Gospel Reflection

July 18, 2013

Thursday – 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 Ex 3:13-20

Moses, hearing the voice of the LORD from the burning bush, said to him, “When I go to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: I AM sent me to you.”

God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.

“This is my name forever; this my title for all generations.

“Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them:  The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said: I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.

“Thus they will heed your message. Then you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him: “The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word. Permit us, then, to go a three-days’ journey in the desert, that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God.

“Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless he is forced. I will stretch out my hand, therefore, and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there. After that he will send you away.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27

R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He greatly increased his people
and made them stronger than their foes,
Whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people,
and dealt deceitfully with his servants.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He sent Moses his servant;
Aaron, whom he had chosen.
They wrought his signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Mt 11:28-30

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

HOMILY

A very simple, yet profound message from Jesus - "Come to me and I will give you rest."

When Jesus mentioned to take up His yoke and learn from Him, He was speaking of how they farm during those days. There are usually two cattle to carry the yoke on their shoulders, and the two of them will plow the farm together, so that it will be easier for them to plow the field because they work in pairs.

Now, Jesus Christ is telling us - take My yoke. But Jesus tells us, not only to take His Yoke, but to know that He will be taking it with us. He also tells us to learn from Him, for He is meek and humble of heart. When we present our cares to God our Father, we trust in Him. We humbly present our needs. We do not demand them. But for most people, the reason why they cannot get what they are searching for is because they have forgotten the condition that Jesus said, and that is to surrender everything to Him. All our cares, our worries, our fears, our anxieties and doubts, let us leave them to Jesus, let us abandon them to God, and everything will be given to us.

The rest that God gives us is also the rest that He asks us to give to our brothers and sisters. But we must learn from Him. We must learn from the Gospel. We must learn from His works and His actions. He loves us to save us, and He saves us because He loves us. Amen.

Gospel Reflection

July 17, 2013

Wednesday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by His Eminence Cardinal Gaudencio Borbon Rosales, Archbishop Emeritus of Manila
6:00PM Mass, 30th Anniversary of the Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati

Reading 1 Ex 3:1-6, 9-12

Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. So Moses decided, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.”

When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your father,” he continued, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. The cry of the children of Israel has reached me, and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them. Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He answered, “I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you: when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 103:1b-2, 3-4, 6-7

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Gospel Mt 11:25-27

At that time Jesus exclaimed:  “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

HOMILY

Reverend Father Jun Sescon, chaplain of this beautiful chapel in Greenbelt, under its name, Sto. Nino de Paz, Reverend Father Jim Ferry, and also former chaplain Father Prex Fajardo, and our brother priests. To all of you, magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

What a blessed occasion for us to end this day, in the presence of Christ, when Jesus Christ again offers himself to the Father. Jesus is once again facing His Father to summarize the day and in that sacrifice, all of you here are included, including myself. This is the unique mystery of the Eucharist. Jesus sums up the giftedness in the life in a day of a Christian. But most especially for us because tonight, we are celebrating first, the Feast of the Lady of Perpetual Help. Wednesday is always the Feast of the Perpetual Help. Secondly, we, too, are celebrating, to include in the summary of the giftedness, thirty years of the presence of this chapel in Greenbelt. Thirty years of presence, thirty years of repeated summation of every gift in the life of all those who have come here to join in numberless, many Eucharistic sacrifices.

Then, of course, there is the beautiful Gospel to reflect on and to summarize thirty years, and why not the other years when you and I have gathered for the mercy and love and compassion of God - giftedness in life, in health, in family, in community, in livelihood, and what else we could remember this night.

The Gospel reminds us of a mysterious God who was sent to us. Blessed be God. You are simply someone we could not fully understand, and yet we know You love us. You have revealed the mysteries of heaven to the childlike. What a prayer of thanks of Jesus, praising His Father for understanding, revealing the wealth of heaven, the beauty of the Kingdom of love, and for opening His heart through the eyes of children. We have to be childlike as we heard in Jesus' opening praise and prayer of thanks. We have to be childlike to realize that there is a God, to recognize God. There must be simplicity in the person who will be ready to know God.

At this point, I want to relate to you a story that took place in another country. A mother went to church together with her little daughter, a toddler, 3 or 4 years old. And while in the church, the toddler was jumping, making noise, going under the pews. And her mother, pointing to the tabernacle, said, "Shhhh....Jesus is there." But the toddler continued jumping, to the annoyance of the other churchgoers. And so the mother said, "You better shut up, because Jesus is there." Then the child was quiet. The mass continued, and the child sat there. 

When the mass was over, the mother said, "Ok, let's now go home. The mass is finished." But the child won't stand. "Come, let's go home", the mother insisted. But the child won't leave her seat and said, "No!" So the mother asked, "Why?" The child said, "I want to see Jesus." The child took the word of the mother that Jesus was there. Now the child insisted, "I want to see Jesus." 

The child was now making a riot, and the next mass is already to begin. And so, the mother approached the priest and said, "Father, my child does not want to go home." The priest asked why. "She said she wants to see Jesus." The priest then took the child in his arms, walked to the tabernacle and said, "Jesus is there." And the child said, "Is Jesus really there?" "Yes", the priest said. Then the child asked the priest to open the tabernacle. When the priest opened it, the child saw the ciborium, containing the consecrated host. "Where is Jesus?" And the priest replied, "He is there...hiding for you." "Really?" "But when you grow up, you will begin to see Him. Because when you grow up, your eyes will grow up with your head, and you will see Jesus more....around you. You are going to see, and feel and experience Jesus. Alright, you can now go home with your mother. And when you grow up, you will see Jesus." So you think that is the end of the story? (laughs) Twenty-five years later, that girl became a nun, a sister. She must have seen Jesus in many ways. In her work, in the jeepney, on the bus. In the people staring at her, she must have seen Jesus. 

Father, I thank you...that you have revealed the things of heaven to the childlike. Jesus' prayer is a beautiful thing to remember in that particular episode in the life of Jesus....thanking the Father. Many people, like that girl, have experienced Jesus. Maybe there are people here who have experienced Jesus. In their moments of pain, in their moments of need, when they go home and see that their house is topsy-turvy, or they are in trouble. You are looking for Jesus. Like the child, you may not understand, but later, you must have felt Jesus. 

It's the same thing, now that we are celebrating thirty years of this chapel, Sto. Nino de la Paz, here in Greenbelt. How many people have come here? With sorrow in their hearts, disappointment in their work, betrayed by their friends. How many people have come here, from their shopping or what? Were they not looking for Jesus? Are we not looking for Jesus? Hindi ba natin hinahanap si Hesus? Why? 

I'll tell you what. It's dangerous. Really, I tell you, it's dangerous to see Jesus, to meet Jesus. Peligroso ang makilala si Hesus. Bakit? He is going to turn your world upside down. So beware. Once you know Jesus, you will love Him. There's no one like Him, as the face of God on earth. God has a human face, and He is a face you are going to love, when you see Him, when you experience Him. You will love Him. It is dangerous when you fall in love with Jesus. He will disturb you. (soft laughs) 

Sometimes, we take for granted the Beatitudes. That's precisely a revolution of values. Happy are those who are poor. What? What are you saying - the poor are blessed? Happy are those who weep. What? Happy are those who experience injustices. What? Don't you see that Jesus is beginning to disturb my values and yours? Delikado pala ang makakilala kay Hesus. 

Maybe that girl, between the time when she was toddler and making trouble in the church, until she was 28 years old and became a nun, I bet you, there were moments when that girl was disturbed. She passed by adolescence and became a young professional. 25 years is one-fourth of a century. Sigurado ako that that girl was disturbed; Jesus disturbed her. But that is precisely the mystery of knowing Jesus. 

And you know? That is exactly what our Mother of Perpetual Help is saying. "You go to my Son." Remember the historic marriage in Cana? Mary was the first one so sensitive to find out that the couple was in trouble. "Go to my Son, and do whatever He tells you to do." And adding something to Mary's words, 'Go and be friends with my Son. Go - if you want, love Him. Kung gusto mo, mahalin mo Siya. But...you will do what He tells you to do." 

And that's exactly why we are here. That's exactly why thirty years ago, this Chapel was built, for people who want to see Jesus. When people like you would want to know more about Jesus. Knowing Jesus, I know that all of us - you and I - will love Him. Enjoy that love that gives us strength. And as we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel, share that love with others. Ask the good Lord tonight - unworthy and as little as we are, allow us to love You more with others. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.       

Gospel Reflection

July 16, 2013

Tuesday – 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 Ex 2:1-15a

A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, who conceived and bore a son. Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket, daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and putting the child in it, placed it among the reeds on the river bank. His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe, while her maids walked along the river bank. Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it. On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying! She was moved with pity for him and said, “It is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” “Yes, do so,” she answered. So the maiden went and called the child’s own mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you.” The woman therefore took the child and nursed it. When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her son and called him Moses; for she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

On one occasion, after Moses had grown up, when he visited his kinsmen and witnessed their forced labor, he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own kinsmen. Looking about and seeing no one, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out again, and now two Hebrews were fighting! So he asked the culprit, “Why are you striking your fellow Hebrew?” But the culprit replied, “Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses became afraid and thought, “The affair must certainly be known.”

Pharaoh, too, heard of the affair and sought to put Moses to death. But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34

R. (see 33) Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I am sunk in the abysmal swamp
where there is no foothold;
I have reached the watery depths;
the flood overwhelms me.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me;
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

Gospel Mt 11:20-24

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum:

Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

HOMILY

Upon first reading of today's Gospel passage, we might say that it does not relate to us. But looking deeply into its message, it is our very core. It hits us right through the heart, because Jesus is directly speaking to us through this Gospel. The towns of Tyre and Sidon in the Old Testament were symbols of corruption and immorality. And Jesus is telling the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida that if only the people of Tyre and Sidon heard His teachings and have seen the miracles that He has performed, perhaps they would have repented. It is the same with Sodom which the Lord destroyed because people were so immoral. If only they heard Jesus preaching, Sodom would have still remained until this day. But they who have heard His preachings and seen His miracles, still have not repented.

Sinasabihan tayo ngayon ng ating Panginoon - mula nang bata kayo, naririnig n'yo na ang Ebanghelyo. Naririnig n'yo nang itinuturo at ipinapangaral ang Salita ng Diyos. Nagkaroon ba ito ng pagpapanibago sa inyong buhay? Nagkaroon ba ito ng pagpihit sa inyong mga sarili para pagsisihan ang inyong mga kasalanan, magkumpisal sa mga pari, at humingi ng tawad sa Panginoon?

The message of the Gospel is conversion. The Word of God must lead us to repentance, confession, conversion and, ultimately, transformation of the heart. Maraming tao ang nakakarinig ng Salita ng Diyos ngunit lumalabas lamang sa kabilang tenga, dahil hindi sa puso tumatagos ang itinuturo ni Hesus. Gano'n pa rin, punong-puno pa rin sila ng inggit sa kanilang mga puso. Punong-puno ng pagmamataas, punong-puno ng pagmamalaki, paninira ng kapwa, pagsabi ng hindi maganda ukol sa kanilang kapwa, kahit na hindi totoo, kahit na kulang ang kanilang basehan. People would rather destroy you, because they have not heard the true message of the Gospel.

Pag narinig natin ang pangaral at turo ng ating Ebanghelyo, automatic sinasabi natin, "Hindi para sa akin ito, para sa ibang tao 'yan." Kaya't hindi nagkakaroon, hindi natatanim, hindi nagkaka-ugat ang Salita ng Diyos para sa atin. If we look humbly at ourselves, all of us are called sinners, all of us need the mercy and compassion of God. One way of leading us into conversion is that, in every situation, at all times, we choose God. Amen.