1st Sunday of Advent, Year B

1st Sunday of Advent, Year B

"Be constantly on the watch!"

Mark 13:33-37

The gospel for the 1st Sunday of Advent, Year B, is a brief one,
but packed with strong emotional undertones. Just listening to
Jesus say, "Be constantly on the watch!" "Stay awake!" "Be on
guard!" catches our full attention and keeps us on our toes. What
is the reason for His warning? It is because He wants to make us
aware that we "do not know when the appointed time will come".
(When the Son of Man will return). He teaches us to be like
servants in charge, to do our tasks well, until the Master
returns - but at which time, we know not when (it can be at dusk,
midnight, when the cock crows, or at early dawn).

Each one of us has a task and responsibility to fulfill in life.
It does not matter whether it be a big or a small task; what
matters is the spirit of charity we exercise our duties. If
we practice charity in all its refinement, then it is akin to
pure gold devoid of all impurities. But the big challenge for
us is that we practice it constantly - for if we do not keep
up our guard, then envy, jealousy, selfishness, evil thoughts,
ill intentions, anger, malice, strife, and all sorts of evil
well be sown in our minds and our hearts by the Evil One. That
is why Jesus says emphatically, "Be constantly on the watch".

Many spiritual masters of our Catholic tradition teach the
importance of constant prayer. St. Louis-Marie de Montfort
even says that constant prayer is a means to obtain God's
wisdom - the Wisdom which makes us realize how finite we are.
Eastern Christianity also have their tradition of constant
prayer in the "Jesus Prayer". It is a prayer that is said
repeatedly with the words - "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me, a sinner". Those Eastern monks who are
already adept at this spiritual practice have reached a point
when their prayer is already blended and united with their
rhythm of breathing.

For us immersed in an environment with so much noise and so
many distractions from the world, it is really a challenge to
"watch and pray", and to be vigilant, as Jesus enjoins us. But
it is possible. It begins with awareness. When we are aware
of the many things that distract our centering on God, we can
adjust and refocus again - to be aware of the presence of God
in all things and in all situations (even amidst noise and the
many daily distractions we encounter). It is a spiritual
discipline that needs constant practice. The more we practice
it, the more we are spiritually ready to say, "My heart is ready
O God, my heart is ready."

So the key to follow Jesus' warning to "be constantly on the
watch!" is: awareness, constancy, discipline, and focusing.
With these four key elements in our spiritual life, we can
practice a regimen of prayer and sacramental life that will
help us to "to be constantly on the watch for the Lord's
coming". And this season of Advent is the right time to begin.

Feast of Christ the King, Year A

34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - Christ the King

"He will sit upon his royal throne, and all the nations
will be assembled before him."

Matthew 25:31-40

The first time we encountered this gospel for this liturgical Year
A, was last November 2 - the solemnity of the Faithful Departed
(All Souls Day). Since this Sunday is the feast of Christ the
King, then we are given by the gospel a descriptive image of Jesus
who "will sit upon His royal throne" and judge all the nations
assembled before Him. The nations who helped the poor and the
less fortunate, will enter into His Kingdom. And the nations who
neglected to give to the sick, the hungry, the naked, the thirsty
and the prisoner, will be condemned to eternal punishment.

When we reflect on this gospel passage, we see that good deeds
done for others is the moral standard by which Christ will judge
us. And the judgment of eternal punishment does not go mainly to
the one who did bad or evil actions to others, but to those who
"neglected" to do good to the poor and the little ones (given
the context of meaning in this gospel). By the standard of this
gospel account, a serious evil is to be attributed also to
neglect, indifference to others, and lack of concern. So, our
sins of commission (our bad actions) will be compounded with an
even greater evil if we fail to do good (sins of omission).

Families who live in a provincial, rural, or suburban locale are
more fortunate in the sense that they know the people in their
area well. Families are close to one another, they help each
other, and they are there for each other in times of difficulty,
grief, sorrow, loss or tragedy. Individuals and families who
live in a very urban set-up are less fortunate in the sense that
there is a lot of anonymity, transiency, and less stability of
residence. Relationships in this set-up are often formal,
professional, short, superficial and filled with fear, mistrust,
and hostility.

There is a way however by which families in an urban set-up can
get to know each other better: through the structure of
relationships in a Catholic parish. With the basic ecclesial
formation being given by many parish priests to their
parishioners, families and individuals get to know one another
better. And a network of supportive relationships is created to
bridge the gap of indifference, anonymity, and rugged
individualism that goes with a highly urbanized area.

