Q.C. parish holds Simbang Gabi in Latin - CNN Philippines

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Becoming fishers of men

St. Andrew the Apostle

I was ordained a priest on the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. I consider it a great honor to be ordained on this feast because St. Andrew was one of the first to the called by the Lord. As he walked by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Lord Jesus saw the brothers Peter and Andrew casting their nets. To them he gave the invitation: Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men. I like those words "fishers of men". The Lord called them and myself to become "fishers of men." The work of fishermen is really very simple. All they had to do was cast the net into the sea and haul into the boat whatever is caught in that net. I realize that my job as a priest is simply to cast the net and haul in what is caught. The Lord called me to be a fisher of men, not a member of a screening committee. All I have to do is to keep the Church door open and welcome anyone who enters through it. It is not my job to screen people and decide who should be deemed worthy to enter the Church and who should not. When a person finds his way to the Church, he has not done it on his own, Rather, it was the Father who called that person to approach his only begotten Son. It was the Holy Spirit moving in his soul. The fisherman simply casts his net and does not determine which fish should be caught in it. He hauls into his boat whatever the net catches. My task as fisher of men is to welcome those who find their way into the Church. It is not even my task to convert them or to touch their hearts. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Holy Spirit can convert hearts. Only He can change lives. Only He can sanctify sinners. Only He can deify men. And I am not the Holy Spirit. I can only cast my net by preaching. Whatever happens to those who listen to what I preach is not within my control. I can only cast the net by celebrating the sacraments. Whatever happens to those who receive the sacraments is no longer my turf. Moving hearts, converting lives, sanctifying sinners, deifying men...all these are the work of the Holy Spirit. I can only cast the nets and nothing more,

Tunay na Katawan at Dugo ni Kristo

Hesus, nananalig ako sa iyo!

Walang kaduda-duda na lubhang napakalinaw, klarong klaro, ang sinabi ni Hesus kung ano ba itong pagkain na ibinibigay niya para sa ikabubuhay ng mundo. Ito ay walang iba kundi ang kanyang laman. Ano daw? Laman daw? Sa sobrang linaw ng kanyang sinabi, nagtalo ang mga nakikinig sa kanya. Hindi nila pinagtalunan kung totoong narinig nila na laman daw ni Hesus ang kanyang ipakakain. Ang pinagtalunan nila ay “Paanong maibibigay sa atin ng taong ito ang kanyang laman upan kanin natin?”  At para maging maliwanag sa lahat, apat na ulit na ginamit ni Hesus ang mga salitang laman at dugo: 1. Malibang kanin ninyo ang laman ng Anak ng Tao ay inumin ang kanyang dugo, hindi kayo magkakaroon ng buhay; 2. Ang kumakain ng aking laman at umiinom ng aking dugo ay may buhay na walang hanggan; 3. Ang aking laman ay tunay na pagkain, at ang aking dugo ay tunay na inumin; 4. Ang kumakain ng aking laman at umiinom ng aking dugo ay nananahan sa akin, at ako sa kanya.

Malinaw na malinaw na “ang tinapay at alak ay nagiging katawan at dugo ni Kristo kaya masasabi na si Hesus ay tunay na naririto sa sakramento.” (CCC, 1375) Itinuro ni San Juan Chrysostomo: “Hindi ang tao ang nagdudulot ng pagbabago kaya ang iniaalay ay nagiging katawan at dugo ni Kristo. Ang nagdudulot ng pagbabagong ito ay mismong si Kristo na ipinako para sa atin. Ang pari na gumaganap sa papel ni Kristo ang siyang bumibigkas ng mga salitang ito, subalit ang kapangyarihan at biyaya ay sa Diyos. Ito ang aking katawan, ang wika niya. Ang salitang ito ang nagdudulot ng pagbabago sa mga alay.” Sa kapangyarihan ng Espiritu Santo at sa bisa ng salita ni Kristo, ang tinapay at alak na dinala sa altar ay nagiging katawan at dugo ni Hesus. Ang katawan at dugo, pati na ang kaluluwa at pagkaDiyos ng ating Panginoong Hesukristo ay tunay na tinataglay ng kabanal-banalang sakramento ng Eukaristiya. Sa madaling salita, ang buong Kristo ay tunay na nilalaman ng sakramentong ito. (CCC, 1374) Bagama’t hindi nagbabago ang anyo ng tinapay at alak, nagbabago ang kalikasan nito: ito ay nagiging katawan at dugo ni Hesus. Buong buo si Hesus sa bawat uri (species) at bahagi ng banal na Sakramentio. Kahit hatihatiin pa ang anyong tinapay, hindi nahahati si Kristo. (CCC, 1376) Kung paanong naroroon si Hesus noong pinanganak siya sa Batlehem, kung paanong naroroon siya noong namatay siya sa Kalbaryo, kung paanong naroroon siya at naghahari sa langit,  sa Misa, tunay na naririto si Hesus sa anyo ng tinapay at alak. Naririto si Hesus upang ialay niya ang kanyang sarili bilang kalugod lugod na handog sa Diyos Ama. Naririto si Hesus upang makuha niya para sa atin ang kapatawaran ng ating mga kasalanan. Naririto si Hesus upang makamit niya para sa atin ang lahat ng pagpapala at biyaya. Sa madaling salita, naririto si Hesus upang maidulot niya sa atin ang mga bunga ng kanyang kamatayan at muling pagkabuhay.

Kaya nga nakapagbibigay ng buhay na walang hanggan ang sakramentong ito sa sinumang tatanggap nito ay sapagkat ang kinakain at iniinom natin ay si Hesus, ang Diyos Anak. Ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit buong paggalang natin tinatanggap siya sa banal na Misa. Hindi pangkaraniwang pagkain, hindi ordinaryong pagkain at inumin ang iniaalay at pinagsasaluhan natin sa Misa kundi ang katawan at dugo ni Kristo. Huwag natin pagdudahan ito dahil ang mismong nagsabi na kinakain at iniinom natin ang kanyang laman at dugo ay walang iba kundi si Hesus. Hindi siya marunong magsinungaling. Hindi siya maaring magkamali dahil siya ang Daan, ang Katotohanan, at ang Buhay.  

Ave Maria Purissima, sin pecado concebida!

Ang Halaga ng palagiang Pagsisimba

Hesus, nananalig ako sa iyo.

“Kumain siya at uminom at siya’y lumakas” – ito ang sinabi ng unang pagbasa tungkol kay Profeta Elias na sa simula’y halos mawalan na ng pag-asa dahil sa matinding pagod na kanyang nadama sa kanyang mahabang paglalakbay. Pinakain siya at pinainom ng isang anghel at dahil dito, nakapaglakbay pa siya nang mahaba patungo sa Horeb, ang bundok ng Panginoon. Kung paanong nagdulot ng pambihirang lakas kay Elias ang ipinakain at ipinainom sa kanya ng anghel, gayon din ang idinudulot ng pagkaing ibinibigay ng Panginoong Hesus sa atin: “Ang sinumang kumain ng pagkaing bumaba mula sa langit ay hindi mamamatay. Ako ang pagkaing bumaba mula sa langit. Mabubuhay magpakailan man ang sinumang kumain nito. At ang pagkaing ibibigay ko sa ikabubuhay ng sanlibutan ay ang aking laman.”

