Before moving back to Connecticut last year, I worked for less than a year in Manhattan. Working in an L-shaped cubicle on the 5^th floor of one of the foremost buildings in front of the New York Stock Exchange; I was constantly in awe of walking through Wall Street and being one with the hustle and bustle that is NYC.  But it is not cut out as fun or exciting as movies or sitcoms would show. Life in the Big Apple was a constant race, of getting somewhere and leaving nowhere. Commuting proved to be a tremendous task for someone like me who is used to getting from point a to point b in the comfort of my own car. I suddenly found myself memorizing subway lines and walking the treacherous stretch of path commuters as drones paraded to during rush hours. I became one with the flux and the robot-like crowd was part of me as well.

Work was challenging enough in an environment of pail-pushers in a seemingly mediocre working atmosphere. Early on, I have felt that in order to go higher up my rank, I inevitably would have to step on some toes along the way.  I was not okay nor at any rate comfortable in doing so. To prevent myself from growing and excelling would also mean stagnantly rotting in the sparseness of my position. These were one of the few thoughts that would envelop my mind day in and day out as I join the lemming procession of commuters exiting the subway station hoping for a respite in the embrace of old New York charm. Yet, these thoughts were nothing compared to what I can only surmise as dark abyss of discernment that I see from the faces of each and every fellow commuter I see on the subway. Each distant glare was a brooding story. Each habitual flip of the morning metro rehashes a deeper crease on the reader’s forehead.  The petulant rush to exit the subway doors is coupled with a sigh of profuse exasperation.  The rest are ghost-like in their attempts to be in their own made-up shield protracted by their headphones. The humming of the train and the rattling of metal against rails juxtaposed the bleak soundtrack to a working New Yorker’s claim to space- silently screaming “I am here, I can sense you right there, leave me alone.”  Once in a few days, even during the morning rush, the end seat on the subway would always be taken by a sleeping homeless person, reeking in his own waste.  And each time I encounter that sight, my heart aches in pain as to how this person has come to this and to my horror, how can anyone else not be as affected as I am. I fight the urge to go near the homeless person. I argue with myself on actually inviting danger if I do approach the vagrant man. What can I say to him that can leave him better or me worst? Or was I struggling with myself not because of what I can do for his plight but more to alleviate my guilt for being in a better position than he was? I sometimes encounter old women in the subway stations as well. And I would also fight the urge to engage them in human contact. What was I so afraid of? Did I think that I was better as a person hence the air I breathe shouldn’t even mix with theirs? Did I perhaps feel the fear of contracting whatever they have? I would sometimes stop in catatonic shock within my thoughts only to be rudely bumped by the speedwalking commuter behind me who would verbally express in creative profanity how my sudden stop in tracks is causing everyone’s delay.

As I write this now, my heart aches even more. I spent time thinking about the homeless and helpless people in the streets and on the subways of New York but I never really did anything for them. I once volunteered to help serve in soup kitchen, but I was told that there was a waitlist of volunteers already. I was not comfortable leaving a dollar or two, as I could still make out the strong smell of alcohol in the pungent mixture usually around them.  Yet, I would later on feel guilty again for inadvertently mentally dictating what they should do with whatever money I can give them.  Seeing the homeless and the downtrodden and the weary commuter gave me a deeper introspection on what, how and where I would want my life to be. I wanted my time in New York to be a temporary phase to greatness but for each day I spent drowning in my work, it felt more like quicksand; I was slowly losing grip and I might eventually get stuck forever.  I wonder if the homeless people feel the same way, that they are just down on their luck and it was a temporary thing. I wonder if the middle-aged gentleman trying to doze off on the subway felt the next big break was just around the corner and he just needed to work to pay the bills. I wonder if the tourists snapping photos actually realize the façade that is the city in the unending pursuit of dreams.

I did what I thought best then. With less money but with the peace and serenity that the suburb brings, I quit the L-shaped cubicle. I was offered another position in another department with more benefits but I found myself politely declining saying “it’s not about the money.” In the end, I knew that the subway faces I cannot help but look at in morbid fascination are loudspeakers to the endless sob stories I hear in my head. And each glance, each presence I feel right next to me affects me in a way I cannot explain.  My recent foray into academic philosophy exacerbated these struggles within me. Truth is, I wanted to relegate my New York experience to distant memory. Do not get me wrong, I love New York for the diversity and the arts it showcases and the warm fuzzy feeling it gives to tourists.  Perhaps, it is being part of New York in the heart of its gears and pinions that one would really experience the profound emotional attachment.  I could not help but question with an even more quizzical tenacity how certain lives are intertwined in the big city.  I could not help but question how my faith in me and my belief and value system can keep me afloat in my most wretched and weak moments. I could not help but wonder how the others do it, how they can survive, what are their constitutions? What are they made of? Am I alone in what I feel? Or am I not strong enough to ignore them?

What I have seen and experienced are marked indelibly in my brain and what I have studied are hardwired in my synapses in a way that I will always be prejudiced in succumbing to my ethics.  Perhaps, being in the subway again, I may feel misplaced and tormented with the internal melee going on in my own thoughts and would simply find solace in the hypnotic metal grinding and whirring of the train.

Ikatlong Linggo ng Kwaresma (B)

Marso 11, 2012

Mga Pagbasa: Exodo 20:1-17 / 1 Cor 1:22-25 / Jn 2:13-25

Puro utos, panay utos! … iyan ang panlalait na malimit marinig sa ayaw sumunod, antemano. Para sa maraming tao ngayon, panahon ng postmodernismo, (whew! Nakakain ba yan?), marami ang allergic ika nga, sa mga kautusan. Kasama rito sa kanilang isinusuka ang mg utos (daw) ng Diyos, at mg utos din ng Simbahan. Todos utos …walang paltos (may tugma ba?)

Aminin natin … mahirap ang sumunod sa utos. Di ba nuong mga bata kayo, ganyan rin kayo? Nagbibingi-bingihan kapag tinatawag ng magulang, o kaya’y nagtutulug-tulugan? Mabilis ang pulas kapag labas at “gud tym,” sabi nga nila sa jejemon. Mabagal ang kilos kapag trabaho at katungkulan ang pinag-uusapan. Maging nuong nasa seminaryo pa kami, mayroong tuwing umaga ay may sipon o may sinat. Pero pagdating ng merienda sa hapon ay magaling na at malakas pa sa kalabaw … kasi, may laro pagkatapos nito!

Mahirap ang mag-aral; mahirap ang magbunot ng sahig (may gumagawa pa ba nito?) … at lalung mahirap ang may listahan ng bawal (lalu na sa pagkain!).

Pero aminin rin natin. Kailangan natin ng daan; kailangan natin ng pamamaraan … kailangan natin ng patakaran at panuntunan … kung gusto nating makarating sa landas ng dunong at wastong kaalaman, na naghahatid sa higit pang mahalagang kahihinatnan!

Tanda! Ito ang salitang dapat tandaan natin kung sampung utos ang pag-uusapan. Mga tanda itong nagtuturo sa dapat. Mayroong bang dapat? Tumpak! Kahit naman saan ka pumunta, mayroong dapat at mayroong hindi nararapat. Mayroong tama at mayroong mali. Bagama’t itinapon na ito sa labas ng bintana ng postmodernismo, hindi maipagkakailang kailangan pa rin natin ng panuntunan, alintuntunin, at tamang pamamalakad. Kung walang batas ay walang kaayusan. At kung walang kaayusan ay walang patutunguhan.

Tanda? Oo … ang sampung utos ay hindi natatapos s utos. Ang lahat ay tumutuon at patungkol sa mga hanay ng pagpapahalagang Diyos mismo ang nagpapahalaga, una sa lahat: buhay, dangal ng tao, magandang pangalan ng kapwa, katarungan, pangangalaga sa pag-aari ng sarili at ng iba … at marami pa.

Tanda? Oo … ang utos ay hindi lamang utos. Ang lahat ng ito ay nakatuon sa pinakamahalagang katotohanan na ang pinakamalaking DAPAT ng ating buhay ay ang pagkakaroon ng isang KAUGNAYAN sa Diyos na maylikha sa atin. Siya ang puno at dulo ng ating pagiging tao. Siya ang dahilan … Siya ang Daan, Katotohanan, at Buhay. Ayon kay San Pablo, “si Kristo ang kapangyarihan at karunungan ng Diyos.”

Huwag na tayong magmaktol ay may batas. Masiyahan tayo at ang batas ng Diyos ay walang butas … walang palusot, walang kasinungalingan, walang takas, kahit na puede nating gawin ang gusto natin … kaya nga lang ay mayroon laging kahihinatnan, may hantungan, may kabayaran.

Huwag na tayong magtaka at kumuha si Jesus ng lapnis ( o lubid, sa aming salita sa Mendez, Cavite) at ginamit niya bilang pang hagupit sa mga tampalasan sa templo. Hindi nila iginalang ang bahay ng Diyos. Hindi sila tumalima sa daan ng pagpapahalaga sa banal na lugar. Hindi nila ginawa ang dapat. Kung kaya’t nararapat lang na ipagtanggol ng Anak ng Diyos ang bahay ng kanyang Ama.

Magulo ang buhay natin ngayon. Sala-salabat ang mga kalye. May mga kuliglig na “keep right” at mga traysikel na “keep left.” Naglipana ang mga sinungaling sa gobyerno. Nagkalat ang mga mapagsamantala sa kamangmangan ng balana, lalu na ng mga dukha, na walang ibang pagkukunan ng kabatiran o kaalaman liban sa isinusulsol ng mass media (na kaakibat tuwina at kakampi ng mga may poder at may pera!). Magulo rin ang buhay pangsarili. Kay raming inosenteng buhay ang pinapatay … Mula pa sa sinapupunan, “patay kang bata ka,” ika nga! Walang kinikilalang daan … walang tinitingalang dapat, at wala ring pinanghahawakang dunong.

Ang lahat ng ito: dapat, daan at dunong ay galing walang iba kundi sa kanyang Panginoon ng Buhay, Panginoon ng katotohanan, at Panginoong naghahatid sa atin sa buhay na walang hanggan. Ito ang tunay na DUNONG mula sa itaas. Sundan natin ito!

Genuine Worship
Jn 2:13-25

A missionary in Africa was captured by a tribe of cannibals. He was tied to a tree with a huge cauldron of boiling water near it. But his face lighted up when he saw the cannibals kneel down and prayed. The priest heaved a sigh of relief: “Thank God, these people are Christians, after all!” But the head cannibal called out to him: “Keep quiet! We are saying our Grace Before Meals!”

When I was in the seminary, our apostolate was at the Manila City Jail. We would visit the inmates every Sunday and teach them catechism. Late one Sunday night, a classmate of mine was coming back to the seminary. On a dark part of the street, a man accosted him, and announced a holdup. When my classmate turned to look at the man, he recognized him as one of the former inmates. Instead of being afraid, he gave the man a generous scolding. Needless to say, the man was mortified, and sincerely asked for forgiveness saying he was just in dire need of money. Out of pity, my classmate offered him a few pesos: “Here, take this and buy some cigarettes.” But the man refused to receive the money, saying, “I’m sorry, Brother. I don’t smoke during Lenten Season!”

Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah (29:13): “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts” (Mk 7:8). God demands genuine worship. God is displeased when people, and especially the priests of the Temple, were more concerned with the external rituals rather than the genuine relationship of man with God and with his fellowmen.

On this third Sunday of Lent, we see Jesus in the Temple. But instead of seeing his countenance wrapped in divine glory as when he was in the desert and in the mountain, we see him very angry. The first reason for his righteous anger was because the Temple, instead of being a house of prayer, has become a den of thieves.
The Jews consider the Temple of Jerusalem as the center of their religious life. Every year, during Passover, they go to the Temple. It is the feast that recalls the liberation of the people from Egypt through the saving act of Yahweh. So, during this time, the Temple is packed with people who have come to fulfill their obligations to God. One of these is to offer animal sacrifices. There were inspectors who would see to it that the animals (oxen, sheep and doves) must be unblemished and of the best quality. But, for obvious reasons and ulterior motives, these inspectors would readily disapprove the animals that the pilgrims brought with them. So the people were obliged to buy the animals sold in the Temple, and at very exorbitant price. This system had the approval of the high priest. Most of these people usually end up going home without being able to offer sacrifices simply because they did not have enough money. The moneychangers had also their share in the injustice done to the people. The secular money from outside is considered unworthy and dirty and they cannot be brought into the Temple. They had to be exchanged with the Temple money, and of course, for a lower value.
Obviously, injustice and oppression are done, especially to the poor. And this made Jesus very angry. The rituals in the Temple have become the occasions for abuse and oppression against the poor. The Temple became the place where greed, corruption, deceit and cheating take place.

The second reason why Jesus was angry was the discrimination that was happening in the Temple. Remember that the Temple was divided into five sections: the court of the Gentiles, the court of women, the court of men, the court of priests and the Holy of Holies. The outermost part of the Temple is the court of the Gentiles. In other words, the Temple is not only for the Jews but also for all people, including the Gentiles. But it was in the court of the Gentiles that the merchants did their business and all their shady deals. In all aspects, it has become a marketplace, and not anymore part of the house of God. So those who come to this place to pray were effectively prevented from doing so. They were practically deprived of their chance to worship God. They are excluded from the Temple worship.

We all profess to be Catholics. The word “catholic” means universal. It refers to the will of God that all people will be saved. He is the God, not only of Jews and Christians. He is God of all peoples. He belongs to all, and not only to a particular group of people. Discrimination has no room in the life of a true Christian who seriously follows the one commandment of love: love of God and love of fellowmen, even of enemies.

Finally, the challenge of Jesus to the Jewish authorities is worth considering. He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up.” The evangelist, St. John, was quick to explain: “But he was speaking about the temple of his body.” In other words, he was referring to his physical body as the Temple. If God resides in the temple, so also the body of Jesus is God’s Temple par excellence, for he is himself the God Incarnate. We can, therefore, certainly assume that Jesus would be equally angry at seeing people abusing and neglecting their bodies. Hence, the Gospel this Sunday is strongly reminding us to take care of our body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit, according to St. Paul. Any action that harms the physical body – such as vices, abuses, and other illicit practices – is a grave sin. If we take good care of the Church building, so also we have to take care of our physical body, the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

As we come together in this Temple of God, let us cleanse our heart of all selfish motives and sins. May our heart be a worthy dwelling place for God. And may our acts of worship be authentic as we strive to deepen our relationship with God through our love and concern for one another.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

Are You Crazy?
Mk 9:2-10

A small kingdom was ruled by a great king. All his subjects were happy and contented. In that kingdom there was only one source of drinking water: the open well in front of the palace. Everybody drinks from that well. One night, while everybody was asleep, an evil witch came and cast a spell on the well so that anyone who drinks water from it will become crazy. The next morning, as usual, everybody, except the king, drank water from the well. Everybody became crazy. When the king woke up, he looked out the window. He was surprised to see all his subjects acting funny. But what really surprised him most was that, when they saw him, everybody laughed at him, and they all shouted: “The king is crazy!”
This scenario has been repeated time and again in the Scriptures. Noah, for example, was ridiculed by the people for building an ark and warning them about the great flood. All the prophets, in fact, were killed because they acted differently from the rest. Jesus himself suffered the same fate. He came preaching about love, forgiveness and mercy. He did miraculous cures out of pity for the sick and the suffering. But his own people of Nazareth rejected him, and his relatives said: “He is out of his mind.” In the end, the people for whom he came to save shouted with one voice: “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
One of the greatest dangers of our time is the political principle “Majority rules.” However, we should be warned that the majority is not always right. Jesus was condemned to die by the decision of the majority. In many democratic elections, the majority voted into office unworthy public servants. The majority has been proven wrong on many occasions. But since it is the majority, it carries a lot of influence and pressure on the rest of the population, especially when it is backed up by the powerful mass media of communication.
And this is what is happening now. Gradually, people begin to change their beliefs and moral principles simply due to the prevailing mood and opinion of the majority. What used to be called killing an unborn baby is now called right of choice. What used to be perversion is now called creative self-expression. What used to be called homosexual union is now called meaningful relationship. What used to be called chastity is now called neurotic inhibitions. What used to be called modesty is now called psychological hang-up. What used to be called self-mastery or self- control is now called unhealthy repression. What used to be wrong and immoral is now being justified and even considered acceptable. And those who insist to stick to the truth and do not want to join the bandwagon of moral decay are branded as crazy, out of their minds, ignorant, outdated, and many other nasty adjectives they can think of.
But the truth does not depend on the decision of the majority. It is not a matter of personal taste or opinion, or a result of a survey. In Epistemology, a branch of Philosophy, truth is defined as the conformity of what is in the mind with the external object being perceived. There is truth, not because the majority of the people said so, but because the object is perceived by the mind as it truly is. Even if all people will say that the four-legged creature is an elephant, when in fact it is a dog, what they say cannot make a dog an elephant. The same is true with morality. Something intrinsically evil cannot become good just because people say it is good. Abortion is murder, and it is evil. It cannot become something good because many people are doing it, or because it is declared legal by an act of Congress.
My brothers and sisters, where do we find the source of truth? It cannot be found in the majority. It can only be found in God, for He is the Absolute Truth. He does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. As Jesus declared, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” The example of Abraham in the first reading should inspire us to obey God to the point of total sacrifice. The words of St. Paul in the second reading should give us hope and strength when we are faced with oppositions and persecutions: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Let us not fear being ostracized by the world and be called crazy, as long as we are on the side of God. Let the words, then, of Peter in the Acts of the Apostles be our constant guiding principle: “Better for us to obey God rather than men.”
On this second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel is about the Transfiguration of our Lord. In the presence of the disciples Peter, James and John, Jesus changed in appearance. His face became bright as the sun and his clothes turned dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared conversing with him. And the voice of the Father was heard from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” This very brief but supremely profound experience convinced the disciples that Jesus is the true Messiah, the Son of God. Later, when they themselves were persecuted, they readily chose death rather than deny Christ. Indeed, they followed the instruction of the heavenly Father: “Listen to him!”
As we again gather together in this sacred celebration, we express our belief in the truth that Jesus is God, the true Messiah, our only Savior. There is no question about that in our minds. But the question we have to ask ourselves is, “If Jesus is the Truth, do we truly listen to him?” If it is Jesus we listen to, then why do some of us question his teachings? Why do we still believe in horoscopes, feng shui, fortune telling and superstitions? Why do we continue to entertain those highly immoral issues such as abortion, assisted suicide, divorce, same sex marriages, live-in relationships?
During this season of Lent, may the words of the heavenly Father continually ring in our minds and hearts: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” And may the words of Jesus transform us and lead us to our conversion and personal transfiguration so that we begin to live as true children of God.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Church
J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

In Mark’s Gospel we see the unfolding of Jesus mission after living in harmony with God and all creation in the desert. Jesus announces, “God’s reign has come near.” And truly God is near, within, and around us – (the reality in which Jesus lived in the desert). Jesus’ relationship with God mirrors the relationship to which He calls us when He made us his children.

On this first Sunday of Lent we focus on the baptismal water that cleansed us of sins and also reminds us of our need for constant cleansing and renewal. Jesus went to the desert and was exposed to the temptations of the devil. We are aware of how we are also exposed to various kinds of temptations as we are driven into our Lenten desert of 40 days. This is a time to renew our covenant with God. It will entail moving away from whatever that distracts us. We can always go back to our practices of prayer, fasting and abstinence, almsgiving and charitable work. We can proclaim an electronic fast, stay out of unnecessary stores, and try a Lenten workout.

It can hurt a little and it takes effort to do these deeds!

As disciples of Jesus we need to be living the life of Christ. We have to look for that desert where we can be alone with God and feel His presence. During this Lent we are invited to live with Jesus in his desert experience, to undergo trials with Him and to come out of the desert at the end, ready to proclaim the Kingdom of God. And with God’s Spirit we will overcome sin and evil. We will not be all alone in our desert; God is there for us! And we will find some life saving water in the desert to nourish us.

Rev. Fr. Reynaldo A. Domagas

This reflections on the Readings for the 1^st Sunday of Lent appears in the Sunday Bulletin of Our Lady of Victory Church, New York, February 26, 2012.

Job is one of the best known characters in the Old Testament. Here we see Job acknowledging his pain and misery and he expresses without embarrassment. Job complains of the tedium and futility of life and the miseries of human existence as he faces stunning calamities and wonders why such evil has befallen him. But eventually he surrenders himself to the wisdom of God. This is a reminder to us of how we have to accept that human suffering is a misery and even the noblest cannot demand an explanation from God.
When our pain becomes so great we discover that we can turn to God and to our fellow human beings. The Gospel teaches us that true discipleship means getting involved in giving selfless service to others. Jesus spent most of his time ministering to the needs of others, giving healing forgiveness and new beginning to many. God gives us that challenge to go courageously beyond people’s expectations by doing good as Jesus did, instead of brooding over pain and suffering in the world that we cannot end. We learn valuable lessons from Job, Paul and Jesus encouraging us to extend our help and give healing and hope to others. We will experience lonely nights and desperate days, moments of drudgery and depression, times of helplessness and hopelessness. Let us never forget that our loving and merciful God continues to heal the broken-hearted and to bind up own wounds.
We will continue to encounter people who are sick and suffering and going through a lot of pain and sorrow. And while they may be beyond physical cure, they are never beyond care!

Rev. Fr. Reynaldo A. Domagas

*Reflections on the readings for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, published in the Sunday Bulletin of Our Lady of Victory Church, Manhattan, NYC, February 5, 2012

At Peace and In One Piece

Mk 1:29-39

A rich man, known for his arrogance, was not feeling well. So he went to see the doctor. “How are you, sir?” the doctor greeted him cheerfully. “What seems to be your problem?” “You’re the doctor,” the patient said with a smirk on his face. “That is for you to find out.” “Oh, I see,” said the doctor, trying his best to hide his surprise and disgust. After a few moments, he told his patient, “Well, if you can wait for some minutes, I’ll call a veterinarian. He is the only doctor I know who can make a diagnosis without asking questions.”

When we watch television, we will notice that there are many advertisements of medicines. This tells us that, despite tremendous advancements in the field of the medical sciences, more people are getting sick nowadays. Interestingly enough, many medicines advertised are to relieve pain, stress, depression and sleep deprivation.

With the present economic crisis and much uncertainty in the foreseeable future, most of us can easily resonate with Job in the first reading this Sunday. He said: “So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.” One word that can aptly describe this present generation is “stressed”.

But before we blurt out again the oft-repeated “I’m stressed out” gripe, let us first look at the Gospel. It gives us an idea of the typical day of Jesus during his public ministry: “the whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases and he drove out many demons…He went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.” If we are talking about being very busy, nobody can compare with Jesus. He was too busy that he had no time to so much as eat. That is why even his own relatives said: “He is out of his mind.” Based on our experience and standards, Jesus must be stressed out. But he was not. He was always at peace. How come?

The secret of Jesus is revealed in the Gospel today: no matter how busy and exhausted he was, he would always find time to pray and to be with His Father: “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went to a deserted place, where he prayed” (Mk 1:35). His communion with the Father gave him strength, inspiration and peace – it made him whole and focused in His mission, in fulfillment of the will of the Father.

Peace is such an elusive and priceless reality ever since. What is peace? The Bible uses the word “shalom” for peace. It is the gift of Jesus for us. “Shalom” is not just the absence of war or conflict, but also connotes the presence of harmony, unity and wholeness. It means being at peace and being in one piece.

Many of us experience restlessness and stress because we are divided within ourselves, we lack focus and so we are not in one piece. There is conflict within us. This inner conflict in us, which St. Paul describes as “the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Rom 7:23), is what makes us restless and divided. “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want Now, I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Rom 7:19-20).

When we are in sin, we are troubled. We lose our peace for we become divided within. But when we turn away from sin, and conform ourselves according to God’s will, we have peace for there is harmony and wholeness within. That is why Jesus taught us in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the single-hearted, for theirs is the kingdom of God!” Being single-hearted simply means being in one piece. And when this happens, we distinctly feel the presence of God in us. Indeed, peace is the presence of God.

The famous Archbishop Fulton Sheen said something about why people have this feeling of emptiness and restlessness. He said that God designed the human heart in the shape of a valentine heart. (We see a lot of those this February.) But God decided to divide it into two. He took half of this heart with Him to heaven, and the other half He placed in the chest of man. So, while man remains in this world, there is always that feeling of something lacking inside him, which he cannot fully comprehend. Total peace and fullness of life will only be attained when we become united with God. This is what Jesus came for: “I came that you may have life and have it to the full.” The Son of God became man like us, He descended into this world to make it possible for us to be united with God and have the fullness of life.

There is a famous song by Frank Sinatra entitled “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” At times, when we are stressed and feel so exhausted and empty, we may as well remember this song and say: “I Left my Heart in Heaven.” As God’s beloved children, we belong to heaven. In this world, we long for heaven because it is where our heart will have its wholeness. But while we are still here in this world, we will have anxieties, stress and the feeling of something lacking in us.  St. Augustine had a timely realization of this: “My soul (or my heart) is restless until it rests in you, O Lord!”

The best image we can have of ourselves is that of a boy walking in the field with his father. All along the way, the boy holds the hand of his father, and with his other hand he picks up stones, or picks grains and flowers, or tries to catch butterflies passing by. His eyes are all over the vast field, and his feet are at times going in different directions. But he never lets go of his one hand holding on to his father.

As we walk in this vast field we call the world, we encounter countless distractions, varied directions and attractive choices. But let us never, even for a moment, let go of the hand of our heavenly Father. That is what Jesus did. No matter how busy and exhausted He was, He always had time to be alone and pray. That was His way of being united with the Father – and of finding peace, inspiration, direction and inexhaustible strength to continue and fulfill His mission.

When we are stressed and feel that the burden of life is just too much, perhaps it is a symptom that we are drifting away from the Father. We have to stop and find time to be with God in silence and in prayer. Jesus always invites us: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you…Peace I leave with you; my peace is my gift to you.” May the peace and the loving presence of God be with us now and for always.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

Sta. Lucia Church

J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia

Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

Published in the Archdiocese of Manila Homiletic Guide

Introduction

Experience tells us that the environment becomes noisier and nosier as time ticks to 12 midnight and a few hours after. The loud karaoke singing, never mind if it is out of tune, competes with the sound of the firecrackers. The festive air also becomes polluted more and more as people take delight in their noche Buena, watching their favorite TV stations. Many people believe that when we fire whistle bombs and all sort of firecrackers, we drive away the evil spirits of the old year. Their loud noise scares them away. At dawn, smoke thins out and we hear a few sporadic firecrackers here and there. People are dead in their sleep, tired as if they had just gone to war.

Body

People, Christians and non-Christians, all over the world give importance to this day January 1 because it is the first day of the calendar year. We remove the old calendars and we put the new ones. It is also considered the fiscal year or financial year. That’s why, toward the end of the old year, the people in the business world are frantic in finishing their accounting and other unfinished agenda. The fireworks seem to accompany their jubilation for beating the deadlines.

For us, Christians especially those who are in communion with the Catholic Church under the Pope, New Year is more than lighting fireworks and beating deadlines. We celebrate today the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. Today we give honor to Mary, a young Jewish virgin, who said Yes to the angel at the Annunciation. Her Fiat made her bear Jesus Christ our Savior in her womb and give birth to him into this noisy world and to mother him until death. Her motherhood is divine because we believe that her Son Jesus is God. He is both human and divine. We draw our faith from the apostolic traditions crystallized in the New Testament and in the church pronouncements later on. Other religions cannot swallow this. They do not believe that Jesus is God.

Mary’s motherhood should teach us something. Motherhood is something beautiful. To be fertile is a gift of God. Married women who did not bear children were believed to be cursed. There was so much joy when the old and sterile Sarah miraculously gave birth to Isaac, the son of promise. There was joy in the whole neighborhood when the old and barren Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist. God healed their barrenness. Inability to bear children is sickness; fertility is a sign of good health.

Like Mary, all young girls must be prepared for motherhood. There is always a big possibility that they will become mothers when they get married. Some women forgo this great privilege when they enter the convent or become consecrated, living the vow of chastity. No matter what their vocation will be, young women should take care of their beautiful bodies including their reproductive organs. The whole person, body and soul, is sacred. Human nature has ordained that women, not men, bear children.

Mary’ motherhood also teaches responsible parenthood. This has nothing to do with limiting the number of children, but the responsibility to accompany children in their growth. Mary did not leave child’s development to chance. Mary, along with Joseph, reared her Son, as a normal Jewish boy, brought him to Jerusalem to enjoy religious festivities and to the local synagogue in Nazareth for his spiritual formation. When Jesus grew up, he preached peace and love for life.

Mary’s motherhood teaches that peace starts in the womb and continues to progress when we respect nature and God’s laws. No wonder today is also the World Day of Peace. We cannot promote peace in the world if already in the womb there is already threat to life or if the mother has been conditioned by the vendors of contraceptive mentality that child-bearing is evil, old-fashioned and the cause of poverty.

Conclusion

There is no peace, joy and prosperity in the world if the sanctity of motherhood is under threat by misconceptions, deceptions and infirm laws. We cannot also bring about the desired social and economic order in the world by exploding firecrackers for a few hours. In fact, this leaves many to suffer from physical injuries, gunshots, respiratory ailments, and homelessness because houses or villages get burned during the unbridled revelry.

In this New Year, the whole humanity must overcome fear of its own kind and must stop following the prescriptions of the anti-life multinational corporations, but must act (if I may use the term) like a healthy reproductive organ that gives birth to peace and more beautiful people.

To borrow the words of St. Francis of Assisi, “Brothers, let us begin again for until now we have done very little.”

Question:

1. Do you love your bodies?
2. Do you love your mothers?
3. Do you know what your faith demands of you in terms of bringing about peace in your families and in the world?
4. For the girls, if you don’t enter the convent, are you willing to become good, healthy and responsible mothers?

December 25, 2010

Baby Power!

Lk 2:1-14

The parish has a new priest. Every afternoon, he went around, trying to meet as many parishioners as he could. He knocked on the door of one home. No one answered, but he knew someone was inside because he heard the TV and some movements inside. He knocked harder and longer, but to no avail. Finally, he decided to leave a business card, wrote a Bible verse on it and placed it in front of the door.

Minutes after the priest left, the lady in the house opened the door. She saw the card with the priest’s name and the Bible verse: Revelation 3:20. She opened her Bible and it said: “Behold, I am standing at the door, knocking…if anyone opens the door, I will come in and we will have a meal together.”

That Sunday morning the priest saw his business card in the collection basket. He saw that the verse he wrote on it was crossed out and in its place was Genesis 3:10. The priest looked it up in his Bible. These were words uttered by Eve in Paradise: “I heard you in the garden but I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.” (Adapted from “Rediscovering Catholicism”, by M. Kelly).

Christmas is all about God coming into our world, knocking at the door of our hearts. He wants in. So He became man just like us so that He can be Emmanuel – God with us. But He wants further in – that is, inside our hearts. This is precisely the reason why He chose to be born as an infant in the manger. A newborn baby cannot fail to elicit the strongest emotions in us. But a newborn baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger on a cold winter night will surely move anyone’s heart to its limits. That is what Christmas is all about – God, knocking at the door, seeking to enter our hearts to fill us with love, peace and joy.

Until now, there are many people who cannot accept the image of God as man, and more so as a baby, so vulnerable and powerless. How can that be God? Yet God’s wisdom, though beyond human understanding, cannot be denied. By experience, we know that the baby, no matter how small and weak, wields so much power. This is described beautifully in the words of Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI:  “The power of God revealed in Christmas is the power of a baby, nothing more, nothing less: innocence, gentleness, helplessness, a vulnerability that can soften hearts, invite in, have us hush our voices, teach us patience, and call forth what’s best in us…. The power of Christmas is like the power of a baby.”

When there is a baby in the house, the whole atmosphere changes. All eyes are fixed on him. When the baby cries, everybody rushes to attend to him. He has the power to pull his mother or father out of bed at night. When he sleeps, he hushes to silence the people around him. And when he smiles, he has the power to calm down anxious nerves, to soothe tired limbs and to heal and gladden aching hearts.

Such is the power of a baby – it is the power of innocent and pure love. This is what we celebrate every Christmas: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” We rejoice and celebrate because, unworthy though we are, God gave us His greatest Gift ever – His only-begotten Son. He was born as a baby to draw us to Him, not in force or fear, but in love and humble affection. And He sets Himself as a model for us to follow: “Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.”

Unfortunately, this is what the world is visibly losing – the awareness of love and the value of generous self-giving. The world is in disarray. Due to our selfish ambitions and unbridled greed, families are torn apart, babies are killed, marriages are destroyed, and social institutions are pushed to the abyss of moral bankruptcy. No wonder, many people avoid the greeting “Merry Christmas”, and instead say “Happy Holidays”, not only to be politically correct, but probably also because they are not willing to embrace the Gospel values of love, self-giving and sacrifice that Christmas seeks to remind us of. These values are the antidotes to the culture of death that has prevailed over the world today.

Pope Benedict XVI said: “In the night of the world, we must let ourselves be amazed and illumined by this act of God, which is totally unexpected: God becomes a Child. The Word-become-a-child helps us to understand God’s way of acting, so that we will be capable of allowing ourselves to be transformed increasingly by his goodness and his infinite mercy.”

Now, more than ever, we need to proclaim more boldly and clearly the message of Christmas. It is our mission as Christians. After all, the word Christmas comes from the words “Christ” and “Mass”, and the word “Mass” comes from the Latin “Missa”, derived from the past participle “missi” (I have sent). Hence, we have the word “mission.” Christmas, therefore, reminds us of Christ’s mission to spread love, peace and joy in a world darkened by egoism, violence and misery. That is also our mission as followers of Christ.

