TRINITY SUNDAY (B)

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Mt 28:16-20

Click to go to << Trinity Sunday 2009 >>

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

Click to go to << Pentecost (B) 2009 >>

ASCENSION (B)

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

Mk 16:15-20

THE ASCENSION ACCORDING TO ACTS

The ascension took place 40 days after the Resurrection. During that time Jesus through his appearances proved that he was alive. He instructed his apostles about the Kingdom and told them to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. When he comes, they will become his witnesses, first in Jerusalem, then in Palestine, and finally to the ends of the earth. Even after instructing them for 40 days, they still did not understand Jesus and his mission. For if they understood, they would not ask: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Until now they were still thinking of Jesus and the Kingdom in terms of earthly power.
The ascension is described as Jesus rising towards heaven and then being hidden by the clouds. Two men in white garments (angels) tell the disciples that the Parousia (return of Jesus) will happen in the same way.

In the Acts of the Apostles it seems that the ascension took place somewhere in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 

Jn 15:9-17 

Click to go to << 6th Sunday of Easter 2012 >>

Click to go to << 6th Sunday of Easter 2009 >>

5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. 

Jn 15:1-8

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

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

“Trabaho lang ito. Walang personalan.” We’ve probably heard this many times in the work place. It is meant to remind colleagues not to take criticism personally—something that we Filipinos are often guilty of.  This may be alright in professional relationships but not at home nor with friends. There our relationships must be personal.

With Jesus what is our relationship? Professional or personal? Close or distant? The Gospel uses the image of the vine and branches to describes the relationship between Jesus and his followers. This relationship is certainly a personal relationship. For what should bind us to Jesus is love and love cannot be anything but personal. That is why when friends or family go out together for some activity, they call it “bonding”, a strengthening of the love relationship among them.

This Sunday let us look at the love that binds us to Jesus and to people we care about.

First, we must love in deeds. As they say, love is not a noun but a verb. A verb, remember, is defined as an action word. Thus, love must be expressed in action, in deeds. When love is expressed in deeds, love is felt and therefore, love becomes real. I suggest two ways to express love in deeds: through presence and through presents.

Do you remember a Christmas advertisement of Coca-Cola? It was called “Coca-Cola Where Will Happiness Strike Next: The OFW Project.” It presented three OFWs who had not able to visit their families here in the Philippines for many years. One was an X-ray technologist who hasn’t been home for 5 years. Instead of buying a plane ticket to return home, he just sends the money for the hospital expenses of his father. A baby-sitter hasn’t been home for 11 years! When he left his youngest son was only 1 year old. Another had been away for 9 years. What Coke did was to make it possible for them to come home. In each and every case, you could feel the love that their presence evoked. I was especially touched by two scenes. The first was when the X-ray technologist hugged his old father whose vision was failing. He said that eventually his father would go blind but he wanted his father to see him before he loses his sight. The other scene was when the father met his now 12 year old son and hugged him for the first time. These OFWs left home and were absent for years for the sake of their families, because they loved them. But now they were present in their families even for a few weeks but their presence made it possible for them to feel each other’s love.

We express our love through our presence. But we also express it through our presents.

It was the wedding anniversary of Joey and Ana. Joey told Ana that they would celebrate their wedding anniversary at Spiral Buffet at Sofitel Hotel. It was quite an expensive restaurant. Ana enjoyed their evening together. Going home, she asked her husband why he chose to bring her to Spiral Buffet. He said that a month earlier, while reading the papers, she casually said that she would love to try that restaurant. He heard it and kept it in mind. In this particular case, Joey did not only express his love through the present of a dinner at Spiral but also through the present of an attentive ear to the desires of one’s spouse.

I must also add that by presents, I do not only mean gifts but things that are given for the good and happiness of those we love. Food, clothing, shelter, education are examples of such presents.

While giving importance to deeds in order to express love, we must not minimize the value of words. Have you ever told your parents “I love you”? I used to give my students this homework when we would take up the Fourth Commandment (Honor your Father and your Mother): Say “I love you” to your mom or you dad. Next meeting tell me how they reacted.” Inevitably there will be those who will report that their mom burst into tears upon hearing them say: “Mama, I love you.” Did you ever tell your son or daughter that you are so happy to have them as your son or your daughter? And if you want to double the impact of your words, hug them.

I am saving our relationship with Jesus and with God for last.

Loving God is not that simple. God may touch our hearts and find ourselves loving him spontaneously. But for some it might be a matter of learning to love him because we can't see him, hear him, nor touch him. How do we learn to love God? Or to put it another way, how do we let love for God develop? Because we are human beings, love develops and grows in the same way—by taking the time to be present to one another. The story of the Little Prince and the Fox exemplifies this process. The fox tells the Little Prince to tame him. Taming him means “making friends” or “establishing a relationship”. The Little Prince asks the fox how to do this. And fox replies, “First you will sit down at a little distance from me--like that--in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day . . ." Friendships and love relationships among human beings develop that way—by taking time to be present to one another. If we apply this to our relationship with God, it means taking time to be alone with God in prayer.

I think I should end by saying something about God’s love for us. God loves us not because we are good. God loves us whether we are good or bad, just as our parents love us whether we are good or bad. God loves us because we are his, just as our parents love us because we are theirs. A father would boast about his son who plays in the varsity and say: “That's my boy!” A mother would say: “Yang si Teresa ko palaging nasa top ten.” Through baptism God has made us his own. We belong to him. We are his sons and daughters. He has become our Father. But the question remains: “Are we close to him?”

4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me. 

Jn 10: 11-18

Click to go to << 4th Sunday of Easter 2012 >>

Click to go to << 4th Sunday of Easter 2009 >>

EASTER SUNDAY (B)

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

Jn 20:1-9

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

PALM SUNDAY. PASSION SUNDAY (B)

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

Mk 11:1-10

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

5TH SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

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

Jn 12:20-33

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4TH SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

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

Jn 3:14-21

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

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

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

THE CROSS

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

THE GOSPEL

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

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

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

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

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

HELL

Does God send people to hell?

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

LIGHT AND DARKNESS

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

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

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

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

3RD SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

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

Jn 2: 13-25

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

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

EXEGESIS

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

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

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

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

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

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

LESSON

1. Church

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

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

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

2. Anger

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

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

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

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

3. Cleansing

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

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

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

CONCLUSION

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

2ND SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

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

 Mk 9:2-10

Click to go to << 2nd Sunday of Lent 2012 >>

Click to go to << 2nd Sunday of Lent 2009 >>

CONTEXT

Jesus asked his disciple, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers for all of them, “You are the Christ.” Then Jesus reveals to them his destiny. He would suffer and die in the hands of sinful men, but rise again on the third day. That he would suffer and die shocked them so much that they did not hear the rest of his statement—that he would rise again on the third day. But to cushion the blow of the prediction of his passion and to make them remember that the cross would not be the end of his story, Jesus made Peter, James and John witness the Transfiguration.

EXEGESIS

The Transfiguration took place on a mountain. Tradition identifies Mt. Tabor as this mountain. Why did it take place on a mountain. In the OT mountains were the place of encounter with God. Moses, for example, received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Elijah experienced the presence of God on Mt. Horeb in the form of a soft breeze.

Moses and Elijah appeared conversing with Jesus. Moses represented the Law; Elijah, the Prophets. Together the Law and the Prophets make up the Old Testament. That they appeared together with Jesus meant that the mission of Jesus was the fulfillment of the OT promises.

Peter wanted to build three tents. If he was thinking of the Tent of Meeting, he may have in the mind the building of a shrine. If he was thinking of the tent as a dwelling place, then it would mean that he wanted to stay there and prolong this extraordinary experience. But it was not to be because Jesus brought them down from the mountain.

As they were coming down, Jesus commanded them not to speak about this experience until after the Son of Man had been raised from the dead. They did not understand what he meant by rising from the dead in the same way that they did not understand his prediction of the passion. For the Jews expected the resurrection to happen only on the last day. And for the Messiah to suffer and die was unthinkable.

In Mk’s gospel, nothing is said about the brightness of the face of Jesus. He only mentions his clothing turning dazzlingly white. This transformation was meant to be a preview of the transformation of Jesus at his resurrection.

THE STORY OF THE TRANSFIGURATION AND LENT

Why was the Transfiguration chosen as the gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent?

First, the Church wants to remind us even this early during the Lenten season that the culmination of Lent will be the celebration of Easter. The Lenten season is a forty-day period of meditating on the passion and death of Jesus. But it will not end there. It will end with the triumphant celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Secondly, the Church also wants to remind us of the work that we must do for Lent. What work must we do? We must repent and turn away from our sins. If we do this during the Lenten season, the result will be a change, a transformation into better Christians.

Why do we have to undergo change or transformation into better Christians? Because the purpose of Easter is not only to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and but also to celebrate the change, the transformation into better Christians that happened during Lent.

THE PHOENIX

We can use the mythical bird called the Phoenix as a reminder of the work we have to do for Lent.

When the Phoenix reaches 500 years old (some say 2,000), it is ready to die. It prepares a nest of cinnamon twigs which it turns into a funeral pyre. It burns itself in that pyre. When everything turns into ashes, something wonderful happens--a newly hatched Phoenix emerges.

Remember the ashes we received on Ash Wednesday? Do you remember the words that accompanied the giving of ashes? “Turn away from your sins and believe in Gospel.” If we take seriously this work of turning away from our sins, then what happened to the Phoenix can happen to us. From the ashes of Ash Wednesday, we can emerge as changed Christians ready to celebrate Easter Sunday with the Risen Christ.

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

Click to go to << 1st Sunday of Lent (B) 2012 >>

Click to go to << 1st Sunday of Lent (B) 2009 >>

6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

Moved with pity, he [Jesus]stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”

Mk 1:40-45

Click to go to << 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2012 >>

Click to go to << 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2009 >>

5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

Jesus approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. 

Mk 1:29-39 

Click to go to << 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2012 >>
Click to go to << 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2009 >>

4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

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

Mk 1:21-28

Click to go to << 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) 2012 >>
Click to go to << 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) 2009 >>

3RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Mk 1:14-20

Click to go to << 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) 2012 >>

STO. NIÑO

Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 

Mk 10:13-16

Click to go to << Sto. Nino 20012 >>

Click to go to << Sto. Nino 2009 >>



GOSPEL FOR 2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

Jn 1:35-42

John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

This was how John the Baptist publicly identified Jesus as the Messiah which was why his two disciples went over to Jesus to become his new disciples.

·         There are two instances in the Mass where we call on Jesus as the Lamb of God. The first is at the breaking of the bread. We call on Jesus three times as Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The second immediately follows. The priest says: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are they who are called to the Supper of the Lamb.”

·         There is another important event in the Gospel of John that is tied to the title of Jesus as the Lamb of God. Jesus was crucified and died on Calvary on a Friday at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Now it is precisely at the time that the lambs are sacrificed in the Temple during the Passover feast. This is how St. John the Evangelist points to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?”

It seems that the more natural question that Jesus would ask the two erstwhile disciples or John would be: “What do you want?” or “Why are you following me?”

·         This reminds me of Diogenes of Sinope. He was a philosopher. One day in broad daylight he went to the town square carrying a lighted lamp. People were intrigued. And they asked him, “Why are you carrying a lighted lamp in broad daylight?” And he answered them: “I am looking for an honest man and it’s so hard to find one.”

·         At one time in our life, we might be in search of something important: what course to take in college; a soul mate; the meaning of life; the reason why you were born in this world; why do bad things happen to good people; why did someone die young; why is there so much evil in the world and so on. If Jesus were to ask you, “what are you in search of at this time in your life?”, what would you say to him? If he were to ask you, “what do you want so badly in your life today?”, what would you tell him?

Then he (Andrew) brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.

·         The giving of the name is a serious matter in the bible. In the Jewish culture a male child is circumcised on the 8^th day. He now becomes an official member of the Jewish nation. On this occasion the father gives the child its name. By this action the father officially acknowledges that this child is his. Although Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, yet he (Joseph) acknowledges Mary’s baby as his own son by giving him his name, Jesus.·         In the bible, giving of a name signifies the giving of a mission or a special role. Simon’s name was changed to Cephas in Aramaic or Peter in Greek because he was to be the rock on which Jesus would build his Church. The son of Elizabeth and Zechariah was given the name John which means God is gracious. His birth was an act of graciousness on the part of God to Elizabeth and Zechariah for by giving them a child, God took away their shame at being childless. Jesus means “Yahweh saves”. Thus this was the name given to Mary’s child because he would save the people from their sins.·         When a new Pope is elected, he is first asked if he accepts the election. If he accepts, the next question that he is asked is what name does he wish to take. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio took the name Francis, the first Pope to do so. He is the 266^th successor of St. Peter, the first Pope. At first they thought that Cardinal Bergoglio had Francis Xavier in mind because Cardinal Bergoglio was a Jesuit and Francis Xavier was also a Jesuit. But it turned out that he was thinking of Francis of Assisi. Why? Because he wanted to follow the simplicity of St. Francis of Assisi. Also he wanted to show his special concern for the poor, the suffering and the marginalized.

o    Cardinal Ratzinger took the name of Benedict because he wanted to work for the return of Europe to its Christian roots. Europe now is secularized. It no longer considers faith and religion as part of its identity. Thus, it is considered post-Christian. St. Benedict founded the order of monks who was responsible for keeping the Christian identity of Europe during the barbarian invasions. In fact, they were responsible for the Christianization of the barbarians.

o    Both Cardinal Albino Luciani and Cardinal Karol Wojtyla took the name of John Paul because they wanted to continue the reform of Vatican II. Now Pope John the XXIII opened Vatican II while Pope Paul VI brought it to conclusion. It is interesting to note that John Paul II visited the Philippines twice and his visits resulted in many boys being called John Paul.

·         Cardinal Sin, God bless his soul, often cracked jokes during his homilies. He shared the following story. He was baptizing three children. The first was the child of a soldier. He asked for the name of the child. And the father with a smile replied, “Baby. Baby Armalite.” The next baby was the son of a scientist. He asked the father what the name of the child was. “Skylab,” came the answer. Skylab at that time was the orbiting space laboratory of the Americans. And finally , he came to  the last baby. He asked the father what was the name of the baby girl. The father replied, “Iluminada.” “Oh, finally!” thought the Cardinal, “a more sensible name.” And the Cardinal asked the father, “And what is the family name?” And the father with a naught smile replied, “Bombilya. Iluminada Bombilya.”

o    The traditional practice is to give a child the name of a Saint. The reason is that the Saint becomes the patron and the model of the child. Patron means protector and intercessor of the child. Model means someone the child could imitiate.

o    What is your name? How did you get that name? What is the meaning of your name? If your name is that of a Saint, have you ever read the life of that Saint? Have you ever approached him to pray for you?

·         Finally, I remember many years ago a rivalry between the Noranians and the Vilmanians. They were the fans of Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos. Some of the fans of Nora went so far as to put a mole on their face similar to the mole or Nora.

o    No one here today would perhaps identify herself or himself as a Noranian or a Vilmanian. But I am sure that all of us here would call himself a Christian, a follower of Christ. We should not take that name lightly. For Christians living in Syria and Iraq, it may mean beheading at the hands of Muslim extremists. It is not dangerous to be a Christian in the Philippines. And for that reason, it is easy to take our Christianity for granted. May the Pope’s visit re-enkindle our enthusiasm for our Christian faith. 

BAPTISM OF THE LORD (B)

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

MK 1:7-11

Click to go to << Baptism of the Lord (2009) >>

EPIPHANY

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

Mt 2:1-12

Click to go to << Epiphany 2010 >>

Click to go to << Epiphany 2008 >>