2017November26,SUN34ORDA The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

2017November26,SUN34ORDA  The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Today we celebrate the Last Sunday of Ordinary Time A in which we celebrate The Christ as our King.

The Readings today give us the understanding of Kingship as Service. Christ as King is the one who serves. This is in view of the Jewish Concept of God as the One who serves and cares for His People. This is in contrast to the understanding of the World about King as the one being served by his people.

Prophet Ezekiel in the First Reading give us the proper understanding of God.  The Lord God himself proclaims Himself as the Pastor for Israel: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock.

For Prophet Ezekiel, God is God of the people and concerns Himself for the needs of Israel. I will rescue them from every place. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest,. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal:

 This understanding of God is also the presentation of Moses in the Exodus, God is the God who walks with them. Likewise, Jesus has presented God in this way, God as the Emmanuel, God who is among us.

In the Second Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, St Paul presented the problem of evil and death when Adam: the First Man sinned, death and suffering entered into the world BUT with Jesus who is the first born of the resurrection, won the victory over death and suffering.

              Through Adam , death entered the world and through Jesus Grace and Eternal Life has been opened for all. It is open for us BUT we have to enter the door.

And Jesus has given us himself as the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.

It is through Him that we can enter the Grace and Eternal Life.

The Gospel of ST. Matthew has given us the ways and actions to inherit and be worthy the Kingdom of God. These actions are the criteria for judgment which are based on OUR actions in behalf of others regarding the basic needs in life : Food, drink, stranger, clothing, ill, in prison.

If we can recall from our Catechesis, these are the 7 Corporal Works of Mercy: 1.Feed the hungry, 2. Give drink to the thirsty; 3.Clothe the naked; 4.Shelter the homeless; 5.Visit the sick; 6.Visit the imprisoned; 7.Bury the dead

These are the way to God.

A Question : Why is it that there was no mention , were you baptized as Catholics ? Did you go to Mass on Sunday ? Did you pray ?

Let us remember that these actions given by the Gospel of St. Matthew are but a result of Life that is connected to God in Christ Jesus. This means that these are the products or fruits of prayer.

Going to Mass, having devotions and prayer,  lead us to these actions in the name of Jesus. It is like our Eucharist or the Holy Mass, there are two parts, prayer of the Word and Sharing of the Food. And sharing of the food, the body of Christ, does not end in Mass but continues in our lives and we become also the food drink, clothes, for others.

Brothers and Sisters our celebration of Christ as King, becomes real and true when we also become Like Christ to others. AMEN.

2017 Nov 23, Happy Thanksgiving !

2017 Nov 23, Happy Thanksgiving !

In the St. Joseph Facebook Bill F. posted Happy Turkeys ! But I am sure that turkeys are not happy this day.

This tradition of Thanksgiving is indeed one of the best traditions that we have to celebrate and continue to observe. For Thanksgiving presents the best in us as human persons. As Tradition tells us that thanksgiving is a recognition of the power of God in the lives of the people through the fellowship and sharing.

The person who thanks, is a person who recognizes his need for the other. That people can only live well and happily if they can live together in love and in service for one another. Our Thanksgiving is a solidarity for one another as ordained to us by God the Creator. We are made for one another.

However, Nowadays Thanksgiving Day has been politicized bringing in one’s group bias and hindering the unity for everyone. Likewise, Thanksgiving Day has been commercialized But as Christian let us focus our Thanksgiving as an integral part of our being human, our need for God and our need for one another.

In the Gospel that we have read today about the ten lepers healed by Jesus and one of them went back to thank Jesus, presents to us the power of thanksgiving. Jesus told the Samaritan who thanked him : Stand up and Go, your faith has saved you.

Thanksgiving presents the best in us as human beings, That is why, Thanksgiving must become our way of life as Catholics. It is also for his reason why the highest form of prayer that we offer to god as Catholics is called a Eucharist which also means thanksgiving. Every time we celebrate the Holy Mass or the Holy Eucharist, we thank God for all his blessings he has given us and through this we develop a Eucharistic Life, or a life of thanksgiving. AMEN

2017 November 19,SUN33ORDA

2017 November 19,SUN33ORDA

PRV 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

1.         The blessedness of a good wife and husband in the family

2.         The good family life is where God is the in the Center

3.         Charity for the poor and the needy is part of a good home.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R/ Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

1 THES 5:1-6

1.         St Paul presents the identity of the community as the children of the light

2.         Becoming the children of the light is being alert always for the Will of the Father.

MT 25:14-30

1.         Personal Responsibility is the key to Salvation

2.         Becoming Responsible is making our lives fruitful for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

3.         Gratitude for God’s gift is caring, producing and sharing.

  

Good ……

Today we celebrate the 33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time A and the Theme of the Readings today is To Be Responsible for our lives, for our families and for our communities.  

Next Sunday will be the Christ the King Sunday which is the end of another season and we will enter a new season the Advent Season.

If we can recall the themes in the last Sunday’s Readings, in summary, there were the themes about the Kingdom of God, and followed by the misunderstanding of the Pharisees and Scribes about the teaching of Jesus, and followed by the theme that we are the saints of God called to be Holy, and the theme of becoming always prepared for God, these readings and themes prepare us for the celebration of the Christ The King.

And in Readings today, we can see a gradual teaching about our own responsibilities to our family, to our community and to ourselves as persons.

In the First Readings from the Books of Proverbs we are told of three things:

 a. The blessedness of a good wife and husband in the family : “When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life.”

 b. The good family life is where God is the in the Center: “the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her a reward for her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

c. Charity for the poor and the needy is part of a good home : “She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy.”

The Book of the Proverbs put the harmony of the Family as the Responsibility and expression of the love between husband and wife.

In the Second Reading from the letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians, St Paul presented the responsibility and/or identity of the Christian Community as the children of the light. : St Paul says: But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. For St Paul , Becoming the children of the light is being alert always for the Will of the Father. This means that God is the Center of Life of the Christian Community.

The Gospel of St Matthew focuses not on the Family, nor on the Community BUT on our responsibility as persons. For St. Matthew Personal Responsibility is the key to Salvation and Becoming Responsible is making our lives fruitful for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

God gave us talents depending on our capabilities. This is the reason why we should not compare ourselves with others, for we have different talents, nor be envious of what others have for they have different responsibilities. We have to appreciate our talents and make use of them, make them fruitful not only for ourselves but more so for our families and for our Christian communities, for our parish.  Let us remember that Being Responsible is our Gratitude for the gifts we have received.

When we can become responsible, the Father according to St Matthew will tell us : 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.’ AMEN. 

2017November 12,SUN32ORDA

BSP SORSOGON ,PHILIPPINES

2017November 12,SUN32ORDA

WIS 6:12-16

Responsorial Psalm PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

1 THES 4:13-18

MT 25:1-13

Good….

Today we celebrate the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time A and the theme of the Readings today is to be always ready for God.

In the Scouting Community we usually hear: “Be always prepared” “ Be always Ready” and to those who are Scouts this motto is both the Goal and the Way. The Scouting Way is the Way to be always prepared. The Scout Training helps the Scouts to develop themselves to be always prepared for any eventualities of life.

Just like the Motto of the Scouting Movement, the Kingdom of Heaven is also our goal in this life and at the same time the Kingdom of Heaven is our Way of life. This is why Jesus teaches us that the “Kingdom of Heaven is here and not yet”. It is both the Goal and the Way to the Goal.

When we look to the parable of the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel today, it is likened to the Ten Virgins. The Gospel says: “Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”

Here it is clearly stated that the Kingdom of Heaven will be likened to the Ten Virgins. But in our usual interpretation, we think that it is only the 5 wise virgins who took their lamps along with their oil. But the Gospel includes also the 5 foolish virgins into the Kingdom of Heaven but these 5 foolish virgins need to understand and grow better to be always prepared in their lives.

These parable of the Ten Virgins as likened to the Kingdom of God is the story of each one of us in our lives here on earth. We live our lives not always in the best possible way but there are times that we are in our worst. I believe that no one of us can say that we live always as good person as we can be. ( and If there is any, we can put him/her on a pedestal as our Saint.) We all know that we are both saints and sinners. There is always the struggle between these two forces in our lives. There is one Native American Story about the two wolves that always quarrel inside of us and the one who wins is the one that we feed. This is our lives as human beings. It is always an struggle for the better or for the worse, and it only depends on us on which one we choose to become: to be a better person or bad.

The First Reading from the Book of Wisdom offer us some help to choose the best in us. Wisdom is not something hard and foreign to us since it part of our being and that God’s Wisdom is readily found for it seeks its seeker. We can always find wisdom for wisdom seeks us also and all we have to do is to be open for it in our lives. Wisdom makes us a better person in view of the design of God for us as his own image and likeness.

For example: almost every day we pray as we pray the Lord’s Prayer: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Wisdom tells us that we have to do what we pray for to make it ( the kingdom of God ) a reality in our lives, but we also know that in every day of our lives, we fail to do the Will of God because we want to do our own plans and desires. But we donot usually get our plans and desires And in failing to get or achieve our plans and desires, we become depressed , with depression we attract all kinds of evil in us and usually with this emotional pain comes physical pains and as a result we take pain medications and now this is one of the addiction that we have, addictions to Opioid and other drugs.

And so as Christians, we have to learn to put our trust in God for everything comes from Him and when we choose God in our lives, we will have everything that we can dream and desires. This is the better choice for us, this is the life that is always prepared. AMEN.

2017November 5SUN31ORDA

2017November 5SUN31ORDA

MAL 1:14B-2:2B, 8-10

1 THES 2:7B-9, 13

MT 23:1-12

Good….

Today we celebrate the 31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time A and the theme of the Readings today is to Worship God in Humility and in Service for the needs of one another.

We can consider our Gospel today as the conclusion of the controversy between Jesus on one side and the Scribes , the Pharisees and Herodians on the other side. During the last four sundays we hear this controversy. The First was the parable of the Landowner whose Son was killed by the tenants who wanted the land for them. The Second was the Parable of the Wedding wherein those invited were not worthy for the banquet. The third was the Entrapment whether to pay Census Tax to Caesar or not ? The Fourth was the question on Which Commandment is the Greatest.

And Now in the Gospel, Jesus teaches the Respect for the Pharisees, for they seat at Moses Seat as teachers of the Law but reprimands their action: The Gospel says: "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.  For they preach but they do not practice.”

Jesus gave examples of the self-centeredness of the Pharisees : They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues.

These attitudes of the Pharisees are in contrast to the attitudes of St. Paul as we have heard in the Second Reading from the Letter to the Thessalonians. While the Pharisees tie heavy burden for others to carry; St. Paul proclaims:  You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you.”

While the Pharisees widens their Phylacteries and lengthen their tassels, St Paul proclaims: We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well.”

While the Pharisees loved the places of Honor; St. Paul says : “we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God and not a human word. And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly.”

In the examples of the Pharisees as given by Jesus and the example of the Ministry of St. Paul, we can clearly see that while the Pharisees were self-centered , they do everything for their own selfish interest; St. Paul’s Ministry is centered on God through the proclamation of the Good News and through the Service to the People of God.

These examples of the Pharisees and St. Paul,  are also the choices that we encounter today. The Choices to seek and serve our own selfish interests or to seek and serve the Word of God . These Choices are also the Choices given in the First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Malachi , a Choice between Obedience to God and or Obedience to our selfish desires. Prophet Malcahi reminded us that Obedience to God brings Blessings while Disobedience to His Will brings to perdition.

And as Christians Today, the example of St. Paul is the life that we are also called into: to worship God in humility and in service for one another. AMEN.

2017November 1, Solemnity of All Saints

2017November 1, Solemnity of All Saints


RV 7:2-4, 9-14

PS 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.


1 JN 3:1-3

MT 5:1-12A



Good Morning …..

How was your Halloween ? Do you have plenty of chocolates and candies.? Did you celebrate the Halloween the Catholic Way ? or the Usual Commercial Way ? What did you bring out from your houses , the ghosts, the witches, the scary things Or the Saints of your houses.

As Catholics, let us celebrate Halloween in a Catholic Way, that is, presenting our saints as the models of our lives.

Let us remember that Halloween means Holy Eve or all hallows eve which precedes the celebration of the All Saints Day, That is why celebrating Halloween in a Catholic Way is bringing out the Holy , the Saints in our homes.

Today we celebrate the All Saints’ Day or the All Hallows Day. And for us Catholics this is an important celebration of thanksgiving and recognition for the person who have lived according the Will of the God and the Church recognized and proclaimed them as Saints.

The origin of this remembrance is the experience of Judas Maccabeus of the loss of lives of his men in the battle: he believed that his soldiers were good men, offered their lives for family, for community and in death where will they go. So he collected contributions from the remaining soldiers and offered the money to the temple with a request for the priests to pray those soldiers who have died. And this is the beginning of the belief in the life after death.

Likewise in Jesus Time: this has been a new teaching, the resurrection of the dead. And this has been the controversy with the Sadducees who do not believe in the Resurrection. Jesus said: I will go to the Father’s House and prepare a room for you so that where I am there you must go also.

It is in view of this that we understand the Saints as people who have live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have live by the Code of Jesus which is the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew is the CODE OF CONDUCT for all those who want to follow Jesus. The Beatitudes has a deep spirituality and present a deep knowledge of who God is. It has three themes of the which are : compassionate service, sacrifice and call to peace.

We can also say that the Beatitudes is the Revised Ten Commandments and the lives of the saints are examples of this Beatitudes. They have lived the Beatitudes.

As Catholics, we are called to become Saints : to Be Holy as your Father in Heaven is Holy .

And becoming Saints is living out his Beatitudes. we are saints when we follow God’s Will. AMEN

2017October 29SUN30ORDA

2017October 29SUN30ORDA

EX 22:20-26

Responsorial Psalm PS 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.

1 THES 1:5C-10

MT 22:34-40

Good…

Today we celebrate the 3oth Sunday in Ordinary Time A and the Theme of the Readings today is Love as the greatest commandment of our humanity.

In the Gospel today, we continue the polemics between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees. Last Sunday we heard about the trap of the Herodians whether it is lawful to give tax to Ceasar or not ? If Jesus answered Yes, it is lawful, the people who are burdened with the tax will dislike him and if Jesus answers No, it is not lawful, Jesus will have problem with the Romans who occupied Jerusalem and needed the Tax for the Wars. Jesus then asked the coin with face and inscription of Caesar and told the Herodians to give to Caesar  what belongs to Caser and to God what belongs to God.

