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Fr. Baltazar Obico Reflections

The Cross as Symbol of God’s Love and our Sinfulness, Gospel Reflection for the 4th Sunday of Lent (B) John 3:14-21 By Fr. Baltazar Obico, OFM

Introduction: In Greek mythology, the rod of Asclepius is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicine. In modern times the symbol has continued to be used as the symbol of the medical profession. The significance of the serpent has been interpreted in various ways; sometimes the shedding of the skin as symbolizing rejuvenation while others see the serpent as a symbol that unites the dual nature of the work of physicians; life and death, sickness and health. The ambiguity of the serpent as a symbol and the contradictions it is thought to represent and reflect the ambiguity of the use of drugs which can help or harm (drugs as in medicine and drugs as in addiction). Even the ancient meaning of the term “pharmacon” has that ambiguity attached to it; it can be medicinal or poisonous at the same time. Products from bodies of snakes have some medicinal properties and can be prescribed as therapy just as venom can be fatal if it enters the bloodstream.

Gospel: Today’s gospel from John is Jesus’ encounter with a pharisee in Nicodemus. Jesus immediately connects the lifting up of the Son of Man with the story of Moses raising up the serpent in Num. 21. The bronze serpent saves those who look on it after having been bitten by a poisonous serpent; Jesus likewise saves human beings by virtue of being lifted up. Being lifted up refers to the human act of crucifying Jesus. The serpent which caused the death of many became also the source of life for those who believe. To the unbelievers, the cross is foolishness to the Greeks as it is humiliation for the Jews. With the eyes of faith, it is the cause of our salvation. The gospel reminds us of the life giving serpent to demonstrate to us that the cross is the sign not of suffering, not defeat, not humiliation but the depth and breadth of God’s unconditional love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Try gazing at the cross and linger for a while. Imagine Jesus on the cross. With all the taunting and insults being heaped upon his person, when all the possible cruelty was being thrown at him. Jesus took all of them not in stoic indifference, neither by revengeful spirit but by dignified silence and royal acceptance. He does not elicit sympathy nor exhibit anger. There is serenity and inner strength that can come only from a heart in full communion with a compassionate God. Hang on the cross he has nothing but words of forgiveness, and nothing else. There is something beyond human capacity not only to endure but to exude graciousness in the midst of pain and isolation. In the cross Jesus reveals fully his divinity. God as love reaches its apex when he freely lays down his life to ransom us from death.

If the cross is the fullness of God’s revelation as love, the cross is also symbolic of our refusal to obey God’s command of loving others through self-denial. We refuse to carry our own crosses. It is a chilling reminder of our selfishness, therefore our sinfulness, our rebellion against the will of God. It is humanity’s sin that nailed Jesus on the cross. We likewise continue to nail other people on the cross as we aggressively pursue our selfish interests. The cross reminds us that we have not really loved enough; that we have not really loved like God, ever willing to take the pain that love entails, willing to sacrifice for the sake of the beloved.

This season we are not only reflecting on who Jesus was, the Jesus of history, but who Jesus is, the Jesus of mystery. Jesus at this very moment across the universe.Jesus deep in the hearts if believers. Today we are invited to see the cross being replayed a thousand times in the lives of the outcasts, the marginalized and the excluded, all because the self is the overriding value in our lives…are we timidly silent, nonchalantly watching from the sidelines as we witness suffering being perpetuated by unjust structures and vested interests of the few? The gruesome truth of the crucifixion of Jesus is well known in history. Most evil in the world is done by people thinking they are doing good and doing their best. Today the cross is being reenacted in he stomachs of the children swollen by hunger, in the faces, not so much by soldier combatants in wars, but in the faces of the women and children torn in those war zones, in the indigenous peoples displaced by excessive exploitation of their ancestral lands, in the informal settlers whose makeshift dwellings were demolished by unscrupulous developers, in the underpaid workers and the thousands of able unemployed. To them Jesus of mystery is continuously being crucified because of our love of self.

Brothers and sisters, the cross is not an amulet to ward off evil spirits, not as a sign of resignation to suffering as part of God’s plan, not a mysterious object that can be relied upon in moments of danger. The cross is a sign of our willingness to die to self that others may live.

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“Life as Pilgrimage: From the Father Back to the Father by Way of Jesus”, by Fr. Baltazar Obico, OFM, 5th Sunday of Easter Reflection

Intro
Majority of us go through life and living without pondering on the question of life itself. Who am I? A question that can be answered if prior questions of “Where do I come from?”“Where am I going?” are answered. Or “What’s the point of being here?” Our time and energy are not sufficient to cope with our daily concerns; we are glad to leave those questions about the meaning of life to armchair theologians and pulpit preachers.

However there are times when we are forced to pause because something happens that throw our routine off balance. Like the sudden death of someone very close to us which leaves us dumbfounded. Questions which we don’t bother to raise suddenly preoccupy us. Ventures, dreams and activities, goals which we considered to be important and which consume our energy and time, begin to look inconsequential against the reality of loss.

We ponder “Where are we going?” We might going in circles, not really getting anywhere. We feel like children taking those carnival rides – ferries wheel or roller coaster – arriving at the same spot where we depart, dizzy and dazed after the ride.

GOSPEL (John 14:1-12)
An experience of profound loss makes us question our direction in life. Jesus shows us that it is not different for the disciples. Today’s Gospel belong to Jesus’ farewell discourse before leaving his close followers. Jesus knew the pain and anxiety that this departure would cause on the hearts of his disciples. He counsels them not to be afraid, for he is going to prepare a place for them and will return to take them with him. Jesus’ remedy is faith in God and in Himself. But if faith is going to calm emotional distress, it needs to be understood. Jesus is trying to give his disciples a different mental framework that will bring them peace. But it goes right overtheir heads, as all they fathom is loss and this sense of loss triggers sadness and fear. Since theology did not help the disciples, Jesus tried a metaphor. Jesus envisions reality as his Father’s house. A comforting image of a home where we can all be together. He will come back and take us there. Love can endure temporary separation. But it can not abide permanent loss. Jesus assures them that they know where he is going and the way he is taking.

WORD
1. Life is a journey, a voyageto explore who at depth we really are. This entails not only discovery, but requires also an integration of their newly found aspect of their lives. New life means letting go of the known, the practiced. We seek to hold on to what has served us well in the past, whether it be values, dress, behaviors, look. We try to put the clock back (some with unfortunate results). That is why beauty products and the cosmetic industry are one of the most lucrative business nowadays. We refuse to let go of our youth, fearful of growing old, wrinkles and all!

If life is a journey, then we must constantly be on the move; there is never a point in this life that we can say we have arrived; there will always be an ongoing process of conversion.

2. Life as a journey entails different ways of looking at death as the concluding moments of our journey. Jesus is seeking to calm their hearts by re-interpreting death as departure and their loss as temporary because they will be reunited in the Father’s house. Hence death is a homecoming. It is coming back to where we came from, the bosom of the Father. It need not take us by surprise. The whole of life is filled with opportunities to rehearse this final massage. The letting go of youth, of health, of plans, of friends, when this is asked of us can all become a preparation for the last great renunciation that each of us is called upon to make. To befriend death throughtaking time a ponder on the richness of its meaning will help come to peace with the thought of dying. It is step each one must take alone.

No one else can share it as they have shared our living. A fuller appreciation of where life leads to in death is the bringing back to our consciousness a truth which we have conveniently and aggressively set aside – the truth that we all come from God. We take time to recall how surely God has held us through the many little deaths of life; any fear should be allayed. We know that he will sustain us surely at those concluding moments of our pilgrimage.

Brothers and sisters, we come from the Father, unto the Father we shall return, by the way of the Son.We have an astonishing origin, and a marvelous future that awaits us, because Jesus is the WAY.

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“Being Salt and Light: We are sent into the World”, Mt 5:13:16, by Fr. Baltazar Obico, OFM

The Lord is the source of strength, power and inspiration, transcending anything, which we can see and understand.

Do you still remember the communion veil? The tall wall of most convents? Women’s veil everytime they go to church? These are expressions of how the church saw herself prior to Vatican II. In 1870, Vatican I defined the church as a self-sufficient, supernatural society; she saw herself as an institution that does not need the world, and as someone opposed to the world. During Vatican I, the church was besieged by the hostile world such as the forces of rationalism, the French monarchy, and therefore she retreated into her own cocoon, effectively withdrawing herself from the world. The resulting spirituality is called “Fuga Mundi” or flight from the world; the more one is withdrawn from the world, the more one fulfills her vocation as a believer.

Gospel

In Vatican II, the church has turned around 180 degrees; instead of withdrawal, one is called to involvement in the world. The world is not a place of hostility but one of engagement. The Vatican II document of the church for her self-understanding is called “Lumen Gentium” or Light of the Nations. It is the image predicated to the disciples by Jesus to stress the missionary character of our vocation; that the church is essentially missionary in character. The emphasis is on the word “essentially” to mean, to lose its missionary character is to lose its reason for being. It is like salt that loses its flavor and has to be trampled underfoot, or a light hidden in a bushel basket.

