On the Road to Emmaus

JESUS BEING INVITED BY HIS DISCIPLES
TO STAY WITH THEM WITHOUT RECOGNIZING HIM.
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And it happened, 

while he was with them at table, 

he took bread, said the blessing, 

broke it, and gave it to them. 

With that their eyes were opened 

and they recognized him, 

but he vanished from their sight. 

Then they said to each other, 

"Were not our hearts burning within us 

while he spoke to us on the way 

and opened the Scriptures to us?" 

- Luke 24: 30-32

Two disciples were walking along the road to Emmaus, a town some seven kilometers away from Jerusalem, while discussing the events that took place during the weekend including the discovery of the empty tomb. And yet they still did not understand what the sacrifice of the Lord meant and what the empty tomb stands for. They were still overcome by their sadness of what happened to Him.

So when He appeared to them, they did not recognize Him. They even wondered why, thinking that He was just another pilgrim to Jerusalem, He seem to have no knowledge about the recent events when He asked them what they were discussing as they walk. But then He explained to them everything that the Scriptures have laid out long ago about why the recent events should have taken place. Still they did not recognize Him, but they did appreciate the lessons from Scriptures that when He acted as if going further when they arrived in Emmaus, they invited Him to stay with them. And then it happened: when he broke the bread, said the blessing and gave them pieces of it, they recognized Him, perhaps recalling the multiplication of bread!

Here we see the two important and major parts of the liturgical celebration which we call the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, also known as the Eucharistic celebration, Holy Communion, and more: First, the Liturgy of the Word, or the readings from the Holy Bible; Second, the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist, or the Breaking of Bread.

The Importance of the Word of God

St Jerome have said long ago that, "Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." The walk on the road to Emmaus has shown us that unless we have knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, we will never know and understand the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

First, it is through a good foundation on the writings of the Jewish Scriptures, the Old Testament, can we understand the meaning of the Lord's passion, death and resurrection for it is where God the Father made the preparations for His Son's coming. The Old Testament writings tell us the story of how God readied the world to receive the only begotten Son. 

Secondly, we ought to have a good knowledge about the New Testament writings for in these we will be able to acquaint ourselves with the Lord himself. The New Testament is the story of the Word made flesh; the fulfillment of the preparations that the Father made in the Old Testament.

According to St Paul, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" [2 Timothy 3: 16-17]. However, we must remember that the Holy Bible is an inspired library or collection of various writings under different categories [historical, literary, wisdom, apocalyptic, etc], written by many authors who have different backgrounds, styles, skills and techniques, within a long period of time, and it has an important message and purpose which if misinterpreted could even lead to destruction rather than salvation. That's why we must take heed of what St Peter warns us about, "So we have the prophetic word made sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" [2 Peter 1: 19-21].

One reason why the disciples did not understand is due to the fact that they have not yet received the Holy Spirit who is still to come. For even if the Word of God is very important and useful, it cannot help us unless we understand it. Since it is the Holy Spirit who inspired the authors of the various books of the Holy Bible, He alone can help us understand it. And because the Holy Spirit has been promised by the Lord during the Last Supper to His Apostles and first came down upon them during Pentecost, we can only be assured of the proper interpretation of the Word of God through the teaching authority of the Church, the Magisterium. 

The Significance of the Holy Eucharist

Though the Lord Jesus Christ already discussed to them everything that the Scriptures provided in order to understand the meaning of His passion, death and resurrection, the two still failed to recognize Him. Though their hearts were already burning because of the lessons they have heard from Scriptures about Him, they were still blinded. Only when the Lord broke the bread, said the blessing and gave them pieces of it that their eyes were opened. Perhaps because of what He did they remembered the two occasions of the multiplication of bread which fed four and and five thousand people respectively.

In the synoptic Gospels [Matthew, Mark and Luke], the Lord instituted during the Last Supper the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. During that night, He told His Apostles while showing the bread, "This is my body" [1 Corinthians 11:24; Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19] and with the cup, "This is the cup of my blood" [1 Corinthians 11:25; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20]. As it is often emphasized, the Lord did not say, "This is the symbol of my body" or "This cup has the symbol of my blood". In John, the Lord emphatically tells the Jews that "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you cannot have eternal life" [see John 6: 53-58]. The two disciples were blessed indeed to have attended and witnessed the first ever breaking of bread after the resurrection and it was celebrated by the Lord himself! 

