PAN DE LA SEMANA

[BREAKING THE BREAD OF GOD’S WORD] 29 th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B October 18, 2015 HOLDING FAST TO OUR CONFESSION The first reading talks about the patient suffering of the prophesied Messiah, the suffering servant, through whom, “the Lord’s will shall be accomplished.” The second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews is some kind of a pep talk to people ever tempted to give up on what they believed. It was a plea to fellow believers to hold on, “since [they] had a high priest who has passed through the heavens.” The Gospel passage reminds us of a temptation that is every bit as real as the temptation to give up – the ever lurking danger and temptation of asking for what is not due us, looking for something greater than us, and aiming for something that is not meant for us. I know the feeling. Who among us has not at any point in our lives aimed for something that is beyond us? Who among us has not wanted to get something that we really do not deserve, ...

[BREAKING THE BREAD OF GOD’S WORD] 14 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B CALLED AND SENT TO RAISE UP A FALLEN WORLD The first reading almost sounds like a reality check … The Lord tells the prophet: “I am sending you to … rebels who have rebelled against me … to [people] hard of face and obstinate of heart.” Paul, in the second reading, almost sounds like he is giving us another dampener … another sob and sad story: “a thorn in the flesh was given to me … insults, hardships, persecutions and complaints.” It is hard for me at this point in time, not to identify with both Ezekiel and Paul. I feel like I am a little weak lamb in the midst of wolves. But today, I need to be reminded. Today, as in all other Sundays, I need to be given a shot in the arm. And it is more than just consoling to note that even the Lord Jesus, when he went back to his own country, was given far less than a hospitable and warm welcome. They doubted him. They could not believe that ...

23 rd Sunday Year B September 9, 2012 TO ALL THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE FRIGHTENED! Truth to tell, we never run out of reasons, on occasion, to be scared. Just last week, a big quake jolted many people from Davao down south, all the way up north to Baguio City. Whilst it was powerful enough to jar everyone’s nerves, fortunately, it was too far off to sea to create what could very well have been great damage to life and property on a wide swath of Philippine territory. A few weeks after the Sendong tragedy last year in CDO and Iligan, I, together with a group of young priests on immersion and ongoing formation, was there for a few days. The sight of what used to be flourishing villages all washed away, or rammed to smithereens by logs that came cascading down the mountains of Bukidnon, made our hearts sink. But what really rended our hearts were stories of children, who, upon hearing the rains fall, would all be racked by intense panic and anxiety (...