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 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 destined to be happy?
Definitely, we are all in search of something that will make our life happy, joyful and contented. Each of us dreams that kind of life. However, in the process of searching, we also encounter failures and disappointments, discouragements and frustrations. Yet, we always wake up to achieve what we desire for our life and for our loved ones. Our instinct is to search and gain a life of happiness peace and joy not just for ourselves but also for the people we love.
This brings me to the message of the Gospel today. Our Gospel 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 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. Yet, that person just found it out of accident 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 had 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 in the Book of Exodus.
Moses who found his greatest comfort and joy in 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 heart radiate, our actions generous and our 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.
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. Hinaut pa.
August 1, 2023 – Solemnity of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Readings
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 he 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.
Who would not want to be happy? Who would not want a fulfilled life? To be happy and to have a fulfilled life is everyone pursuit in life. This is the very reason why we dream, aspire things for our life and others, hope for a better and comfortable life.
And in our search for happiness, we also realize that there can be actually many reasons to make us happy from small things to the big and great things. We may also do many things just to make ourselves happy or make other people happy. We can also actually make our life busy in pursuing happiness. This is not just true among adults or old people but even among the young generation. Yet, in making ourselves busy to find happiness we might also lose the opportunity to be really happy. The question now, is on the quality and endurance of our happiness.
There are many young people today, who entertain themselves with a lot of things. Many are drawn towards online or mobile games to experience a surge of happiness in winning a game. Others would also keep their eyes on the screen to watch Korean TV Series and be entertained with the Korean Idols. Others make themselves busy on everyday TikToks and selfies to be uploaded on Facebook and Instagram.
Though these are forms of short-term happiness but they can also lead us to what would really make truly happy and fulfilled. However, in our sear, we may be prevented by many things as well 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, 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. We were told in his biography that an early age he had 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 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, I am very sure that 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 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 mistakes.
At that time, any mistake will not 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 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 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. In 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. Somehow, Alphonsus struggled to find what truly makes him happy and what would truly fulfill his life.
However, there was something in Alphonsus that really desired for 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 of 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, where he found happiness and fulfillment of this life.
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 pressures 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. This happiness and fulfillment in Alphonsus touched many men and women including his father. Later on, his father discovered also how God worked in the life of his son and that God had a bigger and better plan for Alphonsus than him.
Despite the deprivation Alphonsus had and the strict upbringing in his childhood, he did not become a bitter person but rather, his negative experiences 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 blessed feast day of Alphonsus, the Lord is inviting each of us to continually seek our own happiness and fulfillment , and in our search, we may also be continually converted into God’s heart. Let our search leads us deeper and intimately into God.
Let us allow the Lord then, to unfold before us his desires for us by being open and welcoming to his invitations to change and to be converted in his ways and thinking. May our encounter with people 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.
Have you been so angry with a person that you imagine how you would take your revenge? You thirst for justice, you seek for vengeance because you were so hurt, insulted or humiliated. Yet, you are powerless. You feel desperate because there seemed to be no justice. There seemed to be no one to stand and fight with you.
Such was the feeling of Prophet Jeremiah. The first reading tells us about this kind of desperation. The prophet portrays to us a turbulent time in the City of Jerusalem because a powerful nation was about to invade them. Though there was a resistance to it but it was not enough. People were afraid.
Thus, the Book of Jeremiah confirms that there was terror all around! People were aware of it but many chose to whisper it only. They did not want to stand up and fight. As people, they were afraid of this powerful nation. It was too overwhelming for them. This was perhaps the reason why they only whispered about it.
This prophet among the people could not just stand and passively see it unfolding. Jeremiah stood up for them with all his might. However, at his back, his enemies were also plotting on how to bring him down. Even his friends betrayed him and wanted his destruction.
These were the situations surrounding the life of Prophet Jeremiah, that is why, we also find his prayer quite aggressive. Jeremiah prayed for revenge to be delivered by God. He prayed for the destruction of the enemies. Jeremiah prayed, “let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause.” Indeed, this is a prayer born out of desperation and hunger for justice and freedom.
The same plea we can also find in today’s Psalm, “Lord, in your great love, answer me.” There is so much terror in life. So much fear and anxiety that has caused our life to be disturbed. This is the same feeling that we too might be are experiencing now especially as we face conflicts and problems in our life. Thus, the Psalm, is indeed, our prayer also.
In the midst of many threats in our life perpetrated by the those with wealth and in power, or by those who wished for our destruction and defamation, the words of Jeremiah in the first reading reechoes, “The Lord shall rescue the life of the poor from the power of the wicked.” This is hope, not an empty promise of God.
Moreover, in the Letter of Paul to the Romans, the apostle reminds us of the great grace, a gift from God that we have received. The gracious gift is Jesus. Through Jesus, grace overflows for the many. He light in the midst of darkness. He is grace in the midst of sin. He is hope in the midst of desperation.
Let that grace, then, to overflow from our heart to those in need. Let our devotion, our faith to overflow through our generous actions and words. The Gospel of Matthew speaks to us of this. “What I say to you in darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” Meaning, as God comes to rescue us in our difficulties, as God gives us enough grace as we face our own battles whatever that be, as God reveals his presence in our desperate moments – we are called to share them to others too. As we encounter God in those dark moments of our life, let us also bring God with us in the light.
Remember also, Jesus reminds us three times in the Gospel today not to be afraid. As we are called to translate our Christian faith in concrete ways, never hesitate and be afraid to stand up for what is right and just, to show your kindness to others and to express boldly your faith through your generosity to those in need. Hinaut pa.
Parents are the first shepherds of children at home. As shepherds, they take care of their children, and make sure that home is welcoming and nurturing. Parents secure that the basic needs of human intimacy and love, of physical, mental and spiritual aspects of children are provided. Parents lead children by example through their words and deeds.
However, what if our parents are irresponsible? When a father turns out to be alcoholic, abusive and immature or a mother turns out to be distant, self-obsessed and cruel in her words, then, it will not be surprising if children will also turn out to be like them, lost and unproductive, broken and resentful.
This can also be true in a wider picture. When our leaders, whether in our Church or State, will turn out to be unreliable, corrupt, abusive and self-absorbed, then, our community will surely be in a mess. That is why, there is really a need to learn and to practice what Jesus calls us to be.
Each of us, certainly, has the responsibility of taking care of others. As we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Easter, we also celebrate this as Good Shepherd Sunday. And so, let us take a deeper look on how God invites us today.
The image of God as a shepherd is a recurring theme in the bible. In fact, the Psalm today captures very well this image, “The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” Jesus used this image to portray himself as the Good Shepherd who is willing to give his life for the sake of his sheep, who makes sure that the flock is taken cared and well provided. The Good Shepherd cares, protects and provides for the sheep as he himself proclaimed, “I am the gate the gate for the sheep.”
In Biblical times, sheep were very important to the lives of the people because sheep provide both food and clothing. Since the sheep needed grass, the shepherd would always look for green pastures. Because of this, the shepherd and his sheep were always on a journey in search for green pastures and water. The shepherd will provide shelter and protection for his sheep – 24/7. Consequently, the shepherd would develop a close relationship with his sheep to the point of becoming familiar to each of them, giving them names and calling them by name. The sheep in return would also become familiar with their shepherd. They would recognize his voice and follow him wherever he may lead them. In a way, trust and confidence is built up in this kind of relationship.
From this point, I would like to highlight the two relationships where we are invited to reflect and to grow and mature. First is the relationship of the Shepherd to the sheep. Second is the relationship between the sheep with their shepherd.
As persons who exercise responsibility over others God invites us to learn from the relationship the shepherd has with his sheep. The shepherd takes time to know his sheep; he spends quality time with them. The shepherd develops a rapport with his sheep allowing himself to be in the midst of his sheep. He is neither distant nor indifferent, but close and involved to every sheep. The shepherd responds to the needs of his sheep.
Thus, Jesus invites us that like him we too shall develop a consciousness of serving, of taking care of others, of becoming instruments of God’s care and compassion to His people. As parents, as leaders in our community, organization or in your field of work, or as priests and religious, we are called to learn from the Good shepherd.
And remember, this is power which is an ability to influence, to create and transform. This power is ought to be expressed through love, so that, power transforms into service and giving of oneself. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, tells us that being a person with power as an authority figure or leader is not about controlling others or manipulating others, but rather, having the capacity to serve and love without pretension, without manipulation and that does not count the cost.
The second relationship that I am emphasizing is between the sheep with their shepherd. Today, we might not like the idea of being called as sheep. Sheep are known to be stupid and submissive animals. Yet, we, human beings are cultured, intelligent, and sophisticated because of our reason. But then, do these qualities in us really make us totally different from the attitudes of the sheep?
Is it not that we also tend to be unmindful and unconscious of many things in life except for our personal desires and wants, except with those that will give us comfort and pleasure? Yes, we might tend to be more focused of the green pastures that we have at this moment but careless of what surrounds us.
We might be full of ourselves, of what others can give us and of what is only beneficial to us without minding the needs of others, meaning, egocentric. Like the sheep, we might not be conscious also of the vicious and greedy wolf in our midst and saying nothing about it. We might find ourselves dumb and stupid for not recognizing, not speaking out, and not standing up against to what is unjust and evil in our community. Like the sheep, we might also wander to the other side thinking that there is more security in vices, in depression and loneliness. So, we stray away from the comfort of our brothers and sisters.
Thus, we too need a Shepherd who will lead us, who will show us the way, to inspire us and to motivate us. We are called, then, to also develop a close relationship with our shepherd, to put our trust and confidence to our shepherd, whoever he/she may be – our parents, leaders in the community, the pastors in our parish, or teachers and mentors.
