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!

THE GOD OF EXCESS

THE GOD OF EXCESS

TWENTY SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Is.5:1-7/ Ps.80:9,12,13-14,15-16,19-20/ Phil.4:6-9/ Mt.21:33-43

Anything done in excess will harm us! That is why when we eat too much, we become sick. When we drink too much, we become sick. When we sleep too much, we become sick. And even when we miss someone too much, we experience love sick. Anything done in excess will harm us!

However, there is only one thing in this world that is constantly in excess - the love of God for you and me. And this love is beautifully depicted in our first reading today. "He spaded it, cleared it of stones, planted the choicest vines, and built a watchtower."  The wine grower did everything that he can do in order to produce good grapes at harvest time. This is also true in our Gospel today. "There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower." These readings therefore remind us of God's excessive love for us. And such love reached its fullness when he sent his only Son to journey with us in this world marked by hatred and indifference.

And so, this is our first challenge today - that we remember the excessive love of God in our lives. These are the moments when we passionately feel the working and presence of God in our lives. These are the moments when we are able to say, "He had me at my worst. And he had me at my best."

However, there is another excess mentioned in our readings today - humanity's infidelity! In our first reading today, the wine grower expected for a good produce yet the land yielded wild grapes. In our gospel, the tenants instead of reaping the fruits of the land, killed the servants of the landowner even his son. Both of these readings remind us of our never ending infidelity to God. And the reason for this infidelity is our sense of entitlement. We always believe that we are to claim as our own every produce that we have. And so, when we earn a lot of money, we end up becoming its slaves. When we gain a lot of appreciation from others, we end up all the while thinking that we are best. Simply said, when we receive God's excessive love, excessive blessings in our lives, we end up loving the gifts and not the Giver. We forget God. We change our loyalty. When we forget God, then we also forget our neighbor. We forget our duty to love and serve our neighbor.

The people in our first reading and the workers in our Gospel reacted indifferently and violently because they did not have real love. Pope Francis has this to say that “Love is recognizing God as the only Lord of life and at the same time, it is also welcoming others as true brothers and sisters, overcoming divisions, rivalries, misunderstandings and selfishness.”

And so this is our second challenge today - that we become generous dispensers of God's grace. God has been truly, madly, deeply, and excessively in love with us! May such reality push us to always remember Him and never forget our duty to also love and serve our neighbors!

A wise man once asked his student, “When can you say that the night has ended and morning has begun?” The student replied, “When you can hear the rooster crow.” But the wise man said, “No.” “When you can already see cars traveling down the road,” said the student. But the wise man answered negatively. With nothing to answer, the student asked the same question to the wise man. And the wise man said, “The night has ended and morning has begun when you can already see other people not just as ordinary human beings but as your brothers and sisters, your companions along the journey of life.”

God has prepared and taken good care of our vineyards! He has blessed them with a fertile soil and abundant harvest. May we learn to share the fruits of our vineyard so that others too may be satisfied and experience life at its abundance! And only when we learn to share with others God’s generosity in our lives can we truly say that the night has ended and morning has begun. Amen!