Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Fr. Mario Masangcay, CSsR

  • Overcoming Temptations

    Overcoming Temptations

    February 26, 2023 – First Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022623.cfm)

    “What would you do if your boss offers you big amount of money and promises you a high-paying and much better job position, if you only betray your innocent supervisor and bear false witness against him in court for money-laundering?”, a priest once asked his three friends.

    The first friend answered, “No, I will not take the money and the tempting offer.” The priest said, “You are foolish stupid man.” The second friend retorted, “Well, Yes, I will take the offer. I will not waste such remarkable opportunity.” The priest said, “You are devious crook”. The third friend replied, “Well, I really don’t know what to do? Will I overcome my evil inclinations? OR, Will my evil inclinations overcome me to claim for myself what is not mine and to do what should not be done? I really don’t know. But if God will bless me and strengthen me to go against all my evil inclinations, I will not accept the money and offer of my corrupted boss.   The priest then said, “You are right, and you are a good wise man.”

    Everytime we pray the Lord ’s Prayer “Our Father”, we specifically ask the Lord to lead us not into temptation. This is because in our experience, temptations are very real in life. Dealing with temptations that comes our way – always challenging and testing our faith, values, and principles in life, is part and parcel of our daily struggles. Nobody among us here can claim that we are never been tempted or burdened by temptations in life. Each one of us in one way or another, had dealt, has been dealing and still dealing with a few temptations in our day lives.

    Perhaps we may somehow have three options in dealing with life-temptations: We may Get-rid, Get-into, or Get-through temptations in life.

    First, we may Get rid of life-temptations. Whenever confronted with temptations, here we may resist, fight with, and fly from these temptations. In overcoming our evil inclinations and life-temptations, here we do it on our own. The priest called the first friend as stupid and foolish man because he chooses to deal with (get rid of) temptation on his own. He doesn’t know himself – believing that he is strong enough to resist and deal with temptation on his own. No one, maybe except Jesus, has ever overpowered temptations in life. Usually, temptations overcome us not because we are weak but because we are too proud to think that we are strong enough to overcome temptations. Getting rid of temptations is a stupid and foolish option.

    Second, we may Get into the temptations. Whenever confronted, we just get into and allow ourselves to submit and be overcome by temptations itself. We do nothing ourselves but be corrupted by temptations – hurting not only others but also ourselves along the way. The priest called the second friend an opportunistic criminal because he opts to get into temptations – willingly claim what he is not due him, and do wrongdoing, without any qualms whatsoever. For such kind of men, temptations are opportunities for them to take advantage of others for their own benefits and glory. Getting into temptation is a crooked criminal approach to temptation.

    Third, we may Get through of temptations in life. Here whenever we are confronted with temptations in life, we willingly face and struggle along with these temptations – aware that on our own we are weak and limited, but also we steadfastly believe in God’s power with us to overcome such temptations. The priest praised the third as good and wise man because he knows that like all of us, we are basically weak people. He hopes that amid temptations, he will be strong enough to do what is right and his part. But he also knows that he can only do this with God’s help and strength, and he is most willing to ask and pray for it. He knows that in dealing with life-temptations, there is always a struggle within as well as reliance in God’s help. Getting through temptations is a good and wise option.  

    Easy for us indeed to fall into temptations. The biggest problem in dealing with temptations is our lack of self-knowledge, our lack of recognizing and overcoming the evil within ourselves. We struggle with the evils of others and in our society but the toughest struggle is to acknowledge and overcome the evil within our own selves, the evil in our own hearts. We were born with conflicting goodness and evil within. That is why we can be good and can do good. But not easily, since there are always tensions and struggles within ourselves. Moreover, we can only withstand these difficulties, if we are wise enough to rely not only in our strength but in God’s help and power.

    If we think we can overcome these life-temptations and evils only by and through own strength and power, we are surely wrong and are doomed to failure for we don’t have the power and capacity to resist temptations. But like Jesus, if we are wise enough to be God-centered to acknowledge and ask for, and rely on God’s help and strength, we surely can overcome evils and temptations in others as well as within ourselves.

    Notice Satan mainly tempts us in life in order to prove to God that we don’t care about God and others but only care about ourselves. Temptations usually happen then whenever we only selfishly care about ourselves, not about God and others. But through our faith and reliance in God’s help and power over temptations, we prove Satan wrong and proclaim our Love and Care for God and others.

    In praying then to God not to lead us into temptations, we pray to God to guide us through not in getting rid or getting into but in getting through life-temptations because we care not about ourselves, but we care more about God and others in life.

    Father, lead us then not into temptation.

  • All-Ready LOVE

    All-Ready LOVE

    February 19, 2023 – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021923.cfm)

    In the comedy film Evan Almighty, God said to Evan Baxter: “If you want to change the world, build an ARK.” Only later after the fuss of exactly building a big ark that Evan Baxter realized that an ark simply means: one single act of random kindness at a time, i.e. one single ARK (act of random kindness) at a time.

    Days after Valentine’s Day, with all the decorations around us, we could say that until now, love is still in the air or we still got valentines’ day hang-overs upon us. Valentine’s Day is the day we honor and celebrate LOVE as we experience it in Life.

    Human as we are, we know how it is to love and be loved by others. We celebrate Valentine’s Day because we live life with love, in love and out of love. We know that Life without love is worthless. Though it’s a constant challenge, living life then with love, in love and out of love make life more meaningful.

    In our gospel today, while preaching to His disciples His Sermon on the Mount, we get a glimpse of Jesus’ take on our experience of love in life. Here He invites us that in our loving, we must “love our enemies, go another mile, offer your cloak and other cheek as well and be perfect as our Father”. Surely, we are already familiar with these words, which are nice words to listen. But easily falls into deaf-ears and slogans because they are difficult to practice. The kind of love Jesus is asking us here are very unusual and demanding, and even Stupid Love, as Salbakuta (Filipino rap-band) would say.

    Jesus knows already that human as we are, we are loved and loving people. But now he requires us to go beyond with our human ways of loving and follow His and God’s way of loving, i.e. Christian Love: To love one another AS (like, same as) He and the Father has loved us. 

    But why is Christian Love, the love Jesus requires of us, is difficult and demanding in our experience of love in life? What makes LOVING AS JESUS LOVES, unusual, hard, and tough, and even stupid?

    Though we live life with love, in love and out of love, human as we are, we do have the tendency to place love at the distance both in place and time. We place love at the distance in time, because we are more willing to postpone doing good than do bad things right away. Easy for us to delay faith, hope and love but attend readily to fear, greed and anger. Why only during Valentine’s Day you remember and celebrate that you are loving and loved, and that you need love in life?  Yes, we do tend to postpone love, but we also know in our experience of love that love is for Now or Never.

    We also tend to place love at the distance in place. We rather love others from a distance and at a distance. Why is it that we have more virtual friends in Facebook and others social media than our actual intimate personal friends? Why is it that we are more open, chatty, and relax in Facebook and messengers but silent and awkward face to face with others? This is because we are afraid to love because love makes us vulnerable, exposed, and weak before others. However, if we are afraid to love then it is not Love but Fear.

    In other words, though we tend to distance from love, Love really is Here and Now, not There and Later.  

    For Jesus then, Christian love, to love and be loved like His and the Father’s, is Here and Now – not there and later, not at a distance and from a distance. Love for Jesus then is and should be an All-READY LOVE – an ARK, act of random kindness. This is the kind of Love Jesus requires us to live and practice in life in the here & now. If we want to change our world with Love, we must change our love into Christian love by building our love into ARK – by living in one simple Act of Random Kindness at a time.

    Unusual, difficult, tough, and stupid it maybe, Loving others same AS (like) Jesus and the Father love us in the here & now, & not there & later, leads us to our redemption towards God’s presence in our lives.

    May we be known as Christians, by our love here & now.  Amen.

  • SPIRIT-Behind

    SPIRIT-Behind

    February 12, 2022 – 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

    “Do you believe in chain letters? Or nowadays we may call it as Copy-Paste & Post OR-ELSE…. Facebook, Messenger, or Twitter posts?”

    At times, I have been asked about this, & I find myself giving the same answer. I say: “In general, I don’t trust anything that offers promises or threats, IF (meaning, with conditions) you do or don’t this or that, with the usual addendum “Or Else…”. In my book, deserved gifts are called prizes or salary, but underserved gifts are called Grace and blessings. God’s grace is not something we do to God, but what God does to us. Just try to be the better Christian, as you choose and can be, not as what others (in chain letters, posts, or messages) want you to be.”

    For the past Sundays, we have been hearing about the public ministry of Jesus where he proclaims to us the Good News of God’s salvation. In his preaching, Jesus basically calls us to change our ways for God is with us (Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand). He then in Beatitudes makes known to us how blessed we who are meek, humble, merciful, righteous, and sensitive enough to welcome God’s blessings into our lives (Blessed are you…). He also reminds us that much as we are blessed, we are also a blessing to others (You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world). Wow, what GOOD NEWS indeed to us!

