26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores.

Lk 16:19-31

EXEGESIS

The rich man was called ‘Dives’. He was really rich because: (1) his clothing was expensive. They say that the purple dye used to color his cloth was expensive as well as the material for the cloth. (2) His meals everyday was like a feast.

Lazarus was poor and handicapped. He was probably a beggar. The Italian translation says he is a ‘mendicante’. We know he is disabled because the gospel says he is lying (not sitting) at the door of Lazarus’ house. He was probably always hungry because he was ready to eat whatever fell from the table of Dives. Dives was probably eating in the Roman way. Romans would throw whatever they did not eat under the table. Slaves would come and sweep them away. Two other details serve to show how miserable Lazarus was, were the dogs that came to lick the sores. The sight of him with sores all over his body was revolting. The dogs together with pigs were considered animals of the lowest kind.

Next comes a description of heaven and hell. Dives is suffering and Lazarus is now in comfort. How is Dives suffering? He is thirsty. He is burning in hell. Lazarus is in the bosom of Abraham. It’s like John leaning against the chest of Jesus at the Last Supper. Heaven is up and hell is down and between them is a chasm.

Dives asks Abraham to send Lazarus and warn his five brothers. But Abraham says that if they do not heed the teachings of Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Bible, they would not be converted even if Lazarus himself were to come and warn them. Is this true? Jesus rose from the dead and the majority of the Jews did not believe in him.

PROBLEM

Did Dives go to hell just because he was rich?

Remember that Jesus used parables in order to call his hearers to conversion.

The gospel of this Sunday and the gospel of last Sunday are taken from the same chapter, chapter 16 of St. Luke. The key to understanding the parable of this Sunday is found in last Sunday’s gospel. And it is this: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

This requires some explaining. Dishonest wealth according to the New American Bible is how they translated the phrase "mammon of iniquity." Mammon means "that in which one trusts." When one is wealthy there is a tendency to trust not in God but in money. Why is wealth is called mammon of iniquity or dishonest wealth? Because of the tendency of money to lead one to dishonesty.

What was the advice of Jesus? Use wealth to do good. When you die, you will be welcomed to the eternal dwellings, that is, heaven.

Now we have the answer to the question: “Did Dives go to hell just because he was rich?” He went to hell not because he was rich but because he closed his heart to Lazarus who was just outside his house.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

Lk 16:1-13

EXEGESIS

Jesus did not praise the steward for his dishonesty. He commended the steward for his prudence, for his astuteness for being smart (maabilidad; magaling.).

In one of the CEAP (Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines) conventions, the speaker spoke about the kind of Christians we need today in our country. He said that what we need are Catholics who are not only mabait (good) but also magaling (smart; astute).

If we only have people who are magaling but not mabait, what do you get? Criminals. If you go to San Francisco, one of the tourist attractions is Alcatraz. It used to be the prison for high-profile criminals. Do you know that the criminals there had high IQ’s? Those criminals are magaling but not mabait.

If we only have people who are mabait but not magaling, what do you get? People who are good and poor. If you are good, you will be hard working. But if you are not magaling, you will remain poor. I do not know if Bill Gates is mabait. But he certainly is magaling.

I will not speak about being mabait not because it is not important but because we always hear about that. I will focus on being magaling.

MAGALING

Good education + high EQ + well-developed multiple intelligence = magaling na tao

Good education

You need a good education to succeed. You need to go to a school where you will learn. When I was principal, I made it a point to include in the faculty handbook a rule about the school where the teachers can get their MA. Why? Because I discovered that some of them were going to a graduate school that you never heard of. Will I trust that school? Of course, not. Parents must, therefore, check whether their children are learning. My mother transferred my brother to another school when she discovered that he was not learning how to read there.

High EQ

I did not say high IQ. IQ means intelligence quotient. EQ means emotional intelligence. A study showed that people with high EQ are more likely to succeed than those who have merely high IQ. Let me just mention one quality of a person with a high EQ, the capacity for delayed gratification.

Delayed gratification means that a person is able to set aside what is easy and comfortable and do hard work. I read the story of a college student who got addicted to Ragnarok. He would cut classes just to go to an internet café. Instead of buying books, he would use to money to play Ragnarok. Do you think this college student will ever even finish college? Do you even think he will ever even want to work? Parents must, therefore, train their children to work hard. How? Give them responsibilities. Make sure that the responsibilities are adapted to their age. Taking out the garbage; washing the dishes; setting up the table; cleaning the house; tutoring the younger siblings are some of the responsibilities. Today we call the ability to delay gratification in order to do hard work work ethic.

I have a cousin who has been living in the States for many years. She has two jobs. One full-time. Another part-time. I have heard of some kababayans who are even taking on three jobs. I don’t know how they do it but they do.

There is one danger facing parents who started out with great difficulty. They don’t want their children to go through the same experience. What is the danger? They make life easy for their children. Why is that so bad? Because if you pamper your children, they will not develop work ethic. How will they ever succeed without work ethic?

And by the way, St. Paul said that he who does not work should not eat. In other words, St. Paul expected work ethic from Christians.

Well-developed multiple intelligence

Howard Gardner of Harvard University discovered that we possess many intelligences, not just one. In fact, at present he has already discovered eight. What is the implication of his discovery? That valedictorians and salutatorians are not the only intelligent people in the planet. That even if you do not have a high IQ (but not low IQ either), you can succeed in life. Ryan Cayabyab (musician) has a high intelligence in music. Manny Pacquiao (boxing champion) has a high body-kinesthetic intelligence. J.K. Rawlings (Harry Potter) has a high linguistic intelligence. Steve Irwin (Animal Planet) has a high naturalist intelligence. In other words, you might not be good in math and science but you can still succeed in life because your intelligence might be in other areas of life.

God gave everyone some gift or talent. You must be good at something. Find out what it is. Develop it. Use it. It’s never too late. Grandma Moses is a renowned American artist. She discovered her ability to paint late in life, when she was already a grandmother. That is why she is called Grandma Moses. For parents, it means that you must encourage and support your children to try out as many things as they are growing up so that they and you can discover together what talents and abilities God has given to them.

Good education + high EQ + well-developed multiple intelligence = magaling na tao

CONCLUSION

You might have noticed that I have talked things that are not ‘religious’. And you might have asked yourself if what you have heard is spiritually enriching.

Let me say that God is the God of our whole life. He is our God inside the church and outside the church. In other words, we need to hear things about how to live our life outside the church. Why is that? Because our life is God’s gift to us. And what we make out of that life is our gift to God.

Hopefully, the things I have said will help us make of our life a beautiful gift to God.

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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.

Lk 15: 1-32

EXEGESIS

Telling parables is the favorite teaching method of Jesus. A parable is a story which challenges the hearers to change.

In today’s gospel there are three parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. The lost son is popularly called the parable of the prodigal son.

What did Jesus see in the Scribes and Pharisees that need changing? First, they had no concern for sinners. They did not want to have to do anything with sinners. Second, they were self-righteous. They saw themselves as good people needing no conversion.

In the parable of the prodigal son, the eldest son was the scribes and Pharisees. In the parable of the lost sheep, why did Jesus say that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance? Because the 99 righteous people were self-righteous people like the scribes and Pharisees. In other words, why would God be happy with people who thought of themselves so highly as to think conversion is for others and not for themselves?

LESSON 1: HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH DIFFICULT CHILDREN OR ANY DIFFICULT PERSON FOR THAT MATTER?

St. Augustine was not born a saint. In fact, he led an immoral life and had even a son out of marriage. St. Monica prayed for him for many years. When was Augustine converted? When he was already 32 years old. Pray without discouragement.

