Fifth Luminous Mystery: THE INSTITUTION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

Holy Friendship [Thursday] Rosary
The Luminous Mysteries

Fifth Luminous Mystery
THE INSTITUTION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

The Last Supper

"Then he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood poured out for you.'"

- Luke 22: 19-20

Reflection:

For the past four weeks, we have discussed humility with regards to The Baptism of the Lord; obedience concerning The Sign at the Wedding at Cana; acceptance in relation to The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God; and patience and perseverance about The Transfiguration of the Lord. This week let us talk about the three theological virtues of FAITH, HOPE and LOVE as we reflect on The Institution of the Holy Eucharist.

According to St Thomas Aquinas, FAITH is "the assent of the intellect to a truth beyond its comprehension". The intellect can only grasp information or knowledge. But when it is about the question of truths that lie beyond its capability to comprehend and fully understand, one needs faith. Faith keeps us steadfast amid trials and tribulations. Abraham is one of the best examples of a man who had great faith for in his old age he believed without doubt God's promise of a son. Then God asks him to offer this same son, Isaac, as a sacrifice and he obeyed God who stopped him through an angel just before he kills Isaac. 

HOPE on the other hand means "the desire of something together with the expectation of obtaining it". Hope, for example, sustains us through sufferings because at the end we expect to achieve or acquire something that led us to undergo such sufferings. The Israelites in Egypt prayed to Yahweh God and hoped for their salvation from the Pharaoh. They did not try to overthrow the government in order to be saved; rather, they never gave up hope that God would send someone to free them from their bondage. And God called and sent Moses to them.

LOVE is something which God has infused in man so that we may cherish Him for His own sake above all things and man for the sake of God. It is also called CHARITY. According to St Paul, it is the greatest of the three. It is because faith would be unnecessary when we are already in the presence of God. Hope is also no longer needed because beyond God there is nothing to hope for anymore. But love is eternal. The presence of God will further amplify love and it will never die. The best example of love is the great sacrifice of the Lord who gave His life as a ransom for many. This love is the expression of God the Father's love for us who spared Isaac form being offered by Abraham and yet willingly gave His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of our salvation.

This same sacrifice we commemorate each time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. This great sacrament requires us to practice these three great virtues: faith, hope and love. Faith is required so that we may look beyond the appearances of bread and wine and see the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hope keeps us expectant of that great banquet in heaven in the presence of the Father. Love makes the celebration an opportunity to enjoy a more intimate union with the Lord and leads us to give up ourselves too for the sake of others. Without faith, the celebration would be an ordinary meal, rather, a mere snack that would not even satisfy our physical hunger. Without hope, it's merely a boring gathering which we would like to end so soon. Without love, it's a waste of time which we would rather spend some place else. 

Faith, Hope and Love or Charity - the three virtues that will develop, strengthen and sustain our friendship with the Lord as the Holy Eucharist will sustain our journey as Christians. 

<--- Fourth Luminous Mystery


Image from dominicancooperatorbrother.blogspot.com via google.com

Bible passage from New Jerusalem Bible at catholic.org

Day XIV: Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

Gospel Reading for the Day

From the holy Gospel according to
Luke, Chapter 16, verses 19 to 31

FATHER ABRAHAM, POOR MAN LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN
Image from en.wikipedia.org

'Then Abraham said, 

'"If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will be they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead."' [31]

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ


Personal refection on the reading


Sharing for the Day

"They will repent if someone from the dead goes to them," says the rich man being tormented in hell. But Abraham tells his that even if someone comes back from the dead, his brothers will still not listen if they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets.

We all know the saying, "To see is to believe." Many people would want to have a first hand experience, knowledge or witness of something, an event, a spectacle, etc without which they won't believe or affirm or conform their agreement to the fact, reality or truth of such thing, event or spectacle. In our time, scholars, learned men and scientists have developed ways and means on how to detect, decipher or investigate the authenticity or authority of artifacts, literature, fragments, etc to provide humanity with the nearest accurate description or information about the past. However, any lack of evidence would mean to them as something merely legendary, fabulous or mythological with no truth, reality and factuality.

Experimentation is a very important tool for them to believe something. If something does not pass the proper scientific method particularly experimentation, then it is rejected for lack of merit. God, for example, cannot be experimented on for He is pure spirit, hence He is not easily believed by many today, especially those who rely only on scientific evidence, though somewhat in a biased manner, logic and reason. God for them does not exist just because they cannot scientifically prove His existence. That's why I say that their use of logic and reason is somehow biased because logic and reason surely point out to the truth of God's existence. For them, logic and reason must also be based on scientific evidence and should pass the proper scientific method.

Hence even if someone would return from the dead, these people would just probably try to find ways of debunking the claim that such person really died, that such person really made it to hell and then sent back for the purpose of telling us that there really is hell, that such person is really sane, etc. There will be an endless investigation, experimentation and scientific tests that will be conducted until such time that the issue dies a natural death and the person and the mission totally forgotten. 

Someone said, "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe, no explanation will suffice." Moses and the prophets should have been enough for the Jews to live holy lives back then. For us, Christians, we have the best exemplar of holiness and perfection, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, founder of the Church. As the Father sent Moses and the prophets to the Jews in order for them to keep themselves unstained by the pagan nations of their time, the Lord Jesus Christ has left the Church to proclaim holiness and perfection to all the world. The Jews had Moses and the prophets to teach them what to do in order to please God. We, Christians, are called to obey the Church which the Lord has founded upon the Apostles, particularly Peter, who has been succeeded by the Popes, serving the flock with the help of the Bishops, successors of the Apostles. 

If we are friends of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will never question what He has established here on earth, the Church to which we belong to. We are of course encouraged to discover the truths about our Faith. In this we can be assisted by logic and reason and be properly led to her. We must remember that the Lord specifically established the Church to continue His mission. The Church was the chosen instrument to proclaim the Gospel and to increase His followers. More importantly, the Church was not without help for He himself assured her that He will be with Her until the end of time [see Matthew 28: 19-20] aside from sending the Holy Spirit during Pentecost to be guide the Church into all truth. We are therefore sure that the Church, our Mother and Teacher, will never mislead us so we need no one to go back from the dead to tell us to be holy and avoid sin anymore.

Application of the Message

[1] Prayer

     Pray for the grace to understand, accept and obey the teachings of the Church.

[2] Abstinence

     What can you abstain from today as a manifestation of obeying the Church?

[3] Almsgiving

     What can you materially share today so that someone else may know more, love and obey the Church?

Day XIII: Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

Gospel Reading for the Day

Reading from the holy Gospel according to
Matthew Chapter 20, verses 17 to 28

JESUS ASKING THE SONS OF THUNDER - JAMES AND JOHN -
IF THEY COULD DRINK THE CUP HE WAS ABOUT TO DRINK.
Image from ocarm.org

But Jesus summoned them and said,

"... whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave." [27]

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ


Personal reflection on the reading


Sharing for the Day

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, have been nicknamed Sons of Thunder. Once they asked the Lord if He would allow them to call fire from heaven to rain upon some cities which did not receive the party. But the Lord rebuked them. Here we have their mother asking the Lord about giving them the order to sit on either side of Him when He already possesses His kingdom. In Luke's account, the record states that the two themselves asked the Lord about that request. Because of this, the other ten became indignant but then to settle the issue, the Lord tells them that if anyone wishes to be the first, he must be the slave of all. 

It is normal for humans to aspire for positions of power or influence. It is also normal to be hurt when others would want to get ahead of you especially when you yourself desires for a piece - if not all - of the power. That's why in the reality of human politics, crimes are committed and relationships are broken. But the Lord clarifies to them that His kingdom is very much different from earthly kingdoms. On earth, rulers are served by their subjects or citizens and their followers try to outshine each other to become closer to the ruler. For Christians it is a different one. Those who wish to earn the first or honored place have to be the servant of others for the Lord's kingship is not of power and domination but of humble service and submission. He showed an example of this when He washed the feet of His Apostles during the Last Supper in order to make concrete His discussion about loving one another as a requirement of being His friends.

As His friends, we therefore have to be servants of others. We must show our love for one another by taking care of each other, which is one meaning of washing each other's feet. We must look after the welfare of our brethren lest they feel unwanted and uncared for so look for other communities to belong to and get what they need. 

It also means that we must never let anybody remain dirty, that is, sinful. By Baptism we have already taken a bath, that is, the stain of original sin has been washed away already through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. But as we journey toward the Father's house, there are times when we fail and commit sin or omit doing good things, like getting our feet dirty when going around our daily routine, and so we must wash them, that is, ask for forgiveness for these failures. We can therefore manifest our love for each other by forgiving one another and encouraging each other to walk on the path of holiness and the avoidance of sin.

As we continue with our journey through this Lenten Season toward Easter, let us never forget that being a Christian is being a servant of love. A Christian cannot not love, therefore a Christian cannot but be a servant of others. Through this we can truly and fully manifest our friendship with the Lord and He will then acknowledge us as His friends in the presence of the Father.

Application of the Message

[1] Prayer

     Pray for the grace of being a servant of love.

[2] Abstinence

     What are you willing to abstain from today as a manifestation of letting go of the desire to be ahead of others?

[3] Almsgiving

     What can you materially share today as your manifestation of being a servant of others?

The Relevance of Holy Friendship in Today's Church and World: Introduction

The Vision of St John Bosco.
Image from catholic.org

St John Bosco had the vision of the Church as a big ship that is under attack by various forces trying to sink her. She is being bombarded on all sides. But she is being ably steered by the Pope and supported by smaller flotillas through two columns with one supporting a Host, which is the Holy Eucharist, inscribed with "Salvation of Believers", and the other with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary aptly labelled "Help of Christians". In the vision, changes in the Petrine office took place amid the present troubles that the Church faced and encountered. Though the ship was almost being overwhelmed  by the sheer number of its enemies, she was able to overcome these and tie herself to the columns.

In our time we can see that this vision seem to be happening. This period of time seems to be the worst that the Church is facing so far. She is constantly being attacked on all sides: the enemy surely wants her sudden death! We can even say that within her there are those who create leaks though some of those who are doing it are unconscious that they are cooperating with the enemy. 

The most formidable foes of the Church today are relativism, secularism,  indifferentism, atheism, modernism, even indifference, and various forms and combinations of these. Unfortunately, even among members of the Church, there are those who subscribe to these ideas. For them, obedience to the Church, the Pope and the Bishops seem to be an outdated discipline. The profession of Faith seems to be a mere recitation of words rather than a true and sincere personal declaration of Faith. Instead of defending the Faith, they would even try to defend their new beliefs [such as homosexuality, same-sex marriage, abortion, new age movement, freemasonry, etc] and when some articles of the Faith would seem inconsistent with what they presently follow, they would demand that the Church should be open to changes in accordance with the times. As one US Cardinal wrote, "The Legislature might just as well repeal the law of gravity."

Blessed Pope John Paul II remarked that one of the problems of the current times is the loss of the sense of sin. Worse, many people do not even believe in the devil anymore. Worst, even Catholics entertain various traditions and customs that are clearly inconsistent with the faith such as horoscopes and indulge in vices that does not speak well of faith and charity such as gambling. 

Also, instead of going to a priest, as Fr Henry Nouwen observed and wrote in his book, In the Name of Jesus, many people, including Catholics, would now go to other professionals when in need of assistance to their problems because they no longer believe that these problems are rooted in sin but in some psychological or emotional - or some other - imbalance or sickness. Another reason is that people seek and demand for competence and they believe that competence can only be provided by people with the right background such as psychologists, psychotherapists, marriage counselors, etc and not priests. Religion, spirituality and morality are now relegated to a certain corner and only taken into consideration when all other prescriptions already fail.

But the Church cannot but continue to perform her role and fulfill her mission. She must not and cannot stop just because people won't listen anymore. The Apostle Paul said that she must preach whether in season or out of season, whether people would listen or not [see 2 Timothy 4: 2-5]. This is in accordance too with the great commission to preach the Gospel to the ends of world and to make disciples of the Lord [see Matthew 28:19]. This mission is not without corresponding challenges and danger but the Lord assured the Church that He will be with her until the end of time [see Mathew 28:20]. 

The Church has many tools and instruments within her arsenal which comes from her divine Founder to counter the foes that seek to destroy her - both from the outside and those within [see 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6]. Two thousand years of existence have armed her with every weapon that could possibly destroy opposition [the Holy Bible, the Seven Sacraments, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Ecumenical Councils, the Canon Law, the Church Social Teachings, and  more]. But the most important thing that could give her a renewed vigor to face all dangers and win the battle is to follow the command of the Lord to love one another [see John 13: 34-35; 15: 12-17]. According to the Apostle Paul, love is the best way of all [see 1 Corinthian 12:31 followed by the full text of Chapter 13 which discuss about love]. 

The Lord Jesus Christ has empowered us - members of the Church - to become not merely His servants but His friends through love [see John 15: 12-17] and has even made an example of it by first washing the feet of His Apostles [see John 13: 4-10] and by dying upon the cross even when we were still sinners [see Romans 5:8]. All of these because God so loved us [see John 3:16; Romans 5:8] even loving us first [see 1 John 4:19]. The Father's and the Lord's love should inspire in facing and dealing with the foes of the Church. For this is the standard by which the Lord called His disciples to follow: that we should even love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us [see Matthew 5: 43-48] because by so doing, we "shall heap burning coals on their head" [see Proverbs 25: 21-22; Romans 12:20]. 

Two important manifestations of the Lord's love for us are the memorial of His sacrifice, the Holy Eucharist, which in St John Bosco's vision is called the "Salvation of Believers" which is perfectly fitting to what the Lord said: that He is the bread of life and that whoever eats His body and drinks His blood will live forever [see the entire chapter of John 6]. He also left us the Blessed Virgin Mary, the "Help of Christians" as our mother to take care of us and whom we should also respect and take care of [see John 19: 26-27].

As we meditate on the Gospel of Holy Friendship, John 15: 12-17, let us remember that we are facing great challenges and various trials. Many will seek to discourage us for the enemy - working through them - will never want to have more smaller flotillas to navigate alongside the Great Flagship, the Holy Mother Church. Let us keep the faith, remain hopeful, and constantly loving each other. Let us never forget that the Lord promised that for those who will remain faithful until the end, He shall reward with glory [see Revelation 2: 26-28; 3:21].

Day XII: Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

Gospel Reading of the Day

From the holy Gospel according to

Matthew, Chapter 23, verses 1 to 12

HE HUMBLED HIMSELF OBEDIENTLY
ACCEPTING DEATH ON THE CROSS. [Philipians 2:8]
Image from catholicfire.blogspot.com

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,

"The scribes and the Pharisees have taken the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they won't lift a finger to carry them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces and the salutation, 'Rabbi'. As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one Master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." 

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

Personal Reflection on the Reading

Sharing for the Day

As we said yesterday regarding judging, the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Saints would never have judged anyone while they were still living on earth because they fully know that it only belongs to God to judge anyone. We also stated that judging or condemning others would somehow make an impression that we are better or greater than the person we judge or condemn when in fact only God could truly confirm any person's worthiness of greatness. We are all called to be humble. This is part and parcel of the Lord's requirement of His followers about denying one's self.

The person who denies himself or herself surely would not have any pride in him or her. He or she would never ever think of himself or herself even one millimeter higher than another using any standard. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, we must consider others as better than ourselves [see Philippians 2:3 which a few verses onward would lead to the Carmen Christi, which is about kenosis or the self-emptying of the Lord Jesus Christ]. Any thought or inkling of being better than another would surely diminish the worthiness of being the Lord's friend and follower. Humility is something that a Christian cannot not have; as pride is something that a Christian should never ever try to acquire.

A Christian won't ever put himself or herself in front or on top of another in terms of getting privileges, appreciation or recognition, or of being seen performing good and holy deeds for the sake of being praised or honored. that would make his or her effort already paid according to the standard of the Lord [see Matthew 6]. The Christian in truth would rather be unknown, unheard of or unacknowledged. With this, he or she is assured of God's reward and a place in one of the mansions in the Father's Kingdom [see John 14: 2-3].

It is true that human nature inclines us to be esteemed, to be appreciated and to be recognized. it is one of the needs of man as presented by psychologists, particularly Abraham Maslow, occupying even the second to the highest level which means that it is already an advanced stage hence very significant to the actualization of human nature. I guess it's something that I do have to confess and ask forgiveness of because somehow I feel that in all that I am doing - like maintaining the Page and this Blog - I am hoping to get that recognition which human nature wishes to enjoy. However, we must never fear to continue doing good and holy things too if we really intend doing them in the name and for the glory of God. 

At times the devil uses our sense of humility to lead to have us perform good and holy deeds for the sake of being called humble. On the other hand, the devil may also try to dissuade us from accomplishing good and holy deeds so that we may avoid being noticed and appreciated. These are some of the many manifestations of the so-called false humility. However, as long as we do not expect any earthly return or blow trumpets before doing charitable or heroic works, we only have to return the honor to God whenever people notice and praise or acknowledge whatever good or holy thing we accomplish.

Application of the Message

[1] Prayer

     Pray for true humility and ask God to avoid the dangerous extremes of pride and false humility.

[2] Abstinence

     What can you abstain from today in order to avoid pride or false humility?

[3] Almsgiving

     What can you materially share today as a manner of humbling yourself and exalting another?

  

Day XI: Monday of the Second Week of Lent

Gospel Reading for the Day

From the holy Gospel according to 
Luke, Chapter 6, verses 36 to 38

JESUS PREACHED, "THE MEASURE  BY WHICH YOU MEASURE
WILL IN RETURN BE MEASURED OUT TO YOU."
Image from incaelo.wordpress.com

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and and gifts will be give to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. 

"For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ


Personal Reflection on the Reading


Sharing for the Day

Once again, the Lord Jesus makes the self as one's basis of relating with others. We discussed this when we reflected about the Golden Rule last Thursday. 

While the Golden Rule tells us about doing to others what one wants to be done to him or her in return, the measure being discussed by the Lord here is about our way of judging - even condemning - others. If we judge and condemn someone for example by their color, culture, custom, characteristics or creed the same will be used against us by the Lord. 

It is not bad to criticize someone if necessary and if it is for the sake of leading him or her to change for the better. After all, there are standards by which we can criticize others like the laws , rules and regulations, public customs, traditions, etc. However, criticizing and judging or, more importantly, condemning are not quite similar. Criticizing may mean fault finding at times but positively it means pinpointing the fault in order to correct or avoid its repeat. While judging already carries with it an opinion or a decision about someone - usually negative. Worse is when we condemn because it means we have already considered someone to be worthy of penalty or punishment and - worst - it also implies that we are better off than the person we condemn and that's a very big question to respond to really. 

Criticizing people just because we do not like them, or because we don't feel good about them, or just because they have a different color, culture, custom, characteristics or creed - especially when someone who belongs to his or her color, culture, custom, characteristics  or creed have not been good to us or to the community or even to the world, is bad and not Christian at all. This type of criticism borders on judgmentalism and condemnation. One example is when we say, "That man is a non-Christian; he will surely rot in hell." We are already making a judgment and a condemnation which actually he may or might not deserve. Even the Lord Jesus Christ did not tell the Samaritan woman that she would rot in hell because she is not Jewish. He only told her that time will come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth [see John 4: 5-23]. He even made a Samaritan as an example of being a good neighbor in a story to the chagrin and anger of the Pharisees. 

If we make religion as our basis in judging others, we shall also be judged by the Lord accordingly: have we perfectly followed our religion? Perfection in practicing religion does not mean strictly believing and following everything - Ten Commandments, Church commandments, dogma and doctrines, and many others - to the letter for that would be Pharisaical. According to the Apostle James, true practice of religion is taking care of widows and orphans, that is, being concerned about the marginalized and least privileged in the society, and keeping ourselves unstained, that is, avoiding the commission of sin [see James 1:27]. 

The best thing to do is think positively of others and when they do something that we think or even know to be bad in accordance with known standards as we mentioned above, we must give them the benefit of the doubt and remind ourselves that "a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty". More importantly, we must pray that whatever bad thing someone has committed, there must be some good intention or reason for it - though we do not tolerate the commission of evil even if the intention is good for the end does not justify the means.

Point is, it is not ours to judge or condemn anyone. Only God - and persons in authority in accordance with their duties such as judges of the court though this is somehow on a different level - have the right to judge and condemn.  Perhaps if you could equal or maybe overshadow the Blessed Virgin and the Saints in virtue then maybe - just maybe - you could try judge or condemn others but judging [pun intended] the lives and examples of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints, I don't think they'd ever judge or condemn anyone.


Application of the Message

[1] Prayer

     Pray for the grace to think well of others even if they do something bad reminding yourself that no one is guilty until proven otherwise.

[2] Abstinence

     Try abstaining from thinking negatively about anyone even those who do harm to you.

[3] Almsgiving

     Has someone tried taking something from you which is dear to you and you did not give it, instead thought of that person as a "thief" or "robber"? Could you share/give that something to that person this time?

Second Sunday in Lent [Cycle C]: The Transfiguration of the Lord

Image from
dominicancooperatorbrother.blogspot.com.

It is the Second Sunday in Lent. Last Thursday we have discussed about the Fourth Luminous Mystery which is the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Thabor and this Sunday we find ourselves reflecting on the same glorious event. 

The Transfiguration of the Lord is one of the significant events in His earthly life. It is considered as the culminating point of His life with His baptism as the beginning and His ascension as its end. Through this event, the Lord Jesus Christ manifested His glory and the three Apostles were so overcome with the experience that Peter without thinking about it [see Luke 9:33] proposed that the three of them - him, James and John - make three shelters, one each for the Lord, for Moses and for Elijah, because they wanted to continue enjoying that glorious experience. It was a foretaste of heaven and they hoped it would not end anymore. They thought it would be best to stay on the mountain - away from the troubles and worries of life down the mountain. The experience was far beyond what they could have tasted or could ever enjoy on earth that Peter did not bother about making shelters also for the three of them. They were so awed with what they witnessed that it was enough to be there in the presence of that great heavenly vision.

But as we stated last Thursday, there are no short cuts to heaven. The Apostles cannot stay up the mountain to enjoy the glory of the Lord and forget that they were still on earth with the mission to be accomplished: to tell others about this good news - that heaven is the ultimate destiny of everyone and life on earth is but a preparation for that destination.  

The Transfiguration is more than a vision of the Lord's glory too. It was also a call for Peter, James and John and for every one of us to be transformed from being earthly to heavenly, from being concerned with merely physical and corporeal enjoyment to the longing for spiritual and moral perfection, and from being sinful or inclined to sin to holiness of life and avoidance even of the occasions of sin. The Transfiguration is a celebration of the Lord's glory and of our vocation to be conformed to our Lord. As Christians we are called to deny ourselves and be like Christ [see Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; John 12:26]. We are called to be transformed from being sinful  to being holy so that we may be able to enter heaven and enjoy God's presence for all eternity.

Last Sunday we discussed about the temptations of the Lord. The same temptations are continuously being offered to us by the devil. May the Transfiguration keep us focused toward our ultimate destination which is eternal union with the Father in heaven so that we may never fear going down from the mountain and face the troubles and worries of life. It is our purpose through these 40 days of Lent: to recharge our spirits so that we many never lose hope and never lose sight of heaven. 

Day X: Saturday of the First Week of Lent

Gospel Reading for the Day

From the holy Gospel according to 
Matthew, Chapter 5, verses 43 to 48

JESUS PREACHING, "BE PERFECT
AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT!"
Image from sdbnews.blogspot.com 

Jesus said to his disciples:

"You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for her makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

Sharing for the Day

In one of our recollections during my seminary days, a priest-facilitator told us that what truly sets apart a Christian from anyone else is the fact that a Christian is someone whose life is conformed to that of the Lord Jesus Christ. He told us that to be a Christian is to be another Christ, an alter Christus and that unlike being a follower of anyone else or being an adherent of a system - whether political, economic or socio-civic, a Christian cannot be a true Christian if his or her life is not lived in accordance with that of the Lord Jesus Christ, while a politician may declare him or herself Democrat, Republican, Liberal or Communist without actually living in accordance with the life of anyone espousing the same system like Kennedy, Reagan, Aquino or Lenin. The same with those who follow Socialist or Communist ideals, or that of the Scouting Movement, Red Cross, Rotary, etc. As St Paul wrote, it is already Christ who lives in the Christian [see Galatians 2: 19-20], which is also in accordance with what the Lord Himself declared, "Anyone who wish to be my disciple must deny himself ..." [see Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23, also, John 12:26].

When someone has already denied him or her self, when he or she has already responded to the call to become a Christian, when someone has accepted the challenge to become another Christ, he or she can already truly and fully love his or her neighbors including enemies. Without becoming a true Christian it is hard to fully love - even those who are very close to us [the many cases of broken families and disorderly communities attest to this] - how much more an enemy!

Being a Christian is living fully configured to the Lord - who lived in  accordance with the holiness of the Father. Hence being a Christian is living perfectly in accordance with the perfection of the Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not only talk about it: He concretely manifested what it is to be perfect, like loving even enemies, by giving His life as a sacrifice for all, which included those who treated Him badly, those who wrongly accused Him, those who tried Him unfairly, the many who thought Him worthy of being their king at first but turned against Him when He was already badly beaten. He died for us on the cross even though we were unworthy because we were sinners and have not even given our assent to the call to become perfect like the Father. Before dying, He even prayed for those who persecuted Him [see Luke 23:34]. 

The same is expected of each of us who bear the name, that is baptized as, Christian. We are called to perfection: to love even the unlovable and to pray even for those who treat us badly. Not the physical but more of spiritual and moral perfection. It is translated as holiness. We are called to be "holy and righteous all the days of our lives" [Luke 1:75]. We cannot boast of our being Christians without accepting these conditions of becoming a Christian. Baptism  initiated us into the Church, it is a free gift by God. We are blessed because we were given the opportunity of being Christians through this sacrament. There are many who find the true way via strange and rough roads. While we only have to build upon this gift by obeying the Lord's command to love one another so that we could become His true followers and friends.  

We are living in a world where Christians are called to be perfect, holy and righteous like the Father. We are existing in a period when our friendship with the Lord is being tested moment by moment. But we do not have to worry for the Lord Himself said, "I have conquered the world!" [see John 16: 33] and He confirmed it when He rose again from the dead. And with His Holy Spirit, we shall also conquer the world [see John 16: 7-15].

Application of God's message 

[1] Prayer

     Pray for God's help that you may conform to His holiness.

[2] Abstinence

    What are you willing to abstain from today in order to make a step closer to Godly perfection?

[3] Almsgiving

    What are you willing to share materially today so that someone else may be inspired to aspire for perfection? 

The Chair of St Peter: Primacy and Authority

One of controversies in the Church is about the Roman Catholic claim about St Peter's - and, subsequently, the Pope's - primacy. For Eastern Orthodox believers, he was merely primus inter pares or first among equals. Hence he does not enjoy the recognition given him by the Roman Catholic Church as Prince of the Apostles. Together with the problem on primacy is of course the question of authority. If St Peter is merely first among equals, then he cannot have an authority over and above that of the other Apostles. There must be some sharing of authority and the Roman Catholics Church's claim of the Pope's primacy is indeed unjust with regards to the other Churches established by the other Apostles.

Image from catholictradition.org

Today's Feast - the Chair of St Peter - celebrates the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church about St Peter's primacy and authority. Some of the key Biblical passages upon which St Peter's primacy and authority have been claimed to be founded are that which speaks of his being given a new name of Peter, which means ROCK, from his former name of Simon followed by the Lord's declaration that UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, and somehow seconded by the giving of keys - that is why St Peter's image always have keys; the choice of the Lord to go up his boat to preach to a large crowd followed by the Lord ordering him to cast his net in deep waters even if for the whole night they caught nothing [Luke 5: 1-11]; the Lord's admonition to him that after he overcomes his sin of denying the Lord during His trial he should encourage his brethren [Luke 22:32];  John's action of not entering the burial cave and letting Peter first though he was first to arrive there when Peter and he ran to the place after Mary Magdalene told them about the empty tomb [John 20: 2-8]; the Lord's special talk with him after their breakfast asking him thrice if he loves Him and commanding him to feed His flock [John 21: 15-19]; the Lord's claim about one Flock and one Shepherd [John 10:16]; and more. Clearly, St Peter was given an important and special role as head of the Church hence where Peter is, there is the Church.

Connected to this dogma of the primacy and authority of St Peter is of course the primacy and authority of his successors: the Popes. The celebration of the Chair of St Peter is a celebration not of the person of St Peter [we celebrate him together with St Paul on June 29] but of this primacy and authority: hence the Chair, or Cathedra [that is why the main church of a diocese is called Cathedral because it is where the Bishop - and the Pope is the Bishop of Rome - speaks hence the term Ex Cathedra or from the Chair]. It is not an ordinary Chair that we are celebrating - it is the Chair of primacy and authority granted by the Lord Jesus Himself to St Peter in order to guide and lead the Church which He founded upon this very same ROCK [Peter means Rock].

The early history of the Roman Catholic Church would show that indeed St Peter has the recognition of having primacy and authority as attested to by leading men of the Church. Actually, the unfortunate side issue that made such recognition seem to have been disregarded later was more of a political one due to the events that took place during the establishment of Constantinople as an important center of the Eastern Roman Empire later to be called the Byzantine Empire, and after the Fall of Rome. However, it must be understood that only the political regime of the Western Roman Empire fell. The Roman Catholic Church remained alive and actually kept the western civilization aflame.

Abuses by some clergy in the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages caused Protestantism which the Roman Catholic Church countered through the Tridentine Reforms. But the Protestant movements already caused division especially with the issue of Papal authority: they claimed that St Peter did not have the primary authority after all as evidenced by these Biblical events: when St Paul questioned his withdrawal from the Gentiles upon the arrival of Jewish Christians in Antioch [see Galatians 2:11]. They claimed that if St Peter was "head" St Paul would not question him like that. And St James' decision during the Jerusalem Council [see Acts 15] as if it was St James who "ruled" the Church. They also claimed that there is no need for a central Church administration hence no need for a Pope to govern all Christians which resulted to the multiplicity of Christian churches and denominations consequently negating what the Lord said to the Apostles about having one Flock and one Shepherd. They also regarded the Bible alone as sole authority that Christians should follow - not the Pope, the Bishops and the priests, not even the Church Councils. 

In our modern times, it's quite amusing that many assemblies, denominations, sects, and churches question the primacy and authority of St Peter while somehow holding on to some kind of primacy and authority on the matter misusing the Bible as their sole source of it as if the Roman Catholic Church have disregarded the Bible as basis of St Peter's primacy and authority. Together with many Protestants, they argue that the Papacy is not Bible-based hence an irrelevant office. However, their leaders observably without voicing it claim the same authority and primacy through their actions and decisions which seem to be law - divine law at that - to their followers. Some of them even claim to be especially chosen ones misusing and misinterpreting the Bible to support their claim - ironically, they attack the Catholic Church of these abuses! These new fundamentalists or Bible-only Christians differ so much from mainline Protestantism and are actually causing some Protestants to trace back their roots to the Roman Catholic Church. 

When the Lord came He clearly intended to establish a community, which He calls "Church" to supplant the House of Israel for its failure to recognize Him. That is why the Church is called the New Israel or the New People of God [see 1 Peter 2:9]. Establishing a community also means establishing the necessary elements for its operations hence the need for leadership. To let His followers understood this, He told them about the necessity of having one Flock and one Shepherd. Since He was going back to the Father, He entrusted the "Church" to His chosen one and that one is St Peter, to whom he entrusted the encouragement of his brethren who felt afraid and lost after He was arrested, tried, crucified, died and buried. 

Consequently, since St Peter would not live forever on earth, a successor would have to retain the same primacy or authority - or the Chair - or else there will be confusion and chaos in the Church - something that the Lord surely does not want to happen by choosing a leader among His chosen ones. Even our earthly governments have mechanisms to avoid chaos upon the vacancy of the head of government through various means: law of succession for monarchies, election for republics, etc. How much more the Church which has to fulfill the very important mission of serving God's people and ensuring their readiness to face the Lord when He comes as Judge. 

We must understand that the time in which the early Church was established was so different from ours. Today, we have the Papal Conclave to choose a new Pope. During their time, it was not so convenient to call representatives from all over the Roman Empire to attend to the election of a new Pope especially since they were being persecuted. Hence, automatically, the one to succeed to the Papacy would have to be the one who was with St Peter in serving the Church in Rome, and it was St Linus. The election of Pope evolved in accordance with the evolution of the society wherein the Church existed. There was a time when even lay people participated in the election. It was only later that only the Cardinals were given that privilege which somehow made it impossible for a non-cleric to be elected as Pope during our time.

During this celebration, especially after the sudden resignation of Pope Benedict XVI from the Chair of St Peter, let us pray that God may send someone who will steer the Church through troubled waters in these very challenging times. The Church is attacked by outside forces and also being gnawed internally through members who do not accept the Pope's - and the Bishops' - authority anymore. Like a ship being bombarded by forces outside and crews and passengers causing leaks from within, the Church has to have a very capable Captain who will navigate firmly in the name and for the glory of the Great Heavenly Admiral amid the spiritual and moral battle that is currently raging.

Day IX: Friday of the First Week of Lent

A. Opening Song [if done with others]


B. Opening Prayer: Come Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth you Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

C. Reading of the Day:

Image from
gardenofpraise.com

From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 16, verses 13 to 19 

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” - Matthew 16:18

D. Period of Silence: Personal integration of the reading 

E. Reflection on the Reading: What is God’s message for you today? 


Today's Sharing:

Today we are celebrating a very important feast in the Catholic Church: the Chair of St Peter. It is not only the celebration of an ordinary Chair but the celebration of the primacy and authority of St Peter and his successors, the Popes.

Amid controversies and disagreements about this doctrine among Christians, logic clearly leads us to the realization that when the Lord said He would establish His Church, He would not have decided it as a "headless" mob or crowd but an institution that would operate with a competent leadership and surely He would not leave it unattended but would entrust it to someone to tend and feed.

Hence it's so amusing that many people who attack the Catholic Church would question the doctrine of the primacy and authority of St Peter and his successors the Pope and then establish their own "church" claiming that they are the true one following the Lord because they base their "church" on the Bible ALONE. Very convenient to do since it seems that the Lord could not be easily contacted in our time to ask Him about what He meant when He said UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH. However, Catholics find consolation furthermore in what He promised St Peter and the other Apostles that He will abide by them until the end of time and that other promise before that Ascension event, which was during the last supper, about Him sending the Holy Spirit to remind the Apostles about everything that He taught. Yes, one of the things that people forget is that the Lord has promised the coming of the Holy Spirit - and indeed He came - in order to guide the Church and enlighten her through the various stages of her existence whereby heresies tried to undermine her. Many people seem to view the Church as a mere human institution that is why they err. And even if they really know they try to ignore it because they cannot accept her authority for she teaches only the truth, of what is right and for the good while the sinful human nature tends to believe in lies, practice what is wrong and aim for evil even without these knowing it!

We must never disregard the wisdom of God as the power behind this doctrine for even in our earthly existence we acknowledge the significance of authority - without which there would be chaos and confusion. Here on earth, God bestowed upon His chosen men and women the authority to rule His people. The Old Testament attests to this beginning with Moses' leadership. Then when the Israelites asked for a king though Samuel tried to discourage them telling them that God is their King, the Lord of Hosts provided them with a human king beginning with Saul and then David followed by Solomon.  

It is our duty as Christians to show the truth about what we believe in and stand for including the doctrine of the primacy and authority of St Peter and his successors, the Popes. But the best way to do it is through the way of love for as the Lord said, "by loving one another they will know that you are my disciples." [see John 13:35]

F. Application of the Message

- Pray for the Pope and for his possible successor. 

- What are you are willing to abstain from today for the sake of the Pope who has just resigned?

- What are you willing to share materially today so that you may inspire others to pray for the present Pope before a new Pope is elected?

G. Praying the Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.   Amen.

H. Closing Prayer: Here you say your personal thanksgiving to the Father for today’s message 

i. Closing Song [if done with others]