Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Liturgical Year A

  • Meeting Jesus

    Meeting Jesus

    March 12, 2023 – Third Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031223.cfm)

    Common rural village people teach us a simple wisdom: “If and when the well runs dry, dig deeper. (Kon ang atabay mahubsan, palawoman: Pag ang balon natuyo, hukayin ng malalim.) If we reflect on this deeper, these practical words tell us more about waters or wells but also offers meaning and wisdom about life, relationships, and even faith in God.

    We do know how important water is in our life. Water is our basic human need and our life-giving source itself. Our physical body as well as our world is mostly composed of water. Life without water is no life at all. Because of our need for water, wells and springs are also important in life as sources of life-giving water.  Unlike now in urban cities where it is enjoyed conveniently at home with tap water on the faucet, usually in rural villages, people have to go and gather in wells and springs just in order get and have water.

    In and through wells and springs, we get access to natural water that offers life not only to individuals but to the whole community, as well. Water from the wells and springs bring us together before God’s life-giving water and with one another.

    Usually wells and springs of the village is the best place to meet people in the village. Whenever I am on mission in rural areas, I usually go to the wells or springs in the village for meeting and integrating with people. Not only there where I could clean myself and drink water – satisfy my need, there I could also come to experience and know the people’s lives and faith more.  Simply put, water wells and springs bring about meeting, encounter, well-being, relationship, community, and communion. For us then, to have an access to and get in touch into God’s life-giving water, we must also go and gather together before God’s wells and springs.

    In life we also do experience dryness. Like wellsprings atabay, there are moments in our lives that we feel dry and thirsty in life and in our relationships with God, others and even oneself. There are periods in our life that like the Israelites, we grumble before the Lord about our life-miseries, challenges, and problems, doubting “Is the really Lord with us or not?” Yes, we do have moments of spiritual & personal dryness in our relationship with ourselves, others & God in life.

    However, experiences of dryness in life and in our relationships could be an invitation and opportunity to go and be connected with God himself, the source of life. In our experiences of life’s dryness and thirst, As the saying goes “If & when the well runs dry, dig deeper” “Kon ang atabay mahubsan, palawoman. Pag ang balon natuyo, hukayin ng malalim.  Thirst for God’s love and/or Dryness in our life and relationships could also be the opportunity to dig deeper, which is, the right time and place to examine our life and relationship, be in touch with our realities and ideals, at the same time deepen our relationships and commitments. In other words, dryness in life are moments of encounters or meeting points where we can experience for ourselves our relationship and commitment with others and with God.

    The gospel we have just heard is an account of the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. This is one of the most touching encounters in the gospels which pictures God’s love and human conversion : a story of God reaching out to us and Us reaching back to God through the person of Jesus.

    At Jacob’s well, Jesus expressed God’s thirst for our faith and love for Him as well as offered us God’s life-giving or love-giving life. At Jacob’s well, the Samaritan woman became in touch with her own dryness and thirst, her need for God’s eternal life at the same time quenched her thirst in her encounter-meeting with Jesus. As she met Jesus at Jacob’s well, the Samaritan woman began to know and accept herself deeply (from being a Samaritan, descendant of Jacob, a divorcee to a believer) as well as she began to know and accept Jesus deeply (from a Jew, Sir, Prophet, Christ). At the Jacob’s well, Jesus recognized and satisfied the woman’s need for God’s love, and the woman recognized and fulfilled Jesus’ need for our faith in Him. 

    In dryness and abundance of water, there may be a lot of positive things will happen at wellsprings of life. Usually at the wellsprings of our life we experience, renew, and deepen our life-commitments and relationships with one another and our faith in God through Jesus. 

    The season of Lent is also the wellsprings of our Christian life. It is the appropriate place and time to once again in encounter and experience God’s life-giving saving act through the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ.

    So again, If and when the well runs dry, don’t look and no need to dig for another well. Just dig your own wellspring deeper and be in touch and be quench once again with your original life-giving water.

    We pray then that the Lord may grant us the grace to know you deeply, love you more dearly and follow you closely during this another new Lenten Season of our Christian faith & life. Amen.

  • A Journey towards Transformation

    A Journey towards Transformation

    March 5, 2023 – Second Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030523.cfm)

    Life is a journey. It is never meant to be static. As simple as the flow of the traffic, it goes forward until one reaches the desired destination. When life becomes stagnant, this is where we also find life uninteresting, depressing and devoid of life itself. Thus, our life also entails taking risks to move forward and being able to embrace the possibilities of what lies ahead despite its uncertainties.

    This is how we realize that taking risks to enter into new relationships, new places, new perspectives, new ways or methodologies could bring more life in us and even help us to be a better version of ourselves. This is something that I want to expound on this Second Sunday of Lent. The readings we have today have a lot more to say for each of us in this Season of Lent. And so allow me to journey with you through the readings.

    The Book of Genesis tells us of the call of Abram. He was called by the Lord to journey to a land he did not know, only God knows. This already tells us that this particular journey was filled with uncertainties and unfamiliarity. Abram was asked to leave and go out from his comforts, from the usual and from the familiar to him as he was to leave his family and homeland. Everything will be left behind.

    Yet, amidst uncertainties, God promised, “I will bless you!” Abram will be a blessing and all communities of the earth shall find blessing in him. This was how Abram went as the Lord directed him. Abram trusted the Lord and took the risk. Abram also grew in faith and became more familiar with God’s voice speaking in his heart.

    Abram’s life was a journey with the Lord but despite the risk of being uncertain, it formed Abram to grow as a person, as a man of faith. This was how Abram became a blessing to all.

    The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy reminds us also that even though we might experience fear and become anxious in life, yet, there is comfort and assurance given to us. Paul tells us that our journey is towards a “Holy Life.” We are saved and called for this. This is God’s desire for us and so God gives us spiritual strength. Therefore, we cannot rely on our own abilities and convictions alone. As we take risks in this life, we rely on the grace of God. We trust God’s presence to direct and inspire us.

    Moreover, the Gospel of Matthew beautifully proclaimed to us this journey towards that holy life. We were told that Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain. It was a journey taken by the three with Jesus. The three disciples, like Abram, didn’t know what will happen there but because they trusted the Lord and had already built a close relationship with him, then, they went ahead.

    That high mountain is a symbol of being close to the Divine presence. This was where Jesus was “transfigured.” This means that Jesus’ appearance was completely changed, signifying his glory that was never seen before. This was a glimpse of that holy and glorious life. Yet, the transfiguration of Jesus was more than physical.

    That is why, the presence of Moses and Elijah pointed to something more. These two were the figures of the Law and the Prophets of the whole Hebrew Scriptures. They were conversing with the transfigured Jesus. This means that Jesus is the embodiment or the living fulfillment of the Law and of the Prophets. Hence, in journeying with Jesus, we shall find in him the fullness of life, healing and freedom.

    However, we are warned not to be like Peter at that time of this event. Peter who had a glimpse of the glory of Jesus wanted to stay. It was so glorious that he wanted to behold longer. Peter only listened to his desires and impulses. This is the danger of becoming static and stagnant in life when we let ourselves be overwhelmed by the events in our life, or by our emotions or by anything that prevents us to move forward and discover more.

    Yet, the Lord God never meant that life must be stagnant. That’s why when Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed the three of them. This was God’s presence with a declaration saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, LISTEN TO HIM.” Yes, to listen to Jesus – this was the response to Peter and to all of us who merely listened to what we want and like to believe based only on our personal preferences and fancies.

    Another interesting and moving event here was that action of Jesus after that voice from heaven. The three were very much afraid of what just happened but “Jesus came and touched them.” This was the real presence of a friend who brings comfort and assurance when we too become afraid in life.

    From there, they came down from the mountain. This expresses that the journey continues and that is to bring change and blessing into our homes, groups, organizations, workplaces and communities. And from these readings today, I leave you three invitations.

    First, consciously make this Season of Lent a journey towards our transformation and not just as a mere devotional ritual to be practice yearly. So, seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation and faithfully do fasting and abstinence.

    Second, be more attentive of God’s presence in this Eucharist and even in the ordinary events of our life. Thus, it is important that we give time to be silent and to pray by becoming more familiar with God’s presence.

    Third, listen to Jesus. The Lord speaks in our hearts. So, read and reflect with your Holy Bible, if you can, attend Lenten Recollections and Retreats.

    As we embrace these invitations, may we be transformed to become blessings to everyone as we allow ourselves to be a gift to people whom we will encounter in this life. Kabay pa.

  • God’s AGENDA First

    God’s AGENDA First

    March 5, 2023 – Second Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030523.cfm)

    Coming back from the desert, a holy man was once asked to describe his experience of God. People asked him, “Tell us, how does God look like? How do we recognize God?” But the holy man was so confused, for how can he express to them his experience of God from his heart. Is it possible to articulate to them his God experience in few words? So, he decided to teach them a simple prayer to describe his God experience in the desert, knowing also that this prayer is limited and incomplete. He hoped however that through this simple prayer, people may become more open to experience God for themselves. People then accepted such prayer readily, made it sacred and holy devotion, teach and impose it on others, and preach it to other nations. Some even gave up their lives to spread devotion to this Prayer to other people.

    However, concerned about what happened, the holy man eventually regretted his actions because many things have been done already to his simple yet incomplete prayer, except to help people experience and encounter God for themselves. He realized eventually that it would have been better if he did not speak at all but stayed silent, than give people a few words of prayer. 

    True enough, we do aspire to know and experience God. Like the people in our story, through prayer, we hope to encounter God’s presence in our lives, since prayer is all about our meeting with God. Prayer is our chance to experience God in our own lives. Meaning, prayer is not only our spoken-words and actions-done to express our needs, wants and desires for God, but moreso, prayer is our way & chance for God to reveal, make himself known, and be experienced by us. 

    Our readings today describe to us what Prayer really is. In our first reading, we come to learn that by listening to God’s will, Abram in prayer received God’s promise of salvation. In our gospel, by accompanying Jesus in prayer, the disciples witnessed and experienced God’s presence & glory.

    Meaning, in prayer we come to experience God, and it is our encounter with Him. Our experience of God (what happens) then matters most than the methods and words we used in prayer. Words and the manner of praying are just then but helps or avenues towards experiencing God through prayer.

    But usually while praying, we become more concerned about the Hows (methods) – on what is the righteous thing to do or say for us to experience God, and like Martha, on what do we have to do or say before the Lord. Remember, however: What God say to us is more important that what we say to Him.” What God wants from us and for us is more important than what we want from Him. What God does to us is more important than what we do to Him.

    In others words, God’s presence and glory is more important than our presence and glory. Simply put, while praying, God’s agenda and business are more important than our own agenda and business.

    Like for instance, while praying the rosary, we do find ourselves at times tired and sleepy or sleeping. And then we find ourselves guilty for losing track or not completing our rosary. Consider perhaps that God is more concerned with our tired souls than completing our rosary. While praying, God is more concern about taking care of our tired and weary souls than we finishing off our rosary. OR at times, while we are praying the Lord’s prayer, we distracted and bothered with the word: “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sinned against us” because we are reminded of people who have hurt and pained us, as well as of people we have hurt and pained. Consider perhaps that those hurtful memories are the very agenda and business God wants us to address at that very moment to be eventually forgiven and healed.    

    Prayer and praying usually lead us into quiet and silence of our heart, eventually for us to become more open to God’s agenda and business as well as God’s presence. Abram in our first reading and the disciples during the Lord’s transfiguration experienced God’s glory and became sensitive to God’s will because they prayed in silence and open enough to be changed by God’s agenda and business for them.

    This Lenten Season, the Holy Church calls us to pray. And in the many ways and words we pray, be reminded that these prayers are just ways and means, but great help and aid for us to experience for ourselves God’s presence and will for us these days. Through our silent prayerful listening anew to God’s word & agenda for us these days is our sure path into our redemption towards God’s glory. In response to our Father’s call to Listen to His beloved Son, through our prayer in silent listening, may we be more open and sensitive to experience God’s presence and revelations – greater and better things God in store for us in life after pandemic. Amen.

