There is always hope for sinners. The holy bible testifies as to how God, in the course of time, has been calling and inviting us, his people, to return to him, turn from our wickedness and change our lives. He has been faithfully engaging us in the dialogue of conversion and constantly intervening in our human affairs.
Remember what he said in Ezekiel 18: 23: “Do I want the death of the sinner? Do I not rather want him to turn from his ways and live?” Which means, our well-being, our welfare and our salvation is always at the top of God’s consideration.
In relation to this, Prophet Isaiah has something to tell us which we can get from his words. What is this?
First is that, to come to terms or to be reconciled with God is always God’s initiative. When there’s a desire to change ourselves, it is actually God’s voice speaking to our hearts and urging us to do so. Conversion, then, is ultimately God’s grace at work;
The other one is that, our conversion, which I consider an interior work-in-progress, must be visible in the way we live our lives. Not that we are only good in words, but not in action. But this, as I recognized, is humanly challenging.
Dom John Main, OSB, a meditation guru, said: “The external conversion is of no use unless it is inspired and springs from an inner conversion of the heart.” Conversion, therefore, is best expressed in the silence of action.
Today, we are enjoined to heed to God’s invitation calling us to conversion. And to make use of our time while we are still afforded with enough time and chances to correct ourselves and straighten our ways.
There’s never too late for a repentant sinner. There’s still hope for all of us. Only if we respond and obey.
We are so familiar with the story of Abraham. God called him to go to a foreign land he did not know. Despite his insecurities, he took the risk and trusted God because God promised him that he will have children, land of his own and shall be a blessing to all the people on earth. However, our first reading tells us the opposite. God indeed gave Abraham and Sarah a son, Isaac, but God asked Abraham to sacrifice sin only son for God. Abraham was surely confused; he was deeply distressed at this request from God. Yet, Abraham took the risk and completely trusted in God.
God just tested Abraham. And God saw how Abraham remained dedicated and faithful despite the pain that Abraham endured. What was very interesting in him was his ability to listen to God who called him. It was by listening to God that Abraham was able to go beyond and conquer his fears, doubts and confusions in life. Because of that, God blessed him throughout his life. By this attitude of Abraham, he was TRANSFORMED by God making him a blessing to all.
But what is more interesting in our readings today is the TRANSFIGURATION of Jesus as witnessed by the three disciples – Peter, James and John. They have seen in advance the wonderful face of Jesus in the glorious resurrection. However, we would wonder, why would Jesus allow the three to see in advance or have a foretaste of the glorious resurrection? The voice that came from the clouds would tell us something. That mysterious voice says, “This is my beloved son. Listen to him.”
The voice from the cloud tells the three that Jesus is indeed the chosen one, the Messiah that they have been waiting for – the BELOVED ONE to whom they should LISTEN! The disciples are told to LISTEN to Jesus and to follow him in this life. They are told to listen to the life that Jesus will show them. Yet, this life with Jesus entails struggles, suffering and even death but there will be also joy and peace in the glorious resurrection.
Indeed, as they listened and followed Jesus, these fishermen turned into fishers of men. From being fearful and doubtful followers of Jesus they have become dedicated apostles and preachers of the Gospel. By listening to the Lord, they were transformed and converted into new persons.
This is now the message, the call that is being offered to us on this Second Sunday of Lent – that each of us and as a community we are called to JOURNEY WITH GOD. By journeying with God, it is essential that WE LISTEN TO GOD, to His Word. God is telling us now, “Be my herald of the good news, be my gossiper of the Gospel! Be my blessing to others”
As we respond to the call of Jesus, expect that we would feel what Abraham felt at the beginning. We can be fearful and doubtful like the disciples of Jesus. However, let us be confident that we will be transformed into new persons as we continually listen to what the Lord is saying to us. Let us remember, in following the Lord, it entails taking risks and trusting God to transform us and to change our old and destructive ways, habits and mindsets.
