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Tag: Faith

  • Unboxing God’s Wonderful Gifts

    Unboxing God’s Wonderful Gifts

    December 24, 2024 – Ninth Day of Misa de Aguinaldo

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122424.cfm)

    Our traumatic experiences, sad and painful events that happened in our life could be our heavy reasons to retreat into sadness and desperation. Sometimes, we could not help it because what had occurred to us was just too much to bear, and too overwhelming. Such experiences can be likened to darkness where every gleam of the light of joy and comfort was deprived from us.

    In fact, the bombing that had happened a year ago, of which many of you were survivors of that horrible and evil act, could have made you traumatized and to ask the Lord for a reason why it happened to our community. Others are still carrying the shadow of fear and anxiety, for the possibility that it might happen again.

    However, there are many of us also who despite those painful, traumatic and heartbreaking experiences in life, they persisted to hope again and too see something beyond the darkness that had befallen into their life. This is how realize how hope becomes a powerful movement towards transformation within us.

    And for us to have a better understanding on this and a better realization on the wonder of seeing beyond darkness and hoping beyond pain and sadness, let us rediscover God’s invitation for us today and see how the three gifts of presence, of light and of life were slowly being unboxed in today’s readings.

    In the Second Book of Samuel, the prophet proclaimed the gift of presence to be given to David. David who thought that he should build a house for God, was promised by the Lord rather to be given a house that will last forever. David was reminded that it is God who builds a strong house for us. This is the covenant so dear to the people because God will be a father.

    Likewise, the Psalm also expressed a similar hope. Because of the suffering endured by the people of this time, they longed to that promise of God who shall show an everlasting kindness. What kept them hopeful was their confidence in God’s faithfulness because God is our Father. This confidence in God as Father, is the gift of the presence of God being unboxed slowly throughout the history of Israel and of the story of our salvation.

    In the Gospel of Luke, what has been proclaimed to us today is the Song of Zechariah. Yet, remember, before he was able to sing this, Zechariah was muted by God. Because of his unbelief of God’s gift to him, Zechariah was silenced. He did not listen and believe in God’s revelation.

    Remember again, Zechariah’s unbelieving response was a bitter reaction to God. Zechariah must have believed that God had forgotten him and abandoned him. The shame that he endured for being childless for many years must have brought him to hopelessness. He forgot that God was faithful and a father to him.

    Yet, despite this reaction of Zechariah towards the gift of God, John was given to him and to his wife. The birth of John, was a gift of light. The dark shame and guilt of Zechariah was removed because of this gift of light. John was a light to him and to people who came to be baptized by John. John also led people to see the true light. John as the prophet of the Most High, himself unboxed the gift of light for people to see and be illuminated by God’s grace. He unboxed that gift through his preaching of the coming of the Messiah, the Lamb of God who was in their midst.

    This is how Zechariah recalled the covenant of God and the fulfillment of the promise of a mighty Savior. In his song, he also recounted how his eyes have seen clearly that promise being unfolded through the birth of his son. John will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of sins. The song of Zechariah itself is the unboxing of the gift of life.

    The Song of Zechariah proclaims to us the abundance of life coming into us now and that we too, each of us, is unboxing this gift of life.

    With all of these, how do we unbox the gifts given to us by the Lord? How shall we unbox God’s wonderful gifts when we are still overshadowed by fear, guilt, shame and sin?

    First, we unbox the gift of presence of God by becoming confident in God’s presence. Both the Second Book of Samuel and the Psalm tell us that God is our Father. Take confidence in this. It is because that God is a Father to us, God will always be for us. We may have not so nice experiences with our earthly fathers, but God as our Father, will never hurt and will never leave us.

    Second, we unbox the gift of light when we accept and confront our own blindness and our own darkness. Like Zechariah, he was confronted by the Angel of his unbelief. John also confronted the sins of the people and their corrupt ways so that the Lord will be welcomed. Let us also confront and challenge ourselves not to succumb to what is dark and to what is evil. Only then, also that we will be able to confront the darkness and the evil around us when we are confident that we have unboxed the gift of light, who is Jesus.

    Third, we also unbox the gift of life when we learn to embrace the beauty and the wonder of every form of life. God is born like us, and God chooses to be born because God is life and God is for life. When we learn to show respect to all life, cherish all life and protect all life, then we unbox this gift and be gifted with eternal life.

    Now, the gifts of presence, of light and life is Jesus himself. These are God’s wonderful gifts for you and for me. Remember that. Hinaut pa.

  • YOU ARE GREAT!

    YOU ARE GREAT!

    December 22, 2024 – Fourth Sunday of Advent, 7th Day of Misa de Aguinaldo

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122224.cfm)

    I want you to tap the shoulder of the person beside you and tell that person, “You are great!” We are all great! But wait, what makes us really great? With all our weaknesses and sinfulness, how could we be great?

    By ourselves alone, we are never great, but because we have been chosen and loved, we are made great – each of us, no matter how we consider ourselves small and insignificant. Yet, what makes us great are not those things that we have achieved or accumulated in this life. We may boast ourselves because of the achievements in life and what we have reached, however, not one will make us truly great.

    Hence, let us revisit the readings on this final Sunday of Advent that wonderfully tell us how we have been made great by God and how we have been chosen and loved.

    Prophet Micah, in the first reading,  who is also called as the Prophet of Advent, proclaimed to us how God chose the insignificant town of Bethlehem to be the place of the birth of the Messiah. Bethlehem was small compared to other tribes of Judah. However, God chose the small and the humble, not the powerful and the arrogant. From Bethlehem, David was chosen to be king and where the Messiah shall also be born.

    This is how I shall offer you now a different perspective in looking and understanding today’s Gospel which is the same Gospel as yesterday. Indeed, God’s favor for the small and the humble reflects in that encounter of Mary and Elizabeth. Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, a woman from a small town of Nazareth. Likewise, Elizabeth who was old and shamed for being barren, was chosen to be the mother of John who will prepare the way of the Lord.

    Neither of them were royalty, nor a daughter or wife of a governor. There were many women who would be more fitting than them if God would follow our worldly standard of greatness. However, God does not choose somebody because of a high status, or of popularity or fame or of wealth or power. God chooses the small and the humble, who are most welcoming of His invitations and most willing to respond to His call. Indeed, God looks at the greatness of each one of us because we are humble and unassuming of power and fame. We are made great because we are chosen and loved.

    Certainly, Mary and Elizabeth welcomed God fully in their life because they did not have many possessions. Power, or wealth, or fame, or any other forms of insecurities did not possess them; they were free and open to God.

    This reminds us too that when we are possessed by our insecurities, whatever they may be, we are being prevented from receiving the Lord in our life. But once, we make ourselves free from our insecurities, fears and anxieties, from our hatred and resentments, then, we make ourselves open to God’s invitations.

    Thus, on the part of Mary, who was greeted by Elizabeth as blessed among women, has made herself completely free for God. Her acceptance of Jesus made her life filled with love and blessings. Thus, we have lighted the fourth candle of Advent that reminds us of love.

    And because Mary was filled with love, this moved her to respond immediately to her needy cousin Elizabeth. Mary knew well that Elizabeth needed help and so she responded with willingness.

    And again, as we have reflected yesterday, this reminds us that when we are truly filled with love, love makes us more aware of the needs of others. True love and concern overflows from us and thus, making us free to share our love to those who are in need, to people around us. In this way, our way of loving will become free of pretentions and insecurities.

    What is more interesting was on how the two women greeted each other. Their encounter tells us the wonder and beauty of those who truly believed in God. Elizabeth was surprised and delighted by God’s visit through Mary. Mary’s willingness and openness to God made her the bearer of God’s loving presence to her cousin Elizabeth. Indeed, Mary’s visit, though simple, was a great gift for Elizabeth.

    Indeed, on this fourth Sunday of Advent, we are called to remain free and open to God so that we too shall receive Him fully in our life. And through that, then, hopefully, each of us will also become bearer of God’s presence to others. Never underestimate the gift of presence that you can give to your children, to your family, colleagues and friends even strangers. Be the “PRESENT” to people around you by being truly “PRESENT” in their life.  This may be simple, but our presence will be a powerful force of love and concern.

    And so, never deprive others of your presence. God has never deprived us of his presence. The Lord is never “paasa” to us because God is always faithful. God took the risk of meeting us even though it will cost him pain, suffering and even death, because each of us is a delight to him. We are so dear to God, remember this. Take also the risk to build deeper, healthier and stronger relationships, selfless and loving relationships.

    In these ways, we shall be able to respond to God’s invitation in this Season of Advent, by becoming ourselves LOVE for others, as Jesus is LOVE for us. That makes us great! Hinaut pa.

  • TO BELIEVE

    TO BELIEVE

    December 20, 2024 – Fifth Day of Misa de Aguinaldo

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122024.cfm)

    There is something I want you to do now. This is a short breathing exercise for this morning. Ready?

    Breathe deeply and inhale God’s Spirit. Hold.

    And exhale your fear and negative emotions.

    Inhale God’s assurance of love. Hold.

    Exhale your doubts and anxieties of tomorrow.

    And inhale the gift of the present moment. Hold.

    Now, exhale the pains of past.

    Doing this would hopefully help us to think clearly and recognize what we have in life at the moment. Possibly, some of us now have many concerns and worries in our own homes that we also bring at work and in our studies or to our relationships.

     Things can be complicated when we do not see the direction of each aspect of our life. Home, work, friendship, love-life and other extra-curricular activities when they come together, our hands will be full. And when there is one or two aspects in our life and become overwhelming for us, other aspects of life will also be affected. And from all the stress and burdens that we experience each day, there is indeed a need to take a break, that we will first breathe deeply and re-balance our life.

    And our faith has something important to remind us today. We are able to recognize this in the life of Mary, who in the midst of confusion and worries, when the angel appeared, she was able to manage and gather her mind – and she was able to do that because she has faith, because she believed.

    Yet, what does it really mean to believe? What is the meaning of faith in our everyday life? Or does it have a meaning at all in our daily life and daily affairs?

    The Gospel brings us now into that story and life of Mary, in which she believed even in the midst of a seemingly unbelievable circumstances in her life.

    Thus, the Angel Gabriel greeted her, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!” Reflecting upon it, we find that the greeting is so deep. It is a statement from God that Mary is certainly favored and that God is delighted with Mary. Mary is, indeed, filled with GOD!

    In her simplicity and being an ordinary woman, she accepted God’s invitation extra-ordinarily because ‘she believed’. In her simplicity, Mary felt the trouble of being honored as favored by God. I am sure that Mary with her human emotions felt confused and afraid when the angel appeared before her. The revelation of the angel was difficult to understand, thus, she pondered in her heart the meaning of those.

    These troubles, confusion and fear led her to ask in all honesty, “how can this be?” It was neither a question of defiance nor of doubts but of concern on how she would go about it. The answer she got was God’s promise, that God is with her. This is how Mary inhaled God’s spirit.

    This promise from God inspired Mary and motivated her to give her consent, her big YES to God. Mary was called by God to be the Mother of Jesus, and Mary responded with joy and confidence. Her response is out of gratitude to God for being good to her and out of love and kindness for that was her experience with God. And this is how she exhaled her fears and anxieties.

    This tells us now that when we also respond out of joy and serve others out of gratitude, then, we will be able to give life to others, like Mary, because we too will be able to breathe God’s spirit and expel our fears and worries.

    Indeed, Mary’s whole life is all about love, only love. There is no bitterness in the heart of Mary; no scars of fear or hate, only love. That is why, Mary would always choose to love which she always does. In her heart, there are no grudges, no malice. This love of Mary makes her affectionately close to us. Thus, we should neither fear nor hesitate to be close to her.

    The mission of Mary now was to be part of our story of salvation. Mary has a big role here, and that is, to be the Mother of the Redeemer of the World, who will bring peace and mercy. With Mary’s open heart, pure conscience, deep faith and love in God, she accepted the call from God and prompted her to declare, “Behold, I am God’s servant. Let it be done to me according to your word!” She owned this statement and kept it in her heart despite her confusions and anxieties. And this is how Mary inhaled the gift of the present moment – because in doing that she has placed herself in God because she believed in the saving presence of God.

    Everything became possible with God because Mary believed. Remember, God cannot and will not work wonders with us unless we give our consent and believe.

    This is the invitation today for us, TO BELIEVE, because God reveals His presence in the events of our ordinary life.

    TO BELIEVE, then, is to be constantly aware of God’s many revelations in every single moment of our life. And so, inhale God’s spirit.

    TO BELIEVE is to trust in the Lord’s Words and promise despite our troubles and questions, worries and anxieties. And so, exhale your fears and anxieties.

    TO BELIEVE in the Lord also means to be aware of the needs of others –that we may become more responsive to the needs of others like Mary who responded for the salvation of all. And so, let us inhale love not hatred.

    TO BELIEVE is to listen to God’s invitation so that through our life, the Lord will be able to do wonderful things when we allow God also to change us. And so, exhale our arrogance.

    TO BELIEVE also means being pregnant with God’s presence. Yes, God invites us today that our life, our words and actions, and our relationships with one another will become pregnant with His loving and compassionate presence. And so, inhale God’s presence. Hinaut pa.

  • TO HAVE A HEART THAT IS FREE

    TO HAVE A HEART THAT IS FREE

    December 14, 2024 – Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121424.cfm)

    Have you ever experienced being opposed by others because you are different? Because you think and do things different from what many would think and do? Have you also experienced being rejected because you do not adhere to the status quo, to what they used to follow and live?

    Such opposition can be experienced within our organization, work or communities. And when we become a person who thinks, acts and believes to something different from the rest, we could become a threat to that “status quo.” We will be disliked and rejected by many.

    In Matthew’s Gospel today, it tells us how the arrival of Jesus was received with opposition by people around him particularly of those in the leadership. Despite the call of the prophets from the ancient times from Isaiah, Elijah and up to the person of John the Baptist, God’s coming was received with great opposition.

    Indeed, the prophets called the people to turn away from sin and selfishness, yet, because of this they also received violent condemnation from the powerful. This happened to John the Baptist who confronted King Herod for his immoral union with his brother’s wife. In consequence, John was silenced by beheading him. In the words of Jesus, he said, “they treated him as they pleased.”

    In spite of this , the Lord continued to reveal himself, yet the people refused to recognize him because their hearts were filled with malice and evil. These people who continually rejected and opposed Jesus had become so comfortable with life but trapped by their own selfishness.

    They held on to that comfort they enjoyed in their way of life that they neither want a change nor to be challenged. They were afraid to lose what they enjoyed. Herod and his mistress were also contented with their immoral life and did not want to be confronted. Thus, these people did not want God to change their life. What they seek was the preservation of that kind of life they were living. However, this was not what God wanted. Jesus wanted them that their hearts be free, that is why, he had to confront them.

    In this Season of Advent, we are reminded to also examine ourselves if we have become too comfortable with what we have been doing, with what we have been thinking and with what we are living for.

    The problem is not the comfort in itself, the issue is our attitude or way of life in choosing to be indifferent and unmoved with what is happening around us and with God’s self-revelations in our life. This also include our attitudes of not wanting to change, not wanting to be challenged, to be criticized and or to be corrected.

    And so, we are invited today to confront ourselves with those attitudes that do not lead us closer to others and closer to God. As the Responsorial Psalm proclaimed today, “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

    As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus, may our hearts be free. Hinaut pa.

  • The Danger of Childish Attitudes

    The Danger of Childish Attitudes

    December 13, 2024 – Friday of the Second Week of Advent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121324.cfm)

    Children are especially favored by God because of their vulnerability and dependence. The affection a child shows and the child’s capacity accept without judgment and pretension, makes a child more open and welcoming. In fact, Jesus would tell us that the Kingdom of God belongs to the children.

    Yet, in this particular Gospel today, we have heard another attitude of a child, that can also be present among us adult. This dark side of becoming “childish” endangers our relationships as well as our dependence to God.

    Indeed, being “childish” reveals our negative and selfish attitudes. For example, a child can throw up tantrums when displeased and does not get what he/she wanted. This attitude of a child is an unconscious form of control and manipulation.

    Being childish can develop into deep seated selfishness in the heart of a person that it would propel us to get what we want no matter how unfair that would be to others. This focuses on personal satisfaction and personal promotion even at the expense of others. Such attitude prevents us to believe and accept other ideas and perspectives because we are so convinced of our own judgments and beliefs. Thus, being childish is also characterized by being indifferent.

    This was the very attitude of those who rejected Jesus as well as John the Baptist. And they rejected Jesus because he was unconventional. He ate and drank with sinners. He touched and mingled with the sick and the unclean people. Jesus preached a loving and forgiving God the Father. He too was from Galilee, from an insignificant town called Nazareth. He was not a well-known Jewish scholar and did not come from a rich and influential family. And all of these Jesus became a threat to the status quo.

    The very people who were in power like the Chief Priests of the Temple and the Pharisees were already contented with the comfort that they had. They enjoyed power and influence. They too preferred a strict and unforgiving God because it was through that belief that they could advance their self-interest. They used their position in the society to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor.

    Thus, they were against Jesus because he was changing their ways. Their hearts were filled with bitterness, hate, anger and the desire to have more; in other words, they were filled with themselves, worshipping their very selves. This is idolatry.

    These were the reasons why they could not accept Jesus or even recognize the presence of God in Jesus. They rejected John the Baptist by accusing him of being possessed by a demon for being different and radical. They rejected and despised Jesus, accusing him for being a glutton and drunkard because Jesus ate and drank with sinners and the poor.

    And so when our heart is poisoned with selfishness makes us blind to what God shows us now, “blind” to what is happening around us today. We refuse to see the suffering of others because we tend to only see ourselves. This attitude would also make us deaf to what God is telling us now and deaf to the suffering of others.

    The very antidote to this, is the call to be become childlike and to turn away from childishness.  Indeed, the Lord invites us today that we may have the courage and the faith to become childlike who can see and hear God every day in our lives. Hinaut pa.