Present In Us and Through Us

Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord May 20, 2012 (Mk 16:15-20)

He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." 

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Lord's Ascension. After appearing to His disciples during forty days after His resurrection, Jesus finally ascends, returning to the Father and taking His seat at God's right hand. But before He ascended, Jesus commissioned His disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all, assuring them that great signs will accompany them as He Himself will work with them.

The Lord's Ascension marks the end of His physical presence here on earth. But His presence does not end there. He continues to be with His Church; He is present in the community of those who believe in Him. And He wills that this community of believers grow in number. Jesus is present in every place where His Word is preached. He is present where His believers are. He is present in us. And because of His presence, we, His believers experience signs and wonders as a confirmation that Jesus is working in us.

Since we have become members of the community of believers who enjoy the special presence of Jesus, we also inherit the commandment that our Lord gave His disciples: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." As Jesus' disciples, it is our duty to spread the Word of God in everything we say and do. We must not speak nor act in a way that opposes the Word. Jesus is present in us. Therefore, we must also make Jesus present to others through us, in our words and deeds. By a faithful witnessing to the Word, we can make the people around us disciples of Jesus.

In Jesus' Ascension, we Christians draw hope and strength as we continue to obey His mandate to evangelize. As we live our faith and share the same faith to others, we are assured that the Christian way of life leads to heaven because Christ already went before us. As true Christians, our goals in life go far beyond worldly achievements, beyond a good career and even beyond earning a great deal of money. Our Solemnity today reminds us to look up to heaven as the disciples did. To be with Jesus in heaven is our ultimate goal as Christians.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Lord's Ascension into heaven, may we strive to be obedient to the Lord's command of evangelizing in everything we do, assured of Jesus' abiding presence and hopeful that we may one day merit to be in heaven with Him and with the people we have evangelized. May the Lord be present in us and through us!

Anointed with Water

Feast of the Lord's Baptism Jan. 9, 2011 (Mt 3:13-17)

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?"

Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him.

After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

John the Baptist's baptism of repentance was a preparation for the coming of the Kingdom of God. In the advent of God's kingdom, John called the people to be in the proper disposition. This is what the baptismal ritual symbolized. One arises from the Jordan River a new person; he has emerged from the river and has let it wash away his sins. This resolve to turn away from sin prepared the way for the radical message of conversion that Jesus will bring.

But why would Jesus have to be baptized? Did Jesus have to prepare Himself for the coming of God's Kingdom? Actually, yes He did. He needed to prepare because it was Him who was to usher in the coming of this Kingdom. He was "bracing Himself" for the task ahead. His baptism, therefore, is the beginning of His mission, His commissioning, so to speak. With the Father and the Spirit, He begins His work of proclaiming God's Kingdom. But more than that, His baptism is a revelation that the work He will do is divine. The Trinity manifests itself and declares that they are about to work wonders.

Like Jesus' baptism, our own baptism also symbolizes our participation in the coming of the Kingdom. Our baptism bestows upon us the privilege of being children of God. Yet it also gives us the responsibility to live up to the name Christian. We must, therefore, live our lives as Jesus showed us, and our lives must be a testament that God is King over us. In short, we must live as obedient children of God.

Aside from living up to our mission as baptized Catholics in our personal lives, we must also recognize that we are part of the Church, the community of the baptized and the sacrament of God's Kingdom here on earth. Most Catholics do not go to church anymore. They do not join the assembly of the people of God. They must recognize the fact that, although personal devotion is good, worshiping God as a community is very important. The assembly gathered in the church is a sign of God's presence on earth. Christ Himself assured us His presence wherever an assembly gathers in His name.

Our Baptism reminds us to be true children of God, obedient to His will and participative in the mission He entrusted us with, that of building His Kingdom here on earth. Let us no longer be Catholics by name, but by the very life we live. May the waters of baptism remind us that we have been washed and that, therefore, we ought to remain clean. In the end, may we also hear the Father tell us, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Wanted: Worthy Servant?

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Feb. 7, 2010 (Lk 5:1-11)

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.

Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets."

When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."

For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."

When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

There are times when we feel we are worth nothing, when we feel that everything we do are in vain because we're not getting any results nor pleasing anyone. Even when we pray, go to Mass or serve God, we feel unworthy to worship or to serve God. We feel we are lacking something, that we are imperfect.

Our readings for today present us with three servants of God whom we look up to as holy men - Isaiah, the prophet, Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, and Peter, the Prince of the Apostles. But even they felt unworthy before they were called by God. They all felt they were sinners unworthy to be in the presence of God. But these men were called to serve God and they did not refuse to do so. We look up to them now because they went from unworthy sinners to holy men.

In our Gospel today, Peter got visited by a stranger in his boat. This stranger borrowed his boat and, from it, preached to the people. Peter heard Jesus' words and was probably amazed by Jesus' teachings. He must have recognized that Jesus was a holy man. Nonetheless, it was peculiar that Jesus, though a holy man, should give fishermen directions on how to catch fish. But Peter, trusting Jesus, obeyed and was surprised by their catch. This miracle must have been the moment when Jesus captured Peter.

Peter, realizing that Jesus was truly a holy man, felt unworthy of Jesus' presence. But Jesus called him and his friends, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."

Jesus is saying the same thing to us. If we feel unworthy to serve Him, who will be worthy? We are all sinners and all those who are chosen by God to serve Him are also sinners. We must not refuse God's call for it is He who chose us. It is He who guides us as we obey His mandate. It is He who makes us worthy to serve Him.

God chooses us, despite our weaknesses, to be His followers. Our weaknesses bear witness to the truth that it is God who works in us and that it is God's work that we do. Our weaknesses tell the world that it is God who is truly powerful. As St. Paul says, "God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God (1 Cor 1:27-29)."

So let us heed Jesus' call to be not afraid. It is God who chooses us and who makes us worthy. He gives us the power to build His Kingdom here on earth and to be fishers of men. Let us do our mission in whatever state of life we have. Let us trust in God who made us His worthy servants.

And the Word was Made Flesh

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Jan. 24, 2010 (Lk 1:1-4, 4:14-21)

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

Jesus proclaims the beginning of His public ministry by setting the direction to which His ministry will lead. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me", He said, quoting from the prophet Isaiah. With these words, Jesus proclaims Himself to be the Messiah, the anointed of God who will bring joy and liberation to those who are in agony.

This liberation, of course, is understood by us Christians to be the liberation from the slavery of sin. Jesus was not the kind of Messiah the Jews expected. He was not a political leader sent to destroy the Jewish colonizers. He was sent to destroy the enemy that has conquered all mankind - sin.

"Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing", Jesus assures his listeners. Indeed, Luke verifies that it was in the power of the Spirit that Jesus came to proclaim that particular passage. Therefore, the passage Jesus was reading was literally being fulfilled as it was being read.

Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises in the Old Testament. He is the realization of numerous prophecies. Jesus also fulfills His own words, His own promises that have been actualized even in us today. This is why He is the Word made flesh. He is the promise of the Father who takes flesh, who becomes fulfilled before our very eyes.

Guided by the Spirit, we as Christians, must also set our direction to the path God anointed us to travel. Our mission should be clear to us, and we must fulfill God's purpose for us. He anoints us to a particular mission by giving us His Spirit, which gives us the power to fulfill that mission. The abilities which we have received from the Spirit are clues that give us an idea as to what path God wants us to take. This is what Saint Paul points out in saying that we are one body, as we are baptized in one Spirit, but we are also made up of different parts (1 Cor 12:13-14). Being individual parts of Christ's body, we have different ways of serving. Nevertheless, we have one common vocation, and that is to do the will of God.

Bringing Christ

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 12, 2009 (Mk 6:7-13)

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick - no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.

He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.

So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them."

As Christians, we have the responsibility to proclaim the Good News to others. This mission is not only for the priests or for the religious. We, too, are being sent by God to go and proclaim His Word to others. Truly, we who have received God's Word cannot just keep it ourselves. Such a news ought to be proclaimed to all, so that all may benefit.

This mission is not something we will do alone. This is the mission of the Church. Indeed, in Jewish tradition, the account of two people are given much value. You could very well be ignored if you say something with no one supporting you.

There is more than one way of proclaiming God's Word to others. We are not all called to be ordained ministers, but we are called to practice the prophetic mission we have received in our Baptism. We are not all preachers, but we can be prophets who give witness to Jesus' Words through our everyday living.

Yes, in this mission, we bring nothing, just the bare necessities. But what we bring to the world is something of much importance. We bring the news that the Kingdom of God has come and that all are welcome in the Kingdom. We bring Christ Himself.

In our mission, we are able to work out miracles. We are able to drive out demons when we instruct sinners not to sin anymore. We can cure diseases when we alleviate the pain of others. We bring them Christ whom they have not seen before.

Little Missionaries of the Gospel

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul Jan. 25, 2009 (Mk 16:15-18)

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul is celebrated on a Sunday this year. Usually, the Sunday liturgy takes precedence over the feasts and solemnities. Nevertheless, since we celebrate the bi-millennium of St. Paul's birth this year, we celebrate this feast even on a Sunday.

The Gospel today narrates to us how Jesus commissioned His remaining Eleven Apostles to proclaim the Gospel. Jesus spoke about the importance of faith and baptism in order to be saved. He even added that special "signs" will accompany those who will believe.

Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, becomes a model for us Christians. Paul is someone who "believed and was baptized" and who proclaimed the Gospel to everyone. He was able to spread the Good News of the Kingdom to many nations and the "signs of those who believe" was with him. His zeal for the Gospel was very strong that it led him to face many obstacles and dangers.

Jesus' words were originally addressed to His Apostles. Nevertheless, all of us are called to become little missionaries of Christ. These words are passed on to us. In Baptism, we have received Jesus' mission to proclaim the Gospel. We can be missionaries of Christ even if we do not go house to house to hold Bible studies, even if we have not memorized all the important passages of the Bible nor studied Theology for how many years. Yes, even if we are not priests, we can proclaim the Word of God. As Christians, we must.

Our actions can be a means of spreading God's Word. Loving our neighbors and helping them in their time of need is the best way to tell them that there is a God who cares for them and who loves them. Inserting God in everyday conversations, even if it is not in theological terms, can remind people of the presence of God in their lives and of the importance of spiritual life.

The Gospel today gives us a list of the signs that will accompany the believers of Christ. These supernatural signs are still present in us. We cast out demons when we bring back to God those who have been living in sin, and when we ourselves turn away from sin. We speak different languages if we allow God's Word to inspire our very speech, even if we do not speak odd things. We can heal if we try our best to understand the problems of our neighbor. Our words also have the power to heal those who are ill in spirit.

We will not be harmed even if we drink poison or pick up serpents. This may not necessarily be literally true. What is certain is that God's protection is with us always. Even if we put our lives in danger, God is with us and will not let us be harmed because we are doing His work. He gives us everything we will ever need in order for us to fulfill the mission He gave us. He guides us and never leaves us.

Like Paul, may our zeal for the Gospel be renewed. And may this renewed zeal lead us to proclaim the Good News of salvation as much as our strength allows us. We may not be able to spread God's Word to the furthest ends of the world, but we are asked to proclaim it to the best of our abilities, to the furthest extent of our capacities.

Our Christian Mission

Feast of the Lord's Baptism Jan. 11, 2009 (Mk 1:7-11)

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.

And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

The baptism proclaimed by John was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, the question we have to reflect on today is this: "Why did Jesus have to be baptized?" True, Jesus became man. But He did not commit sin. He was like us in all things but sin (Heb 4:15). So why did He have to be baptized by John?

The baptism of Jesus is also an Epiphany. It is a manifestation. It is when God the Father introduced Jesus as His beloved Son. If we compare this epiphany to the epiphany which occurred when the baby Jesus was revealed to the magi, there is one noteworthy similarity. Both epiphanies occurred in humble scenarios. Yes, Jesus manifests Himself in simple and humble ways. First, He was manifested to the magi, lying on the humble manger. Now, He is manifested to the peoples, while receiving a baptism that was meant for sinners. Jesus baptism is, therefore, an act of humility. It is a sign of His sharing with our humanity. He identifies Himself with sinful man, yet He Himself remained sinless.

Jesus' baptism is also the beginning of His public ministry. After His baptism, he went to fast in the wilderness where He was tempted. Then, He began His mission - three years of preaching, healing the sick, forgiving sinners and feeding the hungry - which culminated in His passion, death and resurrection.

Today's feast reminds us of our own baptism. We often think of baptism as a ritual that has been done to us before. But it is much more than that. Baptism makes us Christians - followers of Christ and children of the Father. Through it, we receive the Holy Spirit.

Baptism also gives us a mission - a common mission as part of the community and a unique mission which we must discern. Our baptism is something which we must live up to everyday. We must live in the way Christ showed us. Our parents and godparents should be our guide in doing this. Sadly, many ignore this mission.

As children of God, we share in the mission of Christ, We must continue building the Kingdom of God on earth. We must journey towards God and help each other be closer to Him.

Do we give value to our baptism? Do we live up to the mission given to us as baptized Christians? Are we helping to build the Kingdom on here earth? Or are we just living as children of this earth, with worldly values and desires?