Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Sunday Homlies

  • Other Christs

    Other Christs

    July 11, 2021 – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071121.cfm)

    Let me tell you first about “Fr. Jo”. Fr. Jo is a Redemptorist Missionary from Germany who is now stationed and working in a Spanish-speaking Mexican community in United States. For years, he has lived with the Mexicans in the US, that he is now well loved by the people. Though he is a German by nationality, but his ways are like that of Mexican now. To the point, people would consider him more Mexican than themselves. They would take Fr. Jo as one of their own.

    One day, in a catechism class, a religious sister intended to lecture the kids about the second person in the Holy Trinity. She started like this, “Kids, I like to introduce you to someone you should know. He is a person who loves you most. Until now, he takes care of you sincerely. He is always present whenever you need him. He is the most kind and very good person whom you should know. He has always been there whenever you need Him. I wonder, is anyone of you here already knows who he is?” Then, there was this little girl who raised her hands and said confidently, ”Sister, I already know him”. Glad that the little girl already knows about our Lord Jesus Christ, the sister asked her: ”So tell us, who this person is?” and the little girl replied: “Fr. Jo.”

    Yes, we come to know Jesus not only through stories about him in the bible, and through our parents and catechists but we usually come to see, hear, touch, feel and experience Him through the faith and life of persons or people who reveals and represents to us the person of Jesus in our midst. These significant people, like Fr. Jo are God-sent and church-sent preachers, missionaries, and evangelizers who, by the witness of their words, actions and life, they become living witnesses and representatives of Jesus, for us to know Jesus personally in our own very lives now. Since then and until now, Jesus continues to send us his missionaries and prophets for us to recognize and know Him in our lives. And reviewing our life, we could identify people who have greatly influenced our faith – maybe a priest, a family friend, the tricycle driver, your neighbor, labandera, carpenter, a relative, teacher, or some stranger you meet along the way – that through them we come to know and believe in Jesus.

    Yes, the best & most simple way for people to meet Jesus & know about Christ & Christianity is through & by means of us Christians ourselves – our Lord’s other christs – who are faithful believers, followers, and witness of Jesus to our world today.  

    We come to know Jesus in our life through Christians who comes in our way and has influenced our lives and faith. We also come to know Jesus because we let him come into our lives – because we welcome him into our lives. When Jesus sent his disciples, he advised them “stay in whatever house you are welcomed.” Meaning that we come to enjoy and share God’s grace because we welcome and allow Him into our own hearts and homes.

    Missionary life is fascinating, if not intriguing for us. In my 29 years of being Redemptorist missionary, people usually asked me how I fend for myself as I live in the mission areas. People asked me, “Where do you live? Where do you sleep? How are you in terms of food?” I reply: “I usually rely and depend on God’s generosity and the hospitality of the people in the area”. Then with the usually follow up question: “Dili ba lisod? Is it hard?” My reply is: “usually when the people know that I am a missionary, who visits them and shares my faith with them, their doors (most times, those of the poor), are always open. They willingly welcome me in their homes, sharing their food, beds, stories, life and faith, same as I share with them my life and faith, as missionary of Christ.  And honestly, as we share our faith-life experiences together, I come to witness that during my visits and conversation, people who welcome me into their lives and faith are so blessed as much as I am also with them blessed.

    I always believe that God is never absent from any place in the world. He usually reveals himself in and through the faith and life of us, his followers and believers. And usually hospitality is the first sign of God’s presence. Whenever  then we welcome someone, especially a stranger into our lives with the spirit of hospitality and faith, God’s presence and graces are always present. God’s offer of Salvation to us thus happens in the context of His visits to us. His grace and blessings thrive on our hospitality, on how we welcome Him, through today’s God-sent missionaries into our own lives now.

    Remember what Yahweh said in the book of revelation: “Listen, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and eat with him, and he will eat with me.” And what Jesus assured us who welcome God into our lives, “My father will love them, and we will come to them, and make our home with them.” In other words, through His representatives & witnesses, we are blessed because the Lord comes to visit us & we willingly welcome Him into our hearts & our homes.

    Through today’s Christian missionaries and prophets, especially during these pandemic times, may we be always conscious and open to welcome our Lord’s continuing “visits”, and be transformed and blessed by His offer of grace, salvation and life anew. Amen.

  • PROPHETS IN OUR MIDST

    PROPHETS IN OUR MIDST

    July 11, 2021 – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071121.cfm)

    Being rejected is a terrible experience. When someone you love, a friend or family member rejects you for being who you are and for what you have done, is painful. This experience creates emptiness in us and feelings of not being loved and not being accepted. This makes us feel worthless and useless, thus, traumatic. This can also be experienced in workplaces when a co-worker and/or your employer gets angry at you and shows sour attitude towards you. Or when your work has been rejected or a proposal has not been approved because of their biases with you.

    In our community, there are many forms of rejection also that sometimes we are not aware of. We could just reject those whom we think are useless. We could easily not pay attention to those who do not belong in our circle of friends. We could just dismiss a person just because of appearance, education, family background or culture.

    Moreover, there is another form of rejection also that can be traced in the Bible. This is the rejection experienced by people who spoke in behalf of God, who preached and taught what God wanted for the community. Prophets are usually rejected by people because their words and presence disturb the peace and comfort of the rich and the powerful.

    This is what our first reading from the Book of Amos told us. Amos was rejected by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel because Amos was prophesying the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Amos prophesied this by also pointing out the reasons behind. The Northern Kingdom who enjoyed prosperity and abundance also turned out to be oppressive to the poor and the weak in their society. Thus, Amos spoke of the injustice committed by the rich and the powerful against the poor.

    Consequently, Amos irked the Amaziah who enjoyed influence and wealth from this kind of life. That is why, Amaziah wanted Amos to go back to Judah, the Southern Kingdom and do his prophesying there while earning income. For Amaziah, being a priest of the temple and being a prophet was just about earning something and enjoying privileges.

    However, being a true priest or a prophet is not about earning something or enjoying the comfort of wealth and influence. A prophet is God’s voice that penetrates the heart of every man and woman, that penetrates and disturbs the heart of the community that has become indifferent and complacent, unjust and oppressive.

    That is why, Amos who was a shepherd was called by the Lord to speak on God’s behalf and deliver God’s message. He was commanded to “Go, prophesy to my people, Israel.” Though he did not come from a family of priests or from a lineage of prophets, yet, God chose him. Being God’s prophet after all is not about what we have attained or achieved and not about an excellent family background.

    This is what the Gospel of Mark also revealed to us. Jesus sent out the twelve Apostles, two by two, whom he chose. These men where not from any family background that one would expect. Yet, Jesus saw something beyond the ordinary life of these men. This was how God worked wonders in them. And thus, Jesus gave them authority to free people burdened and oppressed by the unclean or evil spirit and to cure the sick. This means that they have been given the gift to heal and free people.

    However, they have “to take nothing” for the journey. This calls every Apostle to fully trust in God’s providence expressed through the generosity of the people around them. To take nothing for the journey will allow them to be free from any unnecessary burden whether physical, material, psychological or spiritual.

    Yet, as they proclaim peace and grant blessing to many homes, it is expected that not all will accept. Rejection is part of life of a preacher and of a prophet who proclaims what God wants to be proclaimed. People won’t easily accept God’s invitation and God’s presence.

    And the reason? God demands change or transformation of our heart and of our whole life.

    Change can be thought by many of us as a mere “disturbance” to what we have already become comfortable and familiar. But then, the danger of complacency and indifference could grip our hearts to the point that we become unmoved in from of the suffering of those around us.

    This reminds us of the life of Fr. Rudy Romano, CSsR, a Redemptorist Missionary who spoke about the crimes of injustices committed against the poor in Cebu. His voice and presence became a “disturbance” to the powerful, the rich and the privileged. Like Amos and many prophets in the Holy Scripture, he too was rejected and martyred. He was even told by his own father to only focus on his sacramental duties as a priest. But, Fr. Rudy responded to his Dad’s letter, that he won’t be a worthy priest anymore if he would follow his father’s advice.

    Fr. Rudy chose to stand with the oppressed and committed himself to speak what God wants him to speak and to live the life of a prophet as God called him to be.

    In consequence, Fr. Rudy was abducted on this day, July 11, in 1985 in Cebu City. For the past 36 years, his body was never been found. Such is the fate of a prophet yet relentless in his words and eternal is his spirit.

    The confidence and the faith that Fr. Rudy showed must have been what St. Paul spoke about in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul proclaimed that God the Father blessed us with every spiritual blessing and this was made possible because of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

    These spiritual blessings must have grown in the heart of Fr. Rudy. These spiritual blessings which St. Paul proclaimed are the grace of being chosen by God, the grace to be holy and without blemish, the grace of being an adopted child of God, the gift of redemption and freedom, the gift of forgiveness of sins and the grace to share in the mystery of God.

    For us today, each of us, regardless of our background or profession or achievements and failures in life is called to be God’s prophet in the bigger picture of our society and even within our small sphere of influence like our homes, schools, workplaces or organizations.

    As a prophet shall arose in our midst, hopefully, we too shall welcome now and learn to discern the words and the presence of the prophet among us whoever he or she may be. May the prophet’s voice and life disturb our complacency and indifference.

    Let our conscience then, be guided also by our faith in God, be inspired by love and be moved by our hope to bring change and transformation into our life and in our community that will bring healing and freedom. Hinaut pa.

  • Trust in God

    Trust in God

    July 11, 2021 – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

          + Emmanuel T. Cabajar, C.Ss.R. D.D.

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071121.cfm)

    Jesus sends his disciples to announce the Good News of God’s Kingdom and cast out demons and heal the sick. With a great deal of trust and courage they obey Jesus and venture into the unknown. They take nothing and go two by two in their mission. The disciple is never alone as the Lord chooses another to accompany him. Because of their “yes” the Lord’s message spreads and the world begins to change.

           Evaluating the dismal results, a parish evangelization team realizes that focusing on mission logistics leads to the message becoming buried. Getting engrossed with the means leads to neglect of the Good News!     

          Fidelity to the core of our baptism allows God to carry out His mission through us. We don’t have to worry about material needs. The almighty opens the hearts of believers to provide for His preachers. The important thing is to obey the Lord and proclaim the Good News. We preach His Cross and find consolation and joy in our trials. 

           We accomplish God’s work as community and always with reference to His will to preach the Kingdom of God. In His name, we cast out demons and heal the sick!

           Heavenly Father, we do not rely on human resources in our ministry. You will always provide for whatever it takes to be Your humble and faithful disciples. We trust You in word and deed as one Body of Christ, united in spirit and in truth. We receive communion with fervor and allow You to make us channels of Your healing love so that others may find hope, freedom and life in the Kingdom You prepare for all of us.

         

    Brothers and sisters, we witness to the joy of the Gospel in word and in deed. Amen.

  • Reluctant Prophets

    Reluctant Prophets

    July 4, 2021 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070421.cfm)

    The gospel we have just heard and proclaimed to us is the Good News of our Salvation. However, there is something disturbing about our gospel today that may make us wonder and even suspect whether it is really Good News. 

    Because as it is narrated to us, our gospel today basically tells us how Jesus was rejected in his own country. Yes, here we heard how Jesus was despised in his own country and by his own people. It describes to us that while he continued His Mission to preach the Good News for all & everybody, and as he preached the Good News particularly in own hometown, Jesus experienced humiliation. He suffered persecutions and rejection in his own country and by his own people “sano” that, in effect, made it difficult for him to continue his work of salvation. Because of this experience, Jesus said: “Prophets are not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house”. Good news has been preached and shared, miracles has been revealed and accomplished already, but were all rejected and wasted by his very Own people. Good new as it may be, our gospel today is certainly disturbing as well.

    Now, is it true that a prophet is not without honor except in his own home? Is a prophet honorable except in his own house and his own family? Experience tells us there is truth in this. Based not only on the experience of Jesus experience but also on our experience, to share the Good News of Christ to one’s own household or community is a difficult assignment and mission. Tough and challenging indeed, to bring God’s message and do wonders and miracles in our own home. Why? Why is it hard to be a prophet in our own home? What makes it challenging to proclaim Christ and share the Good news within our own family where sometimes (or even always) parents complaining about their children, children blaming their parents, brother and sisters accusing each other? Or even within our community or church where we do tend to complain with & about one another?

    Somehow, we could identify in our gospel today two stumbling blocks that make it hard to be a prophet in our own home. First, our prejudices. Like the people who saw Jesus as only the carpenter’s son, it is also our tendency to prejudge others, as if we already know them, that make us blind to recognize prophets in our midst. We tend to downgrade, belittle others, and measure or to limit others by our own standard. “Ka-menos ba.”  Comments like: He is only that, or he is just a ..” And because we judged, we boxed in, that person by our own standards, we want them to behave as we expect them to behave, no more no less. Comments like, “you are just my junior, don’t disobey (“Anak, lang tika, ayaw’g supak” or “Magulang baya ko ha.”) At the same time, we tend not only to belittle others but also we undervalue ourselves. “Unsaon ta man, pobre man, manghod lang man, dili man ko pari, wa man ko kaeswela. Ordinaryo man lang ko, dili man ko dato.” What can I do, I’m just ordinary, poor, undereducated person.

    There is much truth then to the saying: “over familiarity breeds contempt”.

    The second stumbling block to our being a prophet in our own turf is our lack of faith. In our gospel today, Jesus was not able to work miracles in his own country because of the people’s unbelief – their lack of faith.  Usually it is slow for us to believe.

    If I may ask you: How many of you believe that you, yourself are called and sent to be today’s Christian prophet? Those who believe that you are a Christian prophet, please raise your hands. You might think “Me a prophet, no way. Maybe him, but not me”, or Father must be crazy, I am just a simple ordinary unworthy Catholic Christian. How can I be a prophet I cannot even confront my problematic son? How can I preach Good News to my irresponsible drunkard uncle? Or how many of you here believe that your son or daughter or your helper is also a prophet? You might think, how my son or daughter could be a prophet – they cannot even make their own room. My helper a prophet? she cannot even read her own letters. Yes, we tend to be slow to accept that we are God’s sons and daughters. It is hard for us to believe that by virtue of our baptism – our baptismal consecration, every Catholic Christians share the dignity, identity, and responsibility, gifted to be Christ’s Prophets today. Remember, every Christian is baptized to be a prophet.

    Yes, tough & hard it is to be today’s prophet in our own home and community because of humiliations, persecutions, neglect and rejections that we may encounter caused by our prejudices and our lack of faith in Christ, others and in ourselves. Like the sano/townfolks of Jesus, we may have rejected and wasted the message and the miracles-offered because of our prejudices and lack of faith in the messenger.

    To proclaim the Good News is indeed threatening. But beyond and regardless of these difficulties and stumbling blocks, the message of salvation is remained humbly preached, shared, and fulfilled through the witnessing of ordinary people like us.  As St. Paul would say as well: “I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and constraints for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” And the good news is, despite these difficulties and hardships, God continues to send prophets who will preach his salvation to others whatever it takes. And usually he calls and sends those who are weak, ordinary, young, mayokmok in our standards. And mayokmok we maybe, He sends us to be His prophets of Good News to our world today. Reluctant & hesitant prophets we may be in our own home, we still do our part in believing & proclaiming our faith that there is God’s prophet amongst us, for the Lord said: “Whether they heed or resist, they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

    Even we are slow to believe and as limited we may be, let us now renew and proclaim our faith…as we say….

  • INTERRUPTIONS INTO LIFE-GIVING ENCOUNTERS

    INTERRUPTIONS INTO LIFE-GIVING ENCOUNTERS

    June 27, 2021 – 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062721.cfm)

    As this pandemic brought significant changes in our lifestyle and way of gathering, the online platform is now commonly used. However, I cannot help but get irritated of the many interruptions happening during our online seminars, recollections or meetings. A knock on my door, a telephone call or unnecessary noises in the background, or a participant who still struggle to use the online platform would get into my nerves. I get irritated by these interruptions.

    Speaking of interruptions, honestly, I hate it also when I am interrupted from my work. Yet, there were times also when some interruptions and disturbances turned into life-giving encounters that made me wonder and reflect deeper.

    I remember while I was busy with office works in our parish in Iloilo City, I was interrupted by a young lady brought by her father. This young lady was shaking and I thought she was having seizure. However, she became hysterical. Her eyes turned red and her finger nails were scratching the walls of my office. Her face showed fear and claimed that “they” were there around watching her. She seemed to see evil spirits that I could not see.

    I have to stop from what I was doing. If people would judge what was happening at that moment, certainly, they would say that it was a devil’s possession. The father actually thought that her daughter was possessed by the devil. If one would look at her, she really looked possessed. The father begged me to help his daughter. He did not know what to do with her anymore.

    I was terrified having encountered such case for the first time. Yet, when she calmed down, I ask the father to leave us in the office so that I can talk to her personally. I addressed her by her name but she just looked at me, fiercely. I asked her if she believed that God is with her. She responded with a big, NO! She did not believe that God is with her. She was filled with so much anger. She claimed that there were people haunting her. And they were there at that moment in my office.

    That was creepy! And so I asked her, who are they? She did not answer and seemed so fearful. I asked her again but with a different question, “Who are these people hurting you now?” There was a long pause from her and she began crying, with tears in her eyes she named them. The people who were hurting her was her mother who abandoned them when she was little, her father who was so controlling to her, her siblings who did not respect her, her classmates who bullied and shamed her. In her imagination these people who have hurt her, turned into evil spirits, haunting her day and night even when she’s asleep.

    She suffered so much trauma and pain from family and friends. She felt unloved and unaccepted.  She felt empty. She could not believe that there is God who loves her. She opened up and it was her first time to talk to someone and shared her pain and anger. It was when she was able to name those people who caused pain to her that she began also to relax. She began to understand her pain.

    I told her that her journey towards healing has begun. She won’t be haunted anymore and will not fear them because she already knew who they were. I assured her that I am her new friend whom she can trust.

    I told her too that we will pray together. So I asked her what she wanted to ask from God. She wanted peace, assurance of love and friendship, that the evils and her pain will go away and never come back. So together, we prayed for her intentions. Her tears were dripping while I was praying for her. After the prayer, I asked her, how are you now? Her response touched me very much, she said, “I feel, God is talking to me right now!”

    I myself have been touched by this encounter. It was not a mere encounter of a possessed lady but an encounter with a lady who suffered so much trauma and turned to be a person who found hope and love from a loving God.

    This interruption reminds me now of the Gospel today. Jesus was on his way going to a place when he was interrupted by an official of the synagogue. This man interrupted Jesus to beg him to heal his daughter. Yet, on his way to the house of the official, Jesus was again interrupted by another woman who touched the end of his cloak so that she may be healed from her sickness.

    This Sunday, Jesus is teaching us about these interruptions. When he was interrupted by the official and by that woman who suffered bleeding for 12 years, Jesus did not show an indifferent attitude to them. Jesus responded to them gracefully and generously. These interruptions actually turned into “life-giving encounters.”

    In the Gospel, it was not Jesus who touched first the sick. The father of the child, Jairus, called Jesus’ attention and Jesus was touched by that interruption. The sick woman also touched Jesus so that she may be healed. Jesus allowed them to touch him and that is why those interruptions became life-giving.

    My own encounter with that young lady taught me how powerful it is when we learn to stop for a person in need and discover how God works through us. This brings us now of Jesus’ invitation today and that is to be welcoming and to be life-giving in our many encounters with people, with our family members, relatives, friends and strangers. This calls us not to be indifferent with those who call for our care and attention, who seek our help and our presence. Like Jesus, when we are able to learn to stop and welcome interruptions, then we shall also discover how God unfolds His grace and healing power through us. This makes an interruption into a life-giving encounter. Hinaut pa.