Gospel Reflection

December 06, 2012

Thursday – Advent – Year of Faith

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

7:00 PM Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

Reading 1 Is 26:1-6

On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: "A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you."

Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a

R. (26a) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Open to me the gates of justice;
I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD.
This gate is the LORD's;
the just shall enter it.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, grant salvation!
O LORD, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and he has given us light.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Mt 7:21, 24-27

Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

HOMILY

Maraming pekeng limang daan at isang libong piso. Marami ring pekeng mga designer brands na mga damit at sapatos, at kung anu-ano pang mga gamit. We also here about fake or counterfeit pieces of artwork and jewelry. Pero may narinig na ba tayong pekeng tissue paper?

The presence of counterfeit items only indicate the value of a thing, how precious it is. The more precious or the more valuable it is, the more the fake items are present.

Spirituality is very precious and valuable. We can say this, because of the presence of fake spirituality around us. But this did not start only at our time. It began even during the time of St. Paul, when he was proclaiming the Good News and performing a lot of miracles. The high priests of other religious sects were envious of St. Paul, because a lot of people were coming to him. Kakaunti ang nagpupunta sa mga high priests, kaya naiingit sila.

There were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, who observed what St. Paul was doing, so they could also do this for their constituents. So nakita nila ang ginagawang pagpapalayas ng demonyo ni St. Paul sa pamamagitan ng pagtawag sa Panginoon, kaya't ginaya nila ito. But when they told the evil spirits to go away, the evil spirits answered them and said, "Jesus, we know; Paul we know. Who are you?"

The Gospel is trying to tell us is that who we are, comes before what we do. Hindi pwedeng sabihin na tayo ay Kristiyano sa pangalan, pero kundi naman natin sinusunod ang kalooban ng Diyos, tayo ay peke at hindi tunay na mga Kristiyano.

We have to ask ourselves - what are our motivations, what is the purpose of what we are praying for? Maaaring nagdarasal tayo, nagsisimba tayo araw-araw, naglilingkod tayo sa simbahan, pero hindi ito sapat para masabi na tayo ay mga tunay na Kristiyano. For us to be called real Christians and genuine followers of Christ, we must do what Christ is telling us. The foundation of our being Christians must always be grounded on Jesus Christ, and not on anything else. Jesus must know us, and we must know Jesus. For us to be real Christians, we must follow His footsteps.

Pinapakain ba natin ang mga nagugutom? Pinapainom ba natin 'yong mga nauuhaw? Binibisita ba natin ang mga maysakit at ang mga nasa kulungan? Binibigyan ba natin ng damit ang mga walang maisuot?

In the aftermath of typhoon Pablo that hit our kababayans in the South, a lot of them were victimized. Perhaps, it is time to ask ourselves. Are we planning to make a very nice or grand Christmas party? Maybe we could forego this and make it simple, and instead the money to be used can be given and donated to the victims - our Filipino brothers in the South.

My dear brothers and sisters, to be a real follower of Christ, we must be, first and foremost, a Christian by heart. Amen. 

Gospel Reflection

December 05, 2012

Wednesday – Advent – Year of Faith

by Bishop Milo Hubert Vergara (Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig)

Concelebrated by Msgr. Bong Lo (Chaplain, Chapel of Eucharistic Lord)

and Rev. Fr. Michael Ortega

6;00 PM Mass at Megamall, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord

Reading 1 Is 25:6-10a

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, The web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.

On that day it will be said: "Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!" For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Gospel Mt 15:29-37

At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way." The disciples said to him, "Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied, "and a few fish." He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over--seven baskets full.

HOMILY

Monsignor Bong Lo, our chaplain of the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord here at SM Megamall, is my classmate. In fact, he was the most brilliant of my classmates when we were in the seminary. (laughs, as Monsignor Bong Lo shows his 'brilliant' bald head) I was in the last part of the class, and he is always in the first.

Brothers and sisters in the Lord, magandang gabi po sa inyo.

Every time a priest is ordained, during the week of his ordination, or even during the whole month, one of his tedious tasks is to go to what we call his thanksgiving masses. He goes to the communities he has served, communities which are part of his personal and vocational history, in order to thank God and the people of God for the gift of ordination.

Father Michael started his thanksgiving mass as early as the day he was ordained last Monday, 3 December, and he had his thanksgiving mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Pasig. And he has worked. His thanksgiving mass today is just one of them. But when he approached me and asked if I could preach in one of his thanksgiving masses, and he asked me where I want to do it, I personally chose the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord. And perhaps you will ask why.

You know, nothing in this world is an accident. Nothing is accidental. I believe that the Lord, the Grand Architect, the Great Designer of all our lives, would weave through or sew things according to His divine plan and will. 

I share this with you because, as Monsignor Bong Lo said, I was a former chaplain, the third chaplain of this Chapel, that was in 1998, and I served here for two years, while I was Rector of the Holy Apostles Senior Seminary. It was really God's own plan that this Chapel be part of my own pastoral life as a priest.

But would you believe, at that time, Myrna and Rey (Father Michael's parents), were already serving here at the Chapel, and one of the scholars of our chapel was no one else but Father Michael. He was still in the seminary then. It was this chapel who supported him so that he could go to the seminary for those who are studying for the Congregation of La Sallette, before he transferred to the Diocesan seminary of San Jose in Ateneo de Manila.

When I became Bishop of Pasig on June 23, 2011, Michael greeted me, together with another priest who was with him. You know, even at this stage, I already have lapses in memory, I am sure Monsignor Bong Lo has very good memory even if he has bald head. (laughs) Kumikintab ho yan, shining (laughs) Sanay na ho sa 'kin 'yan dahil magkasama ho kami sa seminary. But really, when I was greeted by Michael, I did not realize that he was the seminarian whom we sponsored for seminary studies. Nothing in this world is an accident.

And lo and behold, last Monday, one of those who YOU supported, the Christian community supported, is now a priest before you. (applause) 

What is God telling us - for you and for Father Michael? I think it is written all over the famous lines in our Gospel today. As the Lord was moved with pity before the crowd, they were like sheep without a shepherd. They were hungry. They needed food. They were tired and restless. The Lord hears our prayers. The Lord hears the cry of those in need. He heard the cry of the people of God. 

It could have been possible that Father Michael did not continue his seminary studies. Everything is in the hands of God. But you see, because God loves us, God loves Father Michael, and God knows that this is the need to be addressed, Father Michael is now a priest of God. A priest, not only serving the Diocese of Pasig, but a priest serving the Church. 

In our Gospel today, as we heard the great miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, this is what God tells us. That just as we want or expect this much, He will give us more, and will still leave seven baskets of leftovers. God will provide for our needs, when we least expect Him to respond. He will provide for our needs with overflowing love and goodness. That is why we should be grateful to the Lord. 

From Father Michael's end, because we realize how good the Lord is, responding to the needs of the Church and your own vocation, the Lord invites you, Father Michael, to serve with love, to serve with utmost responsibility and accountability to the people. This means addressing also what God wants you to address. And that is to feed God's people, feeding them with no one else but Christ. Christ in His Word, that is why a priest is tasked to become an effective preacher and evangelizer. And also feeding the people with Christ as Bread in the Eucharist, the food for our souls. That is why Father Michael, as you realize the overflowing goodness of God, and the gift given to you and to us, then you should respond with love. And this means that God and the people expect the best. They want priests who are effective proclaimers of the Word, they want priests who are authentic livers of the Eucharist, they want priests who will re-live the testimonies of Jesus Christ Himself. 

That is why it is not easy to be a priest. In this way, as I give this point to Father Michael, I now address all of you. Pray for your priests. Alam nyo po ako ay Obispo na nang ilang taon, since 2005. Mag-tu-2013 na. Ayaw ko po sanang maging Obispo, napakahirap po maniwala kayo. (laughs) Natatakot nga ako na baka mamaya eh pagdating ko dito, may kakilala na naman ako, may lalapit sa akin at magrereklamo tungkol sa pari. Napakahirap po. Itong pari namin, hindi marunong mag-sermon, 'yong pari namin nakakahiya, nakakainis, 'yong pari namin masungit, diba? 

You see, it is not easy to become a priest, and so it is difficult also to meet the standards of the people, on how they want their priest to be. That is why I really motivate - I even compel you - pray for your priests. Pray for the holiness of Father Michael, my holiness, Monsigor Bong Lo's holiness. We need your prayers. We need your intercession. We could not do it alone. 

Love your priests. But not too much. (laughs) Nakita nyo naman si Father Michael, batang bata pa ho 'yan, kita n'yo sariwang sariwa pa ho 'yan. (more laughs) Do not love your priest so much. (laughs) Iilan na lang po ang nagpapari. So when I say love your priest, love them in such a way that you morally and spiritually support them, so that if they have decided to live this life, and it's not an easy life, this means that we become partners also, from the day we become celibate and live chaste lives, believe me. And loving your priest also entails that you strive or do your best, in your own little way, so that whatever the needs of your priest, you provide also for them. And you help them. 

I think loving a priest is also not being afraid to give feedback to us. To tell us what we need to correct. To tell us what we need to improve. To tell us how we can best serve you. That is love. Because if you do not tell that to us or share that to us, how will we know? Di ba ang mag-asawa gano'n? Sasabihin kung ano ang kailangang baguhin para mas maging mabuti. 

That is why as we continue this Eucharistic celebration we pray and thank the Lord for the gift of priesthood, the gift of Father Michael, the gift of the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord for bearing fruit and having a priest. We can truly say that at this Advent Season, the Lord has come. The Lord has truly come. He hears our prayers, He never abandons the cry of those in need. Amen.

Gospel Reflection

December 04, 2012

Tuesday – Advent – Year of Faith

by Rev. Fr. Juancho "Choy" Ramos (Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Parish of Sta. Cruz, Manila)
12:15pm mass at the Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace (EDSA Shrine)

Reading 1 Is 11:1-10

On that day, A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.

On that day, The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

Gospel Lk 10:21-24

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

HOMILY

"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see." These were the words addressed in private by our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples. And as we all know, our Lord performed miracles and a lot of good things in front of his followers.

But there is a word here that struck me, which I believe is truly alive and present in our own experiences today. He says, "All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and anyone whom the Son wishes to reveal Him."

Let me underline the phrase, "anyone whom the Son wishes to reveal Him". I believe that our Lord wishes to reveal His presence to each of us. But are we ready to accept His presence in each moment of our lives? That is the purpose why Jesus came into this world, kung bakit Siya ay nanahan dito sa daigdig, upang makipamuhay sa atin. But oftentimes, Jesus was rejected. He was not recognized by many around Him, except by His own disciples.

In our celebration of the Eucharist, it is good that many of us believe in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. But are we really able to understand the meaning of the Eucharist in our lives? Oftentimes, we just take it as a kind of a devotion, an obligation, or as a ritual. Maybe some also look at it as just a process that needs to be done, because perhaps it is a tradition that has been handed down in the family.

But the real essence and the meaning of the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is to receive Him, and to make Him alive into our own being, into our own daily life. When you look at it from the perspective of faith, once we receive Jesus during the Holy Communion, we are being transformed into His own body. And as we receive Him, we are also challenged to become a channel of God's grace to others, to become 'broken bread' for others.

Let us pray that we, who receive Jesus in this Eucharistic celebration, may become a true channel of God's grace to others. Remember His words: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see." It is an act of faith. It is an act of total union with Jesus in the Eucharist. The Host is not just a piece of bread which we receive; it is the presence of the Lord who dwells in us. Sa pagtanggap natin sa Kanya, mayroon tayong lakas, mayroon tayong dignidad, mayroon tayong kakayanang maibahagi ang presensiya ng Panginoon sa ating kapwa. Sana ay maisabuhay natin ito at huwag natin itong tingnan na obligasyon, na isang tradisyon o ritwal lamang. Sa halip ay gawin natin itong ating buhay sapagkat si Hesus sa Eukaristiya ay nananais manahan at mamuhay sa ating buhay, Amen.