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Category: Misa de Gallo

  • Unboxing God’s Wonderful Gifts

    Unboxing God’s Wonderful Gifts

    December 24, 2024 – Ninth Day of Misa de Aguinaldo

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122424.cfm)

    Our traumatic experiences, sad and painful events that happened in our life could be our heavy reasons to retreat into sadness and desperation. Sometimes, we could not help it because what had occurred to us was just too much to bear, and too overwhelming. Such experiences can be likened to darkness where every gleam of the light of joy and comfort was deprived from us.

    In fact, the bombing that had happened a year ago, of which many of you were survivors of that horrible and evil act, could have made you traumatized and to ask the Lord for a reason why it happened to our community. Others are still carrying the shadow of fear and anxiety, for the possibility that it might happen again.

    However, there are many of us also who despite those painful, traumatic and heartbreaking experiences in life, they persisted to hope again and too see something beyond the darkness that had befallen into their life. This is how realize how hope becomes a powerful movement towards transformation within us.

    And for us to have a better understanding on this and a better realization on the wonder of seeing beyond darkness and hoping beyond pain and sadness, let us rediscover God’s invitation for us today and see how the three gifts of presence, of light and of life were slowly being unboxed in today’s readings.

    In the Second Book of Samuel, the prophet proclaimed the gift of presence to be given to David. David who thought that he should build a house for God, was promised by the Lord rather to be given a house that will last forever. David was reminded that it is God who builds a strong house for us. This is the covenant so dear to the people because God will be a father.

    Likewise, the Psalm also expressed a similar hope. Because of the suffering endured by the people of this time, they longed to that promise of God who shall show an everlasting kindness. What kept them hopeful was their confidence in God’s faithfulness because God is our Father. This confidence in God as Father, is the gift of the presence of God being unboxed slowly throughout the history of Israel and of the story of our salvation.

    In the Gospel of Luke, what has been proclaimed to us today is the Song of Zechariah. Yet, remember, before he was able to sing this, Zechariah was muted by God. Because of his unbelief of God’s gift to him, Zechariah was silenced. He did not listen and believe in God’s revelation.

    Remember again, Zechariah’s unbelieving response was a bitter reaction to God. Zechariah must have believed that God had forgotten him and abandoned him. The shame that he endured for being childless for many years must have brought him to hopelessness. He forgot that God was faithful and a father to him.

    Yet, despite this reaction of Zechariah towards the gift of God, John was given to him and to his wife. The birth of John, was a gift of light. The dark shame and guilt of Zechariah was removed because of this gift of light. John was a light to him and to people who came to be baptized by John. John also led people to see the true light. John as the prophet of the Most High, himself unboxed the gift of light for people to see and be illuminated by God’s grace. He unboxed that gift through his preaching of the coming of the Messiah, the Lamb of God who was in their midst.

    This is how Zechariah recalled the covenant of God and the fulfillment of the promise of a mighty Savior. In his song, he also recounted how his eyes have seen clearly that promise being unfolded through the birth of his son. John will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of sins. The song of Zechariah itself is the unboxing of the gift of life.

    The Song of Zechariah proclaims to us the abundance of life coming into us now and that we too, each of us, is unboxing this gift of life.

    With all of these, how do we unbox the gifts given to us by the Lord? How shall we unbox God’s wonderful gifts when we are still overshadowed by fear, guilt, shame and sin?

    First, we unbox the gift of presence of God by becoming confident in God’s presence. Both the Second Book of Samuel and the Psalm tell us that God is our Father. Take confidence in this. It is because that God is a Father to us, God will always be for us. We may have not so nice experiences with our earthly fathers, but God as our Father, will never hurt and will never leave us.

    Second, we unbox the gift of light when we accept and confront our own blindness and our own darkness. Like Zechariah, he was confronted by the Angel of his unbelief. John also confronted the sins of the people and their corrupt ways so that the Lord will be welcomed. Let us also confront and challenge ourselves not to succumb to what is dark and to what is evil. Only then, also that we will be able to confront the darkness and the evil around us when we are confident that we have unboxed the gift of light, who is Jesus.

    Third, we also unbox the gift of life when we learn to embrace the beauty and the wonder of every form of life. God is born like us, and God chooses to be born because God is life and God is for life. When we learn to show respect to all life, cherish all life and protect all life, then we unbox this gift and be gifted with eternal life.

