PAN DE LA SEMANA

[BREAKING THE BREAD OF GOD’S WORD] Second Sunday of Advent – C December 6, 2015 BY WAY OF THE SIMPLE AND THE HUMBLE Baruch is certainly one prophet we need in our times. We are robed in mourning and misery in our own ways, too. But that is not the part we need to highlight from him. What we need is the assurance the Lord tells us through him: “For God will show your splendor to all under the heavens.” But there is more reassurance coming from a younger prophet, named Paul: “the one who began a good work in [us] will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” But I reserve the best for last – from the Gospel of Luke. You see, Luke had an eye for details because he was a scientist – a doctor. And what details he tells us today! It was the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. And Pilate was governor and Philip was tetrarch of this and Lysanias was ruler of that … And you thought that it was all about royalty, huh? His story began with bigwigs...

[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...

Baptism of the Lord (B) January 11, 2015 A SERVANT WHOM I UPHOLD I remember a well-sought after speaker who was invited once to give a talk on the big and lofty topic called the “personalist philosophy” of Pope St. John Paul II. I am no philosopher and biographer, but I do know what that basically refers to – the importance, dignity, and primacy of the human person above all other external or “accidental” considerations about the human person. It was a brilliant and eloquent talk. The listeners were all impressed and imbued with the great desire of upholding the dignity of everyone they knew – yes … including drivers, “kasambahays” (domestic helpers or caregivers), and gardeners or servants. That is, up until he called for his driver and called him out in the big auditorium: “Driver! Please bring my books over from the car!” So much for upholding the personalist philosophy of someone so admired, delivered by someone so much sought after as a ...

28 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A October 12, 2014 IN WANT. IN PLENTY. BLEST. IN ALL THINGS! Everybody loves a feast. Fiesta, in rustic Philippine settings, had always been a day to look forward to and look back to. It was, and still is, a time to splurge, a day to be thankful, an occasion to celebrate. All sorts of mirth-making are done with abandon, at least for one whole day in the year. Fiestas in the Philippines refer to ALL. All are invited. All are happy. All are in the mood to act and behave like life is good … all the time. All stops are figuratively pulled to do that once-a-year celebration without restraint. Why do I think of such things today, you might ask? Simple. All three readings are profuse about giving all, doing all, sharing all … to all … for all sorts of reasons … “in verdant pastures,” with “cups overflowing,” “all the days of our lives.” I am one who can appreciate a glass of good, rich, ...

 He is the one and only UNLI! 14 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) July 6, 2014 UNLIMITED LEARNING FROM THE LORD! I work once more in a complex school setting. Back here after 28 years, I move around circles and groups that deal daily with what is known as teaching-learning situations. One goes to school to learn. One listens to lectures and subjects oneself to routine in order to learn, hopefully, for life. Going to school may end with graduation, but learning is meant to be lifelong. But there is learning that is lifelong and learning that is meant to last forever, without end, without limits … In the Philippines, we call it UNLI … short for unlimited. UNLI refers to unlimited calls provided by cellphone companies to hook loyal customers. It also refers to the craze of the day, that would probably cause more diabetic cases in future – UNLI rice! Popular restaurants now are competing themselves to death by offering unlimited ri...

November 24, 2013 Solemnity of Christ the King Year C Closing of the Year of Faith SHEPHERD, SERVANT, KING I missed my weekly “pan” last week. I was taken up trying to do what in my little capacity I could, to help the hapless victims of the supertyphoon that wrought death and unprecedented devastation to many places in Central Philippines. It felt so humbling … being literally so helpless. The magnitude of the destruction was and still is, unfathomable. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and no one plucks it out of nowhere just when one needs it, no matter how urgent, no matter how important, no matter how noble. But at the same time, it felt so encouraging. The little that was available for everyone to do was precisely what the suffering millions needed. The power that was not anyone’s innate resource was the very same power that God needed to do His mighty works. Aid came in trickles … a little bag here; a little bag there. A few hun...

30 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C October 27, 2013 Sirach today smacks of sincerity … on God’s part primarily, not his own. He speaks of a God who truly listens, who “judges justly and affirms the right.” This is what the psalmist also was convinced of. He was convinced enough for him – and us – to acclaim: “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” I write this short reflection in between sessions, as I preach to group of teachers from Imus, Cavite. Serendipitously, we speak of pretty much the same stuff that today’s readings speak of – the need for everyone who wants to grow towards emotional, psychological and spiritual maturity, to become straightforward, not duplicitous and deceptive. Sadly, in our times, double-talk is all we get from leaders and pundits alike. In the Philippine context, the pork barrel has supposedly and officially been abolished. But it has been resurrected even before it was scrapped, through other fancy and very creative (an...

27 th Sunday Year C October 6, 2013 INTEGRITY, JUSTICE, TRUST & SERVICE The word “trust” makes it very often once again in the news. We speak a lot about “public trust” associated with “public office” and we are disappointed when there is wanton betrayal of public trust. Oftentimes though, we see failings in others, but we do not see the same failings in ourselves. But first, let us go to the readings … Habakkuk was impatient. He wanted quick results. He had been praying for help from above, but “God wouldn’t listen” – well, at least, not as quickly as he would have wanted Him to. God plastered him down with a statement point blank: “The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” Which would you rather be … be rash or be just? … be quick and show results right off, or be slow but sure? … be imprudent and make so many mistakes, or be circumspect and effective in the long run? ...