Cycle B - Year II:

6 May 2018: Sixth Sunday of Easter

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48

Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-10

Gospel:Please Read John 15:9-17

"Love one another."

What is a good leader? The Gospel Message two Sundays ago, about the Good Shepherd, gave us a description of an ideal leader.

Jesus gave us a clear measure of a good leader in His own description of Himself as the Good Shepherd. He says that the Good Shepherd "lays down his life for the sheep." (Jn 10:11) Thus, good leaders are those who inspire us by their examples of caring, compassionate leadership, love and respect for human life.

But then, there is also a measurement, or requirement to be good followers of a leader. On the Sixth Sunday of Easter, we hear Jesus speak about how to measure those who want to follow Him as the Good Shepherd.

Our Lord Jesus Christ gives His disciples a new commandment -- a new way of living in order to be worthy of following Him. Jesus says to them: "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you!" (Jn 15:12)

What is the essence of this new commandment? Let us look up to our Lord Jesus again for His example.

Well, true love is really sacrificial. That means, love gives all to the beloved. There is no greater proof in love than to sacrifice one's life for the sake of another. Jesus proved His love for His disciples by giving His very life for them, through His death on the cross. And so, we can prove our love for God and for one another when we embrace the way of the cross in our journey through this life.

Even so, we realize that we can never outgive God in love, because He has loved us without measure. For in God's love, we find the fullness of grace, life, peace, and everlasting joy.

in practical application, Jesus is really telling us to get out of our isolation, go forth, and bear fruit by following His commandment of love. In other words, all those who profess to love Jesus will obey His commandments and teaching because they enable us to make the love of God real in our lives.

Perhaps, one of the most spiritually destructive ideas that has infected the world today is the fallacy of claiming to love Jesus Christ while at the same time ignoring, and even rejecting, the commandments and teachings of His Church. It is simply "double talk"!

The real test and testimony of our love for a person lies in our acceptance of what that person we love holds dear. Because authentic love means cherishing and honoring what the person we love cherishes and honors. That is what our Lord is telling us today: "You are my friends if you do what I command you." (Jn 15:14) And our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to "love one another".

As we celebrate the mystery of Christ's love in the Holy Eucharist, let us pray to remain in God's love so that we can bear fruit through our love for one another.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year II:  

29 April 2018: Fifth Sunday of Easter  

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 9:26-31

Second Reading:  1 John 3:18-24

Gospel:Please Read  John 15:1-8

"I am the vine, you are the branches!"

Can we survive without God?  Well, it is a question we can debate endlessly. But even with our boast that we have conquered the universe, when powerful wrath of nature strikes, man remains helpless in the face of destructive forces much greater and stronger than his humanity. Because when calamity strikes, either man-made or natural, we are all at God's mercy!

The message of this Sunday's liturgy reminds us that we are no superman, even in our own planet.

Our Lord uses the allegory of the vine and the branches to deliver a timely message to us all.

Let us put ourselves in the scene of the Gospel narrative to better appreciate the message. The land of Israel was covered with numerous vineyards during the time of Jesus. Thus, the image of the vine was a rich one for the Jews. So Jesus used this practical reality to catch the attention of His listeners to the message He wanted to convey.

A short lesson on planting vine: to make the vine fruitful, it needs the caring hand of the vinedresser by carefully pruning the vine so it can bear good fruit. Because vines characteristically have two kinds of branches --those which bear fruit and those which do not bear fruit. The secret is to carefully prune back the non-bearing branches in order for the vine to conserve its strength for the branches that bear the good fruit.

Thus, the growers of a vineyard took care of the healthy growth of the vines. When branches did not yield fruit, they were cut off and dried on the wall of the vineyard to be used later as fuel. 

Today's allegory has an intimate tune. Jesus is actually preparing His friends for the mission and reminds them that without Him they can do nothing.

Jesus uses the image of the vine to describe the kind of life He produces in those who are united with Him:

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing." (Jn 15:5)

Thus, the central message of the Gospel is simple and clear: we need Christ as surely as a branch needs to remain on the vine. And we are either fruit bearing or non-fruit bearing. There is no in-between.  In other words, we must be fruitful. From a vine we look for grapes, and so from a Christian we look for a Christ-like behavior. We must do good; this is bearing fruit.

In sum, the Lord promises that we will bear much fruit if we abide in Him and allow Him to purify us. For it is through our Lord Jesus that we are reconciled with the Father. We need God's grace and strength that we may do good and face the trials and suffering in this life.

Do we trust and believe in the Lord's abiding presence with us?

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam! 

Cycle B - Year II:

22 April 2018: Fourth Sunday of Easter

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading: Acts 4:8-12

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-2

Gospel:Please Read John 10:11-18

Jesus, the Good Shepherd!

Great leaders inspire their people to reach higher, dream bigger, and achieve greater. Leaders provide inspiration. And if they inspire others to reach for the stars, they just might bring back the moon!

These are powerful words to describe a great leader.

On the fourth Sunday of the Easter season, the liturgy inspires us with the timely message about what a leader should be in the image of our Lord as the Good Shepherd. Of the many titles of Jesus, the most consoling and reassuring perhaps is that of the Good Shepherd.

It is the Lord Himself who claims that title (Jn 10:11) The image of the Good Shepherd effectively conveys His divine solicitude and concern for His people, and foster in them the spirit of trust and confidence.

Let us understand the significance of the Gospel narratives. Shepherding was the main occupation of people during the time of our Lord Jesus. Hence, the imagery of a "Good Shepherd" relates to the practical realities of the daily living of people at that time.

However, in our country shepherding may be alien to our consciousness because it is generally agriculture and farming that is the traditional livelihood of people. Nonetheless, we can reflect on the qualities of a good shepherd and the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep to remind us how to properly exercise authority and leadership.

A depiction of our Lord Jesus as a shepherd carrying a sheep on His shoulders summarizes well the shepherd's sacrifice. For he takes the sheep's burden as his own and spends himself in bring the sheep to safety and green pasture.

Thus, in a general sense "good shepherd" is an image that implies someone who gives caring, compassionate leadership. A good shepherd walks in front of the sheep and the sheep follow the shepherd freely; they are not driven or coerced.

So what can shepherding teach us about God and our relationship with Him?

The Scriptures describe God as the shepherd who brings security and peace to His people. Just as the shepherd keeps watch over his sheep and protects them from danger, so our Lord Jesus stands watch over His people and the Shepherd and Guardian of souls.

We can use the imagery of the Good Shepherd to guide us in choosing our leaders, too. We should support, and elect, only those leaders who by their own examples of caring, compassionate leadership, love and respect for human life can truly lead us to be a God-fearing nation.

The second point in our reflection speaks also about our Church leaders. This is timely as this year we proclaim the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons. Christ Himself gives a succinct definition of the Good Shepherd, and therefore of every priest: the Good Shepherd "lays down his life for the sheep." (Jn 10:11) Take note, he lays down his life. It is not just his possession, time, energy or talent, but in fact his very life. Thus, priestly service of Christ's flock cannot be a part-time job or piece-meal giving of one's self. It needs and demands total commitment. As the representative of the Good Shepherd Himself, a priest must possess the willingness, and even the instinct, to sacrifice for his people, when needed.

This Sunday is also World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Let us implore the Lord to send committed and dedicated "shepherds of souls" in His Church. Let us also pray for our political leaders, that they follow the good examples of the leadership of our Lord Himself, as the Good Shepherd.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year II:

15 April 2018: Third Sunday of Easter

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

Second Reading: 1 John 2:1-5a

Gospel:Please Read Luke 24:35-48

Witnessing the risen Christ!

The universal Church rejoiced as we celebrated Easter Sunday two weeks ago. The Lord is risen, we proclaim, Alleluia! In the Sundays of Easter, we will be hearing of Jesus' appearances to His disciples.

This Sunday's Gospel narrative is a continuation of the story of the two disciples who earlier encountered the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus. They were overjoyed of that experience and decided to return to Jerusalem to share their experience with the risen Christ with the rest of the disciples.

In the midst of their conversations, Jesus appears again, offering peace.

Something is worth noting in the way Jesus reveals Himself to His followers after His Resurrection. The risen Christ usually made Himself known to His disciples when they were gathered together as a group or community. There is a message that Jesus wants to convey in this. Easter is a good season for us to realize that followers of Jesus are called as a community of believers, the new People of God or the new Church.

Going back to the Gospel narrative in this appearance of Jesus to His disciples, He commissioned them to be witnesses to what God has dome to His people through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and opened their minds to understand fully the Scriptures in the context of Jesus' Paschal Mystery.

That means, everything that Jesus Christ said and did during His public ministry pointed to the Paschal Mystery, meaning His passion, death and resurrection. Every miraculous healing, every powerful sermon,, and every life-changing encounter with our Lord Jesus was in fact pointing to and drawing power from these saving events. Jesus conquered sin and death by offering His life on the cross in complete obedient to the Father and rising again on the third day.

Thus, our Lord won victory in the most important war that we all face as humans, achieving forgiveness from the Father, reconciling us to God, and restoring us to a life of grace.

What do we make of the Gospel reading for this Sunday? How does it impact on us today?

Well, we are the new Easter people of our generation. It means, we, too are sent to preach the Good News of the Easter event in our world today. St. Peter makes it clear in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles that the crucial role of an apostle, and so every Christians in our own generation is precisely to bear witness to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Thus, the Easter event is our "commissioning" to also become witnesses of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ to all who live on the face of the earth. And we should not be afraid to do that, because the risen Lord has shown us the way and gives us the power to overcome sin, despair, and even death.

In practical life, do we become witnesses of the joy of the Gospel to those around us? Do we live our lives like Easter or liberated people, who reconciled one more with our heavenly Father through the sacrificial death of Jesus and His resurrection on Easter?

So let us pray: Lord Jesus, open our minds, too, to be able to understand the fullness of the Scriptures, so that we may comprehend the truth of Your word. Anoint us with power to be Your witnesses to all nations, even at the expense of our very own lives.Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year II:  

8 April 2018: Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 4:32-35

Second Reading:  1 John 5:1-6

Gospel:Please Read  John 20:19-31

Believe in your heart!

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

Indeed, there are realities in our world that can only be felt by the heart. But others also say that "to see is to believe."

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

We recall that on Easter Sunday the universal Church proclaimed the Lord is risen! But in those times, He has yet to appear to the disciples who kept themselves locked up in a room after Jesus's 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 it happened, "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 they could even ask for forgiveness for their unfaithfulness and cowardice.

But 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 disciple 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 see 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 awaits for us to claim the mercy already prepared for us through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

In the Holy Eucharist at Mass, let us pray 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.

As a parting thought, do you ever wonder why the Lord Jesus Christ keep His wounds in His glorified body?  Could He not just wipe out all the marks of His passion and suffering in His glorified body, since He is God?

Some great theologians have the following answers:

(a)  The wounds are there because they proclaim the glory and victory of Christ.

(b)  The wounds of our Lord also serve to confirm the disciples in their faith and hope in the resurrection, and so gave them the courage to suffer for our Lord, as they in fact suffered for Him.

(c)  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!