Immaculate Conception: Creation, Fall,, Redemption

Jesus, I trust in you!

Before original sin, there was first original holiness and justice. “The first man was not only created good, but was also established in friendship with his Creator and in harmony with himself and with creation around him…” (CCC 347) Adam and Eve were constituted in original holiness and justice wherein they shared in the divine life. They lived in Divine intimacy and in doing so, were exempted from suffering and death. Living in the garden was the sign that our first parents enjoyed God’s friendship.

But all was changed when man allowed himself to be seduced by the devil. The serpent disguised as good and pleasurable what is actually fatal. “Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in the Creator die in his heart and abusing his freedom, disobeyed God’s command.” (CCC 397) In that sin, man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirement of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. Constituted in a state of original holiness, man was destined to be fully ‘divinized’ by God in glory. Seduced by the devil, he wanted to be ‘like God’, but ‘without God, before God, and not in accordance with God.’ (CCC 398) Because of their first disobedience, Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness. They became afraid of God of whom they have conceived a distorted image – that of a God jealous of his prerogatives. The control of the soul’s spiritual faculties over the body is shattered, the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions, their relationship henceforth marked by lust and domination. Harmony with creation is broken: visible creation became alien and hostile to man. Because of man, creation is now subject ‘to its bondage to decay…Death makes its entrance into human history. (CCC 400) The personal sin of Adam and Eve affected the human nature that they would now transmit in a fallen state. They will transmit a human nature that is deprived of original holiness and justice. They will transmit a human nature that is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin – an inclination to evil which is called “concupiscence.” (CCC 404-405)

The Immaculate Conception

The response of God to all this is the promise of a Savior. God will send his Son to be born of a Woman who will be established in perpetual enmity with the devil. As Adam is the source of sin, Christ is the source of grace. The bad news of original sin will be reversed by the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of all men, that all need salvation and that salvation is offered to all through Christ. (CCC 389) Mary, who is destined to be the Mother of the Redeemer, became the first to be redeemed. By God’s decisive act, Mary did not inherit a human nature that is deprived of original holiness and grace. Instead, she is “full of Grace” because from the very beginning of her human existence, she was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Lord was truly with her. In Mary, we find that paradise lost became paradise regained. God, who is wonderful in creating man, was even more wonderful in restoring him to grace. This wondrous act of God is concretely seen in Mary. In Mary, we behold the glory of the new creation in Christ which far surpassed the beauty of original holiness and justice. All beautiful in the grace of God, Mary rightfully appropriates for herself the song of the prophet Isaiah: “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bride adorned with her jewels.” (Is 61:10) Mary shows us the beauty of creation redeemed and human nature fully divinized by God in glory. Hers is the glory that we aspire for. Thus we turn away from the wickedness of sin and struggle against our concupiscence. Purified by the grace we receive from the sacraments, we hope that one day we shall also regain the paradise we lost. To Mary, we cry for help: “Bend from your throne at the voice of our crying. Look to this earth where your footsteps have trod. Stretch out your arms to us living and dying, Mary Immaculate, Mother of God.”  

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

Advent 3: The unrecognized One among you!

Jesus, I trust in you!

Rejoice in the Lord always…Indeed the Lord is near!

John the Baptist was at the center of the limelight. People went out into the desert to hear him preach and have themselves baptized by him. The Lord Jesus even said that John the Baptist was a shining light and people rejoiced in that light. Light has a natural power to give joy. Do we not instinctively clap our hands when light is restored at the end of a brown out? People thought that John the Baptist was the light. But he told them that he was not the Christ. “He was not the light but came to testify to the light.” He came to prepare the way of the Lord.

The light he testified to is Jesus. Jesus is the true light of the world. He is the one who gives joy to the world: I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete (John 15:11) Jesus was sent “to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord.” His coming to us brings us joy. The joy that Jesus brings is the joy that comes from the closeness of God to us.

That is why it surprises us that Christmas depresses people. We hear Christmas songs that express loneliness: “Ang Disyembre ko ay malungkot…” “Pasko na sinta ko, hanap hanap kita…” Why do people get depressed during Christmas? Why are they overcome by sadness? I think it is because we have become too engrossed with ourselves. We keep on looking at ourselves so much that we begin to see what we do not have…what we lack. I am sad because I do not have you. I am sad because we are not together. I am sad because I do not have.

Looking too much at my own self, I become miserable. I have forgotten that Christmas is not about me. It is about Jesus whose birthday it celebrates. John the Baptist explains our misery: “There is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who comes after me.”  Our poverty makes us so sad that we fail to recognize him who brings glad tidings to the poor. Our broken hearts take up so much of our attention that we fail to recognize him who heals the broken hearted. We are captives of our own selves, imprisoned in our self-centered lives that we fail to recognize him who proclaims liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners. We are sad because we think that the Lord has abandoned us. This is not true! The Lord is near us especially in our sorrows. He is closer to us more than we can ever imagine. He is so close to us. We simply do not recognize him. If only we look beyond ourselves and look at Jesus, we will hear him announce to us a year of favor from the Lord.

Although John the Baptist was a shining light, people rejoiced in his light but only for a while. He was not the light. Our joy is not in John but in Jesus. Jesus is the true light who shines on every man. The one who follows him will never walk in darkness but will always have the light of life. “In Jesus lies salvation. In Him it is possible to find interior peace and the strength to face different life situations every day, even the most difficult ones…we are filled with peace because we know how to place our joy in the Lord even when going through the most difficult moments in life. To have faith does not mean never to have difficult moments but to have the strength to face those moments knowing that we are never alone. This is the peace that God gives his children.” (Pope Francis, Angelus Message, December 14, 2014.)

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

Advent 2: burning excesses and making up for lack of goodness

Jesus, I trust in you!

We know that Christmas is just around the corner when traffic becomes heavier and malls and night markets become busier. People are just so busy “buying special gifts, making time to be friends to one and all.” Everybody is so busy preparing for the most wonderful time of the year.

While nothing is wrong with shopping and with partying, it is only right for us to keep our focus on the real reason for the holidays. If Advent is a time of preparation, what are we preparing for? Many of us will immediately conclude that we are preparing for the feast of the Lord’s birth. All these parties and gift giving celebrate the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God.

While this may be true, we must not forget that Advent does not only prepare us for Christmas. Advent also prepares us for the coming of the day of the Lord when “the heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and all its deeds will be made manifest.” (Sa araw na iyon, ang kalangitan ay biglang mapaparam na may nakapangingilabot na ugong, matutupok ang araw, buwan at mga bituin, at ang lahat ng lupa ay malalantad.) We are waiting for that awesome day of judgment when all the earth will make an accounting before Christ.

St. John the Baptist of Qiuapo Church

Thus, St. Paul warns us to be holy in conduct and devotion, to make every effort to be found without stain or defilement, and at peace in the sight of God as we await for the coming of the Day of the Lord. In preparing for the coming of the Lord, St. John the Baptist proclaimed a baptism of repentance which led to the forgiveness of sins. He declares: “Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low…” Not only did he proclaim repentance. He lived it out by a penitential lifestyle: he wore camel’s hair and fed of locust and wild honey. He fasted, prayed, and proclaimed because the one who is to come after him is more powerful than him. He considered himself unworthy to unstrap the Lord’s sandals. The one who comes after him is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

The Lord shows generous patience in the seeming delay of his coming. He is giving us time to repent and straighten our ways. “He wants no one to perish but all to come to repentance.” This repentance is necessary because on the last day, everything shall be consumed by fire – everything except those which belong to the Lord. When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God,” he was referring to poverty of the spirit as basic requirement for entrance into the Kingdom of God. This poverty is detachment from everything that is not of God. Fr. Pong said to us during our Advent recollection: Ang hindi magdadala ay langit ay huwag ikasusungit. Oftentimes, we have so much worldly excesses, so many mountains to level. On the other hand, we find ourselves lacking in doing good, so many valleys to fill. That is why we are not prepared for the coming of the Lord’s Day. We have so many excesses to burn and so little good to offer.  We must burn our excesses by penitence and make up for our lack of goodness by acts of charity. And most of all, we must repent now, lest we be caught by the day of the Lord that comes like a thief in the night. Let the Divine thief steal nothing from us by voluntarily giving up the worldly things we are attached to. Let the Divine Judge be pleased with us by our offering of spiritual profits gained by works of charity. Confess your sins, pray, fast, and give. Let us prepare the way of the Lord!

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

Advent 1: Caught in the Act

May He not catch us asleep!

Jesus, I trust in you!

