June 19, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 19, 2016

12th Sunday in OT: Father’s day

Zechariah 12:10-11; 13:1; Galatians 3:26-29; Luke 9:18-24

I remember this story about a father who came home from church and immediately looked for his wife. When he saw her at the kitchen, he suddenly lifted her and carried her around. The wife was surprised and said, “Honey, why did you do that? Did the priest in Church tell you to be romantic?” The husband replied: “No honey. The priest actually told me to carry my cross!”

Today is Father’s day. We all know that our parents, especially fathers who usually act as the breadwinner of the family, carry the cross – the burden, the responsibility of providing the needs of the family. Let us express our gratitude to them on this special day by giving them a round of applause.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells his disciples: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he/she must deny himself, take up his/her cross and follow me.” This invitation of Jesus has been the subject of many misinterpretations. Christianity has often been criticized as a religion of self-hate. How can we better understand this invitation of Jesus? What does it mean to deny oneself, take up one’s cross and follow Jesus?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

SELF DENIAL IS NOT A DENIAL OF WHO WE ARE BUT OF WHO WE HAVE BECOME. This how Fr Cantalamessa beautifully describes self denial – that it is not simply a denial of who we are but a denial of who we have become.”  This tells us that in the beginning of time, when God created us, we are originally good. We are originally beautiful. But with the misuse of our freedom, selfishness and sin, what was originally good and beautiful has become bad and ugly. When Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, he is like telling each of us: “What has become of you now? What has become of your original goodness and beauty?” Jesus’ call to self-denial is therefore not self-hate. It is rather an invitation to return to the original goodness of our nature. Nobody can erase that goodness in us. Our sins can only blur and make it ugly. But we can always make it beautiful again when we practice self denial. Acts of self denial always involve taking up one’s cross, to undergo suffering. What does it mean to take up one’s cross?

TAKING UP ONE’S CROSS IS NOT SIMPLY SENSELESS SUFFERING BUT SUFFERING IN THE NAME OF LOVE. Jesus refers here to a suffering can be a source of blessing. This is what the first reading tells us: Zechariah prophesied that someone will suffer and die. But at the same time, this suffering will be source of grace and blessing to others. Zechariah here refers to the suffering of Jesus. Does this mean that Jesus takes delight in suffering? No. It is rather because of Jesus’ love for us that He is willing to do anything, even if it includes carrying one’s cross. He was not just a victim of suffering. Jesus faced suffering with love. He willingly gave his life out of love for us. It is precisely because of this element of love that suffering becomes a source of grace and blessing to others. In our day to day life, taking up one’s cross may mean the sacrifice of parents to take care and provide the needs of the family; taking care of a paralyzed, bedridden or sick family member. Sacrifices like these are not easy to do. It will always involve suffering. But when suffering is faced with love, it can be a source of life and blessing to others.

TO FOLLOW JESUS IS TO EMBRACE HIS WAY OF LOVING. When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter was right in telling them that He is the Messiah. But Jesus reveals to them what kind of messiah He is. Peter and the other disciples were hoping for a messiah who will conquer evil and injustice though military might and violence. But Jesus needs to clarify that He is a type of messiah who will conquer the world not through violence but through love. Love can reverse evil and injustice in society. We overcome evil not by another evil but by goodness – by love. But take note this is not easy.  When Jesus once said “love your enemies” how can you love someone who has hurt you so much? This is actually a heavy cross – to love someone who offended you. But this is a mark of a follower of Jesus – overcoming evil not by another evil but by goodness, by love.

In this mass, let us pray for the grace to be a true follower of Jesus by having the courage to deny oneself, take up our crosses in the name of love and overcome evil not by force and violence but by love.  Amen. 

June 12, 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 12, 2016

11th Sunday in OT

2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13; Galatians 2:16, 19-21; Luke 7:36-8:3

Whenever you hear the word “sinner” who do you remember? Perhaps some will remember a husband or a wife guilty of adultery. Some will remember criminals detained in prison. Some will remember corrupt and greedy politicians. Yes, they are all sinners. But let us not be quick to exclude ourselves from the list. When you hear the word sinner, and the first person that comes to your mind are other people, be very careful not to fall into self-righteousness.  Remember first yourself.  Because before God, we are all sinners.  But how does God deal with us sinners? Can God easily forgive the sins we commit again and again? Or is He like Simon the Pharisee in the gospel who drives away sinners?

Let us reflect on the message of today’s readings in three points:

ALL SINNERS ARE WELCOME IN THE HEART OF JESUS. In today’s gospel Jesus is invited by the Pharisee to dine with him. Then suddenly a sinful woman, who was never invited to the house, came and fell at the feet of Jesus.  The righteous Pharisee was scandalized. He wanted to drive away the sinful woman because according to the law, this sinful woman is ritually impure. But instead of driving her out of the house, Jesus welcomed her into his heart.  Through this action, Jesus showed how God would deal with sinners. God is not a Pharisee who will drive sinners away. All sinners, especially those seeking forgiveness will always have a special place in the heart of Jesus. This tells us that we should never be afraid to come to Jesus. Some are afraid to go to Jesus because of their many grave sins. But on the contrary, we should all the more go to God because of our many sins. Why should we not be afraid to go to Him?

GOD WILL REMIND US OF HIS FAITHFUL LOVE. When we approach God, bringing with us our sins, He will not reprimand us, He will remind us how much He loves us. In the first reading, God speaking through the prophet Nathan confronted David of his sinfulness. But notice how God spoke to David.  God first reminded David how much He loved him – that God protected David from all dangers, God gave David everything he needed, God chose David to reign as king. It was as if God was telling David: “I loved you David. I did not do anything to hurt you. I gave you the love you did not deserve. But why did you offend me by committing this sin? Why did you take someone else’s wife and had her husband killed? Is this how you show your love for me?”

We see here how God is touching heart of David by awakening in his heart the memories of God loving him. This conversation touched the heart of David. He realized that what he did was incompatible with the God’s love for him. This led him to humbly admit to the Lord, “I am a sinner.” He said this without any justification and rationalization. What was God’s response to David? The first reading says: “The Lord has forgiven your sins.” Why does it seem to be easy for the Lord to forgive?

GOD NEVER GIVES UP ON SINNERS. God is not blind to our sins. He sees them but he chooses not to focus on them. God rather chooses to focus on the goodness hidden behind every sinner. Remember that in the book of Genesis, “everything that God created was very good.” (Gen 1:31) This is why God never loses hope on us sinners. Because there is goodness in us. This was the experience of Paul in the second reading. In his former life as a Pharisee, he strictly followed the law to the point that he persecuted Christians. But the Lord never gave up on him. True enough the time came when Paul converted from being a persecutor to a zealous follower of Jesus. I remember the saying, “All saints have a sinful past. All sinners have a saintly future.”

We are all candidates for sainthood. God has confidence in us. Sin cannot erase the goodness inherent in us. We in turn must never give up striving to be better persons.  In this mass let us remember that all of us sinners are welcome in the heart of Jesus. Today is our independence day. If we want to be free from our sins, we need not fear to go to God and humbly admit our sins because God will be there not to condemn us but to love us. Let us pray that our experience of God’s love and mercy will inspire us to never give up on ourselves and hopefully become saints in the future.  Amen.

June 05, 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 5, 2016

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kings 17:17-24; Gal 1:11-19; Luke 7:11-17

I remember two weeks ago, a friend asked me to say mass at the wake of an old couple who both died in a tragic car accident which happened abroad.  What happened was as the couple was driving on their way home, a speeding car with a drunken driver hit them. The rescuers said the couple died holding each other’s hands. When their lifeless bodies were brought here in the Philippines, I visited the wake and said mass for them. After the mass one of the daughters approached me and said, “Father thank you for presence. But honestly, I still ask myself why did this happen to us? Why did God allow this to happen? Where is God in the midst of this tragic event?”

This is one of the most difficult questions I have encountered in life – more difficult than taking any kind of exam.  Sometimes the only response we can give to questions like these is our presence.  If we look at our readings today, perhaps we may find some clues to questions like, where is God in the midst of suffering? What must we do when we undergo pain and suffering?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

WE MUST APPROACH THE LORD IN TIMES OF PAIN AND SUFFERING.  When Jesus in the gospel saw the widow weeping at the death of her only son, Jesus, took the initiative to approach her and console her with His very presence. It is as if Jesus was telling the widow, “I feel what you feel and I am here to journey with you in your pain.”

Oftentimes when we feel that God is silent in our own experience of suffering, we feel that God has left us alone. But Jesus in today’s gospel tells us that he has actually never left us. God is truly Emmanuel. He is God with us. He journeys with us in our pain. Perhaps this is the reason why God seems to be silent – because God also feels the pain we feel. God also suffers when we suffer. It is alright to approach the Lord, cry out to him especially in times of pain and suffering.

This was the prayer of Elijah in the first reading. The widow complained to prophet Elijah and said, “Did you come here to bring death to my only son and punish me for my sins?” Elijah in turn complained to the Lord in prayer and said, “O God will you even afflict the widow who welcomed me as a guest into her house?” God knows how many times we have lamented before the Lord in the face of undeserved suffering.  Lamenting is a form of prayer. Let us not hesitate to approach the Lord, cry out to Him, lament before the Lord. Hopefully this experience of prayer may bring us some consolation. But how does one find consolation in Jesus?

THE COMPASSION OF JESUS CONSOLES US. Notice that in the gospel, what moved Jesus to approach the widow of Naim was his compassion. The gospel says, “He was moved with pity; He was moved with compassion” for the widow who lost her only son – her only hope to live decently. This moved Jesus.  The widow did not ask any help from Jesus. We are not even sure if the widow believed in Jesus. But even then the compassion of Jesus moved him to console the widow of Naim and raise her dead son back to life.

My brothers and sisters this is how compassionate our Lord is. He is willing to extend help to those who are in need. Let us not be afraid to approach Jesus. He has a merciful and compassionate heart. If we show Him our wounds, pain and suffering, He will console us. What is the invitation of the Lord’s compassion to us?

TO BE COMPASSIONATE AS THE HEAVENLY FATHER IS COMPASSIONATE. This is actually the theme for this Year of Mercy.  Compassion is not only an emotion. Compassion is not simply sympathizing with the person. Compassion is a force that moves one to concrete actions of helping those who are in need. It is not easy to be compassionate especially if we have not yet experienced the Lord’s compassion. Remember Paul in the second reading, his conversion experience was a manifestation of the Lord’s compassion. This became the turning point of his life from being a persecutor of Christians to a compassionate follower of Jesus. That is why we need to open ourselves to experience the compassion of Jesus so that we can extend it to others.

In this mass, let us approach the Lord and present to him our wounds, pain and suffering. Let us open ourselves to the Lord to experience his consoling compassion so that we in turn may be compassionate as the Heavenly father is compassionate.  Amen.

May 29, Corpus Christi Sunday

May 29, 2016

Corpus Christi Sunday – Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Genesis 14:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11B-17

If you try to google 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? Or does it refer to a healthy body free from toxins and nourished by eating healthy foods?

If we consult the Scriptures today, we can say that a beautiful body is not the sexy body, not the healthy body, not the strong body, but a broken body – like the body of Christ on the cross. But how can the broken body of Christ, be considered as something beautiful? What is worth emulating in the Body of Christ? As we celebrate today the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, 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.

Paul tells us in the second reading that Jesus intended to give His entire life – His body and blood for our sake so that we may have life. 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.”

Notice that in our gospel today, before Jesus fed the people with food for their body, Jesus first gave them spiritual food. Jesus first taught them about the kingdom of God and the people were so eager to listen. Their spiritual hunger led them to stay and listen to Jesus all day until sunset. This is what the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist seeks to satisfy in us – our spiritual hunger. Remember that Jesus in the feeding of the five thousand did not intend to institute the sacrament of the feeding program. Jesus intended to institute the Sacrament of the Eucharist because Jesus wanted to satisfy not only their physical hunger but also their spiritual hunger.

As we later on receive communion, let us remember that what we receive is not just ordinary bread. What we receive in communion is the broken but beautiful body of Jesus. He is the food that nourishes our souls. He is the food that strengthens us to make our bodies “beautiful” by imitating the selfless love of Jesus who gives life to all of us.  Amen.

May 22, Trinity Sunday

March 22, 2016

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday. I remember this famous story about the Trinity and St Augustine. One day St Augustine walked along the sea shore and began reflecting on the mystery of the Trinity. He saw a little boy scooping water from the sea to fill up the small hole he made in the sand. Augustine asked the boy what he was doing. The boy replied, “I am transferring the ocean into this small hole.” Augustine laughed aloud, and said, “Transferring the vast sea into such a hole, that’s impossible!” And the boy, who was actually an angel, said to Augustine, “And that’s what you are doing. In trying to unravel the mystery of the Holy Trinity, you’re like transferring the ocean into a hole.”

