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Category: Weekday Homilies

  • Remain in Love because there is No Fear in Love

    Remain in Love because there is No Fear in Love

    January 6, 2021 – Wednesday after Epiphany

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010621.cfm)

    Christmas is not yet over. The excitement of the celebration may have subsided by now because the joyful spirit of the Misa de Aguinaldo, the Christmas Day and Christmas celebrations are over, but then, the spirit of Christmas is still very alive. It’s the 12th day after the Christmas day but we are still in the Season of Christmas.

    That is why, John, in his First Letter today reminds us of the spirit of Christmas. John said, “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” The Babe of Bethlehem, Jesus is the very love of God made into flesh. He is love in its fullness, love in its perfection. Even when we would just behold the image of the Child Jesus in the manger, what we find is only love. It is love that compels us to recognize that we are indeed loved though we are not worthy.

    God becoming man is not a question of our worthiness because we will never be worthy. It is God’s greatest assurance to us that God continually chose us as His people. The “love” that rests on the manger calls us lovingly to come near and to be embraced by this God who truly loves us.

    God becoming man is statement to us that God does not come to terrorize us with His might. God became man not because God wants to bring eternal punishment to us and make us fearful of His presence. God became man, born of a woman and took the form of a baby, because God wants to express His affection to us. Hence, we are called to remain in love so that we remain is God.

    When we learn to remain in God, God also pours his love to us. Being loved and taking confidence that we are loved will definitely dispel any fear and any insecurity in us. This is what John is also trying to say to us telling us to love one another and to show concretely that love in our words and actions.

    This is the reason why John also reminds us today that “there is no fear in love.” There is only confidence and true joy in love because love drives out fear! Wow! If only we embrace this, then, we will be bold in our loving, courageous in our loving and daring in our loving. This reminds us too that when our way of loving has a trace of insecurity or manipulation or jealousy or anger or selfishness motivated by fear, then, our love is not perfect.

    This is what Mark in his Gospel also recalls today. Jesus reminds his disciples not to be afraid. The disciples seemed to be terrified and forgot that Jesus was always with them. Jesus is always close to us if only we are conscious of this, then, the Lord will make us courageous enough in what endeavor we will initiate.

    Let us also take note how Mark described this story. Jesus responded to his frightened friends because Jesus was aware of their situation. What could have made Jesus to be so thoughtful of them? Mark told us that Jesus went off to the mountain to pray. To pray is a way of loving too. To pray is making ourselves aware of the situation of those who are in need. Certainly, true prayer moves us to respond in love to those who need our help. This is what Jesus showed us today. Jesus responded in love to assure his friends not to be afraid because he was with them.

    As we continue to cherish and savor this season of Christmas, let the words of John echo in our hearts today “to remain in love because there is no fear in love.” Let us allow the Lord to accompany us always so that we will also remain in him, remain in love and to respond in love all throughout this year. Hinaut pa.

  • Because Love is of God

    Because Love is of God

    January 5, 2021 – Tuesday after Epiphany, Memorial of St. John Neumann, CSsR

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010521.cfm)

    John who is believed to be the author of the 2 Letters of John and the Gospel of John is known to be Jesus’ beloved disciple. Among all the disciples of Jesus, it was only John who died out of old age and missed martyrdom. John who had grown old revealed to us now his consciousness and deep faith in Jesus who loved him so much.

    This is the reason why we have the 1st letter of John talking about one thing, love, not just any ordinary love but the Love who is God. Throughout the life of John, the very reason that drew him to follow the Lord was the love of God for him.

    John reminded us how this love of God works in our Christian life. In his first letter, he proclaimed, “to love one another, because love is of God.” When we have God in us, it moves us to love. John realized how the love of God was revealed to us. This love is revealed through the birth of God’s only-begotten Son, Jesus.

    From Jesus, who is the Father’s concrete expression of love and the face of God’s love, life is gifted to us. John truly felt the weight of this love through his life. It was because of this love that made him to stand strong even in the midst of confusion at the arrest of Jesus. John remained fearless even when Jesus was persecuted. He followed Jesus on his way to Golgotha. John was also present at the foot of the cross of Jesus with Mary and witnessed the death of his Lord. John was also the first to believe in Jesus’ resurrection upon seeing the empty tomb despite his confusion and fears.

    It was this love that made John confident and affirmed. The love that he truly believed is life in itself. He believed that God first loved him and because God is faithful. God will always love him even if everyone and everything goes wrong.

    It is the same love that God tells us today. God wants that we too will have the fullness of our life. Fullness of life means being in love and remaining in love. In other words, fullness of life also means being in God and remaining in God in all the days of our life.

    It should be this the same love that would hopefully lead us to see the light and joy even in the midst of suffering and pain in life, even in the midst of rejection and betrayal of people who are close to us. This love should also inspire us to respond in love, to express our love to God, to ourselves, and to others even to those who have hurt us and people we do not like.

    This is what Jesus also showed us in today’s Gospel. Seeing the vast crowd of people who were in pain and suffering, hungry and abandoned, Jesus was moved with pity. Jesus did not only looked at them but he also responded in love. With this, Jesus allowed his disciples to join him in that response of love by giving what they had. The five loaves and two fish as their food were given out of generosity so that others may be satisfied and be filled. This, indeed, is love.

    Again, John reminds us, “love!” Because it is of God, and we will never go wrong. Loving the way God loves can be painful, but, God’s love heals and comfort, empowers and liberates us. May we enjoy and cherish that love in us today. Hinaut pa.

  • Know the Spirit of God

    Know the Spirit of God

    January 4, 2021 – Monday, Weekday of Christmas Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010421.cfm)

    How do we know the Spirit of God and the spirit of the evil one? How do we identify them? How do we discern them?

    The First Letter of John tells us the way to test the spirit working in us. John puts it simply. If the spirit working in us acknowledges Jesus Christ, then, the spirit belongs to God. However, if the spirit working in us denies or rejects Jesus Christ, then, it does not belong to God but to the antichrist, the evil one.

    Why is it very important? John warns us. He said, “Beloved, do not trust every spirit.” There are indeed spirits that deceive us. The evil one is a master of deceit and lies. When we are lonely and depressed, in need of help, the evil spirit may tempt to believe that it is much better to be alone and bury ourselves in fear and loneliness. This action leads us to hopelessness and death and does not acknowledge the comfort of friendship that Jesus offers us through the Church, our friends and family. This surely does not belong to God.

    When we have achieved so much, gained success and victories, gathered influence and wealth, the evil one may also tempt us to gather more and collect more. This may lead us further to insecurity and corruption. It does not acknowledge the generosity of Jesus.

    When we exercise power or authority over others whether at home, in our community or at our workplace, and we are not discerning enough of the spirit behind us, we might be tempted to also exercise control, dominance and manipulation. This will also certainly lead us to violence in our words and actions towards people around us. It does not also acknowledge the authority of Jesus and the power of his love for us.

    Hence, for us to remain in the Spirit of God, let us remember these and be always mindful of the spirit working in us, in our families and communities.

    • The Spirit of God gives us peace, confidence and serenity. The evil spirit makes us doubtful, fearful, anxious and having a low self-esteem.
    • The Spirit of God encourages us, lifts our spirit but the evil spirit makes us down and depressed. It discourages and upsets us.
    • The Spirit of God brings us comfort and joy, humor and laughter but the evil spirit makes us angry and irritable.
    • The Spirit of God makes us appreciate things and others, makes us grateful to God. But the evil spirit makes us unsatisfied, ungrateful, complaining, makes us see only the defects/negatives in everything and everyone including yourself.
    • The Spirit of God makes us feel loved, accepted and forgiven. But the evil one makes us feel bad, terrible, horrible, disgustful, unloved and accuses us of our wrongdoings making us guilty always (because the evil’s name is Accuser).

    By being able to discern the spirit working in us, may we always choose God’s spirit, the spirit of truth rather than the spirit of deceit that only bring us to sadness and death. Hinaut pa.

  • To Remain in God

    To Remain in God

    January 2, 2020 – Memorial of St. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010221.cfm)

    What is easier? To pretend who we are not or to be who we truly are? With the culture that has develop in the recent years through the use social media, it has now become easier to pretend who we are not and to portray to others a self-filled with pretensions. An individual can just create multiple accounts on Facebook or Instagram and portray a different image of himself or herself. One can just display an image of himself or herself on social media sites different from what is really true.

    Such attitude must have come from a deep longing to satisfy a person’s desire to be recognized, praised or accepted by others. The person’s environment such as the home, neighborhood or workplace must have been source of rejection and judgment. Because of this, the need to be accepted will persist and will lead a person to look for other ways where he or she will be recognized even in a superficial way.

    Hence, the space provided by the social media would allow the person to be recognized and praised. Gaining likes, shares, comments and followers are ways of a person to be recognized. This could also lead others to portray happy occasions through their pictures and videos in order to hide a painful and traumatic background in their life. Others would show how affluent and comfortable they are in life to hide their insecurity due to poverty. However, such attitude can also become problematic. Portraying to others whom we are not, distances us from our true self. This also leads ultimately in our rejection of who we truly are before God.

