The Third Sunday of Lent [2012]

'And he told those who sold the pigeons, 

"Take these things away; 

you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade."' 

- John 2:16

The Temple in Jerusalem was the Father's house hence it deserved all the respect, honor and dignity that must be accorded to God's dwelling. Though God owns everything and the earth is His footstool, the Temple was consecrated far above everything else to be His dwelling on earth. 

But the Lord Jesus Christ's move to give as a sign the destruction of and raising up of the New Temple which is His body has given us a new and better understanding about what God's dwelling place on earth is all about. St Paul tells us that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Hence God Himself dwells in us which actually started the very moment God created man, when He breathed into man the breath of life, the ruah, or God's spirit. This is what we call grace, God's breath of life, His very own Spirit living in us, which allowed us to experience the divine presence in us. Hence St Paul also states that it is not anymore us who lives in our bodies but Christ Himself, God Himself!

Hence if the Temple in Jerusalem deserved so much respect, honor and dignity, our own bodies deserve also such respect, honor and dignity. That is why we should not do whatever will cause disrespect, dishonor, and desecration against our body. We should never fornicate, prostitute, abuse, disregard, mutilate, our bodies. For we are not our bodies' owners anymore, God has claimed our bodies for Himself and we are mere stewards, not the Master, for even from the beginning we own nothing because God only fashioned us out of dust to which we ought to return. And yet God has so loved us He made our bodies sacred dwelling places so that in the end of times He shall resurrect these bodies and be glorified to be worthy of dwelling in His heavenly kingdom forever.

May we never forget this truth that our bodies are God's and that God dwells in us through His Spirit when we are in the state of grace. Therefore we must never allow sin to corrupt our bodies and never allow anything to desecrate ourselves for we are God's and God is in us.

A blessed third Sunday of Lent to you, amici! 

The Second Sunday of Lent [2012]

"Then Peter spoke to Jesus, 

'Rabbi,' he said, 'it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, 

one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.'"

- Mark 9:5

Most of us feel the same way that Peter, James and John felt when we encounter God's presence during recollections and retreats, Christian life seminars and conferences, and other activities wherein we enjoy the love and community that pours out of the Father's providence. And we wish to stay feeling and experiencing such joys and we even hope that we would never have to leave that experience.

But then God has other plans for us. Life on earth is not yet the fullness of heaven. The joys that He lets us experience on earth are mere foretastes of that eternal banquet in His kingdom. We are given the chance to have a preview of heaven at times just to inspire and motivate us to face the challenges of the world - to have the strength to stand up for Him amid the many temptations of the physical reality because we were allowed to experience the glory of His spiritual realm.

The experience of heavenly joy must keep us up on the clouds but still stepping upon solid ground. We cannot minister like angels who are not seen even though always present to guide us and protect us from the evil spirits. We must do our work on earth so that the world may know that God has sent us to make all things new in the name and in behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ.

May we always acknowledge the Lord's presence in our lives so that whatever trials we may encounter we can steadily face them and never fall.

Have a blessed Second Sunday of Lent, friends.

The First Sunday of Lent [2012]

'and saying, 

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; 

repent, and believe in the gospel."' 

– Mark 1:15

As Christians we are called to announce – in words, thoughts and deeds – the fulfillment of time, the coming of the Kingdom of God, repentance and faith in the good news.

The fulfillment of time means that God has already fulfilled His promise: He has already sent His only begotten Son, the one whom the world has been expecting for the past four millenniums and we do not have to wait for someone else. In Him everything comes to a close and signals a new and renewed beginning. This is also connected with the coming of God’s Kingdom for with the Lord Jesus God brings into the world the realization of His reign which the people denied Him from exercising: by the Chosen People when they elected to have their own king, and by the heathen by following various idols.

Repentance is a necessary prerequisite in order to belong to the new people of God for it would mean turning away from that which is abhorrent to God -  and submitting one’s self under God’s rule. Without repentance no one would be able to accept – and join – His Kingdom. Faith in the Good News – the very person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His message of salvation – is also necessary for it is the very core of becoming a member of the new People of God, the Church, and of being His representatives to all the earth to proclaim the very same message of salvation.

In all these it is necessary that we as Christians respond to the call in word, thought and deed. Repentance is true when it leads to a renewed life. Faith is real when it initiates a multitude of good works. Being a Christian and a citizen of the Kingdom of God means a full turning back from a life of sin and unconcern into a life of holiness and loving.

Friends, may we have a great pilgrimage through this Season of Lent.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time [2012]

Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, 

"Your sins are forgiven" 

or to say, 

"Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk"?

