Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Year 2

  • Praying as Jesus Prays

    Praying as Jesus Prays

    October 5, 2022 – Wednesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100522.cfm)

    We cannot help that sometimes our way of praying sounds like a demand to God. This could happen especially when we feel desperate. Though we believe that asking or begging God’s grace is certainly a way of praying, yet, this is not everything. When our prayers will only be filled with demands and requests for our own needs or wants, then, we might tend to believe that God is like a vending machine who is 24/7 available to grant our whims.

    Prayer is ought to be our way of life as Christians and not just a mere religious practice to observe from time to time or when we only want it. Prayer as our way of life is a constant discernment of the will of God, of getting closer to the very heart of the Lord. This is what a disciple asked of Jesus in today’s Gospel. The disciple witnessed how Jesus lives a way of life in prayer. The disciple must have seen how prayer empowers Jesus and his ministry by being one with the Father in Heaven through prayer.

    Indeed, Jesus taught his disciples how to pray which we know by heart as well. The Lord’s prayer allows us to put our complete and childlike trust to the Father. Such prayer brings us into a greater awareness of God’s presence working every day in our life and a greater awareness of our true needs, particularly of being at peace and reconciled.

    The prayer Jesus taught and his way of life in prayer have a common thing to reveal to us and that is, to be “in the heart of God.” Others may all this as being “in communion with God or to be one with God.”  Being in the heart of God is to be in a state of allowing the Lord to change us, to transform us that includes our thoughts, our desires, our plans and our very way of life.

    Certainly, what Jesus desires for his disciples and for us is to pray as Jesus prays. The very life of Jesus is founded in being in the heart of his Father in Heaven. With this, Jesus constantly seek his Father’s will and desire for him and for the world. This is what Jesus also wants us to learn, that in our prayer, we may also be in the heart of God so that we may be able to discern and identify God’s desire over our impulses, to know and embrace God’s will over our demands and personal wants.

    This is something that Paul wanted Peter to recognize and embrace as well. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, reminded Peter of his hypocrisy, biases and wrong belief about God’s desire. Peter refused to eat at the table with Christians who were non-Jews. Peter must have believed at the thought that in order to be a disciple of Jesus one must be first a Jew. Paul confronted him about this and called Peter that God is not like that. God is not limited with Jewish practices. God is not even limited among them and not limited on our personal prejudices. Definitely, Peter was challenged by Paul to rather seek the desire of Jesus and not his or a group’s desire. Such way of knowing Jesus’ desire is to be in the heart of God through prayer.

    Thus, this calls us also today to make our prayer as our way of life so that we may come into the heart of God and know better God’s desire over our personal wants and whims. Kabay pa.

  • The Glory of God Alive in Us 

    The Glory of God Alive in Us 

    October 4, 2022 – Tuesday of the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100422.cfm)

    Paul recalled how his former way of life was very destructive, violent and filled with hatred. Yet, the Lord had greater plans for Paul. Despite the dark-past story in the life of Paul, God still worked wonders in his life. This was how Paul recollected that moment when Jesus revealed himself to Paul. The encounter of Paul with the Lord became a moment of conversion and transformation. Paul saw how at fault he was. Paul also was able to recognize how blinded he was.

    Such personal realization of sin and darkness in the life of Paul became also the opportunity for the Lord to heal and bring freedom in the heart of Paul. Thus, Paul expressed this encounter in his letter to the Galatians, “[The Lord] called me through his grace.” Indeed, it was grace that saved Paul and transformed his life.

    This moved Paul to give his whole life and undivided heart for the Lord, for his commitment to love others and bring them to the Lord. Consequently, people around Paul “glorified God because of him.” Yes, the people who were touched by him, glorified the Lord because they must have witnessed how God worked wonders in the life of a person like Paul whose history was filled with hatred and bitterness, violence and malice against Christians.

    Indeed, the Lord works wonders in our life when we also begin to choose him, embrace him fully as the Lord chooses us and embraces us despite the mess we have in our life. This is something that our Gospel today pictures about. Mary who sat beside the Lord Jesus and listened to him “chose the better part.” Mary realized at that moment that Jesus came to visit them and so she choose God. However, Martha who was typically anxious and a worrier, made herself busy in preparing things.

    Jesus did not need much serving at that moment. Yet, Martha made herself be overwhelmed with unnecessary concerns and worries. This became the reason why Martha was so distracted and failed to embrace the presence of the Lord at that moment. But Mary, choose the better part. She choose the presence of God at that moment. This transformed the life of Mary, and well, later on also of Martha, as the two became saints.

    Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a well-loved saint. Certainly, we too glorify God because of his works and example. St. Francis also chose the better part. He chose God who first chose him. Francis, indeed, chose the Lord over prestige and privileges. This was how he lived a simple way of life and an undivided heart for Christ and His Church.

    This is the invitation for us today and that is to also choose the better part, in choosing and embracing the Lord wo has called us through his grace and who visits us today. Like Paul, Mary, Martha and Francis, may we also let the glory of God be alive in us by letting the grace of God transform our heart that may be filled now with grief and sorrow, anxieties and worries or with hatred and anger, bitterness and malice, violence and greed into a heart that is free, at peace and healed. Kabay pa.

  • AM I SEEKING TO PLEASE PEOPLE? 

    AM I SEEKING TO PLEASE PEOPLE? 

    October 3, 2022 – Monday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100322.cfm)

    Do I do good to seek the affirmation of others? Do I do things for others in order to gain their recognition and acceptance? Our past experiences of rejections, not being affirmed, not being recognized and accepted by others, could give us the anxiety. In order to compensate what has been deprived from us such as our childhood need for acceptance, affirmation and recognition could become our hang-ups even when we are already a grown-up.

    We would tend to please others by being good and kind, by doing any demands from others to us, by meeting every expectation from us just to gain their approval and affirmation. We could also display such attitude that would praise another person through our flattery words and extra attention given in order to seek to gain favor. Or, we could be more aggressive by directly demanding from others that we should be affirmed and recognized by soliciting such honor from others.

    What St. Paul asked, “Am I seeking to please people?” sheds light on this attitude of the heart. Paul wrote to the Galatians and reminded them that his presence among them and his ministry to them in preaching the Gospel of Christ was not about seeking their attention or even to please them or any other person. The Galatians who after receiving the Gospel of Christ from Paul was about to seek the approval of Jewish Christians who demanded that the new Christians and not Jewish before should accept first the Jewish Law and its religious practices. Only then that the Galatians will be considered as good Christians and be accepted.

    However, Paul did not agree with this. Such intention is a perversion of the Gospel. Faith in the Risen Lord is not about being able to please another culture and religious belief just to be accepted. The Gospel of Christ being received by Christians is not about pleasing another in order to be welcomed in the community. Faith in the Lord and the Gospel of Christ are the elements that constitute the life of a Christian.

    This is what we have also heard in today’s parable in the Gospel of Luke. The Samaritan did not seek to please others but he did what he should do as a human person to another human person who was in need of help. Jesus used this parable in order to respond to the question of a scholar of the Law on what to do to inherit eternal life.

    Thus, it is by being able to love God though our expression of loving one’s neighbor that we inherit eternal life. The good deeds, kindness and mercy that we do to a person in need is not about pleasing another but an expression of faith and devotion, of love and hope in God. To inherit eternal life is, therefore, also not about to please God in order to gain that favor but in showing mercy. Mere strict observance of religious practices and traditions could become our way of pleasing another like our flattery words and actions to another. If mercy does not flow from our religious traditions, prayers and devotional practices, then, these become our mere attitude of currying favors.

    May our actions, our thoughts, our kindness, goodness and mercy shown to others be our expression of that love of God and not in simply seeking to please others. Kabay pa.

  • God favors the Childlike

    God favors the Childlike

    October 1, 2022 – Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100122.cfm)

    The attitude of children, that is, of being trusting, dependent and open to surprises makes them more welcoming. Such attitude of the heart is empty of any judgment and biases, of any pretensions and entitlement. These are the reasons why Jesus would make a child as an image of those who belong to the Kingdom of Heaven because God’s favor truly belongs to the childlike.

    In contrast, a heart that has grown old and has become unwelcoming of what is new and to surprises becomes judgmental, pretentious and entitled. This is an expression of an arrogant heart that refuses the Divine Presence and the call of God for a change of heart.

    This is where we find the significance of Jesus’ words today in the Gospel. Jesus gave praise to his Father in Heaven for the revelation given to those who are childlike like the disciples. The wise and the learned who claimed knowledge of the world and mastery of life and faith have refused to recognize God’s presence among them through the person of Jesus. Only to these ordinary men and women who followed Jesus that they recognized the great presence of the Lord God in their midst.

    This is also the story of Job revealed in the last chapter of the Book in the first reading. Job, though, he could not fully understand the ways of the Lord became more trusting to God. He stopped justifying himself for being righteous and good and insisting that God should be God according to his own beliefs. At the end, Job allowed the Lord God to be God and be more surprised at how the Lord works wonders on earth and in his life. Job realized the importance of growing in confidence with God just like a child.

    This is what St. Therese of the Child Jesus also exemplified in her life. Therese was indeed a dear child of God who constantly desired the Divine Presence in her life. Her childlike heart allowed her to see things differently from others. She saw goodness and kindness of every person despite the fact that she too was misunderstood by her co-nuns. Therese’s heart that was most confident in the presence of the Lord made her contemplative life to be more active by reaching the hearts of others even when she was just staying in their monastery. Indeed, her childlike heart that belonged to God touched the hearts of many and brought them to also see Jesus, and encounter Jesus through the young Therese.

    Today, as Christians, we too are called to become childlike and not let our hearts grow old, bitter and be filled with pretensions. As we grow in our confidence and trust in the Lord, then, allow the Lord also to surprise us with his Divine Presence, to see what the Lord wants us to see and to hear what the Lord wants us to hear. Kabay pa.

  • Unrepentant and Unbelieving

    Unrepentant and Unbelieving

    September 30, 2022 – Friday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/093022.cfm)

    The words of Jesus seemed to be filled with dismay and pain over the three cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. The people in these cities remained unrepentant and unbelieving despite the presence of Jesus in these cities. Jesus walked on their streets, preached to the people and healed the sick. However, the people’s hearts remained closed and hardened.

    The Lord has come and made his dwelling among them, yet, still they refused to change their way of life and refused to come closer to the Lord. Though they had many opportunities to respond to the Lord’s invitations and teachings, yet, they were lukewarm, tepid and passive. What the people did in these cities was ultimately a rejection of God. They rejected Jesus and so of the presence of God in their midst. “For whoever rejects me, rejects the one who sent me,” Jesus said.

    However, we have heard a different response in the story of Job in the first reading. Job who was overwhelmed with tremendous sufferings in his life questioned the Lord God for allowing those evils to happen in his life. Job actually thought that God is dependent on his goodness and righteousness. Job’s thoughts were grounded on the belief of Divine Retribution, of punishment and reward. Job believed that God was not being God because the evils that he experienced did not fall under this belief of Divine Retribution. Job has been a good and righteous man, hence, he must only enjoy rewards, blessings and the good things in life.

    However, in all this quest and unbelief of Job against God, the Lord spoke to Job telling him, that God is beyond what Job thought of. God is not dependent on what we can think and would like to think about him. God is after all the one in control of everything. The wisdom of the Lord is so much beyond our human understanding. This is how Job realized his smallness and his futile belief that God is dependent on his goodness and righteousness.

    With this encounter, Job began to focus his heart and mind on God rather than himself alone. Job redirected his thoughts and faith to the Lord rather than on his goodness and righteousness. And so, Job repented and believed.

    Today, Jesus’ encounter with the unrepentant and unbelieving three cities and of Job’s encounter with the Lord, we too are called to redirect our focus, our mind and our heart to the Lord. May we become more welcoming of God’s presence and of God’s many challenges for us and allow the Lord to change our ways, our thoughts and even our own beliefs into God’s wonderful ways. Kabay pa.