A Glimpse of Paradise Amidst Tragedy

Two criminals were crucified with Jesus on that Friday afternoon. Both of them were staring death at the face. Between them was Jesus on the Cross. To some, this Jesus who was crucified between them was a criminal so much like the others who were condemned to die. But to those who believe in him, this Jesus is the Son of David to whom the Lord said: “You shall shepherd my Israel and shall be the commander of Israel.” The Crucified One is the Shepherd who left heaven to search for the lost sheep. Here, he meets two lost sheep at the most decisive part of their lives – the moment of their death. Enthroned upon the wood of the Cross, Jesus is the Shepherd who segregates the sheep from the goats. His presence to them was an invitation to come to Him and find mercy and eternal life.

One of the criminals reviled Jesus: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” Even at the moment of death, he could not see beyond himself. He could not see his fate as a just punishment for his crime. Failing to admit his guilt, he could not recognize his need for mercy. What he wanted was an escape from his predicament – the very predicament that he caused himself on account of his sin.

The other criminal looked at Jesus and saw the Lord as so much unlike himself. Jesus was innocent and yet he suffers the same condemnation of a sinner. The search for man began when Adam hid himself from the Lord who called out to him in the garden of Eden. This search finds its culmination in the mystery of the Incarnation in which God the Son assumed our human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. It was for this moment that He became human. He became man in order to suffer the condemnation of a sinner. The criminal looked at Jesus and saw Him as his last hope and so he dared to ask: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” That was all he had to do. That was all he had to say and so Jesus declared: “Amen, I say to you, today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

He found the Lord when death stared at him.

It was the most unlikely of all places that he found Jesus. He found the Lord when death was staring at him. It was at the Cross when he found the Lord…or rather it was at the Cross when he realized that the Lord was there searching for him. The ending of the Year of Faith finds us in the midst of the most unfortunate circumstance. A powerful earthquake and a super typhoon of biblical proportions forced us to stare death at its face. Thousands of lives were lost and properties were destroyed. And yet, like the thief in the gospel, it is here where we realize that the Lord has been there all along searching for us. The calamities made us ask “Why? What is the sense in all these?” And it is in asking questions that we find the Lord. Pope Francis said to the Filipino community: “In these times of suffering, never tire of asking why, because you will attract the tenderness of the Father... We cannot explain why things like this happen; there are so many things we cannot explain. When children start to grow up they don’t understand and ask their mums and dads so many questions. Psychologists call it the “why age”, they don’t wait to hear the answer but continue with other questions. Children need to feel their parent’s love and attention; in that phase of insecurity they need the eyes and hearts of their parents... In these times of suffering, never tire of asking why, because you will attract the tenderness of the Father and his attention, just as children do when they ask “why”...In these times of suffering, prayer is of even more help"  (Pope Francis, Blessing of the Mosaic of St. Pedro Calungsod, Nov. 21, 2013) 

Storm surges may have washed away houses but not faith which was built on solid rock. And this we see again and again in pictures of people kneeling down in prayer amidst the ruins of their parish churches, in pictures of children salvaging pictures of our Lord from what remains of their houses, of mothers searching for their lost children, of people keeping vigil over their dead. We likewise see this faith in people giving and volunteering to come to the aid of those whose lives were challenged by this tragedy. This faith we see even in our own diocese when we have raised close to four million pesos from our collections for Yolanda victims, when we were able to send 5 trucks loaded with relief goods, when we are able to adopt communities and help them rebuild their lives. Indeed, adversity cannot destroy our faith. It simply makes our faith stronger. As the thief in the Gospel found our Lord in the most unlikely place of death and suffering, so do we find Him in the same circumstance. The tragedy that has befallen us made us examine our conscience and repent of our sins. It made us weep with those who weep. It made us sensitive to human need. It opened our eyes to see that the Lord is always there. It made us run to him for “in him, all things hold together.” In this moment when we are shaken by the enormity of devastated lives, we cry to him: “Jesus, remember us when you enter your kingdom.” And he assures us that he will bring us to paradise, but for now he will stay with us. And we realize that this is true. The Lord already has brought us a glimpse of paradise, yes, even amidst tragedy. After all, paradise is wherever God is present…and where charity and love is found, God is there. Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.

SAMA SAMA TAYO: Prayer and Silence!

TOGETHER LET US IMPLORE THE MERCY OF GOD

Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas is calling for 3 minutes of silence at 6:00 pm of Saturday, November 23, 2013, the eve of the Feast of Christ the King. Let us pray for the living. Let us pray for the dead. Let us pray for those who suffer from the effects of typhoon Yolanda.

Link: : Another call for prayer from incoming CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas SAMA SAMA TAYO! Archbishop Socrates B Villegas This...
The Pinoy Catholic: Prayer and Silence!

Caesar Belongs to Christ

Jesus, I trust in you!

The feast of Christ the King celebrates the dominion of Christ over all the affairs of man. In our times, many civil governments undermine the kingship of the Lord by invoking the separation of Church and State. In the modern times, we have taken this principle as gospel truth. However, it might surprise you to know that this principle of separation of Church and State was among the modern errors condemned by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1852. It is wrong to think that “the State, as being the origin and source of all rights, is endowed with a certain right not circumscribed by any limit” (1862). Yes, there are 2 recognizable earthly powers: “one of natural origins which provides for secular affairs and the tranquility of human society and the other of supernatural origin…which has been instituted for the sake of souls and of eternal salvation” (Pius IX, Etsi Multa, 21 November 1873). On account of this, we “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”. However, it should not be forgotten that Caesar “is smaller than heaven.” Pope Leo XIII taught that “justice…and reason forbid the State to be godless” (Leo XIII, Libertas). The State is always subject to the authority of Christ because “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” The prophet Daniel speaks of Christ as the Son of Man who “received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away and his kingship shall not be destroyed.”

It is easy to undermine the authority of Christ as Pilate did in the gospel. When he asked: “I am not a Jew, am I?” he must have thought of himself as beyond the jurisdiction of Christ’s kingship. After all, “your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me,” he said to Jesus. It is easy for the civil governments to undermine the authority of Christ and of his Church. In fact, civil governments have time and again stripped the Church of her temporal powers. Today, laws that openly oppose the teachings of the gospel are being enacted. Of the candidates running for the presidency, how many of them are actually willing to submit to the authority of Christ and the Church? It is easy to undermine the authority of Christ because he himself said: “My kingdom does not belong to the world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.” But let not civil governments bask in their power for one day, Christ’s kingdom shall manifest itself in its full glory. Christ’s kingdom is already here. The Church is the beginning of Christ’s kingdom. But one day, it will come in its fullness: “Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yes. Amen.” This is the truth which he invites all to recognize. To listen to the Church is to listen to his voice. To listen to his voice is to belong to his kingdom. “States and nations are called to acknowledge the right of the Catholic Church …to decide what favors or hinders our most real life…It belongs to the Church as the sole divinely-appointed Guardian of the whole Moral law, natural and revealed.” (Leo XIII, Immortale Dei) “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

His Kingdom of Truth

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

It seemed that Christ was being interrogated by Pontius Pilate. After all, he was brought by the priests before the Roman governor to be tried for rebellion. Jesus was accused of claiming a kingship that did not belong to him. This is why the Lord was asked if he was a king. Jesus responded by saying that his Kingdom is not of this world and his purpose in coming into the world is to testify to the truth. “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,” so said the Lord.

The Kingdom of Christ is the kingdom of Truth…and this kingdom is not of the world. Does this mean that whatever is of this world is a lie? It seems so. After all, sin has corrupted this world and sin is the work of Satan who from the beginning is a liar, a deceiver. On the other hand, God always says the Truth: “The Old Testament attests that God is the source of all truth. His Word is truth. His Law is truth. His ‘faithfulness endures to all generations.’ Since God is ‘true,’ the members of his people are called to live in the truth.” (CCC, 2465) “In Jesus Christ, the whole of God's truth has been made manifest. ‘Full of grace and truth,’ he came as the ‘light of the world,’ he is the Truth. ‘Whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.’ The disciple of Jesus continues in his word so as to know ‘the truth [that] will make you free’ and that sanctifies. To follow Jesus is to live in ‘the Spirit of truth,’ whom the Father sends in his name and who leads ‘into all the truth.’ To his disciples Jesus teaches the unconditional love of truth: ‘Let what you say be simply 'Yes or No.'” (CCC, 2466)

We, who follow Jesus, must live in truth. But what does it mean to “live in truth”? A moral theologian said that truth consists in the conformity of my words and actions with my thoughts and feelings. But before this could take place, I must make sure that my mind must conform to the revelation of God. God’s word is truth. This is faith: conformity of our mind with the revelation of God. Our faith should influence the way we live. “The disciple of Christ consents to ‘live in the truth,’ that is, in the simplicity of a life in conformity with the Lord's example, abiding in his truth. ‘If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth.’” (CCC, 2470) Living in truth is living in conformity with the Lord’s example. It means abiding in his truth.

It is unfortunate that today, we are more inclined to listen to the world than to the Word of God. We accept without even validating whatever is endorsed to us be so-called “experts” and celebrities. But the Word of God, we accept with caution, if not with suspicion. And yet, we fail to understand that the world deceives because it also was deceived. God alone is truth. He alone does not deceive because he himself is never deceived. He alone is worthy of our faith.

Transfiguration and the Kingship of Christ

In the mystery of the Transfiguration, our Lord revealed to his disciples the splendor of His Divinity which, till then, was hiding underneath the humble veil of His humanity. In becoming man, God the Son's Divinity was not diminished. The glory which He made manifest on the mountain of the Transfiguration was the glory of God's only begotten Son, full of grace and truth.

Indeed, Christ is truly the One in whom the Father set his seal. All things in heaven and on earth and under the earth has been given to Him by the Father. Thus, the vision in the Book of the Prophet Daniel, which was read in today's Mass, speaks of the Son of man receiving from the Father government, honor, and kingship. Every people, nation, and language will serve Him.

The Kingship of Christ is real. It is not a myth created by the human imagination. The world and everything in it belongs to Him. If this were so, why are government institutions excluded from His dominion? Why are public schools excluded from His Kingship? Why do people say that the Lord has no say on whatever married couples do in the privacy of their bedroom? Why do women say that the Lord cannot exercise His authority over their wombs?

Aren't these clear manifestations of defiance to the kingship of Christ? His dominion extends beyond the walls of the Church. His kingdom covers society as well. Let us not forget the public domain of Christ the Lord. He is God's beloved Son. Listen to Him!

Christ the King and the Works of Mercy

St. Faustina recorded this incident in her diary: “Jesus came to the main entrance today, under the guise of a poor young man. This young man, emaciated, barefoot, and bareheaded, and with his clothes in tatters, was frozen because the day was cold and rainy. He asked for something hot to eat. So I went to the kitchen but found nothing there for the poor. But, after searching around for some time, I succeeded in finding some soup, which I reheated and into which I crumbled some bread, and I gave it to the poor young man, who ate it. As I was taking the bowl from him, he gave me to know that He was the Lord of heaven and earth. When I saw Him as He was, He vanished from my sight. When I went back in, and reflected on what happened at the gate, I heard these words in my soul: My daughter, the blessing of the poor who bless me as they leave this gate have reached my ears. And your compassion, within the bounds of obedience, has pleased Me, and this is why I came down from My throne – to taste the fruits of your mercy.” (Diary, 1312)

St. Faustina responded to that voice: “O my Jesus, now everything is clear to me, and I understand all that has just happened. I somehow felt and asked myself what sort of a poor man is this that radiates such modesty. From that moment on, there was stirred up in my heart an even purer love toward the poor and the needy. Oh, how happy I am that the superiors have given me such a task! I understand that mercy is manifold: one can do good always and everywhere and at all times. An ardent love of God sees all around itself constant opportunities to share itself through deeds, word and prayer. Now I understand the words which You spoke to me, O Lord, some time ago”. (Diary 1313)

The Lord Jesus answered St. Faustina: “I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything in your power. But write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet, spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of each soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of ju dgement. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasures for themselves, they would not be judged for they would forestall My judgement with their mercy.” (Diary, 1317)

The Son of Man will come seated on His throne and escorted with His angels. He will come to judge all the nations who will be assembled before Him. And He will judge each of us according to our works of mercy. There will be no exemption because “one can do good always and everywhere and at all times.” If we cannot afford to do temporal works of mercy, there are always the spiritual works of mercy that are within the reach of every soul. The temporal works of mercy are: To feed the hungry; To give drink to the thirsty; To clothe the naked; To harbour the harbourless; To visit the sick; To ransom the captive; To bury the dead. The spiritual works of mercy are: To instruct the ignorant; To counsel the doubtful; To admonish sinners; To bear wrongs patiently; To forgive offences willingly; To comfort the afflicted; To pray for the living and the dead.

Knowing that our time is running out and that we are really approaching the day of judgement, let us waste no time. Let us take hold of every opportunity to gather eternal treasure for ourselves. Remember: If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Blessed are the merciful, they shall obtain mercy.