STRIVING TOWARDS PERFECTION

Twenty – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 9: 13 – 18b / Ps 90 / Phlmn 9 – 10, 12 – 17 / Luke 14: 25 – 33

I remember Ai Ai delas Alas in Tanging Ina saying, “Practice makes perfect but no one is perfect, therefore why practice?”

You will all agree with me that the journey towards perfection is an uphill climb. To be perfect means having to go through a lot of sacrifices, which in turn, requires a lot of endurance. No wonder some people would say, “Buti pa ang fairy tale, may happy ending, samantalang tayo, ay palaging to be continued (fairy tales are better than us because they all have a happy ending while we are always to be continued).” To dream for a perfect life, a perfect family life, and a perfect love life is not an easy dream to realize.

In our Gospel today, Jesus enumerates for us ways on how to become his disciple. Allow me just highlight one of the ways which He offered. In the Gospel we heard that whoever wishes to construct a tower must first sit down and calculate to see if there is enough for its completion. Otherwise, people will be laughing at him for he is unable to finish it. With that analogy, Jesus points to us an important task of a disciple and that is to always strive for perfection. But why should we strive for perfection anyway, one may ask. Jesus in another part of the Gospel challenges us to be perfect just as the heavenly Father is perfect.

To strive for perfection is like building a tower as it is mentioned in our Gospel today. It does not happen overnight. To be able to reach perfection, we must sit down and calculate; one must work for it. The problem with us is that we are only good in the beginning. If you notice, after we go to Confession, we are in high spirits to be good. However, as time move on, slowly our goal to perfection fades, and instead of finding ways and means on how to be perfect, then, we simply say to ourselves, “mas maayo pa mangitag Pokemon kaysa mangita ko sa Ginoo sa akong kinabuhi (it’s better to look for Pokemon that look for God in our lives)”.

My dear friends, this is therefore our challenge: that in the journey towards perfection, we must persevere along the way. Yes, there will be challenges, there will be temptations, and there will be moments when we become tired and weary. People would even hate us for trying to be good and for being truthful. However, what is important is that we use these difficulties to challenge us all the more for that perfection. I hope and pray that we do not easily surrender and believe on the saying that if you cannot beat them, then, join them. If people will hate you because you are doing good, because you are defending what is true, do not worry, after all, at the end of your lives, it is only between you and God and no one else.

My dear friends, at 4:00 this afternoon, Philippine Time, Blessed Mother Teresa will be raised to the altar as a saint. Mother Teresa who was born in Macedonia was given the name, Agnes. Attracted to the Loreto Sisters, she went to Ireland to join the community. It was there that she took on the name Sr. Teresa after St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Since she was not English speaking then, she studied English well until she became a teacher herself. A few years later, she felt a call within a call; she realized that she must move from teaching to touching lives of people especially the poor. It was during her immersion with the poor especially children when she was being called “Mother Teresa.” Since her apostolate involveed the caring for the sick, she also studied nursing in order to be effective in her ministry. On October 2003, six years after her death, she was beatified by the then Pope John Paul II. And today, she will finally be called Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

My dear friends, Mother Teresa is an example of someone who builds the tower of perfection slowly but surely. Despite the challenges that she needed to face, she did not surrender. Rather, she used these challenges to strive more towards perfection.

How about us? How about you? How do you spend your life every day? Do you spend it working towards perfection or do you spend it working towards your own self destruction? Amen.

HUMILITY: KNOWING YOUR PLACE

22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

SIR 3: 17 – 18, 20, 28-29 / PS 68 / HEB 12: 18 – 19, 22 – 24a / LK 14: 1,7-14

What do you usually do during meals? I remember before, when times were much simple, everyone gather around the dining table and enjoy the good food alongside good company of family or friends. Today, while eating, people still enjoy the good food, however, alongside a good television program. The opportunity to enter into dialogue with one another during meals is lost because everyone is busy either with the TV or with their cellphones. Isn’t it?

It was very different during the time of Jesus. If you notice in our Gospels, we see Jesus who is always invited to dine with others in their homes, and it is within these occasions that Jesus would proclaim his teachings. Our Gospel today is no different: Jesus while at meal with friends, is introducing a very important virtue - the gift of humility.

In the Gospel story, Jesus noticed that invited guests were busy trying to occupying the seats of honor, or the front seats. And so, he tells them not to rush to the seats of honor; he suggested that they’d rather prefer the low places so that it will be the master who will bring them to the front seats.

From the parable, we see that humility is all about knowing ones place in the scheme of things. Humility is about knowing our real condition in this world—and accepting it. Looking into our lives now, we shall discover that we are sinners who are in need of His mercy.

This is our problem today: at times we forget that money, power, and influence lead us to sinful lifestyle patterns. And what is true is that, most often than not, money, power, and influence are the very same things that lead us all the more to greater sinful lifestyle patterns. Let us remember that money, power, and influence pass away. Thus, the more we must hold on to something infinite, and that is the mercy of God.

My dear friends, humility becomes faulty when we stop at being aware that we are sinners who are in need of God’s mercy. Let us always remember that it is by accepting that we are sinners that we become humble.  And mind you, humility also reminds us that we are called to be saints.

And so we ask ourselves, how do we become saints?

