PAN DE LA SEMANA

gone to SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI! All of us mortals long for the more, the better, the greater, and the ultimate! The history of the world, and our own personal histories reflect this timeless and ageless truth - we look for fulfillment, for what satisfies, for everything that gives lasting meaning to our existence. We even pine for immortality, for the proverbial fountain of youth, physical prowess, and beauty. We hanker for everything that lasts, and all things that lend perfection and lasting dignity to our person. All that we long for, and all that we look for are not bad in themselves. They are legitimate ends for men and women created by God with the natural tendency towards "self-transcendence." This includes our legitimate desire for material wealth and prosperity. Today's liturgy, though, offers some kind of a warning. Today's readings would have us take a second look at what we consider as the "ultimate." The Lord, today, would have us re...

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) July 24, 2016 A FEW GOOD MEN!       The little, the seemingly insignificant, the few, and the powerless ... those who don't seem to count; the perpetual underdogs; those whose lives don't make waves: the widows, the orphans, the poor, and the lowly ... these are those who can make a difference, those whose presence - and persistence - can mean life, fullness of life both for themselves and others, or the utter lack of it for everyone.       I refer to the "power of one." I speak of the riches behind the widow's mite, the force of puny David's stone that spelled defeat of the mighty Goliath. I point to the authority of the twelve - the Lord's "few, good men" whose conviction and faith, despite the onrush and crushing weight of the worldly power of kings, emperors, and tyrants over the past two thousand years.       The faith that we celebrate today is a testimony of the power of th...

16th Sunday Year C July 17, 2016 SERVICE. SMILES. SERIOUSNESS. STUDY Abraham was not one to miss an opportunity. Seeing three men on their way towards some place else, Abraham saw the chance of a lifetime to offer some welcome and winsome service with a smile. And then some ... rolls and some meat; curds and some milk ... The guests surely were well provided. Martha and Mary sure knew their places. Both did not pass off an opportunity as it came their way ... in the person of their friend Jesus, whom Martha, by the way, called Lord! The Lord merited some five-star quality service. This, Martha gave gratis et amore. The same Lord surely was worthy of some serious attention and personal care. This, Mary did, by sitting down right next to the Lord's ottoman chair, gracious and generous with her listening ears, as she was gracious and winsome in her heart. Abraham and Sarah did their best to offer service and hospitality to the unexpected guests. Martha and Mary each had a way to make ...

15th Sunday Year C July 10, 2016 YOU ONLY HAVE TO CARRY IT OUT We all suffer from some type of paralysis at some point. We are often petrified in our fears, in our uncertainties, in our mistrust, and in our lingering suspicions. We dare not lift a finger most times to help. What if the fellow is just pretending to be sick and needy? What if the beggar banging at my door is really a poseur  who just wants to fleece me? We all are potential good Samaritans. We all dream somehow of being like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, or any other great saint we hear about or read about. But, too sad, too bad, all we do oftentimes is resort to wishful thinking. All three readings speak about possibilities. The first reading from Deuteronomy speaks about the word as being very near to us, that is, within reach, at arm's length, readily available to those who would simply reach out and not much more. The second reading speaks about a God so noble and lofty, whose image in Jesus Christ, became so close...

14th Sunday_Year C July 3, 2016 LIKE LAMBS AMONG WOLVES I remember an old thriller of a movie, where a man joins an organized group of criminals. When the crime was done and the spoils were supposed to be divided among them, one of them, the villain, unexpectedly pulls a fast one on everybody else leaving them all holding an empty bag. The villain, in the end, had this to say: "Amateurs should not play games with professionals!" And he made a clean escape with all the booty in hand. Amateurs, indeed, should not be playing games with professionals. Lambs should not gambol about with wolves ... For one, wolves don't gambol aimlessly. No, they go for the kill, and they are expertly, deadly skillful at what they do, initially stalking silently their prey, and then would pounce and pursue on the hapless clueless gentle lamb, that ends up as a pack of wolves' lunch. I must confess at times I feel more like a lamb in the midst of wolves in certain areas of the vast human e...

June 26, 2016 Readings: 1 Kgs 19:16b,19-21 / Gal 5:1, 13-18 / Lk 9:51-62 TUNING OUT IN ORDER TO TUNE IN: SAYING NO TO EVERYTHING THAT IS NOT LIFE Our contemporary language is chock-full of insights about what we value, about what we consider as important above all others. There was a time when we were told to tune in to a particular radio program, or to a particular TV channel. When there were but few choices available, we were advised to tune in. It was just a simple matter of turning the dial, and placing the arrow on the exact spot that corresponds to the desired radio frequency (which was either AM or FM). In our times, we speak more of the need to tune out. With an almost endless array of choices; with so many products to select from, our capacity for freely making choices means that we first need to tune out or zone out in order to narrow down the list. We literally need to un-clutter our lives first before we can make order come out of chaos. Tuning out and tuning in both have ...

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C June 19, 2016 GRACE IN WHATEVER FORM! Many years ago, the words used by Dietrich Bonhoeffer made a big dent in my mind. He talked about cheap grace and costly grace. Before I proceed, let us get it straight from his mouth: cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance; baptism without church discipline; communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ. It is all too easy for all of us to look only for the former, and ignore the latter. Why not? It is nice to be comfortable and safely ensconced in our seats. It is hard to rock the boat and even  harder to suffer unnecessarily. That is not what I gather from the readings today. The first reading from Zechariah speaks about the Lord pouring out grace and petition, that is, something pleasant and unpleasant, something that would lead to gratitude and mourning at one and the same time ... growth as...