Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time* January 31*LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Br.Jonel Dalimag, CICM

Dt. 18:15-21:1

Ps 95: 1-2, 6-9

1 Cor. 7: 32-35:

Mk. 1: 21-28

From Among Your Own People

Promises are part of human culture since time immemorial. Usually, promises evoke anticipation, excitement, surprises, and hope. The history of the Jewish people revolves around the promise of Yahweh to provide them a savior who would deliver them from slavery and oppression. The hope of the Israelites hinges on this promise of deliverance: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people.” And they put all their trust and faith in this promise. This is the reason why they followed Moses when he fled out of Egypt. Their faith narrative follows where this promise of deliverance is leading them. Because of their excitement and hope to be freed from slavery and oppression, the Jewish people expressed their joy to Yahweh, “O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!… For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” This is clearly an articulation and expression of faith premised on the promise of liberation. Investing their future into this promise was assured by the presence of prophets like Moses among their bloodlines. It is even more assured by their hope and faith that the Messiah will come from among their own people. Hence, they were able to live praising Yahweh and not worrying about their oppressors because they are assured that their security, safety and history are being taken cared of by Yahweh. This is perhaps the premise of Paul when he said to the people of Corinth that “I would like you to be free from concern.” This is indeed the ideal of living a life dedicated to God, to be free from any worldly concerns and focus on praising Yahweh, our God.

Fake Prophets and Leaders

However, in our world today, this ideal is very far from reality. People are very much occupied with many concerns in life because their lords, their leader in government are failing them massively with a lot of promises but are never implemented. And even if their leaders show concern, it is the wrong concerns. This is because most of those in the government are not familiar with the situation and issues of the people. The ‘prophet’ that was promised them was not from among them, was not a ‘native’ but was and is a total stranger. Or, the ‘prophet’ who is supposed to lead them was once one of them but turned into a total stranger when power and privileges seized him. Strangers cannot show true concern for the people whom they do not know. The tendency is they take advantage of them. These people pretend to show care and concern to the masses and offer them projects that would address their needs. However, their true intention is to advance and protect the interests of the greedy oppressors. The example of the 11.2 billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project or the Jalaur Mega Dam in Ilo-ilo illustrate this fake show of care and concern. The project promised to provide better-uninterrupted irrigation supply to hectares of farmlands and increase the annual rice production of the country. However, the massive construction would submerge underwater. agricultural lands and houses of 17,000 Tumandok individuals, children included, from 16 indigenous communities. There is a very good promise of better water supply and rice production but this promise causes massive displacement of indigenous communities from their ancestral lands. And when the tribal leaders expressed their opposition to the project, they were permanently silenced by the barrel of the government guns. Another example of fake and failed leadership is the on-going attack on academic freedom, especially those against UP and PUP. IBP National President Domingo Cayosa explained that “what truly impels and fuels dissent is not I.P or its tradition of critical thinking and activism but the injustice, corruption, incompetence, abuse and oppression, poverty or hopelessness that citizens may experience or discern.”

A True Leader Goes…

 When a leader holds himself up in his office and does not go to the ground or field to feel and see for himself what is to be done, what are the needs of the people; he remains blinded by legalistic processes. There is a big difference between somebody who is using the laws and legal processes to his advantage, and somebody to goes to be with the people. The people who were in the synagogue with Jesus and witnessed him teach and even command an unclean spirit to get out of a person observed this big difference between a fake leader and a true leader.  

A True Leader Goes…

^“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” A true leader goes to the people. That is what Jesus did when He went to Capernaum. He did not wait for people to go to Him. He was the one who went to the people. A true leader knows where to go -in the synagogue where people are. A true leader knows what to do -teach. A true leader knows how to do it -with authority. The act of Jesus in going to Capernaum with his friends shows that He knows very well the people to whom He is to preach. He knows that the people need to hear the fulfillment of The Promise that is why he started teaching them with authority. “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God! “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” This is what the people of Israel had been waiting for. The fulfillment of the Promise and was manifested in this Gospel scenario. A leader is true and sincere in his intentions when he shows concern for the sick, for those who need healing, and not going about implementing the laws to suppress and oppress people. Our society today needs a lot of shaking to cleanse it from the many impure spirits that possessed it. Jesus showed us the example. We should not be afraid to shake the society we live in when we see injustices, corruption and incompetence in our government systems, and poverty and oppression. We shall silence the oppressors! 

3rd Sunday of Epiphany* January 24, 2021*Struggles of Following Christ

Rev. Calum R. Tabada, NCCP-Ecumenical Ministry Church of the Risen Lord UP Diliman

Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Jon 3:1-5, 10 1 Cor 7:29-31 Mk 1:14-20

https://friarmusings.com/2018/01/19/following-fishers-of-men/

Whether we like it or not, one of the things that most probably turns people off from following Jesus is when he said in Matthew 16:24, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (NRSV) The words “deny themselves” and “take up their cross” seem to paint a picture of a difficult life for those who would like to follow our Lord.

In a world of self-gratification and self-aggrandizement, Jesus’ call to become his followers in our time today would most likely fall on deaf ears. However, this is not the case for those who have seen the light of the Gospel message especially in our time today when the Good News of our Lord is very much needed.
For the faith community or the Church, following Christ is of utmost joy as it is a call to be part of a revolution to change the oppressive conditions of the world maintained by the powers that be. Jesus’ call of his first disciples in our Gospel reading today is set in a backdrop where the people were longing for a Savior that would lead them to victory against their oppressive Roman overlords. They were longing for a time when the promised Messiah would come and end their miseries brought about by their enemies who long subjugated them. They were longing for the Christ to finally lead them to Shalom.

This long-standing desire for God’s Kingdom thought to be patterned after the Kingdom that King David established was most-probably what was in the minds of the first disciples of Jesus when they immediately left their nets and followed him after Jesus called them to “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” That desire has been in the hearts and minds of the people then that it didn’t require Jesus to explain his call except to say that the kingdom of God has come near and that he is inviting them to follow him and make them fish for people.

In his book, “Binding the Strong Man,” author Ched Myers indicates that the metaphor for fishing is taken from Jeremiah 16:16, symbolizing God’s disapproval of Israel. In Amos 4:2 and Ezekiel 29:4, catching fish with hooks is used to represent divine judgment upon the rich and the powerful. Myers said, “Jesus is inviting common folk to join him in his struggle to overturn the existing order of power and privilege.”
With this perspective, Dr. Osvaldo Vena, Professor Emeritus of New Testament Interpretation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, in his commentary suggests therefore that “the purpose of Jesus’ call to discipleship is not to take people out of a hostile world, promising them a better life in God’s heavenly kingdom. Instead, his purpose is to change the world in such a way that it will cease to be the hostile place it is, so that God’s reign can be established on earth.”

The invitation to “fish for people” or to become fishers of people therefore has long been understood as a call to change the world order, for the Kingdom of God to be established where Shalom – God’s justice and peace, reigns.

The world we live in today continues to be a hostile place, especially for the majority who are deprived of the basics in life. Statistics would tell us that most of the world’s resources are held only by a few and the aphorism “the rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer” continues to be true. If we take a look at what’s happening around us, we can see that this is due to the fact that those who are in power wield such power with impunity, and those with wealth continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the ordinary people. This indeed is a hostile world for God’s people.

In this situation, as a Church, as God’s people, it is therefore easy for us to respond to Jesus’ call for us to follow him and change the world precisely because this hostile world needs to be changed for the better. If this is so, where therefore lies the struggle of following Christ?

Our struggle can be understood in our Old Testament lectionary reading in the book of Jonah. As a people called to proclaim God’s message to the people, we struggle like Jonah. We very well know the message and this message is the same message that Jesus carried with him in our Gospel reading. This message is that of repentance.

As we experience the hostilities of this world, perpetuated by those in power and influence, flaunted by those who have the means to exploit and control either by sheer violence or the lure of mammon, we are very much tempted to desire for them nothing but death and suffering. Like Jonah we don’t like to go to Nineveh and preach repentance, we like them to suffer calamity and destruction for what they have done to the people. They have maimed, tortured, killed, raped, took advantage, imprisoned, harassed, threatened ordinary, helpless people. They have displaced the Lumads, took over their ancestral lands, and used them against themselves. They have apportioned the country’s resources for their own selfish ends, getting their hands on whatever they can pocket from government-funded projects. They have red-tagged and vilified people who have nothing but only concern for the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed. We can go on and on with the list.
This is our struggle. Like Jonah we are angry and would like them to suffer the consequence of their actions, we want them to be punished for what they’ve brazenly done against the people. But God’s call for us is a call to proclaim repentance, to give them a second chance like what we all have experienced in our lives. We are called by God to let them know and realize that God is a gracious and compassionate God and that they, like the people of Nineveh, should turn from their evil ways.

Let us therefore let go of our struggle in following Christ and proclaim repentance, knowing that, while we have a gracious and compassionate God and praying in earnest that they indeed turn from their evil ways, not doing so might move God to consider making good his threat of overthrowing and unleashing destruction upon them. Amen.

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time* January 17,2021*

Ms. Liza Adamos Cortez , UMC

Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10   

1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19             

  1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20  

Jn 1:35-42           

https://www.hgiguere.net/Homelie-pour-le-6e-dimanche-de-Paques-Annee-C-Il-vous-fera-souvenir-de-tout-ce-que-je-vous-ai-dit_a893.html

In the gospel of John (1:35-42), the invitation to His first disciples were accounted by offering them to follow Him to the humble place where He stays and they spent the rest of the day there. “Come and you will see.” And they came. To heed to a “call” of service is a humbling task to take. Many consider it a ministry since they can feel a deeper meaning to it beyond feeding the hungry and praying for the poor. Then there are those few who believe that journeying with the people and willingly carry the loads with them as they march and work towards true salvation as the only way to live a life of Christ for the fulfillment of just life promised to His people. Doing the right thing was never easy. Putting your own interests and dreams behind in favor of the common good is a mind-set that the society finds ridiculously insane. The disciples of Jesus probably knew even before they decided to go with Him that following Him will not be glorifying most of the time. But since they believe that being part of the “change” that He is, they took the road less travelled and took their part in His journey and struggles.

As we pray for this almost a year-long lockdown and pandemic to end, we cannot help but cry and demand for accountability from the state. We  gave our trust to the government to look for the best options that will at least cushion adverse socio-economic impacts that drastically altered the lives of the people, especially the poor.

The leaders who were elected and entrusted by the people to lead them in going through the struggles and towards recovery from the pandemic has turned deaf ears  to the cries of hunger and blind eye to the face of death.

May our leaders do the same thing as what Jesus did. To being truthful to their service to the people especially in these trying times. May we as Christians continue to journey on with our people in our collective quest for shalom and life in its fullness.

The Baptism of the Lord*January 10, 2021* Of Immersion and Baptism

Dss.Norma P. Dollaga, UMC/KASIMBAYAN

https://sundaymassreadings.com/2019/01/09/january-13-2019-the-baptism-of-the-lord/

Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

Is 42:1-4, 6-7  

Acts 10:34-38 

Mk 1:7-11

The passage brings in powerful symbolism or representation of the ministry, life, work, death and resurrection of Jesus. To be baptized (baptizein) is to be immersed, to be dipped in water, to be soaked. The act of baptism became later a symbol of religious rite of cleansing and purification.

In the story, Jesus immersed from the water in what the text describes as the baptism rite. The Spirit, like a dove came down upon the radical tearing apart of heaven.

There are three beautiful and provoking phrases in the passage:

1. Heaven being torn apart
2. The descending of the Spirit
3. The Baptism

The “Heaven being torn apart” reminds me of the hymn “Hymn of Promise”. The first stanza speaks about the rupturing of the earth, and the seasons that would pave way to new creation:

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

The coming down or the descending of Spirit manifest that the location of her mission is earth bound, that is to make God’s will to happen on earth as it is in heaven. The Spirit is made known to us through body and flesh in Jesus, our friend and redeemer. Jesus fully immersed his body and spirit to the world. In his journey on earth he chose to be with the common folks, to be with the “nobodies”. Jesus must have found deep sense of joy and meaning to be with the company of the rebels, of tax collectors, the poor, sinners and those people who are pushed to the fringes of society to which the world continue to detest to this day. Jesus found friendship and kinship in these people more than the rich and powerful in the society who were most despised by the downtrodden not because they of envy them but because they were the makers of the unjust laws , protectors of the greedy , and the oppressors themselves.

As Jesus thrive in the company of the “nobodies”, his flesh was then acquainted with hunger and thirst, he became familiar with insecurity of homelessness, he knew how it is to be threatened by the state, how it is to be denied of help, how it is to be arrested, imprisoned, and harassed. It is through the flesh, his body had touched the lepers and the unclean, , listened to the cries of the poor and the neglected. It is through Jesus’ body that he continued his ministry to the poor and the afflicted. It is his body that endured torture as he was hanged on the cross for capital punishment

In the text, Jesus’ baptism was a rite and a symbol of purification. Jesus was purified by his constant immersion with the people. He identified himself with the poor who longed for redemption and liberation. Jesus could have fell into the temptation of abandoning his mission. But as he was being purified by way of his immersion with the people, his compassion was deepened, his commitment for service was strengthened , and his greater love for his friends has been nurtured until his very last breath.
Jesus’ immersion with the people is the fulfillment of his baptism. Jesus is one among us, and with us. And as the people experience deep and winding sorrow, where so much injustice and suffering abound, we can rely on Jesus’ presence in our lives.

As a fulfillment of his prophetic role, Jesus proclaimed the gospel, questioned the status quo, and challenged the society to fight and find for an alternative world. Jesus defended his friends, the poor and the oppressed. His whole life was dedicated to eradication of apathy that supports and enables exploitation. Jesus’ ministry on earth “is the word became flesh” – that God is on the side of the poor, of those who are neglected. Not only did Jesus take the side of the poor, he was one with them in demanding what is best for them.
The body of Chirst- the church is being called upon to be more daring in offering alternatives to the increasing structural violence and oppression in the country. Exploitation only denies the right to life of the people, and denies them to further enjoy God’s given gifts to them.

In humility the church must constantly feel the need to be immersed and be baptized ,be soaked in the daily grind of our people. The church does this in memory of Jesus who through immersion that he came to know intimately the real and pulsating realities of the people who for the longest time have suffered from structural sin.

An immersed church is very much capable of taking the side of the poor, and those who have been wronged by the system. We need a Church that denounces the powers-that-be who have entitled themselves to an exclusive right to accumulate properties, profits, and personal benefits at the expense the poor. We need a Church that is scandalized by any curtailment of people’s freedom to resist the fetters of oppression and the seduction of corruption. We need a Church that seeks the release of political prisoners put behind bars because they lived out the teachings of the prophets to defend the rights of the poor and to struggle for their emancipation. We need a church who would stand with the people in claiming the people’s right to resist and engage in liberation movements intended to unshackle them from slavery, exploitation.

May we feel the spirit descending upon us, and renew our commitment to serve the least amongst us – so we may experience the continuous purification in our baptism with the grassroots, and the underside. ##

The Epiphany of the Lord Jesus Christ*January 3

January 3, 2021

(Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Isaiah 6:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12)

Jay Roy Lumas-i Tipayan. Episcopal Church in the Philippines

What does the Epiphany of the Lord mean? As per theologians and bible scholars, the feast of the Epiphany means an appearance or revelation. It recognizes the manifestation of God in Jesus, and of the risen Christ in the world. It is a time for believers to consider how Jesus fulfilled the prophecy  and how we Christians can fulfill our mission by following the His footsteps in serving the least and the marginalized. The scriptural foundation of this is found in Matthew’s story of the coming of the Magi. The scripture states that the Magi came from the east guided by a star to see Jesus and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We can read many interpretations of this, but one thing is for sure, their arrival and the gifts they offered  a great meaning to the story. Light is the key symbol of this feast.  The divine mystery of God, which is present and engaged in the humanity of Jesus Christ, becomes a light to all nations. 

But let us not dwell on the theological interpretations as I am not a theologian myself. Let us reflect upon the epiphany of the Lord in our current context and why it matters. 

The past year has been bleak and gloomy.  We have been exposed to the pandemic which rendered many of us weak and vulnerable. Many people have died at exponential rate, as many of members of our communities who are already suffering from poverty are pushed even more to the sidelines. Many grew hungry and poorer as harsh, violent lockdowns are implemented. On top of that, the government’s lack of a sound plan in quelling the disease in an already fragile economy only exacerbates our hopeless situation. 2020 was indeed a dark and difficult year. Last year, we also have become witnesses to so many disasters and calamities that visited the country. We have seen the  rising authoritarian powers, quelling resistance. Violations to rights and life become unprecedented.  These revealed how vulnerable we are and how system of injustice proliferates in our society. Our leaders have lost their sense of reason and service in order to  pursue their own personal selfish interests – greed and power have been their normal ways. 

As we are facing turbulent times in a world in enveloped in darkness, violence and destruction become a day to day reality. These situations are not new. Our ongoing struggle is heightened by the global crisis. With all of these happening, some of us or maybe most of us fell silent and remained in the dark. At times, we  ignore the struggles of our very own society. By being silent we take the  side of the  wicked and of the powerful. We either fear that our resistance will cause us trouble. When we are silent we become accomplices to these injustices. The oppressors   take  this opportunity to expand their power and drive us into the depths of suffering. The more we are inclined to this option, the more  we  become indifferent to  the  needs of  the least ones. In some way we  lost our sense of humanity.

The message of Epiphany introduces us to light, that Jesus was born as the Son of God. Indeed a celebration of hope, a sign of rejuvenation, a sign of awakening. A sign of getting out from the depts of apathy, and accepting the challenge that we should not be silent no more. A sign that amidst darkness, there is light. And as a people who believe in the light of Christ, we are meant to see the wonderful things that God has bestowed on us. We are meant to witness the beautiful things that will unfold. We are meant to act as light in the midst of darkness, and that is by responding to the needs of the people around us so they can also feel, and see the hope that is in Christ.

As Christians, I believe that we are called  to become peacemakers and peacekeepers, actively seeking an alternative to the politics of violence and destruction. Let us be the light in a world covered with darkness. Let us be the revelation of renewed life to our marginalized siblings. Let us liberate one another by standing up, refusing false idols that deliberately normalize violence. Let us not be dull-spirited when we are ought to be radiant. 

Our very own government who sworn to protect their people have consistently failed us. Now, more than ever is the time we take on the torch and keep the fire burning for service to our people. Let us build a society where people in position respond to the cries of the poor, privilege the needy and put justice first. Let us remember that the epiphany embraces every dimension of life and calls us to see God’s revelation by working hand in hand in the quest for God’s Shalom.  As we become the living testament of God’s epiphany in a broken world, let us rise up, and  speak up, and be silent no more. Let our light uncover new and radical alternatives that usher new and  better possibilities for the people. Let Jesus’ light hover our land to eliminate the darkness that has blocked peace out of our land. 

As we set in for the new year, may the spirit of Christ who gives us strength continually guide us and compel us to be silent no more and embrace the gift of light through the Epiphany!