29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

There is no risk in praying. When one is facing some difficulties in life, he may choose to pray or not. But when he prays, he risks nothing. Why? If his prayers are answered then he would learn to believe in God. And if ever nothing has changed despite his effort to pray, well he would just stay where he is by then (No more, no less). An example for this is a man who is dying due to cancer. If he prays and regains his health, he learns to love God more. If he prays but still his condition does not improve, well what else can one expect from having a cancer. However, this is not the case when he chooses not to pray. When he does not pray, his circumstances may improve or not but surely he misses the most important fact of life, i.e. our help is in the name of the Lord. Our Gospel conveys this message to Jesus' followers when "Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart." (Luke 18:1). The said Gospel passage reminds us that prayer is the weakness of God and the strength of man. So we must not stop praying. Anyway, God will still be God even if man does not pray. But man is never a man when he knows not the necessity of prayer.

To a mother and her son

My dear friends in Christ, I know this is a very difficult time for the family to face the death of their beloved. Even I myself find it difficult to say something to ease the pain which the tragic death of Emily and John Carlo brought to the living members of the family. The family home which is used to be the most peaceful place for the family to build their dreams is desecrated. How can we say now "there is no place like home" when the tragic death happened at home just like any crime happening out there in the street? What is the excitement now in going home when there is no one to welcome anybody there? Every time Arnold or during the time when John Earl left home to work at sea, I believe Emily, as a wife and as a mother would not only bid farewell but also wish Arnold and her son to take care or to be careful. Usually, we tell those  people we love who are in a journey to take care of themselves until they get back home. But Emily and John Carlo's case makes us realize that we have to take care of ourselves even at home. The family home cannot always be safe nowadays. Does this not bring fear to some of us if not all? Although this seems to be an isolated case, it can still happen to anyone of us as it happened to one of us. Worse, it is not only the tranquility of the home that is desecrated, but the desecration itself is being justified. Being in poverty becomes an excuse to desecrate a home. Being a person with physically disability is an excuse to desecrate a home. Being at the height of one's passion because of an insult becomes an excuse to desecrate a home. Well, if one can make this as an excuse to desecrate a home, then we allow a criminal act to be exhorted. We allow to make public sympathy and not the justice system solve crimes! My dear friends, we should not forget that "the end does not justify the means." There is no excuse in a crime where lives are taken. There is no higher right than the right to life! A prisoner can take back his liberty after sometime, but never can we bring back Emily and John Carlo to life. In a case like this, I remember the late Cardinal Sin who said, "Justice without mercy is unchristian; but mercy without justice is kalokohan." My dear friends, I do not say we have to condemn the person who desecrated the family home of Emily. Rather, we have to hate the sin but not the sinner. Let us allow the court of Justice to weigh everything and decide for the sake of justice. Arnold and John Earl, after the burial of Emily and John Carlo today, you may extremely feel the pain of losing them. But never lose your hope to live as you still have each other. You may be tempted to nurture anger in your heart, think of revenge or feel bad about everything, but you can choose never to allow such one man destroy your goodness. I myself could testify how good Emily was as a person and people who know you could testify how good you are. You do not have to prove it to the world because our mere presence here can prove your goodness. To the family of Emily, do not let your love for Emily and John Carlo be overwhelmed by hatred caused by one man. Be united in love because it is during this troubled time that you need each other as a family. Let not this tragic event divide you but unite you. To all of us here to offer our prayers for Emily and John Carlo, we include in our prayers the living members of Emily and John Carlo's family. May they have the courage to face the loss of their loved ones. To Emily and John Carlo, I believe your souls are still in our midst. I know you have unfinished business here on earth. I know you have broken dreams due to your untimely demise. But we cannot turn back the time human as we are. Emily and John Carlo be at peace with God. Go now because it is only God who can give you peace which we could not give this time. Listen to Jesus who said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28).  Eternal rest unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them. May they rest in peace. amen.

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gratitude is a graced attitude. It is "graced attitude" because we cannot expect people nowadays to thank us whenever we do something good or favorable for them. Sometimes, we are even betrayed by them. After doing good on them, there are those who  would hurt us by ignoring or insulting the good deeds we extend to them. Only people who have a graced attitude who can be able to appreciate the goodness shared to them. No matter how small or big a good deed to them, they give thanks because they have a graced attitude, an attitude which appreciates every goodness happening to them. In the Gospel of Luke 17:11-19 Jesus was seeking this kind of attitude from those he healed as he asked, "Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" It is thereof relevant to know from the words of Jesus that he/she who knows how to give thanks, praises God. In other words, a grateful person or a person with a graced attitude is a Godly person. But one who is ungrateful knows not God. Today, we shall know how Godly we are if we know how to give thanks in good times as well as in bad times. Amen.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When one plans to buy fish from a fish vendor, the former does not ask how the latter caught them but how much does he sell them. The vendee does not bother whether the vendor had a hard time or easy time in catching fish. All he needs to know is their price.  Today in our Gospel, Luke 17:5-10,  we are reminded not to count how many good deeds we made, what sacrifices we did, or how many times we prayed in a day. We have to do good during better times as well as during our worse times. We cannot be confident that we have done enough. We cannot say that with all we have been through in life, we can take some timeout in doing good. What we have to say at the end of the day, "I am but a servant doing what I supposed to do." It is never enough but always lacking. It is not how many good things that matters but the price you get from the fruits of your labor. In heaven, we don't boast on the numbers of good deeds rather we say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty."

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses  And all the king's men Could not put Humpty dumpty together again! This nursery rhyme reminds us that most often in life,  there are things which we cannot undo especially the evil effects of what we have decided to do. In the case of Humpty Dumpty, he knew he was an egg yet he put himself in danger when he sat on the wall. It was his decision. And when he had his great fall, of course as an egg, his life was over. He could not turn the clock back to decide otherwise.This rhyme has a similar lesson when we read today's Gospel,  Luke 16:19-31. A rich man could not undo the evil effects of the decision he made when he was living on earth. This is clear in the Scripture quoting Abraham as the one who said this to the rich man, "Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he  is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us." The rich man was indifferent though he could be compassionate to Lazarus. It was a matter of making a good decision to do good to Lazarus. But the rich man decided otherwise, he remained indifferent. This bad decision brought him to hades where he found himself in anguish. He could not undo such evil effects of his decision. My dear friends, today we are reminded to reflect first before we make some decisions in life. We reflect not because we wish our decision becomes favorable to us here and now but above all it is favorable for our life hereafter. To go to heaven or hell is a matter of decision at present. We need to ask God's guidance then so that whatever decision we make here and now will all be for His glory and our salvation. Amen.