Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Liturgical Year C

  • WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

    WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

    July 10, 2022 – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071022.cfm)

    I grew up in a community where people know everybody. I have enjoyed playing and fighting with other kids. As kids, we were welcomed to take something to eat and even sleep no matter whose house would that be. I have enjoyed very much my childhood when we have to make our own kites and toy cars, build our small houses, running around and getting hurt and dirty with other kids. Those days that I had were the foundation where I was able to relate and socialize with others. And most importantly, the early years of playtime and growing up as a child are the opportunities also where a child will develop his or her sense of responsibility, creativity and sensitivity to people around him or her.

    This kind of development in us is being nurtured within the environment where we are in. In this case also, we understand that our neighbors play a vital role in our everyday life. Our encounter and everyday exchange of gifts, stories and even quarrels and gossips make as animated and alive.

    That is why, we also find neighbors helping one another in times of need and sorrow and sharing their joys in times of abundance and blessing. We understand that our neighbor is someone who is close to us, somebody we know and someone we are familiar with. And we consider those outside this circle as strangers to whom we could easily show an indifferent attitude. However, this kind of understanding of neighbor is being challenged today. This is what we have heard from the Gospel of Luke.

    And so let us explore now the invitation for us this Sunday through our Gospel.

    There was a lawyer who asked Jesus on how he would be able to attain eternal life. What he asked was not just actually about what lies after death but also of the present moment. Eternal life then means eternal joy and this joy can already be found now.

    The lawyer knew the answer, that is why, he also answered his own question to Jesus. This joy can be attained by loving God and loving one’s neighbor. This love of God can only become concrete when a person also shows the same love to his or her neighbor. And so it means, that these two are inseparable.

    But, the lawyer asked Jesus again and clarified, “who is my neighbor then?” And Jesus’ answer must have left the lawyer speechless. In the parable that Jesus gave, a neighbor is somebody who is in need regardless of the persons’ belief, culture, race or status.

    This is the reason why the victim in the story was portrayed to be naked and unable to speak because he was half-dead. The person had no particular culture or race, or language or belief. The person then symbolizes anybody.

    Moreover, a neighbor is also a person who responds to those in need. A neighbor is a person who feels the suffering and pain of the other and because of this, a neighbor is moved to extend help and assurance to that person in need. This is done out of generosity and kindness.

    Thus, the priest and the Levite in the story who merely showed indifference to the dying person were not neighbors. Their fear of becoming unclean and not being able to enter the Holy Temple or perhaps fear to do something that it might be just a trap of the thieves, prevented them to extend their hands to the person. They must have surely felt pity for the victim but then they remained in the feeling and did not move into action.

    That is why, to only feel pity for the person in need without changing anything from us, is empty. True pity leads to mercy which also leads to kindness, a generous action.

    This is how we realize that being a believer of God, your faith and my faith does not mean to be static or passive. Faith is not dependent on letters or traditional practices and rituals as shown by the priest and Levite. But faith is dynamic and pro-active because it is about a relationship. This is what the Samaritan showed.

    Therefore, true faith builds relationship, friendship. It is sensitive and generates kindness, generosity, mercy and compassion. In other words, action!

    Thus, Jesus invites us today that to attain eternal life or eternal joy is also to build relationships. The Samaritan despite the discrimination against him by the Jews as heretic, impure and lowly was able to build relationship by recognizing that victim as his neighbor.  This was how the Samaritan extended his hands for the man who was in pain and suffering. His hands provided comfort and healing to the person. His presence became an assurance and security for the victim of abuse and crime. He did all those not because he was after some recognition or reward. He extended his hands and went beyond what was expected of him because he cognized the man as a person in need of help and healing and because he recognized God in that person.

    This is how Paul in his letter to the Colossians reminds us too that Jesus is the very image of the invisible God. As the Good Samaritan recognized God in the person of the victim and the suffering man, we too are called to recognize Jesus, the image of the invisible God among our brothers and sisters.

    And so for this Sunday, there are three take-aways that I want you to remember and to bring with you at home.

    First, make our faith alive. We have realized that faith is not limited with our memorized prayers, traditional religious practices and Sunday obligations. Faith is a way of life for us Christians that allows us to build relationships with God and with our neighbors. Let us not make our faith become stagnant and passive. Make our Christian faith alive by generating kindness and generosity, love, compassion and mercy.

