We trust in the Lord.

2nd Sunday of Lent

As a priest, many people come to us seeking answers to their questions.

Questions that are difficult to answer.

A mother came to me once and said,

Father, I loved my husband and my children with all my heart.

Ibinigay ko naman lahat para sa kanila.

Why is it that after all the things I did,

my husband still left me for another woman?

A young man came to me and said,

Father, all my life, I have never given trouble to my parents.

Mabait naman ako. Hindi naman ako masamang tao. Masipag naman ako.

I have been working hard. Why am I not getting the break that I want?

A father once approached me and said,

Father, my wife and I did all we could to give our child a good education.

Hindi kami nagkulang sa patuturo, sa pagpapaalala, sa pangangaral.

Why is his life a mess now?

It seems we are losing him. Why?

Difficult questions.

And we are not alone in asking these questions.

Abraham, in the first reading today, I’m sure asked the same difficult questions.

Why would God ask that I sacrifice Isaac, my only son, his gift to me? Why?

The disciples of Jesus could have asked the same questions on Calvary.

If Jesus is the Messiah, the savior, why is he crucified on the cross?

If his mission is God-sent why does it seem that he is a failure?

We all have our questions in life.

And the gospel today does not give us a clear answer.

What the Lord gives us is an invitation.

“This is my beloved son, listen to him.”

Open your heart to Jesus.

Believe in him.

Trust him.

Trust in the Lord.

Trust in his love.

St. Paul in the second reading reminds us that

If God can give up his only begotten Son for us

Will He not give everything else to us.

Kung hindi ipinagkait ng Diyos ang kanyang anak sa atin

Ipagkakait ba nang Diyos ang iba pang makabubuti sa aitn.

God is trustworthy.

We may not fully understand how.

We may not find all the answers to our questions.

But we listen to the Lord.

We open our hearts to him.

We trust in him.

Pasasalamat sa Piyesta

Siyam na araw po nating pinaghandaan ang araw na ito. Siyam na araw nating pinagnilayan ang Banal na Eukaristiya. Siyam na araw tayong nakinig sa iba’t ibang mga pari at Obispo para mas lumago tayo sa ating pananampalataya.

Huwag po sana natin kalilimutan na ang eukaristiya ay hindi lamang isang pagdiriwang sa loob ng simbahan; ang misa ay buhay sa araw-araw. Ang misa ay hindi lamang isang oras sa loob ng simabahan, kundi bawat minuto sa sanlibutang ito.

Pagsasama-sama, pagsisisi sa kasalanan, pagtawag sa Diyos, pakikinig sa kanya, pag-aaral sa pananampalataya, pagsasakripisyo, pagbibigay ng sarili, paglilingkod, pagbibigay ng buhay, pagkakaisa, pagbibigay ng kapayapaan, paglilingkod - ito po ang nangyayari sa loob ng misa; ito po ang hiwaga ng Eukaristiya. Ito rin po ang dapat mangayari sa ating buhay.

Maraming salamat po. Happy Fiesta sa lahat!

Transfiguration, Self-oblation and Transfi

Fr. Leo Vandrome was a legend in the seminary. He was an old Belgian missionary who spent most of his life here in the Philippines. During the time that nobody understood the theology of Karl Rahner because he was writing in German, Fr. Leo was already teaching Rahner at San Carlos. There was a story that a bishop of Belgium invited him to be an adviser during the Second Vatican Council. But he was famous with his favorite bike. He was always seen riding his bike while fanning himself. [The previous paragraph has nothing to do with the reflection, it just feels happy to be filled with the memories of Fr. Leo.]

In his room was a skull of his pet monkey. Below it was a curious saying that says: What I am today, tomorrow you will be. Kung ano ako ngayon, ikaw din bukas. It was a reminder of the reality of being finite; a reminder of temporariness of life in this world; a reminder that life ultimately is not “of” this world; a reminder of everybody’s end; and so, the necessity to build up treasure in heaven.

Imagine you are Peter, or James, or John. You go with Jesus and climb Mount Tabor. While there you see Jesus shining with an out-of-this-world glow to the point of almost blinding your eyes. And then, you see in the sky clouds forming the words: What I am today, tomorrow you will be. Wow!

Imagine that you are attending mass at Transfi. You kneel down devoutly after singing the Santo. You closed your eyes to concentrate more and listen intently to the words of consecration. Then, you open your eyes and saw the priest raising the chalice, and heard him say, “which will be given up for you. Do this is memory of me.” Then you see at the wall of the main altar, the pieces of wood formed in a spiral, moving, coming together and form the words: What I am today, tomorrow you will be. Wow!

Jesus’ Transfiguration is a foretaste of what we all shall be according to the plan of God, the glory of sharing in the life God, the brightness of being children of the Father. What happened to Jesus in Mt. Tabor will happen to us at the fulfillment of time. Transfigurations is our hope.

The Eucharist is a foretaste of the cost of fulfilling this plan of God; the challenge of self-giving love, of self-surrender, of giving oneself to God and to others [the theme of the first day of the Novena: Eukaristiya – Bukal ng Pag-aalay ng Sarili]. The self-giving love we celebrate in the Eucharist is actually the way for every Christian to fulfill the plan of God.

The victory of the Transfiguration goes through the road of the Eucharist. The glory of sharing in the divine life constitutively includes offering oneself to the divine and to the world. Self-oblation may be frightening but Transfiguration gives us hope. Self-oblation may be difficult but Transfiguration gives us strength. Self-oblation may bruise and scar us, but Transfiguration heals them with the bright light of God’s everlasting love. As we journey and await our transfiguration we take the map of self-oblation, confident that we will never go astray.