Category: Homilies

February 6, 2022 – 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020622.cfm)

Although he was despised by his own people in his own hometown, Jesus continues on to proclaim God’s presence in us. Rejection did not deter and discourage him to move on with His mission of making God known and share Good News of God’s kingdom to all. Instead we hear him now going to other villages and inviting, calling them to follow and join him in his mission.

Particularly we hear today how he called Peter. He challenged Peter: “Put out into the deep, and lower your nets for a catch”. Now here is Jesus, an ordinary man – a carpenter’s son, who knows God but nothing about fishing, telling Peter – a seasoned fisherman who is having a bad day, to go fishing again. Peter may have normally reply: “Ano ka, hilo? Been there, done that. Time to pack up and leave.” But still Jesus challenged him, “Go out into the deep”. Surely there is more to Jesus’ words than merely about fishing. It also means: “don’t give up/ sail on/ try again/ please, give oneself, others and me anew chance/ go deeper”. These words also tell and teach Peter and us now about life and faith.

For why “go into the deep”? What is special about the deep? We don’t like deep waters because it is mysterious, dangerous, and risky. We rather go to shallow waters because we are safe, manageable and in our comfort zone. Shallow waters however are usually dirty and unclear, noisy, and loud, and above all, less possible catch, if none at all. Deep waters instead are usually clear and clean, calm, and soft, and above all, more possible catch. In other words, there is more life and faith in our deep than in our shallow fishing journey-expedition of life.

Somehow Jesus challenges us here to explore three depths in our experience of life. First, we are invited to explore the depth of our poverty, hopelessness, and helplessness. Peter was in a crisis situation, “no catch”, and about to give up. But with Jesus’ challenge, he goes beyond his misery and dare to do the unusual and unknown: “go again and deeper”, because of this, he never missed but instead have witnessed another life-opportunity ahead and anew. In the same way, in our hopelessness, helplessness, misery and crisis-situation, we are called to go beyond our comfort zones, and dare to try the unusual and unknown, and see better opportunities and possibilities than before. Again the invitation is, “if and when given another chance, would you do it again or anew, as before or better than before?”

Second, we are invited to go beyond the depth of our self-centeredness and explore the depth of our feeling and concern for others.  Despite the possible threat of failure again and ridicule, Peter became self-less and still gave in to the somehow stupid request and crazy challenge of Jesus. Along with that, he also selflessly shared his great catch with others as he called his partners to help him and Jesus. In the same way, whenever we consider less about ourselves, we become aware of others.

And third, we are called to go beyond our unworthiness, and discover the depth of our faith in God. After the miracle of great catch, Peter fell down at his knees and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man”. Although we know how blessed we are, at times we cannot help but feel unworthy and undeserving of God. Even St. Paul and prophets felt the same way – that with God’s grace, we feel that we are weak, wrong, bad, unworthy, not fit or qualified and worthless. We may have felt this way, but we should also realize that all these blessings are not about us, you and me, but all about Him with us and us with Him. It is all about having faith in Him – being in relationship with Him for direction, resource and meaning. Yes, we may say: “I am not fit, unworthy, undeserving, and unqualified, BUT STILL I am called, invited, blessed and sent to be His fishing and life partner – “By God’s grace With Us, We are blessed and graced, undeserving we may be,” as St. Paul would say.

Thus, there is more to our helplessness, self-centeredness, and unworthiness, but better opportunities, more concern for others and deeper faith in God.

So now, whenever we hear God’s word especially during these trying pandemic times: “Put out into the deep and lower your nets”, His message, call and challenge to you and us, IS to TRY ANEW: go deeper and give faith and life again another chance, for a great catch and better life ahead for you and to all.

As we begin another (Chinese) New Year: Anew Chance again to make Life Better for you, for others and Him, may we be trusting and daring enough to heed Jesus’ challenge for us to: “Put out into the deep and lower our nets” to the great catch of blessing offered ahead of us. Amen.   P.S. On a personal note, I am bracing myself these days for anew chance of catch in Iloilo soon. Recently I had a great time of catch in my home city Davao, which has blessed me much. But another & anew chance is inviting, bye Davao for now & hello again Iloilo.  