Their eyes were opened and they realized how their hearts burned while He explained to them everything that the Scriptures wrote about Him and His mission. Through the Breaking of Bread, the early term for Holy Eucharist, they understood and realized the He has truly risen. The women told the truth after all! So they hurried back to Jerusalem that very instance and upon arrival have heard the confirmation of their own experience: the Lord has truly risen!

We too can truly experience the presence of the Word made flesh in the Holy Eucharist if we believe. And it can truly transform our lives and inspire us to transform the lives of others also. Only by eating His flesh and drinking His blood can we truly have life [see John 6:53] for without this life that He gives, we cannot truly belong to His kingdom and will never become truly sent to bring others into the fold in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Let us remember that through the Word, we shall have knowledge of the Lord; but through the Eucharist, we shall have life in the Lord.


The two disciples had the great blessing to attend the very first Mass after the resurrection. They heard the proper explanation of the Word of God from the Word made flesh himself and they witnessed Him breaking bread which opened their eyes to the reality that they were in the presence of the very Word who has given his flesh and blood that we might have salvation! And take note of their reaction: they hurriedly went back to Jerusalem to share such good news and received confirmation of their experience upon arrival!

We too must be like them. After we hear the Word and partake of His body, we ought to proclaim to others the good news of His presence in and through our lives. For if we keep the blessings to ourselves, we shall be considered as worthless servants, not deserving of the gifts which are meant to be shared with others.

The Lord is risen! It's the original good news and we must proclaim it, not keep it to ourselves. 

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The Lord is Missing!

JOHN AND PETER RUNNING TO THE TOMB.
Image from worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com

"They have taken the Lord from the tomb 

and we don't know where they put him."

- John 20:2b

The Lord is missing!

This could be another way to break the news abut the empty tomb. Since they did not yet understand that the Lord has to rise from the dead [see John 20:9], the initial reaction of Mary Magdalene was to tell Peter and John, the beloved Apostle, about the missing body of the Lord.

Look at how the sentence was written: Mary tells the two Apostles that 

"They have taken the Lord from the tomb"

"They" would most probably refer to either the Romans who guarded the tomb, or the Jews helped by the Romans who guarded the tomb. It was impossible that Jesus's disciples would do the taking for the tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers upon the request of the Jewish leaders. Since the tomb was empty when Mary came to visit it, and most probably the guards were also nowhere to be found, she concluded that they have taken the body of the Lord. She didn't say, "They might have taken the body of the Lord." Instead she plainly told Peter and John, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb." 

We cannot blame her for telling the news about the missing body of Jesus our Lord in such manner for she was one of the very close friends of the Lord, together with her siblings, Lazarus, the one whom Jesus has risen from the dead [see John 11: 1-45], and Martha, and understandably, she would be worried about the missing body of the Lord. She probably wanted to anoint the Lord's body with costly perfume in the same manner that she anointed His feet just six days before in their home at Bethany [see John 12: 1-8].

But Mary would not have actually witnessed the taking of the body for the next half of the sentence states, 

"and we don't know where they put him."

The Lord is missing! 

Many times the Lord seems to be missing from our lives. At times, He seems to be so far away; so distant. But worse, sometimes He seems to be absent; nowhere to be found. Sounds like an occasion wherein one can say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Remember the fourth of the last words of the Lord upon the cross?

But then again, we should ask ourselves: do we seek properly? Last night during the vigil Mass our Gospel reading taken from that of St Luke we heard these words spoken by the angels to the women who came to visit the tomb: 

"Why do you seek for the living one among the dead?" 
[Luke 24:5]

It is useless to look for something where it could not be found in the first place. Of course, Mary and the other women, did not understand yet that Jesus our Lord has to rise from the dead. So they returned to the tomb and find it empty! 

We in turn keep on coming back to the empty tomb! We have been told about His resurrection but we continue to hold on to what we can only comprehend: that the dead could only be found inside the tomb, nowhere else. We have not fully embraced the resurrected Christ; have not yet truly welcomed Him [back] into our lives. If we already truly believed that He came back to life, that He has risen, then we would not be doing, saying and thinking in the same manner as pagans like worrying about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, and how we shall look like in front of others!

The Lord is missing! Yes, He truly is - in our lives for we do not live yet in accordance with the resurrection! Until such time when we have already lived without the encumbrances of pagans, we will continue looking for the Lord among the dead and never find Him.

The Tomb is Empty! Alleluia!

"Why do you seek the living one among the dead?"

- Luke 24: 5

Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! Alleluia!

Once again we hear the glorious hymn of Alleluia! For the Lord is risen! He has  been resurrected. The tomb is empty and the Lord has come back to life!

But many of us are still living among the dead, more specifically, spiritually dead. It is because we do not manifest in our lives the Risen Christ! It is as if we are still waiting for the moment of resurrection, as if we are still hiding inside houses with closed doors and windows for fear of the Jews and the Romans. We have not yet accepted the good news that the Lord is risen and that we can already rejoice for we are now an Easter People: we are people of the resurrection!

"Why seek for the living one among the dead?" Or perhaps we should rephrase the question to read like this, "Why still live among the dead when our Lord has already gained for us a new life?"

There are among us who have listened to the news of the empty tomb and the message of the angel which the women have shared. And, like Peter, consequently ran to see for themselves the empty tomb and the burial clothes and were amazed. Among them there are those who believed! But some still wanted to have more evidence, especially those who did not try to see the empty tomb and the burial clothes: the story of women is not very reliable.

The Lord is risen and has come back to life! It is time we receive this good news with faith and manifest such faith in our daily lives. We must never let fear keep us from living the new life which the Lord has gained for us. We must never let the Jews and the Romans keep us from going out to proclaim our faith through our very lives. We must never continue hiding behind closed doors and windows for we have been redeemed and have been released from the clutches of sin!

The Lord is risen and we sing again the Alleluia! We must rejoice and be glad for the Lord has triumphed over death after successfully nailing sin upon the cross. We must sing songs of joy and jubilation. The power of sin has been vanquished; the sting of death has been overcome; the influence of evil has been broken! And with St Augustine we declare: We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!

Being an Easter people singing the Alleluia means the proclamation of the Lord's resurrection in all that we do, say or think! It also means being grateful to the Father for the gift of salvation, for the opportunity to become His children, and for the love that He has given us which has been concretely manifested through the Lord's sacrifice.

It is the Day of the Resurrection and the start of the Easter Season! Let us live in accordance with this new life which the Lord has gained for us through His passion, death and, of course, resurrection! Let us leave the life of sin upon the cross; let us not fear the certainty of death for we shall be resurrected by the Lord at the proper time; let us reject evil in all its forms and live in holiness all the remaining days of our lives in accordance with Easter joy!

Why live among the dead when we have been provided with a new life by the Lord? Think about it for it is truly an expression of faith in the Lord's resurrection if we also live with a brand new outlook in life: an outlook which proclaims to the world, WE ARE AN EASTER PEOPLE AND ALLELUIA IS OUR SONG!

The tomb is empty. The Lord has come out resurrected! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Day XL: Holy Saturday

THE EMPTY TOMB.
Image from thereforegodexists.com

Today is the last day of our Online Lenten Retreat and since there is no liturgical activity for today [except for the Liturgy of the Hours], we have no official readings to guide us for our reflection and sharing this day [the next Liturgical activity is at around midnight for the Easter Vigil already and therefore, part of the Easter Season already].

Instead, let us go back to the last part of yesterday's reading,

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial clothes along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by. [John 19: 38-42]

Our Lord Jesus Christ "was crucified, died and was buried", as we recite during the Profession of Faith. These three are essential articles of our Faith. His crucifixion was in fulfillment of that prefiguration of Moses' bronze snake on a poll and which our Lord Himself declared as the way by which He will suffer death [see Numbers 21:9; John 3:14]; His death was the atonement for our sins [see 1 Peter 3:18; Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 10:10]; and, His burial confirmed His death and a necessary evidence for the resurrection [see Matthew 28: 12-14; see also Luke 24:12; John 20: 1-10]. 

His crucifixion was also the clearest evidence of His total humility and emptying out and the fullest expression of His submission to the Father's will [see Philippians 2: 6-11]. His death was a proof of His true humanity [CCC 465]. His burial was followed by His resurrection: a proof of His true divinity [CCC 466]. 

Let us therefore wrap up our Online Lenten Retreat by contemplating on the Lord's crucifixion, death and burial. For without His Good Friday, He won't have His Easter Sunday. Through this may we be able to appreciate the presence of sufferings in our lives and the certainty of death in its proper time for we shall never be forgotten by the Father because He does not want anyone to be lost that's why He sent His only begotten Son [see Matthew 18:14; John 3:16]. 

The Seven Last Words: 7. Reunion

REUNION.
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"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."

- Luke 23:46

Since Jesus has already fulfilled His mission and successfully triumphed over sin, death and disobedience, He can now fully commend everything to the Father. He has already obediently followed the command to live like a man born of a woman, He has already given His full obedience by accepting death upon the cross. Now He has to give up the last thing that He possessed: His spirit. He came from God and now He is returning to God. 

Man too came from God and must also return to God. Jesus our Lord showed us the way to a reunion with the Father. It is our turn to walk upon that path so that we may join Him in the Father's house. He has gone ahead so that He could prepare for us our own rooms and soon He will come to fetch us in order to enjoy life in union with God in His kingdom [see John 14: 1-2].

In order for us to achieve this great privilege of being with God in His kingdom, we must also commend our lives and spirits to the Father. But we cannot be with Him unless we leave behind the life of sin and be holy like Him [see Leviticus 20:26; 1 Peter 1:16; Matthew 5:48]. This is what commending our lives and spirits to the Father is. 

Christ our Lord died for us; it is our calling to live for Him, and, if necessary,  to give our lives also for Him just as the martyrs have done. In each time we face trials and tribulations, let us never forget that Jesus our Lord suffered and triumphed before us. If He was not spared by the Father, though Son He is of the Most High, we can be assured of many challenges in our lives too. But as the Father glorified His Son for His great obedience, then we shall also receive our rewards afterwards.

If we want to achieve that reunion with God, we must forgive, we must accept salvation, we must trust Him, and abandon our sins, long for Heaven and fulfill His will in our lives.

The Sixth Word: Triumph

The Seven Last Words: 6. Triumph

IT IS FINISHED.
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"It is finished."

- John 19:30

Jesus completes His mission. He finally succeeded in saving mankind though He requested the Father if it is possible for the cup pass from Him [see Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42]. For it was still His decision whether to do it or not for as He said, "No one takes my life away from me; I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again." Though He still acknowledges that it was a command He received from His Father [John 10:18].

But was it not that the Father sent Him for the very purpose of saving mankind through the cross [see Numbers 21:9; John 3:14]? Did He not declare it Himself that he will die upon a cross [see John 12:32]?

It is finished because finally the Father's will was fulfilled. It was first rejected at paradise. It was continually violated since Cain killed his brother Abel, even by the members of his chosen people even if He has sent many servants to tell them of His great love. 

But Jesus fulfills His mission and manifests supreme obedience to the will of the Father even if it has to be death on the cross: a gruesome and most humiliating way to die! For what truly matters is the Father's will and it is the greatest triumph in life and in death. 

Many times in our lives we face choices and our decisions would lead us either toward triumph or disgrace. Most often, we fail to see the victory in suffering and death and would rather choose to enjoy pleasures and try to live life to the full on earth even if the manner to achieve these would lead us to disgrace. 

Our calling as Christians is to be triumphant also and we have been given a great model to follow, the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Fifth Word: Longing

The Seventh Word: Reunion 

The Seven Last Words: 5. Longing

LONGING.
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"I thirst."

- John 19:28

Jesus did not thirst for water or any drink only. Jesus was God hanging on the cross longing for the love and respect of and union with His creatures: especially humanity whom He has made in His image and likeness. But now, the Word made flesh, through whom everything was made, was subjected to the powers of His creatures. The Lord was judged by His people; the King was sentenced by His subjects; the Creator was dishonored by the creatures!

God thirsts for love, the love that we should return to Him, for He has loved us first. But it was not a love being forced upon His people; but a love that we could freely give too. If He did not love us, He would have made us mere robots, doing what He wishes us to do without us having the option to obey or reject. However, there really is no other option for only in God can we find true happiness and eternal joy. 

For He has made us to thirst for unlimited happiness and eternal joy. This He did in order that we may seek the path back to Him for as we said earlier, nothing or no one else could ever satisfy our longings for happiness and joy. We may try anything mundane, or other spiritualities other than that leads us to God, but we shall never find true satisfaction and satiation of our longings. For there is nothing greater than God.

God thirsts for our love; we also really thirst for Him though we try to find substitutes for Him in other things which unfortunately are also subject to corruption hence could never truly fulfill our longings. Can you observe that however cold softdrinks are, they cannot fully satisfy our thirst and we still look for plain cool water? It's like with those things that we try to substitute for God in our lives. We may find them satisfying for a while but then we reach the point when these things could not satiate us anymore, and we try to find something else again, and same cycle is repeated again and again. We consider it unfair for God to expect us to love Him for if not we will be thrown into hell; but we forget that only He can satisfy our longings; only in Him can we achieve the fullness of our being.

The Fourth Word: Abandonment

The Sixth Word: Triumph

The Seven Last Words: 4. Abandonment

ABANDONMENT.
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"My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?"
- Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34

For someone who have not yet experienced being away from or being left behind for a long time by a loved one, it may not be so easy to explain. For those who have experienced separations especially when the separation is caused by the death of a loved one, it's not hard to relate. Separations cause us sadness and sorrow. How much more if the separation is so great that nothing could bridge the gap? Can you imagine how much suffering could a person ever endure due to such separation? 

Jesus' final humiliation and abasement was becoming sin so that sin many be crucified upon the cross. Jesus became sin for us so that we may be freed from its bondage. Since God and sin cannot be united, Jesus was abandoned by God. And Jesus felt the great anguish of being separated from God; Jesus experienced the great emptiness of existence without God.

St Augustine wrote, "Our hearts are made for thee, O Lord, and they shall be restless until they rest in thee!" God made us for Himself, and we can only find fulfillment in union with God. God made this purposely because only He can give us true happiness and eternal joy; nothing and no one else could ever substitute God in our lives. Only God could satisfy our deepest longings and quench our greatest thirsts!  

So it is not God who actually abandons us when we commit sin; instead, it is us who distances away from God when we sin. We block the flow of grace from God into our lives by sinning and we cut the source of divine life in us by offending Him. We commit spiritual suicide by committing sin for we ourselves deny God's love to consume our hearts and existence. 

It is only by abandoning sin totally that we can be in perfect union with God ultimately. Unless we commit to live for and in God, we shall never be truly freed from bondage to sin. For even if Jesus Christ our Lord has already given up Himself to be crucified and become sin in our behalf, the fact remains that grace is still a free gift from God, not forced upon us, so we can totally accept by becoming Christians or reject it by holding on to sin: the final choice is ours, either to be like Joshua who said, "But for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord" [Joshua 24:15] or be like Judas who had the chance to repent but decided to take his own life instead [see Matthew 27: 3-5].

The Third Word: Entrustment 

The Fifth Word: Longing

The Seven Last Words: 3. Entrustment

ENTRUSTMENT.
Image from oneyearbibleblog.com

"Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother."

- John 19: 26-27

To whom do we entrust the ones we love when we go somewhere? Of course, to those who are close to us; those we could put our trust to take care of our loved ones in our behalf while we are away. We couldn't just leave them without the assurance that they would be safe and protected while we are somewhere else. 

The Lord too did not leave His loved ones without entrusting them to the care of each other. His mother He entrusted to John and, in turn, John to His mother. Who else could be the best person to be entrusted with His mother than him who has stayed with Him until the end? There were twelve of them, one betrayed Him and ten were nowhere to be found when He needed friends the most. John's courage to be with Him until the end earned him the honor of becoming His mother's protector from that time on.

But of course, Mother Mary was not only given to John as a mother. She was provided to us all by the Lord to be our mother too. She who kept everything in her heart pondering upon them [see Luke 2:19] and whose heart was also pierced by a sword [see Luke 2:35]. She who had nothing to say but "Do whatever He tells you!" [John 2:5]. We have been entrusted to her motherly protection and care. 

And in turn, she has been entrusted to us by the Lord also. She is our mother and we must honor and protect her.  

The Second Word: Salvation

The Fourth Word: Abandonment

The Seven Last Words: 2. Salvation

SALVATION.
Image from thepreachersword.com

"I say to you today you will be with me in Paradise."

- Luke 23:43

Salvation is our true final destination. Salvation in its fullest sense is the attainment of perfect union with God in heaven. Christ Jesus did not come only for the purpose of freeing us from the bondage to sin and be left alone upon this earth to enjoy the blessings of the earth. No. We are not intended to live on this earth forever: we are mere pilgrims and our true home is in the Father's house [see John 14: 1-2].

If we are meant for this earth, the Lord did not have to leave us behind. He would have taken the throne of King David and restored the Kingdom of Israel. But since God's design for us is in His abode, each of us ought to say to the Lord, "Remember us when you're already in your kingdom!" just like the repentant thief who did not join the jeering of the crowd led by the Pharisees like the other thief. 

It is worth noting that God takes into consideration the last minute conversion of someone who had lived a life of sin. This truth St John Vianney must have kept in his heart when asked by a woman who was worried about the state of his husband's soul who committed suicide by jumping from a bridge. To console her, the holy priest said, "Remember, there is a distance from the bridge to the water."

But for most of us, we don't have to wait for that moment when we are in the brink of death before we truly repent and ask forgiveness from God. We must already ask Him now to remember us if we haven't done it yet and if we have already done it, we must sustain it by keeping the flame of God's love in our hearts by loving and serving one another the way Jesus our Lord loved and served us.

The First Word: Forgiveness

The Third Word: Entrustment

The Seven Last Words: 1. Forgiveness

FORGIVENESS.
Image from louiethebunny.blogspot.com

"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."

- Luke 23:34

Forgiveness is an act of love. Unless one loves, he or she cannot truly forgive. That's why it is hard to forgive because when someone sins against us, harms us, hurts us, damages our dignity, reputation and honor, our relationship with that person is also destroyed, we become angry, hate develops in our hearts, and love is blocked for hatred already consumes us providing no room for love.

But God had shown us an example: He who deserves all our respect, praise and obedience but instead we have rejected, dishonored, and disregarded, and yet did something unimaginable because of His great love for us [see John 3:16]. He sent His only begotten Son to be crucified on our behalf and this Son cries out from the cross asking His Father for forgiveness for the people who have done a great evil: crucifying Him instead of listening to His message of repentance, forgiveness and love.

Many people say, "It is easy for Him to forgive: He is God!" while others say, "I cannot forgive, I am not God!" But we have been made in the image and likeness of God, we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ from bondage to sin, and the Holy Spirit has made our bodies as His temple. We are not merely humans anymore: we have become like God. When Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity came into this world, He took on our humanity so that after His triumph over sin, he could lift up our humanity into the level of the divine. We have become children of God and so we should no longer act like slaves: we must be holy like our Father in heaven, and if He could forgive we surely could forgive.

Some might say it is unfair. But what is fair? Fair is this: God did not punish us for our transgressions but gave us the opportunity to repent and be saved through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we too must give those who sin against us the chance to be reconciled with us through our Lord Jesus Christ too for if we only expect reconciliation in the level of humans, we could end up daydreaming! 

But what if they don't ask for forgiveness? Let them be. God will do the rest. Important thing is that we who trust in God's mercy and justice will be at peace with Him and with ourselves for we shall be released from our bondage to hatred and anger being freed by a loving and forgiving heart, carrying no burden, living fully alive in God!

Preview of the Seven Last Words

The Second Word: Salvation

Day XXXIX: Good Friday

Gospel Reading of the Day

From the holy Gospel according to

John Chapter 18, verse 1 to Chapter 19, verse 42

HE BOWED HIS HEAD AND GAVE UP THE SPIRIT.
Image from commons.wikimedia.org

...

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst." There was a vessel there filled with common wine. So they put a sponger soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. 

[Here we pause for a while to give honor to the Lord.]

Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe. For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of it will be broken." And again another passage says, "They will look upon him whom they have pierced." [28 - 37]

...

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

Personal Reflection on the Reading

Sharing for the Day

One commentator said that this Friday is Good because Jesus our Lord gave His all on this day, a sacrifice which manifested God's love for us so that we may be reconciled with Him [see Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 3:18; remember also John 3:16]. That great love was signified further by the flowing out of blood and water from the side of Christ which is recalled by the mixing of a little water into the wine during the Eucharistic celebration.

The day is a mournful day, signified by the stripping of ornaments, leaving the altar bare and leaving the tabernacle open, and it is an occasion to reflect on the importance of our own death to sin in the Death of our Lord. Jesus our Lord did not commit suicide nor did He do it for the sake of a mere spectacle. He gave His life for us, His friends, [see John 15:13] for the atonement of our sins. By doing this, He gave us an example that we may also learn to give our lives for our friends, especially the Lord.

As the Lord accepted His Good Friday, we too must also accept our Good Fridays, so that as the Lord had His Easter Sunday, we too must have our own Easter Sundays. After all, He made it as a requirement for those who wish to be His disciples to follow Him, and made it a necessity for us to become His friends to be ready to offer our lives for the sake of a friend as a sign of great love.

This is the penultimate day of our Online Lenten Retreat. Let us spend time to contemplate on the meaning of His death that we may learn how to live in accordance with the gift of salvation that He has gained for us so that when death comes knocking on our door, we shall never fear for we know we have acquired the certainty of the resurrection because of the Lord's loving sacrifice. 

Application of the Message

[1] Prayer

     Pray for the grace to accept the certainty of death without fear.

[2] Abstinence

     Abstain from something which makes you fear the certainty of death.

[3] Almsgiving

     What can you share so that you may inspire someone to accept sufferings in this life and the certainty of death without worry and fear. 

A Lenten Reflection on The 'Corporal' Works of Mercy

JESUS PREACHING ABOUT THE KINGDOM.
Image from dominicancooperator.blogspot.com via google.com

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy are often discussed during the closing of the Liturgical Year when we read the passage about the Judgment of the Nations from the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 31 to 46 [Cycle A]. But it is worth reflecting upon as we close the Lenten Season and the Holy Week and enter into the glorious Season of Easter. So here is my Lenten reflection about the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy though not only focused on their corporeality alone.

Feed the Hungry

Jesus responded to the Tempter when He was already hungry after His 40-day sojourn in the desert and was enticed to turn stones to bread, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, "Man does not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" [Matthew 4:4]. 

We do have the moral obligation to feed the hungry for real bread, material food for their daily sustenance. But many, many people are not hungry for material bread only these days: they really hunger for Truth. This hunger is so intense that they fall victim to those who take advantage of such hunger feeding them with bread that does not come from heaven and words that God did not utter. We therefore have to do everything to provide them with the necessary spiritual nutrition through the Word of God so that they may be fed with the whole Truth and nothing else but the Truth.

Give Drink to the Thirsty

"I thirst" [John 19:28] Jesus said while still hanging upon the cross. But He was not only thirsting for water; He was thirsty for love and justice: love because God loved us first and He expects that we return the same love [see 1 John 4:19]; justice because as God He deserves that we adore, worship, praise and love Him alone with all our hearts, minds and strength [see Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27]. 

Just like how people hunger for Truth, many people are so thirsty these days for Love and Justice also. Many of us, even among us who claim to be Christians, often does not have the time to care for others, we are so busy with our own hunger and thirst that we forget and disregard that others need so much more - urgently, in fact - than we do to be cared for and be provided with love and justice. We therefore ought to take time off from all our busi-ness and give time into sharing God's love with others and helping - in accordance with Christian principles - those who are in need of achieving justice.

Clothe the Naked

Jesus said, "I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like these." [Luke 12:27; see also Matthew 6:29]. He was talking about the lilies of the field. God has provided these plants with beauty but man degrades his own; stripping himself off with his dignity just to achieve mundane honors and treasures, exposing himself to fornication, perversion and lustful living. 

Many people today are exposed to extreme humiliation, debasement and inhuman treatment and they need to be clothed back with their dignity as human beings. They need to be clothed with the Dignity of being God's children, and to live in holiness and righteousness while on a pilgrimage toward the Father's house. Psalm 8: 5-6 beautifully declares,

"You have made [man] little less than a god, 

you have crowned him with glory and beauty,

made him lord of the works of your hands, 

put all things under his feet,"

And as the Father's dignified children, they need to be led to live in holiness: "Be holy as the Father is holy," says the Lord [Matthew 5:48; see also Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:15]. 

Shelter the Homeless

Jesus said, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests; but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head," [Luke 9:58; Matthew 8:20]. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ did not have a place to lay His head. So giving shelter to the homeless would be a true service to Him. 

But many people do not only need material houses to shelter them: they also need families to take care of them. Families who will provide them with love and care; families who will protect and defend. Most importantly, they need a Home where they could find the Lord waiting for them to hand over to them their own place of rest - in the Father's house [see John 14: 2-3]. We must also lead them into the safety of the Holy Mother Church, the One Fold which gathers all the lost children of God [see John 10:16; John 12:32], away from the wolves, including the wolves in the sheep's clothing. Hence we must provide them with the help that they may acquire steadfast Faith.

Visit the Sick

"Your son will live," [John 4:50] Jesus assured the official. One purpose of visiting the sick is to show moral support especially by saying to them, "I pray that you get well soon."

But there are those who are sick but not physically. They are sick emotionally, spiritually and morally. They need to be provided with Christian Hope: that there is more to this life than all the sufferings, injustices and evil that seem to rule the world. More importantly, that these things may even cause our death, but we shall ultimately rise up victorious through the Lord's resurrection, which we shall also experience at the appointed time. 

"I have conquered the world," [John 16:33] says the Lord.

Christian Hope assures us of eternal health for it is written in Revelation 21:4,

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. 

There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain 

for the old order of things has passed away."

Visit the Imprisoned

Herod loved listening to John and protected him in prison even though John pointed out his sins [see Mark 6:20; for the complete story, Matthew 14: 3-11 Mark 6: 17-28]. Many people are in prison not because they have committed crimes, but because they have been merely suspected or unjustly charged with a crime they did not commit and have no capacity to defend their innocence. Surely, they have stories to tell and sometimes all that we can do is to listen to them - for many it's more than enough: to have someone listen to them tell their story. 

But with regards to John and Herod, we somehow see that they really are in the opposite conditions: Herod though he was physically out of prison, was actually imprisoned by his sins and his lack of moral integrity; John was actually free for he was not afraid to speak out the truth even if he had to be physically put into jail for his stand in favor of the truth. People like Herod need our prayer, that they may see their true condition and submit to the one authority who could free them from their bondage to sin, the Lord Jesus Christ. People like John, who manifest the virtues of Integrity and Fortitude in the face of danger and suffering, are worth our recognition and imitation. 

Let us not forget what the Lord said,

"Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but not the soul. 

Be afraid rather of him who can destroy both body and soul in hell."

- Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4-5

Bury the Dead

"Let the dead bury the dead," [Matthew 8:22; Luke 9:60] said the Lord to a prospective disciple who requested that he may be allowed to bury first his dead. Burying the dead is surely one of the unique characteristics of humans. But the urgency of the mission that the Lord entrusts to His disciples takes precedence over human concerns: there are others, those who are not called to a special vocation, who could do those things anyway.

But we have to tell the spiritually dead bury their dead which refer to their sins so that they may become alive in the Lord Jesus Christ. They have to surrender their lives to the Lord that they may be cleansed of their sinfulness. They have to undergo the baptism of water and the Spirit, and if they have already been baptized, they have to surrender themselves through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and resolve never to sin again. Prudence and Temperance are needed here. 

We must remember the Lord's warning to the paralytic He healed at the pool,

"Don't sin anymore 

or something worse may happen to you!"

- John 5:14

and His consoling words to the woman caught in adultery,

"Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

- John 8:11

A blessed Easter Triduum to all!