Monday, April 21, 2008

Sufferings & Peace: April 22, 2008

There are two lines in today's readings that particularly struck me. From the readings taken from Acts 14:19-28, St. Paul's exhortation to the early Christians sounds very encouraging indeed: "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." He had just had a traumatic experience after "Jews from Antioch and Iconium...stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city supposing (him to be) dead." Had it not been for his fellow disciples who gathered around him, he could not have risen back. Did he remember what he did to the Christians when he was still the Saul breathing with a murderous heart? In this case, he must have thought, "what happened is not even enough to pay for all their lives." But knowing that he has been forgiven in Christ may have given him the realization that suffering indeed is inevitable if he was to be a faithful follower of the Master, Jesus Who suffered death on the cross. This experience of Paul has made him one, in solidarity with the other Christians who constantly live in suffering, constantly under the threat of death.

The second line is quite consoling. "Shalom" or peace Christ gives His followers, "not as the world gives" (Jn 14: 27-31a). It is a peace that wells from the heart of Someone Whose love cannot be taken away from us, that will never give up, that will "call back to life" the dead who live in suffering. Hence, Jesus could tell His disciples "Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."

Indeed, as we follow the Lord faithfully, we may not be spared of sufferings, either in payment for our sins, but mostly because if we have to be really followers of Christ, we are not to be spared of sufferings. So, I have to brace myself up for sufferings to come. If it is God's will, then peace will be with me. Peace will be with the Church as each one of us takes up our crosses, our sufferings, "suffering for the Name" as the early Christians valued. If we are to enter the Kingdom of heaven, we better be realistic. The way there is narrow, hence, we have to be ready for suffering, even if these are not what we want but He may want for our salvation, and growth in His love.

God bless

Sunday, April 20, 2008

April 20, 2008 Easter 5th Sunday Cycle A Homily

Every time I celebrate a funeral Mass, I particularly love to proclaim the Gospel we heard in today's liturgy: "Do not be troubled, you have faith in God, have faith also in me." Death can be so disconcerting an experience, to say the least. It was one question that haunted the husband of a friend in Taiwan, making him wonder what will happen after his last breath, and what about his father and uncles and grandparents, and constantly finding in Christ some little consolation. And since death is something that basically scares each one of us, the words Jesus says can give a calming effect. In fact, if I am not mistaken, the line He spoke connotes the same meaning which is 365 times used in Scriptures: "Do not be afraid." Faith thus becomes our courage in the face of such a powerful enemy as death, and fear that ensues with it.

This brings us to the fact that in Jesus, human nature has nothing to hide before God. For those among us who are more sceptical, the evidence that God truly understands us is this: In Jesus, He has truly taken a human body; hence His speaking about not becoming troubled before He would be crucified was to show us this basic nature in us - that we can be troubled when someone close to us goes away in death, or in any separation for that matter. I remember my first day in school way back 1970. While seated where I was assigned, I would now and then look back to see my sister who sat at the back. The moment I missed her because she had to go for her classes, I cried. Hence, for parents who would be bringing their kids to school the first time, talk to them about it weeks before so they can ready themselves for this must-happen situation, and begin to know that he needs to stand on his own and find himself and his security as he faces the world. We will be there for him, that's for sure, just as Jesus assured His disciples that He goes ahead to prepare a place for us and will come back to take us with Him wherever He is.

The same logic goes for those among us who are thinking of going abroad to earn more. I remember Paul, one of our guys involved in caring for our old and sick confreres, who once approached me years ago if I could lend his wife some capital so she could go to Taiwan. Before addressing his immediate concern, I asked him: have you talked about it? As a couple, they had. But to their children, they haven't. This may be one of the key factors that make children feel even more isolated nowadays because parents don't consider the reactions they have with their absence, particularly for years, and the effect on them of growing without their parents there when they so need their mom or dad. Let's not look at children only from the monetary or material angle. Let's keep this tip from Jesus Who's shown us something about ourselves, and let's talk about it so we are prepared. Come to think of this: even after He had told them about His imminent departure and death, the apostles ended up scatted in fear when He was crucified. But as shown by Peter, it was not difficult for him to acknowledge where he failed because he knew ahead of time what was going to happen. Remember how Jesus told him that he would three times deny knowing the Lord before the cock crows? This is in the same line as "Do not be troubled." Assure each other then of your empathic stance for the other so that fear need not permanently destabilize us.

Indeed, what Christ did for us, was to raise our dignity back to its original state: that of a beloved. He created each one of us in His own image. Thus, in Christ Jesus, the human person, particularly the believer, the follower of Christ is something sacred, precious. In the words of Peter in the second reading, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation." We have been ransomed by His blood. Therefore, let's live within this dignity and not allow ourselves to stay enslaved to whatever keeps us from living the life of a beloved, someone special and very important for God.

Now in Christ, the other is really entitled to our respect. None of us is then given the right to hurt the other. Or as in the experience of the early Christian community, we have no more right to simply neglect the others. The more we know what's inside of us, what's taking place in our emotional life in particular, the more free we become because we need not act out our anger, our rage at the other. Once we know what's inside of us, we can make a choice as we search for better ways to solve problems than create new ones because of the carelessness we do when disrespecting the other by our shouting or cursing at or belittling the other. If only we can learn from the lessons of history, of the ruins that lay announcing the destruction of our careless disrespect for the rights and dignity of the other. Followers of Christ are really rational people, those are more calm than the rest, those who know better what other alternatives to choose to protect the human right of the other, one which we will ourselves appreciate when guaranteed by the other. The more we do this, the more peace we have as we await our ultimate and complete salvation in Christ.

God bless and take care

Thursday, April 17, 2008

April 18, 2008 Reflection

St. Paul speaks today at the synagogue, telling his listeners (including us today) that despite all that Jesus did for the people, these same people were the ones who had Him crucified, took him down from the cross, had him buried, but God raised Him back to life. And those who followed Him now proclaim Him as God's appointed One for our salvation.

I am amazed with this magnanimity of God in Christ. Imagine, if Jesus was only human, like anyone among us, it would have been normal for him to just stay away from those who killed him, feeling so unsafe and living in fear. But no, the divinity in Him gave Him life, a new one, which shows what the Resurrection can do for us: it can wash away the pain, take away the hurts, and restore us back to life sans the revenge and the hatred.

Maybe there was still pain like most healing usually gives that sensation, but with the proclamation of Him for our salvation, the revenge is out of the picture. The hatred is gone too. What remained was love, for all even the ones who nailed Him to the tree. If this is not love, then what is it?

This is another scriptural evidence of the love of God in Whom we find our healing, our strength and our courage. Without His love, we will just be "normal" in our fears, in our anger, and in our bitterness. May today's Word of God give us life.

This is what the Church does - START OVER - in the Eucharist. As Jesus says in the Gospel, have faith in Him too if we have faith in God. He has prepared for each one of us a room in His Father's place. And mind you, only He has guaranted us this promise which He will definitely fulfill.

May we live our lives starting today always thinking that in Christ we are destined for heaven. We are not hated by God and He doesn't intend to avenge His Son's death. All He wants since He created us is that we live our lives to the full. "I came that they might have life to the full." (John 10:10)

God bless and take care

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE: The Call to Faith

It's April 9, and this day's Gospel shows us Jesus telling His listeners that He is the Bread of Life. People were looking for him after He had just fed 5,000 men with the five loaves and 2 fish, and He noticed that they wanted to make Him King. So He kept distance from them, but they searched for Him. In their dialogue, Jesus tells them to do the work God wants: Believe in the One He sent them. They say that Moses gave them bread, the manna in the desert, so what sign has Jesus got for them? Jesus tells them that it wasn't Moses who gave them bread, it was God the Father Himself. He thus says: "I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me willnever thirst...Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day..."

This dialogue reminds me of television commercials or advertisements showing a mother worried about her child who doesn't eat but only loves to play. One particular ad says "When Sabina was this age, she only loved to eat hotdog, hotdog, hotdog. If not, she wouldn't eat. It's good I shifted to ...(the milk brand)." This ad seems to carry with it a message which by analogy we can use in the Father's giving us His Son as Bread of Life. Like a mother, God has always searched for and done ways so that we His creatures would live. Since we are all His creatures and He created us in His image and likeness, hence we can see some of our own actions and values contain in them the divine intention and plan. His giving us His Son as Bread of Life is really to ensure that all who go to Him in faith has life. This thus reminds me the Church's constant running back to the table of the Eucharist from which it gets its life. Now I understand why the Church has such a long life. May we live faithfully our faith in Jesus.

God bless

Friday, April 04, 2008

Fears, Worries & Conflicts

FWC - fears, worries & conflicts - these are three experiences which none of us is spared from. They can debilitate us, paralyze and in the end destroy us unless we take a second look at our helpless, devastated selves. When we're into these three, we lose sight of what we have and feel so small and unable to cope. We make the problem bigger than it really is. This makes me remember one text message I received quite a few times: "When you have a problem, don't say 'God I have a big problem;' rather say 'Problem, I have a big God.'

The apostles in the boat today were scared at seeing someone on the water approaching them. In a parallel text from the Synoptics, this seems like the experience of Peter who asked the Lord, "Lord, if it is really you, tell me to cross the water." Walking on the water then signifies being able to weather through all fears, worries and conflicts. The words of Christ, and Scriptures for that matter since "Fear not" is mentioned in there 365 times - once a day it seems said for us! When in the midst of FWC, keep the thought back.

The Early Christian community experienced conflict wrought by the folly of human weakness. But when the apostles came together and talked about it, they found a solution which we are still using up to now! Imagine what a long-lasting solution the Lord gives!

The message seems clear: The Lord has truly Risen! He triumphed over death! What other lesser power can conquer Him? He has shared us that new life, so what is there for us to really be afraid? As we entrust our lives to the Lord, so we trust in His mercy. "Lord, let your mercy be on us as we place our trust in You," says the Responsorial Psalm.

God bless