Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Liturgical Year A

  • On Higher Grounds

    On Higher Grounds

    August 6, 2023 – Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080623.cfm)

    Have you ever been lost in the forest? What do you think is the best thing to do if you get lost in the forest?

    Others would say that to do what is practical, which is to find your way back. You may have found a way back, but still you have not arrived to the place where you want to be. Others would suggest to pray and “balihon ang sinina” or incorrectly wear your shirt. Again nothing would happen except you are still lost with incorrectly worn shirt, and never arrive at your destination.

    The best way to do if you are lost in the forest is to first stop your journey, and then look for some higher grounds, so that you will know and see where you are, where have you been, where you want to go and what the best way or road to take. Meaning, you have to stop first then climb a high place – a hill, mountain or a tree, so that from there you get a wider perspective of your journey and travel.

    Being lost in the forest may reflect our experience of life. There are times in our lives that we feel lost & confused in all our endeavors and dreams. Because of this, like being and getting lost in the forest, it is easy for us to feel tired, dry, afraid, anxious and hopeless in life to reach and achieve our aspirations, hopes and dreams in life.

    Our gospel today narrates us the Transfiguration of the Lord. We hear Jesus brought his apostles to Mt. Thabor so that they would witness the glory of God revealed before them. After they have followed the Lord in his preaching and ministry in many towns and villages, the apostles have now experienced weariness and exhaustion in their journey, even to the point others have cast doubt in the Lord’s person and authority. For them to be inspired (to be in-spirit) and encourage once again, Jesus brought then to mountain of Thabor to have a preview or prelude of God’s glory so that they themselves taste and witness God’s glory made manifest in Jesus Himself. And then, they hear & encounter themselves the call & challenge from God to listen and have faith in Jesus, his beloved Son.

    Sometimes in life, we need to stop for awhile from all our endeavors and aspirations, and then, climb the Lord’s mountain in order for us to view a much wider perspective in life and our journey. Like in our modern lingo of cellphones, we need a higher ground to get a good signal; sometimes we need to climb the mountain with the Lord for us to get a good and strong signal of God’s presence and love.

    We call this today as RETREAT with the Lord – a time in our life where we stop or slowdown from all our plans, aspirations and activities in life, spend some time to distance from our usual routine and look and climb for a high place in order to get a wider perspective of our life. Time and place to ask ourselves: “where am I now in relation to my life, dreams, aspirations and commitments?  Am I lost or in the right path? What else should be done? What need to be change?” Retreat would also mean to Treat ourselves again & anew to God’s vision of life-glory. In other word, to take care & nourish ourselves anew to the vision & fervor of God’s glory. And above all,  in the Lord’s transfiguration & our retreat moments, we are challenged also to be “transfigured”, i.e in our modern-tech language, to do “system update” for us to be in sync, upgraded, & outfitted with the current plans of God for our redemption

    As we follow the Lord, as Christian, it is healthy then for us to sometimes to retreat & be transfigured, i.e.,  to stop and climb up on a higher ground with the Lord in order to have a wider perspective of life, to witness God’s presence revealed in Christ, and to hear again & anew God’s call & challenge, our vocation: “This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to Him”. Amen.

  • Not Remain But Change

    Not Remain But Change

    July 30, 2023 – 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/073023.cfm)

    There was once a man suffering from hyper-acidity and severe stomachache. He had already consulted a number of doctors about his sickness, but in vain.  He is still suffering from his hyper-acidity and stomachache. He had also undergone a lot of surgeries, medicines, therapies, and food supplements. But still nothing happens, except he has already consumed his entire budget. He only wished that he be cured from his severe illness.

    One day indulging himself for a new pair of pants at least before he died, he went to see his tailor and ask to make him a pair of pants. When his waist was measured, the tailor announced, “36”. But he insisted, “30, not 36. Ever since, I always have size 30 for my pants”. The tailor asserted, “Well, if you insist, 30 it will be, as long as you don’t blame me if you always experience hyper-acidity and severe stomachache.”

    He could have healed from his hyper-acidity and stomachache, and have saved a lot of money from medicine, if and when he is willing to leave behind and change his lifestyle of size “30” and learn to accept the new reality that he is already size “36”.

    As per our experience, we know we cannot have, own, and possess everything in life. But though not having everything in life, we can still fully benefit and enjoy what life can offer us at the moment, if and when we only change our way of life – if and when we change our lifestyle. In other words, for us to grow and fully enjoy life, we cannot remain what we are and what we have been. We have to let go and move on with a much better & promising life before & ahead of us.

    The same radical lesson we learn from Jesus in our gospel today. While teaching his disciples and us about the Kingdom of God through the parables of the treasure and the pearl, Jesus simply points us that what God offers us is so precious that is worth more than everything we have. And for us to fully receive its blessings and graces, much is required of us, and much has to be done by us – and that is to change our ways, to change our lifestyle.

    All the people in our parable have clearly shown these. When they have found their treasure and pearl, they went and sold everything they have, and bought their precious – their hearts desire. Meaning, for us to fully possess the treasures of God’s kingdom, we need to leave behind, let go our usual lifestyle, and be open & ready to receive changes and new realities in life. In the same way, for us to fully own the treasures of God’s life and salvation, we must let go of what we have, free ourselves of our previous attachments, and change our life in compatible with the better life God is offering us now. In other words, to fully live and own the life God offers us, we cannot remain but change.

    This is very true in life. For that sickly man to live his life fully, he cannot remain size 30 but change his ways and accept that he is now size 36. To be a better family man, one cannot remain a bachelor and waste his and his family’s life, but now change to be a better man for his own family. To build-up one’s own family, one cannot remain dependent on one’s parents but be more responsible and independent for one’s own family. To be a dignified and respected person, one cannot remain a spoiled brat, an addict and a loser but be more responsible for one’s life.

    Perhaps we might ask ourselves now: have we already found the treasure of God’s kingdom in our life? If so, have we gone to sell what we have, have we changed our ways in order for us to fully acquire and own God’s graces? If not, time for us to do the right things – to do what needs to be done so that God’s graces will not be wasted. Remember God offers us a life so precious that we cannot help remain but change.

    So May It Be.

  • Spiritual than Human

    Spiritual than Human

    July 23, 2023 – 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072323.cfm)

    Life is difficult. These are the first words, the first sentence in M. Scott Peck well-read book entitled: The Road Less Travel. Somehow these words reflect our own experience of life. Life is never been that easy. Though we try our best to make life easy and convenient, we experience life as never been always convenient and easy. Life is indeed hard and difficult.

    This is not only because others have made and are making our life difficult, but also we ourselves are difficult and have made life difficult for others at times – that within us there is a struggle of irony and inconsistency going-on. This is true not only in others but also in you & me. Like, inasmuch as I try my best to make life easy and convenient for me and others, there are still people who find me at times difficult as well as I also find myself difficult. Much as I want to be OK, others and even me find myself not-OK.

    This is why Jesus is wise enough to tell us three parables today (the parable of the wheat and weeds, and its explanation, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of the yeast) to teach us that growing in life is difficult and has never been easy. As we grow and live in life, it is unavoidable that we have to go through the painstaking and difficult process of growing up because within us, there exist a creative tension of ironies and inconsistencies, as well as grace and goodness.

    It is indeed hard, for instances, to a teen-ager or a middle-age person to be not anymore young but not yet old, or for an elderly person, to be old in age but still young at heart and mind. Difficult indeed for a married couple, who in their younger age wanting to be independent from their parents, now wants their married children to be dependent on them. Paul must have known how hard life is and the irony within ourselves, when he says: “I do what I don’t want to do and be what I don’t want to be; I don’t do what I want to do, and don’t be, what I want to be.” 

    Human as we are, we recognize that we have to deal and grow up in difficulty with the ironies and inconsistencies within us – both good and bad, the wheat and weeds, sinner and saint, strong yet weak, big but still small, already not-yet, insignificant yet important within us.

    As we struggle and grow up with the difficulties and hardships of life, we might learn something in our gospel today.

    First, God sees and hopes for the best and not the worse in us. He did not only recognize, but also aids our being weeds, in our smallness and weakness. He is indeed good and forgiving who has faith in our basic and potential goodness.

    Second, for us is just to try to grow in His grace, and the rest is God’s business, not our business. Meaning, He, not us is the Lord of harvest. Ours then is to grow and bear fruit, not to reap the harvest.

    And lastly, for God’s grace to grow in us, we must learn how to let go of ourselves, let God and things be, and let new things happen and grow. For God to reap a good harvest in us, somehow we allow Him sow wheat in us, let it grow in us even in difficulty with weeds, and let it bear fruits for the harvest. Yes, it is indeed a struggle, a tension, but it is a CREATIVE tension. Thus, Life though difficult is above all life-giving and life-creating, and basically good always in God’s eye.

    In life’s difficulties and hardships, perhaps we may find consolation with the words of Tielhard de Chardin, a famous Jesuit scientist-theologian of our times: It is not that we are human being having spiritual experiences, but rather we are spiritual beings having human experiences.

    In other words, in life with its difficulties and hardships, we must always not forget that we are more spiritual than human.

  • JESUS’ ADVICE

    JESUS’ ADVICE

    July 16, 2023 – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071623.cfm)

    As we struggle with the day-to-day challenges of CoVID virus has posted on us, somehow, we also wonder what would be the best guidance and advice God is giving us at new normal times. Yes, life during CoVID virus has been constricting and stressful. We find ourselves mostly reactive to the reality that we think about whether our actions are in sync with God’s will and plan. So, what would be the best way for us to be always online & in sync with God?

    Our Scripture and Christian faith tradition have a very simple advice & protocol: LISTEN TO HIM.

    We remember many instances in Jesus’ life that the challenge of us listening to Him has been clearly given importance. At the beginning of His public ministry to proclaim the good news of salvation, Jesus said: “Today these words come true as you listen.” Also, during the Lord’s transfiguration, the disciples heard God instructing them: “This is my beloved Son, whom my favor rests. Listen to Him”. And in our gospel today, in telling and explaining to us the parable of the sower, Jesus challenges us “Whoever has ears ought to hear”.

    Our listening is indeed crucial to our faith-life. By listening to Jesus – God’s word for us, as our first reading suggest, we are part of and in line with God’s work of salvation and can benefit from the fruits of His labor. Paul reminds us that being connected with Christ assures us that “the suffering now are nothing compared with the glory to be revealed.” Jesus in our gospel made known to us how blessed and privileged we are for our faith makes us see and hear what “many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” Same way as any loving relationship, good listening and communication are very important to our faith relationship with God

    Simple as it maybe, but we do have some problems with listening. Experience teaches us that in life it is not always easy to listen. We may have heard what has been said but we may have not listened to it. Or, it could happen that the other have not yet fully said what he wants to say or we may not yet have fully listen to him, we are already thinking of what and how are we going to respond to the other. It could also happen that while we are listening to the other, there are a lot of noisy things and concerns that we are also listening to and hearing with.

    It is very true that we do have limited listening span and selective hearing. Meaning, we listen only in our limited ways, and listen to what we want to hear from what was being said. That is why selective and limited listening or not enough listening would resort to conflict, tensions, and misunderstandings. We heard what has been said but do we listen to it? We may have heard it but are we listening to what has been said?

    For instance, our gospel today is not anymore new to us. We are already familiar and have known about the Parable of the Sower. Surely many times we have already heard this parable. In fact, of all the parables that Jesus have already told us, the parable of the sower is among the few parables which he gave an explanation. True we may have already heard this parable before and may have already understood its meaning. But did we listen to it? Are we listening to it? If we don’t see and hear it calling us to listen, then we are not listening and don’t get it.

