October 06, 2013
by Rev. Fr. Larry Tan, S.D.B. (Salesians of
Don Bosco)
6:00PM Anticipated Sunday Mass at Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel, (Greenbelt Chapel) Makati
6:00PM Anticipated Sunday Mass at Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel, (Greenbelt Chapel) Makati
How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I
cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not intervene. Why do you let
me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord. Then the LORD answered me and said: Write
down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For
the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not
disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be
late. The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith,
shall live.
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your
hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the
imposition of my hands. For God did not
give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So
do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his
sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that
comes from God.
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our
faith." The Lord replied, "If
you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
"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.'"
"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 Readings of today are really quite interesting. There are many questions in life that we cannot always answer, there are many mysteries that we cannot always comprehend or grasp.
The first Reading, the Book of the prophet Habakkuk, asks a lot of questions. It is because during those times, they were experiencing cruelty, violence, immorality, injustice, etc. Sounds familiar to us. But when you come to think about it, such a situation has always been in existence since the beginning. There is always disparity between the rich and the poor, merong laging inaapi at nang-aapi, merong laging kawawa, merong nang-aawa. And so the prophet Habakkuk, especially those who were just those days, were left in a quandary, and they really asked why those things were happening. They were confused. And so in the First Reading, the prophet Habakkuk was asking the Lord, 'Why?'
But then, as I said, the reality of the past is also true even today. Fast forward tayo sa ating panahon at dito sa sarili nating bayan. Nabulabog tayo at nagulo ang ating bansa sa mga nangyari the past several weeks, and two-three months. Namulat ang mga Pilipino. Grabe...ang tindi. Ang laki pala ng problema natin, pagkatapos na pumutok itong PDAF or pork barrel scam, which was all by accident. Siguro naman, oras na. Pinag-uusapan araw araw at lahat ay lumalabas, unti-unti na. Marami palang pera ang Pilipinas. Dati ang pinag-uusapan natin, hundreds. Tapos naging thousands-thousands. Naging milyon. Ngayon bilyon na ang pinag-uusapan, at umabot na sa trilyon. At ngayon, nalaman natin na ang Pilipinas pala ay mahirap, hindi dahil sa maraming mahirap, kundi dahil sa iilang taong namumuno at nandarambong ng salapi at pera ng bayan.
Syempre ang mga Pinoy, galit. Galit ba kayo? Sino'ng hindi? (laughs) Lalo na kayo, dahil automatic nagbabayad kayo ng buwis, pagkatapos ay iba lang pala ang makikinabang. Grabe. Ang dami pala talagang pera, sobra-sobra, umaapaw. And wilth all the revelation every day, grabe. Pwede na nating ipa-aircon....ang EDSA (laughs) Ilang skyway na kaya ang napagawa natin, samantalang nagtitiyaga tayo sa butas-butas na kalye. You see, ang daming taong naghihirap. Nagbebenta na sila ng pampunas, ng sampaguita, just to make both ends meet, samantalang ang iba ay nagpapasasa sa pera ng tao.
Kung 'yan ay nangyayari sa itaas, kahit sa ibaba nangyayari 'yan. Now we are going to have the forthcoming barangay elections, at marami nang nagpapatayan. Bakit? Tanggalin mo 'yong pera, ewan ko kung may tatakbo pa. That's the problem. That's the reality.
And so, the disparty between the rich and the poor is so great. There is great injustice between opulence and oppression. Sila, nakasakay sa limousine, samantalang ang mga bata sa kalye, wala man lamang makain, wala man lang gamot, at hirap na hirap. Saan sila pupunta?
So we begin to wonder and to ask. Ano ba talaga ang nangyayari? They say there are notorious criminals in some countries. But in the Philippines, according to Biz News Asia, the Philippines' biggest criminal syndicate is the picture of the Senate and the Congress. Di ba nakakalungkot? Kaya nga ngayon, sabi nila, 'there is no more FUND in the Philippines'. (laughs)
In the First Reading, the prophet Habakkuk asks, "How long, o, Lord? I cried for help, but You do not listen. I cried 'violence' but You do not intervene". If God is good all the time - and all the time, God is good - why does He allow these things to happen? Tinanong n'yo na ba ang sarili n'yo? If God is love, bakit parang nagtatagumpay ang kadiliman? Minsan tuloy, magtatanong ka kung may Diyos nga ba. Does God exist?
It is in these situations that those who believe and those who have faith are in crisis. Just like the prophet Habakkuk. Kaya nagtanong siya. Sinagot din siiya ng Panginoon. Ano ang sagot ng Panginoon? Sabi ng Panginoon, "The vision has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint." In other words, the Lord assures Habakkuk and each and everyone of us, that everything will be put right at the proper time. Ang lahat ay may tamang oras. "If it delays, wait for it. It will surely come." Mangyayari't mangyayari, magtatagumpay ang mabuti sa kasamaan, ang liwanag sa kadiliman. "The just one, because of his faith, shall live." So huwag tayong mawalan ng pag-asa. We have to keep on believing. When you feel helpless, when you feel hopeless with the situation or what is going on, dapat natin tandaan, sa Liturgy natin ngayong araw na ito, binibigyan tayo ng assurance that God is still in control. And if God is in control, He is the boss, and He will do something about it. Ang mahalaga, dapat tayo maniwala at sumampalataya. Even when the going gets rough, even when the going gets windy. Just have faith in God.
And that is why our prayer is, 'Lord, increase my faith'. Because it will all work out in the end. You must keep the faith in yourself and leave the rest to God. Sa tingin ninyo ba ang lahat ng mandarambong ngayon ay masaya sa kanilang kalagayan? Do you think they can sleep well at night, if they are at peace? Dahil tandaan n'yo - kahit gaanong karami ang pera ninyo, hindi n'yo madadala ang bilyon-bilyon n'yo sa kabaong n'yo. Iiwan at iiwan n'yo rin 'yan. Bukod pa doon, 'yong isa sa kanila, nobenta anyos na. (laughs) Kahit na ilang stem cells ang idaan at ayusin, matitigok ka rin. (laughs) Wala kang madadala. I assume hindi na mabibilanggo 'yan eh. Exempted 'yan. Nobenta plus na, eh. Pero sa harap ng Diyos, makakalusot ka kaya?
Do you remember the Gospel last Sunday? It is about the rich man and the poor man named Lazarus. The rich man was sent to hell. Pera pa nga niya 'yon, hindi pa nga siya nagnakaw. Pera niya 'yon. Eh mayaman siya, eh. At least hindi sinabi sa kwento na ninakaw niya ang yaman niya. But then, naparusahan siya sa impyerno. Why? Because he did not care, and he did not reach out to Lazarus, who was just there sa tabi niya, sa paanan niya. Eh ito, mas matindi pa! Ninakaw mo ang pera ng mga mahihirap. Nagpasasa ka, nagpayaman ka sa pera na dapat ay nauukol sa bayan. Ewan ko kung ilang dipa sa ilalim ang iyong aabutin.
So don't worry. All things will work out in God's time. Ang Diyos ay may takdang oras. In last Sunday's Gospel, the first one to die is Lazarus. Bakit? Mahirap siya, eh. Sino ba naman ang unang mamamatay sa atin kundi ang mahihirap. Wala silang pambili ng gamot. Nagtitiis na lang. Wala silang pambayad sa Makati Medical. Sa ward lang sila ng Ospital ng Makati. Wala silang pambayad sa St. Luke's Global. Pero ang mga mayayaman natin nandoon sa Makati Medical, 9th floor. You see? Mauuna nga ang mahihirap, but don't worry, susunod din 'yang mga may perang 'yan, at haharap sila sa ating Panginoon.
That is why, my dear friends, in the midst of all the things that are going on around us - and perhaps may even challenge our faith - that is the message of God to us. Let us have faith in God, hindi Niya tayo pababayaan. When God delays, He always delays for a greater purpose. 'Yon nga lang, hindi natin nakikita. God sees further and farther than what our eyes can see. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, keep the faith. Trust in His timing. At kung nahihirapan kayo, then tamang tama ang ating dasal: 'Lord, increase my faith'.
My dear friends, as we celebrate today the Holy Eucharist, let us not lose hope. Ang Diyos ay hindi bulag. Ang Diyos ay hindi bingi sa mga daing ng mga taong sumasampalataya sa Kanya. Ang importante, ipagpatuloy natin ang ating pagnanasa na mamuhay nang maayos at matuwid. Gusto nating magbago? Tandaan n'yo. Ang lahat ng pagbabago na malaki ay nagsisimula sa bawat isa sa atin. Malimit ay pinapansin at pinupuna natin ang mga malalaking nagnanakaw. Pero nagsisimula 'yon sa pagnanakaw ng mga pangkaraniwang tao sa opisina, sa trabaho. It starts with small things. He who is faithful in small things, will be faithful in big things. He who is not faithful in small things, will not be faithful in big things. 'Yong mga nagnanakaw nang malaki, ay dahil magnanakaw na sila noong sila ay maliit. Totoo 'yan. Natuto lang sa opportunity. Whether maliit o malaki, pareho lang 'yan. Kaya't kung gusto nating magbago, magsimula po tayo sa bawat isa sa atin.
Our Readings of today are really quite interesting. There are many questions in life that we cannot always answer, there are many mysteries that we cannot always comprehend or grasp.
The first Reading, the Book of the prophet Habakkuk, asks a lot of questions. It is because during those times, they were experiencing cruelty, violence, immorality, injustice, etc. Sounds familiar to us. But when you come to think about it, such a situation has always been in existence since the beginning. There is always disparity between the rich and the poor, merong laging inaapi at nang-aapi, merong laging kawawa, merong nang-aawa. And so the prophet Habakkuk, especially those who were just those days, were left in a quandary, and they really asked why those things were happening. They were confused. And so in the First Reading, the prophet Habakkuk was asking the Lord, 'Why?'
But then, as I said, the reality of the past is also true even today. Fast forward tayo sa ating panahon at dito sa sarili nating bayan. Nabulabog tayo at nagulo ang ating bansa sa mga nangyari the past several weeks, and two-three months. Namulat ang mga Pilipino. Grabe...ang tindi. Ang laki pala ng problema natin, pagkatapos na pumutok itong PDAF or pork barrel scam, which was all by accident. Siguro naman, oras na. Pinag-uusapan araw araw at lahat ay lumalabas, unti-unti na. Marami palang pera ang Pilipinas. Dati ang pinag-uusapan natin, hundreds. Tapos naging thousands-thousands. Naging milyon. Ngayon bilyon na ang pinag-uusapan, at umabot na sa trilyon. At ngayon, nalaman natin na ang Pilipinas pala ay mahirap, hindi dahil sa maraming mahirap, kundi dahil sa iilang taong namumuno at nandarambong ng salapi at pera ng bayan.
Syempre ang mga Pinoy, galit. Galit ba kayo? Sino'ng hindi? (laughs) Lalo na kayo, dahil automatic nagbabayad kayo ng buwis, pagkatapos ay iba lang pala ang makikinabang. Grabe. Ang dami pala talagang pera, sobra-sobra, umaapaw. And wilth all the revelation every day, grabe. Pwede na nating ipa-aircon....ang EDSA (laughs) Ilang skyway na kaya ang napagawa natin, samantalang nagtitiyaga tayo sa butas-butas na kalye. You see, ang daming taong naghihirap. Nagbebenta na sila ng pampunas, ng sampaguita, just to make both ends meet, samantalang ang iba ay nagpapasasa sa pera ng tao.
Kung 'yan ay nangyayari sa itaas, kahit sa ibaba nangyayari 'yan. Now we are going to have the forthcoming barangay elections, at marami nang nagpapatayan. Bakit? Tanggalin mo 'yong pera, ewan ko kung may tatakbo pa. That's the problem. That's the reality.
And so, the disparty between the rich and the poor is so great. There is great injustice between opulence and oppression. Sila, nakasakay sa limousine, samantalang ang mga bata sa kalye, wala man lamang makain, wala man lang gamot, at hirap na hirap. Saan sila pupunta?
So we begin to wonder and to ask. Ano ba talaga ang nangyayari? They say there are notorious criminals in some countries. But in the Philippines, according to Biz News Asia, the Philippines' biggest criminal syndicate is the picture of the Senate and the Congress. Di ba nakakalungkot? Kaya nga ngayon, sabi nila, 'there is no more FUND in the Philippines'. (laughs)
In the First Reading, the prophet Habakkuk asks, "How long, o, Lord? I cried for help, but You do not listen. I cried 'violence' but You do not intervene". If God is good all the time - and all the time, God is good - why does He allow these things to happen? Tinanong n'yo na ba ang sarili n'yo? If God is love, bakit parang nagtatagumpay ang kadiliman? Minsan tuloy, magtatanong ka kung may Diyos nga ba. Does God exist?
It is in these situations that those who believe and those who have faith are in crisis. Just like the prophet Habakkuk. Kaya nagtanong siya. Sinagot din siiya ng Panginoon. Ano ang sagot ng Panginoon? Sabi ng Panginoon, "The vision has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint." In other words, the Lord assures Habakkuk and each and everyone of us, that everything will be put right at the proper time. Ang lahat ay may tamang oras. "If it delays, wait for it. It will surely come." Mangyayari't mangyayari, magtatagumpay ang mabuti sa kasamaan, ang liwanag sa kadiliman. "The just one, because of his faith, shall live." So huwag tayong mawalan ng pag-asa. We have to keep on believing. When you feel helpless, when you feel hopeless with the situation or what is going on, dapat natin tandaan, sa Liturgy natin ngayong araw na ito, binibigyan tayo ng assurance that God is still in control. And if God is in control, He is the boss, and He will do something about it. Ang mahalaga, dapat tayo maniwala at sumampalataya. Even when the going gets rough, even when the going gets windy. Just have faith in God.
And that is why our prayer is, 'Lord, increase my faith'. Because it will all work out in the end. You must keep the faith in yourself and leave the rest to God. Sa tingin ninyo ba ang lahat ng mandarambong ngayon ay masaya sa kanilang kalagayan? Do you think they can sleep well at night, if they are at peace? Dahil tandaan n'yo - kahit gaanong karami ang pera ninyo, hindi n'yo madadala ang bilyon-bilyon n'yo sa kabaong n'yo. Iiwan at iiwan n'yo rin 'yan. Bukod pa doon, 'yong isa sa kanila, nobenta anyos na. (laughs) Kahit na ilang stem cells ang idaan at ayusin, matitigok ka rin. (laughs) Wala kang madadala. I assume hindi na mabibilanggo 'yan eh. Exempted 'yan. Nobenta plus na, eh. Pero sa harap ng Diyos, makakalusot ka kaya?
Do you remember the Gospel last Sunday? It is about the rich man and the poor man named Lazarus. The rich man was sent to hell. Pera pa nga niya 'yon, hindi pa nga siya nagnakaw. Pera niya 'yon. Eh mayaman siya, eh. At least hindi sinabi sa kwento na ninakaw niya ang yaman niya. But then, naparusahan siya sa impyerno. Why? Because he did not care, and he did not reach out to Lazarus, who was just there sa tabi niya, sa paanan niya. Eh ito, mas matindi pa! Ninakaw mo ang pera ng mga mahihirap. Nagpasasa ka, nagpayaman ka sa pera na dapat ay nauukol sa bayan. Ewan ko kung ilang dipa sa ilalim ang iyong aabutin.
So don't worry. All things will work out in God's time. Ang Diyos ay may takdang oras. In last Sunday's Gospel, the first one to die is Lazarus. Bakit? Mahirap siya, eh. Sino ba naman ang unang mamamatay sa atin kundi ang mahihirap. Wala silang pambili ng gamot. Nagtitiis na lang. Wala silang pambayad sa Makati Medical. Sa ward lang sila ng Ospital ng Makati. Wala silang pambayad sa St. Luke's Global. Pero ang mga mayayaman natin nandoon sa Makati Medical, 9th floor. You see? Mauuna nga ang mahihirap, but don't worry, susunod din 'yang mga may perang 'yan, at haharap sila sa ating Panginoon.
That is why, my dear friends, in the midst of all the things that are going on around us - and perhaps may even challenge our faith - that is the message of God to us. Let us have faith in God, hindi Niya tayo pababayaan. When God delays, He always delays for a greater purpose. 'Yon nga lang, hindi natin nakikita. God sees further and farther than what our eyes can see. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, keep the faith. Trust in His timing. At kung nahihirapan kayo, then tamang tama ang ating dasal: 'Lord, increase my faith'.
My dear friends, as we celebrate today the Holy Eucharist, let us not lose hope. Ang Diyos ay hindi bulag. Ang Diyos ay hindi bingi sa mga daing ng mga taong sumasampalataya sa Kanya. Ang importante, ipagpatuloy natin ang ating pagnanasa na mamuhay nang maayos at matuwid. Gusto nating magbago? Tandaan n'yo. Ang lahat ng pagbabago na malaki ay nagsisimula sa bawat isa sa atin. Malimit ay pinapansin at pinupuna natin ang mga malalaking nagnanakaw. Pero nagsisimula 'yon sa pagnanakaw ng mga pangkaraniwang tao sa opisina, sa trabaho. It starts with small things. He who is faithful in small things, will be faithful in big things. He who is not faithful in small things, will not be faithful in big things. 'Yong mga nagnanakaw nang malaki, ay dahil magnanakaw na sila noong sila ay maliit. Totoo 'yan. Natuto lang sa opportunity. Whether maliit o malaki, pareho lang 'yan. Kaya't kung gusto nating magbago, magsimula po tayo sa bawat isa sa atin.
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