Cycle A - Year 1:  

29 June 2017:  Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul 

(Liturgical Color: Red)

Gospel:Please Read  Matthew 16:13-19

Partnership for the mission!

June 29, Thursday, is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, apostles and the two pillars of our Christian faith. The tradition of celebrating their solemnity on the same day dates back to the year 258. Together, these two great saints are regarded as the founders of the See of Rome, through their teaching ministry and martyrdom there.

The liturgical color for their Feast Day is red, to honor their martyrdom for the Christian faith.

Let us meditate on their important roles in our Christian faith.

Saint Peter, who was originally named Simon, was a fisherman from Galilee. He has a brother, Andrew, who was also among the first apostles. Jesus gave Simon the name Cephas (or Petrus in Latin), which means "rock" because he was to become the rock upon which Christ would build His Church. The Acts of the Apostles illustrates Peter's role as the head of the Church after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Thus, he is considered as the very first Pope and assured that the disciples kept the true faith handed down by Christ Himself to His followers to our generation.

It was in Rome where Peter spent his last years, leading the Church through persecutions and eventually his martyrdom in the year c. 64. At his own request, Peter was crucified upside-down because he claimed he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord Jesus.

Saint Paul, on the other hand was a late convert to Christianity, and regarded as the Apostles of the Gentiles (or non-Jews). He was a prolific writer and his letters are included in the writings of the New Testament, through which we hear much about his life and the faith of the early Church.

Before receiving the name Paul, he was called Saul, a Jewish-Pharisee who zealously persecuted the early Christians in Jerusalem. Saul's conversion to Christianity took place as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christian community there. It was Jesus Himself who appeared to him to stop his planned persecution and eventually became a disciple himself.

Saul took the name Paul upon his conversion and spent the remainder of his life preaching the Gospel tirelessly to the Gentiles of the Mediterranean world. Paul was imprisoned and taken to Rome, where he was beheaded in the year c. 67.

Gospel Reflection: The Gospel reading for this Feast is from Matthew (16:13-19) who wrote about the "confession" of Peter.

Jesus tests His disciples with a critical question: "Who do people say that I am and who do  you say that I am?"

Peter, who was always quick to respond, exclaimed that He was "the Christ, the Son of the living God!" And Jesus said to him that no mortal being has revealed this Peter, but only God. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was. He was the first apostles to recognize Jesus as the Anointed One (meaning, the Messiah and Christ), and the only begotten Son of God.

And so then Jesus confers on Peter the authority to lead and govern the Church that Jesus Himself built, a Church that no power on earth could overcome.

In our time, our Lord Jesus also tests each one of us personally with the same question He asked the first apostles: "Who do  you say that I am?"

Our personal answer to this question defines our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, and become the foundation of our Christian living.

In sum, as we celebrate the Feast made holy for us by the blood of the Apostles Peter and Paul, let us embrace what they believe, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.

So let us pray: Lord Jesus, I profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are my Lord and Savior. Make my faith strong, like that of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and give me boldness to speak of You to others that they may come to know You personally as Lord and Savior, and thus grow in the knowledge of Your love.Amen.

Happy Feast Day, Saints Peter and Paul, Martyrs!

Ad Jesum per Mariam! 

Cycle A - Year 1: 

2 July 2017:  Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Gospel:Please Read  Matthew 10:37-42

Making a choice......

The desecration of a Catholic Church and sacred images in Marawi City was abominable and revolting to peace-loving and decent people, even from other religions. For true religion promotes love and respect of other faiths.

But for Catholics, no threats of terrorism nor persecution can weaken our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

True Christians know that the cost of following Jesus is high. And today's Gospel

challenges us to make a firm commitment to the Lord. We find Jesus in the Gospel reading being extremely demanding with His disciples: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;" (Mt. 10:37)

In other words, our Lord Jesus was utterly honest in telling His disciples that it would cost them dearly to follow after Him. Because the demand of discipleship call for total commitment and unconditional trust in Jesus to follow in His footsteps and face life's difficulties with hope.

Even to our generation, discipleship is a real challenge. Because we live in a world of so much personal and collective sufferings, sometimes or oftentimes of our own making. Even the Church is not spared, as it suffers from dissension and division, even unfounded attacks for its teaching on the sanctity of life and its defense of the unborn. Are we willing to face the challenge?

But first we also ask: What does Christianity have to offer that it is worth giving up everything else, including family and self, to follow our Lord Jesus Christ?

Well, in truth more than we can even fathom. For Jesus offers His followers a priceless treasure, which is true happiness, peace, and joy unending with our everlasting Father in the heavenly kingdom.

But then it is our choice to accept Christ in our lives, and when we do so He must be given priority over other loves and commitments. Because losing everything else for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel, we will surely find eternal life.

As St. Paul writes to the Romans: "If we have died with Christ, we shall also live with him."

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1:  

25 June 2017:  Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Gospel:Please Read  Matthew 10:26-33

Courage under persecution!

 We are back to the liturgical season called Ordinary Time, after a series of solemnities, or special feasts, following the observance of the Easter season. Today is the twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

A brief refresher on the liturgical season:

In the liturgical calendar, Ordinary Time is a specific season in the Church which focuses on the life of Christ during His three years of public ministry. There is no particular aspect of the mystery of Christ that is celebrated. Instead, the focus is on the mystery of Christ in all fullness or totality. Ordinary Time is a year cycle of 33 or 34 weeks.

Green is the color assigned for this season, which is most associated with growth. Thus, Ordinary Time is viewed as a time of growing in our knowledge and love of Jesus, our Lord.

The evangelist for this Sunday is St. Matthew. The selected reading is part of the instructions of Jesus to His disciples after He has commissioned them to proclaim the approaching kingdom of heaven.

Jesus insists that disciples --and the hope of eternal life for those who persevere-- would

admittedly be dangerous, but that this danger must be faced and borne courageously by those who want to follow our Lord.

What strikes most in these instructions of our Lord to His disciples are two warnings: (a) the frequency with which Jesus refers to the persecutions and sufferings which the disciples will have to bear; and (b) the insistence repeated three times to the disciples  not to be afraid.

In other words, the disciples should know that, because of the fact of being disciples of Jesus, they will be persecuted, But this should not be a reason for worrying, because a disciple should in fact imitate the life of the Master and share the trials with Him. This is really part of discipleship of our Lord Jesus Christ, as He Himself was persecuted and died for us.

In sum, the Gospel reading offers 3 significant messages for our reflection, namely:

First, feat of rejection or persecution cannot prevent us from proclaiming the Gospel ad its most challenging demands on our Christian living.

Second, we trust in Jesus' promise that we will never be alone in our efforts to do what is right. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us always.

And finally, the final judgment before God will be based on our faithfulness to Jesus during the controversies and challenges  that are part of our mission in proclaiming God's kingdom here on earth.

At the end of the Gospel Jesus summarizes everything: "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father. (Mt. 10:32-33)

Thus, knowing that we are in God's hands and that God is with us, at every moment of our earthly journey, we have the courage and the peace to render witness and to be disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1:  

18 June 2017:  Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Gospel:Please Read John 6:51-58

Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist!

We celebrate this Sunday another important Feast, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ., or more popularly known as Corpus Christi.  (The complete Latin translation: Sollemnitas Sanctissimi Corporis et Sanguinis Christi.)

St, John is our Evangelist for this great Feast, and the central theme of today's reading is Jesus speaking about the Bread of Life: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." (Jn 6:51)

To our human mind, the Holy Eucharist is a Mystery of Faith. But we believe because

Jesus Himself teaches us this Truth. For the Holy Eucharist is the very center and source of our Christian life. Even after His Ascension, Jesus chose to remain with us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives His Body and Blood to be our food through our spiritual journey.

In other words, Jesus wants us to share in His very self while in journey in this world. That is why He gave us His Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The human flesh of Jesus continues to link us and the people of every age with the timeless sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Thus, the Holy Eucharist fills us with a lasting sense of communion  with Jesus Himself and with one another.

For Catholics, the doctrine of the Real Presence asserts that in the Holy Eucharist Jesus is literally and wholly present, that means body and blood, soul and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine.

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that Jesus' presence in the Eucharist is visus, tactus, gustus. That means, our Lord's presence is not imaginary in our mind. Because when we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist we actually see, touch, and taste Him. He is an "edible" God, as some theologians would say.

So, as we receive the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Communion at Mass, we come to be more and more like Him, and so partake while still here on earth of the eternal banquet of heaven. Because the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood guarantees His promise: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (Jn 6:54)

In sum, we cannot completely fathom the mystery of Christ's sacramental presence in the Eucharist, so much like the teaching on the Blessed Trinity which we celebrated last Sunday. But we do believe that when we gather in Jesus' name at the Holy Eucharist we dare repeat with faith: "We adore you devoutly, O Godhead unseen, who truly lie hidden under the appearances of Bread and Wine." Amen.

A blessed Feast of Corpus Christi to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1

11 June 2017:  Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Gospel:Please Read  John 3:16-18

The Trinity: One God in three Persons!

We celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity this Sunday. It is the most important Truth in our Catholic faith: three Divine Persons equal in majesty, yet one Lord, one God.

What do we understand about the Holy Trinity?

There is the story about the great St. Augustine of Hippo. One day while walking in a beach, he was reflecting and trying to grasp the mystery of the Trinity. Then he saw a little boy digging a small hole in the sand, and the boy was transferring the water from the sea into his little hole in the sand. St. Augustine asked the boy what he was doing, "I am putting the sea water inside my little hole," the boy told him. St. Augustine said to to the boy, "That's impossible to contain the vast ocean into your little hole, my child!"  Then the boy answered him back, "And so with you. How can you grasp the vastness of God with your little mind?"  For indeed, if we can explain God we must be greater than God.

In other words, the teaching on the Trinity is most difficult to comprehend and even more

difficult to fully communicate with human words. That is why it is often regarded as a "preacher's nightmare"!. We end up acknowledging that the Trinitarian character of God will always be a mystery to our human minds.

But it is important to say that Holy Mother Church did not invent the teaching on the Trinity. Jesus Himself revealed the mystery of the Trinity to us through the first disciples. In fact our whole life is marked by the sign of the Trinity. And every time we make the sign of the cross, we proclaim the Truth of the Holy Trinity: In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday's Gospel is from St. John, and the text essentially summarizes the whole of salvation history: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. The Gospel reading tries to help us reflect on the Trinitarian character of God through a more familiar word and human experience, and that is love.

St. John also tells us somewhere in his Gospel that "God is love!" For God, to live is really to love. In the words of a Catholic preacher: "This revealed in the fact that God exists eternally as Trinity -- a communion of three Persons who are one God, only distinguishable from each other in their relationship to each other, relationships which are defined by the love of a Father, a Son, and the Holy Spirit that proceeds from and personifies that love."

In our human experience, it is in this love that God created man in His image -- a creature created to receive God's love and to love Him in return. But it was man's rejection and refusal of God's love that was essentially the original sin, man's loss of life with God.

And so God came to us in this world, in love and revealed Himself as love: a communion of love, Father and Son and Holy Spirit.

In sum, God's love does not seek condemnation but salvation: to restore us to receiving and returning God's love, a love that is eternal and limitless as the life of God Himself, the love that is the essence of "eternal life" in the Holy Trinity.

Let us pray, that when we reach our final destiny in heaven, our eyes will finally be able to contemplate the face of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!