    Second, touch to bring healing. As the Good Samaritan took the risk and the time to touch and bring healing to the man in pain, let our touch bring healing as well to people around us. Let not our touch be a cause of pain and suffering to others like what the robbers did to the man. Their touch was oppressive, cruel and abusive. Rather, let us make our touch become a source of healing and comfort by being gentle and kind.

    Third, be a neighbor. This is what Jesus is trying to tell us today that our very presence with one another will also become a source of support and understanding not judgment, be a source of comfort not gossip and intrigue, be a source of solidarity and empathy not indifference and to be a source of life and joy in our community and not of abuse, corruption and death. Kabay pa.

  • Neighbors Among Us

    Neighbors Among Us

    July 10, 2022 – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071022.cfm)

    Once a man happened to fell on a rather deep manhole. He really had a hard time to escape from his difficult situation. So he called for help. It happened that a lawyer passed by, so the man shouted out: ‘Help’. The lawyer replied: ‘Sorry I cannot help you now. I’m on a hurry for a court hearing. Here is my calling card. Call me later and we will sue the company who dug this pit – Pro bono/ for free.’ And so the lawyer took off. Then a doctor came by, but said, ‘Hey, I cannot help you now since I have a scheduled operation. Here are some prescriptions for your bruises. I will call for help. Surely I will help you at the hospital.’ And then the doctor left. A priest also came and said, ‘Sorry, so, I cannot help you right now. My mass is about to start. Here is a rosary, pray till the rescue arrived. We will pray for you also.’ And the priest rushed off.

    Now, the man got a lawyer’s calling card, a doctor’s prescription and a priest’s rosary, but still trapped in a manhole. Eventually his poor neighbor came, and right then and then, jumped into the pit. The man said to his neighbor, ‘How stupid you are. Now both of us are trapped in this pit’. Then replied the poor neighbor, ‘Yes, but I know a way out.’

    Once again we hear the Lord’s commandment to Love the Lord our God and our neighbor as we love ourselves. However, based on our experience, this commandment to Love… are nice words to hear but hard to follow, especially on loving our neighbor as ourselves.

    That is why, not satisfied knowing the commandment the teacher of the law raised the question: ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Like him, we know the commandment to love but we also like to know who is our neighbor worthy of our love.

    In response to this question, Jesus told us the parable of the Good Samaritan. For Jesus, the neighbor who is worthy of our love is our immediate neighbor. The very person  we are with – in the here and now, is the very neighbors in your midst who we should love. We don’t need for someone absent and far to be our neighbor to love. But the very persons before and with us now, who need our help and love is our very neighbor we ought to love.

    To help and love our neighbor, then, we don’t need to look for them somewhere. Just be aware and conscientious of the people around with you in the here and now, and respond lovingly as you can.

    Once in our Redemptorist parish in Dumaguete,  we had a program where we give Christmas gifts to poor parishioners. What makes this program unique is that we arranged the gift-giving wherein the donors themselves go and visit the home of the poor beneficiaries nearby, and give their gifts. A donor once told me: ‘Many Thanks, Father! It is only now I become fully aware of the poverty of our neighbors nearby, especially of Nong Berto’s family who used to drive me to school when I was a little girl.’ Our neighbors worthy of our love are the very people amongst us nearby we immediately see, smell, feel and hear.

    Through the parable, Jesus also teaches us the proper way to help our neighbor: Before we try to help others, we should immerse and be in solidarity with their difficult situation. In helping others, dole-outs, give-aways, and reaching-outs are not enough. We need to dive in, get wet or dirty along the way, and journey with them, to free one another from the situation.

    The Samaritan is good because he fully involved himself in helping the needy. He knew the best way to respond because perhaps he was also once needy and in such worse situation himself. Like, the poor neighbor of our story can help the man because he may have been in the same situation before, but he knows a way out. Others (lawyer, doctor, priest or levites) cannot and was not able to help because they don’t want to be involved and they cannot sympathize because they were not in that situation before, and don’t know a way out. In other words, only swimmers can rescue a drowning person. So, love your immediate neighbor in your midst as lovingly as you can.

