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60th Antioch Weekend
Last May 17-19 marked something pretty special: Antioch’s 60th Weekend – more than 30 years of “passing it on”. That’s 30 years of passing on unconditional love, understanding, peace, and the living of life anchored in our Catholic faith.
We welcomed into our ranks 30 young people from all over the city. Michael Tiong , Renzo Ramos, Sam Sumulong, Jamie Santiago, Jules Santiago, Judd Sarao , Jackie Ledesma, Migo Luis, Raisa Lorenzana, Celina Casas, Coco Oei, Raiyne Mangulabnan, David Dionisio, Paolo Cumagun, Zach Garcia, Mica Caunan, Kara Silva, Maia Villanueva, Kevin Kramer, Anina Caluag, Paolo Valmonte, Bea Limpo, Michelle Sarrosa, Suzie Agustin, Czai Esmani, Mhar Udarbe, Maine Gianan, Jen Tallada, Macmac Udarbe and JM Udarbe.
Shepherding them through the weekend were the members of Team A – the ones who gave talks, shared their lives, listened to them and welcomed them with open arms: Carla Gonzalez, Santi Ongsiako, Sandi Suplido, Leandro Banzon , Iona Mapa, Zito Relova, Chrissie Domingo, Mico Macadaeg, Maria Cervero, Mig Mabanta, Paulina Ocampo , Nicholas Gonzalez, Ellie Estrada, Zeno Pedrosa, Regina Galvez, Maui Uy. Prissy Relova and Carlo Aboboto helmed team A.
Behind the scenes, Team B handled all logistics, made sure people were well fed, and kept things clean and moving along – Rajie Guevara, Therese Valmonte, Aljohn Robles, Anna Orlina, Gab Estrada, JD Bacolod, Chino Garcia, and Cath Huang. Christine Tiu and Andy Teodoro helmed team B.
As always, the roller coasted ride that is an Antioch weekend had its share of challenges, but ultimately it is just another way for the youth of the parish to express themselves and to spread love and make change in their own little way –just as it has been for decades. We look forward to decades more of “passing it on.”
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“Trinity Sunday” by Fr. EJ
The fullness of redemption is to be found in the Spirit. The Spirit completes the mystery of creation and redemption, guiding us into “all truth”, bringing us all together.
After the cycle of Feasts celebrating the events and phases of Christ’s life among us, the liturgy moves into “ordinary time” But it passes through two transition Sundays: Trinity Sunday this week, and Corpus Christi next week. Ordinary time means living in “the sphere of God’s grace, where we now stand.” And it means gathering around the Eucharist to deepen our true identity, our relationship to the mystery of our redemption and to one another and the world.
What is clearly the formulated mystery of the Trinity is not found in the readings and this lack makes us wonder what the doctrine of the Trinity means and particularly what it means for us. What these readings convey is that it means for us a world transformed into a sphere of grace, the guidance of spirit of truth, and the providence of God’s own wisdom at all times.
The passage about wisdom in the book of Proverbs, is wisdom personified, a maternal figure. The text is at pain to tell us wisdom is at the source and patterns of creation. It is quoted with law of God (Torah) revealed to Israel. In Christian thought, it points to Jesus as the wisdom of God – Jesus is the same at the heart of all creation, accessible to all in the sphere of God’s grace.
In Paul’s thought (second reading) we are justified through faith brought into the realm of faith. This kind of wisdom and transforming love seems to be what Jesus promises to His disciples. In His farewell address Jesus signified to where the disciples are going. So we ask where do you find our orientation? And the answer is: the fullness of redemption is to be found in the Spirit. The Spirit completes the mystery of creation and redemption, guiding us into “all truth”, bringing us all together.
Although the scriptures do not give us a formulation of Trinitarian doctrine as such, the Scripture leads us to come to terms with the Paradox of God who is intimately known yet never comprehended, so intimately present, yet always transcendent. Such is our God, so profoundly mysterious yet dwells in our hearts – Tenere me ama!
