What’s the difference between Judas & Peter? We know both are trusted disciples of Jesus (Peter as the coordinator, Judas as the treasurer). Both also have failed the Lord through Peter’s denial & Judas’ betrayal. But what’s the difference between them?
After all things happened, Judas ended and gave up his life by killing himself thus giving the risen Lord NO chance to forgive and love him again & anew. Peter however despite what happened, humbly waited until the Lord resurrection, thus giving the risen Lord the chance to forgive and love Peter again and anew.
In other words, Repentance and Faith made the difference. Unlike Judas, Peter repented and still believed in the risen Lord – which gives the Lord the chance to forgive and love Him again and anew.
The very basic message Jesus always preaches us is that: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand”. This is the fullest expression of God’s covenant to us – that God is already near and always here with us through His Son Jesus & the Holy Spirit.
And as response, this Gospel of God’s blessing challenges us “To Repent and Believe the Gospel”. Amid this Good news then, all we have to do, and what is required of us is to choose repentance and faith in Jesus as our response to the good news of God’s grace upon us always.
By our repentance and faith then, we allow and give God’s gospel a chance to forgive and love us again and anew, and in effect change our lives now for the better.
Remember Jesus commanded us not only to repent but “to repent and believe”. This means that as much as repentance is a choice, believing the Gospel is also a choice. Obeying the command to repent and believe then is a CHOICE. Requiring someone to repent and believe is thus useless, unless repenting and believing is their own choice.
The Gospel has already always been preached to us: “The Kingdom of God is at hand”. All we have to do now is like Peter to choose “To repent and believe the Gospel”, as we were reminded last Ash Wednesday when we received the Ashes to begin Lenten Season this year 2024.
Lord take away everything that distance us from You. Grant us everything that bring us closer to you. Detach us from ourselves to give our all to You. So Help us God. So May it Be. Amen.
Lent is all about God’s Mercy. As we begin the season of Lent today, better for us to have a good understanding of God’s mercy & forgiveness being continuously offered us.
Often, we think of Lent with dread because we often associate it with giving up something. “I have to give something up” we habitually reflect during these times. But giving up something during Lent is more than just about self-denial, self-discipline, and imposition of burden.
Giving up something, (that is, by praying, fasting, doing works of mercy) is an invitation towards God’s mercy. It is about entering & experiencing God’s mercy & forgiveness once again & anew on a much deeper & intimate level.
We observe Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting & works of mercy by giving up something so that we may be predisposed to experience once anew God’s love and mercy into our lives.
Lent, we remember is all about receiving, benefitting from & sharing with others God’s mercy rather than just giving up something through self-denial, self-discipline, or imposing burden to oneself & others.
In other words, Lent is our chance & our way to be silently, secretly, personally & closely intimate with our loving & merciful God once again & anew for we do believe that “our Father who sees in secret will repay us” with His love & mercy.
As we receive the ashes today, we are challenged to “Repent & Believe the Gospel”. This is a constant invitation for us to renew our faith-relationship with God, by changing & updating our normal ways, and be open once again to receive God’s ways & will for us now so that we may experience God’s mercy & forgiveness anew.
Lenten season then is all about experiencing God’s mercy anew along with our Lenten discipline & renewal of faith. Rather than our giving-up of something ourselves, Lent is all about our giving-in to His graces & blessings.
“Lord, Have Mercy”. Perhaps this should be our prayer these times as we do need now His mercy especially during these times of imminent-threat of war & division, natural & human disasters, poverty, sickness & others.
“How are you? Fine! And you? OK” (Kamusta na? Ok. Ikaw? Ok lang”).
We usually say these words of greeting to express our concern for the health and well-being of others, and in recognition that all of us are & can be subject to hurts, pains, and sicknesses in life. Even the healthiest of us live with fear of accidents and diseases, which can suddenly place us on the sidelines. Nobody likes to get sick. But nobody can claim that they have never been sick in life before. Sickness cannot be denied. To get & be sick is part of our human nature. Normal for us then to ask about the health and welfare of others whom we have not seen for a while, and meet once again.
But what does it mean to be sick? Experience teaches us that to be sick is more than just an experience of physical bodily illnesses but a wide range of emotional, mental, psychological, and spiritual diseases. Whenever we get sick, we become incapacitated and limited. We feel dependent, depressed, irritable, helpless and sometimes isolated and alienated from others, and even feel abandoned by God. We know that it is difficult to get sick, especially when we are used to live our life independently and always in-control. Sickness is indeed a dreadful experience, as what was also described in our readings today.
In our gospel today, we may realize that our life-experiences of sickness, though dreadful and difficult, could also be opportunities and another new chance for growth and life.
First, sickness can be the opportunity to be converted. The leper came to Jesus. Coming to Jesus is an experience of conversion – instead of turning away from, it is a turning back and toward Jesus. Whenever we get sick, we usually cease from our usual routine, go home, and take a rest. It is in sickness that we need to have a break and be with ourselves & with our God in Jesus, as our Psalm would say: In time of trouble, I turn to you, Lord.”
Sickness can also be the opportunity to have faith and trust in God and others. The leper begged to Jesus, “If you will, you can make me clean”. It is not normal for us to be helpless and dependent on others. We rather be in-control and not needing others. But to be sick is humbling indeed for we really need to stop being independent and on your own, and have to trust on others’ love and care again. In sickness, we thus surrender ourselves and humbly ask for and rely on God’s mercy and providence through others. Though we do want to be healed ourselves, but in sickness, we learn to be humble enough to beg & ask the Lord: “If you will…” Amusingly: “Kon maayong lawas: Disco-disco; kon masakit, “Dios Ko-Dios Ko”. PagMalusog- Disco, PagMay-sakit: -Dios ko. In health: Disco, in sickness: My God”
Nevertheless, sickness can also be the opportunity to be cleansed and be healed. In sickness, we witness and experience God’s mercy, love, goodness, and miracles working in us – happening to us. That through our faith and Jesus’ concern & willing for us to heal, God’s power and love is made known to us and others. In our weakness and sickness, God through Jesus wills our healing & His power and glory are thus revealed in us.
Sickness can be opportunity to be reconciled – i.e. to makes things right- with others. Jesus asks the leper to show himself to the priest and offer himself to the Church. Through the sacrament of anointing and reconciliation, we offer ourselves back to God’s church and renew our promises & life-commitments before the Lord.
And lastly sickness can be an opportunity to proclaim our faith – to share our experience of sickness and healing. Just like the cured leper, our healing from sickness makes us express and share our faith to others.
To be sick then can be the opportunities for Christian conversion, faith, healing, reconciliation & mission.
In other words, getting and being sick can be all about “New Chances” – another chance for God through others to love and take care of us again, and another chance for us to make things right and better for us & others again & anew.
Yes, nobody wants to get sick. And we try not to get sick. But whenever we got sick, take it not as disgrace but rather as “a blessing in disguise” – an opportunity and chance for God’s glory to be revealed in Us and through Us & for us to improve & be better than before in life.
In this Eucharist, may our hearts & love be with those who are sick and suffering any illnesses at this time in their homes & at the hospitals. With Our Lady of Lourdes, in our sickness & trying times, may our prayers be also with Jesus who prays to our Father, “Take this cup of suffering away from me, However, not my will, but Your will be Done.”
A naughty boy once told by his mother: “Son, behave. If you behave well, God will grant you whatever you want.” It got into his head that the boy tried his best to behave well. He cleans his room, helps in house chores & becomes kind with elders. Then one day, the boy went to the church & prayed before a crucifix, in this manner: “Jesus, mom said if I behave well, you will grant what I wish for. Know that I have been behaving well lately. Please, give me a playstation”. And the he waited but nothing happens. When he got fed up waiting, he said: “Gaduko-duko dayon, Kay utangan man.” (Trying to elude me, hah, since you owe me one)
In praying the Lord’s prayer, we say: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. But somehow we don’t really mean those words, because we rather have our will be done than His will be done. In praying, easy for us then to ask, to wish & give thanks for the graces we expect. Meaning, before His presence, we rather express to Him & be heard of our own thinking, plans, will, wants & needs than listen to His. And when our wills & plans are not fulfilled, we resort to sour-gripping, thinking that God (utangan) owes & indebted to us….
When he said in our gospel today that he has to go & proclaim the Good News to other towns & villages, Jesus shows us that He doesn’t only feel for all & willing to address all our needs, but He also wants us to listen & obey Him because there is more & much better ways & plans in store for us than just responding to our urgent wants.
His offer of salvation for us is much better than what we wish for. If we want the Lord to understand & listen to us, we must also learn how to listen & obey His will & plans for us on earth as it is in heaven.
Like the people of his time, however sometimes we only recognize Jesus as he heals and responds to our immediate need. So that we may be happy, we only want Jesus to satisfy our urgent needs. We want Jesus to create miracles or magic, to ease our pain and free us from our life’s loads and burdens.
Sometime in life, we may have considered Jesus only as our “Kargador” baggage-carrier to lighten our loads, serve our needs and ease our pains. Sometimes in life, we see Jesus as a mere gasoline station – we recognize Him only whenever we need Him, when we run out of gas. Sometimes, we need Jesus to be just our caregiver who should readily respond to our immediate needs – without caring about the message He preached, story to tell, role to play in our lives as well as His life and mission to partake & live with us. And worse, we may consider Jesus as may have indebted to us for not fulfilling our expectations.
Nevertheless, God do listen & respond to our needs & want, same way the Lord responded to the immediate concerns of the sick people of his time. Surely Jesus will respond hands-on and on-hand to our needs and hope, for He do know what we need & what we are going through in life. But Jesus can offer us better than just carrying our burden. He is the Lord who offers us more than just lightening our loads, cure our sicknesses, free us from our problems or filling-up our gasoline tank.
Jesus comes to us to renew our lives and offer us God’s kingdom. His mission is to preach the Good News of Salvation. He came not only to respond to our immediate petty needs but to heal and recreate our land and the world now. He comes so that we may have life – life to its fullness, and not just life to our satisfaction.
But, remember then that in responding to our concerns & in giving us God’s offer of salvation, we must also obey His ways & will, for God’s will happens & be done, if & when we learn how to listen to Jesus in our life.
Praying before the Lord then is not only about we talking, requesting & even demanding of Him for what we want, but moreso about us listening, considering & in tuning with God’s better will & plans for us.
It is not about asking for what we want & what we expect, but all about listening & responding to His message, calling & challenges for us. Simply put, it is not our will, or my will….but His will (Thy will) be done.
In this Eucharist, we pray that our faith in Jesus moves us not to limit & abuse God’s graces for us, but rather move us to be more open & trusting to God’s plans & will for us now, and thus participate fully in the Mission of Jesus of sharing God’s offer of Life & Salvation to all in our world now & always. Amen.
It is once said that “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
We do all know something about leadership & authority. Many people have exercised their leadership and authority on us. In many ways, they have influenced us. And we have also exercised leadership & authority on others and in one way or another has influenced them. We do know how to be influenced by others & to influence others, as well.
Sometimes it is even easy to tell who mostly influences other people’s lives. They will quote their parents or a teacher or someone they grew up with who have greatly influenced & lead their lives for better than worse. Yes, influences can be negative. But as soon as someone says: “As my mother always used to say…” practically what follows is surely something that influenced the life of the speaker in a positive way. We consider these leaders or authorities as the great peoples in our lives – the one who made us feel great about ourselves & helped us grow. They have in one way or another helped us form our values & principles in life, and have greatly impacted our lives to be a much better person.
That is what real authority does. It is life-giving, growth-giving, affirmative, positive and helpful. The word itself is an indication of this. It comes from a Latin word “augere”, meaning “to make grow”. Authority then is power or influence not to lord over and control others but to help others grow. Leadership lies not on the power or control you have on others but on the influence & impact you have for others to grow. Not power to lord over others but power to influence & form others. Leadership then is all about being an influencer.
That is why true indeed, “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” It is all about our influence to foster growth on others & help them become much better version of themselves, even with or without our presence.
In our gospel today we heard that “his teaching made a deep impression on them… because he taught them with authority.” The people who listened to Jesus that day in Capernaum were struck by his authority & leadership.
That is what happened to the people when they listened to Jesus in their synagogue. Hearing him they (even the demoniacs & possessed) began to open up & understand their own potentials & possibilities for life & growth. He gave them hope. He treated them as friends and equals. He did not talk them down, did not flatter & sweet-talk them as the scribes do. He told them instead to be true & be realistic about themselves than they had ever been before. Through the words of Jesus with authority, they realized that God calls them to greater things than they never had thought possible. They come to experience then God’s leadership in their lives.
The same thing happens to us whenever we listen to Jesus, as God’s word for us through the Scriptures. Every time we read or listen to the Word of God, especially to the gospels, challenging it might be, we are influenced by the wisdom and message of Jesus. The words of Jesus have greatly influenced our lives that whenever it is proclaimed to us again and anew, it constantly offers us life, faith, and hope. It challenges to grow to be a much better person before God and other, and it also empowers us to do great things for others.
Being led & influenced by Jesus in our lives do not usually make life easier, but definitely it makes life much more worthwhile! His authority, leadership, & influence do make us now do what all leaders should do: Foster growth and life in oneself & others. In other words, influenced & led by Jesus’ authority, we should also now lead & influence others, by fostering growth & making other people’s lives better.
In this Eucharist today, may Jesus, the Word of God continue to influence and direct our lives so that we could also be a better influence in fostering growth in our church, society & nation. Amen.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 