Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Season of Lent

  • THERE IS NO MINIMALISM IN LOVING

    THERE IS NO MINIMALISM IN LOVING

    March 12, 2022 – Saturday First Week of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031222.cfm)

    If you love those who love you, what is special about that? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? These questions are not from me, but from Jesus for all of us.

    Loving those who love us or being friendly with those who are only our friends means that we are only doing what is minimum and easy which requires less effort from us.

    Have you met persons who live their life to what is only minimum? There are people who tend to work to what is only expected from them. They won’t be late yet they will never come early. They will be the first person to “time out” and the first person out of the door. They won’t dare going an extra mile yet, we cannot accuse them of not doing their job.

    There are also some of us who fulfill their Sunday obligation or other religious obligations but stop there. Yet, they would also stop from extending themselves to do some volunteer works or from joining solidarity causes of the Church.

    There might be some of us also who would tend to relate with others in a casual and in a minimum encounter with others. This minimum encounter does not require us of building deeper relationship but only superficial. It does not require more energy, effort, extra time and presence of extending oneself for the other. It only stays to what is safe, not risky and self-beneficial.

    Hence, doing what is only minimum can become an attitude of complacency and would developed into indifference. This was what Jesus criticized about. And this is also the very attitude that Jesus wants us to get out and go beyond. When complacency becomes our way of life, we become stagnant and won’t grow. When indifference is our attitude, we become detached and isolated from God and from others.

    Remember, when we truly love somebody, this love does not settle with the minimum, but always at the maximum. In many of us, this kind of loving beyond the minimum is being experienced at home where parents sacrifice and go an extra mile to provide better opportunities for their children. This is also experienced among couples who take the risk of loving each other despite their differences. This is also showed by people who work tirelessly to serve the public such as teachers, nurses, doctors, etc.

    Hence, Jesus calls us now is to go beyond what is minimum. and let it flow into our relationships too and in the expression of our faith. This is done by loving our enemies and by making them our friends, at least in our own perspective. Do not just settle down to what is only self-beneficial but to extend ourselves to others by becoming more generous of ourselves and presence to those who need company, friendship and assurance of love and affection.

    Though there is beauty in minimalism and goodness in it but not in loving. Do not be a minimalist in loving because it won’t be love anymore. Love as much as we can as God has done it for us. Express such love in concrete ways and let our relationships be founded on it, our profession and work be its inspiration, and our faith be its power. Hinuat pa.

  • TO DO MORE AND BE MORE

    TO DO MORE AND BE MORE

    March 11, 2022 – Friday of the First Week of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031122.cfm)

     Is it enough to only do what is comfortable for me? Is it enough to show to others that I am charitable? Is it enough to do what is required of being good and being pious? Is it enough that I stay neutral on moral issues? Is it enough to stay unconcerned and indifferent as long as I do not hurt others or do bad things to people? Is it really enough to always be and do what is only minimum?

    It won’t be enough at all. It is neither enough to do what is only comfortable for us, nor to do what is only required for us, nor to stay neutral on moral issues, nor to stay unconcerned and indifferent as long as we do not hurt and do bad things to people. Yes, it is not enough to be and to do what is only minimum.

    The Lord calls all of us today, “unless you surpass the righteousness of the Lawyers and the Pharisees, then, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.”

    Without condemning these people, who were the Jewish Lawyers and Pharisees, Jesus wants us to realize something beyond the usual actions of these people and to become righteous, good and religious beyond what is minimum, beyond what is required by law.

    Indeed, the Jewish lawyers and the Pharisees were more inclined in focusing on the letters of the law. This means that these people were more concerned of following trivial things in the Jewish Law. However, this kind of attitude prevented them to be compassionate to others and to be more expressive of mercy to the sinners, the sick and the poor.

    Jesus gave a practical challenge to his disciples, an action that expresses mercy and compassion. Jesus calls for “Reconciliation” and “Reparation” of the damage that we have caused to others. To be reconciled with the person whom we have hurt and those who have hurt us, expresses the essence of this Season of Lent.

    Lent invites us to look closely at our failures and sins and to recognize them. Yet, we do not stop at the recognition of sin. We do not stop in saying “I am sorry.” However, we step forward by making peace, by reconciling ourselves with others, by doing the right thing, by paying and repairing the damage we have don and doing what God desires us to do.

