In Making the Most; In Going Beyond the Given

Homily: Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 25: 14:30

15 November 2020

Fr. Ricky Montanez

In Making the Most; In Going Beyond the Given

People can’t wait for 2020 to be over.  Many will say it’s the worst year of their life yet. It’s already November but the bad news keeps coming from different parts of the world. In the Philippines, we began the year with the eruption of Taal Volcano. Then Covid 19 hits our shores and in no time, is declared a worldwide pandemic and we follow suit as countries go into lockdown. The crisis has had a negative impact on society, particularly the economy, the health sector, labour, national security and a host of other rights and freedoms we take for granted like education, worship, etc.  And if this was not enough, we were recently blindsided by two strong typhoons, the first, dubbed the strongest tropical cyclone in the world this year and the second so devastating that it has displaced a large number of people in many parts of Bicol, NCR and other regions of Luzon. Not to frighten you, but the year is not over yet. Who is to say what awaits at the 11th hour? 

This year’s circumstances have pushed us to live in fear of many things… unemployment, hunger, illness, political and social unrest, economic disaster. Disaster response to the health crisis was poor and slow. Anywhere in the world, authorities scrambled to gather their experts to figure out what was going on and to find a solution. As other countries went into general lockdowns, the Philippines had to be a little bit more creative with its permutations of CQ acronyms. All of it is reactionary.  That’s why Filipinos are tired of being described as resilient. (Indulge me. I will be brief.) There is nothing wrong with being resilient. It’s a great character trait of a people. Resilience is one’s capacity to rise and recover from difficult conditions. The premise however is that one has taken a beating. The question is, why must we always be blindsided by crisis in the first place? Why must the punches land solidly on our face? In boxing, small, necessary movements and sharp anticipation will help you to dodge any jab, hook or uppercut. Preparation is the answer. I feel that the Filipino people are looking for leadership that focuses on learning from the mistakes of history to properly plan and prepare us for any crisis instead of one that allows the people to suffer the blows and expect to be consoled by compliments on our resilience. 

On this Sunday’s gospel passage from Matthew we are invited to imbibe this attitude of preparedness every day of our lives in anticipation of the coming of the Kingdom of God and the return of Christ our King. Through the gospel parable we are made to look towards the ‘day of reckoning’ and the preparations we need to make in order that we may live “in the Master’s joy”. Notice that the Master did not give any specific instructions as to what his servants were to do with the talents he entrusted to them. The two servants were conscientious and creative enough to make a profit from the talents given them. Take note also, that the parable never said they had to go to school or learn a new trade in order to prosper the Master’s possessions. They simply went about the natural course of their business, using skills they already possessed. Their industry brought impressive returns on their efforts.  The wife described in the First Reading from the Book of Proverbs, also exhibits a similar situation. The text indicates clearly the characteristics and duties of a good wife. Everything mentioned is within the scope of her role as wife. It does not require her to learn or possess extraordinary skills that will be of no use to the tasks of her role and circumstances. 

In the same way, God does not ask the impossible of us.  He has entrusted each of us with the blessing of being alive and of being stewards of His creation. He has equipped us with the knowledge, strength and grace that enable us to go through life wisely and productively and to each fulfill our unique mission for Him.  Paul reminds us “all of you are children of the light and children of the day…. let us not sleep as the rest do but let us stay alert and sober.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:5-6) As long as we persevere and prosper with the means and capacity we have been given, there is no need for us to worry and be anxious about things we may have no control over.  We are assured that as long as we do what we must, we will be prepared for any eventuality.

At this point, I would like to commend the local government of Marikina for quickly evacuating people by the river and being ready with their disaster response teams. The experience of flooding during Ondoy has taught them to be prepared for inundation and as a result, fewer lives were lost and rescues did not have to drag on for days. Beautiful Batanes has been consistently hit by storms, even before I can remember. If you visit the place you will behold how their homes and their way of life help them to adapt and thrive despite the unfortunate circumstance that their location is often in a typhoon’s track. Japan is also a good model of preparedness. Earthquakes are frequent and common in Japan so the Japanese developed a technology that allows their buildings to withstand any seismic stress.  They no longer run or cower when the earth begins to shake. Even the children know what to do.  The Japanese people are confident that they are well-prepared for the occurrence. 

In the examples I just mentioned, people are rewarded for their astuteness in being prepared — they get to continue to live their lives. They are not consumed by fear of the unknown because they live in expectation of these occurrences — not to invite them, but to be prepared should they happen at any time. As Christians, we live in anticipation of the coming of God’s Kingdom. St. Paul in his First Letter to the Thessalonians says that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2) The end would come suddenly and unexpectedly. Jesus said that only God the Father knows the exact day and hour. Until then, we must deal with another unknown deadline. I speak of the limits of human life. We all have a finite number of years to spend on earth. No one lives forever.  We don’t know when it is our time to die. We don’t know when God, our Master, will call us to Himself and make an accounting of what we have done with the blessings He has given us. Hence, as God’s servants, we should be most prepared. Now. Always.  As Christians we are invited to live daily as living witnesses, working examples of a true Christian, grounded in imitation of Jesus Christ, instructed by the Church, and guided by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy such as praying for the living and the dead, comforting the afflicted, giving shelter to the homeless; feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. We cannot be complacent and lazy lying in wait like the third servant in the gospel parable. Paralysed by his fear of the master, the third servant was negligent with what was entrusted to him. The fact that no returns were gained on the talent means he was remiss in his typical duties, leaving his talent unused and buried in the ground. 

In closing, I would like to tell you of a man who was forced to work from home because of the lockdown. Although he continues to work to earn a living, he is now able to spend precious time with his son every day to guide him, teach him and encourage him. The crisis has enabled the man to be the dad, husband and family man he needed to be — one who not only provides the financial needs of his family, but who supports his wife in managing the household and in raising their child to be a good Catholic Christian and productive member of society. As early as now, he is helping his young son discover his gifts and preparing him for life so that no matter what happens he is ready and he need not live in fear. He was surprised when his son declared that 2020 has so far been the BEST year of his life! That, to him, was enough reward.  We learn from this little family the attitude of being true to our calling, making good use of our time and resources, and doing our best to be always prepared. It gives us an assurance that on the day God holds us accountable for what was entrusted to us, we, too, may be as esteemed as the dutiful wife and the industrious servants, and be worthy of an eternal reward.

Opting to Wait; Opting to be Ready

Homily: Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Matthew 25:1-13
08 November 2020

Fr. Ricky Montanez

Opting to Wait; Opting to be Ready

In this parish, I know a vibrant group of senior citizens with such a zest and appreciation for life. Maintenance meds and a variety of aches and pains don’t get in the way of their desire to live life to the fullest. They love to dress up, shop together, dine with each other, dance, and watch movies, concerts and stage shows. They are also regular daily massgoers and often at the forefront of parish and social outreach programs. When the country went into lockdown all their activities came to a sudden halt. They stayed home for their safety but after nearly eight (8) months into the quarantine they’ve begun to wonder when they will be allowed to go out?  They tell me how they yearn to be physically present at mass again and to go on little adventures with each other, drawing in the sights and sounds of the city and basking in the energy of humanity. With a shrug of my shoulders, I can only tell them to wait. And to do so patiently. 

Waiting. For many of us, it is rather a challenge and we’d much rather skip it if we can. This pandemic has forced us all into a lengthy period of waiting for life to return to some semblance of normalcy. Every day, more and more people get wearied and tired from the psycho-emotional effects of this worldwide crisis. Nonetheless, we have no choice but to wait for a vaccine, or any solution that offers salvation from this dire situation. We must learn how to wait. 

To be sure, we have had to deal with waiting and delays in life even prior to 2020. However, living as we do, in a society which demands instant gratification of our needs, and where everything is geared to take the waiting out of wanting, we’ve managed to find ways to eliminate the process of waiting. Why else do you think we have fast food centres, online banking, instant noodles, instant microwavable ulam (viand), etc?  When buying things online, there’s always the express delivery option for those who would pay extra so they can get their purchases sooner! And what about the culture of paying a little extra under the table or in the form of gifts to bypass the bureaucracy in an office? We want everything resolved the soonest possible time. It presupposes two things — first, that we believe we can control everything, and second, that we have the arrogance to believe only our time matters. 

This Sunday’s set of readings offers us a bit of an insight to help us deal with the “delays” we have to face in life and those that we are experiencing at present brought about by this health crisis. In the Gospel, the ten virgins are tasked to wait attentively for the bridegroom’s arrival. Five of these maidens are identified as ‘wise’ while the other five as ‘foolish’ as exhibited by their degree of preparation for the big event. Notice that all ten came prepared.  To be certain, they had been advised of the possible ETA of the bridegroom and so they dressed appropriately, knew when they needed to be present at the entrance and what they needed to bring.  Let us note that the “delay” we all perceive is from the frame of reference of the 10 maidens waiting. Technically, how can the bridegroom be late when the party only officially starts with his arrival?  Without him, there is no party. ‘Pack up na!’ The guests go home sad. Right?  I believe the five wise maidens were self-aware, acknowledging that they were there to do a job —- to meet and welcome this prestigious guest. They recognized that it was the bridegroom’s affair, his honour, and not theirs and since they were at the mercy of the uncertainty of the situation, they thought it best to be ready and bring extra provisions to sustain them and keep their lamps burning should there be delays.  

Often times we worry so much. We forget that many things are beyond our control. As humans we are beset by many limitations of time and space.  Not everything will always go as we wish. No matter how smart or powerful we are, we cannot manipulate every variable to ensure all outcomes are in our favour. Jesus, himself, advises the worriers among us, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) If anything, this pandemic reminds us that everything remains within God’s providence, within God’s design, within God’s purpose. We may think this situation has dashed our dreams or put on hold all our plans but the truth is, everything we have, every blessing and opportunity has always been a gift from God. Job shows us perfectly the kind of attitude we ought to have when he says, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”  (Job 1:21) This applies to everything under the sun, especially the fragility of human life. The Thessalonians in the second reading were obsessed with the second coming of Christ and were grieving the loss of their loved ones whom they believed to have missed it altogether. They bewail that Jesus is “late” and their loved ones have missed His triumphant return.  St. Paul tells them “not to grieve like the rest who do not have hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). What they failed to understand was that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and whenever He chooses to arrive, He is sure to bring life.  It is for us to nurture that hope in the coming of our Saviour.  

In episode 7 of the recently-concluded K-Drama series “Record of Youth”, the character of Sa Hye-jun receives a book as a gift and in it is a wisdom-laden inscription. It cleverly advises whosoever waits for a breakthrough in their life to always remember that “the most precious present in the world is living in the present, learning from the past and planning your future.” This is to say that to live life fully we must focus on making the best of the present.  We need not stress over what we perceive as delays to a future we desire or expect. We ought to draw from the lessons of the past to help us deal with the struggles of today, trusting fully that the present is preparing us to receive the future. This is where we must learn how to wait with purpose.  Why wait in idleness and futility? We can opt and make a conscious choice to maintain a healthy and Christianly-productive perspective of waiting. Given the limits of our situation, we can still help ease the suffering of our very own family, friends and neighbours. Tapping on our inner reserves, we recall the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear.” (Isaiah 58:7-8) 

Going back to the senior citizen barkada, I mentioned at the start of the homily.  I was happy to report that they are using their waiting time wisely. They each have their own hobbies, be it gardening, crafts, watching K-drama or cooking. They have also since, managed to learn zoom and videoconferencing to be able to check in on each other to ascertain their friends are doing okay. They have also learned to access livestreamed masses on FB and religiously attend sometimes more than one mass a day. They delight in the presence of their families especially at meal time and they’ve initiated family prayer in their homes. To help the community and society, they were also able to donate generously, according to their capacity, to outreach programs for the poor and the frontliners. They are a wise bunch for having learned to enjoy the gift of the present moment with hope in their hearts for the future. After all, who is to say when they are to be called back to the Father before the pandemic ends?  In fact, they already lost a few of their friends in the months under quarantine. The present is all they have. It is all we have.  By being fully present in the moment we can at least achieve a level of peace of mind and heart that helps anyone cope with the life interruptions brought by this most uncertain time. 

In closing, I urge you, as Jesus does, to be prepared, be vigilant and to stay awake because we do not know the hour nor the day of His return. Let us strive to live with a clear conscience and to conduct all our affairs as we would in the presence of the Lord. We pray for the grace to be humble and allow the Lord to work within us as He pleases, the keenness to wait patiently and wisely for God’s time, and the sensitivity to recognize when God is already taking the lead.

Holiness Within Our Reach

Homily: Solemnity of All Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

01 November 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez

“Bangtan Sonyeondan” which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. They are popularly known the world over as BTS, a Korean boy band that has taken the world by storm. They have a huge following across the globe, across all age groups, spanning different continents. Just to give an idea of how big they are… A music video of theirs can earn over 56 million views within its first 24 hours. Not even the Pope’s mass has registered that many online viewers!  Their fans are so devoted that they are known to camp out for a week in the parking lot of the arena where this Korean boy band is set to perform. I was told that these BTS guys have so much influence that when they donated 1 million USD to Black Lives Matter, the Army (which is their fan base) matched it with another 1 million USD in less than 24 hours. The lives of these boys, the talent they share and the causes they promote affect multitudes of millennials, ‘gen Zers’ and even ‘gen Xers’ moving them to support and emulate them. 

