October 30, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 30, 2016

31st Sunday OT

Wisdom 11:22-12;2; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2; Luke 19:1-10

The story is told about a dying mother who, told her children, “When I die, have me cremated, and have my ashes scattered all over the mall.” When her children asked her why, she answered, “In that way, I am assured that you will come visit me once in a while.”

As we enjoy the long holiday for the coming days, aside from going to malls for early Christmas shopping, let us remember our departed loved ones, if possible visit their resting places and pray for them. To make time to visit someone indicates that we value that person in our life. Jesus in today’s gospel passed by Jericho, visited the house of Zacchaeus and spent some time to be with him. Of all the houses in Jericho, why did Jesus choose the house of Zacchaeus? Who was Zacchaeus? How did he respond to the invitation of Jesus?

Let us look at our readings and reflect on these questions in three points.

JESUS SAW IN ZACCHAEUS A SINNER WHO NEEDS TO BE SAVED.  During the time of Jesus, tax collectors have a known reputation of cheating people. They were also considered traitors because they were collecting taxes from their fellow Jews to support the occupying Roman forces who were oppressing them. Tax collectors were considered public sinners. That is why people avoided them. Nobody in his right mind would even dare to visit the house of a tax collector. But even if people saw Zacchaeus as a public sinner to be avoided, Jesus saw in him a sinner that needs to be saved. Zacchaeus was not only small in terms of height. People were also looking down on him. People belittled him. But as the gospel says, Jesus looked up to him.

This is what our first reading tells us. Even if we have failed God, God’s mercy can look beyond our sins and see us as His beloved children. This is not toleration of evil. It is not as if God is saying, “Your failures are ok.” It is rather God’s way of giving us another chance to make things right. Zacchaeus took that opportunity to do it.  He said to Jesus: “I give half my belongings to poor. If I have defrauded anyone, I pay him back fourfold.” My dear friends, this is how God’s divine mercy looks at each of us sinners. He looks beyond our sins, sees us as His beloved children and gives us another chance to make things right. How then can we respond to this mercy of God?

BE FAITHFUL TO THE MERCY OF GOD. This is the reminder of Paul to the Thessalonians in the second reading. The problem is that some of us have this tendency to abuse God’s mercy. Some people say to themselves, “Well since God is merciful, I can do whatever I want even if it is sinful. He cannot resist me.  God will forgive me anyway.” That is not proper response to mercy. That is abusive behavior to someone who loves us sincerely. If we do that to a human being, that is a betrayal of love. Paul reminds us, “We have received God’s mercy. We don’t deserve it but God does it anyway. We therefore have the responsibility to be faithful to it.”

LET US WELCOME JESUS WITHOUT DELAY. When Jesus passed by Jericho, He was on his last journey to Jerusalem. If Zacchaeus refused to welcome Jesus, he would never have the chance to meet Him again. That was his last chance. It was good that he immediately responded to the invitation without delay. That is why if Jesus comes passing our way, let us go to meet Him. If He comes knocking, open the door for Him. Let us not miss our chance. Let us not postpone our encounter with Him. Let us welcome Jesus without delay. We need not fear to welcome him, for He comes not to condemn us but to save us and forgive us of our sins.

Today’s readings remind us that God’s divine mercy looks at us sinners as His beloved children. Let us pray in this mass for the grace to be faithful to the mercy of God. May we welcome Jesus into our lives without any delay.  Amen.

October 23, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 23, 2016

30th Sun OT; World Mission Sunday

Sir 35:12-14. 16-18; Psalm 34; 2 Tim 4:6-8. 16-18; Luke 18:9-14

Once a Japanese tourist was riding a taxi around Manila. He said: “This car is Toyota…Made in Japan. Very fast.” Seeing a car pass by, he remarked: “Ah, that’s Mitsubishi… Made in Japan. Very fast.” Seeing another car, he bragged: “That’s Suzuki…Made in Japan. Very fast.” On reaching his destination, the Japanese was surprised to see the high taxi fare. “Why so high?” the Japanese complained. The driver said: “Taxi meter, made in Japan. Very fast!”

The Japanese in the story reminds me of the Pharisee who exalted himself as he prayed to the Lord in the gospel today. Jesus reminds us, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  What do our readings today tell us about the proper disposition in prayer? How can we become sincere and genuine every time we pray?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

A SINCERE PRAYER RECOGNIZES OUR NEED FOR GOD. In the first reading, Sirach tells us that God’s heart is touched every time we cry out and ask for God’s help in prayer. Who are those who usually cry out to God for help?  Only those who recognize their need for God. We see the same disposition in the prayer of the tax collector in the gospel today. When he entered the temple, the tax collector realized his sinfulness. He admitted his need for God and said, “Be merciful to me a sinner.” The Pharisee on the other hand entered the temple and prayed. But how come his prayer was not acceptable to God? Because his prayer indicates that he does not need God anymore. As he enumerated the list of his accomplishments and good works, he seems to imply that God needs him more.  Sirach tells us that this kind of prayer will never reach the heavens because God only hears the sincere prayer of those who recognize their need for God. My dear friends, may we not let our achievements lead us to the thinking that we don’t need God anymore. We need God always. Sincere and genuine prayer reminds us of this reality.

A SINCERE PRAYER OPENS OUR HEARTS TO FORGIVENESS.  Whenever people share to me that they are having difficulty in forgiving those who have wronged them, I always tell them to pray and tell God about it.  Because prayer can teach us the value of forgiveness. Look at the experience of Paul in the second reading. It is quite sad to know that while Paul was dragged into court and put into prison, he was left alone by his friends and companions.  If we are in that situation what will our prayer be? Perhaps out of bitterness we will ask God to take revenge and punish those who have abandoned us. But look at the prayer of Paul. He said, “Everyone deserted me Lord but may it not be held against them.” If we find it hard to forgive those who wronged us, Paul tells us that maybe what we need is prayer. Because genuine prayer can teach our heart the value of forgiveness.

A SINCERE PRAYER REMEMBERS THE NEEDS OF OTHERS. To pray for oneself is good. But Sirach also tells us that the prayers of those who serve God and other people will be heard by God. To serve other people means that I am not focused only on my needs. Yes, we may have needs for ourselves and for our families, but we should also consider the needs of others. We can pray for the leaders of our country. We can pray for friends who might need our prayers.

In a special way, as we celebrate today World Mission Sunday, we can also pray and support the work of missionaries throughout the world. They all need our prayers. As we pray, let us not be too focused only on our own needs. Let us remember other people who needs our prayers.

In this mass let us pray for the grace to be sincere in prayer by recognizing our need for God, by allowing prayer to teach us the value of forgiveness and by remembering the needs of others. Amen.

October 16, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 16, 2016

29th Sunday Ordinary Time

Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8

The story is told about a lawyer and a doctor who were courting the same woman. One day, the lawyer had to be away on a trip for a week. To make sure that he will not be at a disadvantage while he was gone, the lawyer sent seven apples to the woman with a note: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Today’s readings remind us to be persistent in prayer because a prayer each day keeps the enemy away. Today is the month of the Holy Rosary. We can also say a rosary each day keeps the enemy away. How regular is our prayer life?  How persistent are we in prayer? How can we grow deeper in prayer?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER HAPPENS ONLY WHEN THERE IS FAITH.  One of the wrong impressions we have of prayer is to consider it as mere repetition of prayers from books. Because of this, prayer becomes burdensome.  But prayer is not just about mouthing out words or venting out our frustrations.  Prayer is an act of faith. Faith enables us to continue praying to God no matter what. This is the stubbornness and persistence of people with faith. They will not give up prayer easily even if people say, “There is no point in praying. God never listens to you.”

Look at the faith of Moses in the first reading. When the Israelites engaged in battle, they brought with them not only soldiers and weapons. They also had faith as a powerful tool. When Moses lifted up his hands in prayer, the Israelites would win the battle. But the moment he stopped praying, they got beaten by the enemy. Moses would then go back to prayer again. When his hands got tired, Aaron and Hur put rocks beside him and encouraged him to persevere and to be persistent in prayer until they prevailed over the enemy.

Unlike the corrupt judge in the gospel, our God, who is all good, is never annoyed to listen to our prayers. He never feels coerced to listen to us. He loves to listen to our persistent prayers. Persistence in prayer happens only when there is faith.

PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER ALSO INCLUDES LISTENING TO GOD.  Prayer is not a monologue where we do all the talking and God listens.  Sometimes when we run out of words, we think our prayer is already finished.  But silence and listening is also an important part of prayer. Paul reminded Timothy in the second reading that he acquired his faith by listening to the Word of God. Paul also tells us that we can use the Word of God as material for prayer. We can meditate and reflect on it in silence so that we can somehow listen to what God is trying to tell us. If we are persistent in presenting our petitions to the Lord, we should also be persistent in listening to God.

PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER MOLDS OUR HEARTS TO OBEY GOD’S WILL. I remember this story about a mother and her child who were strolling along the mall one Sunday afternoon. Passing by a makeup store, the child requested the mother, “Mom, can you buy me a lipstick? Some of my friends are already wearing one?” The mother said quickly, “No.” After a few meters, they passed by a shoe store. “Can you buy me those high heel shoes, some of my friends use it at certain occasions.” The mother said again, “No, I will not.” Then they passed by a dress store. The child told the mother, “Mom I want to try one of those dresses, can I?” The mother finally said, “Junior, will you stop it or else your father will get mad at you!”

The point of this story is that sometimes in prayer, we are like the child who asks God for things that are not for our own good. God is like a parent who knows what is good for us. When we ask for things that may not be good for us, out of God’s love, God will not give it because God wants the best for us. This tells us that every time we pray, we are not the ones influencing God to give us what we want. When we pray, God influences us. Persistent prayer does not change God. Persistent prayer rather changes us. God molds our hearts to obey His will.

Our Silver Jubilee theme reminds us of our desire to grow deeper in prayer. In this mass let us pray for the grace to be persistent in prayer, persistent in listening to God and persistent in obeying His will. May our patron St James assist us with his prayers.  Amen.

October 9, 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 9, 2016

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Tim 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

There is this story about a man who died and went to heaven. St Peter welcomed him and gave him a tour around heaven. They entered a building where the angels were working. In the first floor of the building, they saw many angles who were very busy with their work.  St Peter said, “This is the place where God receives all the prayers of petitions and requests of people on earth.” They went to the second floor and they saw a number of angels who were also busy with their work. St Peter said, “This is the place where God receives complaints and protests from people on earth.” Finally they went to the third floor and they saw few angels doing nothing. St Peter said, “This is the place where God receives prayers of thanksgiving from people on earth.” When people pray, many present their petitions and wishes to the Lord. Many also present their complaints to the Lord. But there are very few people who give thanks to the Lord.

Jesus also had a similar experience in the gospel today. He healed 10 lepers but only one came back to give thanks to the Lord. What do our readings for today tell us about gratitude to God? How can we express our gratitude to the Lord?

 Let us reflect on this in three points:

GRATITUDE IS AN ACT OF FAITH TO GOD. In the first reading, we hear the account of the healing of Naaman from the leprosy through Elisha. The prophet Elisha told him to dip himself in the river Jordan seven times. At first Naaman was insulted because there are many beautiful rivers in his place in Syria compared to river Jordan. But eventually he obeyed Elisha and the miracle happened. Notice the attitude of Naaman after his healing from leprosy. He did not just say, “Mission accomplished. I can now go home and live a normal life.” Naaman returned to Elisha bringing with him 10 carriages containing gifts of fine clothes, money and precious stones. But Elisha refused to accept them because it was not really him who healed Naaman. Who healed Naaman? It was God who healed Naaman of leprosy. What did Naaman do to express his gratitude to God? He said, “From now on I will only worship and offer sacrifice to the God of Israel.” This shows that gratitude is an act of faith to God. When we give thanks to the Lord for the blessings and gifts we receive in life, we also profess our faith that He is the Giver of these gifts. Gratitude shifts our focus from the gifts to the Giver of the gift. What can we do to be grateful to the Lord?

REMEMBER THE BLESSINGS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU. In the gospel out of the 10 lepers who were healed only one returned to Jesus to give him thanks. The other 9 lepers who were also healed did not return because they already got what they wanted. Sometimes this can happen to us. When God answers our prayers and showers us with His blessings, sometimes we get fascinated by the gifts to the point that we end up forgetting the Giver of these gifts. So in order to be grateful, we need to realize that our life is filled with blessings, great and small, from the Lord. Let us count our blessings and not worries in life. This is exactly what Paul did in the second reading. He was suffering in prison because of preaching about Jesus. To be persecuted and imprisoned are not considered as gifts. But look at the attitude of Paul: In the midst of suffering, Paul remembered the many blessings he received from the Lord. This encouraged him to bear any hardship as an act of thanksgiving to the Lord. Like Paul we can also thank the Lord even for the not so good things that happened to us. God sometimes permits them to happen to purify us and make us better persons. I heard someone say, “Thank you Lord for saving me from the car accident. From now on, I will drive safely.” Another said, “Thank you Lord for the cancer. This sickness led me to value things I took for granted.” To thank the Lord for the good and not so good things that happened to us is a sign of mature faith. How can we express our thanksgiving to the Lord?

GRATITUDE TO GOD IS EXPRESSED IN THE EUCHARIST. There are many ways of expressing gratitude to the Lord. But I think the most basic of them all is the Eucharist. The word Eucharist actually means “thanksgiving”. Every Eucharist, whatever our intentions are, is always an act of thanksgiving to the Lord. As Jesus welcomed with joy the Samaritan leper, Jesus is also pleased with us who come to mass every Sunday.

As we continue with our mass, let us pray for the grace to have a grateful heart. They say that whenever we look at the cross, we are reminded of two letters: T and Y. TY is short for Thank You. Every time we look at the cross let us always say Thank You Lord for all the blessings You have given us. Thank you Lord for the good and not so good things that happened to me. Let us thank the Lord for his faithfulness and generosity. May this Eucharistic celebration express our sincere gratitude for the Lord.  Amen.

October 2, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 2, 2016

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10

The story is told about a man who was selling his dog. The interested buyer wanted to know: “Is he a dog that can be faithful to his master?” The seller replied: “Guaranteed, sir. You see, I have sold him five times already, and he has come back to me five times!”

In today’s Gospel, the apostles said to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” The apostles must have been aware of their tendency to have fears and doubts. And so in order that they may remain faithful and loyal to Jesus their Master, they asked Jesus to increase their faith. What do our readings for today tell us about a person filled with faith? What kind of perspective does faith give to us?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

A PERSON OF FAITH WAITS FOR GOD’S RESPONSE TO ONE’S PRAYERS. I believe we can all relate with the prayer of Habakkuk in the first reading. When we bring our petitions to the Lord in prayer, it takes some time for us to wait for the fulfillment of our wishes and dreams. This was the experience of Habakkuk.  He has long been waiting for the Lord to answer his prayers. He said to the Lord: “Look Lord, I have been praying for the protection and peace of the Israelites, but what do I see around me? I see violence, destruction and despair. These are the things I did not ask for in prayer. How come the more I pray for peace, more violence takes place? When will you answer my prayer?” What was God’s response to the lamentation of Habakkuk?  God took this opportunity to teach Habakkuk to have faith. God assured him, that time will come when Israelites will experience peace and protection. A person of faith waits for God’s response to his/her prayers. We have to wait.  We need to have faith in God. God will never fool us. We can trust him. We can depend on Him. In God’s perfect timing, He will answer our prayers.

A PERSON OF FAITH REMAINS FAITHFUL TO CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING. It is easy to have faith in God when we don’t encounter problems in life. But when sufferings and trials come, it is difficult to have faith in God. This is what Paul reminds Timothy in the second reading. Paul is aware that Timothy will have to face and endure challenges in fulfilling his role as a leader of a Christian community. Paul advises him and also ourselves, “Be courageous and remain faithful to Christ even in the midst of suffering.” Faith will not solve the problems we encounter in life. But faith will strengthen us.  Faith will give us the power to overcome the difficulties we encounter in life.

A PERSON OF FAITH REMAINS TO BE HUMBLE. Jesus says in the gospel that “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to the mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea” and it would obey you.” This is a symbolic way of telling us that wonders and miraculous things can be achieved by faith. But it must be clear for us that these miraculous things happen not because of our own doing but because of God. We cannot simply claim credit to ourselves and say, “Look how powerful I am.” This is not faith. This is pride.  This is a good reminder for us especially to those who have many achievements in life.  Sometimes there is this tendency to think that they are a source of power.  But a person of faith is humble enough to acknowledge that all of his/her achievements had its origin from God.

In this mass let us pray for the grace of faith that we may patiently wait for God’s response to our payers. May we hold on to our faith in the midst of suffering.  And may the grace of faith teach us to be humble.  Amen.

September 25, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 25, 2016

26th Sunday OT

Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31

I remember this story of a man who died and arrived before the gate of heaven. The angel who was guarding at the gate, looked for the name of this man in the Book of Life but did not find it. So the angel said to the man that he will go to hell. The man protested, “But what did I do? I did nothing!” “Precisely,” replied the angel, “that is why you are going to hell – because you did nothing.”

That man could be the rich man in today’s gospel. Why did the rich man go to hell? Does this mean that wealth and riches hinder us from entering heaven?  What is it that prevents us from entering heaven?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

THE RICH MAN WENT TO HELL NOT MERELY BECAUSE HE IS RICH.  Wealth and riches obtained through honest means are blessings from the Lord.  We see the rich man in the gospel enjoying life with good food and fine clothing.  There is nothing wrong with it. This man might have been diligent in work and a good steward of his property. It is therefore right to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. We see the same thing in the first reading. Look at how Amos described the life of the Israelites in Zion: they were lying upon beds not made of wood but of ivory. They have lots of food in the table. They drink wine from bowls.  These are all symbols of prosperity. Isn’t this our dream and desire? We all long for a more comfortable life. God is not against our desire to enjoy life. If that is the case, what is it that triggered the anger of God to the Israelites? What prevented the rich man in the gospel to go to heaven?

THE RICH MAN WENT TO HELL BECAUSE OF INDIFFERENCE. Yes, it is proper and fitting that we enjoy the fruits of our earthly success and live a comfortable life. But if our possessions make us insensitive to those around us, especially to the cries of the poor, then something is wrong. This caused the anger of God to the Israelites in the first reading. Their complacency led them to be indifferent and blind to the sufferings of other people. We find

the same thing with the rich man in the gospel. He was so absorbed in his own enjoyment that he failed to see Lazarus the poor man at his door. Who noticed Lazarus? The gospel says, a dog came and licked his wounds. How come a neighbor, a human being, failed to see Lazarus? Indifference makes us blind to the sufferings of other people. It is not physical distance that separated them.  But the distance created by indifference and selfishness. What can guide us in order to avoid indifference to the sufferings of other people?

LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD. Remember in the gospel, the rich man requested that Lazarus be sent to his brothers so that they might change their ways. Abraham responded, “They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them.” Abraham was saying that we need not wait for something spectacular to happen. There is no need for Lazarus to rise from the dead and appear to someone. Abraham was saying that the Word of God is enough reminder. We must listen to the Word of God. Listen to what the prophets are telling us so that we may avoid being indifferent to the cries of the poor.

Paul also reminds us in the second reading that all our actions here on earth will have an impact and consequence on which side of eternal life we will be. So while we are still here on earth, while we still have time to change our ways, let all our actions be guided by the word of God.

In this mass let us pray for the grace to overcome indifference. It is not bad to enjoy having a good and comfortable life. But let us remember that we must not let our possessions make us insensitive to the sufferings of other people. May the Word of God be a constant reminder for us to be sensitive to the needs of our neighbor.  Amen.

September 18, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 18, 2016

25th Sunday in OT

Amos 8:4-7; 1 Tim 2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13

Last month, Forbes magazine named the 50 richest Filipinos for the year 2016. First on the list is Henry Sy, the famous owner of SM malls. He topped the list for the ninth consecutive year. A friend once told me that Henry Sy started his business by selling shoes. Who could have thought that this shoe vendor would become one of the richest and successful businessman in the country?

Experience tells us that being successful does not happen overnight. It often starts with small beginnings. Jesus tells us in the gospel “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters, is also dishonest in great ones.”  This invitation to be a trustworthy and good steward is the theme of our readings today. How can we become good and trustworthy stewards? What is our role as stewards?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

A GOOD STEWARD IS LOYAL TO THE REAL MASTER. Who is the real master? Jesus says in the gospel, “You cannot serve both God and mammon.”  Serve the real master who is God. When we serve God, we will use mammon or the resources of earth, as a means to serve God. It cannot be the other way around. It cannot be that we worship money and manipulate God to justify ourselves. Loyalty and fidelity to God will give us the right perspective in utilizing the resources and wealth of the earth to serve Him. Serve God above all else. Be loyal to the Real Master for this is a mark of a good steward.

A GOOD STEWARD CARES FOR ALL PEOPLE. The prophet Amos in the first reading gives us an example of what happens to us when we worship mammon rather than God: People were planning to steal and cheat from the poor people. They will fix their weighing scales. They will sell low quality products and charge buyers with high prices. Because of these practices, God will be angry at the way how people manipulate and misuse created goods.

That is why in the second reading, Paul invites us to pray for all especially to those in authorities so that we will not end up like the Israelites in the first reading.  Paul gives us a model of a good steward in the person of Jesus. He was not selfish. Jesus cared for all people. He gave everything out of love for others. This must also be our prayer for all people especially to our leaders that we may become good stewards who will look after the common good of all.

A GOOD STEWARD IS RESOURCEFUL. At first reading we might have an impression in the gospel that Jesus is praising the example of the dishonest manager. We need to clarify that Jesus is not extolling here dishonesty. Jesus rather commends the attitude of resourcefulness and foresight of the manager.  When the manager saw that his term of office is about to end. He immediately found ways how to resolve his problem. Jesus is like telling us that if people of this world are resourceful and clever, then we who follow Christ must also be more resourceful and clever for this is a mark of a good steward.

My dear friends in this mass let us make our commitment to be good stewards by being loyal to the Real Master, having concern for all people and by being resourceful in using our talents to serve the Lord.  Amen.