November 13, 2012
Tuesday – Year of Faith
Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin
by Rev. Fr. Roland Roberto (Parish Priest, Holy
Cross Parish, U.P. Diliman Quezon City Diocese
of Cubao)
Lunch Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen
of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)
Reading 1 Ti 2:1-8, 11-14
Beloved: You must say what is consistent with sound
doctrine, namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified, self-controlled,
sound in faith, love, and endurance. Similarly, older women should be reverent
in their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, so that they may train
younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled,
chaste, good homemakers, under the control of their husbands, so that the word
of God may not be discredited.
Urge the younger men, similarly, to control themselves, showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in your teaching, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be criticized, so that the opponent will be put to shame without anything bad to say about us.
For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.
Urge the younger men, similarly, to control themselves, showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in your teaching, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be criticized, so that the opponent will be put to shame without anything bad to say about us.
For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 37:3-4, 18 and 23, 27 and 29
R. (39a) The
salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,
and he approves his way.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
The just shall possess the land
and dwell in it forever.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,
and he approves his way.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
The just shall possess the land
and dwell in it forever.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Gospel Lk 17:7-10
Jesus said to the Apostles: “Who among you would say to your
servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come
here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat
and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that
servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you
have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we
have done what we were obliged to do.’”
HOMILY
Our Gospel for today is a Gospel which serves as
an admonishment for all of us to identify ourselves with the subject of the
story. Perhaps our reaction would be, "Bakit naman ganoon ang sinasabi
ng Panginoon?" It is as if Jesus is telling us to be masters. We know
that Jesus is not anti-laborer. He is always pro-poor. He is always for the
weak; He is always for the lowly. But the Gospel would somehow seem to express
that Jesus is emphasizing the role of the master.
That is the way that a person will perceive the Gospel if he relates and identifies himself with the master. But the admonishment - the focus of Jesus - is not in the master, but rather the servant. The kind of service that we have. What kind of service do we give? Sometimes, service becomes confused with merely working, that which has an equivalent compensation. As if, if we do something good, utang na loob sa atin 'yon ng mundong ito. As if utang na loob sa atin 'yon ng Diyos.
I will share with you an experience. I am currently assigned as a parish priest at the Holy Cross Parish in U.P Diliman, and our parish is very poor. That is why we do not have maintenance. We ourselves clean the parish, si Father po ang nagwawalis, si Father po ang nagma-mop kasama 'yong mga tao doon kasi nga medyo mahirap 'yong parokya. Last summer, when I celebrated my first Holy Week there, I think it was Holy Thursday, after lunch we were preparing the Church for the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Naglilinis kami, I was in my working clothes. Naka-shorts and T-shirt si Father. But people there know that I am the parish priest.
Then suddenly, a woman came into the church and sat in one of the pews. She then started to look around. And then she called me. "Pssst....! Boy....." 'Yon ang tawag niya sa akin. Lumapit naman ho ako. At ang sabi niya, "Anong oras ang misa?" Ang sabi ko, "Ay 4:30pm po, 'yong Mass of the Lord's Supper, with the rite of the Washing of the Feet." "Ah ganoon ba, 4:30?". Tapos sabi niyang ganoon, "Gumagana ba yang electric fan n'yo? Buksan mo naman, ang init eh." (laughs) And so I turned on the fan. Then eventually, she attended the mass and she saw that I was the parish priest. And she was so embarrassed.
During the time when the lady was calling me, na sinusutsutan ako at pinapalapit ako, there was, of course, the human side of me, saying "Teka lang ako 'yong parish priest dito." But the experience told me that well, this is the kind of service that God is demanding from me. Yes, we have positions in the Church, yes we have authority in the Church, but then again, we are being called to be servant leaders. To recognize your power, is to recognize your own servanthood. To be lowliest among the lowly. In order for you to be great in the eyes of God, you must humble yourself. Before you can empower people to serve others, you must first serve them.
That is the way that a person will perceive the Gospel if he relates and identifies himself with the master. But the admonishment - the focus of Jesus - is not in the master, but rather the servant. The kind of service that we have. What kind of service do we give? Sometimes, service becomes confused with merely working, that which has an equivalent compensation. As if, if we do something good, utang na loob sa atin 'yon ng mundong ito. As if utang na loob sa atin 'yon ng Diyos.
I will share with you an experience. I am currently assigned as a parish priest at the Holy Cross Parish in U.P Diliman, and our parish is very poor. That is why we do not have maintenance. We ourselves clean the parish, si Father po ang nagwawalis, si Father po ang nagma-mop kasama 'yong mga tao doon kasi nga medyo mahirap 'yong parokya. Last summer, when I celebrated my first Holy Week there, I think it was Holy Thursday, after lunch we were preparing the Church for the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Naglilinis kami, I was in my working clothes. Naka-shorts and T-shirt si Father. But people there know that I am the parish priest.
Then suddenly, a woman came into the church and sat in one of the pews. She then started to look around. And then she called me. "Pssst....! Boy....." 'Yon ang tawag niya sa akin. Lumapit naman ho ako. At ang sabi niya, "Anong oras ang misa?" Ang sabi ko, "Ay 4:30pm po, 'yong Mass of the Lord's Supper, with the rite of the Washing of the Feet." "Ah ganoon ba, 4:30?". Tapos sabi niyang ganoon, "Gumagana ba yang electric fan n'yo? Buksan mo naman, ang init eh." (laughs) And so I turned on the fan. Then eventually, she attended the mass and she saw that I was the parish priest. And she was so embarrassed.
During the time when the lady was calling me, na sinusutsutan ako at pinapalapit ako, there was, of course, the human side of me, saying "Teka lang ako 'yong parish priest dito." But the experience told me that well, this is the kind of service that God is demanding from me. Yes, we have positions in the Church, yes we have authority in the Church, but then again, we are being called to be servant leaders. To recognize your power, is to recognize your own servanthood. To be lowliest among the lowly. In order for you to be great in the eyes of God, you must humble yourself. Before you can empower people to serve others, you must first serve them.
And there is this second story.
Every day, dahil mahirap nga 'yong aking parokya, kami ang nag-aayos nito. During
my first two weeks in the church, araw-araw, may nakikita akong babaeng
maganda 'yong suot. Pag hapon, siya ay papasok ng simbahan, and then she
would start pulling out basahan from her bag and clean the altar and the
pews. I was wondering, 'sino kaya iyon'? No one was talking to her, she
was very silent. Nagtatrabaho lang siya, naglilinis, with her office
clothes.
For two weeks, I tried to observe her. And then hindi na ako nakatiis, I asked a parishioner kung sino ba 'yong babaeng araw-araw nagpupunta sa simbahan at naglilinis. Ang sabi sa akin ng aking parishioner, "Ay Father, siya po si Attorney." A lawyer. A lawyer who practices her profession and goes to office every day, and yet spends time to go to the church, to clean the church. It is a great challenge, especially for me. Isang malaking hamon na ang isang taong tulad niya ay mag-aalay ng oras para sa simbahan upang maglinis. The precious time that she has, she will offer to the Lord. Instead of going home to rest because of the stress that she carries on her shoulder as a lawyer, she would go to the church and help people clean the church.
Doing service to people and service to the Church, is not something that God owes. Hindi ito utang na loob ng Diyos sa atin. That is the problem with people nowadays. Service, or volunteerism at that, sometimes loses its meaning. Pag sinabing volunteer ka, hindi pwedeng mag-demand sa iyo. Pag volunteer ka sa paglilingkod, pipiliin mo ang oras na gusto mo. Which is wrong. The right concept of volunteerism, of service, is giving oneself entirely to the Lord.
I remember the Gospel last Sunday. Jesus was speaking about the real meaning of giving, when the old, poor widow gave two cents to the treasury of the temple. Jesus recognized her contribution as the greatest of all. Why? Because it was her whole livelihood. Widows during the time of Jesus are considered the poorest of the poor, because they cannot work, they do not have money. They are solely dependent on their husbands who died already. The mere treasure that the widow had, ibinigay pa niya sa templo. That is real giving. A part of you is being taken away from you para pakinabangan ng iba. Masakit - that is the real kind of giving that Jesus is referring to. When we want to become servants, when we want to volunteer ourselves to the Lord, dapat makaramdam tayo ng sakit. Kung gusto mong maglingkod sa Diyos, dapat ang pag-aalay mo ay masakit. Dahil kapag hindi ka nasasaktan, ang ibinibigay mo lang ay ang sobra sa kung ano ang mayroon ka.
And this is the challenge for us, my dear friends. For those striving to become holy, for those trying to follow the Lord towards being real Christians, to be servants of Christ, every day we should ask ourselves: Do we really understand what servanthood is? That servanthood is offering oneself to the Lord without asking or demanding any condition, without asking or demanding anything in return. Let us pray for the grace that we may always give generous and humble service.
I would like to share with you one of my favorite prayers during the time that I was still in the seminary. It is called the Litany of Humility. In silence, I would like you to join me in this prayer.
For two weeks, I tried to observe her. And then hindi na ako nakatiis, I asked a parishioner kung sino ba 'yong babaeng araw-araw nagpupunta sa simbahan at naglilinis. Ang sabi sa akin ng aking parishioner, "Ay Father, siya po si Attorney." A lawyer. A lawyer who practices her profession and goes to office every day, and yet spends time to go to the church, to clean the church. It is a great challenge, especially for me. Isang malaking hamon na ang isang taong tulad niya ay mag-aalay ng oras para sa simbahan upang maglinis. The precious time that she has, she will offer to the Lord. Instead of going home to rest because of the stress that she carries on her shoulder as a lawyer, she would go to the church and help people clean the church.
Doing service to people and service to the Church, is not something that God owes. Hindi ito utang na loob ng Diyos sa atin. That is the problem with people nowadays. Service, or volunteerism at that, sometimes loses its meaning. Pag sinabing volunteer ka, hindi pwedeng mag-demand sa iyo. Pag volunteer ka sa paglilingkod, pipiliin mo ang oras na gusto mo. Which is wrong. The right concept of volunteerism, of service, is giving oneself entirely to the Lord.
I remember the Gospel last Sunday. Jesus was speaking about the real meaning of giving, when the old, poor widow gave two cents to the treasury of the temple. Jesus recognized her contribution as the greatest of all. Why? Because it was her whole livelihood. Widows during the time of Jesus are considered the poorest of the poor, because they cannot work, they do not have money. They are solely dependent on their husbands who died already. The mere treasure that the widow had, ibinigay pa niya sa templo. That is real giving. A part of you is being taken away from you para pakinabangan ng iba. Masakit - that is the real kind of giving that Jesus is referring to. When we want to become servants, when we want to volunteer ourselves to the Lord, dapat makaramdam tayo ng sakit. Kung gusto mong maglingkod sa Diyos, dapat ang pag-aalay mo ay masakit. Dahil kapag hindi ka nasasaktan, ang ibinibigay mo lang ay ang sobra sa kung ano ang mayroon ka.
And this is the challenge for us, my dear friends. For those striving to become holy, for those trying to follow the Lord towards being real Christians, to be servants of Christ, every day we should ask ourselves: Do we really understand what servanthood is? That servanthood is offering oneself to the Lord without asking or demanding any condition, without asking or demanding anything in return. Let us pray for the grace that we may always give generous and humble service.
I would like to share with you one of my favorite prayers during the time that I was still in the seminary. It is called the Litany of Humility. In silence, I would like you to join me in this prayer.
|
O Jesus, meek
and humble of heart, hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being
loved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being honored, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That in the opinion of the world, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. others may increase, and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. 
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini – Pray for us
You may also want to see: A Holy Life - Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
|
No comments:
Post a Comment