    The Lord in our first reading however reminds us that: This command is not too mysterious and remote for you, not up in the sky nor across the sea. It is something near to you,  already in your mouths, and in your  hearts : you have only to carry it out.’ Meaning, we CAN love the Lord and our neighbor as ourselves because we are also loved by the Lord and our neighbor as ourselves.  We can love because we are loved by God and others. We can help and take care of our neighbor because we are also helped and taken care of by God and neighbor. We can rescue and save others because we are rescued and saved by God and others.

    For us to inherit eternal life, God directs us to do what needs to be done: “Love your God and your neighbor as you love yourself.” So, let us do our part in Loving Him and our Neighbor, as He and our neighbor loved us since before, until now & may always be as ourselves. So Be it. Siya Nawa. Kabay pa. Amen.

  • WHEN WE HAVE JESUS IN US AND WITH US

    WHEN WE HAVE JESUS IN US AND WITH US

    July 3, 2022 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time      

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070322.cfm)

    Is it not that we long for peace and prosperity for our family and for our community? Who would not want and hope for a peaceful home and a comfortable life? I am sure, each of us desire this kind of life. With all the troubles that we experience in life such as personal problems, failures and struggles; family demands, conflicts and grudges; crimes, disasters and corruption in the community, we want peace. If only we have peace within ourselves, in our homes and communities, then, our life would be very different. Life would surely be harmonious and more productive.

    The hope and dream of peace and abundance in life had been already imagine long time ago. In fact, this was prophesied by Isaiah. We have heard it from the first reading how Isaiah had seen the day when Jerusalem will be comforted with peace and prosperity. The people longed for this because of the suffering they went through. The people of Israel agonized so much from oppression and slavery. Wars had been waged left and right and the people suffered greatly from these devastations.

    Yet, God is not blind of our human suffering. In God’s goodness, peace and prosperity will be upon the suffering people. That is why, the message of Isaiah is to “rejoice and be glad.” God will see to it that He will comfort the grieving and suffering people. God’s comfort will surely bring joy, peace and contentment in the life of God’s people.

    This is what we also discover in the life of St. Paul in which God’s comfort was revealed to him. Indeed, Paul in his letter to the Galatians expressed his experience of peace and confidence in Jesus. Despite the many trials that he underwent, Paul found peace and confidence in Jesus. Even the conflicts within the Christian communities at the time of Paul can never destroy the peace that he received from the cross of Jesus. And Paul was boasting about it. Nothing will trouble Paul because he has Jesus with him.

    In that cross of Jesus, Paul experienced tremendous love and forgiveness. Because of this, Paul also found his true self and became a witness of Jesus. This moved Paul to preach the Gospel, and in fact, to preach to others the peace and confidence that he received from Jesus.

    Preaching and bringing peace to others was actually done even earlier. This is what we have heard in the Gospel. Jesus sent 72 people in pairs to bring peace to the many homes that they will visit. Jesus is, certainly, aware that our homes are in need of peace. This was the mission of the 72 people sent ahead, to bring peace and to bring Jesus himself to their homes.

    This is the promise fulfilled in Jesus as what has been prophesied by Isaiah. Jesus is the peace, the comfort and the confidence that God promised. This peace brings openness to God’s friendship and God’s healing.

    But let us remember, Jesus needed the help of his disciples to bring peace to many homes. This reveals to us now that preaching and being a witness of Jesus is not just limited to the closed group of the 12 apostles. This means that everyone of us is being sent by the Lord to preach, to bring peace and to bring healing wherever we are.

    Indeed, the promise of peace, confidence and prosperity are not fulfilled outside of us but, through us and within us. The confidence and peace that Paul was telling about was not an outside experience, but rather, Paul himself experienced it personally. It is through his personal encounter with the risen Jesus.

    The 72 people were able to bring peace to many homes, not because of an outside influence but it was coming from their personal relationship with Jesus. The presence of Jesus in their life allowed them to become agents of peace and healing.

    This is where we now find the invitations for us this Sunday.

    First, Jesus calls us and sends us to be part of that fulfillment of the promise of peace and abundance in our families and communities. The Lord, certainly, fulfills his promise through us and with us. Peace is achieved not outside of us. Confidence is attained not apart from us. This tells us again that God’s wonders are made through us and with us.

    Indeed, God desires that we become part in making and working wonderful things in this world. This involves bringing peace and healing to our troubled and wounded homes, relationships and communities.

