OUR PARISH PRIEST

PAG-ALALA AT PAGDIRIWANG Dadagsa sa mga sementeryo ang mga tao ngayong November 1 at 2 upang magdiwang ng pananampalataya. Ang mga kapistahang ito ay tungkol sa buhay, na nakaugat naman sa pag-alala. Ang mga kapistahang ito ay bunsod ng pagmamahal. Ano ba ang mas higit pang nakasalig sa Bibliya kundi ang pag-ibig ng Diyos na nagbabago sa makasalanan at nagpapadalisay sa mga yumao para makarating sa langit. Lahat ito ay nasa Salita ng Diyos! Bakit tayo gumugunita ngayon? Bakit tayo umaasa sa pangakong buhay sa kabila? Ito ay dahil sa naranasan natin ang pag-ibig! Sobrang makapangyarihan ang pag-ibig ng Diyos   na maraming mga tao ang nagsalig ng kanilang buhay sa lupa upang maging paghahanda sa mas mayamang buhay kasama ang Diyos. ito ang mga banal, ang mga santo na nasa langit ngayon dahil nagtagumpay sa lupa. Pinararangalan natin sila sa simbahan, pati na rin ang mga hindi natin kilalang mga banal na naghasik ng pag-ibig sa lupang ito. Tinangg...

Early Catholic Images of Luther Pope Leo X (1513-1521) asked the Augustinians to look into the Augustinian German priest who was disseminating “novas res… nova dogmata” among the faihtful.  The Dominicans in Germany , sympathizing with Johann Tetzel their confrere and archenemy of Luther on the matter of the sale of indulgences, started preaching about this “heretic” to the people, warning them that this man undermined religious practice and departed from standard Catholic teaching. Further, they surmised about his eventual disgraceful defeat and possible death at the stake.  Later attempts to apprehend Luther through canonical process showed that he was to be tried as a “suspect of heresy.” The pope, ordering an upgraded process of inquiry on the man and his teachings wrote that Luther was a known and obstinate “teacher of heresy.” ( Jared Wicks, Roman Reactions to Luther, 1983, p. 528 ) Dominican Cardinal Cajetan , the man who was to rep...

NAGBABAKA-SAKALI! Pinadilat si Bartimeo! Grabe na ito! Tiyak lahat ng nakakita nito ay nagulat at naniwala matapos masaksihan ang himala. Kilala ng lahat ang bulag na ito, alam nila pati ang pangalan ng kanyang ama (Mk. 10: 46ff). Bawat himala ay isang okasyon para maniwala. Ang himala ay nagdadala ng pananampalataya. Pero sa Mabuting Balita ngayon, hindi lamang kuwento ng himala. Higit sa lahat, ito ay kuwento ng pananampalataya. Alam ninyo, dalawa ang uri ng pananampalataya. Ang una ay pananampalatayang sigurado, iyong tiyak na tiyak kumbaga. Kung maayos ang buhay, tiyak nandiyan ang Diyos. Kung kumportable, madali, walang gusot, mas madaling magpuri sa Diyos. Kung tila nakatuntong sa matibay na bato at sigurado na ang buhay, pera, kalusugan, at kinabukasan, bakit ka pa hindi mananampalataya at magpapasalamat sa Diyos? Pero may isa pang uri ng pananampalataya: iyong pananampalatayang nagbabaka-sakali, nagtitiwala kahit hindi pa sigurado ang lahat. ...

RISKING HARD Jesus heals Bartimaeus!   What a sight! Im sure people took notice and many believed after witnessing this marvelous event. Everyone seemed to know the blind man, even remembering his name, and his father’s (Mk. 10: 46ff). A miracle is always an occasion for faith. Miracles generate faith. But the gospel today is more than just a miracle story. Above all, it is a story of faith. You see, faith comes in two ways. One is faith as certainty, as being sure of something.   It is easy to have this kind of faith. If life is good, then God exists. If life is comfortable, manageable, smooth-sailing, then all praises be to the Lord. if we seem to stand on a sturdy and immovable rock of certainty about life, health, finances and the future, then faith and gratitude are our response to God. There is another kind of faith, faith as risk, faith as trust. When we cannot see anything but darkness, like Bartimaeus… when we cannot find the...

(PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLICS WILL JOINTLY COMMEMORATE THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REFORMATION IN 2017) I entered into a pastoral quiz among some of my friends, all of them Catholics. In an informal survey by text, Facebook and Viber, I asked the question: What comes to your mind when you hear the name Martin Luther? The minority reply revealed a certain ignorance and nonchalance. One respondent said, “Who is that?”, and another wrote simply, “Nothing.”   Another set of replies showed confidence but sadly, also that of a mistaken identity.   Martin Luther was “the great American civil rights advocate.” He fought “for racial equality among black and white peoples.” He was “the assassinated human rights activist.” They were clearly referring to the American Martin Luther King, Jr., than the German founder of the Reformation. A most interesting answer simply said that Luther was the “father of Communism.” More than those who manifested mistaken...