The gospel presents two powerful images for the Christian community – salt and light. Though small and common, both images are forcefully developed. Salt is one of the most precious elements of the earth. It is a sign of purity, it is a preservative and gives flavors to others. Light is destined to be seen by all.

Both images show that the essence of their being is their relationship with others. Secondly, both salt and light have to lose themselves in order to fulfill their function in the world. Both echo the self-effacing character of their life.

Word

The liturgy exhorts us to enflesh our missionary calling, to honor our interrelatedness with all reality. The danger of today’s consumerist and materialistic generation is the pursuit of passing pleasure and a covetous heart. When our life becomes caught in our interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others. God’s voice in our hearts is silenced and the joy and wish of doing good for others, especially the poor, is drowned in the feverish search for one’s fulfillment.

St. Francis in his peace prayer captures the paradox of what happens to salt and light if it becomes faithful to its nature. “It is in giving that we receive.” Life’s joy is experienced when it is given away. Conversely, it is weakened when not shared. When the church summons us to mission, she is leading us to authentic fulfillment. For as Pope Francis says…”here we discover a profound law of reality: that life is attained and matures in the measure that it is offered in order to give life to others. This is what mission means.” Salt and light fulfill themselves by giving themselves away.

Lastly, while mission demands sacrifice, generosity and steadfastness on the part of the missionary, it would be foolhardy to see it as a heroic, individual undertaking; for first and foremost it is the Lord’s mission, not ours. The Lord is the source of strength, power and inspiration, transcending anything, which we can see and understand. In every missionary endeavor, the glory belongs to God who has honored us by calling us to cooperate. The danger is to arrogate the honor and glorify ourselves.

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“3rd Sunday of Advent: Rejoice, the God is Near”, by Fr. Baltazar Obico, OFM

Real joy is no longer linked with possession of some object. Rather it is God coming in history that is the reason for rejoicing. Nothing can tarnish this joy; not even suffering and trial.

Introduction

The latest count is around 6 thousand dead, some 1700 missing and 20,000 families still in evacuation centers. The whole nation was numb and in shock, considering Yolanda swept Leyte and Samar shortly after the Bohol earthquake and prior to that the 3- week siege of Zamboanga.

Today the 3rd Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sun, Sunday of rejoicing. How could we rejoice? A lot of communities, employees and groups have cancelled their Christmas revelry and forfeited their budget in favour of the victims.

Isaiah tells us that God is coming to save. The desert and parched land will exult. They will bloom with abundant flowers and rejoice with joyful song. James in the 2nd reading says make our hearts firm because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Finally in the Gospel, Jesus commands, “Go and tell John what you see and hear, the blind see, lame walk, lepers cleansed, deaf ear,
dead are raised and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”

Jesus’ answer was in response to John the Baptist’s inquiry since his expectations of the messianic times is accompanied by force and violence. Christ fail these expectations by revealing his messianic works that are all works of peace, restoration and salvation.

John the Baptist is looking for someone. But what exactly are they looking for? What are the deepest desires of their hearts and our hearts? The fact that they went to the desert and not in palaces or places of power and wealth indicates that something more than material satisfaction will answer their deepest aspiration. Jesus probes their hearts by questioning them on why they are attracted to John the Baptist. The real longing is to get in touch with the originating mystery by connecting with a prophet, a Godgrounded man who speaks the word of God. True joy and rejoicing therefore is to be connected once more with God. We have strayed from these connections and consequently live in exile from our true selves. Hence, we limit the notion of joy to material, bodily enjoyment.

Word

1. Modern man generally seeks joy in evasions, fantasies and pleasures embracing thereby a superficial and meaningless existence. Joy is more than fun, pleasure and happiness. The world speaks of joy in the sense of sensory pleasure, like abundant food, flashy gadgets, branded products. This notion of joy is further reinforced by our consumeristic culture which has reduced our self-worth to having. You are what you have. Others experience some high in sexual pleasure, audio visual experience, fraternal meal, joy of family life, completion of a work done. No doubt joys are felt and experienced, except that they are fleeting and temporary and as one clings to it, it can become a compulsive addiction.

Real joy is no longer linked with possession of some object. Rather it is God coming in history that is the reason for rejoicing. Nothing can tarnish this joy; not even suffering and trial. And so joy can break forth in a depressed economy, in the middle of war, in an ICU, or in the midst of a devastated village. It is a realistic joy rooted in the certitude founded on the victory of Christ over death. Therefore this world is not absurd because God is in love with it and the principle of his victory has been given us once and for all in the Christ-event.

2. This joy is expressed “in the Lord,” because it is the result of his work. Nearness is not considered in the temporal sense (as in today, tomorrow or next month). It is not only the day of the Lord that is near; but the Lord himself is! He is near to all who fear him, who pray and obey. The nearness of the Lord no longer depends on events, more or less distant. It is a constant manner of presence in Christian life. The Christian who experience this
nearness is no longer subject to feverish and vain expectations. He lives calmly in prayer, peace and joy.

3. Today we are deeply touched by the overwhelming support of all people in solidarity with our typhoon victims. From unexpected people and with amazing creativity to express solidarity with us from Justin Bieber to the late Paul Walker; from Paul Gasol to Alaska Aces; from PBA stars to movie celebrities; no one is unmoved, untouched by this tragedy. Practically big business have created programs with Yolanda victims as recipients. Indeed, the Lord is near to all of us as we go out of our way to reach out to the victims.

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“Persistence in Prayer” by Fr. Baltazar Obico, OFM

The efficacy of our prayer does not come from its form. What matters is the faith that accompanies the forms of prayer; the filial trust and confidence that we are children of God who is a Father.

In this age of charismatic renewal in the Church, a new prayer form has emerged. It is spontaneous, scriptural, accompanied by bodily gestures, raising and waving and clapping of hands. Some are hip-swaying, feet-thumping in joyful singing. Compare it to the traditional forms of prayer. It is ready made, usually read if not memorized already. It has minimal bodily gestures and movements. It is also repetitive that can lead to mindlessness. When this charismatic form of prayer was first introduced, not quite a few were turned off as they found that this movement, like dancing, borders on the disrespectful as we are used to minimal movement and herefore expect the church to be a place of quiet. On the other hand, some charismatics would frown and do away with the traditional form of prayer. Which is a more efficacious form of prayer, singing praises and thanking or the intercessory prayer of pleas and pleading?

Readings

This Sunday’s liturgical reading converges on the theme of prayer, and persistence on it and equates it with faith. Moses, sitting on the mountain with hands uplifted, while people fight in the plains below, has become a symbol of the necessity of prayer and its efficacy. (Ex. 17: 8 – 13). It illustrates that combatants as heralds of the apostolate, need, in order to emerge victorious, the prayer of the “contemplatives” who wear themselves out by praying without rest on the mountain. In the Gospel today, Luke made a surprising start by opening the Gospel account with the meaning of the parable which is the need for prayer and not to lose heart. Understood in this way, the parable of the unjust judge or the persistent widow teaches the necessity of prayer without ceasing even when the Lord seems slow to coming and deaf to our pleas. If an unjust judge finally gives the widow her due, how much more will not God, who is a Father, give justice to his elect. The lesson is that God gives justice promptly out after a long delay. Christians then in prayer must allow for the delay which God demands. They will pray “without intermission.” No longer is Christian prayer an appeal for immediate intervention. It accepts the patience of God.

Word

For a strong faith we need a strong prayer life. Our readings suggest there are things that may weigh heavily on our prayer life. We sometimes become tired and weary like Moses. Some call that spiritual burnout. It needs great effort and discipline to pray regularly. When Moses became tired, others came to support him. Do we appreciate the fact that we are supported by others? Not only do we pray for others, but others are praying for us at this moment. It is crucial not to overlook that. We are not spiritual castaways trying to survive on our own. We belong to the church, a community of faith, to support, give and transfer strength to one another. Know that someone, somebody, if not the whole community is praying for and with you.

The efficacy of our prayer does not come from its form. Whether it is a praising and singing hymn or pleading for God’s intercession. There is room for both, or any form of prayer. What matters is the faith that accompanies the forms of prayer; the filial trust and confidence that we are children of God who is a Father. If an unjust judge would relent, how much more would God, being a Father, deny us what we need. The work of intercession, praying for others is a powerful work of faith. Through it, we can touch the lives of others, the lives of our leaders, friends and people many miles part. Sometimes our form of prayer seems to be in a rut, and we need a spiritual jump-start; that is the time to turn to the Sacred Scripture. Paul today reminds us all that Sacred Scripture is inspired and useful for teaching and training. Let the word of God enliven our prayer, opening up new avenues to the Lord. There is room for both spiritual and traditional forms of prayer.

Finally, sometimes we simply become frustrated. We pray but the word doesn’t seem to change; at least not as quickly as we would want. We can became discouraged and lose our confidence in God. Our prayer does not consist in expecting God to accomplish what we ourselves fail to accomplish; give us peace; stop corruption. God is not a stop-gap. Prayer is basically a protest because war triumphs over peace, injustice over justice, evil over good. It is an entry into communion with the God of patience. In such communion the cries of protest are gradually translated into action. The perseverance asks of us is not only in praying to God, but in cooperating with Him to establish the justice we long for.

as published on October 20, 2013 Parish Bulletin
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“Cost of Discipleship” by Fr. Baltazar Obico, OFM

Following of Jesus confronts us with hard choices and jars any notion that being a Christian leads to social enhancement and personal betterment. Carrying our crosses means to love others by denying ourselves, a life of self-sacrifice.

One of the ten commandments is to honour our parents. The entire Sacred Scriptures, especially the Old Testament, is full of admonitions to children to honour and respect their parents. We can also presume that as a son, Jesus held Mary and Joseph in high esteem. Jesus truly loved his relatives and even told us to love our enemies, so why not our parents? How are we going to understand Jesus’ demand to hate one’s parents?

There are those who think that today’s call for discipleship, with its radical demand of detachment from family ties and possessions, refers only to a group of professed religious and celibates, and does not pertain to all Jesus’ believers and followers. Our experience tells us that many priests, especially the diocesan ones have not left their parents literally and are living with them in the convents. Many relatives also of religious are employed in the institutions like school and hospitals.

GOSPEL: In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the crowd who continues to follow him. It is not addressed to a select few. Luke says a great crowd was with Jesus. Therefore to the large crowd travelling with Him, Jesus delivers these sharp words about the demands and priorities of discipleship. If they are contemplating being more than hangers on and intend to be regular diners at Jesus’ table, they need to know what they are getting into and decide whether they can sign on for the long haul. Jesus is no demagogue, intoxicated with popular success, who incites the crowd to follow him blindly not knowing where he would lead them.

1.First, Jesus asks us to detach from family ties. Hating one’s parents is a Semitic hyperbole to mean preference at once deliberative, absolute and complete. It implies that our family ties need to be purified by making Jesus our priority. Our love for the members of our family must be purged by the self-emptying love of Jesus. We know that what ails us as a nation economically and politically is rooted in strong family ties, as the interest of the family is pursued at the expense of the common good. Foremost of which is graft and corruption. It used to be the husband, now it is the brother-in-law. Political dynasty is another. We here in Makati are not strangers to this political chimera. Another ill that afflicts us is the bloated government bureaucracy to give way to the long list of extended family members. The love of the family members should not be sought in themselves but in order that the love experience within the family should overflow into the greater society.

2. Secondly, Jesus asks us to renounce all material possessions. Material possessions have a seductive appeal that can turn them quickly from being servants to being masters. The whole issue that grips the nation today about pork barrel says it all. Billions of taxes are collected from ordinary people to finance the lavish lifestyle of some of our politicians. Money has a way of making us callous to the cries of the people. Our honourable legislators have brought disrepute to our revered institutions. Those who languished in shame before, look like angels with the magnitude of this pork barrel scam. This danger of possessions and wealth is not only happening in the corridors of power. It is also a danger in the inner sanctum of the Church. One Vat. II official was arrested because of money laundering. Charismatic groups have gone separate ways because of money matters.

3. Lastly, detachment from family and possessions can be summoned up in the invitation to carry our cross. Following of Jesus confronts us with hard choices and jars any notion that being a Christian leads to social enhancement and personal betterment. Carrying our crosses means to love others by denying ourselves, a life of self-sacrifice. There are fundamentalist groups and catholic charismatics preaching prosperity gospel seducing others by promises of riches at hand. A new generation today that calls itself, “SELFIE”, a new breed of young adults who pride themselves without financial dependents and whose typical two year priority is to splurge on lifestyle-related consumer items like gadgets and cars. It is a generation that has made selffulfilment, not self-denial as a goal in life. They are bound to be disappointed for we are creatures of the spirit and only spiritual realities can satiate us.

as published on Sept. 8, 2013 Parish Bulletin

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“Vigilance” by Fr. Balltazar Obico, OFM

“Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.“

It has been said by many cultural anthropologists that one of our cultural traits as Filipinos is the mañana habit; to postpone tasks to be done for some other days with the thought of having ample time to finish them. In most cases people wait for the deadline, either in the payment of taxes, registrations in the Comelec, enrollments; we have students cramming in the last few days before the final exams or rushing their research papers. Basketball players trying to make up in the last two minutes in the ball game. I think we don’t have the monopoly of procrastination; it is fundamentally a human weakness to think that we are in control of the events in our lives, that everything is in our hands.

The gospel begins by once again speaking of the goods we possess and of their prudent use. As addressed to the community of believers, it clearly concerns men’s preparation and vigilance for the return of their Lord. They are constantly admonished to be on guard, to remain ready, wide awake, busy during their master’s absence in order not to be surprised by the arrival of the Son of Man. Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. Similarly, the steward will render accountability of his stewardship. He can get distracted with the presumed delay of the master’s return. He will be shocked to find the master is coming at an unknown hour. All of life is lived in expectation of the Lord’s return, the time of his arrival is unknown, his coming certain.

At first reading we can argue that it seems unfair on the part of the master to be assuring us of his return without giving us the specific timetable. Justice demands that at least we know some approximate time. Our objection loses its force because God does not exist in time. With God, all is eternal. There is no yesterday, today or tomorrow in God. All time is eternal present; every second, every minute is a potential grace encounter with Him if we are faithful stewards. For one who is in love, time does not matter. He does not exist in time. One lives in the eternal present.

1. To live in the eternal present is to be vigilant. If God were to give specific time, we are most likely to squander time and opportunity with the thought that it is still a long way off. If God says it is next month in September, with our tendency to procrastinate, we will say to ourselves we still have plenty of
time. The absence of a timetable is an invitation for us to live in the sacrament of the present moment, not to pine for the lost golden ages of yesteryears or to be anxious for a future that is yet to come.

2. Secondly if God were to give us the exact timetable of His return, then our response to his invitation will be tainted with ulterior motives other than loving him freely in return. It is like a patient who is terminally ill and the doctor has given him three months to live. The patient will give up his old ways of unhealthy lifestyle so that he can still prolong his life. He will be forced to shape up, motivated by fear, not by a free response to the invitation of God. If there is one characteristic that makes us children of God, it is freedom. Grace is freely offered and it must be freely accepted.

3. There is something beautiful in the absence of a timetable, apart from the fact that every moment is a potential encounter with Him. The best way of preparing for the Lord’s return is not by trying “to get in under the wire” by doing some great things just in time; but by being faithful, all the time! Imagine every day is the potential day of His coming. If that is the case, then each day I become a faithful steward; spending quality time in my daily work and quality time as well with my loved ones. If I take each day as the potential last day, then every thing I do is my last performance; I shall be doing my best in the task at hand; there is no waste of time and effort as I focus on the last performance. In the same way, with my relationships; if every time I leave home, I take it as the last time I will see my loved ones, then I will hug them tight, and express my love to them with all the warmth that I can muster.

as published August 11, 2013, Parish Bulletin
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“Efficacy of and Persistence in Prayer”, by Fr. Balltazar Obico, OFM

Our prayers are efficacious not because of their forms. They are helpful and facilitative, but because of the goodness and generosity of the Father, prayer is rooted in the kindness and generosity of God.

Introduction.
There was a time during the height of the popularity of the Cursillo
Movement when every Cursillista addressed Jesus as Brother Jess. He is not considered as a brother but can be called by his nickname. It gives one a weird feeling as calling Jesus in a very casual, intimate manner borders on disrespect and too much familiarity. It gives one an eerie feeling. It was most natural for us to realize and stress the gap and distance between God and us, that we feel unworthy to even pronounce the name of God. In fact there are still many, especially the old, the pious and the devout today, who when speaking about God won’t pronounce his name, simply point upwards to the sky and say it is up to someone up there.

GOSPEL.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus was requested by his disciples to teach them how to pray. They were expecting that Jesus would give them some kind of effective formula that would give them assurance that they will be heard by the Father. Instead, Jesus taught them the Our Father. For the Jews, it was bordering on the scandalous, that they cannot call God their father like someone very close and intimate with them. They have always related to Him as a transcendent deity so far removed from our earthly reality. God is totally unlike us. Any insinuation of anthropomorphism on God is considered blasphemous and sacrilegious. In Jesus he has bridged the immense gap between the transcendent realities and earthly ones.

Now God is our Father. He is so near, the head of our household, so intimate that we are his children. Matthew even used the Aramaic word Abba, which is the informal address, akin to the youth’s lingo as Erpat. Try visualizing calling God as Erpat! How does it grab you? It’s edgy. Jesus is saying what is important in prayer is not the methods and strategies but first of all our relationship with God whom we are calling upon. God is our Father, we are his children. What is crucial in prayer is our filial trust and confidence.

When we address God as our father, we are invited to pray with the
same familiarity that Jesus showed when he prayed. The fact that the
one to whom we pray can be thought of in such an intimate way, markedly affects the confidence with which we offer our prayer. God is not some withdrawn figure, unmoved by our pleas. He is not the impersonal deity who is arbitrary and capricious. He is not even a domineering figure up there watching us from a distance, ready to pounce on us whenever we fail. He is a Father, generous and kind.

We need to pray. Its indispensability emerges from the fact that it puts us in touch with the incredible generosity of God. “Successful prayer” depends not on the methods and strategies (what day of the week and what time of the day we pray or the posture we assume.) In this age of charismatic renewal of our prayers, other forms have evolved. There is more singing, dancing, clapping, amid other body movements.

Most prayers are spontaneous, scripture based and are prayers of worship. It is a laudable development. On the other hand we have no right to look down on others who are still comfortable in the traditional forms, formulas, novenas, rosaries, saint-inspired. What is important is regularity, persistence and trust. Our prayers are efficacious not because of their forms. They are helpful and facilitative, but because of the goodness and generosity of the Father, prayer is rooted in the kindness and generosity of God.

published on July 28, 2013 Parish Bulletin

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“LUKE 9; 51-62” by Fr. Tasang

Discipleship therefore is about following Jesus, calling us to a life in common and in communion with him. The common ground of communion of life with Jesus is: detachment from material things so that one is open and ready, freedom from fear of death, and finally a rejection of any fetters from the past so that one will be open to the event, newness to the initiative and the unforeseen.

Luke 9:51 sets the stage and hints at what is coming. Two points are made; the determined intent of Jesus to go to Jerusalem and that the trip will conclude with his exaltation, the completion of divine purpose. The persistence of Jesus in the final events of his ministry is not to be equated with fate or some unavoidable social force, but a fulfilment of divine plan for the salvation of God’s people. Jesus’ single-mindedness in finishing his task paves the way for the later words to his disciples that they too must not let even plausible distractions deter them from persistent discipleship. Thus, in this verse which clearly foreshadows the mystery of Christ’ death, we have the key to the whole message. The evangelist goes on to consider the conditions necessary in order to be Christ’ disciples, not only just now in the journey to Jerusalem, but also in a definite way in the conduct of daily life.

1. The first condition is patience under trial. James and John thought they should have fire from heaven to deal with the hostile Samaritans. However, Jesus consistent with his teaching of the parables of the darnel, recommends his disciples to allow time
for conversion and development.

2. The second condition is common life with the master. As in all rabbinic schools, this is manifested by the material services which the disciples perform for the rabbi. Christ being an itinerant master above all, common life with him entails discomfort and poverty. The disciples may have to live in the open air, or content with whatever hospitality is offered, something that will train him to share the tragic destiny of the suffering servant.

3. A third condition of the disciple must be his missionary involvement, to which everything else is subordinated. Christ demands from his disciples the severance of ties necessary for proclaiming the kingdom and he brooks no delay.

4. Finally, the disciples must renounce all human ties. Following Christ then becomes really a state of life, of common life which parallels a family life. (Thierry Maertens – Jean Frisque)

Discipleship therefore is about following Jesus, calling us to a life in common and in communion with him. Christianity is not primarily about dogmas and doctrines, not about performing rites and rituals, and not about observing laws and ethical standards. It is about relationship with the person of Jesus. Following Jesus in a sense involves matter of home and social responsibilities. Homelessness is a condition that involves not only physical but social dislocation; one is no longer related to family of origin, but becomes a member of a community of wanderers. Rejecting the sacred obligations to bury one’s parent entails separation from the structures of biological family. Not saying goodbyes and not even looking back, vividly depicts the stark choices to be made. It confronts the family oriented social system that everything revolves around the family. Accommodation to social structures rather than separation from them, divided loyalties rather than single mindedness are most likely the characteristics of modern Christians. These recommendations of Christ seem harsh; it seems to be intended for those who vow to live in poverty and celibacy. Jesus does not intend these for certain states of life; this call is for all. The common ground of communion of life with Jesus is: detachment from material things so that one is open and ready, freedom from fear of death, and finally a rejection of any fetters from the past so that one will be open to the event, newness to the initiative and the unforeseen.

as published on June 30, 2013, Parish Bulletin

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Articles Pastoral Team

“Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ” (Corpus Christi), by Fr. Tasang

Corpus Cbristi means above all the mystical body of Christ, the community of believers.

Background: Today’s feast is in a sense an unexpected feast for
several reasons: It duplicates Holy Thursday, we are repeating the Last supper celebration without the sadness of Good Friday. Secondly, because every Eucharistic celebration is a feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus. Unexpected, because of the origin of its feast. An Augustinian nun, Juliana if Liege reported a vision. She had seen a full moon in splendour, save for the dark area on one side. As she understood it, the moon was the Church, the area that was dark was because the Church had no feast of the Blessed Sacrament. Fifty five years later, Corpus Christi became a universal feast of the Church.

GOSPEL: Today we hear Jesus’ feeding the hungry multitude of five thousand. The actions of Jesus, taking loaves, looking up to heaven, breaking the loaves and distributing them are the very same actions of Jesus at the last supper. The memory of feeding, points to the Eucharist at the Last Supper, when Jesus finally gives the bread that comes down from heaven. The multiplication of the loaves is the same miracle that John the Evangelist uses as a starting point of his presentation of Jesus as the Bread of Life in John 6. In this sense, the feeding of the multitude is not a simple act of satisfying the people’s hunger. Early Christians gave a Eucharistic interpretation to this event, the reason was that bodily nourishment is closely linked to the nourishment of the heart. The Eucharistic bread provides nourishment of the heart only when a man is led to more intense love of ills brothers and to provide them with the bread which they lack. Within the miracle of Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves and fish is the parallel event of conversion and transformation of the disciples. From people turned only on themselves to disciples who share and are sensitive and responsive.

WORD
1. Corpus Christi means first of all the physical body of Christ. It is this body that suffered torture, bloodied by whipping. It is the same body that took all the cruelty thrown at him, the same body that was nailed and hung on the cross. Jesus took all of them not in stoic indifference neither with a revengeful spirit but in dignified silence. His body took all these without eliciting sympathy and exhibiting anger. There is serenity and strength that an only spring from a heart in communion with God – his words are only forgiveness. When Jesus took upon his physical body all the injuries inflicted on him and breathed his last on the cross, he acted out and fulfilled the words he said on the Last Supper when he said “This is my body which will be given up for you.” Therefore when we receive the Body of Christ, we want to conform ourselves to the depth of Christ’s love. We should be able to bear the suffering for the sake of others. We too are willing to give up our bodies for others. When Jesus asks us, “to do this in memory of me” he was referring to that kind of love for others.
2. Corpus Christi also means the Eucharistic body of Christ in the
Eucharistic species. In the Eucharist we have Jesus himself, body and blood, soul and divinity. When we receive Holy Communion, we have a closer contact with Jesus than was possible to anybody during his earthly life. In the Eucharist the actual distance between ourselves and Christ vanishes. The God-man out of sheer love gives the lowly bread and wine as his flesh to eat and his blood to drink. We can only respond in awe and wonder because something marvellous and enrapturing has broken into our common place world. As we grow older, most of us lose our sense of wonder. We get blase, wordly wise and sophisticated. We have grown up. Heschel saw it as modem man’s trap, believing that everything can be explained, that all of reality is simply an affair which has only to be organized in order to be mastered. All enigmas can be solved and all wonder is nothing but the effect of novelty on ignorance. The enemy of wonder is to take things for granted. We need to recover this sense of wonder. We have nothing to rely on except the words of Jesus, when he said “this is my body”. He did not say this is the symbol of his body. His words are trustworthy.
3. Corpus Christi means above all the mystical body of Christ, the community of believers. The Eucharist is essentially a meal. It intends to bring together not only us with God but with one another. When we receive the body of Christ in communion, we are also accepting the presence of Christ in one another. We can’t share fruitfully in the first if we are unmindful of the second. When we as a family have a meal at home together, we are drawn closer by that sharing more’than anything else. When we provide hospitality to friends by way of a meal or they for us, we have the opportunity for closeness too. In the Eucharist, God is providing us the same opportunity, with the addition that the closeness, intimacy and union are provided for by God in abundance. The more we eat together, the more we become his mystical body.

published, June 2, 2013 Parish Bulletin

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