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Category: Feasts

  • Our Capacity to Receive and Embrace

    Our Capacity to Receive and Embrace

    January 15, 2023 – Sunday, Feast of the Sto. Niño

    Is 9:1-6; Eph 1:3-6, 15-18; Mt 18:1-5,10

    A study by the Save the Children revealed that one in three households around the world reported violence during the Covid-19 pandemic.[1] The study also found that 1 in 6 children suffered violence at home. This study also said that there is an increase of negative feelings and psychological distress when lockdowns were imposed. This explains the significant cases of depression and suicide during this time as reported by Department of Health and World Health Organization.[2]

    Moreover, according to UNICEF Philippines Representative, “The Covid-19 pandemic is worsening the incidence of online sexual abuse and exploitation in the country. Children are increasingly becoming victims of circumstances that are harmful to their development and well-being.”[3]

    While I was stationed in Iligan City at the height of this pandemic, there were concerned neighbors who asked for help in our Church. They asked for a counseling and legal assistance for a girl who was raped at home. The parents were not that concerned on how to take care of their daughter because of poverty. Both parents lost their job when the lockdown was imposed in the city. It was the neighbors who responded and wanted to rescue and help the girl. But then, when the incident was reported, the police authorities even suggested not to pursue the case because it will only become troublesome to them and will cost them a lot of money. It was suggested to just settle it with some money and let it go.

    What have we become? Have we succumbed to darkness to abuse and oppress the weak among us?

    These situations are just few reported examples of rejecting, ignoring and hurting attitudes towards the small and the weak and to children particularly. No wonder why Jesus expressed indignation towards those who try to abuse the weak and try to promote themselves to be great.

    On this feast of the Sto. Niño, the Gospel of Matthew tells us how the disciples asked Jesus as to who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Naturally, each of them must have been boasting one another about their closeness with Jesus, their great qualities, their faithfulness, on who was the first to be called and who was the favored one among them.

    At this point, the disciples must have thought that Jesus’ kingdom will be like those of kings sitting on a golden throne in the palace with a great army, a political king. They must have believed that Jesus will inherit political power and vast riches and material wealth. Thus, obtaining a position and having a closer relationship with Jesus will give them the security and assurance of a higher and influential position when Jesus reigns. What they aspired was to have power. This was their idea of greatness in the kingdom of heaven.

    As Jesus knew them, he had to teach them and to mold their hearts according to God’s desire. That’s why Jesus taught the disciples an important lesson through a child. Jesus took and placed the child in their midst and said, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

    Children, at the time of Jesus were considered not important because they were dependent, they have no rights and thus cannot be called as fully man at all. Jesus teaches us that in the Kingdom of heaven, greatness is measured in the capacity to receive God. To receive God is best expressed in welcoming, in embracing and in receiving the least in our community.

    We are called to receive God in the person of those who are the least in our church and society. We are called to aspire to be great but not in the way that we will be above others, or to seek a higher position at the expense of others, but in the way of embracing others.

    This capacity to embrace others and to embrace God fully is the message and call on this feast of the Sto. Niño. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, our God Almighty, has appeared to us as a child, who was born in a manger because through the image of a child, God shows us gentleness, not wrath and violence; the Lord embraces us with mercy, not anger and death.

    Hence, Jesus also calls us, “See that you never despise one of the these little ones.” On our part as a Church, as a community and you as parents and guardians, and all those in the position of authority and power, may we be instruments of protecting the weak in our communities. Let not our hearts be corrupted by our desire to be great and be above others by abusing the weak but we aspire to be great in the kingdom of heaven through our loving and life-giving service. Let our decisions and actions in life, let our relationships and our very person be filled with the grace of the Sto. Niño that brings freedom and the fullness of life. Kabay pa.

    [1] See https://www.rappler.com/world/global-affairs/one-third-households-globally-report-violence-home-during-coronavirus-pandemic-study

    [2] See report https://www.who.int/philippines/news/detail/10-09-2020-doh-and-who-promote-holistic-mental-health-wellness-in-light-of-world-suicide-prevention-day

    [3] See https://globalnation.inquirer.net/190923/unicef-pandemic-worsening-child-online-sexual-abuse-exploitation-in-ph#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic%20is,their%20development%20and%20well%2Dbeing.&text=The%20child%20has%20no%20interest%20in%20school%20and%20friends.

  • GREAT in God

    GREAT in God

    January 15, 2023 – Feast of the Sto. Niño de Cebu

    Is 9:1-6; Eph 1:3-6, 15-18; Mt 18:1-5,10

    During our Wednesday novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, we always ask our mother to help us learn to adapt to our growing children. Praying this, we acknowledge before the Lord that as Christians and in particular as parents, we are imperfect. We recognize that we encounter problems and difficulties in dealing with our growing children and that, at times we fail to love and respect the children as persons and as God’s children. And for this, we implore Our Mother’s guidance and assistance.

    Filipinos love the Sto. Nino, the child Jesus, and today – every third Sunday of January, we celebrate the Feast of Sto. Nino. Like the Sto. Nino, we honor our children of today as also God’s gifts and instrument of salvation for humanity. They are God’s blessing and signs of hope for our Christian families and communities. As gifts, children must be accepted, love and provided with the love and care they need for their growth and well-being. As God’s instrument, they must also be respected for what they are and will be, with talents and limitations, for in their own unique way children can contribute to the building up of Christian families, and communities, and in God’s kingdom as well.

    In our gospel today, we hear how Jesus  emphasize Greatly the value of us being God’s children, and of being children in God’s kingdom. For Jesus, our being beloved children of God is our very dignity and rights as a person. As God’s beloved children, we enjoy personal relationship with Jesus and the Kingdom of God. We have the right and duty to grow in faith, to grow in our own personal relationship with God. It is also our vocation to be His disciple – to come and follow Jesus Christ and express our response, by our love and respect for others. Today, Jesus invites us to especially love and respect our children, as much as we demand respect from them. Our today’s children are also God’s beloved children, like us now adults Christians.

    Now if we wish to learn how to adapt to our growing children – to respect God’s beloved children, take a good look at the picture of Our Mother Perpetual Help, a portrait of Mary carrying her child Jesus. By merely looking at the picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, we readily notice the relationship between Jesus and Mary – Mary as the mother, the parent of Jesus the Redeemer. As a mother, Mary presents to us the child Jesus, a child who like any other child needs nourishment, love, guidance, protection and care of a parent. We see Mary as the model of Christian Parenthood for she teaches us how to love,  care and protect our children. The picture also shows us Jesus growing and gradually learning that in fulfilling his vocation in life, there will be coming great changes and suffering (as shown by angels at the side bearing cross & hyssop on spears). And Mary has to adapt gradually to the changes going in her son’s life. As Jesus grew, so did Mary grow to respect and share the giftedness of the growing Jesus to others.

    As we honor today the Sto. Nino, Jesus want us to remember that our devotion to the Sto. Nino must reflect not only our deep joy and thanksgiving to God for sharing us His only Son, but also expresses our love and concern for today’s God’s little children, His ninos and ninas. And the most relevant and meaningful way of honoring the Sto. Nino is not by merrymaking, parades or street dancing, but by concretely expressing our Christian respect, love and concern to our growing children, especially the poor and abandoned little children.

    Concretely, I invite you BE with children & spent a quality time with them these days. Listen to their stories, their concerns, and their hopes in life. Respect and Learn from them for they are also God’s children and messengers. As a Filipino song would say: “Itanong mo sa mga bata. Ang buhay ay hawak nila… at Ang sagot iyong makikita.” Ask the children. Life is in their hands… and you will find the answers.

    Through our children, may we discern and respect God’s ways and plans for a better life ahead of us.

    So May it Be.

  • We too can bring others closer to Jesus

    We too can bring others closer to Jesus

    November 30, 2022 – Wednesday Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/113022.cfm)

    Who was that significant person who brought you closer to the Church and closer to Jesus? I am sure, each of us here has a particular person or people who became significant in our faith journey. Others could have their grandparents who were the very instruments for them to grow in their Catholic faith. Or perhaps a relative, a parent, a sibling or a friend, or an intimate friend who inspired us to come to Church and encounter God.

    Indeed, the celebration of our Vicariate Youth Day with its theme, “Pamatan-on: Padayon sa Misyon Kaupod si Maria,” is an expression of that experience of being inspired and motivated to come closer to the Lord. Certainly, this is a good reason to thank them for being an instrument for us in our journey of faith. So, I want you now to close your eyes and imagine that person to be in front of you and in silence, say to that person your words of gratitude for being an instrument of God for you. Say, your “THANK YOU.”

    As we express our gratitude to the people who have become significant in our journey of faith, let us be reminded as well of the feast that as a Church, we celebrate today. This is the Feast of St. Andrew, one of the original 12 apostles. So, allow me now to explore a bit this person of St. Andrew, how he has become significant to our church and on how the Lord invites us today as young people.

    You know, we know very little of St. Andrew. According to our tradition, Andrew became the first bishop in the community of Constantinople until he was martyred through crucifixion on an X-shape cross. The gospels tell us also that he was the brother of Peter. They were from Bethsaida, a town near the Sea of Galilee. In John’s gospel, we were told that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist at first. In the same gospel, we found that Andrew had actually brought Peter to Jesus, telling his brother, “We have found the Messiah!” In the other gospels, it was Andrew who called the attention of Jesus about the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Again, it was Andrew who told Jesus that there were some Greeks who wanted to see and meet Jesus.

    From here, we can sense that Andrew was actually an apostle with a typical role. Unlike his brother, Peter, he was not able to witness the transfiguration of Jesus at Mt. Tabor. Andrew was not part of Jesus’ inner circle composed of Peter and the 2 brothers, James and John. He was in fact an ordinary guy, an ordinary apostle of Jesus.

    However, Andrew had a remarkable faith in Jesus. Remember, his brother Peter doubted and even denied Jesus three times. But for Andrew, he was the first one to realize that Jesus was truly the Messiah. In his conviction, he joyfully shared what he found to his brother. He himself became an evangelist, a preacher of the good news to his own brother. Moreover, he brought others to Jesus like the boy and those Greeks. Andrew became a bridge between Jesus and other people. Thus, Andrew became the significant person for many people to encounter and to know Jesus more.

    This is what St. Paul told us in the first reading. As there is a need but there is also beauty in sharing one’s faith in Jesus to others. And we can preach Jesus by making our faith be manifested through words and actions so that what we preach will be heard by many. Paul’s letter to the Romans would help us ponder our own call to be a kind of apostle or bearer of the good news to others like St. Andrew.

    This reminds us now of our theme in this VYD, “Pamatan-on: Padayon sa Misyon kaupod kay Maria.” Mary, is indeed, another significant person in our journey of faith. This celebration of the gift of the young people in our Vicariate of St. Peter calls us to mission by preaching Jesus through our words and actions with Mary.

    Now, we usually think that preaching is only proper to bishops, priests, and deacons. Definitely, public preaching of the gospel in liturgical occasions like what I am doing now is proper to me as a priest and not to you as lay persons. But it does not mean that you cannot preach the Gospel or share Jesus anymore to others. As young Christians, we share the prophetic role of Jesus by virtue of our baptism. It means that each of us has both the responsibility and the privilege to be God’s messenger to others, and this makes us young missionaries.

    The Gospel tells us how we are being called as young missionaries today. To each of us, Jesus says, “COME, FOLLOW ME, AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISH FOR PEOPLE! I WILL MAKE YOU MY OWN APOSTLE!” This can surely be materialized when we preach with joy by our own example. But how? These are few examples.

    First, when we are happy with what we are doing and when we are honest in our relationships and dealings with others – we preach the person of Jesus.

    Second, when we are sensitive to others and volunteer to help without any selfish motivations whenever someone needs a helping hand – then, we preach the person of Jesus.

    Third, when we become joyful givers to those who have less;  when we become more understanding and compassionate with those who are experiencing difficulties in their life; then, we preach the person of Jesus.

    Fourth, when people around us feel the deep expression of our faith as we pray in the church, in our homes or with others… then, we preach the person of Jesus.

    Fifth, when we are able to stand and fight for justice, when we are able to confront what is evil and unjust in our institutions and society, when we choose life not violence and death, then, we preach the person of Jesus.

    Friends, people will see these things and will recognize that we are Christians. Then like St. Andrew and our Mother Mary, we will be able to bring other people closer to Jesus, by becoming bearers of the Good News through our very life. Kabay pa.

  • Seeing God as He is

    Seeing God as He is

    November 1, 2022 – Solemnity of All the Saints

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110122.cfm)

    The lives of the Saints, of those who lived a holy and a truly happy and contented life, proved to us that we are made for others and made for God. Indeed, we find the fullness of life not within us but outside of us. This is the common thing among the recognized and unrecognized saints in our Church and even those people outside our Church. People who find true joy in serving others, in giving life to others through their self-sacrifice, through their dedication and commitment to bring goodness in the lives of others were people who found true joy and contentment in life. The countless saints we have in our Church were conscious that their actions and very life were reflections of God’s presence and faithfulness.

    This is why John in his first letter reminds that “We are God’s children now… that we shall be like him and shall see him as he is.” John tells us that we shall meet God, behold God, live with and in God’s presence. And this is the fullness of life. In fact, this fact is expressed in the Psalm today that says, “Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.”

    Moreover, this hope for the fullness of life that allows us to see God as he is, is not just limited in the future state of our life. However, the fullness of life, seeing God as he is and becoming more like God in heart and mind, can be already experienced in the here-and-now. This is what we find in the Gospel of Matthew in the famous Beatitudes of Jesus.

    This tells us that even when we are suffering, experiencing hardships in life, or being persecuted and humiliated by others can become opportunities for us to live a holy and blessed life. The Lord gives us comfort and assurance through his divine presence and promise of a blessed life. This is how we too are being called today, as we remember and celebrate the Solemnity of All the Saints, that we may also share that blessed and fullness of life.

    But let us remember, the fullness of life can only be experienced with others, with our friends and Church community, and with God just as the lives of the saints taught us. No fullness of life can be experienced when we are isolated from others or when we choose to distance ourselves from others.

    Thus, when our way of life brings us farther away from others, then we too grow to become lonely. Yet,  this will only make us more insecure and fearful, devoid of that fullness of life. Rather than life, what we will have is sadness.

    That is why, Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti said, “go outside the self in order to find ‘a fuller existence in another.’ ” Meaning, that when we begin to think less of ourselves, to step outside our comfort zones, and outside our insecurities and fears, then, we also discover the fullness of life with the people around us.

    This means that to experience truly what life is, is to be able to give life. Do not be afraid then, to share your life with others. Do not be afraid to meet and encounter people. Do not be afraid of disappointments and frustrations in our relationships with people. Those are part of life that are meant to be taken as lessons.

    Thus, remember this, when we commit ourselves fully to love another, we also find joy and meaning in life. When we generously give something to someone in need, we do not only help a person but also experience the joy of helping another. Therefore, to live life joyfully and truly, is to be life-giving. May this feast inspire us then, to become modern day living saints. Kabay pa.

  • Spending the night in Prayer to God

    Spending the night in Prayer to God

    October 28, 2022 – Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude Thaddeus, Apostles

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102822.cfm)

    Simon and Jude are two interesting characters among the chosen twelve apostles of Jesus. These two, Simon and Jude proved that their encounter with Jesus changed their entire life. Their ordinary life became extra-ordinarily wonderful though challenging.

    Simon who was called “Zealot,” believed strongly in the importance of following the Jewish law. In his search and endeavor to become righteous and to stand for what is right and just, he encountered Jesus and realized that the Lord is the very fulfillment of what he was trying to follow and hoping for. Jude or Judas the son of James, also known as Thaddeus, is patron saint of desperate people, of those who feel that there is no one else to turn to. Jude earned this because of his witness to Jesus that despite his fears and inconsistencies, he allowed the Lord to transform him.

    These two apostles must have been part of the many people who followed Jesus and wanting to learn from him, and be touched by the life of Jesus. These two, like many of those people longed for the presence of God to fulfill the desires of their hearts. This desire reveals to us of the human longing to be connected, be supported and be healed by God.

    This longing is what Paul also trying to tell us in his letter to the Ephesians, he said, “you are no longer strangers or sojourners but fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God.” Paul expressed here the intimacy and closeness shared by people like Simon and Jude with God.

    This intimacy and closeness with God is what Jesus also showed to us in today’s Gospel. Luke recounts that as Jesus called his disciples and from them chose Twelve Apostles, Jesus spent a night in prayer to God. Jesus commune with his Father in heaven.

    Prayer, indeed, is a foundation of our relationship with God. Having a capacity and time to spend in prayer to God would allow us to see and recognize God’s heart and mind in the things that we want to pursue and to do. Jesus expressed this for he chose the twelve not just out of random, but Jesus must have built relationship with them, knew them by heart, and made them his very close friends. Thus, as Jesus spend a night in prayer to God, he also wants us to learn from him.

    In prayer, let us allow the Lord to touch us and to encounter him just as Simon and Jude encountered the Lord. In prayer, let us allow ourselves to consciously spend a time with God to express to the Lord our thoughts and also to listen to Him. In prayer, let us also allow the Lord to shape and purify our decisions and actions. And in prayer, we may grow more intimate with Jesus, day by day. Kabay pa.