tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44700270128378527432024-03-29T11:29:34.276+08:00Pearl of Great PriceSunday Homilies & Reflections for Seekers of God's KingdomJose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-42817305583897754002024-03-28T10:17:00.000+08:002024-03-28T11:00:55.627+08:00Do This in Remembrance of Me (Lord's Supper)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When a person is dying, he gains clarity of understanding
about what is essential. About what matters most. About what is important in
life. And before he dies, he sees to it that what he has grasped so clearly be communicated to the people he cares about. He tells them what matters most even as a
farewell message.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">One way to see the great significance of what we are celebrating
now in this liturgy is to contemplate it as the last wishes of Jesus who was
about to face his death. On the night before he died, he left his disciples with
farewell words. Farewell words and gestures. On this night he revealed to them
what matters to him. The desires of his heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">On the same night he was betrayed, Scripture says, Jesus took
bread and cup, gave them to his disciples as his body and blood. He said to
them, “Do this in remembrance of me.” The Last Supper, the eucharist, is
important for our Lord. He wants all of us to gather in this meal; and in this
celebration, to remember him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">Notice that there is a significant parallelism between this and
the account of the first reading on the jewish Passover meal. In the Jewish
Passover meal, a lamb is slain. The lamb’s blood is smeared on the doorpost of
the houses of the people of God to save them from death. The lamb’s flesh became
their food that night. And the people of God were to commemorate this meal year
after year… so that they would not forget… so that they will always remember
for ages to come that Yahweh their God loves them and have saved them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">On the night before Jesus died, he offered himself as the Lamb of
God. His body and blood was to be the supreme sacrifice so that death, the ultimate
result of our sins, will never, ever, touch us his beloved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">My dear friends, whenever we gather to celebrate the eucharist
just as we do now, the Lord is inviting us to remember the essential truth that
God loves us dearly and continues to save us from the clutches of our sins. “Do
this in remembrance of me.” Jesus says to us. Perhaps in a very personal way,
he is saying to you and me just before he dies, “I want you to know and to
always remember…always… how much I love you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">Another desire of our Lord could have not been communicated more
clearly. By the washing of the feet, He shows his ardent desire that just as he
loves us so much, we also have to love one another by serving and caring for
one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">While they were at supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.
Peter was kind of uneasy with Jesus’ gesture. Yes, he was uneasy because
washing feet is a lowly task of a servant. Jesus is his Master. How could he
let him stoop down and wash his dirty feet! It was indeed an awkward scenario
for the disciples. But Jesus did not feel awkward doing this. Why? Because he
had been doing that all his life. All through out his ministry, he had shown
his deep concern and love for the people. He was always with the poor, the
sinners, the outcast, the oppressed. He served them with compassion. He was
always in the business of washing feet. No. Not the well-pedicured… but the
dirty feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">So that just before he died, he made sure that his disciples would
see this with clarity. After washing their feet, he addressed them saying, “I
have given you a model to follow, so that <u>as I have done for you, you should
also do</u>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">To love is to serve. This evening, the Lord wants us to remember
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">My dear friends, as we continue this celebration, I invite you to
approach this event with a contemplative heart. A heart that sees in the
rituals and symbolic gestures the presence of our Lord. When we continue with
the act of washing the feet, let Jesus, who is about to die, be present in our
hearts and let us feel and experience his intensity, his urgent desire to tell
us about what is important. Love, in its most active mode, is serving one
another. This is essential.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we break bread and drink from the cup, let us experience once
again, that same self-sacrifice he did at last supper. Let us remember him, the
Lord… him who loves us dearly so as to lay down everything. This is his request
before he died… “Do this in remembrance of me.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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that we hurt and that can hurt us the most. Wounds inflicted by enemies make of
us a warrior, even fiercer than we ever had been before. But wounds caused by a loved one send us
sobbing in real pain and helplessness to a corner. And it is the inner wound in
our being that truly hurts more than the physical wound that we endure
momentarily. Physical wounds heal naturally leaving only some scars for
reminder.<br />
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But often, we readily take notice of the external wounds
oblivious of the greater pain that cuts deep inside. Once I facilitated a Lenten retreat among lay
leaders and Eucharistic ministers. To
help them begin with a proper disposition, I let them watch Mel Gibson’s <i>Passion of the Christ</i>. The film was in
Aramaic but people understood it just the same and they were moved because of
the graphic presentation of the passion of Jesus Christ. Many sobbed while
watching Jesus receiving the blows and lashes.
Their hearts went with him as they saw the gaping wounds all over his
body. Some could not stand watching the horrible manner with which Jesus’
torturers crucified him. The torture was too much. Perhaps, it was
intentionally portrayed so by the film-makers to highlight the suffering of
Christ and to evoke remorse from the viewers. In this aspect, the film is a
tremendous success.</div>
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However, the film may put us into the risk of not
noticing the real pain that Jesus endured the most as we can be transfixed by
the gaping wounds, horrible bruises, and trembling hands nailed onto the wood.
The gospel of Mark in today’s readings (Mk. 14:1—15:47) narrates the passion of
Christ in a rather plain-spoken manner, characteristically devoid of
descriptive details. Mark is contented for instance in reporting quite plainly
that “they crucified him and divided up his garments by rolling dice for them
to see what each should take. It was about nine in the morning when they
crucified him.” That simple. No mention of blood spurting. </div>
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The simplicity of Mark’s narration however allows us to
notice the wounds inflicted not by Jesus’ enemies but by his loved ones. Let me point out four wounds that must have truly
and deeply hurt him:</div>
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<b>The wound
inflicted by a kiss.</b> A kiss is the sweetest greeting between friends. Judas
turned this gesture into an act of betrayal.
Jesus had to endure being betrayed by one of his closest friends, a
member of his most intimate circle of followers. Jesus was sold by a friend. The kiss left no physical mark of wound; but
it certainly cut deep inside the heart of the betrayed.</div>
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<b>The wound
inflicted by words of denial.</b> “I don’t even know the man you are talking
about!” Mark reports Peter saying this at the third instance of his
denial. Peter was the most trusted and
depended on by Jesus among the apostles. Jesus even gave him the name, Peter,
which means rock, because Jesus believed in his strength of character and his
leadership. With Peter’s denial, Jesus
again must have experienced deep wounds that truly hurt him. There were no
marks of lashes left by the words of denial; but certainly the pain of
rejection reverberates deep inside.</div>
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<b>The wound
inflicted by false accusation and conviction.</b> The very people who chanted the Hosannas as
Jesus entered Jerusalem are the same people who later demanded his
crucifixion. From the words of blessing—“Hosanna!
Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord!”—to the words of curse and
unfair conviction—“Crucify him! Crucify him!” How painful it is to see people
who once believed in you now hand you over to death like a criminal!</div>
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<b>The wound
inflicted by the silence of the dearest of all.</b> The Father was everything
to Jesus. He was Jesus’ source of meaning and being. It was to Him that Jesus
had complete trust and obedience. During this horrible moment of Jesus’
passion, however, the Father, the dearest of all, was silent. Distant. Tolerant
of all the evil deeds inflicted upon his beloved Son. When Jesus was about to
die, he cried out what must have been the most excruciating pain he had to
endure as a man and as a Son: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The
wound of total abandonment by the beloved Father was perhaps the greatest suffering
Jesus had to bear.</div>
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Such is the suffering of Jesus Christ. His physical wounds
were nothing compared to what lashed and cut him at the core of his being.</div>
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We have the capacity to hurt the Lord because he loves
us. We hurt him with our betrayal. We hurt him with our denial. We hurt him
with our false accusation and conviction. We hurt him when we give him a cold
shoulder when he calls us.</div>
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We hurt each other too with these same wounds. We have to
remember that the wounds inflicted by people dear to us are the most painful. On
this Passion Sunday, we are invited to a humble examination of our way of
loving. We may have been inflicting
wounds on one another. We are invited too towards the only way of healing these
deep wounds—the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.</div>
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<i>“I love you Lord... and I hurt you... I hurt too people I
love. Please... forgive me!”</i></div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-3467684832648251662024-03-16T23:33:00.001+08:002024-03-17T00:38:50.646+08:00Unless We Die (5th Sunday Lent B)<br />
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as possible, from death. Dying is
something we avoid thinking about. We dread it because it is destructive. But much as we want to deny it, death is a
process we will certainly all go through. The death of Jesus Christ on the
cross, when we give it a serious look, transforms our attitude and the meaning
we give to death. </div>
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The story of Richie Fernando, a young Filipino Jesuit
missionary in Cambodia, can help us gain an insight into this Christ-transformed
understanding of death. Before
ordination to the priesthood, Richie was sent to Cambodia and worked as a
teacher in a technical school for the handicapped. He loved his students and allowed them to
share with him their stories. He would write to a friend in the Philippines and
express his joy in giving his life in the service of the handicapped: “I know where my heart is, It is with Jesus
Christ, who gave his all for the poor, the sick, the orphan ...I am confident
that God never forgets his people: our disabled brothers and sisters. And I am
glad that God has been using me to make sure that our brothers and sisters know
this fact. I am convinced that this is my vocation.”<br />
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On October 17, 1996, one of Richie’s students, Sarom, a landmine victim who had
been feared because of his disruptive behaviour and had been asked to leave by
the school authorities, came to the school for a meeting. Out of anger, he pulled out a grenade from his
bag and moved towards a classroom full of students. Richie came up behind Sarom
and restrained him. While struggling, Sarom dropped the grenade behind Richie
and that instance spelled the death of the young missionary. In trying to save the lives of others, Richie
gave up his own. </div>
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Richie’s life, I believe, was
characterized by self-giving. Before his
untimely death, he had been dying every day to self with his decision to give
his life in the service of the poor and the handicapped of Cambodia. His death was a culmination of a life totally
given to others and to Jesus.</div>
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Today’s gospel reading (Jn 12:20-33) offers us the
clearest illustration of the relationship between dying and attaining new life:
<i>“Unless the grain of wheat falls to the
earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces
much fruit.” </i>Dying and rising to new life is central to our Lenten
celebration which allows us to reflect on the paschal mystery of Christ. Jesus
Christ is the grain of wheat. He has to
submit himself to death that he may conquer it by his resurrection. This is at
the heart of Lent.</div>
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A disciple of Christ has to be like him, a grain of wheat
ready to give up everything in dying in order to usher in the fullness of life. The true following of Christ is not
easy. Real discipleship is not cheap.
The way is costly. Discipleship requires our dying to oneself every day.
Following Christ does not right away mean offering one’s life big time on the
cross. The magnanimity and courage of the heart to give up everything in death
do not come to us automatically as part of our nature. What is natural to us is self-preservation.
Self-sacrifice is transcending what is natural with the aid of grace. It has to
be nurtured by our decisions to die a little each day by way of our acts of
self-denial. When we forget ourselves
because our concern is the welfare of those who need our service and love, we
have died to our selfishness.</div>
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Death for a believer, therefore, is already a
consummation of a life spent in daily self-offering. The destructive nature of death then, as in
the destructiveness of the cross of Christ, is overcome by freely embracing death
in self-giving just as Jesus Christ embraced his death in total surrender to
the will of the Father. </div>
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Our Lenten journey to Easter reminds us that there is no
escaping the process of dying in our way to everlasting life. We cannot eliminate the cross on our way to
glory. There is no such thing as Christianity without the cross. In fact, the way of the cross is the only way
Christ has chosen to take in order to bring new life to all. The way of the
cross is the Christian way of life and the way to life.</div>
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Richie Fernando gave up his life that all those whom he
loved, his handicapped students, may have life.
His death culminated his earthly life characterized by daily self-giving. He has lived the fullness of life that a
faithful disciple could wish for. Like
Richie, we are invited to go beyond our self-preserving instinct. We are called to transcend our self-love. Dying each day to our selfishness and egoism
liberates us to care for and serve others.
This is, perhaps, the greatest paradox in life: When we die each day in
self-giving, it is when we gain the freedom to live our lives to the full. And
when in death, we surrender humbly and trustingly everything to God, death loses
its sting and eternal life shines brightly. </div>
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<i>“The man who loves his life loses it, while the man who
hates his life in this world preserves it to life eternal.”</i></div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-1199641216236954322024-03-09T11:00:00.001+08:002024-03-09T11:13:24.148+08:00Gratuitous Love (4th Sunday Lent B)Gratuity is an uncommon word as the concept itself is
quite strange in this profit-oriented society.
In this era when economic gain seems to be the be-all-and-end-all of
life, we easily acquiesce to the principle that nothing comes for free. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, we
say. Everything has a price. Everything has to be paid. Even in the theological exposition of the
“economy of salvation,” the expiation framework easily makes sense to most of
us: The cross of Christ is some kind of
a payment for our sins. To be saved from sin, someone has to pay the price.
This logic we understand quite readily.<br />
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The readings today, fortunately, offer us another way of
understanding the mystery of our salvation.
The readings invite us to see our relationship with God from the point
of view of God’s gratuitous love. For
this we need to let go first of our fixation to concepts like profit, interest,
price, payment. We need to accept the
principle of gratuity: The best things
in life are for free. The nearest common
concept to gratuity, I think, is gift-giving.
But again, even this concept has been tainted with self-interest as in
the case of our exchange-gift-Christmas-party favourite. We give and expect to receive. All too often, we are robbed of the joy of
pure giving when we fail to receive what we have expected to.</div>
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Something is gratuitous when it is offered unwarranted,
undeserved, unmerited. It is pure gift.
Not demanded nor bought. God’s love to
us is gratuitous. This is illustrated in our first reading (2 Chr 36: 14-16,
19-23), when God inspired Cyrus, the King of Persia, to free the Israelites
from Babylonian captivity. This loving
act of deliverance was unmerited by an unfaithful people. Despite their sins, the people of Israel were
restored to their own land. St. Paul
expresses this in the second reading (Eph 2:4-10) with more clarity of insight
into God’s undeserved love and mercy: <i>Brothers
and sisters, God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for
us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with
Christ... For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from
you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast </i>(vv.
4-9). </div>
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Clear as daylight. We did not deserve to be cared
for. We were sinful, unfaithful,
hard-headed, proud, and selfish. Despite these, we were saved from the very sins
that had brought death upon us. Such is
the greatness of God’s love. Gratuitous indeed! </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-drzvTvuMWHw/T2QmOKjpiAI/AAAAAAAAFIQ/h4EeZqSNic0/s1600/jesus+seated+on+the+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-drzvTvuMWHw/T2QmOKjpiAI/AAAAAAAAFIQ/h4EeZqSNic0/s400/jesus+seated+on+the+cross.jpg" width="400" /></a>Moreover, today’s gospel (Jn 3: 14-21) highlights God’s
love as his own initiative of giving up his only Son that we may have eternal
life: <i>For God so loved the world that he
gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but
might have eternal life. </i>The Son of God is lifted up on the cross as God’s
ultimate act of sacrificial love.
Through this sacrificial love, our enslavement to sin has been
broken. Selfishness has been overcome by
total self-giving. And by Christ’s
resurrection, death is vanquished; eternal life dawns for all of us who
believe. And all of these come to us for
free. It’s pure gift. If there’s one thing we can be sure of about
what God is not, God is every inch not a businessman!</div>
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In this season of Lent, we may do well to heed these
following invitations:</div>
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<b>Conviction.</b> Are we
convinced of the gratuity of God’s love for us? Isn’t it the case that often we
are practically incredulous of God’s capacity to love us despite our
unworthiness? In our relationship with God, we allow our sense of unworthiness
to get in the way. We still think that
we can only come to God when we are worthy; so, when we are not (which is often
the case), we keep God at bay. Lent is
an opportunity to strengthen our conviction about God’s gratuitous love for us. It is God’s grace which makes us worthy of
him. We need to surrender to this truth and there can be no stronger proof of
his unconditional love than the fact that, by God’s initiative, his beloved Son
was lifted up on the cross... that we may have life.</div>
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<b>Celebration.</b> A
true disciple of Christ has all the reasons to be joyful. This season invites
us to celebrate the joy of being loved gratuitously. This is an invitation to a joyful spirituality,
living each day with the delight that the new life in Christ brings, living in
a loving relationship with God with utmost confidence in God’s unfailing
fidelity, if not in our own capacity to be faithful. May this season help us to truly relish with
joy our freedom from sin and death won for us by Christ through his cross and
resurrection. </div>
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<b>Commitment. </b> We
have been loved unconditionally. God
loves us not because we are good. God
loves us despite ourselves. He loves us warts and all. His love is not because
of our merit. His love is pure
gift. Every day we receive his grace and
we experience his mercy as gift. This experience of gratuity invites us to a
commitment to self-giving, to be a man-and-woman-for-others, to serve without
asking for reward, to give to those who cannot give back. </div>
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May the Lenten discipline transform us into the effective
signs of the presence of God’s gratuitous love amid this society which puts a
tag price to just everything. </div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-54383364786902967012024-03-02T13:49:00.001+08:002024-03-02T14:14:11.727+08:00God’s Temple (3rd Sunday Lent B)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Tu5kZUuPEk/T1sHWLjMdpI/AAAAAAAAFII/TVYKghbl3Ys/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Tu5kZUuPEk/T1sHWLjMdpI/AAAAAAAAFII/TVYKghbl3Ys/s320/IMG_0645.JPG" width="320" /></a>In Fr. Niall O’Brien’s best-seller prison diary, <i>Revolution from the Heart</i>, this Columban missionary unfolds the story of his twenty-year mission in the island of
Negros. Central to this story is the
struggle of the “Basic Christian communities” for liberation from poverty and
oppression in the times of Marcos dictatorship.
I remember reading the portion when Fr. O’brien went for his sabbatical
and found himself in the gigantic and elaborate Church edifices of Europe. There
he couldn’t help but notice the paradox: Huge and intricately ornamented
churches but very few people to worship God.
Back in Negros, the barrio chapels were just a little better than
crudely built shacks, but they were packed with the communities of the poor
worshipping the Lord and drawing from one another the hope they so badly needed
in the midst of oppression.</div>
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True worship springs from a community of people inspired by
the Spirit of the Risen Lord. Worship is
not tied to physical location like a well-ornamented temple. There can be no authentic worship in an empty
shrine. We can claim this truth now because Jesus has revealed it to his
followers through the mystery of his death and resurrection.</div>
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The gospel reading of today (Jn 2:13-25), Jesus’ cleansing
of the temple of Jerusalem, lends itself to a better understanding of the real
temple where God can truly be worshipped. After driving out with a whip the
sheep and oxen being sold inside the temple area, after overturning the tables
of the money-changers telling them to stop making his Father’s house a
marketplace, Jesus was confronted by the Jews with a demand for a sign: “What
sign can you show us for doing this?” To which Jesus answered: “Destroy this
temple and in three days I will raise it up.”</div>
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The Jews of course could not understand. Jesus was no longer speaking on the natural
plane. His reference to the temple was no longer the material edifice. It was naturally impossible to rebuild in
three days a massive temple constructed for about forty-six years. Jesus was speaking on the spiritual
plane. The temple which was to be destroyed
and later be raised up was his body. </div>
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The gospel of John uses this incident as one of the signs. This is the sign of substitution. Jesus replaces the material temple where God,
as the Jews used to believe, dwells and is exclusively worshipped. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus,
the temple is superseded by the new reality of a “Spirit-filled” Christ. Jesus Christ is the new temple. By his
resurrection he becomes the locus of the presence of God. And this truth
revolutionizes the way we experience and worship God. We encounter and worship God whenever and
wherever we gather and pray in the name of the risen Lord as a people. Our relationship with God is no longer dependent
on a particular location. God is not
confined to the temple or cathedral. God dwells in us. St. Paul says: “Do you not know that you are
the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16).</div>
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Some implications:</div>
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In our pastoral concerns, according to PCP II’s vision, the building up of the communities of
disciples or the basic ecclesial communities should then take precedence over our concern for church edifice and its
beautification. The two, of course, do not necessarily contradict. It gives a lot of joy and comfort to the worshiping
community when our church buildings are spacious, clean and beautiful. But, again, they are only beautiful in as
much as there is a community that brings life to authentic worship. Let us not allow our priorities (time,
resources and energy) to be skewed on favour of inanimate edifice to the
detriment of our task in community building. Several times I celebrated the
Eucharist in the simple chapels of the barrios and they are the best experiences
of worship I ever had. It’s not because
of the location or building but because of the Spirit of the Lord who is alive
in the community.<br />
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Our worship does not end in the church where we celebrate
the liturgy. We are the temples of God. Our life and all that we do outside the church
must also be an expression of our worship.
We see then a continuity of our liturgical celebrations in the church
with our day-to-day life. We worship God
in and outside the church, by way of piety and by way of charity and commitment
to social justice. Our participation in the Alay-Kapwa Lenten campaign is part and parcel of our meaningful worship.<br />
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In this season of Lent, therefore, we are invited to
encounter and worship God, first, in our meaningful liturgical celebrations
that usher us, as a community, into a deeper relationship with God, second, in
our commitments to social charity reaching out to the poor and needy members of
the community, and third, in our personal sanctification as the temple of God
by way of repentance, striving to become worthy of God’s presence in our hearts.
</div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-11160542877976564132024-02-24T13:30:00.001+08:002024-02-24T13:51:59.767+08:00The Test of Love (2nd Sunday Lent B)<br />
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Sacrifice is the test of love. It is only when we have the capacity not to
withhold for ourselves our most precious possession for the sake of another,
only when we can give up even that which is most important to us for the good
of the beloved, only then that we truly love.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6LBqgvCet3Q/T1Ko_DEziDI/AAAAAAAAFHw/Cp870VUOI4k/s1600/jesus'+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6LBqgvCet3Q/T1Ko_DEziDI/AAAAAAAAFHw/Cp870VUOI4k/s320/jesus'+cross.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>Abraham’s devotion to God was tested.</b> The first reading today (Gn 22: 1-2, 9a,
10-13, 15-18) recounts the chilling moment when Abraham was about to offer up
his beloved son, Isaac, as a holocaust.
Isaac was everything to Abraham.
Precisely because of Abraham’s love for his son that God asked him to
offer up his beloved son as a sacrifice. Could he give up his son and
everything that his son meant to him? Abraham proved his utmost devotion to God
when he obeyed without questions God’s command and kept within himself the pain
of having to sacrifice his own son.</div>
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We know the rest of the story of course. God’s messenger stopped Abraham from slaying
his son. The messenger said: <i>“I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”</i> A ram caught in the thicket was offered up as
a holocaust instead of Isaac.</div>
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God could not allow Abraham to harm Isaac, much less to
sacrifice him, his own beloved son, as a holocaust. God certainly knew how excruciating the pain
would be for a father to lose a beloved son by giving him up. So, God spared the life of Isaac. God spared Abraham
from the most unbearable pain a father may experience.</div>
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<b>The ultimate test of God's love.</b> But this test of Abraham’s devotion through an act of
sacrifice somehow prefigures God’s own act of manifesting his love for his
people—for all of us. God, whom Jesus
called his Father, would come to the point when He would allow his own beloved
Son to be sacrificed on the cross for our sake. God, the loving Father, the same God who
spared Abraham and Isaac, kept within himself the unbearable pain when He did
not spare his own Son in order to save us! God remained silent, and He must be in great
pain, when Jesus was about to die on the cross calling on his name, asking him,
<i>“Why have you abandoned me?”</i></div>
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St. Paul’s insight into the greatness of this sacrificial
love is expressed in his assuring letter to the Romans: <i>“He who
did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also
give us everything else along with him?”</i> (Rom 8: 32).</div>
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What else can God refuse to do for our sake after having
gone through the ultimate test of his love for us—giving up his own beloved
Son? What more can we ask for from this
loving God who has given up everything for our sake?</div>
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And yet, the cruelest fact of our human insensitivity, we
continue to doubt the love of God at some dark hours of our lives!</div>
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<b>Invitation to confidence in the love of God.</b> This second Sunday of Lent invites us to have confidence
in God’s love for us. The message of our
readings is crystal clear: God’s love is
beyond doubt. God’s love will see us
through thick and thin, through floods and droughts. </div>
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Jesus’ transfiguration in today’s gospel reading (Mk. 9:
2-10) is meant to build the confidence of the followers who witnessed the
event—Peter, James, and John. Jesus’ awesome
appearance with Moses and Elijah at his sides is an assurance, a preview of his
glorious resurrection, which the apostles would hang onto when the darkest hour
of Jesus’ passion and death comes. The transfiguration event boosts the
confidence that God’s love will ultimately triumph even if for the moment there
are seemingly contrary evidences. </div>
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<b>Reflection:</b> Sacrifice is the test of love. Have we made it through the test? Do we really love? Can we bear silently our
suffering when it is for the good of the people dear to us? Our reflection
today has shown us that we can share in God’s salvific act of love whenever we
embrace any suffering brought about by our decision to love.</div>
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Let us allow this blessed season of Lent to help us see
clearly the greatness of God’s love for us and hence grow in the confidence
that we are truly loved. Whenever we see the image of Jesus being offered up on
the cross, may we perceive through it the love of the Father who has nothing
more to withhold as he has offered up for our sakes the one he calls “my
beloved Son.” </div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-24675181685747847952024-02-17T14:30:00.001+08:002024-02-17T16:23:19.091+08:00Springtime of Renewal (1st Sunday Lent B)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PETdmrNGHZA/VOiAfaoYywI/AAAAAAAAFvc/9oql2Mj3Uog/s1600/springtime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PETdmrNGHZA/VOiAfaoYywI/AAAAAAAAFvc/9oql2Mj3Uog/s1600/springtime.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lent is from an old
English word <i>Lencten</i> meaning “spring”—a
season when days are lengthen and all of nature comes alive after the sleep of
winter. Lent is a springtime, a period of renewal and growth in the life of the
spirit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Three images—desert,
flood, rainbow—in today’s readings will show us why. The “desert” experience
brings intimacy with God; the “flood” experience brings conversion and new
life; and the “rainbow” experience brings hope and confidence in God’s victory.
Let us reflect on these three images and allow our Lenten journey to be as
flourishing as the spring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The “desert” experience brings intimacy with God.</b> The first image is that of the <b>desert</b>.
In today’s gospel (Mk. 1:12-15), we see Jesus, after his baptism and before
beginning his years of public ministry, being led by the Spirit “into the desert," where he is tempted
by Satan. All throughout the Scriptures, the desert is often referred to as a
place of trials and of<b> </b>purification
from all idols. The Israelites lived in the desert for forty years in order to
be tested and purified of their idolatrous habits. Jesus is also tested in the
desert and offered the idols of power, wealth and fame. But he passed all
trials by his fidelity to the Father. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The desert is a place where our
illusions of self-sufficiency and comfort fade away. When we are in
the desert we quickly realize that we
need God. Lent is our desert experience too. For forty days our minds
and hearts are trained to be faithful to and intimate with God. The three traditional
disciplines of Lent help us towards self-emptying and intimacy with God: Fasting
sets us free from self-centeredness; our works of mercy lead us to serve and
love our neighbors in need; and the discipline of prayer brings intimacy with
God whom we choose to be the center of our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let
us allow this season and its disciplines to lead us into greater intimacy with God.
