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Tag: Transformation

  • TO JOURNEY WITH GOD IS TO LISTEN TO GOD

    TO JOURNEY WITH GOD IS TO LISTEN TO GOD

    February 28, 2021 – Second Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022821.cfm)

    We are so familiar with the story of Abraham. God called him to go to a foreign land he did not know. Despite his insecurities, he took the risk and trusted God because God promised him that he will have children, land of his own and shall be a blessing to all the people on earth. However, our first reading tells us the opposite. God indeed gave Abraham and Sarah a son, Isaac, but God asked Abraham to sacrifice sin only son for God. Abraham was surely confused; he was deeply distressed at this request from God. Yet, Abraham took the risk and completely trusted in God.

    God just tested Abraham. And God saw how Abraham remained dedicated and faithful despite the pain that Abraham endured. What was very interesting in him was his ability to listen to God who called him. It was by listening to God that Abraham was able to go beyond and conquer his fears, doubts and confusions in life. Because of that, God blessed him throughout his life. By this attitude of Abraham, he was TRANSFORMED by God making him a blessing to all.

    But what is more interesting in our readings today is the TRANSFIGURATION of Jesus as witnessed by the three disciples – Peter, James and John. They have seen in advance the wonderful face of Jesus in the glorious resurrection. However, we would wonder, why would Jesus allow the three to see in advance or have a foretaste of the glorious resurrection? The voice that came from the clouds would tell us something. That mysterious voice says, “This is my beloved son. Listen to him.”

    The voice from the cloud tells the three that Jesus is indeed the chosen one, the Messiah that they have been waiting for – the BELOVED ONE to whom they should LISTEN! The disciples are told to LISTEN to Jesus and to follow him in this life. They are told to listen to the life that Jesus will show them. Yet, this life with Jesus entails struggles, suffering and even death but there will be also joy and peace in the glorious resurrection.

    Indeed, as they listened and followed Jesus, these fishermen turned into fishers of men. From being fearful and doubtful followers of Jesus they have become dedicated apostles and preachers of the Gospel. By listening to the Lord, they were transformed and converted into new persons.

    This is now the message, the call that is being offered to us on this Second Sunday of Lent – that each of us and as a community we are called to JOURNEY WITH GOD. By journeying with God, it is essential that WE LISTEN TO GOD, to His Word. God is telling us now, “Be my herald of the good news, be my gossiper of the Gospel! Be my blessing to others”

    As we respond to the call of Jesus, expect that we would feel what Abraham felt at the beginning. We can be fearful and doubtful like the disciples of Jesus. However, let us be confident that we will be transformed into new persons as we continually listen to what the Lord is saying to us. Let us remember, in following the Lord, it entails taking risks and trusting God to transform us and to change our old and destructive ways, habits and mindsets.

    These old habits, they could be our passivity – which means that we go to church, sitting on that same area where you are seated now, saying the same prayers, responding your ‘amen’ and then go home. And that’s it! We can be very comfortable with that without confronting what is wrong with us or without recognizing our mistakes and ways of being indifferent towards other. Yes, we can we comfortable with our passivity.

    Or this could be our overwhelming self-centered heart – that desires to dominate or manipulate others, to have everything and to be in control of everything and everyone. We can be very comfortable with that! – of having an overwhelming self-centered heart.

    Orthiscould be our paralyzing fear, self-doubt and shame – that reject and do  not recognize our own giftedness and talents. We may tend to put ourselves down and discredit the possibilities that we are capable of. We can be very comfortable with that! – With our paralyzing fear, self-doubt and shame.

    Indeed, we can be very comfortable with those old and destructive ways, habits and mindsets  that we have been practicing and doing because we tend to stay to what is only familiar to us. Nevertheless, this is not what God is asking us now and not what God wants us to be.

    God tells us, “Listen to me!” God speaks in our hearts through the words in the bible, through this celebration that we are not to remain passive, self-centered, fearful and doubtful of ourselves but to become pro-active, self-sacrificing, life-giving and confident in God’s words like Abraham and the disciples of Jesus.

    Thus, for this Second Week of Lent, I would like to ask each of you to find time for the whole week to open your bible, read the Gospel of the day and stay in silence at least for 5 minutes. Let that passage speak to you, let God speak to you through the bible, listen to Him! Hopefully, through this simple exercise, we may be moved to gradually be transformed into the way God wants us to be. Hinaut pa.

  • When God is pushed away, God makes a way

    When God is pushed away, God makes a way

    February 1, 2021 – Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020121.cfm)

    Today’s Gospel story presents us two kinds of response towards the presence of Jesus. The first was with the man who had an unclean spirit and second was with the people who approached Jesus after the healing of the man.

    Let us see a quick look into each kind of response and discover God’s presence today.

    First was with the man who had an unclean spirit. This man had been dwelling among the tombs, was very strong and self-destructive. Jesus did not look for him but it was the man with unclean spirit who initiated to met Jesus. But why? The unclean spirit in him knew very much that it could not hide from God. However, what was interesting here was the conversation between the two.

    The man with unclean spirit revealed to Jesus that there were many evil spirits dwelling in the man, thus, called Legion. Legion is not actually a name but only refers to the number of evil spirits dwelling in the man. This is why the man seemed to be very strong that no chain could restrain him. He must have been pushed away by the people in his community because of his sickness and because of his destructive behavior. There among the tombs, the evil spirits could only do harm to him.

    Moreover, such encounter with Jesus revealed how helpless the evil spirits against Jesus. They were terrified in his presence. They knew Jesus very well and even named him to take control over Jesus. In their fear, they tried to intimidate Jesus by revealing that there were many evil spirits in the man. However, Jesus seemed not to be disturbed by this intimidation by the evil spirits. Jesus knew the nature and the agenda of these evil spirits. They desired to bring destruction, suffering, pain and death.

    Nevertheless, though they were many but they could not kill the man because of the image of God in every man and woman. This was the reason why they “begged” Jesus to allow them to transfer to a herd of swine. Indeed, the evil spirits brought destruction and death to the herd by drowning at sea.

    And the man? He was healed and freed from the slavery of sin and evil. The man returned in his right mind, regained his dignity and claimed himself, loved and forgiven by God. Such change and transformation in him drew him more towards the Lord. The man realized the great presence of God and so he expressed to follow Jesus. However, there was another turning point here. Jesus did not allow him to follow him but instead, the man was commanded to go home to his family and to announce to the people his story of God finding him and him reclaiming himself. Certainly, the man went off and proclaimed how God manifested the grace of forgiveness and life in the Decapolis, meaning, ten cities.

    This is a story that tells us of God’s way of bringing transformation and change in our life and making such grace into a fountain of encounter with God by making us His witnesses, preachers and apostles to others.

    The second response towards the presence of Jesus was with the people in the territory of Gerasenes.  When the people saw and witnessed themselves that the man they knew who was possessed with an unclean spirit regained himself and was in his right mind, “they were seized with fear.” This is how the Gospel of Mark described their reaction.

    What kind of fear was that then? Were they not supposed to be happy, instead of being afraid? They were really seized with fear because they realized how the power of Jesus could bring significant changes in their life. That change in their life was that something which made them terrified. The people were already comfortable at how they lived their life. It was acceptable to them that a self-destructive man was there living among the tombs. It was comfortable to them to make everything as usual. It was beneficial to them to remain in that state of life.

    The people did not want change and transformation in their life. They did not want to confront the evils in their community and in their lives because they have become so used to them and because it will cost them so much. Changing one’s life according to God’s desire will require them to let go of what was old, what was usual, what was comfortable and what was only beneficial for them. Thus, they cannot accept change. They cannot accept forgiveness and new life with Jesus.

    This was the reason why they begged Jesus to leave their district. Jesus did leave because the Lord does not impose his power to us. Though God is almighty but God does not threaten us.  

    Yet, though the people pushed Jesus away from their life, God would not also surrender. God remains hopeful and always sees opportunities and ways to bring us back to Him. That is why, Jesus sent the healed and forgiven man back to his family to preach and to tell his story. That changed and transformed man was to bring people back to God. This tells us that when God is pushed away, God makes a way. Hinaut pa.

  • When Jesus calls, he brings wonders in our life

    When Jesus calls, he brings wonders in our life

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    September 21, 2020 – Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092120.cfm)

    Homily

    Have you ever come to a point where you felt so unworthy, useless and even felt disgusted with yourself because of something wrong that you have done before? This happens when we have a deep consciousness of our own sinfulness, imperfections and weaknesses. Yet, when we also tend to focus to what is only wrong and ugly in us, we also begin to lose self-confidence, self-worth and self-value.  We also begin to underestimate our capacities and ourselves.

    In relation to this, the way we relate with God is also affected because we would tend to relate with Him as someone who would judge us and punish us for what we have done. Then, we relate with God in fear and guilt rather than in love.

    This kind of attitude was very strong during the time of Jesus. Sinners had no place in the Jewish society. When a person is poor and sickly, they believed that God punished him/her for the sins the person committed or committed by his/her parents in the past. People believed that sinners must be driven away from the community.

    This is the reason why lepers were untouchables, or the paralytics, the lame and the blind were despised by the “normal people,” because they were sinners and were punished by God. The seemingly normal people who were identified as the Pharisees and Scribes maintained a status quo that separated them from the sinners. These people would not touch any known or public sinners. They would not join them in any celebration. They forbid those sinners from entering the synagogue and the Temple. They disowned the sinners, treated them as less-humans, despised them and condemned them.

    Thus, every sinner felt unloved, unwanted and condemned. However, this is not the case with Jesus. Jesus turned the condemning culture upside down. Jesus went away from the rigid, judgmental and unforgiving Pharisees and Scribes. He surprised them with forgiveness, mercy and love.

    This is what has been proclaimed in today’s Gospel as Jesus called Matthew, a tax-collector to follow him. Matthew, since he worked with the Roman rulers and collected tax among his fellow Jews, was considered a public sinner. His fellow Jews despised and prohibited him to enter the synagogue and the temple and even to mingle with his fellow Jews. Matthew, like any other sinner, was condemned and excommunicated by the Jewish society.

    For the Jews, no righteous Jew shall talk to him or touch him. Yet, Jesus did all these things. Jesus talked to Matthew, touched him and even dined with him, made him a friend and called Matthew to be one of the disciples. This tells us how Jesus calls and brings many wonders in the life of a person who responds.

    Jesus proclaimed his message to everyone as he said, “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” This tells us that God is a God of forgiveness, of many chances, of healing and freedom. Jesus understands the struggle of a sinner though he was not a sinner himself.

    The letter of Paul to the Ephesians tells us that each of us has been given the grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. As Matthew, the sinner was given the grace of forgiveness and acceptance, and so we are. The presence of God is the grace that liberates us from whatever burden, shame and guilt that we are suffering from.

    Hence, we should be careful then, when we feel the temptation to appear righteous and superior. Jesus said that he did not come for the righteous but for the sinners because righteous people do not need God. In fact, when we feel too righteous, we become arrogant. Arrogance keeps us away from God and would make us deny God’s mercy.

    This is the invitation for us today. We are called to humble ourselves by acknowledging our sinfulness. This moves us then, to recognise our need for God, need for forgiveness and healing. And when we recognise God in our life, then, we also allow God to transform us, to change our lives, to call us and to touch us like what happened to the public sinner, Matthew. As he allowed Jesus to call him, Matthew’s life was changed forever who became an apostles and an evangelist. Matthew, through his past life, brought many people to know Jesus until today.

    Hopefully, this kind of attitude towards ourselves and towards God, our attitude and treatment to those who failed, committed mistakes and have wronged us, may also become more like Jesus – that we may become welcoming of other sinners like us, by forgiving those offenders like us, and by promoting healing and reconciliation and not condemnation and destruction of sinners and offenders like us. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Giving a space for God

    Giving a space for God

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    September 2, 2020 – Wednesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090220.cfm)

    Homily

    When we allow a person to occupy a space in our life, this also means that we make ourselves open to the person. The person may know our deepest secrets, as well as our deepest pain in life.

    This is how we find our relationships fulfilling and essential in our personal development. Of course, we assume that the person whom we have given the space in our life has the good intention of giving care and love to us.

    However, if the person whom we have given a space in our heart and in our life, betrays us, gives us more pain and stress, then, our relationship becomes hurtful and even toxic for us. This kind of relationship does not help us and would only bring us into desperation.

    Yet, when it is God who asks for a space in our life and in our heart, will we allow God to occupy a space? Are we willing to give up something for God to be in our life?

    God would surely not bring us harm. God only desires goodness and happiness for us. Nevertheless, giving a space for God also requires something from us. We cannot accommodate the Lord when our heart is full, if our life is occupied with many things. What God actually needs is a small space to bring healing and transformation in us.

    This is what we have heard from the readings today. St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, reminded the people of their childish attitudes which actually made their hearts full and unwelcoming to God’s spirit to work in them. The community in Corinth was filled with jealousy and rivalry. Paul called them “infants,” meaning that the people were still exercising their selfish attitudes and seemed to advance their personal interest rather than the interest of the Lord.

    Paul reminded them to become mature by claiming and welcoming the Lord in their life and not to be limited with the influence given by Apollos or by Paul himself.

    Moreover, the Gospel also tells us how Jesus brought healing and transformation into the house of Simon. As it was in any typical Jewish house at that time, the house of Simon, must had been full of people too. His house was not just occupied by his wife and children but also his in-laws, nephews and nieces.

    However, despite this situation, Simon offered Jesus a space in his house. When Jesus was given a space into the house of Simon, Jesus was able to heal his mother-in-law who was afflicted with a severe fever. The miracle of healing happened here. She, indeed, was healed.

    But what was more interesting was the effect of the healing, and that was the transformation which made her to act, to be generous of herself to the Lord and his friends. When she was healed, she got up and waited on them. This means that when she experienced the healing, she served the Lord in her own capacity. This is faith in action and gratitude being transformed into generosity and kindness.

    This is what the Lord is inviting us also today. We may have experienced hurts and pains in our human relationships because those whom we welcomed in our life have caused us troubles, but we are assured that God would only bring healing and transformation in us. God desires that we will be healed in whatever illness and pain we are experiencing today, may it be physical or emotional.

    Thus, we are called to give a space for God by also getting rid of those that are not actually helpful and not necessary. This applies in our personal life, in our relationships, and in our homes and communities particularly. Allow the Lord today to occupy that space and allow him too to heal and bring transformation in us.

    Hopefully, as we also experience the gift of healing, this may lead us to transformation where we are moved to put in action our faith and to make concrete our gratitude to God by becoming generous and kind towards others. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR