BRIDGES NOT CLIQUES

Wednesday of the 1st Week of Advent
Mt 15:29-37

Jesus felt sorry for the crowd that followed Him wherever He went. He felt sorry for the people because they were with Him for three days and had nothing to eat. Nothing to eat? Well, not all the people because His close circle had seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. Okay, so not all the people were to die of starvation. Only a majority of them! What?!

Does belonging to the “close circle” of Jesus make us think we are a special breed? Does it make us live as if we are exempted from being hungry while the rest starve? Does it make us feel good to lavish on God’s blessings while the “outsiders” languish? Does it make us justify why we should reserve and keep the little we have while the majority has nothing at all?

Jesus, feeling sorry, for the “outsiders”, asks us today, “What do you have?” Do we dare hide from Him what we keep under our sleeves? Or do we also say, “Seven loaves and a few small fish.”

I believe in miracles; and they all begin with an act of love. Bringing out our seven loaves and few small fish is an act of love. Sharing with others even the too little we have is loving in action. Miracles happen when we love. We do miracles not only when we believe, but more so when we love.

Jesus teaches us, His disciples, an important lesson today. We are called to belong to His “inner circle” not to exclude the others but to be bridges between Him and the rest. We are called to be channels of His graces, instruments of His blessings, doers of His miracles. Yes, even with our seven loaves of bread and a few small fish, to be blessings ourselves.

Let us not only be sorry for the people’s hunger. Let us do something. Let us share and turn Jesus’ feeling sorry into Jesus’ doing another miracle through us.

NO LONGER AN ARK BUT A HEART

Ist Sunday of Advent
Mt 24:37-44

One day, a mother went to attend to an out-of-town business. Before she left the house, she gave her two sons these instructions: “I don’t like any trouble when I get home. Before you play, make sure that you clean our house first. I want to find everything clean and in order when I get back.”

But the mother was delayed in coming home. Arriving almost at midnight, she was welcomed by a dirty and chaotic house.

“What did you two do the whole day?” she asked her sons.

“Nothing, mom,” answered the elder.

“And you,” turning to the younger, she asked, “what did you do?”

The younger son replied, “I was busy helping him do nothing.”

This rather funny story can come from anywhere except from the Bible. The Bible always tells us to be alert and ready.

Be ready for what? It is not yet December, but many are already preparing for Christmas. People are busy buying not only gifts for their loved ones, but also food for their noche buena and media noche. Last Friday, the news reported, prices in groceries and markets are already twice the usual amount. Traffic is worse during ordinary days; it is worst during Christmas season. There are also those who are yet preparing for exams. My Pipo will have their 2nd trimestral exams in La Salle Greenhills this week. Many are also preparing for their trip abroad or trip back home. Christmas is a special time for reunions, is it not? Others are getting ready for their wedding. In the Philippines, December, not June, is the favorite month of many brides. Still others are preparing for a delivery. Shirley, our parish secretary, is on the family way with her sixth child. And there are also those who are preparing to die. Life is an endless coming and going. Be prepared!

In the days of Noah, people were busy with their own daily affairs. But in the midst of the ordinary events, an old and eccentric man was busy, with his family, building a giant boat. But there was no flood. No storm either. When what was to happen finally happened, however, only Noah was ready because he was alert to something that the others did not care about: the coming catastrophe, a great flood.

Nine years ago, on September 11, the world was a speechless witness to the unexpected attack of terrorists against the United States of America. Two planes, commandeered by Al Khaida terrorists, went straight into the World Trade Center in New York. Another one crash landed at the Pentagon. That fateful day of September began like any ordinary day for all, especially for those who were actually working at the World Trade Center. Who among them knew that they would not go home to their loved ones anymore that day?

Here in the Philippines, we are familiar with floods and flash floods. But who among us expected that Ondoy and Pepeng would almost wash away most of Metro Manila, Marikina, and even the whole of Luzon from the map? We know very well that it floods in España, Taft Avenue, Manuguit, and Marikina, but did we know then that a portion of the perimeter walls of Valle Verde could be washed off by flood and the mansions of the rich and the famous in plush subdivisions could also be flooded?

Just last Wednesday, the day began just like any ordinary day for all and we were busy with our day-to-day chores. It was no different in South Korea which is barely a four-hour flight from Manila. But sometime in the afternoon, we were all shocked: North Korea bombed a South Korean island without any warning. Last Friday, North Korea did it again. Communists rule North Korea while the South is administered by a democratic government. And everybody knows that North Korea has nuclear weapons which it continuously develops and improves even as we speak. Will North Korea surprise us again when it releases one of its nuclear bombs on an otherwise another fine, sunny, and ordinary day?

We know that the greatest catastrophe we all face is no longer the great flood of Noah’s days but the perennial threat of nuclear warfare. In such a war, soldiers no longer need to fight face-to-face. All it takes is to push a button and the world ends. The Western defense system is always guided by the principle of vigilance and preparedness, but why was the World Trade Center successfully attacked by the Al Khaida? Noah built an ark that he and his family used to sail to safety through the great flood. But who can be saved from a nuclear attack: nowhere to hide; no shelter deep enough; no escape from radioactive storms. But we hope that there are ways to prepare for peace other than stockpiling more nuclear weapons: to convert the enormous energies we spend for war unto the cause of peace.

In the story of Noah, the lesson we are taught is not about building giant boats or digging deep shelters. The advice to us is to listen to the Lord so that, as the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading today says, “…He may teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” Moreover, the Prophet paints for us a very beautiful picture of what was to come: “…swords will be hammered into ploughshares, and spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war.” But it seems that none of us here will see that day. From the Gospel today, Jesus Himself seems to think that wars are permanent features in the landscape of human history. There is always war somewhere. Whoever are involved, however different are their languages, religions, and ideologies from one another, the script does not change and we know the ending very well. No one wins in any war. All are losers. And yet, it seems we always forget this lesson.

That is why we need to pay attention to the Word of God. St. Paul the Apostle tells us in the second reading for today, “You know ‘the time’ has come: you must wake up now…. Let us live decently as people do in the daytime: no drunken orgies, no promiscuity, or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy.” These, which the Apostle warns us about, weakens our alertness to the kind of time we live in; they render our spiritual awareness numb and intoxicated. If the primary goal of man is to satisfy his base cravings, he loses the capability to face reality and be responsible for the world he lives in.

Thus, Jesus speaks in the Gospel today, the 1st Sunday of Advent, about the coming of the Son of Man. He wants to encourage us to live responsively for the present time. There is only one way to be ready for any unpredictable, and yet certain, event: live the present as a time of fidelity. He who lives faithfully has nothing to fear.

The sure way to secure the future is to take care of the present. We are all responsible for the world we live in; we are not passive victims of the inevitable. If we do nothing to care for the world and to make it a more peaceful and orderly place to live in, we should never accuse anyone of conspiring against us except our own indifference. Peace is not the gift of not being bothered or not getting involved.

The season of Advent is an opportune time for us to resolve: one, that we shall stay away from anything that weakens our alertness to and preparedness for the coming of the Lord; two, that we shall be responsible for the world we live in; and, three, that we shall shun indifference and get our selves involved in caring for the present to secure the future.

In the days of Noah, a big, strong, and wide ark saved him and his family from the great flood. In our days, nothing can save us except a heart that is alert, responsible, and loving.

ONLY ONE KING

Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe
Lk 23:35-43

Lately, the broadsheets announced the engagement of Prince William and Ms. Kate Middleton. Prince William is the first-born son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Next only to his father, Prince William is the heir to the throne of Queen Elizatbeth II, the reigning queen of England.

Do you know that Queen Elizabeth II is one of the longest reigning monarch in the whole world? She married Prince Philip, duke of Greece. This sounds almost like a scoop in a royal tabloid, but do you know that on their wedding day, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip received 25,000 gifts from all over the world? Amazing, is it not? I wonder how long it took them to open and appreciate each of those gifts. I wonder how it feels to receive 25,000 presents on a single occasion.

Together with King Carlos and Queen Sophia of Spain, with King Faisal of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, and with Emperor Hirohito and Empress Michiko of Japan, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are two of the very few remaining monarchs in the world today. Unlike in times past, royalties are now a dying breed.

On the one hand, monarchs are fading because most nations have been dismayed with the flamboyance of royal blood and people asked themselves why they have to be ruled over. On the other hand, there are still some countries that defend their monarchies because they believe that they unify them.

In 1950, King Farouk of Egypt commented that soon enough only five kings will be left in the world: the king of hearts, the king of spades, the king of diamonds, the king of clubs, and the king of England.

Today, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, our first reading is about the fate of kings. From his life of pasturing sheep and making music with his harp, David rose to power as king of Israel. Before he was enlisted among King Saul’s servants, David was a shepherd boy from Bethlehem. In the royal court, his chore was simple: entertain the manic-depressive King Saul by playing his harp. But David proved that he was more than a musician. He slew Goliath, the “Many Pacquiao” of the Philistines, and won for King Saul many battles. Not too long, however, King Saul felt threatened and envious of David’s successes and popularity; thus, on several instances, he attempted to kill him. Once, he even threw a spear at David while the latter was playing the harp for him. Good that King Saul was a poor spear-thrower, he missed. From then on, David hid in the mountains of Judea and there started his own guerilla movement. Many times, he could have killed the king, but David – “a man according to the heart of God” as the Bible calls him – never laid a finger on Saul.

When Saul died, David came down from the Judean mountains and became the king of Judah, the strongest tribe in the South. Immediately, the main agendum of his reign was to unite Israel into a one nation. He accomplished his dream when, after seven years, he was acknowledged king of the whole Israel. It is from this part of Jewish history that our first reading today picks up. When David visited the northern tribe to reconcile with it, the leaders reminded him: “We are your own flesh and blood.” Only after their affinity was confirmed was David acknowledged as king. Thereupon, David was anointed with oil and became king of the whole Israel.

When St. Luke penned the story of Jesus, he carefully introduced Jesus as One who belonged to a particular people and history. Jesus was born into a specific tradition. The Archangel Gabriel even announced unto Mary, “The Lord God will give Him the throne of David, His father; He will rule the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” When Jesus was finally born, He arrived in the city of David, Bethlehem, and from the lineage of the Great King himself, David. Indeed, Jesus was royal blood, but He refused the grandeur of worldly power.

At the start of His public ministry, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. One of the temptations He contended with was the allurement of worldly power. Satan tempted Jesus to rule over already existing kingdoms rather than establish the kingdom of God on earth. But Jesus, instead, spent His earthly life fighting the force that lords over others, the power that exalts the self and, too often, exalts itself at the expense of others. His way was the path of seeming weakness. He taught His disciples to respectfully criticize the religious leaders of His time. And for Him, the truly powerful is the one who serves and not the one who is served.

The authority of Jesus is the power of His unique holiness. No one invested such power on Him and no one can take it away from Him either. His authority came from His Father who overshadowed Him with power and the Spirit. Unlike the monarchs of the world, Jesus needed no installation nor investiture nor coronation.

The kingdom of Jesus is the kingdom that seeks the outcast, the poor, the wounded, the sinner. After a year-long reading from the gospel according to St. Luke, this picture of Jesus’ kingdom should be very clear to us now. And as the present liturgical year reaches its last Sunday today, it is very fitting that Jesus ends up between two criminals, in the midst of the kind of people He sought for in His entire ministry to tell them that God loves them more than they know and that there is a kingdom waiting for their change of heart.

Throughout His entire earthly life, Jesus shared His forgiveness; He died breathing it forth. He died just as He lived. Though dying, Jesus still had time for others. He truly was the powerful, for nothing could hold Him but His decision to love. Though His crown was made of thorns and His throne was the cross, Jesus gave us another picture of His kingdom: the king and the criminal entered paradise together.

That criminal outdid Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip of England who received 25,000 gifts on their wedding day. That criminal likewise outdid Kate Middleton who received from her fiancée, Prince William, an engagement ring of sapphire surrounded with diamonds (the engagement ring of the prince’s own mother – Diana – from Prince Charles). That criminal who was crucified with Jesus at Calvary received heaven itself, the eternal paradise. He did not even have to steal it from the King. He simply had to receive it with all his heart.

We do not have to be royalties to own heaven. Of course, we also do not have to be criminals to enter into it either. All we need to do is to accept our own poverty before God and sincerely accept Jesus as our only King.

King Farouk of Egypt was wrong when he said that only five kings would be left in the world. The truth is, there is only one real king: Jesus.

CLEAN YOUR HOUSE FIRST!

Friday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
Lk 19:45-48

When I was yet a little boy, I am the most excited in the family to see our very modest home lit with Christmas decors. Even now, I still am always the first to say, “When are we going to put up the Christmas decors?” And as always, mom’s answer was, “We’ll start decorating only after we have a general house cleaning.”

Jesus seems to be doing a general cleaning today. As the liturgical year comes to a close and the Advent season is barely a week away, the Gospel today presents to us the cleansing of the Temple. This Gospel is a fitting reminder for us to have a cleansing of our selves before we celebrate the Lord’s birthday and as we wait for His final coming whose exact time we do not know.

My mom believes that it is not the Christmas decors that truly bring in the Christmas spirit to our home. It is the cleaning prior to the decorating that really welcomes the spirit of the season. A house may be well furnished for the yuletide season but unless it undergoes a thorough cleaning, its household simply welcomes with the signs of the season but not the spirit of the season. Before you put up your Christmas decors this year, please do not forget to do a general house cleaning first. And lest we forget, we are temples of the Holy Spirit. We need cleansing more than our houses do.

RISK!

Wednesday in the 33rd Week of the Ordinary Time
Lk 19:11-28

The third servant in the parable, who is punished by his master for not making an interest out of what is entrusted to him, is not a hardened criminal or a notorious sinner. He is punished not for anything bad he did, but for the good he did not do. His reason: fear.

The third servant in the parable fears his master very much. He is afraid to invest the money given him because he is afraid of his master who may punish him just the same in case he does not only not make interest but, worse, lose the whole amount entrusted to him. He is afraid to risk. But unless he risks, he will not make any profit. Thus, he did nothing evil by hiding his master’s money in a linen for safety, but by doing so, he likewise did not do anything good with what has been entrusted to him.

Fear, indeed, is our greatest enemy in living our lives to the full. Fear, likewise, will bring upon us our own perdition if we allow it to rule our lives. Fear harms us, paralyzes us, and kills us.
What is the antidote to fear?

Love is the antidote to fear. St. Paul wrote, “Perfect love drives away all fears.” When we love somebody, we are not afraid to risk everything, including life, for him. When we are assured that the other loves us, we are not afraid to risk also. Taking risks is inevitably essential to loving. And love is the antidote to fear.

The king in the parable today appears to be an unlovable and unloving person. That is the main difficulty of the third servant. He is ruled by fear of his master because he has little love for him and apparently vice-versa. The king in the parable today obviously does not stand for God. Parables are not meant to make direct analogies.

God is ever lovable and loving. So, why be afraid of Him? Risk!

SEVEN

Monday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time
Lk 17:1-6

I have four favorite numbers: three, seven, eight, and twelve. I like the number three because of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Eight is the number of my birth. Three and eight together stands for my birthday: March 8. The devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe included the number twelve in the list of my favorite numbers because it is her feastday. But the number seven makes the list complete. Seven stands for perfection and holiness.

According to the book of Genesis, on the seventh day, God finished the work He had been doing and so He rested (Cf. Gen 2:2). When God works, He works perfectly always. Thus, when He had finished creating on the seventh day, everything was perfect. God rested on the seventh day not because He was tired. God can never be tired. He rested on the seventh day because everything was already perfect; there was nothing else to be done.

But God did not only rest on the seventh day. Genesis 2:3 says, “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done.” Thus, the seventh day is a holy day. It is a holy day because God had a holiday; He rested on the seventh day.

For the Jews, seven is a perfect and holy number. It is the Sabbath number. It is God’s special number. The Jews prohibit heavy work on the Sabbath Day not because they are lazy but because they want to imitate what, according to the book of Genesis, God did on the seventh day. Seven is also the number of renewal for the Jews. They celebrate every seventh year the Sabbatical Year when all debts are cancelled, the land is given rest, slaves are freed, collaterals are returned, and feasts are unending.

For me, seven is a reminder that I should be perfect as my Heavenly Father is perfect and holy as He is also holy. It is the number of Jesus for me. Because Jesus reveals the Father to me, I should strive to become more and more like Jesus. He is perfect and holy. Certainly, left to my own efforts alone, I cannot be perfect and holy. That is why I need Jesus to dwell in me. In every Eucharist I receive, Jesus comes to me and helps me to be perfect and holy. It is a lifelong task.

The number seven is mentioned in the Gospel today. Jesus gives it as the number of times we must forgive those who sin against us. Knowing that seven is the number of perfection and holiness, we now understand that forgiving those who trespass against us is always a perfect and holy act. Forgiving those who sin against us makes us mirror God who is perfect and holy. The more we forgive the more perfect and holy we become. This is the reason why after forgiving anyone, we cannot put into words the peace and joy we experience. That is the experience of being perfect and holy. We feel complete. We feel satisfied. We are at peace.

Because sin remains with us while are here on earth, we continue to transgress and be transgressed. We sin and are sinned against. Thus, we need to be forgiven and to forgive more than seven times.

When asked how many times we must forgive those who wrong us, Jesus multiplies seven by seven. Jesus, however, does not refer to a numerical figure. He multiplies perfection and holiness by perfection and holiness too. It simply means that we must always forgive.

Finally, Jesus does not invite us to forgive. He commands us to forgive. It is similar to the mandate He gives us to love one another as He loves us. But can forgiveness be commanded? Yes, forgiveness can be commanded just as love can be commanded too.

“Love can be commanded,” said Pope Benedict XVI, “because it has first been given.” Jesus can also command us to forgive because He has first forgiven us. And He forgives us no matter what our sins are, no matter what our favorite sins are.

TRAPPED IN THEIR OWN SNARE

32nd Week in Ordinary Time
Lk 20:27-40

If I were one of the seven brothers mentioned in the Gospel today, I would never marry that woman. Marrying her would be like drinking poison. Marrying her would be suicidal. What is it in her that killed all the seven brothers who marrid her? I do not know, the Gospel does not say. For the Gospel today is not really about marriage, but about the resurrection.

We have two groups of people: the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Together with the Essenes, the Sadducees and the Pharisees formed the three prominent groups of Judaism during the time of Jesus’ earthly life. Among these three groups, the Sadducees and the Pharisees were at odds with each other. They were often on a head-on collision with each other. On the one hand, the Sadducees were an aristocratic, politically minded group, willing to compromise with secular and pagan leaders. They controlled the high priesthood during the time of Jesus and held the majority of the seats in the Sanhedrin, the quasi-senate of the Jews. They did not believe in the resurrection or the afterlife. They likewise rejected the oral tradition taught by the Pharisees. On the other hand, the Pharisees were the most influential party. The Semitic definition of the word “Pharisee” is “the separated ones”. Another Hebrew word used to refer to the Pharisees: Chasidim, meaning “loved by God”. The Pharisees or the Chasidim adhered to the literal observance of the Law. They measured righteousness in direct proportion to strict obedience to the Ten Commandments and the numerous prescriptions and prohibitions that their scholars of the Law formulated. As against the Sadducees, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection or the afterlife and in angels because they accepted the reality of the spiritual world. Both Sadducees and Pharisees, however, no longer exist in our age – at least, not publicly or formally.

Today the Sadducees and the Pharisees crossed paths, and Jesus happened to stand right at the center of the two factions. Each was trying to get the sympathy of Jesus. Why not? After all, Jesus, though without any formal rabbinic training, was popularly acclaimed as a great rabbi. Both the Sadducees and Pharisees wanted to get His stamp of approval on their opposing doctrine. In the process, they were likewise setting a trap to indict Jesus with His own words. But, as always, Jesus knew better.

The real issue between the Sadducees and the Pharisees was their twisted view on life. The Sadducees saw nothing beyond earthly life. Spiritual realities were a big baloney. Such a view can easily lead one to follow the dangerous principle that says, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you will die.” And when you are dead, you are gone forever. The Pharisees, however, while seeing life beyond the earthly, considered eternal life as a much deserved reward or a credit slavishly gained by mere human observance of every minute detail of the Law. But eternal life is not a reward or a credit for anything good we do. Eternal life is a gift. It always was and it always will be.

Resurrection is not resuscitation. It is an entirely and radically new type of existence. It is real and, as eternal life is, it is a gift.

Jesus tried to set on the right path the two parties that crossed paths today. He refused to be absorbed by their petty quarrels. There are more important things that one should waste his time and energy for than worrying about whose wife or husband we will be in the afterlife. While they attempted to trap Jesus, the Sadducees and the Pharisees were really the ones entangled in their distorted doctrine. The same can happen to any of us who focuses on the trivial rather than the essential and, like the Sadducees and Pharisees, is not sincere in his or her quest for truth.

May God save us from our own foolish snares.

MONEY-TALK

Saturday in the 31st Week of the Ordinary Time
Lk 16:9-15

Let us talk about money.

First, money changes everything. Does it? The answer is best found not in money itself but on who has it.

Second, money makes the world go round. This must be the reason why the more money a person has the more restless that person becomes. Such a person goes around and around seeking for what money cannot give: peace.

Third, when money speaks everybody listens. This must be one of the reasons why the world has become such a noisy place. Money keeps on talking.

Fourth, money is the root of all evil. Right? Wrong! Money is not the root of all evil. Rather, the love of money is the root of all evil. Money in itself is amoral – it is neither good or bad. It is simply a convenient tool for human transactions.

I had a teacher way back in high school who used to tell us, “God gave us things to use and people to love, and not things to love and people to use.” Money is a thing; use it. People are people; love them. Do not love people for money. Do not use money on people.

Now, if money could talk about us, what would it say?

SHREWDNESS ON OUR WAY TO HEAVEN

Friday in the 31st Week of the Ordinary Time
Lk 16:1-8

A Japanese national, who knew about the so-called “Yamashita treasure”, flew in to retrieve the hidden fortune. Unfortunately, some bad guys harassed him and threatened to kill him if he would not tell them where the treasure was. Because the bad guys could not speak Nipongo, they hired a Nipongo-speaking Filipino interpreter.

“Sabihin mo sa Hapong iyan, kapag hindi niya sinabi sa amin kung saan nakatago ang Yamashita treasure, papatayin namin siya!” the bad guys ordered the interpreter.

The interpreter translated the bad guys’ threat to the Japanese national.

The Japanese pleaded for his life (in Nipongo, of course). “Please do not kill me,” the Japanese begged. “I will tell you where the treasure is buried. You will find it at the back of the old church in Malate. Take five steps away from the door of the sacristy. Turn to the east and take another five steps straight ahead. Then dig six feet into the earth and there you will find the hidden Yamashita treasure.”

Thereupon, the Nipongo-speaking Filipino interpreter turned to the bad guys and said, “Pinasasabi po ng Hapong ito na matapang siya. Handa raw siyang mamatay!”

When it come to money or other forms of material wealth, we can be very shrewd, can we not? Why can we not be just as shrewd when it comes to things pertaining to our salvation?

Jesus does not praise the dishonest steward in the Gospel today for his dishonesty, but for his astuteness. He is not telling us to be dishonest. He is trying to find any cleverness in us in pursuit of heaven. Will Jesus find any?

A SHEPHERD ACCORDING TO THE HEART OF GOD

Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Jn 10:11-16

The Gospel Reading today is about the Good Shepherd. It is a reading specially assigned for today’s Mass because today is the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, who lived from 1538 through 1584.

The Gospel Reading on the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo is about the Good Shepherd for three reasons.

First, Charles was a bishop. At age 22, his uncle, Pope Pius IV, created him a cardinal. As Archbishop of Milan, he was zealous in applying the reforms of the Council of Trent – in which he was an active participant – to his diocese. Tireless in his efforts, Charles likewise established Sunday schools, houses for the poor and the orphan, initiated record-keeping in parishes, taught the Catechism of the Council of Trent, convoked diocesan synods, and promulgated regulations intended to promote the Church’s mission. He was a true pastor to his flock. He was a good shepherd to his diocese as every bishop should be.

Second, responding to the need for a well-formed clergy, Charles was responsible for the introduction of seminary life for those who wanted to become priests. Charles lived in a time when the Church suffered great and many scandals, of which ill-trained clergy caused most. He addressed the problem by formulating a model for seminary formation of the clergy. The seminary of the Archdiocese of Manila (Philippines) is named after St. Charles Borromeo; a fitting reminder not only of the valuable contribution of the saint to the training of priests but also of the perennial need for clergy who are spiritually adept, morally upright, intellectually competent, and zealously engaged in the apostolic mission of the Church. We owe from Charles the idea of how to produce good shepherds for God’s People.

Third, in his outstanding quality as pastor of his diocese and in his intense desire to provide the Church priests of sterling qualities, Charles reminds us of Jesus Christ who is the Good Shepherd. Jesus loved those who were His own in the world. Jesus prayed that the Harvest-Master send more laborers into His harvest.

On this Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, we are grateful for the shepherds of the Church who strive to reflect to us the life and love of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Let us continue praying to the Lord of the harvest that He may continue to give us shepherds according to His heart. Let us also help the shepherds He sends us to be as good as He is.

SILENCE NOT FROM THE GRAVE

Commemoration of All The Faithful Departed
Mt 11:25-30

The silence that pervades today’s commemoration of all the faithful departed is not the silence of the grave. It is rather the silence of the Lord’s Resurrection, evoking from the deepest recesses of our hearts respect and wonder. Today is not the feast of the dead, but of the living. It is not the victory of death that we celebrate, but the glorification of life in and through Jesus Christ.
The silence that engulfs our hearts today invites us all to reflect on three things.

First, death is not a curse. Death is not the punishment for our sins. When St. Paul wrote that the wage of sin is death, he meant death to be the total and eternal separation from God. Indeed, the consequence of sin is eternal death. However, the death of our bodies is neither a curse nor a penalty for our iniquities. Rather, our bodies, made from the dust of the earth, are truly destined to die and disintegrate; returning to what it is made of. Even if our first parents did not sin, our bodies will still die someday simply because our earthly bodies are not meant to be eternal. When the Lord comes at the end of time, He will give us glorified bodies like that of His own resurrected body. The death of our earthly bodies, therefore, is our birth unto eternal life and the beginning of our glorious existence.

Second, death is not powerful at all. Death does not break the bond that exists among us. We are related to one another even after the death of our earthly bodies. Our union with Christ and with one another is even more strengthened and highlighted by death. Yesterday’s solemnity and today’s commemoration very well express the communion that prevails in the church, a communion that persists beyond the grave and is fully enjoyed in heaven.

Moreover, death does not hinder us from helping one another. This is the reason why though already demised, our dearly departed can and continue to benefit from the prayers and sacrifices we offer on their behalf. For their turn, once in heaven, their prayers help and guide us too. Thus, we, the Church militant, pray for the souls in purgatory, the Church suffering, while the saints (whether canonized or not), the Church triumphant, pray for us. Death cannot destroy this communion and block this economy of spiritual benefit.

The Resurrection of Christ rendered death powerless so that St. Paul would say, “O death, where is thy sting?”

Third, because death is not a curse for the wicked or a punishment for the sinner, and, though death is not powerful, death is for all of us. We all die. They for whom we now pray and whose grave we visit today have gone ahead of us. We will surely follow them someday. For some of us, perhaps, soon while for others, perhaps, later. But whether soon or later, it is certain that we are always next in line. We do not know when, we do not know where, and we do not know how but we will surely die. We should therefore keep our selves prepared for death anytime, anywhere, and anyhow.

Do you hear a voice that speaks to you today in silence? That is not the voice of the dead. It is the voice of the Risen Lord assuring you, “If you remain in me, you will live forever.”

SAINTHOOD: POSSIBLE, ORDINARY, NORMAL

1 November 2010
Mt 5:1-12

When we think of saints, we usually think of miracles. When we think of miracles we imagine the impossible, the extraordinary, the absurd.

Sainthood is not an impossibility. On the contrary, saints are who each of us are meant to be. We are destined to become saints because God created us in His own image and likeness (Cf. Gen 1:26-27). Even now we are already saints with a small “s”. Right now, we are in the process of becoming saints with a capital “S”. God makes saints out of sinners like you and me. For nothing is impossible with God.

The qualities of those whom the Gospel today considers blessed may be quite difficult for us to have. But difficulty is never an impossibility. Sanctity may be difficult but, the saints we honor today are living proofs that holiness is not impossible for us.

Saints are not extraordinary. Saints are ordinary people with extraordinary love. They live ordinary lives extraordinarily well for love of God. They are never settle for mediocrity. The greater glory of God is always their aim. St. Therese of the Child Jesus did nothing extraordinary in her lifetime, except one: she did every ordinary thing extraordinarily well for love of God. Thus, St. Therese has been given the title “Doctor Amoris Divina” (Doctor of Divine Love). By her example of extraordinary love through ordinary living, she teaches us that the way to holiness is the ordinary route. Sainthood is the road less traveled not because it is extraordinary but because many people rather take the path that leads elsewhere except to holiness.

The kind of people referred to in the Gospel today are not exceptions to the rule. Neither are we. We are all poor in one way or another. We all are capable of gentleness, of purity of heart, and of being merciful. All of us experience mourning and persecutions in some form or another. In the imperfect world that we have, we all hunger and thirst for what is right. What makes the kind of people listed in the Gospel today blessed is their going through our common experience with extraordinary love. They are blessed, they are saints, for as St. John of the Cross said, “At the twilight of life, we shall be judged on love.” They have been judged and have been found loving.

Sanctity is not absurdity. Saints are not weirdoes. Although sometimes we do make them appear like one. But sainthood is not an abnormality. It is not abnormal to be ecstatic in prayer. That is deep communing with God. It is not weird to care for the other man even to the point of giving your life for him. Do we not call that heroism? It is not absurd to do live on earth with your mind set on heaven. Even experts call that long-term planning and the contrary, shortsightedness.

Choosing evil over good is what is truly absurd. Refusing to accept the unconditional love of Jesus is what is really weird. Not loving is what is truly not normal. But dreaming to become a saint, striving to become a saint, and actually living like one is not bizarre. It should rather be the usual for us who came from God and will return to God.

Sanctity is not impossible. Sainthood is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well for God. Saints are normal people, not weirdoes.

One is not canonized because of his or her great achievements but because of his or her great love. One is not a saint because of his or her success but because of his or her fidelity. Saints were sinners, like you and me, and, like you and me, they were unconditionally loved by God, destined by Him to live with Him in glory forever. Like you and me, saints were sinners who committed blunders, mistakes, and sins, but unlike many of us, they rose each time they fall and, believing in God’s mercy, moved on. Like you and me, saints had been hurt by other people – many of them were even brutally murdered – but, with God’s strength, not their own alone, struggled to forgive those who wronged them. Saints are not demi-gods. Saints are people – ordinary, normal, like you and me.

As we celebrate today the Solemnity of All Saints, let us never be mistaken to remember only the canonized saints, the saints with capital “S”. There are still many others whose names may not even reach the ears of the pope. And not all of them are in the afterlife. Still many of them are living with us, living saintly lives. They are ordinary people. They are normal people. They are loving people, not only lovely people. They can be you and me.

Let us wage a campaign beginning today. We will flood the world with the odor of holiness. We will make sanctity a normal option for all. We will show the world that saints are not weirdoes. We will make the impossible possible. Yes, we can. By loving like Jesus.