    In the First letter of St. John, it reminds us to remain in him. To remain in God is to be able to accept God in our life and become more confident in Him who is with us. To deny God removes us from His presence and thus will also lead us in denying who we truly are before Him. Only in remaining in God that we also inherit eternal life, which means, joy and a blessed life with God.

    Such call also reflected in today’s Gospel, John the Baptist reminds us of the importance of recognizing our true self before God and before others. Priests and Levites asked John if he was the Messiah or Elijah or some great prophets from the Old Testament. John already gained popularity among the people. People sought for him and followed him. He gained influence and became an authority. John now could just easily pretend that he was someone else of great importance.

    However, John was honest enough to admit that he is not God nor a great prophet. He was just a simple and humble friend of God, whose voice cries out in the dessert to bring people closer to God.

    This is what God calls us today on this second day of the year,  that we become more accepting of ourselves with all our weaknesses and problems as well as our strengths and potentials. Being honest with ourselves is also being honest with God and with others. To fully accept who we are also leads us to humbly acknowledge God in our life. To fully embrace ourselves makes us happier and joyful. In this way, we may become an authentic person who is not bothered of any pretension and insecurity but confident in God who loves us. Hinaut pa.

  • Time of Letting Go. Time of Letting God. Time of Welcoming

    Time of Letting Go. Time of Letting God. Time of Welcoming

    December 31, 2020 – 7th Day in the Octave of Christmas and the Last Day of the Year

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/123120.cfm)

    We have reached the last day of the year of 2020. We have been through a lot this year. There are too many to mention them. Not just to few of us but to most of us living on this planet. 2020 has given us many blows of fear and anxiety. In addition, our personal struggles with our families, with our work, studies and other aspects of our life are also there. And perhaps, they are still with us until this last day of the year.

    One can just imagine the overwhelming trials that brought life-changing moments into our life. Yet, despite all those things that bombarded us personally and as a community, there are still so much to be grateful for. This is very essential as we go forward today and welcome a new day that is about to unfold before us.

    With all of these, it is just proper for us to allow everything to touch us. We can do this by giving a time of silence for us to listen and to feel. St. John’s Gospel tells us that before God spoke to create the world, there was only the silence of God. It was from that silence of God also, that God speaks. We are reminded that “in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God.” And this Word became flesh who made his dwelling among us.

    And so, for all that has been, I would like to invite you now that we observe a minute of silence and close our eyes to thank the Lord for his grace and favor upon us.

    Please observe a minute of silence now.

    There are also three invitations that I would like you to dwell on this last day of the year. These three invitations will hopefully help us to look ahead with hope, to be grateful at present and to be reconciled with our past.

    The first is the invitation of letting go. There must have been painful, hurtful and traumatic events that happened this year. They could have created sad memories in us. We could have been filled guilt and shame, or with sorrow and grief, or with disappointment and hopelessness. However, when we do not learn to let them go then, we will only be unnecessarily dragging past burdens into our present life. We will only feel being burdened and tired in the next coming days. Then, we will surely lose the opportunities to enjoy the day and enjoy life in its fullness. Hence, this is a time of letting go. Let go what must be surrendered. It might not be easy. But for the sake  of our sanity and the good of those people around you, let go. Nevertheless, be assured also that as we let go those that burdens us, the Gospel of John reminds us, “From his (Jesus) fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace.” We are graced and be confident in that.

    The second is the invitation of letting God. Once we let go, we also let God to heal us, to renew us and to transform us. St. John tells us in his Gospel that God is a light that shines in our darkness. To let God shine in us means not allowing darkness to overcome us. We allow God to be our God and not our selfish desires and tendencies. Hence, this is a time of Letting God.

    The third is the invitation of welcoming. Allowing God to be God opens opportunities for us to be surprised. The days ahead are not certain, yet, if we make our hearts filled with anxiety because of uncertainties, then we also lose the spirit of being childlike. To be childlike is a constant invitation of the Lord to us. To be welcoming is to develop an attitude joy and cheerfulness in us. This makes our day lighter despite the demands that we may have. St. John reminds us again in the Gospel, the true light (Jesus) enlightens everyone. Thus, let us never lose the chance to be enlightened by Jesus by being welcoming of the light. To be enlightened by the light of the Lord is to welcome others into our life and to welcome opportunities for growth without our biases and prejudices. This day, indeed, is a time of welcoming.

    May this last day of the year bring us now new hope and a renewed spirit that does only look what is ahead but also rejoices what we have now. Hinaut pa.