Cycle B - Year I:

8 November 2015: Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Gospel: Please read Mark 12:38-44


Giving all from the heart....

A man of immense wealth has died. On the day of his funeral, his widow grieved in silence as she witnessed the casket lowered into the pit. A small box was also buried with the casket in the pit.

Curious, the widow's best friend whispered to the widow, "What is that box for?"

The widow replied, "When my husband was still alive, he gave strict instruction to bury all his wealth with him when he died."

The friend commented, "But that's impossible to contain all his wealth in such a small box."

The widow replied, "Yes, you are right. So I deposited all his money in my bank account, and issued him my personal check instead." End of the story.

The following Gospel incident tells us how to deal with earthly riches.

Our Lord Jesus, observing how the crowd put money into the treasury, notices a poor widow as she enters the temple of Jerusalem and makes a meager offering of two small coins. Jesus contrasts her

gift with that of some wealthy people who offer greater sums. To the surprise of all, Jesus proclaims that the widow gave more than the others. And why is that so? Because she gave "all she had, her whole livelihood," according to our Lord.

So Jesus uses this incident to teach his disciples a dramatic lesson in giving with love. Real giving must come from the heart. A gift that is given out of love, with the spirit of generosity and sacrifice, is truly invaluable. Contrast that with the gift that is given just for others to see, or for public display, which loses most of its value. For love is more precious than gold.

God's love looks very much like this. Our Lord defines Christian love as the generous gift of self to others. It begins with the reckless abandonment to God. That means placing all our trust in Him. Of course, it is never easy. Because it actually demands a spiritual leap off a cliff into the strong, loving arms of God. Yet, once we dwell in the embrace of God, then love becomes a self-emptying for the sake of the other.

Sometimes, what we have to offer to the Lord may look very small and not worth much, but if we put all we have at the Lord's disposal, no matter how insignificant it may seem, then God can do with it, and with us, what is beyond our reckoning.

In other words, there is joy and freedom in giving literally to God and to neighbor with gratitude and love. For giving all from the heart is what fulfills the human heart.

Let us pray: Lord, all that I have is Yours. Take my life, my possession, my time and all that I have and all that I am, and use them as You desire, for Your greater glory. Amen.

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


Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:

1 November 2015: Solemnity of All Saints
(Liturgical color: White or Violet)

Gospel: Please read Matthew 5:1-12


Our path to true happiness....

We interrupt our observance of Ordinary Time to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, since November 1 falls on a Sunday this 2015.

This day commemorates all the saints --not only those celebrated in the Church's calendar but all the heroic men and women who followed Christ faithfully and who have now attained the beatific vision in heaven.

The Church honors all the saints reigning together for these reasons: to thank God for the graces and crowns of all His saints; to excite ourselves to a fervent imitation of their virtues by considering their holy examples; to implore the divine mercy through this multitude of powerful intercessors; and to glorify God in the saints who are unknown to us, or for whom no particular feast days are appointed.

On All Saints' Day and in other feast days of the saints, God is the only object of our supreme worship, and the whole of that inferior veneration which is paid to the saints is in reality directed to give sovereign honor to God alone. Our addresses to saints are only petitions to holy fellow creatures for the assistance of their prayers to God on our behalf.

Reflection on the Gospel:

The Gospel proclamation on the Sermon on the Mont, or more popularly known as the Beatitudes supports our celebration of All Saints' Day.

The word "beatitude" means literally "happiness", or "blessedness" in the context of our search for God's kingdom. What is the significance of the beatitudes, and why are they so central in the teaching of Jesus?

As we reflect more deeply, we realize that the beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness in every human heart. Because the beatitudes teach us the final end to which God calls us to His kingdom. But the beatitudes also confront us with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use we make of the goods God puts at our disposal. For in reality, God alone satisfies our longing for happiness, and not material possessions or wealth.

The Beatitudes point the way to God's kingdom. The saints have trodden the path of the beatitudes in
their worldly journey.  We, too, are called to be holy and to be happy by working for the treasures which can afford us welcome into the heavenly home. For when we follow the way of the Beatitudes, our Lord Jesus promises us, at the conclusion of the Gospel reading: "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven".... like all the saints,

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


Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:  

25 October 2015: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Gospel: Please read Mark 10:46-52

To see with the eyes of faith....

Do you realize that the first joy, as we wake up in the morning, is to see the light of a new day? For the gift of sight allows us to behold the beauty and greatness of God's creation.

So what would it be if one day everything around us were dark and gloomy, no electricity and no natural light? It would likely be the end of the world for most of us, or all of us. That is why we need to appreciate more the gift of good health and life's many blessings.

The Gospel narrative for this Sunday may be an eye opener for many of God's blessings that perhaps we take for granted because they seem so ordinary and routine already.

A blind and destitute man, by the name of Bartimaeus, sat by the

roadside of Jericho, begging for a living. He heard from the noisy crowd following Jesus that our Lord was passing. Bartimaeus cried out loud begging Jesus to heal his blindness. He was determined to get near Jesus, for he knew who Jesus was and had heard of His fame for healing. It took a lot of "guts" and persistence for Bartimaeus to get the attention of Jesus.

It paid off in the end, as Jesus said to Bartimaeus: "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight and followed our Lord.

This incident reveals something important about how God interacts with us. In the case of Bartimaeus, for example, Jesus was ready to emphatize with his suffering and also to relieve it as well. Jesus commends Bartimaeus for recognizing who He is  with the "eyes of faith" and grants his physical sight as well.

In practical life, when we are sincere and persistent with our prayer requests, the Lord will grant them. For God always answers our prayers, not always in the way and timing we petition Him, but in God's proper time and according to what is best for us. 

The other point in our reflection is the healing of Bartimaeus' blindness itself. We ask ourselves, what is really worse, physical blindness, or moral and spiritual blindness? There is moral and spiritual blindness when sin clouds the mind in darkness and closes our heart to God's love and truth; for example, when we deliberately choose to disobey God's laws over material wealth and pleasure.

The Good News is that our Lord Jesus is ready to heal us and free us from the darkness of sin and deception by the evil one through repentance. For only in the light of God's truth can we see sin for what it really is, a rejection of God and opposition to His will.

In sum, do we recognize our need for God's healing grace? Do we seek out our Lord Jesus Christ, like Bartimaeus, with persistent faith  and trust in His goodness and mercy?

This Sunday is also Prison Awareness Sunday. Let us include in our prayers all prisoners that they go back to the right path, and support the Church's prison apostolate.

In the Eucharist at Mass, let us pray: Lord, may I always be aware of my need for Your healing grace, Help me to take advantage of the opportunities You give me to seek Your presence daily and listen attentively to Your healing word. Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:

18 October 2015: Twenty-nine Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Gospel: Please read Mark 10:35-45


Leadership through service....

In a democratic society, it is said that the people deserve whom they vote for in public office. Because they are free to choose their leaders, at least that is the basic principle in a democracy. We are reminded to reflect on these wise words, especially that we will be facing an election year in 2016.

How do we exercise our right to vote? Do you vote on the basis of what is good for the country, or do we go for candidates that can meet our personal and vested interest?

The Gospel this Sunday is a timely message on what true leadership is all about.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, have the audacity to ask Jesus if they could be on Jesus' right and the other on His left when the Lord comes into glory. Obviously, the two apostles are talking about the positions of power and privileges.

At this point in our reflection, we cannot help to notice that in spite of the time that they were together, the disciples failed miserably most of the time during Jesus' public ministry at really comprehending His full identity and the Gospel way of life that our Lord proclaimed. This Gospel incident with James and John is a classic example of their failure to understand the teaching of Jesus.

Thus our Lord uses their proud, selfish question to teach the apostles about how God defines true greatness.

Jesus said to them: "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over

them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servants; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slaves of all." (Mk 10:42-44)

Let us have that again: to be great is to be servant, to be a leader is to be the slave of all! What do we make of this teaching?

First of all, we know that in His teaching and preaching ministry, our Lord Jesus is constantly turning upside-down various norms in our culture or traditional way of living that flow from our broken and damaged human nature, because of our greed and selfishness.

For example, the message of the Gospel today is that Christian leaders must take a different approach from what is conventional. Because Jesus is teaching us that to be true leaders must view leadership as an opportunity to serve, to sacrifice and to do what is truly best for those under their authority. At the conclusion of the Gospel reading, Jesus states very clearly that He Himself came not to be served but to serve, and to offer His life for the salvation of all. Thus, there is no better proof of greatness, leadership, or love than to lay down one's life for the sake of one's friends.

In other words, greatness or leadership through service to others, especially the "tsinelas" majority (i.e. the poor, neglected and helpless) in our society is our guide in choosing our next leaders in 2016. For it is the epitome of good governance.

The liturgical theme of "leadership through service" also blends well with our celebration of World Mission Sunday. We proclaim God's kingdom by sharing our faith and service to others. Let us pray for all missionaries in the world: priests and religious and lay people who share the faith throughout the world. May the Lord protect them from every harm and let them enjoy their rewards of apostleship here on earth and in the life to come. And let us pray that we become missionaries ourselves by witnessing and practicing our faith in our every day life situations. Amen.

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


Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I

11 October 2015: Twenty-eight Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Gospel: Please read Mark 10:17-30


Giving up everything....

A young man who had the best the world could offer wanted to have a complete control of his future. So one day he asked, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

The Teacher told the young man to know all of God's commandments.

The young man replied, "All of God's commandments I have observed from my youth."

"You are lacking in one thing," said the Teacher. "Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

That, in gist, is the conversation between our Lord Jesus and a young man in this Sunday's Gospel narrative. The story ends with the young man walking away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus uses this encounter with the young man to teach some important lessons to his followers about the kingdom of God, and how we can enter it.

We know, of course, that it is impossible for anyone to enter the kingdom without God's grace. So on our own we cannot do it.

In the Gospel incident, it is even harder for those with wealth to enter God's kingdom. And why is this so? Pride might be the main reason. For wealth can make one feel falsely independent, without need of God's grace. It can lead one to possessiveness and selfishness.

Wealth can also be distracting. Why? Because we spend our energies chasing money and the pleasures it provides, rather than investing our lives into heavenly treasure.

That is why Jesus warns us about the danger of richness. But then, was our Lord really against wealth? Well, we know that Jesus was not opposed to wealth per se, nor was He against the wealthy. He had many friends who were well-to-do, including some notorious tax collectors. In fact, one even became an apostle.

The central message of this Sunday's Gospel is that life is more than food, the body more than clothing, and that happiness does not depend on earthly possessions. Jesus invites us instead to stores up "treasures in heaven" where our hearts will have rest and peace.  Jesus Christ Himself is the greatest treasure we can have. And giving up everything else to have the Lord as our treasure is the greatest joy.

This Sunday is also  Indigenous Peoples' Sunday and Extreme Poverty Day. Celebrating this special theme does not mean the Church "glorifies" poverty. It simply means that we must remember in our prayers our own tribal and poor Filipinos, and contribute or do something about their aspirations for improvement of their material and cultural conditions.

For in the words of Pope Francis, "You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That is how prayer works."

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


Ad Jesum per Mariam!