November 13, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 13, 2016

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Malachi 3:19-20a; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19

Once while I was saying mass, I noticed that the reader or the lector serving at mass was new. I was told that it was her first time to serve at mass.  She was so nervous that at the end of the first reading she said, “This is the end of the world.” And the whole congregation responded, “Thanks be to God.” 

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, our readings for today invite us to reflect on the end times, the judgement day or the second coming of Christ. What can we expect to happen at the end of the world? How do we anticipate its coming?

Let us look at our readings for today and reflect on these questions in three points:

THE END OF THE WORLD IS NOT JUST ABOUT TERRIFYING EVENTS.  Movies about the end of the world often depict the end of the world as a moment of terror and destruction. In the gospel Jesus tells us that powerful earthquakes, famine and plague are some of the signs indicating the end of the world. In addition to that, the prophet Malachi in the first reading says that at the end times, the sun of justice will bring terror and fear to those who were unjust.  On that day, evil doers will be burned by the blazing fire of the sun of justice.  But remember the prophet Malachi addressed this to the unjust and evil doers.  Let us not forget the second part. The prophet Malachi says, those who follow God’s will, those who were not unjust will never be afraid of the sun of justice.  Instead of fear and terror, the sun of justice will bring consolation and relief to those who have been faithful to the Lord.

The end of the world is not just about terrifying events. On the day of  judgment, there will be two groups of people: evil doers who will fear the coming of that day and the faithful ones who will welcome the coming of the Lord. Which group do we belong? Are we afraid of the coming of the Lord? Are we eager to look forward to it? What should we do as we await the coming of the Lord?

WE ANTICIPATE THE COMING OF THE LORD BY DOING WELL OUR RESPONSIBILITIES ON EARTH. In the second reading, the Thessalonians were eager for coming of Lord. They were expecting it to happen soon. They were not afraid of it. But the problem is, they used this as an excuse not to work anymore because anyway the end of world will happen soon. What’s the use of working?  Let us just take it easy, relax and wait for the coming of the Lord. Because of this Paul strongly reminds them, “You should not use this as an excuse for laziness.  We do not know when our life on earth will end. As long as we live, we should work hard in order to eat and survive. We should do well our responsibilities.  Work hard to feed your family. Anyone who is unwilling to work, should not eat.”

My dear friends as we await the coming of Lord, we should never waste our life on earth. We should never run away from our responsibilities. We should strive to have a meaningful life. In addition to this, what else can we do to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord?

PERSEVERANCE IN FAITH. When someone asked Jesus in the gospel, when will the end of the world happen, he did not give a direct answer to the question. He said that instead of speculating when will it happen, we should develop the right disposition in anticipating its coming. He says in the last line of the gospel, “by your perseverance, you will secure your lives.” In other words, we should be constant in faith, persevere in being good, persevere in doing well our responsibilities so that when the time comes, we will be numbered among the just ones who will never fear but welcome the coming of the Lord.

In this mass let us pray that as we look forward for the coming of the Lord, we may prepare for it by doing well our responsibilities on earth and perseverance in our faithfulness to the Lord.  Amen.

November 6, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 6, 2016

32nd Sunday in OT

2 Mac 7:1-2, 9-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3;5; Luke 20:27-38

There is this story about a man who died while he was on a business trip in Jerusalem. The office staff immediately called the wife to inform her about the incident and ask about the burial arrangements. The wife insisted that the remains of her husband should be brought back home to the Philippines even if it was expensive. When asked why, she said: “Don’t bury him there in Jerusalem, because I heard that many years ago, a man was buried there and in three days he rose again!”

In today’s gospel Jesus tells us that the dead will rise again. This is not about a zombie rising from the dead. It is about what we say in the last line of the creed: “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” We believe that death is not the end of life. But how sure are we that there is life after death? How does our belief in it affect our lives on earth?

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

LIFE AFTER DEATH IS WHAT WE CALL ETERNAL LIFE. When Jesus resurrected from the dead, He gave us eternal life. Eternal life does not mean that we become immortal. We will all die. Belief in eternal life means that our life cycle consists not only from Birth to Life to Death and Corruption. Belief in eternal life rather means that our life cycle has been changed from Birth to Life to Death and Eternal life. Eternal life means belonging in that kingdom where there are no more tears, no more fears, no more pain, no more problems, but only goodness and love. 

In the first reading, the seven brothers who were about to face suffering and persecution never trembled before the torturers. In fact, the torturers were trembled as they questioned themselves, “Why are they not afraid? Why are they courageous in face of death? There must be something else that sustains them.” The answer is that their firm belief in eternal life sustained them in the midst of suffering and persecution.

BELIEF IN ETERNAL LIFE IS NOT WISHFUL THINKING. Like the Sadducees in the gospel, there are people nowadays who do not believe in eternal life. They say that eternal life is just wishful thinking. So what they do is just to enjoy life on earth because beyond the grave is meaningless existence.  Jesus tells them in the gospel, beyond the grave is not a meaningless existence.  Beyond the grave is eternal life. Eternal life is not merely a continuation of life on earth. It is a different kind of existence. That is why people do not marry in the next life because in heaven we are married to God. Eternal life is far better than our earthly life. No matter how terrifying death may be, Jesus assures us that life will be restored. Eternal life awaits us after our earthly life. What should we do now as we anticipate the life after death?

PREPARE FOR ETERNAL LIFE. Perhaps at this point of our lives, some have already secured their educational plan, retirement plan and memorial plan. But how about our own eternal life plan? Are we prepared for eternal life?  Which side of eternal life are we preparing for? Is it on the side of heaven or hell? Our belief in eternal life must not distract us from living our lives here on earth. This is the reminder of Paul in the second reading. The Thessalonians were expecting that the second coming of Christ or the judgement day will happen soon. They were not afraid about the second coming of Christ. They were in fact excited about it. But when the coming of Christ did not happen according to their expectations, they were disappointed and frustrated. Paul tells them: Belief in life after death should never distract us from living fully our life on earth. It does not mean we will waste our life on earth, anyway there is eternal life. We must continue to do good and avoid evil. We must continue to live good and meaningful lives because that is how we prepare for eternal life.  

Our readings for today remind us of our belief in eternal life. Our faith assures us that there is life after death. May everything we do in our earthly life prepare us to enjoy eternal life with God in heaven.  Amen.

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.