PAN DE LA SEMANA

Catholic Homily/Sunday Reflection 13 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) June 27, 2010 Excitement is in the air as the World Cup continues to keep the whole world glued to their seats and to their digital TV screens. It is significant that, even as the world reels under the specter of terror and ongoing violence perpetrated by both sides who belong to the wide spectrum of political, economic, cultural, and religious ideologies, the vast majority of the freedom-loving world, focuses its attention, not on battling one another with weapons of mass death and destruction, but on slugging it out peacefully in friendly and healthy football matches. It is unfortunate that there are those among us peoples of all nations, races, and creeds, whose attitude and behavior seem to mar and tar the nobility of such a wholesome dream for camaraderie and competition. It is, indeed, unfortunate, that in our days, there are those of us in the human family, who continue to derail the vision of worldwide fra...

Catholic Homily/Sunday Reflection 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time(C) June 20, 2010 The past two Sundays have been a reminder of how God revealed Himself to be. He revealed Himself via a story, an unfolding history that came to us both through the written and oral tradition of the so-called mirabilia Dei (the wonders of God). In the Solemnity of the Trinity of three Sundays back, we saw God in action as Giver (the Creator Father), as Gifted (the Son given for us and for our salvation), and as Gifting (the Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son), who still dwells in our midst and continues to lead us in our journey towards the fullness of salvific truth. Last, last Sunday, we were reminded of God’s real presence to His Church and people, in and through the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we come to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord,” both the fullness of the Parousia (Christ’s coming at the end of time, with a capital P), and His parousia , that is, his current, conte...

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) June 13, 2010 This Sunday’s readings have a little something for all of us. Let’s face it! We all have sinned. We still do. And we stand to sin some more. The Lord Himself said it: “The just man sins seven times a day.” But whilst David had a Nathan to convict him, we only have our own consciences to guide us, aided by the objective teachings of the Gospel and the living Church to remind us. Nathan, according to the Holy Book, succeeded in his reminders. David, convicted by his enlightened conscience, capitulated and confessed: “I have sinned against the Lord.” This is I guess a good lesson for us to learn – or be reminded of – today. We all have sinned. “All men have fallen short of the glory of God,” as St. Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans. We all have veered off the righteous path. We all have gone astray, like lost sheep, needy of help from a forgiving and loving someone, who has the power to put us right back to the fold. Thi...