Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Liturgical Year C

  • Forgive, AS Forgiven

    Forgive, AS Forgiven

    February 20, 2022 – 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022022.cfm)

    “To err is human. To forgive is divine.” Surely, we you have heard these words before and could easily agree and resonate with it.

    “To err is human.” This is true and normal for us, especially whenever we have hurt others, whenever we cannot forgive others, or whenever we have failed others. And our usual excuses are: “what can I do, I’m but just human”, or “I’m sorry. I’m not God who forgives. I’m just human and a sinner”. True, human as we are, we do wrong and commit sins and mistakes, through which we could easily hurt others. Due to our human weaknesses, we can hurt others, and others could also hurt us. Most of us could attest that it is but human and normal for us to do wrong and commit sin, thus can hurt, and be hurt by others. And amid these, we do need others to understand, forgive and love us.

    However, based from our own experience, it is also difficult to forgive others, especially when our enemies who have hurt us. Just like Abisai in our first reading, usually when opportunity comes, it is normal for us to take revenge or even in return hurt our enemies. Usually, it is not easy for us to forgive people who have hurt us. And we recognize we do need God’s Help and Grace for us to understand and forgive them. For us then, to forgive is a divine or holy or godly behavior and action.

    Jesus said in our gospel today, “Love your enemy. Do good to all those who persecute and hate you. Forgive them and God will forgive you”. Hearing these words, we could easily say in reply: “Yes. Easier said than done. Nice words, good to hear, easy to say but hard to follow and heed.” We think it would be easy for Jesus to say and do those things because he is holy, godly, and divine, but for us human, that difficult.

    We must consider that when he said these, Jesus also experienced and felt the pain, hurt, and suffering caused by his enemies. Like us, Jesus also has his own enemies, who have hurt him. There were also people who hated him, rejected him, and even caused his death. And for Jesus, it is also difficult to love our enemies. He knows and understands how difficult for us in our life-relationships to heed these words – to practice what he preached, to follow his own advice.

    But still, Jesus challenges us to carry out this command because he knows that human as we are, we CAN and are capable of forgiving others. Though difficult, it does not mean that we are not capable of loving our enemies. Though difficult, we can and it is possible for us to love and forgive others, simply because we do have the ability to forgive and love others. Human as we are, we also have the freedom and potential to forgive and love others. Though difficult, compared to animals, we human have the freedom and option to forgive or not to forgive, those who have hurt us. Meaning, to forgive and love our enemies is not only divine but also human.

    God indeed is the source of love and forgiveness. It is divine and godly to forgive and love our enemies. But God’s forgiveness and love is revealed Through Us – in and by our own decision and openness to receive and share God’s love to others. Meaning, though we are weak and slow to forgive others, like David, in faith we can still decide and offer love and forgiveness to them by also accepting their own weakness and limitations, and by giving them another chance to repent and change their ways, same way as God and others would also give us another chance to change.

    As Christians, we believe Jesus has saved us from our sinfulness. By his birth, death, and resurrection, he redeemed us, forgiven us of our sins and wrongdoings and has given us another chance. We are now then called to also forgive those who have sinned against us, AS we have also been forgiven. Human and Christ as he is, Jesus forgives us. Human and Christian as we are, we can also love and forgive our enemies.

    Whenever we are hurt and are suffering from the sins caused by others, it is better for us to reflect and ask ourselves: “If God can grant me His mercy and forgiveness, how come I cannot forgive my enemies? God loved and have forgiven me, a sinner, how can I not love but hate my enemies? If God has given me another chance to grow, why deprive others of their chance also to grow through me?

    “To err is human. To forgive is divine” is normal indeed, but to understand, forgive, and love our enemies in faith and trust with God is also natural and humanly possible for us.

    Remember Jesus’ advice for us today: “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning for you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven …for the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

  • Like: Full of FAITH than success

    Like: Full of FAITH than success

    February 13, 2022 – 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021322.cfm)

    Who do we consider nowadays the fortunate lucky people who seems to be more blessed by God? And who do we consider nowadays the unfortunate, unlucky people who seems to be cursed by God?

    For us nowadays, people who are rich, affluent, and wealthy, who got and has everything they need and want in plenty are the fortunate. Fortunate also are those who are popular, powerful, and influential – who can control and trick people for their own advantage at their beck and call. We also consider fortunate those people who are smart and knowledgeable who knows too much and can outwit and outsmart others by getting the best and extra from the situation like rewards, prizes, money, “pogi” points, power, or media coverage. In other words, maabilidad ug marunong o maru (shrewd) are seemed to be blessed by God.

    And for us today, people who are poor, deprived, and marginalized are unfortunate. Unlucky are those who have less or nothing at all, in terms of food, education, power and influence. Those who are ignorant, innocent, mayukmok (the lesser ones) – easily fooled and deceived by others are seemed to be cursed by God.

    In other words, in the eyes of the world, the rich – the “haves” and “well-to-do” seems to be blessed by God, while the poor – the “have-nots” and “nothing-to-do” seems to be cursed by God. However, the fortunate, lucky, and blessed as well as the unfortunate, unlucky, and cursed people of our world today are the exact opposite of the blessed and cursed people of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Contrary to our popular notion today, the fortunate, lucky, and blessed people for Jesus is not the rich, affluent, wealthy, popular, powerful, influential, smart, and knowledgeable people of today – but those who are poor, hungry, weeping, hated, rejected, insulted, deprived, deceived, marginalized or ignorant people of today. And for Jesus, those who are rich, full, happy, and praised by others whom we considered today as fortunate, lucky, and blessed are the unfortunate, unlucky, and cursed.

    Well, what does it mean? Does it mean Jesus uphold poverty, starvation, deception, oppression, discrimination and suffering of today? Does it mean that for us to be fortunate and blessed before God we have to be poor, hungry, weeping, suffering – in silence, hated, deprived and discriminated by others? NO. This is not about being fortunate or cursed but about our Faith and Trust in God.

    At the heart of today’s reading is not about being fortunate and cursed but the theme of Faith & Trust in God. Our first reading today gave us a contrast of the fate of those who trust in human beings with fate of those who trust in God. Those who trust in human beings are like a barren desert shrub; whereas those who trust in God are like a fruitful tree planted beside a flowing river. Jesus in our gospel today is telling and teaching us that those who trust in God are righteous and finds favor in God, but those who trust only in human beings and in themselves are wicked and unfortunate.

    What makes then a person blessed or cursed, lucky or unlucky, fortunate, or unfortunate is not on the condition where he is in, but in his faith and trust in God. What counts and matters most, then, is our faith and trust in God. And to trust in God is to rely on God as to be the one source of life. This would mean that in life and whatever happens in our life, we must trust and rely Not on our way, our will, and our accomplishments but on God’s way, God’s will, and God’s mercy.

    For Jesus, then, blessed are those who trust in God and cursed are those who trust only in others and in themselves. Blessed are the poor, hungry, weeping, hated, insulted because they trust in God. They have faith in God, they have nothing else but God. Cursed are the rich, full, happy, and praised by others because they have everything else but God. As St. Theresa of Calcuta would remind us, “God does not call us to be successful but to be Faithful in Life”.

    Here, we must also see that God’s blessings are not only “yet to come” but are “here and now”. It is not only a promise but a reality. It is His gift to us now, not as the reward that we expect and need from him, for what we receive from Him is more than just what we need and expect from Him.

    And usually God’s blessings come as a surprised Gift which is beyond our expectation. As a text message I once received say, which could be our today’s prayer:

     “God’s blessings may come as a surprise and how much we receive depends on how much our heart can believe. May we be blessed beyond what we expect, as we believe and trust in Him. God bless.”

  • TRY ANEW

    TRY ANEW

    February 6, 2022 – 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020622.cfm)

    Although he was despised by his own people in his own hometown, Jesus continues on to proclaim God’s presence in us. Rejection did not deter and discourage him to move on with His mission of making God known and share Good News of God’s kingdom to all. Instead we hear him now going to other villages and inviting, calling them to follow and join him in his mission.

    Particularly we hear today how he called Peter. He challenged Peter: “Put out into the deep, and lower your nets for a catch”. Now here is Jesus, an ordinary man – a carpenter’s son, who knows God but nothing about fishing, telling Peter – a seasoned fisherman who is having a bad day, to go fishing again. Peter may have normally reply: “Ano ka, hilo? Been there, done that. Time to pack up and leave.” But still Jesus challenged him, “Go out into the deep”. Surely there is more to Jesus’ words than merely about fishing. It also means: “don’t give up/ sail on/ try again/ please, give oneself, others and me anew chance/ go deeper”. These words also tell and teach Peter and us now about life and faith.

    For why “go into the deep”? What is special about the deep? We don’t like deep waters because it is mysterious, dangerous, and risky. We rather go to shallow waters because we are safe, manageable and in our comfort zone. Shallow waters however are usually dirty and unclear, noisy, and loud, and above all, less possible catch, if none at all. Deep waters instead are usually clear and clean, calm, and soft, and above all, more possible catch. In other words, there is more life and faith in our deep than in our shallow fishing journey-expedition of life.

    Somehow Jesus challenges us here to explore three depths in our experience of life. First, we are invited to explore the depth of our poverty, hopelessness, and helplessness. Peter was in a crisis situation, “no catch”, and about to give up. But with Jesus’ challenge, he goes beyond his misery and dare to do the unusual and unknown: “go again and deeper”, because of this, he never missed but instead have witnessed another life-opportunity ahead and anew. In the same way, in our hopelessness, helplessness, misery and crisis-situation, we are called to go beyond our comfort zones, and dare to try the unusual and unknown, and see better opportunities and possibilities than before. Again the invitation is, “if and when given another chance, would you do it again or anew, as before or better than before?”

    Second, we are invited to go beyond the depth of our self-centeredness and explore the depth of our feeling and concern for others.  Despite the possible threat of failure again and ridicule, Peter became self-less and still gave in to the somehow stupid request and crazy challenge of Jesus. Along with that, he also selflessly shared his great catch with others as he called his partners to help him and Jesus. In the same way, whenever we consider less about ourselves, we become aware of others.

    And third, we are called to go beyond our unworthiness, and discover the depth of our faith in God. After the miracle of great catch, Peter fell down at his knees and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man”. Although we know how blessed we are, at times we cannot help but feel unworthy and undeserving of God. Even St. Paul and prophets felt the same way – that with God’s grace, we feel that we are weak, wrong, bad, unworthy, not fit or qualified and worthless. We may have felt this way, but we should also realize that all these blessings are not about us, you and me, but all about Him with us and us with Him. It is all about having faith in Him – being in relationship with Him for direction, resource and meaning. Yes, we may say: “I am not fit, unworthy, undeserving, and unqualified, BUT STILL I am called, invited, blessed and sent to be His fishing and life partner – “By God’s grace With Us, We are blessed and graced, undeserving we may be,” as St. Paul would say.

    Thus, there is more to our helplessness, self-centeredness, and unworthiness, but better opportunities, more concern for others and deeper faith in God.

    So now, whenever we hear God’s word especially during these trying pandemic times: “Put out into the deep and lower your nets”, His message, call and challenge to you and us, IS to TRY ANEW: go deeper and give faith and life again another chance, for a great catch and better life ahead for you and to all.

    As we begin another (Chinese) New Year: Anew Chance again to make Life Better for you, for others and Him, may we be trusting and daring enough to heed Jesus’ challenge for us to: “Put out into the deep and lower our nets” to the great catch of blessing offered ahead of us. Amen.   P.S. On a personal note, I am bracing myself these days for anew chance of catch in Iloilo soon. Recently I had a great time of catch in my home city Davao, which has blessed me much. But another & anew chance is inviting, bye Davao for now & hello again Iloilo.  

  • Prophets amongst US

    Prophets amongst US

    January 30, 2022 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/013022.cfm)

    What we have just heard is the Good News of our Salvation. But there is something disturbing about our gospel today make us wonder whether it is really GOOD News.

    Because as we may notice, our gospel today basically tells us how Jesus was rejected in his own country. We heard in our gospel today how Jesus was despised in his own country and by his own people. While he continued His Mission to preach the Good News to All, and as he preached the Good News particularly in own hometown, Jesus experienced humiliation. He suffered persecutions and rejection in his own country and by his own “sano”, that made it difficult for him to continue his work of salvation.

    And from this experience, Jesus said the famous line, “Amen I say to you. No Prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Good News or not it may be, surely there is something disturbing in our gospel today.

    But do we agree with Jesus that a prophet is without honor in his own home? Experience tells us there is a lot of truth in this statement. Based not only on Jesus’ experience but also from our experience, to be a prophet is not an easy task, especially when our audiences are our own family & community in our midst. Surely bringing God’s message & doing wonders within our home & community takes a lot of hardships & challenges. Why is this so? Why is it particularly difficult for us to be a prophet in our own turf, in our own home? What makes it difficult for us and others to accept that we are all called and sent to preach Love within our own family?

    Our gospel today points us two stumbling blocks that somehow make it particularly challenging to be a prophet in our own turf.

    First, our prejudices. Like the people who saw Jesus as ONLY the carpenter’s son, it is also our tendency to prejudge others, as if we already know them. We tend to belittle others – we tend to measure or to limit others by our own standard. In other words: “Ka-menos ba.”  Comments like: “He is ONLY that, or he is JUST a ..” And because we judged, we boxed in, that person by our own standards, we want them to behave as we expect them to behave, no more no less. “Anak, lang tika, ayaw’g supak” or “Magulang baya ko ha.” “I am your superior/boss. You are Just my subordinate.” At the same time, we do tend not only to belittle others but also ourselves. “Unsaon ta man, pobre man, manghod lang man, dili man ko pari, layko lang ko. Bata pa man ko.” So, the attitude of Belittling oneself & Downgrading others blind us to see blessings & graces before us.

    And, the second stumbling block to our being a prophet in our own turf is our lack of faith. Our lack of faith on others & trust with oneself somehow renders us inutile & immobile to partake what is Good & True being offered us all.

    In our gospel today, Jesus was not able to work miracles in his own country because of the people’s unbelief – their lack of faith. His own hometown and his own family and relatives would not believe Jesus. They wanted to cut him down to their size, to downgrade him, and to pull him down to their level. We hear how Jesus was disappointed with his townspeople.  He was disappointed because he could not help them, as he would have liked to. Because of their narrow-mindedness, Jesus was disappointed of the missed opportunities and wasted graces he can offer them. Their judgment on Jesus was also a judgment on themselves. How they perceive Jesus projects their own view of themselves. Because of their own low self-esteem, they also see Jesus by their own lowly standard, and they were not able to lift themselves up out of their pathetic life.

    This is a story we are all familiar with. We know it in two ways, either others downgrade us, or we belittle others, same way as to ourselves. Usually it is slow for us to believe that there exists Prophets amongst us.

    The opposite of downgrading is uplifting or upgrading. Lifting us out of our apathy, showing us our greatness is exactly what Jesus has come to do. In his company, people felt better and greater than they had ever thought possible before, because of this they surrounded and followed him. But at home, it did not seem to work.

    How about us now? Does God’s grace through Jesus work, and has lifted us up to holiness? Or does our low self-esteem, low self-image, prejudices, and biases cripple us to recognize and benefit from the opportunities and graces offered before us?

    Yes, because of our prejudices and our lack of faith, it is difficult for us to be prophet in our own hometown, in our own turf, and it is disturbing news to reflect that to be a prophet, one has also to experience humiliation, persecutions, and rejections.

    The good news however is, that despite these difficulties and hardships, God still continues to send prophets who will preach his salvation to ourselves & others, whatever it takes. All we are to do now is to uplift and encourage one another. Perhaps say these words to others & oneself: “Flatter me & I may not believe you. Criticize me & I may not like you. Ignore me & I may not forgive you. Encourage me & I may not forget you” for one & some of us might be God-sent prophets in our midst.

    Amen.

  • The Lord Be with You

    The Lord Be with You

    January 23, 2022 – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012322.cfm)

    The Lord Be with you. And with your spirit. (LBWU). Junimkeso yorobonkwa hamke. Tohan sajee yongkwa hamke. Sumainyo ang Panginoon…at sumaiyo rin. Ang Ginoo maanaa kaninyo…maanaa usab kanimo. Ang Ginoo Yara sa Inyo… kag yara man sa imo.

    How are you today? Kamusta kayo? Jal Jinezoyo? With this question, easy for us to say in response: “I’m okay, I’m fine, I’m good.” However, are we not supposed to be more than just feel okay, fine, and good, but be happy, glad, thankful, and lucky today? Why? Simply because of the good news that the Lord is with you and be with us.

    Our first reading today calls us “not to be sad and not to weep, but rejoice with the Lord” – because our Joy with Lord must be our Strength. Yes, we sometimes become so familiar with that message that it becomes so ordinary for us that we don’t anymore give value to its importance. We should feel lucky and blessed, as well as be happy, joyful, and thankful because of the good news that the Lord is and be with you and us. Rejoice then for the Lord is with you.

    LBWU. Do you believe in the good news that the LBWU? Normally it is difficult for us to believe in the good news that the Lord is with us. Easier for us to accept that Maybe or Perhaps the Lord is with me, him, them, or us, but we at times doubt and ask: how can this be? How can the Lord be with me and us when we experience the world otherwise, especially during these pandemic times? The same thing happened with Jesus in our gospel today. When he proclaimed to his townsfolk the message that the Lord is with Him and upon them, people doubt, cannot accept, and believe in the message, asking same doubt: How can this be?

    However, ever since before and until now, Jesus as Immanuel always proclaim to us and the world the same message: God is with US. Believe it or not, but the message and reality is still the same: Immanuel, He, the God-with-us, is with Us. Now the question is: Are we with Him?

    LBWU – And also with you. Notice Now our response has more conviction than before. This is because we are now aware of the implications and consequences of this message. If the Lord is with us, what does it mean? As our 2nd reading reminds us that we are part of one body, LBWU means that He is with me and I am with Him – He is part of me, and I am part of Him. In other words, if He is with me, I should and have to be responsible for Him as much as He has been responsible for me and us. (vice-versa)

    For the past three Sundays now after Christmas we have been reflecting about the Mystery of the Light or the Luminous Mystery of the Holy Rosary. Here in our gospel today, we recognize the Public ministry of Jesus where it expresses how Jesus makes known the Gospel to us that our God the Father reveals Himself to us that through His son Jesus, God-is-with-us. In the Lord’s baptism, Jesus affirms and reminds us that He is God’s beloved son, as well as that through our faith in Him, We, you and I, are also God’s beloved children. With Jesus, God’s beloved child is our very identity & dignity before God. (Ako, ikaw, tayo Anak ng Dios). In the Wedding in Cana, Jesus discloses to us that God continues to bless and perform miracles in the world by the way of the Sacrament of Christian marriage and family life with the Sto. Nino, Holy Child. And today, Jesus proclaims to ever-present Good News that God, through the Lord Jesus, is and be with Us.

    LBWU – the Lord Be With You…

    May we always Rejoice, Believe and Be responsible now for the Good News that God is with Us, as proclaimed and shared to us by our Lord Jesus Christ whenever & whatever life may be now & forever. Amen.