My brothers and sisters, this story tells us that God’s mystery is beyond human calculations and logic. No person can fully understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity. But why do we believe in the mystery of the Trinity? In fact, every time we make the sign of the cross, we profess our faith in the Trinity as we say, “In name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.  Every time a priest gives a blessing, we also profess our faith in the Trinity as the priest says: “May our Almighty God bless you in name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. We were also baptized in name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is how Trinitarian our faith is. But why did God reveal himself to us as a Trinity? What does it mean to have a Trinitarian God? 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. 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 - TOTAL GIVING OF ONE SELF.  Perhaps one reason why some human relationships fail is 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.  Hindi sila nagpapalakasan o nagpapagalingan. That is why we don’t end up having three gods but only one God in three divine persons. In fact the gospel tells us: the Father gives everything to the Son, then the Son shares everything with us through the Holy Spirit. This is total giving of one self. Walang ipinagdadamot. Walang itinitira para sa sarili – everything is given and shared to the other. This is indeed a challenge – to imitate the love of our Trinitarian God in our own relationship with our loved ones. But are we really capable of imitating 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 God is a God of relationship characterized by the total giving of oneself. Let us turn to our Trinitarian God to give us the grace of strong and loving relationship in our families and communities.

May 15, Pentecost Sunday

May 15, 2016

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 is its role in our lives?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

HOLY SPIRIT AS COMFORTER.  I remember as a child I used to climb trees and play in the streets with my friends. There were times when due to recklessness, I would end up being wounded. When I arrived 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 subsided. 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 was seldom that I got sick. But there was one time when I had a high fever. When we would get sick, we were usually sent home in order to regain strength. 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 the 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 would not get burnt 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 had 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. Do you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your lives? 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.  Amen.

May 08, Ascension Sunday

May 8, 2016

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Eph 1:17-23; Luke 24:46-53

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. Can we just greet the beautiful mothers around us and say “Happy Mother’s Day!” Aside from Mother’s Day, we are also celebrating the feast of Jesus ascending into heaven. If Jesus loved his disciples, why is there a need to leave his disciples on earth? Isn’t it that it is better for Jesus to accompany His disciples and guide them as they fulfill their mission? Why did Jesus have to leave?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

THE LORD’S ASCENSION IS THE HOMECOMING OF JESUS TO THE FATHER. The Ascension of Jesus tells us that His real home is to be with God the Father in heaven. Now what does this mean for us? Let us remember that the Church is the Body of Christ. We are the body of Christ. If Jesus who is the head of the body is in heaven, then there is hope that we will one day be with Him in heaven. Isn’t that beautiful? We are certain that we can call heaven our home. We can call paradise our home because Jesus is already there preparing a place for us and waiting for our homecoming back to the Father. This is one of the consoling truths revealed to us by the mystery of the Lord’s Ascension into heaven. Did Jesus really leave us when He went up to heaven?

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. We need new eyes to see Jesus. We need to see things in the eyes of faith to recognize His presence, to realize that He did not leave us forsaken. Now that Jesus is in heaven, 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 prayer experience of prayer Jesus is present. We can personally encounter Jesus anytime and anywhere. This is a proof that the Lord has never abandoned us. Now that Jesus is in heaven, what is He doing there?

JESUS IS NOW WITH THE FATHER INTERCEDING FOR US. Oftentimes when we are in an exalted position, we tend to forget the misery of others. Let us not forget this especially tomorrow, as we exercise our vote to elect leaders of our country. Let us choose leaders filled with the sense of mission to serve.  Not just those who are filled with sense of ambition to be put into positions of power. Jesus was filled with that sense of mission. Even if Jesus is with the Father, hindi lang siya nagpapakasarap sa langit. He uses this opportunity to intercede for us, to empower us to continue His mission. What is the mission that Jesus gave us? To go out to all the world and proclaim the Good News. But Jesus does leave us on our own. He will intercede for us. He will continue to work with us now that He is in heaven.

And so my brothers and sisters, as we go back to our own homes after this mass. Go and tell the world about the good news of Jesus. This is part of our mission. May we hopefully become His instruments so that many people will also come to experience His love. Amen.