  • Overcoming Temptations

    Overcoming Temptations

    February 26, 2023 – First Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022623.cfm)

    “What would you do if your boss offers you big amount of money and promises you a high-paying and much better job position, if you only betray your innocent supervisor and bear false witness against him in court for money-laundering?”, a priest once asked his three friends.

    The first friend answered, “No, I will not take the money and the tempting offer.” The priest said, “You are foolish stupid man.” The second friend retorted, “Well, Yes, I will take the offer. I will not waste such remarkable opportunity.” The priest said, “You are devious crook”. The third friend replied, “Well, I really don’t know what to do? Will I overcome my evil inclinations? OR, Will my evil inclinations overcome me to claim for myself what is not mine and to do what should not be done? I really don’t know. But if God will bless me and strengthen me to go against all my evil inclinations, I will not accept the money and offer of my corrupted boss.   The priest then said, “You are right, and you are a good wise man.”

    Everytime we pray the Lord ’s Prayer “Our Father”, we specifically ask the Lord to lead us not into temptation. This is because in our experience, temptations are very real in life. Dealing with temptations that comes our way – always challenging and testing our faith, values, and principles in life, is part and parcel of our daily struggles. Nobody among us here can claim that we are never been tempted or burdened by temptations in life. Each one of us in one way or another, had dealt, has been dealing and still dealing with a few temptations in our day lives.

    Perhaps we may somehow have three options in dealing with life-temptations: We may Get-rid, Get-into, or Get-through temptations in life.

    First, we may Get rid of life-temptations. Whenever confronted with temptations, here we may resist, fight with, and fly from these temptations. In overcoming our evil inclinations and life-temptations, here we do it on our own. The priest called the first friend as stupid and foolish man because he chooses to deal with (get rid of) temptation on his own. He doesn’t know himself – believing that he is strong enough to resist and deal with temptation on his own. No one, maybe except Jesus, has ever overpowered temptations in life. Usually, temptations overcome us not because we are weak but because we are too proud to think that we are strong enough to overcome temptations. Getting rid of temptations is a stupid and foolish option.

    Second, we may Get into the temptations. Whenever confronted, we just get into and allow ourselves to submit and be overcome by temptations itself. We do nothing ourselves but be corrupted by temptations – hurting not only others but also ourselves along the way. The priest called the second friend an opportunistic criminal because he opts to get into temptations – willingly claim what he is not due him, and do wrongdoing, without any qualms whatsoever. For such kind of men, temptations are opportunities for them to take advantage of others for their own benefits and glory. Getting into temptation is a crooked criminal approach to temptation.

    Third, we may Get through of temptations in life. Here whenever we are confronted with temptations in life, we willingly face and struggle along with these temptations – aware that on our own we are weak and limited, but also we steadfastly believe in God’s power with us to overcome such temptations. The priest praised the third as good and wise man because he knows that like all of us, we are basically weak people. He hopes that amid temptations, he will be strong enough to do what is right and his part. But he also knows that he can only do this with God’s help and strength, and he is most willing to ask and pray for it. He knows that in dealing with life-temptations, there is always a struggle within as well as reliance in God’s help. Getting through temptations is a good and wise option.  

    Easy for us indeed to fall into temptations. The biggest problem in dealing with temptations is our lack of self-knowledge, our lack of recognizing and overcoming the evil within ourselves. We struggle with the evils of others and in our society but the toughest struggle is to acknowledge and overcome the evil within our own selves, the evil in our own hearts. We were born with conflicting goodness and evil within. That is why we can be good and can do good. But not easily, since there are always tensions and struggles within ourselves. Moreover, we can only withstand these difficulties, if we are wise enough to rely not only in our strength but in God’s help and power.

