The Paschal Mystery

The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus
(The Paschal Mystery)

I came across this story which I feel can very well express to us what the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus is all about.

THE BIRDCAGE

There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town.

One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pas-tor Thomas began to speak... "I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, ' What you got there son? ' "

"Just some old birds," came the reply.

"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.

"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."

"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?"

"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."

The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"

"Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing - they ain't even pretty!"

"How much?" the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand.

In a flash, the boy was gone.

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story......

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.

Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and di-vorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"

"And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked.

"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.

"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.

"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you!! You don't want those people!!"

"How much?" He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your tears, and all your blood."

Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.

EPILOG

Take note that the Redemption of men and women meant freedom for us. Freedom from sin (that is, forgiveness) is just one side of the coin. Becoming God's beloved children completes the picture. No longer are we merely his creatures. Redemption if all about a special relationship with God.

The story (known also as salvation history) does not end with the blood and tears of Jesus. It ends as all good stories end. It ends with Jesus coming out on top. He does not remain dead. He comes back to life. And not as he was before (just like Lazarus). He returns to life transformed (that is, resurrected).

PALM SUNDAY (A)

"Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest."

Mt 21:1-11

WELCOME

The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.”

That was how Jerusalem welcomed Jesus. Some days later the mood of Jeru-salem turned ugly. Their cry changed to “crucify him!” But for now Jerusalem was happy to welcomed this Jesus who some said was a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.

There are two events that I remember which come close to this kind of welcome. One was the welcome accorded to Cory (Aquino) during and after the snap elections in 1986. The other was the welcome accorded to Pope John Paul II when he came to the Philippines for the World Youth Day in 1995. In both instances there was excitement. You felt electrified. You couldn’t help but cry out “Cory! Cory! Cory!” or “John Paul II, we love you! John Paul II, we love you!”

If there was a rousing welcome given to Jesus, there was also a subdued welcome given to him. Jesus and his disciples were welcomed by Martha and Mary to their home in Bethany. Mary kept Jesus company while Martha set about preparing something for them to eat. There was no loud noise. Perhaps the only thing you could hear was the voice of Jesus and the sound of pots and pans.

Perhaps this is the kind of welcome that we give to Jesus when we receive him in Holy Communion. It is a quiet welcome, but real and profound nonetheless because it done in faith. It is done reverence. It is done with great love.

We welcome Jesus with faith. We believe that it is Jesus who we receive in Holy Communion. That happens in our mind. But it doesn’t stay in our mind. That act of believing reaches our lips. It is expressed externally. And that is why we say: “Amen.”

We receive Jesus with reverence. What does reverence mean? When Moses approached the burning bush, God told him to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. Removing his sandals was a sign of reverence for the presence of God. Reverence may be understood as respect we show to God. Respect and reverence is an interior attitude. But that interior attitude shows itself in our actions. For those who receive Holy Communion with the hands, reverence for Jesus is shown by the correct way we receive communion with our hands. And perhaps, even by the cleanliness of our hands.

We receive Jesus with love. Again love is something interior. But the love for Jesus that is in our heart makes us behave in certain ways. For example, when you love someone, that someone becomes important to you. And so that person remains in your thoughts. St. Dominic Savio expressed the importance of Jesus by thinking about receiving him even the night before. When you love someone, you want to be with that someone. You want to talk and listen to that someone. In the same way, we express our love for Jesus by paying attention to him in prayer.

VISIT

If there is a welcome, then there must be a visit. Let's also consider God's visit.

At the naming of his son, John the Baptist, Zechariah’s tongue was loosened and he began to praise God with these words: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. For he has visited his people and set them free.”

Another text also speaks of God visiting his people: As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If this day you only knew what makes for peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation"(Lk 19:41-44).

When the Bible says that God visits his people, it means that God enters history and intervenes in life of his people. In the passages above, the coming of Jesus to bring salvation to Israel is understood as God’s visit to his people.

But sometimes God has to visit his people with punishment in order to call them to conversion. At other times sometimes God is said to come and visit his people with a trial that will put their faith to the test.

Consider the case of Job. He lost his material wealth. He lost his children. And he lost his health. Yet he never lost his faith. Job said, “We accept good things from God; and should we not accept evil?" The bible added this observation: “Through all this, Job said nothing sinful.” (Job 2:10)

John’s father died when John was only 2 years old. When he died, he left his wife to care for his mother, and their three young children. Yet on his deathbed, he told his wife to have faith in God.

Sometimes the strong faith of people surprises us. When Mount Pinatubo erupted, the barrio of Cabalantian.in Pampanga was covered with lahar. Many months later, the people who chose to return requested for a Mass. They wanted to thank the Lord for sparing their lives. And these were the people who lost everything. What faith!

God may have visited us recently with a trial. Maybe our faith is not as strong as that of Job or as that of the people of Cabalantian. Let us pray for faith. For faith is a gift that God will certainly give.

"I Believe"

I believe for every drop of rain that falls
A flower grows,
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night
A candle glows,
I believe for everyone who goes astray,
Someone will come to show the way,
I believe, I believe.

I believe above the storm a smallest prayer
Will still be heard,
I believe that someone in the great somewhere
Hears every word,
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,
Or touch a leaf, or see the sky,
Then I know why,
I believe.

Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,
Or touch a leaf, or see the sky,
Then I know why,
I believe.

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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.

5th SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

“Lazarus, come out!”

Jn 11:1-45

BIBLICAL

The gospel of the Third Sunday was about the faith in Jesus of the Samaritan woman and then of the Samaritan town. The gospel of the Fourth Sunday was about the faith of the Blind Man in Jesus. This Sunday is also about the faith in Jesus of Martha and Mary and then of some of the Jews who witnessed the miracle. The Samaritans believed because of what they heard. The Jews in today’s gospel believed because of what they saw.

The Mary mentioned here is not Mary of Magdala (or Mary Magdalene) but Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and of Lazarus.

The difference in personality of Mary and Martha is again shown in this episode. St. John relates that “when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.” Remember the time when Jesus and his disciples visited their home? While Martha was busy preparing the food of them, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus.

Here again we find an example of misunderstanding the words of Jesus. “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died.”

In the gospel of today John reports that Jesus wept. There is only another instance when Jesus wept. That was when he was beheld Jerusalem where he would suffer and die. “As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If this day you only knew what makes for peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation’” (Luke 19:41).

IMPRISONED AND BOUND

He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

I am going to talk about being imprisoned, bound and un-free.

The first thing that comes to mind is the jail. Some are there because of crimes they committed. Some are there for crimes they have wrongly been accused of committing. Thanks to DNA testing some of them have been found innocent and are now free. Indeed, the truth shall set you free.

But there are others who are in jail because their only crime is that they love their country. Aung Sang Suu Kyi of Myanmar has been detained for 12 years already because she has been op-posing the military dictatorship in her country. Do we love our country?

Some people are not in jail but they are un-free. They are addicts. They may be addicted to tobacco, wine, drugs, gambling, pornography, or on-line games.

I was in Milan one Sunday. I was early so the welcoming committee of one brought me to a nearby cafeteria for coffee. There was an electronic slot machine there. I saw a kababayan trying his luck. He was probably 60. When he had used up all his coins, he went around asking his ‘compaesano’ for some coins. My companion whispered: “He’s addicted to that slot machine.”
One parent wrote to me asking for prayers. His son has been cutting classes. He would go to the internet café and play on-line games there. Is he addicted to those on-line games?

Is there a cure to compulsive behavior? What can we do in order to be set free from such a compulsive behavior?

Alcoholics Anonymous has found a way out. They call it a twelve-step pro-gram. The first three steps are as follows: (1) We admitted we were powerless to stop ourselves from drinking. (2) We came to believe that there is a Power greater than ourselves that could set us free. (3) We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.

Habits are hard to break. They are hard to break because they have become part of our lives. We have become used to them. Some habits are good, like brushing your teeth or taking a bath everyday. Some habits are bad, like saying bad words. How do you break that habit? By applying the principle of substitution. That is, say something else. Have you hear someone say: “Darn it”? Or “Anak ng tupa?”

Viktor Frankl was a neurologist, and psychiatrist. He was the founder of Logotherapy, and existential analysis. He was also a holocaust survivor. He wrote a book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” In it he chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method of finding meaning in all forms of existence, even the most sordid ones, and thus a reason to continue living.

I read this book and I remember clearly his insight—the guards may take away everything from you. But there is one thing they can never take away from you. And that is the freedom to choose your attitude towards life and how you will react to life.

You are not happy with your work. You don’t like what you are doing. You have the freedom to choose. You can choose to change your work or to remain in your work. But suppose for one reason or another, you can’t leave that work. There still remains the freedom to choose your attitude towards that work. You can choose to suffer through it. Or you can choose to make the best of it.


“Gusto kong bumaet pero di ko magawa” was an instant hit when it came out in 1994. It reflects what St. Paul said in his letter to the Romans: “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7: 19ff). And that is why Jesus is Savior and Redeemer.

Jesus frees us from sin in confession. Go to confession. Jesus strengthens us against sin in Holy Communion. Receive Holy Communion.

But it is still true that God helps those who help themselves. Nasa Diyos ang awa. Nasa tao ang gawa. So what can we do? (1) Avoid the occasions of sin. (2) Develop self-discipline through the practice of self-denial. How can we say no to temptation if our self-discipline is weak? And (3) in time of temptation, pray to Jesus so that he may help you not to fall into sin.


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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.