TO BE A FOLLOWER IS TO STICK OUT

“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden."

Salt and light are two common everyday elements that we won't usually give much attention. We may not give much credit to their presence in our daily life, and yet, their absence is made much more conspicuous. We may not give them much thought when they're there, but when they're absent, we almost immediately note it. We immediately react when our sinigang is too bland for want of salt, and we will immediately react when somebody turns off the lights in a room that we're still in. In short, these are two elements that are so ordinary, and yet so indispensable, so noticeable in their ordinariness.

Since ancient times, salt was a necessity of life and was used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. The Bible contains numerous references to salt. In various contexts, it is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification. Concerning light, its importance is so evident we don't need to elaborate on this. what could be said of these two things is that they stand out, despite of the fact of their being so common in our daily experience.

The words of the Lord in the Gospel this Fifth Sunday are addressed to His disciples, and with them he likens his followers to these two elements just mentioned. His choice of metaphor is well-intentioned, and clearly shows us in what way he challenges his disciples to be with the relation to the world around them. Generally, the Lord points out the fact that His followers were meant to stick out in the ordinariness of their life. the Christian is one who simply stands out, he is not the one who flows passively downstream with the current but rather is better one as one who swims against it. Among men, the Christian cannot help but stand out because of his convictions; while not calling attention to himself since he is like any ordinary person, anxious to go about in his daily business, nevertheless his deep personal convictions which are firmly rooted in faith in Jesus Christ makes him stand out. 

Basically, the follower is called out to a life of witness. The Christian has been given a gift that is not meant to be hidden, but which was meant to be divulged in society. Like salt he is meant to be an active agent in society, purifying with the life-giving Gospel the milieu in which he lives in, preserving it from moral decay, giving life because of the Life that he carries within him. As light, he is to dispel the darkness of ignorance, indifference and hatred all around him, just as the Responsorial Psalm would say: The just man is light in the darkness for the upright.

Where it to be otherwise, the Christian would have to do a lot of soul-searching, as he would not be doing precisely that which he has been called to do: to be a generator of God's Presence and Truth in the world. The Gospel makes us ask ourselves: Am I really living as salt of the earth? Does my life allow the light of the Lord to pass through me so as to illumine the reality which I daily touch? This is true especially as we realize that Christ's presence is to generated  and multiplied in the world, in society, in our communities, and this generating needs our collaboration and action.

This is much needed nowadays in our Filipino society, which is rocked by so many issues of moral corruption. This is relevant especially now as more than ever, Filipino Catholics need to make a stand in protecting life, especially those who are most defenseless: the unborn. In this Pro-Life Sunday, we Catholics need to stand up against the bills being considered in Congress which are anti-life, keeping in mind that in reality, these are not merely Catholic issues, but moral ones, which therefore include every person regardless of creed or social standing. As Catholics, we know that we cannot take this sitting down. It is not possible to be a true Christian, a true Catholic, and yet remain silent (and much less endorse or support) these bills.

May Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Pro-Life Movement, intercede for us!

Candlemas

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (February 2)

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”

The words of Simeon in today’s Gospel bring us to the heart of the feast that we are celebrating today. This is a feast which is very old; it comes to us from the antiquity of Christian tradition. From historical sources we may know that this feast was already being celebrated in the Church as early as the first half of the fourth century, and possibly even earlier. Celebrated forty days after the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, we are actually celebrating two events according to tradition: we celebrate the Purification of the Blessed Virgin (which originally how this feast was called), as well as the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. This makes us recall the prescription of the Law of Moses which orders that forty days after giving birth, the woman should be purified, since the shedding of blood during childbirth renders a woman unclean. On the other hand, according to Jewish law, the firstborn male child belonged to God, and the parents had to "buy him back" on the 40th day after his birth, by offering a sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24) in the temple (thus the "presentation" of the child).

At this primary instance, we could appreciate once again how far God wanted to be identified with us in our sinfulness. We all know by faith and by the witness of the Gospels that Mary our Mother had  no need of this purification, for what need of it does Mary Immaculate have of it, considering that the birth had been miraculous, since it has left her virginally intact, without the shedding of blood? Our Lord had no need of being presented to the Lord, for He himself was the Lord, who comes and enters into His Temple, the King of glory who approaches, the Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle, as the Responsorial Psalm would suggest. And yet, just like any man, He submits himself to the laws which bind any other.

Once again, as at the Incarnation, as at his humble birth, as at his baptism later on when he grows and begins his ministry, he willingly joins our human condition, even submitting himself under the laws and customs by which human life is regulated in any society. This feast shows us once again the humility of the Incarnation, and its realism: that the Eternal Word of God, in order to bring us back to God, because truly like us in all things but sin. This is what the letter to the Hebrews states in the Second Reading:

Since the children share in blood and flesh,

Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.

Jesus had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way. He allowed himself to be tested through what he suffered, and in that way, he could be able to help us who are being tested in the same way.

At the entrance earlier, we blessed the candles that we held in our hands; with them lighted, we processed through this chapel in order to begin the celebration of the Mass. The traditional name of this feast—Candlemas—takes its name from this blessing with belongs uniquely to this feast. Tomorrow these candles would be used to bless the throat as we commemorate the witness of St. Blasé, bishop and martyr, patron of those who have illnesses of the throat (ideal during these days that we are having cold and rainy weather). The use of lighted candles brings us to the heart of the Gospel episode which is narrated to us by Luke. We see two venerable figures, both wizened and withered by age and long years of waiting for the fulfillment of the promised messiah, and yet kept young by the hope that the promises would be fulfilled. In the figures of Simeon and Anna we see the People of Israel who rejoice at seeing the fulfillment of their highest hopes, that at last the Lord their God has come to visit His people, that the Lord has finally entered His Temple to remain present among them forever. To Simeon, the coming of the Savior was that which gave light to his dimming eyes, the Savior who is the Light of the World.

We too could reflect on the message which this episode has for us. Only Jesus could shed light on the truth of our own human experience; only he could bring sense into what may otherwise be plain existence, making it life, a Life truly and abundantly lived. It is only when we let ourselves be touched by the Light of Christ that everything is freed from the darkness of death and futility, and even this life—which is fittingly described as a valley of tears—is transformed into something that points to the bright promise of eternal life with God. Furthermore, when we allow ourselves to be bathed in the gentle light of Christ we ourselves become points of light for others; we join the constellation composed by the saints who throughout the ages, have pointed out Christ to others, and have shown by their witnessing that the only life worth living is one that is lived in friendship with God, in friendship with Jesus, who shows us the human and lovable face of the Father whom we cannot see.

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,

In this Mass, we remember in a special way Fr. Nicolas Valeriano III, who has left us to answer the call of the Lord. Like the prophets and holy men and women before us, he had also waited for the time when his own face, marred by years of pastoral service, suffering and human weakness, would at last be illumined by the light of the Lord’s face. Now with his eyes closed in death, he addresses the Lord with those same words of Simeon, who has become the model of all those who have waited patiently for the Lord, have hoped in him, and have finally triumphed through their patience. We pray that the angels may take him from the darkness of this world into the brightness of the Lord’s glory, the Lord whom he has loved and served all throughout his life.

May Mary our Immaculate Mother, she who was conceived without stain of sin, intercede for us before her Son. Amen.

IN MEMORIAM

REV. FR. NICOLAS ACSAY VALERIANO III

Parish Priest of the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish

Marasbaras, Tacloban City,

entered into the peace of the Lord

on the morning of February 1, 2011.

"Well done, good and faithful servant!. Come and share your master's happiness!'

(Mt. 25:23)

ORA PRO EO

Lord, you gave Nicolas your servant and your priest

the privilege of a holy ministry in this world.

May he rejoice forever in the glory of Your Kingdom

We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit

one God, forever and ever. Amen.

St. Thomas Aquinas and the Eucharist

(Meditation during the Holy Hour, Triduum for the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, Sacred Heart Seminary, Palo, Leyte, January 27, 2011)

With your leave, Sovereign Lord Jesus present in this Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

With hearts and minds set as we enter into this earnest conversation with God who waits for us in the Blessed Sacrament this evening, in third day of the triduum that we have for the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, we remind ourselves that traditionally the Church remembers on this day the institution of the Eucharist and of the Priesthood. Thursday has always been traditionally dedicated to these two great sacraments, because both have been instituted by Our Lord as he took his last Passover Meal with those whom he loved and trusted most, His Apostles. Tonight, in this final day of our preparation for the feast of the Angelic Doctor, we meditate upon the great mystery of the Eucharist, with St. Thomas by our side. St. Thomas had written considerably on every field of theological and philosophical thought that aside from being Angelic he was also called the Common Doctor of the Church. In common language a common doctor would be understood as one who is acquainted with every sickness so as to be able to cure them; in the realm of Catholic philosophy and theology St. Thomas occupies a place that is pretty much the same. We are referring to a man whose doctrine on the Eucharist was also very beneficial for the Church, for he had expressed what the faith of the Church is concerning the Eucharist, and he had illuminated her as she contemplates and gives thanks for this Mystery which is none other than the memorial of her Lord’s death and resurrection. The Eucharistic doctrine of Thomas is remarkable for its clarity and perception, its depth and fidelity to the tradition of the Scriptures and of the Church. However for us gathered here in worship, what matters to us most is that his teaching is one that is full of faith. It a fruit of his own faith, something which he nourished from the faith of the Church. His teaching about the Eucharist leads us likewise to share his same faith and ardent Love for the Lord who is a prisoner of Love in the Tabernacle for us. It is in this that we could understand that doctrine is a food that nourishes our piety, as the theme for this third day would suggest. Let us feed ourselves then, from this teaching of the Common Doctor, as we contemplate with love the Lord whom Aquinas also gazed upon with so much love and faith.

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas! Prostrate I adore Thee, Deity unseen! I devoutly adore you, O hidden God, truly hidden beneath these appearances! With these words of a famous anthem composed by St. Thomas we stare and contemplate with wonder at the humility of God, who comes to us, not in the appearance of his own flesh, which he shares with us, but even in a form that it much humbler than that, in the appearance of everyday nourishment, under the appearance of bread and wine. This is something more humble than when he first came among us, when he hid behind our own humanity his own divinity. No trace of this Divinity was visible when Our Lord lay as a newborn Baby upon the manger. During his years of ministry He was undoubtedly a strong figure who oozed gentle authority and power, but no Godhead was revealed here. Much less could we say this as we see Him hanging upon the Cross, when covered with wounds and spittle, we declare in him no beauty nor comeliness; despised and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity…therefore we esteemed him not (cf.Is 53:2-3). No, no divinity was visible even there.

But here in the Eucharist, not even the humanity upon which depended our salvation is not seen; it has been hidden in the humility of God. In cruce latebat, solaDeitas, at hic latet simul et Humanitas…On the Cross was hidden your Deity; here is also hidden your humanity. Many things could be said of this Sacrament, I think I would not be heretical were I to describe it as the Sacrament of the Humility of God, a God who goes down in order to be seen under the appearances of something lower than man himself, something even more basic than the animals. He comes to us under the appearance of bread and wine, helpless in themselves, open to adoration and love, but also subject to the worst of abuses. This is the humility of God, a humility which is impelled by Love. Jesus Christ waits for us under the appearances of these humble elements; he waits to love us and also because he wants to be loved by us, who come to moved by both love and faith. The reality a humble and humiliated God waiting for us in this Sacrament teaches us a thing or two about humility and love; that these two always go together, for there could be no authentic love if it were to be proud and presumptuous, that humility is something which impelled by love, and not out of mere desire to debase oneself.

He has so humbled himself, so that man could be able to approach easily, so that he would be readily accessible to him. but he could not be approached in his humility and love by us without the faith that is needed in order to recognize him there. Only faith can give us the vision that we need in order to see and affirm His Presence there. It is no accident that in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, soon after the priest utters the words that bring God down to among and be among us, the priest exclaims: the Mystery of Faith!!! Mysterium Fidei. For this is precisely what the Eucharist is: it is a Mystery of Faith. Plagas sicut Thomas non intueor, Deum tamen meum te Confiteor. Thy dread wounds, like Thomas, though I cannot see, his be my confession, Lord my God, of Thee. It takes the faith of a doubting Thomas, who was confirmed in his faith when he touched the wounds of the Risen Christ, to see this Christ whose glorious wounds are hidden from us. In fact it takes even MORE  faith than that of Thomas to be able to confess Him to be present there, and since it requires more faith as a gift from God, the more blessed we are.

This is also a mystery of faith because not only does it invite our faith; it also increases it. It increases our life of faith, and our life of hope, and our life of Love. Before the Eucharist we repeat the same words uttered by the apostles who had once asked to be able to see the invisible Father: Domine, audage fidem nostram! Lord increase our faith! This sacrament, which is the nourishment of our souls, provides us with everything that we need in order to grow in our life of faith. St. Thomas prays:

I pray that this Holy Communion may not bring me
condemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation.
May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will.
 May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions.
May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience,
and growth in the power to do good.
May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses,
bodily and spiritual.

May it be that we learn to pray first and foremost with concern to that which would increase our lovelife with the Lord, that our life of charity in the Lord may increase as the first fruit of our communion with Him!

That our love increase is a prayer which is most dear to our Lord and that which brings us to the center of this great mystery of the Eucharist, because over and above all, the Eucharist is that great Mystery of Love. I say it because there is no other reason for its being but love, the love of our Lord that knows no limits, that takes all risks, that loses everything so as to gain that which for Him is everything: US. it is a love which makes him give even of himself for us, just like that pelican, which according to pious legend is always ready to feed its starving young with the force of its own life through the sacrifice of its blood. Pie pellicane, Iesu Domine! Like the good pelican, the Son of God offered body and shed blood on the Cross so us to give us life through the remission of our sins. He continues to offer Himself for us, present there day and night, whether we mind Him or not, the love-crazed prisoner of the Tabernacle.

It is a mystery of love because it has the power to increase our love. Just as the example of the Lover’s sacrifice done out of love is able to elicit a response of the same love from the Beloved, so too the love of the Lord is able to wound the soul who seeks him out in the Blessed Sacrament, in the Holy Eucharist. The love of the Lord in the Tabernacle increases the soul’s capacity to love. It makes one rabid for love. No wonder that the ones who learned how to love most—the saints—were those who shared the hours with the Lord in front of the Tabernacle.

Our time is nearly spent, and yet we have St. Thomas to be grateful for as he was our companion as we made this meditation. May this great lover of the Lord, hidden in the Eucharist, intercede for us and with his help obtain for us the grace to love the Lord more and more. We end with a prayer of his, which we direct to Our Lord:

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

Amen.

IT COULDN'T GET ANY STUPID THAN THIS

 

Enough said.......

PIO PAPA IX, L'ULTIMO PAPA RE

 I rememeber one of the first books I ever read when I was a minor seminarian, recently entered into the seminary. It was a dusty volume of Beauchesne-Thornton's biography of Pope Pius IX entitled Cross Upon Cross. I rescued it from the accumulated dust of the seminary library (and undoubtedly from years of oblivion) and began to devour the book (don't get me wrong. The food at the dining room may have been appalling compared to today's culinary standards in the seminary but it wasn't so bad as to make me actually finish off one dusty book). I've read and reread it many times throughout my eight-year stay in the Sacred Heart Seminary I've been able to memorize some of the lines I've encountered in the book. It was unfortunately lost when we renovated the library. I tried looking for the book, but I never found it again. Good thing I was able to salvage some other books which I also used to read time and again.

Pio Nono cuts a really interesting figure. Not only is he the longest-reigning pontiff in the whole history of the papacy, but I also believe that he is among the most misunderstood.

Pius' death mask

This is the picture which actually prompted this entry. I saw this photo while I was searching for another picture and it fascinated me. I never understood fully what people mean when they say "incorrupt". They say that when they opened his tomb more than a hundred years later at the church of San Lorenzo they found his body in a good condition. I'd say the Blessed's remains were perfectly mummified. It's interesting to note that his vestments are rather well-preserved. If you would look at the cadaver's wizened features and compare it with contemporary portraits of the last Pope-King, you could just be reminded of those words ritually uttered at any papal coronation before: Beatissime Pater, sic transit gloria mundi...Holy Father, thus passes the glory of the world!!!

Blessed Pius IX, pray for us!

The face of Bl. Pius covered with a silver mask

Give me an M, as in thousand

Let me proudly state that this blog has had a thousand views. To many blogs this won't mean much but I say this is undoubtedly a milestone: I've had my first thousand!!! Thanks to all who took time to view this humble blog and more power to you!!!

next numerical objective? 

my hundredth post!