tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90098569350928511852024-03-04T22:16:28.764-08:00sense of the sacredhostiam puram + hostiam sanctam + hostiam immaculatamGeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090680129606569116noreply@blogger.comBlogger708125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-77774332767383140232019-05-12T14:06:00.001-07:002019-05-12T14:06:08.917-07:00GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY: Jesus, the Truly Anointed One<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4<sup>TH</sup>
SUNDAY OF EASTER C<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GOOD SHEPHERD
SUNDAY<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MAY 12, 2019<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tomorrow’s elections will be an
important democratic exercise in which the majority of the people will vote the
nation’s leaders and bestow them power. A democratic government is a government
by the people, for the people, and of the people. However, it would be a
mistake to think that a government official receives a mandate from God. People
usually assume the democratic vote as a Divine mandate or a manifestation of
Divine choice because of the principle “Vox Populi, vox Dei.” Because it is in
Latin, people think that the principle is a Biblical one and they are badly
mistaken. Nowhere in the Bible will you find “Vox populi, vox Dei.” In fact,
the Bible will even give us a number of examples of how “Vox populi” is
opposite “Vox Dei.” The voice of the majority is prone to error because
experience has already proven to us that the majority is easily swayed by
surveys, good looks, and entertainment. Sensible candidates are not popular
because seldom do we care to evaluate platforms of government. We simply ride
the band wagon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xLx_2ihdUDo2nydwO1IFdSzrYtCKBnjSWmlad9U4rmF1KpJgSOpgIwFZVQvRL90iW0UwpwpTCsGYy4d1WD_AZ45eCR66EwJtC4eupOGQhqmEtNeT-JkSZwSipb420Yje7Qq0J2Tpu9k/s1600/bon-pasteur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="373" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xLx_2ihdUDo2nydwO1IFdSzrYtCKBnjSWmlad9U4rmF1KpJgSOpgIwFZVQvRL90iW0UwpwpTCsGYy4d1WD_AZ45eCR66EwJtC4eupOGQhqmEtNeT-JkSZwSipb420Yje7Qq0J2Tpu9k/s400/bon-pasteur.jpg" width="400" /></a>Good Shepherd Sunday shows us the
real “Vox Dei.” Jesus is the real leader who enjoys the mandate of God. At the
River Jordan, the Father made his choice very clear. He publicly announced: “This
is my beloved Son in whom my favor rests.” Jesus was anointed by the Father and
not voted by the people. In fact, the people demanded that he be crucified. But
God anointed Jesus as Savior and King. On the mountain of the transfiguration,
he declared his anointing and then commanded us: “Listen to him.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Because Jesus received God’s
mandate, he is the only one who is able to lead us to real green pastures. He is
the only one who gives us repose. He is the only one who spreads a table for us
so that we can eat in the sight of the enemies. He is the only one who anoints
our head with oil and makes our cup overflow. As the Book of Revelation said,
the Lord Jesus has called us from every nation, race, people, and tongue. His leadership
transcends national boundaries. He leads us to our true homeland: heaven. There,
he will give us what every politician promises but are NEVER able to deliver: “The
one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst
anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the
center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving
water, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The leaders we elect will lead us
only from one term to another. Some of them are good while others are really
bad. Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he is the real Son of God. He keeps his
promises and we can always rely on him. He is worthy of our trust. We should
listen to him. Si Hesus ang TUNAY na Anak ng Diyos. Jesus is the Good One. <o:p></o:p></div>
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O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-17312832005881185742019-05-12T14:02:00.002-07:002019-05-12T14:02:27.155-07:003RD SUNDAY OF EASTER: Forgiven and Trusted<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3<sup>RD</sup> SUNDAY OF
EASTER C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">May 5, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Unlike the other disciples who ran
away when Jesus was arrested in the garden, Simon Peter had the courage to
follow Jesus until the house of the high priest. But when he saw Jesus being
beaten up by the temple guards, somehow his faith faltered. Three times he was
questioned by the servants of the high priest about his association of Jesus
and to all of them, he had only one answer: “I do not know him.” Then the cock
crowed as Jesus warned him at the last supper. I find the crowing of the cock
very significant because it marked the end of the night and the coming of the
day. During the supper, Judas left the room and the writer was quick to add:
“It was night.” It was not simply a reference of time. Rather, it also meant
that it was the hour of darkness, the hour of Satan, the prince of the world.
And on that night, Jesus’s disciples fell: first was Judas, then the others who
fled, then, just as the night was about to end, Peter was the last to fall.
Then the cock crowed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUU9pg0Er3zWQPcQDmzTvNgF0cwODJ-YSlopTaB0IRwvV9-euFvRL6O9s-6jnL9IJhRiuDmHqS9UymH7xwYTmNJYtoB9efn-Jk6aabTjnO1k8uAGgpzQcP0uXi8-1F7HIG7FsDL23XHDg/s1600/51849615_2063475560356515_1476336987286798336_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1280" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUU9pg0Er3zWQPcQDmzTvNgF0cwODJ-YSlopTaB0IRwvV9-euFvRL6O9s-6jnL9IJhRiuDmHqS9UymH7xwYTmNJYtoB9efn-Jk6aabTjnO1k8uAGgpzQcP0uXi8-1F7HIG7FsDL23XHDg/s400/51849615_2063475560356515_1476336987286798336_o.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In today’s reading, Peter and the
disciples went fishing but they did not catch any during the night. At dawn,
the risen Jesus stood by the shore and commanded them to lower their nets and
they caught so much fish. During the night of Holy Thursday, they ran away and
abandoned the Lord. Without the Lord, they caught nothing. Their fishermen
skills amounted to nothing. Away from his father, the prodigal son went hungry.
Away from Jesus, the disciples caught nothing. Jesus once told them: “Without
me, you can do nothing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">They found Jesus preparing
breakfast for them at the shore. Here was the Lord whom they abandoned. They
could have eaten a scolding for breakfast but they did not hear any reproach
from the Lord. Instead, he told them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
He allowed them the opportunity to make up for their cowardice. He allowed them
to bring him something which in truth, he gave them. His command enabled them
to catch fish. Now, they are to offer him what they caught. It was an act of
reparation. Eating breakfast together became an act of reconciliation after
everything that happened in the middle of the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Then, Jesus turned towards Peter
and three times, he asked the same question: “Simon, son of John, do you love
me more than these?” As the servants of the high priest questioned Peter three
times about his relation with Jesus, so now, Jesus questions Peter about his
love: “Do you love me?” It was painful for Peter to be reminded of his denial.
But the questions of the Lord were not meant to shame or hurt him. Jesus gave
Peter the opportunity to rise from where he has fallen. As the adulterous woman
met in Jesus the God of second chances, so now Peter meets the same God. All he
had to do was to say “Yes, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love
you.” That was enough. As the repentant prodigal son was welcomed, clothed and
fed, so now, Peter was received, fed (with breakfast), and clothed with
authority. The prodigal son was clothed with a robe and Peter was told: “Feed
my lambs.” The prodigal son was given sandals to wear and Peter was told: “Tend
my sheep.” A ring was placed on the prodigal son’s finger and Peter was told: “Feed
my sheep.” Peter will now be catching men and his preaching will never be fruitless.
His nets will always be full. He will no longer deny our Lord. Instead, he will
boldly declare to the high priest: “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had killed him, hanging him on a tree.” Peter will declare what he
himself received from the Lord: “repentance and forgiveness of sins.” Jesus is
the Lamb who was slain and is worthy to receive power and riches, wisdom and
strength, honor, glory, and praise. It is with this power that he accompanies
the preaching of Peter and the disciples. With his power, he provides the catch
for the disciples’ nets. He who was raised on the Cross now draws all people
back to himself. The disciples, who were the first recipients of his
forgiveness, now gather together what were scattered by sin and bring them back
to the Lord. Theirs is a message of forgiveness. Our repentance, our return to
him, will be our salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-5745045133213561202019-05-12T13:52:00.002-07:002019-05-12T13:52:13.810-07:00Divine Mercy Sunday: Justice Served, Mercy Dispensed<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">2<sup>ND</sup> SUNDAY OF
EASTER C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">April 28, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuhC4vWmgfsYQHJRewU-Hb69Wzw90lLxwFIe8bE6VJVVeWoBA8uSBYvtHICEffEAKOMSeQx3jBg6858bupiRVFsD3jV-oTzt4IpMZefGZA-Y79YFcvWu2a8-AEa3cRzE1919X9qG46Sc/s1600/Unframed_Vilnius_92114fef-0404-43b7-a1a4-19b0a207c2ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="866" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuhC4vWmgfsYQHJRewU-Hb69Wzw90lLxwFIe8bE6VJVVeWoBA8uSBYvtHICEffEAKOMSeQx3jBg6858bupiRVFsD3jV-oTzt4IpMZefGZA-Y79YFcvWu2a8-AEa3cRzE1919X9qG46Sc/s400/Unframed_Vilnius_92114fef-0404-43b7-a1a4-19b0a207c2ee.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When the risen Jesus appeared to
his disciples on the evening of Easter Sunday, he showed them his hands and his
side. He did not do this as a reproach for running away on the night of his
arrest in the garden of Getsemane. He did not come to cast blame on them for
these wounds. Instead, he came with a greeting of Peace: “Peace be with you.”
He showed them his hands and side in order to assure them that everything is
now in peace. His death on the Cross has reconciled us with the Father. He paid
the debts of our sins. All things being settled with God, everything is now in
peace: Peace be with you…and he showed them his hands and his side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In fact, in order to assuage the
doubt of Thomas, he even invited him to come closer and to put his finger in
the wound of his hand and to probe his wounded side with his fist. He said:
“Doubt no longer but believe.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Lord showed them his wounds and
allowed them to verify their authenticity in order to assure all of us that his
death was real. It was not an illusion. He really died. This proof of death is
necessary to affirm that the debt of our sins has been paid. The wounds are
like a receipt of payment, evidences that the eternal debt of sins is already
settled. Justice has been served. The eternal debt of our sins was paid by the
death of the eternal Son of God. This is why the Lord is now able to declare
pardon for the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He breathes on his disciples and
sends the Holy Spirit to them. By doing so, he gives his apostles the power to
make his mercy accessible to those who wish to avail of it: “Whose sins you
forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” He sends the
Holy Spirit so that our sins may be forgiven through the waters of Baptism and
through the tears of compunction in confession. He desires that repentance for
the forgiveness of sins be preached to all nations. Now that Divine Justice is
satisfied, Divine Mercy may be dispensed to all who seek it. He desires to
forgive. All we have to do is ask for it and believe in the power of his mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus said to St. Faustina: “From
all my wounds, like from streams, mercy pours for souls, but the wound in my
heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain springs all
graces for souls. The flames of compassion burn me. I desire greatly to pour
them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about my mercy.” (Diary, 1190)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As the world today experiences catastrophe
after catastrophe, we know that we are reaping the fruits of our sins. It is
time to turn to the Mercy of God. It has been an earthshaking week for the
country. The tremors reminded me of the Tower of Siloah which the Lord spoke of
during Lent. The tower collapsed and killed 18 people and the Lord said,
“Repent or you will perish as they did.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told us to repent and to seek his mercy or
else we will perish. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Let not the excitement over “Avengers: The End Game” make
us forget the earthquakes. Let us turn to the Lord and beg his mercy. Jesus
said: “I am mercy itself for the contrite soul. A soul’s greatest wretchedness
does not enkindle me with wrath; but rather, my Heart is moved towards it with
great mercy.” (Diary, 1739)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-61249581211903033422019-05-12T13:42:00.002-07:002019-05-12T13:42:57.373-07:00Easter Sunday: The Living One is not among the Dead<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">EASTER SUNDAY 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">APRIL 21, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Mary Magdalene went to the tomb
early in Easter morning. She expected to find the corpse of Jesus there and she
came to anoint him. But to her surprise, she found the stone removed from the tomb
and when she reported it to Peter and John, they ran to the tomb in order to
investigate. They found the tomb empty. There were the burial cloths and other
linen. But the body was missing. Jesus was not in the tomb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV2iZkFcUG6-7yP1zMczKdH7bza8AyE8Sk_ptblruDa3OXka5Y683ZuxrAIzMvu6YHaA6ZFElXD2kCXSTrqKINSKJ7i8y4jGhUJnYi8CnvhcJMAFIiKDjPTd2KYNJ6BGanxE6LG-bm_8/s1600/57284503_308608983166675_8131782459076378624_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV2iZkFcUG6-7yP1zMczKdH7bza8AyE8Sk_ptblruDa3OXka5Y683ZuxrAIzMvu6YHaA6ZFElXD2kCXSTrqKINSKJ7i8y4jGhUJnYi8CnvhcJMAFIiKDjPTd2KYNJ6BGanxE6LG-bm_8/s400/57284503_308608983166675_8131782459076378624_n.jpg" width="267" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Why was Jesus not in the tomb? It
was because he is risen from the dead. A tomb is no place for a living person.
It is the resting place of the dead. It is not for the living. Why look for the
living among the dead?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">During the Lenten season, we were
confronted by the reality of sin. Sin is the cause of death. Death entered the
world through sin. Jesus engaged in a battle against the devil and eventually
died. The sinless One seemed to be defeated by sin itself because he was
afflicted with death. He had to enter death in order to destroy it from within.
(His strategy was similar to that of the Trojan horse) Obediently accepting
death on the Cross, Jesus destroyed the chains of death that bound us. He had
to be chained by the shackles of death so that he can break it. He broke the
chains of death by destroying the cause of death: disobedience. His obedience undid
the disobedience of Adam and Eve. His humiliation overturned the arrogance of
Satan. Once the cause is destroyed, the effect is shattered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Through his death on the Cross,
Jesus obtained for us the grace of the forgiveness of sins. (How do you destroy
sin? It is destroyed by forgiving it in the same way that disease is destroyed
by curing it.) This forgiveness is given to us through the sacraments of
Baptism and Confession. When we are in sin, we find ourselves enslaved to the
tomb. We were dead because of sin. But now he calls us to come out of the tomb.
“The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
Resurrecting from the dead, Jesus came out of the tomb and he bids us to follow
him out of the death of sin into the life of grace. St. Paul tells us: “Clear
out the old yeast (of sin), so that you may become a fresh batch of dough;
inasmuch as you are unleavened. For Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has been
sacrificed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He tells us to confess our sins and
renounce them. By doing so, we cast away the yeast of sin. We are freed from
our slavery to sin and therefore, are released from the curse of everlasting
death. It is only when we are freed from sin that we cannot be harmed by death
forever. Only Christ can do this for us. We have to believe in him and reach
out for the instruments he gives us to obtain mercy and forgiveness. Those who
ask for forgiveness will come out of the tomb and live. Those who refuse that
mercy will remain dead in the tomb. Christ is not in the tomb because he is
alive. The tomb is the place of the dead because Christ is not there. Whoever
lives in sin is actually dead because Christ is not in him. Whoever obtains
mercy is alive and is able to say: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20) “Therefore,
let us celebrate the feast, not with the yeast of malice and wickedness, but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-1694053924714355642019-05-12T09:23:00.004-07:002019-05-12T09:23:46.737-07:00Easter Vigil: Dying and Rising with Christ<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">EASTER VIGIL 2019 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">April 20, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Vdoz7L3fny0IwIlLcOOSWyDc4mA8I0JiaREVGiEnnhaVONgw8gF_HXK9w2wL3B25GZGTyEwkA8SE0YSoPWaoPDI-EwSIGdnEBC0QHXO_crBq6_MhcVuBWenaFTRWNqX-fQrqwR8C4QE/s1600/Jonah%252C_Resurrection%252C_Peacock_and_XP_Symbols_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="941" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Vdoz7L3fny0IwIlLcOOSWyDc4mA8I0JiaREVGiEnnhaVONgw8gF_HXK9w2wL3B25GZGTyEwkA8SE0YSoPWaoPDI-EwSIGdnEBC0QHXO_crBq6_MhcVuBWenaFTRWNqX-fQrqwR8C4QE/s400/Jonah%252C_Resurrection%252C_Peacock_and_XP_Symbols_001.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“At daybreak on the 1<sup>st</sup>
day of the week, the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus took the spices
they have prepared and went to the tomb.” We accompany tonight these women for
we, too, had come from Galilee with Jesus. This journey from Galilee to
Jerusalem, in a sense, is what our Lenten Journey is all about. It was a 40 day
journey of prayer and fasting. It was a 40 day ascent to Jerusalem where, Jesus
said, he was to suffer in the hands of evil men and die in order to enter into
his glory. Throughout this Lenten journey, we shared in our Lord’s battle
against the devil. Jesus began it by fasting in the desert where he was tempted
by Satan. He overcame the seductions of the evil one by his constant absolute
and unconditional obedience to the Father’s will. He was obedient until death,
death on the Cross. He accomplished everything the Father sent him to do. His
obedience undid the curse of Adam’s disobedience. His humiliation destroyed the
arrogant works of the devil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He invited us to accompany him in
this ascent to Jerusalem. This he did by revealing to us ugliness and danger of
sin. Then, he revealed to us the Father who is the true Source of Joy and
Mercy. He invited us to repent lest we “perish as they did.” As what happened
to the prodigal son, he wanted us to come to our senses and return to the
Father. He assures us not to fear because he will not condemn us if we return
to him. Through prayer and fasting for 40 days, we have prepared ourselves for
tonight’s feast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And so, we are here with the women
at the tomb. The heavy stone which the soldier used to seal the tomb was meant
to keep the corpse of Jesus in it. But it was not heavy enough. The stone was
rolled away. Nothing can keep Jesus in the tomb. “Death no longer has power
over him.” The living One cannot be found among the dead. He is no longer in
the tomb for he has risen from the dead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And we will also rise with him to
eternal life only if we accompany him in his death. We died with him when we
were baptized. In the waters of baptism, the old Adam died and was buried in
it. We have risen as a new creation. And this is what we are reminded of year
after year. Every year, we pray and fast for 40 days so that on the Easter
Vigil like the one we celebrate today, we would be worthy to renew our
baptismal promises. We come to the tomb to be reminded again and again that we
have already died with Christ and that we must live lives renewed in baptismal
grace. Maybe time and again, we forget who were as like the prodigal son who
forgot that he was his father’s son. Maybe time and again, we have become
unfaithful to God, our first love, as the adulterous woman was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But every Lent, we are given the grace to
rise from where we have fallen to return to the house of the Father. Every Lent,
we are given the grace to hear the loving words of the Lord: “I do not condemn
you. Go and from now on, do not sin anymore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Having been absolved of our sins
through confession, we now come to the tomb. We stand rejoicing in the fact
that God’s forgiveness renews all things. God’s forgiveness renews us. We stand
amazed at what had happened. We are amazed at how the dead Savior can rise
again. We stand amazed at how we, who were dead in sin, can be raised by the
forgiveness of the Lord. We stand amazed at how we, who were condemned to die,
“now live in newness of life.” “A dead person has been absolved from sin.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To be here at the tomb during this
Easter Vigil is indeed a grace which we should treasure. Let us strive not to
lose this grace of new life. Let us not carelessly give it up for the fleeting
pleasures of the world. Let us resolve to no longer go back to the slavery of
sin. Let us “think of (ourselves) as being dead to sin and living for God in
Christ Jesus.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-33220829423718812882019-05-12T09:15:00.000-07:002019-05-12T09:15:01.003-07:00Good Friday: The Costly Price of Justice and Mercy<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">GOOD FRIDAY 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">April 19, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">JESUS, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Lent began with Jesus engaging in a
fight with the devil as he fasted in the desert. The devil tried to dissuade
him from fulfilling the Father’s will by seducing him with more convenient ways
of acquiring glory and power. All Jesus had to do was to relinquish his
divinity and kneel before the devil and the kingdoms of the earth will easily
be given to him. But Jesus did not fall for this seduction because he knew
himself and he knew who the devil was. He knows fully well that he is the Son
of God sent by the Father to destroy the works of the devil his adversary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He engaged in this spiritual battle
and it was a very fierce one. In this battle, the Lord revealed to us the real
ugly and deadly face of sin. Using the example of the Galileans executed by
Pilate and the 18 people to perished at the collapse of the tower of Siloah,
the Lord Jesus gave us a stern warning about the effects of sin: “If you do not
repent, you will perish as they did.” Adam and Eve did not know better. They
were easily deceived by the devil and so when they disobeyed, sin entered the
world and together with sin entered death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But in this battle, the Lord did
not only warn us of the deadly effect of sin. In order to redeem us, he
literally jumped into the devil’s lair. Today, the Lord allowed death to touch
him. He, the sinless One, endured the wage of sin which is death. He did not
sin. There was nothing in him to merit death. And yet, today, he died. He died
for sins he did not commit. He died for sins which we committed. He died for the
sins of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-y2Z7HknwaXs2U8M-sjyJYBy1pXJ10jUAB2NsyEsq5W_1PobTJhqx0ajCPUL1YCkKiqaFGUBecA65dmYvvv_4hFp_uSkuemMrSqbXRh7u9CpSMRfAjTX3XTEsBt-K9xaAvcl1rQvdso/s1600/Crucifixion_016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="499" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-y2Z7HknwaXs2U8M-sjyJYBy1pXJ10jUAB2NsyEsq5W_1PobTJhqx0ajCPUL1YCkKiqaFGUBecA65dmYvvv_4hFp_uSkuemMrSqbXRh7u9CpSMRfAjTX3XTEsBt-K9xaAvcl1rQvdso/s400/Crucifixion_016.jpg" width="385" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It is easy to say that Jesus died
in atonement for our sins. But it is only when we really meditate on his
Passion…when we look at the sufferings he endured, it is only then that we will
tremble at what we have done to him. That Negro spiritual song says it very
well: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes, it causes me
to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” We
look up to Jesus hanging on the Cross and we ask him: “Lord, who did this to
you?” And when we look down, we see the hammer in our hands. And so, with
hearts filled with remorse, we should rather say: “Were you there when I
crucified my Lord?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We rightly deserved to die in the
very same way that the adulterous woman deserved to perish. We are guilty as
charged. And yet, the Lord declares to us: “I do not judge you.” He does not
point an accusing finger at us. Instead, willingly he opened his arms on the
wood of the Cross to endure for us a death which is cruel and excruciatingly
painful. Jesus bled to death. The medical term is “traumatic hemorrhagic
shock.” We should have been on that Cross but he took it upon himself for us.
He went to the very depth of death because what he did not assume, he did not
redeem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And so, after that long and
difficult battle, Jesus declares his cry of victory: It is finished! Refusing
the devil’s shortcut, Jesus fulfilled the Father’s will through that long and
difficult suffering. He loved his own and now, he loved until the very end. It
was a declaration of accomplishment. Jesus declares that he has completed the
task. He did not leave any stone unturned. His humiliation undid the arrogance
of Satan. His unconditional obedience atoned for the disobedience of Adam and
Eve and all of us, their sons and daughters. Justice is satisfied. Now we can
avail mercy and forgiveness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And so, let us value the mercy that
we receive. Never should we take for granted the forgiveness bestowed on us.
Keep in mind that mercy is not cheap. Someone paid dearly for it to be given to
us. After a few days of penance, many of us will surely be tempted to return to
their former ways of life. Don’t! Resist the temptation! Do not treat
forgiveness lightly. Remember the Lord’s suffering. Remember his sacrifice.
Jesus paid dearly for it. “Remember that you were not bought at the measly sum
of silver or gold, but at the price of the blood of Christ, the blood of a
spotless and unblemished lamb.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-54326302047447773792019-05-12T09:01:00.001-07:002019-05-12T09:01:13.348-07:00Holy Thursday: A Life of Serving the Lord is a Life well spent<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">HOLY THURSDAY 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">April 18, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Holy Thursday this year means a lot
to me as I am currently celebrating my silver jubilee year as a priest. The
anniversary of the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood during the
Year of the Youth gives me the occasion to go back to the day of my ordination
as a priest. I was 25 years old then, with more hair and with greater idealism.
I remember that afternoon of November 30, 1993 in the Manila Cathedral when the
deacon called my name. At that time, I answered: “Ad sum! Present!” I was
called and so I answered: “Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.” So
inflamed was I with the love of God that I was willing to say “Yes” to every
question Cardinal Sin asked me. Maybe, at that time, I did not know better.
Maybe I did not realize the cost of these “yeses.” All I knew at that time was
that I wanted to serve. I wanted to offer God my life. And true enough, I have
offered the best part of my life to God. I have spent my youth in his service.
I am now 50 years old and I am feeling that my body is slowing down. There are
many priestly tasks that I used to do easily but now, I experience certain
limitations. But whenever I look back to the day of my ordination, I smile and
say to the Lord: “Lord, I offered to you the best years of my life and I want
to serve you until the end.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3MxERSshakLe5OIPVHNtFsigpp5lWzs4BEA1NiMXcJaya-3GC-dfRIdkU3QtZF66dBlNRxCuLuN4eORUdweVs7FV0A7wwpOqHFg98ebhJBDeoKOUc2uuHB9sr_Wti6WrsctR3Bjc0hw/s1600/Jesus_Washing_of_Feet_of_the_Apostles_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="522" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3MxERSshakLe5OIPVHNtFsigpp5lWzs4BEA1NiMXcJaya-3GC-dfRIdkU3QtZF66dBlNRxCuLuN4eORUdweVs7FV0A7wwpOqHFg98ebhJBDeoKOUc2uuHB9sr_Wti6WrsctR3Bjc0hw/s400/Jesus_Washing_of_Feet_of_the_Apostles_003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Lord Jesus was 33 years old at
that time. He was at the prime of his life, the prime of his youth. He must
have seen himself in that 1 year old lamb that was sacrificed on the eve of the
Passover. That year old lamb has experienced a life independent of its mother
only for 10 months and now, it is chosen to be sacrificed to the Lord and to be
eaten in the Passover meal. We pity the lamb for it was not even allowed to
live a full life. But what accounts for fullness of life? Is it the number of years?
The lamb of sacrifice teaches us that life is full not because it was spent for
many years but because it was offered to the Lord. Although it is very young, the
chosen Lamb lived a full life because it was offered in sacrifice to the Lord.
We may have spent many years but if none of them were offered to God, it would
have been an unfortunate wasted life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And this is how Jesus spent his
life. Last Palm Sunday, Jesus declared to his disciples: “I am among you as the
one who serves.” And tonight, he shows us what he meant: he took off his
garments, wrapped his waist with a towel, and began washing the feet of his
disciples. It was the most menial task. It was a task assigned to the lowest of
slaves. And yet, he insisted to do it…even with the protest of Simon Peter. It simply
had to be done. “He took the form of a slave and was born in our human
likeness.” Jesus teaches us that this is life well spent. It is spent as an
offering to God. It is spent in service of others. He challenges the world
which teaches us to live lives with a sense of entitlement. He says: “I did not
come to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This is the mark of those who wish
to follow Jesus: “the kings of the gentiles lord it over them and those in
authority over them are addressed as benefactors. But among you it shall not be
so. Let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the
servant…I am among you as the one who serves…” Dear brothers and sisters, let
us allow Jesus to lead us to a meaningful life: a life of giving more than
receiving, a life of serving more than entitlement. “I, your Lord and Master,
washed your feet. You must also wash each other’s feet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-53473681812296403962019-04-16T02:40:00.002-07:002019-04-16T02:40:32.483-07:00Palm Sunday 2019: The Homage of Unconditional Obedience<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PALM SUNDAY 2019<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">April 14, 2019<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Our Lenten journey for this year
began with the story of how the Spirit led Jesus to the desert to be tempted by
the devil. There, the intention of the Incarnation was made clear: “That the
Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil.” He engaged in a
spiritual battle with Satan who sought to destroy man by seducing him to sin.
Sin, which entered into the world through the disobedience of one man, must be
destroyed through the obedience of the Son of God. Christ humbled himself by
coming in human likeness and by his obedience until death, death on a Cross. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In the desert, the devil showed
Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth which he would easily give Jesus if only he
knelt to worship him. The Lord could have easily received power and glory from
the devil but he refused to receive it from him. instead, in the garden, even
though he was in so much agony that his sweat became like drops of blood, the
Lord knelt and prayed to his Father: “Not my will but yours be done.” In the
garden of Eden, Adam and Eve refused God the homage of their unconditional
obedience. They wanted to be like God by following their own will. They ate the
forbidden fruit and through their disobedience, sin entered the world and
together with sin entered death. Jesus offered to God what Adam and Eve refused
to offer: the homage of unconditional obedience. He, who is God, emptied himself.
He took upon himself the opposite direction which Adam and Eve aspired to take.
Our parents aspired to be as great as God. Jesus went down to be a slave: “I am
among you as one who serves.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrJLwk_fQ0Hgh5AKoxQ2MC8Q1aomEaZr-xYQvnD1uuI_I55211Qne5D3a9Pwt0-_Rgn4C-n3lDHdbvWpDIIDGHU1pzWph9GzdFKookbhPp4Q65r8QzDazUL1jW5lAKRLkmlUo6rbuzrc/s1600/29571043_1749943715065970_6683194494627434747_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrJLwk_fQ0Hgh5AKoxQ2MC8Q1aomEaZr-xYQvnD1uuI_I55211Qne5D3a9Pwt0-_Rgn4C-n3lDHdbvWpDIIDGHU1pzWph9GzdFKookbhPp4Q65r8QzDazUL1jW5lAKRLkmlUo6rbuzrc/s400/29571043_1749943715065970_6683194494627434747_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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It is in the humiliation of the
Cross that the Lord conquered the arrogance of Satan. By the depth of his
suffering and humiliation, Jesus ended the reign of sin by invoking upon us the
forgiveness of God: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are
doing.” By enduring the agony of the Cross, Jesus satisfied the demands of justice
He atoned for our sins. Thus, he is able to obtain the freedom of Barabbas. The
Son of God liberated the criminal by dying in his stead. Rightfully did the
thief say: “We have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received
corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Because
Jesus is without sin, he is able to atone for us. By atoning for our sins, he
is able to give the repentant thief the promise: ‘Amen, I say to you, today you
will be with me in Paradise.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As Jesus was told by Satan to
jump from the parapet of the temple, so now, he was dared: “If you are King of
the Jews, save yourself.” But as he refused to jump from the top of the temple,
so now he refused to come down from the Cross. He stayed on the Cross until he
commended to the Father his spirit. He stayed on the Cross until he breathed
his last. And so he glorified God. In doing so, he destroyed the work of the
devil. The people who saw the spectacle returned home beating their breasts. By
their repentance, they obtained mercy and forgiveness. Jesus brought back to
God his prodigal children.<o:p></o:p></div>
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O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-35883377079205679642019-04-16T02:33:00.002-07:002019-04-16T02:33:57.781-07:005th Sunday of Lent C: I Do Not Condemn You<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">5<sup>TH</sup> SUNDAY OF
LENT C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">APRIL 7, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The woman really deserved to die
because she was caught in the act of adultery which was punishable with death
by stoning. She was brought by the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus to test him.
Jesus said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to
throw a stone at her.” And in response, they went away one by one, leaving her
alone standing before Jesus. She could have taken that opportunity to run away
and escape death but she stood still before him. After all, the one who was
left behind had all the right to execute her because he is the sinless One.
Jesus, the Son of God, received from his Father the right to judge: “The Father
judges no one, but he has given all judgement to the Son so that all may honor
the Son just as they honor the Father.” (John 5:22-23) She did not escape
because she was guilty and deserved the punishment. She stood there and waited
for execution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But Jesus asked her: “Woman, where
are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she replied. Jesus said:
“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, do not sin anymore.” Jesus had
the authority to judge but for that moment, he did not use that authority. The
sinless One refused to condemn the sinner. “For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.”
(John 3:17)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarZnzMt-1xnjgO82ehFlZ51-DtXa7-3c71PHhyphenhyphenzFFqzlC_THgwqKOWRm1NeMOzuzdxdQimbSAt6ySSt86WfgAAMbwOwdb3kRAc-CVI4iWRZ7uyQA09cVivATEF1MeO9w1t6djHB51rj8/s1600/woman_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="350" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarZnzMt-1xnjgO82ehFlZ51-DtXa7-3c71PHhyphenhyphenzFFqzlC_THgwqKOWRm1NeMOzuzdxdQimbSAt6ySSt86WfgAAMbwOwdb3kRAc-CVI4iWRZ7uyQA09cVivATEF1MeO9w1t6djHB51rj8/s400/woman_9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Lord refused to condemn the
woman even though she deserved to be condemned. In like manner, he refuses to
condemn us who are all as guilty as the woman. Instead, he allowed himself to
be condemned to death. He, the sinless One, took upon himself the condemnation
we deserved. He let go of the stone which he could have used against us. He let
free his hand of the rock of condemnation so that he may embrace the Cross and be
crucified on it to atone for our sins. He took upon himself the heavy price of
death which our sins deserved. This he did to satisfy the demands of Divine
Justice so that he can be merciful to us. Forgiving our sins, the Lord puts
them behind us. He remembers not our past, the things of long ago. Instead, he
makes all things new. He makes a path in the desert. He tells us to “forget
what lies behind but strain forward to what lies ahead.” On the Cross, the Lord
makes all things new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Thus, he tells us what he told the
adulterous woman: “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” He reminds us of
the executed Galileans and the 18 people who perished at the collapse of the
tower of Siloam and reminds us: “If you do not repent, you will perish as they
did.” He rejoices at our return to him as the Father rejoiced at the return of
his prodigal son. He rejoices to have us back safe and sound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But from now on, do not sin anymore
because one day, he will come to judge the living and the dead. “(The Father)
gave him the power of judgment because he is the Son of Man…The hour is coming
in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those
who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done
wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.” Let us repent while we can.
He will not condemn us. Let us not wait for our sins to accuse us. Let us turn
to him for the Lord says: “Even now, return to me with your whole heart; for I
am gracious and merciful.” (Joel 2: 2-3)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-7191220819936067992019-04-16T02:22:00.002-07:002019-04-16T02:22:11.913-07:004th Sunday of Lent C: Joy comes from the Father<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> SUNDAY OF
LENT C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">March 31, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The parable of the Prodigal Son was
originally addressed by the Lord to the scribes and Pharisees who found
difficulty in rejoicing over the return of tax collectors and sinners to Jesus.
Instead of being happy over the fact that these public sinners are repenting
and are changing their lives, the scribes and Pharisees found fault in the way
the Lord ate with tax collectors and sinners. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">They were like the elder brother in
the parable. He could not understand why his father ordered the fattened calf
slaughtered when the son who dissipated his property on loose women returned.
Why give him a welcome party? Should he not have received a scolding instead?
Should he not have been punished for his misdeeds? Should he not have been
reproached (sinumbatan): “O anong napala mo sa ginawa mo? Matapos mo akong
layasan, babalik ka ngayon kasi kailangan mo ako uli?” Why eat with him? In
other words, why does the Lord eat with tax collectors and sinners?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The way the father rejoiced over
the safe return of his way ward son shows how the mercy of God is indeed beyond
our comprehension. In the Old Testament, the Prophet Jonah could not understand
why God did not pursue the destruction of the Ninevites when they repented and
converted from their evil ways. The Lord explained his mercy through a plant
that sprouted and brought temporary relief to the prophet from the heat of the
sun but was destroyed rapidly by a worm. The Lord said to Jonah: “You cared
about the plant which you neither tended nor grew. It sprang up in a night and
perished in a night. So should I not care for the great city of Nineveh, which
has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?”
( Jonah 4: 10-11)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sometimes, like the Pharisees and
scribes, we think that sinners should be punished. Why was the repentant son
not punished? Why was he welcomed instead? The answer is: the son was already
“punished.” After dissipating his inheritance, he went hungry. He experienced
the humiliation of having to tend swine for a living. The misery was not sent
by the father. He merely reaped the consequences of living away and apart from
his father. He understood that he got what he deserved. That is why he was even
prepared to say: “I do not deserve to be called your son. Treat me as one of
your servants.” It was his misery that awakened him to his senses and made him
decide to return to his father.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTWYOkJBkEC2_C14aBIGj7Ma3_kVcHviWi1DNKvb6vo1pnKHIY5F11FWCWvvAdlc8hyphenhyphenbrzUgmiyRKSfCU6-rtShrQTPybvOabh9FtHU1N2qMHGV3L6bZjBD7obn6XGNyd4R4swqMknZc/s1600/Return_of_the_Prodigal_Son_1667-1670_Murillo-e1423348281457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="1030" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTWYOkJBkEC2_C14aBIGj7Ma3_kVcHviWi1DNKvb6vo1pnKHIY5F11FWCWvvAdlc8hyphenhyphenbrzUgmiyRKSfCU6-rtShrQTPybvOabh9FtHU1N2qMHGV3L6bZjBD7obn6XGNyd4R4swqMknZc/s400/Return_of_the_Prodigal_Son_1667-1670_Murillo-e1423348281457.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Misery cannot come from the father,
only joy. When the son returned home, he did not encounter reproach but a
welcoming embrace. The father restored his lost dignity (the robe, sandals, and
ring). He was humiliated enough by his sins. Why humiliate him further? “Let us
celebrate a feast, because this son of mine was dead and has come to life
again; he was lost and has been found.” “In heaven, there is rejoicing over the
repentance of one sinner.” The boy may have forgotten for a time was he was his
father’s son but never did the father forget this. He constantly waited for his
son to return and so rejoiced when he came.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And he wanted his elder son to
share in his fatherly joy. He gently reminded his faithful son that the
repentant boy was also his brother: “But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because YOUR BROTHER was dead and has come to life again, he was lost and has
been found.” The sacrament of Reconciliation does not only reconcile the sinner
with God. It also reconciles the sinner to the Church. The repentant sinner is
not only God’s son. He is also our brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Father rejoiced because he is a
prodigal father. He lavishly spends his love upon us his children. Some may
find it wasteful especially if that love is lavished on ingrates. But the
Father loves anyway. He does not rejoice over the death of a sinner. He wants
that sinner to return to him and live. He wants us to do the same. He wants us to
share in his joy over the return of a sinner, the return of a brother. While
the world clamors for the death of the sinner, the father gently waits for his
conversion. “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting
their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing
through us. We implore you in behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-22806280211476047852019-03-27T00:32:00.001-07:002019-03-27T00:32:10.957-07:003rd SUNDAY OF LENT C: SIN IS DEADLY<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3<sup>RD</sup> SUNDAY OF
LENT C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">MARCH 24, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust
in you!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Tragedies, whether they be natural
or man-made, are usually deemed as punishments from God. I remember when
“Yolanda” struck Samar, an insensitive post came out in the social media. It
said that tragedy befell them because the people living there were all sinners.
I suppose that the Lord was referring to this same mentality when he referred
to the Galileans executed by Pontius Pilate and those 18 persons who perished
at the collapse of the tower of Siloam. He asked: “Were they more guilty than
anyone else in Jerusalem?” Were the victims of calamities more sinful than all
of us? And the answer of the Lord was: “By no means!” And indeed, he is right.
They cannot be regarded as greater sinners because all of us are sinners. All
of us are guilty. That is why “if you do not repent, you will all perish as
they did!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the 2<sup>nd</sup> reading, St.
Paul gives us a clear explanation. He spoke of the Israelites who perished in
the desert. He said: “These things happened as examples for us, so that we
might not desire evil things as they did…These things happened to them as an
example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end
of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should
take care not to fall.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Lord teaches us of the deadly
effects of sin. Many of us take sin lightly because they are ignorant of what
it can do to us. Sin is deadly. When sin entered the world, together with it
came death. What happened to the executed Galileans and to the victims of the
fallen tower of Siloam were the natural consequences of sin. If we were spared
of such catastrophe, it was simply because our time has not yet come and we
should not wait for it to happen. We must repent as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sin is deadly and all of us are
enslaved by it. Our afflictions are caused by sin. They do not come from God.
They are the effects of sin. When we sin, we turn away from the Lord who is Life,
Love, and Good. That is why we are afflicted by death, violence, and evil. Evil
cannot come from God because He is holy. From the burning bush, God told Moses
to come no nearer and to take off his sandals because the place where he stood
was holy ground. “I have witnessed the affliction of my people and have heard
their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well that they
are suffering. Therefore, I have come down to rescue them…and lead them out of
that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6jKCrAkUG6_NY6PUedY7PJFjx5LvlZL1MtdWgvAMJFdkd6eM9TOmqKAyYyvWN59alcgx9MPyerDYSuYBnBBuIdz46JcWI5mK8POrwHkOO28hcLOZY5o-3GyIi_o4ig90aJKNjC88_nA/s1600/22050907_739332179602524_2134680948757795481_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6jKCrAkUG6_NY6PUedY7PJFjx5LvlZL1MtdWgvAMJFdkd6eM9TOmqKAyYyvWN59alcgx9MPyerDYSuYBnBBuIdz46JcWI5mK8POrwHkOO28hcLOZY5o-3GyIi_o4ig90aJKNjC88_nA/s400/22050907_739332179602524_2134680948757795481_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The venerable Senyor of Pakil, Laguna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As we saw last time, God does not
delight in our affliction. He does not delight in the death of the sinner. He
is kind and merciful. That is why he came to save us. “He pardons all (our)
iniquities, heals all (our) ills. He redeems (our) life from destruction,
crowns (us) with kindness and compassion. He desires nothing but our salvation.
Thus, he descended from heaven and took flesh from the Virgin’s womb. He took
upon himself our affliction. Like the Galileans executed by Pilate as they
offered sacrifice, he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and
was buried. And in dying, Christ offered God the most perfect sacrifice. His
Blood did not mingle with his sacrifice. His Blood was The Sacrifice itself. Like
all men who were afflicted by death’s serious blow, he descended into hell. The
sinless One shared the lot (kapalaran) of sinners. And he did this to take us
out of hell. He resurrected from the dead and “when He ascended up on high, He
led captivity captive. And he bestowed gifts to men.” (Ephesians 4:8) Now, we
eat the same spiritual food and drink from the spiritual rock who is Christ
himself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Therefore, let us repent while we
can. Let us not wait for disaster to fall on us. He gives us a chance to bear
fruits. He cultivates the ground around us and fertilizes us with the
Eucharist, our spiritual food and drink. Let us turn from our evil ways and
turn to Him who is kind and merciful. “For if (we) do not repent, (we) will all
perish as they did!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-91737481284939523692019-03-27T00:21:00.002-07:002019-03-27T00:21:43.743-07:002nd Sunday of Lent C: Our Sins and His Curse<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2<sup>ND</sup>
SUNDAY OF LENT C<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">March 17, 2019<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Walking between animal carcasses
at the sealing of a covenant was supposed to be a curse and a warning. The
gesture was supposed to warn both parties that the misfortune that befell these
dead animals would be the lot of anyone of them who would violate the
stipulations of the covenant. And so both God and Abraham passed between the
carcasses. In this way, they signed the covenant in the way of the ancients.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And yet we know who violated the
covenant. The people of Israel were not faithful to God. Like a harlot wife,
Israel committed adultery against God. She worshiped other gods. She violated
her marriage with God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaz7qWMnZC3utfR2GM3ASGX0gtLDeXp3Hl-lsKLEUYwNjT3UNwMh9mx5CpZpUNNAywXvx_cjFCfgtvINXdyN52HnW2hQSqpX0LzNTMHBxJHllB6yXWdRIkAKn4WWNguwTqE4ODNKmif6Q/s1600/12805764_1525861764384558_1656416279282112392_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="960" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaz7qWMnZC3utfR2GM3ASGX0gtLDeXp3Hl-lsKLEUYwNjT3UNwMh9mx5CpZpUNNAywXvx_cjFCfgtvINXdyN52HnW2hQSqpX0LzNTMHBxJHllB6yXWdRIkAKn4WWNguwTqE4ODNKmif6Q/s400/12805764_1525861764384558_1656416279282112392_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
However, the tragedy of the
slaughtered animals did not fall on her nor on us. Instead, it was God who
suffered the animals’ fate. He was born amidst animals in Bethlehem. As he
fasted in the desert, he lived amidst wild beasts. Like sheep led to the
slaughter, the incarnate Son of God was slain at the very hour the sheep were
sacrificed in the temple. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We will not appreciate what
Christ has done if we do not consider the Transfiguration. The Lord Jesus took
Peter, James, and John with him to the mountain where he was transfigured
before them: his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling
white. He allowed them to see his glory as God’s only begotten Son. So
beautiful was that sight that Peter exclaimed: “Master, it is good that we are
here…” Jesus showed them the beauty of his glory in order to prepare them for
his “exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” In that exodus,
Jesus will be seen treated like an animal: scourged, beaten up, and crucified.
That glorified beauty of his Divine Face will be marred by the cruelty of men.
His face shall be defiled by our sin…in the very way the Divine likeness in
Adam was destroyed by original sin. Yes, God made man in his image and
likeness, patterned after the beauty of the face of God’s only begotten Son.
But at his crucifixion, Christ’s face will be marred, patterned after the
hideous face of sin. God gave us his beauty when he created us but when we
crucified him, we gave him the ugliness of our sinful nature. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“There is no beauty in him nor comeliness, and
we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of
him.” (Is. 53: 2) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is in this way that he shall
restore to us the beauty of the Divine likeness which was destroyed by sin. The
exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem will be our exodus as well.
That deformed face of the Crucified One will be glorified at the Resurrection. Through
the discipline of self-restraint, the saints have rejected the luxury and the
comforts of this world in order to join Christ in his exodus from this world.
By restraining their bodies, they were nourished inwardly by God’s Word and
their spiritual sight was purified. This enabled them to keep their eyes fixed
on the glory of Jesus. They have died to the world and now they rest and live
in the light of the Lord. If we listen to him as the Father commanded us to do,
then we will also follow him in his exodus from this world to the Father.
Heaven shall be our home and “he will change our lowly body to conform with his
glorified body.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-16535572494010042022019-03-27T00:16:00.001-07:002019-03-27T00:16:13.619-07:001st Sunday of Lent C: Christ's Battle<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">1<sup>ST</sup>
SUNDAY OF LENT C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE
YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">March 10, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer,
we beg the Father: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Today, we hear the exact opposite in our Gospel reading. After his baptism at
the River Jordan, the Lord Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert “to
be tempted by the devil.” The Holy Spirit did not lead Jesus away from
temptation but led him into it. It was as if the Holy Spirit fortified Jesus
for a battle – a battle that the Lord decided to engage in because the Lord
“heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression” brought
about by his enemy, the devil. As the Egyptians maltreated the Israelites, so
did the devil maltreat and oppressed by imposing the hard labor of suffering,
illness, and death upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord
knew that we were powerless against this oppression that is why he himself came
down to this earthly desert of our exile in order to engage the devil in a
fight so that he can bring us out of our Egypt “with his strong hand and
outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders.” In leading us
out of this enslaving world, he intends to bring us to heaven, the land
overflowing with milk and honey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI77jx1SUHwT3jHfgDEiHFq7lULU9tKovElzgSULN9X3Euf3GXlQgKIU0SmlMkmW29FAlq3i0bLYSLHvfliq1urImDBjL6DM3VYQ7Xx_-oBm0yPPiiBLTW85dRttxr0j-dTKl1Z0ll6Y/s1600/Mount-of-Temptation1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="789" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI77jx1SUHwT3jHfgDEiHFq7lULU9tKovElzgSULN9X3Euf3GXlQgKIU0SmlMkmW29FAlq3i0bLYSLHvfliq1urImDBjL6DM3VYQ7Xx_-oBm0yPPiiBLTW85dRttxr0j-dTKl1Z0ll6Y/s400/Mount-of-Temptation1.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The weapon the devil used against
Jesus was the same weapon he used against Adam and Eve: temptation. He used
temptation to seduce our first parents away from the path of holiness which the
Lord intended for them. The devil has his way of doing it. In a temptation, the
devil could make something so horrible look attractive. The devil made the
forbidden fruit look delicious to eat. Adam and Eve were so enticed by the
assurance that eating the forbidden fruit would not kill them. Rather, it would
make them like God. Our first parents fell into this trap. They ate the
forbidden fruit. They disobeyed the Lord and so sin entered the world and
together with sin came suffering, illness, and death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The devil tried using the same
temptation on Jesus. Capitalizing on our Lord’s hunger from fasting, the devil
attempted to make the stones look like bread: “If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is as if the devil was saying: “You are the Son of God. You do not even have to
go hungry because you have the power to do the impossible. Change stone to
bread and help yourself. Use your power to indulge yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The devil seduced Adam and Eve with
an empty promise: they will become gods if they disobeyed the Lord. He now
seduced Jesus with the promise of earthly power and glory in exchange for a
renunciation of his Divinity. He must have thought the Jesus was no different
from Esau who sold away his birthright in exchange for a bowl of soup to
satisfy his hunger. It was as if the devil told Jesus: “You do not have to
suffer and die in order to receive power and glory. Simply relinquish your
Divinity and worship me and then, power and glory will be yours with the least
effort.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The devil tried to instill in
Christ doubt in the Father’s love for him: “Go and jump from the parapet of the
temple and test the Father’s love for you. If he loves you, he will send his
angels to catch you and keep you from harming yourself.” After 3 years, the
devil will reiterate this temptation on Calvary. The devil would speak to Jesus
as he hanged on the Cross: “Where is your Father now? Where are your angels
now? Did they not defend you from this cruelty? Why are you all alone now?” The
devil would speak through the jeering crowd: “If you are the Son of God, come
down from the Cross and we will believe in you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But Jesus would not jump. He will
not test the Father. He will not come down from the Cross. He will stay on the
side of his Father. He will be obedient until death. He will stay on the Cross
because the Cross will be his weapon against the devil. The outstretched arm he
will use to lead us out of the slavery of sin will be that arm which he will
stretch out upon the wood of the Cross. The terrifying power of Christ will be
that of his unconditional obedience to the Father. His signs and wonders will
be his Cross and his Resurrection. Indeed, the Lord will win this battle by his
fasting, by his suffering, by his unwavering obedience, by his Cross, and by
his Resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And he empowers us with the same
weapons in our spiritual battle against the devil. This Lenten season, he
invites us to join him in his fast. Strengthen your soul by the weakness of
your body. Fast and pray. Arm yourself with the Word of God. Obey his word.
Restrain yourself. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. Let us
arm ourselves with the weapon of self-restraint as we take up battle against
spiritual evils (Collect of Ash Wednesday). Do not be afraid. Christ has gone
before us in this battle. He has engaged the enemy in a battle. He fought and
he won. He has conquered the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-83746669649451893982019-03-17T02:40:00.001-07:002019-03-17T02:40:09.961-07:00In Passione et Morte Domini-Gregorian Chant<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZgPPuIt9Jvg" width="480"></iframe>Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-66756091924200900062019-03-06T07:57:00.002-08:002019-03-06T07:57:10.002-08:00Ash Wednesday: Let the Priests weep before the Altar<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">ASH WEDNESDAY
2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE
YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">March 6, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Between the porch and the altar,
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say: ‘Spare, O Lord, your
people, and make not your heritage a reproach…’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65PjFDjAY95ICZ1UulMcnhgGvW6mloQkczj-R7CNFjlT77cqgtrM6PHD2f73RM_657kj5LbMX-8CIUX0OIL_XBhNmctjGbL_He87X7j0kAQcR_YRRlZNW_CVqGDFlEoCCKbZQcv7zD9M/s1600/lent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="790" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65PjFDjAY95ICZ1UulMcnhgGvW6mloQkczj-R7CNFjlT77cqgtrM6PHD2f73RM_657kj5LbMX-8CIUX0OIL_XBhNmctjGbL_He87X7j0kAQcR_YRRlZNW_CVqGDFlEoCCKbZQcv7zD9M/s400/lent.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The prophet Joel wrote at a time
when the southern kingdom of Judah was devastated by a plague of locusts. The
land was laid barren and the people suffered heavy losses. And so, the prophet
calls for a time of penance: a time of fasting and sacred assembly: “Blow the
trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly…” This call to penance was
done because the Lord said to the people: “Even now, return to me with your
whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning…Return to the Lord. For
gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in
punishment.” The time of penance was necessitated by the plague. But such an
occasion can only be called because of the mercy of God. The people can return
to the Lord because the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich
in kindness. He is relenting in punishment. If the Lord were not so, then
penance would have been useless. If the Lord is unmoved by acts of
mortification, then why engage in penance? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Ash Wednesday this year finds the
Church in a difficult situation. The crisis of clerical sins has brought about
a severe beating for the Church. The scandal has risen to the highest offices
of the Church. We have been brought low in the sight of people on account of
the sins of our spiritual fathers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In such crisis, the Lord tells us
to return to him. And he seeks genuine conversion: Rend your hearts and not
your garments. Tearing one’s garment looks dramatic enough but it would amount
to putting up a show. But the Lord does not want a show. He wants conversion to
be sincere. He wants this conversion to come from the heart. To rend one’s
heart means to radically cut off ourselves from the roots of our sins. Repentance
cannot be sincere if there is no desire to reform. Repentance involves a
severing of ties and attachment to sin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Our sorrow for sins must come from
the heart. We are sorry that we have offended God. We are sorry for hurting
others. In this crisis of clerical abuse, people kept talking about how victims
were traumatized and rightly should we say so. But we will miss the point if we
do not realize how such sins have offended the Lord. We will miss the point if
we do not realize how such sins have defiled consecrations to the Lord. The
sins of clerical abuse are so offensive because they violate the clergy’s
consecration to God. That is why priests have to weep before the altar, before
the altar where they must stand undefiled in order to worthily offer sacrifice.
Priests have to weep before the altar because the altar makes the offering
sacred. Priests have to weep before the altar because they place on the altar
the spotless Victim who is Christ and therefore, by their lives of
self-abnegation, they must lay down their lives together with Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dearly beloved, as we enter into
this time of penance, may I humbly ask you to remember us, your priests, in
your prayers. Many of us have fallen. We have fallen to sin. We have defiled
our consecration. We have become unworthy ministers of the Lord. Like the
public sinners of old who stand at the doorsteps of the Church to beg for the
prayers of the faithful, we priests beg you to pray for us. Pray that we may
acknowledge our sins and take responsibility for them. Pray that we may
sincerely be sorrowful for our sins. Pray that we may make amends for them.
Pray that we may rise and return to the Lord. “For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always: ‘Against you alone have I sinned, and done what
is evil in your sight.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-67123250161868116322019-03-03T19:49:00.001-08:002019-03-03T19:49:04.623-08:008TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C: EAR, HEART, MOUTH<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">8<sup>th</sup> SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">March 3, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Sa bibig nahuhuli ang isda,” so
our elders tell us. There is truth in this saying and the Word of God teaches
us about it. “When a sieve (panala) is shaken, the husks appear, so do one’s
faults when one speaks…The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had, so too
does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind. Praise no one before he
speaks, for it is then how people are tested.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Lord uses the same image in
today’s Gospel reading: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a
rotten tree bear good fruit…A good person out of the store of goodness in his
heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGzhtFSSxKlmpfqKbcAx0J_cyCYdJ2bf0QEyQDYiRXeLbMGvZED1ZosOdAX6qbpEK2UTlMcy9ZrFgQNDV_mEWd3YwHAvndg10mA5NiVpiBbdFDgzUE1F22bJScgl4DI9t5pcvtHAJZjo/s1600/heart-of-the-good-shepherd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGzhtFSSxKlmpfqKbcAx0J_cyCYdJ2bf0QEyQDYiRXeLbMGvZED1ZosOdAX6qbpEK2UTlMcy9ZrFgQNDV_mEWd3YwHAvndg10mA5NiVpiBbdFDgzUE1F22bJScgl4DI9t5pcvtHAJZjo/s400/heart-of-the-good-shepherd1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord, your words reveal the secrets of your Heart. You have the words of eternal life!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Ex abundantia cordis – “From the
abundance of the heart” – so we are told. The heart is considered to be the
center of hidden emotional-intellectual-moral activity. Because of the
inaccessibility of the physical heart, it has been considered as the symbol of
anything remote or inaccessible in man. The heart of a person is inaccessible
to others but it is searched by God: “Man looks at outward appearances but the
Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Lord Jesus tells us today that
the secrets of the human heart are betrayed by the mouth. As the fruit reveals
the upbringing of the tree, so also a man’s words reveal who he is. The mouth
expresses the contents of the heart. It reveals the obsessions, preoccupations,
concerns, desires of the person. The mouth confesses what the heart trusts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And this is the reason why the Lord
cautions us about our pronouncements. A man who sees the splinter in another
person’s eye would most probably reveal the wooden beam in his eye. It is easy
for him to see the splinter because he has a store of wooden beams in his
heart. He is not aware of it because he is blind to his own faults but that
blindness is betrayed by the pronouncements he makes about others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This is why we constantly need to
examine our own hearts. And one easy way of doing this is by asking ourselves:
What are the words that I usually say? Ano ba ang bukambibig ko? Remember the
saying: Buka ng bibig, kabig ng dibdib. Being aware of what we usually say, we
will see the signs of the condition of our hearts. And keeping in mind what we
spontaneously say, we become aware of our desires. We become aware of our
trusts. Our words will show where we put our trust. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The mouth reveals what the heart
contains and the ear determines what goes into it. The heart will contain what
the ear chooses to listen to. This is why we should educate the heart by
listening to the right voice. “Come children and hear me and I will teach you
the ways of the Lord.” (Ps. 34:11) The heart needs to be educated by filling it
with God’s word. “Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your
heart and have all of them ready on your lips.” (Proverbs 22:17-18) The reason
why so much evil comes from our heart is because we deprive it of the wisdom
the God’s words. As we care for the physical heart by eating healthy food, so
must we care for our moral hearts by feeding it with God’s word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">St. Paul tells us that we will
clothe the corruptible with incorruptibility. He spoke of the human flesh as
being clothed by Divine glory at the resurrection. But we should start
preparing for this by weeding out the corruption of the heart through listening
to the word of God. Be careful of what you listen to. If you listen to garbage,
your mouth will emit garbage. If you listen to what is sublime, your mouth will
speak of what is sublime. The mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-43675473378699543242019-03-03T18:16:00.002-08:002019-03-03T18:16:39.678-08:007TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C: Becoming truly the Children of God<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">7<sup>TH</sup> SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">FEBRUARY 24, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The people we love are those who
are good to us. The people we lend money to are those from whom we can expect
repayment. And these are most likely to be expected from everybody. Goodness
begets goodness. We are naturally attracted to what is pleasant. Jesus says:
“Even sinners do the same.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Lord in today’s gospel pushes
us more to the extremes of love. He tells us: “Love your enemies and do good to
them, and lend expecting nothing back.” The Lord challenges us to do more than
what is naturally expected of us. He tells us to go to the very extreme limits
of loving. He tells us: “You can do more than just loving those who are good to
you. You can do more than lend money to those from whom you can expect payment.
