Sunday Gospel Reflections

Homily: Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

16 May 2021

Mark 16:15-20

Fr. Ricky Canet Montanez, AA 

Two years ago, my friend, a single mother, sought my advice concerning the plan of her only son to study abroad. Typical of a parent who has her child’s best interests at heart, she was extremely concerned for his safety while living alone in a foreign country. She couldn’t help anticipate all the scary scenarios he may encounter by himself and this frightened her and kept her from granting her boy permission to leave. She knew she would never be able to forgive herself if something bad would happen to her son in such a far-off place. Separation anxiety had also intensified her hesitations and it was difficult to accept that her son’s new world at university would now exclude her. Anyhow, after much prayer and a long cry, she decided to let go and allow her son to follow his dreams. To date, he has begun his studies abroad and everything seems to be going well for him. My friend realised that in letting her son go, they have become much closer to each other because he makes an effort to communicate with her more often than he used to. In view of their physical separation, they made opportunities to be present to each other in whole new ways that allowed them to have a more fulfilling relationship as mother and child. 

Today’s gospel for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord recounts for us the end of Jesus’ time with His disciples on earth. At His departure, Jesus commissions them to preach the gospel to every creature. And as they take on the saving mission of Jesus, He assures them that they will not be on their own as He will continue to be present to them in a new and glorified way. First of all, Jesus will continue to be present to them through the experience of His life and teaching from which they would always draw inspiration, guidance, and strength for all their missionary endeavours. This is what St. Paul urges the Christians of Ephesus to pray for: “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.” (Ephesians 1:17) Secondly, their preaching of the Good News will be accompanied with signs and wonders. “These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18) Jesus’ power will flow in and through them as they preach and teach, heal and comfort, and forgive people in Jesus’ name. Finally, as they allow the power of Jesus to work through them, they themselves will become the very sign of the Lord’s presence for others.  They will become the agents of belief and new life for those who come to believe in Jesus. 

All of us believers are entrusted with the same task of continuing the saving mission of Jesus in our own spheres of influence. After all, we, the community of believers together make up the Body of Christ.  In and through His Body, the Church, Jesus carries on what He began on earth. We all contribute to this saving work through our varying vocations in life. The assurance Jesus leaves His friends that He will not abandon them in the mission, is the same assurance He gives us. Today, we continue to experience His presence when we read the Bible or listen to the Word of God in the proclamation of the Gospel and get to know Jesus more deeply.  We also experience Him through the miracles around us. Testimonies of miraculous healings from life threatening diseases are proof that Jesus the Healer continues to work in the world even though we do not see Him.  Miracles of conversion show us that Jesus has not ceased to touch human hearts with His love and forgiveness. Prayers and petitions granted should also signify to us that Christ is listening and is very much involved in our lives as He continues to be intimately connected to each one of us and preserves us as best He can for our destiny to be with the Father in Heaven. If we allow Jesus to mould us into His true disciples, we too will ultimately bear His reflection to others and become the palpable presence of Jesus to those we encounter, channelling His hope, love, mercy and grace. This is how we know that Jesus continues to be with us even if He ascended to heaven 2000 years ago to take His place at the right hand of God the Father. 

Throughout the pandemic, doctors and nurses have become the caring and healing presence of Jesus to those afflicted with COVID 19. Many of them even go beyond their duties to give medical care to their COVID patients by encouraging them, comforting them and facilitating video calls with their loved ones at home. I was particularly struck by news of a Filipino nursing attendant who creatively attempted to bring comfort to his COVID-19 patients with just a pair of disposable gloves. Merabel shared that he wanted to mimic the “human touch” for his patients who were fighting for their life at a hospital in Quezon City. “Nakita ko kasi ginawa sa Brazil na yung mga gloves pinuno ng warm water at ipinahawak sa pasyente.” He decided to do the same for his intubated patients because he did not have the luxury to stay by each of their bedsides long enough to hold their hands and give them comfort. The 39-year-old frontliner said that giving patients the sensation of someone holding their hand was encouraging for them and they were less stressed because they did not feel alone. They were inspired to fight to recover and live a long life with their families. One patient was so grateful that she wrote him a thank you note as she couldn’t speak while on the ventilator. Merabel addressed his fellow healthcare workers saying “Frontliners tuloy lang ang laban, ituring niyong kamag-anak o mahal sa buhay ang mga pasyente ninyo. Basta bigyan ninyo ng dedikasyon ang ginagawa ninyo at minamahal ninyo ito.”  Merabel’s invitation for frontliners to do their work with love and dedication and to treat patients as their loved ones enables them to take on the loving, sacrificing and compassionate nature of Jesus. They become the experience of Christ to their suffering patients, leading them to grow in faith and hope in our one true God. 

Our celebration of the Ascension of Our Lord reminds us that Jesus has not really departed from us. It only seems so. In fact, He makes Himself present to us most intimately through our participation in the Eucharist and in Jesus’ saving mission. Jesus is close to each one of us forever, assuring us of His continued presence as we take up His mission to preach the gospel, by our words and example, to the ends of the earth.

Homily: Sixth Sunday of Easter (B)

9 May 2021

John 15:9-17

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

Many single girls try to avoid family and school reunions because they end up in very awkward situations with people persistently asking them “Why are you still single?” “When are you getting married? Don’t you want your own family?” Some enterprising Filipinos have actually capitalised on very witty, humorous, sometimes scathing replies to these questions.  A local celebrity recently tweeted… “If motherhood or getting married is the best thing that ever happened to you, I am happy for you. I’m sure it is the happiest place to be. Pero okay naman ako sa Jollibee. Kanyan-kanyang trip lang yan. Naiiyak nga ako sa magandang sunset and it’s also the best thing for me.” 

A single friend asked me, “Why do they make me feel less of a person because I’m single? Do they really think I’m lonely? Do they think there is no love in the life of someone who chooses to be single? On the other hand, a married friend whose marriage was not blessed with children shared that she would feel really sad whenever people insinuate that it is only when she bears her own child that she will feel and experience what true love really is.

I myself, am no stranger to such insensitivities. One time, as I was preparing for ordination, a classmate jokingly asked, “Why do you want to be ordained a priest? You will be single forever. Who will cry over your coffin or urn when you leave this planet?” (Don’t bother asking me what I told him in reply!)  Don’t you find it funny how some people perceive love as a situation created for them as the consequence of having a life partner or their own kids? 

Love is in all of us. And paradoxically, when we give love, we receive love. It doesn’t have to be a spouse or a biological child. There are single people who commit themselves to worthwhile causes where they give of themselves to uplift sectors of society or to save the planet for future generations.  There are single children who have devoted themselves to caring for their siblings or caring for their aging and sick parents. We priests, have the capacity to be spiritual fathers to thousands of people entrusted to us by the Bishop or our religious superiors because we don’t need to earn a living and provide for a wife and kids. Love is inclusive. It is for everyone. It does not limit itself to specific types of people.  As Peter attests in the First Reading after seeing that the gift of the Holy Spirit has been poured out on the Gentiles also, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.” (Acts 10:34) All are acceptable to God, Jew and Gentile, man and woman, slave and free… God’s invitation to love is for all! 

This Sunday’s gospel passage from John, is all about love.  We find Jesus urging His disciples twice to “remain in His love” and twice “to love one another”. If we look closely, these two commands are actually interrelated as remaining in His love is to love others. What is at the heart of the command is the invitation for all of us believers, without exception, to love the way Jesus loves — a total self-giving for the sake of the one being loved. It is a selfless offering of himself for others. Jesus says, “[There is] no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) And that is exactly what He did not just in the way He died where we are told His blood and water flowed in mercy for all of humanity, but also in the way that He lived, his priority was making sure that the people He loved were restored to wholeness and nourished by the word of God. 

Thus, when we love we must be willing to put the good of the people we love before our own wants; before our own needs. Often this involves varying degrees of sacrifice.  I recently saw this interview of a local celebrity mom who shared her pain and hardship in trying to be the best mom for her son with special needs. She noted how she changed her workaholic and partying lifestyle so she could properly care for him. She shared how hurt she was when her son attended parties and none of the kids wanted to play with him so he learned to bring his own toys so he could play by himself.  And when the school refused to allow him to march at graduation for fear he may throw a tantrum, she staged his own graduation march in their barangay plaza and invited church friends to be his audience. She swallowed her pride and bore the rejections and found ways to move past them. How selfless is the love of a mother! 

As it is Mother’s Day this Sunday, we celebrate the love of moms for their children. I would say the love of a Mom, a Mama, a Nanay to her beloved child is the most magnanimous, the most giving, the gentlest, the most enduring and most patient kind. It is difficult to be a mother, even when you share parenting duties with a husband. Imagine what it must be like to be raising a child on your own! Today we also call to mind the sacrifices of many single mothers to ensure the future of their children. But this motherly love is not only exemplified by biological mothers themselves but also of those who in their own ways have been mothers to others. I have a single aunt who cared for me and my siblings and her other nephews and nieces out of the goodness of her heart. There are even nannies who cared for their wards as their own children. Last Thursday a good friend of mine and his family asked me to do a virtual blessing for their now retired “yaya” who is very sick in Negros Occidental. She meant a lot to them for the love she lavished on them. 

In the passage from John’s First Epistle, we are invited to replicate this example of love shown by Jesus in the Gospel. We need not fear that we may not have the capacity to love as such because it is God who gives us the grace to do so. “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.”  (1 John 4:7) To love like Jesus and lay down our lives for others is very much against man’s natural tendency for self-preservation and thus, it cannot originate from our human capabilities but rather in God. We know how it is to love because we first feel His love for us. “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us.” (1 John 4:10) It is God who initiates this love as exemplified in Jesus. “As the Father loves me, so I also love you.” (John 15:9) Clearly, the source of this selfless love is divine love itself. This is so because love is the very being of God. St. John says: “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) We too, are granted a share in this nature when we are “begotten by God” through baptism — love becomes part of our being as well. The Spirit of love has been poured into the hearts of all believers to make us capable of this self-giving love of Christ regardless of our status or vocation in life.   

In summary, take to heart that as Christians, our loving should take after the selfless and self-giving way Jesus loves us; and how greatly God the Father has loved us first and most deeply in Jesus. Jesus paid a high price to express this love for us and to teach us what love is. So, learn to love. It doesn’t matter if you are called to be a mother to your own kids or to help raise the children of others, or whether your vocation is to be married, single, or called to the religious life, love is within all of us because we have Jesus. Let us love as God loves each one of us — faithfully, truly, unconditionally.

Homily: Fifth Sunday of Easter (B)

John 15:1-8

2 May 2021 

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA 

After he survived COVID 19, a priest-friend declared that he is “born again” and has resolved not to smoke again. After battling a severe case of Covid, another friend vowed to be more diligent and consistent in maintaining health protocols to protect herself from Covid such as taking a shower as soon as she arrives from work. After losing her job because of the pandemic, another friend decided to simplify her lifestyle by focusing only on the essentials.  It wasn’t easy for my friends to change the way they were accustomed to living but it was necessary if they wanted to survive this pandemic. 

Last Sunday, we talked about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. This Sunday’s gospel reading speaks about another familiar image of Jesus as the Vine. All who follow Jesus are branches that must be connected to Him always. He says, “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.”  (John 15:4) One thing that catches my attention is the fact that it is not enough that we remain attached to the vine because we are expected to bear much fruit! That is a consequence that is so much desired that the Father, Himself, as Vine Grower, personally takes on the responsibility of pruning every branch attached to Jesus. He cuts away what does not bear fruit so the branch withers and dies whereas he prunes further the fruit bearing branches so they bear even more fruit. 

Throughout the pandemic, so many have taken up the hobby of caring for plants at home. Some grow vegetables, others, ornamental and flowering plants. Any serious “plantito” or “plantita” would have learned that one essential rule in plant care for proper plant growth is pruning. Every gardener knows that a plant can become overgrown if not properly pruned. This process involves cutting away not just the dead leaves and branches, or diseased  parts of plants but sometimes also healthy parts — parts that are just starting to blossom or develop but in areas where they shouldn’t. The presumption here is that the gardener has a plan for the plant, based on his knowledge and expertise. First, he will ascertain that the plant will grow into the ideal shape or contour and size.  And second, he will not allow the richness of the the soil and fertilizers to be wasted on overgrowing parts. He will trim it to what is necessary so the plant can utilize the nutrients for the desired functions such as bearing flowers and fruits. 

Similarly, as followers of Jesus, we are also in need of pruning to make us more fruitful. Throughout the past year, I have read reflections from people that make me believe the pandemic is a way of pruning us. We have come to realize what is essential in life — good health, family, a cohesive community and a strong spiritual life. I know of ladies who were compulsive shoppers who now question their behavior as they look upon all the shoes, bags, accessories and clothes they’ve amassed which they don’t even get to wear anymore because they are stuck at home in their dusters and lounge wear. I know of young people who’ve collected luggage, coats and jackets and snow gear for trips abroad who have stored away their things, realizing they are unnecessary for living in  our tropical climate. Just yesterday, a mechanic revealed they’ve had very few clients over the past year because vehicles have less wear and tear and don’t need as much maintenance. The travel restrictions have kept people at home and their numerous vehicles parked in garages. These days, people are simply grateful to be alive and to be connected with loved ones. All the time spent before amusing ourselves at the malls, at the movies, resorts and spas, or travelling for leisure, we now spend at home with our familes… eating together, talking with each other, doing chores together or simply spending time in prayer with family. More people have learned to pick up their Bibles, made time for personal prayer or listening to spiritual talks online and attending livestream masses at home. It is this awareness of our common situation, that has allowed us to see the suffering of others, motivating us to do something to help them. This period has been difficult for all of us but it has allowed us to bear fruit in terms of nourishing our souls and sharing of ourselves for the good of others. Jesus reminds us that “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Jesus does not leave all the pruning to the Vine Grower. He says that His followers are to be pruned continuously by HIS WORD. We are shaped by Jesus’ word to become the faithful disciples God intends us to be. Just as the pruning of the plant involves cutting away parts of it,  the pruning-words of Jesus can sometimes be painful for us especially when His teachings are very difficult to accept and comply with.  They hurt especially when through them we are challenged to give up some “good things” we enjoy but which may be harmful to us such as our vices which not only contribute to the destruction of our bodies, our spirit, but also of important relationships we have in life. It is only when we allow ourselves to be corrected for our bad behaviour and challenged to be less self-centered and instead more generous towards others that we can say that we have subjected ourselves to pruning for our future growth and fruitfulness. Heeding the words of Jesus and taking them to heart is not without its reward. Jesus says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (John 15:7-8)

In the hands of a gardener, an overgrown and diseased plant can certainly be brought back to life with proper care and pruning. In the First Reading (Acts 9:26-31), we note that when Saul came back to the group of the apostles in Jerusalem, they refused to have anything to do with him, because of his reputation. It was hard for others to believe that he would ever have a change of heart after having been a rabid persecutor of Christians. Saul found out the hard way how difficult it is to escape the consequences of his mistakes in life. I would say this was a continuing experience of pruning for Saul.  The pruning began on the road to Damascus when he was knocked off his feet by the voice of Jesus asking: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) This episode trimmed off the aspect of his life that did not allow him to grow into the person he was meant to be. It started to fashion him for evangelization and as we know, he bore much fruit and became the most effective apostle to the Gentiles. Still, Paul had to live with his past. In humility, he writes in Philippians 3:13 that he has to forget the past and press on to what lies ahead. This is not to forget simply for the sake of forgetting but rather coming to terms with the past, learning from it in order to move on and recommit oneself to becoming better in the present. 

In this sense, the Risen Life we all have been given through baptism is a continuous invitation to a life in union with God. We note that in the gospel passage we are told five times to bear fruit and eight times to remain in Jesus. Repetition in the Bible is meant to emphasize the importance of the message. We are being told how vital it is for us to live in love always. (It is different from falling in love or being in love). A life in love is a life with Jesus and for Jesus — not only expressed in word and speech but also in deed and truth (1 John 3:18), as the Second Reading instructs us. It is to remain always a part of Christ as the branches remain connected to the Vine in order to bear fruit. Again, the Second Reading tells us: “This is how we shall know that we belong to the truth.” (1 John 3:19)

As we strive to remain connected to the vine, we open ourselves to be trained, to be disciplined, to be “pruned” by the Vine Grower and by the Word of Jesus to make us fruitful and productive disciples in God’s vineyard.

Homily: Fourth Sunday of Easter (B)

John 10: 11-18

25 April 2021 

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

It isn’t easy to care for someone — to be responsible for the well-being of another person.  Husbands and wives are responsible for each other. Parents are responsible for their kids. And when kids grow up, they become responsible for their ageing parents. Employers are also challenged to look after the welfare of their employees. It Isn’t easy.  Even us priests encounter challenges when we pastor communities. Sometimes, it can even be very discouraging. Any one of you who fills any of the shoes I mentioned, will agree that caring for someone is never a walk in the park because caring for another requires something not everyone is willing to give — a sacrifice of self. 

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday and the gospel passage brings up a much-loved image of Jesus.   In the gospel reading, we hear Jesus speak of Himself as the “Good Shepherd” who lays down His life for the sheep.  Unlike the hired hand who merely treats the sheep as simply an element of his job — livestock to be managed, the shepherd, who owns the flock, considers every single one of the sheep as the object of his love and concern. Jesus knew that the people would identify with this comparison as shepherding was common in Israel at the time. For the Jews a good shepherd knows the flock well enough and cares a great deal for them to the point of risking his own safety for each one under his care. He is faithful to his duties and protects the sheep from all dangers and threats. For the shepherd, the sheep come first. He is totally committed to the well-being of the sheep that he would sacrifice his own life for them.  

In the gospels, particularly Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as that kind of leader for His people. He takes good care of every single one of those entrusted to Him by the Father. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) As a Good Shepherd, Jesus exhibits exceptional commitment to His flock that He would go searching for lost sheep and bring them back to the fold. In the Synoptic gospels, Jesus as the Good Shepherd is portrayed as the shepherd who would go as far as leaving 99 of His sheep to find one lost sheep. This is how dedicated and responsible the Good Shepherd is towards His flock. 

It is not only Good Shepherd Sunday; it is also Vocation Sunday.  For far too long we have had a narrow understanding of vocation as a calling to the priestly or religious life. But, in fact every single one of us has a vocation. We all have a role to play in society. We, as individuals, have unique gifts that we share with one another, contributing to the collective good of society. We all have a mission in life to accomplish as fathers, mothers, workers, students, employers, law enforcers, media practitioners, medical workers, leaders, etc…. We are called upon to be good shepherds to one another according to the gifts and talents we have been given.  We already have the privilege of experiencing our Good Shepherd’s care for us so it is but right that we are invited to be good shepherds to one another. We do this according to the example of Jesus who shows compassion for each of His sheep, seeking them out when they stray and has loved them unconditionally. 

It may seem like a daunting challenge to be shepherd to those around us because we might think ourselves undeserving or incapable. At times we think that what we can offer is too menial, too negligible to make a difference in people’s lives. We must however learn from Jesus who never discounts the value of each member of His flock.  The Shepherd would not hunt for a single animal if he did not think it valuable. We too, as members of Jesus’ flock are individually of value. Each is gifted. Each is blessed. There is always something that we can give, if we choose to give freely and generously of ourselves.  The controversial community pantries encourage people to give from their excess that others who have nothing may benefit.  It’s a wonderful idea!   But it touches the heart more when those who are already in need, give from the little they have. Recall the Bible story of the Widow’s Might where Jesus speaks highly of a poor widow whom He saw giving 2 small coins for the Temple.  He says she gave the most because she gave all she had as compared to the rich folk who gave generously from their excess to be publicly acknowledged. I am reminded of Manong Romeo.. a simple man featured on social media, who handed P46, the amount he raised from selling metal scraps as cash donation to the Integrated Centre for the Young. They thought at first that Mang Romeo was looking to get some goods from the ICY Community Pantry which had already closed for the day but to their surprise Mang Romeo donated whatever he earned because he wanted to be of help in any way he can. In another story, an 11-year-old boy used his talent for baking to make cupcakes that he donated to their community pantry. We must acknowledge and celebrate the countless others who like them give from the little that they have to help others. 

