"PARTY - PARTY"

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Is.55:1-3, Ps.145, Rom.8:35,37-39, Mt.14:13-21

We always like to “party–party”. Once we achieve something in life, it always calls for a celebration. No matter how small or big the achievement is, a “party–party” should happen! Small things like: nakuha lang ang cellphone number ng crush, nagpa–McDo kaagad or In-approve lang ni crush as Friend sa Facebook, nagpa–burger na kaagad. Big things like: Naka-graduate ang anak sa college, pumasa sa Bar exams si bunso, and many others.

However, there is something tragic with our “party–party” nowadays. Sometimes, our celebration and banquets end up in tragedy! Nakainom lang ng dalawang bote ng pulang kabayo, naninipa na ang tahimik na Juan dela Cruz. Nagsimula sa inuman at nagtapos sa kulungan dahil sa barilan. If you’ve noticed, sometimes, after our “party–party” nagiging baon na tayo sa utang kasi ang dami nang babayaran. Parang sinasabihan tayo na, “Enjoy now, suffer later!”

In our Gospel today, we heard of two “party– parties.” Right at the start of our narrative today, we hear Jesus withdrawing to a deserted place after knowing about the death of John the Baptist. If you remember, John’s death happened during a banquet. In this first “party–party”, at the banquet of Herod, there is pride and arrogance, greed and murder in the royal court. It first started as a celebration of life for Herod and ended up with the death of John the Baptist.

However, there is another “party–party” in our Gospel today. This time it was Jesus who was the organizer. At Jesus’ banquet, there is healing for when He saw the crowd, He took pity on them and healed their sick. At the meal of Jesus, there was Trust for despite having meager resources of only five loaves of bread and two fish, the disciples were able to feed 5,000 people excluding women and children. At the party of Jesus, there was Contentment, because everyone was satisfied and they even had twelve baskets left filled with bread and fish.

Our Gospel today, the feeding of the five thousand or the multiplication of the loaves and fish, is somehow a reference to what happened in the Old Testament. When Elisha orders his servant to set twenty loaves of bread and some grain before a hundred men, the servant resists at first, then do as they were told. The crowd was fed and there were some food left as well.

The same Gospel is somehow the fulfillment of what the prophet Isaiah said in our First Reading today, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water! Come you who have no money, come receive grain and eat; Come without paying, drink wine and milk!” The prophet was inviting the people for a free banquet; a banquet that gives life!

This Gospel also refers us to the mission of Jesus here on earth at that time. He was to feed the people not only with food but also with the Word of God! He was to tell the people that the Kingdom of God is at hand!

However, this Gospel narrative also reminds us of a banquet which Christ left us as a memorial. A banquet which He instituted on the night He was betrayed—the Eucharist! Since we were children, we have always been taught that the Eucharist is the food for our souls; that we have to go to Mass every Sunday for us to be nourished after the exhausting week that’s gone. Now the question is, has the Eucharist really satisfied our lives the way it did to the people in our Gospel today? My professor once told me that the nourishing character of the Eucharist is that it gives Hope!

But, what is Hope?

Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical Spe Salvi defines hope as

“…that which enables us to look to the next life, but it also inspires and purifies our actions in this life.”

In every Eucharistic celebration, we are experiencing the future banquet with Our Lord in heaven. In every Mass, we are inspired by the sacrificial act of Jesus to lay down His life for His friends, and through this, our motivations in relating with others are purified. By experiencing these truths in every Mass, we are then nourished by Hope!

At a more practical level, let us learn to respect the Mass. If we are able to look good in our social “party – parties” outside, please, let us also put extra effort in preparing for every Eucharistic party we go to. Let us put in extra effort in participating in the Eucharist. It would be redundant to give reminders because we’ve already been taught these things, so I decide not to remind. Instead, I will encourage. I encourage everyone, including myself, to come to Mass on time; to listen attentively to the Readings; to reflect upon the Homily; and to wait after the Final Blessing has been given before leaving the church.

But the most important form of respect we can give the Eucharist is acknowledging our sins and going to Confession when we are in a state of mortal sin. Let us not forget these things. We can only experience the nourishing character of the Eucharist if we properly dispose ourselves to receiving such gift!

If our lives have been nourished by the Eucharist, then we can re-echo the words of St. Paul in our second reading today, that neither anguish, distress, persecution, present things, future things, and even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord!

We always like to “party–party”. Once we achieve something in life, it always calls for a celebration. Every time we receive a blessing from God, do we “party” with Him in the Eucharist? Every time we feel that life is unfair, do we “party” with him in the Eucharist? The invitation remains true today, “Come to me, that you may have life!”

Amen!

OUR LASTING INHERITANCE

OUR LASTING INHERITANCE

MEMORIAL OF STS. JOACHIM AND ANNE, PARENTS OF THE BVM

Sir 44:10–15, Ps. 131, Mt. 13:16–17

Yesterday, we heard from the narrative of Matthew the request of a mother to Jesus. Today, we celebrate the memorial of another mother, and a father, Anne and Joachim, parents of Mary of Nazareth, whose names can never be found in any of the canonical gospels except from the apocryphals. Now the question is: Why celebrate their feast? Why remember the silence and even absence of Joachim and Anne in the life story of Jesus and Mary?

In our first reading from the wisdom of Sirach, we hear “the praises of illustrious men, of generous men whose good works have not been forgotten. In their descendants there remains a rich inheritance born of them.” We see how the Jews consider God’s Covenant their “inheritance” that they hand on from generation to generation. Parents consider it a serious responsibility, for on it depends “the blessing or curse.”

In our Gospel, Jesus proclaims his disciples blessed because they were eyewitnesses of what “many prophets and holy men longed to see and never saw.” They were able to see with their eyes and hear with their ears—the fulfilment of the Covenant and the establishment of the New Covenant. This becomes the “inheritance” of those who “left husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers.” And this inheritance brings with it a responsibility—to persevere in the faith and hand it on.

No doubt our readings were deliberately chosen to praise the husband and wife whose memorial we celebrate today, Sts. Joachim and Ann. Although the Bible is silent about these two saints, the greatness of their descendants, Mary, their daughter, and Jesus, their grandson, speaks eloquently about them. Di ba’t may kasabihan tayo, “Kung ano ang puno ay siya ring bunga.” The Gospels also has something similar that St. John Damascene in the Second Reading of the Office of Readings applies to Sts. Joachim and Ann: “by their fruits you will know them.” In the Responsory of today’s Office of Readings, these words are also applied to Sts. Joachim and Ann, “They worshipped God day and night in fasting and prayer. They looked forward to the deliverance of Israel. They prayed that God would come to save his people.” Surely they were zealous in handing on to Mary the precious inheritance of the Covenant. And their prayers were answered. Mary found favour with God and courageously cooperated in God’s plan of salvation. “The Word became flesh” and became the grandson of Joachim and Ann.

At one point in our lives, we made that decision to follow the Lord. We, celibates, have left, and you on the way to it, will give up, the possibility of having a wife and children of our own. We have left fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. The Lord becomes our inheritance, and every day, we have to become more convinced of this. The Lord has to become “someone” in our lives, just as Jesus became “grandson” to Joachim and Ann. Otherwise, we begin to look for other “inheritance”; we turn to other loves.

Allow me to speak of a precious inheritance we are currently losing: that ancient Christian community in Mosul, Iraq, that traces its roots to those pilgrims returning from Jerusalem a few months after Pentecost. They faithfully handed on the inheritance of the Christian faith, and now they are facing persecution on account of that inheritance. Last Friday they were given four options by Islamic fundamentalists: to leave the city, to pay taxes, to convert to Islam, or to die by the sword. “I already feel dead. Only my soul remains, and if they want to take that I don’t have a problem.” This is just one of the many cries from our suffering brothers and sisters in Mosul. Their patient endurance to leave the city carrying with them nothing except their clothes is an outward sign that indeed their true inheritance is Christ, whose name they bear and on whose account they are being persecuted. In this Mass, let us pray and learn from them. May the Lord truly be our lasting inheritance. Amen!

JOYFULLY SELLING EVERYTHING

“JOYFULLY SELLING EVERYTHING”

A Reflection on the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

The two parables mentioned in our Gospel reflect what is happening in our world today. We are all in a constant search for that which can satisfy our needs. Alongside this search is our conviction to do everything in order to meet our needs. A father gives his all in flesh and blood in wanting to have a stable and secured family. A serious student devotes himself to assiduous study, burning all the midnight candles just to have a better and brighter future. We give all in order to have that which gives us contentment, happiness, and security.

In Christian life, we are also in a constant search. We are looking for a priceless treasure, a pearl of great price—a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. In our journey on earth, we realize like Solomon in our first reading today that neither riches nor a long life can satisfy our human longing but an encounter with a person, Jesus, who according to Paul in our second reading today, has predestined, called, justified, and glorified us! Searching for Jesus Christ does not require an exterior journey. We look for him in the very life that we are called to live whether single, married, or religious. Hence, we ask ourselves, Have I found Jesus in my life?

However, finding Jesus is not enough. In our gospel, after the man found the treasure and the pearl of great price, he sold everything in order to buy the piece of land and the pearl. This is also the next requirement in Christian living. To be in a relationship with Jesus requires us to “sell everything,” to let go of those things and persons we are attached to. But most of all, to be with Jesus means to crucify our old self with him “so that our sinful body might no longer be in slavery to sin” (Rom. 6:6). And such decision would entail pain and suffering. Yet we are assured in the second reading today that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

In the gospel, when the man found the treasure, full of joy, he sold everything in order to buy the piece of land. This too is our motivation. As we find Jesus and in finding him, we sell everything that we have, all these should be motivated by joy. And what is this joy? According to Pope Francis in Evangelii gaudium, “Whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms” (EG 3). This is therefore our source of joy in this quest for God. As we find Him and dedicate ourselves totally to Him, we realize that Jesus himself has made the first move. Jesus himself has already been looking for us, waiting for us with arms full of love.

On this Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we pray to the Lord that we may joyfully “sell everything,” to let go, to surrender, including our sinfulness, in order to obtain that “treasure and pearl of great price,” this God who has already loved us first with an everlasting love.

*this has been published at the Boletin Ecclesiastico De Filipinas journal

WEEDS OF PAIN

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Wis. 12:13, 16-19, Ps.86, Rom.8:26-27, Mt.13:24 – 30

I guess, we are all familiar with our Gospel this Sunday, the parable of the weeds among the wheat. And just like any kind of story which always has a moral lesson, this parable would simply teach us about good and evil, the holy and the vain, saints and sinners. That evil will always be with us in our journey. That time will come when evil will be “collected and tied for burning.” However, in this homily, let me bring you into a more personal reflection on the parable.

Let us consider the field as ourselves. And like the parable, in life, we have also a share of “good seeds” – a happy family, a supportive husband, a beautiful and loving wife, a stable job, etc. And all these seeds are worthy of growing in our fields, in our lives. However, the parable also tells us that bad seeds were also thrown by the enemies into the field. And that the landowner decided not to uproot the weeds in order not to harm the wheat. In life, we cannot also deny the existence, the growth of “bad seeds” – marital problems, financial difficulties, the pain of loneliness, the grief of losing someone we hold dear. All these are the bad seeds in our lives which we cannot run away from. They are and will always be part of our lives.

It’s easy to deal with the good seeds – the happy days and friendships true in our lives. We always capture the moments. Post them on Facebook. Tweet them on Twitter. And even make a collage of them on Instagram. But how are we to deal with the “bad seeds” in life? Since, they grow together with the good seeds for some time. How are we to face and experience pain and suffering?

If you have seen the movie, The Fault in Our Stars, which is about the love story of two young cancer patients, Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster. In one scene, Augustus brought Hazel to his home. And one of the “positive” therapies at home was to post food for thoughts anywhere inside the home. And in one corner, one can read, PAIN NEEDS TO BE FELT. PAIN NEEDS TO BE FELT. And I think this is the answer to the question which I posed earlier. How are we to deal with pain? PAIN NEEDS TO BE FELT. Pain and suffering demand to be felt; no denial, no sugarcoating. We do not pull up the weeds in life. We have to carry them just as Jesus carried and remained fastened to his cross. He did not run away. He embraced the pain of the cross until the very end.

However, I am not promoting here a “sadista” mentality! I am not promoting here to always pray for pain. Instead of saying, Give us this day our daily bread, we say, “Give us this day our daily problems, sufferings, etc.” The pain which I am stressing here is the result of a choice to be good and holy. In our gospel, the landowner chose to sow good seeds. Yet, his enemy, probably, out of jealousy, planted bad seeds. The same is true in our lives. The moment we decide to become good and holy is also the same moment when the evil one will sow bad seeds in life. The moment Jesus chose to do the will of his Father was also the same moment when Satan offered him the lures of the world.

Now the final question is: Why do we need to embrace the pain – the weeds? What assurance can we get that all will be well in the end? Are we really sure that the time for gathering and tying up of the weeds for burning would really come? Our two readings and responsorial Psalm give us the answer.

In our first reading, the book of Wisdom tells us that God is a God who cares for all, that He gives his sons and daughters a good ground for hope. In our responsorial psalm, the Psalmist tells us that the Lord is good and forgiving. And in our second reading, St. Paul tells us that the Spirit of the Lord will come to aid us in our weaknesses. Simply said, we do not worry with the weeds in life. We do not run away from pain because the God in whom we believe is a God of LOVE! He is a God who has loved us with an everlasting love!  He cares for us! He assists us in our weaknesses! He is loving and forgiving! As Christians, this is our challenge today in a world that does not like pain, that runs away from suffering. We have to tell the world that the pain which results from our choice to be good and holy is never to be avoided because we are never alone in our journey. We have a God who loves us far greater than any kind of love! Todd, in the movie, Heaven Is for Real, tells us, “The only thing God’s love requires is that I let others know that they’re not alone.” Let your neighbor, your family, your friends know that they are not alone in their suffering because God loves them!

In one of their conversations, again from the movie, The Fault in Our Stars, Hazel told Augustus, “I’m a grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up. And I would like to minimize the casualties.” She was as if telling Augustus, You cannot love me because any time I will die. Unfortunately, at the end of the movie, it was Augustus who died first. And he left a note to Hazel which was somehow an answer to that earlier conversation. He said, “You do not get to choose if you get hurt in this world… but you do have a say in who hurt you. And I like my choices.”

We cannot escape the hurts and wounds in this world. But we can always choose on who can hurt us. And I hope and pray, that we choose that hurt, that pain which is a result of our decision to love and follow the Lord. And I hope and pray, that we will like our choice. After all, this God who has called us to be like Him is a God who loves us more today than yesterday. Amen!