Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Faith

  • Lambing

    Lambing

    October 16, 2022 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101622.cfm)

    Resentful of his neighbor’s humble faith, a local bully would usually make fun of the old lady’s religiosity. At times he would mockingly insult her, saying: “Waay ka gid makuha sa imo pag-ampo” – You gain nothing from praying. The old lady would just keep silent & smile instead. One day, the bully overheard the lady praying this way: “Gratitude O Lord for all your blessings. My food-supply though is just enough for this week.  Hope my hard-up children could extend assistance. Though I believe you would take care of me as you always have been. If it is your will, Lord, grant me enough of what I need. So may it be.”

    Hearing this, the bully bought some enough food-supply at the grocery. Then, next day, he went to his old lady’s house, placed a bagful of grocery in front of her door, hid somewhere and waited for his neighbor’s reaction. When the neighbor found the bag outside, she was happy and all praise to God for the graces right in front of her. Suddenly, the man intervened and said, “Aha, got you. That bag of food is not from your God but from Me. See, your God doesn’t care for you“. The old lady just smiled & loudly prayed, “Lord, many thanks for these food you have provided me today and….. for letting my good neighbor pay for it“.

    Praying to God has always been part of our faith-life. And in our efforts to pray, there will always a discontent within us with the way we pray – that somehow there is something kulang/inadequate or missing in the way we pray, and we don’t know what and how. There is always a desire and longing for the best way to pray. Deep inside, we do cry: “Lord, teach us how to pray”. Our readings today are all about prayer, and teaching us how to pray.

    In our first reading, we hear that Israel won the war against Amalekite as long as and because of Moses persistently raising up his hands to heaven to pray – not without the help of others. St. Paul in the second reading appeals for constancy and never losing patience in proclaiming and sharing our faith to others. Jesus in our gospel today points out that the same kind of widow’s persistency to the judge moves God to respond to our pressing needs and concerns.

    Meaning, prayer is our humble, trusting and persistent expression of our appeals, requests – of our heart’s desire to God before His presence. In other words, our readings today are teaching us that prayer is basically our persistent & constant lambing  “Kakulitan” “Pamaraig” “paang-ga” to God, our Father.

    Here, we are reminded that God always listens to our prayers. God as our parent wants to listen to our heart’s desire. He knows and understands our needs and concerns. At the same time, he wants us to come near & be constant in our prayer-lambing to Him.

    Also, God always answers our prayers in His own time and ways. Yes, sometimes we do feel frustrated with God for not answering our prayers. But same way we experience our own parents, God seems silent or passive with our prayers but actually He is discerning and planning what is best for us, better than what we prayed for. We are only to express our prayers – our pamaraig persistently, wait patiently and trusting that not long for now we receive more and better than what we expected.  Like what happened with our story above, God has His own ways and time to grant our prayers… & perhaps, even allow others to pay for it.

    Our readings these past few Sundays have taught us also a lot about faith. We come to learn that Faith is not something we can demand, for it is God’s gift to us. Faith also is rather our response in gratitude & in return for such gift of faith we already have. And today, we are taught that our faith is also our constant loving Lambing to our father, as he reminded us in our gospel to “pray always without weary”. Meaning our faith is our constant, consistent & persistent entrusting of ourselves to Him in lambing-prayer. 

    What matters then, for Jesus is not our desires, longings, needs, hungers, and cravings for gifts, but it is our persistency, patient waiting and trust and confidence in God, our Father. Praying to God, then is about not what we pray, but how we pray; not what we ask for, but how we ask it from Him that matters. It is the manner of prayer – the lambing, kakulitan, pamaraig, paangga: is significant “For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” In other words, it is the FAITH – the asking, seeking, and knocking – and not the content, outcome, or perks are most important.

    May our prayers then be expressions of our persistent faith & without weary lambing, heart-desire to the Giver of the gift rather than our mere longing for the gifts we want & need.

    Amen. So be it. Siya Nawa.

  • Allow the Lord to Confront our Guilt

    Allow the Lord to Confront our Guilt

    October 13, 2022 – Thursday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101322.cfm)

    When people begin to honestly confront our failures, mistakes and sins, it won’t be easy to stay calm and welcoming. We would surely feel bad or even feel insulted and humiliated especially when we are not used to honest feedback. This will be more unbearable to a person who tends to display a strong image with a sense of self-righteousness and mastery in many things.  A person with this attitude would be more resistant towards his or her critics. This can happen to us when we think highly of ourselves that we also tend forget how to be humble and to be accepting of negative comments and confrontations.

    What becomes more dangerous is when we also have grown to be arrogant. Arrogance in our heart could easily make us hostile and aggressive towards those who confront us and of those whom we believe are threatening our good image. This becomes our experience at home, at work, in our organizations and society. This is what we witnessed in today’s Gospel passage.

    Jesus confronted the Pharisees and scribes of their failures and sins. Yet, they could not accept Jesus’ confrontation. Consequently, they became unfriendly towards Jesus.

    Jesus also pointed out how their ancestors resulted to the killings of the prophets in the Old Testament in order to hide their sins from the people. With this, Jesus knew what was in their hearts. They wanted to keep the people away from the truth and away from God. In order to advance their personal interests, to preserve their status quo, privileges and influence in the community, they developed ways on how to make the common people their slaves. Thus, they created many laws to burden the people, high taxes were imposed upon the people, they developed and maintained a gap among their people.

    Because of this, they became furious and hostile towards Jesus as they were to the prophets before him. And so, as a retaliation they planned to also silence Jesus by killing him.

    They indeed were cursed as Jesus said because God has already come to them but then they still failed to recognize him in Jesus. The Lord has revealed himself to them but still they refused God’s offer of salvation. These people were without faith. They did not worship God but themselves alone.

    In the same way, Jesus also confronts us of our sins and failures not to demean us or to humiliate us but to make us realize of God’s mercy and freedom. Peace and freedom are not achieved by being hostile and vicious towards those who confront us of our mistakes and sins. A fulfilled life is not attained by our denial and arrogance but through humility and honesty.

    Having these experiences in us, the Lord invites us today to have the courage to confront our own guilt and of one another so that we may be able to live in a community that truly expresses concern for each one.

    St. Paul reminds us in this letter to the Ephesians, that we have been “blessed with every spiritual blessings in the heavens.” Such blessings in us would hopefully influence us to be honest and true to one another, making us humble and courageous.

    Thus, let us allow Jesus to confront us that may appear in different forms. The Lord may confront us through a friend or a colleague who has the nerve to give an honest feedback to us, or through a family member who took the risk of making us aware of our sins and mistakes, or through the Word of God that touches our conscience.

    Expect also that it will not be easy. To be criticized and be confronted by our sins will certainly bring discomfort in us. So, rather than resistant, may we have the courage to embrace that opportunity so that we may grow, become mature and be renewed. Kabay pa.

  • To live in the Spirit

    To live in the Spirit

    October 12, 2022 – Wednesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101222.cfm)

    How do I assess my inner-self? Am I dictated by my inmost desires and needs that I tend to be selfish? Am I driven by my passions and impulses to the point that I judge and act thoughtlessly? Am I easily overwhelmed by my emotions that I react harshly and violently towards others? Or do I take the time to gather my thoughts and reflect on what to act and say despite the external tensions? Am I aware of my wants and prioritizes my needs? Am I also socially aware and connected with people around me and of their needs? Do I find balance in all aspects of my life?

    These questions bring us into a greater awareness of ourselves that also invite us to be grounded and become a balanced person, in a holistic sense. We believe that God’s desire for us is indeed, to live life fully and become the person God wants us to become. Hence, anything that dampens our spirit, that suppresses our person to grow and become mature, hampers also our freedom and of our capacity to give life to others.

    This is something we have also heard in today’s readings. In fact, Jesus strongly pointed out the malicious attitudes of the Pharisees and scholars of the law for being so narcissistic yet unconcerned and unmoved of the difficulties of the people around them.

