Searching for Servants

Sunday Homily
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
October 22, 2006

Ambition

Can you still remember your ambition when you’re still a young boy or girl? When I was in primary school in the Philippines I remember our teachers always asked us students what we wanted to be when we grow up. I was unsure yet at that time what I wanted to be but I can still clearly remember some of my classmates’ ambitions – teacher, doctor, scientist, farmer, nurse, soldier, ramp model, astronaut and someone even wanted to become the President of the Philippines! Well, he didn’t become one!

As a young boy my first ambition was to become a soldier, not only because my father was in a military but because Rambo was famous at that time. I didn’t a become Rambo, yet. God has a different plan. I become a soldier of Christ.

Selfish Act

In the Gospel today, we heard about the ambition of the two disciples of Jesus, James and John, they are brothers and their personal ambition was to be the greatest among the other ten disciples. They said to Jesus, “Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.” In other words, James and John, wanted to be famous among all, they aspired to be elevated in higher rank in the group. They openly express to Jesus their desire to be placed in a special position, to have an exemplary power and influence in the new community.

But James and John aren't alone in their misunderstanding: the rest of the Twelve become indignant, fearing that the best seats have been taken. So James and John not only speak of human side of the apostles but their special favour to Jesus also speaks of our inner desire as human persons. We too sometimes or oftentimes wanted to receive special treatment from other people. Sometimes deep within our being lie a longing to be famous, influential and popular, a desire to stand out among the crowd and let people know how special we are.

However, the Gospel tells us that if we want to be a follower of Christ this should not be the case. Jesus said to James and John, and to other disciples, “You do not know what you are asking.” To be a Christian is to be like Christ “who came into this world not to be served but to be served.”

Servus Servorum Dei

The motto of the late Pope John Paul II is a Latin phrase “Servus Servorum Dei” which means in English, “Servant of the Servants of God.” The late Pope considered himself as a humble servant of all the other servants of God.

Jesus is Servant, he came to serve us and if we desire to follow him we first allow him to serve us and then we serve others. This being servant will cause suffering of various kinds, which Jesus drank, but there is a future Kingdom of God. This Kingdom will be like the Land of Promise for the exiled people of Israel. James and John ask Jesus if they could be granted a special place in this kingdom. To these friends, Jesus offers them, not the thrones of glory, power, and distance, but the royal dignity of being close to him in the drinking and baptism experiences of being a served servant.

John and James did not know what they were asking for, but in the end they learned. They learned that true greatness is not domineering arrogance, but service and sacrifice of self. James was put to death by Herod Agrippa about the year 44. John died a natural death at Ephesus toward the end of the first century. But in his whole life he endured fatigues, trial of persecution and of exile as a consequence of continuing the works of Christ.

Christian service

What is our service to the world? What service can we offer to our family, friends and loved ones?

Our Lord and Master calls us to be a community of service. Our strength comes from following in the footsteps of Christ, who has not come to be served but to serve.

Self-denial is a kind service we could offer to others. Self-denial associated with the cross does not always mean martyrdom. Self denial could also mean- denying human demand for honor, power, and status. Self-denial could mean acceptance of our need to forgive and to be forgiven.

So let us pray for one another that we may learn to be servants for one another and forget our selfish desires and personal ambitions, if we want to become true disciples of Christ. Amen.

Tikas Pahinga

Isang umaga ay binati ako ng rektor ng seminaryo. Sa Tagalog, sabi nya, "Binabasa ko ang blogs mo." Parang binuhusan ako ng malamig na tubig (pero di ako nabasa). Hindi ko alam kung paano siya naka-access dito (buti na lang Tagalog ito at hindi niya ito maiintindihan). Nagulat lang ako dahil hindi ko iniisip na may ibang lahi pala na nakakabasa nito. Hhmm..bigbrother is watching.

Hanggang ngayon ay iniisip ko na ako lang ang nagtitiyagang bumasa ng blog entries ko. Para kasing nanliit ako pag may nasasabi sa akin na nababasa nila ito. Nanliliit ako dahil una mahiyain ako by nature (sabay yuko) at pangalawa dahil alam kong guilty ako sa pag-murder ng English grammar. Buti na lang walang fine kundi galit galit na tayo.

