Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: God of Suprises

  • God Loves To Surprise Us

    God Loves To Surprise Us

    October 21, 2020 – Wednesday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102120.cfm)

    Homily

    What’s the difference between pranking and surprising someone? If we would scan our Facebook wall, prank videos are all over. These prank videos, though they may cause laughter and entertainment to the viewers, but these are malicious and mischievous acts played on someone. Some pranks are simple but others are way beyond simple tricks, but too much. These cause embarrassment and humiliation, shock and dismay or anger and irritation to people being tricked. A prank has no intention at all to bring joy to the person.

    A surprise, on the other hand, is to strike with wonder or amazement especially because it is unexpected (Merriam-Webster definition). A surprise brings joy not just to people around but also to the person being surprised. That’s why we like a good surprise for our loved ones particularly during special occasions. Surprises do not only flatter the heart of the person being loved, but, surprises also create true creativity and bonding among friends, families and lovers.

    Our God does not prank us. God would not dare to bring us into humiliation and embarrassment just for entertainment. What God loves, is to surprise us.

    This is something that we discover in today’s scripture readings. The Gospel of Luke, as it proclaims an image of God’s final judgment on us and delivering punishment for those who are wicked and rewarding the righteous, however, it is not just limited to this. This particular passage of Luke also conveys to us how the Lord loves to surprise us. Definitely, the Gospel invites us to be attentive to God’s surprises.

    God comes to us and reveals Himself to us in the way we would not expect it to be. That’s why it is a surprise. It is unexpected but with the intention to bring joy. St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, gave us the hint on how he experienced such a surprise from Jesus. The Lord revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus when he was in search of Christians to be persecuted. That surprise from Jesus changed the whole life of Paul. It was in that surprise that Paul truly encountered the Lord and was converted to Jesus. Paul called this, revelation, a grace given to him. This grace that filled Paul is now being shared to others.

    This is the invitation for us today. We are called to be attentive and to make ourselves available to the many surprises of God. We need the eyes of faith to believe in the God of surprises. God will never prank and make us embarrassed. God would only surprise us to bring joy and peace.

    Thus, God may call us to serve and love Him in the way we have never thought about or to do something which was unthinkable before. God may reveal His presence to us in the most ordinary ways and to ordinary persons who are already familiar to us. God may answer our prayer through the help and generosity of an unexpected friend or even through a stranger. God may bring us joy through a simple gift from a person we love or through reconciliation and peace offered to us by the person we have hurt or those who have hurt us. God may surprise us through the embrace and acceptance of people around us. And like Paul, the Lord may also surprise us in the way that it will challenge and change our beliefs, attitudes and the way we look at things.

    Be always mindful of God’s daily dose of surprises.

    There are many possibilities of God surprising us. Let us allow, then, the Lord to surprise us today and every day. Grab and welcome those surprises from God by exercising a greater awareness of what surrounds us. Having those experiences will make us more confident in our relationship with God. Do not just be passive or complacent or indifferent. Be always mindful of God’s daily dose of surprises.

    I invite you now to spend a time of recollection or of silence each day even in a short moment of 5 to 10 minutes before you end your day. Spend these few minutes to recollect on how God gave us the grace of surprise during the day. Thank the Lord for the grace and never forget to share your grace of surprise to people around you so that we too shall become God’s surprise for others. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • 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

  • Take nothing for the journey. Seriously?

    Take nothing for the journey. Seriously?

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    September 23, 2020 – Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092320.cfm)

    Homily

    You are going on a journey and it will take you several days. What would you do? Naturally, you will prepare Your personal effects, clothes and some other things that you think will be useful for your journey. One may carry a book oR two and some nitty-gritty stuff that “might be needed” in some surprising situation.

    However, once you are already in the journey, then, you will realize that there are many non-essential things that you brought with you. This has been my experience too. One time, as I prepared myself for a trip, going to a mission area, I brought “things that I thought were important and essentials.” As I packed my things, I kept putting stuff that “might be needed.” As a result, I had a big and heavy bag to carry for the journey.

    Later on, when I was already in the area, I realized that I have brought many non-essential things which only made my bag heavy and full. I realized too that what I did must have come from my anxiety of “what if.” What if this happens, then, I need to bring extra shoes, some extra shirts, extra food supplies etc. There is some kind of anxiety of the future. I wanted to be prepared always, always ready to respond in some surprising or emergency situations. There is nothing wrong with this. However, the problem lies in the heart that is constantly anxious of what lies ahead and so has become “heavy and full.”

    When our heart is heavy and full, then, the heart becomes grumpy and uneasy, unwelcoming and inflexible. This makes us calculating to the point that we do not want surprises anymore. We only want certainty. Nevertheless, in life, there are many things that we find ourselves uncertain. We might get lost at times and meet strangers. The anxiety to be always certain may prevent us from being surprised and enjoying the wonders that surprises may bring.

    This is something that Jesus wanted to avoid for his disciples. Jesus gave them instruction that as they begin their journey, they were to “take nothing.” Seriously? Well, that’s what Jesus said. So, what was the wisdom behind this?

    Jesus knew that the material things that the disciples will carry will only burden them in their journey. Attachment in those things will make their heart restless. Jesus did not want these men to become anxious of their journey, of what lies ahead. Jesus actually invited his disciples to fully trust in the providence of God, and to be surprised with the graces of God.

    When the heart has more room and lighter because it has no attachments to material possessions or emotional issues, then, the heart becomes more welcoming of others, of surprising events and of ordinary graces. Our heart will be more flexible and understanding of others too.

    Thus, the invitation of Jesus is not about the direction in life but about our attitude in the journey, of not being attached to non-essentials in life. Like the disciples, we  are invited to “travel light” by not taking with us those things in life that might only burden us and make our heart full. Our desire to be always certain and ready, our past issues and pains, our bad habits and hurtful attitudes are some of those “stuff” that must be left behind. Do not carry them with us.

    Jesus invites us today to trust God’s providence and to be surprised by His graces prepared along the way as we meet people and embrace events in our life. In this way, we become more welcoming of God’s presence and accepting of God’s graces.

    …we become more welcoming of God’s presence and accepting of God’s graces…

    As a response, like the disciples too, may our words, our actions, and our very presence become channels of God’s blessings, of peace, and of God’s gift of healing to those who are ill and those who are broken. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR