It's the last week of the liturgical calendar, and Thursday of this week. I have long wanted to write about a thought that has helped me in my priestly ministry, particularly as I prepare for reflections shared during daily Mass. It was brought about by the realization that the readings, particularly the Gospel on Sunday, being the Day of the Lord, can be the "guiding light" in understanding the daily readings at Mass. Being the Day of the Resurrection, Sunday can be compared to a big light that can shine on the whole week's journey.
Last Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the King, a feast only 81 years old in age in the Catholic Church. Declared by the Holy Father in 1925, it seemed to have helped the world from becoming overly and uncontrollably chaotic, what with wars and dethronement of royal people from their thrones as men discovered their power over others. The declaration of Christ as King and the Church's loyalty to Him has made man think of subduing one's thirst for power over others before the power of the Eternal and Boundaryless King. With Christ as King, indeed every human act becomes tempered, and man's dignity is restored and respected.
The Gospel of Monday is about the widow's mite, instilling a sense of self-surrendering loyalty to Divine Providence. This King knows definitely our needs and with our iving, authentic and dynamic fidelity, He won't discount the best we can give for His glory no matter how lowly like the widow's last 2 cents. That she has given "more than all the rest...from her poverty" clearly signifies the kind of fidelity Christ the King is calling us to. It should even be clearer when we realize that the widow's mite is God's own self-offering to us: His only Son Himself to show us His undying and indomitable love. Would you be so hardhearted as not to be touched by His love?
Tuesday's Gospel had apocalyptic content: how everything on the altar, the costly stones adorned by votive offerings "will all be thrown down." This Gospel brings back to mind earthly reality as basically passing away, and that if we put our hearts on these material reality, it will only lead us nowhere. While every material reality has in itself "the seed of destruction", i.e., everything tends towards death, the seeds Christ the King has sown through our baptism and active Christian life tend toward life. Therefore, having Christ as our King while facing the possibilities of chaos and death gives us the right perspective in our daily living. We need not be bullied by earthly powers that only want to engulf us. When Christ is our King, all these become nothing, and we live with a clear sense of security. Indeed, as this King has said "do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Earthly kings perish, but the Eternal Boundaryless King lives forever.
Wednesday's Gospel spoke of a much more personal, therefore humanly significant suffering - that of being harried to courts and persecutions left and right BY those who know us and our fidelity to Christ the King! Isn't this such an enormous overwhelming pain when our own reject us and expose us to death! I know of a Chinese confrere whose young members in the family reported their aunts and uncles (the priest's brothers and sisters) who were Christians and belonged to the educated group during the Red Revolution. One brother of this priest was exiled to the north, in a place where he was forced to labor on dry and often snow-covered land when he had never tilled the land before because he was an educator. This King's reassurance that "not a hair on your head will be destroyed" indeed calms the nerves in the face of death and unbearable suffering. One of my classmates who managed to be freed after 40 years of imprisonment together with Cardinal Gung Ping Mei kept this in mind and he managed to be free from the daily brain washing sessions by praying his rosary using his fingers. Others can reject us, and persecute us; but the King gto whom we are constantly faithful shall be our courage.
Today's celebration reminds us of one of the apostles: ANDREW, the brother of Peter. While Jesus was crucified on the cross, Andrew and Peter also had their own. Peter was crucified with his feet up for he claimed to be unworthy to be crucified the way Christ was. Andrew was crucified to an X-cross. Our King suffered for us; and if we shall be loyal to Him, as the master is, so shall the follower be. But when Christ is our King, the persecutions we experience today cannot compare to the glory that awaits us in Him.
Indeed, the thought of Christ the King which last Sunday's liturgy has given us can constantly give us the meaning by which we can reflect on the daily readings of the week. I shall be doing that for tomorrow and the day after. Hopefully, this should usher me (and you the reader) into a new liturgical cycle that begins with patient waiting or ADVENT. May He be my King forever and ever.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Jesus weeps
Reflections
It's been five months since my last blog. A lot of events have happened, and I got simply too entangled that I virtually forgot about adding something. Thanks God I got this precious time to write some more thoughts to share.
The Gospel for today speaks of Jesus weeping for Jerusalem. I remember one episode of Mike Enriquez' (Philippine TV station GMA newscaster and show host) IMBESTIGADOR where a husband was shown weeping over his wife who joined a cult. Everytime he wanted to ask her to come home, she would become uncontrollably in rage. The husband was shown saying, "Kahit nagkaganyan siya, mahal ko siya." (Even if she has become like that, I still love her.) I'd like to believe that Jesus' heart cried much like this husband whose happiness included his wife.
This brings me to a story which one of our missionaries Fr. Oliver Quilab, SVD used in his reflection in the SVD Bible 2006 Diary Word in Other Words sometime last week. He quoted the late JPII's story of an Irishman who was at the door of heaven, so hesitant to get in because as he was overhearing St. Peter inquiring each one whether one has given food to the hungry, or water to the thirsty, or visited the sick and those in prison, all that was mentioned in Mt. 25 - whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers... - he simply couldn't remember one occasion in his life when he did any of those written. Everyone else was rushing in, but this Irishman was biding by his time doing his life examen.
Until Jesus took over Peter who needed to rest, and the Irishman was called. "You've been here a long time. What's keeping you from drawing near?" asked Jesus. "I'm embarrassed because I couldn't remember one single occasion when I did any of those you spoke of in Mt. 25." Jesus was surprised himself. "Not one?" Jesus chuckled. He then picked up a book of the man's life ang pored in, page by page, trying to verify the truth of the man's admission. He really couldn't find one. But he said, "wait, you had a friend who was very very sad, and here you came telling him a story, in fact it was supposed to be a joke, and that friend smiled, and since then found back his life stance?" The Irishman lighted up and said, "Yes, I remember him. He was like a brother to me." And Jesus said, "Welcome to the Father's kingdom. He was Me!"
It thus looks like Jesus would go all the way to pore through our lives, and if he'd go so far to find one to remind us of at least one moment we did, although not literally as has been written, but nevertheless done in the same spirit, when we had responded quite selflessly. It looks like Jesus' tears for Jerusalem was his way of going so far to wash away the sins of the chosen people. And He continues to invite those who may have missed His coming before even through us. This God is really generous.
It's been five months since my last blog. A lot of events have happened, and I got simply too entangled that I virtually forgot about adding something. Thanks God I got this precious time to write some more thoughts to share.
The Gospel for today speaks of Jesus weeping for Jerusalem. I remember one episode of Mike Enriquez' (Philippine TV station GMA newscaster and show host) IMBESTIGADOR where a husband was shown weeping over his wife who joined a cult. Everytime he wanted to ask her to come home, she would become uncontrollably in rage. The husband was shown saying, "Kahit nagkaganyan siya, mahal ko siya." (Even if she has become like that, I still love her.) I'd like to believe that Jesus' heart cried much like this husband whose happiness included his wife.
This brings me to a story which one of our missionaries Fr. Oliver Quilab, SVD used in his reflection in the SVD Bible 2006 Diary Word in Other Words sometime last week. He quoted the late JPII's story of an Irishman who was at the door of heaven, so hesitant to get in because as he was overhearing St. Peter inquiring each one whether one has given food to the hungry, or water to the thirsty, or visited the sick and those in prison, all that was mentioned in Mt. 25 - whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers... - he simply couldn't remember one occasion in his life when he did any of those written. Everyone else was rushing in, but this Irishman was biding by his time doing his life examen.
Until Jesus took over Peter who needed to rest, and the Irishman was called. "You've been here a long time. What's keeping you from drawing near?" asked Jesus. "I'm embarrassed because I couldn't remember one single occasion when I did any of those you spoke of in Mt. 25." Jesus was surprised himself. "Not one?" Jesus chuckled. He then picked up a book of the man's life ang pored in, page by page, trying to verify the truth of the man's admission. He really couldn't find one. But he said, "wait, you had a friend who was very very sad, and here you came telling him a story, in fact it was supposed to be a joke, and that friend smiled, and since then found back his life stance?" The Irishman lighted up and said, "Yes, I remember him. He was like a brother to me." And Jesus said, "Welcome to the Father's kingdom. He was Me!"
It thus looks like Jesus would go all the way to pore through our lives, and if he'd go so far to find one to remind us of at least one moment we did, although not literally as has been written, but nevertheless done in the same spirit, when we had responded quite selflessly. It looks like Jesus' tears for Jerusalem was his way of going so far to wash away the sins of the chosen people. And He continues to invite those who may have missed His coming before even through us. This God is really generous.
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