D' best ang araw na ito. Dalawang beses akong kumain ng seafood. Nag-lunch ako sa isang sikat na Italian restaurant na ngayon ko lang nalaman. Dahil sa may naglibre sa akin ang inorder ko ay Lubiedo marinara (imbento ko lang ang lubiedo nakalimutan ko kasi) na "award winning prize dish" daw. Hindi ko na idedescribe para mystery.

Ikalawa, nagdinner kaming mga bagong orden na pari kasama ang mga pari ng seminary (kalevel na namin sila -- yabang!). Ang inihanda ng chef namin ay seafoods meal. Grande! Alupihang dagat at prawn (na kapwa biniyak), salmon, mussels, hipon, etc. blah-blah ekek (quoting Cune). Ang drinks ay red and white wine, chiraz, etc...at kaya ko naisulat ang entry na ito ay dahil sa mga nabanggit. Ayan, nahihilo na ako. Bow.

Suportahan natin ang World Youth Day 2008 sa Sydney. Sana maraming Pinoy at Pinay ang makapunta.

ActiV8

Homily
Corpus Christi College
19th October 2006
Luke 11:47-54

World Youth Day

“Who wants to work in the harvest of the Lord?” This was the opening words of Fr. Tony as he welcomed our guests last night. Last night we had a variety of people from different congregations, orders and backgrounds, as Bishop Prowse said it’s like an “Ecclesiastical Disneyland”. We may be different to one another (religious and diocesan) yet we are all united in faith and desire to follow Jesus Christ, the Master of the Harvest. We are all here at the seminary because we want to work in the harvest of the Lord.

I find it very interesting, if not inspiring after hearing stories from other people last night how the event of “World Youth Day” had contributed on their vocational journey. Like Nick, I was 16 when I attended World Youth Day celebration in Manila in 1995. Although I didn’t experience a jam-packed-train ride in Rome, mine was a life threatening-experience of a two-hour trip to Manila on a human-packed dump truck!

Generation

I was saying to myself last night that our generation is indeed privileged and blessed to experience the excitement of World Youth Day, not to mention the joyful experience of belongingness with our contemporary Catholics from all over the world.

Interestingly the word “generation” is mentioned twice in the Gospel today. That means the words of Christ uttered 2000 years ago are directly and effectively addressed not only to the past generations but also to our generation and specifically to each and one of us, present here today in this chapel.

We, seminarians and priests “who are called to work in the harvest of the Lord”, face the same challenge of doing the work of Evangelization in our time, our place and our generation. The First Reading reminds us that it is God himself who has chosen us to do this important job, as St. Paul says, “Before the world was made, he chose us…that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes.”


Condemnation: A warning for us followers of Christ

In the Gospel today, we heard of Christ’s direct condemnation and opposition to the Pharisees and lawyers at his time. The Pharisees showed to themselves to be accomplices in the murders committed by their ancestors. They do not really honor either the prophets of old or the prophets of God in their own time. Worst of all their generation rejected Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is greater than any prophets.

The condemnation of Jesus to the Pharisees does merely explain his opposition to them but also as a teaching to his disciples and a warning to us who profess to follow him.

We are aware how the apostles shed their blood as a consequence of their desire to continue the works of Christ. Inasmuch as the apostles experienced rejection and death from the hands of their torturers, so we, too, who are called to be living witnesses of Christ in our present generation will also experience rejection and difficulties in other ways.

We, who are called to remove barriers to the preaching of the gospel to the people, will also find ourselves in an uncomfortable situation.

And we, who are called to ease the burdens on others and help them carry their loads, despite our good effort and intention will also experience accusations and condemnations.

Prayer

But despite these negative consequences and hardships of following Christ, we can also include the difficulty of writing essays, or preparing a homily early in the morning, let us be aware that we are not alone. There are many young people around the world who like us are all excited about Christ. Unlike the Pharisees, we priests and seminarians today are hope for this generation.

We thank God for this wonderful privilege of being called to continue his mission on earth. So, “Who wants to work in the harvest of the Lord?”




“You will receive the power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.” (Activ8)

War and Resistance

Catholic War Veterans Mass
Homily
13 October 2006

I remember when my grandmother was still alive I often asked her to tell me her experience during the Second World War, when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded the Philippines in 1941. She said they had to leave their home and moved from one place to another in order to escape the approaching Japanese soldiers. She said life was very difficult during the war. They didn’t have enough food and medicine. They stopped going to school. Many families were separated. She herself lost her only brother who joined the Filipino guerillas to defend the country and never saw him again after the war.

Last week, during my hospital chaplaincy work experience in Ballarat, I met a deeply religious elderly patient whom I gave Holy Communion and administered the Sacrament of Anointing. On my last day, which was last Friday, he told me that he’d been in the Philippines. I was surprised when he said that he was an Australian Navy and was actually present when General Douglas MacArthur arrived at the island of Leyte, to begin the campaign to recapture the Philippines. Their ship also went to different countries in Asia, like Indonesia, Korea, to neutralize their enemies. As a navy he told me that he saw the horror and destruction of the Second World War. I told him that I would mention his story in my homily today.

As I recall today his story and my grandmother’s story, I can tell that their memories of war, like all others who experienced war, are stories of courage and determination to survive, of longing for peace, unity and preservation of justice.

The principle of “winning” a war or battle is to strengthen both offensive and defensive forces. The Gospel today tells us about “war” but in a sense of our “spiritual warfare”. There is a spiritual battle between good and evil. As Christians our sole “offensive and defensive force” against evil forces is no other than Jesus, himself.

We heard from Luke Gospel Jesus is casting out a devil from a deaf-mute person. “Jesus' numerous exorcisms brought freedom to many who were troubled and oppressed by the work of evil spirits. Jesus himself encountered personal opposition and battle with Satan when he was put to the test in the wilderness just before his public ministry (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1). Ultimately, He overcame the Evil One through his obedience to the will of his Father.”

“Jesus makes it very clear that there are no neutral parties in this world. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it. There are ultimately only two kingdoms which stand in opposition to one another— the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness which is under the rule of Satan. If we disobey God's word, we open to door to the power of sin and Satan. If we want to live in true freedom, then our "house" (the inner core of our true being) must be occupied by Jesus where he is enthroned as Lord and Savior.
In our present society we encounter the fact that many people are living in a culture that defies human mortality and disregards the spiritual aspect of human being – the true worth of human existence. Our human condition needs redemption both from the inner and external reality of our existence.[1] We need to be saved from all kinds of oppression such as sin, death and various evil forces of destruction. The state of our human condition is contaminated with sin and guilt – we are suffering from the inner wounds, sickness and hard-heartedness!

Only Jesus is the Saviour: by his death and resurrection he achieves a glorious triumph over sin, death and the darkness of evil.[2] So Jesus alone is the divine-human agent equipped with special gifts to bring salvation for humankind.[3] Christ’s redeeming power is always available to liberate us from the bondage of injustice, to expiate us from sin and lastly bring us back to the eternal love of God.

So in the light of the Gospel, as Christians, our stories too must be stories of courage and determination, of longing for peace, unity and preservation of justice.



[1] O’Collins, Interpreting Jesus, pp. 135-141.
[2] St. Paul’s vision of Christ who frees us from the enemies describes: “Now the sting of death is sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:56-57).
[3] Loewe, “Jesus Christ” in The New Dictionary of Theology, p. 540.

Sorrow and Hope

Home Mass at the Vergara's Sunbury

For the eternal repose of the soul of Kuya Ruding

(and all our departed loved ones)

September 22, 2006

12:00pm

Death is a human reality we face everyday. Whether we like it or not, whether you are young or old, rich or poor, our own death is inevitable. But death is not the end of everything. Our Christian faith reminds us that the death of kuya Ruding is but a continuation of his life with our Risen Lord.

We will forever sadly miss our loved ones however we put our trust in God that his death is something meaningful and significant. We trust that death cannot be the end of everything. The words of Christ give us confidence that death is vital for our own salvation too. The words of Christ in Gospel directly call to us and our departed loved ones, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.”

It is now time for kuya Ruding to give himself up totally to God. We ourselves will do the same, at a time we do not know. Again the word of Jesus in the Gospel speaks directly to him, “Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” It is our hope that our Lord may open wide the gate of heaven for kuya Ruding who depended solely upon him like. We pray from the depths of our hearts that the soul of kuya Ruding will now finally receive its peace and rest in heaven, where he will enjoy the fruits of his labour and sacrifice on earth.

Our Christian faith tells us that death is not the end. The glorious Resurrection of Christ reminds us that death is not something to be afraid of. He assures us that he is “the way the truth and the life.”

The death of our loved ones is not the end. Although our hearts are full of sadness, but at the same of joyful hope and profound gratitude knowing that his life is changed, not ended. We can still be close to them and they can be close to us still. It is only through the death and resurrection of Jesus that we can come to believe that out of death comes life, darkness turns to light and self-surrender leads to an everlasting life.

Writer

Maganda sana kung magaling akong magsulat. Yun bang pagbasa mo ay captivated ka agad at ... opps, nakakatamad ituloy. (Dumaan lang).

Re-detachment

Thanksgiving Mass at St. Leo’s Parish
North Altona
September 30, 2006
Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Anyone who is not against us is for us. If your hand should cause you to sin, cut if off.

Tuesday morning, October 10, 2000, I came in Australia to continue my vocational journey to the priesthood which I started in the Philippines. In the evening a priest from the seminary drove me to Altona North and entrusted me to a Vietnamese priest for three months until began my formal studies at the seminary. Fr. Paul is the first Vietnamese person I knew. He gave me a very warm welcome and made me feel comfortable. He took me around the parish. We visited parishioners (often to have meal). We attended dinner dance parties (fund raising concerts). We cut down trees and planted new plants at the presbytery garden. He taught me a Vietnamese words, and believe it or not, he taught me some Italian and Maltese words.

This is not a homily for Fr. Paul’s canonization, but I just would like to mention the contribution of Fr. Paul in my discernment to answer call of Jesus “come follow me.” During those three months of living here at St. Leo’s, I learnt from Fr. Paul how to adapt in a new country, how to mingle with people from different backgrounds and cultures, and more importantly, I’ve seen in Fr. Paul a living witness of a happy priest – a happy follower of Christ.

(Note: Fr. Paul escaped from Vietnam via Malaysia during the war. He was in a refugee camp in Malaysia for a few years. Before receiving international grant to stay in Australia he was ordained priest in the camp.)

Christian happiness

I think all of us are striving to be happy. Young and old, rich and poor instinctively want to be happy. Everyone desires a feeling of joy and pleasure, cheerfulness and contentment. People are seeking happiness and enjoyment in different ways – some go for fishing, others simply visit their friends or family members, rich people travel abroad for a holiday, and all others. My parents, other than visiting garage sales, they find joy in looking after their six grandchildren.

But what is happiness in a deeper level? How can we achieve Christian happiness? Money and wealth cannot buy us happiness as the Second reading says: “your wealth is rotting away, your clothes are all eaten up by moths.” The Gospel reading this weekend doesn’t directly answer the question of human happiness however in the Gospel Jesus spoke about detachment to sin. Jesus clearly warned his disciples about the grave consequence of sin. “If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.” Of course, Jesus’ words must not be understood literally, we don’t we want to see blood here tonight.

What Jesus wants us to achieve is to detach ourselves from things that cause us to sin, he wants us to strive hard to avoid anything that separate us from the love of God. Sin never brings us happiness but guilt-feeling and broken relationships.

Detachment

So, I think detachment is the key for this Sunday Gospel. To detach means to be removed from something, from a place, or from a group of people. When people marry the couple detach themselves from their own family. In some other circumstances, one party has to to leave his or her country because of love. Detachment can be painful and difficult but it has a rewarding consequences. The same with following Christ, a person has to know how it is to detach oneself from the things that give him/her comfort.

Detachment can be an simple and ordinary but the challenge always remains. Jesus mentioned in the Gospel, that the simple act of giving a cup of water to drink for someone in his name has a reward so how much more doing some good works such as visiting the sick, saying sorry or giving forgiveness.

Ordination

Two Saturday ago, when I was ordained at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, together with now Fathers Thinh, Justin and Eugene, we formally detached ourselves from our families and loved ones so we can allow ourselves available for greater service of God’s people.

So I ask your prayer that all four of us, and also for Fr. Paul who were ordained may continue to be faithful in doing service in Christ name; that we may continue to detach ourselves for the greater service of God's people; that we may find the comfort of Christ's consolation when the pain of detachment stirs us up; that we may know the joy of the priesthood and Christian discipleship amidst the challenge of today's world.

And as we continue in this Eucharist, let pray us for one another that with God’s grace and through his Holy Spirit, we may detach ourselves from our sin, so that we may continually be happy followers of Christ.