Category: Feasts

January 12, 2020 – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (End of Christmas Season)

Click here for the readings http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011220.cfm

Homily by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR (A Redemptorist Missionary based in South Korea)

I once received an inquiry about parish guidelines on child baptism. Particularly, they are asking for a so-called “Special” Baptism. Without a doubt the child must be very special to the family to request for a so-called “special” baptism. Only to found out later that what they really wanted is an exclusive and private celebration of the Sacrament of Child Baptism since the child is born out of wedlock.

I cannot help but question their motivation for a so-called special baptism. Is it because the child is very special to them despite the circumstances of its birth or is it because they are ashamed of themselves to admit the child as unwanted by the parents and/or the whole family themselves? 

I think we need to clarify and direct some of these distorted and questionable but trending views about Baptism in the Church nowadays.  

First, there is no such thing as special, exclusive, or private celebration of sacrament of child baptism. The regular and proper celebration of baptism is and should be in public parish church before the congregation of Catholic faithful of where the child will grow in faith, and become a member. Except for emergency baptism where the child is at the risk or danger of death, baptisms should be done in the church with other children to be baptized and before many baptized Catholic faithful, again where the child will grow in faith, and becomes a member parishioner. Church liturgies and sacraments are communal public church prayer-worship, and never should be an exclusive, private family, organization, or office party-program, event or entertainment. In other words, Baptism is the moment when we become members of our parish church as well as of the Universal Church. 

Second, as the child as well as we were baptized, we become God’s children in Christ. In baptism, we are consecrated, identified, accepted, dignified and affirmed to be beloved Children of God, like Jesus. When he was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist, Jesus needs to hear the words and confirmation from the Father, himself saying, “You are my beloved on whom my favor rests”. Such words emphasize his very spiritual identity before God and the vision of God’s kingdom.  Here, he is reminded in a deep, deep way of who he is, of his very being before God and people – that among anything else, He is God’s beloved Son. This is the very affirmation and confirmation of his identity before God.  

In the same way, when he carried out his mission and public ministry, Jesus wants us also to hear the same message from the Father that “You are my Beloved on whom my favor rests”. Jesus wants us to be aware and hear of the very reality that before God, it is not only Jesus but we, you and I who believe in Jesus are also essentially God’s beloved sons and daughters.

In God’s heart and eyes, we are His beloved children. And by virtue of our baptism, we are consecrated to be God’s children. We are His beloved, not because we did anything, not because we proved ourselves or not because of what we did and have achieved in life. God still and always loves us whatever we do or whatever happens in our life, whether born out of wedlock, adopted, unwanted, or raised by irresponsible parents.

And in our baptism or in the day of our baptism, we  first hear God’s words saying to all of us throughout our lives: You are loved, you are beloved. He even love us more, whenever we also proclaim in our life to Him and all that, “Yes, Lord, I love you, too”, and love Him and others in return. Baptism is the moment that we become Beloved Children of God.

And baptism is all about our taking responsibility for God in our lives now. Same way as God commits Himself to us by loving us, in response to God, we commit ourselves to Him in loving God. In other words, same way as Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan marks the beginning of his Mission, our Baptism is the beginning of our Mission in life for God’s sake, since we are His masterpiece for the world.  

Being baptized Christian then, means that we become members of God’s church as God’s beloved children doing our part and mission in life for God’s glory, and Kingdom.  

Today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today officially ends the Christmas season and we continue with the Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year. As we are now in this transition in liturgical moment, we are reminded of the Baptism of the Lord wherein Jesus publicly proclaims His identity and commitment with God’s affirmations of Him to be the Beloved Son of God. As baptized believers of Christ, we Christians today are also reminded of our identity and dignity as publicly proclaimed and acclaimed to be like Jesus, also sons and daughters – beloved Children of God during our baptism, fulfilling our life-mission of proclaiming God’s glory and building up God’s kingdom in our lives always. 

As we continue on with our New Life-Year with the Lord, may we always hear again and again, and be at rest always on God’s words to all of us baptized followers of Christ and members of Christ’s church: “You are my Beloved Child on whom I am well pleased.” Amen. 

January 5, 2020 – The Epiphany of the Lord

Click here for the readings http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010520.cfm

Homily shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR – a Redemptorist Missionary based in South Korea.

Once a woman asked me to bless her Rosary beads. After blessing it, I said, “Surely, this rosary must be very precious & now would be a good companion to your prayers.” She replied, “Yes, father, this is very dear to me. My daughter gave me this from her recent pilgrimage in Rome. But, I will not to bring it with me, for it might be misplaced or lost. So, I will put this Rosary on my altar at home, like my other valuable rosaries. It would be much safer if I keep it there. Anyway I rarely use and pray the rosary.”

As we are starting a New Year, this would be the time for us to review the gifts we received during the Christmas season, and to sort out those gifts we happily received, from the gifts that are of no great value to us. Usually in doing this, we give importance to the gifts that are pleasing and less demanding. Then, we put aside gifts, which are important but not-so-urgently needed, time consuming and demanding. It is like receiving a rosary. We know that praying the rosary is important to our Christian faith and life. But because having a rosary beads demand us to set a time to pray the Holy Rosary, sometimes it would be easy to use the beads, as decoration on our altar rather than as a means for prayer – an aid to encounter the Lord. Yes, using the beads as altar decoration is a valid expression of faith but surely, it would diminish the very value and purpose of Rosary beads, which is to lead us into prayer.

Today, we celebrate the feast of Epiphany. This is our celebration to honor God’s loving act of reaching out to us (God making himself known to us) and our acceptance of Jesus, as God’s self-revelation. We, Christians believe that God has given us His only Son, Jesus Christ, as His first and best gift to us for our salvation. By sharing us His Sons, we become related to God and become His adopted sons and daughters, and sharers of His divine life. Indeed, Jesus is God’s greatest gift to us. 

However, like the rosary beads, as God’s gift, Jesus is given to us with a purpose, that is to bring us closer to God. Accepting Jesus in not only accepting him as a valuable gift which we can put aside and decorate, but letting us also be influenced by the grace Jesus can offer and become His responsible witnesses. To accept Jesus, as God’s gift to us, is also to accept with total commitment the responsibility of continuing His mission, which is to present and bring all closer to the Father. Like the three kings in our Gospel, we are called to wholeheartedly accept Jesus, and become responsible witnesses of God’s love. This would mean to let our lives be changed and renewed by the presence of Jesus, and to share and make Jesus and His mission known to the whole humanity.

Here in our gospel today, we are reminded us of what happened when the three kings found the child Jesus lying in the manger in Bethlehem. Guided by the star, in great joy, they saw the child Jesus and they did him homage. Their encounter of Jesus and the Holy Family in Bethlehem brought the three kings great joy for they have finally found what they are searching for. With this, they offered their gifts in homage and thanksgiving to God’s greatest gift to all.

But let us not forget that after they have experienced and witnessed Jesus, the Son of God, they returned by a different way. This is not because they were afraid of Herod, but their encounter with Jesus has also changed their lives. Because of their experience with the baby Jesus, their lives were never the same again. They did not follow the usual path, but they now tread a different way, perspective, and attitude to life. Like our experience with a newly born baby, after they have recognized God in the child Jesus, the lives of the three kings were never the same again. The child Jesus brought them great joy as well as great changes in their way of life. 

In the same way, the moment we recognize and accept the Lord, life will never be the same again. As we receive and welcome Jesus into our lives now, may we be responsible beneficiaries of God’s gift of revelation as well as sharers and witnesses of God’s offer of salvation to the whole world. Amen.

January 5, 2020 – Epiphany of the Lord

Click here for the readings http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010520.cfm

Homily

What is it that drives you most?

Or are you looking for someone who will make you happy, or looking for something that we will give contentment in your life?  

Are you in search for someone who will fill your emptiness and sadness or of something that will give you the success that you have been dreaming of?

Somehow, each of us is looking or searching for something that will truly make us joyful, peaceful and fulfilling. We aspire for that and hope for it. Thus, we take risks to achieve our dreams and hopes. These risks include venturing in other places, investing our time and energy, developing and forming new relationships. And we know that in every venture, trials and difficulties are also present.

With this in mind, this brought me to what we celebrate today which is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord or the manifestation of the Lord Jesus. This solemnity tells us also of the story of the three magi or wise men who have been in search of the shining star. These three men who were probably, astrologers, had the same goal. They have been following and searching for this mysterious star that had appeared in heaven. The star that they had seen could have been their dream too. 

Indeed, that star filled them with dreams and hopes. They followed it from where they came from. They took the risk of journeying into unknown territories to find that something that will truly satisfy their thirst of knowledge or hunger for wisdom. True enough, the three men found the best gift in their life and found the fulfilment and joy that they have been looking for. In their search, they have found and encountered the Lord who manifested Himself to them. 

Little did they know, it was the Lord who invited them. It was through that star that the three were invited by the Lord. And because they were open to God’s revelation, the three were led to the family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Behold, through the baby Jesus, they have seen the face of God.

On this feast of the Epiphany the focus is not really the three kings, the main character here, is the baby boy Jesus. God reveals himself as a vulnerable baby, a powerless little boy in the arms of Mary and Joseph. It is very interesting to remember this. The three magi did not find the little King in the home of the royalties or powerful politicians; not even with the rich merchants and businessmen or with an influential family. The little king was with an insignificant mother and father from the almost unknown town of Nazareth.

This image of the baby made the powerful and corrupt king Herod to be troubled. Thus, king Herod got afraid upon hearing the birth of a new king. He was threatened not by a powerful army or civil insurgency or a possible assassination but by a small and vulnerable baby.

This tells us that God manifests Himself in a humble way, in the most vulnerable way of being a baby, born in a family. This tells us too that strength is not with the powerful and rich, it is with those who are weak. Greatness is not with the popular, influential and corrupt but with the humble and poor.

This is God’s invitation for us this Sunday – to seek the Lord always who shall give us the true joy and contentment in life, who shall fill and satisfy our hunger and thirst for love, for healing, for peace.

Let us be discerning then. Discernment made the three men, wise. They discerned well and became committed to follow the star, to follow the Lord. Discern to follow the Lord by being open to his invitations and revelations. But let us remember, God reveals Himself in places where we do not expect Him to be. God makes himself more known with the weak and the powerless, with the insignificant and the poor.

Like the three wise men, let us also offer the Lord our gifts as symbols of our love and devotion to Him. The three men offered him gold because He is King, frankincense because He is a Priest, and myrrh because He is a prophet. Let us offer the Lord our willingness to serve others that does not ask anything for a return, with our sacrifice that does not seek any payment or make complaints, and with our commitment to live an honest and compassionate Christian life that does not discriminate the weak and the poor, that does not condemn the sinners but to be merciful, upholds what is true and just and is not afraid to stand up against the bully, the corrupt and unjust powerful figures like Herod.

Hopefully, by seeking the Lord who is everything in our life, we too shall grow in our faith and commitment as Christians today, humble and honest, wise and discerning of God’s marvellous manifestations in us. Hinuat pa.

Jom Baring, CSsR