MABAGAL NA PANG-UNAWA… MAHABANG PASENSYA Nakausap ko ang isang propesor sa kolehiyo. Nagbigay siya ng exam sa isang estudyante at nadiskubre niyang hindi nito alam ang mga aralin sa klase. Nagtanong siya ulit subalit lalong maling-mali ang sagot ng estudyante. Napasigaw sa galit ang propesor. Masakit daw sa puso kapag iisiping hindi naunawaan ng isang tao ang itinuturo sa kanya. Ganito rin kaya ang pakiramdam ng Panginoong Hesus noong matuklasan niyang hindi nauunawaan ng mga alagad ang kanyang mga turo? Sina Santiago at Juan na magkapatid ay lumapit upang hingin na maging kanang kamay at kaliwang kamay ni Hesus kapag naghahari na siya (Mk. 10: 35ff). katatapos lang magturo ni Hesus tungkol sa kanyang paghihirap, pagpapakasakit at kamatayan para sa pagsagip sa mundo. Ang aral niya ay tungkol sa paghihirap, at ang mga alagad ay naghahanap naman ng sarap! Nagalit ang sampu pang alagad as magkapatid. Naunawaan kaya nila ang aral ni Hesus? Alam ka...

SLOW LEARNERS… QUICK PATIENCE I had a conversation with a professor in college. He just met one of his students for the final exams. When the student was explaining, the professor realized that what she was saying was all wrong. So the professor asked questions to clarify, and the more that the student got things all mixed up. He became angry and shouted at the student. Later he told me how painful it is to teach people who do not understand. Was this not the same feeling Jesus had when he discovered his disciples were not learning what he was trying to teach them?   The brothers James and John came to him to secure a place of honor on his right and on his left, once Jesus would be enthroned in glory (Mk 10:35ff). Before this, Jesus was just teaching his disciples how he would be arrested, tortured and killed by his enemies in order to fulfill his mission for the world. He was speaking about suffering, and his disciples were getting the messag...

PALAWAKIN PA! Nakakapagpalubag-loob ba na marinig ang Panginoon na sabihin sa Mabuting Balita (Mk 10) ngayon na mahirap pumasok sa Kaharian ng Langit? Sinabi niya ito dalawang beses, unang tinutukoy ang mga mayayaman; ikalawang tinutukoy ang lahat. Nasabi ito ng Panginoon matapos masaksihan ang paglalakbay ng isang kabataang lumapit sa kanya na nais marating ang buhay na walang hanggan. Malinaw na naghahanap siya sa Diyos. Malinaw na nagtatanong siya, nag-iisip siya. Bukod diyan malinaw na interesado siya sa kaharian ng Diyos. Nagliliyab sa puso niya ang buhay na kaaya-aya sa Panginoon. Ang puhunan niya ay ang pagsunod sa mga utos. Subalit paliwanag ng Panginoon, hindi sapat ang interes. Hindi rin sapat ang pananabik. Kailangang palawakin pa ang pagpapagal. Kailangang buksan pa ang puso. Kailangang maging mas mapusok at malikhain pa sa pagsunod sa pangarap. Ipagbili mo ang lahat… ipamigay mo ang lahat, iyan ang sikreto, sabi ng Panginoon. ...

MAXIMIZE! Is it any consoling to hear the Lord tell us today in the gospel (Mk. 10), that it is hard to enter the Kingdom of heaven? He said this twice, first referring to the rich and second, referring to all in general. But Jesus came to this teaching after witnessing the spiritual journey of a young man who approached him. Clearly the man had eagerness for the kingdom of God. He was asking about it. He was absorbed the thought of it. The man also clearly had enthusiasm for the kingdom. He was burning with zeal to attain eternal life. He invested much in following the commandments, as he later admits to the Lord. But the Lord explains that interest and zeal are not enough. Desiring heaven and following precepts given by others are not enough. Jesus challenged the young man to stretch his efforts, to expand his heart, to be more energetic and creative in pursuing his dream. Sell everything, give everything away… that is the secret the Lord re...

TAGA-PANUMBALIK NG UGNAYAN Isang lalaki ang nagpakasal sa pag-asang magkakaroon siyang ng maligayang buhay sa piling ng asawa at magiging mga anak. Subalit kaiba sa ugali niyang simple, ang asawa niya ay mahilig sa luho ng mundo. Dahil dito, iniwan ng babae ang lalaki at nag-asawa ng panibago. Gumuho ang buhay ng lalaki. Nagdusa siya ng kahihiyan, pagtuya, tsismis, at kalungkutan dahil sa ginawa ng babae. Lalo siyang nanalangin sa Diyos na hanguin siya sa kanyang kalagayan. Biniyayaan siya ng Panginoon ng isang babaeng mabuti at simple ang puso gaya niya. Matapos ang annulment ng kanyang unang kasal sa simbahan, masayang ikinasal siya muli ngayong taon. Ngayon ay tila mahirap makatagpo ng relasyon na perpekto, iyong laging matamis at panatag. Pati nga ang “Aldub” love team, na pinagkakaguluhan sa buong bayan ay may mga tampuhan at away din, at hindi panay sweet na dubsmash ng : “God gave me you” at “Dalin (darling), I…” Sinasabi sa atin ng Pan...

RESTORER OF RELATIONSHIPS A young man got married and started dreaming of a bright new life with his wife and future kids. In contrast to the man who was well-educated but very simple, the wife was after fashion, pomp and glitters of social life. Soon she left the husband, filing for civil annulment and found a new husband who suited her needs.   The man was devastated because he truly loved his wife and longed for a wonderful family. He suffered the effects of shame, ridicule, gossip and loneliness due to his wife’s abandonment. He prayed hard for God to rescue him from despair. And the Lord brought to his life a wonderful woman who in spite of tremendous accomplishments shared the man’s passion for a life of simplicity, sharing and faith. The man obtained the church annulment and this year, tied the knot with his new wife. Nowadays it is difficult to imagine a relationship that is perfect, that is always sweet and unruffled. That is why it i...