Gospel Reflection

August 27, 2013

Tuesday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Memorial of Saint Monica

by Rev. Fr. Lloyd Tiu, Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society (LMI-Makati)
12:15PM Mass, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord (Megamall Chapel)

Reading 1 1 Thes 2:1-8

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our reception among you was not without effect. Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated, as you know, in Philippi, we drew courage through our God to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle. Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives, nor did it work through deception. But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, that is how we speak, not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts. Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know, or with a pretext for greed–God is witness– nor did we seek praise from men, either from you or from others, although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ. Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.

Responsorial Psalm PS 139:1-3, 4-6

R. (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

Gospel Mt 23:23-26

Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.”

HOMILY

When Jesus preached in a community, usually, there will be some religious leaders who would be, let's say, listening to Him or watching Him. Oftentimes, they would ask questions to put down Jesus or to make a case against Him. Jesus' teaching of the Father and of dying to oneself is a threat to the Pharisees and the Scribes. That is why Jesus called them hypocrites.

Being a hypocrite is to be an actor or to pretend to be someone that you are not. In a play or a show, hypocrites will wear masks to denote or to show another kind of character or personality. We, too, sometimes wear this kind of mask. If we are true to ourselves, oftentimes, we can also call ourselves hypocrites. When we want to be with some people or to be allowed into a certain community, we would pretend to be someone or to know someone. It is because we are afraid that we will be rejected or not accepted.

My brothers and sisters, yesterday, thousands of people attended the 'A Million March' in Luneta to call for the abolishment of the pork barrel. If we want change in our country, we should first change ourselves. Corruption must stop within ourselves. More and more people practice corruption. For example, when we apply for a business, or when we are caught by a traffic aide, what do we say? "Baka naman pwede natin pag-usapan ito...Ito na lang o, para wala na akong resibo o wala na akong tiket." When we want something to be approved immediately, we would pass something 'under the table'. If we really want change, then we should change ourselves first.

Let us be true to ourselves. If we continue to pretend to be someone or something, it will be a burden to us, because all along, all the way, we have to cover our steps, we have to cover our tracks, in order to cover the lies that we have made. That is why the truth hurts. The hypocrites were threatened by Jesus, because He would tell them the truth.

My dear brothers and sisters, the invitation to us by the Gospel entails a dying to ourselves. It is an invitation for us to be true to ourselves, just like Jesus' being true to the Father, dying on the Cross, so that all of us will enter heaven. Let us clean ourselves first, before we call to clean our family, our community, our nation. The change should first come from us, not from others.

Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine, was married to a pagan. And Augustine, in almost half of his life, also lived like a pagan. But Saint Monica never ceased to pray for the conversion of her husband and her son. And eventually, just before she died, Augustine became a Christian.

We, too, should not lose hope for our country. If we want change, let us continue to pray for our leaders and for ourselves, and change from inside, out. Amen.

Gospel Reflection

August 26, 2013

Monday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Benjamin “Benjo” Fajota - Vice Rector, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine)

12:15PM Mass at EDSA Shrine

Reading 1 1 Thes 1:1-5, 8b-10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace.

We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen. For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction. You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.  In every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.

Responsorial Psalm PS 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia!
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Mt 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.”

HOMILY

In a public zoo, a gorilla got sick and the owners were worried that they will not be able to attract as much people, since it would be weekend. So they hired an actor to wear the costume of a gorilla and to play the part. And when the actor in a gorilla suit was doing the trapeze, the rope broke and he fell on the den of lions. A lion approached him and he shouted, 'Help! Help!' And the lion told him, 'Shut up. You're going to get us both fired.' So they were just wearing costumes, they were just wearing masks.

A lot of us wear masks every day. Sometimes, we could not identify our real selves because of this mask we put on. My dear brothers and sisters, before God, we cannot deny our true selves. We might cover ourselves with all worldly allureness, but our real selves will be only proven by what our heart desires or dictates.

We are asked to put on our true selves before God, because the reality of our identity is that we are all children of God. But do we wear that reality? Do we swear by it? Or are we like some people, or like our lawmakers or leaders of the government who we call honorable, who wear those vestiges or those honorable costumes, but are corrupt and full of filth within? We do not judge the person; we do not condemn because we are Christians. We only condemn and hate the sin.

My dear brothers and sisters, we are challenged to be authentic Christians. Our relationship with God must not be superficial, in the sense that we follow the law but not the spirit of the law. Jesus Christ is teaching us the most important thing - that we obey His law because of our love for Him. What is most important is the spirit of the law of God. And the spirit of the law of God is none other than love. Amen.

Gospel Reflection

August 25, 2013

Sunday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Rufino "Jun" C. Sescon, Jr. - Chaplain, Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati
6:00PM Anticipated Sunday Mass at Greenbelt Chapel, Makati

Reading 1 Is 66:18-21

Thus says the LORD: I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.  I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.  They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.  Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 117:1, 2

R. (Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Heb 12:5-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters, You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children: “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.” Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”  He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.  After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.  Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

HOMILY

Tapos na ang mga bagyo at sungit ng panahon kaya't walang masungit dapat sa mga nagsisimba. Panahon lang ang masungit, hindi ang mga nagsisimba.

The other day, after the floods and the rains, a friend sent me a picture of his room via Facebook. He was so happy and very proud of his accomplishment. I was surprised to see that, because if you had been to his room, his room was a mess. You could hardly move around. You could hardly open the door. Pag naglakad ka doon dapat patagilid, kasi bukod sa maraming gamit, makalat din siya. But then, he was so proud to say that these past few days na walang pasok, he cleaned his room. He did not just re-arrange things; he was jubilant in sharing that he sent almost half of his stuff to Caritas for the victims of the typhoon. And that is why when he showed a picture of his room, it was so clean, it was so clear, it was wide. Pwede na siyang mag-jogging sa loob ng kwarto niya. Pwede na siyang magtatakbo dahil lumuwag 'yong dati rati'y masikip. Kailangan lang palang linisin. At hindi lang basta linisin....kung kailangang ipamigay ang mga dapat ipamigay, ginawa na niya. At dahil doon, lumuwag ang lahat.

I remembered that incident as I was reflecting for today's Gospel. In today's Gospel, we heard Jesus saying, "Strive to enter the gate of the Kingdom..." But the gate is narrow. Masikip ang lagusan sa Kaharian ng Diyos. And when we perhaps heard that - masikip - some of us perhaps panicked. Some of us perhaps got nervous. 'Naku, narrow pala. Baka hindi tayo makapasok....Masikip pala, baka hindi tayo makasama.' We might panic, so much so that like the man in the Gospel, we might ask the Lord, "Lord, kung masikip pala, will only be a few saved?" We are afraid, because for us, narrow is something negative. Narrow is not nice. Narrow is a source of panic.

Kaya nga palaging may lumalapit sa akin, "Father, pwede po bang luwagan n'yo na 'yong bridge dito sa Greenbelt Chapel? Nakakatakot po pag may emergency, walang makakadaan nang maayos." Kaya ipagdasal n'yo po. Nakahain na po 'yong appeal doon sa Ayala na luwagan na ang bridge natin. Kasi nga nasa isip natin, pag masikip, delikado, nakakatakot.

But it is not really the purpose of the Lord. Was the Lord frightening us when said the gate to the Kingdom of God is narrow? What does it mean? What does it imply when Jesus says 'the narrow gate of the Kingdom'?

Mayroon po sana akong ipapakita sa inyo sa screen, pero may kaunting problem sa USB. Bibigyan ko sana kayo ng test sa traffic sign. Noong nag-a-apply po ako ng driver's license, sabi nila, mahigpit. Lumapit sa akin ang proctor, sabi niya, "Father, perfect na kayo, huwag na kayo mag-exam, tutulungan ko kayo. Pag mayroon kayong hindi alam, Father, itanong n'yo sa akin." Nakakahiya naman, naturingang pari po ako. And I sat there in the room, only to find out na naka-post naman pala doon sa pader ang lahat ng traffic signs. (laughs) So ang sabi ko, walang babagsak talaga.

But there is a sign that perhaps most motorists and drivers would know. It is the sign which symbolizes 'narrow road ahead'. When you see that sign - 'narrow road ahead' - what do you do? What is your instinct? Sa mga nagda-drive, you will slow down. You will drive carefully, because the road is getting narrower and narrower. And I believe that is what the Lord meant when he said 'the gate is narrow'. It is to remind us that in the journey of life, you must be careful. You must be vigilant, you must be alert. Di ba? 'Yong mga pumupunta sa Baguio....'yon ang problema sa ibang driver, nagre-relax, porque alam nilang sanay na sanay na sila. Doon nag-uumpisa ang trahediya. Pagpunta sa zigzag, pag makipot na ang daan, ayaw pa ring bumagal. Kaya nakakalungkot at nagkakaroon tayo ng mga aksidente.

Today, Jesus reminds us that the road to life, the road to God is narrow, to make us more alert, more careful...for us to know the important directions. You do not just disregard what you are passing by, because a wrong turn, a simple neglect, can cause a major disaster. The road to life is narrow, because Jesus wants us to be alert...to know what is important.

Secondly, the gate is narrow, not wide. Elsewhere in the Gospel, Jesus said, "The road to the Kingdom is narrow, the road to destruction is wide." Ano daw po 'yong isang consequence kapag masikip ang daan? Tulad po dito sa bridge ng Greenbelt Chapel....if you happen to attend mass here during the afternoon of Sundays, you will realize the narrow gate. Naghihintayan 'yan. Di ho ba 'yong Commonwealth tinawag na killer highway? Bakit? Pag maluwag, paspasan. Pero pag masikip, napipilitan tayong magbigayan. Kaya po pag Sunday ng hapon, pag palabas na muna ang mga tao, wala munang papasok. When the gate is narrow and the bridge is narrow, people have discipline. People tend to think of others, not just themselves. There will never be a mob. There can never be a selfish crowd. There is consciousness for the other. And that is also what our Lord would want us to realize.

That is why in the Second Reading, we heard in the letter to the Hebrews, God is the Father of discipline. We do not like to be disciplined. But we all know, we need discipline. Discipline purifies us; discipline expands our hearts. The road to God is discipline. When we are suffering, when we are being challenged, look at it, not as a punishment from the Lord. Look at it also as God distilling our soul...God purifying our soul. Just like the narrow gate.

Di ba ngayon po nakakatuwa...nakikita natin na may pila na, may disiplina na, at dahil doon, mayroong pagmamalasakit sa isa't isa. The road to God, the road to life is narrow, so that we may learn to love our neighbor.

Lastly, the gate is narrow....maganda po sana may ipapakita akong picture sa inyo. May isang tao, marami siyang dala, naka-kotse pa siya. Pero nakita niya 'yong gate, hindi ho siya pwedeng pumasok na kasama 'yong kotse niya. Hindi pwedeng kasama 'yong mga gamit niya. Kasya lang para sa kanya. And that is also what our Lord would want us to realize. The road...the gate to the Kingdom is just enough for us. Not our stuff, not the unnecessary things of life, not the treasures we think we could bring. What is enough is ourselves, our hearts, our lives.

When Jesus says the gate is narrow, He did not say we could not enter. Tayo pong lahat, pwedeng pumasok. Pero may mga bagay sa atin na dapat nating iwan. Hindi natin pwedeng bitbitin. Ini-imagine ko na 'yong mga excess baggage. Tayong mga Pilipino, sikat na sikat. Mahilig tayo sa excess baggage. Pero pagpunta po sa langit, bawal ang excess baggage. Tayo lang ang pwedeng pumasok. At ang tanungin natin, baka 'yong kamay natin, ang daming excess baggage, pero 'yong puso natin, ang gaan-gaan, dahil walang laman. Baka 'yon po daw ang dapat lamnan natin....'yong puso natin, 'yong kalooban natin, 'yong kaluluwa natin.....kasi, 'yon ang makakapasok sa langit. Jesus is saying that the road to God is narrow, because He wants us to focus on what matters most in life.

And so, as we continue with this mass, let us ask the Lord for that grace. Lord, remind us always that the gate to Your Kingdom, the door to Your house, the passage to Your heart is narrow. But this is not to discourage us, not to frighten us, but Lord, to purify us. To teach us what matters most in life. To make us more loving and selfless to others.

A few years back, a woman approached me. She was crying, and she told me, "You know, Father, I had a miscarriage. I just buried this fetus. And I named my baby 'Hope'." She approached me because she said, "In my prayer, I imagined my baby. The baby that I wasn't able to meet, that I wasn't able to know, that I wasn't able to have in this earth....And in my prayer, I told her, "I'm sorry that I never got to know you." The lady said that after that, she had peace.

"I'm sorry, I never got to know you." Brothers and sisters, I hope that at the sunset of our lives, the moment we pass from this world to the next, I hope we will never tell Jesus, "I'm sorry...I never got the chance to really know you." Because that would mean we will never enter the narrow gate...we will never be part of the Kingdom. Entering the narrow gate ultimately means knowing Jesus in our lives. And when I say knowing Jesus, hindi lang 'yong alam natin ang pangalan ni Hesus. Hindi lang 'yong alam natin na ang nanay niya ay si Mama Mary. Hindi lang dahil nagsisimba tayo, kaya natin Siya kilala. Pero sana, kilala natin si Hesus, taos sa ating puso. Kilala natin Siya bilang isang kaibigan. Sinusunod natin Siya bilang Panginoon. Minamahal natin Siya bilang Diyos. So that at the end, we could say, "Lord, I truly know You." And you will hear Jesus say, "Enter the Kingdom of God." Amen.