Cycle C - Year I:

8 September 2019: Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading: Wisdom 9:13-18b

Second Reading: Philemon 9-10, 12-17

Gospel: Please Read Luke 14:25-33

Making a choice for God!

Is it a christian attitude to hate someone? An interesting question, because the opposite is true as our Lord Jesus commands us to love one another. For Christians loving one another is the trademark of discipleship. (Jn 13:34)

So then it appears confusing to read or hear the beginning of the Gospel proclamation for this Sunday coming from our Lord Jesus Himself: "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (Lk 14:26) These are very strong words that seem opposite of what we are taught as Christians.

Well, that seems to be the case when we do not want to understand Scriptures in its totality, or take some biblical passages out of context. So how do we deal with this provocative statement from Jesus?

Now in our Catholic religion, there is that branch of theology, called exegesis, which investigates and expresses the true sense of sacred Scriptures. Catholic exegesis has a better grasp of the meaning of the texts in their linguistic, literary, sociocultural, religious and historical contexts, explaining them well through studying their sources and attending to the personality of each of the human "authors" of sacred Scriptures.

So let us understand our Lord's strong language to "hate" our families and even ourselves in their proper context and meaning, according to the official teaching of our Church.

The expression to "hate" is not to be taken literally. The word "hate" in this context often means "to prefer less". Our Lord Jesus used strong language to make clear that nothing take precedence or first place in our lives over God. So Jesus is telling His listeners what is essential in discipleship. First and foremost our Lord Jesus Christ Himself must be first in our lives.

The Gospel then is not merely a preaching to be accepted but a personal choice that we must live in concrete situations. Accepting Christ in our lives is a personal choice, and when we do so our Lord Jesus must be given priority over our other loves and commitments.

Jesus is utterly honest and frank in telling His disciples that it would cost them dearly to follow after our Lord. And to gain all, one must also be willing to give all. This means, there can be no room for compromises with God. We either give our lives over to Him completely, or we keep them for ourselves as we drown in worldly concerns.

But then we also may want to ask: What does Christianity have to offer that is worth giving up everything else, including one's life? Well, in reality more than we can fathom! Because Jesus offers His followers a priceless treasure, which is true happiness, peace, and joy unending with our everlasting Father in the heavenly kingdom.

Thus, Jesus tells us to detach ourselves from things that take us away from experiencing true joy and peace in the Lord. He calls us to walk with Him on His journey to Jerusalem to carry His cross of salvation. We must not be burdened by too many possessions and worldly concerns. And although following Jesus is a difficult and rough journey in life, there is a firm trust and hope in the resurrection that we will share with Jesus in the end. In this journey with our Lord, even our sufferings become our prayer, when we make a choice for God.

Nativity of Mama Mary:

September 8 is also the Nativity, or Birthday, of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The angel Gabriel greeted the young Mary in the Annunciation, thus: "Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you!"

Indeed, Mary is full of God's grace from the very beginning, since she is the only human without the stain of original sin we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve.  Because from the very beginning of creation Mary was chosen by God to be the Mother of His only Son.  Thus, from her womb God the Son became one like us in all things but sins.

The Church celebrates the dawning of the day of Redemption --the moment when Mary who was to be the Mother of our Savior was born. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation. Heaven rejoices at her birth. The Lord reserves for her the highest mission ever entrusted to any creature. We rejoice in the certainty that the Mother of God is our Mother, too.

Happiest Birthday, Mama Mary, Please pray for us and our country.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle C - Year I:

1 September 2019: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a

Gospel: Please Read Luke 14:1, 7-14

To seek God with a humble heart!

Sometimes wealth and power may give a person the illusion of greatness and immortality. Perhaps because they can give one a false sense of importance and personal worth.

But then, can wealth and power buy us a ticket to eternal life? Remember that just last Sunday, our Lord Jesus warns us that we cannot enter through the narrow gate to God's kingdom unless we travel light. That means, without excess baggage.

In this Sunday's Gospel our Lord reminds us again to be authentic Christian witnesses for the Lord's kingdom in our every day life situations.

St. Luke writes in the Gospel narrative that Jesus accepts an invitation from one of the Pharisees to come and dine at his house. While there, Jesus observes how the other guests scramble for choice seats of honor at the dining table.

Now we know that our Lord Jesus is a great and practical teacher. He was always looking for ways to preach to His followers. Occasionally, He would masterfully craft a story to explain the Good News. At other times, Jesus would take a real life event and use it as a powerful teaching moment. Still on other occasions, Jesus would use a combination of these two modes of preaching. The Gospel passage this Sunday is an example of this last method.

