Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Ordinary Time

  • God is Loving and Forgiving

    God is Loving and Forgiving

    November 5, 2020 – Thursday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110520.cfm)

    Homily

    I find it disturbing that while Jesus was trying to bring people to conversion, to freedom and closer to God, there was a group of people also who grumbled and complained because of Jesus’ actions. The parable of the lost sheep and of the lost coin are images of God searching for those who along the path of life have lost their way, distanced from the community and from God. Yet, God longs and desires the presence of those who lost their way. Thus, these two parables tell us really how dear each of us in God’s heart. God will not rest and will not surrender until God wins us back and finds us again.

    However, such image and nature of God, was received with hatred by those who wanted to control God. The Pharisees and scribes complained and grumbled because Jesus was eating with sinners and being friendly with them. They did not want a God who forgives and redeems sinners and the lost. They wanted a God who condemns.

    This was the reason of their grumbling because they wanted a condemning God. Having this kind of God, then, they can easily incite fear among the people and control people according to their agenda and selfish intentions.

    That is why, Jesus’ presence was indeed a threat against these people, because Jesus was turning the table against them. Jesus revealed the true face of God, a loving and forgiving God.

    Hence, while Jesus tells us of God’s embrace and God’s longing for us, we too are reminded of our tendency to reject God. The Pharisees and the scribes represent that tendency in us to reject whatever is of God’s. However, just as the shepherd never stopped until he found the lost sheep and just as the woman searched carefully until she found the lost coin, God also continues to call and invite us, to search and to find us until we allow God to embrace us.

    This is something that Paul also realized. His letter to the Philippians recounted his past where he thought that he was already in the right path. Yet, Paul was a lost soul believing that righteousness based on the law was enough. However, when Jesus found him, Paul also found himself and gained everything in Christ.

    May these parables always remind us of this God who longs and desires for our presence, for our conversion and for our freedom. Moreover, may it move us too to be more embracing, accepting and welcoming of our brothers and sisters who need a lot of understanding and loving because of unfortunate circumstances in their life. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

    Please take more doses of God today. The only side-effect is for you to become holier.

    SPIRITED

    February 15, 2026 – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021526.cfm) “Do you believe in chain letters? or nowadays we may call it as Copy-Paste & Post OR-ELSE…. Facebook, Messenger, or Twitter posts?” At times, I have been asked about this, & I find myself giving the same answer. I say:…

    A Dose of God Today's avatar by A Dose of God Today

  • Towards a healthy and holy human relationships

    Towards a healthy and holy human relationships

    November 4, 2020 – Wednesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110420.cfm)

    Homily

    Why do some human relationships cause more pain and harm than joy and peace in us? Why do some human relationships fail and eventually hurt us for the rest of our life? We have seen how broken human relationships bring people towards desperation, loneliness, bitterness, anger and hatred. The jealousy, unfaithfulness, insecurities, betrayal and irresponsibility can cause havoc and damage to our human relationships whether at home, at work, among lovers and couples, among friends and communities.

    But if we would really look at its roots, we will surely find “selfishness” as the active agent that corrupts our human relationships. Our tendency to advance our personal agenda, to prioritize what is only good for ourselves, to secure benefits for ourselves alone and to satisfy our personal desires above others will eventually make us very toxic to our relationships.

    Thus, a selfish lover or spouse will turn out to be abusive and emotionally manipulative. A self-centered parent can become controlling and even violent in words and actions towards the children. A self-centered friend can be constantly seeking recognition and praise from others or could be insisting to always consider his or her comfort but unwilling to compromise for the sake of others. These are just few examples of possible actions and tendencies of selfishness that can certainly destroy and cause damage to our relationships.

    That’s why, we also long for a relationship that will truly help us as persons and mold us to become better persons. The readings today have very important message for us and for our human relationships.

    For our human relationships to have a grounding and a better foundation, our relationships must be rooted in God not to our personal preferences and selfish intentions. This means that becoming a disciple of Jesus leads towards a healthy and holy human relationships. This is what Jesus meant as he said, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, he cannot be my disciple.”

    Though hating one’s family member seems to be so harsh for us today, but Jesus did not mean the English word “hatred.” This is a Jewish idiom that meant for “preferences.” Thus, Jesus meant that when we give more preference or priority to others than God, then, we cannot be his disciple. Our human relationships too will lose a good foundation.

    Hence, Jesus also said, “everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” The possessions, which could be our wealth and material things, self-image and fame, position and influence, achievement and status in the community, may possess us to the point that they become our priority rather than God and loving others through service.

    God asks us today to make Him as our priority over our other priorities. What is more beautiful here is God’s invitation for us to make our relationship with Him as the “life and soul” of our human relationships. It is from our relationship with God that, hopefully, we will become responsible and generous persons especially as we relate with others as a parent, sibling, a child, a friend or as a professional or whatever work, profession and status we have now.

    This is what Paul also expressed in his letter to the Philippians. A community that lives in the presence of God and rejoices in God’s presence “will shine like lights in the world.” Therefore, giving priority to God and making God the very center of our human relationships will transform us like lights in the world.

    Consequently, we will also witness how a couple whose relationship is grounded in God becomes loving and inspiring to others. A family whose relationship prioritizes God becomes a source of comfort, security and joy, becoming a true home. A friendship where the Lord plays the most important part among friends becomes welcoming and discerning.

    This is how the Lord moves us as we make God the very priority of all our human relationships. We may all work on this so that we will also become less and less self-centered and selfish and become more self-giving and life-giving. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Places of Honor and Self-Entitlement

    Places of Honor and Self-Entitlement

    Advertisements

    October 31, 2020 – Saturday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/103120.cfm)

    Homily

    Jesus must have been a very observant person. He noticed the attitudes of the people who were invited in an event. He saw how each one sought to secure for themselves places of honor at the table. If we would imagine, the guests must have been fighting to sit near the host since that would tell everybody that he is higher in status or more important than others. To occupy a place of honor is to insist that the person is entitled to it because of that status, or relation, or influence he has.

    We must have heard or met people who demanded others to give them special treatment. Or we might be the very person also who seek to be given privileges and special recognition because of our status, successes and achievements, profession or degree, influence and wealth or because of our relation to someone who is important in the community, in our workplace, or organization or even in the Church. We fall into the temptation to be self-entitled just like the people Jesus was talking about, when we are filled with arrogance and self-importance.

    Self-entitled persons are very demanding and think too highly of themselves. Thus, when we turn to be self-entitled we demand respect from others rather than earn respect. This is how we will become demanding in our relationships. Yet, we become critical of people around us and tend to only see the wrong in the other person. We will become stingy of our time and energy and ungenerous of our resources and presence to those who ask for our help. Most of all, we become indifferent to people around us and indifferent to God.

    Thus, what Jesus also criticized and called for conversion is the “indifference” among self-entitled persons. Because of their self-importance and demand to be respected, a self-entitled person becomes indifferent to what others feel and to what others need. What is more important for a self-entitled, is self-satisfaction and recognition from others.

    However, this attitude does not worship God. Such attitude would even demand God to be gracious because of his righteousness.

    Jesus warns us, anyone who exalts himself will be shamed because God does not favor a self-entitled. A self-entitled person is hated in the community. We may be praised because we demand it, but we are despised because we are truly not deserving. God, rather, takes delight with the humble because the humble connects and relates with others, with sincerity and honesty.

    Thus, God exalts the humble because of the awareness of the person of his needs and shortcomings. May we grow, then, in humility and get rid of any form of self-entitlement in our hearts. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Our Loving Response

    Our Loving Response

    Advertisements

    October 30, 2020 – Friday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/103020.cfm)

    Homily

    Paul’s letter today reveals how warm his heart to people who were significant in his life. The Philippians who were Paul’s converts had a special place in his heart. This is how Paul also expressed his affection and longing of friendship with them. Moreover, Paul was even more grateful for the friendship he had with the Philippians, something that gave so much confidence and strength to Paul.

    This tells us how friendship supports and gives assurance to people especially in difficult times. Paul was in prison, probably in Rome or in Ephesus, when he wrote his letter to them. While in prison, Paul must have a hard time. However, his friendship with these people was a source of comfort to him. Remembering them gave him joyful memories that must have eased the pain and loneliness while being persecuted.

    Paul, indeed, gave life to this community through his ministry of preaching of the good news. In return, the community also gave him the Spirit of friendship and love.

    This is a true loving response between people bounded in their friendship with the Lord. Paul’s deep friendship with the Lord compelled him to preach Jesus and bring the Risen Lord to the communities he encountered. Those communities like that of the Philippians developed such friendship too with one another and with Paul that mutually guides, supports and gives life to them.

    Such loving response is the prayer of Paul also to the Philippians, he said, “and this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more.”

    This kind of loving response is what we also witnessed in today’s Gospel. Jesus seeing a man suffering from dropsy was moved to heal and free the person. Jesus had so much affection for this man that he could not stand anymore seeing him suffering. The Lord’s desire was for every man and woman to have the fullness of life.

    Despite the very situation of Jesus, he took the risk of healing the sick man in front of the those powerful people, the Pharisees. Though the Pharisees were silent when Jesus asked them, “Is it lawful to cure on a Sabbath or not?,” but their silence was filled with malice and hostility against Jesus.

    Jesus took the risk because what he had was a loving response to a person in need. What matters most was his action to love and to assure the person that God has not left him.

    This is what Jesus is also reminding and calling us today. We are called to respond in love and show our affection to people. Like Paul, let us also show with confidence our love and affection to those who are special in our life. Like Jesus too, let us not forget to assure, even the strangers, that as Christians, we are here to love and show concern to those who are in need. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Drawing Strength from the Lord

    Advertisements

    October 29, 2020 – Thursday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102920.cfm)

    Homily

    When life gets rough, where do you get your strength? When life seems unfair, where do you get your courage?

    Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, reminds us today to draw strength from the Lord and to pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. Paul acknowledges how life as a Christian can be so demanding and challenging. Aside from the personal issues and problems, there will be rejections and oppositions coming from those with evil intentions.

    With this, Paul tells us today to always find strength from God and not from our arrogance and self-confidence. The Lord is our rock, source of our strength, as our Psalm proclaims today.

    Paul enumerates the values where we can draw that strength from God. When we are truthful and honest, standing to what is right, embracing peace, holding to our faith and meditating upon the word of God, then, we shall always draw God’s strength in life. We are being promised that in whatever circumstances we are in, we shall always have the strength of God.

    This is something that Jesus showed us also today in the Gospel. Despite the opposition and the resistance of the people in Jerusalem, Jesus remained steadfast and confident in the Father. Jesus never surrendered in us, to gather us together and bring us closer to God. Jesus desires that we will all be reconciled to him.

    In his ministry, Jesus drew strength from the Father and the love that they share for all. Thus, God yearns for the freedom of all.

    Today, Jesus also calls us that when life gets rough and when life seems unfair, draw strength from him. Paul suggests that we pray to the Spirit at all times, at every opportunity. Praying to the Spirit makes our heart and mind more attuned and familiar to God’s way. This will allow us to become more responsive to God’s invitation for us. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR