FINDING OUR JOY

Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection

Acts 10: 34. 37 – 43 / Ps 118 / Col 3: 1 – 4 or 1 Cor 5: 6 – 8 / Jn 20: 1 – 9

One early morning, I was awakened by the voice of my father. Since, we were in the retreat house, he was calling home because he was asking my mother about his sandals. He could not find them. After spending some search and rescue operation inside the room, my father paused in silence and found his sandals. Do you know where he found them? He was already wearing them! In life, we always try our best to find things because having them can make our work effective. When you misplace your cellphone, then, you look for it because having your phone makes you more effective in communicating with others. We even search for people because having them around gives us inspiration and comfort. Kaya nga yung iba sa atin, mahanap at makita lang ang picture ni crush sa Facebook, ok na ang araw nila! Simply said, having found the exact things and right persons in life gives us joy.

This is also the case in our Gospel reading today. Mary Magdalene and the disciples were looking for Jesus. When Peter went inside the tomb, he did not find Jesus but only the burial linens. And if we move forward the story, John tells us that Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. She was weeping because Jesus was nowhere to be found. But her sorrow turned into joy when the Lord appeared to her. And such joy of finding Christ led her to run with joy to the disciples carrying with her the joy of the Resurrection.

In our world today, technology has succeeded in providing us with many opportunities for pleasure but it has never given us joy. This is the great paradox – yes, people are rich, famous, and powerful but their lives are empty, sad, in despair. Thus, we ask ourselves, where can we find joy? Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium boldly proclaims that “with Christ joy is constantly born anew.” And so, like Mary Magdalene, we can only find joy in an encounter with Christ.

After seeing Christ, Mary Magdalene brought her joy to the disciples. This too is our challenge today. After finding joy in the resurrection of Christ, then, we share, we give such joy to others. Blessed Paul VI beautifully reminds us that “joy cannot be dissociated from sharing. In God, all is joy because all is giving.” My dear friends, we are an Easter people because our joy comes from the Risen Lord. Today, may I invite you to find the Risen Lord so that you will have joy. And in finding him, never forget to share such joy with others!

I started my homily with the story of my father. Let me then end with another story of another father who is living in one of the condominium buildings in Taguig. He was “on top of the world” because of his high paying job, his loving and beautiful wife, and his responsible daughter. However, he admitted to me that his life was empty. He was looking for real joy. One day, he decided to stroll outside the business district and landed visiting a prison facility. He joined the group that was visiting the prisoners. After a few days, he found himself again visiting the prisoners until it became a regular part of his week’s schedule. He became so close with the prisoners even to the point of attending their court hearings. Despite the negative reactions from his friends, he insisted on his prison visit because according to him, he found joy in his friendship with them.

My dear friends, Mary Magdalene found Christ in the empty tomb and that father found Christ in the face of the imprisoned. How about you? Have you found Christ? Where have you found him? Amen.

A GREAT CHANGE

THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM:

THE EASTER VIGIL IN THE HOLY NIGHT

Gospel: Luke 24: 1 – 12

“The only thing constant is change,” says the philosopher Heraclitus. Since it is inevitable in life, then, we have mixed and different reactions when we talk about change. There was once a son who upon returning home told her mother that he is graduating magna cum laude from college this April. And so, the mother was overjoyed with the news. But the son added, “Ma, aside from my graduation this April, you will also become a lola because my girlfriend is giving birth next month!” And the mother raged in anger. Indeed, we have mixed and different reactions when we are confronted with change.

In our Gospel this evening, there was a sudden change of events. The burial place of Jesus was found empty. And how did the characters react to such change? The women who brought spices at the tomb were puzzled and terrified with the news. Luke also tells us that for the disciples the story of the women was nonsense and did not believe them. Peter who went to the tomb was amazed with what he had seen. Indeed, we have mixed and different reactions when we are confronted with change.

Our celebration tonight marks a very significant change in our faith life. In the readings that we heard, we find a lot of changes. In the story of creation, there was a change from chaos to order. In the story of the Exodus, there was a change from slavery to freedom. And our Exultet boldly proclaims to us that “this is the night when Christ broke the prison bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld.” This is therefore the important change that happened to our faith – that the Lord whom we believe and adore is not sleeping inside the darkness of the tomb. Rather, Jesus, our Lord, is truly, fully, and really alive! Thus, we sing with the angels, “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!”

Now we ask ourselves, how shall we react to this change? What must be our response to such a wonderful change? Paul in his letter to the Romans tells us that like Jesus who lives for God and dies no more, we too must think of ourselves as “being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.” This change that we receive this holy night must lead us to change ourselves – from sinfulness to grace, from having died because of sin to living for God in grace. I hope that as we change season from Lent to Easter, our celebration tonight will be the beginning of our life’s change for the better.

And so, we pray to our Risen Lord…

“Change my heart oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart oh God,
May I be like You.

You are the potter,
I am the clay,
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.”

Amen.

REMAIN IN MY LOVE

THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM:

FRIDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

Is 52:13-53:12 / Ps 31 / Heb 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9 / Jn. 18:1-19:42

“And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.”

Jesus who was born in Bethlehem is now hanging lifeless on his Cross at Calvary.

Jesus who fed the hungry is now fed into the hands of righteous people.

Jesus who walked along the shores of Galilee is now walking along the way of the Cross.

Jesus who brought joy to the woman caught in adultery is now met by her sorrowful mother and the weeping women of Jerusalem

Jesus who gave life to many has now given his life as a ransom for our sins.

If you look at the Cross of Jesus, what do you see? We see a Jesus whose look was beyond human semblance. We see a Jesus who was betrayed by his chosen friends. We see a Jesus who was mocked and cursed by the people. We see a weeping mother standing at the foot of her son’s cross. Indeed, what a dark, dry, and dull scene at Calvary.

However, despite the people’s mockery, Jesus asked his Father to forgive them. Despite the pain, Jesus gave heaven to the repentant thief. Despite the sorrow, Jesus entrusted Mary to the disciple and the disciple to Mary. Despite the hatred of his enemies, Jesus handed over his spirit to the Father. And why was Jesus able to do these things in the midst of pain and suffering? It is because only love remained in his heart. He was simply fulfilling his instruction to his disciples at Last Supper to “remain in love.”

My dear friends, there is much pain and suffering in our world today. Every day, our families face a lot of problems, concerns, and worries of the future. Faced with all these, there is a strong temptation for us to fall out of love and turn to “lesser loves” – money, power, and fame. However, Jesus Crucified has set for us an example – that even if everything will be taken away from us, our hearts must not stop beating in love, in God’s love. Despite the hatred, we must love. Despite the indifference, we must love. Despite the difficulty, we must love. And even in the face of death, we must remain in love.

Almost three years ago, while I was still in the seminary, after dinner, I received a call from my sister. She informed me that my mother was rushed to the ICU for an unknown illness. I have to fly back to Cebu early morning the following day. When I arrived she could no longer speak. After lunch that same day, her eyes forever closed. She was no longer my mother who was so alive and “talkative.” I must admit she was nearing death. And true enough, at 1045 in the morning of the following day she breathed her last. Reflecting from that experience, I realized that even if my mother was no longer able to see and speak; and even if she lost her life, what remained until today is her love for me and my family. Every time, I find life heavy and burdensome, I call on her. Every time, life becomes difficult, I call on her. And I am sure that until today her love remains in my life because St. Paul reminds us that love “endures all things, hopes all things, believes all things… and that love does not end.”

My dear friends, no matter how we preserve life, we must admit that it will never be perfect. But life is still beautiful. It is still good to live this life. And the reason for this is God’s love. And so, let us every day remain in God’s love. Amen.  

“THE HOUR HAS COME”

THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM:

THURSDAY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Ex. 12: 1-8.11-14 / Ps 116 / 1 Cor. 11: 23-26 / Jn. 13: 1-15

The Book of Qoheleth has always told us that there is a “time for everything.” There is a time to get rich and a time to become poor; a time to live and a time to die; a time to be kicking and a time to be sleepy; a time to fall in love and a time to be brokenhearted. However, what is more important and crucial is that if that time has come for us. Yes, there is a time to die, but what if it is your time to die? Yes, there is a time to be brokenhearted, but what if it is your time to be brokenhearted?

In our Gospel today, John tells us right at the beginning of his narrative that the time / the hour has come for Jesus to pass from this world to the next. If in Genesis, Adam tried to grasp divinity for himself. In our Gospel this evening, Jesus moved towards the opposite direction. Jesus took on human flesh for him to take hold of us. And this movement of Jesus is brought about by love. But we ask ourselves, what kind of love? Commenting on the washing of feet, Benedict XVI has this to say that “the gesture of washing feet expresses precisely this: it is the servant – love of Jesus that draws us out our pride and makes us fit for God.”

My dear friends, as we begin the first day of our Triduum for Easter, we are reminded today that our time has come, the hour has come for us to also move away from our sinful self towards grace. The time has come for us to leave our proud self and move towards the other. And this movement can only happen if we have a “servant – love.” For this transformation to happen, our love must be like a servant – it must be humble. A love that listens to others. A love that forgets the self for others even to the point of losing your own life.

Last March 4, we heard about the murder of 4 Missionaries of Charity Sisters in Yemen by the ISIS. Aside from the four, it was also reported that there was a Salesian priest named Fr. Tom who was abducted by the gunmen. Just last Holy Monday, I saw in Facebook, a report that there was an information about Fr. Tom being currently tortured. It was also said that he will be crucified on Good Friday by his abductors. Why am I telling you this? Because the lives of the 4 sisters and Fr. Tom are best examples of this so-called, “servant – love.” These Christians were not military people. They were not armed with guns and grenades. They were simply serving the poor and the old. They were simply serving others in love.

How about us? What kind of love do you have for your family, for your husband, for your wife, for your children, for your relatives? Is it a “servant – love?” Is it a love that washes the feet of others? Is it a love that pushes you to serve others in humility?

My dear friends, the time has come. The hour has come for you and me to leave sin and love the Lord and others through our humble service. Time’s up! Turn away from sin and turn to Jesus, our servant – lover. Amen. 

AN OBEDIENCE TO DIVINE LOVE

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Alay Kapwa Sunday

Is 50: 4 – 7 / Ps 22 / Phil 2: 6 – 11 / Lk 22: 14 – 23: 56 or 23: 1 – 49

“He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”

My dear friends, what we heard was not simply a narration of an event in the past. The passion and death of Jesus is love seen at its best. What he went through was the result of his obedience to the Father. “It is not obedience to a father who will his son to die – for what parent would ever wish such a fate on their child?” Rather, Jesus’ obedience even unto death is obedience to Divine Love. Since love is about assuring the other that he/she is not alone, then, Jesus had to undergo every kind of human misery and endure every human suffering except sin in order to prove to us that he is in love with us, the worst of sinners!

As Christians, this is also our challenge every day of our lives – that we remain obedient to Divine Love. Despite the many imperfections in the family, in our work, and in our community, we must not fall out of love. Amidst pain and suffering, we continue to remain obedient to love the way Jesus did -- He who never gave up on his loving despite the heavy cross.

What we heard earlier was a long passion narrative which took place almost 2000 years ago in Jerusalem. At this point, let me narrate to you a shorter passion narrative. This happened last March 4, barely less than a month, at the Missionaries of Charity Retirement Home in Aden, Yemen. This narrative is taken verbatim from the journal of the witness and sole survivor of the bloodshed:

“Friday, Midday, 4^th of March 2016. Sisters had Mass and breakfast as usual. As usual Father steps back in chapel to say prayers then to fix things around the compound.

8:00am – said Apostolate prayer and all 5 went home

8:30am – ISIS dressed in blue came in killed guard and driver. 5 Ethiopian men (Christian) began running to tell the Sisters ISIS was here to kill them. They were killed one by one. They tied them to trees, shote them in the head and smashed their heads.

The sisters ran 2 by 2 in different directions as they have mens and ladies home. 4 working women were screaming “Don’t kill the Sisters! Don’t kills the Sisters!” One was the cook for 15 years. They killed them as well.

They caught Sr Judit and Sr Reginet first, tied them up, shot them in the head, and smashed their heads. When the sisters ran in different directions, the Superior ran to the Convent to try to warn Father Tom.

They caught Sr Anselm and Sr Marguerite tied them, shot them in the head, and smashed their head in the sand.

Meanwhile the Superior could not get to the convent. It is not clear how many ISIS men were there. She was all the sisters and helpers killed. The ISIS men were already getting to the Convent so she went into the Refrigerator Room since the door was open. These ISIS men were everywhere searching for her as they knew they were 5. At least 3 times they came into the Fridgerator Room. She did not hide but remained standing behind the door. They never saw her. This is miraculous.

Meanwhile at the Convent, Father had heard the screaming and consumed all the Hosts. He had no time to consume the large Host so he threw the oil out of the sanctuary lamp and dissolved it in the water. A neighbor saw them put Father Tom in their car. They did not find any trace of Father anywhere. All religious articles were smashed and destroyed – Our Lady, Crucifix, altar, tabernacle, lectionary stand – even their prayer books and Bible.

10 or 1015am – the ISIS men finished and left.”

The four sisters were obedient not only to their religious congregation; more importantly they were obedient to Divine Love. It was this love that allowed them to remain faithful to their vocation.

How about us? What keeps us moving today? What binds us together as a family? What makes you faithful to your husband, your wife, your father, your mother, your children, and your friends? 

I hope that we be like Jesus… like the four Missionaries of Charity sisters who remained obedient to Divine Love even in death. Amen.

Special thanks to Kuya Chris Sagun for the editing work. 

Photo taken from www.bigcatholics.com

LOOKING AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Is 43: 16 – 21 / Ps 126 / Phil 3: 8 – 14 / Jn 8: 1 – 11

Since we do not come from one mother, then, we look at things differently. For example, what do you see in this picture?

For some they might see a rabbit while others may see a duck with a long beak. How about this picture, what do you see?

For those who love to drink, they would probably see a cup filled with wine. However, for those Dolce Amore fanatics, they would surely see Serena and Ten-Ten almost kissing each other. We do not only see things differently; we also understand things and events differently. For example, on the prospect of Duterte becoming the President of the Philippines: for some it will be a blessing while others may consider it a curse! Indeed, we see things differently. We understand realities differently.

In our Gospel today, we meet a woman caught in the act of committing adultery. And so, this woman was brought by the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus and made her stand before him. For the scribes and Pharisees, they look at the woman as a sinner and therefore punishable by death according to the Law of Moses. However, we know from the same Gospel story that Jesus looked at the woman differently. Jesus looked at her with the eyes of mercy and forgiveness. Indeed, Jesus understand the Law of Moses differently. For him, love is supreme of all laws. Hence, as he stood up after writing something on the ground, seeing no one else left except the woman, he forgave her and admonished her not to sin anymore.

My dear friends, this is also true in our spiritual life. We look at the things of God differently. We understand the things of God differently. For example, in this season of Lent, in this Year of Mercy, we are called to practice, to put to life, Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness. Now, the question is: how do you look at the call to forgive? Well, for some, it’s easy to forgive. Dali masuko apan dali ra sad mahuwasan. For others, it’s very difficult to forgive. Moingon dayon ang uban, “moputi nalang na'ng uwak, di gyud ko makapasylo nimo!” In fact, still others, kaya ra gyud nila ang magbinungolay sa usa’g usa hangtod sa kamatayon. Indeed, we look at things differently. See how we tend to understand things differently?

However, my dear friends, as followers of Christ, we are called to look at things, to understand things, as Jesus see them, as Jesus understand them. If Jesus understand forgiveness as something that must be done seventy times seven times, then, we have to practice it in our lives. If Jesus understand loving as something that is for all, then, we love not just the lovable but even the mga pangit… kanang mga bati na'g nawong, bati pa gyu'g batasan. If Jesus understand generosity as giving your all, then, we give our all and not on installment basis.

Yes, we look at things differently. But as children of the Father, as brothers and sisters of Jesus, we must look at things and understand things according to the mind and heart of Jesus.

Just recently, America magazine published a story of a woman named Jeanne – an attorney – who forgave the murderer of her sister, her sister’s husband, and her sister’s unborn child. It was an intentional killing. And what was worse, the murderer did not show any sign of remorse. When asked what moved her to forgive the murderer, she said, that she was deeply moved by the words she recite every Mass – “You take away the sins of the world.” For her, a person must not allow the sin of someone to freeze or stay unforgiven. For her, no matter what a person does, we must be ready to take away his/ her sins.

For me, Jeanne is an example of someone who see things and understand things according to the mind and heart of Jesus. Yes, I agree with you – to forgive is something very difficult. But we also have to remember that it is very very possible.

How about you? How do you look at things? How do you understand things? Are your eyes like the eyes of Jesus? Is your mind like the mind of Jesus? Is your heart like the heart of Jesus? Amen.

Photo taken from lifeondoverbeach.wordpress.com

Special thanks to Kuya Chris Sagun for editing the text. 

A MERCIFUL EMBRACE FROM GOD

Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)

Jos 5:9. 10-12 / Ps 34 / 2 Cor 5: 17 – 21 / Lk 15: 1-3. 11-32

When was the last time that you received a very tight hug or a warm embrace from someone? Just as laughter is the best medicine, hugging therapy is also considered a powerful way of healing. The respected family therapist, Virginia Satir, has this to say, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”

Our Gospel parable this Sunday is unique to Luke. Pope Francis in his document on mercy mentions the Parable of the Prodigal Son as one of the Gospel references on God’s mercy. Well, I guess every one of you here knows about this parable. This is as famous as Dolce Amore!

The story begins with the younger son asking for his share of his Father’s wealth that should come to him. Such gesture of the son was a great insult to his father. It was like wishing his father dead! Having received his share, the son went away and enjoyed all kinds of wine, women, and song. And since, material possessions are temporary, the son found himself in dire need. He was so in need of money that he worked in feeding the pigs. What the son experienced was a great insult to him. For the Jews, pigs are unclean animals. And so, feeding them makes someone even more unclean than the swine. Coming to his senses and take note not out of guilt and remorse, the son decided to go back to his Father. Then came the most moving scene of the Gospel, while the son was walking towards home, the father caught sight of him and ran immediately towards him. Upon seeing his son face to face, he gave him a very tight embrace, a warm hug from a father. No words uttered but simply an assuring embrace, a forgiving hug. What the father did was not a mere welcome but mercy at its best! Love seen in the most concrete way!

My dear friends, the story of the Prodigal Son is also our own story. Because of our sins especially our “favorite sins,” we insult God’s generosity. We all the while think that our sinfulness can give us the best brand of happiness in life. However, we are wrong. We must remember that we are created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, to live in sin is a great insult to our identity as children of God. And so, we turn to God for mercy. We ask God for his assuring embrace and forgiving hug. All that we need to do is to humbly accept our sinfulness and open our hearts to the voice of God who has long been waiting for us.

However, my dear friends, you who have experienced God’s merciful embrace are also tasked to share such embrace with others. In this year of mercy, we are reminded of our call to be merciful like the Father!

After the funeral Mass of one of his priests who was brutally murdered by the fundamentalists, Bishop Lampon was asked by the media, “Will you not leave this place? You and your priests have been in hot and difficult waters already. You might lose your life anytime.” The humble bishop replied, “We will not leave this place. Rather, we will continue to extend our hands of forgiveness to those people who hate us even if it will cause our very own lives.” Indeed, there is no fear in the life of such Bishop because he has been assuredly embraced by the Father in heaven. Bishop Lampon simply was merciful like the Father.

“We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth” says a family therapist. But we only need one tight hug, one merciful embrace from the Father in order to live life in abundance. Amen.