Tag Archives: Opposing Views

Jun 4 2011

Homily for the Feast of the Ascension 2011

A part of botanists were exploring almost inaccessible regions in search of new species of flowers. One day, they spied, through binoculars, a flower of great rarity and beauty. It lay in a deep ravine, with perpendicular cliffs at both sides. To reach it, someone would have to be lowered over the sheer precipice by means of a rope, and it was certainly a very dangerous undertaking.

Approaching a young lad nearby, who was watching them with great curiosity, they said, ‘We’ll give you five pounds if you’ll let us lower you down below to obtain that beautiful rare flower for us.’ The young lad took a look away down into the ravine, and replied, ‘Just a minute. I’ll be back.’ When he returned he was accompanied by an older man. Approaching one of the botanists, he said, ‘I’ll go over the cliff and get that flower for you if this man holds the rope. He’s my father.’

To trust someone is very hard to do. It is even harder when we met that person for the first time. If there is a love at first sight, there is no trust at first sight. It requires time. It requires familiarity. It requires knowing and understanding the other, to be sure, he or she is worthy of trust. Then when we think the time is ripe we would start trusting the person. And this is one of the main messages of ascension- TRUST. And here’s the rub…It’s not US who trust someone, but it is GOD himself trusting us. Can we believe this? God trusts us. God who knows who we are inside and out. God who sees us falling all the time, trusting us…

Yes, Jesus knows and sees his close friends fall short to his expectation all the time. But today’s solemnity tells us that inspite of all weaknesses, his disciples have, Jesus still trusts them… To go and make disciples of all nations, to baptize them in the name of the Trinity, in other words, in the name of Love, and to obey all that Jesus commands them to do. Yes, it is unreal but Jesus just did.

Trusting is not however, a one-sided thing. It is mutual.  SO we have in our reading today, Jesus asking his disciples to trust him as well that ‘he will be with us, always, to the end of time.’ This is quite a challenge for us because there are many instances in our lives when we just lack or even lose trust in God.

However, we just have to go on, not to remain gazing up, to heaven, sort of like wishful thinking, but to do what Jesus has entrusted to us…to proclaim his gospel to all the world. Yes, he has ascended to heaven but,  he is more real now than he was before…Before his presence was confined in a certain culture, certain group, certain time, but now, he is present everywhere.  We just have to continue looking for him here, in His  words we hear in the Mass, in the Body and Blood of the Eucharist, in the presence of people around us. He is here with us…We just have to go on, doing the mission.

We don’t have to go and preach  far off places, wherever we are, we can do it. St Paul offers us a way in our second reading today…TO Pray that everyone will come to know God who is love as was shown in the life of Jesus.

So we just trust Jesus and his words and everything will be sorted out in God’s time…

May 18 2011

They have Jesus

The Stories of the Children of the Hapag

by Joey Velasco

This painting is Filipino-inspired one, depicting Jesus surrounded by  poor Filipino kids from the streets. The painter Joey Velasco conveys the message that each of this kid has a unique story to tell to Jesus on the table. Then as he was struggling to look for the appropriate title of the book which tells the story  of these poor children, a mentally-deranged woman enlightened him as he showed him this painting. “You know my friend, they are actually not poor…” the woman said to him. “What??? You’re the only one who said that.” Joey remarked. But the woman continued, “because they have Jesus.”

And what a treasure indeed! It is not a wishful thinking, because Jesus is really present in the lives of the poor. In fact he is more real there. 

Joey Velasco commented of Jesus in his painting.

“He was dead weary in that painting, that was why he was brought by the kids to sit and eat. He was served the  best food and they wanted Him to rest. Who among us approaches Christ with the desire to let Him rest a while? Usually we call on God because we want something. We are the ones who want rest. We are tired. There are pure and innocent people who might think this way. They want to give something to Him. Who among us will go to a church and kneel down  and change the God-I-need-something formula of prayer? Can we also say, God do you need something? Even if He doesn’t need anything because He is God. Is there anything I can do? I kneel down. Lord I’m here…[Is there anything I can do for you?] When  did you call a friend and say out of the blue. “How are you buddy? Can I do anything for you? You need anything? When was the last time we did that? In the meal, we are the ones served by God. When did we organize a meal that our only motivation was to celebrate it with God and serve God saying, “Lord, what can  I do for you?”

Junjun’s review of this book:

This is an amazing book, not a fiction but based on a real  story…with the author’s personal interview with each of those kids on the painting. I have read it, and shed not only few drop of tears but many. When I finished reading it….I was really convinced, “They have Jesus.”

TO PURCHASE THE BOOK:CLICK HERE…


Apr 14 2011

Sweet Jesus!!!

At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is called ‘Baptist Day.’ On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every ‘Baptist Day’ the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center.

 One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr.Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection the religious  tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact never rose from the dead in any literal sense.

He then asked if there were any questions. After about 30 seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium. ‘Docta Tillich, I got one question,’ he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. ‘Docta Tillich.. CRUNCH, MUNCH ‘My question is a simple question,… CRUNCH,MUNCH… ‘Now, I ain’t never read them books you read..CRUNCH, MUNCH..’ and I can’t recite the Scriptures in the original Greek…CRUNCH, MUNCH …’ I don’t know nothin’ about Niebuhr and Heidegger… CRUNCH, MUNCH… He finished the apple. ‘All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate, . . . . . . was it bitter or sweet?

Dr Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: ‘I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven’t tasted your apple.’ The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, ‘Neither have you tasted MY Jesus.’

The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.

Have you tasted Jesus? Savour HIS Words for you today.