Destined for Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is not for the faint hearted. When you step out your front door, suitcase in one hand and tickets in the other, you know your destination. You know where you're headed. But you don't know what will happen on the way!

As soon as you go out the front grate of your safety zone, there will be dangers and pitfalls. But you are in the hands of God. He will be your guide and your guard. He will keep you sake, and if you fall, he will pick you up.

Be prepared to learn what it is that God is asking of you.

Be prepared for a full-strength dose of life!

Be prepared to have your horizons strectched, your boundaries exploded!

Be prepared for a personal encounter with the one who said: "Iam the truth."

Be prepared to come face to face with love incarnate.

Remember that you are predestined to be God's child for ever. The whole purpose of your pilgrimage from the start to the end of your life is that you become more and more like his Son Jesus and more and more conformed to his love.


YOU ARE DESTINED for PILGRIMAGE!

Excerpt from Archbishop Denis J Hart's

Pentecost Letter to Youth 2007

Lumang Senti

Minsan 15 taon na ang lumipas inutusan akong magsoli ng kaldero sa mga lola ko. Binalot ko ang kaldero sa plastic na maganda para walang makapuna at isinabit sa manibela ng aking lumang bisekleta. Kailangan sa loobang kalsada ako dumaan baka kasi makita ako ng crush ko kung sa main road ako dadaan - kakahiya.

Nasa kalahati na ako sa aking pupuntahan ay biglang may natanawan akong grupo sa gilid ng kalsada na masayang nagkukwentuhan. Dahan dahan ang paandar at ang lakas ng kabog ng dibdib ko habang papalapit ako sa mga ito.

Napagmasdan ko kaagad siyang nakaupo sa itaas ng mababang pader na yari sa adobe. Nakasuot ng puting t-shirt at blue na shorts. Ngumiti sya. Huminto ako sandaling sandali lang pero parang ang tagal.

15 taon na ang lumipas. Dalawa ang naalala ko ang kaarawan niya at ang kaldero.

Holy Spirit Empower Her with Your Love

Pentecost Sunday 2007

Reading I: Acts 2:1-11

Responsorial Psalm: 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

Reading II: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13;

Gospel: John 20:19-23; or John 14:15-16, 23b-26

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat mahal kong kaibigan. Naiintindihan po ba ninyo ako?

I am not drunk or high on drugs. I just spoke in Filipino my native language. What I just said was, “Good evening my dear friends. I wonder if you can understand what I was saying.”

Do you remember the story of the Tower of Babel from the Old Testament? The story tells that before everyone speaks with the same language, everyone used to understand each other and there was no language barrier. According to the story, pride building up in peoples’ hearts that they would like to be like God. One day people decided to build a tower in attempt to climb heaven and reach God. Because they spoke the same language, they worked well, so they easily built a tower as high as they could, hoping to stand at the level of God.

God was watching what these people were doing. He was not pleased. He had to do something to teach these people a lesson they would never forget. If He let disobedience like this go unpunished, what else might these people think about doing? So God said, "Let us go down and mix up their languages so that they cannot speak to one another."

Everyone was busy building. Then all of a sudden everything went terribly wrong. The workers could not understand each other. The foreman could not understand the workers. The architects could not understand the foreman. Men became angry with one another. Fights broke out here and there. How could they carry on building? They couldn't. The project stopped. First Reading: Reversal of the experience of Babel

“Holy Spirit the Language of Love”
First Reading (Acts 2:1-11) is meant to reverse the experience of Babel. We heard from the first reading the coming of the Holy Spirit. The apostles were all in one place when suddenly a strong driving wind filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them the Holy Spirit like tongues of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them. When they were all filled with the Holy Spirit the apostles began to speak in different languages and the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

The first reading says there were Jews who came from different nations who witnessed what happened to the apostles. The Jews were surprised and astounded when they heard the apostles speaking their own native languages. How could they be?

If in the story of the tower of Babel people were disintegrated because they suddenly spoke different languages. There was chaos when God mixed up their languages. But the experience of the apostles was different. When spoke in different languages (speaking in tongues) people around them understood what they were saying. There was confusion not because they couldn’t understand each other but the Jews were confused that the apostles could speak their own native language (Acts 2:6). Some of them even thought they were drunk!

