Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Sunday Homlies

  • In Love not in Fear

    In Love not in Fear

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    October 25, 2020 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

    Homily

    Have you been terrified of God? My childhood memories of God was a terrifying God. I was introduced to a God who will easily get angry over a naughty boy and will deliver a punishment. I grew up in an environment also when corporal punishment was the easy way of discipline. The adults around me that included my parents, siblings, teachers and other authority figures were always ready to strike whenever I become rowdy.

    And because a punishment can be painful and shameful at times, I would behave immediately not to anger more those adults around me. In this way, I was also catechized and made to believe that God was like those authority figures around me. My childhood imagination of God was like a grandfather who always has a stick in his hand ready to strike a boy like me who was unruly.

    Yet, I was told to love God with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind. I found it hard because I was terrified of God. I fear God most rather than love Him. However, as I grew up, I also gradually realized that as I matured in my faith and relationship with God, I found God less and less terrifying. God manifested His love to me in many ways. God showed his faithfulness in me despite my unfaithfulness and sinfulness.

    With this deeper relationship with the Lord, the terrifying image of God changed into a Loving and ever faithful God. In this way, it moves me to respond in love to God and to others.

    With this kind of transformation, I found it also interesting how the Israelites grew in their knowledge of God. The readings this Sunday reveal to us this development as well as the invitations for us today.

    The Israelites, in the beginning, believed that God was just “one of the many gods.” The people recognized that other nations had gods and goddesses and what they had was a good one. Like the others, they too conceived of a god who protects them. Thus, they believed of a “warrior god” who shall deliver them from their enemies.

    Hence, the Old Testament has many images of God taking revenge, being vengeful and violent to the enemies of his people and to the wicked ones. The first reading from the Book of Exodus reveals this kind of image of God as it says, “My wrath will flare up and I will kill you with the sword.” And who will not fear this kind of God?

    However, despite this violent image of God, the scripture also reveals something of an image of God that people had already recognized. God as a defender against outside enemies, God also assures His presence to those who are struggling in life, the poor, the widows and the orphans.

    This is a manifestation of God’s loving care and that character of God that shows compassion and so much love for the people. Indeed, the Israelites over a loooong period of time gradually knew God more and deeper. Israel realized that there is only one God and that God is not a terrifying God, but a loving and caring God.

    This is what Paul preached in his travels. Jesus, the ultimate revelation of God’s face, revealed that God even became man and died for his people. This is how much God shows his faithful love to us. The Church in Thessalonica, upon receiving this good news to them, received it with love and devotion.

    Moreover, Paul commended the Thessalonians because of the devotion they showed. Their faith was being expressed in the way they lived their lives. Theirs was a response of gratitude to God whom they realized has loved them so much.

    Moreover, the response of Jesus to the scholar of the law tells us of the right attitude in relating and responding to God. Thus, the question as to what is the greatest commandment expresses a relationship of love and not of fear. Jesus reveals what was behind the law, and that was love – to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

    We are only able to respond to God with love when we ourselves are conscious of God’s love for us, his goodness and generosity in us. Again, the Book of Exodus tells us how God reminded his people of the many good things he did for them. God saved the people from slavery, from that misery of having no land, no home, and no identity. God heard their cry and sent Moses to deliver them from that slavery. Because of these many blessings they enjoyed from God they too in “gratefulness” shall show compassion and mercy to those who are strangers, to the poor, the widows and orphans.

    And again, this is what we find also in the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. They have showed compassion and mercy to others and with one another. They have imitated Christ in words and deeds because they were convinced of Jesus and conscious of the many good things that God has done for them.

    This is what God wants to show to us this Sunday – that as we live our lives as Christians, as we practice our Christianity – our response to Him should be out of “gratefulness” not out of fear that springs forth from our deep love for Him who first loved us. Our love for God will then be shown in our words as well as in our actions. We shall be generous to those who are in need because we are grateful to God who is generous to us. We shall show our concern and affection to our friends because God shows his love to us in many ways. We shall forgive those who hurt us because God has forgiven us first.

    In this way then, we will be able to live our Christian faith that truly loves God and our neighbor as we love ourselves. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • GETs mo? Paminaw ba… Listen Please.

    GETs mo? Paminaw ba… Listen Please.

