YouTuber?

Nineteenth Sunday in

Ordinary Time

08 August 2021 

 

First Reading: 1 KGS 19:4-8

Responsorial Psalm: PS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: EPH 4:30–5:2

Gospel: JN 6:41-51

 

Reflection

By: Gary Tulabut

 

They say that if we want to achieve results that we haven't achieved before, we need to do things that we haven't done before. But how many of us are always open to change?

Probably we are open, at least with the idea. But because of many other factors, we just cannot start whatever that change is that we are open to start or accept. Or sometimes we are just afraid to take risks and just remain in our comfort zones.

It's a good thing that I was "forced" to change. Well, I can always say no, but I chose to be obedient to my leader in my charismatic community. Anyway, there's nothing bad in what he was asking us to do, that is, to make videos to spread the Word of God. What was there to worry about, anyway? Nothing really. Aside from the fact that I laugh at my own speaking voice.

But at first, I was worried about what others would say, that I was trying to put a vlog to earn money and was even using the Word of God. I wish I do earn. But as of this writing, my YouTube channel only has 41 subscribers.

In our Gospel for this Sunday, the Jews were murmuring about Jesus because they knew Him. They could not believe that this son of a carpenter could have such wisdom and would even claim He came down from heaven. But of course, there's no stopping Jesus in performing what He has to do for humanity's salvation.

Making videos. No big deal. My messages in those videos are simple reflections just like what I write here in Anluwage. My small share in spreading the Word.

My internet reach is low, my network is small. But a few invitations here and there to speak in front of some charismatic communities outside my own; and that news one time that told us that these videos (with my other co-leaders in the community) are used by a company to start their day in the office; these are enough to let us know that the change we were "forced" to do was worth it.

And we give all the glory to God.

 

Prayer

 

Lord, may everything we do, big or small, bear fruits that will give glory to You. Amen. 

 

 

The Rare Wielder of the Light

First Reading: 1 IS 58:7-10

Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.

Responsorial Psalm: PS 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: 1 COR 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human  but on the power of God.

Gospel: MT 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a  and glorify your heavenly Father."

Reflection 
By Bernard M. Borja

I have “trust issues” when it comes to people I don’t really know. Not just strangers but people whom I met before but never really got to know personally. I can also be judgmental of them that I often look at their dark side by just how they talk to boast of something, or reading their posts and comments in social media. Though I only keep this dark side of mine to myself, God always sees and pricks through our hearts for us to go back to our true self that He has made.

I was in a mall in Makati sitting on a bench with other people waiting. It is the middle of the day and I already feel tired. I felt the day was just a neutral not-so-special day (na kakatamad, as we say). While I wait and try to read a book I brought with me, an old lady next to me asked what time is it. I answered, “It’s almost twelve o’clock po.” “I see,” said the old lady. She then asked me if Bicutan is still far from Makati. I told her it would take an hour or two from here going to Bicutan. As I was talking to her, I noticed how very neat and polite she was. I saw my grandmother in her, but older. She was the type that I can be comfortable to talk with. My trust issue was trying to “nudge” me but then, I felt peace talking to this lady. 

Then, she told me that she was waiting for a friend from Bicutan. She was in the mall for 3 hours already (Yes. Before the opening hours). I wondered why. She then proceeded with her story that day and I never thought a story heard from a stranger would make me feel a prick deep in my heart.“My name is Meme (pronounced as “Mimi”). I am from Bacolod. I flew from my hometown to Manila so I can go to Bataan because I would like to see my only brother one last time. He died days ago and the last time we saw each other was 8 years ago.” Hearing those first sentences, I assumed this is another person who wants to ask for money. She then continued…“I’m waiting for my friend in Bicutan who I called 2 hours ago from the security here. I want to borrow money from her because I got robbed in Baclaran.”

Made me think twice about my judgement. But as I listened more to her, I felt like I was being hit with a paddle several times.

“When I arrived at the airport, I went straight to Baclaran church to light a candle for my brother. I was then approached with a man who looks very decent… neat hair, wearing office barong, carrying a briefcase. You can tell he is someone of a good stature in life. We talked, exchanged stories, invited me for a meal. After a while, we parted ways and I really can’t remember what happened, but I lost all the money I brought with me, almost Php85,000. I also lost my wallet and phone. Why are there bad persons who do something like that. But I could not blame them.”

