Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: A Dose of God Today

  • God for 30 pieces of Silver

    God for 30 pieces of Silver

    April 8, 2020 – Holy Wednesday

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040820.cfm)

    Homily

    God only costs 30 pieces of silver!

    Do you know what that means? It means that the Lord is cheap!

    30 pieces of silver were the approximate amount to buy a slave. This amount was also equivalent to a person’s wage for five weeks based on 6 days of work at that time of Jesus.

    Today, especially for Davao Region the highest minimum wage rate is P 390.00 and multiply it by 6 days and 5 weeks, then, you have P 11, 700.00. This is the equivalent amount of the price of Jesus in today’s context.

    Thus, just for five weeks, working 6 days a week, 8 hours a day, we can buy God!

    This is both fascinating and upsetting. It is fascinating knowing that God is cheap. An ordinary person can buy God just like what Judas did. Judas sold his friend and master to the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.

    In a way, this tells us of Jesus’ availability for us. He makes himself cheap, for a price of a slave so that we can have him, so that he can be with us. With that 30 pieces of silver, then, we have Jesus who offered his life for us.

    However, what is upsetting is the thought that we do not value that much the presence of God in our life. The chief priests valued Jesus for that amount and Judas willingly accepted that and even desired to really have that amount in his hands. This is so disturbing because for all those days that Judas had been with Jesus and the goodness and generosity shown by Jesus to him, Judas seemed not to have realized the great worth of Jesus.

    With this attitude, we may not be far. We too might have thought also that God is the least in our priorities and that God is not essential. We could have spent more time and more of our presence on other things rather than spending quality time with the Lord and with our family. We could have thought also that other people are worthless and good for nothing.

    Nevertheless, what is more striking was the price that Jesus has to pay for us. Judas might have sold Jesus for 30 pieces of Silver, but Jesus has paid for his life in order to redeem us, that we might be with him.

    Imagine, we are more expensive than God. We, mere creatures, are more costly than the Creator. This tells us how much we are being valued by God.

    That’s why when somebody tells you that you are worthless, believe Jesus, that’s not true. Jesus has paid his life for you. When someone would say that a sinner or a criminal or an offender has no value in our community, believe Jesus, that is fake news. Jesus has to suffer, has to be crucified and to die to tell us that every sinner and every creature on earth is special and expensive. God has to pay it himself.

    Hence, on this Holy Wednesday, there are three invitations I would like you to dwell deeper.

    First, God is so cheap. As God is everywhere, recognize God always. It won’t take you long to recognize God in the presence of your loved ones, with your friends, with strangers, and with all the things that are around you.

    Second, each person worth the life of Jesus. Never allow others also to put you down, to tag you as valueless and worthless. Stop thinking too of this idea, because each of us is so valuable to Jesus. And never believe also that there are people or even just one person that has no value.

    Third, recognize also the value, the importance of the gift of presence of people around you. Recognize also the many gifts that you are enjoying, the gifts of nature, the gifts of material things.

    Hopefully, with these realizations then the more we become grateful to Jesus and generous of ourselves to others. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Do not let Satan grab us away from the Lord

    Do not let Satan grab us away from the Lord

    April 7, 2020 – Holy Tuesday

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040720.cfm)

    Homily

    The Gospel today is very sad. A student and a friend turned bitter. Judas, one of the disciples of Jesus became bitter and his heart was filled with darkness.

    What happened with Judas, really? Why did he betray Jesus who only showed goodness to him?

    The Gospel says that “Satan entered into him,” meaning, Judas was controlled by Satan. But, does Satan can just overpower a person? Of course not, not unless we allow Satan to control us. 

    Let us see the attitudes of Judas. Judas seemed to have been filled with complaints and bitterness. He would seek what was for him, what he could benefit or what he could gain. Judas would think of himself. He became entitled and even demanding. Yet, he was also pretentious in front of others. Remember how he expressed his disgust over an oil poured into the feet of Jesus for anointing. He was as if concerned that the poor can benefit from that, but not. He was only concerned of the amount of money that he could get out of that oil if sold and given to him because he was the treasurer of the group. Thus, Judas was gradually eaten by his selfishness. This turned him to be corrupt and deceiving.

    These attitudes creeping in his heart became the entry points for Satan. Those were welcoming attitudes for Satan, the deceiver. Satan, indeed, deceived Judas.

    Consequently, as Satan entered into him, Judas was not anymore in control of himself. He lost himself or perhaps has lost his mind. This was symbolized by the words in the Gospel, “it was night.” It means, Judas succumbed into darkness. He gave in to the false hopes and false promises of comfort, of wealth or influence. 

    However, despite these actions of Judas, Jesus never gave up on Judas. That’s why, never in the Gospel that we heard Jesus condemning this person. 

    With this scenario on this Holy Tuesday, these are the invitations for us.

    First, be careful of the attitudes of our heart that conjures Satan most particularly of selfishness that creeps into our soul.

    Second, we are not the center of everything. It is Jesus.

    Third, do not succumb to darkness. Do not yield to our habitual sins that may lead us farther from God. Always seek the light. Seek God even if we stumble every now and then. 

    In this way, hopefully, then what we will allow is God to be the master of our life and not Satan who will only grab us away from the presence of God. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • To be grateful this Holy Week

    To be grateful this Holy Week

    April 6, 2020 – Monday of the Holy Week

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040620.cfm)

    Homily

    Jesus was in the house of his friends, who were Lazarus, and his sisters, Mary and Martha. These three siblings invited Jesus for a celebration. They were celebrating to thank Jesus. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. As an act of thanksgiving, Lazarus invited Jesus for this celebration. It was in this way that Lazarus expressed his gratitude to Jesus. Meanwhile, his sisters, Martha  expressed her gratitude to Jesus by making sure that there was food and drinks for Jesus and his disciples. It was Martha’s way of thanking Jesus. And also, Mary, who was so fond of Jesus, expressed her gratefulness as well as her affection by anointing the feet of Jesus with an expensive perfume. She spent that only for Jesus because she loved Jesus.

    Thus, when a person grows to be grateful, the person also becomes more aware of the presence of God, the giver of blessings and gifts. Lazarus, Mary and Martha were people who have grown to be grateful to God that is why they also became more conscious of Jesus’ presence.

    However, when we become ungrateful we also take for granted the giver of gifts, and thus, the presence of God in our life. This is what we find in the person of Judas. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was an example of a person who was ungrateful. He had been with Jesus for the past three years but then he was not fully aware of who Jesus was. He physically encountered Jesus but then his ungrateful heart prevented him to recognize God in the person of Jesus.

    This is the reason why Judas reacted so much when Mary poured expensive oil at Jesus’ feet. Judas reacted harshly! Judas was so bitter! He was not upset about the celebration or about the food and the drinks. You know why? Because he benefited from those. But, he complained about Mary because it was only for Jesus, nothing for him! Judas was not able to benefit from that perfume. That was the reason why he demanded that it should be sold. Judas was the treasurer of the group and if that perfume was sold, Judas will surely keep the money for himself and not for the poor. Because Judas was ungrateful, he was also corrupt.

    This will also happen to us when we remain ungrateful and when we refuse to recognize that everything we have is a gift. When we become ungrateful persons, we also become self-entitled. We become demanding in our relationships. We become critical of those people around us. We are easily threatened when we are not praised and recognized. Yet, we will become stingy of our time and energy and ungenerous of our resources and presence to those who are asking for our help. And most of all, we become indifferent to people around us and indifferent to God, the source of all blessings.

    Thus, God calls us today to be more grateful of the gifts and blessings that we have received each day, no matter how small would that be. But if we have received so much also, be more thankful and be more generous too. Remember, a grateful person is a person who goes forward, because when we are grateful we also become contented of the present, whatever there is. We also become reconciled with the past, whatever that was. And we become hopeful and positive of the future, whatever there will be. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Why is this happening FOR me?

    Why is this happening FOR me?

    April 5, 2020 – Palm Sunday

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040520.cfm)

    Homily

    A wise man once said: Instead of asking: “Why is this happening TO me?”, Ask rather, “Why is this happening FOR me?”

    In trying to make sense of the situations and to find meaning to what we are going through in life especially during hard times (like, sickness, failures, loss, crises, quarantine, lockdown) we tend to ask the question: “Why is this happening To me?” And the more we struggle with this question, the more we find ourselves down and confused. For with this question, we search not much on the meaning but more on to something to excuse or someone to blame or charge for the situation. Although hard and bad things do indeed happen To and In ourselves directly, these things could have happened and are happening FOR us, with an offer of a special purpose beyond our imaginings and comprehensions. 

    God’s blessings are often described as “blessings-in disguise” because only after going through the process of its trials and sufferings, we eventually come to recognize the purpose and to realize meaning of whole trying life-experiences.  Only by getting through the trying and hard experience, and struggle with the questions, we learn the lessons-offered and grow in living life much better and meaningful. As the wise man advised, to be more courageous and hopeful in dealing with life-challenges and crises, ask not for excuses, charges or verdict, but search rather for purpose and meaning behind the trying-experience. In other words, as we go through life-crises, Ask not: “Why is this happening To me?” but rather, “Why is this happening For me?” that we may be more open to the purpose and meaning it offer for our growth. 

    During these days of Holy Week, we are being in touch once again with the story of the Lord’s passion and suffering. Along with our Lenten observances, we are reminded of the Jesus story – on how He suffered and died on the cross. However, we cannot help but also wonder why Jesus has to go through all these pains and sufferings?

    On the hindsight, Jesus is sentenced for crucifixion because he was actually charged of claiming to be the Christ – the Messiah-king of the Jews. Politically, this charge is seditious and rebellious to the ruling colonial Roman Empire of his time. Religiously and culturally, this charge is blasphemously offensive to the Jews who are longing and waiting for their own expected Messiah to come and save the day. But all these things happened to Jesus, because of the envy and jealousy of those who are in power have on Jesus, since he is stirring a movement and inspiring people to change. For them, Jesus is basically a trouble-maker, bad influence, a radical leader with a cause. For allegedly claiming to be the Christ, suffering and death by crucifixion happened to Jesus.  

    We also cannot help but wonder why Jesus’ suffering and death happened to us. Reflecting on the Lord’s passion could definitely bring us to awareness of our own shortcomings and sins before God and others – of how much and how we have failed our Lord, as well as of how much we need God’s mercy and forgiveness and of how much the Lord’s price have made to save and redeemed us. For our failings and shortcomings before the Lord, suffering and death by crucifixion happened to the Lord. 

    However, over and beyond the charge of claiming to be Messiah, and our real failures and shortcomings with God, Jesus’ passion and death on the cross has a deeper value in the realization of God’s kingdom in our very lives. At the very core of the Good News Gospel of Jesus – is the constant slogan and challenge “So that You may believe”. This would mean that Jesus life and mission centers on the commission of awakening people’s faith in the Kingdom, i.e. so that we may believe in Him and His vision/mission of God’s kingdom for all. 

    Thus, His sufferings and death on the cross is His way of awakening and stirring up our faith in Him. It is His way of serving us (offering and giving us God’s kingdom). It is His way of speaking to the world (choosing, blessing and forming us) for God’s kingdom. It is His way of witnessing (revealing, sharing, and making us taste and see) life as lived in and with God’s kingdom. In other words, so that and for our faith in Him and God’s kingdom may direct and rule our lives always, Jesus’ life and death happened For Jesus and For us. 

    This is why the passion and death of Jesus for us Christian means more to us than just about our sins, failures, and misgivings, nor about the gruesome public condemnation and execution of Jesus. Our being reminded of His death can be our opportunity for us to renew our faith in our lives so that we may believe and witness into His vision and mission of God’s kingdom. For us, the Jesus story is a “blessing in disguise” – a path, a way to our life and resurrection, that we must go through in life so that we may eventually taste and see anew in faith the promise of God’s kingdom offered us again.

    We began Lenten Season with a personal challenge: “Repent and Believe the Gospel”. Now as we begin Holy Week on enhanced community quarantine this year, the challenge for us as Christian faithful is to: “Believe” for there are more yet better graces to come and be revealed to us. Let us rediscover in our present situation God’s blessings in disguise by asking not why is this happening To us, but rather ask why is this happening FOR us.May we have a Blessed, Inspiring and Faithful Easter Season ahead of us. Amen. 

    Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR

  • God transforms us to become persons we do not imagine before

    April 2, 2020 – Thursday 5th Week of Lent

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040220.cfm)

    Homily

    In the Book of Genesis, we have heard about the TRANSFORMATION of Abram to Abraham. This transformation of name is not just merely by name but it has a deeper transformation in the very person of Abraham. Let us remember the story of Abram who was from the land of Ur. He was called by God to journey to a land God promised to him.

    Abram had to leave behind many things which include comfort of his home, familiarity of the place, affection from his family and friends. Yet, Abram trusted God despite the much insecurity he felt. He took the risk despite the uncertainties ahead.

    His relationship with God earned him a transformation of his person, thus, he became Father of many nations because of his faith. What is more comforting is also God’s promise to Abraham. God said, “As long as your descendants keep the covenant, I will be their God and they shall be my people.”

    This is an assurance of God’s faithfulness in us, a promise that God will and shall never abandon us. This is a relationship that does not float in abstract form or a mere product of a “theological treatise” of the past – but this is something that we experience in concrete terms as people.

    This is manifested and fully revealed to us through the historical person of Jesus. In the Gospel of John, Jesus provocatively proclaimed that he is “I AM.” What does it mean? “I AM” is YHWH’s sacred name which also means “I am always there for you.”

    This is provocative and sounds insulting to the Jews because they could not accept that God is truly with us in flesh. For them, God should only remain in the heavens where nobody can go and no one can touch. God for them is very far, remote and distant from His people.

    What are the invitations for us then?

    First, like Abraham, God also calls us to take the risk, to trust God despite our uncertainties, insecurities and questions. God sends us to a situation we do not expect or even to places and events we avoid. Do not resist and let God’s desire be your desire too. Resistance will only bring us hardship and more difficulties because we will become a closed person, uncompromising and inflexible. Like Abraham we may learn to trust God and be confident in Him. Moreover, be comforted also at the words of God, “I am your God and you are my people. I AM will always be there for you.”

    We may surely encounter many discomforts, moments of confusions and times of difficulties. Yet, never retreat from others and from yourself, but rather, be daring like Abraham, always trusting in God. Certainly, in the process of our journey, God will transform us into persons we do not imagine before.

    Second, God is truly with us here at the present moment (in the here-and-now). Be confident today because Jesus is “I AM”, he who is there for you and me always. Thus, be conscious always of the present because this present moment is God’s present – gift to us.

    Remember, it is when we become aware of our present that we also discover God’s many surprises for us. Allow your present (both as time and as gift) be unfolded for you to discover God’s presence. May it become also the factor for you to recognize, be reconciled and affirm your past and to hope joyfully for what is to come tomorrow. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR