25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

If you were brought to court and accused of being a Catholic, what evidence would they have?  Well, it seems too easy to prove that one is a Catholic. If he/she was baptized, received the sacrament of confirmation, went to a priest for his/her confession, received Holy Communion, etc. then there is no doubt that such person is a Catholic. But this is not all! Being a Catholic means to proclaim and spread the Good News to all; that God loves us all and so we must love one another as He loves us. Being a Catholic means to be a visible sign of God's love to others. In this case, many among us Catholics fail to live as Catholics. There is not enough evidence to convict us as a Catholic beyond reasonable doubt. We have many excuses when we fail to show love to others like avoiding the person we dislike rather than looking for a way to befriend him/her. It is easy to keep grudges than to forgive. We also experience difficulty in showing signs that we love God. How many of us Catholics do not go to the church to hear mass because it is raining?  And how many of us are persistent in buying a load for our cellphone despite the rain that makes us wet? We are Catholics in name but never in action. It is not therefore surprising that the Philippines is a Catholic country, yet corruption is rampant. Progress in spiritual life is so slow while scams and scandals spread too fast. Jesus is right when he said in Luke 16:8 "For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light." Yes, even I myself notice this in me. If there is a Sick Call, it seems difficult for me to move as if I want to say I am sick too. But if there is a birthday party, I am on time to bless the food. Really, it is very difficult to live as a Catholic especially if there is no intention to really live as one.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The lyrics of the song  "Just Give Me a Reason" by p!nk convey a strong message with regard to love. As part of the lyrics goes: " Just give me a reason just a little bit's enough Just a second we're not broken just bent And we can learn to love again It's in the stars, it's been written in the scars on our hearts We're not broken just bent  And we can learn to love again" Such words remind us how difficult to unlearn love once one has learned  what love is. Though how one gets hurt because of love, he/she cannot easily resist or stop loving. Sometimes, some people think that love makes one a fool. It makes one feel crazy. But as for me, it is better to love than to analyze what love is. To love is to have a share of the nature of God which is Unconditional Love. In the Gospel of Luke 15: 10, Jesus said, "Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." These words of Jesus remind us that God is love. He does not set aside his love for us whenever we sinned against him. He does not bring curse to our home whenever we turn our back on him. Rather, he wants us to learn to love him again. No matter how big our sin is, the great love of God is greater than our greatest sin. It is now up to us to catch again his love for us. Amen.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

I once heard this story: There was a small village where a widow and her young son lived. The son who's name was Peter,grew up and turned into a young man . He felled in love and got married .He loved his wife very very much! His wife was very possessive and mean young woman. She always wanted him to prove his love to her. " Bring me that beautiful scarf your mother have!". Peter went to his mother and asked for the scarf. Even so it was the memory from her dear late husband the mother said" Of cause my dear son , take it to your wife!". After she got the scarf the young woman summoned her husband and said: "I want that beautiful ring that your mother wearing!". Peter went to his mother and asked for the ring . His mother did not want to part with the ring , it was her wedding ring but... she loved her son too much and she gave him the ring . The young man brought the ring to his beautiful wife . She grabbed the ring and said:" Now , if you really love me go to your mother and bring me her beating heart!". Peter was terrified! But he loved his wife too much to refuse. So when the night time came he went to his mother house quitely and when his mother fall a sleep, cut her heart out and carried it ,still beating, to his wife.  This story reminds us that saying I love you is one thing, but to prove it is another thing. In our Gospel (Luke 14:25-33), those who love Jesus were asked to prove their love for him.  He said, "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Jesus did not say these words so that we have to abandon our family, relatives and even friends. Rather, Jesus would instruct us that he should be our priority if we love him. If we really love him, we can sacrifice or leave everything behind just to be with him. If a parent, a spouse,a child or a friend would hinder us to come closer to Jesus, then we have to make a stand. If we love Jesus, he must be our number one choice. Amen.