ABOLITION OF FIXED DONATION ON SACRAMENTS

How much is baptism? How much are we going to pay for church marriage rites? If you are going to stay at the parish office, you would be hearing these questions asked by parishioners. If you would conduct survey on why people are living together without sacramental blessing, one of the reasons is money. Many people think that sacraments have an equivalent amount of price. It is as if sacraments are for sale. This is a reality we cannot hide. As a result, many poor families have thought that they could not afford it.

Church and Fixed Donation

The church has been dependent on the fixed donation for the sacraments. It is true that such way has been a security for the church. It has supported the church financially. From it, the church sustains the stipends of the priests, parish or diocesean ministries and the sustenance of the convent. However, I propose to you today the idea of the eradication of fixed donation.

Instead of putting a fixed amount on the sacraments, the church should accept anything that the parishioners could voluntarily give. If a person could not give anything, then so be it. He or she can still receive the sacrament. Sacraments have no corresponding monetary values. All people should receive them as Jesus instructed His disciples.

Work of Jesus

Fixed donation is just a coating of the reality that we have neglected for centuries. The truth remains that donation is never a force thing to do. If the Church really wants to serve, then no amount should be asked before service. Sacraments are blessings from God. Jesus had given the Church the duty of administering it. He did not tell the Church to collect first before administering. When Jesus was performing miracles, did he ever ask for something in return? He did not. We cannot find anything in the Bible that speaks of collecting fees first before receiving God’s blessings.

Generosity over Poverty

Some of us may already be thinking that it will make the church finically amputated. With the abolition of fixed donation system, the church will not get poor. It is true that the Church has been dependent on it, but without it, the church would survive.

Today, I believe there are many people who are generous enough to the Church. Many have been pampering their priests. They give them electronic gadgets, trips, dogs and other material things. People are generous enough that the Church would survive. With proper guidance and instructions, the Church can sustain its financial responsibilities through the generosity of the parishioners. Giving to the Church must become a regular habit, with or without the sacraments.

JESUS’ DEATH NOT CHEAP AND FREE

The abolition of fixed donation is an adventure of a new Church and a deviation from the old system of Church sustenance. This should remove from the mindset of the parishioners and the faithful that the sacraments have a monetary equivalent; however neither must it be replaced by another mindset that the sacraments are cheap and require nothing on our part. The sacraments are not free. They have been paid by the precious passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. God has given it to us. People should receive it. The Church has responsibility to provide it.

Eradication of fixed donation is putting our needs into the hands of God. Whenever we work hard for the ministry of the Church, whenever we orient people on the need for generosity, whenever people know their responsibility on the Church, then we can always be assured that the financial needs of the Church will always have solution. With God, nothing is impossible. “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippinans 4:13

ARCHBISHOP SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS: A FOLLOWER OF JESUS

“With great power comes great responsibility.” This is a wonder line in a Spiderman movie. Moreover, I would like to rephrase such line by saying, “Great power needs great humility.” This is applicable to a great man whom I would like to talk about briefly.

Though an Archbishop, people call him “Fr. Soc.” This is not a lack of respect to his authority, rather, it is what he prefers to be called. He would reason out that no matter what position he is entrusted with, he would always be a simple priest forever.

Fr. Soc is a spiritual person. His routine in praying is something astonishing. If you would send him a message at five in the morning, you would get a reply quickly. This is because he would wake up early and pray at four o’clock in the morning until five o’clock in a small chapel adjacent to his room for adoration. He would remind us, his beloved seminarians, that we need to have time for a holy hour a day for the Lord.

Before he goes out of the Archbishop’s house, he visits first the adoration chapel adjacent to the Cathedral to pray for some minutes. Not only that, if you are going to ride with him, be sure that you have a rosary with you, for he will surely invite you to pray with him the mysteries of the rosary for the day before having a casual conversation. Moreover, he is actually a devotee of Our lady of the Most Holy Rosary. He prays the twenty mysteries of the rosary every day. Despite his busy schedule as an Archbishop and as the CBCP President, he remains consistent with his prayer life.

Fr. Soc is a simple person. He does not care about luxurious things. What he needs is all that he has. It is a fact that many people give him gifts. His brothers and sisters provide him clothing. However, when he knows that he has enough of the basic things, he actually gives it to other people like his seminarians. I, myself, have received many.

He is not choosy of food to eat. Some may be wondering what he is eating. Some have judged him as someone elite due to his looks and bearing. However, he eats what we also eat. He is like anyone else. He also eats burger in a fast-food. He is a simple person.

With great responsibility, it is natural to have an assistant or secretary. However, this is not the case with Fr. Soc. He is a person in authority who does not need a secretary. When asked for a speech or message, one would be assured that Fr. Soc is the one making it. He is the one writing all the letters and documents that he needs. He would tell us that he does not need a secretary for he had been a secretary for a long time. He is a responsible person.

He is a loving Father to his sheep, to his seminarians and priests. Though busy, he sees to it that he has time for all of us. He knows his seminarians well that he can name all 120 seminarians by heart. He makes sure that he talks to them, be with them on Christmas and Easter and he visits them in the seminary. He even has a room in the seminary where he sleeps for a day during his visits. It is also the case with the priest and his sheep.

Fr. Soc, a spiritual man. Fr. Soc, a simple man. Fr. Soc, a responsible man. Fr. Soc, a loving father. Such descriptions may not be enough to describe the person of Fr. Soc. A seven-minute speech may not be enough to narrate all about him. If you would be walking with Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, you are like walking Jesus for Fr. Soc is a faithful follower of Jesus.

WHO IS CHRIST TO YOU?

Who is Christ to you? In our Gospel today, we heard what Jesus said regarding the perspective of David on who Christ is. Jesus explained, “David himself calls him 'lord…’” If in the eyes of David, Christ is Lord, how about us? Who is Christ for us?

Some people hold that Christ is a friend who is always there. Others cling to that Christ is an older brother who guides in becoming mature. Still others embrace that Christ is a professor who teaches about almost everything. The answer does not necessary be the same with others. Your answer maybe different from my answer. My answer maybe different from other people’s answer. So what the point then in knowing who Christ is for us?

We may have different viewpoints on who Christ is. Yet one thing is always the same no matter who Christ is, our views affect our lives. The outlook we hold onto is our way of life. If Christ is a friend then we also treat others as friends. If Christ is an older brother then we treat others as family. If Christ is a professor then we treat others as classmates. Whether Christ is a friend, brother, professor, companion, coworker or mentor, our view on who Christ is greatly affects our view on other people. If Christ is someone we value then it is proper to say that we also value other people.

Who then is Christ to you?

POPE FRANCIS: THE VIST

Thrill of seeing, cheers with the crowd, soaked under the rain, long hours of waiting, and a glimpse of Pope Francis. I did not experience all of these during the visit of Pope Francis. I was home eagerly waiting live feeds from television stations his every move and the people’s emotions. It was not because I did not want to see him. I made a choice to give my slot at MOA to a fellow seminarian. It came to me that it was the right decision. God may have other plans for me.

Although I may not be present on any of the events, I felt I was there after all as I watched it all live even the press conferences. I still felt blessed after watching all the events on television. I may not have seen him personally but I have heard clearly all what he had said and wanted to impart to us Filipinos.

The question that we will try to reflect on is what is the meaning of Pope Francis to me? With all the sermons that Pope Francis left us, two have struck me. First was during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with Bishops, priests and religious at the Manila Cathedral. What hit me were His challenges to the congregation. His challenges were not new. A week before, Archbishop Socrates Villegas has given a pastoral letter to the clergy of the Archdiocese. In it were almost the same challenges left by Pope Francis. Was it coincidence? I believe it is the will of God. It is God who is reminding me of these challenges, as I will take the step of becoming his instrument.

Second was his message during the encounter with the youth. Let me concentrate more on this message and what it means to me and to the country. LANGUAGES. This came from Pope Francis in his speech at the University of Sto. Tomas University during his encounter with the Filipino Youths. Let us then try to reflect with these three languages.

Language of the mind. The Pope has encouraged all of us to use our minds in knowing God more. Our minds are given by God to us to be used. They are not for display or for evil doings. They are to be used for good. We are challenged to contribute to the intensification of spreading the Gospel.  Let us be apologetics of the Gospel. Let us guard the faith by using our minds. It is not proper to say that only the scholars, only the theologians, only the priests and religious have the sense of duty to use their mind for the Lord. We are considered people of God upon baptism. We as Catholics have the obligation to defend the Church and to help in the propagation of the faith. I am reminded by Pope Francis to use my theological studies to a great cause.

Language of the heart. The Pope is not only asking us to use our minds in thinking. Moreover, he is inviting us to use our hearts. This means that we need to feel. The question then is what do we need to feel? Joy? Sadness? Anger? We need to feel the need of our dear brothers and sisters. We need to undergo what our poor brethrens are feeling. Today, we are called not just to identify what their situations are, but also sensitivity on what they feel. We need to be immersed to the emotions of others. Learning things is not only from books or schools. There are also times that we learn when we know how to feel. Feeling is an important language we need to develop as Catholics. We need to feel the needs of our brothers and sisters. It is by feeling that we become selfless.

Language of the hands.  It is not enough to know and understand. Pope Francis in his speech stressed that we need to do something for our brethrens. As Catholics, Christ is asking us to give ourselves for the service of God and others. Love is not love when we do not know how to give, when we do not know how to do something for others, when we do not know how to be selfless. Love is love when all our actions are selfless. We have hands not only to grasp on things but also to open it so that others can reach what it is holding. Upon receiving Christ in our life we have to share Him to others. Reach out. Give. Let us however take note that the true meaning of giving is not letting go of the excess that we have. Giving is letting go even those that we have hard time letting go especially those we value most. It is only then that we can say I have given up everything for you oh Lord.

Language of the mind, of the heart and of the hands. We can only say that we are authentic Catholics when we live out these three languages. This is so because Christ our Lord whom we follow did them. He selflessly practiced these languages. He is our model. As followers, we have to do the same. It is hard to practice the languages but they are not impossible to do. I am challenged to PRACTICE THE LANGUAGES!

Last is his constant message that the focus is not he but Christ. I wanted to become a priest not for my own attention but to bring the attention of people towards Christ. His message struck me repeatedly. He did not only mention it once but most of the time.

With all of these, what is his visit to me? One word that I have mentioned the most is CHALLENGE. Yes, it was inspiring. Yes, it was heart-warming. However, for me it was challenging. He challenged me to stand and take part of the action. Yet, this challenge is also for all Filipinos. We are challenged to become true Catholics. We are proud to say to the world that we are a Catholic nation. We must then live as one. We are challenged to become a light. The visit of Pope Francis is truly a CHALLENGE to all of us. It does not matter whether we are poor or rich, whatever culture we have come from. The CHALLENGE remains. Are you ready to take up the challenge?

LINEAGE AND GOD

Do you know who your ancestors are? Today most of us could count only the names up to five or six generations. It is a fact that most of the people today do not know the lineage that they came from. Ask them and some may be fortunate to mention the names but if you dig deeper they will not be able to answer. What does it mean to trace back once lineage.

Our Gospel for today speaks of the lineage that our Lord Jesus Christ came from. The Gospel for today narrated the lineage from Abraham until Christ. The names in the Gospel are people who are important personages in the Old Testament. They played an important role during their lifetime. Some of them we are familiar of like Abraham, David, Jacob and Joseph. No matter how big or small the role that they have partaken, what is important is that all of them have said yes to the plan of God.

Some of these personages have once in their lifetime fallen yet they stood and followed the Will of God. What made them unique is that no matter what circumstances they are into, most of them have felt the presence of God in their life. They have recognized that they have God in their journey.

Allow me to quote a story that I heard from the priest who celebrated the mass this morning. There was a young priest going to a chapel he is not familiar with. Since that priest was new to the place, he asked for a direction to a man walking along the street. He said, “Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the Holy Cross Chapel?” The man answered, “Sure. Follow this road, upon meeting an intersection turn left, from there turn right after two more intersection, then count 5 houses and turn right to a narrow road, from there you will see a green house turn to the left, follow that path and you will see a cemetery, after it you will see another intersection and turn right and after turning right you will see a big Acacia turn and beside it is the chapel that you are looking for.” After hearing the man, the young priest was at a lost after some few turns. He then asked again for a direction. He asked an old man. The old man replied, “Okay, let me accompany you!”

Accompany! Like the Old man, God also accompanied the personages mentioned in our Gospel for today. Knowing also the lineage that we came from we also allow our ancestors to accompany us in our journey. Through the great example of how they live their life, through knowing the mistakes that they have done, through hearing the stories that they experienced we learned. We do not only know the people who came before us but we also allowed them to teach us how we should live our life. God is telling us today to allow Him to accompany you by learning from the past.

Our ancestors surely in their love, they have also felt the love of God. We likewise if became wise enough to learn from them, will surely not only learn more so feel the tenderly loving care of God towards us. Feel the love of God in your life. Allow Him to accompany you through the experiences of your ancestors. Know where you came from and life would be a smooth sailing. 

DEVOTION: MISA DE GALLO

Just this early morning was the start of the Misa de Gallo. The feeling was gloomy. The atmosphere was different this year than in the previous years. I asked my self, why is it that my feeling is gloomy? Upon reflection after the mass, it came to me that in the parish that I belong to, few people have came for the celebration of the mass in comparison with the previous years.

Upon seeing that the Church was not anymore that filled, it was disappointing since even in devotion people have already become lukewarm. I am not saying that all have been lukewarm. However, the numbers of people are increasing. It is quite alarming. As Catholic, Christ is the center of our life. Devotions, such as the novena in preparation to Christmas season, are trademark of our faith. Other people have misunderstood us on our devotions just like the Misa de Gallo but we remained firm with our faith throughout the years. Such case is already a sign of a future crisis if we keep on neglecting details.

We need to strive more to educate our young brothers and sisters on the importance and significance of devotions. Through them we could inculcate the future of the journey towards a brighter future. What then can we do to encourage our young brothers and sisters?

As parents, ask them to join you in celebrating the Misa de Gallo. They may feel obligated at first but as time goes by they themselves will clearly see the importance of devotions such as it in their life. We do not instill Catholic Faith but as discipline.

As a minister either as altar server, acolyte, lector, choir member, ask your friends also to take part on such celebration. As mere invitation to them, God is already using you in calling them to partake in His table banquet. Be an instrument of God in welcoming your brothers and sisters in the House of God.

Simple acts in proclaiming the faith, simple acts of being an instrument of God are already a sign of our dedication to God. We do not only bring God to them but we even bring ourselves closer to Him. Invite others to partake in such wonderful celebration. It is a indication that we surrender ourselves to Him. Let us say, "Lord, I surrender myself to you. Use me to call others. Use me as you please."

TRUTHS ABOUT CREATION

“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).  As a child, we were taught at our earliest age in school, in our church and in our home about the seven days of creation. The verse mentioned above is the starting passage of the story of creation we can read in the Sacred Scripture.  As we grow older, we start asking questions about the story. Some of them: did God really created the world in seven days? Which was first to be created man or animals? Did God also created the dinosaurs? Unfortunately, we will reflect not on these questions but on questions that are essential in our lives.

Let us begin our reflection on creation with the truth that creation was not created of necessity or by chance. Creation was made with purpose. We may ask then what is the purpose of the creation of the world? God, maker of all things, made the world with a reason. The Catholic Church holds on to the truth that “The world was made for the glory of God.”[1] This is also the purpose of creation. It is worthy to note here that the world was created not because God needs the world. He created the world for us men to glorify Him. We need to clarify that God does not need us. God does not need praises coming from someone. He is the Almighty, the source of all goodness. What we are trying to explain here as the purpose of creation is that we wanted to draw the line that our purpose, the purpose of creation is to glorify God and not disobeying him or disregarding the presence and power of God.

We can now ask ourselves, do we appreciate the world? We also need to know that the truth behind the creation story in the first book of the Sacred Scripture is not about what came first but to stress the following: God created the world out of nothing; He created it good and in an orderly manner; God sustains what He had created. We then give emphasis with these truths.

First, God created the world out of nothing. As we have discussed with our reflection on God as Father, He is almighty. God is the creator of the world. The creation story in the book of Genesis highlighted it that He created it out of nothing. Is this possible? It is POSSIBLE! The greatness of God is not limited. To create someone out of nothing is something that God can do. It is noteworthy to recall a saying that “WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!” For God is the alpha and omega. He is the almighty creator of the world. Believing in this truth, allow us to recognize that nothing comes from us but rather all that we have, all that we see, and all that we can touch were created by God. If such is the case, there is only one thing we could brag about that is OUR GOD CREATED EVERYTHING.

The world is good. If someone will say it is bad, he or she does not know the truth. God created it good and in an orderly manner. This is the second truth regarding creation. God intends that the world and all it contains remain good. We, humans are more blessed than any of the creations of God, not only because we are created in the image and likeness of God but because God gave us the freedom to desire to be good. Creation deserves also her dignity. Creation is good. The cause of disasters is not God but us. Our hands and faults make disasters happen. It is also up to us then to hold on to this truth not only about us but to the entire creation of God.

After creating, God did not stop. He sustains it. This is the third truth we can find in the book of Genesis regarding the creation story. Our naked eyes may not recognize His amazing hands at work but the truth remains that He sustains what He creates. What we see is not His hands but our hands. As created image and likeness of God, we have the responsibility to become stewards of creation. We have then the responsibility to be his instruments to sustain what He had created.'

God is calling you. WILL YOU IGNORE GOD? Answer and you will find it fulfilling!  

[1] CCC, 293.

HOLY SPIRIT: THE FORGOTTEN PERSON

Among the persons of the Blessed Trinity, the third person is known as the forgotten person. Why is this so? It is because people seldom express the Holy Spirit, the third person, in words or writings. Most of our prayers are directed towards the Father or the Son. Seldom do we direct our prayers to the Holy Spirit.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said, “Catholics are rather weak in pneumatology. Unlike the Eastern Churches, we seldom find a school of theology with a full tract on the mysteries of the Holy Spirit. Catholics frequently feel the need to “experience” the Holy Spirit only during exams, in Mass of the Holy Spirit to open the school year, in extreme cases of need, but not in our day-to-day life.”[1] This is true nowadays. Theological schools have fewer courses regarding the Holy Spirit. People have only thought of the Holy Spirit in certain instances as above mentioned.

Is the Holy Spirit then important? The answer is YES! If we will base it on the Sacred Scripture, it spoke a lot about the working of the Holy Spirit. Some of which are found in John 14: 15-17, John 14: 25-26, John 15: 26-27, John 16: 7-11 and John 16: 12-14. The question that we need to ask is how then can we translate such importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

First, we need to be generous. Generosity is not only about giving something. Generosity is recognition of one’s resources coming from above. When we become generous we recognize that all that we have comes from God. It is the working of the Holy Spirit that allowed us to act and give. Many times we have forgotten the reality that it was the Holy Spirit working in us. We become proud and lose the sense of dependability with the Holy Spirit. We need to recall what happen in the upper room with the apostles. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was then that they were strengthen and generous enough to lay down one’s life.

Second, we need to be humble. Since all we have and give comes not only from our own effort but also with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need to remain a child. We need to be humble for all that we have comes form God. We cannot brag anything except that the Holy Spirit is working in us. Humility is a step closer towards exaltation of the Holy Spirit in our life.

Lastly, we need to have silence in our hearts. Silence is not just abstaining from talking. Silence in this sense means contemplation of everything that we have done. In today’s world were every minute is being wasted; most of us have forgotten the presence of the Holy Spirit. We only recognize it when we are in need. Silence allows us to internalize to check the reality. Without the Holy Spirit, we will not be able to move. Without the Holy Spirit, all that we have and are will be nothing.

It is noteworthy to end this with what the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Orthodox Bishop Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Lattakia, wrote:

Without the Spirit,

        God is distant

        Christ is in the past

        And the Gospel is a dead letter.

Without the Spirit,

        The Church is no more than an organization,

        Authority is domination,

        Our mission is propaganda,

        Worship is recalling to mind,

         And Christian action is a slave morality.

[1] Luis Antonio G. Tagle, An Easter People: Our Christian Vocation to be Messengers of Hope (Quezon City: Jesuit Communications Foundations, Inc., 2003), 83.

JESUS: THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIGHT

Who is Jesus? Jesus is the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the Son of God who came down from heaven to become the greatest expression of the love of the Father for humanity. He took the responsibility by dying on the cross and rising from the dead for the remittance of our sins. These are only a few of the many things we could say and will hear about Jesus.

Who is Jesus? St. Augustine once said, “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in You!” Such passage from the confession of St. Augustine is still very much applicable in today’s generation where many of us have forgotten the core value of following Jesus. Many of us have been baptized in the name of Jesus yet we could not find Jesus in our hearts. Such is the case since even many of our Catholic brothers and sisters do not know who Jesus is. Let us then try to reflect on who Jesus is.

The Sacred Scripture says that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light (John 14: 6). Our reflection on Jesus would center on this passage since we already had a previous reflection on who Jesus is. Let us begin with Jesus is the way. Have you ever been in a long ride? Was the road rough or smooth? Was it enjoyable or annoying? Jesus could be compared to a way. When we travel we have in mind a destination.

