Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Weekday Homilies

  • Drawing Strength from the Lord

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    October 29, 2020 – Thursday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102920.cfm)

    Homily

    When life gets rough, where do you get your strength? When life seems unfair, where do you get your courage?

    Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, reminds us today to draw strength from the Lord and to pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. Paul acknowledges how life as a Christian can be so demanding and challenging. Aside from the personal issues and problems, there will be rejections and oppositions coming from those with evil intentions.

    With this, Paul tells us today to always find strength from God and not from our arrogance and self-confidence. The Lord is our rock, source of our strength, as our Psalm proclaims today.

    Paul enumerates the values where we can draw that strength from God. When we are truthful and honest, standing to what is right, embracing peace, holding to our faith and meditating upon the word of God, then, we shall always draw God’s strength in life. We are being promised that in whatever circumstances we are in, we shall always have the strength of God.

    This is something that Jesus showed us also today in the Gospel. Despite the opposition and the resistance of the people in Jerusalem, Jesus remained steadfast and confident in the Father. Jesus never surrendered in us, to gather us together and bring us closer to God. Jesus desires that we will all be reconciled to him.

    In his ministry, Jesus drew strength from the Father and the love that they share for all. Thus, God yearns for the freedom of all.

    Today, Jesus also calls us that when life gets rough and when life seems unfair, draw strength from him. Paul suggests that we pray to the Spirit at all times, at every opportunity. Praying to the Spirit makes our heart and mind more attuned and familiar to God’s way. This will allow us to become more responsive to God’s invitation for us. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Trying to Touch God

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    October 28, 2020 – Wednesday, Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102820.cfm)

    Homily

    When we get sick, we normally ask others to help us so that we feel better. Though others would self-medicate, but still reach out for some remedies when one feels sick. We usually seek the company of others too when we are bombarded with problems. Others who feel shy to ask help or feel awkward in reaching out to friends, deal with their own problems. When problems and issues become overwhelming, this result to unhealthy coping like alcoholism, drug abuse, self-isolation and depression.

    This tells us of our humanity and of that longing to be connected, be supported and be helped. And because others find it difficult to seek proper help or address in a healthy way their problems and issues, then, they tend to disconnect from others and retreat into isolation. This unhealthy reaction could have been influenced by a person’s upbringing or because of an unsupportive and indifferent environment within the family or workplace. Yet, despite such environment, people would manage to cope though sometimes in unhealthy ways.

    Today, as we celebrate the feast of St. Simon called the Zealot and St. Jude the son of James, we too are reminded of our desire to be helped, to be healed and to be free. The two are one of the twelve chosen by Jesus after his intense praying. Jesus, indeed, prayed to the Father, before he called the twelve men to become part of his ministry to heal and give life, to known God’s presence and to live in God’s presence.

    Moreover, these two, Simon and Jude proved that their encounter with Jesus changed their entire life. Their ordinary life became extra-ordinarily wonderful though challenging. In fact, Simon who was called “Zealot,” believed strongly in the importance of following the Jewish law. In his search and effort to become righteous, he encountered Jesus and realized that the Lord is the very fulfillment of what he was trying to follow. Jude, also known as Thaddeus, is a patron of desperate people, of those who feel there is no one else to turn to. Jude earned this because of his witness to Jesus that despite his fears and inconsistencies, he allowed the Lord to transform him.

    These two apostles must have been part of the many people who followed Jesus and wanting to touch the Lord. The people were trying to touch Jesus because they wanted to touch God and be healed by the Lord. This desire of the people revealed that human longing to be connected, be supported and be healed by God.

    Power abundantly came out from Jesus because he has so much love for us, so much compassion for all of us. Thus, all those who were seeking to be healed and be freed and have life, were given the grace. This ministry was shared by Jesus to his apostles. Each apostle became a living presence of Jesus to others that others too experienced God’s wonder through them.

    This is also the call and invitation for us today that as we face our own issues and problem in life, concerns and struggles, let us also try to touch the Lord. Certainly, God invites us to touch him and God even waits that we touch him because this will mean that we allow the Lord to heal us, to make us free and to transform our life.

    We will surely be able to touch God when we also begin to open up ourselves and recognize that we need help and we need others to help us. We will be able to touch God when we sincerely and consciously approach the Sacraments in faith. We too are able to touch the Lord when we become more aware of ourselves and aware of what others are also struggling in life. As we touch God and allow the Lord to touch us, we may also truly experience a healing encounter with God, in both of our mind and body, so that we too will in return be part of the ministry of the apostles in brings to Lord to others. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Small Things with great impact

    Small Things with great impact

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    October 27, 2020 – Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102720.cfm)

    Homily

    Never underestimate a small act of kindness or a simple gesture of love and affection. This can create a great impact to another. Just imagine the comfort you can bring by just listening to a person, or by just assuring your presence to a grieving person or by sharing your small resources to a person in need.

    Thus, even in these simple and ordinary acts and gestures, the kingdom of God becomes more present and alive in us. In fact, Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed or like a yeast mixed to some flour. A small mustard seed becomes a large bush where birds dwell and take shelter. A yeast also reacts chemically to the flour and makes a very good dough for bread.

    These are images on how small things create great and significant impact. Indeed, the Kingdom of God begins with small things. Jesus is even telling us that the kingdom is not of grandiosity and majesty,  not characterized by flamboyance and extravagance. The Kingdom of God is rather characterized by sincerity and love, by simplicity and gentleness.

    This is how we are also reminded today that the Kingdom of God is not too far from us. God’s kingdom is among us and easily be made present in us only if we are conscious about it. Today, Jesus calls us to make the kingdom more alive and present in us, among our families and friends, communities and workplaces.

    To be able to practice it concretely, then, make the effort in showing kindness and generosity to people around you, both in words and actions. Express gentle words of comfort and assurance to a friend who is struggling at this moment. Express a generous action by being available to a person in need. Share your resources according to your ability who ask for help. Be more considerate and understanding to a struggling or sick family member. Gather them together to pray. Pray also for those who asks for prayers. And do it with gentleness, with sincerity and kindness in your heart.

    Certainly, the Kingdom of God will also silently grow in us and among us and will be more alive and present in our life. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • A Life-Giving Rest Day

    A Life-Giving Rest Day

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    October 26, 2020 – Monday 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102620.cfm)

    Homily

    Jesus could not stand seeing a person suffering. The Lord’s heart is so close to a person that he too feels what the person is suffering from. This kind of attitude in Jesus is conveyed to us in the Gospel. Though it was on a Sabbath and Jews prohibited people from working and doing anything that was considered work, this did not prevent Jesus to touch and heal the woman. Jesus understood very well that the purpose of the Sabbath was not do to any work, but to give life as God the Creator, gave life to all things.  

    However, because of this actions from Jesus, he seemed to be a person that continually scandalized people. He particularly scandalized those who were in the leadership, those who were higher in status in the society.

    Thus, a leader of the synagogue confronted Jesus for healing a woman crippled by a spirit for eighteen years, on a Sabbath day. As Sabbath  was considered to be holy by the Jews, its holiness shall be observed by not doing any work as God rested on the Sabbath after the creation. This man felt scandalized because he believed that it was not appropriate for Jesus to heal someone on a Sabbath day. His strict observance of the law, made him indifferent to the suffering of the woman.

    Yet, such tradition prevented people from doing anything and even from doing what would be life-giving. A healer was forbidden to heal a sick person as a hungry man was not also allowed do to anything to ease his hunger. However, people were more considerate to their hungry animals than to their neighbors in need.

    But then, Jesus knew and felt the many years of suffering of this woman. She suffered long enough. This compassion of Jesus lifted the burden and suffering caused by a spirit to her.

    We might also find ourselves in this situation when we also become a person who complains a lot and tends to only see what is wrong and ugly in everything and everyone. We surely are just filled with malice, bitterness and insecurity.

    Jesus confronted this leader of the synagogue and  wanted him to realize that God would not condemn us for doing God’s desire. God desires to give life to us, to heal us and bring us into freedom.

    Thus, the encounter of Jesus with this woman suffering for many years touched him very much. Jesus tells us that Sabbath will only be more meaningful when one is able to bring healing and life to another. After all, God’s rest day is indeed holy because God gave life.

    This is something that Jesus wanted to communicate to his disciples and to us today – that as we take time to rest, relax and take a break, we may also discover that we are to give life, healing and freedom whenever we are called to.

    Let us remember, Jesus laid his hands on the woman to heal and free her from the spirit that crippled her. We may also dare and be courageous enough to touch others to bring healing and life. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • GRACE given to each of us

    GRACE given to each of us

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    October 24, 2020 – Saturday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102420.cfm)

    Homily

    Recognizing the grace of God in each of us is a call to a personal encounter with the Lord. Paul reminds us in today’s letter to the Ephesians, “Grace was given to each of us, according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” In our encounter with God’s grace, it invites us to grow from our infancy and childishness towards maturity in our knowledge of God and of ourselves. This movement necessarily involves letting go of those unnecessary things, attitudes, vices, behaviors, beliefs and lifestyle that separate us from the grace of God and prevent us from truly encountering and knowing the Lord intimately.

    Thus, our encounter with God calls also us to go beyond ourselves even beyond our comforts, beyond our fears and beyond our sins and weaknesses. God calls us to step forward and to come out our own hiding places of insecurities, of anger and hate, of pretensions and compulsive behaviors.

    This is basically the invitation of Jesus from the Gospel today. Jesus gave us the parable of the fig tree. In this parable, Jesus tells us that the Father is a God of many chances. God gives us many chances to change our ways and to come nearer to him so that we may find fullness of life with God. This is described to us as Jesus expressed in the parable how the owner would visit the tree. And also, in the person of the gardener, Jesus tells us that indeed, God gives us another chance when we fail and commit mistakes.

    The gardener expressed hope to the owner as he asked him to give the fig tree another year. The gardener promised to cultivate it so that it may bear fruit. The gardener saw hope in that tree. He saw the grace in that tree. That gardener is the Spirit dwelling within us, the grace given to us. This tells us now that God never loses hope in us.

    Indeed, God always sees hope in each of us. Even though that others may treat us as beyond hope and beyond repair because of our failures and big mistakes in life, but then, God sees hope beyond our hopelessness. That is why, God’s spirit would always entice us to recognize him and encounter him. This is how the grace of God moves us and inspires us to see beyond and discover Christ’s gift of Himself to us, of his gift of salvation and gift of hope.

    We may also remember that God makes the move through the people around us, through our friends and loved ones and even strangers who will remind and teach us that God is within us. God’s grace is waiting to be recognized, and waiting to be welcomed and embraced. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR