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Category: Easter Season

  • Spread Jesus today!

    Spread Jesus today!

    June 2, 2019 – Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

     

    ACTS 1:1-11

    In the first book, Theophilus,
    I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
    until the day he was taken up,
    after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
    to the apostles whom he had chosen.
    He presented himself alive to them
    by many proofs after he had suffered,
    appearing to them during forty days
    and speaking about the kingdom of God.
    While meeting with them,
    he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
    but to wait for “the promise of the Father
    about which you have heard me speak;
    for John baptized with water,
    but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

    When they had gathered together they asked him,
    “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
    He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
    that the Father has established by his own authority.
    But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
    and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
    throughout Judea and Samaria,
    and to the ends of the earth.”
    When he had said this, as they were looking on,
    he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
    While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
    suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
    They said, “Men of Galilee,
    why are you standing there looking at the sky?
    This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
    will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

    PS 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

    R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

    All you peoples, clap your hands,
    shout to God with cries of gladness,
    For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
    is the great king over all the earth.

    R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
    God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
    the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
    Sing praise to God, sing praise;
    sing praise to our king, sing praise.
    R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
    For king of all the earth is God;
    sing hymns of praise.
    God reigns over the nations,
    God sits upon his holy throne.
    R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

    EPH 1:17-23

    Brothers and sisters:
    May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
    give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
    resulting in knowledge of him.
    May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
    that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
    what are the riches of glory
    in his inheritance among the holy ones,
    and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
    for us who believe,
    in accord with the exercise of his great might:
    which he worked in Christ,
    raising him from the dead
    and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
    far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
    and every name that is named
    not only in this age but also in the one to come.
    And he put all things beneath his feet
    and gave him as head over all things to the church,
    which is his body,
    the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

    Gospel LK 24:46-53

    Jesus said to his disciples:
    “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
    and rise from the dead on the third day
    and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
    would be preached in his name
    to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
    You are witnesses of these things.
    And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
    but stay in the city
    until you are clothed with power from on high.”

    Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
    raised his hands, and blessed them.
    As he blessed them he parted from them
    and was taken up to heaven.
    They did him homage
    and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
    and they were continually in the temple praising God.

    The Gospel of the Lord.

    Homily

    Have you ever had a religious experience? A religious experience is a deep experience of God. This is a tremendous joy because of something good that we received. It could be a moment of your prayer time where you have deeply felt God’s presence that despite the many problems you have but you were made confident and at peace. It could be in an occasion where you have seen your family or friends being together and the happiness of being with them cannot be contained. This could be the moment your girlfriend said yes to you or the very first time you have seen and carried in your arms your baby.

    This tremendous joy makes God’s presence and love ever more present in us. Because of this, we wanted to get hold of it, to just stay there, in those feelings of joy.

    The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles told us about this kind of experience. The apostles witnessed the ascension of Jesus into heaven. That was surely an event that captivated them so greatly. It was no ordinary event but it was glorious. It was their religious experience where God made himself ever present in them as Jesus was lifted up. Because of that, the apostles even kept looking at the sky. They wanted to behold that moment for a long time, not wanting to disappear from their sight and memory what had just happened.

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    However, two men appeared in their midst and told them, “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” The apostles seemed to be stunned with what just happened. But, they were not to remain standing there and gazing at the sky. The apostles were told to come down and share what Jesus shared to them. They were to become his witnesses beginning from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, as the Gospel told us.

    Indeed, the apostles were witnesses of the many wonders God made and did through Jesus. As Jesus ascended back to his Father in heaven, Jesus gave a crucial role to those who believed in him. These believers were being sent and empowered by Jesus through his ascension to heaven.

    Jesus’ ascension then does not mean that the disciples were being left alone or abandoned. His ascension means being more present to each of his friends wherever they would go. His ascension makes him a constant companion to all of them and to each of us now.

    What does it mean to us? This feast reminds us that we, who believe in Jesus, are called to tell others about Jesus – that in our own way, as a student, a son/daughter, husband/wife, laborer, a skilled worker or professional, each of us is sent to bring Jesus into the lives of others through our words and actions.

    Our very experience of the presence of God should move and motivate us to tell others of God’s goodness and generosity in us. Our experience of God is not meant for us alone but it has to be shared to others, to your neighbors even to strangers.

    And yes, when we make a stand of being a witness of Jesus, of our Christian faith, it won’t be easy. It might be quite difficult because many things and people will be against us. Why? Because, it is not easy to be honest, when others are dishonest, it is not easy to be selfless when others are selfish; it is not easy to be faithful when others are unfaithful.

    As we continue to deepen our faith, I would like to ask you to do something and begin becoming a true witness of Jesus.

    Share to someone, to your friends, family members or even to strangers your own experience of God’s goodness and generosity. For the young ones, you may explore the social media as a way of communicating and sharing the goodness of God. It is just timely that on this Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, we are also celebrating World Communications Day. Facebook, Instagram and twitter are good media to proclaim the goodness of God to others. Thus, spread Jesus today! Spread the Good News and not fake news; spread the good not the lies and defamation of others. Make viral God’s faithfulness and mercy upon us. But remember that in sharing and proclaiming how good God is – our words are not enough, do something good also through our good deeds and generous actions towards others. Hinaut pa unta.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • What should I ask and pray?

    What should I ask and pray?

    June 1, 2019 – Saturday of the 6th Week of Easter

    Jn 16: 23-28

    “Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” – Jn 16:24

    What is it that we usually ask and pray? Good health and wealth? Fulfillment of our hopes and dreams? Love life and relationships? For work and business? For achievements and successes? For our personal concerns and problems?

    Jesus told his disciples to “ask anything in my name and you will receive.” What does it really mean? Does Jesus mean that we can just ask anything we want? Does it mean that I can also ask Jesus to give me a lifetime premium subscription on Netflix and unlimited supply of popcorn? Or can I also ask a top managerial position in the company even though I do not have the qualification and expect that it will surely be given to me?

    Some of my friends have told me that there were times in their life that they felt hurt because God did not grant their wishes. They had been praying and attended faithfully masses and novenas so that their prayers will be granted. Yet, at the end, prayers were unanswered. They were hurt and thought that God seemed to be so unfair.

    However, we might not be aware that what we are praying could be filled with selfish reasons. Our prayers might be more on ourselves. Our prayers might be more focused on what “I shall have and on what I can gain.” Then, our prayer remains self-centered.

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    Jesus asks us to ask “in his name.” It means that in our prayer we will not forget Jesus, we will not forget his desire for us and his will for us. Yes, our prayer might be more on “our wants,” rather than on God’s desire for us.

    Jesus did not say to just ask anything because Jesus, then, would merely be a magician or a genie in a bottle, but to ask anything in his name. Our prayer, then, includes a discernment of God’s will for us and of God’s desire for us.

    The disciples had actually already prayed. They had surely asked God many things already. However, their prayers were also filled with their own desires and personal wants. That is why Jesus said, “until now you have not asked anything in my name…” Their selfish prayers and requests to God did not make them joyful and contented. They have remained insecure and lacking in faith because they did not ask in Jesus’ name.

    Instead of praying – “this is what I want and wish Lord,” ask and pray rather first in this way, “what is your desire for me Lord?” Only then that we will be able to get away from our selfish tendencies and intentions because we shift our focus from ourselves to God – from praying that comes only from personal wants to praying in his name.

    Surely, God will never say no to a sincere heart that seeks His desire. Jesus will surely answer our prayers when our hearts and minds too are one with him. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • An Invitation of Letting Go

    An Invitation of Letting Go

    May 30 – Thursday of the 6th Week of Easter

     Jn. 16:16-20

    Jesus said to his disciples, “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.”

    It is very difficult to let go of people especially of those whom you love so much. Our basic tendency is to keep those people close to us because we do not like them to leave us. That is why, when we are confronted with the reality of a person who is about to leave us, then, we experience pain of loss and separation.

    This is what I have recently experienced when my father passed away. There is so much pain in me. A part of me cannot accept that Papa is no longer with us physically. A deep pain of loss and absence troubles my mind and heart until now.

    Indeed, it is very difficult to think and accept that Papa is dead and now is buried. When my sister called me up on that Saturday evening of May 11 that Papa was being revived by the doctor, I could not accept it that it was happening. I could not cry because I did not know how to react. I prayed but it was as if my prayer was empty. I was afraid to pray and ask the Lord to heal Papa because the Lord might not hear me. I was even more afraid to ask Him to take away the suffering of Papa because of fear of losing him.

    But when I called my sister again, Papa left us around 10pm. I did not cry because I could not. After that, I went down and said the mass for Papa. That evening I could not sleep and I could not cry either.

    By Sunday morning, I have to get up and say the first and second Sunday masses. On my first mass at 6am, I broke down in the middle of my homily. At the Prayers of the Faithful, when I asked the people to pray for the passing of my Father, tears began to fall down from my eyes. I was crying because I was in pain. Yet, I offer honestly everything to God who has been so good and faithful to us. I thought I could not finish that mass.

    As I have pronounced every word in the prayer of consecration and prayed for the eternal rest and joy of Papa, slowly I have also accepted that Papa has died and has joined the Lord. That was my only consolation. Papa is with God where there will be no more suffering, no more pain and sadness but joy and peace.

    let-god

    I have to let him go even though it was painful for me. I have to offer him back to God in that sacrifice of the mass and become confident that Papa is in good hands of the Lord.

    With all of this, it reminds me of Jesus’ invitation of letting go. His disciples wanted to keep him close to them. The disciples believed that they were more confident if Jesus was nearby. They were not willing to let him go again. Jesus died and thought that he had abandoned them already. At his resurrection, they wanted Jesus to stay with them.

    However, this is not God wanted. Jesus had to go so that he will be able to join and be one with his Father in heaven. It will only be in this way that Jesus will be able to bring us closer to the Father. By returning to the Father, Jesus will open a way for us to the heart of the Father. By this also, Jesus will become ever close to each one of us, closer than we can imagine because Jesus will be in our hearts and minds.

    I am invited to let go of my Papa and accept that he is no longer with us physically. However, we in our family are being consoled also that Papa is ever more present in our hearts and minds today.

    Thus, each of us too, today, is invited to let go of whatever that may hinder us from encountering the Lord and accepting Him in our hearts and minds. In letting go, we may let God come closer and ever present in us. Hinaut pa.

     

    Jom Baring, CSsR