Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Homilies

  • In Love not in Fear

    In Love not in Fear

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    October 25, 2020 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102520.cfm)

    Homily

    Have you been terrified of God? My childhood memories of God was a terrifying God. I was introduced to a God who will easily get angry over a naughty boy and will deliver a punishment. I grew up in an environment also when corporal punishment was the easy way of discipline. The adults around me that included my parents, siblings, teachers and other authority figures were always ready to strike whenever I become rowdy.

    And because a punishment can be painful and shameful at times, I would behave immediately not to anger more those adults around me. In this way, I was also catechized and made to believe that God was like those authority figures around me. My childhood imagination of God was like a grandfather who always has a stick in his hand ready to strike a boy like me who was unruly.

    Yet, I was told to love God with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind. I found it hard because I was terrified of God. I fear God most rather than love Him. However, as I grew up, I also gradually realized that as I matured in my faith and relationship with God, I found God less and less terrifying. God manifested His love to me in many ways. God showed his faithfulness in me despite my unfaithfulness and sinfulness.

    With this deeper relationship with the Lord, the terrifying image of God changed into a Loving and ever faithful God. In this way, it moves me to respond in love to God and to others.

    With this kind of transformation, I found it also interesting how the Israelites grew in their knowledge of God. The readings this Sunday reveal to us this development as well as the invitations for us today.

    The Israelites, in the beginning, believed that God was just “one of the many gods.” The people recognized that other nations had gods and goddesses and what they had was a good one. Like the others, they too conceived of a god who protects them. Thus, they believed of a “warrior god” who shall deliver them from their enemies.

    Hence, the Old Testament has many images of God taking revenge, being vengeful and violent to the enemies of his people and to the wicked ones. The first reading from the Book of Exodus reveals this kind of image of God as it says, “My wrath will flare up and I will kill you with the sword.” And who will not fear this kind of God?

    However, despite this violent image of God, the scripture also reveals something of an image of God that people had already recognized. God as a defender against outside enemies, God also assures His presence to those who are struggling in life, the poor, the widows and the orphans.

    This is a manifestation of God’s loving care and that character of God that shows compassion and so much love for the people. Indeed, the Israelites over a loooong period of time gradually knew God more and deeper. Israel realized that there is only one God and that God is not a terrifying God, but a loving and caring God.

    This is what Paul preached in his travels. Jesus, the ultimate revelation of God’s face, revealed that God even became man and died for his people. This is how much God shows his faithful love to us. The Church in Thessalonica, upon receiving this good news to them, received it with love and devotion.

    Moreover, Paul commended the Thessalonians because of the devotion they showed. Their faith was being expressed in the way they lived their lives. Theirs was a response of gratitude to God whom they realized has loved them so much.

    Moreover, the response of Jesus to the scholar of the law tells us of the right attitude in relating and responding to God. Thus, the question as to what is the greatest commandment expresses a relationship of love and not of fear. Jesus reveals what was behind the law, and that was love – to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

    We are only able to respond to God with love when we ourselves are conscious of God’s love for us, his goodness and generosity in us. Again, the Book of Exodus tells us how God reminded his people of the many good things he did for them. God saved the people from slavery, from that misery of having no land, no home, and no identity. God heard their cry and sent Moses to deliver them from that slavery. Because of these many blessings they enjoyed from God they too in “gratefulness” shall show compassion and mercy to those who are strangers, to the poor, the widows and orphans.

    And again, this is what we find also in the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. They have showed compassion and mercy to others and with one another. They have imitated Christ in words and deeds because they were convinced of Jesus and conscious of the many good things that God has done for them.

    This is what God wants to show to us this Sunday – that as we live our lives as Christians, as we practice our Christianity – our response to Him should be out of “gratefulness” not out of fear that springs forth from our deep love for Him who first loved us. Our love for God will then be shown in our words as well as in our actions. We shall be generous to those who are in need because we are grateful to God who is generous to us. We shall show our concern and affection to our friends because God shows his love to us in many ways. We shall forgive those who hurt us because God has forgiven us first.

    In this way then, we will be able to live our Christian faith that truly loves God and our neighbor as we love ourselves. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • GRACE given to each of us

    GRACE given to each of us

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    October 24, 2020 – Saturday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102420.cfm)

    Homily

    Recognizing the grace of God in each of us is a call to a personal encounter with the Lord. Paul reminds us in today’s letter to the Ephesians, “Grace was given to each of us, according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” In our encounter with God’s grace, it invites us to grow from our infancy and childishness towards maturity in our knowledge of God and of ourselves. This movement necessarily involves letting go of those unnecessary things, attitudes, vices, behaviors, beliefs and lifestyle that separate us from the grace of God and prevent us from truly encountering and knowing the Lord intimately.

    Thus, our encounter with God calls also us to go beyond ourselves even beyond our comforts, beyond our fears and beyond our sins and weaknesses. God calls us to step forward and to come out our own hiding places of insecurities, of anger and hate, of pretensions and compulsive behaviors.

    This is basically the invitation of Jesus from the Gospel today. Jesus gave us the parable of the fig tree. In this parable, Jesus tells us that the Father is a God of many chances. God gives us many chances to change our ways and to come nearer to him so that we may find fullness of life with God. This is described to us as Jesus expressed in the parable how the owner would visit the tree. And also, in the person of the gardener, Jesus tells us that indeed, God gives us another chance when we fail and commit mistakes.

    The gardener expressed hope to the owner as he asked him to give the fig tree another year. The gardener promised to cultivate it so that it may bear fruit. The gardener saw hope in that tree. He saw the grace in that tree. That gardener is the Spirit dwelling within us, the grace given to us. This tells us now that God never loses hope in us.

    Indeed, God always sees hope in each of us. Even though that others may treat us as beyond hope and beyond repair because of our failures and big mistakes in life, but then, God sees hope beyond our hopelessness. That is why, God’s spirit would always entice us to recognize him and encounter him. This is how the grace of God moves us and inspires us to see beyond and discover Christ’s gift of Himself to us, of his gift of salvation and gift of hope.

    We may also remember that God makes the move through the people around us, through our friends and loved ones and even strangers who will remind and teach us that God is within us. God’s grace is waiting to be recognized, and waiting to be welcomed and embraced. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Seek the face of God Today

    Seek the face of God Today

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    October 23, 2020 – Friday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102320.cfm)

    Homily

    The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel, sound quite harsh but simple. He said, “You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why you do not know how to interpret the present time?” The crowd that gathered around Jesus were very slow to recognize the person in front of them. The kingdom of God has come in the person of Jesus. The face of God has already been revealed. Yet, the people were not able to understand the signs revealed in the ministry of the Lord.

    What could have prevented them? What was the cause of the blindness of the people or of their indifference towards the Lord?

    The crowd that gathered around Jesus, most of them, were perhaps became only intrigued of the works of Jesus. The Lord who became popular among the people because of his works and preaching, were sought after by the people. Others wanted to meet him to be healed, to get answers for the questions of their life, others must have been there in order to witness something spectacular from Jesus.

    However, many of them, did not really understand who was before their eyes. Many failed to see God working in the ministry and in the life of Jesus. This must have been caused by that limited understanding of the people.

    This limited understanding was caused by the biases, preconceived notions and uncompromising belief about God that hardened the heart and mind of the people. For example, the people saw Jesus as merely a prophet, or a healer, a preacher, a reformer or a carpenter. People were so fixated that God was distant and cannot become closer to the people. The people believed in a God who easily get angry, violent and aggressive. The Pharisees and scholars of the law promoted a belief in a God who is untouchable. Hence, sinners and sick people were removed from the community.

    These are just some possibilities that prevented people from recognizing the Lord and understanding the signs of God’s grace in the present. There are still many others that until now have gripped us from reading and recognizing those signs of God’s grace for us.

    Hence, on our part, we might fall to the same failure of the people as we also bury ourselves into our past mistakes, into our habitual sins, into feelings of hopelessness and despair, into guilt and fear, into our anger and hatred, into our abusive tendencies, into our selfish intentions. When we yield even into one of these, then, we could also become dismissive of God’s presence and ignorant to God’s manifestation in the present moment.

    Today, Jesus wants us to become a people who longs to see God’s face and able to accept God’s grace today. This is what our Psalm proclaims today, “Seek the face of the God of Jacob.” Let us seek God’s face and enjoy God’s presence among our friends and family members, with God’s creation and all the things that surround us now. As we recognize the Lord, let the Lord challenge us and move us to go beyond ourselves. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Disturb our complacency, O Lord

    Disturb our complacency, O Lord

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    October 22, 2020 – Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102220.cfm)

    Homily

    We desire for peace. We long for harmony. We want a life without disturbances and troubles. This is the reason why we also ask God for peace of mind and peace in our homes because in one way or another, we are experiencing some sort of difficulties. One may be having some sleepless nights because of some personal or family issues or conflicts and misunderstanding. Another must be bothered by an illness or because of demands at work. Some students these days, must be having some troubles too in fulfilling their school projects and finishing their modules.

    However, one may be disappointed with what Jesus told us in today’s Gospel. The Lord said, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

    We heard it right. Jesus does not bring peace but division. He is here to disturb us. Yet, what does he really mean? It is very important that we understand the words of Jesus in the context of those who wanted to follow him. The very environment where Jesus spoke these words was characterized by corrupt and self-righteous leaders. The Pharisees and the scholars of the law represented those people who wanted to stay in power, preserve the status quo and secure their comfort. There were Jewish leaders too who became puppets to the Roman Empire in order to secure their wealth and influence.

    And these people who succumbed to the cycle of corruption at the expense of the common people, did not want anybody to challenge their peace. Thus, anyone who will dare to confront them was deemed to be a threat to that peace they were enjoying. However, was this “true peace” at all?

    This peace is about the comfort and routine of life or ‘business-as-usual.’ This means that one goes and proceeds to what one usually does in life. We may do what we want by satisfying our desires, from mere complacency. This peace only knows about maintaining the status quo, that we are comfortable with and preserving an environment that will not disturb us. Yet, this peace is shallow and remains self-centered. It focuses on our ego. This is not true peace.

    That is why, the Lord comes to disturb us when we have grown so attached with our comforts and when we are so caught up with maintaining to what is only beneficial for us.

    When we become complacent and passive, we do not want to be challenged, we do not want to go beyond and become life-giving. We do not want to confront ourselves and others because it might cost us conflict and division or to sacrifice the contentment that we apparently enjoy. We might find ourselves to settle to what is only easy, comfortable and beneficial by doing the same things, thinking the same thoughts and imagining the same ideas to the point that we refuse to do more and give more.

    However, Jesus does not want us to just settle with this seemingly peaceful environment. God does not want us to become a person who becomes a prisoner of his/her own selfish desires who will become abusive and corrupt yet  most insecure. Jesus does not want us also to just go with the flow and remain passive.

    The Lord wants us to find freedom. Jesus is not in favor in making ourselves passive, complacent, and self-satisfied yet stagnant. Jesus wants us to grow, to be mature and to become the person He wants us to be.

    The invitation for us is to allow the Lord to touch and to disturb our complacency and passivity so that we will be able to see things differently and wonderfully. As Christians, we too are called to call and confront others when our community and our leaders become passive and complacent.

    As we allow the Lord to disturb us, we may be able to see new perspectives in life despite its monotony, more dynamic and life-giving ways of relating with people around us, and a deeper and life-changing encounter with God through the ordinary expression of our faith. And remember, this calls us to be pro-active, honest and courageous in expressing our faith and to the values that we believe as Christians. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • 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