Pinalalakas tayo ng kinakain natin. Pinapawi nito ang ating gutom at uhaw hanggang sa susunod na kainan. Dahil batid natin ang kapakinabangang dulot ng pagkain at inumin kaya tinitiyak nating hindi tayo lumiliban sa oras ng pagkain…hindi tayo nagpapalipas ng gutom. Subalit kay dali para sa atin ang isantabi ang pagtanggap ng banal na Komunyon! Palibhasa, hindi natin kaagad agad nakikita ang idinudulot nitong pakinabang sa atin. Parang walang naidudulot na mabuti para sa atin ang pagtanggap sa katawan ni Kristo. At dito tayo nagkakamali. Sa oras ng ating kamatayan, matutuklasan natin ang maraming kabutihan na idinulot sa atin ng mga banal na Misa na ating dinaluhan. Sa oras ng ating kamatayan, ang mga Misa na taos puso nating dinaluhan ang siyang magdudulot sa atin ng aliw at pag-asa. Ang isang Misang dinaluhan natin habang nabubuhay tayo ay higit na makakatulong sa atin sa oras ng ating kamatayan kaysa maraming mga pamisang iaalay para sa atin matapos nating pumanaw.

Sinabi ng ating Panginoon kay Santa Gertrudes: “Makatitiyak ang sinumang taimtim na dumalo sa banal na Misa na ang dami ng mga Santo na isusugo ko sa kanya upang aliwin at ipagtanggol siya sa oras ng kamatayan ay magiging kasukat ng dami ng mga Misang taimtim niyang dinaluhan sa buong buhay niya.” Huwag nating kalilimutan na ang oras ng ating kamatayan ang magiging pinakamalaking laban natin sa buhay. Sa oras na iyon, ibubuhos ni Satanas ang lahat ng nalalaman niyang panlilinlang upang makuha niya ang ating kaluluwa. Kaya nga kakailanganin natin ang lahat ng makalangit na tulong para ipag-adya tayo mula sa lahat ng masama dahil diyan nakasalalay ang ating kaligtasan.

Sinabi ni San Juan Maria Vianney: “Kung nalalaman lamang natin ang halaga ng Banal na Misa, tiyak na magsusumikap tayo na dumalo at makinabang tayo dito.” At sinabi pa ni San Pedro Julian Eymard: “Kilalanin mo, O Kristiyano, na ang Misa ang pinakabanal na gawain ng Relihiyon. Wala kang magagawang anupaman upang higit na purihin ang Panginoon o higit na tulungan mo ang iyong kaluluwa  kaysa taimtim na pagdalo sa Misa.” Kaya nga nararapat lamang na ituring nating mapalad tayo tuwing may pagkakataon tayong makadalo sa Misa. Si Santa Maria Goretti, isang labindalawang taong gulang na bata, ay naglakad ng labinglimang milya para lang makapagsimba sa araw ng Linggo. Si Padre Pio ay nagdiwang ng Misa kahit na siya’y nilalagnat at dinudugo. Sa ating sariling buhay, dapat nating ituring ang banal na Misa na mas mahalaga kaysa iba pang mga bagay. Sabi ni San Bernardo: “Higit na pakikinabangan natin ang pagdalo sa isang Misa kaysa anupamang kawanggawa o paglalakbay sa buong mundo para lamang marating ang mga banal na lugar.” Dapat unahin natin ang pagsisimba kaysa iba pang mga libangan na pinag-aaksayahan natin ng oras ngunit hindi naman nakatutulong sa ating kaluluwa. (Nauubos ang oras mo sa COC…matutulungan ka ba niyan sa oras ng iyong kamatayan? Mabibigyan ka ba niyan ng buhay na walang hanggan?) Matuto tayong maglaan ng oras at magsakripisyo kung kinakailangan para makapagsimba at makapagkomunyon. Sinabi ni San Agustin: “Binibilang ng mga anghel ang lahat ng ating mga yapak kapag pumupunta tayo sa simbahan upang dumalo sa Misa at dahil diyan ay gagantimpalaan tayo ng Diyos sa buhay na ito at sa kabila.” Kaya kunin natin ang lahat ng pagkakataon para makapagsimba at tumanggap ng Banal na Komunyon. Mabubuhay kaylanman ang sinumang kumain ng Tinapay ng buhay!

Ave Maria Purissima, sin pecado concebida!  

Pinakakain ng Diyos

Jesus, nananalig ako sa iyo!

Sa taong ito, ang mga pagbasa ay kinukuha sa Mabuting Balita ayon kay San Marcos. Subalit dahil maigsi ang aklat na ito, naglalaan ang Simbahan ng nararapat na panahon na pagnilayan ang mga kabanata sa aklat ni San Juan na tumutukoy sa misteryo ng Banal na Eukaristiya. Mabuting pagkakataon ito para maihanda natin ang ating mga sarili para sa pagdiriwang ng International Eucharistic Congress na gaganapin sa Cebu sa darating na Enero ng 2016.

Sa mabuting Balita sa araw na ito, sinabi ng ating Panginoong Hesus: “Gumawa kayo, hindi upang magkaroon ng pagkaing nasisira, kundi upang magkaroon ng pagkaing hindi nasisira at nagbibigay ng buhay na walang hanggan. Ibibigay ito sa inyo ng Anak ng Tao, sapagkat siya ang binigyan ng kapangyarihan ng Diyos Ama.” Lahat tayo ay naghahanap buhay upang magkaroon ng pagkain sa araw araw. Kahit mahirap, nagtratrabaho tayo dahil kailangan nating kumain para mabuhay. Sa kanilang paglalakbay sa disyerto patungo sa Lupang Pangako, walang pagkakataon ang mga Israelita na magtanim at mag-ani ng kanilang makakain dahil sa patuloy nilang paglilipat sa ibat ibang mga lugar. Dahil dito, nagbigay ang Diyos sa kanila ng tinapay na nagmumula sa langit tuwing umaga at mga pugo naman sa gabi. Ang Panginoon ang siyang nagpakain sa kanila sa buong apatnapung taon ng kanilang paglalakbay sa ilang. Anim na araw ang inilalaan natin sa paghahanap buhay upang kumita at mapakain natin ang ating mga pamilya. Subalit sa araw ng Linggo, lumiliban tayo sa paghahanap buhay upang makadalo sa Banal na Misa. Sa pagdiriwang ng Misa, ginagawa sa atin ng Diyos ang kanyang ginawa para sa mga Israelita sa kanilang paglalakbay sa ilang. Sa Misa, hindi tayo ang gumagawa para makakain. Bagkus, sa Misa, ang Diyos mismo ang nagpapakain sa atin.

Ipinaliwanag ng ating Panginoong Hesus: “Ang aking Ama ang nagbibigay sa inyo ng tunay na pagkaing mula sa langit.” At ang pagkaing bigay ng Diyos, ang pagkaing bumaba mula sa langit, ang pagkaing nagbibigay buhay ay walang iba kundi si Hesus: “Ako ang pagkaing nagbibigay buhay. Ang lumalapit sa akin ay hindi na magugutom, at ang nananalig sa akin ay hindi na mauuhaw kailanman.”

Totoo na inihahain sa altar ang tinapay at alak na nagmumula sa lupa at bunga ng ating paggawa. Subalit ang mga haing ito ay hindi nagiging Eukaristiya hanggat hindi ito pinagbabago ng Diyos at ginagawang katawan at dugo ni Hesus. Tulad ng bata sa pagbasa noong nakaraang linggo, nagdadala tayo sa dambana ng tinapay na niluto natin mula sa trigo at alak na pinisa natin mula sa ubas. Ngunit ang mga dinala natin ay hindi ang Eukaristiya. Upang maganap ang Eukaristiya, kailangang kunin ng Panginoon ang ating mga handog at ang mga ito’y gawin niyang kanyang katawan at dugo. Ang pinagsasaluhan natin ay hindi tinapay at alak kundi ang katawan at dugo ng Diyos Anak. Ang Eukaristiya ay hindi tungkol sa pagdadala natin ng tinapay at alak. Ang Eukaristiya ay tungkol sa pagpanaog ni Hesus mula sa langit patungo dito sa dambana. Ang Eukaristiya ay tungkol sa pagpanaog ni Hesus sa altar upang maibigay niya sa atin ang kanyang sarili bilang pagkaing nagbibigay buhay. Kung nauunawaan lang natin ang tunay na kahulugan ng mga sinabing ito ni Hesus, pananabikan natin ang pagdalo sa Misa. Sasabihin natin kay Hesus ang sinabi sa kanya ng mga tao: “Panginoon, bigyan ninyo kami lagi ng pagkaing iyan.” Kung nakikilala lamang natin kung sino ang tinatanggap natin sa banal na Komunyon, mapapaluhod tayo sa harap ng dakilang misteryong tinatanggap natin. Ang tinatanggap natin sa banal na Misa ay hindi pangkaraniwang pagkaing nasisira. Ang tinatanggap natin sa banal na Misa ay hindi natin kayang bilhin mula sa pinagtuluan ng ating pawis.  Ang tinatanggap natin sa banal na Misa ay ang pagkaing bumaba mula sa langit, ang pagkaing bigay ng Diyos Ama, ang pagkaing nagbibigay ng buhay na walang hanggan. Ito ay walang iba kundi si Hesus, ang pagkaing nagbibigay buhay. Sabihin natin sa kanya: “Panginoon, ibigay mo sa amin ang pagkaing iyan upang hindi na kami magutom o mauhaw kalian man.”

Ave Maria purissima, sin pecado concebida! 

At the Beginning of a New Pastorate

Hesus, nananalig ako sa iyo!

Sa unang linggo ng aking paglilingkod sa parokyang ito, parang nananadya ang Panginoon sapagkat tungkol sa mga pastol o pinuno ang mga pagbasa sa araw na ito. Sa unang pagbasa, binantaan ng Panginoon ang mga suwail na pinuno na parurusahan niya ang mga ito sapagkat “pinabayaan ninyo ang aking kawan. Hindi ninyo sila binantayan.” Upang maremedyuhan ang pinsalang dinulot ng kapabayaan ng mga tiwaling pinuno, sinabi ng Panginoon: “Hihirang ako ng mga pastol na magmamalasakit at mangangalaga sa kanila. Hindi na sila muli pang daranas ng takot at agam-agam, at wala nang maliligaw kahit isa.”

Ang mapagmalasakit na Pastol na hinirang ng Diyos ay walang iba kundi ang kanyang Anak na si Hesus. Sa Mabuting Balita ay nakita natin na nahabag si Hesus sa napakaraming taong nag-aantay sa kanya sapagkat para silang mga tupang walang pastol. At upang tugunan ang kanilang pangangailangan, tinuruan sila ng Panginoon ng maraming bagay. Tingnan ninyo kung paano ipinakita ng Panginoon ang malasakit niya sa mga tao: tinuruan niya sila ng maraming bagay. (Dito tayo madalas magkulang sa ating pangangalaga sa mga ipinagkatiwala sa ating pangangalaga…hindi natin tinuturuan ang mga ito ng maraming bagay tulad ng ginawa ng Panginoon. Siguro magandang tanungin rin natin ang ating mga sarili: naglalaan ba ako ng sapat na panahon na turuan ang aking mga anak?) Higit pa rito, inialay ni Hesus ang kanyang buhay upang iligtas tayong lahat at tipunin sa pagkakaisa ang mga anak ng Diyos na pinagwatak watak ng kasalanan: “Winakasan niya ang alitan ng dalawang bayan, kapwa ipinanumbalik sa Diyos at pinagbuklod sa iisang katawan. Naparito si Kristo at ipinangaral sa lahat ang mabuting Balita ng kapayapaan…Dahil kay Kristo, tayo’y kapwa makalalapit sa Ama sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu.”

Sa diwang ito nagsisimula ang aking paglilingkod sa parokyang ito. Aaminin ko pong may kaunting pangamba akong nadarama dahil sumusunod ako sa mga yapak ng mga batikang mga pastol na naunang dumaan na sa kasaysayan ng parokyang ito. Minsan, tinatanong ko ang Panginoon kung ano ba ang inaasahan niya sa akin sa pagdating ko rito. At parang sa mga pagbasa ngayon, narining kong tumugon ang Panginoon sa tanong na ito: “Hihirang ako ng mga pastol na magmamalasakit at mangangalaga sa kanila.” Ito po ang hinihingi ko sa Panginoon: na sana bigyan niya ako ng biyaya upang alagaan kayo nang may malasakit. Ipinagdarasal ko na matularan ko si Hesus at kayo’y turuan ko rin ng maraming bagay. Hindi ko alam kung talagang matutumbasan ko ang kakayanan ng mga nauna sa akin. Hindi ko alam kung matutumbasan ko ang inaasahan ninyo sa akin. Kaya nga sa pagsisimula ng paglilingkod ko sa inyo,  humihingi ako sa Panginoon hindi lamang ng karunungan at lakas kundi ng malasakit. Bigyan sana ako ng Panginoon ng kaloobang tulad sa kanya: pusong maamo at mahabagin…pusong may tunay na pagmamalasakit.

Ave Maria purissima, sin pecado concebida!

The Legacy of the Open Door

Thanks to Fr. Aris Sison for this photo of the evacuation in the Holy Family Parish

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

The day has come at last when my tenure in this parish must end. Tomorrow, I will be leaving for a new assignment and it is time for me to say goodbye to all of you. I find it significant that my last day as your parish priest should coincide with the gospel reading wherein the Lord Jesus sends his disciples on a mission. They were to journey without anything except a walking stick and sandals on the feet. They were not to stay for long in one place but the disciples must keep moving on like Jesus who had no place to lay his head on. As they go from one place to another, the disciples live on the hospitality of good people: “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.” 3 years ago, I entered this house and here I stay until I leave tomorrow. I stayed here because you welcomed me. As the good Lord pointed out, I lived on your hospitality and for this, I am very grateful. Thank you for welcoming me. Thank you for listening to what I have to say. You listened because you believed that I was sent to you by the Lord. By listening to me, you welcomed me not only in your home but in your hearts as well.

If there is one legacy which I wish to leave you, I hope that it would be the legacy of the open door. In my term as your pastor, I opened the basketball court to our neighbors who wished to play. I also opened the gates even during school days to welcome everyone who wished to pray. In times of calamities, I opened the Church to those who sought refuge from the storms. I kept repeating to you what Pope Francis constantly reminded us: that the doors of the Church must be kept wide open to welcome all people. Access to the Church must not be limited to the few students of the parochial school or to the few devout and decent people who come to pray. The Church must also welcome the poor, the dirty, and the sinner. At times, welcoming these people may compromise our security, our hygiene, or even our silence but still we have to open our doors because the Church must be a good neighbor who imitates the example of Christ the Good Samaritan.

As we have opened the doors of our parish to welcome all for the past 3 years, I beg you to keep opening your doors. Be always a welcoming parish. I beg you, do not lock the basketball rings to make it difficult for people to play. Always keep the gates open to welcome those who search for the Lord. Open the doors to welcome evacuees in times of crises. Open your doors to Christ who knocks and who redeems.

When we welcome Christ, we welcome the Father who blesses us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. Pinagkakalooban tayo ng Ama ng lahat ng pagpapalang espiritwal dahil sa pakikipagkaisa natin kay Kristo. Salamat sa malugod na pagtanggap ninyo sa akin. Aalis akong baon ang magagandang alaala ng inyong pagmamahal at pagsisikap na maging banal. Patuloy kong isasagawa ang iniatas sa akin: ang mangaral sa m

ga tao na pagsisihan nila’t talikdan ang kanilang mga kasalanan, ang magpalayas ng mga demonyo sa mga inaalihan nito, at ang pagpapahid ng langis sa mga maysakit. Sa aking pag-alis, manatili nawa sa inyo ang kapayapaan ni Kristo, ang kapayapaang inilaan niya sa mga malugod na tumatanggap sa kanyang mga isinugo. Salamat po at paalam.

