Elijah realized that he missed so many things and was distracted by many overwhelming events in his life. Consequently, he failed to see and recognize God’s abiding presence revealed in the most ordinary ways. This tells us that in order for us to keep our focus on God and not on those overwhelming fears and threats that we may have at this moment, is to also keep a constant awareness of God’s presence. God reveals his divine presence in ordinary and simple ways. In ways, if we are not fully aware, we could just take for granted.
Why? Because God does not come to threaten us with His presence or to threaten us with his power. The Lord comes “like a tiny whispering sound” to caress us and to comfort our troubled hearts. This was the experience of Elijah as he went out from his hiding place and encountered God, not in those imposing and overwhelming wind, earthquake and fire, but in that whispering sound.
This invites us now that for us to welcome God also, then, like Elijah we have to do our part. We have to step forward or to go ahead of our fears, of our sins and failures, or our sadness and grief.
The Gospel today describes this movement of welcoming God in an attitude that leads us to freedom by “tearing off and cutting off” those that are dragging us into the cave of our fear and selfishness. Remember, Elijah’s fears dragged him into the cave to hide. Yet, as God invited him, Elijah also has to cut off or to stop even for a moment those fears that dragged him deep into the cave of his fear. True enough, as Elijah did that, he too found courage to meet God who waited for him.
The words of Jesus in the Gospel give a deeper meaning, “If your right eye causes you to sin, then, tear it out and throw it away,” or “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” Jesus wants us to tear off and cut off sin from our system that only separates us from God and from others. Jesus wants us to tear off and cut off our fears that are dragging us down to the cave to hide.
May we have the courage then, to meet and encounter the Lord even in the most simple and ordinary ways so that God may also transform us, free and heal us today. Kabay pa.
The Lord calls us today, “unless you surpass the righteousness of the Lawyers and the Pharisees, then, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.”
Without condemning the Jewish Lawyers and Pharisees at that time, Jesus wants us to realize something beyond the usual actions of these people and to become righteous beyond what is minimum, beyond what is only required.
To set the context, scribes and Pharisees at that time were more inclined in focusing on the letters of the law. This means that these people were more concerned in following trivial things in the Jewish Law. However, this kind of attitude prevented them to be compassionate to others and more expressive of mercy to the sinners, the sick and the poor.
Jesus gave a practical challenge to his disciples, an action that expresses mercy and compassion. Jesus calls for “Reconciliation” and “Reparation” of the damage we have caused to others. To be reconciled with the person whom we have hurt and those who have hurt us, expresses righteousness.
Thus, the Gospel today invites us to look closely at our failures and sins and to recognize them. Yet, we do not stop at the recognition of sin but we step forward by making peace, by reconciling ourselves with others, by doing the right thing and doing what God desires us to do.
God calls us to go beyond from what is only easy and comfortable for us. It is a temptation to settle to what is only minimal and become complacent and indifferent towards others. True enough, it is very easy for us to continue what we are doing like going to mass, praying our rosary and novena, and going to confession regularly, but then, remaining unmoved by the many social issues that surround us, or remaining indifferent to the needs of people around.
Jesus invites us now to be more expressive of our devotion by being honest and true in our words and actions and by seeking reconciliation and peace with our brothers and sisters. In these ways, then, we make a room for Jesus to renew our heart and to experience God’s mercy. Kabay pa.
(This article was first published in the BULAWANONG GASA: OMPH Parish Golden Jubilee 1972-2022 coffee table book.)
At 52, on my 29th year as Redemptorist Missionary & on my 25th year as ordained priest, I have much to be thankful of the many graces God has shared me all throughout these years. Along the vocation & privilege of serving our Lord as Redemptorist missionary priest, I am humbly given a chance to witness how the Lord has continually worked His wonders in us through us, His followers.
In 1996, being its first ordinand, I have been part of the birthing & have witnessed the growing years of Redemptorist Cebu Province. To revive the stagnant mission-efforts in Negros Oriental region, as a young priest, I have organized Dumaguete Redemptorist Mission Team doing mission around Negros Oriental & Siquijor Island, that somehow awaken missionary dynamism within Dumaguete Diocese, which has paved a way for collaborations with the local church’s BEC ministry, organization & formation endeavors, and the missionary formation of Redemptorist postulants-then, whom some of them are now promising Redemptorist missionary priests & brother .
While studying in Leuven, Belgium, I have been involved with various Filipino Catholic communities in Belgium, Netherlands & Germany during weekends & breaks. After gaining my licentiate & some stints with teaching at SATMI, as our collaborative effort with other units & explorative initiative for migrant ministry, I found myself in Gwangju in South Korea, ministering to our OFWs & all English-speaking migrants as spiritual director for all Filipino Catholic Communities in the Archdiocese.
Journeying with our Lord, humbly grateful I am indeed, to have witnessed & been part of God’s wonders being revealed & God’s miracles being offered to all us now & always.
Be as it may be, all of these graces I take great credit not only on my missionary experiences & journey as Redemptorist missionary priest, but on my growing & formative years as parishioner of Our Mother Perpetual Help-Bajada.
Yes, I am a Redemptorist for life & I am also a parishioner of OMPH-Bajada in life. Since as a kid until adulthood, I have grown under the tutelage of Redemptorists and of the OMPH Bajada Parish all my life. And now happens to be also the Only REDEMPTORIST so-far whose family is originally from our OMPH parish.
Daily gazing at the backdrop of the great Mt. Apo, I remember, growing as a kid in Buhangin, I cannot help but wonder about the world beyond out there. From a protective and less-involved but regular church-goer family (of seafarer father), world-out-there, life-beyond family & school was made known to me with a simple invitation: “SERVE Ta”.
At a young age of eight, me & my classmate buddies found ourselves serving Sunday masses as Knights of the Altar – or altar boys in our parish church. There, we come not only to learn how to serve, participate, & understand sacraments, but also were able to meet and grow with other kids & people from other BEC communities. Through these experiences, we were initiated to our Catholic religion & church life, most especially to parish life – a life beyond family, schools, & neighborhood. Since then, the words “Serve ta” became part of our vocabulary as we grew in age & maturity as parishioner and as Christians.
As OMPH Bajada parish has grown & evolved these years, for us parishioners who have been part of the parish ever since before and even until we have branched out into other parishes and countries, the challenges & responses to the invitation of “SERVE ta” has always been part of the language-vocabulary of our parish church life within our BECs & families in whatever capacities & talents.
As Parishioners, we are also grateful to the Redemptorist charism and for the witness of Redemptorists we have journeyed with, here in Davao, as we have been formed & grown in the spirit of involvement, voluntarism, and charitable service for our dear parish. Through the Redemptorist we have come to know, love & serve our Lord & our Church. In our parish, we also come to experience Redemptorists as missionaries. They are dear & close to us but they are transitory – never permanent. Redemptorists come and go. Some left but most, still remains. Same way as part of our parish is now apart from us, as they are now a new parish, Redemptorists as well as us OMPH parishioners as we are, evolves not only for our good but moreso for the better version of our faith-life in Christ.
However & Whatever might be in store for us now & for the near the future, the challenge for us OMPH parishioners here at home & abroad, & for me – specifically as OMPH parishioner Redemptorist, remains still and always: “SERVE Ta”.
Proficiat. 축하합니다Congratulations to OMPH Bajada Parish on our Golden Anniversary
“Sa classroom may batas, bawal lumabas, oh bawal lumabas. Pero pag sinabi, pag nag-comply ka na bawal na lumabas… pero may ginawa ka sa pinagbabawal nila, inayos mo yong law ng classroom niyo at sinubmit mo ulit… ay pwede na pala ikaw lumabas.” Sounds familiar?
