Consoling it is, for us to hear Jesus saying to us today in our gospel; “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” This is because admittedly deep inside we feel that we are not righteous before Him. But in our sickness, despite our brokenness & (above all,) because of sinfulness Jesus still calls us. Meaning beyond our seeming but faltering righteousness and our chronic shortcomings & failures in life, our faith story with Jesus is a story of SECOND chances. Our faith-life story with Jesus is a pilgrimage story of being invited, called & given another chance to do better in life – a faith journey not of being victims & condemned but of survivors and given another chance anew.
This is the story of St. Matthew. He was just an ordinary tax-collector despised & already victimized & condemned by his community as being corrupted. However, when Jesus invited him to follow Him, Matthew’s life was & has never been the same again. He was called to a life not same as usual as before, but to another chance of life anew.
Same way with terminal dying patients given another chance to live, or an ex-convict, a reformed rebel or a rehabbed drug-addict given a chance to be re-integrate to the community, our being Christian – being disciple & follower of the Lord is a story of being broken yet being called, invited, and given another chance to do better in life anew. Ours now is not to go back & be victimized by our usual sick, corrupted & sinful lives again, but ours now is to survive & to do better in life anew as we follow Jesus in our daily lives, as Paul says: “to live in a manner worthy of the call we have received.”
Today marks the golden anniversary of the 1972 Martial Law in the Philippines. Undeniably such event has a tragic repercussions & effects in our history as a society & nation then & until now. However, we should not only view Martial Law as our story of our brokenness & our being victims as a nation. Sad times in might have been to us, above all, we should remember that ML is also the story of us, Filipinos our story of surviving hard-times, of rising above the occasion, of given and giving another chance to do better in life & to live life anew in Christ – worthy of Jesus. In other words, our ML history is not only a history of being victims & condemned, but a God-story of being survived & given another chance in life anew. As we remember our sad history of ML, may we not forget that like with Matthew, in whatever & however life situation may bring us in (sickness, poverty, brokenness, corruption), we are always called, invited & given another chance by the Lord to “Follow Him” in life – not again as before, but ANEW. Amen.
Lately, we could say we suffered great losses during these pandemic times. Somehow almost all of us have lost in one way or the other, someone or something significant in life. And usually, our experience of great loss could dishearten, discourage & even disorient us in life. Losing someone & something significant in life could somehow cause us to lose our heart and our way in life.
Mary Magdalene must have also felt the same way when she lost her beloved Lord Jesus in her life. Somehow when Jesus died on the cross, Mary Magdalene lost also her heart and her way to a point where she did not & cannot anymore recognize the presence of the risen Lord with her.
However, in our great loss & suffering, Mary Magdalene could also teach us how to experience resurrection in our lives. Amidst her suffering & loss, eventually Mary Magdalene also have witnessed & experienced anew the calling, presence, & challenge of our risen Lord with her. By allowing herself to weep & grieve over her losses, and persevering in love in times of losing her heart & way, Mary have experienced anew the voice, the heart & the way of the risen Lord. In the same way, in times of great loss & suffering, like Mary Magdalene, we may also witness anew the presence & life of resurrection with the risen Lord by not denying, but allowing our grieving over our losses while persevering in our faith & love with our Lord.
Remember Mary Magdalene renewed her heart, her ways & her faith, because she witnessed Lord’ resurrection & the presence of the risen Lord anew, as she allowed herself to weep & grieve over her losses and persevere & keep her love & faith in Jesus Christ. In effect, Mary Magdalene became not only the “Apostle of the Apostles” but also the first witness, sharer & proclaimer of the Lord’s resurrection & the presence of our risen Lord in our midst today.
So also, whatever we are grieving over these days caused by the losses & sufferings of pandemic times, like Mary Magdalene, let us be open with our persevering love & faith to go through our weeping & grieving, as so make us recognize & witness what better life has our risen Lord in store for our life ahead.
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.
Gospel Reading : Lk 1:39
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
St. Luke described to us the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. He included this story in his Gospel to bring a message to a particular Christian community to which Luke was in-charge. What we can learn from this particular passage of the Gospel of Luke is the role of Mary in the Christian Community.
Even at that early stage of the Christian faith, Mary had already become a mother and a model to every disciple of the Lord. Mary who received the Lord in her womb and in her whole life manifested in her actions the wonders of God done unto her. She became a model of charity and service to others which is an expression of bringing the Lord to others. This is clear enough in Mary’s willing heart to help her cousin, Elizabeth.
The exchange of greetings between these two women was the amazing thing we find in the Gospel. Luke described to us how the baby in the womb of Elizabeth leaped with joy upon hearing the voice of Mary. Mary, the THEOTOKOS or bearer of God, brought such great joy to Elizabeth and to her baby in the womb.
Mary’s visit was certainly God’s visitation to Elizabeth, to her baby and to Zechariah. God visited them through Mary. And this is what our theme for the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is all about, “Mary’s Visit is God’s Presence: Our Call for Mission Today.”
On this feast of the Visitation, we who are disciples of the Lord are reminded to be like Mary, to be charitable in our words and actions, to be aware of those who are in need of assistance, to be at the service of others especially those who are most in need of our help. In that way, we bring the Lord to them, we let others feel God’s presence through us and this is our mission as devotees of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
Indeed, each of us has that capacity to bring God’s presence to others. The Lord is with us, he is with you and with me; he is in our midst, as the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah tells us. Thus, as Christians we are called to make a stand and to be aware of what is happening around us – not just within our small community but also in the wider picture of our society.
It means that we are called to be socially aware and not to remain indifferent to the difficulties of our sisters and brothers. That is why, when we are indifferent to the difficulties of others, there is surely something wrong with our Christian life. It is good then to ask ourselves, are we socially aware or indifferent to the plight of the poor, the weak and the oppressed?
In concrete terms and in small ways, a challenge is given to us now and that is to become God’s presence to others. It would be good then to remember those people whom we have not visited for a long time. Visit them if possible. Remember also those people we know who will surely need our help, or recognize the people around us who need help from us in one way or another. Then, in hope, we may be able to let them feel God’s presence through us, through our generous words and service. Kabay pa.
What would usually stop us from dreaming and hoping? What would usually prevent us from learning new things, from adapting change, from being creative and innovative? What would usually hinder us from fully committing ourselves and fully giving ourselves for others? What stops us from being truly free?
There could be more similar questions like these in your mind. Questions and concerns that limit us, hinder us and make us prisoners of our own fears. Yes, what we might find deep within us is this fear that shackles our spirit, our heart, and our very person to be truly free and life-giving.
Thus, Fear of being not accepted, of being rejected, and thus, of being hurt prevents us from being free, from sharing and opening up ourselves to and for others.
This is how we find that a traumatic or a painful experience of abuse in whatever form that is, or of betrayal, of failures, shame and guilt, or of separation and death – can paralyze our relationships, damage our self-esteem and hinder our maturity in all aspects of life that basically include the emotional-mental, spiritual and social aspects of life.
However, God desires that we become fully human according to God’s image, and that is by being truly free and having developed our full potentials as persons in all aspect of our life.
St. Irenaeus whose memorial we celebrate today, was bishop and a martyr in the Second Century. According to him, creation including us, every man and woman is not sinful by nature but only distorted by our sins. Moreover, he also said, that “the glory of God is to see every man and woman fully alive.” This means that indeed it is God’s desire that we will live life to the fullest expressed by being free, by being mature and by being able to develop our full potentials and building healthy relationships.
Yet, we are also aware that there could be hindrances in this vision of living life fully. Hence, it is good that we acknowledge them so that we will also be able to know on how we shall address them, healthily and maturely. And it is good that we do this, as all of you guys are about to end your academic year and move up to the next level of your academic studies. So, allow me now to bring you deeper into our readings today and let us discover together how God calls us today to become free from fear.
The Gospel of Matthew that has been proclaimed to us today tells us about the terrified situation of the disciples. “Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?” Jesus asked his disciples when they woke him up because they were terrified by the storm that was sweeping their boat. They were terrified because they thought they would all perish at that moment. The violent storm was too overwhelming for them that they did not know what to do anymore. The boat was being swamped by waves. And they were filled with fear.
This tells us that fear can actually paralyze us. Fear can prevent us in making movements and in making sound decisions.
Consequently, fear can also breed two unhealthy attitudes of the heart. First is STAGNATION. The second is COMPLACENCY.
There will be times that we become stagnant in life that we do not know what to do. The failures that we experience, the pain and the hurts that we are enduring could make us become stagnant especially, when these things are all being experienced at home, with our friends and with our community. Stagnation is not being able to move and go ahead. This tells us that when we become stagnant in life, we too become lifeless because we stopped from being creative and imaginative.
Second, we may become complacent, not wanting to move and go beyond, and not wanting to grow and mature perhaps because we have become comfortable to the point that we do not want to be challenged. Complacency is an attitude that settles to what is only minimal, staying always to what is only safe and easy for us. Though, it seems that complacency is not that bad, however, when complacency also affects our perspective in life and ways of thinking, then, it also affects the way we relate with others and the way we share our life with others. In fact, when we become complacent, we will refuse to do more, to be more and share more of ourselves to others. Being complacent will make us then, cold, unmoved and indifferent to the needs around us because we become self-centered.
These two unhealthy attitudes of the heart caused by our fear could also make us controlling and demanding in our relationships to the point that we direct others on how they should treat us, or accommodate us and love us according to how we want it to be. We do not think of others then, because we do not want any compromise. We only think of ourselves, locked in those painful past but terrified of the present.
Furthermore, the fear in us is also God’s entry point to bring renewal into our terrified hearts, to bring true comfort and freedom in us. Thus, going back to the Gospel story, Matthew also tells us that while the storm was sweeping the boat and the disciples were terrified by it, Jesus was fast asleep. Jesus was there in the boat with his disciples but sleeping. It seemed that Jesus was not so concerned with the violent storm. He was actually confident that they would arrive at their destination safe and sound. Therefore, the Lord calls us today to take these two important lessons that are also your take aways today.
First, do not forget that the Lord is with you. The forgetfulness of the disciples that Jesus was with them brought them tremendous fear and anxiety. They forgot that Jesus was in the boat and that their Lord was with them on that journey. Consequently, they have actually taken for granted the very presence of Jesus in their life. This is an invitation for the disciples to always recognize the presence of Jesus.
To each of us today, this is an invitation to recognize Jesus in our journey. The Lord is not distant. He is to be found and He is journeying with us, with you guys, to each of you! Thus, unawareness of God’s presence in us will only bring us fear, anxiety and uncertainty. When we become fearful, anxious and uncertain, then, we will be paralyzed mentally and spiritually. It will be very difficult for us to move on and to find opportunities for growth because we will tend to focus on the storm, on our fears rather on Jesus who is with us.
Second, the Lord confronts us with his presence. Because of the terrifying situation of the disciples, it became an opportunity for Jesus to reveal Himself as Lord and Savior. At this revelation Jesus assured his disciples that his presence brings comfort and peace, calmness and confidence. At the same time, the Lord’s presence also is confronting. Jesus confronts the fears and the little faith of his disciples. This is the reason why it was not only the wind and the sea that calmed down but also the terrified and anxious hearts of the disciples.
This reveals to us now that the presence of Jesus brings assurance and confidence in us. The disciples calmed down and found peace because at last, they have recognized the presence of Jesus who was there in that boat.
This invites us again to recognize the comforting and peaceful presence of Jesus in our life. Let us also allow Jesus to confront us especially our doubts and fears, and even our selfish, unkind and ungenerous actions and words. Do not walk-out and hide when we are confronted of our sins and failures, those are opportunities for growth. By being able to recognize Jesus and confront ourselves then we shall certainly find peace and calmness, confidence and assurance in Jesus. Kabay pa.
Today we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist a very important figure in the New Testament. This is the reason why the Church celebrates with great dignity his birth. How significant was he then? The Lord promised to send a Messiah who will come to us in order to save us. But before the Messiah will come, a person shall be sent first to serve as a herald who will prepare God’s people for the coming of the Messiah. This herald will not only announce the coming of the Messiah but he too will lead the people to recognize who the Messiah is.
In the prophecy of the Book of Isaiah, this person shall be a light of the nations because he will teach, lead and gather the people to see God.
We have heard in the first reading how Isaiah described God calling his herald even before his birth. This herald has been named and appointed by God to lead his people. This is God’s promise to be first fulfilled through the participation of humanity, through us.
Thus, the birth of John was announced to an old couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth who were believed to be barren and cursed. However, to the surprise of this old couple an angel announced that they will have a son. Elizabeth welcomed the message from God, but her husband, because it was too much to believe could not accept God’s gift. That is why, Zechariah was silenced by God. He only recovered his voice when his son was born. It was when he gave the name John to his son that the Lord opened his mouth again because the Lord is gracious. Yes, the name John or Johannes means the Lord is gracious.
The birth of John is God’s manifestation that He is indeed gracious and faithful despite our unbelief and doubts. God continues to reveal himself to us even though we refuse to believe.
This was the role of John and that was to bring people again to believe that God has never abandoned us. God remembers and God is here with us. This brings us now into the theme of this fourth day of our Novena in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Feast to be celebrated on June 29 in Iloilo City): Mary walks! And yes, as Mary walks, God also walks. God walks because God remembers His people.
Hence, when Mary heard the news from Angel Gabriel that Elizabeth was pregnant, Mary walked the road to the hill country of Judea in order to visit and help Elizabeth. Mary’s participation in the life of John the Baptist tells us how the Lord also walks with us in this life as Mary walks carrying Jesus in her womb.
What does this tell us now? What is God’s invitation for us now? As John was born, God also reveals his graciousness in us. And as Mary walks to help Elizabeth in giving birth to John, Mary’s presence in the birth of John also tells us of a loving presence that is ready to accompany and to be there for us in times of our needs and sorrows, and also in times of our victory and joys.
Thus, there are at least two invitations for us now on this Nativity of John the Baptist and 4th day of our Novena in honor Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
First, to be gracious. As God reveals his graciousness through the birth of John, let us also be gracious and be kind to people around us. Expressing our graciousness or kindness to all reveals our heart that is grounded in love and filled with gratitude because God has truly worked wonders in our life.
Second, we can also show our graciousness by allowing ourselves to walk with others. Life will surely be more colorful and uplifting despite the challenges we have, when we walk with friends. When we allow others to walk with us and ourselves by being generous to walk with others too, it expresses not just our concern for one another but to be in solidarity with each one. And this is what Mary showed as she walked with graciousness in her heart. Kabay pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 