I was so ashamed of judging her motives. That moment, I felt like my heart was being crushed. An old lady travelling far just to see the last member of her family, but getting robbed near a church? I knew the story was true by just looking at her teary eyes as she speaks. “If my friend won’t be here by 12:30pm, I will have to go on and ask security for help. I need to go to the bus terminal or I won’t be able to make it to my brother’s funeral.” My eyes were ready to bring out a tear when she suddenly changed the subject of our conversation. She was now asking things about me. I introduced myself, told her my name, and what I do for a living. I told her I am a documentary filmmaker and I usually go to provinces for interesting and inspiring stories. What she told me next blew me away. “Oh you know, you can visit my hometown! You can visit me in Bacolod and do your work there.

You can find our place wonderful and I would love to share stories about my farm business.”

A farm??? I can only look at her with my eyes widely open and my jaw dropping as she

excitingly continued to tell me more.

“My family owns a 250 hectare sugar plantation in Bacolod. But ever since my brother left for Bataan when he got married 8 years ago, I was the only one who manage our family business. It was passed on to us from my grandmother to my mother and then to me and my brother. For a long time, we export refined sugar to Korea. I even invited one of my biggest clients from Korea to visit the farm and since then, they regularly come every time they spend vacation in the Philippines.” 

I was asking myself, why is she telling me things like these? I know it’s not to boast because I see how she joyfully shared it with me without any trace of pride. But how could she tell someone, whom she just met, things that revealed a lot about her and her family? That’s what amazed me. It was not because she have a big farm and she manages a big business, but how she still kept faith on people even after being robbed. How she kept that positive outlook in life to make someone glow without even knowing the person she talks to.

Astonished as I was especially when she repeatedly invited me to go to her hometown and visit her farm, that moment, I realized that a light was being shone upon me. A light from someone who still see the light in others even in dark times. A light that we also have which we can wield to shine to others, but oftentimes we choose not to. A light that Lola Meme uses in a very common (but hardest) way to see life in heaven’s eyes. After minutes of exchanging stories, she suddenly got up and told me that she had to go. I offered to drive her to the bus terminal but she insisted that she knows how to go there. I even offered some money she can use to go to Bataan but she politely refused. While she walks away, a tear struggling to go out moments ago has already reached my cheek.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for reminding us that we are the light of the world that You commissioned to shine to others. Thank You for people like Lola Meme who chose to see the light and shine it to others even when she’s caught in darkness. We pray for protection from all harm. We also pray for Lola Meme’s brother as You welcome Him in Your Kingdom. May we receive more of Your grace of shining Your light to let others overflow with Your inspiration. All these for Your Glory we pray, Amen.

Just Believe!

First Reading:  Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4

Then Yahweh answered me and said, 'Write the vision down, inscribe it on tablets to be easily read. For the vision is for its appointed time, it hastens towards its end and it will not lie; although it may take some time, wait for it, for come it certainly will before too long. 'You see, anyone whose heart is not upright will succumb, but the upright will live through faithfulness.'

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: 1Timothy 6:11-16

That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift of God that you possess through the laying on of my hands. God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power and love and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to our Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but share in my hardships for the sake of the gospel, relying on the power of God

Keep as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, look after that precious thing given in trust.

Gospel:  Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' The Lord replied, 'If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.

'Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, "Come and have your meal at once"? Would he not be more likely to say, "Get my supper ready; fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink. You yourself can eat and drink afterwards"? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, "We are useless servants: we have done no more than our duty." '

Reflection
By Rosalinda N. Markell

Sometimes we may say, "I do have faith but it is so weak."  Dear brothers and sisters, there is no measuring rod that can measure faith.  Even the smallest amount of faith is enough for God.  For all that He asks is that we believe, just believe! The faith as small as a mustard seed can bring us the love of God. It can move mountains!    

Again we may ask ourselves, "We wonder if we have the right kind of faith?"  All faith, any faith in God is the right kind of faith.  The faith we need is the faith that God lives in our hearts.

    

We recently had a new saint in the person of St Teresa of Calcutta. She was known for her charitable works that she earned the moniker "The Living Saint" when she was still alive. Little do we know that she experienced spiritual doubt and depression which she described as a "dark night of the soul". Mind you, this was not one off, but lasted for 50 years.

