Gospel Reflection

October 21, 2013

Monday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Carmelo Esteban, Monfort Missionaries
5:30PM Mass, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine)

Reading 1 Rom 4:20-25

Brothers and sisters: Abraham did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what God had promised he was also able to do. That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. But it was not for him alone that it was written that it was credited to him; it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification.

Responsorial Psalm Lk 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

R. (see 68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.

Gospel Lk 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

HOMILY

You know, I always say that when we hear mass, we can see the difference of the mass compared to other church activities. In the mass, we always hear the Good News, ang Mabuting Balita. Pero alam n'yo, madaling ikalat ang hindi mabuti. Pero pag good news, ang hirap ikalat. Kaya sinasabi ko sa mga nagsisimba, pag-uwi ninyo sa inyong mga bahay, tanungin ninyo kung ano'ng good news ang nakuha ninyo sa misa.

Ang Gospel natin today ay paulit-ulit n'yo nang narinig. Ito ay walang paliguy-ligoy at malinaw ang gustong sabihin ni Hesus. Huwag tayong maging sakim. Kasi 'yan po ang trend ngayon sa society. Kailangan kang maging sakim, kasi pag hindi ka sakim, hindi ka 'in'. (laughs) And the more you have, mas ok. But Jesus is teaching us the reverse. We should not be selfish. We need to learn how to give sincerely, and be generous.

Even if we do not see God, He is always involved in everything we do, every day in our lives. And the Lord will not forsake us. We are all aware that a major earthquake hit Bohol last week. But we can see how resilient and how strong the Filipino's faith is. Even if most of the churches in Bohol have collapsed, the Filipinos continue to be steadfast in their faith. Don't forget - nauna ang pagiging Kristiyano natin, kaysa sa pagtayo ng mga simbahan. Faith is a gift from God, at hindi 'yan babawiin ng Diyos sa atin. At pag ang Diyos ang nagbigay, bigay-todo. Sa atin na 'yon, freely given by Him, with no strings attached. And the Gospel is telling us that however small faith is, it is effective, therefore, we have to use it.

Three days ago, I went buy food in a fastfood restaurant. And I saw three high school students from a very famous Catholic school in Quezon City. Magkasunod lang kami sa pila. And when these students got their food, sa sobrang gutom siguro nila, I did not see them pray before eating. I know they pray a lot in school. Pero bakit sa fastfood, hindi sila nagdarasal? At tsaka bihira akong makakita ng mga taong nagdarasal sa restaurant. Jackpot pa kung makakita ako ng isa, at kung makakita man ako, parang may arthritis. (laughs) Parang hirap na hirap mag-sign of the cross, oo. Hindi ko alam kung nahihiya, o hindi makita ang koneksiyon.

Then one time, I was in the airport, waiting to board. And when I am alone, I look for a place where I can pray my rosary. Gusto ko 'yong lugar na wala akong makikita, so jackpot nakakita ako ng ganoong lugar, where I can see the other planes taking off and landing, so tuwang tuwa ako. Pero kauupo ko pa lang, may umupo doon sa harap ko. Sabi ko, sa dami ba naman ng mauupuan, doon pa siya umupo sa harapan ko. (laughs) Pagkatapos, itong mamang ito, pagkaupo niya, bigla siyang naglatag ng mantle. Akala ko magpi-picnic kami. (laughs) Pero ang mama ay biglang lumuhod at nagdasal. Wala akong naintindihan sa kanyang dasal, maliban sa isang salita - Allah. Wow, very bold and very courageous ang mama, in professing his faith. In a country where Christianity is dominant, there is a Muslim praying, and it is very good witnessing. Pero ang karamihan sa atin, ano? Very compartmentalized ang faith.

Let us pray in this mass that we may use our faith and make it grow. At gamitin natin ang pananampalatayang ito, upang tayo ay huwag maging sakim.

Gospel Reflection

October 20, 2013

Sunday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Ramon Jade Licuanan (Head, Youth Ministry, San Carlos Seminary)
6:00PM Sunday Anticipated Mass, Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati

Reading 1 Ex 17:8-13

In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel. Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, "Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle.  I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand."  So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses’hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (cf. 2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Reading 2 2 Tm 3:14-4:2

Beloved: Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

Gospel Lk 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'"  The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.  Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?  Will he be slow to answer them?  I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.  But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

HOMILY

Our Gospel today is all about Jesus' teaching or encouragement to His Disciples, to pray unceasingly, to pray with perseverance.

Have you ever stopped praying? Did it ever happen to you that after praying for so long, you decided to give up and rather stop? If that happened to you, I guess this Gospel is for you. And to those who have not given up praying, this is also for you. This is for all of us.

Pray unceasingly, pray with endurance, with perseverance. This is what the Lord is telling us. If the Lord is telling us not to lose hope, not to give up on prayer, there must be a reason. And what could be the reasons?

First, it is because God is our Father who owns us and claims us as His own. And because He is our Father, definitely, without any delay, He will grant us what we ask for, especially if that conforms to His will, especially if our petition will make us better. He is a loving Father who knows what's best for us and our lives. He is a loving Father who knows us through and through, from the very beginning, until our end. He will not abandon us; we will not be left behind. We will not want, because God will provide for us.

Second, we are not to give up on prayer because, definitely, there will be assistance that will come to us. There will be people, circumstances or situations that will contribute to the answer for our petitions or prayers. In the First Reading, we can see that during the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites, when Moses raised his staff, the Israelites win over the Amalekites who are fearsome and are used to battle. But of course, it is a long battle, so Moses got weary and felt fatigue in his arms. But there were Hur and Aaron, who held the arms of Moses to raise them. They stayed beside Moses for his arms to remain lifted. Because of that assistance, the Israelites won the battle.

In the Gospel, there may be some sort of comparison between God and the unjust judge. But if we look at another angle of the Gospel, we can also say that the fulfillment of our prayers can also come from unexpected people, from the person whom you least expect to help you. In the Gospel, the widow received what she wished for through the unjust judge. It is the same with us. But sometimes, we easily give up because when we look around, we do not see any person who can help us. We feel alone, and because of this, we give up. But the Lord tells us not to give up, as He will use anyone, even the least expected, to come to our rescue.

I remember, in 2005, there is this female topnotcher in the bar exam. If I am not mistaken, her name is January Sanchez. She topped the bar exams. When she was asked what contributed to her success, she gave six answers. First is hard work. Second is the support of her family. And what were the four remaining reasons? Prayer, prayer, prayer, and prayer.

The celebration of the Eucharist reminds us that we should be persistent in our prayer. In Bohol, a broadcaster of one of the big TV networks witnessed a big congregation of Boholanos celebrating the mass, not inside the centuries-old church, but outside of the collapsed church. And the broadcaster could not contain the immense respect that was present during the celebration of the Eucharist, with the Boholanos in deep prayer, despite of the ruins around them. But I guess that is the secret of the Filipinos. There is not much of a question when it comes to the Filipino's perseverance in prayer. Despite natural disasters or calamities, the Filipino continues to pray, and this continues to shape and form us, and make us better believers and followers of the Lord.

In this mass, as we thank God for the grace of perseverance in prayer, let us pray for our family and relatives who, at this very moment, may be losing hope in their prayer efforts. Let us pray for them, so that altogether, we may find faith in the Lord, and that the Lord may find strong and firm faith in us.

Gospel Reflection

October 19, 2013

Saturday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

by Rev. Fr. (Major) Daniel D. Tansip, VHS (Vicar Forane, Vicariate of Palawan, Military Ordinariate of the Philippines)
12:15PM Mass at Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati

Reading 1 Rom 4:13, 16-18

Brothers and sisters: It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith,  so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, I have made you father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.

Responsorial Psalm PS 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43

R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
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.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

Gospel Lk 12:8-12

Jesus said to his disciples:  “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.

“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

HOMILY

Kahapon ay muntik na po akong mag-collapse. Bilang military priest po kasi ay kasama ako palagi sa tinatawag na quarterly physical fitness test na kailangang ipasa, dahil kung hindi ay matatanggal ka. Noong ako po ay nagpu-push up, tinanong ko po 'yong sundalo. Sabi ko, "Bro, ilan ba ang passing ko? 47 na ako." At ang sabi niya, "Sir, 40 times po. 40 push-ups po ang kailangan." Noong bata pa ako ay kayang kaya ko 'yon, pero ngayong may-edad na ako, eh medyo hindi ko na yata kaya ang 40. Pero pipilitin ko, kasi sa military, hindi na baleng mamatay, huwag lang mapahiya. (laughs)

Noong nagpu-push up ako, sabi ng sundalo kong kasama, "Pit lang, Sir. Pit lang." Ano kayang 'pit' ang pinagsasabi niya? "Pit lang, Sir. Pit lang." Naka-50 push ups ako, tama na, passing na ako. Dumating kami sa sit-ups, kailangan din ng 40 para makapasa. Medyo nahirapan ako sa sit-ups pero sabi ng sundalo, "Sir, pit lang, Sir. Pit lang!" Sa loob-loob ko, ano ba itong pinagsasabi nito? Umabot din ako ng 40 at hirap na hirap na ako, pero nakapasa pa rin. Eto na, takbuhan na. Ang 25 miles ay kailangang tapusin in 21 minutes and 59 seconds. Sige, takbo naman. At sa huling ikutan, sa huling round, sigaw nang sigaw ang sundalo, "Sir, pit lang, Sir. Pit lang!" Bandang huli, natapos ko rin ang pagtakbo, awa ng Diyos, in 20 minutes and 9 seconds. Pasado si Father, awa ng Diyos.

Tinawag ko ang sundalo at sabi ko, "Kanina ka pa sabi nang sabi ng 'pit'. Ano ba ang ibig sabihin ng 'pit'? At ang sabi ng sundalo, "Sir, lay minister ako sa probinsiya namin. 'Pit' lang ba. Pananampalataya na ligtas ka. (loud laughs) 'Pit'. Faith pala ang sinasabi niya, grabe. (more laughs)

Kahit na masakit ang katawan ko, pinatawag ako ng operations at kasama daw ako sa security advance party sa arrival ng Pangulo. Wala naman tayong magawa sapagkat tayo ay sundalo. Naalala ko ang sinabi sa akin ng sundalo, "Sir, pit lang, Sir."

My dear friends, sa buong linggo pong nagdaan, mula Lunes hanggang kahapon, pinagnilayan po natin ang paniniwala na tayo ay maliligtas sa pamamagitan ng ating pananampalataya kay Kristo. Sa buong Linggo, 'yon ang reflection natin. Sinabi ni Hesus sa isang tagpo, 'Your faith has been your salvation.' Sinabi nga ni Apostol Pablo sa kanyang pagtuturo, ang pangakong binigay sa kanya ng Diyos ay applicable din sa ating lahat na sumasampalataya sa Panginoon. Sa ating spiritual journey of faith, tayo po ay lumalakad, naglalakbay alinsunod sa mga pinagdaanan din ni Abraham.

There are times when things seem to make no sense to us, giving us burdens instead of blessings, sorrow instead of joy, pain instead of comfort. Minsan, pinapupunta tayo ni Lord sa isang situwasyon na kung saan ay mahihirapan tayo at hindi tayo komportable sa buhay. Tinitingnan po kung hanggang saan ang ating pananampalataya. Dinadaan tayo ni Lord sa situwasyon na wari ay walang katugunan o solusyon sa problema. Gayunpaman, may posibilidad na dahil po doon ay talikuran po natin ang ating pananampalataya. Ang Diyos ay tapat sa atin, ngunit hindi po ito guarantee na tayo ay mananatiling tapat din kay Kristo. Paminsan-minsan, we also fall down. Kaya nga sa Ebanghelyo ngayon, si Lord ay nagtuturo ng dalawang paraan na kung saan tayo ay nagkakasala laban sa pananampalataya. One way is to fail to bear public witness to Him, to disown Him in the presence of the people around us, for fear of rejection or because of our desire to gain favor. We may be tempted to deny what we believe. Minsan, dine-deny natin na tayo ay Katoliko, or we compromise our faith. Ito 'yong temptation na dapat ay paglabanan natin. Ipinunla po ng Diyos ang pananampalataya sa ating mga puso, pero kailangan pong pagyabungin ito at ipahayag, ipakita at patunayan, lalo na sa mga pagkakataong tayo ay tinatanong tungkol sa ating pananampalatayang Kristiyano.

Noong isang araw po ay nagdaos ng misa sa isa sa mga nagibang simbahan sa Bohol dahil sa nakaraang malakas na lindol, at ito ay dinaluhan ng napakaraming Boholano. Ito po ay ang pagpapakita ng malakas na pananampalataya sa kabila ng trahedya. Kahit na may unos, kahit na puno ang isipan ng mga Boholano ng pag-aagam-agam kung bakit hinayaan ng Diyos na mangyari ito, nariyan pa rin sila, patuloy na nananampalataya. Napakaganda ng sinabi ng Obispo ng Bohol na ang mga nangyaring ito ay hindi nakaplano, kaya dapat ito ay tanggapin sapagkat dito masusukat ang ating pananampalataya. Hindi sila naghanap ng sisisihin.

Kaya makikita po natin na ang pananampalataya ay napakahalaga. Failure to stand for God and the truth of the Gospel is an offense, not only against faith, but also against truth and love. God cannot bestow His favor on a person, lest he repents. This is what Jesus meant when He said that He will 'restore in the presence of the angels of God'.

Ang isa pang kasalanan laban sa ating pananampalataya ay ang blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Hindi po tinutukoy dito ang offensive na paggamit sa pangalan ng Diyos, kundi mas malalim pa ang tinutukoy dito. It means a refusal to submit to God and to accept His mercy. Isang kasalanan ang magkaroon tayo ng matigas na puso sa Diyos at ang hindi pagbabago at pagsisisi sa ating mga kasalanan. Paano tayo mapapatawad kung wala naman sa atin ang paghingi ng tawad at pagtanggap ng kapatawaran mula sa ating Panginoong Diyos?

Kaya nga po dinadala tayo ni Lord upang maliwanagan ang ating pag-iisip, at magsisi tayo sa ating mga kasalanan, at huwag maging matigas ang ating puso, upang mapunan tayo ng grasya ng Banal ng Espiritu Santo, at ng kaligtasang walang hanggan. Siguro magandang isipin po natin ang mga pagkakataong nasubukan po at pinangatawanan po natin ang ating pananampalataya sa kabila ng mga takot at limitasyon natin sa buhay. Nawa'y patuloy po tayong mabuhay, alinsunod sa ating pananampalataya sa Diyos. Nawa'y matulungan tayo ng ating mahal na Birheng Maria upang matuto tayong tanggapin si Kristo nang may matibay na pananampalataya at tanggapin ang Kanyang awa at habag. Matuto nawa tayong magpakumbaba, aminin ang ating mga pagkukulang, at humingi ng tawad at awa sa Diyos. Mahirap ang pag-amin ng kasalanan nang may pagpapakumbaba sa harap ng Diyos, pero kung ito'y magagawa natin, simula ito ng magandang hakbangin tungo sa pagbabalik-loob sa Diyos. Higit pa nating gamitin ang ating pananampalataya kay Kristo. Sa ngalan ng Ama, ng Anak, at ng Espiritu Santo, Amen.