INVITING PEOPLE TO GOD…SLOWLY Lent3 As a child, I didn’t see my father going to church but merely waiting outside - and then, only for select, special occasions. Growing up, I frequently prayed for my father to re-discover his faith. When I entered the seminary he went with us to Mass when there were parent-meetings. But it stopped there. My heart pined for my father to go to church regularly. When I finished philosophy, he inquired what gift I wanted for graduation. I wrote a letter to him in his office, inviting him to the practice of his faith. And he did - every Sunday and Wednesday, even when there were typhoons. I was glad he slowly found his way back. I’m sure many of us regular church-goers feel a certain pain in our heart when we think of the people we want to bring to the Lord. There are members of our family or maybe close friends who have given up the practice of the faith. How we want to see our entire family or friends together at Mass or
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NOT A SUPERSTAR BUT A FRIEND Lent2 The story of my experience with the soon to be Blessed Pope John Paul II landed on the front page of the country’s most popular newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer some weeks ago. Maybe some of my parishioners have read it, as did many of my family and friends. When the late great Cardinal Jaime Sin, to whom I was private secretary at that time, announced that the pope granted my wish for an audience during his coffee break, I was ebullient, thrilled and awed by the prospect of a face-to-face meeting. But I was also nervous and afraid. Here was John Paul II, head of the universal church and I was just a simple priest. Here was a man oozing with holiness and I was a struggling sinner. Here was a worldwide superstar and I was a nobody from a third world country. But the moment the pope met me, the first thing he did was to grab my right arm and leaned gently on me, releasing his cane. I don’t remember how I felt. I do
WHAT DOES THE DEVIL LOOK LIKE? Lent - 1 In horror films, devils are portrayed as hideous beings, ugly monsters, frighteningly disfigured and repulsive. This is also how we picture evil spirits in other media and in popular imagination. But does this picture jive with reality? What does the devil look like? My exoricst priest-classmate and friend, Fr. Jocis Syquia, once told me that the devil, truly the ugliest of all, conceals his ugliness. Otherwise he cannot even get near a person without terrorizing his prospects. The devil is a master of disguise. He wears beautiful masks to mislead us. In tempting us, the devil also tricks us with his bright-colored beautiful packages. Look at today’s gospel. The devil attempts to destroy Jesus’ mission with attractive temptations. He does not tell Jesus to commit sin or to do something wrong. No, he invites Jesus to try some seemingly harmless, nice comforts. The devil offers Jesus, already hungry in the
CAUTION AGAINST FAKES 9 th Sunday When a good friend died, I rushed to the mortuary to sympathize with the family. Preceding me there by ample time, was a man who claimed to be a priest. My internal radar told me to be suspicious of the man. He didn’t talk like a priest nor did he behave like a priest. I was sure he was a fake priest. And yes, he was asking a huge amount of money to celebrate a Mass for my friend’s soul! Indeed, he was a fake! The gospel reveals Jesus having a sort of internal radar. Jesus, surrounded by disciples, detected that some of the people around him were not really for him: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven… but did we not prophesy in your name, and did wonderful things and even expelled demons?” To these people Jesus has a stinging reply: I’m sorry, I really do not know you! Jesus is imparting to us today the marks of a true disciple. It is easy to say we are the Lord’s followe
