January 29, 4h Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 29, 2017

Fourth Sunday Ordinary Time

Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a

I remember reading a news article last year about an interesting study that named the happiest countries in the world. According to the survey the top 10 happiest countries are: Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. The Philippines was the 82^nd happiest place out of the 157 countries covered by the survey. How were they able to measure happiness? According to the study, people who live in the happiest countries have longer life expectancies, have more social support and have a higher gross domestic product (rich countries). Perhaps this is how the world measures happiness. In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches us another formula for happiness—the Beatitudes. What is this formula all about?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

THE BEATITUDES IS A FORMULA FOR A KIND OF HAPPINESS THAT THE WORLD CANNOT GIVE. In the eyes of the world, it is a senseless formula. The first beatitude says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for there is the kingdom of heaven.”  How can being poor make us happy? Poverty is not a good thing. If you are poor and have no resources, how can that be considered as a happy state of life? We need to be clear that Jesus does not glorify here economic poverty. Jesus underlines “poverty in spirit.” To be poor in spirit is to be rich in faith. Our first reading tells us that during the time of Zephaniah the poor and the lowly Israelites are more conscious of their reliance on God than the wealthy ones. Without wealth, without status, without influence, the poor naturally depend on God. Paul says in the second reading that there is something we can learn from the poor and lowly ones – their being poor in spirit. So aside from the Christian act of helping the poor, we must also become like them – poor in spirit, detached from material things and attached only to God.  The Beatitudes is not a formula for worldly happiness. The Beatitudes is a formula that will lead us to the peace and happiness which the world can neither give nor take away.

THE BEATITUDES INVITE US TO FIND JOY AND HAPPINESS IN SANCTITY.  Oftentimes we see the path to holiness a as burdensome and difficult. But Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are you! Happy are you!” because perseverance in the path to holiness will give us ultimate happiness. To be holy does not mean to be perfect. St Augustine once said, “Every saint has a sinful past. And every sinner has a saintly future.” No one is born a saint. All of us are born sinners. All of us can aspire for holiness. Perseverance in the path to holiness will give us happiness because it assures us a place in the Kingdom of God. If we look at the Beatitudes, how then do we become holy?

THE BEATITUDES REMIND US TO PUT GOD FIRST IN OUR LIVES. This is the core of true happiness and holiness. When we look at the Beatitudes we must pay attention not only to the first part. Let us not forget the promise they contain. Why are the poor in spirit blessed and happy? Because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.  Why are those who mourn happy? Because they will be consoled by God himself. Why are the lowly happy and blessed? Because they will inherit not just any land. They will inherit the promised land – eternal life. Why are you blessed when you hunger and thirst for holiness? Because you will be satisfied. When we hunger and thirst for pleasure, money, power, we will never ever get satisfied. But when we hunger and thirst for holiness, we will never go hungry and thirsty anymore for God will satisfy our longings. Why are you happy and blessed when people insult you because of your faith? Because your reward will be great in heaven. 

What is it that gives us happiness in life? Jesus gives us the Beatitudes as the formula for true happiness that the world cannot give. Let us pray in this mass for the grace to find joy in taking the path of holiness. May the Beatitudes be a constant reminder for us to put God first in our lives so as to experience true and lasting happiness.  Amen.

January 22, 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 22, 2017

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1 Cor 1:10-13,17; Mt 4:12-23

There is this story about three classmates who met in a class reunion. One of them became a doctor and said, “In our town, people call me ‘Monsignor’ because I am a lay minister.” The second classmate who is a lawyer, bragged: “Well, I’m a charismatic elder. I give spiritual talks so everybody calls me ‘Cardinal’.” The third said: “I’m a sales representative going from house to house; I serve as collector at Mass. People call me ‘GOD.’” “How come people call you God?” his friends asked. “You see, when I knock on the doors of my customers homes and they see me,” they say, “My God, my God, you again!”

Today’s gospel tells us about Jesus calling his first apostles. Many have this idea that the call of Christ is addressed only to the apostles and their successors: Popes, bishops, and priests. But that is not true. Every Christian is called by the Lord to a mission, to be a fisher of man by virtue of his or her baptism. How are we going to respond to this call?

THE IDEAL WAY TO RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL IS IMMEDIATELY, UNCONDITIONALLY AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY. This is how the gospel describes the response of the first four disciples of Jesus: Simon, Andrew, James the Great (the patron of our parish) and John. We might be astonished to see how these four men immediately, unconditionally and wholeheartedly responded to the invitation of Jesus: “Come after me; I will make you fishers of men.” What is their assurance that the one who called them, will not fool them?  This might be their first personal encounter with Jesus. It must have been a powerful personal encounter because they were willing to leave everything – their job, family and security in life – in order to follow Jesus. If we take look at them again, who are the ones being called by the Lord?

THE LORD CALLS THE ORDINARY PEOPLE. There was nothing special in the first disciples of Jesus. They were ordinary people, ordinary fishermen from an ordinary town of Galilee. In the first reading, Galilee, Zebulun and Naphtali were mentioned because these were the towns that were despised and ridiculed by people. Compared to Jerusalem which is the center of culture and commerce, Galilee is a place where the uneducated, the poor and the pagans lived. Yet Jesus personally came to them and invited them. This is something unusual because during the time of Jesus, the students look for their mentor.  But Jesus personally came to them and called them to be his followers. My brothers and sisters, God’s call is not only for priests and the religious, God’s call is for each and every one of us. After all, we priests and religious are also ordinary people.

ORDINARY PEOPLE LIKE US ARE CALLED BY THE LORD TO CONTINUE THE MISSION OF THE FIRST DISCIPLES. We are the successors of the first disciples. Paul tells us in the second reading that the great evangelizers like Peter, Apollos and Paul himself were once ordinary men. Like them, we are also sent to spread the good news, to make it known and attract others to Christ.  Not all of us are called to do it by preaching, but the way how we strive to live our faith and how we live our lives no matter what profession we are in, can

attract people to Christ.

In this mass let us beg for the grace for a better appreciation of God’s call for us. The Lord calls ordinary people. He calls each and every one of us to continue the mission of the first disciples. May we respond to his invitation immediately, unconditionally, wholeheartedly.  Amen.

January 15, Feast of the Sto. Niño

January 15, 2017

Feast of the Sto. Niño

Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 98; Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18; Matthew 18:1-5, 10

The story is told about a little boy who was asked by his teacher: “Where are you from?”  The boy responded: “From Manila, Ma’am” “And where is Manila?” “In the Philippines, Ma’am!” “And where is the Philippines?” “In the world, Ma’am.” “And where is the world?” The boy responded, “In the hand of the Santo Niño, Ma’am!”

Today the Philippine Church celebrates the feast of the Sto. Niño. If we look closely at the image of the Sto. Niño, we will see the boy Jesus holding the world and a scepter in his hands. What does this image tell us? Why is it that the Jesus we find in the manger is dressed differently from the Sto. Niño?

Let us reflect on the readings for today in three points:

THE FEAST OF THE STO. NIÑO REVEALS THE IDENTITY OF THE CHILD JESUS AS KING.  This is precisely the vision of Isaiah in the first reading.  Isaiah depicts a situation where people have become weary because of war, violence and darkness. But there is hope because Isaiah speaks of a time when peace and joy would reign. How will this moment come about? According to the vision of Isaiah, peace and joy will start to reign when a child is born to them.  But how can a mere child solve all these conflicts and problems? This child will be special. The child will be called: Wonder Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever and Prince of Peace. This child will come as king. This is what we see in the image of the Sto. Niño.  A child dressed like a king wearing a crown and holding the world and the scepter in his hands. He is a king who will come to bring peace. But what kind of king will this child be?

THE FEAST OF THE STO. NIÑO PRESENTS TO US A HUMBLE KING.  Jesus who is king, showed his humility by being subject to human parents. Mary and Joseph were definitely lower than Him in rank and standing. Jesus is God. He is King. But still, He submitted himself to Mary and Joseph. Paul tells us in the second reading that humility is a mark of a childlike person. Jesus remained to be an obedient son of Mary and Joseph. I remember when I was about to be ordained priest, my family asked me: “So how will we address you now?  Will we always call you Father Jonathan?” I told them, “I may be a priest. But before my family, I remain to be a child of my parents and a brother to my siblings.” So whenever we are on our own, they would call me “Jun” - my nickname in the family. My younger siblings would still call me “kuya.” Honestly I feel awkward when my family would call me “Father.” Sometimes too much emphasis on the title makes us proud. To remain humble like a child is the invitation of the Sto. Niño. Being childlike is different from being childish. How are we going to be childlike?

WE LOOK AT THE STO. NIÑO AS THE MODEL OF BEING CHILDLIKE.  We don’t have to apply anti-aging facial wash and anti-aging treatments to become childlike. Jesus in today’s gospel invites us to become childlike by having a heart of a child of God: A heart that sincerely trusts in the Lord.  A heart that acknowledges one’s dependence and need for the Lord.  A heart that is obedient to the will of the Father.  This is something consistent all throughout the life of Jesus.  Even if He reached 33 years old, even if he can no longer be considered a child with his age, He still remained to be that humble and obedient child of God.

A person filled with pride will say, “I am already mature.  I don’t need God anymore. I don’t need the guidance of anyone anymore. I am old enough to decide on my own.” But a person with childlike humility will say, “I need God in my life. I need His guidance to give me direction. I need to listen to the words of wisdom of my parents, grandparents and superiors.”  To be childlike and not childish – that is the Lord’s invitation for us.  Today’s feast of the Sto. Niño reminds us of the identity of Jesus as king – a humble and obedient king and son of the Father. Let us pray in this mass that our devotion to the Sto. Niño may lead us to possess these childlike qualities.  Amen.

January 8, Epiphany of the Lord

January 8, 2017

Epiphany of the Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-3a,5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

Good morning and Happy feast of the three kings! Today’s feast of the Epiphany is commonly known as the feast of the three kings. There is this message circulating in Viber and Facebook saying that there were actually 6 Kings and not only 3? Only three reached Bethlehem: by tradition the names of these 3 kings are King Melchor, King Gaspar and King Balthazar.  Unfortunately, the three other kings did not reach Bethlehem. Where did they go? The 4th king went to the USA, the 5th king to China, and 6th king to the Philippines.  Their names were: BURGER KING, CHOWKING, and TAPA KING, respectively.

This feast of the Epiphany tells us that Jesus revealed himself as the Savior of all. My brothers and sisters, if the Lord revealed himself to us, what is our response to this manifestation? Let us reflect on this as we look at three characters from the gospel we have heard.

The first character are the MAGI. The three wise men were astrologers.  They know the prophecy of Isaiah in first reading. As soon as they saw the sign of a star from the sky, they knew that a new King will be born. What did they do? They exerted effort to look for the newborn King. They traveled all the way from the East to Jerusalem. Their long journey is indeed a journey of faith. They faced many uncertainties ahead of them – they had no accurate map, GPS device or Waze app to show the way. But they did not give up in their search. When they finally reached Bethlehem, they needed more faith because they found a new born king without a throne, without an army and without riches. Faith enabled them to search for Jesus and recognize him as the newborn king and the Messiah.

Are we like the magi, who would exert effort to find God’s presence in our lives? When things are going well for us, it is easy to recognize God’s presence. But when at times we undergo dark moments, it is difficult to recognize God’s presence. Actually we don’t have to travel so far to find God.  Because our God is Emmanuel. He is with us. He has never left us but He can be found and recognized by those who search for His presence.

The second character are the SCRIBES. They were the experts in scriptures. When Herod heard about the prophecy, he turned to the experts and inquired where will this newborn king be born.  As experts in Scriptures, the scribes know the answer. They even quoted the prophet Micah and said that the new king will be born in Bethlehem. But what is ironic is that they know very well the prophecy and they were living near Bethlehem but they were not affected by it. They did not act on it. They totally ignored it. This explains why they were not able to find Jesus. They were near yet so far.

Are we sometimes like the scribes who have received the faith but still remain indifferent to it? Are we like the scribes who have received the faith but still there is no change in our lives? Back to normal. Business as usual? May we not commit the same mistake of the scribes who simply ignored the presence of God.

The last character is KING HEROD. When he learned about the fulfilment of the prophecy that a new king was born, he was threatened. He trembled in fear. Perhaps he told himself, “A new king is born. What will now happen to me?  What will now happen to my kingdom?” So Herod asked the Magi to report back to him so that he can also pay homage. But we know that his plans were different. He wanted to identify the exact location of the new born King so that he can kill Jesus. In other words, Herod’s reaction was total rejection of the light of Christ. Are we sometimes like Herod? Do we welcome Christ in our lives or do we want to eradicate and get rid of His presence?

My brothers and sisters, today’s feast of the Epiphany tells us that the Lord has revealed Himself as the Savior of all. Our first and second reading invite us to respond to this revelation by sharing the light of Christ to others.  But what is our response to this revelation? Are we going to be like the scribes, who ignored the coming of Christ? Are we going to be like Herod who rejected Christ? In this mass let us pray that we may we become like the magi, who welcomed the coming of Christ, who ardently searched for His presence to give glory and praise to Him. May we never give up in our search to find Jesus in our lives. He is Emmanuel. He is truly with us. May He bring light to our lives.  Amen. 

January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God

January 1, 2017

Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God; World Day of Peace Sunday

Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67; Gal 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21

Good evening everyone and Happy New Year! Every time we celebrate New Year, one of the things people want to know is what year is it according to Chinese astrology. If year 2016 is year of the monkey, what about 2017?  According to Chinese astrology, 2017 is the Year of the Rooster. But for us Catholics, Year 2017 is the Year of the Lord. Let us remember that we are in the year 2017 A.D. The initials A.D. refer to the latin word: Anno Domini which literally means the Year of the Lord. As we welcome the coming New Year, what are the things we can pray for?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

LET US PRAY THAT THE LORD MAY CONTINUE TO BLESS US. This is actually the prayer we find in the first reading. At the start of the year, we want to experience God’s blessings. But what is a blessing? What does it mean to be blessed by God? Some people think that if they get a bonus that is a great blessing. Some people think that if they acquire properties, it’s a blessing. Prosperity is indeed part of the biblical understanding of blessing. But in the first reading, we find that the blessing that comes from God is not a thing. It is rather about God’s action and presence in our lives.

The book of Numbers says: “The Lord bless you and protect you.” God’s protection is a blessing from God.  In the beginning of year, we ask God to protect us from everything that will destroy us. “May the Lord look kindly upon you.” It is like saying, Lord be kind to us.  You know that we are frail and weak. You know our capacities very well.  Do not be harsh to us but be kind to us. These are some of the blessings the Lord wants to give us. They are not material gifts but symbols of God’s action and presence in our lives. Let us pray therefore that we may be truly blessed by the Lord.

LET US ALSO THANK THE LORD GOD FOR THE BLESSINGS OF THE PAST YEAR. It would be good that before the year ends, we make a list of the simple and great blessings the Lord has given us. Many blessings are ignored and wasted because we do not pay attention to them. Let us turn to Mary whose feast we remember today. The blessing Mary received from God is not a thing.  Paul tells us in the second reading that the greatest blessing Mary received is the blessing of Jesus. How did Mary handle the blessings the Lord has given her?  The gospel tells us, “She treasured all of them in her heart.” That is the proper way of handling blessings. Let us not just ignore the many blessings the Lord has bestowed on us. Let us treasure them in our hearts. If we look into our hearts, what treasures do we see in it? Is it anger, bitterness, conflict or memories of how the Lord has blessed us?  Husbands, do you treasure the smiles of your wife? Wives, do you treasure the efforts of your husbands? Or are your hearts filled with memories of failures? Children how do you think about your parents? Do you see them like an ATM card from whom you can withdraw anything you need? Or are your hearts filled with treasures of their sacrifice and love for you?  My dear friends, like Mary let us treasure in our hearts, the many simple and great blessings the Lord has given us. Let us thank the Lord for all the blessings He has given us.

LET US PONDER ON THE BLESSINGS THE LORD HAS GIVEN US.  Whenever we get blessings, instead of stopping and spending some few moments of reflection what do we usually do? We run around and say: “Oh how can I spend this? I need to go to the mall for shopping.” But there is a need to ponder. There is a need to pause and reflect on the many blessings the Lord has given us. This is what Mary teaches us. Her heart was sensitive to God’s blessings on her because she treasured them and pondered them in her heart.

As we welcome the year 2017, let us ask the Lord to continue to bless us, let us thank the Lord for the blessings of the year 2016 and let us make time to ponder and reflect on God’s gracious blessings on us.  Amen.