Forgiveness and Change

Somebody said: “every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” Today’s gospel reading (Jn 8) illustrates this point. Here is a true-to-life story in Jesus’ experience.

One morning, the Pharisees brought before him an adulterous woman. She was caught in the act! Thus, they asked him to judge her; condemn her to death by stoning. Incredibly, Jesus is quiet. He said nothing. Instead, he started writing on the sand using his fingers. This action might mean, he was ignoring this matter; or he was pointing to them that they were dirt and dust; that it was not their business to judge her.

When they insisted, he told them: “let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” As a result, they all left. No one had enough courage to condemn her because they would also condemn themselves. Jesus was left alone with the woman; the sinless and the sinner; the God and the daughter. The Pharisees saw the woman’s failure, he dark past. Jesus saw her future; she was a potential saint!

There are two lessons we can learn from today’s gospel. One, forgiveness is powerful. It can save a life; it can also change a life. By Jesus’ action, he is showing us we cannot force anyone to repent; but we can always show mercy and compassion. Repentance is something very private and personal. It happens in the heart; it’s between you and God. But forgiveness is in our power. We can always choose to forgive anyone in our life who might have hurt us whether they deserve it or not. Forgiveness is love in action. It does not erase the past but looks upon it with compassion; with more understanding.

Second, have the courage to change. Jesus did not condemn or judge the woman. He knows that she is still a work in progress; an unfinished masterpiece. But Jesus told her: “Go and sin no more!” He gave her a chance to repent. She needed to stop sinning so that she can change her story. She needed to move forward and start the process of repentance.

In this time of Covid19, we cannot go to the usual channel of grace for us to be forgiven especially as we are nearing the Holy Week. Our churches are closed but our faith continually connects us to God. Last March 20, Pope Francis approved the Decree of Apostolic Penitentiary that allows us to gain a Special Plenary Indulgence in this time of crisis.

Now, I have an ABC Challenge for all of us:

A: Ask for forgiveness. Be sorry. In the absence of a priest, for the moment, Pope Francis recommends: “talk with God, He is your Father.. ask forgiveness with all your heart; promise Him, afterwards I will go to confession, but forgive me now.” Make an Act of Contrition or a sincere personal prayer of repentance.

These days, you can also gain a Special Plenary Indulgence (removal of the punishments due to your sins) by fulfilling these conditions: Pray for the Pope’s intention. Fulfill one of the following – attend an online mass; make the way of the cross; say the holy rosary; pray the Divine Mercy chaplet or read the Bible for 30 minutes. What more can you ask. You have been forgiven by God’s mercy and He is even removing your punishments.

B: Be merciful. Be brave to forgive. Remember, the condition for God to forgive you is that you must also be ready to forgive others.

C: Change your life. Jesus said: “Sin no more.” So stop the cycle of sin. Every saint has a past; every sinner has a future. This could be the start of a slow process of personal transformation. Moreover, Jesus also sees in you a potential saint. 

Prayer: Lord, give me your grace that I may repent with all my heart in order to break the cycle of sin and change my life. Amen.

Jesus is Life - 5th Sunday of Lent

“You Raise Me Up” is a very popular and powerful song. It was composed by Ralf Loveland in 2002 for his mother’s funeral. When it was released, it had very little success; it almost vanished into obscurity. When David Foster was introduced to the song in 2003, he asked a budding singer Josh Groban to record it. It was an instant hit. For six weeks it stayed as #1 at the Billboard Chart. Ralf offered it for his Mom who raised him up; who loved and cared for him. Relationship like friendship and family can raise us up. In our fear and fright in this time of crisis, God will raise us up.

Our readings have very encouraging lessons. In the First Reading (Ez 37), the prophet points out the power of God’s Word. It can open graves and make people live! Prophet Ezekiel was speaking figuratively referring to the Israelites who were like dry bones. They were feeling homesick, discouraged and depressed because of their exile in Babylon. God, through Ezekiel, gave them hope and strength. He promised them “I will raise you up!”

Our Gospel (Jn 11), the seventh and last sign performed by Jesus, is actually a story of a family from Bethany very close to Jesus. Jesus was immediately informed by the family in Galilee when Lazarus got sick. But strange, he did not panic. He even stayed for two days more saying “this sickness will not end up in death but for God’s glory.” When he finally arrived, Lazarus had been buried for four days. But Jesus brought him back to life! Jesus did something extraordinary. Amazingly, he literally raised up Lazarus!

There are two lessons we can learn from this episode. One, nothing is impossible with God! We just have to believe. Jesus asked Martha: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.. Do you believe me?” An author once wrote: “there is never a moment when God is not in control. So relax! He’s got you covered.”

The second is, God’s Word is powerful. He is the source of our encouragement and strength. But also our words are powerful. It can impact another’s life especially in the context of the family. Thus, we need to find the good in each other. I believe, it is the love of the family that sustains us. One practical way to build up each other is through affirmation. Somebody said: “Affirmation are mental vitamins providing the supplementary positive thoughts we need to balance the barrage of negative events and thoughts we experience daily.”

I have three suggestions for us our families: A. Choose your words wisely because words can either build up or destroy. In the family, we need to pay attention to the words we use. Are they kind? Hurtful? Negative or inspiring words? B. Affirmation is a language of love. It shows how much you care; how much you value that person. Let us be generous in affirming our parents, siblings, friends; our medical frontliners. C. Make it a habit. Choose to build up each other daily. Our words matter. It can give life. 

Prayer: Lord, give me wisdom to choose my words wisely so that I can be generous in affirming those around me. Amen. 

Faith and Covid19

We are in a time of crisis. The problem we face is not just medical; it has existential, psychological, financial and spiritual repercussions. The world suddenly became a battleground with microscopic, invisible enemies. As humanity is threatened to its core, we need to depend on ourselves & our capacity to survive. The best weapon we have is our faith in God and in each other.

Instead of giving in to fear, we flex a greater faith. As believers, let us find the hidden grace from this situation. What is God telling us through these events? Convinced that He is in control, then these might be the best way of purifying us and reminding us of something we have missed or something we have lost. Our time calls for a greater hope. Here are four lessons from H.O.P.E.

H. Health. God is reminding us that Health is wealth. Since we are fragile and finite, we need to take preventive measures. We need to keep a healthy lifestyle and habitually wash our hands. Staying at home is the best prevention; perhaps it’s our means of survival. Keep social distance and avoid contact to contain its transmission.

O. Optimism. Let's keep our Optimism high. In times like this we can choose to look down and see dirt; or look up and see the stars. We can choose to be bored in our home quarantine or use it as significant family moment. Let us choose to see the opportunities rather than the adversities. This scourge is not God's punishment but a process for our betterment.

P. Pray. This virus is reminding us that there are mysteries beyond our understanding. Thus we need to trust a higher power who is in control of our lives and our destiny. The more we pray, the less we panic or worry because we expose ourselves in God's presence & his grandeur. Let us be inspired and keep praying for our warriors at the frontline of this battle.

E. End. Hope invites us to admit that everything ends. Nothing is ever permanent whether its fashion or pestilence. As the book of Ecclesiastes says there is time to kill and a time to heal. It’s part of the vanity of life. And in the greater scheme of things, let us simply trust that even this virus will pass so we can return to our normal lives.

Prayer: Lord, may I use my time at home to reflect, to pray and to spend quality moment with my loved ones. Amen. 

Doing God's Will - Wednesday, 3rd Week of Lent

Ang atong Ebanghelyo karong adlawa (Mt 5:17-19) kabahin kini sa “Sermon of the Mount.” Si Jesus naghisgot nga siya wala mu-anhi aron pagsalikway; kundili aron sa pagtuman sa kabubut-on sa Dios. In fact, hingpit ang iyang pagtuman niini kay dako ang iyang gi-sakripisyo.

Lisod ang pagtuman sa kabubut-on sa Dios. Kasagaran mubati kita ug kahadlok ug kabalaka. Dili kini sayon! Apan kinahanglan kita mu-surrender. Sama ni Jesus nga mi-ingon: Father, thy will be done..

Sama sa atong sitwasyon karon. Mag-misa ta online na lang. unexpected kini ug unprecedented. Karon pa jud mahitabo. Imagin: wala tay misa sa atong mga simbahan. But we have to yield; we need to accept. We should obey.

Pag-announce sa press con ni Archbishop Palma nga wala na tay misa, nasubo ko. I’m sure kamo sad. Gabie diri sa parokya, naghimo ug katapusang misa si Fr. Dan sa wala ma ni ma-implement. Mi-sulod ko pagbalita sa katawhan sa new guidelines. Akong feeling murag Last Supper; gi-anticipate lang kini. Paghuman gikuna kanato ang Ginoo. Gipahilayo. You will miss Him!

I asked myself: Ngano kaha? Unsay hinungdan? Think of it this way – its for the greater good. It’s a sacrifice for your well-being because health is wealth. You need to stay home. It might be a matter of survival. Secondly, your hunger for the Lord should make you yearn for Him more. Tungod sa mga panghitabo, mingawon ta sa Ginoo; mingawon sa Eucharistia. Many times we miss someone or something kung wala na. as you make your Spiritual Communion, yearn for Him. Tell Him how much you love Him and how much you miss Him. Perhaps He will expedite the swift return to our normal lives. But for now, we will surrender and yield to the new normal of having online masses. 

Prayer: Lord, make my heart yearn for you; may this sacrifice contribute to the restoration and healing of the world. Amen. 

Encountering Jesus - 3rd Sunday of Lent

This Sunday’s gospel reading (Jn 4:5-42) presents to us the story of an unknown Samaritan woman who engaged in a conversation with Jesus. As a consequence, she was drawn to faith in Christ. Today, the Greek and Russian Orthodox Christians venerate her as a saint. They even gave her the name Photeine (Greek) or Svetlana (Russian) which means radiant or shining. She is praised by St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom as “the first apostle to the gentiles” who invited her neighbor to Christ. A legend preserved in Spain says that Photeine eventually went to Rome where she converted Nero’s daughter and a hundred of her servants. She became an indefatigable missionary for Jesus.

We can see in this gospel story a divine encounter which is the root cause of what she will become. In the gospels, Jesus met a lot of people. In meeting Christ, they were changed. We also see this pattern with the Samaritan woman. Jesus had a purpose in passing through Samaria. It was not accidental or circumstantial that he was at the well of Jacob. Jesus intended to encounter this Samaritan woman in order to make a significant contact with her and engage her in a conversation that will transform her. It was Jesus’ way of entering into her life even into her most private and embarrassing situation not to judge or condemn her but to be her Savior. At the start, Jesus begged water from her. But in the end, he gave her the living water that would quench her human thirst.

This encounter with Christ ignited a fire in her heart. At first she was surprised that this stranger had an intimate knowledge of her past. Her dialogue with Jesus revealed her spiritual thirst for something more that can fill her life. But her lifestyle showed that she was spiritually dead. Jesus’ words ignited new life and fervor in her that transformed her from being self-centered towards a slow process of self-emptying and service to the community. She was now ready to leave behind her water jar symbolizing her daily struggle for personal worth to make a shift turning her priorities upside down. The Samaritan woman took responsibility for her life and became Jesus’ disciple. Thus Jesus became the greatest thing to have ever happened in her life.

Prayer: Lord, lead me to a real encounter with you so that I can also initiate a process of self-emptying and inner transformation. Amen. 

Something to Remember - 2nd Sunday of Lent

A young man spent hours watching a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. It managed to make a small hole, but its body was too large to get through it. It kept struggling for days until the young man decided to help by cutting the cocoon open with a pair of scissors releasing the butterfly. He was hoping that the butterfly would open its wings and fly; but nothing happened. It crawled the rest of its life with a shrunken body and shriveled wings incapable of flight. What the man – out of kindness – had failed to understand was that the tight cocoon and the butterfly’s efforts to squeeze out of that tiny hole was nature’s way of training it for flight by strengthening its wings. There is no short-cut in the butterfly’s complete metamorphosis.

Our gospel reading for the 2^nd Sunday of Lent is about the Transfiguration of Jesus. This episode is one of the most amazing experiences witnessed by only three apostles. The timing of this miracle is even more important. Jesus was in the point of his ministry where he is beginning to make it clear that he will suffer. Though he provides details to his disciples that he would be a suffering Messiah, it did not correlate with their expectations. They absolutely failed to understand. In the midst of this early struggle, Jesus provides them something to remember when he will be totally unrecognizable because of his tremendous sufferings. He gives them something to hold on; something to look back in the dark days ahead.

For the disciples then and now, the Jesus’ transfiguration continues to give significant lessons. Through it, Jesus prepares us to face with trust the big issues of our lives whether its temptations, trials or pain. He invites us to see and focus on the bigger picture of our life. Life is bigger than what our small eyes can see; that pain and glory are intertwined and inseparable. There can be no resurrection without the cross; no pain, no gain. Through Jesus’ transfiguration, he gives us something to remember so that we can be more courageous in our suffering in union with Him. He provides us with something to hold on when times become rough and we are tempted to give up. The transfiguration is a souvenir to keep our optimism in our passage from suffering to glory.

Prayer: Lord, make me realize that your transfiguration is your souvenir to keep my optimism high in times of suffering and pain. Amen.