St. John Bosco counseled the same thing about pupils. One day a Salesian went to Don Bosco about a pupil who was often misbehaving in class. Don Bosco replied with a question: “But have you been praying for your pupil? Pray for those who are giving you troublesome.

Strategy no. 1 – pray for the problematic person.

Again talking about young people, St. John Bosco said that in every young person there is something within him that will enable you to capture his good will. Discover that and you will be able to win him over. Once that is done he will listen to you. If a teacher has a student who does not study his lesson and if this teacher is able to win this student, will not this student listen to his teacher when his teacher encourages him to take his studies seriously?

Strategy no. 2 – Win over the problematic person.

When I was a principal, I had this rule: mean what you say; say what you mean. How did I implement it? I told the teachers not to allow the class to enter the classroom after the second bell unless they are quiet. And if they become noisy upon entering the class, the class should go out again. They should follow this rule always. I was teaching religion to 4 senior classes. There was a time that I had to ask one class to go out of the classroom three times because some of them started talking upon entering the classroom. I meant what I said and said what I meant and that’s why there was discipline.

Strategy no. 3 – Have reasonable rules. Consistently apply the reasonable rules. Apply reasonable punishment when rules are broken. In America they call this tough love.

LESSON 2: GOD IS GOOD

While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

Perhaps ever his son left the house, the father would look outside the window every day in the hope that on that day his son would return home. The son might not be at home. But he was always in his father’s heart.

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ What was the father’s response? But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

This means that the father was taking him back as his son not as his servant. Servants wore no sandals. The robe but especially the ring signified his dignity as son.

Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast.

Why a feast? “In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

When the eldest son arrived and asked what all the noise was about, he was told that his younger brother had returned. His father was giving a party to celebrate his younger brother’s return.

What was the reaction of the elder brother? He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house.

What did the father do? His father came out and pleaded with him.

What I’d like to point out is what the father did for both his sons. For the younger son the father went out of the house to welcome him. For the eldest son, the father also went out of the house to plead with him to join the celebration. Why did the father behave this way? Because he loved both his sons and wanted both of them to be with him.

The parable does not say whether the elder son finally went inside the house with his father or not. And I think I know the reason why. Remember that Jesus addressed his parables to his listeners. At this moment we are his listeners. Jesus left the parable hanging because he wants us to be the ones to provide the ending. In other words, Jesus is asking us: "Will you harden your heart and remain outside? Or will you finally say yes to God?"

The ending is ours to provide. What ending will you provide?

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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?

Lk 14:25-33

THE CROSS

The cross was a form capital punishment. It was a painful way to die. It was said that sometimes they had to cut off the tongue of crucified people in order to silence them. It was considered so degrading that death by crucifixion was forbidden for a Roman citizen.

Crucifixion was something that the audience of Jesus was familiar with. Josephus, the Jewish historian reports:

Following the death of Herod in 4 B.C.E. there were outbreaks of revolt throughout Judea. Varus, the Roman legate of Syria took two legions and brutally pacified the country, particularly in Galilee. “Upon this, Varus sent a part of his army into the country, to seek out those that had been the authors of the revolt; and when they were discovered, he punished some of them that were most guilty, and some he dismissed: now the number of those that were crucified on this account were two thousand.”

LESSON: COUNTING THE COST

About three years ago I joined an educational tour to Thailand and Singapore. We went to see secondary schools and universities. We also visited places of cultural interest. We were green with envy at a Marist-run school in Singapore. Because it enjoyed government support, the facilities were simply fantastic. I particularly admired their computer labs. We planned for another educational tour in three years’ time. But when the exchange rate dropped to 60 to a dollar, we abandoned the idea altogether. We counted the cost and we decided that many would not be able to afford it.

About ten years ago, the World Youth Day was to be celebrated. The seminarians in our seminary were allowed to go if they want to. A seminarian decided to join this celebration. But the problem was money. He counted the cost. The problem was the money. Where would he get it? His parents couldn’t afford it. Did he give up? No. He thought of ways to raise the money. One of the things he did was to go to our religious communities and seek financial support. He succeeded in raising the required amount and joined the World Youth Day. He counted the cost and found out he couldn’t afford it. But he did not give up. He undertook several fund raising activities and was able to meet the cost.

Counting the cost and meeting the cost is not just about money.

It is taking important things in life serously. Take marriage, for example. I used to hear the old folks say thing about marriage: “It’s not like eating a handful of rice and when you find out it’s hot you, vomit it out of your mouth.” Marriage is something important and because it is important you take it seriously.

Let’s count the cost of marriage.

Can you give up your freedom and independence? When you are single, you base your decision on how that decision will affect you. When you are married and have a family, you’ll have to take into consideration how your decisions and actions will affect your spouse and children. We had a driver who used to drive to the point of recklessness at times. But when he got married and had children, he became more careful. He explained that he still had children to raise.

Pinagsawaan mo na ba ang iyong pagka-binata o pagka-dalaga? When you are young and single, you can spend many hours with your barkada. But when you are married, you can’t be with your barkada as often and as long as you like. I remember a young mother carrying her sick child to a basketball league. She was looking for her husband. And rightly so. He was already a father. His child was very sick. His place was not among his barkada enjoying a basketball competition. His place was with his child. He should probably have already brought his child to the hospital.

Like marriage, religious life and priesthood is important and because it is important you take it seriously. Let’s count the cost of priesthood and religious life.

When I was in fourth grade I remember I and my friend talking about what we would want to become when we grew up. I don’t remember anymore what he said. But I distinctly remember answering that I wanted to become a priest or an astronomer. I was fascinated by the stars and the galaxies. I still am. Becoming a priest meant giving up that dream of becoming an astronomer. Someone may say becoming an astronomer is just a child’s dream. It’s never meant to become a reality. Still, becoming a priest meant giving up other possibilities in life, including astronomy. I counted the cost. I willingly paid the price. I have become a priest. I still am and hope to remain one until my death.

The Christian life of a layman and a laywoman is important, too. And because it is important you have to take it seriously. Let’s count the cost of living one’s faith today.

One of the items that Filipinos abroad spend much on is phone bills. This is easy to understand. As a people our happiness does not lie on material things. Our happiness lies in the midst of our family and friends. Family and friends are important. That is why we feel the need of keeping in touch with our family and friends. And that is why we are willing to spend so much money on overseas telephone calls and text messages.

If God is important to us, then we need to keep in touch with him. If God is important to us, then we are willing to pay the price of keeping in touch. What is the price of keeping in touch?

First, are you willing to give your time to God in prayer? I am not only talking about giving time to Sunday Mass. I am talking about dedicating some time to prayer. And by prayer, I do not primarily mean asking God for our needs. I am talking about sharing what is in your heart and what is in your mind with him. And regarding time, I am talking about 10 minutes a day.

Second, are you willing to buy a bible or at least the New Testament and then during your daily prayer time, spend 5 minutes in reading God’s word and then the next 5 minutes to talking to God?

The cost of living one’s faith today is not limited to giving time to prayer. There are many more things. But if we are unable to give just 10 minutes of our time to read his Word and to pray to him, will we be able to do other things for him which are more difficult?


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.

Lk 14:1, 7-14

PARABLES

Parables are stories with a lesson. Jesus loved to tell parables. They are his favorite teaching technique. The target of parables is the audience. Through the parable Jesus challenges the audience to examine their behavior, their beliefs and their attitudes. In this particular instance, Jesus points out to his audience their obsession with taking the places of honor and invites them to do away with that obsession.

PHARISEE

Jesus had become a celebrity. And people want celebrities in their parties. Celebrities are also objects of attention. But in the case of Jesus the reason why they watched him closely was to be able to catch him do or say something that they could use against him.

HYPERBOLE

Jesus also uses hyperbole as a teaching methodology. A hyperbole is an exaggeration used to drive home a point or teach a lesson. For example, a boy broke the mother’s favorite vase. The mother tells the boy: “I’ve told you a million times not to touch that vase.” Million times is a hyperbole, an exaggeration. The point is that the boy has been told many times not to touch the vase.

The teaching of Jesus, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter heaven blind in one eye than to go to hell with both eyes” is a hyperbole. The point of Jesus is that no sacrifice is too great if it will help you go to heaven.

What is the point of Jesus when he said: “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”? Use your money to do something good for those in need and are not in a position to do something in return. God will not forget that. It will not go unrewarded.

EATING - KAINAN AT HANDAAN

My reflection this Sunday takes its inspiration from eating. I will cite the different occasions when we eat and draw some reminders from them.

Wedding reception

The wedding reception is a time of joy. The newly married couple are with their families, relatives and friends. But will the joy last? Will the marriage last?

I have read the following pieces of advice which I give to those I prepare for marriage.
• Don’t marry someone you can’t live without. Marry someone you can live with.
• The wedding is not the end. It is the beginning of another chapter when the couple learns how to be a good husband and wife and how to be good parents.
• Unity candle. Every wedding anniversary light the unity candle and renew your marriage vows before God. At difficult times light the unity candle and pray to God for assistance.

Passing the board

I keep a blog at blogspot and multiply. One of my contacts wrote that his kuya passed the board exams for nurses. That, he said, calls for a celebration.

I remember my aunt preparing for her board exams as a CPA. She would go to Baclaran every Wednesday and study for weeks. She passed the board. Later she went back to Baclaran for a thanksgiving Mass.

Do we remember to say thank you to God for answered prayers? Do we say thank you to one another? In Italian and Pilipino, it just takes one word: grazie or salamat. Or even just two letters, TY.

Birthday

I was scanning the pictures in my album. I came across my birthday pictures when I was perhaps 2 or 3 years old. One of the pictures was of me blowing the candles. I love birthdays because of the food, the gifts and the guests.

I learned about a different way of celebrating a birthday. The parents organized their son’s birthday celebration among orphans. An executive of Pru Life celebrated her 40th birthday by offering to pay for the board and lodging of a seminarian. You celebrate your life by sharing the blessings of life.

A beautiful custom that should not be forgotten is to go for Mass. It is a way of saying thank you to God for the year that was and also of asking for his blessing for the year that will be.

Christmas and New Year

I will never forget the Noche Buena and the Media Noche. My favourite food were the halaya, castanas, Chinese ham, imbutido and puchero. But what is it that makes the Noche Buena and Media Noche important? Not the food. It is the presence of the ones you love. I think that is the reason why I have heard that when Christmas comes men in Saudi would cry. They miss their loved ones.

Regarding family relationships, St. John Bosco reminds parents that it is not enough for you to love your children. They must feel that you love them.

The economic situation in the country has forced 8 million Filipinos out of the country. The remittances of overseas Filipinos have kept our country afloat. But the price has been too steep. Marriages have failed. Children have become problematic at home and at school. The problem is complicated. There are no easy answers. But something must be done.

Outing

One of the things we do during summer is to go for an outing. Summer is the peak season for beach resorts and swimming pools. And when there’s an outing, there will always be food, lots of food. We eat on the way. We eat upon arrival. We eat on the way back. Swimming and eating make up the fun.

To be happy and to have fun is important. Happy people live longer. Happy people get well faster. It feels good to be with happy people.

Have you ever seen in some offices the poster of a gorilla with the words, bawal ang nakasimangot? Unhappy people spread gloom in the room.

But happiness is also important for the spiritual life. St. John Bosco used to say, sin and gloom out of my room. He also said, “Jump, run, make noise (that is, have fund). But do not sin.” Two values that he inculcated were joy and optimism.

Why is happiness important for the spiritual life? St. Thomas Aquinas taught that it is very difficult for the devil to take possession of the heart of someone who is happy. How true!

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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.