Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Fr. Jom Baring, CSsR

  • What brings you to life?

    What brings you to life?

    February 12, 2023 – 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021223.cfm)

    What motivates and inspires you? What fulfills your day? What brings you to life? Depending of our status, situations and circumstances in life, our answers may vary from God, family, children, wife or husband, community, our career or business, our passion and advocacies, our dreams and aspirations.

    There is always a reason why we get up in the morning and continue to live on. We get inspirations from people around us, and that keep us going. For many of us, it is very important that at the end of the day we feel fulfilled in life. However, when we find ourselves unfulfilled and unsatisfied, we feel disappointed or depressed or even feel angry at ourselves or towards others.

    Consequently, it is also important that we are aware of those that motivate and inspire us. By being able to know the reasons why we do things, why we do sacrifices and make decisions, why we commit and give ourselves, then, these help us to become grounded and mature in our relationships.

    On this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, allow me to journey with you through the readings that have been proclaimed to us and together let us discover how the Lord invites to find what really motivates and inspires us and what brings us to life.

    The readings we have this Sunday are all talking about God’s commandments and the call to become obedient to God’s commands. Our childhood catechesis would remind us that for us to go to heaven then we have to follow the commandments of God or else we shall be damned in hell. Fear of being terribly punished is usually instilled into our minds.  Well, let us rather look at these fundamentals of our faith at the level of a mature relationship with God.

    Let us start with what the Book of Sirach tells us. Sirach reminds us that God’s commandments are not meant to restrict and enslave us. These are also not detrimental to our human freedom and knowledge. The commandments of God are rather to bring us to the fullness of life, to God’s Divine Self. Sirach says, “if you trust in God, you too shall live.” Trusting the Lord, then, means being able to uphold and follow God’s commandments.

    Moreover, though “God’s wisdom in immense, he is mighty in power, and all-seeing,” yet, the Lord never imposes that power on us or threatening us just to obey the commandments to love. God rather gives us freedom to choose to love freely, to choose God freely and to choose life freely.

    Though Sirach reminds us again to “fear the Lord,” however, “fear” here is not about the “fear of being punished” so that we obey just as a child obeys a parent because of fear of corporal punishment – of being hit or scolded. If our “fear of the Lord” remains at this level, then, it means that our faith and relationship with God has not grown to maturity.

    Fear of the Lord is an attitude of deep respect and reverence to God. Thus, fear must come from the knowledge and belief of the possibility of being away from the grace of God, away from the fullness of life. This will only happen when we choose freely what is evil, choose not to love, thus, not choosing God.

    Yet, God does not want us to be away from him, away from his love and from the fullness of life. God desires that we freely, knowingly and consciously choose the Lord, choose to love and choose life. These should rather motivate and inspire us as individuals and as a community of believers because as the Psalm proclaims today, “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord.”

    Likewise, Paul also tells us that God’s wisdom is mysterious and hidden, yet, the wisdom of God has been “revealed to us through the Spirit.” The person of Jesus, his whole life – is God’s wisdom revealed to us. Again, Paul tells us that having the Lord in our life and in every decision we make in life should be the reason behind and the power that inspires us. This is what the Gospel of Matthew wants to tell us as well. Jesus who is God’s manifestation of wisdom, is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets that basically nurtures our relationship with God and with one another.

    In the Gospel, we have heard an argument between the Jewish leaders and Jesus. They thought that Jesus abolished the Law and Prophets, which composed the whole tradition of their people. For them, the Law and the Prophets, and all those teachings were the fundamentals of their faith. The commandments written in the scriptures motivated them to live as faithful Jews.

    However, Jesus himself denied that he abolished the law and the teachings of the prophets and the whole tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus is actually the fulfillment of the promises in the whole Hebrew Scriptures. The person of Jesus is the very inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures.

    But then, the Jewish leaders missed the whole point. They were not able to recognize Jesus, as the true inspiration. They focused more on themselves, on what they can gain, on their privileges and influences over the people.

    This happens also to us when we think that our achievements, influence and power over others, and our titles are our main inspiration and that having them is our motivation; when we believe that pleasing people around us will make us fulfilled or satisfying our every selfish desires will make us truly happy and contented. Nevertheless, these will only make us anxious, fearful and more unsatisfied.

    We are rather called to ground ourselves to the most important part of life, and that is, our relationships. These include our relationship with God and with one another, with our family and friends, organizations and communities. God’s commandments are given to us to essentially nurture, cherish and develop our relationships with each other and with God. Thus, to freely choose to love, life and God are the very areas where we are called to find inspiration and motivation. Choosing away from these would lead us rather to be separated from grace which will ultimately make us to hurt and cause pain to others because of our selfish intentions.

    Thus, for all of us, we are called to mature and be grounded with our relationships, and most  essentially with the Lord. Allow ourselves to be taught, to be molded and to be inspired through our experiences in our relationships may it be in our families, friends, or special someone. Allow those relationships also to be the space of God to reveal the Divine presence in us. With that, we shall surely find true fulfilment in life as we follow God’s commandments. Hopefully, we will be animated by Jesus who gives us life and fulfills our life. Kabay pa.

  • BE A SALT, BE A LIGHT

    BE A SALT, BE A LIGHT

    February 5, 2023 – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020523.cfm)

    I once encountered an old leper in Mandaue City when I was a first year Seminarian in the college. His name was Tatay Mike. He was abandoned by his own family in the leprosarium in the 60s when leprosy began to appear in his body during his 30s. He was a teacher yet, he was forced to leave his teaching profession and his home but was also abandoned by his family because of fear of contamination.

    What is terrifying with leprosy are not just the wounds, but of not being able to feel the pain. Leprosy produces anesthetic-effect in the body. It actually damages the sensory nerves of the person, thus, the inability to feel pain.

    Tatay Mike also began to question his own existence. He was filled with suffering both in his body and in his heart. He was wounded, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The abandonment from his family created unspeakable wound in his person. He was always angry at everything and everyone. He would blame God for making him suffer that much. In fact, he asked people to just kill him, to end his life. He too tried to kill himself. He committed suicide not just one, not twice, but many times.

    That encounter with him led me and my co-seminarian to become a friend of Tatay Mike. We spent time with him even though he would curse us for being with him. We would visit him every afternoon on Saturday even when he seemed to be always angry at us. Yet, our constant visits to him, changed him slowly. He became more tolerant with us until such a time that he began to open up his story to us.

    One Saturday afternoon Tatay Mike blurted out to us, “Gusto nako mamatay! Wala may naghigugma nako! Pait kaayo akong kinabuhi.” (I really want to die. No one has loved me. My life is bitter!) – Upon hearing this painful words of Tatay Mike, it was my co-seminarian who responded and gave hope to him. He said, “Tay, nia man mi nagahigugma nimu. Mao nang kanunay mi mobisita nimu!” (Tay, we are here loving you. That is the reason why we would visit you.)

    Tatay Mike shed some tears at this. He told us that it was his very first time being told that he was loved. It was such an emotional encounter but that gave hope to Tatay Mike. And that simple encounter, changed Tatay Mike’s perspective in life. Sadly, Tatay Mike died the following year due to other complications. But at least he died knowing that he too was being loved.

    This encounter with this old man seemed to be just an ordinary encounter for me at that time. We went to the leprosarium to visit the patients, not entirely by our own will and desire. As young Seminarians, we went there because we were told to and that was just a part of our seminary formation. If we were given a choice at that time, we would surely not go to the leprosarium to visit and talk to the lepers. We would rather go to an internet café and play computer games.

    It was only later that I realized that the seemingly ordinary encounter with Tatay Mike created actually a slow but powerful impact on me as a Seminarian. Tatay Mike must have realized that our presence brought something new and some meaning into his life. Yet, Tatay Mike’s life and our Saturday visits have actually changed me a lot.

    Tatay Mike and those Saturday visits taught me that despite the senseless suffering one will have, life is still wort living; that another person’s presence in our life is a testament of God’s faithfulness in us; that our expressions of care and concern could be the last life-line of people who have lost the desire to live.

    This reminds me very much of what St. Paul told us in his first letter to the Corinthians that the message he brought to the people was through a “demonstration of Spirit and power.” What does he mean by this? Paul preached the person of Jesus not merely on persuasion and human words but through his very actions. The sincerity of his heart, his kindness and concern shown to the many people were reasons that the people recognized the person of Jesus in the life of Paul.

