Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Year 1

  • Jesus touched for the second time

    Jesus touched for the second time

    February 15, 2023 – Wednesday of the Sixth Week  in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021523.cfm)

    For the second time, Jesus has to do it again. The blind man still could not see clearly when Jesus touched his eyes the first time. Yet, another interesting part of this healing story was on how Jesus brought the blind man away from people and out of the village and then told the man to go home but not to go back to the same village where he had been.

    This tells us that healing may not be instant and that it takes patience because healing is a process. Hence, the man was healed not just with his physical blindness but also of his spiritual blindness. The darkness that covered his eyes prevented him to not just see but also not to recognize. Hence, Jesus told him not to go back to the village of Bethsaida. That village became a symbol of unbelief, sin and rejection of God’s presence. Jesus was not welcomed there because people wanted to remain  in their wicked way of life. The people did not want Jesus to change them, to heal them and to renew their life. Thus, going back in that village would only make the man go back to the same cycle of darkness in his life.

    Indeed, the healing of this blind man tells something about the disciples and about us today. Jesus has to take the man outside the village with his disciples so that they may see and realize their blindness. The disciples have been with Jesus and have seen great things that Jesus did to the people. Yet, the disciples remained spiritually blind. Their minds were still clouded with doubts and fears. They could have seen something about Jesus but could not see it clearly.

    This blind man represented the disciples, no doubt. As Jesus did the healing, notice, that the man was not immediately healed. We may wonder, why was he not healed immediately and completely? Was it because the man doubted Jesus? Or was it because of his lack of faith?

    What was only certain was that the eyes of that man were still prevented by some darkness. He still could not see clearly. However, Jesus remained patient with the man. He did not condemn the man for having a lack of faith. Jesus has to do it again so that the man could see clearly and to take away the darkness that covered his eyes.

    Jesus was doing the same thing also with his disciples. The disciples were spiritually blind because they have not yet figured out at this moment who Jesus really was. They were still anxious of what to eat and what to do even though Jesus was with them. Hence, Jesus taught something to them through the healing of this blind man.

    We too are just like the disciples and that blind man. We could have claimed that we have seen and understood something about our faith, about the Church, about Jesus or even about other people and ourselves, yet, not completely. Not completely and not clearly because we might be prevented by our fears, anxieties, by our pain and trauma or even biases. We might also be trapped in the cycle of self-pity or self-righteousness and arrogance, in the cycle of blaming others over our failures or in bitterness and hatred, or in the cycle of habitual sins, addictions or unhealthy coping mechanisms because we find life already dark and hopeless.

    It would be good for us today to identify and recognize aspects and areas in our life that prevent us from truly believing in Jesus, from truly believing that we can be healed, be at peace and reconciled, be free and truthful about ourselves and to what surrounds us today.

    Let us be assured also that Jesus will be patient with us. So, let us allow him to touch us even for a second time so that any forms of darkness in our eyes and hearts may disappear and that we may see Jesus clearly among our sisters and brothers, no matter who they may be. Let us allow Jesus to challenge and to bring us out of those unhealthy cycles that only bring us to darkness and blindness. May the grace of healing grant us freedom, peace and life. Hinaut pa.                 

  • Be Influenced by Love and Concern

    Be Influenced by Love and Concern

    February 14, 2023 – Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021523.cfm)

    What and who is it that can easily influence you? Indeed, each of us can be easily influenced by many things and people around us. Sometimes, we may not be aware what really influences our thoughts and hearts because we are not aware of our environment. The popularity of the Social Media, of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram bring so much influence into our individual lives and even into the consciousness of the society. This is how these social media platforms crept and reshaped cultures, social status, gender, age, even beliefs and values.

    However, when one is not also aware of the kind of influences that he or she is welcoming, those influences may bring the person into better or into worst. Moreover, even our own words, spoken or written, can also influence others to become better or to become worst. The rise of fake news and disinformation entertained by many has been very damaging into our culture and relationships. People who are not aware of the sources and the credibility of the reports, are being deceived and in effect brought more damage to the community by spreading them.

    Such is the warning that Jesus reminded to his disciples. The Lord firmly warned his friends, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” The leaven being used to make the dough to rise, was used as an image by Jesus to depict the silent but cunning influence of the Pharisees and of Herod. The passive yet indifferent, aggressive and oppressive attitudes of the Pharisees and of Herod can become attractive to people who tend to seek recognition and praise and those who tend to worship the powerful and the corrupt, the arrogant and the aggressive.

    These tendencies were also present among the disciples. This was the reason why Jesus reminded them when they began to worry of having not enough bread. Even until that moment, they did not yet recognize that the Lord was with them and had already worked wonders by feeding thousands of people. This prompted Jesus to ask them, “Are your hearts hardened?”

    Moreover, The Book of Genesis reminds us also of a disheartening event as God regretted and his heart was grieved. God found evil in the hearts of humanity. The hearts has been influenced and consumed by wickedness and evil that God decided to wipe out the earth and reshape it. Yet, Noah found favor with the Lord. Noah was neither influenced nor consumed by evil, but by love and concern. This was how the Lord found hope in us to reshape the earth and renew our hearts.

    Today, like the disciples and like what happed in the story of the Book of Genesis, the Lord also calls us to watch out of those distractions that may lead us away from the grace of God and from God’s presence. We may always realize that God is working wonders in us and through us.

    Thus, recognize today those wonders that God is doing to you. Let not our hearts be influenced by passivity, by indifference, by arrogance, by aggression or by any fake news about God, about ourselves and about others. Rather, look always of those many wonders that God is doing in our lives. Be influenced by God’s grace in our sacraments. Be influenced by His words in the bible. Be influenced by the Holy Spirit. And as this Valentine’s Day reminds also, be influenced by love and concern and not by hatred and indifference.  Kabay pa.

  • BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

    BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

    February 3, 2023 – Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020323.cfm)

    Do you feel contented with what you have now? Do you also feel that despite the fact that you don’t have all things in the world, yet, you feel assured and happy?  Or do you rather feel that you don’t have enough and feel insecure with that what others have while you don’t? And is this insecurity in you make you feel rather bitter, angry, hateful and pitiful either towards others or yourself?

    Some of us could be in such situation of being contented and grateful though we don’t have the luxury of everything in this world. Others could be grappling with bitterness, insecurity, anger and self-pity because of not having enough and not having what they ought to have and should have. While others would somehow feel indifferent, taking for granted what they have and not really doing anything to cherish and develop what they already have.

    Bearing these in mind, we may be young or old – no matter our age, or we may be a student, an ordinary worker or professional or job less, married, single, separated – no matter our status is – we search and long to find contentment and joy in life. This is the reason why we dream and we want our dream to come true. This is also the reason why we want to succeed in our endeavors to have such contentment and joy in life, with our family and friends.

    Neil Clark Warren who is a Relational Psychologist, wrote in his book Finding Contentment, “that many people are desperately in search for immediate and rapid-fire happiness surges that has become an obsession.” Because of what he called as the happiness highs, a person may continually seek what only brings a momentary happiness. This may be in a form of material thing or immaterial like in the form of vice, habit and other coping mechanisms. And because it is momentary, it may drain and prevent a person to seek what is lasting and enduring. Such attitude of the heart may also lead the soul to restlessness and emptiness.

    What Dr. Warren proposes is to find contentment in life, a lasting and enduring contentment that will free us from the burden and slavery of pretensions, of anxiety, insecurities and fear. He further suggests that one will be able to overcome and transcend oneself by walking in the path of authenticity, that we become authentic persons. This means that we will not be dictated by what others wants us to be, or merely driven by our selfish desires, or to become who we are not but to be who we truly are. To put this in our Christian belief, what Dr. Warren says is basically, that we become the person God wants us to be. God desires the full realization of ourselves where we can find freedom and fullness of life.

    Dr. Warren’s Finding Contentment is what the Letter to the Hebrews also invites us today, “be content with what you have.” This letter was addressed to the Christian Hebrews to always have the attitude and spirit of hospitality. One becomes hospitable by being attentive to the needs of others, sensitive to their situations, by being faithful and committed in one’s relationship and by being content with life. All these bring us into the invitation to fully trust the providence and generosity of God who will never make us destitute and who will never abandon us.

    However, when the heart becomes unfriendly and unwelcoming of others, then, it makes the heart insensitive, ungrateful and discontented with life. The person lives in fear and insecurity, because he/she does not trust what God will give him or her. And worst, because of such attitude of the heart, the person will tend to blame God for giving him or her so little and for being unfair.

    This kind of attitude is what we have heard in the today’s Gospel of Mark. Mark tells us about King Herod and his mistress, Herodias. Both of them grew discontented with life. They were more after of momentary happiness to the point of losing their direction from recognizing what is wrong and what is right, what is just and unjust. Consequently, they became obsessed that made them destructive and corrupt both in their relationships and in their way of leadership among the people.

    King Herod, however, seemed to have some hope because of the disturbance he felt in his heart when he listened to John the Baptist. Yet, he did not have the courage to confront himself. Thus, the King was eaten by his obsession to have more and to express his violent authority against the weak. As a result, his actions became destructive and oppressive to others. It was not hospitality. It was not kindness. This was how the life of a prophet was ended coldly. King Herod ordered the beheading of John the Baptist just to please people around him.

    This tells us how it becomes destructive to ourselves and to others when we remain seeking what only gives us momentary happiness and remain ungrateful of what we already have.

    Hence, God calls us today to become contented of what we have. God has certainly blessed us with many things. We do not need to have everything too. Having everything will only give us headache and constant worries. The key to contentment and true joy is not having everything at all. What we need rather is the right attitude of having a grateful heart that is contented with God’s blessings and graces. In this way, we become more confident and assured of what we already have and also of who we are. Kabay pa.

  • NO ONE SHOULD BE DEPRIVED OF THE GRACE OF GOD

    NO ONE SHOULD BE DEPRIVED OF THE GRACE OF GOD

    February 1, 2023 – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020123.cfm)

    God gives life, blesses life and renews our life. God never stops that. This is the reason why grace overflows so that no one will be deprived of the grace of God. The Letter to the Hebrew reminds us of this. It calls us to strive for peace with everyone because without peace what we shall have are troubles and bitterness in our hearts. As the grace of God overflows, the Letter also invites all Christian believers to “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.”

    This means that our participation has an effect in making God’s grace to truly overflow and be experienced by all. Certainly, one can deprive oneself or others of the grace of God when the heart refuses God’s grace. Yet, why would a person refuse to welcome and accept something that is so wonderful like the grace of God? Is this even possible? Yes, this is very possible that a person will refuse to accept God’s grace because of a heart hardened by jealousy, false judgment, bitterness and hatred.

    As the grace of God overflows, the Letter also invites all Christian believers to “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.”

    Let us take for example today’s Gospel story. Jesus who went home was welcomed with bitterness and hatred by his own neighbors. Jesus who did many miracles in other places was questioned and judged by the people. Their thoughts were merely based on the familiar background of Jesus of being a carpenter, being a son of Mary, being a brother to his cousins.  Outside of these, they failed to see that there was more in the person of Jesus. They failed to see the grace in the life of Jesus. As a result, the people took offense at him.

    They felt offended because they could not accept the opportunity of being graced by the person of Jesus who seemed to be only ordinary for them. This is how a bitter and hateful heart affects our relationship with others. All Jesus could do was to heal few sick people. It was not that Jesus did not want to do any miracle for them because of their bitter attitude towards him. Jesus just couldn’t because the people did not cooperate with the grace of God. They deprived themselves of the grace of God.

    Indeed, God can only work when we allow God to work miracles. The lack of faith of the people is a refusal of God’s grace. This tells us that God, though all-powerful, does not impose His power on us. God would rather invite us to allow Him to work miracles with us.

    Besides, the people expressed their non-cooperation with the grace of God through their lack of faith. This made Jesus to be amazed. It was just amazing for the Lord because the people have seen how the grace of Jesus’ life could do for them yet they still refused. The lack of faith in them was even reinforced because their hearts were filled with jealousy, false judgment, bitterness and hatred.

    And as the Letter to the Hebrews calls us, “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.” This is the call for us today. Let us not deprive ourselves of the grace of God or deprive others. Let God’s grace overflow then, through us and through the gift of persons of one another.

    Instead of nurturing bitterness, hatred, jealousy and false judgment in our hearts, let us rather nurture an attitude that welcomes the grace of God through the gift of our persons. Kabay 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.