Gospel Reflection

January 10, 2013

Year of Faith

Thursday after Epiphany of the Lord

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

Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

                         

Reading 1 1 Jn 4:19–5:4

Beloved, we love God because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 14 and 15bc, 17

R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
From fraud and violence he shall redeem them,
and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
May they be prayed for continually;
day by day shall they bless him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Gospel Lk 4:14-22

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region.  He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.  He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

HOMILY

In our First Reading, the word 'love' was mentioned 12 times. And if you are going to read the entire first letter of John, the word 'love' is spoken 42 times. It only emphasizes and stresses the point that love is a very important thing in our lives.

I recall in the movie 'Tanging Yaman', there is this particular scene of a mother and her son, on top of the roof, and the mother explained to her son the three meanings of love. The first is, she said, "Love is not about feelings." Second, "love is doing good to someone, even if that person is not doing any good to you." And the third, "praying for someone is a form of loving, too."

It is so hard to look at people, especially your enemies, with love. One rabbi in a very ancient parable asked his students, "When do you say that night is over, and that day is dawning?" And one student answered, "It is when you look from a distance and you see an animal, and you can distinguish if it is a dog or a goat." "No", the rabbi answered. Another student answered, "It is when, from a distance, you look at a tree, and you are able to distinguish if it is a fir tree or a fig tree." The rabbi still answered, "No." So when it is? And the rabbi said to them, "It is when you look at another person and you say that he is your brother or she is your sister, because at any time that you cannot do this, it will always be dark. It will always be night."

My dear brothers and sisters, the reason why we cannot love, or we openly or secretly hate another person, is because we openly or secretly hate ourselves. When we look into ourselves, there is so much spiritual turmoil, there is so much anxiety, there is so much uneasiness, and there is so much battle going on within us. And the reason why we are not at peace, is because we are not at peace with God.

Do it for yourself. Do it for your own safety. Love God, love your neighbor, love yourself. And you will have peace. Amen

Gospel Reflection

January 09, 2013

Year of Faith

Wednesday after Epiphany of the Lord

by Rev.  Fr. Nilo Mangussad (Rector Our Lady of Peace Quasi-Parish)

12:15PM Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

                         

Reading 1 1 Jn 4:11-18

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13

R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Gospel Mk 6:45-52

After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray.  When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.

HOMILY

We are saddened by news of so many recent killings. Just immediately after the birth of Christ, we see again killings, death. Not only by accident, but also premature, unexpected death.

But that is one of the pains and hazards of living. In fact, we fear such things - death, catastrophes, disasters, losing a job, losing one's life. We are always afraid. But this is the best time to show our faith in the Lord - when there is a storm. When the Lord reaches the boat of our lives, it is time to show how much faith we have. Peter was afraid, but he was consoled, because Jesus helped him.

To be honest, I am not happy right now, because I just lost another friend. A priest friend of mine who is number one in liturgy, just died this morning, and we are very sad. We just lost a priest at the Bahay Pari last December 28. I lost my best professor in the conservatory just after Christmas. And now, this one.

It is very disheartening to hear about these deaths. But if I am saying what I am preaching, "I have faith." I believe that these are things that the Lord wants us to experience, because He wants show us He is in control, He will be in control of the turmoil in our lives, and He will be there when we need Him most. The only question we must ask ourselves is, "Despite all these things in my life, am I really relying on my faith in the Lord?"

Gospel Reflection

January 08, 2013

Year of Faith

Tuesday after Epiphany of the Lord

by Rev.  Fr. Joel Jason (Dean, Graduate School of Theology San Carlos Seminary)

12;15PM Mass at Megamall, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord

                         

Reading 1 1 Jn 4:7-10

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8

R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Gospel Mk 6:34-44

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all.  They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

HOMILY

Today is Tuesday....after Monday (laughs). Kanina 'yong ating commentator, she was introducing the mass, tama naman ang kanyang introduction. Today is Tuesday after the Epiphany. Last Sunday was the Feast of the Epiphany.
Ano ba 'yong nakita natin during the Feast of the Epiphany? It was the manifestation of the Lord, the Lord being revealed to the people. It was, as it were, the beginning of the introduction of the Child Jesus, not only to the Jews, but to all people. And Jesus was manifested as Savior of all of humanity.
And so the feast last Sunday was, in a way, a sort of introduction to the ministry of the Lord, which, we will see, slowly unfolding. Next Sunday, we will be celebrating the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. 'Yon ang panahon ng official entry ng Panginoon in His active ministry.
In today's Gospel, we hear the familiar story of the multiplication of the loaves. Ano ba ang ipinapakita dito? Jesus is already beginning His mission. And this mission was very much in conjunction with the mystery of His birth. We have just celebrated the mystery of Christmas, and we are still very familiar with the Christmas story. Ano ba 'yong narinig natin doon sa Christmas story? Jesus was born in a town called Bethlehem. And Bethlehem literally means 'house of bread'. There's a reason why Jesus was born in a town called Bethlehem. Why? Because He is the Bread of Life. And that is why even the town where Jesus was born was already pointing towards the mission that Jesus was to accomplish. He is to give His own life as Bread, as food for the salvation of all humanity.
So nakikita natin dito 'yong unti-unting pagkakasatuparan ng ating Panginoon ng Kanyang misyon. I think it is a good reminder for all of us, especially as we begin the New Year. I am sure all of you here have your own New Year's resolution, 'yong inyong mga misyon na gusto ninyong simulan sa taong 2013. They said there are three kinds people when we talk about mission, or things that need to be accomplished. Who are those three kinds of people? Sabi nila, those who make things happen, and then secondly, those who watch things happen, and thirdly, those who ask 'what happened?'.
Now, it would be good at the beginning of the year to ask, "In what category do you fall?" Are you the kind of person who makes things happen? Or do you simply watch what happens? Or do you simply ask what happened?
Ano kaya ang mga tao who simply ask what happened? You can find that in the Gospel for today. In the Gospel, the people were hungry. And the Apostles were, in a way....para bang they fell into the third category. They did not want to do anything about the hunger of the people. When Jesus asked if they had something to feed for them, ano ang sabi nila, 'Lord, pauwiin mo na lang. Huwag na nating abalahin ang ating sarili.' Para bang they did not want to do anything. People who simply asked what happened are those kinds of people. They do not want to act. They simply ask what happened because they always remained in the background.
Once I received a text message, ang sabi, 'mga bagong kasabihan ngayong 2013'. Sabi doon, "Kung kaya ng iba, eh di ipagawa mo sa kanila." (laughs) Nagbago na ano. Dati sinasabi natin, "Kung kaya ng iba, kaya ko rin." Pero ngayon iba na. There are people like that. They only ask what happened. Why? Kasi inaasahan nilang may gagawa ng lahat. "Lord send them home. Let other people take care of them."
And then, there are people who simply watch things as they happen. They know that they can contribute something, but they are still hesitant, because they do not believe that they have something to contribute.
But there are those people who make things happen. And in our Gospel for today, this is also very evident. Who is that man, or who is that person who made things happen? Number one, the boy who had those five loaves and two fish. He knew the people were hungry, and he heard the Lord asking if they had something to feed for them. Ano'ng sinabi ng bata? Hindi niya sinabing, 'Ay, akin lang 'to. Ay, hindi ko ito ibibigay.' So what did he do? He offered his five loaves of bread and two fish. He wanted to make things happen. Jesus also was someone who makes things happen. He accepted the offering of the boy and when He took it, He blessed it, and then distributed it, and then the multiplication of the loaves happened.
As we begin the new year, let us ask for the grace that like the little boy, and like our Lord Jesus, in front of our many resolutions, let us be the kind of person who will make things happen. And we know that we can make things happen, not when we rely only on our own power, but more so, if we ask the intercession of God's grace. We have that very beautiful principle of spirituality: "Grace builds on nature." In this mass, let us ask for God's grace, that He may help us in all our projects. But let us offer back to the Lord our willingness to cooperate in His grace. That with the help of the Holy Spirit, we, too, can make things happen, especially for this New Year, 2013. God bless us all.

Gospel Reflection

January 07, 2013

Year of Faith

Monday after Epiphany of the Lord

by Rev. Fr. Roberto 'Bert' V. Fabillo (LRMS, Parochial Vicar, St. Peter the Apostle Parish Church, Paco, Manila)
5:45PM Mass, Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati

                         

Reading 1 1 Jn 3:22–4:6

Beloved: We receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit whom he gave us.

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist who, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world. You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them. We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 2:7bc-8, 10-12a

R. (8ab) I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.”
R. I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.
And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
R. I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.

Gospel Mt 4:12-17, 23-25

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

HOMILY

Magandang gabi po sa ating lahat. Happy New Year po.

Actually, it's still Christmas. Christmas will end with our celebration of the Baptism of the Lord this coming Sunday. Pwede pa po kayong mamasko. (laughs) Kayong may mga ninong at mga ninang, mamasko na kayo at last week na po. Katulad ng mga sale, last week ng mga sale ngayon. Kayo naman pong mga ninong at mga ninang, sad to inform you, hindi pa tapos ang inyong pagtatago. (laughs)

Now, from today until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, these days will be saturated with the theme of light - Christ as light. That is why you might be wondering why our Gospel said that after John had been arrested, Jesus went to other places, went outside Bethlehem, and preached the Good News.

The Gospel is not revealing to us or is not telling us how Jesus was affected by the arrest of his cousin. As we have heard in the Gospels during the past weeks, especially the novena masses in preparation for Christmas, the Simbang Gabi, we heard about Mary and Elizabeth praising God together. Mary went to Elizabeth, and then they praised God together. This only indicates, in simple terms, that Mary and Elizabeth were close to each other as cousins. And so, humanly speaking, we would like to conclude that John and Jesus must have also been close to each other, because their mothers knew each other. And yet, now that John had been arrested, Jesus went out to preach, as if nothing had happened.

The Gospel is not telling us that Jesus does not care about His cousin, does not care about John. That's not the point, my dear friends. The point is this - it's a little bit subtle. Darkness in the world still lingers on, but Jesus, as the Light of world, continues to conquer this darkness that even the forces or the powers of heaven cannot quench that light of Christ, or cannot even discourage Jesus from teaching. And so here we are, given the picture of Christ shining into this world which is darkened by sin, with Jesus saying that no amount of darkness can subdue or stray Him away from conquering the world with His light.

Another important point in our Gospel, my dear friends is that Jesus, the Light shining in the darkness, repeated the preaching of John for us to repent and believe in the Gospel, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It means that the Kingdom of God is with us, here and now. But if we are to ask, "Where is the Kingdom of God?"

In the preaching of Jesus, He did not only preach by words. Many people came to follow Him because He preached through action. That is why the Gospel mentioned about Jesus healing and curing every disease and illness. That is telling us that the Kingdom of God is here. That God did not remain up there, untouchable, but that God came into this world saying, "Here I am.".

The Kingdom of God is at hand. Again we ask, "Where is the Kingdom of God?" It is in our hands. If we want to experience the Kingdom of God, my dear friends, it is in our hands. We cannot experience God unless we allow ourselves to be part of the Kingdom of God.

As we go back to our respective responsibilities, in our homes, in our offices - once again we begin another year of working and taking up responsibilities - we must have the light of Christ. Will we be a light of Christ, shining in our homes or in our offices, or will we be the darkness of Herod, spreading along gossip, spreading darkness, spreading actions that are in consonance with the evil force? The Kingdom of God is in our hands.

As we nourish ourselves with the readings of Christmas, we are expected to be just like Christ. We should continue to comfort one another, healing people, guiding people. Mag-smile ka lang sa loved one mo, sa office mate mo, that's a lot, diba? Pero pag sinimangutan mo sila, it is also a lot. Little things make a lot of difference. If you are a parent, kamustahin mo lang ang anak mo, or if you are a manager, kamustahin mo lang ang subordinate mo, that means a lot. You make their world shine, you make their world bright.

My dear friends, as we continue to reflect on this theme of light, we must begin, at least within this week, to be a light, to bring the light of Christ to others. Amen.