“You look just like your mother!”

Fifth Sunday of Easter

18 May 2025

First Reading: Acts 14:21-27

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-5a

Gospel: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo M. Gonzales

 

From childhood to this day, people would often marvel at how I look just like my mother. When they see us side by side or so long as they see either one of us with a picture of the other for reference, I often hear this shred of fascination. Whether live or in pictures, I take one look at both of us, and I cannot deny the resemblance. Truly, I am my mother’s son; but besides facial semblance, how else do we know we are our parents’ children? As children of God, how do we know we are His children, His beloved apostles?

Besides how we look on the outside, we are often associated with the things we do, especially out of habit, and the things we can typically be identified by, such as our traits and characteristics; but as children of God, how do we know we are His apostles? In the days of the Old Testament, the Israelites were judged by how closely they held to the law—the Torah; and this can reasonably be expected of a people whose faith is still in its primacy; whose spiritual journey is still greatly uncharted; but upon the advent of the New Testament—of Christ Himself, people would be awakened to what the Law actually meant; for people have grown accustomed to looking at the letter of the law, not its Spirit. That was why some were militant about the enforcement of the Law. If meat was considered unclean, it would be an abomination to so much as lay one’s hand on it; but when Christ came, Peter himself was rebuked by the Voice of the Lord: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” (Acts 10:15)

As we grow in spiritual maturity, we become more attuned to what God calls us to do. The Law was and has always been good, but it has always been our interpretation of the Law that sets the chaff apart from the wheat; the goat apart from the sheep; some do not follow the law altogether; all of us follow It to a relative measure though imperfectly, and some follow It too fastidiously. The Law of God aims to inculcate in us this: to be His followers, it is not enough to only abide by the Law, but to look deeper into Its spirit: why was It brought forth in the first place? What is Its intention? If we follow the Law without the right heart, spirit, and mind that understand with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will not make the connection: all of God’s laws point toward His ultimate Law: for us to love Him and each other, as God has loved us all. This is our ultimate call. Anything less than this relegates us to the status of mere “do-gooders,” acquiescent to external stipulations but lacking in spiritual substance and character. “Love,” according to 1 Peter 4:8, “covers a multitude of things; love is the fulfillment of the Law.” (Romans 13:10b) It is love that instates us as Christ’s apostles.

Do we love God to the extent that will satisfy our innate longing for Him? Have we done our part in sharing Christ’s love with others? Have we extended a healthy dose to ourselves? Love is not only the shimmer of romance in which we express to others anything relationally enticing, as this can be merely idealistic; love is the force that binds us all together in good faith. Love is the work we pour into ensuring as much as possible that we can all live in the context of a socio-spiritually conducive community. Wherever we falter, love is the conciliatory energy that makes up for what our brother or sister lacks. “Love does no harm to a neighbor.” (Romans 13:10a) Even the late Charlie Chaplin has purportedly said something about love for its effect, so good-willing than its easily corruptible value-counterpart: power. Charlie Chaplin is often credited for this adage: “You need power only when you want to do something harmful. Otherwise, love is enough to get everything done.” Love not only remains in us, people, but also radiates in the things we do, no matter how small they may be. Mother Teresa is also associated with this saying: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Have we loved today in a measure spiritually satisfying, no matter how little?

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for imparting to us Your commandment of love, for apart from love, which is of You, we can find nothing else which enjoins us since it uplifts others and ourselves, in turn. May love continue to link us all together in harmony, and us to You in perpetuity. These we ask, in Jesus’ most holy Name, with the intercession of our Blessed loving Mother, Mary, Amen.

Love Our Neighbor

    

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

03 November 2024

 

First Reading: Dt 6:2-6

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

Second Reading: Heb 7:23-28

Gospel: Mk 12:28b-34

 

Reflection

By: Benj Santiago

 

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Loving an unlovable neighbor is a big challenge for us. Loving even our own family members is sometimes a challenge. And for some, loving themselves is also a challenge. But the Lord is "commanding" us to love UNCONDITIONALLY our neighbor as we love ourselves.

How do we love our neighbor? We love them by treating them with kindness, humility, compassion, tolerance, and deep understanding. And who is our neighbor? They are the people around us, plus all the people we will meet in our life. They are not just our best friends, but all God's children all around us. Remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan?

I am reminded by this commandment that true love for God is shown into action by loving others. Others first before self. Prayer and action. Loving God by loving others above self.

Prayer

Father God, we love You with all our mind, body, and spirit. We pray that You continue to give us strength and humility to love everyone whom we will encounter in our lives. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

Agreeing vs. Understanding

Thirty-first Sunday in

Ordinary Time

31 October 2021 

 

First Reading: DT 6:2-6

Responsorial Psalm: PS 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

Second Reading: HEB 7:23-28

Gospel: MK 12:28b-34

 

Reflection

By: Bernard Borja

 

Do we allow the kingdom of God to dominate in our life? Or are we building our own kingdom, with a twisted perspective and belief that we are building it because of love? And do we really understand what real love is, for us to do things for God and for our neighbor?

Loving God means understanding and obeying His commandments. When Jesus said there is no other commandment greater than the two (Love God with all your...and love your neighbor as yourself), it does not make the other commandments least. The greatest commandment and the second have always been the foundation of all commandments.

To love God with all your heart means to learn everyday how God loves and what real love means. One cannot say that he or she understands what love is if he or she does not favor kindness over harshness to others. St. Paul affirmed this in one of his epistles when he said, "Love is kind". We can learn what real love means by choosing kind words and a kind approach to people even in disagreement. Today, we see a culture of hate continuously being tolerated and even promoted by people who think they understand what love is. Love and hatred have always been two opposite and very different things. We cannot say that we love when harsh words come out of our mouth, especially when we think they deserve it and because of what we understand. When we think and "love" like this, we lose our soul. The soul that God breathed into man to be alive. The same soul that God commands us to love Him with all of it. Even worse is to put hatred in our mind and make an effort to manifest this. In this way, we cannot really say that we obey the first and greatest of the commandments. Furthermore, in this perspective of "loving", we only agree to what God says but we choose not to obey.

To agree with what someone says does not really mean we really understand it. When we choose harshness over kindness, we agree to our own perspective of loving but we do not really understand it. Thus, we stray far from the kingdom of God. When we do not take to heart God's words and choose not to obey, we will not be able to receive fully what God has promised to us. Moses says to "Fear the Lord, keep all His statutes throughout our life, and be careful to observe His commandments" for us to grow and prosper more. However, there are times when we choose to build our own kingdom of hatred to those who do not agree with us. Sometimes, in our sense of entitlement, we see others to be undeserving of kindness. We forget to listen to our own prayers when we pray, "Thy kingdom come."

Jesus said to one of the scribes, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” because Jesus knew that the scribe fully understands the commandments. The scribe understands that “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone, and there is no other", means we serve God with all ourself, what God has meant for us in the beginning when he created man. That man was created to give glory to God alone. And that everything the man does is all for the greater glory of God. As one of the scribes says, it is more than giving up all or part of our belongings. It is acknowledging God’s authority over us and that He alone knows whatever is good for us. It is also being blind in the right way, that we put our trust in God as we learn to fully understand His commandments. And it is never about sacrificing something to gain a false sense of humility, but to discern and listen closely in our prayers for God’s wisdom especially to what He asks of us to do.

Prayer

Dear Lord, we open our hearts to be more understanding of Your commandments, as we strive to learn that obeying is more than our own offerings and sacrifices. We beg for the grace of wisdom to understand that loving You with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and

with all our strength, means not to focus on our own understanding but to trust in You alone. May we grow in kindness to each other, and forgive as we learn together what real love means. In Jesus’ Name we pray, AMEN.

 

Love - That's His Order!

First reading Acts 8:5-8,14-17

Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.

  When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Psalm                                                                         Psalm 65:1-7,16,20

Second reading                                                      1 Peter 3:15-18

Reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who
ask you the reason for the hope that you all have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with 
a clear conscience, so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may
be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring. And if it is the will of God that you should
suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.
Why, Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead
us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life.

Gospel                                                                       John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.

I shall ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate

to be with you for ever,

that Spirit of truth

whom the world can never receive

since it neither sees nor knows him;

but you know him,

because he is with you, he is in you.

I will not leave you orphans;

I will come back to you.

In a short time the world will no longer see me;

but you will see me,

because I live and you will live.

On that day you will understand that I am in my Father

and you in me and I in you.

Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them

will be one who loves me;

and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,

and I shall love him and show myself to him.’

Reflection by Benj Santiago

“Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

This is the 6^th Sunday after the Resurrection and next Sunday we will celebrate the Ascension Sunday and thus the readings seems to be the “huling habilin” The Jews have so many written laws that are derivatives of the 10 Commandments received by Moses which Jesus Christ summarized into the first two commandments which boils down to one word “Love”. Love of God, of self and others.

In the time of Jesus, people have long been waiting and searching for the face of God! They have been longing to see God the Father. So when Jesus revealed the truth that He is God and the Father is in Him, even His own family and friends failed to comprehend and see God in Him. They thought that He is just one of the prophets. Jesus reminds them in today’s Gospel that if we learn the commandments, and follow them in our daily life, He will reveal Himself to us. He also reminds us that if we love Him we love the Father. This is a sequel to last Sunday’s Gospel about Jesus being the Truth, and the Way, and the Life. He is the true God that we need to love, and believe in. Jesus is the manifestation of love that we need to follow so we can see God.

Loving God is easily professed but difficult to show to all the people you meet, especially those who irritate us. Even the people close to us at times is difficult to love. Thus, I really strive hard to love unconditionally. To love my wife and kids no matter what they are, and how they make me feel. For many weeks, my son does not go to Church with us.  He just stays home on a Sunday and dabble in computer and his games for so many hours. Normally I would be irritated and angry. But, I chose to love unconditionally. I just prayed and ask for more love and patience for my son. Now, he is going back to church and hear Mass.

Jesus has shown us how the Father love us by how much He love us. By His examples He is telling us to do same by following the commandments which is to love God above all and to love one another as He loves us.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, we thank You and we praise You! Thank You for your love that is everlasting. Give us a heart like Yours. Make us love You, and serve You by loving and serving our family, friends and everyone we meet in this life. Keep us focused on fulfilling Your commandments. Amen.

Gratitude To God

27th Sunday In Ordinary Time
02 October 2011

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord: let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

First reading Isaiah 5:1-7
Let me sing to my friend
the song of his love for his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
He dug the soil, cleared it of stones
and planted choice vines in it.
In the middle he built a tower,
he dug a press there too.
He expected it to yield grapes,
but sour grapes were all that it gave.
And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and men of Judah,
I ask you to judge
between my vineyard and me.
What could I have done for my vineyard
that I have not done?
I expected it to yield grapes.
Why did it yield sour grapes instead?
Very well, I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge for it to be grazed on,
and knock down its wall for it to be trampled on.
I will lay it waste, unpruned, undug;
overgrown by the briar and the thorn.
I will command the clouds
to rain no rain on it.
Yes, the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts
is the House of Israel,
and the men of Judah
that chosen plant.
He expected justice, but found bloodshed,
integrity, but only a cry of distress.

Psalm 79:9,12-16,19-20

Second reading Philippians 4:6-9
There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel Matthew 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:
It was the stone rejected by the builders
that became the keystone.
This was the Lord’s doing
and it is wonderful to see?
‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’

Reflections
By Patty Dela Rosa - Paat

" *UTANG NA LOOB "* according to wikipedia isa Filipino cultural trait
which academics sometimes refer to as "reciprocity," and which
transliterates as "a debt of one's inner self". It is also sometimes
translated as a "*debt of gratitude*". The essence of *UTANG NA LOOB* is
an obligation to appropriately repay a person who has done one a favor.
The favors which elicit the Filipino's sense of "utang na loob" are
typically those whose value is impossible to quantify, or, if there is a
quantifiable value involved, involves a deeply personal internal
dimension. "

I think Filipinos are very particular with this cultural trait because
we have a strong sense of gratitude. This is one of the good traits of
most Filipinos.

In the parable, God was represented as the landowner and we, as the
tenants. The vineyard represents not only of the church but the people
or the entire world. God is a generous God. And everything that we have
is a privilege, a gift from Him. We all have received life from God. He
blesses us with family, friends, good health, a job and a home. He
provided us an abundance of natural resources. He even gave us His only
Son Jesus Christ to save us.

*//*

Everything is a grace from God. He gave us free will to love and
worship Him, and for us, to fulfill the purpose of our existence. I
remember some twitter quotes which describe the generosity of God using
a commercial products' slogans. Sounds funny but it is true...

/*GOD*only wants the best for us, so very *SMAR*T, " Simply Amazing. "/

/*GOD*is not *SM*, but " He's got it all for you. "/

/*GOD*is not *METROBANK* but with Him, " we're in good hands."/

/*GOD*is not *REXONA*, but He won't let us down./

/*GOD*is not *ADIDAS* but for Him, " Impossible is nothing."/

/*GOD*is not *LG* but " Life's Good " with Him./

/*GOD*is not *NOKIA*, He is" Always connecting people " ./

/*GOD*is not*PHILIPPINES AIRLINES *butin Him"You are always number 1."/

/*GOD*is not *SKY CABLE *but**"All you want under one perfect sky"./

/*GOD *is not *PLDT* but " He's changing lives ".**/

/*GOD*is not *VICTORY LINER* but " He Move People Better, Safer "./

This privilege however, comes with responsibility. God is good, God is
fair and God is a loving God. He expected us to cultivate and manage our
life in such a way that it bears good fruit. He gives us freedom to
choose but we should not abuse it. We need to understand that we are
accountable for our wrong doings and choices.

God did not require us to pay Him in return. God loves us and He
forgives us every time we commit sin.But we need to ask ourselves, "What
does God want from us?" How can we repay Him for His kindness and
goodness to us? And the best answer , is to keep and obey the two great
commandments which are:

1. */" You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your mind." and 2./*

*/"./**/" You shall love your neighbor as yourself."/**//*

The reality is that there are some people who abused the privileges
given by God.They tend to become selfish because they were blinded by
their own personal successes. They became " slaves of wrong passions ".
I am referring to the passion for money, power and fame. And as a
result, they became greedy and self-righteous.

Remember, we are responsible for all the actions that we take. We have
moral obligations not only to ourselves but to the church and to the
people of God as well. We should follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
This is the only way we can give back to Him some of the graces we
received from Him. Let us thank Him for everything He has given us!

Heavenly Father, we thank You for having created us and for sharing your
creation to all humanity. We thank You for this earth, for the gift of
life, for giving us a home, friends and a family. For a job and good
health. For all the graces that we received. There is so much to be
thankful for. Thank you for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered and
died for us. He is the greatest gift to all mankind. Make us concern
enoughto help, by word and deed. To see the needs of others and share
with them Your over flowing and infinite generosity.

Our beloved maker, please reside in our hearts. We will be forever
grateful for Your kindness and love for us. Amen.