5th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

They brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.

Mk 1:29-39

Church over the ruins of the house of St. Peter in Capernaum

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.

Simon Peter was a married man.

Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

Her cure was complete. She had no need of rest for fear of a relapse.

When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons

After sunset meant that the Sabbath was over and so they could lawfully carry their sick to Jesus. Carrying was considered work and was forbidden on the Sab-bath.

He cured many who were sick with various diseases.

The use of “many” here is not to be understood as: “He healed many of those who came.” This is an example of semitic speech. Many is to be understood as “He healed the many (or the multitude) who came”.

And he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him

Even if the demons spoke the truth, they would still use the truth for their evil purposes. It is enough to recall that when Satan tempted Eve, he told her the truth that eating the forbidden fruit would make them like God, knowing good and evil.

This is also an example of the so-called messianic secret. Jesus did not want to be publicly recognized as the Messiah for the simple reason that Jesus was the not the Messiah that people thought he was. For example, Jesus was not certainly a political Messiah who would get rid of the Romans.

Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.

Perhaps that was the only time he could be alone and pray.

He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also.”

Jesus was an itinerant preacher.

So he went into their synagogues.

Jesus took the opportunity of Sabbath worship in the synagogue to preach to his countrymen.

THEIR synagogue. This might imply that when Mark wrote his gospel, the break between Christianity and Judaism was complete. Some date the complete break between Judaism and Christianity to be 70 AD at about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem.

In the beginning, however, Christianity was thought to be a sect of Judaism. In fact, it was normal for the Christians to worship in the Temple. “Then he led them (out) as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God (Lk 24: 51-53).

HEALING

What is the significance of the healing that Jesus does?

First, it is a sign that Jesus is truly God and truly man. Only God and only those with human hearts can be moved by the suffering of people.

Second, it is a sign that the conquest of evil by the power of the good has be-gun. When Adam and Eve sinned, they allowed the entry of evil in the world. Sickness and death which are forms of physical evil also entered the world. By curing the sick, Jesus shows himself more powerful over evil, not only over physi-cal evil but especially over sin which is called moral evil.

The 7 Sacraments of the Church were instituted by Christ so that he may be present in a special at important event in a person’s life. Birth is an important event. That’s why we celebrate it every year. There is a sacrament for that—Baptism.

Grave sickness is an important event in a person’s life. It is important in the sense that you can not take grave sickness for granted. There is a sacrament for that—Anointing of the Sick. The Church changed the name from Extreme Unction to Anointing of the Sick to tell Christians that this Sacrament is not only for the dying. It is for those who are gravely ill. The doctor can tell us if the sickness is grave. In that case, Jesus wants to accompany that sick person in his struggle to get well. Or if that sickness is fatal, Jesus wants to accompany him on his journey to the after life. Jesus does not want him to be alone.

The Fifth Commandment is “You shall not murder”. This commandment does not only prohibit taking away another person’s life unjustly. This commandment commands us to take care of our bodies and that includes taking care of our health and taking steps to restore our health if we do get sick.

We commit sin if we do not take care of our health. Excessive use of tobacco and alcohol is unhealthy and sinful. And if there is history of lung cancer in the family, use of tobacco can become even gravely sinful.

We commit sin if we do not take steps to restore our health. It is, therefore, sinful not to obey the reasonable orders of our doctor. For example, we have to take seriously our doctor’s orders about limiting sugar intake or about taking the medicine he prescribed.

Not only do our bodies need healing. Even our memories may need healing. We may have been hurt and we carry the memory of that hurt. Someone said that she was hurt because her father never showed interest in her children, his grand-children. He never asked how they were. And now her father was dead. What can she do?

Psychologists suggest several ways to healing. One is to write a letter. In this case, whenever that particular memory re-surfaces, she can write a letter to her dead father about what she feels. Once she finishes that letter, she burns it. She continues doing this letter writing every time that memory comes up and the hurt remains strong. She can stop writing once the hurt is no longer intense.

I have said that Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament of healing. That is true. But it is not the only sacrament of healing. Confession is also a sacrament of healing. It heals us of sin and its consequences.

For example, it feels good to talk about the mistakes or bad things that other people do. Which do you think people would want to talk about? No. 1: Hoy, kagabi daw nakita sina Joana at Mike sa harap ng simbahan ng Baclaran. (Hey, last night someone said that they saw Joana and Mike in front of the Baclaran church) Or no. 2: Hoy, kagabi daw nakita sina Joana at Mike sa harap ng Victoria Court. (Hey, last night someone said that they saw Joana and Mike in front of Victoria Court. [In the Philippines the name is connected with not so innocent activity.]) Such talk doesn’t do any good neither to the people talked about nor to the people doing the talking.

Confession will not only forgive the sin committed but it will also give the grace in order to overcome that sin. Though one confession may not be enough to eradicate the sin, just as taking an anti-biotic once will not be enough.

Receiving forgiveness from God in confession can be a rewarding experience. One Michael Magone after making his confession to St. John Bosco was moved to tears. He said he felt so happy. And then added: “If my friends in Carmognola were to feel what I am now feeling, they would run to be the first in line to confess to Don [Fr.] Bosco.”

Try it. Who knows? It might do you a lot of good.

4th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (B)

On the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.

Mk 1:21-28

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

Then they came to Capernaum.

It is located on the northern shore of lake Galilee. It is the home of Peter, An-drew, James and John and Matthew, the tax collector.

Jesus made it his headquarter. “When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea” (Mt 4:12).

Jesus expressed great disappointment with the people of Capernaum: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sit-ting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.'" (Lk 10: 13-15).

The site is a ruin today. You can find there a Catholic church built over the ruins of the house of St. Peter.

On the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.

The day of worship for the Jews is Saturday. No sacrifice was offered in the synagogue because only in the Temple in Jerusalem can sacrifice be offered.

The worship at the synagogue consisted of singing, reading of scriptures and teaching.
Since Jesus had become a famous rabbi or teacher, it was not unusual for the leader of the synagogue to invite Jesus to teach when he was present.

The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

When the scribes taught, they would quote famous rabbis to support their teaching. Jesus did not do that. He taught on the strength of his own authority. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and who-ever kills will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna” (Mt 5:21-22).

His teaching was accompanied by works of power. Thus, the reaction of the people: "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the un-clean spirits and they obey him."

I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"

This is not to be interpreted as a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. It was really an attempt of the unclean spirit to ward off the power of Jesus. It was an ancient belief that by knowing the name of an opponent spirit you gain mastery over that spirit. That was why when Jacob asked the name of the angel with whom he wrestled the whole night, the angel refused to tell him his name.

Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!" The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

The New American Bible translates the command of Jesus as “Quiet! “ Liter-ally, Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to “Be muzzled!” Muzzle is defined as a fastening or covering for the mouth of an animal used to prevent eating or biting” The picture that I get here is that Jesus is not merely giving a command to the unclean spirit not to speak. He was muzzling the unclean spirit so that even if the unclean spirit wanted to say something, he would not be able to do so.

Basing themselves on the description of convulsion, some are saying that Je-sus healed the man of epilepsy.

TEACHING

What do we mean by teaching? Who is a teacher?

Once there was an old lady who slowly made her way to the counter to pay for her groceries. She had been retired for some time and had not been feeling well lately. Ahead of her was a young man with long hair, tattoos and pierced ears and lips. The old teacher thought to herself, “What has become of our youth!” When the young man saw her, he politely invited her to go ahead of him.

“Why thank you, young man,” the teacher said in surprise. “Who taught you that?”

“Why you, Mrs. Richards. In second grade. I’m Bob, your student of long ago.”

By teaching we don’t mean teaching a subject but teaching something that has to do with life. A teacher is one who teaches something about life.

Parents

Parents are the first teachers of their children. They teach their children about life. For example, it is you parents who teach your children how to be a husband or a wife, how to be a father or a mother. It is you who teach your children how to raise a family or solve a problem.

Parents also pass on to their children lessons learned from life. These lessons from life are called wisdom. A writer told this story from his childhood. He was with his dad on a train. He adored his dad and thought of him as the wisest man on earth. To his surprise, he saw his dad talking to one of the train engineers. In those days, trains ran on coal and the train engineer was dirty all over with soot. When father and son returned to their seat, he asked his dad why he talked to that man. And his dad told him, “You can always learn something new from anybody.” That was a piece of wisdom father passed on to his son.

Life

All of us still go to school, even if we have already graduated many years ago. This school that all of us still go to is called the school of life. Unless we learn at this school, we are bound to lead unhappy and unproductive lives.

Ophrah shares one of the things she learned in the school of life. She says that there are no failures; there are no mistakes; there are only learning opportunities.

A philosopher learned how to deal with suffering. He says: “First, accept the fact that suffering is part of life. There is no way you can escape suffering. And second, focus on the positive.”

An executive of SM commenting on OFWs returning from Taiwan because of retrenchment said that what they need to do now is to learn another set of skills that will either make them employable or enable them to start a business of their own.

There is another lesson that life can teach us. Someone said: “Forewarned. Forearmed.” That is, if you don’t want the future to catch you flat-footed, you have to prepare for it. For example, if you get sick, are you ready for it? In five years time, your eldest will enter college, are you ready for it?

We can not always predict the future. But there are things that has a high probability of happening. Are we prepared?

Jesus

Jesus was called rabbi. In other words, Jesus was called a teacher. In today’s gospel, we find him teaching in the synagogue. Jesus does not do that anymore. But how can we attend the school of Jesus. How do we get to be taught by him?

1. Buy a bible with footnotes. The New American Bible or The New Jerusa-lem Bible. Read the bible regularly. Study the footnotes.
2. Listen to the readings and homily at Mass.
3. Radio and TV have programs about the Sunday Liturgy. Watch or listen to those programs. (For the Philippines, there is Bisperas sa Veritas every Saturday afternoon on Radio Veritas. For Italy, there is the program of Fr. Cantalamesa on RAI Uno.)
4. You can download the weekly reflection on the reading of the day on your mp3 player. You can find it at Pray as you go (http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/).

Teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin. We need to find a good teacher. But we need to be eager students as well, if we want to get anything from any good teacher. Jesus is there. Life is there. We only need to pay attention to them.

3rd SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (B). CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL

St. Paul is struck by a bright light on his way to Damascus.

The Call of the First Disciples

BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (January 11)

You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.

MK 1:7-11

One mightier than I is coming after me.

The image is of a procession or of a retinue. The first is lower in rank. The last is highest in rank.
The might or power of Jesus is revealed in his fight against Satan. Jesus is go-ing to destroy the kingdom of Satan.

I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.

This is the task of a slave.

I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

The work of salvation begun by Jesus is presented as eschatological (pertain-ing to definite establishment of God’s reign at the end of time) purification or sanctification through the action of the Holy Spirit.

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.

The interest of St. Mark is not in the event of Baptism but in the heavenly revelation that follows. This is the key to understanding the gospel of St. Mark.
Mark does not mention any other witnesses.

On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.

The heavens is being torn open as if it were a piece of cloth. This is the sign of God intervening in the history of man in order to fulfil his promises, in this in-stance, through the sending of the Holy Spirit.

The descent of the Holy Spirit identifies Jesus as the promised Savior.

There is no certainty as to the symbolism of the dove. It probably has no allusion to the dove that Noah released. Others see in the dove the symbol of the love of God coming down on the earth. Hebrew tradition saw in the dove the symbol of Israel. But there is also another Hebrew tradition that saw in the dove the symbol of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters at the creation of the world. If this is the meaning of the dove, then the Baptism of Jesus is to be interpreted as the beginning of the new creation.

You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.

Other translate “with you I am well pleased” as “I am pleased to choose you.”

At the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, the Father recognizes Jesus as his Son.

Beloved Son has two biblical references. The first is the prophecy of Nathan of a royal son in 2 Sm 7:14, “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.”

The second is the Servant of Isaiah. “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, Not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street” (Is 42, 1-2).

STO. NINO (JANUARY 18)

HISTORY

According to accounts, Magellan gave the image to Juana after the natives were baptized. Magellan was later killed while battling Lapu-Lapu and his men in Mactan.

Another Spanish expedition, under the leadership of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, returned to Cebu in 1565.

After pillaging and razing a village, Legazpi’s soldiers found in a house spared in the fire an image of the child Jesus, similar in looks to the made-in-Flanders statue that Legazpi believed was given by Magellan more than 40 years earlier to the wife of the chieftain of Cebu. A church was then ordered built on the spot where the image was found. This church was elevated to the rank of a basilica during the 1965 celebration of the 4th centennial of the Christianization of the Philippines.

SINULOG

The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines. The main festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño. It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.

The festival features some the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry: participants garbed in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. The streets are usually lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a Sinulog sa Kabataan, which is performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the Grand Parade.

Recently, the cultural event has been commercialized as a tourist attraction and instead of traditional street-dancing from locals, Sinulog also came to mean a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is traditionally held in the Cebu City Sports Complex, where most of Cebu’s major provincial events are held.

from http://www.sinulog.ph/index.php/about/

CAUTION

Using the Sto. Nino instead of venerating it.

The statue of the Sto. Nino just like all religious statues and images are meant to remind us of spiritual realities. In this particular case, we are reminded of the fact that God became man. In fact, he was born of the Virgin Mary. He started out as a baby and grew to be a child, then an adolescent and then an adult. And because the statue of the Sto. Nino is a reminder of a spiritual reality, it is to be ven-erated, that is, respected.

But it can happen that instead of respecting it, we use the statue of the Sto. Nino for non-sacred purposes. This happens when we turn the Sto. Nino into a good luck charm, a magnet for raking in money. We display the Sto. Nino in our store not as an expression of our faith but for making our business successful. The Sto. Nino de Cebu becomes the Sto. Nino de la Swerte.

Getting fixated

Babies are attractive creatures. They catch our attention. They call forth in us gentleness and a caring and protecting attitude. They’re just so lovable. Perhaps it is for this reason that it is easy to evoke devotion for the Sto. Nino.

But it might happen that we get fixated with the Sto. Nino. We might forget that this Sto. Nino is Jesus who did not remain a baby but grew in wisdom, age and grace before God and men. In fact, he reached the age of 33.

The Liturgical year begins with Advent. But it does not end with Christmas. The Liturgical year does not end with the baby Jesus in the manager. It continues until his passion, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. And it ends with the feast of Jesus, King of the Universe.

So also our devotion to Jesus should not begin and end with the Child Jesus. It should move on to devotion to Jesus the adult who is Lord and who calls us to be his disciples.

But it is not just our way of looking at Jesus that should grow. More impor-tantly, our faith should also grow.

GROWTH IN FAITH

Compare what you know about your faith 10 years ago to what you know now? Do you know more now than before? If there is not much difference, then you may need to do some reading. Buy a spiritual book. Do you already have a bible? Perhaps it is time to buy one now. And perhaps it is better to buy a bible that has footnotes such as the Jerusalem Bible or the New American Bible. These footnotes are important because they give you additional information.

How do you pray? Is your prayer ONLY about asking God for this and for that? Is your prayer ONLY formula prayers, such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary? Have you already learned different ways of praying? For example, have you already learned to pray by just sitting there in the presence of God without saying anything?

Have you learned to trust God more? When problems come, are you more confident now because you have learned to believe more strongly that God will be with you as you work out those problems?

CONCLUSION

In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, there is the wedding scene. In that scene, they sang this song entitled: “Sunrise, Sunset”. The beginning goes this way:

Tevye: Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play?
Golde: I don't remember growing older. When did they?
Tevye: When did she get to be a beauty? When did he grow to be so tall?
Golde: Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?
Men: Sunrise, sunset (x2), Swiftly flow the days.

It was like yesterday when the bride and the groom were just little kids. And look at them now. All grown up and just married.

Growth is a sign of life. When you no longer grow, you’re dead. So also growth in faith is the sign of a living faith. When your faith no longer grows, it is because your faith may already be dead.

The feast of the Sto. Nino invites us to check on the state of our faith. Is it alive and growing? Or is it stagnating and dying?

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B)

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

Lk 1:26-38

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

The angel Gabriel was sent from God…

The angel Gabriel is traditionally given the rank of an archangel. His name means “my Master is God.” There are two archangels mentioned in the Bible. They are Raphael (God heals) and Michael (Who is like God?). Raphael appears in the Book of Tobit while Michael in the Book of Revelation.

…to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,…
Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he grew up in Nazareth.

…to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David…

There is an allusion here to Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin/young girl shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” The original Hebrew word used may mean a young girl or a virgin. However, the Greek translation of the Hebrew bible called the Septuagint prefers the word ‘virgin’. And it is the Septuagint that Matthew and Luke use. Hence, Luke’s gospel states that the angel Gabriel was sent to a virgin.

Betrothed here is a technical term to mean a situation of a legal marriage con-tract where man and wife do not yet live together. In Galilee it was the last state of an engagement prior to moving in together.

The detail that Joseph is of the house of David is important for it is through Joseph that Jesus becomes part of the house of David and thus, fulfils the proph-ecy that the Messiah would come from David’s house.

“Hail, full of grace!”

Full of grace is also translated as “favored one”.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

This is why Mary is the favored one.

“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”

This response can not be taken as doubt because unlike Zechariah, Mary was not punished.

Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

That God would send his Son is a startling New Testament assertion.

OBEDIENCE TO PARENTS

Obedience is defined as compliance with what is required by authority. It comes from the Latin words “ob” and “audire”. “Ob” means towards. “Audire means “to listen”. Obedience means to listen to what authority is saying in order to carry it out.

When the Fourth Commandment commands: Honor your father and your mother. It commands children to respect, love and obey their parents.

Obedience is about turning off the lights when a child is told by his mom: “Anak, patayin mo ang ilaw sa sala.”

Obedience is about washing the dishes without being told when it is your turn to wash the dishes.

Obedience, however, is above all about carrying out the teaching of your parents. The Panatang Makabayan goes this way:
Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas
Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan
Ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi
Ako'y kanyang kinukupkop at tinutulungan
Upang maging malakas, maligaya at kapakipakinabang
Bilang ganti, diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang
Susundin ko ang mga tuntunin ng aking paaralan
Tutuparin ko ang mga tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan at masunurin sa batas
Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan nang walang pag-iimbot at ng buong katapatan
Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na pilipino
sa isip, sa salita, at sa gawa.

By God’s will children are obliged to obey their parents so that parents can successfully carry out the duty of raising their children to become upright citizens and good Christians. If children do not obey the counsel of their parents, how can parents help their children grow up to become responsible adults and good Christians. This duty is so grave that in the OT punishment for a rebellious son or daughter is death by stoning.

Think about the counsel (payo) that your parents have been giving you during your growing years. Did you ever hear your mom or dad tell you: “Anak, pabayaan mo ang pag-aaral. Wala kang mapapala diyan (Son/daughter, neglect your studies. It won’t help you anyway.).” Or “Anak, siguraduhin mo na sasama ka sa mga masasamang barkada (Son/daughter, make sure you go with bad companions.).” Or “Anak, siguraduhin mo na bago ka makatapos mag-aral ay nakapag-asawa ka na (Son/daughter, make sure that you get married before finishing your studies.).”

The Fourth Commandment is not just about the duty of children towards their children. It is also about the duty of parents to their children. It is not just about the duty of obeying one’s parents. It is also about the grave responsibility of parents to raise their children to become responsible adults and good Christians. Therefore, by word and example parents are to teach their children.

Two other concerns.

I saw a drawing of an old woman confessing to a priest. She said her sin was of disobeying her parents. That made me laugh. Her parents were probably dead already. But even if her parents were still alive, she could not possibly have disobeyed her parents anymore because she was already an adult. She was no longer a minor who still had to be raised by her parents. (However, if one were still living with his parents, you still have to obey them in certain things such as house rules.) Having said that, the duty of respecting and loving one’s parents remain.

The second concern is about punishment. The bible says spare the rod and spoil the child. Years back this was understood as physical punishment. I am not for cruel physical punishment. But if you need to spank your child, don’t carry out the punishment when you are angry. For if you do, you are punishing out of anger and not out of love. My brother-in-law punished his children by having them stand in the corner. Others punish by grounding their children for some time. That is, not allowing them to leave the house for example, on weekends.

When Mary replied, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word”, she was giving her obedience to God. She is giving us an example. By carrying out the Fourth Commandment, we follow the good example of Mary. By obeying the Fourth Commandment, both parents and children like Mary give their obedience to God.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B)

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light.

Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

EXEGESIS

When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?”

In his Gospel John uses the term Jews for those who were hostile to Jesus, particularly the Jewish religious leaders.

Are you Elijah?

According to Malachi and Sirach, the prophet Elijah will return to preach re-pentance for one last time before the final judgment. “Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, Before the day of the LORD comes, the great and terrible day” (Mal 3:23).

“Are you the Prophet?”

The expectation for a prophet at the end time was common. It is probably based on Deuteronomy 18:15. Moses spoke to the people, saying: “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen.”

“There is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”

It was the job of a slave to remove the sandals of his master.

This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

This is not the Bethany where Lazarus, Martha and Mary lived.

NOTE:

The Gospel of John presents Jesus as if he were on trial. Witnesses are called forward to testify on behalf of Jesus. The first witness presented is John the Baptist.

THE DESERT

“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord.’” An alternative reading would be: “I am the voice of one crying out, “In the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord.’”

The desert or wilderness is often mentioned in the Bible.

The Israelites would not enter the Promised Land on account of the discour-aging reports of the spies sent by Joshua to reconnoiter the Land. For their lack of faith and disobedience, God punished them. None of them would enter and occupy the Promised Land. And so they wandered in the desert 40 years.

On the Day of Atonement, a goat was chosen and all the sins of the people were laid on it. Afterwards it was sent to the desert. The desert was the abode of Azazel or Satan.

During the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, those who were faithful to the Jewish religion fled to the desert. “It was reported to the officers and soldiers of the king who were in the City of David, in Jerusalem, that certain men who had flouted the king's order had gone out to the hiding places in the desert” (1Mac 2:31).

After his baptism, Jesus went to the desert and stayed there forty days and forty nights. Within that period, he was tempted by the devil. But he came out victorious.

The monks of old fled the cities and lived in desert in order to find God there. St. Anthony was the most famous among them.

The desert can teach us something about how to prepare for Christmas. While it would be impossible for most of us to go to the desert or to the wilderness, we can in some way re-create the spirit of the desert. And in this way prepare the way of the Lord.

The spirit of the desert consists of three key words: silence, solitude and spiritual combat.

SILENCE

We need interior silence in order to hear God’s voice. Where did Elijah find God? Not in the strong wind. Not in the earthquake. Not in the fire. But in the tiny whispering sound. Where can we hear this whisper of God? In the examination of conscience. In sacred scripture. But n order to hear God’s whisper, we need inte-rior silence. But this interior silence is almost impossible to achieve when there is an overpowering exterior noise. This noise is not necessarily something that the ears perceive. Anything that catches the attention of our senses is noise. Anything that takes away our attention from God during the examination of conscience or during the prayerful reading of the Bible is noise. Using a portable device to pray the day’s scripture reading (see Pray As You God website) will be for many a practical way of creating interior silence even when one is commuting.

SOLITUDE

We need some time to be by ourselves. Solitude is not being lonely. It is not even being “alone”. Solitude is being present to oneself and being present to God. We need solitude so that we may step back and look at ourselves and at our life. We need solitude so that we can get in touch with the deepest desires of our heart. And having taken stock of ourselves, of our lives and of the desires of our hearts, we can bring whatever we have discovered for discussion with God. Who knows? God may tell us what he wants us to do.

SPIRITUAL COMBAT

It was in the desert that Jesus fought his spiritual combat against Satan. It was also in the desert that the monks of old fought their spiritual combat. We don’t need to go to a geographical desert to fight our spiritual battle, for the spiritual battlefield is right in our hearts. It is in our hearts where the battle between good and evil take place. It is in our hearts where the battle for supremacy is going on. Will God be supreme in our hearts? Or will it be the Evil One? It is not difficult to find help in tipping the battle in favor of God. There are three simple but power means: confession, communion and spirit of prayer. Confession exorcises the evil from our heart. Communion gives God possession of our heart. It is not just prayer but spirit of prayer. It means that we must find ways in order to remember God throughout the day. Or in classic terminology, we must find ways in order to lift up our minds and hearts to God throughout the day.

Christmas is not just about remembering what happened in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. It is experiencing for ourselves what happened then. But what exactly did happen in Bethlehem? With the birth of Jesus God is truly with us. God is truly Emmanuel. Through silence, solitude and spiritual combat we hope to give God possession of our hearts. When that happens, is God not truly with us?

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B)

John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Mk 1:1-8

PROPHET, POET, AND PRAGMATIST

St. John the Baptist is the last prophet of the OT. The word prophet reminded me of a classification for certain kinds of persons. The classification was prophet, poet, and pragmatist.

The prophet is someone who is not afraid to speak out. He is not afraid of calling a spade, a spade. He will speak the truth even if it will cost him his head. John the Baptist dared tell Herod that it was not right for him to take the wife of his brother, Philip. He was not afraid to call the religious leaders of Israel, a brood of vipers.

But the prophet does not speak out in order to hurt people. He does not speak out in order to antagonize them. No. He speaks out in order to call people to change and by changing their ways, also change the prevailing situation. The job of the prophet is a thankless job. Who wants to create enemies?

We need prophets during this time of Advent. We need prophets to break the bubble of our pride. We need prophets to make us realize that we are not as good as we think we are. We need prophets to tell us exactly what’s wrong with us.

There may be no one who will willingly be a prophet to us. We may have to ask somebody to play that role. We may need to ask that person to do us a great deed of kindness by opening our eyes and telling us where we need to change.

The poet is someone who sets possibilities before us. He sees the ugliness of the present but tells people that things don’t have to remain that way. He points to a beautiful future that all of us can create together.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a poet. He witnessed, nay he experienced first hand the oppression of black Americans at the hands of white Americans. It was ugly. But he knew in his heart that things don’t have to be that way. He created a dream in his heart and then shared that dream with America. He said: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. “

We need a poet during this time of Advent. We need a poet who can make us see the ugliness of sin in our lives. We need a poet who can persuade us that things don’t have to be that way. We need a poet who can make us see that good is beautiful.

Where do we get a poet to inspire us? Attend the simbang gabi. The homilies may inspire you. Buy an inspirational book. Read the bible. Read the life of a saint. Look around you and get your inspiration from the good example of others. Or you may just have to be a poet to yourself. Use your imagination. Imagine what kind of person you want to be.

The pragmatist is someone who gets things done. He delivers. Things don’t remain in the drawing board. He turns plans into reality.

Lee Kwan Yu is a pragmatist. He turned Singapore into a prosperous city-state. They say that the former Clark Airbase is even bigger than Singapore. Yet 1 Singapore dollar is equivalent to 32 Philippine Peso.

We need to be a pragmatist during this time of Advent. We may want to undertake some changes in our lives. But there is a real danger that our good intentions remain only good intentions. Hanggang salita. Walang gawa. Good intentions are important. They are the first step. Unless you take the first step, you will always remain where you are. But we need more than the first step in order to get somewhere, right?

How do we become a pragmatist? First, decide what behaviour you want to change. Only one behaviour. Not two. For example, I am quick to criticize or scold my children. Second, imagine what new behaviour you want as replacement. For example, I will be on the lookout for a good behaviour of my children and commend them for it. Third, at the end of the day or at the beginning of a new day, check how many times you have been able to practice the new behaviour. And finally, give yourself a Christmas gift if the new behaviour becomes a habit by Epiphany.

St. John the Baptist has been described as “a voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” By December 25, will Jesus Christ find a prepared path into your heart?

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B)

Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming.

Mk 13:33-37

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

The season of Advent is in preparation for Christmas. Because this prepara-tion period consists of a conversion of one’s self to God, the liturgical color is violet. However, unlike Lent the spirit of Advent is festive and joyful.

Advent is made up of four Sundays. The liturgical color of the third Sunday is pink in order to indicate the joy the one feels because Christmas is so near.

In terms of theme, Advent is divided into two parts. The first part is from the first Sunday of Advent until Dec. 15. The theme is the Parousia, that is, the second coming of Christ. The second part is from Dec. 16 until Dec. 24. This time the theme is Christmas. While the first part deals with the second coming of Christ as King, the second part is about the first coming of Christ as a baby in Bethlehem.

For us Filipinos, we take to heart this spiritual preparation for Christmas by celebrating a novena of Masses. Either we go to the dawn Mass or to the evening Mass. Our dawn Masses come by many names: simbang gabi, misa de gallo and misa de Aguinaldo.

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work.

Jesus has ascended to heaven. He entrusts to his Church the work that the Fa-ther has given him to do: preaching the Good News (Gospel).

Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming.

The second coming of Jesus is called the Parousia. When will it happen? No one knows. The early Church thought that Christ would return soon. They ex-pressed their eagerness for his return through this petition: Maranatha! Come, Lord, come! If the cry of Easter is alleluia, the cry of Advent is maranatha!

Now this expectation of Christ’s early return resulted in some problems. Some Christians stopped working. After all, if Christ is coming soon, what’s the use of working. You won’t be able to bring the fruit of your labor out of this world. This prompted St. Paul to write a stern letter. He wrote: “In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food” (2Thess 3: 10-12).

MY PAST, MY PRESENT AND MY FUTURE

We are living in the “End Times”. This refers to the period between the first coming of Christ in Bethlehem and his return in glory at the Parousia. Christ has already come. Christ is still to return. Meanwhile what do I do with the present? Or better yet: “How do I live my present, mindful of my past and also with an eye to the future?” This should make for a much richer life.

We need to heed our past. We should learn from it. Otherwise, we are condemned to repeat our mistakes. In the past, I might have given over to others control over my life. What I do in my life depended on what others think or say instead of what I want to do. I might want to learn how to skate now. But I don’t because others may think I’m too old for that.

While the past is no more, it continues to affect our present. We need to heal our past. I might have felt I was treated unjustly sometime in my past. What can I do about it? I can talk about it with the person who is responsible for that injustice in the hope that I will get a better grasp of what really happened. And if an injustice was really done to me, I might ask and indeed, receive an apology.

Or I might want to look at that past event from an adult’s point of view and come to the realization that my interpretation of the past was wrong. My father might have been absent during important moments in my life because he was working abroad. I might feel hurt by that. But realizing now that he had no choice because he had to send me and my siblings to school, the hurt that I might have been nursing in my heart might turn now into gratitude for the sacrifice that he had to make. For it was not only I who missed him. He as a father also missed me and my siblings.

I also need to keep an eye on the future. What I do now affects my future. Or better yet, what should I do now so that I can create the future that I want? This is called proactive thinking. For instance, I want my children to graduate from this particular university. What should I do now so that this future that I want for my children will come true?

Another example. I am working abroad. I want to return to the Philippines 20 years from now. What should I be doing now so that I will be able to return to the Philippines in the year 2028?

This doesn’t mean that the future will turn out the way I want it. But it means that I take responsibility for my life, for my future. I just don’t allow things to happen.

And another thing. I have no control over the future. Many things can happen between my planning, my doing and the future. I need to entrust my future in the hands of God. In other words, my security is not in my planning but in the providence of God who takes great interest in my welfare.

CHRIST THE KING (A)

When the Son of Man comes in his glory,and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne.

Mt 25:31-46

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne.

The second coming of Christ is called the Parousia. At his second coming, he will come as King. This is in contrast to his first coming. Then he came as a baby of poor parents.

And all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

The second coming is presented as a judgment scene.

About the sheep and goats. One author says that in Palestine sheep and goats share the same pasture because grass was not abundant. But in the evening they had to be separated because goats needed protection from the elements. Moreover the goats were too unruly for comfort on the part of the sheep.

The left has always been associated with evil. In Latin left is translated as ‘sinister’. In English, the word sinister has a dark and evil connotation. In Pilipino, an unfaithful spouse is said to be ‘nangangaliwa’. Its root is ‘kaliwa’ which is translated in English as ‘left’.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

The church’s catechism enumerates seven corporal works of mercy. Six are enumerated here. The seventh which is to bury the dead comes from the book of Tobit.

Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.

Least brothers refer to fellow Christians who were still weak in the faith, per-haps they were new converts. But here least brothers probably refers to any fellow human being who is in need.
Here we find another criterion for judgment: “What did you do for you fellowmen who was in need?” In last Sunday’s gospel, the criterion presented for going to heaven or to hell was: “What did you do with your life?”

DOING SOMETHING FOR ONE OF THE LEAST BROTHERS OF JESUS

The Catholic Church in the Philippines has explicitly made a preferential op-tion for the poor. She does not reject the rich and those who have much in life. But she does make the poor her priority. And in fact, invites them (the rich and those who have much in life) to open their hearts to the poor. By making this preferen-tial Filipino Catholics are in line with today’s gospel.

Go to this blog to find out what a mountaineer in Cebu did for one of his least brothers.

http://pinoyapache.blogspot.com/2008/11/manwel-roble-boy-guide.html

Here’s another true-to-life story of a cyclist (again in Cebu) in the face of not one but three least brothers of Jesus (actually two brothers and a sister).

http://tahimikatboring.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/the-basureros/
http://www.istorya.net/forums/1040071-post1.html

33rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

Mt 25:14-30

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

This parable is connected with the Last Judgment (Mt 6:31ff). What is the reason behind this choice? We are approaching the end of the Liturgical Year. And with the end of the Liturgical Year also comes Advent. The theme at this time of the liturgical year is the Parousia, the second coming of Christ. The Last Judgment takes place at the Parousia.

A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability.

Talent here refers to a unit of money. Five talents would be about $6,600.00.

According to his ability. God is reasonable. He is considerate. He expects from us only what we are capable of. Even in terms of life’s challenges, God will not lead us where his grace can not keep us. In other words, God will not try us beyond our strength.

But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.

Burying in the ground was a way of securing valuables. Remember the Parable of the Buried Treasure? Especially in times of war, people buried their money and then escaped to safety. When the danger was over, they would return and dig up their money. Unfortunately, someone else might find it ahead of the owner. Or it can also happen that the owner dies and so the money lay buried until someone else finds it.

For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

If you cooperate with the grace of God, you will progress in your spiritual life. In the field of business, the one with more money is able to grow his business because he has more capital. With the growth in business, more money comes in.

But if you don’t cooperate, then you will certainly regress. It’s like the palo sebo. If you don’t keep on climbing, the grease on the bamboo pole will certainly make you slide down. If you don’t progress, you’ll regress.

And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

In the bible this is how the evil doers react when they see the just rewarded. Wailing and grinding of teeth expresses anger and sadness.

MAKING SOMETHING OUT OF YOUR LIFE

We are expected to do something with our lives. Another way of putting it would be: “Your life is God’s gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift to God.” In the same vein St. Iraeneus wrote: “The glory of God is a man fully alive.”

At the Last Judgment we would be asked: “What have you done with your life?”

But to be able to make something worthwhile with our lives, we need to get out of our comfort zone. We need to take risks. We need to overcome our fears. Some of our fears are:
- I might fail. Fear of failure.
- It’s too difficult. Fear of paying the price, that is, fear of working hard and making sacrifices.

At the time of Columbus, people thought that the earth was flat. If you took a boat and sailed far enough, your boat would fall off the earth. Columbus did not remain his comfort zone. He did not allow the fears of his contemporaries to pre-vent him from exploring the unknown. And because he left his comfort zone, he discovered the New World.

Many Filipinos leave their country and venture into strange lands in order to give their children a better future. To do that they had to abandon their comfort zone and face the unknown. Our word for that is ‘makipagsapalaran’, which mean taking your chances.

One of the reasons why we are unable to leave our comfort zone is because we are paralyzed by fear of failure. "I might fail because I might not be good enough to face the challenges I will meet out there." But precisely by leaving our comfort zone and taking our chances, we are forced to look at our inner resources in order to meet the challenges out there.

They say if you want to go into business, you must be strong. I know of a teacher who loved teaching. But with her children growing up, she realized she needed more money if she were to be able to send her children to top schools. The only practical option for her was to leave teaching. But teaching was what all she knew. But one day she finally decided to hand in her resignation papers. Then she ventured into business. It was only then that she realized that she had talent for business. And she did well. And she was able to send all her four children to the top universities.

Unless we leave our comfort zone, we will not be able to discover our strengths and yes, even our weaknesses. Unless we leave our comfort zone, we will not be able to achieve something better, something greater.

Our life is God’s gift to us. What we do with our lives is our gift to God. Let’s give great gifts to God.

DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF ST. JOHN LATERAN

Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.

Jn 2:13-22

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

According to the gospel of John, this was the first of the three Passovers of Jesus in Jerusalem. This is consistent with tradition which states that the ministry of Jesus spanned three years.

He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there.

These animals were bought by the pilgrims and offered as sacrifice in the temple.

The presence of money changers is not surprising. First of all, the Passover attracted Jewish pilgrims from the diaspora, that is, Jews living outside the Holy Land. Secondly, the money that they brought (even those living in the Holy Land) had the image of the emperor. The Jewish religion forbade the use of images. For this reason these coins can not be used in the Temple. The money changers were there to change these coins with the “Temple” coins.

Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.

Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father.

His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your house….” Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this.

Recall and remember is not just about memory. In John’s gospel, it has a special meaning. It is the process of becoming aware that in a particular event Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures.

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the cleansing of the Temple occurred at the end of Jesus’ ministry and was the immediate cause of his death. In John’s gospel, it took place at the beginning of his ministry. And it was in the context of Jesus talking about true worshipers. Also, it was the raising of Lazarus from the dead that was the immediate cause of his death in John’s gospel.

“Zeal for your house….” is a quote from Psalm 69. This psalm is called a Messianic psalm. In other words, John by using this psalm is saying that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

“What sign can you show us for doing this?”

John never uses the word ‘miracle’. Instead, he uses the word ‘sign’. In other words, the Jews were asking Jesus to work a miracle in order to show that he had the authority to act the way he did (cleansing of the Temple).

But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.

This illustrates a technique of John’s gospel. Jesus’ words would be misunderstood and this gives the gospel an opportunity to develop and explain further its message.

Other examples where this literary device is used are the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus (being born from above and not being born again) and that between Jesus and the Samaritan woman (Jesus giving the Holy Spirit and not flowing water).

And they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

This statement seems to put the word Scriptures and the word of Jesus on the same level. This is, of course, correct because Jesus is the Word of God. He is God.

THE BASILICA

From Wikipedia

The Basilica of St John Lateran — in Italian, the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano — is the CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ROME AND THE OFFICIAL ECCLESIASTICAL SEAT OF THE BISHOP OF ROME, WHO IS THE POPE. Officially named Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ("Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour"), it is the oldest and ranks first (being the cathedral of Rome) among the four major basilicas of Rome, and holds the title of ecumenical mother church (mother church of the whole inhabited world) among Roman Catholics. The current archpriest of St. John Lateran is Camillo Cardinal Ruini, Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.

An inscription on the façade, Christo Salvatore, dedicates the Lateran as Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, for the cathedrals of all patriarchs are dedicated to Christ himself. As the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, containing the papal throne (Cathedra Romana), it ranks above all other churches in the Roman Catholic Church, even above St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

THE FEAST

From Mobile Gabriel

Every parish celebrates the anniversary of the ceremony in which its parish church was consecrated to God and dedicated to the worship of God. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.

Even though people around the globe associate the pope with the more famous Basilica of St. Peter, his cathedral church as Bishop of Rome is the Basilica of St. John.

This celebration started out as a purely local event but eventually November 9th came to be a celebration of the unity of the church expressed in the pope's ministry.

The church is not buildings; it is people united by the Spirit of God. Paul tells us this in the second reading. Both the Gospel and the first reading attempt to enlarge our vision of the church. Today it is appropriate to reconsider what the church really is and where God is calling each of us to fit into it. Am I listening to this call? Am I striving to avoid hearing it?

ALL SOULS DAY

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.

Jn 6:37-40

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you seen one?

When I was still in the seminary, our Rector recounted this unusual incident. He said it happened in the morning. While he was in his room, preparing to teach, he saw his friend sitting quietly on his bed. And this friend of his was already dead. He said nothing. He soon quietly disappeared. Later our Rector said that he celebrated Mass for the repose of the soul of his friend.

God is merciful. He wants all men to be saved. But we also know that we are sinners. We know we are weak. And therefore, purgatory is a real possibility for us. For this reason we pray for the dead. And today Holy Mother Church invites all of us to pray not just for our beloved dead but for all the dead. Some of them might have been forgotten so that no one prays for them. At least today these forgotten souls will be remembered.

If we are able to help those who are in purgatory, it is because of the communion of saints. Every Sunday we profess our belief in the communion of saints when we recite the creed. What is the communion of saints all about? In simple terms it means that there is a next life and we do not lose our connection with those who have gone to that next life so much so that our prayers can help them leave purgatory and enter heaven.

Once I was asked to bless a house. When I asked why, they said that their mother who had just died was ‘nagpaparamdam’. And so I said to them: “Do you know what are asking me to do? You are asking me to drive your mother away. Why do you want to drive your mother away? Do you hate her?” They replied, “No.” So I said: “Next time she makes her presence felt, talk to her.”

Why are we scared of the dead? Because we watch horror movies and so we think that the dead are as scary as they are presented in those movies. But in fact, those who have seen their beloved dead say that they are not scary at all. And if you did not know they are already dead, you would think they are still alive. A classmate of mine said that when his father died, his father showed himself to a friend who still did not know that he had died. This friend greeted him warmly. It was only later in the day that he was informed that his friend had died.

If the dead show themselves or make their presence felt, it is because God allowed them to do so. It is also because of the communion of saints. We do not lose our connection with those who have died. That is why they can show themselves to us or make their presence felt.

When you lose something, to whom do we pray? St. Anthony. When someone is having a difficult pregnancy or if there is difficulty in conceving a baby, to whom do we pray? St. Dominic Savio. If we are in a hopeless situation, to whom do we pray? St. Jude.

This is another illustration of the communion of saints. It means those who are in heaven can help us. When we pray to the Saints, we are actually asking them to pray for us.

If we can pray to the Saints, we can also pray to our beloved dead. If our beloved dead are already in heaven, then they are saints (with small letter “s”). The only difference between them (saints with small “s”) and the Saints like St. Anthony (Saints with capital “S”) is that the latter were canonized or publicly recognized by the church. But once you are in heaven, being a saint with a small “s” and being a Saint with a big “S” does not really matter. Saint Anthony will not go to our beloved dead and say: “I’m superior to you because I have a big “S” while you only have a small “s”.”

On this commemoration of All Saints, let us pray FOR our beloved dead in case they need our prayers. Let us also pray TO our beloved dead in case they are already in heaven.

30th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (A)

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

Mt 22:34-40

EXPLANATION OF THE READING

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees….

Previous to this encounter with the Pharisees, the Sadducees tried to confound Jesus by putting to him a hypothetical problem. A woman married a man. The man died childless. According to the Levirate law, the man’s brother had to marry the widow so that the family lie of the dead man could be continued. In the end, all seven brothers married the widow. At the resurrection, whose wife will she be? Jesus replied by saying that in the resurrection there will be no marriage.

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

This seems to be genuine question for at the time of Jesus there seemed to have been a concern to systematize the Torah which consisted of 613 precepts. Hillel (a rabbi) reduced them to one: "Do not do what is hateful to you to a fellow human being" (cf. Lev. 19:18) while Simlai (another rabbi) pointed to Amos 5:4, "Seek me and live!"

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."

The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses “with all your heart” instead of “with all you mind”. “Mind” should be understood as referring to thought or to reflection.

The second is like it.

The first and second commandments are similar not identical. They are not identical such that loving one’s neighbour means loving God and vice versa. They are similar because of their nature (both concern love) and of their equal importance (both commandments have to be kept).

An alternative translation would be: “The second is equally important”.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The expression “as yourself” means that we should love our neighbour totally (with all your heart). It is not a recommendation to love ourselves first in order to be able to love our neighbour nor to love them in the same way as we love ourselves.

The originality of the response of Jesus is not in the idea of love of God and of neighbour. For these commandments are found in Lv 19:18 and Dt 6:5, but in the fact that Jesus united them and gave them equal importance and above all in the simplification and concentration of the whole law in these two commandments.

29th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

Mt 22:15-21

EXPLANATION OF THE READING

They (Pharisees) sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians.

The Pharisees saw the occupation of the Romans as punishment from God.
The Herodians were the supporters of Herod Agrippa, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. They favored Roman rule. The gospel of St. Luke seems to indicate that Herod was hostile to Jesus.

Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God.

The way of God is either the way pointed out by God or the way that leads to God.

Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"

There were other indirect taxes that the Jew paid such as toll fee and customs tax. The census tax is a tribute paid by all conquered countries to the Roman empire. All Jews paid the same amount. Only children and the elderly did not pay it. It was a shame to pay the tribute because it was a sign of subjugation to Rome. The zealots forbade their followers from paying the census tax.

The question was a trap. If Jesus said that it was lawful, he would lose credibility with the people because it meant that he was accepting Roman rule which the people detested. If he said it was not lawful, then the Herodians would report him to the Romans for being on the side of the zealots.

Show me the coin that pays the census tax. Then they handed him the Roman coin.

The Roman coin in question was the denarius. It was a silver coin and was the standard daily wage of a labourer.

The fact that they had the coin meant that they were using it and implied the acceptance, although unwillingly, of the advantages of Roman rule.

He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's."

The inscription read "Tiberius Caesar son of the divine Augustus, great high priest."

At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

Jesus seems to say that those who willingly use the coin that is Caesar's should repay him in kind. The answer avoids directly taking sides in the question of the lawfulness of the tax.

Coinage in the ancient world had significant political power. Rulers issued coins with their own image and inscription on them. In a certain sense the coin was regarded as the personal property of the ruler. Where the coin was valid the ruler held political sway over the people. Since the Jews used the Roman currency, Jesus explained that what belonged to Caesar must be given to Caesar.

He also says that the listeners are to be as concerned with how to give to God the things that are God's. They should be more concerned with repaying God with the good deeds that are his due.

27th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.

Mt 21:33-43

EXPLANATION OF THE READING

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard.
The landowner is God; the vineyard, Israel.

When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
These were the prophets God sent to Israel.

But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
Israel would not accept the message of the Prophets.

They seized him (the son of the landowner), threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Jesus was put to death outside the walls of Jerusalem, on Calvary.

He will put those wretched men to a wretched death.
In fact, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70AD and scattered the Jews throughout the world. In fact, it was only after the Second World War when they were able to return to Palestine and re-establish themselves as a nation.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Wikipedia: The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

Some translations use keystone instead of cornerstone. Wikipedia: A keystone is the architectural piece at the crown of a vault or arch and marks its apex, locking the other pieces into position.

Either term underlines the importance of Jesus.

Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.
Christians are now the New People of God in place of Israel.

THE POINT OF THE PARABLE

It is not enough to be baptized a Catholic. One must live as a Catholic. It is not enough to belong to the Catholic Church. One must behave as a good member of the Catholic Church.

Deeds are important. In fact, Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven (Mt 7:21-22).”

THE FRUITS THAT GOD MAY EXPECT FROM OFW'S

STEVE RAY'S OPEN LETTER TO THE FILIPINO CATHOLICS:

We stepped into the church and it was old and a bit dark. Mass had just begun and we sat toward the front. We didn't know what to expect here in Istanbul , Tur-key. I guess we expected it to be a sombre Mass but quiet and sombre it was not - I thought I heard angels joyously singing behind me.

The voices were rich, melodic and beautiful. What I discovered as I spun around to look did not surprise me because I had seen and heard the same thing in other churches around the world. It was not a choir of angels with feathered wings and halos but a group of delightful Filipino Catholics with smiles of delight and joy on their faces as they worshiped God and sang His praises. I had seen this many times before in Rome , in Israel ,in the United States and other countries.

Filipinos have special traits and they are beautifully expressed as I gazed at the happy throng giving thanks to God. What are the special traits which charac-terize these happy people? I will share a few that I have noticed- personal obser-vations- as I have travelled around the world, including visits to the Philippines

FIRST, there is a sense of community, of family. These Filipino Christians did not sit apart from each other in different isles. They sat together, closely. They didn't just sing quietly, mumbling, or simply mouthing the words. No, they raised their voices in harmony together as though they enjoyed the sense of unity and communion among them. They are family even if they are not related.

SECOND, they have an inner peace and joy which is rare in the world today. When most of the world's citizens are worried and fretful, I have found Filipinos to have joy and peace - a deep sense of God's love that over shadows them. They have problems too, and many in the Philippines have less material goods than oth-ers in the world, yet there is still a sense of happy trust in God and love of neighbour.

THIRD, there is a love for God and for his Son Jesus that is almost synony-mous with the word Filipino. There is also something that Filipinos are famous for around the world - their love for the Blessed Mother. Among the many Filipinos I have met, the affectionate title for Mary I always hear from their lips is "Mama Mary." For these gentle folks Mary is not just a theological idea, a historical per-son, or a statue in a church - Mary is the mother of their Lord and their mother as well, their "mama."

The Philippines is a Catholic nation-the only such nation in Asia -and this wonderful country exports missionaries around the world. They are not hired to be missionaries, not official workers of the church. No, they are workers and educa-tors, doctors, nurses and housekeepers that go to other lands and travel to the far reaches of the earth, and everywhere they go they take the joyous gospel of Jesus with them.

They make a sombre Mass joyful when they burst into song. They convict the pagan of sin as they always keep the love of Jesus and the Eucharist central in their lives.

My hope and prayer, while I am here in the Philippines sharing my conver-sion story from Baptist Protestant to Roman Catholic, is that the Filipino people will continue to keep these precious qualities. I pray that they will continue loving their families, loving the Catholic Church, reading the Bible, loving Jesus, His Mother and the Eucharist.

As many other religions and sects try to persuade them to leave the Church, may God give the wisdom to defend the Catholic faith. As the world tempts them to sin and seek only money and fame and power, may God grant them the serenity to always remember that obedience to Christ and love for God is far more impor-tant than all the riches the world can offer.

May the wonderful Filipino people continue to be a light of the Gospel to the whole world!