ANOTHER APOSTLE

Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest
Mt 18:1-5

St. Paul is called “The Apostle to the Gentiles”. St. Faustina Kowalska is the “Apostle of the Divine Mercy”. St. John Bosco, whose blessed memory we celebrate today is known as “The Apostle to the Youth”.

Born in 1815, John Bosco devoted his life in ministering to the young people of his time, most especially the delinquents. He believed that delinquents should not be punished but reformed by giving them good Catholic education. He sought to teach them a trade so that they could become productive and responsible members of society. This he did as he appealed to self-respect that every human being values. He had no formal system of education but centered on persuasion, genuine religiosity, and love for young people. Eventually, he gathered men who shared his vision and founded a religious order called the “Salesians of Don Bosco”. Later on, he co-founded with St. Mary Mazzarello a religious order for women, the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. Having led a holy life spent in the service of the Church, John Bosco passed away in 1888 at Turin, Italy.

Jesus says in the Gospel today that whoever welcomes a little child in His name welcomes Him. John Bosco did not only welcome the young; he served them. He served Jesus. There lies his greatness even today. He was an “Apostle to the Youth”. We need more apostles like him today.

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU SPELL IT

Monday in the 4th Week in the Ordinary Time
Mk 5:1-20

The English vocabulary provides us with words which when spelt backwards become new words with totally new meanings. Thus, ‘dear’ becomes ‘read’, ‘stop’ becomes ‘pots’, ‘lever’ becomes ‘revel’, ‘pan’ becomes ‘nap’, ‘now’ becomes ‘won’, ‘ten’ becomes ‘net’, and ‘line’ becomes the river Nile. The list is long, but nothing intrigues me like the word ‘live’. When ‘live’ is spelt backwards, it becomes ‘evil’. Interesting, yes. But very frightening.

Life when not L-I-V-E-D is snatched away by the D-E-V-I-L. Thus, ‘live’ become ‘evil’ when life is not lived.

Do we see the evil of our lives when we do not live our lives forward but instead backwards, not upward but downward? When our manner of living goes down to the level of the swine – that is evil. When we treat others without charity – that is evil. When our human integrity collapses but our moral depravation builds up – that is evil. When we choose to with from the nobility of self-sacrifice in order to surrender our selves to self-indulgence – that is evil. When we compromise our dignity as children of God – that is evil. Our language puts it bluntly: “Binababoy natin ang sarili natin.”

There are times when we are guilty of spelling ‘live’ backwards by the manner of our living. We may have a doctorate in English, but that is never a guarantee that we always spell ‘live’ correctly. Let us repent and be more vigilant.

By the way, G-O-D when spelt backwards is D-O-G. We do not want to misspell G-O-D, do we?

A TYRANT, A CLOWN, OR A HYPOCRITE?

4th Sunday in the Ordinary Time
Mk 1:21-28

Power and authority do not always go together. There are those who are in power without authority and those who are in authority without power. Power without authority is dangerous while authority without power is comical.

Because power is the ability to cause or prevent change, influencing people and events, those who exercise it must always have the authority that justifies them in what they do. For most people who suffered from dictatorship, such as we, Filipinos, or under military regimes, power is associated with force, compulsion, and violence. Certainly, the power that is synonymous only with force makes victims of all its subjects. That is not the power of Jesus.

One does not have to be in authority to have authority. It is not being in authority that makes those in authority credible and trustworthy. We know by experience that sometimes people do not follow those in authority because those in authority have lost their moral authority. But there are those who enjoy a considerable following even if they are not in authority. They are listened to, looked up to, attended to, and followed because, while they are not in power, they have authority. Those who are in authority without power are called “lame ducks” while those who are not in power but have authority are called “heroes” or “saints”.

People rightly oppose the power that exploits, manipulates, coerces, oppresses, suppresses, and bullies. But power need not be destructive and vicious. Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Archbishop Oscar Romero, and, our very own, Ninoy Aquino used the power of nonviolence in fighting oppressive systems. Though assassinated, they became even more powerful because of their moral authority. Exercising their influence on behalf of a suffering people, Gandhi, King, Romero, and Aquino became forces for good. This is the power that allies with love, a force that is spent on behalf of others, the kind of authority that does not have to be in authority and yet truly powerful.

The people who heard Jesus teaching and saw Him expelling an unclean spirit from a possessed man in the synagogue at Capernaum today were all amazed. Their words were, “Here is a teaching that is new and with authority behind it.”

Where was the authority of Jesus coming from? Where was His power emanating? Why was He different from those who were in authority – particularly the scribes and the Pharisees – during His time? How different was His power with those who were powerful?

Jesus taught with authority because He taught the people directly, without quoting from other rabbis or some great thinkers as was the practice of many teachers during His time, and as it is still the practice of many today. Very often, Jesus would say, “You heard it said…. But I tell you solemnly….” Jesus spoke not only as one who knew what He was talking about and was confident that He was communicating God’s message, but also as the One who fulfilled all the words of the prophets combined.

Jesus’ teachings had authority also because His inspiring words were supported by His powerful actions. After teaching the people, Jesus exorcised a man. His words captured the hearts and minds of the people and His action released a man from an unclean spirit. The public ministry of Jesus carried the pattern where word and deed went together. While He announced the news of God’s Kingdom through His teachings, His actions actually brought the power of that Kingdom in the midst of His listeners.

Finally, the complete congruence of His life and His teachings gave Jesus undisputed authority. He preached not only what He believed; He lived according to what He preached. He was the best example of what He taught. He did not only die for His message; He lived by it. His life in itself was His message. That kind of message is indeed always very powerful.

As we ourselves exercise power in one way or another and are in authority of some sort, we do well by examining always where our power lies and our authority emanates from. Are we confident that we speak the words of God? Are our words supported by deeds? Are we the best examples of what we preach? It not, then we can be any of the three: a tyrant, a clown, or a hypocrite.

"ANGELIC DOCTOR"

Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Mt 23:8-12

The best preacher is the best witness. The best homily is the preacher’s life. The best pulpit is the here and now. Pope Paul VI wrote in Evangelii Nuntiandi, “Modern man no longer listens to teachers but to witnesses. And if he listens to teachers, it is because they are first witnesses.”

What we preach and how we live are intimately related with each other: they are either compatible or incompatible. When what we preach is irreconcilable with how we live, we lie. When what we preach is congruent with how we live, we are truthful.

Today, we remember in the liturgy a man who always searched for and live by the truth. Thomas Aquinas, born in 1224, is known as the symbol of universally approved orthodoxy. He eloquently explained our faith in his Summa Theologica and captured the hearts of many by his sanctity. With his mastery of philosophy and scholastic theology undisputed and his holiness of life profound, Thomas gained the title of “Angelic Doctor” and was declared Patron of Catholic Schools by Pope Leo XIII.