    Similarly, Prophet Isaiah in the first reading reminds us how the Lord has called us into concrete actions of care and concern. The Lord declares, “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own… remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech.”

    When we have the courage, the intention and the desire to express these concrete actions of care and concern, we shall be a light and joy to those who find life dark and bitter. In effect, our commitment to defend the weak and the oppressed will be our source of confidence when we too are in the midst of trials and challenges.

    Moreover, Jesus encapsulates what we both heard in the previous readings. Jesus tells us, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of world.” The salt because it gives flavor to our food and serves as preservative as well, has become a symbol of bringing joy to our community. The salt which was also a form of compensation to Roman Soldiers in ancient Rome, thus the word salary emerged, has also become a symbol of giving life to those whose lives were deprived of basic needs.

    The light that Jesus told us is also not about claiming that we become the source of light. No! As we boldly express our faith in the Lord and of our commitment to defend, nurture and develop life, we will truly give light. How shall we be a light then? By being courageous enough to stand for what is right and just, by defending the weak, by showing our respect to people no matter who they are, by being honest and trustworthy in our work or business, by being committed in our relationships, by giving ourselves and gifts for the sake of others. In these concrete ways of showing care and concern, we will surely become a light for others who find life dark.

    Yet, remember, we are neither the source of joy nor the light itself. We are reflections of joy and light. Hence, like St. Paul, we may become like him who brought others to the Lord, to the true source of life, joy and light. Kabay pa.

  • BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

    BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

    February 3, 2023 – Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020323.cfm)

    Do you feel contented with what you have now? Do you also feel that despite the fact that you don’t have all things in the world, yet, you feel assured and happy?  Or do you rather feel that you don’t have enough and feel insecure with that what others have while you don’t? And is this insecurity in you make you feel rather bitter, angry, hateful and pitiful either towards others or yourself?

    Some of us could be in such situation of being contented and grateful though we don’t have the luxury of everything in this world. Others could be grappling with bitterness, insecurity, anger and self-pity because of not having enough and not having what they ought to have and should have. While others would somehow feel indifferent, taking for granted what they have and not really doing anything to cherish and develop what they already have.

    Bearing these in mind, we may be young or old – no matter our age, or we may be a student, an ordinary worker or professional or job less, married, single, separated – no matter our status is – we search and long to find contentment and joy in life. This is the reason why we dream and we want our dream to come true. This is also the reason why we want to succeed in our endeavors to have such contentment and joy in life, with our family and friends.

    Neil Clark Warren who is a Relational Psychologist, wrote in his book Finding Contentment, “that many people are desperately in search for immediate and rapid-fire happiness surges that has become an obsession.” Because of what he called as the happiness highs, a person may continually seek what only brings a momentary happiness. This may be in a form of material thing or immaterial like in the form of vice, habit and other coping mechanisms. And because it is momentary, it may drain and prevent a person to seek what is lasting and enduring. Such attitude of the heart may also lead the soul to restlessness and emptiness.

    What Dr. Warren proposes is to find contentment in life, a lasting and enduring contentment that will free us from the burden and slavery of pretensions, of anxiety, insecurities and fear. He further suggests that one will be able to overcome and transcend oneself by walking in the path of authenticity, that we become authentic persons. This means that we will not be dictated by what others wants us to be, or merely driven by our selfish desires, or to become who we are not but to be who we truly are. To put this in our Christian belief, what Dr. Warren says is basically, that we become the person God wants us to be. God desires the full realization of ourselves where we can find freedom and fullness of life.

    Dr. Warren’s Finding Contentment is what the Letter to the Hebrews also invites us today, “be content with what you have.” This letter was addressed to the Christian Hebrews to always have the attitude and spirit of hospitality. One becomes hospitable by being attentive to the needs of others, sensitive to their situations, by being faithful and committed in one’s relationship and by being content with life. All these bring us into the invitation to fully trust the providence and generosity of God who will never make us destitute and who will never abandon us.

    However, when the heart becomes unfriendly and unwelcoming of others, then, it makes the heart insensitive, ungrateful and discontented with life. The person lives in fear and insecurity, because he/she does not trust what God will give him or her. And worst, because of such attitude of the heart, the person will tend to blame God for giving him or her so little and for being unfair.

    This kind of attitude is what we have heard in the today’s Gospel of Mark. Mark tells us about King Herod and his mistress, Herodias. Both of them grew discontented with life. They were more after of momentary happiness to the point of losing their direction from recognizing what is wrong and what is right, what is just and unjust. Consequently, they became obsessed that made them destructive and corrupt both in their relationships and in their way of leadership among the people.

    King Herod, however, seemed to have some hope because of the disturbance he felt in his heart when he listened to John the Baptist. Yet, he did not have the courage to confront himself. Thus, the King was eaten by his obsession to have more and to express his violent authority against the weak. As a result, his actions became destructive and oppressive to others. It was not hospitality. It was not kindness. This was how the life of a prophet was ended coldly. King Herod ordered the beheading of John the Baptist just to please people around him.

    This tells us how it becomes destructive to ourselves and to others when we remain seeking what only gives us momentary happiness and remain ungrateful of what we already have.

    Hence, God calls us today to become contented of what we have. God has certainly blessed us with many things. We do not need to have everything too. Having everything will only give us headache and constant worries. The key to contentment and true joy is not having everything at all. What we need rather is the right attitude of having a grateful heart that is contented with God’s blessings and graces. In this way, we become more confident and assured of what we already have and also of who we are. Kabay pa.

  • Finding joy and contentment at home

    Finding joy and contentment at home

    February 2, 2023 – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020223.cfm)

    Joseph and Mary, conscious of their family traditions as well as of the identity of baby Jesus, went to Jerusalem and presented Jesus to the Lord God. This was an act of thanksgiving to the Almighty God for the gift of this child.

    Joseph as head of the family naturally led this event for the family to express their gratitude to the LORD GOD. Just like any other Jewish family at that time, it was the duty of Joseph to do this with Mary. The tradition in their culture must have been revered by Joseph. This is the reason why the Gospel of Luke described this event in these words, “when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” The promptness of the head of the family and his consciousness of this practice allowed him to discover more the plan of God.

    Thus, this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord brings us now to four invitations as we search to find joy and contentment in our ordinary life at home.

    The first invitation is to give thanks. Yes, develop a grateful atmosphere in your family. Consciously say “thank you” to your spouse and children, siblings and parents. Whenever your family gathers whether during a meal, a trip or in a celebration, give thanks to each other and to God, the source of all blessings. Give thanks no matter how small or big the grace that you have received.

    Now, this event of the presentation of Jesus also led to two sub-events but equally important. These sub-events were the encounter with Simeon and Anna the prophetess.

    Simeon, a devout and righteous man had been waiting for the time to see and embrace the Son of God. And this was fulfilled. The long wait of Simeon was paid with peace and joy. He was able to hold tightly the child Jesus in his arms. That must be a great consolation to him. Having Jesus in his arms, Simeon saw the salvation and the light of God.

    With Simeon in the story and with the realization of his dream to see the Lord, this brings us to the second invitation which is– to embrace the Lord and embrace one another.

    Our family might be longing for peace, longing for comfort – take courage, the Lord is here as Simeon proclaimed. The Lord is waiting for us that we will embrace him. Peace and joy begin to unfold in our families when we also open our arms in reconciliation and in gentleness, to embrace each other. Let not the violence of our fist and anger in our heart destroy our families and give scar of trauma to your children.

    Moreover, Anna the prophetess also waited for Jesus. She was also there to witness this great wonder of meeting the Lord. Anna, like Simeon, immediately recognized that the child Jesus was the promised savior. Anna was so patient and prayerful. These attitudes in her, made her to long more for God. This longing in her heart made her to be open and welcoming. With this, Anna’s heart found comfort and joy. All her troubles and pain had gone away.

    With Anna’s witnessing in prayer, this brings us to the third invitation which is – to pray together as a family.

    Through our prayer, let us consciously long for God and joyfully meet the Lord in our struggles and problems. To run away from our problems or to hide because of our fears is never the solution. There are those who find comfort in drinking and gambling and other form of vices to forget their problems yet, this kind of response only create more problems. Unfaithfulness, indifference and violence in the family will be nurtured by these kinds of attitudes. We are invited rather to confront our issues and allow the Lord to touch us through our prayers. Gather your family around your altar. Cultivate a family tradition that prays together. Let our families go the Church, and there in our Sacraments, allow the Lord to be with you and to bless you.

    Lastly, the fourth invitation is – To develop practices  that will allow you to make a balance in your family life.

    Thus, parents play with your children. Find common interests where each one will be able to bond. Develop customs and traditions within your family. For those who can afford, you may take your family vacation. For those who are quite gipit, spend some time in an affordable beach resort. And for those who are really and very gipit, then have your lunch or dinner outside your door step, at least we can say, “kumain din kami sa labas.”

    Just be creative because we don’t have to spend so much. Quality time and to develop a healthy family relationship is not about the money we spend or the luxury items we give as gifts to our loved one, but our time and presence that we give to the person we love.

    With these invitations, we may hopefully ease the pain of loneliness, comfort the hearts of the troubled, heal the memories of those who are suffering and assure with our presence those who are confused and afraid. Let these invitations on this feast day also touch you and make you more conscious of God’s presence in your family life and in the life of each member of the family who could be undergoing a lot of stress or loneliness this time. Kabay pa.

  • NO ONE SHOULD BE DEPRIVED OF THE GRACE OF GOD

    NO ONE SHOULD BE DEPRIVED OF THE GRACE OF GOD

    February 1, 2023 – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020123.cfm)

    God gives life, blesses life and renews our life. God never stops that. This is the reason why grace overflows so that no one will be deprived of the grace of God. The Letter to the Hebrew reminds us of this. It calls us to strive for peace with everyone because without peace what we shall have are troubles and bitterness in our hearts. As the grace of God overflows, the Letter also invites all Christian believers to “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.”

    This means that our participation has an effect in making God’s grace to truly overflow and be experienced by all. Certainly, one can deprive oneself or others of the grace of God when the heart refuses God’s grace. Yet, why would a person refuse to welcome and accept something that is so wonderful like the grace of God? Is this even possible? Yes, this is very possible that a person will refuse to accept God’s grace because of a heart hardened by jealousy, false judgment, bitterness and hatred.

    As the grace of God overflows, the Letter also invites all Christian believers to “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.”

    Let us take for example today’s Gospel story. Jesus who went home was welcomed with bitterness and hatred by his own neighbors. Jesus who did many miracles in other places was questioned and judged by the people. Their thoughts were merely based on the familiar background of Jesus of being a carpenter, being a son of Mary, being a brother to his cousins.  Outside of these, they failed to see that there was more in the person of Jesus. They failed to see the grace in the life of Jesus. As a result, the people took offense at him.

    They felt offended because they could not accept the opportunity of being graced by the person of Jesus who seemed to be only ordinary for them. This is how a bitter and hateful heart affects our relationship with others. All Jesus could do was to heal few sick people. It was not that Jesus did not want to do any miracle for them because of their bitter attitude towards him. Jesus just couldn’t because the people did not cooperate with the grace of God. They deprived themselves of the grace of God.

    Indeed, God can only work when we allow God to work miracles. The lack of faith of the people is a refusal of God’s grace. This tells us that God, though all-powerful, does not impose His power on us. God would rather invite us to allow Him to work miracles with us.

    Besides, the people expressed their non-cooperation with the grace of God through their lack of faith. This made Jesus to be amazed. It was just amazing for the Lord because the people have seen how the grace of Jesus’ life could do for them yet they still refused. The lack of faith in them was even reinforced because their hearts were filled with jealousy, false judgment, bitterness and hatred.

    And as the Letter to the Hebrews calls us, “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.” This is the call for us today. Let us not deprive ourselves of the grace of God or deprive others. Let God’s grace overflow then, through us and through the gift of persons of one another.

    Instead of nurturing bitterness, hatred, jealousy and false judgment in our hearts, let us rather nurture an attitude that welcomes the grace of God through the gift of our persons. Kabay pa.