Thus, Pentecost overcomes the division of the people at Babel. At Pentecost the Jews and the apostles became more united as brothers and sisters, as one family of God. That is why the Scripture uses tongues as of fire (v 3) to convey this signification. This means that through the tongue of the Spirit, which is ultimately the language of love, all men and women of all races and nationalities will be reconciled and united. The feast of Pentecost we celebrate today is thus a time of reconciliation and communion as children of God, through the Holy Spirit.

Language of Communion
In the Gospel reading, we heard about the sending of the advocate. Jesus tells his disciples that He will ask the Father to send forth another Advocate to be with the disciples always. Jesus is the first Advocate. Now that Jesus is going back to the Father, he is no longer with his disciples but he sends forth the Holy Spirit upon them and so to us. Jesus is not with us physically but the Holy Spirit is alive and active in us to be our teacher, inspiration and friend, to help us bear witness of Christ’s presence in the Church and with one another.

The feast of Pentecost is not simply the 50th day after the Lord's resurrection; it is also the time when we as the Church, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, received our mission to bring all people of all races and cultures, colors and nationalities, to the love God.

Before Jesus sends forth the Holy Spirit he asked us only one thing - to speak the one common language of love – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments…Whoever does not love me does not keep my words…”

My dear friends let us ask ourselves: How is our relationship with Jesus? What is the level of your to Jesus. Do you have Jesus in your heart? If your answer is yes, are you willing to overcome your weaknesses and sinfulness for the sake of his love? Do you have enough inspiration of Jesus that you can change your way of living to inspire the lives of people around you? Or do you feel that Jesus is so quiet and away from you.

Do I feel weak that no matter how I try to be good my human weaknesses always surpass my willingness follow Jesus? Am I tired of my own self-centeredness and being unfair to other people...

In this Mass let open our hearts and let us invite the Holy Spirit to enter us so that Jesus may become truly alive and present in our day to day life. There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit wisdom, understanding, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

As we commemorate today the feast of Pentecost, may we receive all the gifts or one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we need most on our present journey of life.

Let us open our hearts and receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that we may live in unity and accordingly to the one common language of Love - a language that transcends everything, languages, colors, nationalities... a language that unites all things in love.

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Sunday Morning

It's Sunday morning I got up earlier than usual to prepare for Mass. The weather is not too cold than the last previous days. The sun shines so brightly and the sky is clear - a perfect beautiful day it is. However inside me there is something missing, a void or an empty space, longing for something or someone... so I think I feel lonely, yes I am. This feeling of loneliness reverse the perfect weather. So after doing the things I have to be done in the church I went back to my room to pray asking the Holy Spirit to fill me with the grace I need.

Today is Pentecost Sunday the church commemorates when Jesus breathes out the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles to empower them. The Holy Spirit will make his presence even more truly present in their hearts. I need that grace today. But the Lord somehow is telling me "it's good for you to feel lonely so you can comfort people who are truly lonely -- who is recently widowed, divorced, or homebound with an illness; who is new in town, or who travels frequently on business away from family; perhaps someone in prison, in the military or in a nursinghome, etc. etc.

I feel lonely but I am glad I am. Although I am not really alone in fact I am surrounded with good friends and I really cannot cope easily with so many invitations I receive from them. Many people just love me. But at the end of the day the smile and laughter, voice and singing, tinkling of wine glasses and everything will fade away. Then reality confronts you, you are alone. People and friends whether you like it or not they come and go. You only meet them either when there are great joys or when there are troubled, when they need you or when there has been a tragedy.

I realise it's helpful to be alone and it is important to cherish the feeling of being lonely in order to have a strong solidarity with people who experience loneliness in one form or another: those who suffer anxiety, depression, rejection, and all others.

I read somewhere you don't have to be by yourself in order to be lonely. "Many people feel alone in the middle of a crowd because inside they feel inferior or rejected. Some people feel misunderstood or unwanted so they isolate themselves; they are afraid of getting hurt by others. While they silently keep to themselves, deep inside they are longing for interaction with another."

Thus I have to humbly admit that I am alone, that I am weak, that I am lonely. For when I am alone the presence of God becomes more present. When I am weak I feel helpless seeking God's endearing grace; simply wanting and longing for God, like a child who wants a cuddle from no other person than his/her mother. When I am lonely I immerse myself in contemplation to the reality of God who is love and nothing else - with his love I am not alone. And with God you and I were not alone.

It's Sunday morning. What a beautiful morning it has been.

In the end love

Ascension of the Lord 2007

May 19-20, 2007

Acts 1:1-11;

Ephesians 1:17-23;

Luke 24:46-53

The story is told about an old woman who offered the bus driver a handful of peanuts which he gratefully munched up. After some moments, she gave him more peanuts, again the driver ate them gratefully. Curious, the driver asked why the old woman kept giving him peanuts.

“I have no teeth,” she replied.

“But why do you buy peanuts?” the driver asked.

“Oh, I just love the chocolate around them,” was the old woman’s reply.*

~~~~

In today’s Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, Jesus gave us no peanuts but three substantial and precious gifts: A deep sense of Hope of God’s promises to our humanity. Desire to be Witnesses to the Gospel. And, a sense of Joy at the Ascension of the Lord.

The Church believes that our Risen Lord at the end of His life on Earth he was gloriously “ascended into heaven” in body and soul. We proclaim this belief every time we say the Creed before the Prayers of the Faithful. We recall the moment when Jesus after forty days during which he rose from the Dead and appeared himself to the apostles, “he ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father.”

We can describe the Ascension of Jesus into heaven first in a historical aspect. The Ascension was not an invention of the disciples, rather this glorious even occurred in our human history, in a particular time and place. It is a historical fact. His disciples witnessed how “he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” The first reading tells us that the last glimpse of the risen Jesus who has been taken up into heaven will return in the same way at the Second Coming.

Aside from the historical aspect of the Ascension of Jesus we look at its invisible aspect or the theological fact of Christ’s exaltation and glorification with the Father in heaven. What is the significance of the Ascension in our salvation?

A deep sense of Hope
Jesus who is God, but also human like us, when he Ascended into heaven he brings our humanity. Now that human nature has entered into heaven nothing will be able to separate us from God. “Jesus Christ is the Lord who now in his humanity reigns in the everlasting glory of the Son of God and constantly intercedes for us before the Father.”
Our celebration of the Ascension gives us the hope that one day we reach the place which our Lord has prepared to each and one of us in heaven.

Desire to be Witnesses to the gospel
So the second gift the Ascension gives us strong desire, it motivates to be living witnesses to the Gospel. We are confident that we believe will bring us salvation. Although we cannot see our Lord physically his Ascension into Heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit gives us confidence and desire to be living witnesses of Christ in our present society.

Where the Lord’s physical hands and feet are no longer present, the ministry of the hands of countless saints continues to bear witness to the Lord’s loving presence. Although our Lord may not appear in our midst to eat broiled fish (as he did with his apostles), his presence is tangible in the people who work for the poor, those volunteers working tirelessly in soup vans, people who care for the sick and lonely. But most of all we feel, we receive, the presence of the Lord, in every celebration of the Eucharist. Jesus is truly present at the proclamation of the word, at Holy Communion, and in each and one of us gather around His Altar.

We believers who affirm that the Lord is Risen and was taken up to heaven, therefore should consider and follow what the Lord has sent us to do, as we heard from the first reading: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (that includes Weribee!)

Sense of Joy at the Ascension of the Lord
Inasmuch as the early Christian were filled with joy at the Ascension of the Lord we too receive the gift of joy as we celebrate today the mystery of our Faith. “Jesus who has been taken up into heaven will return in the same way as the Second Coming.”(Act 1:11)


The day of the Ascension of Jesus brought them joy! The disciples received Jesus’ blessing with great joy, the worshiped him and praised God, and they began immediately to do what Jesus instructed them to do.

May this joy be shared by us today! May joy always be God’s gift to each of us here today and to our students who will receive Holy Communion for the first time today.

May the feast of the Ascension
give us a deep sense of Hope of God’s promises,
increase our desire to be faithful witnesses
to Christ’s teaching wherever we go,
and fill our hearts with Joy
as we await the coming of the Lord.
Amen.

*Story told by Fr Jerry Orbos SVD in "Moments" at www.inquirer.net

My love please do not let your heart be troubled...

Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 12-13, 2007
Reading 1 Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Responsorial Psalm Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

Reading II Rev 21:10-14, 22-23

Gospel Jn 14:23-29

Fear is part of our daily life. Being afraid to something is always part of ourselves and within our human consciousness. Each of us here I am sure have our own individual fear, each of us has something we are afraid of.

When I was a child one of my greatest fears was thunder. I used to cower in fear whenever I hear loud thunderbolt. I remember my two elder sisters whenever there was a thunder rather than giving me comfort, they would scare me more!

Well I am not scared of thunder anymore. But one of my greatest fear now is to receive another speeding ticket!



Fear is one of our greatest trials.
According to a Bible commentary, "365 days with the Lord": “We fear so many things! We fear accidents, the death of a loved one, sickness, theft, rumors, unemployment, marriage breakup, old age, bankruptcy, failures, being late, missing a favorite TV program, making a bad impression, flunking an exam, wearing the wrong clothes, having pimples, getting caught in the rain, not being able to pay the mortgage, not getting a promotion, becoming fat, and so on. The list is endless.”

We can add some more, fear of being alone, fear of being lonely, fear that we might not reach our dreams and our goals. Sometimes fear is accompanied by anxiety, homesickness, uncertainty, and so on. Some people are afraid to take risk, others are afraid to fall in love…because when we have fear we feel vulnerable.

Be not afraid.
Over 300 times in the Bible we hear the message of God, “Fear not! For I am with you; don’t be afraid, it is the Lord. ” As Jesus comes walking across the water (Jn 6:16) he says, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Gabriel said to Mary, “Fear not, Mary.” The angel said to Joseph, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife…” The angels told the shepherds, “Don’t be afraid.” And finally when the risen Lord appeared to the apostles he told them “Don’t be afraid.”

Jesus' farewell to his disciples
In the Gospel today, Jesus is saying his final words to his disciples before he go to the Father. Jesus is leaving his followers but one day he will return at the Second Coming. But Jesus tells his disciples not to be afraid for he is sending an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will teach them everything, inspire and strengthen them to continue his mission on earth.

What will happen to them now?
How the disciples should live their faith in Jesus’ absence…how they will keep his words without him around…how they will remain faithful and confident without Jesus at their side?

Why we are not to be afraid?
May I suggest three things “Why we are not to be afraid?” They all start with letter P – Presence, Peace and Power.

These are three promised gifts of Jesus to his apostles as announced them of his departure.

Presence of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything.”
Jesus called the Spirit the Paraclete or Advocate, which also points to a number of meanings: defender, counsel, comforter, intercessor, helper, assistant, interpreter and others. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church will teach us to know Christ and will give us the grace to love him, even if we cannot see him. The grace of the Holy Spirit makes Christ ever present in the Sacraments, in the Church and in our hearts.

Peace of Christ: “Peace I leave with you.”
Second reason why we must not be afraid is that Jesus is leaving us his peace. All we need to do is to accept that peace. The peace that Jesus gives is not just any peace, not the peace that the world gives. Christ gives a peace which is his own: the full joy that overflows his soul. This joy and peace is nothing else than the union/unity of Christian with one another. The peace that Christ gives us is a deeper kind of peace, that brings healing, comfort, contentment, eternal happiness and spiritual tranquility.

Powerful words of Jesus: “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”
Let the words of Jesus in the Gospel today sink in to depths of our hearts “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Not to be afraid is the fruit of peace and peace is the result of Jesus’ victory over and sin, the first gift of his Resurrection.

Through the Holy Spirit these powerful words of Jesus will bring us peace even when we face sufferings and trials, it helps not give in to failure or anxiety.

The powerful words of Jesus are addressed in a very speciall to our students today who will receive our Lord for the first time in Holy Communion. “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

The powerful words of Jesus “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” are addressed to all mothers today as we celebrate Mother's Day. May the words of Jesus give strength and hope to all mothers most especially those single mothers who are struggling hard in carrying out alone the responsibility of nurturing and caring for their children. May these words of Jesus give comfort to all mothers who are abondoned and neglected by their own children.

Conclusion
Presence, Presence and Power are the gifts of the Spirit of the Risen Lord. The challenge of the gospel lies precisely in the invitation to accept a gift for which can give nothing return. Once we embrace these gift, only then we are free to become gracious givers and instruments of Jesus’ peace, presence and power to our brothers and sisters who like us are troubled and afraid.

Lord, we become attached to the things
which brings us close to you:
our personal devotions, Sunday Masses, etc
When we have to give them up
we become anxious and even angry.
But we have learned from experience

that we must not let our hearts be troubled or afraid

because you are greater than any manifestation

of your presence, and just as Jesus went away

from his disciples and returned

so you will always show yourself to us in a new way.

Amen.

If we fall in love...

Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 5-6, 2007
Reading 1Acts 14:21-27
Responsorial PsalmPs 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
Reading IIRev 21:1-5a
GospelJn 13:31-33a, 34-35

Giving of self – Love is by nature generous.
Christ = His Cross is the measure of our love.

Common notion of love
Love according to the Australian Oxford Dictionary is “an intense feeling of deep affection or fondness.” It says to fall in love is “to suddenly and intensely begin to love something (or a person).” When a person loves he or she “begins to live or experience great joy.”

This common definition of love as feeling or emotion is what we often hear from the contemporary media, showbiz magazines, from Hollywood movies or from popular songs we hear from the radio. We always describe love as “mushy loving-feeling,” an emotion that brings enjoyment and romance. Sometimes we hear/blurt out statements like, “I don’t love her anymore” or “I don’t love him anymore.” Actually what we mean is “I don’t feel the joy and pleasure of loving anymore.”

Love is giving
To define love this way downgrades or rather abuses its real meaning. Because love in its true essence is more than an emotion, love is more than infatuation or attraction, its more than a “romantically-good-feeling.”

Love as contrary to feeling is a firm decision. For love is by nature generous. Love is decision to give oneself self freely. Love is equated to giving of self. Love in its essence is readiness to give oneself for the good of another person. It is a free act of the will to offer oneself, to give one self generously, even if the process of self-giving is painful. (We all know the story of “The Giving Tree.”)

How love is shown?
How do we express our love to others? We show our love to other people in different levels. First, by intention, it means we can love people in our minds and nobody knows about that love except God and the one who loves. Secondly, we show our love by verbal expressions. So from the mind, the expression of love goes to our lips saying “I love you.” To hear that we are loved, that we are appreciated is very encouraging. Those three words bring us joy and consolation. But the third expression of love is greater than the two. The highest level of showing our love by action. Certainly love that is shown in action is greater, it’s deeper, than love by intention, it’s more meaningful that what comes from the lips. Love by action proves the true meaning of love.

Love deeply
If love is far more than a feeling, but a firm decision to give oneself, thus love can be commanded. In our Gospel today, we hear a clear commandment from our Lord how to love and how love is shown.

Jesus entrusted to His disciples the new commandment of love. I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you, so you should love one another. It’s a crystal clear commandment: to love as Jesus Christ loved us.

To love like Jesus means we must love deeply. The Lord is telling us to go deeper than the heart, to go deeper than the feelings. We are called to love not is a superficial way, but to love as he has loved each and one of us, regardless of who we are.

How did Jesus show His love for us?
Jesus showed his love for us in a simple way, a human and tangible way, by becoming human like us. So that his love is seen concretely, Jesus shares everything with us, even his life making us all God’s children.

Second the love of Jesus is not merely shown words but his love is always in action. The love of Jesus is beyond the law; Christ’s love is always active, self-giving love, self-sacrificing. His love is never self-seeking or asking any love in return…a love that constantly gives until it hurts. It is this kind of love which makes “all things new.” It is only in this loving deeply like Jesus’ that we can also live fully.

Thirdly, the Cross of Christ is the measure of our love. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for his friends. This is what is “new” about the command: it is Jesus himself, in his life, service and self-giving unto death, who models what it means to love one another.

To imitate the love of Jesus is not easy because such kind of love requires a daily laying down of one’s wishes, needs, and desires for the sake of the other. It’s never easy but it is possible…

Conclusion
In the twilight of our life there is only one thing that would be asked of us, “how much did you love?” It is a question that will perhaps, never be fully answered in life, because it comes at the Day of Judgment. But each day of our life should prefigure that final moment. To love like Jesus is to make a firm decision in life to self-giving for the sake of others. It is the kindness we extend to everyone, the truthfulness of our words, the respect that everyone deserves, the humility of our achievements, the forgiveness of those who offend us. To love like Jesus is our willingness to give up one’s life for a friend.

May we able to follow the commandment of Jesus to love as he loved us. May the love of Jesus help us to be fully prepared at the twilight of our life. Indeed, it may be our only means to salvation. Amen.

"If we fall in love anywhere with you would be a better place.."

Readings: "Love Like Jesus" by Bishop Socrates Villegas