Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Fr. Jom Baring, CSsR

  • LIFE-lived In & With CHRIST

    LIFE-lived In & With CHRIST

    November 14, 2021 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111421.cfm)

    Corrie Ten Boom, a Nazi concentration camp Christian survivor, now a well-known inspirational writer, once said: “If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within yourself, you will be depressed. If you look at God, you will be at rest.” These words of wisdom are learned from her life-experience of the cruelty of war and racism, not only before her captivity in Amsterdam while her family were helping in hiding escaping Jews, and during her captivity in the concentration camp of Germany, and after her release and liberation, but also based from her experience of life struggles and faith journey in general, as Christian.

    If and whenever we reflect on these words, we somehow can relate with her on how we also experience our life-struggles and faith-journey as Christian in general. Though we may not share the same experience of life with her, but her words offer us a realistic but still hopeful view of our Christian life: “If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within yourself, you will be depressed. If you look at God, you will be at rest.”

    True indeed, distressing it is to look at world today. With a lot of things going on – war, racism, discrimination, alienation, poverty, moral decadence, corruption, crisis, natural and human disaster, migration, pandemic and other, we cannot help but be distressed, upset, worried and be bothered with life nowadays and in near future. And while looking at our world today with distress, we cannot also help but be depressed, helpless, and hopeless within ourselves as we try to adjust, adopt, and respond to our troubling world. Addiction, crimes, sex, violence, drugs, suicide, abortions, marital breakdowns are just mere manifestations of how depressed we are and we can be within ourselves, due to the reality of our world outside and our life within. These are the common pains we are experiencing life nowadays as it is.

    Worse, Jesus in our gospel today even warns us of these on-going and coming distressing and depressing realities of life in the world to happen. We cannot help but be bothered of Jesus’ cosmic depiction of the end-time, “Sun will be darkened, moon will give not its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” We may not have yet experienced end-time as Jesus described it, but with our experience of our life’s common pains nowadays of increasing fatality & sickness, easy for us to see that at most we are already on our way towards destruction and end-game of life.

    We might have been experiencing life at its worse nowadays, however, Jesus promises us a life, not as how we look and experience it, but Eternal Life with God. Jesus proclaims and promises us: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Lilipas man ang Langit at Lupa, ngunit ang aking mga salita ay hindi lilipas: Mahanaw man and langit ug yuta, apan akong pulong dili gayud mahanaw).

    Here Jesus is teaching us that eternal life is not about life without end, or endless life, or our life/world now not passing away. Eternal life with God is not the extension and expansion of our life as we look and experience it. Surely, we desire not the extension and expansion of our common pains & struggles in life. But what Jesus promises us is eternal life that gives us meaning and purpose as we experience life’s common pains.

    In & with our experience of life’s common pains, Jesus is thus offering us eternal life of common purpose. He is offering us Himself as our Way, Truth and Life that would give us meaning, direction and purpose as we struggle with life and journey in faith amidst our common pains of life. Jesus wants us to live our Life In & With Christ.

    In other words, Jesus offers us Common purpose and meaning amidst common pains of life. Common pains thus take place and will happen in our life here on earth, but rest assured, Jesus, God’s word, and love for us remains for us and with us forever. Ika nga: (Matupok man lahat ang buong daigdig, hindi magmamaliw ang aking pag-ibig.

    So, whenever we find our life distressing and depressing, and as we long for rest and peace in life, just be reminded of and learn from the wisdom-shared to us by Corrie ten Boom: “If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within yourself, you will be depressed. If you look at God, you will be at rest.”

    Siya Nawa. Hinaut pa unta. Amen.

  • GENEROSITY IN OUR POVERTY

    GENEROSITY IN OUR POVERTY

    November 7, 2021 – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110721.cfm)

    At the beginning of this pandemic, if you can remember, there was a kind of panic buying that happened. When the government announced to impose ECQ then MECQ in major cities, people lined up in markets and supermarkets to secure their food supply as well us vitamins and sanitizers. There was even a time that it was too difficult to buy alcohol, even bread and canned goods. Malls, supermarkets and pharmacies have regulated the purchase of food and medical supplies. There was even a time here in Cebu when the Provincial Government regulated the purchase of oxygen tanks because of panic buying.

    What really drove people to panic buying? What also made people to hoard things? It must be the thought of running out of supply and of fear for not having enough. There might not be enough for us that leads us to get what we need as much as we can, but not minding the needs of others.