When the parish priest teaches well his parishioners to be
centered on Christ and the Eucharist, all families know that the
head of their household and family is Jesus. There is unity and
harmony in the family when each member lives a good Christian
life and let Jesus be the King of his heart. With Jesus
acknowledged as King, then there will be fear of doing evil and
only a seeking to please the One who has the power to judge us
if we have done good or neglected to do what we should do as
Catholics.

Let us then thank the Father for the gift of His Son Jesus, who
in many ways reveal to us that all dominion, power, glory, and
authority, belong to Him. Let us also thank the Father that our
King is One who know how to be human like us, except for sin.
And lastly, let us thank the Father for giving us a King who
serves as a model par excellence of genuine humility - a
humility exercised even to the extent of giving His life on the
cross, so that we may be saved from our sins of neglect of
others, indifference, apathy, and lack of concern and love.

On a more personal note, let us also examine ourselves very well:
in my day to day living, is Jesus enthroned as King of my heart?
Or are there other things that prevent Him to rule over my
soul? Is it anxiety over our job or finances? Or is it a
structure of relationships that causes us to lose our peace and
focus on Christ? Maybe, as the liturgical year is now at its
end, we can take more time to examine how we have lived the
year. It is not too late to confess that we have not made Jesus
the center of our life and the King of our hearts. There is
always room to progress in our spiritual life. And we can decide
for this by opting for Christ as our King and Savior all the days
of our life.

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33rd Sunday Year A

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

"Come, share in your Master's joy"

Matthew 25:14-30

The 33rd Sunday Year A gospel features another parable of Jesus:
the parable of the silver pieces or talents. It is a parable
preceded by another parable (the ten virgins) and followed by
the account of the Last Judgment (in the 25th chapter of the
Gospel of Matthew). In the parable of the silver pieces, the
story is about a man who went on a journey. But before he left,
he gave silver pieces to each of his three servants, with amounts
according to each of their abilities. Entrusting these amounts
to them, he departed and expected that they invest them to make
a profit until he returns. And as the story goes on, we find
the master returning and discovering his first two servants
making use of their abilities well and providing him with a
profit. The third, however, out of fear, hid his amount under
the ground, and returned it to his master just as it was given
to him. The man was happy with the industriousness of his first
two servants, but condemned the third who did not do anything
with the silver pieces given him.

Although this parable speaks of money being invested and making
a profit out of it, if we also place it in context with the
preceding message of the parable of the ten virgins, and then
with the following account of the Last Judgment, we can see a
broader meaning to the message Jesus wants to teach us in this
Sunday's gospel. All three gospel passages speak of the the
return of the master (Master). But before his return, all are
accountable to him for the time and resources given by him.
The two parables and the Last Judgment account teach us many
lessons: first of all, to be prepared for the return of the
Master - to be on the watch, to be vigilant; second, to wisely
supply ourselves with what is necessary to comply with the
Master's requirements; third, to optimize our use of time and
resources so as to present a profitable return to be given
to the Master; and fourth, to do good and render acts of kindness
and charity to those less fortunate than we are.

So, we shall really come to share in the Master's happiness if
we are like the "wise virgins", the "industrious servants", and
the "charitable people" (the sheep in the Last Judgment account)
of which Matthew speaks of in chapter 25 of his gospel. The
special focus for this Sunday is in being industrious with our
time, talent and resources. In these times of increasing
hardship and difficulty in making ends meet for our families,
are we working harder, praying more intently, finding ways to
save money and profit, growing smarter at solving problems, and
facing life's daily challenges creatively?

Each of us has been given unique abilities and talents. What
Jesus wants of us before we face Him as our King in His judgment
seat, is that we become better than our good, and to use all
that He has given us in life as best as we could for our family
and for others. We will indeed come to share in His joy when
we can offer Him double the good He has given us in life. So
let us therefore never neglect to pray for the gifts of fortitude,
strength, perseverance, prudence, wise stewardship, generosity,
and fidelity to our responsibilities that we may truly please
our Lord with a life industriously lived in His service and His
love.

Feast of Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

John 2:13-22

According to Catholic tradition and our Church historians, the
Lateran Basilica is the episcopal seat of the pope as bishop of
Rome. It is called the "mother and head of all churches of Rome
and the world." This Sunday is special because it marks the
anniversary of this Church when in November 9, 324 A.D., Pope
Sylvester I dedicated the Church to the Savior, and to St. John
the Baptist.

The gospel for this Sunday presents the account of Jesus
purification of the Temple of Jerusalem from profane activities.
Many translations of the Bible tell us in different words why
Jesus made a whip of cords and drove out all the animals and the
money-changers out of the temple. According to the RSV, Jesus
says that they should not make His Father's house a "house of
trade". Then, according to the GNB, the NAB, and the NRSV, He
judged the situation as a "marketplace". Then also in the JB,
He judged what was happening as a "market". (RSV - Revised
Standard Version; GNB - Good News Bible; NAB - New American
Bible, NRSV - New Revised Standard Version; JB - Jerusalem
Bible).

Jesus was indignant at what He saw not so much because of the
secular situation of a marketplace where goods are traded for
the benefit of people, but because their activity was profaning
and disrespecting what is sacred: like noise, chaotic trade,
or unfair business problems that harm the spirit of prayer in
the Temple. The Temple is a sacred place. And He also took
the occasion to teach the Jews that the Temple of His Body
was also sacred and He knew that it would also soon be
profaned and desecrated upon His impending passion and death
on the cross.

The message Jesus wanted to convey to the Jews by His action
in the Temple was that they were to respect what is sacred and
consecrated - everything set apart for God's purposes. And
this means not only in the physical sense - the Jerusalem
Temple and all that is in it - but also in the spiritual sense
(His Body and Blood, which we now receive at every Sunday Mass
when we celebrate the Eucharist).

On second reflection, we are called to also respect our parish
and everything in its environs. Let us ask forgiveness from
Jesus our Lord and Savior for all the times we turned the
parish into a "marketplace" by the noise of our profane
conversations and all the misbehavior we have committed in
the premises which could have scandalized others. Also, let
us ask forgiveness from Jesus for all the times we have not
prepared well our soul to receive the purity of His gift in
the Eucharist. May we amend our ways and teach especially
our children to respect everything that is of God - the parish
environs and most especially where the Blessed Sacrament is
enthroned.

All Soul's Day

Matthew 25:31-46

The gospel for this Sunday, Nov 2, is from Mt 25:31-36 - the
gospel for the second Mass of the Commemoration of All the
Faithful Departed.

When we read the passage, we will be reminded of the Last
Judgment, because Jesus speaks of His Second Coming. He says
that when that day comes, He will assemble all the nations and
separate them into two groups: the sheep on the right (those who
did good), and the goats on his left (those who failed to do
good).

The standard of ethics and righteousness Jesus uses in this
gospel passage is very concrete and specific: feeding the hungry,
giving water to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing
the naked, comforting the sick, and visiting the prisoners.
Those who did these kind acts and deeds are the "sheep", while
those who failed to do so, are the "goats". The former will
receive the blessing of God and inherit the Kingdom, while the
latter will reap eternal punishment.

How often have we judged people because they do not fit our
"standards"? Many times perhaps, and judging them many times
over within our hearts and our minds. And we do not have to go
far, we may be guilty of judging people right in our very own
homes, in the places where we work, or in the parish where we
serve. But the Lord stresses an important teaching: "judge not
that you may not be judged".

The Lord is the true Judge of our character. He knows what is in
our heart. We may appear good before others, but the Lord sees
the sinfulness that is embedded in our heart. It is from a heart
filled with sin that foolish words are spewed forth from our lips;
and it is from a heart displeasing God that causes us to be
unwise and imprudent in our actions. Therefore, it is good to
be like the Publican who sets himself right before the Lord when
he admits his unworthiness and sinfulness before God.

When the day of God's Judgment will come, no one really knows.
Even Jesus said: "only the Father in heaven knows". But Jesus
helps us to prepare for such an event. In Luke 22:34-36, He says
that the day "will come upon all who dwell on the face of the
earth. So be on the watch. Pray constantly for the strength to
escape whatever is in prospect, and to stand secure before the
Son of Man."

"To stand secure before the Son of Man" may mean for us that
we have followed the two commandments of the Lord which we have
heard in the gospel last Sunday: "to love God with all our mind,
with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength;
and to love our neighbor as ourself".

Since this Sunday is also All Soul's Day, we are invited by the
Church to pray for our departed loved ones who have gone before
us and who, together with us, shall be judged by the Lord on the
Last Day. What is important for us to realize now is to always
keep vigilant; be awake and alert, and be on the watch...to pray
constantly and to obey the commandment of the Lord...so that in
the end, we shall "stand secure before the Son of Man".