Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Year 1

  • The Word of God is Living and Effective

    The Word of God is Living and Effective

    January 16, 2021 – Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011621.cfm)

    We find wisdom in the Bible. We find guidance and direction in our life in the Bible. We find answers to questions in life and we find comfort in times of crisis from the Word of God in the Bible. However, when one carefully listens also to God’s heart and mind in the Bible, we too are being challenged, disturbed and even scandalized the way God reveals His message and presence to us.

    In today’s Gospel, we are reminded on how Jesus challenged, disturbed and scandalized some self-righteous Pharisees. Jesus called and made friends with people whom the Jews like the Pharisees hated. These were the tax-collectors who worked under the Romans and other known sinners. The action of Jesus by being with them, mingling and making friends with them was an insult to their old age belief of condemnation against the sinners.

    However, Jesus was here to save the lost, forgive the sinners and bring back life to the dead. Jesus revealed, “I do not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” It must be very difficult to reconcile Jesus’ mind and heart to our own judgmental and condemning mind and heart. What we desire is revenge and hatred towards those we hate and those we ostracize for not following our standards.

    Yet, God has his own way of making everyone be reconciled to him. God’s presence revealed in God’s word made flesh, that is Jesus, truly shows mercy and bestows grace.

    The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us of this that we too should “come confidently to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”

    The tax collectors and the sinners have come confidently to Jesus and they received mercy and the grace of friendship with Jesus who renewed and transformed their life forever.

    From all of these, we find how the Word of God does not only tell us stories of the past or events that happened in history. The Word of God indeed, continues to touch us today as we listen again to God’s voice speaking to us in today’s scriptures.

    Again, the Letter to the Hebrews tells us, “The Word of God is living and effective sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”

    Thus, as we read and listen and allow our hearts to be filled with God’s presence through the Bible, let us allow also the Lord to challenge us, to disturb and scandalize our heart that has become cold and stiff. Let the living and effective Word of God bring forgiveness and peace in our hearts, as well as mercy and grace that will transform our way of life and relationship with one another. Hinaut pa.

  • JESUS SAW THEIR FAITH

    JESUS SAW THEIR FAITH

    January 15, 2021 – Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011521.cfm)

    Jesus saw their faith. This is what the Gospel told us today. Jesus was touched by the concern and love of those friends of the paralytic. These four men carrying their paralyzed friend showed their creativity by finding ways for their friend to meet Jesus and be closer to the Lord. They opened the roof above to bring their paralyzed friend down so that Jesus may heal and free him.

    These four men must have recognized Jesus as the source of healing and life. This was what they wanted for their friend. They could no longer just look at him being paralyzed. They must have agreed and did all their best for the good of a sick friend. What they have done touched the Lord. Jesus did not just notice their boldness, but their faith driven by their concern for a person in need of help. They were not discouraged of the difficulty they experienced. The crowd that prevented them to enter the house did not stop them or even discourage them to go forward. They looked for ways because they believed.

    Faith, indeed, grows, matures and does wonderful things in our community. This is the kind of faith that Jesus saw among these people. Their faith moves them to respond to the one in need. Their faith became an action of concern, of creativity, of helping and supporting one another, of loving and compassion.

    Thus, through faith, the journey towards healing became possible. This tells us something important today of our faith. In the process of healing, we also need the help and presence of our community, of our friends and family.

    Today, we also remember all those who have helped, extended themselves, their time and presence and resources to bring healing to those who are sick and in need of help. The many medical practitioners who assist those who are particularly sick of covid-19, and all those who are aiding to bring healing to those who are ill are like those four men. People and organizations who take the initiative to make a difference into the lives of the less fortunate and underprivileged are also like those friends who helped a friend in need.

    May our faith and the presence of one another, move us also, to join and to respond as a community and as friends in order to bring those who are in need, sick and paralyzed not just by physical illness but also of fear and of sin, towards healing and towards the fullness of life, Jesus our Lord. Hinaut pa.

  • GOD STRETCHING OUT TO US

    GOD STRETCHING OUT TO US

    January 14, 2021 – Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011421.cfm)

    “If you wish, you can make me clean.” This was the plead of the leper to Jesus. The leper had been discriminated, ignored and rejected by his own family and community. Perhaps, all he could remember in his heart were the bitter and hurtful treatment of people around him. No one would dare touch him or just be near him. Any other person, even a family member, would feel disgusted of his presence because he was sick.

    Yet, not Jesus. This leper who wanted to be healed and cleansed by God, begged Jesus. The leper who must have heard of the wonders did by Jesus in many places, came and wanted to also experience God’s grace. Nevertheless, what this leper did not expect was the way Jesus did the healing to him. In many instances, Jesus would just say the words, “be healed,” and sick people were healed. But not in this case. Jesus who was always moved with pity, his heart moved with loved and compassion, came and stretched out his hand to touch the leper.

    The man must have been surprised at that moment when Jesus stretched out his hand. It must have been the very first touch from another person since he got sick. And it must had been shocking and disgusting too for people around to see that Jesus touched a leper.

    Jesus was not supposed to touch the leper and he had to adhere what the people believed. Being there at that time, there must be others who murmured and complained for the daring action of Jesus.

    However, Jesus’s intention was to bring healing and to let this leper know that he was not after all abandoned and ignored. God looked at him lovingly and desired life for him. The touch of Jesus was also a powerful message to him and to all the people around. In God, no one is beyond God’s reach, no one is untouchable.

    This is the meaning of God stretching out to us. In many ways, Jesus would always stretch out his hand to bring healing and life into our troubled and wounded hearts. God desires to touch us because what God wants for all us is that we may have the fullness of life.

    The Letter to the Hebrews tells us too, “listen to his voice and harden not your hearts.” For God to touch us, allow our hearts to be open to God’s hand. A heart hardened by sin and indifference would prevent us to allow God to touch us.

    Let our sacraments and the scriptures open our hearts. Allow our friends, family members and the Church and yourself to become the very hand of God stretching out his grace and presence for us today. Hinaut pa.

  • Power that gives life and heals

    Power that gives life and heals

    January 13, 2021 – Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011321.cfm)

    How do we imagine a person having power? We usually understand that a person who has power over others exercises control and dominance. 

    In a community or society, people who have the power rule others into submission. People who are powerful are believed to have wealth which gives them influence, entitlements and high positions. Consequently, these powerful people may also tend to relate with those who are under them as their mere subordinates. Manipulation to advance the self-interest of the powerful and to stay in power is very tempting in this kind of relationship. When a powerful person submits to this temptation, then, most likely the powerful will use force, violence and incite fear towards others in order to preserve and even consolidate his or her power.

    Among couples, a husband who plays powerful may most probably relate with his wife in terms of control. It commonly happens in abusive relationships where a partner places the other into submission through manipulation, deceit, pretension and fear.

    However, all these forms of exercising power are filled with so much insecurity and evil. This kind of power destroys relationships and life of people. This is the power of death, of the devil that the Letter to the Hebrews was telling us about. This is also the power that Jesus destroyed in order to free us from fear and from slavery.

    Moreover, in today’s Gospel, Mark proclaimed to us the life-giving and healing power of Jesus. This power that Jesus showed us transforms life, heals the broken and frees the troubled. This was described to us in that scene when Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law. The power of Jesus was described to us three actions.

    The first action was when Jesus approached her. Jesus and his friends were received into the house of Simon and Andrew. By welcoming the Lord into their home, Jesus was also made aware of the sickness of Simon’s mother-in-law. With this awareness in Jesus, he approached the sick woman. This action of Jesus to approach the sick has the intention to manifest God’s presence.

    The second action was when Jesus grasped her hand. Jesus has manifested God’s presence, with this, Jesus also brought God’s touch to the sick woman. God touching her meant God’s compassion towards her. The touch of Jesus was God’s most abiding presence giving her the strength.

    And the third action was when Jesus helped her up. The strength from God was the gift of healing granted to the sick mother-in-law. Because she was lying down and her fever overpowers her, she needed help from another. This very action of Jesus helping her up tells us that God supplements and journeys with us towards our freedom and healing.

    From these three actions, Jesus showed us how our presence, our touch and our concrete action in helping another will manifest power that brings comfort, compassion, healing and even life.

    This is the very reason why after the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, people with various diseases and those who are ill or possessed by demons flocked towards Jesus. Because the power of Jesus is not of force and violence, people begin to recognize God’s power. In Jesus what we really see is God’s power who wills our joy and desires our healing and to experience the fullness of life.

    For us today, let these three actions of Jesus be our invitations in our relationships. But first, let us welcome the Lord to come to us, to welcome him in our hearts. Then, let us allow the Lord through his instruments to approach us, to hold us, and to help us. They may be our friends or family members or even strangers who have the intention to love us.

    With that, we may also become God’s instruments who will manifest his power in our homes, workplaces and communities by approaching, holding and helping those who are sick, weak and vulnerable.

    May God’s life-giving and healing power dispel every fear, insecurity, selfishness, illness and evil in our hearts, through the intercession of Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Hinaut pa.

  • Words that Uplift and Inspire, Free and Heal

    Words that Uplift and Inspire, Free and Heal

    January 12, 2021 – Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011221.cfm)

    The words in the Bible uplift, inspire and give life to us because they are filled with the Spirit of God. In the same way, when our words are also filled with love, sincerity and honesty, words also bring inspiration and even life.

    Powerful and life-giving words are what we have heard in today. The Gospel of Mark tells us of the experience of the people from Capernaum. Jesus who taught the people in the synagogue found him different from the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus spoke with authority not just with knowledge and familiarity of his teachings. Jesus spoke from the heart, from the wisdom of God that intends to give life to the people.

    Hence, the people found life in his teachings, in his words. This was more manifested when Jesus encountered a man with unclean spirit. Through the words of Jesus, that unclean spirit was silenced and was commanded to come out of the man. That unclean spirit oppressed the man by taking out the voice of the person. The person was made a slave by that unclean spirit. Yet, through his encounter with Jesus, the man was given a chance to be freed and to be healed. This is the effect when words give life and freedom.

    Through the words of Jesus, the unclean spirit came out of the man without doing any harm to the person. This tells us again how those words of Jesus truly brought life, freedom and healing because Jesus’ intention was of kindness and his words were out of generosity.

    Today, Jesus also calls us to find healing, life, and freedom in his words and presence in the scriptures and in our Sacraments. Hopefully, what we find and receive will also be transmitted into our life that we ourselves will become life-giving and instruments of freedom.

    It would be good then to examine our words and our encounters with people today.

    Let these be our points of reflection today.

    Are my words and presence, life-giving or condemning? Are my words uplifting, inspiring, freeing and healing? Or, are my words filled with hatred, anger and bitterness?

    If we find our words and presence more of condemnation and judgments, of hate and bitterness, allow Jesus to transform us. Allow the Lord to cast out the unclean spirit in us that oppresses us and oppresses others. Allow Jesus’ words to make us free and make us at peace so that we too shall learn in giving words to others that are filled with love, life and freedom. Hinaut pa.