Cycle A - Year 1:  

30 April 2017: Third Sunday of Easter 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Gospel:Please Read Lukeb24:13-35

To walk with the risen Lord!

Our life on earth is a journey. The Good News for those who believe is that God travels with us in our journey of life. Do we always recognize Him?

St. Luke describes the Gospel event of two disciples of Jesus journeying on the road to Emmaus. After the brutal death of Jesus, they decided to leave Jerusalem because they were at a loss as to what to do next with their lives. They thought that their Master was the Christ but then a crucified redeemer, just like what happened to Jesus, ruined their expectations. So they were leaving with broken hearts.

Then the risen Lord appears and walks with the two disciples, engaging them in a

conversation. They talk about the recent events that had occurred in Jerusalem about Jesus of Nazareth. The two disciples were so discouraged that they failed to recognize the risen Christ in their midst.

Why was it so difficult for the disciples to recognize the risen Lord? Well, they had hoped that Jesus was the Messiah who will redeem Israel. And so his brutal death on the cross naturally scattered his disciples and shattered their hopes and dreams. They saw the cross as defeat and could not comprehend the empty tomb, until the Lord appeared to them and gave them understanding of these events.

But going back to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus chided them for their slowness of heart to believe what the Scriptures had said concerning the Messiah. And they did not recognize the risen Christ, until He broke bread with them.

In our time, we also have our own walk towards our own "Emmaus". We also have our own disappointment and our own failures and failed expectations about our faith. So often we are tempted to wander our own way because of lack of faith or lack of understanding of what God is doing, or not doing, in our life. What then should we do?

Faith in our Lord's Resurrection will lead us out of our own road to "Emmaus". Like the two disciples in this Gospel event, let us also invite Jesus, "Stay with us, Lord!"

In other words, we need to frequently receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist at Mass so that we can recognize Him as He travels with us in this journey of life. As we frequent Holy Mass and the Eucharist, may the Lord set our hearts on fire and make us witnesses that indeed our Lord Jesus Christ is truly risen and is alive in our midst.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1:  

23 April 2017: Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

(Liturgical Color: White)

Gospel:Please Read John 20:19-31

Believe in your heart!

Do you believe that "the best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt by the heart."? This famous quote is from the well-known American author, Helen Keller, who was blind.

Going back to the opening question, perhaps the answer is maybe sometimes. Because others also say that "to see is to believe".

Let us reflect on these interesting quotes to connect us to the Gospel message for the second Sunday of Easter.

We recall that on Easter Sunday the universal Church proclaimed the Lord is risen! But in those time, He has yet to appear to the disciples who kept themselves locked up in a room after Jesus' death for fear of the Jews.

As the story goes, Simon Peter, John and Mary of Magdala, who were the first to witness the empty tomb, told the rest of the disciples that there was no dead body of Jesus in the tomb where they laid Him, but the burial cloths were there. Perhaps, the disciples were thinking that if indeed Jesus is risen, all the more the disciples were afraid because they realized that they were cowardly during the passion and death of their Master.

And so, "when the doors were locked, where the disciples were", the risen Lord appears for the first time to the disciples and greets them, "Peace be with you." Now take note that the Lord's first words to the disciples are a declaration of forgiveness, peace and mercy, even before the disciples could even ask for forgiveness for their unfaithfulness and cowardice.

One of the original twelve disciples, Thomas was his name, was not with them when the

risen Lord first appeared to the group. So the next time Thomas was with the group, the rest of the disciples shared their experience with the risen Christ, but Thomas refused to believe and said, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (Jn 20:25)

A week passed, and the risen Lord appeared again, and Thomas was with the disciples this time.  Then Jesus allowed him to put his finger in Jesus' wounds, and Thomas saw and believed. Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." (Jn 20:29)

What then is the message of the Gospel narratives for us today?

Well, we too are often fearful to face the risen Lord in our lives. Because we feel like the doubting Thomas in the Gospel -- our faith is not strong enough to withstand suffering, trials and evils in our world. That is why, like Thomas, we demand clear signs of Jesus' victory over death and sin. Or perhaps, we spend so much time focusing on our sins and failures, and not enough on God's mercy and compassion.

This Sunday's liturgy assures us that God's mercy precedes our sins, precisely because of the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This means that we are forgiven long before we even think of committing sins. But we must repent and ask for forgiveness. God only waits for us to claim the mercy already prepared for us through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

Let us then pray in the Holy Eucharist at Mass that like Thomas may the risen Christ open our eyes to the power of the Resurrection, and transform our doubts  and fear into confident faith and boundless joy.

But do you ever wonder why the Lord Jesus Christ keep His wounds in His glorified body?

Some great theologians have the following answers:

- The wounds are there because they proclaim the glory and victory of Christ.

- The wounds of our Lord also serve to confirm the disciples in their faith and hope in the resurrection, and so give them the courage to suffer for our Lord, as they did.

- And the five wounds of Jesus are there so that He may constantly present them to the Father in heaven in supplication in our behalf, when we fall back to sin.  

Finally, the second Sunday of Easter is also Divine Mercy Sunday, promoted by Sister Faustina Kowalska. Let us, therefore, claim our own share of God's divine mercy as we face, with confidence in divine goodness, whatever difficulties we encounter in our worldly journey to the Father's house..

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1:  

16 April 2017: Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection

(Liturgical Color: White)

Gospel:Please Read John 20:1-9

Jesus our Lord is risen!

In the entire Universal Church, all Masses today will start with the presiding priest joyfully greeting the congregation with this great news: The Lord has risen. Alleluia!

For today is a great day of celebration as we proclaim the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.

Our joy actually starts in the Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday, when the very first Mass of Easter begins with the joyful singing of the Gloria and the triumphant ringing of  bells. 

The evangelist John brings us the Good News on Easter Sunday. The gist of his Gospel narratives:

When Mary of Magdala came to visit the tomb of Jesus early morning on the third day,

she saw the stone cover already removed from the entrance of the tomb, and the tomb empty. Hurriedly she went back to the other disciples and reported what she saw. Simon Peter and John went with Mary again to the empty tomb. They saw  the burial clothes there, and the cloth that covered Jesus' head neatly rolled up in a separate place. They believed that the Lord is risen, even when they did not yet fully understand what is written in the Scriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead.  

The Resurrection of Jesus is the very cornerstone of our Christian faith. Because if Jesus did not rise to redeem us from sin, the everything we did during the Holy Week, and everything we do now, is going to be meaningless.

in the Catholic faith, Easter Sunday is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year. That is why it is called the greatest feast (festum festorum). Our Lord's Resurrection is a concrete and historical event which is the strength and foundation of Christianity. It is a day of celebration, as it represents the fulfillment of our faith as Christians.

From the time of the first apostles to our generation, we too believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed risen. Alleluia! Alleluia! That is in every Eucharistic celebration at Mass we share in Jesus' Paschal Mystery, meaning to say, in His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Because we encounter the risen Christ again in the Holy Eucharist. Thus, Easter invites us to be witnesses to the world that our Lord Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead.

What is the significance of the Easter event to all of us? Does everything end with the resurrection story?

Certainly not. We do not close the story of Jesus' Resurrection. We continue to re-live this event whenever we do the acts of Jesus, meaning our Lord's acts of kindness, humility, self-sacrifice, and service to others. Because by these Christian acts we continuously perpetuate the Resurrection of Jesus in our lives.

In other words, whenever we do good to others we impart Jesus and we tell them that Jesus is alive today, that  our Lord Jesus is ready to help them and lift them from their sickness, loneliness and weariness, and restore back our dignity as God's children.

So let us pray, that the  power of the Lord's Resurrection transform us into liberated and joyful people through our authentic Christina living, repentant yet full of hope and happiness.

Happy Easter to all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

     

Cycle A - Year 1:  

9 April 2017: Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

(Liturgical Color: Red)

Gospel Readings: 

Part 1 - Matthew 21:1-11

Part 2 - Matthew 27:11-54

A journey of love with Jesus!

This Sunday we begin our journey with Jesus on His way of the cross as we also anticipate His Resurrection on Easter.

At the start of the week the Church celebrates Palm Sunday. The liturgy has two Gospel readings, .

both of them from Matthew. The first Gospel reading is about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which will be read after the blessing of palm branches and before the Mass proper. The second Gospel reading is during the Mass, which narrates the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us reflect on both these Gospel proclamations

Palm Sunday: (Mt 21:1-11):  Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem for the last time. The people greeted Him: "Hossana to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hossana in the highest!" Then the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from trees and strewed them on the road. Jesus comes as a gentle, humble bearer of the Good News, and not as a conquering warrior.

Going to Jerusalem was a decisive step in completing Jesus' mission as He makes final preparation for His journey to Calvary. Amidst the shouts and welcome by the large crowds, Jesus sees beyond their noise His suffering, torture and death on the cross of salvation. In Matthew's Gospel, the story of Jesus' Passion and death focuses particularly on the obedience of Jesus to the will of the Father.

In the Church's liturgy, Palm Sunday marks our entry into the holiest season of Holy Week. 

The Passion and Death of Jesus: (Mt 27:11-54)  In the second Gospel proclamation we

hear the same crowd who welcome our Lord in Jerusalem, but this time shouting a different tune as Jesus is brought before Pilate. This time they shouted: "Let him be crucified!"  And so the road to Calvary is sealed for Jesus; he is crucified and died on the cross. Notwithstanding His triumphal entry into Jerusalem ended in a journey of love to Calvary, as Jesus gave up His life to redeem us from our sin.

Reflection on the Gospel readings: We are also called to enter into our own "Jerusalem" even as we are challenged to surrender ourselves completely to the will of the Father. Sometimes, or even often times perhaps, we may not always understand. But we cannot waiver in our faith. We must trust God as our loving Father who cannot, and will never, forsake us, His children.

During the Holy Week, let us meditate more intently on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. God so loves us to give up His only Son to die in order to redeem us from our sin. There is no greater love than this: by His suffering, death and Resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ has bridged the gap between God and man.

We conclude our reflection with the words of Jose S. Palma, DD, Archbishop of Cebu:

"As we enter the most significant days of our faith, today we meet a God who can relate with us, who can walk with us along the way of the cross because he is fully human. He was able to endure every suffering because he is a God who is truly, madly, and deeply in love with us now and forever. Amen!"

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!