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Sent as Sheep among Wolves

PRAISED BE JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH!           

2 weeks ago, the Supreme Court of the United States declared the recognition of same sex marriages in all the 50 states. This declaration was lauded by so many people all over the world as the liberation and victory of “love”. Although in the Philippines, we are beyond the jurisdiction of the US Supreme Court, many people are of the opinion that it will simply be a matter of time when same sex marriage will be recognized here. The prophecy of Our Lady of La Sallete in 1846 is being fulfilled: “All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism, and vice of all kinds…for disorder and love for carnal pleasures will be spread all over the earth.” (Our Lady of La Sallete, 1846)

In the first reading, God sent the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel, “rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have rebelled against me to this very day. Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you.” (Susuguin kita sa bansang suwail. Pagkat mula sa kanilang ninuno, naghihimagsik na sila sa akin hanggang ngayon. Matigas ang kanilang ulo at walang pitagan.) Isn’t this an appropriate description of our present society which dares to redefine reality in order to suit our love for carnal pleasures? What we have today is an outright rebellion against God. And Christians who stand by the Gospel are labelled as narrow-minded bigots (panatiko). We are simply told that no one has the right to say that they know what God said. However, to say such is to deny the existence of Divine Revelation. We cannot deny the fact that God spoke to us through prophets and through his Son Jesus Christ.

Sa bayang matigas ang ulo, patuloy na sinusugo ng Diyos ang kanyang mga propeta: “Kaya puntahan mo sila at sabihin mong ito ang pinasasabi ng Panginoong Diyos. Sa makinig sila o sa hindi – pagkat matigas ang kanilang ulo – malalaman nilang may isang propeta sa gitna nila.” In spite of the stubbornness of the world, the Lord continues to send us: “Behold I send you like sheep among wolves.” (Mat. 10:16) the Lord does this because he does not give up on the world. He continues to call us to conversion, even despite the stubbornness of our hearts. Christians are supposed to be prophets who prophesy by walking against trends, by swimming against the tide. We bear a message that opposes the logic of the world. Thus, we expect opposition to the Gospel we are sent to preach.

Although being sent like sheep among wolves is frightening, the Lord assures us: “Ang tulong ko’y sapat sa lahat ng pangangailangan mo; lalong nahahayag ang aking kapangyarihan kung ikaw ay mahina.” The Lord arms us nothing but the cross and St. Anthony of Padua told us: “Christians must lean on the cross just as travelers lean on a staff as they begin a long journey.” We are sustained by that Cross. That is why we should say together with St. Paul: “Buong galak na ipinagmamapuri ko ang aking kahinaan upang palakasin ako ng kapangyarihan ni Kristo. Dahil kay Kristo, walang halaga sa akin kung ako’y mahina, kutyain, pahirapan, usigin, at magtiis. Sapagkat kung kailan ako’y mahina, saka naman ako malakas.”

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Omnipotent God

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Some of us may not immediately understand how our Lord could be fast asleep in the middle of a very violent squall at sea. His apostles were panicking because the waves were breaking over the boat. What was the Lord Jesus doing? He was asleep through it all. Was he very tired to wake up amidst such great danger? Did he not care enough? “Lord, do you not care that we are perishing?” his disciples woke him up and so asked him.

Why were the disciples panicking? Why do we panic? Perhaps the answer would be the fact that the situation they found themselves in was very much beyond their control. Is this not the same reason why we panic? We are simply frightened by situations that are beyond our control. We always want to be on top of things. We always want to be in control. If we cannot control a certain situation, at least, we want to prepare to face it. Kaya nga we use the sciences to predict storms. We want to face it prepared. Even the big one, the earthquake that is bound to happen, we want to prepare for its eventual occurrence. We want to be prepared. We want to be in control of the situation. That is why when things get out of control, we simply panic.

And this is the reason why the Lord was asleep through all this. It was not because he was tired. Nor was it because he did not care. He was asleep because he was in control of the situation. After all, he is the Lord who spoke to Job out of the storm: “Who shut within doors the sea…when I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door and said: Thus far shall you come and no further, and here shall your proud waves be stilted.” (Sino ang humarang sa agos ng dagat, nang mula sa kalaliman ito’y sumambulat?...Ang tubig ay aking nilagyan ng hangganan, upang ito’y manatili sa likod ng mga harang. Sinabi kong sila’y hanggang doon na lang, huwag nang lalagpas ang along naglalakihan.) The Lord was in control. That was why when he awoke from his sleep, the Lord rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” and as expected the wind ceased and there was great calm. The disciples who, at that time did not yet know him, said to each other: “Who is this whom even the wind and the sea obey?” Who is he? He is the Lord who has power over all creation!

We are greatly distressed by the disturbances of the whole created world. In fact, Pope Francis himself has written an encyclical entitled “Laudato Si” wherein he spoke of the earth as groaning in travails for it has been abandoned, maltreated, burdened and laid waste by our irresponsible use of the goods which God has endowed her. (Francis, Laudato Si, 2.) And indeed, we must do our own part to help arrest this abuse of the earth which has brought about significant changes in the climate of the earth. However, while doing our part, we must not forget that the Lord is in charge and in control of all. We should not forget to call upon him as the disciples did when they woke the Lord up from his sleep. While we fortify our homes and participate in earthquake drill, we should not forget to call upon the Lord and ask him to spare us and keep us from harm. As we prepare for the monsoon rains and the floods that they will cause, let us not forget to call upon the Lord and beg him to protect us from such tragedies. For indeed, the Lord has that sovereign power over the entire created universe. There is a limit to what we can do. We can do only so far. And so after our part has been accomplished, we beg the Lord:

“God, who are offended by our sins but appeased by our penances, may it please you to hear the entreaties of your people and to turn away the stripes that our transgressions rightly deserve.

“We beg you, Lord, to repel the wicked spirits from your family, and to ward off the destructive tempestuous winds.

“Almighty everlasting God, spare us in our anxiety and take pity on us in our abasement, so that after the lightning in the skies and the force of the storm have calmed, even the very threat of tempest may be an occasion for us to offer you praise.

“Lord Jesus, who uttered a word of command to the raging tempest of wind and sea and there came a great calm; hear the prayers of your family, and grant that by this sign of the holy cross all ferocity of the elements may abate.

“Almighty and merciful God, who heal us by your chastisement and save us by your forgiveness; grant that we, your suppliants, may be heartened and consoled by the tranquil weather we desire, and so may ever profit from your gracious favors; through Christ our Lord.”

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Small Beginnings and the Miracle of Growth

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

3 weeks ago, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday when the Risen Lord sent the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. The coming of the Holy Spirit marked the birth of the Church. It started with 12 men who, upon receiving the Holy Spirit, began to speak in different languages. St. Peter’s preaching to the people who gathered outside the Cenacle gained the first conversion of 3,000 men. On the very day of the birth of the Church, 3,000 people were added to the number of the 12. The rest is history…people will be added to this number and when we look at the present 6 billion Catholics all over the world, we will just stand in awe and ask, “How did this happen?”

Small beginnings and the miracle of growth…I think this is what the parables say about the Kingdom of God which Christ our Lord established on the earth. A mustard seed grows into the largest of plants that the birds of the sky are able to dwell in its shade. Seeds sown by a farmer grow and yield an abundant harvest. “The farmer would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.” That the Church would grow into its present size, we know not how. It simply is a miracle of growth. It cannot be attributed to anyone except to God alone. Before this miracle, we simply stand in awe.