The prophet Isaiah looked back at that time when God came down to save his people “with the mountains quaking before (him), while (he) wrought awesome deeds (they) could not hope for, nor heard of from of old.” He was referring to the time of the Exodus when God brought out his people from the slavery of Egypt with such mighty wonders: He divided the Red Sea so that his people may walk through it and He descended on Mt. Sinai with so much glory. Now that his people had gone astray, Isaiah asked: “Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways and harden our hearts that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants…Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down…” And God answered Isaiah’s prayer. He came down in person and even worked wonderful miracles beyond the people’s expectation. But Israel did “not recognize the day of their visitation.” They crucified him for they did not know that he was the King of glory. Their hearts were blinded by their obsession with a political messiah who would have driven away the Roman oppressors that failed to recognize the one “who comes in the Name of the Lord” to save them from the greatest oppression of all: sin.

The Lord will come again, no longer in the appearance of a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes but as a judge sitting upon the clouds of heaven. He will as the Master who had entrusted each of his servants with a task to do. As in the parables we heard 2 Sundays ago, he will demand from us an accounting of what he entrusted to us. He will come at an hour we least expect. And so the Lord warns us: “Watch; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming…May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.” Isaiah said: “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of your ways.”

And this is really the question: when the Lord comes now, will he find doing right? Will we be found being mindful of his ways? “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the face of the earth?” It would be terrible if he comes today and finds us preoccupied with the frenzy of the holidays. It would be terrible if at his coming, “there is no one who calls upon (his) name, (there is no one) who rouses himself to cling to (the Lord).” Perhaps, as we busy ourselves buying gifts for the holidays, we must be mindful of what St. Paul said: “you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Are we really waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus? Are we pursuing his spiritual gifts? Do we concern ourselves with receiving the gift of Divine Mercy in the sacrament of confession? In busying ourselves eating at Christmas parties, do we concern ourselves with eating the Bread of Life in the Sacred Liturgy? Remember that Christmas is made up of 2 words: Christ and Mass. St. Paul said that “you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus.” It is in the Mass that we enter into that fellowship. Do we concern ourselves with drawing away from the noise of the holiday carnivals in order to meditate on the Word of God which reveals to us Jesus Christ? Are we really waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus?

Advent reminds us that our concern is to be “irreproachable on the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.” At his coming, may he not find us eating and drinking, marrying, trading and building. May he find us watchful in prayer, busy in doing what is right, being mindful of his ways. Let us call on him and cling to him. Stay sober and alert, for we do not know when the Master will return.

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

Terrorism and the Fear of the Lord

He who destroys both body and soul in Gehenna

JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!

The Marawi incident is truly an eye opener. It made us realize that terrorism is real and not only does it happen in distant Europe and in the Middle East. It also happens to us. It also opens our eyes to the depth of our own Christianity. The news of how Christians escaped death by wearing Muslim apparel and by memorizing Arabic verses has gone viral. And their creativeness was justified. They had to do it in order to survive.

However, the Word of God today reminds us: “Do not fear those who deprive the body of life but cannot destroy the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna.” The readings today are timely inasmuch as we are living in a time when Christian witnessing will be demanded of us. Contrary to the belief that martyrdom is a thing of the past, we are actually living in a time of martyrs. Not only are we required to live out our faith in Jesus. The possibility of dying for him is very much real. Christians are made hostages and killed. Christian women are sold, indoctrinated, and then sent as suicide bombers. Churches are desecrated and burned. These are repeatedly reported every day. The threat of terrorism is real. The prophet Jeremiah speaks well on our behalf: “Terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him!” Pope John Paul II wrote: “The Church has once again become a Church of martyrs. The persecution of believers – priests, religious, and laity – has caused a great sowing of martyrdom in different parts of the world…In our own century, the martyrs have returned, many of them nameless, ‘unknown soldiers’ as it were of God’s cause.” (Tertio Millenio Adveniente, 37.)

And yet, Jesus strengthens us for times like this. He reminds us of the limitation of what the enemies can do: they can deprive the body of life but cannot destroy the soul. Our fear of God must be greater than our fear of men because God can destroy both body and soul in hell. The Word of God assures us that we are not alone: “The Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting unforgettable confusion.” The true God whom we serve loves us: “Every hair of your head has been counted; so do not be afraid of anything. You are worth more than an entire flock of sparrows.” His love will sustain us through persecution and suffering.

Therefore, let us not allow terrorism to intimidate us. As we have said in the past, the zealous proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus is our response to terror. “What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops.” God is more powerful than terrorists. If we entrust ourselves to him, he will not allow us to fall. Instead, he will send us the Spirit of Truth who will teach us what to say in the face of our persecutors. His Holy Spirit will sustain us and help us give witness to Jesus. Knowing that we are loved, let us not be afraid to give witness to him. Even when faced with the threat of death, let us not hesitate to say, “I am a Christian!” Jesus says: “Whoever acknowledges me before men I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Whoever disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

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

The False Prophet

The Good Tree

He is perhaps the most famous prophet today because no one dares malign his revered name. Christians who wished to be saved from execution have to declare him as god's only prophet. And yet, is he a true prophet or a false one?

Jesus said: Any sound tree bears good fruit, while a decayed tree bears bad fruit. Therefore, let us look at the fruit to determine the tree. The obvious fruit is terrorism. His followers kill in the name of the god he preaches. He taught his followers to enslave and sell women. He even allows them to take many wives. Are these fruits good or bad?

Jesus tells us: I am the Vine and you are the branches. As long as the branches are attached to the vine, they bear fruit. Once, a young man approached Jesus and said to him: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life. Jesus did not tell him: Kill the infidels. Instead, he said: Do not kill. Jesus did not say: Sell women and take many wives. Instead he said: Do not commit adultery. Obviously, his fruits are good. Therefore Jesus is the Good Tree.

Let us therefore sow the good seeds of the Good Tree. The seed is the Word of God. Let us allow the Light of Christ to spread throughout the world. The Light of Jesus should expose the evil fruits of the false prophet.

Eternal Life is this: To know the One True God and Jesus Christ he sent! Beware of the False Prophet! 

Pentecost Meditation: The face of the world renewed

Renew the face of the earth!

Jesus, I trust in you!

On the night of Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to his disciples. By his crucifixion and death, he entered into the glory of his Father. Returning from the Father, he rose from the dead. Behind the locked doors, Jesus came to meet his disciples. Coming from the other side of the grave, Jesus gave them his precious gift. He breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit is the Risen Christ’s gift to his disciples. The sending of the Holy Spirit is the very fruit of Christ’s death and resurrection. He died on the cross so that he could give us the Holy Spirit: “If I do not leave you, the Paraclete will never come.” We say that the Lord died on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven. The forgiveness of sins is made possible by the Holy Spirit. That is why when Jesus breathed on his disciples, he said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.” By giving them the Holy Spirit, Jesus gave the apostles the power to forgive sins.

By sending the Holy Spirit to his disciples, Jesus completes the Easter mysteries. The sending of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles is the beginning of a new era in the history of the world. At the Responsorial Psalm we said: “Lord send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.” Indeed, through Pentecost, Jesus is renewing the face of the earth. And the Church is the renewed face of the earth. We say this because the Church is the new family of God. It is the family of the redeemed. It is made up of people whose sins are forgiven. It is composed of people who have been transformed into children of God. The Church is the new creation.

And this world which is constantly in fear is truly passing away. It is tired and old. It is to this world that we are sent by Jesus: “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” He gives us the Holy Spirit so that we may go forth into the world and preach the Gospel. The Church is founded by Jesus and Christ’s Holy Spirit, given to the Church in a permanent manner, acts in her as a powerful force; the Holy Spirit inspires and directs the Church in the preaching of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit enables the Church to carry out in the world to the end of time the redemptive and sanctifying work of Christ. The only way for the world to be renewed is by receiving the Gospel and by receiving the Holy Spirit. It is only the Holy Spirit who can heal the wounds of sin. Only he can renew our strength. Only the Holy Spirit can wash away the stains of sin. Only he can melt the stubborn heart and will. Only he can melt the frozen heart. Only the Holy Spirit can warm our cold and hardened hearts. What the world needs is the Holy Spirit. And we are sent to the world to offer it the Gospel and the Holy Spirit.

Let the world burn…not with the fires of terrorism, but with the fire of love coming from the Holy Spirit. Let us ask the Lord to embolden us with the Holy Spirit so that we may spread the fire of his love to all the earth. The fires of terrorism are spreading rapidly. We have to work more aggressively to fight fire with fire: the fire of terrorism, we must fight with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Let us spread the gospel of love and forgiveness. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to transform us and the world. Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth! 

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