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Scripture Meditations For Daily Life

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Chairman of the BoardBo Sanchez

EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor in ChiefRissa Singson-Kawpeng

Managing EditorsTess AtienzaJoy Sosoban

Editorial Assistant Angie Briones-Espuerta

Design & LayoutRey de Guzman

Cover PhotoRaymund Sto. Domingoof the Risen Lord Catholic CommunityDagupan City, Philippines

WritersFr. Steve Tynan, MGLFr. Rudy Horst, SVDFr. Martin Macasaet, SDBFr. Domie Guzman, SSPFr. Chito Dimaranan, SDBFr. Brian Steele, MGLFr. Joel O. JasonFr. Benny Tuazon

For more information, please contact:SHEPHERD’S VOICE#60 Chicago St., Cubao, Quezon City 1109 PhilippinesP.O. Box 1331 Quezon City Central Post Office1153 Quezon CityTel no: (632) 725-9999/725-1190 Fax: (632) 727-5615 or 726-9918e-mail: sale@shepherdsvoice.com.ph/kerygma_subs@yahoo.com.phwww.shepherdsvoice.com.ph

SABBATH is a study guide for the Scripture readings of each day. Its purpose is to encourage Catholics to understand with greater depth the Word of God and thereby apply it in their personal lives.

Reprinting or reproducing any part of this magazine must be done with permission from the publisher.

ISSN 0119-6561

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When 2009 came in, the world seemed to be crumbling down because of a global recession that’s said to be the worst ever in world economic history.

Maybe you were one of those seriously affected by the crunch — your business collapsed or you lost your job. Maybe you’re one of those who just had to tighten your belt a little by postponing to buy a house, a car, a cell phone or pre-paid car. Or maybe you had to forget about going on that dream cruise or settle for home-cooked meals instead of dining out.

Or maybe you’re one of those who have been listening to my talks or reading my articles and took my advice not to join the recession.

Whatever situation you’re in, if you are reading this, that means you’ve survived 2009. So take a moment to reflect on the gains of the past year and thank the Lord for your blessings.

As we welcome 2010, I choose to focus on the good things this New Year will bring.

I choose to focus on my family — another year of loving my wife and enjoying her company, another year of watching my children grow and delighting in their little and big achievements.

I choose to focus on my ministry — a most rewarding year of spreading the Gospel, of ministering to the sick, the poor, the downtrodden. If you want to know more about this, log on to www.bosanchez.ph.

I choose to focus on my extended family, my relatives, friends, brothers and sisters in my prayer community and co-

servants in my various ministries — it will be a fun year of teamwork and fellowship with them.

I choose to focus on the thousands I reach through the wonders of mainstream and electronic media — another year of connecting with them and being blessed by their

sharing of spiritual growth and improved life. Above all, I choose to focus on my quiet moments

with God — a whole year of reading His Word, reflecting on His teachings, listening to His message and just simply basking in His unconditional love for me.

I can’t wait for 2010 to roll in.

May your dreams come true,

BO SANCHEZ

WELCOME 2010!

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Reflection Question: Am I willing to go deeper in my faith walk with Jesus? Am I willing to let go of things I want to control and to give them to God?

Mary, pray for me, a sinner, that I will grow closer to God this year and learn how to sur-render more deeply to His love and grace.

Blessed Berka Zdislava, pray for us.

1 January FridaySolemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Numbers 6:22-27Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 (2a)

Galatians 4:4-7luke 2:16-21

STARTING THE NEW YEAR WELLIt feels good to start a project well. It gives us hope that things will continue to go well. The same is true as we begin the New Year. There seems to be a psychological reality that allows us to bring to a close everything that happened in the previous year on December 31 and to feel as though we are able to start afresh come midnight that night. Why this is so, I guess you will have to ask the psychologists to find an answer to that question. We celebrate today the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. In so doing, we are reminded that Mary is indeed the Mother of God, and not just that of a special human being. Like all mothers, for Mary the birth of Jesus meant a new beginning for her life. She now has the awesome responsibility to raise a child mysteriously entrusted to her care by God, or so the angel told he r. I somet imes try to imagine what m u s t h a v e g o n e on in her heart and mind as the events of her life unfolded in such a unique and extraordinary manner.

How she managed to cope can only be put down to her faith in God, otherwise the enormity of the challenges she faced would have overwhelmed her. As we confront another new year, it is important that we embrace it with faith and trust that God will lead us through all the experiences that will come our way. He is never far from us, and is always willing to lend us a hand. Are we humble enough to ask for His help? We can be fairly sure that there are major challenges before us, but with God to guide us, and Mary to intercede for us, we can deal with them all. It is amazing what difference a little faith can make in our lives. Imagine then what difference a lot of faith would make. Mary is placed before us by the Church as the primary

example of faith, the f i r s t and g rea te s t disciple of her Son, Jesus. Let us follow her example of simplicity, humility and faith and so entrust our lives to the will and mercy of God. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

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2 January Saturday

1 John 2:22-28Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

John 1:19-28

Reflection Question: What are the persistent sins in my life? How can I better deal with them, relying upon the grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to help me?

Jesus, You have overcome the powers of sin and death through Your passion and resurrection. Help me to live out Your power to the full as Your disciple.

St. Caspar del Bufalo, pray for us.

Physicists tell us that the shortest distance between two given points is a straight line. I think this holds true for our faith as well. John the Baptist calls for a “straight path” to be made for the Lord. He tells the people to get ready to deal with the sins in their lives and encourages them not to delay the process by refusing to deal directly with them. We all struggle with this call as we often seek to stall, delay, complicate, misdirect and so on the process of confronting our sins. We seem to prefer anything, even continual suffering due to sin, than to address it in a simple and straightforward manner. We need to teach ourselves that the best thing to do with sin is get rid of it, not hide it or try to justify it. We need to open our hearts to the revelation that comes from the Spirit of God that identifies the sin in our lives and for us to deal with it. No, this is rarely easy, but it is the only way to true freedom, happiness and eternal life. Sin is an obstacle to the

work of the Holy Spirit and so we need to get rid of it. John the Baptist knows this is true and so spends his life preparing for the One who will come after him who not only knows about sin but has the power to do something about it. Jesus is the one who forgives us our sins and who empowers us to live a virtuous life. Jesus has walked among sinful humanity and experienced the results of sin; He also devoted His life to giving us the ability to get out of sinful habits and into those of virtue and holy living. As we reflect upon John’s call today, let us ask ourselves how we can better respond to the Gospel message of hope, and so surrender ourselves more fully to the work

Jesus is doing to make us holy and to unite us to Himself and our Father in heaven. It is only in union with God that we will fully overcome the powers and temptations of sin. Let us pray that we will grow in unity with God. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

MAKE A STRAIGHT WAY FOR JESUS

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3 January SundaySolemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6Matthew 2:1-12

The Solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord is a feast that celebrates our duty to reveal the truth of God’s presence to His people. Jesus reveals this truth and so many others about God to us. The revelation of who God is that accompanies the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is such that anyone who receives it can never be the same again. To know the truth about God is to enter into the gift of salvation. This is why it is such an awesome privilege to be called to proclaim the Gospel to others. It is also why living the Gospel to its fullest is so important as a means by which people can be introduced to the Gospel in a simple and non-threatening way. The Epiphany is recorded in the Scriptures under the guise of a spectacular event that occurs on top of a mountain, one of the classic places for revelations in the Old Testament. We should real ize from this that understanding the nature of this

event in Jesus’ life is going to rely upon a Jewish understanding of Old Testament revelations. As Christians, we believe that the revelation that comes through Jesus is final and definitive. It is only our understanding that will increase in the years to come, not the content of our knowledge about God. The Scriptures are designed to reveal God to us, and the various epiphanies of Jesus are intense moments in this revelation. Even today, God continues to reveal Himself to us in prayer and these events can properly be called epiphanies. But I prefer to play down revelations received by individuals so as to avoid any public hysteria all too often associated with such events. It is too easy for people to get distracted by such revelations,

usually meant for the individual alone, and ultimately spend their effor ts promoting a n i n d i v i d u a l ’ s interpretation of the Gospel rather than the Gospel itself. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

MAKING GOD KNOWN TO ALL

Reflection Question: Am I often distracted when I hear about individuals who seem to have special or unique experiences of revelation from God?

Holy Spirit, help me to be faith-ful in living the Gospel to the full, and thus serve as an epiphany or revelation of the truth of the Gospel, to all whom I meet.

St. Bertilia, pray for us.

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4 January Monday

1 John 3:22-4:6Psalm 2:7bc-8, 10-12a

Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25

event in Jesus’ life is going to rely upon a Jewish understanding of Old Testament revelations. As Christians, we believe that the revelation that comes through Jesus is final and definitive. It is only our understanding that will increase in the years to come, not the content of our knowledge about God. The Scriptures are designed to reveal God to us, and the various epiphanies of Jesus are intense moments in this revelation. Even today, God continues to reveal Himself to us in prayer and these events can properly be called epiphanies. But I prefer to play down revelations received by individuals so as to avoid any public hysteria all too often associated with such events. It is too easy for people to get distracted by such revelations,

usually meant for the individual alone, and ultimately spend their effor ts promoting a n i n d i v i d u a l ’ s interpretation of the Gospel rather than the Gospel itself. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question: Do I tend to dwell on the fringes of the groups I belong to in the Church or am I living in the heart of the Church?

Holy Spirit, help me to discern well the spirits I encounter so that the only voice I listen to will be based on Your Spirit — Yours that is given to me to guide me in the way of truth.

St. Dafrosa, pray for us.

In our lives, we will encounter many different spirits, some of whom come from God and many that do not. How will we know the origin of the spirits we encounter? That is the $64,000 question, or more correctly, the question that has very large ramifications for our eternal life. John encourages his community to “test the spirits” because he knows there are many that we should not trust. We test the various spirits we encounter in a number of ways, the most important of which are the following: First, we must test them against the truths revealed to us in the Scriptures. If they are encouraging us to do things against the Word of God or indeed against anything written in the Word of God, then we should reject them outright. Secondly, we test the spirits against the Traditions of the Church. If the spirits recommend to us actions or ideas that are not consonant with the Tradition of the Church we can

know that they are not from God. Thirdly, we should test anything we encounter against the teaching of the Church. This is precisely why God has given us the bishops as the arbiters of moral and doctrinal truth. If any spirit we encounter can stand up to these three tests, we can be fairly sure that we are not going to be led astray. Of course, even if the spirit we are following happens to be from God, we can still stray from the way of God in our lives through a misinterpretation or misapplication of what the spirit is saying. This is why it is good for us to live and work in the midst of a community of believers who can serve as a fourth check on the things we are giving our lives to in service.

Common sense is also a fairly good judge of a spirit. As long as we are truly living a spiritual life and seeking to grow in holiness, it is unlikely that we will be too easily led astray. Fr.

Steve Tynan, MGL

TESTING THE SPIRITS WE ENCOUNTER

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5 January Tuesday

1 John 4:7-10Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8

Mark 6:34-44

Reflection Question: Do I resist the work of the Spirit in my life? How well do I surrender to the graces God sends to transform my life?

Holy Spirit, open my heart to the truth of God’s love for me, trusting that all He desires for me is for the best.

St. Charles of Sezze, pray for us.

My father used to be a part owner of a small cattle property just outside the city of Canberra where I grew up. Two of our neighbors raised sheep on their properties and I used to be amazed by their aimlessness. However, when one of them found its way over a bridge or through a gate, the rest all readily followed in a rush. Sheep truly seem to be in need of a leader or else they will wander about and never accomplish anything. The same is true for a person who has no spiritual guidance. They will tend to be blown around by any and every fad that arises. This is not a healthy situation as it will only lead to confusion and error. Clarity is of primary importance for the spiritual life; without it, the darkness of sin is always capable of inserting itself into the life and mind of a confused person. One of the best things we can do to avoid aimlessness in our spiritual lives is to seek ongoing formation in the Word of God and remain active in our faith

communities. If we get lazy and do not actively seek such formation and opportunities for service, the old saying that “the devil makes use of idle hands” will surely become true for us. In many ways, we hold our destinies in our own hands according to the decisions we make. Yes, we can do nothing without the grace of God; however, it is just as true that the grace of God is powerless to change us without our cooperation. Let us seek out the places and ways we can form ourselves in the mind and ways of God and allow His Spirit to lead and guide us into the ways of truth and love that will lead to eternal life. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. I like the old saying that “God helps those who help themselves.” There is something healthy about seeing ourselves give some contribution to

any change that occurs in our lives. Jesus is the power and grace behind any change, but we have to make a decision to want to change or all His power will be in vain. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

THE AIMLESSNESS OF THE SHEPHERDLESS

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6 January Wednesday

1 John 4:11-18Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13

Mark 6:45-52

Reflection Question: When I say I love God, what motivates me to believe and say this? Do I love God out of fear of Him, or simply because He is good?

Lord Jesus, help me to over-come any fear of God I may have in my life so that I will be motivated by His goodness and blessings.

St. Melanie, pray for us.

communities. If we get lazy and do not actively seek such formation and opportunities for service, the old saying that “the devil makes use of idle hands” will surely become true for us. In many ways, we hold our destinies in our own hands according to the decisions we make. Yes, we can do nothing without the grace of God; however, it is just as true that the grace of God is powerless to change us without our cooperation. Let us seek out the places and ways we can form ourselves in the mind and ways of God and allow His Spirit to lead and guide us into the ways of truth and love that will lead to eternal life. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. I like the old saying that “God helps those who help themselves.” There is something healthy about seeing ourselves give some contribution to

any change that occurs in our lives. Jesus is the power and grace behind any change, but we have to make a decision to want to change or all His power will be in vain. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Let us reflect upon today’s First Reading from the first letter of St. John and ask ourselves, “Am I free from all fear in my life?” If we cannot answer this question with a resounding “No!” then we can be sure that we have not yet opened our lives to, and fully received, the love that God wants to pour into our hearts. The reason that Jesus was freely and joyfully able to embrace God’s will for His life was that He knew and fully experienced the love of the Father. If only we could come to know the Father’s love to the extent Jesus knew it, we would be transformed people. When we are firmly based in the infinite love of God we will not fear anything because we know that whatever happens God is by our side to see us through it. Sometimes when I read the accounts of the martyrs of the Church I wonder at their seeming indifference to the suffering they were about to face or were in the middle of experiencing. How did they do it? They s imp ly en t ru s t ed

themselves to the love and mercy of God and that was that. Jesus’ entire life is a testimony to the power of knowing God’s love in order to overcome all obstacles — even death brought by sin. It is God’s love that redeemed us as Jesus died on the cross; it is God’s love that raises us to eternal glory to share in the resurrection of Jesus His Son. It is love that transforms human beings into more than instinctual animals. It is our ability to know, receive, give and reflect upon love’s nature that makes us different from the rest of creation. St. John tells us that perfect love casts out all fear; it does so because love and fear are opposites. A love born of fear is imperfect. We must therefore seek to respond to God’s love out of love for Him rather than out of fear of the consequences if

we do not. Let us seek to learn to love one another and God so that we will always be motivated by love and the desire for unity, and not just by fear of hell if we remain in our sins. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

TO BE COMPLETELY FREE FROM FEAR

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7 January Thursday

1 John 4:19-5:4Psalm 72:1-2, 14, 15bc, 17

luke 4:14-22

Reflection Question: Do I really believe that I am redeemed? If so, do I live this reality? What can I do to live the life of a redeemed person more consistently?

Heavenly Father, Your love is an all-powerful instrument for change. Help me to surrender to Your love and so begin to live the life of the redeemed.

St. Aidric, pray for us.

If you want to know what is the greatest power at work in the universe, all you have to do is think about the power of the Gospel — the power of love to transform a person from the inside out. There is no greater power than the power of love. Love is one of the most popular subjects for songs as we recognize its power and application to our lives immediately. It is love that truly mesmerizes the poet within us and can cause us to lose our sense of time when we are in the presence of someone we love. One of the most important aspects of love is its “other-directedness.” When love is directed solely to one’s own self, it becomes destructive, as Narcissus found when he fell in love with his own reflection in the river. When he leaned over better to admire himself, he fell in the river and drowned. This is precisely the tragedy of self-love gone crazy; one cannot see beyond one’s own needs and desires and they eventually drown

us in self-absorption. The nature of the Gospel is that it is a gift for others. One of the first experiences when we have received the Gospel is the desire to share the Good News with others.This is not a mistake. This is part of the dynamic of the Good News of salvation. Jesus expresses His understanding that the Gospel is the Good News sent to those who are struggling to lift their eyes from their troubles and give them a new focus that brings them life. The challenge we all face here is to apply the Gospel to our lives by living the Good News on a daily basis. It is easy to live as a redeemed person once in a while; the challenge we face is to do this as a consistent witness to the power of the Gospel to transform every kind

of human situation. Let us rejoice that Jesus has unleashed such a power in the world — we can become sharers in the life of God through our faith in Him. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE GOSPEL

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8 January Friday

1 John 5:5-13Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

Luke 5:12-16

Reflection Question: Do I give witness to the truth that there is more to life than the here and now? Am I living for eternal life or just for the present moment?

Holy Spirit, give me the strength and courage to live the moral life of a disciple of Jesus so that I will always give witness to the greater truths of eternal life.

St. Albert of Cashel, pray for us.

When it comes to matters of faith the truth is all-important — it is only the truth that will set us free. We live in a world that offers all sorts of answers to the various problems and challenges of life. The issue at stake is whether or not we are interested in the truth or we are going to be seduced by the many promises of the world, and ultimately be disappointed when they fail to materialize. It is good to gain all the material things the world has to offer, but will they lead you to everlasting life? No, they cannot; only the truth of faith in Jesus Christ can do that. The three witnesses that John mentions here — water, blood and the Spirit — are important aspects of the truth of the Gospel. It is through the waters of baptism that we receive the fruits of the shedding of the blood of Christ and begin to live the new life of the Spirit of God. Eternal life cannot be gained without entering into and experiencing what these three have to offer. Whether we like

it or not, we have to understand and surrender to the truth to which they testify: that our salvation comes through Christ and through Him alone. The world does not want us to embrace this truth as it will direct us on a path and lifestyle that is contrary to its materialistic principles. We hear all sorts of worries about the state of the earth and how we will have to change our lifestyle if we want the earth to sustain human life for the long term. The environmental movement has been making noises to this end for decades now. I firmly believe that the only way to make these changes is to recognize that there is more to life than the here and now; only then will people accept that we have a moral responsibility to respect the gift of the world in

which we live. If all we have is our mortal life on earth, why should anyone bother about anything other than that? Only when we live for eternal life will we embrace the call to live a moral life. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUTH

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9 January Saturday

1 John 5:14-21Psalm 149:1-2, 3-4, 5, 6a, 9b

John 3:22-30

Reflection Question: What are the areas in my life where I need to grow in humility and surrender to the will of God?

Holy Spirit, grant me the grace to surrender my life to God and to allow Your grace to transform my life into a life of faith and trust in You.

St. Vitalicus, pray for us.

John the Baptist does not live under any illusions of self-importance. He is quite clear as he speaks to his disciples, “I must decrease and he, Jesus, must increase.” Herein lies the answer to the question I posed in the title of today’s reflection. The only way to grow in humility is to have the same realization that John had, namely, that it is Christ and His will that is the all-important reality for happiness and fulfillment in life. If we try to live apart from the graces and fulfillment that Christ offers, we will only be frustrated and disappointed. If we surrender to God’s will and decide to live for Him, we will know the fullness of life. Obedience and surrender to the will of God are not always, in fact rarely are, the most attractive of the options presented to us daily. This is why the saints talk about living lives of faith and trust in God. It is only if we truly believe in Christ that we would be willing to entrust ourselves

to His promises. One of the greatest challenges in the life of faith is that the promises of Christ in the Gospel are only fulfilled in eternal life, that is, they are beyond experience in this world. This means that we have to let go of our need to experience these promises now — to feel the fulfillment of God’s promises. It is highly likely, if not for certain, that such will only come when we pass from this life to the next. Jesus has traveled this path of faith when He submitted Himself to His passion and death. It is the Father, or more correctly, the glory of the Father (see Romans 5) that raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus totally surrendered His life to the Father so that we will be saved. He has walked the path of faith to prove to us that it is possible.

Are we willing to follow His example? Are we willing to d e c r e a s e s o t h a t His promises can increase and become the substance of our l ives? Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

HOW DO WE LIVE IN TRUE HUMILITY?

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10 January SundayFeast of the Baptism of the Lord

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30 (1)

Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Reflection Question: How faithfully do I depend upon and surrender my life to the grace of the Holy Spirit? What areas in my life do I need to change so that I will be a better example of Christian living for others?

Come, Holy Spirit, empower me to live the life of a disciple of Jesus, and help me to remove every aspect of my life that is not a good example of faith for others.

St. Thomain, pray for us.

John the Baptist tells the people that there is someone coming who will baptize them in the Holy Spirit, not just water. I wonder what they thought about this? I wonder what we think about it today also. We live in a very materialistic world where the language and understanding of the Holy Spirit is not often used or spoken. It seems that we are becoming used to not having much to do with the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to us in Baptism. When Jesus is baptized, the Sacrament of Baptism is given its everlasting power and character. Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, sanctifies the waters of Baptism with not just the forgiveness of sins, but also the gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is sort of a welcome gift as we come into God’s family. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we must learn to live our lives. This is where the role of the parents and godparents is so crucial to the newly

baptized – it is their responsibility to form the newly baptized in the life of faith. The best way to form anyone is to be a living example. It is thus essential that godparents are men and women who are active in their faith and willing to share their faith with their godchild. Too often today, this is the least of the concerns of many parents in their choice of godparents for their children. (The same is even more often true when choosing godparents for marriage!) It is time that we rediscover the true meaning of many of the practices of the Church and disencumber them from the debris that has accumulated around them down through the centuries.

The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is important and we must take it seriously. If we fail to do this, we will not only be doing a disservice to ourselves, but also to all those who look up to us for an example of a life of faith. Fr. Steve

Tynan, MGL

TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

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11 January Monday

1 Samuel 1:1-8Psalm 116:12-13, 14-16, 18-19

Mark 1:14-20

Reflection Question: How can I become a more faithful follower of Jesus?

Holy Spirit, show me the things in my life that are hindering my growth in faith and help me to renounce each one of them.

St. Boadin, pray for us.

The essence of discipleship is obedience. This is worked out, practically speaking, in our lives, through our willingness to follow where the Spirit of God leads us. Jesus calls the first disciples and they follow Him. This sounds like a very simple dynamic but if we look a little deeper into the word “follow,” we will discover that it is not as simple as it first seems. To follow carries with it the connotation of imitating what someone does. Thus, disciples of Jesus are really imitators of Jesus; whatever He does or says serves as an example that marks out the life we are to live as His disciples. If it is good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for us. This applies to every aspect of our lives, including suffering. At the heart of the idea of imitating another person is the belief that their life is worth imitating. We should work towards this point so that others will believe that our lives are worth imitating. Another meaning of the word “follow” is the physical act of

THE ESSENCE OF DISCIPLESHIPfollowing a person along a particular path or journey. It is not enough just to watch Christianity happen around us; we need to be personally involved, and the only way to be so is to “walk the walk” and “talk the talk.” A disciple is willing to go wherever the Master leads him or her. This can be very challenging at times, particularly when we do not understand where we are going or even why we are going. This is where faith and trust come into the equation of discipleship. We have to learn to trust Jesus that wherever He leads us, there is a good purpose and reason. Sometimes it is not for us to understand everything; but it is always true that we should obey everything God asks us to do. The challenges we will face in the life of discipleship are many and varied but we can always overcome them through trust and obedience to God. This may not be easy, but it is the path

to eternal life — and I am sure that is the goal of us all! Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

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12 January Tuesday

1 samuel 1:9-201 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

Mark 1:21-28

Reflection Question: Who is the master of my life? Do I rely on God for guid-ance?

Father, thank You for the ex-ample of the lives of the saints. Help me to follow them as best as I can.

St. Arcadius, pray for us.

Hannah is a very smart and faithful woman. She knows who has the answers to the question and problem that plagues her life. She knows the answer does not lie in the wisdom and practices of the world; it is only God who can help her with her troubles. Therefore she sets off to the Temple to pray. As if she does not have enough problems, Eli thinks she is drunk. However, God hears her prayers and comes to her aid. Each of us will face a similar situation. We will be confronted with seemingly insurmountable problems and we will be faced with the choice to fall into despair and give up, or to place our problem before God and await His solution. It is obvious that the second option is the better one. In fact, it is the only path that will lead to an answer. Perhaps the most difficult thing we can be asked to do is to entrust everything to God; the truth is, this is the

only way we will truly live and experience the life that God has planned for us. We can choose a path of self-sufficiency and we might have a very satisfied existence. However, look at it this way — if this is how good life can be without God as the center and guide of all things, then how much more satisfying and blessed could my life be if God was the center and master of every aspect of it? This is something we have to consider carefully because our choice will not only have immediate consequences to our life on earth; it could also have eternal consequences if we deliberately choose a life of sin. Hannah is a wonderful example of a woman of faith; there are countless others in the Scriptures, the roll call of the saints and so on. Let us look to the examples of their lives in order to be inspired to give

ourselves to God. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

I KNOW WHO HAS THE ANSWER TO MY PROBLEM

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13 January Wednesday

1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20Psalm 40:2, 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

Mark 1:29-39

Reflection Question: What is the biggest challenge I face in growing in my faith? How do I intend to confront it?

Jesus, open my heart to the truth of Your love for me so that I will never lose the inspiration and drive to be Your disciple.

Blessed Yvette, pray for us.

One of the things we often read about in the Gospels is the hunger people have for God – their desire to receive whatever it is God has to offer them. It is this desire for God that we need to develop. One of the best ways to preserve our holiness is to always cry out to God from the depth of our hearts and to always seek whatever might be His next gift to us. If we examine the lives of the saints, we will see that at the heart of their lives is their prayer. They are always faithful to their prayers and will not allow any temptation to take them away from their personal time with God. If they do allow such, they quickly recognize the error of their ways and return to God. If we are smart, we will look at the lives of saints and say that this is what we want for our own lives. The question

that then arises is whether or not we are willing to pay the price. What price, I hear you asking — the price of making prayer the central focus of our lives; the price of putting God before all else; the price of becoming serious about the call to discipleship. If we are willing to make these decisions then we are at least at the beginning of the journey. The challenge that we now face is maintaining the hunger for God as we grow in discipleship. This will mean not allowing ourselves to get disillusioned when the path gets rough and difficult. There will be countless times when we will be tempted to give up because the path ahead looks impossible. However, we must resolve that we will never give up — the stakes are too high. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

DEVELOPING A HUNGER FOR GOD

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14 January Thursday

1 samuel 4:1-11Psalm 44:10-11, 14-15, 25-26

Mark 1:40-45

Reflection Question: How do I view defeat and suf-fering in my life? Do I try to avoid it at all costs, even the cost of sin? Do I embrace it and offer it for my salvation and the salvation of others?

Holy Spirit, help me to embrace any suffering that comes to my life so that I will always see it as a form of reparation for my sins and thus help me on the path to eternal life.

St. Macrina the Elder, pray for us.

Throughout the whole Old Testament the Jews interpreted defeat as a sign of God’s displeasure with their sin; conversely, victory was treated as a sign of His blessing and pleasure with them. This is a somewhat simplistic understanding of defeat and victory but it is ultimately built upon the right foundation in that if the people embrace sin it will eventually lead to their destruction. Likewise, if we embrace God’s will and the life of virtue we will be walking upon the path to eternal beatitude. Hophni and Phinehas are men whose lives are far from upright and their death is interpreted as judgment upon their sin. Eli is seen to be complicit in their sin because he does little or nothing to stop them from sinning. Again this seems to us a little too deterministic and neat to hold much credence to the modern mind. But again, there is a certain degree of truth in this understanding. We cannot afford to dismiss sin with a wave of our hand

because we have all experienced the horrible consequences of sin at one time or another. We know there is an element of truth in the idea that sinners will be punished, if not in this life, then in the next. What should we learn from this story of defeat? I think we can learn that God is a just God and that, eventually, justice will come to the sinner. In some ways those who suffer greatly in their earthly pilgrimage are far closer to heaven on the day of their death than others who have suffered little for their sins. It is interesting in this context to note that the saints desired to suffer precisely because they knew that there is a necessary amount

of suffering that we all must endure to make reparation for our sins. This can give us new insight into defeat and the suffering that accompanies it — namely that the suffering is in preparation for our death and our final journey to eternal life. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF DEFEAT?

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15 January Friday

1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22aPsalm 89:16-17, 18-19

Mark 2:1-12

Reflection Question: Have I truly opened up every area of my life to God or do I still maintain control in some areas?

Lord Jesus, You have made it possible for us all to enter into the presence and throne of God. Help us to take up this opportu-nity as often as possible.

St. Bonitus, pray for us.

Jesus is accused of blasphemy by the scribes because they live in a world where there are certain no-go areas. One of these is the forgiveness of sins. This is the domain of God alone and to enter it is to blaspheme or dishonor the person of God. We know that Jesus was sent by the Father to break down some of the artificial barriers that religion had placed between God and His people. Jesus wants us all to approach God with freedom and to dwell in His presence daily. The Jews had a very strict understanding of who and when was the right time to approach God and such must be done with great care and solemnity. The freedom of the sons and daughters of God who have placed their faith in Jesus tells a totally different story. We speak of being in dialogue with God daily and seek every opportunity we can find to be close to Him. We understand that Jesus has broken down the barriers set up by sin and human beings and thus we are offered a new opportunity to approach our Father in heaven.

However, we must be careful that we do not take the blessings of the New Covenant too lightly and thus dishonor God. The paralytic’s friends seek to bring him into the physical presence of Jesus because they believe wholeheartedly that this will make all the difference for his healing. Have you ever heard of anyone removing the roof of the house to gain entry to meet someone? Perhaps this is an indication of both the commitment and ingenuity we should be exercising to deepen our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus heals the man after He has forgiven his sins. Which is the greater gift? The latter of course but this does not mean that we should forget about the first gift. Let us never be afraid to bring all of our needs, even those that may have little direct influence

upon our faith, to the Lord and ask Him to transform them through His power. It is only when we give God the opportunity to move in our lives that He is able to really do His work within us. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

WHY IS JESUS ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY?

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16 January Saturday

1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1Psalm 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Mark 2:13-17

Reflection Question: Do I have prayer as a non-ne-gotiable aspect of every day of my life? If not, it is time to make that commitment!

Jesus, help me to seek You in prayer every day of my life. Do not let a day pass without awakening within me a deep desire for communion with You.

St. Fursey, pray for us.

Jesus makes no apologies when He seeks out the tax collectors and sinners for company. After all, they are the ones who most urgently need to hear the Gospel. The irony of the matter is that they seem to be more willing to accept the Gospel message than those who should theoretically be more prepared and more open to it. It is the sinners of the world who are entering into heaven more quickly and more abundantly than those who, on the face of it, are more religious. This encourages us to look at the issue of religiosity and ask how we should address such a problem when it arises. Religiosity is not true faith; it is more a legalistic following of a set of rules or norms so that it looks as though one is a very religious person. This is rarely the case. Sometimes the m o s t o u t w a r d l y religious among us are living terribly m e s s e d u p a n d double lives. This is what we must seek to avoid as we grow in our fa i th . The safest means to guard against religiosity is

true humility and a faithful and simple prayer life. I find it totally anomalous when a priest tells me he does not have any time to pray, or that his work is his prayer. This is a cop out. It is not based on a true understanding of the life of faith. True faith will find time for prayer and the busier one is, the more time he will find for prayer. A person’s commitment to formal prayer is sometimes the best measure of the person’s good faith. If formal prayer times are non-negotiable aspects of a person’s life I will find it very easy to trust that person with large responsibilities because I know they have learnt one of the most fundamental truths of faith — it is no longer we who are our own strength, but Christ who dwells in us.

Prayer is essential in tapping the strength and grace God pours into our lives to make us His disciples. We need to ensure that we give ourselves, and God, the freedom and opportunity to avail of His grace by setting aside times that are for Him alone. Fr. Steve

Tynan, MGL

START HOW YOU INTEND TO END

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17 January SundayFeast of Sto. Niño

Isaiah 9:1-6Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18

luke 2:41-52

Reflection Question: Do I tend toward childishness or childlikeness? If the former, what am I going to do about this problem? If the latter, how can I go still deeper in my faith?

Father, Your will is the only way to true perfection and hap-piness. Help me to know this truth and to live it every day of my life.

Blessed Gonzalo de Amarante, pray for us.

There is a world of difference between being childlike and being childish. In the spiritual life, the first is a virtue of the highest degree. In any situation, the latter is a problem. Being childish as an adult is always a sign of an unwillingness or incapacity, for one reason or another, to take on responsibility in a mature and healthy way. It is essential for the spiritual wellbeing of anyone that they be willing and able to take on responsibility for their life and actions. Without this, there is no such thing as discipleship! Without embracing the call to discipleship, there is no salvation for the individual and the Church will cease to exist. Today’s Feast of the Sto. Niño is a reminder to us of the need to be childlike in our faith, but never to be childish. Chris t a lways m a i n t a i n e d a childlike att i tude in His relationship with His Father as we see expressed in His desire for and willingness to set aside time for prayer. It is also present in

His attitude in life. He knows He has been sent to do His Father’s will, and that is precisely what He is going to do. There is nothing that will distract Jesus from the task at hand, namely, obedience to the will of His Father that the Good News of salvation be proclaimed to the people. Even though Jesus realizes that this mission will bring a premature end to His life on earth, this does not cause Him to waver in His intention to fulfill His Father’s wishes. As we reflect on this attitude of Jesus, let us pray that we can imitate it more and more in our own lives. Let us pray that we can set aside the world’s and others’ agenda for our lives and embrace the will of God as the perfect plan

and the only way for us to salvation. Jesus has demonstrated that being committed to the will of His Father involves paying at times a costly price but it is worth it. I cannot think of any more satisfying words to say to the Father at the end of my life than, “It is accomplished.” Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

CELEBRATING THE CHRIST CHILD WITHIN

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18 January Monday

1 Samuel 15:16-23Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23

Mark 2:18-22

Reflection Question: Have I ever been on a true pilgrimage? Have I ever jour-neyed with others who have the same goal as I? What was my experience of these times?

Holy Spirit, lead me on the pilgrimage of life so that I will never cease growing in my love of God and neighbor.

St. Day, pray for us.

His attitude in life. He knows He has been sent to do His Father’s will, and that is precisely what He is going to do. There is nothing that will distract Jesus from the task at hand, namely, obedience to the will of His Father that the Good News of salvation be proclaimed to the people. Even though Jesus realizes that this mission will bring a premature end to His life on earth, this does not cause Him to waver in His intention to fulfill His Father’s wishes. As we reflect on this attitude of Jesus, let us pray that we can imitate it more and more in our own lives. Let us pray that we can set aside the world’s and others’ agenda for our lives and embrace the will of God as the perfect plan

and the only way for us to salvation. Jesus has demonstrated that being committed to the will of His Father involves paying at times a costly price but it is worth it. I cannot think of any more satisfying words to say to the Father at the end of my life than, “It is accomplished.” Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

One of the great traditions of the Church that is slowly being revived is that of pilgrimages. There are literally hundreds of ancient pilgrimage routes throughout Europe and around the Mediterranean. One of the interesting things about the revival of many of these routes is that they are not being revived for religious reasons but for tourism. The Church needs to look seriously at this phenomenon and see where it can tap into the desire in the hearts of people to accomplish a pilgrimage and then discern ways of inserting the Gospel into the experience. My experience of pilgrimages is a little mixed in that people can be on them for reasons that may not work very well together. I have found it most helpful, and one of the best ways to maintain peace when there are conflicts of interest, to seek to keep pilgrimages u n c l u t t e r e d . T h e tendency is to want to pack as many sites as possible into a limited period of time; this

can be counterproductive — the experience becomes one of rushing here and there with little or no time for reflection. One of the essential aspects of a pilgrimage is reflection and recollection of life. Without this, a pilgrimage will have little opportunity to be a life-changing experience. I do not believe that it is an accident that Jesus spent a lot of His time walking from place to place with His disciples. It is here that I believe the greatest formation and best brotherhood is built. Pilgrimages should be a testing time for our strength — strength of character most of all. I believe that while it is possible to build character while on your own on a pilgrimage, the more fruitful ones will be those in the company of others. It is learning to walk and work with others through the various

hardships of travel that will forge relationships that will endure the test of time, not just with one another but with Jesus as well. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

BEING OPEN TO THE NEW IS ESSENTIAL

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19 January Tuesday

1 Samuel 16:1-13Psalm 89:20, 21-22, 27-28

Mark 2:23-28

Reflection Question: Do I tend to let slide certain culturally accepted aspects of my life even though I know they are contrary to the Gos-pel? If so, it is time I did some-thing about it.

Jesus, You proclaimed the truth whether it made You popular or not. Help me to do the same and so be faithful to You.

St. Branwallader, pray for us.

One of the first tactics of the devil is to try to distract us from the things that should be the foci of our life. If he can achieve this goal, he will have succeeded in neutralizing our impact in bringing the Gospel to others. This means that the Church’s mission will be blunted and bringing back humanity to its proper place of submission to the will of God will be delayed. There is an urgency to proclaim the Gospel and to proclaim it in truth without any accretions that take away from its power to save. The Gospel stands in judgment over the world and its various cultures. The Gospel does not have to adapt its truths to the cultures in which it is being proclaimed. It must be proclaimed in truth and all that is in a particular culture that is not in conformity to that truth must go. Yes, we adapt the manner of proclaiming the Gospel to the individual culture, but never the content of the Gospel. S o c i o l o g i s t s , anthropologists and many others will defend the primacy of

culture over and against the Gospel, but they are wrong. The truth of the Gospel is not open to debate; it is not open to alteration in the name of cultural sensitivity. If we fail to be clear about the truth of the Gospel when we proclaim it, we do a disservice to those who hear it and we become at least partially responsible for their errors. I’m sure none of us want to be responsible for the errors of others so we had better heed the call to both live and proclaim the Gospel faithfully in response to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we must always seek to understand different cultures, but we must also be willing to call to conversion various aspects of the cultures in which we work. Otherwise, we will condemn ourselves to an exercise in futility

because unless the Gospel is proclaimed in its fullness, it will not be able to establish itself in the lives of those who hear it. Our task of proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth will never be completed. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

LET US BE FOCUSED ON THE THINGS THAT MATTER

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20 January Wednesday

1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51Psalm 144:1b, 2, 9-10

Mark 3:1-6

Reflection Question: Do I have a heart for the poor and suffering or do I tend to ig-nore their plight as something beyond my control?

Jesus, help me to have a heart for the poor and suffering of the world and to do all I can to better their lives and help them out of their suffering.

St. Fenchin, pray for us.

If you are anything like me, you will be wondering how on earth anyone could complain about the healing of a sick person on the Sabbath! What is at work in a person’s heart for them to do this? To be fair, I do not think it is malice towards the sick person, just a very legalistic understanding of the Law and its application to individual circumstances. I would hope that those who question Jesus’ actions would change their minds if they were to imagine that they were the sick person in question! However, there are forms of legalism that are so strong that they can even seem to be totally devoid of compassion. Now by compassion I do not mean compromise. Compassion literally means “to suffer with,” that is, to take on the position of the other person and try to see things from their perspective. It is important for us to develop compassion as it can help us to understand why people do the things they do, and when the person is suffering, help us to realize the depth of

their struggle and thus be inspired to help them. Jesus was a compassionate person in that He was always ready to listen to those around Him and He was able to address their issues and needs from the standpoint of understanding. Help for others that comes from a purely theoretical or philosophical point of view is a “cold” sort of help. It is better than nothing but not as “warm” and comforting as help that comes from a compassionate understanding of another and being with the person who is suffering. As Christians, we ought to move from the first position to that of the second. Jesus calls us to have a special love for the poor and suffering. Even in the midst of prosperity and progress, the poor and outcast

are forgotten as they are not part of what is happening and so they get passed over. Let’s make it a point to remember them and try to bring them along with us as best we can and help them make the best of their lives. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

IS IT RIGHT OR WRONG?

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21 January Thursday

1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7Psalm 56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-12, 13-14

Mark 3:7-12

Reflection Question: Perhaps we can make a com-mitment to one another to pray for a deeper faith in each others’ lives and that the will of God will be manifest in our lives every moment of every day. How about it? Let’s give it a go!

Father, I pray for every person who reads this reflection, that You will deepen their faith and work miracles through them every day.

Blessed Inez, pray for us.

The few ministry years of Jesus must have been something to experience — a phenomenon of unprecedented proportions. I do not think I can really grasp what it would have been like. Perhaps if we envisage the huge crowds that gather when the pope arrives in a country and then repeat that again and again we will have some idea of the crowds that followed Jesus. It must have been an amazing experience. I am reminded of a song I heard at a youth formation seminar with the main line exhorting us to “be prepared for the ride of a lifetime,” when we commit ourselves to follow Jesus as His disciples. This ought to be the truth. It is not that being a disciple means having amazing adventures all the time though they certainly should be a part of the mix of our lives. In 25 years of serious discipleship, I have seen miracles that blow my mind, yet there is a feeling at the back of my mind and heart that there is so much more available to us if only we would be more committed to

our faith and let go of the controlling strings of our lives. The lives of the saints have always fascinated me. I devour every book I can find on the saints and always feel inspired to do great things after reading them. However, the reality is that there are little changes in my life. Why? I think I lack the deep trust that is necessary to become a saint; I lack that absolute foolhardy depth of commitment to the will of God in my life. I am too much a child of our intellectual age — putting the cerebral before the spiritual — and hence reaping the fruit of such a decision. I think my faith is too conservative and I am not willing to totally leave everything in the hands

of God and the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us that we will do greater things than He does. Why then don’t I see more miracles in my life and ministry? The only answer I can come up with is my lack of faith and trust in God. I wonder how it is in your life? Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

AND THE CROWDS JUST KEPT COMING

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22 January Friday

1 Samuel 24:3-21Psalm 57:2, 3-4, 6, 11

Mark 3:13-19

Reflection Question: Do I consult God enough about the decisions I make in my life?

Holy Spirit, please speak into the decisions I make in my life so that I will be confident that what I do have the blessing of God and are not just according to my own will.

St. Blaesilla, pray for us.

I believe Jesus summons us all into the wilderness at various times of our lives. Being called to reflect a little more constantly and without distraction as we set time aside for a retreat means that God gets to speak to our spirits and forms us in His ways in a stronger and more effective way. This formation in the quiet is essential in our growth in holiness. Many will respond by saying that they are too busy. I truly believe it is all a matter of priorities. Jesus made it a number one priority to draw aside from ministry from time to time in order to “recharge His batteries” so to speak; to ensure that His relationship with His Father in heaven was always in good shape. We have to take our cue from Him and prioritize time aside with God in prayer each day and every now and then treat ourselves to a retreat where the focus is God alone. This is all a matter of life and death for our souls. Without such time with God, our spirits will wither away, consumed with the worries and anxieties of the world. In the Gospel today, we read that

Jesus retreats into the hills before making one of the most important decisions of His life — the choice of His apostles. Herein lies the future of His ministry once He returns to the Father. That the Church is still functioning today, 2,000 years later, is a testimony to the fact that He made a good choice. When we make big decisions we must be willing to do the groundwork that will ensure that we make a good decision. Part of that groundwork is setting aside time in prayer to consult what God might want to say to us about the issue at hand. I wonder how faithful we are to really putting before God the decisions of our lives. Or do we make them and then ask God to bless them? These are very different approaches. The first is a recipe

for good decision-making; the second fo r d i s a s t e r. We cannot expect God to “make things better” just because we have committed to them — He may not be committed to the path of action we have chosen. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

DO YOU RESPOND WHEN JESUS CALLS YOU?

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23January Saturday

2 samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27Psalm 80:2-3, 5-7

Mark 3:20-21

Reflection Question: Am I willing to learn the life of virtue as a humble dis-ciple? Will I lay down my life in imitation of Jesus and His Kingdom?

Holy Spirit, help me to become a disciple of Jesus and to per-severe in the high calling given to all disciples. Help me to sur-render my life to Your will and to humbly follow wherever You lead me.

St. Agathangelus, pray for us.

I had a conversation recently with someone who told me that he had made a decision never again to allow bitterness to be a part of his life. It does not matter what a person or group of people may have done; it does not matter how hurt he may feel, he was absolutely sure that he was decided to exclude bitterness from his life. I applauded his decision and for the rest of my days will seek to follow his example. I have never heard of any good fruit from a life of bitterness. David is a fine example of not allowing bitterness to govern his life. He had every reason to be bitter with Saul. Saul had sought to kill him for a number of years out of jealousy. David refuses to be drawn into the negative spiral of jealousy and hatred that leads to bitterness and stays above i t a l l . He honors the anointed of God, even when he has demonstrated weakness and flaws. David is a man of the spirit and not of the world. Later we will see the flaws in David

as well, but for now the example he sets is admirable. Jesus calls us to lives of forgiveness and mercy. This is what we receive and expect from God in our own lives, therefore we must be willing to minister it to others. If we are not willing to give it to others, how can we expect to receive the same things from God? The simple answer is that we cannot. Only hypocrites expect thus! The Gospel life we are called to live is not easy — it is based in the imitation of God’s love for us. We must be willing to open our hearts to learn this way of living from God and the saints, and then apply it to our own lives. It is in practicing a life of virtue

that the virtues are strengthened within us. This is somewhat paradoxical but that is often the way of the Spirit. In order to receive mercy we must practice mercy ourselves. It is fair enough when you give it a few moments’ thought. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

BITTERNESS IS NO WAY TO LIVE

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24 January Sunday

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

1 Corinthians 12:12-30luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Reflection Question: Do I spend my time and ef-forts chasing secular dreams that will never be realized? Or in living out these dreams only to discover that they are meaningless?

Holy Spirit, lead me and guide me in Your ways of truth and love so that all I seek will fulfill my being as a person created in the image and likeness of God.

St. Zama, pray for us.

Jesus sets out His manifesto before His disciples. Thus He gives them an idea, not only of His life, but also of theirs and all who will become His disciples in the future. And that includes you and me whether we like it or not. As we reflect upon the goals of Jesus’ life, let us also realize that we are a part of His mission and that we are the ones who have been entrusted with its continuation now that He has returned to the Father. Let us focus on one aspect of what Jesus has to say: Jesus tells us that His ministry is freeing the captives. What do we mean by freedom? This word today is too often misunderstood as it is associated with the idea of being one’s own master, free from the constraint of others’ laws and opinions. This is an entirely wrong concept of freedom. Christian freedom isn’t only freedom from something when we refer to sin; at all other times, it is freedom for something, namely, to become the sons and daughters of God. This means that our freedom is always in

submission to a greater authority than ourselves, namely truth and God is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). When we speak of freedom as Christians we always know that it is freedom unto responsibility for our moral decisions. It is not freedom to do whatever we want to do, but freedom to act in accordance with who we are as men and women created in the image and likeness of God. We cannot afford to slip into a simplistic understanding of what this means because it is far from simple and far from easy to live. To live in true freedom means to live in accordance with human flourishing so that we live as God desires us to live as His creation. We cannot afford to allow the liberal

agenda of the secular world to erode our understanding of the truth of what it means to be a human person. It will try to tell us that we should achieve this or that when our primary focus must be to become children of God and live as such. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

SETTING THE AGENDA FOR OUR LIVES

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25January MondayFeast of the Conversion of St. Paul, apostle

Acts 22:3-16 (or Acts 9:1-22)Psalm 117:1bc, 2Mark 16:15-18

Reflection Question: Do I really seek to do God’s will in my life or do I pay lip-service to this goal and do what I want to do with my life?

Jesus, help me to follow Your example and always be open to Your will for my life. Grant me the grace to be obedient to it always.

St. Apollo, pray for us.

The story of Paul’s conversion ought to cause anyone with sense to reflect on the meaning of their life. He believes he is a man with a God-given mission and yet he is totally wrong in his most fundamental suppositions. He encounters Jesus and his life is turned upside down and inside out! It is enough to make any sinner tremble with trepidation and begin to wonder if they are really on the right path. Paul is not bad — he is in fact a good man. However, goodness in this sense is not a measure of whether or not he has a correct understanding of either faith or God. Listening to a preacher over the last weekend, I heard him say that it is not the “good person” who will enter heaven, but the one who is obedient to God’s will. What he means is that we assign the adjective “good” to a person without understanding about salvation. Avoiding evil is a good thing but it will not get you into heaven — only God can do that. And what God requires of us in order that we might be saved and have eternal life is that we believe

in Jesus and do what He commands us to do as His disciples. Faith is not just an intellectual reality — it galvanizes us into action and causes us to become a new creation in Christ. This is the experience of Paul and it is precisely this experience that we hear about again and again in his epistles. It is not a matter of what we can achieve on our own strength but what God has done for us and what He consequently calls us to as His followers. Jesus is different from other prophets as His life is the path to eternal life (John 14:6). It is a path of obedience — of dying to Himself and living the will of His Father. This is the example He sets out for us and calls us to as His disciples. As He tells Peter at the end of John’s Gospel, it is his faith that will lead and direct him,

not his own desires. We need to pray for a level of surrender and obedience to God’s will that none of us have ever truly fathomed yet. If we do fathom it, it is certain that we will become saints. Fr. Steve

Tynan, MGL

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CONVERTED?

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26January TuesdayMemorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus, Bishops

2 timothy 1:1-8 (or titus 1:1-5 or 2 samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19)

Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10 (or Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10)

luke 10:1-9 (or Mark 3:31-35)

Reflection Question: How often do I really set aside time to pray for my leaders? Am I willing to make this sacri-fice for their sake and the sake of the Body of Christ?

Holy Spirit, empower and guide all who lead the Church so that they will avail themselves of every gift You offer them in their ministry.

St. Paula, pray for us.

in Jesus and do what He commands us to do as His disciples. Faith is not just an intellectual reality — it galvanizes us into action and causes us to become a new creation in Christ. This is the experience of Paul and it is precisely this experience that we hear about again and again in his epistles. It is not a matter of what we can achieve on our own strength but what God has done for us and what He consequently calls us to as His followers. Jesus is different from other prophets as His life is the path to eternal life (John 14:6). It is a path of obedience — of dying to Himself and living the will of His Father. This is the example He sets out for us and calls us to as His disciples. As He tells Peter at the end of John’s Gospel, it is his faith that will lead and direct him,

not his own desires. We need to pray for a level of surrender and obedience to God’s will that none of us have ever truly fathomed yet. If we do fathom it, it is certain that we will become saints. Fr. Steve

Tynan, MGL

The structure of ministry within the Church was established as bishop, priest and deacon emerged very early in the life of the Church. We see the foundations of it as early as Paul’s letters and the explicit wording within about 100 years after the death of Christ. Paul writes to both Timothy and Titus in what are sometimes known as the Pastoral Epistles. He writes to them in their capacity as leaders of the local churches he has established in Ephesus and Crete. It is quite clear that Paul intends that there be an institutional element to the leadership structure of the Church albeit one where the charismatic dimension of ministry is not lost. Unfortunately through the years, the Church has tended to focus on the institutional element to the detriment of the charismatic, and thus while the Church can be very good at preserving structures, it can sometimes lose track of its most vital reason for existence, namely to evangelize a l l peop l e — to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

It is easy to see how necessary it is to have structure to guide and coordinate such an ambitious project — it is equally obvious that without the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in the lives of the leaders of the Church through the charisms, such a goal will be impossible. As we remember Timothy and Titus today, let us pray for our leaders that they will be always guided by the Spirit of God in all that they do and that they will never lose sight of the call to proclaim the Good News of salvation to all men and women. I am sure Timothy and Titus made this goal their foremost concern in their ministries — let us do the same ourselves. St. Paul would not have entrusted such difficult tasks to men who were not ready for the job; in the

same way we need to believe that whatever the shortcomings of our leaders may be, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, they have all that they need to lead us along the path and in the work of salvation. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

EARLY BISHOPS OF THE CHURCH

30

27 January Wednesday

2 Samuel 7:4-17Psalm 89:4-5, 27-28, 29-30

Mark 4:1-20

Reflection Question: Where do I look when I seek for truth today? Do I look to the world and its errors for the answers to my questions or is my life firmly rooted in the Word of God?

Holy Spirit, help me to overcome the lies and errors of modern society by building my life on the truth of the Word of God and thus maintaining a faithful witness to the Gospel.

St. Marius, pray for us.

The Church invites us to reflect on a number of possibilities today in terms of how we embrace the Gospel when we hear it. I want to focus on just one — the scorched roots. I like to picture this image on those who fail to deepen their lives in the truth and thus find themselves led astray by the fads and fashions of the day and age. It is as though they are not willing to allow their life of discipleship to go deeper in relationship with Jesus. A plant given only a thin layer of soil in which to live will find its roots getting scorched on a hot day because there is no protection from the burning sun. It is the same with our faith — unless we are firmly and deeply rooted in the truth we will not flourish and prosper as human beings. We may survive for a while as long as the challenges do not get too big, but eventually we will discover that we are not firmly rooted in the soil of the truth and we will wither and die. The assault of the lies of sin and the world will be too great for us to endure and they will overcome us. We

will be burnt out struggling against them. However, if we are deeply rooted in the truth, when the struggles and trials come, when the enemy sends his lies to distract and disorient us, we will be able to persevere because we will be founded in the truth of our faith to the point that we will not be moved by fads and fashions, lies and distractions. This is the sort of faith that the world needs today. Society has so compromised the truth of our humanity with its bowing down to the gods of expediency and materialism that it is very difficult for someone not rooted in the truth of their humanity (their being created in the image and likeness of God) to know how to respond when confronted with the

errors and lies of the modern age. It is no different today as it has been in the past. The truth is always under assault from sin. It just seems that, in certain aspects, the world is coming close to establishing its doctrine rather than that of the truth of the Creator, God. Fr. Steve

Tynan, MGL

AVOID SCORCHING YOUR ROOTS!

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28January Thursday

2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29Psalm 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14

Mark 4:21-25

Reflection Question: Am I truly aware of the con-sequences of my individual actions and how they can have a bearing on my eternal destiny?

Jesus, help me to make good choices in life; choices that will lay the foundation of a life lived for You and for Your Kingdom and not something selfish that I lose the gift of eternal life in the process.

St. Cannera, pray for us.

I think the texts in the Gospels where Jesus challenges us the most are those where He reminds us of the eternal consequences of our individual choices. The amount we measure out is the amount we will be given is a case in point. I think any Christian who does not seriously consider and reflect upon this saying of Jesus is extremely shortsighted. It is a text that reminds both the importance of generosity (who could outdo God in generosity) and also the eternal nature of our moral choices. The Catholic Church teaches us that we have a hand in creating our own character. We can thus know a person from the choices they make. So it is essential that we consider this when we make choices in our lives. If I choose to be stingy with my wealth when others appeal to me for help, how will God be generous with me when I ask Him for the gift of salvation and the forgiveness of my sins? I am not saying that we can control God th rough our choices, but through the way we relate with others.

Jesus’ authority and witness is made manifest to us through the choices He makes during His life. It is here that we have an example of what it means to give our lives in the service of others; in putting the needs of others before our own needs and desires. The promise of the Scriptures is that God will always be sufficient for us. The question we have to ask of ourselves is, “Do we believe this to be true?” and if we do, “Are we willing to stake our lives on this truth?” Our answer will as likely or not determine the depth of our discipleship and our value as witnesses to the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God here on earth. Jesus calls us to be generous in giving our lives in the service of

the Gospel. He will not force anything on us, though He can make life pretty u n c o m f o r t a b l e at times, until He gets His way. If we know His will, the simplest response is to be obedient to it. This will save us a lot of heartbreak and struggle. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

THE AMOUNT YOU MEASURE OUT

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29 January Friday

2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6a, 6bcd-7, 10-11

Mark 4:26-34

Reflection Question: What agenda do I have as regards working for the King-dom of God? Am I more con-cerned with my own kingdom than God’s Kingdom?

Holy Spirit, help me to remain focused on the things that really matter so that I will never lose sight of Your Kingdom and its promises for me.

St. Blath, pray for us.

One of the great blessings of our God is that He never sleeps. The psalmist tells us that He pours out His gifts on His beloved while they slumber — what a great and generous God we have. Could we possibly ask for anyone better? I think not. Today’s Gospel reminds us that while God asks for our assistance in bringing the Good News of salvation to the ends of the earth, ultimately the work of salvation is up to Him — to see that every person is actually saved. This parable tells us that while we sleep, the seed of faith is germinating and growing within, hidden in the soil and just waiting for the time to fully develop. I like to use this image to inspire me to pray for a restful night’s sleep so that the work of the Spirit of God is not interrupted during the night. I have no idea what God does in my spirit, in my soul while I sleep, but I trust that it is important and worth praying for on a regular basis. I am sure each one of us desires to be saved and will do all that we can to open our hearts and lives to the work of the Spirit

so that this end is achieved. This means that we ought to take every opportunity to grow in faith and trust in God and what better time than when we are sleeping, as we are not doing much else at that time anyway. I believe God can do whatever He wants in my life if I give Him permission, and I do not want to waste any possible opportunity for Him to convert me. We spend between a quarter and a third of our lives sleeping so it makes a lot of sense to ask God to be working behind the scenes, so to speak, while I sleep. It seems to me that this is what He is telling us He wants to do in today’s Gospel. Let us not waste a moment of our time, nor a speck of God’s grace, in responding to all that He

calls us to be and do for His Kingdom. Our names are written in the Book of Life; let us ensure that they are never erased by living according to the Gospel and inviting God to make us His children at every opportunity presented to us. Fr. Steve

Tynan, MGL

GOD NEVER SLEEPS

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30January Saturday

2 samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17Psalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

Mark 4:35-41

Reflection Question: Do I tend to tolerate sin in my life? Even if the sin is small, little sins lead to big sins. Let us not allow this vicious cycle to begin.

Jesus, help me to discern what is good, true and perfect as re-gards my life and the decisions I make every day. Let me be humble enough to submit fully to the grace and power of Your Holy Spirit.

St. Hippolytus, pray for us.

so that this end is achieved. This means that we ought to take every opportunity to grow in faith and trust in God and what better time than when we are sleeping, as we are not doing much else at that time anyway. I believe God can do whatever He wants in my life if I give Him permission, and I do not want to waste any possible opportunity for Him to convert me. We spend between a quarter and a third of our lives sleeping so it makes a lot of sense to ask God to be working behind the scenes, so to speak, while I sleep. It seems to me that this is what He is telling us He wants to do in today’s Gospel. Let us not waste a moment of our time, nor a speck of God’s grace, in responding to all that He

calls us to be and do for His Kingdom. Our names are written in the Book of Life; let us ensure that they are never erased by living according to the Gospel and inviting God to make us His children at every opportunity presented to us. Fr. Steve

Tynan, MGL

It is easy enough to identify the sin in our lives, though at times we can have blind spots (like David) or we can actually rebel against admitting that what we have done is wrong. Be that as it may, what we need to do when we recognize sin is confront it and put it to death. It is absolutely essential that we do not tolerate any sin for one iota of a moment, or else it will stick its foot into the door of our heart, and we will have a hard time getting rid of it. Sin is never fair; it is always evil and it will take advantage of the smallest mistakes we make. We must be equally ruthless in dealing with such a foe. If not, we will constantly find ourselves “behind the eight ball,” having an enormous struggle trying to get rid of it. Sin, by its nature, will not give up easily. The devil, although he has been defeated, continues to live in the hope that he can gain us for his kingdom. It is important that we do not give him any latitude to work in our lives because I can assure you he will do whatever he can to

win us over to his way of thinking and living. Nathan confronts David with his sin regarding Uriah the Hittite in a very clever manner so that David passes judgment on himself. We must always seek to look at our moral choices with the same sort of objectivity that Nathan helps provide to David — only then can we judge the moral worth of our proposed actions in a dispassionate manner. Feelings are not usually very helpful in determining the moral rectitude of an action. They tend to cloud the issues more than bring them into stark relief. As we seek to be disciples of Jesus, it is important that we open our hearts to the work of

the Holy Spirit who will help us discern what we should do in any given situation. Let us be open to the grace and help of God that He provides us and not insist on doing things on our own strength — a formula that is certain to get us into a lot of trouble. Fr. Steve Tynan,

MGL

WHAT DO WE DO WITH SIN?

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31 January Sunday

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13luke 4:21-30

Reflection Question: Do I live my life in accordance with the will of God? Do I rejoice in the gifts God gives to others?

Jesus, help me to see that I am only one aspect of the work of the Kingdom of God; help me to know how to work with others in proclaiming the Gospel.

St. Marcella, pray for us.

Jealousy is much worse than simply a waste of time. It also has the potential to waste an enormous amount of energy and resources. Time and energy that we spend competing with one another over usually a trivial matter could be far better spent working together to ensure that the Gospel is proclaimed to the ends of the earth. In the Gospel today the leaders of the Jewish people get angry because they are jealous of Jesus’ popularity and also because Jesus is implying that they are no different from their faithless forebears who wearied the patience of God. From their reaction, it seems to me that Jesus has pretty much got it right. Before we become too judgmental, it might be good to reflect upon our own lives to see whether or not we have fallen into the same trap as the leaders of the Jews did in Jesus’ time. We need to learn to rejoice in the gifts and powers that God

has given to others, and not see them as competition for the attention of the people. Normally if this is the case, we are focused incorrectly in at least two ways. The first is that we are not working together with others to proclaim the Gospel — we want the glory for ourselves. The second is that we are focusing on gaining the attention of those already evangelized and we are not putting our energy and efforts into evangelizing those who have not or need to hear again, the Word of God. Jesus was never interested in any attention the people wanted to give Him — His sole concern was to live and proclaim the Gospel as best as He could. It is this example that we must seek to follow. Otherwise, we will become distracted from the things

that should be our focus and we will fail to achieve what we could have achieved, if only we had been wholly obedient to God. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

JEALOUSY IS SUCH A WASTE OF TIME

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1February Monday

2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13Psalm 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Mark 5:1-20

Reflection Question: How do I react to evil in me? Do I try to conquer my evil in-clinations by turning to Christ? What do I do about evil in my environment?

Lord, often I am not only both-ered but scared of evil in me and around me. Thank You for reminding me once more that with You and the intercession of Your Mother I have noth-ing to be afraid of. Help me to conquer with You what is evil in me so I can be with You one day for ever.

Blessed Anthony Manzi, pray for us.

Imagine if you had been there. Jesus and His disciples had taken a boat in the evening to cross the lake. He had calmed a violent storm and now they land at the opposite shore. It’s night and there, from the tombs, comes this violent man, possessed by demons. “No one had ever been able to bind him with a chain,” Mark tells us. Would Jesus be able to? He had just shown His power over wind and waves by saying, “Quiet now! Be calm!” But demons? One brief command by Jesus was enough to shoo away these 6,000 unclean spirits: “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” There are many people today who say the devil does not exist. The devil must be happy when they say this. Why? Because then they don’t fear him, they don’t resist his tricks and attacks and so fall into his trap. Pope John Paul II once said, “One who doesn’t believe in the devil doesn’t believe in the Gospel.” It could not be said more succinctly.

Now, many are afraid of the devil and his power. Being afraid makes one weak and vulnerable. And here comes today’s Gospel passage. It demonstrates Christ’s tremendous power over evil. If we, therefore, remain close to Him, we have nothing to fear. In this connection, let me share what Fr. Amorth, the exorcist of the archdiocese of Rome, said about the Virgin Mary as Satan’s great enemy: “On one occasion an exorcist friend of mine asked the devil what most hurt him about Our Lady, what most annoys him. He responded, ‘That she is the purest of all creatures

and that I am the filthiest; that she is the most obedient of all creatures and that I am the most rebellious; that she is the one who committed no sin and thus always conquers me.’” With Jesus Christ and the powerful Mother of God on our side, what do we have to be afraid of in this evil world? Nothing! Fr. Rudy Horst,

SVD

AN EERIE STORY

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Reflection Question: Do I see married life as a com-mon journey of husband and wife together — and until death will part them? Do I recognize that parents are the first catechists of their children?

Lord, bless all Christian par-ents and make them aware of their great responsibility and privilege to lead their children to You.

St. Theodoric, pray for us.

2 February TuesdayFeast of the Presentation of the Lord

Malachi 3:1-4Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10

Hebrews 2:14-18luke 2:22-40

Every year we celebrate a Mothers’ Day and a Fathers’ Day. But why don’t we have a Parents’ Day where we celebrate father and mother together as a couple? February 2 would be a good occasion for such a Parents’ Day, as we see both parents of Jesus, Joseph and Mary. In obedience to the Law, they journeyed together to Jerusalem to present their firstborn child in the Temple. In the picture of Joseph and Mary in the Temple, we have a great model of husband and wife united in practicing and raising their child in the faith. Luke stresses several times that they are doing this “as it is written in the law of the Lord.” Joseph and Mary are presented as people who faithfully keep God’s laws — together. Husband and wife are supposed to be companions in the journey of life. We see this as we contemplate Joseph and Mary together in the Temple. Let me reflect on another point in today’s Gospel passage. Some Catholics argue that baptism has no value until a child reaches

the age of reason and then is able to decide for oneself. But this is not the example that Mary and Joseph are giving us today. In biblical times, people saw the whole family as one entity. The question of husband, wife and child belonging to different religions was unthinkable because religion was supposed to play a role in strengthening family unity. Parents provide their children with the basic necessities of life. What is more basic than one’s faith in God? Parents — the “first catechists” as Pope John Paul II once called them — and not catechists, nuns, priests or teachers, have the responsibility to initiate their children into their faith. As parents, they have the duty and privilege of raising their children in

such a way that they grow up to become responsible citizens as well as committed children of God. The example of Joseph and Mary shows us that the best way to achieve this is by leading the way through the example of our own lives. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

PARENTS’ DAY

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3 February Wednesday

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

Mark 6:1-6

Reflection Question: Am I open during homilies even when the preacher hits me with the truth? Or do I just want to hear how good I am — when actually I am not that good?

Lord, give me more openness toward Your Word and toward those who proclaim it. Save me from being selective when it comes to preachers. Let me not become so insensitive that I cannot accept a word that confronts me with my weakness and failure.

St. Laurentinus, pray for us.

Jesus had it coming. He had grown up in Nazareth. He had eaten with His neighbors the same simple bread and drank with them wine. He was one of them, so much so that the people could not take it that He now moved around as a revered teacher, sometimes telling things that hurt and that people did not like to hear. I think you know very well that most people want to hear how good they are, that God is so good and merciful that He will easily forgive when they do something wrong. “God is good — always good,” they love to shout. Nothing wrong with this. God is good, but it can easily lead to ignore the harsh words of Christ. The great British convert and writer G. K. Chesterton once wrote, “I don’t want a church that tells me when I am right. I want a church that tells me when I am wrong.” Unfortunately, there are not enough “Chestertons” in our Christian communities who want a prophetic church, who want preachers to make them face their wrong ways. I n s u c h a n atmosphere, the truth

cannot prosper — as in Nazareth where prejudice had put Jesus into a certain frame: He is nothing but one of us, a simple craftsman, who now plays the prophet. In a wrong atmosphere no preaching will be successful. Maybe we can ask ourselves: What’s my attitude when I go to church on Sunday? Am I expecting that the Word of God will hit me? Or am I indifferent? If we come to Mass and refuse to understand, we will misunderstand everything. If we select a preacher because of his jokes only, we have already created a wrong atmosphere because we will remember the jokes but not

the message. Then we have created a wrong atmosphere for the Word of God to penetrate us, to change us or even to give us guidance for the next days and weeks. Only when we create an atmosphere o f o p e n n e s s , o f e x p e c t a n c y i n ourselves, that even the poorest sermon can put us on fire. Fr. Rudy

Horst, SVD

WRONG ATMOSPHERE

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Reflection Question: Am I easily scandalized by what others do? Do I talk about it to others? Am I aware of my own mistakes and need to change?

Lord, it is so easy to be a hypo-crite. It is so easy to look at oth-ers and be scandalized. Today You remind me to look first into myself and detect where I have to repent and change my life. Thank You, Lord, for this very important reminder.

St. Andrew Corsini, pray for us.

4 February Thursday

1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-121 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a,

12bcdMark 6:7-13

Visiting a friend who was in charge of a certain retreat house, I was surprised to see the whole parking area filled with luxury cars. I asked my friend, “Are businessmen from Makati having their retreat here?” He shook his head sadly and answered, “No, it is another group of retreatants... these are the cars of the clergy from ‘X’ diocese.” And a lay person told me sarcastically: “Priests in ‘N’ Seminary are very service-oriented... They all have their own ‘service cars’.” How different this is from what Jesus said when He sent out His disciples with the instructions not to take anything for the journey except a staff. No wonder that many faithful are scandalized by the lifestyle of some pr ies ts . But why focus on them? Why not focus on the many priests and nuns who live a simple life, who are ready to serve their flock even in the middle of the night, who do not demand exuberant stipends

but refuse what is too much? Once sent by Jesus, the disciples went and preached repentance. It was the main message of Jesus: Repent! Repentance is not a sentimental sorry. Real repentance means a radical change in one’s life. That’s why repentance is so difficult; it disturbs and hurts. But remember that Jesus once said, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” We don’t have to point at certain people and make sarcastic remarks about their apparent scandalous attitude. We all need to change. We all need to repent. We all need to change our hearts and minds

and actions. We all have or do something that might scandalize others. Two weeks from n o w , w e e n t e r once more the holy season of Lent , a time we are invited to repentance, to a change of heart and a change of life. Are we ready? Fr. Rudy Horst,

SVD

A CRITICAL LOOK INTO OURSELVES

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5 February Friday

Sirach 47:2-11Psalm 18:31, 47, 50, 51

Mark 6:14-29

Reflection Question: Do I have the courage to stand up for my faith and the val-ues of Christ and the Church when they are attacked or ridiculed?

Lord, through the heroic exam-ples of John the Baptist and of St. Agatha, You have made me aware of my cowardice when it comes to witnessing to You and to our faith. May their example and that of the countless mar-tyrs strengthen me and make me more courageous.

St. Abraham, pray for us.

Two years ago I traveled with a pilgrim group through the area where the fortress Machaerus stood, the place where John the Baptist had suffered. It was built in the most desolate place you can imagine — a lonely grey desert, surrounded by deep ravines, overlooking the Dead Sea. Here, John did his last and finest act of witnessing: He gave his life for standing up for the truth. He had dared to tell the ruler Herod Antipas, “It is not right for you to have your (half-)brother’s wife.” Tell today a president, “What you are doing is not right,” and you know what will happen to you. It was worse in ancient times. And yet, John spoke out. After all, his King was God and for his King and God he was ready to give his life. Incidentally, the Church honors today another hero of faith, better a heroine: St. Agatha . She was a young Christian woman who gave her life for her King in the year 250. She died after horrible tortures for her faith in Christ. Oh boy, I can only

exclaim. Where have all the heroes gone? We don’t like to be laughed at or called “conservative” or “out of touch with reality”— even though that is far from being beheaded or tortured. Two years ago, when the so-called Reproductive Health Bill was discussed, where was the majority of the faithful? The Church was strong in times when faithful followers of Christ dared to rebuke those in power. The Church was strong when the faithful were ready to give their lives for Christ. The Church until now is strong where she is persecuted. Our churches are still full but our faith has become a weary, weepy, cowardly caricature.

We are not what Pope John Paul II expected the Philippines to be: a beacon light of faith for Asia. Who in Asia converts to Christianity because of our witness? Sorry, folks, these are hard words. But they have to be said. John the Baptist and St. Agatha should not be ashamed of us. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

TWO HEROES OF FAITH

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Reflection Question: Have I ever prayed for wis-dom? What kind of wisdom should I pray for?

Lord, I never prayed for wisdom, for I thought I know a lot. The ex-amples of young Solomon and the Japanese martyrs humble me. Give me the wisdom I need to serve You in the right way.

St. Dorothy, pray for us.

6 February Saturday

1 Kings 3:4-13Psalm 119:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Mark 6:30-34

Young King Solomon prays for wisdom. Are you surprised? You should be. Look around and find out what young people usually pray for (if they pray at all). I ask you: Who among our young people today would pray for wisdom? Even among older persons, it is rare. After all, who admits to lacking wisdom? Often the reality is that the more foolish one is, the more clever one thinks of himself. Could it be pride that hinders our praying for wisdom? Or is it simple foolishness? Or is it because of the vast amount of information available to us today? But information is not wisdom. And wisdom does not fall from heaven like rain, as the prayer of Solomon shows. Wisdom, real wisdom, is a gift from God one has to pray for. But be careful, there are different kinds of “wisdom.” “Greeks look for ‘wisdom,’ but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and an absurdity to Gentiles,” St. Paul wrote. Ye a h , t h a t ’ s a problem, it is the “wisdom of the cross”

we should pray for. Again, today’s saints — the Jesuit Paul Miki and his 25 companions who were killed in 1597 in Nagasaki, Japan help us to understand this paradox. They were all crucified by being attached to crosses with ropes and chains before they were killed with a lance. An eyewitness wrote: “Our brother, Paul Miki, saw himself standing now in the noblest pulpit he had ever filled. To his ‘congregation’ he now began by proclaiming himself a Japanese and a Jesuit. He was dying for the Gospel he preached. He gave thanks to God for this wonderful blessing and he ended his ‘sermon’ with these words: ‘At last, I come to this supreme moment of my life. I am sure none of you would suppose that I want to deceive you. And so I tell you plainly: there is no way to be saved

except the Christian way.’” Hmm, the “foolish ness” of the wisdom of the Cross? For which kind of wisdom wou ld you p ray? What would be your word of wisdom from a cross? Fr. Rudy Horst,

SVD

WHAT KIND OF WISDOM TO PRAY FOR?

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7 February Sunday

Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8 (1c)

1 Corinthians 15:1-11luke 5:1-11

Reflection Question: Do I dare to do seemingly use-less things I feel God wants me to do? Do I realize that answer-ing a call from God might lead to difficulties in life?

Lord, thank You for reminding me to be more open to Your call and dare to do things You tell me which seem to be useless. You know better. And trusting in Your Word will lead to great surprises in my life.

St. Tressan, pray for us.

When God calls, it’s often weird. Read about the way young Isaiah was called by God to be His prophet. Then, in the second reading comes St. Paul who, until the end of his life, wondered why Christ called him when he was a persecutor of the early Christians. Finally, let me invite you to the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret. Simon Peter is tired and irritated. The whole night he and his companions tried to catch fish — nothing except some plants. Peter wants to go home, have a good breakfast prepared by his wife and then sleep. Now comes this preacher from Nazareth who wants to use his boat as pulpit. Not only that — the sermon is too long. Finally He finishes but instead of leaving the boat He asks Peter with a sweet smile: “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch!” Oh no! What does this craftsman from Nazareth know about fishing? Preach and leave the fishing to us seasoned fishermen, he must think. At least these thoughts are written on his face. Jesus continues to look at him, smiling at the inner struggle Peter’s

face reveals. That breaks him. “OK, if you say so, I will lower the nets.” The rest of the Gospel passage then talks about the grand catch, about Peter’s surrender to Jesus and his leaving everything to follow Him. God calls, He invites, He doesn’t force anybody. Luckily, Isaiah, Paul and Peter were able to recognize the divine call and responded spontaneously. But being called by God does not mean that from now on life would be a stroll in the park. Being called by God for a special task means to take up the cross – but never alone, always with Christ at our side if we allow Him to help us carry our cross. I do not think only of a vocation to priesthood or religious life. Married couples, too, are

called by God. Peter’s answer should become ours: “If you say so, I do it!” This trust in His Word prepares for the great miracle of success in the God-given task. And don’t forget Jesus’ command, “Put out into the deep!” That means: Don’t remain in the shallow water. Go with Him into the deep! Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

WHEN GOD CALLS

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Reflection Question: Am I one of the crowds that enjoy God’s help and healing but shy away from returning His favors with more service and love of neighbor?

Lord, I am ashamed to approach You because I have discovered myself among those who use You but do not offer something in return for Your graces, bless-ings and help. Forgive me and remind me more often of this weakness.

St. Cuthman, pray for us.

8 February Monday

1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13Psalm 132:6-7, 8-10

Mark 6:53-56

What do you think after reading these few verses in today’s Gospel passage? Impressed? Awed by Jesus’ success? Amazed by Jesus’ healing touch? Wishing you had been there, begging Him to touch you and heal you, too? I cannot blame you for your impressions. Grand success in Galilee, that’s how Mark describes it. He doesn’t even enumerate the places or count those who came to be healed and were healed. But I urge you to think a few months ahead. The same Jesus who experienced a hero’s welcome wherever He went is suddenly alone. His disciples were gone. The crowd was observing and turning hostile towards Him. Nobody stood by Jesus, nobody supported Him. You know what was going on in today’s Gospel passage? It is not about a grand success but about Jesus being used by the people. Yes, they conveniently used Him for their own purposes. They were there to get something from Him but never thought of giving Him

something. Unfortunately, that’s human nature. Have you not experienced something similar? No letter, no phone call, no text from a person until he/she needs something from you. How many people go to church for baptism and for a funeral? But when invited to contribute to the parish by joining an organization, they are too busy. How many turn to God only when they need Him? In good hotels, you find bellboys. You ring the bell and they come to carry your luggage or do what you ask him. Is God our bellboy? The Good News is that Jesus healed and healed and gave and gave even though He knew He

was being used. And that continues until now. But would it not be nice not to approach God always with requests (or even demands) but to offer God more devotion... more love in return for His blessings? And don’t forget, you love God best when you love your neighbor. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

THE “BELLBOY GOD”

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9 February Tuesday

1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30Psalm 84:3, 4, 5, 10, 11

Mark 7:1-13

Reflection Question: Do I have the tendency to excuse myself from active love and care by hiding behind a rule or a law?

Lord, Your harsh words hit me, too. Give me the wisdom to discern always when I have to keep a law and rule and when I have to transgress it in order to help a needy person.

St. Alexander, pray for us.

something. Unfortunately, that’s human nature. Have you not experienced something similar? No letter, no phone call, no text from a person until he/she needs something from you. How many people go to church for baptism and for a funeral? But when invited to contribute to the parish by joining an organization, they are too busy. How many turn to God only when they need Him? In good hotels, you find bellboys. You ring the bell and they come to carry your luggage or do what you ask him. Is God our bellboy? The Good News is that Jesus healed and healed and gave and gave even though He knew He

was being used. And that continues until now. But would it not be nice not to approach God always with requests (or even demands) but to offer God more devotion... more love in return for His blessings? And don’t forget, you love God best when you love your neighbor. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

No community can live without rules. So it does not come as a surprise that religious communities have developed many of them. So do Judaism and Christianity. But in spite of all laws, attributed often to the gods or to God, most religions have split into different schools, denominations and sects. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the necessity and benefit of laws and rules. Reading today’s Gospel passage we cannot help but ask, what then made Jesus so angry in His discussion? What is the essence of true religion, we may ask first. It is supposed to be a loving relationship between God and human beings. Especially Judaism and Christianity believe that God has initiated this relationship out of love for His creatures. A proper response to this divine initiative would be a loving attitude towards God, expressed in praise and thanksgiving and in doing what God asks His people to do. The Old Testament and Christ then made it clear that this love of God is expressed best by showing concern,

compassion and love towards fellow human beings, especially towards the poor and marginalized members of the society. It now becomes clear why Jesus was so upset — the religious leaders of His time understood as essence of their religion the proper performance of rituals, ceremonies, laws, rules and regulations. Gratitude to God was not expressed by love of God and neighbor but by strict observance of man-made rules which paralyzed or even “killed” love. I was told a story about a very pious elderly lady. One Sunday her neighbor, a woman with an infant, complained of severe stomach ache and needed to see a doctor. She asked the pious lady to come over and take care of her infant. But the lady answered, “I really pity you.

But I am very sorry, it is Sunday and I must go to Mass.” Just reading today’s Gospel we know how harsh Jesus reacts in such situations. Keep the laws and rules by all means but do not allow them to paralyze your love. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

RULES THAT PARALYzE LOVE

44

10 February Wednesday

1 Kings 10:1-10Psalm 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40

Mark 7:14-23

Reflection Question: Do I focus only on physical hygiene and cleanliness and neglect spiritual hygiene?

Thank You, Lord, for opening my eyes to some very important areas in my spiritual life that I have to address. May my love for neighbor and my fight against what is evil in me free me from selfishness and bring me a giant step closer to my goal: heaven.

St. Aponius, pray for us.

Yesterday we said that laws and rules are necessary but they should never paralyze love and charity. Today’s saint, St. Scholastica, provides a good illustration of this. Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict and became abbess in a convent near her brother’s monastery. Following the strict monastic rules, they kept away from each other but met one day a year somewhere between their monasteries to praise God together and talk about spiritual matters. One year (not knowing it was three days before Scholastica’s death) they met as usual. When dusk fell, Scholastica begged her brother to extend their meeting and “talk until morning about the joys of life in heaven,” as St. Gregory the Great writes in his Life of St. Benedict. Her brother refused because this was against the rules of his monastery. Gregory tells that Scholastica simply bowed her head and prayed in silence. Immediately there was thunder and heavy rain that it was impossible to leave the house. Rule-

loving Benedict was horrified, “May almighty God spare you, sister. What have you done?” Her answer was simple, “I asked you but you were unwilling to listen to me. I asked my Lord and He listened to me.” St. Gregory writes, “They spent the whole night awake and had their fill of talk about spiritual matters. As John says, ‘God is love,’ and she justly overcame him by the greater strength of her love.” It is a beautiful story about love of neighbor versus love of rigid rules. Love of neighbor won. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus points out that nothing that enters the body can make us unclean before God. Persons become corrupted through their actions which are products of their hearts. Taking

a bath five times a day does not make me clean before God but the struggle against evil thoughts, attitudes, inclinations and habits help me, climaxed by the supreme means of spiritual cleansing: the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr. Rudy

Horst, SVD

ONCE MORE, LOVE VERSUS RULES

45

11 February Thursday

1 Kings 11:4-13Psalm 106:3-4, 35-36, 37, 40

Mark 7:24-30

Reflection Question: Do I pray the Rosary mechani-cally or — as Pope John Paul II taught — in a meditative way, gazing at Jesus through the eyes of Mary?

Lord, thank You for giving us Your beloved Mother as our Mother, too. May I not just ven-erate her in an emotional way, but “sit in her school” and so learn more about You.

St. Severinus, pray for us.

loving Benedict was horrified, “May almighty God spare you, sister. What have you done?” Her answer was simple, “I asked you but you were unwilling to listen to me. I asked my Lord and He listened to me.” St. Gregory writes, “They spent the whole night awake and had their fill of talk about spiritual matters. As John says, ‘God is love,’ and she justly overcame him by the greater strength of her love.” It is a beautiful story about love of neighbor versus love of rigid rules. Love of neighbor won. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus points out that nothing that enters the body can make us unclean before God. Persons become corrupted through their actions which are products of their hearts. Taking

a bath five times a day does not make me clean before God but the struggle against evil thoughts, attitudes, inclinations and habits help me, climaxed by the supreme means of spiritual cleansing: the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr. Rudy

Horst, SVD

In September 2008, Pope Benedict XVI visited Lourdes. One of the most impressive moments there is the candlelight procession held every evening. The Pope participated and spoke at the end to the pilgrims. I just selected for today’s feast some passages from his homily: “On 11 February 1858, in this place known as the Grotto of Massabielle, a simple young girl from Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous, saw a light, and in this light she saw a young lady who was ‘beautiful, more beautiful than any other.’ This woman addressed her with kindness and gentleness, with respect and trust: ‘Would you do me the kindness of coming here for a fortnight?’ she asked her.... It was in this conversation, in this dialogue marked by such delicacy, that the Lady instructed her to deliver certain very simple messages on prayer, penance and conversion....” “ C o u n t l e s s people have borne witness to this: when they encountered Bernadette’s radiant face, it left a deep impression on their hearts and minds....

The daily life of the Soubirous family was nevertheless a tale of deprivation and sadness... rejection and poverty. Even if there was no lack of love and warmth in family relationships, life at the cachot was hard. Nevertheless, the shadows of the earth did not prevent the light of heaven from shining.... Lourdes is one of the places chosen by God for His beauty to be reflected with particular brightness, hence the importance here of the symbol of light.... Lourdes is a place of l ight b e c a u s e i t i s a p l a c e o f communion, hope and conversion. Jesus says to us: ‘keep your lamps burning’ (Luke 12:35); the lamp of faith, the lamp of prayer, the lamp of hope and love!” “In this shrine at Lourdes... we are invited to discover the

s implici ty of our v o c a t i o n : i t i s e n o u g h t o l o v e . May the Virgin Mary and Saint Bernadette help you to live as children of light in order to testify... that Christ is our light, our hope and our life! Amen.” Fr. Rudy

Horst, SVD

LOURDES: A PLACE OF LIGHT AND LOVE

46

12 February Friday

1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19Psalm 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15

Mark 7:31-37

Reflection Question: Reading today’s Gospel and this reflection, did I realize my spiritual deafness and dumbness? What can I do to overcome it?

Lord, spiritually deaf and dumb as I am, I approach You and beg You to spiritually do to me what You did physically to the man in today’s Gospel.

St. Julian, pray for us.

“Of course not,” you respond indignantly after reading this question. “How dare you ask?” Sorry if I have offended your well-hearing ears and “well-oiled” lips. Let us then have a look at today’s Gospel passage. What could be the significance of the healing of the deaf man which Mark describes so vividly in every detail? He even quotes the exact word Jesus used in Aramaic, “Ephphatha.” In the “Rite of Baptism for Adults” today’s Gospel is read. Then the priest touches with his thumb the ears and the mouth of the candidate and says, “Ephphatha, that is, be opened, that you may profess the faith you have heard, to the praise and glory of God.” This indicates that the person to be baptized may hear physically very well but that there is another deafness and dumbness that has to be healed — a spiritual deafness and dumbness. We were healed from it in baptism but I dare to repeat my question I asked above: “Are

you deaf and dumb?” You may hear very wel l physically, no doubt. But what about spiritual hearing? Let’s have some examples. In church you hear the Gospel and the homily — but do you do what they tell you once you leave the church? That’s one case of spiritual deafness. You hear a neighbor is in need, but forget it conveniently as soon as you have heard it — another case of spiritual deafness. I could go on, but what about dumbness? Oh yes, we all talk a lot but what about sharing the Good News? What about defending our faith? What about inserting in our conversations words and wisdom of Jesus and the saints?

How I wish the Lord would be here, put His fingers into our inner ears and touch our tongues with His Spirit that we may beg in t o l i s t en a t t en t ive ly to the cries of the suffering and share God’s wi sdom in our conversations. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

ARE YOU DEAF AND DUMB?

47

13 February Saturday

1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34Psalm 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22

Mark 8:1-10

Reflection Question: Am I too close and comfort-able with certain people and so exclude others? Who would need my attention among those I meet in daily life?

Ouch, Lord, the enjoyable Bible study turned out to become a stinging question I have dif-ficulty answering. Please open my heart more that I may be-come really all-embracing with-out ignoring or even rejecting anybody.

St. Benignus, pray for us.

you deaf and dumb?” You may hear very wel l physically, no doubt. But what about spiritual hearing? Let’s have some examples. In church you hear the Gospel and the homily — but do you do what they tell you once you leave the church? That’s one case of spiritual deafness. You hear a neighbor is in need, but forget it conveniently as soon as you have heard it — another case of spiritual deafness. I could go on, but what about dumbness? Oh yes, we all talk a lot but what about sharing the Good News? What about defending our faith? What about inserting in our conversations words and wisdom of Jesus and the saints?

How I wish the Lord would be here, put His fingers into our inner ears and touch our tongues with His Spirit that we may beg in t o l i s t en a t t en t ive ly to the cries of the suffering and share God’s wi sdom in our conversations. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

Let’s do some Bible study today. Take a piece of paper and a pen. Draw a line in the middle of your paper, straight from the top to the bottom so that you get two columns. Next, open your Bible and search for the Gospel according to Mark. Now write on top of the left column: “Mark 6:35-44” and above the right column “Mark 8:1-10.” After reading both passages, write down the differences you found in the very similar stories. Why did Mark include the same story twice but with different details? Whoever has studied the Bible closely immediately focuses on the numbers. How did they come up with such round numbers, 5,000 and exactly 4,000? In the Bible, numbers often have symbolic meaning. Five reflects the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, while four was the symbolic number for the Gentiles. Again, 12 is the number of the 12 tribes of Israel, while seven is the number of perfection and universality. Now look where Jesus

performed the two miracles: the first one on Jewish territory, the second on Gentile territory. And here we come to the message the evangelist wants to give. He rounded up the numbers a bit to tell His readers that Jesus came for Jews and Gentiles alike, that He has compassion for both, that He nourishes all. This is really Good News! Jesus loves all people. He does not care only for those who follow Him but also for those who do not know Him yet. His attitude is 100 percent Catholic, which means “all-embracing.” That message was not only important for Mark’s community but is equally challenging to us. For even though we are grateful to belong to

the Catholic Church, we are unfortunately no t a lways “a l l -embracing.” N o b o d y w a s excluded from Jesus’ compassion, from His care, from His love and sharing what He had. He was really Catholic. And so He poses to each one of us the valid question: “Are you really Catholic?” Fr. Rudy

Horst, SVD

AM I REALLY “CATHOLIC?”

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14 February Sunday

Jeremiah 17:5-8Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6 (40:5a)

1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20luke 6:17, 20-26

Reflection Question: When I have the choice be-tween a better job or more money gained by dishonesty and a lesser job and lesser money by honest means – what do I choose?

Lord, when I read Your Beati-tudes and Woes I was con-fused. Do You promise a better life in the afterlife only? Then Karl Marx would be right that religion would be opium for us. But no. You just want us to choose You even when it causes disadvantages. Thank You for this insight.

St. Maro, pray for us.

It’s Valentine’s Day today but since it’s Sunday, we have to focus on the Gospel passage the Church offers us. If I would be able to see you, dear readers, all together before me, I would ask you two interesting questions. The first is: “Who among you would like to be poor, hungry, weeping and hated by everybody? Please raise your hands!” Would even one hand go up? The next question is: “A show of hands, please, from all who want to be rich, well-fed, laughing and well-respected?” Again, I bet, all your hands would shoot up, even though Jesus just pronounced a woe on all of you. Jesus sometimes confuses us. Just think: Would any good parent want their children to be poor, hungry, sad and hated? But Jesus calls these people blessed. Isn’t God a better parent than all human parents put together? How then can He call blessed what we normally would call misfortunes? You may find the key to a proper understanding in a few

words which Jesus added to the last Beatitude: “on account of the Son of Man.” What Jesus is saying is that those who accept these misfortunes as the price they have to pay for following Him are the blessed ones. When Luke wrote these words down, some 50 years after Jesus had taught, the Christians had experienced already severe persecutions. All happened “on account of the Son of Man.” Luke reminds them that Jesus called them blessed in their misfortunes; that they can smile through their tearful eyes, for they have made the right choice.

But there were others who missed the blessedness Jesus had prepared for them. We don’t have any persecution in our coun t ry. Bu t materialism, spreading consumerism and sex under the disguise of love can lure us from the promised blessedness. We better look out whether all we do is “on account of the Son of Man.” Fr. Rudy Horst,

SVD

ON ACCOUNT OF THE SON OF MAN

49

15February Monday

James 1:1-11Psalm 119:67, 68, 71, 72, 75, 76

Mark 8:11-13

Reflection Question: How strong is my trust in God when trials come my way? Do I see them as help to gain a stronger faith?

Lord, thank You for giving us the letter written by James. The few verses at its beginning are so profound for my spiritual journey. May I — with Your help — follow the wisdom of James and so proceed on my journey of faith.

St. Jordan, pray for us.

There’s a story of a disfigured, ugly man who understandably hated all that is beautiful. Approaching an oasis, one day he saw a young beautiful palm tree. Angrily he put a huge stone on its top so that it would be crippled when growing up. Years later he came to the same oasis and looked for that crippled palm tree to enjoy its miserable sight. He couldn’t find it. Then the tallest and strongest palm tree bent and spoke to him: “You are looking for me, I think? Thank you for putting that heavy stone on me. Because of that I had to put more effort in my growth; I had to stretch and at the same time let my roots go deeper and deeper where they reached water. So I grew higher and stronger than the other trees.” Whether we like it or not: Trials, suffer ings , cr ises can make or break a person. James wants us to transform them into steps towards deeper faith and trust in God. Today’s passage from the beginning of the Letter of James

points out realistically that there will always be trials. You surely agree. But to consider them as a “happy privilege” is difficult to swallow. Yet just remember yesterday’s Beatitudes and read the reason James gives for his statement. He is convinced that trials help us in our spiritual growth towards spiritual maturity. Secondly, James says that asking for wisdom or discernment needs strong faith. We must approach God without entertaining any doubts because we must be sure of the power of love of God. The last words of James remind us of yesterday’s Gospel, but also of Mary’s Magnificat that sings of the lowly being exalted

while the proud are thrown from their thrones. Life after a l l i s unce r t a in . Disaster can strike any moment — why then put so much trust in things that easily vanish? Only God can give us what lasts for ever! Fr. Rudy

Horst, SVD

JAMES’ WISDOM

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16 February Tuesday

James 1:12-18Psalm 94:12-13a, 14-15, 18-19

Mark 8:14-21

Reflection Question: Am I infected by the virus of always blaming others? Do I have difficulties admitting my own wrongdoings?

Lord, I have to admit: I have blamed You for many bad things in my life. But how wrong I was! I have to blame myself, my carelessness with evil thoughts which I allow to grow. Help me to replace what is negative with thoughts of You and Mary, our Mother.

St. Daniel, pray for us.

Have you ever blamed God when something bad happens? Have you ever asked angrily, “Why did you let this happen?” If you haven’t, surely you have heard others ask these and similar questions, in effect, accusing God of tempting them or sending problems, sufferings and all kinds of bad things in their life. We have been so trained to excuse ourselves and accuse others that even God is not spared from it. We become used to blaming others for negative things happening to us; we blame the devil, bad genes, sexual abuse, abusive parents, mid-life crisis, the society — and in the end, many blame God. Even in Confession I sometimes hear people accusing others without confessing a single sin they have committed. While the factors I just enumerated have definitely a negative effect on us and influence our actions, we still have a free will and must remain responsible for our wrong actions. Now, please read today’s passage from the Letter of James.

He stresses that “God does not tempt anybody.” Where then originates our wrongdoing? James again has a clear answer: “Everyone who is tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire. Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it too has a child, and the child is death.” Wow! That’s a simple but powerful image. Where does every evil start? It starts in ourselves, in our “own wrong desire,” in our thoughts. The control of our thoughts, therefore, is the beginning of curbing all temptations. Entertain evil thoughts just for a short while and you will have difficulties to get rid of them. Evil thoughts are like weeds that take root immediately, that

grow and spread fast and “kill” the beautiful flowers we would like to enjoy. What shall we do? Weed out evil thoughts the moment they emerge and — this is very important — replace them with something positive. And you will see they will not give birth to sin. Fr. Rudy Horst,

SVD

ANOTHER LESSON FROM JAMES

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17 February Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:12-18Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14, 17

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Reflection Question: Do I tend to postpone changes in my life? Do I tend to “forget” resolutions? Why? Am I afraid of changing?

Thank You, Lord, for giving us once more the holy time of Lent, a time to turn away from our sins and turn to You. Send Your Spirit to open our hearts so that we listen attentively to Your Word and have the cour-age to practice what we learn from You.

St. Benedict of Cagliari, pray for us.

The black dot or cross indicates that you have gone to church today. Unfortunately, there are many who just pass by the church to receive the ashes because everybody does so, but do not attend the Mass and don’t listen to the readings. I hope you are not one of them. The ash is a sacramental that should be received after listening to the Word of God and a short homily. At least that’s what the liturgical rules say. And it makes sense. Receiving a sacramental is not magic or superstition. A sacramental “works” only when the receiver has the right disposition. And what is the right disposition for receiving the ashes? The priest says while imposing the ashes, “Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel.” (Or, “Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.”) Both words have profound implications. To turn away from sin I must take my time and acknowledge once more that I am a sinner. Something I cannot do in two minutes when I line up to receive the ashes

and then run home or to the office. And I cannot believe in the Gospel if I do not even take time to listen to it on a day like Ash Wednesday. The readings chosen for today are excellent. Joel’s passage begins with, “Now, now…come back.” And St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Well, now is the favorable time.” Three “nows.” That leads us to think, right? We tend to postpone and say, “tomorrow” or “next time na lang.” Be careful when you catch yourself postponing a good resolution. It makes the devil very happy. And Jesus tells in the Gospel that what good we do, we should do in secret and not for show. If the

ash on your forehead is only for show — you know what the Lord thinks of it . “Now is a favorable time….” We might have missed th is chance more than once. But please, not this year. I don’t like to be morbid or scare you, but the reality is that there might be no tomorrow, no next week, no next time. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

NOW

52

18 February Thursday

Deuteronomy 30:15-20Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6

Luke 9:22-25

Reflection Question: Have I seen the command-ments of God as something positive?

Lord, guide me to always choose life and Your blessings!

St. Agatha Lin, pray for us.

W h e n w e h e a r t h e w o r d “commandment” we easily shy away. There are too many “don’ts” in a time when we want to be free and think real freedom means we can do what we want. But old Moses is wise and has calmed down. He doesn’t thunder anymore like before. He puts a simple reality before the Israelites and before us: There are two ways. You have the choice because God has given you freedom. One way is to see the commandments of God for what they are — loving signposts along the road of life that we might go in the right direction — and obey so that we may be blessed by God and reach our goal. The other choice is: disobey and face the consequences. Pope Benedict XVI, in a homily he delivered on September 8, 2007 in Austria, gave an interesting twist to the many “don’ts” and makes us aware that the commandments of God are all a “Yes” to a great value. I quote the Pope: “To gaze upon Chris t ! I f we do this, we realize that Christianity is more

than and different from a moral code, from a series of requirements and laws... it is the gift of friendship. For this reason it also contains within itself great moral strength, which is so urgently needed today on account of the challenges of our time.... The Ten Commandments are first and foremost a ‘yes’ to God, to a God who loves us and leads us, who carries us and yet allows us our freedom: indeed, it is He who makes our freedom real (the first three commandments). It is a ‘yes’ to the family (fourth commandment), a ‘yes’ to life (fifth commandment), a ‘yes’ to responsible love (sixth commandment), a ‘yes’ to solidarity, to social responsibility and to justice (seventh commandment), a ‘yes’ to truth (eighth commandment) and a ‘yes’ to respect for other people and for what is theirs (ninth and tenth commandments). By the strength of our friendship with the living

God we l ive th i s manifold ‘yes’ and at the same time we carry it as a signpost into this world of ours today.” Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

THE COMMANDMENTS – A YES TO VALUES

53

19February Friday

isaiah 58:1-9aPsalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19

Matthew 9:14-15

Reflection Question: Who in my family, in my neigh-borhood, among the people I live with needs my real “fast-ing” — my love, concern and support?

Ouch, Lord, You got me again. You made me realize that some of my exercises of “self-denial” are not pleasing You at all. Help me to change and serve You with love in the people around me.

Blessed Lucy, pray for us.

than and different from a moral code, from a series of requirements and laws... it is the gift of friendship. For this reason it also contains within itself great moral strength, which is so urgently needed today on account of the challenges of our time.... The Ten Commandments are first and foremost a ‘yes’ to God, to a God who loves us and leads us, who carries us and yet allows us our freedom: indeed, it is He who makes our freedom real (the first three commandments). It is a ‘yes’ to the family (fourth commandment), a ‘yes’ to life (fifth commandment), a ‘yes’ to responsible love (sixth commandment), a ‘yes’ to solidarity, to social responsibility and to justice (seventh commandment), a ‘yes’ to truth (eighth commandment) and a ‘yes’ to respect for other people and for what is theirs (ninth and tenth commandments). By the strength of our friendship with the living

God we l ive th i s manifold ‘yes’ and at the same time we carry it as a signpost into this world of ours today.” Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

What is fasting all about? Easy to answer but not easy to do — unless your friends hinted that you have gained some weight and you realize that your dress or pants don’t fit anymore as they did a while ago. In other words: fasting is abstaining from or reducing the intake of food, right? Wrong! How wrong we can be about so many things we thought to be so clear. And we can easily be wrong because we don’t know our Bible enough, especially not the Old Testament. The great prophet Isaiah teaches us today something quite shocking about fasting. The prophet thunders against the cheap trickery of people who try to impress God by abstaining from some things but commit the worse injust ices against their fellowmen by oppressing them and by not caring for the poor, the hungry, the sick and the homeless. For it is easier to fast than to love. A s k i d s , w e abstained during Lent from eating chocolates and cand i e s . We

collected them and got a bad stomach ache on Easter when we began to eat what we had collected during the six weeks of Lent. My father loved smoking cigars; during Lent he abstained but I did not see him doing any special acts of charity. Ascetic practices are good in themselves. There is no doubt about this. But ascetic practices without practicing charity at home, in the neighborhood and among those we meet and live with every day, are useless. Better eat chocolates and smoke your cigarettes and go to a movie even during Lent, but abstain from quarreling, cheating in exams, from lying and gossiping. Better than abstaining is doing something good. Therefore, your

best “fast” would be becoming the most chari table person p o s s i b l e . T h a t ’s the “fast ing” the disturbing prophet Isaiah teaches us today on the third day of Lent. Fr. Rudy Horst,

SVD

HYPOCRITICAL AND REAL FASTING

54

20 February Saturday

Isaiah 58:9b-14Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

luke 5:27-32

Reflection Question: Who in my environment needs my loving, healing touch most? To whom is Jesus sending me to heal?

Lord, Divine Physician, You have healed me so many times with Your love and compassion. Thank You. Today You made me aware that what You have done for me I should do for Your brothers and sisters in need of healing. Help me, please, in this difficult task.

St. Amata, pray for us.

Let’s join Jesus on that specific morning. He had a good breakfast, prepared lovingly by Peter’s mother-in-law. We approach with Jesus one of the most hated places in town – the office of the tax-collector. With the disciples we try not to come too close, even though we are not Pharisees who would see to it that not even their clothes would come in contact with a tax collector. “Hey, Jesus,” Peter shouts alarmed, “what are you doing?” For Jesus is approaching the table of the tax collector Levi whose head goes down in fear to hide between his shoulders. But then, to his and our surprise, Jesus smiled at him and said, “Come, Levi, follow me!” Read the rest in today’s Gospel passage how Jesus accepted the invitation to eat and drink with Levi and the whole bunch of his colleagues. Read the expected outrage of the pious ones and Jesus’ beautiful answer. For Jesus, sinners were not criminals; they were sick people who needed healing. Why does the Church give us this

reading today, on the fourth day of Lent? It has become clear already during the past three days that the Church has selected very carefully passages that will help us to make Lent a spiritually fruitful season. “But there are no tax collectors we can call to be our friends,” you may say. You are right. The point is that in today’s society there are a lot of people who are ostracized, marginalized because they are considered to be “sinners” or “bad people.” They have been judged (often misjudged) by prejudice or by lack of knowledge about them. These are our “Levis,” our “tax-collectors” who are avoided for one reason or another. So, as a disciple who is called to

continue what Jesus began long time ago, what are you to do? It’s only too clear, I t h ink . Become “doctors” (without studying medicine), become physicians who do not just prescribe medicine but who give the best medicine to them: understanding, compassion, acceptance and love. Fr. Rudy Horst,

SVD

BECOME PHYSICIANS!

55

21 February Sunday

Deuteronomy 26:4-10Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

Romans 10:8-13luke 4:1-13

Reflection Question: Do I seek occasions which I know will cause temptations? Do I see temptations as a testing ground for my love of God?

Lord, since You have experienced temptations You know very well how difficult such situations can be. Give me the strength to follow Your example and reject always what is contradictory to Your teaching.

St. Valerius, pray for us.

The Church offers us every year on the first Sunday of Lent the Gospel passage about Jesus’ temptation to prepare us for the many temptations that threaten our Lenten spiritual exercises. What happened to Jesus? He had been baptized by John in the waters of the River Jordan where God had proclaimed Him as His beloved Son. Then Jesus went into the wilderness where He was tempted — similar to what the Israelites, the “sons of Yahweh” experienced more than a thousand years ago. They crossed the waters of the Red Sea, went into the wilderness where they were tempted in many ways and proved to be quite disobedient “sons of Yahweh.” Do you see the parallels between the two stories? Yes, there are str iking parallels but there is one major difference. Where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded by remaining obedient to His Father, who had sent Him not to do spectacular signs for His own glory but to save humankind from the power of Satan. T h a t b r i n g s

us to ourselves. Have you ever said in a Confession: “Father, I experienced temptations”? Many do so. But temptations are not sins. The publishers of the New American Bible put as title above the first part of the Letter of James, “The Value of Trials and Temptation.” Yes, you have read correctly: the value of temptation, it says. Temptations are valuable and important. They are tests that will show whether we love God, whether we are able to show our love by loving obedience. They come, especially when you least expect them to come. Jesus experienced them after His baptism and after a long retreat in the presence of His Father. So don’t be surprised that temptations often come after times

of spiritual “highs,” after a retreat, after a good Confession, after feeling very close to God. How we handle temptations shows which grade we deserve in the School of Love of God. Jesus passed the exam with flying colors. What about you? What about me? Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

VALUABLE TEMPTATIONS

56

22 February Monday

1 Peter 5:1-4Psalm 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6Matthew 16:13-19

Reflection Question: Do I pray regularly for the successor of St. Peter? Do I prepare myself in prayer for that moment when courage is demanded from me to defend my faith?

Lord, today I pray for the succes-sor of St. Peter, our Holy Father. May he have the strength and courage to guide Your Church through difficult times and guide us without fear. Amen.

St. Elwin, pray for us.

Somebody asked me once on February 22, “Father, since when did we venerate chairs as saints? Isn’t that idolatry?” Don’t laugh! It’s a very good question. Does a chair become holy because St. Peter used to sit on it? Did he in his time actually have a special chair? Probably not. So, what is today’s feast all about? The ancient Romans celebrated on February 22 the festival of “Parentalia.” It was a day when the ancestors were remembered — as we do today on November 2, All Souls Day. During the celebration, usually a meal, a chair was decorated to represent and honor the dead. In other words, not the chair was honored or venerated but the deceased person(s) the chair represents. For the Christian community in Rome, Peter was without doubt the most important ancestor and so this feast became part of the liturgical calendar. As you know very well, Peter was not a hero from the beginning even though he was able to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, which Jesus saw as a special inspiration from God. But he

denied Jesus. Peter also was not near the Cross. And when we read the Acts of the Apostles carefully together with the letters of St. Paul, we can see that Peter had difficulties to stand up for what he believed in. There is a nice legend about Peter and a small church in Rome commemorates the event. During the persecution Peter got scared — again. So he left Rome and outside the city he met the Lord. “Quo vadis, Domine?” he asked, “Where are you going, Lord?” And Jesus answered, “I go to Rome to be crucified in your stead.” Ashamed, Peter turned around and was arrested. When he was about to be crucified he asked to hang there upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying the same way his beloved Master

died. It is never too late to become a hero of faith. It might not be death that makes us finally heroes; it may be a situation when we have to stand up for our faith, for our Christian values and convictions. May we not miss that most important moment – as St. Peter did not miss it. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

A HOLY CHAIR?

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23 February Tuesday

Isaiah 55:10-11Psalm 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19

Matthew 6:7-15

Reflection Question: Has my prayer become a rou-tine? Do I realize what I say when I repeat the prayer Jesus taught us?

Lord, my prayer is often a bab-bling, a saying of words without thinking what I say. Prayer has become a routine. May my prayer become more honest and a loving conversation with You.

St. Peter Damian, pray for us.

A visit with a pilgrim group to Jerusalem always includes a moment of reflection on the Mount of Olives where the “Our Father Church” commemorates that moment when Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples. On the walls inside and outside the Church, you can find the Lord’s Prayer in more than 60 languages, including Tagalog. We usually sit down there and think about this profound prayer. Then I read a text I got years ago, I don’t know anymore from whom. And this text makes us aware how dangerous a prayer the “Our Father” actually is. Here is the text: “Do not say FATHER if every day you do not behave like a son or daughter. Do not say OUR if you live isolated in your egoism. Do not say WHO ARE IN HEAVEN if you think only of earthly things. Do not say HOLY BE YOUR NAME if you do not honor Him. Do not say YOUR KINGDOM COME if you confuse Him with material success.

Do not say YOUR WILL BE DONE if you do not accept it when it is painful. Do not say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if you are not worried about the people who are hungry, who are without culture and means to live. Do not say FORGIVE US OUR SINS if you bear your brother a grudge. Do not say AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if you intend to keep on sinning. Do not say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if you do not take position against evil. Do not say AMEN if you do not take the words of the OUR FATHER seriously.” A dangerous prayer, don’t

you think so? The n e x t t i m e y o u recite it, take note o f w h a t y o u a r e a c t u a l l y s a y i n g . O t h e r w i s e i t becomes what Jesus c a l l s i n t o d a y ’s G o s p e l p a s s a g e : a “babbling of the p a g a n s . ” F r . R u d y

Horst, SVD

A DANGEROUS PRAYER

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24 February Wednesday

Jonah 3:1-10Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19

Luke 11:29-32

Reflection Question: Have I turned away from sin already? Have I repented?

Lord, yes, I feel ashamed when I read about the seriousness of the people of Nineveh. I feel ashamed because I have let so many days of Lent pass without doing much about my spiritual life. Please forgive me. And as You have given Jonah a second chance, so do with me.

St. Adela, pray for us.

The first time God had sent Jonah to Nineveh, he tried to escape from God. Now he is back to square one and he’d better go to Nineveh, known in the ancient world as the most cruel and horrible city. He went and, wonder of wonders, he did not have to preach for three days. One day of a brief announcement of disaster was enough to turn these pagans from their evil ways to God. The author exaggerates, of course, when he writes that even the poor animals had to fast and were deprived even of water — he wants to emphasize the unbelievable seriousness of these people. Please take your Bible and read the fourth chapter where Jonah is very angry with God for not punishing that wicked city. He was a strange prophet. In the New Jerusalem Bible, I found the following comment: “All the characters in the story are likable, the foreign sailor, the king of Assyria, the populace of Nineveh, even the animals of Nineveh, all except the only Israelite on stage — and he is a prophet!”

We have here a humorous but critical short story about Israel — and about us. God had sent prophet after prophet but the Israelites would not repent. Finally, both their kingdoms had been destroyed. And yet, they still didn’t repent. They still wanted the pagans to be destroyed. What about us? Not only prophet after prophet, saint after saint, the Son of God Himself was sent to us to call us to repentance. Now we understand the harsh word of Jesus, “On Judgment day, the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.” May these words of Jesus not apply to us! Lent is given to us as a time to turn away from sin, as we were

told on Ash Wednesday. One week of Lent has passed already. Ask yourself and answer honestly: Have I turned away from sin already? Have I repented? May we not be put to shame by the people and animals of Nineveh. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

FISHY JONAH

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25 February Thursday

esther c:12, 14-16, 23-25Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8

Matthew 7:7-12

Reflection Question: Is my prayer humble? Do I tell God how good I am or do I stand before God empty-handed?

Lord, the humble prayer of Esther has touched me pro-foundly. May I be able to pray in future like her. Because who and what am I without You?

Blessed Constantius, pray for us.

Queen Esther had been informed that on the 13th day of the month, all her fellow Jews in the empire would be massacred. She was asked to appear before her husband, the king, and intercede for her people. But to appear before the king without being summoned could become the cause of her execution, so strict was it in old Persia. This is the context of today’s first reading. It is one of the most beautiful prayers we find in the Bible. It is a prayer that can become a model for our prayers. Why is it such a beautiful prayer? Esther, even though she is a queen, is humble. She knows that without God she cannot do anything. “I am alone and have no one but you,” she said at the end. Her prayer i s honest. She does not pretend to be humble, no, she is humble. And what does God love more than humility and a humble prayer? Remember Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector going to the Temple to pray? The Pharisee brags and tells God

how good he is. The tax collector, on the other hand, does not dare to look up but just says, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.” And Jesus praises him and his humble prayer. It takes courage to be humble because pride lurks in all our hearts. No, humility is not weakness. Humility is strength. It is the self-emptying of our hearts, the spiritual “undressing” until we stand naked and empty before God and can only say with Queen Esther, “I am alone and have no one but you. I am standing before you with empty hands. I totally depend on your fatherly love, compassion, mercy and generosity.” That’s the prayer that touches God’s heart because it reflects the attitude of God’s Son. He humbled Himself, saying, “I am

meek and humble of heart”; He did not come to be served but to serve; and, in the words of St. Paul, He emptied Himself to become one of us. It would be good to begin our imitation of Christ by imitating first and foremost His humility. Fr. Rudy Horst,

SVD

“I HAVE NO ONE BUT YOU”

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26 February Friday

Ezekiel 18:21-28Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8

Matthew 5:20-26

Reflection Question: Do I think that I am a good per-son because I do not violate the major commandments? Do I have my inner thoughts and emotions under control?

Lord, cleanse me from my hid-den, negative and even evil thoughts that I may never say or do something that hurts You and others.

St. Victor, pray for us.

Jewish teachers usually quote other rabbis, famous and authoritative teachers of the past. Or they quote their Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament. And that is what Jesus is doing during His famous Sermon on the Mount. Today Jesus quotes a passage from the Law of Moses. But then He adds to the quotation from Moses’ law, “But I say this to you…” Moses had received the law on a mountain. Now Jesus, as a second Moses but greater than Moses, gives a new law on another mountain. With great authority He goes beyond the old law, beyond a legalistic approach of the law. Pope Benedict writes in his book Jesus of Nazareth (p. 102), “The intention is not to abolish, but to fulfill, and this fulfillment demands a surplus, not a deficit, of righteousness…” What is this surplus Jesus has added to the old law? He makes u s aware that it might be relatively easy not to violate a law and so we might think that everything is fine with us. For sure, among the readers of this reflection nobody has killed in his/her life

and will never do it, except maybe killing mosquitoes and cockroaches. But what about anger toward others? What about hurting words hurled at somebody? What about a silent treatment that causes a person to suffer? These thoughts and wishes might remain totally unknown to anybody around us. But they are there. And Jesus makes us aware of this fact. He also makes us aware that negative thoughts can easily become words and result in actions. They are like traps that can leave us unaware of their dangerous existence. When we slap sometimes our forehead and say, “How could I say this?” or “How could I do this?” we find the answer in today’s Gospel passage: We have nourished evil thoughts without realizing that the trap will snap and we explode with hurting words or

even actions. Jesus does not intend to add more burdens to our already burdensome life. In His love He just makes us aware of this dangerous trap of hidden evil thoughts — before they materialize in words or actions. Fr.

Rudy Horst, SVD

DANGEROUS TRAPS

61

27 February Saturday

Deuteronomy 26:16-19Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8

Matthew 5:43-48

Reflection Question: Is there someone whom I have not yet forgiven? What could I do for the person I just don’t like?

Lord, thank You for this impor-tant reminder. I needed it. But I feel so weak when it comes to forgiving and loving somebody who has hurt me. Your example on the Cross, when You prayed for Your executioners, will surely help me.

St. Anne Line, pray for us.

and will never do it, except maybe killing mosquitoes and cockroaches. But what about anger toward others? What about hurting words hurled at somebody? What about a silent treatment that causes a person to suffer? These thoughts and wishes might remain totally unknown to anybody around us. But they are there. And Jesus makes us aware of this fact. He also makes us aware that negative thoughts can easily become words and result in actions. They are like traps that can leave us unaware of their dangerous existence. When we slap sometimes our forehead and say, “How could I say this?” or “How could I do this?” we find the answer in today’s Gospel passage: We have nourished evil thoughts without realizing that the trap will snap and we explode with hurting words or

even actions. Jesus does not intend to add more burdens to our already burdensome life. In His love He just makes us aware of this dangerous trap of hidden evil thoughts — before they materialize in words or actions. Fr.

Rudy Horst, SVD

Isn’t Jesus asking too much? Isn’t it inhuman and even perverse to love an enemy? He knows very well that it is “natural” and “human” to get even and severe all ties with persons who have done us evil. But He also knows very well that forgiving and loving make us more human because we are created in the image and likeness of God who forgives and loves us even though we offend and hurt Him so often with our sins. What does Jesus mean with “loving” our enemy? To clarify this point, allow me to mention the Greek words Matthew uses in his Gospel. The Greeks had three words for “love”: eros, philia and agape. Eros, of course, has something to do with sexual attractions. Philia is the kind of love that comes naturally, when we love a friend or our parents. Agape, the word Matthew uses here, is a kind of love that does not come naturally; it is the result of reasoning out that I have no right to hate that person, that he/she is also a child of

God and loved by God and so I have to make an effort to love that person also. Agape is more a kind of good will, of concern, of positive action. This distinction makes us aware that we may not always be able to like a person but we can love that person. At least, we can pray for a person who has become our enemy. A second point Jesus makes is that His followers should be distinct from others by doing more than non-followers. The ancient pagans are said to have wondered what kind of people these Christians are. “Look, how they love each other,” they said and so were attracted to Christianity. After having said all this, I realize that it is still not easy to do

what Jesus demands from us. We might not be able to reach the ideal immediately but when we accept the challenge and try hard, we will grow and mature as human beings. We also grow and mature spiritually and do a giant step towards our eternal goal. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

WHAAAAT? LOVE MY ENEMY?

62

28 February Sunday

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14

Philippians 3:17-4:1 (or 3:20-4:1)luke 9:28b-36

Reflection Question: Do I focus only or too much on suffering and problems? Do I appreciate when God grants me moments of joy and inner peace?

Lord, life is difficult. Thank You for granting me “mountain ex-periences” once in a while when You let me realize that actually life is beautiful, foreshadowing the even more beautiful eternal life. May suffering never blind me to this truth.

Blessed Villana, pray for us.

Since my childhood, I have liked mountain climbing. One of the great experiences was when I climbed Mount Sinai with a pilgrim group. Three hours up and up and up. Mount Sinai is in the desert and so you don’t have trees or bushes, only stones and rocks. The last part was exceptionally difficult. But then, once on top of the mountain, all effort and pain and suffering was forgotten. The sunrise and the splendid view were more than a reward. On top of a high mountain, you get a wider perspective; you see things not anymore narrowly as in the valley. Jesus had spoken about His approaching suffering and death. He had mentioned His resurrection but obviously His disciples did not understand what it meant. They focused on His suffering, on His death only. And so Jesus took them up a high mountain to widen their perspective. For a few moments, they were graced to have a glimpse of His divine glory; they began to understand what He meant with

resurrection. Suffering and death would not be the end; something beautiful, something indescribable was waiting beyond death. They saw the light of eternal life at the faraway horizon. The Church presents us every year on the second Sunday of Lent with the gospel of the Transfiguration. Last Sunday we heard how Christ was tempted and remembered our own temptations. We are called to resist Satan and repent of our sins. All this can be dark and hard to take. And so we are invited today to join the three apostles up a mountain. We are reminded that sufferings are not the end of our journey through life. Something beautiful lies ahead.

Facing the reality of suffering in daily life, God provides us again and again with moments of peace and joy, with moments of feeling ourselves close to God. Cherish these moments; thank God for such moments because He grants them to give us the strength to face and conquer what lies ahead. Fr. Rudy

Horst, SVD

MOUNTAIN ExPERIENCES

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1March Monday

Daniel 9:4b-10Psalm 79:8. 9. 11, 13

luke 6:36-38

Reflection Question: Lent is not just a season for external sacrifices. It is a time of grace to journey into our-selves. What values and virtues do you need to appreciate more as interior measures, rather than external disci-plines?

Father, let the good works that I do stem from my personal con-victions, and not just for show.

St. Aubin, pray for us.

resurrection. Suffering and death would not be the end; something beautiful, something indescribable was waiting beyond death. They saw the light of eternal life at the faraway horizon. The Church presents us every year on the second Sunday of Lent with the gospel of the Transfiguration. Last Sunday we heard how Christ was tempted and remembered our own temptations. We are called to resist Satan and repent of our sins. All this can be dark and hard to take. And so we are invited today to join the three apostles up a mountain. We are reminded that sufferings are not the end of our journey through life. Something beautiful lies ahead.

Facing the reality of suffering in daily life, God provides us again and again with moments of peace and joy, with moments of feeling ourselves close to God. Cherish these moments; thank God for such moments because He grants them to give us the strength to face and conquer what lies ahead. Fr. Rudy

Horst, SVD

Way back in our grade school days in Paco Catholic School, the average class size was around 49 to 52 students. Teachers taught the same subject to a good number of sections and this meant monitoring the progress of many students. At that time, Paco Catholic School was already known as the biggest parochial school in terms of student population. Our t eache r s were ve ry innovative in their efforts to lighten their workloads. For example, the task of correcting numerous homeworks, seatworks and quizzes was greatly simplified by the practice of “exchanging notebooks or papers” with our seatmates. The right answers were read by the teacher, and we took on the responsibility o f c h e c k i n g o u r sea tma te ’s work . Later, we were even asked to check our own seatworks and quizzes and, in the end, tally our own scores and grades. Look ing back

now, I realize that those practices did not only lighten the teacher’s work. Those practices also developed in us the appreciation of the value of honesty — to others, and most especially to self. This last one proves to be the most challenging. There were instances when one would be tempted to quickly right a wrong answer, most especially when that one answer spelled the difference between passing or failing the exam. Jesus’ teachings today underscore this: hard and challenging as it may seem, values and virtues do begin with oneself. We can read, listen to, and learn about moral and spiritual disciplines from books, and from other people’s testimonies. However, to truly live moral and spiritual

u p r i g h t n e s s , t h e measures should flow from a personal and interior conviction. No outside measures and pressures can effect goodness that lasts. Fr. Domie Guzman,

SSP

CORRECTING OUR OWN ExAMS

64

Reflection Question: What experiences help you cultivate a more compas-sionate and understanding posture towards people?

Lord, help me to see people with Your eyes of mercy and love.

St. Willeic, pray for us.

2 MarchTuesday

Isaiah 1:10, 16-20Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23

Matthew 23:1-12

Seminary rectors and novice masters/mistresses in earlier times used a rather crude and simple list in evaluating the capacity and the vocation of aspirants for priestly and religious life. With keen observation that goes with a lot of time dedicated for personal accompaniment of the aspirants, and with a lot of discerning prayers, rectors and novice masters/mistresses weigh the sincerity of motivation, the natural aptitude, the seriousness of resolve, the character, and the prayer life of young men and women who are drawn to the seminary and the convent. Now, the process has become a bit scientific. The aspirants are sent to various psycho-spiritual testing and guidance centers and there they are required to go through the usual mode of answering questionnaires that are purportedly 99.99% accurate tools

to determine the authenticity of “religious and spiritual callings.” My concern is this: it is easy to just rely on the standard tests and measures with an attitude of cold detachment and indifference to the uniqueness and individuality of persons. This was Jesus’ issue against the scribes and Pharisees. He says: “They tie onto people’s back loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren’t willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads” (Matthew 23:4, TEV). Given the charge of looking after “pre-college” seminarians for two schoolyears, I always reflected: how would I have fared if the tests and measures applied to the aspirants were also applied to me during my seminary days? This line of reflection always tempered my expectations and evaluations of those under my charge. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

THE PROBLEM WITH OBJECTIVE MEASURES

65

3MarchWednesday

Jeremiah 18:18-20Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16

Matthew 20:17-28

Reflection Question: Think of one lesson about life, or one lesson about faith that took you time to understand, appreciate and apply. Spend some time in prayer thank-ing God for His grace and patience.

Father, increase my under-standing of the things that You teach me. Enable me to live them out.

St. Sacer, pray for us.

Our Gospel is known as “the third prophecy of Jesus’ Passion.” With this, we realize that the passion and death of Jesus did not come by accident, nor were the events simply a confluence of people’s actions and reactions to the radical teaching of the rabbi from Galilee. Rather, all events of the Passion were in accordance with the grand design of God. Furthermore, we realize that Jesus took the great effort of preparing the disciples for His final sojourn into Jerusalem. The disciples, however, lacked understanding and deep reflection to appreciate the important words of Jesus. It would take them time and the illumination of God’s Spirit before they could finally comprehend that the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel constitute the basic line of God’s plan for salvation. Then, they themselves will

preach about Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection as the essential Good News, the kerygma. Such is human nature: As regards life’s lessons and faith’s demands, we are slow in comprehension, slower yet in interiorization, and slower still in application. Hence, we often repeat the same mistakes for some time. Hence, our human history often repeats itself. That’s why we need cycles of moments that lead us to spiritual retreat and reawakening. Our annual journey through Lent and Easter is one such cycle we have to be thankful for. The yearly invitation of these solemn seasons for us to re-enter the meditation about “sin,” “death,” “new life,” “God’s love” will hopefully lead us to a climbing,

spiraling journey of perfection in charity. Maturation is always a product of learning through time. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

THE REASON FOR REPETITIONS

66

Reflection Question: What radical, unexpected and life-changing options were you empowered to make after listening to the call of the mo-ment? How do you now feel about these options?

Lord, it is easy to put everything in a box. Let me be constantly open to You and Your leading. Let me be willing to obey.

Blessed Humbert, pray for us.

4 March Thursday

Jeremiah 17:5-10Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6

luke 16:19-31

Social and ethical debates about the great divide between those who “have” and those who “have not”; religious statements and theological reflections about “preferential option” for the poorest of the poor; corporate seminars on “social awareness and social responsibility.” All these have their merits. They temper the tide of consumerism and materialism that often goes with the technological and economic advances of our age. Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus, however, should not simply be reduced to a study about the Jewish-Christian stand on the rich and the poor. For one, on the side of morality, there is no indication that the rich man obtained his material wealth through dishonest or corrupt ways. Nor did Jesus hint that the rich man’s surplus treasures led him to a condemnable and loose way of living. T h e g r e a t e r lesson of the parable is this: true religiosity is having a listening heart to God’s will and challenge for the moment. This is where the rich man

failed. He could have been very pious and prayerful. He could have been meticulous with the various ritual disciplines of Judaism as most affluent Jews were. However, the rich man failed to listen on the simple and practical demands of having a poor fellow at the gates. Listening to the concrete challenge of having so many poor people living in the sidewalks of Calcutta made Mother Teresa see: being a nun in a religious school is good, but there is something more urgent to do. Listening to the challenge of Albigensian heretics made Dominic de Guzman realize: being a priest in the parish is a godly task, but becoming a mendicant preacher is more relevant. And so he went on to establish the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. Listening

to the sorry tales about lepers who were exiled in an island without the benefit of a pastor made Fr. Peter Damien realize: here is greatness and ultimate sacrifice — to be a lifetime pastor of lepers in Molokai. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

LISTENING: THE BASIC SPIRITUAL ATTITUDE

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5March Friday

Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Reflection Question: Go back to some real-life situ-ations when you honestly felt short-changed by other’s lack of gratitude, indifference and abusive attitude in the face of your sincere efforts to help and serve. Pray to God for the healing that you need in these experiences.

It is not easy to receive ingrati-tude for the good that I do. May this make me more grateful for all the benefits You have given me, Lord.

St. Piran, pray for us.

failed. He could have been very pious and prayerful. He could have been meticulous with the various ritual disciplines of Judaism as most affluent Jews were. However, the rich man failed to listen on the simple and practical demands of having a poor fellow at the gates. Listening to the concrete challenge of having so many poor people living in the sidewalks of Calcutta made Mother Teresa see: being a nun in a religious school is good, but there is something more urgent to do. Listening to the challenge of Albigensian heretics made Dominic de Guzman realize: being a priest in the parish is a godly task, but becoming a mendicant preacher is more relevant. And so he went on to establish the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. Listening

to the sorry tales about lepers who were exiled in an island without the benefit of a pastor made Fr. Peter Damien realize: here is greatness and ultimate sacrifice — to be a lifetime pastor of lepers in Molokai. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

More than a parable, Bible scholars say that today’s Gospel is an allegory about the Passion of Jesus as Messiah. The vineyard owner is Yahweh; the vineyard is Israel as God’s chosen people. The tenants were the Jewish religious leaders; the servants sent by the land owner were the prophets who came to Israel in Yahweh’s name. The only son is Jesus, the One Begotten of Yahweh, whom the Jewish leaders arrested and crucified on Calvary which was located outside the walls of the Holy City. Beyond the richness of meanings as regards the details of the story, we are struck by one big realization: God’s initiative to be infinitely good is met by ungratefulness and abuse by human beings. Thankfulness seems unna tu ra l ; selfishness is “second

nature” for broken humanity. In this light, we should understand why goodness to others is not repaid by the other person’s goodness but oftentimes, by abuse. Jesus Himself stated in one part of the Gospels: “When the world hates you, realize that it hated me before you.” Now we should be spiritually mature to take on these realities: unpaid financial debts by persons whom we tried to bail out from tight situations, indifference by persons whom we served in their moments of weakness and need, aloofness of some co-workers with whom we had some good human relations when they were our co-equal. Reading today’s Gospel should

enable us to say with godly attitude in the face of human abuse: so what else is new? Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

GOODNESS SUFFERS ABUSE

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Reflection Question: Were there instances when we felt like the “elder son” before God? When did you also feel that God’s ways are “unjust” amidst your own honest and sincere efforts to goodness and right? Spend time recon-ciling with God.

Forgive me, Lord, for the times I considered myself short-changed for all that I have given You. Make me humble, Lord.

St. Baldred, pray for us.

6 March Saturday

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

luke 15:1-3, 11-32

The elder son, faced with the extravagant welcome extended by the father to the returning young son, felt that he was the victim of injustice. By his own words, the elder son described his life as a life of obedience to, hard work for, and duty towards his father. Despite our Christian bias against them when we read the Gospels, the Pharisees were also like the elder son. They were lawyers who were loyal in defending the Law and the rightful worship of Yahweh amidst the many pagan incursions that came with various foreign invaders of Israel and the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Pharisees had an illustrious past. They were first mentioned as a Jewish group around 200 B.C. during the reign of Jonathan, a descendant of Judas Maccabees. It is said that they were spiritually descended from the “Hasidims” (meaning godly people) who banded together and encouraged one another in the study and practice of the Sacred Law of Moses amidst the moral and religious decline (cf. 1 Maccabees 2:42;

7:14; also 2 Maccabees 14:6). Their passionate devotion to God and His Law made them true patriots who fought on the side of the Maccabeans against the Seleucids and against all other pagan foreign incursions into Israel. Their ability to resonate with the sentiments of the people made the Pharisees an influential group. The Sadducees who formed the majority group in the Sanhedrin (Jewish supreme council) were obliged to respect their views. The Pharisees and the elder son in Jesus’ parable were good persons. They had some big problems, though: it made them intolerant of others’ weakness. Their strictness about justice made them impose a claim for their goodness before God. They

bound God to their own terms, and they forgot that God’s will and ways are supreme above all human standards. They fo rgo t tha t amidst our goodness and uprightness, before God we remain to be all creatures who can only invoke God’s grace and mercy. Fr. Domie Guzman,

SSP

TEMPTATION FOR THE GOOD ONES

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7 MarchSunday

Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11 (8a)

1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12luke 13:1-9

Reflection Question: Do you often question God’s loving and compassionate nature with the weak? Why? Spend time talking to Jesus Crucified about these.

How often I forget that Your compassion to the weak in-cludes me. Open my eyes to this truth, Lord.

St. Ardo, pray for us.

The 1997 New Catechism of the Catholic Church — edited and printed under the supervision of then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger who is now Pope Benedict XVI, and promulgated by Pope John Paul II — starts off with a succinct reflection on the nature of faith. It states that since humanity is made in the image and likeness of God, the human person is a religious being. Above difference of culture, color, creed and cult, the desire for God and the thirst to know Him through reason and experience is written in every human heart. In fact all cultures, creeds and cults have traditions of prayer, sacrifices and rituals. Human reason, in its attempt to grasp the transcendent nature of God, can only think of God by purifying and raising human values to superlatives. Hence, philosophers posit that God is one who is all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful, all-just, and all-perfect. There can be no weakness in Him. The Old Testament faith of Israel suffered also this limitation: the Jews

thought of Yahweh-God more in terms of holiness as purity and righteousness as strict justice. Being poor, being physically handicapped, being gravely ill, being barren and infertile, being stricken by misfortunes, and dying at an early age were easily regarded as punishments for one’s sinfulness, or the sinfulness of one’s family and race. Dying in ignominy, such as crucifixion, was thought about as a curse (cf. Deuteronomy 21:23). The God-Man Jesus Christ, however, reveals to us the face of God that we cannot grasp with our human logic: that God is also love and that the depth and the height of God’s love is compassion. From Divine Compassion flows mercy, forgiveness, patience, long-suffering and the spirit of sacrifice, all of which are normally viewed as manifestations

of soft-heartedness and weakness. The Cross of Jesus is the utmost revelation of the compassionate face of God: a stumbling block for righteous Jews, and a scandal for reason-driven Gentile philosophers. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

LENT: JESUS CORRECTS OUR IMPRESSION OF GOD

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Reflection Question: In what way is your faith also an experience of pilgrimage? What are your experiences that are related to the “night of faith”? How did you get over those experiences?

During dark moments, Lord, when it is difficult to go on, let my faith give me the necessary courage to hold on to You and Your promises.

St. Senan, pray for us.

8 March Monday

2 Kings 5:1-15bPsalm 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4

Luke 4:24-30

During our Holy Land pilgrimage, I was a bit frustrated when our group visited the River Jordan. Being the only sizable body of water that flowed from the Lake of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea down south, the holy river has also suffered a lot of human abuse. Not only had it been used for the “washing away” of spiritual filth in ritual baptisms celebrated there through the ages, but it also bears traces of having been a channel of disposal for some human and material wastes. In fact, the flowing waters of the river did not smell “fresh” at all. I can then resonate with the initial words of resistance of the Syrian General Naaman when he was asked to take a bath in the River Jordan for his healing from leprosy. I myself did not feel like taking a dip in the “holy waters” of the river. To initially resist, to question, to seek understanding, to look for a degree of certainty — these are

all part of our pilgrimage of faith. Even those whom the Bible presents as “witnesses of faith” — Abraham and Moses in the Old Testament, and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the New Testament — underwent their “night of faith.” Mary’s own “night of faith,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church (# 165) states, could have been the time when she had to share the darkness of Jesus’ suffering and death. Closer to our time, we learn that Mother Teresa of Calcutta — a most admired saint amongst various faiths — likewise had her dark night of the spirit. In the end, God’s light and grace comes to us when we make the Act of Faith — that is, by the command of our will that is moved by God Himself, our human

intellect will open up and submit to God’s Truth. This is what we mean when we speak about the prayer of surrender wherein we say: “Your will be done, Lord.” Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

THE GATE OF GOD’S BLESSINGS

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9March Tuesday

Daniel 3:25, 34-43Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6, 7bc, 8, 9

Matthew 18:21-35

Reflection Question: Do you keep a list or a tally sheet of other people’s debts, mistakes and sins against you? In the spirit of Lent, listen to what Jesus would like to tell you regarding your list.

Forgive me, Lord, for the many times I kept a tally sheet of other people’s failures towards me. Thank You that You continue to be patient with me of my own shortcomings.

St. Bosa, pray for us.

all part of our pilgrimage of faith. Even those whom the Bible presents as “witnesses of faith” — Abraham and Moses in the Old Testament, and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the New Testament — underwent their “night of faith.” Mary’s own “night of faith,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church (# 165) states, could have been the time when she had to share the darkness of Jesus’ suffering and death. Closer to our time, we learn that Mother Teresa of Calcutta — a most admired saint amongst various faiths — likewise had her dark night of the spirit. In the end, God’s light and grace comes to us when we make the Act of Faith — that is, by the command of our will that is moved by God Himself, our human

intellect will open up and submit to God’s Truth. This is what we mean when we speak about the prayer of surrender wherein we say: “Your will be done, Lord.” Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

The shared letter reading sessions of participant couples in a Marriage Encounter Weekend are sacred moments. These times give everyone — participants and facilitators alike — a glimpse into the ups and downs of marriage and family life that the participant couples have gone through. Financial woes, problems aggravated by the presence or influence of in-laws, serious moments of illness, painful events of unfaithfulness that are usually occasioned by a “love triangle,” feelings of gradual yet growing indifference and neglect of one another, concerns over problem sons or daughters, are but some of the long list of possibilities! Our common challenge for the Weekend is to be able to share these darkest moments and light moments in a spirit of empathy and trust. Looking back into my experiences with particular couples with whom I shared M.E Weekends, I draw one very valuable insight. It is this: the survival and revival of a couple’s love and covenant relationship has nothing

to do with the seriousness of problems and trials they meet. It is dependent on how “big” their hearts are. Big hearts can take in anything; small hearts collapse with even the smallest trials. The “big” heart is the truly loving heart. It is the one that never keeps an account or tally of the other’s excesses and failures. It does not know how to count; it is the heart of the Prodigal Father who goes out to welcome and embrace his prodigal son. It is the heart that just keeps giving, foregoing, forgiving. This is what Jesus is trying to let Peter learn in today’s Gospel. Peter thought that advocating forgiveness “seven times,” which is about 75% over the traditional Pharisaic teaching that forgiveness ought to be extended “four times” to someone over the

same kind of mistake, is already remarkable. J e s u s ’ r e s p o n s e challenged Peter and challenges us: the standard is not any human interpretation on forgiveness but God’s heart that is known to be slow to anger and rich in compassion. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

THE LOVING HEART CEASES TO COUNT

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10 March Wednesday

Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20

Matthew 5:17-19

Reflection Question: In the face of varied and com-plicated human experiences and situations, do you tend to make compromises justi-fied by legal distinctions and fine dissections of terms and language? Or do you simplify the issue to a choice of basic values? By heart, are you a “lawyer” or a “prophet”?

Thank You, Lord, for being a “prophet” and not a “lawyer.” Help me to be like You.

St. Anastasia the Patrician, pray for us.

Reading or hearing Jesus’ words, “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill the Law,” raises the question: “So was Jesus, after all, a Pharisee?” The Gospels illustrate to us how the Pharisees defended the Law of Moses with great zeal. They were, in fact, the sect of lawyers. They interpreted the Law to others, and so they were addressed as “rabbis” or “teachers.” Some of them were ordained to educate the younger generations about the texts and the traditions of the Law, and these were called the “scribes.” However, the Pharisees were also known to vary in their interpretations, ramifications and rituals regarding the Law. During the time of Jesus, they were mostly coming from two schools — the school of Shimai who was said to be rigoristic and strict, and the school of Hillel who was more lax and subjective in his commentary of the Law. As regards Jesus, we note that His

exhortations are not just about “executing” or “doing” (Greek verb = poieo) the Law in the manner that the Law has been taught and passed on from one generation of Jews to another. Jesus advocated “fulfillment” (Greek verb = pleroun). This means that Jesus was not just after a more exact and minute observance of the details of the Law. His aim was the perfection of the Law by restoring the Law to its true spirit and intention in accordance to God’s will. Jesus sustained that in the case of marriage and divorce, for example, the Law of Moses had admitted compromise with human weakness. Hence, there was the need

for Jesus to reinterpret and renew the Law. Jesus was not just establishing a new branch of Pharisaic t radi t ion. He was one who preached a radical and new fidelity to God’s will, a b o v e a l l h u m a n compromise. Jesus was a prophet. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

A NEW BREED OF PHARISEE?

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11March Thursday

Jeremiah 7:23-28Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

luke 11:14-23

Reflection Question: In your own experience, what are the things that you tend to overdo? What obsessions and compulsions do you need to “own” and “heal”?

Lord, let my reason be always subject to faith, and faith to love.

St. Teresa Margaret Redi, pray for us.

exhortations are not just about “executing” or “doing” (Greek verb = poieo) the Law in the manner that the Law has been taught and passed on from one generation of Jews to another. Jesus advocated “fulfillment” (Greek verb = pleroun). This means that Jesus was not just after a more exact and minute observance of the details of the Law. His aim was the perfection of the Law by restoring the Law to its true spirit and intention in accordance to God’s will. Jesus sustained that in the case of marriage and divorce, for example, the Law of Moses had admitted compromise with human weakness. Hence, there was the need

for Jesus to reinterpret and renew the Law. Jesus was not just establishing a new branch of Pharisaic t radi t ion. He was one who preached a radical and new fidelity to God’s will, a b o v e a l l h u m a n compromise. Jesus was a prophet. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

One frustrating experience we, Filipinos, have is that of monitoring the media coverage of various Congressional hearings. Our feelings and intuitions let us know in our hearts where lies the truth, and who is on the right side of issues. However, the search for objectivity as regards details and material proofs have often led the hearings to confusing and contradictory stories that muddle the main issues. Moreover, legalities and technicalities are often brought out to create loopholes and blocks in procedures. In the end, truth dies, drowned by the semantics of language, and by the casuistry of human logic. Truth dies, together with a waste of time and intelligence. We are not saying do not use reasoning, language and logic. These are wonderful gifts of God. Development and progress have come with the use of these gifts. Cultures and civilizations have emerged and evolved

with these human abilities. However, our Gospel today shows us that we must know the limits. Too much use of distinctions led the Pharisees to a falsity. It led them to postulate that Jesus’ case is one that can be explained by the theory of a greater evil going against a lesser one — the theory of Satan going against his own kingdom. It led them to espouse a principle of self-destruction. When we were young, by experience, we know that “over-winding” the coi l -spr ing of mechanical toys and watches will break them down. The same can be said of human intelligence: too much of it leads to insanity, absurdity and weirdness. Yes, even the geniuses are not normal. They are extraordinary, often eccentric and weird. The normal things of life

— the basic truth included — are often plain and simple. Virtue, the Romans love to say, is in moderation. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

A CASE OF “OVER-WINDING” INTELLIGENCE

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12MarchFriday

Hosea 14:2-10Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14, 17

Mark 12:28-34

Reflection Question: Recall an instance when your effort to faithfully live a Gospel value meant real hard sacrifice. Are you prepared to experi-ence many more moments like what you underwent?

Let me live out the life of a Christian, Lord, not only when it is easy but also when it is difficult.

St. Alphege, pray for us.

The celebration of the 2000th Birth Millennium of Saint Paul from June 2008 until June 2009 blessed me with a unique and particular grace: the experience of going to places that I have never imagined I would travel to. In these places, I conducted for various interest groups conferences about St. Paul, his life and his mission. One place I was privileged to visit was Basilan where Christians compose around 25 percent of the local population. There I interacted with a very hospitable group: the bishop, his relatively young and very committed group of diocesan priests, the lay ministers (who are referred to as “kaabags”), and other volunteer lay church workers. We gathered for talks and reflections at the Bishop Querexeta Pastoral Center. E n t e r i n g t h e compound of the pastoral center, one is greeted by a very interesting memorial to peace: a rusting bullet-ridden owner-type jeep where a group of volunteer catechists died when they were ambushed one early February

morning en route to an “Alay Kapwa” Lenten Recollection in Isabela, Basilan. The monument could not but invite me to some solemn moments of prayer and recollection. I realize that this is the extreme application of the seemingly trite Gospel passage we have today! Jesus says: “Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.” The martyred volunteer lay catechists of Basilan followed this command not only in spirit, but to the letter with their heroic labors amidst various risks. Then, Jesus continues: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Again, this is what the whole church of Basilan — clergy and lay — are doing amidst the conflicts and tensions. They are there to continue to witness to the power of a Gospel of peace

and love, a Gospel that could never be silenced by bullets and other forms of violence. T h e C h r i s t i a n commandment of love sounds simple, yet living it out may lead us to a life of heroism and martyrdom. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

A CALL TO HEROISM

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13MarchSaturday

Hosea 6:1-6Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab

luke 18:9-14

Reflection Question: Do you have the tendency to while away time sitting by your window or by your bal-cony while paying attention to all that your neighbors are doing? Make a Lenten disci-pline of cutting much of these moments.

Help me during this time of Lent, Lord, to have the cour-age to look deep inside myself through Your eyes and resolve to change anew.

Blessed Agnello of Pisa, pray for us.

Reading and re-reading our Gospel lesson, I am led to recall candid instances in a good number of retreats and recollections that I have facilitated for various groups. Aside from giving conferences, celebrating the liturgy, making myself available for arduous sessions of “confession-cum-counseling,” there were times when I was also asked to host an open forum that was purportedly for the “greater enlightenment of the retreat participants.” To facilitate the open forum, I often asked the participants to write their questions and concerns in pieces of paper, so we could avoid duplication of questions. I have, in turn, kept a good number of those pieces of paper for deeper thought. I n r e t ro spec t , I real ize that the m a j o r i t y o f t h e questions and concerns raised by the persons on retreat — persons who were supposed

morning en route to an “Alay Kapwa” Lenten Recollection in Isabela, Basilan. The monument could not but invite me to some solemn moments of prayer and recollection. I realize that this is the extreme application of the seemingly trite Gospel passage we have today! Jesus says: “Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.” The martyred volunteer lay catechists of Basilan followed this command not only in spirit, but to the letter with their heroic labors amidst various risks. Then, Jesus continues: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Again, this is what the whole church of Basilan — clergy and lay — are doing amidst the conflicts and tensions. They are there to continue to witness to the power of a Gospel of peace

and love, a Gospel that could never be silenced by bullets and other forms of violence. T h e C h r i s t i a n commandment of love sounds simple, yet living it out may lead us to a life of heroism and martyrdom. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

THE TROUBLE WITH OUR RETREATSto be focused on their lives and their spiritual walk — is about the lives and life-complications of other people around them: their family members, their next-door neighbors, their officemates, and their friends among many others. Jesus, in our Gospel, calls our attention to this human tendency that we all suffer from. Many times, we tend to make ourselves feel better by comparing ourselves with others. Many times, we tend to ask questions and make a lot of observations about others’ lifestyles, more than about our own. Lent comes from the Old English word “lencten,” which means “springtime.” The aim of all our

sacrifices and rituals is renewal, repentance, renovation. For this to happen, we have to shift our focus from criticism of others to self-critique. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

76

14March Sunday

Joshua 5:9a, 10-12Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 (9a)

2 Corinthians 5:17-21luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Reflection Question: Do you tell stories and talk about people’s mistakes with a spirit of understanding and compassion? Or do you tend to be harsh and judgmental when dealing with the stories of people’s faults and weak-nesses?

You were able to relate to us in our struggles, Lord. Help me to do that also with my neighbor so that I may be more like You.

Blessed Ambrose Fernandez, pray for us.

The contents of Luke 15 are unique to this Gospel tradition, and the stories have no parallel in any of the other Gospels. Before an unbelieving group of Pharisees and scribes whose brand of righteousness made them intolerant of public sinners, Jesus — with the use of three parables – affirms God’s grace and mercy. Our proclamation for the liturgy today highlights two of these three parables: the story of the shepherd looking for the lost sheep, and the story of the prodigal or wasteful father welcoming back his prodigal younger son. Why did Jesus prefer to use the stories of a sheep and of a rebellious younger son to communicate God’s unconditional and unimaginable love and leniency for sinners? Of course, the absolute reasons for this are only

HE CAN TELL THE STORY… HE WENT THROUGH ITknown to the divine mind of Jesus. However, we can also say that Jesus, in a sense, had an affinity to the experiences of sheep and son. Jesus Himself is known as the “Lamb of God” in the Gospel and in the Book of Revelations, both written by John the evangelist. Jesus is also known as the only Son of the Father. Though fully divine, Jesus as the Word-made-flesh felt the struggles of the physical and material world that He came to gather back to the Father. Jesus assumed all these experiences — “sans concupiscence” — in an act of self-emptying and “cum-passion.” Such understanding for humanity and the natural world that is the fruit

of empathy makes Jesus an intercessor par excellence for the Father’s love and mercy. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

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15MarchMonday

Isaiah 65:17-21Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12a, 13b

John 4:43-54

Reflection Question: After reading the Gospel for today, close your eyes, put yourself into the Gospel story, and say to Jesus: “Lord, I be-lieve that You are healing and touching me now, right now, in the hiddenness of my room, and through the anointing of Your Word that I welcome with faith and humility. Amen.”

Let me be open and sensitive to the many ways that You want to reach out to me, O Lord.

St. Nicander, pray for us.

The 1970s saw the birth of the Charismatic renewal movement from the Pentecostal and Evangelical traditions of Christianity. This movement has brought to our attention as church the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the transforming power of the Word of God. Through the years, however, avid followers of the renewal have been attracted more and more to powerful signs and wonders – those that we commonly call “charisms” – such as miracles, healings, singing and speaking in tongues. Among Catholics, there came the growing practice of celebrating “healing Eucharists” and the recognition of the faithful of the giftedness of some ministers who have been fondly called “healing priests.” This has sent the sick and those in desperate predicament to flock and elbow each other looking for signs and wonders of God through “miracle and healing explosions.” We are grateful to the Lord for these outpouring charisms that have helped to build up communities and lift up the personal

BEYOND SIGNS AND WONDERSfaith of many. Our Gospel story, however, reminds us that there are many ways through which our merciful God may want to touch our lives. The official was a bit forceful in his words that Jesus should come down personally to his house to heal his son who was critically ill, saying, “Sir, come down before my son dies.” Jesus, however, sent the official home with only the assurance flowing from His words: “Go, your son will live.” A documentary featured over EWTN on the renowned waters of the Marian grotto of Lourdes explains that not all the Church-recognized, medically and scientifically proven miracles attributed to Lourdes came from the waters. Others

occu r r ed d u r i n g t h e E u c h a r i s t i c p r o c e s s i o n a n d benediction. Some others occurred while the infirmed persons were taking a train on their way home after a pilgrimage in the shrine. There were those that were felt instantaneously; there were those that came gradually. Fr.

Domie Guzman, SSP

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16March Tuesday

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

John 5:1-16

Reflection Question: In your prayer today, focus on Jesus: His person, His fullness as God-Man, the total Mystery of His Incarnation and Pas-chal Sacrifice. Just repeat the holy Name: “Jesus… Jesus… Jesus…Jesus…” Experience how to abandon your cares and anxieties to Him.

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the focal point and the essence of my belief. Don’t let the miracles and other blessings You send my way distract me from this fact.

St. Hilary, pray for us.

Unlike us who have so many churches, chapels and shrines, the people of Israel had just one unique Temple in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Perhaps, this was Yahweh-God’s way of educating the people in the most important tenet of the faith: that there is only One God. It is however striking to notice that through the years, the traditions, the rituals, the elements of worship came to be emphasized in Judaism. The ordinary people began to be more concerned about the grandeur of the Temple, the details of the burnt sacrifices, etc. In our Gospel, we read how the sick and the beggars began to weave interesting anecdotes about the virtue of the waters in the pool by the Sheep Gate. The highlight of the narration was the healing of one lame man, unable to walk for 38 years. Jesus demonstrated to him that it is not the virtuous waters of the pool, or even the descent of an angel, but the simple focus and faith on

LET US NOT LOSE THE RIGHT FOCUSJesus’ person that communicates the fullness of power. We are not far f rom the experience of the man whom Jesus encountered and challenged in the Gospel. We often attach undue importance to minute details of faith and religion, and we also lose our focus on the essence of Christianity: Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Crucified and Risen Savior. In one Marian event held last 2008 at The Tent of the Global City in Taguig, acknowledged Marian devotee June Keithley was candid enough to say: “I have come to a point in my life when I have grown tired of chasing apparitions!”

L e t u s l e a r n t o g r o w i n o u r appreciation of the various rich traditions of our Christian and Catholic faith. But let this religiosity not blur our vision of the cornerstone: O u r L o r d J e s u s Christ, the Crucified and Risen One. Only in His Name is there salvation, power and wisdom. Fr. Domie Guzman,

SSP

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17 March Wednesday

Isaiah 49:8-15Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18

John 5:17-30

Reflection Question: What positive experiences do you have regarding the presence of your father in the family? Spend time thanking Father God for your father, the “early shadow” of God’s providence.

Thank You, Lord, for giving me my father. You have shown Your kindness to me through him. May You bless him and draw him closer to You.

St. Gertrude of Nivelles, pray for us.

I believe that one reason for the crisis of Filipino families today is the phenomenon of “absent fathers.” A good number of value-oriented and virtuous families experience the absence of fathers who have to go to work in the urban centers or abroad, wherever they could find better-paying jobs to support the material needs of a growing family. A growing number of “natural families” experience the absence of fathers who, in the first place, are absent because they have other families. (Yes, there are more and more men and women who have children through an adulterous live-in relationship.) There are also a growing number of “natural families” where illegitimate children are born out of teenage affairs that subsequently end with the abandonment of the fami ly by p s y c h o l o g i c a l l y unprepared biological fathers. The traditional

A UNIqUE BLESSING FROM FATHERSview is that all these circumstances are manageable, provided there are mothers who take care and rear their offspring. There is, however, more to fathers’ roles in families, more than that of their biological participation in the natural conception of babies and that of their pragmatic contribution for the physical and material upkeep of families. Jesus’ intimate words in our Gospel show us God’s reason why families have the “male factor” side by side with the “female factor.” Mothers are the womb: the nurturing and caring models in the families. Fathers — amidst their silence — inspire stability, peaceful confidence, sensitive availability

in all circumstances. While mothers are often regarded as the smooth and gentle hands, fathers are appreciated for their strong and steady grip. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

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18March Thursday

Exodus 32:7-14Psalm 106:19-20, 21-22. 23

John 5:31-47

Reflection Question: Like Jesus, are you confident about your side of the truth? If you are now brought before God and others, what “wit-nesses” will you confidently invoke to your favor?

Dear Lord, You alone know what is in my heart. I ask for Your mercy that I may stand before You justified.

St. Edward the Martyr, pray for us.

A popular saying goes: “You may fool someone at one time, but you cannot fool all people all the time.” Hence comes our practice of establishing the right side of stories through the corroboration of witnesses and through the test of time. Amidst the doubts and intrigues of His human critiques, Jesus resorts to the human logic of coming to know the truth. He enumerates the many “witnesses” that will favor His claims of Messiahship: the ministry of John the Baptist, the signs and miracles that accompanied His preaching, the abiding signs of the Heavenly Father’s accompaniment of Jesus, the prophecies of the Jewish scriptures. The preponderance of witnesses and proofs in favor of the truth, however, is inutile if people’s minds and hearts are ruled by biases, and by outright efforts to cover up and deny the truth. I believe this is what is happening to numerous fact-finding sessions, c o n g r e s s i o n a l inquiries and senate investigation in our country, for instance.

TRUTH HAS MANY VOICESThe facts and the proofs are many times glaring, staring people on their faces, obvious. The truth is as clear as daytime… but all quests for truth come to naught because the lure of money, the influences of powers-that-be, the pressures from high places overturn judgments and logic. In the end, good people become tired, hopeless… indifferent. Jesus’ experience makes us sigh: He knows why truth does not always triumph, why bad things happen to good people, and why evil men seem to enjoy themselves! Man-made obstacles hindered Jesus’ teaching of the Good News in His earthly ministry. Jesus had also to surmount the closed mindset and the evil schemes of Jewish leaders who preferred to safeguard their

political privileges. Amidst these things, Jesus invites us — never give up. There are times when truth becomes victorious because witnesses become victims. Then the world could not but listen! Fr. Domie Guzman,

SSP

81

19March FridaySolemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary

2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22

Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a (or luke 2:41-51a)

Reflection Question: Think of the example of some “silent workers” whom you have encountered in your life. What is it that strikes you about them? As regards your activities and achievements, are you the “silent type” or the “broadcast type” of a person? From where do you draw your sense of confidence and meaning?

Let me be secure in You, O Lord, instead of my activities and achievements. Help me to real-ize that I don’t have to prove myself before You for You love me as I am.

St. John the Syrian of Pinna, pray for us.

Current spheres of politics, media and entertainment idolize the glamorous and the outspoken, the loud and the bold. Personalities in these spheres who manifest such inclinations are better known to many, and therefore they enjoy a mileage before public polls and opinions. Joseph is a “big shot.” In the eyes of the Jews, he was the person who gave Jesus His proper name and claim as descendant of King David. I protest the title that is often given to him — that of being the “foster father” of Jesus. Joseph was more, because he was truly the legal father of Jesus. In like manner, he was not just the guardian of Mary. Before the law and traditions of Israel, he was the husband of Mary of Nazareth, the one who legitimized the “virgin birth” of Jesus to Mary. In the church’s liturgy, Joseph, aside from the Blessed Mother, is the only saint mentioned in the “Divine Praises”

HEAVY SILENCEfor the Eucharistic Benediction. Then, according to experts on the apparitions of Fatima, Joseph was the only saint who appeared with the Blessed Mother in those phenomena that happened in Portugal. Joseph does not fit into the “type” of modern-day “big shots” in politics, media and entertainment. He is the silent one: preferring to listen, to make space for God to work things out. In the Gospels, he never left any quotable quotes. In fact, he left no quotes at all. Joseph reminds us: there is

a n o t h e r w a y t o greatness. It is the road of silent and faithful work. He tells us to be on the watch not for the noisy, attraction-hungry, shallow and superficial figures. Real “big shots” are usually unassuming and quiet, for they a r e t r u l y s e c u r e before themselves and before God. They do not need to prove themselves. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

82

20 March Saturday

Jeremiah 11:18-20Psalm 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12

John 7:40-53

Reflection Question: Evaluate the environment and ambience that you now have at home, in the workplace, in your social life. Are the condi-tions in these places condu-cive to your spiritual and total well-being or not? What are the influences that you should learn to filter and regulate?

Help me, Lord, to discern what are the good influences around me. Let me be a good example, too.

St. Alexandra and Companions, pray for us.

My first extensive exposure in doing Pauline mission in Mindanao was in the sub-region of “ZamBaSuLa.” These are the localities of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Lanao, which are collectively seen as the critical portion of Mindanao. While moving around these places for various conferences on the life and works of St. Paul, I had to endure the standard practice of moving around with a military escort. So, when I received the invitation to meet with the delegates for the 36th Diocesan Clergy of Mindanao (DCM) Convention that was scheduled for Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, I started to visualize an event that will be characterized by a strong military presence and a lot of caution. The event, graced by a little less than 400 diocesan priests and around 10 bishops all over Mindanao, turned out to be a festive and recharging experience of fellowship, prayer and inputs. The town of Lake Sebu itself presented a relaxing ambience that was truly a lot different from the “alarmist” condition

AMBIENCEof Basilan. The lush mountains, the lake, the seven waterfalls, the cool air, the rustic sounds of Tiboli gongs and tinklers, the peaceful atmosphere of coexistence amongst the natives and the guests left pleasant memories. Whether we like it or not, our attitudes, dispositions and values are influenced by the environment that we are in, or that we come from. Galilee was geographically proximate to the many pagan and foreign nations that made incursions into the land of Palestine. It was referred to then as the “Galilee of the Gentiles.” No wonder that the purist leaders, the chief priests and the Pharisees, thought that it could have been illogical for the Messiah to

come from there. We should never forget however that we are not simply at the mercy of atmosphere or environment. Our God-given intellect and inner volition make it possible for us to choose which good things from our environment we should imbibe, and which ones we should filter. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

83

21 March Sunday

Isaiah 43:16-21Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3)

Philippians 3:8-14John 8:1-11

Reflection Question: Are you at home praying to Jesus with what you really have deep inside you — your thoughts, your sentiments and feelings in a given mo-ment? What effect has this experience of familiarity with Jesus brought to you?

Thank You, Lord, that You have called us friends. Thank You for accepting us as we are. Let me be a true friend to You, too.

St. Serapion the Scholastic, pray for us.

We can’t choose our family and relatives but we can choose our friends. It is of no wonder then that though we naturally love and value our family and blood relatives, we may be more confident to bare our hearts and souls with choicest friends. Lazarus, Martha and Mary were Jesus’ dearest friends. It was in the privacy of their home in Bethany that Jesus many times chose to rest and be simply His natural human self, away from the heat and scrutiny of His critics and from the expectant clamor of the crowd. In our particular Gospel lesson today, we also see how Jesus was very much at home with emotions in Martha’s and Mary’s presence that He wept. In like manner, Martha and Mary were also very much at home in reflecting with Jesus their sentiments on His delay in coming to visit them, a delay that caused the death of Lazarus. Friendship with Jesus did not save Martha and Mary from the pains, the losses and the harsh realities of earthly existence.

of Basilan. The lush mountains, the lake, the seven waterfalls, the cool air, the rustic sounds of Tiboli gongs and tinklers, the peaceful atmosphere of coexistence amongst the natives and the guests left pleasant memories. Whether we like it or not, our attitudes, dispositions and values are influenced by the environment that we are in, or that we come from. Galilee was geographically proximate to the many pagan and foreign nations that made incursions into the land of Palestine. It was referred to then as the “Galilee of the Gentiles.” No wonder that the purist leaders, the chief priests and the Pharisees, thought that it could have been illogical for the Messiah to

come from there. We should never forget however that we are not simply at the mercy of atmosphere or environment. Our God-given intellect and inner volition make it possible for us to choose which good things from our environment we should imbibe, and which ones we should filter. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

FAMILIARITY WITH JESUSThis, I believe, is what Jesus wanted Martha and Mary to realize with His intentional delay in coming to the aid of the siblings. Friendship with God does not mean exemption from bad news. Abraham who walked with God, Moses who talked with God face-to-face, and David who had a heart after God’s heart had one common human experience: they all died. Friendship with Jesus, like our friendship with our best of friends, however brings along a wonderful benefit: it gives us the confidence to just open wide to Him our thoughts, our emotions, our sentiments just as we have them now. We do not have to always edit ourselves; we do not have to filter our expressions so that we

come across always as sublime and in control. We can just let go, and let God. Now, is this not enough to make us feel relaxed and relieved? Of course, should Jesus decide to act in our favor, that is an add-on and much appreciated grace. Fr.

Domie Guzman, SSP

84

22 March Monday

Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 (or Daniel 13:41c-62)

Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6John 8:12-20

Reflection Question: From where comes your cour-age and confidence to face life’s daily challenges and uncertainties? Enumerate the material resources (educa-tional plans, insurance plans, pre-need plans, real estate) you have invested in, with the thought that these could serve as securities in life. In the end, pray reflectively “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Father in heaven, You are my main security blanket. Let me never fear the challenges of life. Let me trust in You!

St. Nicolas Owen, pray for us.

I boarded a small plane from the airport of Zamboanga on the way to my engagement with the Carmelite sisters of Jolo who invited me to give them talks on St. Paul, his life and his thoughts. Our take-off was delayed, and later I found out that it was because we were waiting for the governor of Sulu who was also a passenger of that flight. Minutes later, he arrived with his bodyguards. When we arrived at the small airport of Jolo, the entrance of the facility was filled with well-wishers and with armed men who whisked away the governor and his party using a convoy of black SUVs. Soon, it was my turn to be fetched by the Carmeli te sisters who, to my surprise, also had to go around with a battle-geared marine personnel serving as their guard. I learned later that this is the “standard operating procedure”

TRUE SECURITYfor the bishop, the handful of priests and nuns serving the prelature of Jolo: they have to notify the marines about their movement around the place, and they are provided armed marine personnel for protection. At first, I enjoyed the thought of moving around with an armed guard. I thought it would make me feel like the politicians who announce their comings and goings with the movement of their cohort of guards. The Gospel today reminds us that Jesus had a greater source of security: His great confidence in the ever-present and ever-knowing

“Father” who created all and who continues to sustain all. I believe that beyond the much appreciated presence of marine escorts, the church workers of Jolo also have this in their hearts and minds: God is “Our Father.” Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

85

23March Tuesday

Numbers 21:4-9Psalm 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21

John 8:21-30

Reflection Question: Confess in prayer before God your difficulties regarding your life commitment. Men-tion to Him your great resolve to be faithful. Renew in prayer today your marriage vows or religious vows.

Lord, I want to be faithful to my commitments until the end. I especially want to be faithful to You until I see You face to face. Help me to live out my resolve.

St. Fidelis, pray for us.

With the superabundance of God’s grace, I have been sustained in my priesthood for a little over two decades now. I have been blessed to celebrate the Eucharist for couples who have spent 25 years and even 50 years of married life. I have also joined in celebrating the Eucharist for fellow priests who are thankful for 25 years of ministry. In all these, I kept telling myself: “You are fast growing old, Domie!” The landmark celebrations of priesthood and marriage that I have observed also brought me a wonderful lesson. Fidelity to commitment is not easy, especially in our world where a promiscuous lifestyle seems easily tolerated and “understood.” Fidelity to commitment also, even without the cultural burden and conditioning of our time, has its built-in demands and difficulties. Being married and staying happily married means the daily routine of looking af ter the upkeep of each member of the family, going to work to find ways and means to support the family, sacrificing one’s convenience

for the bishop, the handful of priests and nuns serving the prelature of Jolo: they have to notify the marines about their movement around the place, and they are provided armed marine personnel for protection. At first, I enjoyed the thought of moving around with an armed guard. I thought it would make me feel like the politicians who announce their comings and goings with the movement of their cohort of guards. The Gospel today reminds us that Jesus had a greater source of security: His great confidence in the ever-present and ever-knowing

“Father” who created all and who continues to sustain all. I believe that beyond the much appreciated presence of marine escorts, the church workers of Jolo also have this in their hearts and minds: God is “Our Father.” Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

FAITHFULNESS BEGETS GREATER FAITHFULNESSand comforts for others. Similarly, perseverance in ministry entails waking up for daily Mass schedules, preparing homilies and talks, making oneself available for the celebration of the sacraments at all sorts of hours. It may mean forgoing some moments of rest and recreation for some real emergencies. Yes, one does not have to seek out martyrdom and danger at some distant frontiers. It is a great feat to be consistent and constant, and to survive just where one is! Above all these demands and challenges of fidelity is this big word of Jesus from our Gospel: “He (the Father) who sent me is with me and has not left me alone; because I always do what pleases him.” God is Faithful, Faithful among the

Faithful, Faithful of all the Faithful. He is Faithful, even for Israel who has been repeatedly unfaithful. Let not our faltering steps discourage us then. Let us lift up all our efforts, all our best intentions to God who is able to guard everything with His Great Faithfulness! Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

86

24 March Wednesday

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

John 8:31-42

Reflection Question: Go into prayer and make an “awareness list” of sins that enslave you, sins that bring you shame. Pour your heart out to the Lord in sorrow and contrition. Beg Him to heal you from your sin and deliver you from shame.

Father of light, give me the courage to come out from my darkness and come to Your light of truth. Heal me, Lord.

St. Latinus, pray for us.

It is a known fact that children are easier to motivate to frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As we age, we struggle to go to confession. we have many alibis: we are busy, or no priest is readily available whenever we are “in the mood” to confess, etc. However, I believe that one great reason for this difficulty of adults is this — we are brought to shame by our sins. The problem with sin is not sin itself. All – even children – fail, commit mistakes and do sin. The problem with sin is that, as Jesus says, sin makes us slaves. There are sins that become our “favorites” not because we want them, but because they transform themselves into habits that we are often bound to keep doing. These sins are what we may call “vices.” Since we realize that we commit the same sins and do the same mistakes, therefore, we come t o t h e p o i n t o f embarrassment when we begin to feel uncomfortable going to the same place and the same priest for confession. We may

THE PROBLEM WITH SINeven develop hate for ourselves for being a failure when it comes to transforming our ways. It could even be that everything turns to an overwhelming experience of hopelessness. Scruples and anxieties follow. There is just one antidote: humility – admitting our human frailty and removing all our pretensions to greatness and perfection. The Jewish leaders found this to be hard. They found it impossible to step down from their ivory towers, the high reputations they have projected for themselves, or false impressions they have allowed the people to think about them. Giving in to such a predicament, the Jewish leaders found it hard to open to contrition and confession especially

in the face of others. The Church has always underlined the Christian tenet that we are called to be saints and it is insanity not to strive to be a saint, but along the way we are always a mix of “saints and sinners.” Over all, we need to open ourselves to God’s mercy. Fr. Domie Guzman,

SSP

87

25 March ThursdaySolemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

Hebrews 10:4-40luke 1:26-38

Reflection Question: In what way is your life today a cyclone? What web-like flow of events and emotions are you going through now? Ask Jesus, Immanuel, to step into your life.

You are calm in the storm. You give joy amidst the sorrow. You are the only One who will always be there. Thank You for being Immanuel.

St. Harold, pray for us.

Preaching a homily for today is a challenge. We are very much into the season of Lent, when we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. But the liturgy for this day asks us to commemorate the angel’s announcement to Mary about her motherhood to Jesus. This makes us think of the joys of Christmas, when nine months from now we will celebrate Jesus’ incarnation. This is life. It is not a defined, layered and laddered experience. Life is a cycle, or more accurately, life is a cyclone: never-ending, simultaneous, overlapping, spiraling, web-like occurrences engaging us altogether. There are no pure moments of joy, as there are no pure times of pain and sorrow. There are wakes and funerals in December; there are baptisms and marriages in March and April. One family mourns as the world watches fireworks d u r i n g t h e N e w Year. Endings easily become beginnings; b e g i n n i n g s a r e

LIFE IS A CYCLONE!automatic endings of some things. Yes, come to think of it, there are really no real moments of “rests.” The cycle and the cyclone goes on and on. In the midst of the maddening experiences we have about life, for us Christians, there is one important revelation: Jesus has gone through all our human experiences. In fact, Simeon called Him the “sign of contradiction.” His birth was at the same time welcomed by the poor of Yahweh, feared by Herod and his court, questioned by the experts of Jewish Law. Jesus comes as Immanuel, that is, “God-with-us.” Today, this is what matters as we have the liturgy of the Annunciation to Mary. Today, we thank heaven for stepping

into our earthly and human affairs. Today, heaven steps into human affairs not by changing everything in an instant, but by simply joining in. Isn’t this cool? Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

88

26 March Friday

Jeremiah 20:10-13Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7

John 10:31-42

Reflection Question: What are your own biases with other faiths and beliefs? How have these biases limited and negatively influenced your attitude with persons of a different faith? What is Jesus telling you today from the Gospel story?

Father in heaven, help us see what binds us together instead of what separates us. Enable us to work towards that end.

St. Basil the Younger, pray for us.

Jolo is one place where you don’t need to set your alarm clock when you wish to wake up early. At exactly 5:30 a.m., the small town comes alive with the chanting of the Muslim prayer “God is Great.” Around six mosques simultaneously wake the town up with the prayer being broadcasted over the loudspeakers that are perched on their minarets. Then around 6:00 a.m., the bells of the Carmelite Monastery announces the start of the Eucharistic Celebration in their chapel. In Jolo, one never misses to think of his God upon waking up. The call to prayer envelops the town first thing in the morning. After the morning prayers of Muslims and the morning Eucharist of Christians, the whole day is however d o m i n a t e d w i t h the drone of army helicopters doing the usual reconnaissance flights around the town. When I was there for input talks to the less than three percent Catholic residents, I was told that the army helicopters were being augmented by American crafts

RELIGION CAN BE DANGEROUSthat were there for the “Balikatan (Cooperation) Exercises.” Then I was reminded — I was in a crisis town. Sad, but true. Muslims, Jews and Christians all believe and pray to One God: Allah, or Yahweh or the Father of Jesus. This God is the Creator, the Almighty, the Beginning and End, the One who controls all times and seasons. But these religions also figure out in all the known conflicts and struggles that make it to national and international headlines. Their religions have encased their respective beliefs in God in unbending, fossilized dogmas and doctrines. So, they quarrel and find it hard to talk and relate as brethren for their religions have chosen to highlight differences, rather than bonds and ties

of convergence. In today’s Gospel, the doctrine of God becomes an issue that divided the Jews and Jesus. Today’s conflicts are not too different: religion has become an issue that raises arms in conflict. Jesus must be lamenting; Mohammad must be shaking his head; Moses must be covering his face. Fr.

Domie Guzman, SSP

89

27 March Saturday

Ezekiel 37:21-28Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13

John 11:45-56

Reflection Question: Who are the people whose images, faces and memories make you experience hatred and negative feelings? Recall the good things that also came to you because of what these people did. Bring your realizations and reflections to prayer.

You work out everything for good, O Lord. Let me believe that in the bad things that have hap-pened to me. Let me give glory to You in them.

St. Alkeld, pray for us.

My maternal grandmother, a widow at an early age, was a woman of deep faith and incomparable piety. She was one of those who shaped my own personal way of devotion to God. Whenever she narrated to us from her own mastery of the “Pasiong Mahal” the story of Jesus’ Incarnation, Ministry, Passion, Death and Resurrection, the plot and the characters became very much alive in our imagination. She would build up the story in such a way that we would be on the verge of tears recalling Jesus’ sufferings, and we would equally hate from our hearts those whom she referred to as “Hudyo” — the soldiers, Annas , Caiaphas , among them. John’s Gospel, however, tempers t h o s e c h i l d h o o d imageries I have about the “Hudyo.” It is true

that were there for the “Balikatan (Cooperation) Exercises.” Then I was reminded — I was in a crisis town. Sad, but true. Muslims, Jews and Christians all believe and pray to One God: Allah, or Yahweh or the Father of Jesus. This God is the Creator, the Almighty, the Beginning and End, the One who controls all times and seasons. But these religions also figure out in all the known conflicts and struggles that make it to national and international headlines. Their religions have encased their respective beliefs in God in unbending, fossilized dogmas and doctrines. So, they quarrel and find it hard to talk and relate as brethren for their religions have chosen to highlight differences, rather than bonds and ties

of convergence. In today’s Gospel, the doctrine of God becomes an issue that divided the Jews and Jesus. Today’s conflicts are not too different: religion has become an issue that raises arms in conflict. Jesus must be lamenting; Mohammad must be shaking his head; Moses must be covering his face. Fr.

Domie Guzman, SSP

THE AMAzING WONDER OF GOD’S PLANthat they exercised their individual human discretions and freedom in deciding to condemn and crucify Jesus, but God’s way is called “economy.” Nothing is useless; nothing is wasted. In the midst of human frailty and mistakes, God made something good come out: the story of our salvation in Jesus Christ. Everything and everyone became a channel of God’s gifting and grace. In our time, mistakes and human errors then should not overwhelm us to the point of depression and despair. In everything, we should be forgiving and hopeful. Rather than be mad and sad, we

should lift up every circumstance and everyone to God’s infinite wisdom. Fr.

Domie Guzman, SSP

90

28March SundaySolemnity of Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Isaiah 50:4-7Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

Philippians 2:6-11luke 22:14-23:56

Reflection Question: How well do you appreciate the paradox and mystery of God’s way? Are you able to walk in faith and hope through both moments of glory and moments of difficulties? Pray before a crucifix today and ask Jesus for the anointing of godly wisdom that comes from His Cross.

Enlighten my mind, O Lord, so that I may accept the wisdom of Your ways.

Sts. Castor and Dorotheus, pray for us.

This is the Sunday of two Gospels. The first recalls the story of Jesus’ entrance to the city of Jerusalem, and the main Gospel makes us relive the last days of Jesus leading to His Passion in the city of Jerusalem. The liturgy, so to say, makes us think in a “fast track” manner about the story of Holy Week which we begin to celebrate today. This observation made me think so many times: why does the Church not allow for a slow, dramatic build-up of the Passion story, something similar to the suspense technique of the famous telenovelas? I found the answer in the Gospel tradition. Let us recall that on several occasions, after He performed marvelous signs and wonders that impressed on the disciples, Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone about such miracles and marvels. Biblicists refer to these as “messianic s e c r e t s . ” J e s u s imposed these on the disciples not like a “press ban,” but more like a pedagogical exhortation — one

“FAST TRACK SUNDAY”should wait, and one should see the Passion-Resurrection. The Passion-Resurrection of Jesus is not just the climax of His earthly story, but is the prism through which we have to properly reflect and refract His whole Gospel. The entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem which we recall today has to be read together with the Passion narrative so that we will always realize that Jesus’ way to glory is not the human way of praise, self-serving acclamation and “triumphal-ism” but the God-ordained path of redeeming sacrifice. Divine grace is not cheap blessing, but one that comes with faith and surrender to the Father’s mysterious

Will. Learning this wisdom of God, the apostle Paul who once was a Pharisee, wrote: “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but for those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1 :23 -24 ) . Fr. D omie

Guzman, SSP

91

29March Holy Monday

Isaiah 42:1-7Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14

John 12:1-11

Reflection Question: What is your gut-feel reaction to the issue of rich and poor in our country, and in your own Christian community? In what way do you need purification of heart and mind as regards this aspect of your Christian commitment? Are you able to keep a balanced view of issues, while you also become actively involved in works and apostolate for the needy and the disadvantaged?

Help me, O Lord, to see with Your eyes so that I may love like You.

St. Gladys, pray for us.

The Church — going back to the radical demands of the Gospel of Jesus — began to pronounce a reflected, systematic and elaborated theology on social teachings and involvement since the papacy of Leo XIII. This was a response to the growing tide of socialism and communism that started to captivate the hearts and minds of ideologues and idealists who were reacting to the evils of capitalism and commercialism that were also rapidly eating up societies. The Church’s social doctrine states that there is a common ground for the Church and for socialism regarding their genuine concern for the plight and welfare of the poor, and those victimized by the inhuman workings of capitalism. However, the Church does not share the thought that the only way out of the issue is violent and revolutionary dialectics between the rich and the poor. The Church does not share socialism and communism’s ideal that to be “pro-poor,” one has to be “anti-

should wait, and one should see the Passion-Resurrection. The Passion-Resurrection of Jesus is not just the climax of His earthly story, but is the prism through which we have to properly reflect and refract His whole Gospel. The entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem which we recall today has to be read together with the Passion narrative so that we will always realize that Jesus’ way to glory is not the human way of praise, self-serving acclamation and “triumphal-ism” but the God-ordained path of redeeming sacrifice. Divine grace is not cheap blessing, but one that comes with faith and surrender to the Father’s mysterious

Will. Learning this wisdom of God, the apostle Paul who once was a Pharisee, wrote: “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but for those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1 :23 -24 ) . Fr. D omie

Guzman, SSP

BEING PRO-POOR IS HIGH RISKrich.” The Church uses the expression “preferential option for the poor,” rather than the expression “pro-poor” which connotes the relative term “anti-rich.” The Church advocates that hope lies in making both rich and poor realize that they are children of God, and therefore both of them are meant by God to use and to progress with the earth’s resources with responsibility and mutual concern. The Gospel of today underlines how being “pro-poor” alone is insufficient and unbalanced. The figure of Judas Iscariot in today’s narration exemplifies this risk. This risk has been exemplified as real in our milieu by the number of priests

and religious whose immersion with the plight of the poor led them to bitterness with society, and to bitterness even with the Church. Needless to say, these men and women, like Judas Iscariot, ended up leaving behind the Church and the Gospel that opened their eyes to the poor. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

92

30March Holy Tuesday

Isaiah 49:1-6Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15, 17

John 13:21-33, 36-38

Reflection Question: Whenever tight situations in the family, in the office, in school, in the friendship circle arise, what is your first usual reaction? Do you tend to bring everyone in and together resolve issues? Do you tend to move away and disappear from the scene? Whichever is your option, what are your reasons for doing so? Talk to Jesus about this.

Lord Jesus, help me to be like you in my relationships. Give me wisdom to know the right thing to do.

Blessed Amadeus IX of Savoy, pray for us.

St. John’s Gospel has the longest coverage about the last supper and the last night of Jesus with the Twelve (cf. John 13–18). Our specific Gospel story for this day, in a way, reflects to us the climate within the circle of the Twelve. Up to the last night of Jesus, they did not seem to understand everything that was happening, and perhaps even everything that was going to happen. They were busy guarding themselves against each other; they seemed very much into their raw element as selfish human beings. When Jesus began revealing to them about the upcoming betrayal that one of them would commit, they did not try to help resolve the issue. Instead, each one was simply interested in extricating himself f r o m t h e i s s u e . E a c h o n e w a s busily deflecting the possibility that the betrayal will involve him. Peter himself was trying to gain some positive points over the others, and tried to pledge his

TROUBLE INSIDE THE CIRCLEloyalty to Jesus who was quick to warn him about his own denial of Jesus “before the cock crows.” The disciples were not listening to Jesus, nor were they paying attention to one another. They were engrossed with their individual selves. Honoring the Passion and Cross of Jesus during these holy days challenges us: the Christian disciple is one who can forget about his convenience, his issues, indeed forget about himself and, like Jesus, sacrifice oneself for others. Jesus on the Cross is not just the lesson of saving death that the Son of

God underwent for us. Jesus on the Cross is the icon of genuine self-gift, service, self-effacement . Jesus on the Cross is the highest illustration of Jesus’ own teaching of “washing another’s feet.” Jesus on the Cross is the icon of genuine love and friendship. The Cross contains the wisdom of authentically being inside the circle of Jesus’ friends. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

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31 March Holy Wednesday

Isaiah 50:4-9aPsalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34

Matthew 26:14-25

Reflection Question: Do you often blame God for wrong turns and results in your life? What is Jesus tell-ing you now through today’s Good News? Have you also done your own study and prayer in each decision that you made? Have you used wisely the intelligence and have you used responsibly the freedom you enjoy?

Thank You, Lord, for giving me the gift of free will. May I always choose the way that will lead me closer to You.

St. Benjamin, pray for us.

This day is traditionally called “Spy Wednesday” since the Gospel reading commemorates Judas Iscariot’s treachery against Jesus, His Master. The narrative of the event reveals to us that Jesus knew all that was happening inside the heart and mind of Judas. He warned the disciples about the impending betrayal and even gave a hint to Judas that He knew about the disciple’s evil scheme. However, the Almighty God that He is, Jesus did not move a finger to prevent the betrayal of Judas. He did not do anything to hinder the consummation of the evil plan. Here, Jesus shows us how the Divine deals with us, His creatures. God knows all — even the remotest possibilities and consequences of our actions. Out of His great love, He does

loyalty to Jesus who was quick to warn him about his own denial of Jesus “before the cock crows.” The disciples were not listening to Jesus, nor were they paying attention to one another. They were engrossed with their individual selves. Honoring the Passion and Cross of Jesus during these holy days challenges us: the Christian disciple is one who can forget about his convenience, his issues, indeed forget about himself and, like Jesus, sacrifice oneself for others. Jesus on the Cross is not just the lesson of saving death that the Son of

God underwent for us. Jesus on the Cross is the icon of genuine self-gift, service, self-effacement . Jesus on the Cross is the highest illustration of Jesus’ own teaching of “washing another’s feet.” Jesus on the Cross is the icon of genuine love and friendship. The Cross contains the wisdom of authentically being inside the circle of Jesus’ friends. Fr. Domie

Guzman, SSP

GOD KNOWS US DEEP INSIDEeverything to warn us, to open our awareness of dangers. At times, He even works out events around us that could serve as forebodings of things to come. He writes His “memos” through a preponderance of situations that could serve as hints for us. Even in the most ordinary cases, He works through the voice of our consciences. Out of His great love and respect for us as creatures of intelligence, however, God leaves us to make our study and our choice, with the hope that the intelligence, conscience and freedom He has gifted us with will illuminate our minds and hearts. Our prayers should then be

u se fu l f o r u s t o dispose us to listen and to be sensitive and responsive to God’s s igns and forebodings. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP