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Category: Sunday Homlies

  • THE GATE OF THE SHEEP

    THE GATE OF THE SHEEP

    April 30, 2023 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/043023.cfm)

    Parents are the first shepherds of children at home. As shepherds, they take care of their children, and make sure that home is welcoming and nurturing. Parents secure that the basic needs of human intimacy and love, of physical, mental and spiritual aspects of children are provided. Parents lead children by example through their words and deeds.

    However, what if our parents are irresponsible? When a father turns out to be alcoholic, abusive and immature or a mother turns out to be distant, self-obsessed and cruel in her words, then, it will not be surprising if children will also turn out to be like them, lost and unproductive, broken and resentful.

    This can also be true in a wider picture. When our leaders, whether in our Church or State, will turn out to be unreliable, corrupt, abusive and self-absorbed, then, our community will surely be in a mess. That is why, there is really a need to learn and to practice what Jesus calls us to be.

    Each of us, certainly, has the responsibility of taking care of others. As we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Easter, we also celebrate this as Good Shepherd Sunday. And so, let us take a deeper look on how God invites us today.

    The image of God as a shepherd is a recurring theme in the bible. In fact, the Psalm today captures very well this image, “The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”  Jesus used this image to portray himself as the Good Shepherd who is willing to give his life for the sake of his sheep, who makes sure that the flock is taken cared and well provided. The Good Shepherd cares, protects and provides for the sheep as he himself proclaimed, “I am the gate the gate for the sheep.”

    In Biblical times, sheep were very important to the lives of the people because sheep provide both food and clothing. Since the sheep needed grass, the shepherd would always look for green pastures. Because of this, the shepherd and his sheep were always on a journey in search for green pastures and water. The shepherd will provide shelter and protection for his sheep – 24/7. Consequently, the shepherd would develop a close relationship with his sheep to the point of becoming familiar to each of them, giving them names and calling them by name. The sheep in return would also become familiar with their shepherd. They would recognize his voice and follow him wherever he may lead them. In a way, trust and confidence is built up in this kind of relationship.

    From this point, I would like to highlight the two relationships where we are invited to reflect and to grow and mature. First is the relationship of the Shepherd to the sheep. Second is the relationship between the sheep with their shepherd.

    As persons who exercise responsibility over others God invites us to learn from the relationship the shepherd has with his sheep. The shepherd takes time to know his sheep; he spends quality time with them. The shepherd develops a rapport with his sheep allowing himself to be in the midst of his sheep. He is neither distant nor indifferent, but close and involved to every sheep. The shepherd responds to the needs of his sheep.

    Thus, Jesus invites us that like him we too shall develop a consciousness of serving, of taking care of others, of becoming instruments of God’s care and compassion to His people. As parents, as leaders in our community, organization or in your field of work, or as priests and religious, we are called to learn from the Good shepherd.

    And remember, this is power which is an ability to influence, to create and transform. This power is ought to be expressed through love, so that, power transforms into service and giving of oneself. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, tells us that being a person with power as an authority figure or leader is not about controlling others or manipulating others, but rather, having the capacity to serve and love without pretension, without manipulation and that does not count the cost.

    The second relationship that I am emphasizing is between the sheep with their shepherd. Today, we might not like the idea of being called as sheep. Sheep are known to be stupid and submissive animals. Yet, we, human beings are cultured, intelligent, and sophisticated because of our reason. But then, do these qualities in us really make us totally different from the attitudes of the sheep?

    Is it not that we also tend to be unmindful and unconscious of many things in life except for our personal desires and wants, except with those that will give us comfort and pleasure? Yes, we might tend to be more focused of the green pastures that we have at this moment but careless of what surrounds us.

    We might be full of ourselves, of what others can give us and of what is only beneficial to us without minding the needs of others, meaning, egocentric. Like the sheep, we might not be conscious also of the vicious and greedy wolf in our midst and saying nothing about it. We might find ourselves dumb and stupid for not recognizing, not speaking out, and not standing up against to what is unjust and evil in our community. Like the sheep, we might also wander to the other side thinking that there is more security in vices, in depression and loneliness. So, we stray away from the comfort of our brothers and sisters.

    Thus, we too need a Shepherd who will lead us, who will show us the way, to inspire us and to motivate us. We are called, then, to also develop a close relationship with our shepherd, to put our trust and confidence to our shepherd, whoever he/she may be – our parents, leaders in the community, the pastors in our parish, or teachers and mentors.

    Indeed, we are called to trust and to grow in faith and confidence in Jesus, who is our Good Shepherd who laid down his life for us. Jesus is in our midst, hopefully, we too shall spend more time with him in prayer so that we become familiar of his voice and attuned to his ways. In this way, we may be able to follow him with joy and confidence. Kabay pa.

  • GOD-Struck

    GOD-Struck

    April 30, 2023 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/043023.cfm)

    During the time of the desert monks, around 450 AD, a young monk went to an old and holy monk and asked him, “Father, how is it that so many today leave the monastery? The old monk answered him, “When a good hunting dog sees a rabbit, he will immediately run after it, howling, and barking with excitement. This will, of course, attract other dogs, and they in turn will run and bark and howl like the one that saw the rabbit, although they have not actually seen it themselves. After a while the ones who did not really see the rabbit, but relied only on barking and howling of the first dog, will get tired and give up the chase, because they are no longer interested. They drift off and go home. Only the dog that really saw the rabbit will go on running and eventually catch up with it. That is the way with many who enter the seminary,” the old monk concluded. “Only the one who has his or her eyes on Christ and has seen Him will and can survive. The others, who came only because the enthusiasm of others had drawn them, will lose interest and leave.

    Once I had been involved with the formation of our seminarians as assistant Postulancy director in my years of priesthood. As of those who had been with me, only one out of nine in the first batch, one out of six in the 2nd batch, and three out of seven the last batch are still in the seminary. Meaning, only 5 out of 22 seminarians have persevered in their formation in the seminary. With this, we cannot help but think if there is hope in religious life or priesthood. Some would even blame us, their directors or formators for being too strict. I say, as the story suggests, it is not the Formators but the dynamic and intimate relationship between the seminarian and the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe growth and perseverance in vocation to priesthood or religious life must be based on the personal faith relationship of the person with the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Jesus in our gospel today claims himself as the Good Shepherd, who knows His sheep. He is a Good Shepherd who has a deep personal relationship with His sheep. He knows His sheep and His sheep knows Him. We, Christians proclaim that Jesus is our Good Shepherd not only because we believe that He is the Shepherd but He is OUR very OWN Shepherd. Our faith moves us to proclaim that Jesus is yours and ours Good Shepherd. He is not like any other shepherd but He is your personal shepherd, who knows and loves you. We believe in Jesus as our Good Shepherd, because we choose Him to be our own shepherd. 

    If Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep, what does it mean to be His sheep? There are three important things.

    First, to be His sheep is to believe in Him. The basic message of Easter is to have faith in the risen Christ. Like the hunting dog to the rabbit, we must believe in what we have encountered & witnessed Him, as Jesus reveals himself to us in our day to day life-experiences.

    Next, we must listen. Jesus said, “My sheep listens to my voice.”  We ought to be sensitive to hear and listen to His words in the Scriptures and in the movements of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Meaning, we should lead a life of prayer to nurture our faith.

    And lastly, to be His sheep is to follow Him. Jesus said, “My sheep follows me.” We must heed His voice, i.e. we must live what we believe and practice what we preach. We must be like the hunting dog that is persistent in its following and fulfilling what it believes.

    While our world today promotes the Star Struck motto: “Dream – Believe – Survive”. Jesus, our Good Shepherd calls us today to God Struck motto: Believe – Listen – Follow. If seminarians want to grow and persevere in their vocation, they must believe, listen, and follow their calling. And if as Christian, we want to grow and persevere in Faith, we must believe, listen, and follow Jesus our Good Shepherd.

    Particularly for us Filipino Catholic, we do have special or unique take in knowing our Good Shepherd. We know Him not only because Kilala natin siya but because Dama natin siya. Culturally sense-feeling perceptions are important to us. Like,… I may know you, but I may not feel you. I may feel you though I may not know you. (Kilala kita, pero di kita ramdam. Ramdam kita kahit di kita kilala). This is how we distinguish real from fake, depth from superficial, good from bad.

    Same way as we Filipinos have this natural felt-instinct & sense, we also come to be familiar with & know more the shepherd’s voice through our gut-sense and feelings. We do come to know the risen Lord as our true Good Shepherd in life not only by our volition, consent & reasonings, but most of all through our sense & feeling perception (damdamin at kalooban).

    By our sense-perception & feeling-gut insights, we come to know the risen Lord with us – in person & in flesh. Like the hunting dog who first sees the rabbit, knowing the Shepherd is thus not only for us a cognitive familiarity or herd-mentality but more so a deep felt-sense knowledge and insight of His presence, love & blessing.

    We pray then that during this Easter Season may be our moments to be God-Struck in believing, listening & following Jesus, and so enhance and improve our special felt-sense of knowing our True & Good Shepherd, & ensure that we may not be gone astray from His fold but rather have a much deeper relationship with Him, and be always attuned with His will & plan for us now, especially these new normal times. So Help Us, God. So May it Be. Amen.

  • Via Magnets

    Via Magnets

    April 23, 2023 – Third Sunday of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042323.cfm)

    Easter Season proclaims: “The Lord has risen. Let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia”. But how do we recognize the risen Lord in our life now?

    In a class inside the seminary, their professor asked the seminarians to discuss how do people recognize the presence of our risen Lord. One of them complained, “Yes, we believe Jesus has risen, but it is not easy to recognize Him in our midst. It is like finding a needle inside a haystack.” The professor continued: “Well, let us start with that. How can we find a piece of needle inside a haystack?” A seminarian answered: “We sort through each straw until we find the needle.” “The scientific approach”, the professor said. “People have done it but it is a futile and time-consuming exercise to examine each element of our lives until we recognize His presence”. “How about if we burn the hay so that we can find the needle?” suggested by one. “The practical approach. You may have found the needle but you lost the hay. You may recognize the Lord but destroyed lives in the process,” commented by the professor. He then continued, “The best way thus to find a needle within haystack is to use magnets. Use magnets to attract the needle from the haystack. Eventually, the magnet will recognize the needle and separate it from the haystack. Via magnets, you will find and recognize the needle, and still have the haystack. This is also how people recognize the risen Lord. The Lord uses magnets for us to sense and recognize His presence in our midst without destroying ourselves.”

    Brothers and sisters, surely, we have heard of our gospel before and are familiar with such one of the great resurrection-story ever told. After the Risen Lord has revealed Himself to women & his disciples, here two disciples have encountered Him in person on the road to Emmaus. With Jesus on the road, they eventually recognize Him through various signs, attractions, and magnets.

    Yes, our gospel today suggests us various signs that would point us to recognize or various magnets to attract us to the presence of the Risen Lord in our midst.

    First, we may recognize the Risen Lord through our ordinary normal lives. He appears on their way back home with their life-griefs, struggles & defeats. In the same way, the Lord accompanies us in our day-to-day lives – especially whenever we invite Him to be with & be part of our ordinary lives in faith. We may also recognize the Risen Lord in our midst through the Holy Scripture.

    Just like when he opened their minds to understand the Scripture concerning Himself, we can recognize the risen Lord whenever we read, reflect, and pray with the Scripture, as we understand the relevance of Jesus’ story in our own lives. We can recognize him further by welcoming a Stranger into our lives. Jesus sometimes crosses our path in a form of a stranger, especially those who are in need, asking us: “Have you anything to eat?” By reaching out and befriending with a stranger who sit with you in the tricycle or you meet along the way – especially the poor, we could have a glimpse of His presence.

    We also recognize His presence in the Holy Eucharist. Whenever we attend mass, and whenever we eat with one another and with the Lord, we witness people gathered in faith to remember and celebrate the Last Supper of the Lord, his offering of sacrifice. Like the disciple, we recognize the Risen Lord through the breaking of the bread – the Holy Eucharist.  Our gospel suggests also that we can recognize the Lord in and through the community of faith. The Risen Lord made himself known not only to them, but also within their community. We can recognize the Lord not in isolation or distancing but whenever we join and be involve in our faith-communities, whenever we participate in the activities of our parish or BECs.

    And finally, the presence of the risen Lord can be recognized through the preaching and witness of His follower. Same way as the two disciples shared their faith-experience with others, whenever we proclaim and preach our faith, we his faithful become the representative of Jesus to other, that through our words and actions, people recognize the Risen Lord in our midst.

    We may then, recognize the Risen Lord through our ordinary lives, through the Scripture, through our act of charity in welcoming a Stranger, through Eucharist, through Christian community and through our faith witnessing.

    Let us rejoice & be glad then for the Lord has indeed risen. And gracefully, He has provided us enough means & magnets to recognize Him in our midst – accompanying us in our journey of life in faith.

    May we continue to encounter & recognize Him in our Emmaus – our road to life & faith with Him who loves & saves us now & always.

    Amen.

  • Shake Well Before Using

    Shake Well Before Using

    April 9, 2023 – Easter Sunday

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040923.cfm)

    What is the purpose of life? What is life all about? Why do we have to suffer through life? How can we move on with life? Where is God in all these?

    During pandemic times & even now in the New Normal period, I have been confronted with these questions from people, especially young people, who are looking and searching for meaning and directions in life. To be honest, I too had raised these questions and have grappled with finding answers. Not without difficulty however I somehow discover an answer that makes sense and suits me. I found it from a book called The Gospel according to Peanuts by Robert Short that was based on Peanuts comic strips with characters like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and others, created by cartoonists Charles Schulz. In one of its comic strips, it simply says: We are like a bottle of medicine where God puts a label on it to make sure: “Shake Well Before Using”.

    If we really come to think of it, such simple line says a lot about these questions in life.

    Yes, indeed we are like a bottle of medicine. On our own and for our own sake, we are no one… we are nothing. But with others and for the sake of others, we are someone…we are something. And to be and remain something effective and someone important in life, we have to go through a lot of shaking and moving. Even we like it or not, we need to be shaken and disturbed once in a while,… or else we remain nothing and worthless. So to make sure our value and sense in life, God has to shake us, not for the sake of shaking itself, nor only for our own sake, but for the sake of Him and others – that we may be a medicine to others and each other. The spiritual guru Henry Nouwen calls this “wounded healers”, in which, with and through our wounds and woundedness we also become healers & medicine of others and for others.

    If we also come to think of it, being shaken well by God has always been part of the story of our faith and life.

    Last night’s review of our salvation of history in the scriptures reminds us that shaking and to be shaken well has always been part of our growth in faith and life. Ever since the creation of the universe from chaos to order, the rescue of Israelites from the power of Egypt, the building of Israel as nation, the establishment of covenant with Israel, the empty tomb and the resurrection of the Lord, and our baptism now and again in Christ, we are continually been moved and shaken by God well, not for our own sake but for the sake of Him and others. The symbol of Fire and Water, the reading of scriptures and the celebration of Eucharist in our liturgy last night are witness to the whole passage of shaking we go through in life for us to have meaning, direction and worth in life.

    Today we proclaim Jesus has risen, Alleluia. We Christians remember, celebrate, and believe that Jesus has risen indeed in our lives. We can even dare to proclaim that He has risen Again and Anew in our life today. Again, because in almost every year of our Christian faith and life, we celebrate His resurrection.

    But he has also risen Anew with us now, because our encounter of His resurrection will never be the same as before. Yes, Jesus always resurrects in us, and He reveals to us as uniquely as before. Nabanhaw siya kanunay kanato apan lahi ra sama kaniadto. He is still Jesus, but He is now Christ, the risen Lord.

    Every Easter seasons, we may say then, are God’s time of year of shaking us before using. Just as the women & the disciples found an empty tomb and met the Lord on their way back, and the way we struggle & cope with the trying times of Covid-19 pandemic these recent past years, during this years’ Easter season, same as ever, there will be more shaking going on, and more to happen in our Christian faith and life.

    Let us not forget then whatever happens and how the shaking ever happens, all of these will not be on our own and for our own sake but with and for the sake of Him and others. Remember, We are part of His great plan of scheme. Let us be open and allow ourselves to be shaken, to be moved, to be disturbed again and anew, for in this way, we participate in His work of salvation in our lives. If and when however we get lost along the way and find life meaningless and without direction, perhaps we may be consoled by Charles Schulz words: We are like a bottle of medicine where, God puts a label on it to make sure: “Shake Well Before Using.”

    Happy Easter to All. At Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

  • A Defiant Hope

    A Defiant Hope

    April 9, 2023 – The Resurrection of the Lord

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040923.cfm)

    In the popular Netflix Series, The Sandman, an episode portrays how the Lord of Endless Dreams (Morpheus) went to Hell to retrieve his tools. In Hell, Morpheus faced Lucifer in the duel through the “Oldest Game” where each one has a turn to use a concept from their imagination to defeat the other. As each one used a concept, Lucifer at the end, used Anti-Life. In this, Morpheus was down and weak. He was asked by Lucifer, “What can survive the anti-life?” Yet, slowly, Morpheus tried to speak, until he was able to utter, “I AM HOPE.” With hope, Lucifer was defeated for nothing kills hope.

    On this Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus, we are reminded of HOPE. However, we as Christians now, do we really believe in the resurrection?

    Well, on that Sunday morning, as the Gospel of John told us, when the women wanted to visit the tomb of the dead Jesus, his body was nowhere to be found. They believed that the body was stolen. However, the other disciples whom Jesus loved, when he saw the cloth that covered the head of Jesus was rolled up in a separate place, HE SAW AND BELIEVED! The Lord indeed, rose from the dead!

    Jesus’ resurrection sums up everything in the Sacred Scriptures. The resurrection of Jesus is the very essence why the Church continues to live until today. If not because of the resurrection, there is nothing to believe, nothing to hope for. Hence, the resurrection of Jesus is the “DEFIANT HOPE, a hope, hoping against hope.”

    With all those suffering and gruesome death of Jesus, the disciples ran away, hid and believed that that was the end, and there was nothing more. However, the Lord is more powerful than death, more powerful than our frustration and disappointments, or of our failures, more powerful than human sin, more powerful than human violence and greed.

    God’s commitment to us and his love for you and me is so great that it makes the dead back to life, to the glory of resurrection, to new life, to a blessed and joyful life.

    Thus, friends, remember too, if you find yourself at the brink of giving up, or at the edge of losing your desire to live and to dream, or when you are at the end of hopelessness and despair, God will never let go of us. God will never surrender on us. Remember that! Believe in that!

    Jesus went through all those suffering and even the loneliness on the cross, because Jesus believed that there is more in you and in me, in each of us, and that there is more in our broken and wounded world caused by human sin of greed and indifference. We may also consider ourselves as terrible sinners, or others may condemn and think that we are hopeless and worthless, but the Lord will always see hope in us. God sees a joyful and blessed life in each of us, in all of us, as a community.

    Thus, the power of the resurrection tells us now of the Church’s mission and commitment to life and to freedom. The Church, and that is US, is a believing community who is being moved, touched and taught by the Lord.

    As the Lord dwells in each of us and in our community, we are now called to become EASTER PEOPLE or PEOPLE OF THE RESURRECTION. This means that what we preach and what we live is the joy and hope that the resurrection brings. But, remember too, that to be become a people of the resurrection, we also become a contradiction to those who want to act like God and become like God and those who are anti-life, like Lucifer. Just as Jesus was a threat to them, we too shall be. Yet, the glory of the resurrection will bring us into hope and joy which can be experienced not just after our death but can be tasted, felt and lived even today.

    How would that be possible? By becoming the presence of Jesus today to people around us through our very life that gives and expresses hope for others. Kabay pa.