visible rhetoric

My task today is to explain to you, supposedly, the role and function of the MBMG in the liturgy.  My initial reaction was, what do I know about the function of the MBMG in the liturgy.  The person who formally handed me the letter for this request is I think a mind reader or just a quick-thinking lady because without me asking or even revealing my predicament, she said, Msgr. do you want the MBMG handbook.  Thank God for her, now I know where to get my talk.  Last Monday however as I sat down to gather my thoughts for this paper and write them down, it dawned on me – why am I being asked to answer the question what is the role of an MBMG in the liturgy, and worst, to answer that, why am I being made to read the MBMG handbook.  Frankly, if you ask me what is the role of a priest in the liturgy, I would answer you and probably write a treatise on the subject.  But to ask me what is the role of an MBMG, how would I know, I am not...

The rite of Baptism starts with several questions.  Allow me to explain the significance of these questions. First, what name do you give your child?  The question pertains to identity.  In baptism we are giving the child an identity.  Identity is the answer to the question, who are you?  Who am I?  This is important because morality, ethics and good psychology teach us that action flows from being.  Our action comes from our understanding of who we are.   Ano ka?  Sin-o ka?  Ang imo pamatasan, ang imo pagginawi, ang imo values magahalin sa sini nga paghangop.  Sin-o ka?  Ako si Edward?  Ano ka?  Ako anak sang Dios. As an addendum to this first point allow me also to point out the belief of the people in the bible that he or she who gives the name claims responsibility for the child.  By claiming responsibility, you also accept accountabil...

These past months many of us had been given a firsthand experience of what contemplative life is, even if it is just a glimpse, even if it is just a taste, even if for many of us it was and is an unwelcome experience.  Nevertheless, it was an experience of contemplative life.  There was less movement, we stayed put most often, we stayed at home confined in the four walls of our houses.  And as the quarantine progressed and became longer, the silence too became lengthier.  First there were small gaps in the conversation and the gaps became longer each day because everyday there were less experiences to talk about.   We experienced how it was to surrender our freedoms and experienced how it was to live under the rule of obedience – wear your facemasks, observe social distancing, stay in line, wait in line, and for a time we were even told not to go to church.  And many of us humbly followed, some willingly, some hesitantly, many ...

Today’s theme recalls the story which Jesus told privately to his disciples.  The story therefore is for them and about them – it’s not about the pharisees, or the Herodians, or the Jews who oppose Jesus, no.  It’s a story made for his disciples.  In other words, this story of Jesus is for us and about us.   For several days now in the novena we have gleaned lessons from different encounters with God by the young men and women in the bible -  from Joseph’s own encounter, to Samuel’s;  from David’s and Gideon’s encounter with God, to the encounters of Solomon and Jeremiah, of Ruth and the Jewish servant girl, and the encounter of the younger son with his father in the gospel parable known as the prodigal son.  In all these we also saw Mary’s own encounter with God.  And we learned lessons from these, and from these we even saw parallels in our own encounter with God. Today however our focus is quite different...

What makes you happy?     What makes you unhappy?     The 4 th Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday.     Laetare means be happy.     We are allowed today to put some flowers on the altar and to use the color rose instead of violet.     Rose is still violet but it is mixed with gold, the color of supreme joy.     Thus, it is only proper to ask ourselves these very important questions which motivates all our actions - what makes me happy, what makes me unhappy?

You are not far from the kingdom of God.  You are not far.  You are not there yet, but you are not far. Here Jesus reminds us the difference and therefore the relationship of what we know, and doing or acting upon what we know. We must acknowledge that many of us need to be catechized, we need to know more, we need something substantial in the education in the faith.   As affirmed by Jesus in the attitude of this pious scribe everything starts with knowing, and believing and being convinced with what we know.  It is an acknowledgement that as a parish community catechesis is very much needed from its littlest members to us adults.  We need to be educated in the faith.

Our gospel today is a reminder which will be repeated time and again by St. Paul in his letters.  That on our own we can never be good enough.  Paul would often say that we should pray for the strength that comes from God and that we should not rely solely on our own strength.  Why?  Because on our own we can never be good enough.   This is why Jesus is depicted many times as driving away the evil spirits not by human power, not by the power of another evil spirit, but by the all-powerful finger of God.

What does it mean to fulfill the law?  Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law.  We know for example that Jesus in the eyes of pious Jews during his time violated the law of the sabbath by doing something prohibited on a Sabbath.  For one he healed on the sabbath.  In another he told the person he healed to carry his mat on a sabbath.  So, what does it mean to fulfill the law?

The number seventy times seven in Hebrew means always, whenever, at all times. Thus forgiveness in the mind of Christ should be always, whenever and at all times.  But the most important thought of the gospel is the reason why we should forgiven at all times.  Why? Because God forgives me at all times. This is the Christian way. Why should I forgive?  Because God forgives me.  Why should I forgive at all times.  Because God forgives me always.  Why should I be generous?  Because God is generous to me. Why should I have compassion on people who are in need? Because in my need God has compassion with me.  We never stop doing good to each other because God never stops doing good to us.

The feast of the annunciation is a feast celebrating the virtue of obedience, both the obedience of Christ and the obedience of Mary. Sin entered into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve.  Salvation entered the world through the obedience of Jesus and Mary.  In the letter to the Hebrews in our second reading we find a quotation alluding to the obedience of Jesus.  Here Jesus is made to say:   "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.”  This is a quotation of Psalm 40 except for the last part which should have read, “but my ears you have opened.”  Probably wanting to emphasize the complete obedience of Jesus he used “but a body you have prepared for me.”  So now it is not just simply ears listening and obeying, it is now the whole body being offered in humble submission to God will.