Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: AUTHORS

  • “Feel Ko? Feel Mo?”

    “Feel Ko? Feel Mo?”

    April 25, 2021 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/Bible/readings/042521.cfm)

    Once while giving a graduation speech, the late-Philippine lady senator Miriam Santiago made a joke. She said… Beside the swimming pool, two girls are having this following conversation. G1 said to G2: Know what? you are going to float (Alam mo. Lulutang ka). G2 to G1: Why? Is it because I’m slim, light & sexy? (Bakit? Dahil ba, magaan, slim at sexy ako? G1 replied: No, it’s because you are Plastic (Dahil plastic ka). Funny & rude it maybe, but it tells a lot.

    How do we distinguish a GOOD parent, teacher, friend, politician, leader, mentor or coach from a BAD one? How do we know if that person is real, true, authentic, deep, honest & trustworthy? How do we know that person is fake, shallow, liar & unreliable?

    Nowadays it is normal for us to suspect things simply because it is not easy to know whether it is real or fake. Because it is difficult to detect the authentic from artificial or plastic, the durable from disposable, nowadays we do tend to be suspicious of things & even of one another. Same way with our relationships with others, we rather suspect, doubt, and distrust one another, than believe and trust others because it is more challenging to distinguish who are real or fake, honest or deceitful, smart or shrewd.

    Jesus in our gospel today introduced and made Himself known to us as The Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and His sheep knows Him, and who will lay down His life for His sheep. As Jesus distinguished Himself from a Hired Worker who work for pay and no concern for the sheep, He reminds us here that as OUR good shepherd He is a hands-on and committed caretaker/caregiver of His sheep who maintains a personal intimate relation with His sheep, and will commit His life to live and work with His fold in life.

    Be reminded the risen Lord reveals Himself in FLESH. In last Sunday gospel, as the risen Lord reveals Himself in the midst of the disciples, he showed and asked them to touch and see His wounded hands and feet. Thus, the risen Lord reveals Himself not as ghost but in flesh and bones with wounds. This is very significant because how we witness/recognize the Lord in our life is easily clouded by how we want Him to reveal to us. In other words, “We do not see things as they are, we see them as WE are.” Like, there are Christians who would like to see the risen Lord as “Jesus without a cross”. Jesus here is the risen Lord – without wounds and cross – who reveals to us in full transfiguration and perfect glory who will save our day and provide us success and wealth in life. He is a CEO Jesus of the prosperity gospel who is enjoying and sharing the luxury and pleasure of the so-called “Good” life with all His followers. There are also Christians who would like to see the risen Lord as “Cross without Jesus”. Jesus here is the risen Lord not in flesh but in spirit – a ghost. Here Jesus is believed to be not anymore in this world but in another spiritual realm waiting & welcoming us to the next life, but remain at a distance from our daily life-struggles.

    However we like to see our risen Lord in our lives now – whether as “Jesus without a cross” or “Cross without Jesus”, the fact remains that, the risen Lord has made Himself known to us as “Jesus with a Cross” – a risen Lord in wounded flesh and bones who struggles and sacrifices painfully yet victoriously in life. The risen Lord then is a seasoned/experienced life-hero who, by letting us touch and see His wounds in Life – not His glorified body or His spirit, is now willing to shepherd, coach and journey us in life. In other words, the risen Lord is Our Good Shepherd because He is hand-on and committed in making known Himself and in journeying with us in our day-to-day humanity and struggles with joys, pains, and wounds of life.   

    We Christians proclaim that our risen Lord Jesus Christ is OUR good shepherd. We believe that He is our Shepherd, who knows and loves us personally. We also believe that we know Him personally for we know His voice.

    Particularly For us Filipino Catholic, we do have special or unique take in knowing our Good Shepherd. We know Him not only because Kilala natin siya but because Dama natin siya. Culturally sense-feeling perceptions are important to us. Like,… I may know you, but I may not feel you. I may feel you though I may not know you. (Kilala kita, pero di kita ramdam. Ramdam kita kahit di kita kilala). This is how we distinguish real from fake & how we discern good & bad.

    Same way as we Filipinos have this natural felt-instinct & sense to distinguish the real from fake, to discern the good from evil, we also come to be familiar with & know more the shepherd’s voice through our gut-sense and feelings. We do come to know the risen Lord as our true Good Shepherd in life not only by our volition, consent & reasonings, but most of all through our sense & feeling perception (damdamin at kalooban). By our sense-perception & feeling-gut insights, we come to know the risen Lord with us – in person & in flesh. Knowing the Shepherd is thus not only for us an intellectual or cognitive familiarity but more so a deep felt-sense knowledge and insight of His presence, love & blessing.

    We pray then that the Easter Season this year be our moment to enhance and improve our special felt-sense of knowing our True & Good Shepherd, so that we may not be gone astray from His fold but rather have a much deeper relationship with Him, and be always attuned with His will & plan for us now, especially during these pandemic times.

    So Help Us, God. So May it Be. Amen.

  • FAITH SHARING

    FAITH SHARING

    April 18, 2021 – Third Sunday of Easter

    Bishop Manny Cabajar, C.Ss.R., D.D. (Bishop-Emeritus of Pagadian)

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041821.cfm)

    If last Sunday’s gospel was on experiencing the risen Lord, today’s gospel is on sharing our faith with others. Christ wants us to be his witnesses which means that we are called first to have a personal experience of Him and then to share that experience with others. Many Christians only focus on knowing Christ without an interest in sharing their knowledge of Him with others.

            When the two disciples going to Emmaus met the risen Lord, they went back to Jerusalem to share their experience with the eleven apostles. While talking with them Jesus appeared in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you’. Christ made himself present in the process of sharing their faith experience with others. The eleven apostles were in turn enabled to experience the risen Lord. It takes no stretch of the imagination to see that for the two disciples this is a big strengthening of faith, a great empowerment. Faith is like a flame: the more a piece of wood passes the flame to others the more brightly it burns, but if it refuses to pass on the flame, it is in danger of losing even its own flame.

              Jesus actively gives them His peace. He is the one who strengthens their faith and takes away their doubts. He is the one who opens their minds and explains the Scriptures to them. He is the one who declares them his witnesses. The disciples don’t do much in the encounter except open their eyes to see Him, their hearts to let in His peace, their minds to receive His instruction. When He says, “You are witnesses of these things,” they are expected to respond, “Yes, Lord!” and then go out and try to be just that.

             

    Heavenly Father, help us to give witness to Christ, Your Son, not by arguing on controversial doctrines or theological issues but to simply relate the story of our own personal encounter with Christ, as the two disciples on the way to Emmaus did. With your grace, enable us to just share with others why we are Christians. Let us take heed of St Peter’s words, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”.

              Brothers and sisters, let us be ready to give the reason for our hope!

  • Friendship over a Meal

    Friendship over a Meal

    April 18, 2021 – Third Sunday of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041821.cfm)

    “Have you anything to eat?” Jesus asked his disciples. It was a very ordinary question from Jesus yet, this question brought the disciples into a deeper realization of themselves and a deeper encounter with the Risen Jesus in a meal, in a form of sharing food.

    In many cultures, a shared meal plays a vital role. Sometimes important decisions in the family happen over a meal because that will be a time where family members are gathered. It is also true with our friends, we gather, remember past experiences and share stories over a meal and drinks.

    It is when we are able to sit down and share the meal with one another that we come into terms, make decisions, connect with one another and become more intimate with our family members and friends. Indeed, it is over our shared meal that we come to understand each other.

    This is what we find in the Gospel. It was through that ordinary meal shared by the disciples with Jesus that the disciples were able to realize that it was the Lord. It was through this simple meal with Jesus that they have been commissioned to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations.

    It started with two disciples who were talking about Jesus who appeared to them. Yet, even though the Lord has revealed to them, these two disciples were still doubtful. They have recognized the Lord in the breaking of the bread but then, after that revelation, they seemed not so convinced yet.

    That is why, when Jesus appeared to them once again, the two were terrified and couldn’t believe that they were seeing Jesus. Because of their disbelief, Jesus has to give and assure them with peace! “Peace be with you!” is Jesus’ repeated gift to the disciples after his resurrection.

    After the death of Jesus, the disciples were filled with fear, disgust and shame for themselves. They all ran away and hid themselves while their master was beaten and crucified. Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord, Peter denied Jesus three times and the rest of them were nowhere to be found. They might have blamed themselves for what happened to Jesus. They might have considered themselves failures and worthless because of what happened. They might have thought that what they did to their master was beyond forgiveness and mercy from God.

    The disciples must have believed that they failed Jesus. Consequently, they couldn’t believe Mary Magdalene’s testimony that the Lord is alive. That feeling of being a failure is also the reason why these two disciples still doubted and were terrified upon seeing Jesus once again. They couldn’t believe that they were forgiven, that they have been accepted and loved by Jesus.

    Despite what they did, Jesus has forgiven them and the resurrection of Jesus is God’s action of forgiveness. But because the disciples found it hard to believe God’s forgiveness, Jesus made the effort to let them understand that they have been forgiven. Jesus has to do it repeatedly to assure his disciples. Thus, Jesus did not just appear to them once but several times and each time he reveals himself to them, Jesus gives his peace – the peace of forgiveness, of mercy and of being loved. This is what Peter proclaimed to the Jews in the Acts of the Apostles and also what has been proclaimed in the First letter of John – God’s peace of forgiveness.

    This peace was concretely showed by Jesus in the breaking of the bread, in the shared meal with his disciples – which was in a very ordinary way of eating with friends. This is how eating with friends becomes symbolic in the Bible because Jesus made this event as an occasion where he reveals himself to his friends. At the same time, eating with friends becomes an occasion also for his disciples to lay down their fears, shame and doubts but to be accepting and open to God’s revelation to them.

    This is the hope expressed to us by our Psalm today, “Lord, let you face shine on us.” Like the disciples, we too, shall glimpse God’s face when we learn to accept God’s invitation to sit down and dine with Him.

    These are the invitations for us today.

    First, Jesus says to you and to me, “Peace be with you,” because Jesus is with us. We might have been so burdened right now because of something wrong we did, Jesus says to us, “Peace – because I am with you!” Jesus assures us that peace has come upon us because he is alive and we are forgiven.

    Second, Jesus invites us to dine with him, to sit down with him so that we will be able to recognize him in our life. The Eucharist is Jesus’ invitation for all of us so that like the disciples our minds will be opened too and will be able to understand his message for us.

    Third, like the disciples, we are called to become his witnesses to others, to be his preachers of forgiveness especially to people around us. Thus, each of us is also called by Jesus to dine with our friends, to eat with those who have hurt us, who have caused us disappointment and pain and show to them that they have been forgiven just as Jesus forgives us. Hinaut pa.

  • The Lord in our Midst, in Flesh & in Need.

    The Lord in our Midst, in Flesh & in Need.

    April 18, 2021 – Third Sunday of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041821.cfm

    “The Lord has risen, indeed. Let us be glad and rejoice. Alleluia”. As Easter people, we Christians proclaim our faith in the Risen Lord – that is, our Lord Jesus Christ has indeed resurrected from death and always with us alive and in life now forever. This is our faith. This is what we believe. This is what we proclaim as Christians to the whole world.

    Though many at times, we still wonder as to how do we & can we experience the risen Lord in our lives today. We still grapple as to how do the risen Lord reveal himself to us and to the world today, and as to how do we recognize the risen Lord in our lives today. Mysterious our faith maybe, we might discern however some signs or ways we may recognize the risen Lord in our lives.

    By telling us the disciples’ Easter experience, St. Luke in our gospel today gives us hints as to how they had then and we will now witness the risen Lord in our lives today.

    First, the risen Lord reveals Himself IN THEIR MIDST. While the two disciples from Emmaus recounting their experience of the risen Lord to the community, Jesus stood IN their midst and said to them: “Peace Be with You”. The community of disciples witnessed the risen Lord themselves while they were remembering and celebrating their experience of the Lord in their own lives. By the testimony and faith of our Christian community and through our community of believers as church, we thus experience the risen Lord in the midst of our lives. Our Lord does once said: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst”. In other words, we and others may and will witness the risen Lord is in our lives today, wherever and whenever we gather together as community of believers to celebrate and proclaim our faith in Him, as He is Present in our midst.   

    Second, the risen Lord reveals Himself IN FLESH. As the risen Lord reveals Himself in the midst of the disciples, he showed and asked them to touch and see His wounded hands and feet. Thus, the risen Lord reveals Himself not as ghost but in flesh and bones with wounds. This is very significant because mostly how we witness the Lord is clouded by how we want to see Him and how we want Him to reveal Himself to us. In other words, “We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Like, we may ask ourselves not, “how does the risen show Himself to us” but more like, “how would we like to see the risen Lord”. Here we may want to see and believe on an Easter with a “Jesus without a cross”. Jesus here is the risen Lord – without wounds and cross – who reveals to us in full transfiguration and perfect glory who will save our day and provide us success and wealth in life. He is a Jesus of the prosperity gospel who enjoying and sharing the luxury and pleasure of life (smiling on a BMW motorbike with latest iPhone & all abobots/gadgets/perks) enjoying the good life with all His followers.

    We may also want to see and believe on an Easter with a “Cross without Jesus”. Jesus here is the risen Lord not in flesh but in spirit – a ghost. Here Jesus is believed to be not anymore in this world but in spiritual realm welcoming us to the next life, but still remains at a distance from our daily life-struggles.

    However we like to see our risen Lord in our lives now, whether as “Jesus without a cross” or “Cross without Jesus”, the fact is – the risen Lord has made Himself known to us as “Jesus with a Cross” – a risen Lord in wounded flesh and bones who struggles and sacrifices painfully yet victoriously in life. The risen Lord in flesh is thus a seasoned life-hero who, by letting us touch and see His wounds in Life – not His glorified body or His spirit, is now willing to coach and journey us in life. In our day to day struggles of life and humanity then, the risen Lord makes Himself known to us.

    Third, the risen Lord reveals Himself IN NEED. After showing Himself to them in their midst and asking them to touch and see His wounds in flesh, the risen Lord Jesus asked from them for something to eat, and ate in front of them. He is thus a hungry and needy risen Lord who needs us and needs something from us, for Him to continue on His mission. In other words, the risen Lord is a Lord who is not-yet finished, promising yet still more to come, still on mission, on the job, on the go, on work-in progress with our life-resurrection. And he does need us to be His cooperators/partners in life and resurrection. In our sensibility for His needs and our response for the Lord’s mission now, the risen Lord makes Himself known to us. 

    The risen Lord in our Midst, in Flesh and in Need are just but hints for us to witness Him in our lives today. These are invitations for us to see Easter as they are, as it is being revealed to us, and not as we are and we would want it to be. Only then that we may become more open to the mystery of Easter, and willingly proclaim: “The Lord indeed has risen. Let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia.”

    Lord, in our midst, in flesh & in need, reveal anew Yourself to us now so that we may see what You want us to witness for our lives now & we know what is your will for us now, especially during these difficult pandemic times.

    So Help Us God. So May it Be. Amen.

  • MIGHT NOT BUT MORE THAN WHAT IT SEEMS

    MIGHT NOT BUT MORE THAN WHAT IT SEEMS

    April 15, 2021 – Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041521.cfm)

    Usually, we see things not as they are, but as we are. Normally we see things as we are, not as they are. The way we see things are always clouded by our own perspective. The way we look at realities is usually limited by our own understanding. That is why we see things by what we only understand and not what it really is. And at times, in seeing things, we do need to suspend judgment & try to be more open to other possibilities because things might not & more than what it seems.

    For instance, to promote consumerism & shopping spree during Christmas holiday season, in a non-Christian Japan, a crucified Santa Claus was placed on the display section thinking Christians buyers would be attracted to buy their lingerie products. For a non-believers, it is just for promotion, but for a believers, there is a reason for the Christmas season; not the crucifixion of Santa Claus but the birth of Jesus Christ. In the same way, sticking chopsticks standing on a bowl of rice means nothing for us, but it is a no-no for Japanese since it is bad luck & for Chinese it reminds of funeral.

    That is why we should be aware of how we see things because we tend to see things not as they are, or not as it is, but as we see things as we are.

    The main issue and at the very heart of our readings today is the question on how people see things & realities differently.

    The birth of Christianity in the Acts of the apostles is a dangerous political movement for the Jewish courts & hierarchy. But for the Apostles & Christian followers, it is the testimony of the risen Lord & the chance for them to bear witness & proclaim to others God’s offer of salvation to all. Here we are reminded as Christians that we see things differently. While others see things differently as they are, we Christians also see things differently since we see what is happening & going on in our lives with the eyes of Faith in the risen Lord. Because we believe in the Risen Lord & of our faith in Jesus Christ, we see life in faith & we look with faith in life.

    This is what Jesus is teaching us in our gospel today. He said to us: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life.” In other words, eternal life for those who believes, damnation for those who don’t believe. Our faith then makes us Christian in life. And He wants us to see things in life with faith in Him. For us Christians believers, a Cross means everything. But for non-believers, a Cross means nothing.

    Perhaps now we ask ourselves: How do we see life as we experience it now? Do we see things – what is happening & going with us now – with the eye of faith, as we believe in the risen Lord? During this Easter season, what is it that the Lord want me to see now in our lives?

    Open wide our eyes Oh Lord that we may see what you want us to see now in life, so that may we believe You deeply & through us, others may also believe You.

    So Help us God. So May it be. Amen.