While we earlier adjust to the constrains demanded of health protocols & restrictions of Covid-pandemic times – although subject to a lot of misinterpretations, somehow these words of Kim Chui particularly highlight our certain unhealthy attitudes towards observance of the law. It may sound clever & smart, but definitely there is something unhealthy & devious about such attitude towards laws & commandments. Yes, we do tend to fix, outwit, or by-passing the law (may ginawa, inayos at sinubmit) for our own convenience & advantages rather than abiding for common good.
In our gospel today, Jesus said: “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill the laws or the prophets.” Though he was judged as trouble-maker and law-breaker of the established Jewish laws & traditions, Jesus is teaching us here that he is not into the business & attitude of fixing the law – not into deconstructing, downgrading or upgrading, reviewing, making or abolishing the law. But rather, Jesus is fulfilling the law – doing, observing, practicing & teaching the value & spirit of the law. His affairs are the fulfillment & observance, rather than fixing or circumventing God’s commandment of Love.
In other words, in our loving God & others as we love ourselves, like Him Jesus wants us to be concerned more on WHAT should be done than on only HOW things should be done. Like Him, Jesus wants us to do & teach the RIGHT things rather than on how things done rightly or properly. Because experience teaches us that we can do wrong things in a right and proper way, and we can make mistake in doing the Right things. OR we can do the right things in love in a right way, like Jesus.
As we receive anew the gift of the Holy Spirit after Easter Season, we are now back to Ordinary time in our Liturgical Year calendar. How to practice our faith life as Easter people, believers of the risen Lord, guided now by the Holy Spirit is the very challenge of Ordinary liturgical Time. And this is deeply reflected on our particular attitude towards God’s commandment of Love.
Like Jesus, are we doing the Right things rightly and fulfilling the Law of Love? Or are we just rightly/properly doing right and wrong thing, and more like fixing & by-passing, outwitting, sidestepping the commandment to love?
In our love and loving, Mother of Perpetual Help.. Mother ever Help us.
In our search to what fulfills us, we could face many trials, challenges and battles which could give us failures, disappointments and frustrations. This process of finding our fulfillment not only strengthens us but also purifies our motivations and builds up our person. Thus, it is in finding our fulfillment in life that we also discover and understand better ourselves and our relationships with others.
Speaking of such fulfillment, our readings today point us towards our greatest fulfillment in life. This is what we have heard in today’s first reading from the First Book of Kings. The many prophets who worshipped Baal must have been in search of what would hopefully fulfill their life. Yet, it was Elijah who challenged them to look and examine better what they were following. Indeed, though they were many, but then, they were wrong. Baal was not the fulfillment of their life. They realized that no matter how hard they called on Baal, there was no response at all. Baal was a false god, giving them false hopes.
Elijah rather proved to them that the Lord is God. The Lord burnt the altar of sacrifice and that fire was the symbol that God indeed, is their fulfillment. This was expressed by all at the end of the reading, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!”
This fulfillment is reechoed in our Gospel today. The Gospel of Matthew reveals to us that Jesus is the fulfillment of our life. Jesus declares that he fulfills the law and the prophet. This became an argument between the Jewish leaders and Jesus. They thought that Jesus abolished the Law and Prophets, which composed the whole tradition of their people. For them, the Law and the Prophets, and all those teachings were the fundamentals of their faith. The commandments written in the scriptures motivated them to live as faithful Jews.
However, Jesus himself denied that he abolished the law and the teachings of the prophets and the whole tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus is actually the fulfillment of the promises in the whole Hebrew Scriptures. The person of Jesus is the very inspiration of the scriptures.
But then, the Jewish leaders missed the whole point. They were not able to recognize Jesus, the true inspiration. They focused more on themselves, on what they can gain and on their privileged status.
This will happen also to us when we think that our achievements, successes and titles are our main inspiration, and when we believe that pleasing people around us will make us fulfilled and happy. But we are wrong, these will only make us more anxious, fearful and unsatisfied.
We are rather called to find our true fulfillment there in the most important part of our life, and that is, in our relationships. These include our relationship with God and with one another, with our family and friends. Yet, let us never forget that at the very center of all our relationships, is the person of Jesus, who is our true fulfillment. Kabay pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 