Gospel Reflection

May 20, 2013

Monday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

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

5:30PM Mass, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine)

 

Reading 1 Sir 1:1-10

All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it remains forever, and is before all time The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain, the days of eternity: who can number these? Heaven’s height, earth’s breadth, the depths of the abyss: who can explore these? Before all things else wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity. The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom and her ways are everlasting. To whom has wisdom’s root been revealed? Who knows her subtleties? To whom has the discipline of wisdom been revealed? And who has understood the multiplicity of her ways ? There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring, seated upon his throne: There is but one, Most High  all-powerful creator-king and truly awe-inspiring one, seated upon his throne and he is the God of dominion. It is the LORD; he created her through the Holy Spirit, has seen her and taken note of her. He has poured her forth upon all his works, upon every living thing according to his bounty; he has lavished her upon his friends.

Responsorial Psalm PS 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5

R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

Gospel Mk 9:14-29

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him.  He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.”  They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around  and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”  He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

HOMILY

The basis of our Gospel reflection is on the last sentence. This kind of demon can only come out through prayer. By making a connection with the evil spirits and prayer, Jesus Christ is stressing the importance of prayer in our lives - communion with God, communication with Him at all times. In our busy and fast life, we need to pause, rest, and slow down a bit. Then we will realize that silence is the language of God. We can only commune with God through silence. If we are busy, if we are noisy, if we are allowing a lot of noises come into our lives, then we will not recognize, we will not be able to listen to the voice of God.

Demons come to us in many figures or forms. It is not only the demon that we know. There are the demons of anxiety, unfounded fear, doubts, and all these depression and hopelessness because of all our problems. These are the demons in our lives that stun our spiritual growth, that make us like dead corpse. Jesus Christ is trying to tell us and stress to us a very important thing. Daily and at every moment, we should be praying to God. Praying is our communication, our lifeline to God. But most often than not, we take this for granted. Sometimes, in our times of problems and depression, we ignore prayer. But God is telling us that if we want to be faithful to our call, to our duty as Christians, we should always keep praying.

And then we would ask ourselves. What do we need to pray for? None other than strong faith. We should pray for our unbelief. We should pray for strength. We should pray for hope. This is the kind of prayer that God is pleased about. He is not trying to tell us, "Come to Me, pray to Me, so that I can give you all the things that You want.", because God will give us the things that we need.

My dear brothers and sisters, we have different demons in different forms in our lives. And the only thing that could drive them out is prayer. Amen.

Gospel Reflection

May 19, 2013

Sunday – Year of Faith – Easter Season

Pentecost Sunday

by Rev. Fr. Rufino "Jun" C. Sescon, Jr. - Chaplain, Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati
12:00 noon Sunday Mass at Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel, (Greenbelt Chapel) Makati

 

Reading 1 Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters: No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;  there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Or Rom 8:8-17

Brothers and sisters: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Gospel Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Or Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Those who do not love me do not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

HOMILY

Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost means the 50th day since the Resurrection, when the promised Holy Spirit came about the first Church. That is why you would hear some people mention that today is the birthday of the Church. Because when the Spirit came down, the faith of the first community was recharged.

And the Holy Spirit, admittedly, is the most unpopular, the most unknown among the Blessed Trinity. We have symbols of the Holy Spirit. We have, of course, the dove. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove. In the Bible, the other symbols for the Holy Spirit would be the wind, water, and fire.

This Sunday, I would like to dwell on the symbol of fire, since naiinitan na kayo, naiinitan na tayong lahat. Sana naaawa rin kayo sa akin (laughs), dahil nakita n'yo ang hitsura ko ano...dahil lagi akong nakatalukbong, kahit mainit.

In a certain village, there was an atheist who wasn't really a bad man. You know that an atheist does not believe in God. The atheist was not interested in church. Though he would be invited every now and then to go to church, he would politely beg off the invitation. One day the church building was caught on fire. And the whole town ran toward it to help extinguish the flames. And to their surprise, the village atheist was there, to help put off the flames. Someone simply said, "Hey, this is something new for you. For the first time, we have seen you running towards the church." And the atheist replied, "Well, I am now here because this is the first time I have seen the church on fire."

Brothers and sisters, this afternoon, I would like you to remember that phrase: church on fire. Yes, perhaps the atheist was curious to see a church on fire. But we have to admit that some of our brethren have been longing for that. They want to see a church on fire. Hindi po 'yong susunugin natin ang Greenbelt Chapel. Nais nilang makakita ng simbahang nag-aapoy, naglalagablab, nag-iinit. Hindi rin mainit dahil pinagpapawisan tayo, pero nag-iinit, marubdob, at punong-puno ng sigla.

Today is Pentecost - the moment the Holy Spirit descended on the first Christian community. If you will look at the picture of the first Pentecost, you will see tongues of fire descending around the Blessed Mother and all the Apostles gathered. The Church, at Pentecost, was sent on fire. It was the Spirit that set the Church on fire.

Brothers and sisters, some people are not going to us, to this church, or to the Catholic Church, for that matter, anymore. I am sure meron kayong kilala na nag-born again na. O hindi na nagsisimba, o ayaw nang magsimba. You know when I have some time, I try to go around, even on a Sunday, not only to other Catholic churches. A number of  times I try going...of course, unknown to them...I go to some centers of Christian worship - 'yong mga Victory, 'yong mga fellowship. And I try to observe. Sometimes, I get so curious. A couple of times, I sat there and....I try to see why are they here. I am sure most of them are Catholics, or former Catholics, at least. Why are they here? What are they looking for that perhaps they could not find in the Church? And I remember the anecdote on the village atheist. "I want to see a Church on fire."

Yes, perhaps like the atheist, they want to see the Church on fire once again. And that is what we pray today. Come Holy Spirit, set us on fire. Ang tanong ko, ano bang meron do'n? Bakit kahit matagal 'yong service nila, nando'n sila. Kahit na mainit, kahit siksikan, nando'n sila. Kaya tinatanong ko ang sarili ko. Ano bang meron sila?

Alam n'yo pag lumalapit ako sa inyo minsan, aaminin ko po, alam ko na po kung ano'ng meron sila na wala tayo. Kasi pag kaharap ko ho kayo minsan, kanina lang binati ko kayo ng 'good afternoon', ang sagot no'ng iba, malungkot na 'good afternoon'. Wala lang. Parang wala lang akong kausap. Pag sinabi ko namang batiin ninyo ang isa't isa, hindi ko ho alam kung 'yong sahig ba ang binati ninyo (laughs) o 'yong kisame, o...nakita n'yo ba talaga ang mukha ng katabi ninyo. Ang nakita ko sa kanila, they are on fire. Sa kanila, beso-beso, yakap yakap. They feel they belong.

We have to admit in church, sometimes, we do not feel that. Ganadong-ganado minsan ang pari, "The Lord be with you!". Pero wala. Pag sumagot, parang walang ka-spirit spirit. Ang lamig lamig. Init na init tayo pero para tayong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. Minsan ang hitsura natin, nanlalamig. Walang kabuhay-buhay.

Of course kaming mga pari po, mea culpa, minsan aminin natin, kaya boring ang misa kasi ang haba-haba ng sermon ng pari, ang daming sinasabi, ang tanda-tanda na ng pari, paulit-ulit lang. But one thing I was so curious about when I attended some of those services is....inorasan ko 'yong homily ng pastor. Wow, 45 minutes. At tumitingin ako sa paligid, lahat sila nando'n. Ok do'n ah. Minsan po, pag lumampas ako ng 10 minutes, 'yong iba taas nang taas ng relo (laughs). Parang pinaparamdam sa akin, 'tumigil ka na Father'. Inip na inip na.

Brothers and sisters, yes, we also have our own shortcomings. But remember Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down to everyone. We are the Church. We examine ourselves. Yes, I try to go there so I can examine myself. What am I doing to fire up the Church? Let us ask ourselves - what am I also doing to fire up the Church? In our responses, in our songs, in our participation in the mass, are we also trying to fire up the Church, or are we also trying to douse the Church with cold water?

It is not only limited to liturgies and masses. We are the Church. The Spirit also has to set us on fire. And today we ask ourselves. Are we on fire? Or are we cold to the truth? As Christians, are we on fire for righteousness, or are we indifferent to calls for compassion and solidarity? Pope Francis, a very vibrant image now of the Church, an example of a man on fire, once said, "We cannot be 'back seat' Christians. We cannot be lukewarm Christians. We have to set the Church on fire."

Nakaraan na po ang eleksiyon. Ilan po sa atin ang nagsasabing wala na tayong magagawa. Ganyan talaga ang buhay. Nakikita na natin ang mali, pero wala rin tayong ginagawa. Nakikita na natin sa opisina, sa bahay, kung ano ang dapat gawin, pero wala tayong pakialam. Yes, brothers and sisters, we have to set the Church on fire, not only in our masses, but especially in our lives.

Of course, at Greenbelt, I am very happy to say, lagi tayong puno, pero sa ibang simbahan, nag-uunahan lahat sa likod, ayaw sa harapan. Ewan ko kung ano ba ang meron sa harapang upuan ng simbahan. Karamihan sa ibang simbahan, ang huling-huling napupuno ay 'yong harapan. Tapos - bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan, huwag magagalit. Ipinakita sa news noong Friday, ang aga-aga pa lang, ang haba-haba na ng pila para sa concert ni Vice Ganda (laughs). Sabi ko, "Ang aga nila." Pero pag nagsisimba, hindi tayo minsan maaga. Hindi naman po si Father kundi si Jesus po ang ipinunta natin dito. Are we also on fire? Ang mahal mahal ng ticket sa mga concerts, but we can shell out. Pero pag humihingi ng tulong ang mga mahihirap sa atin, beinte pesos lang, gusto mo pang suklian. Para pang nagta-tug-of-war pag tutulong tayo.

Brothers and sisters, are we also on fire? We ask the Lord for that grace. The saints, the apostles, were people on fire - full of the Holy Spirit. They were passionate to proclaim the Good News, even out of season. They were consciously committed, courageously caring, consistently contributing. No wonder the faith spread like wildfire, because the Church was burning with the Holy Spirit.

Last week, our annual census of the Catholic Church was issued. We are now 1.25 billion Catholics. Can you imagine that? 1.25 billion started with just a couple of Disciples. 12, nabawasan pa ng isa. Eleven na lang sila. With Mama Mary, naging 12, together with a small community. But how come they grew to what we are now - 1.25 billion? Because the Church was on fire. If we also want to spread the Good News, if we also want more people to know Christ, we pray that the Church may be on fire. And let it begin with us. When we inspire others, when we become examples to others. Sana pagkatapos ng misang ito, paglabas mo, masabi nila, "Wow, tingnan mo 'yong galing sa Chapel, 'yong kasisimba lang, ang saya-saya ng hitsura." Sana gano'n ang masabi nila, ano. Hindi 'yong may nabangga ka diyan, minura pa. "Biro mo 'yon o, kalalabas lang ng simbahan, nagmumura na." Nabubuhusan sila ng malamig na tubig. Sana ikalat natin ang apoy ni Kristo. And let the Holy Spirit be the instrument.

And how will we know that we are on fire? How will we know that the Holy Spirit is really with us? Of course, some of our brothers and sisters say, pag may gift of tongues ka, pag may gift of healing ka, may preaching ka, 'yon daw ang gift. Yes, those are gifts of the Holy Spirit, but not all can have those gifts. But there is one effect of the Spirit, If you want to know if you are on fire. Would you want to know - how can I be on fire? How do I know that I am passionate? How do I know that I am inflamed by the Holy Spirit?

Paano natin malalaman? Simple lang po. May simple lang akong tanong sa inyo. Kapag nasa bahay ninyo kayo at nakarinig kayo ng sigaw, "Sunog! Sunog!" Ang tanong ko po sa inyo - ano po ang una ninyong ilalabas sa bahay ninyo? Try to answer that question. When you hear someone shouting "Fire! Fire!", what could be the first thing that you will bring out of your house? Sana po, masagot n'yo mentally 'yan ngayon. 'Yong iba kasi, ano nga kaya? Ang dami, ang hirap, ano. 'Yong iba natataranta, sa dinami-daming pagpipilian.

Siguro naman hindi n'yo ilalabas 'yong pabango n'yo lang. (laughs) Di naman siguro ilalabas lang 'yong ref ninyo. It was a pity one time, I went to a depressed area that was on fire. Makita mo, dala-dala 'yong TV. Sabi ng Nanay, "Nasa'n 'yong ref?" Sabi ng isa, 'Yong anak, mo nasa'n?" "Ay naiwan!" (laughs) And it could be tragic. But we ask ourselves - what will you bring out?

Of course, you will say, "Of course, Father, I will bring out the most important, the most essential, the most necessary." And I go back to that question. How do you know that you are on fire in your life? When you know what's most important, what is most essential, what is most necessary. That is the sign the Holy Spirit is setting you on fire.

And so as we continue with this mass, brothers and sisters, we pray for that grace. Minsan, ang dami-dami nating choices, pero nabubulagan tayo. Mas pinipili natin 'yong di mahalaga. Pag may sunog, uunahin mo 'yong anak mo. Pero bakit pag ordinaryong araw, hindi siya ang inuuna mo? Pag may sunog, uunahin mo ang buhay mo, ang kalusugan mo. Pero bakit pag ordinaryong araw, hindi mo iniintindi ang kalusugan mo't buhay mo? If you know what is essential, you will not spend time in useless chatter. 'Yong mga simpleng tampuhan, hindi 'yan pinapalaki, dahil alam mong hindi 'yan mahalaga. Kaya nga sa sunog diba, kahit magkaaway nagtutulungan. Kasi alam nila kung ano ang mas importante. Gano'n din daw po ang taong napuspos ng Espiritu Santo. Napipili mo kung ano ang dapat mong gawin.

And so as we continue with this mass, we ask the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit. And you know, it will be very dangerous when you invite the Holy Spirit. Up to now, the Divisoria Mall fire is not yet extinguished. Fire can be very destructive. Fire can eliminate so many things. And that is also very true with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, may tinutupok sa buhay natin, may sinisira sa buhay natin, may tinatanggal sa atin. If only for us to realize what really matters most in life. That is why when we say 'Come, Holy Spirit', be prepared for that fire. That fire can be very, very dangerous, because that fire can bring us to the essentials. But in the end, that fire of the Holy Spirit can bring us closer to God. Are you ready for that? Are you ready to welcome the Holy Spirit?

Next Sunday, brothers and sisters, you will not see the Paschal candle anymore. This is the last Sunday of the Paschal candle, the fire that we lit last Easter Vigil. You know why? It is not just because the Easter Season has ended. We now bring out the fire, because we hope and pray that the fire of God's love, the fire of the Holy Spirit, is now in our hearts. So that when we go out to the whole world, just like the power of the Holy Spirit, we will set the world on fire, and renew the face of the earth. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the Church with your fire. Set our hearts on fire with love for you. Amen.

Gospel Reflection

May 18, 2013

Saturday – Year of Faith – Easter Season

Pentecost Sunday at the Vigil Mass

by Cardinal Gaudencio Borbon Rosales, Archbishop Emeritus of Manila

12:00 noon Mass, 2013 Liturgical Congress, SM Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City

 

Reading 1 Gn 11:1-9

The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words. While the people were migrating in the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.” They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth.”

The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built. Then the LORD said: “If now, while they are one people, all speaking the same language, they have started to do this, nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do. Let us then go down there and confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says.” Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world. It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.

Or Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b

Moses went up the mountain to God. Then the LORD called to him and said, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. That is what you must tell the Israelites.” So Moses went and summoned the elders of the people. When he set before them all that the LORD had ordered him to tell them, the people all answered together, “Everything the LORD has said, we will do.”

On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the LORD came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking, and God answering him with thunder.

When the LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai, he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain.

Or Ez 37:1-14

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones. He made me walk among the bones in every direction so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain. How dry they were! He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? I answered, “Lord GOD, you alone know that.” Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life. I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD. I, Ezekiel, prophesied as I had been told, and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise; it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone. I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them, and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them. Then the LORD said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life. I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army. Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They have been saying, “Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off.” Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

Or Jl 3:1-5

Thus says the LORD: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke; the sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, at the coming of the day of the LORD, the great and terrible day. Then everyone shall be rescued who calls on the name of the LORD; for on Mount Zion there shall be a remnant, as the LORD has said, and in Jerusalem survivors whom the LORD shall call.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 104:1-2, 24, 35, 27-28, 29, 30 

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures;
bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Creatures all look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Rom 8:22-27

Brothers and sisters: We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.

Gospel Jn 7:37-39

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.”

He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

HOMILY

Sisters, brothers, dear friends, members of the ministries linked with the unique, inimitable prayer of the Christian Catholic to the Father, which is the Eucharist...we are just a few hours away from the great celebration of the Feast of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost. Literally, just a few hours away. And we start our reflection with this. Confusion begins or exists in the absence of a spirit. 

In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, the first Chapter says that there was confusion and disorder on the earth, and the Spirit was hovering over that confusion. Not yet touched by the Spirit of God, there was a void; there was disorder. But the voice of God, the will of God says, "Let there be light...water...clouds, the sea...and the rest of creation...." Let the Spirit touch and you have new beings, new creation. But Genesis 1 began with disorder because of the absence of the Spirit. There was confusion, there was no Spirit. 

The First Reading said differently. There was disorder, there was confusion. But this time, the confusion was created by man, by the ambition by human persons wanting to reach God, that they built the tower of what we call Babel. Built by ambition, built by greed, built by hunger to be famous, built by the selfish ambition of human beings. 

This is a good way to start our reflection. And I don't need to refer to what's happening in the world, or to our communities. The confusion this time, is different. It is man-made. I don't want to make any accusations but the reflections will make the accusations. 

The Gospel says, "Not yet, the Spirit that will unite all these...." And those that will give man satisfaction - peace, hope, love, unity - not yet. And it is because Christ has not yet been glorified. That's how the Gospel read by Reverend Deacon ended. Wala pa, hindi pa dumadating. We are still waiting for it. 

Well, you're all here, together with your priests. What are you waiting for? And I think it is a good way to celebrate the Feast Day tomorrow, and to find your given tasks within your church or ministry. 

In the beginning of this Eucharist, we started by saying that we are part of the unique and inimitable prayer of Jesus. Somehow, you are linked with the prayer of Jesus Christ. All of us are part of the prayer of Jesus. Some are readers, some are greeters, some are choir members, some are those engaged in altar services. Name it, whatever you have in your parishes. Somehow you are linked. You are here because you are linked with the formal, public, official prayer of the Church to our Father in heaven. 

What is that prayer? You call it the mass. It is the mass of Jesus. What is the mass? It is the Eucharist of Jesus. It is not the Eucharist of the people. It is Christ offering Himself again to the Father, and somehow, we are all linked with it - the Eucharist, the highest form of official and public worship of the Church to our Father. It is from there, that we are here. We are part of Christ's offering. And our prayer becomes the prayer of Jesus. Our presence becomes the sacrifice offered by Jesus, because the Eucharist is the perpetuation of the sacrifice of Jesus - flesh and blood offered to the Father. Yes, He made that, even before He made the commitment, even before He actually gave up His life in Calvary on the cross. Already, the night before, He committed Himself to that prayer, to that sacrifice. And He did it in the form that we now have at the altar. 

You see....using bread and wine not only signifies Jesus' flesh and blood, but it gives to God, and to you and to me, that visible sign that He said, "Take this and eat." Somehow, all of us are linked to that. You are linked with the Eucharist of Christ, even before you have ever made the offering of yourself. The moment you are present in the Church, you are part of the offering of Christ. Like it or not. When Christ made that offering in Calvary, whether you are conscious of it at this moment or later on when you begin to see Christ with the help of the Spirit, God's sacrifice was for you and me, for all of us. And thank God, this noon, you are here. Because somehow, you are linked with this sacrifice of Christ, to which we are directed. And from there we get our strength. 

The beauty of being part of Christ is that we create who Christ was to His disciples. When Jesus taught His disciples, and they began listening to Him, when they became Apostles and accompanied Christ and became witnesses of His miracles, and listened to His words, and were touched by His embrace...while helping Christ, there was something happening to the Apostles. Walking with Christ, listening to Christ, seeing Christ. You know what? They slowly began to know Jesus Christ. They recognized Christ because they are close to Christ. One of them even declared that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. 

To all of you here, when you accompany Christ, somehow you will know His identity. Sino ba Siya sa iyo? The Apostles were frequent companions of Jesus. They knew who Christ was. He is the Lord, the Son of the Living God. Alam ninyo, kayo...in the ordinariness of your role in the Eucharist, stay longer with Jesus. Accompany Him in His celebrations. And like the Apostles, you will know that He is the Lord. Try it. It is exactly what happened to you. How long have you been in what you do now, let's say, as a reader, a greeter, a collector, a Eucharistic minister? You know Christ better now than before you joined. A true minister will notice that. Just like what the true Apostle said, "You are the Christ." 

That is the bonus, or shall we call it the gift or the grace of doing ministry in the Church. Like the Apostles, you will know Christ better. Thank God we have this reunion or whatever they call it. Thank God for Father Genny Diwa for convening this, if only to let you know, if only to thank you for what you are doing in the Church. And we do that in this Eucharist. Remember, if only you will continue to serve just like the Apostles, you will know Christ better. 

This is the reason why we are all here. We continue the Eucharist, the prayer of Jesus. This is His prayer and offering. So every time you join and serve in the Eucharist, you are part, not only of the celebration, but of the offering of Christ. Enjoy that privilege. And ask the good Lord, as He did to the Apostles and the disciples. He will continue to bless you - your life, your livelihood, your ministry, your community, your family. And why not the whole Church? May God continue to do that as a favor and as a gift. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.