Homily

 

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, February 19, 2012

That’s What Friends Are For!
Mk 2:1-12

There was a man who went to Church one Sunday with his hat on. Naturally, the usher came to him and said: “Brother, I am glad to see you here. But please understand that wearing hat inside the church is not allowed.” The man replied, “Oh, thank God! At last somebody talked to me! You see, I am new in this town. I do not know anybody here. So I made it a point to come to Church every Sunday, hoping to find new friends. I have been coming to this Church every Sunday for two months now, but nobody bothered to say a word to me. So I thought of wearing this hat, and it worked! I’m Bill, by the way.” (Adapted from M. Ezeogu).
I am sure we have had such an experience of being in a crowd, yet being left out and alone. It is such a sad experience. Let us look at the Gospel this Sunday. A paralytic was outside the house. He wanted to see and be close to Jesus, hoping that he will be healed. I would like to believe he had been there for a long while, but nobody bothered to greet him or notice him. And I also believe he does not have many friends. The Jews have the belief that sickness is a punishment for sins. So a person who is sick, a leper or in this case, a paralyzed man, is considered cursed by God. So people avoid him. He was in the middle of a big crowd, but he was alone, ignored, and forgotten.
Fortunately, four men noticed him and took pity on him. They carried him on his mat. But since the house is full and everybody is trying to gain every available space to come near Jesus, nobody is likely to give way to this paralytic. So the four men climbed up the roof, made an opening on it and lowered the man right in front of Jesus. The evangelist called these four men as the “friends” of the paralytic.
One very interesting detail here is mentioned by the evangelist: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic…” It was their faith, not the faith of the paralytic, but the faith of the four men that led to the miraculous healing.
This is a very important lesson on the Church, the community of believers. In Baptism, it is the faith of the parents, the godparents and the community that bring the child to this sacrament that gives life and salvation. More importantly, it helps us realize the great value of the community in our struggle to grow in holiness. Jesus challenged us: “Be holy as the heavenly Father is holy!” It is God’s desire that we grow in holiness and perfection. But what impedes us in attaining this goal is sin. That is why, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’” Forgiveness of sins is foremost in the mind of Jesus for it is what will truly help us attain holiness and perfection. And he continues to impart his forgiveness through the sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession.
The paralyzed man represents each one of us. When we are in sin, we lose the Sanctifying Grace. Our relationship with God is cut off. We are spiritually dead. That is why it is called mortal sin; it causes death to our soul. By our own efforts, no matter how much we try, we can never rise up again, and we can never go to Jesus. That is what Jesus meant when he said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Apart from me, you can do nothing.” But, fortunately, in Baptism, we now belong to the Church, the community of believers. We are not alone. The four friends of the paralytic are the image of the Church. It is the community that helps us back to our feet and brings us to Jesus through the sacrament of Reconciliation. In this sacrament, the priest, representing God, absolves us of our sins. At the same time, representing also the Church, he welcomes us back into the community.
Do not ever believe those people who say that it is better to confess “direct to God.” There is no such thing. Jesus instituted the sacrament of Reconciliation precisely because he knows we need it. It is the will of Jesus that the sinner, rendered paralyzed by sin, will be aided by the Church, the community of believers. This is done through the sacrament of Reconciliation. So we have to avail of this sacrament as often as necessary.
As we come together once again in this sacred assembly, we see mostly the same familiar faces. Some of them we have not seen in quite a long while. But some of these faces may be new here. Yet we all belong to only one Church, one community, one family. That is why we greet each other as brothers and sisters, for indeed, in Baptism we all have become God’s children. And Jesus said: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst.” It is this community, this Church, that helps us encounter Jesus, nurtures our growth in the Christian faith, pulls us up when we are down, and guides us back to the open arms of our loving Father.
The four men were true friends to the paralytic because they came to his aid and brought him to Jesus. Let us help one another, not only in our temporal needs, but especially, in bringing each other closer to Jesus who alone gives us the fullness of life and salvation. Let us also be true friends to one another. As a song goes, “That’s what friends are for.”

Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Church
J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 12, 2012

Stretching Hands
Mk 1:40-45

A young man figured in a car accident, and he woke up at the hospital with his left arm gone. He was so depressed that he decided to commit suicide. He went up the rooftop of the hospital and was about to jump to his death when he saw on the ground a man dancing wildly. He noticed that the man had no arms. This sight brought him back to his right senses. He went down the building and talked to the man. “I am ashamed of myself,” he said. “I lost one arm, and I was already thinking of committing suicide. But here you are. You have lost both arms, and you are still happy.” The man replied, “What made you think I am happy?” “Well,” the first guy said, “I saw you dancing.” “But I was not dancing,” the armless man said. “My back is itchy and I have no way of scratching it.”
Leprosy is not only itchy. It is a dreaded disease, which, at the time of Jesus had no known cure. The leper was the most miserable outcast in Jewish society. He had to live away from the community. He had to wear a bell and cry out, "Unclean, unclean!" Worse still, he was also cut off from the worshipping community. Anyone who touched him would also be unclean. Hence, still alive, he was practically considered dead. This socio-religious custom, though, was based in Sacred Scriptures. The first reading this Sunday, from the Book of Leviticus, spelled out the prescriptions on how to deal with lepers.
In the Gospel today, Jesus once again showed his compassion and power as the Divine Healer. He said to the leper, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And he was healed. But before saying those words, Jesus did something unusual and even unthinkable: “Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand (and) touched him.” In the sight of the Jewish leaders, it was such a horrible thing to do. Jesus could be declared unclean, and more importantly, he could be accused of violating the Law. But he did not mind. He was more concerned with obedience to the true spirit of the law.
His action imparts several important lessons for us. First, this was an expression of his overwhelming desire to reach out to people, especially those who are in need, the sick, the sinners and the outcasts. “The healthy do not need a doctor; sick people do. I have come to call, not the self-righteous but sinners” (Mk 2:17). That has always been his mission in accordance with the Mystery of the Incarnation. God became man so that He can touch us and be one with us, especially in our miseries and sufferings. With this touch of Jesus, the leper was healed and can now go back to his family and community – not anymore an outcast, a living dead. The healing touch of Jesus gave him new life.
Second, Jesus touched the leper to impart healing in a personal way. God deals with each of us on a person-to-person basis. There is nothing impersonal with God. That is why Jesus taught us to call God “Abba”, Father. By touching the leper, Jesus risked being contaminated. “This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases’" (Mt. 8:17). Jesus did this because, behind the horrible disfigurement of leprosy, he saw the priceless value of every human person.
Third, Jesus wanted to correct the common belief that sickness is a divine punishment for sins. The story of Miriam, sister of Moses, who was struck with leprosy as a result of her misconduct (Num 12:9-10) as well as that of Job who was afflicted with a leprosy-like skin disease (Jb 30:30) were instances in the Bible that made the Jews view sickness as God’s punishment for sins. By touching the leper, Jesus has shown that God is not a vengeful despot, but a loving and merciful Father. Sickness, no matter how contagious and horrible, is not God’s punishment. It is just the result of the frailty and limitations of the human body. And in fact, in Jesus, God has always shown genuine compassion for the sick and afflicted.
But most importantly, the action of Jesus in touching the leper is a serious challenge to all his followers. At the Last Supper, he washed the feet of his apostles and said: “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (Jn 15:13). With his action, he is instructing us to reach out to everyone, especially the lost, the last and the least in society.
One day, a group of tourists visited the convent of the sisters of Mother Teresa in Calcutta. They were horrified at the appalling condition of the poor and destitute patients being cared for by the sisters. One tourist, seeing a nun cleaning the putrid sores of a patient, remarked with much disgust, “Sister, even if somebody pays me a million dollars, I will not do what you are doing right now.” The nun replied, “And neither will I. I am doing this only for the love of Jesus.”
That is what every Christian should do: reach out, care and share – all for the love of Jesus. Failure to do so is definitely a grave sin – sin of omission. Like leprosy, sin defiles and deforms our soul, and it separates us from God and from others. And basically, sin is rooted in selfishness. Selfishness is crossing our arms, unmindful of the needs of others – indeed, the cause of too much misery and pain in the world.
Last Saturday, February 11, we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Pope John Paul II has declared it as World Day of the Sick. Let us continue to pray for the sick and to help them in any way we can. But let us also pray for those who are truly sick in spirit: those who, in their selfishness, are unwilling to stretch out their hands. May the Lord touch them and heal their withered hands so that they may once again learn to reach out and enjoy life in its fullness.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Church
J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City, 1117

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, February 05, 2012

At Peace and In One Piece
Mk 1:29-39

A rich man, known for his arrogance, was not feeling well. So he went to see the doctor. “How are you, sir?” the doctor greeted him cheerfully. “What seems to be your problem?” “You’re the doctor,” the patient said with a smirk on his face. “That is for you to find out.” “Oh, I see,” said the doctor, trying his best to hide his surprise and disgust. After a few moments, he told his patient, “Well, if you can wait for some minutes, I’ll call a veterinarian. He is the only doctor I know who can make a diagnosis without asking questions.”
When we watch television, we will notice that there are many advertisements of medicines. This tells us that, despite tremendous advancements in the field of the medical sciences, more people are getting sick nowadays. Interestingly enough, many medicines advertised are to relieve pain, stress, depression and sleep deprivation.
With the present economic crisis and much uncertainty in the foreseeable future, most of us can easily resonate with Job in the first reading this Sunday. He said: “So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.” One word that can aptly describe this present generation is “stressed”.
But before we blurt out again the oft-repeated “I’m stressed out” gripe, let us first look at the Gospel. It gives us an idea of the typical day of Jesus during his public ministry: “the whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases and he drove out many demons…He went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.” If we are talking about being very busy, nobody can compare with Jesus. He was too busy that he had no time to so much as eat. That is why even his own relatives said: “He is out of his mind.” Based on our experience and standards, Jesus must be stressed out. But he was not. He was always at peace. How come?
The secret of Jesus is revealed in the Gospel today: no matter how busy and exhausted he was, he would always find time to pray and to be with His Father: “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went to a deserted place, where he prayed” (Mk 1:35). His communion with the Father gave him strength, inspiration and peace – it made him whole and focused in His mission, in fulfillment of the will of the Father.
Peace is such an elusive and priceless reality ever since. What is peace? The Bible uses the word “shalom” for peace. It is the gift of Jesus for us. “Shalom” is not just the absence of war or conflict, but also connotes the presence of harmony, unity and wholeness. It means being at peace and being in one piece.
Many of us experience restlessness and stress because we are divided within ourselves, we lack focus and so we are not in one piece. There is conflict within us. This inner conflict in us, which St. Paul describes as “the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Rom 7:23), is what makes us restless and divided. “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want Now, I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Rom 7:19-20).
When we are in sin, we are troubled. We lose our peace for we become divided within. But when we turn away from sin, and conform ourselves according to God’s will, we have peace for there is harmony and wholeness within. That is why Jesus taught us in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the single-hearted, for theirs is the kingdom of God!” Being single-hearted simply means being in one piece. And when this happens, we distinctly feel the presence of God in us. Indeed, peace is the presence of God.
The famous Archbishop Fulton Sheen said something about why people have this feeling of emptiness and restlessness. He said that God designed the human heart in the shape of a valentine heart. (We see a lot of those this February.) But God decided to divide it into two. He took half of this heart with Him to heaven, and the other half He placed in the chest of man. So, while man remains in this world, there is always that feeling of something lacking inside him, which he cannot fully comprehend. Total peace and fullness of life will only be attained when we become united with God. This is what Jesus came for: “I came that you may have life and have it to the full.” The Son of God became man like us, He descended into this world to make it possible for us to be united with God and have the fullness of life.
There is a famous song by Frank Sinatra entitled “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” At times, when we are stressed and feel so exhausted and empty, we may as well remember this song and say: “I Left my Heart in Heaven.” As God’s beloved children, we belong to heaven. In this world, we long for heaven because it is where our heart will have its wholeness. But while we are still here in this world, we will have anxieties, stress and the feeling of something lacking in us.  St. Augustine had a timely realization of this: “My soul (or my heart) is restless until it rests in you, O Lord!”
The best image we can have of ourselves is that of a boy walking in the field with his father. All along the way, the boy holds the hand of his father, and with his other hand he picks up stones, or picks grains and flowers, or tries to catch butterflies passing by. His eyes are all over the vast field, and his feet are at times going in different directions. But he never lets go of his one hand holding on to his father.
As we walk in this vast field we call the world, we encounter countless distractions, varied directions and attractive choices. But let us never, even for a moment, let go of the hand of our heavenly Father. That is what Jesus did. No matter how busy and exhausted He was, He always had time to be alone and pray. That was His way of being united with the Father – and of finding peace, inspiration, direction and inexhaustible strength to continue and fulfill His mission.
When we are stressed and feel that the burden of life is just too much, perhaps it is a symptom that we are drifting away from the Father. We have to stop and find time to be with God in silence and in prayer. Jesus always invites us: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you…Peace I leave with you; my peace is my gift to you.” May the peace and the loving presence of God be with us now and for always.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Church
J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, January 29, 2012

TEACHING AUTHORITY
Mk 1:21-28

The principal was going around the campus on the first day of school. Passing by one classroom, he heard so much noise and chaos. He went in and saw this boy, slightly bigger than the others, who had the loudest voice. He seized the boy by the collar, and pulled him out of the room and into the principal’s office, and ordered him to wait there until his return. Back in the classroom, the principal delivered to the class a lengthy lecture on good manners and right conduct. Towards the end, he asked, “Now, are there any questions?" One girl gingerly raised her hand. "Sir," she asked, "When are you going to give us back our teacher?" 

