A Stone's Throw

   

Fifth Sunday of Lent

06 April 2025

 

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

Second Reading: Philippians 3:8-14

Gospel: John 8:1-11

 

Reflection

By: Theresa B. Manio

 

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, 

This Gospel always hits home. A woman is dragged out and humiliated for her sin, and she stands there, just a stone’s throw away from judgment—literally and emotionally. The crowd is ready, stones in hand, but Jesus steps in and flips the moment upside down with a single challenge: “Let the one who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”

That phrase “a stone’s throw” reminds me how close we often are to judging others. We may not hold physical stones, but sometimes our thoughts, words, or attitudes are just as sharp. We stand, just a step away, ready to criticize, label, or dismiss someone for their mistakes—forgetting that we’ve made our own.

What speaks to me most is how Jesus doesn’t excuse the sin, but He also doesn’t shame the sinner. He protects her dignity, reminds everyone of their own imperfections, and then gently tells her to "go and sin no more." It’s a reminder that Jesus meets us where we are, not to leave us in our mistakes, but to help us rise above them.

In my work as a school counselor, I’ve seen many students judged quickly—for failing grades, bad decisions, or behavior issues—without people taking the time to understand the “why” behind them. And I admit, there are moments I’ve been tempted to mentally throw a stone too. There are times I catch myself being quick to judge others—whether it’s someone who made a bad choice or someone whose actions I don’t agree with. This Gospel reminds me that I’m not perfect either. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve needed forgiveness, and others have shown me grace when I didn’t deserve it.

And maybe, like the woman, I’ve had moments of guilt or shame where I felt unworthy. But the readings reminded me that Jesus doesn’t define us by our failures. He sees the whole person. That gives me hope—and reminds me to offer that same grace to others.

We are all called to be humble, before criticizing others, I reflect on the grace I’ve been given and the second chances I’ve received. In moments of frustration or judgment, I pause and ask: “Am I helping this person grow, or am I just pointing fingers?, or I am projecting my personal issues to him/her?” We are invited to be like Jesus in the crowd to stand between the broken and the stones—offering support, not shame.

“A stone’s throw” can mean being physically close, but in this context, it reminds me how close we can come to choosing judgment over mercy. Jesus shows us a better way: to drop the stone, extend the hand, and walk with others toward healing. That’s the kind of counselor—and person—I strive to be.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me to drop the stones of judgment I so easily carry and to see others through Your eyes of mercy. Teach me to respond with compassion, even when it's easier to condemn. Remind me that I, too, have needed grace. May I always choose love, just as You chose love for me. Amen.

"Palusot"

    

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

09 June 2024

 

First Reading: Gn 3:9-15

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 130 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

Second Reading: 2 Cor 4:13-5:1

Gospel: Mk 3-20-35

 

Reflection

By: Pietro S. Albano

 

Have you noticed that those who are caught red-handed often give palusot (excuse) rather than admit their wrongdoing? Our First Reading and Gospel today feature some characters who made excuses. When God confronted Adam for eating the forbidden fruit, he blamed Eve who then blamed the serpent. When His unconvinced relatives and the scribes saw His ministry  they branded Jesus as crazy and possessed by Beelzebul.

Making excuses did not do any good for these people. It will not do any good for us too. The scribes' accusation that Jesus had an unclean spirit was unforgivable because our Lord declared it as a sin against the Holy Spirit. Sins against the Holy Spirit "are mortal sins that harden a soul by its rejection of the Holy Spirit". This includes despair, presumption, envy, obstinacy in sin, final impenitence, and deliberate resistance to the known truth.

Though some may interpret today's Gospel as an act of disrespect to the Blessed Virgin Mary, this is not the case. Jesus knew His mother well and praised her for faithfully cooperating in God's plan of salvation. While the Eve of the Old Testament made excuses for her unbelief, the Eve of the New Testament - Mary - chose to do the will of God. Mary once said to Gabriel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord  be it done to me according to your word"? (Lk 1:38). We have a choicr here: are we going to keep on making excuse for our foolishness or are we going to take responsibility and make amends?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive us for the many times that we havd made excuses for not following You. Through the prayers and example of Mama Mary, draw us to Yourself in whom alone we find mercy and fullness of redemption. 

Cutting Off Part of Ourselves

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

26 September 2021 

 

First Reading: NM 11:25-29

Responsorial Psalm: PS 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14

Second Reading: JAS 5:1-6

Gospel: MK 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

 

Reflection

By: Theresa Ballo

 

This Sunday Jesus calls us to reflect on our thoughts and actions like any other Gospel. However, in today’s readings He invites us to examine parts of ourselves that are causing us to stumble and fall into sin. In so doing, we can make a choice to detach those part of our lives. Moreover, He also invites us to be tolerant of others because we are all sinners. At times, we may not even know that another person is suffering which may drive him to hurt others as well. Tolerance in excess is bad. But, tolerance to give others the benefit of the doubt, be more open-minded and giving allowances for mistakes that just like me, maybe, the person needs someone who would understand and lead him to a life more pleasing to God. 

For instance, I am recognizing that envy is a source of sin in my life. I often think that some people are just born lucky having all the ideals in life and some people are born to experience trauma, neglect and abandonment. I often asked God why does unfortunate events keep happening in my life. Am I the one to blame? Do I make bad decisions more often? Am I inviting people to hurt me? Honestly, when I get to look closely in my life, I am in trouble because my actions simply have consequences. This often led me to shame especially towards my relationship with Jesus. I am struggling to detach from this but I am surrendering my sinfulness to God by making a confession. When you sin big time, admitting it to a priest, to a human being, makes you feel really humble. I do my best to reflect each night and identify the parts of my day I should be thankful for. 

“Cutting off” parts of ourselves that lead us to sin is really hard and challenging but it is possible. 

 

Prayer

 

Thank you Lord God for letting your Word get through me. I surrender my life to You. Help me to recognize the small blessings I enjoy each day and lead me to trust You that all things work for Your greater glory. Help me to see myself as how You see me. Amen.

 

Guide to Forgiveness

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time13 September 2020
First reading Sirach 27: 30-28:7

Wrath and anger are hateful things,

yet the sinner hugs them tight.

The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,

for he remembers their sins in detail.

Forgive your neighbor’s injustice;

then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.

Could anyone nourish anger against another

and expect healing from the LORD?

Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,

can he seek pardon for his own sins?

If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,

who will forgive his sins?

Remember your last days, set enmity aside;

remember death and decay, and cease from sin!

Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;

remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

Second reading                                                          Romans 14:7-9

Brothers and sisters:

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.

For if we live, we live for the Lord,

and if we die, we die for the Lord;

so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

For this is why Christ died and came to life,

that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Gospel                                                                          Matthew 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,

“Lord, if my brother sins against me,

how often must I forgive?

As many as seven times?” 

Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 

That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 

When he began the accounting,

a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 

Since he had no way of paying it back,

his master ordered him to be sold,

along with his wife, his children, and all his property,

in payment of the debt. 

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’

Moved with compassion the master of that servant

let him go and forgave him the loan. 

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants

who owed him a much smaller amount. 

He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,

‘Pay back what you owe.’

Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

But he refused. 

Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison

until he paid back the debt. 

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,

they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master

and reported the whole affair. 

His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! 

I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. 

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,

as I had pity on you?’

Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers

until he should pay back the whole debt. 

So will my heavenly Father do to you,

unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Reflection

By Ma. Rosalina S. Flores

Because they say, “Sorry seems to be the hardest word”, would you agree therefore that forgiveness becomes the most difficult act to do?

After teaching us how to resolve issues with our brothers and sisters last Sunday, Christ is now bringing us to a higher level of saving relationships. 

Today’s Gospel presents us a concrete guide to forgiveness. Firstly, it should be given seventy-seven times meaning no limit, endless, and on-going contrary to Peter’s generous suggestion to Jesus of limiting forgiveness to just seven times. As long as the person repents and promises to change for the better, he must be forgiven. Secondly, forgiveness is the result of being moved with compassion which is mercy, that we ourselves have received when God the Father forgave our sins and saved us through His Son, Jesus Christ. As we have received mercy, we are also called to be merciful to our brothers and sisters. That is what the king in Gospel’s story was expecting from his servant as he cancelled all his debts, but the latter failed to do so toward his debtor. In the end, the measure he used toward his fellow servant is the same measure applied to him by the king.

Although properly guided by the teachings, Jesus’ model of forgiveness is still a tough one to follow. When we were young, we settled conflicts easily. Why? It is because we value more the person, our playmate than our issues, as it is happier to always play games with someone. But as we grow older and began to become entitled, we now justify our actions so we found it difficult to see our own shortcomings. We blame all the faults to our brothers, nourish anger in our hearts, desire vengeance, and always wish to get even. We think more of ourselves and the pains they caused us, than the relationships we have established with them. As our First Reading says, “Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins?” How can we confidently pray Our Father and recite “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sins against us”, if we hate our neighbor?

Today, Jesus tells us to forgive as the Lord has forgiven us. Numerous times, big or small offense, He embraces us completely, giving us chances to start anew. Yet, as human beings who are hurt by betrayal and injustice, God knows that our path to forgiveness is a process that will take time. It is a grace that we should ask from above. Let us be reminded that as we open ourselves in the process, Jesus is walking with us, encouraging us, and over time, will give us the grace to let go and forgive the one who hurt us, soon.

Prayer

Father, I pray for those who have caused me hurt, and even if I cannot wish them well now, I pray that one day I might, through Your Son, Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Cleanliness

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
09 December 2019

First reading                                                                  Genesis 3:9-15, 20
The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

Second reading                                                    Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

Gospel                                                                     Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel as sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Reflection

By Pietro S. Albano

One of the first things we learned at home is cleanliness. We take a shower, we wash our clothes, we tidy our room, etc. Being clean produces a sense of order in our lives and in those around us. An old saying goes "Cleanliness is next to godliness". 

On the other hand, uncleanliness puts people off. Imagine going to work without having washed. Think of walking on the streets with uncollected garbage piled up, wearing stained clothes, eating contaminated food, listening to fake news against a person, or enjoying a luxurious life at the expense of others? Uncleanliness ruins everything.

By eating the forbidden fruit, our first parents have become unclean. By their disobedience, they have ruined everything that God has in mind for them and for the rest of mankind. Thankfully, God loves us and wants us to be saved. By preserving Mary from original sin from the moment she was conceived in her mother's womb, God prepared Mary for an important mission: to be the mother of the Promised Saviour. 

Today's feast gives us hope that God will clean up the mess caused by sin and restore everything according to His plan. Mary, full of grace, said her fiat wholeheartedly to God's revolutionary action. He is calling us too. Are we going to roll up our sleeves and tidy up or are we just going to sit on the fence?

Prayer

Loving Father, thank You for the gift of Mary's Immaculate Conception. Through her intercession, remove all that blights our relationship with You and with others. Amen.
 

Unwelcoming

Fourth Sunday of Lent 31 March 2019
First reading Joshua 5:9-12

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day. While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Second reading                                                         2 Corinthians 5:17-21

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Gospel                                                                         Luke 15:1-2, 11-32

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable:

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.

When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and nobody gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”‘ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe ” the best one-and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'”

Reflection

By Bernard M. Borja

I have a friend who is now happily serving at a church he longed to belong to. But before he was able to serve, he went through a lot of challenges and ridicule. During his younger years, he spent his time with vices such as womanizing and health abuse. At 19 years old, having a wife and two kids did not stop him from continuing his vices. His family experienced emotional and physical abuse from him and after several years, his family left him. Few years past and he became worse that even his friends went to distance themselves from him. Feeling all alone and depressed, he then realized he was so tired. A simple prayer came out from him as he whispered, "Lord, I want to go home." He got so tired of all the things he pursued for his own satisfaction. He got tired of abusing the people around him especially those closest to him. He got tired of being alone and left out. There were only two ways that he was thinking on how we wants to go home. One is to take his own life and end it all so he can be home to wherever he thinks he might belong. He chose the other way which is to go back to the church where his family and friends belong. But when his former friends saw him there, they said many things to him such as "You don't belong here." and "Baka masunog ka dito (You might get burned here.)"

How easy it is for us to "excommunicate" people who we think have no hope of turning away from their wicked ways. And it is even easier for us to judge people who wanted to come home to God who are in the same family as we are in.

Jesus' message of repentance is still clear in our Gospel. The tax collectors and sinners draw near to listen to Jesus and this may be considered as their first step toward repentance. But those who are "serving" at the temple did not like how Jesus welcomes these people. Just like in the parable, when the elder son spoke to his father and said, "This son of yours...", he is somehow forgetting his relationship as his brother. He forgot that even though the younger son spent all his inheritance, he once belonged to the same house he is in. If we look closely in our society today, this is similar to what is happening. My friend who chose to come home almost gave up and thought of going back to his vices because of those people who were unwelcoming. Sometimes the very people who are always with God, and who has God's everything, are the ones who dissipate the blessings that were always meant for everyone. People think that the greater blessings are only meant for those who are in the house of God. This is somehow true because God has longed for us all to be part of His family. But to think that the riches of the Kingdom of God will only be inherited by the rich in spirit alone is dire. Worse is when we also think that we have always been doing the righteous things, not realizing that we also sin because of the things we did not do for our brother or sister.

Jesus continues to proclaim the Kingdom of God through the parable of the prodigal son. God always runs toward us to welcome us back when we repent. God also pleads with us to forgive each other and celebrate how we are found after being lost. Before Jesus died on the cross, he pleaded to Our Father saying, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." What if Jesus would plead to us with the same words, like the father in the parable, whenever our hearts are hardened to forgive our brother or sister? Should we open our hearts and welcome them if Jesus would say to us, "Please forgive him/her because he/she does not know what he/she was doing."? Or would we behave like the elder brother in the parable?

We must remember that when God calls us to repent, he also calls us to feast and to rejoice. God awaits for us and always sees us from afar when we come home. He also wants us to see from afar our brothers and sisters who wants to come home, for us to welcome them and celebrate because they have been found after getting lost. 

Prayer

Dear God Our Father, we thank You for Your generosity as You continue to give us every blessings and riches in Your kingdom. Open our hearts to share these graces to our brothers and sisters especially to those who want to come home to You. We also pray for the grace to ask forgiveness to those whom we have offended because of committed and omitted mistakes. May we welcome You in our hearts as we commemorate the passion of Your Son this Lent. We also ask Mama Mary for her guidance and intercession as we look up to her, overflowing with God's inspiration, to repent and amend our life. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Maybe it's the Founder

Second Sunday of Easter 
(Divine Mercy Sunday)

08 April 2018

First reading                                                                       Acts 4:32-37
The whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the feet of the apostles.

Second reading                                                        1 John 5:1-6

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God,
and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know
that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers
the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.

Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus
is the Son of God? This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus
Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood.
And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood,
and these three agree. If we receive human testimony, the testimony
of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified
to his Son.

Gospel                                                                     John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Reflection

By Gary Tulabut

In September of 2014, a scandal hit a giant shopping mall because one of its tenants was not diligent enough to do a 100% inspection of their incoming merchandise to make sure nothing offensive is printed in any of the pieces of apparel they sell. I am talking about the “a snuggle with a struggle” print of a shirt which was a reference to rape. Of course this is unacceptable! And, as a disclaimer, nothing in the next words that you will read here is ever meant to justify that mistake.

I learned about that scandal, not from the news but, from social media (Where else?). It was not even a friend’s post but that of an acquaintance sharing a news article. She placed her own caption with the shared article.  I do not remember the exact words but I think the caption read, “And to think this mall plays the Angelus every 6 and 12 o’clock…”

My first thought after reading that was, “so if I pray the Angelus regularly, I cannot make mistakes.”

Sad to say, the world is very watchful of us Christians, especially of those of us in the limelight. People are very critical of us that every mistake we make is a blow against the image of the Church ourselves.

They do not understand that we hate the sin but we love the sinner. And that we will try our best to make the sinner repent and go back to God’s ways rather that condemn him/her forever.

Even we lay people are sometimes critical of our Church leaders and some religious people that some would leave the Church when they become disappointed in any of the members or leaders.

Friends, yes we strive to be perfect because our Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48.) But I believe God Himself gave us the room to make mistakes. Look at King David. As a young shepherd who was about to fight Goliath, he picked up five stones (1 Samuel 17:40.) Why five and not one? Isn’t God by his side that one stone is enough to defeat Goliath?

There were quite a bunch of our Bible heroes who were not perfect. Moses killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand; Jonah was stubborn. Paul persecuted Christians; David had his general killed so he could get the soldier’s wife as his; Solomon was a womanizer. Matthew was a tax cheater. Peter was hard-headed and boastful; He also denied Jesus three times; and the list goes on.

Today, in the Gospel, we see Thomas committing a mistake of doubting the Lord’s resurrection. (Peter also had his faith tested when he was walking on the water, but I wonder why it was only Thomas who was nicknamed Doubting Thomas.) Anyway, Thomas was forgiven and was lectured by Jesus about his lack of faith. But he remained to be one of the pillars of the early Church.

Friends, the almost 2000-year history of the Church has been bombarded with mistakes, scandals even. Thomas' honest mistake was nothing compared to them. Other denominations should even thank the Catholic Church because they do not need to commit the same mistakes that the early Church had done.

But despite all these humiliations, the Church remains standing strong.

I don’t think it’s because of our flawed leaders both now and in the past.

I think it’s because of the Founder.

Prayer

Thank You Father for allowing us to commit mistakes. But more so, thank You for your forgiving love. May the faith of Your Church be on You and not on Your stewards. In Jesus' mighty Name. Amen.

How to Save a Life

4th Sunday of Lent  11 March 2018

First reading: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 All the leading priests and the people also were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abomination of the nations; and they polluted the house of the Lord that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord against his people became so great that there was no remedy. They burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil seventy years. In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom and also declared in a written edict: “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him! Let him go up.” Second reading:  Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Gospel: John 3:14-21 Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Reflection
by Theresa Ballo

The readings this Sunday show the magnificent love of God for humanity. The words speak of hope for despair, repentance for the sinner, and assurance for the doubtful. When desperation comes, confusion follows. We may get lost in knowing the right thing to do over what appears to be the best solution. For sometimes the best solution does not necessarily equate to be the right one. Sometimes when bad things happen to us, three things may occur. First, we may be stuck. We may feel numb and do nothing of the situation. Second, we may get away from the situation. We look for alternatives for us not to feel the pain, finding immediate pain-relievers. Lastly, we might face the situation head on. Though fighting may also be relative. We may fight the wrong way or the right way. Like, getting even with our offenders, finding fault in other people, or sabotaging ourselves to make other people feel guilty about our situation. But, where is God in all of these? What would Jesus do if He is in my situation?

The fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday, a period of rejoicing. The readings proclaimed a recovery to hope and bring back joy as we pass through our Lenten journey. In the first reading, the entire people of Judah turned their back against God. They do things that despise God, however His response was kindness. He sent His prophets but to no avail the people scoffed and mocked them. This has caused a lot of suffering to the people of Judah, their own pride and selfishness harmed themselves and others too. Still, God’s love is so big that He came to the rescue despite the people’s shortcomings. In the Gospel, Nicodemus, one of the leading Pharisees came to Jesus. Jesus shared with him the sacrifice Jesus was about to make in Calvary. He presented God to him as someone with profuse grace and mercy whose only desire is to save humanity.

For those who are troubled and brokenhearted right now, the readings are God’s message for you.   He is talking to you, to me also. The past days and up to this point, I am not okay. Sleeping at night is the hardest part of the day and as soon as I wake up, I just want to remain in bed and force my body to sleep again. This may sound really ironic. But I have to go to work because I am doing therapy sessions for a student who has recurring suicidal ideation and once tried to do something on the belief that it will end her life. I have to leave the heavy heart in bed because my mind has to be focused on her, and her alone. You know what keeps me going? And it was like magic, each day I am receiving a miracle. Since I have to submit this reflection, I have been reading the readings for this Sunday every day since Monday of last week. Each day I am reminded that all will pass through and the love of God, His security, mercy and grace will remain. This is how God loves me. This is how God loves you. Jesus willingly sacrificed His own life and speaks the promise of Resurrection for us to understand the glory in suffering. This is love. This is how God save us, by giving us His own beloved son, Jesus Christ. Believe! True love saves lives.

Prayer

Dearest Father,

We are truly sorry for our shortcomings. May we always cling on to hope as we undergo challenges in our life. You have given us immeasurable riches of God’s grace and because of that we have come to see the light. May we answer the call to bring Christ’s light to our world. Amen. 

God Has a Plan

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary   8 December 2017

First reading

Genesis 3:9-15, 20

But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.                

Second reading

Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

Gospel

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel as sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, you relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Reflection

by Jessa Janelle Padilla

How obedient are we? How do we handle temptations?

Temptations are all around us and they test our obedience. Sometimes we fall into temptations just like Adam and Eve in our first reading from the Book of Genesis. They have fallen into the temptation of the serpent and ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. They have disobeyed God and have been punished.  And because of what happened, Eve became the mother of all the living.

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, our Principal Patroness here in the Philippines. The mother of our Savior and Son of God, Jesus Christ. Eve and Mary differ from each other. Eve disobeyed God and committed sin but Mary obeyed God’s will and conceived Jesus in her womb. She is free from sin.

In the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians it states that “In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intentions of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ’. The verse confirms that we are not born for nothing but we are born to fulfill and accomplish what God destined us to become. We all have our purpose and mission in this world. Let us be obedient to fulfill it and pray to overcome temptations.

Mary was prepared by God from the moment she was conceived in her mother’s womb, Anne. She was conceived immaculately and born free from any sin, worthy to be the mother of Jesus.

We may not have been immaculately conceived like Mary, but God has plan for us and His plan is better than our plan. We should trust Him and never lose hope. Hope will light a fire in our hearts to continue persevering and keep moving forward to achieve a better version of ourselves. We should also be like Mary who said Yes to God’s plan for her. In today’s situation, I admit that it is not easy to answer Yes to any call but let us discern, pray, and put our trust to God so that answering Yes to a call will become easy for us. Let us imitate Mary’s example as an obedient servant of God, with full of grace, and a good mother.  Let us make her our role model. Let us follow the will of God, leading us to holiness, leading us to Jesus who will come to save us!

Prayer

Oh most blessed Lady of the Immaculate Conception, you are full of grace. In you we lift up all our desires. You are the best example of being an obedient servant of God, may we become more like you. Shower us, your children, with your grace.  Light our way towards the crib of Bethlehem.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you. Amen.