The God who asks for more

HOMILY
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 11 October 2009

Readings: Wis 7:7-11; Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17; Heb 4:12-13; Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

The Gospel this Sunday is one of those Gospel stories that teach about what Christian life means. Let us mine the lessons in the sequence of the story.

1. A man approached Jesus and asked: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

We must recognize that is no mere whimsical question or shallow request. Rather the man’s question is indicative of his search for something great, for an ideal. Eternal life for him is that which will give meaning to his existence. And he is not unlike most of us. Don’t we also yearn for something more than what our present life offers? Some writers call it “divine discontent”.

This universal predisposition is reflected in the way we are drawn to figures of heroes and feats of heroism and excellence, be it in sports, the arts, in school, and especially in difficult times. Maybe, you have already heard of the story of one 18 year-old boy who, at the height of the typhoon in Marikina, saved 30 lives from the flood, but who was himself engulfed by floodwaters after his last successful rescue of a mother and her six month-old baby. His lifeless body was recovered the next day. His name was Muelmar Magallanes.

We find inspiration and edification in the triumphs and tragedies of heroes. They are the ones who have truly lived life, the ones who are perceived (rightly or wrongly) to have achieved that something more which most of us yearn for.

In the First Reading from the Book of Wisdom, we listened to the thoughts of Solomon as he himself, then already a king at a young age - with power, prestige and wealth at his disposal - yearned for something else that will help him make sense of it all: wisdom.

2. Jesus, looked at him, and loved him.

When the man came to Jesus and asked his question, He looked at him and knew what it was he needed. Heb 4,12 (in the Second Reading) says the Word of God is “living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”

One of the ways by which we express our love for somebody is our desire for the best to happen to our beloved. He wants the best for the man. That is why Jesus’ response came in two stages:

3. First, He asked him about the basics.

Jesus asked him if he knew the commandments. The basics are important. They are our foundation, our guiding principles. One cannot say he is faithful to God if he doesn’t keep God’s commandments.

The man replied: “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” But he was to learn that the basics though important don’t constitute the entirety of Christian life. Observing the commandments was not enough.

4. Then, Jesus asked for more…

Because the young man asked for the greatest of grace and because Jesus loved the young man, and so he wants the best for him, He asked him to give up his greatest possession. He called him to do something heroic worthy of the grace he was asking. He asked him to give up his wealth and give the proceeds to the poor.

Indeed, if we want to achieve something great, we must be ready to make great sacrifice as well. In order to possess eternity, we have to offer the rest of our time here on earth.

5. Sadly, the rich man young man turned away because he could not give up his riches.

Many of us are full of big dreams, but what happens when we see the difficulties we have to endure in order to reach them? Do we shrink away, mawaran nin boot? Christianity is not for the complacent or coward. It is the home of the brave.

Many of us like to cheer athletes and feel the excitement of a good game but only in the bleachers or in front of the TV. Many don’t even think about entering the race, getting into the game itself. Christianity is not a spectator sport. It is a way of life.

Many of us want to reach out to those in need but only insofar as our comfort and security is not too much disturbed. Christianity is more than just a call to an occasional donation or volunteer drive. It is a call to heroic living.

6. Jesus turned the episode into a lesson in Christian life

Mk 10,25: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” And riches don’t only mean financial wealth. All of us are rich, each in our own way, e.g., in family ties, talents, opportunities, etc. Thus, all of us have something to offer up to God. God is asking us to offer to Himself all that we have. Those Offertory songs about offering everything really meant to be taken not just figuratively.

Mk 10,27: “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Can we actually do it? How do we survive? Can we be happy with it? God Himself provides direct assurance. Our natural attraction to heroes (and hero worship) is indirect proof that doing the great sacrifice, required of us by God, in our own unique situations, leads to living life fully.

When Solomon didn’t ask for more power and wealth, and chose wisdom instead so he could better serve his countrymen, God was pleased. Not only did He give him wisdom, but “all good things together came to (him) in her company, and countless riches at her hands” (Wis 7,11).

When we give up all that we have for “Jesus’ sake and the sake of the Gospel” we are actually merely giving back what God first gave us. We lose nothing. We gain everything for we will have God with us, and we will be blessed “a hundred times more now in this present age… and eternal life in the age to come” (Mk 10,30).

Faithfulness of Couples, Faithfulness of God

HOMILY
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 4 October 2009

Readings: Gn 2:18-24; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6; Heb 2:9-11; Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12


The Gospel story this Sunday is yet another polemical episode between Jesus and the Pharisees. Once again, they were trying to trick him with a question: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

The passage in question is Deut 24,1: “When a man, after marrying a woman and having relations with her, is later displeased with her because he finds in her something indecent, and therefore he writes out a bill of divorce and hands it to her, thus dismissing her from his house…”

Divorce is allowed in ancient Israel. The test is in the interpretation of the line “something indecent”, ‘erwath dabar. For those who follow the strict interpretation of Rabbi Shammai, ‘erwath dabar means a case of adultery. For those who are of the “lax” school of Rabbi Hillel, it could mean any offense or displeasure, e.g., burning the soup or whatever.

Jesus once again escaped the dilemma by turning the petty difference upside down and targeting the very institution of divorce. Deut 24,1 is a concession to human weakness, to stubbornness of heart. He appealed to authority higher than Moses: God. He was clear about what God ordained from the beginning. Gen 2,24: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.”

By saying so, Jesus established faithfulness as essential to married life and prohibited divorce in the clearest of terms.

Let us define fidelity in three ways:

1. Exclusivity

But first, a story… A middle-aged wife was feeling resentful of her husband’s apparent forgetfulness of their wedding anniversary date. But it turned out the husband actually prepared a surprise celebration for her. Still a bit embarrassed, she retorted: “But you haven’t even sang our theme song. Or have you forgotten it already?” Husband: “What was that again?”. Wife: “Only You” (in hurt tones). Husband: “Oh that, I changed that already a few months ago. It’s no longer “Only You” but… “Nobody, Nobody but You”.

Why exclusivity? Because God willed it so: Man and woman should be married only to one spouse. Gen 2,24 says a man leaves his parents and clings to his wife, not to his wife and his kabit…

Exclusivity also fits the natural order of things. Monogamous relationship is universally regarded as the more ideal relationship for couples, even and especially for cultures that practice polygamy.

Once in a while I get asked: “When does infidelity start?” I answer that I will never know the whole gamut of experience that married couples go through but I am sure that infidelity doesn’t start with an actual relationship or even with an attraction. It starts in the mind, when you start entertaining the possibility that you could manage two relationships, when you start hiding from your spouse little things because there really is good reason for her/him to better not know about them… when a husband starts changing the names in his phonebook of some of his female friends into male ones. And the wife is left to wonder why a certain “Brando” has several texts to her husband with the words “i miz u”.

A married friend told me: “If you want an uncomplicated happy married life: keep it simple. Be faithful.”

2. Equality

A Jewish tradition makes an analogy about the Eve-from-Adam’s-rib story. The woman was not made with a bone from the man’s head for it would mean that she is superior to the man, nor from his foot for it would mean that she is inferior to the man, but from the side to show that they are equal in dignity.

The words in the wedding liturgy stresses that both husband and wife are equal in the life of grace, they are co-heirs of the Kingdom.

A usual argument against the equality of husband and wife is Eph 5,22: “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.” A simple reading of the entire periscope though would lead us to Eph 5,21: “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” And to Eph 5,25: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her.” Who is subordinate to whom is not the point of the passage but that the love of the couple should mirror the love between God and His Church.

3. Lovingkindness

Lovingkindness, hesed, is a common description of God’s love and faithfulness in the Old Testament. Lovingkindness is the anti-thesis of “stubbornness of heart” which compelled Moses to allow divorce. Marriages break down because of either one or both of the couples’ “stubbornness of heart”.

When we talk of lovingkindness in fidelity, it means that a marriage should not just be something to endure, it should bring out the best in the couple and in their children.
Fidelity is affirmed in everyday deeds of kindness, in the simple (and cheesy) gestures of affection, in the many acts of sacrifices which the couple makes together for their love and their family.

Conclusion

There is a deeper theological significance in the faithfulness of couples: it reflects the faithfulness of God.

We humans get to know our God through the instrumentality of symbols. We get to know him through others. We get to know His love through the love of others. Where does all this start: in the family, in the parents, in married couples. When couples show their fidelity to each other, and that they are happy with each other – their children, their family and friends, and the rest of the community, also get to know the love and faithfulness of God, and the happiness He brings.

Stumbling Blocks

HOMILY
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 September 2009)

Readings: Nm 11:25-29; Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14; Jas 5:1-6; Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48


I would like to begin by citing the parallels between the Gospel text and First Reading this Sunday.

1. An unnamed man in the Gospel, and two men, Eldad and Medad, in the First Reading, were caught doing “unsanctioned” work of the Spirit. The former was driving out demons, the latter were prophesying among the people.

2. John the Evangelist and Joshua (both are known to be closest to Jesus and Moses, respectively) asked that the individual/s in question be stopped.

3. The tenor of both Jesus’ and Moses’ answer was the same: “Let them be.” Moses: “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!” Jesus: “Whoever is not against us is for us”.

Both readings caution against judging rashly, for by doing so the overly-zealous disciple may be undermining other people’s path to service and holiness. In the first place, who are we to judge who deserves to be blessed or called by God?

Further, the Gospel tells us…
1. to be careful lest we be the cause of scandal to others, thus, leading them astray, and
2. to recognize the stumbling blocks in our lives that obstructs our way to God.

And no, Jesus does not advocate capital punishment or mutilation to prevent scandal and sin. Hyperbolic language is used here only in order to drive home the point more strongly.

So what are the things that may block our way to holiness? Aside from the usual suspects – wealth (the point of the Second Reading), power and fame – Jesus tells us even the good that we have or do may lead us to sin: our hands, feet and eyes, our family and loved ones, our job, even our advocacies and commitments to Church and civic causes.

How do we know if the good things we have and do have become our stumbling blocks?

1. If they become our priority over God and heaven.

One indicator of this is when we feel that doing the right thing has become a burden or takes the job too long, when we begin to cut corners or compromise our principles.

There is a story about a soldier who, before going to battle, told his commanding officer: “Sir, let us pray that God is on our side.” His commanding officer replied: “No, let us pray that we are on God’s side.”

2. If they make us think more highly of ourselves and less of others.

If we see that our own gifts and good deeds serve mainly to inflate our ego, then we know we are no longer on the right path.

The English writer Joseph Addison warns: “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” The Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore advises: “We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.”

3. If they stop us from growing.

This one is the most dangerous because it is the most subtle. If what we do right now, makes us self-satisfied, resistant to change or reluctant to make things better, then we know we have a stumbling block.

If you’re a student and you study only enough to pass the course, the way you study is your stumbling block to real learning. If you think your going to church every Sunday is enough to fulfill your Christian obligation, then your going to church becomes your stumbling block to Christian perfection.

I would like to end this reflection with a prayer I came upon again just recently:

“Disturb us, O Lord
when we are too well-pleased with ourselves
when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord
when with the abundance of things we possess,
we have lost our thirst for the water of life
when, having fallen in love with time,
we have ceased to dream of eternity
and in our efforts to build a new earth,
we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.

Stir us, O Lord
to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas
where storms show Thy mastery,
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes
and invited the brave to follow. Amen.”

True Devotion to Mary

HOMILY
Solemnity of Nstra. Sra. de Peñafrancia, Patroness of Bicol
20 September 2009

Readings: Gen.3,9-15. 1 Sam 2,1;4-5;6-7;8. Rev 11,9;12-16. Lk 2,27-35.


This Sunday, we here in Bicol celebrate the Solemnity of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia... "Patrona del Bicol, Gran Madre de Dios, se siempre la Reina de nuestra region."

2009 is significant since this is the last year of the three-year preparation for the tricentenary celebration of the devotion to Ina. We look back to 1710 when Pde. Miguel Robles de Covarrubias brought the devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga, and to the whole Bicolandia. We Bicolanos are big in our devotion to our Ina. It is something we share with the rest of the Filipinos.

In 1975, the CBCP released the pastoral letter "Ang Mahal na Birhen", defining what true devotion to our Ina means and contextualizing the same theme contained in the encyclical of Pope John Paul II, "Marialis Cultus", released the previous year. Among other things, the pastoral letter made a cursory survey on the extent of the Filipinos' devotion to Ina: “463, or over one-fourth of all parishes, have the Virgin Mary as their titular patron without counting innumerable barrio chapels, religious oratories or private shrines dedicated to her.” Just imagine how much that number has grown after more than three decades. There is a Spanish expression that aptly describes us: "Pueblo amante de Maria", "Banwaan na namomoot ki Maria".

Amidst all the festivities in honor of our Ina, it is good to ask: What constitutes true devotion to Mary?

There is a wealth of literature on the subject, two of them I have already mentioned: "Ang Mahal na Birhen" by the CBCP and "Marialis Cultus" by Pope John Paul II. I would like to make a simple (and therefore necessarily not comprehensive) summary of what constitutes true devotion to her.

1. True devotion to Mary is faithful to the Bible, to the witness of the Scriptures.

Luke 1,48 says “All generations will call me blessed.” This is contained in the beautiful prayer of Mary popularly known as the Magnificat. She prophesies how all generations will come to honor her.

She is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the woman, the virgin who will bear the promised Messiah. The First Reading from Genesis is one of them.

The Word was made flesh in her womb. She was the bearer of the Word, and she chose to share the Word to the rest of the world.

2. True devotion to Mary leads to Jesus.

Mary is honored because she was the Mother of God (Theotokos) as defined by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. The world came to know of Jesus and the Good News of the Kingdom through the humble fiat of Mary.

The old Latin saying is right: "ad Jesum per Mariam", to Jesus through Mary. She acts as our intercessor in heaven. Pope John Paul II wrote in his other Marian encyclical "Redemptoris Mater":

"Thus there is a mediation: Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the reality of their wants, needs and sufferings. She puts herself 'in the middle', that is to say she acts as a mediatrix not as an outsider, but in her position as mother. She knows that as such she can point out to her son the needs of mankind, and in fact, she 'has the right' to do so. Her mediation is thus in the nature of intercession: Mary 'intercedes' for mankind."

When our devotion stops at Mary and does not lead to Jesus, we turn her into an idol. When our devotion consists of the performance of certain rituals and the praying of particular novenas in exchange for some favor, we turn her into an idol. We commit the sin of idolatry.

True devotion to Mary should enhance our relationship with Jesus, and our worship of God, especially in the Eucharist.

3. True devotion to Mary leads to conversion and renewal.

Matthew 7,16 says: "By their fruits you will know them." Is our devotion to Mary helping us grow into kinder, more loving, more generous persons?

During the Mass after the fluvial procession in Naga, Bp. Gilbert Garcera of Daet, recounted in his homily a recent miracle involving a lady who was cured of her leukemia and who attributed the cure to the intercession of Ina. Indeed, Nstra. Sra. de Peñafrancia has been known to effect miraculous healing among her devotees through the centuries.

It is also good to ask: What is the purpose of miracles? It is not just the healing of physical sickness, it is more about the strengthening of faith and the transformation of the whole person. And it is not just the person healed who is benefited by it, it is also the people around her or him, whose faith are also strengthened and whose lives are changed.

Recently, the Archdiocese of Caceres called for communal discernment on how best we can celebrate the devotion to Ina. I have heard a remark on the conduct of devotees in Naga: "imbes na maging mapagbigay, nagiging makasarili; imbes na maging madasalin, nagiging mainumin". Some would even joke that there are actually three patrons in Naga: Nstra. Sra. de Peñafrancia, Sr. Divino Rostro, and Sr. Ginebra San Miguel.

Apparently, the Archdiocese's efforts are bearing fruits. According to observers, this year's festivities, especially the traslacion and fluvial procession, were the most peaceful and orderly since they could remember.

Brothers and sisters, true devotion to Mary should lead us into making Mary as our model. She is not only the model of womanhood, she is the model of true discipleship. And what is discipleship? It means obedience to the will of the Father and intimacy with Jesus. Mary bears witness to this type of discipleship all her earthly life and beyond.

May our devotion to Mary lead us then into becoming more discerning of and obedient to God's will, and make us seek to grow more in our friendship with her Son.

Viva la Virgen! Viva an satong mahal na Ina!

Faith, Good Works and Suffering

HOMILY
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 13 September 2009

Readings: Isaiah 50, 4-9; Ps 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; James 2, 14-18; Mark 8, 27-35


The Gospel this Sunday has three parts:
1. Jesus’ asks His disciples: “Who do you say that I am”. Peter’s response: “You are the Christ.”
2. Jesus speaks about what His being Christ means, the suffering and death He has to endure, and His rebuke of Peter.
3. Jesus teaches his disciples and the crowd the way of the cross and self-denial.

The three-part Gospel passage practically describes what Christian faith is and what it entails.

1. To be a Christian means to believe in Jesus as Christ, the longed for Messiah of Israel and the rest of the world, even when they don’t know it.

To be Christian means to seek to get know Christ, and the will of the Father which He has faithfully obeyed, ever deeply and more intimately.

Apparently, Jesus as Christ identifies Himself with suffering, and suffering humanity.

2. It is not enough that we believe. Our faith should be expressed in good works, i.e., in the way we think, say, act and live.

James 2,14, from the Second Reading, says: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”

Romans 2,6 says God “will repay everyone according to his works".

Acts 9,37-42 tells the story of the saintly woman Tabitha who was “completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving”. Because of it, she was well-loved by her community in Joppa. When she fell seriously ill and died, the community fell into deep mourning and went out of its way to invite Peter to Joppa. When Peter arrived at the upper room of Tabitha’s house, where her body was laid, he did as Jesus would have done: sent them all out, knelt down, prayed, then said: “Tabitha, rise up.” She came back from the dead. The story ends with: “This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord.”

Faith provides the roots, and good works the shoots, shoots that bear much fruit!

3. Our faith involves undergoing suffering and denial of oneself. As it was with Jesus, so it will be with those who follow Him.

Let's be clear: it doesn’t mean that God wants His people to keep suffering, or wallow in misery, or stay poor. The denial of oneself is an affirmation that suffering is real, and the Christian way is not to deny or run away from it. It is to deal with it, fully knowing that we will triumph over it and, more importantly, that Jesus made suffering as our means of salvation.

Let me share a love story (adapted from Frank Mihalic, SVD, 1000 Stories You Can Use, vol. 2)… During the 18th century, there lived a German-Jewish philosopher named Moses Mendelssohn, a brilliant compassionate man, who at that point was also starting to rise out of poverty, with but one fault: he was hunchbacked. And he fell in love with a beautiful and charming young woman named Fromet, the daughter of a prosperous banker.

The first time he courted her, he told this story: “As you know when boys are born, the angels in heaven call out for all to hear: ‘This little boy is destined to have this special girl for a wife. It is decreed for all eternity and no one may change it’. So when I was born, the angels made that announcement about me. But then they paused and added: 'But alas, Mendelssohn’s wife will have a terrible hump on her back.' Then I should have shouted out loud before the court of heaven: “O Lord, no, no! A girl who is hunchback will very easily become bitter and hard, and the object of awful jokes and hurts. No, Lord, a girl should be beautiful. O Lord, please give the hump to me and let her be well-formed.’”

“And you know what, Fromet? God heard my prayer and I was glad. I am that boy and you are that girl.”

I don’t know if the story will work with the ladies here, but apparently it worked for Mrs. Mendelssohn.

Brothers and sisters, the greatest obstacle to our attaining success and happiness in life is not poverty, nor illness, nor physical impairment, nor whatever dire circumstance we are born into, nor is it the devil himself. Our biggest hindrance to success and happiness is our “self”: our self-centeredness, our narrow-mindedness, our concern mainly for the pleasures of the here and now. The solution to this problem is simply the dying to oneself.

Mark 8,35 says “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” The saying makes sense not only when thinking as God does, but even in worldly terms. The discipline and humility required for hard work to succeed are forms of dying to oneself. Imagine what would happen if our hard work, discipline and humility, our dying to ourselves, be offered for the sake of the Kingdom.

The suffering that Jesus teaches His followers to embrace is not a static suffering or a cross-generational never-ending cycle of poverty and oppression. The suffering that Jesus refers to is the kind that, when embraced by a faith that manifests in nobility of character and good works, leads to God’s promised glory.

Are you spiritually deaf?

HOMILY
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - 6 September 2009

Readings: Is 35:4-7a; Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10; Jas 2:1-5; Mk 7:31-37


The miracle account in the Gospel reading today is interesting for its explicitly physical detail. The people brought to Jesus a deaf-mute. He took him away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears, spitted, touched the man’s tongue with his spittle-laden finger, looked up, groaned and said “Ephphata” – “Be opened”. And the man came to hear and speak thereafter.

The First Reading, from Isaiah, prophesies the healing of the deaf as one of the signs of the coming Messiah. At the end of the Gospel story, the people cry out in joy and wonder, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak”, echoing the prophet Isaiah.

The miracle stories of Jesus were preserved not only for their historical value but also for their symbolic value. This was also the method of interpretation favored by the fathers of the early Church. And so the physical deafness of the man was made symbolic of the spiritual deafness that afflicts many.

Salvation is effected through the Word, and communicated through the preaching of the Good News. Spiritual deafness and muteness block salvation from happening. Thus the physical details of this miracle story is a fitting metaphor on how Jesus became flesh, subject to the conditions of the flesh, connected Himself to humanity, and earned for us our salvation.

This makes this story even more relevant today in a world where so many are unwilling to listen to the demands of the Gospel or are drowned by the noise of competing ideas and priorities.

So today we pause and reflect:
1. Is my daily schedule of activities and concerns leaving me too tired and stressed, and with hardly any time or energy for prayer and silence?
2. Is the amount of information that comes my way through the various media leaving me unable to discern and choose the things that are really important?
3. Is my desire for a better life and greater accomplishments leaving me unfulfilled, shallow, and insensitive to the needs of my neighbor?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may already be exhibiting symptoms of spiritual deafness.

Here’s a story:

A senior priest, a young priest, and the bishop were discussing about work and walking to lunch when they stumbled upon an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a genie comes out. The genie says, “I'll give each of you just one wish.”

“Me first! Me first!” says the senior priest. “I want to be in Europe, enjoying a nice leisurely vacation, without a care in the world.” Puff! He's gone.

“Me next! Me next!” says the young priest. “I want to be in the Caribbean, relaxing on the beach, then partying in the evenings.” Puff! He's gone.

“OK, you’re up,” the genie says to the bishop. The bishop says, “I want those two back in the office after lunch.”

Moral of the story: “Listen first to what your boss will say.”

Our being too involved with our personal priorities and the concerns of this world, and especially our slavery to sin, make us close our senses to spiritual realities and lose our connection with God.

Let's not forget another bad thing about spiritual deafness: it causes spiritual muteness. When we no longer hear the Word, we also stop spreading the Gospel. When we don’t listen anymore to the Spirit, we stop proclaiming God and His salvation.

So "Ephaphata”, “Be opened”, says Jesus to the deaf man... and to us.

True Religion

HOMILY
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - 30 August 2009

Readings: Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5; Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23


“The Pharisees and scribes questioned him, ‘Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?’” (Mk 7,5)

To this apparently simple question, Jesus responded with a polemic against the Pharisees and their practices.

First, a clarification. A contemporary cursory reading of this Gospel text may not make sense out of Jesus' words. Was he really against the washing of hands before eating, the washing of cups and jugs, of kettles and beds? The issue is not about hygiene. The issue is about the practices of ritual purity vis-a-vis the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

Hypocrisy here may be understood in its original Greek sense: hypokrites, an actor whose face is hidden behind a mask. Jesus questions the authenticity of their faith behind their outward observance – and imposition – of their expanding universe of laws and statutes.

The readings this Sunday describe what makes an authentic faith, what constitutes true religion.

I. A Religion of the Law

True faith naturally involves the observance of commandments. In Deut 4,6 in the First Reading, Moses exhorts the Israelites to observe carefully God’s commandments “for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations”.

Further, the Law is seen as a sign of God’s love for His people. For indeed, the Law is set in place so individuals and society may live peacefully and flourish.

II. A Religion of Love

James 1,22 in the Second Reading says it is not enough to hear and believe: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only”.

James 1,27 says “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: “Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, it is to be humble.”

Using these two descriptions as a context, we observe two faulty tendencies among Christians today:

1. Overemphasis on the Law

Jesus’ polemic was particularly directed to the Pharisees’ overemphasis on the law or, more precisely, on their particular interpretation of the law.

“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.' You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Mk 7,6-8)

Today we see this tendency manifested in the way certain leaders use a fundamentalist and/or radical interpretation of scriptures and traditions to further their personal and political agenda, at times through violent means. The Methodist theologian Georgia Harkness once said: “The tendency to turn human judgments into divine commands makes religion one of the most dangerous forces in the world.”

We also see this tendency being played in our very Filipino fondness for rituals and outward observances, and the often overlooked disconnect between these observances and so many of our moral choices. The legislators who propose the RH Bill do not see anything contrary to their faith with their refusal to recognize the constitutional provision protecting life beginning at conception. The city councilors who do not object to casino and bingo operations do not see anything wrong with their promotion of gambling. The people who participate in corrupt practices and election fraud don’t show any qualms in publicly professing themselves as devout Catholics, even Marian devotees.

2. Emphasis on Love Alone

It was the poet John Keats who may have first wrote: “Love is my religion”, but it was the reggae artist Ziggy Marley who popularized it the most.

There is also a tendency among many to view love, e.g., good works, philanthropy or just simply not causing harm to anybody, as sufficient expressions of faith, or the “only thing that all religions teach”. And to regard Jesus only as a popular teacher of love and universal brotherhood. A popular line from this school of thought: “I see myself as more spiritual than religious”. People who espouse this view call themselves Christians or believers of God but don’t want to be bothered by the moral and legal demands of religion, often to justify their morally questionable lives. They would like to treat religion the way they would eat fat-free ice cream or drink zero-calorie soda: enjoy the good without the guilt.

The author Annie Dillard has this short sketch in her book “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”: “Eskimo: 'If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?' Priest: 'No, not if you did not know.' Eskimo: 'Then why did you tell me?'”

A recent controversial atheist advertisement on buses, which started in London and spread to other cities, goes: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

Of course, they’re missing the point. Guilt is not an imposition of religion. Guilt rather is a spiritual symptom that manifests whenever we make morally unhealthy choices. Guilt is that feeling that tells us we are getting estranged from God, thus triggering the instinct to seek reconciliation with Him.

III. Ultimately, true religion leads to God. (This is almost too obvious a statement but for the two tendencies cited above.)

Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:

“Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. In a culture without truth, this is the fatal risk facing love. It falls prey to contingent subjective emotions and opinions, the word “love” is abused and distorted, to the point where it comes to mean the opposite. Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word.” (CIV 3)

It is not enough that we do the right things. It is not enough that we love. Any regular sane person can do these things. A true faithful follows the law and loves because it leads him to God, and as a response to the God who loved him first. This is true religion.

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life

HOMILY
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - 23 August 2009

Readings: Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21; Eph 5:21-32; Jn 6:60-69


Peter’s statement provides a fitting a response at the culmination of a five-Sunday Gospel series (taken from Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John) wherein Jesus speaks of Himself as the bread of life. Peter’s response is not entirely different from the Great Amen we sing at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer. Both our Amen and Peter’s words mean: “We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6,69).

Behind the statement is the making of a great choice: the choice either to believe or not, to follow Jesus or not. In the First Reading, Joshua asks the Israelites: “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Jos 24,15).

Now this choosing, far from being a mere declaration of belief, involves practical difficulties for the believer. Jesus’ revelation of being the bread of life is described in the Gospel text today as hard and difficult to accept (Jn 6,60).

The difficulty for Christians today may no longer come from the ignorance of Jesus’ divinity. It may come from the fear that when we open the door to enter into the life of Christ, there are doors that we may no longer enter; that when we choose to take the way of Christ, there are other paths that we may not be able to pass. For a soul that has made the multiplicity of choices as the definitive measure of freedom, the loss of other options as a result of choosing only one is difficult and frightening indeed. One of the Kapamilya TV station shows' blurb expresses this dilemma: "Sa mundong para lamang sa isa, 'di pwede tayong dalawa..." =)

The difficulty may also arise from the practical consequences of choosing God. For when we choose God, we don’t just choose to believe in God, we embrace His way of life. We don’t just proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we also choose to live the values of the Kingdom that Jesus preached about. And there are practical difficulties in reconciling our choice of living the values of the Kingdom with the options presented by a world that has become estranged from God’s Kingdom.

The Second Reading describes how the values of the Kingdom figure in married life. Ephesians 5,32 asks wives to be subordinate to their husbands. A hard saying indeed especially for those of us who have already grown accustomed to feminist and liberal ideas. Before dismissing the text as mere power check to keep women in a lower social status, it would be wise to read the next verses which then talks about the duties of husbands. Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loves His body, the Church. We all know how Christ loves His Church: with all the love He has, even laying His life for His Church.

I have made an “informal hobby” of collecting answers to the question: “What is the secret to a happy married life?” One of the best answers I have gotten was from a middle-aged couple: “The secret to a happy marriage is that it should be treated as a competition. Dapat magpatibayan an mag-agom kun siisay an mas namomoot, mas maboot, mas nakakasabot…” (Couples should outdo each other as to who loves more, gives kind words more, understands more… Unfortunately, Bikol wit is lost in translation).

In a world that has seen the break-up of so many marriages, the Letter to the Ephesians timelessly reminds couples to pattern their love after the love of God, if they wish to succeed.

The Church’s stand to vigorously promote the culture of life is another value of the Kingdom that many people find difficult.

Recently, a proposal to build a casino in Legazpi City was submitted to the Sangguniang Panlungsod, which the good councilors promptly approved after a perfunctory public hearing. When the Church and many sectors raised their voices in protest, fortunately the host hotel proceeded to convince PAGCOR to withdraw its plans. The Church’s stand though earned not a few criticisms. The reactions exemplify the clash between the values of the Kingdom and that of the prevailing culture.

When asked in a radio interview why the Church seemed to be blocking progress with our latest protest, before I gave my serious answer, I quipped: Imagina daw nyako nindo kun madangog ta si Bp. Quiambao na nag-eengañar sa mga tawo: “sige mag-carasino kita, surugal sana kita..." =)

One of those values of the Kingdom involved here is stewardship. It means recognizing that all our talents, wealth and possessions are gifts from God. We are stewards of God’s gifts. A poor person who gambles away hard-earned money is a bad steward. He also causes much suffering to his family. A rich man is not exempt from the same principle even when his person or family many not suffer financially when he gambles in a casino. There are far more productive and responsible uses for his money. His money is not entirely his own; he too is a steward of God’s gifts.

Thus, it is wrong for local leaders to promote an industry that exploits people’s weakness for gambling and destroys persons and families in the process, just to earn revenue for the city or stimulate its economy. Neither can they validly claim a dichotomy between their job of taking care of the city's economy and the churches’ work of safeguarding the community's moral fiber. As elected officials, their leadership is also a stewardship from God.

Here is a story I got from Fr. Eugene Lobo, SJ’s blog (http://msjnov.wordpress.com/page/2/):

"A church-goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. 'I’ve gone for 30 years now,' he wrote, 'and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So, I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.'

This started a real controversy in the Letters to the Editor column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: 'I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: they all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!' "

When Peter said: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”, he made a choice to be nourished by the bread of life.

If it isn’t Jesus we are choosing, we are choosing someone else. If it isn’t God we are serving, we are serving someone else. Joshua’s words still ring true to this day: “Decide today whom you will serve”: the false gods of this world or the God who wish to nourish you with His life.

None of the good that we do is ever lost

HOMILY
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 9 August 2009

Readings: 1 Kgs 19:4-8; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Eph 4:30—5:2; Jn 6:41-51


We continue with the “bread of life” discourse in Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John.

1. Jesus offered his life for us – as bread that is broken, shared, consumed & nourishes.

Jesus reveals to us God the Father as a God who gives Himself. This self-giving is expressed most fully in His giving to us His Son. Remember that the Father and the Son are one. Jesus’ life and paschal mystery was a story of self-giving love. And before Jesus left, He promised to give His own Spirit to guide His community of disciples.

By the grace of our baptism and confirmation, the same self-giving Spirit is in us. And so, too, by grace, we are ordained towards the self-giving of love.

2. Jesus taught us how offering one’s life lead to living life to the full.

Fr. Catalino Arevalo, SJ, recounted during his homily at the funeral of Cory Aquino: “When her final illness was upon her already, she said that she was offering her suffering, first to God, then for our people. I heard that grandson Jiggy asked her why first for country and people, and she said that always the priority line-up was God, our country and our people, and then family.”

Undoubtedly, Tita Cory was one shining witness of a life that was offered and lived to the full. Here are some snippets of testimonies about her by family and friends during the necrological service, which attested to her inspiring life.

Pinky Aquino-Abelleda: "Kapag umaalis siya papuntang ibang bansa noong president pa siya, isa lang sa amin ang isinasama niya, at sa bulsa niya kinukuha ang pambayad sa aming pamasahe, hindi sa kaban ng bayan."

Kris Aquino-Yap: "Kapag tinatanong ng tao kung bakit hindi niya ako pinapapasok sa pulitika, ang sagot niya ay, 'kapag simple na ang kanyang lifestyle. Sa ngayon, sa kanyang lifestyle, hindi siya pwedeng mabuhay sa sahod ng isang government employee'."

Photographer ni Cory Aquino: "Kapag kumukuha ako ng litrato at nagustuhan niya at kanyang itatago sa sarili niyang koleksyon, binabayaran niya ito at hindi gastos ng Malacañang."

Philip Juico: "Nang anyayahan niya akong maglingkod sa departamento ng sakahan, sinabihan niya akong sundin ang batas, masipag na gawin ang trabaho, at huwag magnakaw."

SPO4 Mel Mamaril, close-in security ni Cory: "Minsang nagpunta kami sa painting lesson niya at siya ang toka na magpamiryenda, sinama niya ang cook. Pag-uwi, nauna kami. Wala pang pagkain sa bahay. Maya-maya ay lumabas siyang may dalang sopas na niluto niya at pinakain sa amin. Ganoon siya. Hindi niya kami nakakalimutan. Lagi niyang tinatanong kung nakakain na kami. Tinuring niya kaming pamliya. Iniangat niya ang aking confidence."

Teodoro Locsin Jr.: "I didn’t notice that my anger was slowly receding- and my desire for vengeance was banishing the more I was close to this woman in yellow; now, I just want to make sure that I live every moment of my life to the fullest-without anger and vindictiveness; I did not notice I was being transformed the more I got closer to this woman in yellow."

Fr. Arevalo told another story: “On radio, the other night, the commentator asked an old woman in line why she stood hours in the rain to get into La Salle. “Ito lang ang maibibigay ko po sa kanya, bilang pasasalamat.” “Bakit, ano ba ang ibinigay ni Cory sa inyo?” “Di po ba ang buhay nya? Ang buong sarila nya? At di po ba ang pagasa? Kaya mahal na mahal po namin siya.”

And a whole nation responded with an outpouring of affection and thanksgiving for her goodness of heart, magnanimity of spirit and gift of self.

3. Jesus showed us that offering one’s life is difficult and fraught with disappointments, but God will make all things right.

In the First reading this Sunday, we hear the Prophet Elijah groan: “This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19,4). Elijah had just proven to the people the power of Yahweh, the one true God, against the false prophets of Baal, and yet he found himself fleeing from soldiers who were pursuing him, with orders from Queen Jezebel to slay him. When he let go those words of anguish, he was dead tired from crossing the desert the entire day on foot.

What did God do in response? He sent an angel to give him bread to eat and water to drink to sustain him in his journey. Here is a God who does not abandon His chosen ones in their difficulties and trials.

One of the more oft-quoted poem of Ninoy Aquino was one he wrote on the third year of his incarceration in Laur in 1976:

“I am burning the candle of my life in the dark
With no one to benefit from the light.
The candle slowly melts away;
Soon its wick will be burned out
And the light is gone.

If someone will only gather
The melted wax, re-shape it,
Give it a new wick –
For another fleeting moment
My candle can once again light the dark,
Be of service one more time,
And then . . . good-bye.”

Cory quoted the same lines during her last SONA, and interpreted them this way:

“This is the anguish of good men: that the good they do will come to nothing. That pains suffered in obscurity or sacrifices made away from the sight of men, amount to shame, and mock the man or woman who bears them.

That is not true. None of the good that we do is ever lost; not even the light in an empty room is wasted.

From Ninoy’s burnt-out candle, and thousands like it in cells throughout the garrison state, we gathered the melted wax and made more candles. To burn – not as long in such loneliness – but much more brightly all together, as to banish the darkness, and light us to a new day.”

Brothers and sisters, as Jesus offered Himself to us like bread that is broken, shared, consumed and is able to nourish, He also teaches us, his disciples, to do the same. And He assures us of two things:
1. We will live life to the full.
2. God will bless our beginning, sustain our progress and make our efforts bear fruit.

Difficulties and disappointments may come, but as Cory, Ninoy, the prophet Elijah, and countless other men and women who offered their lives as Jesus did, have proven us, none of the good that we do is ever lost.

Cory Aquino: An Icon of Freedom, Democracy, and Integrity in Public Office

HOMILY of Most Rev. Lucilo B. Quiambao, D.D., Bishop-Administrator of Legazpi
Memorial Mass for former Pres. Corazon C. Aquino
3 August 2009, 5:00 P.M., St. Gregory the Great Cathedral, Legazpi City

My brothers in the priesthood, Reverend Sisters and Brothers,
Mayor Noel Rosal, former Senator Victor Ziga,
Government officals and public servants,
My dear young people, Fellow Filipinos, Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

We come here today to celebrate a Memorial Mass for our beloved Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino. She was not only a former President of this country, she was an icon of freedom, democracy, and integrity in public office. It is but fitting to come together, be in solidarity with the rest of the Filipino people, and pray for one to whom a grateful nation owe so much.

You have probably watched the media coverage of her passing away, and have been supplied with bits of information on her life and work. For the benefit of us gathered here, especially of our young people, who may have been too young or were not yet around during those tumultuous times that saw her rise to become the first woman president of our country (and in Asia), let me recount briefly the story of our beloved Cory Aquino.

The public first came to know her as the simple housewife of Ninoy Aquino, who would graciously welcome her husband’s political allies to their home and serve them coffee. Then 1972 came, Martial Law was declared by Pres. Marcos. Ninoy Aquino, one of the most prominent critics of the Marcos administration, was incarcerated together with many opposition leaders. She became the supportive wife to a jailed husband, and journeyed with him as much as she could during those painful years that saw him going on a hunger strike, running for election while in jail, being sentenced to death, and suffering a heart ailment, among other things. When Ninoy Aquino was later allowed by the Marcoses to go to the US on exile and for medical treatment, she accompanied him, with the rest of their family.

On August 21, 1983, Ninoy returned to the Philippines and was promptly assassinated while alighting from the plane. The image of his lifeless body sprawled on the tarmac of the airport will forever be etched in the memory of our people. In the eyes of the public, Cory assumed the role of a hero’s widow.

In 1985, pressured from many sides, Pres. Marcos called for a snap election. Cory emerged as an unlikely and, at first, reluctant challenger from the ranks of the united opposition. But support for her spread like wildfire and animated a nation ready to break free from dictatorship. The election was marred by widespread violence and massive cheating. In fact, 30 COMELEC computer technicians walked-out of their work alleging election-rigging in favor of Marcos. Though the election was roundly condemned by the United States and by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, the Batasang Pambansa declared Marcos the winner. In a rally in Luneta, attended by hundreds of thousands, Cory called for civil disobedience, a general strike and a boycott of business enterprises controlled by Marcos allies.

On February 22, 1986, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces Vice-Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos called on Marcos to resign and proceeded to two military camps in Quezon City. When Cardinal Sin called on people over the radio to gather at EDSA in order to protect the small band of defectors, and the people responded, People Power Revolution broke out. Cory Aquino, who was staying in Cebu City at the Carmelite Monastery that time, returned to Manila immediately. On February 25, 1986, at the Club Filipino in San Juan, she took the presidential oath of office administered by Supreme Court Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee. Marcos himself was sworn into office at Malacañang Palace on that same day, but fled into exile to Hawaii later that night.

One month after assuming the presidency, she issued Proclamation No. 3, which proclaimed her government as a revolutionary government. She suspended the martial law era 1973 Constitution, and promulgated a provisional “Freedom Constitution”. She closed the Batasang Pambansa and reorganized the Supreme Court. She appointed a Constitutional Commission to draft a new Constitution. The 1987 Constitution was approved in a national plebiscite in February 1987.

Several landmark laws were enacted during her term: the Family Code of 1987, which reformed the civil law on family relations; the Administrative Code of 1987, which reorganized the structure of the executive branch of government; the Local Government Code, partly authored by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, which further empowered local government units; and the controversial Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.

When her term was about to end, many people actively sought to convince her to ran for re-election, since she was not covered by the constitutional provision barring a president from serving more than one six-year term. She refused the offers and stood by her belief that the glory of democracy is the peaceful transfer of power. When she rode away from the inauguration of Pres. Ramos, her successor, she chose to go in a simple white Toyota Corona she had purchased (rather than the government-issue Mercedes Benz), to make the point that she was once again an ordinary citizen.

Today we do not just remember the passing away of Cory Aquino. We celebrate her life. We thank her for taking up the challenge, like Moses in the Old Testament, to restore freedom to her people. She is our icon of democracy. Most especially, she was a shining witness to her Catholic faith, expressed in her unquestionable integrity while serving in public office and beyond it.

To get a glimpse of the remarkable faith of Cory, I would like to quote an excerpt from her now famous “Prayer for a Happy Death”, which she composed in 2004.

“Remind me each day, most loving Father
To be the best that I can be. To be humble, to be kind,
To be patient, to be true. To embrace what is good,
To reject what is evil, To adore only You.

When the final moment does come
Let not my loved ones grieve for long.
Let them comfort each other.
And let them know how much happiness they brought into my life.
Let them pray for me, as I will continue to pray for them,
Hoping that they will always pray for each other.

Let them know that they made possible whatever good I offered to our world...”

To these lines, I would like to add a rephrasing of a poem by one Bessie A. Stanley, entitled “Success”, which is often erroneously attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, and which, I think describes so much the person of Cory Aquino:

“She has achieved success
who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men
and the love of little children;
who has filled her niche
and accomplished her task;
who has left the world better than she found it,
whether in an improved garden,
a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who has always looked for the best in others
and given them the best she had;
whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.”

Cory Aquino said during her last SONA: “I hope that history will judge me as favorably as my people still perceived me.” Our beloved Cory, we do not only judge you favorably, we would like to express our profoundest gratitude for the gift of your person to the Filipino nation.

You also said: “None of the good that we do is ever lost”. We hold on to that statement of hope, even as we also hold on to your promise to pray for us, too, so that many more of us will be inspired to give more of ourselves in the service of the people so we may finally fulfill our common aspiration of lasting peace and genuine progress for this country.

Requiescat in pace, Cory Aquino. Amen. Amen.

Jesus wants you: to share in His mission

HOMILY
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: 2 Kgs 4:42-44; Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18; Eph 4:1-6; Jn 6:1-15


The Gospel reading today is my favorite Gospel scene. In fact, Matthew’s version of the same story was the Gospel reading I chose for our diaconal and presbyteral ordinations, and for my Misa de Gracia as well. I see here my vision of ministry. I see here the God who asks me to be His collaborator. I see here the Eucharist for which I have been ordained to celebrate, preside and serve.

A little side note: John does not have a detailed Eucharistic account at the Last Supper. This scene in John’s Gospel is his Eucharistic account. “Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining…”

What then is the message of the Gospel reading this Sunday?

1. God provides for our needs. He takes care of His people.

Once again, the Gospel presents another image of God: a God who knows our concerns and takes care of us. Both the First Reading and the Gospel narrate miracles of the feeding of a multitude.

Every Sunday, or maybe even everyday, we pray the words: “Give us this day our daily bread...” How many times have we bothered to pause and consider how God has been fulfilling our prayers?

The Nursing Licensure Exam results were released just yesterday. I’m very sure those who passed, or who have family members and friends who passed, are rejoicing now, and hopefully thanking God for fulfilling their prayers. According to the news, the passing rate was 41.87%. What about the more than half of examinees who didn’t pass? A wise priest once said during a Mass at a university after a major exam: “If you fail an exam, maybe it means God wants to show His love for you in another way.”

2. Jesus defines what ministry means: a calling for His disciples to share in His mission.

He asked Philip to look for food for the people. Andrew brought to Him a boy with five loaves and two fish. After praying, he asked his disciples to distribute the food to the people. After the people had their fill, He asked them again to collect the leftovers. God provides for the needs of his people. And he asks his disciples to become the instruments through which His providence and care will be felt by the people.

There are also lessons here on how to do ministry, on how to collaborate with Jesus:

a. Seek to see with the eyes of Christ.

In last Sunday’s Gospel reading, we listened to how Jesus saw the crowd and his heart was moved with compassion (Mt 6,34). When Jesus asked Philip to look for food, the good disciple didn’t immediately grasped what was coming so he reasoned with human common sense, but on hindsight he realized Jesus was teaching him a lesson: deign to see as He sees.

I couldn't help but point out what I observe among those who pray for former President Cory Aquino, among those who attend the healing Masses for her intention. While they pray fervently for Cory's good health, they also pray for God's will to be done. This is also the message that comes from Cory's family and Cory herself. At this period of suffering and anxiety for Cory, and her family and friends, even as they pray for her recovery, they also pray to see as God sees, and so be able to accept whatever His will may be.

b. Be generous in sharing your little gifts.

And see how God will use them to reach out to and build up people. Jesus’ miracle happened when a young boy generously offered his baon of five loaves and two fish.

What are your talents? What are your gifts? What are the things that you are good at? Offer them to the Lord by sharing them to others. You just don’t know how your offering might turn out, what mighty deeds or miracle it will help bring forth.

c. Follow Christ’s instructions.

Jesus gave his disciples specific instructions to follow, which they did and so helped effect the miracle of the feeding the multitude. We can discern Christ’s instruction, Christ’s will for us, if we stay in constant contact with him through prayer, the reading of Scriptures and the teachings of the Church.

Discerning God’s will in prayer, Scripture and the teachings of the Church, is our sure guide that we won’t get lost in doing ministry and seeking the good of others.

What makes this Gospel story special to me? During my Long Retreat (the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises), my contemplation on this particular story led me to make my election, my most conscious choice of offering myself to God as an unworthy candidate for ordination. All my doubts and fears were cast away, and I was ready to embrace as much as I can – with the help of His grace – the entirety of His calling to me: to share in the mission of Jesus in bringing about His Kingdom on earth.

Until now, I could resonate with Philip, learning more lessons from Christ in doing ministry. I could see myself in Andrew, helping bring more people to Christ. I feel what the young boy may have felt, discovering the joy of sharing to others whatever humble gifts I have.

God provides. We are His ministers.

For Ate Nuyen (1959-2009)

SUCCESS
Bessie A. Stanley

She has achieved success
who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men
and the love of little children;
who has filled her niche
and accomplished her task;
who has left the world better than she found it,
whether an improved poppy,
a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who has always looked for the best in others
and given them the best she had;
whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.


Requiescat in pace, Ate Nuyen.

Shepherds R Us

HOMILY
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Jer 23:1-6; Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6; Eph 2:13-18; Mk 6:30-34


The readings this Sunday are replete with references to shepherds. The Gospel says Jesus looked at the crowd and “his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (Mt 6,34).

Aside from presenting Jesus as the good shepherd, the readings also point to our own calling as shepherds ourselves, leaders – or to use churchspeak, servant-leaders. As disciples of Jesus, we are also called to follow in his steps of shepherding and leading others.

Chris Lowney, in his book “Heroic Leadership”, says: “We’re all leaders, and we’re leading all the time, well or poorly.” If you are a parent, you are a shepherd. If you are a kuya or ate, you are a shepherd. If you are a teacher, a coach, a manager, a team leader, you are a shepherd. If you are a friend, you are a shepherd.

So, are we leading well or poorly? On this note, I would like to suggest that we, shepherds and leaders, ask ourselves these questions:
1. Why am I doing this? (What are my motivations, my dreams, my desires?)
2. How am I doing so far? (How do I sustain myself?)
3. To whom am I accountable? (Who am I serving?)

I. Why am I doing this? (What are my motivations, my dreams, my desires?)

To be formed as a good shepherd, we need to clarify, then afterward seek to purify, our motivations, intentions and dreams.

Here is a story… (I got this from Fr. Pio Estepa, SVD, from the “Word in other words”.) A church builder was looking for a new foreman, so he called three prospective candidates from among the workers. He asked each of them only one question: “What are you doing?” The first worker retorted: “I am mixing cement for putting blocks tightly together.” The second replied: “I’m earning wage to feed my family.” The third exclaimed: “I am building a cathedral!” Which one do you think did the builder choose? He chose the third one, the one with the heart for the job, the one who sees himself as a proud part of something greater than himself.

Do you have the heart for the job? Jer 3,15 says “I will give you shepherds after my own heart”. If we want to be shepherds, then our hearts should be formed according to the heart of the Good Shepherd. From here flows our vision and mission, our dreams and motivations.

II. How am I doing so far? (How do I sustain myself?)

In the Gospel, Jesus invites his disciples who had just arrived from doing God’s work to “come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mk 6,32).

Taking time off to rest and reflect, enables us to gather strength and connect with God. The Chinese has a proverb for it: “One step backward, two steps forward.” Retreats, recollections and (for those familiar with the Ignatian tradition of spirituality) the daily examen provide opportunities for moments of quiet and reflection. Our Sundays are meant to be moments like these.

There is also a practical benefit for moments of quiet, prayer and reflection: we learn and grow. We get to acquire and master the three important learning areas in order to sustain our dreams and motivations:
1. learning to break free from unhealthy attachments;
2. learning to stand firm by our non-negotiable principles; and
3. learning to explore new approaches and ideas.

Jer 3,15 not only says “I will give you shepherds after my own heart" but continues it with "who will shepherd you wisely and prudently”.

III. To whom am I accountable? (Who am I serving?)

The First Reading contains a lamentation, a “jeremiad” against wayward shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the Lord” (Je23,1).

1 Peter 5,1-4 also says: “Tend the flock of God in your midst, (overseeing) not by force but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

To understand better accountability, it is important to understand first the beginning and end (purpose) of Christian leadership…

Christian leadership begins as a sharing in the work of Christ. We are shepherds not on our own right or terms. We are accountable to the Chief Shepherd. We are servant-leaders of the Lord. And this is the will of our Chief Shepherd: to establish His Kingdom through the building-up of His community.

Christian leadership ends in the work of building-up persons and communities. Leadership guru, John Maxwell, in his book the “360º Degree Leader”, narrates how he found out his father’s guiding principles in building-up people (and thereby becoming successful in his businesses). He recalls using his father’s desk one day, and discovering a card on which the following were handwritten:
1. Build people up by encouragement.
2. Give people credit by acknowledgment.
3. Give people recognition by gratitude.

Leadership is more than just achieving goals, it is more about building-up people.

To sum it all: We are all shepherds. Our shepherding is a sharing in the work of Christ, the Chief Shepherd. We are all called to build-up God’s kingdom by leading and building-up His community, each in our own way.

Are you now ready to embrace the call of Christian leadership?

Come to Me for My yoke is easy and My burden light

HOMILY
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: Ex 3:13-20, Ps 105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27, Mt 11:28-30


"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."


Our Gospel passage today may be short but it does deliver its message.

1. Our embracing the Christian faith does not exempt us from the toils and difficulties of life.

In the First Reading, God gave Moses a very challenging task, one of epic proportion. God sets to liberate his Chosen People from slavery. For this to happen, Moses becomes His instrument, and the people have to co-operate in the work of salvation.

2. The burden of toil is not a punishment for our sins.

It is rather a liberating and life-affirming human act. Work gives dignity to the person.

I attended this morning a forum on the Philippine Human Development Report for 2008-2009. The talks presented how government and private sector efforts in the country and in the Bicol region are measuring up to the UNDP Millennium Development Goals. While some progress have been made, and the setbacks brought about by the global financial crisis have also been accounted, so many things still needs to be done. Yet the many people involved in the process are not in the least discouraged by the enormity of the challenge. Working for human development is meaningful work. Among other things, the employment opportunities that will be created by these programs will in turn raise not just the standard of living but the people's sense of personal dignity as well.

3. Our toil becomes easy and our burden light because Jesus is with us.

He is our friend, our companion in the journey of life. When we accept His friendship and lordship, we also accept His new life in us. His new life makes us see the world with new eyes. Grace enters the picture. And so, even the tediousness of toil becomes easy and work is seen according to its true nature: as a way to affirm our dignity, and a means of salvation.

4. Jesus' promise of a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light is also reflected in the feast we celebrate today.

Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who made an apparition to St. Simon Stock in July 16, 1251, wherein she gave him the brown scapular. The scapular comes with a promise: "...whosoever dies wearing this shall not suffer eternal fire".

The wearing of the scapular signifies the devotee's pledge of loyalty to Mary who points to Jesus, her Son, and the devotee's spiritual communion with the global Carmelite community, with its long tradition of commitment to the work of sanctification stretching back to Old Testament times. The wearing of the scapular evokes the image of a holy burden, one that brings grace!