Saturday, January 24, 2015

Cycle B - Year I:   

1 February 2015: Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 
(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 1:21-28

The Lord teaches with authority!


Someone with a gift of eloquence may not necessarily be an authoritative speaker. And so, impressive is the person who can speak both with eloquence and also with authority.

In our Lord Jesus Christ we find both an eloquent speaker and an authoritative teacher. Because Jesus speaks from the heart and knows what He is talking about.

In this Sunday's Gospel, Mark narrates that at Capernaum Jesus entered the synagogue on the sabbath and taught. His audience were vastly impressed by His preaching and were amazed by the Lord's authority to exorcise demons. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him. Evil spirits are real entities and our Lord has authority over them.

Well, that is not surprising because the reality is that Jesus is Lord of the whole universe, that is both the natural and supernatural orders.

That is why our Lord teaches with authority. And this teaching authority He left with the Church, through the ministry of the pope and the bishops in communion with him.

It is important to clarify how Catholics understand "authority". The pope and the bishops, as authorities of the Church, are really custodians of an authoritative tradition. This means that the pope and bishops do not invent Church doctrines, but rather the servants, and not masters, of the tradition, or the truths, that define the Church. In this proper context, we refer to the pope and bishops as authoritative teachers, not authoritarian strongmen that force and coerce others into doing or believing in something by threat and intimidation.

By His own examples, our Lord Jesus reveals that true authority is based in service to others. It is the service or ministry that the pope and bishops render to the Church when they faithfully transmit the deposit of faith down through the ages. This authority is rooted in Christ Himself, who maintains dominion over all creation by virtue of His divinity.

In his recent pastoral visit to our country, Pope Francis wanted the faithful to focus on Jesus, rather than his person, because it is Jesus' authority that he represents as the Vicar of Christ on earth, through his mission of "mercy and compassion" for the poor, especially the victims of recent natural calamities.

The Christian faithful, through our baptism and confirmation, receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit empowers us, or gives us the authority, to defeat evil in the world and lead people to Jesus. And it is through the Holy Spirit that we also preach with authority by our authentic Christian living.

The Church also celebrates today Pro-Life Sunday. Let us promote Christ's life-giving love and defend the dignity and sacredness of every human life.

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




Ad Jesum per Mariam! 
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Sunday, January 18, 2015

Cycle B - Year I:  

25 January 2015: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 
(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 1:14-20

The Kingdom of God is at hand!


After a series of solemnities or special feasts, and the spiritual grace of the pastoral visit of Pope Francis to our beloved country, life goes back to normal. And this Sunday we resume the liturgical season called Ordinary Time, and it is the Third in Ordinary Time.

Ordinary Time, in the Catholic liturgical calendar, is that part in the yearly cycle of 33 or 34 weeks in which there is no particular aspect of the mystery of Christ being celebrated, but rather the mystery of Christ in all its fullness is observed. The liturgical color of the priest's vestment and the altar cloth changes to green. 

The Gospel written by St. Mark narrates the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, when John the Baptist had been arrested and imprisoned. Jesus came to Galilee, his home district, to proclaim the gospel of God.

Jesus takes off from John's preaching on repentance: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mk 1:15)

Repentance requires a life-change and a transformation of heart and mind. By repentance Jesus challenges us to change direction and priorities in life. It is not just turning away from our old sinful ways but more on turning to a new life by believing in the good news of the gospel. It is through repentance that the human person finds true liberation -- freedom from the wages of sin and the discovery of authentically integrated life in Christ.

To believe is to take Jesus at His words as He proclaims the good news of God's kingdom, to believe that God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to redeem us from the slavery of sin and death, to believe is to trust that God never abandons even in time of adversities. In the words of Pope Francis, Jesus is with us even in suffering and trials. Because the Lord brings us through sufferings to purify us.

What is the Good News that Jesus is preaching? It is the good news of peace (meaning, restoration of our relationship with God), of hope in the resurrection and heaven, of truth (because God's word is true and reliable), of promise or rewards for those who seek Him, of immortality (because God gives everlasting life), and the good news of salvation, which actually means liberty from sin and freedom to live as sons and daughters of the Father.

The second part of the Sunday gospel narrates how Jesus calls his first recruits as
apostles. They were ordinary fishermen in the Sea of Galilee casting their nets into the sea: Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, and two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee and his brother, John. He called them to follow Him and they immediately left their boat and their father and followed Jesus. We cannot fail to notice the significance of Jesus' call for His first apostles. Our Lord recruited two sets of brothers to be His followers. It means that the seed of every vocation is really in the family. Love and protection of the family is also among the central theme of Pope Francis' message to the Filipino faithful.

By our own baptism, we too are called to continue the mission that Jesus began in Galilee. Through our authentic Christian living we proclaim the Good News in our time and become witnesses of God's love, especially for the poor and the suffering people in our midst. That is the challenge of the people's Pope Francis: mercy and compassion for the poor in our society.

The Church also celebrates National Bible Sunday with the theme: "Sharing the Word, Empowering the Poor, Transforming the Land." We are invited to deepen our faith through God's Word. Let us keep the habit of daily reading and reflecting on the Word of God in the bible under the faithful guidance of our Mother Church.


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



Ad Jesum per Mariam! 












































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