I myself am a witness to such a miracle of growth. As I spend the last 30 days of my ministry in this parish, I look back at what we were then and then look at what we are now and I could testify that the transformation of our parish is itself a miracle of growth. How it happened, I know not how. It was simply God’s doing. The growth is simply God’s miracle. Accepting this miracle with gratitude is part of living by faith and not by seeing. We live by faith and not by sight.

Awe and gratitude make us delight in the fact that the birds of the sky dwell in the shade of the mustard plant. We simply do what is expected of us like the farmer who tills the soil, plants the seeds, and waters the plants. Aspiring to please the Lord, we simply do our daily duties. That is all we have to do. What we do is nothing out of the ordinary. But what God does is awesome. God provides the growth. What is ordinary has become the raw material of God’s extraordinary action. The ordinary effort of man is the raw material for the miracle of God.

Because the growth is something we know not how, we come here to say: Lord, it is good to give thanks to you, to sing praise to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your kindness at dawn and your faithfulness throughout the night!tuloy ang pagbunga kahit ang punong ito’y tumanda, luntia’t matatag, at ang dahon nito ay laging sariwa. Ito’y patotoo na ang Panginoo’y tunay na matuwid, siya kong sanggalang, matatag na batong walang bahid dungis.

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Held by Bands of Love

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

The feast of the Sacred Heart this year coincides with the celebration of the Philippines Independence day. As usual, this day glorifies the most valued of all modern day values…which is human freedom. Our present concept of freedoms means unbridled liberty from any control or authority. Thus, we value our right to self-determination because the only authority which most of us are willing to recognize would be our own selves. Nobody tells me what to do. Anyone who attempts to control me is understood to be an oppressor. I decide to what I want.

But the prophet Hosea tells us today: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love…” The Lord today spoke of “bands of love”. In tagalog. A band is “tali” or “pamigkis” which is easily interpreted as a restraint to freedom. Ang nakatali ay tila hindi malaya dahil napipigil o nasusupil ang kalayaang gumalaw. And yet, it is by means of a band or restraint that a child is taught to walk. The father holds the child up through such bands in order to train his legs for walking. In the beginning, the child’s movements seem restrained, but the bands keep the child from falling and support the child until his legs are able to hold up his entire weight. The Lord draws us with human cords, with bands of love. It is when we allow ourselves to be supported by such bands of love, it is then that we are most free to walk.  

God’s bands of love keep us truly free. When we free ourselves of any attachment to God, it is then that we become slaves…slaves to ourselves, slaves to the world, slaves to Satan himself. It is Christ who sets us free from the greatest oppression of all, and that oppression is called sin. By freely accepting suffering and death on the Cross, the Lord Jesus has overcome for us our greatest slavery: the slavery to the devil…the slavery to sin. By the Blood and Water which flowed from his wounded Heart, the Lord Jesus has ransomed us from the devil. He has redeemed us by his Blood. “If the Son has freed you, then you are truly free.”

When we allow ourselves to be bound to the Lord by his bands of love, we become free to be who we were created to be: we begin to possess the freedom of the children of God. This is what it means to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: we bind ourselves to him. We declare that we desire to belong to him. We declare that we choose to conform our lives to his will. Just as a wife binds herself to her husband in love, so do we bind ourselves to Christ whom we know loves us. And we can entrust ourselves to his love which is always reliable. We know fully well that those who trust the Lord will never be abandoned and will never perish. Christ draws us to himself with human cords…with the cords of his Sacred Heart. Let us confidently abandon ourselves to him. Let us choose to belong to him and say: Sweetly we’ll rest on thy Sacred Heart. Never from thee, oh let us part. Hear then thy loving children’s pray’r: O Heart of Jesus, Heart of Jesus hear!

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

The Holy Sacrifice

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

“Ito ang aking dugo ng tipan, and dugong mabubuhos dahil sa marami,” (This is my blood of the covenant which will be shed for many) says the Lord. The reading for the feast of Corpus et Sanguis Christi this year gives more emphasis on the Blood of the Lord Jesus which was shed for the forgiveness of sins. By consecrating the wine into his blood of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus brings us back to Mount Sinai where Moses offered a sacrifice of young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord (Sila ay inutusan niyang pumatay ng mga hayop na gagamiting handog sa pakikipagtipan sa Panginoon). Moses splashed half of the blood on the altar and when the people pledged obedience to the covenant, he sprinkled the other half of the blood on the people as he said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you…” This was how the covenant between God and his people was sealed. If today, parties enter into an agreement by signing a contract, God and his people entered into an agreement or covenant by the sprinkling of blood. Blood, being the conduit of a living creature’s life, is sacred. It has consecratory power. It seals a relationship. It binds persons into a relationship.

In order for blood to be obtained, a victim has to die in a sacrifice. In the case of the covenant on Mount Sinai, the victims were bulls. At the last supper, the victim was Christ. In any religion, the sacrifice was always deemed as the highest form of worship. It was so because it was the costliest…it involved the death of a victim which was slaughtered to proclaim the sovereignty of the deity over life itself. For the Israelites, animals were suitable victims. For other religions, humans were offered. But for us, we offer to God his beloved Son Jesus: “Christ entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” (Minsan lamang pumasok si Kristo sa Dakong Kabanal banalan, at iyo’y sapat na. Hindi dugo ng mga kambing at bisirong baka ang kanyang dalang handog, kundi ang sariling dugo, sa ikapagpapatawad ng mga kasalanan natin.) Thus, we should remember that the Mass is not simply a meal or a banquet. It is a sacrificial meal wherein the Body and Blood of Jesus is offered to the Father. Thus, the Mass is the highest form of worship not only for us Catholics, but for the whole world. We say this because the victim offered at Mass is not just any animal or human being. The Victim offered is Christ himself. He is the Salutaris Hostia, the Saving Victim, the one who dies in order to obtain the forgiveness of our sins: “Sa pamamagitan ng walang hanggang Espiritu ay inialay niya sa Diyos ang kanyang sarili na walang kapintasan. Ang kanyang dugo ang lumilinis sa ating puso’t isip upang talikdan na natin ang mga gawang walang kabuluhan at paglingkuran natin ang Diyos na buhay.”

We should always be aware of what transpires at the altar during the Mass. What we have in the Eucharist is more than just a banquet that celebrates unity. What we have here is a real sacrifice, a real offering of the Lamb who once was slain and now who lives for ever. “On the Altar of the Cross He offered up His Body to God the Father as a sacrifice for our reconciliation He shed His Blood as the price whereby He redeems us from wretchedness and bondage, and the washing whereby He cleanses us from all sin. And for a noble and abiding memorial of that so great work of His goodness, He has left unto His faithful ones the Same His very Body for Meat, and the Same His very Blood for Drink, to be fed upon under the appearance of bread and wine.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, 57^th Opuscula.) Let us reverently enter into the presence of God. Let us partake of this sacrifice by keeping in mind that what we eat and drink is the One, who out of love for us, died on the Cross to atone for our sins.

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. 

The Athanasian Creed

Ang Pagpapahayag ng Pananampalataya ni San Atanacio

Ang sinumang nagnanais ng kaligtasan ay kailangang panghawakan nang higit sa lahat ang Pananampalatayang Katolika.

Sapagkat malibang tanggapin niya nang buong buo ang pananampalatayang ito, tiyak na mapapahamak siya magpakailanman.

Ito ang itinuturo ng Pananampalatayang katolika: sumasamba tayo sa iisang Diyos sa tatlo at sa tatlo na iisa.

Hindi natin pinaghahalo ang mga Persona, o kaya naman pinaghihiwalay ang pagkaDiyos.

Sapagkat iisa ang Persona ng Ama, bukod naman ang sa Anak, bukod din ang Espiritu Santo.

