    However, there was something in Alphonsus that really desired freedom, to be free from pressures, from shame and guilt, and from that severe childhood upbringing. Deep within, Alphonsus desired to express what he really wanted. He searched ways were he could truly express his true self without any pressure or expectation from others. Alphonsus was searching to what would really give meaning and true happiness in his life. This was the reason why he excelled in many things but most importantly with his encounter with the common people.

    It was with the patients at the House of Incurables, the prostitutes in Naples, the men and women in the marketplace and later on with the people in a remote area of Scala, that he found himself, and found God more alive.

    This was the beginning of the continual conversion of Alphonsus. By becoming more in touched with his struggles and questions, he too became more aware of God’s desire for him more than the pressure of the people’s desire around him. Hence, Alphonsus gave up his profession and his status as an aristocrat by becoming a poor priest. With this decision, it greatly upset and broke the heart of his father to the point of disowning Alphonsus as his son.

    However, God’s desire for Alphonsus cannot be prevented by anybody. God has so much plan for Alphonsus. And for Alphonsus, he willingly sought God’s desire and he found it among the people. This was where Alphonsus also found how good God is to him. He realized how God loved him so much despite his imperfections and weaknesses.

    Our Psalm today proclaims to us, “Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.” Alphonsus was indeed singing the Lord’s goodness not just expressed in his paintings, music and writings but also in his person, in the way he related with people. And this happiness in Alphonsus touched many men and women including his father. Later on, his father discovered too how God worked in the life of his son and that God has a bigger and better plan for Alphonsus than him.

    Despite the deprivation he had and the strict upbringing in his childhood, he did not become a bitter person but rather, his negative experience allowed him to become understanding and generous to those who were deprived with many things in their life. Consequently, Alphonsus affirmed that the spirit of the Lord is upon him because the Lord anointed him and chose him.

    Today, on this feast day of Alphonsus, the Lord is also inviting each of us to continually seek our own happiness, and in seeking it, we will surely be able to seek God with all our heart because seeking one’s happiness is seeking God.

    Let us allow the Lord then, to unfold before us his desire for us by being open and welcoming to his invitations to change and to be converted in his ways and thinking. And may our encounter with people will allow us to affirm God’s desire for us whatever that may be, in bringing happiness, joy and peace not just to ourselves but also to people around us. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Are you also searching something of great value?

    Are you also searching something of great value?

    July 31, 2019 – Wednesday 17th Week in Ordinary Time

    Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola

    From the Book of Exodus (34:29-35)

    As Moses came down from Mount Sinai
    with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands,
    he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant
    while he conversed with the LORD.
    When Aaron, then, and the other children of Israel saw Moses
    and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become,
    they were afraid to come near him.
    Only after Moses called to them did Aaron
    and all the rulers of the community come back to him.
    Moses then spoke to them.
    Later on, all the children of Israel came up to him,
    and he enjoined on them all that the LORD
    had told him on Mount Sinai.
    When he finished speaking with them,
    he put a veil over his face.
    Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him,
    he removed the veil until he came out again.
    On coming out, he would tell the children of Israel
    all that had been commanded.
    Then the children of Israel would see
    that the skin of Moses’ face was radiant;
    so he would again put the veil over his face
    until he went in to converse with the LORD.

    From the Gospel of Matthew (13:44-46)

    Jesus said to his disciples:
    “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
    which a person finds and hides again,
    and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
    Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
    searching for fine pearls.
    When he finds a pearl of great price,
    he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

    Homily

    Why do people work so hard? Is it not because of the dream to be contented and happy? Why do men and women search for a true love? Is not also because of the hope of being happy in life? Why do we search for what makes us happy? Is it not because that we are designed to be happy?

    Undeniably, we are in search of something that will make our life happy and joyful. Each of us would dream that kind of life. However, in the process of searching, we also encounter failures and disappointments. Yet, we always wake up to achieve what we desire for our life. Our instinct is to search and gain a life of happiness and peace and joy not just for ourselves alone but also for the people whom we love.

    Our Gospel today presents to us two parables that tell us about this desire of finding and possessing something of great value in life. This is something that a person who would do everything just to attain this something of great value.

    The first parable tells us of the grace of God that surprises us. The person was actually not conscious in searching for a treasure. However, the person just found it and later on did everything just to possess it because he was convinced that it was of great importance. He was willing to sell everything he has just to gain that treasure. Certainly, God also loves to surprise us. Joy is truly a gift given to us.

    The second parable tells us of a person consciously searching for a pearl of great price. This search comes from that desire to have a blessed life of peace and joy. Indeed, along the way of our search, great difficulty may be experienced. However, God also leads us to discover His gift for us when we persistently ask for that. God would truly bless a heart that desires Him.

    And when a person finally finds his or her joy in life, this transforms the person not just internally but also physically especially in the way the person relates with others and the way the person presents himself or herself before others. This is what we have heard from our first reading.

    Moses who found his greatest comfort and joy with the Lord was transformed. The Book of Exodus described him that the “skin of his face became radiant.” Moses’ intimate friendship with God made him a different person from before. He was God’s close friend. Consequently, this made Moses also ever closer to the people. Moses became more sensitive to the struggles, questions, fears and anxieties of the people.

    This tells us too that when we truly find our greatest joy in life, we become contented and grateful persons. We would begin to look at things and look at life from the perspective of God rather than from our negative and bitter perspective. In a way, this makes our hearts radiate, our actions generous and words kind.

    Certainly, a married person who truly finds contentment, security and joy in his or her married life extends such grace towards the people around him or her. A person who finally finds his or her vocation in life also becomes more generous and life-giving towards others.