In a post I chanced upon recently it said… “I’ve noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakeable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren’t determined to revolutionise the world all at once; they’re satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world.” One clear lesson taught by Jesus through this gospel account has to do with having a clear willingness to give, regardless of how small the gift might be. This brings to mind what St. Teresa of Calcutta said: “What we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.” 

Brothers and sisters, on this Good Shepherd Sunday, let us learn from Jesus and do whatever we can do for others, regardless of how menial or negligible it may seem to us, let us do it out of love. Our small efforts may seem insignificant to us, but it could very well be the blessing others have been waiting and praying for all along. Let us be good shepherds to one another, treating one another as brothers and sisters as we are all the beloved children of God, our Father!

Illustration by Claudio Pastro

HOMILY: THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

18 April 2021

Luke 24:35-48 

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

My Facebook wall is currently swamped with sad news. Friends abroad who are  unable to come home to be with family as they grieve the loss of loved ones have taken to social media to express their sorrow and grief. We are still very much in the Easter Season, but it is such a struggle for me to perceive the power of the resurrection at work in our lives when the number of tombs are growing with the casualties of this pandemic. These are indeed trying and challenging situations even for us priests because our own friends, colleagues and relatives are falling victims to this virus. 

These days, our sadness and disappointment keeps us from recognizing Jesus.  The disciples’ inability to recognise the Risen Jesus as the same friend and teacher whom they had buried, is a predominant feature of practically most, if not all of the post-resurrection accounts in the gospels. We recall the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who failed to recognise the Risen Jesus even if He was literally walking alongside them and conversing with them for hours! They had believed Him to be simply a fellow sojourner as they departed from Jerusalem. At another instance, Mary Magdalene initially does not realize the Risen Christ speaking to her even if they are practically face to face! It isn’t until Jesus calls her by her name that she receives clarity. What’s quite interesting with some gospel accounts such as the one we have this Sunday is that the disciples think they are seeing a “ghost” when they see Jesus. He quickly assures them that He is not a ghost, but in fact alive and well, proving that the resurrection is real. 

Given all the scientific learnings we know now, it is tougher for many to believe in the supernatural.  You may think people back then without the benefit of this knowledge would be quicker to believe the stuff of legend.  It certainly took the disciples some time to grasp the concept of the resurrection and recognize the Risen Jesus, perhaps due to the shock or trauma from losing their friend or the fact that they were really simple-minded men. Nevertheless,  Jesus patiently accompanied His disciples in their journey of dicovering the mystery of His risen life!   Wouldn’t you be “startled and terrified” if you had been there in the room with the disciples? What is so unusual about the resurrected Jesus that prevented them from identifying Him as soon as He appears? First, we know that the consciousness is retained… He remains the same Jesus, thinking the same way and recalling His life as He lived it. He is not a mindless zombie. He recognizes His friends and is able to reassure them and comfort them by wishing them peace. Secondly, the resurrected body is not a spirit that has no physical presence or manifestation. Jesus invites them to touch Him as ghosts do not have flesh and bones. It is very much one that functions as a human body. Jesus asks them to give Him something to eat to prove to them that He is really alive. There is something new about the resurrected body — He is alive but in a new mode of life, such that His presence is no longer limited by time and space. He appears in the midst of His disciples in a room with locked doors. The glorified body of the Risen Jesus can permeate every reality, and is not limited by the laws of nature. He is able to achieve the unexpected and conquer the  challenging. The fact that He is not immediately recognized does not negate the fact that He is there with them. 

Pope Francis once told a group of children during their Confirmation that “it is important to encounter Jesus, who loves us, who has saved us, who gave His life for us.” So, where and how then do we encounter Jesus in our lives?  The Holy Father goes on to say that there are three places to meet the living Jesus as Catholic Christians. “First, Jesus is alive in His word, the inspired Gospel stories and the living tradition of our church.” In the gospel passage we are told that “Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45) Second, we meet Jesus in the sacraments, especially  during our regular participation in both the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread.” (Luke 24:45) And third, Pope Francis says that “we meet Jesus in our loving service to those in need, those who live on the periphery of society.” “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Easter faith involves having a readiness to encounter Jesus as a living personal presence. It challenges us to be attentive to the many ways that Jesus encounters us, often in the unexpected places and situations… among the poor, the sick, the needy, among those who treat us with care and among those who invite us to deeper love in all the events of our human life. 

I recently read about a netizen who witnessed a stranger helping an elderly woman while he was buying medicines at a pharmacy in Malolos, Bulacan. Uploader Mandy Viray was in line when she overheard the conversation between an elderly woman and a pharmacist. The pharmacist was explaining to the “lola” (grandmother) said that the medicine in the prescription amounted to P1,100. The elderly woman  brought out a small plastic bag filled with coins and counted out only P200. Distraught, she asked if the pharmacist would prepare one piece of each medicine she needed as that was all she could afford. Then a man beside the old woman unexpectedly approached the counter and offered to pay for the medicine.  He said ‘Miss, sagot ko na ‘yung kulang, bigay mo ‘yung lahat ng nasa reseta ni Nanay,”  for which the old woman was extremely thankful. The uploader also described the man’s act of kindness as “God’s work.”  “Tuwang-tuwa si Nanay grabe ‘yung pagpapasalamat niya kay kuya,” she said. The Good Samaritan replied, “Nay, di sa’kin galing ‘yan, sa Diyos ‘yan galing. Sa Diyos po tayo magpasalamat.” Viray said that what she witnessed reminded her that God always provides in ways we do not expect or cannot imagine. She says we can all be God’s instrument and proof that especially during the hardships of this pandemic, God does not abandon His people but rather provides for them. She adds “Hindi kailangan maging mayaman para gumawa ng mabuti — kahit simpleng pagtulong sa kapwa gaya ng pagbibigay ng pagkain sa nagugutom, pagdamay sa mga napipighati, pagtulong sa nangangailangan at iba pa.” Posting about the incident is her testimony to the work of the Risen Christ. The post has  already garnered more than 218,000 reactions and 109,000 shares. 

When we are blessed with the experience of Jesus’ resurrection, the joy and wonder simply cannot be contained. We who have encountered Jesus are called to be witnesses.  Peter fearlessly testifies to the Jews in the First Reading (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19), that Jesus whom they put to death is alive and has been glorified by the Father. We, too are to be witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection and His living presence among us by the way we live our lives as individuals and as a community. Going a step further, I challenge you to post on all your social media platforms your experiences of the work of the Risen Lord throughout this pandemic. All of us need to be inspired and reminded that the Risen Jesus is here among us. His presence is always at work in the world. 

Homily: Second Sunday of Easter / Divine Mercy Sunday

John 20:19-31 

11 April 2021

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

I would like to start this reflection by posing a few questions to all of you. Do you believe God is merciful?  Do you pray for God’s mercy? Are you in need of God’s mercy? Today the Second Sunday of Easter is also the Sunday of Divine Mercy. Jesus presents Himself to us as the image of unfathomable mercy — the font of blood and water springing forth for all who immerse themselves seeking forgiveness and the salvation of their souls. It is a loaded statement and quite a mouthful to say. Today, let us attempt to reflect on what God’s mercy means for us. It is such a broad concept that it could mean different things to people. 

Surprisingly, there are some of us who do not think or feel they need God’s mercy. They are quick to reason that they do not consider themselves as sinners. “Di naman ako makasalanan.” “What is there for me to apologise for?” Is mercy exclusively for grave sinners? This is the default excuse of some people who choose not to go to confession as often as possible. (These days it is understandably more difficult to receive the sacrament considering the health restrictions.) They say, “I only have my usual venial sins so God will understand.” When they approach the sacrament, if at all, they spend most of their time justifying their faults and end up confessing the sins of others.  I actually get a lot of this in Confessions. A wife intends to confess how she has been neglecting her children but ends up rationalizing her failings by emphatically enumerating her traumas from the exploits of her philandering husband. There is no true contrition there because the penitents do not even think they are to blame for anything. 

Others would say that everything we do is encompassed, covered by God’s mercy even without our asking for it. Because our God is loving and merciful, He showers us with the graces and blessings we need and constantly guides us in life. The German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called this “cheap grace” in his book, “The Cost of Discipleship”. In that book, Bonhoeffer defines “cheap grace” as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” Notice that other Christian sects preach that one simply needs a verbal acceptance of Jesus as Lord and personal Saviour — just a passive submission to God’s mercy. Is this really all one needs to be saved? In the Catholic Christian tradition, we believe that we struggle with sin all our lives. We find comfort in the Sacrament of Reconciliation by which we are given opportunities to recommit ourselves to a life of grace. St. Ambrose says there are two conversions “water and tears”: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1429)   

Others perceive mercy as pity for their misery. In Filipino, we commonly translate “mercy” as “awa”.  When we commiserate with those suffering or in distress, we urge them to persevere and believe in a God who will not abandon them by saying “May awa ang Diyos.”  When we pray at mass, when we pray our devotions, when we pray the Oratio Imperata — we ask for God’s mercy. It is an acknowledgement of our lowliness as humans vis a vis the almighty and all powerful God.  We beg Him to cast a merciful gaze upon us that in His condescension, His heart may be moved to send us relief from our sufferings.  

As followers of Jesus, we ought to see God’s mercy as the outpouring of excessive LOVE. The Hebrew word for mercy is (HESED). This theological term denotes God’s steadfast love for those in a special relationship with Him. As we have proclaimed in the Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1) This love of God is best revealed by the Father in Jesus Christ. In Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis says that “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.” In taking on human flesh, Jesus, the Incarnate Son reveals to us the mercy and love of God the Father. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.’ (John 3:17) Through God’s mercy, we who deserve the wrath of God have been refashioned into the sons and daughters of God in Jesus Christ, restoring us to the right relationship with God.  We are not mere slaves of a ruler but children of a loving Father. His mercy is given freely and never forced on us. In His love, He takes every chance to draw us closer to Him and gives every opportunity for us to be reconciled with Him. 

Having received of the tremendous gift of His mercy, what are we to do?  God expects us to dispense of what He has given us justly and charitably. God’s mercy compels us to act, to forgive, to console, to help. Unfortunately, with COVID cases on the rise, many people are getting more scared for themselves and their loved ones.  Out of fear for their lives, those who have the means, choose to cut themselves off from any contact with the outside world, voluntarily placing themselves in their comfortable bubbles, safe from these critical days of the pandemic. It reminds me of the disciples who were all huddled up in the Upper Room after the resurrection, still fearing for their lives. The good news is that Jesus is always ready to embolden us and empower us with His presence. In the same way that walls and closed doors did not prevent Him from being with His disciples, He meets us in the ordinariness of our lives to reassure us of His presence. It is with the eyes of faith that we shall recognize Him. Jesus tells Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (John 20:29)

This Sunday’s readings centre on the bountiful mercy of God and our responsibility as believers to extend this same forgiving love to our brothers and sisters. It is the experience of the abundance of God’s mercy that is fundamental to our forgiving one another. This realization has the power to reverse our human tendency to hold grudges against those who have wronged us. We can choose to prepare ourselves spiritually by making amends with God and consequently seeking forgiveness from the people we have wronged, or by forgiving those who have hurt us. We live in uncertain times. We are learning so painfully that life is too short. Many of those who die these days are unable to make amends with those they have hurt or who have hurt them. Some of them never make it back from the hospitals while others die so suddenly. We cannot tell, when we or people we love will find ourselves in that situation. Why waste what precious time we have?

In His recently published book, “Let Us Dream”, Pope Francis says, “In the trials of life, you reveal your own heart: how solid it is, how merciful, how big or small.”  As we continue to struggle through this pandemic, let us choose to never close our hearts to others nor withhold mercy from one another.  Despite all our woes, God has been extremely merciful to all of us. We all need God’s mercy, and in gratitude for that which we receive as a gift, we must also give and share. On this Divine Mercy Sunday, let us take recourse in the love and mercy of our Risen Lord and may we always act mercifully toward one another in imitation of Jesus Christ.

Illustration from http://www.pinterest.com

Homily: Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection

John 20:1-9

4 April 2021 

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

It is Easter once again! This is a joyous occasion for the whole Church! Are you feeling the joy? 

This is our 2nd Easter Celebration without the Christ the King (CTK) congregation before us. I had hoped to see both new and familiar faces as we all celebrated the triumph of our Lord over sin and death. I was even looking forward to personally exchanging greetings with you after the mass.  But there you are in your homes and here I am in an empty chapel with a handful of people….and that makes me a little sad. 

