PENTECOST (B)

Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-11

Before Jesus was taken up to heaven, he gave his apostles this instruction: “And (behold) I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high (Lk 24:49)."

Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “power”. This means that the Holy Spirit would give the apostles the ability to do something which they by themselves can not do.

The New Testament reports two occasions when the promise of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. And in both occasions we see the Holy Spirit giving power to the apostles.

The first occasion was on the evening of Easter Sunday itself. We read in John’s gospel: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained (Jn 20: 22-23)." With the sending of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were given the power to forgive sins.

The second occasion reported happened during the Jewish feast of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was given in a dramatic way. First, there was a mighty wind coming from the sky and filling the house. Then there appeared tongues of fire that rested on each of those present. Clothed with the Holy Spirit the apostles were transformed into men of great courage. They went out of hiding. Then they were given the power to preach and to do so in different languages so that Jews from different parts of the world who were in Jerusalem on pilgrimage could understand them.

The Holy Spirit continues to be present today to be our companion. In fact, Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always” (Jn 14:16).

Our confirmation is our personal Pentecost. It means that just as the apostles received the Holy Spirit on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, in the same way we also receive the Holy Spirit on our confirmation day. And just as the Holy Spirit gave the apostles the power to witness to Jesus Christ so also the Holy Spirit gives to us the same power.

Our witnessing to Jesus may take different forms. It may be through the spoken word or through the written word. It may be through good example.

There is a short prayer to the Holy Spirit that expresses another power of the Holy Spirit: “Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.” The charismatic renewal is a dramatic expression of the power of the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth.

This does not mean that renewal happens only within the charismatic renewal. The Holy Spirit can touch the heart of anyone and if that person responds positively to the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit can transform that person. Some would call this transformation his second conversion.

Have you ever experienced wanting to pray but not succeeding? We may not know what to say. Or we might have started to pray but end up thinking of other things because of distractions. Or we don’t feel like praying at all. The Holy Spirit can come to our rescue. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans writes: “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Rom 8:26). The Holy Spirit can give us the ability to pray.

ASCENSION (B)

Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.

Mk 16:15-20

One teacher shared with me how she became a teacher. One day when she and her cousins were young, they were called to the house of their aunt. Their aunt had them stand in a file in front of her. Then she pointed to her and her sister and said, “You will become teachers.” Then she pointed to the next cousin and said, “You will become a nurse.” And to the third, she said, “You will become a pharmacist.” She was not prophesying their future. She was already deciding their future by telling them what courses to take in college. She felt she had the right to decide their future because she was the one who was going to pay for their college education.

When Jesus called his disciples, he had already their future in mind. He was already deciding what they were going to do. He was going to send them out into the whole world to proclaim the gospel to every creature. This was their mission. This was their vocation.

Don Bosco said that it was very important for us to discover our mission in life. He said among other things that our happiness probably depended on it. The reason for this is that when we carry out our mission in life, we will experience a sense of self-fulfilment. “I did what I was supposed to do in life.” St. John the Baptist suffered martyrdom, but I suppose he died feeling self-fulfilled because he was able to carry out his mission. He did what was meant to do in life. He pre-pared the way of the Lord.

Carrying out our mission in life is not just about feeling fulfilled and happy. When we fulfil our mission in life, we are leaving a legacy behind. This legacy means that we have made a difference in this world. We did some good and this good remains even after we die.

Ninoy Aquino stood up against the Marcos dictatorship. Sentenced to die by a military court, he refused to ask Marcos for clemency, saying “I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.” Beset by heart troubles, he was allowed to go to the United States for surgery. After he got well, he taught at Harvard and continued to give speeches assailing what he called the conjugal dictatorship of Imelda and Marcos. But what he enjoyed most was being with his family. Imprisonment had separated him from Cory and his children. He could just have stayed in the US.

But one day he decided to return to the Philippines, hoping that he can persuade Marcos give up power and to restore democracy. Warned not to return because of threats of assassination, he declared, “The Filipino is worth dying for.” He returned and he paid for it with his life. He was shot at the tarmac of the International Airport that bears his name today.

Ninoy Aquino’s has been dead for 26 years already. But his legacy remains - freedom and democracy for the Filipino people.

Not everyone can leave the kind of legacy that Ninoy Aquino has left behind. If we can not make a difference in the life of millions of people, we can at least make a difference in the life of some of them.

Consider what this parish priest did for six altar boys. They come from a far-flung town in Bicol. These boys have never been outside of Bicol. One day he had to go to Manila. As a reward, he brought these six altar boys with him. But he really had something else in mind. He wanted the boys to see that there was world out there that was bigger than their small town in Bicol. He wanted the boys to see for themselves possibilities for their future. By making them see these things, he planted a seed in their hearts. That seed grew and bore fruit. All of them without exception became professionals. This parish priest made a difference in the life of at least these six altar boys.

If I believe that everyone has a mission in life, if I believe that everyone is meant to make a difference in this world, then I have to believe that no one is useless. I have to believe that no one is good for nothing. And that includes me.

Henry Cardinal Newman wrote: "God has created me, to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. He has not created me for nothing. Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am. I cannot be thrown away."

God has not created me for nothing. He has created me for something. He has created me to make a difference in this world. I only have to discover it. I only have to fulfill it. But the questions remain. Have I already discovered it? And more importantly, am I already fulfilling it?

6th SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

Jn 15:9-17

This Sunday I am going to talk about love.

The NT uses two Greek words for “love”: agape and phileos. Agape is unconditional love, while phileos is love between friends. When Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?", Jesus uses “agape”. When Simon Peter answers: “"Yes, Lord; you know that I love you", he uses “phileos”.

Some have interpreted this to mean that Jesus was asking Peter for unconditional love. But after having denied him three times, Peter was not so sure of him-self and so could only offer Jesus the love of friendship. But Jesus accepted Peter’s love all the same.

There are two other Greek words for love which are not used in the NT. They are: eros and storge. Eros is physical love while storge may be used for the love of the parent for the child.

In 1 Cor 13 we find what they call the “Hymn to Love”. It does not define love but enumerates how love is expressed. “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Love is patient. Two siblings were quarreling. The mother intervened. She told the younger son to respect his kuya. But she also told the elder son to be patient with his younger brother. What was she in fact telling her eldest? To love his younger brother so much as to be able to bear with him.

When I was teaching Religion to 4th year high school students, we studied the definition of love. It was defined as “the power in us that moves us to go out of ourselves, to give of ourselves for the good of the one loved.”

Love as power means that it gives us the capability of doing something for the one we love, even giving up one’s life.

Jesus said: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” And he did. That is why the cross is so important for us Christians. It continually reminds us that God loves us.

I read a news item that a mother suffering breast cancer refused chemotherapy because she was pregnant. She chose to put her own life in jeopardy so that her unborn child may live. Love enables us to do heroic things for the sake of the one we love.

Love can be better understood and appreciated using pictures rather than definitions.

The picture of two newly-married couple speaks about love. But the picture of an old couple celebrating their golden wedding anniversary speaks better about what love really is. Love is always being there for the beloved “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part”.


I read the story of twins. They were in the hospital nursery. The health of one of them was failing. The head nurse was very concerned. Although it was against normal procedure, she put the weak one in the same bassinet with her twin sister. It was then that the condition of the weak one started to improve. But what was touching was the photo taken of the twins. The arm of the stronger sister was around the shoulder of the weaker one. Does this not speak about the love among brothers and sisters?

In the museum called The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia there is a monumental painting of Rembrandt. It is called the Return of the Prodigal Son. The son leans on his father’s breast while both arms of father enfold the son in a gesture of acceptance and welcome. The prodigal son experiences his father’s love when his father shows him compassion and grants him his forgiveness. When Je-sus told the Parable of the Prodigal Son, all he wanted to say was that God’s love is compassionate and forgiving. And what the Prodigal Son experienced, we too can experience in the confession.

Love can also be better understood and appreciated using stories.

One man kept this particular story in his heart. When they were young, their parents had difficulty in making ends meet. They did not have enough to eat. He never complained but he did feel angry towards his parents for having not enough to eat. Then one day something happened that made him ashamed of himself.

His mother served their meal. She did not eat with them. Since there was not enough food, she tried to divide the food equally. After supper she would stay in the kitchen while the children did their homework. But that particular evening, he went to the kitchen for a glass of water. To his surprise and shame, he saw his mother wiping the inside of the cooking pan with bread and eating it.

Their mother contented herself with the sauce that was left so that they, the children, would have more to eat.

No sacrifice is too great for the sake of the one you love.

Someone observed that real love is a verb. A verb is defined as an action word. What he meant to say was that real love is not just something that you say but above all something that you do. Unless love passes from word to action, that love is probably a fake.

How is our love lately? Is it fake or real? Is it just a word or has it become an action?

5th SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.

Jn 15:1-8

The branches that do not bear fruit are cut off so that the nutrients of the vine are not wasted but go to those branches that bear fruit produce more and better fruits.

What are the things that we need to cut off from our lives that are useless? What things in our lives do not help us at all and need to be pruned away?

We may find ourselves carrying emotional baggage. They negative experiences which make us unhappy and keep us from living to the full.

A friend whom we trusted so much might have betrayed us. This betrayal might have hurt us so much that we refuse to trust anyone again.

A love relationship that we treasured so much might have ended and left a deep wound in our heart. For this reason we are afraid to love again because we are afraid of being hurt again.
We might have had an unsatisfactory relationship with our father. This might negatively affect how we see God and how we relate to him.

We need to find a way to let go of this emotional baggage if we want to be happy and if we want to live life to the full.

We form certain beliefs as we were growing up. Some of them are good. Some of them are bad. Some of them are correct. Some of them are downright wrong. We need re-examine our beliefs and let go of those that are bad and wrong.

Some of us may believe that ONLY those things that go against our likes have value in the eyes of God. If this were true, then it means that if I like to sing and if for this reason, I join the Sunday choir, my singing in church on Sundays has no value in God’s eyes. But this is wrong. St. Francis de Sales said that what gives value to what we do is the love which we put into them. Hence, if I join the Sunday choir because I love to sing and because I want to serve God, my singing has value in God’s eyes.

Some of us may believe that EVERY misfortune that comes to us is a pun-ishment that God sends us for the sins we have committed. But this is wrong. Recall the case of the blind man in the gospel of St. John. The disciples asked Jesus whether it was the sin of the parents or the sin of the man himself that was the reason for his blindness. Jesus answered: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents” (Jn 9:3).

These wrong beliefs might cause us to be afraid of God rather than be trusting toward him. We need to do away with these wrong beliefs.

Sin and sinful habits should be the first to be cut off from our lives. They damage relationships and they make us unlikeable.

If someone likes to talk about the defects and shortcomings of other people, I will certainly not want to become close to this person. Why? Because I would suspect that this person is more likely to talk about my defects and shortcomings before other people. Sinful habits make us unlikeable.

If someone has a short temper and as a result he or she hits his or her spouse and children, should he or she be surprised if they have ill-feelings toward him or her?

Sin damages relationships. For this reason sin and sinful habits need to cut off from our lives.

Emotional baggage, wrong beliefs and sin and sinful habits—these and other similar things need to be pruned from our lives. They prevent us from being happy. They make Christian life something unpleasant rather than something beautiful. They damage our relationships and turn us into people whom others love to hate. The sooner we let go of them the better for us.

GOSPEL EXPLANATION

Jn 15: 1. "I am the true vine.”

Only through Jesus can we belong to God.
He is the one who fulfils the symbols of the OT.

The figure of the vine and vineyard is found in the OT. Israel is a vine.
• Ps 80: 9-17. You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove away the nations and planted it….

But it has gone bad.
• Is 5:7 - The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his cherished plant.
• Jer 2:21 - I had planted you, a choice vine of fully tested stock; How could you turn out obnoxious to me, a spurious vine?
• Hos 10:1 - Israel is a luxuriant vine whose fruit matches its growth. The more abundant his fruit, the more altars he built; The more productive his land, the more sacred pillars he set up.

Jn 15:2. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.

Branches that do not bear fruit must be cut away so that the nutrients go to the branches that bear fruit and thus give better fruits.

Fruit refers to the faith that is lived.

This verse might refer to those Christians who hide their faith because of persecution.
• Jn 12:2-42 - Nevertheless, many, even among the authorities, believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it openly in order not to be expelled from the synagogue. For they preferred human praise to the glory of God.

Jn 5:4-6. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

This might have reference to the Eucharist.

Jn 5:5. 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.

Christian – Christ = ian = I am nothing.

The necessity of human effort is not denied here. What is affirmed here is that it is Christ who gives the value of eternity to our life. Hence, we may say: “without me you can do nothing of eternal value.”

Jn 5:6. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.

Those branches which do not bear fruit are cut off and hung on the vineyard walls to dry and later used for fuel.

The unfaithful disciple is excluded from the community of Christ and will not participate in the Kingdom that is to come.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd."

Jn 10:11-18

The Greek word which translates “good” is “kalos”. “Kalos” does not mean “good” as in “good for something. Rather it means “noble” or “ideal”. When Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, he is saying that he is what a shepherd should be, that is, that he is the ideal shepherd.

The image of God as a shepherd is already found in the Old Testament. In fact, in Psalm 23 the psalmist (David) describes his experience of God as a shepherd. It begins with the following words: “The Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I lack.”

Jesus tells us what he does as the good shepherd. (1) “I will lay down my life for the sheep.“ He defends with his own life the sheep against the wolf. And (2) “I know mine and mine know me.” He knows his sheep and his sheep knows him.

When Jesus says that he KNOWS his sheep, what does that mean?

In the family day of the Filipino community of Sacro Cuore, there was one very interesting contest. The participants were husbands and wives. All of them were blindfolded. The challenge was this: would the husbands be able to identify their wives just by their smell? Interestingly but not surprisingly all the husbands were able to correctly identify their wives. They knew their wives so well that they knew even their smell.

This gives us an idea of what Jesus meant when he said that he knows his sheep. He knows us inside out. He knows us by name. He knows our past. He knows our “little” secrets. He knows our likes and dislikes. He knows our fears and our desires. He knows our character. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows us inside out. And because he knows us so well, he can also fully understand us.

What we say of Jesus in particular, we can say of God in general. God knows us so well that he can also fully understand us.

That is why he can be very forgiving with us. I think that the reason why he doesn’t strike us dead when we commit grave sin is because he knows and under-stands that many times we commit sin not because we’re evil but because we’re weak.

Because God fully understands us, he can be very patient with us. He gives us our whole life-time to learn how to live as good Christians. And if that were not enough, he also gives us all the time we need in purgatory to finally learn how to be good children of God. Why such patience? Because he know na tayo’y tao lamang (because we’re only human).

What is our response to this God who is so understanding? Should we take it easy because we know he is forgiving and understanding? Hindi ba ito nakakahiya? Is this not an abuse of his kindness? What then is the right response? To be more serious about living our Christian life. Never mind the results. The important thing is for God to see that we are making a real effort.

Jesus says that he will defend his sheep against the wolf, even to the point of giving up his life.

The wolf can be a ferocious animal, especially when hungry. Once, St. Francis of Sales was returning home from his priestly ministry. It was a cold winter’s night. Half-way he met a hungry wolf. He could do nothing to save himself but climb a tree. He stayed there all night, freezing. It was only when a villager saw him and took pity on him that he was saved from being frozen to death.

The wolf can be a symbol of evil, both spiritual and physical.

We can and should ask the protection of the Good Shepherd from these evils. When I was young, I was struck by the good example of a neighbour. Whenever she left the house, she would always make the sign of the cross. My guess is that she was asking God’s protection from any untoward event. Whenever I ride a plane, I would make the sign of the cross as it took off. I ask God that I would arrive alive and well at my destination.

I know of a mother who prayed for her son everyday. Her son had gone to study in the city. For the first time, he was away from home. She prayed to God to protect her son from the wolves of bad companions (masamang barkada) and from the wolves of robbers.

We find this confidence in God's protection in Psalm 23. "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" This psalm is so a powerful in arousing confidence in God's protection prayer that it has made the difference between life and death of soldiers during the second World War.

Here is such one story.

The tide was turning against the Japanese in the Pacific. The Americans were reclaiming one island after another from them. Then one day the kamikaze planes arrived and wave after wave attacked the American ships. Many of them were badly hit and sunk. Five sailors managed to get into a life boat. Days went by. They had no water and no food. No American ship was in sight. These five men, however, survived to tell their story.

What was it that gave them hope? What was it that made them not give up? Whenever they felt giving in to despair, they would pray Psalm 23.

Whenever the going gets tough, let us remember: The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.

3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

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

Lk 24:35-48

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

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

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

First, Jesus had a strong sense of mission.

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

Jesus did not allow popularity to hinder him from his mission as we see in this particular episode. “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you." He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come" (Mk 1: 36-38).

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

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

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

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

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

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

Third, Jesus was firm and courageous.

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

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

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

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

And finally, Jesus prayed.

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

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

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

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

ADVISORY

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

Palm Sunday (B)

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

Mk 11:1-10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

5th SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

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

Jn 12:20-33

Here we have the paradox of death giving birth to life. But it is true.

The death of Jesus gives birth to life, that is, his death leads to his resurrection. And for us, his death brings new life as children of God and the promise of eternal life in heaven. This new life and this promise of heaven become ours in Baptism. And when Baptism is performed by immersion, the symbolic passage from death to life becomes more obvious. Immersion symbolizes death and burial. Rising out of the water symbolizes new life as God’s children with the promise of eternal life in heaven.

The passage from death to life is not a one-time event. This is because we continue to sin after baptism. Hence, there is a need to continually put to death our sinful selves so that we may regain the new life we have received in Baptism. This process is called continued conversion.

There are two things we can do that can help us in this conversion process. The first is through the sacraments of confession and communion. These sacraments are means by which God comes to our aid. In confession God forgives us our sins and at the same time strengthens us against sin. In communion Jesus also makes us strong against temptation and sin. In fact, St. John Bosco has called communion the Bread that makes us strong.

The second thing that we can do is through the practice of self-discipline. We have a saying: “Nasa Diyos ang awa. Nasa tao ang gawa.” The equivalent English saying is: “God helps those who help themselves.” If we want to become strong enough to say “No” to temptation, then we must have the corresponding will power. Self-discipline develops will power. If muscle power is developed through exercise, then will power is developed through the exercise of self-discipline.

Rising when the alarm clock goes off in the morning is an exercise of self-discipline. Coming on time and not being late is an exercise of self-discipline. Cutting down or even giving up on cigarettes is an exercise of self-discipline.

Dying in order to give birth to life is not just the law of the spiritual life. It is also the law of our earthly life. If we want to enjoy better things, then we must have the courage to give up certain things.

You had to give up the security of being in the Philippines in order to enjoy a better life for yourselves and your children.

You have to give up the freedom of being single in order to experience the joy of the marriage and family life.

You have to give up the fear of what people will say in order to teach your relatives to become independent and in order to provide for your future when you can no longer work. I am not saying that you should not help your relatives. But if it happens that they think it is your duty to die working here so that they will not have to work anymore or so that they will have an easy life in the Philippines, then you have the give up the image of being a “good kuya” or a “good ate”.

Are you unhappy? Do you feel empty? Are you not satisfied with your life? Do you feel something is missing? Perhaps you need to ask yourself: “What do I need to give up in order to be happy, in order to feel fulfilled, in order to feel contented? What needs to die so that I may have life.”

GOSPEL EXPLANATION

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

These Greeks were not necessarily from Greece. They were more likely Greek-speaking persons who either converted to Judaism or who were sympa-thetic to Judaism without actually taking up Jewish practices.

The Passover Feast recalls the liberation of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt. It is one of the three great feasts of Israel. The other two are the Feast of Pentecost which recalls the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai and the Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles which recalls the protection God gave the Israelites during the Exodus).

Philip is a Greek name which means lover of horses. Andrew is also a Greek name and means either man or warrior. Did the Greeks go to Philip because he could speak Greek?

Bethsaida means “house of the hunt”. It is the birthplace of Peter, Andrew and Philip. Its exact location has not been identified.

To see Jesus meant to be talk to Jesus.

Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Here the word “hour” does not mean “chronos” but “chairos” . Chairos is God’s time, that is, the time when God intervenes in our history. In this particular passage God’s intervention is saving man through the glorification of Jesus.

In John’s gospel glorification means “passion, death, resurrection and ascension”. Ascension is not only Jesus going up to heaven but includes sitting at the right hand of the Father. The title “Lord” indicates this sitting at the right hand of the Father.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.

Hate is an Aramaic expression meaning “to love less”. This is the meaning of the sentence of Jesus in Lk 14:26 ("If any one comes to me without hating his father 7 and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.)

"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.

Jesus is truly human being. He experiences the same feelings that we have.

This calls to mind the agony at the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk 14:32-36).

Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and will glorify it again."

The voice of the Father was heard at the Baptism of Jesus (Lk3: 21-22) and at the Transfiguration (Mt 17:5).

Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.

John uses the word “world” in two ways.

First, the world refers to God’s creation. “He was in the world, and the world came to be through him….” Jn 1: 10a).

Second, the world refers to people as object of God’s love (Jn 3:16) or as those who refuse his love as “…but the world did not know him” (Jn 1:10b).

4th SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

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

Jn 3:14-21

The book of Numbers contain the story about Moses lifting up the serpent in the desert (Numbers 21:1-9):

But with their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!"

In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died.

Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover."

Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered.

Notice that John’s gospel changes the verb “mounted” (Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole.) to “lifted”. This is because in his gospel, the verb “lifted” refers to the glorification of Jesus through his suffering, death and resurrection.

John wants to bring home the message that Jesus through his glorification brings salvation (eternal life) just as the bronze serpent of the Old Testament brought salvation (recovery) to the Israelites who were bitten by the poisonous snakes.

Moses mounted the bronze serpent on a pole so that it could easily be seen. When an Israelite is bitten by a seraph serpent, he would have no trouble finding the bronze serpent and thus, would escape death.

In the same way, John wants us to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus.

KEEPING OUR EYES ON JESUS

How do we keep Jesus in sight? In other words, how do keep ourselves from forgetting the presence of Jesus in our lives?

We can place the crucifix on the lintel of the door of our homes or above our beds or at the family altar.

We can place the statue of the Sacred Heart on the family altar.

If we have a car, we can place a rosary of the rear-view mirror or a statue of the Sto. Nino or the Sacred Heart or the Divine Mercy on the dashboard.

We can use holy pictures of Jesus (stampitas) as bookmarkers.

Bigger pictures of Jesus may be placed at strategic places in the house.

There is a saying, “Out of sight, out of mind”. By having these pictures, statues and crucifixes, we keep Jesus in sight and therefore, in mind.

There are other ways of keeping Jesus in sight.

Some go for daily Mass. Others go for a quick visit to the Church. There are those who prefer to stay longer with Jesus at the Adoration chapel.

If your devotion is to the Divine Mercy, the 3 o’clock habit gives you an opportunity to stop for a moment and focus on Jesus.

If it is does not bother people too much, setting your watch to chime every hour on the hour can be your signal to stop for a couple of seconds in order to think of Jesus.

There are times in our lives when we need to keep on looking at Jesus.

Do you remember the incident about Peter attempting to walk on the water? It is found on Matthew 14:28-30—

Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Someone observed that as long as Peter fixed his gaze on Jesus, everything was all right. But when he shifted his gaze from Jesus to the waves, that were when fear took hold of him and thus, sank.

When we are in a fix, when we are faced with a difficult situation, we need to keep on looking at Jesus. We need to keep on praying.

During World War II, a group of sailors whose ship was sunk by kamikaze planes managed to survive long enough to be rescued. What kept their spirits up was prayer. The kept of praying the Our Father and the psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.” Prayer made them feel that they were not alone. God was with them. It also kept their faith alive. They kept on believing that God will not abandon them in the Pacific Ocean.

This is not an isolated incident.

Ingrid Betancourt was a French-Colombian politician who was kidnapped and kept hostage for 6 years by FARC, a Marxist rebel group. She and eleven other hostages were finally freed by government forces.

What kept her hopes high? The Rosary.

In the darkest night, prayer makes me remember that I am not alone, that God is with me and that he will never abandon me.

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

Jesus said to Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who, according to the Gospel of John, was favourable to Jesus. He appears three times in the Gospel: the first is when he visits Jesus one night to listen to his teachings (John 3:1-21); the second is when he states the law concerning the arrest of Jesus during the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:45-51); and the last follows the Crucifixion, when he assists Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the corpse of Jesus for burial (John 19:39-42).

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

“That he gave his only Son” may have a reference to Isaac who was Abra-ham’s only son. Abraham was willing to give up his son in sacrifice on Mt. Moriah in obedience to God’s command (Gn 22:1-13).

God gave his son to us as a gift in the Incarnation and as an expiatory sacri-fice in the Crucifixion.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

We find this universal salvific will of God in 1Tim 2:3-4: “This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.”

John Calvin, a Protestant reformer, who based himself in Geneva, taught the doctrine of predestination. He said that God predestines some to heaven and most people to hell without considering their behaviour.

Predestination brought St. Francis de Sales to a crisis in his youth. He somehow felt that he was among those predestined to hell. His crisis was resolved when he prayed: “If I am going to be separated from you for all eternity, at least here on earth let me love you.”

On his deathbed, St. Dominic Savio was bothered by the thought that he might not go to heaven. “Can I be certain that I will be saved?” St. John Bosco replied, “Yes, through the mercy of God, which will never be lacking to you, you are certain to be saved.”

In the final analysis, our salvation rests on the mercy of God who wants all his children to go to heaven.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.

In the Greek, the word has two meanings: condemnation and judgment.

The coming of Jesus makes judgment inevitable. You either accept or reject Jesus and his message. If you refuse to accept Jesus and his message (turn away from the light), you earn condemnation.

But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

There may be a fine line between showing off and witnessing. On the one hand, Jesus condemns those who announce to the world the charity that they do in order to gain applause (Mt 6:2). But on the other hand, Jesus also taught: “Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt 5:15-16).

St. John Bosco got hold of a booklet that spoke of his work for poor and abandoned youth. After some thinking, he ordered that it be re-printed and distributed. When he was whether it was an appropriate thing to do (because it might appear self-glorification on the part of St. John Bosco), he replied that if people were to come and help them take care of poor and abandoned youth, these people must get to know the work they do. And that particular booklet would serve that purpose.

But ultimately the difference between showing off and witnessing may be found in one’s intention. But then only you and God will know what is exactly going on in your heart.

3rd SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

Stop making my Father's house a marketplace.

Jn 2:13-25

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

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

St. John’s gospel indicates the presence of Jesus in Jerusalem for the Passover three times. This is the first Passover.

While Matthew and Mark place the cleansing of the Temple at the end of Je-sus’ ministry (Matthew on the day Jesus entered Jerusalem and Mark the day after it), John puts it at the beginning.

At the time when John’s gospel was written, the Christians already saw themselves as a group distinct from Judaism. Hence, the statement “Passover of the Jews”.

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

The animals were for the sacrifice at the Temple. The money in use were Roman coins that had images. As such they can not be used as offerings at the Temple. This explains the presence of money changers. These exchange Roman coins for Temple coins that had no image in them.

His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

This is taken from Psalm 69:10. There it reads, “Zeal for your house consumes me.” The verb “consumes” was changed to a future tense “will consume” in order to apply it to Jesus. It is an announcement of the coming Passion of Jesus.

This Psalm is a messianic Psalm. Its application to Jesus indicates Jesus as the Messiah.
Although not quoted, the action of Jesus is a fulfilment of Mal 3:1-4. “…And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek…. and he will purify the sons of Levi….” This prophecy is also messianic in character.

At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?"

The Jews (that is, the Jewish religious leaders) demand that Jesus perform a miracle in order to prove that he has the authority to do what he did.

The cleansing of the Temple was a decisive event in Mark’s gospel. Because of Jesus’ action, the religious leaders decided to find ways to put him to death (Mk 11:18).

Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

It is typical in John’s gospel for the words of Jesus to be misunderstood. We find this when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and to the Woman at the Well.

Nicodemus thought Jesus was referring to a physical re-birth whereas Jesus was talking about being born from on high through baptism. The woman thought Jesus was referring to running water when in fact, Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit.

The Resurrection of Jesus will be the sign that he has the authority to act this way with regards to the Temple.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.

In the bible, name refers to the person himself. Therefore, those who witnessed the miracles of Jesus began to believe in him.

But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all….

Jesus knew how fickle human beings can be. Their faith in him was not strong enough. In fact, their cries of “Hosanna to the son of David” at his glorious entry into Jerusalem at the end of his ministry (Palm Sunday) would readily turn to “crucify him!” a few days afterwards (Good Friday).

2nd Sunday of Lent (B)

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them.

Mk 9:2-10

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

The other two accounts of the Transfiguration event may be found in Mt 17:1-9 and Lk 9:28-36.

Only Luke states that Jesus went up the mountain to pray.

Matthew and Mark says that the Transfiguration took place 6 days after the first prediction of the Passion and the instruction to the disciples about the doctrine of the cross. Luke, on the other hand, says that it took place 8 days later.

The Transfiguration event serves to counterbalance the talk of Jesus about the Passion. In fact, at the end of the episode, Jesus speaks about rising from the dead.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.

The mountain has been identified as either Mt. Hermon or Mt. Tabor.

If the encounter with Satan is in the wilderness, the encounter with God is on the mountain. Moses encountered God on Mt. Sinai (Ex 24:12-18). Elijah met God on Mt. Horeb (1Kgs 19:8-18).

And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.

Bright light and white garments indicate the presence of the heavenly (angel) and the divine (God).

Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.

Elijah represents the Prophets while Moses represents the Law. The Jews referred to the Bible as “the Law and the Prophets”. Their presence suggests that Jesus fulfils the OT promises.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents.

Some commentators understand this to mean the desire of Peter to remain there on the mountain and continue enjoying this extraordinary experience.

Others, however, see in this an allusion to the Feast of Tents or Tabernacles. According to them it was widely believed that the Messiah would come during the Feast of Tabernacles. If this is so, then Jesus is being identified as the Messiah.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

The cloud was a sign of God’s presence. In the Exodus, the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting when God was there (Ex 33:9).

The voice was that of the Father. At his baptism at the Jordan, the Father also acknowledged Jesus as his beloved Son. Jesus is, therefore, divine.

As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

After the Resurrection the disciples would understand the meaning of the Transfiguration and could, therefore, talk about it correctly.

Jesus had spoken to his disciples about his impending death. His transfiguration was a preview of the Resurrection. By giving them a glimpse of the glory of the Resurrection, Jesus wanted to tell his disciples that while it was true that he was going to be put to death, it was also true that death was not going to be the end. He will rise again. And this they will only understand after Jesus had risen.

YOUR FACE IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEART

Many years ago a benefit show was in progress in the gym of Don Bosco Mandaluyong. Kris Aquino who was then a high school student was on stage for a song number. She invited one of the Bosconians to come up on stage and began interviewing him. Without any warning, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. I could have sworn his face glowed.

Why? What happened? Kris was the crush of teenagers then. That kiss warmed the heart of this teenager as only a crush can. Joy welled up from within. You can see it from his face.

The face indeed is the window to one’s heart.

But if a glowing face reveals the joy that is bubbling in one’s heart, what would a face without life and energy say about a person?

We would say: “You don’t look well. Are you sick?” This person might have some physical problem within.

Or we might ask: “You look sad. Is something bothering you? Do you have a problem? ” In this case, this person might have an emotional problem.

St. John Bosco used to say that sometimes you can trace an emotional prob-lem such as sadness to sin.

A mother who lost his patience with his son blurted out: “Bobo ka kasi [you’re stupid, that’s why.]” The hurt that the son feels can be traced to the sin against charity by the mother.

A couple (Peter and Esther) were good friends of Paul and Lydia (another couple). When Esther was hospitalized due to cancer, they were expecting Paul and Lydia to come and visit, even though the latter had moved to the province. But they never came. Imagine the hurt that Peter and Esther must have felt. That, of course, ended their friendship. Again the hurt can be traced to the sin against charity by Paul and Lydia.

Sometimes people hurt us either consciously or unconsciously. We keep that hurt within and nurture it through the years by keeping on replaying the event that caused us pain. And every time we replay that event, we also feel angry. And when that anger takes hold of us, we think of striking back at those who hurt us. The loss of inner peace because of the hurt and the anger can be traced to our sin against charity.

How can we restore inner peace? How can we be happy again?

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. In our particular case, we may need to take three steps.

First, St. John Bosco recommends confession. He believes that God’s forgiveness restores peace and happiness in a person’s heart. Confession seems to lift a heavy burden form our hearts. And experience confirms this.

Second, we need to reconcile with those we have hurt. To say “I’m sorry” is difficult because we have our pride. To say “I’m sorry” is also risky because the other person may not accept our apology. But the reward of peace and happiness that comes from an apology given and accepted is worth the attempt.

And third, we need to learn to forgive ourselves. If God has forgiven us, why should we not forgive ourselves? Think about it. The purpose of guilt is to make us repent and reconcile. In other words, to set things right. Once we have repented and reconciled, guilt becomes useless baggage. Throw it away and live in peace.

1st SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

"This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

Mk 1:12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert.

SPIRIT
We say that Jesus saved us. That is true. But it is also true that the Holy Spirit and the Father saved us because all of them are involved in the work of salvation. In fact it was the Father who sent Jesus and it was the Holy Spirit who guided Je-sus as we see in this gospel episode.

WILDERNESS OR DESERT
It was considered the home of Satan. By going to the desert, Jesus confronted the power of Satan.

He remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.

40 DAYS
40 is a biblical number. The great flood came with 40 days and 40 nights of rain. The people of Israel wandered 40 years in the desert. Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb.
Here 40 days mean as many or as much as needed, that is, Jesus stayed in the desert for was long as needed to accomplish the purposes of God.

TEMPTED
Unlike Matthew and Luke Mark does not tell us how Satan tempted Jesus. Matthew says that the temptation occurred at the end of the 40 days, while Mark says it took place throughout the 40 days.

Temptation usually means luring someone to commit sin. The bible also uses the word “temptation” to mean purifying or proving or testing someone to see if he is fit for the task. Graduates of medical school are tested to see if they are ready to practice medicine. The temptation in the desert proved that Jesus is capable of carrying out the work of Savior.

He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

WILD BEASTS
The mention of the wild animals may have two purposes. The first is to stress the dreariness of the wilderness. The second is to recall the harmony in creation which Adam disrupted and which Jesus will restore.

ANGELS
The angels who ministered to Jesus recall the angel who protected the people of Israel during the Exodus: “The angel of God, who had been leading Israel's camp, now moved and went around behind them” (Ex 14:19).
They are a sign of divine assistance.

After John had been arrested.

John the Baptist dared to tell Herod that it was not right for him to take as his own wife, Herodias, who was the wife of his brother, Philip. For this, Herod had him arrested.

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God.

GALILEE
Jesus concentrated his preaching ministry in Galilee. He only went to Jerusa-lem which was in Judea to celebrate the great feasts (Passover).

GOSPEL OF GOD
The gospel is not only good news coming from God. The good news is the power of God for salvation of man (Rom 1:16). It proclaims the action of the Fa-ther in Christ.

This is the time of fulfillment.

There are two words for time in Greek: chronos and kairos.

What time is it? It’s 7:30 in the morning. This is chronos.

Kairos, however, refers to the time fixed by God when he will fulfil his prom-ises. It is the word “kairos” that Jesus is using in his proclamation.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

The kingdom of God is not a territory. That is why the better translation is “reign of God”. In this case, entering the Kingdom of God means accepting the reign of God. This implies recognizing God as Lord over me and therefore, I am willing to obey him.

Repent, and believe in the gospel.

REPENT
To repent is to turn away from sin in order to return to God. Repentance re-quires a change of mind and heart that leads to a change in behaviour.

BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL
It is not only to believe in the message of the Gospel. It is above all to believe in the messenger of the Gospel, Jesus Christ our Lord.

7th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."

Mk 2:1-12

Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them.

There were so many people who wanted to listen to Jesus that the four men carrying the paralytic could not get through. The words of Jesus were powerful. His style was attractive. But most of all, his message touched their hearts.

When we read the Bible there will be moments when we will experience the same thing. It will help if we underline or highlight those words or phrases that touched us. Once in a while we may return to those words in order to be encouraged, inspired, comforted or strengthened.

In my case one of the passages that gave me great comfort and re-assurance is: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine. When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned; the flames shall not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior” (Is 43:1-3). I am fortunate that this passage has been made into a song and I often listen to it.

But for God to touch us with his Word, we must first own a Bible. The Bible is not just any kind of book. It is like a letter that he wrote to communicate us. God does not want to be a silent God. He does not want to be a distant God.

After buying a Bible, we must set aside some time to read the it prayerfully. Setting aside 10 to 15 minutes every day will do. Reading the Bible prayerfully means that as we read it we are alert as to what God might want to say to us at that very moment. And if God does tell us something, we respond to him.

I have said at the beginning that we should underline or highlight those passages that inspire us. This will help us find those passages more easily if we want to read them again for comfort or inspiration or encouragement.

Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith….

If they didn’t believe that Jesus could cure the paralytic, do you think they would go through the trouble of climbing the roof, of pulling the paralytic up the roof, of making a hole through the roof, of lowering the paralytic down the hole, and later of having to repair the hole they had made?

Faith is not something that only happens in the mind and in the heart. Faith is a force that moves us to action. And sometimes the action is just as simple as the following story--

“It was a Sunday. But it felt worse than Monday blues. The fridge just held water. The cupboard was bare. Payday was still a few days away and our moneybag didn't hold enough to get us through the day. Gina and I were afraid we'd go hungry. We weighed our options and prayed to God for help. Gina then asked if we should proceed going to mass. I said "Yes. God has never let us down. There is no reason to doubt." When we got home after the mass, we got the surprise of our lives. On our doorway were baskets of vegetables and fruits. They came unexpectedly from our godfather from Bicol – more than enough to last us a week.” Because the husband believed that God would provide them food, they went ahead and went to Mass. And as we saw God did not let them down.

The 4 men did not only have faith in Jesus. I think they also loved the paralytic. They were willing to go through the trouble of bringing him in front of Jesus because they cared about him. They wanted him to be cured. When we love someone, we are willing to make any sacrifice for that person.

One of our priests has only one kidney now. Why? His kuya’s kidneys were no longer functioning. He had to undergo dialysis. The only hope was a kidney transplant. This priest was the best match. He willingly gave his kidney to his kuya so that his kuya might continue to live.

It is easy to have a child. But it takes a lot of sacrifice to raise a child. One teenaged boy shared this story with me. In those days, there were no cellphones yet. He arrived home 2:00 in the morning. He was surprised to see both of his parents still awake. Perhaps, because of anger his mother gave him a slap on the face. She told him: “Don’t you know how worried we were? We were afraid something might have happened to you. You didn’t even call up to tell us you were arriving home at this time.” They could have slept. But they didn’t because they were worried and they were worried because they loved their son.

He (Jesus) said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, "Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?"

True. Only God can forgive sins because all sins are ultimately an offense against God. But it is also true that God uses human instruments.

For example, he used the prophets to deliver his message to his people. That is why the prophets would begin their preaching with words like these: “Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD….” (Ez 36:22).

By becoming a human being, God made use of our humanity as an instrument to save us. If the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity did not become man, how can the crucifixion take place? There is no body to be crucified.

Because God makes use of human instruments, it is, therefore, not surprising that God makes use of priests who are human beings to forgive sins.

A high school student admitted that he doesn’t go to confession anymore. The reason is because priests are after human beings who also commit sins. But if we accept this logic, then no one of us should go to the doctor when we are sick because you can never find a doctor who never got sick.

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk?'

Obviously it is easier to say “Your sins are forgiven” than to say: “Rise, pick up you mat and walk”. When you say “Your sins are forgiven”, there is no way for people to see whether the sins have been really forgiven. But if you say, “Rise, pick up your mat and walk”, people can see if your words are effective or not.

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth" —he said to the paralytic, "I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home." He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone.

The miracles of Jesus are signs. They say something. In this case, making the man walk is a sign that indeed his sins were forgiven and consequently, that Jesus does have the power to forgive sins.

The external says something about the internal. The external is like a window through which we can have a glimpse of what is happening in inside. Our speech, for example, can give us an idea of what is going on inside the heart and mind of a person. We have a saying that a fish is caught in the mouth (ang isda ay nahuhuli sa bibig).

We encounter people who are often critical of another person. He or she likes to talk about the shortcomings of other people. What could be going on in-side this person? It is possible that he or she has a low self-esteem. It means that he or she does not have a high regard for himself or herself and thus, feels inferior to others. To relieve his sense of inferiority he has to bring others down through criticism.

Our speech is a good indicator of what is happening inside. What do we often talk about? What often comes out of our mouth? Is it criticism? Is it hurtful words? Is it about ourselves, our talents, our achievements, our possessions? Is it gossip about others?

Jesus healed the man of his paralysis. He also forgave him his sins. Jesus performed a physical and a spiritual healing. In other words, Jesus performed a holistic healing and this shows that he was concerned about the good of the whole person. He was concerned about his body and his soul.

Parents can learn something about parenting from the example of Jesus. Parents need to take care of all the needs of their children. What are they?

It is not enough to send your children to school, to buy him clothes, to feed him, and to provide him shelter. Those answer his intellectual and physical needs. But children also have emotional needs. Do you have time for your children? Do you make an effort to have a happy marriage? A happy marriage gives to your children emotional security.

Your children need your guidance. Do you talk to your children? Do they find it easy to talk to you? Do you pass to your children the wisdom you gained from life?

One of our priests shared with me this story. When he was in high school, he was with his father on their way home. They passed by the sugar mill. And his father made this observation: “Do you know that inside that warehouse is a mountain of sugar? And yet you will not find a single ant inside. Do you know why?” And he replied, “No.” And his father continued: “Because the mountain of sugar dehydrates the ants. It sucks the fluid out of the ants. That is life. Even good things, when used to excess, is harmful.” His father used that moment to pass on to his son some nuggets of wisdom.

Your children have spiritual needs. Do you teach your children to pray? Do you bring them to church? Do you share your faith with your children?

A father shared his faith experience with his children. He told them that he believed in Divine Providence because there were times when there was not enough money and the time for giving the salary to his employees was just around the corner. But somehow the money would come.

To be a parent is a great gift and a great responsibility. At the end of your life, what will give you the greatest happiness? Is it the millions that you have in the bank? Or is it your children all grown up, with a happy family and financially secure? All because you have raised them well.

Jesus cared for the whole person. Take care of your children, body and soul, heart and mind. Raise them up not only for this life but also for the life to come.

6th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

"If you wish, you can make me clean."

Mk 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean."

Leprosy here does not refer only to what we call Hansen’s disease but to many kinds of disfiguring disease.

Lepers were driven away from the community. Even their families consider them already dead. They live outside of the town. They can not come near people. Some say they carry bells to warn people of their presence. If they attempt to come near, they would be driven away with a hail of stones.

This harsh treatment of lepers was due to the following reasons: 1) To prevent others from catching the disease; 2) the leper it was believed was being punished for his sins. The people of old interpreted physical misfortune like other misfor-tune as divine punishment; and 3) The Law of Moses commanded it.

Let’s examine further this last reason. Leviticus declared the leper as ritually unclean which means he can not mingle with others nor can he participate in pub-lic worship. His physical condition disqualifies him from physically manifesting the holiness of God’s chosen people. Furthermore, because he is ritually unclean, he also causes others who come in contact with him to be ritually unclean. This makes the behaviour of the priest and the Levite of the parable of the Good Samaritan understandable.

A corpse was unclean. If the priest and the Levite touched the victim and it turned out that he is dead, they would be ritually unclean, too and would be dis-qualified from serving at the Temple.
We have noted that lepers were not allowed to come near other people. Why did he dare approach Jesus? Was it because he was so desperate that he could not allow the opportunity to be healed to pass by? Or was it because of his faith in Jesus? He did not only believe in the power of Jesus to heal. He also believed in the compassion of Jesus. He believed that Jesus would not drive him away.

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean."

Moved with pity can also be translated as “feeling sorry for him”. Compassion is both a divine and a human quality.

The Parable of the Wicked Servant (Mt. 18: 23-35) speak of the compassion of the Father which we his children should imitate. Moses tells the people of Is-rael that Yahweh is a compassionate God: “Since the LORD, your God, is a compassionate God, he will not abandon and destroy you, nor forget the covenant which under oath he made with your fathers” (Dt 4:31).

But compassion is also a human quality. Without it, we become like animals. During World War II news of the Holocaust started to filter out. In the beginning the Allies could not believe it because it was something that no human being could possibly do. Systematically killing off people by the millions was cruel and inhuman.

Leprosy is not a beautiful sight. That Jesus touched him meant that the compassion of Jesus was more powerful than any feeling of revulsion that the sight of the man might have aroused in him. It also showed the attitude of Jesus towards the Mosaic Law. The leper was ritually unclean and according to the Mosaic Law you should not touch that leper. But Jesus touched the man all the same. It was not that Jesus despised the Mosaic Law. It was because Jesus understood the spirit behind the Mosaic Law (and any law for that matter). The motivation behind it was for the good of man. Jesus did say: “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” Thus, showing compassion to this man by touching him and curing him was more important than remaining ritually clean.

To touch and be touched is a human need. No man is an island. We need hu-man touch in order to feel connected. We need human touch in order to make con-tact and thus overcome the feeling of isolated.

A hug is a form of human touch. But it is more than just human touch. It is a natural expression of showing that you love and care. No wonder researchers say that we need 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance and 12 hugs a day for growth.

On the topic of hugging see – http://www.groundreport.com/Arts_and_Culture/It-only-Takes-a-Hug-to-Change-the-Lives-of-Others

He said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them."

Jesus told the man who was cleansed of his leprosy to keep quiet about the incident. It was not because Jesus did want to be disturbed by people coming to him for a cure. What Jesus did not want was his healing ministry to take away the possibility of preaching. People will indeed come but they will not be disposed to listen to his message because all they want is to get their relative or themselves cured. Instead, if his healing is not advertised, he can carry out his preaching ministry unimpeded and at the same time have the opportunity to heal people of their sickness.

The man had to go to the priests because it is they who can certify that he is indeed cured and can, therefore, return to society and participate in public worship.

He is told to offer what Moses prescribed. Is it not but the proper thing to do that after having experienced the goodness of God, he should show his gratitude by offering a sacrifice?