    God calls us to go beyond from what is only easy and comfortable for us. let us remember, that it is a temptation to settle to what is only minimal and become complacent and indifferent towards others. True enough, it is very easy  for us to continue what we are doing. We could just go to the Church and attend mass, pray our rosary and novena, and go for a regular confession and give our alms to the poor. However, our heart could still remain unmoved by the many social issues that surround us or remain indifferent to the needs of people around us and still does the same sins over and over again.

    Today, Jesus invites us to be more expressive of our faith that does count and does not settle to what is only comfortable, easy and minimum. May our faith, our devotion and our love for God and for others give us the courage to do more and be more. Hinaut pa.

  • MORE AVAILABLE FOR GOD AND FOR OTHERS

    MORE AVAILABLE FOR GOD AND FOR OTHERS

    March 10, 2022 – Thursday of the First Week of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031022.cfm)

    What are we supposed to ask actually? What is it that we should really seek? Wealth? Long life? Success and achievements in our careers? Happy family life? Peaceful life?

    Jesus told us to ask and to seek. Yet, the invitation of Jesus is grounded on a deep faith and trust in the goodness of the Lord. The Lord does not say that whatever we ask and desire will be given to us immediately and absolutely. Rather, Jesus wants us to realize how important it is to pray and to be able to communicate with God, with all honesty and humility. A prayer that springs forth from intimacy and friendship.

    Prayer, therefore, is not just about asking, seeking and desiring what we want for ourselves alone. This will only make us self-centered. Prayer is allowing ourselves to be more aware of God’s presence in our life, and more aware of the people around us. Prayer, then, builds up our faith and trust in God, but also, it brings us to be deeply in loved.

    The story of Queen Esther in our first reading tells us about this. The Queen, in all humility, pleaded to the Lord God to rescue her people from death. She did not ask the Lord God to just secure her status, her title and wealth as Queen. She, however, became an intercessor on behalf of God’s people, the Israelites.

    Queen Esther asked the Lord for courage and strength that she may be able to become a mediator between the people and her husband the King. She knew that this would be too risky as she might also lose everything she had as Queen. Yet, what she asked and sought from the Lord made her deeply in love with God’s people. Indeed, her prayer was answered because God found delight in her heart that was filled with humility and love.

    This is Jesus’ invitation for us today as well, that our prayer becomes an opportunity for us to grow more in our love and concern for others. As we continue to journey in this Season of Lent may we also develop our friendship with God and with people around us, making our hearts more available for God and for others. Hinaut pa.

  • Into Temptation

    Into Temptation

    March 6, 2022 – First Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030622.cfm)

    Three men and an elderly priest had once a discussion. The priest asked: “supposing a corrupt politician approaches you, gives you lots of money and promises to grant you more favors if you vote and support him in the coming election, what would you do?” Replied by the first man, “I will return him the bribe-money”. The priest told him, “You, stupid fool”. Then the second replied, “I will take the bribe-money. I will keep it in my pocket. Surely, I will not waste such fortune”. But the priest replied, “You, shrewd crook”. And the last man said, “I really don’t know what to do? Will I overcome my evil inclinations? Or will my evil inclinations overpower me to claim what is not mine and to do what should not be done? I really don’t know. But if God will bless me and strengthen me to go against all my evil inclinations, I will return the bribe-money back to the corrupt politician.” The priest then said, “You are right, and you are a wise man.”

    Why? The priest called the first man stupid fool because he doesn’t know himself. He believes that he is too strong to resist temptations in life. No men, by himself, have ever overcome temptations in life. Usually, temptations overcome us not because we are weak but because we are too proud to think that we are strong enough to overcome temptations. The second man was a shrewd crook because he is willing to claim what he does not own, and to do wrongdoing, without any qualms whatsoever. For such kind of men, temptations are opportunities for them to take advantage of others for their own benefits. The priest praised the third as good and wise man because he knows that like all of us, we are basically weak people. He hopes that in the midst of temptations, he will be strong enough to do what is right. But he also knows that he can only do this with God’s help and strength, and he is most willing to ask and pray for it. He knows that in dealing with life-temptations, there is always a struggle within as well as reliance and faith in God’s help. 

    We can say the temptations Jesus experienced in our gospel are still very much present and true in own lives today. To live in humanistic and materialistic life, to strive for our own self-glorification and not for God’s glory, and to worship not God, but worldly power and honor are still very present and true in our lives today anywhere, both at home and abroad.

    Surely the migrant workers and their family today can attest to the reality and experience of temptations, struggles and reliance on God within themselves and their own family. They know the better and the worst realities and effects of how to live within the context of a Christian migrant family. Yes, our ability today to live and work abroad either as migrant or worker presents us great opportunities to make and build up our lives. But it also presents us great temptations to break and destroy our lives. Wherever we are, whether we are at home or abroad, we confront the same temptations and struggles as well as we need to rely and trust on God’s strength and power.  

    And how do we act in respond into our experiences of temptations in life? Like the stupid fool, we could resist & reject. Or like the shrewd crook, we could give in to it. Or like the wise man, we could struggle in faith with temptations & evils in life.

    It is easy for us indeed to fall into temptations. The biggest problem in struggling with temptations is our lack of self-knowledge, our lack of recognizing and overcoming the evil within ourselves. We struggle with the evils of others and in our society but the toughest struggle is to acknowledge and overcome the evil within our own selves – the evil within our own hearts. We were born with conflicting goodness and evil within. That is why we can be good and can do good… but not easily, since there are always tensions and struggles within ourselves. Moreover, we can only withstand these difficulties, if we are wise enough to rely and have faith not only in our own strength but in God’s help and power.

    Like the stupid fool, if we think we can overcome these life-temptations and evils only by and through own strength and power, we are surely wrong and are doomed to failure for we don’t have the power and capacity to resist temptations. But like the wise man & Jesus, if we are wise enough to acknowledge and ask for, and have faith on God’s help and strength, we surely can overcome evils and temptations in others as well as within ourselves; – hoping not to be a shrewd crook falling into temptations.

    St. Augustine is wise enough to say, “Through temptations, we come to know ourselves. We cannot receive the crown of salvation if there is no victory. And there is no victory if there is no struggle. And there is no struggle if there are no enemies and the bearers of these temptations.” This means that we can bring about salvation through and as we struggle with life-temptations and we recognize that human as we are, we are weak, but in faith with God, we are strong enough.

    With our Lord in our struggle with life-temptations & trials, we pray most especially during these trying times of pandemic, threats of war & political division: “Lead us not into temptations”

    So be it. Hinaut pa unta. Kabay pa. Siya Nawa. Amen.

    (P.S. Fr. Mario Masangcay, CSsR is a Filipino Redemptorist Missionary who worked with & for our Filipino Migrant Families and Workers in Gwangju Archdiocese in South Korea.)

  • Fasting

    Fasting

    March 4, 2022 – Friday after Ash Wednesday

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030422.cfm)

    Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat. Though not obliged but encouraged for below 18 & above 60 years old faithful, Catholics during Lent practice abstinence from meat during Fridays of Lent.

    We should understand that fasting is not only our penance – our way to be repentant for our sins and be reconciled with God, but most of all, fasting is our way & chance to help those who are in need and hungry. St. Augustine once said: “Don’t think that fasting is enough. Yes, fasting may be a form of penance but it will not save our neighbors. Righteous is your fasting and abstinence if it helps the needs of others. How many poor hungry people be satisfied by the food you fasted and abstained today?”

    Image from http://www.self.com

    Meaning, fasting is not for our personal gains but for the salvation of others. Our bishops even remind us that it is poverty, not politics is the greatest problem in our country today. Whatever savings, then we have acquired from our fasting during Lent & during Friday abstinence from meat could and should be our contribution and extended help to those who are in need. In this way, Lent would be real sacrifice for it would personally and deeply affect our stomachs and pockets.

    Our Lenten practices of fasting, prayer, and charitable works during this season then are not for our sake but for the sake of other than ourselves.

    We hope and pray then that the food we fast and the things we abstain from having within this season be converted and become rice, clothing, and food for our poor and hungry neighbors, especially during these trying pandemic times.

    So be it.