You can do more because you are greater than the ordinary. You are more than
what is just natural…You are children of the Most High who is kind to the
ungrateful and the wicked.” The Lord reminds us of who we are: We are children
of God. Therefore, we must strive to imitate God: “Be merciful, just as your
Father is merciful.” The kindness of God extends even to those who do not
deserve it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszHUskyI0Xjf-aoXX_Yz7c5-0iQKhrN24H_Xv9IgWGZ9GFH84x0OfMtl1AejviELBgtUEF_yem83OIeJ5_2w5x2EdKOY0cXxdzAlSnOqE14sv10gED_1f5QNDxsbUDLvRlgaoOmZ65Jg/s1600/12640413_10208642203761359_6038248069754614101_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszHUskyI0Xjf-aoXX_Yz7c5-0iQKhrN24H_Xv9IgWGZ9GFH84x0OfMtl1AejviELBgtUEF_yem83OIeJ5_2w5x2EdKOY0cXxdzAlSnOqE14sv10gED_1f5QNDxsbUDLvRlgaoOmZ65Jg/s400/12640413_10208642203761359_6038248069754614101_o.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">2 Sundays ago, we heard of the
vision of God’s holiness which was given to the prophet Isaiah. “Holy, Holy,
Holy is the Lord God of hosts,” the cherubim sang unceasingly. We said that the
holiness of God means that he is unlike any of his creatures. His excellence
consists in absolute goodness. Here is where God’s goodness exceeds that of all
his creatures: his kindness goes beyond the limits of pleasantness. It extends
even to the ingrates and to the wicked. The Lord loves not only those who love
him. He loves even those who despise him. This we know is true for if he did not
love the wicked, then they would cease to exist. He allows the sun to shine on
both the good and the bad. He allows the rain to fall on both the saint and the
sinner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And so, our duty as children of God
is to love as God loves. Jesus has proven that he is truly the Son of God. When
he was crucified, Jesus prayed to his Father: “Father, forgive them for they do
not know what they are doing.” To the repentant thief, he gave the assurance:
“Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus is merciful as his Father is
merciful. Now, he tells us to do the same: I give you a new commandment “Love
one another as I have loved you.” He loved us even though we are unworthy and
ungrateful. Therefore, our love becomes truly like that of the Father when we
forgive and when we do good to those who hate us. Love is our response to their
hatred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">St. Paul says in the 2<sup>nd</sup>
reading that the natural comes first, then the spiritual. Therefore, our love
as Christians must progress from the natural to the spiritual. We begin from loving
what is naturally appealing. Then, little by little, we strive to become like
Jesus. At first, we might feel it to be naturally repulsive to love our enemies
and to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us and pray for
those who mistreat us. But we try to defeat this repulsion by our self denial:
“Lord, help me deny myself by loving those who hate me.” Slowly, we become like
Jesus. We learn to forgive those who have offended us. We learn to love those
who hate us. Eventually, “we shall bear the image of the heavenly one.” To err
is human, to forgive is divine. We are called to that divinity for we are
children of the Father who is good even to the ungrateful and to the wicked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-89558923407524046822019-03-03T18:07:00.004-08:002019-03-03T18:07:47.114-08:006th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIMEC: GENUINE BLESSEDNESS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJp_qdXr8_wWswxEcDfkwbZM50pRcmIZ6hxGFqfDGTVLrv2kruaqabm8yanZpmzIa9kEgNBjpxkFIJlTQfVeKXbnoXeQiiYaYBhvKh1azxZXowCrPXirloppnv0CiIqKMBX9oAN0BujA/s1600/the+consoling+christ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJp_qdXr8_wWswxEcDfkwbZM50pRcmIZ6hxGFqfDGTVLrv2kruaqabm8yanZpmzIa9kEgNBjpxkFIJlTQfVeKXbnoXeQiiYaYBhvKh1azxZXowCrPXirloppnv0CiIqKMBX9oAN0BujA/s400/the+consoling+christ.jpg" width="320" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6<sup>TH</sup>
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FEBRUARY 17, 2019<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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JESUS, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is difficult to believe in
Jesus because he opposes the teachings which we grew up believing in. We have
always thought that becoming rich is something to aspire for. All of us want to
be rich and this is manifested by the long lines in lotto outlets when the
prize amounts to millions of pesos. Of course no one wants to go hungry. Isn’t
the food industry one of the largest in the world? We love to eat. We value laughter
and so Show time rates highly because people patronize comedy and
entertainment. And everybody wants to be highly regarded by others. High esteem
goes by a new name: Popularity. And so, if you are rich, filled, laughing, and
popular, then you are envied and most probably, people will come to you and
ask: “How to be you po?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But Jesus says exactly the
opposite. He says: “Woe to you who are rich. Woe to you who are filled now. Woe
to you who laugh now. Woe to you when all speak well of you. Opposed to this,
the Lord extolls those whom we consider as losers: Blessed are you who are
poor. Blessed are you who are hungry now. Blessed are you who are weeping now.
Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude and insult you, and
denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for
joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Listening to Jesus, we might be
tempted to say: “Baliktad na ang mundo!” And we would be right in saying so.
Baliktad na ang mundo not because Jesus opposed what we have always taken for
granted as true but rather it is because the world has gone the opposite
direction of the will of God. Remember that everything was created through
Jesus and for him. Therefore, the teachings of our Lord reveal the real values
according to original intent of God. He tells us that joy does not come from
material wealth, food, entertainment and popularity. Joy comes from God and
from God alone. That is why the Lord said through Jeremiah: “Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord…” The Lord is the only
genuine source of our fulfillment. He is the only source of joy and
blessedness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Sometimes you are unsatisfied
with your life, while many in this world are dreaming of living your life…A child
on a farm sees an airplane flying overhead and dreams of flying. But the pilot
on that plane sees the farmhouse and dreams of returning home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
If wealth is the secret to
happiness, then the rich should be dancing in the streets. But only poor kids
do that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
If power ensures security, then
officials should walk unguarded. But those who live simply, sleep soundly. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
If beauty and fame bring ideal
relationships, then celebrities should have the best relationships.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Live simply, walk humbly, and
love genuinely…All good will come to you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Yes, the world has been lying to
us. The Lord tells the truth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-37826828239777026222019-03-03T17:56:00.002-08:002019-03-03T17:56:54.751-08:005TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C: He calls sinners<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5<sup>th</sup>
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FEBRUARY 10, 2019<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHtKnfOFk41ywORiAohNUMJczoGc4VrgSeF_KN6MZjCycijBlsZxa4JU_srGiF5Hsek9_A3EGeJxJzQS33jzO-0a-3zM08g8W56VjqZ3R-k5SVSGFtL2zWBez_zpn52eeYVQ7yJRre_8/s1600/51849615_2063475560356515_1476336987286798336_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1280" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHtKnfOFk41ywORiAohNUMJczoGc4VrgSeF_KN6MZjCycijBlsZxa4JU_srGiF5Hsek9_A3EGeJxJzQS33jzO-0a-3zM08g8W56VjqZ3R-k5SVSGFtL2zWBez_zpn52eeYVQ7yJRre_8/s400/51849615_2063475560356515_1476336987286798336_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The prophet Isaiah saw God in a
vision. He was seated on a high and lofty throne and the seraphim unceasingly
praise him: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled
with his glory.” What does it mean when the angels say that God is holy? The
holiness of God means that God is unlike any of his creatures. He is supreme in
his perfection and dominion. The word holy is the opposite of the word
“profane” which means “common,” “vulgar,” “secular,” “not worthy of reverence,”
and “not consecrated.” God is above all creation. In his being, God possesses
an absolute purity and dignity which is necessarily infinitely above every
creature. In his will, God possesses an absolute rectitude or goodness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The strange thing about our holy
God is that he calls and sends forth sinners. Isaiah was deeply troubled by the
vision because he was a man of unclean lips and he came from a people with
unclean lips. When God became man, he chose Peter as fisher of men. Peter said
to him, “Depart from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man.” Jesus also appeared
to Paul who was a self-confessed persecutor of the faith. Sinners like Isaiah,
Peter and Paul were chosen by God to be the bearers of his message to the
world. He does not call the qualified (for nobody is qualified) but rather, he
qualifies those he called. He commanded the seraphim to take an ember from the
altar to touch Isaiah’s lips with it: “See, now that this has touched your
lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” The Lord Jesus assured
Peter, James and John: “Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching
men.” Jesus sent Ananias to Paul to baptize him. Ananias said to Paul, “The God
of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and
to hear the sound of his voice: for you will be his witness before all to what
you have seen and heard.” This made St. Paul later on write: “We hold this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency may be of the power of God,
not of us.” (2 Cor 4:7)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We often hesitate to accept the
mission to bring the Gospel to others. Our usual excuse is that we feel
unqualified for the job. “I am not prepared.” “I know nothing.” “I am a
sinner.” “I am unqualified.” But who is qualified? No one is. The reason for
the choices God makes will always be the mystery of his wisdom. He chooses to
send not the qualified but the willing. All we have to do is to say: “Here I
am, Lord, send me.” All we have to do is to leave everything and follow him.
Once you do this, you will be surprised to find out how his grace will work in
you and through you. He will transform you and make you like himself. He will
use you to transform others. All you have to do is abandon your fear and say:
“Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-68340837251315874632019-03-03T17:47:00.002-08:002019-03-03T17:47:48.638-08:004TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIMEC: JESUS, THE SON OF JOSEPH<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">FEBRUARY 3, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus returned to Nazareth, his
hometown. It was there where he grew up from the time he returned from Egypt
until the time he began his public ministry. This is why his own townsfolk
thought they knew him well. In Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood was quite ordinary.
