EASTER SUNDAY (B)

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.

Jn 20:1-9

Click to go to << Easter Sunday (B) 2012 >>

PALM SUNDAY. PASSION 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

Click to go to << Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday (B) 2009 >>

5TH SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

Jn 12:20-33

Click to go to << 5th Sunday of Lent 2012 >>

Click to go to << 5th Sunday of Lent 2009 >>

Some Greeks said: “We want to see Jesus?” Why? Because they heard he was a wonder-worker and wanted to see him perform a miracle? Because they heard he was a rabbi and wanted him to answer a question?

Do you also wish to see Jesus? Is it because you want to ask him for a favor? Perhaps you are a teacher and is about to take the LET exams at the end of the month. So you are praying to pass that board exams. Is it because there is something you can’t understand and you want him to explain it to you? Perhaps you have a problem child and you want to ask him, “Lord, saan ako nagkamali?” Perhaps you lost a loved one and you want to ask him, “Why did you allow this to happen?” Do you want to see Jesus? Someone may answer, “No.” “Why not?” “Kasi wala naman akong kailangan.” O kaya, “Hindi ako interesado sa kanya.” How about you? Do you want to see Jesus?

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Is it not strange that Jesus calls his passion and death on the cross a glorification? It is a glorification if we keep in mind that his crucifixion was the triumph of love. St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans said: “Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Mahirap mangyaring ialay ninuman ang kanyang buhay alang-alang sa isang taong matuwid, kahit na maaaring may mangahas na gumawa nito alang-alang sa isang taong mabuti. Ngunit ipinadama ng Diyos ang kanyang pag-ibig sa atin nang mamatay si Cristo para sa atin noong tayo'y makasalanan pa.)” (Rom 5:7-8).

Any act of love is a glorification, especially if it is done at a cost of great sacrifice. A crew member who survived the sinking of Princess of the Orient on September 18, 1998 tells this story: “I saw my captain and Judge German Lee still on the listing ship in the process of distributing life jackets to the passengers and then in one huge splash, the ship keeled on its side. It was the last time I saw them.” They could have taken the life jackets for themselves and left the sinking ship. But they did not. Instead, they gave out life jackets to the other passengers and in so doing, sealed their fate. Their death is sad. But it is also a glorification because their death was the triumph of love for their fellow human beings.

The Parable of the Grain of Wheat. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. This is a parable explaining the importance of the death of Jesus on the Cross. His death produced much fruit, the salvation of all. In your life what needs to die? What needs to be buried? Baka kailangan mong ibaon sa limot and mga mapapait na pangyayari sa iyong buhay para maka-move on ka na.

St. Paul writes to the Colossians, “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry and put on the new man/self which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator (ang mga pagnanasang makalaman, ang pakikiapid, kahalayan, mahalay na simbuyo ng damdamin, masasamang nasa, at ang kasakiman na isang uri ng pagsamba sa diyus-diyosan. Isinuot ninyo ang bagong pagkatao na patuloy na nababago at nagiging kalarawan ng Diyos na lumikha sa inyo.)” (Col 3:5.10). One young woman shared this with me. Her younger brother does not have a job. He is not looking for one. So he depends on her for money. She doesn’t have the heart to refuse him. What does he need to put to death? Laziness. What does she need to put to death? Courage to not tolerate his laziness.

“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” This is St. John’s version of the agony in the garden. All three Synoptic Gospels (Mt, Mk and LK) narrate the agony of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. John’s Gospel does not. However, the words of Jesus (I am troubled now…) is his version of the prayer of Jesus in the garden: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39).

Jesus saw the suffering that was going to come upon him: the scourging at the pillar, the three times he would fall under the weight of the cross, the crucifixion and the three hours of agony on the cross. But Jesus did not run away. He faced it manfully. What do you usually do when trials or problems or pain come to you? Are you in the habit of facing them bravely? Or do you run away from them? Some people seek escape in drugs or in alcohol. How do you build up the courage to face and overcome the pain, the sorrow, and the trials that come your way? First, have faith. Believe that you are not alone. Jesus is with you. Remind yourselves often the words of the bible: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” And the answer of Jesus to St. Paul’s prayer, “My grace is enough for you (Ang pagpapala ko ay sapat sa lahat ng pangangailangan mo.)” (2 Cor 12:9). Second, seek support also from those who care about you. It is easier to face pain and problems when you know you are not alone. And you are not alone because God and those who care about you are by your side, supporting you.

4TH SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Jn 3:14-21

Click to go to << 4th Sunday of Lent B 2012 >>

Click to go to << 4th Sunday of Lent B 2009 >>

I shall take up four topics from the Gospel of this 4th Sunday of Lent: 1. The Cross, 2. The Gospel, 3. Hell and 4. Light and Darkness. 

THE CROSS

What is the symbol of Christianity? The cross. Why? Because Jesus died on the cross for us. Why is the death of Jesus on the cross so important to Christianity? Because the death of Jesus on the cross brought us eternal life. What is eternal life? Life that has no end. Is that all? No. More important than life without end, eternal life means the life that is given to a human being at Baptism. What is this life? Baptism gives us a new kind of life, the life of a child of God. God becomes our Father. We become his children. Does this mean that we don’t have to die first in order to gain eternal life? Yes, we don’t have to die to gain eternal life. We can already possess eternal life even while alive on earth. But is there any difference between eternal life on earth and eternal life in heaven? Yes, there is. We will use a mango as a comparison. The mango begins as a small flower. Then it develops into a small mango. As weeks pass, it grows bigger and bigger. Then it slowly turns from green to yellow. And then one day, the mango ripens and is ready to be eaten. Eternal life on earth is like the mango that is developing from a flower to fruit that is turning from green to yellow. Eternal life in heaven is like the mango that has already ripened and is ready to be eaten.

THE GOSPEL

Gospel is the modern English word for the Old English word, Godspell. Godspell and Gospel are the English translation for the Greek ‘euangelion’ which means good news or glad tidings. Someone suggested a more dynamic translation for euangelion, ‘gladdening news’, that is, a news that makes people glad. What is the gospel message that can gladden people? We have it in today’s gospel passage: “God so loved the world that in the fullness of time he sent his only Son so that those who believe in him may not perish but have eternal life.”

Remember the words for the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday? “Turn away from your sins and believe in the gospel.” To believe in the gospel means to accept as true the message that God loves us and wants to save us. And it was for this reason that he sent Jesus, his only Son, to be our Savior.

Have we allowed Jesus to save us? What does it mean to allow Jesus to save us?

Imagine yourself swimming in a pool or at the beach. Supposed you had cramps. You are unable to swim. You begin to sink. You are in danger of drowning. Now Jesus is the lifeguard. He comes to you and offers you his hand. “Take my hand,” he tells you. You grasp his hand and he brings you to safety. You have allowed him to save you.

We allow Jesus to save us when we go to him and surrender to him ALL our sins, big and small. It is in confession that we perform the ritual of surrendering to him our sins.

HELL

Does God send people to hell?

The Gospel this Sunday seems to say that God is not the one who sends people to hell. “Those who do not believe are condemned already.” In other words, our evil deeds which come from unbelief condemn us to hell already.

LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Light and darkness are symbols of good and evil. Now Jesus Christ is the light of the world. We can choose to live in his light. We can also choose to live away from his light and to live in the shadows. That is, we can choose to good or to be bad; to live in the state of grace or to live in sin. The Lenten season is a call to leave the shadows and come into the light. On Ash Wednesday we heard the words, “Turn away from your sins.” To turn away from sin is in fact the same as to leave the shadows and come into the light.

Yesterday, Fr. B came and invited me to join him to exorcise evil spirits from a house. The evil spirits were disturbing a family that was living there. The day before, Fr. B had already exorcised the evil spirit that had possessed a 17-yr. old girl who lived in that house. At first I refused to go because I was afraid that the evil spirit might jump from the house into me. But he assured me that that only happens in the movies. In real life, the evil spirit can not possess a priest because he is protected by the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Priesthood. I asked him why he needed me. He said that he needed the presence of another priest as support against the evil spirits occupying the house. He used blessed oil, holy water and blessed salt and prayers of exorcism to drive away the evil spirits. He told me that evil spirits are fond of occupying bodegas and storerooms that are dirty, in disorder and dark. That was why he instructed the owners to clean up the storeroom and install a bulb.

Take note of what the gospel says: “The light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light.”

This Lenten season let us clean up the house of our soul, let us put in order our consciences and approach Jesus the light of the world in the sacrament of confession.

3RD SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area.

Jn 2: 13-25

Click to go to << 3rd Sunday of Lent 2012 >>

Click to go to << 3rd Sunday of Lent 2009 >>

EXEGESIS

The title of this episode is the “Cleansing of the Temple”. Jesus drove the sellers out of the Temple area. There would have been no problem had they been outside. So the question is: how did the sellers manage to sneak into the Temple area? Probably the temple authorities permitted them. And it is entirely possible that the sellers were paying them for this privilege. And this explains the angry reaction of the Temple authorities. The action of Jesus was an affront to them, to their authority and to their source of income.

The animals that were being sold were sheep, oxen and doves. These were for sacrificial offerings. Only in the Temple were sacrifices offered. The synagogues only had prayer services for the Sabbath.

There were also money changers. The coins in circulation were minted by the Romans. These contained images of the emperor. Consequently, they could not be used in the Temple. The money changers exchanged these coins for coins that had no images in them.

We are used to a Jesus who is kind and gentle. But here for the first time we are confronted by a Jesus who is angry and who uses force!

To capture the full significance of this event, we need to look into what happened before this. The Cleansing of the Temple was preceded by the Miracle at Cana where at the request of Mary, Jesus performed his first sign. There he turned water into wine. In St. John’s gospel, he does not use the word “miracle”. Instead, he used the word “sign”. And this is because the miracles of Jesus are like signs in that they communicate a message. 

Let us compare the Cleansing of the Temple with the Miracle at Cana. At Cana there was faith in Jesus. In the Cleansing of the Temple, there was none. In both places, a sign was given to the people. At Cana, a miracle was performed. In the Temple, a mysterious statement was given. “Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up.” This statement was in response to the challenge of the Temple authorities: “What sign can you show us for doing this?” St. John explained that Jesus was talking about the temple of his body. He was talking about his death and eventual resurrection.

LESSON

1. Church

What can the Cleansing of the Temple teach us about our churches?

Our churches are the house of God. It is reserved for worshiping God. There we celebrate the Sacraments. Therefore, we must exhibit a respectful behavior. When we enter the church, we must make the sign of the cross. If there is holy water, we make the sign of the cross with the holy water. We genuflect or bow towards the Blessed Sacrament.

Jesus cleansed the Temple of sellers. We need to keep our churches clean of dust and dirt. Some churches have writings on the pews. That is vandalism and is disrespectful.

2. Anger

Jesus teaches us that there is such a thing as righteous anger. It is anger you feel in front of something wrong. This is the kind of anger that is NOT sinful. For instance, when I read that 31 Coptic Christians were beheaded by Muslim terrorists in Libya, I felt anger. When one no longer feels angry in the face of evil, it is a bad sign. It means that he has become at home with evil.

There is also such a thing as unrighteous anger. For example, a student is scolded by his mother because he has not been doing his homework. He gets angry and answers back. This is unrighteous anger. It is sinful.

It is also important to examine what we do when we are angry. Sometimes a basketball game or a football match becomes heated. For example, the forward is tackled by the defense, causing both of them to fall to the ground. The forward loses his temper and hits the defense. Not only will the forward receive a red card and thrown out of the game. He also commits sin. 

When I was principal, a student disobeyed me. I told him to return the plastic bowl he used for the morning break. I found that bowl on the table. He did not return it. I got very mad. I felt my ears burning. But Don Bosco said that we should not punish when we are angry. So I told the boy to see me at lunch break. There was a happy ending to that story. Because when he entered my office, the first words that came out of his mouth were: “Father, I’m sorry.” So I replied: “OK. All is forgiven. Enjoy your lunch!”

3. Cleansing

Jesus cleansed the Temple. Lent is a special time of spiritual cleansing.

Some flagellants say that they do what they do because of a vow. It is, however, not uncommon to hear this particular reason: mabawasan ang kasalanan.

We don’t have to join the flagellants to be spiritually cleansed. In fact it is all very easy. Here are three lines of action: Line of action number 1: Make a good confession. Line of action number 2: Do penance in order to strengthen your will power. A strong will power is needed to say “no” to temptation. For example, give up smoking for Lent and give what you save to the poor. A second example, for the entire season of Lent, our viand for supper is only vegetables. And third, every year a young Salesian gives up Facebook during the Lent. And finally, line of action number 3: Replace sins with virtues. If you tend to engage in gossip, replace it at least with silence. Do not add to the gossip. Do not spread the gossip.

CONCLUSION

Last Ash Wednesday we heard the words, “Turn away from your sins!” Our task for Lent is spiritual cleansing. Let us approach Jesus to help us succeed in this spiritual cleansing.