Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Saints

  • I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE

    I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE

    June 24, 2021 – Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062421-Day.cfm)

    I am fearfully and wonderfully made!” How many of us will be able to own this and confidently say this? The Responsorial Psalm on this Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist proclaimed to us such realization and deep awareness of God’s creative power. Each person as the author of the Psalm proclaimed is fearfully and wonderfully made. We are not made out of accident even if our birth was unplanned by out parents. Our life is not a waste no matter how many failures we have made. Each life is sacred despite the intention of many to suppress life and kill the life of a person.

    As God made each of us and formed our inmost being and knit us in our mother’s womb, God also understands our thoughts, our dreams, our hopes and even our pains and struggles. Because of this, within us, in our hearts, we have that connection with God. Our inmost being is entirely grounded in God. Only if we are always aware of it then, we would not dare hurt ourselves or hurt others in any form of abuse, maltreatment and evil.

    However, because many are not aware of this and others refuse to believe on this, abuses, oppression and other forms of evil are committed against the weak.

    This feast of the birth of John the Baptist reminds us now of this truth. In fact, through the birth of John revealed in our readings today, God manifests that He is gracious and faithful despite our unbelief and doubts. God continues to reveal himself to us even though we refuse to believe.

    This was the very role of John the Baptist. John was to bring people again to believe that God created us fearfully and wonderfully. God finds delight in each of us. And that despite the struggles and the tragedies we have been through, God never abandons us. God remembers and God is here with us.

    This made John a great and important prophet because he reminded the people about God, made people recognize God and brought them close to God. Yet, because of this role of John, it led him to troubles. He was martyred, beheaded, because of this cause to make people recognize God.

    However, in spite of that, John never wavered in his conviction to preach what God wanted him preach and to do. John, as he was fully confident in the presence of God, found peace and freedom in the Lord. This is how John became a gift to us. His name, John, means God is gracious. John’s life is a gift to his disciples and to the disciples of Jesus who through John found the Messiah.

    This is the invitation for us today also. As we are called to grow in our confidence in God who fearfully and wonderfully made us, we are also called to give our utmost respect to every human life, to work for a cause that gives justice, freedom, development and opportunities for growth to every human person.

    Our small contribution in charitable initiatives and sharing our resources to those in need of help, by extending our presence to the lonely and the sick, by understanding those who are confused, by forgiving those who are wronged us, and by being kind in words and actions at all times to everybody can be our ways of becoming a gift to others. Like John, we shall also be able to proclaim that God is gracious and faithful. Hinaut pa.

  • GOD’S RECONCILING PRESENCE IN THE HEART OF MARY

    GOD’S RECONCILING PRESENCE IN THE HEART OF MARY

    June 12, 2021 – Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Philippine Independence Day

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061221.cfm)

    “The love of Christ impels us.” Paul reminds us in his Second Letter to the Corinthians. This means that this love indeed urges and motivates us to go beyond and become the person God wants us to be. Hence, Paul also says, “whoever is in Christ is a new creation. The old things have passed away and new things have come.” This has been made possible because of God who came and initiated that we become reconciled with Him.

    Certainly, reconciliation with God transforms us from old into new, from death to life. Such transformation urges, impels and moves us to become a reconciling presence in our communities, in our Church and in the world.

    However, how does a reconciling presence influence others and bring change? Our Responsorial Psalm proclaims today of four main points.

    • First, it gives pardon to all our iniquities.
    • Second, it heals all our ills.
    • Third, it redeems our life from destruction.
    • And fourth, it crowns us with kindness and compassion.

    This is the experience of the Hebrew Community of which the Psalm speaks about. God’s presence in the midst of His people is a reconciling presence because the “Lord is kind and merciful.”

    Such confidence and faith in God must have filled the heart of Mary, whose Immaculate Heart we celebrate today. Her heart is immaculate because what we find there is the Lord who is kind of merciful made into man like us. Yes, the heart of Mary is filled with Jesus.

    This is the reason why Mary remained calm and at peace despite the fear and confusion she felt at the announcement of the Angel Gabriel to her, during the arrival of the shepherds when Jesus was born and now of being baffled and anxious when Jesus was lost but finding him in the Temple.

    Though she did not understand fully everything at an instant but Mary would always “keep everything in her heart.” With all the complexities, strangeness and difficulty to understand the situation, Mary keeps the Lord close to her heart. She keeps all those revelations from the Lord close to her heart that she may be able to understand them in the way God desires them to be understood.

    This was how Mary would always find wisdom and strength because with the many events that happened in her life, she might not be able to bear them all. Mary will surely remain confused, afraid and unable to decide and do anything if she chose to distance herself from the Lord by reacting out of impulse or mere emotions.

    “Keeping all those things in her heart” really means that she tried to understand how God was uncovering and revealing to her the plan of salvation. Mary realized that God reveals Himself every day. Mary did not want to miss all of them.

    Mary was able to do that because within her heart, God is already there. She has welcomed the Lord and allowed the Lord to be always in her heart. This led her into understanding from God’s perspective and so she responded to every invitation of God for her, willingly and lovingly.

    This is how we find Mary’s presence reconciling in our Christian faith because her life is an example of a perfect communion with God. We now find comfort in her, as a mother, because her human heart is touched by the Lord who is kind and merciful. Mary, indeed, has become a reconciling presence to us because we find in heart Jesus, the Lord.

    In the same way, we are called today that our hearts be also touched by the Lord, that we become more welcoming to the Lord and allow the Lord to be in our heart. Like Mary, as we allow the love of Christ to touch our hearts, it may impel us to become a reconciling presence in our homes, communities and in our beloved country, the Philippines. Hinaut pa.

  • Faith Status

    Faith Status

    February 11, 2021 – Thursday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021121.cfm)

    In social media, one may publicly publish one’s relationship status. This is more than just about our civil status or legal relationship status as single, married, engaged, widow or separated person, but more so about a short description of the state of one’s relationship with significant others in the society. And there are many ways people would describe in their profile their own relationship status in social media. Not only the usual “in-love, committed, happily married,” others would even post some double meaning descriptions like, “complicated, looking & searching, available, negotiable, available but non-negotiable, negotiable but non-available” among others.

    All of these are just but reflections that fundamentally as human persons, we are in relationship with others. By nature we are not solitary alone being, but social beings – social animals who are in relationship with others & one another. Our creation story in our first reading today is a reminder that God has created us as related & inter-related with our world & with one another. Lahat tayo ay magkaugnay. And God knows that it is not good for us to be alone, & thus, he looks for our suitable partners in life. Human social being as we are, somehow, we should have our own relationship status in life that would describe the state of our relationship with an-other & others.

    Social being as we are, we should also however, be reminded that we are spiritual being. As much as we are in relationship with others, we are also in relationship with God. If we have a relationship status, we should also have our own faith status that would describe the state of our relationship with God in life.

    We may realize the need for faith status beyond relationship status in our gospel today. Surely Jesus & the Greek woman shares distinct social & relationship status. Di sila magkaugnay. Dili sila mag-abot. By culture, birth, civil status, race, and gender, there are both unsuitable to one another. However, both share the same quality of faith. By their relationship with God, they can relate with one another. They share the same deep faith in God regardless of their relationship & social status, and in effect, healing & miracle happened.

    While we concern ourselves with our social life & relationship status, perhaps we should also consider our faith status? What is the state of our relationship with God? How would we describe the state of our relationship with God? How is our spiritual life?

    Today, we honor our Lady of Lourdes. The apparition of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception at Lourdes, France is a constant reminder of our Mama Mary to us that we do have our spiritual life, that we are in relationship with God, that we have & should grow in our faith status in life & only through then miracles & healing do happen in our world & life.

    May we grow in Faith.

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

  • Showing what we’ve got

    Showing what we’ve got

    January 28, 2021 – Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time; Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012821.cfm)

    To show to others what we have in us is not entirely an expression of “showing off” or arrogance. To show off oneself comes from an attitude that only seek attention and affirmation from others. Showing arrogance does not necessarily also show to others the quality of what we have in us. Thus, “to show to others what we have” is a call to be generous towards others. This does not seek affirmation or attention or recognition or even seeking to be above others because of what we have.

    Such attitude is something that the Gospel today is calling us to develop. Jesus said to his disciples “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?” Jesus challenged the disciples to learn from him and that is to be generous enough to share what they’ve got. The lamp that carries the light is the gift that we have in us. We are the lamp and Jesus is the light.

    This generous attitude of oneself is the very way of life that Jesus showed to us and revealed in our Scriptures. Jesus showed the light of God to the people. That light in Jesus made people to recognise God and brought them towards healing, freedom and life. Despite the resistance of the arrogant and the self-righteous as well as of those who were powerful, Jesus did not hide himself but continued to show the light to the people. His life, indeed, is meant to be shared even in death.

    This was what Jesus was calling his disciples to do. Many will try to put off the light. The disciples may experience fear and will try to hide the light. However, the light shall never be put off for it will continue to shine in the darkness.

    The great St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican philosopher and theologian is another example of an person who had been so generous in terms of sharing his wisdom and knowledge to the Church. His scholarly works in philosophy and theology had become foundations in scholarship that helped the Church deepen her knowledge of the faith.

    For us today who have heard these words from Jesus through our Scriptures, we too are called to share generously the gifts that we have in us. As Christians, we have Jesus in us, thus, share the Lord generously to our brothers and sisters through our charity and availability of our presence. Our gifts and talents, resources and capacities are also called to be shared generously because they can also serve as light for those who need our help and assistance.

    By showing what we’ve got, we may add more light into our community darkened by indifference, by loneliness and by death. Hinaut pa.

  • Our Share and Role in God’s Big Family

    Our Share and Role in God’s Big Family

    January 26, 2021 – Memorial of Sts. Titus and Timothy

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012621.cfm)

    How important is our family to us?  For most of us, our families are the source of our joy, security, identity, confidence and assurance. But for some of us also, our family can be the source of our deepest pain, traumas and bitterness in life. We cannot deny that it is in the context of our families that we also first experienced “being loved” and “being rejected.”

    Talking about family, our Gospel today tells us of Jesus family looking for him. Moreover, it is in this context also that Jesus brought out a new idea of being a family where we shall experience deeper God’s presence and invitations for us.

    Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers and sisters?” In a way, Jesus expanded the meaning of family relationship by pointing out the members of his family. These were those people listening to him, gathered around him to do the will of his Father. Jesus did not reject his immediate family but expanded its essence.

    The family that Jesus brought out is beyond blood relationship. This is toward a deeper spiritual family relationship. This calls us to identify ourselves and others to be part of a bigger family of God.

    But how do we really belong to this family?

    Jesus told us that it is by doing the will of his Father. And the first step of doing the Father’s will is to LISTEN to the Son. Indeed, it is in listening that we also realize and become aware of God’s invitation for us.

    It is also clear that Jesus pointed out that his mother, brothers and sisters are those who were gathered around him and together listening to him. Certainly, there is wisdom in listening together, as a community or as family because the process of discernment becomes deeper, more realistic, clearer and empowering when we listen together and discern together on what God wants us to be and what God wants us to do.

    Timothy and Titus who were bishops and companions of Paul in building and nurturing the first churches, were individuals who took part in this family of Jesus. They are examples of people who took part in building God’s family by listening first to the will of God and doing it in their lives. Their dedication as well as the time and energy that they spent to build those first Christians Churches in the first century of our history proved that they, indeed, shared and took their role in God’s big family.

    For us today, let us allow ourselves to be part of God’s family by listening to Jesus through the scriptures and experiencing again his presence through the grace of the sacraments in our church. As we listen to the Lord and in his invitations for us, let us also discern on how we can actively participate and share our part in building God’s family today, particularly in our own context. Hinaut pa.