What would represent the desert experience for my journey this season of Lent?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The “flood” experience brings conversion and new life.</b> The second image in today's first and second readings is the <b>flood</b>.
The 40-day flood
in Noah’s time was God’s act of washing away sin and evil from the earth in
order to forge a new beginning. That ancient flood of water foreshadowed Christian baptism<b>. </b> In the second reading (1 Pt 3: 18-22), Peter
tells us that we are now saved by a baptismal bath which corresponds to the
great flood: the waters of baptism washed away all that is sinful in us and we
enter into a new life, a new covenant relationship with God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lent is our “flood experience”—our opportunity
for repentance and conversion as the Gospel reading today calls forth: “Change
your ways and believe the Good News” (Mk 1:15). Our Lenten journey looks
forward to the renewal of our baptismal promises on Easter and invites us to
accompany those who will receive the gift of new life through baptism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We ardently pray therefore for the grace of a life-changing
repentance and the joyful appreciation of our new life in baptism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The “rainbow” experience brings hope and confidence in
God’s victory.</b> The third image is the
<b>rainbow</b>. In the first reading (Gen.
9:8-15), the rainbow is a symbol of God covenant with Noah. We
can grant that Noah had completely no idea about the prismatic refraction of light in
a rainbow<b> </b>as its scientific
explanation, but he did understand its spiritual meaning. The rainbow stands for God’s covenant with him—God’s
promise of victory over the destructive power of sin. In Jesus Christ God
fulfilled this promise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Life
on earth is difficult. We still experience the oppressive power of sin and the
suffering it brings. Lent offers us our “rainbow” experience. Lent helps us
anticipate the glorious victory of Christ on Easter Sunday. Lent allows us to
remember even in the face of unspeakable sufferings that there is always hope
and we can be confident that Jesus, who himself was crucified, will not let us
down as He has overcome the destructive power of sin in his resurrection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Can
I also be a “rainbow” to others who are experiencing defeat in life? Can I
share to them my hope and confidence in the victory of God?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Indeed,
Lent is a springtime, a season when our spiritual life blossoms as we
experience intimacy, renewal, and hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-26940660189147936472024-02-10T14:30:00.001+08:002024-02-10T14:55:46.420+08:00Touched by God (6th Sunday Ordinary B)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qgyJnWjaV4c/TzXB44cM2RI/AAAAAAAAFHQ/RaXO8WchPL0/s1600/hug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qgyJnWjaV4c/TzXB44cM2RI/AAAAAAAAFHQ/RaXO8WchPL0/s320/hug.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A friend in <i>Facebook</i> once posted this interesting information: We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth (attributed to Virginia Satir, family therapist). To which I commented: If this were true, I would be in real bad shape now suffering from a severe hug deficiency!<br />
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Leo Buscaglia, the author of <i>Living, Loving and Learning</i> and a dozen more inspiring books was also known as Dr. Hug. He once said,<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"> </span></strong>“Everybody needs a hug. It changes your metabolism.” He is remembered as a passionate inspirational speaker who talked endlessly, without apologies, about love and authentic loving relationship. At the end of his every talk, he would spend time going to the audience and hug each of them (or at least those who wanted it). Those who were watching on TV could only wish to be a part of the audience and experience hugging this man who was bringing great inspiration into the world.<br />
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As relational beings, we do need to be physically connected to others, to feel that we are accepted and that we belong. The saddest and gruelling human experience, perhaps, is to be isolated from our loved ones, to be rejected as an outcast, to be reduced to nothing. <br />
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Dr. Hug, as he was fondly called, would always insist to go out and be connected with people, to reach out and touch them. An often quoted line from one of Buscaglia’s books comes to mind: “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”<br />
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In today’s gospel (Mk. 1: 40-45), Jesus turns a leper’s life around by reaching out to him and actually touching him—an unthinkable gesture then. Jesus’ touch is all that matters to this social and religious outcast.<br />
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As a leper, this man is a social outcast. He has been consigned to the margins of society having to live outside the town away from people in order not to contaminate others with his dreadful skin disease. He has to take it upon himself to make sure that people shy away from him should he enter the town: He “shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard; he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’” (Lv. 13: 45). He is not just a social outcast but a religious outcast too. His ailment is seen as a curse from God on account of his grievous sins. The people of Israel are designated as “the Holy People;” hence a leper, unclean as he is, has no place in this religious community. He is barred from worshipping God in the temple. Therefore, to be a leper means to be absolutely rejected—by people, by your loved ones, by God.<br />
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In the gospel reading, the leper musters all his courage to approach Jesus who is his only hope to become clean again and become a person again. Jesus is moved with pity; He stretches out his hand and touches the outcast! Jesus speaks to him and proclaims the leper’s salvation: “I do will it. Be made clean.”<br />
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How I love to contemplate on this scene using my imagination taking on the personality of the leper, approaching Jesus with my every filth and experiencing firsthand the compassion and love of God through the tender look of Jesus, his reassuring touch, and his kind words of salvation.<br />
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Jesus respects the Mosaic Law. He has come not to abolish it but to perfect it. In reaching out and touching the leper, however, He has demonstrated the primacy of the worth and dignity of every person over social and religious mores. The law should not kill but save the person for he is a child of God. Jesus’ touch reminds everyone that no matter how sin spoils a child of God, he retains his worth in the eyes of God.<br />
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We are a people touched by God in Jesus Christ. Through his passion and death, Jesus definitively revealed the worth of every person. We are worth sacrificing and dying for! In His resurrection, He has given us the assurance that sin has been vanquished and we can all have new life; never again will anyone who comes to the Lord be unclean and be declared an outcast. In our baptism, we have a sacramental experience of this powerful and saving touch of God cleansing us and giving us new life in Christ. What a gift!<br />
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The leper in the gospel has been warned not to tell anyone about his cure. But it is not difficult to understand him when he defies this warning and starts to dance around with joy proclaiming the saving deeds of God in his life. Do we exude such joy that only a people touched by God can have? Do we extend to others this beautiful blessing of being touched by God? </div>
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Again in the words of Dr. Hug: Let us not “underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”</div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-81692956576421714322024-02-03T13:50:00.001+08:002024-02-03T14:41:26.840+08:00Our Only Hope (5th Sunday Ordinary B)<br />
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“Life is difficult.”
This is the first sentence of Dr. M. Scott Peck’s bestseller, <i>The Road Less Travelled</i>. Life is filled
with problems and pain. Many people attempt to avoid problems and suffering
instead of dealing with them because most of the time people cannot understand
what’s going on. The story of Job, a portion of which is in our first reading
(Jb. 7:1-4, 6-7), tackles the seeming meaninglessness of life in the face of
unexplainable suffering. Job speaks: “Is
not man’s life on earth a drudgery?” (v. 1) “Remember that my life is like a
wind; I shall not see happiness again” (v. 7).</div>
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Most part of our lives may indeed be without rhyme or
reason. Today you’re doing fine, feeling
strong and invincible, relishing at last the confidence of being on the top of
the world; but tomorrow you’re suddenly down and out despite the fact that,
like Job, you’ve played it fair and square.
Is not life pointless? Both the bestseller, <i>The Road Less Travelled</i>, and the story of Job develop and come to
an end with the conviction that there are ways of responsibly facing and
resolving our problems and beyond our self-discipline and loving response there
is a force which we can’t fully explain but effectively works to bring us to wholeness.
Dr. Scott Peck identifies it with grace. The author of Job identifies it with
God who restores everything that has been lost. </div>
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Only God brings hope to this otherwise unexplainable and
pointless struggle we call life. Today’s
gospel reading (Mk. 1: 29-39) presents to us Jesus Christ and his ministry of
hope. The whole town gather around him
in search of answers to their various sufferings. Here one can perhaps
visualize the crowd that gather during the feast of the Black Nazarene in
Quiapo. There is just so much pain and
suffering among the people. Maybe out of
desperation, they would push and shove just to be near the source of miracles,
Jesus Christ, who for them certainly stands for their only hope. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WeYl7FFN1bs/Tyz-qqGETvI/AAAAAAAAFHI/6nQuaVp2bkQ/s1600/Jesus+of+Nazareth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WeYl7FFN1bs/Tyz-qqGETvI/AAAAAAAAFHI/6nQuaVp2bkQ/s320/Jesus+of+Nazareth.JPG" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author's first charcoal painting some time in 1994.</td></tr>
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We can bring out and reflect on the three approaches of
Jesus in his ministry of hope in today’s gospel—his ministry of healing,
praying, and preaching.</div>
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<b>Jesus, the Healer.</b> The gospel depicts Jesus’ healing
ministry. He has gone to the house of
Simon’s mother-in-law and cured her of her illness. After sunset, the whole
town gathered at the door and he cured many of them of their various diseases
and freed many from the possession of the evil spirits. Jesus brings hope to
these suffering people through his healing ministry. He sets them free from both physical and
spiritual alienation. He restores what is taken away by the power of sin. </div>
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We can extend this ministry of hope. Our sacramental life
offers us the sacraments of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick. These
are the sacraments of healing that restore our wholeness. To some extent, each of us shares in Jesus’
healing ministry. We can overcome the spiritual alienation wrought by sin when
we learn how to forgive one another. When
we forgive, we heal broken relationships. We can overcome the physical
alienation of people suffering from diseases when we truly care for them. Mother Teresa, for instance, made this her
ministry. She didn’t have the miraculous power to cure a terminal illness. But
she did have the power of love to make sure that the dying would have their
last breath knowing that they were loved and cared for. Caring is our power to heal the broken-hearted
and the physically ill. To forgive and to “caregive” is to bring hope to much
of our suffering in life.</div>
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<b>Jesus, the
Pray-er.</b> Jesus reveals in this
gospel that praying keeps the fire of hope burning. The suffering and pain He encounters in the
life of the people can be overwhelming. He
who ministers can be exhausted and can end up burned out even before he sees
all the needs answered. Jesus’ practice of spending time in solitude, in His
case early before dawn (v. 35), reveals the source of his sustenance in keeping
up hope in the ministry. For Jesus, and for His followers, life only finds its
direction, strength, and meaning in God.
Jesus’ solitude is not loneliness. It is intimacy with His Father in
heaven. The Father’s will is always Jesus’ point of reference in everything He
does. </div>
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Life can be burdensome, a drudgery, in Job’s language. What is the point of all our endeavours in
life? What is the meaning of our endless activities? When life is un-reflected,
we only see the superficial. All the
happenings are like series of disconnected activities that randomly comes one
after the other. And when life brings
suffering, all the more that we fail to see its meaning. It is the time we spend in silent prayer that
offers us a new perspective in life... a new way of seeing... a new meaning. Again, the text message sent to me by a victim
of typhoon Sendong is worth remembering here: “Even in the worst of times, there
are a lot of reasons to be thankful for.”
I bet that person draws such a hopeful disposition from her silent
moments of prayer. Prayer brings hope. Jesus has shown us that.</div>
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<b>Jesus, the
Preacher.</b> “Let us go on to the
nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come” (v.
38), Jesus tells his disciples. It is when the Lord preaches that He enkindles
the hope in the hearts of the people; most of them have been downtrodden. Jesus’ preaching announces the Good News of
the reign of God. The God of love reigns! The evil one is cast out. Repent!
Believe in the Good News! Jesus’ preaching assures all of us that God has not
left us in the hands of the evil one to suffer and rot. He assures us that
salvation is ours for God is always a faithful God; He will always be on our
side. God is doing just everything to bring back his oppressed people to his
fold. In Jesus all these have come to fulfilment.</div>
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We can bring hope to the downtrodden. Every time we proclaim the goodness of God in
our lives, we continue the preaching ministry of Jesus. Whenever we share to others how God has
worked marvellous deeds in us, we lift up the spirit of those burdened by life’s
misery. And there are just thousands of
them and more. </div>
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Life is difficult. Jesus shows us the way to hope. God is
our only hope.</div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-73677071127311131472024-01-27T16:00:00.001+08:002024-01-28T05:34:04.693+08:00Invitation to Silence (4th Sunday Ordinary B)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPEXeGq6Uhc/VMyQcesrcDI/AAAAAAAAFvE/9Gx6NU0fsNY/s1600/silence%2Bpic.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPEXeGq6Uhc/VMyQcesrcDI/AAAAAAAAFvE/9Gx6NU0fsNY/s1600/silence%2Bpic.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">During Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines in January of 2015, one of the most moving
encounters of the Filipino people with him was perhaps when he invited all to a moment of silence—silence in the
midst of the unspeakable remembrance of the agony, pain, loss, and other forms
of suffering that had befallen the people of Tacloban.</div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">"Some of you lost part of your
families, all I can do is keep silence, and I walk with you all with my silent
heart...I have no more words to tell you." These words of Pope Francis
revealed how silence has allowed him to show his own limits and humility. But this
honest expression of vulnerability has, all the more, humanized the papacy and
made him a captivating figure to many people. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">For me, such an invitation to silence,
coming from a humble Pope, is a reminder that in silence, more than in its
doctrinal eloquence, Christianity is in its finest. In silence,
Christianity’s compassion for the poor and the suffering becomes pure, honest,
and unmistakable.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Few people have discovered the eloquence
of silence. Most people live and have mastered
the art of thriving in the noise of anxieties, charting their way to success
through the multi-layered pile of tasks, important concerns, and, no doubt,
noble responsibilities. For these people
addicted to productive activities, silence is strange. Silence is unbearably a waste of their
precious time.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">In today’s gospel (Mk. 1: 21-28), Jesus
commanded the man with an unclean spirit to be quiet: “Quiet! Come out of him!” Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit this way
because he was ranting and raving as Jesus was teaching with authority in the
synagogue. The man with an unclean
spirit was resisting Jesus’ authority as he cried out <i>“What have you to do with us...? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Such is the noise of resistance to God’s
authority. Like the evil spirit, all too
often we find ourselves declaring our autonomy from external authorities like
God’s. “What have you to do with us?” We are afraid that God might ask us to
change and “destroy” our own grand plans in life. We acknowledge his Holiness
but we do not trust God enough to allow him to be the God of our lives! Hence, we keep on ranting, filling our hearts
with the noise of resistance. No wonder,
many times we are afraid to be silent.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Today we listen to the Lord as He
commands us with authority, “Be quiet!”
