Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Fr. Jom Baring, CSsR

  • OUR IDOLS

    OUR IDOLS

    May 28, 2025 – Wednesday of the Sixth week of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052825.cfm)

    To idolize someone because of their good qualities and characteristics as a person expresses our admiration. We admire a person as an affirmation. In today’s popular culture, such form of admiration would manifest in our efforts in following the person, copying how the person acts, talks and presents himself or herself in public. We too go on in becoming an avid fan.

    In fact, one of my nieces who is an avid fan of BTS, a South Korean Boy Band, collects posters, pictures, albums and music. She would spend a significant amount of her allowance to acquire some materials.

    Yet, such form of idolizing and admiring may also develop into a kind of blind loyalty and obedience. Our interest would start to negatively impact our life and relationships with others. We become aggressive and violent even in our words when we find other people not sharing the same opinion, belief or interest like ours. More so, such aggression would also manifest when we encounter people who express criticism to the person we idolize. This is a form of obsession in which we as people who idolize someone become close-minded and out of touch of our reality and the bigger picture of life.

    The readings today have something to teach us. They also challenge us in the way we live our lives today as Christians.

    In the first reading, we were told that Paul was in Athens and saw the many idols the Athenians had. The Greeks were known to have many gods and goddesses. Yet, Paul also realized how deeply religious the people were because of that expression. What touched Paul most was the shrine dedicated to the “Unknown god.” With this, Paul being a witness and apostle of the Risen Jesus had the responsibility to introduce to the Athenians the one True God.

    Paul preached to them the person of Jesus, the Son of God, who became like us, and who lived among us. For it is through Jesus that we are saved by dying on the cross and by rising from the dead. However, this is the very reason as well why many of the Athenians did not believe him, only few of them.

    Many could not accept that kind of God who died for us and was being resurrected. This was something beyond the imagination and any human explanation. What hindered them to believe was their own obsession towards their many idols, of their many gods. This was something they couldn’t give up.

    This form of “idolizing” was not a mere admiration. It was an obsession. Though this happened long time ago, yet, at present this reality is still happening. Idolatry still creeps in our culture today. We are still somehow captivated by some idols in one way or another that make God a lesser priority. This makes our Christian life and faith less significant. How does this happen?

    When a thing or a person is being loved, wanted, desired and even treasured and enjoyed “more” than God to the point that we have become obsessed, then this could be the “idol” that we worship. That could be your boyfriend or girlfriend or even your good looks. It could be the approval of other people, your attractiveness that tend to seek recognition from others. It could also be your successful career or business or work. Or could be your own passion in sports or any hobbies.

    Nonetheless, reflecting on these, they are actually not evil or bad in themselves. These things are good but they become bad when they do not serve the purpose – which is to be closer to God, by knowing him better, by being grateful to him and by being generous to others.

    In one way or another, these forms of idolatry are also forms of addictions in us. It means that we may tend to be selfish, prioritizing only our own satisfaction – as a result, we will become insecure and not free at all because we are imprisoned by our own obsessions.

    This is not what God wants us to be. God wants us to be free by knowing and loving him more and more. And so, let us remember what Jesus told us in the Gospel. “The spirit of truth will lead us; the spirit will guide us to discover God and know him better.”

    Jesus wants us to pray, to converse with God truly and that is not just to tell God what we “want.” Let us also ask God what God “wants” for us; not my own “selfish desires”, but to ask what is “God’s desire for me.”

    Let us invite the spirit of truth to enlighten us, and that is, to help us identify our actions, attitudes, belief or things that preoccupy us. This may hopefully lead us to recognize our “idols” that hinder us to know God better, to be closer to Him and that continually prevent us to be generous to others. Hinaut pa.

  • GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION

    GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION

    May 24, 2025 – Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052425.cfm)

    Once, a friend told me, “It is only through ourselves that we will be saved. Religion cannot save us, only ourselves.” And because he was quite talkative and tended to always dominate any conversation, I couldn’t respond to him and refute his idea. However, that event helped me to further discern and understand the gift of salvation.

    There are two points that I want to bring out today.

    First, we will never be able to save ourselves. No one can save his/herself. No human effort and merit can save us. Salvation is a gift. It is a grace. It is not like a salary or wage that we receive after our hard labor. Even our good deeds and righteousness will never be capable of affording the grace of salvation.

    We will only be able to share this gift because this is God’s plan revealed to us. the Lord desires that we share in God’s fullness of life, and that we become free. This is God’s gift offered to us though we are unworthy at all.

    Second, religion or the Church is the very image of the people who are already sharing the gift of salvation. When we truly live as a church united in Christ, it shows that we joyfully accept this grace. We also share in this grace. Thus, only in living out our Christian life in our community, though our closeness and concern with each one that we learn to share in the grace of salvation and freedom. This is what we have heard from our readings today.

    In the Acts of the Apostles, we were told that “Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.”

    This tells us of the gift of salvation already shared among the first Christians. Those who heard the good news and lived them out, experienced the grace of freedom in Christ.

    This was crystal clear in the life of Timothy. He showed that grace by living a life dedicated to preaching of the Gospel to many. He joined and accompanied Paul in his journey because he felt and experience the grace in his very life.

    Thus, through the preaching of the apostles that the church grew, and today we are all gathered, as fruits of that grace lived out since the time of the apostles. This was the reason why the Gospel was preached to many nations and peoples, and they too received and lived the faith, and grew.

    This is reechoed in our Responsorial Psalm today, “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.” This is both an expression of hope and vision, that all of us will also preach the Gospel not just in our words but also in our deeds. May we preach Christ and his teachings with joy in our hearts. Only by this attitude of the heart that others shall see and recognize that we have already shared the grace of salvation and freedom.

    However, let us also remember that when we too are constantly in conflict with one another, the constant division in our community, the lingering hatred and resentment against each one are signs that we do not live and share in God’s gift of salvation. When our hearts are filled with jealousy, greed, hate, selfishness, indifference, deceit and violence towards others, these too are signs that we are departing and making ourselves distance from God’s offer and gift of freedom and joy.

    On the other hand, when we also experience persecutions, suffering and hatred from others because of what we believe, do not worry too much. Remember, even Christ and his apostles also suffered very much from the hand of those who rejected God’s presence and God’s gift. The Gospel today reminds us that the world may persecute us, but, God has chosen us to be his own.

    As God has chosen us, this is now our surety of the Lord ever abiding presence in us. As Jesus accompanies us and journey with us, we too share in his gift of salvation and freedom. Hinaut pa.

  • BEING A TRUE FRIEND

    BEING A TRUE FRIEND

    May 23, 2025 – Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052325.cfm)

    How many friends or followers do you have in your Facebook account? Or in your other social media accounts? Those of us who have Facebook account may have hundreds of friends. Others even have a thousand or more friends. But, do we really consider every person there as our “friend?” Do each of them share closeness and intimacy with us?

    Today, the word “friend” may have other meanings. Our friends in our social media accounts are actually our contacts or connections. However, having those “friends” do not mean that we have intimate and personal relationships with each of them. Perhaps, to some people we really have but most, we don’t, because they are our acquaintances at school, at work, at events or friends of friends.

    It may seem common today to have such tendency to accumulate friends, to make and have friends. It is our desire to be socially connected with others through the internet. We too want to be identified by people to whom we make contacts. Yet, we could become more conscious of having friends and affiliate ourselves with others rather than “being a friend.”

    We realize that to have friends and to be a friend have different natures and intentions. To have friends has the tendency to be self-absorbed, self-conscious and selfish because this attitude looks inward. On the other hand, to be a friend is an action that comes with commitment. Thus, it is self-giving and self-sacrificing. This attitude looks outward and is other-oriented.

    This is the very kind of friendship that Jesus talks about in the Gospel. Jesus calls each of us to be his friends. The friendship that Jesus offers is self-giving and self-sacrificing. Jesus commits himself to us as his friends. His commitment is summed up in his love for you and for me by offering himself on the cross on our behalf.

    Hence, the friendship of Jesus is not about using us or so that he may get something from us. His friendship is not about feeding his ego. Rather, his friendship with us is about giving oneself. Through this friendship he calls us as his friends, not slaves, not mere acquaintances or contacts.

    This is Jesus’ invitation to each of us now, that you and me will grow in that friendship with Him. We are called to develop our personal and intimate friendship with Jesus through our constant “chats” expressed through our prayers and this Eucharist. Friendship grows when we come to know each other both our pains and joys, failures and hopes, frustrations and growth.

