Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Weekday Homilies

  • WHEN GIVING IS A BLESSING

    WHEN GIVING IS A BLESSING

    June 1, 2022 – Seventh Week of Easter

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060122.cfm)

    How blessed really are those who give than those who merely receive? Most of us actually think that we are more blessed when we receive something. It is wonderful to be a recipient of some goods from others because we don’t have to exert effort but only to open our hands. How nice would that be!

    Yet, there are interesting different attitudes between a constant receiver and a generous giver. People who are constantly receiving gifts, or those who demand to receive may they be material or not would tend to have low self-esteem, or insecure and unsatisfied with what they have already in this life. Thus, if this becomes our attitude, we too grow to become self-entitled and demanding towards others for our own benefit and advantage. Because of these attitudes, when we become people who constantly seek the generosity of others, we also tend to keep things for ourselves alone but ungenerous to others.

    These affect how we see ourselves, believing that we don’t have enough compared to others. We also become negative in our dealings and relationships with other people because we are inclined to see what is only ugly and unpleasant for us. And so, when people like these, initiate to give something to others, their gifts or good deeds have always hidden motives. This means that we only give because we expect something bigger in return. This attitude rather seeks what is only good and comfortable for ourselves because at the very first place, we are motivated by a selfish desire.

    On the other hand, persons who are truly generous of their gifts, of their presence and of their person, are confident. Yet, it does not mean that their confidence comes from the many things that they have acquired in this life. This confidence rather comes from faith because that person truly believes in God’s generosity and providence. That is why, a true generous person is always grateful. Yes, generosity springs forth from a heart that is grateful to God and the act of giving is a response of a grateful heart.

    This is what St. Paul told us in the Acts of the Apostles – “It is better to give than to receive.” Paul was called by Jesus and was given freedom. It led Paul to faith and his faith made him grateful and thus, a generous person expressed in giving himself for the proclamation of the Good News. He was not after silver or gold, to enrich himself but to give generously his presence for the people to whom he was sent as a minister. Indeed, this is an expression that giving is a blessing.

    Such act of giving that grants blessing reminds us too of St. Justin, a martyr and philosopher. It was by giving witness to faith that he too gave himself even if it would cost him his life. He never wavered even when there was a threat to his life. That act of St. Justin was founded on his confidence and faith in the Risen Jesus.

    This has been expressed by Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus showed his gratitude to the Father because of the love that sustained him in his ministry. Jesus’ prayer for his followers was his generous act, asking the Father to protect and bless them. This generous action of Jesus culminated in giving up his life on the cross for our sake while the resurrection is the Father’s generous action for our sake because the Father is grateful for the Son.

    This is God’s invitation for us today.

    We are, first, called to be truly grateful with what we have, to be confident with what we are enjoying which includes material things, people and relationships, talents, skills and our very “person” too.

    Second, let us allow our heart to grow in gratitude and confidence in God’s generosity that will hopefully mold us to become “blessed givers.” Remember, what we can give is not limited to material things, but even our talents, capacities, knowledge and our presence to people who are truly in need.

    Indeed, blessed are the generous givers because they portray God’s character and make God’s presence ever more present. Kabay pa.

  • THE LORD IS IN OUR MIDST

    THE LORD IS IN OUR MIDST

    May 31, 2022 – Feast of the Visitation

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053122.cfm)

    St. Luke described to us the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. He included this story in his Gospel to bring a message to a particular Christian community to which Luke was in-charge. What we can learn from this particular passage of the Gospel of Luke is the role of Mary in the Christian Community.

     Even at that early stage of the Christian faith, Mary had already become a mother and a model to every disciple of the Lord. Mary who received the Lord in her womb and in her whole life manifested in her actions the wonders of God done unto her. She became a model of charity and service to others which is an expression of bringing the Lord to others. This is clear enough in Mary’s willing heart to help her cousin, Elizabeth.

    The exchange of greetings between these two women was the amazing thing we find in the Gospel. Luke described to us how the baby in the womb of Elizabeth leaped with joy upon hearing the voice of Mary. Mary, the THEOTOKOS or bearer of God, brought such great joy to Elizabeth and to her baby in the womb.

    Mary’s visit was certainly God’s visitation to Elizabeth, to her baby and to Zechariah.  God visited them through Mary. Definitely, Elizabeth was filled with gratitude not just to Mary but to God especially. This is what we find in her greetings, “blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” This tells us that even the unborn child can feel the presence of God. An unborn child can also give assurance of God’s presence to others. This is wonderful!

    Thus, on this feast of the Visitation, we who are disciples of the Lord are reminded to be like Mary, to be charitable in our words and actions, to be aware of those who are in need of assistance, to be at the service of others especially those who are most in need of our help. In that way, we bring the Lord to them, we let others feel God’s presence through us.

    Each of us has that capacity to bring God’s presence to others. The Lord is with us, he is with you and with me. The Lord is in our midst, as the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah tells us.

    As Christians we are called to make a stand and to be aware of what is happening around us – not just within our small community but also in the wider picture of our society. It means that we are called to be socially aware and not to remain indifferent to the difficulties of our sisters and brothers. That is why, when we are indifferent to the difficulties of others, there is surely something wrong with our Christian life. It is good then to ask ourselves, “how socially aware am I to the plight of others, or am I totally indifferent and unmoved by the sufferings of others?”

    And so, in concrete terms and in small ways, a challenge is given to us. It would be good then to remember those people whom we have not visited for a long time. Visit them if possible. Remember also those people we know who will surely need our help, or recognize the people around us who need help from us in one way or another. In hope, we may be able to let them feel God’s presence through us, through our generous words and service. Kabay pa.

  • GOD OF ALL, AS IN ALL

    GOD OF ALL, AS IN ALL

    March 21, 2022 – Monday of the Third Week of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032122.cfm)

    God is for everyone. God does not belong to any particular race, culture or any group of people. Hence, no one can monopolize God. This also means that we cannot monopolize grace. And it is impossible to monopolize the gift of salvation because God’s nature is wider than what we can imagine or think of.

    This is what Jesus wanted to realize for his townspeople. There in Nazareth, when he went home, Jesus tried to open the minds and hearts of his friends and neighbors to know God better. The people seemed to only understand that the Lord God only belongs to the Jewish people. This was such a narrow-minded belief about the Lord God.

    Yet, this narrow-minded awareness of God led people to nurture hatred and violence against people whom they thought would not agree with them. This, basically, happened to Jesus. When Jesus began to teach them that God is for all, people began to turn sour. When Jesus made them aware of the story of a widow in Zarephath and Naaman, the Syrian, who despite being non-believers, were also favored by God’s grace, the people took offense.

    Jesus told the people of what the Holy Scriptures revealed to them, yet, his own people were more unbelieving than the non-believers themselves. The people could not accept what Jesus taught them. They only wanted to believe what they liked to believe. This was the reason why they rejected Jesus teaching and Jesus himself as well. This was also the reason why they became furious when Jesus confronted them of their false belief and selective memory. Thus, the unbelieving and unwelcoming hearts of the people, indeed, turned them hateful and violent. They drove Jesus out of Nazareth and wanted to throw him down from the hill.

    However, God remains for all. God’s grace, God’s call of conversion and God’s gift of salvation is offered for all as Psalm 130:7 says, “For the Lord is mercy, with him is plenteous redemption.”

    Gospel verse for today

    Today, Jesus is also challenging us and inviting us to confront our narrow-mindedness and selective memory of things. Jesus calls us to be welcoming and to always have a heart that desires to know God better. May we also grow to become a welcoming and a true believing community. Hinaut pa.

  • WHEN GRUMBLING BECOMES A PATTERN

    WHEN GRUMBLING BECOMES A PATTERN

    July 21, 2021 – Wednesday 16th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072121.cfm)

    How difficult and annoying it will be to listen to a person who grumbles every now and then. It will truly be. It sucks out every positive energy and even inner joy to both, to the one who grumbles a lot and to the person who is forced to listen to a person’s endless grumbles.

    Moses and Aaron must have felt this as they listened to the many grumbles and complaints of the people. The people already complained to God because of their poverty and slavery in Egypt. When they were brought out of Egypt and were chased by Egyptians armies, they grumbled to Moses for taking them out of Egypt. When they were finally free and were in the desert, they started to complain to Moses and Aaron because there was no food. They said to Moses and Aaron that it was much better to die in Egypt but full than dying in the desert because of hunger.

    Certainly, the people must have complained also of the situation they were in. They must have grumbled for having no water, of the hot weather during the day, of the cold wind in the night, of the blisters on their feet, of the diseases they encountered on the road, of the insects and wild animals in the desert, of their neighbors and companions in that exodus.

    Indeed, there seemed to be a pattern of grumbles of the Israelites. They must have been blaming God because of the discomforts and difficulties they experienced. Yet, they completely forgot how God showed the divine power to bring a powerful nation to its knees in order to save them. God showed the might of divine justice to show to the oppressors the wrong they did to the poor. God made wonders for the people and faithfully journeyed with them as he has promised. But then, the hearts of the people were just filled with grumbles.

    We could have become like this too. When grumbling becomes our pattern, we could easily grumble of the food on our table, of the gift given to us, of the traffic caused by a motorist, of the long queue in a supermarket, of the smell of the person next to us, of the slow internet connection, of the delay of delivery of our online purchase, of the outfit of our friend, of the mistakes of our sibling or child, of the work of our colleague, of the actions of your spouse, of our recurring illness, etc. We could have endless grumblings.

    Our grumbles, like the Israelites, are not just because of what surrounds us or of our environment where we are at the moment. If the Israelites were not in the desert, they would still find something to complain about. This means, no matter how comfortable we are in life, a person can still find reasons to grumble.

    Our grumbles are rooted in our heart that has turned ungrateful. No matter how educated we are, or no matter how much money we have in the bank or influence we have in our organization or community, our heart can still be sick of grumbling because of our ingratitude and unawareness of God’s grace and tremendous presence in us.

    When this happens to us, we are truly plagued by this sickness of the heart that consumes us and brings us away from the grace of God.

    Yet, God does not want this to happen to us. God desires the ultimate fulfillment of our heart. This is the reason why God sent manna and quail for the Israelites. This act of grace from God was not meant to condone the people’s grumbling but to remind them of God’s graciousness. Later Moses kept two jars of those manna that remained fresh and free of spoil. This reminds the Israelites that God provides and God sustains us.

    This is the invitation for us today – to remind ourselves, to remember and be constantly aware of God’s graciousness and loving presence. Gratitude in our heart grows when we also learn to remember, to store God’s story with us and the many wonderful things God has done for us, in the memory of our heart.

    The Eucharist that we celebrate is an act of remembrance of Christ’s memory. As a community of faith, we make Christ ever alive in us. This means that the Eucharist is not a mere remembering of the distant past, but making Christ alive and present in this very moment, in the here and now.

    This is how we are also called to make alive our memory of God’s gracious actions in us through our actions and words that express gratitude. Let our hearts be filled with gratitude then, to free our heart from the spoil and disease of complaints and grumbles. Hinaut pa.

  • GOD OFFERS US FRIENDSHIP

    GOD OFFERS US FRIENDSHIP

    July 15, 2021 – Thursday 15th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071521.cfm)

    I AM who am is God’s name given to Moses. This name reveals to us that God remains present, sees and listens to the present situation of the people. Indeed, God’s name and presence expressed God’s concern. Moses was told by the Lord, “I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt.”

    This tells us that God is neither indifferent nor too far from us to care about us nor too high to reach. In fact, it is God who continually reaches us and desires for our liberation and salvation. This is how God shows his faithfulness in the covenant that God created with us. God never forgets. God remembers us all the time.

    This is the care and affection that we have heard from the Gospel today. Jesus offers us his friendship that gives support and company. Jesus expressed this in two points.

    First, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.” This tells us of God’s initiative and willingness to suffer on our behalf. Thus, dying on the cross to spare us from eternal damnation.

    Second, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” This tells us of Jesus’ desire to accompany us, to be our friend to whom we can share our burdens and struggles. In this friendship, we shall find comfort and rest.

    These are also the invitations for us today – to come and welcome the Lord’s presence always and to accept his offer of friendship. As we learn Jesus’ way of loving, we may also learn to become a friend to people around us who shall also offer our presence and affection, understanding and love. Hinaut pa.