4th SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

"He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”

Jn 9:1-41

SIN

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned.

1. Every sin will be punished, if not in this world, then in the next.

2. But not every sickness or bad luck is punishment due to sin.

3. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because we live in an imperfect world where things go wrong.

4. Mortal sin merits an eternal and a temporal punishment. The eternal punishment is taken away in confession, but not the temporal punishment. In this world, we can take away temporal punishment through indulgence, sacrifice and good works. In the next world, we have to go through purgatory.

5. Sin does have consequences that flow from it. If I steal, I can go to prison. If I drink too much, I can damage my liver. If I am a liar, I will loose people’s trust.

BLINDNESS

When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

The Blind Man and the Pharisees.

The man was physically blind. Jesus did not only give him physical sight. Je-sus also gave him the eyes of faith so that he was able to see that Jesus was the son of man which also means the Messiah.

The Pharisees could see. But they were spiritually blind. They could not accept Jesus was the Messiah. Why? They had no faith. They were also biased against Jesus. What was their bias? Anyone who does not believe in the strict observance of the Sabbath is not from God. Jesus does not believe in the strict ob-servance of the Sabbath. Therefore, he can not be from God.

All of us have our biases. Examples: If you are poor, it is because you are lazy. If you are rich, it is because you are corrupt. Unless we are aware of our biases, we will be blind to who the other person really is.

Ignorance makes us blind.

Our defects are like a knapsack (zaino). Every body knows about our defects except us. We need fraternal correction to know them.

We needed to tell Europeans living in the Philippines to take a bath regularly and to use deodorant, at least in those days. They were not aware that the climate in the Philippines is different from Europe and therefore, the effect on the body is different.

Many years ago I used to say Sunday Mass somewhere in Paco. I would take a taxi. I used to sit in front and chat with the driver. One night the driver talked about his family. He said he had two children. And I asked kung meron pang susunod. He knew I was a priest. He responded by saying, “Father, hindi na pwede. Nagpatali na si Mrs.” Obviously, he did not know that tubal ligation is moral wrong.

Habit makes us blind.

When something becomes a habit, we are not aware of them anymore. We do them without thinking. What is worse is that they do not bother us anymore. Why? Nasanay na tayo.
I am bothered when I hear someone say: “P****g Ina mo!” For others, bukang-bibig na nila yon.

When we do not listen, we become blind to the point of view of the other person. And because of that we fail to understand.

When we are arguing, what do we usually do? We do not listen to what each other is saying. What we do is we prepare our response. Inihahanda natin ang ating bala. There is a technique that helps resolve arguments. And it is this. First, I will tell the other person what I understood. When that person says that my understanding is correct, only then will I say my response.

Is blindness always bad?

They say that before you get married to someone, you must have both your eyes wide open. After marriage you must close your eyes. It means that you must get to know who you want to marry. That includes his defects. Can you live with his defects? If so, when you marry him, you must now be blind to those defects.

I have met children who complain that their parents only see are their short-comings. Two things are in order here. First, parents must learn to be blind to small things. Let insignificant things pass. Second, learn to praise more and criticize less. Praise gets better results than blame.

CONCLUSION

The JO-HARI window is a diagram that represents the extent of our self-knowledge. It divided into four parts. One part represents things about ourselves that we know but others do not. The second part represents things about ourselves that we do not know but other do know. The third part represents things about ourselves that we and others do not know. And the fourth part represents things about ourselves that we and others know about. What we need to do is to increase the area of self-knowledge and in so doing decrease the area of ignorance about oneself. There is one practice that will decrease ignorance about oneself and in-crease self-knowledge. That practice is the daily examination of conscience. Examination of conscience means taking time in the evening to stop and find out how we have been faithful to God and how we have been unfaithful to him during the day. Becoming aware of how we have been unfaithful to God is the first step in fulfilling the invitation of Ash Wednesday: “Turn away from your sins and believe in the Gospel!”

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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.

3rd Sunday of Lent (A)

“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”

Jn 4:5-42

BIBLICAL

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar. near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

That well was about 2.5 km. from the town. Why would a woman go there in-stead just drawing water from a well in the town? Perhaps, she was an outcast. And perhaps the reason was the number of men she had in her life.

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”

Jews and Samaritans were hostile to each other or at least, avoided each other. The Jews despised the Samaritans because they were of Jewish and pagan descent. They did not preserve the purity of the Jewish religion. They were considered ritually impute. Jews, therefore, would never drink from any vessel that the Samaritans touched.

Moreover, Jesus was a rabbi. No rabbi would be caught talking to a woman in public.

“If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,‘ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Jesus was talking about water of life. But the Samaritan woman misunderstand him. She thought she was talking about flowing water. Flowing water, of course, was better than the stagnant water of a well.

Here we find a literary device employed by John in his gospel. Jesus speaks. He is misunderstood. This misunderstanding permits Jesus to explain his message to his listener.

In Jn 3:3, we have another example of this literary device. Nicodemus misunderstands the words of Jesus: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born anothen.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a person once grown old be born anothen? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?'"

Anothen is a Greek word. It has two meanings. The first is “from above” and the second is “again”. What Jesus said was this: “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” What Nicodemus understood was this: “How can a person once grown old be born again?” That misunderstanding permitted Jesus to explain to Jesus the necessity of being baptized.

The water of life or living water which Jesus spoke of symbolizes the Holy Spirit and his work of recreating us in God’s image and sustaining in us the new life which comes from God.

The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep.

Sir is the translation used for the Greek word “kyrios”. Its literal translation is master or lord. It is the respectful form of address for a human being or for God. In fact, the Greek bible uses the word “kyrios” to translate “Adonai”. Adonai is a substitute for Yahweh. The Jews out of respect will never utter the word “Yahweh”. The would use “Adonai” instead.

Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

The Samaritans erected their own temple on Mt. Gerizim in the 4th century BC in order to rival the temple built by the Jews on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem.
The Jews called Mt. Gerizim, Mt. Ebal.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth.

To worship he Father is to worship him appropriately.

The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one speaking with you.”

Take note that the expectation of the Jews and the Samaritans about the Messiah is different. The Jews expected a Messiah who is a king. The Samaritans expected a prophet like Moses.

“I am he” can also be translated as “I am.” “I am” was how God called himself when he talked to Moses the first time: “God replied, ‘I am who am.’ Then he added, ‘This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you’” (Ex 3:14).

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”

The Samaritan woman became a missionary of Jesus. Through her word many Samaritan believed in Jesus. At the last Supper, Jesus prayed not only for his dis-ciples but also for people like her: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (Jn 17:20).

RECONCILIATION

Samaritan and Jews

They were not on friendly terms. The Jews looked down on them and of course, the Samaritans did not like that. Why did the Jews look down on them? In the year 722 before Christ, the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel. The Israelites of the Northern Kingdom were deported. Only a few remained. The Israelites of the Southern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah was not conquered. The Assyrians brought other peoples into the Northern Kingdom. The Israelites who remained there intermarried with these foreigners. Their descendants were the Samaritans. The result was not only mixed blood but also mixed religion. It was because the Samaritans did not preserve the purity of the Jewish religion that the Jews despised them and did not want any relationship with them.

Jesus did not share the attitude of his fellow Jews towards the Samaritans. In fact, in at least one parable, a Samaritan was the good guy—the parable of the Good Samaritan. When ten lepers asked Jesus to heal them, he healed all of them, including one Samaritan. Why? Because came to reconcile man to God and men to each other.

Elements of Reconciliation

What is needed if we want to be reconciled be it with God or our fellowman?

First, we must be aware that we did something that weakened or damaged our relationship with another.

Sometimes we are not aware of it. We need to be told. If someone hurts you and that person is not aware that he has hurt you, it is wrong for you to say: “Dapat alam niya.” But the point is, hindi nga alam.

On the other hand, we might think that there is nothing to be hurt about. We say, “Balat sibuyas naman siya.” The point is not that you think the other person should not be hurt. The point is that person was hurt. And you are the one who hurt him.

Second, we must apologize.

Sorry is just one word. But it’s not always easy to say it, especially if our pride is so high.

There are also many ways of saying “sorry”. Once upon a time, my superior said something at table that made me angry. The following morning I was surprised to see a note on my door. It contained only one sentence, “I’m sorry for having made you angry last night.”

There’s also another problem. Pride may make it difficult for us to say, “Sorry.” It is also pride which makes it difficult for us to accept the apology. Pride hardens our hearts. If you swallowed your pride and apologized and the other person did not accept your apology, then it is now his problem. You did what you should do. Be at peace.

Third, we must do restitution. Restitution means that we have to do something to fix the consequences of our actions.If I broke the window of a neighbour, it is not enough to say, “I’m sorry.” I must pay for the broken window.

Fourth, we must change the behaviour that weakened or damaged a relationship. This is called conversion. And this is a proof that we are truly sorry. If you are sorry, will you again do that action that hurt someone? If a son or daughter neglects his or her studies and that causes his parents to be angry, he should now study hard so that his parents will not be angry again.

What we have said about reconciling with our fellow human beings, we can also say about our reconciliation with God.

First, I must be aware that I have weakened or damaged my relationship with God by committing sin. And the sin I committed may be against God (first three commandments) or against my fellowman (the next 7 commandments). A nightly examination of conscience is helpful to make me aware if I have committed sin.

Second, I must apologize to God. Confession is the necessary way of apolo-gizing to God when I commit grave sin.

Third, I must do restitution. If I have stolen something, I must return it. If I have tarnished the
reputation of someone by saying negative things about that person, then I must now point out positive things about that person.

And fourth, I must change my attitude and behaviour. If I seldom pray, I must now find time—no matter how short---to pray everyday.

CONCLUSION

When we received the ashes on Ash Wednesday, we heard the words: “Turn away from your sins and believe in the gospel.” What does turn away from sin mean? It means leave our sins behind in order to turn to God. And that is what reconciliation is all about.


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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.

2nd Sunday in Lent (A)

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Mt 17:1-9

BIBLICAL

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain.

If the desert is the home of evil spirits, then the mountain is God’s dwelling place. Mount Tabor is traditionally identified as the mount of transfiguration.

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

These are signs of the divine. On this particular occasion the divinity of Christ shown through his humanity. We find a similar description of Christ in glory in the book of Revelation: “The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest” (Rev 1: 12-16).

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, that is, the Old Testa-ment. They witness to the fact that in Jesus the Old Testament promises are ful-filled.
What were they talking about? Only Luke tells us what it was about: “And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Lk 19: 28-36). They were talking about his Passion.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here.

The Israelites lived in tents during their wandering in the desert. The Jews lived in tents during the Feast of Booths. By suggesting the setting up of tents, is Peter suggesting that they stay on the mountain indefinitely?

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them.

The cloud represented the presence of God. During the wandering in the desert, there was the tent of meeting. When God was present, the tent would be covered with a cloud. When the temple of Jerusalem was dedicated to God, a cloud also came to rest upon it.

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

These are the same words at the Baptism of Jesus with the addition of “listen to him”. In this instance, the three apostles were being told to listen to the prediction made Jesus about his passion, death and resurrection.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

Someone said that if you count the number of times you find the sentence “fear not”, it will total 365. It seems that God has a ready assurance for us each day of the year. And why shouldn’t we be afraid? Because as Jesus himself tells us: “For I am with you”.

LISTEN

A teacher is explaining a topic in class. She catches two students talking to each other. What does she do? She stops explaining, and tells the students: “Listen!” Listen means to pay attention.

When a child gets failing marks, his parents tell him: “Listen. A good education is something we want to give you because we want you to have a bright future.” Listen does not only mean pay attention but also put into practice the coun-sel that is being given to him.

Listen in latin is audire. From this latin word comes the English word, “obedience”.

When the boy Samuel heard his name being called, he went to the high priest Eli and said: “Here I am for you called me.” But Eli did not call him. When that happened three times, Eli understood that it was God was calling Samuel. So he instructed Samuel, “Next time you are called say: ‘Here I am Lord, your servant is listening.’” What does that mean? It means “I am paying attention, Lord, and I am ready to obey.”

The Jews have a very important prayer. In fact, it is the first prayer that a child learns. It is called the “Shema”. It has a concise form which goes this way: “Listen, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The complete Shema, how-ever, is longer and consists of three parts and it is about obeying the command-ments of God. Here again we have the command to listen, that is, to pay attention and be ready to obey the commandments.

When the gospel is read at Mass, we stand. Why? The first reason is as a sign of reverence for Jesus. But there is a second reason and it is to show readiness to put into practice, that is, to obey the teachings of Jesus.

Should we wait for Sunday to pay attention to Jesus in order to know what teachings we have to put into practice? Of course not. During the week we can do it by ourselves. How? There are two ways. The first is using modern technology and the second is the traditional method.

Using modern technology requires an internet connection. I suggest two websites: (a) Pray as you go and (b) Sacred Space. Use google to go those websites. The advantage of “pray as you go” is that you can download it to your mp3 player and pray as you go to work. You can use Sacred Space either with a computer or you can also download it to a mobile device.

If you want to do it the traditional way, then there are four requirements: (a) You must set the time each day; (b) You must have a place conducive to prayer; (c) you must have the bible or at least the New Testament; and (d) You must have a method.

I suggest the use of the method of ‘lectio divina’. There are four traditional steps: Read, meditate, pray and contemplate. But let’s simplify it: read, meditate, pray, and resolve.

Read. Read a short passage. I suggest you start with any of the first three gos-pels. Read that short passage two or three times.

Meditate. What struck you? What is God telling you through that word or phrase that struck you?

Pray. What do you want to tell God about what struck you? What do you want to tell God about what you feel he is telling you?

Resolve. What one thing will you do on that day as a result of your reading, meditating and praying? Your encounter with God must have an effect on your life. Religion is not for church but for life.

The prophet Isaiah said that God’s Word is like the rain or snow that comes down to the earth, making it fertile and fruitful.

I am reminded of a documentary I have seen in the National Geographic Channel. That documentary is about a place where rain falls only for a short period of time each year. Most of the time the place is brown because there are no green plants, not even grass. But when the rain comes, the place does not only become green but also colourful because of the flowers that bloom.

If we open our minds and our hearts to receive God’s Word, then we should not be surprised to see beautiful things happening to us and to our lives. At the very least, we shall be happier and better people.


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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.

1st Sunday of Lent (A)

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Mt 4:1-11

LITURGICAL NOTES

Lent is called Quaresima or Kwaresma because it is 40-day period of prepara-tion for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Maundy Thursday before the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The Sundays of Lent are not included in the 40-day period because Sunday is always a celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. In fact, it can not be a day of penance.

The time from the Lord’s Supper till before the Easter Vigil is called the Easter Triduum.

What are the practices that create the atmosphere of Lent? The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, the liturgical color of violet, the removal of the alleluia and in some places the omission of flowers and of the accompaniment of musical instruments. In addition, we are invited to do the 3 traditional Lenten practices, namely, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

BIBLICAL NOTES

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

It was believed that the desert is the home of the devil. Jesus went to the desert to begin his fight against the forces of evil. This is the reason why the monks of old went to the desert. This is also the reason behind the practice described in the book of Leviticus for the Day of Atonement: “But the goat determined by lot for Azazel he shall set alive before the LORD, so that with it he may make atonement by sending it off to Azazel in the desert” (Lev 16:10). This goat is called the scapegoat.

Why did Matthew relate the temptation of Jesus?

The answer can be found in Hebrews 4:15: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” The answer. First, Jesus is truly a human being like us. Of course, he is also truly God. Second, Jesus can relate to us. He can understand what we are going through.

He fasted for forty days and forty nights.

40 is a favourite biblical number. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. After Jesus rose from the dead, he stayed 40 days more on earth before as-cending into heaven. Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights until he arrived at Mt. Horeb. On the other hand, Moses went without food for 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai. Again this detail shows Jesus to be the new Moses according to St. Matthew’s gospel.

What was the temptation all about?

The devil was trying to make Jesus become a Savior in a way that is different from what the Father wanted. In other words, the devil wanted Jesus to disobey the Father’s will. That was what the devil did to Adam and Eve. He succeeded in making them disobey God.

Was this the last time the devil tried to make Jesus disobey the Father’s will?

No. St. Luke says: “When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.” In other words, the devil returned some other time. Let us see those instances.

“If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”

The next time bread was used to tempt Jesus was when he multiplied bread for the multitude. In John 6:14-15 we read: “When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.” Jesus did not fall into the tempta-tion of becoming a Savior by becoming an earthly king.

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”

The next time Jesus was tempted to make use of a mighty deed was at Calvary. Mark 15:32: “Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Of course, Jesus did not come down from the cross.

TURN TO ME WITH ALL YOUR HEARTS

1. Reconciliation. Magbalik-loob.

Lent is a time for repentance and conversion. But it is more than that. It is a time to heal our relationship with God, to be reconciled with him, magbalik-loob sa kanya. In other words, it is not just behavior-oriented. It is above all God-centered. For example, I am tired when I reach home. So I don’t check anymore if my son has studied his lessons or finished his homework. From now on I will check my son’s student diary. Why am I doing this? Not only because it is wrong for a parent not to supervise his or her son’s education. But also because God wants me to take responsibility for my son’s education.

2. Whole-hearted. Not half-hearted.

Our reconciliation / pagbabalik-loob must be whole-hearted, not half-hearted/ There must be a firm decision to change one’s behaviour and to nurture one’s relationship with God. For example, I will not say: “Starting next month I will work the full hours that I am expected to work.” Instead, I will say: “Starting tomorrow….” For example, in order to remember God ever y day, I will make the sign of the cross when I leave the house and when I return.

3. Your whole heart.

There was an advertisement a long time ago. And it says: “I want one-third of your life.” It’s an advertisement for a mattress. It’s different with God. He is not satisfied with one-third. He wants one whole. 100%.

When God tells us that he wants us to love him with our whole heart, does it mean that since we already love him with 100% of our heart there is nothing left for others? Certainly not. I think that what he means is that he wants a love that comes not from the lips but from the heart. In other words, he wants true love. He also wants us to love others with our whole heart, that is, with true love.

Let me tell you a real story of how true love can sometimes make us do something heroic.

Many, many years ago we were at the Methodist church at Kalaw St. near the Luneta. We were there to bury my cousin. He drowned. They were having an ex-cursion somewhere in Lingayen, I think. My cousin died young. But he died a very meaningful (and if I may say, a Christ-like death).

You see they were playing along the shore of the beach. A huge wave came without them aware of it. And they were carried away from the shore--he, his dad, his twin brother and his cousin. His dad could carry only two boys back to shore. My cousin told his dad to get hold of his cousin. His cousin was an only son. He was conceived and born after many years of medical consultation and interven-tion. And because of that his cousin lived and my cousin drowned.

A boy of 13 or 14 capable of a heroic deed! In the eulogy his mom testified that he had welcomed Christ into his life. And maybe that was why he was able to put into practice the words of Christ: "No greater love a man has than to lay down his life for his friends."

Perhaps we will never be called to give up our lives for another. But we certainly will always be called to use our lives in the service of others. But that will only be possible if we are capable of loving with our whole heart.


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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.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Mt 5:1-12a

BIBLICAL

He went up the mountain.

Remember that St. Matthew wrote his gospel for his fellow Jews. Therefore, it was important for him to show that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and this in two ways. First, that Jesus fulfils the prophecies of the OT. And second, that in Jesus many OT figures are fulfilled. In this particular case, Moses is presented as a figure of Jesus. That is why the detail of the Jesus going up the mountain is important because it recalls Moses going up Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Just as the Ten Commandments guided Israel, so also the Eight Beatitudes will now guide the Christian people.

Blessed are….

In Latin “blessed” is translated as “beatus”. Hence, the word “beatitude”. This discourse of Jesus has been traditionally called the Eight Beatitudes, but there are actually nine. The ninth begins with the words “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you….”

You will find another version of the Eight Beatitudes in the gospel of Luke.

In Greek “blessed” is translated as “macarios”. Hence, we have the name “Macario”.

And after he had sat down.

Sitting down is the traditional posture when a teacher teaches his disciples. Hence, there are times when the Pope is seated when he delivers a sermon.

It is interesting to note that the concept of “professorial chairs” may have come from this idea of sitting down as the posture for teaching.

Poor in spirit

It is interesting to note that while Matthew has “Blessed are the poor in spirit”. Luke has “Blessed are the poor.” Perhaps Matthew wants to stress the fact that being economically poor does not make one automatically blessed. Something more is needed. And this “something more” extends the beatitude to all socio-economic classes.

In the OT the poor in spirit are the “anawim”. They are those who are without ma-terial possessions and so have only God to rely on. Obviously those who are well-off have greater difficulty in acquiring poverty in spirit than those who have nothing.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Who will comfort them? God.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

In the OT, land would mean the Promised Land. But in the NT it would mean the kingdom of God.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.

Righteousness here means conformity to God’s will.

Blessed are the clean of heart.

Clean of heart has sometimes been translated as “single-hearted”, that is, undi-vided heart, that is, faithful.

HAPPINESS

Today’s gospel speaks of happiness. “Blessed are they” can be translated as “Happy are they”.
The United States' Declaration of Independence asserts that all individuals have an unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I think all will agree with this declaration. But it is how we define happiness and how we try to be happy where disagreement occurs. So let’s listen to what some authors say and maybe we can learn something from them.

1. Someone said that happiness is a state of the mind. In other words, we can be happy no matter what happens, provided we have a positive attitude towards life. Listen to this story.

A well-dressed 92-year old lady was being shown to her room in the nursing home. She is legally blind. And she had to move there because her husband of 70 years had died recently. While waiting for the elevator, the staff member started to describe her room. The old lady responded with the enthusiasm of an 8-year-old having been given a new pair of shoes: “I love it." The staff responded: "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room. Just wait." And the old lady replied: "That doesn't have anything to do with it. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged. It's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life.”

Happiness is a state of the mind.

2. You can’t buy happiness. In other words, money does not guarantee happiness. Certainly having enough money helps. But the problem is, we never think that we have enough of it. But would you believe it? Even in extreme poverty, we can find happy people.

A writer recounts this story. “My wife recently met a 43-year-old Filipino named Nestor Castillo, and they started chatting about a proposed government program in the Philippines to give poor people food stamps. Castillo was against it: he didn't believe the politicians and the bureaucrats would be able to pull it off honestly. And yet Casti-llo could use those stamps. Four years ago, he lost his job as a janitor at the Quezon 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."

Money helps. But money alone will not make you happy. You need something more. What could be that something more?

The same author has this to say: “For Filipinos, happiness isn't material—it's so-cial. We're happiest in a group: family, friends, immediate community, even strangers. I've seen it happen in many airports among perfect strangers: as soon as Philippine travellers drift in, they gravitate toward one another and soon form a boisterous crowd, exchanging jokes and mobile-phone numbers.”

If we want to be happy, we need to be connected with family, friends, and nei-ghbors. We need to be with people with whom we feel a connection.

3. What good does happiness bring? Happy people look better than unhappy people. Happy people live longer than unhappy people. Happy people recover from sickness much faster than unhappy people. Happy people enjoy life. Unhappy people suffer through life. You feel good when you are with happy people.

And finally, St. Thomas Aquinas said that it would be very difficult for Satan to take possession of the heart of a happy person. We can put it in another way. Satan will find it easy to take possession of the heart of an unhappy person. It is for this reason that Don Bosco told his boys: “Here holiness consists in being cheerful.”

CONCLUSION

There is no doubt about it. God wants us to be happy. That is why he created heaven for us. But even in this world we can be happy. It doesn’t mean that we shall never experience unhappiness. It does mean that even though we live in an imperfect world, we can be more happy than unhappy. And how do we make that happen? The secret is this: A good person has a greater chance of being happy than a bad person. If you are more unhappy than happy, why don’t you look into your heart? You might find the answer there.




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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.