June 18, Corpus Christi Sunday

June 18, 2017

Corpus Christi Sunday 

Deuteronomy 8:2–3, 14b–16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16–17; John 6:51–58

If you try to google search in the internet “How to have a beautiful body,” you will surely find many tips telling you to watch your diet, exercise regularly and have a healthy lifestyle. But what does it mean to have a beautiful body?  Does it refer to a sexy body like that of the models and beauty queens? Does it refer to a strong body like that of the body builders and weight lifters?  Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. We can say that a beautiful body is the broken body of Jesus on the cross. But how can it be considered as something beautiful? Let us reflect on this in three points.

THE BROKEN BODY OF CHRIST IS BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE IT GIVES LIFE TO ALL OF US.  If you look at the body of your parents and grandparents, notice the wrinkled and rough hands of your mother who cooked your food and washed your clothes. Notice the drooping shoulders of your father due to constant work. Notice the curve of your grandparents’ back as a result of silent sacrifice. All of these do not make their bodies sexy, strong and healthy. But they nevertheless make their bodies “beautiful.” They are signs of love, signs of selfless giving in order that you may live. This is what we see in the broken and wounded body of Christ on the cross. A body that gives life to others is a beautiful body. Our bodies become beautiful not because of makeup and other accessories. Our bodies become beautiful from the inside when there is selfless love and giving of oneself so that others may live. What particular sacrament reminds us of this reality?

JESUS GIVES US HIS BODY AND BLOOD IN THE SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST. Every time we go to mass, we do not only profess our faith that Jesus offered His physical body. The physical body of Christ experienced by the apostles is no longer with us. Jesus already ascended into heaven. But in every celebration of the Holy Eucharist, Jesus is really present in his Sacramental body. When we mean to say sacramental body, it is through the signs and symbols that Jesus becomes really present. Because when the priest says the words of consecration over the bread and wine, the bread ceases to become bread. The wine ceases to become wine. The bread and wine become the very body and blood of Christ. That is why whenever we receive communion, the priest or lay minister does not say “This is the symbol of Christ.” The priest and lay minister rather clearly says “The Body of Christ.” We affirm it by saying “Amen.” What we receive is not just ordinary bread. It is the real Body of Christ. But why does Jesus give us His Body in the Eucharist?

JESUS GIVES HIS BODY AND BLOOD FOR OUR OWN NOURISHMENT. I remember this conversation I had with a young guy who asked me this question: “Father, why do we have to go to mass every Sunday? To tell you honestly, I have already stopped going to mass these past weeks. And I do not feel motivated to go to mass again.” I told this young guy, “We go to mass every Sunday to feed our souls. Just as our body needs food to live, our soul also needs food to live. What happens if you stop feeding your soul? Your soul becomes malnourished, unhealthy and exposed to dangers.” The Eucharist is food for the soul. That is why Jesus says in today’s gospel: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Everyone who eats this bread will have life – not just any ordinary life but eternal life.”

My dear friends when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion at mass today, bear in mind that it is not just ordinary bread. St Thomas Aquinas calls it the bread of heaven, the bread of angels. What we receive in communion is the broken but beautiful body of Jesus. He is the food that nourishes and gives life to our souls.  Amen.

June 11, Trinity Sunday

June 11, 2017

Trinity Sunday

Exodus 34:4b–6, 8–9; 2 Corinthians 13:11–13; John 3:16–18

You probably heard of this joke about a woman whom a priest found bringing a bunch of novena booklets to church. He asked, “Who is your favorite saint?” “Of course, I like the Blessed Virgin Mary best! But I also like her sister!” “Sister?” the startled priest asked. “Who is she?” Her reply: “Santa Trinidad!” “Santa Trinidad” is no sister of Mother Mary. “Santa Trinidad” refers to the Holy Trinity in local parlance. Today is the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. We remember today the mystery of God who revealed Himself as One, yet Three: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Saint Augustine once wrote, “Si comprehendus, non est Deus”. It means, “If you understand, it is not God.” No person can fully understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity. But why do we believe in the mystery of the Trinity? What are its implications in our life as Catholics? Let us reflect on these in three points.

OUR TRINITRIAN GOD IS A GOD OF RELATIONSHIP. The church teaching on the Trinity tells us that we have ONE GOD IN THREE DIVINE PERSONS: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are not impersonal entities. We call them “persons” because they live in a loving relationship with one another. God the Father loves His Son very much. God the Son, who is Jesus, also loves the Father and he showed this by being obedient to the will of the Father. What is the will of the Father? Our gospel today says: “God so love the world that he sent his only Son not to condemn the world but to save it.” The bond of love that unites the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit. Our God is a God of relationship. Perhaps one reason why some find it difficult to have this personal relationship with God is that they don’t look at God as a person. They look at God merely as an idea, an imagination or a creation of the mind. But on the contrary, the mystery of the Holy Trinity tells us that God is a community of persons. We are capable of entering into a relationship with our Trinitarian God because our God is a God of relationship. But how can we describe the relationship between the three divine persons?

IT IS A RELATIONSHIP OF LOVE. Human relationships oftentimes fail because of selfishness. If we look at the Trinity, one secret that keeps strong their relationship is the absence of selfishness. They do not compete with each other as to who is the best among them. That is why we don’t end up having three gods but only one God in three divine persons. There is a total giving of one self. Everything is given and shared to the other. There is no trace of selfishness or pride. Are we capable of imitating this kind of love? If we look at our relationship with our family, spouse, friends, do you think we can imitate this kind of relationship?

YES, WE ARE. BECAUSE WE ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF OUR GOD. Since we were created in the image and likeness of our Trinitarian God, then it means that we have the capacity to imitate the same love that binds together the Trinity: a love that is not selfish, a love that does not compete for greatness but a love that totally gives and shares oneself to the other.

On this feast of the Holy Trinity, let us remember that our Trinitarian God is a God of relationship. The love they have for each other binds them as one God. Let us turn to our Trinitarian God to give us the grace of strong and loving relationship in our families and communities.  Amen.

June 4, Pentecost Sunday

June 4, 2017

Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12:3B-7, 12-13; John 14:15-16, 23B-26 or John 20:19-23

There is this story about a man who looked sad on his birthday. One of his friends who noticed that he was sad came to him and asked why. The birthday celebrant answered his friend: “My brother forgot to greet me today.  He also forgot to do so last year.” The friend said: “Don’t worry that’s ok.  Sometimes it happens that even siblings forget each other’s birthdays.” The birthday celebrant said, “Is that so? But he is my twin brother!”

Today as we celebrate Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, we also celebrate the birthday of the Church. The Holy Spirit is the giver of life, the soul of the Church. One of the images used to depict the Holy Spirit is the wind because like the blow of a wind, the Holy Spirit is invisible yet we can feel its presence. So how does the Holy Spirit work in us? How can we feel its presence? What are the roles of the HS in our lives? Let us reflect on this in three points.

Holy Spirit as comforter. I remember as a child I used to play hide and seek with my friends. There were times when due to recklessness, I would end up being wounded. When I arrive home crying, my mom would clean my wounds with betadine and alcohol. It was really painful. But do you know what would my mom do to ease the pain? She would blow towards the wounds until the pain subsides. Such is the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we are down, burdened and wounded with all the concerns in life, the Holy Spirit calms our hearts and comforts us. This was the experience of the apostles in the first reading. They locked themselves in the upper room not only because they were afraid. They were also wounded and in pain because Jesus just died on the cross.  But when Jesus appeared and breathed on them the Holy Spirit, their pains, fears, and doubts were all blown away. Peace reigned in their hearts. The presence of the Holy Spirit indeed blows away our fears when we are afraid and comforts us when we are wounded and in pain.

Holy Spirit as protector. In my thirteen years of stay in the seminary, it is seldom that I get sick. But there was one time when I had a high fever. When we get sick, we are usually sent home in order to recover. I remember at home my mom would always prepare a special soup for me whenever I am sick with fever. When the soup is served, she would first take a spoonful of hot steaming soup, taste it a bit, blow on it a little before putting it in my mouth. Why would she do that? She wanted to be sure that I will not get hurt by the hot soup. Such is the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we face our struggles and crosses in life, we sometimes do not know what lies ahead of us. But if we place our trust in the Holy Spirit, we can be certain that we are in good hands. The Holy Spirit will be there to protect us and assure us that like Jesus we will end up victorious in facing our cross and trials in life.

Holy Spirit as giver of joy. I remember as a child when my parents would not give in to my demands, there were times when I became moody. But my mom has a way of handling my being moody. She would approach me and try to tickle me by blowing at my ear. This would lighten up my mood and make me smile. Such is the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we are gloomy, when we do not find any meaning and direction in life, that is the time to pray to the Holy Spirit to bring joy, guidance and meaning to our lives. The joy that the Spirit gives is not the fleeting joy found in worldly things. It is rather a true and lasting joy that comes from the Lord.

My brothers and sisters, let us thank the Lord for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have already received the Holy Spirit when we received the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, protector and giver of joy. In this mass let us pray that this same Holy Spirit, will inspire us to give comfort to those who are troubled, protection to those who are defenseless, and joy to the sorrowful.

May 28, Ascension of the Lord

May 28, 2017

Ascension of the Lord

Acts 1:1–11; Ephesians 1:17–23; Matthew 28:16–20

There was this story of an astronaut who had a successful travel to outer space. When he returned to earth, he told his wife, “We’ve gone up to heaven, but we did not find God there.” Obviously, the astronaut was talking about heaven from the physical and material level. The heaven that can be seen by our bare eyes. But is this the kind of heaven that Jesus refers to as we celebrate today the feast of the Lord’s Ascension?

I invite you to reflect on the meaning of this mystery in three points:

THE LORD’S ASCENSION IS THE HOMECOMING OF JESUS TO THE FATHER. Our readings today tell us that Jesus ascended not to the outer space. He ascended not to the heaven that can be seen by our bare eyes. He ascended to the throne of God the Father in heaven. He went back home to be with the Father. What does this mean for us? My brothers and sisters, let us remember that in the imagery of Church as Body of Christ, Jesus is our head and we are the body. If Jesus who is the head of the Church is now in heaven, then there is hope that we who belong to the body of Christ will one day be with Him in heaven. Jesus has opened the gates of heaven, the gates of paradise for us. Isn’t that beautiful? We are certain that there is a place called heaven, there is a place called paradise because Jesus, our head, already went there ahead of us to prepare for our homecoming. We are made for heaven. We are not made for this earth. The Lord’s Ascension ignites our hope that we will one day be at home with Jesus in paradise.

THE LORD’S ASCENSION DOES NOT MEAN THAT JESUS HAS ABANDONED US. We oftentimes see the Lord’s ascension as Christ leaving us - that Jesus will go to a distant place where we can no longer see Him. But the mystery of the Lord’s Ascension tells us that even without His physical presence, Jesus continues to remain in us. But this time we need new eyes to see Jesus. We need to see things in the eyes of faith to recognize His presence.  Now that Jesus is in heaven, we must understand that He also entered into a different kind of existence. Now his presence cannot be limited only to one place. In every adoration chapel throughout the world, in every sacrament, in every mass celebrated, in every experience of love, in every help we extend to the least of our brethren, in every prayer experience, Jesus is present. The Lord has not really abandoned us. Jesus in the Gospel says, “I am with you always until the end of the age.”

THE LORD’S ASCENSION MEANS THAT JESUS IS WITH THE FATHER INTERCEDING FOR US. We have this tendency that when we are in an exalted position, when we are in power, we forget the misery of others. But such is not the case with Jesus. He is now with the Father and as the Gospel says “all power in heaven and earth has been given to Him”. What does He do with that power?  He uses this opportunity to intercede for us, to empower us to continue His mission. What is this mission? Jesus says: “Go out to all the world and proclaim the good news.” Jesus did not send his disciples around the world as tourists.  He sends them as missionaries to make disciples. What is a disciple? A disciple is someone who has a living relationship with Jesus the master. The mission is to lead people to Jesus and develop a living relationship with him. How will they be able to do that? Jesus knows we are powerless and weak, like His own disciples. So He assures that He will continue to work with them. They will be able speak new languages, expel demons, cure the sick NOT because they are talented but because of Jesus working with them.

And so let us remember that in our mission, we must be humble enough to give credit not to ourselves but to Jesus who works in us. When God works in us and makes us his instruments, we can indeed accomplish many great things.  The Lord’s Ascension is not about Jesus leaving us alone here on earth. It is about his homecoming to the Father. We look forward for the day when Jesus will welcome us home in heaven. As we continue to live our lives on earth, may we allow God to work in us in accomplishing our mission to lead people closer to Him. Amen.

May 21, 6th Sunday of Easter

May 21, 2017

6th Sunday of Easter

Acts 8:5–8, 14–17; 1 Peter 3:15–18; John 14:15-21

I remember my professor once shared to our class that there are two ways of saying I love you in Italian. The first way is to say “Ti amo” which literally means “I love you.” “Ti amo” is more on the level of sentimental love. The other way of saying “I love you” is to say “Ti Voglio Bene” which literally it means “I desire your good.” This is the love that goes beyond sentimental love. It is a love that is expressed in action – by desiring what is good for the person you love.  Jesus says in today’s gospel, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  How can obedience to commandments be an expression of love? Isn’t it a form of restricting our freedom? What does He mean by this?

LOVE MEANS DESIRING THE GOOD OF THE OTHER. This is actually how St. Thomas Aquinas would define love. Love is not merely an outburst of emotion. It is not merely about feeling good.  Love is an act of the will. Love is a decision. It means that if I love someone, I think about what is good for him/her and I will consciously do it because I love the person. Love is to desire the good of the other. What about loving God? God is all good. He is the supreme Good. We cannot add anymore to the goodness of God. What we can do rather is to do the good God wants us to do. If we claim that we love the Lord, then we make a deliberate choice to observe and follow everything He taught us. Thus Jesus tells us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This is the gauge that will determine our love for God.

GOD’S COMMANDMENTS ARE FOR OUR OWN GOOD. Perhaps one reason why we find it difficult to obey God’s commandments is because of the thought that it limits our exercise of freedom. For example, God’s command of being faithful to one’s spouse. Some men may feel restricted of their freedom to enjoy the company of other women. But come to think of it, if there were no laws against infidelity or adultery, then we would have a lot of broken families and parentless children. The same is true also with honesty. If there were no laws against dishonesty (“Thou shalt not steal”), there would be chaos and disorder in society. God has given us freedom as a sign of His love. We were not created as slaves of the Lord. We have freedom.  God has given us these commandments to discipline our exercise of freedom. Authentic use of this freedom is not just the license to do anything we want. Authentic freedom means one is free from anything that hinders us from following and loving the Lord.

LOVE KEEPS US IN COMMUNION WITH GOD. We are already preparing to celebrate the Solemnity of Ascension of Jesus next week.  If we look at our readings for today, the disciples ask themselves: Now that Jesus is about to ascend to heaven and return to the Father, now that Jesus will leave us again, will we be left alone? Is there something enduring in our communion with Jesus? How can we maintain our communion with him? The answer is love. Love will keep us in communion with God. For whenever there is love, God is present for He is love.

My dear friends, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” To love the Lord is not mere sentimentality. To love the Lord means to obey His commands which are all for our own good.  May we strive to keep alive our bond of love for the Lord.

May 14, 5th Sunday of Easter

May 14, 2017

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts 6:1–7; 1 Peter 2:4–9; John 14:1–12

Mother’s Day

There is this story about a priest who said in his homily: “We bring nothing with us when we die. There is no money in heaven! People in heaven have no money!” The whole congregation fell silent. Then a little girl whispered to her mother loud enough for all to hear: “Mama, mama, we are in heaven already!”

Today we are celebrating Mother’s Day. I am sure that even without money, a mother’s love has a way of making us feel that our home is heaven on earth.  A mother’s love is indeed priceless. Can we just greet the beautiful mothers around us and say “Happy Mother’s Day!”

I once read an article saying that too much worrying can have a negative effect on our health. Aside from making us feel tired and stressed, too much worrying speeds up the aging process of our body and increases the risk for heart attack. For those of us who have the tendency to worry all the time, Jesus in today’s gospel tells us: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God. Have faith also in me.” In the midst of the concerns we have in life, Jesus promises three things that should keep us from worrying too much:

THE PROMISE OF HEAVEN. Jesus says: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” The Lord wants us to reach heaven. It is important that our earthly life should be a preparation for us to reach heaven. But the question is, are we preparing for eternity? Some of us may have all sorts of plans—educational plan, retirement plan, memorial plan. What about our eternal life plan? If we know what the future has in store for us, then we would surely know how to prepare for it in the present.

There is one thing we certainly know about the future. We will have to face death as our lives on earth come to an end. Life is our journey from B to D—that is, from Birth to Death. What is between B and D is C—that is, your Choice on how to live it. The choices we make in this life will determine which side of eternity we will be. What kind of choice must we make to prepare us for eternal life?

CHOOSE THE WAY OF JESUS. If we want to reach heaven, then we must know the path that leads to it. Jesus says in the gospel that He is the way, the truth and the life. He indeed is the way that will lead us to eternal life in heaven.  But sometimes we have the tendency to look for shortcuts, to look for other ways that seem attractive to us. One of the applications I use when I drive is Waze. Waze is an app that gives you directions on the road. Just tell Waze where you are going and Waze will tell you how to go there. Waze is really helpful especially if you get lost on the road. Waze will give you alternate routes to reach your destination. We can use this analogy to Jesus who is the way, truth and life. When at times we get lost on our way to heaven, Jesus always has another route waiting for us to follow to get us back on track.

WE SHOULD NOT WORRY BECAUSE GOD ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS.  The continuation of today’s gospel says: “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13) When we bring our petitions to the Lord in the spirit of faith, trust and obedience to His will, He will hear our prayers. (1 John 5:14-15). 

There are many things that cause us to worry in life. In the midst of these, Jesus promises us 3 things that should keep us from worrying to much: He promises us heaven, He promises us to show that way to heaven, He promises that if we pray in spirit of trust and obedience to God’s will, He will answer our prayers. May these promises of Jesus bring peace and consolation to our troubled hearts.  Amen. 

May 7, 4th Sunday of Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday)

May 7, 2017

4th Sun Easter Good Shepherd Sunday

Acts 2:14a, 36–41; 1 Peter 2:20b–25; John 10:1–10

Today, Good Shepherd Sunday, the universal Church prays for more vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life. One intention we can include in our prayers today is not just to pray for more shepherds, but to pray for more good shepherds. Shepherds are modern day leaders. How can we say that a leader is a good shepherd? Let us look at how Jesus describes what a good shepherd is in 3 points:

A GOOD SHEPHERD PASSES THRU JESUS THE GATE TO REACH THE SHEEP. How do we determine a true shepherd in distinction from a false shepherd? See what gate or what door they use in order to reach the sheep. Jesus says in the gospel, “I am the gate for the sheep.” False shepherds pass thru another door and not through Jesus - not through the ideals and teachings of Jesus. If the door is not Jesus, the gospel tells us that these shepherds are thieves. For example, we have many shepherds in our lives: parents, teachers, government leaders, church leaders, business men are shepherds. If we will use the door of power and ambition to reach you, we will not serve you, we will rather serve ourselves. If we enter through the gate of manipulation, we will use people for self-interest. Now we understand what Jesus means, if He is the gate that shepherds will use to reach the sheep – that is an indication that these are true and good shepherds.

THE SHEEP MUST BE DISCERNING OF THE HUMAN SHEPHERDS. For us who are sheep, we should ask ourselves what door did the human shepherds take in order to get in touch with the sheep? Is it the door of ambition, of power, of greed? Or is it the door of Jesus? For the shepherds here present, there are many doors available to us to reach the sheep, to reach the people entrusted to our care – please choose Jesus the door. For as the first and second reading tells us, Jesus is the door of our salvation and the model of what it means to be a good shepherd.

WE NEED TO PRAY THAT THE LORD MAY GIVE US GOOD SHEPHERDS. Today is also the Vocation Sunday. The Church asks us to pray that many young people, may respond to the call of priesthood and religious life. It is true that there is a shortage of priests in our Church. Just imagine, the ratio of priests to parishioners is roughly one to more than 20,000 baptized Catholics. What can we do to promote vocations? We need to pray and encourage the youth to generously respond to the call of the Lord to enter the priesthood and religious life. Aside from prayer we also need to live our faith. Priests and religious do not fall from the sky. They come from families, schools, communities or workplaces. If we strive to live our faith in these places, then perhaps people may be inspired to respond to the voice of the Good Shepherd.

My brothers and sisters, let us pray that the Lord may give us good shepherds. Let us pray for the human shepherds around us – Church leaders, government leaders, community leaders, parents, businessmen, and the like. Pray for us that we may always choose Jesus the door in fulfilling our role as shepherds. Amen.

April 30, 3rd Sunday of Easter

April 30, 2017

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14, 22–33; 1 Peter 1:17–21; Luke 24:13–35

It is a human experience that when our plans do not happen, we end up feeling disappointed. Such was the feeling of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in the Gospel today. They were expecting Jesus to lead them in a revolt against their oppressors. But when he died on the cross, they knew that what they had in mind will not happen. That is why out of frustration they went away from Jerusalem to go to Emmaus. The Gospel tells us that the road to Emmaus was a long walk – 7 miles away from Jerusalem. The disciples started walking on a bright afternoon and they ended up with no more sunlight. I believe it was long walk because the disciples were walking with a heavy heart. They were confused. They were disappointed. It is precisely at this moment that the Risen Jesus, whom they did not recognize, came and accompanied them in their journey. How can we recognize the presence of the Risen Lord in moments of doubt, confusion and disappointment?

BY LISTENING TO THE WORD OF GOD. This is what Peter pointed out in his speech in the first reading. In trying to convince the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah, he did not only give a narrative of the miracles and healings of Jesus. Peter also quoted the word of God – the psalm of David – to emphasize his point that Jesus is the messiah.

Isn’t it that in the Gospel, Jesus did the same thing. The two disciples cannot reconcile the claim that Jesus is the messiah. Because for them a messiah should always be victorious and should never be defeated. What did Jesus do to enlighten their minds? Jesus used the Word of God and explained to them about prophecy of the suffering messiah. My dear friends, in moments of confusion, doubt and disappointment, we can also recognize the presence of the Risen Lord, by listening to the Word of God. Let us allow God’s Word to shed light in the darkness we experience so that we may come to recognize the presence of the Risen Christ.

BY FOLLOWING WHAT THE WORD OF GOD TELLS US. It is not enough that we listen to the word of God. Listening must lead us to implement in our lives what the Word of God is telling us. This is what Peter emphasizes in the second reading. We were saved from slavery of sin by the precious blood of Christ. The proper response to this gift is our resolution not to go back to the old way of life – not go back to slavery to sin. How? Aside from listening to God’s word, we need to implement it in our lives so that we may come to recognize the presence of the Risen Christ who conquered sin and death for our sake.

BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized the presence of Jesus in the reading of the Scriptures and breaking of the bread. These two symbols refer to the Eucharist. This is a beautiful reminder of the real presence of the Risen Christ in the Eucharist.  Jesus does not simply belong to the past. He is present here and now as we celebrate the Eucharist. If only we are mindful of His presence, I am sure like the disciples, our hearts will be burning.

As we continue with the Eucharist, let us be mindful of the real presence of the risen Christ. He comes and walks with us in the midst of our frustration and disappointments. May our listening to God’s Word in this mass lead us to follow where the Risen Christ guides us.  Amen.

April 23, Divine Mercy Sunday

April 23, 2017

Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31

I remember this story of a priest who was assigned in a coastal area. One day a parishioner said to the priest carrying a handful of sand and said, “Father my sins are as countless as the sands of the sea. How can I ever obtain forgiveness for all of them?” The priest said, “Take the sand back to the shore and pile up layers of sand. Then sit back and watch the waves come in and wash the pile of sand slowly, surely, and completely away. That is how God’s forgiveness works.  His mercy is as big as the ocean. Be truly sorry and the Lord will undoubtedly forgive you.”

Today, the Second Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. Mercy is one of the messages of the Risen Jesus to his disciples in the gospel today. How did the apostles experience the mercy of the Risen Christ? What effect did this mercy bring to the apostles? Let us reflect on this in three points.

GOD’S MERCY CAN PENETRATE THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE. In the gospel, we see that even if the disciples locked themselves in a room, the Risen Lord managed to enter the room. What were the first words of Jesus to his disciples? He said to them: “Peace be with you.” This greeting is very significant. Remember that during the passion and suffering of Jesus, where did the disciples go? They ran away and hid themselves. They abandoned Jesus at the moment when He needed the support of His close friends. But this time instead of Jesus reprimanding His disciples, instead of revenge, Jesus now appears to them to offer peace and forgiveness. This is how the mercy of God penetrates our hearts. Even if the doors of our hearts remain closed, God’s mercy can penetrate and enter our hearts not to seek revenge, but to offer us peace, mercy and forgiveness. This is the good news of the Divine Mercy.

GOD’S MERCY CAN HEAL OUR WOUNDS. One of the prominent characters in the gospel today is Thomas the apostle. He is known as the “Doubting Thomas” because he doubted the report of his fellow apostles that they had seen the Risen Jesus. Where did this doubt of Thomas come from? We also need to understand where Thomas is coming from. Perhaps he was also hurt. He was also wounded. Perhaps the reason why he was absent when Jesus first appeared to the disciples, was that he wanted to have some time alone by himself to grieve at the death of Jesus. When Jesus appeared again to the disciples, he greeted Thomas and said: “Peace be with you.” This encounter with the Risen Jesus who did not seek vengeance but offered peace and reconciliation, healed the wounded heart of Thomas. This led Thomas to believe and say: “My Lord and my God!”

My brothers and sisters, we are all like Thomas.  We come to the Lord as wounded people. Let us not be afraid to show the Lord our wounds: tell Him what is troubling and disturbing us, our hurts, pains, and failures. Like the wounded Thomas, may our encounter with God’s mercy bring healing to our own wounds. What happened to the disciples after experiencing God’s mercy?

EXPERIENCING GOD’S MERCY TRANSFORMS US TO BE “MERCIFUL LIKE THE FATHER.” As the disciples continued to preach about Jesus, people will persecute them and put them to prison. But learning from Jesus, their only response to these challenges, their only response to the wounds inflicted on them is mercy – not revenge, not violence, not anger, not hatred but mercy.  Pope Francis tells us that the mercy of God transforms us. It is true. It did transform and strengthened the disciples of Jesus to be merciful like the Father.

My brothers and sisters, as we celebrate today Divine Mercy Sunday let us look at the image of the Divine Mercy. It is the image of the Risen Jesus with nail marks on his hands and feet. In the silence of our hearts, let us say to Him: “Jesus I trust in you. Jesus I trust in your mercy. I trust that you can heal my wounds. Make me an instrument of Your mercy to others.”  Amen.

April 16, Easter Sunday

April 16, 2017

Easter Sunday

Acts 10:34a, 37–43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1–9

Happy Easter my dear brothers and sisters in Christ! “The Lord is risen, Alleluia! Alleluia!” This is the good news of our faith this Easter Season. I remember this story about a  conversation between two friends – one is a Christian and the other is a Muslim. The Muslim wanted to impress his Christian friend about Islam so he said, “When we Muslims go to Mecca, we at least find a coffin of our founder, but when you Christians go to Jerusalem, you find nothing but an empty grave.” The Christian friend replied, “That is precisely the difference.  Mohammed is dead and in his coffin.  And all other founders of religions are in their coffins. But the Lord whom we believe in, the Lord who established our Church – Jesus the Christ is Risen from the dead and all power in heaven and on earth is given to Him.”

My brothers and sisters, what we celebrate today is not about a zombie rising from the dead. What we celebrate today is not about a dead man walking. What we celebrate today is the great mystery of our faith – that Christ rose from the dead, entered into a new realm of existence and continues to live up to the present moment. What is the significance of the resurrection of Christ? Why do we celebrate Easter every year?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

THE STORY OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS IS THE VERY FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH. If we want to find proof, or evidence that will convince us that Jesus is not only human but also God, it is none other than the resurrection event. During the earthly ministry of Jesus, when he asked his disciples, Who do you say I am? All of them gave different answers - one disciple said He is Moses, another said He is Elijah, another said again He is John the Baptist. In other words, they were not sure if Jesus was God. But when He finally rose from the dead and showed himself to his disciples, his resurrection was the greatest proof telling us that Jesus is God.

This is how our Church started to grow. Without the resurrection, our Church would not have reached this far.  Without the resurrection, there would be no St. James the Great Parish. The Roman Catholic Church continues to exist up to the present moment because the one who built our Church is not just any other person. It is Jesus – true God and true man. It is Jesus, risen from the dead.

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS ILLUSTRATES THE TRIUMPH OF GOOD OVER EVIL. The death of Jesus on the cross is perhaps the greatest crime man has ever committed. The death of Jesus was not just about the killing an innocent man. The death of Jesus is about man killing God himself. Many thought that was the end of the life of Jesus. But God is so great that he can make good out of evil. God is so great that he can extract goodness out of evil. Death is not the end of the story. Injustice is not the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead and conquered evil with goodness and love. This is our story too. The resurrection tells us that as we struggle in the battle between good and evil here on earth, we should never give up doing what is right, never give up striving to be better persons, because in the end, goodness will always triumph over evil.

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS GAVE US ETERNAL LIFE. What is eternal life? Eternal life does not mean that we are now immortal. It does not mean that we will not die. No. Before the resurrection event, the cycle of life consists only of: Birth – Life – Death – Corruption. But after the resurrection of Christ, the life cycle has been changed from Birth – Life – Death and Eternal life for those who believe in Christ. Death is not the end of our life. The Resurrection of Jesus tells us that after death, there is eternal life. Eternal life means belonging in that kingdom where there are no more tears, no more fears, no more pain, no more problems, no more goodbyes but only the reign of goodness and love.

My brothers and sisters, the resurrection of Jesus is the very foundation of our faith. It tells us that good will always triumph over evil and it strengthens our hope for eternal life. As we renew our baptismal promises today, let us also renew our commitment to be faithful to Jesus so as to share in the glory of his resurrection.  Amen.

April 9, Palm Sunday

April 9, 2017

Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Phil 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14—27:66 or Matthew 27:11–54

When a new movie is about to be shown in cinemas, producers advertise the movie by making sure that the preview or movie trailer is well done. If the preview can capture the whole substance of the movie within 2 to 3 minutes then it is good.

My brothers and sisters, our readings this Palm Sunday can be likened to a movie trailer because they give us a preview of the events that will take place, this Holy Week. If we will compare it to a movie, perhaps this is a movie that we are all familiar with. Every year the Church does not get tired of repeating its observance of Holy Week. What is the point of repeating annually the story of how Jesus suffered died and rose again from the dead? As we begin the observance of Holy Week with Palm Sunday, let us reflect on this in 3 points:

IN LOCAL PARLANCE, WE CALL HOLY WEEK AS “MAHAL NA ARAW” WHICH LITERALLY MEANS COSTLY DAY. “Mahal” does not, of course, mean that for this week, the prices of basic commodities, gasoline, food and electricity will go up. No. We call this “mahal na araw” because God saved us at a very costly price. The price is none other than the life of an innocent man in the person of Jesus. This tells us how serious God is for our salvation. But do we take this seriously? For many people Holy week signals a long grand vacation from work and school. This week is not called “vacation week”, “friendship week” or “rest week.” It is called “Holy Week.” Let us therefore make this week holy by making time to go to Church, reflect, pray and meditate on the passion of Jesus.

WHAT MAKES THIS WEEK HOLY IS THE PASSION OF JESUS. Palm Sunday is also called Passion Sunday. The word passion refers to the suffering of Jesus. Human experience tells us that we all want to avoid suffering. We want a life free from pain and sorrow. But with Jesus it is different. He entered Jerusalem to face suffering. He entered Jerusalem to be ridiculed, beaten and humiliated. What motivated Jesus to face suffering and not avoid it? If we look at it closely, we will discover that Jesus was able to embrace suffering because of His DEEP trust and obedience in God. Look at what deep trust in God can do in the face of suffering. The suffering of Jesus is not a suffering because of stubbornness and carelessness. It is a suffering of someone who obeys and trusts God the Father. Without trust, Jesus might have run away from Jerusalem.  Perhaps this is something we can learn from Jesus. When we find ourselves in the human experience of suffering, instead of magnifying more our sufferings, let us magnify more the Lord, let us magnify more our trust in Him so that like Jesus we may find consolation that God’s help will never abandon us.

THE PASSION OF JESUS REVEALS HIS LOVE FOR US. The word passion can also mean intense desire or enthusiasm. The determination of Jesus to go to Jerusalem, face suffering and death reveals His love for us. Jesus knew that love is not a bed of roses. And because He is willing to love, he is willing to do anything, he is willing to suffer and die in order that God’s plan for salvation might be fulfilled. This is the passion, this is the determination of Jesus: to save us, and to bring us back to God.

My brothers and sisters, as we enter Holy Week this Palm Sunday, we see how determined, how passionate Jesus is to go to Jerusalem, face His suffering and His death. This is the costly price that brought us salvation. May we also be filled with passion and enthusiasm to make this week “holy” by making time to reflect, pray and meditate on the passion of Jesus.  Amen.