    In a nutshell, we need to change our life since we are already and always blessed and a blessing to others because God is with us and his Kingdom is at hand. This is the very core message of Jesus ever since and until now as being always proclaimed to us and by us, His Church.

    After always hearing, reflecting, and knowing Jesus’ good news of God’s salvation, what now then for us?

    Somehow, we wonder as to how to gratefully respond to and live out such great blessings into our lives. We ponder on how can we remain, endure, and persevere in living with Jesus’ gospel in our day to day living? Like, now what are we to do to respond and be converted and practice His gospel into our lives?

    Surely for Jesus, it is more than just keeping the Ten Commandments or observing the Torah, the Law of Moses. In our gospel today, we hear the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus wherein he directs us how to live in the good news of God’s salvation. By reviewing and commenting on the Torah, which is the Jewish standard of righteousness, Jesus reorients people that there is far better in His message of God’s salvation than just observing the Law of Moses. He reiterates that God’s kingdom is more than just the practice of not killing, not committing adultery, and not making false promises. God’s kingdom is more so and above all about respecting life, reverence for people’s union – making marriage sacred, and living life with integrity.

    For Jesus then, to live in His blessing of God’s salvation is not a matter of just practicing and observing but more so fulfilling the Law of Moses. Here Jesus is upgrading the Jewish Law of Moses into His message and mission of teaching, preaching, sharing, and witnessing the values of God’s kingdom in our lives. An Upgrade from Torah to the Spirit of Jesus.

    Important here is the consistency between our being and our doing – our person & action now as Christian. In a way, Jesus is teaching us that our actions must now reflect our being as blessed and blessing people. In other words, Be and become consistent with who you are now with what you do, as Christian. 

    Meaning, far beyond the practice (living out) the values of God’s Kingdom, there must be spirituality. For Spirituality is the “because I am” of the “why”s in life, i.e. “Why I do this or do that?” “Because I am…”. Spirituality is thus the spirit behind the action, the meaning behind the practice. What matters is not just about the practice but also the spirit behind the practice and action – not only about what we do but why we do it, knowing that ours is a grateful response in thanksgiving to what God does and doing to us, and not like chain-letters, what we may do as bribe or payment for His graces.

    Perhaps you may reflect about your spirituality nowadays. Ask yourself: “Why you do what you do?” Be in touch with the meaning and spirit behind your behaviors & actions. Pray that you be a better blessed and blessing Christian you choose and can be, not as others may want you to be. Pray also that our actions be a response in thanksgiving to what God does and is doing to us, rather than as what we do to Him to gain His favor. 

    So May It Be. Kabay Pa. Amen.

  • Influencing Influencers

    Influencing Influencers

    February 5, 2023 – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

    It was once told that weeks after ordination, four newly-ordained priests were summoned by the bishop for a meeting in his house. As they have settled down in his office, the bishop addressed them: “Young fathers, I have here some pieces of stone, cotton, clay, and sugar. I want you to choose one of these items and place them on a glass of water before you.” And so they did as asked by the bishop. Then the bishop said: “Before I will announce to you your new assignment, I want you to learn something from this little exercise we did. Consider the glass of water as your new assignment and consider the kind of priest will you be in your new assigned parish community… You can be a stone who does nothing except to be a new added member in the community. You don’t influence the community and the community does not influence you… You can be a cotton who easily adjust in the community but eventually reduced the members because you centralized everything to you. Everything in parish life is now about you, and not them… You can also be a clay who slowly adjust to the community, but eventually create disorder, problems, tensions, and a lot of stress in the community, thus becoming a negative influence to them… But you can also be a sugar who slowly adjust and selflessly dissolve into the community – without noticing, sharing positive influence and energy to make the community sweet, and change it for the better.

    In life, we do encounter different kinds of leaders. Like the bishop, we may have categorized our leaders as the Stony heartless leaders who does not care at all, or as the Selfish “Me first” leaders who depletes our energy, or as the Evil tormentor leaders who sow chaos in life, or as the Selfless Influencing leaders who encourage and inspire us in life.

    We prefer and expect our leaders to be selfless influencer leaders who have been a blessing to us for they motivate and empower us to be responsible members and change our lives for the better. We also dislike and avoid the stony-heartless, the selfish “me-first” and the evil tormentor leaders for they make our life heavy and miserable.

    We hear Jesus in our gospel today saying: “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” From these words, surely Jesus like us, would also want and expect our leaders to be selfless influencers, who leads us by their words and example. However, His words are not only addressed to our leaders but also to ourselves, His followers. When Jesus declares to us today that “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world”, He proclaims to us that with Him, we are not only already blessed but we are also God’s blessings to others. This means that as Christian, we are and we should be a blessing and a selfless influencing leader to others – to be light of the world, salt of the earth, and sugar within the community. 

    Inasmuch as we have been blessed by the inspiration and witness of our selfless influencing leaders, we should also be selfless influencing influencers to others. As we have been blessed by God and others, You and I, We as His followers are also and should be then God’s gift and blessings to others.

    Perhaps consider then this week, the Christians who have been light and salt in your life, who greatly and selflessly influence your growth and formation as a better person. Consider how they have been a blessing to you. Thank God for these Christian leaders for through them you are blessed.

    Consider also the people for whom you are trying to be light and salt – people under your care, direction, and leadership. Consider how you, as Christian have been and trying to be a blessing to them. Pray to God for guidance and courage to be selfless influencing mentors & influencers to these people.

    As a famous theologian, Hans Urs von Balthazar, once said: “What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God”.

    So, Be God’s blessing to others, as much as you have been blessed by God and others.

    So May It Be. Amen.   

  • Our Defining Moment

    Our Defining Moment

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

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

    Usually every Sunday some families gather together in the church not only to celebrate Eucharist but also to attend and witness the baptism of children to become new members of their respective family, parish and of the church. Yes, during Sundays, countless children are also being baptized in the church while being witnessed by their parents and family with relatives and friends. For us priest, Sunday children’s baptism is just part of our duty and extra job besides the hectic Sunday Masses schedules. For others, it might be a usual Sunday occurrence, but for the child’s respective parents, godparent and families, the baptism of their child can be, is and should be the defining moments of their own lives as well as of the child.

    Yes, defining moments for all involved with the child. Because during baptism, the child does not only take on the identity and dignity of being Christian, the young parents of the child have suddenly grown up as well from just being two people in love to being parent to the child with a lot of responsibility for the future of the child. Along the parents, the child’s godparents, maninoy and maninay, extended families, relatives and friends also take on the responsibility and mission to help and support in the growth in Christian faith and life of the child. It is indeed, defining moments for everybody for as the child is being consecrated, the parents, godparents, families and the Christian community and the Church are commissioned to be responsible caretakers and formators-parent of the Christian life and faith-growth of the child.  

    Mary and Joseph as well as Simeon and Anna must have experienced and felt the same during the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, same as young parents and families during child baptism. Here they are, presenting and consecrating the child Jesus in the temple as required by their Jewish religious tradition, conscious of the tasks, responsibility as well as the still-unknown and yet-to-be-revealed promise the child Jesus may offer to our lives. Joseph and Mary not only became the parent of the child Jesus, but through their testimony, Simeon and Anna also became the caretaker, formator & godparents of God’s light and glory for all. Same way as Joseph and Mary consecrated the child Jesus, Simeon and Anna became not anymore passive-expectators but now active-witnesses of God’s light and glory being revealed before them.  

    The Presentation of the Lord in the temple is indeed defining moments for Mary and Joseph as well as Simeon and Anna for they take on the responsibility before God for the child Jesus. In the same manner, the baptism of a child is the defining moments for the young parents, godparents, families and the whole church for we all take responsibility for the formation and growth of the faith and life of the child.

    Our celebration today of the Presentation of the Lord is more than just about having our candles blessed. It is actually more so about ourselves as Christians especially during our celebration of Sacrament of Baptism. When we were baptized as a child, like the child Jesus, we were presented and consecrated (made holy) to God by our Christian family and the church to be God’s children. And whenever we attend and witness child baptism, we make holy ourselves to be responsible parents and formators-witnesses for the faith-growth of the child.

    Today’s celebration and our celebration of children’s baptism are all a reminder that each and every one of us, baptized Christians are lighted candles, taking on the light of Christ, the Christian dignity and responsibility for the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation in our lives forever in our children now and for the future Christian generation.

    Taking on the dignity and mission to be parents and witnesses of God’s salvation as revealed to us always through Jesus and our today’s Christian children are and remain to be our defining moments as Christians. God is already doing his part for our salvation by revealing us his glory through his Son, now we have to do our part by making and remaining true to our defining moments of becoming blessed lighted candles – taking part to be active parents and witnesses for the growth of the Christian life and faith of our baptized children.

    Now, when was the last time you become a witness to a Child’s baptism? When was the last time you light a candle publicly and privately? Be reminded Jesus said: “You are the light of the world”.

    May we, as today God’s lighted and blessed candle, be always responsible parents and witnesses of God’s light to our world now and forever. Amen.