Cycle B - Year I:

2 August 2015: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

John 6:24-35


Searching for God


There was a man, who was searching earnestly for God:

- The man whispered, "God, speak to me,".... and a meadow lark sang; but the man did not hear.

- So the man yelled, "God, speak to me!"... and the thunder rolled across the sky; but the man did not listen.

- The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you,".... and a star shined brightly; but the man did not see.

- And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!"... and a life was born; but the man did not notice.

- So the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and let me know You are here,"... whereupon, God reached down and touched the man..... But, the man brushed the butterfly away, and walked on.

This short anecdote is a great reminder that God is always around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted..... but often we search for Him in the spectacular, like the dancing sun perhaps.

The crowd was searching for Jesus in this Sunday's Gospel narrative. They realized that Jesus was not only a healer of the sick and a great teacher, he can satisfy the people's temporal needs when our Lord fed the multitude. The crowd must be thinking that Jesus is all they need for daily living.

But Jesus saw through their motivation and intention, and said to them: "Amen, amen, I say to you,

you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." (Jn 6:26-27). The rest of the Gospel reading is the beginning of Jesus' discourse on himself as the Bread of Life.

People seek Jesus in our generation for various reasons. It seems that nothing has really changed in our reason for seeking him since the time of the first disciples. Often we seek Him to satisfy our hunger of the body and not for that which satisfies the heart and soul. In a way, there is nothing wrong with satisfying our physical needs. Our Lord Himself has shown his concern for our physical well-being in his multiplication of bread to feed the multitude. But we must not stop there and search for that which can satisfy our spiritual hunger in our heart and soul -- the hunger for truth, for life, and for love.

In satisfying our spiritual hunger, Jesus spoke about accomplishing the "works of God" by believing in Him as God's Son who was sent into the world. Then Jesus made the claim that only God can make: "I am the Bread of Life." This bread that Jesus offers us is none else than the very life of God. This is the true bread which can truly satisfy the hunger in our heart.

In other words, the bread which Jesus offers us sustains us not only on our journey to the heavenly paradise, but gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us both now and for all eternity.

So, therefore, when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist at Holy Mass, we unite ourselves to our Lord Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood and partakers of his divine life as well.

Let us pray in the words of St. Augustine of Hippo: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You."

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


Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:

26 July 2015: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

John 6:1-15


"Lord, give us this day our daily bread."


In the "Our Father", we pray that the Lord gives us this day our daily bread. What do we really mean by this prayer? Obviously, we ask for things that we need for our day-to-day living. But are we asking only for food that satisfies our physical hunger; do we ask only for things material?

For those with less in life, perhaps putting food on the table preoccupies their daily struggle. Because satisfying their physical hunger for food is a step to liberation from poverty.

The theme of this Sunday's liturgy focuses on nourishment. Our Lord Jesus Christ shows his concern for our temporal needs by feeding the multitude that followed him. For man is both body and soul while in journey in this world.

As a side note, biblical scholars say that Jesus' feeding of the five thousands is the only miracle recorded in all the four Gospel accounts (John 6:1-15, Mark 6:34-44, Matthew 14:13-21, and Luke 9:10-17).

Going back to the Gospel narratives, a great multitude had gathered to hear Jesus, because they were hungry for the word of life. But Jesus' disciples wanted to send them away at the end of the day because they did not have the resources to feed them.

One of his disciples, Andrew told Jesus that all they have is a boy who brought with him five loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?

Jesus, the Bread of Life, took the little they had --five loaves and two fish-- and giving thanks to his

heavenly Father, distributed to all until the whole crowd were satisfied of their hunger. And when they had had their fill, there were still twelve wicker baskets full of loaves and fish left over.

What do we learn about God from this miracle of the loaves and the fish?

The feeding of the five thousands shows us the remarkable and overflowing generosity of God and his great kindness to us. The miracle of the multiplication of loaves emanated from the mercy and love of Jesus for the crowd that followed him. Clearly, our Lord cares for the whole man, meaning body and soul, that He takes care of our physical needs as well, in this case, including our hunger for food. It tells a lot about our Christian charity.... we share our prayers as well as our material blessings.

The Gospel narrative also reminds us that when God gives He gives abundantly. The Lord gives more than we need for ourselves so that we may have something to share with others, especially those who lack what they need to survive. In other words, Jesus teaches us that material hunger can be answered by an attitude of sharing that invites divine intervention. Because God takes the little that we have and multiplies it for the good of others. Do we trust in God's provision for our need, and do we share with others too, especially the poor in our midst?

This connects us to the Church's celebration of Fil-Mission Sunday today. Let us share our prayers and material support with our Filipino missionaries all over the world.

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


Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:

19 July 2015: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 6:30-34


The Lord cares for this people.


Do you remember, or come across this memorable quote:

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."?

It comes from the book "The Little Prince", such a simple, elementary book that can teach us important life lessons.

The romantic words give us so much insight on life. For indeed what makes someone or something so important to you is the time you've spent on the person or something... adoring, admiring, touching the person, or something. And so they're special because of the time you've spent (or wasted) on them.

Spending precious time on someone, to care, to minister,  may also be a measure of leadership. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself will show us by His own example what qualities a Christian leader must have.
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The Apostles came back to Jesus quite tired from their first mission. They reported to Jesus what they have done and taught. Jesus told them to "come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." By this Jesus is showing us that a leader must also be mindful of the physical limitations of his people and doesn't push them to the extreme. So they take a boat to a deserted place to rest.

But the people followed them there. Mark writes that when Jesus saw the large crowd "his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things." (Mk 6:34)

The Gospel passage reveals the intensity of our Lord's public ministry. Jesus and his disciples were so

busy that they didn't even have time to rest and to eat. Even so, notice our Lord's response. Rather than be annoyed, he is compassionate toward the spiritual needs of the people. Jesus sees that they are hungry for the Word of God, and so he preaches to them.

In other words, although he needs to rest too, our Lord still finds time to care and minister to his people as a good shepherd cares for his flock.

The example of our Lord clearly reminds us that the Christian should at times be ready to sacrifice his time and rest in the service of the Gospel, that he ought to be accessible to those who need his help as much as it is possible. Do we find this type of leaders in our national life, in the Church, within our community, and even in our very own family? The Lord gives us the perfect image of a true leader in himself as the Good Shepherd.

The second point in our reflection is to realize that we must never stop seeking at Jesus, even when he seems so far away or have departed from us. We must imitate the thirst for God's Word by the big crowd that followed our Lord. Because our great need opens up the compassionate heart of Jesus, our Lord and Good Shepherd. We can be sure on that!

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


Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:  

12 July 2015: Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 6:7-13

Go, to preach the Good News!

Are leaders really born, or they are trained and developed over time, sometimes by special circumstances in their lives? Well, it could be both.

In the corporate world, for example, one effective way of developing future leaders is through an on-the-job training, where their leadership skills are harnessed through hands-on experience.

There is a similar training program for future religious missionaries. It is called "regency" where future members of religious congregations interrupt their academic and spiritual formation and they are sent to the field to have an actual experience of mission work undertaken by their congregation. (I recall with much gratitude to the Society of Divine Word my own experience as a regent at Divine Word College of Legazpi, under the guidance of Rev. Frs. Val Darunday, Belo San Luis, and the late Joe Calucag, all SVDs.)

Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was the formator of the first Apostles. Thus far, from the day they were recruited the twelve apostles have been following our Lord from place to place, witnessing the miracles he performed and learning about his teachings. But they were just followers, and not missionaries themselves.

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus will now give them the

"hands-on" training to prepare them for missionary work. He tells them that they will have to go out on their own and works their own miracles. And like Jesus, they are to give up their families and lead itinerant lifestyles, traveling from place to place to preach the message of the kingdom of God and work wonders in Jesus' name. Jesus gave his apostles both the power and authority to speak and act in his name.

What is the impact of the Gospel reading for us today? The following points for reflection may be helpful.

The mission of the twelve apostles is carried on today by their successors: the bishops and all ordained ministers, religious men and women, and even lay people like us. Because by virtue of our baptism, we lay people are also sent to bear witness to Christ in word and deed.

In doing our own missionary work as lay people, but also for ordained ministers, let us heed and reflect on Jesus' advice and instructions on the first apostles.

First, Jesus tells his apostles to "travel light", meaning with little or no provisions at all. Because "poverty of spirit" frees us from greed and preoccupation with material possessions and thus makes ample room for God's provision instead. In other words, we must trust and depend on God rather than on ourselves.

Second, the Lord gives us the power and authority to work wonders in his name. But he wants us to use this power and authority with love and humility, and always for the good of others. Remember always that it is the Lord we preach, not ourselves.

And last but not least, Jesus entrusts us with his gifts and talents to continue his saving works in our times. Are we ready and eager to place ourselves at his service, to do whatever he bids us to do, to witness his truth and saving power to whomever he sends us?

In the Eucharist at Holy Mass, let us pray: "Lord, make me a channel of your grace and healing love that others may find life and freedom in you. Free me from all other attachments that I may pursue the things of heaven without distraction. May I truly witness the joy of the Gospel, both in my word and deed. Amen."

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!