Cycle C - Year I:

28 July 2013 - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 11:1-13

Pray persistently!

National media at one time proclaims the Philippines as the text capital of the world. That may not be surprising because really we do love to communicate and express ourselves. That is why we are known as friendly and hospitable people in this part of the world.

So now it is true that in the Philippines young and old, rich and poor, even in sickness or in health, Filipinos have cell phones and other communication gadgets. It is just the "in" thing to have one, so to say, although it can be expensive for the "load" and the cost of the gadgets.

But  do you know that the very first, and the best means of communicating is absolutely free? We call it "prayer" and it is God-given. In praying we connect with God at any time, which means there is no such thing as "no signal", or "low bat", or no "load". Because God answers all prayers, in his own ways and in his time.

In his public ministry Jesus himself lives a life of prayer. The disciples are witnesses to this. So in today's gospel episode the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray.

In response Jesus gives them the prayer of the "Our Father", and invites his disciples to pray persistently... and knock till the door is opened.

The "Our Father" is a beautiful prayer that comes from Jesus himself. Let us try to digest this prayer. It contains all the essential elements of a prayer, like Adoration for God ("Hallowed be thy name"), our Contrition or Repentance for the sins we have committed ("Forgive us our trespasses"), and our Supplication, that is, we request God to give us the food that we need to sustain our body ("Give us this day our daily bread").

In the words of the "Our Father" Jesus teaches us to call God our Father and a friend. Jesus explains what "fatherhood" means. It means having the best interest of his children in mind and knowing how to meet them. God as a friend means we can approach Him with any need at any time.

Prayer is our hot line to God. Prayer is an ongoing dialogue of intimate commitment with God. Prayer is about falling in love with God.

Through prayers we receive "new glasses" through which we see better the landscape in our journey in life. Through prayers we are drawn by Love into a deepening relationship with Jesus whose loving embrace on the hill of Golgotha bridged heaven with earth.

In practical life, we can pray in one of two ways: as a trusting child or a persistent friend. Either way, believe that the God to whom we are speaking will listen when we continue speaking with Him, and believe that God has our best interest in mind, always.

Especially during this Year of Faith, let us pray persistently, for ourselves, our families, our country and for the whole world. Let us not get tired knocking until the door of heaven is opened to us.

Also today the Catholic Church in the Philippines celebrates Fil-Mission Sunday. Let us pray for Filipino diocesan priest-missionaries of the Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP) who represent our missionary apostolate to other peoples, especially those in Asia and Oceania. Let us support these Filipino missionaries through prayers, sacrifices and material offerings.

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

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Cycle C - Year I:

21 July 2013 - 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 10:38-42

Seek God first of all!

How do you start your typical day? As you wake up, do you rush to get things done for the day? Or do you pause a moment to plan first, and organize your activities for the day? Do you begin your day in prayer to thank the Lord for the  gift of a new day?

We hear today an incident in our Lord's public life that provides valuable lessons on how we can witness and live our faith in our daily life.

Jesus is in Bethany visiting with his friends. The sisters Martha and Mary welcome him in their house. While Martha is bustling about the house and trying to provide hospitality to their guest, Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet listening to his teachings. So Martha complains, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?"

But our Lord said to Martha in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

We might easily identify with Martha with our very busy lives. There is just too much that needs to be done, in work and in our family with its many demands. And so it seems difficult to find time for good, solid meditative prayer.

And being busy with so many things can just as easily happen even in priestly ministry. It is easy for some priests to get caught up in doing things, like ministering to the many needs of others, performing administrative duties, teaching and preaching that they neglect personal prayers. And without a life of prayer, there is the temptation to lose their vocation and become just social workers.

While serving others is an important part of discipleship, Jesus teaches us to set our priorities right. The "better part" chosen by Mary in today's gospel from Luke is Jesus himself.

Thus, listening to the word of God is the most important thing in our lives. Because what the Lord wants of us, first of all, is to be close to him, put our trust in him amidst our daily concerns. Time spent in prayers is important. When it comes to our spiritual life, prayers and meditation are critical. We hold up to the Lord our daily activities and scrutinize them in the light of his teachings, in order for us to see what needs to be strengthened or discarded. In this way we are able to see what is leading us closer to Jesus, or taking us away from him.

Remember that Christ is always in our midst and wants to speak to our hearts. We can listen to him by meditating with faith on his word in the sacred Scripture, recollecting ourselves in private and communal prayers, pausing in silence before the tabernacle, from which God speaks to us of his love.

Especially on Sunday, we are called to encounter and listen to the Lord in the Eucharist at Holy Mass.

Even in practical life, when we seem overwhelmed by the many activities or work to be completed, it helps that we first plan and determine the best way to deal with them. With proper planning and right approach, it gets things done more effectively and perhaps even saves valuable time for ourselves and our family.

It is more true in our life of faith. In other words, prayers and active service are two complementary elements of our Christian discipleship. But Jesus teaches us to seek God first of all, and everything else will be given to us. 

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

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Cycle C - Year I: 14 July 2013 - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle C - Year I:

14 July 2013 - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 10:25-37

The Good Samaritan: love for our neighbor!

In the Christian world we often hear or read about the parable of Jesus. They represent a key part of his teachings, in fact forming approximately one-third of recorded teachings of Jesus, according to biblical authorities.

Jesus' parables are simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, usually depicting simple everyday life of his time. But although these parables seem simple, they convey deep messages that are central to the teachings of Jesus.

We hear one of the most well-known parables in today's Gospel from Luke, the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

There was a Jewish expert of the law who stood up to test Jesus on how to inherit everlasting life. Their conversation touched on two great commandments: love God and love  your neighbor. But the lawyer wants to spar with Jesus over the legal texts of the law, and so asks him, "And who is my neighbor?" (Lk 10:29)

In response our Lord gives the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In the social context of his time, this parable is intended to shock and challenge his listeners. Because recall that Jews were hostile to the Samaritans, who were considered social outcasts. By the choice of such protagonist, Jesus intentionally scandalizes the lawyer, to shock this complacent and self-serving man into a genuine understanding of love for neighbor.

Ultimately our Lord also addresses this Parable of the Good Samaritan to everyone in our time, who wants to test God and justify himself or herself. We can learn important lessons from this parable.

First, the use of a Samaritan (whom we said was the outcast of society) as a good neighbor is to show that we ought not to set limits to our charity. It must extend even to our enemies who need our help. Indeed, a shocking and challenging thought for most of us, I agree.

Second, the parable presents the Samaritan as the exemplar of love for neighbor to show that God's grace extends to all, that is to say beyond the "saintly and the holy", enabling even Samaritans to love as God commands.

Finally, the story teaches us that to be a neighbor is to be more sensitive to human life, both the joy and pain of people. Because being a neighbor is not based on personal relationship, race or religion. We should worry less about our own perception, or definition, of who is a neighbor, but more about being a neighbor to all, especially those who need our help and mercy.

In sum, the parable of the Good Samaritan provides an inspiring standard of love for neighbor. In our time Mother Theresa is our role model of a good neighbor as she cared for the abandoned and the dying in the streets of India.

In other words, this parable teaches us that our love must be generous, sacrificial, extending even to our enemies. Because it is in being a neighbor that we are also able to be living witnesses of our faith, and not just through self-serving devotion.

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

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Cycle C - Year I:

7 July 2013: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Share the Good News to all!

It used to be with pride to hear that the Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia. But after so many years that the seed of Christianity has been planted in our soil, we have second thoughts about it, I mean feeling proud as the only Catholic country in this part of the world until now. Because it seems our collective failure to live our faith and share it or evangelize our neighboring countries.

So what went wrong with our Christian living?

In today's Gospel narrative, Saint Luke recounts how, in the beginning, Jesus appointed 72 of his disciples and sent them out on a mission to help prepare the way for his visit to various people and towns. And he told them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few."

Before he sends them away, Jesus prepares the disciples for the mission by telling them what to expect and do while on mission. He states clearly that the mission work is not going to be easy. Some people will attack them; they will not be happy with what the disciples believe about Jesus. Thus, Jesus warns the disciples: "I am sending you like lambs among wolves!"

Jesus insists on a simple way of life for those who want to go on his mission. Because he wants them to avoid getting distracted by unimportant things or concerns and focus instead on truly caring for people and sharing with them the great joy of knowing and loving Jesus Christ. That is what it means when Jesus tells them, "Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals."

In practical life, the clear message of today's Gospel is that the task of spreading the Good News is not confined to the twelve apostles, and their direct successors in our times, the Pope, bishops and all ordained ministers. Rather, it is a mission given to all of us followers of Jesus. And we the lay people, by virtue of our baptism, also share in the missionary work of the Church. In other words, we too are called to lead others to Christ.

We know that God endowed each of us with gifts and talents. Jesus invites us to use these gifts in his service. Some of us may have the gift of eloquence to preach in public settings. Some have the courage and the compassion to be missionaries in foreign lands. Still some may have the golden voice to sing praises to the Lord. But all of us are called to share the Good News simply by the way we lead our lives.

So now why is it that we seem unable to share our faith with our Asian neighbors? In the silence of our heart, let us reflect: Do I have a sense that I have been personally called by God and sent into the world to continue his saving work? Do I understand the role I have in helping people in my own small corner of the world prepare to encounter Christ? Do people encounter Christ, or feel the presence of Christ, when they meet me, work with me, and hang out with me?

Let us rejoice that the Lord shares with us his saving work on earth!

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

Deo Optimo Maximo!