Cycle A - Year I:  

5 February 2017: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Gospel: Please read  Matthew 5:13-16

To be salt and light for others!

 These are indeed challenging times in the Philippines, when legitimate dissent and criticism of public governance and controversies are being stifled with threat and intimidation, and even insults. And they come from the highest echelon of government.

Even the Catholic Church and its leaders are not spared, or even singled out when it stands up to protect human life and dignity. They are verbally abused and ridiculed. Should the Church keep silent and cower in fear?

The Gospel message this Sunday encourages us how to deal with

the situation. The evangelist Matthew shares with us this more famous discourse of Jesus on discipleship. By using images of daily life, with simple and direct words, Jesus makes known which is the mission and the reason for being the followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, even in our challenging times. In the Gospel narrative, Jesus used ordinary images of His time, like salt and light, to convey extraordinary truths.

What does salt and light have to teach us about God and His kingdom here on earth? Let us reflect on them.

History books tell us that in the ancient world salt was considered a commodity of value. People traded with it very much like we trade gold and stocks in our present time. But apart from its commercial value, salt more importantly has its intrinsic worth of giving flavor to food and preserving it from spoiling, especially in hot climate, before the invention of electricity and refrigeration.

Jesus used the example of salt to show His disciples how they were to live in the world. Meaning, as salt purifies and penetrates, so His disciples must be like salt in the world of human society to purify, preserve and penetrate that society for the kingdom of God and of righteousness and peace. As salt of the earth we must preserve our society  from getting spoiled by the corruption of sin.

How does the image of light and lamp be an inspiration for the disciples?

The comparison is obvious. Nobody lights a candle and just hides it.

Before the wonder of electricity, lamps in ancient world served a vital function by making it possible for people to see and work in the dark. Even to this day lamps continue to provide that purpose in our rural areas that have yet to be benefit from electricity.

A Christian community should be light and it should enlighten. It should not be afraid to show the good that it does. But it does not do it to make itself seen, but what it does can be seen.

Our Lord used the example of lamp to describe how the disciples are to live in the light of His truth and love. Just as natural light illuminates the darkness and enables us to see visually, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of believers and enables us to see the heavenly reality of God's kingdom even now in our earthly journey.

In sum, the salt does not exist for itself, nor the light exist for itself. This is how a Christian community should be. It cannot remain enclosed in itself.

Let us, therefore, pray: that we remain unafraid to proclaim God's kingdom here on earth; that we become like salt that preserves and purifies our society from moral decay; that we are strengthened in our mission to be witnesses of Jesus who is the light of the world.

In the words of our Lord: "Your light must shine in people's sight, so that seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in Heaven." Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year I:  

29 January 2017: Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Gospel: Please read  Matthew 5:1-12a

Searching for eternal happines!

If Jesus is with us in the flesh today, how would He preach God's kingdom?

Would He go to a Church and preach in a pulpit? Would He use television and radio to reach His audience? Would He use the social media to catch our attention?

Or would He continue to be an itinerant preacher, traveling from place to place to preach to those who follow Him, just like the apostolic times?

Well, we really don't know.  But Jesus is a great preacher. He used simple teaching methods, based on ordinary every day life to point to another order of reality.

One thing is sure, I think, and it is that our Lord Jesus Christ will always preach from the heart, regardless of the way He chooses to proclaim God's kingdom. For it is through the heart that God speaks to us. And God's word is timeless.

In one sweeping poetic way, Jesus teaches us how to know the heaven that is dwelling inside us, and reach the heaven that is not here yet.

The Gospel proclamation this Sunday is about the Sermon on the Mont, more popularly known as the Beatitudes.

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

As we reflect more deeply in today's readings, we will 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 satisifies our longing for happiness, and not material possessions or wealth.

In other words, the Beatitudes point the way to God's kingdom. The saints have trodden the path of the beatitudes in their worldly journey. So 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. Because when we follow the wayof the Beatitudes our Lord Jesus promises us, at the conclusion of the Gospel reading today... "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven".... just like the saints.

True happiness, after all, can only come from living the values of God's kingdom that are clearly expressed in the Beatitudes, even in our times.

We also celebrate National Bible Sunday with the theme: "The Bible: Hope for the Community's Progress." Let us pray for grace to live the Word of God in order to live a happy and blessed life. Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!