First Sunday of Advent (B)

November 29, 2020

 

Readings:

First Reading: Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b; 64: 2-7

Psalm 80 “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9

Gospel reading according to Mark 13: 33-37

+

Homily:

This Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent.  But what is Advent and how important is it in our Christian life? Who or what are we expecting to come? How do we prepare ourselves in this Advent?  Advent is a season of the liturgical year observed as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. The term adopted from Latin adventus "coming, arrival," translating Greek parousia.  In the New Testament, this is the term used for the Second Coming of Christ. Thus, the season of Advent in the Christian calendar anticipates the "coming of Christ" from three different perspectives: the physical nativity in Bethlehem, the reception of Christ in the heart of the believer, and the eschatological Second Coming (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent).  During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration before Christmas, [Christ birth] (https://www.christianity.com/christian-life/christmas/what-is-advent.html). 

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus warned his disciples to be watchful and be alert for they did not know the coming of the Lord and Master of the house, Jesus Christ himself. They must be always ready, prepared and watchful for his (second) coning again in their lives.  “Jesus said to his disciples, Be watchful!  Be alert!  You do not know when the time will come.  It is like a man traveling abroad.  He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch” (Mk. 13: 33-34).  Jesus is like a man traveling abroad leaving his servants, his disciples.  But before he leaves them, he gives each one a responsibility, each one is in charge of the work entrusted to him.  He even tells the gatekeeper to keep the gate close and be on the watch for his coming to open it for him.  This happened, when the fullness of time came, when he was put to his passion and death by crucifying him on a tree by his opponents, but on the third day he rose and resurrected, and ascended into heaven.  And he promised that he will come back.  While waiting, they must perform the work or task entrusted to them to do; without idleness, sleepy heads, puyat due to drunkenness and gossiping; at the same time, making vigil and/or a night watch waiting for the coming of their Lord and Master.

Jesus encouraged them to be watchful.  “Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.  May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping” (Mk. 13: 35-36).  The man’s coming is unknown to anyone.  No one knows when he will come back, but for sure he is coming sooner or later.  What the servants (the disciples) need is to wait, with full alertness for his coming is without warning.  As in the First Reading, from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, it said, “. . . while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not head of from of old.  No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him.  Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” (Is. 64: 2-4).  God the Father performed many amazing things which other gods cannot do, like for example, rend the heavens and coming down, with mountains quacking before him, aside from creating different creatures. These were awesome for those who were waiting for him during the night watch or at dawn (sa bukang liwayway).  Jesus told his disciples to be watchful during evening or at midnight, or at the cockcrow or even in the morning (from six o’clock in the morning up to five o’clock in the afternoon); stay awake, spend time in prayer, meditate, or reflect, or do charitable works to one’s neighbors or doing as the Master of the house has given each one’s work and not sleeping.

Jesus did not only tell his own disciples this discipline of being watchful and alert, he even extended this warning to us, his followers today.  “What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”  (Mk. 13: 37).  He wants us also to be watchful, to be alert for his second coming, for we do not know also the day, the time or the hour of his coming.  Jesus is inviting us to “watch,” be prepared, alert and awoke for his coming.  He did not say, while waiting and watching, to decorate lavishly our homes with expensive Christmas tree and decors, lots of series of Christmas lights inside and outside of our homes, prepare sumptuous food for Noche Buena, wrapping Christmas gifts for godchildren (inaanak) and loved ones, shopping in malls for new clothing and many other commercial, promotional and materialistic goods and activities to be done in order to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, of Jesus Christ, the Lord.  But for those victims of calamities, such us, typhoons in Luzon up until now they are submerged by flood and muds, no more houses and properties and loss of lives of their loved ones, and earthquakes in some parts of Visayas and Mindanao still under rubbles, to name but a few, they cannot feel and think to celebrate Christmas.  Although all these things bring joy and happiness and a merry Christmas for some on one hand and loss of hope, joy, peace and love for many on the other hand.  But still we can prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord for what He was asking from us is our spiritual and physical, mental, moral and psychological, etc., our whole selves, in preparation with anticipation and gladness for his coming in the midst of calamities and disaster, nothingness, poverty, simple living, with open hearts, mind, body and soul. 

So, in this season of Advent, of preparation and waiting, what we need to do is to prepare ourselves watchful and alert, by praying, doing penance and fasting, and giving charitable alms, works of mercy and support to our needy poor and least brothers and sisters, so that when he comes (either in the physical nativity in Bethlehem, in the reception of Christ in the hearts of all believers, and in the eschatological Second Coming), he may find us waiting for his return and not sleeping, or merrymaking, drinking alcoholic beverages, an endless celebration, gossiping, and idleness, as St. Paul said to the people of Corinth, “. . . so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1: 7).  Yes, Lord, we will be watchful, alert and awake until you come again.

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

 November 22, 2020

Readings:

First Reading: Ezekiel 34: 11-12, 15-17

Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28

Gospel reading according to Matthew 25: 31-46

+

Homily:

Jesus, who is the Son of Man and at the same time Son of God, is the King coming and will be sitting in his throne to give his last judgment to all the living and the dead, in the last age and/or end time.  Jesus is the King of the Universe who will give his last judgment when the time comes.  Christ Jesus is to come into the world to judge and to redeem.  No one can escape in his judgment for everyone will be called by name and each one will be weighing up, and reckoning.  “Jesus said to his disciples, When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him” (Matthew 25: 31-32). Surely, the time will come that all of us (all the nations) will come in his presence (in his throne of judgment and with his angels), without distinctions, either brown or yellow, black or white, red or of different colors of skin; of different languages, races, cultures, beliefs, rich or poor, etc., and to give each one of us a report or answer how our relationship to one another manifested in our lives, and how do we deal with our neighbors, especially the least ones, the poor.

As King, he knows his subjects (sakop), his followers, and his own.  He knows each one of us and what one of us is doing, either good or not good, and whether it is in conformity with his will and command.  “And he will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goat on his left” (Matthew 25: 32-33).  He does not go wrong, he can easily spot, as a good Leader and Shepherd, the good from the evil, the sheep from the goats.  He will separate them.  All the good ones (signifying the sheep) will go to his right side, and the evil ones (representing the goats) will go to his left side.

To make clear to those in his right side the purpose of their separation (as of all nations) in the end time, he is saying that at the beginning of time they (and we as well) are already chosen and blessed by God the Father, “Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25: 34-36).  Jesus explicitly explained to those righteous ones who were on his right that the measure of his judgments were based on the actions they (we) have done on behalf of their (our) neighbors, the least ones – i.e., the food and drink we shared, the warm welcome to the strangers we imparted, the clothes we gave to the naked, the care we have shown to the ill and the visit we provided to those in prison.  These were the works of love, of charity, or mercy and compassion stored in our hearts by the One (God the Father) who has chosen us since the primordial time.  Do we do these to our brothers and sisters in need? Or we disregard them and do not see and feel their needs?  Are we insensitive to their call for help?

On the one hand, the children of light (the righteous ones, the sheep) were not aware that the simple actions they did mean a lot. They did them out of the generosity of their hearts and hands.  Are we generous enough to help and support our brothers and sisters in need, especially during the times of calamities, like for example, the typhoons Rolly and Uysses and the covid-19 pandemic victims?  “Then the righteous will answer him and say, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison and visit you?” (Matthew 25: 37-39).  They asked the King without malice or pretension, an honest to goodness question.  For them, these simple gestures of minding their neighbors’ were their expression and extension of themselves, and the love they received from God (sinusuklian lang nila ang pagmamahal na natanggap nila sa Panginoong Diyos.).

The righteous ones did not realize that what they did to their neighbors in need, they did it to Jesus, the Christ and King. “And the king will say to them in reply, Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25: 40), for, as he revealed to them, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers [and sisters] of mine, you did for me,” any good things we have done to our neighbors, especial the least ones, however big or small they are, were directly did them to Jesus.  We gave food and drink to Jesus on behalf of the least ones; we welcomed Jesus in our home when the needy stranger came and asked something from us; we clothed Jesus by clothing the naked ones, we gave medicine to Jesus when someone was sick; and when we visited the prisoner it was Jesus we visited.  Though we do not see Jesus in actual appearance to these lesser brothers and sisters of ours, our eyes and hearts and hands of faith show to us the image and likeness of Jesus to those who suffered and neglected and abandoned.  Jesus is one with them ⁄ with us in our suffering, maltreatment, neglect, and abandonment.  We serve God the King when we serve the poor.

On the other hand, the evil ones, those who have no care for their needy brothers and sisters, the least ones, who were pretending they did not know what were the needs of their poor neighbors, but rather they were busy minding their own businesses. “Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care me” (Matthew 25: 41-43).  These evil and bad ones (the goats) were also in the plan of God the Father for they were already destined to eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels since the beginning of time.  Their hearts, minds and hands were evil, their thoughts were against God’s will, and they disobeyed God’s commands.  They knew what they were doing, the bad actions and neglecting doing good, right and holy actions (charity) to their poor and least brothers and sisters.

They asked question, with malice and in a pretentious answer, to Jesus’ words. “Then they will answer and say, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or stranger, or naked, or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?” (Matthew 25: 44).  One by one, they memorized and gave a summary of what Jesus said, as if they were uttering a litany, they mentioned what Jesus told them what they did not do.

The King will reply to them.  “He will answer them, Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.  And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25: 45-46).  The small and simple things they (goats) did not do on behalf of our least brothers and sisters, they (wicked and lazy servants) did not do them too to Jesus and because of these they (evil ones) made themselves detached from God and from their neighbors.  They became indifferent in their relationships with others. And because of these, they became alone and lonely, an individual being in isolation, without God and neighbors.  Then they will experience eternal punishment.  While those (sheep) who did what were required by God the Father and Jesus the King of the Universe will experience eternal life. As what St. Basil said, "When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator."— St. Basil the Great.  Truly Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe.  Mabuhay ang Kristong Hari ng Sanlibutan! Long live Christ Jesus, the King of the Universe!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

November 15, 2020

Readings:

First Reading: Proverb 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31

Psalm 128 “Blessed are those who fear the Lord.”

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6

Gospel reading according to Matthew 25: 14-30

+

Homily:

God the Father gives each one of us talents or gifts we can use in living in this world.  He gives his talents or gifts, like for example, intelligence, capacity to enter into transactions wisely, trust in small and great things, stewardship, confidence to do and to act according to the will of God, and many other talents or gifts God has entrusted to us.  But how do we use these talents or gifts God has given or shared to us? Do we use them wisely, diligently and with confidence or are we afraid to commit mistakes so we do not use it but instead bury it to the ground or keep them in our tampipi, (a luggage made of bamboo)?

Jesus used another parable to teach his disciples about the goodness and trust and confidence of God the Father to them and to us. This time, it is about a man going on a journey who entrusted his property to his servants; like our good God who entrusted to us his created world to be his stewards.  But the question is: Are we trustworthy stewards of God′s created world?  “Jesus told his disciples this parable:  A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.  To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one – to each according to his ability.  Then he went away.” (Matthew 25: 14-15).  This man knows the capacity of his servants, but still he entrusted to his servants parts of his property; so the most trusted servant he gave big amount (of five talents), let us say, five million pesos; another trusted servant got two talents, let us say, two million pesos; while the least trusted servant was given only one talent, let us say, one million pesos.  No one of the servants complained nor compared to what they received.  And the man (the master of the house) left, most probably he was going to visit his other businesses, or his field to collect the fruit of his vineyard from his tenants, or to meet his business partners, etc., or any other reasons for his journey.

The most trusted and capable servant who received five talents or five million pesos invested the whole amount to a trade.  The same with the second trusted and capable servant who received two talents or two million pesos.  Both servants gained equal amounts of five million and two million pesos.  “Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.  Likewise, the one who received two made another two.  But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money” (Matthew 25: 16-18).  Nevertheless, the third servant who was less trusted and not capable to do business did not invest the one talent or one million pesos to a trade but instead he hid it by burying it on the ground until such time his master returned.

So the master came back after a long absence.  Maybe he brought pasalubong (bring home) to his servants.   “After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them” (Matthew 25: 19).  Before he gave his pasalubong, each servant was called and asked to give a report about the talents or money he entrusted to them.  Maybe he was excited to hear from his servants how they invested or traded his money, what happened to his money, did it gain income or gain losses?

So, one by one, the servants gave their reports.  “The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five.  He said, Master, you gave me five talents.  See, I have made five more.  His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.  Come, share your master’s joy. . . .”  (Matthew 25: 20-21). The first servant, the most and capable, who received five talents or five million pesos reported that he gained the equivalent amount of five million pesos.  He handed over to his master ten talents or ten million pesos.  The master was very happy and well-pleased for the small matter done by his first faithful servant, so he invited this servant to join in his joy with his pasalubong.  So also with the second faithful servant who gained the additional two talents or two million pesos, after reporting he handed over to his master four talents or four million pesos.  Because of this success of his servant, he also invited this second faithful servant to join in the joy of his master with his pasalubong.

The third servant, who was less trusted and unable to enter in doing business, came to his master and reported what he had done to his money.  He returned the one talent or one million pesos to his master.  “Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.  Here it is back.   His master said to him in reply, You wicked, lazy servant!  So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could got it back with interest on my return?” (Matthew 25: 24-27).  As if he was blaming and pointing fingers to his master, his strictness, very demanding, as if supposing stealing the harvest and gathering yield which was not his and which caused him fear and numb of his body and mind.  He cannot think and move what to do with the talent because of the fear with his master’s attitude and personality.  So instead of putting into investment or in the bank to earn an interest he buried it to the ground.  The master knew him, his inability, his weakness and lack of creativity, but in spite of these he entrusted him with part of his property.  But because of what he said to and accused his master; his master became uncompromising to the attitude of this wicked and lazy servant, as the master called him name names.  Even his master gave him an example he should have done like depositing his money in the bank and sooner or later collecting interest.  Do we have fear of our Lord and God so that we cannot move in faith, act in charity, and do good to our neighbors?  Do we accuse God for our wickedness and laziness? of our inability to perform what is expected from us?

Here is the lesson Jesus gave to his disciples and even to us his followers.  “‵Now then!  Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.  For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth′” (Matthew 25: 28-30).  Whatever gifts or talents entrusted to us, there are corresponding responsibilities expected from us.  Either small or great the gift or talent is given to us, we must act and move faithfully and diligently.  The more we have received, the greater responsibilities we will be delivering by us, for He knew our capability to do the tasks commended to us.  Nevertheless, if we do not do what is expected from us because of fear, wickedness, laziness, not creative to find ways and means however it is easy or hard to do it, then it is expected that whatever talent entrusted to us, even what we call ours, will be taken away from us.  Nothing is left from us.  Besides, a heavy punishment is stored to us because of lack of confidence and faith in God, literally speaking . . . “and throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”  So use our talents wisely and prudently, then God would say, “Come, share your master’s joy.”