"And where is your teacher?" 

"He is outside. You dragged him out of the room, sir."
Jesus is called Rabbi, or Teacher. And what a great Teacher he really is, for, unlike the others, he teaches with authority. When Jesus taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath, the people were amazed: “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.” The people cannot but notice the authority of His teaching.
The word “authority” comes from the Latin “auctoritas”, which has its root word “auctor” – “author” or “creator” in English. A writer or author can look at his or her work - an essay, a short story, a novel, or a poem - and say, “This is my creation.” The government recognizes that the author has rights over his creation. When we talk about the authority of the Lord, we acknowledge that He is the Creator, or Author of the Universe. He has the power to govern the universe. Just as an author can determine what takes place in the story he writes, God can determine what takes place in the universe He has created.
The authority of Jesus comes from himself. He possesses the fullness of authority because He is God. The unclean spirit in the Gospel knew this: “What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”
It is very interesting to note that the evil spirit knows Jesus as God. Yet it continues to disobey and oppose him. Unfortunately, this is what happens among so many people nowadays. They are like the evil spirit in the Gospel. They profess belief in Jesus, for they claim to be Christians. Yet they continue to openly reject his teachings and disobey his commands. This is what Pope Benedict XVI noted: a growing "phenomenon" of people in modern society "who wish to belong to the Church but who are strongly determined by a vision of life that is opposed to the faith."
Jesus taught with authority, not only because he is God, but also because his words are always accompanied by his deeds, and his deeds are invariably in consonance with his words. When he taught about love, for instance, he proved it by his own example: “No greater love than for a man to give his life for his friends.” And, indeed, he showed this when he willingly offered his life on the cross for us, even “while we were still enemies” because of our sins (cf. Rom 5:8). That is why he could demand from us: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34).
How far we are from the example of Jesus! Our words are rendered meaningless because too often they are not accompanied by deeds. Sometimes we even act contrary to what we say and teach. Christian witnessing is what we sorely lack. Pope Paul VI wrote emphatically on this in 1975: "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses...It is therefore primarily by her conduct and by her life that the Church will evangelize the world, in other words, by her living witness of fidelity to the Lord Jesus - the witness of poverty and detachment, of freedom in the face of the powers of this world, in short, the witness of holiness". (Evangelium Nuntiandi, n. 41).
The Spiritual Director of the Charismatic Community, El Shaddai, is Bishop Ted Bacani. One time I asked him: “Bishop, why is it that the preachers of El Shaddai are almost always shouting when they give their talk?” He replied, “Well, you know, when the preacher has nothing really important to say, he has to shout so that the people will listen to him.”
In Baptism, we have become Christians – we are supposed to be like Christ. We just don’t imitate Him; we imbibe and assimilate His Spirit. As Christians, therefore, we can also teach with authority – and no need to shout. Our words will also become powerful if in and by our lives, we truly give witness to the power of Jesus – the power to serve, to love, to heal, to console, to liberate and to save. We become the living and concrete extensions and instruments of Jesus in his work of salvation.
In a couple of days, on February 2, we will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. We will have our candles blessed during the Mass. These blessed candles that we will use every time we pray at home remind us that we carry the light of Jesus. It means we have the authority of Jesus to drive away the darkness of sin and evil. And this we do by exercising our power as Christians: the power to serve, to love, to heal, to liberate and to save.
February 2 is also the feast of St. Alfred Delp, a Jesuit priest who was hanged by the Nazis for his opposition to Hitler. In his final message to friends, he wrote: “If through one man’s life there is a little more love and kindness, a little more light and truth in the world, then he will not have lived in vain.”
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Church
J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
January 15, 2012

What Are You Looking For?

Jn 1:35-42

A man was looking for the perfect wife. He wanted to find someone who was beautiful, kind,
loving, and very religious. He found such a woman. But it did not work out. He said she was
so religious that she could not easily relate to the practical things in life.

So he looked for someone else. He found one who was beautiful, kind, loving, intelligent,
organized and practical in material affairs. He thought she was the perfect wife. But again it
did not work out. She was so practical that she really did not need a man in her life, and she
ended up being domineering. So he continued searching.

Then he found another woman. She was beautiful, kind, loving, intelligent, practical
in material affairs, as well as very religious. At last, he thought, here is the perfect wife – a
perfect balance of the practical and spiritual. But again, it did not work out – because she
was also looking for the perfect husband!

John the Baptist told his two disciples about Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God!” At once they
began following Jesus. And when Jesus saw them, he asked them: “What are you looking
for?” At first, it may look like a simple question. But actually, it is profound and challenging.
It invites one to look deeply into himself and evaluate the direction and the meaning of his
life. Obviously, the two disciples did not get the full implication of the question because they
replied with another question: “Rabbi, where are you staying?”

In Jewish society, rabbis are itinerant teachers. They teach, not formally and in classrooms,
but as he moves around, talking about important lessons from concrete realities in life. His
students follow him wherever he goes and they imbibe his philosophy and way of life in the
process. To ask where a rabbi lives is rather pointless.

Noticing, therefore, their inability to grasp his challenge, he said, “Come and you will see.” It
was an invitation to follow him, and to be part of his life. “And they stayed with him that day.”
That one day of experience inspired them so much that it radically transformed them, from
being followers to evangelizers. One of them, Andrew, looked for his brother, Simon, and
eagerly broke the good news to him: “We have found the Messiah!”

Every day the Lord invites us: “Come, follow me.” Like the two disciples, many of us
would readily follow him. But he would invariably pose the same question: “What are you
looking for?” As the great philosopher Aristotle wrote, “Those who wish to succeed must
ask the right preliminary questions” (Metaphysics). And I believe this is one of the important
preliminary questions we need to ask ourselves before seriously deciding to follow Jesus.

People follow Jesus for various reasons, depending on one’s idea about him. This has ben
adequately shown in the Gospels. Many see him as the great Healer. And so they follow
him in order to be healed of their various ailments. Others acknowledge him as the one
who teaches with authority. They follow him because they like to listen to his teachings. Still
others admire him as the Miracle Worker and they want to witness his miracles. And some,
like the Pharisees, consider him as enemy and threat to their authority and status. So, they
follow him to catch him in his speech and have something to accuse him of.

This Sunday, therefore, Jesus asks us: “What you are looking for?” In other words, he
wants to know why we are following him. This is a crucial question that has to be answered
honestly in order to purify our motivations and intensify our commitment to follow him. Peter
accurately responded: “Lord, to who shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life.”

On this second Sunday, as we begin a new series of lessons from the Gospel, let us be
clear about our motivations. We follow Jesus because we profess our firm belief in him as
our Lord and God. We humbly acknowledge that without him, we are nothing, and we can
do nothing. He is the reason for our being and existence. In him alone can we find fullness
of life, happiness and salvation. Fully knowing this, we are strengthened and encouraged
to face whatever challenges and trials life may give us. As Viktor E. Frankl said, “Those
who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’” (Man’s Search for Meaning). It is only
Jesus that makes our life meaningful and fruitful even in the midst of pain and suffering.

As we look around us, we see so many lost and wandering souls. They go through
life looking for meaning and happiness in the world of drugs, vices, materialism and
selfishness. Like St. John the Baptist, we have the duty to tell them about Jesus: “Behold,
the Lamb of God!” And like St. Andrew, we must bring them to Jesus that they, too, may
find the true meaning of life.

Admittedly, this is no easy task. People in modern society have become intoxicated
with worldly pleasures and selfish ambitions that the Lord’s words fall on deaf ears and
hardened hearts. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI is fully aware of this. That is why
he is calling for a “new evangelization.” He said that, "proclaiming Jesus Christ, the
sole Savior of the world, is more complex today than in the past..." Hence, the Church's
message "needs to be renewed today in order to convince modern persons, who are often
distracted and insensitive. That is why the new evangelization must find ways to make
the proclamation of salvation more effective…” (Speech to members of the Pontifical Council for

Promoting New Evangelization, May 30, 2011).

It is precisely with this “new evangelization” in mind that the Church is now preparing for
the “Year of Faith” which will run from October 11th, 2012 to November 24th, 2013. It
coincides with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the
20th anniversary of the publication of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. According
to the Pope's Apostolic letter, “Porta Fidei”, the goal of this celebration is conversion and to
re-discover faith, so that all members of the Church can become credible witnesses of truth.

(ROME Reports TV News Agency, Jan. 07-12).

The world is in deep crisis. We need, more than ever, to strengthen our faith in the abiding
presence of Jesus Christ. And as Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “Let us not fear the future, even
when it can appear with bleak colors, because the God of Jesus Christ, who entered history
to open it to its transcendent fulfillment, is the alpha and the omega, the first and the last."

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

Sta. Lucia Parish
JP Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

“Like Father, Like Son”

Homily on the Feast of the Santo Nino

Bob is a nice man and a good father. He is also bald. One night Bob and his wife decided
to go out to dinner. So they hired a babysitter to take care of the two children. While the
babysitter was in the bathroom, the little boy, Billy, took his father’s electric shaver and
shaved a big landing strip down the middle of his head. When his father came home, he
was furious: “Billy! I told you never to play with my shaver. Now I will have to spank you!” He
was about to administer the punishment when Billy looked up and said, “Wait until you see
my sister.” Bob was horrified when he saw his little four-year old daughter in the next room,
with all the hair on her head shaved off. She looked like dressed chicken. Bob was really
angry, and grabbed Billy: “Now you will really get a spanking you will never forget!” Just as
he lifted his hand, Billy looked up at him with tears in his eyes, and said, “But Daddy, we
were just trying to look like you!” Bob’s bald head suddenly cooled down.

This Sunday is a special feast for Filipinos. Our country is well known for our people’s
strong and deep devotion to the Child Jesus. Because of this the Holy See granted us
the special permission to celebrate the Feast of the Santo Nino every 2nd Sunday of
the year. But what does true devotion to Santo Nino really mean? Is it enough that we
have the image of the Child Jesus in our homes? Is it enough to join the Sinulog dance
and rhythmically shout, “Pit, Senor”? Is it enough to join the procession and watch the
performance of the Ati-atihan?

True devotion to the Santo Nino is definitely more than any of these. The Gospel accounts
give us important lessons on true devotion. When the twelve-year-old Jesus was lost and
later found after three days in the Temple, he told his mother Mary and Joseph: “Why were
you looking for me? Did you not know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49). Early in
his life, Jesus was fully aware that the purpose of his life was to do the will of his heavenly
Father. The Gospel ends up by saying, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them” (Lk 2:50).

True devotion to the Santo Nino simply means following the example of the Child Jesus.
The Gospel said that he was an obedient child: obedient to his heavenly Father and
obedient also to his mother Mary and Joseph. In our story, the boy, Billy, expressed it
accurately: “But Daddy, we were just trying to look like you!” That is true devotion: trying
to look like our heavenly Father just like Jesus. Because of his perfect obedience, Jesus
is the perfect image of the heavenly Father: “He who has seen me has seen the Father”
(Jn 14:9). In the same way, if we follow the obedience of Jesus, we will also look like our
Father in heaven. And according to Jesus that is our main goal: “Be perfect as the heavenly
Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). This is precisely the purpose and meaning of the Mystery of the
Incarnation: God became like us so that we may become like Him.

For a lot of people nowadays, obedience is not attractive at all. We fight for our personal
freedom. We look at obedience as surrender of our freedom to somebody else. Hence we
reject it for we think it demeans our dignity and limits our freedom. But if we look at the
example of Jesus, was his freedom diminished because he obeyed his heavenly Father?
Was his dignity lost because he submitted himself to the authority of Mary and Joseph?
Certainly not! On the contrary, it was his obedience that made him perfectly pleasing in
the eyes of the Father: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” (Lk 3:22). His
obedience made him accept the cup of suffering that led to his death on the cross. And

“because of this, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every other
name” (Phil 2: 10-11).

Obedience, therefore, perfects our freedom and enhances our dignity as children of God.
The key to obedience is becoming like a child: “Whoever does not accept the kingdom
of God like a child will not enter it.” (Mk 10:15). That is what the image of the Child Jesus
reminds us. On the other hand, disobedience to God, which basically is what sin is all
about, is what creates all the trouble in this world. To disobey God, to commit sin, does not
make us free. Rather, as St. Paul said, it makes us slaves. And the fruits of sin are misery
and death. It does not enhance but destroys our dignity as creatures and children of God.

We just have to take a look at what is happening in the world to realize this. As people try
to pursue their personal freedom, generally understood nowadays as doing what anyone
likes to do, they disregard moral and divine norms and openly disobey God. The results are
disastrous. Just to cite the United States as an example, forty years of widespread use of
contraception in the country, directly disregarding the teaching of the Church particularly
Humanae Vitae, the result is: a 50% divorce rate, 80% cohabitation (live-in) rate, 35% of all
babies are born out of wedlock, one out of four unborn babies are surgically aborted (and
many more by chemical abortion), 85% of Catholic couples are practicing contraception,
and sterilization is the most popular form of birth control among Catholics. We see the
results of this: more troubles, crimes and problems in society. A Filipino priest working
as chaplain of a Federal Penitentiary in the U.S. said that 90% of the inmates come from
dysfunctional families – products of divorce, cohabitation and the contraceptive mentality.
That is what disobedience to God means: a more confused and troubled society.

Our loving Father wants us to live in happiness and peace. There is only one way to
achieve it: we have to obey God’s commandments and live in harmony with His will. Let
us translate our devotion to the Santo Nino into our daily lives. Let us become the beloved
children of God, truly pleasing in His eyes.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

Sta. Lucia Church
JP Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
New Year’s Day
Sunday, January 01, 2012

New Life with Our Mother
Lk 2:16-21

Happy New Year to all!

The first day of the year is the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. The early Christians already called her “Theotokos”, which means “God-bearer”, for indeed, she bore in her womb the Son of God. She is called Mother of God, not in the sense that she is the source of the life of God, for she is not. She is called Mother of God not because she is higher than God, for she is just a creature. She is called Mother of God simply because she bore in her womb and gave birth to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal God.

As we begin the New Year, the Church invites us to honor Mary, the Mother of God. Just as human life starts in the womb of our mothers, so also we begin another year with the mother of all humankind, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

All of us can easily resonate with the experience of having a mother. The thought of a mother always gives a soothing and peaceful feeling to every human being. We can still recall her tender and loving voice as she sings lullabies to us; her soft hands caressing our hair as we snuggle in her warm embrace; the sweet aroma from the kitchen as she prepares dinner for the family. We often say “Home sweet home”, and this is primarily due to the sweetness and comfort that only a mother can give.

Jesus, the Son of God, experienced this with his mother, Mary. And he wanted to share this wonderful experience with us. That is why, while he was hanging on the cross, he entrusted his mother to us to be our mother also. We have, therefore, our own mother in Mary. As she lovingly cared for Jesus, she also takes care of us as her beloved children. What a consolation and a joy for us!

For most of us, we enter the New Year with some trepidation and worries. The economic problems, the dangers of calamities and disasters and the threats of terrorism make the coming New Year look bleak and dreary. Unfortunately, instead of turning to God in prayer, many people choose to spend the first hours of the New Year by making noise, popping firecrackers and even firing guns, and in revelry and drunkenness. These are practices of a pagan society.

But as Christians, we begin the New Year with God. That is why we come together to pray in this Eucharistic celebration. We look back at the past year, and thank and praise God for His protection and all the blessings He has given us. And as we look ahead to the new year, we implore His continued providential guidance and presence in our life. We take courage from the words of Saint Paul: “If God is with us, who can be against us?”

And we also begin the New Year with Mary, the Mother of God, and our Mother too. We gaze upon the image of the Baby Jesus, sleeping so soundly in the arms of His Mother. He invites us to do the same. Let us come to Mary our Mother. Let us take refuge in the comfort and protection of her loving embrace.

Rightly, then, that the first day of the year is World Day of Prayer for Peace. We come together to pray for peace in the world. We ask Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to be with us. We do this in confidence because we know that Mary, our loving Mother is with us. Full of trust in God’s providence and protection, we enter the New Year filled with hope, joy and peace.

At the start of this year, let us earnestly invoke God’s blessing on us and on our loved ones with the words of blessing used by Moses in the first reading:

“The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!”

And so we pray: “God our Father, yours is the beauty of creation and the good things you have given us. Help us to begin this year joyfully in your name and to spend it in loving service of you and our neighbors. Amen.”

Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Church
JP Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

Born in Our Hearts
Christmas Day
December 25, 2011
Lk 2:1-14

A very devout couple decided to spend Christmas Eve right in the very birthplace of Jesus – Bethlehem. Unfortunately, despite a thorough search of the whole place, they could not find a vacant room for them. Desperate, they tried the most expensive hotel, willing to pay the rate at any cost. The man approached the front desk and heard the now-familiar response: "Sorry, Sir. All rooms are occupied. It's Christmas Eve, you know." He offered to pay any amount for a room, but there was none, according to the clerk. Finally, the man told the clerk, "I bet if I told you my name was Joseph, that the woman waiting in the car was called Mary, and that she is pregnant, you'd find us a room."

"Well," stammered the clerk, "I-- I suppose so."

"Okay," said the man. "I guarantee you, they're not coming tonight, so we'll take their room." (Adaptation from M. Ezeogu).
Once again, Christmas is here. We commemorate that great event when the Son of God, conceived in the virginal womb of the Blessed Mother, was born into the world. And so we exclaim, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Merry Christmas to all!
This is the most awaited feast that we Christians celebrate. There is abundance of color, merriment and joy all around. Yet despite all these exciting events and gatherings, we cannot fail to notice the superficiality and even the emptiness of the celebration for many people. The reason is simple. Like the people of Bethlehem, many of us respond with the same attitude and disposition: “There is no room in our inn.”
Yes, we have room for almost everything associated with Christmas – parties, caroling, dancing, shows, decorations, and many things besides. They fill up not only our calendars but also our minds and hearts during these days, that we have no more room for the newborn Savior. He knocks at the door of our hearts, wanting to enter and be part of our life. Unfortunately, we are already too occupied with the superficial and material concerns and activities.
It is really fortunate that, as Filipinos, we have our traditional nine-day Aguinaldo Masses or Simbang Gabi. It helps us focus our attention on the center of Christmas – the newborn Jesus. We come to dawn Mass for nine days, recognizing that Christmas is the “Mass of Christ.” As Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “To each and everyone He comes as if He had never come before in His own sweet way, He the Child who is born... Jesus the Savior, He Emmanuel, He, Christ as Christ’s Mass on Christmas!” Indeed, the Eucharist must occupy center place in the celebration of Christmas for, in every Mass, Jesus is born on the altar. In the message of the Blessed Mother given to Fr. Gobbi in the Blue Book, she called the Eucharist as “perennial Nativity.”
Yet, despite this beautiful religious tradition, one may still wonder how genuine is our preparation to welcome the Lord Jesus. Our churches are filled up and overflowing for these nine days of Simbang Gabi. But I could count with my fingers the parishioners who came for Confession. Meister Eckhart once said: “What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?” (Living Faith, v. 4, n. 3). And according to Helen Keller, “The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has not Christmas in his heart.”
If Christ is born in our heart, it is always possible to celebrate Christmas not only in December, but even everyday. This is what St. Paul of the Cross insisted: “Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit, remaining like a baby in the bosom of the heavenly Father, where you will be reborn each moment in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ.”
Needless to say, therefore, there is a clear need for sincere and regular examination of conscience and the grace of the sacrament of Confession so that our interior being will be made ready to receive the Lord. This will always lead us to genuine humility, recognizing how unworthy we are for such a great gift. A humble heart is what will help us capture the true spirit of Christmas, for in the Incarnation, God humbled Himself, “being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:8).
A non-Catholic author, Morton Kelsey, puts it beautifully: "I am very glad Jesus was born in a stable because my soul is very much like a stable filled with strange and unsatisfactory longings, with guilt and animal-like impulses...tormented by anxiety, inadequacy, and pain. If Christ could be born in such a place, He can be born in me also. I am not excluded."
Indeed, “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air” (W.T. Ellis). Let me end with this simple yet profound thought on Christmas:
"It’s sharing your gifts, not purchasing gifts;
It’s not wrapping presents, it’s being present
and wrapping your arms around the ones you love;
It’s not getting Christmas cards out on time, it’s sending any card, anytime, at the right time;
It’s not having the biggest and best Christmas light display, it’s displaying the Christ light that comes from your heart;
It’s not Santa coming down the chimney, it’s Jesus coming down from heaven
and giving us the gift of eternal life." (Anon)
Let this prayer of Meister Eckhart be ours, too: "Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas! Amen."

Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
JP Rizal Street, Novaliches
Quezon City 1117

Christmas Day
December 25, 2010
Baby Power!
Lk 2:1-14

The parish has a new priest. Every afternoon, he went around, trying to meet as many parishioners as he could. He knocked on the door of one home. No one answered, but he knew someone was inside because he heard the TV and some movements inside. He knocked harder and longer, but to no avail. Finally, he decided to leave a business card, wrote a Bible verse on it and placed it in front of the door.
Minutes after the priest left, the lady in the house opened the door. She saw the card with the priest's name and the Bible verse: Revelation 3:20. She opened her Bible and it said: "Behold, I am standing at the door, knocking...if anyone opens the door, I will come in and we will have a meal together."
That Sunday morning the priest saw his business card in the collection basket. He saw that the verse he wrote on it was crossed out and in its place was Genesis 3:10. The priest looked it up in his Bible. These were words uttered by Eve in Paradise: "I heard you in the garden but I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself." (Adapted from “Rediscovering Catholicism”, by M. Kelly).
Christmas is all about God coming into our world, knocking at the door of our hearts. He wants in. So He became man just like us so that He can be Emmanuel – God with us. But He wants further in – that is, inside our hearts. This is precisely the reason why He chose to be born as an infant in the manger. A newborn baby cannot fail to elicit the strongest emotions in us. But a newborn baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger on a cold winter night will surely move anyone’s heart to its limits. That is what Christmas is all about – God, knocking at the door, seeking to enter our hearts to fill us with love, peace and joy.
Until now, there are many people who cannot accept the image of God as man, and more so as a baby, so vulnerable and powerless. How can that be God? Yet God’s wisdom, though beyond human understanding, cannot be denied. By experience, we know that the baby, no matter how small and weak, wields so much power. This is described beautifully in the words of Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI:  "The power of God revealed in Christmas is the power of a baby, nothing more, nothing less: innocence, gentleness, helplessness, a vulnerability that can soften hearts, invite in, have us hush our voices, teach us patience, and call forth what's best in us.... The power of Christmas is like the power of a baby.”
When there is a baby in the house, the whole atmosphere changes. All eyes are fixed on him. When the baby cries, everybody rushes to attend to him. He has the power to pull his mother or father out of bed at night. When he sleeps, he hushes to silence the people around him. And when he smiles, he has the power to calm down anxious nerves, to soothe tired limbs and to heal and gladden aching hearts.
Such is the power of a baby – it is the power of innocent and pure love. This is what we celebrate every Christmas: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” We rejoice and celebrate because, unworthy though we are, God gave us His greatest Gift ever – His only-begotten Son. He was born as a baby to draw us to Him, not in force or fear, but in love and humble affection. And He sets Himself as a model for us to follow: “Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.”
Unfortunately, this is what the world is visibly losing – the awareness of love and the value of generous self-giving. The world is in disarray. Due to our selfish ambitions and unbridled greed, families are torn apart, babies are killed, marriages are destroyed, and social institutions are pushed to the abyss of moral bankruptcy. No wonder, many people avoid the greeting “Merry Christmas”, and instead say “Happy Holidays”, not only to be politically correct, but probably also because they are not willing to embrace the Gospel values of love, self-giving and sacrifice that Christmas seeks to remind us of. These values are the antidotes to the culture of death that has prevailed over the world today.
Pope Benedict XVI said: "In the night of the world, we must let ourselves be amazed and illumined by this act of God, which is totally unexpected: God becomes a Child.The Word-become-a-child helps us to understand God's way of acting, so that we will be capable of allowing ourselves to be transformed increasingly by his goodness and his infinite mercy."
Now, more than ever, we need to proclaim more boldly and clearly the message of Christmas. It is our mission as Christians. After all, the word Christmas comes from the words “Christ” and “Mass”, and the word “Mass” comes from the Latin “Missa”, derived from the past participle “missi” (I have sent). Hence, we have the word “mission.” Christmas, therefore, reminds us of Christ’s mission to spread love, peace and joy in a world darkened by egoism, violence and misery. That is also our mission as followers of Christ.
Hence, coming to Mass on Christmas is truly essential. In the Mass, we encounter Jesus, the Baby lying in the manger. This is what St. John Chrysostom said: “Let each of us leave his house empty so that we may see our Master wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger... The table of this altar takes the place of the manger. And surely the Master's body will be lying on this altar… If we approach with faith, we too will see Jesus, for the Eucharistic table takes the place of the crib. Here the Body of the Lord is present, wrapped not only in swaddling clothes but in the rays of the Holy Spirit".
As we greet each other “Merry Christmas”, let us not forget to greet our Lord Jesus “Happy Birthday”, for he is born, not only in Bethlehem, but also on this altar of the Eucharist and in the innermost core of our hearts.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Teresa Church
141 Henry Street
New York, NY 10002

4th Sunday of Advent
December 18, 2011

Obedience Leads to Freedom
Lk. 1:26-38

 

God created man in His image and likeness. The gift of freedom is what made us in the image and likeness of God. Unlike the rest of creation, man is not governed by his instincts. He has the power to choose. And God respects our freedom. He waits for our free response to His invitation to salvation. St. Augustine said: “Deus qui creavit te sine te, non salbabit te sine te.”(God, who created you without your cooperation, will not save you without your cooperation).
Unfortunately, freedom is not understood properly by many people. And because of this, freedom is not also properly used. There is widespread abuse of freedom. And this is the cause of so much trouble and misery in the world today.
The first problem is that people only think of freedom from something, and rarely thinks about freedom for something. They just want to get out, but once they are out, they do not know where to go. Hence the song: “Do you know where you’re going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to?” It is the classic case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
And then there is confusion as to the meaning of freedom. There are three definitions of freedom. The first two definitions are false. The first one is this: “Freedom is the right to do whatever I please.” This is individualistic and selfish freedom, without regard for the welfare of others. I am free to break into the house of my neighbors, to run my car on the sidewalks, and to slap the face of the Pope. But as a rational being, should I do that? Yet there are people who stand by the principle, “As long as it makes you happy, there is nothing wrong with that!” I remember the words of a famous song entitled, “You Light Up My Life”. Towards the end of the song, it says, “It can’t be wrong ‘cause it feels so right. ‘Cause you, you light up my life.” This is what Pope Benedict calls the “dictatorship of relativism”. Definitely, this creates confusion and the destruction of human and social values.
In order to avoid confusion, an external authority must come in to set the standards and rules for actions and behavior. This gave rise to the second false definition: “Freedom is the right to do whatever you must.” This is totalitarian freedom, which is not freedom at all. This is the basis of atheistic Communism. It seeks to destroy individual freedom for the sake of society. In a Communist society, the people have no choice but to obey the dictator.
But the right definition of freedom is: “Freedom is the right to do whatever we ought.” This is expressed in the philosophical dictum: “Agere sequitur esse” (Action follows being). The dog barks because it is a dog. And it is free to bark because it ought to bark. As human beings, we were created by God with certain standards and ideals. These are the parameters of our actions and behavior, and within these parameters, we exercise our full potentials according to God’s plan for man. Freedom is within the law, not outside it. I am free to draw a triangle, but only if I draw three sides and not four sides, for that would not be a triangle anymore. I am free to fly, but on condition that I obey the laws of aeronautics.
In the spiritual realm, I am most free when I obey the law of God. If God created us according to His image and likeness, our lives ought to be clear reflections of God. We are expected to be good and holy for that is what God created us to be. That is why Moral Theology defines freedom as “the power to do good.” Committing sin is not freedom; it is an abuse of freedom. When we sin, we lose our freedom; we become slaves of sin. St. Augustine said: “Love God and then do whatever you please.” In other words, obedience to God does not take away our freedom; rather it perfects our freedom because it helps us to love God more perfectly and conform ourselves according to His image and likeness.
This is precisely the kind of freedom that Mary has shown when she accepted God’s invitation through the angel: “Be it done unto me according to your word.” Her obedience to God did not take away or limit her freedom; rather it perfected her freedom for it enabled her to conform herself to her original ideal as image and likeness of God. Mary is the second Eve. By her humble and unconditional obedience, she reversed the disobedience of the first Eve. While Eve brought sin and death, Mary, the second Eve, brought forth into the world the Savior of mankind. Mary undid what Eve has done. Hence, the name Eva was converted into Ave, the angel’s greeting to Mary.
Pope Benedict XVI has a beautiful insight on the importance of Mary in our life. He said that when Christ was born, every creature offered a sign of gratitude: the angels, a hymn; the heavens, a star; the Magi, gifts; the shepherds, admiration; the earth, a cave. But, asked the Holy Father, what about the human race? What do we have to offer to God?  The Pope said that what we have to offer is the Virgin Mary herself. She is the greatest boast, the greatest honor of our human race. Si Maria ang “pambato” ng buong sangkatauhan. She shows what humanity is capable of. When we look at the Blessed Virgin Mary, we recognize the true capacity of our human nature.
This Sunday, let us look at Mary. She is the Mother of the Incarnate God, Jesus Christ. She is also our Mother, our Model and our Inspiration. Let us thank God for giving us His Son Jesus and let us do this by offering Mary to Him as our best gift, the greatest boast of mankind. And let us also ask her help and maternal intercessions for us so that, as her children, we may use our God-given freedom properly. And most especially, let us imitate the example of Mary in her humble obedience that made her most free from all sins and most free to love God perfectly.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
Bgy. Sta. Lucia, Novaliches
Quezon City 1117

3rd Sunday of Advent
December 11, 2011

Rejoice Always!
Jn. 1:6-8, 19-28

There is beauty in contrast. When two contrasting colors combine, we have a beautiful image. In fact, the attractive colors we have are combinations of contrasting primary colors. This is precisely the case of our readings this Sunday – a contrasting combination.
The Gospel gives us the figure of St. John the Baptist. He is an ascetic prophet. He was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And his message is quite serious: “Repent! Turn away from sin. Make straight the way of the Lord!”
In short, John the Baptist is telling us to take life seriously. Life is short. It could end any time. Each moment should not be wasted, but must be spent in honest-to-goodness preparation for the coming of the Lord. Life must be taken seriously in view of eternity. Eternal life awaits those who are prepared to receive the Lord. Eternal damnation is for those who wasted all opportunities for conversion and renewal.
But the first two readings this Sunday are singing a different tune. They are exhorting us to rejoice! Life is short. It is full of trials and sufferings. But do not take these seriously because they are all passing away. The Lord is near! Our troubles will soon be over. A quotation says, “All things in life are temporary.  If going well enjoy them, for they will not last forever. If going wrong, do not worry; they can't last long either.” So, rejoice in the Lord!
The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “rejoice!” The word “rejoice” comes from the root word “joy”. Nowadays people are not anymore familiar with this word. This is because joy is a virtue and it belongs to the soul. It is the happiness of the soul. On the other hand, people are more accustomed to the word “pleasure”. It is the happiness of the body. The exhortation of St. Paul to “Rejoice in the Lord!” is not an invitation to pleasure, which is carnal and ephemeral, but to joy in the Lord, which is deeply spiritual and long lasting.
Going back to St. John the Baptist, we are reminded that life is to be taken seriously. Time is short, and once lost, it cannot be recovered. We cannot turn back the clock. And yet, the decisions we make in this short life have eternal implications and consequences. Our eternal happiness in heaven, or eternal misery in hell, will depend primarily on how we lived our life in this world. Each day and each moment of the day is an opportunity for conversion and for doing good to others in order to prepare for eternal life.
But while we take life seriously, we should also rejoice. There is contrast between taking life seriously and rejoicing. But there is no contradiction between the two. St. Paul is not telling us to throw all caution out of the window and indulge in drunkenness and revelry everyday. This is not the rejoicing he is talking about. He is not inviting us to pleasure, but to joy in the Lord. We have to rejoice because the Lord is our salvation. We rejoice because the Lord is near. He is Emmanuel – God with us – especially in our moments of sorrows and troubles. As we come to celebrate the Eucharist, we ought to rejoice because He has assured us: “He who eats my body and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
How can this dual experience be possible? More than a week from now, we will celebrate the birthday of Jesus. If we look back at that first Christmas, we may say there was nothing to rejoice about. The night was dark – the darkest night of the year ever – and very cold. The shepherds were out in the fields watching their flock. They had to endure the biting cold and keep themselves awake. Theirs was no easy task. The surroundings were rugged and dry. It was truly a serious situation. But it did not hinder them from rejoicing. They rejoice for only one reason: the Child Jesus is born in their midst.
Let us look at our situation today. Everything is serious and gloomy. The stock market is weak and unstable. Big companies and businesses are closing down. Many people have lost their jobs and their homes. The prospects of the future are uncertain and depressing. But does this mean we cannot – or ought not – to rejoice anymore?
Rejoicing in the Lord does not depend on how much money we have, or how strong the economy is, or how bright the future is. Rejoicing depends entirely on the Lord. We may have all the money in the world, all the success in our career, and all the luxury that this life can give, but if we live away from the Lord, we cannot have true rejoicing.
And perhaps we are encountering these difficult situations in the world so that we will eventually discover and appreciate the real happiness brought by the birth of Jesus. The shepherds rejoiced even though they were wanting in material things. We also can rejoice, no matter what our situation is, because the Lord is with us. He has come to live with us and set us free. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, we repeat the response we said a while ago: “My soul rejoices in my God!”
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
JP Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

2nd Sunday of Advent

December 04, 2011

Spiritual Preparation

Mk. 1:1-8

A teacher was explaining to her grade school class the value of cleanliness and a healthy lifestyle. She placed four worms in separate jars. The first worm was put into a jar of alcohol. The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a jar filled with soda.
The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.
The children saw with their own eyes the result: The first worm in alcohol - dead.
The second worm in cigarette smoke - dead.
Third worm in soda - dead.
Fourth worm in good clean soil - alive!
So, the teacher asked: “Class, what is the lesson you get from this experiment?”
A boy quickly raised his hand and said, "Now I know that as long as you drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and drink soda, you won't have worms in your body!"

People nowadays are serious about their physical health and well being. This is truly commendable. After all, we are reminded that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. However, while people take care of their body, there is not enough attention given to the spiritual health, the well being of their soul. Such is the fruit of the culture of materialism in the world. People give importance to the physical and material, but ignore and neglect the spiritual aspects of life.

We are now on the second Sunday of Advent. People are already doing the countdown for Christmas. And definitely, most of us are making preparations for this long-awaited event of the year. Yet, the same thing happens: most preparations are only on the material and superficial levels.

The season of Advent, therefore, aims to direct us towards the more important aspect: the spiritual preparation. Hence, this Sunday, the main figure of Advent, St. John the Baptist is being presented to us. He is the voice crying in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord!”

The preparation that St. John refers to is not about decorations, gifts and parties. Rather, he is talking about internal and spiritual preparation. Based on our readings this Sunday, let me point out the elements of this kind of preparation.

The first element is the virtue of faith. We must be sure that our belief in the coming of the Lord is firm and strong. Jesus comes into our lives in three ways: his coming in history, which is what we celebrate every Christmas; his coming in mystery, which happens everyday in the celebration of the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, and in our encounter with other people; and his coming in glory at the end of time. As Advent people, we wait with patience and faith. And the best way to keep our faith strong is constant prayer. As St. Padre Pio said, “prayer is the oxygen of our soul.”

The second element is humility. This is clearly shown in the teachings and example of St. John the Baptist: “I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.” Knowing how sinful we are, we bow our heads in sorrow and shame, yet full of hope for we have faith in a merciful and loving God. The Lord comes only to a people whose hearts are pure and humble. Hence, humility is an essential element in our preparation for the Lord’s coming.

And the third element is repentance. The message of St. John the Baptist is constant and urgent: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” As we wait for the Lord, we look at ourselves, and humbly admit our sinfulness and unworthiness. Sadly, this element is missing among many people nowadays. The loss of the sense of sin is so evident in our society. St. John pointed out to the people: “Look! There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” It is Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Unfortunately, many people do not believe this anymore. For them, it is Congress, or the movie stars or television that takes away the sins of the world. Many have already lost the sense of sin. The cause of this sad situation is an erroneous understanding of human freedom. Many people think that freedom is absolute, and that we can change the moral law any way we wish.

Blessed Pope John Pau II wrote about this in his encyclical “Veritatis Splendor.” He said, “Certain currents of modern thought have gone so far as to exalt freedom to such an extent that it becomes an absolute, which would then be the source of values. This is the direction taken by doctrines which have lost the sense of the transcendent or which are explicitly atheist. The individual conscience is accorded the status of a supreme tribunal of moral judgment, which hands down categorical and infallible decisions about good and evil.”

St. John preached a baptism of repentance as the way to prepare the hearts of people for the coming of the Lord. He did not mince words in pointing out sinful deeds and behavior and made sure they realize the horrors of sin. He fearlessly condemned the immoral and scandalous relationship of the king with his brother’s wife. In doing so, he was beheaded in prison by order of the king. He was willing to sacrifice his own life in order to bring people to repentance and conversion.

Such attitude is similar to that of Jesus who willingly died on the cross for our conversion and salvation. St. Peter expressed this in the second reading: “The Lord does not delay his promise, but is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2Pet 3:9-10). Needless to say, the sacrament of Confession is an indispensable tool in making our Advent preparation fruitful and complete, “eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace” (2Pet 3:14).

This Advent Season, let our preparation be primarily spiritual, and as we prayed at the start of this Mass, “may no earthly undertaking hinder (us) who set out in haste to meet your Son." We ask the Lord to give us the grace of repentance so that, set free from the slavery of sin, we may grow in humility and in faith – the essential ingredients in our spiritual preparation for the coming of the Lord in history, in mystery and in glory.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

Sta. Lucia Parish

JP Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia

Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

1st Sunday of Advent
November 27, 2011

Preparing for the Coming of Jesus
Mk. 13:33-37
If the Weather Channel would inform us that there would be a hurricane that will hit our city next week, we will surely take all the necessary precautions immediately. One warning is enough for us to do something to prepare for the calamity. When we buy groceries, we always look for warning signs on the label: cholesterol, fats, MSG, and sodium and sugar contents. We take these warnings seriously.
More than 2000 years ago, Jesus told us that He will come back, and He gave us the warning to be on guard at all times. But His warning goes unheeded. In the Gospel today, Jesus repeats this warning: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come!” We may not be able to see the Last Day in our lifetime. But one thing is certain: we will all die and face God in judgment.
This Sunday we begin the Season of Advent. It is a season in which we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, the coming of Jesus in history. We look back at that event in Bethlehem, the beginning of our redemption. It is a season of looking back.
But Advent is also a season of looking forward. It looks forward to the second coming of Christ at the end of time. This is what we profess in our Creed: “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” So Jesus warns us this Sunday to be always awake, ready and on guard for we cannot know when it will come.
How do we prepare? How do we become alert? In the Gospel, Jesus used the image of a master leaving the house and entrusting everything to the care of the servants. “He leaves home, and places his servants in charge, each with his work and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.” In other words, the best preparation is to do our tasks and fulfill our obligations faithfully, not in the future, but now, for we do not know the exact time. And Jesus gives this warning: “May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.”
In my previous parish, there was a security guard of a nearby bank who died. He was on night duty. According to the investigation, he had “bangungot” or nightmare. In other words, he died while sleeping. Clearly, then, he was sleeping while on duty. I am sure nobody wants to hire a sleeping guard.
Charles Lindberg crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a solo and nonstop flight in 1927 from New York to Paris in 33 hours and 30 minutes. To get himself ready for the ordeal, he often refused to go to bed. When asked why, he replied, “Just practicing to stay awake all night.” This is the attitude that the season of Advent would like us to have.
It is said that, “Yesterday is a memory. Tomorrow is but a dream. Now is the only time on which eternity depends.” Our future eternal destiny depends totally on the now, on how we make use of the opportunities of the present time. The faithful servants, who were doing their job when the master returns, will surely receive a reward. But the servants who were found asleep will be punished.
In what does our preparation consist of? The first is self-examination. What is our present condition? The prophet Isaiah in the first reading helps us find the right words: “We are sinful. All of us have become like unclean people. All our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves; and our guilt carries us away like the wind.”
After acknowledging our sinfulness, the next step is to make a firm resolution to turn a new leaf. That is why the liturgical color of the Advent Season is violet, a symbol of penance and repentance. Once and for all we decide to reject sin totally and definitively, and follow Christ more closely. And that decision is now. As Thomas Merton said, now should be “the beginning of the end in us of all that is not Christ.” Definitely, the sacrament of Confession is in order during this season of Advent.
And finally, we turn to God and ask for divine assistance in our struggle to remain with Him all the time. St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, gives us the firm assurance: In Christ Jesus, “you were enriched in any way… so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Let us make this year’s Advent season truly fruitful. Let us prepare for Christmas. But let us have more sincere and serious preparation for that inevitable moment when we will come to face God at the end of time or at the end of our life in this world. May He find us awake, alert and ready to meet Him with joy now and for always.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
Bgy. Sta. Lucia, Novaliches
Quezon City 1117

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 13, 2011

Wise Investment for Eternity
Mt. 25:14-30
A priest dropped by a gas station and was surprised by the long line of cars at the pump. He soon realized that it was the eve of long holiday weekend. Finally, after waiting for some time, it was his turn. The attendant apologized. “Father”, said the young man, “I'm so sorry about the delay. It’s always like this before a long holiday weekend. Everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip.” The priest smiled and said, “I know what you mean. It's the same in my business.”
We are now on the thirty-third Sunday. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of the liturgical year. Hence, our readings at this time are about the last things – death, the end of the world, final judgment, heaven and hell. These are the hard realities we can never avoid. It is, therefore, necessary and wise to do our preparation way ahead of these inevitable events.
The parable of the Ten Virgins last Sunday reminded us that we must have ample supply of oil to keep our lamps burning in preparation for the coming the Lord Jesus at the end of time. This Sunday, the Gospel gives us the parable of the Talents. It reminds us of the unannounced coming of the Lord and the time for accounting and judgment. Hence, there is the need to properly use our talents and gifts for the glory of God and the welfare of our fellowmen.
The meaning of the parable is clear. We are the servants. The talents are the blessings God has given us – time, intelligence, our capacity to love, temporal goods, family, and the like. The journey of the master signifies our life in this world. His sudden return stands for our death. The settling of accounts is our judgment. The eternal banquet is Heaven.
The master entrusted talents (a significant amount of money or gold) to his three servants before he went away for some time. The amount was proportionate to the capacity of each servant, and the master hoped that it would be handled properly until his return. The first two servants invested the money and, as a result, they were able to double the amount when the master returned. The third servant acted foolishly. He buried the money of his master. This greatly offended the master.
It was a threefold offense: first, he did not use the money according to its purpose. In burying it, it was not able to help other people, and so it did not grow. Second, it revealed the superficial relationship he had with his master. It was a relationship based only on fear, and not love. And third, it also showed his low self-esteem. He did not count his giftedness. Instead, he compared himself with the other two servants, and in the process, he looked down on himself and even accused the master of being “a hard man, reaping where you had not sown.” In all these, it was clear that he was not a trustworthy servant.
In all honesty, we have to admit that sometimes we are like this third servant. Instead of looking at our self and counting our blessings, we look at other people who have more. We become envious of them and our discontent grows. So, instead of thanking God and using His blessings, we complain. We then end up becoming bitter and unhappy.
The parable this Sunday tells us that God has entrusted us with many blessings. The fact is we are blessed more than we ever imagine. And He expects us to use these blessings, not to bury them in the ground. The more we use them and share them with others, the more blessed we are, and we become a blessing to others as well.
There was a famous pianist named Jan Paderowski. One time, a fellow pianist asked him if he could be ready to play a recital on short notice, Paderowski replied, “I am always ready. I have practiced eight hours daily for 40 years.” “Oh, how I wish I had been born with such talent and determination,” the other pianist said. Paderowski said, “We are all born with talent and determination. I just used mine.”
“Burying our talents” is another word for selfishness. The more selfish we are, the more we feel insecure and insignificant, and we indulge in self-pity. But Jesus reminds us that we should never feel insignificant, for we are all precious in the eyes of God. We should never say, “I am just a small person. My presence is not important in this world.” Just imagine a piano with one key missing. It can never play a complete melody. Imagine a typewriter or a computer keyboard missing one letter. You can never compose a complete message.
One time I offered a funeral Mass for a dead pilot in the Air Force. His aircraft had engine trouble and crashed. The investigation revealed that one small screw in the engine was missing. The absence of one small screw caused the fatal accident. One small screw is important to the pilot and to the entire aircraft.
Each one of us has significant contribution in the building up of the Body of Christ. Each one is important and precious in the eyes of God. Instead of indulging in self-pity or being envious of others, let us resolve to use our gifts and talents. As St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” This means that the best way to give glory to God is to develop our life to its fullest potentials, by using wisely our God-given gifts, talents and blessings for the benefit of others. Any time the Lord returns and we are asked to render an account of our stewardship, we will hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant! Come, share your master’s joy!” Let me close with this thought from Bruno Hagspiel:
An engineer has figured out that with a 5-kilogram bar of iron you could make various things: nails, which would net you $10; needles, which would gain you $300; and watch springs, which would bring $250,000. Each day has the same raw material. What you make depends on you.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
JP Rizal Street
Bgy. Sta. Lucia, Novaliches
Quezon City 1117

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 06, 2011

Wasting Time
Mt. 25:1-13
Imagine this scenario. When you wake up each morning, your account in the bank receives $86,400 for that day. But at the end of the day, when you sleep, the amount is gone. So, during the day, you have to spend the whole amount. Furthermore, the bank can close your account at any time without warning. Hence, it is all the more necessary for you to spend that money on that day. But $86,400 is a big amount to use up for one day. So you may need to spend it for your loved ones and other people as well, even those you do not know.
Actually, this is not an imaginary scenario. It is the reality! Each of us possesses such a magical bank, which we oftentimes take for granted. This magical bank is TIME!
Each morning when we wake up, we receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life. And when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is not credited to us. What we have not lived up that day is forever lost. Yesterday is forever gone. Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve our account at any time, without warning! Death comes suddenly. So, what shall we do with our 86,400 seconds? Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars. (Anon)
The parable of the ten virgins is about the wise use of time. Five of the virgins were wise – they certainly took their time in bringing along with them flasks of oil for their lamps. The other five virgins were foolish because they did not bring provisions for their lamps. They must not be serious in the task entrusted to them. And worse, while idly waiting for the bridegroom, they did not use their time to fill up their lamps with oil. So, when he arrived, they had to scamper in the night, looking for oil. But they were too late. When they returned, the door was closed, and they were not anymore allowed to enter the wedding feast.
Christ is the Bridegroom who is coming. The virgins represent mankind. The time of waiting is a symbol of our life on earth. We are an advent people, eagerly and patiently waiting for the coming of the Lord. In this period of waiting, we are reminded to make use of our time to prepare well for the coming of Christ. Our preparation is not in terms of material provisions, but spiritual and Christian virtues necessary to make ourselves worthy to join Jesus in His wedding banquet in heaven. This is what the oil symbolizes. It is an internal character – a personal virtue, a personal condition of readiness and preparedness. That is the reason why the wise virgins could not share their oil with the other five.
In the meantime, while we still have the time in the world, we have to make the necessary preparations to meet the Lord. Unfortunately, many people are like the foolish virgins. They have all the time in their hands, but they are not using it for their spiritual preparation.
What are the ways of preparation that we need to spend our time on? First, study. Most of us have spent many years in school, studying science, mathematics, communication arts, history and many others. But all these fields of study are aimed at preparing ourselves only for our life in this world, and nothing beyond. On the other hand, how much time have we spent studying catechism, the sacraments, and the Bible? These are matters that are necessary for our entry into eternal life, but we unfortunately take for granted and neglect. 
Second, prayer. Many people go about their daily affairs without even finding time to pray. Their usual excuse is because they are too busy. What they fail to realize is that, “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor; If the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil.” Prayer is our way of staying connected with God. The Lord Jesus himself said it: “I am the vine, you are the branches; apart from me you can do nothing.” As St. Alphonsus Liguori said, "Those who pray are surely saved. Those who do not pray are surely lost."Needless to say, the Mass is the most perfect form of prayer. Regularly receiving the Body of Christ in Holy Communion helps us establish an intimate relationship and union with the coming Bridegroom.
Third, good works. Jesus said, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Acts of charity and generosity towards others, especially the poor and underprivileged, are the heavenly treasures that we ought to accumulate while we still have time and opportunities. In fact, Jesus identified himself with the poor: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.” Being close to the Lord through our loving service to the poor will surely prepare us for his imminent coming.
These are the three things we must seriously and generously invest our time on, the three feet (tripod) on which every Christian stands: prayer (worship), study (education) and good works (service). These are the oil that will keep our lamp of faith continually burning until we meet the Bridegroom, ready to enter his eternal Wedding Feast.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Church
JP Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 30, 2011

And With Your Spirit!
Mt. 23:1-12
The fourth commandment says: "Honor your father and your mother." But in the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus said, “Call no man 'Rabbi' or 'Teacher' or 'Father.'" What does he mean by this? Does he want us to do away with titles of respect? Are we going to address our parents by their first name? No. In fact, Jesus himself used titles of respect. For example, he referred to "father Abraham." Saint Paul directly told the Corinthians, "I am your father." And he referred to Timothy as his "son." For his part, we can surmise that Timothy must have also called Paul his "father”.
In this exhortation, Jesus is simply reminding us that we have only one Master, one Teacher, one Father - God himself. As the prophet Malachi asked: “Have we not all the one father? Has not one God created us?” (2:9). Hence, whatever authority we have, whether as teacher, as leader, or as father, all these come from God. We only participate in His authority.
Hence, the reminder to use the authority we have in accordance with the mind and plan of God. This means that we have to use it, not to dominate and oppress people, but to serve them: “Let the greatest among you be the servant of all.” We participate in God’s authority, precisely in order to serve others.
This is clearly shown in the role of the priest, especially every time he offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The greeting in the Mass directly points to that. In Latin, it is: “Dominus vobiscum.” And the response is: “Et cum spiritu tuo.” In English, it is: “The Lord be with you.” The response is: “And also with you.” In the coming new English translation, the response will be: “And with your spirit.”  
The response is being changed, not only to make the translation from Latin more accurate, but also to capture the right theological meaning of this greeting. What, then, is the meaning of “And with your spirit”?
In the first place, we must remember that this expression is taken from the Book of Ruth 2:4 and 2 Timothy 2:22. The early Christians, according to St. Justin Martyr (100-165), spoke these answers from the very beginning.
St. John Chrysostom, in his Pentecost Homily, given towards the end of the fourth century, taught about this. He said:  “If the Holy Spirit were not in our Bishop [referring to Bishop Flavian of Antioch] when he gave the peace to all shortly before ascending to his holy sanctuary, you would not have replied to him all together, ‘And with your spirit’. This is why you reply with this expression not only when he ascends to the sanctuary, nor when he preaches to you, nor when he prays for you, but when he stands at this holy altar, when he is about to offer this awesome sacrifice. You don’t first partake of the offerings until he has prayed for you the grace from the Lord, and you have answered him, ‘And with your spirit’, reminding yourselves by this reply that he who is here does nothing of his own power, nor are the offered gifts the work of human nature, but is it the grace of the Spirit present and hovering over all things which prepared that mystic sacrifice” (PG L. 458 ff).
In this teaching, therefore, St. John Chrysostom clearly points out that this greeting in the Mass is not something superficial and ordinary. The response “And also with you” may sound like we are just exchanging pleasantries with the priest, almost equivalent to saying, “Same to you, Father!” Nowadays, this is ordinarily accompanied by the people’s gesture of also extending their hands towards the priest, as if tossing something back to him. This further trivializes the liturgy.
More importantly, however, St. John Chrysostom wanted us to realize that this is not really a greeting at all, but a prayer of blessing (“The Lord be with you”) that is being answered by a profession of faith (“And with your spirit”). So, when we say, “And with your spirit”, we are reminding ourselves that the Mass is not about the priest at all, for it is not his Mass. It is Christ’s Mass: “The liturgy, then, is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ” (Vatican II, SC #7). The liturgy, especially the Eucharist, is first and foremost an action of the one High Priest, Jesus Christ.
So while the priest is not just a member of the congregation, he is not also called “presider.” This term is not even used in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal. Instead, the term used is “Priest Celebrant”, to highlight the fact that in his role of offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, he does so in Persona Christi – in the Person of Christ. He is able to do this, not by his own power and resources, but through the special grace of the Holy Spirit conferred on him by the sacrament of Holy Orders in such a way that he is configured to Christ. It is Christ who personally ministers through the priest. In other words, the true priest and celebrant of every Mass is Christ himself. Hence, in recognition of this truth, we express our faith by saying, “And with your spirit.” In other words, the congregation says, “We acknowledge the Spirit, presence and grace of Christ in your spirit, Father.”
This, then, leads us to the lesson of the Gospel. Jesus told us not to call anyone “Teacher” or “Father”, not because he does not want us to use titles of respect. Rather, he warns us against the pride and arrogance of the Jewish leaders in his time who were using their positions of authority to dominate and oppress the people. That is why our response, “And with your spirit” is a constant reminder for a priest that he must always have the spirit of humble service. As Jesus said, “Let the greatest among you be the servant of all.”
The priest, therefore, ought to be called “Father”, not because his is a position of superiority, but because he is a living reminder of Christ, “who has come not to be served, but to serve.” Let us continually pray for our priests so that the spirit of profound humility and genuine service may truly be lived by them, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
JP Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 23, 2011

Love is a Command
Mt. 22:34-40

The Apostle John was the only apostle who did not die as a martyr. He was exiled to the island of Patmos and died of old age. It was there that he wrote the fourth Gospel and the Book of Revelation. While he was already very old, his disciples would carry him to Church every Sunday. During the Mass, he would say to the people: “My dear children: love one another.” This is his one and the same message. After some time, one disciple asked him, “Master, why do you always say the same thing: Love another?” St. John answered, “Because it is the command of the Lord. And if this is only followed, it will be enough.”
When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replied: Love. Love God, and love your neighbor. It is the greatest because “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” That is why St. John said: “If this is only followed, it will be enough.” Curiously, however, we may ask: How can love be commanded? Isn’t love something spontaneous and voluntary? If one is commanded to love, it cannot be love anymore.
This question comes from people who believe that love is only a feeling or emotion. Indeed, love comes with an intense and ineffable feeling that one practically “falls” in love. But those feelings very soon dissipate and disappear. When that happens, people believe that love is gone; love is dead. It is time to look for another. This is what makes this world so sad and unstable. When love is treated as a mere passing fancy or emotion, human relationships also become the victim of man’s fickleness and whims.
Fortunately, love does not die; it is something eternal. St. John said: “Love is of God for God is love. He who remains in love remains also in God and God in him.” So, if God is love, and God is eternal, love must also be eternal; it is meant to last forever. The reason why people think that love can die is because they think of it as only an emotion or feeling. It is true that feeling is involved in love, but not always. Love goes beyond feelings; rather, it is a decision to give oneself totally and freely for the good of the other. Love is the person’s decision of total self-giving. God showed this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.”
The enemy of love, therefore, is not anger or hatred, but selfishness. When one refuses to give himself, he cannot love. Selfish persons are the loneliest persons in the world for they will never discover the beauty and greatness of love.
Since love is a decision, therefore, it can be commanded. God gave us this command because He was the first one to practice it. He loved us, and even gave us His own Son, even though we were still his enemies because of our sins. And so He commanded us: “Love one another as I have loved you.” And since love is a command, it has to be done. One author said, “The problem with the world is that many people consider love as a noun.” Love is not just a subject of discussion or study. Rather, love is an action word; it has to be done. St. John said: “Children, let us love not in word or speech, but in deed and truth.”
Our life as Christians is like a cross, with the vertical post and a horizontal beam. Without the vertical post, the horizontal beam cannot exist. The vertical dimension is love of God. It is the first and greatest commandment. It demands everything from us: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Love of God is the origin and the basis of the love of neighbors. Without love of God, love of neighbor is meaningless and empty. In fact, the reason why we love our neighbors is because we love God. A neighbor may be unlovable, or may even be an enemy. But because we love God, we are committed to love him.
The horizontal beam is love of neighbors. It is the concrete expression of our love of God. Without the beam, the post will remain empty and meaningless. St. John said: “If anyone says ‘I love God’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” Hence, should be able to see Jesus in our fellowmen: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers that you do unto me.” Seeing Jesus in others makes it possible for us to love others, even our enemies.
Let me tell you a story. There was a famous monastery long time ago. The monks truly loved each other. And people were attracted to them. As a result, there were many vocations. As time went by, the monks began to be selfish and ambitious; they would be envious of one another and would quarrel often. Gradually the people were disappointed and drifted away from them. The monastery lost many vocations; it was dying. The abbot was alarmed by the situation. So he went to see a holy man in the desert, a hermit. The holy man gave him just one advice: “I will tell you a secret. But I will say this to you only once. You will say it to your brothers, but only once. Under no circumstance will it be repeated by anyone. This is the secret: ‘The Messiah is among you.’”
The abbot went back to the monastery. He gathered all the monks and told them: “The Messiah is among you.” The monks were surprised, but soon after, they began to think: who is the Messiah among us? My goodness! It could be the one I quarreled with yesterday. Or it must be the cook, or the librarian, or the janitor. Very soon, the atmosphere in the monastery changed as each monk treated each one as the possible Messiah. They started loving each other again; kind words and deeds overflowed, and the whole community became a living image of love. The people noticed this and were drawn back to the monastery. The monastery became alive and vibrant once again.
Jesus gave us a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” As Christians, we have to imitate Jesus in our love for one another. Thus will the world know we are Christians: “By this shall all men know you as my disciples: your love for one another.”
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Church
J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 16, 2011

Give to God Everything!
Mt. 22:15-21

 

One day a mother was in panic. Her little boy swallowed a coin. “Quick!” she called on her husband. “Call the doctor!” But the husband calmly replied, “We do not need a doctor. Let us call a priest instead.” “Why? Is our boy going to die?” she asked. “No,” he replied, ‘But our parish priest has his way of getting money out of anybody.”
The Gospel this Sunday is talking about a coin. Jesus said to his critics, the Herodians and the Pharisees: “Show me a coin.” The coin was a Roman coin used to pay taxes to the Emperor. Jesus made this request because He was asked the question: “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the Emperor?” Jesus was quick to notice the malice behind this simple question. That is why he retorted: “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?” He called them hypocrites because they were actually trying to trap him. If he answers “yes”, they will tell the people that Jesus is a supporter of the Roman Empire. If he answers “no”, they will accuse him of sedition and let the matter be known by the Roman authorities so that he would be imprisoned. He called them hypocrites also because it is not proper for Jews, especially the Pharisees, to have in their possession a Roman coin for such would be an acknowledgement of Roman power over the Jewish people. Added to that, the coin has the blasphemous words inscribed on it: “Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus.” Yet when he asked for a coin, the Pharisees readily gave him one. In fact, it is publicly known that they are already paying taxes to the Emperor.
They laid a trap for Jesus, but he eluded it masterfully by saying: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”
This statement, short as it is, spells out a guiding principle for us. We cannot deny the fact that we are still in this world. At the same time, we should not also forget that we do not belong to this world; we are citizens of heaven.
While we are in this world, we abide by the principles of social life. No man is an island. We live with others in society. We should be useful and healthy members of society. And for a society to live in peace and harmony, there should be norms and laws, which must be followed for the common good and the protection of human rights. In this regard, a legitimate authority is necessary to implement the laws and to lead and unite the people. That is the meaning of the first part of the statement of Jesus: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” We have duties and obligations as members of society: loyalty to country, honest public service, payment of taxes, obedience to the laws of the land, respect for persons in authority and defense of basic human rights among many others. “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” I don’t think we have problem with this. I believe we are all law-abiding citizens of the land. Otherwise, we will not be here but in jail.
But the second part is what is more difficult and challenging: “Give to God what belongs to God.” What belongs to God? There is a common tendency among us to dichotomize our self. Sometimes we say, my soul belongs to God, but my body belongs to me and to the world. Or we say, when I am in church, I belong to God. But when I get out, I am on my own. That is not correct. We belong to God, whole and entire. That is why, when Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He answered, “This is the first: Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength.” He is not talking about 10 % or 50%. He said “all”, which means 100%. So, what is due to God? Everything. Since everything comes from Him, we ought to give everything back to Him. That is justice, plain and simple. So, we ask ourselves: “Am I ready and willing to give God everything?”
The first Filipino saint is Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, a martyr. He was a married layman, a lowly sacristan in a church in Manila. He joined the Dominican missionaries to Japan. There they were captured and tortured. Under penalty of death, they were ordered to renounce their faith. Lorenzo uttered these heroic words: “I am a Christian. And if I have a thousand lives, I will give them all to God.” Such a beautiful example of total generosity to God!
An old man won a million dollars in the lottery. His family could not break the great news to him for fear that he might have heart attack. They requested the priest to do the task. The priest obliged and talked to the old man. He started with: “Sir, if you win one million dollars, what will you do?” The old man quickly replied, “I will give half of it to you and to the church!” The priest had heart attack.
When I was a child, my parents would bring all of us children to church on Sunday. The house would be filled with activity as four children scramble to dress up. Then before leaving the house my parents would give each of us a five-centavo coin for the church collection. At that age I wondered, are my parents telling us that coins are enough to give to the church? Later in life, I realized they were, after all, very generous to the Church. They readily gave their son to the Church as a priest.
God is generous to us. He gives us everything, even His own Son: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” How generous are we to God? “Give to God what belongs to God.” Everything.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
J.P. Rizal Street, Bgy. Sta. Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117 

 

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 09, 2011

Come to the Wedding!
Mt. 22:1-14

One night, a man came home drunk. He ordered his wife, “I’m hungry. Give me something to eat!” The wife replied, “It’s all there on the table. It’s up to you to choose.” Upon seeing what is on the table, the man complained: “What? With only one piece of dried fish, what choice do I have?” “Well,” the wife said softly, “you can choose: to eat or not to eat.”
As human beings, we have the power to choose. This is because God gave us the gift of freedom. While the animals and other creatures are governed by their instincts, we human beings are not. We have control over our instincts because we have our intelligence and freedom. This is what makes us image and likeness of God: our freedom that enables us to love. There is no love without freedom. That is why God respects our freedom. Unfortunately, we can abuse this freedom, and even choose and decide to reject God. This is what the Gospel this Sunday is all about.
In the parable, the king invited certain people to the wedding feast. Unfortunately, they refused the invitation. So, he offered his invitation to outsiders, people in the byroads, and these filled the hall with banqueters.
The wedding feast is the image of the salvation that God offers to all. It is a “wedding” since it is a celebration of love, and it speaks of the loving union of God and man. It is a “feast” since it promises abundant blessings and eternal joy in the glory in heaven, in the presence of God and in company with all the angels and saints. God wants all people to be saved. But He can only invite; He cannot force or compel anybody to come, because He respects our freedom. We have to accept His invitation freely. We have to love Him freely.
That is why, although God wants everybody to be saved, not all will be saved. There are two reasons. First, there will be those who reject the Lord’s invitation. They use their freedom to reject God. St. Alphonsus Maria Ligouri said, “The greater part of men choose to be damned rather than love Almighty God.” And according to St. Isidore of Seville, “The greater part of men will set no value on the Blood of Christ, and go on offending Him.”
Many people think that freedom is the power to do anything they like. They believe they can commit sin and evil because they are free. That is not freedom but slavery. A youngster who chooses drugs is not free – he becomes a slave to drug addiction. A man who leaves his wife for another woman does not gain freedom. Rather, he is saddled with more marital problems, and one of them is having more than one mother-in-law! A woman who tells a lie is not free – she has to tell a thousand lies to cover up the first lie. That is why Jesus said: “The truth will set you free.” Rejecting God by choosing a life of sin and depravity is not freedom; it is an abuse of freedom, and it leads to the worst kind of slavery.
Second, many will not be saved because they do not obey the will of God. This is the lesson of the parable about the man who came to the marriage feast not dressed in a wedding garment. What is this wedding garment? St. Augustine said, “This is the wedding garment: ‘But the goal of the commandment,’ says the Apostle (Paul) ‘is love from a pure heart, and from a good conscience and from an unfeigned faith.’ It’s only such love that is the wedding garment.”
St. Paul urges us to clothe ourselves with the garment of love: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Col 3:12-14). After all, that is the central commandment of Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). Love is our garment or uniform that distinguishes us as Christians: “By this shall all men know you as my disciples: your love for one another” (Jn 13:35).
Saying “yes” to God’s invitation is easy. But fulfilling the various demands of that “yes” is never easy, for it means rejecting sin and living a life of total obedience to the will of God; turning away from selfishness and pride and learning to be generous in sharing oneself to others in service and humility. Ultimately, it means putting into practice the commandment of love. Those who accept God’s invitation but are not willing to put on the garment of love, cannot be admitted to the wedding feast of the Lord.
The celebration of the Holy Mass is called “heaven on earth”, a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. Before Communion, we hear the words: “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the Supper of the Lamb.” This is not only an invitation to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion. It is also an invitation to the eternal wedding feast in heaven.
God wants everybody to be saved. Therefore, let us always say “yes” to His invitation, and continually transform our lives, clothing ourselves with the garment of love, so that we may worthily enter the eternal joy and glory of heaven.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Sta. Lucia Parish
JP Rizal Street, Brgy. Sta Lucia
Novaliches, Quezon City 1117

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 02, 2011

Business As Usual
Mt. 21:33-43

This Sunday, let us reflect on the conduct of business. The parable of the vineyard is, after all, talking about business. At the time of Jesus, there were no huge commercial buildings and manufacturing corporations. What the people had then were vast tracts of agricultural lands, such as vineyards. Having a large vineyard means big business.
Nowadays we all are aware that business is not good, even in affluent countries such as in Europe and in America. The entire world is undergoing global economic crisis. Big economies are in severe financial troubles. Perhaps we can relate the Gospel lesson with the concrete economic situation of the world.
Let take America as a case in point. I am sure the lessons will also be applicable to other countries as well. God has abundantly blessed America with many and varied gifts: freedom, the Christian faith, democracy, natural and human resources and the values of honesty and hard work. In grateful acknowledgement of this truth, the forefathers of this nation have engraved the words “In God We Trust” on the mighty American dollar. We can rightly say that this land is the beloved vineyard of the Lord.
But why is this vineyard becoming fruitless and barren? The number of good jobs continues to decline, more stores are closing, incomes continue to go down, credit card debt and student loan debt are soaring, the housing market resembles a corpse, the number of Americans living in poverty continues to rise and government debt is at unprecedented levels. We now miss the products marked “Made in USA”. Almost all the products found in the market, from household items and garments to machineries and computers are “Made in China.” What is happening to America, the biggest economy in the world?
The parable mentions several important reasons. First, the walls are gone. These walls are supposed to keep rapacious wolves and animals away from the vineyard. Such are the negative effects of free trade and globalization that have taken down the protective walls of this country, and made itself open and vulnerable to the unmitigated influx of criminal and immoral activities in the economy.
Second, the wine press or vat is gone. It is built inside the walls of the vineyard so that at vintage time the pressing of the grapes will be done within its walls. And again, invoking globalization and succumbing to the attraction for more profits, big business corporations opted to close their domestic operations and outsourced their production to China and other countries outside the US for much cheaper labor and windfall profits. This resulted in huge capital flight and loss of jobs to millions of American workers. The rise in unemployment further weakened the people’s buying capacity, consequently resulting in the steep drop in sales of products and services.  
Third, the watchtower is also gone. It was put up as the guardhouse of the vineyard so that any danger will be averted. But unbridled capitalism and corporate greed have eradicated all administrative safeguards and monitoring systems, again in the guise of free trade. This was one major factor in the Wall Street disaster a couple of years ago.
And fourth, the tenants, blinded by greed and selfishness, chose to turn against the owner of the vineyard, killing his servants and even his own son. God is still the owner of all that we are and all that we have. We are only His tenants and we are expected to give an accounting of our stewardship to Him in the end. Unfortunately, many people willfully ignore this, blinded as they are by the insatiable desire for worldly wealth and power.
St. Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians, said, “Such as these will end in disaster! Their god is their belly and their glory is in their shame. I am talking about those who are set upon the things of this world” (Phil 3:19). Obviously, the cause of all the troubles that the world undergoes now is man’s selfishness and greed.
The words “In God We Trust” may as well become “In Gold We Trust”! Many people trust more in their money and gold, than in God. And worse, there are those who are bent on eradicating God from the Constitution, from the schools and from all public places. These are systematic attempts to erase God from society! This is what is truly frightening, for we all know there is no real freedom and success without God! The late President Ronald Reagan warned, “If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
The Gospel this Sunday invites us to bring back the true meaning of business, that is, business as usual, business as it should be. The letters of the word “business” give us important lessons. In “business”, it is not all about the “I”; rather, “U” and “I” are in it. In fact, the “U” comes before the “I”, and the “I” is silent. And finally, the “U” is pronounced as “I”. In other words, in dealing with business, we should be concerned about the welfare of the others. In the end, we also benefit from serving others. Ignoring these lessons, as what is happening nowadays, will invariably result in severe injustice and more human misery.   
And so in this Mass, let us resolve to observe the real purpose of business. Let us renew our loyalty and obedience to God in all our human endeavors. Let us acknowledge that we are simply his tenants; He is still the owner of the vineyard. May the words “In God We Trust” be forever engraved in our hearts and in the entire human society.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
On Vacation
Laoang, N. Samar    

San Lorenzo Ruiz Fiesta
Immaculate Conception Church, Jamaica Estates, NY
September 25, 2011

There is a quotation that says, “Some people bring happiness wherever they go; others bring happiness whenever they go.” I am going home. I hope to bring happiness wherever I go. After this Mass, I will be on my way to the airport, back home to the Philippines.
One priest was about to be transferred. His parishioners were sad. He tried to console them by saying, “Don’t worry, the one who is coming to take my place is a much better priest.” But instead of being consoled, the people cried louder. The priest was surprised. One lady explained, “Father, those were exactly the same words that the previous pastor said before he left.” (Talk about depreciation and devaluation in the church!)
Many people have asked me: why do you need to go back to the Philippines?
I have three reasons: First, this is not my home. As a Filipino, my home is the Philippines. As a priest, my home is the Diocese of Novaliches, in Metro Manila. I came here to New York only to take a much-needed break. I know I am not permanent here. Many have tried to convince me to get a green card. I consistently refused. It is useless, knowing I am just passing through, a traveller in this part of the world.
Second, as a priest, I have to go where I am sent. Others have told me that it is good to be here in the US because there is medical insurance, the income is definitely much higher than in Manila, and there is less work to do. But I have to remind myself that I was ordained a priest, not to look for riches and comfort, but to work for the Lord. I have to go where I am sent, where my services are needed, and where there is work to be done. The data speaks for itself. The Philippines is the third country in the world with the largest Catholic population, next to Brazil and Mexico. The US comes in fourth. But while the US has 46,500 priests, the Philippines has only 7,406 priests. The Diocese of Novaliches, for example, has a population of almost 2 million Catholics, with only 41 diocesan priests, a total of 96 priests serving 59 parishes (ratio: 1 priest to 19,792). On the other hand, the Archdiocese of New York, with 2.6 million Catholics has 932 diocesan priests, a total of 1,783 priests serving 370 parishes (ratio:1 priest to 1,461 catholics). The international priests are not yet included. Right now, our diocese has 2 parishes without priest. While parishes in New York are being closed, our diocese is adding new ones every year.
Third, it is God’s will that I go home. After a long period of discernment and prayer, I am certain that God wants me to be back to my diocese. As a priest, my business is to follow the will of God, not only in my personal life, but also in my pastoral ministry.
Why am I saying these things to you? You may ask, “E ano, kung uuwi ka na? Ano’ng pakialam namin sa ‘yong pag-uwi? Dear friends, I am telling you all these things because it is not only about me. It concerns all of us, for it is precisely about our life in this world as Christians.
First, we are reminded that this world is not our home. We are citizens of heaven. We are only passing through. We are just travellers. We are never permanent in this world. Eventually, we will have to leave, and go back to our eternal home in heaven. It is useless to accumulate wealth and material possessions for we will leave them all behind. These past days, as I was packing my things, I realized that in a short period of four years only, I have accumulated so many things that I don’t really need. In the end, I had to give them away or leave them behind. When you go back to your homes, look at your garage. For some of us, we cannot anymore park our car in the garage that has become filled with unnecessary things we do not want to let go. And look at the body we have now. It has accumulated a lot of unnecessary elements – excess fats, cholesterol, sugar, uric acid to name a few – through years of eating and drinking beyond what our body really needs. How about our money just sitting there idle in the bank? (A priest said, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have enough money to repair our church. The bad news is that the money is still in your pockets.”)
In the Book of Job, we are reminded, “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart” (1:21). We came into this world with nothing, and we will leave this world with nothing. So, travel light, por favor!
Second, as Christians in this world, our main concern in life is not about looking for wealth, comfort and luxury, but the fulfillment of the mission God has given us – to work for the kingdom of God. If I ask you now what is your mission in life, I am sure not too many will be able to answer me with certainty. For many people in the world nowadays, their main preoccupation is their personal ambition, their quest for more money, power and prestige. They never bother to ask about God’s plan for them, about their mission in the world. This is the reason why more and more people find their lives meaningless and without direction.
The Lord reminds us with his soul-searching question: “What profit would a man show if he gains the whole world and loses himself in the process?”
Life in this world is not only about earning a living, being comfortable and having a nice and secure retirement. Eventually, we will have to face the eschatological realities – death, final judgment, and heaven or hell. It would be very scary to face these realities after a life lived in selfishness and apart from the plan of God.
Third, as Christians, our source of fulfillment and true happiness is following the will of God. Insisting on our plans not only will lead us nowhere, but will also make us unhappy and in danger of losing our eternal salvation. (Story of a little mouse sleeping inside a grand piano.)
Many times we cannot understand God’s plan. It is not because God hides it from us, but simply because of our human limitations. No matter how hard we try, God’s plan is simply beyond what our human minds can comprehend. But this does not mean we will not anymore follow His plan. The Blessed Virgin Mary has shown us the perfect example of following God’s plan though she did not understand it. She replied to the angel Gabriel, “I am the maidservant of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to thy word.”
This leads us, then, to the lesson of the Gospel this Sunday. Obedience to God is not by words alone, not just by saying ‘yes’, but by doing. The Lord said, “Not all those who say ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my heavenly Father.”
In the parable, the first son said ‘no’, but later decided to obey his father. The second son said ‘yes’, but did not do what his father told him to do. In effect, it was also a ‘no’. Both of them offended the father. The ‘yes’ of the second son, though it initially pleased the father, was rendered meaningless by his disobedience. The ‘no’ of the first son hurt the father, but his subsequent repentance and obedience made the father happy in the end. Ultimately, it is not the words that really matter but the deed. As we always say, “Actions speak louder than words.”
As Filipinos, we have the perfect example of obedience in San Lorenzo Ruiz. The account of his life tells us that he definitely had no idea about God’s plan for him. He was wrongly accused of a crime. So, to evade the arms of the law, he secretly joined the Dominican friars on the boat. He was not aware that it was a mission bound for Japan. While others may call him a victim of circumstances, it is very clear to us that he was being led by the providential hand of God to the heights of heroic greatness and glory. Through all the challenges and sacrifices of missionary life, San Lorenzo bravely and zealously obeyed the will of God, even to the extreme pains of cruel torture and martyrdom. He offered his life as supreme witness of his complete obedience to the will of God. He told his Japanese tormentors: “I am a Christian and shall die for God, had I a thousand of lives, I shall give them to Him so do you as you please with me.”
Our life in this world is a journey. Every day we come closer to our final destination. A certain author by the name of Robin Sharma said, "When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries while you rejoice."

May we make our every remaining day an opportunity to consistently say ‘yes’ to God, not only in words, but in every action, decision and plan of our life. Let these words of Jesus give us complete assurance and consolation: “Anyone who does the will of my Father are mother and brother and sister to me.”
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Teresa Church
141 Henry Street
New York, NY 10002

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 25, 2011

Words and Action
Mt. 21:28-32

A lady went to the post office to mail a Bible to an old friend. She wrote on the box the warning “Fragile!” The postal clerk asked, “Is there anything breakable in here?” “Yes,” she replied. “It contains the Ten Commandments”.
Sin is always a violation of God’s commandments. It practically means saying no to God. The two sons in the parable disobeyed the father. The first son said ‘no’, but later decided to obey his father. The second son said ‘yes’, but did not do what his father told him to do. In effect, it was also a ‘no’. Both of them offended the father. The ‘yes’ of the second son, though it initially pleased the father, was rendered meaningless by his disobedience. The ‘no’ of the first son hurt the father, but his subsequent repentance and obedience made the father happy in the end. Ultimately, it is not the words that really matter but the deed. Jesus said: “Not everyone who says ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my heavenly Father.”
“Actions speak louder than words.” In fact there is no need for words when there are actions. So when we do not do what we say, as in the case of the second son, our words lose credibility. Hence, it can be said: “Your actions are too loud that I cannot hear your words.”
This parable of Jesus was intended for the religious leaders of Israel in his time, particularly the Pharisees. In their smug complacency, they believe they are assured of entrance into heaven. But Jesus told them: “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” They are the religious leaders who have clearly expressed their ‘yes’ to God. But based on their behavior and attitude, their hypocrisy and pride, their lack of concern for the people and their double-standard lifestyle, they have actually disobeyed God’s will and commands. They are like the second son in the parable.
On the other hand, the tax collectors, prostitutes and other public sinners can be like the first son. They said ‘no’ to God, but eventually, they listened to the teachings of Jesus, and reformed their lives. This is what the prophet Ezekiel pointed out in the first reading: “If the wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.”
Between the two sons, which of them should we follow? The answer comes from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: we follow neither the first son, nor the second son. Rather, we follow the third son: the one who said “yes” and obeyed the will of the heavenly Father even unto death. He is Jesus Christ. So Saint Paul exhorts us: “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” 
Being a Christian is an infinitely great privilege and honor for us. We become God’s children and inheritors of the heavenly kingdom. But being a Christian does not consist only of receiving honor and privileges. It has its corresponding duties and responsibilities, and these are fulfilled not by talking but by doing, not by words but by action. One time when Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, someone told him: “Your mother and your brothers are here looking for you.” But Jesus looked around and asked, “Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?” And pointing to those seated around him, he said: “These are my mother and my brothers. For anyone who does the will of my Father are mother and brother and sister to me.” Doing and obeying God’s will is what will make us true brothers and sisters of Jesus. 
There is a story about an elderly gentleman. He had serious hearing problem for many years. He went to a very competent doctor, and he was given an amazing set of hearing aids that fully restored his hearing faculty. After a month, he went back to his doctor. The doctor was pleased: “Your hearing is perfect! Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.” The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to their conversations. I’ve revised my last will three times already.”
Words do not mean anything when they are not accompanied by actions. Worse, our words lose their value when our actions contradict them. Nobody will believe our words anymore.
In baptism, we all said our ‘yes’ to God. Every time we come to church, we dip our fingers in the holy water and make the sign of the cross on ourselves. This we do as a renewal of our ‘yes’ to God in baptism. But that is not enough. In fact it is meaningless if we do not support it with actions. Let us make sure our ‘yes’ to God is seen in our actions, behavior and obedience to his commands. And this we have to do every day for the rest of our lives. Then we become like the third son, Jesus Christ, who was obedient to the Father even to death on the cross.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
On Pilgrimage in Italy

 

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 18, 2011

 

Surprise!

Mt. 20:1-16

 

The Gospel this Sunday is called the Parable of the Vineyard Workers. But more accurately, it can also be called the Parable of the Generous Landowner. His action greatly surprised everyone. How can he give those hired very late in the day the same salary as those who worked the whole day? There seems to be no fairness here. However, fairness is not the issue here because those hired early in the day were paid the right salary as agreed upon with the owner. Justice has been served. Instead, the issue here is generosity.

Whenever the issue of generosity comes up, it evokes both a positive and a negative response. The positive response is trust. In the parable, those hired early in the day were confident in the security provided by the formal contract with the owner. It was a business deal. But for those hired much later in the day, there was no mention of a contract: "He said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too'" (Mt 20:6-7). The workers relied on the word of the owner, and trusted that he will give them whatever is right. And they were not mistaken.

God’s generosity is beyond the comprehension of everybody: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16). Knowing this should be enough reason and assurance for us to trust God unconditionally. This is what St. Paul told the Romans: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32). Rightly, then, did the Spirit-filled Elizabeth praise the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Visitation: “Blessed is she who trusted that the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:45).

On the other hand, the negative response to generosity is envy: “Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”(Mt 20:15). God’s generosity is quite acceptable and even desirable when we are the recipients. The problem comes when it is other people who are the recipients, especially those whom we think are less worthy than us.

This is precisely what happened to the Jews at the time of Jesus. They were convinced that they were better than anybody else since they belonged to the Chosen People of God. They expected to be treated with a “favored nation” status. They are the ones referred by Jesus in the parable as the workers who were hired first. They resented seeing people whom they considered less worthy, receiving favors from God. They hated the sight of Jesus dining with tax collectors and prostitutes, curing the lepers and talking to pagans. Jesus rebuked them for this sort of attitude: “Thus the first will be last and the last will be first.”

We belong to the Church founded by Christ Himself. We are now the New People of God. But the Gospel today exhorts us to avoid the mistake of the Jews. By all means, let us resist and overcome envy. Being the New People of God does not mean we are better than the others, and that we can expect and demand heavenly favors more than the others. Let us always remember that if God is generous with us, He can also be generous to others. The good thief crucified next to Jesus is the classic example of this. Jesus told him, “This day you will be with me in paradise.” Indeed, as God tells us in the first reading, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways" (Is 55:8).

Definitely, envy is rooted in pride. It comes in when we compare ourselves with others. When we do so, two things can always happen. It is either we see people who are less talented or blessed than us. Then we become proud and arrogant. Or we see people who are better than us, and we become envious and bitter.

The only antidote to envy is humility. It is the virtue that helps us realize who we really are in the presence of God: sinners and the “rejects”. But God continues to love and bless us despite this. Such is the formula of holiness by the saints. Instead of comparing themselves with other people, the saints always compare themselves with God. And when they do, they have only two things to say to God: “I’m sorry, Lord!” and “Thank you, Lord!”

As we come to Mass, we always come in the presence of God. And so, it is but proper to start the Mass with the Penitential Rite, an act of humility: “I confess to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned…Lord, have mercy!” And then we continue with the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The term “Eucharist” means, “to give thanks”. The Mass, then, is an invitation for us to humble gratitude and unfailing trust and confidence in God’s generous providence and merciful love for us sinners.

Let me close with these words of Bishop Fulton Sheen: “How God will judge my life I know not, but I trust he will see me with mercy and compassion. I am only certain there will be three surprises in Heaven. First of all, I will see some people whom I never expected to see. Second, there will be a number whom I expect who will not be there. And – even relying on God’s mercy – the biggest surprise of all may be that I will be there.”

 

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

On Pilgrimage in Italy

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 11, 2011

“Seventy Times Seven!”
Mt. 18:21-35

Once there was a king who collected live crocodiles. He kept them in the pool in the back of his palace. He also had a beautiful daughter. One day he hosted a big party and invited the prominent families of his kingdom, along with their bachelor sons. During the party he announced: "My friends, I am looking for the most courageous man for my daughter. I will give my daughter in marriage or 
award a million dollars to the man who can swim across this pool full of crocodiles unharmed!" Almost immediately, even before he finished speaking, there was a big splash in the pool! Everybody turned around and saw one guy swimming very fast. In just a matter of seconds, he crossed the pool – unharmed! The king was impressed: "Oh, my! You are, indeed, a brave young man! I did not think this could be done! You have proven me wrong. Now, which do you want, my daughter or the one million dollars?" 
The young man looked at the king and said, "Listen, I am not interested in your daughter. And I don’t need your money. But right now, I want to know who pushed me into that pool!"
It is never easy to forgive. Our fallen human nature is always inclined towards the boosting of our ego. Hence, we consider revenge as the natural course of action against anyone who has done harm to our ego. Sometimes the desire for revenge is so strong that, for some people, it has become the sole motivation for living. I heard from a priest in Mindanao that the Muslim families and tribes there have adopted a custom of planting a bamboo tree in their backyard as a reminder that another family or tribe has offended them. Thus, the children will not forget the injustice done to their family and take vengeance at the next opportunity. In a typical Muslim neighborhood, bamboo trees are a common sight. For outsiders, these bamboo trees may add beauty to the surrounding, but for the residents, these are silent heralds that peace is always fragile and short-lived, mainly due to the endless tribal wars and family feuds that are fueled by their insatiable thirst for revenge and violence.
Ten years ago today, the world was jolted when terrorists bombed the World Trade Center, instantly killing three thousand innocent people. We were all shocked, saddened and furious. We demanded that the perpetrators of this heinous crime be hunted down and brought to justice. Hence, wars against terrorists were waged – in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and in several other countries in the world. These wars have already killed hundreds of thousands of people, combatants and non-combatants alike – exponentially exceeding the number of those killed in the bombing of the Twin Towers. And the wars and killings show no sign of stopping, for we all know that violence begets violence. Indeed, as a saying goes, “War does not determine who is right - only who is left.”
The teaching of Jesus is the only rational solution to this problem. As long as people continue to uphold the need and desire for revenge, there will be no end to wars and violence. Forgiveness is the way to reconciliation between opposing parties, and hence, the key to peace in the world. Violence has to stop, and it starts with the decision to forgive one another and to reject all forms of violence.
Aside from peace, forgiving one another has other important benefits. First, we are able to free our hearts from all the negative feelings and sentiments. Unwillingness to forgive leads to the accumulation of resentments, hatred, insecurities and hurt feelings in our hearts that cause undue strain to our emotional, psychological and physical health. On the other hand, learning to forgive gives us peace of mind and a more healthy and positive mood.
Second, when we forgive others, we become disposed to receive God’s forgiveness. We are all sinners. As St. Paul said, “All have sinned and are deprived of God’s glory” (Rom 2:12). Fortunately, though, God is loving and merciful to all sinners. He forgives all our sins, but under one important condition: that we also forgive others. That is why in the prayer Jesus taught us, we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” That is the lesson of the parable this Sunday.
And most importantly, when we forgive, we show that we are children of God. We always say, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Forgiveness is a quality of God. It is the expression of His love for sinners. He loves us so much that He always forgives us of our sins every time we are sincerely sorry for them. Hence, Jesus gives us the command: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Mt 5:44-45). Then, we are able to follow the example of Jesus who prayed on the cross: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
In this Mass, let us examine our hearts and make sure there are no resentments and hatred toward anybody. Otherwise, we cannot receive God’s forgiveness, and we will not be able to participate meaningfully in the Eucharistic celebration. The Lord exhorts us: "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23). Indeed, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God!” (Mt 5:9).
There is a quotation, “Faults are thick where love is thin.” It is not difficult for God to forgive us “seventy-times seven times” because His love for us is superabundant. On the other hand, we find it difficult to forgive others because we have not enough love. So we pray, “Lord, fill our hearts with your love so that we may be able to forgive those who have wronged us, and become instruments of peace and harmony in the world. Amen.”
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Teresa Church
141 Henry Street
New York, NY 10002

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 04, 2011

 

“I Hold You Responsible!”

Mt. 18:15-20

 

While driving on their way to the province, a couple stopped for lunch at a restaurant along the highway. After a quick meal, they resumed their trip. After travelling for half an hour, the woman realized she left her glasses in the restaurant. When the husband learned about it, he was very angry. But he had no choice. They had to return to the restaurant
to retrieve her glasses. All the way back, the husband complained and berated his wife relentlessly. Finally, when they arrived at the restaurant, the woman got out of the car and as she hurried inside, the husband called out to her, “While you're in there, you might as well
get my wallet and my credit card!”

Nobody is perfect. We all have our weaknesses and mistakes. We are sinners. This is the reality of our human nature. But it is precisely because of our sinfulness that the Incarnation took place. God became man to save us from sin and restore us to His grace. Indeed, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, "God allows evils to happen in order to bring a greater good therefrom". St. Augustine referred to original sin as “felix culpa” or “happy fault”. The Church sings this in the Exultet during the Easter Vigil: "O happy fault that merited such and so great a Redeemer."  

It is sad to note, however, that there are now many people who believe that there is no more sin. This is the fruit of what Pope Benedict XVI called the “dictatorship of relativism.” He said, “We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.”

Relativism says that there is no objective right and wrong that equally applies to everyone. Instead, the only thing that matters is what each individual feels is right and wrong for him. I remember the famous hit song by Debbie Boone in 1977 entitled “You Light Up My Life.” It is a beautiful song, but towards the end, it expresses this idea of relativism. It says, “It can’t be wrong when it feels so right. ‘Cause you, you light up my life.”

In other words, morality depends entirely on one’s personal feelings and perceptions. Sin is just a matter of feeling or subjective interpretation. It is quite interesting to note that while we profess that it is the Lamb of God “who takes away the sins of the world,” this is not what many people nowadays believe. For them, it is the mass media, or politicians or the majority that takes away the sins of the world.

In the face of this sad and alarming situation, the Sunday readings reiterate the truth that sin is real and extremely dangerous to our souls. And we have the serious obligation to teach and remind one another about this. Failure to do so would be a grave sin of omission. The first reading points this out. The prophet Ezekiel is the watchman of Israel, and he receives a stern warning from God: “If I tell the wicked, ‘O wicked one, you shall surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked will die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death” (Ez 33:8).

In short, under pain of divine punishment, we are duty-bound to remind, admonish and correct one another. This is where many Catholics are lacking. In his address last week, Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness on behalf of generations of “cradle Catholics” who have failed to transmit the faith to others. He said, “We who have known God since we were young, must ask forgiveness…because we bring people so little of the light of His face, because from us comes so little certainty that He exists, that He is there, and that He is the Great One that everyone is waiting for.”
(Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug 30, 2011 – CNA).

We do not dare speak the hard truths of our faith, particularly on matters of doctrine and morality, because we do not want to offend anybody, or be considered as intolerant or uncharitable. But far from being uncharitable, the proclamation of the truth is an essential way of charity, as what the Pope reminded us in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate. In fact, admonishing sinners is one of the spiritual works of mercy, along with giving instruction to the ignorant and counseling the doubtful.

God wants everybody to be saved. He does not desire the death of a sinner: “Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord God. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live?” (Ez 18:23). That is why Jesus teaches us in the Gospel about fraternal correction – how to correct an erring brother and bring him back to the path of salvation. Underlying the whole thing should be genuine love or charity, for as St. Paul says in the second reading: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another.”

The first step is quite important: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” In short, we must be careful not to malign his reputation by revealing his defects or sins to others without serious reason. After all, “love does no evil to the neighbor.” And if in the end, despite all efforts to dissuade him from his sinful ways, the erring brother remains unrepentant and defiant, the Lord instructs the community to “treat him as you would a gentile or a tax collector.” That means treating him as an outsider. This action should be seen not as a punitive measure but as a charitable way to help him realize his mistake, and return to the Lord with humble and contrite heart.

We now see the rapid and unrelenting spread of evil, immorality and sin in our world. Shall we continue being passive and impervious to all these? Unless we do something now, we may find ourselves the victims one of these days. As the famous saying goes, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Let the Gospel this Sunday inspire and empower us to proclaim the truth courageously, to denounce evil and sin resolutely, and to correct wrongdoers in truth and charity.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas

St. Teresa Church

141 Henry Street

New York, NY 10002