Only in that deep state of silence can God speak into our hearts. I propose the following invitations to
silence:</span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-PH">The
silence of emptiness.</span></i><span lang="EN-PH"> Cluttered with all our worldly concerns and
anxieties, our minds and hearts have no room to offer for God. We need to de-clutter. We need to give space for God’s Word to
penetrate our hearts. Silence is an invitation
to emptiness. To be truly silent is to
be empty in such a way that our only yearning is to be graciously filled up
with the sense of being loved by God. </span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-PH">The
silence of powerlessness. </span></i><span lang="EN-PH"> Satan’s bad habit is to perpetually resist the
authority of God. Satan wants to wield
power and to be his own God. We do feel
this evil tendency in us very strongly.
We want to be “the captain of our souls.” We want to be the ones taking hold of the
helm of our fate. We have to admit, we
can be control freaks. We seem to be
disoriented and lost when we are not in control. That is why we resist God’s
directions. We cannot let go. Silence is
the courage to be powerless in the face of God. Silence is letting go of our
control and being docile to God’s command, <i>“Be
quiet! Come out!” </i> Hence, silence is
an invitation for us to give up our futile resistance and let God be the God of
our lives.</span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-PH">The
silence of peace and harmony.</span></i><span lang="EN-PH"> This is the experience of tranquillity after
we have been purged of the “unclean spirit.”
This is the peace that sets in after the convulsions of our
defiance. We seek harmony in life. We can only attain it by making silence an
integral part of our busy lives. We can have peace and harmony when we have
replaced our bad habit of harbouring anxieties and resistance in our hearts
with the powerful habit of incorporating into our practical lives the eloquent
power of silence. The silence of harmony
is like the silences in between the notes of a great musical composition. All
those notes fail to form a harmonious melody when they are not woven together
by the silences that connect them all. So are the endless concerns in our
lives.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">The euphoria of the Pope’s visit soon died down. And rightly so, in order that we, in the same silence he called for, may do well to allow his
message of mercy and compassion to sink in and become truly an honest impulse
in our response to the suffering of the poor.</span></div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-12889901110590996822024-01-20T14:00:00.001+08:002024-01-20T14:32:50.267+08:00Cultivating our Faith (Feast of Santo Niño) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-PH">There has been a growing awareness even within the Church of </span>a crisis of faith experienced today in many developed countries that were
once Christian and have now abandoned the faith in favor of secularist
philosophies. We recall Pope Benedict XVI's letter, Porta Fidei (2011), which called for particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith in response to this crisis [PF, no 4]. <br />
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<span lang="EN-PH">In the Philippines, one may still claim that the Filipino people have not lost the
faith yet. But signs of secular mindset
creeping in are not difficult to notice and are gradually undermining the
integrity of faith in Filipino communities and families. Besides, the faith of a great number of
Filipino Catholics needs to move on from being just “sacramentalized” to
becoming truly evangelized. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Hence, we continue
our commitment to a long and gradual process of deepening our knowledge and
appreciation of our Christian faith and to grab every opportunity of living out
our faith consciously and of sharing it to the world with joy. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">The celebration of the Feast of the Santo
Niño is one such opportunity. How can
our devotion to the Santo Niño help us achieve the goal of deepening and
strengthening our Christian faith? I suggest three ways: </span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-PH">Gratitude
for the gift of faith.</span></b><span lang="EN-PH"> Today’s second reading (Eph
1:3-6, 15-18) should inspire us to be grateful because of the faith we
received. St. Paul writes: <i>“Therefore, I,
too, <b>hearing of your faith in the Lord
Jesus..., do not cease in giving thanks for you</b>, remembering you in my
prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him”</i>
(v.15-17).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our devotion to the child Jesus has to nurture our gratitude
for the gift of faith. The feast of the Santo Niño is particularly significant
to us Filipinos because it was the image of the child Jesus that was first
instrumental to the introduction of Christian faith to us. When we dance the <i>sinulog </i>step, we recall the joy of <i>Hara Amihan</i>, wife of <i>Rajah Humabon</i>, the ruler of Cebu in
1521, as she danced upon receiving the image of the Santo Niño as baptismal
gift from Magellan.</span><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-PH">Let our celebration of the Feast of the Santo Niño,
then, express our gratitude to God for the gift of our faith. Gratitude is a sign that we just don’t take
our faith for granted but we appreciate it and we are conscious of its value
and influence in our personal and communal lives. Gratitude for the gift of
faith is recognizing the gratuitousness of God in loving us sinners. When we
thank God for the gift of faith, we thank Him because we have Him in our lives.
Let our devotion to the child Jesus remind us of this.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-PH">Nurturing
the gift of faith in our children.</span></b><span lang="EN-PH"> The Santo Niño
represents a child. One reason perhaps why the natives of this land did not
resist the faith is the disarming appeal of a child. Jesus Christ himself has
always welcomed the presence of the children and has seen in them the qualities
of those who should belong to God’s Kingdom.
In Mt. 18:1-5, 10, Jesus called a child over
and presented him to his disciples saying, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn
and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever
humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And
whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">If Christian faith has to continue to
flourish, we need to nurture the seed of faith in our children. If we fail in this, how can we hope to succeed
in sharing the beauty of our faith to grown-ups who have become arrogantly
materialistic, astute in electronic technology but spiritually bankrupt? </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Our devotion to the child Jesus then
should heighten our recognition of the openness of the children to God. Children
are very fragile. We ought to take care of them, especially the aspect of their
faith and relationship with God. They can easily be destroyed by today’s
materialistic trend. God calls all of us for a purpose. We need to nurture that
calling in our children early on that they may grow in the path set for them by
God and that faith may be their guide in their search for meaning in life.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-PH"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-PH">Maturing in faith by purifying popular piety.</span></b><span lang="EN-PH"> Popular piety may have led some people
to flock to the image of the Santo Niño for its supposed ‘lucky charm,’ or
‘miraculous powers.’ While it’s a function of faith to trust in God’s
providence to answer our human needs, it is bordering onto fanaticism to assign
the divine power to the image of a divinity. While we love the image of the
child Jesus, for whatever reasons, it is perhaps a form of fixation to see the
person of Jesus only as a child.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Our devotion to the Santo Niño has to
help us encounter the whole person of Jesus. In Luke 2: 41-52, the incident of the
losing and finding of Jesus reveals that, as a child, Jesus is already
concerned about his relationship with his Father. “Why are you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” His
concern as a child to be in His Father’s house tells a lot about Jesus’ commitment
to do his Father’s will. When we see the
child Jesus asserting the utmost importance of doing His Father’s work, it
should not be difficult for us to see that this is the same person who reaches
out to serve the poor, the destitute, and the oppressed. He is the teacher who teaches us to love one
another and instructs us to forgive as the Father in heaven forgives, i.e.,
seventy times seven times. He is the same person who agonizes in the garden of
Gethsemane as He chooses the path of self-sacrifice that His Father’s design
may be accomplished. The child Jesus whom we love so much is the Jesus who has
saved us through his total obedience unto death on the cross and His
glorification in the resurrection.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Beyond the excitement of dancing the <i>Sinulog</i> steps, our devotion to the Santo
Niño has to lead us to the joy of mature discipleship and the challenge of
being his witnesses in this changed and increasingly secularized milieu. May our celebration of the Feast of the Santo Niño
be an opportunity for us, indeed, to deepen our faith.</span></div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-92181300923018523842024-01-13T15:00:00.001+08:002024-01-13T21:49:59.949+08:00Invitation to Intimacy (2nd Sunday Ordinary B)<br />
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Right after Epiphany Sunday which celebrated the joyful
truth of God’s manifestation to all nations and to each and every one of us to
assure us of his fidelity to the covenant, we can now move on and continue to
reflect deeply on this invitation to a loving relationship with this God who
communicates and reveals Himself.</div>
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This Sunday, we can speak of the invitation to intimacy
with God. For most of us believers, God
is present in our lives but great are the odds that we see Him as a distant God
watching us from afar or as a God of providence who becomes especially real to
us in times of dire need. Today’s readings reveal a God who calls us, who
initiates a loving relationship with us, who invites us to intimacy.</div>
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<b>God calls us
through the voice of restlessness.</b> The young Samuel, in the first reading
(1 Sm. 3: 3-10, 19), experiences some restless nights trying to discern whose
voice it is that calls him. Twice, he mistakenly believes it is Eli’s voice.
Only on the third instance, with Eli’s guidance, that he recognizes the voice
of God calling him. In the gospel reading (Jn. 1: 35-42), the first two
disciples of Jesus find themselves in a restless search, perhaps, for something
to which they can meaningfully devote their lives. Jesus confronts them: “What are you looking
for?”</div>
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Restlessness is a universal human experience. At some
point in our lives, we all find ourselves searching for something that can give
us peace, contentment, and meaning. This
spurs us on to a frustrating exploration in life looking for happiness in money
and possessions, in our achievements and honors, in power and influence, in
pleasure and easy gratification. Some quite desperately and sadly settle with
destructive addictions. </div>
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But restlessness can be the voice of God calling us to
Himself. Like Samuel, we need to listen
to God’s voice: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Or like the first
disciples of Jesus, we need to face him and answer bravely his question, “What
are you looking for?” We can be helped
tremendously by spiritual guides—like Eli and John who led Samuel and the
disciples rightly to the direction of God.
Spiritual directors, as we call them now, can assist us in discerning
the voice of God in our experience of restlessness and sorting out the
authentic voice of God from many other voices that are there to confuse and
mislead us.</div>
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<b>God invites us to
intimacy with Him.</b> Only in God can our search be over. As the famous line of St. Augustine’s
confession goes: "You have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."<br />
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God desires that we rest in Him, that we spend time with
Him. Again, after Samuel recognized God’s
voice and came to Him with an open and listening heart, the first reading
states, “Samuel grew up and <i>the Lord was
with him</i>.” In the gospel, the
disciples received Jesus’ invitation: “Come and see.” This is an invitation to intimacy... an
invitation to spend time with God and to know Him quite personally... not as a
distant God... not as a “spare-tire God” whom we remember only when we are running
with a flat tire.</div>
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Amid the hurly-burly of our crazy contemporary lives, we
experience a growing emptiness or restlessness. If we are not guided properly,
we can be very careless and senselessly plunge into an ultimately destructive
coping mechanisms and addictions that offer us nothing but bottomless pit of
emptiness.</div>
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Today’s readings remind us of God’s standing invitation—“Come
and see...” “Be with me...” “Whatever you do... you can do it with me.” Our restlessness is but a longing for
intimacy with a God who is just too happy to be known and be recognized. May we sort out, from the many voices that
drown us every day, the real voice of God inviting us to intimacy with Him.</div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-6519711364259374912024-01-06T15:38:00.001+08:002024-01-06T16:34:50.175+08:00God is Not Afraid to Tell Us Who He Is (Epiphany B)<br />
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John Powell’s <i>Why
Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?</i> is one of my earliest favorites. I read this interesting book at a time when I
was beginning to feel the need to go out of my shell and find people who would lovingly
accept me as I am. Self-disclosure can
be frightening. In John Powell’s words: “I
am afraid to tell you who I am, because, if I tell you who I am, you may not
like who I am, and it’s all that I have.”
To reveal one’s self openly and honestly takes the rawest kind of
courage as one exposes one’s self to a possible pain of rejection. Yet one will have to risk because only
through the process of revealing oneself that one can break free from an even
more cruel experience of pain—the prison of isolation. John Powell’s words
again come to mind: “To refuse the invitation to interpersonal encounter is to
be an isolated dot in the center of a great circle... a small island in a vast
ocean.”</div>
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<b>We are relational
beings. </b> We wither and perish in
isolation. I’m beginning to realize that this is another aspect of being
created in the image and likeness of God. Our God is Himself a relational God. He is the God of the Covenant. As such, He cannot be in isolation. In order to forge a loving relationship with humankind,
He has to make himself known. In Jesus
Christ, in that mystery of incarnation we have joyfully celebrated in the
season of Christmas, God has definitively revealed himself to human beings in
the manner most intelligible to us—as a human being.</div>
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Epiphany is the Greek word for revelation or
manifestation. Today’s liturgical celebration
of the Epiphany of the Lord calls to mind God’s risky act of manifesting
himself to the world. Indeed, the gospel
reading (Mt. 2: 1-12) describes, in that creative story of the visit of the
Magi, God’s act of self-revelation and the great irony that accompanied this
epiphany in the history of salvation. The Son of God has been rejected by the
Chosen People of God, the very people from among whom, ages and ages ago, He
was prophesied to come and for whom He was believed to be sent! Ironically, the wise men from the east,
representing the pagan people, were the ones who travelled far and wide in search
for the new born King and ended up accepting and worshipping him. The Lord was rejected by his own people, only
to be adored by all nations!</div>
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Some points for our reflection:</div>
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<b>Self-disclosure and the longing for acceptance.</b> Our relationships, including the relationship with God,
are built upon the courageous act of self-disclosure which is met either with
rejection or acceptance. God, who loves us
so dearly, cannot but go out of his own comfort zone as God in order to reach
out to us in self-revelation. Any acts
of self-manifestation longs for acceptance.
God longs for our acceptance. All too often though, God is met with
refusal. In Jesus Christ, God
experienced the utmost rejection on the cross.</div>
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In what ways have I refused God’s offer of himself? King Herod, in today’s gospel, pretended to
be interested in searching for the new born King. But in fact, in his heart of hearts he
rejected Jesus as he saw the child as a threat to his power. King Herod refused to accept Jesus. King
Herod was full of himself. There was no
room in his heart for the manifestation of God’s love. There is room only for his poor self. Is this
not the same reason that I refuse God sometimes in my life? Am I not too full of myself to allow God to
communicate his love for me? Am I not closing my heart because of fear that I
might lose myself and God might take over the controls in my life?</div>
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<b>Beyond the trauma of rejection.</b> God can turn the pain of rejection into the blessing of
salvation. When the Chosen People did
not welcome the Messiah, the blessed irony in salvation history
transpired. It was to the gentile world
that the glory of the Lord was manifested.
When the Lord was rejected by his own nation, all the nations on earth
adored him. In Matthew’s narrative story of the visit of the Magi, the wise men
from the east saw his star and understood in it God’s universal invitation for
salvation. Hence, the Church today proclaims the revelation of God to the whole
world. God reveals and makes Himself known to all men and women. </div>
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We can be paralyzed by our traumatic experiences of
rejection. We can spend our lives hiding
inside ourselves seeing to it that we will never be hurt again. So we refuse
invitations to authentic relationships—sometimes even relationship with God. But this is the surest way to the prison of
isolation. </div>
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<b>Invitation to mutual self-disclosure with God. </b>God allows in himself and in us the experience of being
rejected, but he makes sure another door is opened for us. Epiphany invites us to trust in the God of
relationships. His own act of
self-disclosure encourages us to go out of our protective shells and reach out
to him and to others. True worship and
adoration can only come from someone and from a people who have the courage to
venture out of the familiar self in order to accept the invitation to a mutual self-disclosure
with God—the God who is not afraid to tell us who He is. </div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-30900886976398986382023-12-30T14:41:00.001+08:002023-12-30T15:04:46.141+08:00Never Cut the Thread (Holy Family B)<p><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Maiandra GD", sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L4tMDqWZsWI/X-b1qUjMzSI/AAAAAAAAJzA/kTTEdc67eF8N_K71x-EmSQoXPke2jBoXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s301/holy%2Bfamily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="301" height="178" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L4tMDqWZsWI/X-b1qUjMzSI/AAAAAAAAJzA/kTTEdc67eF8N_K71x-EmSQoXPke2jBoXwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h178/holy%2Bfamily.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">A father accompanied
his son to fly a kite. The kite easily reached high up in the sky.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">After a while, the son observed that the
thread seemed to hold the kite from flying higher. So, he asked his father to cut
the thread. The father obliged. The kite, to the son's delight, started to go a
little higher. But then, slowly, it started to come down and soon fell on the
top of a tree. The son, surprised by what just happened, asked his father,
“Father, I thought that after cutting off the thread, the kite can freely fly
higher. Why did it fall down?”</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">The Father explained,
"Son, the thread was not holding the kite from going higher. It was
helping it stay higher when the wind slowed down and when the wind picked up,
you helped the kite go up higher in a proper direction through the thread.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">When the thread was cut, the kite lost its
support.” So it is with the support of our family. Our loved ones edify us and
see us through the rough times, sustaining us as we reach higher heights in
life. They are not holding us back; they provide us the thread of support for
us to fly. So, never cut the thread.</span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The celebration of
the Feast of the Holy Family encourages us to value our own families and to
appreciate the "thread of support" our families provide us with. In
the light of the scriptural readings for today, let us reflect on three areas
of support our families may offer us inspired by the Holy Family: The area of
obedience to God's will; of building our trust in God's faithfulness; and of
extending our families to the wider family of God.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Obedience
to God’s Will</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">.
The Gospel describes how Joseph, as the head of the Holy Family of Nazareth,
presented Mary and the Baby Jesus in the Temple for the mother’s purification
and the Child’s “redemption.” The Law of Moses taught that every Jewish
firstborn male child belonged to Yahweh and therefore must be “bought back” by
the parents with a lamb or turtledoves as a sacrifice in the Temple. Also, the
mother had to be purified after childbirth by prayers and an offering made to
God in the Temple. As an act of obedience to God, Joseph kept these laws.
Hence, in the gospel reading, we see the Holy Family in the temple obedient to
God’s commandments.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">Joseph’s obedience to
God provided the thread that trained Jesus to be obedient to the Father’s will;
so that when his hour came, Jesus faced his harrowing passion and death on the
cross, overcoming his agony by praying for strength to do his Father's will:
"Father, not my will, but yours be done" (Lk 22:42). Jesus’ total
obedience to God the Father reversed the disobedience of Adam, the cause of the
downfall of man.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">How crucial is
obedience to God in the work of redemption!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">The Holy Family
reminds our families to become schools of this very important virtue, i.e.,
obedience. Through proper discharge of authority and by way of everyday
witnessing of parents as Joseph and Mary did, children are moulded to become
persons with deep respect to their parents and with fear of the Lord.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">And there is a promise of blessing that await
a family that lives in obedience to God’s laws: “How blessed is the man who
fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments” (Ps 112:1). May our
families be a school of obedience that leads each one to walk the ways of the
Lord.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Building
Trust in God's Faithfulness</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">.
The Holy Family has been a witness to God’s fidelity to his promise. As God had been true to his promise to
Abraham in the first reading (Gen 15:1-6; 21:1-3) giving him a son, Isaac—who
would fulfil the promise of a multitude of descendants, God fulfilled the
Emmanuel prophecy through Joseph and Mary by giving them Jesus, the Saviour
born of a virgin (Mt 1:23). In today’s gospel, Mary and Joseph presented the
child Jesus in the temple; there, they witnessed how the promise made to the
righteous and devout Simeon and the prophetess Anna were also fulfilled. The
Presentation in the Temple, we can say, was an event in the life of the Holy
Family together with Simeon and Anna wherein the fulfilment of God’s promise of
salvation for the people was revealed and celebrated.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">God is a God of
promise and a God of fulfilment. He is a faithful God as witnessed to by the
Holy Family. Our families, too, experience the fidelity of God as He abides
with us through all the vicissitudes of family life.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">May we exclaim at all times what the Psalm
proclaims: “The Lord remembers his covenant forever” (Ps 105:6). May the
sincerity of the husband and wife to live together with faithful love be their
own witnessing to the faithfulness of God.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">May we make good of every promise we make to one another in our
families; may we be there for one another in good times and in bad; and as we
grow in integrity, honouring our every word, may we build the culture of
trust—strengthening our trust in one another and in the faithfulness of
God.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Embracing
the Wider Family of God</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">. In Simeon’s prayer of blessing, he prophesied
that Jesus was meant to be the glory of Israel and the light of revelation to
the Gentiles. And as he blessed Mary, he warned her that her child would be “a
sign of contradiction,” and that she would be “pierced with a sword.” Simeon
was prophesying both the universal salvation that would be proclaimed by Jesus
and the necessity of suffering in the mission of the Messiah. Right from the very start, the Holy Family
was well aware of the mission of Jesus—He was not to be theirs alone. He
belonged to the wider family of God. As the child Jesus grew and became strong,
filled with wisdom and God’s favour, his family in Nazareth was there to
provide all the support He needed for this mission.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">Our love for the
family must not be exclusive.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">Our love
should embrace the wider family of God.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">The support our family gives to each other must be conscious of our
mission to be of service to the wider community.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">Families should provide that “thread” of
support for each member to respond to God’s call to serve or even face
sacrifices for the good of society. May our families be in solidarity with the
wider family of God. May we see that the homeless out there in the cold are
part of our family; the addict, the broken, and the lonely are members of our
family; the sick and the dying, are our brothers and sisters; the persons in
the prison cell are also sons and daughters of God, and as such, are members of
our family.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On this Sunday, the
Feast of the Holy Family, we lift our families up to God for His blessing,
thanking Him for the gift of our parents, our brothers and sisters, our grandpa
and grandma. May we always draw our strength and sense of direction from our
family who is there to allow us to fly like a kite with the guiding thread
which reminds us to fear the Lord and walk in his ways, to trust in God’s
promises, and to embrace the wider family of God. And remember, never cut the
thread.</span></span></p>Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-70485968793489161562023-12-23T15:00:00.000+08:002023-12-23T15:32:20.385+08:00We Can’t Always Say Perhaps (4th Sunday Advent B)<br />
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Why does it take a lot of courage to say yes? </div>
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Women, unsure of their feelings for their avid suitors
who press them to give their answer, have a very convenient reply: “Perhaps,
perhaps, perhaps!” (This is with or without a smile). A variation in Filipino language is “<i>ewan</i>...” which means “Sorry. I don’t
know. I’m not sure.” Songs have been
composed along this theme. They sure are amusing and cute. </div>
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While this reply is convenient when we find ourselves not
ready to commit, a persisting non-committal attitude to life, however, can be
disastrous or tragic. We may lose our
opportunity to make our choices and decide what ought we to do in life or what
kind of person we want to become. We may
live life, taking our time, as if we’re not going to die and we die as if we
have not lived. Tragic indeed.</div>
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Life is a commitment. So we can’t always say “Perhaps.” In some life-defining moments, we need to say “Yes!” Today’s gospel reading (Lk. 1:26-38), we witness
once more the courageous <i>fiat</i> (latin
for <i>let it be done</i>) of Mary. This is Mary’s “Yes!” to God’s invitation for
her to become the mother of Jesus, the awaited Messiah and Savior of Israel and
of the whole creation. Let us allow Mary’s <i>fiat</i>
to invite us, as part of our preparation for Christmas, to examine our own
attitude to commitments to life and, ultimately, to God. </div>
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Why does it take a lot of courage to say yes? Three ways
to show why in the light of Mary’s yes: Saying
yes is a leap of faith. Saying yes is
realizing our destiny. Saying yes is a commitment
to serve humbly.</div>
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<b>Leap of Faith.</b>
After hearing the angel Gabriel’s greetings and message, Mary “pondered” what
this meant. “How can this be?” She
asked. Mary was in the face of something which, in her human reckoning, is
impossible. Yet, she said yes. She said yes despite the clear danger that her
having a child out of wedlock might bring her.</div>
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Saying yes to God’s invitation is a leap of faith. One has to place everything in the hand of God
believing that nothing is impossible with him. To say yes is to trust in a faithful God—a God
who fulfils his promise like his promise of a throne for David’s descendants that
will last forever. </div>
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Like Mary, we say yes to God’s calling not because we are
sure that we can deliver and succeed but because we are certain that God always
delivers and succeeds through us. We only have to say, “Yes. Let it be done to
me.” As the angel reminded Mary, we are reassured too: Do not be afraid. Take the leap of faith.</div>
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<b>Realization of Destiny.</b>
When God has promised, it is destined to
happen in His own time. Mary was placed
at the threshold of the realization of what God has destined to happen and that
is the coming of the long-awaited Messiah who will establish God’s Kingdom
forever. For this destiny to be fulfilled,
Mary needed to say yes out of her freedom. Her <i>fiat</i> allowed her to participate actively in the fulfilment of God’s
design.</div>
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We are not puppets.
We are not programmed to mechanically execute a design. We decide whether to say no or yes. Hence, we are responsible for the choices we
make and their consequences. Our
decisions may thwart what is set by God for us. To be able to fulfil our own destiny, to be
able to become the kind of person we are called to be, we need to be
decisive. We cannot persist in our
non-committal attitude to life like a shrivelled leaf adrift the river. Destiny is not fulfilled this way. God’s design calls for our active
participation as it did for Mary’s <i>fiat</i>.
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We say yes to God and allow the realization of God’s design
in our lives. We say yes and we fulfil our
destiny.</div>
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<b>Commitment to
Humble Service.</b> Mary’s <i>fiat</i> came from a humble posture of a
handmaid: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”
(v. 38). This is a decision to place
oneself at the disposal of the Lord. This requires humility and readiness to be
of service to God. </div>
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In this dog-eat-dog society, competition is the name of
the game. When you’re into it, you want to show who’s the boss, who calls the
shots, who’s the man. It’s no mean feat
to be committed to humble service in such an egoistic milieu. </div>
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Christians who are in leadership positions in society are
called to say yes to the ideals of humble service as Mary did. We can make a difference. Let us not allow the narcissistic style of
this world to shape our way of being. It’s
our commitment to humble service that ought to teach the world. Let our humble posture of service everyday
convert the proud and self-serving inclinations of the world. </div>
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When our response to life’s opportunities and God’s
invitations is always “perhaps” for wanting to be on safe grounds, we sure end
up losing everything instead. We ought
to have the courage to say “Yes!” to life and to God. In our preparations for Christmas, this last
week of advent showcases to us the courage of Mary’s <i>fiat</i>. With her brave and
trusting yes to God, she made all the difference. She made us all see that indeed nothing is
impossible with God.</div>
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In this joyful season of Christmas, can we allow our
contemplation of the mystery of God’s incarnation to evoke our own <i>fiat</i>? </div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-67850630799830903772023-12-16T16:30:00.001+08:002023-12-16T17:03:11.591+08:00Finding Joy in God (Gaudete Sunday B)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EAWwSl8ge1Q/TuL_bbrC01I/AAAAAAAAFGQ/-NUOqgCMOtI/s1600/teresa+joy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EAWwSl8ge1Q/TuL_bbrC01I/AAAAAAAAFGQ/-NUOqgCMOtI/s400/teresa+joy.png" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN-US">Christian life, we have to face it, is
quite demanding. We speak of high cost
of discipleship, of carrying our crosses each day, of self-denial and
self-sacrificing love among others.
Without the correct disposition, our life in the Lord can end up as listless,
unhappy and exhausting commitment of self-giving. In fact, stern faces and humorless outlook in
life are not uncommon among many serious Christians we meet. Needless to say, this joyless witnessing is a
source of discouragement for others to take Christian faith seriously. How can
we be attractive when there’s no joy in the life we lead? </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Joy is an essential disposition of a
true disciple. The demands of Christian
life have to be carried out with a joyful heart. <i>Gaudete</i>
Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, is meant to remind us of the fact that always
God’s presence in our life is a cause for rejoicing. All Advent biblical figures attest to this. We
hear Isaiah exclaims, in the first reading (Is 61:1-2, 10-11): “I rejoice
heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul…” (v. 10). Mary’s magnificat, too, is read as the
responsorial psalm and we hear Mary exults: “My being proclaims the greatness
of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior” (Lk 1: 46). We recall too, though not in today’s
readings, John the Baptist leaping with joy in her mother’s womb as Elizabeth
and Mary greeted each other.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Do we find joy in God? Allow me to offer
three ways of finding joy in God—the joy of gratitude, the joy of ministry, the
joy of surrender.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">The
Joy of Gratitude.</span></b><span lang="EN-US">
There is joy in thanksgiving. No doubt about it. St. Paul, in our second reading, tells the
Thessalonians to rejoice and pray always and give thanks in all circumstances
(1 Thes 5: 16). Christian life may be demanding but even before we are faced
with the demands of our commitments to the Lord, God has favored us first as “He
has looked with favor on his lowly servant”, Mary, that she may be called
blessed in all ages. Isaiah’s joy too is
one of gratitude as he attests: “for He has clothed me with a robe of
salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice” (Is. 61: 10).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When God asks our commitment, he sees to
it first that he endows us with the gifts required for fulfilling what he
expects of us. When we see it this way,
gratitude then is our first response to God’s goodness. Whatever we do for God, we do it with the joy
of a grateful heart. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">How often, deep in our hearts, we demand
from God our reward for being good in this life! This we expect with a stern sense
of entitlement oblivious of the fundamental fact that we have been blessed
already prior to our achievements and that we are good only because God has
been good to us first. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Advent allows us to rejoice because of
the goodness of God in our lives. An important
Advent preparation then is cultivating a grateful heart, one that truly brings
forth joy, as it recognizes God’s favor on us.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">The
Joy of Ministry.</span></b><span lang="EN-US">
There is joy in serving. We sure
feel physically tired after serving, yet at the end of the day, we wonder why a
serene sense of deep satisfaction invigorates us from within. I believe it is the quiet and gentle power of
joy that revitalizes us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I once worked in a rural and mountainous
parish with an aging missionary as my parish priest. Because I was young, nimble and quick, all ministering
that involved going through the rough roads and dangerous trails of the
countryside were understandably left to my care. Always upon my return from these difficult
areas, the kind old missionary would come to me with much concern in his face
making sure I was fine. Sometimes, for
one reason or another, I could not make it to the barrio, he would volunteer to
go as we were left with no choice. As he
returned home, I would meet him to see if he was fine. On those days, he surely looked tired and
older but, to my amazement, a lot happier.
He would look at me beaming with a joyful smile and say, “I’m back and I’m
great!”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Such is the joy of serving. This I believe is the same joy that exudes and
makes the face of Mother Teresa beautiful—more beautiful than the fresh and
pampered faces of those hailed Miss Universe.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Do we find joy as we serve in our
ministry? In our professions?</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">The
Joy of Surrender.</span></b><span lang="EN-US">
There is joy in trusting and in believing in the faithfulness of
God. This is the joy of placing our
lives at the hands of the faithful God. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Sometimes, in this result-oriented
society we are living now, we can become control freaks. We spend a lot of our energy making sure that
everything goes according to our wishes and plans. We begin to become strict, intolerant, stiff,
unbending. We lose our flexibility and spontaneity.
All because we want to see our design
successfully materialized, our set goals met and our plans well-executed. Failures and adversities have no place in our
lives. Yet, the fact is, they do
happen. Not everything goes according to
our design. Hence, our contemporary life
is marked by stress and anxiety.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">To surrender to God is liberating. Filipinos are said to be the happiest people
despite formidable adversities. I
suspect this is because we know how to place our lives into the hands of
God. “Bahala na!” in its positive sense
expresses our trust in God’s providential care.
We trust that in God’s wisdom, everything will fit together, everything
will make sense. So we learn how to let
go and let God and get a life.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In our Christian life it is not our own
will but God’s will that matters most, not our own design but God’s
design. Advent reminds us that like the
prophets and Mary who listened to God’s will and trusted in God’s fidelity, we
too may do well to surrender to God.
There’s so much joy in it. Promise.</span></div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-38782136572426840462023-12-09T14:35:00.001+08:002023-12-09T15:44:32.437+08:00Somebody’s Coming to Town (2nd Sunday Advent B)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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I could still remember my delight when I was chosen among
others to be part of the concelebration of the Mass with Pope Francis when he
came to Manila in January of 2015.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">There was so much preparation in all parts of the country
because Pope Francis was coming. All over the nation a prayer was said in every
mass in all our Churches that Pope Francis’ visit may bless us and that it may
turn us into a people of compassion and mercy especially in our dealing with
the poor in our society. In Pampanga a musical entitled “I Love Pope Francis”
had been shown to help Catholics know more about the awaited Pope. In Palo,
Leyte, Ground Zero of the world’s strongest typhoon ever, the construction of
Pope Francis’ Center for the Poor was completed and Pope Francis himself was to
bless it for the use of orphans and the elderly. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">A real sense of anticipation and preparation can animate
people. It can evoke creativity and commitment. It can challenge the people to
embrace the values that represent that which they are waiting for. It can
indeed transform a people. The season of Advent is a season of anticipation and
preparation. Someone mightier than John the Baptist, and than anyone else, is
coming. We await the coming of our Lord, the Messiah. And our readings today
instruct us on how we ought to prepare. Let us examine then the message of John
the Baptist, a very important Advent figure, and second, the exhortation of
Peter in the second reading.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-PH">John’s
call for Repentance and Acceptance of the Messiah.</span></b><span lang="EN-PH"> As a voice crying out in the desert, John
echoes Isaiah’s call for the preparation of the way of the Lord: “Prepare the
way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” In the gospel reading (Mk 1:1-8),
John offers two ways of a meaningful preparation—repentance and acceptance of
the Mighty One.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">John the Baptist knows what is needed in
preparing the way of the Lord. He calls for repentance. He invites people to change their hearts by
submitting themselves to baptism, wherein the symbol of the water effects an
interior cleansing. An integral part of
John’s baptism is the acknowledgement of sins. Hence, we read that “the whole
Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their
sins” (v. 5). When one confesses his/her
sins, the person names his/her sins thus gaining control over its power while
at the same time accepting the responsibility.
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<span lang="EN-PH">Personal conversion involves our
decision to be open to God’s power to cleanse us of our sins through his mercy
so that we gain the strength to <i>turn away</i>
from the ways of this world. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">John’s message though is not just about <i>turning away</i> from sins and from the ways
of this world. More important perhaps is where he points us to. John the
Baptist, despite his growing fame and the admiration of his followers, never
sees himself as greater than Jesus, the One who is to come. He assumes a posture of a humble servant or
even lower than a servant as he claims unworthiness even to untie the Lord’s
sandals. He steadfastly fulfils his mission, which is to prepare for the coming
of Christ and to point people to Him. So as he baptizes them and exhorts them
to turn away from sin, he points them to Jesus that they may turn towards him
and accept Jesus as their saviour.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">In this Advent season, we ask the grace
to be brave enough to turn away from our sinfulness and turn towards Jesus our
Saviour. Repentance and loving acceptance of our Lord ought to be our advent
aspirations.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-PH">Peter’s
exhortation towards Holiness and Devotion.</span></b><span lang="EN-PH"> In the second reading (2 Pt 3:8-14), Peter
writes about the coming of the Day of the Lord like a thief. As the disciples
await the Day of the Lord, Peter exhorts them in these words: “Since everything
is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought (you) to be,
conducting yourselves in <b>holiness</b>
and <b>devotion</b>, waiting for and
hastening the coming of the day of God...” </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Our lives ought to be marked
by holiness. For Peter, the Greek word "<i>anastrophe</i>" refers directly to the way we act, our
behavior. Hence holiness is about how we
follow the example of the goodness of Christ relating and treating other people
with respect and love. It is about how we accept every opportunity to
serve and to do what is good to those who are in need around us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">The second quality St. Peter exhorts us
to have is devotion. The Greek word is "<i>eusebia</i>” which refers not so much to our actions as to
the attitude underlying our actions. It’s the disposition of our hearts
like the joyful reverence towards our Lord and our God. As such, devotion
is not about saying a lot of prayers. It is more a matter of a consistent
personal and intimate relationship with the Lord. To be devoted to the Lord is
to joyfully and lovingly offer ourselves in relationship with Jesus whom we
await.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Hence, in this season of Advent we aspire
to grow in holiness in our dealings with others and to deepen our devotion to
the Lord.</span></div>
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Again, real anticipation animates us. Let us be animated
by the anticipation of the Lord’s coming in Christmas. In this season of Advent, let us heed John’s
call to turn away from our sins and turn towards the Mighty One, Jesus. Or in
the words of Peter, let our lives be characterized by “holiness” in all that we
do and marked by “devotion” to our Lord.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-58661517327107539442023-12-08T03:08:00.000+08:002023-12-08T08:44:34.966+08:00God Never Gives Up On Us (Immaculate Conception)<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_XQpZtwMikU/TuBiZGqSI1I/AAAAAAAAFGI/LcAFjgFlErc/s1600/immaculate.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_XQpZtwMikU/TuBiZGqSI1I/AAAAAAAAFGI/LcAFjgFlErc/s400/immaculate.jpg" width="327" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">There’s so much brokenness in this world... in our communities... in our families... my family... in ourselves... my self... that somehow sin and its effects become more apparent to us than the grace of God. </span></div>
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Lest we succumb to the hopelessness of being forever subjected to the universal curse of sin, today’s Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception reminds us that God has never given up on us. We gather to reflect upon the profound mystery of God's plan for the salvation of humanity. This feast reminds us of the consequences of sin and brokenness in our lives, but also of the immense love and graciousness of our Heavenly Father, who never gives up on us.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sin has marred our existence as presented to us by the first reading from the Book of Genesis (Gen 3:9-15, 20) where we are reminded of the sin of humanity's first parents-- disobedience to God. It has fractured our relationship with God and with one another. It has caused pain, suffering, and division in our world. We experience the effects of sin in our daily lives, in our thoughts, words, and actions. We fall short, we stumble, and we feel the weight of our own helplessness in the face of temptations and struggles.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But in this darkness, we find a glimmer of hope, a ray of divine light. God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, chose a woman named Mary and favoured her with “fullness of grace” since her conception so that, having been saved from the vicious clout of sin, she may bring forth the spotless saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, into this world... to heal it, to make it whole again, to re-create it. </span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mary, immaculately conceived, stands before us as a sign of hope and a source of inspiration. She is the exemplar of God's graciousness and His unwavering love for humanity. While we may feel helpless in the face of sin, God never abandons us. He chose Mary to be the vessel through which His Son would enter our world, to redeem us and offer us the gift of salvation.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the gospel reading today, Mary inspires us with her response to God's grace: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (Lk. 1: 37). Through Mary's fiat, her "yes" to God's plan, she embodies our own response to God's call for redemption. In her obedience, humility, and faith, she becomes a model for us to imitate. Mary's life teaches us that, despite our brokenness, God's grace can transform us into vessels of His love and mercy.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As we celebrate this solemnity, let us reflect on the depth of God's love for us. Let us acknowledge our own sinfulness, brokenness, and helplessness. But let us also embrace the hope that Mary represents, recognizing that God's grace has the power to heal, restore, and transform us.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today, we ask for the intercession of the Immaculate Conception, the ever-virgin Mary, to help us on our journey towards holiness. May she guide us, inspire us, and teach us how to surrender ourselves completely to God's will. Through her prayers, may we experience the graciousness of God, who never abandons us, but continually calls us to newness of life.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">May the feast of the Immaculate Conception remind us of the precious gift of God's grace and the transformative power it holds. Let us strive to live lives worthy of this grace, allowing Mary's example to guide us to our ultimate destination, eternal union with God.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* * *</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today, as I fix my eyes on Mary, I let my tears flow for I am humbled by my brokenness but I am lifted up by the confidence that God has not given up on me and He will never ever give up on me.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div></div>Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-85340303062574256772023-12-02T21:24:00.001+08:002023-12-02T21:24:06.659+08:00Vigilance for Peace (1st Sunday Advent B)<p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">(An Advent message for the celebration of the Mindanao Week of Peace 2023)</span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We gather here on the first Sunday of Advent, a time of joyful anticipation and preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Today's Gospel reading from the Book of Mark (Mk. 13: 33-37) gives us important lessons about vigilance and being prepared. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Jesus said, "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come."</span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">As we reflect on this message, we also find ourselves in the midst of the celebration of the Mindanao Week of Peace which started on November 30 and ends on December 6. Let us take this opportunity to be reminded of our Christian commitment in building a culture of dialogue among the diversity of cultures in Mindanao and, particularly to us, in the province of Lanao del Norte. </span></span></span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We ardently pray for peace especially as we witness with anxiety the rise of violence and conflicts in the world today. </span></span></span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">This week serves as a call for vigilance in actively praying and working for peace through harmony and acts of solidarity.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to his disciples about being vigilant, always ready for the coming of the Son of Man: "Be watchful! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Be alert! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">You do not know when the time will come." But vigilance must go beyond watching for the second coming of Christ. Vigilance applies to the challenges of our everyday lives, and extends to our relationships and interactions with others. Vigilance means being present and engaged with those around us, and being watchful for the presence of Christ among us every day.</span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The celebration of the Mindanao Week of Peace calls us to be vigilant for peace—vigilant in guarding the culture of dialogue which we have endeavored for many years already. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Let us not allow misunderstandings, hateful sentiments, and forms of conflicts from within and from the different parts of the world to weaken our commitment to live in harmonious co-existence as children of God. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">This week of peace invites us to strengthen even more our continuing commitment of building the culture of dialogue whereby we actively seek to understand one another, to respect and embrace the richness of diversity, and to foster unity amidst our differences. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Let us dearly hold our conviction that this culture of dialogue is an antidote to the conflicts and violence that plague our world today.</span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Dialogue requires humility, openness, and a genuine desire to listen. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It is only when we truly listen to one another that we can bridge the gaps that divide us. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It is through dialogue that we can find common ground, build relationships, and work towards genuine peace.</span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">As we light the first Advent candle, let it remind us of the light of Christ that shines in our lives, illuminating the path towards peace. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Let it also remind us of our shared responsibility to be watchful and vigilant, not just for Christ's second coming but also for everyday opportunities to build peace and foster dialogue in our communities.</span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">May this Advent season be a time of deep reflection and renewal for each one of us. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Let us commit ourselves to be agents of peace, builders of dialogue, and true witnesses of solidarity. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">May we work tirelessly to create a world that celebrates diversity, welcomes harmonious co-existence, and rejects violence and war. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In doing so, we become living examples of God's love and mercy, living in peace together as His beloved children.</span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">As we journey through this season of Advent and continue to celebrate the Mindanao Week of Peace, let us remember Jesus' words: "What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Together, through our collective vigilance and commitment, may our beloved Mindanao truly grow in peace and harmony.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7wTBKlnIgjEv2etBvZt_UfeZwIWlqkEQkLll9hO3F-QV0XRgrz9osd5zHrKT4XhB0ySRB8wAix1e6fA14LQiJxFxJXGffhl_iPfm-wJ_DLAb-R0vq-0YuUnxMxuB6-lr3CApW-MJ9qTJTIl2XbL7colQVslu3XicGplWPO0lS4VKTBNrKjlwjR8FxwW9/s553/istockphoto-1276484234-170667a.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="553" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7wTBKlnIgjEv2etBvZt_UfeZwIWlqkEQkLll9hO3F-QV0XRgrz9osd5zHrKT4XhB0ySRB8wAix1e6fA14LQiJxFxJXGffhl_iPfm-wJ_DLAb-R0vq-0YuUnxMxuB6-lr3CApW-MJ9qTJTIl2XbL7colQVslu3XicGplWPO0lS4VKTBNrKjlwjR8FxwW9/w320-h307/istockphoto-1276484234-170667a.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">May God bless you all abundantly in this Advent season, and may you anticipate the coming of our Lord as you allow His peace and love to dwell in your hearts now and forever.</span></span><p></p><div><br /></div>Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-4155864430810792712023-11-25T14:14:00.002+08:002023-11-25T16:50:59.674+08:00Royal Disguise (Christ the King A)<br />
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A story was told of a well-loved king who was curious
about how his people were treating one another.
To know firsthand what was going on in his kingdom, he went into the
villages disguised as a street sweeper.
There, to his utter dismay, he was ignored by many and insulted by
some. Very few were charitable to
him. He went back to his palace and
instructed his ministers to do everything in their power to teach the people
how to respect one another especially the poor.
After a month, the king disguised himself again, this time as a poor beggar,
and mingled with the people. To his surprise, no one jeered at him nor ignored
him. Instead he was greeted with respect
and people were charitable to him. The
well-loved king went back to his palace satisfied and praised his ministers for
what they had done. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">What had they done? The ministers had sent the messenger to
spread the word that their beloved king was in their midst. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bb6zvzOvVWs/TsefVMTfkfI/AAAAAAAAFFY/iU1VN1vX3ws/s1600/teresa.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bb6zvzOvVWs/TsefVMTfkfI/AAAAAAAAFFY/iU1VN1vX3ws/s400/teresa.jpg" width="300" /></a>The awareness that their beloved king was among them
trained them to treat one another with respect.
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Even a poor beggar had to be treated with dignity because he might just be the
king!</div>
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<b>Christ the King and his identification with the poor.</b> “I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me” (Mt. 25: 40). Once again today, as we celebrate the end of the liturgical year with the feast of Christ the King, we are reminded that our King has identified himself with the least of our brothers and sisters—the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick, and those who are in prison. To serve the King, we need not travel far and wide. We just have to see him in those who come to us in need. <br />
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Our generation is blessed to have known Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Her life was known to the whole world as an eloquent witness to an authentic Christian life. Her eloquence was not in her words. It was in her deeds. Or should we find her words very powerful despite the simplicity, it is because her words flow from her acts of love and commitment to help the poorest of the poor. When asked how she could endure all that she was doing for the poor like cleaning the wounds of a leper or feeding a malnourished child or embracing an abandoned dying AIDS patient, she would explain that it was the suffering Christ that she saw in them. The love that she lavished on them was her love for Jesus Christ, the King. Her words continue to reverberate: “No, I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God.” <br />
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<b>Our passivity <i>vis-a-vis</i> the poor in our midst.</b> The poor, the hungry, the abandoned, the homeless, the sick continue to beg for our concern and love. Their continued presence in our midst might have so much inured us to the horror of poverty and destitution that we begin to accept with utter passivity that’s just how things are. We need not do anything. Or the other way around, we might just be so overwhelmed that we react with hasty and convenient solutions, the immoralities of which we are happy to cover up by actually believing that we are concerned about helping the poor. But in fact, we just hate them and their number. We want to get rid of them effectively! <br />
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This is not unthinkable in a society which is practically getting rid of God and his precepts. The poor, to whom Christ the King identified himself, are helplessly dispensable. The rich and the powerful, however, enjoy their cherished prerogatives. <br />
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<b>Kingship as a Christian call to service.</b> Today’s feast reminds us that in the Christian perspective, Kingship means servanthood. Nowhere else is the reversal of values more apparent than in this humble calling of a Christian king. Our readings for today bring to the fore the image of the Shepherd King—a King whose concern is not his own glorification but the welfare of his flock. Like Yahweh, the shepherd in the first reading culled from the book of Ezekiel (Ez 34: 11-12, 15-17), Christ is the shepherd and provider of his flock. Moreover, He will come, at the last judgment, as a Shepherd King who will hold us accountable for our human conduct on the basis of whether or not we have served one another and especially the least among us (Mt. 25: 31-46).<br />
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To a sincere Christian, the face of poverty and
destitution is the face of the suffering Christ. Others may show some concern for the poor for
different reasons, political expediency being one of them; but a true Christian
serves the least of his/her brothers and sisters for love of Christ, the King.</div>
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Among the many faces of the poor I am confronted with everyday,
where is Christ the King that I may serve him with love in whatever capacity I
am endowed with?</div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-18702395011140943642023-11-18T15:58:00.002+08:002023-11-18T16:14:43.459+08:00Talents and Accountability (33rd Sunday Ordinary A)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">I remember Lynlyn, a working student my mother sent to school several years ago. While staying in our home and assisting my mom with the domestic chores,
she diligently completed her college degree in Education. Lynlyn was truly admirable. Instead of complaining about life’s poverty
and deprivation, she faithfully faced every single day doing what she could with
the little that life had given her. I remember whenever
I was home, I would notice her industriousness in doing the house chores and
her capacity to endure extended hours of studying and completing her class
requirements. Eventually, she graduated and took the teacher’s board examination. I was, by chance, at home on the day of the release of the
result. I asked her if she made it. She
smiled sheepishly and nodded! Lynlyn is now a teacher. </div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">When life seems to have given us very little as
compared to the abundance the others enjoy, it’s so easy to wallow in the mud
of self-pity. I think, Lynlyn stands for a person
who has been given less in life but does not succumb to the temptation of
defeat. Instead, she rises above the
seeming unfairness of life by capitalizing whatever little she has got. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Today’s gospel is the Parable of the Talents
(Mt. 25:14-30). Three servants are entrusted with five, two, and one talent
respectively to be invested in the master’s absence. <i>Talent</i>
was the largest unit of currency known at that time. Other translations render a talent as a
thousand silver pieces. Hence, the first
servant is entrusted with five thousand silver pieces, the second with two
thousand, the third with one thousand silver pieces. Today we understand talents as some skills
and personal qualities we are gifted with.
While the parable does not intend to legitimize, much less glorify, the
inequalities in life, it instructs us about our sense of responsibility
especially in view of the final accounting at the end of time. We are accountable to our Master. Our accountability is in direct proportion to
the abilities with which we have been entrusted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Much is expected from whom much is given. Hence, the master in the parable is happy
with the first two servants who manage to double the amount they have entrusted
with. But while the master does not expect much from him who has been given
very little, he still expects at least whatever enterprising spirit that could
be harnessed with whatever little resources made available. Hence, the third servant who just buried his
talent out of his negative notion of his master is rightly met with his
master’s anger and punishment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">In application to life, I submit the following
lessons:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">There is no use complaining about what we do
not have in life. Focusing too much in what we do not have can lead us to
self-pity and defeat. We would rather do well appreciating who we are and what
we have, even how little it is. This appreciation brings hope and strengthens
our determination to overcome the lack in our life. To those who are given less in life, God does
not expect much more than what He has given them. But He surely invites them to
show that they can be trusted even in small matters: “Since you were faithful
in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities” (Mt. 25:21). Mother
Teresa of Calcutta is known to have said this: Not all of us can do great
things but we all can do small things with great love.” So, stop complaining.
Be faithful with the small things entrusted to you. Carry it out with great
love. You’ll see that the world is a little better because of you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">“With great power comes great responsibility.”
To those who are blessed with plenty in life, it’s good to remember that much
is expected from you. Many people end up
as underachievers because they do not put to use the gifts they have been
blessed with. Or they recognize their gifts but they refuse to accept the
responsibility. So they spend life wasting what they have been given unable to
contribute to the transformation of society and the world into a better place. Underachievers are, needless to say, a real
disappointment to God, the giver of gifts. When we experience God’s generosity,
let us be grateful. Gratitude is appreciation of what we have been endowed with
and a commitment to return the favor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH">Whether we have received plenty or little in
life, we will all be held accountable. Again, our accountability shall be in
direct proportion to the capacities we have been endowed with. After all, we are invited to be responsible and
trustworthy stewards. We pray and hope,
then, that our life shall be a proof that we can be truly trusted with small
matters on earth and, hence, deserving of greater things in heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-85345583147454151212023-11-11T14:30:00.001+08:002023-11-11T15:38:01.548+08:00The Unexpected God (32nd Sunday Ordinary A)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n7PiUKiy5I0/TrTLSWGd4RI/AAAAAAAAFFI/9YGswxYgqCE/s1600/oil+lamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n7PiUKiy5I0/TrTLSWGd4RI/AAAAAAAAFFI/9YGswxYgqCE/s400/oil+lamp.jpg" width="300" /></a>To say that God is the unexpected God can mean two
things: Either He is the God of
surprises whose ways and thoughts are far beyond human reckoning or He is the
God whose presence many of us are not eager about. </div>
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The early Christians certainly awaited the God of
surprises. They waited vigilantly for
the surprise second coming of our Lord.
Initially, they believed in the imminent <i>Parousia</i>—that the Lord will come again during their generation as
evidenced in today’s second reading, Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thes
4:13-18), where Paul consoles the
community by assuring them that the beloved dead will rise again in Christ as
He comes and those who are living “will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (v. 17).
In this context of their belief in the imminent coming of our Lord, to
be prepared is the order of the day. The Lord’s coming will happen just
anytime. It will be a surprise. So,
everyone’s on their toes.</div>
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The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt. 25: 1-13), then, is
obviously not about the moral value of virginity. Thanks be to God! Rather, the parable is all
about preparedness as the manifestation of wisdom. This is exemplified by the
five wise virgins who prepared enough oil for their lamps to last them through the
groom’s unknown but imminent arrival. Foolishness is exemplified by the other
five virgins’ lack of foresight and vigilance which caused them their eventual
exclusion from the banquet. The moral of
the parable is clear: Be wise. Be prepared for surprises! The Lord will come
but no one knows the day or the hour.</div>
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The contemporary attitude towards God, I submit, lacks
the wisdom of the urgency with which the early Christians manifested towards
the prospect of the Lord’s coming. Today, the “unexpected God” assumes the
second meaning: He is the God whose
coming to our lives is not met with eagerness. We are not expectant about God’s
coming. We are contented in maintaining
a rather lackadaisical relationship with Him, that if we ever have one. It is as if we have run out of oil for our
lamps—that inner disposition of vigilance to match the surprises of God.</div>
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Today’s difficulty is not so much the unbelief of modernity. It’s the indifference of this age. There is respect for one another’s religious
belief, only as recognition of freedom. But most people do not really care
about relationship with God much less about setting the precepts of God as the
norm for our social life. Nowhere is
this religious indifference more manifested than in the superficiality of the
concerns of the youth of today. This age
is more concerned about the externals and matters that last for a moment than
about the invitation to interiority, depth, and lasting commitment. This is because the former is fun and cool. The
latter is perceived to be weird and boring.</div>
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Today’s readings are an invitation to be wise. Amid this prevalent religious indifference and
superficiality around us, wisdom gives us the proper perspective and the
ability to discern what is essential from among our overwhelming passing
fancies. To be wise means to order our
life concerns towards its proper end—God.
To be wise is to have that interior disposition to recognize the
surprises of God whenever He comes into our lives unexpectedly.</div>
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God is the unexpected God. He is the God of surprises. The wise are always prepared whenever God
comes into their lives. Wide-eyed, they
welcome Him and his grace. The foolish,
with their indifference and superficiality, remain clueless about what they are
missing.</div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-20413643639341320242023-11-04T15:24:00.001+08:002023-11-04T17:48:04.623+08:00Serving Better and Humbler (31st Sunday Ordinary A)<br />
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The hierarchy is a gift to the Church. But like any other good things, it can easily
be subjected to abuse. It is a gift
because it facilitates better service.
Since the early Christianity, levels of ministering to the needs of the
people have been established. The
designated positions like diaconate, presbyterate, episcopate are positions of
ministering. These are always understood
in the spirit of the gospel today: The
greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest.</div>
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In my homily for the thanksgiving mass of a newly
ordained priest, I reminded him that the priesthood conferred upon him is
foremost a position of service. Since we
both play tennis, I couched my message in tennis language: Priesthood is a lot like tennis. To be the best, you’ve got to serve
well. In order to serve well, you need
to do a lot of practice. (I’m not sure now if he got me right. I heard he’s now
spending a lot more time in tennis courts than in the church!).</div>
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Positions in the hierarchy can be abused. And it’s
alarmingly easy. It begins when
positions held for the ministry turn into self-serving use of power and
authority. The abuse strengthens and
becomes institutionalized when the higher one goes up the ladder the more one
gains leverage to serve one’s own convenience and demands members to honor him
properly with fantastic titles, front seats,
privileges, and what not.</div>
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In today’s gospel (Mt. 23:1-12), Jesus takes issue at the
abuses of ministerial positions and authority by the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus affirms them as legitimate leaders
following Moses. But he instructs his disciples not to imitate their example
for “their words are bold but their deeds are few. They bind up heavy loads,
hard to carry, to lay on other men’s shoulders, while they themselves will not
lift a finger to budge them. All their works are performed to be seen... they
are fond of places of honor at banquets, and front seats in synagogues, of
marks of respect in public and of being called ‘Rabbi.’”</div>
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Jesus continues his instructions by telling his disciples
that among them the desire to serve must be the motivation for assuming any
community position and humility must be the accompanying attitude: “The
greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest. Whoever exalts himself
shall be humbled, but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” </div>
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The witnessing of St. Paul in Thessalonica is exemplary
of an authentic Christian leader, an apostle.
In the second reading (1 Thes 2: 7-9, 13), we read Paul’s description of
his service as a leader among the Thessalonians. He was caring, gentle, and
dedicated. He did not impose any form of burden upon them. In fact, he even
worked for a living in order to provide for his own needs while preaching to
them the Good News. </div>
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This Sunday, I believe, is a grace-filled opportunity for
self-criticism and evaluation on the part of the leaders of the Church
today. Hierarchical positions, as I have
noted, can easily be abused. The person
to whom the ministerial position has been conferred may gradually be
intoxicated by the respect and endearment afforded by generous and loving
members. When the sense of entitlement
creeps in, the minister may unwittingly begin to demand the privileges for
himself and end up losing the original vocation to serve others. The
authority conferred may be wielded not for the good of all and of God’s Kingdom
but for the advancement of personal agenda instead. Today’s reading is a healthy
reminder that among the Christian communities any difference in position and
any form of entrusted authority are justified only by the requirement of the ministry. </div>
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Among the laity, in this time of lay empowerment when the
lay are rightly tapped for important positions in the different ministries and
apostolate of the Church, the same reminder is very helpful. Our business in the Church is service and not
to lord it over the people. It is not
uncommon to hear criticism among the lay regarding the authoritarian attitudes
of lay leaders. “<i>Mas istrikto pa kay Father!</i>” Or worse, we hear of pastoral council
president competing with the authority of the parish priest. The result: Division among the flock.</div>
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Let us not follow the example of the Scribes and
Pharisees. Jesus himself explicitly
enjoins us that. Instead, let us serve
in the spirit of St. Paul’s gentle, caring and dedicated leadership and ministering
among the Thessalonians. </div>
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And in a healthy self-criticism, let us save the Church
from our own abuses of the gift of authority.
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<i>Forgive me Lord for
the times I have marred the gift of hierarchy by attending first and foremost to
my own convenience through the authority entrusted to me. Give me the grace to serve much better and humbler.
Amen.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-7611229173985490222023-10-28T16:26:00.001+08:002023-10-28T16:45:58.849+08:00A Disturbing Commandment (30th Sunday Ordinary A)<br />
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It is so easy to spiritualize concrete social problems
like hunger and poverty by doing nothing about them except to pray for those
who are suffering. That is why many of
us can be misled to believe that to fulfil our Christian obligation it is
enough to express our love of God by our devotional piety. We make sure that we go to Church for our
prayers, devotions, and religious observance. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qj8KCFddJvQ/TqOzUpLr-5I/AAAAAAAAFEw/mzyPyQy4XGg/s1600/garbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qj8KCFddJvQ/TqOzUpLr-5I/AAAAAAAAFEw/mzyPyQy4XGg/s320/garbage.jpg" width="320" /></a>Loving God by way of our pious activities is of itself
praiseworthy as long as this does not lead us to spiritual escapism—meaning,
the tendency to withdraw from the hard realities of life and seek easy
solutions in devotional spiritual practices.
When we are confronted with the real needs of our poor neighbours and we
offer no commitment in helping them in whatever way we can, our prayers may be
a form of escape from the inconveniences of offering concrete and helpful
solutions, our devotional piety may actually be devoid of authentic love of
God. </div>
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Others may move towards the opposite direction. They may be so consumed by the horror of
human suffering that they commit their whole life in the service of the
suffering neighbours and altogether forget about God. Therefore, no more need for prayer or going
to Church. This is the pitfall of activism. This happens when our love of
neighbour does not stem from our love of God.</div>
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Today’s gospel (Mt. 22: 34-40) presents to us the two
greatest commandments and allows us to see that the indissolubility of their
essential connection is the foundation of an authentic Christian moral life.
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all you heart, with all your soul, and
with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second
is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (vv. 37-39).</div>
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Love of God and love of neighbour have to be seen as
intersecting demands of love lest we fall into the traps of spiritual escapism,
on the one hand, and of activism, on the other. The <i>Catechism
for Filipino Catholics</i> explains this interactive relationship between these
two commandments of love in three levels: </div>
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As Christians, then, we know, <i>first</i>, that our genuine human love is a participation in God’s
love. “Love consists in this, not that we have loved God, but that He has loved
us” (1 Jn 4:10). <i>Second</i>, through
Christ and the Spirit, God is really present in both our neighbour’s and our
very own loving. “If we love one another, God dwells in us and His love is
brought to perfection in us” (1 Jn 4:12). Thus, our love for our neighbour
contains within it a direct orientation to God. <i>Third</i>, our explicit love of God clearly brings out our deepest love
of neighbour (CFC, par. 944).</div>
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Hence, one is a liar when he claims to love God whom he
cannot see and not love his fellow whom he can see. </div>
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Once, I was heading on foot to a chapel in Marikina to
celebrate an anticipated mass as a guest priest. It was almost dark. While passing
by a food chain, I smelt something repulsively foul as I saw the garbage was
being scavenged by what I thought were dogs.
I was taken aback when I realized that they were not dogs. I saw a man,
a woman and a child eating the left over thrown into the garbage. The picture of a family having dinner in that garbage
with its stomach-turning stench would haunt me until now. That evening while the
community who invited me was celebrating Eucharist in praise of God’s name, a
family was trying to survive by eating the community’s refuse. During the
homily, I made mention of what I saw and how I was tremendously disturbed. How
can we profess love of God as a community when all at the same time we just
accept as a matter of fact a family to be reduced to such subhuman living conditions?
The chapel was very silent. Probably we were all disturbed.</div>
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I realized today’s gospel is actually disturbing. The commandment of love disturbs our
otherwise complacent life. Love, after
all, is inherently disturbing. When we
commit to respond to God’s love, we find ourselves challenged to reach out not
only to God but to those who need our love badly. </div>
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I was not bound to stay with the community for I was a
passing guest priest. But, at the least,
I was able to share my feeling of disturbance.
The community ought to be disturbed so that the love they have for God
may become the very force that propels them to respond to the hunger of their neighbours.
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We all individually seem to be helpless in front of the
magnitude of the call to love our neighbour.
But again, we can and we ought to face the challenge of loving our neighbours
as communities. This is the value of
forming organizations. Our religious organizations
ought to empower each of us to respond to the challenge of loving—that through
the love of God shared together by all members, they may have the collective means
to respond to the neighbours’ evident hunger for love.</div>
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Love of God and love of neighbour are at the heart of our
Christian moral life. If we take them separately and unrelated to each other we
end up impoverishing the power of love. Love becomes lame, unable to respond to the challenge
of authentic change in our communities. But taken together, they make for the
most disturbing principle that propels all Christians to live according to the
vision of the God of love.</div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4470027012837852743.post-26787326184936362062023-10-21T16:00:00.001+08:002023-10-21T16:24:26.281+08:00Kristiyano Ako, Kaya Makabayan! (29th Sunday Ordinary A)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span>“<i>Kristiyano ako,
kaya makabayan</i>!” I saw this slogan
around the Ateneo de Manila campus when I was studying at the Loyola School of
Theology. If I’m not mistaken, the
slogan was crafted by the Jesuit’s social movement, <i>Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan</i> (SLB). “I am a Christian and therefore a
responsible citizen.” Faith in the God of Jesus Christ draws us to love our
country by becoming responsible citizens. Our vertical loyalty to God is our
motivation for our horizontal responsibility to our land and one another. Loyalty to God is not just incompatible with
love of country; more so, it is the very inspiration of the faithful to become
agents of transformation in our land.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ltLNIfh93Bk/VEIng2OuAiI/AAAAAAAAFsc/2cLGV9iFxAM/s1600/pdap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ltLNIfh93Bk/VEIng2OuAiI/AAAAAAAAFsc/2cLGV9iFxAM/s1600/pdap.jpg" width="320" /></a>I submit that this is one constructive interpretation of
the spirit of Jesus’ words in today’s gospel (Mt. 22: 15-21). Outsmarting those who put him under the trap
of choosing between loyalties to either God and the Emperor, Jesus gives an
elusive answer but with a sound logic of its own when he says “Repay to Caesar what
belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”</div>
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One easy interpretation of this passage tends to see in
these words the radical autonomy between political and religious spheres. These
two spheres, in this view, may not be in opposition with each other but they
have nothing to do with each other. This
is “to-each-his-own view” or the “two-kingdom theory.” But this interpretation which simply juxtaposes
the two spheres would imply that Caesar and God are of equal footing. This is very unlikely because it is horrible
to see Jesus proposing equality of authority between God and the emperor. No! That’s the height of blasphemy! Jesus has been clear and passionate about
reserving the absolute sovereignty of God and his Kingdom. Everything else for
him is secondary.</div>
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While we render basic respect to our earthly rulers, as
it is demanded by the common good in the temporal order, we’ve got to uphold that
respect under our total submission to the sovereignty of God. In the words of
Roland J. Faley, TOR: “The response to God must be total, not in any way
divided. Questions of civil authority are secondary, even peripheral. In submitting totally to the sovereignty of
God, the concerns of lesser authorities will be met. But allegiance to God must
be seen as absolute.”</div>
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God’s will for humanity and the social order must be the
vantage point from which we ought to cooperate with other necessary authorities
in ensuring the common good. God wills
that we all live in peaceful, harmonious, just and loving communities. Therefore,
a Christian who believes in this loving God is necessarily a responsible
citizen ever ready to throw his hat into the ring of nation-building. The aim is to build our societies according
to God’s design. Measures that run
contrary to God’s precepts will have moral repercussions. </div>
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I’m aware that proclaiming God’s sovereign will is, at
the least, unpopular particularly these days when societies are becoming more
and more secular and even, I say this with shivers, Godless. I think humanity has come to the height of
its arrogance by relegating to the sidelines the God who sustains everything
believing that humanity’s intelligence and creativity is sufficient. The more power a sector of humanity wields,
the more arrogant they become. And what is the result of this arrogance? See
for yourself. Look around. I have a feeling that almost everything is
falling apart. When we realize how
broken this world has become, it’s funny we ask “Where’s God?” “How can a
loving God allow these things, these sufferings to happen?”</div>
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An appeal then to those who remain faithful to God: Let our loyalty to God’s will propel us to
become responsible citizens... not arrogant citizens... citizens who continue
to hold God’s vision as our direction for establishing a truly humane society,
respecting and cooperating with rightful and conscientious authorities. Let us not be the cause of the brokenness of
this world because of our human conceit.
Let us be the source of healing instead.
With unwavering faith only in God, we toil and pray that the Lord may
heal our land—this includes Caesar or whoever represents him in our contemporary
system of governance because, he likes it or not, he could use some sincere
prayers.</div>
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<i>“Kristiyano ako,
kaya makabayan!”</i> God bless us.</div>
Jose R. Rapadas IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08024375858696820005noreply@blogger.com0