Subalit nagtataglay ng iisang pagka-Diyos ang Ama, at ang Anak, at ang Espiritu Santo, magkakapantay sa kaluwalhatian, at pare parehong walang hanggan sa kamahalan.

Kung ano ang Ama, gayun din ang Anak, at gayun din ang Espiritu Santo.

Walang lumikha sa Ama, walang lumikha sa Anak, at walang lumikha sa Espiritu Santo.

Hindi masusukat ang Ama, hindi masusukat ang Anak, at hindi masusukat ang Espiritu Santo.

Walang hanggan ang Ama, walang hanggan ang Anak, at walang hanggan ang Espiritu Santo.

Subalit hindi tatlo ang umiiral na walang hanggan kundi iisang umiiral na walang hanggan lamang.

Gayundin naman, hindi tatlo ang umiiral na hindi ginawa ninuman, o kaya naman tatlo ang umiiral na di masusukat ninuman, kundi iisa lamang ang umiiral na hindi ginawa at hindi masusukat ninuman.

Ang Ama ay makapangyarihan sa lahat, ang Anak ay makapangyarihan sa lahat, at ang Espiritu Santo ay makapangyarihan sa lahat.

Subalit hindi tatlo ang umiiral na makapangyarihan sa lahat kundi iisa lamang ang umiiral na makapangyarihan sa lahat.

Kaya nga ang Ama ay Diyos, ang Anak ay Diyos, at ang Espiritu Santo ay Diyos.

Subalit hindi tatlong Diyos kundi iisang Diyos lamang.

Ang Ama ay Panginoon, ang Anak ay Panginoon, at ang Espiritu Santo ay Panginoon.

Ngunit hindi tatlong Panginoon kundi iisang Panginoon lamang.

Sapagkat obligado tayo ng katotohanang Katoliko na kilalanin na Diyos at Panginoon ang bawat Persona, subalit pinagbabawalan naman tayo ng relihiyong Katoliko na sabihin na may tatlong Diyos o Panginoon.

Kaya nga iisa ang Ama, hindi tatlong Ama; iisa ang Anak, hindi tatlong Anak; iisa ang Espiritu Santo, hindi tatlong Espiritu Santo.

Sa tatlong Personang ito, walang nauuna at walang nahuhuli, walang nakahihigit at walang nagkukulang. Ang tatlong Persona ay pare parehong walang hanggan at magkakapantay.

Upang sa lahat ng bagay, dapat sambahin ang iisa sa tatlo, at ang tatlo sa iisa.

Ang sinumang nais maligtas ay kailangang sumampalataya sa tatlong Persona sa iisang Diyos.

Gayundin naman, upang maligtas ang isang tao, kailangang sumampalataya rin siya sa pagkakatawang tao ng ating Panginoong Hesukristo.

Ang tamang pananampalataya ay ang pananalig at pagpahayag natin na ang ating Panginoong Hesukristo, ang Anak ng Diyos, ay Diyos at tao.

Bilang Diyos, sumilang siya mula sa Ama bago magkapanahon. Bilang tao, sumilang siya sa panahon mula sa kanyang ina.

Siya ay Diyos na totoo at taong totoo na may kaluluwang makatwiran at katawan ng tao.

Kapantay niya ang Ama sa pagka-Diyos, ngunit mababa sa Ama sa kanyang pagka-tao.

Bagamat siya ay Diyos at tao, hindi siya dalawa kundi iisang Kristo.

At siya ay iisa, hindi dahil naging tao ang kanyang pagka-Diyos, kundi dahil ang kanyang pagka-tao ay inari ng kanyang pagka-Diyos.

Siya ay iisa hindi sa pamamagitan ng paghahalo ng kanyang pagka-Diyos at pagka-tao, kundi dahil iisa ang kanyang Persona.

Kung paanong ang kaluluwa at katawan ay iisang tao, gayundin naman, ang Diyos at tao ay iisang Kristo.

Namatay siya para sa ating kaligtasan, pumanaog sa impiyerno, at muling nabuhay sa ikatlong araw.

Umakyat siya sa langit, at naluluklok sa kanan ng Diyos Amang makapangyarihan. Mula roo’y paririto siya at huhukom sa mga nabubuhay at ang mga nangamatay na tao.

Sa kanyang pagbabalik, ang lahat ng tao ay babangon sa kanilang mga katawan, at magsusulit sila ng kanilang mga gawa.

Ang mga gumawa ng mabuti ay pupunta sa buhay na walang hanggan; at ang mga gumawa ng masama ay sa apoy na walang hanggan.

Ito ang pananampalatayang Katoliko. Dapat itong matibay at palagiang panaligan ng lahat; kung hindi, ay hindi sila maliligtas. Amen.

Come, Father of the Poor

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

“Come, Father of the poor! Come, source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine!” (Ama ng mga maralita, dulot mo’y pagpapala upang kami’y magkusa.)

We bring to an end today a journey which began ninety days ago when we all came to church in order to receive ashes on our foreheads. At that time, we heard the ministers of the Church remind us of the poverty of our human nature: “Remember man that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” God created the human being out of clay and breathed into him so that the human being became a living being. He gave us a spirit, a Divine consciousness (isang maka-Diyos na kamalayan) so that we can say that man, consisting of body, soul, and spirit, is the image and likeness of God. Something so low, so humble as clay, is given the dignity of being the image and likeness of God.

But sin destroyed our likeness unto God. Sin brought us to the depth of human misery which is death. We said that at death, man loses everything. That is why death is the ultimate poverty: man is reduced to dust. Seeing the poverty of man, God sent his Son who descended not only by embracing our human nature but went further down by humbly accepting death on a Cross. Last week, we saw how the Father exalted Jesus far above the principalities and powers. The Lord Jesus, at his ascension, brought our lowly human nature with himself. It was not only the Divine nature that returned to heaven. The human nature which is assumed at the incarnation we brought up to heaven as well. The ascension was the deification of the human nature.

Today, from the Father’s throne, the Risen Lord sends to us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Father and the Son descended upon the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday. We received the same Holy Spirit on the day of our baptism. God descends upon man to dwell in us as in a temple. The Holy Spirit restores to us what sin took away, that is, our likeness unto God. He refines our human nature and then deifies it. The Holy Spirit gives us more than just enlightenment during examinations. He gives us Divine life. He gives us himself. Thus, he is called the “Father of the poor.” He is sent to us and transforms our poverty into the Divine likeness. The Holy Spirit is the forgiveness of our sins. He is the “most blessed Light divine” who fills our innermost being. He is the closest that God could be with us because he dwells within us.

And so the journey is complete. Man, who came from dust and was reduced to dust, now is the living temple of God. Let us always cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Let us allow him to heal the wounds of our sins and to renew our strength. Let us beg him to wash away the stains of our guilt. Let us ask him to refine our human nature, to “bend our stubborn heart and will.” By our obedience to the Holy Spirit, may we, at the end, receive the sure reward of virtue, which is salvation. Holy Spirit, renew our hearts. Renew the face of the earth!

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

From the Depths to the Heights

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

St. Mark tells us that Jesus “was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.” The Ascension of Jesus is his exaltation. St. Paul tells us that the Father raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.” (Nasa ilalim ng kapangyarihan ni Kristo ang lahat ng paghahari, kapamahalaan, kapangyarihan, at pamunuan. Higit ang kanyang pangalan kaysa lahat ng pangalan, hindi lamang sa panahong ito kundi pati sa darating.) In fact, the Father “put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the Church…the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.” (Pinailalim ng Diyos sa kapangyarihan ni Kristo ang lahat ng bagay, at siya ang ginawang ulo ng Simbahan…ang kapuspusan niya na pumupuspos sa lahat lahat.)

Why this exaltation? Why this immense power? It is because the Father was pleased by the humility and obedience of his Son Jesus who did not hesitate to empty himself in order to take our humble likeness. The Father was pleased with Jesus who humbled himself further by obediently accepting death on the Cross. Jesus was exalted far above all powers because he went to the very depths of our human misery; that depth of human misery is death where man has lost everything. The height of his exaltation is commensurate to the depth of his plunge. The abundance of his wealth is commensurate to the abjection of his poverty. The greatness of his power is commensurate to the weakness that he embraced. He who descended to earth ascends to heaven: he is the Son of Man who is in heaven.

Looking at what the Father did to his Son, we realize “what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us to believe.” St. Paul affirms that “this power working in us is the same as the great might which he worked in Christ.” Thus, his glory is ours…only if we descend with him into the depths of humiliation. His abundance is ours…only if we renounce everything to imitate his poverty. His power is ours…only if we rank ourselves among the meek and the gentle of the earth. Indeed, we will inherit the heavenly inheritance of Jesus only if we suffer together with him. There is no other way. The way of glory is the way of humility. Jesus said, “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”  

Therefore, let us not hesitate to lose everything for the sake of Jesus. Just remember the abundant inheritance that awaits us. If we want to gain everything, we must detach ourselves from everything that the world holds dear. We must renounce everything, including our very selves, in order to follow the Lord along the way of humility, of poverty, and of weakness. When we follow him to the depths, he will bring us with him to the heights. The Lord did not promise us happiness in this life but only in the next.

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

On the 40th Day of Easter

In the Philippines and in some other countries, the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord will be transferred to Sunday and it will take the place of the 7th Sunday of Easter. The reason for this is that the Ascension Feast is not a Holy Day of Obligation here and so the Feast is transferred to Sunday when people are obliged to assist at Mass.

I have no objection to celebrating an External Solemnity of the Ascension on Sunday so that more people can participate in it. However, I have issue with not celebrating this Feast on the ACTUAL 40TH DAY OF EASTER. In most parishes today, there is not even a hint that om this day, Christ ascended into heaven. It is as if nothing happened today. Why is that an issue for me?

First of all, the Acts of the Apostles is written: "After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. " (Acts 1:3) The Scriptures testify to the fact that the Ascension happened on the 40th day of the Resurrection. When we do not celebrate the Ascension today (the 40th day) because we will celebrate it on Sunday, then we are giving out the message that Christ our Lord ascended to heaven on the 43rd day of Easter.

Before the Vatican II liturgical reform, the celebration of the external solemnities on Sundays was already practiced. Its purpose was to enable more people to celebrate the mystery in as much as Sunday was an obligatory day for Mass. However, even if there was an external solemnity, still, the Feast of the Ascension was celebrated on Ascension Thursday, which is the actual 40th day. Perhaps, fewer people are able to assist at Mass but at least there was no liturgical denial that the Lord ascended to heaven on the 40th day.

In fact, in the new English Translation of the Roman Missal, the collect for the Vigil Mass of the Ascension reads: "O God, whose Son TODAY ascended to the heavens as the apostles looked on, grant, we pray, that in accordance with his promise, we may be worthy for him to live with us always on earth..." If the Vigil Mass were celebrated on Saturday evening (which would be the eve of the 43rd day), would he really be honest in the prayer if he said "Your Son TODAY ascended to the heavens..."? Of course, the liturgists would appeal to the argument that the prayer refers to the Liturgical Hodie (today) but these are distinctions in theology which the ordinary faithful are not familiar with. The same is said by the Preface of the Ascension: "The Lord Jesus,,,ascended TODAY to the highest heavens..." The same is said by the Solemn Blessing of the Feast: "May the almighty God bless you for ON THIS VERY DAY his only begotten Son pierced the heights of heaven."

I repeat that I do not have any objection to the celebration of an external feast on Sunday for the sake of the people who cannot go to Mass on Ascension Thursday. But let us not liturgically deny on the actual 40th day that Christ ascended to heaven. To my opinion, we have to keep the Feast on the actual 40th day itself.

Communion of will: the Maturity of Love

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Last Sunday, Jesus told us: “Remain in me as I remain in you.” And we heard that we will remain in him as long as we keep his commandments: “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” Today, the Lord Jesus gives us his new commandment: “Love one another as I love you.” The Lord does not simply command us to love one another in any way we would like. He was very specific. It had to follow a pattern: “As I love you.” The pattern of our love for one another is his love for us. What does this mean? It means that even before commanding us to love, he first loved us. He first loved us because God himself is love as St. John said in the 2^nd reading: “Love us of God…God is love.” Pope Benedict said: “In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, this message is both timely and significant.” (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 1.) here we find the novelty of Biblical revelation. The Bible reveals to us a new image of God: it is the image of one true God who loves man. God loves us with a personal love. It is comparable to the love of a husband for his wife. This love “is bestowed in a completely gratuitous manner, without any previous merit, but also because it is love which forgives.” (Deus Caritas Est, 10) On account of our “adultery” against God, God’s love goes beyond gratuity. His love is a forgiving love. God’s love “is so great that it turns God against himself, his love against his justice.” (ibid.)  “In Jesus Christ, it is God himself who goes in search of the ‘stray sheep’, a suffering and lost humanity.” (Deus Caritas Est, 12) “His death on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him. This is love in its most radical form. By contemplating the pierced side of Christ (cf. 19:37), we can understand (what the 2^nd reading told us): “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). It is there that this truth can be contemplated. It is from there that our definition of love must begin. In this contemplation the Christian discovers the path along which his life and love must move.” “There can be no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

God, who is love, first loved us even in spite of our infidelity against him. “In this is love:  not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son in expiation for our sins.” “Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:10), love is now no longer a mere ‘command’; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.” (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 1) “The ‘commandment’ of love is only possible because it is more than a requirement. Love can be ‘commanded’ because it has first been given.” (Deus Caritas Est, 14.) The experience of being loved by God changes us and makes our love mature to the point that we being to love what he loves and to reject what he rejects. Thus, we now learn to look at one another from the perspective of Jesus. “In God and with God, I love even the person whom I do not like or even know.” My communion with the will of Jesus affects even my feelings: “I learn to look on this other person not simply with my eyes and my feelings, but from the perspective of Jesus Christ. His friend is my friend.” I begin to look at my neighbors with that loving gaze of Jesus. I desire to lay down my life for my neighbor because he is my friend. And because I am willing to die for this neighbor, I will not deny him even the smallest act of service. How can I be expected to die for my neighbor if I am not even willing to serve him? If I cannot be faithful in little things, how can I be trustworthy of bigger things? Regardless of whomever it is who stands before me, I must be willing to look with loving eyes and extend my helping hand for I am loved by God and I desire to love like him.

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Remain in Him

Remain in me as I remain in you.

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

 “Remain in me, as I remain in you,” the Lord Jesus repeats these words again and again in today’s gospel reading. Using the image of the vine, the Lord demonstrates for us how he gives life to us and how he assures us of a fruitful life. The vine is the source of life of its branches. It is the vine which gets the nourishment from the soil and that nourishment is transmitted to its branches. Thus, so long as the branches are attached to the vine, they continue to live and thus bear fruit. Our relationship with the Lord Jesus is like that of the branches to the vine. We are alive and we bear fruit only so long as we are attached or connected to the vine. This relationship is called “communion”. So long as we are in communion with the Lord, so long as we remain in him as he remains in us, we are alive and the proof of life is the fact that we bear fruits. The Lord Jesus tells us: “Without me, you can do nothing.”

But this is really the question: How do we remain in him? St. John in the 2^nd reading tells us: “Those who keep his commandments remain in him and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.” We remain in the Lord by keeping his commandments. It is easy to claim that we are in communion with the Lord because it is easy to deceive our own selves. It is easy to pretend that we are in communion with the Lord by saying that we get emotionally “high” during our prayers or claim that we feel “blessed na blessed ni Lord.” Just as it is easy to just say “I love you” to almost everyone as the artistas and politicians can easily say these words. But when can we say that we truly love the Lord? Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And so, St. John tells us: “Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them.” But what are these commandments? St. John tells us: “And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.”

We remain in Jesus if we believe in Jesus. “Whoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life.” But this faith is translated into action for “faith without works is dead.” The works that manifest a living faith are works of love…not just words of love but works of love. Words of affection are cheap. They are given worth only when put into action. Thus, St. John says: “Let us love not just in word or speech but in deed and truth.” The Lord Jesus left us a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Therefore, our love for each other becomes the sign that we belong to Jesus. it is the sign that we are his disciples. Among the fruits that the Holy Spirit produces in us, it is love that is the first. Thus, a person who truly belongs to Jesus is a loving person.

We remain in Jesus if we believe in Jesus. faith in Jesus is nourished by the Sacraments, by prayer, and by meditation on the Words of the Lord. A cellphone has to be charged in order to stay connected. In like manner, in order to stay connected to Jesus, we have to be charged with the Spirit whom we receive in the sacraments and also in prayer and in listening to God’s word. Only then can we increase in our faith in the Lord. Only then can we keep on loving him by loving one another. Let us remain in him as he remains in us. By remaining in Jesus, we glorify the Father. by remaining in Jesus, we bear much fruit and become his disciples.

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Priests Smelling like the Good Shepherd

PRAISED BE JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH!

The TV series ‘Parikoy” is creating a renewed interest in the Catholic priesthood. It casts a handsome actor to play the role of a young priest who definitely immerses himself into the lives of the flock he serves. Perhaps, the TV series would like to portray what Pope Francis said: that shepherds must acquire the smell of the sheep. Indeed, the Pope’s words are creating a great paradigm shift in the way we now see the priesthood. There is now a trend of expecting priests to descend from their exalted social pedestals in order to be more immersed in the lives of the ordinary people and this seems laudable. After all, this is the example that the Lord Jesus himself left us. He descended from his heavenly throne and became poor like us. He embraced the misery of the human condition. But we must not forget the reason for this self-emptying. He came down in order to lay down his life for his sheep. He came in order to battle the wolf that threatens his sheep. He engages in this battle by laying his life and in this way, he emerged as the victor: “I have power to lay (my life) down, and power to take it up again.” He descended into the depth of our human misery, which is death, so that rising from it, he may take us up with him. And it is this truth that many of us miss. Expecting the shepherd to smell like the sheep, we think that the priest should be like everybody else and thereby lose sight of the very purpose of his ministry, which is to be like Christ as told to us by the 1^st letter of St. John.

Jesus said: “I am the Good Shepherd, I know my sheep and mine know me.” That Christ knows each of us is something that we are sure of. But do we, who consider ourselves as the sheep of Christ, know Christ? I think it is important to know Christ because unless we do so, we will never be like him. And this is the role of the priest. His role is to elevate the flock so that they may know and be like Christ. I remember my seminary rector who told us that when everybody is drowning in the mud, someone has to be on a higher place in order to pull up those who are drowning. If everybody is in the mud, who will be capable of pulling people out of their predicament? In a hospital, it is important that the doctor be well because if he were sick like everybody else, how can he treat and cure his patients? Christ who went down into the depth of human misery had the power to rise from it and to bring us with him. If the sheep want to pass through the valley of death, they have to listen carefully to the voice of the Good Shepherd  and follow him because “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

If we expect shepherds to acquire the smell of the sheep, we must not forget that the sheep must acquire the smell of Christ the Good Shepherd. The sheep must acquire the odor of holiness, the sweet odor of Christ, lest the shepherd fails to bring them to the green pastures and the restful waters of heaven. We simply cannot afford to remain in the world as if we were of the world. Remember that St. John tells us in the 2^nd reading: “The world did not know him.” Being the alter Christus, the priest cannot smell like the world. He must be the first to exude the sweet odor of Christ. Kailangang mag amoy Diyos ang pari. Hindi mag astang Diyos kundi mag amoy Diyos. This is what we need: holy priests, not entertaining priests, not singing priests, not acting priests, not running priests, but holy priests, priests who pray, priests who really know the ways of God. If the sheep are to be led to holiness, they must be guided by holy priests. Look at how St. Margaret Mary was guided by a holy spiritual director in the person of St. Claude de la Columbiere. Look at how St. Faustina was guided by Blessed Michael Sopocko. Look at how St. Dominic Savio was guided by St. John Bosco. The list goes on and on and on…holy priests leading their flock to holiness. We need to pray for holy priests to serve God’s holy people…priests who do not smell like the world but who exude the sweet odor of Christ!

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

The Assurance of our Future Resurrection

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

It was quite natural for the apostles to think that they were seeing a ghost when Jesus stood among them. It is because ghostly apparitions prove to us that the soul survives the body after death. This is why Jesus showed them his hands and feet and even challenged them to touch him in order to prove that he is not a ghost but it is truly him risen from the dead: “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and blood as you can see I have.” Here the disciples were confronted by an entirely new reality. Here they saw not just the soul which lives on beyond the death of the body. Rather, what they saw was the body of Jesus, who truly died, now risen and living because his soul was restored to it.

“By means of touch and the sharing of a meal, the risen Jesus establishes direct contact with his disciples. He invites them in this way to recognize that he is not a ghost and above all to verify that the risen body in which he appears to them is the same body that had been tortured and crucified, for it still bears the traces of his passion. Yet, at the same time, this authentic real body possesses the new properties of a glorious body: not limited by space and time but able to be present how and when he wills; for Christ’s humanity can no longer be confined to earth, and belongs henceforth only to the Father’s divine realm.” (CCC, 645)

“Christ’s Resurrection is the principle and the source of our future resurrection.” (CCC, 655) Because Jesus rose from the dead, we know that even though we die, we will surely resurrect from the dead also. And at our own resurrection, our bodies will be like unto the risen body of Jesus. Yes, it will be the same body but this time, it will be incorruptible and immortal: “This corruptible (body) must put on incorruption; and this mortal (body) must put on immortality.” Our resurrected bodies will not be like the walking dead…lifeless, soulless, in the state of decay. Rather, our risen bodies will be like that unto Christ’s risen body: youthful, beautiful, and immortal. Our bodies will rise with all the soundness of body which is natural to man. Our bodies will no longer bear physical defects. They will be totally free from the defects of the present life. All will rise in the condition of perfect age, that is, of 33 years, which is the age of Jesus when he died and resurrected from the dead. Those who died before reaching the perfect age will be given what they lack. Those who died old, who lost the perfect age, will have restored to them what they once had. In other words, we will all rise in the eternal youthfulness of Jesus Christ.

Indeed, the resurrection of Jesus tempers our sorrow over the death of a beloved. Yes, we grieve over the death of a loved one but not to the extent of losing all hope. Knowing that death is but temporary, we look forward when we shall meet each other again when we rise from our own graves. The resurrection of Jesus also takes away our fear of death. Thus, martyrs and saints can readily give up their lives for Jesus because they know fully well that what they lost for him, they will receive from him again. The resurrection of Jesus gives us the incentive to live uprightly and to avoid evil. Our lives are not regulated by brief and determined time. Instead, our lives are regulated by eternity. We strive to live uprightly because we know that we shall receive eternal rewards for whatsoever we do here on earth. The resurrection of Jesus invites us to repent and to be converted for the sake of what lies ahead: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!