    Second, Jesus reminds us too that by being part of God’s work, let not material things and our other insecurities trouble us, limit us and hinder us.Paul also did the same thing. He did not allow anyone and anything to trouble him and remove him from the peace that he experienced from Jesus. Let us not allow our complains and anger, hate and bitterness with one another and even our insecurities to steal from us the peace that Jesus has given to us. Let us rather allow the joy of having Jesus in our life to empower us in bringing peace and healing. Kabay pa.

  • SHARERS than mere takers

    SHARERS than mere takers

    July 3, 2022 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070322.cfm)

    “The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest to send out more laborers to gather in his harvest.”

    Easy for us to think that this particular scriptural passage in our gospel today is a call for us to pray to God to grant us more laborers for His vineyard, so that we may enjoy the fruits of His harvest. In a sense, we acknowledge and enjoy the abundant bounty of God’s salvation in our lives. But, we also need to ask God to send us somebody to hand such blessings over for us. For us then to fully enjoy the harvest of God’s salvation in our lives, we must have to pray that God will send us more laborers at our service, and that we just wait for these laborers to come and share us the fruits of the harvest. In other words, we are mere the passive recipients and benefactors of God’s grace – begging God to call and send somebody, other than ourselves, to share us the fruits of His redemption.

    But this passage is more than just an appeal to pray to God that He will send us others to save us the day and have a share of such blessings. But this is Jesus’ invitation for us to become the Laborer, ourselves. He calls us to be sharers rather than mere takers.

    As the Lord of the harvest Himself, Jesus did not only ask his disciples to pray, but also invited and sent them as laborers in His vineyard. After saying, “Pray that the Lord of the Harvest to send out more workers to gather in His harvest”, he said, “Go, I am sending you…” This would mean that recipient-benefactors we may be, we are also active participants and sharers of God’s salvation. Not only that, in prayer we recognize God’s grace but also we declare that we are sent to be sharers, promoters of such grace to others. As we are called to follow Jesus and to pray for more disciples, we are also challenged to become His laborers & missionaries ourselves – sent to extend His invitation to be laborers to others so that all may have a share and can fully enjoy in the blessings of God’s kingdom.

    This is an extension of Jesus’ invitation: “Follow me.” Yes, he calls us to be his disciples but he also wants us to be a missionary disciple, to be his follower who is also called and sent to bring & share the good news to everyone. All of us are called to be His disciples. But to be His disciple, it is not enough just to believe and passively follow Him. It would also mean that to be his disciple is to participate in His missionary work of salvation. We must also contribute and take part in sharing and preaching the Good news to others by our words and action, and in building His church. 

    We might ask ourselves, “What can I do or contribute for God’s Kingdom?” You may not be convinced that you can do much, but each of us can effect some change in one way or another in our lives for God’s reign. Just like the attitude of this little child.

    Years ago, a gentleman stood outside admiring a newly-build magnificent cathedral. Standing beside him was a little girl of ten years old, who suddenly asked him: “Mister, do you like that church?”  “Yes, my dear, I think it is quite lovely.” “Well, Mister, I’m glad you like it because I helped in building it.” “You? You helped to build it?” The child proudly nodded. And the man continued: “But you are only a little girl. How did you help to build it?” “Well, my daddy is a construction worker,” came the reply, “and he worked on this church ever since it began, ….and every single day I brought him lunch.” A simple contribution of loving kindness made a difference. It helped build a church for everyone.

    Remember Jesus first calls us to “Follow Him” and as we follow, only then we are invited to “Do this”. As last Sunday gospel suggests, Following the Lord calls for our availability first and then our capacity. If we prove our dependability and faithfulness, only then He will increase our capability. Like that girl, Be part of the building and sharing of God’s grace in life rather than like that gentleman, just benefiting from it.

    We pray that our faith in Jesus Christ moves us to remain available and actively participate in the harvest of God’s graces and blessings for us all as now & always. Amen.

  • Freedom from Attachments 

    Freedom from Attachments 

    June 26, 2022 – 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062622.cfm)

    As we grow older, we also develop fondness and attachments to few or many things, people, events and even memories of our past. This fondness and attachments could just because of our liking or comfort and pleasure. But to a deeper level, we have grown attached to it because it fills our emptiness, it satisfies our deep longing, and pampers our deepest desire.

