Kapamilya

Holy Family Sunday 2007
Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Psalm: 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Family
Each of us has come from a family - we have different family stories, different upbringings, we have unique childhood memories, each of us were nurtured by our own parents. What makes us common is that we all came from this basic unity of society called “family.” A family is a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children, who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and usually reside in the same dwelling place.

The celebration of Christmas five days ago, brought so many people to enjoy and celebrate the bonds of kinship and love of the family, especially with the littlest and newest family members. Some people may have lost the religious significance of Christmas, yet still people believe that Christmas' message brings the importance of family, unity, love and peace in family.

Today’s feast of the Holy Family remind us once again the true meaning of Christmas: that Jesus, our Saviour was born into a human family like us to be our Redeemer. Like us Jesus was nurtured and raise in a family:

A story is heard about a conversation between a new neighbour and a 7 year old boy living next door. “How many kids in your family? he asked.
“Eight” the child said.
“My, that many children must cost a lot of money,” said the neighbor.

“Oh, we don’t buy them. We raise them” replied the boy.

Jesus was raised from a holy family. What makes a family holy? It is the presence of God. What makes a family unholy? It is the absence of God. When God is absent, the vacuum is often filled up with materialism, greed, vices, unfaithfulness, neither of which gives true peace.

Mary, Joseph and Jesus model for us the life of the Holy Family.
Joseph is a model of a faithful and caring father. Joseph exhibited great trust in God and demonstrated intense devotion and love in caring for Mary and Jesus. Scripture does not quote a single word of Joseph, and yet his actions speak volumes of a strong man devoted to God and family.

Mary is a model of a very understanding, loving and religious mother. Mary showed tremendous faith in God and trusted in God's love for her. As wife, she helped Joseph in his quest for holiness. As mother, she cared for Jesus with great love and tenderness. Both Mary and Joseph created the environment which allowed Jesus to grow in wisdom and age and favor before God and other people.

Jesus is a model of obedient child. He was obedient to Mary and Joseph and obviously loved them both very much. And, out of great love for his Father and for us, he was obedient to all that God asked of him, including death on a cross.

Troubles in Family
The Holy Family however is not exempt from life threatening difficulties. Rather, it is in the midst of difficulty that their holiness is tested, deepened, and revealed as a faithful and obedient response to God.

We are shown by the Gospel that Mary and Joseph and child Jesus had more than their share of problems and crises. The Holy Family was on the run from the dangerous threat of Herod and had to flee to a foreign country.

Holiness versus Worldliness
Today, every human family is being chased down and slain by the Herods of modern culture. The family unity today is in peril as we are exposed to a constant battle between holiness and worldliness. For instance television has almost no shows that depict successful families. We see billboards on freeway advertisement promoting sex that undermine family values and respect to other people. Each day we read in the paper domestic violence, family breakups, teenage problems, etc.

What is the criterion of holiness?
Living in this situation how can we imitate the Holy Family? The first and second readings tell us what it means to be holy. The first reading provides a recipe, as it were, for a holy family: honoring, respecting, obeying one’s parents. St. Paul also provides a recipe for the family of the church: a community that is compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, and forgiving.

We are family, let us live like family. We start by making our natural families into more loving homes. To measure how much you are contributing into making your family a loving home, we should remember three A’s – Attention, Affection, and Appreciation. How much Attention, Affection, and Appreciation you are giving to each and every member of your family?

Next to the home, our church community should be a family – an extended family – where we give and receive love and respect each other. Let us take time today to give attention, affection and appreciation to all we meet today.

Another year is coming, let our new year’s resolution be something that would benefit our family to holiness.

Lastly, let us create a religious environment in our family by praying together, going to Church every Sunday, teaching our children the importance of Christian faith and values. The environment of holiness itself is the protection of our families in today from the modern values foreign to Christian values and understanding.Let our family be a sanctuary of love, joy, peace and harmony. Amen.

****

There are three marks of a good family: close to God; close to one another; close to the people. Some families are close to God, but they are not close to one another. Some families are close to God and to one another, but they are not close to the people. And it could happen that some families are close to the people and to one another but they are not close to God. So, how’s is our family? - Fr Jerry Orbos inq7.net

sources: 100 Stories You Can Use Vol.1, www.liturgy.slu.edu, www.munachi.com

Christmas 07

Christmas 2007
“God is with us…”

Search for Christmas
I am writing this homily at my sister’s house...

There are so many things and ideas to say about Christmas, so many that I honestly don't know what to say for this Christmas homily. Here I am trying to reflect at my sister's kitchen. My niece and nephews running noisily around the house. My sister busy cooking spaghetti for their family Christmas eve dinner. Time is ticking...no ideas yet. I am now starting to panick.. Christmas eve Mass is one the most celebrated celebrations and many people hear Mass only during Christmas.

As my panicking grows intense my one-year old nephew crawled under my chair. He got stucked underneath and gently hit his head as he tried to free himself out. Unimaginable loud cry filled the house and indeed the whole neighbourhood of Sunbury. My sister hastily rescued her little boy. As soon as my sister took my nephew up his loud cry instantly stopped...a total silence in the house.

I said to myself, “what I saw a beautiful image of Christmas.” A child who was afraid and found comfort, a child who was in tears and now at peace, a child who was searching help and now feels a warm and loving embrace of his mother.

I saw in my nephew’s being stucked under a chair and freed by his mum the image of humanity who is rescued by God from the slavery sin and corruption of death.

The celebration of Christmas is a celebration of the beginning of our salvation history when humanity is saved from the darkness of evil. Today is a celebration of the fulfillment of God’s promise by the birth his Son, our Savior, the Emmanuel.

Scripture Readings
The first reading is from the prophet Isaiah written 700 years before the birth of Christ. Isaiah proclaimed a message of repentance from sin and hopeful expectation of God’s deliverance in the future. The first reading tells us a prophecy about the coming of our Saviour. “For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.”

In the second reading St Paul’s letter to Titus that God has often spoken to people about his Son Jesus. In Jesus we see what God means and who God is, he is our savior who is always eager to deliver and rescue us from our lawlessness, human weakness and sinfulness.

In the Gospel, Matthew takes us back the story of the first Christmas. The angel appeared to fearful and startled shepherds “good news of great joy”: the birth in Bethlehem of a Child who is “Christ the Lord.” The heavenly host responded by bursting into songs of praise, glorifying God in heaven and announcing God’s peace and favor on earth. The revelation of this birth to us calls forth the same kind of rejoicing which unites our voices in this Mass with the song of the heavenly host in the heaven.

Symbol of Christmas: Search for the Star
During Christmas people use different symbols to represent God's salvation through the birth of his Son. What do you think is the most favorite symbol of Christmas? Well I suppose the star is a favorite one. The star appears on Christmas cards and atop Christmas trees in many homes. We see star around shopping centers and around Werribee. And somehow it's not just another ornament. The star shines not only into our eyes but also into our hearts. My father used to make a star lantern made of bamboo. It represents the star of Bethlehem.

When we see the lights and gaze at the Christmas star we sense the afterglow of the original Christmas star that led people from faraway lands on a long journey to see a baby. The Bible tells the story of the Christmas star in Bethlehem.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

The Star leads us to the place where the child is born. The Star signals that God is not away from us, God is with us, the Emmanuel. Actually, Christianity is the only religion that teaches God is not above and far away of us, but only religion that tells God is with us.

Pope Benedict XVI writes in his recent book “Jesus of Nazareth”. Jesus shows us the face of God. He has brought God! He has brought the God who once gradually unveiled his countenance first to Abraham, then to Moses and the prophets, and then in the wisdom literature—the God who showed his face only in Israel, even though he was also honored among the pagans in various shadowy guises. It is this God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the true God, whom he has brought to the peoples of the earth. He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about where we are going and where we come from: faith, hope, and love.

Christianity is the only religion that proclaims that God came to be human like us (except sin). Although God-is-with-us, until we are still seeking love, acceptance, healing, understanding and forgiveness.

We are like wise men in search of the “star”, and that Star is not away from us, because God is with us. God who is just not beside us, but God always within us, always, as love – incredible love, unconditional, unwavering love, that will never abandon us, never leave us, ever again.

Let us have a peaceful Christmas for God has saved us. Amen.

Wake up for Christmas

Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 23, 2007
Emmanuel

Isaiah 7:10-14

Psalm: 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Romans 1:1-7

Matthew 1:18-24

Are you afraid?
Have you been ever worried in your life? Have you experience confusion, doubt and uncertainty? Have you experience being betrayed by the very person whom you’ve loved or trusted all your life suddenly? Have you ever asked God if he really does really exist especially when God seem to be quiet in our prayer.

The Gospel today tells us of a man faced with a grave dilemma. Joseph, is God fearing and righteous man (one who follows Mosaic law), already bound by a solemn betrothal ceremony to take Mary as his wife, suddenly discovers to his dismay that she is with child. Unaware of the mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph, instantly and naturally he would suspect that her fiancé had broken their solemn pledge to be faithful and chaste to one another.

Joseph, no doubt took this serious trouble to God in prayer. He can only suppose that she has been unfaithful to him, and is now subject to very severe laws that could result in her death if he exposes her. He takes the compassionate way out. He will divorce her quietly, exposing himself, not her, to shame.

God intervenes through a dream in which an angel tells him the whole story. The angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, for her child has God Himself as the Father! With incredible trust and humility, Joseph obediently agrees to the plan.

Matthew’s Gospel
The Gospel of Matthew tells us of Joseph’s obedience, while the Gospel of Luke tells us of Mary’s obedience when the angel appeared to her. In today’s Gospel, we take Joseph as the central and active recipient of God’s revelation which comes to him through the appearance of an angel in a dream.

The angel begins by saying, "Joseph, son of David," alerting us to Joseph's lineage. It is through Joseph that Jesus will be of the house and lineage of David. Mary's role is to bear a son, and Joseph's role is to name him. By naming him, Joseph makes Jesus his son and brings him into the house of David. An angel appears to Joseph three times. On each occasion, Joseph obeys the angel's commands without question or pause.

His hallmark is obedience -- prompt, simple, and unspectacular obedience. And in this sense Joseph prefigures the Gospel of Matthew's understanding of righteousness: to be righteous is simply to obey the Word of God. Joseph's obedience allows Jesus to be adopted as a true Son of David; it is Mary's role that allows Jesus to be born Son of God." At the end, he takes Mary as his wife, in spite of his fears; and he claims the son as his own by naming him, in spite of his earlier self-righteous decision to quietly divorce this woman. Joseph nurtured and protected and watched over and loved both Mary and her child.

Joseph's message
Like Joseph, we are called not only to trust God, but also to listen and be faithful to him. We are here in this church, three days before Christmas, because like Joseph, we are faithful and we trust in God. We don’t rely on ourselves; we rely on God’s power and God’s mercy.

But for many of us Christmas is a difficult time, especially for those who have suffered losses of the loved ones. Some people are concerned about their health problems, others might have problems about making ends meet financially, and still others have conflicts of relationships. And yet, like Joseph, we promise God today that we’ll trust him, and that we’ll remain faithful..

Joseph, like Mary, is God’s instrument to inspire us to be faithful and to have a strong trust in God especially this time of Christmas.

When we see ourselves faced with trouble, confusion, doubt and uncertainty. Let us not question the presence of God, for God is indeed with us – Emmanuel. When life tests our faith, let us imitate Joseph, let us turn to God in prayerful trust and confidence.

We thank God for giving us Joseph the humblest of the humble, the kindliest of the kindly, and the greatest-ever believers in God's goodness and mercy, like Mary, his example help us welcome Jesus into our hearts and lives during this Christmas.


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source Fr Tony's homily

Simbang Gabi
6th Day
December 21, 2007
Resurrection Parish, St Albans

Role of our mother
The role of mother is seen to have a great importance in our life. Mothers have a unique role that cannot be replaced. The presence of a mother is very significant to the child’s emotional growth, social development and well-being.

One the most important of roles of a mother is providing nourishment, physical food – food, lunch and dinner. I was in the Philippines last October for three weeks. For three weeks I had cooked breakfast every morning!

But other than physical food which a mother provides from her kitchen, the mother is the one who provides us emotional and spiritual nourishment – we first learned from our mother how to love and to be loved, how to care and the experience of being cared of, how to forgive and how to be forgive… All these begin to take shape and grow in the person of the mother.

Role of Mary
It is important to appreciate always the service which our mother has given us. And during this Advent Season, we always reflect on the important role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our life as followers of Jesus.

Advent season always have a Marian perspective because it was Mary who first of all waited, prepared, probably she too was deprived of lack of sleep (like those of you who faithfully attend Simbang Gabi), it was Mary who first of all who longed deeply about the birth of our Savior.

Mary is always our company during our waiting and preparation for Christmas.

Gospel Reading
In the Gospel today we heard of Mary’s eagerness to share the good news she received from God. “Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to see her cousin Elizabeth. Mary rushed in haste and quickly traveled the four day journey to in the hill country of Judah.” When Mary heard that her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant, she was so concern about her, she traveled as quickly as possible to assist her although she’s pregnant herself.

We see, Mary is someone who doesn’t procrastinate. She doesn’t want delay. She do not have a mañana habit or mamaya na habit. When it comes to God’s call Mary would not think twice not to respond.

She is already to say “yes.” Remember how Mary responded willingly to God’s call to bear the Saviour of the world? She didn’t procrastinate or make any excuses? She consented to the divine plan to be the mother of the Son of God and obeyed God’s will immediately. Although she had questions and worries she had a deep trust in God. Her courage and willingness to faithfully obey God allowed her to received the Son of God, first in her heart and secondly in her womb.

Role of Mary this Advent
Perhaps as we prepare for Christmas, the role of Mary for us, is to help us and inspires, not to hold back and delay the will of God in our lives. The Church considers Mary to be the perfect model of a true follower of Christ because of her openness to the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Challenge
During this Christmas Season, we should follow Mary's example and pray that God finds favor in us and that we remain obedient to His word.

Let us ask ourselves, what it is that is holding us back to do the will of God. Do we delay our desire to help other people? Do we delay our forgiveness to those who might have hurt our feeling? How many Christmas we have to wait in order to admit our own mistake or reconcile with one of our loved ones or friends?

Resolution
As we prepare for Christ’s birth, let us look at Mary, her gentleness, her courage and most of all her quick response to obey God’s will. Mary has important role in our Christian life. We can always run to her when we need something from her Son. Let us make her the source of our faith, trust and courage, so that our Saviour Jesus Christ may be born too in our hearts. Now.

Christmas Novena Mass 3rd Day

Christmas Novena Mass
Third Day
December 19, 2007

The build-up in our liturgy continues. As we prepare for Christmas we read the genealogy of Jesus according to Matthew’s Gospel, a genealogy that underlines the realness of the his coming to our human history. On the second day of our Novena, we reflected on the angelic announcement to Joseph that the mysterious pregnancy of Mary is the work of God.

Today we focus on the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth to his father, the priest Zechariah. This story prepares us for the announcement of the Birth of Jesus (which we will hear in tomorrow’s Mass.

God is a God of Surprises - with God nothing is impossible.
In Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit acted to make it possible for a woman doubly handicapped – she was barren and old – to be mother of a child. In the story of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit will act to make a virgin the blessed mother of the Saviour. The angel Gabriel will point out to Mary that the child-bearing of her cousin Elizabeth is a sign that “nothing is impossible with God.”

God is the giver
Beyond the deep theological import of our story today, we realise the God is a God of Gifting. The Holy Spirit who acted on the birth of John the Baptizer and Jesus..is a Divine Person of many gifts! In simple terms, the birth of John the Baptist was a “gifting” to the old couple – Zechariah and Elizabeth. The name “John” literally means “God has shown favor”, “God has given a gift”.

God has shown a big favor for Elizabeth and Zechariah. Elizabeth was naturally barren. They were both advanced in years. But God gave them a child to break their curse.

Barrenness
As we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christmas, we should then learn to rise above our own “barreness” – that is our sense of limitation, frustration, hopelessness in our lives. We should realise that God is good all the time.

God favour can come to us through persons, and lives that touch ours. The great gift – the cause of joy is their child. In the first Reading, the cause of joy for Manoah was the birth of a child – Samson. The cause of our joy this Christmas season is the coming birth of little child – child Jesus.

As we prepare for Christmas, we pray that amidst our uncertainty and hopelessness, God is with us to bring us joy. Like Zechariah, we must trust in God’s loving power and believe that He will exceed our expectations in time. Zechariah’s muteness taught us that our prayers will only be answered in fullness when we believe.

"Lord Jesus, you bring hope and restoration to your people. Restore and strengthen Christian family life today. Help me to love and serve my family. May your love rule in all my relationships and remove any barriers to peace and harmony."

Simbang Gabi

Simbang Gabi
December 17, 2007

Introduction
I am interested to know who were here yesterday on the first day of our Novena Mass. Could you please put your hands up? Well done. Put your hands up if this is your first Dawn Mass. Good effort! Put your hands up if you think you will be here again tomorrow morning. Good luck. Put your hands up if you are still sleepy? Well, I am!

Story
Once in the Philippines there was a mother who’s been trying hard to wake up her son for Dawn Mass. As you may know Dawn Mass in most parishes in the Philippines begins as early as 3:45 am. “Come on son” says the mother, “get out of your bed today is the second Day of Novena Mass we cannot be late.” But her son wouldn’t respond and pretended to be sleeping still. The mother shouted up the stairs “Get up!,” and the son shouted back down the stairs: “No!” She shouted again: “Get up! Gising na!, and he shouted down again: “Can’t you see I’m still sleepy! Why should I get up?”

Mother said: “Well, first of all your early breakfast is ready, second we cannot afford to miss the Novena Mass, and thirdly you are the Parish Priest and for God sake you have to say Mass today! Come on people are waiting!”

Being human
Well, part of being human we have our own inadequacies and shortcomings. We have the tendency to lose motivation and sometimes we failed to be consistent in our duties. When we make mistake, a serious one or not, our classic excuse is “I am just human. I am not perfect.”

In the Gospel today on the second Day of this Dawn Mass, we heard the genealogy of Jesus, we heard many names from generation to generation and from which Jesus comes from. The names which I read from the Gospel of Matthew (with great difficulty of pronouncing correctly!), were real people, they were human like who were confronted of their own inadequacies, there were flawed, imperfect, at times unfaithful and sinful, (if they are here today they too would be sleepy at Dawn Mass).

Today’s Gospel invites us to meditate on two things: first Jesus is the new beginning of humanity and secondly, Jesus is the basis of the hope of humanity.

Jesus as the new beginning
The genealogy of Jesus show that his ancestors, great, great, great, great grandaparents, or kanunununuan are a mixture of good and bad people and most often the dominance of the latter. This is humanity to which Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour, is born into; this is the kind of people, God the Father is sending his very own Son to this world.

Each name mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy has its own story of human failure to tell. To mention a few we have Abraham and Isaac lie to disown their wives before authorities to save their own lives. Jacob is a trickster, stealing both the blessing (“berakah” in Hebrew) and birthright (“bekorah”) from his brother, Esau. We heard of David, supposedly greatest of Israel’s kings, is guilty of the murder of Uriah, the commander of his own army, to legitimize an adulterous affair. Then his son Solomon who is notorious for having 700 wives and 300 concubines, (how about that? He beat my grandfather who had four wives!) His leadership is not only religiously offensive; it is also marked by corruption and injustice.

There were long list of human failures among Jesus’ ancestors. The coming of Jesus is the coming the new beginning in humanity. Jesus is perfect model of being human – flawless and sinless.

Jesus' genealogy revealed that he came for the salvation of all people regardless of race, nationality or gender. His genealogy is not for history but to present us his identity, a new beginning of humanity.

Jesus is the basis of our hope and joy
Secondly we meditate today on the second day of Simbang Gabi or Dawn Mass, that Jesus is the basis of our hope. Jesus is a real person. He is not an invention of the imagination of his disciples. Like all of us, he had ancestors. But Jesus is not an ordinary person. Jesus is a descendant of David but as savior, He is human and divine.

We may have our own weaknesses, struggles and personal difficulties in life, human as we are. But the genealogy of Jesus reminds us that God can draws goodness out of human mistakes and incompetence through Jesus Christ. It gives us encouragement and assurance that if we have Jesus in our hearts God can make good things out of us.

Conclusion
As we come to prepare for Christmas, we must want Jesus and welcome Jesus in our day to day lives. Jesus is the only remedy from all our anxiety, fear and worry, and all our other human weaknesses.

Our being human is never perfect, it is not pure and its not, at the moment, a worthy offering to God. Let us allow then Jesus to be born in us to make us, in the end, a worthy offering to God, our Father.

In this second day of the Novena, let us prepare ourselves so that we too might become like Jesus, a deserving people of God. Amen.

Rejoice for Christmas

Third Sunday of Advent A
December 14, 2007
Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
Psalm: 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11

Rejoice!
On the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, we all centered on joy, it is a time when we try to overcome our personal depressions, unnecessary worries, anxieties and whatever negative things we have in our mind.

This joyful spirit of this week is marked by the third candle of our Advent wreath, which is rose colored. Rose is a liturgical colour of happiness and joy. I should be wearing rose vestment today but I still don’t have one. Maybe next year I will just bleach my purple vestment with White King! (jk :)

The first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah sets us to this joyful mode of the week. Isaiah writes, “They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.” He continues, “Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy.”

During this week as we approach Christmas we are being reminded that our preparation and waiting for Christ’s birth must bring us the feeling of joy.

Christmas season is a time of joy. We must be joyful as Christmas gets nearer.

Unfortunately as our modern society race to consumerism and search for material goods during this time of the year instead of being joyful many people feel the exact opposite. Many people are tired and weary because of overspending in shopping centers and bargain hunting. According to statistics depression and suicide rates are high during Christmas season mainly because of our high expectation, greed and selfishness.

Human situation – happiness, sadness
But when we set our hearts focused to true meaning of Christmas, that is the incarnation of God, we move through this week rejoicing because our longing and waiting has prepared us to believe that the reign of God is close at hand.

This is the reason why during this week of Advent the liturgy invites to be happy and go rejoicing. Of course, we can get pleasure out of the Christmas shopping, the lights, receiving Christmas cards from people we haven't heard from since last year. But where can we find real deep, serene joy in the midst of a world in turmoil?

God wants us to be happy and joyful at all times. It is God’s will that we, his children to be happy, to have a big smile on our face, to have joyful hearts, he wants us to be cheerful, to enjoy life and live life to its fullness. Even though we all want to rejoice, the bare fact is that we rarely do, maybe because of various circumstances, problems and disappointments in our lives.

Depression is one of the greatest problems in our society today. The enemies of joy or what stop the person to be happy are fear, worry and anxiety. We don’t deny the hardship and suffering in our day to day life.

John the Baptist
The Gospel today in fact also bears that image of human suffering as John the Baptist was put to jail. He was put into prison and later he was beheaded.

Although he suffered a lot, the Gospel gives us a glimpse that he was a indeed a happy man. He is someone who is not conquered by fear, anxiety and worries in life. Deep within he is rejoicing, for only one reason, only because of Jesus.

We may have our own suffering and problem in our life today but there is always reason to reason to rejoice, we have Jesus to give us comfort and healing. The Gospel reading today gives us the reason to rejoice at the coming of the Messiah – “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and good news is proclaimed to the poor.”

The key to rejoice even we are burden with all problem and suffering is found in the second reading today St. James' advises us to be patient and makes our hearts firm because the Lord is at hand.

As we pray today, we also rejoice that the Lord does not fail to show his power and might. Let us open our hearts and let God transform our lives. Let us be encouraged by today’s readings. They remind us that our lives can also be transformed if we are joyful, patient and place our trust in God.

We heard how Jesus healed the sick, forgave sinners, raised the dead. He wants to do the same with us in this Mass. He wants to help us. He wants us to be happy. He is only remedy from all our anxiety, fear and worry. Money, material possessions, popularity and beauty can never determine our happiness.

He is with us in this Eucharist. But we must want him and welcome him in our lives. With prayer in our hearts and with sincere willingness, let allow Jesus to grant us the grace we need.

Christ is our hope and joy. Let us rejoice! Amen.

Lord, help us to be joyful, prepared and ready for your coming. Amen

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source Fr Tony's homily

Waiting for Christmas

Second Sunday of Advent Year A
December 9, 2007
“Prepare the Way”
Isaiah 11:1-10

Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

Romans 15:4-9

Matthew 3:1-12

We are now in the second week of Advent season. It’s been two weeks now since we have entered the liturgical season of advent and since then we've been paying special attention to the mystery of waiting. As we reflected last week, we said, waiting is part of daily life; waiting can excite us but it can be boring, waiting can test our patience and sometimes it can irritate us. But during this time of Advent waiting for Christmas is a wonderful opportunity for spiritual renewal of our lives.

Today the words of John the Baptist echoes in all churches around the globe “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” This is a powerful message given to million of Christians around the world and to each one of us here present this Sunday to help us and instruct us how to wait and prepare spiritually at Christ’s coming.

I’m we are all familiar with this message of repentance, we hear again and again, but sometimes we take this call for granted, we don’t act about it or most probably we don’t get the exactly message.

Story “Memento mori”
Once there is a radio program that made an interesting gimmick or publicity stunt. This radio program made a series of anonymous phone calls to people with this frightening message: “Remember you must die, remember you must die.” They scare people about their own mortality.

The first to receive a call is a very rich, very self-centered old woman. When her call comes, she’d never even considered that her perfect little self-contained world might come to an end. She’s utterly shocked, her arrogant social life crumbles, fear eats her up, and she dies.

The next in line or the second victim is an elderly gentleman. After receiving his call, he begins to panic how he would enjoy his remaining life. He divorces his third wife, marries a young woman and goes on a cruise with her around the world. Unfortunately, it's more than his heart can take and he dies of a cardiac arrest.

Many other people received the same anonymous call and they reacted thoughtlessly, they cursed the caller, they hanged the phone, etc.

Finally the last old woman is called. When this lady was told on the phone “remember you must die” she thought for a while and said, "I'm so glad you called sir, you know, at my age one forgets so many things. It is good of you to remind me of this most important fact." And with that she sets about rebuilding her life, healing old wounds, ask forgiveness from her loved ones and friends, went to church regularly, appreciate the beauty of life and putting aside all that doesn't really matter. She got the message!

Repentance
Every second week of Advent, God is giving us this same kind of wake-up call through John through Baptist: Repent and renew your life and prepare for the rebirth of Jesus in your life.

John the Baptist is Christ’s herald, the one who prepares the way of his coming with a radical message of repentance. This message is not at all soothing. John’s pronouncement doesn’t sound very friendly at all. We all heard it; if we indeed take it seriously into our hearts we find it very confronting and very uncomfortable. See how he confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees John addressed them “brood of vipers.”

Brood of vipers. It’s a very strong image but I don’t exactly know what it meant until I “googled” it from the internet: “According to a widespread tradition in the ancient Mediterranean world (attested in Herodotus, Aelian, Pliny and other writers), vipers killed their mother during their birth, hence were associated with parent-murder. Ancient writers sometimes used parent-murder as an example of one of the worst conceivable crimes, one that invited divine vengeance. Matthew’s gospel applies this image to the Pharisees as they claimed to be the true heirs of the patriarch and prophets but they refused to believe in the coming Messiah. He probably used this image to challenged them to be humble, to reform their lives, to repent and believe that the promised Messiah is about to come.

Metanioa
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" are words which Jesus will later use to begin his preaching (4:17) and similar to what the disciples were to proclaim (10:7), and the same message we hear in the Church again and again.

Do we really get the message?

Literally the Greek word for repentance (metanoia) means, "a change of mind." It’s a radical revision and transformation of our whole mental process. That change of mind is something whereby God takes center place in our consciousness, in our awareness, and in our minds.

Metanoia is the idea of the need for conversion. And this is then recognizing that we don't know, truthfully don't know, God and truthfully don't feel ourselves as God intends us to. The second week of Advent wakens us up that we really need metanoia, to allow the grace of God to enter into our lives and teach us how to see ourselves and how to come to the true self.

True repentance metanoia involves a complete turn around -- facing in a new direction, a change of heart, a new commitment. It’s a daily experience that renews our baptism. “The repentant person pray to God saying, "I can't do it myself, God. Help to start afresh a reform life. I want to die from my old self so that you can raise me to a new life."

Repentance for us is not a one-time action, but must take place daily, because preparing for the Lord is a perpetual task.

Let us remember that the Holy Mass is the most powerful of prayers that can change our hearts and minds because it transforms us into a Eucharistic people, providing the living presence of Jesus. Repentance and conversion is only possible through Jesus whom we encounter in the Sacraments especially in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Regular confession makes us strong and enables us to receive more grace of God and to enliven our spiritual wellbeing.

