Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 +++ 0 +++ Matthew 25:31-46
Photo by author, Mt. St. Paul Spirituality Center, Baguio City, 03 February 2020.
“Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.”
Responsorial Psalm
Today, Lord, I borrow your psalmist’s words for they summarize the two beautiful readings on this first Monday of Lent 2020.
Thank you for reminding us that we are your Holy Spirit’s indwelling, that we must be holy for you, O God, are holy (Lev.19:2).
Continue to fill us with your holiness so that we continue to do whatever is good to our brothers and sisters, especially the least among them for whatever we do to anyone, that we do also to you, dear Jesus (Mt.25:40, 45).
May your holy season of Lent remind us that it is our nature to share and give life because we have you Jesus in us. That’s the implication of those like the sheep on your right side, Lord, who were surprised and could not believe asking “when were you Lord hungry we gave you something to eat, when were you Lord…?”
When we let your Spirit of holiness animate us, that is when we are never bothered to think of anything else upon seeing the poor and suffering except to love, to practice charity.
May our Lenten practices of fasting and abstinence, sacrifices and alms-giving empty us of our selves and be filled with you, sweet Jesus, the Word who became flesh to dwell in our hearts for you alone are Life and Spirit.
Teach us to examine today our attitude towards everyone who may be unknown to us silently poor and suffering. Let us reacquire that nature in us we fondly refer to as “second-nature” of being kind and charitable to everyone because he/she has you, Jesus, in him/her.
That need not be difficult for us because in the first place, YOU, O Lord, is in us too! Amen.
Quiet Storm by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, 13 February 2020
Photo by author, Mt. St. Paul, Trinidad, Benguet, 04 February 2020.
At the Ascension of the Lord, St. Luke tells us something very unique and unusual: the disciples returned to Jerusalem filled with joy.
Unusual and unique because when someone leaves us, either permanently like death or temporarily due to change of residence or jobs, we always feel sad.
But not the Apostles of Jesus along with the other disciples including Mary who were filled joy!
And so are we today because when someone dies, the person or our beloved does not leave us entirely. Though we do not see and feel them physically anymore, we continue to experience them personally.
Sometimes, we even grow more personal that there are people we feel getting closer with them after they have died.
Photo by author, Mt. St. Paul, Trinidad, Benguet, 05 February 2020
As I have been telling you, 2020 for me is tough with so many deaths in our Parish, in my family, and among my friends. Since last week of Christmas until the other week, I have been praying and celebrating funeral Masses almost everywhere.
This week, funeral Masses continue while at the same time, I have started celebrating the 40th days of those relatives and friends who have died last month.
In 1995, my father’s younger sister was stricken with pancreatic cancer. Being the eldest at that time among his nine surviving siblings, another aunt called me to ask my dad’s decision regarding their sick sister, if she would still go through surgery and just go home to Los Banos and wait for the inevitable.
He simply told me, “tell your Tita to just bring home Tita Rose; she had suffered enough and had lived a full life.”
Photo by author, Los Banos, Laguna, 13 February 2020.
That is when I realized that coming to terms with death iscoming toterms with life, and vice versa.
I know it is easier to say but that is how life is: we are often afraid to die because we know we have not fulfilled something yet, a mission or a promise made.
People who enjoy life, people with a sense of contentment are always the ones without regrets, always fulfilled, and ready to go.
And always, they are the ones who truly love that is why they live fullest, Valentine’s day or not.
God bless you and keep loving!
Photo by author, Collegeville Subd., Los Banos, Laguna, 13 February 2020.
Quiet Storm by Fr. Nick F. Lalog II, 04 February 2020
Photo by author, St. Paul Spirituality Center, Mt. Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet, 04 February 2020
My life may be rife
with so many strifes
causing me to struggle,
be pained leading into fruition
making life golden.
When I reviewed my life and see
the past so vast and also fast,
then I realize my life
is not all mine but His, Divine.
Here in my life
I can see within
where it is going;
calming, assuring and so promising
the Divine leading me to final joining
for my life is really in HIM.
Amen.
Photo by author, St. Paul Spirituality Center, Mt. Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet, 04 February 2020
1 John 5:5-13 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Luke 5:12-16
Flowers at our Altar, Epiphany Sunday 2020. Photo by author.
Dearest Jesus Christ:
Today we pray for those losing hope in life, for those about to give up living because they are saddled with so many problems and sufferings.
And most especially with sins and guilt feelings as carryover of the troublesome 2019.
We pray for those who cannot move on with their lives due to so many heartaches and losses and wrongs last year that they see themselves so dirty like the leper in the gospel today, refusing to aspire to become better, refusing to dream again of good things in you.
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Luke 5:12
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean…
Forgive us Lord when sometimes we seem so hopeless.
“Kung ibig ninyo… kung ano po ang gusto ninyo… bahala na po kayo.”
Flowers at our Altar, Epiphany 2020. Photo by author.
Help us remember St. John’s reminder in the first reading that you, O sweet Jesus, is our life because you are the only one to whom “there are three who testify, the Spirit, the water, and the Blood”(1 Jn. 5:7-8) that refer respectively to your divine nature, human nature, and death on the cross.
You are the only one, Lord Jesus, who has overcome death because you are indeed Life itself!
Thank you very much for always willing the best for us and may we reclaim your wonderful gift of life to us daily. Amen.
Tuesday, Memorial of St. Josaphat, 12 November 2019
Wisdom 2:23-3:9 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Luke 17:7-10
Our altar at St. John Evangelist Parish, 12 Nov. 2019.
Let your mystery embrace me, Lord.
Better, let me be wrapped in your mystery, Lord!
So many times, I have always tried to analyze everything – myself, my life, including you, O God.
And I have realized that most of the time, this is because I cannot trust you completely.
I am afraid of being lost, of being hurt, of failing.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love; because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect.
Wisdom 3:9
Dearest God, help me to live life, instead of analyzing it.
Reflect on its wonder and mystery but eventually, let me be wrapped in their beauty despite its incomprehensibility, knowing you will never abandon me.
Remind me always that I am just like “the unprofitable servants” of the Gospel today who does what we are obliged to do. No need to please or be affirmed by anybody for you alone is our life.
Give us the courage, Jesus, to be like St. Josaphat to strive working for unity in ourselves, in you and with one another. Amen.
St. Josephat (+1623) was an Orthodox bishop who worked hard to unify the Ukrainian Church and Rome for which he was attacked and shot to death by local fanatics while he was praying. We pray for his intercession this coming 2020 dedicated by the CBCP as the year of ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue in preparation of our 500th year of Christianization in 2021.
Love can never be defined because it is a reality that cannot be restricted to certain parameters unlike other words or virtues or concepts for that matter.
The most we can do about love is describe it.
And, live it — as St. Paul has been telling us this week in our daily readings.
Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:9-10
Photo by Ms. Jo Villafuerte, Atok, Benguet, 01 September 2019.
There lies the beauty of love, in being sincere, being true.
Not fake as we know and must have experienced somehow.
Sincere literally means “without plaster” that came from two Latin terms, sin for without and cerofor plaster.
In ancient Rome, good sculptures were highly prized, must be “sin cero” – no plaster and purely carved out from wood or stone. Like in the usual practice today, some sculptors “fake” their work with plasters (masilya) to cover uneven surface or disfigured portion that eventually wears out.
To love sincerely means loving like Jesus without strings attached, not expecting anything in return.
But, how can we love sincerely when others are so untrue with their love to us? How can we hate evil and hold on to what is good when people continue to hurt us, or oblivious to their wrongdoing and sins? Most of all, how can we anticipate one another with honor when nobody seems respectable at all these days?
It is always difficult to love because it is also difficult to be true when everything is artificial these days.
And that makes love beautiful not only because it is true but it is something we assert and insist despite the many evils around us.
Violets in our old sacristy, 2016.
Love becomes more beautiful when it is hurt and rejected, continuing to love, doing good and showing kindness even if others are not true because it is only then in pains and sufferings when more love is born and summoned from within us.
The more tears we shed, the more love flows to clean the mess.
Love never runs out, never dries up like a well or a river. It is the greatest virtue and gift we can have as St. Paul tells us in another letter because in the end, only love remains as it is from God who is Love himself.
When our love is true, no matter how untrue are the people around us, for as long as we love in Christ, the more we are able to love, the more love we have to share and give. The more we love, the more love we receive; withhold love, keep love to yourself, that is when you lose love.
Photo by Mr. Chester Ocampo, multi-media artist, and teacher (October 2019).
Brothers and sisters: owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8
During his last supper, Jesus mentioned to his Apostles about his new commandment of loving each other as “I have loved you”.
Though other ancient sages have taught about love or similar attitudes especially in the East long before Jesus Christ’s coming, his commandment was new because it is a love rooted in God. More than a moral prescription or a code of conduct as seen in other religions and cultures, Christian love is so unique because it is rooted in God who is love himself.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s first encyclical issued on Christmas 2005.
Love is the only thing asked of us by God; hence, any failure to love is always a sin.
How sad that in this age of affluence and sophistication in terms of technology and knowledge, men and women are getting more isolated and alienated, giving rise to hosts of mental illnesses that lead into rising incidence of suicides worldwide.
One usual complaint of many people, young and old alike, is the lack of love. They always ask “where is the love?” even in the midst of every relationship that have become transactional in nature, forgetting the human face longing for affection, crying inside, alone.
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another because it is love that defines us; without love, we are nothing.
To live is essentially to love.
If you have love in your heart, you have been blessed by God; If you have been loved, you have been touched by God.
Friday, Solemnity of All the Saints, 01 November 2019
Revelation 7:2-4. 9-14 ><}}}*> 1 John 3:1-3 ><}}}*> Matthew 5:1-12
“Mary with the Child and the Angels and the Saints” by Duccio Di Buoninsegna (d. 1319).
Glory and praise to you, O Lord our almighty and loving Father in heaven!
Thank you very much for this celebration of the Solemnity of All Saints — of those all ahead of us and have died now enjoying your company in heaven.
Whenever we think of holiness, we always think of men and women not committing sins, of moral exemplars.
Remind us always that holiness is being filled with you, O God, and that saints are givers of life.
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8
Fill us with your Holy Spirit, Lord, cleanse us of our sins and evil desires and inclinations as we strive to bear all pains and sufferings to lead holy lives.
It is in purifying our hearts, our very selves, when we are able to truly offer our lives for the loving service of the poor and needy so that while still here on earth, we may already see your face, Lord, among the people we meet until that day we are one in you in eternity. Amen.
Romans 3:21-30 ><)))*> ><)))*> ><)))*> Luke 11:47-54
Photo by Mr. Jim Marpa, September 2019.
O God our loving Father, we worship you and praise you for your majesty and kindness.
In this world where the self-made person is the ideal and economic achievement is the benchmark of success, everybody has become so busy in achieving something, carving a name for one’s self that we forget you.
We have become so proud and vain, O Lord!
Once we have tasted the sweet elixir of “success” in life, the more we thirst and work for so many other things until we finally forget you.
And that is when we become so proud, claiming everything is because of us – that, we are good, we are talented, we are brilliant. We are god, in fact.
But, Lord, I felt it too that when I boast of something in myself, I always run out of many other good things to be proud of myself! I just noticed that whatever we boast in life, it is always the same we thing just boast over and over again to make it big because the truth is, we have nothing to be proud of by our mere selves alone apart from you.
Worst, like in the gospel today, behind every boast we brag is a “woe” from Christ, of trails of evil and sin behind the “success” we are so proud of.
Forgive us, O Lord, for being so proud, for feeling like you, a God.
And this is the funny thing I have realized too about boasting: the more I see whatever I have in life as a grace from you, the more I see so many other good things in me to be proud of because of YOU!
St. Paul was absolutely right: we have all been redeemed and save by God in Christ Jesus. We are all forgiven and beloved sinners of God.
Should we brag or boast of anything, we can only do so in Christ because we all live in utter dependence in you, God.
There is nothing we can do in this world without your grace, O loving God. Amen.
Lawiswis Ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-21 ng Setyembre 2019
Larawan kuha ni G. Chester Ocampo sa Catanduanes, Abril 2019.
Isang gabi pagkaraang magdasal at magnilay kinailangang pansinin at sagutin isang nagtext sa akin: kanyang tanong ay napakalalim bumaon din sa aking loobin.
Aniya'y, "bakit nagkaganito ang buhay namin?" isang tanong tumimo sa akin marahil ilang ulit din sa inyo dumating nakaka-praning, ang hirap sagutin bagkus maraming katanungan pa rin.
Ang hirap naman kasi sa atin kapag maganda buhay natin dinaraanang landasin ayaw suriin sa pag-aakalang kasiyahan magpapatuloy pa rin hindi alintana lahat lilipas din.
Kapag ito ang naitatanong natin mas malamang mga salarin ng suliraning kinalalagyan natin tiyak hanggang ngayon ay mga tulog at lasing pa rin hindi kayang aminin ni tanggapin kanilang pagkukulang din.
Kaya kung ikaw ay nagtatanong "bakit nagkanito buhay natin?" tiyak ikaw ay gising at higit na mapalad pa rin iyong maaapuhap balang araw dahilan nitong hantungang hindi para sa atin.
Mga taong nagpapasakit sa atin kadalasan maraming sugat at sakit na dalahin sadyang kaawa-awa kung tutuusin ni hindi nila batid bakit nagkanito buhay natin sigaw ng kanilang loobin sila'y pansinin at saklolohan natin!
Larawan kuha ni G. Chester Ocampo sa Catanduanes, Abril 2019.
People told me that is the “age of enlightenment”.
And I believe so.
After living half a century, I have realised so many things in life that I had Bill LaBounty’s 1982 hit as my theme song, “Livin’ It Up.”
Like the gospel today when Jesus tells us to “gird your loins” or be on guard because death could come so sudden, LaBounty’s “Livin’ It Up” is the perfect Sunday music.
Girding up one’s loins, being on guard means living it up… taking a new persona when we learn to let go of our past to accept and appreciate every present moment, believing deep inside our hearts of more better and more meaningful things to come in our lives.
Girding up on’e loins, being on guard means living it up as matured men and women disposed to more things that are more profound and meaningful than mere existence because we are so aware of our mortality, of our coming to something more lasting that is eternal.
I finally got my life together Scraped my heart up off the floor My attitude is so much better And I hardly ever cry the way I did before
I’ve been livin’ it up Having my self in time Livin’ it up Right from the women to the wine Livin’ out all those fantasies I never did get to Those Crazy things I never got to do
I got my self a new persona Took the service off my phone These days I live the way I wanna And I’d do just fine as long as I’m not left alone
lordmychef.com 