DISIPLINA

Paggunita sa Banal na Alaala ni San Juan Bosco, Pari
Mt 18:1-5

Pasaway – ito ang tawag sa mahirap pagsabihan o, sa madaling-salita, “makulit”. Bagamat hindi naman esklusibo, kadalasang mga bata at kabataan ang nasasabihan ng “Pasaway ka!”

Sa tutoo lang, hindi lang mga bata at kabataan ang pasaway, hindi ba? Pero kadalasan nga ang mga katulad nilang mahirap pagsabihan o talaga namang makulit ang tinatawag na pasaway.

Noong panahon ni Don Bosco, may mga pasaway na ring mga bata at kabataan. Pasaway, sa turing ng mga nakatatanda. At walang gaanong pinagkaiba ang nakatatanda noong panahon ni Don Bosco sa mga nakatatanda ngayong panahon natin: ang batang pasaway, e di sinasaway! Sa madaling sabi, kailangang idisiplina ang pasaway. At maraming paraan ng pagdisiplina.

May dalawang uri ng pagdidisiplina. Ang isa ay ang tamang pagdidisiplina. Ito ang uri ng pagdidisiplina nang hindi pagpaparusa ang pangunahing layunin ng dumidisiplina. Sa halip, ang pakay ng pagdidisiplina ay ang maiwasto – muli, hindi maparusahan – ang pasaway sa pamaraang hindi marahas at talagang nagbibigay-leksyon sa dinidisiplina dahil pinagsisikapan nitong mabuti na maipaliwanag sa dinidisiplina ang dahilan ng pagdidisiplina. Kaya nga tamang pagdidisiplina. Ang isa pa ay ang pagdidisiplinang puro tama. Kaya naman ito puro tama dahil una, puro tama sa palo ang dinidisiplina at, ikalawa, palaging ang dumidisiplina lang ang tama kasi ayaw tumanggap ng paliwanag ng dinidisiplina. Marahas ang pagdidisiplinang ito. Ganito ang pagdidisiplina ng mga taong sinasabing “mabigat ang kamay”. Makitid din ang pagdidisiplinang ito dahil walang puwang sa pag-uusap o dialogo. At dahil marahas at makitid nga, walang mabuting ibinubunga ang ganitong uri ng pagdidisiplina. Tunay ngang ang batang lumalaki nang walang pagdidisiplina ay sawi, pero ang batang lumalaki naman sa paraan ng ikalawang uri ng pagdidisiplina – ang pagdidisiplinang puro tama – ay karaniwang nagiging marahas din at makitid ang utak pagtanda. Ang biktima ngayon nagiging mambibiktima bukas – alam po ba ninyo iyon?

Pinagsikapang idisiplina ni Don Juan Bosco ang mga pasaway na kabataan noong kanyang panahon. Ang ginamit niya ay ang tamang pagdidisiplina at hindi pagdidisiplinang puro tama. Paniniwala rin niyang dapat turuan ang mga pasaway na kabataan ng mga kapaki-pakinabang na mga gawain para malayo sila sa tukso ng masamang pamumuhay. Bukambibig pa nga niyang ang taong tamad daw ay lapitin ng tukso. Ang unang hakbang niya sa tamang pagdidisiplina ay ang pagsisikap na unawain at pakibagayan ang kanyang mga dinidisiplina nang hindi binabalewala ang hamon ng tuwid na pamumuhay. Tinipon niya ang mga kabataang delinkuwente – mga kabataang pasaway at itinuturing ng lipunan bilang wala nang pag-asa – at tinuruan sila ng mabuting asal at gawaing kapaki-pakinabang, gaya ng mga gawaing teknolohikal. Naakit ni Don Bosco ang ilang mga kalalakihang nagtalaga ng sarili sa Diyos sa pamamagitan ng paghuhubog sa mga kabataan at itinatag nila ang Salesians of Don Bosco, sa inspirasyon ng mga aral ni San Francisco de Sales. At ang pinaka-koronang putong sa pagsisikap ni Don Bosco ay ito: marami sa mga kabataang dating pasaway na kanyang kinupkop at hinubog ang naging kasapi ng kongregasyong ito ng mga pari at hermanong relihiyoso.

Magpahanggang ngayon, buhay na buhay ang kongregasyong ito at patuloy na humuhubog sa maraming mga kabataan ayon sa pamamaraan ni San Juan Bosco. Iyon nga lang, hindi na lang mga pasaway na kabataan ang pinaglilinkuran nila.

Ipanalangin nawa ni San Juan Bosco ang lahat ng mga kabataan sa buong mundo – silang lahat ay nangangailangan ng disiplina para sa isang magandang kinabukasan. Pero, higit sa lahat, ipanalangin, turuan, at tulungan nawa ni San Juan Bosco ang mga nakatatandang may pananagutang disiplinahin sila.

THE LAME AND BLIND MONK

Thursday in the 3rd Week of Ordinary Time
Mk 4:21-25

There was once a monk who spent his whole life sitting inside a dark cave. He meditated day-in and day-out. He never stepped out of his cave. He never rose from his meditation. He simply sat there meditating inside his dark cave all throughout his life. He had disciples though who brought him food and drink. Few grains of wheat and few drops of water were all he consumed. At the end of his quiet life, he died lame and blind, for he never used his ability to walk and his sense of sight.

Jesus concludes the gospel today with a warning: “…the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Our monk-story illustrates this point clearly. Anything we have if not put into good and regular use weakens until it is completely gone. But that which we use properly and often, strengthens and grows.

What then do we have? Do we use it at all? How do we use it?

What a pity for us if we do not even know what we have. Worse if we do not use it at all. And worst if we do not use it for a good end.

KNOW THE TRUTH AND BE TRUTHFUL

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

Knowledge and wisdom are related but not the same. Knowledge is aptitude. Wisdom is attitude. Knowledge is aptitude because it speaks about a person’s capacity to absorb data. Wisdom is attitude because it shows a person’s higher faculty to link what he knows to how he acts. Knowledge measures an individual’s intelligence. Wisdom forms an individual’s character.

Unfortunately, in Philippine society, wisdom is colloquially translated as wais. Even more unfortunate, while wisdom is deeply related to good behavior, decent character, and moral living, wais has no immediate relationship with goodness, decency, and morality. If ever it has, it is often a relationship of negation. A person is wais if he can go around or even bend the law. A person is wais if he can take advantage of a situation commonly at the expense of others. A person is wais if he knows the truth but has the talent to twist it. Being truthful is not necessarily a trait of the knowledgeable. But being wise, in the truest sense of the word, demands that he who knows the truth is truthful as well.

This is one of the main problems in Philippine society: many know the truth but they are not at all truthful. Take, for example, the case of yesterday’s hearing at the Philippine senate, by the committee headed by the much-feared Senator Mirriam Defensor-Santiago. A private corporation was blacklisted from making any transaction for which the Philippine government may request funding from the World Bank. According to the reliable investigation conducted by the World Bank, the said corporation engaged in collusion, a crime of conspiring for an anomalous transaction. It is the World Bank’s standard procedure to provide the requesting government results of its investigation, which it did in this case. The World Bank gave the Philippine government a copy of the results of its investigation on the controversial deal as early as November 2007. The Department of Public Works and Highways, the Finance Department, as well as the Office of the Ombudsman were aware of the humiliating refusal of the World Bank to finance a road project of the Philippine government due to the crime of collusion. But not even one of the agencies of the government mentioned earlier lifted a finger to make its own investigation, bring to justice whoever was culpable, and correct this proven shameful practice in doing business with the Philippine government. Those who faced the senate inquiry, not to mention the ire of the Ilongga senator, knew the truth but they really appeared untruthful.

One irony in Philippine society is that despite the fact that many of our national leaders studied in the best Catholic universities in the land – Ateneo, La Salle, San Beda, UST, and, yes, Assumption included – still our country figures among the most corrupt countries in the world. Of course, we do not throw the blame to our leaders only. We all have a share in this seemingly national scourge. We deserve the government we get. But leaders are leaders. And Catholic leaders – or Christian leaders in general – should be both practitioners and vanguards of morality in governance. Indeed, in the Philippines, many of those who know the truth are not at all truthful. They have knowledge but they do not have real wisdom. They are wais but not wise.

According to Proverbs 9:10 and 111:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. Clearly, it is not knowledge that gives wisdom. Wisdom is the child of the holy fear of the Lord. Without fear of the Lord, a person may be the most knowledgeable person in the entire universe. But, still, he is not wise, only wais.

As we celebrate, today, the blessed memory of St. Thomas Aquinas, the greatest mind ever produced by the Church, let us pray that we – leaders and plain citizens of this nation alike – may be granted wisdom, not only knowledge. May whatever fear of the Lord we – all of us, but most especially those entrusted with public office – still have be preserved and grow until it consumes us, for, without it, knowledge is not wisdom. May we know how to live and live wisely. May the holy fear of the Lord help us know the truth and keep us truthful.

WORSHIP

Tuesday in the 3rd Week of Ordinary Time
Mk 3:31-35

I used to teach Religious Education courses at the St. Paul University of Manila. Discussions in my class revolve around a series of thesis statements. For Religious Education 4 – “Prayer, Liturgy, and Sacraments – thesis one is “Worship is the expression of the divine-human relationship.” From this assertion logically flow several important points. One, there is no worship where there is no relationship between God and man. Second, it is therefore consequential that man desires for God and God satisfies that desire. And, third, given that this divine-human relationship exists, an inner attitude and an outward manifestation are constitutive of authentic worship.

But the kind of worship we are most concerned about is specifically Christian worship. Thus, following the brief assertions given above, Christian worship presupposes a bond between God and man, and that bond is nothing less than Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus is the bond of a Christian’s relationship with God. We are related to the Father in and through Jesus Christ, His Son. Without Jesus Christ, worship can be any kind of worship except Christian.

It is therefore not optional for us, Christians, to unite our selves to Jesus the Christ. We must be related to His Person to be related to the Person of the Father. Moreover, our kinship with Christ Jesus should never be mere superficial. It has to be a bond not created through biological or legal process; meaning our ties with Jesus may not be and should surpass consanguinity and affinity. Our union with Jesus Christ, the Bond of our relationship with the Father, has to be, using theological parlance, through configuration.

To be configured to Christ means to be Christ-like, in a way, to be another Jesus. To have the mind of Christ, to have His words, His attitude, His heart, His consuming concerns, His preferences, His life and even His death and resurrection – this is what it means to be configured to Christ.

Today, Jesus clearly defines what makes a person truly related to Him: doing the will of God. Logically so, because the will of God is paramount in the mind and heart of Jesus, His words and attitude are at the service of fulfilling that same holy will, and, therefore, all His consuming concerns and preferences have obedience to the will of God as their basis and goal at the same time. His life, death, and resurrection – His Paschal Mystery – is more than a fulfillment of God’s will, but a celebration of it as well.