I’d like to think that the Catholic Church is not short of people worthy of emulation as well. I recently received a link to a Facebook page that listed over twenty young people from the ages of 12 to 25 who have been declared servants of God on the way to sainthood or have already received the honour of beatification or canonization. Among them is our very own Darwin Ramos from the Diocese of Cubao and the recently celebrated Blessed Carlo Acutis.  These young believers, in the words of Pope Francis, were able to discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (1 Cor 12:7). 

Today is All Saints’ Day. You know there are a few things that make our other Christian brothers and sisters very uneasy with how we practice our Catholic Christian faith. One of them is our veneration of the saints, particularly that of our Blessed Mother Mary. Many of them accuse us of idolatry for allegedly worshipping Mary and the saints. As we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, ask yourself — Do you? Do we, really worship them? The answer is a resounding NO! Of course, we don’t.  We only worship the Triune God, the Living God! What is most fitting to say is: We honour Mary and all these holy men and women who have been exemplars of the Christian life for all of us.  As children we are taught that saints are intercessors — meaning we can, in prayer, ask the assistance of those whose prayers reach God readily since they already stand in His presence, behold Him face to face, and “see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).  As we become adults, we are asked to focus more on the challenge to imitate the virtues of the saints. This aspect of our faith practice as Catholics is where we have much opportunity for growth. Sometimes we can overemphasize our former childhood understanding so as to neglect the latter. 

How do you relate with the Blessed Mother and the saints? Who are they to you in your faith life? I am not here to downplay their role in leading us to Jesus, our Lord vis a vis obtaining for us special favours.  There is nothing wrong with this. We do this all the time when we ask others to pray for us. The danger there is when we put these holy men and women so high up on a pedestal that they become too far removed from us, that they simply become an icon of admiration rather than of imitation. Saints are exemplars of the Christian life explicitly revealed in the Sermon of the Mount. They are the ones who, in the words of the First Reading from the Book of Revelation, had “washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). Hence, they are the perfect model of how to become true witnesses of our Christian faith, especially in these times. We are to take encouragement from them. As St. Paul says quite boldly, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) 

We often think of sainthood as something that is beyond our grasp. We imagine saints to be people who seem to have done everything right; very much unlike us who often falter and make a lot of mistakes, rendering the possibility of becoming one highly unlikely. But the more we learn about them, we realise that they are no different from us. They, too were far from being perfect or without sin.  They were fully human like you and me.  They had the same weaknesses, the same human inclinations, the same faults and failings as we all have. What sets them apart? The fact that they have never forgotten who God is for them. They drew strength from God to persevere despite their trials.  Through it all, they remained steadfast and so “survived the time of great distress” (Revelation 7:14). Today as we remember all of these holy men and women, we celebrate their lives as examples of holiness and models for our imitation. 

“While the church recognizes through the processes of beatification and canonization “exemplary imitations of Christ,” Pope Francis urges believers “to be spurred on by the signs of holiness that the Lord shows through the humblest members of God’s people,” what he calls “the saints next-door.” (Gaudete et Exsultate #8) Holiness is not beyond our grasp. We have already been made saints in baptism where we are made children of God. So, says St. John, “We are God’s children now.” (1 John 3:2) The very nature of our Christianity challenges us to live our life in a way that embodies our identity as God’s children. Each one of us is called to holiness. That is why if we look around us, we come to realise that we are surrounded by what the Letter to the Hebrews refers to as a great “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). 

Have we not encountered people whose lives were imbued with a genuine holiness? John Paul II, when he visited the Philippines as Pope for World Youth Day in the early nineties had that kind of presence. One was filled with emotion and moved to joyful tears by even just watching him on TV or having an actual glimpse of him as he passed in the pope mobile or to just behold his hand raised in blessing over the sea of faithful in Luneta. He did not even have to speak a word. One simply need look at him to perceive the holiness of his person. John Paul II is a prime example of how we can exude holiness without needing the affirmation of the Church by beatification or canonization.  Pope Francis said in his Apostolic Exhortation Gaudate et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad!), “I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence.” (Gaudete et Exsultate #7) Think of the selfless love of parents for their children. Can that not be an avenue for sanctification? Imagine the street sweeper who assists his children with their school work by the light coming from a lamp post. We recall the dedication and sacrifices of teachers in ensuring that none of our children is deprived of the right to education even during this difficult time. We also think of the many who in our time are persecuted for their Catholic Christian faith. The most recent being the sacristan at the church of Notre Dame in Nice, France.  Vincent, along with two others was murdered by beheading by an Islamist extremist.  Many more like him have been put to death because of their loyalty to Christ. We cannot ignore them or forget them. They are proof, that we ordinary people, have the capacity to attain such distinctions for the glory of God and in defence of our faith. 

The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium states that “all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (Lumen Gentium Chapter V #40). I ask you to reflect on your lives and see how you have experienced being blessed by the holiness of others. We, in turn are invited to be a blessing to others by living up to our destiny as children of God. We are all “called to be saints”. (1 Cor 1:2) Today’s celebration of All Saints’ Day is a challenge for us to be “imitators” of all these holy men and women renowned as saints in heaven. May we be numbered among God’s holy ones forever praising and thanking the good Lord as citizens of the eternal homeland!

Illustration from fineartamerica.com

Going to the Heart of the Matter

Homily: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 22:34-40

25 October 2020

Fr. Ricky Montanez

There is a household inhabited by people known to publicly practice their faith and spread the gospel. Their neighbors believe them to be so kind to have employed a helper despite her hearing disability and history of abuse. Their helper is trustworthy, and hardworking and has a cheerful disposition. She sincerely cares for the family and normally goes beyond her duties to see to it that they are comfortable. They speak to her kindly  and take her on a shopping spree on her birthday. Her employers claim to appreciate and love her very much. Lately she asked if she could be taken for a check up since she was experiencing painful urination, lower back pain and persistent low grade fever.  They refused! They downplayed her need for medical attention, saying her symptoms were chronic and nothing serious anyway and that she risked contracting worse illnesses in the hospital. They feel justified in their actions because they claim to care about her. Would you say their actions were genuinely motivated by love and concern? What can you say about how they prioritized their expression of compassion for their helper? 

For sure, priorities can differ among people. These are extremely personal to each one of us and they are formed by our values, environment and life experiences. What are your priorities in life? Have they been changed by your experience of the pandemic? The economy is in recession, businesses have closed down, jobs have been lost and more people are experiencing poverty. Are the things you thought absolutely necessary before, equally indispensable now? 

St. Augustine once said the essence of sin is disordered love. His statement suggests that there is a proper order of loving. We are to love God above all, in recognition and appreciation that we are His creatures.  It is but right that we worship Him. If we place anything or anyone before God, that becomes the thing we worship. Romans 1:25 warns against exchanging the truth of God for a lie, and worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. The order in which we love is also evident in the way we live. We look at our motivations and see what drives us to do the things we do. When you do good things for others are you looking at what others really need or are you trying to glorify yourself? Why do some people donate gowns and party clothes and expired food items to the calamity stricken? Do they truly love others? When people are more concerned with appearing generous or compassionate, it is their image they love more than anything. Another measure of your priorities would be to ask what you fear losing the most. If your house was on fire, what would you save first? Your family? Your jewelry? A prized painting? Your pet dog?  Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21  

Recently, I presided over a wedding here at CTK.  There were only six (6) people in attendance. I’ve been used to observing the grand church productions that could make a bid for “the wedding of the century”. The groom joked, “It’s less stressful and cheaper to get married these days.” The bride’s comment, however, touched my heart. She said, “We decided to push through with the wedding despite the odds because we want the Lord’s blessing on our life together more than anything else. This is something we cannot postpone nor forego.” I admire these engaged couples who recognize what is truly essential about the sacrament they are asking of the church. 

Also commendable are parents with their newly-born children  who sought Baptism for their little ones the moment the quarantine restrictions permitted. It didn’t matter that only a maximum of ten (10) people were allowed in the baptistry or that they could not hold a huge celebration in a proper venue with throngs of invited friends and family.  What mattered was that they could have their little one initiated into God’s spiritual family and ensure the salvation of the child’s soul. 

These are stories of how people learned to prioritize higher values. They have learned the proper order of love.  In this Sunday’s gospel, a scholar of the law tests Jesus by asking Him to identify the greatest commandment from among the 613 laws of the rabbinical tradition. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Their intention, was to trap Jesus, as it was last Sunday. Remember that the query was posed by the Pharisees, the experts in the law.  Had Jesus selected one among the 613 laws, they would have easily argued their way into making Jesus appear, heretical or blasphemous.  Jesus, however, seeing through their intentions, responds by going to the very heart of the matter. He doesn’t choose from among the clear cut laws. He captures uniquely a truth that none of them can contest: to love God with one’s entire being is a commandment above all others. Then Jesus adds the expression of the love of others as an extension of the self. The first commandment is lifted from the Book of Deuteronomy 6:5, known as the Shema, which is committed to heart and recited morning and evening by every devout Jew. The second one is a citation from Leviticus 19:18, which is an injunction to love one’s neighbour as oneself.  The two commandments are inseparable and inter-related. 

In pointing this out Jesus does not negate the other commandments. Instead, Jesus clearly reminds them that everything else that they do shall be measured against the highest ideals of love.  Jesus revolutionizes the perception of God, from the prevalent Old Testament archetype of someone who metes out  punishment and must be feared and obeyed, to a God who relates to human beings with love and to whom we are invited to respond with love, rather than fear. For Jesus, God is our Father — full of compassion and is meticulously attentive to the most vulnerable, defenceless, and disadvantaged among His people. Jesus shows his adversaries that it is not enough to memorize the law and live it to the letter. Of more importance is learning that love for God ought to be the very core from which all our actions flow. 

The second half of Jesus answer suggests that one’s love for God should not only remain on the level of thought and speech but should come to fruition through our loving actions toward our neighbour. He reveals that love of oneself should form the basis of our love for others. It may strike you as odd, because Jesus’ entire life is a testament to selflessness, of putting the needs of others before our own. Why does he say “Love others as you do yourself”? Does this not presuppose that you must love yourself first in order to afford love to others?  I guess the answer lies in the same principle behind the saying, “We cannot give what we do not have.” Recall also the familiar instructions on flights that should cabin pressure drop, you must put an oxygen mask on yourself first, before you help others put on theirs. In his letters, St. John writes: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:20) Furthermore, St. Paul cites the Christians of Thessalonica as an example of how their commendable life has served as a witness of their faith in Jesus Christ for others. “You have become a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia,… but (also) in every place your faith has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.”  

As we all continue our struggle to find some normalcy in our present setting, may Jesus’ commandments of love be our guide, helping us to order our priorities correctly.  St. Augustine famously said: “Love, and do what you will.” If we train ourselves to love God above all, we can be assured that we will not do anything in life to offend Him. May our loving God truly be “our rock of refuge, our shield, our horn of salvation, our stronghold” to see us through difficulties.  May we always walk together in love as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Keeping Our Allegiances Straight

Homily: Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 22:15-21

18 October 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez

When was the last time you’ve been to a party? I hope, none of you would answer “recently”. As we know, gatherings are still prohibited these days.  Back when I could accept invitations to parties, I’d always remind myself to steer clear of certain topics for conversation. I’ve been advised that I might as well keep my political and religious views to myself if I want to keep the peace.  

Politics and religion are highly contentious matters that can easily heat up any conversation.  As regards these topics, people tend to adhere strongly to their opinions. They can easily get riled up and take offence whenever ideas contrary to their beliefs are discussed, most often resulting in heated arguments instead of a general consensus.  The fact is, political opinions and affiliations have always divided a people.  We are, however, now living in unnatural times. We need to have a united front in the war against Covid 19 and set aside all forms of dissension and division among us.  

We heard earlier, in the gospel, a question posed to Jesus by the Pharisees and Herodians who meant to trap him in a dilemma — “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:17) If Jesus were to say that it is rightful to pay taxes he would catch the ire of the observant Jews. On the other hand, if he were to say that it is unlawful, he would risk being considered a subversive. It’s a tricky situation! I’m sure, at some point, we’ve all experienced a “damned, if you do, damned, if you don’t” kind of predicament. Jesus was well aware that either way, He would get in trouble. 

Various commentaries on this passage say that “the ‘trick’ to winning this verbal sparring is to pose a counter question – one with a Biblical allusion. In this case that allusion is in the word ‘image’.” Jesus retorts, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” (Matthew 22:20) The Book of Genesis relates how we are made in the image and likeness of God. (Genesis 1:2) So, while the denarius coin bears Caesar’s image, we all bear the image and likeness of our Maker. In saying this Jesus admonishes the Pharisees and Herodians who ought to know more than anyone, that they owe their allegiance to no one but God alone. Everything belongs to God! As the Lord declares to Cyrus, his anointed one: “I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no God besides me.”  (Isaiah 45:5) St. Thomas More famously told his accusers: “I am the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”  Now, how do we give God what belongs to God? Today’s psalm offers an answer: “Give the Lord glory and honour . . . the glory due his name.” (Psalm 96) Let all we think, do and say bear the mark of our allegiance to God. 

