Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Homilies

  • KAPWA

    KAPWA

    August 3, 2025 – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080325.cfm)

    Once I came across a lesson about leadership. It simply says that there are two kinds of leaders: the go-getters and go-givers. Go-getters are leaders who aspire, work and strive on things in order to GET, which is to acquire, accumulate, possess, own, and have things only for themselves; while Go-givers are leaders who aspire, work and strive on things in order to GIVE and to share things with others. The big differences here are the motivation, objective and beneficiaries of leadership.

    Go-getters are motivated by GREED while Go-givers are motivated by SERVICE. Go-getter are more concerned of themselves, and aiming for hoarding power and wealth, while Go-givers are more concerned with others – aiming for sharing power and wealth. Go-getters promote, self-centeredness, individualism, greed, consumerism, selfishness, and materialism, while Go-givers promote community, service, other-centeredness, selflessness, and inter-relationship. In other words, Go-getters do everything to get what they want, while Go-givers do everything to give & share what they have.

    Our modern high-tech western world today has obviously promotes go-getters leaders. In our schools, government, workplace, business, media world and even in our church, Go-getters has been recognized and praised. People nowadays prefer Go-getter leaders, who have a lot of everything – money, influence, cars, power, connections, and latest gadget. We can sense Go-getters mentality in the air.

    Slogans like: “obey your thirst”, “why settle for less”, “satisfy your cravings”, “be an addict”, “go for the best”, “be a millionaire”, “mabilis cash” are just few of its catchwords. Go-getters are clearly personified by “Gollum”, a character in the Lord of the Rings. He does everything for His precious ring, even to the point of murder, betrayal, and deception. All his life was directed toward getting back the ring, his precious. 

    Although the go-getter mentality is the in-thing & promoted nowadays, we cannot deny that we, Filipino by our culture are Go-givers. Because of our Filipino philosophy of “KAPWA”, it is our nature to do anything in order to share what we have. Everything that we have is not only for own selves but for others to share.

    This is why we Filipinos can more identify with the hero Frodo Baggin’s close friend & companion, Sam (or Samwise Gamgee) who does & will do everything for the sake of his friend & of the fellowship.

    Consider, it is only here in the Philippines that have the concept of bring house (or might be known as “Balutin mo..). We do not only attend parties but we also extend it to others who are not able to attend it by bringing them some food, to make them part of the party. It is only here in the Philippines that have the concept of PasaLoad, or Share a Load. Imagine, sharing your telephone bills with others.

    Same way with Balikbayan box. Until now, foreigners have a hard time understanding Filipinos saving and sending goods to Philippines where you could get & buy anywhere locally. For we know that those goodies are not for themselves but for others to share – for lolo, lola, igsoon, barkada, neighbors and others. Best example for this is the “eat-all-you-can” meal spree in restaurants. Although tempting and reasonable, it did not work well with Filipinos because of its “no sharing, no left-overs, no bring house” policy. Yes, Filipinos like to eat, but we like to eat with others. It is not the lavish or limited food, but the fellowship in eating whatever the food available at the table.

    Surely Jesus in our gospel today openly criticized go-getter leadership and mentality in the world. He reminds us that life and God’s grace are meant to be shared with others and not to be hoarded for oneself. Go-getter, amassing power and wealth for oneself is all meaningless – vanity of vanities, does not bring lasting happiness in life. For Jesus then, what God has given us is not only for ourselves but for us to share with others. God’s graces are Shareware, not private property but public consumption, intended not for your own reign but God’s reign. 

    This is what Jesus warning us in today’s gospel, when he exhorts, “Be on your guard, and avoid every kind of greed, even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life.” This reminds us that we should beware and vigilant of our human tendency for greed of any forms – much more if we take advantage of the greediness of others.

    Like what Jesus said to his disciples, “things that make people fall into sin are bound to happen, but how terrible for the one who makes them happen! It would be better for him if a large millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch what you do!” (Lk 17:1-3). In other words, beware of greedy  go-getter people as well as of promoters & advocates of go-getting leadership.

    While our world today advocates Go-getters, Filipino Christians must be Go-givers in life and in God’s kingdom. Remember what Jesus directed us, in Mt 6:33 “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you,” and in My 6:20-21 “store up for yourself treasures in heaven… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

    Let us then seek what is essential and righteous before God, for that gives life and happiness now and always.

    So May It Be. Amen.

  • BY OUR LOVE

    BY OUR LOVE

    July 13, 2025 – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071325.cfm)

    A man once happened to fell on a rather deep manhole pit. He really had a hard time to escape from his difficult predicament. So he called for help. It happened that a lawyer passed by, so the man shouted out: “Help”. The lawyer replied: ‘Sorry I cannot help you now. I’m on a hurry for a court hearing. Here is my calling card. Call me later and we will sue the company who dug this pit… Pro bono.’ And so the lawyer took off.

    Then a doctor came by and said, ‘Hey, I cannot help you now since I have a scheduled operation. Here are some prescriptions for your bruises. I will call for help. Surely I will help you at the hospital.’ And then the doctor left. A priest also came and said, ‘Sorry, so, I cannot help you right now. My wedding mass is about to start. Here is a rosary, pray till the rescue arrived. We will include you in our prayers also.’ And the priest rushed off.

    Now, the man got a lawyer’s calling card, a doctor’s prescription and a priest’s rosary, but still trapped in a manhole. And so his poor neighbor passed by, came over, and saw him. And right there and then, jumped into the pit. The man said to his poor neighbor, ‘How stupid you are. Now both of us are trapped in this pit’. His poor neighbor then replied, ‘Yes, but I know a way out.’

    Once again we are reminded today of the Lord’s commandment of Love – that we may inherit eternal life whenever we Love the Lord our God and our neighbor as we love ourselves.

    However, based on our experience, this commandment to Love are often nice words to hear but hard to follow, especially on loving our neighbor as ourselves. That is why, knowing the commandment – same way as teacher of the law in the gospel, we also wonder: ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Like him, we know the commandment to love but we also like to know who is our neighbor worthy of our love.

    As response, Jesus told us the parable of the Good Samaritan. For Jesus, the neighbor who is worthy of our love is our immediate neighbor. The very person we are with – in the here and now, is the very neighbor who we should love. We don’t need for someone absent and far to be our neighbor to love. But the very persons before and with us now, who need our help and love is our very neighbor we ought to love. To help and love our neighbor, then, we don’t need to look for them somewhere else. Just be aware and conscientious of the people around you in the here and now, and respond lovingly as you can.

    Through the parable, Jesus also teaches us the proper way to help our neighbor, and that is: “Before we try to help others, we should immerse and be in solidarity with their difficult situation”. In helping others, dole-outs, give-aways, and reaching-outs are not enough. We need to dive in, get wet or dirty along the way, and journey with them, to free one another from the messy situation.

    The Samaritan is good because he is “moved with compassion. Meaning, he felt with (sympathy) & felt for (empathy) with his neighbor. And thus, he fully involved himself in helping the needy. He knew the best way to respond because perhaps he was also once needy and in such worse situation.

    Like, the poor neighbor can help the distressed man because he may have been in the same situation before, but he also knows a way out. Others (lawyer, doctor, priest or levites) cannot and was not able to help because they don’t want to be involved and they cannot sympathize because they were not in that situation before, and don’t know a way out. In other words, only swimmers can rescue a drowning person. So, love your immediate neighbor with sympathy & empathy as you can.

    In our parish in Dumaguete, when I was the parish priest, we had once a program where we give Christmas gifts to poor parishioners. What makes this program unique is that we arranged the gift-giving wherein the donors themselves go and visit the home of the poor beneficiaries, and give their gifts.

    A donor once told me: “Thanks, Father! It is only now I become fully aware of the poverty of our nearby neighbors, especially of Nong Berto’s family who used to drive me to school when I was a little girl before.” Our neighbors then worthy of our love are the very people nearby we immediately see, smell, feel and hear, and whom we feel with & feel for.

    Furthermore, remember the Lord in our first reading also emphasized that: “This command is not too mysterious and remote for you, not up in the sky nor across the sea. It is something near to you, already in your mouths, and in your hearts: you have only to carry it out.”

    Meaning, we CAN love the Lord and our neighbor as ourselves because “already in our mouths & hearts” since we are also loved by the Lord and our neighbor as ourselves. We can love because we are loved by God and others. We can help and take care of our neighbor because we are also taken cared of by God and helped by neighbors. We can rescue and save others because we are rescued and saved by God and others. And as we love in life, we inherit & share eternal life.

    God directs us already what need to be done to: “Love your God and your neighbor as you love yourself.” So, let us do our part in Loving Him and our Neighbor, as He and our neighbor have loved us as ourselves.

    By our love, may others also come to know & love God, and also may inherit & share eternal life now & always.

    So May It Be. Amen.

  • Our CHOICE to be Christian

    Our CHOICE to be Christian

    June 29, 2025 – Solemnity of Saint Peter and Paul

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062925-Mass.cfm)

    Perhaps we may raise the questions: “How come only few people nowadays wanting to join priesthood and religious life? How come a number of people nowadays are not getting married & just opt for cohabitation (if not, getting married in the church)? How come being stay-home single for life is on the rise?” Or in other words, “how come wanting to be true disciples of Christ are dwindling in numbers?”

    Regardless of specific circumstances, perhaps this is caused by the requirements-entail of being a disciple. Yes, Jesus once said: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross & follow me”. With this, easy for us to think & excuse ourselves readily as to how difficult self-denial, sacrifice & obedience that Christian discipleship demands of us.

    However, before we think of the requirements & demands of discipleship, we must consider that to be disciple of Jesus is first and foremost, a CHOICE. Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to come after me….” Meaning, Christian discipleship – to follow Jesus is a Choice. Demanding & difficult it may be, being disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ is never implied and enforced to us. It is our Choice & Option to be Christian & what kind of Christian we are to be.

    When he asked the disciples in our gospel today: “Who do you say I am?”, Jesus is asking them then & us now not to recite a formula or creed, or to laud the formal title or doing lip-services to Him, but Jesus is asking us to make a choice, to choose & claim Jesus as our personal Christ, and to what kind of Christian we choose to be. And for Peter to claim Jesus as Christ, he has to experience Jesus first as person as well as to decide eventually for himself that Jesus is his Christ as well as to choose himself to be a disciple of Jesus, & what kind of disciple of Jesus he choose to be.

    Meaning, by choosing Jesus as his CHRIST, Peter becomes a Christian disciple & commissioned to be the rock-based of our church & the key-holder to God’s kingdom of heaven. So also, Paul kept his faith & through him the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. In other words, with & by their choice to be  follows their mission to be Christian.

    Yes, we may at times use the excuse that Jesus even said, “Many are called, but few are chosen”. But “few are chosen” because even when we are all called,  few must HAVE Chosen to be and remains to be His worthy disciple. Meaning, wanting to be true disciples of Christ are dwindling in numbers because few have chosen to be, while being called & invited. Again to know Christ & be a Christian is Our Choice. Without our choice to be, there is no clear mission & direction to be & do in faith & life.

    Nevertheless, the Lord will always continue to call us again & anew to be His disciple, however we choose & respond to Him. And it is up to us then what kind of Christian or not we choose to be.

    Today we honor Peter & Paul. Two great men of our faith who personally chose Jesus to be their Christ. By their choice, they become Christians. And we come to know & choose Jesus as our Christ & be His disciples through Peter & Paul.

    In whatever life we live now, like Peter & Paul may we be worthy & true disciples to the kind of Christian life we choose to be, for we know that to choose Jesus we will be in grace. And not making any choice for Jesus & not growing as His disciples, we will be disgraced towards oblivion.

    So, by our choice we pray that may be blessed worthy to be disciples of Christ in faith & life now & always.

    So Be It. Amen

  • Eucharist-Gifted

    Eucharist-Gifted

    June 22, 2025 – Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062225.cfm)

    There was once a man who desired to know the difference between heaven and hell. He went through a lot of painstaking investigation as to the distinction between heaven and hell. But in vain, because all he got were some descriptions, pictures and stories depicting about heaven and hell.

    One night in his sleep, he dreamed that he found himself in front of the Lord. The Lord asked him, “What is it that you desire?” He replied, “Lord, I like to experience the difference between heaven and hell.” So, the Lord said, “Go into that room.” So, he went into a room filled with sad, hungry, sick, weak and malnourished people. While observing around, he noticed that at the center of the room, there is a big pot of steaming delicious rice soup (arrozcaldo).

    However, he realized people could not enjoy the food because they are using spoons with long handle. He thought, “to eat your food using spoon with long handle must surely be hell.” Outside he told the Lord, “Now I know what hell is. How about heaven?” The Lord directed him to another room. Upon entering, he met happy, healthy and alive people, and he said to himself : “This must be heaven”. He also observed that at the center of the room lies a big pot of steaming hot delicious arrozcaldo, and also people were using spoons with long handle.

    Coming out from the room more confused, he then asked the Lord: “Now what’s the difference? Both are in the room with delicious food in their midst while using spoons with long handles to feed. How come people in hell are s and people in heaven are healthy?” The Lord replied, “Sadly people in hell never learned to use their spoons properly. Their long-handle spoons are meant to feed others than themselves. In heaven, people enjoys instead the food together by feeding each other and one another in kindness and communion.

    Our gospel today reminded us of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves. Although caused by Jesus, the miracle-happened is not only the multiplication of food and the feeding of multitudes but more so on the agape or communion: food-blessings shared and enjoyed by all.

    Same as today, people then must had bought their own meal for themselves to attend the big meeting and gathering. But as the people witnessed what Jesus did with the little bread kindly offered, blessed, distributed and shared with others, they were also inspired and move to offer, pray, and share in kindness the small food-baon they have with others.

    The real miracle then is the Agape-Communion, i.e. food-shared and the sharing in kindness of the food. Thus heaven be-like and miracles do happen whenever people share whatever little blessings that we have with one another & others in loving kindness.

    For the past three Sundays, we put value to the treasures the risen Lord has gifted us to sustain in our Christian daily lives. Jesus once said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”.

    Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we come to believe and proclaim the TRUTH that our Lord Jesus is the Son of God, who makes us know and call our God as our Father, and thus we are God’s children. With the gift of the Holy Trinity, we learn the WAY to aspire for God’s love and life by glorifying our Father through the witness of the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

    As shown to us by our Lord, the gift of His Body and Blood offers us the LIFE to nourish, sustain and direct our faith-life journey toward our heaven – God’s life and glory.

    Today the whole Church celebrates the Solemnity of Corpus Christi: the Body and Blood of Christ. This is to remind us that we are Eucharist-gifted, i.e. the Lord has given and left us the gift of Eucharist as life to live and follow as Christian.

    Our readings today reminded us that God has continually nourished us in Life. Through the Body and Blood of Christ, God offers us Jesus as our food to nourish and sustain us in daily faith-life journey. However, for miracles to happen and a taste of heaven be enjoyed in life, the Eucharist as food for our journey are meant to be shared in kindness with others and one another.

    In other words, food and graces given to us are not only meant for ourselves but must be blessed and shared in communion and kindness with others & one another in life as community of faith. The food and life God offers us through the Most Holy Eucharist then are meant to be in agape and communion with others and one another, and not to be keep only for oneself.

    We might say nowadays: “You are what you eat, and who you eat with” or “The food you eat reflects your identity and your company to keep.” Like, a vegetarian eats vegetables with vegetarians. Meat-eater parties with meat-eaters. Drinkers hangs-out with drunkards.

    In the same way, Catholics who attend and receive Eucharist regularly are spiritually healthy, happy, more kind and generous to share with others. Catholics however who rarely attend and receive Communion (as some would even prefer just to attend via live-streaming mass nowadays) tends to be spiritually weak, usually sad, stingy and selfish to share with others.

    Again for miracles to happen and for us to have a glimpse and taste of heaven in life, we must learn to properly receive our blessings by attending, taking and sharing Holy Eucharist with others and one another in community.

    As we are continually nourished by God through the Eucharist, the Life of the Body and Blood of Christ, may we be more inspired, nourished, and moved to share our faith and blessings in kindness and communion with others & one another.

    Hinaut pa unta. So May It Be. Amen.

  • How do I pray? What do I pray?  

    How do I pray? What do I pray?  

    June 19, 2025 – Thursday 11th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061925.cfm)

    (Homily on the Fourth Day of Novena for the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help at St. Clement’s Church, Iloilo City)

    How do I pray? What do I pray? What are those that I usually ask from the Lord?

    Others pray spontaneously asking what they want and desire for themselves and for their loved ones. Others are more comfortable using the memorized prayers as forms of meditation and deeper reflection on the mystery of God.

    We too ask many things from the Lord. Others would even have a litany of requests and petitions. And as a form of asking God’s favor we even observe number of days of prayers. This is what we do in observing our Novenas, or the 9 days Misa de Gallo during December, believing that God would grant ones desires and prayers.

    In fact, this is what we do now as we prepare for the Feast of Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, on this Fourth Day.

    Thus, it would be good to take a look in the way we do our prayers, to look at the intentions we make in our prayers. Let us also include the kind consciousness that we have in our prayers. This is something important because this will help us to evaluate our personal relationship with God and with others.

    Now, in today’s Gospel Jesus reminds his disciples of the importance of prayer and also of the importance of the kind of consciousness in their prayers.

    Jesus mentioned about the way the pagans prayed. These pagans loved to use many words in their prayers. They believed that it was in that way that they would be able to get the attention of their gods and goddesses. At the same time, pagans believed it would appease them. They believed that these gods and goddesses were unforgiving, impulsive and frightening. These pagans babbled in their prayers in order to get the favor from these difficult and terrifying deities.

    However, Jesus reminds his disciples that our God is not like that. God is not vengeful. God is not inconsistent. Our God is not terrifying. The Lord God is rather loving and forgiving. Hence, to use many words would not be necessary because God knows the desires of our heart.

    Moreover, as Jesus reminds his disciples, he also tells us now that our prayers are not meant to appease an angry and hateful god or to gain favor from a terrifying god. This also means that the content of our prayers should not be self-centered. To pray is not just to ask something for ourselves but also for others. That is why Jesus taught us his own prayer. His prayer expressed intimacy and closeness with the Father in heaven.

    This prayer starts with these two words, OUR FATHER. It did not say “My Father” and not even “Their Father.” This tells us that when we pray, we always remember others. We are always together as people, as brothers and sisters. Our relationship with God though can be personal but it is also founded in our community. That is why it starts with “OUR” because this includes you and me and everyone else.

    This prayer (Our Father/Lord’s Prayer) tells us that God is a Father. God relates to us personally. God is not somewhere out there who is so far away from us but God is here with us. God as our Father is, indeed, loving and faithful to us. This is evident at how the Lord God continually revealed the divine presence to us throughout our human history. This means also that we are invited to seek God’s will and God’s desire not just our desire. Most of the time, when we pray we only think of what we want and desire but we forget to ask, what is it that you desire for me Lord?

    It invites us also to become dependent on Him because He is generous and faithful to us. To pray, “give us this day our daily bread,” means to be more focused of today, this day not tomorrow because tomorrow has not yet come. Certainly, we can be too anxious of what will happen tomorrow that it will prevent us to see what is more important today. Thus, Jesus invites us to be more contented of today and to ask sustenance enough for today.

    Notice also that in this prayer, it recognizes our sinfulness and need to be forgiven. It is necessary that we become humble and ask God’s mercy because this is the way that we make ourselves open to God’s grace. When we remain arrogant and unrepentant of our sins, then we prevent God to transform us and prevent others to come into our life.

    And finally, we make ourselves aware that there is also the presence of the evil one around us. The evil one constantly tempts us to move away from God. The evil one wants us to cut our relationship from the Lord, thus from the grace of God.

    The evil will always try allure us to think that it is better not to pray and that we do not need God. The evil will seduce us to think that we can do everything in our power without the help of God and that we do no need to think of others but ourselves alone. Be careful then of these temptations.

    With all of these, we find Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help as our guide and best example. Mary showed us how such intimacy with the Lord makes us open and welcoming to the will of God. Mary showed us that to completely trust in the Lord is to make our heart full of love. Mary also showed us that by choosing the Lord, evil has no power over us.

    Being made aware of the consciousness behind the Lord’s Prayer and of Mary’s presence in our life and faith, we too shall grow in our relationship with God and with one another. We may become less self-centered and self-serving and rather become self-giving and life-giving as God desires us to be in our homes and communities. Kabay pa.