    Now, the gifts of presence, of light and life is Jesus himself. These are God’s wonderful gifts for you and for me. Remember that. Hinaut pa.

  • YOU ARE GREAT!

    YOU ARE GREAT!

    December 22, 2024 – Fourth Sunday of Advent, 7th Day of Misa de Aguinaldo

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122224.cfm)

    I want you to tap the shoulder of the person beside you and tell that person, “You are great!” We are all great! But wait, what makes us really great? With all our weaknesses and sinfulness, how could we be great?

    By ourselves alone, we are never great, but because we have been chosen and loved, we are made great – each of us, no matter how we consider ourselves small and insignificant. Yet, what makes us great are not those things that we have achieved or accumulated in this life. We may boast ourselves because of the achievements in life and what we have reached, however, not one will make us truly great.

    Hence, let us revisit the readings on this final Sunday of Advent that wonderfully tell us how we have been made great by God and how we have been chosen and loved.

    Prophet Micah, in the first reading,  who is also called as the Prophet of Advent, proclaimed to us how God chose the insignificant town of Bethlehem to be the place of the birth of the Messiah. Bethlehem was small compared to other tribes of Judah. However, God chose the small and the humble, not the powerful and the arrogant. From Bethlehem, David was chosen to be king and where the Messiah shall also be born.

    This is how I shall offer you now a different perspective in looking and understanding today’s Gospel which is the same Gospel as yesterday. Indeed, God’s favor for the small and the humble reflects in that encounter of Mary and Elizabeth. Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, a woman from a small town of Nazareth. Likewise, Elizabeth who was old and shamed for being barren, was chosen to be the mother of John who will prepare the way of the Lord.

    Neither of them were royalty, nor a daughter or wife of a governor. There were many women who would be more fitting than them if God would follow our worldly standard of greatness. However, God does not choose somebody because of a high status, or of popularity or fame or of wealth or power. God chooses the small and the humble, who are most welcoming of His invitations and most willing to respond to His call. Indeed, God looks at the greatness of each one of us because we are humble and unassuming of power and fame. We are made great because we are chosen and loved.

    Certainly, Mary and Elizabeth welcomed God fully in their life because they did not have many possessions. Power, or wealth, or fame, or any other forms of insecurities did not possess them; they were free and open to God.

    This reminds us too that when we are possessed by our insecurities, whatever they may be, we are being prevented from receiving the Lord in our life. But once, we make ourselves free from our insecurities, fears and anxieties, from our hatred and resentments, then, we make ourselves open to God’s invitations.

    Thus, on the part of Mary, who was greeted by Elizabeth as blessed among women, has made herself completely free for God. Her acceptance of Jesus made her life filled with love and blessings. Thus, we have lighted the fourth candle of Advent that reminds us of love.

    And because Mary was filled with love, this moved her to respond immediately to her needy cousin Elizabeth. Mary knew well that Elizabeth needed help and so she responded with willingness.

    And again, as we have reflected yesterday, this reminds us that when we are truly filled with love, love makes us more aware of the needs of others. True love and concern overflows from us and thus, making us free to share our love to those who are in need, to people around us. In this way, our way of loving will become free of pretentions and insecurities.

    What is more interesting was on how the two women greeted each other. Their encounter tells us the wonder and beauty of those who truly believed in God. Elizabeth was surprised and delighted by God’s visit through Mary. Mary’s willingness and openness to God made her the bearer of God’s loving presence to her cousin Elizabeth. Indeed, Mary’s visit, though simple, was a great gift for Elizabeth.

    Indeed, on this fourth Sunday of Advent, we are called to remain free and open to God so that we too shall receive Him fully in our life. And through that, then, hopefully, each of us will also become bearer of God’s presence to others. Never underestimate the gift of presence that you can give to your children, to your family, colleagues and friends even strangers. Be the “PRESENT” to people around you by being truly “PRESENT” in their life.  This may be simple, but our presence will be a powerful force of love and concern.

    And so, never deprive others of your presence. God has never deprived us of his presence. The Lord is never “paasa” to us because God is always faithful. God took the risk of meeting us even though it will cost him pain, suffering and even death, because each of us is a delight to him. We are so dear to God, remember this. Take also the risk to build deeper, healthier and stronger relationships, selfless and loving relationships.

    In these ways, we shall be able to respond to God’s invitation in this Season of Advent, by becoming ourselves LOVE for others, as Jesus is LOVE for us. That makes us great! Hinaut pa.

  • SOCIAL MEDIA

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    December 17, 2023 – Gaudete Sunday, Third Sunday of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121723.cfm)

    As the priest was once about to greet the people with the usual “the Lord be with you” (Ang Ginoo Maanaa kaninyo) to which the people were to respond: “And also with you,” (Maanaa usab kanimo) on a Sunday mass, the people were not able to hear such dialogue because the microphone wire was defective. The priest then tapped the microphone which fortunately made contact. But to his regret, while the mic regain contact, he accidentally shouted and broadcasted loudly: “there is something wrong with the microphone”. (Naay daut ang microphone) And worse, the people involuntarily replied: “And also with you.” (Maanaa usab Kanimo).

    During Eucharist, we usually hear the normal greeting of the priest: “The Lord be with you” (Ang Ginoo maanaa Kanimo). And then we usually reply, “and also with you” (Maanaa usab kanimo). But what does it mean? What does “the Lord be with you” mean?

    According to the scripture, the words, “the Lord be with you” is the first good news ever proclaimed to us. Since the annunciation of Maria, the birth of Jesus until His ministry, death and resurrection, these words and message have always been proclaimed and preached to us, and has been a recurring theme of the Good News of Jesus Christ. And even until now, the Spirit of God and the Church, has preached these to us again and anew – that the Lord is WITH you and all of us now.

    If “the Lord is with us”, how should we feel then?

    Our readings today call us to be Joyful and Thankful to God for He has blessed us with His presence and salvation in our lives. Isaiah rejoices over God’s grace bestowed not only on himself but on Us all, proclaiming: “My soul rejoices in my God”. St Paul exhorts that we should always rejoice and give thanks for such great blessing upon us.  John in our gospel today knows himself. He is not the Messiah himself. John is not the message or the Good New, but He is just the microphone- loudspeaker: the SOCIAL MEDIA of the message. He is only the voice and just the precursor to prepare the way of the Lord. But he also aspires to be a worthy friend of the bridegroom. He is not the Groom but the joyful Best man or person for the Groom. This is also what John wishes for us – that We become the Best (worthy, righteous, and joyful) Person before God and others for the Christ, the Messiah, and become a Microphone- Loudspeaker-social media of the message: “the Lord is with us”.

    We are now in the third Sunday of Advent. The whole Church calls this particular Sunday as “Gaudete Sunday”, the Sunday of Joy and Praise. We are encouraged to be always grateful of the Good News that the Lord is with and upon us.

    But are we really now joyful because of the Good News that the Lord is with us? Or are we, like what happened with the priest who said that mass, become accustomed and got used with the message that we are not anymore happy and excited about it? And because we get used to it and have heard it before, we just automatically or mechanically respond without really meaning it: And also with you?” What then, is the difference if when we hear the Message, and we just respond, “OK, fine whatever.”? Or without interest responding “Amen”, whenever presented with “Body of Christ” during communion? Or just saying “So what?” when a special guest arrives in your home for a visit?

    If we have heard the good news that the Lord is with us, what should we do then? If we really recognize that the Lord is with us, it is but right and fitting that we should rejoice and be happy because a great grace has come upon us. And in our joy and gladness, we also need to preach and share this good news to all – that is we should actively witness, preach and proclaim this with all our words and actions. Like St. John the Baptist in our gospel, we who have heard and glad of the good news of salvation must also become the best man – like good microphone or social media blogger that proclaims, “the Lord is with us”. And in this season of advent, we must renew, prepare, and strengthen our faith, so that we may become worthy of His message.

    If the microphone is defective, we must also check if the speaker and receiver are also defective, for we might send a wrong message and get a wrong response. Advent then is Time for Sound Check & Mic Test – for us to review our Social Media account, to ensure we are at our BEST condition to host our beloved Guest Jesus Christ.

    Christmastime proclaims to us the simple message: the Lord is with us. How about us? Are we with Him?

    May we Be with the Lord, as He has always been with Us. Amen.

  • WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE AND BEING LOVED?

    WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE AND BEING LOVED?

    December 21, 2022 – Sixth Day of the Misa de Aguinaldo

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122122.cfm)

    Before I begin my homily for this morning. I have a short exercise that I would like you to do first. This will hopefully keep you awake and make you more inspired as you start your day today.

    So, I would like to invite those who are with their husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend to look at the eye of your beloved. Silently say, “I love you!” And for those who single and still waiting, you may close your eyes “na lang” and you may say loudly, “I love you self!” 😍

    Being said that, may I present to you this question for reflection, “What does it mean then, to love and being loved?” I am sure you have your own answers to this based on your human experiences of loving and being loved. Yet, for today may I offer you my humble reflections of loving and being loved based on the readings we have on this sixth day of the Mise de Aguinaldo. Let us also see how the Lord calls us to be truly loving and be more confident in being loved.

    Our first reading from the Book of Song of Songs wonderfully described to us the relationship between a lover and the beloved. What we have heard from the reading is that it’s filled with excitement (or kilig-moments) because of the longing to see the person being loved.

    Thus, the lover calls the beloved in these wonderful invitations. The lover said, “Arise my beloved, come!” The lover is described to be like a small deer who was so excited and in its excitement would peep to have a glimpse of the beloved. The lover also said, “my beloved, see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth.” This calls the beloved to recognize that sorrow and grief is over and to embrace life and freedom. Finally, the lover said, “Let me see you. Let me hear your voice.” This is an expression of intimacy that longs for the beloved.

    With these, I therefore conclude, how beautiful and wonderful it is to be in love! – to be filled with love, to be loved and to love! Isn’t it? But, friends, know that I am not just talking about romantic love, thought that’s part of it. Why? Because the Song of Songs by using the images of romantic love, reveals to us now that God is our lover who is more than excited to see us and to be with us. We are God’s beloved. We are the one being loved. And this beautiful Book of Song of Songs invites us to arise from sadness and embrace life. Indeed, the presence of the one who loves us brings comfort as well us life.

    In response to God our lover, our Psalm today expresses our hope and longing for God. The people waits for God’s coming whose presence is the strength of the people. In that anticipation, joy can be felt, thus, a calling to rejoice and sing praises to God. This is wonderfully captured in the last verse, “Our soul waits for the Lord who us our help and our shield; for in him our hearts rejoice.”

    This has been fulfilled and concretely manifested in today’s Gospel. We find Mary, a person who is filled with so much love, because in her womb, is love. The Gospel story today was right after the annunciation of the angel that Mary shall conceive a son and when she realized that it was indeed true. At that moment, Mary carried in her womb God’s concrete manifestation of love. And the love that Mary carried in her womb completely transformed Mary, her presence, her actions and her words.

    At this point, I will be enumerating how Mary responded in loving and in being loved. In each response of Mary, I will be giving questions that would hopefully challenge us to respond in love.

    The first response of Mary is, “she set out in haste.” Mary realized the need and assistance of her old cousin Elizabeth. This response of Mary tells us that she is a person who loves and arises for the sake of others. She is a person who loves and responds immediately to a particularly need. And she is a person who loves and moves out of the self. This is evident at how Mary travelled a long way from Nazareth to a town in the hill country of Judah. At that time, Mary possibly walked for about 130 kilometers to reach the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth.

    In this first response of Mary, Pope Francis said in his message to the youth of the world, “Mary did not hold back or remain indifferent. She thought more of others that of herself.” And so in our way of loving, “Do we also move in haste in order to respond to the needs around us? Do we take the risk to go out of our own comfort and concerns for the sake of others? Or do we remain unmoved, more focused on ourselves and indifferent?”

    The second response of Mary is, “she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” Mary cared to enter into the life of others, bringing love. This is how we realize that the very presence of Mary in that house, brought life? How? At the greetings of Mary, the infant in the womb of Elizabeth leaped. It was a joyful reaction of the infant. Indeed, even at hat early moment, the infant John already recognized the fullness of life and love present in the womb of Mary.

    And so in our way of loving, “Do our words bring comfort and assurance of love? Or do our words rather, become forms of insults, harassment and bitterness towards others? Does our presence gives confidence and love to others or rather brings fear, trauma and pain?”

    The third response of Mary is, “Mary believed!” As to the words of Elizabeth, she said, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” This tells us that Mary’s faith brings forth life, concern and intimacy, care and gentleness. These become natural for Mary because first and foremost, her faith is motivated and inspired by love. Mary is filled with love. She is confident that the Lord loves her. Indeed, she believed! – because love has been fulfilled in her and that love is slowly taking a human form in her womb.

    And so in our way of loving, “Has our faith been inspired and motivated by our love, of being loving and being loved? Does our faith also bring life, concern, care and gentleness? Or rather motivated by fear, guilt, fanaticism or superstition?”

    As we bring to mind all these points for reflections, we may all be filled with love and be assured of that love so that like Mary, we too shall dare to move, respond and care for others. As we are about to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the love-made-flesh, may our way of loving then, be life-giving and love-fulfilling. Ok lang? Sana all.

  • We are Products of our Family Stories and of God’s Story

    We are Products of our Family Stories and of God’s Story

    December 17, 2022 – Second Day of the Misa de Aguinaldo

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121722.cfm)

    Each of us is a product of our vast family history. It is not that we are doomed and chained by the past, but we are being enriched by a vast history. Our families have our own history of both joys and sorrows, failures and successes, of horrors and victories.

    Our family history tells us who we are and it is part of our identity. It is also very important that we become in touch with our own family history and see how God works within our stories. Besides, knowing our family history, this will be an opportunity for us to allow God to heal our broken and painful past present in our family history.

    Let me bring you now on how God works within a human family and how God reveals the Divine Plan in the family history of the whole humanity.

    The first reading from the Book of Genesis tells us how Jacob called his sons and bestowed the blessing to Judah the fourth son. The blessing also contains the prophecy of the rise of a King, in the person of David, the very lineage of Jesus claimed in the Gospel of Matthew.

    This family of Jacob was filled with guilt and shame. The lineage had stories of repeated unfaithfulness and scandalous personalities. Jesus’ lineage is not perfect and not wholesome at all.

    Thus, we find Judah who sold his own brother, Joseph for money. King David who raped Bathsheba and then later ordered to murder her husband. Rahab, who was a prostitute. King Ahaz burned his own son alive as a human sacrifice. King Joash committed idolatry against Yahweh and murdered the people in the Temple area. The once revered King Solomon who built the Temple of God but later on, turned to be unfaithful by turning to the gods and goddesses of his many wives.

    In this kind of family history, is there any good news here, when in fact, Jesus did not come from a “good” and “blameless” family?

    Despite the unfaithfulness and guilt within this family history, God never wavered His plan to make something good, wonderful and beautiful in this family. The Gospel of Matthew that has been proclaimed today, contained a long list of generations until the birth of Jesus.

    Matthew recorded the family tree of Jesus with 42 generations divided into three, that makes it 14. 14 is the equivalent of two 7. Seven is a perfect number in Jewish belief. And the repeated use of 7 means that God works in this human family in an absolutely perfect way. The family tree though not perfect but with traces of sins and unfaithfulness, God works within this human family to bring healing and life.

    The family tree and history of Jesus is God’s statement to us that God indeed journeyed with us, in all our humanity, in all our sins and unfaithfulness. Jesus, being born in a human family, tells us that God fully embraces our humanity. With our imperfection, God made it to be the very space for us to encounter him and to know him. Indeed, this also speaks to us that we are all products of our own family stories as well as of God’s story who never abandoned us or wavered his faithfulness to us.

    This calls us now to own and recognize the gift of our family. Some of us must have been traumatized and carrying deep wounds because of what happened in our family, others could have been divided because of conflict over material possessions. Many families are also struggling to live because of so much poverty. Yet even with these imperfections, God invites us today, that as we recognize our sins and failures, God also tells us to recognize how God unfolds blessings and graces in our human family.

    And so on this second day of the Misa de Aguinaldo, we pray for our own family history, we pray for peace and reconciliation, we pray for healing and freedom so that anything that holds us back, traumatizes us, or haunts us may be healed and be given peace. As for this grace, so that as we will celebrate the birth of Jesus, who has come as part of the big human family, may also bless our families. Kabay pa.