Towards the end of today’s Gospel, we see that Jesus is suggesting to his audience that they also invite to the banquet people who are unable to repay them for it will be the source of their blessedness. Humility therefore is not just about being aware of our sinfulness; it is also about accepting the challenge to become saints by serving others especially those at the peripheries of society.

My dear friends, every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we are taught of the virtue of humility. Every time we gather for the Mass, we are reminded of our place in salvation history. When we receive the Lord, we are reminded that we are sinners who are in need of his life giving body and blood. And every after Mass, we are sent into the world to become saints through our service.

Mao nga unta kita nga hinimba, mas mapaubsanon unta ta kaysa uban. Usahay man gud kay hinimba lagi ta, mas garboso naman hinoon ta kay sa uban (Hopefully so, we who go to Mass frequently should be more humble. What we notice, however, is that, since we go to Mass frequently, we have become more haughty and proud).

Now, going back to our question: What do you usually do during meals?

But let me ask you a different question now: What do you usually do in the Eucharistic Meal, in the Mass? My friends, let us remind ourselves that our ticket to such a meal is a humble heart - a heart that knows one’s own sinfulness as well as a heart that is aware of a constant invitation from God to become a saint. Amen

GOOD FOR TWO

Twenty - First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 66: 18 – 21 / Ps 117 / Heb 12: 5 – 7 / Lk 13: 22 – 30

What is your dream in life?

For students, I’m sure that to graduate with flying colors is a dream to achieve. How about those of you who are married? What is your dream as a husband? Nga unta ma buotan na imong asawa (That the wife becomes  a good wife)? As a wife, what is your dream? Nga unta mo-remit og insakto imong bana (That that the husband will remit the exact amount coming from his salary)? Kamong mga bag-o lang gibuwagan (you who have just lost a relationship), what is your dream in life? Nga unta marunong nang matuto ulit magmahal ang iyong puso (that perhaps the heart will learn to love again)? Yes, we have varied dreams but I hope as Christians, we share this common dream, and that is to go to heaven.

Jesus is reminding us in our Gospel today that to enter heaven, we must pass through the narrow gate. But why is the gate narrow? Why not a wide open gate so that many can enter?

My dear friends, Jesus, in telling us about the narrow gate, teaches us that the invitation to go to heaven is for all, however, not many can enter together because each has to pass through the narrow gate, one by one. To go to heaven is an individual task; to go to heaven is not a package deal nor a group travel.

So we ask another question, what can make us enter through the narrow gate?

Going back to our Gospel, we see that the people were rejected because the master of the house did not know where they are from. Yet, the people insisted that they ate and drank with him and even taught in their streets. But the Master told them, “depart from me all you evildoers!”

From the story, we realize that what can make us enter heaven is not on our race, color, or class but on our integrity which is being whole and undivided. The people in our Gospel today failed in integrity because even if Jesus was dining, drinking, and teaching them, they remained unconvinced to accept him as the Messiah. They failed in loving the Lord in words and works.

This is therefore our challenge: if we want to go to heaven, then, let us not merely express such dream through words. Rather, we must work for it here on earth. If we remember the words of St. Therese of the Child Jesus when she said, “I will spend heaven by doing good on earth!”

Let us make heaven here on earth. Let us make others experience heaven through our words and works. Kana ganing makaingon ang uban kanato, “Langit sa piling mo (It is like when people say, ‘it is heaven by your side)!”Kana ganing malipay ang uban kon naa ta (It is when people are joyful in our presence). Kana ganing molu-ag ilang mga gihunahuna kon naa ta (It is when people become light-minded if we are around).

My dear friends, let us start making our dreams come true by building heaven here on earth. So that at the end of our lives, we can pass through the narrow gate and enter into the presence of the Lord.

There was this widower who at the entrance gate of heaven told St. Peter, “Dro, buotan kaayo to akong asawa. Kada Lunes, mosimba gyud to siya sa menteryo. Martes hangtod Huwebes, mo-volunteer gyud to siya sa orphanage. Every Friday, naa gyud to siya sa Basilica kay kolektora man siya. Kada Sabado, moapil gyud to siya sa aurora kada kadlawon. Ug every Sunday, kaduha gyud to siya mosimba. Usa para iya ang usa para ako.”

And so, St. Peter asked, “what do you want me to do for you?

And the husband replied, Tungod kay minyo man mi Dro, so good for two nato iyang mga gibuhat sa buhi pa siya. Busa pasudla ko sa langit.

But St. Peter replied, “pasensya na Sir kay ang pagsulod sa imong asawa dinhi sa langit good for 2 man to!”

(There was this widower who, at the entrance gate of heaven, told St. Peter, “My wife was a very good wife. Every Monday she goes to Mass at the cemetery. Tuesdays through Thursdays she would volunteer at the orphanage. On Fridays she was always at the Basilica since she was one of the collectors there. On Saturdays she would be participating in the aurora at dawn. She would even hear Mass twice on Sundays, one for me and one for herself.”

And so, St. Peter asked, “what do you want me to do for you?

The husband replied, “Because I was married to her, whatever good she did during her life was good for two, so right now, you can allow me to enter heaven.”

But St. Peter replied, “Excuse me Sir but your wife’s entry here in Heaven was good for 2”)

My dear friends, to go to heaven is an invitation for everyone. But to enter through it means to pass through a narrow gate. And so, do not rely on the goodness of others. Rather, wake up from your sleep and start working hard by spending heaven by doing good here on earth. Amen.