Cycle A - Year 1:

5 March 2017: First Sunday of Lent

(Liturgical Color: Violet)

Gospel:Please Read Matthew 4:1-11

Our Lenten journey begins!

We enter a new liturgical journey this Sunday in the Season of Lent. It actually began last Ash Wednesday, with the imposition of the blessed ashes on our forehead, and will continue until the Mass of the Lord's Supper exclusive on Holy Thursday. Violet is the new color for the season (the lighter shade of violet to distinguish it from violet used for the Season of Advent.)

The Gospel on the first Sunday of Lent is about the 40 days and 40 nights of fasting and praying of our Lord Jesus Christ in the desert before the start of His public ministry. At the end of this fasting and praying, Jesus was tempted by the devil who tried to convince Him to set aside His humanity and disobey God's plan of our redemption. But Jesus overcame Satan by declaring thus, "The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve."

In a way, temptations are a necessary part of our spiritual life. But it can also be an opportunity to stand up for our faith and show God that we are fit to be used by Him to proclaim God's kingdom here on earth. In the Old Testament, God tested Abraham to prove his faith. The Israelites were also tested in Egypt before God delivered them from their enemies.

Of course we know that God Himself tempts no one (see James 1:13) but sometimes He allows us to be tempted to remind us that we are weak, sinfure creatures living under the sting of original sin.

The temptation of Jesus in the desert reminds us that Satan is real and very much active in our world, tempting us with power, wealth and fame to deceive and win our souls. When we are so much focused on building our material strength and treasures on earth, we often neglect to charge our spiritual power. There are warnings that in our generation the Devil will become very active to win our souls through corrupt political leaders who greed for power and wealth.

In daily living, how can we overcome sin and temptation? Well, our Lord Jesus Christ gives us His Holy Spirit to be our strength, guide and consoler in times of temptation and testing by the Evil One. And Jesus is ever ready to pour out His Spirit upon us so that we may have the spiritual strength and courage to resist sin and to reject the lies and deceits of the enemy, Satan.

A helpful tip given by my professor-priest in Moral Theology is very practical: Never trust our moral capacity to resist sin and temptation. Thus, at the first sign of temptation, the best defense is always to run away immediately. Because we are up against Satan, who was a fallen angel and thus more powerful than us ordinary humans.

In sum, the Lenten Season invites us to journey with the Lord for forty days in the desert, to renew our lives through repentance and conversion. It is our fitting preparation to welcome Easter in our lives, and share in our Lord's Resurrection as well, with its promise of hope and new life with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

National Migrants' Sunday is also celebrated today. Let us pray that our migrant Filipinos resist the temptation of materialism and become instead the instrument to spread the Good News through their love and support of their families.

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

Cycle A - Year I:  

26 February 2017: Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Gospel: Please read  Matthew 6:24-34

Total trust in God!

Two buddies were overheard conversing.  They seem to agree that the best argument to stay faithful to one's wife is to believe the saying that "one cannot serve two masters!"  Of course, it was said in gist, but the wise words have their biblical roots.

Kidding aside, what do we mean by the word "master"? Well, our "master" is that which governs our thoughts, shape our ideals, controls the desire of the heart and the values we choose to live by. Then we ask, who is the "master" in charge of our lives?

In the Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that they cannot serve two

masters, meaning God and the world. It is not possible that someone wants to submit to God but also lives according to the world's standard of success and fulfillment.  The Gospel message helps us to review the relationship with material goods and present two themes of diverse importance, that is, our relationship with money, and our relationship with Divine Providence.

Because in practical life, we are ruled by many different things, like love of money or possession, the power of position, the glamour of wealth and prestige, the driving force of unruly passions and addictions. But ultimately, our choice boils down to two: either God or mammon. What then is "mammon"? It stands for "material wealth or possessions", or whatever tends to "control our appetites and desires."

From our experience we know that it is always a struggle to choose between God against the temptations of material things in our world. Especially if we are shortsighted    If Jesus is with us in the flesh today, how would He preach God's kingdom?, meaning we think only of the here and now, we readily choose wealth.

Yet, the truth is that material things no matter how enormous will surely disappear someday. It may stay with us and we can enjoy it for a period of time but eventually it will leave us or we will leave it. There is no security in material wealth.

Thus, Jesus tells His disciples that God alone has the power to set them free from the slavery of sin and fear. He uses an illustration from nature -- the birds and the flowers-- to show how God provides for them in the natural order of God's creation. So how much more can we, as God's children, rely upon God's providential care?

Of course, Jesus does not mean that we don't need to work hard to earn our living. He knows so well our material needs while in this world. What our Lord emphasizes is our total and complete trust that God will provide when we seek His help.

Every time we recite the "Our Father", we are reminded that God is our Provider when we pray: "Give us this day our daily bread". Because bread symbolizes the very staple of life, and symbol of all that we need to live and grow, in our world.

The parting words of our Lord Jesus in today's Gospel is heartwarming and reassuring: "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things will be given you besides.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1:

19 February 2017: Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Gospel:Please Read Matthew 5:38-48

A love without limit!

We are now in the month of February, which is traditionally a celebration of love that is observed in many cultures around the world. The highlight of such celebration was Valentine's Day last February 14, when we shared flowers, gifts, and other symbols of love with dear ones and special someone.

But is our love meant only for good people, or those that we care about?

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus challenges us to get out of our "comfort zone" and embrace all people with love. Because our love for God must conquer all, the good people and the bad peole as well. For God's love has no limits and without discrimination.

Let us reflect on God's all embracing love.

Jesus makes it clear that in God's love there is no room for retaliation. He warns His followers to avoid returning evil for evil, but instead must seek the good, even of those who may wish them ill or harm.

It does not mean, however, that as believers in Christ we remain passive before evil and injustice happening around us. No of course, and we must fight evil and injustice in our world, but not out of personal revenge and retaliation but conquering them with love and good deeds. Is this impossible and impractical?

Well, let us ask ourselves what really makes Christianity distinct from other religions. It is really God's grace, meaning treating others not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated by us, and that is, with loving kindness and mercy. Because we leave to God to render justice to those who do us wrong.

If we think this is hard and difficult to follow, the forgiving Christ hanging on the cross is our model. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, revenge, and resentment, and gives us the courage to return evil done to us with good deeds. Such love and grace gives us the power to heal and thus to be saved from destruction.

Remember always, that if we persist in the old law of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth".... sooner or later we will become a blind and toothless society.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year I:  

12 February 2017: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Gospel: Please read  Matthew 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37

Live the spirit of the Law!

Our material world can be deceiving, sometimes.  Because not everything is really what it seems to the eye. Perhaps, that is why the romantics would say that real beauty is not seen by the eyes but felt only by the heart, a timely message as we celebrate this month Valentine's Day.

The Gospel message this Sunday reminds us of the importance of inner realities over and above what is tangible to the eyes. Our Lord Jesus reminds that to be His followers requires more than external observance of God's Laws but includes our inner conviction as well. 

During the time of Jesus, the Scribes and the Pharisees prided themselves on thieir meticulous observance of the Law. But in Jesus' standard, there is something missing in their observance of the Law. Thus, Jesus challenges His followers that their righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees.

So, what then is "righteousness"?  Simply put, it means one must be in right relationship with God. And to be "righteous", Jesus challenges His followers to get radical, meaning, to go to the roots of our thoughts, words, and deeds by asking ourselves "is this thought, word or act ple asing to the Lord and worthy of His blessing"?

In particular, Jesus uses the Ten Commandments to preach to His followers how to go beyond surface-level spirituality and deeper into inner motivation. Le:t us reflect on the following:

The sixth commandment: "You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment." The law is not simply to avoid murder but also not to harbor ill feelings and not not speak evil against our neighbor. Because angry  and insulting words violate a person's dignity.

On the seventh commandment: "You shall not commit adultery." Jesus says that even to look at a woman with lust has already committed adultery. Because lustful thoughts against a woman violate the virtue of chastity as much as the act of adultery itself.

On the ninth commandment not to take a false oath against neighbor: Jesus says that it is better to be truthful in everything we say to that there is no need for any oath to back up our claims.

In sum, the demands of discipleship are tough and challenging. The central message of the Gospel today is that the essence of God's Law is love. For God's original intention from the beginning of creation is a loving relationship with Him, with our fellow human beings, and with the rest of creation. Thus, the observance of God's Law must spring from love for God. That is why our Lord Jesus Christ demands not only the external avoidance of evil and anything that offends God, but to take away as well any and all interior precondition that lead us to commit sin. For sin is really a disconnect from loving God.

In the Eucharist at Mass, let us pray to grow in love of God, which is free and self-giving, like the sacrificing love of the Son that redeems from from sin.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!