Our goal is to reach our destination, which our path leads us. It is also the same with Jesus. Jesus, throughout his preaching, his miracles, his actions and his life leads us toward the Kingdom of God. Jesus wants us to reach the Kingdom of God and be with the Father and with Him. The road that Jesus is leading us is not an easy trip. It takes courage to face it. It takes patience to bear it. Yet the end is satisfactory. We should remember that the way is Jesus. His life is an example for us to imitate. He is asking you to follow Him and take the journey of his way. Would you follow Him?

Jesus is the truth. Today even after 2000 years after Jesus stepped on the world, many still do not believe that Jesus is real. Remember that during the public ministry of Jesus, the content of his preaching is in unison. Jesus proclaimed about the Kingdom of God. Moreover, He did not refer to himself directly as the Messiah, Savior or the Son of God, but he rather used the word the Son of Man which after analysis will conclude that such terminology he used refers to himself.

Jesus proclaimed Himself indirectly. He is the truth. He is the word made flesh. If Jesus is the truth then all that he has done should be emulated. Jesus dying on the cross and resurrecting from the dead is a fact that we must hold on. All of his actions then are example for us to be guided. The question then is if Jesus is the truth, are we followers of the truth? Do we imitate his life here on earth?

Jesus is the light. Does this mean that Jesus is the light that is endless compare to electricity, lamps or candles? He is in a different sense. In one of the many occasions during the public ministry of Jesus, he has turned bright like a light. It was during his transfiguration that literally Jesus was bright like a snow. However, such description of Jesus as light is not at all that there is.

What then do we mean when we say Jesus is the light? Jesus is the endless light that leads us to the Father. Jesus becomes the lamppost in our journey towards the Kingdom of God. He allow us to see where we are going and how can we reach our destination. As we walk towards God, Jesus journeys with us. He becomes the light that accompanies us. Jesus is the light manifested by showing us how we should live our life. His becoming a man is the greatest demonstration of the light we need here on earth. Do we see the light or are we blinding ourselves?

Jesus is inviting you to allow Him become the way, the truth and the light in your life. The journey that He is asking you to take is not easy. It takes courage, patience and strength to overcome the trials that lies ahead. Moreover, we should be confident to overcome whatever comes our path since Jesus himself promised us. He gave us hope, a hope that will become our courage, patience and strength. Jesus says, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). It is a beautiful promise that we can hope for. With Jesus, we will succeed. Would you then accept Jesus in your Life? If yes, open then your hearts for Him to enter and feel the difference!

GOD AS FATHER

Let us start our preparation with the reflection on God as Father. Why do we call God as Father? Are we Sons and Daughters of God? Christ taught his disciple the Lord's Prayer. In it, Christ granted us to call God as our Father. Why? It is because with the coming of Christ here on earth, we became adopted sons and daughters of God.

God as Father has a horizon of denotations and elucidations. “The Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity.”[1] When we say father, what comes in our mind? There are two implications when we talk about God as Father. First, God as “the first origin of everything and transcendent authority.”[2] God created the world for us. He created it not just because He has nothing to do but because for us to live in it. Even our very own existence is due to the creating hands of God. The Israelites, whom the Sacred Scriptures speaks of as chosen people of God considered God as the Ultimate creator (Deut. 32:6).

Second, God is at the same time goodness and loving care for all of his adopted sons and daughters.[3] Instantly, we think of God here as being a provider. A father is someone who gives all and provides everything that a family needs. He is considered the breadwinner of the family. He works hard to provide what the family needs. God as a Father provides us with all the things we necessitate.

It is then but proper to respond to such action of God. As adopted Sons and Daughters of God, we are asked to respond in love. How do we respond in love? It is from our actions towards the created things that we can respond in love.

God as Father provided us the world not to destroy but to use and take care of. We then need to cultivate such gifts from God. Our lives as well as all the things we see must be taken care of. We then have the responsibility as adopted sons and daughters to promote goodness for God himself as Father is good. All He had created are all good, the plants, the sea, the trees, the animals even us are good.

Many of us complain that God is not here. Well literally, it is hard to feel the presence of God. But he himself assured us through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that likes any father, he is always with us (Mt. 11:27). He guides us. He comforts us. He accompanies us every second of our life. Such is the love of God as a Father for us. What we need to do is search the deepest core of our connection with Him so that we can see Him, feel Him, and touch Him.

The questions then that we need to ask ourselves are what are we doing every moment of our life? Where is God in our hearts, in our minds and in our lives?

[1] CCC 198.

[2] CCC 298.

[3] Ibid.

PREPARATION FOR THE POPE FRANCIS' VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES

Pope Francis, the 266^th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, will have a four-day visit to the Philippines on January 15-19, 2015. This will be the third time that a Pope will be visiting the Philippines. The first two visits were during the time of St. John Paul II as the Pope and Pope Pius VI.

It will be a glorious day to commemorate and celebrate. It will be also a stepping-stone for the preparation for the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity of the Philippines. It is then but proper that Catholics in the Philippines should prepare themselves not only physically for the said event but also internally. On the succeeding days, weeks, and months, let us then try to reflect on the Catholic Faith, which I have divided on to the following topics:

God:

Father

Son: God and Man

Holy Spirit

Creation

Church:

One

Holy

Catholic

Apostolic

Authority:

Bible

Tradition

Creed

Salvation

Grace

Sacraments:

Baptism

Confirmation

Eucharist

Penance

Marriage

Holy Orders

Anointing of the Sick

Sin

Virtues

Theological Virtues

Cardinal Virtues

Virgin Mary

Prayer

Personages

Apostles

Saints

Pope

Cardinals

Bishops

Priests

Lay people

Join me on trying to strength the Catholic Faith in the Philippines on the said topics. I would not dealt much on the theological aspect of the topics but connecting them more on the daily life of a Filipino Catholic.

IS JESUS A LIAR, LUNATIC OR LORD?

Jesus is totally unique from any other personality and so is clearly worth knowing. But is there more to him? Is Jesus worthy to be the center of our life? The answer is yes. There is something more to Jesus than to any other person. He is worth paying more attention to than any other man. It is because HE IS GOD.

How do we know that he is God? Is it by his miracles? Miracles only show that God is working through a person. A man could work miracles and not be God. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (Jn 14:12).

How then do we know? The answer simply is that Jesus himself told us so. Time and again throughout his public ministry, Jesus claimed to be God (Mk 14: 61-62). In John, Jesus time and again speaks of his divinity (Jn 12:45, 10:30, 8:58). Jesus’ claim to divinity is a far different claim than Buddha or Confucius or Mohammed ever made. None of them ever claimed to be God. Jesus also claimed that he could forgive sin. Remember the story of the paralytic at Capernaum (Mk 2: 3-12), Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus’ claim to be God must either true or false. If false, then we have two and only two alternatives. Either he knew it was false, in which case he would be a liar, or he did not know it was false, in which case he would be a lunatic.

Could Jesus have lied? If he lied, then he would have been deliberately deceiving his followers. Not only would he have been a liar, he would also be a hypocrite, because he told others to be honest, whatever the cost, while he himself taught and lived a colossal life. He would also be a demon, because he told others to trust him for their eternal destiny. If he could not back up his claims and knew it, then he was unspeakably evil. He would also be a fool, because it was his claim to being God that led to his crucifixion.

We need only to look at his person, his words and his work to conclude that he could not have been a liar. Look at his moral purity, dignity, sound intellect, and air of truth. Consider his character that is so original, consistent, perfect, high above human greatness. He carried out a plan of unparalleled beneficence, moral magnitude and sublimity, and sacrificed his own life for it. Would he die for a lie? The results of his life and teachings have been lives changed for the better, thieves made honest, hateful individuals becoming channels of love. Such a man cannot be a liar.

Could Jesus have been a lunatic? In Jesus we do not see any abnormalities or imbalance that usually go along with being deranged. In fact, his poise and composure would be amazing if he was insane. He spoke some of the most profound sayings ever recorded. Such a man cannot be a lunatic.

If not a liar or a lunatic, the only alternative left to us is that Jesus did speak the truth. He was, and is, the Son of God as he claimed. Throughout the Sacred Scripture, we can read about a number of Jesus’ contemporaries coming to the realization that he was God (Mt 16: 13-16, Jn 11:27, Jn 1:49, Jn 20: 27-28, Mt. 27: 54, Mt. 8:29, Mk 1:24, Mk 3:11, Lk 4: 41).

As many as there were who accepted the divinity of Jesus, there were also others who refused to accept him. How can we have confirmation of Jesus’ divinity? God Himself confirmed it. In the miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11: 41-42), Jesus was giving a demonstration. To the Jews, God lone was the one who had the prerogative to give life or to take away life. But the most conclusive proof is Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead. The tombs of Buddha, Muhammed and the founders of all the great world religions are still with us. Only Jesus’ tomb is empty.

Jesus is making claims that affect us. If he is not God, then we should have nothing to do with him, because we do not want to be followers of a liar or a lunatic. However, if he is God, then we should seriously consider him. Our response will have eternal consequences. Is Jesus a Liar, Lunatic or Lord? The choice is yours.

GOD'S LOVE AND GOD'S WAYS

Do you know what is happening in the world? There are lots of things that happen in the world. There is a serious disorder in the world today. There is war like in Israel and Hamas. There is poverty like people in the Philippines particularly in the streets of Manila. There is starvation in different parts of the world. One would find many poor people even in rich countries. There is murder, particularly despicable is abortion, resulting in the killing of millions of unborn children. There is social injustice.

On a personal level, there is loneliness, depression, fear, insecurity, mistrust and so on. Everyone agrees that something major is needed to correct the situation in the world. Man has made various efforts to improve the world, but their efforts are not succeeding. Let us take for example in the field of medicine, through the ultrasound technique; we can discover the sex of a child before it is born. But some people decide to kill the unborn child if found defective, or if it is not the desired sex. In the field of food production, we have learned better and more productive ways of increasing the yield of the land. However, millions of people are still dying of malnutrition and starvation. The Human race has not learned to share God’s provision with their less fortunate members.

Some even propose solutions through man-made religions and other ideologies just like Marxism or New Age. Man is not succeeding because all these efforts are based on man’s wisdom. What is needed is God’s wisdom and ways. “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Is 55: 8-9)”

We then asked ourselves, what is the way of God? Does God have a plan for bringing us out of our confusion and disorder? YES! The starting point for understanding God’s plan is found in the story of creation in Genesis. What God creates is good (Gen 1:31). The confusion and disorder is not in accordance with the plan of God. God created man in His image (Gen 1:27). The ugliness and sin in the lives of people today are not in accordance with God’s will. Man is meant for friendship with God (Gen 2:8-9). The disruption in our relationship with God is our doing, and is not as God intends. However, things did not turn out according to God’s plan. Original sin entered the picture. And from then, man continued to turn against God and God did not abandon man even if God punished man (Gem 3:21, 15; Gen 4:15; Gen 6ff; Gen 11:1-9; and Gen 12).

From the accounts cited above, we will see how God loves the human race, how God would not leave man alone to his fate. God is neither indifferent nor distant. God is someone who loves us and is interested in having a personal relationship with us. He is interested in the details of our daily lives (Is 48:17, Jer 29:11). In fact, God wants to bring us all back to Himself, to restore our fellowship and intimacy with him (Eph 1: 9-10).

This is God’s plan! It is an expression of His love. God does not want us to live lives of pain, poverty, and injustice. God wants the world to be a place of peace, justice and happiness. A place in which He would reign!

The question then we need to ask, how can God’s plan happen? When we look at the world around us, it seems impossible. Again, we need to turn to God’s wisdom. We need God’s point of view. What does God say about life’s realities? The Bible tells us about the reality of Satan (Eph 6:12). We are not just confronted with particular wrongs in society or in ourselves. Behind all these is something bigger. Satan is orchestrating these evils. On our own, we cannot overcome Satan. God also says that our human efforts apart from Him will prove useless (John 15:5). On our own strength, we cannot overcome the challenges in our Christian life.

What is then the solution? JESUS CHRIST! Christ is the answer. He is the vine from which we draw life, strength and power. In fact, Christ is the fullness of God’s love (Jn 3:16). Thus, in Jesus we experience the love of God. And in Jesus, God’s plan for restoration can begin to happen.

It is clear that God loves us. God sent Jesus His own Son. In Jesus we are saved and restored to our relationship with God, with the fullness of life He intended. So God has done His part. It is now our move. The choice is ours: to live under the dominion of darkness, a life of slavery under Satan, or to live in the kingdom of God, a life of freedom, dignity, peace, and happiness. Let us accept Jesus and the salvation that he brings. Let us begin to truly experience God’s love.