OUR PARISH PRIEST

THE TRICKY HEART When it is a matter of the heart, people are easily titillated. Just consider the explosive phenomenon of the latest onscreen love team “AlDub,” which started as an accidental meeting of two unsuspecting actors via a noon-time show. Now, the team enjoys the highest rating in tweets and Facebook views in the country.   Matters of the heart affect everyone! The gospel today however reminds us that the heart does not radiate only cheesy, cute things. This symbol of great compassion and sacrifice can be the source of the worst that can flow from a human being: “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly” (Mt. 7: 21-23).   Jesus is therefore telling us to take care of our heart, of the purity of our heart. While the Jews believed that the purity of heart can come from the performance of external rituals, Jesus emphasizes that what is more crucial is the...

ANG MAPAGLARONG PUSO Kapag tungkol sa puso ang usapan, marami agad ang kinikilig. Tingnan na lamang ninyo ang bagong kinagigiliwan ng lahat, ang love team na “AlDub” na mula sa isang aksidenteng pagtatagpo ng dalawang artista sa isang noon-time show. Ngayon sikat na sikat na sila sa tv, twitter, at Facebook. Iba talaga ang epekto ng puso sa ating lahat! Sa Mabuting Balita ngayon, pinaaalalahanan tayo na hindi lamang pampa-kilig ang bumubukal sa puso. Itong simbolo ng pagmamahal at pagmamalasakit ay maaari din palang maging sanhi ng mga pangit na bagay na nagmumula sa isang tao: “masasamang isipang naguudyok sa kanya upang makiapid, magnakaw, pumatay, mangalunya, mag-imbot, gumawa ng kasamaan tulad ng pandaraya, kahalayan, pagkainggit, paninirang-puri, pagmamayabang, at kahangalan” (Mt. 7: 21-23). Habang ang mga Hudyo ay naniniwala na ang kalinisan ng puso ay galing sa pagtupad ng mga panlabas na ritwal, si Hesus naman ang nagbibigay pahalaga sa panloo...

WE LOVE YOU PO! DIED, AUGUST 26, 2015

With no help in sight, Cardinal Rosales directs vehicles during typhoon-caused  traffic snafu When retired Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of Manila found himself stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of a typhoon on the outskirts of Manila Aug. 23, he decided to take matters into his own hands. With no traffic cop around to help him, the 83-year-old prelate zipped up his coat and began directing traffic himself. "Our vehicle was stuck in traffic," the cardinal told reporters in Manila. "When I alighted the vehicle to see why we were not moving, I saw five cars blocking our way," he said. The retired prelate walked nearly a kilometer to find out the cause of the jam. Finding no traffic enforcers in the area, Rosales directed the flow of vehicles. "I approached the driver of one of the vehicles and told him that there are some 200 vehicles stuck in traffic because they were [driving] the wrong way," the cardinal said. The cardinal not only...

HANGGANG SA DULO Sa simula ng pakikinig at pagsunod ng mga Hudyo, hindi nila agad naunawaan ang himala ni Hesus; naguluhan sila sa tunay na kahulugan nito. Pagkatapos, nag-protesta ang kanilang puso sa kanilang narinig na mga salita. Nagbulungan sila at ngayon, handa na silang tumalikod sa kanila, sa kabila ng pagkain nila ng tinapay na bunga ng himala ng Panginoon. Kung sabagay, hindi talaga handa ang mga ito na maniwala at sumunod sa Panginoon. Ang kanilang pananampalataya ay may hangganan. Walang lugar upang lumago pa. Walang pasensya o tiyaga na makatuklas, makaalam, at mapalalim pa. Kakaiba ang mga alagad dahil ang tugon nila ay nakaka-inspire. Nang tanungin sila kung aalis na din ba sila, sinabi nila: “Panginoon, kanino po kami tutungo? Nasa Iyo ang mga salitang nagbibigay ng buhay na walang hanggan.” Masarap pakinggan, tama. Pero kung tutuusin, hindi rin naman nila nauunawaan lahat, tulad ng mga Hudyo. Sa ibang mga pangyayari, malalantad na ku...

BELIEVING TO THE END At the start of listening and following Jesus, the Jews did not understand his miracle; they confused his teaching for another expectation. They internally protested the implications of his word. They murmured among themselves and now, they are turning their backs on him. You see, they were not really ready to belief and follow the Lord. Their faith was limited. And there was no room for growth. There was no patience to discover, to know, to deepen. But the disciples reacted differently and edifyingly. When the Lord asked if they were also leaving, they said: “Lord to whom shall we go?; You have the words of eternal life.” Beautiful words, yes. But like the Jews, they too did not understand eveyrthing! Other events in Jesus’ life will show the limitations of the disciples in their faith.   They did not understand everything. They would not all be heroes of the faith in the end.   And yet, the difference was this: they ...

ANG KARAHASAN NG PAG-IBIG Habang nagninilay ako sa Mabuting Balita, tila naunawaan ko na ang mga Hudyo. Ilang linggo na natin pinagmamasdan sila sa kanilang reaksyon sa himala ng tinapay at sa pangaral ni Hesus ukol sa Tinapay mula sa Langit.   At hindi nila ito maunawaan.   Hindi nila makita ang punto. Nagsimula na silang mag-bulungan at mag-reklamo.   May bagay sa mga salita ni Hesus na nakakabagabag sa kanila. Ano ba iyon? Hindi madaling tanggapin ang turo ng Panginoon tungkol sa Tinapay ng Buhay. Maraming karahasan sa likod ng aral na ito. Sabi ng Panginoon: malibang kainin ninyo ang laman ng Anak ng Tao at inumin ang kanyang dugo, hindi kayo magkakaroon ng buhay. Ang kumakain ng aking laman at umiinom ng aking dugo ay magkakaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan at bubuhayin ko siya sa huling araw. Isipin nga natin ang mga salitang ito. Balik-balikan. Suriin dahan-dahan. “Kainin ang aking laman… inumin ang aking dugo…” Nakupo! May kailangang...

THE VIOLENCE OF LOVE Praying about this gospel, all of a sudden, I felt empathy for the Jews who listened to Jesus.   These past Sundays, we have been watching their reaction to the miracle of the multiplication of the bread, and to Jesus’ explanation on the bread that comes down from heaven, the bread that points to his very own self. The people misunderstood. The people did not get the point. The people complained and murmured. There is somehting in Jesus’ words that made the people revolt deep within. What is that? Jesus’ teaching about the Bread of Life was not easy to accept. There’s   a lot of violence behind his words. We hear the Lord say, “Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall have no life in you. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life and I will raise him up on the last day.” Think about those words. Return to those words and analyze them slowly. “Eating the flesh… drinking ...

BAWAL ANG DEPRESSED Kapag depressed ang tao, dalawang bagay ang karaniwang ginagawa nito. Iyong iba, ayaw kumain, gusto nang mamatay kasi mas madaling mamatay kaysa harapin ang buhay. Iyong iba naman, kain nang kain, pinupuno ang tiyan ng hamon, ice cream, tsokolate, alak o beer. Parehong delikado ang mga gawain na ito. Iyong ayaw kumain ay nanghihina at nagkakasakit. Iyong kain nang kain naman ay panay junk food na walang sustansya ang kinakain kaya nagkakasakit din sa huli. Si Elias ay isang depressed na tao sa unang pagbasa natin ngayon. Sa dami ng problema at alalahanin niya, tila hindi na niya kayang mabuhay pa. nahiga na lang siya ay naghintay ng kamatayan. Ayaw na niya kumain, ayaw na niya kumilos pa. Pero ang Diyos ay eksperto sa puso ng tao. Alam niya ang bumabagabag sa atin ngayon. Walang sakit, walang paghihirap na lampas sa kanyang kaalaman. Ipinadala ng Panginoon ang kanyang anghel sa propeta upang palakasin ang loob nito. Bukod doon, na...

NO ROOM FOR DEPRESSION When people are depressed there are two actions that they normally choose. Some people refuse to eat. They starve themselves to death, thinking that it is better to die than to face the troubles of life. Others indulge in food, stuffing into their bodies huge quantities of hams, ice cream, chocolates, wine, or beer. Both actions are injurious.   Those who refuse to eat gradually weaken and get sick.   Those who indulge in food usually take junk food, small on nutrition. They may grow big yet they are easy victim to sudden illness. Elijah is one depressed person as we see in the first reading today. Faced with great problems, insurmountable burdens and towering concerns, he chooses the first action described earlier. He just wants to lie down and die quietly. He will not eat. He will not move about. But God is an expert on the human heart. He knows what troubles each one of us. No pain, no hardship is beyond his watchfu...