Food gathers 0 comments
With His rising to new life, Jesus makes perfect the universality of His Gospel. He does not only pass beyond doors and walls: his words are now meant for all. The disciples will later be tasked by the Risen Lord to “go into the whole world.” Our first reading (Acts 8:1-8) attests to how Philip – in the power of the Lord Jesus’ Resurrection – went to Samaria and proclaimed with good results the Lordship of Jesus. In contrast, Saul – who was the apostle Paul then in his old life in Judaism – felt that God’s benevolence was only meant for Jews. He therefore was going to house to house, dragging Christians whom he thought were corrupting the old tradition of Moses.
In the Eucharist of our time, Jesus rejects no one. He makes himself available for all, for all times. It reminds us what Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you…” (Mt 11:28). Our participation in the Eucharist of the Risen Jesus should then open us to follow the example of Jesus. Food unites; food gathers people to a celebration. The Eucharistic Jesus then gathers us in communion – with God, and with each other. The Bread of Life that is Jesus should empower us to gather, to celebrate amidst our differences.
Satisfaction forever 0 comments
Having been satisfied once, the people long to be satisfied forever. Logic told them that to enjoy a steady supply of food; they should have their hands on the supplier himself. God is the Unsupplied Supplier of all good things – satisfying food and whatnot.
Jesus taught His listeners today not only that God is the source of the kind of satisfaction they yearn for but also that He Himself, the Son of God, is the very satisfaction of all their yearnings. Manna tastes less satisfying than Jesus Himself who is the Bread of Life.
In life, there is a hierarchy of values. We must learn to rank every need correctly. Our need for Jesus infinitely outranks all our other needs. In fact, our longing for Jesus guides every effort we exercise to satisfy any need we have in life. All satisfaction we work for should actually lead us to our ultimate satisfaction: fullness of life in and through Jesus.
Jesus is the Bread of Life. We are not truly satisfied until we taste Him. And when we have tasted Him all else is junk food. “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ,” (Phil 3:7-9).
Different kinds of hunger 0 comments
Just ask yourself; what do I most hunger for: health, money, love, truth, prestige, a promotion? The list can be longer and longer. Jesus discussed this issue with those who sought Him after He had multiplied the five barley loaves and so fed a huge crowd. When they rushed around the lake to catch up with Jesus, were they simply hungry again? Were they hungry for things which satisfy the body or for that which satisfies the heart and soul? Jesus then faces the crowd and when He began to speak to them, He echoes a question posed by the prophet Isaiah, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
There are two kinds of hunger: physical and spiritual hunger. The physical hunger we can satisfy; we can and even should also satisfy the physical hunger of those who have not enough to eat. But only God can satisfy the spiritual hunger – the hunger for truth, for life and for love; the hunger for justice, for goodness and for holiness.
Jesus also spoke about the works of God and what we must do to be doing the works of God. His answer sounds very simple: we do the works of God when we believe in God’s Son whom He – out of love – has sent into the world to save the world. Here Jesus offers a new relationship with God who issues in a new kind of life: a life of love and service; a life of forgiveness of others which corresponds to God’s mercy and kindness; a life of holiness and purity which corresponds to God’s holiness; a life of submission and trust which corresponds to the wisdom of God. This is the work which Jesus directs us to do and enables us to perform in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Taken, blessed, broken, shared 0 comments
It comes as no surprise that meal sharing marks the appearances of the risen Lord. In his public ministry, Jesus is known for his table fellowship. He often describes the kingdom of God as a wedding banquet. He works his first sign, in John, at a wedding in Cana, turning water into wine and saving the newly married couple from embarrassment. He multiplies bread and fish to feed thousands of people. He accepts dinner invitations from Pharisees. He shares meals with friends and disciples. He eats with outcasts and sinners. His enemies call Jesus a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
This characteristic becomes a distinguishing mark of the risen Jesus as well. At Emmaus the two disciples recognize the stranger to be Jesus when at table he takes bread, says the blessing, breaks it, and gives it to them. On the shore of Tiberias, when Jesus invites the disciples to have breakfast, they realize it is the Lord.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples remain doubtful even after the risen Jesus shows them his hands and his feet, so he asks for something to eat. Jesus then opens their minds to understand what the Scriptures say about his suffering, death, and resurrection. He declares them as his witnesses who will call people to repent and accept God’s forgiveness.
At the Eucharistic celebration, as friends of Jesus we gather around the Lord’s Table. We share the meal where we clearly experience the presence of the risen Lord who draws us together as community and brings us closer to God. The risen Jesus nourishes us with the words of Scripture and with his body and blood. We are fed to overflowing; our eyes are opened and we begin to understand how we are sent to call people to repent and accept God’s forgiveness.
The Eucharist is a foretaste for us of the ultimate messianic banquet in heaven. Until then, as Body of Christ, we witness to the Lord’s presence by proclaiming the word and sharing the meal. We are to be the body of Christ broken for the world, responding to the varied hungers and thirsts of the human race.
In an Easter sermon, St. Augustine puts the Christian challenge this way: “You are the body of Christ. In you and through you the work of the incarnation must go forward. You are to be taken; you are to blessed, broken, and distributed; that you may be the means of grace and the vehicles of the eternal (love).” Like the apostles we are also called: you are witnesses of these things!
Our Mark 0 comments
The first reading today tells us that Mark was like a son to the Apostle Peter. He was Peter’s loyal aide and Paul’s reconciled friend.
We also know that Mark wrote the shortest, oldest, and bluntest of the Gospels. He wrote the Gospel for Christians who were restless over the delay of the second coming of the Lord and were frightened by the strong and violent persecution waged against them. If you cut the Gospel written by Mark, you will discover that its very center is the verse where Jesus says, “If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross and follow me.” Discipleship and the cross from the heart of Mark’s Gospel. Discipleship is his response to the Lord. The cross is his Good News to the world.
I wonder, after hundreds of years from now, if someone accidentally comes across anything that would identify us, what would that be? How would we be known to generations we will never know? Would they also say, “We know very little this person, but we know what he did for the Lord and what the Lord does for us now because of him.” This we now say about Mark. Could they say the same about us even long after we are gone?
It depends of what mark we leave behind.
Transcend the ordinary 0 comments
Now we shift to the story about Jesus multiplying bread, and Jesus eventually referring himself as the real Bread of life. Through these Gospel readings, we are made aware how the Sacrament of the Eucharist is our special connection with the presence of the Risen Jesus.
We become what we eat, so said St. Augustine. The Eucharist of the Risen Jesus leads us to a way of seeing things:
The Eucharist leads us to transcendence. Philip surveyed the crowd that followed Jesus and he said, “Two hundred day’s wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” Andrew added, “There is a boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; what good are these for so many?” Jesus defied these materialistic and merely physical ways of analyzing the reality.
The Eucharist teachers us to see divine grace in the ordinary. The miracle started with details that are ordinary: a boy, an insignificant boy, barley loaves that were bread of the poor. Grace started our from these, as did Jesus’ earthly ministry which unfolded in a cave for animals in Bethlehem (not Jerusalem).
The Eucharist challenges us to fellowship. Jesus passed on the bread and fish. Many commentators maintain that this action of Jesus could have triggered a chain. Everyone started to pass on what he or she had! For some Bible scholars, this sharing of each to the other was what really multiplied the bread for all. We too, are the bread which are broken and shared that others may have life.
Enthusiasm 0 comments
The glory of the Resurrection is then an invitation for us to shine also with all the love and goodness that God has poured into our humble being. This is what being “enthusiastic” means. Enthusiasm comes from the Greek expression en (in) + theos (God). The true enthusiasm bursts forth with all the goodness and glory of God.
How dead serious… 0 comments
However, we have to claim for ourselves the plan of God. We have to correspond to his desire by also confessing our lives to him. One saint said, “The God who created you without you, cannot save you without you!” This much, too, God loves us – he respects our human freedom!
In the First reading, God sent his angel to free the apostles from the public jail. The apostles then used their God-given freedom to teach the people about the Risen Jesus.
How dead serious are we about our spiritual life and our relationship with the Lord? Are we also investing in the way God invested for our salvation?
How are we using our freedom?
Beyond my ego limits 0 comments
What “ego limits” do I have to transcend as Christians living and witnessing to the Risen Lord?
Born-Again? 0 comments
The reading for today, especially from the Gospel of John gives a good insight on my birthday. It talks also about ‘birth’. In his discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus corrected Nicodemus’ misunderstanding on the remark about birth. Nicodemus understood the remark about birth on the earthly, physical level but Jesus was speaking of greater realities and what He would call true birth and true life – God’s own life given by God. Jesus speaks about a spiritual rebirth, a “birth from above,” birth by “water and the Spirit” – by baptism.
Birth is a beginning. After nine months of growing in the mother’s womb, the child begins now to grow visible to all. Parents and relatives observe this growth with delight. What about my spiritual growth after I have been “born from above” in baptism? Is this spiritual growth visible to others and helps them to grow spiritually too? Let the Holy Spirit, whom we have received when we were “born from above” assist us in our spiritual growth.
Trusting in Christ’s Divine Mercy 0 comments
Jesus himself had instructed Sr. Faustina to have the sentence “JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU” written at the bottom of that painting. This sentence expresses the response of humble faith on the part of the sinner to the endless mercy with which God views mankind and constantly brings about the salvation of the world.
This is the mercy that brought God’s Son to become a human being and to give his life on the cross for all sinners. This is also the same mercy that led the Risen Christ to go in search of his disciples the very day he rose from death, to reassure them of his forgiving love. No revenge for having been deserted by them right when he needed their allegiance most, but only the gifts of his peace and comforting presence. No bitterness against the doubting Thomas who persisted in rejecting the witness of his companions, but only patient understanding for his weakness, and a tender desire to arouse in him faith in the Resurrection.
“My Lord and my God!” exclaimed the bewildered apostle as he felt himself overwhelmed by the love of the Man-God who had only words of mercy and forgiveness for him.
“Jesus, remember me when you enter into your reign!” had been the earnest plea of the man being executed with him on Calvary as he viewed his life as a total failure and Jesus’ mercy as his only hope. And he was not disappointed.
“Jesus, have mercy on me. I trust in you!” is the expression of complete self-surrender which all of us should address to our Savior as we realize our unworthiness and our need to be forgiven. What can save us from the devastating consequences of our sins is only God’s merciful love.
And this is what we implore, in all humility and confidence, not only on this Second Sunday of Easter, but throughout our lives, until our last moments. Like the repentant thief dying on a cross, side by side with the Innocent Victim, we place all our trust in Jesus, the King of Divine Mercy.
At the same time, we are called to live out the Divine Mercy. How? We have to begin with the truth that the identity of Christians is rooted in Christ’s obedience to the Father in His suffering, death and resurrection. And therefore, we should be in the process of imitating Christ in obedience to the Father. The second reading tells us that we who believe should love God and keep his commandments (1 John 5, 1-6). The concrete example to emulate is in the first reading: the community of believers in Acts tells us that they were one in heart and mind, as they bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus by holding all possessions in common and thus no needy person was among them. If we are to live out Divine Mercy, it is therefore inevitable that we have to work for justice: we have to make sure that our novenas and devotions to the Divine Mercy will be translated into food on the table. [*Second Easter Sunday*]
Face Jerusalem 0 comments
The two disciples in the gospel turned their backs on Jerusalem to face Emmaus, an unknown place, not even marked in the ancient maps of Israel. Jerusalem signified their crisis; Emmaus, their hopelessness. It was in Jerusalem where they saw the promised Messiah arrested, tortured, murdered. Even after having been buried, Jesus seemed to be not left in peace because His body was nowhere to be found. They had left everything to follow Jesus, even perhaps against the advice of their loved ones, but everything seemed to have ended in humiliating defeat. What would their loved ones say? What future beckoned them? Was there a tomorrow?
So the only recourse was Emmaus. Emmaus was more than a place.
It was a situation wherein the two disciples unwittingly wanted to confine themselves – a situation of hopelessness and misery, endless regrets, of not being able to move on because today’s depression blurred the reality of tomorrow’s consolation. The two could not see beyond that day. They failed to recognize Jesus. They were focused on their misery and regrets and not on the ways of the Lord.
We know the journey that these two disciples made. We have made it several times. Their story is our story. Their journey is ours, too.
But as in their case, Jesus walks with us and waits for us to recognize Him. If only we would stop and listen to Him, invite Him and break bread with Him, we, too, would turn our backs on Emmaus and face our Jerusalem. Like these two disciples we would feel that just when the world seems to be so cold to us, our hearts are actually burning.
Remember: Just as it was in Jerusalem where Jesus died, so it was in Jerusalem that Jesus rose to life again
Mary Magdalene, the first missionary 0 comments
The Lord gently made her aware that, after His resurrection, many things had changed. He entered a new mode of existence and His disciples had to learn to see Him beyond His physical appearance. If He could not be seen physically, touched by hands, He would present under signs and symbols. He was present not just for one person or a limited group of persons, but for the whole world.
The lovely encounter between the Risen Lord and Mary teaches also that whoever really loves the Lord must be ready to be sent by the Risen Lord to share the experience of having “seen” Him. We do not see Him physically. We see Him in faith. We see Him in the Church. We see him in people who are deeply touched by Him and make Him visible.
Every baptized person is supposed to be a missionary. It begins the parents who share their faith with their children and lead them to a future personal encounter with Christ in faith. A family that prays together and lives with Christ as spiritual center becomes missionary to the neighbors and relatives. So does a healthy Christian community that reaches out in love and so proclaims that Jesus is alive. A Christian who refuses to take part in corruption and cheating on the job but lives honestly and upholds Christian values “preaches”, without words, that Christ lives. But first we have to allow ourselves to experience Christ in our own lives and cease claiming Him for ourselves only.
Easter – Deal or no deal 0 comments
Today’s Gospel reflects a well-known reality: whoever encounters Christ cannot remain neutral. He is, as Simeon predicted, “a sign of contradiction.” Even after His death and resurrection Jesus continued to draw contrasting reactions to his persons. There were those who were overjoyed to encounter him and ready to bring the good news of his resurrection to others, and those who refused to believe in spite of the strong evidence; they twisted the truth with a ridiculous alibi.
The story did not end where today’s Gospel ends. Even today, there are countless faithful all over the world who accept Jesus and believe in His resurrection. But there is also an increasing number even of Christians, who do not believe in the resurrection anymore. They had not been there record the event. Actually nobody had witnessed the event, they say. For their scientific mind it is nothing but a fairy tale for children.
Yes, encountering Christ nobody can remain neutral. We have to make a clear decision – for Christ or against Him; deal or no deal! And those who try to play safe by taking no clear position are hit by the words of the Risen Lord, “I wish that you were either hot or cold. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev 3:16).
What does it mean to make a decision for Christ, based on faith in his resurrection? It means that we must become transformed, changed people, like the apostles. We remember St. Paul who persecuted the Church. After his encounter with the risen Lord near Damascus he became the most courageous witness of Christ. Our decision for Christ should make us such witnesses, unafraid of what others might say. Not an easy task. Yes, in this world it is so hard to live the Resurrection spirituality since the triumph of good seems to be short-lived, always interrupted, it seems, by the works of evil. Precisely, this is the reason why we also keep celebrating Easter year after year. With the Easter memory renewed in us each year, may we never succumb to evil, pessimism, and negativity
Easter – Love Changes 0 comments
The four Gospels present different stories about that first Easter morning. They vary in details but all agree on the essential points: that the tomb was empty and that Jesus’ disciples have seen the Lord. We rely on this testimony of the first disciples. Resurrection, therefore, is a matter of faith. Without faith, we would say, the bones are rotten, it’s over; or: the body was stolen, as the enemies of Jesus did. Only in faith and trusting the witness of the disciples can the empty tomb lead us to confessing that Jesus is truly risen and alive among us.
The resurrection of Jesus changed the lives of the first disciples. Does it change ours, too? If not, what might be missing?
Love played a great role in those hours after the resurrection. Mary Magdalene, we read, loves Jesus so much that she cannot sleep but runs to the tomb as early as possible. Then it is the disciple whom Jesus loved who saw the empty tomb and believed. Love gives eyes to read the signs and a mind to understand. Later, Jesus would confront Peter and ask him three times, “Do you love me?” Love is the great interpreter. Love grasps the truth when the intellect gropes in the uncertain. The more we love the Lord, the more we will be able to experience the transforming power of His risen presence in our lives and in the world. With deep love for Christ, our life changes. Like the first disciples, we will experience resurrection in our lives, too. For Christ makes everything new.
Saturday of Glory 0 comments
The proclamation of the Bible for the Easter Vigil recall to us the saving and victorious acts of God: the creation of the world and of man, the abundant blessing of descendants for the old and long time childless Abraham, the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt, the restoration of Israel. In the light of all these, the Resurrection of Jesus is presented as the climax of the proclamation that God indeed is “not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
This day is then best kept as time to renew our faith and hope in God’s gift of renewal and restoration.
He Chose the Nails 0 comments
Let me share with you the following reflection from the book HE CHOSE THE NAILS, by MAX LUCADO. It is my hope and prayer that his insights may help deepen our appreciation and understanding of Christ’s passion and death.
GOD’S PROMISE IN THE NAILS
Come to the hill of Calvary. Watch the soldiers shove the carpenter to the ground and stretch his arms against the beams. One pressed a knee against a forearm and a spike against a hand. Jesus turns His face toward the nail just as the soldier lifts the hammer to strike it. Couldn’t Jesus have stopped him? With a flex of the biceps, with a clench of fist, He could have resisted. Is this not the hand that stilled the sea? Cleansed the temple? summoned the dead? But the fist does not clench… And the moment is not aborted. The mallet rings and the skin rips and blood begins to drip then rush. Why didn’t Jesus resist? Because Jesus loved us, we reply. But there could be something more.
Jesus saw something that made Him stay. As the soldier pressed His arm, Jesus rolled His head to the side, and with the cheek resting on the wood He saw: a mallet, yes. A nail, yes. The soldier’s hand, yes. But He saw something else. HE SAW THE HAND OF GOD. It appeared to be the hand of a man. Long fingers of a woodworker. Callous palms of a carpenter. It appeared common. It was, however, anything but:
- These fingers formed Adam out of clay and furrowed truth into the tablets.
- With a wave, this hand toppled Babel’s tower and split the Red Sea.
- From His hand flew the locusts that plagued Egypt and the raven that fed Elijah.
THE HAND OF GOD IS A MIGHTY HAND
- Hands of incarnation at His birth.
- Hands of liberation as He healed.
- Hands of inspiration as He taught.
- Hands of dedication as He served.
- And hands of salvation as He died.
Through the eyes of the scripture, we see what others missed: what Jesus saw. He cancelled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross (Col 2:14). Between His hand and the wood, there was a long list of our mistakes, our sins. He saw the list. And since we cannot bear the thought of eternity without you, Jesus chose the nails.
- The same hand that stilled the sea stills your guilt.
- The same hand that cleansed the Temple cleanses your heart.
- The hand is the hand of God.
- The nail is the nail of God. And as the hands of Jesus opened for the nail, the doors of heaven opened for you.
GOD’S PROMISE IN THE GARMENT
Scripture often describes our behavior as the clothes we wear. garment can symbolize character, and like His garment, Jesus’ character was seamless. Coordinated. Unified. He was like His robe: uninterrupted perfection. Woven… from top. Jesus was not led by his own mind; He was led by the mind of His Father (Jn 5:19-30). The character of Jesus was a seamless fabric from heaven to earth… from Father’s thoughts to Jesus’ actions. From Father’s tears to Jesus’ compassion. From the Father’s words to Jesus’ response. All one piece. All picture of the character of Jesus. BUT WHEN JESUS WAS NAILED TO THE CROSS, HE TOOK OFF HIS ROBE OF SEAMLESS PERFECTION AND ASSUMED A DIFFERENT WARDROBE, THE WARDROBE OF INDIGNITY.
- The indignity of nakedness. Stripped before his own mother and loved ones. Shamed before his family.
- The indignity of failure. For a few pain-filled hours, the religious leaders were victors, and Christ appeared the loser. Shamed before his accusers.
- Worst of all he wore the indignity of sin. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.
The clothing of Jesus on the cross: sin of all humanity.
Every aspect of the crucifixion was intended not only to hurt the victim but also to shame him. Death on the cross was usually reserved for the vilest offenders: slaves, murderers, assassins and the like. The condemned person was marched through the city streets, shouldering his crossbar and wearing a placard about his neck that named his crime. At the execution site, He was stripped and mocked. While on the cross, Jesus felt the indignity and disgrace of a criminal.
Though we come to the cross dressed in sin, we leave dressed in Christ Himself: It was not enough for Him to prepare you a feast. It was not enough for Him to reserve you a seat. It was not enough for Him to cover the cost and provide the transportation to the banquet. He did something more. He let you wear His own clothes so that you would be properly dressed. He did that for you.
I WILL LET YOU CHOOSE
God gives eternal choices with eternal consequences. Isn’t this the reminder of the Calvary trio? Ever wondered why there were two crosses next to Christ? Why not six or ten? ever wondered why Christ in the center? Could it be that the two crosses on the hill symbolize one of God’s greatest gift? The gift of choice. The two criminals have so much in common. Convicted by the same system. Condemned by the same death. Surrounded by the same crowd. Equally close to the same Jesus. In fact they begin the same sarcasm. But one changed (Lk 23:39-43).
Much has been said about the prayer of the penitent thief, and it certainly warrant our admiration. But while we rejoice at the thief who changed, dare we forget the one who didn’t? What about him? Wouldn’t a personal invitation be appropriate for him? Wouldn’t a word of persuasion be timely? The sheep was lost innocently. The coin was lost irresponsibly. But the prodigal son left intentionally. The Father gave him the choice. Jesus gave both criminals the same.
There are times when God sends thunder to stir us. There are times when God send blessings to lure us. But there are times when God sends nothing but silence as He honors us with the freedom to choose where we spend eternity. You did not choose your gender, siblings, race, or place of birth. But the scales of life were forever tipped on the side of fairness when of planted a tree in the Garden of Eden. Any injustice in this life is offset by the honor of choosing our destiny in the next. Think about the thief who repented. However, we know a little about him. He is enjoying the fruit of the one good choice he made. When one prayed, Jesus loved him enough to save him. And when the other mocked, Jesus loved him enough to let him. He allowed him the choice. He does the same for you.
Transubstantiation 0 comments
Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Imus, Cavite, Philippines once preached that there were actually three transformation that happened in the first Holy Thursday:
From object to gift. Bread and wine were objects - things to be used, inanimate. But Jesus blessed these, and they became gifts - living and life-giving - for they are now Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus himself.From Master to servant. This was the pedagogy of the foot-washing that Jesus made: He is Master, but He is now master who serves the rest. His greatest service will be the laying down of his life.
From mine to yours. Jesus' life was His, now it is shed for all.
May our celebration of another Holy Thursday lead us to live the spirituality of "transubstantiation." May we see others and everything around us as "gifts." May we see ourselves as servants for others. May we always see our lives as not ours, but lives made meaningful by our outpouring to others.
Self Defense 0 comments
Wednesday in the Holy Week
Preparing the readings today, I am drawn to dwell on the words of response for the Psalm: “Lord, in your great love, answer me.” Filipinos call these days Mahal na Araw, which means “Dear or Precious Days.” These days are indeed precious days because these days highlight for us the preciousness and dearness of human life for God. He exchanged the life of His only Son for us!
In the face of the great love of God for each of us, the Gospel reminds us that many times it is our “self defense” that prevents us from receiving and experiencing God’s love. It could have been easier for the disciples to ask Jesus, “Is it I, Lord?” However, they – including Judas – asked with rather a tone of defensiveness and denial, “Surely it is not I, Lord?”
Throughout humanity’s relationship with God, the problem has not been so much the sin and frailty of humanity as his strong defensiveness and denial, Adam, when asked if he ate the fruit of the forbidden tree in the middle of Eden, answered YHWH with irritation, “The woman whom you made, gave the fruit to me…” Likewise, when Cain was confronted by YHWH about the death of his brother Abel, he answered with an air of pride, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
May we put down our defenses and denials, and may we simply come to the Lord in all our brokenness and pains. Then we will experience the true preciousness of these days
Judas and Peter 0 comments
Tuesday in the Holy Week
Judas and Peter: two characters without whom the Passion narrative of Jesus would lack drama. Both were apostles; both were close friends of Jesus and both failed Him in the hour of need. At least Judas never bragged about his loyalty. Peter's bragging in today's Gospel passage sounds repulsive to those who know what happened a few hours later. But Peter is honored as one of the greatest saints, while Judas' name is cursed. What made the difference?
From the Gospel we can conclude that the betrayal of Judas was planned for quite some time. He knew exactly what he was about to do.
Peter was quite different. Deep in his heart he loved the Lord. In spite of his many failures he was actually loyal. When he bragged he would even die for Jesus, I am sure he really meant it at that moment. He never planned to deny his beloved Master. He was just weak. And he was very impulsive. That makes Peter such a likable fellow with whom we can easily identify.
If we look honestly into our own lives, we detect many weaknesses. We commit many sins which we call either "mortal" or "venial". The sin of Judas was mortal because it was planned with full consciousness. May God protect us from this kind of sin! A daily honest examination of conscience can help us spot "sins in the making." A prolonged hatred and the resistance to forgive somebody are clear signs that a "Judas sin" might not be far from being committed. But even a mortal sin can be forgiven. The only condition is that we do what Judas missed to do: go with trust to Jesus and ask for forgiveness.
The same examination of conscience also makes us immediately aware of the many "Peter sins," sins committed out of weakness of caused by a moment of uncontrolled emotions. Knowing that every sin hurts Go, we ask for forgiveness even for the so-called venial sins. And we can be sure that God forgives every time we approach Him like Peter, being sorry for what we have done.
Judas in me 0 comments
Bethany was an oase for Jesus, a place where He found rest among friends. But soon the peaceful scene turns ugly. The outpouring love is met with jealousy, hypocrisy, and bitterness. Judas represents the threat that hangs over Jesus' head. His act of betrayal did not come suddenly. He had already nourished ill feelings in his heart toward Jesus for some time. He had not listen well when Jesus one day spoke about evil thoughts in the human heart which, if left uncontrolled, will issue an evil acts.
Jealousy, hypocrisy, bitterness. At the beginning of the Holy Week it would be good for us to check whether one or the other of these hidden evils might be lurking in our hearts.Jealousy - When I look around and see other people having more than I have; when they can afford what I cannot; when I see that bad people live a good life while I have struggle; when somebody else gets a better position or promotion…. The list is endless which makes us aware that jealousy is not far from our life.
Hypocrisy - Jesus said to Judas, "Leave her alone… You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." Jesus' words are not against the poor. They are addressed to Judas. Judas wanted to stop Mary from anointing Jesus' feet with the expensive oil. He suggested that the perfume could be sold, and the money from the sale could be used to help the poor. What a good and noble idea! Inside himself, however, Judas had another motivation: he wanted the money for the common purse because he could help himself with such money. When we are not sincere with our motivations and intentions, we are hypocrites. It is not enough that one does good. I often hear people mouthing this simplistic saying: "Even if you do not pray, provided you do good to others, you will go to heaven." No. Jesus says that our doing good should go with the right reason and motivation. God does not only see what the hands do; God reads the heart. What is in your heart when we do good for others? Personal gains?Bitterness - Frustrations, disappointments, hurts, betrayals, cause so much bitterness. They rob us of joy and peace; they kill our love for others. They make us retreat from others and look at the world in anger. Bitterness - another attitude of Judas that can easily threaten our faith life.
Are there any of these attitudes in our hearts? During this Holy Week, we try to detect and eradicate those attitudes which caused Judas to hurt Mary and betray Jesus. Once detected, we can work on it and stop it from developing and causing problems, hurts and suffering for us and others.PALMS 0 comments
In the scriptures, the people waved palm branches to show their warm welcome to Jesus. The people in Jerusalem were so interested in Jesus, whom they called the great prophet from Galiliee. They also sang, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The palm was an expression of their decision to follow Jesus and to suffer, to die and to rise again with Jesus.
Unfortunately, some of us interpreted it in different ways. May be some of us will keep this palm because of our belief that it has a magical power, that it has a lucky charm. In fact, we can see in many houses palms that were placed permanently in their doors and windows because of their belief that it will protect them from any danger or calamity and forbid the entrance of any evil spirit. The power of this palm is not found actually in the leaves but in your own hearts, in the hearts of the people who hold this symbol of our faith.
Is there any other way to interpret this? As we enter the Holy Week, I would like to invite you to contemplate on these PALMS. PALMS that are not leaves but P A L M S that stands for P-OWER, A-UTONOMY, L-OVE, M-EEKNESS, and S-ERVICE.
All of us have P – POWER. Power that we exercise in our family over our children, power that we use in the church or workplace, power that has been given by God. This power helps us to put things in order but at the same time, this power can also caused division once it is abused. Our government leaders have tried to build up a unified government by breaking the walls between those in the administration and opposition but unfortunately, it did not happen because of many abuses of power done by both parties. Jesus has also a power: the power to cast out demons, heal the sick, convert people, and bring people back to life. But in spite of this divine power, “Jesus remained humble and opted to empty himself and took the form of slave being born in the likeness of men.” (Phil 2:7).
We are also given A – AUTONOMY. God loves us over other creatures. He allowed us to discern what is best for us. Then, our God’s gift of autonomy sometimes lead us to sin because it is being misused. We make decision not in accordance with God’s will but for our own advantage. [As an example, the church is constantly reminding us that abortion is a grave sin, but then there are still people who commit abortion because of the abuse of their autonomy.] When Jesus embraced His humanity, He also was given autonomy to decide for Himself. But in all His decisions and actions, he had always sought the will of His Father. “If You are willing to take this cup away from me; still not my own will but yours be done.” [Lk 22:42].
The L – LOVE of God to us is not dubious. As evidence, He sent Jesus, His son and allowed him to be crucified. That is how our loving God loved us. He allowed us to know his splendor. But in spite of His love, we too sometimes failed to show our love for Him through loving our marginalized brothers and sisters. Several times we become insensitive to their needs. In our family we were so ungrateful to our parents. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He already knew that He was to fulfill God’s promise to His people. He did not resist although He knew that He would suffer heavily. He will be despised and abandoned.
The M – MEEKNESS of Jesus was so very evident in His life. Starting from His birth where He was born in a cave, when He entered into Jerusalem riding a donkey and His burial where He borrowed a tomb from others, these are manifestations of His meekness. This meekness sometimes is out of our vocabulary. We have a hard time to submit and humble ourselves to our parents, to our elders and to our superiors. During Jesus’ ministry, He exemplified great humility. Though He is a God, He never exulted himself before the people. He worked silently.
The S – SERVICE of Jesus to the people is immeasurable. He forgave the sinners, He uplifted the poor, the cured sick, He attended the little children, and He served all humanity. We, too, have the capacity to serve. But, then, sometimes we opt to stay with our friends, having a picnic, watching movies despite our awareness that our church needs our services especially during the seasons of Lent.
Being followers of Christ, we also wave all these palms, shouting Hossana, but there are challenges to us. God challenges us to offer ourselves completely, to die to our self-centered-ness. Lastly, to make this Holy Week more significant, He invites us to reflect more deeply on our PALMS: Power, Autonomy, Love, Meekness and Service.
Lessons to learn 0 comments
Saturday 5th week of Lent
It was a pity, Caiphas, the high priest during the time of Jesus, did not learn this indispensable lesson. “It is better for one man to die for the people, than the whole nation to perish,” he said. Worse, majority if the Sanhedrin agreed to Caiphas’ arrogant claim. The claim took the life of Jesus.
Many times we are confronted with a choice between one life and another. Many times we want to win another over. Many times we say, “It is okay to dispense with this person in favor of the other.” Many times we approach dialogue not as a win-win situation but as a battle where we do anything to win. Many times we sacrifice the life of another to preserve ours. We have not yet learned the lesson. No one is dispensable. Life is indispensable… no matter whose life it is.
As Holy Week begins tomorrow, we should now realize that the characters in the Holy Week story mirror each of us. The call to reflection during these days reflects to us our own selves in the story of every character. Their stories are our stories. Their mistakes are our mistakes, too. The lesson they failed to learn, we must learn. Who am I in the Holy Week story?
Blasphemy 0 comments
Blasphemy is any sacrilegious act done against God. Taking the name of God in vain is blasphemy. Attempting to make God an accomplice is blasphemy. Using the things of God for evil ends is blasphemy.
But is not taking up rocks to stone someone to death a blasphemy, too? It is God who gives life to everyone and God alone, therefore, has the right to take it back. Is not persecuting someone under the guise of religious fervor blasphemy? Religion falls under the category of “things” of God. Is not manipulating god to preserve the status quo blasphemous, too? God should never be manipulated and exploited for whatever purpose.
When we are concerned about the sanctity of God but are neglectful of the sanctity of human life, we blaspheme. When we are on fire for God but are cold-hearted toward those who do not share our faith, we blaspheme. When we are preoccupied with our causes – no matter how praiseworthy they are – but are manipulative and exploitative of God, we are blasphemous.
Blasphemy should include all sacrilegious acts against God towards man. When we love God but hate one another, we are guilty of blasphemy because God dwells in each of us. When we persecute and kill in the name of religion, we are very guilty of blasphemy because godly causes have nothing to do with oppression and murder. When we manipulate and exploit God for anything thing, we are guilty of blasphemy because in doing so we are playing gods.
Because He claimed to be the Son of God, Jesus was crucified. While agitation was the crime that His enemies accused Him of before the roman Procurator, their primary allegation against Jesus was blasphemy. But His enemies were just as guilty of blasphemy as Jesus was, for in their heart of hearts they all long to be a child of God and even called their nation, God’s first born. Look, who’s talking! They must have a wrong understanding of blasphemy, if not totally twisted by them to suit their own agenda…. Blasphemous!
Model for our faith 0 comments
Thursday 5th week of Lent
I have always admired Abraham, the recipient of this promise of land. He received so many promises from God, but saw none fulfilled. God had called him out of his homeland – and he went, not knowing where God would lead him. God had promised him descendants as numerous as the stars and the sand at the seashore. When he died, he had one son of this promise. God promised him “the whole land of Canaan.” When his wife died, he owned not even a small piece of land to bury her. How would I have reacted in the face of so many unfulfilled promises?
But Abraham believed and went through life, unshaken and unwavering. He trusted even when he seemed to be fooled by God. No wonder that the first Eucharistic Prayer calls him “our father of faith.”
Today the church puts this hero of faith before us to look once more at our faith. Comparing ourselves with Abraham, we can test ourselves and our faith. This is very timely, because in a few days we will renew our baptismal promises. Three times we will be asked, “Do you believe…?” And three times we are supposed to answer, “I do.” But do I really believe, like Abraham, against all odds? Is my faith unshakable, like the faith of father Abraham?
We are also promised a land – heaven. Nobody has seen heaven, nobody knows how it looks. But do I firmly believe in it? Do I firmly believe in eternal bliss in the presence of God? Do I have faith of Abraham and refuse to entertain doubts but prepare myself for something I do not know how and when I will be able to reach it? How do Christ’s promises influence my daily life because I trust in him?
The truth will set you free 0 comments
Wednesday 5th week of lent
Lenten season is an intense season for prayers, fasting, and charity for others. We pray, above all, for that which we all desire for this passing world: inner joy and peace of mind. But, what is the way to joy and peace? Jesus intimates us in the Gospel today that the way to joy and peace – experiences of authentic human freedom – is simply this: live by the truth. “The truth will set you free.”
We have some points to contemplate on the truth based on Jesus’ words:
If you remain in my word…you will know the truth. In a world that is so much “in” with relativism and subjectivism, Jesus clarifies for us that the truth is not what each one thinks it should be. There is an objective and absolute measure for the truth: God’s will and word. The laws of the natural order and even the law of Church and State would only be truth if they reflect the absolute will of God. Hence, something cannot be true today… then it is not tomorrow. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Truth will always be the same essence wherever and whatever.
The truth will set you free. Oftentimes, we think of the truth as “something that is grasped with the mind.” But the truth that Jesus speaks of is one that is grasped with one’s whole life. It is the truth of being and living. [One cannot say it the truth but his/her life doesn’t show that it is the truth.] In other words: it is faithfulness to one’s life orientation, direction, and values. Then, we find it easy to realize that indeed, as Jesus proclaims, truth sets you free. For when we are faithful with the life that is for us – we have nothing to hide, we have no fear, we can be confident before anyone, we are at peace, and we are free.
But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Truth always makes a martyr out of its disciples. Since truth is eternal and absolute because it is based on God, the disciples of truth must be consistent, not compromising. That means guts, a lot of guts, and cuts!
