visible rhetoric

We continue to reflect on the psalms, this time psalm 96. Psalm 96 has several things to teach us.  First.  It is not just the people or the nations that are praising God.  Nature is also praising God, the very fabric of creation praises God. The sky, the earth, the seas, the field are all commanded to praise the Lord.  In the bible nature, the things around us, has sacred meaning.  For example, the mountain because of its height and grandeur symbolizes the place of divine encounter.  The rain symbolizes God's care for the earth.  The oceans speak of God's immensity and vastness.  The waves of the ocean and the roar when it reaches the shore or smashes on the rocks and outcrops, these waves speak of God's power and might.  The clouds speak of God's presence, as light also does, as its opposite, darkness, speaks of God's absence. I happened to go to a place where the mountains are so high and so big and the forest so vast they advertise t...

I have been reflecting on the responsorial psalms of the mass these past few months now and I would like to continue doing so today on the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Today we reflect on beauty, specifically on the beautiful bride praised exceedingly by the equally dashing bridegroom in psalm 45.  I believe I have enough credentials to speak on beauty.  For one I was exposed early in life to the beautiful.  After all my elementary years were spent in Assumption with so many beautiful classmates and schoolmates.  I was also voted last year as outstanding teacher in Philosophy.  I am teaching Aesthetics, the Philosophy of Beauty.  And I would always tell the seminarians that if ever they leave the seminary for good they should show me at least the reason why, so that I could judge whether she is indeed worth leaving behind the priesthood.  After all I am an authority on beauty. Seriously now.  Since I am surrou...

Today we read Psalm 119.  It is the longest psalm with 176 verses, and therefore it is also the longest chapter in the bible.  In the bible length is always an indication that something is very important.  If you have listened carefully in the reading of the psalm you will hear different words but always referring to the same thing - decrees, laws, commands, promises.  These words refer only to one thing - God's word, as we read these in scriptures, in our bibles.  And the words used to describe the feeling that accompanies reading or hearing God's words are – they are riches, delights, precious like gold and silver, sweet to the palate, sweeter than honey, they are my inheritance, the joy of my heart, to yearn for it with open mouth.  This psalm is praise of God's instructions, a praise of the torah, a praise of God's word.  Let's do some reality check:  do you long for God's word like the psalmist who describes his desire for it as a yearni...

Jesus tells us to take up our crosses and follow him.  What are the crosses that we need to take up daily?  The cross is not a difficulty.  Whether we like it or not, Christian or not, life will always be difficult.  But to take up the cross means to die to something – to be willing to put to death your plans, to put to death your desires, to set aside what you want for the sake of following Jesus.   If you want to become a priest you better get used to dying to what you want.  As a priest formator I entered the seminary in 1997.  I stayed here until 2008.  For the meantime I was temporarily assigned in the cathedral.  I applied to become parish priest somewhere in a rural area – I really wanted to be assigned in a rural area – tak-an na ako sa ciudad.  But instead I was assigned back to the seminary.  I pleaded to the bishop pero wala – go to the seminary.  Again after 5 years I applied again.  And again h...

St. Vincent Ferrer explained this gospel by telling of a good soldier well-loved by the general.  This soldier went to the general to ask for an apple, a sweet apple.  But the general did not give him the apple but instead gave him a fortress.  And still the soldier asked for the apple but the general gave him a big and beautiful war horse.  The gift was received but the soldier kept insisting on the apple.  Again the general ignored him and gave him a beautiful armor.  Again the gift was received but the soldier asked for the apple.  Finally, the general gave in and gave him the apple.  Lesson:  if the apple was given immediately upon the request of the soldier, the soldier would not have the other gifts because he would have stopped asking.  He would have no fortress, he would not have a beautiful and powerful war horse and he would not have a beautiful and strong armor. This according to St. Vincent is the lesson of our gospel...

We continue to reflect on our Responsorial Psalm – this time Psalm 102.  The description given to Psalm 102 is “A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD."  Here we can therefore sense that the person who prayed this psalm was in great difficulty.  And what is the affliction about?  What is the source of his difficulty?  At the beginning one can sense that the affliction is somewhat physical, probably a sickness.  But as one goes along in the psalm, the affliction seems to be not just physical and it is not even personal but a national affliction – it was something that affected the country, something that brought distress to God's people. "The nations shall revere your name, O LORD, when the LORD has rebuilt Zion, when he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not despised their prayer." 

Peter was invited by the Lord to walk on the water with him.  Peter did.  But in the middle he doubted and when he doubted he sank.  Many times we doubt.  I remember I doubted twice whether I was meant for the priesthood or not.  The first doubt was after college.  As I was about to leave some seminarian friends who were there already in theology invited me to go to pastoral with them.  I really enjoyed the pastoral and the seminarians were very supportive.  So siling ko, bisan budlay gali magproceed sa theology damo man ako friend nga magabulig sa akon.   So I proceeded to theology.

Today we read Psalm 119.  It is the longest psalm with 176 verses, and therefore it is also the longest chapter in the bible.  In the bible length is always an indication that something is very important.  If you have listened carefully in the reading of the psalm you will hear words of almost identical meaning repeated – statutes, law, word of truth, ordinances, decrees, and verbs like teach, instruct, pay heed.  And if we continue further we will have words like keep, understand, learn, meditate, observe. This psalm is praise of God's instructions, a praise of the torah, a praise of God's word.  The psalm prays to God that God will instill in our hearts a love for his word, a love for the bible, a love for reading, studying, understanding the bible. A love for observing, taking to hearty, doing what the word of God instructs us.  I remember when I was in high school during that time when study period was really very, very strict – you cannot talk...

Two brothers were fighting over inheritance.  One of the brothers went to Jesus in the hope that Jesus would probably side with him or at the very least act as a go between in order to settle things amicably.  But Jesus would have none of it.  Instead he told them a parable. Now there are 3 very curious things about this parable.  First, there is only one person in the parable.  Not even his family is allowed in the picture, not even the workers.  Not even God.  If God appeared in the story God appeared at the last part to pass judgment.  The point is, the man is all alone.  Second, this one person in the parable talks to himself, he dialogues with himself.  He asks a question which he himself answers: He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’  And he answered his question saying, ‘This is what I shall do." Strange man, isn't he? And the third curious thing in this parable is, in...

Psalm 69 is a prayer of David as an afflicted man, a man suffering tremendously because of the cruelty of his enemies.  He describes his pains like that of a man overwhelmed because he is sinking in mud, or drowned by floodwaters – "Let not the flood-waters overwhelm me, nor the abyss swallow me up, nor the pit close its mouth over me."  But David was not suffering because of his sins or because of some injustice that he has done in the past.  No.  Rather he is suffering because of his zeal for the glory of God. It is different when suffering is brought upon you because you did not study for the exams, or you defy your superiors, or you are obese which consequently brought upon you high blood pressure, difficulty in breathing beside being ugly, because you cannot control food.  Psalm 69 is different – it is a cry of someone who suffer so much because in his life he only sought the glory of God.

The Seminary Sunday of the Parish of Our Lady of Candles of Jaro started 5 years ago, in 2011, at the time when Most. Rev. Gerry Alminaza was still our parish priest, and Frs. Macky Sortido and Marvin Tabion were his assistants. I had just finished my term in the Parish of Jaro then and I was starting my term as Rector of the St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary. To be very honest, it was one assignment that did not give me any excitement at all, not only because I thought serving the seminary for more than 8 years already was long enough and serving the cathedral for a full second term was already too much, but also because a rural parish was a lot more appealing. Except for a 6-month tenure in Pototan, all my assignments were in the city, and I wanted to experience then the simple and uncomplicated life of a country priest.  This is one experience I would not like to miss, and life is short!

Sometimes we ask, how can I praise God in the midst of calamity, in the midst of so many pains?  How can I praise God when I have so many problems, when I am aware of so many inadequacies in myself?  Siguro if I am bright, and handsome, and my parents are rich, and I have no problems, then I can praise God.  But in the midst of suffering and fear, how can I praise God? Here now is the lesson of psalm 146.  Be stubborn in your praise.  Even if you find difficulty in praising God because of what is happening in your life, nevertheless praise God.  Even if you feel angry, even if you feel a failure, even in sorrow, even if you don't feel like it, praise God.  Praising God is an act of discipline.  

This psalm, psalm 59 was composed by David when Saul was King.  Saul at one point became jealous of David and in act of anger and perhaps envy he sent men, evil men to surround David's house with the command to kill him. "Rescue me from evildoers; from bloodthirsty men save me. For behold, they lie in wait for my life; mighty men come together against me."  David described them as howling dogs prowling looking for food, and when they do not get their fill they growl.  David must have been in despair, afraid, hopeless and helpless. Saul was powerful but David was powerless.  Saul was king but David was a mere shepherd.  Saul had men ready to obey his orders, but David had no one, no one but God.  And so what did David do?  David sang.  "I will sing of your strength and revel at dawn in your mercy; O my strength! your praise will I sing; for you, O God, are my stronghold."

In this memorial of St. Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Mother and grandparents of Jesus, the liturgy proposes to us Psalm 132 for our pra ye r and reflection.  Today we are reading the second part of this psalm but to understand it fully we need to go back a little to the first part.  There we can see David's prayer as he expressed his deep desire to build a house for the Lord.  David as king was living in a palace, in a comfortable home but God was living in a tent, and in his love for God he felt he cannot live with that thought. But God answers David in our psalm today.  Instead of building a house of stone and bricks, God promises David that he would make "a house" in flesh and blood in the line of David.  God will be immanuel – he will dwell among his people, he will make his dwelling among us.  And since time immemorial the church uses this psalm (132) to show us that God fulfilled his promise by sending us his Son Jesus.  "For...

Since last month I have started my reflection on the responsorial psalm of the mass.  It is my way of telling everyone that I am already too long in my present assignment – I have finished reflecting on the gospel, I have finished reflecting on the first and second readings of the mass.  Now I am reflecting on the responsorial psalm.  If after some time my superiors still will not transfer me, then you will know because I will be reflecting with you the alleluia verse. Seriously now.  We neglect to reflect properly on the psalms though we pray it everyday.  The book of psalms is the prayer book par excellence – a prayer book without equal because in the psalms we pray using God's word and we pray with the heart, the emotions, the feeling of God. We reflect on our responsorial psalm – psalm 76

Today the disciples of Jesus approached him with a request, asking him, Lord, teach us how to pray.  They asked him to also teach them because they saw John teaching his own disciples how to pray and they too wanted to be taught by Jesus whom they have just seen praying.  In fact they often see him praying.  Why would Jesus need to pray, St. Cyril of Alexandria asks?  Jesus is God, he does not need anything.  Didn't Jesus say, "all that the Father has is mine?"  SO why did he feel the need to pray. St. Cyril replied to his questions saying, "It was to teach us not to be slack in this matter, but rather to be constant in prayers, and very urgent."  If Jesus prayed constantly, if Jesus would stay late in the night or rise early in the morning it was because he wanted to teach us that prayer is important.  If Jesus went alone by himself to a place away from the crowd, if Jesus had to allow his disciples to go ahead even without him as he sta...

Since last month I have started my reflection on the responsorial psalm of the mass.  It is my way of telling everyone that I am already too long in my present assignment – I have finished reflecting on the gospel, I have finished reflecting on the first and second readings of the mass.  Now I am reflecting on the responsorial psalm.  If after some time my superiors still will not transfer me, then you will know because I will be reflecting with you the alleluia verse. Seriously now.  We neglect to reflect properly on the psalms though we pray it everyday.  The book of psalms is the prayer book par excellence – a prayer book without equal because in the psalms we pray using God's word and we pray with the heart, the emotions, the feeling of God.

This psalm speaks of God's goodness and mercy as a stream, a fountain, a river whose water flows.  In the hot, dry desert, streams, rivers and fountains are a delight - the greenery in the otherwise harsh landscape, the plants and bushes that give shade and fresh air in the midst of overwhelming heat, the food and drink and the fruits too that refreshes, and the coolness when one bathes and immerses oneself in water.  It is a delight.  In fact the word delight in Hebrew is Eden – and praying this psalm recalls the garden of Eden where three rivers flow – to be in paradise. The psalm is an invitation to delight in the Lord – to immerse oneself in the Lord just like immersing oneself in a cool swimming pool on a hot summer day.  To delight, to find happiness in the Lord.

Psalm 71 is the psalm of an old person.  Old age brings with it difficulties and even frightening thoughts: an old body now more susceptible to illness; the waning of physical strength; feelings of uselessness; little by little loved ones are lost, dwindling incomes which may no longer be enough for medicines; loneliness, and the fear of dying and death.  But the old person in Psalm 71 though in the midst trials and problems is a joyful person who is able to focus on the Lord.  Why is he joyful, why can he focus in the Lord? First, because he has personal knowledge of God, he knows God.  When he prays he does not say "God, whoever you are, wherever you are please help me."  No. Instead he says, "In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.  On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength."  He is one who is familiar with the assurances and promises of God in the bible.

Today we reflect on the Book of Psalms, the book of prayer par excellence.  We have read today the first part of Psalm 85.  It is a prayer of a person in crisis who feels confuse and, perplexed by what is happening in his life, and he brings this to the attention of God in prayer.  In a not so distant past, the years of exile, of living in a foreign land was finally ended and they were restored back to their own land.  People were full of hope then, there was happiness in anticipating a brighter future – God has forgiven us, God has restored us, he has covered all our sins.  But then going back and rebuilding the city destroyed by war and ravaged by time proved to be more difficult and the people are disheartened - Restore us, O God our savior.  Will you be ever angry with us, prolonging your anger to all generations?  The psalmist seems to say in all honesty to God, "you know God, you were a lot nicer before, daw kaayo man sa imo sang una ...

It is taking them too long to transfer me I have already reflected with you on the gospel and the first readings for a number of years now.  So beginning today let us turn our minds to the responsorial psalms of the mass which I would like to propose to you for our reflection.  The book of psalms is a prayer book par excellence, a prayer book that has no equal – in other words your prayer book, your volumes of novenas cannot equal this prayer book which we call the psalms.  Why?  Because psalms are inspired prayers.  And so when you pray the psalms you speak to God with the words of God; when you pray the psalms you express the wishes of your hearts with the wishes and expression which come from the heart of God himself.