Today is Palm Sunday which opens for us the great days of
our salvation. Jesus enters Jerusalem
to celebrate the Passover and He is passing over from death to life in
anticipation of the resurrection. This is an image of ascending to Jerusalem which is 3,000 ft in latitude coming from the Sea of Galilee . He is fulfilling the Old Testament
kingship, in the donkey as He takes Jerusalem
in peace and humility. As in Zechariah 9: 9 “Exult greatly, O daughter Zion ! Shout for joy, O
daughter Jerusalem !
Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is He, humble, and riding on
a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” God lives in the eternal now not
past or future. God has the ability to see through the future. Even before
something happens He already knows it because He is God. This alone should make
us confident and secure that God knows exactly what we went through, we're
going through, and we'll still go through. Since all good things come from God
all we have to do is entrust everything to Him and follow whatever He tells us.
Has it ever happened to you when people, things and circumstances come into
your life as if they were all lined up to happen even before it came to be? The
disciples asked Jesus what to do and were given specific instructions. They
obeyed and followed what they were told despite the oddity of the situation.
This same thing happens in our lives too but we simply do not believe, obey and
follow. We have a tendency to rationalize things in our life and make decisions
that we think are wiser for us to take rather than look very closely and pay
attention to the things that God is telling us to do which are all very clear
and established even before each one of us came to be since the time of Abraham,
Jacob and Moses and until the present time through the teachings of the Church
that remained intact and true since the "gates of hell" did not, does
not and will never prevail. Amen. Hallelujah!
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion - At the Procession with
Palms MT 21:1-11
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem
and came to Bethphage on the Mount of
Olives ,
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,
“Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately you will find an ass tethered,
and a colt with her.
Untie them and bring them here to me.
And if anyone should say anything to you, reply,
‘The master has need of them.’
Then he will send them at once.”
This happened so that what had been spoken through the
prophet
might be fulfilled:
Say to daughter Zion ,
“Behold, your king comes to you,
meek and riding on an ass,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.
They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over
them,
and he sat upon them.
The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
while others cut branches from the trees
and strewed them on the road.
The crowds preceding him and those following
kept crying out and saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest.”
And when he entered Jerusalem
the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?”
And the crowds replied,
“This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth
in Galilee .”
There is power in the familiarity of the cross. These are
the words of Fr. John Korapi in his talk about pain and suffering. He said that
there are no shortcuts although what he went through he wouldn't wish on
anybody. What he is doing right now he won't be able to do if he hadn't been
through what he went through. God permits evil for a greater good. He said that
on the day after the wake of the 9/11 tragedy there were no records of any
abortion in New York
at that time. The pain of the cross is essential and can't get away or escape
from it. When we look at the Son of God crucified on the cross we see evil and
cruelty but through it we were all saved. The gate of heaven was closed when
our 1st parents (Adam & Eve) fell into sin. In Gen 3:23-24 "The LORD
God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from
which he had been taken. When he expelled the man, he settled him east of the
garden of Eden; and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to
guard the way to the tree of life." The price of sin is death but through
the death of Jesus we were once again given access to heaven. The cross is the
way to power and victory. We have to fight a good fight all the way to the end.
There is an unbelievable power in the cross which is a conduit of grace.
Today's readings prepare for us the most sanctified and holiest week ever known
to mankind, the week that changed the world. We don’t call any other week all
throughout the year, holy only this coming week. It is a week like no other.
This is where our attention should be fixed, on Jesus giving up Himself for the
institution of Holy priesthood and servanthood by suffering, dying and rising
from the dead. It is written that on the day Jesus died, the veil in the temple
of the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom. If this was done by a person
the tear could have been from bottom to top considering the thickness of the
veil but God was the one who rent that veil from top to bottom. This is to tell
us that He no longer dwell in the sanctuary but in the body of Jesus and became
the temple of God
We are encouraged as Catholic Christians to know more about
our faith and not be complacent. There is big responsibility in our hands to
not just accept things as they come but be able to handle and understand it
well. It can build up our confidence in God and love Him best. The word of God
never fails. It has always been a source of enlightenment, assurance and
encouragement especially at times when we needed it the most. It has been
consistently living up to what it stands for from Ephesians 6:17 as sword of
the Spirit. Also in Hebrews 4:12, "Indeed, the word of God is living and
effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and
spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the
heart." We can always prove this to be true if we will constantly consult
the word of God in the daily readings, we will find that it always perfectly
fits the situation that we are presently in for we have a God who knows
everything that is going on with us, is always around and never leaves us. We
may sometimes think that evangelization is just work for the priests and the
religious. It is not limited to them but anyone who is baptized should take on
this responsibility. Our speaker in a Lenten Retreat quoted JFK who said,
"Here on earth, God's work must truly be our own." Nothing should
ever stop us from being part of the work of God. God made man in His own image
and likeness. (Gen 1:26) In this context we need to define personhood well and
know the perils of limited definition. It could be classified into 2
definitions, nominal and real. Nominal definition of personhood is decided by
man. It is approaching something that we don't know but we already have the
answer. We make decisions and play God. The dangers of this definition of a
person are:
1. nominal- when we deny to identify a person as a real person. Example is
abortion, when doctors deny the fact that at the moment of conception a person
already exists. 2. real but limited - We do not deny but identify them as persons but with lesser worth like the sick and terminally ill. Just because they are old, weak and sick they deserve to die as in the case of euthanasia.
3. full and real but limited - Kills people as in the Holocaust.
The whole principle involved here is discovery and deciding. When our approach is discovery then we are being lead to the events in our life with a sense of total surrender, trust and faith in the Lord's
We should ascribe to the real definition of personhood. It
answers the question what, how and what is it meant to be. Our approach in life
to achieve faith and righteousness is by discovery and through an authentic
Christian life. Discovery in the sense that we are open to the intention and
purpose of God for us. With a seeking and expectant faith we should allow God
to lead us in discovering what is ahead of us and prepared by God. The approach
should be in a manner of discovering what God's intention is and respecting it.
Only to God should we rely for all our needs. If at the end
of it all, when we've exerted our efforts and placed our best foot forward,
still things do not work the way we expected and planned it to be then be at
peace knowing that God has no boundaries and the real best is yet to come. God
surpasses all bests and always have something great in store for us. The
ignorance of our faith is ignorance about Jesus. Today’s 1st reading
also tells us the prophecy of the passion as foretold 500 years or more before
the time of Jesus and give us an account of Judas’ betrayal. We are confronted
with the fact that there are very troubling aspects that go with sin. We can
see in Matthew 16:22 that the apostles were distressed. In John’s gospel
there’s an account of deep emotions that troubled Jesus whenever He encounters
death and betrayal. We’ve also experienced this in our own lives especially
when people intentionally deceive us. These could be very disturbing but the
Good News is that Jesus’ passion is about to conquer evil and death. We should
take note that in both accounts of Matthew and John’s gospel this betrayal when
satan entered the mind of Judas happened at the Feast of the Passover. This is
also the time when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and taught the apostles
of this Most Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist is the heart of our faith and the
very foundation of Jesus’ work. It is the goal of satan to attack our
Eucharistic faith and take us away from it. Satan wanted to influence us and
make us abandon this great sacrament that Jesus Himself instituted at the Last
Supper. When we leave God we will succumb to another power. This is what satan
is watching out for in order to maneuver his entrance into our hearts by using
greed and lust. We must not lose sight of the cross because it is where the
glory of God is revealed. It is made manifest in the love of the Son. Death is
conquered by life eternal in the revelation of glory through obedience to the
Father’s will. Satan is conquered. In John’s gospel we can see the betrayal of
Judas in contrast with Peter’s denial. It is an interesting contrast because
Judas betrays him, deeply regrets and tries to repent but what’s lacking was
the return to our Lord. Peter turns back to Jesus while Judas despairs. He did
not accept God’s mercy. We’re all sinners but do we repent and turn back or do
we keep going along the path of sin. Often times in our confessions we have
repeated sins but the beauty of confession is that we keep on turning back to
the Lord. We keep the hope alive through the sacrament that gives us the grace
to keep coming back to our Lord. Though, we never want to commit sin, It’s a
terrible thing to sin because it is a betrayal of Jesus. Let us pray that we
continue to have faith in Him and accept His mercy. This reminds me of the
Catholicism lecture by Atty. Jess Moya in St. Martha's Church about the
principle of "Sola Fide" or faith alone. The title of the talk is
"Rebutting the principle of protestantism:"Faith alone" (Sola
Fide). The speaker said that as Catholic Christians we have a responsibility to
spread the word of God and impart it to as many people as possible. We are
encouraged as Catholic Christians to know more about our faith and not be
complacent. There is big responsibility in our hands to not just accept things
as they come but be able to handle and understand it well. It can build up our
confidence in God and love Him best. It has become my offering to the Lord that
I write my personal reflections of the daily bible readings. As I commit this
daily to the Lord I have always prayed that someday I can announce these same
words in today's 1st reading. Amen. Hallelujah!
Isaiah 50:4-7...Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; 5 and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. 6 I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. 7 The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
An artist works his way through a piece of art like a clay
and marble by molding and shaping it into a masterpiece. It is a painful and
difficult process of change and transformation. Just like clay and marble being
molded and chipped away. When we go
through life and experience its different struggles we become one with Jesus in
His suffering. If we understand the reason for human existence, the older
people get the greater should be the respect they get. Each and every step is
imbued with the power of the Master. We need to walk the way that Jesus walked.
The easiest way is God's way. The pain of the cross is essential. There is no
other way since there is a pedagogical structure in suffering or the cross
wherein only greatness comes forth. Whenever we reach a point where we feel
like we can no longer hold on and about to give up then we must not forget that
our God is always with us ready to help us. If He was able to suffer His only
Son on the Cross for our sake then there is really nothing else He can not do
for us. Our security lies in the knowledge that God is always with us. We
should always have this hope in a God who loves us so much that He sacrificed
His only begotten Son to the point of a humiliating and gruesome death so that
we can start a new life with Him full of joy and prosperity. If we decide for
God in what we say or do in all circumstances then we can surely experience the
joy and happiness that God has in store for His faithful people. If we are all
set and very sure where we are headed then nothing can stop us from being
there. Considering, too that we have a God who has secured a place and our
future for us. John 14:1-3, " Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let
your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my
Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have
told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I
am you also may be." Nothing or no one can prevent us unless we ourselves
decide not to go. The truth is, it's all up to us. If we decide for God in what
we say or do in all circumstances then we can surely experience the joy and
happiness that God has in store for His faithful people. Amen. Hallelujah!
What hold our attention and interest range from a variety of
people, places and things and we express them by engaging in various ways and
means. Some are hooked in business, sports, entertainment, romance, travel,
food, fashion, current events, issues with nature, outer space and all other
things we can think about that we can consider profitable, enjoyable, fun and
worthwhile to do. We had our moments and stages wherein we’ve been there and
done that. Coming from this point of view, we eventually realize whether now,
soon or later that ultimately we must acknowledge the fact that if there’s one
thing that should hold not just our
attention and interest but our constant admiration is the truth that is stated
in today’s 2nd reading because it has definitely got it all. It is reminding us
of the things God has to go through just to show His great love. It sounds
impossible when we hear about this kind of love that God is sharing to each one
of us. This should give us the confidence and courage to carry on. Jesus is
God, King of Heaven and earth and the Master of all creation but took the form
of a slave and obeyed to the point of death. If we are to look at ourselves and
try to figure out who we really are as compared to God's greatness then we
should not even think of boasting anything about ourselves but rather we should
always be compelled to follow His example in our own little way. No matter how
inadequate and insufficient we are as a people we still try our very best to
bridge our gaps in the best human way we can. This should make us realize how
much more can the Lord do for us in His Godly power, resources and love. Christ
divested Himself of His dazzling glory and majesty. He was lost in the crowd,
lived in obscurity for the majority of His life and was thought to be Mary’s
boy and Joseph’s son since it was only in the last 3 years of His life that He
went public. When we are on top of everything there is greater danger of
turning away from God knowing that we have lesser need for God. Humanity has
become so full of itself. There is a need to be empty and sometimes the only
way we can fill up ourselves with God's grace and breathe life into us is
through a painful and difficult process. We are asked to empty ourselves of all
that is false, ignoble, and unreal so that we may become filled with Christ.
Because nature abhors a vacuum and so does grace. We must be filled with
something. Tragically we are filled with all kinds of desire, we want to be
applauded, be promoted, be consulted, be loved and be preferred to others. John
the Baptist gave us our ideal, I must decrease and He must increase (John 3:30)
. All the foolishness, unreality, intolerance, selfishness and the sin that is
in us must decrease so that we must fill the vacuum with our Lord who wants to
share our life. Whatever happens to us happens to Him and He wants us to let
Him share because only then will we find the rest that we pray for. A long time
ago St. Francis cried out loud, “He comes to His own today and receives Him
not.” And so we live lives that are restless, confused, frustrated and
unfulfilled because we do not share our lonely life with Him. So the prayer we
learn as children and the prayer that is said all over the world among
Christians should be our prayer now, Make our hearts like the meek and humble
heart of Jesus. The Holy Father, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI points out this
route through Jesus as the way to ascend to God. The orientation of the
believer changed when Jesus came. When Jesus offered Himself as the Lamb of
sacrifice, He forever reconciled man to God. Jesus goes out to Jerusalem
as a lamb without blemish to be sacrificed in the eyes of Israel . He goes beyond to a New
Jerusalem which opened for us the frontier from earth to heaven. In view of all
these we can always have confidence in all our actions and decisions if we have
consulted every plan we have to God in prayer. We experience peace and serenity that no
amount of wealth, fame and power can offer. The joy in our heart comes from knowing
that every single step of the way God is guiding and directing us. Most of all,
we have to learn the lesson that goes with everything that we've been through
and realize that there is nothing else we can do best but to totally surrender our
will to Him by being obedient to God at all cost. For we are the dear children
of God and everything become beautiful in His time. Amen. Hallelujah!
Philippians 2:6-11
Brothers and sisters: Christ Jesus, though he was in the
form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. 7
Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human
likeness; and found human in appearance, 8 he humbled himself, becoming
obedient to death, even death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God greatly
exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
Though, Jesus knows the outcome of our actions and even
warned Judas in the following words: “It would be better for that man if he had
never been born.” He said this within the context of His hope on the slightest
probability of Judas to listen to His warning and not betray Him. The
implication of His response, when Judas his betrayer said in reply "Surely
it is not I, Rabbi?" and answered, "You have said so.", is that
Jesus will always respect our decisions and He will never be an imposing God.
He will always give us the benefit of the doubt. No matter what destiny has
brought us, we always have a choice and the freedom to decide. In our
commitment to follow the Lord there are times when we encounter
disappointments. We can say that serving God is not lying on a bed of roses,
though God rewards those who obey Him we have to realize that we too must share
in the passion of Christ if we truly are His followers. We are no different
from Judas whenever we succumb to impatience. Judas may have gotten impatient
with the existing condition of their life at that time. He was thinking that he
needed to act aggressively in order to achieve his end at all cost. We may not
realize it but we sometimes succumb to the same attitude of Judas when we
resort to means that are clearly not pleasing to God. We need to stay firm in
our conviction and faith in God. "Life is God's gift to us. What we make
of it is our gift back to God. We only pass this way once. We better know
life's reason and purpose. Our ultimate happiness depends on it. Life is a
terrible thing to waste. At the end of the day, we should all leave this world
a better place than the way we found it." Judas could have been saved or maybe
he is. We actually never know for we are not here to judge people and say who
is saved or not. The grace of God is so great that we really never know. But
apart from it, what we should really be concerned about is the truth that we
are called to cooperate in God's saving grace. Have faith working in love (Gal.
5:6; Cor 13:1-3) In conclusion it is said that we are saved by God's grace
alone through faith that works in love. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 26:14-25
14 One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to
the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him
over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, 16 and from that time on
he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. 17 On the first day of the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you
want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city
to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, “My appointed time draws
near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.” ’ ” 19
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover. 20 When
it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were
eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 Deeply
distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is
not I, Lord?” 23 He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish
with me is the one who will betray me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is
written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It
would be better for that man if he had never been born.” 25 Then Judas, his
betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have
said so.”
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