3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

Lk 24:35-48

Some years ago I was with a small group of fellow Filipinos in Padua. We had already visited the Church of St. Anthony and were walking along a nearby park. Suddenly we heard someone shout: “Balot!” We turned around and saw a group of Filipinos smiling at us. (They were seafarers waiting for their ship to leave port.) Only Filipinos understand the meaning of “balot”. Our responding to that word identified us as Filipinos.

When Jesus appeared to his disciples, his appearance had somewhat changed. His body was a glorified body. In order to identify himself, he had to show them the nail marks on his hands and on his feet.

If we were to enumerate the signs that would identify a Christian, what would they be? In general, we could say that a Christian is expected to be Christ-like. What traits makes him most Christ-like. There would probably be many, but let us name only a few of them.

First, Jesus had a strong sense of mission.

Right after Baptism, the Spirit led him to the desert. There Satan tried to make him deviate from the mission the Father had given him. But each time he refused to be led along a different path.

Jesus did not allow popularity to hinder him from his mission as we see in this particular episode. “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. 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" (Mk 1: 36-38).

A Christian knows that God also has a task for him to accomplish in this world. He seeks to discover that mission and then gives himself to carry it out. Two newly-graduated nurses felt that God wanted them to remain in the Philip-pines and work among their kababayans. For this reason, they gave up the possi-bility of working abroad like so many of their classmates.

Second, Jesus was clear about the values that he wanted his followers to live by.

Sometimes these values put him in trouble with the religious authorities. Mark reports this incident regarding the Sabbath. “As he was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?" Jesus refused to stop his disciples from eating. He was clear about his values. He replied to the Pharisees: "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2: 23-27).

Not only did the values of Jesus differ at times from the religious leaders, they also at times differed from what people commonly held. Again in Mark we read: “He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood" (Mk 12: 41-44).

A Christian lives by gospel values, even if at times he or she may appear foolish. A janitor who worked at the Ninoy International Airport returned $2,000.00 forgotten by a departing passenger. His relatives berated him for doing so and even called him “gago”! But he stood his ground and did not regret returning the money.

A PNB bank manager was scrupulous about maintaining her reputation for in-tegrity. Clients would send her expensive gifts at Christmas. She would thank them politely and then donate the gifts as prizes for the Christmas raffle of the employees. In that way she would not be beholden to anyone.

Third, Jesus was firm and courageous.

Jesus called a spade, a spade. He did not mince words. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence” (Mt 23:25).

Jesus was firm and courageous. He had no qualms about using force when the situation demands it. “They came to Jerusalem, and on entering the temple area he began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area” (Mk 11:15-16).

A Christian acts even in the face of possible ridicule. A college student once told me this story. It was the time when the term “betamax” meant pornography. He was in the house of a classmate together with two other classmates. Their classmate inserted a tape on the betamax machine. A pornographic film started to unfold on the screen. He felt uncomfortable. He knew he had to act but at the same time, was afraid of how his classmates will react. But finally, gathering his courage, he suggested that they watch some other film. To his surprise and relief no one objected.

A young woman was not so lucky. She objected to the pornography her two brothers were watching. This resulted in a shouting match.

And finally, Jesus prayed.

We already saw how Jesus made time for prayer. He rose early in the morning just to pray.

A Christian can not be but a person who prays. A college student, following the example of Jesus, wakes up ahead of everyone else so that he could pray in peace and quiet. Others take advantage of the adoration chapels in our parishes. We see them praying there after office hours. Others who are more technically savvy make use of their mp3 players, ipods or smartphones in order to pray on their way to work. They download mp3 files from such sites as “Pray as you go.” Others prefer sacred songs as aids to prayer.

WE have identified four of the many traits that Jesus exemplified in the gospel. These traits are: one, he has a strong sense of mission; two, he lives by gospel values; three, he is firm and courageous; and four, he prays.

As the nail marks on his hands and feet identified Jesus to his disciples, so also these traits identify someone as a Christian before the world.

ADVISORY

I will probably not be able to upload any homily nor reflection for easter sunday and the following sunday as I am away from home base.

Palm Sunday (B)

Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!”

Mk 11:1-10

The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem must have caught the attention of the people for two reasons. One, it was a grand entry. People were almost proclaiming him as the Messiah. Second, the grand welcome accorded him was incongruous with the ass on which he was riding. He should have been riding a horse.

But by riding on an ass, Jesus seemed to be telling the people that he was a not a Messiah who was like a Roman general who would force people into submission. He was a Messiah who would only rule those who would willingly accept him.

This was precisely what the painting “The Light of the World” wanted to say. In that painting Christ is holding a lighted lantern on his left hand while knocking at the door with his right. What is curious about the painting is that the door has no outside handle. It can only be opened from within. Christ does not impose him-self on us. He waits for us to open the door to him.

There are many opportunities by which we can open the door of our lives and welcome Jesus in: in the blessing of our houses and cars, in Holy Communion, in the vicissitudes of life and in what is called the second conversion.

When our houses are blessed, we ask Jesus to come into our homes and be-come part of the family. His presence brings us blessings such as security, health, mutual love, and protection from evil.

When our cars are blessed, we ask Jesus to come and keep us company as we go our way. His presence will keep us safe.

When we receive Communion, we receive Jesus. He comes to us. How do we welcome him? We welcome him with humility. And for this we pray: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you.” We welcome him with love, that is, we receive him not out of habit but with conscious desire. We welcome him with attention, that is, without distraction. And we welcome him with faith. Our “Amen” must be a convinced “Amen”.

And after we have received him, it is but right that we do not leave our guest alone. We have to keep him company. We keep on praying to him, that is, we keep on talking to him.

First Holy Communion is not just one of those Catholic rituals in the life of Catholic child. St. John Bosco believed in its positive influence in later life. He says that we must make sure that it is Jesus who takes possession of the heart of a child. And by preparing him well for First Holy Communion, we make sure that it is Jesus and not the devil who gain entry into his heart. And when that happens, we are almost assured of a good man in later life.

The Old Testament speaks of God visiting his people. And when he does, he brings either punishment or a blessing. The Exodus from Egypt was a great bless-ing for his people while the Exile to Babylon was a great punishment.

When God comes to visit us, we must welcome him with faith. That is, we must believe that his visit will ultimately do us good, even if in the beginning it doesn’t appear that way.

Because of the global financial crisis, many workers are losing their job. A relative of ours in the States is in danger of being laid-off. His wife and kids have been praying hard. One relative have called and told him that if worse comes to worse, he and his family are welcome to stay with them. There have already been two rounds of lay-offs. He has survived both. And he thinks it is because of the prayers of his two young children. Whatever happens, he is sure that God is pre-paring something good for him and his family.

Baptism has been called the first conversion. There is also what is called the second conversion. This happens when a person makes a serious decision to live his Christian faith seriously. This does not only mean doing good and avoiding evil. Most of all this means a more serious relationship with God.

He will no longer treat God as if he were a fire extinguisher. He will not bring God into the picture only when there is a problem. Instead, he will welcome God as a permanent presence in his life.

St. Dominic Savio as a young boy was not afraid of walking some kilometres to school alone because he said that Jesus was with him. In fact, he called Jesus his friend.

St. John Bosco was two years old when his father died. He left his wife with three children and his old and sickly mother. At his death bed, he told his wife to have confidence in God. For Francis Bosco God was not someone up there. He was down here in the midst of people.


God knocks. He wants to come and become a part of our lives. He will not force his way in. He waits. It is up to us to open and let him come in.