Thomas Aquinas is a preacher par excellence because he was truthful. He was truthful because he lived by what he preached. We may not become doctors of the Church, but we can be angelic like Thomas if our lives bear witness to what we preach.

ALREADY IN US

Friday in the 3rd Week of the Ordinary Time
Mk 4:26-34

We have two parables about the Kingdom of God. Both parables compare the Kingdom of God with a seed. We have three conclusions from the comparison.

First, the Kingdom of God is meant to grow. As every seed presumably contains life so does the Kingdom of God promises life to those who welcome it. There is no other direction for the Kingdom of God in a sincere heart but the path of growth unto fullness of life.

Second, the Kingdom of God begins with something small. There is no fanfare in its inception: a simple homily may touch a confused mind and a little gesture of kindness may convert a sinful heart.

Third, the Kingdom of God is God’s gift and our task. As the seed sprouts and grows without the farmer knowing it, so is the Kingdom of God God’s initiative. However, unless the farmer cares well for the seed the plant will die, so does the Kingdom of God needs our full response for it to come to fruition.

The Kingdom of God is already in us. Jesus has already sown it in our hearts. If it fails to bear fruit, the blame can be ours alone.

COLLABORATORS

Memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus, Bishops
Lk 10:1-9

We remember today Sts. Timothy and Titus, companions of St. Paul, whose conversion we celebrated in the liturgy yesterday. Timothy and Titus were more than companions of Paul in his missionary journey. They were his co-ministers in the work of evangelization. Paul believed in team ministry; thus, having preached the Gospel in a particular place, he moved on to other places and normally entrusted the newly founded Christian community to the care of good Christian men (and women?). To Timothy, Paul gave the care of the Church in Ephesus while the Church in Crete he entrusted to Titus. Paul referred to both Timothy and Titus as “sons in the faith” because these two men were, in the first place, also fruits of his missionary toil.

As we remember Sts. Timothy and Titus, sons in the faith, companions, co-ministers and co-workers of St. Paul, let us be keenly aware of the importance of remembering our own collaborators in our different apostolates and ministries in the Church. They are important to us, not only because of the assistance they give us, but because they are primarily important to Jesus Himself. Like us, who have been called to a particular ministry or are involved in a specific apostolate in and of the Church, they too have been called and given a significant share in the work of the Kingdom.

It is always best to remember our collaborators in the ministry and apostolate during three moments.

The first moment is the moment of prayer. Prayer brings us all together in love. Prayer melts differences that often wound an otherwise healthy working relationship. Prayer always affirms, nourishes, and deepens the bonds that exist among servants of the Lord.

The second moment is the moment of joy. It is rather easy for us to remember our co-workers when we are in need of consolation or affirmation, when we are sad, confused, or burdened, when we are lacking in something to achieve our goals, and when we are standing alone in making a point. It is always a hypocritical for any ministry or apostolate to claim that it endeavors to bring joy to others when its ministers remember one another only when sadness befalls them. Our co-ministers should be the first one we minister to.

The third moment is the moment of need. Our collaborators are given to us by the Lord so that we do not have to carry the burden of the work of the Kingdom alone. We do not have to be ashamed to turn to them and be helped. The Lord Himself, who already is the Messiah, invited others to share in His work for the Kingdom. The work of the Kingdom is never meant to be a load on the shoulders of the few. That is precisely the reason why the Lord gave us collaborators. We ourselves are His collaborators in the first place.

In prayer, in joy, and in need – these are the best moments to remember our co-workers in the Kingdom. Our collaborators in the work of the Kingdom make every moment worth remembering in prayer, in joy, and in need.

DAMASCUS EXPERIENCE

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
Mk 16:15-18

A notorious man was once the fear and shame of a community. He had been jailed several times for various criminal offenses. But one day, the whole community woke up finding a totally different man in him. Out of the blue, he was a completely changed man: he was sober, respectful, considerate, law-abiding, and God-fearing. The following Sunday, everybody, including the parish priest, was dumbfounded to see this man sitting in the front pew of the church during the early morning Mass. “That man,” commented one of the parishioners, “must have had a ‘Damascus experience’.”

A “Damascus experience” means a “sudden change” from deep within. Is such a change possible? Yes, it is. We have today an example: Saul from Tarsus who later became Paul the Apostle.

But Paul’s “Damascus experience” was not at all something that sprang from nowhere. He saw the steadfastness that the early Christians had with their faith. He was a witnessed to their fraternal love for one another and for those who did not share their faith. He heard the words of forgiveness from the lips of Stephen whose execution he approved. Evidently, these shining examples of the early Christians were sown in the heart and mind of Paul. Those seeds were just waiting to sprout and bear fruit. We can just imagine how restless the former Saul felt deep within him until the Lord Himself met him on the road to Damascus.

As today’s Gospel echoes the Lord’s command that we proclaim the Good News to the ends of the earth, we cannot but reflect on what tremendous effects our genuine Christian witnessing through words and deeds have on others, including some heart hardened people. May we persevere in preaching the Gospel through our words and deeds.

That notorious man in our opening story had a “Damascus experience” because, most probably, there were good Christians in his community. Good Christians have been converting countless men and women since the time of Paul up until our days. Damascus is one long stretch of a dusty road where good Christians once led a Saul to being a Paul.

FAMILY TIES

Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Mk 3:31-35

Family ties are very important in all cultures. Even in animals, family ties are observed to be significant.

There are normally two ways by which family ties are established. The fist way is by blood. Consanguinity means being related by blood. The second is by legal action, as in the case of marriage or adoption. Affinity is the usual term used to mean this second way of being related.

We also speak about an “extended family”. To this intimate circle belong those who are not related to us by blood or some legal action but by deep friendship. As we go through life, there are persons with whom we have shared many profound moments and memorable experiences. These persons eventually become “family” to us.

Jesus presents to us a fourth way. He anchors our relationship on a more solid and lasting bond. We are related to Him when we do the will of God. Jesus is the Son of God and anyone related to Him is related to God in a very intimate way. We believe that the sacrament of baptism makes us children of God. Moreover, those who become children of God, in and through Jesus His Son, are therefore brothers and sisters to one another.

To do the will of God is to be holy. Let us do God’s will; let us be holy. Like St. Francis de Sales, who followed God’s will, let us be saints together. We belong to a family bigger and better than blood, law, and friendship can establish. We are called to be saints.

FORGIVING THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN

Monday in the 3rd Week of the Ordinary Time
Mk 3:22-30

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Equal with the Father and the Son, He is God. God forgives sins.

The Holy Spirit made the Blessed Mother conceive the Lord (cf. Lk 1:35). He descended on Jesus at the Jordan (cf. Mt 3:16, Mk 1:10, Lk 3:22, Jn 1:32-33). Jesus proclaimed that the Holy Spirit is in Him (Lk 4:18). Jesus forgives sins.

After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to the Eleven in the Upper Room. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (Jn 20:22). Jesus gave power to His apostles; that power is the Holy Spirit Himself (cf. Acts 1:8). On Pentecost, the same Holy Spirit descended upon the early Christian community (cf. Acts 2:1-4). The Church, through the Apostles and their successors, forgives sins as ordained by God.

He who sins against the Holy Spirit rejects the very power behind the forgiveness of sins: God, the Holy Spirit, Himself. Thus, until he takes back His rejection of the Holy Spirit, he cannot be forgiven. How can he be forgiven when he does not accept the power that forgives? How can his sins be wiped out when he refuses to acknowledge the Holy Spirit who is God Himself, who is in Christ, and who resides in the Church? Thus, the sin against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. But when he accepts the Holy Spirit present in Christ and His Church, then his unforgivable sin can be forgiven.

RUNNING AWAY?

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mk 1:14-20

Jonah is one intriguing character in the Old Testament: he was a runaway prophet. When God ordered Jonah to warn the Ninevites that God would destroy them unless they repent, Jonah refused to obey God. Aware that God was merciful, Jonah believed that the Ninevites would not be destroyed anyway and he would appear more like a clown than a prophet in the end. Thus, Jonah tried running away from God. He embarked on a ship that was heading for the modern-day Spain.

Jonah tried running away, but did not succeed. He was in for a wet surprise. While sailing the seas, there came a violent storm that threatened to break up the ship where Jonah laid soundly sleeping while his shipmates frantically praying. The captain woke the culprit and commanded him to pray to his God. But how can Jonah pray to God when it was God he was running away from? Thus, he had no choice but to confess that he was the cause of their calamity and suggested that they throw him overboard. At first, his shipmates were reluctant but, when the storm grew more violent, they tossed Jonah overboard anyway. When the sea received Jonah, it quieted down and gave his former shipmates a peaceful voyage.

Jonah, who was running away from God, was snatched away by a whale. The whale brought him to a three-day retreat. The problem was that the retreat house was the belly of the whale that snatched him away.

In his three-day renewal course, Jonah had time to repent. Inside the belly of the whale, he could go nowhere but into the depths of his heart and could face nothing but what God asked of him. Jonah prayed, repented, and promised to obey God. There and then, his retreat was over and the whale vomited him on dry land. His port of arrival was the city of Nineveh itself.

The Word of God came to Jonah a second time: “Up! Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.” Thus, Jonah went forth and announced to the Ninevites the impending catastrophe that would befall them unless they repent from their sins. Everybody in Nineveh, including the king, heeded Jonah’s call and renounced their wicked ways. As Jonah knew it from the start, the mercy of God spared the Ninevites.

The Ninevites repented. God withhold His wrath. Everyone was overjoyed. All except one. While the people were rejoicing, Jonah was sulking. He left the city to sit under the sun, hoping he would die because he looked like a buffoon after his all-to-be-wiped-out speeches were overruled by God’s all-embracing mercy. There upon, God allowed a vine to grow to shade His sulking prophet. But while Jonah was starting to feel better, God caused the vine to wither. Jonah felt sorry for the vine. Finally, God delivered the punch line: “…the LORD said, ‘You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?’” (Jon 4:10-11)

How many among us are as obsessed as Jonah was with being right and wanting to see the wicked perish to be proven right? The Lord Jesus teaches us in the Gospel today the lesson that Jonah had to learn by being made to look foolish: the point of prophecy is not accuracy but repentance. And when we ourselves are made to look foolish because some impending catastrophe we warned people about on account of their evil deeds did not happen, we must remember that repentance is more important than foolishness. It is always good when the give-them-hell prophet is proven wrong.

The good news today is that no one is predestined to a catastrophic end. Not even the hardened criminal is doomed to embrace disaster. By repenting from our sins, we can change our lives. Repentance is good news because it means that nothing is settled, that nothing is sealed, that there is always hope even for the hopeless offender, that punishment planned beforehand can be cancelled, that things can change for the better, that God can begin again, and that we can begin again with God too. That is good news; and that is the news of Jesus. That is why the Kingdom of God, as Jesus announces today, is already in our midst.

The Gospel today concludes with Jesus gathering men who are to be His close associates. He needs as many people as possible to spread His breaking good news. Should you run away?

SURVIVORS

Memorial of St. Agnes, Martyr
Mk 3:20-21

Today we celebrate the blessed memory of one of the ancient martyrs of the Church: Agnes, whose name came from the Latin word “agnus”, meaning “lamb”. According to legend, Agnes was so beautiful that many young men wanted to marry her. But wanting to get back on her for refusing him, one of her suitors reported her to the authorities as being a Christian. Christianity that time was a crime against the empire. Thus, she was arrested and locked up inside a prostitution den. A story says that a man who looked upon Agnes lustfully went blind, but was cured by her prayer. Nonetheless, she was condemned, executed for the faith, and was buried in a catacomb outside Rome. Agnes was only 12 or 13 years old when martyred in the second half of the third century.
As Jesus was judged in the Gospel today to be out of His mind, so are His martyrs. In a world where survival at any cost is the name of the game, martyrdom is madness. But who really survives: those who compromise their faith for earthly years or those who die for their faith for heavenly glory?
The martyrs are the real survivors. They are far from being crazy. Those who save their lives at the expense of their faith are!

NEITHER SUBSTITUTION NOR ISOLATION

Friday in the 2nd Week of the Ordinary Time
Mk 3:13-19

We can help someone with a difficult task by two ways. We can either do the task for him or do the task with him. Doing the task for him simply accomplishes the task. But doing the task with him develops our relationship with him.

When Jesus chose twelve men to be His apostles, He did not want them to do the work of the Kingdom for Him. He wanted them to do the work of the Kingdom with Him. He did not pass on to them the work of the Kingdom; He shared it with them. Thus, becoming His apostles was both a privilege and a mission for those twelve men.

Jesus continues sharing with us the work of the Kingdom. He does not want us to work for Him. He wants us to work with Him instead. Working with Jesus necessarily entails working with all those He chose to share the work of the Kingdom with.

Evangelization is not working for Jesus. It is working with Jesus without whom all efforts in spreading the Gospel are bound to fail. Moreover, evangelization is not working with Jesus alone, but working with everyone who works with Jesus. Evangelization is not substitution for Jesus and neither is it isolation.

EVEN THE DEMONS KNOW

Thursday in the 2nd Week of Ordinary Time
Mk 3:7-12

Something intrigues us in the Gospel today. Verse 11 of the Gospel today says that whenever the evil spirits saw Jesus, they fell down before Him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." While Jas 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder,” the Gospel today claims that the demons likewise believe that God has a Son and that Son is Jesus. As far as belief therefore is concerned, it seems that there is not much of a difference between the demons and us. We both believe that there is one God, in the existence of the Son of God, and in Jesus Christ as that Son of God. The difference between the demons and us apparently lies not in believing but in living.

While the demons believe in one God, they oppose Him. While the demons believe in the Son of God, they despise Him. While the demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God, they fight Him.

We believe in one God and so we obey Him. We believe in the Son of God and so we love Him. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God and so we follow Him.

Let us be cautious and vigilant therefore. Falling down to our knees and having faith alone do not guarantee that we are free from unclean spirits. Jesus ordered unclean spirits to keep quiet though they recognize Him. They are not the ones that give true witness to Him.

DEAD OR ALIVE? -- LOOK AT THE HEART, NOT THE HANDS

Wednesday in the 2nd Week of the Ordinary Time
Mk 3:1-6

The human hands easily betray the age of their owner. Look at your hands. Do they say something about your age? Normally, they do.

The hands of the man in the synagogue today do not reveal the age of their owner. The man may be as young as a nineteen year old or as old as an eighty. His hands are not normal; they are withered hands.

But the hearts of the Pharisees who criticize Jesus for curing the man with the withered hands reveal the truth about their owner. Their hands look normal but their hearts are sick. They do not have withered hands, but their hearts are all dried up. They are good as dead.

The Gospel today appears to be the climax of five direct conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees. In Mk 2:7, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of blasphemy for forgiving the sins of the paralytic. In Mk 2:16, the Pharisees criticize Jesus for mingling with tax collectors and public sinners. In Mk 2:18, they confront Jesus for not making His disciples fast. In Mk 2:24, they carp about Jesus allowing His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath. Today, they disdain Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath. It is their seeming obedience to the Law but apparent lack of compassion for their fellow human being and Jesus’ apparent compassion for people but seeming disregard of the Law that give the Pharisees high blood pressure. But instead of causing them a stroke, the high blood pressure of the Pharisees strikes Jesus and puts Him to death on the cross. By His death, however, He heals every heart, not only hand. And by rising from the dead, Jesus gives life to every dying heart.

Our hands may reveal or not reveal our age, but our hearts clearly say if we are dead or alive.

HUNGRY TO DEATH

Tuesday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Mark 2:23-28

Hunger knows no boundaries. It does not choose its victims. It does not respect seasons and never knows obedience to the law. Hunger can kill. But hunger can be solved. No one has to die of hunger.

No one must die of hunger because every living creature knows how to eat. But what if there is not enough supply of food to eat? What if despite the availability of food, there are people that make the food unavailable? What if there is food but there is a law that prohibits eating? Then hunger becomes fatal indeed.

In the Gospel today, the disciples must be hungry as they are picking heads of grain and crushing them in their hands as they go through grainfields. If they are not hungry, then why are they picking grains? But the Pharisees do not care if the disciples are hungry or not. They care more about the Sabbath, forgetting that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

No one should die of hunger. But some people do die of hunger. Sadly, more may still die of it because there are still “Pharisees” around.

FASTING IS FEASTING

Monday in the 2nd Week of the Ordinary Time
Mk 2:18-22

The Jewish fasting was a sign and a prayer. The Jews were fasting as a sign of their hunger for the Messiah. They were fasting because they were praying that the coming of the Messiah might hasten. But Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus came into their midst. There was no reason to fast anymore. The sign lost its meaning and the prayer already is granted. The time for fasting was over; the time for feasting has begun.

Fasting has taken a new meaning in Jesus Christ. It is no longer a sign of hungering for the Messiah nor a prayer to hasten His coming. Fasting takes on a new significance in Christ, as it has become a way of focusing our selves more on the Messiah in our midst. This, fasting does in three ways.

Fasting is detaching our selves from whatever we are inordinately attached. It liberates us from what enslaves us because we think we cannot live without them. It sets us free so that we may recognize the Christ in our midst.

Fasting is sharing in the sufferings of those from whom fasting is not an option but a daily lot. It brings us closer to those with whom the Christ in our midst identifies Himself so closely: the poor, the least of His brethren. It puts us face-to-face with the Christ in our midst in His distressing disguise.

Fasting is becoming more and more like the Christ in our midst. Jesus “fasted” from His divinity so that we may have a “feast” in His Father’s house. In imitation of the Lord, fasting is dying to our selves so that others may live. It configures us to the Christ in our midst.

When fasting detaches us from our inordinate attachments, brings us into solidarity with those who are suffering, and enhances our communion with Christ Who is already and is always in our midst, then we understand why fasting has actually become feasting since Mark wrote the Gospel for today. Otherwise, we may be fasting but our fasting is not the Christian way.

STO NINO -- PROPER FEAST IN THE PHILIPPINES BUT ALWAYS FOR ALL

Feast of the Sto. Nino (Proper Feast in the Philippines)
Mk 10:13-16

The Holy See granted the Catholic Church in the Philippines special favor by allowing it to celebrate the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time as the Feast of the Sto. Nino (Holy Child). Today we celebrate this feast nationwide.

Three things come to mind as we celebrate today the Feast of the Sto. Nino: the humble beginnings of the Catholic Faith in the Philippines; the mystery of the Incarnation; and the challenge of the Kingdom.

In 1521, the Spanish conquistadores set foot in the Philippine soil. Without much delay, the friars who were with the fleet began the evangelization of the native settlers. Though met with much resistance, the missionaries were successful enough to have evangelized even the King and Princess of Cebu (an island in the south of the Philippine archipelago). As a baptismal present, Ferdinand Magellan gave Princess Juana an image of the Sto. Nino. Since then, nothing was heard about the precious gift that well marked the Christianization of the Philippines until Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in Cebu. In 1565, Legazpi’s men found the same image of the Sto. Nino carefully wrapped inside a chest. Today, the same statue is venerated in the Basilica of the Sto. Nino in Cebu. Historians cannot write an accurate account of the Church’s history in the Philippines without mentioning the fact that the Sto. Nino has always been closely associated with the evangelization of the First Christian nation in the Far East.

As it is intimately linked with the origin of the Catholic Faith in the Philippines, so is the devotion to the Sto. Nino a reminder of the beginning of the Christian Faith. The Sto. Nino gives material representation to the mystery of the Incarnation. When Jesus, the Eternal Word of the Father and the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, became man, God became little for us. At the core of the Christian Faith is Phil 2:6-8 that says that Jesus, “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!” At the heart of every believer is the humbling realization that God became little so that every man and woman might be great. The “poverty” of God enriched us all. Christ came to share in our humanity so that we might come to share in His divinity.

Thus, the challenge for every disciple of the Lord is to follow His kenosis, His way of self-emptying. Every Christian must become little so that others may be great. All who aspire to belong to the Kingdom of the God-who-became-little must become little, too. The Kingdom, therefore, challenges us to become childlike in everyway.

To be childlike, however, is not only to be little. To be childlike also means to be confident in the love of the Father for us. This childlike trust helps us to take the radical road unto self-emptying because we know and we believe that the Father will never abandon us just as He did not abandon Jesus who once became a Child for us.

Ironically, though, we cannot remain children if we want to be childlike. We have to grow and mature in our faith, hope, and love. Just as the Sto. Nino, though always little, did not remain a toddler all His life, we, too, need to become adults in our spirituality even as we remain little. We can only become childlike if we mature; otherwise, we become childish, not childlike.

As we celebrate today the Feast of the Sto. Nino, we remember the humble beginnings of the Catholic Faith in the Philippines and so are grateful; we reflect on the mystery of the Incarnation and so are amazed by the love of God for us; and we are challenged by the Kingdom to strive becoming more childlike. This feast must be observed not only by Filipinos but also by every follower of Jesus, for the Kingdom beckons us all.

WHERE ARE WE FOUND?

Saturday in the 1st Week of the Ordinary Time
Mk 2:13-17

One of the saddest things that can happen to any person is to be labeled and to be called names. During the time of Jesus, tax collectors – good or bad alike –suffered from this. They were looked down upon and were considered social outcasts. Anyone was extra careful to be associated with them. But not Jesus.

Jesus mingled freely with tax collectors and other public sinners. He even chose one of them to be His close associates. His name was Matthew, formerly Levi, who became one of the apostles and gave us one of the Gospels.

The reason that Jesus gave to explain His deviant attitude toward sinners and social outcasts remains logical up until today: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.”

Where should a doctor be seen? Among the sick, should it not be? Where should the Savior be found? Among the lost, should it not be?

As disciples of Jesus, called to become more and more like Him, where are we found?

CAN YOU FIGURE IT OUT?

Friday in the 1st Week of the Ordinary Time
Mk 2:1-12

Paralysis is immobility. The paralytic is someone who cannot move, partially or totally. Whatever the extent of the paralysis is, the paralytic is one who does not enjoy wholeness. Jesus heals a paralytic man today, spiritually and physically, wholly. But the scribes are not happy about it.

The scribes are not happy about the cure of the paralytic because Jesus restores not only the physical wellbeing of the man but also his spiritual health. Jesus forgives the paralytic of his sins. Whatever the height of their social standing, the scribes are not an ounce more whole than the paralytic is.

Reading the Gospel for today as it is written, we may conclude that Jesus’ intention really was to heal the paralytic from his spiritual infirmity more than from his physical handicap. The physical healing seems to have been an after thought, something that Jesus had to resort to in defense after the scribes challenged His power and authority to forgive sins.

When I read this particular episode in the Gospel, I sometimes wonder if the paralytic man would have been healed had the scribes not accused Jesus of blasphemy. If after forgiving the sins of the paralytic, everybody was satisfied and no criticism against Jesus was raised, would the story end there and the man carried back to his house, forgiven from his sins but still paralyzed nonetheless?

If such were the case, would we have this story find its way in the Gospel? The answer would depend on how the early Christian community really looked on Jesus. And the Gospel today reveals the answer.

Do you figure out what the answer is? If not, you could be either the paralytic or one of the scribes.

THE SECRET

Thursday in the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
Mk 1:40-45

Jesus sternly ordered the man He cured from leprosy: “Mind you, say nothing to anyone….” His was a tall order. Thus, man went away, talking about his healing and telling the story everywhere. The result was that “Jesus could no longer openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived”. But the Gospel reports: “People from all around would come to Him.”

When something extraordinarily happy, good, and life changing happens to you, will you be quiet about it? Will you not find anyone to share the joy you cannot contain? Will you not tell people about your unexpected, unimaginable, unexplainable, undeserved, unbelievable experience? We cannot penalize the man miraculously healed from leprosy for spreading the news about Jesus.

But why did Jesus ordered the man not to tell anyone about the miracle?

The Markan Gospel has a great secret. It is called the Messianic secret. In the entire Gospel of Mark, Jesus seems to avoid being discovered as the Messiah. The disciples themselves appear like fools, not realizing that the Messiah Himself is in their company already in the person of Jesus. This is the case even as Mark records miracles after miracles of Jesus, all done in public. The true identity of Jesus remains a great secret throughout the Gospel of Mark until in Mk 15:39 a Roman centurion – notice, not even a Jewish disciple – says, “Truly this is the Son of God.”

The Messianic secret was meant to be known by faith alone, not admiration. Jesus wanted people to come to faith in Him, not to come to Him for miracles only. He needed disciples, not fanatics. He was concerned about the Kingdom of God, not about His fans club.

Let us be disciples of Jesus, not His fans. Let faith lead us to Him, not miracles. Focus our selves on Jesus; His Himself is the miracle. That is not a secret to us anymore.

DISCERNMENT

Wednesday in the 1st Week in the Ordinary Time
Mk 1:29-39

Jesus gives us today an example to follow. Discernment is never optional to us, disciples of Jesus. For how can we follow Jesus without discerning His ways? Or how can we accomplish the work of God unless we know His will?

After a busy day of teaching and healing, the following morning, “long before dawn”, as the Gospel says, finds Jesus alone and absorbed in prayer. Thus, even before the disciples suggest that Jesus stays where they are, for “everyone is looking for You” as the disciples say, Jesus already has an answer. The answer is “Let us go elsewhere…so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.” That answer is the fruit of discernment.

How does Jesus discern the will of the Father?

First, Jesus withdraws from the crowd. He goes alone. He is not afraid of being alone. But in fact, He is not alone when He leaves the crowd because the Father is always with Him. Withdrawing from the crowd gives Jesus the opportunity to be alone with the Father.

Second, Jesus goes to a lonely place. “Lonely” here does not mean “sad” but “quite”. He is not afraid of silence. He loves silence. It is in silence that Jesus is able to hear the Father clearly and know His will better.

Third, Jesus prays. Prayer is having a dialogue with God. Jesus communicates with the Father. Because prayer is essentially dialogue with God, Jesus listens and talks to the Father. Listening and talking to the Father is breath for Jesus just as His food is to do the Father’s will (cf. Jn 4:34).

Jesus discerns the Father’s will by withdrawing from the crowd, going to a lonely place, and praying. This is how we should likewise discern God’s will. Then we shall know that the first suggestion we hear even from well-meaning friends, as in the case of Jesus in today’s Gospel, is not always necessarily the best.

Discernment is not optional or occasional. It is required and regular for all Christians.

A POWERFUL EXAMPLE BY ONE WHO IS IN AUTHORITY

Tuesday in the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
Mk 1:21-28

Power and authority – two words that connote greatness. Though not synonymous, power and authority are essentially related. However, a powerful man is not necessarily in authority and a man in authority is not necessarily powerful. An effective and genuine leader must nonetheless have both power and authority.

On the one hand, a man who wields power without authority is a tyrant. On the other hand, a man who exercises authority without power is a lame duck. The first is a monster, the second a clown. The first oppresses while the second provides a comic relief. A great man is he who has both power and authority.

Jesus has both power and authority. The Gospel today is only one of the many proofs that Jesus is both powerful and full of authority.

Jesus uses His power and authority to set people free. As in the Gospel today, He releases a man from the bondage of an unclean spirit. Jesus gives us an example of how to use power and authority together. And if only more and more people would follow His example, there would be less and less evil in the world.

EPIPHANY NOT ENDED

Solemnity of the Lord’s Baptism
Mk 1:7-11

We celebrated yesterday the Solemnity of the Lord’s Epiphany. God manifested Himself to all nations. In and through today’s Solemnity of the Lord’s Baptism, He continues introducing Himself to humankind. The Solemnity of the Lord’s Baptism forms a very essential component of the Lord’s epiphany.

God reveals that Jesus Christ is His Beloved Son. Referring to Jesus, His voice is heard: “You are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on You.” Nothing can be clearer a claim that Jesus is the Son of God than God Himself saying so.

In asserting the Jesus Christ is His Beloved Son, God announces that the Messianic promises (cf. Is 61:1ff) are beginning to be fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ. Later on, Jesus Himself will make this claim in His hometown synagogue (cf. Lk 4:18-19). Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the inauguration of the New. In Him, with Him, and through Him, the Kingdom of God breaks upon humankind. Jesus, Himself, is the Messiah, the Christ.

At the Lord’s Baptism in the Jordan, God further reveals that while He is one, there are actually three Persons in Him. When the Son is baptized, the Father’s voice is heard and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the likeness of a dove. This is the first revelation of the Most Holy Trinity in the New Testament. This divine manifestation is like a statement on the economy of salvation: the Father sends the Son who, in obedience to the will of the Father, achieves the work of redemption in, with, and through the Holy Spirit.

The Lord’s baptism is a continuation of the Lord’s epiphany. But the Lord’s baptism does not conclude the Lord’s epiphany. Today, the Lord continues revealing Himself to us. I do not mean that He makes new revelations – Jesus Christ is the final and definitive revelation of God; after Jesus and besides Jesus, there are no more revelations to come – but that in and through us, baptized in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, God is likewise manifested to the world. By way of identification and participation with Jesus, the Beloved Son of the Father, we continue the epiphany of God. This is our privilege and our mission.

WISE BUT POOR, ENRICHED AND WISER

Solemnity of the Lord’s Epiphany
Mt 2:1-12

How many kings are mentioned in the Gospel today? Two. Yes, only two: King Herod and Jesus, the newborn King of the Jews.

But we are very accustomed to greeting one another on this day, “Happy Three Kings!” There are no three kings in the Gospel today; only two; and they are certainly not happy. King Herod is not happy about the news concerning the newborn King of the Jews, and, in utter madness, he ordered the massacre of all boys from two years old and below found in his kingdom. Jesus, the newborn King of the Jews, certainly is not happy about the insanity of King Herod.

The men who came from the East to worship the newborn King of the Jews were described as “wise men”, not kings, magi, not royalties. Most probably because of their priceless gifts, they are thought by many people even today as kings. Moreover, the headcount says that some wise men, not three wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem to worship the newborn King. Yes, there were three kinds of gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh; but there is no basis to peg the number of the visitors to three.

The correct title of today’s solemnity is “The Lord’s Epiphany”, not the “Feast of the Three Kings”. The liturgy today focuses on the fact that Jesus was born for all men and women from every place and time. The Lord was revealed to all nations because God wishes that all men and women be saved and to the knowledge of truth. The highlight should be the Lord, not some wise men or earthly kings.

I had a sad experience last Christmas. I went to pray in the parish church of one of plush subdivisions of Metro Manila. After praying I went closer to the beautiful, expensive, imported and life-size Christmas crèche at the foot of the sanctuary, I noticed that something is missing among the usual characters. There was the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, Baby Jesus, and the three wise men, but the shepherds were absent. Immediately I wondered if the shepherds were intentionally left out by that community known for its residents who are mostly, if not all, rich and famous. Could it be that they identify with the so-called “Three Kings” but not with the shepherds who, in the time of Jesus, were known to be poor and illiterate, and considered social-outcasts? I really felt sad. Because it was Christmas Eve when I prayed in that church, I even caught my self saying, “My goodness, the wise men got here first before the shepherds! This community must be celebrating a different Christmas.”

Because today’s feast is commonly regarded as the “Feast of the Three Kings”, some people may think that today is the Christmas of the rich because so-called “kings” arrived in Bethlehem while December 25 is the Christmas of the poor because the only visitors of the Holy Family on the night Jesus was born were poor shepherds. Certainly, this kind of thinking or even impression is wrong. Christmas is for everyone. Jesus is born for all of us, rich and poor, wise and unwise, holy and unholy, Jews and Gentiles alike. This is precisely the reason for today’s celebration. God reveals Himself to all humankind and gives His only Son to each of us. Today is God’s epiphany more than the feast of three kings.

The wise men, whom many came to regard as kings, were not wealthy at all. On the contrary, the epiphany of God sheds light on their own poverty. Like the shepherds, who were first to worship the newborn King, those so-called “Three Kings” were poor. But having found Jesus, they were enriched and made even wiser.

In the eyes of God, we are all poor and so He gives us His Son to make us truly rich. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life,” so says 1 Jn 5:12.

The wise men were poor because they were searching. True wealth puts an end to all searching. This is the reason why we can never we contented with whatever we have and know while here on earth. Life in this world is a life of continuous search. The wise men were searching for the newborn king of the Jews because they felt, if not yet knew, that finding the prophesied birth would bring them greater joy. In the same manner, we are all searching for meaning in our lives, that will bring greater joy, true joy, lasting and never-ending joy. We always embark on a quest for joy, hoping that we are treading on the right track. But we are poor until we have found Jesus, the Way.

The wise men were poor because they did not know everything. They were wise but they did not know everything. Their wisdom made them recognize the sign of Christ’s birth but they had to rely on the guidance of a star; and when the star was gone for sometime, they had to ask other people, including the infamous King Herod. The wise men, like all men and women, also had their deficiencies despite all their wisdom. Like all of us, they had to be helped and led, to be taught and enlightened. And we are poor until we have known Jesus, the Truth.

The wise men were poor despite an impressive list of what the gifts they brought Jesus. Indeed, gold, frankincense, and myrrh are expensive gifts but still gold, frankincense, and myrrh have equivalent prices. That gold, frankincense, and myrrh are priceless is only in a manner of speaking. True wealth is having what money cannot buy. And the truly wealthy person is he or she who gives what money cannot supply. Unless we are live and love like Jesus, the Life, we are poor.

Today’s epiphany is not only God’s revelation of Himself; it is also the manifestation of who we really are without God. We may be living in the most luxurious village in the city, but unless God dwells in us, we are poor. There used to stand a billboard along the South Luzon Express Way, enticing passersby to procure properties in an exclusive subdivision. The billboard reads: “Where you live defines who you are.” This advertisement is very unacceptable, misleading, ridiculous, and even scandalous. No matter what we have and who we are, we remain utterly poor without Jesus. The people around us may think we are royalties or call us “wise”, but, let us not deceive our selves – we know we are paupers and fools without the Lord.

As we see in Jesus the God whom otherwise we cannot see, we learn that it is for our sake that God became poor so that we might become rich. Jesus came to share in our humanity that we might come to share in His divinity.

The visitors from the East were not kings but wise men. Like the rest of humanity, they were poor in their own way. They were wise through because despite their own poverty, they have searched for, been led to, and have worshiped Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And they were even wiser because having found, reached, and received Jesus, they went home through another route. They arrived in Bethlehem wise but poor; they left it enriched and even wiser. As another the blessed season of Christ’s birth ends today, we go back to our usual, day-to-day affairs; the route we take in our return to the ordinariness of life will show if we, too, have been enriched and made wiser by the kind of Christmas we have celebrated.

MARIAN DEVOTION

Saturday in the Week Before Epiphany
Jn 2:1-11

Today is not only the First Saturday of the month; it is the First Saturday of the year as well. Saturday is the day of the Blessed Mother. Incidentally, the Gospel today is one of the favorite Marian Gospels.

For us, Catholics, it is almost impossible not to mention something about Mama Mary in today’s Gospel. After all, here we find the only recorded command she had ever uttered in the Gospel: “Do whatever He tells you.” And this is exactly the role of the Blessed Mother in the life of every Christian. She directs us to Jesus, her Son and our Lord.

A devotion to the Blessed Mother that puts her over and above Jesus is idolatry. It is a violation of the First Commandment. God alone should we worship.

A devotion to the Blessed Mother that stops with the Blessed Mother is fanaticism. Fanaticism has no place in genuine Christian spirituality. We do not belong to a fans club; we belong to the one sheepfold of Christ, the Church.

A devotion to the Blessed Mother that focuses only on prayer-requests is spiritual utilitarianism. Mama Mary is not a vending machine. Yes, she does intercede for us as every Christian should pray for other Christians, and her intercession is indeed powerful, but Scripture tells us clearly that her first and most important role is to lead us to the Lord Jesus. She gave birth to Jesus so that Jesus may become one like us, save sin.

Whether we admit it or not, many Catholics are indeed guilty of a wrong Marian devotion. And the Blessed Mother is certainly sad about it, for all she wants is to adore Jesus, to be followers of Jesus, and to lead us to Jesus. In the heart of every Marian devotee is heard the command of the Blessed Mother as she points to her Son: “Do whatever He tells you.”

GOD'S CHILDREN IN CHRIST

Friday in the Week Before the Epiphany
Mk 1:7-11

I am an only son.

To be a son is a gift. I did not choose to be a son. I did not choose the father who begot me nor the mother who delivered me. I did not choose the family I was born into. I did not choose and so my being a son is always a gift to me.

To be a son is a gift. My parents wanted to have a son, yes; but they did not decide that I would be a son. They longed, wished, and prayed for a son, but they could not decide who among their children would be a son. They did not choose to make a son out of me; they simply received me and, indeed, a son was I given to them. My being a son is not only a gift to me; it is also a gift to my parents.

To be a son is a gift. Every birth is a letting go. The first time I experienced separation was when I came out of our mother’s womb. As I grow, I have to go through a lot of letting go. My parents have to experience separation from me many times too. The reason for all these partings in life is the fact that I am not only a gift to my parents, but to others as well. When I became a priest, my being a gift takes on a more definite form. My parents’ gave their only son as gift to God and His People.

We are God’s children – all of us, sons and daughters. We are all His gifts to our parents, to the Church, and to the world. Then in turn, we are the gifts of our parents, of the Church, and of the world to God from whom we came in the first place. “Every child,” I read it somewhere, “comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged with man.” Jesus, the Father’s Beloved Son on whom His favor rests, puts an exclamation mark to this quotation. Through Him, we become God’s children too. Do we dare change the exclamation mark into a question mark instead?

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Thursday in the Week Before the Epiphany
Jn 1:43-51

As many people say, so is the number of people who believe: First impression last. But as many people believe so is the number of people who are mistaken. While first impressions do last, they are also often wrong. Unfortunately, it does not matter to many if first impressions are right or wrong, for even wrong impressions are hard to erase from the minds they are created in.

The Gospel today clearly reveals that Nazareth had a truly lasting impression on the minds of Jesus’ contemporaries. Sadly though, it was not a good impression. Nathanael put into a rather insulting expression what many people of his time thought about Nazareth: “Can anything good come from that place?” Of course, we know the answer by now. But Nathanael and the disciples did not until they met Jesus of Nazareth.

We are still in the first week of the new year. We have just started. Perhaps one of the beginnings we need to experience at the start of the year is to correct whatever impressions we have about things, places, events, and, most importantly, people. As I mentioned in my previous reflections, Christmas is God’s protest against the tired belief that there is nothing new under the sun. Christmas sends across the message that things, places, events, and, most importantly, people can be better because of the birth of the Son of God. Because Jesus is from Nazareth, definitely there can be something good from Nazareth. Because Jesus became human like us in all things but sin, there can really be something good in every human person. St. Augustine wrote, “Since God became man, we can be sure that in everything human we can find something of the divine.” All it takes is having a fresh view on things, places, events, and people to see that ‘something good’. All it requires is taking the risk of trusting again and never surrendering our hope in whatever or whoever we seemed to have already dismissed as hopeless in the past. All it waits for is our discovery; or better yet, our re-discovery.

Incidentally, Nathanael’s name in Hebrew means “God’s gift”. His name points to the good that came from Nazareth: Jesus, God’s gift to us. Together with the other disciples of Jesus, Nathanael would soon re-discover Nazareth and find God’s gift coming from that place. He would soon realize that his first impression about Nazareth was wrong no matter how lasting it seemed to be. He would have to let go of his first impression and start anew. We have to let go of our first impressions, too, and start anew; otherwise, we miss so much of God’s gift to us.

FINALLY HE FINDS US

Wednesday in the Week Before Epiphany
Jn 1:35-42

Bible trivia: What is God’s first question to man?

The answer is found in Gen 3:9. God’s first question to man is “Where are you?” When man disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree that God forbade him to even touch, man suddenly became alienated from God. Thus, God started searching for man. Sin alienates us from God. God searches for us though. In His Son, Jesus Christ, God finds us at last!

In the Gospel today, we can imagine how Andrew was overly excited in breaking to his brother, Simon, the news regarding the find of his life: “We have found the Messiah!” Andrew’s joy was not complete until he brought and introduced his brother to Jesus.

In the light of the Gen. 3:9, I wonder whether it was Andrew (and the “other disciple” as the Gospel says; probably John the Evangelist) who found the Lord or it was really the Lord who found Andrew and his companion and, through Andrew, found Simon. I believe that God finds us even before we find Him because He has always been searching for us since sin started standing between Him and us. I believe further that we are able to find God because He has already found us in the Lord Jesus Christ. And most importantly, having found God, we should be motivated to find the others for Him by leading them to Jesus, His Son.

Christmas is a season of finding. The shepherds found the Child and His mother just as the angel told them. The magi found the newborn King of the Jews. Mary and Joseph found their Holy Child in the temple, discussing with the scholars of the Law and answering their questions. Jesus found John the Baptist at the Jordan and received baptism from him. John the Baptist found the One whom he described to be “greater than I”. Andrew and John found the Messiah. Andrew found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. There are so many finding-events in the Christmas story and in the first years of the private and public life of the Lord. And as Jesus goes through the three years of His public life, there are even more finding-events. But it all started with Mary and Joseph not finding a room in the inn to deliver Jesus into the world.

God has found us! Let us find the others for Him by leading them to Jesus in Whom God has finally found us.

A BARGAIN DEAL

Tuesday in the Week Before the Epiphany
1 Jn 2:29-3:6

In the 4th Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass, a phrase never fails to make me hold my breath in excitement and wonder. The phrase, found at the end of the 4th Eucharistic Prayer, says, “…on that day, we shall see You as You are; we shall become like You; and praise You through Jesus Christ our Lord from Whom You give us everything that is good.” Wow!

Can anyone imagine anyone of us becoming like God Himself? I am already lost in amazement in the prospect of seeing God as He is, but becoming like Him is totally beyond my poor mind can grasp!

But indeed, such is the great plan of God for you and me. He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to give us a share in His divine life. Jesus came to share in our humanity so that we may come to share in His divinity. Sharing in the life of the Father and sharing in the divinity of His Son is becoming like God Himself. It is for this totally-out-of-this-world transformation that God created us. He wants to share Himself to us. And even more, we are dumbfounded over His plan for us because He does not have to, He does not need to, and He is not forced to be so madly in loved with us this way!

John the Evangelist tells us today in the First Reading that this ‘crazy’ plan of God will work out only in the lives of those who keep themselves pure as God is pure. Jesus, in the Beatitudes, says, “Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.” But can anyone really be as pure as God? No one; except with the help of God Himself. That is why becoming like God, while it does require cooperation with God’s grace, is always God’s gratuitous gift to us. No one is pure, but God who is pure can make anyone pure like Him.

Because He knows that we can get our selves easily and frequently impure by our sins, Jesus makes the Sacrament of Reconciliation always available to us. Without trying to mean abusing the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it is God’s powerful agent to purify us each time we are tainted with sin. Let us love and frequent the sacrament. If there resolutions we have at the start of this new year, let regular confession be among our list.

We shall see Him. We shall become like Him. We shall praise Him through Jesus Christ our Lord. Great is the destiny to which we have been created. Keeping our selves pure and going to confession regularly are nothing compared to it. It is a bargain deal, is it not?

IDENTITY CHECK

Monday in the Week Before the Epiphany
Jn 1:19-28

We sometimes find our selves proud to be identified with somebody. There is no wrong with that except that unless that ‘somebody’ is Jesus we are bound to be unhappy. St. Paul the Apostle said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God” (Gal 6:14-16).

At the start of another year, John the Baptist clarifies his identity. “I am not the Christ. I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord” (Jn 1:20 and 23), declares John. And he does not simply declare it; he declares it publicly! To declare one’s identity publicly shows that he who declares is not ashamed of who he says he is but is takes pride in the truth of who he claims to be.

At the beginning of a new year, John reminds us about something we easily forget as we go through each day of the year: Identify your self with Jesus and be proud about it! As disciples of the Lord, we can find our fulfillment, our peace, our joy only in persevering in our relationship with the Lord. Our identity is deeply rooted in Christ. We are who we are in relation to Jesus. We have to discover our identity with Jesus more and more each day. That identity of ours should be manifested in our day-to-day life. Unless we do so, we shall have no joy, no peace, and no fulfillment in everything we do and claim to be.

There are people who often fall into the trap of taking pride in being identified with the rich, the famous, and the powerful. Then they pretend to be rich, famous, and powerful too, but in the end, they become poorer, derided, and weaker. Why? Because they become slaves of those with whom they identify themselves. Jesus alone enriches, enhances, and empowers the identity of every man and woman.

Be happy. Be identified with Jesus. Be at peace. Be related to Jesus. Be holy. Be like Jesus.

A SPECIAL MOTHERHOOD

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Lk 2:16-21

A woman becomes a mother only when she gives birth to her child. As a baby is born, so is a mother born too. Thus, the birthday of the one who is delivered is likewise the birthday of the one who delivered. On the day her child is born, a woman celebrates two birthdays: her child’s and her motherhood.

As the Christmas octave ends, our thoughts turn to the other celebrant of the season: Mary, the Mother of Jesus. When Jesus was born, Mary became a mother. Her motherhood was born as she delivered into the world her Holy Child. On Christmas Day, we worshipped the newborn King. Today, we venerate His mother.

Mary’s motherhood is special. I suggest three reasons why.

Mary’s motherhood is special because it is a prophetic motherhood. Her motherhood is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy: “the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel” (Is 7:14).

Mary’s motherhood is special because it is a divine motherhood. Because Jesus is God, Mary is the mother of God. Title “Mother of God” does not in any way mean that Jesus received His divinity from Mary, but that He who was born of Mary is both human and divine. It was Mary who received divine motherhood from Jesus, not Jesus who received divine sonship from Mary.

Mary’s motherhood is special because it is an ecclesial motherhood. She is the mother of the Church, the Body of Christ. Certainly, she who is the mother of the head is also the mother of the body. Jesus Christ is Head of His Body, the Church. Because we are the Church, the Body of Christ, Mary is our mother too. She who became the mother of the Redeemer in Bethlehem eventually became the mother of the redeemed on Calvary.

It is not New Year in the Church today. New Year in the Church is every first Sunday of Advent. But the Church rejoices with the world as another calendar year begins. As life begins in the womb so does the Church offer us the same womb where the historical life of the Eternal-Word-Made-Flesh began: Mary, the Mother of God.

We start the calendar year with a mother whose love will lead us through the year to Him who made her motherhood ever special: Jesus. Her prophetic motherhood is the fulfillment of God’s promise; through her powerful intercession, may God make all your good wishes come true. Her divine motherhood is an assertion of our faith in the divinity of her Son; through her loving care, may we persevere in the faith. Her ecclesial motherhood is her sharing in the redemptive mission of the Lord; through her shining example, may we evangelize the world in word and in deed.

May the Blessed Mother keep you in the folds of her mantle and in the crossing of her arms.