These old habits, they could be our passivity – which means that we go to church, sitting on that same area where you are seated now, saying the same prayers, responding your ‘amen’ and then go home. And that’s it! We can be very comfortable with that without confronting what is wrong with us or without recognizing our mistakes and ways of being indifferent towards other. Yes, we can we comfortable with our passivity.
Or this could be our overwhelming self-centered heart – that desires to dominate or manipulate others, to have everything and to be in control of everything and everyone. We can be very comfortable with that! – of having an overwhelming self-centered heart.
Orthiscould be our paralyzing fear, self-doubt and shame – that reject and do not recognize our own giftedness and talents. We may tend to put ourselves down and discredit the possibilities that we are capable of. We can be very comfortable with that! – With our paralyzing fear, self-doubt and shame.
Indeed, we can be very comfortable with those old and destructive ways, habits and mindsets that we have been practicing and doing because we tend to stay to what is only familiar to us. Nevertheless, this is not what God is asking us now and not what God wants us to be.
God tells us, “Listen to me!” God speaks in our hearts through the words in the bible, through this celebration that we are not to remain passive, self-centered, fearful and doubtful of ourselves but to become pro-active, self-sacrificing, life-giving and confident in God’s words like Abraham and the disciples of Jesus.
Thus, for this Second Week of Lent, I would like to ask each of you to find time for the whole week to open your bible, read the Gospel of the day and stay in silence at least for 5 minutes. Let that passage speak to you, let God speak to you through the bible, listen to Him! Hopefully, through this simple exercise, we may be moved to gradually be transformed into the way God wants us to be. Hinaut pa.
Have you experienced being embarrassed in front of other people? Has someone insulted you, maligned you, and underestimated your person and your gifts? I remember long time ago, someone has insulted me. I was so offended. I felt so little about myself. My ego was touched. I was so furious.
And at that time, in my mind and in my heart, I wanted to kill the person. Needless to say, I wished him dead. Because of shame, I lost my manners. I was too overcome by my anger.
Thus, our human inclinations and human impulses are capable to do evil things to other people. Especially if we allow them to command our actuations, and all the more if they are un-reflected.
Prophet Ezekiel informs us of God’s attitude towards wicked persons; which is actually the exact opposite on how human beings treat offenders. “Do you think I enjoy seeing evil people die?, the Lord replied. No, I would rather see them repent and live (v. 23).”
In other words, God takes delight in our deep compunction and sincere conversion. He desires that we turn from our sins, heed his precepts and practice what is right and just. Rather than we continually wallow in sin and worldly allurements. And mind you, He is and will never get tired of giving us chances upon chances to repent and to change our lives. This is how much God has loved us!
And even if God knows how to mark our transgressions, but he chose not to. Because “with Him is forgiveness and so he is revered” and “with Him is kindness, with him is plentiful redemption (Ps. 130: 4, 7).”
Also, says the Lord, “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies. Return and Live (Ez. 18: 32).”
Therefore, let us not put to waste this opportune time for repentance and renewal of our lives which God has accorded us. And let us humbly approach God’s grace to receive mercy and compassion. Amen.
Have you ever experienced in your life where you thought that everything is well and perfectly in order? Or an experience where we have decided alone to take this path or that direction because we have completely believed in our own capacity and principles? Yet, at the end we found ourselves broken into pieces because all along we were not doing the right thing.
Saul or Paul had this kind of experience. Saul really thought that he was a righteous man and that he was a very good man, that he did things well and that he was successful in everything. He thought he was holy and righteous enough for God. He was full of zeal and very convinced of the direction he was taking in life.
Being a righteous Jew, he wanted to defend the Jewish religion against all its enemies. This made Saul to persecute the followers of the Way (the old name of the Christians) whom he believed to be threats to their established religion.
Yet, he did not know that he was very misguided, that he was not seeing the right things. In fact, Saul was not aware that he was being blinded by his own self-righteousness and rigidity to the Jewish law by persecuting the early Christians. He was not aware of that but not until he was able to encounter the Lord on the ROAD TO DAMASCUS.