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    October 18, 2020 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    World Mission Sunday and Sunday for Cultures

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101820.cfm)

    Homily

    Two priests were walking in a downtown area. Suddenly, one suddenly stop and said, “Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket.” The other listened, but heard nothing. Turning to his priest friend, he asked, “How in the world can you hear the sound of a cricket amidst all these traffic noise and people?” His priest-friend didn’t explain. He simply took coins out of his pocket and dropped them on the sidewalk, whereupon a dozen people began to stop and look on them. Then he said, ‘Now do you understand? People hear the dropping sounds of coins but they are not able to hear the lovely sound of the cricket. We only hear what we listen & we listen only for what we want to hear.”

    Surely this piece of wisdom is real and true in our life. Human as we are, we do have some problems with our hearing. We only hear and listen to what we want and use and to hear. Thus, we listen to things not as they are, but as We are – from our own biased perspectives and preferences. That is why this is called selective hearing for this made us unable to hear other voices, sounds, words, messages and news. And we all know the side-effects of selective hearing are miscommunication & misunderstanding. We all know how relationships among spouses, families, friends, and communities were unfortunately stained and worse, broken due to miscommunication, misunderstanding and selective hearing. 

    Our readings today are about misunderstanding, miscommunication, and selective hearing. Yahweh in our first reading keeps on insisting to the people that “I am the Lord, there is no other”. God wants them to listen and realize that He is the Lord, and He did and is doing a lot of good things for them – even to the point of choosing, anointing and commissioning Cyrus, a pagan Persian king to save them. But still, “they know me not”, they did not recognize and acknowledge Him and the good things He had done to them and for them.

    Jesus in our gospel today is also in the same situation. He has already preached to the people that He is the Messiah, and He has done great things to witness the Good News from God. But still, there are people who cannot hear Him, and worse even refuse to hear Him, because they only want to hear and listen to what they are used to and wanted to hear. Jesus here is asking them, “Can you not see me? Can you not hear me? It is I, the Lord.” But they did not. “Hindi nila na-GETS?” Worse, they want to deal with Jesus in their own terms. They want only to listen to Jesus’ opinion about their favourite topics: Taxes, Money, Coins, Politics.

    Our gospel today is more than just about Jesus’ opinion about our taxes, tax-paying or our obligations to pay tax or politics. Jesus is directing us that above anything else, above our human concerns, we should not forget to recognize and listen to the Lord our God. We are supposed to give our glory and praise that is due to Him, more than what is due to ourselves and others. This is righteousness – our right relation with God, that entails a lot of communication & understanding – of hearing from Him and listening to Him. How can we glorify and worship Him, if we don’t recognize Him, if we are not listening to Him, if we are not communicating with & believing in Him, if we don’t Get what he is doing to us now and always?”

    Be reminded that Jesus is in our world now with us because, over and above our earthly affairs and concerns, he is on-mission to offer us a way to our salvation – a way to save our day & life-ahead towards God our Father. And all of these will come to its fulfillment through His spirit & grace, along with our consent and participation with the mission of Jesus. We should understand that even until now, during pandemic times, God has done, is doing & will continue to do His part for our salvation. But the question is: Do you hear Him? Do you recognize Him? Do you listen & understand Him who is calling, choosing, anointing and sending us (you & I) His followers also on-mission to share His message and ways to our world today? Are we responding to Him or just we just hear ourselves & listen to our worldly concerns? So, Gets mo? paminaw ba… Listen please.

    Remember, “the Word made flesh, and dwelt amongst us”. He comes as a word, a message from God who needs a lot of communication with us. Then He became flesh, like us, who needs our acknowledgement, recognition and above all our faith. And He visits us in our home and hearts, and asks for our hospitality and fellowship, and our faith & commitment to follow Him as well.

    Perhaps, we may ask ourselves: Am I infected with selective hearing? Do I only want to listen to what I am used and want to hear? Am I open to listen to other’s voices, sounds, words, messages and news? And most of all, do I listen, recognize and welcome Jesus, “Word of God becoming flesh” – in my life now and always?

    Remember what God said during the Baptism of Jesus: “This is my Beloved Son, Listen to Him.” As we celebrate today World Mission Sunday during these pandemic times, may we hear & understand again His invitation to us, once more claim anew our Christian vocation, commitment and mission in this life now, and hopefully contribute our specific role and part in God’s saving actions. So may it be.     Amen.

    By  Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay, CSsR 

  • Being a Christian and a Citizen

    Being a Christian and a Citizen

    October 18, 2020 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time; World Mission Sunday

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101820.cfm)

    Homily

    You must be familiar with our own inconsistencies like for example, being a devout Christian in the Church but a vicious neighbor at home. Or being a devout Catholic on Sundays, but a corrupt person at work. Or observing faithfully religious devotions and practices but dishonest and unfaithful in our relationships. These are some of our inconsistencies that perhaps where we could ourselves.

    To be trapped in this kind of way of life makes us similar to the Pharisees who were only after gaining praise and recognition from others but filled with insecurities and evil intentions deep within. However, being a Christian, to be a Catholic is not just limited with our explicit observation of rituals, doing devotional practices and prayers. Our very identity rests on who God is to us. For us to discover and understand this a bit deeper, let us explore more our readings this Sunday and grasp God’s invitations for us, as Christians and at the same time as citizens.

    Prophet Isaiah in our first reading tells us who God is. Twice, Yahweh said, “I am the Lord and there is no other.” It affirms the power of God and that all others are subjected to him. Yahweh is supreme for in Him everything came into being. He is the source of all riches, all things and all life. That is why, King Cyrus of Persia who was considered by the Hebrews at that time, as God’s anointed, was only a subject to God’s power. Cyrus was chosen by God even though Cyrus did not know God.

    Thus, our highest praise and worship only belongs to God who has called us and who blessed us with so many things. Our psalm also affirms this as it says, “Give the Lord glory and honor.”

    St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians gives us the hint on how to give true glory and honor to God. It is through “preaching the Gospel” in words and in deeds. This is our calling, the vocation of every Christian, of every believer of Jesus Christ.

    In the Gospel, Jesus reminded us of our identity, duties and responsibilities as we are to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar (which means the Emperor of Rome) but to give God what belongs to God. Yes, we are citizens of this Republic but we are also Christians.

    It means that…

    We have the duty to give due respect to our political leaders. To support and to cooperate with the leaders of the land. But remember, “they are not gods,” they are not to be worshipped.

    Thus, we are called to be responsible citizens of our country by exercising our rights as to vote during elections and even to protest when a law or a leader becomes oppressive to the people.

    We are called also to participate and cooperate in ways that will make our society peaceful, harmonious, just and progressive. We are called to do our duties well as citizens and to exercise justice and responsible leadership especially with those who are working in the government.

    But remember that we too are Christians. We are called to preach Christ, to preach the Gospel by our life, whoever we are and wherever we are.

    Are you a vendor, a driver, a teacher? You are called to preach the Gospel. Are you an engineer, a nurse, doctor, a lawyer? You are called to preach Christ. Are you a Tanod, Brgy Captain, a City Councilor, Mayor, Congressman? You too are called to preach the Gospel and to give glory and honor to God who has blessed you, who gave you influence, your family and friends and all the things you are enjoying now.

    Each of us is called to give glory and honor to God by our words, our deeds, through our professions, through our work and role in our society. It is in this way that we will be able to give to God what is due to Him.

    This call that we share as Catholic Christians of our country reminds us of what we celebrate today, the World Mission Sunday! This Sunday tells us that we priests, deacons, and religious are not the only ones who are called to preach the Gospel but each one of us. We who experienced and witnessed God’s goodness and mercy are called in the mission of preaching and spreading Christ to all, not just in our words but also in our actions.

    This identity makes us different from the rest of other Christian denominations because the call to preach the Gospel of Christ is not only limited in our Eucharistic celebration. My faith and your faith, is not only confined within the walls of our Church for an hour on Sundays.

    Our Christian belief, our confidence in the risen Christ calls us to actively participate and to involve ourselves in all aspects of human life and the whole community not just in the spiritual aspect but also in cultural, social, economic and political aspect of life. This is the beauty of being a Christian and a citizen.

    May we always remember this and become true Christians in the way we live our life, in the way we perform our work and in the way we relate with others and with one another so that we will be able to give God what truly belongs to Him and become true to our identity as Christians and citizens. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Proper Attendance?

    Proper Attendance?

    October 11, 2020 – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101120.cfm)

    Homily

    We, Filipinos love fiesta. We do anything just to attend a fiesta celebration. Fiestas are special occasions for the whole family and community to celebrate, rejoice, and renew relationships. For us, it means solidarity, bonding, fellowship and community.

    In our gospel today, Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a very important fiesta where everybody is invited to take part in the celebration – where everybody is invited to attend in the banquet. Jesus also here identifies three kinds of invited guests. They are 1). The absentee, those who did not come to attend; 2) the attendee, those who come and attend, good or bad they may be; and 3) the unruly “the bastos”, those who come but behave improperly.

    Every Sunday, there is a Big and Important Fiesta for all Catholics. Everybody is an invited guest to our Holy Eucharist. Our Sunday celebration of the Holy Mass is the Lord’s feast day where all of us are invited to come, attend, partake and celebrate. It is the Lord’s fellowship with us – His Day with us and our Day with Him.

    Like in our gospel, we can also discern three kinds of invited guest Catholic in relation to our attendance of the Holy Eucharist. But before I say this, (spoiler alert) let me say, “Bato-bato sa langit, matamaan huwag magalit” o in our modern lingo, “Walang pikunan, Ispup lang.” Don’t get angry if you are disturbed by this – no pun intended.

    First, the ABSENTEE guests, those who are invited but did not come, with a lot of excuses or balidad, such as, “I’m busy. I have a lot of things to do… except attend the mass. I have no time.” “I’m too tired. I’m sick (esp. during Sundays); I need rest from staying overnite.” Some would excuse, “Well, what is in it, for me? Wala man koy mapupo niana. The Lord is not worth it” or “I’m not worth of such invitation, anyway I’m a hopeless sinner.”

    Second, the ATTENDEE guests, those who are invited and come unworthy they may be. Recognizing their own sinfulness but at the same time their goodness, they feel honored, privileged and grateful to attend and celebrate with the Lord’s fiesta. They actively and attentively participate in the celebration with great respect to the celebrant and other guests. That is why they are called the “Chosen Few” for they willingly respond to the Lord’s invitation.

    And lastly, the RUDE and Impolite Guests, those who are invited and came but out of obligation and not fully attentive to the celebration. Again, no pun intended. “Bato-bato sa langit, mataman huwag magalit. Because we may know these guests by the way they improperly dressed for the occasion. Some come on beachware or sportsware: shorts, slippers, sando, sleeveless shirts, sneakers, et al. Some come for fashion show, to show off their latest style with revealing curves, cuts, make-up, hairstyle, beads and even tattoo. Some are ready for “suroy” or “malling” with their low waist & battered jeans and hanging blouses. Some also attend with their cellphones open, maybe they are VIPs, who needs to be updated anytime and they are free to be disturbed anytime, anywhere especially during mass. Some prefers to stay outside the church, who wants to run and escape as soon as the ceremony ends.

    I wonder how would you feel if the priests behave the same way. Like, if I stand before you celebrating mass on my shorts or jogging pants and sando, interrupted with a noisy cellphone, mumbling thru the prayers and finished it after 20 minutes?

    Pandemic times have somehow deprived us of attending and participating in Sunday Eucharist. The more we are limited in attending Eucharist nowadays, the more we also become conscious of the importance of the Eucharist in our faith and life. Jesus said: ‘Many are called, but few are chosen.” All of us are always invited but few have chosen to come and be worthy guests. Every Sunday, we are all invited guests in the Lord’s fiesta. But we do have our own unique of responding to that invitation.

    As we prepare to regularly come and fully participate once again soon the Lord’s Eucharist with us,   perhaps we should try to reflect what type of Invited guest you and I have been, and in what way we can be more worthy guest  and properly attend His celebration.

    Thanks you, Lord, for always inviting us to participate with you in the celebration of life God offers us now and forever. Amen.

    By  Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay, CSsR (a former Filipino Redemptorist Missionary for Filipino Migrants in South Korea who, due to immune compromised diabetic condition, stationed back home  in the Philippines for now).

  • God invites us today, come!

    God invites us today, come!

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    October 11, 2020 – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101120.cfm)

    Homily

    A friend of mine once posted of his Facebook account his thoughts, he said, “I am so tired of searching for God.” From his post, it somehow suggested that God seemed not to be found. He was searching for God, and as I asked him about it, he said that he felt empty within, he felt that he could not find joy. And God seemed to have lost his way!

    How could that be possible? That was what I thought when he said that God seemed not to be found! I heard this many times not just to that friend of mine. We have this belief that it is us, that we are the one searching for God, that we have been looking for Him. However, in our search for God, at the end, we surrender because we have never found God in our life. indeed, a person who searches  God will surely not find God.

    The difficulty lies in the fact that we have been looking and searching for something or someone that has never been lost. With this fact, I remembered my grandmother who at one time, was looking for her eye-glasses. She began to complain that her glasses were lost. When she seemed to become desperate, she looked at us, grandchildren and suspected that one of us might have hidden her glasses on purpose. However, looking at her, we were giggling. Well, the more she became irritated because she felt that we were joking around. Yet, one of my cousins told her to touch her head first. Then, that was how she realized that her glasses were never been lost. She was carrying the glasses with her on her head but forgot that those were there.

    And this is very true with God. God has never lost his way. God stays with us and is always with us. Yet, there might be point in our life when we begin to claim that we are looking for him but cannot find him.

    We naturally look and search for something or someone that we have lost. But how could we find something if it is not lost after all? In fact, our search for God is useless because we tend to search God outside instead of recognizing Him in our very life.

    The parable that we have heard presents to us an image of Godthat Jesus wants to show to us today. It was the King who had the initiative to invite the people. He sent his servants to summon the invited guests not just once but twice so that the invited guests may also share in that joyful celebration. Prophet Isaiah also mentioned about this joyful feast in our first reading. The prophet described to us that promise of Yahweh of having a big celebration, the greatest party of all parties. That feast was an invitation meant for everyone. It would be a joyful one.

    Now, this Sunday is also called as Extreme Poverty Day. With God’s promise and invitation to the heavenly banquet, we are also reminded of those who are dying because of poverty. People are dying because of lack opportunities to proper education, to a good healthcare system, access to food and clean water. While we are enjoying the comfort of our homes while in quarantine, many are suffering because they have no roof on their head or even a bed to rest at night and food to eat. And because of the comfort that we enjoy, we could become dismissive and indifferent to the suffering of others.

    Indifference was the attitude shown by the people who refused God’s invitation. People refused and ignored that wonderful invitation because they had other priorities. That invitation was rejected because it was not considered as something important.

    Certainly, this parable reminds us of our passive and complacent attitudes towards the needs of others and of the many invitations of God. God invites us first to be with Him, to join with Him and enjoy His abiding presence in our sacraments, here in our liturgy and in our daily prayers, etc. but then, we find ourselves also to have many excuses. We claim that we have been so busy with life and work and we have been bombarded by personal and family problems, and with different demands. Consequently, God remains the least priority.

    But then, Jesus teaches us of an image of God who invites us, who asks and proposes to us not just once but in every opportunity of our life. God invites us to be with him and to trust in him not just in times of sorrows and pain but also in times of joy and laughter, and even in the most ordinary times.

    And this is the truth; it is God who has been searching and inviting us. He has been looking for us and he patiently waits for us to allow him to find us. Yes, it is actually God who always initiates. God takes the risk of being rejected. But though God has been rejected many times, God never lost the confidence to invite us again and again. God always searches for the human heart and once God finds us, He invites us to come to him.

    “Thus, we don’t search for God because it is Him who has been searching for us. We are not the first one to invite God to come to us because God invited first to be with Him.”

    This is the call for us now this Sunday. “Allow God to search for us and to allow him to invite us.”

    It is in this attitude that we will be able to listen to his many invitations and will inspire us to say YES to God. This is an affirmation to his invitation to recognize his presence in our life and with others.

    That’s why, the special celebration of the Church today in remembering the Indigenous Peoples calls us too to acknowledge their presence in our church and society. To acknowledge their presence is to give due respect to their culture and rights, and that as a Christian community, we too have the responsibility to help our Indigenous brothers and sisters to join us in our every celebration. With this, we will truly become a community that embraces one another, making our hearts be filled with joy and contentment, with confidence and love. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR