November 26, 2023*The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe* Shepherding, Hope and a Pilgrim Church

Ms. Weena Salvador Meily, AWIT

https://artandtheology.org/2021/10/05/roundup-online-convos-marc-padeu-cameroon-emmanuel-garibay-philippines-more/

34:11-12, 15-17

Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

1 Cor 15:20-26, 28

Mt 25:31-46

In 1925, Pope Pius XI first instituted this feast of Christ the King with his encyclical “Quas Primas” (‘In the first’).  His primary objective was to bring a certain understanding among nations divided particularly by the influences of militantly secularistic regimes that threatened not only the Catholic Church and the faithful, but the whole of life itself.  The gift of hope was the highlight of this feast.  The people suffering from these regimes were assured that while governments may be cruel and imperious, Christ who is King of the whole of the Universe shall forever reign in fullness of life.  (USCCB, About Christ The King, www.usccb.org  )  While indeed, throughout the world’s history, fascist and tyrannical regimes have crumbled, wicked and brutal governments are all the more today, clinging to power through the support of arms deals, power brokering, private armies, drug-human trafficking and maintaining shell companies. 

In the Philippines, it is a known fact, that the present government is an unholy alliance with dubious powers and personalities that have been quite successful in its efforts to resurrect a once crumbled dictatorship. Everyday life is witness to the people’s suffering. In its paper released on November 16, 2023, IBON (an independent institution that provides research, education and information on socioeconomic issues) writes… 

Low incomes make it difficult for households to meet their basic needs.  The average nominal wage of Php 421 nationwide is just one-third (35.5%) of the Php1,187 nationwide FLW (Family LivingWage).  Meanwhile, the monthly minimum wage across all regions averaged Php9,158 which is far below the average poverty threshold of Php12,030 and way short of the Php25,816 monthly FLW for October 2023.  The Marcos Jr. administration claims to protect the vulnerable from the impact of high prices.  But its anti-inflation measures are tokenistic and only cover a small portion of so many Filipinos in need. (Read more, www.ibon.org) 

Truly, Christ the King, over all these powers wielding its atrocities over the weak and vulnerable, is a powerful sacrament for people suffering in subjugation from authorities.  Faith in a higher power or in ‘higher forces’ has always been the shield of those living on the edge (Phil Stutz, MD).  Hence the encyclical of Pope Pius XI, is indeed a message of hope to those suffering the indignities of tyrannical rule. 

But there is another way of seeing Christ as King… 

As the Rev. Jericho Natividad (ECP) shared with me in one of our many conversations via FB Messenger (I maintained the rawness of the quote, I feel it touches the message at its core…)

“Ang isang magandang pagninilay sa pagka-Hari ni Hesus ay yaong nakabayubay siya sa Krus at kinausap yung isang kinondenang kasama niya, na pinangakuan nyang isasama niya sa Paraiso.  Napansin mo,Weena,  may inversion sa paghahari ng Diyos,‘di ba?  Yung vunerable at mahina, yung “trono” nya  ay ang krus, at yung paghahandog niya ang nagbigay ng buhay sa tao.  Sa bokabularyo ng tao sa daigdig na ito, ang hari, o ang makapangyarihan, ay may pribilehiyo, ang number one.  Ang isa pang bagay riyan, ay yung paggamit mismo ng terminong “Hari” ay dapat iqualify at ipaliwanag ayon sa sense ng Gospel at ng Reign of God, at hindi yung kinasanayang pagunawa. Kailangan ang pagbasag sa takbo ng ating isip.”   (One of beautiful reflections on Christ the King is at the crucifixion, Jesus hanging on the cross, seemingly helpless and powerless, promises Paradise to one of the two crucified with Him. Did you notice an inversion in the notion of the Kingship of God?  The vulnerable and weak, His “throne” is the cross, and His life-giving offering to humanity, eternal life. The way people in this world would understand it is that “king” or those in the corridors of power are the privileged ones, taking first priority.  Another important aspect here is the use of the term “king”, the need to qualify and shed light according to the sense of the Gospel, and the Reign of God. And not the common understanding.  We need to “shatter the glass ceiling of our minds here.”).  Coming to terms with the Gospel sense of Reign of God, in the Filipino theological understanding, the reign of God, is God-become-man in Jesus, living among us, “nakipamuhay”, becoming one like us. “Reign” here means more of to “live with/live among” than “to rule or preside”.  Hence, the Reign of God, ang Pamamayani ng Kagandahang-Loob ng Diyos, ang pamamayani ni Hesus sa ating buhay, si Hesus na nakiisa, nakipamuhay kasama natin (the Reign of God, Jesus living among us, Jesus who has become like one of us, who lived with us.), and finally, set upon his “throne” on the cross.  There! is the One, the King who promises Paradise to the “proto-saint”. What an inversion indeed. His life is paradox. To the end. This King who humbled himself so much as to accept death.  And what when on the third day he rises, still among us, walking with us, talking with us, eating with us.  For this “kingdom” will have no end.  

And so what is it for us who follow Jesus who is Christ the King?  How are we reminded of this call as community?  How are we to live as Church to become a part of this Reign of God?  Fr. Joe Dizon, priest activist, champion of workers and beloved of the masses, once said, “The church will never go astray as long as it continues to be with the poor in their work for struggle and resurrection from the many forms of ‘deaths’ imposed upon them by the evils of injustice.”  The Church is church of, for and with the poor and marginalized.  Jesus himself  has underscored that in his life.  He identified with the poor, those least, last and lost. He lived poor (contrary to gospel prosperity!) and died poor.  Pushed to the margins.  Unto death on the cross. And we? Are called to do the same.   To live in solidarity with, to live among the widows and orphans of state-sanctioned senseless killings, the farm workers and fisherfolk, the families in abject poverty struggling to put food on the table, the LGBTQ pushed to the fringes of society, the laborer whose daily wage cannot make ends meet, the women and children suffering abuse and domestic violence, and all suffering people, we serve to the end of our lives as a Pilgrim Church. 

Today’s readings bring to light a new way of seeing the Reign of God as we walk our pilgrim way as Church.  From the first reading to the Gospel, the key words are gather, care, protect, shepherd .  In the olden times, particularly in the time of Jesus, people do not look up to shepherds.  Some are said to be thieves and robbers, hence the specific adjective of the writers of the Gospel, the “good” shepherd. But for the shepherd to be successful in his work, his main focus is to gather, to care for, and to protect his sheep. And that is not an easy kind of job.  Even with a herd of one hundred, the shepherd has the extraordinary ability to know his sheep.  His dedication is stellar, his commitment, absolute. In this light, we are led to understand that to reign is not to lord over and abuse the lowly, but on the contrary, to reign is to live among, to lift up the lowly, to gather, to care for, to protect the fold, the pilgrim people. The leader is one who gives the best example, the servant, the one who lays down his life. The king is one who offers his life in service and in unconditional love. 

Jesus in the Gospels has repeatedly taught that the only way to topple the tower of tyranny is to love. To die for love. To embrace the gospel values that Jesus once lived as a human being, “to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the lonely, give water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, visit the prisoners, heal the wounded…because whenever you did these to my little ones, who are my brothers and sisters,  you did to me.”  

As we prepare ourselves for the Sundays of Advent, in preparation for the Season of Christmas, may we cling to the heart of the Good Shepherd, and encourage one another to shepherd and be shepherded, to continue to serve God in serving the people with love and unwavering dedication.  By this all will know that we are a Church alive, and moving and walking about our pilgrim path where our God reigns!  By this we will never go astray. For the poor shall always lead us into a new Hope, a new Way in the wilderness and into the Light!

November 19, 2023*Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time*Reign of God where talents are not tools of profit but of love and service

Fr. Allan Khen Apus, IFI

Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31       

Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5  

1 Thes 5:1-6

Mt 25:14-30

Our Gospel Reading for this Sunday pertains to the different scenarios of parables leading up to the scenario of Parousia in Matt 25:31-46, in the coming celebration of Christ the King  Sunday. 

The Gospel, commonly known as the Parable of Talents presents a narrative of a trader/businessman who gave “Talents” to the three individuals: the first one given 5000, the second 2000, and the third, 1000. Each of them doubled the talents given to them except the third one, who buried the “talents” under the ground, fearing the master’s wrath had he not been successfully made profit from what has been given unto him. 

In Jesus’ time, talent is used as a unit of weight equivalent to 80 pounds, and 6000 Denarii in currency. One talent equals to an individual’s labor of 16 years. Looking at this picture, it is not hard to understand why the master is enraged that the third servant did not make use of the talents that was given to him. 

Most scholars would interpret our reading as a sign of God’s grace period after the one, great sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul expounds this understanding that we are given graces to [1] make use of the time we have until the second coming; [2] to preserve and bear fruits the graces that we have received, and; [3] to prove ourselves worthy in the time of judgment. When the master returns, we will have to account for what we did with what he has given to us.

But the parable did not explicitly say that the master is God himself. Notice that verse 24 says that the master ‘harvests here he has not sown and gathered where he did not scattered seed.’ The master also ordered to take from the one who is unable to make profit and give it to the first person with ten bags. This master, like any other master of the modern era, only sees the ones who could make profit, and gain extravagantly from the sweat and tears of the laborer who has to trade and create more wealth. The rich gets richer, and the poor, gets robbed more. 

The Philippines,  suffers from the kind of master[s] mentioned above. Laws that enable politicians to fill their pockets and ‘legally’ rob from the taxpayers’ money are rubberstamped – that is, swiftly passed, while the every day , the poor Juan and Maria, suffers from the rise of prices of commodities that can hardly meet daily needs. In the midst of all this, we hope for the Reign of God where talents are not tools of profit but of love and service. 

Brothers and sisters, never forget who your Master truly is. And it is definitely not the one who sucks your blood out of your labor, but the one who rejoices in your talent, in your worth as a worker in God’s vineyard.

Nov. 12,2023*Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time*While Waiting, What do We Do?

Fr. Ritche Salgado, OCarm 

Wis 6:12-16

Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

1 Thes 4:13-18

Mt 25:1-13

Anticipating the return of our savior Jesus Christ, how do you live out your being a follower of Christ?

Today is the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary time and our readings reminds us to be vigilant for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but the question that we need to constantly ask ourselves is, what are we doing to prepare for the promised coming of our Lord?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where ‘men will weep and gnash their teeth.'” (1036).

Despite this reminder, we see all around us the sorrow that we cause each other, how we are being remiss in our obligation to love God above all things and to love our neighbor as Christ loved us.

In the world is a never ending war fueled by the gods of greed, lust, and hate. While Israel plots and executes the genocide of the Palestinian people, here in our country, activists and those who live out their prophetic ministry of denouncing the evils of society like the corrupt practices of politicians and the blatant disregard of the welfare of the poor, the orphans, the widows, the indigenous peoples, those in the margins of our society are being maligned, harassed, abducted, and even worse, killed.

The past months we have heard various stories of abductions, some of those who were abducted have surfaced, but some continues to remain missing. The bravery of environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro to assert that they are victims of enforced disappearance masterminded by the Philippine military and the notorious lie-spinner National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, this during a press conference hosted by the NTF-ELCAC intended for their alleged “admission” that they are surrenderers. Because of the embarassament that this caused the task force, the two are now facing perjury charges for signing documents of their alleged “admission”. The two maintains that they were forced to sign the document for fear of their lives and that of their loved ones.

Earliear this year, Cebu-based development workers Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha also went missing for six-days, only to be surfaced when a video of their abduction went viral on social media.

Not as lucky as Dyan, Armand, Jhed, and Jonila, however, are the 11 desaparecidos who went missing from the start Ferdinand Marcos Jr sat in office – Elgene Mungcal, Ma. Elena Pampoza, Ariel Badiang, Renel delos Santos, Denald Laloy Mialen, Lyn Grace Martullinas, Dexter Capuyan, Gene Roz Jamil de Jesus, Deah Lopez, Lee Sudario, Norman Ortiz.

What are there sins that caused their abduction? They fought for their rights, for land, for food, for education, for the people in government to be more responsible and to stand by their sworn duty to serve and protect the people, especially the poor. Their sin was that they were desperate and they were brave enough to call out the sins of our society.

As followers of Christ, how are we supposed to respond to these events, to this evil? Our response is based on our desire, on our anticipation, on believing in the promise of Christ, on our faith in Christ that he will come again, that he is coming.

Anticipating his return we make sure that when he comes we are sure that he would be pleased with us… that he would like what he sees, because what would he see? That we are living our his words.

Amidst all the evil in our world, how are we living out Christ’s simple instruction of loving God and loving our neighbor.

Do we keep mum despite knowing the injustices happening against our brothers and sisters in the margins – the indigenous peoples, the urban and rural poor, the people who are fighting for justice, and those who are calling out the people in power to do what is right? Is this how we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Eternal Bridegroom?

In our Gospel reading we heard of the parable of the ten bridesmaids who waited for the arrival of the bridegroom. They would not know when the bridegroom would arrive since, after the marriage contract has been signed, the groom would return to his father’s house and prepare a home for the bride. Only after the home has been finished would the groom return to fetch his bride for the consumation of the marriage. No one really knows when he would finish making their home and that is why, everyone, expecting, knowing, and trusting that he would return, would truly prepare themselves.

We are to prepare ourselves with the coming of the bridegroom by making sure that we do what he asks of us, what he expects from us, and God expects us to take care of each other.

Let us then take care of each other, most especially our brothers and sisters who are in need, so that with the coming of the bridegroom, we can present to him that which pleases him, the works we have done for the sake of the least, the last, and the lost.

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he reminded the faithful not to be afraid, not to fear for their lives when they live out what is right. He reminded them that Christ has already conquered death, so what is there to be afraid of? Go on, go ahead, stand for what is right, fight for our brothers and sisters who are being taken advantaged of, prepare yourself for Christ’s coming by giving your lives for our brothers and sisters in need, in that way you allow yourself to be the conduit of God’s love for the least, the lost, the last, and most specially for our brothers and sisters who were disappeared because they lived out their lives for the sake of others.

Yes do not be afraid because, “we shall always be with the Lord.”

Let our lives as Christians be a constant preparation of the Bridegrooms coming, by giving it for others and for the Other.

November 5, 2023*Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time *THE HUMILITY OF TRUE LEADERSHIP

Rev. Homar Distajo, UCCP/ PCPR

Mal 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10

Ps 131:1, 2, 3

1 Thes 2:7b-9, 13

Mt 23:1-12

 Our Gospel lesson Matthew 23:1-12 holds a valuable lesson on humility, leadership, and faith. In a world filled with challenges and struggles, we must seek to be humble, for in humility, we find strength, grace, and a deeper connection to our faith.

We see from the narrative that Jesus confronts the religious leaders of his time, admonishing them for their lack of humility and their desire for recognition and power. He warns his disciples not to follow their example, for they “love the places of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others” (Matthew 23:6-7). Jesus calls us to a different path, one that is rooted in humility.

The first lesson that we can draw from this passage is the importance of servant leadership. True leadership, according to Jesus, is not about titles, prestige, or power. It’s about service, compassion, and putting the needs of others before our own. In verse 11, Jesus reminds us that “The greatest among you will be your servant.” To be humble in the midst of struggles, we must lead by example, showing compassion and a willingness to serve others, especially when they are in need.

Humility requires us to recognize that we are all equal. As Christians, we believe in a God who loves all without exception. When we acknowledge this truth, we understand that no one is above another, and we must treat all with the same respect and dignity. It is not our position or status that defines us but our love and compassion for one another.

Matthew 23:12 encapsulates the heart of humility: “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” This verse reminds us that true exaltation comes not from self-promotion by from a humble heart. In the midst of our challenges and struggles, we can find strength in knowing that our humility, our willingness to acknowledge our limitations, and our trust in God, will ultimately lead to our spiritual exaltation.

Let us embrace the teachings of Matthew 23:1-12 as a guide to living a life of humility and faith, even in the midst of challenges and struggles. Our humility is not a weakness but a source of strength, a reflection of our dedication to Christ’s message of love and service.

As Christians, we must lead with humility, serve with compassion, and treat all people with the love and respect they deserved. In doing so, we fulfill Christ’s call to be the salt of the earth and light of the world, bringing hope and transformation to those won need.

May our lives be a testament to the power of humility, and may we find strength in knowing that, as we humble ourselves, God exalts us, guiding us through life’s challenges with grace and love.

Amen.