    Such attitude can also be found in the life of St. Ignatius de Loyola, a Spanish soldier and founder of the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was a man in search of great value in life. Along the way of his search, he was confronted by his own sinfulness and failures. He was opposed by others around him who suspected him for being a heretic or a person who desecrated the holiness of God. However, Ignatius persistently search for what will make him joyful until he found his broken and wounded self yet so loved and cherished by the Lord. This was the way also that he realized God working in his life and thus found God’s presence as the greatest value in his life, more than his riches, more than his achievements and successes and more than his sins and guilt. This transformed him to be a generous person.

    We pray that in our search of that great value, then, we would hopefully also arrive at the realization that God’s desire for us is more than anything that we could imagine for ourselves. And once we find it, may the joy and peace that it brings will transform us to become a person God wants us to be like Moses and Ignatius. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Where can me meet the Lord face to face?

    Where can me meet the Lord face to face?

    July 30, 2019 – Tuesday 17th Week in Ordinary time  

    From the Book of Exodus (33:7-11;34:5b-9,29)

    The tent, which was called the meeting tent,
    Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp.
    Anyone who wished to consult the LORD
    would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.
    Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise
    and stand at the entrance of their own tents,
    watching Moses until he entered the tent.
    As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down
    and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.
    On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the tent,
    all the people would rise and worship
    at the entrance of their own tents.
    The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face,
    as one man speaks to another.
    Moses would then return to the camp,
    but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun,
    would not move out of the tent.

    Moses stood there with the LORD and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
    Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
    “The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
    slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
    continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,
    and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin;
    yet not declaring the guilty guiltless,
    but punishing children and grandchildren
    to the third and fourth generation for their fathers’ wickedness!”
    Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
    Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O LORD,
    do come along in our company.
    This is indeed a stiff-necked people; 
    yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
    and receive us as your own.”

    So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights,
    without eating any food or drinking any water,
    and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant,
    the ten commandments.

    From the Gospel of Matthew (13:36-43)

    Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
    His disciples approached him and said,
    “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
    He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
    the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
    The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
    and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
    The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
    Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
    so will it be at the end of the age.
    The Son of Man will send his angels,
    and they will collect out of his Kingdom
    all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
    They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
    where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
    Then the righteous will shine like the sun
    in the Kingdom of their Father.
    Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

    Homily

    The first reading from the Book of Exodus tells us about this wonderful encounter of Moses with God. After that disturbing worship of the golden calf, the Lord did not withdrew His presence from the people. Rather, the Lord continued to accompany His people. Indeed, God is faithful.

    The image of this meeting place of Moses captures that affection of God towards his people represented by Moses. The tent where the Lord reveals Himself was the sacred space for Moses to meet God and be overwhelmed by His joyful presence. This is described in Book of Exodus that the Lord spoke to Moses “face to face.” What Moses really experienced was joy in the presence of the Lord because what he proclaimed to the people was not punishment and damnation. Moses delivered to the people how merciful, slow to anger and kind the Lord is.

    However, we may also wonder why this experience was only limited to Moses. Why did God did not also reveal himself to the people? Aside from the reason that Moses was chosen by the Lord at the very the beginning, there was something more in the person of Moses that he was able to encounter the Lord closely and intimately. Moses was more familiar to God’s voice. Moses had developed a deeper relationship with God. Moses can even argue and exchange words with God. Certainly, the heart of Moses was pure, without malice, untainted by guilt and fear but only affection towards the Lord.

    Nevertheless, the people, because of their grave sin towards God were filled with guilt and fear. They can make their own tents and meeting place also with God but then that guilt and fear would prevent them to stand before God as they are. Undeniably, it is very difficult to stand before God as we are, to be honest and truthful about ourselves, to be bare and showing our vulnerability before the Lord. But Moses can do it with God.

    This makes the difference between Moses and the people. Yet, Moses himself did not pass his own judgment towards the people. He did not condemn them for what they did. Moses remained a faithful intercessor and mediator between the Lord and the people.

    This is what we have heard also from the Gospel today. Jesus taught his disciples not to pass quick judgments over other people particularly those who have sinned. It is the Lord who will judge us at the proper time. Jesus wanted his disciples to develop a sense of hope towards everybody because God gives many chances to us.

    This is what Moses also proclaimed to the people. Although God punishes the guilty “from his children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation, but then, God’s kindness and fidelity continues for a thousand generations and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin.” This is also reechoed in our Psalm today, “The Lord is kind and merciful.”

    This tell us now of this God who sees hope in us. We might find ourselves hopeless because of the sins that we have committed or because of the failures we have in life, but then, God sees more in us.

    This is what Moses surely had seen as well, not just for the people but also for himself. That is where he found his redemption because God believed first in him and on what he can do for others.

    Each of us also today is invited to learn from Moses. God has surely seen more in us as his kindness and fidelity surpasses from our failures and sins. Thus, each of us also is invited to meet the Lord in our own tents where we can be with the Lord, presenting our true self without any pretensions and masks, without fear and guilt, but rather, with affection and familiarity with God’s voice. Let us find that sacred space where we can meet the Lord and encounter him and be filled with his joy. This sacred space is not necessarily be limited with physical location or area but also a space where we can be comfortable with who we really are. This space is in fact can also be a state of mind, an attitude towards God’s presence.

    Hopefully, in meeting and encountering God, we may also find and be able to affirm how we are loved by this God, not just us particularly, but also, everyone. And may this realization will change the way we look at and relate with other people no matter who they are. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR