Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Homilies

  • SOCIAL MEDIA

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    December 17, 2023 – Gaudete Sunday, Third Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121723.cfm)

    As the priest was once about to greet the people with the usual “the Lord be with you” (Ang Ginoo Maanaa kaninyo) to which the people were to respond: “And also with you,” (Maanaa usab kanimo) on a Sunday mass, the people were not able to hear such dialogue because the microphone wire was defective. The priest then tapped the microphone which fortunately made contact. But to his regret, while the mic regain contact, he accidentally shouted and broadcasted loudly: “there is something wrong with the microphone”. (Naay daut ang microphone) And worse, the people involuntarily replied: “And also with you.” (Maanaa usab Kanimo).

    During Eucharist, we usually hear the normal greeting of the priest: “The Lord be with you” (Ang Ginoo maanaa Kanimo). And then we usually reply, “and also with you” (Maanaa usab kanimo). But what does it mean? What does “the Lord be with you” mean?

    According to the scripture, the words, “the Lord be with you” is the first good news ever proclaimed to us. Since the annunciation of Maria, the birth of Jesus until His ministry, death and resurrection, these words and message have always been proclaimed and preached to us, and has been a recurring theme of the Good News of Jesus Christ. And even until now, the Spirit of God and the Church, has preached these to us again and anew – that the Lord is WITH you and all of us now.

    If “the Lord is with us”, how should we feel then?

    Our readings today call us to be Joyful and Thankful to God for He has blessed us with His presence and salvation in our lives. Isaiah rejoices over God’s grace bestowed not only on himself but on Us all, proclaiming: “My soul rejoices in my God”. St Paul exhorts that we should always rejoice and give thanks for such great blessing upon us.  John in our gospel today knows himself. He is not the Messiah himself. John is not the message or the Good New, but He is just the microphone- loudspeaker: the SOCIAL MEDIA of the message. He is only the voice and just the precursor to prepare the way of the Lord. But he also aspires to be a worthy friend of the bridegroom. He is not the Groom but the joyful Best man or person for the Groom. This is also what John wishes for us – that We become the Best (worthy, righteous, and joyful) Person before God and others for the Christ, the Messiah, and become a Microphone- Loudspeaker-social media of the message: “the Lord is with us”.

    We are now in the third Sunday of Advent. The whole Church calls this particular Sunday as “Gaudete Sunday”, the Sunday of Joy and Praise. We are encouraged to be always grateful of the Good News that the Lord is with and upon us.

    But are we really now joyful because of the Good News that the Lord is with us? Or are we, like what happened with the priest who said that mass, become accustomed and got used with the message that we are not anymore happy and excited about it? And because we get used to it and have heard it before, we just automatically or mechanically respond without really meaning it: And also with you?” What then, is the difference if when we hear the Message, and we just respond, “OK, fine whatever.”? Or without interest responding “Amen”, whenever presented with “Body of Christ” during communion? Or just saying “So what?” when a special guest arrives in your home for a visit?

    If we have heard the good news that the Lord is with us, what should we do then? If we really recognize that the Lord is with us, it is but right and fitting that we should rejoice and be happy because a great grace has come upon us. And in our joy and gladness, we also need to preach and share this good news to all – that is we should actively witness, preach and proclaim this with all our words and actions. Like St. John the Baptist in our gospel, we who have heard and glad of the good news of salvation must also become the best man – like good microphone or social media blogger that proclaims, “the Lord is with us”. And in this season of advent, we must renew, prepare, and strengthen our faith, so that we may become worthy of His message.

    If the microphone is defective, we must also check if the speaker and receiver are also defective, for we might send a wrong message and get a wrong response. Advent then is Time for Sound Check & Mic Test – for us to review our Social Media account, to ensure we are at our BEST condition to host our beloved Guest Jesus Christ.

    Christmastime proclaims to us the simple message: the Lord is with us. How about us? Are we with Him?

    May we Be with the Lord, as He has always been with Us. Amen.

  • MISSING BAMBINO

    MISSING BAMBINO

    December 10, 2023 – Second Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121023.cfm)

    Have you heard the story about the missing Bambino?

    A story once told that day after Christmas, after all the parties and celebrations, words came out that the Bambino – “the Child Jesus” in a parish church’s Christmas grotto went missing. Parishioners became quite concerned then for nobody can account for the whereabouts of their beloved and now missing Bambino. Perhaps it has been stolen and worse – desecrated by some unbelievers. Days after the incident, resigned with the sad fate of their missing Bambino, a father with his crying boy came to the parish church and brought back with them the missing Bambino. Rejoiced for the return of their missing Bambino, they asked the boy what really happened. The boy said, “My friend and I visited the baby here last Christmas night. The Bambino was sad and all alone. Nobody was with Him except us. So we decided to invite and bring Him home, and brought Him in our chapel where together we could happily play and be with Him”…

    We may at times become so engrossed with & worried about the season of the celebration that we miss the Reason of the celebration itself. We at times concern ourselves more with the “how” that we fail the “why” we celebrate.

    We are now into Advent Season, at the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Advent is all about preparation, preparation for the coming event – the once again visit and arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ into our lives. Advent is then not the homecoming event itself but the preparation of the coming event.

    Our gospel today introduced us John the Baptist as the herald and messenger who prepares the way of the Lord. He was predicted to be the one who announces the coming of the Lord into our lives. He prepared his whole life and other people’s lives to welcome the Messiah into our lives. John the Baptist then is not the Gospel but only the precursor – the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. In other words, He is not the Groom but Best Man of the Groom who paves the way for the celebration of Wedding.

    Like John the Baptist, we Christians, followers and believers of Christ today are called to be heralds, messengers and announcers of the gospel of the Lord’s coming into our lives. We are to prepare ourselves and the world for the once again & anew homecoming visit and arrival of our Lord into our day to day lives. As last Sunday reminds us, we are to “Be alert, awake and aware” for the coming Event. This is the “How” we are to be for the Lord’s coming. And on this 2nd Sunday of Advent, we are reminded of the very “Why” – the reason and gospel of Christmas is Incarnation. God is wanting to be with Us always. God choose to be like us so that He can come & visit us, stay with us and be with us in our lives forever.  How He wishes then that when He comes and arrives, we come prepared with our whole hearts and being to lovingly welcome Him to COME IN and allow Him to Be with us anew in our lives.

    However, like the story of the missing Bambino, we may become so engrossed with the preparation that we miss the event itself – bogged down with the season that we miss the reason of celebration. It is like leaving the expected guest all alone on his own in the living room while we just go back to our own affairs after joyfully welcoming him, – or the best man who is so engaged with his formal attire that he missed to bring the wedding ring for the weeding. Or like Martha, we become so concerned with what to do for the Lord as He visits that we fail to be with Him. Or worse, we might just left Him behind on His own, neglected – allowed only when needed.

    Christmas is not all about us welcoming the Lord but moreso about “Immanuel” God-being with Us – the Lord coming and staying home into our lives. We may have been planning to joyfully welcome and celebrate His coming visit but do we allow Him to come in stay and be with us? Pinatuloy mo na, papatirahin mo ba Siya sa Inyo? Or will he just remain a guest and temporary settler/squatter of our home?

    2nd Sunday of Advent proclaims the message of God’s Love. This is to remind us that as active and passive verb, Love means both to love & be loved. God loves us & we are beloved by God. We should love God in return & God should beloved by us as well. Again like at the arrival area in the airport, We wait for God but God also waits & longs for us to recognize & let Him into our lives now. 

    During this Advent season, may our hearts be more willing and open to welcome the Lord once again & anew into our lives, not just a visiting guest but a welcome member of our home & family, community & church to partner & accompany us to the coming challenges of life ahead amidst possible threats of war, violence, turmoils, unrest, natural & human disasters. 

    Dayon, Tuloy po kayo. Come in, Lord Jesus & Stay with us now and always. Amen.

  • Broken Yet Glorious King

    November 26, 2023 – Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112623.cfm)

    If you google the word: “Cristo Roto or Broken Christ” in the net, you will be led into a place in Aguascalientes, Mexico where there stood a massive 25 meters bronze statue of Christ above the city dam. Considered to be the 10th largest statue of Jesus in the world, what makes it special is that it is broken. An image of Crucified Jesus stand suspended without a cross, with a missing right arm and a snapped off leg. It was based on the story told about Fr. Ramon Cue who found a broken and desecrated crucifix in an antique shop, and bought it in view of restoring it for his parish. Once home however while in prayer before the broken Christ, Christ himself pleads to the priest that it to be left broken & not restored, so that it could stir in the priest & in his parishioners the need to both ‘see’ & ‘serve’ the broken Christ’s in their midst.

    Known now as Santuario del Cristo Roto (Santuary of the Broken Christ), the massive Broken Christ statue is a famous religious pilgrim and devotion site, and a popular stop for Mexican migrants crossing the US, where faithful considered it as a savior of the lost causes.

    Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King. Consider the image of Christ the King. Usually the image shows us all the symbol & promptings of honor and glory depicted proper & usual for a king (crown, throne, orb, scepter & robe). But notice, what is most peculiar in the usual image of Cristo Rey are His exposed swelling inflamed heart & His barefoot. These peculiarities somehow highlight the distinction of Christ’s kingship from the usual human kings. Barefooted-king symbolizes Christ as a humble Shepherd king who is on-the-go, in-touch, and grounded in His people’s lives. Exposed swelling inflamed heart symbolizes Christ as the loving Lord King who is hands-on, feel with, empathizing, all-out, compassionate & merciful to us His people. Above all, both His open heart & exposed feet are reminders that our Lord & King Jesus Christ is a Broken, Suffered, Wounded yet Victorious & Glorious Servant King-Shepherd who still needs & longs for our praise & loving service with Him in our Father’s kingdom. A glorious King, indeed yet remains a broken Christ so that we may see & serve Him in our midst, in our day to day lives & thus, continue His work & contact-presence with us in life. A forever kingly yet still broken Christ in our midst.

    The kingship of Christ reminds us that, FOR US, God is our Shepherd king. For our sake, He chose to be our Shepherd King. Through our readings today, we recognize that like a good shepherd, Yahweh HIMSELF tends us His flock: a hands-on God-king who look after, tend, rescue, pasture, give rest, seek, bring back and heal us His people for the sake of  our salvation, fulfilled fully  (no more, no less) through the witness & shepherding of our Lord Jesus Christ. And on the day of Reckoning, Jesus will account & segregate the worthy from the unworthy (sheep among the goats) of eternal life with our Father.

    And the kingship of Christ reminds us as well that ALONG WITH US, God is our family or rather we are His family & His son Jesus is our brother who is mostly with the least of our family. In our gospel today, both the worthy & unworthy ask the Lord “When did we see you…?” His response is Ubi Caritas: loving service to others – “whatsoever you do to the least, that you do unto me”. In other word, Jesus is the “me in the least of our brothers/our family” – the broken Christ in our midst who needs our loving service. And how we treat Him in the least of us is the standard measurement of us to be worthy or unworthy of being & living with Yahweh, our Father.

    Christ’s kingship is thus expressed at its best & should be seen and served as our Lord Jesus, the Shepherd King FOR us, and the broken Christ WITH US, especially in the least of us in our midst.

    The solemnity of Christ the King marks the end of our liturgical year. Like in the airport’s pre-departure area, as we bid farewell to liturgical year that has been & a prepare for the next year’s promise & challenges in our spiritual travel-journey, perhaps we ask ourselves:

    • How have I experienced God’s shepherding in my life this year? In what ways Jesus have tended, rescued, pastured, protected & healed me this year? How the Lord Jesus is for me & with me this year?
    • How did I participate & contribute in His shepherding of me & us all? What have I have done for Him? How have I been with Him, an obedient & faithful sheep OR a dumb-ass & hard-headed goat? What have I done to the least of my brothers? Have I been His frontliners who do something for those who are need at this time OR have I been a KAREN, a proud entitled jerk who complains a lot & carelessly put others lives at risk for undermining protocols & breaking guidelines? Have I recognized, “see & serve” Him in my life & in our midst?

    As we have a closer look of our life & mission as His flock & people, reimagine our being & living with God, and make some resolutions to do better in life & faith anew, may the lyrics of songs below inspire & guide us to be worthy of Our Christ the King in our midst. Amen.

    I MAY NEVER PASS THIS WAY AGAIN

    Perry Como (1958)

    I’ll give my hand to those who cannot see, 
    The sunshine or the fallin’ rain.

    I’ll sing my song to cheer the weary along, 
    For I may never pass this way again!

    I’ll share my faith with every troubled heart, So I shall not have lived in vain.

    I’ll give my hand, I’ll sing my song, 
    I’ll share my faith, because I know, 
    That the time is now to fulfill each vow, 
    For I may never pass this way again!

    PAG-AALAY NG PUSO

    Nemy Que, SJ

    Minsan lamang ako daraan sa daigdig na ito.
    Kaya anuman ang mabuting maa’ring gawin ko ngayon.  O anumang kabutihan ang maari kong ipadama? Itulot ninyong magawa ko ngayon ang mga bagay na ‘to.

    Nawa’y h’wag ko ‘tong ipagliban o ipagwalang-bahala,
    Sapagkat ‘di na ‘ko muling daraan sa ganitong mga landas

  • Of Pride & Humility

    Of Pride & Humility

    November 5, 2023 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110523.cfm)

    What makes angels & saints blessed? What makes devils & sinners cursed?

    St. Augustine once said: “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” It is a matter of pride & humility then that makes people saints or sinner, angels or saints.

    You see, pride is concerned with WHO is right; humility is concerned with WHAT is right. Though both are concerned about what is right, pride is more on the authority & power, against humility, which is more on the moral principles of right & good. Pride encourages us to scream, “That’s just the way I am” in the hope that we will not hear the soft whisper of humility, asking us, “Yes, but is that the way you should be?”. “Well, this is Me… but should Me be it?” Ganito kasi ako… pero dapat ba akong ganito? Ani naman gud ko… pero angayan ba nga ani lang ko? Pride is being influenced by Shallow Loud Noisy voice of the evil that makes us artificial/fake/plastic, while humility is being inspired by Gentle yet Deep Soft Sound of the Spirit that makes us real & true, warts & all, broken yet blessed before God and others.

    In the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus proclaims us through the Beatitudes how Blessed we are (for the Kingdom of God, comfort, inheritance, satisfaction, mercy, being God’s children & Kingdom of Heaven). We are blessed not because of our actions – of what we have done & doing in our lives but moreso because of God’s graces – of what God gives us & God is doing in our lives. We are more so blessed then because of God grace & action, regardless of our doings. However, God’s gift of blessings for us is fully enjoyed & fulfilled in life if and when we are humble enough to acknowledge, value and share these with others. Our humility makes us more well-disposed and appreciative of the fruits of God’s blessings in our lives, and willing to partake it with others, though our pride could render us insensitive and hinders us to fully benefit from God’s grace, and thus making ours and other people’s lives miserable and cursed.   Remember the Lord warns to us today in the gospel: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

    Last Wednesday was All Saint’s Day. We honor ALL saints – both the recognized & unrecognized officially by Church. You see, saints or saintly people are in essence like us Christians who humbly witnesses in their faith and lives God’s blessings to all. They are Christians like us – “the people that longs to see your face, O Lord”, who not only by their words & deeds but also by their faith and life, have struggled and still struggling (along with suffering, mistakes, & success) to be humbly real and true to their chosen vocation in life & to fulfill their special mission in God’s grace and kingdom, and in effect have greatly influenced other people’s faith & life.

    Simply put, saints are fellow-Christians who have greatly infected and influenced now our very person and faith as Christian. Somehow and in someway, because of them & through them, we become Christians now. So, think of all saintly people whom you have crossed paths in life and have made you know, love & follow Christ in your life. Perhaps parents, grandparents, relatives, teachers, neighbors, catechists, friends, priests, sisters – both living and dead. Yes, both living and dead, as long as they have influenced and are still greatly influencing your life then-now and always as Christian, because they are & have been SAINTS to you and others. Remember and include them in your prayers these days. Eternal rest to those who have already gone before us. More blessings & witnessing for those who are still with us now, like you and I are still humbly leading our Christian lives saintly – struggling to be true to our calling, fulfilling our mission to be witnesses of God’s blessings and hoping also to influence other’s faith and life – blessed yet broken we maybe.

    Again, being blessed or being cursed, being saint or sinner is a matter of humility and pride.  Our life nowadays amidst challenges can be a Curse if and when in pride we are ungrateful, ungracious, and greedy of God’s blessings before us… but can be a Blessing if and when we humbly recognize, value, and share God’s blessing with one another, especially those who are in need at this time. We all do need God’s blessings at this time in history. So Let us be a Blessing than a Curse to one another. Rather than remain to be a proud sinner (a pain in the… neck 😉), try to be a humble saint (a helping hand, a gentle presence, a lending ear) to others. With the examples & witness of the saints, may we joyfully admit How Blessed we are by humbly saying: “This is not mine only but Ours to Share” & not by proudly insisting: “This is Mine alone and not yours”. So may it be. Hinaut pa unta. Amen.

  • LOVELIFE

    LOVELIFE

    October 29, 2023 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102923.cfm)

    A story once told about the Dalai Lama and the world leaders. Once, the Dalai Lama was invited as the keynote speaker to a gathering of world leaders. The world leaders were looking forward for this gathering in order to hear from the Dalai Lama about his message to the world today. They have heard and known a lot about the Dalai Lama. Now they are excited to meet the Dalai Lama, himself and hoping that he could offer some perspectives and solutions on our world of war, conflicts, strife and divisions.

    As the Dalai Lama arrived at the venue, he was received with great honor and applause.  Before the world leaders, he said: “My simple message to you and to the world is “Love one another”. Then he went back to his seat and kept quiet. The world leaders were all shocked with the simplicity of his message. They commented: “That’s all. We just came to hear such stupid message? We have heard it before. There is nothing new about his message. Does he think we don’t know about it?” So, they were frustrated. Some of them started to walk out and insulted the Dalai Lama and the organizer. And then suddenly, the Dalai Lama stood up, went back to the podium and addressed the plenum. He said to them, “If you find it difficult to practice love, try not to hurt each other.”

    In our gospel today, Jesus gives us also a simple and direct message: “LOVE”. The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, your soul and mind. And to love another as yourself.

    Like the Pharisees of his time and the world leaders in the story, we can say that we also have heard it before. There is nothing new about such message. But sad to say to you, Jesus has the same message for us now, especially now in the world of war, division, contradictions and political turmoil: LOVE. As it was from the beginning, now and always be, Jesus has the same message to us Christian & for the world today: LOVE.

    We emphasize however that for Jesus, to love is not only a commandment that we should be aware and conscious of. Love for Jesus is not a Concept or Idea but a Reality. Each of us has not only known about love & know what love is, but we also have experienced what and how it is to love. As a song suggest, we were born because of love, therefore we must also live in love. Because God loves us through others, we must also love God in return through others. Love is also an Action, meaning we must also practice love with one another. It is not enough then to just believe in love, but we must put love into practice and proclaim love by our words and actions. To love God and loving others, then is a Decision. We love God and others because we are not commanded to do so, but we choose to do so. We choose to love God and others. The word “Love” then is not only a noun, but also a verb & our resolution.

    Henri Nouwen, a modern day spiritual Christian guru once said: “In the Scripture, God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” This is a very fundamental truth of your identity. This is who you are whether you feel it or not. You belong to God from eternity to eternity. Life is just a little opportunity for you during a few years to say: “I love you, too”. Meaning, our earthly life here now as God’s children is our chance to love God in return thru others. Loving others then is our opportunity to respond back & say “I love you too” to God’s love for us. Yes, loving others is our response to God loving us, and loving us is God’s response to our loving Him & others.

    Perhaps we ask ourselves: How’s your lovelife? How is you life of love here & now? Do we love God with all our heart, soul and mind? Well, we might not be perfect in doing so, but that is what we are trying & committing to do. But the best way to test our love of God is: do you love your cranky husband or wife? Do we still love our aging irritable parents? Can we still love our neighbor who cheated us, our friend who betrayed, our relative who hurt & disrespect us?

    Yes, experience tells us that to love God in others is difficult. But for Jesus, in loving God here & now, we must experience, put into practice and choose Love in our lives and in our world today. At the same time, as the Dalai Lama reminds us: “If you find it difficult to practice love, try not to hurt each other.”