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Tag: Jesus

  • Being Blessed from God’s Perspective     

    Being Blessed from God’s Perspective     

    January 29, 2023 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012923.cfm)

    How do we understand being Blessed? We usually think of a life that is blessed on the level of having material wealth, success, prosperity – like having a good family, a prosperous business, a successful career or a good paying job, or having a good health. We also believe that being blessed has something to do with having power and influence that a person possesses, with privileges and perks that we enjoy.

    Thus, as it was in the ancient times and until today, poverty is never a blessing, being in sorrow and in grief is never a blessing. Being powerless and oppressed, being sick, being rejected and persecuted is never a blessing. If we are experiencing such life, we consider ourselves to be cursed, weak and insignificant.

    However, the readings this Sunday are quite opposite from the standard of being blessed that we usually believe. Our human understanding of being blessed is different from God. Indeed, there is a need for us to understand being blessed and our life as Christians from Jesus’ perspective.

    The Gospel of Matthew gave us that perspective of Jesus that the Lord wants us to recognize and to learn. Matthew tells us that Jesus saw the crowds. Not just a crowd but crowds of people composed of groups of poor and rich, Pharisees, Sadducees and common Jews, sick and old, men, women, children, beggars, merchants, pickpockets and spectators, his own disciples and others who followed him faithfully.

    And Jesus saw the many realities of the people of his time. What he saw was not just limited with what can be seen from the outside. Jesus saw and realized the anguish of the people and the cause of their miseries perpetrated by those who took advantage of the weak and powerless. Jesus saw and realized how the social evils of greed, hatred, and indifference contributed to the senseless sufferings of the people. Jesus saw and realized how the people felt abandoned, in need of mercy and love, in search of justice and salvation, longing for a blessed life.

    This prompted Jesus to express what he saw and what was in the heart of God for His people. Jesus began to teach while sitting on a mountain which gave him the perspective of the Father. This Sermon on the Mount, as this is commonly called, is indeed quite symbolic. From this symbolism of Jesus teaching from the mount, the Lord evokes a different perspective of being blessed. Not anymore from our human perspective and standard, but from God’s eyes.

    In God’s perspective, the blessed ones are those who are poor, who are mourning and sick, the humble and unassuming, the powerless and merciful, those who are contented in life and those who are persecuted. But why? It is because in their poverty and difficulty, in their powerlessness and nothingness that they also realize their dependence and need of God. Indeed, such insecurities in life bring us to understand that we are so small in this world and we are in need of God’s grace. That is why, Jesus addressed these Beatitudes to the people, assuring them of his presence and assuring them of a blessed life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Though the Kingdom is to be fully manifested later, yet, being blessed is already experienced in the here and now.

    Thus, the very presence of God in our life is what makes us “blessed.” Since God favors those who are weak, poor, suffering, the sick and struggling in life, they are the ones who are blessed because they understand their dependence and need of God. God comes to us when we are ready to accept God in our life and to let God be our God there in our poverty and weaknesses.

    This is what Prophet Zephaniah reminds us in the first reading to seek the Lord which can only be possible through a humble heart that recognizes God’s presence and power. An arrogant and self-satisfied heart will never acknowledge God and thus, can be very vicious to people around.

    “God comes to us when we are ready to accept God in our life and to let God be our God there in our poverty and weaknesses.”

    Moreover, Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians expressed powerfully the wisdom and favor of God. He says to us, “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something.”

    This indeed is a warning to those who in the standard of the world are blessed such as the self-satisfied and self-absorbed, the corruption-driven-rich, the powerful, the popular and the influential. Why? It is because the danger lies in the attitude of the heart that becomes independent from God, a heart that rejects God’s mercy and love. In fact, the Lord warns us when we tend to accumulate more wealth for ourselves at the expense of the poor, or when we gather fame and influence at the expense of others.

    Such attitude of the heart is filled with arrogance and self-centeredness that has no need of God. True enough, when we are so filled with ourselves and too satisfied of what we have gained and achieved, we don’t need God anymore. Our successes and we, ourselves, have become ‘gods.’ This leads us to worship our achievements, wealth, our power and ourselves. But then, all of these will corrupt us because we will never be satisfied. We will thirst and hunger for more wealth, recognition and fame which will also lead to our own destruction and those who are around us and those blocking our way to gain for more.

    Thus, through these Beatitudes, God invites us to claim that we are blessed and can bless others even when we are poor and insecure, in grief and in search for justice, in need of mercy and in showing mercy.

    This also calls us that as we understand being blessed in God’s perspective, then, the material wealth that we have gained, the influence and fame that we have received and the successes that we have achieved are signs of God’s grace and generosity. When we have these, may it lead us to humble ourselves and to recognize that these are gifts and we ought to share them to others. Thus, if you have received much, share the blessing to those who are in need. If you are enjoying success in life, share the experience with those who failed. If you have power and influence over others, then, use them to liberate the oppressed and to work for justice. If you have been shown mercy despite your sins, then, let that mercy flow in your relationships by becoming merciful to others. It is in this way that the Kingdom of Heaven will truly be present among us, and that we ourselves will not just be blessed but will also be a blessing to our community. Kabay pa.

  • Price of Faith

    Price of Faith

    January 29, 2023 – 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012923.cfm)

    A story once told about a beggar who owns nothing but his tin rice bowl to beg. He is particularly ashamed of begging that he would just bow his head & cannot even look at the eyes of others. But poverty & hunger usually force him to bully others for some money & food to survive. Like any beggars, he hopes to be free from his situation & dreams of becoming rich & wealthy someday. But he knows that his dreams of better living is just wishful thinking for he owns nothing except his old and dirty tin rice bowl – which he just inherited from his poor grandparents. Yes, he considers himself useless, hopeless, & helpless. A nobody & nothing at all, who even blames God & his family for his sufferings & poverty in life.

    Now while begging for some left-overs and coins in the market, one day a merchant approached him and asked to have a good look at his rice bowl. After examining his rice bowl, the merchant told him, “You idiot, you don’t have to beg. You should not beg at all because you are a rich person. Do you know that this rice bowl of yours is precious? This rice bowl is made of priceless gold. Just have this rice bowl clean and sell it to the highest bidder, you will be the wealthiest man in this town. You know what? If only I have money, I’ll buy it for 80 million dollars.” But the beggar just laughs off and would not believe what he heard from the merchant. He would not believe that his rice bowl is made of gold. That is why, until now, he continues to beg for alms from others… using his priceless golden rice bowl.

    There are times in our lives that we become like that beggar. The Good news of Christmas and the whole Christian life simply proclaims to us how blessed we are for God has already offered us His life and his salvation through his son, Jesus Christ.

    However, often at times we missed it, because we fail and even refuse to recognize the blessings, to the point that we do not accept the importance of the graces God has given us. It so happens that we are not contented with, and we even feel ashamed of God’s presents. Pre-occupied with our own selves, our own concerns, biases, and expectations, mostly we are blinded from the value and sacredness of God’s graces and blessings given us. 

    This is what our readings are trying to tell us today. It wishes to remind us, especially Jesus in our gospel today, that we should be awake and be aware that people who are poor, humble, helpless, weak, oppressed, and most abandoned find favor in God’s eyes. Because of their deep faith and need for God, and their acknowledgement of Jesus, as God’s gift, they are blessed and worthy of God’s kingdom.

    In our gospel today, we hear the Beatitudes. Jesus announced how blessed already we are – not for being poor, humble, helpless, mourning, weak and abandoned, but because God finds favor in us. We are blessed then because of God’s gift of our faith in Jesus, and not because of our poverty, humility, weakness, persecution, and abandonment. As our world prefers wealth, popularity, power, & prestige, we are reminded that God rather chooses & favors people of great faith and trust in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.   

    Here, Jesus encourages us to recognize and have confidence on the value of our Christian faith in life. God has already given us our Christian faith – our way of life and salvation. We must not downgrade it but instead, recognize and value its importance into our lives today. Jesus reminds us that Blessed are we and those who welcomes and follows Him for God has already endowed us with enough faith to redeem us & live our lives meaningful now & always.

    Remember his first message proclaimed: “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand” that is – Change your ways… not because of our sins and mistakes but because God’s grace is here with us now. In other words, “Behave for God’s grace is Here with You”. And Now Jesus is telling us the Beatitude – proclaiming how blessed and lucky we are  -not only because we behave well, but also because God finds favor on us who have faith & trust in His son & have welcome Him into our life.

    Through the Beatitudes, Jesus is somehow proclaiming to us how Blessed and Fortunate we are who owns and treasure our golden rice bowl of faith for we are already in God’s favor. In other words, Worthy, Blessed and Fortunate are we who willingly welcome, value, and believe in Jesus, God-given gift of salvation to us, for God’s kingdom is already & always upon us. Priceless then is our Christian faith in Jesus for God finds favors in us, who believes & trusts in Him.

    Perhaps we consider these days on how maximize of own rice-bowl of faith. Do we make use of our faith just to beg… OR to honor & value Him who offers & presents us God’s favor?

    We pray then that we must learn how to see, recognize, accept, and treasure our God-given Christian faith now & always.

  • New Family Member

    New Family Member

    December 25, 2022 – The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
    Mass during the Day

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122522-day.cfm)

    The arrival of a child into a family is a great occasion of Joy. I remember when my first niece was born into our family, every one of us were happy and proud to have a new member in our family. We all gathered in my brother’s home, taking a good look and touch at baby Pauline. The child has indeed brought joy and happiness within our family.

    As much as the baby is welcomed and loved in our family, with her, there came a bit of stark reality that cannot be overlooked. We know this child is going to cost a lot of changes in the lifestyle of the family. We realized that with baby Pauline, each and every one of us has to assume New responsibilities and lifestyle as her lolo, lola, auntie, uncle, nanay and tatay. As much as the baby brings joy into our family, she will also bring changes into our family, making our life different and will never be the same again.

    In the same way, the birth of Jesus is a reason for great joy, not only to Mary and Joseph, to shepherds and kings, but also to the world and to us all. Jesus, the Word of God made flesh and lived among us, is God’s greatest gift to us – a savior has been given us. Because of his great love for us, through Jesus, God became like us and stayed with us. Is’nt that great?

    But we all know that this has brought great joy as well as great changes in our lives because as Jesus became part of our lives, life has never and will never be the same again. Jesus, God’s gift to us, is not like the gifts we receive this Christmas, like shirt or pants that we will sometimes use, or books that we may never read at all, or good food we will eat, or a figurine we will just decorate.

    God giving us the gift of His son is like having a new baby, a new member in your family. Inasmuch as it brings great joy in our family, it also entails a lot of responsibilities and a lot of changes, making our lives different and never the same again.

    To celebrate Christmas is to receive once again Jesus, in our very lives, in our homes and our families. It is not enough just to welcome and love Him as our guest; we also have to invite Jesus to stay and be a member in our homes and family to bring about joy as well as changes in our life.

    Aside, beyond, and above bonuses, gifts, parties, decorations, holidays, food and drinks, Christmas is our acceptance of the Word of God made flesh into our own lives. It is about receiving a Child into our hearts and life in our own very home. It is about receiving anew God’s child Jesus to be part of our own lives always. 

    Particularly today, on this Christmas day, spent quality time with your own family in your home. Remember that the first family who has accepted you as you are, and who you choose to be with is your own family. It is within a family that the Word of God became flesh & lived with us. So, also within our family, however broken & imperferct it may be, that the Lord has blessed & loved us always. So again, take this moment to spend quality, either face-to-face or virtually with our own family for Home is where we came from, where we receive our Lord, and where God’s change happens in our lives.

    Have a Blessed Christmas Season within our Home. Amen.

  • LOVE IN PERSON

    LOVE IN PERSON

    December 24, 2022 – The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
    Mass during the Night

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122522-night.cfm)

    Have you been in love? I am sure that we have all been in love. The first time I realized that I was in love, it made me restless until I could have a glimpse of her. I realized that my attitude towards her had changed. I suddenly became more caring and thoughtful towards her. Though that puppy love did not last as it was based on emotional and physical attraction only, but that gave me a bit of understanding how love can change a person’s behavior.

    With that, how would we define love? What love is, then? According to my Tita, Miss Meriam-Webster, she gave 9 different definitions of love. Yet, I am not personally satisfied with her definitions since most are descriptions of love. Well, she said that love is a strong affection towards another, or attraction based on sexual desire, or based on admiration, or devotion, or an assurance of affection or a concern for another, etc.

    Moreover, our Christian understanding of Love is much deeper than that. It is beyond romantic love, beyond physical attraction or emotional attachment. Love is more concrete than those definitions.

    And so, I would like to change the question, rather than asking, “What is love?,” we change it to, “Who is love?” By changing the question to who, this means that love is a person who concretely shows to the beloved the love. Yes, love is a person, God’s self-revelation is love and made visible through Jesus. What the whole church celebrates today is the story of love being revealed to us, in our human history. It is love who creates, liberates, gives life and gives hope for today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord, as the Psalm proclaims to us.

    And so, allow me now to go a bit deeper into the Sacred Scriptures revealed to us tonight and allow the Lord to call and to empower us through this love personified.

    Friends, there was darkness, a terrifying one that haunts and overwhelms many. This is what Prophet Isaiah told us in the first reading where people walked in darkness and lived in the land of gloom. These are images of suffering, of pain, trauma, sorrow and grief, guilt and shame, sin and evil. Until now, this darkness remains in us. The trauma children experience from irresponsible parents and dysfunctional families, the lingering hatred and anger in our hearts, the desire to manipulate and abuse others, the indifference of many towards those who are suffering, the greed for power, wealth and comfort by the rich and privilege, the seemingly endless calamities that caused millions of deaths and the overwhelming anxiety and fear to us including this pandemic that is still around us, the cruelty of war and terrorism in some parts of the world, the corruption and culture of violence in our society – these are all images of darkness!

    Isaiah tells us again, whatever that is burdening us or anything that is enslaving us, he will smash, not with violence, but with forgiveness, with love. Whatever hatred and anger, indifference, desire for revenge and war, he will burn and stop them, because he brings peace and reconciliation. This is love in person!

    Yet, as Isaiah also told us, that those who walked in darkness have seen a great light and those who lived in the land of gloom a light has shone. Despite the darkness that envelopes us, as this night reminds us now, there is hope! For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests! However, his power is not overpowering, not imposing. Because he is rather gentle, this child is named Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. And this is love in person!

    Now, the Gospel of Luke recounts to us tonight how this love in person was born and in contrast to our Christmas celebrations these days, his birth was almost ignored. Luke tells us that Mary wrapped the baby Jesus, the love in person, in a “swaddling clothes and was laid in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” In that first Christmas, there was no Christmas tree, no colorful Christmas lights or Christmas balls and lanterns. There was no happy and festive Christmas gathering on the day of birth of Jesus. Yet, this is love in person!

    In fact, the baby boy was laid in a manger, a long open box for horses or cattle to eat from. There was no crib at all. The love in person was born poor. And in the midst of these, there was so much indifference around. Luke told us that there was no room for them in the inn and no one offered the couple to have at least a decent place to stay. People must have seen that Mary was about to give birth. But many did not care! Many did not show attention to a mother who was about to give birth. Many did not dare to help. Can we not feel the indifference here? Can we not feel the cold hearts of people here? Can we not recognize the unwelcoming hearts of many?

    Many have gathered at that time because people were going home for the census decreed by the emperor of Rome. This means that there were plenty of people and as relatives would gather, there were parties around, yet, they remained unmoved and unconcerned to Joseph and Mary. The relatives of Joseph could at least help them, yet, there was no one except the animals as depicted in our Christmas Manger.

    Again, the very situation of the birth of Jesus was filled with darkness, with unwelcoming and apathetic hearts. However, the Lord cannot be stopped. His love cannot be prevented. This is why even in the midst of these, Mary give birth to Jesus, the light of the world, the Prince of Peace, the love in person. This is God’s declaration to us, that his love is bigger than anything else. God’s love is more powerful than evil. God’s presence is warmer than our indifference. And this is love in person!

    This is the very reason also why the birth of Jesus was first announced not to the dignitaries, not to the rich and politicians of the community, not to the leaders and business people of the society, not even to the priests of the temple, but to the shepherds in the field.

    The shepherds were considered as outcasts because many of them at that time were the younger sons who cannot inherit any land from their fathers. They were landless and poor. They were considered unclean because of their work. They smelled bad because of the dirt, manure and blood they got from the sheep. The rest of the community would never welcome them in their households that is why they would always sleep there in the field with the sheep.

    Yet, it was to them that the angel announced the birth of Jesus. They were the very first ones to receive the good news of great joy for all the people. This is what Paul in his letter to Titus declared to us as well, that the grace of God has appeared, saving all. However, the first ones to receive the good news were the least and the unwanted in the community. This is God’s statement again that God is for the abandoned and for the forgotten, whose life have been darkened by those who were indifferent.

    What does this tell us? What is Jesus, the love in person, inviting us now? You will all be going home after this mass, gather as family and those who are close to you, celebrate His birth with joy and festivities, yet, never forget how the Lord was born tonight amidst all the darkness and indifference around us. There are at least three invitations that I would like you to bring tonight.

    First, let the Love in Person be reborn tonight and change us. Jesus is reborn in us when we allow our dark guilt and sin to be accepted, confronted and forgiven; when we allow our painful and traumatic experiences become ways for us to discover hope and freedom; when we recognize that we need the Lord and his gift of salvation; when we allow the Lord to change our way of living for ourselves into living for others.

    Second, make a room. Let us have the courage to confront our cold and indifferent heart that cancels and excludes those who are different from us. We make a room for others when we stop being indifferent and begin to care and to show genuine concern without any hidden agenda; and when we are able to recognize that we are all brothers and sisters in need of love and mercy.

    Third, let our fear be transformed into joy. Remember this, Christmas happens every day because God comes to visit us every day. Thus, let his peace dispel our fear now. Let his love assure us daily and make us confident so that we may not anymore fear what our future will be, so that we may not be afraid for not having enough but be more contented today, so that we may not anymore fear to take the risk of loving and giving ourselves for others. May we let Jesus, the love in person fill us with joy.  Ok lang? Sana all.

  • THE MOST PRECIOUS CHRISTMAS GIFT!

    THE MOST PRECIOUS CHRISTMAS GIFT!

    For those who have the means, one cause of stress during the Christmas season is what gifts to give to one’s loved ones? This is especially so if they seem to have all that they need and are not wanting for anything else. We do not want to give gifts that will only end up in the cupboards or recycled as gifts to others.

                Godparents get perplexed when having to think of the appropriate gifts to their godchildren who do expect something from them during the Christmas season. It is easy enough when they were kids, as there is a variety of toys to choose from. And kids love any toy that they receive especially the ones popular at the moment.  But when they reach adolescent or early adulthood, one wonders what gift they would appreciate. To be safe, godparents resort to just giving gift cards of superstores or outright cash.

                OFW parents are even more pressured if they are not at home for Christmas. To compensate for their absence during this season, they spoil their kids and it could turn out to be expensive as kids demand gadgets that could cost a fraction of their salaries. But it is not just their children expecting gifts but the whole clan which explains the phenomenon of those big Balikbayan boxes that flood our airports at this time of year.

                And additional source of anxiety these days is the impact of inflation and the ensuing  high prices of commodities on one hand, while salaries have no correspondingly increased. Some companies even could no yet afford to give a 13th month bonus. Considering the high costs of Christmas with demands for a delicious noche buenas and other expenses, there is hardly left to buy gifts.

                On the other hand, there is also an interesting development in terms of undermining the crash commercialism that has characterized the Christmas holiday season. To make sure that they are not held captive by the pressure to go to the malls and shop till they drop, they refuse to even buy anything. Instead the more altruistic ones would rather distribute goods to the needy or give their money to charitable institutions or cause-oriented groups.  We can only hope that this kind of movement would expand and more people are involved in spreading Christmas cheer among our less fortunate sisters and brothers.

                If there is someone out there who wonders how best to respond to the question – what gifts to give to loved ones? –  let me offer this reflection. At a most recent time when I thought I was already destined to depart from this earth, I asked myself what was it that I would miss most? Or what would I have no difficulty letting go?  I realized I could let go of:

    –         Ice cream, halo-halo and all those wonderful pastries in bakeshops

    –         A really delicious meal in a fancy Vietnamese restaurant

    –         Bagel, croissant, pretzel and those freshly-baked bread

    –         A swim in the warm waters around the islets of El Nido, Palawan or in a lagoon underneath a waterfalls

    –         A fabulous sunrise or a gorgeous sunset with the wind caressing the coconut trees

    –         A climb up the mountain and then viewing a sea of clouds

    –         Travels to Baguio and Bali, Paris, New York or Rio de Janiero

    –         Films of Kurosawa and Trauffaut, concertos of Mozart and Bach

    –         The best of Filipiniana films, music, art and literature

    –         Songs of Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra

    –         Gardening, reading Booker prize-winning novels, writing fiction

    –         And a few more favorite things to do

    Photo by Sandino Madelo, Christmas 2021

    It goes without saying that I would not let go of my faith in the Triune God and of God’s plan of salvation that continues to unfold. To have been gifted with this faith has led many to a meaningful life allowing me a glimpse of what is God’s promise for humanity. It has also brought me to many communities where I could inter-act with peoples of great charm and generosity. It allowed me to experience moments of peace and great joy. And it brought into my life many co-believers to be able to constitute communities of mutual support, deep affection and compassion for each other.

    Then I realized there was one thing I would not let go for I would miss this very much. And it is this: the love and affection of family, confreres and the closest friends especially those whose friendships have lasted a lifetime. Who I am today and what I have accomplished in my life may be due to their support, encouragement and prayers.  The wonderful moments I have enjoyed through my life – especially at certain special occasions – were in their company. There was utter happiness that could only arise in their presence.  If there are memories to keep in my heart, their faces would appear.

    Indeed, the gifts of kinship, confrereship and friendship are the most precious gifts for me. And these are gifts given from Christmas season to Christmas season as well as throughout the years. These need not be wrapped in fancy paper and silk ribbons for these are offered from the heart. Every Christmas, I have always felt blessed because I knew I continue to receive these precious gifts. If I have these gifts, really what else do I need?

    So, dear reader, do not worry what gift to give your loved ones.  By embracing them in  your heart, wishing and praying for their well-being, assisting them in their times of need and loving them in a manner that makes them feel deeply appreciative – you would have given the most precious of gifts!

    And it is a gift that goes beyond Christmas!

    A blessed Christmas to one and all!