Gospel Reflection

January 25, 2013

Friday – Year of Faith

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

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

6:30AM Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

                         

Reading 1 Acts 22:3-16

Paul addressed the people in these words: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way to death, binding both men and women and delivering them to prison. Even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my behalf. For from them I even received letters to the brothers and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment those there as well.

“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’ My companions saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me. I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’ The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do.’  Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light, I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.

“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law, and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me and stood there and said, ‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’ And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him. Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; for you will be his witness before all to what you have seen and heard. Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name.’”

or Acts 9:1-22

Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”  The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.  He is there praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.

He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?” But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.

Responsorial Psalm PS 117:1bc, 2

R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, 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, 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, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 16:15-18

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

HOMILY

There was this young man, who was a happy-go-lucky guy, and wouldn't care whatever his parents would tell him, much to the dismay of his parents. Unfortunately, his mother developed cancer and eventually died. Now alone with his father, he vowed to change his lifestyle, and be more serious this time.

My brothers and sisters, why does it take an earth-shattering experience for us to change our lives dramatically? Just like St. Paul who experienced this in the First Reading, it took him the power of the Lord to change his ways against God.

My brothers and sisters, the Lord does not ask much of us, when He said, "Go and spread the Good News, proclaim to all the ends of the earth." He only asks us to live as a Christian would - with honesty, integrity, and love. Not much is required, yet, why does it take so much effort from our part to live as true children of our Father in heaven?

Maybe, if we look deep into our hearts, we can say the same. No need for cancer, no need for Ondoy, no need for earthquakes. All we need to do is live according to the dictates of our Father in heaven. The only question is - are we willing to embrace this calling of ours, as Jesus teaches us?

Gospel Reflection

January 24, 2013

Thursday – Year of Faith

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

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

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

                         

Reading 1 Heb 7:25—8:6

Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:  holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,  appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.

The main point of what has been said is this:  we have such a high priest, who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up. Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer. If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are those who offer gifts according to the law. They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle. For God says, “See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises.

Responsorial Psalm ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

R. (8a and 9a)  Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Gospel Mk 3:7-12

Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” He warned them sternly not to make him known.

HOMILY

All of us want to be loved. All of us want to have care and affection. But for us to be lovable, we must also know how to love, and to accept love.

This is also true with popularity. We want to be affirmed, we want other people to recognize our abilities, our talents, our skills. We want, at a certain point in our lives, to be recognized for what we are capable of. We are very confident whenever people give us praises and affirm that we are doing good, that we are ok, and when a lot of people are following us.

In our Gospel, we hear that a lot of people, a multitude, a crowd, will always follow Jesus because of what He did - preaching, curing and healing a lot of those who are in need of cure. Jesus's popularity increased. But His popularity is not borne out, for the sake of popularity, but because He wanted to serve the people of God. He does not care whether people would agree to His teaching or not, because He always spoke the truth. He will be counter-cultural in some of His preachings, talking against the hypocrisy of the leaders of the church, the elders and the priests. While Jesus was popular among the masses, He was unpopular to those who head the synagogues.

We also see in our Gospel passage, three types of people. And they all begin with the letter C.

The first type are the 'committed'. They are the disciples of Jesus Christ who have given up everything to follow Jesus and His commandments. The next type of people are the 'curious', those who would like to find out what Jesus could do, what miracles He could perform. They would also be following Jesus, not because of their commitment, but because of their curiosity. The third type would be the 'condemned', or the unclean spirits. They know who Jesus Christ is. "We know who You are. You are the Son of God." But they do not turn away from their sins. They go on with their evil and sinful lives. The unclean spirits, the condemned.

In our life, we must also ask ourselves, to which category of people we belong. Do we belong to the 'committed' - those who have heard and who have given up everything just to follow and obey God's commandments? Or perhaps some of us, who have been catechized in our younger years and have already advanced in years, and have been going to masses, are still in the 'curious' stage, when we have not fully given up everything? Some of us might be only curious what Jesus could do for us, what Jesus could give us in answer to our prayers. Or do we belong to the third kind? We might be among the condemned, hearing the Word of God, but not turning away from our sinful lives.

My dear brothers and sisters, the Gospel - the Word of the Lord - always poses a challenge for us, inviting us for a transformation, a conversion. We must ask ourselves - to which group do we belong? Amen.

Gospel Reflection

January 23, 2013

Wednesday – Year of Faith – Weekday

by Msgr. Bong Lo (Chaplain, Chapel of Eucharistic Lord)

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

                         

Reading 1 Heb 7:1-3, 15-17

Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings
and blessed him. And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything. His name first means righteous king, and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace. Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so, not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. For it is testified:

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Responsorial Psalm ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Gospel Mk 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.” Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

HOMILY

I heard a story about a Filipino Chinese who owned a small factory, with only around 25 employees. There was a labor problem and so one day, the employees went for a strike. Later on, the employer saw the placards, saying "Itaas ang sweldo" and he also saw some placards saying, "Ibagsak ang Aquino-US rehimen", "Patalsikin ang Imperialismo", etc. So sabi noong employer, "Yong pagtaas ng sweldo, pwede tayong mag-usap diyan, pero ang ibagsak ang Aquino-US rehimen, mukhang di ko na kaya 'yan. O kaya ipatalsik ang imperialismo. Eh ano'ng koneksiyon niyan sa ating kumpanya?"

The point of the story is - you and I must be clear about the immediate issues. The real concerns. Yes, there are so many issues. There are so many concerns. But at the end of the day, in the final analysis, first things first. Ano po ba talaga ang dapat nating harapin?

In the Gospel Reading for today, for example, it was a Sabbath day. And there are many issues related to the Sabbath. And if you read the Gospel, Jesus is - over and over again - accused of violating the law of the Sabbath. Jesus, again and again, is condemned for not observing the law of the Sabbath. Ano ho ba talaga ang issue? What is at the heart of it all?

For Jesus, this is the main issue. Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, rather than to do evil? To save life, rather than to destroy it?

Kasi nga, according to the law of the Sabbath, it is a day of rest. But what does it mean to rest? For some people, to rest is to lie down in bed. Gagawin n'yo ba 'yan the whole day? Try n'yo po mamaya after lunch. Mahiga kayo buong araw hanggang bukas po nang tanghali. Will it be considered rest? Nakakapagod pong humiga buong araw, hindi ho ba? Kung ayaw ninyong maniwala, try it. (laughs) Kung nakakapagod pong magtrabaho, mas nakakapagod po ang walang trabaho. Try n'yong mag-resign sa trabaho. (laughs) Nakakapagod po.

Yes, Sabbath is a day of rest, but it does not mean that you don't do anything.

You know, in 1997, 15 and a half years ago, I went to the Holy Land. I went to Israel. Nabigla ako kung bakit 'yong elevator sa hotel namin, kahit na anong pindot ko, hindi pumupula doon sa floor kung saan dapat ako pumunta. Halimbawa nasa 5th floor ako. So from the ground floor, pindot ako nang pindot ng 5th floor, hindi pumupula. Na-notice ko, paakyat siya, every other two floors. Even numbers. Titigil siya sa 2nd floor, 4th floor, 6th floor, 8th floor, 10th floor. Hindi siya tumitigil sa odd numbers. Eh di lumampas na ako. 5th floor ang kuwarto ko, nakarating na ako sa 10th floor. (laughs) Tapos pagbaba naman, odd numbers naman. 11th floor, 9th floor, (laughs) sabi ko, "Bakit ganito, ano?"

Tapos maya-maya may pumasok na Jewish couple na very conservative looking, kasi there are different groupings naman within Judaism eh, may liberal, may conservative. So 'yong pumasok na couple very conservative, makikita mo sa kanilang pananamit, 'yong may mga buhok pa silang mahahaba sa patilya. Tapos noong nakita nila akong pindot nang pindot, ang sama ng tingin nila sa akin. (laughs) Ang sama ng tingin nila. Pero sila hindi nagpindot. 'Yon pala, it was a Sabbath day. And since it was a Sabbath day, according to the conservative understanding, you should not do anything. (laughs) Pati pagpindot sa elevator (more laughs) Kaya pala 'yong elevator, automatic naka-program na 'yon pag Sabbath day. Pre-programmed na, na titigil siya sa lahat ng even numbers pataas, at titigil naman siya sa lahat ng odd numbers pababa, kasi you are not supposed to pindot-pindot it. (laughs) So it is a very extreme understanding.

So Jesus invited them. Hey, at the heart of the matter, what is really the point? Yes, don't work, don't do unnecessary jobs, in order to set aside a time to worship God, to set aside a time to read the word of God, to set aside a time to do something good. But at the heart of it all, is Jesus allowed to heal somebody, to cure somebody? Of course they may say, "Anyway, it is not a life-and-death situation, you can wait until tomorrow, don't cure him now." My God, if you were in the situation of that person - every hour counts, every minute counts. And for Jesus, what is needed most is not only to cure the paralyzed hand of the person, but to cure the hardened hearts of the people around. To make them realize what's really the point, what's really the heart of the matter.

That is why nakasulat dito sa Gospel ano - 'looking around at them with anger and grief at their hardness of heart'. When Jesus was confronted by a sinner, he was not angry, merciful Siya. But Jesus was angry with them, because of the hardness of their hearts. That is why He was concerned, not only to make the paralyzed hand of the paralytic become alive again. He was, at the same time, concerned that their hard heart would be softened.  

My sisters and brothers, there are so many issues in life. So many concerns. But at the end of the day, what's really the point? What's really the heart of the matter? The heart of the matter is our heart. Whether our heart is hard, or not. Whether our heart is giving, or not. Whether our heart is charitable, or not. Let us pray that as Jesus cured the paralyzed hand of the paralytic, your heart and my heart will beat with Jesus' heart, and become more and more like His heart.

Gospel Reflection

January 22, 2013

Tuesday – Year of Faith 

Day of prayer for the legal protection of unborn children.

by Rev. Fr. (Major) Harley B. Flores

CHS Chancellor, Military Ordinariate of the Philippines

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

                         

Reading 1 Heb 6:10-20

Brothers and sisters: God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones. We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.

When God made the promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you. And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained the promise. Now, men swear by someone greater than themselves; for them an oath serves as a guarantee and puts an end to all argument. So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose, he intervened with an oath, so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Responsorial Psalm ps 111:1-2, 4-5, 9 and 10c

R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Mk 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

HOMILY

My dear brothers and sisters, there is this book written in 1971, which states that in a survey that was conducted, there are two favorite religious images of the Filipinos. One is the image of the Sto. Nino (child Christ), that is why we celebrated the fiesta of the Sto. Nino last Sunday, and the other favorite image of the Filipinos is the Sto. Entierro (dead Christ). However, there was a comment regarding these two images. The comment was - one reason why most Filipinos have this immature faith, or a child-like attitude on faith, is because of the superficial way we adore our favorite images.

It could really be that most Filipinos have an immature expression of faith. And one example that I can give you is, as a priest for 10 years, kung minsan nga naman ho pag may ni-request po tayo sa pari at hindi napagbigyan, ay nakasimangot na, at kung minsan ay marami tayong sinasabi at ini-intriga ang pari. I tell my parishioners na kung may tao namang mahilig mang-intriga sa pari, minsan ito ay ang mga taong malapit din sa simbahan. And this is true. I hope this is not true here (referring to the Megamall chapel). This is an expression of immature faith, a childish act of faith. 

 

On the other hand, Filipinos also have a passive faith. That is why in trying to interpret the sacrifice of the Santo Entierro, napakaraming Filipino ngayon ang masayang naghihirap. Why? It is because most Filipinos believe that they are closer to God when they suffer, when they sacrifice. Pakiramdam ng ilan sa atin na mas masaya sila kapag naghihirap sila, sapagkat mas malapit sila sa Panginoon. Sinasabi nila na darating din ang araw, may awa rin ang Diyos. Hindi naman nawawala ang awa ng Diyos. Yes, blessed are the poor. Blessed are the poor in spirit. But some Filipinos misinterpret it, as if they just want to remain poor, as if they do not want to move on from their system of life. 

I believe that God does not want His people to suffer. God always wants His people to be happy, to be at his best, to be at his magnanimity. That's why the Gospel tells us that every law of the Church, every law of God was made for man. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Why? Because of all the creatures of God, in the history of creation, the highest point, the fulfillment, or the masterpiece of God's creation, was the creation of man. Therefore, all creatures were to submit to man, and man must submit himself to God.
At kung ang tao ang pinakadakilang nilalang ng Panginoon, ng Kanyang nilikha, therefore, we expect the best for man. God plans what is best for us. God wants us to be the best and to be happy always.
As we are God's best creation, His masterpiece, what should be our response? The First Reading tells us, 'it is only through faith and goodness'.
Let me share with you a reading regarding the combination of faith and goodness as an expression of our response to God as His masterpiece. This is from a book entitled, "Simple Principles to Enjoy Life and Be Happy".....and I quote:

"Think of the happiest people we know. If we ask the secret of their contentment, they would probably tell you that their happiness stems from faith. Indeed, faith places an integral role in happiness. But why? For one, faith provides answers where there seems to be none. On the contrary, the faithless seems to come up short of answers all the time. For example, many of us spend much of our lives trying to figure out why bad things happen to good people. Why does the young girl with no family history get cancer? Why does the thief live to be 90 years old, while the good-hearted man - a generous man - has his life cut short too soon?"
"....There are so many injustices. But in having faith, everything happens because it fits in the grand plan of God....Believing in a grand plan or something larger than us, will help put life's setbacks and disappointments into perspective, and will even improve your health. In fact....about the healing property of faith, in a study of 232 patients who have undergone open-heart surgery, those who were able to find strength and comfort in their religious outlook had a survival rate, three times higher than those who were found to have no foundation of faith...." 

"....Having a sense of spirituality can also help establish and strengthen one's values, and the right sense of goodness, especially knowing what is right and wrong. By cultivating a self standard of action, such as being a good, generous, decent person, they are more likely to treat family, friends, and even strangers, with respect and kindness. Through religious and spiritual practices, they develop a sense of responsibility and respect for history, fellow humans, and the environment."
"Let us try to use these common principles to reflect our faith, and articulate a set of values, especially goodness...that is an important foundation. These principles will show you that even in the darkest times, faith can help you find your way back to happiness."
Again, my dear friends, God wants us to be happy. God wants us to be the best. On what condition? Faith and goodness.