The Easter Beatitude (2nd Sun Easter C)

Today’s gospel (Jn 20:19-31) proclaims, as it were, the Easter beatitude: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (v. 29). Clearly this speaks to Christian believers who have not been eyewitnesses to the marvellous event of Jesus’ resurrection but have, nonetheless, demonstrated an unwavering faith in Him as Lord and God.

The recent Holy Week celebration I had opened my eyes to the truth that indeed there are communities even of today, with its ever strengthening trend of secularism, that continue to live up to the spirit of this “last beatitude.” The gospel today allows me to articulate in its light a very inspiring Easter experience as an invited priest in a chapel community in Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City. I suggest that today’s gospel presents three significant elements of Easter faith through which I would like to appraise the community’s experience: First, the enthusiasm and zeal in spreading the good news; second, faith in the forgiveness of sins; third, unwavering faith in the Risen Lord.

Enthusiasm and Zeal in Spreading the Good News. The death of the Master on the cross on Good Friday sent the disciples to hiding. Out of fear, they holed up in a room afraid of a possible crack down on the followers of the crucified Messiah. Today’s gospel, however, recounts how Jesus dispels their fear by offering them his peace: “Peace be with you.” Jesus’ appearance throws away the paralysis caused by fear and, once again, enables them to rejoice in freedom. Then Jesus, after overcoming the obstacle of fear, sends them to for the mission of proclaiming the gospel. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us that the apostles become the adhesive force of the community, gaining respect from people, and attracting a great number of converts. Their enthusiasm and zeal in proclaiming the gospel becomes a mark of their Easter faith as they form the early Christian communities.

This is the same mark I’ve recognized among the leaders and members of the chapel community that I had celebrated Holy Week with. I was amazed at how they organized themselves proving to their parish priest that they were worthy of a presence of a priest to celebrate holy week with them. They went out of their way to ensure that everyone participated in the many and varied activities of Holy Week, and to make sure that, despite short preparations, the chapel was always filled with people. What I’ve seen is a burning zeal to make the Easter proclamation reverberate in their community through the liturgical celebrations. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed!

Faith in the Forgiveness of Sins. As Jesus dispels the fear of the disciples, he breathes on them and says: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (v. 22-23). Another obstacle to faith is sin. Sin causes disharmony in our relationships. First, it disrupts our relationship with God, second, with others, and third, with ourselves. Hence, Jesus empowers the apostles to overcome the power of sin by forgiveness. Hereafter, the apostles and their successors will be Jesus’ representatives in the world to impart his peace by absolving the sins of those who repent.

When I offered to give some time for the sacrament of reconciliation, the people, starting from the leaders of the chapel community lined up and waited for their turn to confess. In that celebration of the sacrament of God’s mercy, I’ve witnessed the faith of people in the forgiveness of sin. They refused to allow sin to dominate them. They wept and repented. They emerged as a new creation. Truly, they have embraced the mercy of the Risen Lord and experienced how to rejoice and chant the hallelujahs because of the bliss brought by the mysteries of Easter. Blessed indeed are those who have not seen and have believed!

Unwavering Faith in the Risen Lord. The third obstacle to Easter faith is doubt. The encounter between Jesus and Thomas in today’s gospel demonstrates how Jesus overcomes doubt. Jesus yields to Thomas’ obstinacy showing the latter the evidence he is looking for as a requirement for his belief. Thomas goes down in history as the doubting apostle; yet when we come to think of it, his skepticism saves us from our own doubts. Thomas has disproved any theories that suggest the resurrection as mere hallucination of the part of the apostles. He has seen the Risen Lord in his own eyes in the very terms he demanded. Hence, his proclamation of faith, “My Lord and my God!” can also be ours. Our only difference with him: without seeing we believe. Blessed are we.

At the end of a well-attended “Sugat” and the early Easter Sunday Mass, I was invited by the chapel leaders to join them at breakfast. There they expressed gratitude to me for having accompanied them throughout the Holy Week celebrations. They were filled with energy and joy relishing that brief experience of God’s mercy and victory. Looking at them with a silent joy in my heart, I cannot but thank God too for showing me how happy indeed are those who have not seen but have believed.

This Easter season, we are invited to live up to the spirit of the “Easter beatitude,” allowing the Risen Lord to free us from the paralysis of our fears, to restore the harmony lost by our sins, and to cast away our doubts in the mystery of his resurrection. This season reminds us of our calling to become a community with a burning zeal to proclaim the Good News, a community who celebrates God’s mercy in forgiving one another, and a community with an unwavering faith in the victory of the Risen Lord. So as we chant with unconditional conviction the hallelujah, let it be our celebration of the happiness of a people who believe even without seeing.

Lest We Cast a Stone (Lent V Sun C)

In 1999, Leo Echegaray was the first Filipino to be meted the death penalty (by lethal injection) after its reinstatement in the Philippines in 1993. Echegaray was convicted of raping his step-daughter in 1994. His case had sparked debates about the legality and morality of death penalty. I remember being one of the speakers in a forum held in a catholic school. I was speaking against death penalty. During the open forum, I discovered that the audience was not happy with my position. Several expressed their indignation at the gruesome crime and sin of Echegaray. For them nothing less than the capital punishment could satisfy the demand for justice; or I thought, if they were just transparent, nothing less could quench the thirst for vengeance. It was real hard to speak of compassion and mercy to angry people.

Today’s gospel reading (Jn 8:1-11) recounts the case of a woman caught in adultery. Her case is presented by the Scribes and Pharisees to test Jesus. If Jesus condemns her according to the Law of Moses, i.e. by stoning to death, he frustrates those who hope in his compassion and runs in conflict with the Roman law that has suspended the Jewish authorization to inflict capital punishment. If he pardons her, he can be accused of making light of the Law and lose his credibility before the people. But Jesus always outwits his malicious opponents. He manages to rise above the ploy to trap him and, what more, turns the occasion into one that instructs and teaches about the loving ways of God.

I suggest two things to consider for our reflection: First, Jesus’ invitation to self-examination and, second, his teaching on abhorring sin but loving the sinner.

Invitation to Self-examination. When the Scribes and Pharisees press him to give his position on the case, Jesus responds by saying, “let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (v. 7). Far from condemning the woman to death, Jesus instead invites the self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees to examine themselves first. The gospel recounts how each one goes away starting with the elders unable to cast the first stone.

When we examine ourselves, we begin to realize how much the power of sin has affected us too. We begin to see that we are in an unfortunate solidarity with the sinners. We stop pointing an accusing finger on other people and admit that we also share in the sins of humanity. We begin to see the utter hypocrisy of casting the stone on others and to realize that like anyone else what we need is not legalistic impersonal judgment but mercy and compassion.

In this season of Lent, let us honestly and courageously look into our own sinfulness and approach God not in the self-righteous stance of the Scribes and Pharisees but in the utter dependence of the Adulterous woman on the mercy of God.

Abhorring Sin but Loving the Sinner. Just like the message of the Parable of the Lost Son, today’s gospel teaches us about God’s unconditional love for us sinners. As far as God is concerned, we continue to be his sons and daughters despite our sinfulness. Today’s gospel illustrates how slow God is in condemning us and quick in giving us a fresh start. His words, “Neither do I condemn you” (v. 11), expresses Jesus’ willingness to give the sinful woman a chance, a new lease on life. God does not give up on us easily. His love and mercy always triumph over the power of sin that wants to destroy us. God’s love and mercy recreates us to become once again his beautiful children.

“Go; from now on do not sin anymore” (v. 11). Jesus is also clear about abhorring sin. Part of the gift of new life is the commitment of rejecting sin. Our encounter with Jesus brings new life and our experience of his compassion empowers us all the more to abhor the scandal of sin. We are God’s children; we are destined to live in grace. Sin is a despicable deception whose sole objective is to mislead and destroy.

Hence, the season of Lent is a good time to express our indignation to sin... to our sins... and to live in the grace of God’s mercy.

This reflection does not in any way wish to abolish our legal and justice systems. They are necessary for social order. We have to be aware though that they can be flawed. The message of today’s gospel is that we move away from vindictive system that casts the stones out of lust for vengeance and conceit of self-righteousness. We move towards restorative system that allows for renewal and the chance to mend what has been broken by sin. Let us not allow sin to have the last laugh. It is God’s love that recreates, God’s mercy that restores.