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“Pentecost”, by Fr. Tasang
The Gift of the Spirit is Unity in the Midst of Differences and Diversities. The month of May is a month
The month of May is a month of festivities in many parts of the country. Last May 15, we had the famous tourist-drawing Pahiyas of Lukban, Quezon, with their colorful display of food and agricultural products in the facade of their houses. Neighboring towns that are located at the foot of Mount Banahaw have similar versions of this harvest festival. The month of May is a month of harvesting and it is the most opportune time for thanksgiving and festivities.
The feast of Pentecost is originally a feast of harvest, people thanking God for the abundance of his blessings. Later on, following the development of Jewish liturgy from the cosmic to the historic, this feast became rapidly the celebration of the deliverance from Egypt, particularly the Sinai covenant which took place fifty days after the Jews’ departure from Egypt. The Sinai now becomes the symbol of abundance of life as God considered them as his people.
Literally, the word Pentecost means fifty. Today is the fiftieth day after Easter and we celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit on the disciples. It is the fullness of God’s gifts, the abundance of God’s love. It is the beginning of the Church’s mission to the world, a harvest of people instead of agricultural produce. At its heart is the gift of the Spirit that created the Church and continued to move people to undertake the preaching of the word.
The gospel today is the same one that we read on Easter Sunday. It is an account of how Jesus gave his disciples the Holy Spirit wherein they were recreated. They in turn were sent to forgive sins. The word used is “ruah”, the same word the sacred scriptures used in the Genesis creation account. Christ in breathing on them reproduced the creative breath of the Genesis. As new creation, the disciples are empowered to preach the Good News of God’s mercy, the heart of which is the forgiveness of sins.
1. Today, the charismatic movements, especially in Metro Manila, have their annual gathering. They consider this feast as their feast day. It seems that they have also appropriated this feast as their own. Since most of us are not into the renewal/ charismatic movement, it makes us feel that we are not filled with the Spirit. There is a tendency to highlight the extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit, like gifts of tongues and gifts of healing, to the detriment of the far more numerous routine outpouring of the Spirit. There is a penchant for unabashed emotionalism, enthusiasm on prophetic trances and orgiastic frenzies. Sometimes our charismatic brothers/sisters can make us feel insecure if we don’t experience radical change in bodily temperature or what they call, “slain by the spirit” as if it is the sole mode of being Spirit-filled. The bottom line criterion for determining the authenticity of an alleged gift of the Spirit is whether it strengthens faith and the bond of unity.
2. The Spirit breathes where it wills. It is through the individual with his unique gifts that the Holy Spirit operates par excellence. Everybody has experienced his gentle urgings. Those moments in our lives when we are tempted to surpass ourselves, to do something bordering on the heroic, to reach and help out someone in trouble, to sacrifice our time and well-being for totally unselfish reasons, those are moments when we are spirit-inspired. In reality, those moments are rare and the number of times we yielded to those temptations is rarer still. Probably the real failures in our lives are not bad temptations we succumbed to, but the good we resist to do. We should give way to our generous impulses instead of pulling back at the last moment, thereby thwarting the promptings of the Spirit.
3. Most importantly, the gift of the Spirit is unity in the midst of
differences and diversities. The Acts of the Apostles implies that Pentecost is the reversal of the Tower of Babel. The biblical imagery of confusion, division and despair that reigned among the people is contrasted with the unifying gift of the Holy Spirit. With the descent of the Spirit, people of different races understood the disciples’ proclamation in their own language. Unity is not uniformity. We should see differences as enriching, not threatening the unity of the community. We should be able to harness, rather than alienate others with their various gifts, affirm and appreciate them but putting them into service for the common good.
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“Habilin” by Fr. Joel
“Repentance and forgiveness in his name would be proclaimed to all the nations. You shall be witnesses to this. I will send you what my Father promised. “(v.47-49)
After graduating from high school in Samar, I was determined to pursue my theological studies and readied myself to enter the diocesan seminary in our place. Since my Dad didn’t like me to pursue my dream as a priest, he encouraged me to enroll in a pre-law course in Manila. He was the one who accompanied me, making sure that I would not be going somewhere else. The night before we left, I very well remember my Mom telling me only one thing: “You will always be in my prayers. Let God do the rest for you!” This has always been my Mom’s reminder to me.
Ascension Day is a time given to the faithful to reflect on the very inspiration left by Jesus to his disciples. It is the best time of the year to reflect as well on the missions of our Church and the very inspiration attached to it – the role of the Scriptures or the words of Jesus, and the importance of worship in fulfilling the missions entrusted to us by Jesus.
What was the advice received by the disciples before he finally was ascended into heaven? “Repentance and forgiveness in his name would be proclaimed to all the nations. You shall be witnesses to this. I will send you what my Father promised. “(v.47-49) This is Jesus’ commissioning to his disciples urging them to go first to Jerusalem, and wait because because something would happen there. They followed him, and returned to the Temple in Jerusalem, the place of worship, their place of waiting.
Biblical scholars believe that the antecedent of “you” in the context of the gospel refers to either “the disciples”, “the Jewish community”, or to a broader community including ourselves. We are all encouraged not to be mere participants in a stage drama unfolding in our midst but to be active protagonists able to fulfill our roles.
Have you noticed the holy intent of Jesus? It is part of God’s plan that His intention will be completed and the divine strategy will work. This is the reason why one of the repeated themes in the context of this gospel is the understanding of the Messiah and His destiny. It is his valued mission that justicethat justice and peace may reign in humankind so much so that the Kingdom can be inaugurated. This started when they came to realize and recognize Jesus when he opened their hearts and minds about the many things he had told them, and the numerous advice he gave them.
The last part of the narrative tells us that instead of experiencing the so called “separation anxiety”, we are told that they experienced the joy of Jesus’ ascension. It was coming from the blessing given by Jesus himself (v.51). This moved them to worship him and He was their inspiration and the reason why they frequented the Temple, giving praises to God. It is in this context that we affirm the presence of God in the Holy Eucharist. We pattern our worship on this spiritual experience of the disciples. We sing hymns, recite our prayers as one community, expose the Word of God, share the holy inspiration of the Word, break and share the bread together because this was what our forefathers in faith had done. But while practicing all these, a faithful follower of Christ should not neglect the true value of being a good witness. And a good witness shows an evident presence of Christ in everything that he/she does. Likewise, a good missionary is one who possesses a virtue.
The way the mothers care for their children is one evident sign of being a true disciple of Jesus. Mama Mary championed this. Let us pray as we celebrate Mothers’ Day this Sunday, that we honor our mothers for showing us the way to become a true follower of Christ through their unblemished dedication and service to us. What is the best inheritance/advice or inspiration that we can keep in our hearts coming from our parents? It is no other than to witness the Gospel or Kingdom values that they have lived by and deeply nurtured in us. Let our lives be possessed by the same.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives (peace) do I give it to you.”
The Farewell Discourse of Jesus (John 13-17), to which today’s
gospel belongs, is his last will and testament, wherein he gives his
apostles precious pieces of advice in order to help them live without his physical presence, after his departure.
First, he tells them-and us too, how best to express their love for him: Not by long prayers or endless processions, rosaries, novenas and votive candles, but by “keeping my word, ” by doing his will. Love is shown in deeds, not in words. Nothing wrong, of course, with prayers, so long as they help us discern and do God’s will.
To anyone who keeps his word, Jesus promises: “My Father will love him, and we will come to him.” We tend to associate God’s presence with the temple. The temple is the house of God, his dwelling place. Some people travel to faraway places (Rome, Holy Land) to visit famous basilicas and shrines, hoping to experience God’s presence. Jesus tells us that God is not to be sought in faraway temples. We do not need to travel at all. God dwells within us. We are God’s temple-so long as we keep hisword. In the second reading, the book of Revelation tells us that in the new Jerusalem there is no temple, “for its temple is the Lord God and the Lamb.”
Then Jesus promises further to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who “will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. ” The Holy Spirit will continue the work of Christ and will teach his disciples to apply the teachings of Jesus to new situations. We see this promise fulfilled in the Acts of the Apostles (read daily during the Easter season). And we will hear a lot more about the Holy Spirit in the coming days, as we approach the feast of Pentecost.
Some people wonder: “If the Holy Spirit teaches and explains everything, as Jesus says, how come he has allowed Christians to split into over 20,000 denominations?” The fault is not the Holy Spirit’s but ours. We have failed to understand that the Holy Spirit is with us, not just for our personal benefit but to build up the Christian community. In the first reading from the Book of Acts we hear how the Holy Spirit helped and guided the early Christian community in solving its first major crisis, namely, the acceptance of the Gentiles into the Church. Paul’s and Bamabas’ opinion ran counter to that of James, Peter and others in Jerusalem. All of
them probably thought that the Holy Spirit was on their side. However, they gathered together, and prayed and discerned together as a community. And the Holy Spirit did help them find a solution favorable to the whole community.
Lastly, Jesus bestows his peace to his disciples, and to us all: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Not power, not money (which are usually the primary sources of violence and war), but peace. These precious words of Jesus have become part of the communion rite. We repeat them at every Mass shortly before holy communion. Jesus, however, adds an important distinction: “Not as the world gives [peace] do I give it to you. What is the difference between the peace of the world and the peace that Jesus gives? The peace of the world is often imposed by force. It is silence imposed by the winner. It is compromise; it is un-involvement; it is playing safe. It is the passing joy of getting our wishes and our whims fulfilled.
The peace of Christ, on the other hand, is not imposed from outside; it comes from within us. It is the peace and joy we experience when we do or hold on to what is right, when we fulfill the will of the Father–even if it means persecution and suffering; when we sacrifice our personal comfort for the good of others. The peace of Christ is that sense of satisfaction we have when we spend our life at the service of God and of fellowmen.
The Servant of God Catherine de Hueck, Foundress of the Madonna House Apostolate, once said: “A bell is not a bell till you ring it. A song is no song till you sing it. The love in your heart was not put there to stay. Love is not love till you give it away.”
Roy B. Zuck tells us that in describing the first century Christians to the Roman Emperor Hadrian, Aristides said, “They love one another. They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who will hurt them. If they have something, they give freely to the man who has nothing. If they see a stranger, they ask him home and are happy, as though he were a real brother. They don’t consider themselves brothers and sisters in the usual sense, but brothers and sisters instead through the Spirit, in God.”
Indeed, love is not just an emotion; it is a decision and an action. Love is willing, seeking, pursuing and sacrificing for the good of the other. Love is the giving of oneself for the well-being of the beloved. For love to be genuine and effective, it has to be practical love. It has to be love that is shown in action, as the early Christians showed the world.
That love must be shown in action is one of the important points of Jesus in the gospel reading today. “Whoever loves me will keep my word… Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.”
St. Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, gives some qualities of love. He says, “Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not envious, it is not boastful, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” What a beautiful description of love! To be added to this list of qualities of love on the basis of gospel passage, I suggest, is obedience. Love is obedient.
In our contemporary world that emphasizes personal freedom and personal expression, some people may not like love being obedient, especially in the sense of blind obedience. Love must be free and it must be free to obey.
That love must be obedient will make a lot of sense if we take note that the Latin root word of obedience is “obedire,” which means, “to pay attention to, to give ear, literally, to listen to.” Obedience, its Latin root word tells us, has something to do with listening. A love that is obedient knows how to listen.
Many psychologists and spiritual writers tell us that listening is an act of love. Listening is loving and great listeners are great lovers. Indeed, listening must take the big portion of the art of communication and interaction.
Listening as an act of love demands that we pay respectful attention to the other. We empty ourselves of our self-preoccupations and interests so that we can provide a sacred space, especially in the heart, for the other to be and to express himself or herself. We try to see things from the perspective of the other and not just from our point of view. Then, we act and respond accordingly and lovingly. Indeed, there can never be genuine obedience without loving and respectful listening. We do not really love if we do not know how to listen to people we say we love.
Listening involves a lot of self-sacrifice and a dying to oneself, to one’s ego and often to the self-righteous obsession to be heard. Listening involves being more concerned about the other than about oneself.
Nowadays, the art of listening has become so difficult. Even some family members do not know how to listen to one another. Many husbands and wives quarrel a lot because they do not know how to listen to one another. Parents and children misunderstand each other because of lack of true listening in their communication. We experience so many quarrels and so much misunderstanding because of the break down in communication, especially in listening.
In response to the question, “Why is it more difficult to listen these days?” somebody answered, “Because of all our high technology, and also because there is so much narcissism in today’s society. People tend to want to hear ‘all about me,’ not the other person.”
It is very clear from the gospels that love is the fundamental message of Jesus. And Jesus challenges us to a demanding and self-sacrificing love. The gospel today tells us that only those who follow the Lord’s sacrificial example and obey his directives can be said to truly love.
In fact, more than a requirement for love, obedience is more a consequence of it. Because we love, therefore we listen and obey. If we as disciples truly love Jesus, we will truly listen to Jesus and obey and act on his commandments. In the gospels, a disciple is one who listens to and acts on the word or will of God.
Aside from themes of obedience and listening as an act of loving Jesus, in the gospel passage today, also talks about the giving of the Holy Spirit and the gift of peace. “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” How do we connect these different themes?
The Holy Spirit given to us is divine love, divine life, divine indwelling. When we truly allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, the Holy Spirit leads us to live with all the compassion and mercy, love and obedience, care and concern that exist within the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit teaches us to surrender ourselves to God’s life within us and prompts obedience to what God asks of us and opens us to receive the peace only God can give.
The peace that we receive is not just the absence of conflict, but the fruit of the Holy Spirit within us. Peace, in the Bible, has something to do with having good and right relationships with God, with others and with oneself. When we truly manifest obedient love, a kind of love that really listens to God and others, and when we truly allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, then peace arises as a gift from the Lord. Indeed, peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and an offshoot of obedient love that listens, respects, dialogues and cares.
Someone describes Christian love in the following words:
“Christian love is silence when your words would hurt. It is patience when your neighbors are mean. It is thoughtfulness for another’s problems. It is promptness when a stern duty calls. It is courage when misfortune falls.”
Still another person speaks of Christian love in this way:
Christian love is slow to suspect… quick to trust. Slow to condemn… quick to justify. Slow to offend… quick to defend. Slow to reprimand… quick to forbear. Slow to provoke… quick to conciliate. Slow to hinder… quick to help. Slow to resent… quick to forgive.
Indeed, love is an action. What kind of actions do we show and do to manifest the love that we say we have in our hearts?
Roy B. Zuck tells us the main reason why so many healings and recoveries happen at the Menninger Clinic, a leading inpatient psychiatric hospital located in Topeka, Kansas, USA. We take note that the well-known Catholic priest, psychologist, spiritual writer Henri Nouwen did a fellowship and studied clinical psychology at the said hospital.
The work of the Menninger Clinic, according to Zuck, is organized around love. Everyone in the clinic – “from the top psychiatrist down to the electricians and caregivers” – must show love. All contacts with patients must manifest love that is unlimited.
At some point in the history of the clinic, hospitalization was cut in half. Zuck shares about a patient who for three years sat in her rocking chair and never said a word to anyone. The patient was brought to the clinic. The doctor called and instructed a nurse, “Mary, I am giving you Mrs. Brown as your patient. All I’m asking you to do is to love her till she gets well.” The nurse tried the instruction with great dedication. “She got a rocking chair of the same kind as Mrs. Brown’s, sat alongside her, and loved her morning, noon and night.” Amazing results began to happen. According to Zuck, “The third day the patient spoke, and in a week she was out of her shell and well.”
Karl Augustus Menninger, an American psychiatrist and a member of the Menninger family of psychiatrists who founded the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic, loved to say, among others: “Love cures people – both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” “What’s done to children, they will do to society.”
If love is that powerful even from the psychological point of view, we can understand why Jesus preached about love as the greatest commandment. In the end, love, i.e., practical love, does not only release human transforming energies and power; it reflects the very reality of God. God is love, the Scriptures tell us. And someone said, “He who loves touches the face of God.”
One of the most admired saints in the Church is St. Therese of the Child Jesus. St. Therese entered the Carmelite Monastery in Lisieux, France at the age of 15 and died at the age of 24, after having lived as a cloistered Carmelite for less than ten years. She never went on foreign missions, never established a religious order, never performed extraordinary works. Her only book, published after her death, was a brief edited version of her journal entitled “Story of a Soul.” But within 28 years of her death, she was canonized saint.
Like all of us, St. Therese struggled to find the meaning and vocation of her life. “Why am I here?” “What is the purpose and meaning of my life?” “What is my vocation in the Church and in this world?” “What does God really want from me?” By the grace of God and through her cooperation with God’s grace, St. Therese was able to discover the meaning and vocation of her life. She said: “Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love. I understood that Love comprised all vocations, that Love was everything, that it embraced all times and places…in a word, that it was eternal! Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love…my vocation, at last I have found it…My vocation is Love!”
St. Therese was expressing what the Church document Lumen Gentium would later on categorically state: “Everyone, by virtue of baptism is called to holiness… and holiness consists in the perfection of charity or love.”
Indeed, holiness, according to the example and spirit of St. Therese, does not necessary consist in doing spectacular things, but in the love with which even very simple things are done. Once she said, “I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul.”
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who embodied the spirit of St. Therese, would also say, “I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your life?’ rather he will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?… Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”
Although sometimes we say, “Love is not enough,’ we can never underestimate the transforming and healing power of love, for to do so is to underestimate God Himself who is love.
In the passage today, we hear a portion of the farewell discourse of Jesus in John. We believe the parting words of a dying man or someone who is about to go to a far place and who may never be seen again are extremely important. They tell us what are most important to the person. They reveal to us what the person desires to be a continuing legacy to be passed on to others or, perhaps, to be handed down even to the next generations.
Jesus says in his farewell discourse, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” The commandment to love is actually already found in the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus of the Old Testament. Jesus, in the New Testament, summarizes all the commandments and precepts into the love of God and neighbors. So, what does Jesus mean when he says he is giving a new commandment? Why is this commandment called “new”? What is new about it that distinguishes it from the many other places in the Bible, both the Old and the New Testament, where people are told to love one another?
There are two features of the commandment that make it new. First, a new and unprecedented model in loving others is given to the disciples. Loving others is no longer just based on the standard of loving others as one loves oneself. The love of Jesus is now the new standard and model. “Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.”
Jesus loved his disciples to the end, as John also tells us. This “loving to the end” may be translated to “loving to the uttermost.” Jesus loved his disciples with a boundless and unconditional love that was ready to give oneself even to the point of death on the cross. Thus, in Jesus the disciples had a concrete, powerful and authentic expression of what love really is. Love is no longer just a matter of emotions. Love is the giving of oneself for the good of the other no matter what and without counting the costs.
Second, the love of Jesus for his disciples has not only provided a new paradigm or model. It has also inaugurated a new era. Jesus’s coming into the world and his life characterized by sacrificial love has opened up an radically new and different situation, in which eternal life has become not only a future possibility but a concrete reality in the present. Indeed, anyone who loves according to the example of Jesus no longer lives in the dark; he now lives in the true light, which is God who is love.
At the center of this new era is the community established by Jesus on the basis of his love for them and their love for one another in the manner of Jesus. Jesus has established a new community mandated to make Jesus present and recognized by the way they love one another. Jesus will be recognized in our midst if we love as he did. When we love with a Christ-like love, then we make Jesus present in our midst and we are recognized as his real disciples.
The Passionist Biblical scholar and former Catholic Theological Union President Donald Senior says that this new commandment of Jesus, “this deep, faithful and abiding love – love in the manner of Christ’s own infinite love for us” is “the very heart of his teaching” and “the true hallmark of the Christian.”
St. John of the Cross, the great Carmelite master of mysticism, said, “At the end of our lives we will be judged on love.” Indeed, in the end, this is what really matters – to truly receive the love of God in our lives and to lead lives of love of God and others in response to this divine love.
May we end with a letter of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
Yesterday, after the Anticipated Mass at the Pacific Plaza I saw a letter of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta addressed to our own very active parishioner, parish leader and singer, Tita Babeng Abella or Mrs. Isabel A. Abella. On February 14, 1988, Blessed Mother Teresa wrote a personal and handwritten letter to Tita Babeng in response to her invitation as CWL President to some kind of a gathering here in the parish. With Tita Babeng’s permission, I share Blessed Mother Teresa’s letter with you, which can now be considered a relic. The letter said:
Dear Mrs. Isabel A. Abella:
Thank you very much for your kind letter and invitation. I am very sorry I will not be able to accept your invitation – but I will pray for you and your parish – that you may grow in the love of God through Mary and by loving each other as God loves each of you.
Let us pray.
God bless you,
Sr. Teresa
In 1988, Blessed Mother Teresa made a promise to pray for Tita Babeng and the parish. We can be sure that she continues to do that in heaven – that we may grow in the love of God through Mary and by loving each other as God loves each of us.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
Jesus said to his disciples, “I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, so also must you love one another” (In 13:34). The measuring stick of Christian love then is not our “selves” but Jesus.
I once heard in a send-off gathering: “the pain of hello is goodbye”. Separation is always painful, especially in established relationships, because presence is irreplaceable. Absence is often considered as a situation of disequilibrium, disharmony, lack, insecurity and vulnerability, and sometimes of negativity. And although human beings can adapt with absence with the passage of time, yet deep within the human heart is a longing for fulfillment, for reunion, for restoration, for a return. One of the ways the human heart copes with absence is to remember – or keep alive in one’s memory the words and actions of the beloved.
Our Gospel this Sunday talks about the farewell instruction of Jesus to his disciples through a new commandment. Jesus comes like a parent who issues reminders before leaving home — “be good and behave well”. In the Filipino tradition, we think of the “paalala” (reminder), or at the death bed, the so-called huling habilin (final instruction). For most part, the instruction consists of caring for one another especially the weaker members and to maintain harmony with one another. How these “last words” could influence our lives would depend on how much we value the person saying them.
Jesus said to his disciples, “I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, so also must you love one another” (Jn 13:34). But is there really something new in this “new commandment”? In the Hebrew Scriptures we read: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18). Jesus, on the other hand, said, “love as I have loved you.” The measuring stick of Christian love then is not our “selves” but Jesus. And the cross is the symbol of this love – undeserved, sacrificial, unconditional, and redemptive. This love knows no boundaries – it goes out to the poor, the sick, outcast, wicked, corrupt and sinful. It is a love that embraces sin and suffering and transforms them from within, as only gratuitous loving can. It is a love that empties out in self-giving.
The Christian approach to loving is an invitation of Jesus to consider life and love as self-effacing, community-oriented, and God-centered. It empowers us to love because we have been loved first by Jesus. Finally, by loving we come to know more who we are and how God works through us. This is Jesus’ farewell instruction because this “new commandment”, which is a “new kind of love”, will manifest his presence among us. We then become his witnesses to the world.
As published on April 28, 2013, SSAP Parish Bulletin
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“Good Shepherd”, by Fr. Tasang
FOR us to admit that we are sheep is to put our trust completely, unreservedly in Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
The English language uses the word herd mentality; it comes from the pastoral setting of tending the sheep. It means a mindless grouping! congregation of people very similar to our concept of the so-called HAKOT SYSTEM, where people are grouped together in a place not knowing why they are there in the first place, except that everybody is there. The basic disability of the sheep is its lack of vision, hence it is almost half blind. Therefore, their basic security is being together. Their sense of smell is their source of action.
Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, the image of the shepherd and the sheep dominates the readings; from the Psalm 100 to the second reading, Revelation 7; from the gospel acclamation as well as the very short gospel proclamation, John 10:27-30. There is no better image to illustrate the intimate nature of our relationship with God than the image of shepherding.
When the image of the sheep is applied to us it signifies dependence; that we are weak and in need of help. Sheep are not endemic to us, except those who get to eat roast lambs in fine dining places. Sheep are the dumbest of all animals. They go to the gullies, become entangled in brambles, fall into ditches and wander into the predators’ territory. It is because they could hardly see. No domesticated animal is as defenseless. A dog has enough intelligence to find his way home. (Remember Japan’s Hachiko) It has some acute senses of smell and hearing to find food; it can defend itself against other animals or run away from one if needed. A cat is a loner with enough cunning to take care of the worst situations. It has been said that cats have nine lives. (Harold Buetow)
It is neither of those ways with the sheep. It is so trusting that it mistakes anybody as its shepherd including the marauders. It can be beaten black and blue, bloodied without giving a fight or signs of pleas for help. Hence we hear the expression “like a lamb led to slaughter.” No groan, no sigh, only tears in its eyes when it is being slaughtered. This is how vulnerable the sheep is without a shepherd to guide him to the grazing lands and protect him from predators.
For us to admit that we are sheep is to put our trust completely, unreservedly in Jesus, the Good Shepherd. With him we shall not only “never perish”, not only be protected from danger and harm, but will be led to eternal life, where we would not want anything, for God is the only necessity in our life.
1. Like a sheep, we are almost half blind. We won’t be able to see what lies beyond the horizon that awaits us. Neither can we see the dangers around us trying to exploit and mislead us. It is Jesus alone who can lead us to the eternal pasture. The grind of the daily life can lull us to contentment and we lose sight of the beyond. We can get so engrossed with cares and concerns that we are not able to see the marvelous future ahead of us.
2. Jesus is not only content in giving us the vision. Aside from images of security of giving us the basic necessities, he leads us to the right paths, to mean all danger is averted. At the moment of greatest danger, God still provides, thus the Psalmist can say “fear no evil.” God’s scepter/rod connotes royal authority hence his guidance and provision are reliable because God is sovereign. Jesus as Good Shepherd will put his life at risk in the face of danger.
3. The caring and tending of the sheep includes knowing the sheep
personally, each by name. An intimate relationship between the Good
Shepherd and the sheep binds them in an inexplicable way. The shepherd knows each one. Who is missing; who is sick; who has no appetite. There is no stranger in the flock. We are all known. None
should feel she/he is unrecognized. But more than recognition, knowing means involvement in our lives.
In this age where many communities, neighbors are strangers to one another, whose neighbors scarcely know the name of those living next door and when many in fact seek anonymity, let us put away our isolation and alienation. Let us start hearing the voice of and follow the Good Shepherd; that we may become one flock, where one knows and is known in the process.
Santuario de San Antonio Parish 