2 Cor 3:4-11 / Matthew 5:17-19 (2019)
A constitution is a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.
Generally it is understood that the purpose of the constitution is for the good of the country or organization.
Hence to change the constitution is no light matter. If that is the case, then to abolish the constitution is a very grave matter indeed, and the consequence will be chaos and havoc.
In the gospel, Jesus said to His disciples: Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them.
Probably the reason for saying this was that His disciples were thinking that Jesus was starting a revolution against the system.
More so for those who were already not happy about the religious system at that time, they were looking forward to some radical change.
And with Jesus teaching with authority, they could be thinking that He would be the one to lead them to a revolution and a radical change.
So Jesus had to tell them solemnly that till the end of time, there will be no change in the Law and its purpose must be fulfilled.
And that is what Jesus is also telling us - that His teachings are to guide us to live a life that is centered on love and charity.
Yet, we must also keep to the discipline of His teachings so that we can experience true freedom.
True freedom is not to break from the Law but to keep it. Because true freedom is about keeping the ways of the Lord so that we can live a life focused on God.
May we keep to the teachings of Jesus and help others do the same.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
St. Barnabas, Apostle, 11-06-13
Acts 11:22-26; 13:1-3 / Matthew 10:7-13 (2020 / 2026)
St. Barnabas was not one of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus, but the book of the Acts of the Apostles named him as an apostle (Acts 14:14).
Together with St. Paul, they preached the Good News to the gentiles. But there are some distinct characteristics about them.
St. Paul wrote epistles but there was none from St. Barnabas in the New Testament. There are quotes from St. Paul in Acts and in other passages in the New Testament, but there seems to be nothing written of what St. Barnabas said.
Yet it can be said that St. Barnabas was as much a man of words as he was of action.
His name means "son of encouragement" and he was given that name when he converted to Christianity and sold his goods and property and gave the money to the apostles.
Indeed he lived up to that name as he was the first to take in St. Paul after his conversion when others were still suspecting him.
In the 1st reading, we heard that St. Barnabas was sent to Antioch to look into the great numbers of conversion, and when he was there, more people were won over to the Lord.
He then went to look for St. Paul to help out in the work in Antioch and it was there that the disciples were first called "Christians" and that became the most identifiable term.
In word and in deed, St. Barnabas was a sign of encouragement for others in their faith and in their lives.
May we follow the example of St. Barnabas and be for others an encouragement and consolation in word and in deed.
St. Barnabas was not one of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus, but the book of the Acts of the Apostles named him as an apostle (Acts 14:14).
Together with St. Paul, they preached the Good News to the gentiles. But there are some distinct characteristics about them.
St. Paul wrote epistles but there was none from St. Barnabas in the New Testament. There are quotes from St. Paul in Acts and in other passages in the New Testament, but there seems to be nothing written of what St. Barnabas said.
Yet it can be said that St. Barnabas was as much a man of words as he was of action.
His name means "son of encouragement" and he was given that name when he converted to Christianity and sold his goods and property and gave the money to the apostles.
Indeed he lived up to that name as he was the first to take in St. Paul after his conversion when others were still suspecting him.
In the 1st reading, we heard that St. Barnabas was sent to Antioch to look into the great numbers of conversion, and when he was there, more people were won over to the Lord.
He then went to look for St. Paul to help out in the work in Antioch and it was there that the disciples were first called "Christians" and that became the most identifiable term.
In word and in deed, St. Barnabas was a sign of encouragement for others in their faith and in their lives.
May we follow the example of St. Barnabas and be for others an encouragement and consolation in word and in deed.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
10th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 10-06-13
2 Cor 1:1-7 / Matthew 5:1-12
It is always easier to preach a message of happiness and prosperity rather than about pain and suffering.
People generally like to hear a message of happiness and prosperity and if a person has garnered enough of public speaking skills he can actually make a living by being a motivational speaker.
But when it come to pain and suffering, it can be rather challenging and difficult to motivate people - who would want to be motivated and look forward to pain and suffering?
In the gospel, when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the hill and sat down and He began to teach.
And up there in the hill, where the air is fresh and the vision is clear, He taught the Beatitudes.
As we look at the Beatitudes carefully, they are actually about pain and suffering.
Yet, the underlying message is that pain and suffering are temporary. Beyond the pain and suffering lies true blessing and happiness.
As St. Paul said in the 1st reading: When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation.
God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, comforts us in our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves.
Yes, pain and suffering are only temporary. Consolation and blessing are eternal. Let us bear with the temporary, and have faith in the eternal.
It is always easier to preach a message of happiness and prosperity rather than about pain and suffering.
People generally like to hear a message of happiness and prosperity and if a person has garnered enough of public speaking skills he can actually make a living by being a motivational speaker.
But when it come to pain and suffering, it can be rather challenging and difficult to motivate people - who would want to be motivated and look forward to pain and suffering?
In the gospel, when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the hill and sat down and He began to teach.
And up there in the hill, where the air is fresh and the vision is clear, He taught the Beatitudes.
As we look at the Beatitudes carefully, they are actually about pain and suffering.
Yet, the underlying message is that pain and suffering are temporary. Beyond the pain and suffering lies true blessing and happiness.
As St. Paul said in the 1st reading: When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation.
God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, comforts us in our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves.
Yes, pain and suffering are only temporary. Consolation and blessing are eternal. Let us bear with the temporary, and have faith in the eternal.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
10th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 09.06.2013
1 Kings 17:17-24/ Galatians 1:11-19/ Luke 7:11-17
If we have to choose a name, whether for ourselves or for someone or for something, what criteria would we use.
What do we think a name should have, or should be?
Certainly a name must have a good meaning. No one would choose a name with a strange or funny meaning.
By the way, Teresa (the name of our patron saint) means “harvester”.
A name should also have a nice sound to it. And it should also be easily pronounced by aunties and grandmothers, because a difficult-to-pronounce name might displace their dentures.
With all these considerations, what would we think of the name “Barnabas”?
Although that name is found in the New Testament, it is not that common or popular a name.
But it has a good meaning. It means “son of consolation” or “son of encouragement”.
The apostles gave that name to the convert who sold away his property and gave the money to the apostles.
And Barnabas, who was that convert, lived up to his name. He went around preaching the Good News that brought consolation to those in distress, and he encouraged the Christian communities to stand firm in their faith in the face of trials.
St. Barnabas was indeed a great figure in the early Church, and his feast day is on the 11th June.
So the name Barnabas has the meaning of “one who consoles and encourages”.
Consolation and encouragement are two qualities that also express the love and mercy of God.
Consolation and encouragement are also two qualities that people yearn for in times of grief and brokenness.
In the gospel, we heard that Jesus was on His way to a town called Naim with His disciples and a great number of people.
When He was near the gate of that town, there was another crowd coming out.
It was a funeral procession of a dead man, the only son of a woman, who was a widow.
In that moment, a celebrity was met with a tragedy; life was met with a death.
When Jesus saw the widow, He felt sorry for her. His heart went out to her.
Then He told her, “Do not cry.” He then went up and put His hand on the bier, and the next thing He said was, “Young man, I tell you to get up.”
And then the young man was brought back to life, and with that the people were filled with awe and praised God.
Jesus felt for the widow. His heart went out to her. He consoled her, and He even brought her son back to life.
With that, Jesus gave the widow and the people the faith in God and the courage to face the trials of life.
In what Jesus said and did, He taught the people about the heart of God – the heart of God that goes out to us to console us and to encourage us.
There is a story by an unknown writer and the title is “The most important part of the body”. The story goes like this.
My mother used to often ask me what the most important part of the body was. Young as I was, I thought sound was very important to us as humans. So l’d say, “My ears, Mommy!"
“No!” she would say. “There are so many people who are deaf! But you keep thinking and I will ask you again soon.” And so it went on until several years passed before she asked me again.
Since making my first attempt, I contemplated on the correct answer. Or so I thought I had!
So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.”
She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.”
Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and after a few years, mother asked me a couple of times more and always her answer was, “No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child!”
Then one year, my grandfather died. Everybody was sad and everybody was crying.
Even my father wept. I remember that especially because that was only the second time in my life that I had ever seen him cry.
My mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to grandpa. She asked me, “Don’t you know the most important body part yet, my child?”
I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me.
She saw the confusion on my face and told me, “This question is very important. It shows how you have lived your life. For every body part you gave as the answer in the past, I have told you that it was wrong, even giving you the reason why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.”
She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes welling up with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important part of the body is your shoulder.”
“Is it because it holds up my head?” l asked.
“No,” she replied, “it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. l only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”
Then and there I knew that the most important body part is the part that shows sympathy to the pain of others.
People will forget what we said. People will forget what we did. But people will NEVER forget how we made them feel.
Our names may not be Barnabas, it doesn’t matter. Our shoulders may not be broad and strong, it doesn’t matter either.
But let us be a consolation and an encouragement for others so that they can feel the heart of God and a shoulder to cry on.
In times of grief and anguish, in sorrow and in pain, let us be a consolation and encouragement for others, so that they will know that God has visited them to give them life and hope.
If we have to choose a name, whether for ourselves or for someone or for something, what criteria would we use.
What do we think a name should have, or should be?
Certainly a name must have a good meaning. No one would choose a name with a strange or funny meaning.
By the way, Teresa (the name of our patron saint) means “harvester”.
A name should also have a nice sound to it. And it should also be easily pronounced by aunties and grandmothers, because a difficult-to-pronounce name might displace their dentures.
With all these considerations, what would we think of the name “Barnabas”?
Although that name is found in the New Testament, it is not that common or popular a name.
But it has a good meaning. It means “son of consolation” or “son of encouragement”.
The apostles gave that name to the convert who sold away his property and gave the money to the apostles.
And Barnabas, who was that convert, lived up to his name. He went around preaching the Good News that brought consolation to those in distress, and he encouraged the Christian communities to stand firm in their faith in the face of trials.
St. Barnabas was indeed a great figure in the early Church, and his feast day is on the 11th June.
So the name Barnabas has the meaning of “one who consoles and encourages”.
Consolation and encouragement are two qualities that also express the love and mercy of God.
Consolation and encouragement are also two qualities that people yearn for in times of grief and brokenness.
In the gospel, we heard that Jesus was on His way to a town called Naim with His disciples and a great number of people.
When He was near the gate of that town, there was another crowd coming out.
It was a funeral procession of a dead man, the only son of a woman, who was a widow.
In that moment, a celebrity was met with a tragedy; life was met with a death.
When Jesus saw the widow, He felt sorry for her. His heart went out to her.
Then He told her, “Do not cry.” He then went up and put His hand on the bier, and the next thing He said was, “Young man, I tell you to get up.”
And then the young man was brought back to life, and with that the people were filled with awe and praised God.
Jesus felt for the widow. His heart went out to her. He consoled her, and He even brought her son back to life.
With that, Jesus gave the widow and the people the faith in God and the courage to face the trials of life.
In what Jesus said and did, He taught the people about the heart of God – the heart of God that goes out to us to console us and to encourage us.
There is a story by an unknown writer and the title is “The most important part of the body”. The story goes like this.
My mother used to often ask me what the most important part of the body was. Young as I was, I thought sound was very important to us as humans. So l’d say, “My ears, Mommy!"
“No!” she would say. “There are so many people who are deaf! But you keep thinking and I will ask you again soon.” And so it went on until several years passed before she asked me again.
Since making my first attempt, I contemplated on the correct answer. Or so I thought I had!
So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.”
She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.”
Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and after a few years, mother asked me a couple of times more and always her answer was, “No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child!”
Then one year, my grandfather died. Everybody was sad and everybody was crying.
Even my father wept. I remember that especially because that was only the second time in my life that I had ever seen him cry.
My mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to grandpa. She asked me, “Don’t you know the most important body part yet, my child?”
I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me.
She saw the confusion on my face and told me, “This question is very important. It shows how you have lived your life. For every body part you gave as the answer in the past, I have told you that it was wrong, even giving you the reason why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.”
She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes welling up with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important part of the body is your shoulder.”
“Is it because it holds up my head?” l asked.
“No,” she replied, “it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. l only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”
Then and there I knew that the most important body part is the part that shows sympathy to the pain of others.
People will forget what we said. People will forget what we did. But people will NEVER forget how we made them feel.
Our names may not be Barnabas, it doesn’t matter. Our shoulders may not be broad and strong, it doesn’t matter either.
But let us be a consolation and an encouragement for others so that they can feel the heart of God and a shoulder to cry on.
In times of grief and anguish, in sorrow and in pain, let us be a consolation and encouragement for others, so that they will know that God has visited them to give them life and hope.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Saturday, 08-06-13
Isaiah 61:9-11 / Luke 2:41-51 (2022 / 2024 / 2026)
The heart of a mother is a heart that is so lovable and understandable, and yet it is also so mysterious.
We may think that we understand our mothers, but they actually know more about us that we can ever imagine.
After all, we were conceived in the womb of our mothers, and hence we are a part of them and nothing can ever eradicate this mother-child relationship.
And it can be said that nothing can ever separate a mother from her child. A mother's bond to her child is something that goes beyond logic and explanation.
In today's feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the gospel reading gives us a good reflection of the heart of Mary.
Mary made it a point that Jesus had a religious upbringing and that was why she and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
Mary had a heart for God and she wanted Jesus to have what she treasured most - a heart for God.
When Mary and Joseph lost contact with Jesus, Mary would have felt that void most deeply.
Yet when they found Jesus, Mary was like a typical mother reprimanding her son. That makes her so lovable and understandable.
Yet when she did not understand the reply of Jesus, she kept quiet and stored it in her heart. Mary knew how to respond in the face of mystery.
May we too have a heart like that of Mary, lovable and understandable by others. And may our hearts be also open to mystery and to store and reflect in our hearts what we cannot understand immediately.
The heart of a mother is a heart that is so lovable and understandable, and yet it is also so mysterious.
We may think that we understand our mothers, but they actually know more about us that we can ever imagine.
After all, we were conceived in the womb of our mothers, and hence we are a part of them and nothing can ever eradicate this mother-child relationship.
And it can be said that nothing can ever separate a mother from her child. A mother's bond to her child is something that goes beyond logic and explanation.
In today's feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the gospel reading gives us a good reflection of the heart of Mary.
Mary made it a point that Jesus had a religious upbringing and that was why she and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
Mary had a heart for God and she wanted Jesus to have what she treasured most - a heart for God.
When Mary and Joseph lost contact with Jesus, Mary would have felt that void most deeply.
Yet when they found Jesus, Mary was like a typical mother reprimanding her son. That makes her so lovable and understandable.
Yet when she did not understand the reply of Jesus, she kept quiet and stored it in her heart. Mary knew how to respond in the face of mystery.
May we too have a heart like that of Mary, lovable and understandable by others. And may our hearts be also open to mystery and to store and reflect in our hearts what we cannot understand immediately.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday, 07-06-13, Year C
Ezekiel 34:11-16 / Romans 5:5-11 / Luke 15:3-7
The heart can be understood in various ways. Scientifically and medically speaking, it is understood as a vital organ.
Psychologically speaking, the heart is understood as the center of emotions and feelings.
Morally speaking, the heart is the seat of good or evil, because out of the heart flows our words and actions that define us as a moral being.
In today's feast of the Sacred Heart, we celebrate God's unconditional love for us that is expressed in the heart of Jesus.
That heart of Jesus is expressed in the gospel as a shepherd who would do the ridiculous thing of leaving the 99 behind to go looking for that lost sheep.
And when he found that lost sheep, he would carry it on his shoulders and rejoice and call for a celebration.
What we would write off and "forget it", Jesus would write it in the palm of His hands (Isa 49:16) and remember by heart.
Today we are invited to enter into the heart of Jesus to experience love, forgiveness and healing.
In His heart, we come to see that Jesus, in His love for us, died for us while we are still sinners and hopeless in our sin, in order to reconcile us with God.
May our heart be like that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so that we can forgive and even love our enemies, and give thanks for those who show God's love to us.
The heart can be understood in various ways. Scientifically and medically speaking, it is understood as a vital organ.
Psychologically speaking, the heart is understood as the center of emotions and feelings.
Morally speaking, the heart is the seat of good or evil, because out of the heart flows our words and actions that define us as a moral being.
In today's feast of the Sacred Heart, we celebrate God's unconditional love for us that is expressed in the heart of Jesus.
That heart of Jesus is expressed in the gospel as a shepherd who would do the ridiculous thing of leaving the 99 behind to go looking for that lost sheep.
And when he found that lost sheep, he would carry it on his shoulders and rejoice and call for a celebration.
What we would write off and "forget it", Jesus would write it in the palm of His hands (Isa 49:16) and remember by heart.
Today we are invited to enter into the heart of Jesus to experience love, forgiveness and healing.
In His heart, we come to see that Jesus, in His love for us, died for us while we are still sinners and hopeless in our sin, in order to reconcile us with God.
May our heart be like that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so that we can forgive and even love our enemies, and give thanks for those who show God's love to us.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
9th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 06-06-13
Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1, 9-14; 8:4-9 / Mark 12:28-34
In the Bible there are many examples and samples of prayer.
One of which are the psalms, which are actually prayers for various kinds of needs and occasions.
Other than the psalms, there are also many other prayers in the Bible that may give us a model or a format of composing a prayer.
In today's 1st reading, we hear of the prayer of Tobias. He asked Sarah, his newly wed wife, to pray with him for protection for himself and their marriage as he began the prayer
Yet his prayer was not all about asking for protection for him and Sarah. In fact that petition was just one line of his prayer.
Tobias began by blessing and praising and acknowledging the Lord for His wonderful creation and for bringing man and woman together in marriage.
Essentially, his prayer was to thank God for His love and Tobias prayed that God's love will be poured out on him and Sarah so that they will be protected by His love in their marriage.
In the gospel, Jesus stated the two fundamental commandments - love for God and love for neighbour.
So even in our prayer, let us thank the Lord God for His love for us. And let us pray that we too will love God and may that love be expressed in our love for neighbour.
In the Bible there are many examples and samples of prayer.
One of which are the psalms, which are actually prayers for various kinds of needs and occasions.
Other than the psalms, there are also many other prayers in the Bible that may give us a model or a format of composing a prayer.
In today's 1st reading, we hear of the prayer of Tobias. He asked Sarah, his newly wed wife, to pray with him for protection for himself and their marriage as he began the prayer
Yet his prayer was not all about asking for protection for him and Sarah. In fact that petition was just one line of his prayer.
Tobias began by blessing and praising and acknowledging the Lord for His wonderful creation and for bringing man and woman together in marriage.
Essentially, his prayer was to thank God for His love and Tobias prayed that God's love will be poured out on him and Sarah so that they will be protected by His love in their marriage.
In the gospel, Jesus stated the two fundamental commandments - love for God and love for neighbour.
So even in our prayer, let us thank the Lord God for His love for us. And let us pray that we too will love God and may that love be expressed in our love for neighbour.
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