Palm Sunday

Today is the start of the Holy Week. We commemorate the triumphant entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. As Palm Sunday, it has been our tradition to have branches formed into the shape of a cross and we have these blessed during the beginning of the Liturgy.

In the Gospel read during the blessing, we hear of the crowds cheering up and blessing God for Jesus -- "Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" But paradoxically, we hear of these same crowd jeering at Jesus and demanding for His crucifixion.

Apparently the crowds shouting the praises of God did so without understanding the meaning of their action. They praised God and shouted the Hosanna yet the praise and the prayer are not rooted in their hearts. Perhaps it might be helpful if we look deep into our hearts and ask ourselves whether we really understand our Faith. Do we rally have a hold of our faith in JESUS CHRIST, or are we like the crowds only murmuring words that don't really penetrate the innermost portion of our beings?

We pray then that the Holy Week will truly deepen our knowledge and our love for this wonderful God, the God who endured all possible pain a human person could, all in the name of love. And we hope that in loving Him, we may be united with Him. Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Lent

In today's Gospel, we hear of the pharisees and the rest of the Jews condemn the woman caught in adultery. They brought her before the presence of Jesus and they pressed the charges against her, quoting their Mosaic Law of stoning such women to death. If we think about it, the Jews were right after all. It is very apparent that this woman violated the commandment and committed adultery. True enough, in their context, she deserved to die. She must be damned for her wrongdoing.

But surprise of all surprises, Jesus did not condemn her. Jesus gave her a chance, the chance to start anew. Once again we have a glimpse of what kind of a God we have -- a God who surpasses all norms of compassion, a God of new beginnings, a God of new Life.

Let us beg the Lord then that as we deepen our Lenten discipline, we may be given the grace received by the unnamed adulterous woman -- the grace of new beginning. That we may truly shun sin and evil from our beings and live in the new life given us by Jesus. And having been given the grace to start anew, we may extend Jesus' compassion to others, giving them the chance to likewise start anew. Amen.

Laetare Sunday

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday, meaning Rejoice. Apparently there is a break from the remorseful and repentant mood of Lent. The Church is exhorting all her children to rejoice! As St. Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!" But what is there to rejoice for? What could be the reason of our joy?!

I believe that the readings of today express so much the reason for our joy. We rejoice not because we feel remorseful or sorry for our sins. We rejoice primarily because GOD LOVES US. His mercy and compassion never end and His loving and care for us will never ever end. Even if we sin and sin terribly, He continues to be there. He continues to look out for our return, and once we do return, He will run and will eagerly accept us back into His fold, into His loving embrace. This is the reason of our joy!

We may be the most prodigal among God's children. But one fact remains: God loves everyone, even the most sinful. Now, isn't our God a wonderful God?!

We pray then that we will receive the grace of the prodigal son -- the grace to be truly humble to accept that we sinned, and the desire to return to our God.

Rejoice! God loves you and He wants you in His fold.

Third Sunday of Lent

The Gospel for this Sunday is about the parable of the fig tree. We learn that the fig tree was fruitless and inutile for three years and that the vine owner wanted it cut down due to its barrenness. But the twist of the story is made manifest when the vine dresser appealed to the owner to give that particular fig tree a chance to bear fruit. In other words, to be patient with the fig tree.

Many times in our lives the Lord has been very patient with us. Despite our apparent spiritual barrenness, he continues to give us the chance to bear fruit. He continues to be very patient with us, to the point that He is willing to give us all the necessary patience we ever need!

I believe this is the grace of Lent. We are reminded of how the Lord has been so patient with us despite all our barrenness and failures. Perhaps we can reflect on this point and hopefully it will lead us to do two concrete actions:

First, to continue to struggle to "bear fruit" for His greater glory; and
Second, to be patient with others' limitations and failings in the manner that He has been very patient with us.

God bless you.

To See the Face of God... is my One Desire!

We have reached the Second Sunday of Lent. It is our hope that the First Sunday did bring us to the "desert," to get connected once again to our God Experiences for the strengthening of our Faith. This Sunday's Liturgy presents to us the Gospel passage on the Transfiguration of Jesus. We hear that Jesus was "transfigured" in the presence of Peter, James, and John. As they gaze at the face of Christ, His face radiates light, as bright as the sun, and His garments became dazzlingly bright. Having reflected upon this passage, I am convinced that my theme for this Sunday is To seek the face of God. Fr. Manoling Francisco SJ perfectly phrased it in his song: To see the face of God is my heart's desire; to gaze upon the Lord is my One Desire! At this point of Lent, I begin to realize that this indeed is my heart's desire. To gaze upon the countenance of my Beloved, and be united with and in Him.

Let us pray then that as we deepen our experience of Lent, we may truly desire for this grace. To truly seek the face of God (Ps 13). As we move deeper into the discipline of Lent, may we pray with St. Anselm that the Lord may teach our hearts where and how to seek Him, where and how to find Him. And that in seeking and finding Him, we may Love Him. Amen.