    And because this friendship is not inward but rather an outward relationship, our friendship with Jesus should inspire us “to become a true friend.”

    Yes, we, who are friends of Jesus are called to be a friend of everyone. We too are invited to express the same love that we have received from Jesus by sharing ourselves and presence. We are called to “shout out” the goodness that the Lord has revealed to us. We are invited “to post what’s on our mind and heart” so that others may know and grow  in their friendship with Jesus.

    So, friends of Jesus – go and be a true friend to others! Hinaut pa.

  • That Your Joy Might be Complete

    That Your Joy Might be Complete

    May 22, 2025 – Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052225.cfm)

    What keeps us going? What keeps us dreaming and hoping? Joy as a deep-seated contentment and peace, plays a very important part in our lives as Christians. It is that profound joy that will keep us going, dreaming and hoping. It is joy that will make us not just surviving, but in truly living.

    Jesus addressed his disciples and reminded them of this important desire of the Lord for them. Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” The Lord addressed them when later on he will undergo such painful and shameful death of the cross. There was so much suffering to come. This was the time to make his disciple see better what joy was all about.

    Although, only later on as well that the disciples, now Apostles of the good news of Jesus, have understood well what this joy from Jesus meant. In the Acts of the Apostles, the first Christians faced with dilemma because of their difference in doctrines and cultures. In the midst of conflict and tensions, they too have realized that at the center of everything should always be the Risen Jesus and their well-rounded relationship with each one.

    Joy is fully discovered not when we are alone. Joy is fully manifested in our relationship with God and shared commitment to love each other. As we begin to see lesser ourselves, lesser of our biases and personal comfort, we too begin to see more Jesus and our brothers and sisters.

    In this way, the Apostles together with the first Christians learned to adjust with one another and not to impose their old belief system upon each other. What had become more important is their faith in Jesus, of their love for each other.

    This makes joy complete. We realize also today that our joy is basically founded in our confidence of being first loved by the Lord. No matter who we are and what dirt we have because of sin and guilt we have committed, this love of God will never diminish. Such love brings us to respond in love and show such love in most concrete ways of loving. This is how joy becomes full in us, with Jesus and with our commitment to love each other. Hinaut pa.

  • To Ask Anything in the Name of Jesus

    To Ask Anything in the Name of Jesus

    May 3, 2025 – Feast of Sts. James and Philip

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050325.cfm)

    When you come to church, when you pray, and beg the Lord – what do you ask? What attitude do we have in asking the Lord for grace? What inner desires do we foster as we beg the Lord?

    On this feast day of Sts. James and Philip, Jesus tells us, “if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” But, what does it mean anything? And what does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name?

    Does Jesus mean that we can just ask anything we want? Does it mean that I can also ask Jesus to give me a lifetime premium subscription on Netflix with an unlimited supply of popcorn and bottomless four-season juice drink? Or can I also ask Jesus to make me Summa Cum Laude this coming graduation? Is this the kind of prayer that Jesus invites us?

    Today, Jesus tells us to ask “in his name.” The beauty lies in the prayer that considers the desire of God for us. It means that in our prayer we do not forget Jesus. We do not forget Jesus’s desire for us and his will for us.

    This tells us of our relationship with Jesus. This should not be understood as a mere limitation with the options we have in asking. Instead, “asking in his name” widens our perspective in asking grace from the Lord.

    This invites us to a deeper awareness of Jesus’ heart, of Jesus’ desires and of Jesus’ plans for us. It is certain that what Jesus desires for us is always good, always for our growth, always for our freedom.

    Therefore, to ask in Jesus’ name is to allow letting go on what we only want. We let go also of our own preferences which may be influenced by our selfish desires, guilt, sin and evil.

    Instead of praying – “this is what I want and wish Lord,” ask and pray rather first in this way, “what is your desire for me Lord?”

    Only then that we will be able to get away from our selfish tendencies and intentions because we shift our focus from ourselves to God. We begin to shift from praying that comes only from personal wants to praying in his name.

    This is now our prayer and our desire that in asking grace from the Lord, we may also grow more in our knowledge of Jesus. Know Jesus not just on our head level but also of the heart.

    Through the intercession of St. Philip and St. James, may we dare to encounter the Lord among our brothers and sister; to encounter the Lord in our human experiences; and to encounter him in our daily struggles in life. Hinaut pa.