In today’s Gospel  the Pharisees tested again Jesus when they asked: "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus answer was simple Love God with all your heart, mind and strength, This answer of Jesus comes from the Book of Deuteronomy (Dt 6:5) and the Jesus continued the Second is like it: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. This comes from the Book of Leviticus (Lv 19:9-18). Jesus concluded that Love summarizes  the Law and the Prophets which comprises the Hebrew Bible : the Holy Scripture of the Jews.

This Commandment of Love presents to us our basic humanity that we are made through love and for love that is why we are called to love one another as part of our very nature as human beings.

In the first Reading form the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we are given the GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct) of life. This Conduct of Life is basic in living together in a community with the special preference for the needy and the poor.  Prophet Isaiah mentioned the Four Groups of People that we must be mindful of. The first is the Alien /the Foreigners  for you were once foreigners in Egypt. The Second is the Widows and Orphans , The third is the Poor and the Last is the Neighbor.  Prophet Isaiah proclaims that if these people cry out to the Lord for help, God will hear their cry for He is a Compassionate God. But those who mistreat these people will have their punishments.

In our Society today, we still have the same problems like the problems that Prophet Isaiah mentioned. There is a growing distrust for strangers and foreigners, like the immigrants that is always mentioned in the political circus of our society today. But we have to recall in the recent past that our ancestors were once foreigners in this land. They came to this land which is inhabited by the First Nations to seek a better life just like the present day immigrants who came to seek for a better life.

There is also a growing number of widows and orphans as the result of broken homes and families that is prevalent in our society today.

With these realities in our society, we are called once again to live our Faith  just like how the Thessalonians live their faith with the inspiration of St. Paul who turned away from their idols and serve the true and living God. This is what the Gospel proclaims as the greatest commandment to Love God with all our heart, mind and soul, To make God as the priority of our lives.

When we Love God and Love our neighbor, we orient ourselves beyond ourselves for true love is other oriented. In love, we prioritize our beloved and even sacrifice ourselves for the good of our beloved. And so with this we can see that selfishness is the opposite of Love for selfishness is self-oriented whereas Love is other-oriented. The greatest lesson of love is the example of Jesus who gave his life that we may live. Jesus love is unselfish , Jesus loves us all and now it is our turn to love one another. AMEN. 

2017October 22SUN29ORDA

2017October 22SUN29ORDA

IS 45:1, 4-6

PS 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10 R. (7b) Give the Lord glory and honor.

1 THES 1:1-5B

MT 22:15-21

Good….

Today we celebrate the 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time A. And the theme of the Readings is to live for God.

In the Gospel today, we hear the popular teaching of Jesus : “to repay to Caesar  what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  This teaching of Jesus is brought about by the controversy with the Pharisees as they seek to malign Jesus.

St. Matthew presented the Reversal Argument in which those who accuses Jesus are themselves accused by their own words and actions. The Pharisees sent their disciples and the Herodians to entrap Jesus  so as they can accuse Jesus. They said:  "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person's status.”

In these words, they proclaimed that Jesus is a Truthful Man; Teach the Way of God; and Fair: that Jesus does not discriminate because of status of the person. And these words are the ones that condemn themselves, because they did not live their words. And more so when Jesus ask for the coin that they use they gave Jesus the Roman Coin with the Face and Inscription of Caesar. Jesus proclaims to them that they belong to Caesar for they live by the Coin of Caesar and not for God.   

Let us remember that for a Jew especially in the Temple Service they uses their own coins : the Shekel and not the Roman Coin, That is why there are money changers in the Temple Area. 

This proclamation of the Gospel is also very relevant for us as Christians today.  Do we really put God as the priority of our lives just like what Jesus had done?

If we believe that Jesus is a Truthful Man, we also must live in truth just as He is. But when we gossip and malign others we are not truthful and do not live for God.

If we believe that Jesus teaches the Way of God, we also must follow His ways so as we can be worthy of God. But when we become selfish with our lives, with our talents, with our gifts, we are not for God.

If we believe that Jesus is Fair : that Jesus does not discriminate because of status of the person, we must also be accepting and respecting for others their language, their culture and traditions. But when we become arrogant with our culture and language and forces others to speak our own language and culture, we are not for God.

To make God as the priority of our lives, we have to live like Jesus Christ and we will be known as True Christians . AMEN. 

2017October 15,SUN28ORDA

2017October 15,SUN28ORDA 

IS 25:6-10A

PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6 R. (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

PHIL 4:12-14, 19-20

MT 22:1-14

Good….

Today we celebrate the 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time A and the Theme of the Readings today is about the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the Gospel today Jesus proclaims to us the three elements of the Kingdom of Heaven: 1. That the Kingdom of God is first given to the select few; 2. When those invited were unworthy, the Kingdom of God is given to All and 3. Lastly, those who receive the Kingdom of Heaven must be worthy of it.

In our Judeo-Christian Tradition, we know that the Faith was first given to the Jews with their experience from Abraham to Moses and to Jesus Christ. This Faith contains the promise of Kingdom of Heaven. But this Faith was misunderstood as something exclusive only for the select few which the Leaders of the Community like the priest and scribes, and Pharisees thought that they have the Control of this Kingdom of Heaven.

This misunderstanding was corrected by Jesus that no one controls the Kingdom of Heaven but only God Alone. The leaders of the people : the Chief Priest and the Elders of the People did not accept and believe the Teachings of Jesus about the Kingdom of Heaven. And so Jesus told them this parable of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Those who were invited first into the Kingdom were unworthy of the kingdom because they value more their concerns. The Gospel says:  “Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them”.

Three reactions and values of those invited:  the Farm, the Business, and the prejudice against the servants of the King. And death comes to these people because they value more their own concerns than the Kingdom of Heaven. 

As Christians today, we are all invited into the Wedding Feast , into the Kingdom of Heaven and with this invitation, we have to be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. And to be worthy is “to put on the wedding garment when we go to the wedding feast”, and wedding garment that we need to wear is Christ. St. Paul says that we have to put on Christ and this means that we have to value what Christ values in life and the values of Christ are: service to those in need, love and acceptance of the poor and solidarity with everyone.

As Christians, Do we live these values of Christ in our lives ? AMEN

2017October,8SUN27ORDA

2017Oct,8SUN27ORDA

IS 5:1-7

Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20

R/ (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Phil 4:6-9

1. Jesus Christ is the peace of God.

2. Having the same heart and mind like Jesus, assures us of peace.


Mt 21:33-43


2017Oct,8SUN27ORDA

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time A



Good Morning Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the readings the theme of the Kingdom of Heaven is given much emphasis. The Kingdom of heaven is likened to a landowner who hires laborers for his vineyard and all were given the same daily wage ; it is likened to a father who asked his two sons to work in the vineyard , the one went but the other did not. Today, it likened to a Landowner with a vineyard leased to the tenants, who killed his messenger including his son who wanted to get the share of the harvest. Next Sunday, the kingdom of Heaven is likened to a king who hold a wedding feast.

With these readings, we may ask , Why give so much emphasis on the Kingdom of Heaven in the Readings ?

Brothers and Sisters. The theme of the Kingdom of Heaven is very important for us, because it does not only teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven but because it is the heart, or the center of the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to teach us the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven and how we can live it, follow it, and become part of it. The Kingdom of Heaven is not only our destination BUT it is the life that we are called into, the kingdom of Heaven is our life.

BUT truthfully let us ask ourselves, Do we still believe in the Kingdom of Heaven ? Do you really believe deep in yourselves that there is heaven ? Where is heaven ?

For me, I really believe there is heaven. How about you ? Do you really believe there is heaven ? ( Those who still believe in heaven say AMEN. )Thanks for still believing in heaven, the next question I wish to ask you is. Do you want to go to heaven right now ? ( Why is it that some seemed not interested to enter heaven right now. )

Brothers and sisters, in the light of the gospels let us have a proper understanding of what is heaven and where it lies. Let us remember that in all the gospels read to us, the kingdom of heaven tells us about our deeds, our actions that is doing something good, here and now, in our daily lives. We have to be generous and just with our lives. We have to do what the Father is telling us go and work in my vineyard. We have to bear fruits, good fruits. We have to give our share to the landowner and not to be selfish . We have to always remember that we are tenants and not the landowner. The kingdom of heaven must be seen in what we do today, the here and now of our daily lives. The gospels is asking every one of us to enter, to live , to manifest the kingdom of heaven in our lives. Heaven starts not when we die BUT starts here and now in our daily lives.

Again may I ask you brothers and sisters, do you want to enter the kingdom of heaven now ?

Those of you who want to enter the kingdom of heaven right now , must start to cleanse your hearts of greed and selfishness, BE generous , BE Just in all you do, BE loving, BE always with Jesus. That is how we make heaven real in our lives.

BUT if we look at our world today, in reality we are far from living, far from manifesting the kingdom of heaven in our midst. The presence of wars, hatred, violence, greed, selfishness even inside our homes tells us that we do not yet build the kingdom of heaven in our lives.

I remember a song by John Lennon: 1971 Imagine it says:
Imagine there's no Heaven, It's easy if you try No Hell below us, Above us only sky
Imagine all the people, Livin' for today …,Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too, Imagine all the people, Livin' life in peace…Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people, Sharin' all the world,.. And the world will live as one.

This song tells us about the aspiration for peace of the generation of the 1970’s which was a time of the Vietnam War , a war fought for different countries’ self interest. It is more 30 years that it happened BUT here we are in the present world, with the same WARS being waged for the control of resources and nations. Nations’ interests and religion once more are used in waging wars and violence.

IN this situation of violence and chaos, , will the same lesson in the gospel of St Matthew be told to us : Jesus said to the chief priest and elders of the people : “Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

As Christians , we ask, what can we do ? How can we realize the building of the kingdom of heaven in our situation wherein selfishness and greed become the norm of life ? For this let us remember St Paul in his letter to the Phillipians “Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

St Paul is asking each one of us that even though there is failure, wars, chaos in our world today, Prayer ,Thanksgiving and Following Jesus Words and Deeds will bring us peace and the abundance of love. This is heaven in our midst.

Let us start heaven here in now , let us give peace and love to one another. AMEN

2017October 1,SUN26ORDA

2017October 1,SUN26ORDA

EZ 18:25-28

PS 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.

PHIL 2:1-11

MT 21:28-32

Good…

Today we celebrate the 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time A and the theme of the Readings is about the Grace of Doing the Will of God.

As Christians today one of the basic questions that we usually ask is : Who will be saved ? Who will enter the Kingdom of God?

Time and Again this question about salvation has been asked through the generations even in time of Jesus. And the answer is given in many parable of Jesus and also in the Parable of the Two Sons that is proclaimed in our Gospel today.

Jesus asked the opinion of the Chief Priests and the leaders of the people about the responses of the Two Sons on the command of the Father to go into his vineyard. The First one answered “ I will not” but later changed his mind and went. The Second answered Yes, I will go but did not go; Which of the two did his father's will?" and They answered, "The first."

In this parable Jesus explains to us that those “WHO DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER” are the ones who are saved and enters the Kingdom of God.

But as Christians we have to really know the Will of the Father for us, for it is only in understanding the Will of the Father that we can be able to follow them.

We ask: What is the Will of the Father for us? St. Paul in the Second Reading for the Letters to the Philippians explains this Will of the Father by having the life of Christ. St. Paul says: “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus” . This proclamation of St. Paul brings us the centrality of Jesus in our lives; “ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.

And to proclaim Jesus as our “Lord and Savior”  is to live the life of Jesus or as St. Paul puts it to have the attitude of Jesus.

What is the attitude of Jesus that we must also have ?

1.       Christian life is service to others:  “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves”.

2.      Humility : “he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, he humbled himself.”

3.      Obedience : “becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”

These are the attitudes of Christ that St. Paul proclaimed to us so that we can Do the Will of the Father and be saved. But if we look at our lives today : Do we have and live these attitudes of Christ ?

1.       In Christian Service : Do we accept others into our community in love and regard them as more important to us or do we force them to accept our ways and culture thinking that we are much better than them. Sometimes the political issues that we have we also bring them into our Church that is why we like other cultures like the Hispanics to speak English as we do and have Liturgies and prayers like we do.

2.      In Humility: Are we humble enough to go down into the level of those in need and understand and address their concerns or do we condemn them of taking advantage of our generosity?

3.      In Obedience: Jesus commanded us to love one another as He loves us. Do we really love as Jesus loves or we only love those who are submissive to us and those who like us?

We know that we do not usually do what Jesus had done. We know that we sins and fails. But that God has given us also the chance to redeem ourselves and repent our evil ways: Prophet Ezekiel in the Frist Readings proclaims to us that : “But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life.”

And so as Christians we have to be like Christ and do what Christ does, to love as Christ has loved us. This is our Way to Salvation, to the Kingdom of God. AMEN. 

2017September 24SUN25ORDA

2017September 24SUN25ORDA

IS 55:6-9

PS 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

PHIL 1:20C-24, 27A

MT 20:1-16A

Good ….

Today we celebrate the 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the Theme of the Readings is the Generosity of God with his Love for human beings.

This Theme of God’s Generosity is the continuation of the theme last Sunday about Forgiveness. God forgives us because he loves us. Love and Forgiveness are two sides of the same coin. And as human beings we cannot live and prosper in this World without Forgiveness since Forgiveness like Love is a human character and a virtue.

Somebody came to me and asked: “Father, a man who throughout his life lived a bad life and on his death bed received Baptism, will he go to purgatory when he died?”

For those who think that faith is their right, they will say that Yes he will pass through the purgatory but for those who believe that faith is a gift from God, they will say that he is Blessed and will be with God.

In the life of Jesus, this had happened also when the One of those crucified with Christ, received Christ’s Promise: “ Today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

Jesus proclaims the Love and Mercy of God that when God forgives, He also forgets all our sins and trespasses. This is what we called last Sunday as Forgive and Forget. This is usually different from most of us. We find it hard to forgive because we do not forget the hurts and pains done to us.

(I heard one story of a husband talking about the problem with her wife. He says that when my wife gets mad at she became ‘Historical”. Another tries to correct him that it is not Historical but Hysterical  and The Man says no it is historical because she tells me back all the sins and failures that I have done.  “Historical” because the wife kept on those sins and failures.

In Christian Forgiveness, we not only forget the sins and failures but we removed them from our hearts. Since, those who keep the sins and hurts in their hearts do not forgive as God forgives us. When God forgives, he forgets the sins.)

This is also what the Gospel is telling us today that God is a generous God, He gave the same usual daily wage even to the workers who worked for an hour only. This generosity however is questioned by those who worked all day and had the same daily wage. The said:  'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.'

These workers who complained thought that they were entitled for more as compared to the workers who work only for an hour. But the Landowner said to one of them in reply: 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?

For the Landowner there was no injustice done since they were given the agreed daily wage.

In this parable Jesus presents us the generosity of God for all of us not only for the select few. And this generosity is extended to all since Faith is given and preached to all and that Faith is not due to our performance of doing good for so many hours and years but that Faith is a generous gift from God that gives everyone a new life.

As Christians all we have to do is not grumble but to share our Faith to one another through the good works and service for those in need. Let us always remember that Christian Life is a life in service for others in need. And as St. Paul in the Second Reading proclaims : “Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.” AMEN.

2017September 17,SUN24ORDA

2017September 17,SUN24ORDA

SIR 27:30—28:7

PS 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R. (8) The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

ROM 14:7-9

MT 18:21-35


Good…


Today we celebrate the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time A and the theme of the Readings today is Forgiveness.

We usually hear the words: “ To err is human and to forgive is Divine”. And surely most of us have heard this and also believe in this. But for me, it is important to understand what it means, since throughout the years people have understood this saying differently meaning that God forgives while human may not.

For Me, I believe that Forgiveness is a human character, without forgiveness human beings will not prosper and will never last into this world. As Human Beings we are designed for relationships and community and as such what is important in relationships and community is the acceptance not only of the strengths and of one another but more so the acceptance of the whole person including his own weaknesses and failures.

In the Secular world, this has been recognized and leaders had set up structures to mitigate our weakness and ultimately address them so that we can be an asset to the community and business.

Also in our Christian Faith, Jesus has provided us with the way to address failures and weakness as we have seen in the Gospel last Sunday giving us the process to correct one another.

Even the giving of His Commandment “ to love one another as I have loved you” present us our responsibility for one another. And more so that in Loving, forgiveness is one of its best expressions. We cannot love without forgiveness, it is just two side of the same coin.

Pope Francis in his visit to Colombia urges the youth and the people to work for “ Forgiveness” for the many atrocities that happened. It will be hard but that will be the start of progress and peace. Without Forgiveness there will be no peace.

Some people usually say that it is hard to forgive. I usually ask them why is it hard to forgive? The usual answer is that the wound and the pain is still there and it is hard to forgive and accept back those who hurt you.

This is actually the problem with Forgiveness, it is not so much on forgiveness but on forgetting the hurts and pains done to us. And usually, what happens is that: we do not forget the pain and hurts because we keep them in our hearts, and do not want to let them go. And surely, when we keep those pains and hurts, it grows and makes our lives miserable.

I heard one story of a husband talking about the problem with her wife. He says that when my wife gets mad at she became ‘Historical”. Another tries to correct him that it is not Historical but Hysterical and The Man says no it is historical because she tells me back all the sins and failures that I have done. Historical because the wife kept on those sins and failures.

In Christian Forgiveness, we not only forget the sins and failures but we removed them from our hearts. Since, those who keep the sins and hurts in their hearts do not forgive as God forgives us. When God forgives, he forgets the sins.

And so as Christians today, let us forgive one another for we are also forgiven by God. Let us not be like the wicked servant who was forgiven from his debts by his master but did not forgive the debts of his fellow servant.

Let us always remember the proclamation of St. Paul that as Christians we live and die for the God and as such we strive to do the Will of God including the forgiveness of one another.

In the First Reading Sirach also proclaims: “Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven” and this is also what Jesus taught us in the Our Father: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Forgiveness is at the heart of Loving and that forgiveness is not only Divine but Forgiveness is very human. AMEN.

2017September 10,SUN23ORDA

2017September 10,SUN23ORDA

 1 EZ 33:7-9

1.       We are God’s watchman ( stewards) , we have responsibility over one another.

2.      Our responsibility include reprimand and correction over the faults of one another.

PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

ROM 13:8-10

1.       Love is the core and fulfillment of the law.

2.      Love neighbor as self is the fulfillment of love.

MT 18:15-20

1.       Forgiveness is  a great expression of love.

2.      Fraternal Correction is very important in living justly, and goes thru a process:

a.     Go and talk it over between the two of you.

b.      Get a witness ( 3 ) if unsuccessful

c.      Go to the Church for help .

3.      The power to bind and loose is given to the community.

4.      And the power of community (2 or 3) in doing things for God.

Good…

Today we celebrate the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time A and the Theme of the Readings today is the Fraternal Correction which is our responsibility for one another especially in the situation of conflict.

Fraternal Correction is very important in our lives because as human beings we experience Conflicts brought about by the differences in our personalities and behavior. And when we act without regard for others conflicts arise and when these conflicts are not addressed properly , there arise misunderstanding, grudges and hatred for the other.

Our World today is full of conflicts, The many chaos in our society, the hatred among different groups, and even the misunderstanding among members of our families bring much burden on each one of us and affects our relationship among each other. And when there is no proper communication among each other, among each group, these conflicts get worse and when added with gossips and selfish interest this conflicts turns into violence.  And this is our World today , a violent world because of selfishness, misunderstanding, and hatred.

As Christians, we are called to become responsible not only with ourselves but also to become responsible with one another. This call to responsibility is the basic call of our humanity. Let us remember the lesson of Cain and Abel,  that we have to become our Brother’s Keeper.

  Jesus  in the Gospel today gives us the process of good fraternal correction. Jesus follows the three basic process in dealing with conflicts: The first step is that: "If your brother sins against you,  go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.” This is basic since only the two of you understand the situation of conflict and protect privacy of one another. However in the World today, if somebody had done wrong against you, the usual reaction is to tell others about the fault and the conflict becomes violent.

The Second Step is : “If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'.  This is to insure the fact of the problem. However in our world, instead of establishing the fact of the problem, people tend to gossips and alternative facts and this makes the problem worsen.

The Third step : “If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. This presents the importance of the Church since as Christians we are members of one Church and the Church has authority over us.

This responsibility over our brothers is also given to us by Prophet Ezekiel in the First Reading. Prophet Ezekiel makes us a God’s Watchmen, We are God’s Steward who is responsible for one another especially in the reprimand or correction of others who stray from  the path to God.

This fraternal correction is part of our love for our brothers and sisters. St. Paul in the Second Reading teaches us to love one another for love is the fulfillment of the Law. And taking responsibility for one another is a great expression of this love.

As Christians, this is our great challenge to live and love one another and especially to become responsible for one another especially in helping  one another to grow as mature persons and mature Christians.  AMEN.

2017September 3,SUN22ORDA

2017September 3,SUN22ORDA

JER 20:7-9

1.           Jeremiah experiences the overpowering of God’s Word within us.

2.           That even in the midst of derision and reproach for Jeremiah, The Words of God burns inside his heart. 

PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

ROM 12:1-2

1.           True Worship is the Offering of Self to God as a living sacrifice.

2.           The Offering of Self is taking the form of the Word of God, through the change of self and one’s view according to the view of God.

MT 16:21-27

1.           The prediction of the suffering and resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem.

2.           Peter who has been blessed is now called Satan because he thinks not according to God but to man’s.

3.           The demands of Discipleship Deny yourself, Carry your cross, Follow me. 

4.           Our actions have their own consequences.

Good…

Today we celebrate the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time and the theme of our Readings today is the Call to discipleship.

Today we called our World as modern, hi-tech with all the wonders of science and communications. But when we look clearly, we will know that Our World today is going back to a time like the World of Prophet Jeremiah. People today are driven by the values of our society which are power, money and fame. Everyone is so busy to achieve their dreams and plans for themselves especially with regard to these values of our society. So much so, that when we speak about love, service, discipleship, about the Word of God, many people turn away for these are not according to their values :the values of our society. 

We even experience the pressure of some sectors of our society that prohibits the display of faith and religious symbols in public places. ( When I came to work here in America, I was told that whenever I am invited for Public Prayer, I should not begin with the Sign of the Cross because it may offend others. This has been a crazy reminder which I never follow, because the Sign of the Cross is what we have to share as Catholics)

   And so today, when you ask Who wants money ? Who wants to be a Basketball stars ? Who wants to travel around the world ? Many people want them,  people today want money, fame and power. But when you ask them : Who want to go to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on First Friday ? Who wants to go to Bible Study ? Who wants to serve as Ministers of the Church ? Who wants to become a priest ? Very few , if not nobody will want them because these are not the values of our society today.

Prophet Jeremiah experienced also this dilemma to follow the values of his society or to follow the Word of God. The Prophet says: “the word of the LORD has brought me derision and reproach all the day. I will speak in his name no more…But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.” Prophet Jeremiah experiences the overpowering of the Word of God in his heart.

This dilemma was also experienced by St. Peter who was called “Blessed” when he proclaimed the Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God, but in the Gospel today, Jesus called him “Satan”. Jesus says: "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

In the Gospel today, Jesus gave us the Demands of Discipleship so that we may surpass the dilemma and choose the right thing in our lives. Jesus says: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

As Catholics these are the three things that we need today so that we may be free of the values of our society today and become true disciples of Jesus. Three things that we have to do : 1. We have to deny ourselves meaning that we have to let God’s power over us. We always wanted to have power and control for our lives and the lives of others and now we let God take in control. 2. We have to take up our crosses, meaning that we have to value suffering and sacrifices, for our money cannot buy the best things in life like love, friendship and family. 3. We have to follow Jesus, meaning that the direction for our lives is discipleship for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

St. Paul in the Letter to the Romans proclaimed this True discipleship to Jesus as an offering of self to God. He says : “I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.”

Our discipleship to Jesus and our offering of ourselves to God is the grace that will strengthen us to overcome the temptations of power, money and fame which are values of our society today.  Let us always remember the words of Jesus : “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”  Amen