May 27, Trinity Sunday* Hanggang sa Katapusan ng Panahon

ni  Floyd Castro, United Methodist Church

 

https://tillchrist.wordpress.com/2015/05/29/ordinary-time-trinity-sunday-b-missionary-mandate-of-christs-disciples-faith-known/

Awit 33:4-6, 9, 18, 20,22

Deut. 4:32-34, 39-40

 Rom. 8:14-17

Mateo 28:16-20

 

Mateo 28:16-20 Samantala, ang labing-isang alagad ay pumunta sa Galilea, sa bundok na ipinagbilin sa kanila ni Jesus. At nang siya’y kanilang makita, sila’y sumamba sa kanya. Ngunit ang iba ay nag-alinlangan. Paglapit ni Jesus ay sinabi niya sa kanila, “Naibigay na sa akin ang lahat ng awtoridad sa langit at sa ibabaw ng lupa. Kaya’t sa inyong paghayo ay gawin ninyong alagad ang lahat ng mga bansa, na binabautismuhan sila sa pangalan ng Ama at ng Anak at ng Banal na Espiritu, at tinuturuan silang gumanap sa lahat ng mga bagay na ipinagbilin ko sa inyo. At tandaan ninyo, ako’y kasama ninyong palagi, hanggang sa katapusan ng panahon.” (FSV)

 

Hindi na bago ang pagtawag ng Diyos sa kanyang mga mananampalataya at tagasunod upang isulong ang kanyang katuwiran sa iba’t ibang lugar. Mula pa sa mga kwentong nakasulat sa Lumang Tipan, humirang ang Diyos ng mga lalaki at babae upang magpahayag ng pag-asa at ipagtanggol ang kanyang bayan. Mayroon din namang tulad ni Abraham na tinawag mula sa kanyang kinagisnang lupain hindi upang magpahayag kundi upang mamuhay ayon sa kalooban na Diyos.

 

Walang gaanong pinagkaiba ang mga hamon sa pagtanggap sa tawag ng Diyos sa ating panahon. Habang binabasa natin ang atas ni Hesus sa unang mga alagad, naririnig din natin ang ating calling upang gawing “alagad ang lahat ng mga bansa” at turuan silang “gumanap sa lahat ng mga bagay na ipinagbilin” niya.

Madalas hindi natin ito madaling tinatanggap dahil na rin siguro sa laki ng responsibilidad o sa liit ng tiwala sa sariling kakayahan na para bang ang mga ito ang magtatakda ng tagumpay o kabiguan. Hindi rin maikakaila na mahirap lisanin ang tinatawag nating comfort zone lalo na kung walang kasiguruhan ang lugar na tutunguhin. Ngunit sa kabila ng mga pag-aalinlangan at panganib, may mga taong tumutugon.

Hindi nakapagtataka na sa ating pagsunod ay may mga taong maaapektuhan, masasaktan at lalaban. Kung paanong tinapatan nila ang katuwiran ni Hesus ng mga paratang, kasinungalingan at karahasan asahan natin na marami ang i-re-reject ang dala nating mabuting balita ng kaligtasan at paglaya lalo na kung nakikinabang sila sa kasalukuyang kalagayan.

Pangunahin sa mga balita ngayon ang deportation order kay Sr. Patria Fox na isang 71-anyos na misyunero mula Australia na naglilingkod sa Pilipinas ng halos tatlong dekada. Bintang ng pamahalaan kay Sr. Pat na siya raw ay lumalahok sa mga gawaing pampulitikal na hindi dapat ginagawa ng mga dayuhan sa Pilipinas. Sabi mismo ng Pangulong Duterte na tinapakan daw ni Sr. Pat ang soberenya ng Pilipinas. Tagapagtanggol si Sr. Pat ng mga magsasaka at mahihirap. Ito ang pagsasapamuhay niya ng kanyang calling bilang isang Kristiyano. Minasama ito ng mga nasa kapangyarihan.

Hindi rin natin makakalimutan si Father Fausto “Pops” Tentorio na isang Italyanong pari mula sa Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere (PIME) na naglingkod sa Pilipinas bilang misyunero mula 1978 hanggang noong siya ay pinaslang sa North Cotabato taong 2011. Naglingkod si Fr Pops sa mga katutubo ng Mindanao upang ipagtanggol ang kanilang karapatan sa lupa, buhay at kabuhayan. Tumulong siya upang ma-educate ang maraming katutubong kabataan sa Mindanao habang nilalabanan ang minahan at pangangamkam ng lupa ng mga dayuhan. Sinuklian ng karahasan ng mga nasa kapangyarihan ang kanyang paglilingkod.

 

Masarap maging tagahanga ni Hesus, ngunit hindi madali ang maging tagasunod niya. Kaya lagi nating panghawakan ang kanyang pangako na sasamahan niya tayo “hanggang sa katapusan ng panahon”. Amen.##

 

 

 

May 20, 2018 – Pentecost Sunday *A CALL TO ACTION

 

 

https://sacredspace102.blogspot.com/2014/06/

1^st Reading: Acts 2:1-11

 

Psalm: Ps 104

2^nd Reading: 1 Cor. 12:3b-7, 12-13

Gospel Reading: Jn 20: 19-23

 

 

 

 

Fear and Silence

The Pentecost experience of the disciples is a fulfillment of a promise. During his lifetime, Jesus was very consistent in promising his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. However, the disciples lost hope when the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who promise them the Holy Spirit, has been suspected of blasphemy, was arrested, crucified and died. They were in fear (the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders). For this reflection, I would like to focus a little bit on this series of events that happened in the life of Jesus: suspected, arrested, crucified and died. Let us also include in this series the fear of the disciples who locked themselves up is the upper room. This series of events sounds familiar or looks familiar: suspected, arrested (tokhang), crucified (nanlaban) and end up dead. People and institutions are now fearful that they locked themselves up in silence. This series of events, justified under the government’s war on drugs, instilled fear to the people, just like how the disciples were very fearful. This fear of the people emboldens the government to aggressively pursue its war on drugs, which is victimizing mostly the poor people.

 

Pentecost is now happening before our very own eyes!

 The promise of the Lord to send us the Holy Spirit could not have come at the right time: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you…Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21-22). The Holy Spirit came to the disciples with a greeting of peace: “Peace be with you!” With the Holy Spirit, silence is not anymore an option. The Holy Spirit could not be contained in silence. The Holy Spirit has to be spoken in tongues! The Pentecost experience of the disciples is now happening to us. When a 71-year old nun speaks of the right of the workers and of the issues concerning the poor farmers; that is a concrete example of Pentecost experience.

“Hopefully the issues here of the indigenous peoples’ right to ancestral lands, farmers’ right to the land they till, urban poor’s right to decent housing and the workers’ right to a just wage and security of tenure will continue to be central to the mission of the Church to bring about the reign of God here and now,” (Sr. Pat Fox). An Australian missionary nun speaking the language of the poor Filipino people and getting the ire of the government manifests the working of the Holy Spirit. “As a Christian believing that our mission is to bring God’s Kingdom to the here and now, I couldn’t help but get involved both with projects, such as training in organic farming, to uplift the livelihood of the farmers but also to advocate with them for their lands to land, livelihood, peace, justice and security—all universal human rights which the Church sees as integral to her mission.” (Sr. Fox).

 

A lady justice fighting for the independence of the judiciary and opposing the manipulative maneuverings of the administration is a manifestation of the presence of the Spirit in our midst. This is also true in the case of a lady-senator imprisoned because she criticized the administration’s killing of the poor Filipinos. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is very much alive in us and is with us when advocates gather together to defend the rights of indigenous peoples, demand end to contractualization and ask for fair wages, shout out to stop destructive mining and protect the environment and put an end to militarization of communities. Indeed, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor. 12:7).  And we should put this manifestation into its full use to attain the common good of peace and justice.

 

“Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?”

 

So what do the readings of today on the solemnity of Pentecost tell us? It’s to remind us that the Pentecost experience of the disciples of speaking different tongues in declaring or proclaiming the wonders of God is not too far away from us. When the Lumads of Mindanao shout out “Yutang Kabilin! Panalikdan! Panalikdan!” they are actually praising God for His gift of life. When the Igorots of the Cordillera proclaim: “Ti daga naiyanakan, Aywanan!” they actually worship the Creator. When workers demand fair wages, they speak the truth about their working conditions. When consumers protest the ever increasing inflation in the country, they point to an obvious problem that needs to be given attention. “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?” Aren’t all these who are speaking Filipinos? “Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,^[b] Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

 

Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Lumads, Igorots, Mangyans, workers, farmers, urban poor, students, Muslims? These questions enumerate, if not capture, the realities of Philippine society. But for us Christians, these questions and the answer to these questions point to the reality of the Holy Spirit. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:4). Therefore, let us continue to raise our voices regarding issues affecting our communities. “⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor. 12:4-7).

 

Hence, let the Holy Spirit work in us and let us work with the Holy Spirit. “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you …Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21-22). This is a call to action. Let us, therefore, put together our acts in seeking the truth, peace, and justice.

 

 Bro. Jonel Dalimag,CICM

 

 

 

May 6, 2018, 6th Sunday of Easter*Love that bears fruit

 

http://kmooreperspective.blogspot.com/2016/04/love-one-another.html

Psalm 98: 1-4

 

Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48

1John 4:7-10

John 15:9-17

 Last week’s Gospel reading showed to us the relationship between the vine and its branches.  Without being connected to the vine, the branches will not bear fruits.  Pruning is very important so that the fruit-bearing branches will bear more fruits.

The fruit of God’s love to us

God has given us the best example of loving.  Paul Tillich said that “love is the reunion of the separated.”  God did the first step to mend our broken relationship because of our sinfulness.  God made it possible through Jesus Christ.  God was pained because of our unfaithfulness and did the best step to bring us back.  Humanity should have learned from this example of loving, to do our best to mend broken relationships instead of cradling beliefs and acts that bring disaster to relationships.

The fruit of our love because of God’s love to us

God has given us the mandate to love one another.  It was affirmed by Peter in Acts 10:34, that “God shows no partiality,” and I believe that this commandment is an inclusive one — a commandment for every Christian to love other people regardless of boundaries that was set by cultures, religion, orientation, principle, and others.  Paul took courage to cross the cultural boundary between the Jews and the Gentiles when he went to the house of Cornelius in Acts 10:28.  We are God’s friends if we follow God’s commandment to love one another.  How far is our journey with regards to this love?

How courageous are we also to cross the boundaries to live out God’s love?  How courageous are we to become living channels of God’s love to other people most especially with regards to the ministries that was entrusted to us –  such as our ministry with the poor and advocating protection of human rights and social justice?

Challenges in living out God’s love to us

Barangay election is approaching!

Change is coming?  Again?  What change?

Look around!  The so-called “servants of the people” were about to ask for our approval for them to take their desired positions in the barangay leadership through our votes on May 14.  They might be our friends in this society, but do they represent the friendship by which Jesus defined in the text?

Why barangay position becomes a coveted position in the community?  Do we see the genuine love in the process of barangay elections?

Let’s be faithful to the purpose of Barangay election.  I believe that this is a kind of pruning.  Let the so-called fruit-bearing branches continue in the leadership, and let the unproductive branches be pruned in order to give more room for the fruit-bearing ones.

Let’s be courageous enough to stand firm so that God’s love will bear fruit in  us and through us.  This life will only be meaningful if it will serve its purpose.  Being in this life is God’s gift to us.  What we will be in this life is our thanksgiving to God who loved us and taught us how to love. ##

Rev. Nehemia Punzalan – Allera

United Methodist Church

Mindoro