Gospel Reflection

August 25, 2013

Sunday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Rufino "Jun" C. Sescon, Jr. - Chaplain, Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati
6:00PM Anticipated Sunday Mass at Greenbelt Chapel, Makati

Reading 1 Is 66:18-21

Thus says the LORD: I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.  I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.  They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.  Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 117:1, 2

R. (Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Heb 12:5-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters, You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children: “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.” Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”  He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.  After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.  Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

HOMILY

Tapos na ang mga bagyo at sungit ng panahon kaya't walang masungit dapat sa mga nagsisimba. Panahon lang ang masungit, hindi ang mga nagsisimba.

The other day, after the floods and the rains, a friend sent me a picture of his room via Facebook. He was so happy and very proud of his accomplishment. I was surprised to see that, because if you had been to his room, his room was a mess. You could hardly move around. You could hardly open the door. Pag naglakad ka doon dapat patagilid, kasi bukod sa maraming gamit, makalat din siya. But then, he was so proud to say that these past few days na walang pasok, he cleaned his room. He did not just re-arrange things; he was jubilant in sharing that he sent almost half of his stuff to Caritas for the victims of the typhoon. And that is why when he showed a picture of his room, it was so clean, it was so clear, it was wide. Pwede na siyang mag-jogging sa loob ng kwarto niya. Pwede na siyang magtatakbo dahil lumuwag 'yong dati rati'y masikip. Kailangan lang palang linisin. At hindi lang basta linisin....kung kailangang ipamigay ang mga dapat ipamigay, ginawa na niya. At dahil doon, lumuwag ang lahat.

I remembered that incident as I was reflecting for today's Gospel. In today's Gospel, we heard Jesus saying, "Strive to enter the gate of the Kingdom..." But the gate is narrow. Masikip ang lagusan sa Kaharian ng Diyos. And when we perhaps heard that - masikip - some of us perhaps panicked. Some of us perhaps got nervous. 'Naku, narrow pala. Baka hindi tayo makapasok....Masikip pala, baka hindi tayo makasama.' We might panic, so much so that like the man in the Gospel, we might ask the Lord, "Lord, kung masikip pala, will only be a few saved?" We are afraid, because for us, narrow is something negative. Narrow is not nice. Narrow is a source of panic.

Kaya nga palaging may lumalapit sa akin, "Father, pwede po bang luwagan n'yo na 'yong bridge dito sa Greenbelt Chapel? Nakakatakot po pag may emergency, walang makakadaan nang maayos." Kaya ipagdasal n'yo po. Nakahain na po 'yong appeal doon sa Ayala na luwagan na ang bridge natin. Kasi nga nasa isip natin, pag masikip, delikado, nakakatakot.

But it is not really the purpose of the Lord. Was the Lord frightening us when said the gate to the Kingdom of God is narrow? What does it mean? What does it imply when Jesus says 'the narrow gate of the Kingdom'?

Mayroon po sana akong ipapakita sa inyo sa screen, pero may kaunting problem sa USB. Bibigyan ko sana kayo ng test sa traffic sign. Noong nag-a-apply po ako ng driver's license, sabi nila, mahigpit. Lumapit sa akin ang proctor, sabi niya, "Father, perfect na kayo, huwag na kayo mag-exam, tutulungan ko kayo. Pag mayroon kayong hindi alam, Father, itanong n'yo sa akin." Nakakahiya naman, naturingang pari po ako. And I sat there in the room, only to find out na naka-post naman pala doon sa pader ang lahat ng traffic signs. (laughs) So ang sabi ko, walang babagsak talaga.

But there is a sign that perhaps most motorists and drivers would know. It is the sign which symbolizes 'narrow road ahead'. When you see that sign - 'narrow road ahead' - what do you do? What is your instinct? Sa mga nagda-drive, you will slow down. You will drive carefully, because the road is getting narrower and narrower. And I believe that is what the Lord meant when he said 'the gate is narrow'. It is to remind us that in the journey of life, you must be careful. You must be vigilant, you must be alert. Di ba? 'Yong mga pumupunta sa Baguio....'yon ang problema sa ibang driver, nagre-relax, porque alam nilang sanay na sanay na sila. Doon nag-uumpisa ang trahediya. Pagpunta sa zigzag, pag makipot na ang daan, ayaw pa ring bumagal. Kaya nakakalungkot at nagkakaroon tayo ng mga aksidente.

Today, Jesus reminds us that the road to life, the road to God is narrow, to make us more alert, more careful...for us to know the important directions. You do not just disregard what you are passing by, because a wrong turn, a simple neglect, can cause a major disaster. The road to life is narrow, because Jesus wants us to be alert...to know what is important.

Secondly, the gate is narrow, not wide. Elsewhere in the Gospel, Jesus said, "The road to the Kingdom is narrow, the road to destruction is wide." Ano daw po 'yong isang consequence kapag masikip ang daan? Tulad po dito sa bridge ng Greenbelt Chapel....if you happen to attend mass here during the afternoon of Sundays, you will realize the narrow gate. Naghihintayan 'yan. Di ho ba 'yong Commonwealth tinawag na killer highway? Bakit? Pag maluwag, paspasan. Pero pag masikip, napipilitan tayong magbigayan. Kaya po pag Sunday ng hapon, pag palabas na muna ang mga tao, wala munang papasok. When the gate is narrow and the bridge is narrow, people have discipline. People tend to think of others, not just themselves. There will never be a mob. There can never be a selfish crowd. There is consciousness for the other. And that is also what our Lord would want us to realize.

That is why in the Second Reading, we heard in the letter to the Hebrews, God is the Father of discipline. We do not like to be disciplined. But we all know, we need discipline. Discipline purifies us; discipline expands our hearts. The road to God is discipline. When we are suffering, when we are being challenged, look at it, not as a punishment from the Lord. Look at it also as God distilling our soul...God purifying our soul. Just like the narrow gate.

Di ba ngayon po nakakatuwa...nakikita natin na may pila na, may disiplina na, at dahil doon, mayroong pagmamalasakit sa isa't isa. The road to God, the road to life is narrow, so that we may learn to love our neighbor.

Lastly, the gate is narrow....maganda po sana may ipapakita akong picture sa inyo. May isang tao, marami siyang dala, naka-kotse pa siya. Pero nakita niya 'yong gate, hindi ho siya pwedeng pumasok na kasama 'yong kotse niya. Hindi pwedeng kasama 'yong mga gamit niya. Kasya lang para sa kanya. And that is also what our Lord would want us to realize. The road...the gate to the Kingdom is just enough for us. Not our stuff, not the unnecessary things of life, not the treasures we think we could bring. What is enough is ourselves, our hearts, our lives.

When Jesus says the gate is narrow, He did not say we could not enter. Tayo pong lahat, pwedeng pumasok. Pero may mga bagay sa atin na dapat nating iwan. Hindi natin pwedeng bitbitin. Ini-imagine ko na 'yong mga excess baggage. Tayong mga Pilipino, sikat na sikat. Mahilig tayo sa excess baggage. Pero pagpunta po sa langit, bawal ang excess baggage. Tayo lang ang pwedeng pumasok. At ang tanungin natin, baka 'yong kamay natin, ang daming excess baggage, pero 'yong puso natin, ang gaan-gaan, dahil walang laman. Baka 'yon po daw ang dapat lamnan natin....'yong puso natin, 'yong kalooban natin, 'yong kaluluwa natin.....kasi, 'yon ang makakapasok sa langit. Jesus is saying that the road to God is narrow, because He wants us to focus on what matters most in life.

And so, as we continue with this mass, let us ask the Lord for that grace. Lord, remind us always that the gate to Your Kingdom, the door to Your house, the passage to Your heart is narrow. But this is not to discourage us, not to frighten us, but Lord, to purify us. To teach us what matters most in life. To make us more loving and selfless to others.

A few years back, a woman approached me. She was crying, and she told me, "You know, Father, I had a miscarriage. I just buried this fetus. And I named my baby 'Hope'." She approached me because she said, "In my prayer, I imagined my baby. The baby that I wasn't able to meet, that I wasn't able to know, that I wasn't able to have in this earth....And in my prayer, I told her, "I'm sorry that I never got to know you." The lady said that after that, she had peace.

"I'm sorry, I never got to know you." Brothers and sisters, I hope that at the sunset of our lives, the moment we pass from this world to the next, I hope we will never tell Jesus, "I'm sorry...I never got the chance to really know you." Because that would mean we will never enter the narrow gate...we will never be part of the Kingdom. Entering the narrow gate ultimately means knowing Jesus in our lives. And when I say knowing Jesus, hindi lang 'yong alam natin ang pangalan ni Hesus. Hindi lang 'yong alam natin na ang nanay niya ay si Mama Mary. Hindi lang dahil nagsisimba tayo, kaya natin Siya kilala. Pero sana, kilala natin si Hesus, taos sa ating puso. Kilala natin Siya bilang isang kaibigan. Sinusunod natin Siya bilang Panginoon. Minamahal natin Siya bilang Diyos. So that at the end, we could say, "Lord, I truly know You." And you will hear Jesus say, "Enter the Kingdom of God." Amen.

Gospel Reflection

August 24, 2013

Saturday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

by Rev. Fr. Ernie M. Cruz, SDB - Rector, St. John Bosco Parish Church, Makati

6:30AM Mass, St. John Bosco Parish Church, Makati

                                      

Reading 1 Rv 21:9b-14

The angel spoke to me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

Responsorial Psalm PS 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
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. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Gospel Jn 1:45-51

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

HOMILY

We are celebrating today the feast of St. Bartholomew, one of the Apostles, one of those whom we know very little about. The little that we know is that Bartholomew comes from Cana, in Galilee, that he was the one introduced by Philip to Jesus, that he may have gone to Persia, and he died near the area, and was skinned alive, dying a martyr's death. That is the little that we know of St. Bartholomew or Nathaniel.

But we also know that he has always been in the roster of those mentioned by Jesus as 'the chosen 12'. He was hand picked by Jesus to be one of the Apostles, meaning, sent in order to bring the Good News to the world. They were sent, because they were willing to be sent. They accepted what the Lord wanted from them, that's why they were called the Apostles.

The Readings of today are also very significant, because they bring a different light to the person of Bartholomew and to us. The First Reading speaks about something of the future to come - that those called by God will not be left by themselves. They will be seated at the throne of the Father. The Book of Revelation is a book that talks about the years to come, the time to come. It is apocryphal - something difficult to understand, yet, at the same time, speaking of the future. The writer of the book of the Revelation will say, "The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb." The Apostles of Jesus were there, not just at the beginning. Till the end, they will be with Jesus.

In the Gospel today, one of the best descriptions that Jesus can give to a man, He gave to Bartholomew, when He talked of him as having no duplicity as a person. What you see is what you get. Bartholomew was very transparent; he will say what he thinks and what he believes is correct. Jesus saw in Bartholomew a person so simple, so transparent, one who would not put anything more than who he was. Jesus saw in Bartholomew a man of simplicity, a man with no double meaning in his words. He was that kind of a person, and Jesus liked him.

When Jesus invited Bartholomew and said, "I saw you under the fig tree.", probably that was the moment when Bartholomew was thinking of something and was asking the Lord for a sign of what would happen to him. He must have been reflecting on something that jived with what Jesus was saying and how Jesus was looking at Him, that Bartholomew could relate to Jesus very easily. And at once, he told Jesus, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God, the King of Israel." And Jesus told Bartholomew that He will see the Son of Man, and the angels of God coming up and down heaven. Putting together the book of Revelation, Jesus told Bartholomew that he will be there. There is a place for Bartholomew at the end of time.

It is so good to look at these readings and to relate it to ourselves. Everything that we have and everything that we are, is because of this person coming from Nazareth, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is everything that we could think of, as the God who can do so much for us, only, if like the Apostles, we would be able to accept God's invitation of being sent. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.  

Gospel Reflection

August 23, 2013

Friday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Benjamin “Benjo” Fajota - Vice Rector, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine) 12:15PM Mass at EDSA Shrine

Reading 1 Ru 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22

Once in the time of the judges there was a famine in the land; so a man from Bethlehem of Judah departed with his wife and two sons to reside on the plateau of Moab. Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons, who married Moabite women, one named Orpah, the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion died also, and the woman was left with neither her two sons nor her husband. She then made ready to go back from the plateau of Moab because word reached her there that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.

Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, but Ruth stayed with her.

Naomi said, “See now!  Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god. Go back after your sister-in-law!” But Ruth said, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

Thus it was that Naomi returned with the Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, who accompanied her back from the plateau of Moab. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Responsorial Psalm PS 146:5-6ab, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
The LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

Gospel Mt 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

HOMILY

During the time of Jesus, there were different sects in the synagogue - the Sadducees, Pharisees, and others. And they have not really come up with one single idea of what is the greatest law. So when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had rebuffed the Sadducees in their question 'will there be life after death', they wanted to test Jesus again, and so they asked which is the greatest commandment.

For the Jews, the first five books of our Bible, which they call the 'torah', are the collection of laws and commandments. And so they asked Jesus, from among these laws, from among these instructions, which one is the greatest. And when Jesus answered them, He told them that love of God is like loving your neighbor and yourself. One cannot exist without the other. Like a coin with two sides, you cannot love God without loving your neighbor, who was created in the image and likeness of God.

Our greatest show of love for God is in our participation in the Eucharist. This is the greatest prayer that we could offer God, to thank Him for the gift of life, for all the blessings that we receive. We know this, we understand this. That's why we put so much effort and time in attending the Eucharist. But in loving our neighbor, do we share with them the idea or truth about God? We know the truth about our faith. We know that God must be the center of our lives. But do we share this with others? Do we tell them that we must do this, that we must appreciate the Eucharist as we ought to, because this is the greatest adoration that we could offer to God? But a lot of times, our faith is limited to 'my God and me alone'. The rest, wala akong pakialam. This is not the kind of love that Jesus is challenging us. Jesus tells us to love our neighbor whom we see. That's the only time that we can profess that we really love God as well.

My dear brothers and sisters, it is not important to know the commandments. What is more important is doing it, and practicing it in our lives. Amen.

Gospel Reflection

August 22, 2013

Thursday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

by Rev. Fr. Ray Victor Pascual, LRMS (Spiritual and Apostolate Director, Lorenzo Mission Institute)
12:15PM Mass, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord (Megamall Chapel)

Reading 1 Jgs 11:29-39a

The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and through Mizpah-Gilead as well, and from there he went on to the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow to the LORD. “If you deliver the Ammonites into my power,” he said, “whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites shall belong to the LORD. I shall offer him up as a burnt offering.”

Jephthah then went on to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his power, so that he inflicted a severe defeat on them, from Aroer to the approach of Minnith (twenty cities in all) and as far as Abel-keramim. Thus were the Ammonites brought into subjection by the children of Israel. When Jephthah returned to his house in Mizpah, it was his daughter who came forth, playing the tambourines and dancing. She was an only child: he had neither son nor daughter besides her. When he saw her, he rent his garments and said, “Alas, daughter, you have struck me down and brought calamity upon me. For I have made a vow to the LORD and I cannot retract.” She replied, “Father, you have made a vow to the LORD. Do with me as you have vowed, because the LORD has wrought vengeance for you on your enemies the Ammonites.” Then she said to her father, “Let me have this favor. Spare me for two months, that I may go off down the mountains to mourn my virginity with my companions.” “Go,” he replied, and sent her away for two months. So she departed with her companions and mourned her virginity on the mountains. At the end of the two months she returned to her father, who did to her as he had vowed.

Responsorial Psalm PS 40:5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
who turns not to idolatry
or to those who stray after falsehood.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Gospel Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

HOMILY

Today is the Feast or the Memorial of Our Lady as Queen. Please bear with me because my reflection will be more on the Feast or Memorial today of Our Lady as Queen of Heaven and Earth - the fifth Glorious mystery.

Eight days ago, we also celebrated a Marian Feast - the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when Our Lady was assumed, both body and soul, to heaven. Today, we have another Marian Feast, which is the Queenship of Mary. This feast was proclaimed by Pope Pious XII on October 11, 1954, through his encyclical letter 'Ad Coeli Reginam' or 'to the heavenly queen' or the 'Queen of Heaven'.

May I now ask you a question - how is one called a 'mother' or a 'father'? Normally, when one gets married and bears a son or daughter, one becomes a mother or a father. Because if one does not bear a child, one cannot be called a 'mother' or a 'father'. One is merely a wife or a husband. This is logically speaking. Of course, we are not talking here about spiritual motherhood or spiritual fatherhood, but the normal biological process. And the Feast that we celebrate today speaks to us about this wisdom - Mary as the Mother of Jesus. Now, putting this into the context of our celebration today, if Jesus is God, then Mary is the Mother of God. So if Jesus is King, then Mary is the Mother of a King. Therefore, she is a Queen Mother.

But all these titles of Mary are actually privileges given to her by God. All the privileges of Mary are given by God as a gift to her, because God has chosen her to become the Mother of the Messiah, the Savior of the World. It is a great honor, yet Mary always remained humble. Mary's Queenship is not about dictating and abusing authority, but like her Son, she, too, came, not to be served, but to serve.

It is unfortunate that some of the leaders in our country are here, not to serve, but to be served. Binago nila ang statement ni Jesus. Mary said, "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Your Word." The life of Mary is a life of saying 'yes' to the will of God. And all of us, as children of Mary, are also given this opportunity. For as long as we are breathing, as long as we are still alive, we are given a chance every day to renew our commitment to Jesus the King. The Queen Mother always leads people to her Son, and not to herself. That's why when priests draw people to themselves - when we draw you to ourselves - then we fail as shepherds of Jesus, because we do not bring you to Jesus and to the Kingdom of God.

All of us are given the opportunity to share like queens and kings also. Our rosaries, our Marian novenas and celebrations, are ways and means through which our Mama Mary leads us to her Son. May we become loyal subjects of the Kingdom of God - to our King, our Lord Jesus Christ.