Ash Wednesday

Harry Potter

Do you remember that scene in the Harry Potter movie Chamber of Secrets where Harry was wounded by the basilisk (giant snake)? He would have died from its poison. What saved him? The tears of the Phoenix

There is also a scene in one of the Harry Potter movies where something interesting happened to the Phoenix in the office of Albus Dumbledore. What happened? The Phoenix burned up. And from its ashes a hatchling appeared.

Phoenix

The Phoenix is a mythological bird that has a long life-span. Some myths put it at 500, 1,461 or 12,594 years. It is a male bird with beautiful gold and red plumage.

At the end of its life-cycle the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises.

The new phoenix embalms the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in Heliopolis, located in Egypt.

The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible.

Ash Wednesday

On Wednesday we will be receiving the ashes. The Phoenix can be a reminder about what Lent is all about.

What happens at the end of the life-cycle of the Phoenix? It burns up and is reduced to ashes. From the ashes arises a new Phoenix

So also from the ashes that we shall receive on Ash Wednesday, there should arise a new self. What is this new self? This new self is one who has turned away from his sins and lives in the grace of God.

Conclusion

Therefore, if you are going to receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday it means you are ready to turn away from your sins and live in the grace of God.

Turn away from your sins in the sacrament of confession. Live in the grace of God by avoiding those occasions where you might be tempted to commit sin.

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
(Mk 2:18-22)

Weddings at the Time of Jesus

Newly-married couples do not go away on a honeymoon. Instead they stay at home and celebrate for a whole week with their friends and relatives. During that time they are treated as if they were a king and a queen. And since they were generally poor, this could be the happiest week of their lives.

As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

Fasting is a sign of sadness. How can the disciples of Jesus be sad when they are in the company of Jesus?

But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

Jesus is being honest with his disciples. It will not always be a time of feasting. Times will be hard. In fact, discipleship will mean martyrdom for many of his disciples.

No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.

It is easy to understand why it is irrational to use a new cloth to patch an old cloth. First, the color will not match. Second, the new cloth will shrink while the old will not. It is not as easy to understand why you can't use old wineskins for new wine.

At that time you don't go around using bottles to store wine. You bring along wine using wineskins. But new wine especially is not stable. It ferments. And in the process of fermentation, gas is generated. As gas builds up, pressure increases. At a certain piont, the old wineskins will give way. And you lose both wine and wineskins.

LESSON

There are two lessons for this Sunday. The first is about happiness. The second is being open to new things.

I want to speak about happiness. But first let me say something about being open to new things. And it is this: You can tell how old you are by the amount of pain you feel in front of something new. There is some truth in it, doesn't it?

Now about happiness.

Alan Robles wrote an article a year ago. He writes for the South China Morning Post and lectures at the International Institute for Journalism in Berlin. He asks: Despite burdens like poverty and pollution, Filipinos tend to be happy. Why?

For Filipinos, happiness isn't material—it's social. We're happiest in a group: family, friends, immediate community, even strangers.

Four years ago, 43-year-old Nestor Castillo lost his job as a janitor at the City Hall. He and his family are now scavengers, living out of a wooden pushcart. This is Castillo's idea of happiness: "Once I found nearly half a fried chicken wrapped in plastic," he told me. "I knew it was still edible because it was still cold, just came from the refrigerator. We had a feast that day." For Filipinos, happiness isn't a goal: it's a tool for survival.

If you ask me, there's one more reason why we can be happy in the midst of life's difficulties, our faith in God. Someone said: There will be points in your life when you can't handle problems alone. Think about SOMEONE who's more powerful, and who loves you dearly to take care of you. Having faith in GOD will give you hope. And that hope makes happiness possible.

Believe it or not, if you have God in your life, you can be happy.

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mk 2:1-12)

Jesus is savior. He frees us from our sins by offering us forgiveness. That was why he told the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven." But he does more than that. He also gives us the power to win in the struggle not to fall into sin.

STORY

Some years ago on a hot summer day in South Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, hot realizing that as he swam towards the middle of the lake an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother, in the house looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer to each other. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.

Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother.

It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was Much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go.!!

LESSON

Jesus is our savior. He wouldn't ever let go. He wouldn't ever abandon us to Satan. Still it is up to us to allow him to save us. It is also up to us not to let go.

Valentine's day

The celebration of Valentine’s day is another example of the secularization and commercialization of the sacred.

February 14, 2006 used to be the memorial of St. Valentine. It might come as a surprise that there is not just one St. Valentine but three. And all of them are martyrs. The first was a priest. The second was a bishop. And the third was martyred with other companions in Africa.

Because of the scant historical data about these three St. Valentines, the memorial of St. Valentine has been replaced with St. Cyril, monk, and St. Methodius, bishop. These two are the apostles of the Slavic people. They are co-patrons of Europe with St. Benedict. And they are brothers.

It might be of interest to know that the Cyrillic alphabet of the Slavs is attributed to St. Cyril.

I have said that February 14 represents the secularization and commercialization of the sacred. In 1998 internet Valentine’s Day sales in the US amounted to $ 311 million. The following year it hit $ 563 million. What has been the memorial of a Saint (or Saints) has become a day for lovers. And in the Philippines, it is a day of fornication and adultery in motels offering special rates for quickie sex (3 hours).

Be that as it may, February 14 is still an occasion for evangelization. Love is an overused, abused and misused word. Today would be an opportunity to speak of true love.

Two anecdotes come to mind. Both involve college students.

One college student told me that he would skip snacks in order to save enough money to be able to bring his girlfriend out on a date. True love knows self-sacrifice.

The second said that he couldn’t bring himself to exploit his girlfriend in his fantasies. True love respects the beloved.

I have memorized a definition (or is it a description?) of love. Love is the power in us that moves us to go out of ourselves, to give of ourselves, for the good of the one we love. The definition doesn't make your heart beat faster. It doesn’t make your head feel light. But it does say something about what true love is.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him. (Mk 1:40-45)

LEPROSY

In the bible the term leprosy is not limited to Hansen's disease but to all skin diseases that are painful, repugnant and often, incurable. These skin diseases are considered a living death.

Leprosy is looked upon not as a disease that needs healing, but as uncleanness that seeks cleansing.

It is also seen as punishment from God.

Lepers are outcasts. They can not enter cities and villages. Those who dare enter are driven away with stones. They carry bells with them and shout "Unclean! Unclean!" to warn people of their presence. They can not be less than ten arms-length from people.

We surely would be shocked at such inhumane treatment. But we must remember that in those days those skin diseases had no known cure and healthy people had to be protected from contracting the disease.
Moreover, in the Old Testament God said: "You must be holy as I am holy." Leprosy mars the outward sign of that holiness. Hence, lepers must be separated from Israel.

A STORY

Carol Archer was sent by Shanti Foundation, an AIDS support group, in order to assist a 31-yr old patient who was dying of the disease. He was alone. When lesions appeared all over his body, family and friends abandoned him.

Carol was helping him make his will and the arrangements for his burial, he began to weep. Carol reached out to him and hugged him. The man wept uncontrollably. After a while, he ragained his composure. The man looked at her and said: "No one has ever dared to touch me for a long time."

LESSON

We may never have the opportunity to hug an AIDS patient. But everyday we do have the opportunity to hug people whom we love.

I read a poster that says: "Have you hugged someone today? I did and it felt great. Four hugs a day are necessary for survival. Eight hugs for maintenance. And twelve for growth."

Husbands and wives, parents and children, when was the last time you hugged each other?

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

JESUS HEALS PETER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW
Mk 1:29-39

Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.”

A Story

Already Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English channel in both directions. Now, at age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.

On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on - hour after hour - while millions watched on national television. Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn't much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had . . . until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out. Still thawing her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, "Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it." It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.

Now back to Jesus.

Jesus was curing people left and right. People were flocking to him in droves. He had become famous. It was probably with great excitement that Peter uttered the words: “Everyone is looking for you.” He and the other disciples were perhaps already imagining a bright for him and for them. Perhaps they expected Jesus to share their excitement. Perhaps they expected Jesus to announce a longer stay in that place to satisfy the crowds.

But the response of Jesus doused their excitement with cold water. “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.”

Jesus kept his eyes on the goal. He did not allow other things to distract him from it--not even the adulation of the crowd. His mission was to preach the Good News to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. It was not to build a following of raving fans.

Heaven

Our goal is heaven. We are just on pilgrimage on earth. It doesn't mean that we shall keep ourselves aloof from earthly concerns. No. It just means that we will not live as if there is no heaven.

The catechism I learned as a child puts it well: Why did God create us? God created us to know, love and serve him in this world and be happy with him in the next.