Dust to Dust

Once again, we go through the annual ritual of Ash Wednesday: we approach the priest or his representative to place ashes on our foreheads while we listen to the words: "Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return." A reminder, a warning, an invitation.

It is a reminder: a statement of an undeniable fact: that in the beginning and in the end, we are dust. We are mere earth. The Scriptures attest to this. Genesis tells us how Yahweh formed the first human being from clay, how He breathed life into it, making it a human being. Experience attests to this. We see how a dead body decomposes and turns into a mound of earth after cremation. There is no fable or fiction here: pure fact. From dust to dust.

It is a warning: a warning precisely against making a fable or fiction of who or what we are. Don't we spend much money, much energy, much time turning the fact of our mortality into a fiction? Think of age-resisting creams, death-defying technologies, forever young vitamins peddled to us by media. And we are all-too willing gullibles. In the end, it all comes to dust, inevitably! What a waste, in the end, it all is!

It is an invitation: to turn to God in Jesus Christ, for the real meaning and purpose of human life. Not in the dust, not in the decay, not in the dead, but in Christ, alive and risen. And it is for the joyful celebration of the Easter of His Resurrection that we are actually preparing for in Lent. We are invited "to turn away from sin and believe in the Good News!" The Good News is that the dust of death is not the dead end of the story of our life. The end is the glory of life, with Jesus Risen...

...but only if we follow Him on His way to the Cross!

For Our Beloved Country

These days, our thoughts travel back to memory lane to reminisce the first EDSA which happened 20 years ago. There has been efforts by various people to retell the story of EDSA from the point of view of those who really made it possible, the countless and nameless ordinary people who trooped to EDSA, unmindful of the real possibility of being machine-gunned by the military men deployed by the dictator. They are the real heroes of EDSA. Them we salute and for the future generations of Filipinos, we continue to renew, even if only in our hearts, the spirit of EDSA.

The readings at Mass for Sunday, Feb. 26, answers the question raised by many people after having observed how our beloved country hasn't seem to have moved forward after the first EDSA? Where have we gone wrong? What should we do/ have to be able to move on? The readings tell us: consistency, accountability, Christocentricity.

Consistency: The Gospel suggests that if you have a new wine, you put in new wineskins. If you have a new element, you put it in a new container as well. The product and its environment should be new, too. Internally and externally, there should be renewal. This did not happen in our case. After a few months or years after EDSA, people of the old regime were back in power. Corruption and nepotism have stayed. The change was only on the outside, not in the inside. Or inside, but not the outside. There has to be consistency.

Accountability: The first reading tells us how Yahweh plans to lead Israel to the wilderness and there to speak to her. In the context of Israel's story, this means starting with the relationship all over again, but not without testing and purifying, not without making Israel responsible and accountable for her sins and crimes. The same thing should happen to our country. It's not enough to be sorry and to apologize. One has to take responsibility for one's wrongs and crimes. Wrongdoers have to answer for their misdeeds, which is not happening in this country.

Christocentricity: This seems like a pious word without social import. This is not about more rosaries or more novenas or processions. This means centering one's life on Christ, and in the process imbibing his worldview and values: one that stands for fairness and justice, one that cringes at the sight of hungry and sick people, one that is angered at hypocrisy and pure showmanship. To be Christ-centered is to think and act like Christ. While the Philippines is predominantly Catholic, it is a stinging irony that we are in the list of most corrupt countries.

May this 20th year of EDSA be an opportunity to rekindle love for our country, especially among young people. As Rizal, through Padre Florentino, exclaims in El Filibusterismo:

“where are the youths who will dedicate their innocence, their idealism, their enthusiasm to the good of the country? Where are they who will give generously of their blood to wash away so much shame, crime and abomination? Pure and immaculate must the victim be for the sacrifice to be acceptable. Where are you, young men and women, who are to embody in yourselves the life-force that has been drained from our veins, the pure ideals that grown stained in our minds, the fiery enthusiasm that has been quenched in our hearts? We await you, come for we await you!”

A Big Heart

Someone asked, "What does Valentine's Day mean for celibate priests (and nuns)?" Indeed, if priests and nuns do not expect to give and receive roses and chocolates and heart-shaped balloons on Valentine's Day, then what is Valentine's Day for us?
I guess it's a day to remind myself/ ourselves of the importance of having a big heart which is necessary if one is to live a truly fruitful celibate life.

While physiologically, a big heart or enlarged heart will certainly lead to death, spiritually, a big heart brings life. This is because a big heart enables a priest or anyone who wants to truly love inclusively to receive and accommodate every person who comes to him/her or who is entrusted to him/ her...a priest his parishioners, a formator his/her formands, a teacher her students, a parent his children, a physician her patients.

Not all parishioners, formands, students, children, patients are like-able, pleasant, easy to handle. Not all the time will they be passionate and enthusiastic. Sometimes, they will be lost sheep or black sheep. But with a big heart, the priest, the formator, the teacher, the parent, the physician can always welcome them anytime, and they know they can always come home for this is always a place for them in their heart of the one who loves them truly.

Love That Heals and Restores

It's a terrible thing to experience being avoided by people. If it is because of some perceived contagious disease, the pain of being excluded by people is perhaps more painful than the physical illness itself.

When Jesus heals the leper in this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus instructs him to show himself to the priests so that they may give him a "clean bill of health" and officially reinstate him to the community. This is because a sick man, more so a leper, is considered unclean and is not to join the community.

Jesus, then, not only heals the physical pain of the leper, but also the psycho-emotional pain involved in his being excluded from the community. Jesus' healing restores him not just to physical wholeness but into the community as well. Hence, Jesus heals not just one aspect of our life, but all the other areas of our life that need to be touched by His grace. May we allow Him to fully restore us to health...totally, fully, lovingly.

Jesus: Food for the Hungry

On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes (Feb. 11), the daily Gospel happen to be the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mark 8:1-10). A gospel passage like this makes us reflect on the reality of hunger in the world. Maybe we ourselves do not experience hunger, but certainly someone in our neighborhood is hungry this very moment. In Africa, a child or perhaps hundreds of children are dying because of hunger. The recent Ultra stampede which killed 74 people is just another instance of how hunger has become a life-and-death situation in this country.

How can a feast like this spur us to address this urgent problem? How can devotion to the the Blessed Mother move us from pious rites and rituals to a real concern and concrete action for our hungry brothers and sisters? Perhaps we can ask how Mary has become blessed by all generations and among all women. What has she done for the millions of hungry children and people all over the world?

I don't know if the answer: "She has brought Jesus to the world" will convince you. But isn't it true that if, like Mary, we bring Jesus to our hungry brothers and sisters, we can not but give them something to eat, or teach them to find something to eat. Because when Jesus Himself saw the crowds who were exhausted and hungry, He had compassion for them and He did something to feed them.

What to do in the face of hunger in the world? As Mary did, bring Jesus to the world that is hungry, yes for physical food, but more so, for spiritual food, Jesus Himself.

Jesus, the Healer, A Man of Prayer

Where does Jesus' healing power come from? Today's Gospel seems to highlight Jesus' healing activity: he healed Simon's mother-in-law who was suffering from a fever; he cast out demons from those possessed by them; he cured all other sickness in people brought to him. Jesus seems to be a wonder worker, a miracle worker, with supernatural, spectacular powers. But where does his healing power come from? From himself, from his own authority? The answer lies in one seemingly insignificant detail in the Gospel: that of Jesus taking time to pray very early in the morning.

This is where Jesus' healing power comes from: from his prayer. He is able to heal because he is a man of prayer. His communion with the Father is the source of his power. Were he not receiving strength from His Father, He could not heal. Were he not strengthened by the love of His Father, he could not have absorbed all the "negative energies" from all the sick and possessed people brought to him. Jesus is the healer because He is a man of prayer.

In various ways, we are called to be healers, whether as physicians or as ordinary people: to heal broken bodies, broken hearts, broken psyches, broken relationships. But where shall we get the power and the strength if not from prayer? May we make prayer an essential and non-negotiable element in our daily life.

Blessed be the Lord who heals the broken-hearted!

Jesus' Power over Demons

In today's Gospel, Jesus drives out a demon from a man. This is Jesus' first miracle as reported by Mark. Immediately, Mark presents Jesus driving out a demon at the outset of his public ministry. Why? Because Mark wants to show that Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom by word (as announced by Jesus a few verses earlier) is accompanied by a proclamation by deed. If indeed the Kingdom of God has come, then the kingdom of Satan, prince of demons has come to an end. This episode shows that. In Jesus, the reign of Satan has come to an end. Even the demon knows who Jesus us: the Holy One of God!

Let us allow Jesus to come into our hearts and lives. Let us allow God to truly reign in our hearts and lives, that the demons inside us may be driven away. For only Jesus has the power and authority to drive them out...by His words.

Let the responsorial psalm be our earnest prayer: If today, you hear His voice, harden not your hearts!

Being Nourished by the Word

This week is National Bible Week. Although we are to be conscious of the central importance of the Bible the whole year round, this week are asked to reflect more intensely on the power of the Bible, the Word of God, to nourish our souls. To be nourished by the Bible, three things are essential: Read the Word, Live the word, Proclaim the Word.

READ THE WORD. It is a beautiful practice to read the Word everyday. Just as we feed ourselves with physical food to strengthen our bodies for the day's work, so must we feed ourselves with the Word of God to strengthen our souls. Each day, we have to face many trials and tests, and only with the Word of God read at the beginning of each day can we weather these tests of faith.

LIVE THE WORD. It is not enough to read the Word. If we only read the Word, then we make it no different from a textbook or a magazine. Living the Word is the way to let the Word penetrate our hearts and allow it to shape our hearts. This, of course, is a grace from God. However, we can be assured that the Holy Spirit is there to assist us in this process.

PROCLAIM THE WORD. Finally, the reading and living of the Word of God issue into proclamation. This means announcing to others what we have discovered as we read and live the Word of God. This means telling them as Mary Magdalene did to the other disciples on Easter morning: "I have seen the Lord!" It is to allow others to have a glimpse of the mystery and beauty of the Word.

Read the Word. Live the Word. Proclaim the Word. May the Word of God burn in our hearts that we may be light for the world and draw others to the true Light which is Christ Himself!

I NEED YOU. I TRUST YOU. I LET YOU.

Feast of the Sto. Nino
(Mark 10:13-16)

Why is there a “second childhood”? Is it a second and last chance to enjoy the things we were not able to enjoy much on our first childhood? Or is it a second and last chance to learn what we failed to learn during our first childhood? Or is it the second and last chance to be “like a child” as the Gospel says, so that we could enter the Kingdom of God?

What does it mean to be “like a child?” What does a child do which an adult should imitate? Presumably because the adult does not do such a thing, or no longer does it or does not want to do it. But only in doing it can one enter the Kingdom of God. I guess, a child, unlike an adult, has no difficulty saying, “I need you. I trust you. I let you.”

I need you. A child needs his/her parents to live, to survive, to have a decent and human life. From the very beginning of its existence, it depends on its mother for its nourishment. It can not do without the mother, and later on, the parents. A child does not hesitate to express its needs. But when the child becomes an adult, he ceases to need other people, and rightly so perhaps, because he/ she has to grow as an independent individual. But many succumb to the tendency to declare total independence from others, from the world, from the environment, and ultimately, from God.

I trust you. A child trusts that his mother will take care of him. She trusts that people around him care about her. The child experiences his first frustrations when he suddenly realizes that the people he trusts has betrayed him. When the wounds of these betrayals are not healed, the adult becomes suspicious of other people, of the world, of God. He lives in paranoia, trusting no one, not even himself, not even God.

I let you. Because a child realizes that he could not many things, he lets other people do it for him. He allows people whom he trusts to provide for his needs, to help him in tasks still beyond his capacity to complete. He acknowledges his needs. He trusts. He lets go and lets be. But an adult who has become self-sufficient, who has because suspicious of everyone would not let anyone, even God, to do anything, to be anything for him/her.

To be a like a child? It is to be able to say, to others, to God: “I need you. I trust you. I let you.”

Talk of Being Starstruck

Epiphany of Our Lord
(Mt. 2:1-11)

In the Philippines, "Starstruck" is a reality search on TV for new young stars. There, hundreds of young people audition to get a chance to be included in the Magic 14 who will be qualified for the Finals. The show’s motto is “DREAM, BELIEVE, SURVIVE!” Indeed, these young people are there because of their dream. And they do believe that their dream will come true. That is why they try to survive the various challenges along the way to stardom.

Is it possible that the wise men from the East who traveled in search of the Christ were starstruck too? But they were starstruck in a different sense! And so, their motto is not "dream, believe, survive", but DREAM, BELIEVE, SURRENDER!

DREAM: The wise men said that they had seen the star of the Messiah rose in the sky. This means that they had been watching out for this star. In a way, they had been dreaming of seeing one day the rising of this star, for they knew what it meant. The rising of star means the fulfillment of the age-old promise of Messiah for Israel and for the whole world. Their lives have been shaped by this dream. And they did not stop until their dream would be realized.

BELIEVE: Not only did the wise men dream. They also believed that the sign of the star was pointing to a reality. They believed in the promise of God, so they eagerly awaited for the rising of the star. They believed that by following the star, they would be led to the Messiah. They believed that they would find the Christ even if it meant leaving homes, traveling through dirt roads and cold nights, even if it meant facing King Herod who would be threatened by their purpose.

SURRENDER: The wise men’s search and the finding of the Christ-child was not to be a game of survival. It was not of their own efforts alone that they would find the Messiah. That is why they have to be led by the stars and by advised by the experts in Jerusalem. They would have to surrender to powers greater than themselves. And upon finding the Child, they bowed down in adoration, a gesture of surrender to the majesty of the King laid on the manger.

DREAM, BELIEVE, SURRENDER! On this solemnity of the Epiphany which brings us closer to the end of the Christmas season, and as we begin a New Year, let us be starstruck, not by fame or fortune, but by Christ Himself, the Star of our lives.

Starting the New Year with Mary

As we begin the New Year, the Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. We can learn from Mary some ways to begin the New Year right. In her life, Mary shows the
3 Rs which can be helpful in starting the New Year: Reflectiveness, Responsiveness, Readiness

Reflectiveness: Twice in his infancy narrative, Luke speaks of how Mary "treasured these things in her heart and pondered on them." Here, we see Mary reflecting on her experiences. She does not simply let them pass unnoticed, unexamined. She pauses to see how the Lord
has been moving in her life. It would certainly profit us to reflect on our experiences of the past year, and of our life so far and see how God has been moving in our life.

Responsiveness: Rather than being reactive, we may try to be more responsiveness this coming year. This means not just waiting for things to happen and react on them, oftentimes on impulse. With Mary' s example, we can be more pro-active and responsive to the events that unfold in our life.

Readiness: In the end, Mary submits to the will of God. She is ready to place herself at the disposal of God, confident in God's power to carry our his plans and to make use of the simple gift of Mary's self in realizing the grand plan to save mankind. We also pray that the coming year will find us ever more ready to do the will of God: "Be it done to me as you say."

Happy New Year!

Advent Preparation Tips

When Advent comes, we are excited because the “Lord is coming.” And our prayer is “Come, Lord Jesus!” Our excitement inspires us to prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of Jesus…whether in His “second coming” as the King of glory at the end of time or of our lives…or in His “third coming” as one like us in the person of our poor brothers and sisters, everyday of our lives. Perhaps we can do three things: reconciliation with God, reading the Bible, and reaching out to the poor.

Reconciliation with God
When we are expecting a visitor, we do house cleaning. How much more must we put our house, ie, our hearts and lives, if the one who is coming is the Lord Himself. He has given us the sacrament of reconciliation to cleanse us of our sins and give us the strength to triumph over the temptations hounding us each day.

Reading the Bible
When we are expecting a visitor, especially if he/she is one we have not met before, we want to know more about him/her. How much more should be we familiar with the guest if He is the Lord. We have the Holy Bible where we can read about who this coming one is. At least Chapters 1 and 2 of Matthew and Luke will be most helpful in this regard.

Reaching out to the Poor
In the Parable of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:3-46), the king says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food.” Hence, it is the Lord we are entertaining whenever we deal charitably with our hungry, naked, thirsty brothers and sisters. And there are many of them around us. Sharing our blessings with them is one sure way of making our Christmas joyful, because there is more joy in giving than in receiving.

“In his love He has filled us with joy
as we prepare to celebrate His birth,
so that when he comes, he may find us watching in prayer,
our hearts filled with wonder and praise.” (Advent Preface II)

On the "Misa de Gallo/ Simbanggabi" 2

MISA DE GALLO: GETTING READY FOR 'SIMBANG GABI'
MANILA, December 15, 2003
(MALAYA) By FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO

THE alarm clock is buzzing. Just as you have drifted merrily to sleep, the clock is telling you to get up as you have to start your day. But its 3 in the morning, and the sweet allure of your bed and the enchanting feel of your pillows are simply hard to resist. But then your senses start drumming up fast and the main reason why you had to wake up early had also started ringing in your mind: Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo.

While trying at best to stay awake amid the cool breeze and trying to listen to the Mass itself as it unfolds at so early in the morning, Simbang Gabi has become so much a part of our lives as it has been part of the Christian Family tradition.

Simbang Gabi was adopted from the Catholic Misa de Gallo, which literally means mass of the rooster, to indicate it is held at dawn when the rooster crows.

Dawn and Midnight Masses
Simbang Gabi lasts for nine consecutive days beginning December 16. Traditionally, it is held at dawn, but some parishes offer anticipated masses one night in advance. This religious event dates back to the time when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi celebrated the first feast of the Nativity in 1565 in the archipelago.

Simbang Gabi traces its roots in Mexico when, in 1587, Fray Diego de Soria, prior of the convent of San Agustin Acolman, petitioned the Pope for permission to hold Christmastide masses outdoors because the church could not accommodate the multitude that attended the dawn services. When the request was granted, the masses became known as Misa de Aguinaldo.

It was in the 16th century when Pope Sixtus V decreed that these pre-dawn masses be also held in the Philippines starting every December 16. The decree was in keeping with the nine-day traditional festivals of Filipinos in celebrating auspicious occasions like harvestime. It was also meant to give farmers a chance to hear mass before setting out for the fields. Rural Filipinos were used to starting the day two hours before sunrise. Church bells ring to call the faithful to Simbang Gabi. In some provinces, brass bands play traditional Chirstmas music and parish priests would go as far as knocking on the doors of every home.

After the nine-day Simbang Gabi follows the Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster). This is held on midnight of December 24 to welcome the birth of the Saviour. In some churches, the panunuluyan, depicting Mary and Joseph's efforts to find a suitable birthplace, is reenacted and the baby Jesus first makes his appearance in the manger of the Belen, the Nativity Scene.

Simbang gabi is said to have started in the 18th century by a Spanish friar who intended it as a novena for a bountiful harvest the following year. The friar was said to have timed the Misa de Gallo to culminate with the Misa de Aguinaldo, or the midnight mass on Christmas Eve, which was then followed by the family's noche buena or midnight meal. The masses were set at dawn to accommodate the farmers who had to attend to their fields during the day. After the harvest proves bountiful, the dawn Masses became an annual tradition.

A Sacrifice for God
Fr. Lito Jopson from the Archdiocese of Manila, explains that Simbang Gabi celebrating Simbang gabi from another part of the world aside from the Philippines can prove to be very interesting as well as inspiring. "Imagine, even though it's freezing cold, Filipinos would still flock to their churches wearing barong while the women would put on their elegant ternos. One could feel nostalgia with choir singing Tagalog songs as "Pasko na Naman" and "Himig Pasko." After the mass, the parishioners are treated to a sumptuous Filipino dinner with the traditional puto, kutsinta, and bibingka to remind them of how wonderful it is to experience Christmas, the Filipino way," he said.

Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2003 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved

http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/sb/sb003180.htm

On the "Misa de Gallo/ Simbang Gabi" 1

Misa de Gallo
by E.C. Dioko (December 18, 2004)

We attended the Misa de Gallo last Thursday at the Santo Tomas de Villanueva parish in Pardo, this city. As expected, the churchgoers overflowed into the open spaces around the church where in semi-darkness they solemnly took part in the eucharistic celebration. Some people brought their own seats so they went through the rites with little discomfort. But most of them had to stand throughout the one hour affair, an ordeal they seemed to gladly accept, anyway, perhaps conscious of its penitential value. Stacked closely together, it was natural to feel distressingly warm and indeed, without the usual "cold nose" of December some worshippers had to use their fans.

Hearing the mass outside the church, which was where we wanted to be to avoid the stuffy air inside, we really missed the cold touch of December. Misa de Gallo and the cold wings of dawn used to lend a Christmassy atmosphere to this early morning regimen. In the past one had the extra challenge of leaving the warmth of his bed and braving the cold kiss of the awakening day outside. But no more. Blame it on El Niño or whatever. Things are really not what they used to be.Nevertheless, the whole affair was still as solemn and as meaningful as before, and at the end of the celebration you came out with an inexplicable lilt in the heart, which reminded you of what a poet once said: "All's well…God's in his heaven, all is right with the world".

Why is it that on the first day of the Misa, almost the entire barangay go to church? We once asked this from our old folks aeons ago, and the answer was: In order to live a longer life. Whether this is true or not it's difficult to say. But who dares to doubt the wisdom of the old? Even if a person has traveled a long way in the thoroughfare of science and technology, the call of tradition remains - influencing consciously or unconsciously his reaction to events and circumstances.

In fact, the Misa de Gallo is itself the handiwork of tradition, a distinctly Filipino one. "Gallo" is a Spanish word for cock, so literally translated this is a "mass of the cock", meaning a mass celebrated at the time the cocks are crowing. It is said that during the Spanish era church authorities held masses very early in the morning to enable field workers to attend them. Later, when it was felt necessary to hold a nine-day novena in honor of Jesus' birth, the mass became part of the devotion. And since gift-giving is practiced during Christmas the Misa de Gallo later was called Misa de Aguinaldo. Attending it entails some sacrifices, and these are what the faithfuls offer to the Child Jesus as their gift to him.The beauty of the Misa is therefore the beauty of the act of sacrifice we offer to the Infant Child.

Since every eucharistic celebration is a reliving of Jesus' sacrifice in Calvary, there is therefore a convergence of suffering from both the Savior and the saved. Of course, whatever inconvenience we suffer as we attend the Misa is a mere speck of dust compared to the Lord's passion in the cross. But he invites us nevertheless to the great adventure of selflessness. His assurance: My yoke is easy and my burden is light.Suffering, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, becomes a great gift if accepted in the name of the Lord. The snippets of heartaches we feel from day to day, as well as other sense experiences, in fact, if savored with full surrender to of the divine will, can make a thousand angels smile.

This is therefore the lesson we get by attending the Misa de Gallo: Christmas is not all picnic. Sure, we rejoice that a Savior became incarnate, lived with men, and in the Blessed Sacrament stays with them to show the way. But unless we drink the cup with him, Christmas joys are mere illusions.

http://www.thefreeman.com/opinion/story-20041218-25876.html

little things...big love...great effect

last saturday, we celebrated the feast of st therese of lisieux or st. therese of the child jesus. as many of us know, she was a carmelite nun who died at age 24, but because she did the LITTLE/ ORDINARY THINGS that she was doing in the convent (like washing dishes, cooking food, watering the plans, scrubbing the floor etc) with a BIG/ EXTRAORDINARY LOVE, these had GREAT EFFECTS, because she offered them to God, especially for the missionaries. Hence, she is also the patroness of the missions. Her way is thus called "the little way."

LITTLE THINGS...BIG LOVE...GREAT EFFECT...

questions for reflection/ sharing:
- what are little things that i do everyday which i can offer to God for others?
- or am i able to do the ordinary things in everyday life with big love? if not, why not?
- do i trust that if i do little things with big love, these will have great effects?

please feel free to respond to these points and share your reflections...salamat and have a good week and month ahead of you...

october is rosary month...i encourage everyone to try to pray
the rosary daily this month...

In Honor of INA

This weekend is the annual celebration in Bicolandia of the feast of INA, Our Lady of Penafrancia. Yesterday, I was invited to give a sharing about the Catholic view of Mary. In the same forum, a Muslim lady who teaches Muslim Religious Studies in Xavier University also gave a talk on the Muslim view of Mary. It was a very informative and enlightening experience for me. It was the first time I attended and talked in such forum. I considered my participation in the forum as my way of honoring Mary on her feastday as Patroness of the Bicol Region.

I shared with the group that for Catholics, but especially for Bicolanos, Mary, INA, is a home, a protector and a presence. In Visayan, puluy-anan, panalipdan, presensiya.

Mary as HOME/ PULUY-ANAN. When September comes, every Bicolano wants to be in Naga to join the festivities. Buses, planes, trains are fully booked as early as August. But even if Bicolanos can not be physically present in Naga, they bring Penafrancia with them where ever they are: in Manila, in Mindanao, in Canada, in Italy. Gathering together to pray and eat and chat at the same weekend that their fellow Bicolanos back in Naga are celebrating, they feel truly home. Bicol is home. Bicol equals Penafrancia. Penefancia is INA. INA is home.

And isn't Mary truly a home. For in her womb she gave shelter to the Word made flesh. She is the home of Jesus. When she pronounced her Yes! to the angel, she allowed herself to be home for Jesus (cf. Luke 1:26-38). In her body, the Son of God has found a home. In her heart, the sons and daugthers of God have also found a home.

Mary as PROTECTOR/ PANALIPDAN. History has it that the devotion to the Penafrancia grew and spread especially when Bicolanos were spared from the cholera plague in the 17th century. Bicol lies along the path of typhoons, but it has resiliently recovered from destructions brought by these natural disasters, thanks to the intercession of Mary. A town in Camarines Sur, Calabanga, is placed under the patronage of Mary as Our Lady of the Gate. It is said that when a big flood was about to enter the town, a lady stood the gate of the town and the town was spared from the flood. Many Bicolanos attest to the miraculous power of the image and mantle of Penafrancia. Indeed, Mary is protector, from calamities, disasters and sicknesses.

But isn't she truly a protector from what would otherwise hurt us? She came to the rescue of the wedding hosts in Cana when they ran out of wine. She told her Son the potentially embarrassing situation. Though his hour had not yet come, Jesus performed his very first miracle, thanks to the intercession of Mary (cf. Jn 2:1-11).

Mary as PRESENCE/ PRESENSIYA. May times, however, we feel that our prayers are left unanswered. It seems that Mary is powerless to obtain our needs. And rightly so, because Mary is just a human being like us. She is not God. She can only pray for us, pray with us. She can not perform the miracle herself. Jesus is the one who can perform the miracle. But even Jesus, God Himself seems powerless to stop the evils that afflict us. In these times, Mary does not leave us. In fact, she is even closer to us during these times. She is present to us during times of need, sickness, pains, problems, oftentimes quietly, silently.

And isn't that what she did at the foot of the cross? (cf. Jn 19:2-17). She could not stop the execution and crucifixion of Jesus. She could not lessen the physical pain of Jesus. But she was there. She was there present. She was there uniting herself with the suffering and death of Jesus. She is presence, quiet, silent, from beginning to the end.

Ina, Inay, Mama...Maria, Maryam, Mary is, for Bicolanos, for Filipinos, for Christians, for all who look up to Jesus: home, protector, presence: puluy-anan, panalipdan, presensiya.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Mary to us. Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of your Mother, our Mother.

Beware of Envy!

Today's Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16: "Or are you envious because I am generous?" This is the landowner's question to those who received the just pay but complained that the owner paid those who worked only for a brief period of time the same amount given to them. Looks unfair but it is not, because the Master deals with his workers not based on strict justice, but on generous mercy and love.

Envy seems a natural reaction especially when we notice other people having more than what we have. What could we do when we feel the beginnings of envy in our hearts so that we can guard ourselves from it and prevent it from growing into a "green-eyed monster doth mock the meat it feeds on?"

May I suggest three things:
1. Focus on WHAT YOU HAVE: We are usually envious of the things we do not have. We are not contented with what we already have. Although we can actually live with what we have, we tend to want more. We want even those things we don't need. Perhaps it would help to focus on what we have rather than on what we do not have.
2. Focus on WHO YOU ARE: We are usually envious of other people's status or standing because perhaps we are not as famous or popular as they are. We are not contented with who we are: our basic and fundamental identity is that we are children of God. We are not just hired hands, we are children of God, and that should more than enough for us.
3. Focus on WHO GOD IS: THE GIVER: Nevertheless, focusing just on what we have and who we are is not enough, for oftentimes, we do not have anything or we are truly nobody in society. Hence, our ultimate focus must be God Himself, the Giver. He is and must be the source of the meaning of our life: our most precious possession. And our relationship with Him is what defines who we are.

With St Ignatius we pray, "Give me only your love and your grace. And I will ask for nothing more."

True Treasure

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Pearl of Great Price were read in Masses last Sunday and yesterday. Both parables invite us to reflect on these questions: "What are our treasures in life? Are these treasures for real?" I proposed to the congregation that the characteristics of true treasures are: invisibility, innumerability and immortality. Earthly treasures, while important, do not meet these criteria. But generosity, kindness and love do. May we, then, invest our time and talent and in seeking these treasures. In the process, we hope to find the only one true treasure, Christ Himself. Have a good day!

To Be A Priest: To Be Placed With The Son

May 2005

When I was about to begin the retreat prior to my priestly ordination, I had a feeling that it was going to be a different retreat. I was just less than 60 days away from the moment when Bishop Claver would lay his hand on my head and anoint my palms with the sacred chrism, making me a priest forever. Each day I came closer to my ordination, my desire for the priesthood burnt ever more ardently, as I felt myself drawn more and more closely to a mystery much bigger and greater than myself. And I thought that this retreat will prepare me for what Thomas Merton called “the perfect meeting with God’s inscrutable will.”

I started the retreat praying, although without much feeling at the moment, Ignatius’ prayer to Our Lady, “Place me with your Son.” This, according to Fr. Arevalo, our professor in Holy Orders course and veteran director of pre-ordination retreats, is the priestly prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola. He says that it is, and must be the prayer of every ordinand, for to be a priest is to be placed with the Son. When I did the contemplations which were to be concluded with the triple colloquys: to Our Lady, to Christ and to the Father, I started to mean what I was saying. But it was not until I prayed over the Baptism of Jesus that I understood what I was asking for.

In the Baptism of Jesus, of course, as the Spirit hovered over Jesus in the form of a dove, a voice from the heavens was heard declaring, “This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus asked to be baptized in obedience to the Father’s will and in solidarity with sinners. When Jesus approached to receive John’s baptism of repentance, the latter protested saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Mt. 3:14-15). Thus is He proclaimed by the Father as His beloved Son and given the fullness of the Spirit. In His obedience and solidarity, Jesus is claimed by the Father as His Son, the Son of God. Similarly, in Marks’s gospel, Jesus is fully revealed as the Son of God in the statement by the Roman centurion as He hung dead on the cross - in obedience to the Father’s will and in solidarity with sinners.

If, for the New Testament, Christ is the one and only priest, then His priesthood consists in these two elements: obedience to the Father’s will and solidarity with sinners (Heb. 4:14-15; 5:8). His obedience to the Father is the manifestation of His total union with the Him. Thus He says, “I came not seeking my own will but the will of Him who sent me.” And it is because He is in total union with the Father that He is in full solidarity with sinners. If a priest is to be configured to Christ by his ordination, then he must grow in this intimate union with the Father and in solidarity with humanity. If priesthood is to be placed with the Son, it is to be placed with the Son who is totally united to the Father and fully united with each human being.

This was how my pre-ordination retreat prepared me to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. It gave me a clearer understanding of a priestly prayer that I often mumbled without fully realizing what I was begging the Lord for. It also deepened my desire to cultivate a more intimate relationship with God, the source of my identity as a priest placed with the Son, and a desire to develop a more personal relationship with the people I am tasked to minister to. I bring to my priesthood a deep conviction that these two elements are the essentials of a priesthood that reflects the ministry of Jesus, the Son, the Good Shepherd.

It has been three months now since my ordination, I have presided over eighty Eucharistic celebrations, baptized more a hundred of babies, heard many confessions and anointed a couple of sick people, and officiated in four weddings. However, I could not claim that I have become totally united to God and have attained full solidarity with humanity after a couple of months as priest. But this much I can say: that the opportunity, or perhaps more precisely, the privilege, of being able to mediate the Lord’s forgiving and healing love, and to gather His people around the table of His nourishing real presence, increases my desire to be that worthy channel of His grace to His people.

I still find myself struggling with the same temptations besetting me prior to my ordination. The attraction to capitulate to these temptations remain just as strong. It is as if the evil spirit has doubled its efforts to win me over and that he has devised more devious and subtle strategies to cause me to fall into the trap. Perhaps it makes sense to think that while the Lord Jesus was hanging on the cross, the temptation to give up and give in to easy way out of the cross was even stonger, more than ever. Yet precisely because He chose to submit to the unfathomable will of the Father that He overcame the temptation. Thus was He acknowledged as the Son of God.

Similarly, I suppose, in a priest’s life, when he finds himself torn between the appetites of his lower nature and the desires of his higher calling, and he chooses to obey as Jesus did, then the priests experiences real union with Christ and is acknowledged also as a son of God. But I believe, too, that even if a priest fails and falls, the Father will still accept him as his son, for the Father is the merciful father in the Luke’s parable of the father and his two sons. Let this experience of his sinfulness even in his priesthood be an entry point to a deeper solidarity with his fellow human beings, fellow sinners. Hence, it is with sincere humility and gratitude that I pronounce the following words from the Eucharistic prayer: “We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you.”

Let me not forget to say that Ignatius’ prayer was made not to the Father, but to the Blessed Mother. Of course, it is the Father who ultimately granted Ignatius’s prayer as in that landmark vision in the small chapel of La Storta on his way to Rome. But it was through the intercession of the Blessed Mother that his desire was fulfilled. I have heard many times over that the Blessed Mother plays a significant role in the lives of priests, especially in the months before ordination. But I did not appreciate this claim until I myself experienced it in my pre-ordination retreat and yes, even until now, already a couple of months into my priesthood.

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for making me your priest. Thank you, Blessed Mother, for placing me with your Son.

My Geocities Website

http://www.geocities.com/norlan_sj