Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Liturgical Year C

  • RE-LIVE AND RE-EXPERIENCE THE FIRST PENTECOST

    RE-LIVE AND RE-EXPERIENCE THE FIRST PENTECOST

    June 5, 2022 – Pentecost Sunday 

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060522-day.cfm)

    What keeps us from truly expressing ourselves? What prevents us from sharing ourselves to others? What stops us from being truly free? Fear of being not accepted, of being rejected and thus, of being hurt prevents us from being free, from sharing and opening up ourselves to and for others.

    This is how our traumatic and painful experiences of abuse in whatever form that is, or of betrayal, of failures, shame and guilt, or of separation and death – could paralyze our relationships, damage our self-esteem and hamper our maturity in all aspects of life.

    However, God desires that we become fully human according to God’s image, and that is by being truly free and having developed our full potentials as persons in all aspect of our life.

    Today, as we celebrate the Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit into the Church, we are being reminded today of this desire of God for us to have peace, to be free, to be filled with all the good things that God offers us as individuals and as a Church.

    So, allow me now to bring you a bit deeper into our readings today that we may also be able to see and claim what God has prepared for us today, on this Pentecost Sunday.

    The Gospel that has been proclaimed to us today would tell us about the terrified situation of the disciples. The disciples were in hiding. They were terrified and so they locked themselves because of so much fear. They did not want to go out anymore, to socialize with their other friends and relatives or to continue preaching about the kingdom of God and healing people’s illnesses. They were rather filled with fear.

    This tells us that fear can actually paralyze us. Fear can prevent us in making movements and in making decisions. Consequently, when we become fearful we also settle to what is only minimal and comfortable for us, then, this makes us complacent. We wont take risks because we are afraid of rejection and failure or of the possibility of another pain and hurts.

    But then, such attitude could also make us controlling and demanding in our relationships to the point that we direct others on how they should treat us, or accommodate us and love us according to how we want it. We do not think of others then, because we do not want any compromise. We only think of ourselves, locked in those painful past but terrified of the present. This was how the terrified disciples kept themselves in a locked room. It was a paralysis to love and be loved, to forgive and be forgiven.

    This is the very reason why Jesus appeared in the midst of his fearful disciples. Jesus wants them to get out from the attitude of fear. Jesus penetrated those fearful and closed hearts of the disciples and gave them PEACE. And that peace filled their hearts with the Holy Spirit. With that, it completely changed all of them.

    The Holy Spirit indeed calmed and gave confidence to their terrified hearts, healed their wounded hearts, forgave their hearts that were found guilty, freed their imprisoned and locked hearts, and filled their hearts longing for love.

    In fact, in the Acts of the Apostles, it was proclaimed to us how the Holy Spirit changed the disciples. That is why, aside from the noise that sounded like a violent wind and the tongues of fire that rested on each of them, there was a more interesting expression of the Spirit that happened there. The disciples of the Lord who were mostly Galileans proclaimed the goodness and power of God. Though they spoke in their own native language yet strangers and foreigners understood what the disciples were proclaiming about.

    Yes, foreign peoples grasped what the disciples of Jesus had proclaimed because at that moment, they became confident and unafraid. They were able to get out from their fears of being persecuted, from their doubts about Jesus and from their insecurities of the coming days. They realized how good God is. They truly believed that “Jesus is Lord.”

    All of these realizations were fruits of their journey with Jesus. With the Holy Spirit, the disciples found peace in their hearts, meaning, these fearful and doubtful disciples had at last found and recognized God in their life, in their human experiences. This is how the Holy Spirit creates and renews us, as the Psalm proclaims to us today. As we are being renewed by the Spirit then we shall begin to see and recognize God’s indwelling presence in everyone and in everything, and in every circumstance of our life.

    Jesus said, “Peace be with you!” which also means, “I am with you!” because Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The Lord who is with his disciples sends them now. And so, they have become witnesses of Jesus – witnesses who convey God’s offer of salvation and love not just to a particular group of people but to all, to Jews and Greeks, to rich and poor, to you and to me.

    This is also how the foreigners understood the disciples of the Lord and in effect were converted to believe in Jesus. Thus, a church was born, a church that is not fearful of persecutions and a church that joyfully sings God’s goodness and love.

    What is it to you and to me now, as a church gathered here today?Our birthday celebration today is not meant to be a mere remembering of the distant past. This feast of the Pentecost calls us rather to relive and to re-experience the first Pentecost – and that is to experience again that confidence with God, being secured by his love, by being courageous and honest enough to share the kindness of God and his love to others.Because you and I, have already received the Holy Spirit.

    We may be constantly aware, then, of the Holy Spirit in all of our human experiences and relationships. In that way, we may be renewed by the Spirit who is ready to free a heart locked in fear and insecurities, ready to calm and give confidence to our terrified heart, ready to heal our wounded heart, ready to forgive our heart that has been found guilty, and ready to fill a heart longing for love. Kabay pa.

  • JESUS IS SPREADABLE

    JESUS IS SPREADABLE

    May 29, 2022 – Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052922-ascension.cfm)

    Have you ever had a religious experience?  A religious experience is a deep and intimate encounter with God. This can be a realization how vulnerable and powerless, sinful and unworthy we are before God yet, we are being loved. Such experience brings transformation in the way we look at life and in the way we relate with others, from being closed-minded to being welcoming, from being hateful to being loving.

    Thus, a tremendous joy is felt. It could be a moment of your prayer time where you have deeply felt God’s presence despite the many problems you have. It could be in an occasion where you have seen your family or friends being together and the happiness of being with them cannot be contained. This could be the moment your girlfriend said yes to you, the moment your boyfriend held your hands, or the very first time you have carried in your arms your baby.

    This tremendous joy makes God’s presence and love ever more present in us that we wanted to get hold, to just stay there, in those feelings of joy and peace.

    Hence, allow me to bring you a bit deeper into the readings on this Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus and see how God invites today.

    The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles told us about this kind of religious experience. The apostles witnessed the ascension of Jesus into heaven. That was surely an event that captivated them so greatly because it was glorious. It was their religious experience where God made himself ever present in them as Jesus was lifted up. Because of that, the apostles kept looking at the sky. They wanted to behold that moment for a long time, not wanting to disappear from their sight and memory what have just happened.

    However, two men appeared in their midst and told them, “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” The apostles seemed to be stunned with what just happened. But, they were not to remain standing there and gazing at the sky. The apostles were told to come down and share what Jesus shared to them. They were to become his witnesses beginning from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, as the Gospel told us today.

    Indeed, the apostles were witnesses of the many wonders the Father made and did through Jesus. As Jesus ascended back to his Father in heaven, Jesus gave an important role to those who believed in him. These believers were being sent and empowered by Jesus through his ascension to heaven.

    Jesus’ ascension then does not mean that the disciples were being left alone or abandoned. His ascension means being more present to each of his friends wherever they would go. His ascension makes him a constant companion to all of them and to each of us now.

    What does it mean to us? This feast reminds us that we, who believe in Jesus, are called to tell others about Jesus – that in our own way, each of us is sent to bring Jesus and to spread Jesus’ presence into the lives of others through our words and actions, through our very life.

    Our very experience of God should move and motivate us to tell others of God’s mercy, goodness and generosity. Our experience of God is not meant for us alone but it has to be shared. Jesus is after all cannot be contained in us, because Jesus is spreadable!

    We spread our God experience through our very life. We spread Jesus in the way we relate with others, in the way we treat people and all others around us. We spread the Lord in our homes, workplaces, communities and even in our virtual reality.

    When we truly spread Jesus, this also means that we make a stand of being a witness of Jesus, of our Christian faith. Yet, it won’t be easy. It might be quite difficult because people will be against us. Why? Because, it is not easy to be honest, transparent and accountable when many are dishonest, cheating and corrupt. It is not easy to tell the truth when many are lying and convinced of the lies. It is not easy to be selfless when others are selfish. It is not easy to be faithful when others are unfaithful. It is not easy to be a counter-culture. Yet, this is what being a believer of Jesus means.

    As we continue to deepen our faith and cherish our God experiences, God invites us today. 

     To Spread Jesus today! Share to someone, to your friends, family members or even to strangers your experience of God. For the young ones and to all of us who are in social media on a daily basis, explore the social media as a way of communicating and sharing the goodness of God, by not spreading lies and fake news but facts and truth.

    It is just timely that on this Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, we are also celebrating World Communications Sunday. Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok and twitter are good media platforms to proclaim the goodness of God to others.

    Again, spread Jesus today! Spread the Good News and not fake news; spread the good not the lies. Make viral God’s faithfulness and mercy upon us. Kabay pa.

  • CHRIST-sent MEDIA

    CHRIST-sent MEDIA

    MAY 29, 2022 – SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052922-ascension.cfm)

    Not uncommon these days that we may see video clips of departing OFWs at the airport with their family. It is particularly heartbreaking to see little children crying & clinging to bid farewell to their beloved parent who may have been with them for awhile and now will be absent again, all because of the sacrifices-needed for the greater good and better life to be accomplished.

    In our gospel today, it is said that “As he has blessed them, Jesus parted from them and was taken to heaven.” Our Christian faith proclaims the Ascension of the Lord into heaven whenever we profess in our Apostles’ creed, ‘He ascended into heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father.” In claiming His rightful place in the story of our salvation, Jesus also has to leave us behind, depart from us & distant away from us. For God’s salvation be fully revealed & fulfilled, the risen Lord Jesus & His Easter disciples then must go through the process of goodbyes, letting go and distancing, which only an OFW family, both parent & children can understand by experience.

    But beyond the heart-breaking consequences of departure & distancing in life, the risen Lord’s Ascension & perhaps the flight of an OFW migrant is all about our rising above to the special mission & particular plan God has in store for us in life. Over and above what happened to Jesus & His disciples at the ascension, we give importance to what Jesus said: “As the Christ would suffer & rise from the dead.. would be preached to all nations, You are witnesses of these things… and I am sending upon you the promise of my Father.” With these words, Jesus attests that He has done His mission and now is for us to do our Mission – our Part in His mission.

    The Lord’s Ascension then is the moment when Jesus commissioned His disciples to continue the Mission he has begun. It is the very time when Jesus entrusted to His disciples all the good things he had done.   And Jesus is handing on the responsibilities now to us His disciples.

    Not unlike a departing OFW parent saying parting words of love & encouragement to children left-behind, in His ascension, Jesus may have been saying these words, “Hey, I have done my part. I have nurtured & formed you right. This time, do your part. Go now, go ahead, move on to the world and proclaim – that is, I’ve given you the authority & responsibility to share what you have experienced and learned from me, so that others may also enjoy what have you have enjoyed with me.  By the way, don’t forget to believe that I have sent you, for we can continue to do great things, if you believe in me and remain in my love. Go now and do your part, for I have done my part & will continue to do our part in this life and beyond”.

    Like the disciples of old, ours is a life commissioned by Christ. As baptized Christians, we are commissioned by Christ to continue and to do our part in the Mission of Christ. As we live our lives in faith of the risen & ascended Lord, we are entrusted also now do our part in building a Christian Nation as well as building God’s Kingdom in the here and now. Jesus continues to send us today in various ways to fulfill our respective life-missions as media of His offer of salvation to the world. During ordination, priests are commissioned to sanctify our Christian faith & life. During profession, religious are commissioned to consecrate & witness our response to God’s bountiful graces. During their wedding day, married couple are commissioned to love God in their marriage & family. During their commissioning, church lay ministers are commissioned to distribute communion, publicly read the scripture, give catechesis on neophytes Christians, on their own capacity. And above all, after Mass, we are all commissioned to “Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.”

    It has been said that at the hour of his death, Jesus did not say: “I am finished”, but rather He said: “IT is Finished”. Thus, With Him & with us, there is more yet to come & more yet to happen as we do our now our part in His mission.  

    As sent & commissioned to be His media & witnesses of the God’s kingdom, may we continue to respond & do our part in His ongoing plan of salvation.

    So Be it. Kabay pa. Amen.

  • Again, How’s your LOVE LIFE?

    Again, How’s your LOVE LIFE?

    May 22, 2022 – Sixth Sunday of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052222.cfm)

    “They said if you love someone, you set them free. If they come back again, till the end you are meant to be.” Words are from the popular song sung in duet by Barbara Streisand and Barry Manilow.

    So, How’s your love-life? More than having someone to love, love-life is all about having a life of being loving of and being loved by others. And in love, would you agree to these words that, “if you love someone, set them free; if they come back again, till the end you are meant to be?”

    When we really come to think of it, for those who have love-life, love harshly teaches us how to let go and set free of one another. For our love to grow and mature, we need also to learn how to let go and set each other free. True enough in loving others, we know that part of it is the experiences of letting go as well as letting grow – of saying goodbye and saying hello – of departure and arrival, of going away and coming back, of leaving behind and starting again anew, of distance as well as closeness. And we learn & experience growth in this kind of love along the way, not without difficulties.

    Last Sunday, we heard again the commandment of Jesus: to love one another as I have loved you. He wants us to learn how to love and be loved in return, to share love with one another, same as the way He loved us. Today, Jesus is teaching us His tough kind of love – His way of loving that requires setting one another free. He said, “I am going away and I will come back to you.” Meaning, for His love and our love to grow, we must learn how to let one another go and set each other free. This is the kind of tough love Jesus is teaching and requiring us in loving one another. Part and parcel then of loving like Jesus is our capacity to let go, set free, leave behind, and say goodbye so that our love for one another to grow and mature.

    As part of his last words, last farewell, mi ultimo adios to his apostles, Jesus is also trying to tell us that because of his love for us, he has to leave us not to forsake us, but to give us a chance to practice the love he has taught us, and to experience for ourselves the Father’s love he shared us. In other words, as he goes back to the Father, Jesus has given us the opportunity to grow in our faith and to witness and share that faith to others. His commandment of love to us is His kind of loving, that we are to be set free from our kind of loving so that we may grow in Our Father’s love. Out of love and for us to grow in that love, Jesus, as parent, guide, leader, good shepherd, Himself has to distance Himself, step back, let go, say goodbye, & set us free – so that we can love God for ourselves and help others love God for themselves.

    Somehow Jesus is saying to us now, “Guys, I have already taught you, guided you what to do. I have already done my part. Now is your time to do your part. Just carry out what I have told you: Love one another just like as I have loved you. By your love and loving, others may believe in God.  Yes, I am going away, and I will come back to you. So, don’t worry. I will never abandon you. As you love one another, in Holy Spirit, I will be always with you.”

    To us Christians who loves Jesus, this tough Christ-like love that requires distancing in order to grow is very familiar – as well as with our OFW Migrants who loves their family back home. By their love for Christ, their family and loved ones, Filipino Christian migrants find themselves physically distant but still personally close with their family & loved ones, regardless of absence and distance. As I have once ministered them, somehow their example of Christian love-life is a story of being distant yet intimate, of setting free yet coming together again, of departures and arrivals, of goodbyes and hellos. And all of these are not for the sake of preserving good things in life but to make them grow and do their part to be better versions of themselves and others in faith & life so that all may glorify God, and others may believe in Him through Jesus Christ.

    In whatever time & situation we are in – here or abroad, normal or new normal, may the love of Christ continue to inspire us to intimately lead our lives in loving God and one another in life – even if at a distance. Amen.

  • How is your love-life?

    How is your love-life?

    May 15, 2022 – 5th Sunday of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051522.cfm)

    Whenever we are asked with the question: “How’s your lovelife?” most of the time we find ourselves with an awkward smile, pondering whether we have someone loving us and/or have someone we are loving now. But over and above the person – subject and object of our love, “How’s your lovelife?” posts a deepest inquiry about our life of love and loving others. It asks us personally: “Have I been loving others, and have I been loved by others lately? Have I been loveable – able to love and beloved by others?” Meaning, beyond the answer of having or not having someone is the challenge of our being and having love at all in life.

    Simply put, regardless of having or not having someone, such question confronts us to examine ourselves: “Have I been loving to others, or have I been loved by others lately?” Love then is more than just having someone in life, but moreso about having a loving-life with others. Lovelife is thus our life of loving others, and loving one another.

    Jesus in our gospel today once again reminded us of His commandment: to love one another, as He has loved us. More than just having someone, Jesus is challenging us here to have a love life – i.e. to lead and live our lives of love with others. He also reveals us that by our lovelife with others we glorify God in Jesus and we are known by others to be His disciples. Loving one another then is our way of loving God and of being loved by God in Christ. And above all our love life with others should be Christ-like, that is the same way as He loved us. Here Jesus offers and calling us to practice Love as patterned in His way of living-life of love with us and others.

    Reflecting on our Christian life as being beloved by God in Jesus, modern-day psycho-spiritual director Henri Nouwen in his book: “Life of the Beloved” gave us a glimpse on Jesus way of loving us, i.e. On how are we to love others like Jesus. Nouwen pointed out that Christ-like lovelife consists of four elements. First, loving others like Jesus must be a chosen and committed life. Our love then is never just a consequence but a choice and commitment-we made for life. Second, Christ-like love of others must be Blessed and Sanctified. Our love must not be limited to our human ways but be offered and made holy and sacred in God ways. (Ipinasa-Dios). Third, to love others like Christ is also to be broken, formed and transformed by our love of others. Our chosen and blessed love then is meant not only for its own sake but to make us to be better version of ourselves and of others person.  And above all, Christ-like love must not be exclusive but be shared to grow and unite with others.

    Like the Bread in the Eucharist (bread-chosen, bread-blessed, bread-broken/transformed, and bread-shared), simply put, “To love one another as Jesus loved us” is to lead a life of love being-chosen and committed, of love being-blessed, of love being-broken and transformed, and of love being-shared with others.  This is Jesus way of loving us, and we are commanded to do the same, as He said to us: “I give you a new commandment, love one another as I have loved you.”

    Perhaps we ask ourselves now: “How’s my lovelife? Have I love others as Jesus loves me? Have I been loveable – able to love and beloved by others? Is my love like that of Jesus (love-chosen, blessed, broken and shared)? What areas of my lovelife is still lacking and needs improvement? How should I grow better in my lovelife and Christian life?”

    Remember: By our love, we glorify God in Christ and we are known by others as Christian.

    We pray that we may never lose sight but be rather committed in our Christ-like lovelife, “Loving one another like Jesus” as our way to God’s love and salvation. Amen.