April 8, 2012 – Easter Sunday

We reminded ourselves during the Holy Week how Jesus was mocked, tortured and crucified for the salvation of mankind. Jesus died in silence and redeemed by God thru His resurrection which we celebrate every Easter.  We need to remember that each Easter God’s sacrifice gives us eternal life. It opens our eyes and makes us realize of the hope we have in Christ. We must relocate our old lives out of the worldliness of sins by means of repentance and into the spirit of new life with Christ. Our faith in Him brings real joy because we recognize that we are not alone and that Christ is always near, especially during times of great difficulty. Despite the pain and suffering in our world, victory will triumph over failure, good triumph over evil just like eternal life triumphed over the death of Jesus. May the promise of Easter fill your heart with peace and joy! Rejoice in the Lord's triumph!

April 2, 2012 – John 12: - Mary anoints Jesus

The gospel is about how Judas became jealous of Jesus when Mary anointed Him with perfume. In real life, we encounter people who got jealous of what we owned and have achieved. We see and hear people who receive praise and recognition at their place of work, in the church or in their family. This public acclamation can cause jealousy by those who did not receive it. They say good and bad things about others. They employ false witness against neighbors and fall into great sin. So what we need is repentance by asking God’s forgiveness. We should then fix our eyes on our blessings before us not on others. We should focus our attention on how we can attain our own crown of glory and success. Every human being has its own fame or achievement depending on how he/she manages or controls his own life. But we should always have Christ in our minds when we work towards the fulfillment of our dreams.

March 25, 2012 – Numbers 21:5-7 - The Bronze Serpent

In his homily today, Fr. Glenn McDonald talked on how the Israelites became impatient about their plight during the time of Moses. He said we can relate this story to our lives which is full of bumps and difficulties. What we need to do is to say “I accept” to whatever difficulties and trials we are facing. We should pray for the gift of acceptance if things didn’t work out well in our lives. We should present and offer to the Lord our problems and have the gift of faith to believe that God will help us find solutions to our present situations. 

During this Lent, let us examine ourselves how we became impatient, lose hope in our sordid lives and feel sorry for the sins we have committed against God. Life is not a bed of roses or near perfection but with thorns or sufferings. God has unlimited love for everybody and he will not deny anyone who seeks help and asks forgiveness from Him.

March 16, 2012 - Mark 12:28-34 – The First Commandment

The gospel of Mark focuses on the two commandments of God, that is: To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with your all mind and with all your strength; and the other is: To love your neighbors as yourself. So how do we show our love for our neighbors? Do we discriminate other people because of their religion, background, culture, physical attributes, gender, age, etc.? Do we care for our neighbors or we just love ourselves? Do we treat doctors, lawyers, fellow workers, your boss and staff, unemployed, beggars equally? Do you see yourself as insensitive to the needs, feelings, and emotions of other people? What happiness does it bring if we just consider ourselves, protect ourselves or enrich ourselves at the expense of others? If we think only of ourselves, we detach ourselves from others and we become lonesome. Then, evil thoughts will come in which will in turn lead to a sinful life and in the end loose one’s life. What we need is the change of heart, to open our heart in loving others, to understand people’s lives, to sympathize and empathize with them. We should show our love for our neighbors by having the correct attitude towards those who are superior to us and those who are below us. If we treat others with love and respect, we will receive the same kind of treatment. Blessings and graces will abound into their lives who follow the commandments of God.

Feb. 22, 2012 – Matthew 6:1-3,4,17,18 – ASH WEDNESDAY

The reflections on the gospel is about fasting and almsgiving which are penitential rites done during lenten season. When we do fasting, we limit the intake of food and feel grateful for the food we eat everyday which are blessings from God. It then forces us to get out of our comfort zone to make some sacrifice and  become  better human beings. We should think that the money we can save in fasting can be shared to others through almsgiving especially to  those people who are deprived  of necessities in life.

 

What is also important in fasting is not the quantity of food by eating  less but by obedience to God. We follow God's plan of salvation thru the sacraments and ask for forgiveness by doing the penitence. When we recite the act of confession during the mass, particularly the words “through my faults, through my faults, through my most grievous faults”, we recognize our mistakes, errors, sins and became accountable and liable for what we have done to hurt other people. We offer our humbled hearts during the mass with the right spirit. Then, we share in the body of Christ not for human reasons but for God's reasons.

 

Fasting does not only pertain to eating less food intake but can be done thru abstaining from gossips and pursuits. It is like taming the tounge during lent. Fasting transform the renewal of our mind by giving importance to God. We focus our mind on Him and do less talking to harm others. 

Feb. 8, 2012 – Mark 7:14,15-23 - The tradition of the Elders

The gospel speaks about the difference between external observance of the law of God and the spirituality of the heart. Christianity tells us the state of the heart and the importance of the laws of love. Loving thy neighbor is the second most important commandment of God. If we show loving kindness to one another, we are following his commandments. Keeping the law at the expense of others is not following the law of God. Jesus said that the holiness, purity and wholeness of a person come from within. It is not just the external things that we do that makes us holy like fasting, alms giving and attending mass. It is necessary that we must show our love to others, care for them and do good things. If we disregard these things, we think only of ourselves and evil things will come out from us.   

Feb. 6, 2012 – Mark 6:53-56 – Healing the Sick in Gennesaret

The gospel talks about Jesus’ tremendous compassion to those who are sick. Compassion means “to suffer with” so one who is compassionate is one who is sensitive to the needs of others. When we see children in distress, we are alarmed so we become compassionate. Everyone has the ability to compassion. But there are other people who are so pre-occupied with many things that they don’t know care about the agony of others. By following Christ, we can become compassionate and concerned of others than ourselves.

Compassion is not only knowing but feeling the sufferings of other people. By just knowing or noticing how people are being maltreated and tortured is not enough. We have to relive and to act something about the sufferings we see around. We must seek in our hearts what Christ wants us to do those who are being tormented. Christ will help us open our hearts to compassion and let people know that we care for them.

Feb. 4, 2012 – 1 King 3:7,9-13 - Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

The message of the reading is about an understanding mind and heart which is wisdom, the ability to discern between good and evil. Jesus is the perfect embodiment of wisdom. He gives not just knowledge or information but wisdom to those who ask and are entitled for it. Once we have the gift of wisdom, God wants us to share it with others thru evangelization. The gospel is a nursery of wisdom. It speaks about how to live, love and die in peace. So we have to share the gospel and use our wisdom to control our lives.