One reason I have this blog on trying to link secular music with the Sunday gospel is the firm belief that God continues to speak to us through modern means of communications like music and films. Sometimes I feel that if Jesus were with us today, he might be instructing us priests to “feed my geeks” than “feed my sheep”.…..
For this Sunday we have the dynamic duo of Daryl Hall and John Oates — my most favorite group standing side by side with the late Walker Becker and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.
Released in 1984 from their “Big Bam Boom” album, Possession Obsession is one of a kind in their long list of superb music with John Oates taking the front seat in this song unlike in their previous hits where it would always be Daryl taking the lead.
I have listened maybe a hundred times to Possession Obsession but it was only yesterday after preparing my Sunday homily that I have tried to internalize its lyrics, including the music video directed by Bob Giraldi who did Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”.
The song perfectly echoes the Sunday teaching today of Jesus Christ who said that
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:39
Possession Obsession echoes Christ’s teaching this Sunday on life’s paradox wherein the more we give, the more we actually receive, that life is not about possession and having but about love, of giving and of sharing with others.
You know there's something you need
Right here and now
To fill the space inside of yourself
Money love or power
When you want to have the number one first run anyone
You're crazy 'til you own them
You ought to know better than that
The more that you buy the less you get back
It's a case of possession obsession
Gimme Gimme
The compulsion to count the percentage of time
Spent between two lovers
Can turn an hour into a crime
And all the good times suffer
Though you know it's only jealousy
You can't help but be
Haunted by your passion
Don't you know it's a matter of fact
The more that you take the less you give back
Just a taste of possession obsession
Brings a case of possession obsession
Gimme Gimme
Watch closely too this music video set inside a cab with John Oates as driver, taking different passengers in all the different forms of “love” understood these days, far from the truth witnessed to us by Jesus Christ.
In fact, it is one of the first music video to present two men holding hands as lovers at the back of John’s cab with one of the men looking like the late David Bowie (?).
At the last sequence of the music video is a beautiful presentation of giving and loving when Hall and Oates were in their usual attires in a cafe, competing in “possessing” the sugar dispenser. Hall prevailed and right before putting sugar into his coffee, he changed his mind and slid the sugar dispenser to Oates at the other end of the bar table.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
XIIIth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, 28 June 2020
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16 >><)))*>Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 >><)))*> Matthew 10:37-42
Photo by author, Dome of the Chapel of Nativity at Shepherd’s Field, Bethlehem, the Holy Land, May 2019.
Jesus continues his lessons to us his disciples being sent to look for the “lost sheep of Israel”, to be not afraid for he is with us in this journey and mission. But, it is not enough that we have Jesus on our side and be present among us: we have to allow Jesus to take possession of us completely!
From having no fear because Jesus is here, Christ now deepens his presence by inviting us to be possessed by him, to be in communion with him.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:37-39
Photo by author, processional Cross at the altar, 2019.
The Mystery of the Cross
Discipleship in Jesus Christ is more than a total allegiance to him who is neither a demanding nor exacting Lord and Master for he does not arbitrarily impose himself upon us.
Nothing like that of subservience but something more lofty because it is wrapped in a mystery — a mystery of love freely given and shared to us by God even if we do not deserve it all. Remember the mystery of the Blessed Trinity four Sundays ago (June 07)?
Ever since, God has never imposed himself upon us, that we should love him back in return for he does not really need our love. He gave us the gift of freedom so that we may love him freely for he never imposes on us.
And here lies the beauty of discipleship, of this relationship we have with God that is based solely on love expressed to us in the most personal manner by giving us his Son Jesus Christ who suffered and died on the Cross but rose again on Easter. This we were reminded by the Solemnities of the Body and Blood of Jesus and of his Sacred Heart last June 14 and 19 respectively.
Now you see my dear readers the clearer picture of our liturgical celebrations expressing our concrete experiences of being loved by God in Jesus Christ most especially during times of trials and sufferings like in this COVID-19 pandemic.
It is Christ who made the initiative to be one with us in our pains and sufferings; God did not remove our crosses in life but made them holy in his Son Jesus Christ so that every time we go through life’s many difficulties, we share in the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
That is why, we are invited to take and carry our cross every day for it is through the Cross we are saved. It is not enough to simply believe in the person of Jesus but we need to accept and embrace his Cross because it is through which he had won our salvation by dying on it and rising again.
This is easier said than done. It is so difficult to love Jesus more than our loved ones like family and friends. And it is most difficult to love the Lord more than our selves, when we have to let go of our plans and agenda.
Letting go and letting God in itself is already crucifying — but that is when this mystery of Christ’s love and of his Cross deepens further when we lose ourselves in him!
Celebrating Mass without te congregation during the ECQ, March-April 2020.
Possessed by Christ
To be possessed by Jesus is to receive God and his gift of salvation through the mystery of Christ and his Cross. Like our Christian life, proclaiming the gospel carries with it the sign of the Cross of Christ.
We are not asked to reenact or reproduce his Crucifixion nor is Jesus asking us to be suicidal or go against our natural aspirations and dreams.
To be possessed by Jesus means we continue to take care of ourselves without neglecting the needs of others.
To be possessed by Jesus means being generous to others in the same manner Jesus has always been generous to us.
To be possessed by Jesus means to realize that every act of self-giving is really an act of receiving!
Photo by author, Malagos Park, Davao City, 2018.
That is the paradox of the Cross, of discipleship in Christ: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt.10:40).
And that is also where the mystery of Christ’s love deepens because whatever we give is not really ours but Christ’s.
Every time we give love, it is the love of Jesus.
When we are kind and generous with others, it is the kindness and generosity of Jesus we give and share.
When we are patient and understanding to others, it is still the patience and understanding of Jesus in us.
Even if we give and share material things like money, food, clothing… whatever good we share and give are all from Jesus not from us.
And the more we give, the more we receive!
Have you noticed especially during this pandemic how the generous among us are now more blessed?
Wonder no more because you have allowed yourself to be possessed by Jesus Christ!
This is what the woman at Shumen had realized after welcoming the Prophet Elisha into her home in our first reading. She even gave him a room to stay every time he comes for his mission while the Lord provided all her needs, even rewarded her with a son as promised by Elisha.
When we allow Jesus to take over us, when we enter into communion in him and with him in his very life, we become more free to love, we strengthen our relationships with others, we wander less and worry less in life; most of all, we feel lightened in our burdens with the presence of Jesus giving us fullness of life in him.
This is the grace I hope we have seen from this quarantine period, especially those two months of lockdown when were freed from our usual grind and busyness with more time to be silent and still, to pray and reflect on our relationships with God and with others. It was a difficult and very trying period that had given in return a lot of opportunities to others.
Photo by author, Marcos Highway, 2019.
Dead to sin, alive to God
Brothers and sisters: We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:9-11
It has been four months since houses of worship were ordered closed to help stop the spread of the corona virus. Somehow, the lockdown had made us realize the importance of receiving the Sacraments especially the Holy Eucharist.
But, sacraments are not everything for we have the bigger roles of putting into practice its reality of being the saving presence of Jesus Christ.
Now that lowly life is beginning to go back to its usual grind especially the traffic, soon we might forget again the more important things in life like God and our relationships in our family and friends that it is hoped we have rediscovered during the quarantine period.
That is why I strongly feel the government must now allow Churches to open so the people may experience again God in the sacraments and in our rites and rituals lest they get busy again with so many things only to miss finding anew the meaning of our lives found in silence and stillness before the Cross of Christ.
It is my hope that in this quarantine period, may we find through the Cross of Jesus that when we learn to submit and surrender to him, that is when we truly become free; and, when we lose and give away our lives to him, that is when we gain fullness of life in him. Amen.
A blessed week and a more abundant July to everyone!
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, Cycle A, 14 June 2020
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16 )))+((( 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 )))+((( John 6:51-58
An icon of the Holy Trinity by Russian painter Anton Rublev. Photo from wikipedia.
Above is the beautiful 15th century icon of the Blessed Trinity by Russian painter Anton Rublev. It was based on the Genesis story of God (chapter 18) visiting Abraham at Mamre like angels sharing a meal while in deep conversations, indicating their relationships.
The icon masterfully portrays God as a Trinity of Persons relating with one another in love symbolized by the Eucharistic meal they share.
Most interesting like in most icons is how in this painting the viewer gets involved with the dialogue of the Trinity, thus, becoming the fourth person in the icon present with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit like Abraham at Mamre!