This does not mean, however, that we are to shun our government and defy our civil laws. “Render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” (Matthew 22:21) This is a reminder that we also have a duty to give to society what it asks of us — basically our cooperation to promote the common good. We work hand in hand with our civil authorities in order to bring about a society where we hope the values of the Kingdom of God are upheld and promoted. To my understanding, the Philippines is still a country with a large Christian demographic.  As a nation of believers in Jesus, we expect that our leaders and our laws would reflect the values of the Kingdom.  This is also the reason why we are encouraged to hold our civil leaders accountable whenever decisions made, policies approved or laws enacted conflict with those of the Christian faith expressed through the teachings of the Church. Offences such as a double standard in the application of the law are transgressions that must be denounced. A few days ago, a three-month old baby died because her detainee mother was not granted the same concessions and considerations afforded high profile prisoners. God rest the soul of Baby River. These instances force us to look at our society and strive to make things better. 

I believe that in these days of the pandemic, we, too, stand as Jesus did, seemingly caught in the tension of abiding by current laws and working to establish God’s Kingdom. We know the Church functions independently from the government by virtue of the separation of the Church and the state. However, in this time of crisis, we are bound to work closely with the government inasmuch as our civil leaders are obligated to give us a clear and unified directive so we can all work for the common good. To do anything contrary at this moment would be morally unacceptable. Even though we observed civic groups, many of whom are members of the Church, mobilize their manpower and resources to swiftly bring help or “ayuda” to sectors of society desperately waiting for government aid, they did so in line with the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases   (IATF-EID). They acknowledged that the rules were meant to keep order and to ensure the safety of the majority. We work together for everyone’s best interest at this given time and situation. 

We must admit that to be alive on this earth we cannot escape being governed by some entity or be subject to an authority. The challenge for us is not to be complacent and indifferent. The character of Edith in Enola Holmes quite plainly says that if one has no interest in changing a world that already suits them, then politics may be of no interest to them. As we know, our world is far from perfect. Ultimately, as members of the Church, we are called as God’s chosen people to work tirelessly like St. Paul, Silvanus and Timothy within the structures of our society, being ever vigilant to guard against threats that make us forget that we are God’s and that everything belongs to God.

Clothed in Righteousness

Homily: Twenty-Eighth  Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 22:1-14

11 October 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez

I believe it has been established that one of the ways to control the spread of Covid 19 is to wear a face mask. Strangely enough, some people still refuse to wear one! Understandably, those with breathing problems, some forms of physical or mental handicap and babies cannot comply especially since they do not leave the confines of their homes.  Those of us who must comply, may believe in the principle of using masks but fail to be mindful how to wear them properly. Take a look at this chart I chanced upon showing how masks have been incorrectly worn by people.  These are some of them… “The Escape Hatch”, “The Earring”, “The Sniffer”, “The Stache”, “The Nose Plug”, and “The Neckbeard”. Comic as it appears, we might be surprised to find that we, ourselves, may have been guilty of these improprieties.

In today’s Gospel passage we are presented with a king who became tremendously angry during his son’s wedding banquet for two reasons — One, some of the invited guests ignored and abused his invitation with some even mistreating and killing his servants; and Two, when one of the stand-in guests did not dress up accordingly for this most special occasion hosted by no less than the king. “My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?” (Matthew 22:12)

I am sure we will be in agreement that the mistreatment of the servants is reason enough to merit the king’s anger. However, one wonders why the king is so enraged by just one man who is not dressed in a wedding garment? Why was it of utmost importance that that man be dressed properly when in fact he was only a stand-in? The guests are identified to be street people — good and bad alike who were rounded up by the servants to fill the banquet hall.  We then wonder: Why, is the king so meticulous… Why is his majesty so demanding of his guests who were practically picked up off the streets? Some commentators point out that it is customary that the best garments suited for the occasion were provided for all the invitees. And usually the host’s best provisions are offered to the guests.  Thus, for this solitary man to be dressed inappropriately, we can rightly assume that he flat out refused the clothes generously given by the King. This sort of insult and disrespect has no place at a royal wedding feast. 

As Catholics we understand that the king, is God the Father. The same one described in the Second Reading as fully supplying whatever need in accord with His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. We know that the wedding garment is also a metaphor for the white garment we wear at our baptism.  St. Irenaeus refers to it as the “garment of righteousness”. In his sermon #90, St. Augustine calls this the “wedding garment of love”.  At our Christening we were told: “You have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, Bring this dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.”

In baptism, we become eligible to receive the other sacraments made available to us by the Church.  In effect, baptism gives us access to the wedding banquet of the Lord— a rich wellspring of grace enabling us to partake in His divine life. We are all encouraged to make use of these channels of grace, to cooperate with God’s generosity, to wear the wedding garment of virtue and righteousness in all circumstances of our lives. We are challenged to always strive to “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14) so as to be true to our baptismal promises at all times.

Yesterday was the beatification of Carlo Acutis, the first of the millennial generation to become officially known as a “blessed.”  Just recently his remains were found to be “fully integral”.  His remains were dressed in a pair of Nike’s, jeans and a hoodie, very typical of kids these days. He was an ordinary kid who did ordinary things kids loved to do. He got sick and made the most of his short life on earth by being the best version of himself.  He loved his PlayStation but he didn’t think twice about spending his gaming money to buy a homeless man a sleeping bag. He had a heart for kids at school who were bullied, or whose parents were going through divorce. He did what he could to help others regardless of their state in life. When he died, his funeral was packed with many of the city’s poor residents to whom he had shown generosity and compassion. It is said that Blessed Carlo Acutis shows each of us how to be clothed in righteousness, living our Christian faith in this day and age. The video-game playing Italian shows us that all of us, especially our young people can also grow closer to God and become witnesses of the faith in our time. We need to see as a Church that sainthood, heaven, and eternal life with God is real and attainable. 

As Catholics, we must dress in accordance with the dignity of our baptism. The world and all its troubles and temptations can alter how we perceive ourselves but God gives us the grace to overcome all these impediments. We take inspiration from St.  Paul who confidently says, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Through this challenge of the Gospel and the pious example of Blessed Carlo Acutis, may we, “as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe [ourselves] with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) So that when the time comes, we may find ourselves welcomed into the heavenly banquet!