Hence, coming to Mass on Christmas is truly essential. In the Mass, we encounter Jesus, the Baby lying in the manger. This is what St. John Chrysostom said: “Let each of us leave his house empty so that we may see our Master wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger… The table of this altar takes the place of the manger. And surely the Master’s body will be lying on this altar… If we approach with faith, we too will see Jesus, for the Eucharistic table takes the place of the crib. Here the Body of the Lord is present, wrapped not only in swaddling clothes but in the rays of the Holy Spirit”.

As we greet each other “Merry Christmas”, let us not forget to greet our Lord Jesus “Happy Birthday”, for he is born, not only in Bethlehem, but also on this altar of the Eucharist and in the innermost core of our hearts.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

St. Teresa Church

141 Henry Street

New York, NY 10002

Christmas Day

December 25, 2011

Lk 2:1-14

A very devout couple decided to spend Christmas Eve right in the very birthplace of Jesus – Bethlehem. Unfortunately, despite a thorough search of the whole place, they could not find a vacant room for them. Desperate, they tried the most expensive hotel, willing to pay the rate at any cost. The man approached the front desk and heard the now-familiar response: “Sorry, Sir. All rooms are occupied. It’s Christmas Eve, you know.” He offered to pay any amount for a room, but there was none, according to the clerk. Finally, the man told the clerk, “I bet if I told you my name was Joseph, that the woman waiting in the car was called Mary, and that she is pregnant, you’d find us a room.”

”Well,” stammered the clerk, “I– I suppose so.”

”Okay,” said the man. “I guarantee you, they’re not coming tonight, so we’ll take their room.” (Adaptation from M. Ezeogu).

Once again, Christmas is here. We commemorate that great event when the Son of God, conceived in the virginal womb of the Blessed Mother, was born into the world. And so we exclaim, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Merry Christmas to all!

This is the most awaited feast that we Christians celebrate. There is abundance of color, merriment and joy all around. Yet despite all these exciting events and gatherings, we cannot fail to notice the superficiality and even the emptiness of the celebration for many people. The reason is simple. Like the people of Bethlehem, many of us respond with the same attitude and disposition: “There is no room in our inn.”

Yes, we have room for almost everything associated with Christmas – parties, caroling, dancing, shows, decorations, and many things besides. They fill up not only our calendars but also our minds and hearts during these days, that we have no more room for the newborn Savior. He knocks at the door of our hearts, wanting to enter and be part of our life. Unfortunately, we are already too occupied with the superficial and material concerns and activities.

It is really fortunate that, as Filipinos, we have our traditional nine-day Aguinaldo Masses or Simbang Gabi. It helps us focus our attention on the center of Christmas – the newborn Jesus. We come to dawn Mass for nine days, recognizing that Christmas is the “Mass of Christ.” As Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “To each and everyone He comes as if He had never come before in His own sweet way, He the Child who is born…   Jesus the Savior, He Emmanuel, He, Christ as Christ’s Mass on Christmas!” Indeed, the Eucharist must occupy center place in the celebration of Christmas for, in every Mass, Jesus is born on the altar. In the message of the Blessed Mother given to Fr. Gobbi in the Blue Book, she called the Eucharist as “perennial Nativity.”

Yet, despite this beautiful religious tradition, one may still wonder how genuine is our preparation to welcome the Lord Jesus. Our churches are filled up and overflowing for these nine days of Simbang Gabi. But I could count with my fingers the parishioners who came for Confession. Meister Eckhart once said: “What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?” (Living Faith, v. 4, n. 3). And according to Helen Keller, “The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has not Christmas in his heart.”

If Christ is born in our heart, it is always possible to celebrate Christmas not only in December, but even everyday. This is what St. Paul of the Cross insisted: “Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit, remaining like a baby in the bosom of the heavenly Father, where you will be reborn each moment in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ.”

Needless to say, therefore, there is a clear need for sincere and regular examination of conscience and the grace of the sacrament of Confession so that our interior being will be made ready to receive the Lord. This will always lead us to genuine humility, recognizing how unworthy we are for such a great gift. A humble heart is what will help us capture the true spirit of Christmas, for in the Incarnation, God humbled Himself, “being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:8).

A non-Catholic author, Morton Kelsey, puts it beautifully: “I am very glad Jesus was born in a stable because my soul is very much like a stable filled with strange and unsatisfactory longings, with guilt and animal-like impulses…tormented by anxiety, inadequacy, and pain. If Christ could be born in such a place, He can be born in me also. I am not excluded.”

Indeed, “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air” (W.T. Ellis). Let me end with this simple yet profound thought on Christmas:

“It’s sharing your gifts, not purchasing gifts;

It’s not wrapping presents, it’s being present
and wrapping your arms around the ones you love;

It’s not getting Christmas cards out on time, it’s sending any card, anytime, at the right time;

It’s not having the biggest and best Christmas light display, it’s displaying the Christ light that comes from your heart;

It’s not Santa coming down the chimney, it’s Jesus coming down from heaven
and giving us the gift of eternal life.” (Anon)

Let this prayer of Meister Eckhart be ours, too: “Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas! Amen.”

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

Sta. Lucia Parish

JP Rizal Street, Novaliches

Quezon City 1117