Pilipino, kaya mong maging santo!

Memorial of San Lorenzo Ruiz and Companion Martyrs

Ang Pilipinas ang kaisa-isang Katolikong bansa sa Asya. Yan ang sinabi ni Pope John Paul II nung dumalaw siya sa Piipinas noon 1995.  Yan din ang ating ipinagmamalaki. Kaya lang may bahid ang pananampalatatayang ito dahil sa buong mundo isa ang Pilipinas sa itinuturing na pinaka-corrupt na bansa. How ironic that the only Catholic nation is Asia is also one of the most corrupt country in the world.

Hanggang kelan tayo mananatiling ganito? Patakaran na nga ba talaga ang pandurugas at paglalagay para umusad ang mga proseso ng gobyerno? Hindi na nga ba mawawala ang kahirapan? Maiiwan at maiiwan na lang ba tayo ng mga kapitbahay nating bansa? Wala na ba talagang pag-asang magbago?

Sa kapistahan ng isang Santong Pilipino, si San Lorenzo ng Maynila, pinapaalala sa ating lahat na walang imposible sa biyaya ng Diyos. Sa pagdiriwang natin ngayon tila baga sinasabi sa atin ni San Lorenzo, “Kung nakaya ko kaya nyo rin. Pilipino, kaya mong maging santo.” Pilipino, kaya mong magbago. Tulad ni San Lorenzo, kaya mong ialay ang iyong buhay para sa Diyos. Kaya mong maging tapat at matuwid. Kaya mong ibigay ang lahat para sa mabuti. Kaya mong magsakripisyo para sa tama. Kaya mong panindigan kung ano ang totoo. Pilipino, kaya mong magbago. Pilipino, kaya mong maging santo.

San Lorenzo, ipanalangin mo kami. Ipanalangin mo ang lahat ng Pilipino. Ipanalangin mo ang Pilipinas. Ipanalangin mong pangatawanan namin ang aming pananampalataya upang tulad mo maranasan namin ang tagumpay ng pagpapala ng Diyos.

Let us not be indifferent.

26th Sunday, Ordinary Time

What was wrong with the rich man in the gospel today? Why was he sent to the netherworld where he was in torment? What was his sin? Is it a sin to be rich? Is it a sin to be wealthy?

We all know that wealth per se is not bad. It is not a sin to be rich. But to be blind to the poverty of others because one is rich, to be blind to the misery of a neighbor because one is comfortable, to be blind to the deprivation of others because one is abundant that is a sin. Riches, comfort and abundance can make one self-centered and unconcerned. Dahil masagana, mayaman at komportable, wala nang pakialam sa kapos, sa mahirap at sa nangangailangan. Pero hindi lang mayaman ang puedeng maging bulag. Lahat tayo, mayaman o mahirap, kailangan nating magbantay baka manhid na tayo sa pangangailangan ng ating kapwa, baka wala na tayong pakialam.

Today is the anniversary of the sad tragedy that the typhoon “Ondoy” brought to us. Many lives have been devastated by this tragedy that until today, one year after the disaster, many are still striving to build their lives.  If there is one lesson that we should learn from “Ondoy” that is indifference to nature means destruction to all of us. It is our tragedy not to be concerned and considerate of our environment. We have to be convinced that to take care of the environment is to take care of ourselves. If this is true in terms of the environment, so much more when talk about out relationship with our neighbor: to take care of the weak, to take care of the miserable, to take care of the needy around us is to take care of ourselves. This is the message of the gospel today. Kailangan nating matutunan na ang kawalan ng pakialam sa mga kapos, sa mahirap at nangangailangan ay trahedya para sa ating pananampalataya, isang trahedya para sa ating pagiging tunay na Kristiyano.

Let us not be indifferent. Let us not be unconcerned. Let us not be apathetic to the needs that exist around us because to do so is to invite our ruinous denouement. 

Will you?

Will you be my hand

to share, to serve, to give

caress the wounded, the sick

comfort the weak

Will you be my eyes

to see, to search, to recognize

seething pain and poverty

bringer of justice and peace

Will you be my feet

to go, to journey, to reach out

seek the lost, the strayed

light along the way

Will you be my tongue

to speak, to teach, to inspire

enflame the mind, the heart

commitment and service, begot

Will you be my arms

to support, to protect, to embrace

uplift the lowly, the down-trodden

ease the burden

Will you be my heart

to forgive, to accept, to save

throbbing for love, for union

hungry for reconciliation

Will you be me

my life, my will, my fidelity

my presence, my servant, my priest

11 years in the priesthood... Happy Birthday, Mama Mary! Thank you, Lord!

The Dangers of Possessions

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus said, “Everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

Possessions when shared and used according to the will of God are good. But when we allow our possessions to possess us, then possessions become dangerous. The words of Jesus in the gospel today remind us of the dangers that possessions can bring.

1. Possessions can give us false security.

When one has everything one needs, one feels safe, secured. One is not in want. One is not in need. One is self-sufficient. One is independent. But like every material thing, this security is fleeting. This security does not last. This security can be gone with a flick of a finger; an unfortunate accident, or theft, or unexpected loss. Possessions will not always be with us. They cannot be with us beyond the grave. Happiness does not necessarily come with wealth. Contentment does not automatically come with abundance. No amount of material riches can secure for us eternal life.

2. Selfishly holding on to material possessions can isolate a person from God and from the community.

An abundance of possessions would need an amount of defending. And so comes gated homes, high rise walls, security guards, cctv’s, sniffing dogs, guns and more defensive barriers that block off possibilities for relationship, community life and interaction. Material wealth makes one believe that one needs nobody, not even the Lord. Material possessions make one distrust other people who seemed out to get what one has. Possessions can make one alone, isolated and lonesome.

My dear friends, there is bad news and good news here. The bad news is no one is exempted in facing these dangers. These dangers are all around us. But the good news is we can overcome them. We can fight them. We can win over them by looking at our possessions as gifts and graces from the Lord and using them according to his will.

Sa madaling sabi, huwag hayaang maghari-harian ang inyong ari-arian. Tayo ang may-ari. Kaya’t gamitin natin sa paraang makakabuti sa atin, sa paraang ayon sa kalooban ng Diyos.