Remember, the Lord is the Light of the World, it was very symbolic that Saul had become aware of his own blindness when he encountered the True Light, Jesus. When light shone upon him then he became aware that he was in darkness, his spiritual blindness manifested through his physical blindness. That awareness of his own blindness prompted him to seek healing. A servant of the Lord, Ananias was instrumental to Saul’s healing and recovery of sight, thus, he was able to see clearly.
This encounter with the light, with Jesus is the very experience of conversion of Saul who later on was known as Paul, a symbol of a new beginning and a new mission to fulfill. Paul through that encounter with the Risen Lord transformed his life and re-evaluated everything in his life as a Pharisee and as a person. As a result, he became an apostle to the Gentiles and a very important figure in the history of early Christianity by founding Churches and writing letters in the New Testament.
This brings us then to the invitation of this feast. We are called to a continual conversion of our hearts – because we have also our own blindness, especially when we think that we are righteous enough before God, thinking that that gives us the power to persecute others and eliminate those who are against us. We can be blinded by our own complacency thinking that going to church even on a regular basis and just by saying our memorized prayers everyday are enough before God. We can be blinded by our arrogance that we can do things perfectly even without the help of God. We can be blinded by our own opinions by insisting that what we believe is true but without minding the facts. We can be blinded also by our own weaknesses when we think that we are already trapped in that weakness and thus, couldn’t move anymore and couldn’t do anything.
There is always something more and this is what the Lord is telling us today by making us remember that story of conversion of Paul – that being a Christian, our faith in Jesus is not only about the observance of laws and doctrines but also showing mercy to others as what Paul experienced in his encounter with the Risen Lord. And that experience will move us to preach the Gospel – this is basically what our gospel reading is telling us now. Preach the Gospel – your God experiences – to all by our words and example.
Thus, we are reminded today to COME TO THE LIGHT AND NOT TO BE AFRAID OF HIM – to come nearer to Jesus. We come to him in the hope that we too will become aware of our own blindness – of that self-righteousness, of those arrogant opinions of ours, of that complacency and self-pity in us – so that we will be able to seek healing. When this happens, God will certainly inspire us to become preachers of the good news to all by our words and deeds. Hinaut pa.
What is it that you are hoping for this year? Or what is it that drives you most for this year 2021? Are you looking for somebody who will give meaning to your life? Are you searching for something that will give you contentment in life? Are you expecting something that will fulfill the emptiness in your heart, or of something that will at last dispel your fear and anxiety?
Each of us must be hoping or expecting something good to happen for ourselves and for our families. That is why, we have dreams and we make plans on how to fulfill what we envision for ourselves. In the recent Pulse Asia Survey conducted from November 23 to December 2, 2020, it revealed that 91% of Filipinos celebrate Christmas and New Year filled with hope amidst the devastating year of 2020. The same percentage also expressed an optimism for this year 2021 and 87% of people in Mindanao particularly, expressed this optimism.[1] The survey indeed revealed a high hopefulness for this year.
This survey can be an indicator of a high motivation among us to journey forward, to continue searching and making a reality what we hope for ourselves and for our families and communities. This also indicates that as we hope and aspire to fulfill our desires and dreams then we also take risks. The risks here may include investing our time, energy and resources, developing and forming new relationships and venturing into unknown territories.
Such reality brings me now into what we celebrate this Sunday. Today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord or God’s manifestation of Himself to us. This Sunday is popularly known as the Feast of the Three Magi or Wise Men. However, this feast is not actually about them but about that baby boy whom they found after their tiring search of the shining star, the fulfillment of their dreams.
Though the three Magi are not actually the focus here, but there are lessons that we can learn from them. There are four movements of the Magi here and these are also the invitations that that I would like you to pay attention now. So, allow me to tell their story again and discover how God manifests Himself in us today.
The first movement of the Magi is searching. These men, who were probably astrologers, had been observing the heavens and they became engrossed so much by this bright shining star. They came from different places yet the star became a common goal for them. The star filled them with dreams and hopes. That is why, they searched for it and followed it. In their search to what will fulfill their hunger for knowledge and wisdom, it required them to go out and look for it. They needed to leave the comforts of their homes and take the risks of unknown territories. In their search too, they realized that it will be demanding because it will require a big amount of their time and energy, resources and presence.
Along the journey, what they found first was the company of each other. Along the way, they found and built friendship and to journey together. Indeed, it is very important that in our journey, we need also to realize that it is better to journey with others, to have friends to accompany us. The road will be less lonely and life will be filled with laughter when we are with friends.
More than this, when at last they found the exact location of the star, they found the greatest gift in their life. They found the fulfillment and the joy that they have been looking for. In their search and journey together, the Lord manifested himself to them.
However, there is something more here too. It was actually the Lord who invited these men. The star that they saw was that glimmer of hope that they were aspiring for. The Lord used the star to lead these men to God who became flesh. That desire and aspiration in their hearts became the entry point of God into their hearts. And because they were open to God’s grace, they were led to Mary and Jesus. They have seen the face of God.
This leads us now to the second movement of prostrating and paying homage. What filled them with knowledge and wisdom as they looked on the face of God in the arms of Mary, they too realized that their knowledge and wisdom were too little to understand this mystery. God became man and he dwells among us, is beyond understanding. This is something that does not need to be understood and something that does not require a wise man to comprehend. This is the reason why these men prostrated themselves and paid homage to the Baby Jesus. When at last they have witnessed God’s manifestation, they too realized their littleness and insignificance of the greatness of God and of the greatness of his love resting in the arms of Mary.
To prostrate and to pay homage are expressions of worship and dependence to God. The three magi remind us that as we also fulfill our dreams and realize our hopes, this should lead us to recognize that we are all indebted to God. God manifests himself in the many good things we achieved and in the many blessings we received.
This recognition of God’s presence leads us to the third movement of the magi and that is the act of offering their gifts. Each of them opened their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gold is a symbol that Jesus is king. Frankincense is a symbol that Jesus is a priest. Myrrh is a symbol that Jesus is a prophet. The act of offering their gifts was an expression of their deep gratitude to God who fulfilled the deepest longing in their hearts.
This tells us that when our heart is truly filled with gratitude because of the many good things that God has done for us, we also respond with generosity. God indeed manifests himself in us when we also learn to open up ourselves and extend ourselves for the goodness of others.
Thus, a heart that is filled with gratitude begins to see life from a different perspective from before. This leads us now to the last and fourth movement of the magi, which is the returning by a different way. After they beheld the face of God and were warned by the angel of the evil intention of Herod, the magi returned to their homes in a different way. This action is certainly filled with so much meaning. Though this literally means that they took a different way, but, encountering God in their life led them also to a complete change of their heart. Their encounter with God made them new persons, living life never the same as before.
Truly, when we allow the Lord to reveal himself to us, the Lord will also transform us and change our perspective in life and our way of living life. This change of perspective will be according to how God sees us and how God sees the world. The child Jesus will surely bring great joy in us that it will forever change our life. Hence, in our encounter with God, let us never be afraid of taking a different path or of changing the way we live our life from being complacent to being active, from being indifferent to being kind and caring. God will lead us to many surprises.
These are the four movements and the four invitations for us. Let me repeat them now for you, so that you may bring these invitations consciously with you today.
First, search for that something that will give us the fulfillment of our heart. In our search, be with friends and family. Let them journey with us.
Second, in our discovery of God’s presence, allow ourselves to be embraced by the greatness of God’s presence. Pay him homage and worship God. Never forget to come to the Church and express our affection to the Lord through the gift of our sacraments.
Third, as we affirm our dependence in God, express also our generosity. Offer our gifts especially to those who are in need of our help. This is a way of expressing our gratitude.
Fourth, as we encounter the Lord, allow the Lord to transform us, to change our attitude, our perspective in life and the way we live our life. Let the Lord bring freshness in us. Hinaut pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 