HAPPY na, EASTER pa

If Jesus is the Son of God, He must be immortal. If He is immortal, then why did He die?

One of the many answers given is the “swoon theory”. Swoon theory suggests that Jesus did not die on the cross but He swooned and thought by all to be dead. This is an unacceptable explanation. Three days in the tomb is enough to make a conclusion that Jesus really died. How could He survive the scourging and the crucifixion? How could a swooning half-dead man move his tortured body or even roll the stone of the tomb? There are more questions for this answer (swoon theory).

Why do Catholics insist that Jesus died? If He is the Son of God, why die?

The answer is in John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world that he “gave” his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” The verb “gave” here means God gave us Jesus during His incarnation. He also gave Jesus over to death to save us. If Jesus became man during His incarnation, He has to pass death like the rest of us to be truly man. For Jesus, to die is the final act of solidarity to us man and woman. St. Paul has this to say:

“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firsfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15: 20-26)

Now, you know why there is a reason for us to celebrate our faith and say, “HAPPY EASTER!”

On BLACK SATURDAY

A young seventh-day Adventist pastor asked me why do Catholics go to church on Sundays. He said that Sabbath day is Saturday and therefore the Catholic Church transgresses the third commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy by transferring it to a Sunday.

I told him, we publicly worship God in the church on Sundays because we are Catholics. If we were seventh-day Adventists, we would go to church on Saturdays. But we are Catholics! We celebrate the day when Christ is risen from the dead and not on the day while His body was laid to rest in the tomb. All the four Gospels (Mark 16, Matthew 28, Luke 24 and John 20) tell us that Jesus appeared as the risen Christ after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week which was Sunday. If we try to rejoice on Black Saturday and mourn on Easter Sunday, even our common sense can tell us there is something wrong with what we are doing. Jesus was right in saying then, “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, you did not mourn.”

Today, on this Black Saturday, we pray for those people who undergo, who have undergone, who went through or shall be undergoing some grieving process in their lives. We pray because we do not have the answer why bad things happen to good people and worst, the death of a beloved has destroyed their peace.

I recall my classmate (in my elementary years) who was kind and good to me. Recently, she got married and gave birth to a baby girl. But the baby was born with congenital anomalies. It was very hard for her to see her baby suffering from the start of her life. When she told me about this and asked if this is the form of God’s punishment. I said God never punishes good people. But I was silenced by her suffering. I had no answer.

I remember how I was silenced by death when a parishioner in one of the parishes where I was assigned cried before me. She was a prayerful person. She recited all the novenas and devotional prayers every day.  She was an example of a modern-day saint because she was so kind and generous. There was no hatred in her heart no matter how others tried to spite her. One September afternoon, when she arrived from abroad, she waited for her son to pick her up at the airport but the latter never showed up. She later learned that her son who was about to fetch her was murdered on that day. I could not say anything to comfort her. I just prayed in silence.

I also remember a good friend of mine in one of the parishes where I was assigned. It was Good Friday, and we prayed during the procession. After the procession, we were having good conversations when she received a message that her son met an accident. She thought it was just a bad joke. When she immediately went home, she finally learned that his son was dead due to a car accident. On the next day, Black Saturday I visited her son in a funeral parlor, where I saw my friend with her teary eyes and her trembling lips. At that moment, I was silenced by death and I could not say anything to comfort her.

My dear friends, Black Saturday is the day we remind ourselves of Jesus who knows what suffering of an innocent person means by undergoing the same. We offer then our prayers for all who are suffering, mourning or grieving that they can find hope in the risen Christ.

GOOD FRIDAY HOMILY 2020

Today we commemorate the passion and death of Jesus on the cross.

Yes, Jesus died on the cross, and we Catholics use the cross as a principal symbol of being a Christian. Why the cross? The cross reminds us of human helplessness; the experience that brings us this feeling that our nerves were stretched beyond their limits and we could do nothing to save ourselves. It is at such moment that we pray to God but it seems He never listens to us. We feel we are helpless. However, it is only when we come to this point in life that we truly know who God really is. Though He does not grant us what we pray for, He gives us what is good for our soul. It is when we become totally helpless that we find strength in His unconditional love. People who have been through this experience live a renewed Christian life, hold greater faith in God and deal with people patiently.

Last month, when it was announced that there were three COVID positive in Aklan, one of them was a church worker. Bishop Cor Tala-oc confirmed this and the fact that the church worker attended a mass and helped in giving communion to the faithful before he was tested positive for COVID-19. When people heard this, many expressed their negative reactions. The patient and his family were pushed beyond their limits. They were not only weary because of the disease but also because of the pain brought by social rejection. The wife, in the midst of their family’s helplessness, could not ask for anything except for prayers. It is in this experience; I see the cross, I see helplessness. But it is also through this experience that I see how great God’s love is. The bishop went to seclusion after learning he had a direct contact with the patient and he prayed while observing a self-imposed quarantine. The priests who know the family prayed for them. The Charismatic community prayed for them too. We continued praying until we received the news that the patient was stable and safe from COVID-19.

Yes, the cross reminds us of human helplessness. But it also tells us of God’s greatest love for us.

In our veneration of the cross, we think of Jesus who embraced with Him our human helplessness. He spent His night in prison, mistreated by the guards. On that very night, He was helpless as His closest friends abandoned Him. The next day, Pontius Pilate and Herod sent Him back and forth to one another until Pilate made the decision. The chief priests and the people shouted loudly to Pilate to crucify Jesus. Not only that Pilate sentenced Jesus to death but he also ordered the soldiers to scourge Him. After the scourging, Jesus could feel the pain of His open wounds in His whole body. How painful it was for Him to walk as His feet were wounded. How painful it was painful for Him to carry the cross as His shoulders were wounded. Then He received a crown of thorns that added to His pain. How difficult it was for Him to carry the cross in some distance while His body was covered in open wounds. When He was crucified, people scoffed, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!” This is the real depiction of human helplessness. But in His helplessness, Jesus found strength in God’s love expressed through these words, “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”

My dear friends, human helplessness is real. Time will come and has already come that we say to ourselves, we have been weighed, we have been measured, and we have been found wanting. We are pushed beyond our limits and all we can do is to look at the cross, believe in God’s unconditional love for us and say, “We adore You, O Jesus Christ, and we praise You. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world. Amen.”

On GOOD FRIDAY

Today, we commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross. 

Death is inevitable. Even the only Son of God had to meet death. 

We, Catholics have to accept this reality that death cares no one when it touches as it leaves the body lifeless. 

Yet, we must declare with conviction that the death of our Lord is a sacrificial one and by His holy cross, He redeemed the world. 

We light our candles outside our home or better if we have the sacred images for this Good Friday Procession, we expose them outside our home with lighted candles and pray for all those who are now suffering and be united with the suffering of Jesus.

(credit to the owner of these photos/anonymous)

On HOLY THURSDAY

We commemorate the Last Supper on this day.  This is important for us Catholics as we believe that during the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and the Holy Orders as He said, “This is my body,” and poured wine, saying, “This is my blood.” He then asked the disciples to “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19-20)

Holy Thursday is also called Maundy Thursday. The word Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum (commandment). On Maundy Thursday, we commemorate the washing of the feet of the disciples and the giving of the new commandment to love one another as Jesus has loved them. This is hardly noticed by many Catholics that the three Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) talk about the Last Supper but it is only in the Gospel of John that we can find the washing of the feet of the disciples and this new command from Jesus to love one another at the Last Supper. The Gospel of John highlights the true essence and meaning of the institution of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders –TO SERVE and TO LOVE.

Today, each Catholic Family is requested to pray for their priests, for all the priests assigned in their parish and for all the priests they personally know. This is the time also to forgive those priests who might have hurt them emotionally through their words or actions. This is the time to ask forgiveness from God as well in destroying the reputation and ministry of a priest. There is a need to pray for all the priests to remind them of their vocation TO SERVE AND TO LOVE. There is also a need for the parishioners to protect the vocation to priesthood and the ministry of their priests. If a priest who abuses his power can hurt thousands of Catholics, one Catholic can hurt millions of souls by falsely accusing a priest. In both cases, we need to pray for the priest. If there is no priest, no one can celebrate the Holy Eucharist. If there is no celebration of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, is there a way for us to receive the Body and Blood of Christ? Remember, the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus said this -"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day" (John 6:54). The Holy Eucharist and the priests who celebrate it are both important, and it is on this day that our prayer for priests is of great importance.

DO-IT-AT-HOME CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY WEEK (Holy Wednesday)

The Gospel for this day is taken from Matthew 26: 14-25.

It was evening, Jesus sat at table with the twelve disciples; and as they were eating, He said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” All the disciples, except for one, said to Him, “Is it I, Lord?” The betrayer revealed himself when he said to Jesus, “Is it, Master?” Jesus was denounced by Judas as his Lord by just calling Him master. This is truly an act of betrayal.

Today, we reflect on how we cause others to leave the Church or how others tempt us to leave the Church. We also examine ourselves how we love our Church and how we have hurt the Church.

We also pray today for those who have left the Catholic Church. Most of them are lapsed Catholics. If we look at their reasons why they leave the Church, they do not have any connection with Catholicism itself. Some were abused (physically, psychologically or emotionally) in a way they consider connected with Catholicism. Others married to non-Catholics and went with their spouse. There are also those who get attracted with the kind of worship non-Catholics do in their churches. Non-Catholics told them that Catholicism is not right.

If we pray for Catholics who leave the Church today, we have all the best reasons to pray for our Catechumens. Catechumen is a person who has never been baptized and desire to become a Catholic. The third oil, the oil of catechumens, which is blessed by the bishop on Holy Thursday shall be used to anoint them during their baptism.

Although it is a Church’s custom to cover all the crosses, statues, and pictures of our Lord and of the saints on the altar and throughout the church on the Sunday preceding Passion Sunday, sacred statues and pictures in the home may also be covered with a violet veil to elevate our sense on the tragedy of betrayal or denouncing Jesus as our Lord. The use of violet veil may also help us produce our sense of anticipation for Holy Triduum which will begin on the next day (Holy Thursday).

DO-IT-AT-HOME CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY WEEK (Holy Tuesday)

The Gospel for this day is taken from John 13:21-33,36-38.

Jesus was with His disciples. He talked about betrayal. In saying that someone from His disciples would betray Him, Jesus conveyed the message to His disciples that He trusted all of them. One cannot be betrayed by someone if he/she did not trust that person. However, the subtitle in the Gospel, Announcement of Judas’s Betrayal, may lead us to stop suspecting that there was another disciple who would betray Jesus. Yet Jesus knew it that both Judas and Peter would betray Him. He announced that someone would betray Him “referring to Judas” (Matthew 26: 24-25, Mark 14: 18-21, Luke 22: 21-23 and John 13: 21-30). He also told Peter that the latter would deny Him three times (Matthew 26: 30-35, Mark 14: 26-31, Luke 22: 31-34 and John 13: 33-38).

It is hard to speak of betrayal when we do not talk about trust. And most trust is built through a promise. As Catholics, we made promises to God and to His Church. During our Baptism, our parents and godparents made promises on our behalf to renounce Satan and believe in God and the Church. During our Confirmation, we ourselves renewed those promises. Take note that the priest/minister used “holy chrism” in the administration of those sacraments. It is also used to anoint a newly ordained priest/bishop. “Holy chrism” is one of the three oils blessed by a bishop during the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday.

Today, we pray for all the members of the Catholic Church, especially for those who have fully received the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist), that they continue to fulfill what they have promised before God and to the Church. We also pray for the basic unit in the Catholic Church –the Catholic family. As a Catholic family, it is better to pray jointly and solidarily this day. They may reflect on their promises not only those which they made during their baptism and confirmation but which is promised between or among themselves. They may begin asking if they are a Catholic family who eats together and shares each other’s thoughts and feelings while having their meal.

For Catholic husband and wife, they may reflect on their wedding vow; how they keep their marriage sacred. Do they inspire their children to love the way they love?

For Catholic parents, they may reflect on how they fulfill their promise to their child/children. Do they teach them Christian values?

For Catholic children, they may reflect on how they fulfill their promise to their parents and/or grandparents. Do they give them the respect due to them? Do they pray together with their parents and/or grandparents?

For Catholic grandparents, they may pray for their children and grandchildren to grow up to be good Catholics.

If there are broken promises within the Catholic family, it is ok to feel remorse. Judas Iscariot regretted as he said, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4). Peter also regretted what he did after the cock crowed because he remembered what Jesus said about his “denial”. He went out and began to weep bitterly (Matthew 26: 75).

However, remorse is not enough. Like Peter, a Catholic has to start living a new life with an inner change of heart, renew his/her promises with a new dedication. He/she is called to return to his/her family/community like Peter and not to kill oneself like Judas. He/she may light a candle before an image of our Lord and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. He/she may also pray for the protection of his/her family.

DO-IT-AT-HOME CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY WEEK (Holy Monday)

The Gospel for this day is taken from John 12:1-11.

The family of Lazarus prepared a SUPPER for Jesus. Martha served. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the HOUSE was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Judas reacted against this action of Mary. Jesus said (to Judas), “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my BURIAL.”

“Oil” here makes us think of the oil of the sick which is blessed by the bishop on Holy Thursday in the Chrism Mass. Anointing of the sick is administered to bring comfort and healing either physically or spiritual or both to people who are seriously ill or/and in danger of death. The elderly Catholics are also encouraged to receive this sacrament as they deal with the health challenges of aging. There is nothing wrong for one to ask for this sacrament to prepare oneself in facing death particularly when he/she has “near death awareness.” Even Jesus allowed such anointing as He Himself said this, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my BURIAL.”

Today, as it becomes difficult for anybody to call for a priest to visit or administer this anointing of the sick, every family in their home may pray for the SICK, DYING and ELDERLY. If there is any sick member in the family or elderly in the home, this is the day that the family should make the patient feel he/she has a spiritual support, showing family solidarity in the time of sickness. If nobody in the house is sick, the family members may write the names of those who need their prayers on a piece of paper and place it at their home altar and pray for them. They can pray the rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the Sick and the Dying, or they can have an hour of silence and meditation before their home altar. If they have an outdoor standalone altar or assembled simple altar outside their gate, they may light some candles and offer some prayers for the SICK, DYING and ELDERLY.