Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Liturgical Year A

  • Better Anew

    Better Anew

    January 22, 2023 – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012223.cfm)

    If and when given another chance in life, would you do it again or would you do it anew? Would you live life as before or much better than before?  Surely, if and when given another chance in life, we would hope for life anew than life again, we would aspire to live life much better than before rather than as it was before. We know however that for this hope and aspiration to fulfill, we must change our old ways and try to live life differently as before.

    The first call of Jesus is the call to repentance. Jesus began his public mission with an invitation: “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” His preaching begins by calling on all people to repent and embrace the Good News of God’s kingdom. It is easy for us to understand that this call to repentance is directed toward sinners. Even Jesus himself had difficulties to communicate this call to good people than with sinners. Why? Because the hardest people of all to change their ways are the good people. They simply don’t see any need of conversion. They only think that as sick people need healing; only sinners need repentance. But actually the call to repentance is a call for everyone, an invitation for all, good or bad you may be.

    For what does repentance mean?

    To repent means to feel dissatisfied with oneself and longing for something better with one you have right now. There must be a sense of something is wrong, or at least something is lacking or missing in one’s life – A feeling of discontent with what is happening with one’s life.  To repent is not only to be sorry for what we have done but also what we have failed to do for our lives. Usually repentance begins in the realization that we are not what we could or should be; or we are not what we choose to be and supposed to be. Repentance then is borne out our longing for a much better life than as it is now.

    To repent would also demand openness, honesty, and above all courage with oneself – Courage to put on end to self-deception, and courage to confront painful self-reality. Surely, it takes a lot of courage for a person to line up for confession, admitting one’s guilt, asking forgiveness, and resolving to change. And sometimes, it is easy to be sorry for one’s sins than to admit mistake, saying: “I sorry, but…”. It is more difficulty to admit one’s mistake or shortcoming, “ I am wrong..” than to ask forgiveness, “I am sorry”. Repentance then is to take responsibility for your own being wrong, unwell and lacking.

    To repent is to make a decision to conversion that is to change oneself. And to make such decision is not an easy task, for it entails a lot of responsibilities. Human as we are, we do tend to pass the bucket to others. As much as possible, we tend to escape from making a stance or commitment. We rather blame others for the faults, which we should have been ours to make. However, whatever your decision today, whether to choose life or death, to help or exploit oneself or others, to do good or evil deeds, to accept responsibility or blame others, mirrors your very own identity, your conviction and commitment as human persons. As the saying goes, “Kon gusto mo ng pagbabago sa buhay, umpisahan mo sa sarili mo. If you long for change and a better life, begin with oneself. Conversion, Renewal or Redemption starts with oneself.

    In as much as it is a heavy task to take or a rough road to travel, repentance is a very positive experience. True, to repent is to admit that all is not well with oneself and to change oneself. But to repent is also to discover something new and wonderful about oneself. It means opening up and acquiring new vision, seeing wider perspective, opening up others options and possibilities, challenging one’s values, not being tied up with biases and prejudices and seeing things anew. In other words, it opens up the way to a new life – to the kingdom of heaven at hand. Repentance could be an exciting and joyful adventure to follow Jesus.

    This is what repentance did to the apostles when they responded to Jesus’ call for repentance. Inasmuch as it staggered them from their old convictions, confronted themselves, left their nets and followed him, it offered them also a new heaven and a new earth, the Kingdom of God – a new hope in life.

    Remember: Faith requires repentance, because to repent is to change our ways, our lifestyle and be converted towards the Lord’s way. To change is to grow. To grow is to live life to its fullness. And to live life is to believe in the Lord’s offer of eternal life.

    By the way, in life we don’t live once. We die once in life. We live life everyday. So we are given everyday always a chance to live life anew and not just again, better than just same as before.

    As the Lord lives with us and we live with Him, may His offer of God’s kingdom dwelling in us be responded by our genuine conversion and repentance as well as by our discipleship. Amen.

  • Our Capacity to Receive and Embrace

    Our Capacity to Receive and Embrace

    January 15, 2023 – Sunday, Feast of the Sto. Niño

    Is 9:1-6; Eph 1:3-6, 15-18; Mt 18:1-5,10

    A study by the Save the Children revealed that one in three households around the world reported violence during the Covid-19 pandemic.[1] The study also found that 1 in 6 children suffered violence at home. This study also said that there is an increase of negative feelings and psychological distress when lockdowns were imposed. This explains the significant cases of depression and suicide during this time as reported by Department of Health and World Health Organization.[2]

    Moreover, according to UNICEF Philippines Representative, “The Covid-19 pandemic is worsening the incidence of online sexual abuse and exploitation in the country. Children are increasingly becoming victims of circumstances that are harmful to their development and well-being.”[3]

    While I was stationed in Iligan City at the height of this pandemic, there were concerned neighbors who asked for help in our Church. They asked for a counseling and legal assistance for a girl who was raped at home. The parents were not that concerned on how to take care of their daughter because of poverty. Both parents lost their job when the lockdown was imposed in the city. It was the neighbors who responded and wanted to rescue and help the girl. But then, when the incident was reported, the police authorities even suggested not to pursue the case because it will only become troublesome to them and will cost them a lot of money. It was suggested to just settle it with some money and let it go.

    What have we become? Have we succumbed to darkness to abuse and oppress the weak among us?

    These situations are just few reported examples of rejecting, ignoring and hurting attitudes towards the small and the weak and to children particularly. No wonder why Jesus expressed indignation towards those who try to abuse the weak and try to promote themselves to be great.

    On this feast of the Sto. Niño, the Gospel of Matthew tells us how the disciples asked Jesus as to who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Naturally, each of them must have been boasting one another about their closeness with Jesus, their great qualities, their faithfulness, on who was the first to be called and who was the favored one among them.

    At this point, the disciples must have thought that Jesus’ kingdom will be like those of kings sitting on a golden throne in the palace with a great army, a political king. They must have believed that Jesus will inherit political power and vast riches and material wealth. Thus, obtaining a position and having a closer relationship with Jesus will give them the security and assurance of a higher and influential position when Jesus reigns. What they aspired was to have power. This was their idea of greatness in the kingdom of heaven.

    As Jesus knew them, he had to teach them and to mold their hearts according to God’s desire. That’s why Jesus taught the disciples an important lesson through a child. Jesus took and placed the child in their midst and said, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

    Children, at the time of Jesus were considered not important because they were dependent, they have no rights and thus cannot be called as fully man at all. Jesus teaches us that in the Kingdom of heaven, greatness is measured in the capacity to receive God. To receive God is best expressed in welcoming, in embracing and in receiving the least in our community.

    We are called to receive God in the person of those who are the least in our church and society. We are called to aspire to be great but not in the way that we will be above others, or to seek a higher position at the expense of others, but in the way of embracing others.

    This capacity to embrace others and to embrace God fully is the message and call on this feast of the Sto. Niño. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, our God Almighty, has appeared to us as a child, who was born in a manger because through the image of a child, God shows us gentleness, not wrath and violence; the Lord embraces us with mercy, not anger and death.

    Hence, Jesus also calls us, “See that you never despise one of the these little ones.” On our part as a Church, as a community and you as parents and guardians, and all those in the position of authority and power, may we be instruments of protecting the weak in our communities. Let not our hearts be corrupted by our desire to be great and be above others by abusing the weak but we aspire to be great in the kingdom of heaven through our loving and life-giving service. Let our decisions and actions in life, let our relationships and our very person be filled with the grace of the Sto. Niño that brings freedom and the fullness of life. Kabay pa.

    [1] See https://www.rappler.com/world/global-affairs/one-third-households-globally-report-violence-home-during-coronavirus-pandemic-study

    [2] See report https://www.who.int/philippines/news/detail/10-09-2020-doh-and-who-promote-holistic-mental-health-wellness-in-light-of-world-suicide-prevention-day

    [3] See https://globalnation.inquirer.net/190923/unicef-pandemic-worsening-child-online-sexual-abuse-exploitation-in-ph#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic%20is,their%20development%20and%20well%2Dbeing.&text=The%20child%20has%20no%20interest%20in%20school%20and%20friends.

  • GREAT in God

    GREAT in God

    January 15, 2023 – Feast of the Sto. Niño de Cebu

    Is 9:1-6; Eph 1:3-6, 15-18; Mt 18:1-5,10

    During our Wednesday novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, we always ask our mother to help us learn to adapt to our growing children. Praying this, we acknowledge before the Lord that as Christians and in particular as parents, we are imperfect. We recognize that we encounter problems and difficulties in dealing with our growing children and that, at times we fail to love and respect the children as persons and as God’s children. And for this, we implore Our Mother’s guidance and assistance.

    Filipinos love the Sto. Nino, the child Jesus, and today – every third Sunday of January, we celebrate the Feast of Sto. Nino. Like the Sto. Nino, we honor our children of today as also God’s gifts and instrument of salvation for humanity. They are God’s blessing and signs of hope for our Christian families and communities. As gifts, children must be accepted, love and provided with the love and care they need for their growth and well-being. As God’s instrument, they must also be respected for what they are and will be, with talents and limitations, for in their own unique way children can contribute to the building up of Christian families, and communities, and in God’s kingdom as well.

    In our gospel today, we hear how Jesus  emphasize Greatly the value of us being God’s children, and of being children in God’s kingdom. For Jesus, our being beloved children of God is our very dignity and rights as a person. As God’s beloved children, we enjoy personal relationship with Jesus and the Kingdom of God. We have the right and duty to grow in faith, to grow in our own personal relationship with God. It is also our vocation to be His disciple – to come and follow Jesus Christ and express our response, by our love and respect for others. Today, Jesus invites us to especially love and respect our children, as much as we demand respect from them. Our today’s children are also God’s beloved children, like us now adults Christians.

    Now if we wish to learn how to adapt to our growing children – to respect God’s beloved children, take a good look at the picture of Our Mother Perpetual Help, a portrait of Mary carrying her child Jesus. By merely looking at the picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, we readily notice the relationship between Jesus and Mary – Mary as the mother, the parent of Jesus the Redeemer. As a mother, Mary presents to us the child Jesus, a child who like any other child needs nourishment, love, guidance, protection and care of a parent. We see Mary as the model of Christian Parenthood for she teaches us how to love,  care and protect our children. The picture also shows us Jesus growing and gradually learning that in fulfilling his vocation in life, there will be coming great changes and suffering (as shown by angels at the side bearing cross & hyssop on spears). And Mary has to adapt gradually to the changes going in her son’s life. As Jesus grew, so did Mary grow to respect and share the giftedness of the growing Jesus to others.

    As we honor today the Sto. Nino, Jesus want us to remember that our devotion to the Sto. Nino must reflect not only our deep joy and thanksgiving to God for sharing us His only Son, but also expresses our love and concern for today’s God’s little children, His ninos and ninas. And the most relevant and meaningful way of honoring the Sto. Nino is not by merrymaking, parades or street dancing, but by concretely expressing our Christian respect, love and concern to our growing children, especially the poor and abandoned little children.

    Concretely, I invite you BE with children & spent a quality time with them these days. Listen to their stories, their concerns, and their hopes in life. Respect and Learn from them for they are also God’s children and messengers. As a Filipino song would say: “Itanong mo sa mga bata. Ang buhay ay hawak nila… at Ang sagot iyong makikita.” Ask the children. Life is in their hands… and you will find the answers.

    Through our children, may we discern and respect God’s ways and plans for a better life ahead of us.

    So May it Be.

  • Chosen Gift

    Chosen Gift

    January 8, 2023 – The Epiphany of the Lord

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010823.cfm)

    A woman once asked me to bless her new Rosary beads she got from her recent pilgrimage in the Holy Land. So, after blessing, I said: “This must be very precious and would be a good companion with your prayer life.” She replied, “Yes, father, this is very dear to me. But, no, I will not to bring it with me. This might be misplaced or lost. So, I will just put this Rosary on my altar at home, along with my other valuable rosaries. It would be much safer if I keep it there. Anyway, I rarely use and pray the rosary.”

    Christmas has just ended. We are starting a New Year. This would be the time for us to see again the gifts we received during the Christmas season, and to sort out those gifts we happily received, from the gifts that are of no great value to us. Usually in doing this, we give importance to the gifts that are pleasing and less demanding. Then, we put aside gifts, which are not-so-urgent, time consuming and demanding, but still important. It is like receiving a rosary. We know that praying the rosary is important to our Christian faith and life. But because having a rosary bead demands us to set a time to pray the Holy Rosary. Sometimes it would be easy to use the beads, as decoration on our altar rather than as a means for prayer – an aid to encounter the Lord. Yes, using the beads as altar decoration is a valid expression of faith but surely, it lessens the very purpose of Rosary beads, which is to lead us into prayer.

    Today, we celebrate the feast of Epiphany. This is our celebration of our remembrance of God’s loving act of reaching out to us (God making himself known to us) and our acceptance of Jesus, as God’s self-revelation. We, Christians believe that God has given us His only Son, Jesus Christ, as His first gift to us for our salvation. By sharing us His Son Jesus, we become related to God our Father, and we become His adopted sons and daughters, and sharers of His divine life. Indeed, Jesus is God’s greatest gift to us.

    And like rosary beads, Jesus, as God’s gift, is given to us with a purpose, that is to bring us closer to God. Accepting Jesus is not only accepting him as a valuable gift which we can put aside and decorate, but moreso letting ourselves be influenced by the grace Jesus can offer and we choosing to become His responsible witnesses. To accept Jesus, as God’s gift to us, is also to choose to accept with total commitment the responsibility of continuing His mission – which is to present and bring all people closer to the Father.

    Like the three wise men in our Gospel, we are called to wholeheartedly accept Jesus, and to choose to become responsible witnesses of God’s love. This would mean to let our lives be changed and renewed by the presence of Jesus, and to share and make Jesus and His mission known to the whole humanity.

    Here in our gospel today, we are reminded us of what happened when the three wise men found the child Jesus lying in the manger in Bethlehem. Guided by the star, in great joy, they saw the child Jesus and they did him homage. Their encounter of Jesus and the Holy Family in Bethlehem brought the three wise men great joy for they have finally found what they are searching for. With this, they offered their gifts in homage and thanksgiving to God’s greatest gift to all.

    We may learn two things from their experience. First, like Herod, those who are comfortable & established – (those who have enough & even more than) in life, fail to recognize the value but just accept the gift of Jesus as decoration & interruption. But like the three wise mens, the searchers, travellers, & strangers of life (those who have less & lacking enough) appreciate & give great value to the blessings & responsibilities the gift of Christ being offered us. In other words, we choose to receive God’s gift to us from our needs & not just from our wants. Those who are in need willingly choose to accept the gift-given, while those who have enough & plenty undervalue & reject God’ gift for us.

    And this is also to remind us, that after they have witnessed the Son of God, the wise men departed for their country by another way. This is not because they were afraid of Herod, but because of their encounter with Jesus has also changed their lives. Because of their experience with the baby Jesus, their lives were never the same again. They did not follow the usual path, but they now tread a different way, perspective, and attitude to life. Like our experience with a newly born baby, after they have recognized God in the child Jesus, the lives of the three  wise men were never the same again. The child Jesus brought them great joy as well as great changes in their way of life.

    We all believe that the birth of Jesus has brought great joy as well as great changes in our lives because when Jesus became part of our lives, life has never and will never be the same again. Jesus, God’s gift to us, is not like the gifts we receive this Christmas, like shirt or pants that we will sometimes use, or books that we may never read at all, or good food we will eat, or a figurine or rosary beads we will just decorate. God giving us the gift of His son is like having a new baby, a new member in your family. Inasmuch as it brings great joy in our family, it also entails a lot of responsibilities and a lot of changes, making our lives different and never the same again. In the same way, the moment we recognize and choose to accept the Lord, life will & should never be the same again.

    As we receive and welcome Jesus into our lives now, may we choose to be responsible beneficiaries of God’s gift of revelation as well as sharers and witnesses of God’s offer of salvation to the whole world.

    Amen.

  • WE ARE SIGNS OF GOD

    WE ARE SIGNS OF GOD

    December 18, 2022 – Fourth Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121822.cfm)

    Do you ask signs from God? Certainly, there are many of us who can relate well in asking the Lord to give us signs especially when we make big decisions in life. Even when we become desperate over life issues and concerns, we could ask signs from God to confirm our belief, to affirm ourselves. We ask signs so that the hope in us may continue to live.

    With this, allow me to dig deeper into our readings on this Fourth Sunday of Advent and let us see how God also reveals his signs to us and how God calls us today.

    The first reading from the Book of Prophet Isaiah is very interesting because what we have heard was that, it was the Lord who asked a man to ask for signs. Yes, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, the king of Judah to ask for a sign. However, Ahaz refused to ask for a sign. This was the King’s refusal to believe in God.

    Ahaz actually sold himself to the King of Assyria and became a puppet king. He trusted this foreign power who once defeated him in a battle to protect him from two other kingdoms who threatened his reign. Yet, his political alliance with Assyria was to the detriment of his own people. He turned away from God, desecrated the altar of the temple, worshipped foreign gods and murdered his own people as long as he shall remain king. He even burned his own son as a human sacrifice to the gods of Assyria in order to please the King.

    However, despite the refusal of Ahaz, the Lord spoke and promised for a sign. Yes, it turned out that God initiated to give a sign through a virgin who shall give birth to a son. He will be called Emmanuel, God-with-us. He is God’s greatest and most wonderful sign of the divine presence and love.

    This sign which God spoke had been realized through the annunciation of the angel to Mary. The Gospel of Matthew spoke about this today. However, God’s sign that was already conceived in the womb of Mary had been surrounded by scandal. It was scandalous that it must have brought the entire village to feast on a gossip that Mary betrayed Joseph, that Mary was a whore.

    The neighbors even the relatives of Mary must have suspected her for being adulterous. They must have passed harsh and hurtful judgments against Mary “without further investigation,” without knowing or caring about finding the truth. They must have wished and thought that Mary will be shamed, be dragged out of their village and be stoned to death.

    Well, even today, this is not far from our own experience. How many have suffered and traumatized by gossips filled with malice and insults? How many have we terrorized by maligning others only to cover our own guilt? This culture of gossip or using the popular online lingo called “MARITES” of a person who spend more time spreading malicious gossip against a neighbor, is perhaps no different from what Mary experienced. If Mary’s pregnancy happened today, what would people say, then? “Bigaon nga babaye!” Nagbusong nga indi man sang iya bana!” – and that is scandalous! (And when people hear judgment like this, many would just nod and laugh and not confront it to stop it.)

    I remember, when I was in high school, my older sister got pregnant out of wedlock. I would hear our neighbors saying something that demeaning to my sister. And that was terrible!

    Yet, in the midst of this scandal in the neighborhood, God intervened again and gave Joseph a sign. Joseph never thought to hurt Mary. That is why in his own way, he wanted to divorce Mary secretly so that Mary could join with the man who fathered her child. Joseph must have also thought that Mary got another man. In the midst of these, the Lord gave the sign through a dream. Joseph’s dream symbolically means “resting with God” – where we are most comfortable and peaceful in God’s presence. As Joseph was asleep, God revealed to him the divine plan.

    This was how Joseph understood the plan of God. And indeed, God’s sign was scandalous! Because God who is almighty, all powerful, who cannot be seen or touched, is to be born as human! Joseph began to see the scandalous situation of Mary’s pregnancy through the eyes of faith rather than his fear and disappointment.

    The scandal of God’s sign is imprinted in the name of Jesus, which means, God will save us from our sins. This is how Joseph also realized that the pregnancy of Mary is God’s greatest manifestation of love. That is why we have lighted the fourth candle of Advent, which is also called as the Candle of Love.

    How are we invited now on this last Sunday of Advent? There are two invitations on how we can become signs of God’s presence in our homes and communities, which I would like you to bring as your take-aways for today.

    First, BE A SIGN OF LIFE. Remember, even when Ahaz chose death for his own people, God promised of a birth of a child. That is life! Thus, in our relationships always choose life, nurture your life and the life of others, protect and defend life. Hence, reject also anything that will abuse life, traumatize life, suppress life, manipulate life and destroy life because that is not what God wants us.

    Second, BE A SIGN OF LOVE. The Emmanuel is the face of love. Jesus is love made flesh. May we always choose to love, because love is always right and it can never be wrong. But remember, it requires us great amount of commitment and sacrifices because to love can be so demanding. Mary who chose to love was subjected to ridicule and harsh judgments. Joseph who chose to love had been in great troubles in order to protect his family from danger.

    And so, be a sign of life and a sign of love. Ok lang? Sana all.