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Category: Season of Lent

  • Called to pray. Called to believe.

    Called to pray. Called to believe.

    March 23, 2020 – Monday 4th Week of Lent

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032320.cfm)

    Homily

    In our desperation and great difficulties, to whom and to where do we go?

    Others because of confusion for what happened in their life would go to depression or to self-pity, or guilt. This sometimes would develop into unhealthy coping mechanisms that later on would progress into habit and forms of addiction. For instance, a drinking habit or alcoholism could have started through a painful or difficult memory in the past, a death of loved one or a financial crisis. Online game addiction or too much time spent on social media could have started through boredom at home and disconnection from intimate family relationship. A gambling or drug addiction could also have been caused by a traumatic experience or broken relationships.

    Yet, there are also those who in their desperation and great need went to ask help from other people whom they believed could help them.

    The very Gospel story that we have today conveys to us this kind of encounter. A non-believer who was royal official went to see Jesus. He was desperate and indeed was in great difficulty because of his dying son. As an official, somebody who had power over others, he must have already sought the best doctor he could find at that time, yet, there was no remedy. His son was not healed but dying.

    As a father, this Royal Official, showed to Jesus how he loved so much his son. His son must have been everything to him and this was the very reason why he sought to see Jesus and begged him to come with him in order to heal his son. 

    For him, as a Royal Official, asking a Jesus to heal his son, was a humbling experience. In his desperation to seek healing for his son, he did not give up. He was hoping for a miracle even when his son was already at the point of death.

    This tells us now to hope and not to give up. The encounter of this official with Jesus would tell us what kind of God we have. Through the humility of this man, Jesus saw and felt the desperation of this man. Jesus felt the love of this father to his dying son.

    Jesus witnessed the life of prayer and the faith of this man despite being a non-believer himself. The official had that confidence to trust in Jesus’ words that his son will surely recover. “Go, your son lives!” – We were told in the Gospel that this man had faith in the word Jesus spoke to him.

    But let us also remember, there is so much risk in believing. The royal official went home and risking everything by trusting the words of Jesus. However, it was also in that attitude that Jesus showed how his presence and words could bring healing and change life. True enough, the son was healed and the official became a believer of Jesus and all his family.

    This is what is wonderful and powerful here. This is also the message for us today, for each of us who are in desperation and in great difficulty in whatever aspect that may be in our life. This is also the message for us as a community today, facing this global crisis caused by the pandemic corona virus that brought chills of fear and anxiety in us.

    Thus, there are two aspects that we are particularly called for today. 

    First, we are called to pray and to humbly beg for God’s mercy. Our prayer just like the official, is not just of ourselves, for our own salvation, but also for others. Yes, we are called to pray for those who are infected by the virus, for those who have died and their families, and also for the doctors, nurses and other medical staff that are ministering the sick. We also pray for the medical experts tasked to create a vaccine that through them God’s healing will be revealed. We pray for them out of our true concern and love. Certainly, Jesus shall also feel that in us. 

    Second, we are called to believe. Like that official and father who believed in the presence and words of Jesus, we are also called to put our confidence completely in the Lord, meaning, to have faith in Jesus, in his presence among us and his words so that God’s wonder and healing power will also be unfolded in us.

    May I invite you then now that we all stay in silence for few moments, to pray and to beg the Lord’s mercy and to believe that God will bring us healing. Let us all bow our heads and pray in silence (as you read this, please observe a 2-minute silent prayer).

    Brothers and sisters, God shall protect and heal us and in faith, we will all pass this through. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • To see as God sees in the time of COVID-19

    To see as God sees in the time of COVID-19

    March 22, 2020 – 4th Sunday of Lent – Laetare Sunday

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    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032220.cfm)

    Homily

    What do we see now as our global community or just our local community is facing the Pandemic Corona Virus? We are anxious, fearful, tensed and panicking. Medical practitioners are quite helpless as there is no vaccine yet to fight the virus. Government leaders are struggling on how to combat this enemy and to protect and bring to safety the population.

    However, despite the anxiety and the fear that we feel in these difficult times this should not prevent us from becoming positive about life and about our relationships with one another. This Fourth Sunday of Lent also known as Laetare Sunday means “Rejoice.” This calls us to hope and gives encouragement as we all face this crisis and at the same time praying for God’s mercy to deliver us from this pandemic and to bring us to celebrate fully the joy of Easter.

    Brothers and Sisters, may I invite you then that we discover together God’s invitation for us this Sunday, that we may be able to see as God sees in the time of COVID-19.

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    In the first reading from the Book of Samuel, the Prophet felt the responsibility of finding a new king for Israel. The people needed a leader and so Samuel carried this burden. However, in his search for the new king he was struggling to find the right one because God rejected those Samuel thought to be fitting. But then, God confronted Samuel of his tendency. In his search for the new king, Samuel was merely looking at human appearance, to what was only pleasing to human eyes, and to what was easy for human comfort. God told Samuel to see as God sees, to look into the heart of a person.

    This tells us that even Prophet Samuel was somehow blinded by his own preferences and biases. God had to confront Samuel so that he will be healed from that kind of blindness. Indeed, when Samuel saw as God saw, David was chosen as king, the unexpected young man.

    The Gospel story according to John tells us also this scenario of a blind man who was seen by Jesus as he was passing by. In this story, the blind man did not ask Jesus to heal him unlike the other miracle stories in the Gospels. It was the initiative of Jesus to heal this man who was blind since birth.

    Now, the common belief at that time was that when a person is stricken with some kind of illness, it must be a punishment for sins committed by the person or by his/her parents. This kind of belief adheres to that idea that God is a God of punishment, a terrifying and angry God. However, as Jesus said, God’s power will be manifested through the blindness of this man.

    And true enough, through Jesus’ concern and compassion towards this blind man, he healed him from his physical blindness. However, healing this blind man physically was just the beginning of another healing. The man now can see as other people see, but not yet as God sees. The physical healing of that man became the space where this man could encounter and meet Jesus. Indeed, through the man’s encounter with Jesus, the man saw and met God. There was spiritual insight, a spiritual healing  from spiritual blindness through Jesus’ invitation to the man to believe, meaning to have faith. This was an invitation to the man to see as God sees. 

    Certainly, the man believed! This was what made him different from the Pharisees who refused to believe. They have seen and met Jesus yet, their spiritual blindness was too great that their own eyes could not see God who was just in their midst.

    Hence, these people continued to reject Jesus, and so rejected God. Like Samuel at the beginning, the Pharisees saw what surrounds them in their own eyes only. They never heeded the call to see as God sees.

    Each of us now is also invited “to see as God sees.” We are called to look beyond imperfections, beyond ugliness, beyond sins and beyond crisis and see God and discover His invitations for us.

    This calls us for discernment, for a deeper reflection so that we will be able to see and recognize how God reveals himself even in difficult situations. As we are advised to stay home, this is a call, then, for us to see more and to appreciate better the gifts of our families, of your wife, of your husband, of your children, the gift of your friends and relatives, the gift of community, the gift of your work and profession. And because Public Masses and other Church activities are being suspended now, it is surely a call for us also to have a better appreciation and devotion to our sacraments that are physically deprived from the public. 

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    Yes, this very situation for us now calls us to discover the things, experiences, relationships and people that we have not seen before or we have not appreciated or we have just taken for granted.

    To see more by healing our blindness and expanding our vision, then, hopefully, the more we see Jesus in our life and in the lives of our brothers and sisters. In this way, this may generously move us to bring healing for others in whatever capacity we are capable of. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

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  • I’m free, yes. I’m free

    I’m free, yes. I’m free

    March 22, 2020 – 4th Sunday of Lent – Laetare Sunday

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032220.cfm)

    Homily

    A story once told about a prisoner who was able to escape prison by digging a hole underground. It so happens that he came out into a playground few distances away from the prison. And in his great joy, before a group of playing kids, he shouted at the top of his voice, “I’m free, yes. I’m free”. Then a little girl approached him and said, “Oh, mister that’s nothing, I’m four”.

    Here is a prisoner, after long years of imprisonment, deprived of his freedom, now got a chance to be free, to do what he wants to do, to be what he wants to be. He finally now gains his freedom. However, here is a little girl, who witnesses the event differently because of her limited awareness. She is not concerned about his freedom but only her being four years old. 

    We could say the same thing with our gospel today. Here, a great miracle has happened. A man born-blind has been healed of blindness. He can now see. After years in darkness, he can now see the light and become conscious of life, of everything. However, despite of this great event, people still refuse to see, refuse to accept the reality that a miracle has happened – they refuse to admit that life, creation has dawned upon them. In the midst of life, creation, their reaction is rejection, refusal to see. They don’t want to see and accept that the blind man can now see. They deny his sight and awareness and prefer he remains sightless and cursed blind man. 

    Freed from of his blindness, the man also viewed his healing differently. He said, “I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see”. He doesn’t care of sinfulness or whether he or Jesus is a sinner, all he cares about is that he was blind and now gains sight through Jesus. For a blind man to gain sight is everything, just as for a prisoner his freedom and for a little girl her four years of age. 

    For the blind man, it is his redemption from life of darkness. But for the Pharisees and people, it is a violation of Sabbath. Life has been created, God’s glory has been revealed, a man born-blind can now see but all they can think of is the regulation about the Sabbath. They still refuse to see and believe in God’s glory and power revealed right before their midst through Jesus. 

    Our readings today teach a number of lessons. First, whatever happens in our lives whether it is a creation or reaction depends on how we see it. (whether things are C-reation or reaC-tion depends on how you C it.) How we create life or how we react to life depends on how we view and see things. And most of the time, our own views of reality hinder us to see a much wider perspective of things. In other words, usually we don’t see things as THEY are, but we see things as WE are. Our limited perspectives, biases and prejudices then can block or blind us to see a much wider picture of life or even to view life in the eyes of faith, based on how God sees it. Our readings today are all about awareness, about how limited and how limiting our perspectives can be, about how we can be blinded by our own biases and prejudices. 

    Our readings remind us also that God’s perspective is different from us and much wider than our own view. He judges life not on appearances but on the heart. Like in our gospel today, Jesus sees the blindness of the man differently, not as a sin or curse but as an opportunity for God’s grace to reveal and create life. For Jesus, the healing of the blind man is not as commonly perceived as curse but as God’s glory being revealed. He said, ‘so that works of God might be displayed in him’. For Jesus, the blind man is not a sinner but a saint, because God’s works and graces are made know through the healing of the blind man. Through his healing, Jesus makes people aware of God’s blessings in our midst.

    Lastly, we are called to widen our perspective of life, and try to see things, not only from our own eyes but also in the eyes of faith. As Christian, we are called today to go beyond our biases and prejudices, our own view of reality, and try to widen our perspective and try to see from God’s perspective, i.e. to be aware of God’s blessing, graces, miracles in our midst. We are invited to be like the blind man who after gaining his sight, now searches for his faith. Like him, we are to see not only physically but also spiritually. We are invited to change from blindness to sight to faith, from being a cursed sinner to a staunch believer and loyal follower of Christ. 

    During this Lenten season, may God free us from darkness of sins, teach us to go beyond our perspective, and enlighten us to be creative, not reactive to the life-miracles He offers us everyday, and may we see God’s light amidst our reality today of viral pandemic. Amen.

    Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR

  • Be merciful to us, Lord

    Be merciful to us, Lord

    March 21, 2020 – Saturday 3rd Week of Lent

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032120.cfm)

    Homily

    Being judged because of what you have done before, or of a mistake, or failure or sin that you have committed is a devastating experience. This becomes  overwhelming too especially when we are “put in a box,” that, as if there is nothing more in us except our sins and failures.

    Aside from being judged by others, each of us too can be the one who judged others because of their mistakes and failures in life. We could have played to be the righteous individuals who scrutinize people searching for their faults. We could be that mean person whose main intention is to bring other people down by shaming and gossiping their weaknesses in order to hide our own sins. This happens among our families, circle of friends and even in our workplaces.

    The Gospel story that we have heard today conveys this message to us. To become self-righteous only blinds us. Thinking highly too much of ourselves will even prevent us from asking God to show his mercy upon us because we already think that we do not need God’s mercy. The righteous person actually thought of himself so highly that God is as if obliged to be good to him. In his thoughts, God has to pay him for being good and righteous. 

    What happens here is a reversal of relationship. God is as if the servant of this righteous person. Although he might be after of rewards in his life for being righteous, yet, he was actually seeking to control God through his righteousness. Thus, this attitude leads us to build invisible walls that separate us from others.

    We might still have that idea of condemning our brothers and sisters who were considered terrible sinners. We too might have that attitude of separating those people whom we consider as unclean for fear of being contaminated and be associated with them.

    Thus, Jesus invites us now to rather look closely at ourselves and to examine better our intentions, our thoughts and actions so that it may also lead us to that recognition of our failures and sins. This realization will hopefully lead us to also join the tax collector in praying, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” 

    We are invited to be more understanding of those who failed but not in the sense of condoning such failures and sins. We are invited to be merciful rather than to be condemning.

    Let us remind ourselves that to both the righteous and the sinners, God does not condemn but God rather desires healing, reconciliation and fullness of life for all.

    This calls us, then, to see more in the person of our brothers and sisters, to stop our harsh judgments and condemnations, to stop our gossiping and image shaming that only destroy the image of our brother or sister.

    What is its invitation now for us as we face such difficult situation amidst this deadly Covid-19. Even during this challenging times, we are called to show compassion and generosity to our brothers and sisters, particularly those who are most in need. And since we are called to “stay home” as a form of prevention of the spread of the virus, let us also not spread malicious gossips about our neighbors or friends. To stay at home is also an invitation for us to pray for each other and to show our true concern for one another. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Responding in gratitude

    Responding in gratitude

    March 20, 2020 – Friday 3rd Week of Lent

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032020.cfm)

    Homily

    Policies, regulations or laws are essential elements in our society. They govern and guide us as we live our life and relate with one another. Our lawmakers in this country are expected to make laws that will promote life, protect life and develop the life of every Filipino. That is how a law is very important.  As good citizens, we strive to follow the law of the land.

    Because of the pandemic Covid-19 our lawmakers and key government leaders are now giving directives and executive orders to us citizens in order to protect the population and prevent the spread of the virus.

    Talking about laws, our religion has also laws of which we are expected to follow. We have the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament and the Code of Canon Law that guide our Roman Catholic Church. In fact, there are plenty of laws being conceived and promulgated year after year. 

    The image of many laws reminds us of the Jews especially of the Pharisees and other teachers of the Jewish law at that time of Jesus. In Jesus’ time, there were about 613 laws that a good and faithful Jew must know and observe. Laws are designed to guide a person but since laws are man-made they too are prone to imperfection. Laws are designed to give and preserve justice, fairness and make direction and guidelines as people relate with one another . However, many laws can also be a burden. And there were many laws of the Jews that were quite burdensome.

    We have heard a scholar of the Jewish law asking Jesus on what was the greatest law? Jesus responded with two that are inter-related. The first is, “to love God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.” And second, “to love your neighbor as yourself.”

    Our Christian faith must be rooted in these two commandments. However, following these two greatest commandments we need the right attitude. And what is that right attitude? 

    The failure of many of us in practicing our faith is when we limit our faith within church laws. Limiting ourselves within these laws or commandments will only bring us into a legalistic attitude. This attitude believes that Christianity is about fulfilling laws. When we break a law or a rule we feel guilty. This attitude is not what God wants. God does not want us to feel guilty of the wrong we did in breaking God’s law. Rather, God wants us to feel sorry because our response to Him is lacking and ungrateful.

    We may have laws but God wants us to look what is behind these many laws. This is what Jesus said to the teachers of the law. Jesus revealed to them what was behind these laws, and that was love – to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

    How shall we do this? We are only able to respond to God with love when we ourselves are conscious of God’s love for us, his goodness and generosity in us. This is what we find in  the Book of Hosea. The first reading tells us how God shows mercy and compassion to the erring people. God has promised, “I will heal their disloyalty and love them with all my heart.” God as if speaking in human language, shows God’s faithfulness to us despite our unfaithfulness.

    This experience of forgiveness, mercy, love and faithfulness from God moves us now to respond to God, to respond in “gratitude.” This is the right attitude that we are called to develop.

    This is how Jesus is inviting us today – that as we live our lives as Christians, our response to God should be out of “gratefulness” not out of fear or mere obligation. Thus, faith is beyond obligation, it is a human response of love to the God who first loved us, as Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI said.

    Our love for God will then be shown in our words as well as in our actions. We shall be generous to those who are in need because we are grateful to God who is generous to us. We shall show our concern and affection to our friends because God shows his love to us in many ways. We shall forgive those who hurt us because God has forgiven us first. 

    Today, we are also called to follow the directives set by our civil and church leaders as our act of gratitude in protecting and serving us and also as our act of charity to people who are now at the frontlines in fighting against the Covid-19. Hopefully, by our collective effort in following the guidelines for our community, God may also deliver us from this disease. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR