visible rhetoric

Isko, ang sabat sa panawagan, may not be your typical vocation story - although I believe there is no such thing as a typical vocation story – every vocation story is unique -  but this musical play affirms the age old reality that a vocation can only grow with the support of the Christian community.  We used to say in our vocation campaigns that no one is born a priest or a religious, for indeed a new born child though a bundle of so many possibilities is just that, a bundle of possibilities but with nothing definite.  It is rather the family and the Christian community surrounding the child that affirms him or her in the religious vocation.  Today therefore this musical play is in part a tribute to the parish community that makes a vocation grow.

There are two versions of what happened during the months and days preceding the birth of the Lord on that first Christmas - the version of Matthew and the version of Luke.  Both may be telling the same story externally but there exist a difference.  The version of Luke it would seem came from the perspective of Mary – it narrated what happened to her, her encounter with the angel, her inner thoughts and feelings, her confusion, and eventually her agreement and surrender.  The other version, the version of Matthew it would seem came from the perspective of Joseph, it narrated what happened to him, it gave the reader a look into what went through his mind and heart, how it disturbed and confused him, it narrated his feelings, and we even came to know of his dreams and eventually his obedience.  Since our gospel comes from Matthew then I would like to discover and dig further into this latter perspective, the perspective of Joseph.  How did Joseph experienc...

I am once again assigned on the second day of the Aguinaldo mass, in the same chapel, surely with more or less the same people in attendance, and with the same gospel, a gospel most priests dread.  Amo na ang diperensya sa kalibutan.   Kon ulihi ka pili, imo ang bilin. This is the problem when you are made to repeat one thing over and over again.  It loses its newness, it loses its novelty, indi na sia fresh kay man liwat liwat na sia.  Wala na sing surprise, wala na ini naga-create sang sense of wonder.  May sacristan ako sang una.  Ang ngalan niya si Jose.  Jose was 8 years old.  He died because of leukemia.  But anyway kada gani istorya ko, even if he was only eavesdropping, he would always ask, ngaa haw.  So ang amon istorya sa lamesa for as long as he was around pirme lang sabat sa pamangkot nga ngaa haw, ngaa haw, ngaa haw, endless ngaa haw.  Sang ulihi natak-an ako  kag ginsingganan ko sia, Jose sugod subong ...

As the celebration of Christmas draws near our preparation grows intense.  Today in our first reading from the prophet Zephaniah, we are reminded of the four graces rejected by Jerusalem because of her rebelliousness, her pollution and tyranny. First Jerusalem is despised because she hears no voice, she does not listen to the word of the Lord.  Second she does not accept corrections, she does not embrace conversion.  Third, she does not trust in the Lord.  And fourth she does not draw near to God.  The opposite of these rejections are the four marks of the remnant, those who are considered humble and lowly.  Humble and lowly are not social statuses but the dispositions of the heart regardless whether one is rich or poor.  One who is humble and lowly possesses these four graces.  They listen to God’s voice, they seek direction from God and not from human wisdom or conventions and fashions.  This is an important disposition of the humble...

Today we read that part of the book of the prophet Isaiah which we call the book of consolation.  It is called the book of consolation because Israel after many years of exile in Babylon will now be permitted to go back to Jerusalem.  Finally they are going home.  The chapters before this chapter are full of condemnation and judgement.  Israel is punished, Judah is chastised for her sins.  Then the shift of tone begins.  Now beginning with this chapter the book of consolation begins and it begins with the emphatic command from the Lord, “comfort, comfort my people.”

Today in the third day of advent we read from the book of the prophet Isaiah.  We will hear a lot from the prophet Isaiah in this season of advent because of his oracles on the coming messiah.  But it might be good to start our reflection by knowing the context of these oracles so that we can have a better appreciation of what Isaiah is talking about.  Isaiah is a prophet of hope because he speaks of the coming salvation.  But hope cannot be hope without a context of despair or misery or at the very least hopelessness, and salvation cannot be salvation without that context from which one is being saved from.  Diri kita pirme nagakadula.   This is a season of hope – hope from what, hope for what?  This is a season of joy, joy because of what?  Kon madula ka gani sa context ti lain man ang imo paghangop sang hope kag lain man ang ginahalinan sang imo joy sa sining krismas. So ano ang context ni Isaiah?

If you examine the bible more closely you will see two kinds of beliefs on the 2 nd coming of the Lord.  There is the belief on the imminent return, dali na gid lang, sa dili madugay ; and second there is the belief on the future return or what is also called the delayed return, dugay pa, lawig pa nga hulatay ni.   It seems that when Mark was writing our gospel today he is familiar with these two beliefs in his community.  So what did he do?  What did he believe in?  What did he choose to insist on, the imminent or the delayed.  In our gospel today Mark seemed not to choose from the two.  He simply put those two beliefs together.  Not because he cannot decide but because he has his own purpose.  Actually he may even have two purposes.

Today in the last week of the liturgical year the church reads from the book of revelation because the book of revelation speaks of the end times, the time when the second coming of Jesus is near.  Revelation as I have explained last week is full of symbols because it is a subversive document and thus has to write in coded language.  Today we talk about the 144,000 who stand together with the Lamb in Jerusalem.  144,000 is the result of multiplying 12 and 12 and 1000.  12 represent the 12 tribes of Israel – it is a perfect number.  This is multiplied with 12 representing the 12 apostles – again it is a perfect number.  Then the total is again multiplied by 1,000.  1.000 is a symbol of a vast multitude, it represents a number that we cannot count.  And so there we have 12 times 12 equals 144 times 1,000 equals 144,000.  It represents the vast multitude of Christians who are marked on their foreheads with the name of the Father.

Why is it that it takes time for a running train to stop?  Why does it take time for a car driven fast to come to a full stop?  Because of a law in physics which we call momentum.  Momentum is mass times velocity.  An object has more momentum if it is bigger or if it is going faster.  For example gamay man lang ang football pero tungod kay ginsipa sing todo, dasig kaayo, then the momentum is higher and so it is harder to stop – the goalie will have to bear the force of the kick if he wants to catch the ball and prevent it from entering the goal.  A ng truck nga nagakambia sa neutral if it begins to roll, gamay lang iya velocity, indi gid sia madasig, pero tungod kay daku ang iya mass ukon bug-at sia, then budlay papundohon.  Pero kon bug-at na kag dasig pa pareho abi sang tren ukon eroplano ukon nagadalagan nga awto, mas mabudlay pa gid papundohon bisan naprinohan mo na.  Why because of the momentum which was created and determined by mass...

Two things from our first reading today. First, the little scroll that John ate was sweet like honey to the mouth but when it is swallowed it fills the stomach with bitterness.  In symbolic language this is what prophecy is all about.  It is filled with grace and blessing but it also contains judgment and condemnation.  Whenever we seek God’s will there will always be blessings and grace but there will also be dying, parting and cutting.  Be always prepared for that.  As they say you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

Today we read from the book of Revelation.   It is a book full of symbolisms, full of coded messages because it is a subversive book and only insiders can understand the book. In this particular passage John tells of a sealed scroll, a sealed book which contains the plan of God.   John shed many tears because he cannot open the book, and no one can open the book. John needs to know what is written in the book.   In fact all people should know the contents of the book because it contains the plan of God.   They who know God’s plan will be able to discover the meaning of life and they will therefore cease to be anxious about the past, or the present and or even the future.   In our case for example if we can just open the book we don’t have to be anxious anymore asking again and again, will I become a priest or not, will I become a good priest or not, will I become a good husband, a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, or what.   And yet no one knows how to op...

If you ask me what is the sign of a religious vocation in the individual, I would answer it is generosity, when a person lives not for himself but for others. Love always begins as self-love.  A baby will always call attention to self without consideration for others.  When a baby is hungry it will not consider the fact that his mother might be doing something important and could delay in giving him attention.   A baby will demand immediate attention because his world is just himself.  He cannot see beyond himself and his needs. But as the baby grows little by little he begins to see the wider world, that he is not alone, that there are other people beside him, that there are other needs besides his, that there are other necessities more important even than his.  And so he begins to think of others, he begins to take into consideration their needs, sometimes even more than his needs.  Little by little he becomes conscious that he is not alo...

Today we read from the 3 rd letter of John, a letter addressed to Gaius.   It is a short personal letter asking Gaius meant to secure hospitality and material support for missionaries.   Specifically John the elder is asking Gaius to take care of Demetrius who had come to preach the gospel in the vicinity where Gaius lived.   The elder John commended Gaius for his hospitality in receiving pilgrims, missionaries and itinerant preachers of the gospel sent by John to the many churches scattered all over the area.   Gaius ministered to them and supported them by welcoming them into his house and by giving them material assistance in their work.   For this John the elder called Gaius a co-worker in the truth, a fellow worker in the truth because of his hospitality to a minister of God, and because of this Gaius shares in the merit of the preacher, he receives the prophet’s reward.   Paul would also commend such hospitality and support shown to those workin...

Today we read the second letter of John.  It is addressed to the Chosen Lady or Electa who is a metaphor of the church.  It was written at a difficult time for the community when false teachers were misleading the children of the chosen Lady, the members of the church.  There was division in the community because of false teachers spreading another set of doctrine, and not everything is well in many Christian communities.  There were divisions because of false teachings.  However the elder was thankful that the children of the chosen lady were all following the truth and have not succumbed to lies. 

Today we read the shortest of Paul’s letter and also one of the most beautiful.   Philemon was a convert of Paul and by some circumstance Paul met in prison and converted a run-away slave by the name of Onesimus who was owned by Philemon.   When the slave was released Paul gave him this letter, the letter to Philemon so that the slave Onesimus could deliver it to his master.   As the owner of a runaway slave Philemon could have Onesimus executed, but Paul interceded to Philemon to accept him back, no longer as a slave but as a brother.   Why?   Because he is a fellow human being and in the Lord.

Today we read the last part of this short letter of Paul to Titus and this last part is basically a reminder of the basis why a Christian has social obligations, why a Christian should be obedient to authority, why a Christian should not slander anyone, why should he or she be peaceable, considerate, courteous and gracious toward all?   What is the basis of these good actions?   What is the basis of these social obligations? The basis is this - a Christian should show in his or her actions the effects of salvation in his or her life and relations.   A Christian should show the change from sin to grace, and she should show the change happening in her life from an era of slavery and error, to the era of freedom and rebirth.   Since yesterday this was the theme of Paul.   Faith transforms the person.   Our baptism in Christ does not only wash away our sins, it does not only erase our sins.   Instead baptism sanctifies us and transforms us.   It ...

Somebody once said, "The more I say 'No' to myself, the more I say 'Yes' to the Holy Spirit."  This is what St. Paul has been saying in many of his letters, written in different ways but always expressing the same sense.  In Galatians he talked about crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires, and to go against the desires of the flesh, to say NO to our worldly desires.  In Ephesians Paul wrote about the old self deteriorating because of desires.  Turning to Titus in our first reading today Paul gave the same entreaty saying, “reject godless ways and worldly desires.” Why is St. Paul so concerned about our desires?  A Philosopher by the name of Thomas Hobbes said that human desire is the fundamental motivation of human action.  It is our desire that moves us to act, it is our desire that makes us decide how to act, it is our desire that makes us decide what to do. Many times our desires, when these are not tempered by reason can become an...

Somebody once said, "The more I say 'No' to myself, the more I say 'Yes' to the Holy Spirit."  This is what St. Paul has been saying in many of his letters, written in different ways but always expressing the same sense.  In Galatians he talked about crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires, and to go against the desires of the flesh.  In Ephesians he wrote about the old self deteriorating because of desires.  Turning to Titus he gave the same entreaty saying, “reject godless ways and worldly desires.” Why is St. Paul so concerned about our desires?  A Philosopher by the name of Thomas Hobbes said that human desire is the fundamental motivation of human action.  It is our desire that moves us to act, it is our desire that makes us decide how to act, it is our desire that makes us decide what to do.

Today we read from the letter of Paul to Titus.   Titus was for a time the secretary of Paul.   And you and I know very well how secretaries always end up.   Titus was sent by Paul from Ephesus to Corinth.   In fact he was sent all over to organize the collection for Jerusalem.   He was called again to Nicopolis and from there he was sent again to Dalmatia.    We never hear Titus complain.   Probably as a secretary he got so used to being pushed and pulled about by his mentor.   In this letter we know that Paul left him again in Crete to organize the church there and then.     He was left to minister to the people of Crete, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.   It was not an ideal assignment.   In fact in the next verse Paul said that he was told that the people of Crete are" liars, evil beasts and idle gluttons. "  Nevertheless Paul told Titus to stay behind and set right what remains to be done. ...

Today we celebrate all saints day.  It is that day once a year when we come together to remember all the saints in heaven, saints with a small letter s and the saints with the capital letter S.  Today we remember all the citizens of heaven, a citizenship which we also aim to attain when our death comes. Today our gospel reminds us of something very important to us as believers of Jesus which we most often forget. First our gospel tells, commands us to be happy.  It says blessed – blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they who mourn, blessed are the meek.  Blessed means be happy.  Our life in Jesus is not a sad life.  It is a happy life.  Yes from time to time we will be burdened by so many cares and difficulties, every now and then we will be weighed down by so many anxieties, but in the end we are basically a happy people.

In our first reading we read one of the most beautiful hymns sung by Christians during the time of St. Paul.  Until now, two thousand years later, this hymn forms part of the prayer of the church in its evening prayer.  It is the earliest proclamation of the divinity of Christ, that Jesus is really God as he is truly human. Jesus is often referred to by the Fathers of the Church as the New Adam.  He is called the New Adam because there was an Old Adam.  They are a study in contrast.  The old Adam wanted to become like God, the new Adam in contrast though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God.  The Old Adam was steeped with pride filled with his ego, wanting to be what he was not, in contrast the new Adam was humble, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave.  The Old Adam was disobedient, defying the expressed command of God, in contrast the New Adam who was obedient even to accepting death on the cross.  Becau...

Paul in our first reading today writes to the Christians in Ephesus.  Paul reminds them of their former lives – they were pagans, they were gentiles, they were excluded from the people of God, they were despised by the Jews.  Their status as gentiles is symbolized by the wall in the temple.  In the temple in Jerusalem during the time of the apostles there was that wall which separates the gentiles from both the sanctuary and from the Jews.  They could not see much less approach  see the sanctuary where God dwells because a wall blocks their way.  They could not interact with the Jews or even come near them because again a wall separates them from the Jews.  Why that wall?  Because in the past only the Jews were considered sons.  It was only to them that God made a covenant. It was only to them that God gave the Law and it was only to Jews that God made his promises.  There was no such grace for the gentiles, only for the Jews.

The letter to the Galatians reveals the true colors of St. Paul, not just his temper which is too glaring to hide in this particular letter especially, but above all his zeal, his passion, his love for Jesus.  This letter was occasioned by some Christians who insisted on the Galatians that they can only become true Christians if they follow the law of Moses.  This would include being circumcised and following the traditions and rituals followed diligently by the Jews as pointed out and condemned by Jesus in our gospel today.  The point of contention is this – is it necessary or not?  Is it necessary for salvation or not.  Paul is not saying circumcision is bad.  He is merely saying that it is not necessary.  Paul is not saying like Jesus, that following the rituals of the Jews is bad but it is not necessary.  It is not required.  It is not a sine qua non , one which you could not do without.  We were saved by the death of Jesus....

The book of Proverbs where our first reading today is taken from, is part of a group of books in the bible we call Wisdom Literature.  It is grouped under this heading because it teaches wisdom, it teaches the truth and most especially it inculcates a way of life.  Despites its name the book of proverbs is not entirely proverbs or short statements.  There are also stories, parables and poetry. The book of proverbs provides practical wisdom which we can practice every day but it is different from the mere worldly wisdom because it has a moral and a spiritual content.  The wise man, the man imbued by wisdom is one who always views life with a spirit of reverence to God while the fool, the opposite of the wise is a person who has no religious sensibilities, one who does not consider God in his life behaving as if there is no God.   The Book of Proverbs considers the fool as a person who does not have God in his thoughts.  So we find in our readings...

A recent and most important scientific finding was the Higgs Boson or just simply the Higgs.  It was the costliest experiment and research involving so many scientists, physicists especially, trying to find out why atoms stick to one another.  Thus this discovery, the Higgs Boson is also called the “God Particle” because it is the building block of the elements from which everything starts.  But here’s the hitch.  When they made an announcement about their findings many people even those in the scientific world did not cheer or congratulate but instead they dismissed it initially with a stifled laugh.  Why so?  Because they, the scientists involved in the research chose to present their findings using a typeface or a font called Comic Sans MS.  If you are using Microsoft Word you are familiar with this font, Comic Sans MS.  The findings were initially dismissed because what they were using was not a believable font.  So this too is a w...

Paul continues to explain to the Corinthians what will become of our bodies in the resurrection of the dead.  He compares it to a seed.  A seed has to die and corrupt so that it can become new life; so also the body has to die and corrupt in order to be raised up.  The plant which grew from the seed is unlike the seed; so also the resurrected bodies would be so unlike our present bodies for it will be endowed with new qualities. 

Here Paul continues what he began yesterday  - to affirm that since Christ was risen from the dead then we too would rise from the dead.  If there is no resurrection from the dead then faith is useless, believing is useless, following Jesus is useless.  Thus Paul ended saying, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.”  Kon nagatuo kita kay Kristo para lang sa sini nga kinabuhi, pues kaluluoy man kita.  Kon indi man lang kita mabanhaw para pa sa ano nga kita magtuo kay Kristo.  This is the point of Paul in arguing about the resurrection of the dead.  Mangabudlay ako para sa sini lang nga kabuhi?  Mangabudlay gid ako sing tuman para sa seisenta ukon sitentay anyos nga kabuhi?  Tapos ano, patay ka man lang.

For the Romans the last is not the least but the most important.  We have come to the last topic of Paul in his letter to the Corinthians and he placed it last because it was the most important.  The question about the resurrection is placed before him.  The Corinthians had a hard time believing that the dead will rise again.  Not just because it is absurd by also because not everyone is sure that they would want to rise again in their bodies.  For the Corinthians matter is evil.  It is the source of so much suffering and should therefore be discarded.

Yesterday in our reflection we said that St. Paul never meant that being contended with what we have we should no longer strive to become better.  In fact we ended yesterday’s reading and begin today’s reading with the same injunction: to strive eagerly for greater things, to be zealous for the better gifts.

For the past several months now I have dedicated myself to reflect and therefore study the first readings whatever will come.  Sometimes I would take the second reading if it is a Sunday.  This way I am forcing myself to study and not to get contented with the things that I already knew.  At the end of our first reading Paul wrote, Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.  Other bibles would translate it as be zealous for greater gifts.  Do not be content with what you have, with what you know, with what you could already do, but strive for greater gifts. Now why did St. Paul said this?   What is his context?  He wrote in our reading, “You are Christ’s Body, and individually you are parts of it.”  We are the body of Christ, the church is the body of Christ, our community taken together is the body of Christ.  We are a church.  But individually you are parts of it, you are members of this body and therefore all are ...

The controversy of eating meat offered to idols is dealt yet again.   This time Paul compares it the Eucharist.   We become what we eat.   That is why the word to describe eating meat offered to idols or eating the bread and wine offered in the Eucharist is to participate – we participate in the meal, meaning we become one with what we eat.   Today we substitute the word participation with communion, we receive communion, meaning we become one with what we eat.

St. Paul said, Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win.  Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.  They do it to win a perishable crown, but we, an imperishable one.

Here is a beautiful passage from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians: "Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up."  The background of this passage is the question whether to eat or not to eat meat offered to idols.  Pagan Corinth offers meat to their gods and goddesses then some of these are brought home or are sold to market to be eaten.  The question is, are we allowed to eat this meat or not?  For Paul knowledge will tell us yes, we can eat meat offered to idols because in the first place there are no idols, there are no gods and goddesses except the one true God.  So knowledge informs us that there is nothing wrong to eat meat that was offered "to mere thin air."

There are two things Paul is trying to tell us this morning in our first reading. First, tempus breve est .  Time is short.  The apostle Paul in our first reading says this line in order to encourage us to make the very best use of our time to serve God and others for his sake.  Why is celibacy noble, why is it advantageous to remain unmarried?  Because time is short, too short to be preoccupied by so many concerns – including the obligation of providing for a family.   Why is the resolution to remain a virgin, to remain unattached good and even excellent?  Because time is short, which only leaves us time enough to provide for eternity and we have no more time to for the pursuit of the temporal.

The letter of Paul to the Corinthians is a real letter.  It is not some general letter which dealt with general topics.  The letter has a context.  It was written to a particular community experiencing a particular problem.  It was written in order to address a specific situation which Paul came to know about probably through a messenger or through an earlier letter. There were conflicts in the Christian community of Corinth and Paul was shocked with the way they handled them.  A Christian would bring another Christian to a court of law.  Christians were asking pagan judges to make a ruling to resolve the conflict between them.  For Paul that is a scandal because for Paul Christianity is the whole of life.  It is not just one part of your life, it is not just a portion of your life.  No, it is the whole.  And so even resolving conflicts among fellow Christians should be imbued with the teachings of Christ, resolving conflicts ...

Today on the birthday of our Blessed Mother we reflect on a passage in scriptures which to my mind explains the miracle of every birth.  We focus our reflection on our first reading, from the letter of Paul to the Romans. Paul, after giving the Romans a litany of instructions in the kind of life that they must live as followers of Jesus, ends these with words of encouragement.  He writes, we know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 

In a survey by SWS in 2013 only 37 percent of Catholics go to mass weekly.   Fr. John Carrol translated this mathematically saying that each priest in the Philippines would at the very least say mass to 3,280 mass goers.   That’s a lot of people and I believe I have not said mass to that many on a given Sunday.   Now for example I am celebrating mass to 20 people and I need to say another mass to 3,260 in order to complete my quota in the 37 percent.   What is however disheartening in the survey is the fact that in 1991 64 percent of the catholic population go to mass weekly.   Of course the population then was somewhere in the 50 million mark while now we are in the hundred million.   But the fact is the drop is steep – from 64 percent to 37 percent.   And yet in a recent international survey the Philippines ranked the highest in terms of people believing in God – 94 percent of Filipinos believe in God.

There are two kinds of persons according to our first reading today from the letter of Paul to the Corinthians.  The person can either remain a physical man or he can become a man imbued by the Spirit of Go d.  Other bibles translate physical man as the animal man or the natural man.  Tawo lang gid sia, tawohanon lang gid sia, so ang panan-aw niya tawohanon ang gid.  St. Paul describes a physical man as someone who could not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, he does not have the spirit of God with him, so he only sees things with human wisdom.  That is why for him the wisdom of God and those who follow it, is foolishness for the physical man cannot understand it because he remains worldly, he relies only on human wisdom. But a spiritual man sees things differently because he sees things from the point of view of God, not according to the standards set by the world but according to the heart of God.  This is because the spiritual man has ...

If we have to summarize our first reading today this is what I can come up with – vocation comes first, merits do not count; the call comes first, worthiness does not have to follow; God reaches out first and together with it God gives the one he calls the capacity to respond. The call comes first and merits do not count - Not many of you were wise by human standards ,not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. God chose the foolish of the world, God chose the weak of the world, God chose the lowly and despised of the world.  Simply, those called are not meritorious, they are not fit to be called.  It is God who calls and we cannot know his criteria, we cannot know where he bases his judgment on those he calls.  So what is seminary formation?  Seminary formation merely aims to recognize the call and sometimes to even clarify the call.  And secondly seminary formation forms the person to respond rightly to the call, to help him respond corre...

The second letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is believed to be the second earliest new testament writing, the first to be written being the First Letter to the Thessalonians.  One proof that this is a very early writing is the belief that Christ’s return is imminent.  People in the second half of the first century, and that includes St. Paul, believed that Christ will return very soon and some have even sold already all their properties and refused to take up useful labor .  That is why in this same Second Letter to the Thessalonians Paul told them that those who would not work should not eat. People were so preoccupied with the return of the Lord that they forgot their day today obligations and responsibilities.  Daw pareho man bala sang una nga may rumor nga ma-end of the world na kag nagbinakal kita sang perdon nga kandila kag nagpabendita sang pospro.  Didto pa ako na-assign sa cathedral sadto kag nalipay gid kami kay naubos ang baligya namon nga k...

Ezekiel is commissioned to become a prophet to Israel, in the words of God, to become a watchman to the chosen people.  Both in the first readings yesterday, today and in the coming days Ezekiel would witnesses the shekinah of God, the glory of God or the presence of God leaving and abandoning the temple.  God abandons his people.  God no longer resides with his people, a prelude to the destruction of Judah and most especially the destruction of the temple.  It is like the movie Isang Araw Walang Dios , or the reaction of a mayor when he assessed the devastation in Tacloban the morning after Yolanda hit the city, saying, Where is God? God must have been somewhere else when Yolanda came.

Our reading today is a continuation of yesterday’s passage when the people wanted to kill Jeremiah because he prophesied that Jerusalem will be destroyed.  But through his own defense and the timely intervention of certain men his death sentence was averted.  The situation in Jerusalem was such that people there began to think that nothing that offends their sensibilities or contradicts their desires can come from God.  So it’s like saying - it saddens me, it frightens me so this must not have come from God.  It gives me discomfort, it compromises my position, it inconveniences me, so this must not have come from God.  It puts me at a disadvantage, it puts me down, it does not make me happy and comfortable, then it must not have come from God.  It is suffering, it is pain, it is a burden, then it must not have come from God.  Nowadays we only want to hear what we love to hear. 

Jeremiah was almost killed by the mob when he dared to say the unthinkable - that what happened to the shrine in Shiloh many years before will also happen to Jerusalem, the holy place, most sacred to the Jews.  Shiloh was the first shrine where the ark of the covenant was placed in a tent just after they entered the promised land.  Jerusalem was not yet founded by King David and there was no temple yet except the sanctuary in Shiloh.  It was in Shiloh that the Israelites met a brutal defeat.  Their armies were totally routed and the ark of the covenant was taken by their enemies the Philistines.  To say that Jerusalem will become another Shiloh is to say that Jerusalem, the temple and the ark of the covenant itself will be destroyed.  To say that Jerusalem will become another Shiloh, is to say that Jerusalem will become nothing but ruins.  How could God allow such a thing to happen?  This is his temple, this is his abode, we are his chosen ...

Today the prophetic word is preceded again by another symbol action.  God brings Jeremiah to a potter’s house and there shows him what God is about to do to Israel.  There at the potter’s house the potter is working on the wheel.  And Jeremiah notices that whenever the object of clay which the potter is making turns out badly in his hand, the potter tries again, this time making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleases.  The potter does not destroy or discard the clay that turned out badly.  No, he simply remakes it into another object, taking off from the mistake and using this to make another object that pleases him. Several lessons can be learned here.

Woe to me, Jeremiah said, like Job he wished that he was not born at all.  And the source of his moaning and complaining was his vocation as a prophet.  Today we get a glimpse of what happens when the man of God undergoes a spiritual crisis.  Jeremiah bared his soul for all of us to see.  He was wallowing in self pity, he feels sorry for himself, he blames himself for the conflicts around him, he was giving his all but things don’t turn out well.  Everyone was against him, he feels lonely, alone, abandoned and he turns to God and blames him for going soft on evil doers and sinners who are plotting against him. “Your anger is very slow,” Jeremiah said to God, “realize that I suffer insult for your sake.”  Now that is a strong statement.  And Jeremiah continued, “I devoured your words they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, and because I am working for you I did not enjoy, I did not party like the rest.  Then why are you making me s...

Our first reading is a beautiful prayer.  It is part of the Lamentations of Jeremiah written during the war that would bring Judah to what we call in history as the Babylonian Exile.  But first let us ask what is a prophet?  Sometimes we have that wrong understanding that a prophet is one who predicts the future.  No that is not a prophet, that is a fortune teller.  In the bible a prophet is a prophet because he speaks for God, he speaks to the people on God’s behalf.  He brings and reveals, so to say, the heart of God. And yet at the same time a prophet is a prophet because he speaks to God in behalf of the people. He brings and reveals, so to say, the heart, the collective cry of the people to God.  And this is why I refer to our reading as a beautiful prayer for the prophet Jeremiah in this instance speaks both ways. 

Our first reading is a beautiful prayer.   It is part of the Lamentations of Jeremiah written during the war that would bring Judah to what we call in history as the Babylonian Exile.   What is a prophet?   Sometimes we have that wrong understanding that a prophet is one who predicts the future.   No that is not a prophet, that is a fortune teller.   In the bible a prophet is a prophet because he speaks for God, he speaks to the people on God’s behalf.   And yet at the same time a prophet is a prophet because he speaks to God in behalf of the people. And this is why I refer to our reading as a beautiful prayer for the prophet Jeremiah in this instance speaks both ways.   First God speaks through Jeremiah   - Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, Over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, If I walk out into the field, look! those slain by the sword; If I enter the city, look! those cons...

God uses a strange metaphor to illustrate his closeness to Judah.  Through the prophet Jeremiah, God compares his relationship with Judah to a man and his underwear.  It does not need much explanation why we refer to these clothing as our intimate apparel.  But that is how close God is to us.  However, with Judah the relationship has become rotten illustrated by a rotten loin cloth.  It has become useless, for Judah refused to listen to God.  In Hebrew the word to listen and to obey is one and the same word.  And that is also true in Hiligaynon.  Ang mga wala nagapamati include not just those who did not hear but even those who heard but did not follow, those who heard but did not obey, kay man wala nagapamati – dala gurinat.   Relationship and intimacy is always bound in our capacity to listen to each other, in our capacity to hear each other and the resolve to follow the truth of what we hear, isn’t it?  Intimacy always starts wi...