Indeed, we are called to trust and to grow in faith and confidence in Jesus, who is our Good Shepherd who laid down his life for us. Jesus is in our midst, hopefully, we too shall spend more time with him in prayer so that we become familiar of his voice and attuned to his ways. In this way, we may be able to follow him with joy and confidence. Kabay pa.
I remember when we first experienced “LOCKDOWN” here in the City in 2020 due to the spread of Covid-19, the first Sunday was so depressing. I walked around the empty Church ground and looked at an empty Church. I was very sad and afraid of what will happen in the coming days when lockdown was imposed. Since, then, as the virus made more infections, we experienced the same face of lockdowns, with its different names, from GCQ, to MGCQ, ECQ to MECQ. Our movement was limited and the more it brought anxiety to many.
Those lockdowns were imposed as a defensive mechanism that the government believed and medical experts developed to minimize the infections. We followed and believed that those lockdowns were necessary to protect, save and even give life. Yet, I pray that we will never go back to that experience again.
Remembering those lockdowns, it evoked to me now a different kind of lockdown. This is the self-imposed lockdown that can be life-threatening and life-depressing.
This is similar to the situation of the disciples, who embraced a self-imposed lockdown as told by the Gospel on this Second Sunday of Easter. The disciples gathered in one place and locked themselves in because of fear. They were afraid that what happened to Jesus, may also happen to them. Certainly, this was a defensive mechanism of a heart that was hurt and bruised. It is a form of withdrawal from others and from God because of “fear.”
In a way, experiencing pain in our relationships also makes us more defensive the next time we relate with others. We become defensive and even withdrawn with others because we fear of being hurt again, of being rejected again, of being bullied again. And so, we develop a defense mechanism to the point of making ourselves isolated from others. Thus, we “lockdown” ourselves from any possible pain or hurt, because we are afraid of what others can do to us. We will tend not to invest emotionally in a relationship, or refusing to give oneself for others, becoming mediocre and complacent and to just stay at the comfort zone but remaining fearful.
However, fear makes our heart unbelieving. This happened to the disciples who refused to believe what Mary Magdalene proclaimed to them, that Jesus has been raised from the dead. They couldn’t believe her because they were too afraid.
Yet, what was more interesting in the Gospel was on how Jesus appeared in their midst even though they made sure that the doors were locked. Jesus appeared to them and brought peace to the hearts of these fearful disciples.
We also find Thomas who was not there at that time of Jesus’ appearance, still holding on to his fears and doubts. Although all the other disciples have testified that they have seen the Lord, Thomas couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t believe, and because of that, his heart was more locked than the door and the walls of his heart have thickened to the point that he did not want any more to listen to what others were saying. Thomas personally lockdown his heart.
That is why, Thomas, set a condition before he would believe that Jesus is alive. He said, “unless I will see and touch him, I will not believe.” Because of so much fear and doubts, Thomas insisted that condition in order to protect himself.
Just as Jesus met the other disciples in their own hiding place and so he did it also to Thomas. Jesus appeared once again and asked Thomas to touch his wounds so that he may believe. Jesus submitted to the condition of Thomas.
This is what the Gospel is telling us today – the Lord meets us wherever we are and he takes us seriously in all our fears, anxieties and doubts. When God meets us in our own hiding places and closed doors, He brings us peace to our troubled hearts. This is an assurance that in God’s presence we find peace and without Him we will always be disturbed and insecure.
This is the mystery of the Divine Mercy which we celebrate on this Second Sunday of Easter, the God of Mercy who brings peace into our troubled and fearful hearts, and who pierces through our lockdown-and-walled-hearts.
In God’s Mercy, Jesus indeed meets us where we are at the moment especially when we decide to retreat to self-centeredness, to our old bad habits and addictions, to our unhealthy defensive mechanisms and self-imposed lockdowns of mediocrity and indifference towards other people, and into our angry and irritable response to people around us. God meets us there and he wants us to know that He is with us and He brings us peace.
It is when we recognize God in those moments that Jesus invites us to touch his wounds just like Thomas. Being aware of the wounds and touching the wounds of Jesus means that Jesus feels our own pain and suffering, our fears and anxieties, questions and doubts. Hopefully, that experience will lead us to proclaim like Thomas, “My Lord and my God.” This is again an assurance to us that our God is alive and at work in our lives.
I would like to invite you now to be aware and to recognize those attitudes, cultures, beliefs and experiences that continue to lock us away from others and from God. Be aware of those that are holding us back from fully relating to others and from freely expressing goodness, and those that make us withdrawn and indifferent to people around us.
May our encounter with the risen Christ, the image of the Divine Mercy make our locked and defensive hearts to open up as He brings us peace and sends us to others. This may move us to go out to touch the lives of others. Hinaut pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 