He played and studied like any other kid, with neither spectacle nor fanfare.
He did not perform miracles as a child. He was no celebrity. He was not a child-star.
He grew up as the son of a carpenter. He was obedient to Mary and Joseph. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">That is why when they were amazed
at the gracious words that came from his mouth when he preached in the
synagogue, the first question they asked was “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”
This was the mark of ordinariness: Jesus was called the son of Joseph. Jesus’
divinity was a well-kept secret. Remember that it was only at the River Jordan
where Jesus’ divinity was revealed by the Father who publicly called him “his
beloved Son.” The people of Nazareth did not know that Jesus was the Son of
God. As far as they were concerned, Jesus was simply the son of Joseph.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Here, we see how Jesus valued the
ordinary life. For 30 years, he was a nobody. He was simply the son of Joseph.
He was like us in all things except in sin. We often forget this reality. We
claim that we find difficulty in imitating him because we keep on looking at
his celebrity status during his public ministry when crowds followed him who
performed signs and wonders. We keep forgetting that the public ministry of
Jesus comprised only the last 3 years of his life. We keep forgetting that for
30 long years, the Son of God was simply known as the son of Joseph. We keep
forgetting that he was like us in every way…yes, in every way except in sin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGtjVAPPmgivSeB271PLtxkC6ZfJdPl6q0f3rkeGqpFmqwUi_sYFSGtAhlh6mIJU2zaoANta2rVKvZYuo53M4ZzzyLS4Ck0iblbl7qIjnZcGPvCj6eCZQHSSNd61hMKUuia24nqx9Vx0/s1600/12799116_1124154250962519_6084592787202339646_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGtjVAPPmgivSeB271PLtxkC6ZfJdPl6q0f3rkeGqpFmqwUi_sYFSGtAhlh6mIJU2zaoANta2rVKvZYuo53M4ZzzyLS4Ck0iblbl7qIjnZcGPvCj6eCZQHSSNd61hMKUuia24nqx9Vx0/s400/12799116_1124154250962519_6084592787202339646_n.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">St. Paul explains this excellence
of the ordinary in the 2<sup>nd</sup> reading. He said: “Love is not pompous.
It is not inflated. It is not rude. It does not seek its own interests. It is
not quick-tempered. It does not brood over injuries. It does not rejoice over
wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.” Inasmuch as God is love, we must
understand St. Paul’s hymn to love as referring to Jesus himself. Jesus is not
pompous. He is not inflated. In other words, Jesus prefers the ordinary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The ordinariness of Jesus’ youth
became the hindrance to the faith of the Nazarenes. They failed to believe in
him because they could not understand how someone so ordinary could speak words
of great wisdom. Yesterday, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord,
Simeon spoke of the Child Jesus as becoming a sign that will be contradicted.
Indeed, the words of the prophet came to pass in Nazareth. The people of
Nazareth rejected him because they found it difficult to believe that someone
so ordinary could be someone Divine. The place where Jesus grew in age and
wisdom became the place where he would be rejected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And oftentimes, our preference for
spectacle becomes the hindrance to our faith. Waiting for big miracles, we fail
to see the action of God in the ordinary things in life. Also, we wait for big
opportunities to shine. And so we forget of the heroism of the ordinary. We are
so engrossed with the celebrity mentality that we forget that love shines in
the ordinary and in the forgotten. Let us not reject the ordinary for it is there
where God manifests his presence. It is in the seeming weakness of the ordinary
that God manifests his strength. It is in the ordinary where God manifests his
constancy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-44251974074382762262019-03-03T17:39:00.001-08:002019-03-03T17:39:17.498-08:003RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C: GOD SPEAKS HIS WORD TO US<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3<sup>RD</sup>
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">JANUARY 27, 2018<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2pWWq74mKf8SVwR9Ku3nHVXc8eIKpkdomy4l-JzyIg5V1v9AwiLNgtWfoAkq9xIGBZ8IdRmx4aNd0n8gDlbU4wcX7EseOgO5KNpUvmJRQVQNz5pi0yCNolQZWw9dwWR9cbnIbzkI-gI/s1600/4389993569_779f4c6189_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="684" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2pWWq74mKf8SVwR9Ku3nHVXc8eIKpkdomy4l-JzyIg5V1v9AwiLNgtWfoAkq9xIGBZ8IdRmx4aNd0n8gDlbU4wcX7EseOgO5KNpUvmJRQVQNz5pi0yCNolQZWw9dwWR9cbnIbzkI-gI/s400/4389993569_779f4c6189_b.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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The Temple of the Lord which was
destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar was rebuilt during the time of Artaxerxes. In the
course of the reconstruction, the scrolls of the Law were found amidst the
ruins. These scrolls were presented by Ezra to the people. He assembled them
and read to them the contents of the scrolls which they thought have been lost
during the siege of Jerusalem. And as he read to them, the people were weeping
because they have heard at last, after their long exile in Babylon, the
contents of the scrolls. They wept because they were listening again to the
word of the Lord. God, through the reading, was once again speaking to his
people.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Led by the Holy Spirit who
descended on him in the River Jordan, Jesus returned to Nazareth and stood up
in the synagogue to read from the prophet Isaiah. He opened the scroll and
read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring
glad tidings to the poor…to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight
to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable
to the Lord. “ After reading, the Lord makes this bold proclamation: “Today,
this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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After the public testimony of the
Father on behalf of Jesus when he was baptized, he now receives the testimony
of Sacred Scriptures. The Scripture passage is fulfilled in their hearing
because he who speaks to them is the Christ, the One Anointed by the Holy
Spirit. He brings the Gospel to the poor because he himself is the Gospel. He
is the Word of God made flesh. God reveals himself to them through Jesus
Christ. Jesus is God’s self-revelation to all people. He comes to liberate the
captives of sin. He is the Light who dispels the blindness of those who live in
darkness. He frees those who are oppressed by sin. He announces that the time
of salvation has at last come. The Law and the prophets all point to him. Jesus
is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. Jesus said: “Search the Scriptures; for
in them you think you have eternal life, and they testify to me.” (John 5:39)<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Jews wept when Ezra read the
Scriptures to them. They understood that God has broken his silence. At last he
was speaking to them. We should likewise weep when Scriptures are read to us
because when they are proclaimed to us, God speaks to us through his Son. “In
times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the
prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son.” (Hebrews 1:1)
And that Son is Jesus. On the River Jordan, the Father publicly declared: “This
is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” The Word of God is not a
book. He is a living Person. He is Jesus, the Son of God. We should rejoice
because in Jesus, we have received the fullness of Divine Revelation. The Word
of God has come to us. He speaks to us. He is Mary’s Son. Let us listen to him:
He has the words of eternal life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-42087615411957493312019-01-23T07:43:00.003-08:002019-01-23T07:43:54.784-08:00God who is a Child<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">FEAST OF THE SANTO NIÑO C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">JANUARY 20, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When he was reproached by Mary for
staying behind in Jerusalem without asking their permission, the child Jesus
said to her: Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in
my Father’s house? His answer seemed impolite and rude but it was actually a
revelation which Jesus made about himself. By being in his Father’s house, the
child Jesus revealed who he is: He is the only begotten Son of God. The teachers
of the Law were all astounded at this child’s understanding and answers because
he was no ordinary child. He is the Son of God. Last Sunday, at Jesus’ Baptism
in the River Jordan, both the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father testified
to Jesus: You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIv11mw0uk7dDLHdIt_uQUE2TvttPbA6VYxm6m07l2KpnT3nbhuEIjMb5XVZSNWuPPfKEkqTO1tlxMauIDviuIxLDkC1-daYlJf9GTUyBwpkoX3L2lvnMSmsGLjpKGWrT_fugW8d0Chs/s1600/49735149_10213250318515516_6713561387236327424_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIv11mw0uk7dDLHdIt_uQUE2TvttPbA6VYxm6m07l2KpnT3nbhuEIjMb5XVZSNWuPPfKEkqTO1tlxMauIDviuIxLDkC1-daYlJf9GTUyBwpkoX3L2lvnMSmsGLjpKGWrT_fugW8d0Chs/s400/49735149_10213250318515516_6713561387236327424_n.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The readings today testify to who
the Santo Niño is. Many of us here are devoted to the Santo Niño. Who is the
Santo Niño: he is the Son of God! Let us not forget it. The Santo Niño raises
his hand in blessing us. The reason why we are blessed in him with every
spiritual blessing in the heavens is because the Santo Niño is the Son of God.
His Father is God and therefore he is Lord and God. If the Santo Niño were not
God, then we will never be chosen in him to be adopted as children of God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Santo Niño holds the globe in
his hand because he is the child born to us, the Son who is given to us. On his
shoulders, dominion rests. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from
David’s throne, and over his kingdom which he confirms and sustains by his
judgment and justice now and forever. This child is Wonder-counselor, God-hero,
Father-forever, and Prince of Peace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Santo Niño, therefore, is no
ordinary child. He is God. Therefore, he must not be treated just like an
ordinary child. We must revere him as God. He is not our toy, nor is he our
doll, nor is he our personal pet. We do not subject him to our whims and petty
pleasures. Instead, we venerate his image and revere his Holy Name. He is not
our play thing. Instead, we surrender ourselves to him as St. Therese did: “I
had offered myself, for some time now, to the Child Jesus as his little
plaything. I told him not to use me as a valuable toy children are content to
look at but dare not touch, but to use me like a little ball of no value which
he could throw on the ground, push with His foot, pierce, leave in a corner, or
press to His heart if it pleased him; in a word, I wanted to amuse little
Jesus, to give Him pleasure; I wanted to give myself up to His childish whims.
He heard my prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“At Rome, Jesus pierced His little
plaything; He wanted to see what there was inside it and having seen, content
with His discovery, He let His little ball fall to the ground and He went off
to sleep. What did He do during His gentle sleep and what became of the little
abandoned ball? Jesus dreamed He was still playing with His toy, leaving it and
taking it up in turns, and then having seen it roll quite far He pressed it to
His heart, no longer allowing it to ever go far from His little hand.” (Story
of a Soul)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This rather poetic meditation of
St. Therese is the essence of devotion to the Santo Niño. Our faith in him is
shown by our subjection to his Divine Will. Let our devotion to him be both
mature and child-like. The revelry of dancing to the beating of drums is not
enough. It should deepen into a real filial relationship with the Father. This
filial relationship must imitate that of Jesus who saw it necessary to be in
his Father’s house, doing his Father’s business. May the Father of Jesus and
our Father give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of
him. May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened, that we may know the hope that
belongs to his call, the riches of glory in the inheritance among the holy ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-25040939534891633162019-01-23T07:39:00.003-08:002019-01-23T07:39:44.448-08:00The Epiphany of the Trinity<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">BAPTISM OF THE LORD C<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">JANUARY 13, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpBFDUQgjV1Gz4knSVXfWygAIohwR0_2qzdk_XyEm2_1NXIoPtsVBDM2DvdzKD-Q6x65jYmoogr4NNtCiEJdWkzh4_0yCDSV_UUaLzXAjTqudWFehxX77BHXnnVULrNnTHieZpVvM0CY/s1600/theophany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1433" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpBFDUQgjV1Gz4knSVXfWygAIohwR0_2qzdk_XyEm2_1NXIoPtsVBDM2DvdzKD-Q6x65jYmoogr4NNtCiEJdWkzh4_0yCDSV_UUaLzXAjTqudWFehxX77BHXnnVULrNnTHieZpVvM0CY/s400/theophany.jpg" width="357" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So many people went to the Jordan
River to listen to John the Baptist and to have themselves baptized and among
them was Jesus. This is the implication of what the Gospel said today: “After
all the people were baptized and Jesus also had been baptized…” They did not
know that among them was the One of whom John referred to as the “One who is
mightier than I is coming…” Jesus looked like everybody else. He was not
shining with a halo as holy pictures depict him. He was like us in all things
except sin, so would St. Paul say. He stood there, all wet as the rest of the
people were. He stood there among the multitude of sinners. The sinless One
stood among sinners and he did not look differently from them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">John the Baptist himself admitted
that he did not know Jesus: “I did not know him, but the One who sent me to
baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down like a
dove from the sky and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy
Spirit.’” And so it happened: while Jesus was praying, the Holy Spirit
descended upon him in a bodily form. The Holy Spirit singled Jesus out from the
rest of the drenched humanity. And the heavens opened and a voice from heaven
was heard: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The objective was simple: the event
took place to reveal Jesus to all. This is why the Baptism of Jesus in the
Jordan River is one of the 3 mysteries of the Epiphany. By descending upon
Jesus, the Holy Spirit singled Jesus out. And the voice of God revealed to all
who this man is: He is God’s Son, his Beloved on whom God’s pleasure rests. But
by revealing Jesus, God also revealed something about himself. God revealed
that He is a Trinity of Persons. The baptism at the Jordan was not only Jesus’
first public manifestation. It was also the first public revelation of the
Blessed Trinity: the Son emerged from the waters, the Holy Spirit descended
upon him and the Father publicly acknowledged him as his only begotten Son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I want to preach about this because
just before Christmas, the President said that the Trinity is silly. “How can
one God be divided to 3 persons? That is silly! (kagalgalan; hangal)” But allow
me to make clear this point: the Catholic Church did not invent the Trinity.
The Trinity was revealed by God himself. The Trinity is God’s revelation of
himself. The Church did not invent the Trinity. The Church simply listened to
God as he revealed himself. If God did not reveal his inner life, if God did
not reveal the Trinity, the Catholic Church would not have known it. And when
did God reveal himself as a Trinity of persons? It was at the Baptism of Jesus
in the River Jordan. For the 1<sup>st</sup> time in the history of the world,
the Blessed Trinity made himself known. It may be difficult for our human minds
to grasp it but still we believe in it because God said it so. I believe in the
Blessed Trinity because God said it and he does not lie. When people say that
the Trinity is silly, they accuse God of lying because they question the
credibility of his revelation. “Whoever does not believe God has made him a
liar, by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.” (1 John
5:10) Did the Holy Spirit lie when he descended upon Jesus and single him out?
The Holy Spirit does not lie because he is the Spirit of Truth. Did God the
Father lie when he publicly claimed Jesus as His Son? The Father does not lie.
“He has testified on behalf of his Son.” And if we want to be saved, we must
accept in faith this Divine Testimony. “God gave us eternal life, and this life
is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the
Son of God does not have life.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By publicly revealing Jesus as his
only begotten Son, God publicly admitted that he is Father. The Holy Spirit
constantly gives us the interior witness about Jesus as God’s Son sent by the
Father. Let us hold on firmly on this faith of our baptism. Remember that we
were baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. This is the faith that saves us. Let us reject any insinuation that
this truth is silly. God is not silly. God is not a liar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-87507918248916799472019-01-23T07:29:00.003-08:002019-01-23T07:29:55.139-08:00Epiphany: The King who Dies; the God who Sacrifices<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">EPIPHANY 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">YEAR OF THE
YOUTH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">JANUARY 6,
2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolxMorLAj33Tgoc23Fa5p3sxsSctzSPsnj9w8w9pPriGwbbRUKNLnFxrXCjGTJZEUs9uOMpPgaM05BExkf7GvDyu2xEv3B_XexqnW3T4CfpMAYf052qycRjeheNcdIfVCGFMYXEzNthQ/s1600/26167561_955245181318778_2484142827361462598_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="960" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolxMorLAj33Tgoc23Fa5p3sxsSctzSPsnj9w8w9pPriGwbbRUKNLnFxrXCjGTJZEUs9uOMpPgaM05BExkf7GvDyu2xEv3B_XexqnW3T4CfpMAYf052qycRjeheNcdIfVCGFMYXEzNthQ/s400/26167561_955245181318778_2484142827361462598_n.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Today is literally the 12<sup>th</sup>
day of Christmas. This year, January 6 is the 1<sup>st</sup> Sunday of the
month. We get to celebrate this year Epiphany as the 12<sup>th</sup> day of
Christmas, as the carol says it should be. The magi who saw the star rising in
the east, went to Bethlehem to pay homage to the new-born king of the Jews.
They offered him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They offered gold because the
child is the King of the Jews. They offered frankincense because he is God. Up
until this point, we understand the propriety of the gifts. But one strange
thing that they offered is myrrh. Myrrh is oil which Jews use to anoint the
dead. In their effort to delay the decomposition of a corpse, they anoint it
with myrrh. As a gift to a new born king, myrrh seemed inappropriate because it
speaks of death which is way beyond the concern of those who rejoice over the
birth of a baby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And yet, the myrrh speaks of the
very mission of God incarnate. It prophesies the death of Jesus which is the
very purpose why he came down and appeared to us here on earth. It speaks of
the uniqueness of Jesus as both King and God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The magi disturbed Jerusalem with
their question: “Where is the new born King of the Jews? We have seen his star
at its rising and have come to pay him homage.” They called Jesus “King of the
Jews”. In this same manner, Pontius Pilate prepared a sign to be affixed on the
Cross of Jesus. The sign would read: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
Where is the King of the Jews? He is up there hanging on the Cross for us. This
makes Jesus unique as King. Subjects usually are prepared to die for their
king. But Jesus is the King who dies for us his subjects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One of the reasons why Jesus was
condemned to die was because he called God his Father. In doing so, he made
himself equal to God. Jesus claimed that he is divine. He knew that such a
claim would lead him to death but he said, “If I do not say this, I will be a
liar.” Worshippers kill a victim to offer their gods. But Jesus offered himself
upon the wood of the Cross as a sacrifice in atonement for our sins. He who is
God, is both priest and victim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus is King who dies for his
subjects. Jesus is God who offers himself as a sacrifice. This fact that our
King and God would be crucified and die on the Cross baffles the very logic of
the world. It is so absurd that even our president could not understand it:
“Paano ka makakaconcentrate kung yung Diyos mo ay nakapako sa krus…P I…ako
diyos mo…ipapako mo? Ako…sasabihin ko: lightning, sunugin mo silang lahat!” The
myrrh does not seem to blend with the gold and frankincense. But that is the
logic of man. It is the logic of the world which to God is mere foolishness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To the Jews, the Cross is a
stumbling block. To the Gentiles, the Cross is an absurdity. But to those who
are being saved, the Cross is the wisdom and the power of God. The myrrh
dignifies the gold and glorifies the frankincense. Christ on the Cross is a
King like no other. Christ on the Cross is God who has no equal. The reason why
all of us belong to him is because he bought us at the price of his blood. We
were redeemed by his death and resurrection. Therefore, in the persons of the
magi, let us kneel before his cradle bed and pay him homage. Let us offer him
the shining gold of our faith and charity. Let us offer him the frankincense of
our humble worship. But most of all, let us offer him the myrrh of our
self-abnegation. Let us die to ourselves for him who loved us and gave up his
life for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">O
Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to the</span>Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9009856935092851185.post-6236771699767913472019-01-23T07:24:00.004-08:002019-01-23T07:24:56.927-08:00Solemnity of the Mother of God: Born under the Law<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Solemnity of MARY MOTHER OF
GOD<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Year of the Youth<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">January 1, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus, I trust in you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When the shepherds went to
Bethlehem, they glorified God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had
been told them by the angels. What was it that they were told? What was it that
they had seen? They were told that they shall find in Bethlehem an infant
wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. That was the sign given to
them and the moment they saw the infant of Mary, they already knew what it
meant. They knew that this infant is the Savior who is Christ the Lord: “Today
in the city of David a Savior has been born to you who is Christ the Lord.” All
these are summed up in the Name which today is given to the child: “He was
named Jesus.” The Name “Jesus” means “God Saves.” This name tells us who the
child is and what was he sent to do. He is God and he comes to save: “You are
to name him Jesus for he will save his people from their sins.” The Son of Mary
is God, therefore he is called Lord. The Son of Mary comes to save us from
sins, therefore he is called Savior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EYLX6n0vh2l0YeU6MZiufuNsPte3ATbbe5DyIPbJLpIOWqo8EuZqOGkmJlk1KWxeGoyUvIVhsL8BnucOoqPth3Vtc2u0QIgpTX5kklQ9x5E1JUBoLUOl9afe0-fFe28qon4DLW4JuUQ/s1600/circumcision+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="672" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EYLX6n0vh2l0YeU6MZiufuNsPte3ATbbe5DyIPbJLpIOWqo8EuZqOGkmJlk1KWxeGoyUvIVhsL8BnucOoqPth3Vtc2u0QIgpTX5kklQ9x5E1JUBoLUOl9afe0-fFe28qon4DLW4JuUQ/s400/circumcision+2.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">St. Paul tells us the implication
of the great mystery of the Incarnation of God’s Son: “God sent his Son, born
of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we may
receive adoption as sons.” Jesus was born of a woman named Mary. God became
man. Today, he is circumcised. He became subject to the law. Circumcision is
the sign of the covenant between Abraham and God. Abraham was circumcised when
he was 99 years old. Today, when the eternal God entered time, he was
circumcised when he was 8 days old. God, who is above the Law, became subject
to the Law. He went down to our humble level and he did this for a purpose. He
came to ransom us from the Ancient Law of sin which subjected all mankind. He
ransomed us at the price of his Blood shed upon the Cross. This is neither
absurd nor silly as the president claims it to be. Christ died because a price
has to be paid. That is what ransom is all about. It is about paying a price in
order to obtain the freedom of a captive. We were captives, hostages of sin.
Christ liberated us by shedding his blood on the Cross and dying for us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By ransoming us from sin, Jesus
obtained our adoption as sons of God. “To those who did accept him, he gave
power to become children of God.” “As proof that you are sons, God sent the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out: ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no
longer a slave but a son.” We are no longer slaves but sons and daughters of
God. Divine Filiation is the great gift of Jesus to us. To make us his sons and
daughters is the ultimate reason why God created us. He wanted us to share in
his Divine life. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is that share, that access
that God gives us to himself. The Holy Spirit dwelling in us testifies to our
freedom. The Holy Spirit in us helps us approach God with the confidence of
sons and daughters. Because of the Holy Spirit in us, we are truly rich. He is
the inheritance promised to us because he brings us to communion with the
Trinity even here on earth. He is our foretaste of heaven, our pledge of
eternal life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Holy Spirit is the Blessing God
gives us every year, year in and year out. Every New Year we should never fail
to beg God to send us the Holy Spirit. This is why the Church, at midnight of a
new year, sings “Veni Creator Spiritus” (Come Holy Spirit). More than fortune
and success for the New Year, the ever abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is
most important for us. Sending Him to us is the ultimate reason why the Son of
God was born of a woman. So long as the Holy Spirit is with us, we have nothing
to fear. As long as the Holy Spirit dwells in us, all will be well. We will
always be at peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Father Jojo Zerrudohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259546206010624496noreply@blogger.com0