I am presenting this icon to you my dear readers and followers to show you the amazing flow of our liturgy these two Sundays as we resumed Ordinary Time on the Monday after Pentecost last month: From the highest truth in our teachings of One God in Three Persons last Sunday, today we have this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ to remind us and experience anew that this God we worship and adore is present among us, relating with us in the most personal manner.
Change in name, change of emphasis
Originally known as Corpus Christi or Body of Christ, today’s solemnity was renamed following Vatican II’s reform of the liturgy to give more emphasis on the celebration of the Holy Eucharist that the Preface used before the Consecration is that of Holy Thursday.
Holy Hour in our Parish, Sacred Heart Novena 2020
In the old tradition, focus was more on the Blessed Sacrament – of Jesus Christ reserved in the tabernacle and presented to the faithful for adoration as the Body of Christ, that is, Corpus Christi.
However, when Vatican II changed its name into the “Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ”, there was something deeper than the change of name.
The new name challenges us to see the deeper reality of the Holy Eucharist: more than spending time praying before the Blessed Sacrament – though it is good – we are demanded as followers of Jesus Christ to be present like him with others.
Without disregarding the importance of the Blessed Sacrament that have seen a renewed interest among people in this time of corona while churches are closed, Vatican II’s shift in emphasis dares to challenge us disciples of Christ to emulate him in allowing ourselves to be broken for others, to be poured out, offered and shared especially in this time of crisis.
It is in our being broken like the Body of Christ, and poured out like his Blood do we really live the paschal mystery.
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”
Our gospel today is not from the Last Supper as we might expect; instead, it is taken from the “Bread of Life discourse” found only in St. John’s gospel which took place after Jesus had fed more than 5000 people in the wilderness from just five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish.
It was a very decisive moment in the ministry of Jesus as far as St. John was concerned; in fact, he refused to call the feeding of 5000 as a “miracle” but as a “sign” that Jesus is the Christ, the awaited Messiah.
Here, we have Jesus speaking clearly, no matter how difficult it may be for his listeners and even for us.
And we wonder, why he spoke that way?
Even today in the Holy Mass, considering the mixed crowd we have in every celebration, the priest is obliged to speak clearly and distinctly the words of Christ at the Last Supper similar to his bread of life discourse, “Take this, all of you and eat it. This is my Body which will be given up for you.”
Jesus always speaks the truth, he always tells us what is true and he never misleads us.
Unlike us when we say something and mean another thing. We always have to speak in ways that has to be deciphered because we really do not mean what we say. Or we are afraid of saying something else because we prefer to please people than stand by what is true.
But not the Lord! From that day until now, Jesus says the same thing and means always the same, that he is always with us, in us, and among us.
And he has proven then and now, time and time again most especially in our personal lives, that indeed Jesus was sent down from heaven as the “living bread” because he is the “life of the world”.
More than the bread from heaven called manna sent by God to the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness into the Promised Land (first reading), Jesus is the bread who sustains us in our new “exodus” and journey into the Father’s house, into fulfillment.
Photo by Mr. Raffy Tima of GMA-7 News of the plight of stranded people opting to wait at an underpass nearest the airport in their desire to get home
Life an Exodus with Jesus leading us
This pandemic and life under quarantine is an exodus in itself calling us to go back to God, to rely solely in him for he alone can save us. That is why he gave us his only Son, Jesus Christ who in turn gave himself totally, Body and Blood to sustain us in this journey or exodus.
Every exodus is always painful but filled with grace because God is most present with us.
That is why we join Masses on television or the internet while others dare to go to churches for the actual celebration of Mass to receive Holy Communion.
We are convinced that Jesus is sustaining us, nourishing us, raising us, helping us, inspiring us in this time of crisis.
And that is why the more we need to pray and even celebrate the Mass because the more we need Jesus Christ as food and drink in this difficult journey.
We can all feel the stress and pressures of the difficulties and uncertainties of this time. Making things worst than the financial and physical sufferings we all go through are the psychological burdens we silently bear that unfortunately others do not seem to think of or even realize.
Mang Dodong who was held for 30 days for not having a quarantine pass while buying fish in Navotas. Photo from GMA News TV.
How sad when others think only of themselves of getting tired, of being hurt, of being misunderstood that they do not care at all with the feelings and well being of those around them like our callous politicians and officials in government and the police.
Sometimes, watching the news can be so depressing when we see all the troubles and sufferings our brothers and sisters have to go through like those stranded in Metro Manila, those separated from their loved ones, those subjected to discrimination because of the COVID-19, those living alone, those who have lost family members and friends, those who have lost many opportunities in life.
But at the same time, the more we are challenged by these sufferings of our people to be like Jesus, to be the living bread, to share with them Jesus who is our very life.
Let us heed the call of St. Paul in the second reading to be one with our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ in their brokenness, in their sufferings by being present to them in love and kindness, in being more understanding.
We are the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, his very presence in this world that continues to disregard him, that until now tries to live without him.
May we not fall into that temptation and sin that is largely the reason behind this pandemic: modern man has forgotten that no matter what is our situation in life, we remain poor before God who alone can fulfill our deepest desires and longings.
Despite the many difficulties we face especially with the continued closure of houses of worship, let us continue to work and find creative means in sharing Jesus Christ with others, in coming to him and receiving him in the Holy Communion.
Only Jesus can help us through this pandemic.
In fact, he was the first to die on the Cross by giving us his Body and Blood so that we may live and share his gift of life with others.
A blessed week ahead of you!
Photo by our parish choir member Gelo Nicolas Carpio, our Church at sunset last Sunday.
Thank you very much, O dear Jesus, for the gift of your Apostles who became the foundations of your Church here on earth like St. Barnabas whose Memorial we celebrate today.
Despite his being a “Johnny come lately” replacing your betrayer Judas Iscariot, St. Barnabas proved to be a true apostle with his life of loving service to the early Church.
A Levite Jew from Cyprus who settled in Jerusalem, he was one of the first to embrace your new way of life, Lord, described by St. Luke as “a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24).
What is so wonderful, Lord, is how he lived out the meaning of his name “Barnabas” which is “son of encouragement” or “son of consolation”, exactly the kind of people we need at this time of corona pandemic and of so many social unrests and issues happening.
Send us, Jesus, more “Barnabas” – good men and women filled with your Holy Spirit and faith who would encourage people to do what is good, direct others into reason and understanding through cooperation and collaboration to hurdle all these troubles, not divisions.
Like St. Barnabas who searched and encouraged St. Paul in Tarsus to join the Christians at Antioch in proclaiming your gospel of salvation to those outside Israel including the Gentiles, may we gather and inspire other people into working together in this troubled time instead of fighting each other.
May our words also bring more encouragement to people to rise above each one’s differences in color and language and beliefs to seek what is common so we can collaborate more for peace and common good like what St. Barnabas did in convincing the Christians in Antioch to welcome their former persecutor, St. Paul.
Help us imitate the generosity of St. Barnabas in selling his piece of property so that the Apostles may have the means to provide for the needs of the early Church and thus, consoled the poor and widows.
Most of all, like St. Barnabas who participated at the Council of Jerusalem, may we seek ways in resolving issues among us that may lighten the burdens of people saddled with so many concerns in life without diluting the essence of being your follower, sweet Jesus.
Lastly, like St. Barnabas, may we always have an open heart for reconciling with others, in setting aside past misunderstandings like his falling out with St. Paul to be one again in your most holy name, O Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Week X, Year II in Ordinary Time, 09 June 2020
1 Kings 17:7-16 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Matthew 5:13-16
“Tiangge” in Carigara, Leyte; photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, 2019.
When this pandemic struck us and kept us home for two months, Lord, you never failed to bless us with food on our tables. It does not really matter whatever was served but the most important thing is how we have shared meals with family and friends, even with strangers.
And what makes food so glorious and wonderful, Lord, is not merely the food itself, be it meat or poultry, vegetables or fish but the things we take for granted like the people who prepared and gathered together, and not to forget, ingredients that bring out the flavor like the lowly salt.
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Matthew 5:13
Like the food we prepare and share, we are good in ourselves because of you, Lord.
But our real goodness comes out when we become kind and generous with others, even a single smile or a pat on a shoulder of someone else can always make a world of difference. Indeed, a small deed is better than the best intention.
Like that widow at Zarephath of Sidon who was so kind and generous enough first to give your prophet Elijah some water and later with a bit of bread.
And you rewarded her kindness with overflowing goodness:
She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her son as well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
1 Kings 17:15-16
Teach us, O Lord, to be generous like St. Ignatius of Loyola and make life here on earth more flavorful with just a pinch of salt.
Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous, teach me to serve you as you deserve. To give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to seek reward, except that of knowing that I do your most holy will. Amen.
Photo by author, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Monastery, Guiguinto, Bulacan, 2019.
The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Cycle A, 07 June 2020
Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9 ><)))*> 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 ><)))*> John 3:16-18
Our empty church at the height of the lockdown in March-April 2020.
Two young ladies attended our 4:00 PM Mass last Sunday. Just before the Lamb of God, the other lady collapsed and fell on the floor. Thank God she suffered no injury; later after the Mass I checked on her to see if she was sick or maybe hungry that caused her to collapse.
She said she could find no other reason for feeling dizzy and later collapsing except that they have walked two kilometers from their home under the intense heat of the sun that afternoon to celebrate Mass in the parish. She added that sometimes they also ran so as not to be late.
Then, they told me something that really touched me and broke my heart: “sawa na po kami magsimba sa Facebook Live kaya po kami nagpunta sa Parokya para magsimba” (we are fed up joining Facebook Live Masses that we decided to celebrate Mass at the parish).
As I prayed this week, reflecting on this Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, that story from my two parishioners kept on echoing in my head because that is the reality of God in the Holy Trinity: a God who loves because he keeps on giving, without taking anything in return.
The reality of God in the Holy Trinity
Beginning this Sunday as we resumed Ordinary Time in the liturgy, we are celebrating three solemnities successively: Trinity today, Body and Blood of Christ or Corpus Christi next Sunday and Friday after that, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In a sense, these three solemnities remind us that God is with us always; hence, on this Sunday as we celebrate his being God in three Persons, he is also telling us to “get real” with him especially in this age of virtual realities and media manipulations.
Getting real with God is like my two parishioners who walked two kilometers under the sun just to celebrate Mass in the parish because they were fed up with online Masses that cannot capture entirely the experience of God in an actual Mass.
Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images, Baclaran Church, 09 February 2020.
When we come to think of it, God does not need to prove himself to us. He simply shows us himself. That is why those two parishioners were willing to sacrifice walking two kilometers because they must have received something, must have experienced something from this God who is so personal, relating and so real that they wanted to experience him personally in the actual Mass.
The same must be true with us all who miss going to actual Masses, who continue to pray at home.
Why do we pray, why do we praise God, why do we ask him for mercy and forgiveness for our sins, why do we ask him for so many things, and the list can go on with one essential question: why do we come to God?
Is it not because he comes first to us? He makes himself known to us by giving himself to us, showering us with many blessings both material and spiritual, surprising us with so many wonderful things and sights like sunset and nature that we praise him? Most of all, he is so kind and loving that we feel sorry when we are mean with others, when we choose to do wrong, when we are not that good like him?
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
John 3:16
That is the essence of God, a personal and relating God who gives everything because he loves us. Only God can adequately “speak” of him to show us he exists in ways so marvelous we cannot even dissect yet jump into conclusion right away that “it is the Lord!” like Peter in Lake Tiberias.
When we speak of a Trinity, of Persons, we speak of relationships that presuppose giving and loving. That is God in himself that he poured out this love in him by first creating everything (Father), then giving us his Son to save us after we have turned away from him, and to ensure that we never get lost again and find our way back to him, gave us the Holy Spirit as Advocate and Counselor.
Here we find God is more than a concept or an abstract and structure in our minds that we have construed or created. He has always been there. He has no need of proving himself to us, unlike us who always have to prove ourselves with others.
God is the giver and the gift himself because he is perfect and complete unlike us who can only give gifts and things as representations of our very selves.
And there lies more the mystery of the Holy Trinity — in his being both the gift and the giver, God remains perfect and one even if he keeps on giving and giving without taking anything for himself, a mystery he shares with us by asking us to be like him in giving so we would remain full like him.
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa at Carigara, Leyte, 2019.
Something’s got to give
This mystery of the Trinity, of a relationship of persons that only gives yet never depleted or exhausted reveals to us what we must can and must always do as created image of the loving God.
Time and time again we have proven in history and in ourselves that it is only in giving when we truly receive, when we are truly human, truly loving.
This pandemic is telling us in no uncertain ways that our lifestyle of having and gaining has led us to more wanting and more wasting, more destruction and more separation.
God is telling us in the midst of this pandemic that we get real — learn to give and forgive, to let go and let God!
We are all linked together as one, a community of beloved, saved and forgiven though imperfect and sinful. On Mount Sinai Moses saw for himself this God giving everything despite his people being so stubborn, that he asked God to accompany them in their journey.
Since then God has always accompanied us in our journey in life though we always turn away from him, wandering off in the wilderness, following other paths that we end up more lost, more tired.
What are we willing to give up in this life to experience fullness in God and with others?
Getting real is giving up ourselves so we may be filled by God so we may experience life’s fullness in him and in our relationships with others and even with nature. Amen.
Our closed church but open hearts willing to give, willing to sacrifice will enable us to go through this crisis, more complete, more fulfilled.
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”
John 17:24
Wow! What a tremendous blessing you have poured upon us today, Lord Jesus Christ! Yesterday, you proved yourself to be a great friend to us, and today, you give us the great honor of being a gift to you from the Father.
We are nothing before you, O Lord, and yet that is who we are to you – a gift from the Father.
What an honor for us all when in fact, we have nothing except your gift of self, your gift of life.
And that is where the giftedness of any gift lies – not in the gift itself but in the giver and the receiver of the gift. Any gift is worthless unless somebody gives it and somebody receives it too.
Between the giving and receiving, therein happens the giftedness of gift when it is opened and offered. A gift left unopened under a Christmas tree or in a drawer remains nothing unless opened and used and appreciated.
Photo by author, Subic, Zambales, 2018.
We are a gift given by God to everyone in Christ Jesus. It is only when we are able to open and offer our selves do we become truly a gift.
Give us that grace, Jesus, of offering and sharing our giftedness like St. Paul in the first reading.
The following night the Lord stood by him (St. Paul) and said, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
Acts of the Apostles 23:11
There are many occasions, Lord, when we pray and ask you to spare us of all the sufferings and trials but now we have realized that it is only in being one with you in your passion when we truly become a gift to you from the Father.
It is in our becoming a gift to you that we become a gift to others and eventually realize our many gifts in ourselves too. Amen.
The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul, Friday, Easter Week-II, 24 April 2020
Acts of the Apostles 5:34-42 ><)))*> + 0 + <*(((>< John 6:1-15
Photo by Ms. Jo Villafuerte, Atok, Benguet, September 2019.
Praise and glory to you, O God our loving Father in heaven!
I have been taught since childhood that you dwell up in the sky and that is why like all the others, I always point up to you whenever we refer to your dwelling place, O God.
And I am certain, too, that you are indeed up there that every time we wake up, every time we feel happy or troubled, we always glance upwards like praying to you, calling to you, and looking for you.
Indeed, Gamaliel was absolutely correct when he cautioned his fellow Pharisees in the first reading to remind us too of this certainty:
“Fellow children of Israel, be careful what you are about to do to these men… But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:35, 39
Give us the gift of discernment of your Holy Will, Father, that we may always know what to do, that we may always decide according to your plan.
As we look up to you in the sky where believe heaven is, the more we also look down inside ourselves and everyone to find you among us in your Son Jesus Christ.
Yes, loving Father, you have sent us Jesus so that as we look up to you in the heavens, the more we shall search and probe our hearts, our lives, our situations, and our brothers and sisters to find you dwelling among us in Christ like there in the wilderness when he fed more than 5000 people.
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowds was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them?” He said this to test him because he himself knew what he was going to do.
John 6:1-6
What a lovely scene repeated to us daily, especially in this time of the quarantine!
Jesus raising his eyes, seeing a large crowd hungry, sick, afraid… and then talking to us where to find bread in order to test us — because he always knows what he is going to do….
If we could all be like that little boy who looked into himself, into what he had, no matter how little they may be like the five barley loaves of bread and two pieces of fish….
O Lord, keep us looking for you first within us, into whatever we have, and unto others so we may let you do your work in us to feed and heal the people locked in this quarantine.
Give us the grace, Lord, to always search and find you and follow you not only up in the heavens most especially down deep in our hearts, in the face of the people we meet, in our situation in this time of the corona virus.
It is in finding you in our hearts, on the face of one another, and in the situation we are into when we truly dwell in your house, O Lord. Amen.
Sunrise at the Sea of Galilee, Israel. Photo by author, May 2017.
Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Biyernes Santo, Ika-10 ng Abril 2020
Larawan kuha ng may akda, Parokya ni San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Bagbaguin, Santa Maria, Bulacan, ika-02 ng Abril 2020.
Katulad ng Huwebes Santo
ito na ang pinakamalungkot
at hindi malilimutang
Biyernes Santo dahil binago
ng corona virus ang kalbaryo ng krus
ni Kristo Hesus.
Dama sa buong kapaligiran
pighati at sakit na pinagdaanan
noon sa nakaraan: mapanglaw ang kalangitan
sarado pa rin mga simbahan
pagdiriwang mapapanood lamang
dahil sa umiiral na lockdown.
Kaya ang katanungang tiyak
na pag-uusapan sa kinabukasan
nasaan ka nang mangyari ang lockdown
nang manalasa itong COVID-19
na kumitil sa libu-libong buhay
nagpasakit sa buong sangkatauhan?
Larawan kuha ni G. Ryan Cajanding, 09 Abril 2020.
Nasaan ka nang ipako sa krus si Hesus
nitong corona virus nagpasakit sa mga maliliit?
Ikaw ba yaong nakipagsiksikan, nag-panic buying
lahat ng pagkain inangkin
hinakot mga alcohol at face masks
dahil takot magutom at madapuan ng sakit?
Nasaan ka nang ipako sa krus si Hesus
nitong corona virus na habang lahat ay aligaga
sa pag-iisip ng mga paraan maibsan kahirapan
ikaw naman ang siyang pinapasan
sa iyong walang katapusang pamumuna
at reklamo, ibig mo ikaw ang inaamo at inaalo?
Nasaan ka nang ipako sa krus si Hesus
nitong corona virus kaya naglockdown
upang maiwasan paglaganap ng sakit?
Nasa chismisan at daldalan
inuman at sugalan tulad ng mga kawal
damit ni Hesus pinagsapalaran?
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Kuwaresma sa Parokya noong 2019.
Kay ganda at butihing larawan
sa panahon nitong Covid-19
ang dalawang alagad na pinili manatili
sa paanan ng krus ni Kristo Hesus:
si Maria kanyang ina unang nanalig sa kanya
at si Juan Ebanghelista na tunay na nagmahal sa kanya.
Silang dalawa ang kailangan ng panahon ngayon
upang samahan si Hesus sa bagong kalbaryo
ng pandemiya ng corona virus
tulad ng mga duktor at nurse
lahat ng nasa larangan ng kalusugan
at medisina upang lunasan sakit at karamdaman.
Hindi naman kailangan gumawa malalaking hakbang
mga munting kabutihan na maaring magpagaan
sa labis na kahirapang pinagdaraanan
sapat na at makahulugan pamamaraan
upang samahan sa paanan ng krus si Hesus
na siyang nasa bawat isa nating pinaglilingkuran.
Lawiswis ng Salita, Martes, Kuwaresma-IV, 24 Marso 2020
Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 ><)))*> + <*(((>< Juan 5:1-16
Natuwa ako sa nakita kong post na ito ng isang kaibigang reporter. Na-interview pala ang lalakeng ito ng isa pang reporter na bumili ng tinda niyang saging; nagtaka yung bumibili na reporter bakit ang mura ng tinda niyang saging at iyan ang kanyang sagot.
Kay buti ng kanyang paliwanag, akmang-akma sa nakita ni Propeta Ezekiel sa kanyang pangitain nang ilibot siya ng anghel ng Panginoon sa kanyang templo na napapaligiran ng ilog kung saan lahat ng halaman at punong kahoy malapit sa pampang ay sagana ang mga bunga at luntian mga dahon.
Hindi malalanta ang mga dahon nito ni mawawalan ng bunga pagkat ang didilig dito ay ang tubig na umaagos sa buong taon. Ang bunga nito ay pagkain, at gamot naman ang mga dahon.
Ezekiel 47:12
Tubig, tanda ng buhay at ng Diyos
Tanda ng buhay ang tubig. Kaya naman maraming pagkakataon sa bibliya ito rin ang kumakatawan sa Diyos, lalo na sa ebanghelyo ayon kay San Juan sa Bagong Tipan.
Altar ng Parokya ni San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, Bagbaguin, Santa Maria, Kuwaresma 2020.
Pagmasdan mula pa noong kamakalawang Linggo, palaging mayroong tubig sa kuwento sa atin ni San Juan: ang babaeng Samaritana na kinausap ni Hesus sa may balon ni Jacob at noong Linggo, ang pagpapagaling niya sa lalaking ipinanganak na bulag na kanyang pinaghilamos sa deposito ng tubig sa Siloe.
Ngayon naman ay sa malaking deposito ng tubig sa Betesda (ibig sabihin sa Hudyo ay “habag ng Diyos”) ang tagpo ng pagpapagaling ng Panginoon.
Para kay San Juan, si Hesus na ang tubig na titighaw sa ating pagkauhaw, lilinis sa ating mga kasalanan, magpapagaling sa ating mga sakit at kapansanan dahil siya mismo ang buhay!
Sinasabi na upang makaiwas sa COVID-19, makabubuti ang pag-inom palagi ng tubig o kaya ang pagmumumog ng maligamgam na tubig na may asin.
Gayon kabisa at kahalaga ang tubig na kapag nawala, tayo’y manghihina, magkakasakit, durumi, at higit sa lahat, mamamatay. Alalaong baga sa ating mga pagbasa ngayong Martes, ang manatili sa Diyos na kinakatawan ng tubig ang ating siguradong kaligtasan.
At iyon naman ang katotohanan: tanging ang Diyos lamang ang makapagliligtas sa atin mula sa epidemiyang ito. Subalit hindi sapat ang basta manalangin lamang o magpost sa Facebook ng mga sari-saring sitas at panawagang magdasal.
Hamon ng ebanghelyo: maging pagkain at gamot sa kapwa
Sino man sa atin ang tunay na nabubuhay sa Diyos na siyang tubig na lumilinis at nagpapagaling sa atin ang dapat rin namang maging bunga na bumubusog at dahon na nagpapagaling sa kapwa!
Sa gitna ng ating krisis ngayon, ng umiiral na lockdown sanhi ng banta ng COVID-19, makabubuti na suriing muli ang ating pananampalataya: kung totoo nga na tanging sa Diyos lamang tayo nananalig bilang ating buhay at tubig, tayo ba ay nakakapamunga ng mabubuting gawa di lamang salita para sa iba?
Naalala ba natin yung kapwa nating nagugutom?
Nakapagbibigay lunas ba tayo sa agam-agam at takot ng marami sa COVID-19 at lockdown?
Baka naman tayo ay wala nang pakialam sa iba o kaya tayo pa ang problema ng marami sa ating pagwawalang-bahala gaya ng pagtambay sa lansangan o pag-iinuman at iba pang mga gawa na bumabale-wala sa “social distancing” na pangunahing sanhi ng paglaganap ng COVID-19?
Pagnilayan natin iyong tindero ng saging na hindi nagtaas ng presyo ng kanyang tinda para huwag magutom ang kapwa: marahil mas mainam ang katayuan mo sa buhay dahil nababasa mo ito sa Facebook kesa kanya…
Manalangin tayo:
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Baliwag, 25 Pebrero 2020.
O Diyos Ama naming mapagmahal, salamat po sa buhay na inyong kaloob sa amin lalo na po sa araw na ito. Ipinapanalangin po namin ang mga may sakit at nag-aalaga sa kanila ngayon, pati na mga duktor at nars na aming frontliner sa COVID-19.
Dugtungan pa po ninyo ang buhay ng mga may-sakit at pangalagaan ang kalusugan ng mga nag-aalaga sa kanila lalo na rin ang aming mga health frontliners.
Bigyan po ninyo kami ng biyaya na maging mabunga itong aming buhay sa pagbabahagi ng aming kayamanan tulad ng pagkain at tulong pinansiyal sa mga nangangailangan katulad ng mga aba, mga nag-iisa sa buhay, mga matatanda.
Makapagdulot nawa kami ng kagaanan sa kalooban, kagalingan sa isipan ng mga naguguluhan, nalilito, at natatakot sa pandemiyang ito na COVID-19.
Higit sa lahat, huwag nawa kaming maging pabigat pa sa marami nang pagdurusa ng aming kapwa ngayong panahon ng krisis bagkus sa amin ay madama ang pagdaloy ng iyong buhay na ganap at kasiya-siya sa pamamagitan ni Hesu-Kristong Panginoon namin, sa kapangyarian ng Espiritu Santo, magpasawalang-hanggan. Amen.
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