I remember when we first experienced “LOCKDOWN” here in the City in 2020 due to the spread of Covid-19, the first Sunday was so depressing. I walked around the empty Church ground and looked at an empty Church. I was very sad and afraid of what will happen in the coming days when lockdown was imposed. Since, then, as the virus made more infections, we experienced the same face of lockdowns, with its different names, from GCQ, to MGCQ, ECQ to MECQ. Our movement was limited and the more it brought anxiety to many.
Those lockdowns were imposed as a defensive mechanism that the government believed and medical experts developed to minimize the infections. We followed and believed that those lockdowns were necessary to protect, save and even give life. Yet, I pray that we will never go back to that experience again.
Remembering those lockdowns, it evoked to me now a different kind of lockdown. This is the self-imposed lockdown that can be life-threatening and life-depressing.
This is similar to the situation of the disciples, who embraced a self-imposed lockdown as told by the Gospel on this Second Sunday of Easter. The disciples gathered in one place and locked themselves in because of fear. They were afraid that what happened to Jesus, may also happen to them. Certainly, this was a defensive mechanism of a heart that was hurt and bruised. It is a form of withdrawal from others and from God because of “fear.”
In a way, experiencing pain in our relationships also makes us more defensive the next time we relate with others. We become defensive and even withdrawn with others because we fear of being hurt again, of being rejected again, of being bullied again. And so, we develop a defense mechanism to the point of making ourselves isolated from others. Thus, we “lockdown” ourselves from any possible pain or hurt, because we are afraid of what others can do to us. We will tend not to invest emotionally in a relationship, or refusing to give oneself for others, becoming mediocre and complacent and to just stay at the comfort zone but remaining fearful.
However, fear makes our heart unbelieving. This happened to the disciples who refused to believe what Mary Magdalene proclaimed to them, that Jesus has been raised from the dead. They couldn’t believe her because they were too afraid.
Yet, what was more interesting in the Gospel was on how Jesus appeared in their midst even though they made sure that the doors were locked. Jesus appeared to them and brought peace to the hearts of these fearful disciples.
We also find Thomas who was not there at that time of Jesus’ appearance, still holding on to his fears and doubts. Although all the other disciples have testified that they have seen the Lord, Thomas couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t believe, and because of that, his heart was more locked than the door and the walls of his heart have thickened to the point that he did not want any more to listen to what others were saying. Thomas personally lockdown his heart.
That is why, Thomas, set a condition before he would believe that Jesus is alive. He said, “unless I will see and touch him, I will not believe.” Because of so much fear and doubts, Thomas insisted that condition in order to protect himself.
Just as Jesus met the other disciples in their own hiding place and so he did it also to Thomas. Jesus appeared once again and asked Thomas to touch his wounds so that he may believe. Jesus submitted to the condition of Thomas.
This is what the Gospel is telling us today – the Lord meets us wherever we are and he takes us seriously in all our fears, anxieties and doubts. When God meets us in our own hiding places and closed doors, He brings us peace to our troubled hearts. This is an assurance that in God’s presence we find peace and without Him we will always be disturbed and insecure.
This is the mystery of the Divine Mercy which we celebrate on this Second Sunday of Easter, the God of Mercy who brings peace into our troubled and fearful hearts, and who pierces through our lockdown-and-walled-hearts.
In God’s Mercy, Jesus indeed meets us where we are at the moment especially when we decide to retreat to self-centeredness, to our old bad habits and addictions, to our unhealthy defensive mechanisms and self-imposed lockdowns of mediocrity and indifference towards other people, and into our angry and irritable response to people around us. God meets us there and he wants us to know that He is with us and He brings us peace.
It is when we recognize God in those moments that Jesus invites us to touch his wounds just like Thomas. Being aware of the wounds and touching the wounds of Jesus means that Jesus feels our own pain and suffering, our fears and anxieties, questions and doubts. Hopefully, that experience will lead us to proclaim like Thomas, “My Lord and my God.” This is again an assurance to us that our God is alive and at work in our lives.
I would like to invite you now to be aware and to recognize those attitudes, cultures, beliefs and experiences that continue to lock us away from others and from God. Be aware of those that are holding us back from fully relating to others and from freely expressing goodness, and those that make us withdrawn and indifferent to people around us.
May our encounter with the risen Christ, the image of the Divine Mercy make our locked and defensive hearts to open up as He brings us peace and sends us to others. This may move us to go out to touch the lives of others. Hinaut pa.
To see the goodness in us as God sees it, can be a struggle. It can be really difficult and might even next to impossible for others. We might recognize the innate goodness in us but we might also forget about it and so fall again into self-pity, guilt and shame.
Time and again, these feelings of shame, guilt and fear may struck us and we will realize how broken and unworthy we are. God has been so good to us and yet, we are sinners, unfaithful to God. This is how we encounter ourselves and so encounter God as well.
But such encounter with the Lord would reveal to us that each of us, does not earn God’s favor and grace. I cannot and will not earn God’s mercy because God grants it freely and generously to you and to me. Friendship with God is also offered freely. We are not forced to accept it. We are rather invited to embrace that friendship. And our friendship with Jesus, cannot be broken,[1] as Pope Francis said. Indeed, it is from this mercy and friendship with Jesus that we are also being transformed, healed and reconciled.
This reminds me of St. Paul’s realization of being transformed by mercy and of friendship. Paul said, 1 Cor 15:8-10.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me.
As Jesus revealed himself to Paul whose name was Saul at the beginning, Paul saw his own shadows. Paul was in fact in disgrace because as a Jew, he felt so righteous, and he persecuted those who believed in the risen Christ. He brought many Christians to prison and even to their death. But his encounter with Jesus turned his life upside down. It began when he was on his way to Damascus and Jesus appeared to him in a vision.
Yet, he found the Lord without condemnation against him, but only with love and forgiveness for him. That encounter with Jesus brought him to see how wrong he was. Moreover, that very encounter of Paul with Jesus, was also the beginning of their friendship. And that friendship led Paul to commit himself to the risen Christ to be an apostle to the Gentiles, and that through the grace of God, not earned but freely given.
Aside from friendship with Jesus, Paul also realized the value, the importance and the holiness that can be found in our human friendships. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul acknowledged how this gift of friendship sustained and saved him. In Phil 4: 13-16, Paul said,
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress. You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the Gospel, when I left Macedonia, not a single church shared with me in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone. For even when I was at Thessalonica you sent me something for my needs, not only once but more than once.
Indeed, the presence of our friends in our life would truly make difference. Well, it is usually with our friends that we share our deepest thoughts and dreams, our fears and confusions, our pains and sorrows, our joys and successes. Sometimes, our friends know more about us than our immediate family members.
Why? It is because friends allow us to be who we are. We find with our friends a space to be fully accepted and embraced. Friends also unconditionally support us and understand us when our homes do not provide that for us. And this is because of our shared experiences, shared stories and shared dreams. These are some reasons that connect us intimately with our friends and that make our hearts truly grateful.
Paul in this letter to the Philippians recalled such gratitude in his heart for the gift of friendship he had developed with the Philippians. Paul who was in prison and in many difficulties, was comforted by the thought that his friends remembered him and cared about him. His friends sent material resources that he would need. This was not just the first time because even during the travels of Paul to preach in other cities, the Philippians expressed their generosity and support by providing his needs for the journey. Paul said it intimately, “it was kind of you to share in my distress.” The thought of being remembered by friends had given Paul assurance and confidence despite the suffering and persecution he faced.
More than this friendship, Paul also expressed that what sustained him was his friendship with the Lord. Paul expressed it in this way, “I have the strength for everything through him (Jesus) who empowers me.” This friendship with Jesus was the very reason of that friendship he had with the Philippians.
This gives us a picture of our capacity to give oneself, to be generous and kind in order to express our support and love for our friends. Moreover, this also makes our heart to be truly gracious for the gift of friendship we have.
Interestingly, Simon Peter had his own story of encounter also with Jesus. Luke 5: 4-10.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
This encounter made Simon realize his own sinfulness. Simon was told by Jesus to “put out into the deep waters and lower his nets” even though they had been fishing all night and caught nothing. This tells us that Jesus invited Simon to dwell deeper into his own life and to lower down his comforts, to leave behind his uncertainties and anxieties, fears and guilt. This became possible because of that friendship between Simon and Jesus. The Lord was able to challenge Simon, and Simon trusted because the Lord was his friend. Indeed, when Simon did all those, what he found was God’s goodness and tremendous love and generosity symbolized by the great catch of fish.
This moved Simon to beg Jesus to depart from him because Simon had become aware of his sins, failures, fears and insecurities. However, this realization became the entry point of Jesus to transform Simon. This was how Simon gained another name, Peter, or Rock because he was commissioned by Jesus for a mission.
However, Simon Peter who was an impulsive man also stumbled along the way. During the Passion of the Lord, we recall how Simon Peter denied Jesus, three times. This brought deep sorrow to Peter. Because of his fears, he denied the Lord and refused to be with Jesus in those painful and traumatic moments.
With his leadership, after the death of Jesus, Peter and the other disciples hid themselves because of their fear of the Jews. They were terrified because the same fate might also happen to them. However, most of all, they were frustrated and very disappointed with what happened to Jesus. They believed that Jesus would liberate Israel from oppression and suffering from the Roman invaders. Many disciples must have expected that Jesus will raise an army and start a revolution. They could have dreamed that one day they will be seating on a golden throne near their master. However, all those dreams and desires were shattered because Jesus was condemned by his fellow Jews and was crucified by the Roman soldiers.
Peter and the other disciples left their old life to follow Jesus. But Jesus was condemned to death, what will happen to them now? Peter surely also asked this question. “What will happen now?” Jesus is dead and they have no one else to follow.
Thus, this failure that caused them so much frustrations and fears moved them to go back to fishing – to their old self, to their old habits, and not stepping forward because their dreams were shattered, expectations broken and hope was taken away.
Nevertheless, God has his own way of calling us back again. Let us remember how Jesus called back his friends after they retreated to their old selves. Let us read this Gospel passage.
John 21:3-7
Simon Peter said to the other disciples, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.
Now, Jesus appeared on the shore but the disciples did not recognize him. That night they caught nothing. This only tells us that when we also succumbed into darkness and sin then we will surely lose our way just as what happened to Simon Peter. But Jesus would never give up on his friends. Remember that!
Lord is ready to meet us wherever we are now. The Lord shall come and meet us in our dark moments, in times of our depression, sadness and sickness, even in times of great confusion and doubts, and in times of failures and frustrations. The Lord is always ready to do that because he wants us to live free from those.
Now, what was also interesting was on how the beloved disciple recognized Jesus. In fact, it was him who first recognized Jesus and told Peter about it. This tells us also, that once we have become intimate with Jesus, our heart will always desire for Jesus. This beloved disciple of Jesus, who had become so familiar with the Lord, recognized Jesus with joy.
This inspired Peter to respond immediately and to come near to Jesus. Again, this was symbolically done. Peter let go again of his boat, that is, of his old self. He jumped confidently into the sea of past failures and frustrations because he knew that Jesus was waiting for him on the shore. This was how Peter showed us that there is indeed “grace beyond our failures and God’s mercy beyond our sins.” Peter embraced that grace joyfully by encountering Jesus on the shore. Again, it was not earned but freely given.
There is also another moving encounter of Peter with Jesus that gives us more perspective on how mercy and friendship with God will transform us. Allow me to read to you this biblical event in the Gospel of John 21:15-17.
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to Jesus,“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”[Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.
During the funeral wake of my Papa, my mother told me about a conversation with my 5-year-old niece. She playfully asked my parents, “Tatay, do you love Nanay?” Asking my Papa if he loved Mama. And then she asked in the same way her grand mom, “Nanay, do you love Tatay?” This happened just a week before Papa died in 2019.
In the eyes of my niece, perhaps what she was doing was a mere play of asking questions and relaying the answer to both of her grandparents. Yet, the question entails commitment and faithfulness.
The question of Jesus to Peter essentially involves commitment and faithfulness. The three questions of Jesus were not of condemnation and judgment against the unfaithfulness of Peter. However, the question, “Do you love me?” was an affirmation that Peter was loved and forgiven.
Thus, the question of Jesus, “Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than these?” refers to that attitude of Peter. Jesus was basically asking Peter, “Simon, do you love me more than your fishing career? More than your fears and doubts? More than your sins and guilt? More than your insecurities? More than your dreams, desires and personal wants?”
Positively, Peter understood what Jesus was asking. Jesus asked three times to tell Peter of the great responsibility and also of the joy of the meaning of loving his dear friend, Jesus. To feed or tend the lambs and sheep basically means, “Take charge to care and love others.” This reminds us of Peter’s capacity to care and love others as Jesus did on the cross.
To each of us today, the Lord also asks us, “Do you love me more than these? More than your insecurities and fears, more than your personal wants and ambitions?” Then, the Lord also asks us to take the risk of loving him, who is our dear friend, by being able to love others, to become courageous and confident in loving others. Remember, it is in taking the risk of committing ourselves to love others that we too shall find our true selves.
The Lord knows that each of us has that capacity to love and take care of others. Never be afraid then, never be afraid to love. Never be afraid to express your care and affection towards others. It is in this way that like Peter, we will be able to follow Jesus, who invites us today, to express our love and care to others in the most concrete ways as we have experienced it from our dear friend, Jesus.
These are stories of encounter with a merciful God and of friendship that led to transformation and to a mission. Indeed, real encounter with God’s mercy and friendship would strip us from our pretensions and masks. Such encounter makes us true and without pretensions to see how sinful and unworthy we are before God.
Yet, it is in this moment of openness and honesty that we find God more merciful and forgiving to us. Let us remember this, it is when we own and claim our weakness, sinfulness and failures to God that we are also being strengthened, forgiven and empowered by the Lord.
Thus, for this second part of the recollection, these are the invitations for us.
First, we are called to be fully aware of our own sinfulness and failures, to take responsibility of our sins. Thus, stop blaming others. This, certainly, needs an amount of humility and honesty from us.
Second, we are invited to allow the Lord to transform us through his mercy, friendship and forgiveness. We can seek God’s mercy and affection then, by our constant devotion to the Eucharist, in receiving his grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and by reflecting and seeking wisdom from the Bible.
Third, we are called to let God empower us by allowing God to make us His own instruments of mercy, friendship and reconciliation. God calls us and empowers us in the way we live our life now. We are called to become God’s witnesses as parents, as professionals, as leaders in our community, as workers or vendors, as children and friends, as students and as young people, as senior citizens.
PRAYER
God of Mercy and Friendship, you have constantly reveal to the world your unconditional love. Through your Son, our Lord Jesus, this love is fully manifested. Grant me now the courage to love and to commit my whole life in loving and in giving so that I may become your own instrument of mercy and friendship in my own home, among my friends and in my community. Amen.
(This is the talk given during the Holy Week Reflection on Holy Monday, April 3, 2023 delivered at St. Clement’s Church, Iloilo City.)
Are we being punished? Are we being condemned because of our sins? Has God abandoned us? Has God given up on us?
When Covid-19 hit us in 2020, we were all afraid and anxious. The world seemed to stop, and the many restrictions of our movements contributed so much to our feeling of being isolated and helpless. With this health crisis, economically or financially, we were being challenged in many ways. Many have lost their jobs and the most vulnerable among us were those who worked and earned on a daily basis and the poorest of the poor, the homeless and street children.
Likewise, every day many were haunted by anxiety of being infected by the deadly virus, or we might have been so worried for those family members and friends who were at the frontline fighting against the virus and ministering the infected. Or we might have been sobbing and grieving in those days because we have lost a family member, a close friend, or a colleague because of the virus.
In total, there are about 761,071,062 cases worldwide of covid infections,[1] and a total of 6,879,644 deaths worldwide as of March 26, 2023. (Last Update)
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and this war brought economic challenges worldwide especially of the inflation of oil which affected us here in the country. This war continues until now which already affected 14 Million people being displaced[2] , with 140,000 infrastructures destroyed, with 15,000 people missing and 42,295 deaths.
Just last February 6, this year, a 7.8 magnitude of earthquake struck southern and central Turkey as well as the northern and western Syria which affected 24 million people[3], 2.5 million displaced persons and 56,00 deaths.
At the local level, at least in this post-pandemic time, no natural disaster has greatly affected the whole country except Odette in 2021 or any war that has ravaged the country. Yet, what is alarming, aside from the inflation of commodities is the rise of poverty level in the country. According to the recent DSWD Listahan 3, that survey found out that there are 5.6 million Filipino Families living in poverty.[4] In terms of individual persons, there are 2 in every 5 Filipinos who are poor. This is equivalent to 30 million poor Filipinos which is 27% of the 111 million population.
These are just some figures and images of suffering in the world and beyond these, there are more pain, suffering, and deaths unknown to us, not covered by statistics or by many news media. There are many who suffer in silence.
Thus, we ask again, are we being punished? Are we being condemned because of our sins? Has God abandoned us? Has God given up on us?
Talk 1
God’s Caress of Mercy and Friendship. This is the over-all theme that I would like to share with you tonight. We understand “caress” as an action that expresses, closeness, affection, love, concern and gentleness.
As Pope Francis said in one of his homilies, “God forgives not with a decree but with a caress.” And with mercy, “Jesus too goes beyond the law and forgives by caressing the wounds of our sins.[5]”
Mercy has touched the Pope so much that he led us into the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2015-2016. Thus, Pope Francis affirmed that “mercy is God’s identity card[6].” Indeed, Mercy is the name of God.
Again, Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation called, Christus Vivit addressed to the Young People and to the Entire People of God, he wrote, “Friendship is one of life’s gifts and a grace from God. Through our friends, the Lord refines us and leads us to maturity.[7]” This is how friendship that we have developed helps us to grow and become the person God wants us to be.
Moreover, an author, Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, wrote a section of his book with its title, Friendship is Liberating Too, that, “Friendship can save us. Loving, challenging friends who can melt our bitterness and free us from the need to be angry are as critical within the spiritual life… To neglect friendship is to court bitterness and perversion.[8]”
This explains to us how friendship also plays a role in making ourselves free, free from anger and hatred, from bitterness and corruption that will only bring us into isolation and sadness.
Hence, as I journey with you tonight, let us refresh our hearts and minds with scriptural texts that would bring deeper into God’s caress of mercy and friendship.
I would like to invite you now to the story of Jonah.
Jonah 1:1-3
The word of the LORD came to Jonah, son of Amittai:
Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; for their wickedness has come before me.
But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish, away from the LORD. He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down in it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the LORD.
Jonah was quite rebellious to God because he was sent by God to do something, which he did not want to do. If you remember, Jonah did not like this assignment to go to Nineveh because he hated the people. They were Assyrians, the traditional enemies of Israel who oppressed and attacked them. These Assyrians were known to be brutal invaders.
That is why, Jonah was so against God’s plan of sending him there to call them for repentance. Jonah was anxious that the people might believe in God and thus, God might show mercy to them and spare them from death. Jonah wanted this people to die. He wanted revenge against these people whom he thought were Godless. This was all because he was angry and he disgusted those people.
Yet, this is what really happened. When Jonah called the people to repent, they repented and believed in God and that was why, God showed mercy to them and saved them from death.
Jonah’s attitude may not be far from many of us who cultivate a narrow and vindictive mentality.[9] Like Jonah we too might have asked God, How could you love worthless, good for nothing people Lord? How could you show mercy to those who do not even recognize you as God? How could I also be merciful to them when they oppressed my people?
We might also find ourselves wishing suffering and death to those whom we hate, especially those who have caused us so much pain. We might have wished and cursed those people who did something terrible to others too. When a violence and or a crime is done to an innocent, we might have demanded also the same violence and crime to perpetrators. Like Jonah, we too might have believed that justice is attained through a gruesome death to our enemies. Like Jonah, we also could tend to believe that God should not show mercy to those who have hurt us, to our enemies and people who did terrible things to the innocent.
Yet, with Jonah, the people of Nineveh and God, there is something very interesting here. Jonah was totally honest to God about his thought and feelings against Nineveh. Jonah was comfortable enough to complain to God, to express his dismay and anger over this people. Jonah even tried to escape from God and argue with the Lord. And the Lord God, listened to him, the Lord God accompanied Jonah and allowed Jonah to grow and become mature as a person and as a prophet by being able to recognize his own limitations and biases against others. The Lord challenged Jonah to see beyond himself, beyond his pain and frustrations and to recognize that God’s mercy and friendship are for all.
Now, this exchange between Jonah and God expressed closeness and intimacy and that is evident in Jonah’s confidence to express himself before God. Is it not friendship at all? It is! Jonah was a friend of God. God is Jonah’s closest friend. And it is in this friendship that Jonah was called, challenged and was transformed. In a way, Jonah was the first to receive that caress of mercy and friendship with God which the Lord wanted Jonah to share with the people of Nineveh.
This helps me to realize now that God’s mercy and friendship are not limited to any group of people. God is a God of everybody, of bad and good people, of sinners and righteous, of criminals and law-abiding citizens.
God showed this concretely to us in the person of Jesus, the ultimate sign of God’s mercy and friendship with us. Pope Francis reminds us, “Friendship is so important that Jesus calls himself a friend: ‘I do not call you servants any longer, but I call you friends.’(Jn 15.15)[10]” Thus, in Jesus, the Father tells us that we are never abandoned, that there is always hope and goodness in each of us no matter how broken we are, and sinful we have turned to be. God always sees goodness in us, because we too are God’s friends.
This is the same invitation that we have heard from Jesus when he addressed the adulterous woman brought by the scribes and Pharisees. Like Jonah at the beginning, the scribes and the Pharisees were filled with so much hatred and anger. This made them to become condemning towards the woman. With this attitude, they refused to give another chance and opportunity for the woman to change and to redeem herself.
Thus, they wanted to stone her to death as what “the law” told them to do. But what did Jesus do? Listen now to the Gospel of John chapter 8, verses 7 to 11.
John 8:7-11
But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
This is what Jesus showed to the woman. Jesus said, “I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more.” God has delivered his judgment, showed His mercy and offered friendship. Jesus freed the woman and was commanded to sin no more and not to go back to her old sinful self. She had, surely, found her way to freedom and peace in Jesus.
Pope Francis in his homily on this Gospel story said, “Jesus forgives. But here, there is something more than forgiveness because Jesus goes beyond the law. Though Jesus was pure and the only person who is worthy to cast the first stone against the woman, but Jesus did not because he showed mercy.[11]”
Mercy, as the Pope says, is difficult to understand. “Mercy does not erase sins. It is God’s forgiveness that erases our sins. But then, mercy is the way in which God forgives.[12]”
Thus, unlike the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus saw more in the person of that woman. The limited awareness and refusal of the Scribes and Pharisees to see more, prevented them to discover that there was always hope in every sinner, and that there was more in a person’s weakness and imperfection. This is how Jesus defends us, sinners from the just condemnation of death.[13] Again, (because) God always sees goodness in us and offers us his friendship that we may be renewed and find peace in his presence.
PRAYER
God of Mercy and Friendship, I am confident that it is not your desire to punish and bring us to condemnation, but to caress us with your love. Allow my heart to be ever closer to you, to grow in faith and affection towards you. As you see goodness in me, let me also see the goodness in others that I may learn to caress with mercy and friendship. Amen.
[5] Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy: A Conversation with Andrea Tornielli, translated by Oonagh Stransky (New York: Random House, 2006), xii-xiii.
[7] Pope Francis, Christus Vivit: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Holy Father Francis to Young People and to the Entire People of God (Philippines: Paulines, 2019), n. 151, 64.
[8] Ronald Rolheiser, OMI., “Friendship is Liberating Too,” in Forgotten Among the Lilies: Learning to Love Beyond Our Fears (USA: Doubleday, 2005), 34-35.
In a public cemetery in my hometown, where my grandparents and relatives were buried, I remember when I was a boy, there was this woman, who would also visit a small grave. It was so small and definitely, a grave for a baby. But every year, during this All Soul’s Day, that lady would not fail to come to the grave, clean it, light a candle on it, like many of us would do. However, what made me remember her was the grief and sorrow that this lady would pour out for that grave. As far as I remember, she would be sobbing that everyone nearby could hear her wailing as if it was newly buried.
She must be the mother of that baby buried in that grave. As I can remember what the grown-ups would say at that time, that lady lost her baby by miscarriage. She must have longed so much for the baby and perhaps was haunted by guilt for losing her baby while in her womb. Though her baby was buried for several years already, yet, the pain and sorrow in her heart remained.
As the whole church commemorates today all the faithful departed, we traditionally visit the graves of our departed loved ones. This also becomes an occasion for family gathering and celebrations centered on the memories of our loved ones who have gone ahead of us.
Indeed, there could be some who like that lady is being torn my sorrow and pain for losing someone so dear to us. Some could also feel the guilt for not doing anything we can while they were still alive. Some could also still find hatred and anger in their hearts for their dead relatives or family members because of the pain and trauma they also experienced while they were still alive. Thus, we hope to find peace and pray for peace for all the dead.
Yes, this commemoration of all the faithful departed calls us to find peace, to pray for peace and hope for peace. The Book of Wisdom reminds us today that “the souls of the just are in the hand of God… they are in peace.” It is our hope that the souls of the dead may be justified by the mercy of God and be granted with eternal peace. This is the reason why we have the masses for the dead, remembering them on this day and anniversaries of their death to pray for them that they may be able to share the peace of the Risen Christ.
And we who continue to journey on earth, we know that we are never permanent here and we are destined to share in the newness of life with Christ. While still here on earth, may we come to realize and find contentment in God and desire for nothing else, as the Psalm calls us today, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.”
Indeed, Jesus in John’s Gospel, tells us today that we all belong to him. The Lord desires that we will remain in him and share in his blessed life. Jesus assures us, “I will not reject anyone who comes to me.” This tells us that the Lord God is mercy, Jesus is mercy.
And so as we visit the graves of our loved ones and relatives today, may we be reminded as well of God’s desire for all of us that we shall live with Him where death has no more power, where grief and sorrow has no more grip on us, but only joy and peace. Kabay pa.
In the Book of Chronicles, a historical event in the life of the Hebrew people tells us how the Lord showed his mercy. The people who invited destruction and death upon themselves because of their sins and unfaithfulness to God’s covenant, was shown mercy. God did not desire the destruction of His people. It was the people who went towards destruction and death. God, in history, called out again and again His people through the prophets, yet, the people rejected God’s invitation. The time of exile and slavery became a period of purification, not merely as punishment.
Yet, the mercy that God showed, through the person of Cyrus, was God’s initiative. Though the people were not deserving of God’s mercy but God showed mercy because God is Mercy.
The Lord indeed does not forget His people. This is what the Psalm proclaimed to us. The Lord remembers and this is embedded in the heart of the people who also longed to see the Lord. The people who were exiled in a foreign land, subjected to misery and slavery longed to be home and to be embraced by God.
God’s memory is vast. God’s heart is too big. God’s embrace is so wide. This is what the letter of Paul to the Ephesians tells us. Paul reminds us that God grants us the grace not because we are deserving. We will never be deserving, anyway. However, because of God’s great love for us, he showed mercy to us. We are brought to life with Christ. Through this grace, we are saved. However, again, not because of our works, not because we have become deserving. No! God showed mercy to us, because God simply loved us, greatly loved us.
The Gospel of John tells us more about this, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus’ presence with us means mercy. The Lord who is with us is grace and mercy made flesh. Jesus will not condemn us but rather save us. Jesus is the grace and the mercy of God being offered to us.
Now, if we cannot earn God’s mercy, does it mean that we do not have to do anything? Remember, Paul said, through faith, we are saved. The Gospel of John also tells us, whoever believes in him, will have eternal life. Thus, it is through faith that we respond to God. Faith is not a passive attitude of being a Christian. Faith is an active response towards God. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “faith is a human response of love to God who first loved us.”
Our faith as a response of love is also an expression of gratitude to the Lord. This is what makes our faith alive. Our good works, our expression of piety and charity should not be our way of making God see how good we are that God will become indebted to us for being good. No! However, our honesty and sincerity, our service to others and kindness are our expressions of being grateful to the Lord who showed mercy to us.
With such grace from the Lord, this only calls us to rejoice, to be deeply joyful. In fact, this Fourth Sunday of Lent is also called as Laetare Sunday, meaning “Rejoice.” We, indeed, rejoice because God is for us. God shows us mercy. God gives us the grace through His Son, Jesus, our Lord.
To express better our deep joy, there are two concrete invitations for us today that we may work out this week.
First. Humbly acknowledge our faults, failures and sins, our ways and attitudes that condemn and reject others. As we acknowledge them, this also invites us to become open to God’s offer of mercy and friendship. Thus, seek it through the gift of the sacrament of reconciliation and of the Eucharist.
Second, show mercy and offer your gift of friendship. God showed mercy to us, and so, we are indeed capable to showing mercy and building friendship with others. By showing mercy, this makes our heart generous and kind to people around us.
As we commit ourselves into these invitations may our faith truly become a response of love to God. Hinaut pa.
Paul tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.” Thus, salvation is a gift, a grace freely given by the Lord to us. No one can boast himself/herself that one earned God’s grace because grace can never be earned. Salvation is not earned but given. God’s mercy is not earned but given.
The Gospel of John tells us more about this, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus’ presence with us means mercy. The Lord who is with us is grace and mercy made flesh. Jesus will not condemn us but rather save us. Jesus is the grace and the mercy of God being offered to us.
Now, if we cannot earn God’s mercy, does it mean that we do not have to do anything? Remember, Paul said, through faith, we are saved. The Gospel of John also tells us, whoever believes in him, will have eternal life. Thus, it is through faith that we respond to God. Faith is not a passive attitude of being a Christian. Faith is an active response towards God. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “faith is a human response of love to God who first loved us.”
Our faith as a response of love is also an expression of gratitude to the Lord. This is what makes our faith alive. Our good works, our expression of piety and charity should not be our way of making God see how good we are that God will become indebted to us for being good. No! However, our honesty and sincerity, our service to others and kindness are our expressions of being grateful to the Lord who showed mercy to us.
With such grace from the Lord, this only calls us to rejoice, to be deeply joyful. In fact, this Fourth Sunday of Lent is also called as Laetare Sunday, meaning “Rejoice.” We, indeed, rejoice because God is for us. God shows us mercy. God gives us the grace through His Son, Jesus, our Lord.
To express better our deep joy, there are two concrete invitations for us today that we may work out this week.
First. Humbly acknowledge our faults, failures and sins, our ways and attitudes that condemn and reject others. As we acknowledge them, this also invites us to become open to God’s offer of mercy and friendship. Thus, seek it through the gift of the sacrament of reconciliation and of the Eucharist.
Second, show mercy and offer your gift of friendship. God showed mercy to us, and so, we are indeed capable to showing mercy and building friendship with others. By showing mercy, this makes our heart generous and kind to people around us.
As we commit ourselves into these invitations may our faith truly become a response of love to God. Hinaut pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 