January 30, 2022 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/013022.cfm)

What we have just heard is the Good News of our Salvation. But there is something disturbing about our gospel today make us wonder whether it is really GOOD News.

Because as we may notice, our gospel today basically tells us how Jesus was rejected in his own country. We heard in our gospel today how Jesus was despised in his own country and by his own people. While he continued His Mission to preach the Good News to All, and as he preached the Good News particularly in own hometown, Jesus experienced humiliation. He suffered persecutions and rejection in his own country and by his own “sano”, that made it difficult for him to continue his work of salvation.

And from this experience, Jesus said the famous line, “Amen I say to you. No Prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Good News or not it may be, surely there is something disturbing in our gospel today.

But do we agree with Jesus that a prophet is without honor in his own home? Experience tells us there is a lot of truth in this statement. Based not only on Jesus’ experience but also from our experience, to be a prophet is not an easy task, especially when our audiences are our own family & community in our midst. Surely bringing God’s message & doing wonders within our home & community takes a lot of hardships & challenges. Why is this so? Why is it particularly difficult for us to be a prophet in our own turf, in our own home? What makes it difficult for us and others to accept that we are all called and sent to preach Love within our own family?

Our gospel today points us two stumbling blocks that somehow make it particularly challenging to be a prophet in our own turf.

First, our prejudices. Like the people who saw Jesus as ONLY the carpenter’s son, it is also our tendency to prejudge others, as if we already know them. We tend to belittle others – we tend to measure or to limit others by our own standard. In other words: “Ka-menos ba.”  Comments like: “He is ONLY that, or he is JUST a ..” And because we judged, we boxed in, that person by our own standards, we want them to behave as we expect them to behave, no more no less. “Anak, lang tika, ayaw’g supak” or “Magulang baya ko ha.” “I am your superior/boss. You are Just my subordinate.” At the same time, we do tend not only to belittle others but also ourselves. “Unsaon ta man, pobre man, manghod lang man, dili man ko pari, layko lang ko. Bata pa man ko.” So, the attitude of Belittling oneself & Downgrading others blind us to see blessings & graces before us.

And, the second stumbling block to our being a prophet in our own turf is our lack of faith. Our lack of faith on others & trust with oneself somehow renders us inutile & immobile to partake what is Good & True being offered us all.

In our gospel today, Jesus was not able to work miracles in his own country because of the people’s unbelief – their lack of faith. His own hometown and his own family and relatives would not believe Jesus. They wanted to cut him down to their size, to downgrade him, and to pull him down to their level. We hear how Jesus was disappointed with his townspeople.  He was disappointed because he could not help them, as he would have liked to. Because of their narrow-mindedness, Jesus was disappointed of the missed opportunities and wasted graces he can offer them. Their judgment on Jesus was also a judgment on themselves. How they perceive Jesus projects their own view of themselves. Because of their own low self-esteem, they also see Jesus by their own lowly standard, and they were not able to lift themselves up out of their pathetic life.

This is a story we are all familiar with. We know it in two ways, either others downgrade us, or we belittle others, same way as to ourselves. Usually it is slow for us to believe that there exists Prophets amongst us.

The opposite of downgrading is uplifting or upgrading. Lifting us out of our apathy, showing us our greatness is exactly what Jesus has come to do. In his company, people felt better and greater than they had ever thought possible before, because of this they surrounded and followed him. But at home, it did not seem to work.

How about us now? Does God’s grace through Jesus work, and has lifted us up to holiness? Or does our low self-esteem, low self-image, prejudices, and biases cripple us to recognize and benefit from the opportunities and graces offered before us?

Yes, because of our prejudices and our lack of faith, it is difficult for us to be prophet in our own hometown, in our own turf, and it is disturbing news to reflect that to be a prophet, one has also to experience humiliation, persecutions, and rejections.

The good news however is, that despite these difficulties and hardships, God still continues to send prophets who will preach his salvation to ourselves & others, whatever it takes. All we are to do now is to uplift and encourage one another. Perhaps say these words to others & oneself: “Flatter me & I may not believe you. Criticize me & I may not like you. Ignore me & I may not forgive you. Encourage me & I may not forget you” for one & some of us might be God-sent prophets in our midst.

Amen.