The Paschal Mystery

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

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

THE BIRDCAGE

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

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

"Just some old birds," came the reply.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How much?" the pastor asked again.

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

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

In a flash, the boy was gone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How much?" He asked again.

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

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

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

EPILOG

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

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

PALM SUNDAY (A)

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

Mt 21:1-11

WELCOME

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

VISIT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I Believe"

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

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

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

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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

5th SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

“Lazarus, come out!”

Jn 11:1-45

BIBLICAL

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

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

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

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

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

IMPRISONED AND BOUND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

4th SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

"He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”

Jn 9:1-41

SIN

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned.

1. Every sin will be punished, if not in this world, then in the next.

2. But not every sickness or bad luck is punishment due to sin.

3. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because we live in an imperfect world where things go wrong.

4. Mortal sin merits an eternal and a temporal punishment. The eternal punishment is taken away in confession, but not the temporal punishment. In this world, we can take away temporal punishment through indulgence, sacrifice and good works. In the next world, we have to go through purgatory.

5. Sin does have consequences that flow from it. If I steal, I can go to prison. If I drink too much, I can damage my liver. If I am a liar, I will loose people’s trust.

BLINDNESS

When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

The Blind Man and the Pharisees.

The man was physically blind. Jesus did not only give him physical sight. Je-sus also gave him the eyes of faith so that he was able to see that Jesus was the son of man which also means the Messiah.

The Pharisees could see. But they were spiritually blind. They could not accept Jesus was the Messiah. Why? They had no faith. They were also biased against Jesus. What was their bias? Anyone who does not believe in the strict observance of the Sabbath is not from God. Jesus does not believe in the strict ob-servance of the Sabbath. Therefore, he can not be from God.

All of us have our biases. Examples: If you are poor, it is because you are lazy. If you are rich, it is because you are corrupt. Unless we are aware of our biases, we will be blind to who the other person really is.

Ignorance makes us blind.

Our defects are like a knapsack (zaino). Every body knows about our defects except us. We need fraternal correction to know them.

We needed to tell Europeans living in the Philippines to take a bath regularly and to use deodorant, at least in those days. They were not aware that the climate in the Philippines is different from Europe and therefore, the effect on the body is different.

Many years ago I used to say Sunday Mass somewhere in Paco. I would take a taxi. I used to sit in front and chat with the driver. One night the driver talked about his family. He said he had two children. And I asked kung meron pang susunod. He knew I was a priest. He responded by saying, “Father, hindi na pwede. Nagpatali na si Mrs.” Obviously, he did not know that tubal ligation is moral wrong.

Habit makes us blind.

When something becomes a habit, we are not aware of them anymore. We do them without thinking. What is worse is that they do not bother us anymore. Why? Nasanay na tayo.
I am bothered when I hear someone say: “P****g Ina mo!” For others, bukang-bibig na nila yon.

When we do not listen, we become blind to the point of view of the other person. And because of that we fail to understand.

When we are arguing, what do we usually do? We do not listen to what each other is saying. What we do is we prepare our response. Inihahanda natin ang ating bala. There is a technique that helps resolve arguments. And it is this. First, I will tell the other person what I understood. When that person says that my understanding is correct, only then will I say my response.

Is blindness always bad?

They say that before you get married to someone, you must have both your eyes wide open. After marriage you must close your eyes. It means that you must get to know who you want to marry. That includes his defects. Can you live with his defects? If so, when you marry him, you must now be blind to those defects.

I have met children who complain that their parents only see are their short-comings. Two things are in order here. First, parents must learn to be blind to small things. Let insignificant things pass. Second, learn to praise more and criticize less. Praise gets better results than blame.

CONCLUSION

The JO-HARI window is a diagram that represents the extent of our self-knowledge. It divided into four parts. One part represents things about ourselves that we know but others do not. The second part represents things about ourselves that we do not know but other do know. The third part represents things about ourselves that we and others do not know. And the fourth part represents things about ourselves that we and others know about. What we need to do is to increase the area of self-knowledge and in so doing decrease the area of ignorance about oneself. There is one practice that will decrease ignorance about oneself and in-crease self-knowledge. That practice is the daily examination of conscience. Examination of conscience means taking time in the evening to stop and find out how we have been faithful to God and how we have been unfaithful to him during the day. Becoming aware of how we have been unfaithful to God is the first step in fulfilling the invitation of Ash Wednesday: “Turn away from your sins and believe in the Gospel!”

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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

3rd Sunday of Lent (A)

“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”

Jn 4:5-42

BIBLICAL

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar. near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

That well was about 2.5 km. from the town. Why would a woman go there in-stead just drawing water from a well in the town? Perhaps, she was an outcast. And perhaps the reason was the number of men she had in her life.

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”

Jews and Samaritans were hostile to each other or at least, avoided each other. The Jews despised the Samaritans because they were of Jewish and pagan descent. They did not preserve the purity of the Jewish religion. They were considered ritually impute. Jews, therefore, would never drink from any vessel that the Samaritans touched.

Moreover, Jesus was a rabbi. No rabbi would be caught talking to a woman in public.

“If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,‘ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Jesus was talking about water of life. But the Samaritan woman misunderstand him. She thought she was talking about flowing water. Flowing water, of course, was better than the stagnant water of a well.

Here we find a literary device employed by John in his gospel. Jesus speaks. He is misunderstood. This misunderstanding permits Jesus to explain his message to his listener.

In Jn 3:3, we have another example of this literary device. Nicodemus misunderstands the words of Jesus: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born anothen.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a person once grown old be born anothen? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?'"

Anothen is a Greek word. It has two meanings. The first is “from above” and the second is “again”. What Jesus said was this: “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” What Nicodemus understood was this: “How can a person once grown old be born again?” That misunderstanding permitted Jesus to explain to Jesus the necessity of being baptized.

The water of life or living water which Jesus spoke of symbolizes the Holy Spirit and his work of recreating us in God’s image and sustaining in us the new life which comes from God.

The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep.

Sir is the translation used for the Greek word “kyrios”. Its literal translation is master or lord. It is the respectful form of address for a human being or for God. In fact, the Greek bible uses the word “kyrios” to translate “Adonai”. Adonai is a substitute for Yahweh. The Jews out of respect will never utter the word “Yahweh”. The would use “Adonai” instead.

Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

The Samaritans erected their own temple on Mt. Gerizim in the 4th century BC in order to rival the temple built by the Jews on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem.
The Jews called Mt. Gerizim, Mt. Ebal.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth.

To worship he Father is to worship him appropriately.

The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one speaking with you.”

Take note that the expectation of the Jews and the Samaritans about the Messiah is different. The Jews expected a Messiah who is a king. The Samaritans expected a prophet like Moses.

“I am he” can also be translated as “I am.” “I am” was how God called himself when he talked to Moses the first time: “God replied, ‘I am who am.’ Then he added, ‘This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you’” (Ex 3:14).

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”

The Samaritan woman became a missionary of Jesus. Through her word many Samaritan believed in Jesus. At the last Supper, Jesus prayed not only for his dis-ciples but also for people like her: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (Jn 17:20).

RECONCILIATION

Samaritan and Jews

They were not on friendly terms. The Jews looked down on them and of course, the Samaritans did not like that. Why did the Jews look down on them? In the year 722 before Christ, the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel. The Israelites of the Northern Kingdom were deported. Only a few remained. The Israelites of the Southern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah was not conquered. The Assyrians brought other peoples into the Northern Kingdom. The Israelites who remained there intermarried with these foreigners. Their descendants were the Samaritans. The result was not only mixed blood but also mixed religion. It was because the Samaritans did not preserve the purity of the Jewish religion that the Jews despised them and did not want any relationship with them.

Jesus did not share the attitude of his fellow Jews towards the Samaritans. In fact, in at least one parable, a Samaritan was the good guy—the parable of the Good Samaritan. When ten lepers asked Jesus to heal them, he healed all of them, including one Samaritan. Why? Because came to reconcile man to God and men to each other.

Elements of Reconciliation

What is needed if we want to be reconciled be it with God or our fellowman?

First, we must be aware that we did something that weakened or damaged our relationship with another.

Sometimes we are not aware of it. We need to be told. If someone hurts you and that person is not aware that he has hurt you, it is wrong for you to say: “Dapat alam niya.” But the point is, hindi nga alam.

On the other hand, we might think that there is nothing to be hurt about. We say, “Balat sibuyas naman siya.” The point is not that you think the other person should not be hurt. The point is that person was hurt. And you are the one who hurt him.

Second, we must apologize.

Sorry is just one word. But it’s not always easy to say it, especially if our pride is so high.

There are also many ways of saying “sorry”. Once upon a time, my superior said something at table that made me angry. The following morning I was surprised to see a note on my door. It contained only one sentence, “I’m sorry for having made you angry last night.”

There’s also another problem. Pride may make it difficult for us to say, “Sorry.” It is also pride which makes it difficult for us to accept the apology. Pride hardens our hearts. If you swallowed your pride and apologized and the other person did not accept your apology, then it is now his problem. You did what you should do. Be at peace.

Third, we must do restitution. Restitution means that we have to do something to fix the consequences of our actions.If I broke the window of a neighbour, it is not enough to say, “I’m sorry.” I must pay for the broken window.

Fourth, we must change the behaviour that weakened or damaged a relationship. This is called conversion. And this is a proof that we are truly sorry. If you are sorry, will you again do that action that hurt someone? If a son or daughter neglects his or her studies and that causes his parents to be angry, he should now study hard so that his parents will not be angry again.

What we have said about reconciling with our fellow human beings, we can also say about our reconciliation with God.

First, I must be aware that I have weakened or damaged my relationship with God by committing sin. And the sin I committed may be against God (first three commandments) or against my fellowman (the next 7 commandments). A nightly examination of conscience is helpful to make me aware if I have committed sin.

Second, I must apologize to God. Confession is the necessary way of apolo-gizing to God when I commit grave sin.

Third, I must do restitution. If I have stolen something, I must return it. If I have tarnished the
reputation of someone by saying negative things about that person, then I must now point out positive things about that person.

And fourth, I must change my attitude and behaviour. If I seldom pray, I must now find time—no matter how short---to pray everyday.

CONCLUSION

When we received the ashes on Ash Wednesday, we heard the words: “Turn away from your sins and believe in the gospel.” What does turn away from sin mean? It means leave our sins behind in order to turn to God. And that is what reconciliation is all about.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

2nd Sunday in Lent (A)

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Mt 17:1-9

BIBLICAL

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain.

If the desert is the home of evil spirits, then the mountain is God’s dwelling place. Mount Tabor is traditionally identified as the mount of transfiguration.

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

These are signs of the divine. On this particular occasion the divinity of Christ shown through his humanity. We find a similar description of Christ in glory in the book of Revelation: “The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest” (Rev 1: 12-16).

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, that is, the Old Testa-ment. They witness to the fact that in Jesus the Old Testament promises are ful-filled.
What were they talking about? Only Luke tells us what it was about: “And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Lk 19: 28-36). They were talking about his Passion.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here.

The Israelites lived in tents during their wandering in the desert. The Jews lived in tents during the Feast of Booths. By suggesting the setting up of tents, is Peter suggesting that they stay on the mountain indefinitely?

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them.

The cloud represented the presence of God. During the wandering in the desert, there was the tent of meeting. When God was present, the tent would be covered with a cloud. When the temple of Jerusalem was dedicated to God, a cloud also came to rest upon it.

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

These are the same words at the Baptism of Jesus with the addition of “listen to him”. In this instance, the three apostles were being told to listen to the prediction made Jesus about his passion, death and resurrection.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

Someone said that if you count the number of times you find the sentence “fear not”, it will total 365. It seems that God has a ready assurance for us each day of the year. And why shouldn’t we be afraid? Because as Jesus himself tells us: “For I am with you”.

LISTEN

A teacher is explaining a topic in class. She catches two students talking to each other. What does she do? She stops explaining, and tells the students: “Listen!” Listen means to pay attention.

When a child gets failing marks, his parents tell him: “Listen. A good education is something we want to give you because we want you to have a bright future.” Listen does not only mean pay attention but also put into practice the coun-sel that is being given to him.

Listen in latin is audire. From this latin word comes the English word, “obedience”.

When the boy Samuel heard his name being called, he went to the high priest Eli and said: “Here I am for you called me.” But Eli did not call him. When that happened three times, Eli understood that it was God was calling Samuel. So he instructed Samuel, “Next time you are called say: ‘Here I am Lord, your servant is listening.’” What does that mean? It means “I am paying attention, Lord, and I am ready to obey.”

The Jews have a very important prayer. In fact, it is the first prayer that a child learns. It is called the “Shema”. It has a concise form which goes this way: “Listen, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The complete Shema, how-ever, is longer and consists of three parts and it is about obeying the command-ments of God. Here again we have the command to listen, that is, to pay attention and be ready to obey the commandments.

When the gospel is read at Mass, we stand. Why? The first reason is as a sign of reverence for Jesus. But there is a second reason and it is to show readiness to put into practice, that is, to obey the teachings of Jesus.

Should we wait for Sunday to pay attention to Jesus in order to know what teachings we have to put into practice? Of course not. During the week we can do it by ourselves. How? There are two ways. The first is using modern technology and the second is the traditional method.

Using modern technology requires an internet connection. I suggest two websites: (a) Pray as you go and (b) Sacred Space. Use google to go those websites. The advantage of “pray as you go” is that you can download it to your mp3 player and pray as you go to work. You can use Sacred Space either with a computer or you can also download it to a mobile device.

If you want to do it the traditional way, then there are four requirements: (a) You must set the time each day; (b) You must have a place conducive to prayer; (c) you must have the bible or at least the New Testament; and (d) You must have a method.

I suggest the use of the method of ‘lectio divina’. There are four traditional steps: Read, meditate, pray and contemplate. But let’s simplify it: read, meditate, pray, and resolve.

Read. Read a short passage. I suggest you start with any of the first three gos-pels. Read that short passage two or three times.

Meditate. What struck you? What is God telling you through that word or phrase that struck you?

Pray. What do you want to tell God about what struck you? What do you want to tell God about what you feel he is telling you?

Resolve. What one thing will you do on that day as a result of your reading, meditating and praying? Your encounter with God must have an effect on your life. Religion is not for church but for life.

The prophet Isaiah said that God’s Word is like the rain or snow that comes down to the earth, making it fertile and fruitful.

I am reminded of a documentary I have seen in the National Geographic Channel. That documentary is about a place where rain falls only for a short period of time each year. Most of the time the place is brown because there are no green plants, not even grass. But when the rain comes, the place does not only become green but also colourful because of the flowers that bloom.

If we open our minds and our hearts to receive God’s Word, then we should not be surprised to see beautiful things happening to us and to our lives. At the very least, we shall be happier and better people.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

1st Sunday of Lent (A)

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Mt 4:1-11

LITURGICAL NOTES

Lent is called Quaresima or Kwaresma because it is 40-day period of prepara-tion for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Maundy Thursday before the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The Sundays of Lent are not included in the 40-day period because Sunday is always a celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. In fact, it can not be a day of penance.

The time from the Lord’s Supper till before the Easter Vigil is called the Easter Triduum.

What are the practices that create the atmosphere of Lent? The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, the liturgical color of violet, the removal of the alleluia and in some places the omission of flowers and of the accompaniment of musical instruments. In addition, we are invited to do the 3 traditional Lenten practices, namely, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

BIBLICAL NOTES

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

It was believed that the desert is the home of the devil. Jesus went to the desert to begin his fight against the forces of evil. This is the reason why the monks of old went to the desert. This is also the reason behind the practice described in the book of Leviticus for the Day of Atonement: “But the goat determined by lot for Azazel he shall set alive before the LORD, so that with it he may make atonement by sending it off to Azazel in the desert” (Lev 16:10). This goat is called the scapegoat.

Why did Matthew relate the temptation of Jesus?

The answer can be found in Hebrews 4:15: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” The answer. First, Jesus is truly a human being like us. Of course, he is also truly God. Second, Jesus can relate to us. He can understand what we are going through.

He fasted for forty days and forty nights.

40 is a favourite biblical number. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. After Jesus rose from the dead, he stayed 40 days more on earth before as-cending into heaven. Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights until he arrived at Mt. Horeb. On the other hand, Moses went without food for 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai. Again this detail shows Jesus to be the new Moses according to St. Matthew’s gospel.

What was the temptation all about?

The devil was trying to make Jesus become a Savior in a way that is different from what the Father wanted. In other words, the devil wanted Jesus to disobey the Father’s will. That was what the devil did to Adam and Eve. He succeeded in making them disobey God.

Was this the last time the devil tried to make Jesus disobey the Father’s will?

No. St. Luke says: “When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.” In other words, the devil returned some other time. Let us see those instances.

“If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”

The next time bread was used to tempt Jesus was when he multiplied bread for the multitude. In John 6:14-15 we read: “When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.” Jesus did not fall into the tempta-tion of becoming a Savior by becoming an earthly king.

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”

The next time Jesus was tempted to make use of a mighty deed was at Calvary. Mark 15:32: “Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Of course, Jesus did not come down from the cross.

TURN TO ME WITH ALL YOUR HEARTS

1. Reconciliation. Magbalik-loob.

Lent is a time for repentance and conversion. But it is more than that. It is a time to heal our relationship with God, to be reconciled with him, magbalik-loob sa kanya. In other words, it is not just behavior-oriented. It is above all God-centered. For example, I am tired when I reach home. So I don’t check anymore if my son has studied his lessons or finished his homework. From now on I will check my son’s student diary. Why am I doing this? Not only because it is wrong for a parent not to supervise his or her son’s education. But also because God wants me to take responsibility for my son’s education.

2. Whole-hearted. Not half-hearted.

Our reconciliation / pagbabalik-loob must be whole-hearted, not half-hearted/ There must be a firm decision to change one’s behaviour and to nurture one’s relationship with God. For example, I will not say: “Starting next month I will work the full hours that I am expected to work.” Instead, I will say: “Starting tomorrow….” For example, in order to remember God ever y day, I will make the sign of the cross when I leave the house and when I return.

3. Your whole heart.

There was an advertisement a long time ago. And it says: “I want one-third of your life.” It’s an advertisement for a mattress. It’s different with God. He is not satisfied with one-third. He wants one whole. 100%.

When God tells us that he wants us to love him with our whole heart, does it mean that since we already love him with 100% of our heart there is nothing left for others? Certainly not. I think that what he means is that he wants a love that comes not from the lips but from the heart. In other words, he wants true love. He also wants us to love others with our whole heart, that is, with true love.

Let me tell you a real story of how true love can sometimes make us do something heroic.

Many, many years ago we were at the Methodist church at Kalaw St. near the Luneta. We were there to bury my cousin. He drowned. They were having an ex-cursion somewhere in Lingayen, I think. My cousin died young. But he died a very meaningful (and if I may say, a Christ-like death).

You see they were playing along the shore of the beach. A huge wave came without them aware of it. And they were carried away from the shore--he, his dad, his twin brother and his cousin. His dad could carry only two boys back to shore. My cousin told his dad to get hold of his cousin. His cousin was an only son. He was conceived and born after many years of medical consultation and interven-tion. And because of that his cousin lived and my cousin drowned.

A boy of 13 or 14 capable of a heroic deed! In the eulogy his mom testified that he had welcomed Christ into his life. And maybe that was why he was able to put into practice the words of Christ: "No greater love a man has than to lay down his life for his friends."

Perhaps we will never be called to give up our lives for another. But we certainly will always be called to use our lives in the service of others. But that will only be possible if we are capable of loving with our whole heart.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Mt 5:1-12a

BIBLICAL

He went up the mountain.

Remember that St. Matthew wrote his gospel for his fellow Jews. Therefore, it was important for him to show that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and this in two ways. First, that Jesus fulfils the prophecies of the OT. And second, that in Jesus many OT figures are fulfilled. In this particular case, Moses is presented as a figure of Jesus. That is why the detail of the Jesus going up the mountain is important because it recalls Moses going up Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Just as the Ten Commandments guided Israel, so also the Eight Beatitudes will now guide the Christian people.

Blessed are….

In Latin “blessed” is translated as “beatus”. Hence, the word “beatitude”. This discourse of Jesus has been traditionally called the Eight Beatitudes, but there are actually nine. The ninth begins with the words “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you….”

You will find another version of the Eight Beatitudes in the gospel of Luke.

In Greek “blessed” is translated as “macarios”. Hence, we have the name “Macario”.

And after he had sat down.

Sitting down is the traditional posture when a teacher teaches his disciples. Hence, there are times when the Pope is seated when he delivers a sermon.

It is interesting to note that the concept of “professorial chairs” may have come from this idea of sitting down as the posture for teaching.

Poor in spirit

It is interesting to note that while Matthew has “Blessed are the poor in spirit”. Luke has “Blessed are the poor.” Perhaps Matthew wants to stress the fact that being economically poor does not make one automatically blessed. Something more is needed. And this “something more” extends the beatitude to all socio-economic classes.

In the OT the poor in spirit are the “anawim”. They are those who are without ma-terial possessions and so have only God to rely on. Obviously those who are well-off have greater difficulty in acquiring poverty in spirit than those who have nothing.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Who will comfort them? God.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

In the OT, land would mean the Promised Land. But in the NT it would mean the kingdom of God.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.

Righteousness here means conformity to God’s will.

Blessed are the clean of heart.

Clean of heart has sometimes been translated as “single-hearted”, that is, undi-vided heart, that is, faithful.

HAPPINESS

Today’s gospel speaks of happiness. “Blessed are they” can be translated as “Happy are they”.
The United States' Declaration of Independence asserts that all individuals have an unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I think all will agree with this declaration. But it is how we define happiness and how we try to be happy where disagreement occurs. So let’s listen to what some authors say and maybe we can learn something from them.

1. Someone said that happiness is a state of the mind. In other words, we can be happy no matter what happens, provided we have a positive attitude towards life. Listen to this story.

A well-dressed 92-year old lady was being shown to her room in the nursing home. She is legally blind. And she had to move there because her husband of 70 years had died recently. While waiting for the elevator, the staff member started to describe her room. The old lady responded with the enthusiasm of an 8-year-old having been given a new pair of shoes: “I love it." The staff responded: "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room. Just wait." And the old lady replied: "That doesn't have anything to do with it. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged. It's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life.”

Happiness is a state of the mind.

2. You can’t buy happiness. In other words, money does not guarantee happiness. Certainly having enough money helps. But the problem is, we never think that we have enough of it. But would you believe it? Even in extreme poverty, we can find happy people.

A writer recounts this story. “My wife recently met a 43-year-old Filipino named Nestor Castillo, and they started chatting about a proposed government program in the Philippines to give poor people food stamps. Castillo was against it: he didn't believe the politicians and the bureaucrats would be able to pull it off honestly. And yet Casti-llo could use those stamps. Four years ago, he lost his job as a janitor at the Quezon City Hall. He and his family are now scavengers, living out of a wooden pushcart. This is Castillo's idea of happiness: "Once I found nearly half a fried chicken wrapped in plastic," he told me. "I knew it was still edible because it was still cold, just came from the refrigerator. We had a feast that day."

Money helps. But money alone will not make you happy. You need something more. What could be that something more?

The same author has this to say: “For Filipinos, happiness isn't material—it's so-cial. We're happiest in a group: family, friends, immediate community, even strangers. I've seen it happen in many airports among perfect strangers: as soon as Philippine travellers drift in, they gravitate toward one another and soon form a boisterous crowd, exchanging jokes and mobile-phone numbers.”

If we want to be happy, we need to be connected with family, friends, and nei-ghbors. We need to be with people with whom we feel a connection.

3. What good does happiness bring? Happy people look better than unhappy people. Happy people live longer than unhappy people. Happy people recover from sickness much faster than unhappy people. Happy people enjoy life. Unhappy people suffer through life. You feel good when you are with happy people.

And finally, St. Thomas Aquinas said that it would be very difficult for Satan to take possession of the heart of a happy person. We can put it in another way. Satan will find it easy to take possession of the heart of an unhappy person. It is for this reason that Don Bosco told his boys: “Here holiness consists in being cheerful.”

CONCLUSION

There is no doubt about it. God wants us to be happy. That is why he created heaven for us. But even in this world we can be happy. It doesn’t mean that we shall never experience unhappiness. It does mean that even though we live in an imperfect world, we can be more happy than unhappy. And how do we make that happen? The secret is this: A good person has a greater chance of being happy than a bad person. If you are more unhappy than happy, why don’t you look into your heart? You might find the answer there.




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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mt 4:12-23

BIBLICAL

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.

Herod put John the Baptists in prison because John dared to reprove him for tak-ing Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife as his own.

Herod Antipas originally married a daughter of the Nabataean king Aretas IV, but he divorced her in order to marry Herodias (the daughter of his late half-brother Aris-tobulus, and wife of his other half-brother Herod Philip). This not only angered Aretas, who defeated him in A.D. 36, but John the Baptist condemned him (Matt 14:4; Mark 6:18; Luke 3:19). It is interesting that Josephus reported that many of the people saw Herod Antipas' defeat by king Aretas as divine punishment for beheading John the Baptist.

He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea.

Nazareth is between the Mediterranean sea and Lake Galilee

Capernaum was located somewhere on the northern shores of Lake Galilee which is sometimes called sea of Galilee. Jesus made it his headquarters. The Jews there did not believe in him.
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In the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

The territory of these two tribes was the first to be devastated (733-32 B.C.) at the time of the Assyrian invasion.

Capernaum actually belongs only to Naphtali.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach.

Jesus became an itinerant preacher, that is, he travelled here and there to bring the good news to his fellow Jews. This is one practical reason why his apostles had to abandon home and work.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus takes up the words of John the Baptist. But there is a difference. For with Jesus the Kingdom of heaven is already present. “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Mt 12:28).

The Kingdom of heaven is another way of saying the reign of God. The Jews do not utter the name of God as a sign of reverence. Hence, they prefer to use substitutes, In this case, heaven.



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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

Jn 1:29-34

BIBLICAL

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

This title may be an allusion to the victorious lamb who would destroy evil in the world (Rev 5-7; 17:14); or to the paschal lamb, whose blood saved the first-born of Israel (Exodus 12); and/or the suffering servant led like a lamb to the slaughter as a sin-offering (Isaiah 53:7, 10).

A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.
We are reminded of the prologue of John’s gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

I did not know him.

This gospel is unaware of the tradition found in Luke that Jesus and John the Bap-tist are relatives because their mothers are cousins.

But the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.
In John’s gospel, the baptism of John was not for the forgiveness of sins but for the revelation of Jesus to Israel. “But the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel” (Jn 1:23).

I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.

Remain is a favourite verb of St. John. In the parable of the vine and the branches, he uses the verb remain. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

CATECHETICAL: SIN

Sin is disobeying the commandments.

But it is not just a matter of disobedience. In the case of Adam and Eve, it was an act of defiance (they wouldn’t recognize the authority of God) and also an act of in-gratitude (God said everything in the garden was for them, except that particular tree.).

The commandments are not meant to make life difficult for us. They are like street signs that warm us not to do this or not to do that otherwise we’ll get into an accident. For instance, God says, “Do not lie.” Imagine how the relationship between parents and children will be if they lie to one another!

Sin in the bible also understands it as missing the mark.

Once I saw boys playing softball. The pitcher threw the ball and the batter tried to hit it. He missed. “Strike 1!” the umpire said. Instead, an onlooker said: “Sala!” The batter missed. And in fact, sin is “sala”. When we sin, we miss the mark. We fail to be what we should be. The prodigal son sinned. He failed to behave as a son should behave towards his father.

When we fail to go to Mass on Sunday for reason of laziness, for example, we fail to behave the way a son or a daughter should behave toward the Father in heaven.

What can we do about sin?

First, we must remember that we can not on our own overcome sin. If we can overcome sin on our own, Jesus did not need to come down from heaven to be our Savior. How does Jesus save us from sin? Yes, he already died on the cross and so paid for sins of everybody. He applies that payment to us individually through the sacraments, especially in confession and communion. In communion, we receive the Bread that makes us strong against sin. In confession, he takes away our sins and at the same time, also makes us strong against sin.

Second, someone says: “Tukso, layuan mo ako. (Temptation, get away from me.)” Wrong. Ikaw ang lumayo sa tukso (You should be the one to run away from temptation.). If we want to avoid sin, we must avoid the occasions of sin. The occasions of sin may be people, places or things. Kung ayaw nating mapasama, umiwas sa mga BI. If you don’ want to fall into the sin of talking about the faults of others, don’t join the conversations of those who like to talk about the faults of others.

How do I know if I committed sin?

M-A-S. Masama ba (was it evil)? Alam mo bang masama (did you know it was evil? Sinadya mo ba (did you do it on purspose)? If one of them has an answer of “no”, you have not committed sin. Therefore, if you did not go to Mass on Sunday because you were sick, there is no sin. Why? Because hindi mo ginusto (you didn’t want it). Hindi mo sinadya (you didn’t mean to do it).

CONCLUSION

Baptists have been known to ask Catholics: “Are you saved?” And Catholics would not know how to answer that because it is something that we do not ask. This is the answer to that question. In fact there are three answers. First, yes, I am saved. Why? Because Jesus already died on the cross for me. He already paid for my sins. Second, I am being saved. Why? Because even today when I sin, Jesus continues to offer me his forgiveness. And finally, I hope to be saved. Because one day, I hope to be definitely be freed from sin. I hope to enter heaven where sin can not enter. All this because of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

Baptism of our Lord (A)

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Mt 3:13-17

Liturgical Note

Last Sunday was the Epiphany. But this Sunday is also an Epiphany.

Epiphany is translated as manifestation (“pagpapakita” in the tagalong liturgical text). What exactly does Epiphany mean? I can compare to a debut. A debut is a for-mal presentation to society that a girl is now a young woman and is available (marriageable). Epiphany is a formal presentation of Jesus as Savior.

Last Sunday he was presented to the Gentiles through the magi as Savior of the Gentiles. This Sunday at his Baptism, he is also being presented to the Jewish people as their Savior, as the one promised in the Old Testament.

Biblical Note

Last Sunday where was Jesus? In Bethlehem. This Sunday he is in Galilee at the Jordan River. Last Sunday Jesus was about 1 year old. This Sunday he is already about 30 years old. Last Sunday with Jesus were Mary, Joseph and the three magi. This Sun-day he is with John the Baptist and other Jews.

Baptism

Jesus came to John to be baptized. Take note that the baptism of John is not the sacrament of Baptism that we have. It is a ceremony publicly declaring repentance. That is the reason why John did not want to baptize Jesus. But Jesus insisted because as Savior he had to be identified with sinful humanity.

Spirit of God

Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending upon him like a dove. Why is this detail important?

When Jesus went back to Nazareth and was given the prophet Isaiah during the service at the synagogue, this was what he read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” He ended by saying: Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

That declaration recalls Isaac. In Gen 22:2 we read: “Then God said: ‘Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.’”

What is the significance of this detail? Like Isaac Jesus is going to be offered in sacrifice. The offering of Isaac did not push through. The offering of Jesus on the cross will push through.

This seems to be the only occasion in the gospel when Father, Son and Holy Spirit are together.

Baptism as Sacrament

It is one of the 7 sacraments.

Channel of Grace

Because it is a sacrament, it is a channel of grace. Grace means what is given is a gift from God. It is free. It is something good. And God gives it because he is good! So what gift does Baptism give us? In fact, Baptism gives us two gifts. The first is God welcomes us as his children. If you have a good relationship with your father, try talk-ing to God and calling him: “Tatay. Itay. Dad. Papa.” The second gift is forgiveness of sins both original sin and personal sin. What that means is that God takes away our sins so that nothing comes between us and God.

Sacrament of Initiation

Baptism is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation. Initiation is entry into the Church, into the community of believers. Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are the Sacraments of Initiation. That is why if you do not participate in Sunday mass, you are not “in na in sa pamilya ng Diyos”.

Sign

Because it is a sacrament, Baptism must have a sign that we can sense. For exam-ple, the sign of the Eucharist is the bread and wine. For Baptism, it is water. Now the sign must give you an idea of what the sacrament is all about. For the Eucharist, bread and wine gives us an idea that it must have something to do with spiritual nourishment. And indeed, Jesus declares himself to be the Bread of Life. For Baptism, water gives us an idea that Baptism must have something to do with cleansing and with life. And in fact, Baptism cleanses us from sin and gives us new life, life as a child of God.

Formula

Because it is a sacrament, Baptism must have a formula. For example, the formula of the Eucharist is: This is my body. This is my blood.” For Baptism, it is: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The formula clarifies the meaning of the sign. For the Eucharist, the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ which is our spiritual nourishment. For the Baptism, the water makes us belong to the Blessed Trinity as child of God.

Commitment

Sacraments are not mere ceremonies. Ceremonies are things that you do and then forget. Sacraments are commitments, that is, when you celebrate them you take upon yourself some obligation. For example, when you receive Holy Communion, you commit yourself to avoid sin and become more and more like Jesus. It’s like the song, “Day by day, oh dear Lord, three things I pray. To see thee more clearly. To love thee more dearly. To follow thee more nearly.” For Baptism, our commitment is to grow in the faith. Parents have the special obligation to help their children to grow in the faith by word and example. Ninong and ninang should also follow-up their ina-anak.

Faith means believing in certain things, some of which are difficult to believe. But it is more than just believing in certain things. Faith is primarily living according to those things that you say you believe in. And that can be more difficult. For example, how would your life look like if you really believe that God is always with you? I would suppose that in the midst of your work, once in a while, you would remember him and say something to him.

Conclusion

Today we do not only remember the Baptism of Jesus. We also remember our own Baptism. Today God reminds us that because of the commitment of our Baptism we have to keep our faith growing. And faith is not just about believing in certain things. It is about living according to the things we say we believe in.



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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

Epiphany of the Lord (A)

They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.

Mt 2: 1-12

LITURGICAL NOTE

This used to be called the Feast of the Three Kings. With the liturgical reform, it has been called the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Why the change of name? Because the focus of the feast is not the Three Kings but the Savior Jesus.

Epiphany comes from the Greek word which means “manifestation”. The Pilipino translation of the feast is “pagpapakita”. Jesus is manifested to the Gentiles in the per-son of the Magi. (I’ll explain later why the change from Three Kings to Magi.) He is being presented to them as Savior. Now to the Jews, there are only two kinds of people in the world. If you are not a Jew, then you are a gentile. Jesus is then being presented as the Savior of both Jew and Gentile. He is Savior of the World. He is the Savior of everybody.

The closest thing I can compare this feast is to a debut. The debut is nothing else but this: a young woman of 18 is being formally presented to society as eligible for marriage. In the same way, Jesus is being presented to the Gentiles as their Savior.

There is another important thing to remember. There is not one but two epiphanies. The first happened when Jesus was still a baby. The second happened when he began his public ministry, that is, at his baptism. That is why next Sunday we shall celebrate the Baptism of our Lord.
At his baptism, the Father presented Jesus before his fellow Jews with the words: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

EXEGESIS

Bethlehem of Judea

Bethlehem means “House of Bread”. Where was Jesus born? In a manger. A man-ger is where animals eat. At the very beginning the Gospel already hints that Jesus is spiritual food. It is only in John 6 that Jesus explicitly tells us that he is the Bread of Life.

Palestine during the time of Jesus was divided into three major parts: Galilee, Samaria and Judea. He was born in Judea but he will grow up in Galilee.

King Herod

He was king from 37 to 4 BC. He was a great builder. He rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem. He was also paranoid. He even killed his sons who he suspected of plotting to overthrow him. That prompted the Roman emperor to say that it was better to be Herod’s pig than to be his son. That he could kill baby boys because he saw a threat to his throne is entirely consistent with Herod’s character.

Magi from the East

There is no mention of any king among the visitors of Jesus. The Greek word used is “magoi”. The word refers to a priestly class in Persia (modern day Iran). It came to be used for those who possessed supernatural knowledge. In the Gospel, the magi were astrologers.

How did they become Three Kings? Because the gifts they brought were three so it was assumed that the visitors were also three. They also became kings under the influence of messianic prophesies of the OT. For example, “May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts. May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him” (Ps 72:10).

We saw his star at its rising.

It was an ancient belief that a new star appeared at the birth of a ruler. And since the magi were astrologers, they saw the new star and understood its meaning.

Was there really a star? Some say that it was not a star but the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn that caused a bright body to appear in the skies. Others say that it was a comet or even a supernova. But it is possible that it is a literary device that Matthew used in connection with OT story of Balaam who prophesied that a star shall advance from Jacob (Numbers 24:17).

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.

This prophecy comes from the prophet Micah 5:1.

Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.

This will enable Herod to estimate the age of the baby. He was probably one year old. But to make sure Herod ordered the massacre of baby boys two years and below.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage."

Of course, the real reason is to be able to kill the baby.

And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.

Stars don't move. But this star is unusual because it moved and finally stopped to point the location of the child.

And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.

The Holy Family was still in Bethlehem but now living in a house.

Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

We find in the prophet Isaiah a statement regarding the gifts that would be offered to the Messiah: “Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD” (Is 60:6).

Gold is a recognition of Jesus as a King. Frankincense is a recognition of his di-vinity. Incense is used in worship. Myrrh is a recognition of Jesus as Priest and Victim. In Jesus’ time it as used for embalming and as incense during funerals. It was said that when Nero's wife died, he burned a one-year supply of myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

By not giving Herod the information he desired, the Magi gave the Holy Family enough time to escape.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

Third Sunday of Avent (A)

Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.

Mt 11:2-11

John was in prison.

Why? Because John the Baptist dared to tell Herod that it was wrong for him to take his brother’s wife and make her his own wife. Herod didn’t like that and so he put him in prison. What does this say about John the Baptist? That he was brave. That he was not afraid of calling a spade, a spade even if it landed him in prison.

He sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

When John spoke about the Messiah, he spoke about the ax that is ready to cut down the trees that did not bear fruit. He spoke about burning the useless chaff. In other words, he thought the Messiah would come to punish sinners.

And when Jesus came to be baptized, John the Baptist pointed him out as the Lamb of God.

But when Jesus began his public ministry, he did not act the way John the Baptist expected him to act. Instead of being hard on sinners, he was welcoming towards them.

So John sent his disciples to Jesus to find out if he really was the Messiah.

“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”

The answer of Jesus was a quotation from the Prophet Isaiah. In that passage, Isaiah described how the time of the Messiah would look like. And in fact, Jesus was doing just that. In other words, Jesus was telling John the Baptist that he was indeed the Messiah.

And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.

And Jesus adds this sentence. What he means is that John should not lose faith in him just because Jesus did not fit his expectations about the Messiah,

As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

John the Baptist was the last and the greatest of the Prophets. Why? Because he was the one given the privilege of announcing the nearness of the Kingdom. Although that is the case, those who are part of the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Why? Because belonging to the Kingdom is a greater privilege.

LESSONS

1. Jesus spoke well about John the Baptist before the people.

How often do we speak ill about people? Someone gives this advice. If you’ve got nothing good to say about someone, just keep quiet.

Do you know that if somebody has done something bad we are not allowed to spread the news to other people? It is sinful. Once upon a time someone went to St. Philip Neri and confessed that she had spread around the bad things that a neighbour had done. For penance, St. Philip told her to bring the feathers of a dressed chicken on top of a hill and throw them into the winds. Then she should go back to him. She did her penance and went back to St. Philip. He then told the woman to go back up the hill and gather the feathers. The woman protested that it was impossible to do that. St. Philip told the woman, “Do you now see how bad it is to spread bad things about people? You can no longer undo the harm that you caused.”

2. John expected the Messiah to act in a certain way. But Jesus acted in a different way. Jesus tells John to continue believing in him in spite of that.

God’s ways are not our ways. Many times we can’t understand why God acted in a way that is different from our expectations. When that happens, God asks us to continue believing just as Jesus asked John to continue believing in him. Why? Because God knows what he is doing.

For example, many years ago, I was working in a place called Joriz. One weekend I was invited to the birthday celebration of the first child of a young couple. It was his first birthday. The following weekend when I passed by their barong-barong I saw lights inside. There was a small coffin. The baby had died! Why should God allow an innocent baby to die? I don’t know. It seems unfair. We just have to believe that God knows what he is doing.

3. John’s role was to prepare the way of Jesus. He did that by preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

In the gospel, the Greek word for repentance is “metanoia”. Metanoia means a change of mind, a change of heart. In other words, repentance must come from within. And because something has happened inside us, something will have to happen outside us. In other words, the change in behaviour outside must be the result of a change of mind and heart.

I read in the newspaper the story of a young man. He comes from the province and his family sent him to Manila to study. Being away from home for the first time, he fell into the company of bad companions. He started skipping classes. He started spending the money send to him in ‘gimmicks’. As a consequence, he even failed many subjects. He wouldn’t even go home during vacation and sem breaks. His excuse was that he had extra-curricular activities. Then one day he received a phone call. He was told to go home at once. When he arrived home, he saw a coffin. His father had just died. His mother told him that his father had been very sick but they did not tell him because they didn’t want him to worry as it could affect his studies. They also told him that since his father was sick, the family business started to fail. But they tightened their belts so that he could continue studying in Manila. When he heard that, he burst into tears. He confessed to his mother how he had behaved in Manila. And he asked pardon from his mother. In the newspaper article, he wrote that at that moment he was willing to receive any punishment that his mother would give him because of what he had done. Instead, his mother hugged him and told him that she forgave him. After the funeral, he returned to Manila a changed person. His behaviour changed because something in him changed. He finished schooling. And when he wrote that article, he had already seen the result of the board exams. He had passed it. He had passed the medical board exams.

What will make Christmas a meaningful religious event? When we are able to bring about a change in behaviour that springs from a change of mind and a change of heart.

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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.