Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Sunday Homlies

  • L-I-S-T-E-N

    L-I-S-T-E-N

    February 28, 2021 – Second Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022821.cfm)

    Once a man approached a priest and asked, “Father, how come God seems so absent and silent? Why we don’t feel and hear him listening to us anymore as He used to be? Why does God no longer speak to us His people?” The priest sadly replied, “It is not that God no longer speaks to His people. It is that no one these days can stoop down low & silent enough to listen. No one… can stoop down low & silent enough… to listen.”

    Occasionally (if not most often) we experience the absence and silence of God in Jesus. Though we trust and believe that God is with us – the Lord is with us, we live through moments in life where God and Jesus seem distant and silent. But is God really no longer listening and talking to us? Has he really abandoned us? Or is it we become too noisy, self-preoccupied, or high and far enough to listen to Him?

    During last Ash Wednesday this year, Pope Francis in his message suggests some things that we may fast from this Lenten Season. Like fasting from hurting words, sadness, anger, pessimism, worries, complaints, bitterness, selfishness, grudges & finally, from words. Noteworthy is his last final suggestion: “Fast from words; be silent and listen.” Sound simple, but we do know how difficult for ourselves to be deprived of and abstained from words nowadays. With a lot of things happening & going on, both our world outside & our world inside ourselves are getting noisier & noisier to the point that we cannot anymore hear ourselves & don’t know anymore how to listen to others, much more to God. If we really come to think of it, sometimes we do truly need to fast from our words so that we may become silent in order to listen to God, others & ourselves. We do know the destructive ill-effects of miscommunication, misinformation, & fake news to our lives today, simply because of our irresponsible use of our words & our unwillingness to listen. At this time, we should be wise-enough to be careful to use our words, for it can make life Better OR Bitter. Learn to listen first before using our words.

    It is also interesting that if we happen to play with the letters in the word: LISTEN, we may realize different levels of meaning. Try to rearrange all the letters in the word: Listen, and form other words using all & same letters… Well, from the word, “Listen”, we can form the words “silent” & “enlist” & nothing else. From these words: listen, silent, enlist, we may form the challenge: “Enlist oneself to be silent in order to listen”, or “Be silent, enlist oneself to listen”, or “Listen, silently enlist oneself”. All of these reflects the need to for us to willingly be quiet ourselves in order to hear what is being said. In other words, to opt for silent listening amidst our noisy words & our noisy world.   

    In our gospel today, we hear that the apostles heard God saying to them: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; LISTEN to Him.” Their experience of the Lord’s transfiguration has the same very simple message: Jesus is His beloved Son – God’s gift and word to us, so we must acknowledge and listen to Him intently. And we can only do this – acknowledge and listen to Jesus – like the apostle, not in noise, pre-occupation, and ambitions of our hearts, but in the shadow of God’s seeming silence and absence. Only by experiencing God’s silence that we recognize God’s glory in Lord’s transfiguration, transformation in our lives and hear intently God’s will for us now.

    In other words, “Be Quiet (Don’t be noisy) for the Lord is with us and He has something to say for us. Huwag kang maingay, Narito sya at may sasabihin sa atin. Ayaw’g saba. Ania siya ug naay ika-sulti nato. Di pag-gahud, Ari siya. May inug-hambal sa aton. Jesus is God’s word for us. So, LISTEN to Him. Makinig Sa kanya. Minaw Niya ba.

    Pope Francis also once said: “People listen to radio, to TV and to gossips throughout the day, but do we take a bit a time each day to listen to Jesus?” True, we spend a lot of time listening to and knowing about others. We also may spend some time listening to and knowing about ourselves. But do we spend some time to listen to and know Jesus? Listening to Jesus entails praying low enough in and with God’s silence. Only in silent prayer, we can recognize Him and listen to Him. Thus, we do need to fast from our words in order to be silent enough to listen to Him.  

    So next time you find yourself restless and sleepless at night, stop counting sheep. Talk to the shepherd. Pray then silently and listen to Him, for the Lord has something to say and then you will hear what He got to say, especially during this Lenten Season & on our pandemic times.

    So Help us God, So May it Be. Amen.

  • TOWARDS A MATURE RELATIONSHIP

    TOWARDS A MATURE RELATIONSHIP

    FEBRUARY 28, 2021 – Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

    by Fr. Manoling Thomas, CSsR

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022821.cfm)

    As we mature and develop as persons, our relationship with others should also undergo change! An example is the way we relate now with our own parents. Surely our way of relating with them now, is different from the way we related with them when we were children or growing teenagers. They remain as our parents whom we continue to esteem and respect as they are entitled to.

    This too should be the case with our personal relationship with God. God wants that relationship; to grow, develop, and mature! Quietly go deep within yourself. Observe, and notice! Is there a difference now in the way God is relating with you from with the way God related with you when you were a child, or a growing teenager? How about from your side, has there been a change in the way you now relate with God?

    Our 1st Reading today, which is from Genesis 22, is an example of an adult to adult relationship: between God and Abraham! Compare this with the relationship between Abraham and his young son, Isaac. The 1st Reading is a very touching illustration of a relationship that has matured. On the one hand we have the relationship between a human father Abraham, and his only son, whom he loved so much. On the other hand, we have the relationship between God and Abraham. Observe the way God addressed Abraham in verse 1, when God commanded Abraham to do something that was very difficult! Look at verse 11, after Abraham proved to God that he was more than willing to do whatever God asks of him! Listen to this: “‘Abraham, Abraham!’. And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.’” [22:11-12]. Do you notice the terms of endearment behind the way God called Abraham and the way Abraham responded? The way God addressed Abraham and intervened shows God’s concern for Abraham and his son, Isaac!

    How did Abraham take God’s difficult command: that he sacrifice his only son whom Abraham loves so much? On those two occasions [vv. 1 & 11], Abraham’s response was the same:  “Here I am.” “Here I am”, shows us Abraham’s nature, as a person always totally available to God. From the time they first met, Abraham had trusted, believed; and was totally obedient to God!

    Did God really want a human sacrifice from Abraham? Of course not! The narrator of the story already made that clear to us! God only wished “to test” Abraham’s faith! In the opening verse we read: “After these things, God tested Abraham.” [v.1]. God’s demand of Abraham was not intended to be taken literally! But Abraham interpreted and understood it differently! Abraham took God’s command literally and seriously! Abraham was well prepared before embarking on that journey. Abraham’s willingness to undertake that long journey and follow a very difficult instruction shows us Abraham’s unwavering faith, firm trust, and total obedience to God!

    Probably, deep inside Abraham, God’s command was completely incomprehensible and even unreasonable. Before this, in their old age, God gifted Abraham and his wife with a son! God gave Abraham this promise: “your very own issue shall be your heir” [15:4]. Abraham totally cut himself off from his whole past [12:1ff] when he left his homeland to obey God and follow God’s call. And now this same God was asking him to give up his whole future? Does this make any sense? Is God aware and sensitive to the fact of how much Abraham loves his only son, Isaac? And God wants Abraham to sacrifice him?

    At this stage in your life, how would you describe the relationship between you and God? Has God ever asked you to do something very difficult and even painful; or do something incomprehensible and even seemingly unreasonable? How did you respond to God?

    Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son on the mountain of Moriah. God the Father gave up His Only Son on Mount Calvary. God was merciful to the father and son, Abraham and Isaac! Through the angel, God intervened and Isaac’s life was spared. But did you realize that God showed no mercy to Himself? God did not intervene to spare Jesus from a violent and cruel death! God allowed His Only Son, whom He loved so much to die…to die so that all of us may have life…the fullness of life! [Jn. 10:10]. This is the God, Who invites you and me to continue to grow and mature in our personal relationship with Him!

  • Of Peter & Judas

    Of Peter & Judas

    February 21, 2021 – First Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022121.cfm)

    What’s the difference between Judas & Peter? We know both are trusted disciples of Jesus (Peter as the coordinator, Judas as the treasurer). Both also have failed the Lord through Peter’s denial & Judas’ betrayal. But what’s the difference between them?

    After all things happened, Judas ended and gave up his life by killing himself thus giving the risen Lord NO chance to forgive and love him again & anew. Peter however despite what happened, humbly waited until the Lord resurrection, thus giving the risen Lord the chance to forgive and love Peter again and anew. In other words, Repentance and Faith made the difference. Unlike Judas, Peter repented and still believed in the risen Lord – which gives the Lord the chance to forgive and love Him again and anew.

    The very basic message Jesus always preaches us is that: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand”. This is the fullest expression of God’s covenant to us – that God is already near and always here with us through His Son Jesus. And as response, this Gospel of God’s blessing challenges us “To Repent and Believe the Gospel”. Amidst this Good news then, all we have to do, and what is required of us is to choose repentance and faith in Jesus as our response to the good news of God’s grace upon us always. By our repentance and faith then, we allow and give God’s gospel a chance to forgive and love us again and anew, and in effect change our lives now for the better.

    And along with God’s message, our response of repentance and faith entail a few realizations…

    First, a realization that “there is something wrong here”. Repentance and faith begin to happen when we realize that our very life now is out of sync, or out of tune with God’s message. There is something wrong, missing or lacking with one’s life – that we are not what we should be and what we choose to be.

    2nd, a realization that “I am wrong”. Repentance and faith occur when in all honesty, openness, and courage we admit that we our very selves here are to blame and are the very mistake and wrong.

    3rd, a realization that “I need to change & help”. Only by taking responsibility for our mistakes, (not by blaming others) and by accepting God’s mercy and other’s help, Good news & good things start to happen. If you want change, begin with oneself.

    4th, a realization that “I want to be…I choose to be”. Repentance and Faith require not only changes but also commitments. It is all about starting again and starting anew – giving oneself another chance in life. It is not only about leading a life away from something, but leading a life toward something better and meaningful.

    5th, a realization that “I believe in God and His Good News of Jesus as God’s kingdom is here now at hand”. Repentance and Faith thrive only when, like Peter we always allow and give God’s message a chance to forgive and love us again and anew, and thus make our life better.

    In sum, repentance and faith demand our realization that: “there is something wrong here, and I am the one wrong – needing change and help, choosing and wanting to be better again, and believing anew in God”.

    Remember Jesus commanded us not only to repent but “to repent and believe”. This means that as much as repentance is a choice, believing the Gospel is also a choice. Obeying the command to repent and believe then is a choice. Requiring someone to repent and believe is thus useless, unless repenting and believing is their own choice.

    The Gospel has already always been preached to us: “The Kingdom of God is at hand”. All we have to do now is like Peter to choose “To repent and believe the Gospel”, as we were reminded last Ash Wednesday when we received the Ashes to begin Lenten Season this year 2021.

    So Help us God. So May it Be. Amen.

  • THE DESERT. WILD BEASTS. ANGELS.

    THE DESERT. WILD BEASTS. ANGELS.

    February 21, 2021 – First Sunday of Lent

    Fr. Manoling Thomas, CSsR

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022121.cfm)

    The Gospel evangelists: Matthew, Mark, and Luke mentioned Jesus’ experience of temptation when he spent 40 days in the dessert. Mark has the shortest account, just in two sentences [Mk. 1: 12-13]! Today’s Gospel [Mk. 1: 12-15] has actually two episodes: 1) the temptation story; and b) a “summary statement” regarding Jesus’ preaching in Galilee. I will only focus on the first episode: the temptation story!

    In Mark’s version there are three important words to remember: 1) the desert [wilderness]; 2) the wild beasts [animals]; and 3) the angels.

    For the Jews, the word “desert/wilderness” has many associations.  Moses spent 40 days of fasting in the desert for the sinfulness of the people that Yahweh asked him to bring to the Promised Land [Dt. 9:18]. Elijah made a 40-day journey through the desert of Horeb, after which, he was renewed, re-invigorated and re-energized for his mission to Israel [1 Kgs. 19:8]. The Hebrew people, after leaving Egypt, spent 40 years travelling through the desert, on their way to the Promised Land. During that journey, many times, Israel’s fidelity to the Lord was put to the test! Jesus, in today’s Gospel, spent 40 days in the desert, the battleground between him and Satan! The “desert” then, can be a place of liberation or failure; or a place of joy and a deepening of one’s commitment!

    Both the “wild beasts” and the “angels” were with Jesus in the desert! Jesus had to struggle with the “wild beasts” but in that struggle, the “angels served him” [Mk. 1:3]. The angels’ caring for Jesus reveals God’s presence with Jesus in the desert!

    The “wild beasts” represent the threatening and harmful presence of the evil forces, while the “angels” represent the gentle and protective presence of God and the forces of the Good!

    The idea of “angels” underwent a development in the understanding of the Jews. In Genesis 3: 24, “angels” were portrayed as “prison guards” employed by God at the gate of paradise so that our first parents who were driven out would not be able to enter again! In the Book of Exodus [23:20ff] Yahweh sent an angel to the Israelites to guide, protect and lead them in their journey through the desert. God gave us the Angels to be our mentors and companions in our journey in life. In the Catholic tradition we celebrate the feast of our Guardian Angels [October 2]!

    What do the “desert”, the “wild beasts” and the “angels” signify in our lives? The world outside, and our “inner world” are the battleground of the forces of evil and Satan on the one side; and the forces of goodness and of the Kingdom of God on the other. That battleground is our “desert” We stand between these two opposing forces competing for our attention, our choice; and our loyalty!

    The presence of evil and of good, are both outside and inside of us! Carl Jung, a famous psychologist wrote that some time in our life we have to face and to wrestle with our own inner “demons” or “monsters” or “wild beasts”. Of course Carl Jung used these terms figuratively! Jesus too had to wrestle with his own “demons” or “monsters”. When one succeeds in that wrestling, the “demons” or “monsters” are tamed and actually become our “slaves” or “servants”. Jesus succeeded in taming those “wild beasts” outside and inside of him. Jesus defeated Satan in the desert!

    The “wild beasts” within us can take the form of bitterness, cynicism, depression, hopelessness, mediocrity or compromise with the Evil One!

    The invitation [temptation] of the Evil One can be enticing and tricky! Often Satan does not appear to us like the scary, repulsive, or ugly creature often depicted in horror movies. Satan can disguise himself as “an angel of light” [2 Cor. 11: 14]. These “wild beasts” can appear in sheep’s clothing to entice us to accept their harmful and fatal proposals again subtly presented as good, and gratifying! They promise instant and quick happiness and satisfaction! An example of these is the prohibited drugs!  Accepting these offers in the long run will prove to be harmful, detrimental, fatal; and dehumanizing for us! We end up the real losers!

    The “angels” are also present, ministering to us, as they did to Jesus in the desert. The power of the Kingdom of God is both within [Lk. 17:21] and outside us! The Holy Spirit had been poured within us at our baptism.

    In your life, who or which force has a stronger influence or greater hold on you: the forces of the wild beasts; or the caring and protective power of God’s angels? Which of these forces do you usually listen to and follow?    

  • GIVING LIFE BY TOUCHING THE LIVES OF OTHER WITH KINDNESS

    GIVING LIFE BY TOUCHING THE LIVES OF OTHER WITH KINDNESS

    February 14, 2021 – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021421.cfm)

    When I was on my first year college in the seminary in Cebu, I met Nanay Elisabeth, an old lady, sick with leprosy. Despite her illness she was very welcoming. She was in fact the most talkative in their ward. Like a Nanay, she was very affectionate to us seminarians. I usually would come to visit the ward where Nanay Elizabeth was on Saturday afternoons to mingle with leprosy patients and make friends with them.

    The many visits I made formed friendship with them and especially to Nanay Elizabeth who always would offer her leprosy-infected-hand, but healed, for us seminarians to receive her blessing. In one of those visits, Nanay Elizabeth shared her life story which touched me very much.

    Due to her illness, she never got married. Life was so difficult because she was poor. In her younger years, she was into scavenging garbage in Cebu. One early morning, as she approached a garbage bin to collect recyclable materials she found something. She actually found “someone” inside the garbage bin that others might have thought, was a trash.

    Nanay Elisabeth found a newly born baby girl in that garbage bin. She named her Nancy. Nancy, perhaps, a reason why she was thrown away was because Baby Nancy had a cerebral palsy. Nancy was sick and in the minds of many, they might have believed that she was a cursed baby and useless. But what was more heartwarming there, was Nanay Elisabeth’s unconditional love for the baby. The baby was unwanted but for this young woman, Elisabeth, all her love and affection were for Nancy. She brought Nancy home and did all her best to let Nancy feel that she was loved and treasured.

    However, when the signs of leprosy began to appear to Nanay Elizabeth, that became a painful part of her life because she had to leave Nancy to a group of Religious Sisters while she had to be in the leprosarium to be treated. Nanay Elizabeth’s heart ached daily because she longed to see Nancy.

    With some of my classmates, we went to that center where Nancy was, visited her and took pictures of her so that Nanay Elizabeth would have a glimpse of her daughter.

    This is a story and an encounter that proves kindness and love in the human heart that values human life and worth despite its seemingly ugliness. It tells us that no matter how poor we are, wounded or imperfect we are in the eyes of many – we can give life to others by touching the lives of those who need most of our love and kindness.

    This brings me into the story of the Gospel. A leper found love and kindness in Jesus. In the Biblical times, a leper was nobody. A person who has leprosy is removed from the community. It means that the person is forced to leave from the comfort and presence of friends, family and relatives.

    The Jews at that time believed that leprosy was an ultimate punishment for sin. A leper was considered a terrible sinner punished by God and thus unclean, unworthy and worthless person. This became a form of treating a leper as less than human or not human at all.

    Jews would avoid them at all times. This is what we find in the Book of Leviticus that prescribed on what to do with lepers. They are to stay outside the camp, that is, outside from the daily affairs of his/her family and community. A leper has to make known himself by shouting, “Unclean! Unclean!” to warn the people of his presence. Everybody will never get near and come close to a leper for fear of being infected and worst of being considered as unclean too. Though there was a medical explanation for this, as isolation of the infected will protect the community. However, later on, this also fostered a culture of indifference and discrimination to the sick.

    Yet, our Gospel conveys to us a shocking and moving turn of events. A leper should never get near to a Jew and a Jew should also immediately avoid any contact with a leper. But then, it was so shocking for all the Jews to see a leper coming closer to Jesus asking the Lord to cure him. What was more surprising there was the gesture of Jesus towards the leper. Jesus touched the leper!

    The Lord touched a worthless person, an unclean and less human leper. And when that touch of Jesus happened, it destroyed the wall of indifference among the Jews towards the poor leper. The touch of Jesus assured the leper that he was not worthless at all, that he was not less human but, he was loved and cherished by the Lord who longed to see him joyful and healed.

    Jesus was moved to touch the leper because the Lord looked with pity on him. This feeling of pity described in the Gospel is not a “shallow feeling” that we usually have when we see a beggar or a person with difficulty, and we feel pity for him/her, but then we go along with our life and forget about the person. No, it is not that way. What Jesus felt was true pity where he too felt the sorrow and pain of the leper. In fact, Jesus was so distressed and disappointed to see the situation of the leper. This moved him to do something, and that is, to touch the leper in order to cleanse him. By doing that, Jesus broke the barriers of disgust, shame and fear that prevented the leper to be accepted by the community. Jesus changed those negative feelings and indifference with kindness and love.

    This is how the Lord calls us on this day of Feb-IBIG, on this day of love, that we too will recognize persons in our community today who have been left out, abandoned and disgusted by many, so that, like Jesus we may also be able to touch them and show kindness and love.

    As we remember and celebrate today what love can do, let that love in us also counter the growing indifference towards those whom our society identifies as worthless, useless and less human. To counter such injustice and indifference, never ever treat anybody as less human or useless because of their imperfection, because of their sickness or because of their failures in life.

    Let us also not forget that each of us has our own leprosy, imperfections and sins that would qualify us as unclean before God. However, God showed pity upon us and became human like us so that Jesus may touch us to heal us.

    Let us now share to our families and communities the touch of God that we have experienced so that like Nanay Elizabeth who despite her own situation, we too may be able to give life to those who need it, to give joy to those who are sad, and to give hope to those who are hopeless. Hinaut pa.