Every time we open Scriptures and Break Bread in the Holy Mass, we celebrate the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Celebrating it is not only remembering Jesus, but also making Jesus present again in our midst in a sacramental way. And one of the inestimable effects of this celebration is the renewal and deepening of our union with Christ, and, with and through Christ, with the Father, and, consequently, with one another because anyone who is related to God cannot but be related to all His children.

But because worship is not only ritualistic, our relationship with God naturally flows beyond the rituals and rubrics of worship. Therefore, each of us continues his or her worship of God even after the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Beyond the parameters of liturgical celebrations, our altars is our day-to-day affairs, our sacrificial offering is the life we live. And unless that life is Christ-like, our offering is unacceptable to God.

We come to Mass to unite our personal and communal sacrifices to the one sacrifice of Christ. You may forget your material contribution to the church treasury when you come to Mass, but, please, do not leave behind in your homes the sacrifices you intend to unite with Christ, without which, you are not related to Him. And if you are not related to Christ, why come to worship?

HUMBLE CO-WORKERS

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

Son of a pagan father and a Hebrew-Christian mother, Timothy was a disciple of Paul. Paul himself consecrated him bishop of Ephesus. The account we have about Timothy’s martyrdom dates back from the fourth century. Opposing the observance of a pagan feast, Timothy was beaten to death by a mob.

Titus was also a disciple of Paul. Likewise, Paul himself ordained him bishop of Crete.

The importance of these two bishops in the history of early Christianity is clearly shown by the fact that Paul wrote three letters to them: two to Timothy and one to Titus. These three letters are called “pastoral epistles” because they give glimpses of the future structure of the Church.
In the gospel today, Jesus chose and appointed seventy-two others and sent them, in pairs, to do the work of the Kingdom. Clearly, while the Apostolic College was an exclusive group, Jesus did not give the Twelve the exclusive mandate to evangelize humanity. Establishing God’s Kingdom on earth is too great a mission that twelve men are never equal to the task. Paul knew this truth very well; thus, he had Timothy and Titus not only as disciples but also as companions in his missionary endeavors.

As we celebrate today the blessed memory of these two collaborators of Paul the Apostle, let us remember our co-workers in the Lord’s vineyard. Remembering them means the following. First, appreciate them: let us say thank you to them. Second, affirm them: let us acknowledge them as co-workers, equal in dignity, sharers in the common mandate of preaching the Gospel through words and deeds. Third, care for them: let us make their concerns our concerns too. Fourth, bless them: let us pray for them always. Fifth, renew them: let us create more opportunities and activities that deepen our bonding with them; but where relationships are strained, let us strive for reconciliation.

May Paul, Timothy, and Titus teach us what team ministry is all about as we go about the ministry entrusted to us by the Lord. May the blessed memory of their collaboration with one another permeate our own efforts to work together for God’s Kingdom.
Once, our present Holy Father, Benedict XVI, described himself, “I am but your humble co-worker in the Lord’s Vineyard.” Indeed, he is. And how about us? We are but his humble co-workers in the Lord’s Vineyard too. We are humble co-workers of one another in the same vineyard.

CONVERSION: TURNING AWAY AND TURNING TOWARDS

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mk 1:14-20

Metanoiete – this is what Jesus meant in Mark’s gospel today. This is how Jesus began His public ministry: calling people to a metanoia. Even before Jesus called His collaborators in the task ahead of Him, He already announced that the kingdom of God is close at hand and, thus, the time has come for people to repent and believe in the Good News. Metanoiete is an imperative verb in Greek that means “convert”. Metanoia is its noun form: conversion. The repentance that Jesus admonishes His listener today is accomplished through conversion.

Quite commonly, many people consider conversion as turning away from sin. But that is only half of the process. The other half is turning towards something better that will help us achieve intimacy with God. Conversion is “turning away” so that we may “turn towards”. And if that “turning towards” is lesser than for the purpose of becoming closer to God, such a conversion is skin-deep, short-lived, and futile. The truth is it is no conversion at all. Without turning towards something that will bring us closer to God, turning away from sin may mean only this: turning away from one sin and turning towards another. Unfortunately, very often, the new sin one towards to is even worse than that from which one turns way.

The easiest and most effective way to kick a bad habit is to develop and reinforce a good one. For example, conquer tardiness by punctuality, defeat selfishness through charitable deeds, cut down on television viewing by giving more time to Bible-reading and to prayer, cease cheating during an exam by studying well prior to it, or stop lying by simply telling the truth.

Turn away from sin by turning toward God. And for a genuine conversion, it is always good to start with believing in the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Belief in the Good News is manifested not only in our knowledge of it but also in our involvement in noble causes, such as pro-life advocacy, ecological concerns, urban poor housing, nuclear disarmament, anti-apartheid movement, or vigilance against graft and corruption in governance. Turning towards these worthy causes helps us turn away from sin – the challenge of the Good News of the Kingdom.

Because we sin, conversion is all of us. If indeed we turn away from our sins, towards what or towards whom do we turn? If not towards godly causes or towards God Himself, or we simply turn towards nothing or no one at all, ours is false conversion. In such a case, we need another Jonah, as in the first reading today, to warn us.

COME AND GO FORTH

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

An intimate relationship with Jesus follows a common pattern. It may be summarized into two words: come and go.

St. Mark gives us today the names of the twelve closest friends of Jesus. They were the first who heard His “come”. They, too, were the first to have received Jesus’ “go”. When Jesus told each of them “come”, they became His disciples. When He commanded them “go”, they became His apostles.

On the one hand, the word “disciple” comes from Latin, meaning “learner”. On the other hand, the word “apostle” is from Greek and means “to go forth”.

In other words, the Twelve were first students of Jesus before He sent them forth. He formed them, and then sent them for a mission.

This is true for all Christians, you and I included. In different degrees, we have been called and sent forth by Christ Jesus. Because we have been called, we ought to respond. Because we have been sent forth, we must go. Our response should be seen in our zeal in whatever assists our growth in following the footsteps of Jesus. Our going forth has to be focused on fulfilling the command of Jesus to spread the kingdom of God throughout the world. In different degrees and in various ways, our intimate relationship with Jesus journeys from discipleship to apostleship. Come – this is how it all started. Go forth – this is where that “come” must lead. This is what gives shape to our intimate relationship with Christ. What’s the shape of your intimacy with Him now?

DO YOU KNOW HIM?

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

For the gospel of Mark where even the Twelve Apostles appeared to be very slow learners – almost seemingly dumb – as far as the divine identity of the Master was concerned, it is just too much to narrate today that evil spirits easily recognized Jesus as the Son of God. But that is precisely the point. Belonging to the circle of Christ does not mean immediate understanding of who Christ really is. The opposite is likewise true: Not belonging to the circle of Jesus – and in this case, the evil spirits – does not mean not knowing who Jesus really is. Therefore, it is not really a matter of knowing or understanding, but of following.

The Twelve, though really looking dumb with their inability to understand who Jesus was, continued following Jesus. And in the process of following Him, they came to know and believe in Him, slowly – even painstakingly slowly – but nonetheless they came to know and believe.
The evil spirits literally never followed Jesus, despite the fact that they already knew who He really was. But whenever Jesus commanded them to leave from a person, they could not do anything but obey because Jesus had power over them. He still does and they still do.

There are still many individuals who claim that they know Jesus more than others do. The Twelve never made such a claim. But evil spirits, as all four gospels – not only Mark – prove, arrogantly claim that they knew Jesus: the Son of God.

Fear not if you claim that you still lack in the knowledge of Christ. Just follow Him. Continue following Him. Follow Him humbly. For it is His knowledge that will ultimately claim you in all your fullness.

NEW WINE

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

Wherever you go around the world, wine always symbolizes joy, celebration, joyful feast. We celebrate the joys of life with a feast of wine. Perhaps, ironic though it seems, this is also the reason why people who seek for the joys in life turn to wine. They drink wine to quench their thirst for joy, consolation, relief from pain. Unfortunately though, wine does not really give them joys they desperately search for. Wine celebrates the joy that life already has; it does not give the joy that life does not have.

When people fast, they drink only water not wine. However, one does not need to be sad when fasting. In fact, Jesus admonishes us that when we fast, we should not look glum. No one should know that we are fasting, according to Him. Could this be the reason why some people came to Jesus and seemingly protested why His disciples do not fast while the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast? They just did not know that the disciples of Jesus also fast because the disciples of Jesus were not showy with their pious acts.

However, if the disciples of Jesus were really not fasting, they did not have to be forced to do it. Fasting is indeed a praiseworthy pious practice, but it does not guarantee deep spirituality and true religion. It is not fasting in itself that makes us holy just as it is not wine that give joy to life but life that makes wine a symbol of joy.

Jesus purified and revolutionized man’s idea of holiness. He brings new wine and unless it is poured into new wineskins, as He Himself says in the gospel today, it is lost.

KAMUSTA KA NA, KRISTIYANONG PINOY?

Kapistahan ng Señor Sto. Niño
Kapistahang Naangkop sa Pilipinas
Mk 10:13-16
(The feast of Señor Sto. Niño is proper to the Philippines. In view of this, CRUMBS is posted today in Tagalog.)

Pinoy na Pinoy ang pista ngayong araw na ito. Ang kapistahan ng Señor Sto. Niño ay kapistahang naaangkop sa Pilipinas. Ang Pilipinas ay natatanging bansang binigyan ng Santo Papa ng permiso na ipagdiwang tuwing ikatlong Linggo ng Enero ang kapistahang ito. Malalim kasi ang kaugnayan ng debosyon sa Sto. Niño sa kasaysayan ng pananampalatayang Kristiyano sa bansa natin.

Sa pagdiriwang natin sa kapistahan ng Sto. Niño, ginugunita rin natin ang pagsisimula ng ebanghelisasyon sa ating bansa. Nang dumating sa ating mga dalampasigan ang mga unang Kastilang misyonero, kasama ang mga conquistadores, noong 1521, wala silang inaksayang panahon; agad nilang inakit ang ating mga ninuno sa pananampalatayang Kristiyano. Hindi naman nagtagal, ang hari ng Cebu, kasama ang kanyang mga nasasakupan, ay nagpabinyag sa mga prayle. Bilang regalo sa kanyang binyag, ibinigay ni Ferdinand Magellan kay Prinsesa Juana ang isang imahen ng Niño Jesus. Subalit naganap ang digmaan sa pagitan ni Magellan at Lapu-lapu at kanilang mga kawal, at sa loob ng mahabang panahon ay wala nang narinig pa tungkol sa imaheng iniregalo sa Prinsesa. Pansumandaling naitaboy ng ating mga ninuno ang mga dayuhang nagtangkang sumakop sa kanila. Ngunit matapos ang apatnapu’t apat na taon, nagbalik ang mga Kastila sa pamumuno ni Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. Sinasabing nagkaroon nang mga panahong iyon ng malaking sunog sa Cebu at natagpuan ng mga tauhan ni Legazpi, nakabalot ng mga balumbon at nakatago sa isang kaban, ang imahen ng Niño Jesus na iniregalo ni Magellan kay Prinsesa Juana. Magpahanggang ngayon, ang imaheng ito ay nananatili sa pag-iingat ng Pilipinas at nakalagak sa Basilika ng Sto. Niño sa Arkediyosesis ng Cebu. Malinaw na malinaw na ang Sto. Niño ay nasa pagsilang ng Kristiyanismo sa Pilipinas.

Pero maglilimandaang taon na ang nakalipas mula nang isilang ang Kristiyanismo sa ating bansa. At kung ang iniregalong imahen ng Sto. Niño kay Prinsesa Juana ay hindi yari sa kahoy kundi tunay at buhay na sanggol noong 1521, tiyak uugud-ugod na ito. Napakatanda na Niya! Kamusta naman ang pananampalatayang isinilang nito sa ating bansa – tumanda rin ba? Nananatiling mistulang sanggol ang imahen ng Sto. Niño sa Cebu pero ang ating pagka-Kristiyano ba ay musmos pa rin? Kamusta ka na, Kristiyanong Pinoy?

Sa isang banda, malayu-layo na rin ang naabot natin bilang pinakamalaking bansang Kristiyano sa Asya. May San Lorenzo Ruiz na tayo. Meron pang Beato Pedro Calungsod – isang kabataang pinatay sa Guam bilang martir – na nagmula mismo sa Cebu. Naririyan rin ang mga kahanga-hangang kapanalig at kalahi natin – mga kilala at mga hindi pa gaanong kilala – gaya nila Mo. Ignacia del Espiritu Santo na kauna-unahang Filipinang nagtatag ng ordeng relihiyoso para sa mga katutubong Filipina at ngayon ay kandidato rin sa pagiging beata, Bp. Obviar na kilalang napakabanal na dating obispo ng Lucena at kandidato rin sa pagiging santo, ang magkapatid na Talampaz mula Tayabas, Quezon na nagtatag ng ordeng Dominikano para sa mga katutubong babaeng Filipina at ngayon ay inaayos na rin ang pagiging mga santa, si Richie Fernando na kapanahon natin – isang seminaristang Jesuita na nag-alay ng buhay sa Cambodia para iligtas ang isang may kapansanan mula sa pagsabog ng granada at ngayon pa lang ay kinikilala na ng maraming nakaaalam ng kanyang kuwento bilang isang makabagong martir, at marami pang iba.
Ngunit sa kabilang banda, parang mga bata pa rin ang marami sa atin. Hindi pa rin lumalago ang pananampalataya. Ang iba pa nga, talagang ayaw na nilang lumago. Mahirap kasing lumago; kakailanganing balikatin ang mga pananagutan ng pagiging hindi na musmos. Kaya, marami pa ring panatisismo ang pagka-Katoliko. Minsan nga halu-halo na: magkabilaan ang imahen ng Sto. Niño at imahen ni Buddha sa kanilang altar. Meron pang kuntento na lang sa padebo-debosyon, paprusi-prusisyon, paluhud-luhod, at padipa-dipa; pero kapag pagkakawanggawa, paglilingkod, pag-aabuloy, pagsasakripisyo, at pagmamalasakit sa iba ang hinihingi ng pagkakataon, next time na lang daw at magnonobena pa sila. May mga napako na lang sa mga hima-himala – kung saan may marinig na may himala, takbo agad sila roon – at meron din namang parang naghihimalang nagpapapako sa krus taun-taon. At kung Sto. Niño din lang ang pag-uusapan, naririyan daw ang sumasayaw, naggagala, naglalaro, kumakain, nagtatampo, tumatawa, sumasanib sa tao, nagpapawis, at nagwiwiwi pa! Meron na ring iba’t ibang uri ng Sto. Niño: may Sto. Ninong bumbero, pulis, doktor, basurero, kaminero, kartero, magsasaka, mangingisda, mangangalkal, at marami pang iba. Para ngang sinadya ng ilan sa atin na hindi na palakihin ang Sto. Niño; sa halip, pinarami na lang Siya. At kapag marami na, may kompetisyon pa kung alin sa iba’t ibang uri ng Sto. Niño ang pinaka-cute, pinaka-antigo, at, higit sa lahat, pinakamilagroso. Hay, naku nga naman, Pinoy na Pinoy talaga! Hindi ko tuloy mapigilang tanungin, na-napadadalisay nga ba ng Kristiyanismo ang mga gawi natin o dinudumihan lang natin ang Kristiyanismo?

At bakit nga kaya tayong isang bansang Kristiyano ay isa rin sa mga nangungunang bansang tiwali sa buong mundo? Bakit kaya sa kabila ng katotohanang karamihan sa mga pinuno at mga may sinasabi sa ating lipunan ay nag-aral at nagtapos sa mga pangunahin at mahuhusay na pamantasang Katoliko sa buong Pilipinas, talamak pa rin ang kasakiman, nakawan, patayan, kidnapan, at marami pang kasamaan? Bakit nga kaya? Puwedeng-puwede nating gamitin tungkol sa atin ang minsang sinabi ni Dom Helder Camara: “Why is life so cheap in a land so rich in Christian heritage?”

Posible kayang hindi talaga lumago ang tunay na pananampalatayang Kristiyano sa ating indibidwal na pagkatao at pagiging isang bansa? O baka lumalago naman pero sadyang napakabagal lang talaga?

Ang imahen ng Sto. Niño sa Cebu ay hindi lumalaki dahil kahoy lang ito. Subalit si Jesus, na inilalarawan ng Sto. Niño, ay lumaki dahil buhay Siyang tutoo. Ang pananampalataya kaya nating mga Pinoy?

FOLLOW ME: A COMMAND, NOT AN INVITATION

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

When Jesus called Levi (who was Matthew the Tax Collector) and the other apostles, He simply told them, “Follow Me.” Many readers of the gospels interpret these words of Jesus as an invitation to the Twelve to be His closest disciples. There is nothing in the gospels to support that really. More than a mere invitation, Jesus’ “Follow Me” was a command. If it were an invitation, Jesus would have said “Follow Me please” or “Would you follow Me” or “Kindly follow Me”. But no, Jesus simply said, “Follow Me.” It is, therefore, more likely to be a command than an invitation.

Levi’s reaction to Jesus’ “Follow Me” in the gospel today clearly implies that, indeed, what he heard from Jesus was a command and not a mere invitation. As Mark narrates the story, upon hearing Jesus’ “Follow Me”, Levi got up and followed Jesus. One may even have the impression that Levi was help captive by the totally unexpected attention that Jesus gave him so much so that, as if hypnotized, he stood up and followed Jesus. Levi was caught unimaginable surprised to say the least.

Jesus’ charisma might have held Levi, but Levi was certainly not hypnotized. Jesus does command but He never forces anyone. He leaves us free to follow Him or not. Given though that His “Follow Me” is a command, not to follow Him is not simply declining an invitation but disobeying the Lord Himself. That explains why ignoring His command to follow Him or refusing to follow Him leaves us without inner peace. Following Him though makes everything in our life fall into place and, despite all the trials that entail our following Him, we are at peace. And if, following Him confronts us with our unworthiness, the first reading today (Heb 4:12-16) admonishes us: “For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have One who has been tempted in every way that we are, though He is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from Him and find grace when we are in need of help.” Jesus does not call the qualified; He qualifies those whom He calls. Our lack of qualification is not a disqualification as far as Jesus’ choice is concerned.

Jesus’ “Follow Me” is a choice that Jesus makes on us. The choice though is still ours.

A HOLE IN THE ROOF

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

The crowd that gathered was such that the house seemed to burst. It was Simon Peter’s house, and Jesus was inside it. Four friends wanted to see Jesus for their paralytic friend, but because of the crowd, they could not get any inch closer to Him. They were clever however: they lowered their paralytic friend from the roof right at the spot where Jesus was.

We cannot really be certain, but it is safe to presume that that roof from where the paralytic was lowered had no hole so big that anyone could pass through. Thus, for sure, the four friends had to make a hole through that roof. They had to destroy part of that roof so that their paralytic friend may be made whole. Those four were not only clever; they were very audacious too.

Yes, they were clever and audacious but it was not their ingenuity and boldness that Jesus noticed. Jesus saw their faith in Him. Because of their faith in Jesus, their paralytic friend was not only healed but was forgiven from his sins as well.

If we are clever, we may teach friend the way where there seems to be no way. If we are audacious, we can endure the difficult for a friend in difficulty. However, if we have faith, we can do more than teach and endure. With faith, we can help someone receive salvation, wholeness, and relationship with God who heals and forgives. WHO HEALS BY FORGIVING.

“A friend in need is a friend in deed.” The paralytic man in the gospel today was a friend in deed to his four friends because he was a friend in need. But the four proved to be true friends to him as well. With their cleverness, audacity, and faith in Jesus they were the answers to their paralytic friend’s prayer. The forgiveness of his sins came as a bonus from Jesus.

With the great crowd jam packed inside Simon Peter’s house, where Jesus was, the roof of that house symbolizes the hearts of each one who was there. They needed to open their hearts to hear the plea of a man who needed their help. Even before the four friends made a hole through that roof, their hearts were already pierced through by the sufferings of their paralytic friend. When they made a hole through that roof, they seemed to be acting out for the crowd what needed to be done so that the suffering of a fellow human being might find room in their hearts. In such hearts, God and man meet, and faith in Jesus creates miracles.

The Christmas season ended last Sunday only. We still remember the details of Jesus’ birth. Was it not because there was no room for them in the inn that Jesus was born in a manger? The picture of a child lying in a manger is indeed very poetic, but we all know that a manger is never the right place for anyone to be born.

Jesus knows the experience of having no place. He understands the pain of having no place in the midst of intense need. He knows and understands precisely because it was one of His first experiences as a human person. It was one of the details of the story of how He was born, a detail we easily romanticize about but fail to learn from.

Until today, Jesus knocks on the hearts of many people. Should those hearts remain closed? Should we still need to make a hole in the roof? Where there is no way, the clever has a way. If the demand is difficult, the audacious can endure. If there is love, faith makes miracles.

“I believe in miracles, and they all begin with an act of love.”

HEALED FROM THE STIGMA

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

I still have to understand why certain diseases put a stigma on those they afflict. It is really not the diseases themselves that put a stigma on their victims, but the people around the afflicted, people who, by God’s sheer mercy anyhow, are spared from the same stigma. Take for example, leprosy. As if the suffering of their bodies were not enough that lepers were made to suffer even more by being treated as social outcasts by the Jews. According to Judaic law, the leprous should live outside the city and cry “Leper! Leper!” whenever he walks so that the “clean” may be warned about the proximity of the “unclean”. Moreover, Judaic religion judged anyone talking to a leper as unclean himself. I really cannot comprehend why make suffering people suffer even more?

Jesus certainly never wants that. He did not want it as shown by the gospel today. “If you want to,” a leprous said to Jesus, “You can cure me.” Of course, Jesus wanted to! Should there be any doubt about it? None with us. But we cannot blame the leprous if his words to Jesus betray his doubt about Jesus’ compassion.

His misery taught him to doubt everybody. Nobody cared about him. Should Jesus be any different? There was no harm in trying though. No harm on the leprous, but there was on Jesus. Jesus, according to Judaic standards, could be rendered unclean by any contact with the leprous. Jesus did not mind though. He took the risk. He talked to the leprous. He even touched him! He healed him.

Perhaps the healing needed by many sick people is really the compassion that comes from being heard and being touched. When we take the risk in favor of the outcasts who were not guilty of anything except the fact that they are different, healing happens not only in them but in us as well. We ourselves are healed from the stigma that we have put on them.

HAVE YOU FOUND HIM?

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

“Everybody is looking for you,” Simon and his companions told Jesus. Immediately, this brings to my mind the very first question God asked man in the Garden of Eden: “Where are you?” (Gn 3:9).

In Gn 3:9, it is God who searches for man after man fell from His grace. In the gospel today, it is men who search for Jesus who gave them an experience of God’s care.

When God searched for Adam in the Garden of Eden, God found him hiding. When the people in the gospel searched for Jesus, they found Him moving on. In both instances, the search was successful but different. Successful in the sense that both God and man found whom they searched. Different because they found them in opposite situations: God found man hiding while men found Jesus moving on.

God found man hiding because man sinned against Him. To hide is almost always the first act of guilt. Adam broke God’s rule in the Garden and his eyes were opened not only to the fact that he (and his wife, Eve) were naked but also to the evil of his disobedience to his Creator. Hiding was an easy escape. But a false one. For no one can escape for a long while, only run.

When the people in the gospel found Jesus moving on, Jesus was not running away. He did not want to hide from them. If He wanted to escape, why did He even invite them: “Let us go elsewhere”? He even revealed where He meant to go: “to the neighboring country towns.” Jesus was not escaping, was not hiding, and was not running away. He was moving on. And if the people really wanted to find Him, they too must move on.

Have you found Jesus? If not, can it be that you are hiding?

KNOWING AND BELIEVING THE SECRET

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

One of the characteristics of the gospel according to Mark is what exegetes call “The Great Messianic Secret”. Until the very last verse of his gospel, Mark kept the real identity of Jesus from all his characters. All. Except one. “When the centurion who stood facing Him saw how He breathed His last he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mk 15:39).

Despite their first hand experience of the many miracles that Jesus did, the disciples would always ask one another in the end, “Who is this man? What kind of a man is he?” Of course, we, the readers of Mark, know who this Man is and what kind of a man He is. He is Jesus, the Son of God. The centurion already knew that before we ever did. The unclean spirit in the gospel today also knew who Jesus was not only ahead of us but even before Jesus uttered any word to it.

The centurion knew, the unclean spirit knew, and we, too, know. But the disciples did not, at least while Jesus was still with them. Eventually, they, too, would know and come to faith. The centurion – we have no biblical evidence that his initial acknowledgement of Jesus as the Son of God eventually led him to seek for baptism. The unclean spirit – how can it come to faith? It knew who Jesus was but did not believe in Him. We know Jesus and we believe in Him. The disciples came to know, too, and countless of them stood steadfast in their faith in Him even unto the shedding of blood.

The Great Messianic Secret of Mark is not a matter of knowing but of believing. One may know the secret but believing it is far more important. It matters less when one comes to know the secret than how one believes in it.

As Jesus releases a man from the bondage of an unclean spirit, may He frees us from all that binds us to any slightest unbelief in Him. An equally important prayer though is that we may reveal the secret of Christ to others and lead them to faith in Him by the lives we live.

GOD'S GLORY RETURNING

Monday in the First Week of Ordinary Time
Heb 1:1-6/Mk 1:14-20

In the Old Testament, the glory of God is said to have departed from His People when His voice could no longer be heard. In 1 Sm 4:21-22, we read that when Eli passed away, his daughter-in-law, Phinehas by name, conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named “Ichabod”. In Hebrew, ichavod means “no glory”. This was the name given to the child because the glory of God departed from Israel as the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. But even before the Ark of the Covenant was taken away by the Philistines, 1 Sm 3:1 says that there was already a problem with the relationship between God and His People: “In those days, a revelation of the Lord was uncommon and vision infrequent.” First, God seldom spoke; then, finally, He did not speak at all anymore. Thereupon, it was said that the glory of God departed from the household of Israel. God was absent because the Ark of the Covenant was gone. God’s glory was none because God spoke no longer.

God’s absence seemed to be forever. He was silent for a long time. His glory did not return to Israel for many years. But the Prophet Ezekiel prophesized about the day when the Ark of the Covenant would return to the Temple and the glory of God to His People, Israel (Ez 43:4-9). It did happen: God broke His silence and His glory returned.

When He spoke again, God at first spoke through His prophets. Eventually, He was not contented with merely speaking words. He made His Word speak! Jesus is God’s Word and Glory speaking to, walking with, touching, and loving God’s People. This is what the first reading today immediately drives across to us: “In times past and in different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our time, the last days, He has spoken to us through His Son…”(Heb 1:1-6). Jesus is God speaking to us, relating with us, becoming one like us in all things but sin. In Him, we do not only hear God. We see, touch, love, and relate with God not only through Jesus but in Jesus Himself. He is the Son of God, the Word of God, God Himself. Jesus is God’s glory returning. And never left again (Cf. Jn 1:14).

When Jesus met Simon and his brother Andrew, John and His brother James in the gospel today, He called them to follow Him. They followed Him; they followed God’s Glory, Jesus Himself. They likewise shared in His glory; they lived the life of Christ. But it did not happen overnight, we know. Sharing in God’s Glory, who is Jesus Himself, was not without cost. Repenting from their sins, believing in the Good News, and letting go of their old life – as symbolized by their leaving their nets and father behind – were just the start for the early four disciples. The same is true for us, the later ones: repent; believe; let go.

God speaks. Listen and repent. God is here. Believe that you may see. God’s glory has returned. Let go and Let God.

BAPTIZED IN CHRIST: BECOME LIKE HIM!

Feast of the Lord’s Baptism
Mk 1:7-11

This year, our principal guide in reading the story of Jesus is St. Mark. He was one of the great early Christians who wrote the very first gospel we have. The early Christian communities did not immediately see the need to write the story of Jesus. There were two reasons for this: first, the apostles were still with them; and second, they expected Jesus to return during their lifetime. Due to these reasons, they surmised that writing the story of Jesus was simply a waste of time – no one would be around to read it anyway! But, thirty years after Jesus ascended into heaven, their view changed. Jesus had not returned yet and the apostles were being martyred one after the other. Thereupon, it became clear to all that it was of paramount importance to put in order the tradition of stories about Jesus and write them down before they were forgotten. St. Mark was the first to have done that. He invented the gospel. And the rest of the evangelists followed his initiative. At present we have, aside from Mark’s, the gospels of John, Luke, and Matthew as our officially recognized gospels.

When Matthew and Luke wrote their gospels, they started by narrating the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus. We read and reflect on them during the Christmas season. Luke has an angelic choir announcing to shepherds the joy of Jesus’ birth. Matthew has magi or wise men from the East, coming to Jerusalem and disturbing many with the news of the newborn King of the Jews. In these stories alone, we already see the early recognition of the greatness of Jesus.

But in the gospel of Mark, there is no dramatic entrance for Jesus. He who was the first to have written the gospel began his narration of the story of Jesus not with the details of Jesus’ birth but with His baptism by John the Baptist. Following closely Mark’s description, Jesus seemed to have quietly emerged from nowhere. Jesus had very humble beginnings. And from that nowhere, Jesus was called for a very special and unique mission. The beginning that Jesus made was also the beginning of the gospel of Mark.

According to Mark, many people were going to John the Baptist to be baptized: from Judea and even people from Jerusalem journeyed, seeking John. Many people from the south of Israel were captivated by the preaching of John and were inspired to join his movement of renewal. Jesus was one of them.

But Jesus was neither from Judea nor from Jerusalem. Jesus was from Galilee, a province north of Palestine. Galilee was not known for religious fidelity. Once, when Nicodemus was defending Jesus, one of the Pharisees even said to him, “Go and see for yourself: no prophet comes from Galilee” (Jn 7:52). Galilee was known for its armed rebels hiding in its mountain ranges; not for prophets. But Jesus would change all that.

And today, as Christmas ends, that change starts to take shape.

The baptism of John the Baptist was called a “Baptism of Repentance”. Those who went to him to be baptized were self-confessed sinners seeking forgiveness from God. Though without even the slightest sin, Jesus fell in line with sinners. He identified Himself with them without being contaminated by their sins. Jesus had Himself baptized by John – signaling the start of His public ministry. Jesus had Himself baptized with sinners – revealing that He would fulfill His ministry without treating sinners as outcasts as dictated by Judaic society and even by Judaic religion. Jesus had Himself baptized with sinners in public – signifying that He would do His kind of ministry not in any hidden way but in the sight of all.

The beginning of Jesus is the new beginning of God: through the Person of Jesus, God involves Himself in the life of people in a new and a better way. In Jesus Himself, we see that God minds our life.

According to Mark, emerging from the river after being baptized by John, Jesus saw the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and a voice was heard from the heavens: “You are My Son, the Beloved; My favor rests on You.” Again, following closely Mark’s description, Jesus alone saw and heard all these. It seems that Mark was saying that all these unusual happenings were hidden from the crowd around Jesus and John. The ordinary event of Jesus’ going to John was witnessed by all yet the extraordinary event right after Jesus emerged from the River Jordan was concealed to all. Humble beginnings. Quiet beginnings.

Quiet beginnings but loud consequences in the life of every man and woman, including you and I. People who have a flair for loud beginnings but never finish what they begin, need to learn this lesson: Great beginnings do not always ensure great endings. But small beginnings do not necessarily mean small endings.

To each of us, God entrusted a mission. How do we begin it? How do we accomplish it? How do we conclude it? If, indeed, we are disciples of Christ, we will always strive to carry out our mission as Jesus carried out His. Jesus became one like us – except sin – It is now our turn to strive to become like Him. This should be our main concern not only this new year but throughout our entire life. We, too, have been baptized. Not BY John but IN Christ.