When we look around us today, it almost seems there is very little to rejoice over. In fact, my friend avoids watching or reading the news these days. The stream of reports on the rising COVID cases and the discovery of more virulent variants is stressing her out, not to mention the many lies, fake news, conflicting reports, politicking and finger pointing. She no longer eats and sleeps as well as she used to. I can’t blame her for shielding herself from all the negativity that we contend with these days. I’ve also observed prayer requests pouring in from friends (even priests) when they or their loved ones test positive for the virus. I’ve even found myself recognising more names among the COVID casualties. (God rest their souls!) Nonetheless, Easter has come again amidst this difficult situation and with it, a reminder that goodness reigns supreme and that is much reason to rejoice! 

In the gospel passage, we are told that Mary of Magdala rushed to inform Peter and John that the stone that sealed the tomb had been removed, thinking instinctively that somebody must have stolen the body of Jesus. Peter reportedly ran with John towards the tomb but we are not told anything of his thoughts and feelings after seeing the burial cloths, the cloth that covered Jesus’ face and the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene, Peter and practically all the other disciples, except perhaps John, shared the same fear that their enemies had only added insult to injury by taking the remains of Jesus. To them, the empty tomb was an overwhelming proof of their loss and defeat. The prospect of the resurrection was far from their minds.  

Our reaction would have been no different from theirs, had we found ourselves in their shoes. We tend to have difficulties seeing anything good emerging from the most devastating situations (like these days of the pandemic). Our biases are like scales that cover our eyes. Our hurts and traumas, like a cloud that descends upon us. In both instances, our vision is obscured and we do not see beyond our pain or our judgments.  It is then that we pout, sulk, complain, get angry and despair. We sometimes even convince others to commiserate with us and we just drag them to the depths we have already sunk ourselves in. Is this truly life’s reality? Of course not!  Consider that beyond the hindrances to our vision, the world continues to thrive under the loving hand of God!  Babies are born, flowers bloom, children laugh, the sun is shining… so many beginnings, so much beauty, so much life exists, sustaining the basic goodness in the world. Contrary to the law of social media saying if there’s no pic (meaning photo, or visual proof) it didn’t happen. This doesn’t mean goodness doesn’t exist if we don’t see it. God’s presence fills the world independent of our perception. Even more because of Jesus who has blessed every human experience through the incarnation, conquered sin and death, through His passion and resurrection. Even if we find ourselves shying away from this truth God’s love will eventually find us and revitalise us. Romans 8:38-39 assures us, “… neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

It takes pure FAITH to sense God’s presence in difficult moments. In various post-resurrection accounts, the disciples had a hard time recognising the Risen Jesus. In most instances, Jesus is only recognisable by faith. In this Sunday’s gospel passage, we are told that upon entering the empty tomb, the Beloved Disciple “saw and believed” (John 20:8). Although he may have lacked the solid understanding of the significance of Jesus’ passion and death, the text suggests that with the eyes of faith and love the Beloved Disciple sees clearly beyond the void of the empty tomb. Peter, too, eventually receives the grace to see the truth. In the First Reading, Peter gives a bold testimony for Jesus, declaring not only His works before the passion but the truth of His resurrection and the marvels He continued to work among them. (Acts 10:34, 37-43)

Psalm 33:5 reminds us that “the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” As followers of Jesus, our mandate is to see and believe with all our hearts that our broken world is imbued by the presence of the Risen Lord. It may be a struggle but we must choose to fix our gaze on Jesus and the hope He brings us, especially these days when our lives are marked by so much loss and our compounding problems paint a seemingly bleak future. We are called to be ambassadors of the Good News in our suffering world… to be the agents of our Lord, making known His promise, spreading His love, channelling His mercy. 

Brothers and sisters, allow Jesus to open the eyes of our faith (and of love) so as to help us see through our fears, our pain and suffering. May the light of the Risen Jesus illumine the darkness of our lives so we can see God’s love and mercy at work all around us. May we always recognise the Risen Christ in our midst that we may genuinely share in the Easter joy. Rejoice! The Lord is risen! Happy Easter!

Artwork from krisdebruine.com

HOMILY: GOOD FRIDAY

John 18:1-19:42

2 April 2021 

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

What would break you? What would bring you to desperation? For some, severe physical torture is enough to make them lose their minds. For others emotional trauma like breaking up with a lover or the death of a loved one is enough to sink them into clinical depression. For others, mental stress due to overwhelming problems causes their body to break down and succumb to disease. How about you, how much suffering can you take? 

There is so much suffering in our world today. People are carrying all kinds of crosses these days — the crosses of job loss, sickness, hunger, uncertainty, death… On Twitter, I saw a tweet asking prayers for a boy whose older and younger siblings died within days of each other because they could not get medical attention. The surviving family is under quarantine and cannot attend to the remains of their loved ones. There was also a story of a young man who drove his ailing father to 11 hospitals from  Novaliches to Pampanga. They found a vacancy in Valenzuela but only received medical attention after a 12-hour wait. It would be no surprise if people asked, “Where is God in all this?” 

He is here suffering with us. This answer may be difficult to accept or comprehend when we too are undergoing fierce trials but it does not diminish this fundamental truth. Throughout His entire life and ministry, Jesus has shown an immense capacity for compassion towards all of humanity.  In its simplest definition, the word “compassion” means to ‘suffer with’. In His humanity, He knew what it was to feel hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Being the object of lies and hatred, He suffered mockery, betrayal, and loneliness.  He suffered more explicitly during the last hours of His life and yet love sustained Him through the ordeal. He was filled with so much love that there was more than enough for Him to give to those He encountered on the Via Dolorosa. Even with the weight of the cross on His shoulders, Jesus offers consolation to the women weeping at seeing His afflictions: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.” (Luke 23:28) Abandoned by friends, betrayed by one and denied by the other, mocked by soldiers, taunted and jeered at by the bystanders, Jesus still manages to extend forgiveness and care for others even in the darkest hours of His great agony on the cross. To those mocking and taunting Him, Jesus prays: “Forgive them Father they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). To the repentant thief, Jesus promises eternal life: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43). To His beloved mother, feeling her pain, Jesus entrusts her to the care of a good friend: “Woman, behold, your son. Behold, your mother.” (John 19:26-27). Only when all things have been accomplished does He hand over His spirit to the Father. As the Suffering Servant of the Lord,  “[Jesus] was pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

The skeptics would say only God could have endured such suffering and mere mortals are incapable of looking beyond their ordeal. I beg to differ. Accompany me as I take you on the painful journey of this woman I came to know about. She came home on the evening of March 17 to find her child frantically assisting her husband who had vomited  fresh blood. They called the emergency hotline and in the course of the standard interview, was told by the operator “Ma’am, considered COVID case na yan. Find a hospital that will accept him and then we will send the ambulance.” She begged them to come and give first aid while her friend phoned hospitals looking for a vacancy. The medics came at midnight to give first aid but had to leave after. The whole night, the small family held hands and prayed through tears for a miracle. By morning a hospital agreed to take him so the ambulance returned at noon to transport him. When they got to the hospital, doctors were waiting at the ER entrance, not to accept them but to reject them on the premise that their COVID facility was already full. They brought him to another hospital that agreed to take him. He was given a broken wheelchair to sit on so the woman cradled her husband’s head and prayed.  Through the 5-hour wait, patients begun to pity them as doctors and nurses labeled as heroes of the pandemic, ignored her pleas for help. When they finally attended to him she was told to sign a waiver indemnifying the hospital for the outcome of the treatment. Desperate, she signed it against her better judgment. She embraced her husband tightly, asked him to be strong and to trust in the Lord. She told him she loved him and that she and their child would be waiting for him. As he disappeared from view she offered up all their suffering and entrusted him to God. She went home to attend to her child and packed some things. It had been 24 hours. She had not slept or eaten but she rushed back to the hospital. There was no word from the medical staff so she waited patiently, praying fervently for another 6 hours till she dozed off. An hour later she was roused by a doctor informing her that her husband’s heart had stopped and they were doing CPR. They sought permission to intubate him. But it was too late. On March 19, after their 33-hour ordeal, he died in the ER. She did not throw a fit or lose her mind but went home brokenhearted and defeated.  These days she asks people to pray for the Philippines and our hospitals because many people are suffering the same fate. 

Admit it, if we were in her shoes we would have moved heaven and earth, used all our connections to get immediate help. We would not have endured the long wait. We would have yelled and threatened the medical staff — no longer heroes in our eyes but villains. And when all our efforts would be in vain, we may even find ourselves denouncing God in our hurt and anger. How did she find the strength? Like Jesus, it was love that sustained her. Her faith in God’s mercy was so strong that she abandoned her life and her family to Him. Her story tells us that humanity is not lost. Evil and suffering will have no hold over us if we cling to Christ and bravely tread the path He leads us on, no matter how difficult. In Jesus we find hope and meaning in the cross.  We are invited to become fellow cross-bearers of Christ. We not only bear our own crosses but share in the suffering of others; united with the passion of Jesus (paschal mystery), our acts of compassion assure our brothers and sisters of God’s great love for them and the promise of redemption. This is what it means to be a follower of Christ. This is how we glorify God in our lives.

As Christians, we have the strength to say TGIGF! Thank God it’s “Good Friday”. We give thanks for this day we call ‘Good” in remembrance of God’s profound love for us through the passion of Jesus Christ. We reflect on how God in the person of Jesus has fully entered into our suffering, including death itself through the passion and crucifixion. As the Letter to the Hebrews boldly proclaims: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) Jesus knows and understands our pain when we suffer. He suffered far more than what we can bear. He knows our fear and anxiety when faced with death but He does not condemn us for it but instead promises that if we endure, He will be with us to strengthen us. Today is a privileged moment.  TGIGF! On this day, Jesus our Lord, suffered and died for all of us in a perfect act of self-giving love. For that we must always be grateful. If we have the love of God, nothing can ever break us.

Homily: Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord  (B)

Mark 11:1-10 / Mark 14:1-15:47

28 March 2021 

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

In today’s liturgy, the story of the Passion of Jesus is read dramatically, with some people in the assembly taking on various roles: the narrator, Jesus, Pilate, the apostles, some minor characters and the crowd. Among these roles, I feel the most challenging is the part of the “CROWD” which is often assigned to the rest of the congregation. I have always found it awkward to have to say the lines and capture the irony in the crowd’s response towards Jesus as presented in the two gospels proclaimed in this Sunday’s liturgy. The crowd in the narratives that greet Jesus with joyful shouting: “Hosanna!” (meaning “Save us, we pray!”) “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Psalm 118: 26), are the very same people who would later demand Jesus’ death, preferring to save a vicious thug and murderer over Jesus crying out: “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:13).

In the passion narrative, Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him, maybe even before Judas did. “Amen I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” (Mark 14:18) Remember that Judas had free will and it was his willful decision to conspire with the high priests but he could have also chosen to abort his plans. But he didn’t. The development of his character in the company of Jesus skewed his tendencies and veered him from the path Jesus was showing them. Perhaps, we can say, that Judas disagreed with Jesus’ plan and opted to take matters into his own hands.  Whether it was intended to save Jesus or deliberately eliminate Him, we do not know. Nonetheless, in John’s Gospel Jesus seems to imply that the betrayal was a necessary first step to His glorification. We read there that as soon as Judas leaves, Jesus says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” (John 13:31) Judas’ terrible act of betrayal sets into motion the events that led to the passion.  

Peter is another interesting character. Jesus knew that Peter’s faith would be shaken just like the rest of the Twelve and that eventually he would deny Him. “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times.”  (Mark 14:30) Peter vehemently objects saying: “Even though I should die with you, I will not deny you.” (Mark 14:31) We all know how Peter’s story ends and how he eventually dies for Christ in an equally gruesome crucifixion but he lives many years before that as he still had much to accomplish to continue the work of Jesus. Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denial, the abandonment of the rest of the Twelve and what He had to go through in His passion and death were ugly and unpleasant events but they were necessary to bring about the desired outcome. We recall what Jesus taught about “the Son of Man who must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31). Jesus knew what He had to undergo in order to be glorified by the Father. 

As we enter more deeply into the story of the Passion of Jesus at the start of the Holy Week, we are invited to look closely at the complex reality of human life and human relationships through the choices and interactions of the characters in the drama. Life is almost like a stage play with each of us playing vital roles in the continuing story of human salvation. The script, in this case is unfinished and continues to evolve with the passage of time driven by the exit of players and the introduction of new characters through the generations. Our faith compels us to trust that our presence is of value because God, our Creator, who knows us before we are born, has a purpose for each one of us. He knows who we are and what we are all capable of since He designed us and gifted us with our unique talents.

The human drama of life and the choices made by all its characters continue to puzzle us. In the Act of the play where we must live out the COVID 19 pandemic, it is easy to label persons as “incorrigible”, “wicked” and “evil”, because we observe them to have made such poor choices or to exhibit bad behaviour. We must constantly remind ourselves that each one of us has indeed a vital role to play in God’s unfolding plan for us. Like the antagonists in the passion story, where they commit their wrong-doings, failings, poor and critical judgments, God is still there, bringing about or ushering in a greater good. Ironically, in Mark’s passion narrative it is from the enemies and foreigners that we come to understand who Jesus is and what His purpose is for humanity. The high priest asks Jesus if He is “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One.” (Mark 14:61) Pilate condemns Jesus because He is the “King of the Jews”. Then, there is the Roman centurion who confesses that Jesus… “This man is truly the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39)

When I think of the people who get on my nerves, I would still like to believe that there is a purpose why they are part of the unfolding twists and turns of our human lives. Through them, we are made to realise how important it is to be discerning of our choices and actions in life. In all humility, we must acknowledge that we, too have played both sides at some point.  We, too, are constantly faced with the choice to be either protagonists or antagonists in the human drama. Also of importance is realising that coming to a fuller appreciation of the unique roles we play in the story of humanity is a lifetime process. As long as we live our characters, we have a chance to change, develop and improve. Inevitably, the characters in the human drama simply change over time as people die and are born but the story of salvation continues. This is not to say that we are God’s puppets or this happens for His entertainment. God is not self-serving nor selfish. We have free will so our roles are not completely defined and the script is always in flux, developing as the story unfolds, revealing surprise twists with every unexpected interactions of the characters. This being said, we cannot judge someone to be villain or hero until his/her story is truly over. As long as the story continues, we as characters can always find redemption. Perhaps, this is a worthwhile prayer — that those who choose to be the villains in this human drama called life may have that moment of conversion.

“All the world’s a stage, and all men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…” So goes the opening line in William Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It. We all have a role to play in life. But we have the choice how to play our part. As long as we breathe there will always be a part of us who can either shout “Hosanna!” or “Crucify Him!” over the many circumstances by which Christ presently makes Himself manifest. Let us be patient with one another and suspend judgments over each one’s character. After all, we are all created by God in His great love. We all have the potential to be the hero that bears witness to Christ and ensures that His saving love is a constant element in the drama of our broken humanity.

Homily: Fifth Sunday of Lent (B)

John 12:20-33

21 March 2021

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez 

Eula is a mom with 2 young kids and a third on the way. Due to the pandemic she has had to live where she works 15 days each month. That’s 15 days where she cannot care for her children. Noel’s income was sufficient for his stay at home wife and their kids. When the health crisis happened he had to take a huge pay cut at work. His wife had to take on “sidelines” to augment the family income while also attending to the children. Giovanni can barely take time off since the reduction of personnel requires him to work longer hours. He was unable to spend Christmas and New Year with his family and he had to miss the birthdays of his loved ones in 2020 because he was on duty. These are stories of real people who have been living a life of sacrifice in the past year. They are members of Christ the King’s parish staff.  Although I’ve shared with you just 3 stories, all of them have personal struggles intensified by this pandemic year.  They’ve all had to adjust their personal comforts and put on hold life goals so they may continue their work of ensuring all of us have a safe place to worship God and receive the sacraments. 

In today’s Gospel Jesus talks about the supreme sacrifice He must make in order to restore us to the right and most fitting relationship with God. He describes His self-offering through the metaphor of the grain of wheat that dies so as to bring forth much fruit. Just like the grain of wheat that needs to be buried in the earth to produce new wheat in abundance, Jesus will offer his life as a ransom for many.

The prospect of suffering and dying was not easy for Jesus. It is his humanity that prods Jesus to disclose… “I am troubled now.” Making sacrifices did not come any easier to Him than it does to us. He felt pain and discomfort and fatigue the same way we do. This struggle of Jesus is very much evident in His agony in the Garden  where He prays: “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” What makes Jesus different was His total willingness to undergo all that suffering for love of humankind and in fulfillment of His Father’s plan. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that although Jesus was Son, “he learned obedience from what He suffered”, and as a result, “He was made perfect and became the source of eternal salvation for all.” 

Similarly we, too have “to die” to ourselves in order to become followers of Jesus and be a source of life for others. Put differently, we must lose our life in order to find it. This is to say that our life as Christians is not without a cost. Our human instinct would always tell us to avoid death and to cling to life…. to prefer self-preservation over self-sacrifice. But Jesus teaches us that to become His faithful followers we should not hesitate to hand over our life in the service of others, by putting other’s needs before our own, and by becoming more and more other-centered individuals. St. Ignatius of Loyola describes it best as being a “Man (or woman) for others”. St Joseph, whose solemnity we just celebrated last Friday had many experiences of “dying to himself” in loving service of God and others. He took the pregnant Mary as his wife despite the gossip of their community; he led his family safely on lengthy journeys on the basis of divine instructions received in his dreams; he struggled to make a living in a foreign land (Egypt) to provide his young wife and a baby that was not his own but merely entrusted to his care. He does not run away like Jonah.  He doesn’t throw in the towel when things didn’t immediately make sense or the task was daunting.  He did what was necessary, motivated by his trust in God and his love for Mary and Jesus.  The Christian life is a process of growing into dying and rising. When we make our choice to say “yes” to Jesus, we are telling the world that  we want to be better versions of ourselves even if it means having to suffer difficulty, swallow our pride, and be subject to humiliation. 

For over a year already, we all have been compelled to make sacrifices because of the global health crisis. We’ve all had to give up something we value for the sake of others. Our medical frontliners have had to give up being in the safety of their homes with their family so they could care for the sick in the hospitals and emergency rooms. Others make sacrifices so they could make substantial donations to the needy. And there are those who have sacrificed their own comforts to be able to earn a living for their family.  The fact that we must bear the discomfort of wearing masks and face shields, douse ourselves with disinfectants and distance ourselves from relatives and friends we have grown accustomed to hugging and “beso-beso” —those are sacrifices not only to ensure we don’t get the virus but to protect others from an inadvertent spread of the virus. The struggle is far from over as 8,000 new cases were recorded yesterday (the highest we’ve had in a day since the lockdown) and is predicted to increase to 11,000 by the end of the month. The surge may be (I’m not saying it’s the only reason!) due to those among us who have had a bad case of “pandemic fatigue” and have been less willing to make these personal sacrifices and have been remiss in the proper use of masks, shields, and disinfectants, and who believe it safe to gather again with friends and family. We badly need a more immediate, decisive and proactive response to our present predicament. This is an urgent call for everyone from our leaders down to every Filipino to always bear in mind the common good, even if it means having to step down from positions of responsibility and handing over the reins to those more capable and willing.

 
Suffering is part of the human existence. Jesus felt it because he was human. It is however by his divinity that he elevates such painful experiences into moments of sanctification and doors for transformation. If you think of what Jesus suffered for us, our own sacrifices pale in comparison. 

Through our acts of serving others, of dying to ourselves for the good of others, Jesus allows us to transcend the limits of our individual existence. As we persevere with courage and hope and remain grounded in faith as we follow   Christ, we must trust that our road does not  end in tragedy at Calvary but in His love and mercy, Jesus also leads us on the road to glory — a life filled with the wonders, riches and marvels of our loving and merciful God!