    If we think we can overcome these life-temptations and evils only by and through own strength and power, we are surely wrong and are doomed to failure for we don’t have the power and capacity to resist temptations. But like Jesus, if we are wise enough to be God-centered to acknowledge and ask for, and rely on God’s help and strength, we surely can overcome evils and temptations in others as well as within ourselves.

    Notice Satan mainly tempts us in life in order to prove to God that we don’t care about God and others but only care about ourselves. Temptations usually happen then whenever we only selfishly care about ourselves, not about God and others. But through our faith and reliance in God’s help and power over temptations, we prove Satan wrong and proclaim our Love and Care for God and others.

    In praying then to God not to lead us into temptations, we pray to God to guide us through not in getting rid or getting into but in getting through life-temptations because we care not about ourselves, but we care more about God and others in life.

    Father, lead us then not into temptation.

  • SEEK LOVE, SEEK PEACE

    SEEK LOVE, SEEK PEACE

    February 19, 2023 – Seventh Sunday Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021923.cfm)

    As my niece was growing up, it was also the time that we directly and indirectly taught her ways of behaving and of different attitudes, which may be good or bad. Unconsciously, there were many things and ways that we taught to the child that were not really good. For instance, when she would misstep and fall, she would cry because of pain. Our immediate response is to comfort the child and tell her, “hapaka ang salug aron makabalos ka” (hit the floor so that you may have your revenge).Then, this would somehow bring comfort to her as if hitting back would take away the pain.

    A situation like this can easily be taken for granted since this looks and sounds normal to us. However, what we are not aware of is that we are actually introducing a very unhealthy attitude to the child. In fact, this kind of situation would only teach children the “culture of revenge” and the “culture of hate.” It is a form of teaching a child not to be comfortable with pain but to take comfort with vengeance. Hence, this is an unconscious way of teaching hatred to a young heart. Yet, is this the attitude and way of life that Jesus is teaching us as his disciples now?

    Well, we have heard from the Book of Leviticus what the Lord said to the Israelites, “You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart… Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The Lord God commanded this because this is how the Lord shows his heart and compassion to the people despite their unfaithfulness and sins. Moreover, the Psalm today also expressed God’s nature, “The Lord is kind and merciful.”

    This nature and attitude of God is the call for all of us Christian believers. Jesus also tells us, “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This perfection, which is much better translated as completeness or wholeness, that Jesus said, is meant to love all, not just loving those who are close to us but also those whom we do not like, those who caused us pain and shame, those who betrayed us and those whom we hate and those who have hatred against us.

    Indeed, it is also true that this sounds impossible to do especially if we would follow what Jesus said, “when someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well.” This really sounds ridiculous and outrageous not just to us now but also to people who listened to Jesus at that time. We can possibly ask, “How can I love someone who betrayed me? How can I love the person who abused us, physically, materially, emotionally o sexually?”

    Let us remember that it is certainly true that there may be people who caused pain to us and even unrepairable damage to us, but then, let us also be honest that we too, may have caused pain and damage to others in one way or another, or in many ways which we may not be totally aware of.

    So, what is this message of Jesus really all about? Love and peace, not hatred, not vengeance, not violence. This is what Jesus revealed to us. This is the very experience of Jesus with his Father in heaven as well. Indeed, the Lord God is not a violent Father. The Lord God cares for all sinners and righteous alike. And that God’s power rests in unconditional love and not in bringing us to damnation and eternal death because the Lord is slow to anger and does not hate.

    From this realization of God’s nature and attitude towards us, we are called to grow and become more like Jesus – in the sense, that we become “a complete person or a whole person” as Psychology says. Being a complete and whole person means a person who is healed through forgiveness, love and peace, who does not nurture grudges and not being controlled by anger or hatred.

    Indeed, we are called to get rid of that culture of hate, revenge and violence because healing, reconciliation and peace are not possible when we linger on these attitudes.

    This challenges us now that in our relationships, as we may face the possibilities of being hurt, let us also do our best not to keep feeding our hearts with hate and the thirst for revenge and violence. Let us also consciously teach our children of the culture of forgiveness and not the culture of hatred. Kabay pa.