First Sunday of Advent (B)
Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7/Ps 80/1 Cor 1:3-9/Mk 13:33-37
We start a new liturgical year in the calendar of the Church. Every liturgical year starts with the season of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not yet the Christmas season, although everybody in the world, especially in the Philippines, starts to play Christmas carols. In fact, as early as September in the Philippines, Christmas carols are starting to be played by a lot of people. Sadly, many Catholics followed the times and forgot the true reason of the season of Advent.
Why does the Church give us the season of Advent? The Church gives us the season of Advent in order for us to learn the value of waiting. In this generation and age, we rush a lot. There are fast food restaurants, instant coffee, instant noodles, etc. We do not know how to wait anymore. We always rush. We have no time to wait. We want something done right away. We want everything to be instant. Everybody is impatient in this day and age.
Patience is a virtue. We must learn how to be patient. Patience is a gift from God. This is why our generation needs to be very patient. Patience teaches us that everything does not come instantly. We have to wait. Waiting is very important. Not everything comes instantly or very fast. Some things that will happen will need our patience. It is important to be patient. We need to be patient. Patience helps us learn how to wait.
Waiting is also a good time to prepare. While waiting, a very good thing to do is to prepare. For example, when a friend or loved one who you haven't met for a very long time. When you learn that he will visit your place, what would you do? Won't you prepare? You would prepare your place for him/her to stay, you would prepare yourself as well. You would clean the house, prepare some food for him/her after his/her journey, you would dress up well for his/her arrival, etc.
In this season of Advent, we are to prepare ourselves spiritually to celebrate Christmas - the Solemnity of the Lord's birth. How do we prepare ourselves spiritually in this season of Advent? By repenting our sins and turning back to God. Jesus is waiting for us to prepare a place for Him in our hearts. We have a place in His heart. Let us accept Jesus into our hearts, just as how He accepted us into His heart. As we wait for Jesus to be born in our hearts, let us prepare ourselves spiritually in order for Jesus to come and be born once again in our hearts, just as how He was born in a stable in Bethlehem the First Christmas.
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Isaiah 45:1, 4-6/Psalm 96/1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b/Matthew 22:15-21
During the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Israelites were living under the rule of the Roman empire. As people living under the Roman rule, the Israelites were required to pay taxes to the Roman empire. Their taxes go to Rome, to where the emperor lives. Tiberius Caesar was the emperor during the time of Jesus. Tiberius Caesar, by the way, succeeded his father, Caesar Augustus, who was the emperor of Rome during the time of Christ's birth. Because people at that time had to pay taxes to Rome, the people during the time of Christ were very angry at the Romans because they were ruthless and vicious towards Israel. Many of them attempted to overthrow the Roman government by force.
Some Israelites decided to work for the Roman government as tax collectors. Examples of Israelites that became tax collectors are St. Matthew the Evangelist (who became an apostle of Jesus and the author of today's Sunday Gospel reading) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). For many Israelites, what some of their countrymen did to work for the Roman government as tax collectors was an act of betrayal to their country. According to many zealots, these people have betrayed their nation and caused a very big sin in the eyes of God and man.
Now in the Gospel, two groups have met together in order to trap Jesus. These two groups have opposing beliefs. These two groups are the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Pharisees and Herodians have opposing beliefs. But how in the world were they able to unite and become a team? Jesus is the reason for their team-up. They rejected Jesus and look at Him as an enemy. Jesus is the common enemy for the two groups in order to team up. Another religious group during the time, the Sadducees, also opposed Jesus. The Pharisees have teamed up with other religious groups (Herodians and Sadducees) in order to get rid of Jesus.
The question the two groups asked Jesus is: Is it legal or illegal to pay taxes to Caesar? If Jesus answered yes or no, He will be trapped and arrested. Why? If Jesus says yes, then He will be a traitor in the sight of many people. Jesus betrays His nation Israel for Rome if He answers yes. But, if Jesus says no, Jesus will be seen as a rebel. The Pharisees, Herodians and other enemies of Jesus will have a case to present to the Roman government in order for Jesus to be put to death. Either way, it is a trap. Jesus is in danger.
Jesus is aware of what is happening. He knows that the question is being posed to Him out of malice and in order to trap Him. The Lord knows that His enemies are using nice words in order for Him to twist His tongue and be caught off guard. Jesus is aware that these groups approached Him in order to set a trap and arrest Him. He knows that the two groups want Him arrested and killed. If the Lord wanted, He would have just ignored them and continued teaching others.
The Lord answers the question in three parts. First, the Lord asks them for a coin. Second, the Lord asks them what image do they see on the coin. The obvious answer is Caesar's face is on the coin. Very surprising. We could probably ask, isn't the Lord familiar with what the coin looks like? As an Israelite, the Lord should probably know what the coin looks like. But, the Lord uses this for the third part of His answer. The third and final part of the Lord's answer is, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."
What does this mean? It means that we should both pay respect to God and our own nation. As citizens of our nation, we have to be respectful to our leaders and help them. The problems of our nation is not only the problems of our leaders. Everyone is involved whenever there are problems in our nation. As a sign of respect for our countries, we have to be help each other, especially our leaders in congress. We have to correct them if they make any errors whatsoever. By doing this, we show our love and respect for our nation.
But, we have to remember that God created everything here on earth. He created the earth we live in. He created us human beings. Everything that we see around us are created by God. As a result, we have to pay what is due to God. What is due to God? Our love and respect for God. By worshiping and obeying God, we show our love and respect for God. Not only that, we have to respect our neighbor. Everyone of us human beings are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). We have to respect and love one another as a sign of our respect and love for God.
As true Christians, let us show our love for God and our nation. We have a responsibility towards one another and our nation. No one was born to live only for himself. We have a responsibility in the eyes of God. By loving and respecting our nation, we also show our love for God who created Heaven and earth. By doing so, we are giving to God what is due to Him. True Christian missionaries love and give respect to God first and above all things and also love and give respect to their nations.
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Isaiah 55:6-9/Psalm 145/Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a/Matthew 20:1-16a
The Lord Jesus explains to us the generosity of God by using a parable in today's Gospel. The parable in our Gospel reading is about the workers in the vineyard. By this parable, Jesus shows us how God is generous. God is being personified as the owner of the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard pays the workers equally, despite the workers working in different hours.
As the saying goes, "It is better late than never." Well, we say a case of this saying in today's Gospel. In the beginning of the Gospel, the owner of the vineyard hires the first group of workers and makes an agreement that they will be paid the daily wage. The first group of workers started to work at the earliest time, let's say at 4:30, 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning.
While the day went by, the owner of the house still recruited more workers. At the very last hour before the work day ended, like approximately 5:00 in the afternoon, the owner hired another group of workers. He could have been contented with the workers that would work for the whole day under the heat of the sun. But no. The owner chose to look for more workers because he is very compassionate.
Once the work day ended, the owner of the vineyard paid the workers. This time, the order of those being paid were reversed. The last group who worked for only one hour were paid first and they received the daily wage. The very first group, the group that worked the longest, thought that they would receive a larger pay because of their hard work for the whole day. But, instead of what they were expecting, they received the same pay as the last group. Each group of workers received the same pay.
In our eyes, this would deem to be unfair. If we think according to human judgement, what the owner of the vineyard did was an injustice. The workers worked very hard for a very long time in order to earn that right. Why did the owner of the vineyard pay them the same way as he paid the other groups? Why? How come their pay was not raised for their hard work for the full day? This is an injustice. This is corruption. If we base our thinking according to human justice, this in not right. What the owner did was very unfair.
But, the owner of the vineyard cleared the misunderstanding. The owner of the vineyard said that he did not cheat on them. Why? First and foremost, that was their agreement. How could there be an injustice if they both made an agreement? So, no injustice whatsoever on the part of the owner. The workers and the owner of the vineyard made an agreement. So, there is no injustice in what he did.
Second, he is the owner of the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard is the boss. He gets the final say on a particular thing, like in payment. The workers were probably jealous because the owner of the vineyard is very generous. Despite all the riches the owner had, he still is very generous. Take the very last group that worked in the vineyard for example. The owner still hired the very last group because of his generosity. No one would accept them. But, the owner of the vineyard accepted them and paid them the daily wage.
God continually expresses His generosity towards us. Even though we are late in turning back to the Lord, the Lord will still express His generosity towards us. Nothing would hinder or stop the Lord from being generous towards us. The Lord God will not do anything unjust or cheat us. Instead, the Lord will show us how generous He is towards us. God is very generous towards us out of His love for us. God continues to show us His generosity, mercy and compassion towards us each and everyday of our lives.
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Ezekiel 33:7-9/Psalm 95/Romans 13:8-10/Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus teaches us how to deal with people who we have misunderstandings or problems with. We could not get rid of misunderstandings or problems in life. It is part of life. A problem big or small could cause a lot of trouble. There are a lot of times whenever we have problems or misunderstandings, especially with other people. It is not always easy. There are lots of times whenever we encounter problems. Although we try hard to avoid this, we can't because there are times that we have big problems, especially with one another.
Jesus gives us three ways in order to fix our misunderstandings or problems with others. The first thing to do when a person sins is to talk to him personally. By talking to him personally, you get to explain to him what he did and why it was wrong. This reminder would help him realize his mistake. No one is born for himself. We have a responsibility. Our responsibility is our neighbor. We have to correct their mistakes. We have to fix our problems together.
The second thing we have to do is to bring a witness, if he still does not listens. Witnesses will help you in correcting the person who has done wrong. Sometimes, it would take two or three people to enlighten someone's mind. If he did not change his mind when you personally talk to him (just the two of you), probably two other people would help. The witnesses you take would help him enlighten his mind and change his ways. You would be able to fix your problems with the help of others.
If the second thing does not work, Jesus tells us not to surrender. Don't give up. There is a third thing to do that could help the person who has done wrong change his ways. Take him to the congregation of the Church. The Church is a welcoming community. Ask the community to pray for him. Through prayer, the one who has done wrong might change his ways. Prayer works all of the time. Prayer could possibly help resolve problems.
But, if the third does not work as well, the Lord tells us to treat those who we cannot resolve our problems with as Gentiles. We can set them free. They do not belong with us. They are outsiders. So, does that mean that we don't get to care for them? No. Instead, Jesus shows us an example on how to treat people who are outsiders. Examples are St. Matthew the Apostle and Zacchaeus. They were tax collectors. They did not belong to the people at that time. But, Jesus showed mercy and compassion towards them. He visited and dined with them. Through Christ, sinners have changed their lives and turned back to God.
God does not stop showing mercy and compassion towards us. The Lord is patient towards us. He will wait for us and will not stop waiting until we go back to Him and repent. Just as how the Lord God is merciful and patient towards us, let us become patient and merciful towards our neighbors. Even though some of us are hard-headed, let us not cease in showing one another love and mercy. Just as how the Lord does not stop showing love and mercy towards us, let us not stop loving and being merciful to one another.
Lord God, teach us how to be merciful and loving towards one another, just as how You never cease to show mercy and love towards us. Amen.
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Jeremiah 20:7-9/Psalm 63/Romans 12:1-2/Matthew 16:21-27
There is a story about a man who was following the Lord and carrying his cross. While the person was carrying his own cross, he felt that it was too heavy for him to carry. So, he asks the Lord if he can cut parts of the cross down. Once he got permission from the Lord to cut parts of the cross, he cuts parts of the cross until the cross was light enough for him to carry. When he and the Lord reached a cliff, the man thought that their journey was over. But the Lord said, "No, our journey is not yet over. We are going to the other cliff." The Lord used His cross in order to cross to the other cliff while His companion tried to reach the other cliff using his cross, but it was too short for him.
This Sunday's Gospel talks about accepting our crosses in life. Last Sunday's Gospel talks about Peter's confession about Jesus' identity. Through the grace of God, Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. Because of this, Jesus rewarded Peter by making Peter the rock on which Jesus will build His church and giving him the keys to the kingdom of Heaven, showing Peter's authority once Jesus leaves this world. Now, in today's Gospel reading, Jesus talks to His disciples about His mission as the Messiah sent by God.
In the first part of the Gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus now talks about His mission in the world - to suffer and die on the cross for the sake of mankind. But on the third day, Jesus is to rise again. The apostles, especially Saint Peter, did not understand what Jesus meant. When the Lord said that He is going to die for the sake of humankind, Peter and the rest of the apostles objected. Peter himself expressed his objection to what Jesus was saying. The apostles, especially St. Peter, could not understand or accept what Jesus said.
"Get behind Me, Satan!" This is what Jesus said in response to Peter's objection to what Jesus said about Him being killed. For sure, we can bet that Peter felt hurt because of what Jesus called him. At first, Jesus made Peter the rock on which He will build His church and gave him the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. Now, Jesus calls him "Satan." Isn't that insulting of Jesus? Yes, the Lord sure sounds insulting. But, the Lord uses strong language to express His point. Jesus uses "Satan" to say that Peter is interfering. "Satan" means "adversary." The Lord does not refer to Peter as "Satan" or "Lucifer."
Jesus teaches the disciples the conditions of discipleship in the second part of today's Gospel reading. Jesus tells His disciples that it is not easy being His disciple. Being a disciple of Jesus is going to be very hard. Why? If anyone wants to become a disciple of Christ, they would have to forget anything about themselves, take up their cross and follow Christ. There will be hardships and crosses when we follow Jesus.
The truth hurts. We may have a very hard time or not accept it, but it is the truth. There will be times when we will be tested in being a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just like the Lord said, it won't be easy. One example of hardships in life are the loss of a loved one because of illness or very strong calamities. In those times, we will see ourselves questioning God. Questions like, "What did I do that God did this to me?" or, "Why have done this to me, O Lord?" It is not easy being a follower of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Himself had His share in following the will of God the Father. On the night before He suffered, the Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to save Him from the hour of His death. Although Jesus knew that He has to die for the sake of mankind, His obedience to the Father was tested. Jesus knows the pain of the whip, the crown of thorns and the nails that will nail Him to the heavy cross He will carry. This made Jesus pray to the Father and ask for the Father's help.
At the end of His prayer, Jesus says, "Not My will, but Your will be done." Jesus surrenders to the Father's will. He submitted Himself to the will of the Father. The Lord chose to be brave and faced His death on the cross. After His prayer, the Lord did not back down. The Lord faced His death, in obedience to the will of the Father. The Father was the source of Jesus' bravery in facing His death. If Jesus wanted, He would've escaped His death easily. But, Jesus faced the cross and His death with full bravery.
God the Father is the source of bravery. Let us pray to the Father for bravery, just like Jesus. The bravery God gives us will help us in facing and accepting our crosses in life. God will always be with us in every step of life. Taking up the crosses of our lives is not easy. But, God will always be with us in every step in our journey and will always help us at problematic times. Let us be one with Jesus in taking up His cross. Let us be brave in taking up our cross and follow the Lord.
Dear Lord, grant us bravery and strength to face the challenges in life and take up our crosses so that we may become followers of Jesus. Amen.
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Isaiah 22:19-23/Psalm 138/Romans 11:33-36/Matthew 16:13-20
Our Gospel for this Sunday is about the declaration of St. Peter the Apostle about the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Gospel reading, Jesus appoints Peter as the first Pope because of Peter's answer to Jesus' question regarding His identity. Peter's was given authority by Jesus because of the grace the Father has bestowed on Peter. Peter did not answer Jesus' question on his own, God the Father has revealed it the answer to Peter by His grace.
The Lord used the opportunity in Caesarea Philippi in order to teach His disciples once again. This time, the Lord Jesus used the opportunity in private to test His disciples on how other people and the disciples know Him. In the quiet place of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus gets to ask His disciples two questions. Caesarea Philippi was a quiet place for Jesus and His disciples away from the crowds, away from Jesus' countrymen. For Jesus and His disciples, Caesarea Philippi is a place away for them in order to reflect and for Jesus to teach His disciples in private. While they were in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks the disciples two questions.
First, Jesus asks the disciples what other people think about Him. Who is Jesus according to other people? He is not asking this question because He is concerned about what people think about Him. Instead, Jesus asks this question in order to know how well other people know Him. How well do other people think about Him? Let us look at what the disciples answered Him. Some say that Jesus was either John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or other prophets.
Other people see John the Baptist in Jesus. We all know John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus. John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord. He prepared people to greet the Messiah by baptizing them. As John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, he spoke the truth. Jesus also spoke at testified to the truth. In the Gospel of Saint Mark, He also called the people to repent and believe in the Gospel, just like John the Baptist (Mark 1:15). Herod Antipas also believed that Jesus was John the Baptist.
Jesus is also being compared by others to the prophet Elijah. Like John the Baptist, people think that Jesus is Elijah. Other people think that they have seen the prophet Elijah again. The prophet Elijah was the boldest among all the prophets. He challenged the prophets of the false god Baal in Mount Carmel. Jesus is also being compared to Jeremiah. Like Jeremiah the prophet, Jesus spoke boldly against greed and hypocrisy. To summarize it up, people think that Jesus is a prophet.
The second question of the Lord is who He is according to His disciples. It is not about what other people think about Him now. It is about what His disciples think who He is. Other people did not get the answer correct. By asking these two questions, Jesus is teaching the disciples who He is. The other people who listened to Him did not get the correct answer about the identity of the Lord Jesus. Christ is revealing Himself once again, this time to His disciples personally.
St. Peter, with the grace of God, confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Christ. Christ and Messiah mean the same thing. The two terminologies mean, "Anointed One." Jesus is the Chosen One, the Anointed One of God. God anointed Jesus to be the Savior, the promised Messiah. The prophecies of the prophets of the Old Testament have been fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to mankind.
Jesus knew that God the Father revealed it to Peter. It was the grace of God that allowed Peter to say that Jesus is the Messiah. As a result, Jesus anointed Peter as the rock on which Jesus will build His Church. Jesus gave Peter the keys to heaven, as a sign of his authority here on earth. St. Peter will be Christ's Vicar or Representative on earth once Christ returns to Heaven. The line does not stop with Peter. It keeps continuing. Our Holy Father Pope Francis is the 266th successor of Peter.
Who is Jesus? Jesus continues to ask us, "Who do you say that I am?" There are a lot of answers to the Lord's question. St. Peter, the very first Pope, gives us the most simple answer, "The Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God." Like St. Peter the Apostle, may our faith in the Lord grow deeper. May we continue to have faith in Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God.
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Isaiah 56:1, 6-7/Psalm 67/Romans 11:13-15, 29-32/Matthew 15:21-28
Today's Sunday Gospel talks about the encounter of Jesus with a Canaanite woman. A Canaanite woman goes to Jesus to persuade Him to cure her daughter. What happened to the woman's daughter? Her daughter is possessed by a demon. The Canaanite woman does not hesitate to go to Jesus, because she knows and believes that Jesus would help her and her daughter.
Jesus tests the woman's faith in two ways. The first test was when Jesus said that He came for the Israelites, not the Gentiles. Jesus tells the woman that He can not help her and her daughter because they do not belong to the house of Israel. The woman and her daughter are outsiders, in other words. Because the woman and her daughter are not Israelites, Jesus tells them that He can't help them. He does not help outsiders. Quite racist of Jesus though.
The second test was when Jesus calls the woman a dog. Who would not feel offended if a person is being called a dog by someone else? None. Isn't it surprising to see that Jesus calls a person an offending name? Yes, it sure is surprising to see Jesus calling someone an insulting name. Calling the woman a dog is very insulting. Jesus just used an insulting term towards a human being. Didn't Jesus teach about the love and mercy of God? Didn't Jesus teach about being loving and merciful towards our neighbors? His teachings are the complete opposite of the actions He is displaying in the Gospel.
But, the Canaanite woman does not relent. Instead, she perseveres at remains patient. Her faith in Jesus helps her keep her ground. She does not complain about Jesus calling her offensive things. The Canaanite woman is already used to insults similar to what Jesus called her. The woman probably encountered other Jews at that time that called her a dog. For the Canaanite woman, nothing is new for her when Jesus calls her a dog because she is already used to it.
Nothing was able to stop the Canaanite woman to stop asking Jesus for help. Her deep faith helped her remain patient, despite the efforts of Jesus and the disciples to make her leave. She could have left when Jesus refused to help her, but she did not. Instead, the woman persevered in asking Jesus for help. The Canaanite woman was determined to ask Jesus to cure her daughter. She would not back down. She would not surrender. She has passed the test of Jesus. The woman has showed her strong faith.
Jesus was pleased at how the Canaanite woman displayed her deep faith. The Lord was moved at the Canaanite woman's faith. The Canaanite woman has passed the test of the Lord Jesus. Because of how the woman showed her faith in Jesus, Jesus grants her request. Jesus cures the daughter of the Canaanite woman. Jesus showed His mercy towards the Canaanite woman and her daughter because the Canaanite woman displayed her deep faith in the Lord.
The Canaanite woman was rewarded for her deep faith. The faith of the Canaanite woman is a beautiful example for all of us. If we have faith in the mercy of God, just like the Canaanite woman in the Gospel, the Lord will show His mercy towards us. God may test our faith, just like Abraham and the Canaanite woman in the Gospel. We have to show that we have deep faith in God in the test He gives us. Once we have passed the test of God, God will show His mercy towards us.
Have faith in the mercy of God. God shows His mercy towards everyone who has faith and trusts in Him. If it seems that the Lord is not answering our prayers, just like the Canaanite woman in today's Gospel reading, He is just testing our faith. Once we have passed the test of the Lord God, He will show His mercy towards us. God's mercy endures forever.
