Category: Liturgical Year A

February 23, 2020 – 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022320.cfm)

Homily

In the comedy film Evan Almighty, God said to Evan Baxter: “If you want to change the world, build an ARK.” Only later after all the trouble of exactly building a big ark that Evan Baxter realized that an ark simply means: one single act of random kindness at a time, i.e. one single ARK (act of random kindness) at a time. 

Days after Valentine’s Day, with all the decorations around us, we could say that until now, love is still in the air or we still got valentines’ day hang-overs upon us. Valentine’s Day is the day we honor and celebrate Love as we experience it in Life. Human as we are, we know how it is to love and be loved by others. We celebrate Valentine’s Day because we live life with love, in love and out of love. We know that Life without love is directionless and worthless. Though it’s a constant challenge, living life then with love, in love and out of love make life more meaningful.

In our gospel today, while preaching to His disciples His Sermon on the Mount, we get a glimpse of Jesus’ take on our experience of love in life. Here He invites us that in our loving, we must “love our enemies, go another mile, offer your cloak and other cheek as well and be perfect as our Father”. Surely we are already familiar with these words, which are nice words to listen. But easily falls into deaf-ears and slogans because they are difficult to practice. The kind of love Jesus is asking us here are very unusual and demanding, and even Stupid Love, as Salbakuta (Filipino rap-band) would say. Jesus knows already that human as we are, we are loved and loving people. But now for us to be perfect and holy in our lovelife, he requires us to go beyond with our human ways of loving and follow His and God’s way of loving, i.e. Christian Love: To love one another AS (like, same way as) He and the Father has loved us.  In other words, to love others same way as God and Jesus love and loving us. 

But why Christian Love, the love Jesus requires of us, is difficult and demanding in our experience of love in life? What makes Christian love, God’s way of loving unusual, hard and tough, and even stupid?

Though we live life with love, in love and out of love, human as we are, we do have the tendency to place love at the distance both in place and time. 

We place love at the distance in TIME, because we are more willing to postpone doing good than do bad things right away. Easy for us to delay faith, hope and love, but instead, attend readily to fear, greed and anger. Why only during Valentine’s Day you remember and celebrate that you are loving and loved, and that you need love in life?  Yes, we do tend to postpone love, but we also know in our experience of love that love is for Now or Never.

We also tend to place love at the distance in PLACE. We rather love others from a distance and at a distance. Why is it that we have more virtual friends in Facebook and others social media than our actual intimate personal friends? Why is it that we are more open, chatty, and relax in Facebook and messengers but silent and awkward face to face with others? This is because we are afraid to love, simply because love makes us vulnerable, exposed and weak before others. However, if we are afraid to love then it is not Love but Fear.

In other words, though we tend to postpone and distance from love, Love is really Here and Now, and not There and Later.   

For Jesus then, Christian love, to love and be loved like His and the Father’s, is Here and Now – not there and later, not at a distance and from a distance. Love for Jesus then is and should be an ARK, act of random kindness. This is the kind of Love, Jesus requires us to live and practice in life. If we want to change our world with Love, we must change our love into Christian love by building our love into ARK – by living and loving in one simple Act of Random Kindness at a time. Unusual, difficult, tough and stupid it maybe, Loving others same as (like) Jesus and the Father loved us, leads us to redemption towards God’s kingdom. 

As our church song suggests, by and through our love (as Jesus loved us), may we be known as Christians, for others “will know we are Christians by our love”. Amen.

Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR – a Filipino Redemptorist Missionary in South Korea

February 16, 2020 – 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021620.cfm)

Homily

A number of times I was asked: “Do you believe in chain letters?”

I said: “Generally I don’t trust anything that offers promises or threats with an IF –(meaning, with conditions) you do or don’t this or that. In my book, deserved gifts are called prizes or salary, but underserved gifts are called Grace and blessings. God’s grace is not something we do to God, but what God does to us. 

Just be the better Christian person, as you choose and can be, not as what others (in chain letters) want you to be.”

For the past Sundays, we have been hearing about the public ministry of Jesus where he proclaims to us the Good News of God’s salvation. In his preaching, Jesus basically calls us to change our ways, good or bad we may be, for God is with us (Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand). He then in Beatitudes makes known to us how blessed we who are meek, humble, merciful, righteous and sensitive enough to welcome God’s blessings into our lives (Blessed are you…). He also reminds us that much as we are blessed, we are also a blessings to others (You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world). Wow, what a good news indeed to us. In a nutshell, we need to change our life for we are already and always blessed and a blessing to others, since God is with us and his Kingdom is at hand. This is the very core message of Jesus ever since and until now as being always proclaimed to us and by us, His Church.

After always hearing, reflecting and knowing Jesus’ good news of God’s salvation for us, what now? Somehow we wonder as to how to gratefully respond to and live out such great blessing into our lives. How can we remain, endure and persevere in living with Jesus’ gospel in our day to day living? Like, Now what are we to do to respond and be converted and practice His gospel into our lives? 

Definitely for Jesus, it is more than just keeping the Ten Commandments or observing the Torah, the Law of Moses. In our gospel today, we hear the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus wherein he directs us how to live in the good news of God’s salvation. By reviewing and commenting on the Torah, which is the Jewish standard of righteousness, Jesus reorients people that there is far better in His message of God’s salvation than just observing the Law of Moses. He reiterates that God’s kingdom is more than just the practice of not killing, not committing adultery, and not making false promises. God’s kingdom is more so and all about respecting life, reverence for people’s union – making marriage sacred, and living life with integrity. For Jesus then, to live in His message of God’s salvation is not a matter of just practicing and observing but more so fulfilling the Law of Moses. Here Jesus is upgrading the Jewish Law of Moses into His message and mission of teaching, preaching, sharing, and witnessing the values of God’s kingdom in our lives. An Upgrade from Torah to the Spirit of Jesus. 

Important here is the consistency between our being and our doing now as Christian. In a way, Jesus is teaching us that our actions must reflect our being now as blessed and blessing people. In other words, Be consistent with who you are now with what you do, as Christian.  

Meaning, far beyond the practice (living out) the values of God’s Kingdom, there must be spirituality. For Spirituality is the “because I am” of the “why”s in life, i.e. “Why I do this or do that?” “Because I am…”. Spirituality is thus the spirit behind the action, the meaning behind the practice. (I work abroad because I am a family person.. I take care of sick people because I am a  nurse/doctor. I attend Eucharist every Sunday because I am Catholic Christian). What matters then is not just about the practice and behavior but also the spirit behind the practice and behavior (not only about what we do but why we do it),  knowing that ours is a grateful response to what God does and doing to us, (and not like chain-letters, what we may do as bribe or payment for His graces, & what others expect us to do).

Perhaps you may reflect about your spirituality. Why you do what you do? Be in touch with the meaning and spirit behind your actions. Pray that you be a better blessed and blessing Christian you choose and can be, not as others may want you to be. Pray also that our actions be a response to what God does and is doing to us rather than as what we do to Him.  

And in doing so, may we remain salt of the earth and light of the world, and become His blessed and blessing witnesses to our today’s world. Amen.

Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR – a Filipino Redemptorist Missionary in South Korea

February 9, 2020 – 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020920.cfm)

Homily

Let me tell you two stories.

First, ten years ago I met, Nanay Elisabeth, a leprosy infected-old lady. She was confined in a hospital in Cebu that especially takes care of leprosy patients. Due to her illness, she never got married. Life was so difficult because she was poor. Once, she shared with me an experience. In her younger years, she was into scavenging garbage in Cebu City. One morning, as she approached a garbage bin to collect recyclable materials she found something. She found “something” or much better to say “someone” inside the garbage bin that others might have thought, was a trash. Nay Elisabeth found a newly born baby girl in that garbage bin. She named her Nancy. And Nancy, perhaps, a reason why she was thrown away was because Baby Nancy had a cerebral palsy. But what was more heartwarming there, was Nanay Elisabeth’s compassion and unconditional love for the baby.

As it seemed that nobody wanted that baby and no one would dare to love and care for that baby, but for Nanay Elisabeth, all her love and affection were for Nancy. She brought Nancy home and did all her best to let Nancy feel that she was loved and treasured.

Second, John was an extra-ordinary youth from Davao del Sur. In the sense that he was deprived of many things that most of us here are enjoying. He is the eldest of five children of a broken family. They were like orphans as they were left alone by their parents. John wanted to continue his studies so that soon he can support his younger siblings. A family friend offered to support his studies as he worked at the same time for that family. He had to take care every day the pigpen as he was asked to do it. Yet, the treatment of that family was not that favorable. When he would commit mistakes he was insulted in front of others. John surely felt insecure from many things, of material things and especially from the comfort and support of his own parents. But, there was something that was surprising in him.

Despite all these difficulties, John has a big and generous heart not just for his own siblings but also for street children. When he has money in his pocket, he buys bread. He brings the bread with him and calls out some street children at San Pedro. There, he sits with them and shares his bread with them, and shares stories with the street children.

Amazing aren’t they? But please, let us not stop at the feeling of amazement only. Each of us, is called by Jesus to be “salt of the earth and light of the world.” That identity and responsibility of being salt – in giving flavor to the lives of others, and of being light – in giving brightness to those who are in darkness are in each of us – because we are Christians! 

In the Book of Prophet Isaiah, the Lord tells us concretely, “share your bread to the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them… remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech.” Can you feel now the weight of being a Christian? The consequence of believing in that man who died on the cross? 

St Paul reminds us of the light given to us. Jesus’ life is the light that you and I have received and are sharing. 

There is a need for us to be conscious of that identity and responsibility that we share as a Catholic community. The readings and the Gospel are there to make us aware of our calling. Nanay Elisabeth and John, though they may not be aware of it, have become salt of the earth and light of the world.

Each of us too, we might have our own dullness in our own relationships and darkness in our own lives, but WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. We are capable of becoming salt and light for others. We don’t need to become a Superman or Spiderman, or Cardo Dalisay to do something good and in making difference and adding flavor to the lives others. We don’t have to wear masks and wear strange costumes. But, I just have to be me, and you to be you – because we are Christians and Jesus, the ultimate salt and light of the world, is with us. 

Like Nanay Elisabeth and John, we can truly become salt of the earth and light of the world in our own simple ways despite our own limitations and insecurities and no matter how insignificant we might be in our society. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. This will start when we become aware of the needs of others, when we begin to see the face of our neighbors, of the one seated at your side, in front of you and at your back. 

Now, think of people around us who live in darkness and depression. Think of illiterate people, children who never get a chance to go to school – their illiteracy is darkness to them; think of those who are addicted to substances, drugs and alcohol – their life seemed to be in total darkness; think of the poorest of the poor, the old and the dying, the sick and the crippled – sometimes they have to beg for them to survive; think of a friend who is lonely and isolated; think of a neighbor who is losing her or his faith because of a traumatic experience; or those whose marriage is problematic and the family is about to break; think of those who are pushed to the peripheries because of discrimination juts because they are different or a possible threat to many – imagine their loneliness and helplessness of being pushed aside and left alone. They are in need and are looking for some support and consolation, a listening ear and a warm, welcoming hug. 

Think of those; and as our assignment – DO SOMETHING GOOD, SOMETHING CHARITABLE THIS WEEK. So that as we reach out to others in compassion and love, we become the flavor and light of Christ to others. Hinaut pa.

Jom Baring, CSsR

February 9, 2020 – 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020920.cfm)

Homily

Weeks after ordination, four newly-ordained priests were summoned by the bishop for a meeting in his house. As they have settled down in his office, the bishop addressed them: “Young fathers, I have here some piece of stone, cotton, clay and sugar. I want you to choose one of these things and place them on a glass of water before you.” And so they did as asked by the bishop. Then the bishop: “Before I will announce to you your new assignment, I want you to learn something from the little exercise we did. Consider the glass of water as your new assignment and consider the kind of priest will you be in your new assigned parish community… You can be a stone who does nothing except to be a new added member in the community. You don’t influence the community and the community does not influence you… You can be a cotton who easily adjust in the community but eventually reduced and diminished the members because you centralized everything to you. Everything in parish life is now about you, and not them… You can also be a clay who slowly adjust to the community, but eventually create disorder, problems, tensions and a lot of stress in the community, thus becoming a negative influence to them. But… you can also be a sugar who slowly adjust and selflessly dissolve at the background into the community – sharing positive influence and energy to make the community sweet, and change it for the better. 

In life, we do encounter different kinds of leaders in our community. Like the bishop, we may have categorized our leaders as the Stony heartless leaders who does not care at all, or as the Selfish cotton “Me first” leaders who depletes our energy, or as the Evil clay tormentor leaders who sow chaos in life, or as the Selfless sugar Influencing leaders who encourage and inspire us in life. We prefer and expect our leaders to be selfless sugar influencer leaders who have been a blessing to us for they motivate and empower us to be responsible members and change our lives for the better. We also dislike and avoid the stony-heartless, the selfish cotton “me-first” and the evil claytormentor leaders for they make our community life heavy and miserable.

We hear Jesus in our gospel today saying: “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” From these words, surely Jesus like us, would also want and expect our leaders to be selfless influencers, who leads us by their words and example. However His words are not only addressed to our leaders but also to ourselves, His followers. When Jesus declares to us today that “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world”, He proclaims to us that with Him, we are not only already blessed but we are also God’s blessings to others. This means that as Christians, we are and we should be a blessing and a selfless influencing leader to others – to be light of the world, salt of the earth, and sugar within the community. Inasmuch as we have been blessed by the inspiration and witness of our selfless influencing leaders, we should also be selfless influencing leaders to others within our community. As we have been blessed by God and others, You and I, We as His followers are also and should be then God’s gift and blessings to others within our Christian community.

Perhaps consider then this week, the Christians people who have been light and salt in your life, who greatly and selflessly influence your growth and formation as a better person. Consider how they have been a blessing to you. Thank God for these Christian leaders for through them you are blessed. 

Consider also the people for whom you are trying to be light and salt to – people under your care, direction and leadership. Consider as follower of Christ how you have been and trying to be a blessing to them. Pray to God for guidance and courage to be selfless influencing mentors to these people. 

As a famous theologian, Hans Urs von Balthazar, once said: “What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God”. So, Be God’s blessing to others, as much as you have been blessed by God and others. Amidst a life that can be dark, broken and tasteless, Be a responsible Christian leader , a witness to be today’s salt of the earth & light of the world. So may it be. Siya Nawa. Kabay pa. Hinaut pa unta. Amen.

Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR – a Filipino Redemptorist Missionary in South Korea