Celebrating the Abundance in Scarcity

Homily: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 21:33-43

4 October 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez

Before this Covid 19 pandemic, we found ourselves always rushing from one activity to the next. We barely had time for simple physical exercises, to catch our breath, more so whisper a prayer to God. We were just too busy! Ironically, now that the quarantine has afforded us the luxury of time there are still many of us who are finding it hard to manage this opportunity properly.  Sans the hours spent caught in traffic or waiting in line at establishments, I still hear complaints of having so many things to do and so little time to do them. We never run out of excuses for not doing what we have always wanted to do. Now that circumstances force families to be home together more, you’d think they would deliberately strive to pray as a family, right? A good friend of mine even told me that praying together has always been a challenge for her family and she snatches up every moment to nap, Netflix or shop online instead of setting aside 15 minutes for a nightly rosary.  It really is still a question of perspective, of how we have lived the abundance in this period of scarcity, or of how we have poorly made use of the richness of our poverty in this time of the pandemic.  

The passage from Matthew’s Gospel illustrates how the tenants of the vineyard responded poorly to the graciousness shown them by the vineyard owner. All necessary steps were taken by the owner of the vineyard to ensure a bountiful harvest—he ensured the terracing of the hilly terrain and the removal of stones, rocks and boulders to make the ground viable and productive. The landlord had to even build a watchtower and plant hedges around the vineyard for its protection. All his effort yielded him nothing  because treacherous tenants took advantage of him at vintage time. They seized, beat, stoned his servants and eventually even killed the owner’s only heir. The disheartening response of the vineyard’s tenants was a far cry from the expectations of the overly-generous landowner. 

A similar scenario is found in the song sung by the Prophet Isaiah about his friend’s vineyard that yielded sour grapes instead of good ones. “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?”  Isaiah then tells of how his friend intends to lay the vineyard to ruin and turn it into grazing land instead.  Do note that in both instances the disappointed owner does not take abrupt action. Time passes to grant opportunity for a better yield.

We are God’s cherished people, and God has provided us with everything we need to make the vineyard prosper. And so, we are called to produce good fruits in the vineyard of the Lord, in the places where we are found. Every day we live we have the opportunity to live as God would want us to live keeping in mind that He is the owner of the vineyard and we are asked to work in it and yield much fruit. For those of us who choose to be selfish and lazy, Jesus gives a stern warning at the end of the Gospel passage, “The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce fruit.”

There are many of us who are good and faithful tenants who acknowledge that they have been given more than they expect and deserve thus becoming agents of God’s tender care for His people. Despite the scarcity they are now experiencing because of the pandemic they still manage to responsibly use their resources to make others experience the abundance of God’s love and care. A couple, good friends of mine, own a barbershop, among their businesses.  They shared with me that they ought to close their barbershop because there are hardly any customers now but they choose to continue operations for the sake of the barbers whose families rely upon them to survive. A chef-friend who initiated a feeding program among the poor children in Makati persists in this good work despite the disappointing returns from her business.     

It is not just in material wealth that we gauge our abundance but consider also our talents, skills, and our time. I know of an artist who sold his artworks so he can help the poor families in his neighbourhood.  Some months ago I came to know of this Filipina OFW in Dubai who uses her own savings and puts to use her cooking skills to prepare meal packs on weekends and distributes them from a street corner for the hungry.

All these acts of charity, whether done by those who have much to spare or from those who are simply getting by, are all equally considered a healthy yield in God’s vineyard. Their generosity of spirit, resources, and skill to benefit those in need stem from a profound gratitude for whatever blessings they have received from the Lord. They give according to their capacity. They give out of love and compassion and they give with joy. These are the workers we must strive to emulate because when we honestly look to ourselves we are sure to find that despite our personal difficulties, we are never without something to give. 

Today, the 4th of October is also the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. He counsels us on the importance of being charitable to one another saying… “It is in giving that we receive.”  In another occasion he also reminds that at the end of our lives what “we will carry with us is the reward of our charity and the alms we give. For these, we will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense we deserve.”

In closing, let us pray with St. Paul for the grace to always fill our minds with “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” When we do so, we will realize how blessed we truly are because our God is a generous God. In recognizing His abundant love for us, we should endeavor to do our best to maximize the yield for God’s harvest. 

Photo of the artwork entitled Abundance of Roopsi Jain

Battling Our Way to Saying “Amen” to God’s Ways

Homily: Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 21:28-32

27 September 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez 

Battling Our Way to Saying “Amen” to God’s Ways

Ang Pinoy ay “pasaway”. Do you agree with this? I am sure every household and every community to a certain extent would say that there is one who fits the mould and who could easily be the ‘pasaway’ among them. This pandemic has truly tested the capacity of the Filipinos to follow guidelines and comply with protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. When Covid 19 cases peaked in the country, many people attributed this to the stubbornness of Filipinos who mischievously insist on behaving contrary to what is expected of them, almost as if purposely baiting authorities to reprimand them. It is no wonder then that considering the strict quarantine measures, we still hear of people being arrested for the simplest reasons like not wearing a face masks/face shields, to the more serious offences of going out for non-essential travel, engaging in illegal cockfighting, drinking sessions, birthday celebrations, etc. “Huwag kang pasaway!” (Don’t be stubborn!) Why do people persist in doing things their way even if it is detrimental for their good and the good of many?  Is it accurate to place blame on the Filipino public, collectively, for the increasing Covid cases in the country? Are we, Filipinos really ‘pasaway’? 

One of the themes of our readings this Sunday has to do with what we all contend with all of our lives — the struggle between obedience and disobedience. Both the First Reading and the Gospel this Sunday point out this all too human propensity to vacillate between saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to God throughout various life situations. In the selection from Ezekiel this indecisiveness is illustrated in the change of behaviour of the righteous person who sins and the sinner who repents. In the Gospel this wavering between obedience and disobedience and vice versa is best exemplified by the ways the two sons responded to their father’s command. The first son outrightly rejects what his father required of him but afterwards repents and eventually does what was asked of him. On the other hand, the second son readily acceded to the father’s request, appearing respectful and obedient, but, in truth, failed to accomplish the task. We are confronted with the reality that even the best of us can sometimes falter. There are circumstances when we willingly conform to certain regulations placed before us; while on other opportunities we are unwilling to do so. 

Countless times in the Bible we are also presented with the ambiguity of God’s people. We read about how God’s people pleased Him with their obedience that He deemed it fit to reward them. Recall how Abraham was commended by God saying, “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore… and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:17-18) Scripture also gives numerous accounts of the people’s rebellion against God beginning with the disobedience of Adam and Eve down through the ages to those who continue to refuse to believe in Jesus, God’s Anointed One. Throughout salvation history, mankind has been described as stubborn, stiff-necked, and hard-hearted, yet we are blessed to have a God who never wavers in His merciful love, who cares enough to set us straight until we become His dutiful sons and daughters.   

Are we, as Christians, expected to be obedient to God at times and in all circumstances of our life? Remember that we have been given the gift of FREE WILL and God does not force us into obedience. When we insist on deviating from God’s ways, we are assuming, we know better than Him and we can do better for ourselves, apart from Him. Our conformity to the will of God should be borne out of an understanding of the nature of our relationship with Him — the fact that He is our Creator and we are His creatures; that He is Our Father and we are His children. When we can humbly accept our place in the grand scheme of things and realize that as Father, God, always wants the best for His children, can we see that His ways are meant to save us from harm and lead us to fullness of life. Only then can obedience to God’s will make perfect sense and be the obvious choice.

Jesus, is our model of faithful obedience to the Father. Jesus invites us, by His example, to have a mind and heart for others, applied in the everyday, commonplace experiences of our lives.  Let us take a look at the Second Reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. The example of Jesus’ self-emptying is what inspires this change of mind and heart in each one of us. “He emptied Himself… becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) Nothing was too much for Jesus who was obedient unto death. As St. Paul tells the Corinthians: “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us — by me and Silas and Timothy — was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so, through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 19-20) 

We pointed out earlier that being obedient may prove to be extremely difficult for those of us who are programmed to be independent and self-directed individuals. It is also equally difficult to be consistent in our choice to be obedient but we need to try our best to do so because it is the sum of our choices that develops into our propensities and eventually our character. C.S. Lewis said “Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.” I do agree. A person truly obedient to the will of God does what is good, just and true even if no one is watching. Sadly, most people only do what is right when authorities are watching or faced with the threat of punishment.“When you are grocery shopping and accidentally damage merchandise, do you report it and take responsibility or pretend it didn’t happen and say, “That’s someone else’s problem?” For students going through online learning — “Do you honestly do the assignments, projects and exams yourself or do you have your parents, yaya or older siblings work on them for you?”  “Bato bato sa langit, ang tamaan huwag magagalit.”  One article I read says, “These are relatively small things, but it’s with these simple scenarios that we lay the foundation on how we behave in the bigger [scheme of] things in life.” And as they often say… “How we do something is how we do everything.” 

Our lives are governed by many regulations and restrictions, more so now during this pandemic. We trust that they are meant to keep order among us and to ensure everyone’s safety. We have a responsibility to do our part and to make the right choices consistently. By always seeking the common good, we turn our hearts to God. May we be persons of integrity patterned after Our Lord Jesus Christ who was humble and obedient to the Father. Through Him may we come to know and follow the path that leads to life!

To Measure Beyond Measure As Jesus Does

Homily: Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 20:1-16

20 September 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez

I found my ruler! I was told I may need it when I take public transportation. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) recently recommended the implementation of a gradual reduction of seating distance between commuters inside PUVs. The one-meter distance recommended by WHO, would be reduced to 0.75m starting September 14, and 0.50m on September 28 according to DOTr.  Social media memes poked fun saying “Aside from face mask and face shield, commuters are now required to bring a ruler.” Thank goodness the President, heeded the heavy criticisms from medical experts and laid to rest that ludicrous proposal. In any case, I would have been ready. 😉

Today’s gospel parable about the labourers in the vineyard challenges the way we measure ourselves against one another. This manner of relating is often too calculating. We treat others according to how we think they should be treated. We give them what we think they deserve. It is not uncommon to hear ourselves say to one another “That serves you right!”, “You earned it!”, “You got what you deserve!”  We give only what is commensurate to what we can get in return. We demand rewards equivalent to what we believe we have merited for ourselves. That, for us, is just. This is why the first labourers begrudged the generosity of the landowner when he gave all of them the same compensation regardless of the number of work hours rendered. You and I can understand why the first hires felt they should have received more than those who only worked for an hour. I bet if we were there we would have sided with them, too. 

We have a tendency to think that God judges us in the way we judge ourselves. I know of a matron who declares she is surely heaven-bound when she dies because she had donated millions to the church, gone to mass daily and prayed her rosaries nightly. That’s what she believes she deserves. But those around her think otherwise because that same lady estranged her children and she would not forgive them. She is also engaged in unethical business and mistreated her “househelpers”. For that, some believe that God ought to condemn her. 

Fortunately for us, God does not treat us according to what we think we deserve. If he did, where would we find ourselves? As Psalm 130:3 reminds us, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” “Saan tayo pupulutin?” In the passage from the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord Himself declares this, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” (Isaiah 55:8) God sees what is unknown to us. He sees with clarity what is in the heart and mind of a person and God’s response is always of love. This is a love we cannot define completely because of its failure to comply with logic. God’s unconditional love for us is undeserved— something we can never earn nor expect. It comes to fullness in Jesus. Recall John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son and whoever believes in Him will not die.” How else could we be saved if God did not spare His Only Son for us sinners? God’s love is of total giving. It is not possessive. He does not force us to love Him, but should we choose to, then we need to accept His invitation to respond as He does, when we deal with one another. He asks us to try and see what He sees and to look upon one another with eyes of compassion. Let me give you two examples. The example of a conscientious employee and a noble teacher. 

The pandemic has resulted in many businesses closing down and many people losing their jobs.  The companies remaining in operation are barely surviving and some HR managers are recommending to the lucky ones who are still employed: “WORK LIKE YOU OWN THE COMPANY”   What does this mean? Adopted from a social media post, this is what it suggests… If you still have a job, count yourself lucky, and give back. It is not enough that you content yourself with giving the minimum required of you. Don’t count your hours. Don’t feel short-changed even if your salary does not match the hours you put in. Force yourself to look at the big picture and make a meaningful contribution that ensures the business thrives not just for you, but for the other employees and the clients and customers who depend on your products and services. Take care of it like it has taken care of you. Give back. Help it survive beyond this crisis.  It is not easy for business owners to sustain operations now. I know of entrepreneurs who are pulling out all the stops to keep their business from shutting down out of concern for their workers. Business owners can easily cut their losses by reducing their salaried employees but many strive to keep going because they know many families depend on them. So please, if you currently have a job, try not to complain so much and insist on your work-life balance. ‘Walang work-life balance ngayon. Walang balance ngayon.’ So many would willingly give up work life balance just to have the privilege to work. So, work like you own the company. When you save the company, you save yourself and your colleagues.

This October, basic education classes in the public schools are going to resume. The lack of access to gadgets and technology for online learning is reducing the rate of enrolment in the public schools, but it has not eliminated it altogether. Students do want to learn! The government is looking into broadcasting classes and lessons on radio stations for areas without internet. I’ve even heard of students preparing to literally climb mountains to get a better data signal so they can attend class.  In the same way, public school teachers are preparing themselves to go the extra mile for their students. Public school teachers in our country have been undervalued and underpaid for so long and yet they continue to give themselves fully to benefit their students. Just this morning, I saw a photo of teachers in Lanao del Norte traversing a perilous path to distribute learning modules to their students.  If they kept a record of all the sacrifices they made for their profession and demanded remuneration, we could not afford to pay them!  How do you measure kindness and a sense of mission? How do you equate a monetary value with the genuine love and compassion they have for their students? I am a teacher myself, and I know why they do what they do. This love, this selfless love, is what God invites us to practice.   

Finally, St. Paul reminds us as he reminded the Philippians “to conduct (ourselves) in a way worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27) As disciples of the Kingdom, we are called upon to afford our brothers and sisters the same kind of generosity, the same kind of love, the same kind of mercy shown to us by our gracious God— a love without measure.  May we as a people of faith become persons of generous giving to one another!

Learning Our Way to Jesus’ 77 Times


Homily: Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 18:21-35 

13 September 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez

The other day, the hashtag #SorryToFilipinos became the number two (#2) trending topic among South Koreans on Twitter. This came about after another hashtag #CancelKorea went viral a few days earlier. Are you as puzzled by this online ruckus, as my friends are?  Let me fill you in. A Filipino-American influencer posted a video on TikTok showing her arm tattoo that resembles a Japanese rising sun flag— an offensive symbol for South Koreans—so they lashed out on Twitter, condemning Filipinos in general.  Some alleged that Filipinos are uneducated, short, ugly, poor, etc. Sadly, these insensitive and hateful comments continued even after that Fil-Am influencer apologised for her insensitivity. Filipino Twitter users countered with the hashtag #CancelKorea to mock South Korea’s penchant for surgical enhancements vis a vis the internationally recognized natural beauty of the Filipinas, and to debunk the myth that Filipinos are uneducated by highlighting that our country is a popular destination for South Koreans who want to improve their English skills. Level headed South Koreans, lobbied for an outpouring of apologies via the hashtag #SorryToFilipinos. In the end, Filipinos on Twitter accepted the apology. Lesson learned! Forgiveness wins!

The 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. Psalm 103 declares “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.” (Psalm 103:8) We are all in need of God’s abundant mercy because we are all sinners who have at some point offended others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples the Parable of the Merciless Servant whose Master is the best example of how God is lenient with our transgressions. The master does far more than what the servant-debtor asks: “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.” (Matthew 18:26) He does not ask the master to wipe out his debt but to remain patient with him. He is then surprised when the master shows him compassion and condones the debt in full. How blessed we are to have a God who looks on His people with eyes of mercy despite our unworthiness and repeated sinfulness.  Psalm 130:3 reminds us “If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord who can stand?”  

Going back to the parable, we see that it continues with a twist. The beneficiary of the master’s mercy refuses to afford the same concession to a fellow servant-debtor. For this, the master hands over the hard-hearted servant to torturers until he pays the whole debt. Sirach in the First Reading elaborates on this divine reckoning by admonishing us to be merciful with other people’s offences if we want God to be merciful towards our own sins. “Forgive your neighbour’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” (Sirach 28:2) This is in fact no different from the line from the Lord’s Prayer that we so often pray… “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is not to be taken lightly!  Someone remarked: “How can we expect God to forgive us our exorbitant debts when we are unwilling to forgive the paltry debts of our neighbour?” Do you realize that whenever we pray this line from the Our Father with unforgiving hearts, we are actually passing judgment on ourselves for withholding mercy? 

The tragic end of the unforgiving servant in the parable is a warning to us. Jesus wants us to forgive one another in the same manner God forgives us.  Fundamental to our mutual forgiveness of one another is our experience of the abundance of God’s mercy and not so much our attempt to be compassionate towards each other.  This realization makes it harder to justify our human tendency to hold grudges against those who have wronged us. St. Paul says “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die we die for the Lord.” (Romans 4:7-8) 

Admittedly, forgiveness from the heart is not easy for us. This human condition puts into perspective Jesus’ response to Peter’s question on how often we must forgive our erring brother or sister. “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22) As learning is essential to our growth and maturity as persons and followers of Jesus, we continue to allow ourselves to be moulded by God’s grace to keep on forgiving until we have learned to forgive from the heart. As we would often say, practice makes perfect. In the standards of the world, we may look like losers, weaklings and pushovers to those whose hearts are consumed by pride, hatred and vengeance. However, for Jesus we are blessed… “Blest are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) And we should not forget… if our recompense is not in this life, surely it will be in the next.

In my ten (10) years of priesthood, I have never presided over as many masses for the dead as I have done virtually during these past months. For me, this is one of the saddest realities of the pandemic. Many people died not just because of COVID but of other lingering illnesses. Not all of them were able to make amends with those they have hurt or who have hurt them, because of the suddenness of their predicament and the restrictions of their hospital confinement. I myself, lost my Mama two (2) days into the lockdown. There is a part of me that knows we have done all we possibly could to make Mama feel that she was loved and cared for until the very end. However, there will always be a part of me that wishes I had had more time to say what needed to be said, including asking forgiveness for whatever it is that I may have done that caused her pain.  The death of a loved one makes us ask the hard questions in life, inviting us to focus on those things that are truly essential; namely, our relationship with God (God’s centrality in our existence), and the expression of this relationship with God, which translates to love of neighbour. 

Does a preference for forgiveness and mercy diminish justice? Is this to say that God does not uphold justice?  Of course, not… but He is in no rush to mete it out.  The Bible holds countless accounts of how God relents from dealing punishment for offences because the sinner expressed sincere contrition. Think about the story of Nineveh. God had threatened to destroy the city for their godless ways but when the king, his subjects and even their livestock repented, they were spared!  In His mercy, God gives us every opportunity for repentance while we are alive. As Christians, we believe, that it is in death that we get our just desserts. 

We live in very uncertain times.  We are learning so painfully that life is too short.  Let us be generous with our mercy and leave justice to God. Forgive so as not to be a prisoner of one’s anger, resentment and vindictiveness. Forgive to rid ourselves of all that hinder us from experiencing the true freedom and peace of forgiving hearts! Be merciful because God has been merciful to us.

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