    Moreover, St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians reminded the people of the tendency to be driven and be overwhelmed by the “works of the flesh” that basically are self-centered, malicious and of evil origin. Paul’s warning to the people was his concern for them that they may not to be drowned by human passions and desires. These will only lead them to emptiness and separation from the grace of God.

    Thus, Paul reminded them “to live in the Spirit and to follow the Spirit” because only then that we shall be able to embrace true satisfaction and contentment. Consequently, the Spirit gives joy, peace, love, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are the graces that we should seek and that we need.

    This is the invitation for us today and that is to live in the Spirit and to follow the Spirit. Hence, we pray for that grace that we may become more open and welcoming to the movements of the Holy Spirit in us, on the many promptings and invitations for us. Let us allow the Spirit to challenge us and inspire us especially when we are overwhelmed by our human desires and selfish tendencies. Kabay pa.

  • Believing is Loving

    Believing is Loving

    October 11, 2022 – Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101122.cfm)

    When we have people or even just one person at our back who truly believes in us, who believes the goodness in us, the talents we have, the potentials and the gifts we have, this gives us the confidence and the presence we need in life. That is why, we take comfort when we are being cheered up and our back tapped to continue and to hold on in realizing our dreams and hopes because their presence become our strength. And we understand such actions of people at our back as their way of loving us. Yes, in believing in us they also express their love for us. That cheers us and lightens the load that we may be carrying in life.

    Believing in a person is our way of loving. Being present with a loved one is our way of expressing our affection. How much more when we express this to God? When our way of loving is our way of believing? When loving is an act of faith?

    This is the very invitation we have today revealed in our readings. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians to remind them not to be too overwhelmed with the letters of the law and of human practices. Christ has set us free and that’s what is important.

    The Galatians were actually somehow influenced by Jewish Christians to submit themselves to Jewish beliefs and practices particularly of the tradition of circumcision. Paul was quite indignant in this because the Jewish-Christians claimed that the non-Jewish Christians like the Galatians must become Jews first before becoming a Christian. However, such practice was not important at all. Whether circumcised or not, what is essential is faith that works through love.

    Faith in the Risen Christ is not about being faithful to human practices. This is what Jesus also pointed out in today’s Gospel. The Pharisee who invited him for a meal observed Jesus if he would follow the Jewish customs. But, Jesus did not. Jesus did that to make a point to the Pharisee and bring out his warning and invitation. Therefore, Jesus confronted the Pharisee’s over-emphasis to trivial things but with a heart filled with plunder and evil.

    Thus, a person’s over-emphasis on trivial matters, on particular religious customs and practices can become a cover up of a heart that is filled with malice and evil. This is the warning of Jesus and warning to us all.

    We are called to confront such tendency and recover that faith, indeed, works through love and not over trivial matters. Our belief in the Lord is best expressed when we show concrete actions of loving, of taking care of each other, of showing concern and understanding and in having the capacity to welcome others despite our differences. Certainly, believing is loving. Faith works through love, as St. Paul reminds us. May our faith, then, grow more in that area of loving. Kabay pa.

  • GOD without Borders

    GOD without Borders

    October 9, 2022 – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100922.cfm)

    The common belief among many Jews in Biblical times was that God was only for them. Yahweh chose them to be His people and thus, it was understood that the Lord God would only favor them and no other peoples except them. This belief made them exclusive to the point that outsiders are unwelcomed. More than this, God was as if being monopolized by the people and not wanting the Lord to be outside. This belief proved to be problematic and caused a lot of divisions, hatred and indifference among the people.

    Such form of monopoly can also be present and creeping even in our culture today as Christians among our groups and religious organizations. Like for example, there was a choir-group in a small parish who seemed to be so exclusive and trying to monopolize their services for weddings, funerals and even birthday events in the community. There were even particular songs they claimed that only them should sing and no other groups. They went further by advertising their choir group to the people to advance their singing services. As a result, such actions caused divisions and unnecessary conflicts and tensions in the Parish Community. Their exclusivity and monopoly become toxic.

    This belief and attitude of our heart, indeed, not just limit us but also limit God to be God. Our exclusivity and monopolizing attitude could make us unwelcoming and horribly indifferent towards others.

    This is something that the readings we have today on this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time are trying to convey to us that God is without borders and our Church and all our communities cannot be exclusive and cannot monopolize God. So, allow me now to journey with you through our readings and see how God calls us today.

    In the first reading from the Second Book of Kings, Naaman who was a commander of a Syrian Army, went to Elisha to be cleansed from leprosy. Naaman was first told about Elisha by his captured-slave, a young girl from Israel. Naaman who was very desperate listened to her and went to Elisha. For the Hebrews at this time, their belief told them that this foreigner did not deserve to be cleansed of leprosy because he was different and an enemy. Yet, though it was not directly through Elisha, Naaman was cleansed as he was instructed by the prophet to plunge into the Jordan river seven times.

    This was something very significant here. Elisha was telling something very important. He did not even touch Naaman but only instructed him. Elisha wanted Naaman to realize the power and grace of God directly working in Naaman. Naaman understood this, hence, he was grateful for that encounter with the Lord. The gratitude of Naaman was overflowing and was transformed into action through his new found faith in God. Though Elisha refused to accept his gift, yet, Naaman in response worship the Lord from then on.

    This healing story of Naaman already tells us that God is not limited among the Hebrew people. God’s grace and favor cannot be monopolized by a particular culture or group. This is something we have heard as well in the Responsorial Psalm that clearly proclaims, “The Lord has revealed to the NATIONS his saving power.” Yes, the Lord’s presence is revealed to many nations not just to one nation, not just to a particular group of people or race or language. But to all.

    Moreover, today’s passage in the Gospel of Luke tells us also of another healing of a group of despised people, the lepers like Naaman. There were 10 of them who asked Jesus’ mercy so that they will be cleansed. Nine were Jews and one was a Samaritan. People won’t come near them for fear of contamination. This was the reason why they stood at a distance and did not dare to come near. Here, we can already notice the indifference among the people against them. These lepers were unwanted and unwelcomed, believed to be cursed by God.

    However, as the 10 lepers were on their way to the priest as instructed by Jesus, they were healed and cleansed from leprosy. This is where we find the turn of events and a seemingly more faces of animosity and indifference. Only one of the ten came back to give thanks to God for the grace of healing received. The nine did not, as Jesus also wondered. Well, we can also suspect that the nine Jewish lepers, they must have not believed that the Samaritan among them will also be healed and cleansed. It must be still in their hearts that bitterness and exclusivity.

    Upon seeing the Samaritan who was also healed, they must have felt bad and turned bitter believing that the Samaritan did not deserve such grace. This could be the reason why they forgot to give thanks to God. Their heart must be heavy and could not accept the reality that God also graces even non-Jews.

    However, God is not limited to any group of people. No one can monopolize the grace of God or claim that God is theirs alone because God remains faithful to all. Yes, God is faithful to all humanity and to all His creatures. This is what Paul reminds us in his second letter to Timothy. Paul who was already old and was in prison at this time reminded his friend Timothy, of God’s faithfulness even when we become unfaithful to the Lord.

    Thus, on this Sunday there are at least two points that I would like you to dwell.

    First, God is without borders. Meaning, we do not have the monopoly of God and of God’s grace. This invites us  then to be more faithful to our identity as Catholics, which basically means, universal or inclusive. Thus, let not our differences become a reason to be indifferent with one another, or become hostile with each other. We are all brothers and sisters, no one should be left alone and be apart from God’s family.

    Second, let our gratitude transform to active faith. Naaman’s gratitude made him worship God and the healed Samaritan Leper’s gratitude made him to give thanks to the Lord. So, let also our gratitude to the Lord become an expression of faith that recognizes God’s inclusive presence and grace to all. Hence, let our faith become inclusive and not discriminating. Let our faith gathers, not divides. Let our faith generates understanding and love, not hostility and apathy to those who are different from us. Kabay pa.