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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