The joy you bring 0 comments
We know the story well. Young Mary, pregnant with Jesus, hastened over the Judean hills and valleys to be with Elizabeth, pregnant in her old age. Mary went quickly. She hurried to go to be someone who needed her. Mary had a good excuse not to go in that journey: her own health and preparations for birth. But she risked the road. She took time. She spent the energy. All of Mary’s life was guided by the Spirit of God. Mary knew Elizabeth needed her, and so he went.
Mary’s assumption, a triumph over death, celebrates a woman who lived her life bringing goodness to others. She is a wonderful model of faith for us.
In our world of hurry and worry, we can legitimately have plenty to do just to care for ourselves and our own business. But there are Elizabeths everywhere who need our visits. What a difference a phone call, a letter, a text message, or a “stopping by” can make to a lonely, ill or aged person. What joy we can bring to children by paying full attention to them. What happiness we offer friends and colleagues when we affirm their successes and celebrations. We need only to look and we easily find an Elizabeth today. May the Joy Mary’s visit brought to Elizabeth be the joy that your presence brings to those whom you take time to “visit” today.
To forgive is to forget? 0 comments
“To forgive is to forget” is not always true and did not come from Jesus. What Jesus said is rather clear: “Forgive seventy times seven.”
Since seven is a perfect number for the Jews, Jesus meant we must forgive each time there is a need for us to forgive. Jesus neither implied nor directly stated that to forgive is to forget.
To forgive is to remember. It is to remember that we hurt others just as others hurt us. [It hurts, you know!]. It is to remember that we need forgiveness from others just as others need our forgiveness. It is to remember that we are forgiven so we may forgive. It is to remember that God forgives us all regardless how grave and frequent our sins. It is to remember that God is Father of us all and that we are all brothers and sisters. It is to remember that not to forgive is not to be forgiven by our Father in heaven. Forgiveness flows from remembering, happens because remembering, becomes grace trough remembering.
When St. Paul wrote, “Love keeps no record of wrong,” he meant that love transcends the wrong done. He implied remembering because how can love transcend what does not exist even in memory? To transcend is not to forget but to transform moments of pain into moment of growth.
When Jesus rose from the dead, He still bore the marks of the wounds our sins inflicted on Him. Even now in heaven, Jesus in His glorified Body, bears the same reminder of our transgressions. His resurrection did not erase the image of His crucifixion. Rather, His resurrection highlighted even more the grace of His cross. It is in the light of the Resurrection that the Crucifixion should be understood and can have meaning in our lives.
Jesus remembers. He does. Ad so He forgives.
Correctio Fraterna 0 comments
Our Gospel today is about fraternal correction. The problem with many of our fraternal correction sessions is that they are not fraternal at all. Quite often, there is little, if any, brotherly in the way we correct one another. Thus, fraternal correction ends up in fraternal destruction, like a demolition project, a collapse of relationships where doors are not only closed but bridges are also burnt.
Fraternal corrections must bear three things.
First, genuine love should be the only motive for correcting the erring. It must be love between brothers; that is why it is defined as “fraternal”. Just as genuine love is its sole motive, its only goal must be authentic love as well. Genuine love means wishing the authentic good of the other.
Second, fraternal correction is not judgment day. It should not be considered as the long awaited day of verdict regarding the character of the one being corrected. Judging the other does not correct; it condemns. Judging does not fix anything; it separates the accuser from the accused. Judging closes the ears, hardens the heart, and, sometimes, even clenches the fist. Avoid judging when correcting. Say how the other’s negative behavior affects you instead. Judging says, “You are a liar!” Fraternal correction says, “When you lie, I am deeply hurt because I trust you and believe in you always.”
Third, every fraternal correction should be a “win-win” situation. We correct not to put the other down. We correct to raise the other up. We correct not to prove that we are certainly right while the other is undoubtedly wrong. We correct to have a better life together. We correct not to triumph over the other. We correct to build up one another. When the fraternal correction is over, every party should feel a winner. Fraternal correction is not for losers.
When we do fraternal correction, let us make sure that we gather in the name of Jesus. When we do so, Jesus promises two things in the Gospel today, our prayers will be granted and Jesus shall be in our midst.
Let us agree on three things: (1.) meet together in the name of the Lord; (2.) pray together for unity; and (3.) where correction is needed do so together as brothers and sisters.
This reflection is open to corrections. Please make it fraternal. Thank you!
[Wednesday 19th week in ordinary time]
The economy of God’s love 0 comments
It was a personal kind of love that Jesus Christ wanted to reach out to us. Just think … if we are that sheep that was lost, what a great joy we would feel, what a special feeling we would have and cherish to realize that the Lord goes through great lengths, great inconveniences just for us – a single individual, but loved by God nevertheless with the same great intensity as with the multitude. We are lucky that our God is a personal God, a personal Father, a Father who does not regard His children by preferences and importance. He regards each of us as important and equally deserving of His love. [Tuesday 19th week in ordinary time].
Martyrdom of St. Lawrence 0 comments
Feast of St. Lawrence
Tomato seeds had to be dried before they were planted. They seem dead. But try to plant fresh tomato seeds. After a few days they may remain untouched and fresh. But a few days later, you can see ants come and eat all the fresh tomato seeds.
The more we keep seed fresh, the more we hinder the harvest. The more we preserve them, the more tomatoes we lose. Unless the seed falls to the earth and dies, it remains a seed; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. We are like tomato seeds. We need to endure trials for us to grow. We need to risk so as to gain. We must die in order to live. St. Francis says that it is “in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
Yet no one wants to die. But as we remember St. Lawrence today, let us learn from his love for the poor. When arrested and tortured by the Roman Prefect to surrender the treasures of the Church, St. Lawrence pointed to the poor, saying, “Here are the treasures of the Church.” Let us also be inspired by his faithfulness. He was martyred for his faith through roasting. But most of all, let us follow his example of joyful sacrifice. While being roasted on a gridiron, St. Lawrence even jested saying, “Kindly turn me over. I am already cooked on this side.”
May we live out our love for the poor. May our love for Jesus be faithful. May our sacrifice love be joyful at all times. By doing so we are martyrs not by dying but by living. For martyrdom is not only about dying. Martyrdom is about living for Jesus, loving Jesus in the poor, and loving Jesus in good times and bad. Dying for Jesus is but a part of that living. Unless we live like Jesus, we cannot die for Him.
Martyrdom is not only the moment when the axe falls on a Christian’s neck. It is not only the moment when wild beasts feast on a Christian’s flesh. It is not only when a Christian is roasted alive. Martyrdom is living like Jesus.
Feed on Jesus, Feed Jesus to others, and Feed with Jesus 0 comments
I think everyone is familiar with the word: Bethlehem. “Bethlehem” is a contraction of two Hebrew words: be(y)th and lechem. Be(y)th is the genitive form of the Hebrew word for house (bayit). Be(y)th therefore means “of the house.” Lechem means "bread". Be(y)th lechem should therefore be “bread of the house”.
Of course, we know that Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus who today in the Gospel makes the bold claim that He is the “Bread of Life”, the “Living Bread” from heaven, infinitely better than the manna which our ancestors ate in the desert. Bethlehem is not the house of that Bread. Jesus is the Bread of that house. In such a case, anyone who belongs to the family of that house will never hunger because the Bread that feeds that household is Jesus Himself whose flesh is for the life of the world. May we always belong to that household.
Jesus identified Himself with bread, with food, for three reasons.
We must always feed on Him. By feeding on Him He becomes part of us and we become parts of Him. The more we feed on Jesus the more we become like Jesus. His life becomes our life and we receive divine and eternal life. Hunger for Jesus is the ultimate hunger that leads to real death.
We must always feed Jesus to others. We give what we receive. We receive Jesus and we give Jesus to others. Let Jesus be our gift to others always. He is the answer to the deepest hunger of our brothers and sisters. To feed on Jesus but not feed Jesus to others is spiritual greed that causes spiritual obesity that leads to real death, too.
We must always feed with Jesus. We feed on Jesus, we feed Jesus to others, and we feed like Jesus. And how does Jesus feeds? He gives us Himself. He feeds us with His own flesh. He laid down His life for us. He is the ultimate life-giver. So, to feed like Jesus, is to give ourselves to others.
Every time we are united in the celebration of the Eucharist, we eat this bread. Let us remember that Jesus feed us. And he expects us to feed Him to others and to feed others like Jesus.
In a practical way, what are the effects of eating this bread from heaven? We eat that bread by absorbing into ourselves the spirit, the truth and integrity, the love and compassion, the generosity and peacefulness of Jesus.
And how do we know we have truly eaten this bread? By the kind of people we become, by the ways in which we behave. The Second Reading (from Ephesians) gives a few examples:
not having grudges against others;
not losing our temper and shouting at people;
not calling people names;
not acting spitefully and getting our own back;
being friendly, approachable, kind, forgiving, especially to strangers and outsiders.
Yes, today, let us taste and see and experience how good the Lord is. Let him be the primary food and nourishment of our lives.
(19th Sunday in Ordinary time B)
Transfiguration, an in-between 0 comments
Somebody asked me, "Why is the Transfiguration of the Lord not popular?"
Why the Transfiguration of the Lord is not as popular as crucifixion or resurrection, or the Assumption or Christmas?
My answer is, “Because the Transfiguration is at the middle. It is not the beginning nor the end. It is the middle. Usually in life, we celebrate beginnings and endings. We do not celebrate "in-betweens." For instance, people celebrate weddings, the beginning of a couple's life, but they do not think of the loving every day that follows a wedding. We celebrate ordinations, the beginning of priestly ministry, but we do not see the struggle of everyday service that follows an ordination. We celebrate the victory of athletes but we forget the everyday discipline of training that led to the victory. We celebrate graduations but only in hindsight do we realize the rigor of everyday study, memorization, recitation and comprehension. We celebrate beginnings. We celebrate endings. How do you celebrate the in-between?
Transfiguration is not a beginning. It is not an ending. It is something in between. Transfiguration happened in between Jesus' birth and his death, in between Jesus' baptism and his resurrection, in predicting between his suffering and his actual suffering. Transfiguration happened in the middle of the public ministry of Jesus. It is a mystery that proclaimed Jesus' identity revealed to us in his birth as the Son of God and proclaimed the glory of Jesus' resurrection to be fulfilled in the future when he accomplishes the will of the Father.
Transfiguration is a process, an on-going, an in-progress, a journey. How can you capture a process? How does one hold on to a journey? And this is what Peter tried to do in the story of Transfiguration. By suggesting to build three tents, Peter wanted to capture the moment of Jesus’ glory while in Mount Tabor. He wanted to stay there and bask in the light of a glorious Jesus. He wanted to live there and be intoxicated with the majesty of the Son of God. But this is not the plan of Jesus. He refused Peter's request for they have to go down Mount Tabor and continue the journey, continue the process, continue the on-going realization of the Father's plan. Peter wanted to capture the moment. Jesus led them back to the journey that will lead them to the right moment.
Why the Transfiguration is unpopular? Because it is difficult to grab the mystery of the Transfiguration as it is a mystery of a journey. A journey which is started in order to come to an end. To begin trusting but there is still doubt. To begin serving but there is still sometimes self gratification. To begin to be good but there are still weaknesses, there are still mistakes. Commenced, but not yet complete. That’s the journey of the Transfiguration of the Lord. A process of a transformation. A journey following Christ. A journey that will not be finished until we reach the end of our lives.
Transfiguration is neither a beginning nor an end. It is an in-between. Transfiguration is a journey - a process of conversion, an on-going struggle to be faithful, a holiness in progress. It is an everyday truth where the real battle is won.
When it is right…. 0 comments
But Jesus did not answer her word. Silence.
How do you feel when you are in dire need, you ask somebody else for help and the one you ask just keep silent? Not even a word? What do you feel when you pray and it seems that God just ignore you? He keeps silent. Busy. Or He seems doesn’t care?
When our prayer is not right, God says NO.
When our timing is not right, God says SLOW
When our heart is not right, God says GROW.
When the prayer is right,
when the timing is right,
when the heart is right,
then God says GO.
What God can do with you? 0 comments
St. John Mary Vianney.
His failure to comprehend Latin lectures forced him to discontinue. But his vision of being a priest urged him to seek private tutoring. After a lengthy battle with the books, John was ordained.
Situations calling for “impossible” deeds followed him everywhere. As pastor of the parish at Ars, John encountered people who were indifferent and quite comfortable with their style of living. His vision led him through severe fasts and short nights of sleep.
With Catherine Lassagne and Benedicta Lardet, he established La Providence, a home for girls. Only a man of vision could have such trust that God would provide for the spiritual and material needs of all those who came to make La Providence their home.
His work as a confessor is John Vianney’s most remarkable accomplishment. In the winter months he was to spend 11 to 12 hours daily reconciling people with God. In the summer months this time was increased to 16 hours. Unless a man was dedicated to his vision of a priestly vocation, he could not have endured this giving of self day after day.
Many people look forward to retirement and taking it easy, doing the things they always wanted to do but never had the time. But John Vianney had no thoughts of retirement. As his fame spread, more hours were consumed in serving God’s people. Even the few hours he would allow himself for sleep were disturbed frequently by the devil.
Who, but a man with vision, could keep going with ever-increasing strength? In 1929, Pope Pius XI named him the patron of parish priests worldwide.
Here we have a humble priest, a humble country man, with very limited abilities for book learning, yet very contemplative, open to the Spirit and things supernatural, a real man of God. He was made the parish priest in a God-forgotten little town, where he could do little wrong. And no wrong he did. After a few years everyone knew where the little town of Ars was, and the learned and the great as well as the poor and the little one came to seek his counsel, absolution and help. When his ordination was discussed and one of his professors called him a “complete donkey” and wondered what he could accomplish, he said, “If Samson could defeat and kill a thousand Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone, who knows what the Lord could do with whole donkey like me?”
What God can do with you?
You are the miracle! 0 comments
However, Jesus, from whom we cannot hide anything, addressed the problem by making the disciples address the problem themselves. “There is no need to send them away. Give them something to eat yourselves,” said Jesus (Jesus must be smiling deep inside when He said this). When the problem is so real, the escaping from it becomes an easy option. I might say, “Why should I help others? After all I have my own problems!”
Shame must have covered the hearts, not only the faces, of the disciples as Jesus taught them that the answer to shortage is generosity and that problems are better confronted with childlike trust in Divine Providence rather than brushed aside with the force of human inadequacies.
We are no better than the disciples, are we?
Jesus looks straight to our eyes today as we reflect on His Living Word. He gaze is steady and His voice plain, “Is it true that there is not enough to share or it is more accurate that there is little generosity to show? Are you really aiming to solve the problem with the My help or are you really trying to escape from it with your fears?”
We cannot hide anything from the Lord. Let us be honest with our answers.
Smile, He is opening our hearts for another miracle!
You are that miracle!
