PAN DE LA SEMANA

[BREAKING THE BREAD OF GOD’S WORD] Corpus Christi Sunday Solemnity of the Body & Blood of the Lord – Year B June 7, 2015 BUILD ME UP, FILL ME UP! We all know how the people of Israel were at some point wandering aimlessly in the desert. After being led out of slavery in Egypt, and after the initial euphoria at being liberated wore down, they felt empty. They felt like vagabonds – journeyers without a sure destination. If I were in their shoes, I would probably be reminded of that old song that says: “Why do you build me up, Buttercup baby, just to let me down, and mess me around?” But today’s readings dispel our worst fears about being left alone to fend for ourselves. Let me tell you why… For one, the Lord, through Moses, led them to a clear sign of God’s fidelity to His promises. He called and engaged them in a covenant, which is basically, a mutual agreement. That agreement was sealed in the most visible, most p...

Corpus Christi (A) June 22, 2014 FOR REAL. FOR CERTAIN. FOR ALL TIME. FOREVER! Of late, there has been an increasing mistrust for fake food and everything fake from a certain country. Let us hide its identity under the name “China.” In my latest visit to Hong Kong, I was told that certain people in that country have mastered the art – and the business! – of producing fake everything: fake eggs, fake beef, fake milk, not to mention all the fake “signature” items that can be found everywhere where they sell cheap goods. In our country, we have fake public servants who actually serve no more than their own pockets, their family, their best interests, and definitely not the common weal. Let us also hide them under the collective title of “congressman or senator.” Of late, too, certain places I am very familiar with have also seen a number of fake priests, who do nothing more than sprinkle holy water to business establishments … for...

Catholic Homily/Sunday Reflection Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord Year C June 6, 2010               There is no understanding fully the feast of today without framing it in the context of what “sacramentality” is all about. Being the “sacrament of sacraments,” as St. Thomas puts it, and being both “the source and the summit of Christian life” (Vatican II), the Eucharist is eminently a “visible sign of invisible grace” (St. Augustine). In the very visible, and very ordinary reality of bread and wine, we see, and feel, and experience, in an extraordinary way, something that God meant to be so ordinary in our lives as believers – His living, loving, and gracious presence in the midst of His beloved people!               Eucharist is all about presence. Eucharist is all about the here and now, the “already” of our Christian lives, though i...