    However, when we are not conscious of these, such attachments that we have developed could make us stagnant, uncompromising, and indifferent to the point that our attachments to things, people, belief or memories become an obsession.

    In fact, the younger generation today may have more chances to be more fixated and attached to things. Like for example, it is a common sight today of parents allowing their young children as early as 2 or 3 years old playing with smartphones, iPads or tablets to be entertained and to keep the child occupied. Perhaps because parents are multi-tasking and of the amount of workloads they have, that they cannot be always available to their small child. Thus, giving a smartphone to them would be the most convenient to do and to let these gadgets do the babysitting.

    However, when this is not regulated and parents are not mindful enough of its effect to the child, the child may also grow a deeper attachment to gadgets that when a gadget is taken away, the child could throw an endless tantrum. That deeper attachment to a gadget of a child will be intensified when physical presence of parents is deprived in the formative years of the child. Consequently, gadgets fill up that emptiness in a child and satisfy the longing from a child to his or her parents.

    Our attachments, whatever they may be – things, people or memories, that also become an obsession to us, could hamper the quality of our relationships with one another and of our freedom to be available for others and for God.

    On this 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, our readings invite us to look at ourselves, to look at our attachments and to examine the quality of our commitment in our relationships with others and with God. Thus, allow me now to go a bit deeper into our readings today and let us see how God invites us to be free and to be more available.

    St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians acknowledges that Christ sets us free from the yoke of slavery. This yoke of slavery is our very attachments to things, to pleasure and to comfort that only satisfy oneself but indifferent to the needs of others. St. Paul further reminds us that this can be very dangerous because we will never be satisfied but rather will only go on biting and devouring one another. Though this sounds horrifying, but Paul wants to tell us that when selfishness fills our heart, then we also become corrupt and vicious in our relationship with one another. Accordingly, for St. Paul, this is not true freedom but slavery. Freedom, as St. Paul reminds us, is to be able to serve one another through love.

    This is what Jesus is trying to teach to his disciples especially when James and John suggested to him to call fire from heaven and to consume a Samaritan Village. The reaction of James and John tells us of a fixation to power and authority. As disciples of the Lord, the two could have also grown entitled who wanted to assert their power and authority to people who did not belong to their group. Yet, Jesus reprimanded them because power and authority is not about being able to punish people or to become destructive and cruel to those who are against us. Power and authority is freedom to give life, to inspire life and motivate life in the community. Thus, when we ourselves become obsessed with power and authority, we also become entitled, demanding and abusive in our relationships. And this happens in our homes, workplaces, organizations and communities. Indeed, beware that we will not be consumed by this obsession.

    Moreover, Jesus points us another aspect of being free and that is in following him. Many expressed that they want to follow him, yet, because of their personal attachments to comfort, to people and other things in life, they cannot fully commit to the Lord. Jesus calls us that in order to follow him whether in religious life, in married life or in friendship is to fully commit ourselves. This calls us also to detach ourselves from whatever that prevents us to be more available in our commitment.

    This is what Elisha shows us in the first reading from the First Book of Kings. Elisha who was called to follow Prophet Elijah gave up his attachments in life symbolized in slaughtering his oxen and giving it to people to eat. This was his form of giving up and detaching from what would prevent him from responding to the call of God through Elijah. Elisha made himself free so that he will be available for God and for the ministry he was called to do.

    Now, there are at least three take aways that I want you to bring home today.

    First, acknowledge our attachments, fixations and obsessions that prevent us from being free. This could be a thing, a person, a belief, an opinion or a particular unreconciled memory of our past. As we recognize them, may we come to realize and get hold to what really satisfies us, to what truly gives us life and freedom. Thus, may we always come to the point that it is Christ who sets us free, that it is God who fills our emptiness and longing in our heart, and who heals our broken hearts.

    Second, slowly but consciously detach from those attachments, fixations and obsessions. It won’t be easy to stop an old habit already engrossed in our subconscious. Thus, we also need people to accompany us and to help us in order to remind and motivate us. In case we need a professional help, then, seek that help.

    Third, humbly serve others by being physically and mentally present. St. Paul tells us that we are called for freedom, not to serve our ego, but to serve one another through love. Let this be a reminder to all us, to parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, collogues, ministers and religious that it is in a loving-service and not in controlling and manipulating others that we find true freedom and that we are able to give life. Kabay pa.