Lord, break the shield of my self-righteousness lest I cast a stone on others; allow your mercy to expose the despicable deception of my sins that I may abhor them and hope for your promise of new life. Amen.

In God Only (5th Sun Ord C)

“Why am I unhappy? Why am I not contented with what I have?” This is a painful question for those who are conscientious in their search for meaning.

Years ago, a seemingly successful businessman in Makati bravely disclosed his experience of emptiness to me during a Lenten retreat. He was certain that he was giving his all to his job and to his family. He seemed to have everything a dignified person needed. Yet, he intentionally enrolled to that retreat because he was not happy. Despite his significant achievements in business through the years he could not understand from where the pang of emptiness that unceasingly throbbed deep within him was coming. He was quick to acknowledge his sense of success for everything he had done, and yet he had mustered his courage to admit to himself that a lot more is lacking.

I consoled him first by assuring him that “hindi ka nag-iisa…” that I, as a pastor, did experience the same emptiness too despite what I thought was a selfless giving of what I had to offer in the ministry.

For his meditation I suggested to pray using the scripture. I gave him the gospel episode of today (Lk 5:1-11) which portrays Peter, together with other fishermen, eventually leaving everything behind to follow Jesus in amazement because of the great catch of fish they had on account of Jesus’ instructions.

What did the retreatant gathered from this meditation? He was made to realize as clear as daylight that human efforts, even if undertaken with the highest possible degree of excellence, will be inadequate if God is not in them. This reminds us of the psalmist’s chant: “If God does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor.”

Peter, in the gospel today, is humbled by the fact that he and his fellow fishermen had worked hard all night and had not caught anything; yet at Jesus’ command, they lowered their nets again and, to the astonishment of all, they caught so great a number of fish that their nets were tearing and their boats were in danger of sinking! (v. 5-7).

“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (v. 8). This is Peter’s realization of his inadequacy in front of the Lord. How consoling for us to be reminded of this humbling experience of the first pope of the Church of Christ. And how reassuring that the Lord dispels every fear in our otherwise feeble commitment to take on his task as He says to Peter: “Fear not; from now on you will be catching men” (v. 10).

So here is the answer to our painful question. Whatever we do independently of God will be inadequate. The businessman may have been successful and proven excellent by his colleagues and even by his rivals, and a pastor may have emptied himself selflessly to his ministry, but if all they had done is to prove and depend on their human prowess, there is no wondering why at the end of the day they may find themselves unhappy, discontented, and, worst, empty. Without the Lord in our life everything is going to be in vain and fruitless. Again, “if the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor.”

Peter offers us today the right attitude. We need the humility to acknowledge our inadequacies.

When we are young and strong, we tend to be proud. We allow ourselves to be intoxicated by our sense of invincible power and strength believing we can always do it our own way. This may be a reason why the young in general do not care about God in their lives. They falsely believe they are self-sufficient. They have no need of God. All these they believe despite the remarkable anxieties and disturbing restlessness that characterize their generation.

The beauty of growing old, I think, is that we grow wiser each year. The less strong and powerful we become through time, the more readily we admit our incapacities. To be wiser then means to learn how to accept who we truly are in the face of God. A wise man is a humble man. A truly wise man knows he needs someone greater than he is to make things happen. He kneels, like Peter, with all humility in prayer, “I am inadequate and sinful. Depart from me.”

Yet it is in that moment of self-surrender, it is in that instance of humble acceptance of weakness that God’s power takes over; God’s power shines mightily unhampered by the foolish pride of the person! And just imagine what the person can do when he does things in the power of God!

It is God’s fecundity that brings forth abundance of fruits to our labor. It is God’s attractiveness that draws great number of “fish” to fill the boats to the point of sinking. It is God’s overflowing love that fills our hearts with so much joy that enables us to leave everything behind because we really don’t care about things when we have in our possession the greatest treasure of all. It is when we have allowed God to work through our human frailty, that we give glory to God and not to ourselves. It is then that we are truly, truly happy.

So why am I unhappy? Why am I not contented with what I have? It’s because I am relying too much on myself, doing things, acquiring things in my own “excellent” terms. Because everything I do is all about me… me… and me! Because my pride has kept God’s bountiful and enabling grace at bay unable to work wonders in my life and in those whom I thought I’m serving!

Lord, let me acknowledge my inadequacies and humbly allow your love to empower me that I may offer you a great catch, a bountiful harvest, and a truly joyful life. Amen.

Am I Happy When God Blesses Others? (4th Sun Ord C)

At a dinner with a group of prospective benefactors in Manila, I was warmly welcomed by a Doňa who started to show delight in listening to what I do in Mindanao. Suddenly she asked about the presence of Muslims in Mindanao and expressed her strong aversion to them. Wanting to correct her apparent prejudice, I told her about my friendship with some Muslims I know. I told her that in my observation a truly religious Muslim is one that pleases God too. I knew the rich lady did not like what I said because since then and for the rest of the dinner she gave me the cold shoulder. And I realized how lousy a fundraiser I was!

Jesus, in today’s gospel (Lk 4:21-30), evokes initial delight from his kinsfolk as he announces the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy of Isaiah in his person and ministry. But as he continues to address them, he eventually gets the ire of the people. The gospel reading ends in a violent rejection of Jesus by the people.

Why is Jesus rejected? In Luke’s account two reasons may be gleaned: First, the exclusive mindset of the people of Israel clashes with Jesus’ message of the universal love of God and, second, the prophetic stance of Jesus does not conform to their long-held beliefs. Let's have a word for each.

The universality of God’s love versus the religious exclusivity of Israel. The people of Nazareth, in solidarity with the belief of the whole of Israel, had been made to believe very strongly that God’s promise of salvation is for them—as in exclusively for them! After all, they were the chosen people of God. God’s fidelity was seen as his exclusive love for his chosen people. The pagans, for certain, were excluded. They did not deserve God’s grace.

But in the gospel today, Jesus is radically overturning this belief with his announcement of the universal love of God. He points out to them how the prophet Elijah was sent during a severe famine to a widow not in Israel but in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. And during the time of prophet Elisha when there were many lepers in Israel, only Naaman the Syrian was cured (vv. 25-28). The God of Jesus cares for pagans too!

The Nazarenes think that they are exclusively entitled to the wonders that Jesus is said to accomplish. But Jesus announces a universal ministry. Hence, they reject Him as they cannot bear the thought that people outside their own family, clan, or milieu can share in the same grace or privilege.

Many of us today continue to possess this same exclusive mentality. The lady I met in that glamorous dinner, for instance, thinks that Christians are the only good people. The “others,” like the Muslims, cannot please God and, therefore, doomed.

Today’s gospel then can be an invitation for us to examine our tendencies to exclusivity and to recognize the universality of God’s grace and gift of salvation. In simple terms, Jesus is presenting to us God as the loving Father of all peoples. Instead of grumbling, we ought to rejoice at the blessings of others.

Do we praise God when people outside our intimate circle are blessed?

Jesus’ prophetic stance versus the convenience of conformity. For the Nazarenes in today’s gospel reading, the good news is that which conforms to their expectations, desires, wishes, and long-held beliefs. What contradicts or supersedes their beliefs meets outright rejection. Jesus is rejected because his prophetic stance does not in anyway conform to their wishes. Jesus is therefore seen as a threat rather than as a bearer of glad tidings.

Christianity today can also tumble into the same pitfall when it becomes too comfortable with what is. When it is too identified with the status quo to see the injustices, Christianity can become un-prophetic. When it is too closed-minded and too traditional to embrace new perspectives and innovative approaches, it can become stagnant and irrelevant.

Jesus’ consistent prophetic stance reminds us not to settle easily with the convenience of conformity. This is despite the threat of rejection or persecution.

Do we care about questioning the forms of injustices we see in our society? Can we be prophetic enough to challenge beliefs, practices, immoral procedures we observe in our work places? Can we commit to proclaim and work for better structures in society guided by the gospel values despite the risk of being rejected?

Today’s gospel then invites us to do two things: to rejoice when others are blessed and to be prophetic amid society’s complacency.

“Nakaligo Ka na ba sa Dagat ng Basura?” (3rd Sun Ord C)

At a parking lot, I heard street children playfully singing, “Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura? Nag-Pasko ka na ba sa gitna ng kalsada? Yan ang tanong namin, Tunay ka bang isa sa amin?”

If only for the millions of pesos spent for this infomercial, all members of Filipino households with TV sets ought to know by now how to sing along with this campaign jingle. I’ve heard it aired repeatedly like a Christmas carol during the season of Christmas and up to now that Jesus has already been baptized and about to inaugurate his messianic mission!

Without making any ethical assessment on the issue of the fortune spent on this single campaign item, and certainly, without either endorsing or criticizing the candidate behind this in deference to his political supporters or rivals, I submit a simple interpretation of the jingle as starting point for our Sunday reflection.

The jingle tries to project an experiential knowledge of the misery of the poor (Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura? Nag-Pasko ka na ba sa gitna ng kalsada?) so as to portray the candidate’s identification with them (Tunay ka bang isa sa amin?) and more importantly, to express the promise to end the plague of poverty in the Philippines (Si ______ ang magtatapos ng ating kahirapan).

As such, it is a great promise I think. As such, it is an expression of a much needed love and concern for the poor. No doubt, we badly need such aspirations to come true. Just imagine no more poverty in my beloved Philippines… How I wish!

But election times, as we know all too well, have never failed to come up with great promises and have consistently toyed with the flickering hope of the poor. Many elections had transpired but look at where we are. For us Filipinos today, what we want to see is the fidelity of a leader to his/her words and promises and the genuine motivation of love for the poor. Without fidelity, promises however great they may be are empty. Without genuine love, identification with the poor is but a show and a veiled exploitation.

Today’s gospel reading (Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21) features Jesus’ inauguration of his messianic ministry. This incident as recounted by the evangelist Luke directly follows Jesus’ “retreat” in the wilderness right after his baptism. Jesus by now has been certain about his identity as the Son of God and his mission as the anointed messiah. Hence, facing the people of Nazareth in the synagogue, Jesus reads the messianic prophecy from the scroll of Isaiah.

He proclaims thus: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… 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… to announce a year of favor from the Lord” (v. 18-19).

And while all eyes are intently fixed on him as he hands back the scroll, he boldly proclaims the inauguration of the messianic time: “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21). This is like saying: “Today I come as the fulfillment of this promise. Today I inaugurate the messianic task of bringing the good news to the poor, to the captives, to the blind, to the oppressed.”

My dear friends the gospel today highlights two things: First, the fidelity of God to his words and promise; second, Jesus’ identification of his mission with the poor.

God’s Fidelity to his Promise. In the person and mission of Jesus, God has fulfilled his promise of long ago to save his people from all forms of oppression rooted in sin. Jesus is the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy. Jesus, the Messiah, has ushered in the Kingdom of God where the poor celebrate the bounty of God, the captives enjoy a life of freedom, the blind rejoice in seeing the beauty that surrounds them, the oppressed cherish their dignity.

When God promises, God makes good of that. We are never left empty. How has God been faithful to his promise to me? How has he been liberating me from the clout of sin that oppresses me?

As Christians we continue the mission of Christ. We are asked to be faithful to the gospel we preach. Our society, especially the poorer sectors, is longing for such fidelity. Have we not left our words and promises empty? As a Church, have we not paid a lip-service to our commitments to the poor?

Jesus’ Identification with the Poor. The first and privileged recipients of the Messiah’s mission are the socially and physically deprived, the economically poor, and the politically oppressed. The gospel of Luke brings this out in Jesus’ personal dealings and his teaching. In this inaugural proclamation, Jesus pronounces that his prophetic ‘anointing’ is to identify him with the lowliest and the most forgotten.

Today, the poor continue to be exploited. Am I part of those who are taking advantage of the helplessness of the poor? The gospel today invites us to be identified with the poor. This means cultivating genuine love and concern for the least of our brothers and sisters and spending time, treasure, talent to bring the good news of change to their miserable lives.

No single person or leader can finish off the plague of poverty. To make a difference, we all need to work together allowing a genuine love for the poor to be our unifying motivation and not our individualistic ambitions.

Sino ang magtatapos ng ating kahirapan? All of us in a concerted effort… when we learn how to make good of our promises and when we are truly motivated by a genuine love for poor!