And yet she carried on with her ministry. She remained faithful for, according to her, it is not being successful that matters.What matters is being faithful. 

We all go through trials, heartaches, and pains in life and as the days go by, we may become tired, our spirits low. It is then that temptations confront us, praying becomes harder to do and we ask if God still sees or hears our pleas. But God is always there when we need Him, He is always with us. No matter how weary we become, how heavy the burden we carry and how empty we feel, full of misery and pain, there will still be joy in God. 

We just have to keep the faith.

Prayer

O God our Father, how great and wonderful You are! It is true that we do not always understand the reasons for the many things happening to us and our dear loved ones.  Nor the pains and all the evils happening around us, and all the hard times that come to us all.  Dear Father, do not abandon us!  For deep down in our hearts, we know how hard it would be to go through life without You! So please, dear Father, help us grow our faith in You. Please help us to always remember that You are near us and ready to help and protect us. Help us to have faith, dear Father, we do believe in You.  Please have mercy on us Your children.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Reassurance and Commissioning

5th Sunday In Ordinary Time 7 February 2016

First reading   Isaiah 6: 1-2, 3-8

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings.
  And they cried out to one another in this way,
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.
His glory fills the whole earth.’
The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said:
‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost,
for I am a man of unclean lips
and I live among a people of unclean lips,
and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.’
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said:
‘See now, this has touched your lips,
your sin is taken away,
your iniquity is purged.’
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:
‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’
I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’

Psalm                                                                            Psalm 137:1-5,7-8

               

Second reading                                                          1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything.
  Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it.
  I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God’s grace that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed.

Gospel                                                                       Luke 5:1-11

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little 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 deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.
  When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

Reflection

By Pietro S. Albano

Sensing the divine in the big catch he had, Simon Peter blurted out to the itinerant preacher, 'Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man' (Lk 5:8).  Surprisingly, Jesus told Peter: 'Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will be catching.' (Lk 5:10). No wagging of fingers. No blaming.  Only reassurance AND commissioning.

Peter did follow Jesus, but there were instances when he failed. On one occasion, Peter stood out as the staunch supporter of the Lord. But in the face of trials, he denied his Master.  We too have those ups and downs in our lives as Christians.

Whenever I think of my sins, I feel so ashamed of myself, so unworthy of serving God and His people. Humbly acknowledging my own sinfulness, I keep on approaching the Lord through prayer, the sacraments, Sacred Scripture, and the community. All alone, I will fail, but with the Merciful Lord I won't! We won't!

In the many moments that we feel inadequate in responding to God's call for us to do a particular vocation or ministry; in the many moments when our sins (or the sins of others) get in the way of our service to the Lord and His people, let us take to heart Jesus' words to Peter: "Do not be afraid". 

Prayer

Merciful Father, You qualify those whom You call.  Thank You for Your trust and confidence in us, poor sinners, unworthy children of Yours. Help us to remain faithful in catching people for You. In Jesus' mighty Name. Amen.

Believe to See

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 5, 2015

We are the people of the Lord, the flock that is led by his hand: come, let us adore him, alleluia.

First reading                                      Ezekiel 2:2-5

The spirit came into me and made me stand up, and I heard the Lord speaking to me. He said, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebels who have turned against me. Till now they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me. The sons are defiant and obstinate; I am sending you to them, to say, “The Lord says this.” Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.’

Psalm                                              Psalm 122:1-5

Second reading                              2 Corinthians 12:7-10

In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.

Gospel                                               Mark 6:1-6

Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Reflection

By Benj Santiago

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”

Jesus started His public ministry and many of those who believed are those who do not have any full knowledge of where He came from and what was His background. Most of those who knew Him as the carpenter’s son did not believe in Him. In one instance He even had to admonish the disciples who had been with Him in His ministry teaching the people and healing the sick. I can sense the frustration Jesus had when He said: “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me”.

It is a paradox. They saw the miracles that Jesus has performed yet they didn’t believe. A lot of us like Thomas has to simply see to believe. But no matter what unfolds in front of us, if we are blinded by disbelief caused by our pre-programmed biases and beliefs we still end up doubting. I really wonder how Jesus felt when His own kin and close friends did not recognize and give Him due honor as a prophet in spite of the many miracles He had performed. In the end, He chose to bring His ministry and healing to other places. He chose to do mighty deeds somewhere else.

To this date, in Israel where Jesus Christ was born, many are still hard-hearted and still is in disbelief even after thousands of years has passed. They still do not give honor to Jesus as a mighty prophet at the least. We who are so far away from where He was born, are so blessed that we have heard the good news of salvation through the disciples and the martyrs and saints and believed! Thus we give Him honor not just as a mighty prophet but us our Lord and Savior!

Prayer

Dear Jesus, we thank You for opening our eyes and erasing our disbelief. We thank You that for allowing us not to have the need to see with our physical eyes but with our eyes of faith to believe that You are our Lord and Savior. That You are our Almighty God! Use us Lord that we may be able to open the eyes of those who still struggle to believe in You! Amen!

Proof of Love

Divine Mercy Sunday
11 April 2010


The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.


First reading Acts 5:12-16 3
The faithful all used to meet by common consent in the Portico of Solomon. No one else ever dared to join them, but the people were loud in their praise and the numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily. So many signs and wonders were worked among the people at the hands of the apostles that the sick were even taken out into the streets and laid on beds and sleeping-mats in the hope that at least the shadow of Peter might fall across some of them as he went past. People even came crowding in from the towns round about Jerusalem, bringing with them their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were cured.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 117:2-4,22-27

Second reading Apocalypse 1:9-13,17-19
My name is John, and through our union in Jesus I am your brother and share your sufferings, your kingdom, and all you endure. I was on the island of Patmos for having preached God’s word and witnessed for Jesus; it was the Lord’s day and the Spirit possessed me, and I heard a voice behind me, shouting like a trumpet, ‘Write down all that you see in a book.’ I turned round to see who had spoken to me, and when I turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands and, surrounded by them, a figure like a Son of man, dressed in a long robe tied at the waist with a golden girdle.
When I saw him, I fell in a dead faint at his feet, but he touched me with his right hand and said, ‘Do not be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One, I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of the underworld. Now write down all that you see of present happenings and things that are still to come.’

Gospel John 20:19-31
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.
‘As the Father sent me,
so am I sending you.’
After saying this he breathed on them and said:
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.’
Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:
‘You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’
There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

I used to feel bad whenever I have some doubts. I was hard on myself thinking how faithless I was, and how undeserving I am to receive blessings from Him. But later on, I was able to use these doubts to my advantage. These doubts become my triggering point, telling me that my spiritual guards are down and that I need more time to reflect and analyze where it was coming from and then resolve it. I pray more, read the Bible more religiously and flood my soul with inspirational music until all doubts are turned into faith.

In today’s Gospel, I am seeing two angles of the story. Perhaps, Jesus knew beforehand that Thomas was the doubting one among His apostles, and He wanted to test him. He may have revealed Himself to the apostles without Thomas intentionally to teach him an important lesson. Thomas needed more nudging before he could totally believe. Had Jesus did not do this, Thomas would still be wandering half-hearted with his faith. And when He showed Himself personally to Thomas, all doubts were erased and Thomas finally believed.

On another angle, perhaps Thomas believed in his heart that the apostles may be telling the truth, that they had seen the Lord and that He is risen. But there was a question that held him back. “Am I not one of His disciples?” he may have asked himself. “Why did He not show Himself to me as well?” Like the rest of the apostles, he may have wanted the same privilege to see Him personally. He may have doubted himself more than He had doubted the Lord. And when he saw the Lord finally with his own two eyes, and touched His wounds, his faith is complete. Much more than that, Thomas confirmed his place in Jesus’ heart, that He loves him despite his short of faith.

But may it be the first angle, the second or both, what is important to note is that Jesus remained faithful to all His disciples, including Thomas. Jesus did not hold it against Thomas if he was doubtful at first. He even showed Himself personally to Thomas to give him the proof he needs so that he may fully believe. Likewise, this Gospel was written in order for us to erase our doubts – to believe in Jesus fully. Like Thomas, we have a place in Jesus’ heart and He loves us despite our shortcomings. Besides, what proof can best define love than that of Jesus, who died on the cross to save use all.

Father, we are no different from Thomas, yet You love us fully and unconditionally. May You fill our hears with the Holy Spirit so that we may see You beyond what the eyes can see and feel You beyond what our hands can touch. Amen.

Next week on God-speak
Pureness of Heart