Cycle C - Year I: 

6 October 2013: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 17:5-10

"Lord, increase our faith!"

As violence, heinous crimes, and corruption beset our country, do you still keep faith with the Filipino people?

It is tempting to just give up and say that Filipinos are born losers because of our tendency to self-destruct. Perhaps, that is why we are left behind by our Asian neighbors in terms of progress.

But on second thought we cannot give up. We cannot lose hope. We must keep faith in ourselves. Because only we can help ourselves, in spite of ourselves. Because nothing is impossible for those who have faith.

Today's Gospel teaches us about "faith", the very source of our faith, our faith in God.

The Apostles asked Jesus, "Lord, increase our faith!" So what is "faith"?

Well, "faith" is not to have a better knowledge of our catechism and Church dogma. Rather, faith is a much deeper and stronger trust and confidence that our God is near us always, even when He seems so far away, that He takes care of us. Faith starts with humility, making us feel smaller in the presence of our loving God, accepting Him with utter humility and trusting Him to care for us.

The response of Jesus to the Apostles' request to increase their faith is the core message of today's Gospel. Jesus teaches that the efficacy of faith does not depend on its quantity, nor its size, not even its volume, but rather on its quality or its worth. Using the example of a tiny mustard seed, Jesus makes a point that even the smallest amount of faith can enable someone to do amazing things.

In other words, the Apostles (and so are we) did not need to have big volume of their faith increased. What they needed was for their faith be as solid, compact, unbroken as a mustard seed. That was a very small seed indeed, but even faith that is no bigger than that could uproot a tree, move mountains, and do much more.

In practical life, even when we have such faith like a mustard seed, it does not mean that our Christian life will be free of all hardships and difficulty. It is true that God assures us of His love and care, but He never promised a life free of pain, difficulties, sufferings, and even sudden and violent death. Let us not forget that God did not spare His own Son from suffering in Calvary.

But the good news is that with a deep faith and trust in Him, God has promised that we can endure pain and difficulties, that we can accept pain and sufferings, if and when they come, for the sake of making Jesus' message of love and salvation a reality even in our world.

Someone said that "the greatest test of faith is when we don't get what we want, but still we are able to say, at the end of each day, "Thank You, Lord Jesus!"

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle C - Year I:

29 September 2013: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 16:19-31

A heart of compassion for the poor!

Someone said that the Philippines "is a rich country pretending to be poor." There is truth in the first part of that statement, considering that our country is blessed with natural resources, industrious and hardworking people, and the billions of pesos collected by government from taxes and borrowings.

But it is not true that we are just pretending to be poor, because majority of our people are really poor. They are poor because our elected leaders pretend to be caring for them while in the truth they are screwing them. So that the wealth of the nation is enjoyed by only the few and rest, which is the majority, make do from the crumbs that are thrown to them by the greedy. That calls to mind the people's outrage against the pork barrel scam.

The Gospel parable on this 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time gives us a timely message about the rich and poor people of our society.

The rich man in the story dresses well and dines sumptuously each day, but ignores poor Lazarus lying at his door steps begging for food. 

Now Jesus describes Lazarus as a poor man, covered with sores and desiring to eat the scraps that fall from the rich man's table. Jesus adds that dogs even used to come and lick Lazarus' sores. Obviously, Jesus is revealing his heart, that he sees the pain and anguish of the poor and the sick, and it stirs his emotions.

The story goes that at the end of their worldly life, poor Lazarus was "carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham" in heaven, while the rich man was in "the netherworld, where he was in torment."

What was the rich man's sin that merited his damnation? Well, he did nothing for Lazarus while in this life. It was not what the rich man did, it was what he failed to do that condemned him to hell. In other words, the rich man's wealth was not his sin. There is nothing in the story that his wealth was ill-gotten. Rather, it was his self-indulgence that blinded him to the basic human needs of his fellowman that warranted his condemnation.

Thus, it is clear that Jesus uses this story to teach with precision that each of his disciples must have a special place in their heart for the poor.

To be a disciple of Jesus is to have an option for the poor, the sick and the starving of this world. The gospel parable makes it painfully obvious that this is a non-negotiable aspect of following Jesus Christ. That is to say, if we plow through life so concerned only about our own needs and hurts that we cannot see or attend to the suffering of our neighbor, we cannot be Jesus' disciples.

In practical life, Jesus reminds us today that if we fail to see the Lazarus around us and do nothing to alleviate his suffering, we will not be happy come judgment day.

Thus, the message of today's gospel is simple: if you have gifts and riches, share them with those less fortunate. Because by making ourselves "poor in spirit" we will accumulate riches beyond comprehension in heaven.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta used to say that the poor are really Christ in distressing disguise. In each of them, we must seek to alleviate Christ's pain and suffering in this world.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!