Gospel Reflection

March 13, 2013

Wednesday – Year of Faith – Lenten Seasons

by Rev.  Fr. Nilo Mangussad (Rector Our Lady of Peace Quasi-Parish)

12;15PM Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

                         

Reading 1 Is 49:8-15

Thus says the LORD: In a time of favor I answer you, on the day of salvation I help you; and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, To restore the land and allot the desolate heritages, Saying to the prisoners: Come out! To those in darkness: Show yourselves! Along the ways they shall find pasture, on every bare height shall their pastures be. They shall not hunger or thirst, nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them; For he who pities them leads them and guides them beside springs of water. I will cut a road through all my mountains, and make my highways level. See, some shall come from afar, others from the north and the west, and some from the land of Syene. Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, break forth into song, you mountains. For the LORD comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.

Responsorial Psalm PS 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18

R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Gospel Jn 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews:  “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

HOMILY

This world has become an impatient world. We are very impatient that we want everything in an instant. We hate waiting. True? Yes.

But there is a time...in God's time. And God Himself has said it in the First Reading. I answered you when you asked for a favor. But it was not according to man's time, but according to God's time. 

We are so impatient when we ask favors from the Lord. And it is always shown in how we live our life here on earth. Jesus has promised that He is busy at work, just like His Father is busy at work. Jesus is doing the work of the Father now, but it is not in the time of man, but the time of the Father.

We must realize the importance of patient contemplation and prayerful waiting. It is because the world has gotten so fast-paced that we do not know how to wait anymore. This is an important element in our spiritual life - being quiet, serene, and in prayer. Until we realize this, we will always be in a hurry, and we will never be contented in life. 

What we must ask ourselves now is: In my union with the Lord, am I patient in His answer to my request? Or am I losing patience with the 'slow' movement of the Lord on my request?

Gospel Reflection

March 12, 2013

Tuesday – Year of Faith – Lenten Seasons

by Rev. Fr. Benjamin “Benjo” Fajota (Vice Rector of the EDSA Shrine)

12:15PM Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

                         

Reading 1 Ez 47:1-9, 12

The angel brought me, Ezekiel, back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He led me outside by the north gate, and around to the outer gate facing the east, where I saw water trickling from the right side. Then when he had walked off to the east with a measuring cord in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and had me wade through the water, which was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand and once more had me wade through the water, which was now knee-deep. Again he measured off a thousand and had me wade; the water was up to my waist. Once more he measured off a thousand, but there was now a river through which I could not wade; for the water had risen so high it had become a river that could not be crossed except by swimming. He asked me, “Have you seen this, son of man?” Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit. Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides. He said to me, “This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah, and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

R. (8) The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Gospel Jn 5:1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”  He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’“ They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.

HOMILY

My dear brothers and sisters, when we are forgiven of our sins, our dignity as sons and daughters of God is reinstated. It is given back to us in full.

The man in the Gospel needed healing. Yes, physical healing. But in the order of importance, in the order of priority, he needed spiritual healing, more than the physical healing.

God is telling us, "Come to me and I will give you rest. Come to Me, and I will cure you of your paralysis, of your sinfulness. I will cure you of all the illnesses of your spirit." And we must heed this invitation.

The season of Lent is giving us that opportunity to be reconciled back to God. How many of us consider ourselves sinful, as to approach the sacrament of reconciliation? The first step towards healing is for us to acknowledge that we have sinned. Let us tell God that, when He asks us, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Amen.

Gospel Reflection

March 11, 2013

Monday – Year of Faith – Lenten Seasons

by Rev. Carmelo Esteban, Montfort Missionaries

12:15PM Mass, Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace (EDSA Shrine)

                         

Reading 1 Is 65:17-21

Thus says the LORD: Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying; No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime; He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed. They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Gospel Jn 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

HOMILY

I think lahat naman tayo, in one way or another, ay nagkaroon na ng encounter with sickness. Either tayo ang nagkasakit, o meron tayong kakilalang nagkasakit, just like our Gospel today. At pag mayroong maysakit, we really bombard heaven with our prayers. 

Marahil ay mayroon kayong tanong kung bakit ang prayer minsan ay hindi sinasagot? Pero mayroon munang katanungan diyan. First of all, ano ba ang prayer para sa inyo? Minsan ay tila hindi sinasagot ng Panginoon ang ating dasal, but there is always wisdom behind, kung bakit minsan ang panalangin natin ay hindi sinasagot ng Diyos. It is up to us to discover kung ano 'yong wisdom behind. 

In the Gospel, there is a royal official. Mukhang hindi siya Jew pero mukhang mayaman kasi mayroon siyang slave. Ang kanyang anak ay nasa bingit ng kamatayan. Now, he heard about Jesus, and he grabbed the opportunity na lumapit kay Jesus. It was a courageous act to go near Jesus. Tandaan ninyo, sakop ng Roman Empire ang mga Jews. 

Pero lumapit pa rin siya kay Jesus. Magandang attitude po 'yon. At tinanggap siya ni Jesus. Ang gusto niya ay gumaling ang kanyang anak, at ang gusto niya ay sumama si Jesus sa kanya. The Roman official was straight to the point, 'yon ang gusto niya. But then Jesus told the official that he may go, and his son will live. Definite at walang duda ang sagot ni Hesus. 'Gagaling ang anak mo.' At talagang gumaling ang anak niya. Tandaan ninyo na malayo 'yong anak kay Jesus. Malayo. Pero ang bridge ay 'yong Tatay. Kaya naman lahat sila, kasama ang mga slaves, ay naniwala kay Jesus. Ang hula ko, after that story, ang official ay tagong tumulong kay Jesus, upang mapalaganap Niya ang Kanyang misyon. 

'Yon po ang challenge ng ating Liturgy sa araw na ito. Let us not underestimate the power of prayer. Huwag tayong mahiyang lumapit kay Jesus. We pray, not to change the mind of God; it is about changing our mind, our mindset. That is the purpose of prayer. Huwag tayong magsawang magdasal, huwag tayong magsawang magsimba. We should allow God to touch us; we should allow ourselves to have a personal encounter with God. 

Sana si Jesus na na-encounter n'yo dito sa chapel, ay ma-encounter n'yo pa rin sa labas ng chapel na ito. Mangyayari lang 'yan kung hahabaan ninyo ang inyong antenna, which means, we have to be sensitive to Jesus sa labas ng chapel. Madaling ma-encounter si Jesus sa loob ng chapel, pero sa labas ng chapel, 'yan ang puno ng challenge. Jesus always communicates with us, and every day is a chance for us to encounter Jesus. And when we encounter Him, we will produce very good fruit.

 

Gospel Reflection

March 10, 2013

Sunday – Year of Faith – Lenten Seasons

Fourth Sunday of Lent

by Rev. Fr. Caloy Reyes

12:15PM Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

                         

Reading 1 Jos 5:9a, 10-12

The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth of the month. On the day after the Passover, they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day after the Passover, on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 2 Cor 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters: Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ  and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them  and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Gospel Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable: “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”

HOMILY

Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is also, called Laetare Sunday. The word 'laetare' means to rejoice. If you'd notice, I'm wearing a pink chasuble, or more of old rose than pink. We are allowed to wear old rose twice a year, during Laetare Sunday, which coincides with the fourth Sunday of Lent, and Gaudete Sunday, which coincides with the third Sunday of Advent. And the reason for this is that the Church has been in penance for a long time, which is symbolized by the color purple, and we break it by the pink or old rose color. This color is the coolest, probably, among the colors, and looking at it gives us a feeling of joy. Coincidentally, in mental institutions, sometimes we use the color pink to calm down the more violent among the patients. So pink has a cooling effect. 

But we wear pink today because today is a happy day. Why is it a happy day? It is because the Lord is telling us about the Father's mercy. We heard in today's Gospel the parable of the prodigal son. And this parable was addressed, not to the sinners, but actually to the religious leaders at that time, the Pharisees and the lawyers. 

And let us admit that almost all of us probably have a little bit of the Pharisee within us. The Pharisees were complaining why Jesus was welcoming sinners. They forgot or they failed to anticipate the real message of our Lord Jesus Christ. And His message is mercy. Mercy and pardon for sinners. 

In the parable of the lost son, something precious was lost, and the person that was lost, was found, after a frantic search, and after anguished waiting. When the lost son was found, there was great joy. 

So what does this mean for each and every one of us? There is joy in finding someone who is lost. There is a lot of joy. And that's why it is right that we celebrate, because God is merciful. God is either frantically looking for us or He is waiting for us expectantly, with a little bit of anguish. 

Sinu-sino ba sa inyo dito ang nawalan na ng anak o ng mahal sa buhay? O kaya may anak kang nagloloko? Ano ang mas mahirap gawin - ang maghanap ng nawawala, o 'yong maghintay na bumalik 'yong nawawala? Siguro maghintay. Pag naghanap ka, at least may ginagawa ka, medyo nalilibang-libang ka. Eh kung nando'n ka lang sa bahay, naghihintay ka, babalik pa ba ang anak ko? Ang hirap no'n. Siguro masira-sira ang ulo mo. 

But this is how God is with us. He searches for us and waits for us. Just like the lost sheep. Iniwan ng shepherd 'yong 99 na tupa, para lang hanapin 'yong isang tupang nawawala. At pag nakita ni Hesus ang nawawalang tupa, sasabihin Niya, "Mabuti nakita na kita. Wala ka bang sakit? Wala ka bang pilay?" And with tenderness, He will say, "Halika na, uwi na tayo...Uwi na tayo." This is how Jesus Christ is with us. 

In the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son got his inheritance and went to a distant country where he squandered the money of his father. He spent everything freely, until he found himself in dire need. Pati sa baboy nakiki-kain na siya. Pag nilayasan natin ang bahay ng Ama, magbubuhay baboy talaga tayo. Buhay baboy. But the Gospel says the son came to himself, and in coming to his senses, he decided to go back to his father's house. 

That is the prodigal son. Now what about the father? The Gospel says that the father saw his son coming home, from still a long way off. Ano ang ibig sabihin noon na malayo pa lang ay nakita ka na ng iyong ama? Ang ibig sabihin no'n ay walang ginawa 'yong Tatay mo kundi dumungaw. Nasaan na kaya 'yong anak ko? So when the father saw the son, he was moved with compassion and then he ran towards the boy. Then coming to him, he embraced him and covered him in kisses. Tuwang-tuwa ang Ama. And this is how our God is, with us.

God is so merciful to us. Let us be merciful, as the Father is merciful. Ang ating Ama ay laging naghihintay, inaabangan tayo, nakadungaw sa bintana. Hindi ka Niya pwedeng pilitin. Nasa sa iyo 'yon. At pag babalik ka na, malayo ka pa lang, natatanaw Ka na Niya. He will run to you, cover you with kisses and embrace you, and will bestow You your heritage.