OUR PARISH PRIEST

YOU TAKE CHARGE! Often we hear from some people the boast: Huwag ka mag-alala. Ako ang bahala dito. (I’m in charge; don’t worry). And we have a joke that says: Ikaw nga ang bahala, kami ang kawawa. (You are in charge, and so we suffer). Jesus makes a striking remark in the gospel today. When problems arose, the disciples normally ran to him for solution. Someone needed healing, Jesus took over and restored to health. Another mourned the dead, and Jesus came to resuscitate to life again. A person is perplexed and Jesus explained or clarified God’s will for him. In many instances, Jesus always seemed to have said to his disciples: I’m in charge here; don’t worry. He was really the reliable Master. In the gospel today, the roles are reversed. The disciples come to Jesus to explain that there was no food for the crowd and that he should send them home to eat. Instead of taking responsibility at once, Jesus turns to his disciples and says: You g...

HAPPINESS DEMANDS SOMETHING What makes you truly happy? My friend Marcus, 4 years old, is truly happy when he plays with his bullet trains and practices his Jacky Chan moves. Patrick is truly happy when he goes home to his loving wife and beautiful baby girl. Allan is truly happy when he works abroad away from the family but supporting them monthly in their every need. I am truly happy when I am reading and discovering new knowledge I can share with students and parishioners. What we are truly happy about… that is our treasure! That is the item of most value in our lives. Every person has this treasure close to his heart. The gospel speaks about finding your treasure. A man finds one and was filled with joy. Another finds the finest pearl and was likewise in ecstasy. Jesus tells us that we all have the possibility to find what makes us truly happy in life. Often, what makes us happy is not something that we seek out. Rather, we chance upon it. It s...

DO NOT BE JUDGMENTAL 16th Sunday Once I was visiting a terminally ill person and the family members were telling me how good the sick person was. In the end, they could not help but lament and compare the sick with their neighbors. Why does she need to suffer this when there are so many more evil people around who deserve this kind of suffering? Why does God not strike them instead with this painful torture? How many times we have been tempted to say the same things and think the same thoughts when we are faced with life’s trials. Do we not believe that we do not deserve to suffer because we are better than others? Do we not find reasons why others, who are far worse in conduct and lifestyle, must receive their share of problems? Why me, Lord? Give this pain to them! The Gospel leads us to reflect on this human tendency by presenting to us the mind of God. Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds growing together in the field. Since they are in...

THERE WILL BE A HARVEST Have you experienced planting a seed? Have you experienced working in a farm? Planting or Farming is a difficult job. Yes it is a noble practice, but it is certainly not comfort and relaxation. The hard part is not the angry hot sun on your back or the constant flow of sweat on your brow. The hard part is about the uncertainty of the results. Some seeds will never grow. Some seeds will be wasted. Surely there will be some that will grow and yield flowers, or fruits or grain. But then, you have to wait to find out when and how much is the yield. We all do some planting in our lives, maybe not with actual green herbs, vegetables or trees in a farm or forest. But we do plant seeds in people, in people around us, especially in people we love. The parable of the Lord Jesus today about the seeds does not mean just literal seeds. That’s just the surface. They seeds and the soil and the harvest refer to people. Jesus is aware t...