Tag Archives: Lent

Mar 17 2013

Seeing our real worth: Jesus’ way of love

Homily for 5th Sunday of Lent year C 2013

If we found a crumpled, even slightly torn off five-dollar note on the road, why do we take it. By the look at it, it seems not pleasant at all. It might be soiled but still if no one is looking, we would readily pick it up, well I am speaking for myself now.

We do pick up dollar note no matter how badly it has become not because of its appearance but because of its value, because of its worth. We can still use it. We can buy something out of it despite its appearance because of its real worth.

This is more or less the same message that Jesus wanted to express in our gospel today. He wants to show us that there is more to us than just following the what the  law tells us to do. There is more to the person than just looking at what he or she has done or has failed to do.

The Pharisees and the Scribes wouldn’t realize this because they didn’t really care for the woman at all. They were not concerned of her at all. They just took advantage of her humble and unfortunate situation to further their own self-interests and to realize their plot to get rid of Jesus. They wanted to have their way done in their favour, no matter whose life it may need to sacrifice. All they are interested to hear was Jesus’s answer to their case, and for them, so they thought, there is no way out for Jesus. He has to say YES or NO. And for both answer they have already made up an accusation against him. If Jesus said ‘no’, they’d say he’s breaking the law of Moses. If he said ‘yes’, then many of those following him would immediately stop following him because his YES would betray his claim of a loving, forgiving and a compassionate Father.

But Jesus didn’t like what they are up to. He knew they had lost sight of the reality of the situation. So he had to remind them that he looked at the person as he/she is, not on what he/she has or has done. He has seen that the woman was helpless and thus needing his help, his mercy, his forgiveness. He also has seen that all the people around him, the Pharisees and the scribes included had to be directed back to the real perspective.

He did that quite subtly yet powerfully. He didn’t make any judgment over anyone or over the woman. He seemed to have done this by saying like this: ‘Come on people, there’s life at stake here…and you are still thinking of your own self, of your personal interests, of your distorted understanding of the law of God. Look at the person, not on what he or she does or has failed to do.’ What he did was challenging everyone to have a life check and a lifestyle check. So he said: “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ That caught the Pharisees and the scribes by surprise. They didn’t expect that answer from Jesus. They lost the case, so they left. Of course, the might have realized how narrow-minded they were. And Jesus gave the woman another chance to live.

However, this episode must not lead us to think that Jesus just takes sin lightly. In fact, he is serious about it. He even died on the cross for all our sins and for us sinners. What he did rather here is to show us that  if we humble ourselves before him, acknowledge our sins, come to him as we are, he would not only forgive us but he also would give us another chance to live and take on life, and even promised us of  eternal life.

And this is the beauty of our saviour. He knows that because of pride we tend to focus more on ourselves. Yet, he always gives us another chance. He always looks at our real value and worth despite everything we do and have. But we need to listen to him. We need to respond to his invitation to renew our relationship with him especially when we break it through sinning.

This beautiful and wonderful God has also come into the life of St Paul. He met him on the way. Again, in St Paul God didn’t look at his background or what he did. He looked at his inner goodness, which is his fidelity to the commandments of the Jews. Jesus only had to re-direct him to be faithful to his mission of proclaiming Christ to all the world. Today’s second reading is an example of this. So we heard St Paul  exclaimed: “For him I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him.” St Paul realized that Christ is his supreme advantage because he died for all of us and for each one of us to live. For Christ, and even St Paul would agree with me in here,  we are worth dying for.

So as we continue our Lenten journey, let us have a life check and lifestyle check. Are we living according to our real worth and value that God has put on us? Are we seeing others as they are (with all their flaws and imperfections) as Christ sees them? We have to realize that no matter how sinful or bad we are, God sees us in our real worth, which cost him dearly of his blood. So then, let us  endeavour to appreciate the gifts that God has given us everyday without us even asking for them. Let us also begin, if not continue to see others the way Christ sees them, to bring Christ to others and to bring others to Christ. Amen.

Mar 3 2013

Repentance: Stop, look and listen (to God)

Homily for 3rd Sunday of Lent year C 2013

  1. Brothers and sisters, in this third Sunday of Lent we are all urged to repentance and to bear fruit. But we may ask, how might we do this? What might be the best way to take to a true repentance? If you went around the Philippines during Holy week you will see many different ways people would take this message of repentance and penance to heart. Of course, there would be a long queue going to the confessionals. Some people walked about the streets lashing or whipping themselves. In Cebu  for instance, starting at Midday in Good Friday, most of the radio stations and televisions would hook up to the happening in the Cathedral wherein Priests, and bishops would lead people in the reflection on the seven last ‘words’ of Jesus (e.g. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing, Today you will be with me in paradise, etc.) But some people too would go to the extreme. They would have themselves really and actually crucified, to somehow follow exactly what Jesus has shown them. The only difference is that they wouldn’t die, and if they would die in the process I wonder if they would rise from the dead on the third day too.

  2. However, our gospel today tells us the way to take to a true repentance. In fact, the gospel today tells us of two ways. First, is that we stopped comparing ourselves with others. It means we stop being self-righteous and self-centred to the expense of neglecting the other people. It also means we stop thinking that we are better than other people. In our gospel Jesus had to assure his disciples that the people who have been slaughtered by Pilate and those who are killed in a building accident in Siloam were not more sinful than they are. For Jesus it is not a question of who is more sinful and  who is saintly. For him, we are all sinners and we need  repentance.

  3. The second way to take repentance to heart is to endeavour to become fruitful in our lives and it has to be a good fruit. It must not be a fruit that poisons others, kills others, puts people off, or that which takes advantage of other people. Bearing fruit is a real sign of repentance. And repentance must be from within us, from our hearts. If we really have a truly repentant heart it expresses in our actions. It shows itself by the fruit we bear.

  4. So the question now: How can we bear fruit? Based on our Readings of today, we can bear fruit in three  ways. First, listening to the voice of God calling us to conversion-and acting on it. ‘Moses’ burning bush ‘take off your shoes’ (security, grounding, protection). This means letting go of our security and let God take over.

  5. Second, appreciating the bountiful graces of God and not taking God’s gifts for granted. St Paul would remind the Christian community in Corinth of this. Using the history of the Israelites in their journey through the desert, St Paul urged the early Church to accept the grace of God with open heart- to accept Christ in our hearts. For Paul, complaining is not helping us to grow in repentance. Instead it would slowly create in us an attitude of negativity towards ourselves, towards others and even towards God. But we do complain at times. We can’t help this. The Israelites always complained about many things towards Moses and towards God (e.g. Egyptians might overtake and kill them, food (manna & quail), water, Moses taking time on the mountain- they couldn’t wait so they made golden calf and worshipped it). But God is patient. He put up with them. He always puts up with us too.  And this would lead us to a third way to repentance- that is to allow God and other people help us as we grow so that we may bear fruit. This is what the gardener does. He tends the fig tree, waters it, nurtures it. He gives it a chance, another chance, one more chance. So also God does for us. So to grow up and bear fruit we need help from the outside too. But if we don’t take the nourishment from the outside, the love and care from others around us, we would remain barren and fruitless.

  6. So  as we continue our celebration today, we pray that we take our resolve to repentance to heart and take it on as a serious, urgent and as a top priority especially in this time of Lent. Amen.

Feb 16 2013

Prayer, Fasting and Obedience to the Word of God: Jesus’ way to beat the tempter

Homily for 1st Sunday of Lent year C 2013

In my homily last Wednesday (Ash Wednesday), I said to some of the children at our parish primary school  that one way to observe lent is to give up something that  we love doing such as eating lollies or chocolates, or watching TV, or playing video games. And this is to be done not for our own sake but in solidarity with the many children in the world who have less or even no way to watch TV because they don’t have any, or simply because they have no money to buy lollies or chocolates. I was almost caught up with my own word when after the mass, one girl told me she wouldn’t want to get back to school until playtime. I said to her: ‘Remember my homily? I said ‘you give up something that you love.’ And she readily protested: ‘But I love school!’ I could have said to her: ‘You must not give up going to school otherwise your parents would have to pay a fine of $70.

We who are here today, let us ask ourselves: How do we take this season of lent to heart?

Traditionally we observe lent in three ways: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Let us still keep up with these ways because these express a deeper motivation and a deeper reality. These express our inner self (fasting through denying oneself of some cravings), our relationship with God (prayer) and our relationship with one another (almsgiving). But perhaps many of us are working on what is the particular thing or action that we like or we love doing and which we desire to give up at least this holy season of lent. I heard some have given up sweets, soft drinks or wine. They are good resolutions but a big challenge too, because the temptation is great, very  attractive and is always before us. No wonder Oscar Wilde, in his play Lady Windermere’s Fan said: “I can resist anything except temptation.” Or as one priest jokingly said: “Temptation resisted is temptation wasted.”

If we are serious in our resolve then, let us take the Lord’s prayer seriously when we pray: ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.’

In saying this, we are praying that we wouldn’t give in to temptation and not give up with our good resolutions. But how can this be possible?

Jesus in our gospel today would tell us that this is in fact possible, within our reach, within our grasp and  even within us. We heard in today’s gospel Jesus was tempted by the devil after 40 days of prayer and fasting in the desert.  His temptation is meant to show us that he completely identifies with our humanity. “For we do not have a high priest”, says the Letter to the Hebrews,  “who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin”( Heb 4:15 ). He was tempted in every way, that is in all levels of his being truly human. But he didn’t give into temptation because he didn’t give up his being ‘Son of the Father’ (his true self) and because he remained to himself and to his mission.

If we follow the gospel slowly, we can reflect four levels of temptation that Jesus had to face.

First is on the personal level. ‘If you are Son of God’, says the tempter. We remember on Jesus baptism, he was confirmed as the ‘beloved Son of the Father.’ Now, the evil one is trying to get personal on him. Yet, Jesus didn’t give in. He stood up his ground that He is anointed by His Father and filled with the Spirit of God to proclaim the message of the Kingdom. And  this helped him to stand firm no matter how personally attacked  he was. This is also a lesson for us. Some people might challenge us personally especially if they know we are believers of Christ. Mahatma Gandhi would be one challenger when he declared: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” So it’s a call for us to stand up for our faith and be really one in Christ and like Christ.

Second is on the physical level. Jesus was hungry and weak after 40 days of fasting and prayer. The devil challenged him to produce a fast food. Yet, he didn’t give in. Instead he stood firm and declared there is more to life than just longing for food. ‘Man does not live on bread alone,’ he said, “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Mt 4:4).

Third is on the intellectual level. The devil offered him power and glory over the kingdoms of the world. The devil persuaded Jesus to take control of his life and of his mission. The evil one asked him to forget who he was representing to and by whom he was sent into the world. The condition was that he would ‘worship’ the devil. Again Jesus remained on his ground that ‘worship’ is reserved to Creator only and not to the creatures. In our time, what are the things or people we unwittingly ‘worship’? Like Jesus, we must not forget that we are here because of God who created us, who loved us, who cared for us and who has reserved a place for us in his Kingdom.

Fourth is on the spiritual level. Jesus was tempted to jump from the parapet of the temple down below and put God to the test. Here the devil tricked Jesus on his level. Because Jesus had been using scriptural texts to prove his ground, the devil also used a passage in the scripture  about the angels of God protecting him from harm if he jumped off.  How can this be a way of testing God? Sometimes in life, we tend to bargain with God. We make promises that we would do this or that if only God listened to us, or answered our prayers or come to our rescue. Sometimes we just wanted the easy way out and the quick-fix God. This is a challenging thing because the devil always takes advantage of this opportunity. But  Jesus is showing us today how to deal with it. He remained trusting in God and obedient to his word. He didn’t listen to the beautiful words of the tempter, no matter how assuring it might seem and how sweet it sounds.

So what can we learn from the temptation of Jesus then?

Jesus didn’t give in to the temptation because he didn’t give up his resolution to be true to himself and to his mission from the Father. Like Jesus we wouldn’t be led into temptation and we would be delivered from all evil if we are obedient to the word of God, if we persevere in our prayer, if we deny ourselves in fasting and if we reach out to others in almsgiving. Let this be our hope and our prayer for this season of lent.