- Mark 2:9

As Christians we are faced with the challenge of manifesting to the world that God is a true God and that the Lord really saved us from bondage to sin. With so many people denying the reality of sin and the need for spiritual salvation we Christians must continue to manifest steadfast faith, ardent hope and generous love.

Actually, the Lord has told us that it is by loving one another that the world will ever believe that He has sent us the same manner that the Father has sent Him to save us. Many times we spend so much on justifying our faith through arguments and evidences but with so many people having their own intellectual prowess to prove their own stand, we are actually left with the option of manifesting true love as our best argument to manifest our faith and hope. 

Hence it is a lot easier to say and show love - and forgiveness - than to argue about whether someone who has been living on a stretcher for much of his life could be loosened from such bondage and be able to carry his own stretcher and walk home. Many times the solution to one's condition is not to take him away from such condition but to make him accept such condition and then use such condition as the starting point of holiness and salvation.

For example, one of the many problems that the government has been trying to solve is the problem on squatters, which now are called informal settlers. But many times the solutions that have been planned, tried and sometimes forced to be implemented, and maybe not properly monitored and evaluated, do not really respond to the problem. Most of these people return to their original informal settlements because the place they are transferred to to live better lives do not provide the basic necessities of life such as opportunities for livelihood for their daily sustenance. Hence the better alternative would be to solve the sinful social structures that create these informal settlers rather than just whisk them away into some place where they would not find solutions to their problems.

May we accept the fact that even the Lord said that the poor will always be with us. First of all, poverty is not a disease or a thing to be considered evil. It is rather a condition that challenges us to manifest our faith, hope and love.

A blessed Sunday, friends!

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2012]

"Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand, 

touched him and said to him, 'I am willing. Be cleansed.'"

- Mark 1:41

This verse - and the whole reading - somehow summarizes the entire history of salvation. It tells us about the story of how the Lord Jesus Christ went around the area of Galilee proclaiming the Gospel and making this miraculous healing of a leper. God has been proclaiming His love ever since the first moment of Creation and when man fell into the bondage to sin has saved - healed, cleansed - him through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. The empathy felt by Jesus our Lord toward the leper is the same empathy that the Father showed by sending forth His Son to become like us, a man, but yet remained a God!

We, followers and friends of our Lord Jesus Christ and children of God the Father, must also manifest that same love of God. Through us we can renew the face of the earth. God did not create mankind to destroy the world, and He did not establish the Church to divide humanity. God created mankind to become the stewards of the whole creation and the Lord established the Church to continue the mission of salvation.

Our work is to empathize with those who feel sick, weak and unloved. We are not called to love those who love us, to be happy with those who make us happy, to be well together with the people who are also well. We are called to become witnesses of God's love among those who are considered outcast: the sick, the unable, the weak, the ignorant, the innocent, the unknown.

May we accept the challenge to become instruments of God's love and healing and cleansing and be love ourselves just like how Christ our Lord become love and healing and cleansing for us all.

Have a blessed Sunday, friends!

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2012]

"In the morning, long before dawn, 

he got up and left the house 

and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. " 

- Mark 1:35

One of the most important things in every relationship is constant communications. It is hard to keep any relationship without communications. The motto of the Family Rosary Crusade, "The family that prays together stays together" is one expression of this - even if the members of the family may not be physically together, they will still be together through prayers. Families who are separated due to various reasons try to keep united through various means - before through snail mail, telephone calls and friends. Now we have many other ways of communicating especially with the advent of cellular phones and the Internet.

If we understand and value having constant communications with the people we love here on earth we should also understand and value having constant communications with God through prayers. 

Jesus our Lord never neglected the importance of keeping His communication lines open with the Father for prayer is our way of communicating with God the Father. He would always find time to pray in solitude even if it has to be in the very early hours of the day and of course during the entire day when He would do miracles and signs He would communicate with the Father.

As children of the Father and friends of the Lord Jesus Christ we also ought to keep communicating with them. It would keep us from sin and temptations if we constantly relate with God. We also have to develop our relationships with other members of the family of God, the Church, including the ones we consider to be Church Triumphant, the Saints, and the Church Suffering, those in purgatory. We also have to be constantly communicating with our guardian angels to keep us from spiritual, and at times physical, harm.

May we never disregard this important instrument of being one with God and the whole Church. Even the Lord Jesus Christ said that whatever we ask God the Father in prayer through His name the Father would give. St James also  encourages to pray for one another for the prayer of holy persons is very effective. St Paul encourages us to pray constantly. The late Jaime Cardinal Sin of Manila said, "God is omnipotent but prayer is more omnipotent!" 

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2012]

"The people were so astonished that 

they started asking one another what it all meant, saying, 

'Here is a teaching that is new, and with authority behind it: 

he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.' "

- Mark 1:27

One of the things that make people follow a person is when that person can do something beyond what normal or ordinary people can do. That is why Jesus did not allow the spirits to tell people what they know about Him and even to His disciples He made it clear that they should not tell the people about His being the Son of the living God as Peter has professed.

If Jesus our Lord walked on this earth proclaiming clearly that He was the Son of God, that He was God Himself, the Second Person of the Divine Trinity, it would have been an easy task for Him to accomplish what He was sent for: to tell mankind about God the Father and heaven. But it would have made people think that life is easy and being with God mean pure comfort and convenience even here on earth. Even a small pain or trouble would be considered inordinate or abnormal. They would not believe in the importance of sacrifice and suffering anymore since Jesus would not be allowed to live in poverty for He will be lifted up as an earthly King! He would have a hard time teaching about so many things that necessarily imply hardships for people would demand that since He is God and He is already present He should not allow any trouble anymore!  People would not allow Him to be crucified and He did not have to be resurrected. 

Remember when Jesus went up to the mountain with Peter, James and John where He was transfigured and they did not want to go down the mountain anymore? That would have been what people would experience too if Jesus presented Himself clearly as the Son of God. No more hardships, no need to work, no need to suffer! 

But life on earth is not yet life in heaven. Life on earth is a mere preparation for that eternity in heaven. Unless we prepare ourselves in accordance with the will of God - which includes hardships and sufferings - here on earth we shall never be able to enter that everlasting joy in heaven!

Let us ask God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to give us the grace to prepare very well here on earth that we may become truly worthy of enjoying eternity with Him in heaven!

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time [2012]

“The time has come,” he said. 

“The kingdom of God has come near. 

Repent and believe the good news!” - Mark 1:15

Today we hear about the proclamation of the Kingdom of God connected with the invitation to repent and to believe the gospel and the selection of the first four disciples.

Though today's gospel reading is very short it is full of significance. The proclamation of the Kingdom is connected with the importance of repentance which John the Baptist have been proclaiming too. But aside from the call to repentance, Jesus Christ our Lord goes further by the addition of the call to believe in the good news, who is Himself. Hence believing in His words is the same as believing in Himself for He is the Word - the Kingdom - Himself being proclaimed [see John 1:1].

The gospel is so much more emphasized by the calling of the first four disciples. The urgency of His calling - and the mission connected with the call - is demonstrated by His word, "Come" - He did not leave any room for them to say "No" because He did not say, "Would you follow me?" or "Would you come with me?" - it was not a mere invitation, it was a true CALL and may even be considered as a command or an order. The immediacy of the four's response: they left their nets at once, with John and James even leaving their father Zebedee behind with the hired men, shows that they understood the urgency of the "what" though they did not yet fully understood the "why" for the Holy Spirit has not yet come. The "what" is of course the proclamation of the Kingdom and the "why" is the fulfillment of the ultimate union with God. 

As Christians we are called to proclaim the good news: the coming of the Kingdom who is Jesus Christ Himself and we have to repent and believe in Him so that we may be able to attain union with Him even while here on earth as His disciples and friends. 

Our life with and in God begins the moment we accept the call of the Lord Jesus Christ and leave everything behind. Let us pray for courage to make our response to the Lord's call as immediate as that of the first four disciples.

Second Sunday In Ordinary Time [2012]

Picture from radiantfear.blogspot.com via googl.com "Jesus turned round, saw them following and said,  'What do you want?'  They answered, 'Rabbi' -- which means Teacher --  'where do you live?'   He replied, 'Come and see' ..." - John 1: 38-39

We learn about Jesus Christ our Lord through other persons, sometimes through events in their lives but still, seeks understanding of such events through other persons, because we cannot physically meet him now. We meet Christ through other people and through the institution which He has left to represent Him and continue His saving acts, the Church and the Sacraments. It is logical that when we want to learn about a person we do the necessary things in order to get information about that person and if possible we try to meet him to get first hand information and get better understanding of him. With Jesus we come to know Him best by reading the Holy Bible, studying the history of the Church He has instituted, and taking advantage of the Sacraments which He has instituted to be the continuing signs of salvation. Moreover, we must do our best to find out all about the Lord through the proper institutions and to be given the proper explanation of the Holy Bible from the same institutions. We must keep in mind that Jesus did not just went away after His resurrection to leave us with nothing to guide us. He left us the Church to continue His teachings and actions. The authority He received from God the Father He delegated upon the Church. He gave the keys of heaven to Peter [see Matthew 16:18] and He blew the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles to forgive or retain sins [see John 20:23]. We also have to constantly pray so that we may be able to find out His will for us in our daily lives. It is by prayer that we could discern His will for us just as He prayed a lot to the Father while He was here on earth so that He would be constantly in communion with the Father. Through prayer we could also establish our friendship with the Lord and our being children of the Father. Through prayer we let the Holy Spirit grow within us thereby making our bodies truly His temple. Let us do our best to know more our Lord Jesus Christ that we may be able to be more effective apostles of His friendship and love to everyone.

The Baptism of the Lord [2012]

Picture from google.com

'and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."' - Mark 1:11

Being pleased means being happy or joyful, therefore it connotes a positive feeling or emotion. 

What could have made the Father so pleased, happy and joyful about Jesus Christ our Lord? Surely, being His only begotten Son, Jesus our Lord deserves all the love of the Father. 

Most if not all of the fathers among us would surely attest to the fact that even when our children do things that we do not approve of, we still love them because they are our children. How much more when the child is an only son through whom our name would be assured of its posterity [for daughters when they marry changes their father's name into their husband's]? But God is not concerned about this earthly matter. The Jews probably have so much concern about this for they were actually waiting for someone who would come from the line of King David to restore the Kingdom of Israel. Even the Apostles before the coming of the Holy Spirit had this view [see Acts 1:6]. 

Somewhere else, John the Baptizer tells Jesus that he is the one who needs to be baptized by Him for he knows that He is truly greater than him and yet Jesus tells him to proceed with the activity because it is the proper thing to do [see Matthew 3: 14-15]. Here we see the great contrast between the Divine King and an earthly ruler. While earthly ruler at times try their best to see loopholes in the laws so that their interests would be protected, here is the King of the Universe making sure that everything should be done in accordance with what is "the proper thing to do". While earthly rulers would try to see for technicalities in the law for their own benefit, here is the King of the Universe showing that the fulfillment of every detail of the law is important. 

So what made God so pleased with Jesus Christ our Lord? It is because of His humility and submission to the will of the Father. Jesus Christ humbled Himself. While earthly rulers would do anything to secure their claim for honor, the services of men and the security for the maintenance of their power, here is a God who emptied Himself and took the form of a slave and even accepted the most gruesome death which no innocent man in His right mind would ever accept [see Philippians 2: 6-11, the Carmen Christi]. Just like anyone else, Jesus Christ has the freedom to accept or reject the will of God. In fact He had asked the Father in prayer to take away the cup of suffering and He could even have called angels just to ensure that He won't be arrested [see Matthew 26:53] but He still acknowledged that the Father has the final say in everything and His will is by far greater even than the freedom of any one even if it be His only begotten Son [see Luke 22:42]. 

Jesus Christ's obedience to the will of the Father even to the point of death on a cross is the greatest anti-thesis to the disobedience which Adam and Eve has made and which caused the fall of the human race from the original state of grace. Such selflessness surely deserved the greatest pleasure for the Father the same way that when our children obey what we want them to do we, earthly fathers, feel so much joy. If human fathers would be so glad to have their children follow their order, command or request, how much more the Father who was not only concerned about His own for after all He is God and is the most self-sufficient and self-fulfilled Person. His greatest joy for the obedience of Jesus Christ is that after Adam and Eve caused His beloved children, the whole humanity, to become slaves to sin, His only begotten Son dies for them that they may be redeemed from such bondage. God's pleasure, happiness and joy was also in behalf of all humanity because the very purpose of Him sending the Son in the first place was for everyone to be saved and not to perish [see John 3:16]. This is the whole truth of the mystery of salvation [see John 12:27 and 18:37]. 

God's love for humanity is so great that when His only begotten Son accepted His will to die for its sake He became so happy and joyful, He was so well pleased. This is also the way to glorify the Father [see John 12: 28ff] for nothing more could glorify the Father than obedience and submission to His will.

Remember what obedience to God produces. Look at the example of Abraham whom God has tested by asking him to offer his son Isaac, the child of God's promise to him to become the father of all nations. He was called the Friend of God because of his obedience. He was also blessed by God because of his obedience that He not only relented from having the child offered to Him but also ensured Abraham's posterity by having a descendant of his, Joseph, to become the poster father of Jesus, God's Son, through whom Abraham had his countless children: the people who became disciples of Jesus and members of the Church He has instituted on earth! 

While the consequence of disobedience is so great take for example what happened to Moses when God instructed him to strike only once the rock at Meribah and Moses did it twice [see Numbers 20:11]: Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land though he had a very special relationship with God who spoke to him "face to face". The sin of Moses is that he did strike the rock twice. [According to one writer, that rock symbolized Jesus Christ. The first strike signified the salvation which Jesus Christ wrought by His death. By striking the rock which is Christ the second time, Moses made the mistake of signifying that Christ's sacrifice was not enough, that another sacrifice had to be offered.] 

But as it is written in Hebrews in comparison to the sacrifices made by the Levitical priests who had to make the sacrifices repeatedly, Jesus did it once and for all [Hebrews 7:27]. No repetition is necessary and no one else had to do it again. It is only through great devotion and zeal for the salvation of souls that holy men and women would sometimes hope that their lives would be an expiation for the sins of others but it is only the sacrifice of God the Son that could and have made God the Father so well pleased because He is the only worthy sacrifice for He alone is the Lamb of God [see Revelation 5:12 and John 1:29].

Now we see why God was so pleased with Jesus Christ our Lord: it is because of His obedience and humble submission to the will of the Father. And the Lord Himself has shown us that example concretely by extending His arms and letting them be nailed into the Cross. The next time we pray the Lord's Prayer, let us remember this especially when we mention that part which says, "Your will be done", and then apply them into our daily lives so that our heavenly Father would be pleased with us too.

The Epiphany of the Lord [2012]

Picture from liturgicalyear.wordpress.com

"and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh." 

- Matthew 2:10

Epiphany means the manifestation or the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Though it has been the Chosen People of God, Israel, who have been waiting for the Messiah, God has also revealed Himself to the Gentiles. The event marked an important moment in the History of Salvation. God is not only the God of Israel anymore, He is also God even of the Gentiles, He is already and truly the God of all nations and through this He has made His promise to Abraham a reality: Abraham would now become the father of all nations [Genesis 17:4] through Jesus Christ whose foster father on earth was Joseph, a descendant of his [see Luke 3: 23-38 and Matthew 1: 1-17]. Israel, could no longer claim exclusivity with regards to being the Chosen People because God has already manifested Himself to all represented by the Three Gentile Wise Men. 

That is why St Peter writes that the members of the Church - we, the Christians - are now the chosen people of God, a royal priesthood, a consecrated people, set apart to proclaim the glory of God [see I Peter 2:9]. The people of Israel is no longer the only people of God but everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ are now His people [see I Peter 2:10].  

God's salvation and friendship has been offered to everyone now [see John 3;16 and 15: 12-17]. He has chosen Israel to prepare a consecrated nation from which He would send the Savior and when the time comes He made the generous act of opening wide the doors of heaven for everyone to enter if they would just believe in Jesus Christ our Lord [see John 3:16]. 

It is true that the offer of salvation and divine friendship has been made for everyone to avail of. But though Jesus Christ our Lord has gained for us the grace to become children of God by His singular act of self-emptying, dying on the Cross, and rising from the dead, the reward of heaven and eternal union with God is not automatic [see the Story of the Rich Young Man/Ruler: Luke 18: 18-23]. One has to freely respond to such invitation the same way that if invited to a wedding feast, one may or may not attend. However, if one refuses to come to the feast, he may not taste of the food prepared for the occasion [see Matthew 22: 1-14]. Just like heaven, if one rejects the offer of salvation and divine friendship, he will never be able to join the banquet prepared by God for those who accept His friendship for all eternity.

God has already opened the doors of heaven for all to enter through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is no other way to gain access to heaven and eternal life [see Acts 4:12 and John 14:6]. Jesus said He is the way, maybe we could also say He is the password. Unless we know the password, we can never access our life with God. hackers beware because of all passwords it is only the Lord who cannot be hacked. You might just find yourself spending your eternity with the Evil One who tried to become the first "hacker" thinking he could defeat God and God's loyal angels during the very first rebellion - the rebellion of the angels.

It is by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord [Acts 16:31] and obeying His command to love one another [see John 15: 12-17] that we can be assured of enjoying our eternity with the Father . Unless we believe in Him and obey His command we shall never be with Him for all eternity [see Matthew 25: 31-46]. 

Friends, God has already given us the opportunity to be with Him forever. Let us not waste the chance or we might miss it for all eternity!