Tune in to Jesus

   

Second Sunday of Lent

16 March 2025

 

First Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17–4:1

Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36

 

Reflection

By: Anabelle P. Balla

I hear a myriad of voices throughout the day, including my own, both those spoken aloud and those that swirl nonstop in my head. Like you, I live in a world filled with noise. These noises, particularly the ones I can view in my phone, can be overwhelming. There are addictive contents that steal away my precious time, health, and energy. Because of this, I often find myself too busy to truly listen. It is a challenge to pause, breathe, relax, and enjoy moments of quiet reflection, or to truly listen during conversations, both to what is said and unsaid. There is always something that steals my attention, making me restless.

Thankfully, God's grace has anchored me to Him. He gently pulls me closer when I drift away. He blesses my plans and grants me serene moments to marvel at the wonders of His creation, especially during family outings to the hills, mountains, forests, or seas. In these peaceful moments, I can hear His whispers and feel His loving presence. He provides me countless opportunities each day to connect with Him, even if only briefly—when I wake, eat, drive, gaze at the sky, trees, sunset, flowers, and plants, or feel the cool wind on my face, or look upon my daughters' faces. These moments fill me with gratitude and turn my heart towards Him.

However, this awareness of His presence in my life is not the same as truly listening to Him. I still need to devote time to genuinely listen to Him, to hear Him through His Son, our Savior, Jesus. As He said, "This is my beloved Son: hear him.", I should take time listen.  And I am certain that this instruction from God is for my best interest and my salvation.

Can you hear Him? Do you want to? I trust that you do, and you have the power to make that choice.

Choose to tune in to Jesus. Hear Him and be blessed!

Prayer

Father, help us to stay still and truly listen to Your Words through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Unwilling?

    

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

22 January 2023

 

First Reading: Is 8:23-9:3

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

Second Reading: 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17

Gospel: Mt 4:12-23 or Mt 4:12-17

 

Reflection

By: Cailin Balla

 

God is always calling us to follow Him. He never ceases calling on the people, no matter who they are, what they do, or where do they come from. Whatever our faults may be, He accepts us readily, for He is a God of mercy and love. Everyone is welcome to His kingdom - sinners and good people alike, as long as they turn to the Lord wholeheartedly. Anyone can change, which further stands to reason that with God, anything is possible.

In the Gospel, Jesus called out to the people to repent, especially as the kingdom of heaven is nearing. He called out to the people. Astonishingly, the two pairs of brothers dropped everything and went ahead to follow Jesus. We can all learn a thing or two from Simon Peter and Andrew, and James and John.

The only obstacle between us and the Lord which keeps us from fully giving ourselves to Him is our own unwillingness. We may be unwilling to fully believe in Him and let doubt arise, unwilling to let go of our worldly possessions, unwilling to let go of negative feelings such as anger, thirst for vengeance, or hatred, unwilling to leave behind the people in our life, or unwilling to let go of any attachments in particular. It is not uncommon for people to be unwilling to let go of some things, but to be able to truly follow and serve Him is to offer your every being.

Prayer

Lord, You are abounding in mercy, and Your love is ever-gracious. From the darkest depths up to where the light touches, Your hand reaches out to us, always welcoming. Man, as we are, sinful, but You are ready to forgive. Please accept our contrition, guide us to go back into Your arms, and allow us to serve You. Strip us of our worldly attachments and let us join You in the path of righteousness. In Your glorious name, we pray. Amen.

Cailin is the third daughter of God-Speak former Faith Section Lead, Mrs. Anabelle Balla. Cailin is currently taking a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering in De La Salle University-Dasmariñas.

Christ, our Role Model

 Second Sunday of Lent

13 March 2022

 

First Reading: GN 15:5-12, 17-18

Responsorial Psalm: PS 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14

Second Reading: PHIL 3:17—4:1

Gospel: LK 9:28b-36

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo M. Gonzales

 

In my life, I could count in hand the number of people who for myself make awe-inspiring examples in their own regard: an insightful writer, an incisive essayist, a grounded critical thinker, a very well-rounded person; in pieces I have read on Eastern philosophy, there would be "the sage"—not only in wisdom and experience, but in overall character. Unbeknown to me, it would take some years after college to find a proximal example of the Christian character—at least one I am surprised to make my personal circle. As astounding his achievements in social charity are and as amazing the conversations on morality we have had, imagine how much better our ultimate Example is in Heaven.

Jesus transcended expectations in His [human] time and now in ours. His character and teachings go beyond divisions in time and are continuously relevant today. From His unassuming birth and overall lifestyle, His "madness" according to the Pharisees. His preference for the poor, the weak, and the downtrodden, to His salvific model of death and resurrection, Jesus was far from normative expectations. It is precisely this divergence from the norm that revolutionizes Jesus' Character. If Jesus is the Example to behold in Christianity, and if He was anything but worldly in His conduct of Self, we are more strongly acquainted with the message: we must not be of this world.

It is not exactly the departure from the norm that is moral, for that can come equally from being bullheaded; instead, it is the departure from what the norm represents. The conventions that make up the world from then to this day are built more on convenience that favors the privileged, the learned, and the illustrious and famous. While not bad in themselves, these "good things" are not confirmation of good origins, mediums, or purpose; not even are they confirmation of good hosts. Jesus' message was to seek precisely what is good and what is good for transcends what the world exalts. Gold would make no effective receptacle of the good God produces in love and goodwill for good exceeds its people-receptacles and pours into other vessels at reparable or even welcome expense. Effort, time, and money can be exhausted in the work of of good, but the product more than makes up for what has been expended. Riches, on the other hand, can only do so to an extent. Its multiplication, if ill-founded, could be deleterious to people, and the people themselves can be its unfortunate casualty. Pride is another that can come undetected for it can conflate with positive self-identifications such as achievement, leadership, recognition, and many others. These are not bad and can be used for good; what the Bible advises us against is forming unhealthy fixations on surface enticements lest we commit sin and escalate to greater works of evil. Riches and other things of equal import are only objects though they can be unwitting temptations, and it is the choice to source them from or use them for a nefarious purpose that constitutes sin.

The challenge to conform with the Image of Christ concerns us not only with the good qualities of Christ in case we fall for the appearance of these qualities in some who go by Christ's example at a superficial level or even deceitful. The challenge calls us not just to keep out of wrong examples in things and people's attitudes but also to know when to retract from bad invitations to the soul.

For Jesus' good qualities, the Bible is teeming. He is our "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), "Advocate with the Father" (1 John 2:1), and the "Friend Who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). His qualities converge with the characteristics of love in the well-known verse, 1 Corinthians 13, so we know that in our following of Christ, we are in good hands, for we are in the keeping of One who loves us truly; but before we become pristine masterpieces as the Lord transfigured into a Figure of dazzling white, we are called to an arduous journey of spiritual refinement. The process is long and taxing, but "at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9). Further, it is not like we have no good examples to emulate, as Paul expressed in the Second Reading for today (Philippians 3:17—4:1), for we will likely meet good examples along the way as God's Hand is present in our lives, and we will always have the best example in Christ. If there is still wonder within us if anything good can come up from a start so simple, we should find our answer in Christ, for Christ has showed that a humble beginning is no deterrent to the making of a salvation story. Until we are eternally with Christ, we are called to be in this world not to be engulfed by it, but to be its salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), that in each attempt at doing good, we conform more closely with His Image, and make possible the same to others with our interactions.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for being a good Father and for all the graces You give us. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us become the best imitators of Christ that with our mere presence, more so with our actions, we lead each other to You. In times when we know not what to do—and in times when we know what we should do but refuse it anyway—please let us not lead others astray and forgive us our sins. In everything, please lead us to You. These we ask in Jesus' Most Holy Name, Amen.

Entitlement and Authority

Twenty-ninth Sunday

in Ordinary Time

17 October 2021 

 

First Reading: IS 53:10-11

Responsorial Psalm: PS 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

Second Reading: HEB 4:14-16

Gospel: MK 10:35-45 or 10:42-45

 

Reflection

By: Bernard Borja

 

Have you ever thought of how your achievements and status in life affected how you treat other people? How often do you keep in mind that we alone do not have all authority over the things that have been given to us?

I remember a time when I was in a grocery store, lining up to the cashier. A man suddenly cuts the line, annoying the others, then said, "Abogado ako. May reklamo ka?"  I thoughtI lined up in a "priority for lawyers" lane. But there was only a priority lane for seniors and PWDs, none for lawyers. I'm not sure if cutting in line is one of the perks of being a lawyer.

There was also a time when me and my wife were on the way to a beach resort for a vacation. There was a vehicle service that would take us and other visitors to the resort we're checking in. A group of young women aboard the service suddenly shouted to the driver, "Bakit kami may kasabay? Sabi exclusive ang service para sa amin?" Then one of them followed with words I could not ponder on, "Wag nyo na hintayin na magpakilala ako!"

Sometimes, our achievements and status in life change the way we look at others, especially when we think that we can bend the rules for our own benefit. In today's Gospel, there was some form of entitlement when the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." To add context or background, James and John may have come from a wealthy family as implied during the call of the first disciples (Mark 1:20 "So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.") Their father, Zebedee, may be a wealthy man during his time as suggested that he has hired men. Their wealthy status may have affected how James and John think that they are more favored than the other disciples. I may also think that during this moment, with their tone of asking "we want you to do whatever we ask of you", they forgot the authority of God.

It is natural for us to pray and ask for things that we want from God. Jesus Himself said, "Ask and you shall receive. This is one of the things that we hold on to and somehow gives us assurance that our prayers will be granted. But we tend to forget prayer is a two-way dialogue. When we pray, we also need to listen because we recognize the authority of God and He alone knows whatever is good for us. Even if our prayer is unselfish or not for us alone, we offer it and trust that, "Thy will be done." Though, there are times that in our desperation, we want God to do for us whatever we ask of Him, because we think that "it is our destiny" or "it is our right to have it." But we do not realize if it really is God's will, because we forget to listen and recognize God's authority.

But in spite of us forgetting God's authority over us, He is still eager to listen to our prayers and to whatever it is that we ask of Him. Jesus' response was still a response of how a servant should be, "What do you wish me to do for you?" Authority has often been perceived as the power to control the other. What Jesus offered us is a new understanding of what authority means - it is to open ourselves to be of service to one another, not just for the benefit of one, but for the good of all.

Jesus continues to remind us that when we use our achievements and status in life for us to be perceived as higher than the others, we become slaves of how we want others to respond and do things for us. We become blinded by a power that we thought is ours. Breaking rules, or laws, will be easier for a person who thinks he or she is more favored than others. But Jesus also reminds us that He came to serve and not to be served. As the letter to the Hebrews says, we can confidently approach God to ask and receive His grace in our time of need. When we keep in mind how approachable Jesus is, and how he continues to give His life as a ransom for many, we recognize God's authority over us and we learned to serve God as He deserved.

Prayer

 

Dear Lord, teach us to recognize You in one another as we continue to learn to serve You as we should. May we listen first before we ask, for us to know what You want for us to do. May we always be reminded to acknowledge that whatever achievements and status we have in life, these are all because of Your authority over us. May we humble ourselves to follow Jesus and trust that in our deepest prayers and desires, You always listen and know what is good for us. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.

 

Try Again

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 10 February 2019
First reading Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Second reading                                                          1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast-unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Gospel                                                                         Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Reflection

By Grace B. Madriñan

"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." – Luke 5:5-6

Two things strike me from this passage.  First, our human efforts alone cannot guarantee favorable results.  Second, we need to be humble enough to follow another leading and set aside our prejudices to achieve greater things.

Simon, Andrew, James and John are definitely experienced fishermen.  They fish for a living so they would certainly know what they are doing. When they worked all night and caught nothing, you can bet that they really tried hard.  They may have gone to deep waters and changed spots several times during the evening, but still caught nothing. 

Then all of a sudden, here’s Jesus commanding them to lower their nets once again. In their minds, they might have doubts. They may know Jesus as a respectable teacher, but He is not a fisherman. Yet they abide by Him and witnessed a miracle. From there, they answered to a greater call as “fishers of men.”

This is a challenge for us Christians to imitate what the disciples did – to listen despite doubts, to follow without prejudice, to try and try again despite gruesome toil.

Prayer

Father, we have worked all night and are growing tired, be patient with us and continue to lead us to Your greater call. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reality Bites

First Reading: GN 12:1-4A

The LORD said to Abram:  "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.

"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you."

Abram went as the LORD directed him.

Responsorial Psalm: PS 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

Second Reading: 2 TM 1:8B-10

Beloved:

Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest  through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Verse Before The Gospel: CF. MT 17:5

From the shining cloud the Father's voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, hear him.

Gospel: MT 17:1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun  and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

"Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,  then from the cloud came a voice that said,  "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid." And when the disciples raised their eyes,  they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone  until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Reflection 
By Grace B. Madrinan

"Lord, it is good that we are here.  If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  - Mark 17:4  

I can understand Peter’s excitement.  Imagine seeing all your mentors right before your eyes. He may be awestruck, dumbfounded, overwhelmed by the glorious sight in front of him.  Peter, James, and John had a glimpse of the promised paradise and they wanted to stay there, if possible, forever.

But it is not Jesus’ plan. He was not there to go on vacation and “socialize” with the disciples.  He was sent for a greater mission.

I myself had some shares of transfiguration-like moments while attending the Feast (a non-traditional Catholic prayer meeting of the Light of Jesus community).  I have been an attendee for several years and I was satisfied. I came in weary and I come out of the session renewed. That was the cycle every week until I decided to serve as part of the ministry.

Being part of the ministry was fulfilling. You get to see the behind-the-scenes, how everything is visualized from ground up. You get to see first how God is at work in the lives of our attendees. I knew my routine and it was great…until they assigned me as the ministry head.

And the reality of the service hits me. I was not new to serving in the community since I have been a part of the Parish choir for more than 10 years. Being a servant is one thing, but leading a dynamic ministry is something else. You have to deal with erring members and contain your frustrations over plans that did not come to fruition. Service is hard work, and the struggle is real.

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." – Mark 17:5

Like the disciples in today’s Gospel, I have to be reminded of my purpose, and that is to listen and abide to the very Reason for my service. That I did not just come to the Feast to enjoy the moment and be drowned in the Holy Spirit. I have to put back the passion into an active service. And though the road may not be as rosy as I expected, I hope that the image of Christ on the cross would give me the strength to carry on.

Prayer

Father, we are often drawn to the beauty of worship that we tend to cling to the moment. May we be filled by the Holy Spirit and move into action to serve the purpose You have set before us.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The Truck

First Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18

And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your  And he believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chalde'ans, to give you this land to possess." But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a she-goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." And he brought him all these, cut them in two, and laid each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and lo, a dread and great darkness fell upon him. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphra'tes,

Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 7-9, 13-14

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17 -- 4:1 or 3:20 -- 4:1

Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so live as you have an example in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Gospel: Luke 9:28-36

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem . Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.

         

And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah" -- not knowing what he said. As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

It was a stressful day. There were a lot of things in my mind – problems at work, personal issues and a minor disagreement with a friend. I was almost about to cry when a bright light flashed before my eyes. Skreeeeeeeechhhhh!!!!! Our bus went into an abrupt stop after almost hitting a truck coming from the opposite direction. Almost everyone was displaced from their seat, good thing no one was seriously hurt. In a blink of an eye, it could have been a different story.


After regaining my breath, all the troubles I was thinking a few minutes ago, vanished in an instant. What used to be a big deal of a problem became insignificant. After all, what’s the worth of all my concerns if I were to die on that night? I was not only saved physically that night but was also awakened to what matters most.

In today’s Gospel, Peter, John, and James were at the mountain when they were overwhelmed by transfiguration of Jesus. They immediately got caught in the moment and made plans ahead, unaware of the grand plan. Only when God the Father has spoken, were they brought to the reality that they need to think beyond themselves.

In a similar way, I was overwhelmed by surge of emotions that I forgot that there is a God who is above and beyond all my troubles. I was about to break down to the point of being hopeless. The only difference is that my awakening comes in the form of a threatening truck.

“Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven…” – Philippians 3:19-20

Prayer

Father, oftentimes, we are overwhelmed by earthly things that we tend to forget the grand plan You have for us. Forgive us. Continue to guide us so that we can cope in this transitory world in both sadness and joy as we prepare for our final home with You. Amen.