Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Everyday miracles

  • To see and hear God everyday

    To see and hear God everyday

    October 12, 2020 – Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101220.cfm)

    Homily

    Will it be possible to see and hear God every day? God’s manifestation in the world and in our life is constant. God may not appear before us, as Jesus did walk among the people before, but God’s presence continues to abide with us.

    St. Ignatius of Loyola believed that we could find God in all things. God in His great and profound love reflects His divine presence in all things, even in events and in our experiences both in sad and joyful moments. Life, then, despite its everyday challenges, is brighter and more wonderful when one finds God in the simple and ordinary.

    Indeed, when we become more conscious of God every single day and in every moment of our life, we become friendlier and gentle. This makes our activities, our daily struggles and demands less stressful because we find delight in small and simple things.

    However, the more we also become anxious, find life stressful and disappointing, when we tend to focus on big and extraordinary things to happen. To become indifferent to what is simple and ordinary, makes us dismissive of God’s every action.

    This is something that Jesus criticized among the people in today’s Gospel. This particular passage in Luke, recounts how Jesus frankly told the people of their indifferent and dismissive attitude towards God’s presence. The people were looking and only after of spectacular signs that Jesus would do. They were more focused on extra-ordinary things to appear and to happen. They actually wanted Jesus to become like a magician.

    Nevertheless, such attitude missed the very presence of God. The people did not recognize the greatest sign who was standing in front of them. Hence, curse to these people because God has already lived among them, yet, did not see and hear the greatest sign.

    The Ninevites whom Jonah hated because they were enemies, believed in him and recognized the many signs, he brought to them. Thus, the people repented and believed in God. The same with another non-believer, the queen of the south also recognized God’s wisdom through Solomon and believed in God.

    These people recognized God though they were non-believers of God. They were, certainly, more inclined to God’s presence than those who claimed were believers.

    Jesus called the people to really “see and hear him” for through him, God walks and teaches them. In the same way, Jesus also calls us today, to see and hear him clearly in our life.

    Our demands coming from school, work, home, and in our relationships should not keep us from recognizing the Lord who constantly work through us. God has many wonderful things prepared for us. Life will be more wonderful too when we learn how to see and hear God everyday.

    For us to learn the way of seeing and hearing God even in simple and ordinary things, I suggest these three simple steps.

    First, pause once in a while and listen. The many inputs from all aspects of our life can crowd our heart and mind. Taking many things at a time could grip us to the point of not being able to respond well. Thus, pause for few minutes to just listen to yourself, to what surrounds you and to God. We can only truly listen too, once we take time to pause. Surely, we will discover more wonders in life when we learn how to pause and listen.

    Second, be surprised to experience simple joys. The routine that we go through every single day could prevent us from becoming more welcoming to the many surprises of God for us. Do not allow your routine to dictate you and get hold of you. The more we bury ourselves with our routine, the more we find life stressful and boring. Yet, let us not be distressed to wait for spectacular signs to happen. Rather, be surprised even with simple gestures of love and affection from your loved ones. Be surprised even with the small creatures around you, with the rain, with the wind, with sunrise and sunset. When we learn this, then, the more we also make ourselves open to God’s many surprises for us.

    Third, record your day. To learn the habit of recording what happened with our day could help us to see and hear more on how God reveals His presence. Yet, this might be too demanding for you to make a journal and write about what transpired during the day, but then, we can still make memories preserved through our smartphone. One can record those simple surprises through photos and videos saved in your smartphones. Thus, if you cannot write, then, take a photo of that something that caught your attention. To be able to do this, allows us to see and hear once again those simple surprises.

    May these simple steps make us more welcoming and open to the Lord’s everyday revelation in us. We may allow God then, to touch us that we may see and hear Him everyday. Hinaut pa

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • God’s presence in the ordinary and familiar

    God’s presence in the ordinary and familiar

    July 31, 2020 – Friday: Memorial of St Ignatius of Loyola

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/073120.cfm)

    Homily

    Have you experienced being judged by friends or family members because of your past sins, weaknesses or failures and because you are just too familiar and ordinary for them? Or have you ever judged others too because of their past sins and failures and because they also are very familiar and ordinary to you?

    Though Jesus never failed and sinned, yet, he too experienced judgment and bitterness from people around him. When Jesus went home to Nazareth, he was treated badly by his own people. The good news that he preached and God’s power that he revealed to his neighbors were treated with cruelty and insecurity.

    When Jesus stood in their midst, the people merely saw a carpenter and an ordinary man who once played and worked with them. The people limited Jesus by what he was used to do, in doing carpentry, nothing more and nothing less. They couldn’t accept that there was actually MORE in Jesus.

    Thus, instead of welcoming the power and wisdom that Jesus shared with grace and faith, the people refused to accept because of their insecurities and bitterness. They rejected Jesus because they could not accept that this ordinary carpenter brings God’s presence to them. They questioned him, “Who is this man? Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?”

    The too-ordinary life of Jesus prevented them to welcome him as God’s revelation to them. Resentment and hate overwhelmed the people which made their hearts, unbelieving. This was the reason why Jesus was not able to perform many mighty deeds for them because God’s grace will only work when it is received with faith. Jesus is after all, not a magician who will attract people’s attention for a short span of time. Jesus reveals God’s presence and power through ordinary means.

    And this is not far from our own experiences too. Many times we may reject what is ordinary and familiar. We ignore God’s grace and invitation to us because we are busy looking for extra-ordinary things, for a magic to appear. That instead of recognizing God’s power in an ordinary sunrise and sunset, we busy ourselves looking for a “dancing sun” or “falling petals from heaven.” Thus, we refuse to believe that there is MORE in the ordinary.

    St. Ignatius de Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus

    St. Ignatius de Loyola, whose feast we celebrate today, believed that God is always present with us, in all our human experiences. This conviction in Ignatius is found in his deep realization that God works in all things and in all lives, no matter how simple or ordinary it can in the eyes of others. Thus, we can indeed find God, realize God and embrace God when we too have made ourselves more open and welcoming to God’s presence.

    Indeed, miracles happen every day in its most ordinary way even amidst this pandemic. God’s grace is being unfolded even in our everyday experiences. God’s healing power is also revealed to us through our familiar sacraments in the church and through the embrace of people who love us like our parents, siblings, relatives and friends.

    This is the invitation now for us today – that is, to make ourselves more aware of God’s work even in the most ordinary way, to recognize God even among the familiar people, places and events. When we are able to learn this kind of awareness, then, we too shall discover the wonders that God gives us every day, and we shall realize that there is MORE in every ordinary experience, and in every ordinary and familiar person we meet.

    This calls us not to judge quickly to what is familiar and to what is seemingly ordinary, but, to be more welcoming of God’s grace. This reminds us now to be more open to the many potentials of those people who are familiar to us, and not to limit them to their past failures and sins. This calls us too to recognize how God unfolds his grace and his gift of healing through those people who love us. This calls us also to listen to God’s message and invitation through our present situation and through the people who might be God’s prophet today even though they look so familiar and ordinary for us, because there is always more that God offers us today. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR