God In Every Family - Feast of the Holy Family

When God decided to send his Son into the world, he prepared for him a family. He chose a perfect woman, an immaculate virgin to be his mother. As his dad, he chose a godly, hardworking carpenter who would teach him the value of work, responsibility and fear of the Lord. It took God a long process to prepare Jesus to join the human family. The family is one of God’s instruments in transforming and changing the world. It is still through the human family that God continues to inspire goodness and hope. 

In today’s gospel, we are shown that the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was not spared from danger and crisis. Early in his life, Jesus had to be protected from a power-hungry king who was jealous of his miraculous birth. Mary had to endure many sleepless nights in order keep Jesus safe and warm. On his part, Joseph had to be a brave leader who has the foresight and ability for strategic planning to protect God’s most important treasures entrusted to him. It was not easy to become parents of the Son of God. It required great love, deep faith and courageous obedience.

Christian families today are threatened by many destructive forces. There are pernicious ideologies who would like to redefine the basic concept of marriage as husband and wife. Couples are afraid of a lifetime commitment and do not accept marriage as a sacrament. Some choose simply to live together or prefer a civil marriage. Our catholic faith reminds us that during weddings, the husband and wife accept a role in God’s plan for humanity. They become ambassadors of God’s love; their love becomes a sign that God is still in the world and wants to be part of every human family.

Prayer: Lord, may we see marriage as a way of inviting God as a family member so that He may bless it and make it fruitful. Amen. 

Discerning God’s Plan - 4th Sunday of Advent

A young mother came to the parish crying. She revealed a sad news that she had a miscarriage! With her husband, they were carrying their two-months old baby in a glass container inside a box. They requested to have their child blessed before bringing “little Angelo” for burial. The young mother was teary-eyed during the short funeral rite. It is traumatic to loose such a little angel. It is like losing an important treasure. The joy of the Christmas season suddenly faded. There was just mourning and great distress.

The gospel reading of this Fourth Sunday of Advent narrates about the birth of Jesus. This baby had been expected for 400 years. All the oracles of the prophets foretold of his coming. Now we are introduced into the drama of Christmas. Life itself is full of dramatic moments. There is a constant cycle of joys and sorrows. The reading ushers us into the secret drama of Joseph. Having loved Mary, he relished the day when she becomes his wife. But things turned out differently. She is with child and he does not understand. He struggles with his confusion. But sweet sleep refreshed him when God, through a dream, explained his divine plan. Moreover, he was part of it.

Like Joseph, God is inviting us to realize that struggles and storms are part of life. When things happen unexpectedly, we are shaken up and shocked. Just man as he is, Joseph shows us the right thing to do, though life throws us off balance. We need to stay on the right course seeking for light and discerning God’s will. Soon we will realize that the shadows and darkness are part of God’s beautiful plan. Like a beautiful painting with light and shadows, God is also doing a work of art in our life. He mixes the different colors of our life to make it beautiful. We simply have to trust the Great Artist and His Divine Plan. He is working at it for our own good. 

Prayer: Lord, give me your light so that I may understand that the struggles I go through are part of your beautiful plan. Amen. 

The Reason We Rejoice - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Isaiah was a Hebrew Prophet who lived about 700 years before the coming of Christ. His writing style revealed a well-educated man, distinguished and privileged. Jewish tradition says he was of royal descent even a cousin to King Uzziah. His mastery of language, rich vocabulary and poetic skills earned him the title the “Shakespeare of the Bible.” Through his encouragement, God stirs up in his exiled people in Babylon the hope of their return to Israel. He explains to them that it was through their unfaithfulness to Him that they had lost their liberty, had been taken captives in Babylon and had lived there in servitude for some sixty years. God now assures them of their return to their homeland, rebuild the Temple and serve their God once more as His Chosen People. So he tells them to rejoice because God will accomplish what he promised. 

In today’s gospel, Matthew describes how Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s vision of the coming of the Promised One. Though Jesus has a poor and humble origin, he assures John who is now in prison, what Isaiah had prophesied that “the blind regained their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” Jesus will slowly reveal himself as the “Emmanuel and the Anointed One of God” who will be the light and salvation for everyone. Through his teachings, he will show himself as “Wonderful Counselor.” As Messiah, he will be shown as “the Servant of Yahweh” who will give his life for the atonement of the sins of humanity. 

Just as Prophet Isaiah exhorted the hopeless Israel to rejoice, this favorable message is also for us. The directive continues to be timely and relevant for us today as we face a depressed and discouraged world. Many do not listen to empty promises anymore. People have become tired of futile assurances. Joy is now absent and they are calling out for help. This existential crisis is real and people are running out of hope and patience. We need to re-echo the thousand-old message: “Be strong. Fear not! Here is your God; He comes to save you!” It is God who will bring joy and hope. 

Prayer: Lord, let me understand that your presence is the real source of gladness and joy in my life. Amen. 

Preparation - 2nd Sunday of Advent

As the 30^th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games opened on the evening of November 30, frustration turned into a sense of Filipino pride after the Philippines, as host, showcased a spectacular ceremony highlighted by cultural performances and pyrotechnics. Controversy gave way to elegance and pageantry in contrast to the challenges it faced in the days leading to the event. Filipinos wowed the crowd, made up of thousands local and international guests including the royal families of the region, with their stunning and world-class performance at the start of the biennial meet that cost the host P6 billion to stage. In fact, it earned the respect and commendation of the international sports community calling it the best SEA Games in the history of this sporting event. No doubt, the key to its over-all success is its thorough and rigorous preparation. In any event, preparation is everything!

One of the brightest and merriest time of the year is Christmas. It is the most expected season of all. Even occasional church goers attend its services like Misa de Gallo because of its music, the lights and the colorful decorations and more. Yet for Christmas to be meaningful and full of significance, serious preparation is needed. Advent prepares the heart and mind to welcome the thousand-old Christmas story. We need to go beyond the spirit of consumerism that saps away the real meaning of this season. For this reason, we need to immerse ourselves in scriptures and prophecies in order to get into the essence of Christmas. After all, Christmas has something to offer for everyone whether you are eight or eighty years old. 

John the Baptism stands out as our guide through the Advent journey. His life and his lessons prepare us for the coming of the Great One. In today’s gospel reading, he is described as “the voice crying out in the wilderness.” This solitary figure whose character and mysticism fascinated the crowd gave invitations to everyone for interior change and renewal. This is the way to “make straight the Lord’s path.” Unless the light of Jesus enters our darkness, we shall remain in the dark. And Christmas will be just another holiday in our calendar that comes and goes. We never allow Jesus to make a mark in our hearts.

Prayer: Lord, make me docile and eager to heed John the Baptist’s call to prepare my heart for your coming. Amen. 

Maranatha - 1st Sunday of Advent

Almost thirty years ago, in November 5, 1991 Typhoon Uring brought down heavy rain over Leyte including Ormoc City. Close to noon, people heard a loud booming sound which residents mistook for thunder. Many breathed a sigh of relief that the typhoon was almost over, when an epic flash flood took place. Water rose instantly as high as seven feet that brought great disaster to the whole city. Those who survived had to climbed on top of two-story roofs watching water rushed along the sides of houses with an unmistakably strong current. It was something sudden and unexpected. As quickly as it came, the flood was gone in three hours and left at least 6,000 casualties with debris and mud all over. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus warns us of the importance of preparation. As in the days of Noah, when people did not bother why he was building an ark while going on with their normal lives only to find out too late that the flood was coming. Jesus reminds us that there is something more important we need to prepare than the usual events of our lives. God will show up without any appointment or sudden death or the end of the world could come at any moment. Hence we must be constantly prepared anytime, anywhere. 

Jesus’ parable cautions us to “stay awake.” The Master is the image for Jesus who will come like a thief in the night. It can be so sudden and swift. Advent teaches us to acquire an attitude of being perpetually prepared. Advent, in fact, is a time for looking both backward and forward. We make a backward look as we prepare for the historical birth of Jesus. But we also make a forward look by preparing our hearts for his Second Coming. Like the early Christians our prayer this season is “Maranatha” – Come, Lord Jesus. We keep alive our hope and keep our gaze on the eternal realities of heaven. 

Prayer: Lord, teach me to stay awake so that I may always keep alive the hope of your Second Coming. Amen. 

Christ the King - 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In November 2010, the people of Swiebodzin, Poland welcomed a new resident: a giant statue of Jesus Christ known as “Christ the King.” At 33 meters tall or 108 ft (one meter for each year of Jesus’ earthly life), it is 3 meters taller than the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Conceived by a retired priest, Fr. Slyvester Sawadski, it took five years to construct costing $1.5 million. According to the Guinness Book of World Record, it is the largest statue of Jesus in the world. It shows the majestic Jesus with a golden crown on his head welcoming everyone with outstretched arm. 

As we end the liturgical year, the Church would like us to imagine the “Parousia” or the end of time when Christ will return as King of the Universe. Our gospel reading (Lk 23:35-43) shows us a paradox. Jesus is crucified on the cross, bloody, beaten and about to die. Above his head is a cruel inscription “this is the king of the Jews” as bystanders’ jeer and laugh at him. But his nobility is shown by his self-composed endurance and rising above the pain. He is in control of the situation such that he promises the good thief “today, you will be with me in paradise.”

Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 as a response to the growing secularization, atheism and communism affecting the world. While the world was increasingly compelling Christians that they must compartmentalize their religion and give their highest allegiance to the government, the Pope strongly urged: “If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, in our wills and in our hearts.”

Prayer: Lord, let me willingly surrender my heart, my mind and my will to you so that you may reign as king of my life. Amen. 

Looking Beyond - - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Steve Jobs is one of the most well-known names today. He was not an engineer or a designer but he was the most influential innovator of our time. His greatness lies in his ability to maximize the use of technology to be user-friendly for anyone. Despite his iconic character as Apple co-founder, he succumbed to a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2003 which was discovered accidentally on a CT scan of his kidneys. He died almost exactly eight years after, at 56 years old.

In a speech he delivered at Stanford University in 2005, he revealed that since he was 17, he already thought about death to live right. “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectation, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.. Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent.”

Our Sunday Gospel today points to us about the reality of the end. Not only does it remind us that each person dies, but the very earth we live will someday vanish. Luke uses apocalyptic language common during the time of Jesus when speaking about God’s action in the world. The imagery is not literal but symbolic of the hard times the faithful might have to endure before the final victory of good over evil. Luke warms Jesus’ followers not to be distracted but to persevered in the end. Death can truly be a change agent to those who have faith in Jesus for we will have the optimistic hope that the best is yet to come.

Prayer: Lord, teach me that the world and life itself will someday end. Give me the faith and optimism to look beyond what my eyes can’t see. Amen.

Happy Ending – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In 1981, a devastating flood in China caused an ancient pagoda to collapse at Famen Temple near Xian, Taiwan. Looking through the rubble few years later, archaeologists discovered what they believed to be one of Buddha’s fingers. The relic was sealed in a miniature stone casket and placed there 1,000 years earlier during the Tang Dynasty. So sacred is the finger to Buddhists in Taiwan and elsewhere, that tens of thousands of people have turned out to pay homage to it. This precious relic is even closely guarded by four monks who are martial arts experts. 

If someone claimed to find a finger that belonged to Christ, no Christian would believe him. The Christian faith is founded on the fact that Christ died and rose from the dead. There is no finger to find since he is alive! Instead Christianity’s greatest relic is the empty tomb in Jerusalem or the Shroud used to cover Jesus’s body now found in Turin, Italy. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is in Jerusalem answering the Sadducees trap question. As the Jewish governing class, they rejected the idea of the resurrection because the Torah was silent about it. 

Jesus expertly points out the Sadducees’ ignorance about the existence and nature of life after death with God. He refutes their misconception that eternal life is in this world. First, he provides a biblical proof of the reality of the resurrection with God’s conversation with Moses at the burning bush. Thus he uses their sacred text of the Torah to show that there is, indeed, a resurrection. Secondly, Jesus authoritatively explains that things will be different when we die. Normal human relationships like marriage will also be transformed. As children of God, we shall all be like angels. For now, what we shall be is something we await with excitement and hope. I am convinced that those who persevere in faith, it will be a happy ending.

Prayer: Lord, give me a tenacious faith in your resurrection so that I may persevere in awaiting for it with hopeful excitement. Amen.

Turning Point - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Madonna Louise Ciccone is an American singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman. She is referred to as the Queen of Pop since the 1980s. International authors label her as the greatest woman in music, the most influential and iconic female artist of all time. As a global icon, she has sold 300 million records worldwide and is the best-selling female recording artist. Moreover, this “Material Girl” is one of the most influential individuals in the fashion industry even in the age of social media by constantly re-inventing herself. 

But an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January 2004 also revealed a sober side of her. She claimed “I’m so not the Material Girl now. There were many years when I thought fame, fortune and public approval would bring me happiness. But one day you wake up and realize they don’t.” Motherhood was what ultimately inspired her to seek out the more meaningful things in life when she gave birth to her daughter Lourdes in 1996.

In today’s Sunday Gospel, we are presented with an inspiring and instantaneous conversion story of Zacchaeus, the Chief Tax Collector of Jericho. Described as very wealthy, yet his wealth and status did not satisfy him. He felt something more was missing. Public opinion was against him; he was a hated man in the city because of his job. He felt he had no control of his life because he was unhappy with how things were going. One day, Jesus showed up in Jericho. Having climbed a sycamore tree, Jesus called him down because he wanted to dine with him. This really hit him hard. He had such a great need of Jesus in his life. That lunch date changed him.

Zacchaeus understood that he was constantly chasing and prioritizing the lesser things: work, wealth, fame and fortune. Now, he resolved to make things right. He opted to take responsibility and demonstrated willingness to do whatever it takes to reconcile his relationships. He decided to put Jesus at the center of his life to experience healing and reconciliation. It was the turning point he needed to have a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Thanks to Jesus, Zacchaeus re-invented himself.

 Prayer: Lord, when I chase for the lesser things in life, remind me to keep on the right track so that I can live a more meaningful life. Amen. 

Strength of Humility - 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

A friend once told me that he could not memorize the prayer, Act of Contrition easily because of its length. He revealed that he finds it difficult to learn it by heart. So he inquired: “Father, is there a shorter form of the Act of Contrition?” “Yes,” I said “there is.” I told him to memorize this prayer: "O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” It is short but it strikes directly at the very heart of God because of its simplicity and candor. In fact, this prayer has been composed by Jesus himself.

Our Sunday Gospel reading (Lk 18:9-14) contains this prayer. Jesus narrates an episode in the Temple wherein two people prayed. The Pharisee’s prayer was arrogant, self-applauding and prideful. But the Tax Collector’s prayer was carefully chosen baring unashamedly the nakedness of his soul. Jesus concludes that this guy went home justified. The Tax Collector saw himself without merit, even unworthy. He just presented himself to the Lord, without deception or vanity, to be judged by Him. He knew he was mere dust and dirt.

In order to experience God’s mercy and compassion, we need to grow in humility. We have to pray for it and practice it. As we ask God to make us humble, we also need to change our mentality that humility is strength, not weakness. Humble people are grounded with a balance perception of themselves and of others. This trait allows them to be more resilient to stress and enables them to be more kind and generous. Most of all, the practice of humility makes them more conformed to Christ who humbled himself out of love and obedience to His Father's will. It is this aspect that makes humility powerful. Because like Christ, whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 

Prayer: Lord, teach me to have a realistic view of my life and my abilities; convince me that humility is a sure path to greatness. Amen. 

Spiritual Environment

I organized a Marian Pilgrimage this October. Jing Satuita wanted very much to go with her mother as pilgrims. In fact, it is one of her life’s bucket list. She desired so much to visit and pray at the famed Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima at Cova da Iria in Portugal.  It was also her yearning to touch the celebrated Massabielle Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France where Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous and perhaps bathe of its miraculous waters. 

However, her biggest stumbling block was her application for visa to the Italian Embassy. When she presented all her documents, she was asked to return because they were not convinced that she had sufficient funds for the trip. Having acquired another bank certificate from Land Bank, it was blown away by the wind and lost it when she was about to submit it. But she never lost her patience. Most of all she never lost hope. She kept on praying. With deep trust, she surrendered her case to Our Blessed Mother. A week before the scheduled departure, together with her mom, she finally got her visa. It was an answered prayer!

Jesus teaches us, in today’s gospel reading, to pray unceasingly. Like the poor widow, we should never become weary or discouraged in our prayer. Despite its seeming futility, we must persist with a living faith. To pray without ceasing does not mean that we should have our heads bowed with eyes-closed posture all day long. Rather, it is an attitude of God-consciousness and God-surrender that we must have in our life. It is living with a conviction that God is with us and He is deeply concerned with our well-being. As St. Augustine said: “work as though everything depended on you; pray as though everything depended on God.” We need to enter into this spiritual environment where God’s presence makes a big difference in our life. 

Prayer: Lord, give me a greater awareness of your presence that I may trust myself into your loving and powerful hands. Amen. 

Daghang Salamat – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today is the 24^th death anniversary of Fr. Jose Bosch, SDB. He was Parish Priest of Lourdes in 1964-1966 and again in 1971-1983. When he succeeded Fr. John Peter Clifford as Parish Priest, he immediately set about building a bigger Church to accommodate the expanding parish. This massive structure which we have now took almost 20 years to build and was blest by his Eminence Cardinal Julio Rosales, DD on February 14, 1982. 

Born in Ciutadella, Menorca-Baleares Islands Spain on March 27, 1921, Fr. Jose attended St. Francis de Sales School for his elementary studies where he first encountered the Salesian Fr. Gustavo Mas. “Since that day until now I have been with Don Bosco,” he would recall. Ordained a priest on June 24, 1951 at the Sacred Heart Temple in Tibidabo, Barcelona, he applied for the missions and came to the Philippines on March 2, 1956. One of his qualities was his gratitude. He was always grateful to God for his life and many blessings especially for being a priest. His daily prayer was: “Jesus daily preserve and increase my love for my Salesian vocation.” He was grateful to people and his proverbial words were: Daghang Salamat!

Our Sunday Gospel is about gratitude. Ten lepers implored the mercy of Jesus. They actually did not ask for healing but for “pity” for whatever Jesus can give them; whatever he decides to offer. But Jesus decided to give them the best for them – healing! Yet only the Samaritan came back to thank Jesus. He came back glorifying God in a loud voice. He throws himself at Jesus’ feet showing his humility and credits him for being an instrument of his healing. How often do we loudly clamor for our request but muffled in our thanksgiving? Clearly, Jesus expects us to be grateful. As disciples of Jesus, we won’t be pleasing to Jesus without being thankful. Though we may have a small heart, it can always hold such a large amount of gratitude. It pays so little to say “Daghang Salamat” with great love and sincerity.

Prayer: Lord, make my heart overflow with love so that I may be grateful for what you have done for me. Amen. 

What Faith Can Do - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In 1997, after my theological studies in Jerusalem, I joined the World Youth Day in Paris. The highlight of this experience was meeting Pope John Paul II on his Papal mobile at a distance after his final Mass at the Longchamp Racecourse where a million youth spent the night. The choice of Paris was not at all random. The Pope gave a very striking message right at the heart of the cradle nation of the Enlightenment and atheism: "We live in an era of great transformations, in which ideologies quickly set, which seem to have long resisted the wear and tear of time. Humanity often finds itself uncertain, confused and worried, but the word of God does not end; it travels through history and, in changing events, remains stable and luminous.”

At the end of this experience, I was at a crossroad. I joined the event alone with no contact and limited funds. I was supposed to join the Filipino Delegation from Cebu. But with such a crowd, it was almost impossible to locate them. As the crowd dispersed, I felt deep anxiety and great fear. With my resources depleted, the frightful question was: where will I go next? I turned to prayer. I asked Mama Mary to guide me; that the group will find me! Before I could end my prayer, somebody called my name in an ocean of strangers. I was found! Faith really works. 

In today’s gospel, the apostles implored Jesus to “to increase” their faith. But strangely, he did not enlarge or supersize their faith. He simply taught them that “a small faith” is enough to move mountains. There is a great temptation for us to make faith complex. Instead Jesus says make it simple. Because real faith, deeply rooted, never dies. It becomes a power within like a small light that can pierce the darkness. When we believe, miracles can happen. Faith is not just an idea or doctrine but a living relationship of trust and love. When we surrender ourselves to Jesus, he changes our lives. With him in our live, everything has a purpose. We can deal with anything that comes our way whether joy or sorrow. Faith always gives us a reason to smile. 

Prayer: Lord, grant me a faith big enough that will give me a reason to smile despite the storm. Amen. 

A Tear for Lazarus

A man saw a worried, old woman with a Mercedes stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire. He stopped; got out of his old Toyota to offer help but he did not look safe as his appearance was poor and shabby. When the job of changing the tire was done, she asked how much he owed him for getting dirty. He smiled and said: “If you really want to pay me back, the next time you see someone who needs help, give that person the needed assistance. And think of me. I’m Brian Anderson.”

That same evening, the lady stopped by a small café. The worried waitress who took her order was eight months pregnant. When the lady had finished her meal, she paid a hundred-dollar bill with a note: “you don’t owe me anything. Somebody helped me sincerely today I’m just passing on the favor. Keep the chain of love going.” She found an additional $1,000 under the napkin. Going home, the waitress kept thinking about the lady’s kindness and how much she and her husband needed it. She hurried to tell him the good news. But he was already asleep. Kissing him, she whispered: “Now everything will be alright, I love you, Brian Anderson.” 

Jesus, in today’s gospel, relate an insightful parable about Lazarus and the rich man. While this parable seems to be about money, it is really about values. It is possible to be wealthy yet enjoy God’s favor. The question is not whether we have money, but whether we love money; whether we share God’s concern for the poor and vulnerable; whether we are so preoccupied with personal concerns to even notice the Lazarus in our midst. 

The parable makes two points: First, it has something to do with the reversal of fortunes of this life and in the hereafter. One day, God will reward his faithful stewards. Second, is that, even the return of a messenger from the dead will not bring a change of heart among the hardened rich. What brought the rich man to the place of torment was his indifference. He could not cry at the suffering and pain of those around him. He could not help because love was not in his heart. 

Prayer: Lord, teach me to cry compassionately with those who suffer and not be indifferent to their pain. Amen. 

Smart Steward

Philip Ng Chee Tat is the richest man in Singapore. With an estimated net worth of $8.7 billion, he currently serves as CEO of Far East Organization Centre Pte. Ltd, Singapore’s largest developer since 1991. With all his wealth and the lavish lifestyle it could enable him to have, he found his greatest comfort in Jesus. Though this developer amassed an astounding fortune over the years, focusing on material things is a sad way to live. He believes his life changed for the better when he understood that human beings more often than not search for the wrong things. “I have discovered all of us are broken, we all have a missing piece. For me, I discovered the missing piece was God in Jesus Christ.” 

Today’s gospel reading reminds us of the importance of good stewardship. Jesus narrates a parable about a steward who will be relieved of his duties for mismanaging his master’s resources. A steward is one who manages the resources of another with full authority and high level of trust. Though the steward was dishonest, the master commends his shrewdness. Jesus wants us to understand the principle of stewardship: everything we own is God’s gift. God owns everything, but we are to use the Master’s resources to advance the Master’s goal. We are to be generous with what we have and use it for the benefit of others.

Moreover, while God has graciously entrusted to us with the care, development and enjoyment of everything he owns, we are responsible to manage his holdings according to his intentions. There are resources, abilities and opportunities that God has entrusted to our care. One day each of us will be called to give an account of how we managed what the Master had given. We need to be careful not to make our work and wealth our master. Greed is the root of all the many forms of evil in the world such as theft, robbery, fraud or corruption. Instead, we need to focus on seeking God’s kingdom and his purpose so that, as his faithful steward, we can give him glory.

Prayer: Lord, give me the wisdom to understand that you own everything and I simply need to be a smart steward. 

God's Amazing Love

There was once a mother who gave birth to twin boys. As little kids, they were both cute and lively; they were her joy. But as they grew older, they turned to be monsters. They fought with each other and fought with other children. They lied, they stole and broke things deliberately. At home they are so lazy; at school they never study. They tormented all their teachers and they were mean and nasty. When things got alarming, the parents sought help from a counselor who suggested: send them to a boarding school to be reformed. But, no the mother said: “I would miss them so much if they weren’t at home.” When the counselor asked why? “Because I am their mother and I love them.” That’s the way it is with God and us.

In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches us a very powerful and comforting truth: that God is a loving and forgiving Father who wants to save us through His Only Son, Jesus. He is not a cruel and punishing God but like a Good Shepherd, He goes out in search for his lost sheep. He is also like a conscientious woman who painstakingly searches her lost coin recognizing its great value and worth. God delights in the joy of finding sinners back to the fold as much as finding things of great worth that have been lost. Indeed, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Indeed, God loves the least, the last and the lost.

Moreover, Jesus incarnated this love concretely. The gospel begins by putting us in a context. We are shown that Jesus is in the midst of a celebration; he is partying with tax collectors and sinner. Definitely, the respectable Pharisees complain! In Jesus, we experience a God who is passionately in love with us. Because of such love, he does crazy, even unreasonable things. In order to reclaim our lost inheritance, he made a decision to humble himself and become one of us. God’s love is excessive and unconditional. God’s love is a grace we need to experience deeply. Such love gives us hope. This love, in fact, becomes our daily strength never to give up. 

Prayer: Lord, let me taste your amazing love so that I may be its living reflection to those who are missing it. 

Challenges of Discipleship

In 1952, Harland Sanders was a struggling businessman. At 65, he was living in a small house with an old car. But he decided things had to change. His friends raved about his chicken recipe; he thought this was his best shot to success. Leaving Kentucky, he travelled to the different States to sell his recipe. But he heard NO over 1,000 times. Even with all those rejections he did not give up. He believed his chicken recipe was something special. He finally got his first YES after 1009 attempts. With that one success, Sanders changed the way American eat chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken, popularly known as KFC, was born! Despite the cost, he succeeded, because he never gave up.

In today’s gospel, Jesus admonishes his followers that discipleship is demanding. They need to discern well because it requires a great cost. The cost is as much as a business man planning to build a 50-storey condominium. He should ask himself honestly if he has enough budget to be able to finish what he has started. The cost is as much as a general preparing to fight a war. He needs to calculate if he has enough soldiers and ammunitions to win the battle. The cost of discipleship is expensive. Jesus even points out that no one can become his disciple without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sister; even his own life.

What did Jesus really mean by “hating?” From his Semitic expression, it means “to love less, to turn away from or detach oneself from.” In other words, Jesus was warning the crowd that following him means turning away from the people they love and detach themselves from the life they have known. When I entered the seminary to be a priest, I experienced a most painful sacrifice: leaving my family and my home. I had to learn to disengage myself from them in order to follow Jesus. St. Paul urged Christians “to live for God and to put our old self to death.” This makes Christian discipleship a challenging journey of faith. 

Prayer: Lord, make me courageous to accept the challenges of being your disciple as proof of my love for you.

Humility Pays

On a visit to the Beethoven Museum in Bonn, a young American student became fascinated by the piano on which Beethoven had composed some of his greatest works. She asked the museum guard if she could play a few bars on it; she accompanied the request with a lavish tip, and the guard agreed. The girl, then, tinkled out the opening of the Moolight Sonata. As she was leaving, she asked the guard, “I suppose all the great pianist who come here want to play on the piano.” The guard shook his head. “Padarewski, the famed Polish pianist, was here a few years ago and he said he wasn’t worthy to touch it.” Humility is the characteristic of great men. Someone said, “be humble or you’ll stumble.”

In today’s gospel, one of the lessons Jesus points out through his parable is on the necessity of humility. When invited on a wedding banquet, Jesus proposes, it would be advisable not to occupy the places of honor at the table; it may be reserved for a more distinguished guest. If, on the other hand, the host will invite a guest who was seated at the lowest place to come up higher, his humility has gained him honor and esteem from among his peers. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Indeed, it pays to be humble. Even when one embarks on a career in life, humility is helpful. Embracing humility helps ensure that people are inclined to build you up when you fail, not rave on your misfortune. By practicing humility one begins to earn the trust of people; one gains friends. People will perceive you as a person with depth because you are giving added value to the world and to the lives of others. Finally, the practice of humility will make you more grateful and appreciative. Indeed, with humility, you’re on the right track; you’ll never stumble. 

Prayer: Lord, teach true humility that I may not be proud and never swerve from your path. Amen. 

Accessing the Narrow Gate

Tirad Pass is a strategic mountain gap in the Cordillera Mountains of Northern Luzon. Here took place an important battle between 60 Filipino guerilla led by a 24-year old Brigadier General Gregorio del Pilar and the American forces. Pursued by more than 500 American soldiers led by General Peyton March, the Philippine Revolutionary President General Emilio Aguinaldo retreated into this mountainous terrain. To ensure his troops’ escape, he ordered the narrow pass to be defended at all cost. The hand-picked defenders were in trenches and stone barricades when the battle began on December 2, 1899. But unknown to them, an Igorot traitor led the Americans to their rear that routed the guerillas to their death. Among the casualty was Del Pillar who wrote in his diary: “I feel that this is the most glorious moment of my life. I am doing everything for my beloved country. There is no greater sacrifice.”

Our gospel shows Jesus pursuing his crucial journey towards Jerusalem, the place of his crucifixion. Along the way, he answers a key question about salvation: “how many will be saved?” A pious Jew believed that salvation was guaranteed, provided they kept the law. In other words, circumcision was enough basis to have a visa for the Kingdom of Heaven. But Jesus declares the need for constant fidelity and vigilance throughout our lives. He reminds us that, even though God wants us to be saved, we need to work at it. Salvation is never automatic based on nationality or religion. It is a pure gift from a God who is just and merciful. We simply need to “strive to enter through the narrow gate.” 

The narrow gate is the image of the difficulty and the sacrifice one has to endure to pursue heaven. Entry into the Kingdom of God demands dedication, obedience and real love. The influential St. Bernard of Clairvaux once refuted the controversial Paris theologian Peter Abelarde who suggested that Christ died not to pay a penalty but merely to demonstrate God’s love. The Abbot, instead, declared: “I was made a sinner by deriving my being from Adam; I am made just by being washed in the blood of Christ and not by Christ’s words and example.” In other words, a real sharing in the pain and suffering of Christ in Calvary, in faith and love, also guarantees our entry into the Kingdom. Hence, there is no greater sacrifice. 

Prayer: Lord, let me keep running toward the Kingdom by striving to enter through the narrow door of dedication, obedience and love for you.

Aflamed with Jesus

In her book, Setting the World on Fire, American journalist Shelley Emling narrates the fascinating story of St. Catherine of Siena, who transformed her times armed with her faith. In a time of social unrest, plague and corruption in Church and society, this mystic and headstrong daughter of a wool dyer became a theological giant offering moral guidance and inspiration to kings and popes. She worked as a peacemaker during Siena’s revolution and became a guiding light even to ordinary people. Having visions of Jesus as a young age, she took a vow of celibacy dedicating her whole life in following Jesus. Though illiterate, she grew to become a great writer and approached each crisis of her time with fierce and radical conviction by seeking God’s will. She once said: “be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” 

Today’s gospel, Jesus suggests that he came to be a catalyst of change: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing.” In Jewish thought, fire was a symbol of judgment to destroy evil but purifies the just. Here Jesus reveals that his purpose is to test men’s hearts. His presence becomes a contradiction. To become his disciple is to come to a decision of surrendering one’s life to Jesus on top of family, career, likes and dislikes. This decision is what faith is all about in daily walking with God. It is this faith that transforms hearts and attitudes by giving birth to strong principles that pave a way for a new beginning in individuals and communities.

As Christians, we are challenged by our vocation to be salt and light of the world. On the day of our baptism, our parents carried a burning candle for us. Christ gave us this light as a torch to bring light to our darkness. In addition, the Holy Spirit was sent into our hearts at Confirmation to set us on fire. We now need to carry this burning torch forward courageously. Today, let us allow Jesus to touch us because everything he touches becomes new. Let us allow him to inspire us with new fervor, new energy and new enthusiasm. Let him enflame us with new vitality and vigor to cast away our doubts and fears. Let his presence in our life set the world on fire.

Prayer: Lord, touch my whole being and give me a new spirit, new energy so that so that I can be your living presence to set the world on fire. 

Preparing for the Future

A priest-friend narrated his experience of celebrating a funeral for a 22-year old young man, son of a farmer from Liloan. The cause of his death was strange: he was struck by a powerful lightning. The day he died was as ordinary as other days. Who would have thought that he would be gone so soon? When he noticed after lunch that a heavy rain would pour, he was intent in helping his father in the field despite his mother’s warning. Being a responsible son, duty was sacred for him. It was already drizzling when he arrived in their little hut. Just as he was pulling off the mobile phone charger from its socket, the forceful lightning struck. He must have been hit by a million volts of electricity that threw him on the floor lifeless. His father had to struggle to bring him to the nearest hospital but he was declared dead on arrival. Death is such a heartless traitor.

In today’s gospel reading (Lk 12:35-40), Jesus warns his disciples to be prepared. “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding.” He invites his listeners to be vigilant. The biblical approach to the future involves prayer, preparation and planning. This future may mean the Parousia or the Second Coming of Christ; but it can also refer to our own death when God tells us: “your time is up!” The Book of Revelation has an iconic description of Jesus who says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knocks” (Rev 3:20). Vigilance involves a prayerful attitude of seeking the Lord with all our heart. In the gospels, Jesus teaches his disciples about living and growing in closeness to God who is our Father.

Moreover, vigilance means preparing to deal with life as it comes. In reality, we don’t plan the future because much of what happens to us are uncontrollable. Sickness, an accident, a crisis, death of a loved one – they happen without our consent. They are beyond our control. But we need faith to believe that God has a better plan for us in the future and he desires only what is good for us. Hence, God does the planning while we do the preparing by entrusting our future to the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, grant me a great faith to trust in you by placing my future without fear into your powerful hands. Amen.

Greed or Generosity

The Yanson Group is the country’s biggest bus operators carrying a quarter of a billion passengers annually all over the archipelago. It is popularly known for its Ceres Liner and Vallacar Transit with its headquarters located in Bacolod City. The company operates a fleet of 4,800 buses nationwide. Luzon-based Victory Liner, its closest competitor, has only about 800 bus units. This transportation company with its 18,000 employees and billion-pesos worth of assets, however, is now in peril. The top story circulating among the business community is the feuding and rivalry within the family. The crux of the matter is the ownership and control of the bus empire. Family feud is a dangerous thing. When families turn to the courts to settle inheritance and wealth disputes, trust is lost. Blood is not thicker than water, sometimes.

In today’s gospel, (Lk 12:13-21) someone in the crowd requests Jesus to settle a family squabble. It was common for people in Palestine to bring their quarrels to respected Rabbis for conflict resolution. But Jesus refused to become an arbiter. But as a great teacher, he used this incident to teach his followers the right attitude to material things. He cautions them to be careful of greed. His parable of the “Rich Fool” brings home the message that money is not everything. The Romans had a proverb which said that money was like sea-water; the more a person drank, the thirstier he became. Greed, indeed, is a bottomless pit. Jesus’ insightful advice to everyone: store up riches for yourself in heaven.

The rich man in the parable is considered by the world as intuitive and wise. But God calls him a fool! What accounts his foolishness? He never saw beyond this world. In a certain sense, he was short-sighted. All his plans were made on the basis of life here and now. For people with this perspective, death is a great tragedy. Hence, Jesus wants us to see more. He wants us to look beyond, in the perspective of eternity by reminding us to “seek first the kingdom of God.” While material possessions occupy a place in our life, it should never be at the center. We can always decide to make goodness and generosity the attitude of our hearts.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to overcome my greed and choose to be generous; after all, in life, money is not everything.

Trusting the Lord

A story is told about a farmer in the village of Ars who would visit the Blessed Sacrament twice daily; once before he starts working in the field and then before he goes home. This was his daily habit. The parish priest, Fr. Jean Marie Vianney noticed the reverence and devotedness of this man. After observing him several times, he asked him one day. “What do you say in your prayer before the Blessed Sacrament?” The god-fearing farmer replied: “Nothing. Jesus just looks at me. I look at him.” This was the simple prayer of this believing man: no words, just love. It is for this reason that St. Teresa of Avila used to say that “prayer is an exercise of love.”

In today’s gospel (Lk 11:1-13), Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray correctly. Some people think that prayer is like putting a coin in a vending machine to get whatever we wish. Others see God as a genie who grant all their prayers. Instead Jesus wants us to realize that prayer is a relationship. God is a Father who loves and knows what to give. There is nothing magical about prayer. Prayer is our way of honoring God and giving him glory. Its first aim is to align our will to His purpose. We pray to be more open and receptive for the coming of God’s reign in our life. Hence, we trust Him to give us our daily needs and forgive us our failings.

Jesus instructs us that prayer is essential. It is like breathing; we can’t do without it. Prayer is life. It is a necessity. We have to make it a daily habit such that we need to constantly ask, consistently seek and continuously knock on God’s heart. In prayer we voice out our total dependence of God especially in defending us and protecting us from the evils and misfortunes in life. We pray for God to shape our world because only by his presence can real change and transformation happen. We pray to grow in deeper trust and greater love.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to trust you so that when I pray I seek your will with greater love and generosity. Amen.

Prayer as Steering Wheel

In one of my visits to the sick and elderly parishioners one day, I stopped by the home of Boy Mendoza. He used to be a devoted Eucharistic Minister of Holy Communion in the Parish in his younger years and an active Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) organizer in the Areas. Today, his health has become his cross. For almost twenty years he is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. In the last five years he could not walk; his senses of hearing and talking had diminished greatly. I must have come at a wrong time because his wife, Cecille, was doing the laundry. She had to dress him up hurriedly so that I can hear his confession then receive the anointing of the sick. Yet, to my surprise, Cecille was very accommodating. When I was done, she had prepared omelet and slice bread for snacks. She even entertained me and my companions by joining our conversation. She was both a Martha and a Mary to her guests.

John narrates, in today’s gospel (Lk 10:38-42), the story of Martha and Mary from Bethany. Martha might have been the head of the household because she was busy with all the details of hospitality. Welcoming Jesus and his entourage involved considerable preparation. Amidst her busy-ness, Mary simply sat at Jesus’ feet. Certainly, Jesus appreciated Martha’s service; but there was something more important which Mary had chosen. Mary recognized that Jesus had come not to be fed but to feed. The hospitality he was seeking was their time, their attention, their friendship and their love. Mary understood this as she wasted her time with Jesus. At that moment only Jesus really mattered. She simply gave her fullest attention and love to him.

The story of Martha and Mary invites us to set and balance our priorities. We need to balance work and prayer; action and contemplation. While we need to work and earn our living, we need to realize the primacy of God in our lives. Many times we tire ourselves doing the work of God that we forget the God of the work. We are misled into thinking that prayer steals space away from our activities and apostolate. We make the excuse that prayer becomes a waste of time. We fail to understand that for our love to keep burning and our principles to remain strong and consistent we need to keep our connection with God through prayer. We need to make prayer the steering wheel of our life, not its spare tire.

Prayer: Lord, guide me to put you always at the center of my life by making prayer my life’s steering wheel, not its spare tire. Amen.

Goodness to Strangers

During the preparation for the National Youth Day (NYD), we were inviting families and individuals to foster participants and young people who would be coming from different places in the Philippines to stay with them for at least six days. The initial questions they would usually ask were: Who are these people? Where do they come from? They are normal questions for background checking. Yet they are also questions that reveal cautiousness, even anxiety. It is natural to inquire because they would be welcoming total strangers. It is already difficult to help family members and friends. All the more difficult to help strangers and people who are totally unknown.

Here lies the greatness of Jesus. He challenges the comfort zones of his followers. He invited them to love and show compassion even to strangers. He taught us generosity by going the extra mile for people who are not affiliated to us. In today’s gospel, Jesus narrated the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. The context came from a lawyer’s question on “how to inherit eternal life.” The lawyer knew the formula: love God and love your neighbor. But by telling the story, Jesus insisted that it is not enough to know. What matters is doing good to anyone, to everyone even to strangers. We have to do good even to those who do not deserve our generosity and goodness.

Jesus challenges us to be like this Good Samaritan. In his day, Samaritans were unbelievers and heretics. The story implied that anyone can do good, even those whom we think are good for nothing. Jesus is teaching us that we have to train ourselves to find goodness anywhere and in every one. The poor widow at Zarepath baked a small cake for a stranger who happened to be Prophet Elijah. As a reward, she had unlimited supply of flour and oil from her little containers for a year. The families who initially welcomed strangers during the NYD really welcomed angels in disguise. Some of them became real friends, others became their “foster children.” It always pays to offer the extra mile unconditionally.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see you in others so that I may honor you in serving them. Amen. 

Every Christian, A Missionary

Ike Abastillas is an Electrical Engineer by profession. But he has embraced his vocation as a full-time evangelizer, retreat facilitator and youth minister. Those who know him fondly calls him Kuya Ike. In his younger days as a youth leader, he even volunteered to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea for two years. In fact, he personally met Pope John Paul II during his pastoral visit there. Today, Kuya Ike continues to be a missionary at home. He continues to give inspiring talks, humor-filled lectures, life-changing retreats to thousands of young people in Visayas and Mindanao. His life has become a message of God’s joy and love.

Jesus, in today’s gospel reading, sends his seventy-two disciples on a mission instructing them: “Go, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.. Cure the sick and proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand.” It might be tempting for us to think that these words of Jesus is something of the past. The truth is, by our baptismal calling, we are among the modern-day disciples called to continue Jesus’ mission. We are challenged to move out of our comfort zones and to take part in our own way the call to be missionaries. Christ tells you now: Go. Be my witness today!

In 1990, Pope John Paul II wrote the encyclical, Redemptoris Missio that speaks about the permanent validity of the Church’s missionary mandate. He wrote this because he observed that missionary activity appeared to be waning. He insists that we need to be in mission because “in Christ alone are we set free from all alienation and doubt, He is the Good News for man and women of every age.” So we do not stop witnessing and proclaiming by our words and especially by our lives. Most of all, let us continue to pray for more “laborers” – more priestly vocation and lay apostles – to work in the vineyard of the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, give me the courage to be an apostle and witness of your joy and love in where I am. Amen. 

Honoring our Promises

Last week, I had a great surprise in my life. I witnessed a marriage vows that went viral in Social Media. As to this writing, it had more than 375 thousand views and counting. It was never intended though. I was just at the right place, at the right time. It began with Daylinda Cuyos, a catechist from Sitio Arca, Punta Princesa, who asked me to anoint a sick neighbor. As I interviewed the couple Arce and Salome, I realized they were co-habitating for fourteen years because of lack of documents. Arce, who hails from Misamis Oriental, confirmed that his parish records got burned. But they welcomed with delight receiving the sacrament of matrimony.

After securing their Cenomar, I gave Arce conditional baptism and confirmation; Salome made her confession. Their marriage was set on June 19 in their small shanty because of Arce’s precarious health. When I got to their home for the marriage, I was surprised to see the ABS CBN News Team headed by Jude Torres already inside their home. I was later told that the neighbors called the station to cover the event. To mark the couples’ milestone, the neighbors even prepared a little reception.

I was touched by Arce and Salome’s sincerity. In their hearts, they believed in each other and in the sacrament of marriage that would give stability and indissolubility to their relationship. As they held hands and declared “till death do us part,” I was inspired by the depth of their commitment. As they exchanged rings, they publicly proclaimed that it would be the lifetime sign of their love and loyalty. Indeed, their unconditional commitment and generous service to each other and their children also becomes the living sign of their being followers of Christ.

Today’s gospel challenges us to persevere in following Jesus. As Christians, our basic commitment is our baptismal vows. Through it, we made a promise to reject sin and to love God by making Him the center of our existence. To follow Jesus means to honor our promises and be faithful to it in our daily journey of life.

Prayer: Lord, give me the grace to be true to my baptismal commitment and follow you joyfully.