    Long before it was written and read, God’s words are primarily spoken and proclaimed to us and are meant to be heard and listen by us. The mission of Jesus is to speak, preach and proclaim the God’s Word, the Good News of Salvation. Meaning, our rightful response to God’s Word being preached to us is first to listen to it. Only through our listening that we could understand, and in effect benefit and enjoy the fruits of God’s salvation. Like David, if we want to taste and see God’s glory and salvation, we should learn how to listen intently to God’s Message and Plans through Jesus, His word. For those who listen well, they bear much fruits.

    Jesus has thus already done and doing His part in Proclaiming God’s words. Ours now is to do our part in listening and obeying God’s Word. Let anyone of us then who have ears: Listen, and heed what we hear.

    Amidst our now noisy worrisome and depressing so-called “New Normal” world, may we be more sensitive to listen God’s message & plans, thus be guided and inspired to rightly respond to its challenges for our trying times now & always. Amen.

  • What God Can Do with a “NOBODY”…

    What God Can Do with a “NOBODY”…

    July 9, 2023 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070923.cfm)

    Of all human vices, pride is the greatest and highest evil. Compared to selfishness, greed and lust, pride is more dangerous. For example, temper is what gets us into trouble, but pride is what keeps us in trouble. As what the man who caused a bad accident with road rage on others, said: “Good for him. He has been road-cutting & racing with me. See, who is the best of us, now?” (“Ahh, maayo ra pud. Sige man gud na siya’g mikiglumba nako. Na tagam. Unya kinsa may hawod nato ron, bi?)”

    Jesus in the Gospel gives praise to his Father for his love of the simple and the humble. After proclaiming the Good News to different towns & villages, and revealing Himself as the Son of God, Jesus was rejected & not recognized by most people except some few others. “I thank you Father,” he says, “that you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people.” He said these words because of his experience of pride that corrupts the proud-hearted, and also those who are pained & devastated due to the pride of others. Jesus did not condemn intelligence; what he condemns here is intellectual pride, that does not only cause people to sin & in the state of sinfulness, but above all, blocks people to receive & recognize the Good News being offered right in from of them.

    Due to pride, our hearts, minds, souls, & persons may be corrupted, closed, stony & even beyond redemption. And whenever we think or consider ourselves better, more, or superior than others, the sin and vice of pride are at work, and always dangerous. And so, be warned & beware of our Pride for it would take lots of humbling experiences for us to finally swallow or surrender our pride.

    That is why Jesus praised the humble & simple-hearted little ones, because they are open to recognize & receive God’s graces & blessings in their lives. Because they know that they don’t know & accept their ignorance & limits, the humble & meek ordinary people are wise-enough to be familiar with & to readily recognize the Messiah-with-us whom God reveals to us. God’s grace is really upon us & remains always with us, in humility, not pride; with the humble, not the proud.

    Jesus also challenges us here to be humble, simple & ordinary with our faith in Him. He calls us to deny ourselves, carry our crosses & follow Him. Meaning, he simply what us to live our lives with Him. He does not require us to study or understand, but to accept, recognize & believe in Him. Not to bear Him in our pride & sinfulness, but to take on the cross & responsibility for His mission of redemption for all. And we can only fulfill all these by means of our humble, simple, ordinary faith & life witness, & not through our pride.

    A biblical scholar once said, “Moses spent forty years thinking he was Somebody, then he spent another forty years in the desert realizing that he was Nobody; but finally, he spent the last forty year of his life, learning what God can do with a Nobody! 

    Remember, even the most uneducated or illiterate among us could understand and live with the mysteries of God’s kingdom, if we are simple and humble of heart and mind before God and others. 

    Lord, remove pride in our hearts & keep us always humble & simple, and Your better plans, ways & will be done in us always & forever. Amen.