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Tag: Weekday

  • The Prudence of the Dishonest Steward

    The Prudence of the Dishonest Steward

    November 6, 2020 – Friday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110620.cfm)

    Homily

    We have a puzzling gospel reading today. The master in the story praised the dishonest steward. But does it mean that Jesus also praises those who are dishonest? Certainly, no! It was not the dishonesty of the steward that was praised neither by the master in the story nor by Jesus but rather the ‘prudence’ of the steward.

    Let us look again how the steward acted prudently. The steward faced with a crisis, he was about to lose his job for being dishonest to his master. In his mind he couldn’t go on by becoming a labourer by digging or by begging. What he did, then, was to take away the commission that he would usually get from the debtors of his master. That is why he asked one debtor to make 50 for the one who owed 100 measures of oil and 80 for the other who owed 100 bushels of wheat. Surely, those debtors would be very happy of being unburdened of such debt. The steward had just thought about his future so that when he will be fired, there will be people who would hire him for a job out of gratitude to him.

    This is what Jesus tells us today, that as Christians, we are challenged to be prudent enough. We are challenged particularly in using and spending our material possessions in the hope of making our relationship with other people to be better. For this reason, we are called to be careful that we may not be ‘possessed’ by our own possessions which will only bring us into the danger of indifference and oppression towards the lowly and the poor.

    Consequently, we are also called to be fair and to be generous enough as we deal with those who are economically struggling. Thus, it would be a big help to support local vendors and local businesses, to buy products from local peddlers and show fairness with our own business too. Our material possessions can be best employed also in reaching out to others by feeding the hungry and clothing the naked especially those who are being affected recently by the super typhoon Rolly.

    Indeed, these are ways of recognizing God as the generous giver of graces. By being grateful to the Lord, may it move us then to be generous also to the needy. This is a way of building relationship with one another, building friendship and helping one another as a community of believers. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • 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:…

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  • God has so much to offer for us

    God has so much to offer for us

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    November 3, 2020 – Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110320.cfm)

    Homily

    God has so much to offer for us. In God’s infinite love for the world and for every creature, God became man and expressed in a loving service the love that redeems and gives the fullness of life. The Letter of Paul to the Philippians contains this early Christian hymn to Jesus, the Lord. In this hymn, God’s desire for us to have the fullness of life, the Son became man and lived a human life. The Lord “emptied himself” to show us how Jesus did not cling to his divinity so that we will be able to see his face.

    God broke the barrier that separated us from him. Because we cannot come near to God, and God came to be with us. This is how the loving service of Jesus became more life-giving. He was most willing to offer his life so that we may have the fullness of life.

    This is what our Gospel also reminds us today. The parable that Jesus gave reinforces this desire of God to offer us the fullness of life. As the master of the house also called the presence of the poor and the crippled, and blind and the lame and of those living in the highways and peripheries, God also invites us the wounded and the brokenhearted, the sinners and guilty. All of us.

    God, certainly, has so much to offer us. However, just as the invited guests found excuses not to go to the banquet, we could also become dismissive and indifferent to God’s daily invitations for us. Our lame excuses of having other affairs, of having fears and anxieties, of having other priorities, in overwhelming our hearts with anger and hatred, in filling up our mind with selfish intentions,  and in clinging to our habitual sins will surely prevent us to joyfully accept God’s invitation.

    God calls us to empty ourselves from all these unnecessary distractions and to fill our hearts and mind with God’s presence so that we may grow in that desire of God to experience the fullness of life in the here and now with our community. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • Places of Honor and Self-Entitlement

    Places of Honor and Self-Entitlement

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    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

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    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