Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Fr. Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Pray at every opportunity

    Pray at every opportunity

    October 27, 2022 – Thursday 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102722.cfm)

    Are you carrying some burdens now which affect your family life? Struggling on how to move forward after an emotional breakdown? Overwhelmed by stress and your negative emotions because of the demands and pressures on you? Confused and troubled on how to remain a good and honest Christian in the midst of corruption and dishonest transactions at work?

    These can be only some situations where we are in at the moment and finding ourselves entangled by one or more struggles. And experiencing challenges in our life, where do we draw strength? Where do we get wisdom and understanding? Where do we get inspiration and guidance so that we remain steadfast in our faith, attain a healthy way of life and maintain our healthy relationships with people?

    St. Paul calls and reminds us today, “to pray at every opportunity in the Spirit” because in this way then, we will be able to “draw strength from the Lord and from His mighty power.” When Paul wrote his letter to the Christians in the city of Ephesus who were also in the middle of struggles in their faith, he was himself in the prison. Paul was already persecuted at this time and was chained by his captors. And so Paul was writing from his own experience of drawing strength from the Lord. Despite being chained, Paul’s mind, heart and spirit drew strength from the Lord through prayer.

    Hence, Paul reminds us to draw strength from the Lord because of the many ordeals that we may face. Paul mentioned of the “tactics of the Devil” which may offer us the “easy way out or shortcuts of doing things”. There will be “struggles from the evil spirits” that will bring us into darkness and deeper into hopelessness.

    In order to face such challenges, Paul offers us ways on how we could draw strength from the Lord. Paul mentioned at least five ways.

    First, to stand fast in truth. This means that we are called to be careful with lies and deception that may sound true to us. That is why, always seek the truth, always seek Jesus.

    Second, on righteousness. This calls us to be morally upright in our relationships, in our work and ordinary dealings with others. This calls us further to uphold honesty, fairness, and respect for the rights of others.

    Third, readiness for the Gospel of peace. We are to promote understanding and harmony in our homes and communities, workplaces and organizations, hence, by being able to accept and welcome others. This calls us to preach, live and create a community that nurtures the Gospel of peace and not indifference and division, not violence and hatred.

    Fourth, to hold our faith in God. There could be other alternatives in facing one’s trial that we may have. Others may succumbed to addictive behaviors, to depression or to guilt or to something or someone else that one could thought to be a source of comfort and strength. However, these will only bring us deeper into darkness and hopelessness. Thus, faith in God, and holding on to it, as Paul tells us, will bring us always into the light and true source of strength. We may not always understand God’s way and God’s wisdom especially when we are in the midst of pain and trauma, yet, faith in God is already our assurance.

    Fifth, the Word of God. The Holy Bible is a gift given to us. The Lord reveals his Divine presence and the Divine plan of salvation written in the Holy Scriptures to remind us of God’s faithfulness. Thus, we are called to meditate on the word of God that we may discover further God’s desire for us and God’s invitation for us to grow.

    Therefore, make the Lord as our rock, as the very foundation of our person, of our family, relationships, work and every endeavor in our life, as our Responsorial Psalm invites us today. In fact, even Jesus himself showed this to us as Luke described it to us in the Gospel.

    Jesus indeed, faced a great ordeal in his ministry. There were influential and powerful people who were against him, who rejected him and wanted to kill him. This was the warning he received from some of the Pharisees who asked him to leave their area. They must have showed some concern to Jesus for telling him about the insecurities and evil plan of Herod to kill him.

    However, nothing can disturb, neither can stop nor discourage Jesus. His very person and identity, his ministry and mission are all founded in the constant love and faithfulness of his Father in Heaven. Such confidence in Jesus grew and developed more through his devotion to prayer as Jesus would always find time to commune with his Father in heaven.

    And so, we too are all called and invited today to take the example of Paul’s commitment “to pray at every opportunity” and to grow more like Jesus who is secured in the love and faithfulness of the Father. Kabay pa.

  • Is the gate to heaven really narrow?

    Is the gate to heaven really narrow?

    October 26, 2022 – Wednesday 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102622.cfm)

    Paul in his letter to the Ephesians gave his instructions on how our relationship with the Lord can mold our human relationships and lead us to share Christ’s presence in heaven. Hence, it is in a family relationship that respect, care and concern, responsibility and love must grow as an expression of our Christian faith. Paul also mentioned in master-slave relationship the values of service, devotion, respect and sincerity. However, such relationship must be understood within the context of Paul’s time and culture. Later, we know and realize that no human being must be a slave to another human being. This is a call to give our utmost respect and love to the human person and human dignity, who is created in God’s image and likeness.

    Indeed, these instructions of Paul tell us that faith in the Risen Christ, therefore being a believer, should also mold our relationships with one another. It is very important to remember then, that giving and showing respect, no matter what our status is, to each one, is an expression of our true concern and love. Paul wrote earlier, reminding us to live in love, because living in love is living in Christ.

    Thus, faith in Jesus is not merely expressed in our religious practices. Faith is not even enough to declare that we have faith, or observance of the minimum days in praying or worshipping. Being a believer entails our total commitment to Jesus that requires a constant change of heart and mind according to the way of life of Jesus.

    This is the reason why a man asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus’ teaching and way of life seemed to be too difficult to accept and follow. Thus, it is unpopular and out of trend.

    The people believed in a distant, angry and vengeful God. Yet, Jesus introduced to us a God who dwells among us, whom we can intimately call Abba-Father, who offers us friendship, a God who forgives and gives hope to the sinners and the hopeless, who touches the sick and the embraces the despised,  and a God who finds delight with the humble and unassuming.

    Such teaching must be very difficult to accept because people were used to believe in a distant and vengeful God that would also justify their way of life, culture and traditions – that favor the arrogant and powerful, the corrupt and the bullies.

    The gate of heaven seemed to be “narrow” then, because it demands a change of lifestyle, culture, tradition and belief, hence, a change of heart and mind. It seemed to be narrow because Jesus’s way of life disturbs our complacency and arrogance, and his way of loving destroys indifference and anger in our heart.

    That is why, the Lord never tires to call us and never stops to desire that we join with Him. And as God calls us, we too are invited to let our faith-relationship with God mold our person and human relationships with one another that will lead us to God’s presence. Kabay pa.

  • Let it grow… let it grow…

    Let it grow… let it grow…

    October 25, 2022 – Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102522.cfm)

    “Being in a society which justice system works for the benefit of the common good, that protects the weak and powerless and the rights of all citizens and not easily intimated and influenced by the rich, powerful and bullies, or to see how a community expresses concern and care to a person in need of help or a neighbor who offers financial assistance to a sick friend, having a co-worker asking how are we and expressing support in times of stress in work, and seeing a couple who after their disagreement ends the day in embracing one another” – are true expressions of the Kingdom of God that is silently growing in us.

    It is our call to make sure that the Kingdom of God will grow in us and among us by nourishing and cherishing the values of the kingdom. And where should it begin? AT HOME, among husbands and wives, their children and the whole family.

    St. Paul expressed this in his letter to the Ephesians, yet, what Paul said about the subordination of wives to their husbands is not meant to be understood that husbands are masters over their wives who are like slaves. No. Wives are not left without rights and independence, and losing their person and individuality for being a subordinate.

    Paul’s expression of marriage here is to be understood in the context of Christ’s relationship with the Church. The sacrament of marriage is the image that we have between Christ and the church. This is even already present in the Old Testament. The covenant between God and the people is to be understood like that of husband and wife.

    This is where we could also find today’s invitation. We are called to let the kingdom of God grow in us, starting in our very homes, with husbands and wives, the whole family from which God relates to us in the most intimate way.

    Hence, by giving respect to each one, by nourishing, cherishing and taking care of our relationship, by expressing concretely our concern and love for each one at home, by making Christ as the very center of our family life, then, surely like that of a small mustard seed and a small amount of yeast in the dough, the Kingdom will grow silently in our homes.

    Yes, the Kingdom of God will certainly manifest in our hearts and homes where we shall also experience joy, peace, safety, confidence, respect, love and concern. Thus, let it grow… let it grow… don’t hold it back anymore… Kabay pa.

  • Imitating God by living in love

    Imitating God by living in love

    October 24, 2022 – Monday 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102422.cfm)

    We constantly hear that God is love and that through love we are all created in God’s image and likeness. Also through love, God sent His only Son to redeem the world. Though we often read or listen about this fundamental grace of love in our faith to the point that it is somehow treated like a cliché, the grace of love and the act of loving remain constant call for us.

    This is what Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, reminding and calling the believers in that city to “be imitators of God and to live in love.” What Paul means about imitating God is not in the way of becoming “like god” or “being god” which may connote “domination, overpowering and subjugating” others.

    Rather, what we are all called to imitate is the way of LOVING, hence, Paul said, “live in love.” What kind of love is this then?

    This is love that sacrifices one’s life for the sake of others. Such love never corrupts others or brings others to danger or to evil. This love has the capacity to offer life so that others may also have life.

    This is love that generates life and does not suppress the life of others. This means that this way of loving brings inspiration and motivation for others to live fully because of the love they receive.

    This is love that frees or unburdens others because such love only desires freedom, peace, reconciliation and the fullness of life. This also means that this way of loving forgives and heals.

    These are all God’s way of loving of which the Responsorial Psalm also calls us today, to behave like God and that is to be able to learn love-sacrificing, love-generating and love-freeing ways of God.

    In fact, in today’s Gospel, Jesus showed this to us as he healed a woman. Thus, Jesus showed kindness and compassion to the woman who was suffering for 18 long years. Jesus’ kindness and compassion went beyond the restrictions of human law. Though, the local leader of the synagogue was indignant to Jesus’ way of loving, yet, this did not stop Jesus to truly express his love so that the woman may have life.

    With that, Jesus freed her from that suffering by touching her. Through his touch, an expression of his way of loving, he freed the woman from the spirit that crippled her over those many years.

    By this way of loving of Jesus, the Lord restored her hope to live by giving her the fullness of life expressed in the way the woman responded to Jesus. The woman got up, stoop up straight and was glorifying God. This was an act of thanksgiving from a heart filled with so much love.

    However, the people who were indignant to Jesus and furious over his actions of loving, never understood how love works and manifests in the life of those who love and in need of love.

    Therefore, this is how we are called today, and that is by concretely expressing our way of loving, by not being afraid and not hesitating to love. In this way, we may truly imitate God who is all love. Kabay pa.

  • Towards a Humble recognition of our failures

    Towards a Humble recognition of our failures

    October 23, 2022 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102322.cfm)

    Have you ever been judged because of what you have done before? Or because of a mistake or failure or sin that you have committed that people around you believed that you are hopeless and beyond redemption? It is truly devastating to be judged by people around us especially when we are “put in a box,” that, as if there is nothing more in us except our sins and failures in life.

    Well, aside from being judged by others, each of us too can be the one who judge others because of their mistakes and failures in life. We could have played to be the righteous individuals who try scrutinize people searching for their faults and failures. We could be that mean person whose main intention is to bring other people down by shaming and gossiping their weaknesses in order to hide our own sins. This happens among our families, circle of friends, communities and our workplaces.

    This Sunday, I would like you to listen first to one of the members of the Redemptorist Youth Ministry. Miss Kirsten Dañas will share her reflections tonight. And so, let us discover together how the Lord invites us. Let, us welcome Miss Kirsten.

    Sharing of Miss Kirsten

    Three years ago, I met this person, she was new to us, she was quiet and so respectful. As time goes by, I can see how genuine she was, that’s why it was not hard for us to treat her like our younger sister. We became good friends, we share stories, we have each other’s company, we let her feel that she always belongs to us. There was this moment when we were talking to our colleagues that she was always bragging about “Loyalty or being faithful” when it comes to a relationship. And yes, there was no second thought on that, we are on the same line when it comes to that part. I can see how she was as a girlfriend to her partner. They were together for like three years, her partner was a good man, anything she asked was being given to her. She was very lucky to have such a wonderful man, a-one-call-away-partner anyone could ever asked.

    Months have passed, her partner got laid off from his job, I don’t know the whole reason behind it, but I saw in her eyes that she was also affected with that problem. Eventually, everything changed, I didn’t know why, but we noticed that she became closer with our co-worker whom she really didn’t like because of the past of this person whom she called “Babaero”.

    At first, I thought, she was just longing for a brotherly love because that person also gave her everything she needed. Until such time, I never would have imagined that brotherly love turned into Cheating. Yes, she was cheating with her boyfriend that time. We were so disappointed with her, she was the one bragging about loyalty yet she ate all the words she said. We distanced ourselves from her as if she didn’t exist, to the point that we judged her, talking beyond her back about what she did, and even called her a “Gold Digger”, because that only started when her boyfriend can no longer support her needs.

    I tried reaching out to her telling her to stop what she was doing. But, she chose to continue such actions. Though I was not expecting it, but this situation and her actions affected our working environment. Our workplace became toxic day by day until such a time that I felt I can no longer stand working there. I left that place without even talking to her or even saying good bye.

    Yet, years have passed, I met this man, the reason behind my friend’s unfaithfulness. He told me everything, that what they did was wrong. They were together for almost a year, yet they realized also to end their relationship for some reasons. A shocking truth struck me actually, when that man told me something about her. That friend of mine was a victim of abuse and greed from her own family most especially from her own parents and brothers. They wanted her to get in touch with anyone as long as they can benefit with the money that their daughter can provide them. How selfish her parents are!

    I was speechless that time. I realized, who am I to judge her that easily without knowing her story?  Knowing all the truth, I felt so sad, I wanted to hug her and I wanted to say sorry for the judgment I made against her. I really didn’t know that she was pressured by her own family. She should have been protected and cherished in the first place yet she was used and betrayed by her own family.

    I know that I can no longer take back all the things I did and said. But that circumstance made me realize a lot that indeed, it’s okay to feel down sometimes, it’s okay to feel sad, it’s okay to feel like giving up and it’s okay to have negative emotions. If ever we see someone who feels like this, let us embrace them, speak to them, listen first to their story, and allow them to open their heart. Most importantly, this calls me to be a non-judgmental person, to give my time and presence in order to accompany a friend. This will certainly bring significant and positive change in their lives.

    Now, being in this ministry for more than a decade brings me closer to Jesus and I realized how the Lord has changed me to become a better person by accepting that I am also a sinner in need of forgiveness, and that my failures and mistakes are rooms for me to learn and grow.

    She shared to us her experience that helped her to realize better about herself and her actions.

    The Gospel story that we have heard today conveys this message to us. To become self-righteous only blinds us. Thinking highly too much of ourselves will even prevent us from asking God to show his mercy upon us because we already think that we do not need God’s mercy. Therefore, the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisee is basically a denial of God, a rejection of God’s mercy because he felt that he did not need it. Moreover, this attitude only leads us to build invisible walls that separate us from others.

    Thus, we might still have that idea of condemning our brothers and sisters who are considered terrible sinners. We too might have that attitude of separating those people whom we consider as unclean for fear of being contaminated and be associated with them.

    On this Sunday, Jesus invites us to rather look closely at ourselves and to examine better our intentions, thoughts and actions so that it may also lead us to recognize our failures and sins. This was the attitude of the Tax Collector and the very reason why he could not look up to heaven. When he saw himself, he felt disgusted for the sins and failures he had done against God and his neighbors. He must have cheated and corrupted a lot of money. However, looking at himself, he realized his need of mercy and the need to be converted. That same realization will hopefully lead us to also join the tax collector in praying, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

    Such prayer and humility will surely reach the heart of God. In fact, the Book of Sirach in the first reading tells us that “the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal.” God, our Just Judge, will come to our rescue and will show us his mercy when we also begin to honestly acknowledge our sins and failures. The God of Justice will listen to our petitions especially when the Lord also finds the poverty in our heart. This means that our heart is empty of any self-righteousness, of any self-satisfaction and self-justification.

    As the Lord defends us and shows us mercy, we are called to be more understanding to those who failed and sinned but not in the sense of condoning and tolerating such failures and sins. Thus, it is very important that as we exercise understanding, we also need to confront each other of our mistakes and failures. We are invited to be merciful rather than condemning.

    Therefore, to both the righteous and the sinners, God does not condemn but God rather desires our healing, reconciliation and fullness of life for all.

    This calls us, then, to see more in the person of our brothers and sisters, to stop our harsh judgments and condemnations, to stop our gossiping, image shaming, name-calling and bullying that only destroy the person of our brother or sister.

    I would like to invite you then, to embrace a family member, or a relative or a friend whom we know have sinned against us so that reconciliation will also begin in us. In this way then, we will hopefully become witnesses of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Kabay pa.