visible rhetoric

A handshake is done with the right hand clasping the right hand of the other and shaking it up and down as a greeting. Actually the handshake originated several thousands of years ago probably in the Middle East. It is given as a sign that one comes in peace. The right hand is the hand that holds the weapon and offering a handshake is like saying, look I have no weapon in my hand, I come in peace. The hands-up gesture is a later elaboration probably because a left-handed person came to shake the hands of an enemy with his right hand only to kill the other with a concealed weapon with his left hand. The latter is just a conjecture. But it sure does show what surrender and coming in peace means. With the right hand open or with both hands up in the air it means that the person is at the disposal of the other. With both hands seen, one is left defenseless and is therefore under the control of the other. The consequence of the gesture of surrender has the same connotation with t...

Jesus in the gospel said that he can be the very cause of dissension and disunity among peoples and even families. We are witnesses to that – from the dissension caused by laws like the reproductive health bill, to dissensions caused by the care for the environment, to dissensions caused among priest regarding reshuffling of assignments. Even in families this can very well happen as it has happened in the past. Examine for example some of the lives of the saints and you will find here and there saints whose beliefs and decisions for Jesus and what they thought then as the best way to serve him, have caused divisions not just in their families but even in society and the church itself – Sta. Barbara, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis Xavier and Teresa of Calcutta were not spared. You may even have your own little stories at home – with conflicts arising from decisions triggered by religion – conflicts between husband and wife, between parents and children. Je...

The prudent steward. What is prudence? Prudence is called the auriga virtutum – the charioteer of the virtues. It is called the charioteer or the carrier of the virtues because the cardinal virtue of prudence concerns itself with the action to be taken in a particular circumstance and how that particular action is to be carried out in that particular circumstance. Simply said it is doing the right thing, at the right time and in the correct manner – that is prudence. Going to church is good and admirable, but to go to church to the detriment of your other pressing responsibilities at a particular time you would like to go to church, may not be a virtue. Our desire to pray in the church must be carried so to say by the charioteer of the virtues called prudence – the right thing to do at the right time – to go to church at the more appropriate time. Prudence is the charioteer of the virtues because it concerns itself with the what, when, where and how of virtue. 

We all heard about original sin – that this sin came from our first parents, the this sin is taken away by baptism, that this sin leaves some traces of itself in us. But how do we know that there is original sin in us? How do we know that we are continually affected by the consequences of this sin? Proof is this: we are constantly hounded by an intense form of human desire – hounded by intense human desire. There is nothing wrong with human desire. In fact there will be something wrong if you don’t have human desires. When we are hungry we desire to eat. We need this to survive. When we are cold, we desire warmth, a blanket perhaps. When we are warm we desire ventilation, air, cool air. But concupiscence is not just human desire – it is intense human desire, a desire which becomes unreasonable. There is nothing wrong to desire to eat when you are hungry. By all means eat. But when that desire becomes overwhelming, so much so that when you see food you get everything, take...

I would like to continue where I left off the other week with the thoughts that come to mind as we approach the day of ordination of Rev. Peter Guarin and Rev. Michael Alquisada. When a young man decides to enter the seminary, feeling that he has a reason to believe that he is called to the priesthood, he has to pass two houses of formation before he could reach the priesthood. The first is the initial formation to the priesthood consisting of 8 years minimum (I shall explain later why I placed the word “minimum”) when one is entering High School (after graduating in the elementary), or 5 years minimum if one is entering via the pre-college (after having graduated in high school outside of the seminary), or two years minimum if one graduated from a major secular course and has worked for at least two years before deciding to enter the seminary.

This week we start our immediate and direct preparation for one of those important events in the life of a parish – the ordination to the priesthood. More specifically, starting this week, we are preparing for the ordination to the priesthood of the Reverend Deacons Michael Alquisada of Barangay Tabuc Suba Ilaya and Peter John Guarin of Barangay San Roque. This is one of the important events celebrated in the parish not just because of the rarity of such an event these days but because we feel particularly blessed on such an occasion. The priesthood as I always say, is the fruit of our faith-life as a parish. It is the fruit of our prayers, as individuals and as a community, the fruit of our constant visits to our Lord in the Adoration Chapel, it is the fruit of our Holy Hours. Remember what Jesus said in the gospel, “the harvest is great but the laborers are few . . . pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers to his harvest.” Our prayers, our struggle for holiness a...

What is Halloween and where did it come from? Halloween is an October 31 event. It is the night before what was formerly called All Hallows Day. All hallows day is actually a two day affair with the celebration of All Saints Day in November 1 and All Souls Day in November 2. But both were then considered All Hallows Day. Hallow is an old English word which means to make holy as we say in the Our Father – “hallowed be thy name”. Hallow is similar in meaning to saints. Saints are people who were made holy, people who are holy – hallow. Halloween comes from this word. In fact it is an Irish word hallow e’en translated literally in modern English as Hallow eve which means the night before All Hallows Day. So there you are Halloween. So what about the souls, and ghosts and goblins and pranksters on this day, the eve of all hallows day or Halloween?

When Ron Michael and Peter threatened me with their resignation from the Commission on Liturgy if I would not accept to be their homilist this evening, and when this was seconded by their fellow ordinands, 8 of them, all wanting me, jokingly perhaps, to be their homilist, I know that they are up to something to get even with their former prefect of discipline. Well the table has just been turned and that is a fact of life I have to face today. Yesterday’s oppressed becomes today’s oppressors. Indeed I feel a little bit oppressed this past week not knowing what to say since most about the priesthood was already said and will be said in all 8 thanksgiving masses which these young men will have their ears full. But less your sinister smile of victory turn into a full blown laughter of triumph, let me warn you never again plan to get even with someone by making him your homilist, especially when that someone kept a detailed written record of all your secrets and private conversations ...

If compensation can be used as a measure for how beautiful a sermon is, then my most beautiful homily happened when I blessed a beauty parlor years back. Surrounded by beauticians, I said something like this: “After God created man and woman on the sixth day, and ‘God looked at everything that he had made and found it very good,’ but what you will be doing in this place is to make things better still. God made everything beautiful to look at, but you here will make them more beautiful still.” They were so delighted with what they heard, they never realized until then how honorable work in the parlor was. A doctor can only restore health and life, but a parlorlista can improve and even remake your hair and face including the confidence brought about by a more beautiful you! For what they thought were such godly and enriching thoughts, aside from the usual offering, I was offered a free haircut and a facial spa to boot!

I went to Ars alone! If you are not familiar with the name of the place then you are not alone. The ticket lady at the train station in Paris told me she never heard of such a place in France, and true enough it was not even listed in their computerized ticketing counter. And so I told her that it was the parish of St. John Marie Vianney. She gave me a grave look and asked, “who’s he?” And so I bought a ticket to Lisieux instead to the Basilica of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Lisieux has a train station and it was easier to locate. I rode the train early in the morning from Paris but when I arrived at the station I did not know where to go. So I asked a lady walking down the street, “where is the basilica?” It took her around three minutes to instruct me how to get there – in French of course, and all I did was to answer oui . . . oui . . .oui which was the only French word I knew.

We have heard often in the gospels about life’s great paradoxes exemplified by the life, and not only the life, but also by the teachings of Jesus himself. In the world, the poor are called the less fortunate. In the gospel they are called blessed. In the world, you have to be an adult to do what you want. In the gospel you have to be a little child in order to enter the kingdom. In the world you have to slap back if he slaps you first. In the gospel you have to turn the other cheek. In the world the queen is queen because she gives the order, she speaks and all listen, she commands and all obey. In the gospel the queen is queen because instead of giving orders she followed faithfully, instead of speaking she listened intently, instead of commanding, she obeyed diligently. In the gospel the seed must die in order to bear fruit; to love life is to lose it, to hate life is to preserve it; whoever serves as a servant shall be the greatest and the most honored.

If you are facing the main altar, you can see the antique side altar (technically we call it the retablo) at your left, the altar of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Train your eyes way up the altar just below the big eyes with the rays (that is the symbol of God the Father) and you will see a small statue of St. Rock (San Roque). The saint may not be so popular today but he was in the past. Proof of which are as follows: Barangay San Roque has for its patron its namesake. Tabuc Suba Proper is under the patronage of San Roque too. And so is Benedicto and San Vicente. People in these barangays still go in procession around their barangays during this month of August singing the gozos of San Roque, Labing Bulahan, complete with a caller who would shout the next line of the gozo so that people can join the singing. (In those days there was no photocopy machine and besides only a few knew how to read – the reason why the caller shouted the next line so that people can follow the song wh...

What for me is the meaning of the coming of Jesus? What does it mean to me? Only one thing - all these things that we see, hear, feel and do will come to pass. Everything is interim. That is the meaning of the coming of Jesus. Everything is interim. The church is temporary, and so is the liturgy and so is the diocese, the parish and come to think of it even our temptations. These are temporary. Everything will come to an end. That for me is the meaning of the second coming of Jesus. Everything that we do, we do temporarily; we do for the meantime that we are waiting for him.

I officiated the marriage of Manuel and Liezl of Barangay Benedicto last Tuesday. It was a normal wedding complete with a well-dressed couple, the bride in white wedding gown and the groom in an over-sized barong, and they have flower girls too who carried ceramic baskets. As I said it was normal except for the place where the wedding was held and the groom. It was a garage wedding with a makeshift altar covered in white and a makeshift kneeler in front with throw pillows placed on top of what looked like a doormat. I had them removed because in this almost normal wedding the groom cannot kneel. He had a major stroke a year ago and he cannot even walk unaided. With the support of the community and a tireless wife they got what they wanted – to be married in church, or more factually, in the garage before a priest.

Another discovery was made while repairing the cathedral. In the uppermost niche of the side altars we have correctly guessed that one contains the image of St. Rock. This statue is as old as the church itself and it has never been repaired so it is still in its original color. This is one of those that will not be repainted so that we can still retain proof that will indicate the age of the cathedral. The other statue on the left retablo was a bit elusive. Is this St. Augustine? Well, we all thought it was. After all this parish was founded by the Agustinians and it was only natural for them to put in one of the niches of the retablo, this time at the uppermost part of it, an image of their patron. But as the carpenters were taking it down (so that the retablo can be repaired) they found a statue of a pig beside it. Now that’s quite disconcerting - St. Augustine with a pig?! St. Augustine is usually portrayed as a bishop holding a church, or a staff, or a book and none of th...

I want to reveal some of the things I did for Candlelight . . . some of the things that happened which I wanted to write about but for one reason or the other I never did. And so here are some of them. I think I am the only priest in Iloilo who stood on a mountain of garbage, alone and with arthritis, right there in Brgy. Calahunan as I did an article on the garbage problems of Iloilo. I climbed my way to the top, struggling, with all the “what have you” beneath my feet, with flies darting to and fro like World War II flying Aces and buzzing Zeros, all the while undecided whether to breathe or not to breathe because of too much muscle and joint exertion and the terrible, unimaginable smell. But after awhile I got used to these and managed to take a few photographs for the issue along the way. When I reached the top I wanted to shout, “I made it, I made it” and plant the Vatican flag right where I was standing. And to think that the climbers of Mt. Everest thought they deserve bet...

In the book of Tobit, it is said that Tobiah came one day to his father while the latter was about to eat and told him that he saw one of their people murdered and left unburied in the market. Tobit sprang to his feet leaving his dinner untouched, went to the market and carried the body of the dead man to his house and placed it in one of the rooms. Then he ate his food in sorrow. At sundown he carried again the body, dug a grave and buried it. This was the second time Tobit had the audacity to bury the dead, therefore, suffering the taunt of his neighbors. The first time he did something similar earned him the displeasure of the king of Niniveh (who had the man killed). He was driven out of the city and had his property confiscated. But that did not prevent Tobit from repeating the same act of kindness, without delay or any hesitation on his part, when the report of Tobiah, his son, reached his ears.

Human beings by nature desire greatness. It is something human and therefore basic. We need to desire for greatness if we are to make something out of our existence. We need to desire greatness if we are to live by our Christian principles. We need to desire for greatness if we have to live the call to holiness. We need to desire greatness because its opposite is not humility, nor contentment but mediocrity. And mediocrity is the devil’s own son. It might be good to note then at the start of this reflection that Jesus never said anything bad about the desire of his apostles to be great – not here in the gospel according to Matthew, nor in Luke’s and neither in Mark’s. It can even be surmised that Jesus even encouraged his disciples to desire for greatness by the interest that he showed in what his disciples were discussing along the way and by acceding to answer their query as in the gospel today. Thus Jesus did not condemn the desire for greatness. Instead Jesus redefined gr...

Permit me to tell you one of my experiences of helplessness. Last two years ago, I was privileged to be invited to the province of Bontoc by a priest friend. The ride was not just bumpy and long, it was terribly bumpy and very long – 14 hours from manila by bus. We were literally walking on clouds passing through the highest highway in the Philippines and supposedly the coldest place in the country, where the specialty of the carinderias in our stopovers were caldereta na aso, inihaw na aso, bituka ng aso, utak ng aso, and every part of the dog except the paws and the tail. It was one place where I never saw a dog running around.

St. John the apostle it is told was the only apostle who did not die a martyr’s death. So it is said that when he was already very old and could no longer walk, he was carried in front of the congregation who would gather in the church and people would ask him to say something, to give them a sermon on the words of Jesus. But every time they would ask he would say to them the same thing - - daw pari man liwat-liwat sermon – and his talks would never change always telling them – brothers and sisters you must always love one another.

Today I would like to reflect with you the meaning of a life that is lived in sickness and pain. I must confess that the decision to reflect on these topics made me quite uneasy. First question was – is this appropriate for a birthday. Second dilemma was do I have to speak of something like sickness that we prefer not talk about. If I decided to do this it is because I believe that whenever we celebrate birthdays we celebrate the beauty of life itself – not just the joys of life but the joys with the pain. Pain is not something that we should be afraid of, or something we would rather keep silent of or probably deny. Pain is very human as much as joy is – embracing it means accepting our humanity – the same humanity which we celebrate during birthdays.

My coming here to speak in behalf of the mother of the debutante brings with it a lot of first. This is the first debut in the family after so many years. This is also the first time I am speaking in a debut. And to cap it all, this is also the first time I’m attending a debut. In our time while I was growing up in the seminary we were never allowed to attend debuts under the pain of expulsion. It is for this reason that I did some little research about a word I hear so often but never have had any first hand knowledge about.

Today in honor of St. Agatha, I would like to reflect with you on virginity. Please do not worry I am not going to make you raise your hands asking you whether you are a virgin or not. In our age which is still very much part of the sexual revolution, virginity may be considered something alien, something out of this world, something impossible to maintain and uphold. For preachers it is something equally impossible to preach. Either one is too embarrassed to talk about it or is afraid to be labeled as too distant in a world which demands that its preachers be more down to earth. But I believe, not talking about it, is precisely the reason why it has become an alien virtue in our present virtue in the present day, something that should be preached to some old nuns in a dreary convent, rather than to some jolly young people who happens to be here in this chapel. Nevertheless preach we must, otherwise St. Agatha who died at 250 AD may become a relic from a remote age. But Agatha...

A scientist in 3M’s commercial office took advantage of what this particular company calls creative time where people can still get paid doing nothing except to think creatively, knowing that a spark of an idea can turn out millions of profits. Art Fry is the name of the scientist and he was singing for a church choir during his spare time. He noticed that every time he marked his hymnal with little pieces of paper they would fall out on the floor. One day an inspiration came. He remembered an adhesive, a glue developed in a laboratory, which was considered a failure because it did not stick very well. He got it and coated a paper sample with the adhesive and he discovered that it was not only a good bookmark, but it was also good for writing notes because it will stay in place as long as you want and you can take it off without sticking to or damaging the page. Then it can be re-stuck to another page, over and over again. He hit the jackpot – the resulting product was called P...

Instead of giving you an outline of the Instrumentum laboris I am giving a personal reflection on it because I don’t want to repeat what I presume you have already read. First permit me to state the obvious in the instrumenta laboris of this second session: the Biblical Apostolate has 14 pages and has more or less 7 proposals, the Youth has 13 pages and has more or less 23 proposals, the Laity has 21 pages and has 11 proposals, the Family Life has 13 pages and 7 proposals, but topping them all, the Liturgy has 62 pages and 41 proposals. In effect we have just given our instrumentum laboris a new name – instrumentum laborious. The presumption therefore that you have read this comes from the belief that if you have not read it because of interest, you must have read it at least as an act of penance for the many sins we and others have committed on the sacred liturgy.

Judas has always been personified as a villain, the contrabida inthe story of Jesus. He was a traitor who sold Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver. But imagine what it would have been like without a Judas? Imagine what it would have been like and how the story would have ended without Judas? Surely his betrayal has a purpose. Even though how repugnant it is to us now, that act of Judas was something needed, it was something essential to the plot that became the peak of salvation history.

Today, because of the readings, is traditionally called the day of betrayal. We commemorate today the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and partially by Peter. During this day, I will begin giving the evaluation by class, of course to those who are ready. And I chose this day, the day of betrayal, to explain why I would give it by class and what you should do now that you will know each other’s needs and secrets. Last night I got the dictionary and looked for the word betrayal. It has several meanings.

What was the motive of Judas in proposing that the perfume anointed on the feet of Jesus be sold and the proceeds be given to the poor? Was it really well-intended? Was it really borne out of charity and concern for the plight of the poor, or was it plain and simple hatred for Jesus? It is difficult to know. It is something only God can fathom. But certain facts are clear from this incident. First, not all good works are motivated by good intentions. It may be done for other intentions which can only be known by the doer of the action. It may even be done because of some sinister and evil motives. Following the rules for example may be motivated by fear of authority or the need to be recognized and affirmed by the superiors. Following the rules is good. In fact it is praiseworthy. But the individual might have other intentions which may make a good deed less than sincere.

Today we gather to baptize Yanagi Lei. By the sound of her name I can safely assume the characteristics of one who had the upper hand in naming this first child last November 26. He or she should be a lover of sushi, tempura, anime and manga which leads to me the conclusion that he or she was not born during the brutal Japanese Occupation years. I might be wrong in my presumption but I can say that I am safely correct in my conclusion!

I thought I will be forgotten now that I have transferred assignment and had my cellphone numbers changed twice and had the new one put to good use by some needy pedestrian in Manila, the latter being the more Christian way of saying “ay yatis kinawatan ako.” Most often the worst of circumstances can be transformed into good when the mind changes the way it looks at things and events. Twenty minutes after I was pick pocketed my anger dissipated, something that seldom happens. And it happened when I got myself to look the other way around and say that that cellphone, which I seldom used anyway, could be finally put to good use. I think that is what Mother Marie Eugenie meant when she said that “the spirit of Assumption tends towards joyful detachment and going beyond trials and difficulties without complaining and wasting time over them.” Indeed these are not just words for Marie Eugenie. The pains of her growing up years never became a reason to get stuck to whine and sulk about ...

One day a samurai who had too much of wine made a commotion on the streets disturbing everybody as he passed by. Seeing a monk who was walking quietly, he immediate jumped on him and blocked his way. The poor monk calmly looked for another route but the drunk samurai followed him suit and again blocked his way. Sensing that he could not get rid of him, the monk quietly asked, “what can I do for you, sir?”

Why are we baptized? We are baptized for three reasons. First, we are baptized so that we will become sons and daughters of God, our baptism makes us participate in the new life won for us by Christ who by his death and resurrection has made us sons and daughters of the Father. Second, we are baptized to cleanse us from our sins, to give us a fresh start, to rid us of sin which obstructs us from living fully our call as sons and daughters of God. And thirdly, we are baptized in order to incorporate us into the family of God, to become members of the church. Baptism marks our entry into the community of God.

I have said so many things already through the years, having been assigned here twice, regarding the feast of Our Lady of Candles and the proper liturgical feast which is the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple. I have commented on the long expected child, on Mary and Joseph, on Simeon and Anna, and even on those poor pair of turtle doves. But the word of God, though ancient, is ever new, always relevant, always significant, always possessing a message that continually hounds us and draws us to the deeper realities of our life and call. Last year I reflected on our second reading, a reading from the letter to the Hebrews. Today for our reflection, let us focus ourselves on the first reading from the prophet Malachi.

Today is Christmas, Merry Christmas. I just want to emphasize this point because today is officially Christmas Day. I say officially because some of us have already started greeting each other Merry Christmas way back November and even as early as September when we begun putting up our Christmas Trees and lanterns. That was the unofficial Christmas, also known as the Filipino Christmas. Today it is officially Christmas and we are celebrating it after almost all our Christmas parties are over. We are after all a people known for postponing our grief and anticipating our joys.

The only logical thing about the movie Tanging Ina is her use of two aphorisms or sayings from which she would draw a unique conclusion. She said, Practice makes perfect, but nobody is perfect, so why practice? So you also watched that movie. I must admit I also watched that movie and I was entertained up to a certain extent, and when I could not stand it anymore I left even before reaching the middle part. I must admit there has always been a limit to my patience as my students very well know and perhaps very well experienced.