Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Weekday Homilies

  • DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW

    DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW

    June 18, 2022 – Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061822.cfm)

    Many of us would certainly find ourselves worrying about tomorrow, about our future especially when we are already experiencing difficulties today. This is how we would make plans for our dreams for ourselves and for our families because we want a future that is secured.

    However, aside from these worries, we could also experience worries at home, at school, at our workplaces and even with our relationships. And when these worries become overwhelming for us, they affect our relationships. In addition, when we experience failures in our dreams or in our relationships that the worries become more intense.

    Yet, in today’s Gospel, Jesus comforts us by reminding us, “do not worry about tomorrow, do not worry about your life.” Jesus first reminded his disciples who at that times became worried on what they would have and on how their future be like by following the Lord. St. Matthew, the author of this Gospel, wrote this story to also remind the early Christian Community during his time, not to worry too much with material things in life.

    This is an invitation to be more trusting in God, in His divine providence. God, indeed, takes care of everything even the smallest creature on earth, how much more to us who are all dear to the Lord. God takes care for us.

    Thus, we embrace today and claim this comfort from the Lord, not to worry too much, but to be more trusting in God and in his ways of doing good and wonderful things for us. This also teaches us to be more trusting with people around us, those who work with us and those who accompany us in this journey of life. Kabay pa.

  • What do you see? 

    What do you see? 

    June 17, 2022 – Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061722.cfm)

    What do you see? What attracts and catches your eye? Beauty and goodness? Or ugliness and failures? Our eyes are usually attracted and caught up by what is already hidden deep within our heart (spiritually speaking), where our emotions and deep thoughts are found. These emotions and thoughts may also be greatly influenced by our longings and inner desires. Thus, we may also ask, what is it that I actually long for, that I desire the most?

    Is it comfort and riches? Is it pleasure? Is it inner peace and confidence? Is it forgiveness? Is it love and affection? Is it contentment in life? etc. Depending on what we really long for and desire the most, that our eyes will also be easily attracted into what we see from outside. When what we long for is peace and love, then, our eyes will shall surely be more attracted to things that shall express and show peace and love. Yet, when what is within us are the desires to be powerful, to be rich and influential, to be violent, to take revenge and hate, then, what we shall see are opportunities on how those desires will also be expressed in our actions.

    Thus, Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “The Lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.”

    This is how we understand the cruelty we find in the first reading from the Second Book of Kings. Athaliah whose heart was filled with anger and hatred, upon seeing the death of her son, Ahaziah, became more vicious. What she saw were opportunities on how to take revenge, to take the throne and take control and power. Her eyes were attracted on how to slaughter the whole royal family. Athaliah was actually the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who murdered the innocent Naboth in order to grab his land. Both, worshipped Baal, a false god and where after the life of Prophet Elijah for reminding them of their sins against the Lord God and against the people.

    This pictures out what Jesus tells in the Gospel, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.” Indeed, these people were after riches and power for themselves which turned them corrupt and evil. They were certainly, in darkness, as the Gospel says.

    However, Jesus calls us today, “to store up treasures in heaven” by looking and by being attracted of the things of heaven. Thus, Jesus invites us to be more conscious of things that will last. Jesus was not talking about material possessions, neither human desires for recognition and power nor human cravings for self-gratification.

    Jesus calls us to treasure the relationship we have with God and our relationship among ourselves as families, friends and community, as a church. This means that it is also an invitation to give priority to these relationships, in nurturing and giving importance through sharing of gifts and of our persons and giving sacrifices for one another and not in destroying each other.

    Therefore, be daring in building intimate and deeper relationships with God and with others by giving what we have – our time and presence, by not fearing to take sacrifices for our loved ones, and by always being grateful of these relationships. This brings us to see more the needs of others, and not just our own needs and to see on how we can be more life-giving. Kabay pa.

  • Praying in the Way Jesus Prays

    Praying in the Way Jesus Prays

    June 16, 2022 – Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061622.cfm)

    The Lord teaches us how to pray. Isn’t it beautiful? The Lord himself taught us how to approach the heart of God not with a lengthy prayer, but with a greater confidence to God who we also call as our Father. Hence, Jesus taught his disciples on how to truly ask the Father and to pray sincerely.

    This is where we also find Jesus’ warning for the disciples not to babble in their prayers but of empty words meant to only impress people. Jesus was conscious how the pagans would use many words but merely babbling. Well, the pagans believed that they have to use a lot of words in order to appease a violent and angry god. However, our God is not violent neither angry not need to be appeased. God, as Jesus introduced to us, is our Father.

    By calling God as our father, this brings us into the affection we have with God. God would surely love being called as our Father, whose only desire is for us to grow in love.

    This invites us now that our prayers and other forms of devotions are not meant to impress others or to flatter or manipulate the Lord because of our long, wordy and unintelligible prayers. What the Lord wants from us is our sincere and humble hearts that recognizes God as our Father.

    The Lord’s Prayer brings us, indeed, into sincerity and humility because the prayers acknowledges first God, as our Father whose “divine will” takes priority than our own. Thus, we seek and recognize the will of God for us and not our wants. This brings us to be more aware of our needs of the present moment, of today, and not to be burdened by our past or to be anxious of what is to come tomorrow.

    This is very important to remember that the prayer Jesus taught allows us to be more aware of our present moment, of our needs and graces of the here and now. This will certainly make us more contented and confident in life for we shall see how God provides and works for us in the present moment.

    Indeed, Jesus invites us and teaches us on how to seek God’s desires because God knows what is best for us by praying the way he prays. May this simple but powerful prayer of our Lord gives us more confidence in the presence of God dwelling among us whose only desire is the best for us. Kabay pa.

  • WINNING THE HEART OF GOD

    WINNING THE HEART OF GOD

    June 15, 2020 – Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061522.cfm)

    Jesus warns us about our narcissistic tendencies. We might not be aware of our tendency to draw other people’s attention to us, of winning their praise. Indeed, there is a need for us to purify our every motivation and action so that we will live free and become true generous Christians.

    Jesus takes this seriously as he reminds his disciples in today’s Gospel. To follow Christ is not to seek the attention of others, or to seek praise and approval of those people around us. A disciple of the Lord does not need to put up a billboard and announce to people what he/she has done and accomplished.

    The Lord is more concerned with our heart so that we don’t have to pretend to be someone else we are not. This happened to the hypocrites in the synagogues that Jesus was talking about. These people pretended to be the best person in their community. They proclaimed and told people how good and righteous they were. They did all these to seek recognition from the people. Indeed, they craved for people’s attention and approval because they too were hungry of power and control.

    People who constantly seek the attention of others and their recognition ultimately manipulate others so that they will be in control and will become powerful. Yet, it also reveals how these people are so insecure on what they have and on what they don’t have.

    In fact, that insecurity boiling in the heart, can make the person vicious at the event when he or she receives criticism from others. The person will surely not be able to stand to be criticized by others for he or she only thinks and believes that he/she is always right and good. Thus, the person would not accept any correction and would be rejecting to any challenge.

    However, as a people who seek God, we are rather called to be more confident with Him, and with our relationship with the Lord. Our generous actions, good deeds, our prayer and religious practices must flow from that relationship. Deepening one’s relationship with God should be our primary motivation and not in boasting oneself. This relationship with God should also lead us to recognize God’s generosity and faithfulness in us despite our failures. Then, this will hopefully inspire us to respond with gratitude to God. To become a grateful person will surely make us a generous person in words and actions. This will make us closer to people around us and to God.

    This is how we could also explain the glorious departure of Elijah. The prophet showed his passion and dedication to the Lord. He was not anymore after anything for himself, but for God alone. Elijah, therefore, had grown in his relationship with the Lord God, the reason why he was taken alive by the Lord to heaven.

    Moreover, Jesus  also invites us today to look closely at our behaviors and attitudes, practices and devotions if these are helping us to be closer and to be more like Jesus or if these are rather, moving us away from God and from others.

    To remind ourselves about this, let us ask ourselves with these questions, “Who is being honored and served by my good deeds, by my generous actions and by my religious devotions? Is it myself or is it God? Do they lead me closer to God and to others or do they rather lead me away from the Lord?”

    By allowing these questions to sip into our mind, may we be filled with the desire to only win the heart of God and not the praise of others. Kabay pa.

  • Love and Prayer bring us to Peace and Healing

    Love and Prayer bring us to Peace and Healing

    June 14, 2022 – Tuesday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061422.cfm)

    To hit back when we are hurt can sometimes be our immediate response. Even without thinking, a child may hit a playmate when he or she is hurt. Among us adults, this kind of attitude is also evident, as a simple misunderstanding would lead to endless quarrels, lawsuits and even violence. This sounds actually simple and natural yet this has big implications in our relationships.

    Yet, Jesus taught his disciples to “love your enemies and pray those who persecute you.” Is it not ridiculous? Our natural response is to hit back thinking that hitting back takes away our pain and anger. However, Jesus teaches the other way around, to love our enemies and pray for those who have hurt us.

    But, how could we love those who have hurt us, those who have abused us, those who betrayed us and caused us pain in our life? Our immediate response is to take our revenge. If we cannot express physical violence against them, then, we express it in our words and on how we treat others and ourselves. But most of all, we linger to hatred, to pain and anger.

    We do not realize that once we let aggression, violence, hatred and anger to dominate in our hearts and minds, we become prisoners of our own pain. Then, the pain that we endure leads us to feelings of more anger, hatred and bitterness. When we linger to these they will lead us to a heart that seeks only revenge.

    However, we when find love and forgiveness in our hearts that begins with accepting and embracing those painful experiences and go on with life, then, we will be free. Loving one’s enemies or those whom we hate is an expression of mercy and forgiveness that will make us free. It will not erase the scar of betrayal or abuse or pain that we endure but we will be able to stand up, to wipe our tears, go on with life and transform pain into kindness.

    Thus, for us who have done wrong to others and caused damage, Jesus also calls us to humble ourselves and acknowledge our sins. Our Psalm expresses today a humble heart that fully recognizes ones sins and evil done to others. In recognizing our sins, this also entails responsibility to what we have done. Hence, this how justice and mercy shall meet.

    Certainly, the Lord desires that each of us becomes free of guilt so that peace and reconciliation shall be in us. The Lord wants us to be free and not to be prisoners of anger, hatred, bitterness, guilt and violence.

    Showing love then, is not about telling the person, that what he/she did was okay and pretend as if nothing happens. No!  Of course not. If we have caused pain and damage, then, that really happened and there is a need for us to acknowledge and take responsibility from such action.

    Love and prayer, then, bring us towards reconciliation and healing to our wounded heart so that we will be free and at peace. This means that we choose love and not anger and hatred and we choose God and not evil. Kabay pa.