Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: New Normal

  • The Challenges and graces of what is New

    The Challenges and graces of what is New

    Advertisements

    September 4, 2020 – Friday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090420.cfm)

    Homily

    By this time, most of us have already adjusted with the “new normal.” The change of lifestyle and adopting to new ways of doing things in this time of pandemic must have gradually taken roots into our way of life. Others must have struggled because of this change yet, we have to because it is needed and it is important.

    However, there are many things in our life too that remains unchanged and might not be helpful at all in our relationships. These may include our attitudes, perspective in life and certain beliefs. This could have come from our desire to be secured and assured of today and of what lies ahead of us. Thus, we develop or make a routine so that we become familiar and comfortable in doing things.

    This is the reason why we also settle and become comfortable with traditions. We do familiar things, thinking of the same ideas, having the same perspective, meet familiar people and create familiar events because we have been doing them in the past. In the same way, we also form habitual activities and attitudes.

    However, when we become so absorbed and concerned in doing, thinking, seeing and feeling with what is only familiar, then, there is a danger that we might also resist any changes and to be surprised with what is new. Because we are comfortable of the things of the past, we might believe that invitations of change are threats to our desire to be secured, to be certain and to be in controlled.

    With this kind of attitude towards change and new things, we could also become rigid, close-minded and even unwelcoming to what is new and unfamiliar to us. Yet, God’s invitation to us is always new and geared towards change and transformation of our heart, mind and of our total person.

    In our Gospel today, Jesus tells the Scribes and the Pharisees that “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.”

    Jesus is actually inviting us to welcome what is new and unfamiliar to us and also to be surprised by the challenges and the graces it brings. Again, this is what he means to the Scribes and Pharisees who complained that while the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees fast often and offer prayers, his disciples eat and drink with him.

    Indeed, they wondered why his disciples were not following the old practices of the Jews. However, Jesus was not making an excuse for not doing the tradition. Jesus wanted them to realize that there was greater than the tradition and that was Him. Jesus did not reject what was taught and had been practiced for a long time, but to be more welcoming of the new things that have come. His person and very presence among them was something new and something that everyone should capture and cherish.

    Definitely, the Spirit of God brings freshness in us and God’s invitations may become uncomfortable for us because God inspires change and renewal. Jesus calls us today to be willing and welcoming to his surprises and invitations of change and renewal because he wants us to be renewed and be restored from our old, broken, sinful and habitual ways.

    Thus, I invite you to pause for a moment today, then, reflect and discern this question, “What are those old ways, attitudes, beliefs and habits that I have developed which do not help me, and do not help in building healthy relationships with others and with God?

    As we identify them, let us also ask the grace from the Lord that we may have the courage to face them. Allow also the Lord to change and renew us by embracing the challenges and graces to what new perspective and new life bring. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Life Again OR Anew? Normal Life OR New Life?

    Life Again OR Anew? Normal Life OR New Life?

    Advertisements

    August 30, 2020 – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083020.cfm)

    Homily

    How are you coping lately with the New normal life pandemic times has put us up? Whether we like it or not, pandemic reality has changed, is changing, and will change our lives. For better for worse, our life ahead will never be normal back again. Rather than hoping to regain back the normal good old times, we cannot help but accept that we are now at the dawn of the New life ahead and cope with its demands.

    Challenging at this early stage is our grieving over our losses – be it relationships, work opportunities, privileges, lifestyle and above all our usual normal life back then. Many have resorted to anger and blame-game (blaming government, civic and church leaders, & even God and themselves) while others succumbed to bargaining (selling themselves short) and denial & depression – a great danger to mental health. That is why at the dawn of a new life before us now it is important for us nowadays to check and be aware of how we are grieving over our losses and coping with its demands, and above all discern our proper attitude and approach towards the dawn of  new normal life ahead.

    And perhaps we could ask the question: WWJS? “What Would Jesus Say” about our experience of New Normal? How should we approach and what should be our attitude to this New life with Him being offered before us now?

    We remember that for deciding and professing Jesus as his Christ, and as confirmed by Jesus, Peter gained a new identity, role and faith in life as the “Rock”. Because of his inspired new faith in Jesus as the Messiah, Peter plays now an important mission as the foundation stone in the New life Jesus is offering all. However, the same Peter in our gospel today is called by Jesus as stumbling block because he hinders Jesus from the coming suffering and persecution New life entails. For Jesus, the way to redemption is not through our normal way but through the suffering of the way of the cross that requires “deny oneself, take up your cross & follow me.” Meaning, newness also brings along death of our normal lives and loosening of our usual ways. Peter here becomes  an obstacle – a stumbling block to the New  because though he chooses the New but not at the cost of his usual old Normal but corrupted life and ways. Peter do believe in the promise of the New life with Christ but not at the expense of his usual but limited  normal life. Meaning, for listening and being inspired by God, Peter becomes the foundation stone to the promise of a New Life; but for clinging on to his usual Normal human ways, Peter becomes its stumbling block.  

    Thus amidst the New Life being offered us now during this pandemic times, as Jesus directs us through Peter, we may choose now whether to be a foundation stone OR a stumbling block to the New life with Christ. We may open and be inspired to welcome and adapt with the New ways OR we may remain with our usual limited normal life.

    And we also know that for the inspired New to come and grow in our lives now, we have to loose and give up our corrupted normal life. New wine requires new (not normal old) wineskin. New (not the usual) vine for new branches. New updated (not old outdated) system version for new programs. Updates are and should not be same but much better than the usual. And all these new lifestyle requires rebooting, reformatting, and reprogramming, i.e. in religious lingo, the way of the cross towards resurrection and the sorrowful mystery towards the glorious mystery. As Albert Einstein would say: “We cannot solve our problem with the same thinking we used when we created them”, we do need something new and above us (difficult it may be), and cannot remain with the same usual normal thinking, approach or attitude to deal and live with the new offer of life before us now. Same with Peter, we cannot BE Fishers of men by simply just doing our usual normal way of fishing fishes.

    Perhaps we ponder on these questions: “When given another chance now, would you do it Again OR Anew? Would you do it same as before OR better than before? Would you live now as usual as before OR as New as it can & will be?” And now we are given another Chance, so what’s it’s gonna be? Lord, as we, your followers cope with the challenges of our pandemic reality,  guide us to be a foundation stone, rather than a stumbling block to Your promise and offer of New Life with us now and always. Amen.  

    By  Fr. Aphelie Mario Masangcay, CSsR (a former Filipino Redemptorist Missionary for Filipino Migrants in South Korea who, due to immune compromised diabetic condition, stationed back home  in the Philippines for now).