Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Jesus

  • Seeking what matters most in our life

    Seeking what matters most in our life

    October 30, 2022 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/103022.cfm)

    What do I seek in life? Love and acceptance? Understanding and friendship? Comfort and contentment? Health and wealth? In seeking what matters most in our life, we could experience discouragement, rejection, failure, pain or even shame. We know that not everything we can have in life. We also know that life can be sometimes too tough and overwhelming. There are those who may just enjoy life because of the privileges they have. There are also those who at the moment of their birth, pain and struggles seemed to be never ending.

    So, in seeking what really matters in our life, which may not necessarily be always material, others may resort to unhealthy and destructive ways especially when they too are not guided. Some may also be led and helped by others to come into right decisions and good discernment in life until they also discover God’s invitations for them and live a happy and holy life.

    On this 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, this is something I want to share with you through an interesting biblical person, Zacchaeus, a Chief Tax Collector, hated and despised by many Jews of his time. He is quite interesting because his very life characterizes each person’s desire to seek what matters most in our life. So, allow me to journey with you today and let us discover together how God calls us.

    Zacchaeus, as described by Luke, was short in stature and a wealthy tax collector. His fellows Jews hated him for being a tax collector and someone who was affiliated with the Romans. Remember, at that time, Israel was under the a foreign invader, the Roman Empire who imposed tax on them.

    However, we could also ask, how Zacchaeus, a Jew, ended to the side of the Romans, working for them as a tax collector. We could actually imagine the life of Zacchaeus. Thus, being short in height, Zacchaeus as a young boy must have been a subject of bullying. Even until now, among our friends we actually make fun of people who are short or those people who do not belong to the standard of the majority like those who are too tall or too dark, etc.

    Because of the physical limitation of Zacchaeus, people looked down on him. It must have been so terrible for Zacchaeus to be bullied publicly and to be hurt emotionally. Zacchaeus must have felt the pain of rejection and disrespect towards him as a person. However, he was helpless against those playmates and other people who had bullied him.

    That emotional pain in him must have created a deep emptiness also within him. Thus, being bullied and rejected, Zacchaeus was in search of respect, of acceptance and of affirmation. But then, he could not gain those by just being who he was because people disrespected him for being who he was. Zacchaeus needed a way of getting his revenge. He won’t be able to get what he wanted if he would remain helpless and meek. He needed power and wealth to make those people who have bullied and rejected him to bow down to him.

    Zacchaeus grabbed the opportunity the Roman Empire could offer him. The Romans were feared, though hated by the Jews, but were forced to show their respect. People had to bow down to the powerful Romans. Thus, Zacchaeus made himself available in the service of the Romans. This was how Zacchaeus got his revenge against his fellow Jews. He became the chief tax collector and becoming one also meant becoming powerful and wealthy.

    Now, Zacchaeus was above those who have bullied him. Zacchaeus could now play the bully himself. As a chief tax collector, he could get his revenge by raising the tax against those people whom he also despised. Because of this, people would now please him, affirm him, and show their respect to him because he had power over them.

    Perhaps, Zacchaeus would love to see the faces of those who have abused him emotionally to beg for mercy. He could now demand what he needed and force the people to accept him and pay respect to him.

    However, Zacchaeus was never peaceful. He was always restless. At the beginning, this was not what he wanted but because of those pain of rejection and emotional wound, he turned out to be corrupt and a monster in the eyes of the people.

    Indeed, like Zacchaeus, to be bullied or to be rejected could create a deep emotional wound in us as well. Because of being helpless, we could not protect ourselves from people who hurt us emotionally such as bullying and rejection at school, in our neighborhood or even at home. As a result, we do not only begin to hate those people who were bullying and rejecting us, but we also hate ourselves  for being who we are. We hate ourselves because of the imperfection that people find in us.

    Thus, we also begin to think that if only we are not like this, then, people might accept us and love us. This consciousness begins to develop in us until we become a person whom we are not, just for the reason of being accepted, recognized, respected and loved by people around us. This is how we could be seeking what matters most in our life – that is, of being loved, being accepted, being welcomed for who we are.

    Now, back to Zacchaeus, in the very depth of his heart, Zacchaeus was seeking to be accepted by the community, which he never experienced. However, he heard about this man, named Jesus. Jesus was a miracle worker, a famous preacher who healed the sick, raised the dead and forgave sinners. St. Luke described to us how Zacchaeus became curious about Jesus. This curiosity actually showed the desire of a human heart to see and encounter God. Yet, we are also confronted by the fact that it is the Lord first who tenderly seeks for us.

    This is what the Book of Wisdom tells us. It says, “for you (Lord) love all things that you have made… you spare all things because they are yours, O Lord and Lover of souls… for your imperishable spirit is in all things.” Further, the author of the book tells us how the Lord will confront us of our sins and calls us back to his presence because God seeks for us and desires that we may have the fullness of life. indeed, God desires our salvation, our happiness and complete joy because God sees Himself in us, for we breathe God’s breath.

    This explains to us that, indeed, the longing in our heart for God and God’s longing for us is mutual. This is what we also find in Zacchaeus, the bullied who turned to be the bully.

    And Luke, described to us the limitations Zacchaeus had, not just his physical limitation of being a short man but also because of his hardened heart, his emotional wounds, his corrupt practices as a tax collector and insecurities. These prevented him to see clearly Jesus, when the Lord was about to pass by. But, these limitations of Zacchaeus did not discourage him to seek further the Lord. There was certainly, a deep longing in his heart. So, Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed the sycamore tree that he may see Jesus clearly. And truly, Zacchaeus saw the Lord. And Jesus saw him and called him.

    For the very first time in the life of Zacchaeus, he felt accepted and welcomed the way he was, thus, he felt being loved. Jesus addressed him with respect and with dignity without conditions and without pretensions. This encounter with Jesus, changed Zacchaeus completely because at last he was loved.

    This attitude reminds us of every human heart’s desire to encounter the Lord. We are made for God. God is imprinted in our hearts as we are created in God’s image and likeness. This is what the Book of Wisdom remind us. And so, let us be conscious on that. Let us be aware that we desire and seek God.

    Yet, in our desire for God, there will be things that will prevent us to see and encounter God. This is what we find in the story of Zacchaeus. Perhaps, our fear and shame of admitting that we have sinned prevent us in truly meeting the Lord. Fear causes us low self-esteem and to hide because we are afraid of being judged by others, and by the people around us. Shame also prevents us to hold God’s love in our hearts and his forgiveness because we feel that we are not worthy. Our emotional hurts from the past could also hold us back especially when they hardened our hearts to be welcoming of others like that of Zacchaeus.

    Our arrogance can also prevent us in meeting the Lord. Our indifference stops us from true conversion. Let us ask then, ourselves, what are those things, addictions, or attitudes that may hinder us from truly seeking God?

    Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians, hoped, “that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in us.” This means that through our very person, our thoughts, actions and works, the presence of our Lord may be revealed.

    This is what Zacchaeus challenges us also. Like him, each of us has actually the capacity to overcome anything that holds us back to see God clearly. We are called to run ahead and overcome those attitudes that prevent us from seeing clearly Jesus. Let us look for a sycamore tree where we can climb over our sins and fear. Look for a friend whom you can share you own problems and struggles. Seek the guidance and direction from people who can truly help you. Come to the sacraments with a heart that truly longs for the Lord, because only then, that we are able to overcome those that prevent us from being near the Lord.

    We too are reminded in the story that though our heart desires for God, but God desires more to see us, to be with us. Thus, the Lord is constantly looking and searching for us. Jesus was in fact searching for Zacchaeus, searching for a sinner, indeed, we are all the Zacchaeus in the Gospel that Jesus has been searching for. Jesus desires to be with us and that we will be reconciled to him and will be healed from our past hurts and pains. Let us allow then the Lord to search us, to find us and to heal us.

    Hopefully, our encounter with Jesus will bring us also into that joy of forgiveness and assurance of love from God that we are forgiven, accepted and respected. This may hopefully lead us too to repair the damage that we have caused to others and to make amendments for our sins like Zacchaeus who promised Jesus to give to the poor half of his possessions and repay four times over those he extorted. A sign of true repentance and conversion and of a heart that has found what really matters most. Kabay pa.

  • For whom am I living?

    For whom am I living?

    October 29, 2022 – Saturday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the reading (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102922.cfm)

    A coffee product advertisement asks, “Para kanino ka bumabangon?” For whom do we wake up? Perhaps we could find ourselves waking up early in the morning to prepare for our work. Parents would make sure to wake up early to prepare breakfast for their growing children. Students would wake up to prepare for school. A young person would wake up continue reaching out and realizing his/her dream in life. But deeper than this, we would find ourselves waking up and embracing what life could offer us because of our loved ones, of people who are dear to us.

    Pope Francis has a deeper invitation and challenge in his Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit (286), he asked us, “For whom am I living?” Pope Francis leads us to recognize what is really important in life and what matters most in our life. This is an invitation that would hopefully lead us to God’s embrace, in God’s presence and to live in God through our human relationships and with the whole creation.

    Paul in his letter to the Philippians, has realized something deeper in himself. He said, “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.” Paul was persecuted for preaching Christ and living for Christ. He was subjected to physical suffering and humiliation yet, all these trials did not discourage and dampen his spirit to live and to continue living. Paul lived for Christ. He would wake up for Christ and to preach Christ in whatever situations and circumstances. Paul found his greatest contentment and joy in life, and that is living in Christ.

    He may have expressed his concern and confusion whether to continue living or embrace his eminent death by martyrdom but to be with Christ. However, whether he will continue living or departing from this life, Paul saw all these as opportunities to live for Christ. This was evident at how Paul continued to make a difference in the life of the early Christians. Even at prison, Paul remained to be an inspiration for the Christian communities. His example of living for Christ showed that joy and contentment in life cannot be limited by trials or persecution. Paul arrived at the level of complete confidence and trust in the presence and love of God who abides in him even in the midst of pain and horrifying tragedies in his life.

    The Gospel of Luke further invites us to be more aware of our tendency to live away and not for Christ, and to live away from others but only for ourselves. This is what Jesus taught us today through a parable. The Lord confronted the people of their desire to seek places of honor and who demand respect from others. Such tendency of the heart neither lives for others nor lives for God. This heart only worships the self and seeks what is only beneficial for the self. This is a person whose world only revolves around himself/herself believing that everything and everyone should bow to him/her. However, this makes the heart of the person indifferent and disconnected from the lives of others and from God.

    And so, the Lord calls us today and asks us, “For whom am I living?” Like Paul, may we come to that level of complete confidence and trust in the faithfulness and love of God and make our relationships, our work, studies and dreams in life be all founded in that confidence and trust in God. Kabay pa.

  • Spending the night in Prayer to God

    Spending the night in Prayer to God

    October 28, 2022 – Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude Thaddeus, Apostles

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102822.cfm)

    Simon and Jude are two interesting characters among the chosen twelve apostles of Jesus. These two, Simon and Jude proved that their encounter with Jesus changed their entire life. Their ordinary life became extra-ordinarily wonderful though challenging.

    Simon who was called “Zealot,” believed strongly in the importance of following the Jewish law. In his search and endeavor to become righteous and to stand for what is right and just, he encountered Jesus and realized that the Lord is the very fulfillment of what he was trying to follow and hoping for. Jude or Judas the son of James, also known as Thaddeus, is patron saint of desperate people, of those who feel that there is no one else to turn to. Jude earned this because of his witness to Jesus that despite his fears and inconsistencies, he allowed the Lord to transform him.

    These two apostles must have been part of the many people who followed Jesus and wanting to learn from him, and be touched by the life of Jesus. These two, like many of those people longed for the presence of God to fulfill the desires of their hearts. This desire reveals to us of the human longing to be connected, be supported and be healed by God.

    This longing is what Paul also trying to tell us in his letter to the Ephesians, he said, “you are no longer strangers or sojourners but fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God.” Paul expressed here the intimacy and closeness shared by people like Simon and Jude with God.

    This intimacy and closeness with God is what Jesus also showed to us in today’s Gospel. Luke recounts that as Jesus called his disciples and from them chose Twelve Apostles, Jesus spent a night in prayer to God. Jesus commune with his Father in heaven.

    Prayer, indeed, is a foundation of our relationship with God. Having a capacity and time to spend in prayer to God would allow us to see and recognize God’s heart and mind in the things that we want to pursue and to do. Jesus expressed this for he chose the twelve not just out of random, but Jesus must have built relationship with them, knew them by heart, and made them his very close friends. Thus, as Jesus spend a night in prayer to God, he also wants us to learn from him.

    In prayer, let us allow the Lord to touch us and to encounter him just as Simon and Jude encountered the Lord. In prayer, let us allow ourselves to consciously spend a time with God to express to the Lord our thoughts and also to listen to Him. In prayer, let us also allow the Lord to shape and purify our decisions and actions. And in prayer, we may grow more intimate with Jesus, day by day. Kabay pa.

  • Pray at every opportunity

    Pray at every opportunity

    October 27, 2022 – Thursday 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102722.cfm)

    Are you carrying some burdens now which affect your family life? Struggling on how to move forward after an emotional breakdown? Overwhelmed by stress and your negative emotions because of the demands and pressures on you? Confused and troubled on how to remain a good and honest Christian in the midst of corruption and dishonest transactions at work?

    These can be only some situations where we are in at the moment and finding ourselves entangled by one or more struggles. And experiencing challenges in our life, where do we draw strength? Where do we get wisdom and understanding? Where do we get inspiration and guidance so that we remain steadfast in our faith, attain a healthy way of life and maintain our healthy relationships with people?

    St. Paul calls and reminds us today, “to pray at every opportunity in the Spirit” because in this way then, we will be able to “draw strength from the Lord and from His mighty power.” When Paul wrote his letter to the Christians in the city of Ephesus who were also in the middle of struggles in their faith, he was himself in the prison. Paul was already persecuted at this time and was chained by his captors. And so Paul was writing from his own experience of drawing strength from the Lord. Despite being chained, Paul’s mind, heart and spirit drew strength from the Lord through prayer.

    Hence, Paul reminds us to draw strength from the Lord because of the many ordeals that we may face. Paul mentioned of the “tactics of the Devil” which may offer us the “easy way out or shortcuts of doing things”. There will be “struggles from the evil spirits” that will bring us into darkness and deeper into hopelessness.

    In order to face such challenges, Paul offers us ways on how we could draw strength from the Lord. Paul mentioned at least five ways.

    First, to stand fast in truth. This means that we are called to be careful with lies and deception that may sound true to us. That is why, always seek the truth, always seek Jesus.

    Second, on righteousness. This calls us to be morally upright in our relationships, in our work and ordinary dealings with others. This calls us further to uphold honesty, fairness, and respect for the rights of others.

    Third, readiness for the Gospel of peace. We are to promote understanding and harmony in our homes and communities, workplaces and organizations, hence, by being able to accept and welcome others. This calls us to preach, live and create a community that nurtures the Gospel of peace and not indifference and division, not violence and hatred.

    Fourth, to hold our faith in God. There could be other alternatives in facing one’s trial that we may have. Others may succumbed to addictive behaviors, to depression or to guilt or to something or someone else that one could thought to be a source of comfort and strength. However, these will only bring us deeper into darkness and hopelessness. Thus, faith in God, and holding on to it, as Paul tells us, will bring us always into the light and true source of strength. We may not always understand God’s way and God’s wisdom especially when we are in the midst of pain and trauma, yet, faith in God is already our assurance.

    Fifth, the Word of God. The Holy Bible is a gift given to us. The Lord reveals his Divine presence and the Divine plan of salvation written in the Holy Scriptures to remind us of God’s faithfulness. Thus, we are called to meditate on the word of God that we may discover further God’s desire for us and God’s invitation for us to grow.

    Therefore, make the Lord as our rock, as the very foundation of our person, of our family, relationships, work and every endeavor in our life, as our Responsorial Psalm invites us today. In fact, even Jesus himself showed this to us as Luke described it to us in the Gospel.

    Jesus indeed, faced a great ordeal in his ministry. There were influential and powerful people who were against him, who rejected him and wanted to kill him. This was the warning he received from some of the Pharisees who asked him to leave their area. They must have showed some concern to Jesus for telling him about the insecurities and evil plan of Herod to kill him.

    However, nothing can disturb, neither can stop nor discourage Jesus. His very person and identity, his ministry and mission are all founded in the constant love and faithfulness of his Father in Heaven. Such confidence in Jesus grew and developed more through his devotion to prayer as Jesus would always find time to commune with his Father in heaven.

    And so, we too are all called and invited today to take the example of Paul’s commitment “to pray at every opportunity” and to grow more like Jesus who is secured in the love and faithfulness of the Father. Kabay pa.

  • AM I READY TO LISTEN?

    AM I READY TO LISTEN?

    Rizza Mae O. Malalay, an RYM-Youth Minister, RYM Key Representative to FNYO, and a Missionera.

    This is a reflection by Rizza Mae after the recent online National Conference of Youth Ministers 2022 and her Mission Experiences in Tacloban and Oslob, Cebu.

    In one of our recollections with the Eastern Visayan Redemptorist Mission Team, we were asked to reflect upon “What is God trying to say to you now?” I shared within the group that I do not usually listen to God. Aside from I do not understand His ways, it was also really hard for me to identify His voice. So, thinking about it again, “Am I now, ready to listen?”

    I joined the National Conference of Youth Ministers for three consecutive Saturdays online. It was so challenging for me because at the same time I was in Oslob helping the Cebu Redemptorist Urban Mission Team in their mission engagement there, in the most possible way that I could.

    photo from CBCP-ECY Facebook Page

    We rushed there after our mission engagement in Tacloban city. I said that it was challenging because there was no mobile signal in the area. But they have Piso Wi-Fis and Wi-Fi routers though the internet would fluctuate. I was anxious during the Conference because we had activities in between. It was too hard for me to put my focus in the meeting but then I have realized that certain things happened for a reason. I can choose to not attend the NCYM for so many reasons or attend the NCYM despite all the challenges that I have encountered. However, I chose the latter. Right at that moment it occurred to me that God wanted me to learn to turn my challenges into opportunities. That this will definitely help me grow as a youth minister.

    In our calling to be a Synodal Church, in participation, in communion and in mission. I have seen that though a lot of people are with us walking in synodality, there are still more people who are left behind.  After the NCYM 2022, I have reflected that me as a youth minister, should;

    *Live and share my faith.

    The easiest way to make people believe in you is on how you live your life. In one of our synchronous workshops that I was in, the facilitator talked about that the Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) is being considered by many especially young people as a mere activity and not as a way of life, which I totally agree. Looking back, asking myself if I am really doing something? Am I living and sharing my faith? After leaving the mission area, it warms my heart hearing that the youth continues to serve the church, not just them but the community also is continuing what we have started. If we experience God and see God in others, then we should allow others also to experience God in us.

    *Reach-out and build relationship.

    I figured out that we can reach out and not build relationship. However, we cannot build relationship without reaching out. I understand that the Youth in our church, they come and go. But, deep in me I cannot understand why they would go. Of course aside from those who have valid reasons for leaving. I had encountered young ones who left the ministry and changed their religion. I had also conservations with youth members who told me that they described their leaders as flying and they were crawling. This is a description of having youth leaders who do not know what to do and so members have to figuratively crawl in order to make the ministry alive. It saddened me to hear all of those because as youth ministers we are called to become God’s instruments of helping the young to grow according to God’s purpose, that we are all in one mission and God is alive in us. If we would only always reach out and build relationship with everyone, I do believe that it would be easier for us to bring Christ in the lives of the so many young people today.

    *Have a listening heart

    For me as a youth minister I should listen to understand and not listen to respond. It is true that the younger generation now is quite different from mine as a millennial, so I am called to listen more. I have my own biases and I easily judged the younger generation. I can sense that every time we will plan-out an activity, they become more concerned if the senior members would approved it or not or Father will be okay with it or not. They tend to be more anxious to the point that they do not want to do more because of fear of being rejected. It feels like I also somehow kill their creativity to create new things, to explore, to learn, to dream and to learn new concepts or point of view because I myself would limit them. I should be the one to encourage them to serve and to make them realize that their unique contributions are welcomed by the Christian Community.

    Indeed, I will really find it hard to listen if I am not willing to listen. And it is hard for me to identify God’s voice if I am disturbed. In life, I realized that at some point I need pauses and breaks to understand what God is trying to say to me. God definitely resides in us and we can only hear Him by listening through our hearts.

    I pray that I may not harden my heart if I hear God’s voice and may I continue finding comfort in His love as a young person and as a youth minister.

    photo from CBCP-ECY Facebook Page