    Such attitude can actually still exist even without a crisis. We could believe that we always need to secure something for ourselves. Thus, people who tend to accumulate things, whatever that is, whether food, toys, clothing, gadgets or even attention and acceptance from others could suffer from a feeling of inadequacy and endless insecurity. Because of that feeling of being insufficient and insecure then, it would lead us to accumulate more and even to the point of becoming a greedy hoarder.

    Yet, this attitude of the heart prevents us to become generous and to become persons God desires us to be. However, our feeling of inadequacy and insecurity should not even prevent us. These are ways for us rather to become life-giving and to be truly generous.

    As a matter of fact, true generosity is expressed out of our poverty, out of our insecurities. This is what we have heard in today’s readings. So allow me now to bring you a bit deeper into the scriptures revealed this Sunday.

    In the First Book of Kings, Elijah asked for water to drink and bread from a widow. Remember, at that time, there was famine. Food was scarce. In fact, the widow expressed to Elijah her food insecurity. She only had a handful of flour and a little oil in her jug. Those must not even be enough for her and her son to be fully satisfied. She knew that after consuming that, there will be none anymore. This was the reason why she said to Elijah that their death was coming. Meaning, that will be their last meal for food has gone out.

    But the surprising event was, the widow out of her poverty and food insecurity did not even complain but gave her last bread to Elijah. And a miracle happened, the Lord repaid her generosity. Her flour never ran out and her oil never ran dry. For a year, they were able to eat and they survived from the famine.

    The same expression of generosity was told to us in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus observed how people gave their offerings or tithes and saw the difference between scribes, the rich and powerful people in contrast with a poor widow.

    The scribes or the scholars of the law were merely concerned of getting attention and praise. They want people to recognize and honor them. They sought for that, expressed in their lengthy prayers yet they would amass the remaining properties of the widows and indifferent to their struggles. These people just wanted and desired power, control and dominance. Hence, their contribution to the Temple was something of a show. What they gave was only something from their excess, not from the heart. They were concerned on what they can get and on what was beneficial for them. This was the warning Jesus gave to his disciples. Jesus, actually, denounced the three attitudes of the scribes and the powerful in that society.[1]

    The first attitude Jesus denounced was the desire for prominence and influence rather than the value of giving oneself to serve others. The second was the desire for recognition, esteem and control rather than promoting the good of others through humble service. And the third that Jesus denounced was the desire in attempting to use one’s position, one’s power for self-gain and self-promotion.

    However, in these three desires and attitudes of the scribes and the powerful at that time, there was no true worship of God. They could have been faithful in their attendance in the Temple and in their daily devotion, but then, their hearts were filled of themselves.

    They were not worshipping God. They worshipped themselves. They were not giving something to the Lord. They were investing to get something out of it.

    True generosity and true act of worship can be found in the person of that widow who offered her last two coins to the Temple. Her coins were greater in value than the many given by the rich and powerful.

    Why? Because what she gave was not an excess of her wealth. What she gave was her everything. She just gave all she had. That poor widow gave back to God what she has and gave out of her poverty, completely trusting God’s providence and being contented of what she has on that day. This is God’s invitation for us today that we grow in our desire not to accumulate more, not in our desire to be honored or to gain power and dominance over others, but to grow in our capacity to go beyond ourselves, beyond our poverty and insecurity by giving from our heart.

    Thus, share generously what we have now to those who are most in need and give to God out of our gratitude. We do not have to wait to become materially rich before we give, because even the poorest of among us can give something to others. A gift given out of our insecurity is our best act of generosity. Hinaut pa.

    [1] From the Homily of Bishop Manny Cabajar, CSsR, DD.

  • HOW IS OUR WAY OF LOVING?

    HOW IS OUR WAY OF LOVING?

    October 31, 2021 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/103121.cfm)

    HOW DO I LOVE? WHY DO I LOVE?

    Have you asked yourself this question? Or have you asked how is your way of loving?

    Kyle (not his real name) seemed to be so kind and warmhearted around his friends. He would always be there when someone would be in need of help. He was always filled with smiles. He was generous of his resources and time. Yet, he also tended to just please everyone around and very afraid of any conflict and tension. As a result, his pleasing personality would turn to become submissive to his friends and family members.

    Deep within, Kyle was filled with insecurities and fear of being left alone and abandoned by people whom he valued. Kyle, at a very young age was abandoned by his mother and left by his father at the care of their relatives. Kyle grew up believing that he has to earn the love of people around him so that he would never be lonely and alone again. This was the reason why Kyle would do anything, please his friends and as much as possible cling on them. However, his goodness and kindness was easily abused by opportunists.

    Like Kyle’s pleaser-submissive way of loving, we may also have our own ways of loving and reasons of loving. Thus, we may find ourselves loving others because we seek a similar response from them. This happens when we think that loving is like making investment and expecting many returns of investment. This is Love-Investment form of loving.

    Others may find themselves loving for the sake of self-satisfaction and self-gratification that a person receives from being kind and generous. Yes, it is possible that we can be loving to people around us to boast our ego. Yet, this is a ego-centered form of loving and an attention-seeker form of loving.

    There is also another way of loving that seeks control towards others. This way of loving believes that our ways, our values and our perspective are always better and superior than the one we love. For this reason, our way of loving does not give space for dialogue, does not welcome suggestion and uncompromising because we tend to control people and submit our loved ones according to our own ways. However, such kind of loving is controlling and suffocating.

    Another way of loving also can be in a form of a guilt-driven love. This means that our way of loving induces guilt or makes people around us to feel guilty if we are not loved. Such way of loving can make threats to people just like saying, “if you won’t love me or if you will leave me, I will kill myself.” Yet, this way of loving is manipulative and destructive.

    There might be more other reasons of loving but these forms of loving are called, “REFINED SELF-LOVE.[1]” Yes, merely for self-love and has nothing to do with others or with God.

    Indeed, when our way of loving is one of those refined self-love, our way of loving others, is devoid of love of God. In fact, God has no space in there because what we are after is just ourselves – “me, myself and I.”

    Nevertheless, such forms of loving are not ways of being free, of becoming who we really are and meant to be. We only become prisoners of our fears and insecurities in life.

    What God wants us is that our way of loving will become free which requires loving beyond our comforts even beyond our fears and insecurities. This is what we have heard in our readings this Sunday.

    Moses reminded the Hebrews how God saved them from their oppressors, defended them from their enemies and favored them as God’s chosen people. What Moses wanted was to allow the hearts of the people to grow in gratitude to the Lord God because God is faithful. It is in growing in gratitude that the people also shall find themselves to be transformed in love. Loving the Lord God, then, with all our heart, soul and strength is the expression of our gratitude to God.

    Gratitude to God in our heart heals our fears and insecurities because we become convinced and confident just as the author of the Psalm proclaimed to us today, “I love you, Lord, my strength.” Yes, it is when we find our true assurance of support and comfort in God that we are also able to build a healthy self-image who is being cherished and loved first by the Lord.

    This brings us concretely to love the Lord in return not because out of fear or out of obligation, but out of gratitude which is a free response of loving. Such response of loving has been deepened by Jesus in today’s Gospel of Mark.

    Thus, Jesus reminded us of the immediate result of loving the Lord. The love of neighbor is the concrete manifestation of loving the Lord. Remember, God’s image is in each of us. Therefore, if we love God, then, it also means that that love is being expressed towards ourselves and towards our brothers and sisters who are created in God’s image and likeness. The two commandments of love cannot be separated from one another. They co-exist with one another.

    Loving God calls us then, to love one another with all our heart, our soul, mind and strength. And we can begin today by being, first, grateful to God which would hopefully make us joyful persons. When we are joyful, then, God transforms us to be generous to others, both in our words and deeds. Remember this, joyful and grateful persons are truly generous because true generosity springs forth from those attitudes of gratitude and joy.

    However, like the pretentious scholars of the law and some Pharisees who wanted to trapped Jesus, we could also pretend to be generous but then having an impure motive, and that is to advance our personal interests. This is then, not a true expression of love towards others, but selfishness.

    We should also be very careful when we tend to become so stiff with our religious practices but having a growing indifference and malice towards people around us, then, our devotion to God is empty and merely motivated by fear. Going to mass and going to confession regularly may become a mere appearance of our ego-centered devotion when we deny what is truth and factual, and when we tolerate dishonesty and corruption.

    Our revered sacred images at home and daily rosary shall only become merely devotional show when we also refuse to recognize abuses in our community and choose to be silent and neutral amidst oppression and injustice committed against the powerless and the weak.

    We ask for the grace today, that our way of loving will be transformed into Jesus’ way of loving, that is free, grateful and self-giving. Hinaut pa.

    [1] https://www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie/2021/10/sunday-october-31-2021-thirty-first-sunday-in-ordinary-time/

  • CHOOSING JESUS EVERYDAY

    CHOOSING JESUS EVERYDAY

    August 22, 2021 – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082221.cfm)

    When you want buy something, how do you choose that thing (cloths, accessories, or gadgets) that you want to buy? Some wise buyers would go through into a selection process before buying. They would consider the quality, its practicality, the price, the evaluation of other buyers, and the specifications of the item. However, there are also some of us who actually don’t mind all these steps but would only consider if it is trending or popular, used and promoted by famous personalities or just used by others, neighbors and friends. Even though they may not be so practical for us or useful but because it’s the trend, we go into that.

    This is not just limited to buying things. During elections, people tend to vote people in office because of popularity not really because of the competency of the candidate. This is evident on how every candidate will make their name and faces be recognized by the people. Posters and billboards are displayed in every corner, a catchy jingle is composed, radio and TV commercials are prepared in order to introduce into the minds of the voters that they are popular and thus, shall be remembered during the election day. Though not all, but people are elected in office primarily because they are famous and popular.

    This is not far from what we believe and sometimes spread. I am talking with the fake news that surround us. People tend to believe, spread and adhere to fake news because they have become popular and because many have come to believe in them. We should be very careful then because a popular opinion or belief does not always hold the truth. Thus, be very careful when you entertain people who tend to talk a lot about other people. It is actually very easy to identify people who bring fake news and “chismis,” they are usually loud and tend to dominate the conversation. People who bring fake news and chismis do not have to be invited also. They voluntarily talk and spread it.

    And when a story is being told and retold then, it becomes popular and many will believe that it is true. And we who hear a story would not even care to investigate if the story is true. Indeed, these situations tell us of our tendency to favor and choose things, people, beliefs and principles according to their popularity. The number of people who tend to favor such thing is very influential for us. This kind of tendency in us is not far from those we have heard in the scriptures.

    In the first reading, Joshua asked the people if they would choose and commit themselves to Yahweh. At that time, there were many gods that confused people and divide them. There was the temptation to choose those foreign gods than choosing the true God, Yahweh. Joshua confronted the people and to choose right there, at that moment. The people, with their clear conscience, chose God to be served and to be loved.

    However, this is not the case that happened in the Gospel. Jesus who became popular to many people because of his miracles by healing the sick and multiplying the bread was becoming unpopular.

    Jesus taught the people that He is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven. Through him, by eating his body and drinking his blood, eternal life will be attained. Yet, the people around him found this teaching difficult to accept and offensive. The teaching of Jesus implied that they were to follow Jesus in his ways and let go of their old ways. This teaching was understood to be taken with commitment to Jesus. Jesus’ teaching asked them to let go of their old beliefs and renew themselves in God. Yet, they could not let go and accept Jesus fully in their life. They could not believe that God became man and He is with us. They could not believe that God desires mercy and forgiveness of all. Thus, they left Jesus and “returned to their former way of life” because his teachings were unpopular for them.

    Jesus confronted his disciples, “do you also want to leave?” In a similar way, Jesus also asks each of us, “Will you also leave? Will you choose me or the false gods? Will you also leave me because of your sins and guilt, because of your comforts and wants?”

    There are many false gods around us. These false gods may tempt us to worship them rather than God, to believe in them rather than in the Word of God, to hold on them rather than trusting in Jesus. These false gods could be our desire to be famous, to gain power and control, to manipulate and use others. They could also be in the form of persons whom we idolize where we refuse any criticism on them and following them blindly. These could also be our own unhealthy behaviors or addictions that we continually keep. These could be our pretensions and insecurities that we continue to hone. These could also be our comforts and possessions that we are so attached. These could be our false belief and principles in life that only advances our personal agenda.

    We are challenged and called today to choose and commit ourselves in serving and loving the Lord. Choosing Jesus and committing our work, studies, dreams, hopes and our whole life to Jesus is surely not the popular thing to do today. Yes, it may not be the popular to be always true and to be always loving, but to be true to ourselves, true to others and true to God will make us free. Indeed, choosing Jesus and following faithfully his teachings is truly difficult as the people complained. Thus, this Eucharist is our way now to renew once again our commitment. This is our opportunity to choose Jesus!

    As we choose Jesus everyday, this means that we choose life not death, choose hope not despair, chose mercy and love not anger and hatred, choose humility not aggression and to choose warmth and concern not indifference. Hinaut pa.

  • OUR DEEPEST HUNGER IN LIFE

    OUR DEEPEST HUNGER IN LIFE

    August 1, 20210 – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080121.cfm)

    To feel hungry is a basic human experience. Thus, I am sure each of us has experienced that feeling of being hungry since we were babies. Babies especially would always cry when they are hungry. A parent’s automatic response to a crying baby is to feed the baby with milk. When the baby starts sucking, the baby also stops from crying. When we become adults, we continue such behavior though we do not cry anymore but feed ourselves with food that can satisfy our hunger.

    This human behavior in us is what we have heard in our readings this Sunday. The Book of Exodus told us the story of the Israelites. Since they fled from Egypt, their life was always uncertain. They were in the middle of the desert where there was no place to plant and cultivate something for their food nor a place to buy their supplies. The people became weary because of their difficult situation until they grew hungry. Moses who led and brought them out of Egypt had almost became a father to them. To him, the people cried out their needs. They cried and grumbled to Moses to provide them food because they were hungry. The Lord, in his goodness, sent food to the desert so that they will be satisfied.

    Our Gospel tells us of the same behavior. The people were in search of Jesus because they wanted Jesus to satisfy their hunger. They followed him after he did a miracle in feeding the five thousand people. The people recognized that Jesus will satisfy their needs. This became an opportunity for Jesus to teach them an important lesson.

    Jesus knew that the people were after him because of their hunger. However, the people were only concerned of an immediate satisfaction. They were limited in that satisfaction of a physical hunger. Thus, they were looking for Jesus to satisfy them immediately. In a way, they have become obsessed or fixated to what Jesus can provide to them. They were after the miracles of Jesus but not in the person of Jesus.

    Jesus understood them. Thus, he reminded them to seek the bread that gives eternal life and not the bread that perishes. This means that the people were invited to seek not those things that only provide instant and immediate satisfaction but the person of Jesus himself.

    This reminds me that we are not different from those people in the Bible. How many times have we sought to satisfy immediately our different forms of hunger? Jesus is not just talking about our physical hunger. Jesus points to us today to recognize our human hungers for acceptance, for recognition, for friendship, for love and intimacy, for justice, for peace and reconciliation.

    We cry out these many forms of hungers just like the Israelites in the Book of Exodus and in the Gospel. We tend to satisfy those longings and hungers immediately. Hence, instead of looking for what is essential and lasting, we resort to the promises of “instant satisfaction” and to an “immediate result.”

    Their consequences will surely be destructive, unhelpful and the corruption of life. Addictions such as in alcohol, drugs, sex or food are ways to satisfy our deepest hunger. Yet, because they only promise an instant gratification and so we hold on to those addictions to numb our hunger for love, for attention and intimacy. Our obsessive fixations in spending too much time in social media, or online games or with gadgets, remove us from the true and personal encounter with people. Because of the lack of human connection, we divert our need into what is temporary, virtual and not real. Our compulsive behaviors in gossiping, in defaming people and in finding the faults and weaknesses of others seemingly give us the image of a good person, righteous than others. However, these behaviors only blind us of our true longing to be recognized and be appreciated.

    Our obsession to be powerful, to exercise dominance and control over the weak and to resort to violent and aggressive actions apparently make us confident, independent and strong. However, they too blind us from that hunger to find our true self and our true potentials.

    Jesus invites us today to recognize our deepest hungers. Just like the Jews in the Gospel, Jesus reminds us today also not to seek to what is only perishable, and to what is only instant and temporary. Because these things will only lead us to addictions, unhealthy fixations and compulsive behaviors that do not give us life but rather death and hopelessness.

    Jesus invites us to recognize him, that is, to recognize God, His love and friendship with us as our food that will satisfy our hunger. He is the bread that gives us life. This Eucharist is the gift and our food that should satisfy our deepest human hunger. That is why, this Eucharist is more than what we think. This is not simply prayers and readings, standing and kneeling, singing and saying amen. This Eucharist is our very relationship with God and with one another. This is all about us and God, you and me and Jesus.

    I would like to invite you then, so that we will be able to make this Eucharist truly life-giving; ask the Lord to help us recognize our different hungers. Be mindful of our compulsive actions, fixations and some forms of addictions because those behaviors in us will tell us of our own hungers and needs. When we become conscious of those, hopefully, it will lead us to seek to what will last, to what is more essential in our relationships and to what will truly satisfy us. And above all, may we find Jesus and his love. Hinaut pa.