HOW IS YOUR FAMILY TODAY?

HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, JOSEPH, AND MARY SUNDAY

Sir.3:2-6,12-14; Ps.105; Col.3:12-17; Lk.2:22-40

How is your family today? Before, at exactly six in the evening, children are at home to pray the angelus. Today, at 6pm, children leave home for some “la vida noche.” Before, over dinner, parents and children are busy not just eating but also sharing one another’s experiences. Today, during dinner, it’s either the television set or the keypads of cellphones which are very noisy. Before, it’s more fun in the Filipino family because siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews live together. Today, it’s better to be alone than to be with the irresponsible husband or unfaithful wife. How is your family today?

Today, Holy Mother Church is celebrating Holy Family Sunday. We remember that simple and lowly family of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. If we read the Lukan infancy narratives, we see the “nothingness” of such family. They have no horse for travel but a donkey. They have no room to lay down the child but a manger. They have no royal visitors but simple shepherds. However, such “nothingness” continues until today the shining and shimmering model for all families. Thus, being aware of the shifting values and diminishing family virtues, let us learn today from the family at Nazareth!

In our Gospel, we heard Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the Temple to be presented to the Lord “in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.” Jesus was offered back to where he truly belongs – to God, the Most High. This is therefore our first step in order to strengthen our families – to offer them back to God. We become a family not purely because of our own making. God blessed such union in the sacrament of marriage and graced such coming together with the gift of children. Just as Jesus was brought to the Temple, let us bring our families to God through prayer. Sometimes, when family life becomes weary and burdensome, probably, it is because we have forgotten to pray together. Fr. Payton’s words remain true until today, “The family that prays together, stays together.”

The Catholic Church teaches that the family is an “image of the Trinity.” And who is this Trinity? It is a “community of life and love.” Thus, our families, too, are communities of life and love.” The family becomes a mere organization when it ceases to become a haven of life and love. Love is the binding force that gives life in every family. Take away love, then everything else will crumble and shatter into broken pieces of anger, hatred, and indifference. How are we to show such life – giving love? Our first and second readings today give us a rich list of “expressions of family loving.” Sirach reminds children to honor and take care of their fathers and mothers because “he stores up riches who reveres his mother…he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.” St. Paul reminds us to “put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.”

In this Holy Family Sunday, let us remind our own families that we are “Christian” families! Hence, let us offer ourselves back to God through prayer and practice within our families the many “expressions of love.”

After blessing the house of a poor family, the father gave me an envelope for my stipend. Seeing the difficult situation at home, I returned the envelope back to him as my fiesta gift for the family. However, the father told me to keep the envelope. He said, “Rev., please keep the envelope with you. Though it is only a small amount, it is our way of thanking God and San Roque for continuously sending to my family his blessings. Despite our poverty, all my fourteen children are in school. Despite our difficulty, we are still able to eat three times a day.” How about you? How is your family today?

WELCOME HOME!

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

2 Sam.7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Ps.89; Rom.16:25-27; Lk.1:26-38

What is the difference between a “house” and a “home”? Aside from their spelling, a “house” is a mere structure, a building with divisions and partitions inside while a “home” is a place where you are with you loved ones. A “home” goes beyond the limits and boundaries of the house. That is why when you are in another place, the host will always say to you, “This is your second home. Consider us as your new home.”

In our first reading, King David after settling in his palace and enjoying his rest from his enemies realized that the Lord has no place to dwell in. “ Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And so, he decided to build the Lord a house. However, towards the end of the reading, the Lord revealed to David through Nathan “that God will establish a house for you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne stand firm forever.” God did not allow David to build him a house. It was God who build David not just a house but a home where his ancestors can dwell forever.

In our Gospel reading, we heard of God the Father building a home for His only Son in the womb of the Virgin Mary through the annunciation of the angel Gabriel. Like the home of David which shall endure until the end, inside the womb of Mary, dwells Jesus who “will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”  

What happened in our Gospel is what Paul in our second reading refers to as the “mystery kept secret for long ages has now been manifested” through the angel’s announcement and Mary’s fiat.

Hence we ask ourselves, what made Mary the chosen home of Jesus, the Son of God?

First, Mary is the chosen home of Jesus because God filled her with grace! “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Being filled with God’s grace also means that she was empty with her own self. Mary was filled to the brim all because of her emptiness. In fact, such fullness of grace was so great that even sin has no place in her life. She was immaculately conceived!

Second, Mary is the chosen home of Jesus not only because she was filled with God’s grace but also because she was humble enough to accept God’s outpouring of grace in her life. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”  Mary was never coerced. It was as Paul mentions in his letter to the Philippians, “the obedience of faith.”

We are now in the fourth Sunday of Advent. Last Sunday, we were called to rejoice for the Lord is near. Today, our liturgical color shifts back to violet from pink. This means that we are now on our final call to repentance, to empty ourselves, so that like Mary, we will also be filled with God’s grace. We empty ourselves so that God can find a home in our hearts where he shall stay forever.

When someone who has left home for quite some time has returned, we usually say, “Welcome Home!” Indeed, it is true that “there is no other place like home!” As we draw near Christmas, may we truly welcome Jesus, our guest, in our empty selves so that He will fill us with his love and mercy and say to him, “Jesus, welcome home!” Amen!

Photo taken from http://fbcocc.com/welcome-home-college-students/

"WITNESS TO THE LIGHT"

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

(GAUDETE SUNDAY)

Is. 61: 1-2a,10-11; Lk 1:46-48,49-50,53-54; 1 Thes.5: 16-24; Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

Christmas season is always associated with lights! No wonder, electric bills rise up and fire – related incidents increase every December all because of the many “kumukutikutikap” decorations inside and outside our homes. But have you ever wondered why people put up these multi – colored lights only during Christmas? I have never seen a house decorated with a lantern during Holy Week. I have never been into a birthday party of a friend whose house is adorned with Christmas lights. Why only during this time of the year?

Today, we are now in the Third Sunday of Advent which is also known as Gaudete Sunday! This Sunday invites all of us to rejoice (gaudete) because the long – awaited Messiah is near. In our Gospel, John the Baptist reminds us of the very reason for our rejoicing. We will only come to an experience of the fullness of joy if we become a “witness to the Light.” And who is this Light? Why can he give us the reason to rejoice?

The Prophet Isaiah in our first reading reveals to us the mission of this Light. “He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God.” The same text is quoted by Jesus himself in his inaugural speech at the synagogue before commencing his Galilean ministry. (see Luke 4:18 - 19)  This Light witnessed by John is Jesus Christ. Like the sun which gives light to every living being on earth, Jesus, the primordial Light, gives us life through glad tidings, healing to the ill, liberty to the oppressed, and favor from the Lord. Hence, we rejoice not only for the coming of Jesus but because such coming signals the beginning of new life, new opportunities, new grace.

Since our mission is to become a “witness to the Light” so that we can attain joy, how then are we to carry out such call? The Apostle Paul in our second reading today gives us practical suggestions on how to become a “witness to the Light.” “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in all circumstances give thanks! Do not quench the Spirit. Retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil! “Simply said, to be a witness means to continue the life and mission of Jesus, the Light, here on earth. Isaiah has already revealed to us the task of the Light. Jesus himself claimed such prophecy fulfilled in his person. As witnesses and followers of the Light, it is then our mission to continue what He has begun by rejoicing always, by praying without ceasing, by thanking in all circumstances, by retaining good and refraining from evil because “this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” Like light which expels darkness, may our lives brighten those living in the darkness of sin. May our lives lighten the burden of those oppressed by the evil structures of society. May those who are poor because of poverty or sin, look at Jesus, through the light of our lives.

One of the main reasons why people put up Christmas lights and lanterns only during this time of the year is because it has been part of tradition that these decorations are only for Christmas. Thus, these lights while looking at them “singing and blinking” can only give us fleeting joy. When it is out of season, we remove them. However, the Light of Christ is lasting. It cannot be extinguished whether in and out of season because He is eternal. And only when we are able to “witness to the Light” can we re-echo the words of our psalmist today, “My soul rejoices in my God.” Amen!

* PHOTO TAKEN FROM GOOGLE.COM  (DESKTOPWALLPAPERS4.ME)

JOHN, THE FORECASTER

Second Sunday of Advent

Is.40:1-5,9-11; Ps.85; 2Pt.3:8-14; Mk.1:1-8, Cycle B

For the past few days, all our eyes have been brought to the eye of typhoon Ruby. Occupying our television screen is the hourly update of the track and intensity of the typhoon. Thanks to the different weather forecast stations here and abroad for supplying us with the most needed information for us to be better equipped and prepared as we await for Ruby's landfall. Thus, we realize the importance of weather forecasting here in our country which is very vulnerable to occasional typhoons from the great Pacific.

We are now in the Second Sunday of Advent. In our Gospel today, we heard of a "forecaster" in the person of John the Baptist. However, John is not providing us with an hourly update of typhoon Ruby. Rather, he is preaching in the wilderness of the coming of the Messiah, who can calm every storm and banish any fear in life-Jesus the Christ.

Now we ask ourselves, who is John the Baptist? Our readings today provide us with an answer. In our second reading taken from the second letter of Peter, the Apostle admonishes his friends that "while waiting for this (the day of the Lord), make every effort to be found without stain or defilement, and at peace in his sight." This admonition is true in the life of John the Baptist. He was the precursor of Jesus and while waiting for his coming, he spent his life purifying it from stain and consecrating it to the Lord. And this truth is vividly described in our Gospel when Mark said that "John was clothed in camel's hair, and wore a leather belt around his waist. His food was grasshoppers and wild honey." His life was as an anticipation, a preparation for the coming day of the Lord.

In our first reading taken from the book of Isaiah, the Prophet tells us of "a voice crying out in the wilderness, “make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!." This voice is fulfilled in our Gospel when John "appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance which led to the forgiveness of sins." He did not preach about himself but about the Lord who is more powerful than he and who will baptize the people in the Holy Spirit.

From our readings we realize two things about John the Baptist. First, he himself prepared for the coming of the day of the Lord. He consecrated his life to his mission as the precursor of the Messiah. Second, after his preparation, he announced to all peoples about the coming of the Lord. From these realizations, we are then challenged in this second Sunday of Advent to be like John the Baptist!

Yes, we are all waiting for Christmas Day. Yet the season of Advent also reminds us that we are also waiting for the second coming of Christ. Hence, we are in a period of waiting, of preparing for the coming day of the Lord. Thus, like John, we have also to prepare ourselves. We have to consecrate ourselves to the Lord not by wearing a camel's hair or eating grasshoppers and wild honey but by putting on humility and filling ourselves with God's mercy and compassion.

Like John who proclaimed to his people, we, too, are called to proclaim the coming of the Lord not by word of mouth but by life witness. If you notice, disaster preparedness always involves reminding us with the basic preparations like securing our homes, setting aside food and medicine, staying indoors, etc. The same is true in our Christian life, we announce to others the coming of the Lord by reminding them of the basics - to love, to forgive, to give, to share, to help, to pray, etc.

Weather forecasting especially in our country has been known to always fail probably because of our poor equipment and lack of budget. However, John's "forecasting" was effective because he himself practiced what he preached. He himself prepared the way of the Lord. Our preaching too will also be effective if in the very first place we "walk the talk."

May we learn from the man named, John. May we practice what he preached - "Repent and prepare the way of the Lord for he is near!" Amen!

WAITING FOR THE LORD IN HOPE

First Sunday of Advent

Is. 63:16b-17, 19b, 64:2-7; Ps. 80:2-3,15-16,18-19; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; M. 13:33-37

Armageddon, The Day after Tomorrow, 2012. These are just some of the “end of the world” films that ended up in the blockbuster list. These films captured the hearts and minds of many because they portrayed what may happen to this world that will bring the present civilization to the end of its days. People were entertained, yet deep within, fear was awakened. What if it will happen? 

For the past few days until today, we have heard the many apocalyptic narratives of Jesus. And if we understand them literally, we end up in fear and trembling. For sure, no one finds consolation in the words of Jesus in our Gospel, “Be alert! You do not know when the time will come!” Nobody wants an unexpected and uncertain future!

However, our Gospel today is not about making us fearful and afraid. It is about hope! Yes, we do not know “when the time will come whether in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or in the morning.” Yet we continue to be hopeful for hope has a name—Jesus Christ.

In one of his morning Masses at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis has this to say, “Jesus, the hope, renews everything. He is the one who renews every wonderful thing of Creation; He’s the reason of our hope. And this hope does not delude because He is faithful. He can’t renounce Himself.” Hence, we do not fear when the Lord will come because he will come not to seek revenge to the unfaithful but to renew all things for the glory of his Father. We are also assured that all will be well when the Lord comes because he is faithful, he is a God who keeps his promises of love and mercy.

As witnesses of Christian hope, it is our mission then, as Pope Francis puts it, “amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others.” How then can we translate hope into action? Through works of mercy and compassion especially to those who have given up hope and have thrived in desperation, hope becomes alive. Hope becomes a making present of Jesus once again on earth.

I have a friend who was in Tacloban at the height of typhoon Yolanda. He saw with his own eyes the devastation and heard people calling for help while they were being swept away by the storm surge. After the storm, as he walked along the streets, all that he could see were lifeless bodies hanging around trees and electric posts and people begging for help and looking desperately for their loved ones. Having gone through such a great catastrophe did not make him desperate. Rather, such experience made him hold on to hope. And from that moment, he became one of those who volunteered to look for help outside of his place.

Typhoon Yolanda was not an “end of days” blockbuster film. It was a real event that left a scar in our history as a nation. Many of us became afraid. What if it will happen again? However, the Lord has assured us that we do not fear, for he will come not to judge and condemn the world but to redeem it. All that we have to do is to hold on to hope by becoming active witnesses of mercy and compassion now and for ever. Amen!

P.S. This homily is published in the special issue of Boletin Ecclesiastico de Filipinas on the occasion of the Papal Visit to the Philippines

NOT ME BUT THEM

SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING

Ez.34:11-12,15-17; Ps.23; 1 Cor.15:20-26,28; Mt.25:31-46

We are only counting the days, and soon we can see and hear in the news predictions about the future. What will happen next year? Will there be a breakup of another showbiz couple? Will there be another major political issue in our government? Or we might ask personal questions like, Will I still be married to this lazy husband or to this noisy wife? Will I have grandchildren next year? Will my son or daughter graduate from school? We do not know what will happen in the future. That is why our natural tendency is to prepare for tomorrow. Parents work hard for their children to have a stable future. Students diligently study so that they can have a secured tomorrow. Professionals save from their income in preparation for their marriage or their future retirement. In short, we prepare for the uncertain future. And if we try to examine all our preparations, we realize that they are all directed to ourselves! We work hard and invest our time and talent all for our own selves.

However, our Gospel today which is taken from Matthew, which is also the last discourse of Jesus before he enters into his passion and death, already tells us of what will happen in the future, in the end of everything. “The Son of Man will come in glory and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. Then he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” There will be a judgment of all nations! And what is the criteria? It’s not on how much have we saved in the bank. It’s not on how successful we are in our business. It’s not on how stable and secure we are in life. It is all about the OTHER! It is all about our NEIGHBOR—who was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, ill, and in prison. St. John of the Cross has reminded us that “in the end of our lives, we will be judged according to love.” This love is not directed to the self but to the other. And how is this love expressed? Not through marvelous things but small things like feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming a stranger, clothing a naked, and visiting the sick or those in prison.

Today, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King! Christ became a King not because he owned a palace or had a great number of soldiers. Christ became a King because of the many simple and unrecognized acts of mercy and compassion he has done to the five thousand hungry men, to the thirsting Samaritan woman, to the weeping widow at Naim, to his friend in Bethany, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and to the sinful and unworthy you and me! Christ prepared for the uncertain future by thinking and acting not for himself but others. His entire life was lived for others even unto death. To human’s deepest poverty, which is separation from God, Jesus brought God as he was himself God.

This is therefore our challenge today, that we prepare for the future not just solely for ourselves but also for others. If we are working hard for our family, may we also include the plight of other families. If we are saving for a secure tomorrow, may we never fail our present obligation to share and donate for charity. May we become an all-inclusive family, community, and Church rather than an exclusive and closed one! Let us make God present in our world through our small acts of mercy and compassion.

Let us prepare for the future by following the shepherd mentioned in our first reading and responsorial psalm today who “finds himself among his scattered sheep, who rescues them from every place where they are scattered, who brings them besides restful waters, and who spreads the table before the sight of the enemies.” The shepherd worked not for himself but for his sheep. Jesus lived in this world not for himself but for others. We too are called to live the present in view of the future not for ourselves but for others.

Mother Teresa once said: “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Let us begin to do small things with great love so that our future will not only become stable and secured but rest in the heavenly throne of Jesus, the King!

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

Photo taken from http://livingtheword.org.nz/

TO FEAR OR NOT TO FEAR

THIRTY – THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Prv. 31:10-13,19-20,30-31; Ps.128; 1 Thes. 5: 1-6; Mt. 25:14-30

No Fear! But we cannot live without it. Every time we wake up in the morning, we are always surrounded with fears. No wonder psychologists have given us a long list of common and strange phobias. If you are afraid of men, you are androphobic. If you are afraid of women, you are gynophobic. If you are afraid of white people, you are leukophobic. If you are afraid of black people, you are melanophobic. If you do not want to be alone, you are autophobic. If you do not want to be in a crowd, you are agoraphobic. If you are afraid to love, you are philophobic. If you have are afraid of debts, you are arithmophobic. We cannot live without fears!

In our Gospel today, we heard about the third servant who explicitly told his Master that "out of fear, I went off and buried your talent in the ground for I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant, and gathering where you did not scatter.” Fear made him act that way. And such the same fear determined his tragic end.

However, in our first reading today taken from the book of Proverbs, we heard a praise for this good wife not because of her deceiving charm and fleeting beauty but because of her fear of the Lord. And even our responsorial psalm today joyfully exclaims, “Blessed are those who fear the Lord!”

To experience fear in our lives is natural. It is not sinful. Every time we are threatened by others or when we think of the unknown future, we always become afraid. What is crucial is therefore what happens after our experience of fear. It is natural to be afraid in front of our bosses. It is natural to be afraid when we are about to undergo a very serious and delicate surgery. But what is important is on what we do with such fear. In the end, fears can either make us or break us!

And this is what happened in our Gospel today, though it is not explicitly mentioned that it was out of fear that the first two servants invested the talents, the third servant has in a way provided us with what kind of person their Master was. “You were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant, and gathering where you did not scatter.” Thus, it was natural for the three to fear him. However, the first two did something better. They invested the talents while the third servant did otherwise. Granting that the three of them acted out of fear, what matters in the end was on how they dealt with their fears.

That is why in another part of Scriptures, from the book of Deuteronomy, we realize that fear is only part and parcel of what God asks of us. “Now, therefore, Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you but to fear the Lord, your God, to follow in all his ways, to love and serve the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord that I am commanding you today for your own well-being.” After fearing the Lord, we are asked to walk in his ways, to love him, to serve him with all our heart and soul, and to keep the commandments. More is expected from us! To fear is only the beginning.

We have received much from God! From the first day of our existence up to this very moment, God has continuously poured out his abundant blessings in our sinful and unworthy lives. Standing in front of God’s majesty and glory, we cannot but fear him. Yet, what matters in the end is on how we used these blessings – if we have followed him more closely through these blessings; if we have loved him more dearly through these blessings; and if we have served him and our neighbors more sincerely through these blessings.

Every day, we cannot live without fears. But we can always do something with them. To fear the Lord is only the beginning. More is expected from us. What follows after that fear, matters the most. How about you? What are your fears? Have they broke you or made you? Amen!

NB. Picture above is taken from www.sciencedaily.com

THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA

Ezekiel 47: 1-2, 8 – 9, 12; Psalm 46; 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11,16-17; John 2:13-22

November 9, 2014

What causes your anger? Usually, the main reason of our anger is when our expectations are no longer met or when things and even people cease to function accordingly. A mother gets angry when she discovers that her son is no longer going to school. A wife gets angry when she learns that her husband is already looking for another wife. When ideas, things, and people, no longer exist in harmony, anger enters into the scene.

And such is the anger of Jesus in our Gospel today. When he went to the temple area, he found those who sold animals for sacrifices and money changers. He made a whip, drove them all out of the area, spilled the coins, and overturned their tables! He was very angry because the temple which is the place of His Father has become a marketplace! He was angry because the temple which is a place for the people to encounter God has become a place for business. He was angry because the temple which is a place of life has become a venue for people to be overburdened.

What happened in our Gospel today is the exact opposite of our first reading. We heard of the prophet being brought by the angel to the entrance of the temple. From there, he saw water flowing out to the corners of the world. And wherever the river flows, there is life, there is an abundance!

Today, we celebrate the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. This basilica is important because it is the oldest basilica of our Christian religion. For quite some time, it has become the residence of the Popes. And upon its walls one reads the inscription, “Omnium Urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater, et caput.” (Mother and Head of the entire city and all churches in the world.) Thus, we realize an important identity of the Church: that she is a Mother! And as a mother gives life to her children, the Church too, must be a life-giving witness in the world today! The Church has to be like the temple in our first reading today that is the source of life and abundance in creation!

However, St. Paul in our second reading today furthered our understanding on the Church. The Church or the temple does not only refer to the building. According to Paul, “each of us is a temple of God where the Spirit dwells in us.” Therefore, we are the Church! Some of us might be a big as a basilica or as small as a kapilya! Nevertheless, by virtue of our baptism, we become the Church!

This is therefore our challenge today as we celebrate the dedication of the Lateran Basilica – that just as the Church is called to become a life-giving witness in the world today, you and me are also called to give life to others especially to those who are living along the peripheries. This is the meaning of New Evangelization  - that we go out to the world not to condemn it but rather share with it the abundance of life given to us by God!

What causes your anger? However, a deeper question would be: What kind of Spirit is living inside your temple? Is it life- giving or earth shaking? Amen!

CONSECRATE THEM IN THE TRUTH

COMMEMORATION OF ALL FAITHFUL DEPARTED

OF THE DOMINICAN FAMILY

FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF SUPERTYPHOON YOLANDA

November 8, 2014

Revelation 21: 1 -5, 6 -7; Ps. 122; John 17: 15 – 21, 24 - 26

_________________________________

The Gospel reading for today is the last part of the long last supper discourse of Jesus which is something unique and peculiar to John. This time, Jesus asks his Father to “consecrate them to the truth!” Thus, we ask ourselves, Why consecrate us to the truth? Why are we made holy through the truth and not our good works? Why the truth? And if we move to the next chapter, we can read the conversation of Jesus and Pilate. And with Pilate, we ask: What is truth? Jesus in the same Gospel has provided us an answer – “Consecrate them in truth, for your word is truth.” What then is the word? Right at the Prologue of this Gospel we read, “kai o logos sarx egeneto” (and the Word became flesh!) This word, therefore, is not a mere lofty idea or a principle, but a person, Jesus, the Divine Logos who became man.

Truth then is an encounter with Jesus. You are in truth, when you are close to Jesus in a more personal way. It happens when no amount of words can explain such closeness with Him! More than words! And only when this encounter happens, can we be consecrated to truth! We are made holy because the truth is a person who is all holy!

This is then our challenge – that in every aspect of seminary formation, we encounter the truth, who is a person and not a mere idea. May we encounter Jesus, the truth, in the books that we read; in the spiritual exercises which we enter; in the poor whom we meet in our parishes; in the day’s schedule of the seminary; in the unlovable brother that we encounter; and even in this boring homily.

May we have that spirit of our Psalmist today who rejoiced when he heard them say, “Let us go to God’s house!” Because going to the house of the Lord is a moment of encounter with Jesus who can give us that newness of life promised in our first reading today – “ a new Jerusalem, a new holy city, where there is no death.”

As we remember today, all Dominican brothers and sisters who have gone to the next life, we pray for them that they will finally encounter Jesus in heaven and experience such eternal newness of life!

Then Pilate asked, What is truth? However, I would rather ask, Who is the truth for you? Amen!

A PARTICULAR BRAND OF LOVING

COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

Matthew 25: 31 – 46

We always recall things in a particular way. Every time we visit the dead in the cemetery, aside from praying for them, we always recall our memories, our particular memories with them. We talk about their favorite food; our unforgettable experiences with them; and most especially, those precious memories which happened weeks, days, or hours before they died. In my case, I could still remember the exact date and time when I was able to hug my mother for the last time – May 18, 2013 at 3:00 in the morning at the basketball court where our car was parked.

Our Gospel reading today which is taken from St. Matthew is the conclusion of the public discourse of Jesus. Yesterday, we heard his “inaugural speech” as he proclaimed the “Blessed” on his sermon on the mount. Today, Jesus once again acknowledged the “blessed ones,” “the sheep,” – those who have been faithful to the Lord up to the very end. And if we compare the two readings, we realize that Jesus was very particular in naming the blessed ones and condemning the wicked ones. The “Blessed ones” are those who are “poor in spirit,” “those who suffer because of Christ,” “those who fed and gave him drink.” “those who visited him while in prison and sick,” “those who clothed him and gave him a shelter.”

This is therefore our challenge in today’s Mass – that we love in particular! Every time we go to the cemetery, we are very particular in cleaning and repainting the niches of our loved ones. We spend a lot to buy the particular flowers and candles for our beloved dead. We even bring them their particular favorite food while on earth. There is nothing wrong with these kind of practices! However, our Gospel today reminds us to take care not only of the dead but also of the living! If we can give food and drink to the dead and provide them a good shelter, why can’t we give these things to the living?

Another important observation from the Gospel is that the demand of Jesus is not complicated. He did not praise the “blessed ones” because they have written volumes of books about God or have contributed millions to charitable works. He praised them simply because they recognized him in the poorest of the poor. Jesus’ demand of love is not only particular but it also asks each one of us to see him in the most ordinary and simple people. Why is this so? Because our human tendency is to love those people who are “extraordinary” to us – those whom we admire the most, those whom we idolized the most, those whom we consider special in our lives. We cannot simply love the ordinary. It is difficult to love those who need simple things – food, water, shelter, friends, and family. Why? Because all the while we think that these people can simply provide for their own.

This is our challenge today – that we love in particular and the ordinary! Alfred North Whitehead once said, “we think in generalities, but we live in detail.” It’s is so easy to think and talk about love. It is very general and ideal. However, it is not love unless it is lived in the particular and practiced in detail. Mother Teresa of Calcutta also said, “we cannot do great things! Only small things with great love!” We are not miracle workers. Yet every time we learn to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick and those in prison, give clothes to the naked, and shelter to the homeless, is already a miracle of the ordinary, a work of love!

And so, may our visit to the dead in the cemetery, not only remind us of our particular and detailed experiences with them. Rather, may they also inspire us to love in particular and the ordinary by loving in detail and doing ordinary things with great love. Amen!

WHAT IS LOVE?

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Ex.22: 20 – 26/ Ps. 18:/ 1 Thes.1:5-10/ Mt. 22: 34 – 40

What is love? A simple question yet a very complicated reality. No one in this world even from among the great minds has successfully captured its meaning. Love is complicated because each human being has his own answer, his own experience.

True enough, Jesus was also aware of this question even during his time. His ancestors have defined what love was. Yet in our Gospel today, Jesus gives a direct answer to the question, What is love? Love is the total self –giving of the lover to his beloved. When our Lord said, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all yours soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He was simply telling the people what true love is – selfless and not selfish, all and not partial. And this love was perfectly seen at Calvary and completed at the empty tomb.

St. Paul in our second reading today affirms the Thessalonians of their ministry. “For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.” This is another characteristic of love. Love is a mission. If love is the total self – giving of the lover to his beloved then it is primarily missionary! There is a movement from the inside to the outside, from the self to the other. It is not love if it remains hidden, if it is kept alone and in isolation. Jesus did not remain in heaven. He became man. He did not hide in Nazareth. He preached the Kingdom, cured the sick, feed the hungry, and raised the dead in both Jewish and Gentile lands.

Since love is a mission, to whom then shall we reach out? Human as we are we only love those who are lovable; those who share our principles; and those who always do us a favor. The unlovable, the indifferent, and the traitor have no place in our loving. However, our first reading today from the book of Exodus tells us of the recipients of our loving, the goal of our mission. “You shall not oppress an alien. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. You shall not act like an extortioner to your poor neighbors.” As mentioned earlier, our loving should be selfless and not selfish, all and not partial. Thus, the recipients of our love should also include and even give importance to the last, least, and lost in society. Our love should embrace our enemies, those who all the while have loved us but in the end betrayed us.  

And just as going to a mission land involves pain and suffering, a missionary kind of loving also involves pain and suffering. It is not easy to love that person who has broken his promise. It does not give us comfort to love that person who has hurt us not only once but a hundred times. Missionary loving is always painful because as you give your all to your beloved you are never given an assurance that he/she will also give his/her all. Thus, we draw inspiration from Our Lord who has given his all and continues to give his self to us even until today; no matter how unfaithful and ungrateful we are. God’s love like the sun continues to brighten our sad days and gives warmth to our cold existence.

What is love? A simple question yet a very complicated reality. No one in this world even from among the great minds has successfully captured its meaning. Yet every time we think of God even for a split second amidst a very busy day, that is love. Every time we tap the back of a crying brother, that is love. Every time we hold on to our promises and remain honest to our neighbor, that is love. And every time we forget ourselves for the sake of the other, that is love, Christian love. 

HOW VALUABLE ARE YOU?

TWENTY NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Is.45: 1, 4 -6; Ps. 96; 1 Thess.1: 1-5b; Mt. 22: 15 – 21, Cycle A

Coins have become insignificant today. When we save, we keep the bills and give away the coins to waiters in restaurants, street children and beggars on the streets, and even to collektoras during the Mass. What’s in a coin? It’s nothing but a heavy metal with a small value.

However, for archaeologists, coins found in an archaeological site are very important. Inscribed on these coins are images and names of emperors and rulers of old. Thus, through these discovered coins, archaeologists can date the time of the archaeological site. That’s how valuable coins are!

In our Gospel today, we heard of the Roman coin on which the image and name of Emperor Caesar was inscribed. Hence, we can say that the people during the time of Jesus were under Roman rule. When Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” he was not giving them a lecture on separation of Church and state. Rather, he was simply telling them that at the end of the day, after having followed the laws of the land, everything still comes from and belongs to God!

And this is what happened to King Cyrus in our first reading today. After defeating the Babylonians and making all kings run under his service, God revealed to him that it was “he and there is no other, who arm you, so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun, people may know that there in none besides me.” No matter how strong Cyrus was, every strength that he has comes from God.

Let this be our reminder today: all that we have, and all that we are comes from God! As St. Francis puts it, “Everything comes from God, what we can claim as our own is our sinfulness.” St. Peter in his first letter reminds us that “as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” We are only stewards and not owners.

Since everything belongs to God, what then are we to do? St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians admired the Christian community for three things: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your WORK OF FAITH, and LABOR OF LOVE, and ENDURANCE IN HOPE of our Lord Jesus Christ. Like a coin that is marked by the emperor of the land, the Christian community of Thessalonika was marked not by rulers but by FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE!

This is therefore our response to God’s generosity, that we mark ourselves with faith, hope, and love!

Since everything belongs to God, then let us keep that spark of faith glowing amidst the darkness of our journey!

Since everything belongs to God, then let us continue to love the unloved and unlovable!

Since everything belongs to God, then let us persevere amidst the sufferings of the world for we have been saved by hope!

A coin becomes valuable depending on its inscription. If an image of a monkey is inscribed on it, then you would naturally let go of it. But if it is marked by the official logo or the name of the President, then it has a value. The same is true with our Christian life! We only become valuable if we acknowledge God as the source of everything and mark ourselves with faith, hope, and love.

And so the question is, “How valuable are you?”

A VERY BLOODY CHALLENGE

We just heard a very bloody Gospel reading today. After being “woed” by Jesus since Tuesday, the Pharisees are now charged with the shedding of the blood of the prophets of old. In our gospel, we also hear the names Abel and Zechariah - “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah.” If we recall our Jewish history, in Genesis, which is the first book of the Hebrew Bible, we can read the story of Abel. It was Cain's anger that caused him to murder his brother Abel. In Chronicles, which is the last book of the Hebrew Bible, we can read the story of the prophet Zechariah. It was King Joash's anger that caused the stoning to death of the prophet in the temple area. The prophets of old, Abel, and Zechariah - their blood were spilled over the land because of anger and hostility.

In our first reading today, St. Paul reminds us of another bloody event in history - the crucifixion and death of Jesus on Calvary. Yes, his blood was spilled because of the anger and hostility of his enemies, but even before his enemies were able to carryout their evil schemes, Jesus had already “willingly laid down his life.” “On the night before he suffered, he took bread, and giving it to his disciples, said, 'This is my body, given up for you.' He took the chalice. 'This is the chalice of my blood, poured out for you and for many.'”

One of the earliest Christian symbols for the Eucharist is the pelican. The early Christians were moved at the sight of the pelican cutting itself open to feed its young with its own flesh and blood. Jesus gives us his flesh and blood – his entire self. Pope Benedict XVI, reflecting on the blood of Christ, has this to say, “By gazing at the blood of Christ which flowed out from his sacred wounds, man can already say despite his abject poverty, God has not abandoned me. He loves me. He gives me his life. He gives me hope.” Blood, in Jewish culture, symbolizes life, and when blood is shed, life is given up. And when we say life, it means the totality of the person.

The Blood of Christ poured out for us even to the very last drop challenges us to “pour” ourselves over, to give all that we are and all that we have, to put our entire selves at God's disposal so that others may experience God's closeness, so that others can say, “God has not abandoned me” because I have a brother in Seminarian. I have a father in Father So-and-so. “God loves me. He gives me his life. He gives me hope.” And we echo the words of the Responsorial Psalm, “The Lord has made known his salvation!”

Lest we end up romanticizing shedding of blood, we would do well to remember that it involves going out of our comfort zone and taking the risk of being wounded by the pharisaical hypocrisy of people and the anger of modern Cains. It involves many little and unnoticed acts of self-giving. It is not a walk in the park but a climb up Calvary and descending to the tomb. Jesus's life becomes the pattern of our lives; we are conformed to the image of Christ, the good shepherd.

May we learn from the pelican, may we learn from Jesus's shedding of blood on the cross! At the end of our lives, may Jesus charge us not because we have caused the shedding of the blood of the prophets but rather may Jesus welcome us because we have shed our blood for others so that they too will have life and experience it in abundance. Amen!

AT THE TABLE OF THE LORD’S ABUNDANCE

 

TWENTY EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Is.25: 6-10/ Ps.23/ Phil.4:12-14,19-20/ Mt.22:1-14

It is a sad reality that most of us would go to Sunday Mass out of obligation. We have forgotten to associate such “obligation” as a celebration of God’s abundance on the tables of the Word and the Eucharist. We have missed to see the beauty of being together as one Christian community, one in mind and heart.

However, this reality is not true for the late Vietnamese Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan who was imprisoned for 13 years, nine of which were spent in solitary confinement. Since, the Mass was not allowed in prison, he asked the guards to provide him with wine as “medicine for his stomach pains.” And every day at three in the afternoon, he would celebrate the Mass with only three drops of wine despite the terror and darkness surrounding him. When asked by reporters what made him survived such ordeal, he exclaimed, “the Eucharist!”

In our gospel today, we heard of a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. He sends his servants to remind those invited but they refused to come. And so, he asked his servants to invite all those they meet along the byroads. They do so and the wedding hall was filled with banqueters.

The feast is the Eucharist! God is the king who invited us to dine at the meal of his Son, Jesus Christ! And like the feast, it is God himself who is inviting us to join him at the Eucharistic table. If the President or the Pope invites us for dinner, then, we cannot but respond to such invitation with joy! How much more if it is God himself who is inviting us to join him at meal every Sunday? That is why only when we realize that in every Eucharistic feast it is God who is inviting us personally to celebrate with him his abundance, can we truly move from obligation to simply a response of love! In life, when we truly love our beloved, our respond to his goodness is not out of obligation but love!

In the parable, the king while meeting the guests saw a man not dressed in a wedding garment. In the end, the man was reduced to silence and he was thrown into the darkness where there was wailing and grinding of teeth. To respond to God’s invitation to join him at the Eucharist is not enough. To receive the body and blood of Jesus at Mass is not enough. In every Sunday celebration, we have to dress properly. I am not just speaking here about the proper dress code but our moral disposition. If we want to look good physically in every party, the same is true in the Mass. We must have that good inner disposition – our works of charity! It is wrong to simply participate at Mass every Sunday, then, the rest of the week, we continue to thrive on sinfulness. Every Sunday must be both a culmination and a beginning. It is the culmination of our daily commitment to remain faithful to him. It is also the beginning of our renewed “yes” to follow him, to sacrifice with love, to carry our cross, and to nail our sinful selves so that we can love Him more dearly and serve our neighbors more sincerely!

Only when we acknowledge God’s invitation and only when we properly dispose ourselves through living a life of charity can the Eucharist become a feast of God’s abundance in our lives, a source of hope and joy amidst a challenging and complicated life!

May our Sunday celebration of the Eucharist push us to re-echo the words of Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan, “I am happy because you are here with me, because you want me to live here with you!” Amen!