MYSTERY OF HOPE

In the readings this Holy Monday we see how the prophecies are to be fulfilled. There are no more contradictions to the sufferings that are about to unfold as part of the mystery of our salvation. As a Christian believer we should have this same attitude of prayerful and loving acceptance of the suffering that comes to us inevitably. It comes to everyone and we should have the willing acceptance. Although this doesn’t mean that we no longer care about justice but we put up with our sufferings and unite it with God. We recall from yesterday’s gospel how Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested as if there is nothing He could do. The truth is that he could call an army of angels to rescue Him but He didn’t. When we are resigned to the inevitable and still maintain peace in our hearts that is when we encounter the mystery of hope as Fr. Benedict Groeschl says. There are 2 types of people in this world, those who shed the blood of others for their advantage and those who shed their own blood for the love and benefit of others. Violence wants to force its own will and never interested in God’s will. We see how some people would even use friendship just to get what they want. King Henry VIII used St. Thomas More and even became his friend but had him killed when he can’t get his own way. This is what we often see when people who are grasping and greedy try to manipulate others for their own selfish desires. We should learn the ways of our Master and Lord Jesus Christ who gave up His life for the love of others. It is not just learning His ways but what He did as He poured Himself out of His great love for us as He laid down His life for us. This week the Lord teaches us about this love that He has for all of us as He washes the feet of the apostles on Holy Thursday. This love is not seeking to use others to its advantage, or coerce and force others, rather it is a demonstration of generosity of pouring out one’s self like a libation for the love of others. We see how Judas, enslaved by his selfishness fell into the great tragedy of desiring the empty things. Just to find out that this greed only brought him emptiness in everything that he was grasping for. If we fall for this trap and seek satisfaction with anything less than God then we just end up frustrated, insecure and disappointed. We should seek the Lord and wait for the Lord with courage. It takes patience to do God’s will but it’s worth waiting for. The words of God remain forever and true. It can stand the test of time. The very words spoken by the prophet Isaiah from today's 1st reading can also be found in the gospels. It tells us that God is consistent with His word and does not change. What He said a long time ago will always find a place throughout time and history. There is a time gap between when these books of the bible were written yet their message applies for both times even to this present day. We can always hold on to the words of God and not be disappointed. God will always be true to His word and can always make things happen in accordance to His everlasting will and power. God is so merciful that despite of every wrong we do He could still forgive us. The Lord said to Judas,” Friend do what you have come for.”  The Lord is inviting him for a conversion of heart even at the last moment the same way with Peter when the Lord looked at him when he denied Him and Peter wept bitterly. But Judas couldn’t be humbled, instead he took his own life and committed suicide. We see this sad figure of Judas and the shining example of our Lord. May we learn from these things and truly be a Christian in words, thoughts and deeds. The Lord, the God of goodness has spoken and promised to give everything that we need for this life most especially for our life in the next which is everlasting. If we are to look very closely at our lives, we'll find that God is always mindful of us every single day. We just don't bother to sit even awhile and count our blessings rather than focus on the imperfections of this world we live in. Although this should also drive us to attain what is perfect and eternal instead of being stuck on the false promises this temporary world offers. The truth of Jesus coming to us in the form of the flesh to save us from our sins may sometimes fade in our consciousness even at this special time of the year when we celebrate Holy Week. We need to always be in touch with God's reality no matter how opposed it may appear for the world. We have a God of Justice who reigns, let us not doubt that He will do for us what a loving Father does to an obedient child. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 42:1-7

1 Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, 2 not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, 4 until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching...I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Brothers and sisters, if we are confident that we are where we are supposed to be and the Lord allowed things to happen in our life the way they are happening right now then we should be still and know that God is in control. We need to understand the mysteries of our faith in order to appreciate it better. We have to go near as much as possible to the Word of God and experience it come to life and see His glory shining on us. As we go near Him we see his face and feel His love. We always have hope in the Lord who knows what's best for each one of us. There should be no doubt in our minds that He answers prayers. All we have to do is call on the Lord, trust that He hears the sound of our call and wait for Him with courage. When we get carried away by all the commotion there is a tendency that we neglect the essential and most central issue which is to always believe that we shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. There is really nothing that we should worry about if we always hold in our hearts the truth about Jesus. There may be times when we encounter disappointments and setbacks in life but this doesn't mean that God has stopped becoming the Loving God that He is, who suffered His only Begotten Son to die on the cross for our sake. Our focus should be on the truth of this love and everything that it stands for. This reminded me of a mini play staged in EWTN of a passenger waiting to be boarded on the airplane. He was the 1st and only person in the boarding area waiting patiently for his seat reservation to be called. He got surprised when someone came along and hardly ever waited when his seat number was called. He felt somehow annoyed at the idea of someone who just came and did not wait but got on the plane first although he managed to stop himself from making a scene. A lady with her young child also came and looked very excited to board the plane but he tried to warn them not to keep their hopes up too much because it would definitely take time and said that he had been waiting for a long time and came early but his number had not been called yet. To his surprise their numbers were called and happily boarded while he was once again left behind. He simply couldn't stand it anymore when a pleasant young lady came with all smiles on her face and speaking of how excited she is to board an airplane for the first time. The company of this nice lady kept her impatience at bay. She advised him to stop thinking about how the others were able to get there quickly but rather think of the joy he would have once he gets there. She assured him to just relax and make the most of his time because he has a reservation and a ticket all he needs to do is just wait. He did exactly just that and found himself at peace until the time his number was called. The same thing happens to the best of us when we are confronted with a tedious and exasperating process of waiting. We tend to lose our peace and joy and succumb to worry and doubt. If we are holding on to something that was assured to us by a trustworthy and reliable source we can put our worries to rest. Although sometimes anxiety can still find its way to our hearts and forget on whom our confidence lies.  If we remain in the Lord and put our trust in Him then there is nothing we should worry about. In life, there are 4 things which are 1. sin 2. grace 3. forgiveness 4. reconciliation that we could all learn a lot from. The 1st 3 are all a reality but #4 is only a possibility. Reconciliation calls us to true conversion. An example that fits this is a snake and caterpillar since both of them undergoes conversion. The snake sheds off its old skin but comes out the same while the caterpillar emerges into a butterfly. We have to ponder and think about setting our goals high, keeping our thoughts positive and coming up with new solutions. There is no room for fear for He is consistent to His nature as God. Let us strive to become the child He has meant us to be. Another thing we could learn something about is a puzzle. I am one person who never even thought of working on a jigsaw puzzle. I am not the type of person who would bother to even buy one. It just happened that when I was in Japan and saw all sorts of things which are being sold in a bazaar, I ended up buying one for no reason at all. In fact it took years before I finally opened it and put the puzzle together. That was when I actually experienced how to do it. It takes patience and perseverance to do it especially with the complicated puzzles. Sometimes in life we just back out and give up when things become complicated and when we do, we fail to witness the bounty of the Lord. As today psalm tells us, we've got to wait with courage and be stout hearted. We should all long for the day when we will have 100% confidence level in all our decisions for God. When the time comes it will totally remove all forms of anxiety and fear and incline ourselves to Him at all times. It should be our ultimate desire and nothing else, to always be in the presence of the Lord. To abide in Him at all times even when things are not very good. I could never forget and would always remember those times when I used to pick figs at Sis Loreta's garden. It was then that a thought came to my mind while I was climbing a ladder in order to get the figs in hard to reach places. Despite the fact that I was already on top of the ladder there were still some figs that I was not able to see and pick up right away although it was already right in front of me. They are being covered by the leaves of the tree and some are hidden in between branches. I just realized that it could be compared to how God showers us with all the blessings and graces that we need. There are times when we fail to see it though it is already right in front of us. Sometimes we have to really look very closely and try to turn our gaze into different angles in order to see it. What's funny was that when I thought that I've got almost every ripe fig in the tree, I noticed one big ripe fruit at the lowest part of the tree, there was even no need to use a ladder in order to get it. Sometimes in life we resort to a lot of means that are sometimes no longer necessary. All we have to do is believe that we will see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living if we will just be patient and full of courage. We ought to realize that if we wait on the Lord patiently and persevere long enough we will never be disappointed for He alone is our light and salvation. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (R) 2 When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies themselves stumble and fall. (R) 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war be waged upon me, even then will I trust. (R) 13 I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD with courage; be stout-hearted, and wait for the LORD.

The gospel of today challenges us to examine ourselves and look closely whether we are a Mary or a Judas. Sometimes we cling to material things without realizing that the most essential things in life are not these precious and priced possessions that we hold dear but exactly what Mary had chosen and what the gospel message is trying to convey to us. Let us not be blind, deaf, mute and unfeeling any longer to the real and what's most important in our lives. Let us imitate the example of Mary in the gospel who never hesitates to use expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus. For Jesus is worth all the riches we own in our lives. Let us offer everything we do to God and make it fill our lives with its fragrance for everyone to smell so that they will know that we have a God whom we love back extravagantly. Let the fragrance of our love for God reach the heavens.  This gospel has a special meaning for me and has come to occupy a soft spot in my heart. In fact, I sometimes imagine myself doing what Mary did since I have a very long and thick hair it could really dry up the feet of Jesus. It always reminds me of the promise I made in relation to the word of God I have received in Oct 2007 in Habbakuk 2:2-3 which is:

“Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.” Not many of the people who know me, know that I did not cut my hair from 2007 until the time when what I had been waiting for a long time finally came. Not a lot of people understood this and some even thought it was ridiculous and funny. Some thought of it as irrelevant and impractical that I wore my hair that long. I had enough of the persistent prodding and sometimes degrading remarks I got from people who thought that they meant well when they convinced me to get a haircut. On the other hand, I also had a share of people and situations that continued to strengthen and build up my confidence in keeping the promise. More than anything else, I had given my word and kept it, as I nurtured and cherished in my heart the same overwhelming love of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus and held on to the confidence and conviction that God will surely see me through it. And he did, the promise is fulfilled. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 12:1-11                         

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one [of] his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because  many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.