PAN DE LA SEMANA

[BREAKING THE BREAD OF GOD’S WORD] 25 th Sunday OT_B September 20, 2015 AMPLITUDE, APTITUDE, ATTITUDE Allow me to go philological for today. Let us go by way of linguistics … I would like to think that amplitude comes from the root word “ample” which means enough. It refers to the state of something being sufficient, being adequate, or simply put, the state of fullness of something. Aptitude, as the root word states, is being the right fit for something, the state or condition of aptness, suitability or being good enough for something. An apt image of aptitude is that of a key that perfectly fits a keyhole and opens the locked door. Attitude is what one draws from within the self in reference to everything external to one’s self. It is that frame of mind or mold of heart that makes one either favorable or otherwise to anything and everything. Now, let us apply all three words to the three readings today. In classical Catholic imagination, my task as preac...

The Birth of John the Baptist June 24, 2012 No other saint, save St. Paul, can “boast” of two feast days in the Roman Catholic calendar … The Church celebrates the birth and death of John, “greater than whom no other man born of woman” exists! Today, we revel in his glorious birth. Later this year, in August 29, we will commemorate his tragic beheading … tragic in man’s eyes, but glorious in God’s – and for many generations since! Greatness is what we associate with John, no doubt about it. But the road to greatness was never sweet nor easy, notwithstanding the glorious and hopeful prophecies of old that foreshadowed the coming of someone who was referred to in the first reading “as concealed in the shadow of [God’s] arm” or “a polished arrow,” “through whom [God] shows His glory.” (Is 49:1-6) When I look at the mystery of human pain and suffering, it is hard to wax lyrical and hopeful. When I see endless tragedies brought about by human sinfulness and greed...

Catholic Homily/Sunday Reflection 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time(C) August 29, 2010 Reasons, there are, abounding to aim for greatness, popularity, and power. With so much competition in our postmodern culture that values self-fulfillment and self-realization to the hilt; with so much pressure on us to deliver, perform, and conform to the so-called “norms” of a society that ever hankers for the elusive more and more, who would want to be at the bottom of the heap? Who would want to be left behind by the bandwagon of success and achievement? By comparison, the liturgy today simply sounds so counter-intuitive, so counter-cultural! Whilst the whole world speaks of getting up higher in the rung of worldly importance, and exhorts all and sundry to pull their own strings, and to claim their rightful place under the sun, today’s readings almost sound like a douse of cold water to our raging enthusiasm to excel and be known to many for all we are worth (or at least imagine ourselves to ...

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflection 3rd Sunday of Advent (C) December 13, 2009 “Nothing is more simple than greatness. Indeed, to be simple is to be great.” Last week, we alluded to what I call the “gang of seven” – bigwigs and powerful people all, who became even greater in contraposition to lowly John the Baptist, “the son of Zechariah in the desert.” I also spoke about the need for us to face our very own power blocks, the modern-day equivalent of the “gang of seven,” who may also stand in the way of our being totally sold out to the call of John the Baptist – to make all paths straight and level in preparation for the coming of the Lord. Today, we see the tables being turned in favor of this lowly man who dressed in “funny clothes,” (camel’s hair) and ate “funny food,” (locusts and wild honey), out of whose life – and death – someone named Herod had selfishly “gotten a rise,” for himself, insecure as he most likely was, about his fast waning hold on power. Ironically...