Palm Sunday -Year B -Mark 15:1-39

A ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they have no other recourse but to pray to God for help.
However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they decided to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first man prayed for a ship, so that he could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked on his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since his prayers had not been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven boom-out, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for this," the first man answered. "His prayer was unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received my blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that your prayer would be answered."
In our Gospel, people ridiculed Jesus shouting, “He saved others; He cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” They thought Jesus was unfortunate as he was helpless being crucified on the cross. They thought God never heard the prayers of Jesus who claimed to be the son of God. They never realized that Jesus suffered not because His prayers were not answered by God; rather Jesus suffered to answer God’s call to save all men. He endured everything to teach us what the word “sacrifice” means. It is making one’s suffering an offering to God for the sake of men’s salvation. When he died on the cross, His sacrifice did not end there. It was transformed into a “sacrament” where everybody has an access to meet and receive Him (Jesus) who died for us. Now, all of us have an access to God, our prayers will be answered by God because Jesus Himself is on our side. We can say that through the passion of Christ, God hears our prayer. Today, we are reminded in this Holy Eucharist to offer too all our pains for the purification of mankind, an act of sacrifice on our part and encourage us to help people in their suffering. We are called to be wounded healers in our community. We look after the spiritual needs of others being their intercessors before God that their prayers as well as our prayers for them would be answered. Amen.

5th Sunday of Lent -Year B -John 12:20-33

Archbishop Romero was an Archbishop of San Salvador. His appointment wasn’t exactly welcomed because those aligned with Marxism or with liberation theology felt that he was too much an “establishment” man. He was seen to be supportive of the government simply because he was a safe Bishop; a kind of a “yes” man. However, one of his personal friends, a Jesuit priest, was assassinated and his death had a profound impact on Romero. Whilst looking at his dead friend lying in the coffin, he thought to himself, “If they killed him for doing the right thing, then I must walk the path as well”. He asked the government to investigate the death but they ignored his request and the censored media also remained silent. Because of this, he was like a man coming alive as he found his voice in speaking up against injustice and for irregularity in governance. For that, he was also assassinated. He sacrificed himself for the sake of his flock. His death opened the way to freedom of his people.
In life, sometimes there is a need to sacrifice in order to promote something better. Jesus Himself said something like this in our Gospel, "Truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” To sacrifice in order to bear much fruit is easier said than done. Our instinct has taught us to avoid what is painful. We even prefer to take the chance to get some things done without using more of our time and energy. We would rather clamor when things do not go the way we want it to be than to consider it an occasion for us to sacrifice something. Time will come for us to give up something to gain a better thing.
On this fifth Sunday of Lent, we are being reminded by the church to sacrifice. This is a season for fasting and penance. We have to leave behind our comfort zones so as to achieve something better –our spiritual wellness. Our sacrifice gives way to our freedom from sin. Our sacrifice leads us to a better life –a spiritual being.

4th Sunday of Lent -Year B -John 3:14-21

Old Mcdonald had a farm, and on that farm he had a chicken. He asked the chicken if she loved him. The chicken said yes. Then old Mcdonald said prove it. The chicken said, “Here are my eggs. They are all yours.” Old Mcdonald said, “Indeed you love me.” Old Mcdonald had also a cow. He asked the cow if she loved him. The cow said yes. Then old Mcdonald said prove it. The cow said, “I have milk. It is all yours.”Old Mcdonald said, “Indeed you love me.” Old Mcdonald had also a pig. He asked the pig if she loved him. The pig said yes. Then old Mcdonald said prove it. The pig said, “I neither have eggs nor milk to give you. Let me give you myself, take my life. I am all yours.” Old Mcdonald said, “Indeed you love me the most.”
Human as we are, we usually look for an evidence to prove one’s love. We know how easy it is to say I love you but it takes so much difficulty to show it through our actions. We cannot just simply fake love by using kind words. When we love, we learn to express it by giving up ourselves for the sake of others. In our Gospel, we learn that God is love. But His love is not an abstract thing which is hard to grasp at. He manifests His love not only by giving up Himself but also by sending us His only Son –For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. God is willing to go down in order to raise us up. If this is how God has loved us, are we not thankful of Him? God has loved us and if we also love Him we have to show it in our actions. The proof of our love is evidenced by loving others. If God sent His Son not to condemn us, so must we not condemn others. As God has loved us, we too can give up ourselves for others to show what it means to love and being loved.

Feast of St. Joseph -Year B -Matthew 1: 18-21, 24

Little do we know about St. Joseph from the Bible. But we can make use of this little knowledge that we have of him in recovering his character. In the Gospel of Matthew (1:18-24), it is said that Mary and Joseph were engaged. Joseph chose Mary to be his wife. Yet in this same Gospel, it is said that God has chosen Mary to be the mother of His son (Jesus Christ). Joseph then upon realizing that Mary was chosen and called to be the mother of Jesus, he decided to let go of Mary. He would protect Mary even from himself. He could not afford to take Mary as his wife when he knew very well that she was consecrated by God, and dedicated to God. He had a plan but he gave it up because of God’s plan for Mary. It was on this moment that an angel appeared to him in a dream. He was told to take Mary as his wife. St. Joseph’s plan to marry Mary was confirmed that such was also part of God’s plan. And aside from this, he was chosen to give a name to the son of God –Jesus. In the Bible, we can notice that Judaism placed great importance in giving a name. The first mention of naming is in Genesis 2 when God brought the animals to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called each of them would be its name. Here the act of giving names is an exercise of power or dominion. At the same time, God made Eve, and the man said, “This one shall be called woman, for this one has been taken out of “her man”. In giving the woman her name, the man exercises his power or dominion over her. But this power or dominion is not that kind which a master exercises over his slaves. Rather, the woman put herself under her man, to place herself in a lower position to receive the care and protection of her husband. Now, going back to St. Joseph, his act of giving name to Jesus was an exercise of power or dominion. But such power or dominion is not that kind which a master exercises over his slaves. Rather, such power or dominion means to put the other under one’s care and protection. It means St. Joseph has to take care and protect the child Jesus. St. Joseph was not called to protect only Mary but also Jesus –the son of God. In the last scene where Joseph was mentioned in the Bible, particularly in Luke 2: 49-52, St. Joseph fulfilled what was expected of him. Jesus was twelve years old then, when Joseph and Mary brought him to Jerusalem for the Festival of Passover. (While Joseph and Mary were returning home, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. After three days of looking for him, Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the temple courts. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Here Jesus revealed his essence.) This particular Bible passage prepared its conclusion with, “And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.” This reveals that Jesus was under the care and protection of St. Joseph and Mary. St. Joseph took care and protected Jesus as a real father so much so that Jesus was known in Nazareth as the son of the carpenter, the son of Joseph. St. Joseph took care and protected Mary by making himself available as her husband so as not to leave Mary alone as an unwed mother. St. Joseph took care and protected both Mary and Jesus by living together as a family. If St. Joseph could do this to his family, he could also do it for the good of our own families. And today, we say St. Joseph is the protector of our family.

"St. Joseph, protect our home. Pour forth heaven's blessing on our family. Remain in our midst. Help us to live in love and harmony, in peace and joy. May the wholesome fear of God strengthen us that virtue may adorn what we do and our way may lead to heaven.

"To you this day I give the key to our dwelling place. Lock out all things that could do us harm. Lock my home and my loved ones with me in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. This I beg of you that our days may be like your days in the holy home at Nazareth. Amen."

3rd Sunday of Lent Year B -John 2:13-25

During World War II, the prefect apostolic of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, William Finnemann, SVD, courageously stood up against the Japanese officers who wanted to convert a nun’s convent in Calapan into a house for “japayukis” or comfort women. For this the bishop paid a dear price. The Japanese soldiers arrested and loaded him on a military boat, and threw him overboard in the deep waters between Calapan and Batangas. With hands and feet tied and dragged down by big stones, the bishop had no way of surviving. (A Hero Deserving a Halo authored by Fr. Peter Michael, SVD)
Today our Gospel tells us that Jesus went up to Jerusalem. When he was in the temple there he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. He made a whip of cords and he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. Jesus was angry. But His anger was justified. Why? It was because the Temple was desecrated. The Temple is the house of God on earth. It is where man and God should meet. It is a place where man prays and experiences the presence of God in the world. Yet, many forgot about this. They saw the chance to make some profits out of the many people who would pray and offer gifts to God in the Temple. There is nothing wrong in doing business. But such business must not encroach in the activities of the Temple to the extent that it destroys the solemnity of the place. Jesus himself said, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." People went to the Temple with divided interest. They supposed to be there to worship God but they were also distracted by the worldly or economic affairs. They brought the noise of the world while they prayed in the Temple. So, Jesus had to cleanse the place. Jesus had to restore the sacredness of the Temple making it a place of meeting point between God and man. Jesus had to show how angry he was to remind people that the Temple deserved great respect. People must be disposed to offer themselves to God and no other offering is greater than oneself before God.
My dear friends, today we are reminded that the church is a place for us to talk to God. Though we can pray anytime and anywhere, the church is consecrated, set apart from other places and is dedicated for spiritual purposes. The church is sacred not because we declared it to be sacred. It is sacred because it is the house of God on earth. It is the presence of Jesus that makes the place sacred. However, there are many Catholics who are ignorant of this. They go to the church sometimes to see their dates. They go to the church to sleep or rest. They do not know that Jesus is present at the tabernacle. If they are aware of this, then they would rather spend more time in silence and prayer. People who are aware of God’s presence in the church stay in the church to spend more time in prayer. Even after the mass, there are still some who would stay and make their personal prayer. Catholics who experience the presence of God in the church find serenity and peace. Catholics thereof are encouraged to observe silence and preserve the solemnity in the church. The best offering one can bring before the altar of God is himself/herself –and such oblation meets the demand of the sacredness of the place which we call the church.

2nd Sunday of Lent Year B -Mark 9: 2-10

There was a group of mountaineers which decided to make a historical record being the first group that reached the peak of the highest mountain of the world. When they finally did it, they got the attention of the whole world. All the television networks talked about them and their background. They became instant celebrities. Then they went back home still being famous among other mountaineers of the world. Years later, there was no more news about them. Their fame faded. They just lived their usual ordinary life after their “mountain experience”. Only few could remember their names and what they achieved in life.
My dear friends, in one way or the other, we experience joy, excitement, happiness and beauty of living especially when we achieve our goal or attain some success in life. If we use the imagery of our scripture passage for today, we call it a “mountain experience”. It is an experience of fulfillment, like celebrating a birthday or having a party where one is the focus of all the attentions. It is like passing a board exam, graduating with honors, receiving one’s first salary or bonus, having a honeymoon after the wedding, etc. It is a happy experience wherein one does not want to put an end. It is like saying there is something good in life, and it feels so good to live one’s life. It is a kind of experience similar to the experience of the three disciples who accompanied Jesus on the mountain. The Gospel narrated that Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain. It was a “mountain experience” for them seeing “something good” up there –“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!” They appreciated their life, their existence. This was so because they were blessed to witness the glory of Jesus’ Transfiguration. They had the privilege to see God’s goodness. They were overwhelmed by their happy experience that one among them did not want to put an end on this. Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Their happy experience could be a good reason for them to remain on the mountain rather than in going back to their ordinary life. Peter would somehow want to say, “Let’s stay here. Let us just be happy. I do not want to have problems anymore. I do not want to go down anymore.” But a voice said to them, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" God wanted the disciples to be realistic. As Jesus led them up a high mountain to experience happiness, Jesus would also lead them down to face the ordinariness of life and its adversities. They had to go down and face the real situation they had, but this time with a new perspective. They had been happy and found God in their midst; so too in their suffering, God will be there in their midst. Life is not about a search for happiness but a journey with God.
Today, our Gospel reminds us Catholics who look for enjoying our lives in whatever ways or reasons, that we cannot just escape a hard life. The reality of trials, difficulties, pain, sickness, etc. serves as an admonition to make ourselves accept any transitions in life, like passing from the state of happiness to the state of unhappiness, and vice-versa. And in any state of our life, the best thing we can do is to listen to the voice of God. We have to settle ourselves down with Jesus and confront the difficulties which await us. Our mountain experience, our happy experience gives us the assurance that God knows what is happening to us. What we only need is to listen to Him. Amen.

1st Sunday of Lent Year B -Mark 1: 12-15

There was an old man who was found lying on the street while grasping his breath called for help. Some bystanders responded and rushed him to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, the attending nurses tried to look for some possible identification cards from the old man’s pocket. They found nothing except a calling card of a lawyer. The nurses called up the lawyer and told him his father is in the hospital. They asked him to come over after they gave him all the details he needed. After some hours, the lawyer arrived. He went to the room of the old man and he saw he was catching his breath. The lawyer held his right hand and said, “It is okay. I am here for you.” Then the old man died peacefully. The attending nurses and the bystanders who brought the man to the hospital tried to console the lawyer regarding the death of his father. But the lawyer said, “I am sorry but I do not know that man. He is not my father. I just stayed with him because I sensed he needed help. I wanted to assure him, that he could count on me especially before he passed away.”
My dear friends, sometimes we experience we are drained emotionally, financially, psychologically, sociologically, intellectually, physically and even spiritually. If we use the imagery of our scripture passage for today, we call it a “desert experience”. It is a kind of experience similar to the experience of Jesus in the desert that we feel we are alone in isolation or desolation with no more energy to go on with our lives. During such hard times, we need to hear from someone saying “It is okay. I am here for you.” Why? It is because on such moments we find ourselves vulnerable and weak. We cannot think clearly and objectively. We are prone to commit sin as well as the greatest blunder of our life. We need someone to give us strength. We can learn about this from the scripture itself. In our Gospel, it says, At once the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. This suggests that the Spirit allows us to go through a desert experience. With the presence of the Spirit, we are therefore never alone. God is with us along the way to the desert. The Gospel indicates that God allows us to experience a desert in life but not without His help. It is on such very moment that we have to recognize the source of our strength as we go through a desert experience. And in all cases we need God’s strength. If we rely solely on our strength, if we try to do things alone, Satan takes this instance as an opportunity to tempt us. How many are there who commit suicide or kill people when they are depressed, stressed out or tensed? How many people are there who use drugs, engage in illicit sexual activities and drink liquor everyday to find some relief from their problems? These would only happen when we fail to take our strength from God. To emphasize that God allows us to go through a desert experience but with His help, He sends us angels to assist us aside from His Spirit. In our Gospel, it says, Jesus was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. God therefore does not really leave us alone. He sends us someone –an angel at our side. If we try to evaluate our past desert experiences, at first, we asked why some things happened in our life which we never wanted to happen. But at the end, we realize that it was during those moments that we have found our angels in disguise –our family, our true friends and even strangers or people we least expect to help us. This makes us realize that a desert experience is not that bad at all. On this first Sunday of Lent, we have to recognize that in our desert experience, we do not only find temptations, Satan and wild beasts, but also angels and the Spirit of God who give us strength.