Repentance not scary at all
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven at hand.” These words of John the Baptist can be scary and confronting. But if we understand its real message to repent is another way of saying, “waken up and see the wonder and beauty all around you.” The main ways to repent is stop and begin to appreciate the goodness and beauty of in your life. The first place to look for this is in our home and among our family. To count our blessing each day. Secondly to look at the community of faith we all belong and acknowledge all the gifts and graces we receive there.

Let us be thankful and hopeful knowing that amidst the wilderness of troubles and suffering in our lives there is a voice within us, crying out that things will turn out right.

Prayer
We pray for Lord, that even in the midst of desolation
and sinfulness
we prepare a way for your coming
and made the paths straight
so that we would be there to welcome you.
We know for sure that we would experience your salvation.
So help us Lord to prepare your way inside ourself,
as we wait with joyful hope for your coming.

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source Fr Tony's homily

Welcome back

After almost three months of wandering I am now back again to blogging. Welcome back to me and 'hi' to you all who might have been reading this. Many great things happened during the last few months specially during my holidays in Taiwan, and ofcourse sa bansang Filipinas. Before I post my reflections, homilies and some thoughts allow me to present to you a variety of food that I have documented during holidays. Samahan ninyo ako na balikan ang mga pagkain na ngayon ay pawang mga ala-ala na lamang. 'Eto ang aking ulat.

A simple merienda in Taiwan

First breakfast in Taiwan

Taipei's best

Taiwanese seafood lunch

Old traditional Taiwanese meal with a tinge of Japanese cuisine

Pinoy delicacy in Novaliches

Malolos' best

Sister Maria's beautiful cooking

Guilbert's Place (has to go with SanMig Lite)

Sabang, Baliuag sumptous dinner

Deep fried Dinosaur fossil

Stick 'em at Paborito's in Malolos, Bulacan

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O God you are so very good.

Thanks for the food.

Huwag sana kayong mapagod

Sa pagbigay sa amin ng food.

Amen.

Limits of Biology

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Life has changed not ended”

2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14

Psalm: 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15

2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5

Luke 20:27-38

Biology

One of my favourite subjects when in highschool was Biology, the “science of life” or a “study of life.” Unlike Mathematics which is merely about numbers, formulas and computations, in Biology all you need to do is to observe how living things or organisms grow and develop. You just examine the structure of the species (plants, insects or animals) and observe how they interact with each other in their environment. Unlike all other subjects there was always a “wow moment” in Biology. You always discover something wonderful about life most especially those microscopic organisms.

Although science can be exciting as can be biology does not give us all the answer about life. Biology cannot give us answer to questions like, why you and I are born, what is our purpose in life, what is our mission in life, why do things happen, and most of all what is the meaning of life.

Life's purpose

The readings today are not about science of life but its about the Christian concept of life after death. It is this gift of life, both present and eternal, which comes to the theme of today’s readings. Death is the opposite of life; it entails the cold and rigid corpse, the decay, the stench. The image of death often scares us “to death” because death is always associated with pain, separation, end of our dreams.

For us Christian, although death brings us tears it always has a positive side. Death is a passage leading to something entirely wonderful. Death leads us to the door of heaven, to immortality, to eternal life with the God of life. All this is summed up in the word “resurrection.”

Our Christian belief in eternal life, in Resurrection, gives us answer that Biology cannot answer “why you and I were born, what is our purpose.” We are born because God loves us. Life is precious because life is God’s gift to us. Our purpose in life to live life to its fullness; thus we must celebrate every moment of our life.

St. Ireneaus says, “the glory of God as the human person fully alive.” When we are at best we give glory to God. We appreciate God’s given gift. The gift of life is God’s an expression of God’s love to us. Natural death will not stop us to receive that God’s gift of life. Even when we die on earth we will still enjoy “life” in heaven.

In the Gospel Jesus rebuts the Sadducees who were skeptical about the after life. They found no basis for a doctrine of resurrection in the "books of Moses," the only scriptures they recognized as authoritative. They asked him question about an old Jewish tale - a story about seven husbands who died in succession shortly after marrying the same bride. The Sadducees asked Jesus which one of them would be married to the widow in the afterlife. Rather than seeking information, they were trying to trap Jesus.

Jesus explains that, in heaven, we will all be "like angels." They can be no marriage afterlife because raising new children will be not needed because there is no death. Jesus is really telling them to let God the Father take care of heavenly problems.

Here on earth, our task is to recognise gift of life to everyone, to respect each other, to cherish each other, to give value to life.

Because we believe in the Resurrection our love to each other doesn’t stop even when our loved ones died. This why during the month of November we remember in a special way our departed loved ones and all faithful departed, the war veterans, those who died in natural calamity. We recognise and honour their good deeds, their sacrifices, their dignity, their sense of self-worth, their sense of humour even – because they cannot die. They are alive, very much alive not only in our beliefs but they are alive in our hearts and prayers.

I would like to end by reading a short incident told by William J. Bausch

“An unknown women in Ravensbruck concentration camp wrote this life prayer and pinned it to the dead body of a little girl there. “O Lord’, she wrote, ‘remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all the sufferings they have inflicted on us. Remember rather the fruits we have bought, thanks to this suffering: our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, our courage, our generosity; the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this. And when they come to judgment, let all the fruits which we have borne be their forgiveness.”

As we remember our departed loved ones in our prayers, let us also pray for ourselves that our faith in eternal life will triumph in us, in the church and in the world, so that we always live our best and always be “alive and holy in the eyes of God, who is the God of the living.”

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source Fr Tony's homily

Authentic Prayer

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 27-28, 2007

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

2 Kgs 5:14-17

Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-42

Tm 2:8-13

Lk 17:11-19

Buddhist Temple in Taiwan

Prayer is a way of our communication with God. We talk to God through prayer, whether we say in the silence of our hearts or we say it together as one community. Prayer is basically is an expression of our faith, that we belief there is a God. I just came from my holiday. I spent a few days in Taiwan, and then three weeks in the Philippines. My friends in Taiwan are Buddhist, we visited a Buddhist temple I prayed with people of different belief. It was my first time to experience praying with Buddhists but although they have a different image of God I could sense the presence of God as I joined them in prayer.

My Buddhist friend told me that they visit the temple to pray before they travel abroad, when making a big decision in business, in short God is always part of their life’s existence.

Prayer basic expression of our faith
When we pray we feel the presence of God, we reconcile with God, we adore God, express our petitions, we become ready to face problems, trials, change a new person. Prayer must reflect our attitude towards other people.

Praying with humility
The main theme of today’s readings is the need for true humility as the hallmark of our prayers. God loves us when we pray with humility. We could even say that humility is the key to God's heart, a sure guarantee to a favorable reply. In our first reading today, the Book of Sirach teaches the same thing. Humility is the beginning of wisdom. A humble heart puts us on the level of the poor and needy to whom God always bends an ear. Of course, when we pray, we must really mean what we say when we acknowledge our sins and imperfections. Now that shouldn't be difficult!

St. Paul's words to Timothy in the second reading are not only beautiful but have a very personal tone: "I have competed well, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." St Paul reveals his suffering by following Christ, but he clearly sees that the way to follow Jesus is by accepting lowliness and suffering. He was proud that he fulfilled his duties as a Christian but he was humble enough brings back all the credit to God.

Humble prayers are heard because they come from the hearts of people who know how much they need God.

In the Gospel, Jesus presents to us two different characters that have two different ways of praying. The Pharisee stands in the very front of the temple, distancing himself from his inferiors, and his prayer is self-centered. If we analyze his prayer we can say that he is not praying at all. He wasn't really praying to God, but merely talking to himself about all his virtues. He believes that he is spotless, perfect and holy; He is under the mistaken impression that he can fulfill all that is required of him by his own actions; he just present to God all his good works, comparing how good he is than other people. At the same time, he was guilty of rash judging that poor tax-collector at the rear of the Temple who didn't even dare raise his eyes to heaven as he begged forgiveness for all his sins.

The Pharisee's prayer didn't impress the Lord very much. In fact, he didn't even return home justified.

Tax Collector
On the other hand, the tax collector's prayer earned him forgiveness from God. Why? Not because of his offenses, but because he honestly acknowledged them and humbly repented. He is aware of his brokenness and opens himself to God, asking for his mercy. He stood at the back of the temple, and would not even lift his eyes to God. He confesses his sins and humbly asks for God’s mercy: "O God, be merciful to me--the sinner."

His prayer was short, but to the purpose. His heart-broken, humble prayer wins him acceptance before God.

Mother Theresa
There is always the danger of religion becoming religiosity. Even our good works can become an obstacle to our relationship with God, if we don’t recognise God’s role.

A news reporter once asked a daring question to Mother Teresa if she was ever tempted to be proud. Mother Theresa inquired with a smile, "Proud about what?" The reporter replied, 'Why, about the wonderful things you have been doing for the poorest of the poor?” Then came her answer, "I never knew I had done anything, because it was God who had worked in and through my Sisters and volunteers.” True humility differentiates a saint from a sinner. If we are proud of our talents, our family connections, our reputation, or our achievements in life, today’s gospel tells us that we need Jesus to rid us of our pride and make us truly humble.

Lesson
Evict the Pharisee and revive the publican in each one of us. There is a big dose of the Pharisee's pride in us and a small dose of the tax-collector's humility. If you think you’re God, you deceive yourself. That’s why the humble tax collector, who asked God for mercy, went home reconciled with God while the proud Pharisee did not. If we are not sensitive to other people we are not sensitive to God. The Pharisee was not sensitive to the tax-collector, and hence he was not sensitive to God. The tax-collector was sensitive to his own failings and thus was equally sensitive to God. Sensitivity to other people and sensitivity to God go hand in hand.

A good daily dose of humility added to our prayer can make us better Christians. Humility before God because we are all equal O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

When I fall, He lifts me up! When I fail, He forgives!When I am weak, He is strong! When I am lost, He is the way!When I am afraid, He is my courage! When I stumble, He steadies me!When I am hurt, He heals me!When I am broken, He mends me!When I am blind, He leads me!When I am hungry, He feeds me!When I face trials, He is with me!When I face persecution, He shields me! When I face problems, He comforts me!When I face loss, He provides for me!When I face Death, He carries me Home

Kapangyarihan ng Panalangin

Kahalagahan ng Panalanging Di Napapagal
Lk 18:1-8
Sto Rosario, Lumbac, Pulilan Bulacan

October 20, 2007

Unang pagbasa - ang nakadipang kamay ni Moises ang tanda ng tagumpay ng Israelita laban sa Amalecita. - Kapag nakataas ang kamay ni Moises sila ay nananalo laban sa mga kaaway Sa Banal na Ebanghelyo ay isinaysay ni Kristo ang isang talinghaga upang ituro sa kanyang mga alagad na dapat silang manalangin lagi at huwag manghinawa.

Sa kwento ni Jesus ay may isang babaing makulit daw na punta-punta ng punta sa hukom at humihingi ng katarungan. Bagamat hindi sinabi kung ano ang dahilan ay isinasaad sa kwento na matigas ang puso ng hukom at lumipas ang ilang panahon na nagpabalik-balik ang babaing ito

Kahalagahan ng panalangin sa ating buhay
- a life without prayer is like a garden without flowers its ugly.
- a life without prayer is like a soldier without a gun he is unprepared.
- a life without prayer is like a butterfly without wings it's incapable to fly

Panalangin ang nag-uugnay sa ating pagkatao
- kapag tayo ay may mabigat na problema ay parang humihiwalay ang ating isip, nawawala na sa sarili, nabubugnot, nayayamot, walang pasensya sa kapwa nagmumura

Panalangin ang nag-uugnay sa bawat isa sa atin
- inaalala natin ang presensya ng ating mga mahal sa buhay sa panalangin
- Ilan sa atin dito ang may kamag-anak, kapatid, anak o asawa sa ibang bansa?
- Ilan sa atin dito ang may mahal sa buhay namayapa?
- Ilan sa atin dito ang pamilya na pinaghiwalay hindi ng kamatayan o pangingibambansa kundi dahil sa hindi pagkakaunawaan?

Panalangin ang nag-uugnay sa atin sa Diyos
- sa panalangin unang dumadaloy ang biyaya at grasya ng Diyos
- sa buhay sa seminaryo ay buhay panalangin

Buhay panalangin ng isang pari
- kapag nawala na ang prayer life ng isang pari duon nagsisimula ang pagbasak ng kanyang bokasyon
- ang panalangin ang syang nag-uugnay sa Diyos

Si Kristo ang modelo natin sa pagdarasal
- Nuong isang Linggo ay itinuro ni Kristo sa Ebanghelyo isang aspeto ng panalangin – ang magpasalamat

Ngayong Linggo ang panambitan sa atin ni Hesus ay manalangin lagi at huwag manghinawa
- Para nga sinasabi sa atin ni Kristo na tayo ay maging makulit sa ating buhay panalangin kahit paulit-ulit ay okay lang sa kanya.

“Maging Makulit”
- Kapag ang isa bata ay makulit humihingi ng dalawang piso sa una ay di natin papansinin subalit kung ito nagsimulang mangungulit bibigyan natin ito kahit 50 centavos o piso.
- Kung mayroon tayong panalangin na hindi tinutupad ni Lord, huwag tayong manghinawa, huwag tayong magsawa, hindi man Niya ibigay ang atin kahilingan natin ay may ibang biyaya parin tayong mapapala.
- May mga taong may cancer o may karamdaman lagin humiling sa Diyos na sila ay pagalingin…hindi man sila gumaling ay nagkakaroon sila ng lakas at tiyaga na buhatin ang kanila krus.


Si Krito ay “makulit”
- Sa bandang huli- kung iisipin natin si Kristo pa ang nangungulit sa atin araw-araw, lingo-linggo.. o sa tuwing tayo ay nananalingin
- Kinukulit nya na tayong magtiwala sa kanya, kinukulit nya tayong magpakumbaba, kinukulit nya tayong magpatawad, kinukulit niya tayong subukang magbago, kinukulit nya tayong mahalin sya at ating kapwa.

Kinulit nya tayong manalangin lagi dahil mahal niya tayo.

Si Maria din ay hindi naghinawa
Ipihayag ni Maria ang salita ng Diyos ng paulit-ulit mula ng siya ay tumalima sa mensahe ng Anghel, hanggang sa pagsilang kay Jesus, sa pagpapalaki kay Jesus, hanggang sa pagpapakasakit at pagkamatay sa Krus ni Jesus ay paulit-ulit na ipinapapahayag ni Maria ang Salita ng Diyos.


Manalangin tayo sa Diyos na huwag nawa tayong maghinawa sa ating buhay panalangin. Amen.

Moments

Your Heart Today

Bingo moments

Where there is fear I can allay, where there is pain I can heal, where there are wounds I can bind, and hunger I can fill.

Moments with retired priests

Lord, grant me courage, Lord, grant me strength, grant me compassion that I may be Your heart today.

Picture perfect moment

Where there is hate I can confront, where there are yokes I can release, where there are captives I can free, and anger I can appease.

Two sisters' moment

Lord, grant me courage, Lord, grant me strength, grant me compassion that I may be Your heart today.

Playful moment

When comes the day I dread to see our broken world, compel me from my cell grown cold that Your people I may behold.

Innocence moment

Where there is fear I can allay, where there is pain I can heal, where there are wounds I can bind, and hunger I can fill.

Kokoblack moment

Lord, grant me courage, Lord, grant me strength,

Sharing "The Simpsons moment"

Grant me compassion that I may be Your heart today.

After mass moment

And when I’ve done all that I could, yet there are hearts I cannot move, Lord, give me hope… that I may be Your heart today.

In every moment say cheese!

I will live this day as if it is my last.
This day is all I have and these hours are now my eternity...
I have but one life and life is naught but a measurement of time.
When I waste one I destroy the other.
If I waste today I destroy the last page of my life.
Each hour of this day will I cherish for it can never return...
- Og Mandino

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* "Your Heart Today" words by Manoling Francisco SJ from the album and scorebook: The Best of Bukas Palad (vol2). Photos: bingo bozos of Sunbury, Majela priests' retirement house, Rocelyn Reyes, Patricia & Kaka, Odra & Kaka, Karol & someone's baby, Kokoblack Camberwell, Litz & the Simpsons, altar servers of St Andrew and barrel cheese.

Proud to be humble

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time C
September 2-3, 2007
Reading I: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Responsorial Psalm: 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11

Reading II: Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a

Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14

What is humility? According to my "humble" dictionary, “humility is a condition or attitude of mind.” It’s a very humble definition because it didn’t say much about humility. :) We can also define what humility by saying what it is not. The opposites of humility are pride, arrogance, assertiveness, self-importance, egoism. We often say a person is humble when he or she is not arrogant, not boastful, or when one doesn't think that he or she is better or more important than others.

Once there was an arrogant lawyer who asked a humble old Italian farmer, “Why don’t you hold up your head in the world as I do? Look I bow by head neither before God nor to anyone, even to Prime Minister.” “Sir” replied the old farmer: “see that field of grain? Only those heads that are empty stand upright. Those that are well-filled are the ones that bow low.” The English word humility is actually derived from the Latin term “humilis,” which means low, humble, from earth. So a humble person is has an attitude of lowliness, one who does not hold up his or her head, nose or place above other people. Sometimes even animals can tell us what it means to be humble. I read somewhere saying that when two goats meet each other in a narrow path above a stream of water, a situation where they cannot turn back, and they cannot pass each other, for there is not an inch of spare room. You know what they do? Instinctively, they know that if they butt each other both will fall into the water below and be drowned. Nature has taught one goat to lie down so that other can pass over its; as a result, each goat arrives at its destination safe and ground.

If you have goats at home try it. Let me know if it works. :)


Jesus favourite topic One of the most favorite topics of Jesus is humility. Remember we heard Jesus' words from the Gospel last Sunday calling to “strive to enter through the narrow gate.” He says the gate of heaven is narrow and it’s difficult to get in. It is narrow and small that if we want to enter we have to be small or bow down our heads. This means we have to be humble and to lower down our pride. Last Sunday's Gospel ends with this message, “the last will be first and first will be last.”

Little children are number one candidates to enter heaven not because they are cute but because they are humble. How blessed are they because they will find it easy to pass the narrow and small gate of heaven! In today's Gospel Jesus teaches us how to be humble using a parable. He says, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor…take the lowest place.” The reason Jesus was invited to the dinner party was that he was already well known as a sort of celebrity, noted for curing the sick and performing miracles. But Jesus was not interested about his fame. However, he used the occasion to teach a lesson about the Kingdom, presenting humility as the essential condition for God’s invitation to His heavenly banquet.

He showed that humility must be expressed in the recognition of one’s lowliness and one's need of salvation. Jesus was talking to the Pharisees who were known as notorious, proud and elite religious leaders of his time. Jesus would like to teach these Jewish religious teachers about genuine humility and the dangers of pride.

Invitation
Well, this parable is not only to teach the Pharisees the importance of humility, however this parable is Jesus’ personal invitation for all of us. An invitation calling you and I to strive hard to embrace the virtue of humility. The virtue of humility is always grounded in a psychological awareness that everything I have is a gift from God -- therefore, I have no reason to boast. To admit our need and dependence on God is being humble. To see good things we have in life as gifts from God is being humble. We must not use our God-given gifts and talents to elevate ourself above others. Humility means the proper understanding of our own worth. It requires us not to overestimate our worth, but also not underestimate it. To be humble is to realize that we are loved by God because we are His children.


The mere fact that we are here present in this church is a very good sign that we are humble and that we need God to work in our life.

The quality of humility that Jesus is asking to have has a sociological implication. It means that Jesus is inviting us to associate with the so-called “lower classes" of society -- even the outcasts. Jesus invites us to change our social patterns in such a way that we connect with the homeless, the handicapped, the elderly, and the impoverished -- the "street people" of the world.

Let us pray that we strive to be humble each day. Jesus is our model of humility. St Paul describes in his letter to the Philippians (2:7-8) God’s humility through Jesus’ coming to this earth: “Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”

"Lord Jesus, you became a servant for my sake to set me free from the tyranny of selfishness, pride, fear, and conceit. Help me to be humble as you are humble and to love freely and graciously all whom you call me to serve."

Keeping God's Wisdom

Wisdom is the principal thing;
therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honor,
when thou dost embrace her.
She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace:
a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

*

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;

and the years of thy life shall be many.

I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;

and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

Take fast hold of instruction;

let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Proverbs 4:7-13

*

*The Scripture potrays wisdom in a feminine gender. She brings us the ability to know the difference between things that are temporary and essential. Praying for wisdom makes us live meaningfully and wiser in the eyes of God. Our today's model of wisdom is my friend Pinky Marie because of her feminine beauty, and also today is her birthday. Photos used without her permission. :)

Are you fat?

21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

August 25-25, 2007

Reading 1Is 66:18-21

Responsorial PsalmPs 117:1, 2

Reading IIHeb 12:5-7, 11-13

GospelLk 13:22-30

Once there was a rich man who always had this question fixed in his mind: "Will I go to heaven or to hell?" This became so much of an obsession with him that he decided to approach his pastor. "Father, will you please ask God whether I am going to heaven or to hell?" "Well, my son, how can I possibly know? I do not have a direct line with heaven." "Come on, Father! Pray hard. Do not worry; I will compensate you well for all your efforts. I will pay off all the debts of the Church..." With that kind of an offer, the pastor could not refuse. "Come and see me in three days time," he reassured him. And sure enough, three days later, the rich man was knocking at the door of the preacher. "Well, Father, any news from God?" "Yes, my son! I have good news and bad news." "Give me the good news first." "The good news is that you are going to heaven!" "Great! Wonderful!" exclaimed the rich man in jubilation. "And what’s the bad news?" "Well, the bad news is that you are going to heaven today!”

Who can be saved?

In the Gospel someone asked Jesus “Who can be saved?” Jesus simply answered “strive hard because the heaven has a narrow gate." In simple words I supposed Jesus wants to say is that a person must be fit, must workout, and lose some weight so that she or he may enter the gate of heaven. We have to trim our waistline to enter the narrow gate. We are not talking here our physical sizes but to enter heaven we need to burn our “spiritual fats” --- our attachments to pleasure, worldliness, and selfishness. The second reading tells us more how can we trim our “spiritual waistlines” to enter the narrow gates, through discipline, suffering and sacrifices

Strive to enter by the narrow gate. Jesus uses the image of a narrow gate to describe the gate of heaven. It has been made small so that only the little ones will fit through it;

Remember Jesus says you cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless you become like little children. Little children will find it easy to enter the narrow gate not because there are little physically but because they don't have "spiritual fats".

Look little children have especially qualities that we adults don’t have: they simple, they are not image conscious. They cry, poo and pee in public they don’t care what people say. They are free to express openly what they feel, and feel deeply what they are. They don’t care whether they are male or female, rich or poor, Christian or Muslim.

Children are not afraid to get hurt for being known for who they are. That is why they are so loving and lovable to eyes of God. More importantly little children unlike us are without world attachments. Children are totally dependent on their mum and dad. The world is perfect around them as long as mum and dad are present.

There will be full of surprises in heaven. The VIP’s and big shots on earth will not necessarily be VIPs and Bigshots in Heaven. To enter heaven, what will matter is not your social status on earth, or your bank account, or your looks, or your academic degrees. What will matter then will be the kind of person we are: are we like children? Are we a selfish or a loving person?

Strive to enter by the narrow gate. We too believe that we cannot “earn” our way into heaven by good works, but we also believe that we must allow God to work in our lives through His grace, a grace that is reflected in our actions. The road of the life of this world is wide, many follow it because it is like a river of desires and pleasures, it drags them into spiritual danger and it is a definite way to perdition. The road to heaven is narrow and difficult to follow, not everyone can find it easily because it demands following my gospel. The gate to gate in not so popular because tt is very easy to stray from it because of the distractions of the world.

The good thing for being a Catholic as Bishop Christopher Prowse said yesterday at Confirmation Mass is that when we fail or when we sin, we are always welcome to start a new life, we can always start afresh with Jesus and through Jesus.

We want to start afresh new now. Let us begin to trim our spiritual waistline to enter by the narrow gates.

Jesus wants us all to be in heaven. Jesus came to save us all, and we are all important to him no matter what is our country, race, culture or religion. The means of salvation is all available in the Catholic Church. We have the sacraments as means for us start our new life and thus enter the narrow gate: Eucharist, Reconcilliation…

Let us strive hard to be more closer to Jesus, only Jesus and always Jesus. We will do our best for Jesus.

Let us conclude with this a short prayer of self-examination:
“I need you Jesus Christ. Grant me forgiveness for my sins. Make me a new person. I need your Holy Spirit to direct me, to strengthen me, so that I can walk in the narrow way and choose the narrow gate. I need you to change me from a self-centered, self-sufficient person into your wise servant.”

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*Our little models for today are Nicola, Joshua and Jordan :)

Peace breaker

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time C

August 19, 2007

Reading I: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10

Responsorial Psalm: 40:2, 3, 4, 18

Reading II: Hebrews 12:1-4

Gospel: Luke 12:49-53

Jesus The Peace Maker?

“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”

These words of Jesus must have shocked his disciples. Jesus' words are not only dramatic and hard to understand but there are also a seeming contradiction. Isn’t it Jesus is supposed to be a Messiah, ambassador of peace, harmony and unity? Elsewhere in the Gospel, Jesus is described to be the Prince of Peace, at his birth the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest and earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” On Easter night Jesus greeted disciples with peace three times. When he commissioned his disciples he instructed them to greet every household they would visit with a greeting of peace.

How can these two positions be reconciled? How can we interpret the words of Jesus today? The answer is to be found in consequences, not intention. For instance in the first reading we heard that the prophet Jeremiah must be put to death because he is steadfast in his mission from God. Jeremiah is ridiculed, hated, thrown first into prison, then let down into a deep cistern by those who wouldn't listen to his message. They said it was "too demoralizing." King Zedekiah admires Jeremiah, but he is too weak to act on his advice. Jeremiah was left in a dark and muddy cistern solely because he had spoken God’s warning. He is battered and beaten as consequence of telling the truth!

Our Gospel reading concludes with examples of family unity which will be divided: From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three;a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father,a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother.

This is hard and does not sound very appealing, but sometimes this is the reality. In the act of accepting Jesus, many people found themselves at odds with others, even family members. To accept Christ seriously mayh cause division and rejection in one’s own family. It happened in early Church and it still happening today.

Christ desired peace, but a faith on fire often leads to division. Many parents feel so bad about their children who were reluctant going to church on Sunday. Some parents have told me that they now try to avoid the topic of religion, Sunday Masses, Christian moral values on their children in order to prevent discussion or disagreement. There are some children go to church just to please their parents or grandparents.

On the other hand, there are children who want to pursue a dedicated Christian life but their family offer no understanding or support. There can be very strong family reactions to one member’s embrace of the faith. I remember a friend priest of mine in the Philippines telling his vocation story. He said, when he entered the seminary his father stopped talking to him. Another friend of mine, a religious sister, said she entered religious life without telling her parents because she knew that would not let her. She literally jumped over their fence the night she sneaked out from her house to enter the convent.

We come to the realization that following Christ is not a laid-back pursuit. To follow our Lord with fire in our belly can and does produce division. Jesus declares that His teachings will bring division and conflict, even within his followers' own households. To follow Jesus can produce uncomfortable results and affect our morale. The best solution is given us in our second reading from Hebrews today: let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

A true disciple loves God above all else and is willing to forsake all for Jesus Christ. Jesus insists that his disciples give him the loyalty which is only due to God, a loyalty which is higher than spouse or kin. It is possible that family and friends can become our enemies, if the thought of them keeps us from doing what we know God wants us to do.

When Jesus says he brings division to family, family could also be the world at large, our civil government and our local communities. It is the duty of the Church to transmit Christ message in our society. As the Church proclaims Christian moral values and principles she causes division.

A concrete example is in our parish take away-sheet this weekend. At the last page there is a letter from Archbishop Hart regarding the issue of a Private Members Bill, the decriminalizing abortion will be introduced into the Victoria Parliament this week. Archbishop Hart wrote: I appeal to all that we acknowledge and protect the human dignity of each person from the very beginning of life to its natural end. This means that we not only preserve the life of the unborn child, but also work tirelessly to care and support mothers and distressed by an unplanned pregnancy and anxious for their future and that of their unborn child…This legislation to decriminalize abortion will weaken eventually weaken the respect we have for life and the dignity of each person.

We know our moral stand against abortion will cause division. But as followers of Christ, it is our moral duty to recognise that all human rights ultimately depend on our love and support for the most vulnerable and defenseless in our community.

So, in this Mass let us pray that our love to Jesus may be strengthened, make him always our number one, and let the fire of God's love burn brightly in our hearts. Let us also pray for the Church, to all who endure hardship, and pain in the cause of discipleship.

Together with all the baptised, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

"Lord, may your love consume me and transform my life that I may truly desire nothing more than life with you. Make me strong in love and fidelity that nothing may hinder me from doing your will."