Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Homilies

  • DO What You Mean

    DO What You Mean

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    September 27, 2020 – 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092720.cfm)

    Homily

    Recently, a Q&A post was logged in Facebook. It asked the question: Is mortal sin forgiven only through sacramental confession? In other words, is it enough just to confess your sin to be forgiven of your mortal sin? The answer was, sacramental confession is normatively but not absolutely required of mortal sin. Meaning, confession can forgive mortal sin but it is not the only one way of forgiving and being forgiven of mortal sins. Saying sorry then is not enough for you have to do something about being sorry to renew faith & trust with others.

    Yes, forgiving mortal sin through sacramental confession is all about reconciliation with God and others, but it is also and moreso about repentance – the whole process of turning from sin and dedicating oneself to amend one’s life & relationships for the better.

    Our readings today have a lot to teach us about repentance. First of all, repentance is more than just changing one’s mind, but it is about making a choice – a stand for ones life. In our gospel, both sons changed their minds, the second did not fulfill what he promised while the first did what was requested which he had initially refused. The virtuous as well as the wicked may also change their mind as our first reading suggests. Although it involves much changing one’s mind, repentance thus requires our choice – to turn away from virtuous or wicked life, as well as to fulfill or neglect our promise.

    Second, repentance is giving oneself and the others another chance. In our gospel today, because he chose to neglect his promise, the second son did not give himself and his father a chance to make things right. The first son however gives himself and his father another chance to make things right again by doing what was requested, even though he did not initially commit at first. In the same way, for the wicked to change his mind and turn away from his wickedness, he gives himself another chance for God to forgive and be merciful to Him, and for himself to lead a virtuous life.

    Third, repentance is about saying what you mean and meaning what you say. It is not only about confessing you sin – just saying you’re sorry, but it is all about Being sorry. Confessing one’s sin is also not only about resolving to change your ways but it is all committing/ dedicating oneself in changing one’s life. Jesus asks about whom among the sons who Did the will of Father. He is not concern with who says Yes or No, but who does the Father’s will. Meaning, God needs doers who mean what they say, live and witness what they preach and believe, rather than preachers who do not do, live, witness what they say and preach.

    Although less appreciated compared to other sacraments, repentance of sin through the sacrament of reconciliation or confession is actually a Gospel – a good news of God’s salvation because it involves the resolve and commitment of the sinner to change one’s life, to give oneself and God another chance, as well as to live his life and dedicate his faith as witness to Christ’s good news to all.     

    St. Francis of Assisi who once said: Preach the Good news at all times, and use words when necessary. This reminds us that everything in our life as Christian – our struggles, hopes, dreams, aspirations, commitments, as well as our repentance of sin is a Life of Witness to the Good News of Christ. Whatever we do and however we live our Christian lives is a testimony to God’s work of salvation. It is ours now to share and preach such gospel to all at all times, not only by our words but also by our actions.

    Remember our God is a God of surprises and another chances who we will come to know if and when we give Him and ourselves another chance of better than usual life through our reconciliation and repentance. Somehow Jesus is saying to us today that it is never too late for us to change our minds, our ways and our lives…. just believe in Him, and be His witness by doing what we mean. This would be the Lord’s  challenge for us now.

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    Today’s pandemic times has indeed been a significant crisis experience for all of us that also requires our important life-adjusting decisions. Difficult as it may be, these times could also be our choosing to give ourselves and God another chance now for a better meaningful than our usual directionless life,  by our living our lives in witness of our faith. Transform, O Lord, our initial refusal, reluctance and neglect to follow you so that we may taste and see the better chance you are offering us now even amidst and through this pandemic crisis in our life. Amen.

    By  Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay, CSsR (a former Filipino Redemptorist Missionary for Filipino Migrants in South Korea who, due to immune compromised diabetic condition, stationed back home  in the Philippines for now).

  • Take nothing for the journey. Seriously?

    Take nothing for the journey. Seriously?

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    September 23, 2020 – Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092320.cfm)

    Homily

    You are going on a journey and it will take you several days. What would you do? Naturally, you will prepare Your personal effects, clothes and some other things that you think will be useful for your journey. One may carry a book oR two and some nitty-gritty stuff that “might be needed” in some surprising situation.

    However, once you are already in the journey, then, you will realize that there are many non-essential things that you brought with you. This has been my experience too. One time, as I prepared myself for a trip, going to a mission area, I brought “things that I thought were important and essentials.” As I packed my things, I kept putting stuff that “might be needed.” As a result, I had a big and heavy bag to carry for the journey.

    Later on, when I was already in the area, I realized that I have brought many non-essential things which only made my bag heavy and full. I realized too that what I did must have come from my anxiety of “what if.” What if this happens, then, I need to bring extra shoes, some extra shirts, extra food supplies etc. There is some kind of anxiety of the future. I wanted to be prepared always, always ready to respond in some surprising or emergency situations. There is nothing wrong with this. However, the problem lies in the heart that is constantly anxious of what lies ahead and so has become “heavy and full.”

    When our heart is heavy and full, then, the heart becomes grumpy and uneasy, unwelcoming and inflexible. This makes us calculating to the point that we do not want surprises anymore. We only want certainty. Nevertheless, in life, there are many things that we find ourselves uncertain. We might get lost at times and meet strangers. The anxiety to be always certain may prevent us from being surprised and enjoying the wonders that surprises may bring.

    This is something that Jesus wanted to avoid for his disciples. Jesus gave them instruction that as they begin their journey, they were to “take nothing.” Seriously? Well, that’s what Jesus said. So, what was the wisdom behind this?

    Jesus knew that the material things that the disciples will carry will only burden them in their journey. Attachment in those things will make their heart restless. Jesus did not want these men to become anxious of their journey, of what lies ahead. Jesus actually invited his disciples to fully trust in the providence of God, and to be surprised with the graces of God.

    When the heart has more room and lighter because it has no attachments to material possessions or emotional issues, then, the heart becomes more welcoming of others, of surprising events and of ordinary graces. Our heart will be more flexible and understanding of others too.

    Thus, the invitation of Jesus is not about the direction in life but about our attitude in the journey, of not being attached to non-essentials in life. Like the disciples, we  are invited to “travel light” by not taking with us those things in life that might only burden us and make our heart full. Our desire to be always certain and ready, our past issues and pains, our bad habits and hurtful attitudes are some of those “stuff” that must be left behind. Do not carry them with us.

    Jesus invites us today to trust God’s providence and to be surprised by His graces prepared along the way as we meet people and embrace events in our life. In this way, we become more welcoming of God’s presence and accepting of God’s graces.

    …we become more welcoming of God’s presence and accepting of God’s graces…

    As a response, like the disciples too, may our words, our actions, and our very presence become channels of God’s blessings, of peace, and of God’s gift of healing to those who are ill and those who are broken. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • When Jesus calls, he brings wonders in our life

    When Jesus calls, he brings wonders in our life

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    September 21, 2020 – Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092120.cfm)

    Homily

    Have you ever come to a point where you felt so unworthy, useless and even felt disgusted with yourself because of something wrong that you have done before? This happens when we have a deep consciousness of our own sinfulness, imperfections and weaknesses. Yet, when we also tend to focus to what is only wrong and ugly in us, we also begin to lose self-confidence, self-worth and self-value.  We also begin to underestimate our capacities and ourselves.

    In relation to this, the way we relate with God is also affected because we would tend to relate with Him as someone who would judge us and punish us for what we have done. Then, we relate with God in fear and guilt rather than in love.

    This kind of attitude was very strong during the time of Jesus. Sinners had no place in the Jewish society. When a person is poor and sickly, they believed that God punished him/her for the sins the person committed or committed by his/her parents in the past. People believed that sinners must be driven away from the community.

    This is the reason why lepers were untouchables, or the paralytics, the lame and the blind were despised by the “normal people,” because they were sinners and were punished by God. The seemingly normal people who were identified as the Pharisees and Scribes maintained a status quo that separated them from the sinners. These people would not touch any known or public sinners. They would not join them in any celebration. They forbid those sinners from entering the synagogue and the Temple. They disowned the sinners, treated them as less-humans, despised them and condemned them.

    Thus, every sinner felt unloved, unwanted and condemned. However, this is not the case with Jesus. Jesus turned the condemning culture upside down. Jesus went away from the rigid, judgmental and unforgiving Pharisees and Scribes. He surprised them with forgiveness, mercy and love.

    This is what has been proclaimed in today’s Gospel as Jesus called Matthew, a tax-collector to follow him. Matthew, since he worked with the Roman rulers and collected tax among his fellow Jews, was considered a public sinner. His fellow Jews despised and prohibited him to enter the synagogue and the temple and even to mingle with his fellow Jews. Matthew, like any other sinner, was condemned and excommunicated by the Jewish society.

    For the Jews, no righteous Jew shall talk to him or touch him. Yet, Jesus did all these things. Jesus talked to Matthew, touched him and even dined with him, made him a friend and called Matthew to be one of the disciples. This tells us how Jesus calls and brings many wonders in the life of a person who responds.

    Jesus proclaimed his message to everyone as he said, “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” This tells us that God is a God of forgiveness, of many chances, of healing and freedom. Jesus understands the struggle of a sinner though he was not a sinner himself.

    The letter of Paul to the Ephesians tells us that each of us has been given the grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. As Matthew, the sinner was given the grace of forgiveness and acceptance, and so we are. The presence of God is the grace that liberates us from whatever burden, shame and guilt that we are suffering from.

    Hence, we should be careful then, when we feel the temptation to appear righteous and superior. Jesus said that he did not come for the righteous but for the sinners because righteous people do not need God. In fact, when we feel too righteous, we become arrogant. Arrogance keeps us away from God and would make us deny God’s mercy.

    This is the invitation for us today. We are called to humble ourselves by acknowledging our sinfulness. This moves us then, to recognise our need for God, need for forgiveness and healing. And when we recognise God in our life, then, we also allow God to transform us, to change our lives, to call us and to touch us like what happened to the public sinner, Matthew. As he allowed Jesus to call him, Matthew’s life was changed forever who became an apostles and an evangelist. Matthew, through his past life, brought many people to know Jesus until today.

    Hopefully, this kind of attitude towards ourselves and towards God, our attitude and treatment to those who failed, committed mistakes and have wronged us, may also become more like Jesus – that we may become welcoming of other sinners like us, by forgiving those offenders like us, and by promoting healing and reconciliation and not condemnation and destruction of sinners and offenders like us. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • God is Generous

    God is Generous

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    September 20, 2020 – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092020.cfm)

    Homily

    To seek recognition, affirmation and praise are all part of growing up. We see this among our children as they always try to get the attention of their parents or among the adults around them. Children have their own way of getting attention. However, when parents become indifferent to this need of a child, this could leave a hallow and painful part in the life of a child. Thus, when the child becomes an adult, he or she  would most probably continue seeking recognition and affirmation from people around in order to satisfy that need which the person did not receive from home.

    We could be this person who continually seek to be recognized, affirmed and praised. There is nothing wrong with this need. However, this could also lead us to become bitter, unsatisfied and envious of others despite the talents we have developed or despite the success we have achieved. We would tend to accumulate more and demand for more praises and affirmations to the point of becoming indifferent towards the needs of others.

    The tendency to accumulate more praises and demand for greater reward because of the good qualities we have can only poison our hearts and relationships. This tendency makes our heart unwelcoming to others who need more than us.

    This attitude was what the Pharisees showed at the time of Jesus. They believed that their superiority made them deserving of all God’s goodness and graces. They cannot accept the teaching of Jesus that others could also experience the goodness of God. They despised Jesus for offering God’s forgiveness and gift of healing to the poor, the sick, and sinners. They despised Him because they believed that God’s grace was reserved for them alone.

    This is what we find in the Gospel. It teaches us how God treats all of us, showing concern and compassion.

    This parable speaks of the generosity of the landowner towards the workers. The first ones who were hired on that day felt jealous with those who were hired at the last hour. The first ones worked the whole day and the last ones worked only for an hour. But then, they all received the same wage according to the agreed wage for that whole day work.

    The first ones were disappointed because they thought that those who only worked for an hour did not deserve for that wage. Since they worked hard, they should be above them and those who worked less should not be treated like them. But then, for the landowner, if he will not give the usual wage for those who were hired last then the food that they will bring for their families will not be enough. They will still starve on that day. It means that the parable actually is not about labor issues but of God’s generosity to each of us.

    Indeed, this is what we always believed that when we are more gifted than the others, more intelligent, more educated and so the more we feel entitled, and seeking to have more; and those who are lesser than us, should have less. When we feel that we are more religious, going to church and saying the rosary daily, we might think that we are far better than those who don’t go to church and do not pray. When we feel that our educational achievements, our status in the community, or our material possessions make us higher in dignity than others, then, we might believe that we can just ignore those whom we think as lesser than us, and become indifferent with those who do not belong to our class.

    Unconsciously, we also become like the Pharisees who did not have the sympathy for those who were struggling in life. The poor, the sick and the weak sinners at the time of Jesus can be today’s young people who have been addicted to drugs, to alcohol, to gambling or any addiction not because they are bad but because of family problems, broken relationships and low self- esteem. They can also be our friends or family members whom we continually bully because they are weaklings, untalented and less intelligent than us. They can be people working for us or those who are around us and doing menial jobs just because they did not have much opportunities like you to uplift their life.

    But remember, God relates to us not merely because of the effort that we did but because of “who we are” to Him. God is good to us not because we are deserving but because God is so good and generous. We are all loved by him no matter what, no matter how big our failures were, no matter how serious our sins are.

    Thus, for those who have worked hard, for those who have been so faithful to God, this gospel is not meant to discourage you for working hard, for doing your daily devotion but this is meant for us to know that God is generous also towards those who are less fortunate. And we have the role to lift up those who are less fortunate in this life. For those of us who felt that we are lesser beings, felt unworthy because of our mistakes, failures and sins – this Gospel is truly good news for us because God tells us today that we too are blessed because we are loved. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Work FOR What?

    Work FOR What?

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    September 20, 2020 – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092020.cfm)

    Homily

    Don’t know if we hear it right. Jesus’ parable today tells us of an owner who paid the same amount of wages to laborers who came first and last. Do you think the owner has been just and fair? Has he paid for what we call today just-wage for an honest day’s work? And Jesus even ends the gospel with a completely non-sense statement: “the last will be first, and the first will be last” simply because for us the first is first, and the last should be last.

    For us today, paying same amount to first and last simply doesn’t seem to be just and fair. Maybe our gospel today is one of those written in the Scripture which is good to hear, but doesn’t make sense, so we don’t bother to follow. This is because we nowadays follow a very different work ethics. First, we always think that there should be seniority in workplace – those who are more senior, experienced, talented should deserve and enjoy more privileges than those who are young, inexperienced and still learning laborers. Second, the more you work the more salary or wage you deserve than those who have less work. That is why we think that our parable today is not fair because we usually connect wage, salary, reward and payment with work…. and work with wage, salary, rewards and privileges. We usually equate work for the money, wage or reward. Everything has its prize. Nothing is free anymore. If you don’t work, you don’t earn. No work, no pay. No pay, no work. And if what you do is not considered as work or labor – like the work of a mother at home – you are  not and should not be paid either.

    This is what Jesus is trying to teach us today in our gospel. Work is not necessarily and always connected with wage or money. Work is more than just receiving or deserving a just payment or wage. There is more value in our human work and labor than just earning money or wage for it. To equate and limit work with wage undermines the dignity of work of God and man. Take for example, the work of mother at home, the work of a priest, a teacher to educate, a doctor to heal, a farmer, a fisherman, and a public servant. Deep inside, we know that the work we do is more than just the wage we receive because we dignify our human labor as our vocation and mission in participation with God’s work.

    Although our capitalistic and consumeristic world today promotes otherwise, Jesus reminds us that human labor is dignified – it is our participation and contribution in God’s work for our redemption and salvation. Perhaps we better reexamine our work ethics – are we in for the money or for the betterment of human world? One thing for sure, in doing God’s work or working with Jesus, there is no seniority, no privileges, no prizes, bonus and rewards, no early comers or latecomers, no DTR – daily time record. But everyone receives equally more than what each of us deserved, for what we receives is not Salary or Wage but God’s overflowing Gift and grace of His Redemption and Love, coming out of His generosity.

    Jesus reveals us here the Generous nature of our God and Father whose thoughts and ways are beyond ours. He is a God we are to discover in our daily work with Him, and not in our thoughts and ways. Ours is a Generous God who always provides us with much graces and blessings we need, and through our dignified work we participate and contribute in His work of blessing us all always. God indeed works in His own unique work-ethics – different and beyond our own.

    Which reminds of a story about a bishop who went for a surprised visit to a newly-built chapel “kapilya”. While appreciating the kapilya, a little girl of ten came and asked the bishop: “How do you like our new kapilya?”. The bishop replied, “It’s very nice.” The girl then said, “You know what? I am part of its construction.” Surprised the bishop asked: “How could you?” The girl proudly responded: “When my father, the head carpenter built this kapilya, I brought him “Lunch”. So I’m part of its construction.

    Perhaps we learn something from the work-ethics of the girl. In building God’s Kingdom, Are we part of the construction and harvest, OR are we just hired-paid laborers? Regardless what, when – be it first or last, senior or neophytes, or where we work – be office or home, we better ask ourselves what are we working FOR?

    Pandemic times have rendered a number of people to lose their own jobs and careers. Difficult it may be, perhaps this can also be ample time for all of us to review our work-ethics, reevaluate our present jobs, and reconsider some career-shifts that would improve & be more in line with one’s own life-vocation & mission.

    Grant us, O Lord the grace to discern Your will for us now as we take part in Your better plan always for our best. Amen.

    By  Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay, CSsR (a former Filipino Redemptorist Missionary for Filipino Migrants in South Korea who, due to immune compromised diabetic condition, stationed back home  in the Philippines for now).