Our Lord Jesus seizes the gathering at the house of His host to teach His followers, not with proper table manners, but with our inner disposition before the "table of the Lord".

Now in the Lord's table there is no place for self-righteousness nor for human desire for honor and recognition. Rather, in the Lord's feast there are places only for humility, joy, and thanksgiving for the blessings we have been invited to share.

And humility is the foundation of all other virtues for Christians. But true humility is not having a low opinion of yourself, or thinking of yourself as inferiors to others.

A humble person makes a realistic assessment of himself without illusion of pretense to be someone or something he is not. Thus, a humble person does not have to wear a mask or put on a facade in order to look good to others who do not know who he really is. He is not swayed by accidentals, such as fame, reputation, or success.

Because humility frees us to love and serve others selflessly, for their sake, rather than our own need for recognition. It allows us to see ourselves as blessed, so that we can share with others the bountiful blessings we also receive from the Lord.

More importantly, humility invites us to be honest about our faults, weaknesses and sins. Thus, it keeps us on our knees, praying for God's strength, mercy and assistance. But also, humility encourages us to be honest about our gifts and talents as well, and encourages us to discover them, cultivate them, and put them to good use for the greater glory of God through Christian charity and love.

And when we happily use our God-given talents in serving others, we acknowledge that God is the true source of all goodness. Then we realize that we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord.

May we have the strength and grace to humble ourselves before the banquet of the Lord, so that one day the Lord Himself will also exalt us. Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle C - Year I:  

25 August 2019: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 66:18-21

Second Reading:   Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13

Gospel:  Please Read  Luke 13:22-30

The difficult path to God's Kingdom!

"Hope springs eternal", and that is what Christian living should be.  It means that it is human nature always to find cause for optimism.  

But sometimes life overwhelms us, and it can be disheartening.  When we find ourselves in this situation one practical way to deal with it is "one step at a time"..... slowly, carefully, and deliberately, without being careless or in a rush.  Things may turn our alright in the end if we do not lose focus.

In the Gospel this Sunday, our Lord warns us that the path to the heavenly kingdom is also full of challenges and hardships.  He said that we have to pass through the narrow door to enter the kingdom of God.

We read that as Jesus makes His way to Jerusalem, someone from the crowd asked Him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?"  Jesus' reply is rather startling.  He says that although many will attempt to enter heaven through the narrow gate, but will not be strong enough to persevere.

So what does Jesus mean by this?  Let us reflect on what our Lord is telling us.

The road of life in this world is wide, and many follow it because it is like a river of desires and pleasures.  In contrast, the road to heaven is narrow and difficult to follow because it demands following the Gospel in words and actions.  It is tempting to stray from it with the so many distractions of the world.  So Jesus warns us that knowing the Lord and the Gospel is not enough.  It is necessary to live the life that Jesus Himself lived and put His word into practice.     

And so the Gospel message is really a wake up call for all Christians.  Because while God's invitation is open to all, we tend to forget that salvation is realized according to God's terms and not merely our own interpretation of God's terms to be.   In other words, just because you may claim to love God it doesn't necessarily mean that you love Him as He desires or expects to be loved when you are not sincere in your love with actions.  The Gospel message reminds us not to presume that all who claim friendship with God are in fact and in truth His real friends.

Thus, let us heed seriously Jesus' warning that we can be excluded from entering the kingdom if we do not strive to enter by the narrow gate.  And the door that Jesus is talking about is Himself.  "I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved."  (Jn 10:9)

Now, Jesus opens the way for us to enter into His kingdom through the cross.  So we must follow our Lord in the way of the cross.  This means that to enter the kingdom of God one must struggle against the forces of temptation and whatever hinders us from doing the will of God in our lives, including apathy, indifference, and compromises.

But let us not be discouraged because the Good News is that we do not struggle alone.  God Himself is with us  and His grace is sufficient for us to enter into the narrow gate.

In sum, the pursuit of the kingdom of Heaven demands hard work, obedience and perseverance for those who believe.  Many start the walk on the road to salvation but few stay on it or persevere in the journey.  This is because the evil one is constantly setting obstacles in the path to holiness.  So we need to pray constantly for our faith to be strong and unwavering.

Do you trust in God's grace and help, especially in times of testing and temptation?

Let us pray for humility to see that God's kingdom is a gift which we have to accept with joy and gratitude, so that it may bear fruits in our daily lives.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!