Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Holy Spirit will ensure that in the Church there will always continue the same truth which the Apostles heard from their Master. By Pope John Paul II

The Gospel for Sunday, May 1, 2005
Sixth Sunday of Easter
John: 14:15-21

In today's Gospel, Jesus offers us this message of love and peace: "If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him". He goes on to say: "My own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you".

With these words, Jesus indicates once more that love constitutes the very heart of his mission from the Father: he, the Son, comes bringing love.

Love, then, is the most profound truth about God himself, "because God is love".

The love of God is personified in the Holy Spirit: I said in my Encyclical on the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the world: "In the Holy Spirit the intimate life of the Triune God becomes totally gift, an exchange of mutual love between the divine Persons... It is the Holy Spirit who is the personal expression of this self-giving, of this being-love. He is Person-Love".

Love constitutes the very essence of the teaching of Christ, for it is the greatest commandment. Life—the lives of all of us—must be based on love. Saint Paul demonstrates this to us in a practical way in the instructions contained in today's second reading taken from the Letter to the Romans: "Do not let your love be a pretence", he says, "but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other". Genuine human love is a faithful reflection of God's love. Therefore love is characterized by a deep respect for all people, regardless of their race, belief or whatever makes them different from ourselves. Love responds generously to the needs of the poor, and it is marked by compassion for those in sorrow. Love is quick to offer hospitality and is persevering in times of trial. It is always ready to forgive, to hope and to return a blessing for a curse. " Love does not come to an end".

The commandment of love is the very centre of the Gospel.

It is Christ, the only Son of the Father, who teaches us the truth about God who is love. And this teaching of the Son is renewed constantly in the Church and in human hearts by the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the one who, as Jesus promised, "will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you".

This promise of Jesus means not only that in every land and every age the Spirit "will continue to inspire the spreading of the Gospel of salvation but also that he will help people to understand the correct meaning of the content of Christ's message. The Holy Spirit, then, will ensure that in the Church there will always continue the same truth which the Apostles heard from their Master".

It is because of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, that the Church's teaching is one and the same throughout the world... for the same Holy Spirit is at work in our minds and hearts.

Immediately after speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus says to his disciples: "Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you".

Peace is the fruit of love.

Peace is the fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit.

This peace is given—as a gift—in the Paschal Mystery of Christ.

At the same time it is assigned as a task, and it is continually assigned, so that as the Psalm says " justice and peace will embrace" It is assigned to people with differing roles and responsibilities, in the family, the community, society and international life.

Peacemaking is a task that is never finished, but always in progress, always in need of being confirmed and strengthened. We must constantly work for peace.

True peace begins in the mind and heart, in the will and soul of the human person, for it proceeds from genuine love of others. Indeed it is true to say that peace is the product of love, when people consciously decide to improve their relationship with others, to make every effort to overcome divisions and misunderstandings, and if possible even to become friends.

As Christian, we know that we can love other only because God has first loved us. We find inspiration and strength in the words of today's first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, where God says to us: "I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I am constant in my affection for you". The everlasting love of God spurs us on in our efforts at peacemaking.

Peace requires justice, an attitude which recognizes the dignity and a firm commitment to strive to secure and protect the basic human rights of all. Where there is no justice there can be no peace. Peace is possible only where there is a just order that ensures the rights of everyone. World peace is possible only where the international order is just.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I make this appeal to you: build your lives on love. "Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil... Do all you can to live at peace with everyone ".

"Blessed are the peacemakers". These words of our Saviour offer us a promise and a challenge. In faithful response to them, let us build peace!

Chapel on the Hill, Batulao - 2

Chapel on the Hill, Batulao - 1

Pope Benedict XVI

Viva il Papa!

Inspiration

A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones.(Prov 17:22)

Fifth Sunday of Easter

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me."

Jesus was with his disciples at the Last Supper. Something terrible was about to happen. They could feel it. But Jesus reminds them to have faith in God. They are in good hands--in the hands of a good Father.

I am going to prepare a place for you.

Jesus is ascending to his Father in heaven. He will open the gates of heaven. Thus, he descended to the dead to fetch them and bring them home. Of course, time ceases to exist in the after-life. There is no before nor after. There is eternity which means it always "now".

I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.

The Parousia. Jesus will come back at the end of time. The general resurrection will take place. But the transformation is not be limited to us. The whole creation will be re-created.

I am the way and the truth and the life.

Jesus is the way because only through Jesus can we reach heaven. He is the truth because in Jesus we find the answers to the deepest questions of man. He is the life because he gives us a new kind of existence. Not merely human and earthly but spiritual and divine as well. After all we have become children of God.

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

God is spirit. He has no physical form. The Father has no face. But Jesus is true God and true man. In him God has acquired a face. In a real sense he who has seen Jesus has seen God.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

"The sheep hear his voice as he calls his own by name."

In the Old Testament Yahweh and the king were portrayed as shepherd of Israel. In the New Testament Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. Why the predilection for the image of the shepherd?

In Israel sheep were raised for wool and not for meat. Hence, the sheep lived long enough so that a bond grew between shepherd and sheep. For this same reason the shepherd came to know each sheep and even gave them names much as the owner would would give a name to his pet dog or cat.

As in ancient times pet names reflected a physical attribute or a personality trait. Pet names are names of endearment. Fur ball. Whitey. Taba.

To show how dear you are to God, what pet name do you think God give you?

If the shepherd knew his sheep, the sheep also knew his master. At the night the shepherds would gather their sheep into one flock. The sheep would all get mixed up. You would think there will be a big problem in the morning in finding out which sheep belongs to which shepherd. But that's not how things go. In the morning the shepherds would position themselves in different places and would call out their sheep. And their sheep would go to their respective shepherds. Amazing!

Do I know my Shepherd? But how can I know my Shepherd if I have not spent enough time with him in prayer, if I have not sufficiently paid attention to him throughout the day (awareness of his presence).

I remember the film Anak. Vilma did not know that her bunso was allergic to a certain food and that his son does not play basketball--all because she had to be in away in Hong Kong as a domestic helper.

Wild animals do not exist now in the Holy Land. But in ancient times they roamed the land in search of prey. That was why the shepherd had to have a staff and a slingshot to protect his sheep. It is no wonder that David was able to defeat Goliath. He was a shepherd who was skilled in the use his slingshot.

The shepherd knows his sheep. God knows me. I can't relate to the image of the shepherd because I never lived in a farm where there is shepherd and sheep. So I could relate better to the image of God knowing me as a parent knows his child.

I am not just a face in the crowd. God knows my name. God knows my personality. God knows my strengths and weaknesses. God knows my likes and dislikes. God knows fears and hopes.

God does not only know me but precisely because of that God understands me.

For this reason God can be very patient and forgiving. He knows what I am going through and under what difficulties I am laboring. He is in a better position to know how to help me much as a doctor who knows the real situation of his patient can help him.

Comforting is the thought that God accepts me and loves me in spite of knowing the real me. There is a book entitled "Why I Am Afraid To Tell You Who I Am?" by John Powell SJ. The answer was because if you knew who I really am you might not like me at all.

I don't have to earn God's love. I don't have to careful to always put my best foot forward. I don't have to pretend. God loves me in spite of my defects. God likes me because he knows and appreciates the good that is in me.


Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.

In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me;

you restore my strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake of your name.

Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage.

Third Sunday of Easter

The Disciples of Emmaus

"Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him."

The resurrection glorified the body of Jesus. The process of glorification did not only make the body of Jesus immortal, it did not only invest the body of Jesus with certain qualities such as the capacity to pass through walls, it somehow altered the appearance of Jesus.

"But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel (disciples)."

The feeling here is one of great disappointment. But it also betrays lack of faith.

"Oh how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! (Jesus)"

I think Jesus is expressing great disappointment here. How exasperated Jesus must have been. How often did Jesus not foretell everything that would happen to him. Yet his disciples could not grasp what he was saying.

"While he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him."

The verbs used here are similar to the verbs used to relate the story of the Last Supper and the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. In other words, this episode has allusions to the Eucharist. Through faith our eyes too are opened and see Jesus in the Eucharistic bread.

"Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us? (disciples)"

During his 3 years as an itinerant preacher, people flocked to him. They wanted to hear his words. He spoke like no other. He probably touched the hearts of people. Jesus is no longer present like before. Yet we can still hear his words and he can touch our hearts when we open and read the pages of the gospels. The words of scriptures are so powerful that they can change the course of one's life. St. Augustine and St. Ignatius of Loyola are just two the many saints who turned to God after having heard or read the bible.

In Memoriam

Eternal rest grant unto John Paul II, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him

The soul of the sluggard craves in vain, but the diligent soul is amply satisfied. (Prov 13:4)

John Paul II! We love you!

Oh how I love this guy! (Guy--please don't take this as an act of irreverence.)

Welcome him, Lord, into your presence.

2 Sunday of Easter

Jn 20:19-31

"The doors were locked. Jesus came and stood in their midst." The body of Jesus was a glorified body. It no longer has the limits of an earthly body. Someday my body will be transformed in the same way. My body shares with my soul a glorious destiny. That is because I am my body and my soul. Consequently I should not only take care of the welfare of my soul. I should also care for my body and uphold its dignity.

"He showed them his hands and his side." The body of Jesus had been glorified. But the glorification did not erase the marks of the nails and the gash of the lance. That means that his passion and death were an important part of his life as Savior. Suffering and death has the potential of being salvific. I can offer the sufferings I experience to God in expiation for my sins. I can offer them in prayer for some need.

"Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them." On Maundy Thursday Jesus gave two gifts to his people, the Eucharist and Priesthood. On this occasion Jesus gave his people another gift, the sacrament of reconciliation. I have heard people say, "why confess to a priest who also commits sins?" I say, "Why go to a doctor who also gets sick? Why tell your personal secrets to a counselor who also has his own psychological problems?" Even if confession were not a sacrament, it would still be a good idea to confess. Bringing out the rotten things inside me has always been a cathartic experience. I always feel great after a good confession.

Inspiration

Look upon me, have pity on me, for I am alone and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart; bring me out of my distress (Ps 25:16-17)