Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Sunday Homlies

  • Ready? Handa ka naba?

    Ready? Handa ka naba?

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    November 8, 2020 – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110820.cfm)

    Homily

    “Last two minutes”. Usually in a basketball game, the last two minutes is scheduled as “Time-out” for both teams. At that moment, the game is paused for a minute break to allow both teams to assess their situation in view of the coming end-game. This is the chance for both teams to have a wider look on where they are and how they fair at that period of the game. It is an opportunity for teams to have a reality-check in terms of their strengths and weaknesses as well as of the possible opportunities and threats at this stage of the game, in view of plotting a game-plan strategy for the end-game. The “last two-minutes time-out” of the basketball game is thus an occasion for each team to consider at the last two minutes of the game their resources and limitations in relation to their aspired goal and end-game and their remaining game-plan. 

    Just recently early this month of November, our observance and celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day respectively may have been also “a last two-minutes time out” occasion for us, Christians. As we prayed for the eternal repose of our saintly and beloved dead brothers and sisters, we may have also slowed down, have a pause and break from our busy schedules in order to consider not only the death and lives of those who have gone before us, but also our own lives so-far now as we are still in this life. Yes, as we considered the lives of those who have gone before us these days, we are also confronted with the reality of the mortality of our very lives now as we are still alive living here. Like the last two minutes time-out in a basketball game, the last two months of the year can be a chance for us to consider where and how we are in our lives in relation to our game in life – our dreams and aspirations as well as what we are to do to improve our lives now for the better, and above all in relation to our salvation.    

    Behind the story of the five wise and five foolish virgins in our gospel today is the call for us to be vigilant and ready. Jesus wants us to be Wise enough to be prepared and awake, and not to be foolish enough to be not ready and unaware. When we hear this challenge, many people think that they have to be ready for death so as not to be caught unaware. Rightly so, because when we came into the world, death has become natural to us. We know that no man lives forever in this world. Death is our lot, and reminds us of how limited our life is. We have only one life, lived in a given time. And it is wise enough to be prepared for our coming death.

    However, much more than our coming death are meant in our gospel today. Our gospel today is all about how ready and prepared are we to meet and experience the Lord IN our lives here and now, and not in our coming death later. In other words, the challenge of Jesus for us to be wise enough to be vigilant and ready is for Here and Now while we are still living, and not for There and Later on our death.  Thus, the readiness and vigilance we are to be is not in view of our end – our death, but as to how we have lived and spent our life so-far here and now as we meet and encounter the Lord in our daily lives.

    Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “When you were born you were crying and everyone else was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you are the one who is smiling and everyone else is crying”. True enough, in our death, we wish to be remembered not how we died, but how we live our lives to the fullness with the Lord. It is not the end-game itself – the Winning or Losing but about the GAME itself – How we lived our lives and play our game with the Lord in life, that matters most. 

    As we are still living in this world now – most especially during this pandemic times, we have yet to learn how to be wise & street-smart enough to be aware and ready to meet the Lord now in the many ways he comes to us. He is the “Word of God made flesh”, the God with Us, our companion in the journey of life, who lives with Us. Blessed then are those who are ready and alert to Welcome the Lord in our lives, not in our death. So, Are you ready now? Handa ka na ba?

    On our “last two-minutes time-out” moment, we pray that we may be wisely awake and cleverly prepared enough to welcome Him in our lives now as we meet Him in our church, our brothers & sisters, our fellowmen and others, in our day to day lives. Amen.

  • Desiring God Always

    Desiring God Always

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    November 8, 2020 – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110820.cfm)

    Homily

    The first reading was very interesting. We have heard that Wisdom was personified by a “she,” by a woman who hastens to make herself known to us in anticipation of our desire to have her. Wisdom even makes her rounds, “seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to us with great attention and care.” This is a sign of intimacy from God being shown to us. This image actually makes me remember of my own experience with my mother, surely with your own mothers too. Usually, if not most of the time, a mother always knows what her son or daughter needs and wants. As soon as I pronounce the word, “Ma,” my mother knows what I need.

    This is wisdom described to us in the first reading. Now, wisdom is innate in each of us as we are created in God’s image and likeness, who is the source of wisdom. Our Psalm reveals what is innate in each of us. Our Psalm says, “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.” Yes, our human heart is designed to long for God, to be with God. Acknowledging our “thirst for God” is in fact the beginning of Wisdom which makes us become conscious of the importance of God in our life. Wisdom is also faith because it leads us to believe in God who has been “seeking to find us.”

    Let us remember this, that God seeks to find us as wisdom has been seeking for us in anticipation of our desire to find her. This is a hint for us that though God seeks to find us first, yet God wants something from us also – and that is to have “the desire to long for him.” It means acknowledging our desire for God. It is in recognizing our desire for God that our heart will keep burning. Our desire to be with God makes us hopeful, generous and joyful as we wait to welcome the Lord in our life.

    This is basically what our Gospel is teaching us today. The Parable of the 10 virgins gives us the image of people who lose hope and forget their desire for God and people who hope against adversities and difficulties and still remember their desire to welcome God in their life.

    Thus, the Gospel actually assures as that in our Christian life we may fail, we may fall asleep in the middle of the night because we have become so tired from waiting for the Lord, because our prayers remain unanswered, because you have failed several times in your exams despite your reviews and daily devotion, or your partner or family member is still problematic despite the prayer intentions you have offered, or until now you are not yet healed from your illness which gives you suffering despite the many “pamisa” you’ve made, or your loved one was taken away from you because of a sudden death even though you have been a good catholic, or because this pandemic is taking too long to disappear and your job or business is losing and you have grown tired from this quarantine and in following the protocols while powerful political people in our country enjoy the comforts of life yet people are growing hungry, homeless and sick, etc.

    These experiences are truly disappointing. They discourage us and so we feel that our faith is weakened. This happens when we lose our desire for God and tend to focus more on our personal wants, personal assurance of comfort and security.

    This was the situation of the five foolish virgins. It was not just about running out of oil in their lamps but losing their desire for God. They were losing the light and oil of their lamps and so was their enthusiasm to meet the bridegroom. They felt tired from waiting and waiting for the bridegroom to come.

    This situation was also the condition of the Christian Community under St. Matthew’s. His people had grown tired, felt hopeless because Jesus seemed not to come back anymore as he promised. At this time, the belief of the immediate “parousia” or the second coming of Jesus was so strong that anytime during their lifetime – Jesus will come to welcome them all in his kingdom. Yet, the first disciples were already being martyred by the Romans and as if nothing was happening. Therefore, Matthew addressed them here and challenged them to be like the other five wise virgins and that is “to be always vigilant” – “to be always ready to welcome God” despite the difficulties and discouragements that they were experiencing.

    This is the invitation for us this Sunday and that is to be wise enough, to seek wisdom from God, to desire Him even in the midst of trials, of discouragements, of boring and dry moments, and even in the most ordinary days of our life.

    Remember, God reveals his abiding and loving presence to us in any moment of our life. Let us keep our hearts then to always desire God through our constant and intimate communication with God through our personal prayer and through this Eucharist.

    Let us hope that as we are able to meet the Lord in our ordinary life may it become a moment of joy for us and a life-changing experience for us and for our community. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Growing in Friendship with God everyday

    Growing in Friendship with God everyday

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    November 1, 2020 – Solemnity of All Saints

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110120.cfm)

    Homily

    There is something I want to ask you now. I want you to close your eyes for few moments and in silence, remember the face of your best-friend, that great friend or friends of yours whom you are most comfortable with, that great friend who is always ready to listen and comfort you, that great friend who knew your deepest secrets and pain in life, who has been with you through thick and think, in joy and sorrow.

    Our friends are indeed, gifts to us. Through them and with them, life becomes more colorful, entertaining as well as comforting. As we discover the person of our friends, we too, through them discover more ourselves. That intimacy and affection shared with our friends become the source of our strength especially when life seemed to be not favorable to us. Though, we may not see every day those close friends of ours, yet, our friendship with them stays.

    With this experience of friendship, this reminds me of the saints, whom we remember today. Saints who are also called as friends of God have this special bond with the Lord. Surely, each saint had their own friends too and through their human experience of friendship, they developed their friendship with God.

    “This friendship with God made each saint to be more familiar with God’s voice, more aware of the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and responsive to the invitations of the Lord.”

    Thus, the presence of the Saints in the Church brings us into an awareness on how God works every day in our life. The life of a saint and all those who have lived a holy and joyful life is a manifestation on how God transforms human life creatively and wonderfully through friendship.

    This means that living a holy life is a constant calling of friendship with God. We may struggle to identify God’s voice in the midst of so many voices. What makes a person holy then, is his/her daily commitment in choosing God and allowing God to transform him/her every day. This tells us that saints also experienced mistakes, failures and sins. They too are haunted by their own insecurities and guilt, unfaithfulness and inconsistencies, selfish desires and demons. Yet, every time they fell down, they rose up and chose God again. Indeed, this makes the saints to become closer to God because they grew in friendship with God by knowing themselves and recognizing God every day.

    This tells us of that desire of the human heart to long for God. Indeed, our very life finds its purpose and meaning with God. This is what our Psalm proclaims to us, “Lord, these are the people who longs to see your face.” Our longing for God also explains our deepest hunger and thirst for intimacy and love. God satisfies our deepest longing which sometimes human connection cannot satisfy. Yet, our human experiences of friendship point and bring us to God.

    This is the invitation for us today, that each of us, like all the saints whom we remember today, will grow in friendship with God by knowing ourselves through our weaknesses and strengths and recognizing God who touches every moment of our life.

    Moreover, the Gospel of Matthew which reminds us of the Beatitudes, are the very attitudes of those who are growing in the friendship of God. We become blessed and discover more graces when we begin to realize that we are not the center of everything, but God. The attitudes of dependence and confidence in God, of gentleness and mercy and the desire to be a person for others are fruits of that friendship with God.

    “Thus, difficult situations are turned into graces. Failures are turned into opportunities and windows for mercy. Friendship is turned into door of conversion and blessing.”

    Again, in the first letter of John, we are reminded that we are God’s children, and this is who we are. We are God’s beloved sons and daughters. It is God who claims that we are His. Hence, we too can confidently say now, “I am God’s beloved and God is my dearest friend!”

    Allow this powerful words and our powerful God to transform us today and the rest of our life just as saints were transformed!

    Whatever difficulty we are experiencing at this moment, never lose hope with yourself or with God because God never loses his hope in us. Believe in your friendship with God.

    Hopefully, by being more aware of our identify as God’s children, we too shall grow every day in our friendship with God and with one another. Remember this too, “a true friend of God recognizes the face of God with others,” with our brothers and sisters and with the rest of God’s creation. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Of Pride and Humility

    Of Pride and Humility

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    November 1, 2020 – Solemnity of All Saints

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110120.cfm)

    Homily

    What makes angels & saints blessed? What makes devils & sinners cursed?

    St. Augustine once said: “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” It is a matter of pride & humility then that makes people saints or sinner, angels or saints.

    You see, pride is concerned with WHO is right; humility is concerned with WHAT is right. Though both are concerned about right, pride is more on the authority & power, against humility, which is more on the moral principles of right & good. Pride encourages us to scream, “That’s just the way I am” in the hope that we will not hear the soft whisper of humility, asking us, “Yes, but is that the way you should be?”. “Well, this is Me… but should Me be it?” Ganito kasi ako… pero dapat ba akong ganito? Ani naman gud ko… pero angayan ba nga ani lang ko? Pride is being influenced by Shallow Loud Noisy voice of the evil that makes us artificial/fake/plastic, while humility is being inspired by Gentle yet Deep Soft Sound of the Spirit that makes us real & true, warts & all, broken yet blessed before God and others.

    In the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus in our gospel proclaims us through the Beatitudes how Blessed we are (for the Kingdom of God, comfort, inheritance, satisfaction, mercy, being God’s children & Kingdom of Heaven). We are blessed not because of our actions – of what we have done & doing in our lives but moreso because of God’s graces – of what God gives us & God is doing in our lives. We are more so blessed then because of God grace & action, regardless of our doings. However, God’s gift of blessings for us is fully enjoyed & fulfilled in life if and when we are humble enough to acknowledge, value and share these with others. Our humility makes us more well-disposed and appreciative of the fruits of God’s blessings in our lives, and willing to partake it with others, though our pride could render us insensitive and hinders us to fully benefit from God’s grace, and thus making ours and other people’s lives miserable and cursed.

    Today is All Saint’s Day. We honor ALL saints – both the recognized & unrecognized officially by Church. You see, saints or saintly people are in essence like us Christians who humbly witnesses in their faith and lives God’s blessings to all. They are Christians like us – “the people that longs to see your face, O Lord”, who not only by their words & deeds but also by their faith and life, have struggled and still struggling (along with suffering, mistakes, & success) to be humbly real and true to their chosen vocation in life & to fulfill their special mission in God’s grace and kingdom, and in effect have greatly influenced other people’s faith & life.

    Simply put, saints are fellow-Christians who have greatly infected and influenced now our very person and faith as Christian. Somehow and in someway, because of them & through them, we become Christians now. So, think of all saintly people whom you have crossed paths in life and have made you know, love & follow Christ in your life. Perhaps parents, grandparents, relatives, teachers, neighbors, catechists, friends, priests, sisters – both living and dead. Yes, both living and dead, as long as they have influenced and are still greatly influencing your life then-now and always as Christian, because they are & have been SAINTS to you and others. Remember and include them in your prayers these days. Eternal rest to those who have already gone before us. More blessings & witnessing for those who are still with us now, like you and I are still humbly leading our Christian lives saintly – struggling to be true to our calling, fulfilling our mission to be witnesses of God’s blessings and hoping also to influence other’s faith and life – blessed yet broken we maybe.

    Again, being blessed or being cursed, being saint or sinner is a matter of humility and pride.  Our life nowadays amidst quarantine during pandemic times can be a Curse if and when in pride we are ungrateful, ungracious, and greedy of God’s blessings before us… but can be a Blessing if and when we humbly recognize, value, and share God’s blessing with one another, especially those who are in need at this time. We all do need God’s blessings at this time in history. So Let us be a Blessing than a Curse to one another. Rather than remain to be a proud sinner (a pain in the… neck 😉), try to be a humble saint (a helping hand, a gentle presence, a lending ear) to others. With the examples & witness of the saints, may we joyfully admit How Blessed we are by humbly saying: “This is not mine only but Ours to Share” & not by proudly insisting: “This is Mine alone and not yours”. So may it be. Hinaut pa unta. Amen.

    By  Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay, CSsR 

  • How’s your love-life?

    How’s your love-life?

    October 25, 2020 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102520.cfm)

    Homily

    Early 1991, a popular song by Extreme, an American rock band entitled: “More than Words” was released.  Surely we all have heard and familiar of this song. Many of us could relate with the song, as we listen to it along with its cool acoustic strumming, nice voice blending, and even sometimes we catch ourselves singing-along with the lyrics like: “Then you would’nt have to say that your love me… coz I’d already know”. Nice song, diba? Well, for us, it might be one of the cool sounds to hear, nice to sing-along with, popular and common song of our time. But, for others, the song: “More than words” is their most special, intimate, and personal love song.

    You see, for us Catholic, marriage rite and weddings mean more than just contracts, ceremony, receptions, or party, but it is a sacrament. And again for us Catholic, what makes a marriage sacrament is more than just the wedding rites, receptions, guests and entourage, remembrance photos-videos, missalette, attire, even the presider-priest. But what makes wedding day a Sacrament is the presence and love of the couple themselves, before God’s altar. Yes, the couples’ very love for each other, their faith in God, and their resolve to love each other eternally and sacredly make their marriage and their wedding SACRAMENT. More than the words, gestures, decorations, expenses, attires, food and others is the couple’s consecrated LOVE itself – a SACRAMENT of God’s love and our love.

    For what is a SACRAMENT? A sacrament is human expressions of our sacred love to God and each other, as well as is God’s human expressions of love to us. Somehow, a sacrament is our response to God’s commandments of love to “Love one another”. It is sacred expression of our love of God as we love one another, and it is human expression of our love of one another, as we love God. And for all those who know and experience what love is, Love is more than the words we say but moreso about the life we live, and commit to. Love is more than just saying “I love you” but meaning what you said & promised, i.e. being here present for this person all the days of your life, whatever it takes, whatever others say about you both. Love is, as the song would say: More than words to show you feel/ that your love for me is real. Meaning, Our Love of others is something REAL than the words spoken or written. Loving others is something Sacred, Holy, Personal, Intimate, Eternal, Divine. In other words, SACRAMENT, expression of God’s love for us and our love for God.

    In our gospel today, the Lord reminded us of the commandment for us to Love God with all our hearts, mind & soul, and to love one another as we love ourselves. Here Jesus simply challenges us to make & offer our Lovelife to be Holy, Sacred and Godly before God and others. You see, Love is basically all about our being intimately, closely & personally related with an-other person. Human as we are, we need to be intimately in relationship with others – we need to love others & be loved by others in life. As we do our best, struggle & grow with our lovelife, the invitation really is to make our Lovelife a Sacrament – to consecrate our Love to the Lord, as our concrete way of loving God in our life. Loving others as oneself is already great, but the greatest things is to offer our love for others Godly and sacredly (diniyos/balaan) before God and others – Sacrament of Love. If and when we commit our love for others as sacrament, challenging it may be, we find in our lovelife with our loved ones, among couples, within family, community, church, & society more meaning, value & direction.

    Now, How’s your lovelife?… However we describe the status of our lovelife (whether single, singled, in relationship, engaged, complicated, married, divorced, separated, in love, broken, and others), we  also do know that our lovelife is more than just the words we say and just about object or subject of our affection, but more so about our whole experience of being loved & being loving – on how we experience love in life that considers its memories, feelings, emotions, challenges, & growth. Others might have fallen in and/or fallen out of love. Others have grown and/or failed in love.

    But in our lifetime, surely we do find ourselves trying again and anew our best, continually learning & struggling with our lovelife. Perhaps occasionally it is good to review our lovelife. Ask ourselves: “How is my lovelife? Have I been loving with others? Have I been loved by others? Has my love and their love for me sacred and godly? Is our love for one another a sacrament?

    Pandemic times makes us aware that we need each others’ love. People are needing our love as well as we do need other’s love. We pray then that may our lovelife now be Holy & be a witness of God’s love for all those who are needy at this time. May God & Christ be known & loved by others & all through our Christian love for one another. By our sacred love – diniyos nga gugma, may we be blessed and be a blessing to others. So be it. Amen.

    By  Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay, CSsR