Gospel Reflection

September 24, 2013

Tuesday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Msgr. Bong Lo, Chaplain, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord (SM Megamall Chapel)
12:15PM Mass, SM Megamall Chapel

Reading 1 Ezr 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20

King Darius issued an order to the officials of West-of-Euphrates: “Let the governor and the elders of the Jews continue the work on that house of God; they are to rebuild it on its former site. I also issue this decree concerning your dealing with these elders of the Jews in the rebuilding of that house of God: From the royal revenue, the taxes of West-of-Euphrates, let these men be repaid for their expenses, in full and without delay. I, Darius, have issued this decree; let it be carefully executed.”

The elders of the Jews continued to make progress in the building, supported by the message of the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, son of Iddo. They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus and Darius and of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. They completed this house on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. The children of Israel–priests, Levites, and the other returned exiles– celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. For the dedication of this house of God, they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, and four hundred lambs, together with twelve he-goats as a sin-offering for all Israel, in keeping with the number of the tribes of Israel. Finally, they set up the priests in their classes and the Levites in their divisions for the service of God in Jerusalem, as is prescribed in the book of Moses.

The exiles kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Levites, every one of whom had purified himself for the occasion, sacrificed the Passover for the rest of the exiles, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

Responsorial Psalm PS 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5

R. (1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Gospel Lk 8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers  are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

HOMILY

The Manila Cathedral has been built, destroyed and rebuilt for about 8 times already, since the Spanish period. And for the past months, the Manila Cathedral has been closed, because it needs repair. And we hope that the Manila Cathedral will be open by the first week of December this year.

In the First Reading of today, we have heard from the book of Ezra that the people of Israel were given the privilege to rebuild the destroyed temple of Jerusalem. The temple of Jerusalem was destroyed twice, and the last time it was destroyed was in 17 A.D. Until now, it has not been rebuilt. It will be difficult to rebuild it, because a mosque has been built on the site where it used to be. Mahirap na sirain ang mosque para i-rebuild ang temple of Jerusalem.

The function of the temple of Jerusalem, and for that matter, any temple or any church structure, is to be a sacramental sign, to be a concrete manifestation, to be a visible sign of God's presence among His people. In the New Testament, we are reminded that all of us - in fact, you and I - are the temples of God. We who are created in the image and likeness of God, we who were saved by the precious Blood of Christ, we who are living souls - we are the living temples of God.

My sisters and brothers, as we are living temples of God, we should be a concrete manifestation, a visible sign of God's presence. When people see us, what do they say? 'Speaking of the angel' or 'speaking of the devil'? There could be different reasons why they would say that. But Jesus, in the Gospel Reading of today, tells us that His family - His mother, His brother, His sister, His people - are those who hear the Word of God and act on it. It is not enough for us to be baptized, or to memorize the difficult Biblical passages, to be with the family of Jesus. To be with the family of Jesus, the community of Jesus, the Church of Jesus, the temple of Jesus, is to do the will of the Father, to act on the Word of God, like what our Blessed Mother Mary did.

And the will of God for us is, of course, to do good, and avoid evil. To forgive, and not to get revenge. To be kind, and not to be selfish. We need to be faithful in our prayer life and in our worship. Let us pray in this mass, my dear brothers and sisters, that we may do the will of God, that we may do our duties and responsibilities at home, in the office, in the school, and in the community. As we do our duties and responsibilities generously, faithfully and joyfully, may we become more and more the family of Jesus, His community, His church, His temple - living signs of His presence and kindness.

As we said in the Responsorial Psalm, 'let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord'. But even the house is not a home. If we go to the house of the Lord, let us go in such a way that we make each other feel at home. That we are not only a house, that we are not only a structure, but truly a home where everybody is welcome and could feel at home.

Gospel Reflection

September 23, 2013

Monday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest

by His Excellency Socrates Buenaventura Villegas, D.D., Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, Pangasinan
5:45PM Fiesta Mass at the Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati

Reading 1 Ezr 1:1-6

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing: “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Therefore, whoever among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him! Let everyone who has survived, in whatever place he may have dwelt, be assisted by the people of that place with silver, gold, goods, and cattle, together with free-will offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and Levites–everyone, that is, whom God had inspired to do so–  prepared to go up to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. All their neighbors gave them help in every way,with silver, gold, goods, and cattle, and with many precious gifts besides all their free-will offerings.

Responsorial Psalm PS 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done marvels for us.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.

Gospel Lk 8:16-18

Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

HOMILY

My brother priests, and my brothers and sisters in Christ, I am here because of Padre Pio. Whenever the late Padre Pio is mentioned, the wounds that he carried in his body, which are the wounds of Christ, always come to our minds. That is why it has become part of the devotion of Padre Pio to venerate the relics containing his blood - the blood-stained handkerchief, the blood-stained clothes, the blood-stained vestments. All of these are now relics, and there are so many of them all over the world. Greenbelt Chapel has one such relic.

But on the Feast of St. Pio or St. Padre Pio, I am just curious. What do you pray? What do you ask from him, when you talk to Padre Pio? Let me warn you. If you are dreaming that some day, you, too, will have the five wounds of Jesus (laughs), stop praying, because it will not be given to you (laughs), because it is not the essence of devotion to the saints.

The essence of devotion to the saints is imitation. In other words, we can have a fiesta of Padre Pio, without his relics. We can have a fiesta of Padre Pio, without a procession. We can have a fiesta of Padre Pio, without a video presentation. But you must never have a fiesta of Padre Pio, without remembering his virtues, and imitate him. Because the core of devotion to the saints is imitation of the saints.

So what is it in Padre Pio that we must imitate, especially for us, Catholics, in the Philippines? Three points. Number one, passion. Passion for Christ. Enthusiasm, excitement, 100%. That is what Padre Pio gave to God. He was always an excited disciple.

You know the disease of our time, my dear brothers and sisters, is we take so many things for granted. But the words of the God of our Scriptures should be our warning. If you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out. And I will not have anything to do with you, and you will not have anything to do with Me. Passion - 100%. 100% does not only mean inside the Greenbelt Chapel, but 100%, 24/7.

Am I telling you to resign from your job? No. I'm only telling you to work for God, not for man. Am I telling you to abandon your families, and stay at Greenbelt Chapel, 24/7? No. I'm only asking you to make sure that God is in your family. Believe me, my dear brothers and sisters, if you will stay at Greenbelt Chapel 24/7, you will go to hell (laughs), because that is not the will of God for you. The will of God for you is passion, 100%, bringing the Lord all the time - on fire with God. God does not deserve 99% from us. And you don't deserve 1% from Him. Because 100% belongs to God, because 100% came from Him, and we cannot keep anything for ourselves.

That is Padre Pio - passion. That is why, because of the intensity of that passion, the passion of Christ was given to his body. The passion, the signs of the passion of Christ, would not have been given to him, if he was not 100% always passionate for Jesus. But with passion, there must be prayer. Because passion without prayer can make you a fanatic. Passion without prayer can make you blinded. Passion without prayer can make you lose charity. And Padre Pio challenges us to pray.

I'm quite sure, if I will ask you, 'Do you pray?', most likely you will say, like a chorus, 'Yes, Father'. But if I will ask some more, 'How do you pray?', then you will say, 'I read the prayers, I read the novenas, I read the Bible, I talk to God directly'. Today, on the Feast of Padre Pio, pwede po ba, when you pray, please stop talking. Just please stop talking, and learn the power and the beauty of silence again. Sometimes, we talk too much, that is why, our lives have no direction, because we are so full of ourselves. God speaks to us, and the language of God is not Latin or English. The language of God is silence. If you know silence, you will understand Him. If you know silence, He will understand you. Padre Pio teaches us silence in the midst of the world - to stay quiet and open our hearts, and let our passion and our prayer blend together.

But prayer is not enough. Let me ask you - Yes or No. Do you want all your prayers to be answered? (People say 'yes'.) Mahina sagot n'yo, sasabihin ko sa Panginoon, huwag kayong sagutin. (laughs) Yes! Sinabi nang 100%, eh. Yes, we want all our prayers to be answered. But you know how to get your prayers answered? You must make sure that all your prayers are accompanied by love for the poor. Because if your prayer is not accompanied by charity for others, your prayer is only an ego massage. It is an opium that will help you forget momentarily your troubles. But you will not reach heaven, because you're only talking to yourself. The poor....That is why the devotion to Padre Pio in Giovanni Rotondo has brought about a huge hospital for the poor. Do not forget the poor, because forgetting the poor is forgetting Christ.

But let me qualify. When we say we must love the poor, please include yourselves among the poor. Because if we exclude ourselves from the poor, then giving could actually be a sign of pride, lording it over those lower than us. Truth to tell, my dear brothers and sisters, who among us is not poor? Would you like me to prove to you that you are really poor? My dear ladies, tandaan n'yo 'to. Kahit gaano kaganda ang make-up ninyo, ang kahuli-hulihang magme-make-up sa inyo, funeraria. (laughs) You'd be so poor, you cannot even make yourself beautiful. You'd be so poor, you cannot even dress yourself. You'd be so poor, you would not be able to do anything for yourself. You are completely dependent on others. And isn't that what being poor means? You may be at the 48th floor, at a building in Ayala, but at the end of your life, you will only go six feet below the ground. Because we are all, only poor. Brothers and sisters in Christ, when you pray, please don't forget 'I am poor'. And in the presence of God, I have nothing to boast.

Passion, prayer, and poverty in spirit. If we can embrace these, even if you cannot get closer to the relics of Padre Pio, you will actually get closer to heaven. Because the important thing on the feast of Padre Pio is not to get close to his relics, but to get close to the memory of his example. So now, I request you to bow your heads. Seek silence. Without using your lips, without using your voice, use the language of God, which is silence, and whisper to the heart of Jesus and say, 'Lord, change me, even if I am not ready....Change my cold heart into a heart of fire. Change my laziness to pray, into total generosity. Change my pride into simplicity. Change me, Lord, even if I am not ready....Change me, Lord, even if I am not ready'.....

Gospel Reflection

September 22, 2013

Sunday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Feats of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

by Rev. Fr. Gilbert Dumlao (Parish Priest, St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Balintawak, Quezon City)
6:00PM Sunday Anticipated Mass, Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati

Reading 1 Am 8:4-7

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! “When will the new moon be over,” you ask, “that we may sell our grain, and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat? We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel, and fix our scales for cheating! We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!” The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!

Responsorial Psalm Ps 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8

R. (cf. 1a, 7b) Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
to seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Tm 2:1-8

Beloved:
First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.  This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all. This was the testimony at the proper time.  For this I was appointed preacher and apostle — I am speaking the truth, I am not lying —, teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

Gospel Lk 16:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property.  He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you?  Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?  I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.  I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one.  To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.  Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.  I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.  If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?  If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?  No servant can serve two masters.  He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

HOMILY

Good evening, my dear brothers and sisters.

The theme assigned to me is humility, in the mind of our saint, Padre Pio. While I was reading some of his works, one sentence came into mind and struck me. It says, "Humility is abjection; abjection is humility." What does 'abjection' mean? Tiningnan ko po ang meaning ng 'abjection', and it states that 'abjection' is the 'state of downfall or disgrace'. Iniisip ko rin po kanina kung ano ang pakiramdaman ng 'abjection'. Sa pagpunta ko po dito ay may ipinakita at ipinaramdam sa akin ang Diyos. Sumakay po ako sa kotse, pinag-drive po ako ng aking kapatid dahil siya po ay taga-Makati. Sa Balintawak pa lang po, traffic na. Sabi ng kapatid ko, 'Sumakay ka na lang ng MRT, Kuya'. Sumakay ako ng MRT. Pagsakay ko ng MRT, tinulak ako palabas dahil sa taba ko. (laughs) Pero nakapasok po ako ng MRT. Pero pag-andar po ng MRT ay tumigil dahil nasira daw ang MRT. (laughs) At tumatawag na po ang aking kapitbahay na si Tita Reggie (member of the Greenbelt Lectors' and Commentators' Ministry), dahil napapahiya na siya. Ako rin po ay hiyang-hiya na. Umandar din po ang MRT, at pagbaba ng MRT, ang lakas ng ulan. Kaya kanina po, pagpasok ko dito sa Chapel, para po akong walang mukha. Gusto ko po sabihing, 'Di po ako ang magmimisa. Ka-double ko lang po 'yon'. (laughs) There is that feeling of shame, of being weak, of being small in the eyes of others. Abjection.

There are three words that I would like to impart to you, dear friends, as I journey with you in reflecting on the life of this great contemporary saint, Padre Pio. First is honesty, second is holiness, third is heart.

If you want to be humble, you need to be honest. Ang 'humility' ay hindi lamang po 'yong pagpapatirapa natin, kundi ang alam natin kung ano ang mabuti sa atin at 'yong masama. Tanggapin mo ang katotohanan, kung sino ka. Tanggapin mo na ikaw ay mabuti, pero tanggapin mo din na ikaw ay may nagawang masama. Hindi tayo pwedeng maging mapagpakumbaba, kundi natin aaminin sa Diyos na minsan, matigas din ang puso natin. We need to be honest. We need to realize our gifts, and at the same time, improve on our weaknesses.

Minsan, pag may nagsabi sa iyo na ang ganda-ganda mo, ano ang kadalasan nating sinasabi? 'Hindi naman, slight lang.' Pag may nagsabi sa iyo, 'Wow, ang tali-talino mo'. 'Hindi...nangopya lang ako'. (laughs) If people tell us good things, we should thank the Lord for that. And as we accept, we gain confidence, not to belittle others, but to improve. This is the best explanation of humility.

Baka ang akala po natin, ang humility ay 'yong wala ka na talaga. Oo....makikita nating maliit ang sarili natin. But we need to face these weaknesses. And in order to face these weaknesses, we must have a great heart. May puso ka dapat. Pag may puso ka, you have that strong will. Oo, alam mong masama ang ginawa mo, pero huwag ka namang manatili doon sa kasamaan. Bumawi ka. Like in the Gospel, if there are times you have done an untrustworthy thing, gumawa ka ng paraan to do trustworthy things, ng mga mabubuting bagay. Ang problema sa atin, gumagawa tayo lagi ng lusot sa masama, pero hindi tayo gumagawa ng paraan para sa tama. Kaya tayong lahat ay tinatamaan. Ang lakas ng tama. (laughs)

Take care of the goodness that is in you. Yes, we have sinned, but we should have heart to admit that we made a mistake. Oo, Lord, nagkamali ako, pero babangon ako at babawiin ko ang lakas Mo. When we become honest with the mistakes that we have, and we have a heart to change, then we will go back to the road called holiness. Because holiness is talking to God. Holiness is following God.

Akala natin, ang kabanalan ay isang malayong-malayo o malaking pagbabago. Totoo po iyon. Pero ang tinuturo po sa ating kabanalan ay ang magbalik ka at bumaba doon sa pinanggalingan mo. It is within us. Ito po 'yong maganda dito. Pag naging banal ka pala, hindi ka lang basta-basta magbabago sa sarili mo. Bumabalik ka lang. Bumabalik ka lang sa totoong ikaw. Bumalik ka dahil banal ka. Minsan lang talaga, mas masarap ang gumawa ng masama, pero hindi ito ang magbibigay sa iyo ng walang hanggang ligaya. And Padre Pio did this.

But doing good is not easy. Lalo na sa mundo natin ngayon. Sino dito ang nagsasabing hindi masarap ang kasalanan? Taas ang kanang kamay. Sino naman dito ang nagsasabing masarap ang kasalanan? Taas ang kanang kamay. (laughs) Sino dito ang walang kanang kamay? (more laughs) Masarap po ba ang kasalanan o hindi? (silence) Sinungaling. (laughs) Masarap ang kasalanan. Bigyan mo nga ako ng kasalanan, sige nga kuya (Father approaches one of the ministers of Holy Communion, while people laugh) Pakiki-apid. Masarap ang maki-apid. Aba malay ko, hindi ko naman nararanasan 'yon. (laughs) Masarap ang pakiramdam na meron kang naloloko. Ano pa ang kasalanan mo? Pagnanakaw ng sampung bilyon, masarap o hindi? Masarap. Kung bigyan kita ng 10 million ngayon, sasabihin mo bang 'ayoko'? Masarap 'yan....sa umpisa..... Sa umpisa lang.

O, kabutihan naman. Masarap o hindi? Masarap din. Pero sa umpisa, nakakatamad. 'Yong pagsisimba tuwing Linggo? Papatawarin ko 'yong Nanay ko, kakausapin ko ang kapatid ko? Ano ka, hilo? Siya nga ang nagkamali, eh. Bibigyan ko na naman siya, eh nangutang na siya sa akin? Hindi pa nga niya binabayaran ang utang niya?....Wala po akong pinatatamaan....(laughs) General example lang po ito, general.....Magmamano pa ba ako sa Uncle ko, na siniraan at inagawan ng lupa ang Tatay ko? Masakit, sa umpisa. Hindi madali. Nasaktan si Padre Pio sa umpisa. But dear friends, we need this challenge, because this is not only the path of Padre Pio, but this is the path of Jesus.

Oo, mahirap, nakakatamad, bad trip, boring, corny. Pero kinalaunan pag ito ay nagawa mo, mararanasan mo ang walang hanggang ligaya. Yes, in the beginning there is sacrifice, but humility will bring us to holiness and everlasting happiness. It is being with Jesus. Therefore, no matter what we face later on in our life, we will face it head on, because we know that we can take it. Kahit na maraming masama, kahit na maraming nagdududa, kahit na maraming nagmamaliit sa inyo, sa Kanya, malaki ka pa rin. Sa Kanya, pinipili ka pa rin. Sa Kanya, ikaw pa rin. Ilang beses na, na hindi ang Panginoon ang pinili mo? Ilang beses na, na kung saan akala natin ay wala si Kristo?

My dear friends, whenever we find it hard to be humble, whenever we find it hard to be honest, to have a heart for others, just face our Lord. And He will say to you, "Ako...totoo Ako sa iyo. Ibinigay Ko ang lahat sa iyo. Hindi lang puso, buong buhay Ko. At kung akala mo hindi Kita kasama, halika na, nang maramdaman mo ang ligayang dulot ng kabutihan'. This is when the word 'abjection' becomes a word of salvation to each and everyone of us. We fall, we bow down, not to belittle others, so that Jesus can bring us up, and we can face others and give them what is due.

Sometimes, it will be hard. But in order for us to experience true happiness, we need to experience the Cross. We need to be humble. We have our own weaknesses, we have our wounds to carry. But be honest. Have a heart. Be holy. Be with Jesus. Amen.