1st Sunday of Advent (A)

1st SUNDAY OF ADVENT (A)
Dec. 2, 2007
(Mt 24:37-44)

A NEW BEGINNING

The new church year is ushered in with the season of Advent. It is primarily a time of spiritual preparation for Christmas- the feast which celebrates the birth of Christ and the beginning of our salvation. This is a time especially blessed by God which summons us to STAY AWAKE AND TO PREPARE in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Advent is an invitation to RENEW our Christian commitment and to start living the life that Christ’s first coming, more than 2,000 years ago, made possible in order to prepare for his final coming at the end of time. The reality of life in this world is that everything will eventually end.

If the real meaning of Christmas is to kept in the forefront of our minds, a CONSCIOUS decision must be made to enter into the proper spirit of ADVENT. At the beginning of this season a call to conversion is addressed to all of us because God wants us to grow closer to Him and to experience the warmth of his love more deeply. We do this by opening our hearts to receive his Son Jesus Christ into our lives. His presence can be experienced in the people we meet and in the situations that come our way each day.

Unfortunately since human nature will always choose the way of least resistance, many of us pass through Advent without grasping what God wants to do in our lives through Jesus. Our thoughts are all too often centered on the earthly material aspects of Christmas because our senses are bombarded by the glitter and shine of commercial advertisements encouraging us to greed and selfishness. The eternal Son of God seeks an ENTRY into our innermost being so that he may share his life with us. He stands at the door and knocks but will not come in uninvited. This is our opportunity to WELCOME him and advance on our spiritual journey by walking in the light of the Lord.

Let’s move on by starting RIGHT! A new beginning indeed!

CHRIST THE KING

CHRIST THE KING (C)
Lk 23:35-45

WHAT KIND OF KINGSHIP HE HAS?

To discover the kingship of Christ, to have us experience its richness, the Church proposes to us the Gospel passage which, we must admit, is very strange.

In the conflict opposing Him to the leaders of the people, Jesus appears defeated; the former had the upper hand over Him, and we witness the spectacle of His “downfall”. For everybody, especially for His disciples, it is the collapse of a great hope. Such is the situation of Jesus when the scene narrated in this passage takes place. The King could hardly be said to have prestige. And yet, towards the middle of the narrative, we have really heard that there was an inscription above him stating: “This is the King of the Jews.” What kind of kingship could ever be stated in such humiliating conditions?

This King, when He is challenged to show His power, a power He had always claimed to have until now, does not react. He could use it to get rid of the nails in His hands and feet, to come down from the cross and impose on all the overwhelmed spectators an uncontested authority: He does nothing of the sort!

This enables us to understand that His kingship entails no personal benefit. His universal dominion is not aimed at fulfilling Himself. If He exercises His kingship one last time before dying, it is only so that the “good” thief will obtain entrance into His Kingdom. This He does without any deployment of power, through a mere promise: His word is His sole power, and He needs none other.

This kingship of Jesus is therefore not made of domination by force; it is made of SERVICE BY LOVE. The annihilation brought by death is only an incident which in no way impedes His freedom of movement, a temporary episode in an eternal life.

The crucified Jesus of the Gospel reveals in His behavior what is the nature of His mysterious kingship: it does not want to dominate men, it is vulnerable in their attacks, and yet it enables those who do so desire to pass through death victoriously.

There are those who say: If Christ has a royal power, let Him fashion for us a better society, and then we shall believe in Him. Jesus does not answer this with miracles and wonders. He is content with setting an example of ABSOLUTE FORGIVENESS. This example, along with His grace in our hearts, will always be enough for men of good will to hasten in this world the coming of His Kingdom.

We are celebrating Christ’s kingship today. Is He really our King in the day to day basis of our lives? When was the last time we rendered our unselfish service of love to our fellowman? Have we forgiven one another? Have we loved the way Jesus did?

10 Steps to Success in Work

TEN STEPS TO SUCCESS IN WORK

First: Don’t get the idea that you are Atlas, carrying the world on your shoulder. The world would go on even without you. Don’t take yourself so seriously.

Second: Tell yourself that you like your work. Then it will become a pleasure, not drudgery. Perhaps you do not need to change your job. Change yourself, and your work will seem different.

Third: Plan your work- work your plan. Lack of system produces that “I’m swamped” feeling.

Fourth: Don’t try to do everything at once. That is why time is spread out. Operate on that wise advice from the Bible, “This, one thing I do.”

Fifth: Get a correct mental attitude. Think a job at hard, and you will make it hard. Think it is easy, and you will tend to become so.

Sixth: Become an expert in your work. It is always easier to do a thing right.

Seventh: Practice being relaxed. Easy always does it. Don’t press or strain.

Eighth: Do not putt off until tomorrow what you can do today. It only makes tomorrow’s job harder. It piles up on you. Keep your work on schedules.

Ninth: At the start of every day. Pray about your work. You will get some of your best ideas that way.

Tenth: Take along your “unseen Partner”. It is surprising the load he will take off you. God is much at home in offices and shops as in churches. He knows more about your business than you do!

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST… THE GUIDE TO SUCCESS IS WITHIN YOU!

33rd Sunday in Ord. Time(C) Nov.18, 2007

33rd Sunday in Ord. Time (C)
Lk 21:5-19

Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, amassed a fortune manufacturing weapons of destruction, found himself dead one morning in1888. He read his own obituary in the newspaper. Actually, it was his brother who died, but a reporter mistakenly wrote Alfred’s obituary.

For the first time Alfred Nobel saw himself as the world saw him, “the dynamite king” and nothing more. He was simply described as a merchant of death, and he would be remembered for that alone.

Alfred was horrified. He reflected the true purpose of his life, of what living a life is all about. Alfred wrote his last will and left a fortune to establish the most valued of all prizes: The Nobel Peace Prize. This prize is awarded to individuals who made historic contributions in the promotion of peace, and those whose achievements benefited humanity.

The reality of death stuns us and even paralyzes many of us. The uncertainty of the future many times disturbs us. Like the people in the Gospel today. We are anxious to know what lies beyond tomorrow. The many fears that we keep, troubles us. We then ask: “what happens when we die”.

Death is a reality that we have to face. It will come to us sooner or later. But for a Christian, death gives us the awareness of our limitations… of how fragile life is! It leads us to a conclusion that we are not the owners of our existence. This has to be retuned to our sole Creator – to our God and Father.

The Gospel doesn’t want to make us morbid neither it intends to scare us, but it is presented that somehow and somewhere we have to confront the reality of death as we are ending the season of our church calendar. We too must be prepared for many times, death comes when we LEAST expect it. We must plan things, not to show us the future, but rather to uncover the things we must do today in order to have a better future.

When our time comes to answer the reality of death, how do we want to be remembered? Tomorrow bespeaks postponement. Good intentions must be translated to concrete actions TODAY. Today well-lived makes every tomorrow a vision of hope! Look well, therefore, to this day, for today only happens ONCE in our lifetime!

WHO SEES BEST?

WHO SEES BEST?

A man, who was drunk, was walking on the street one night. It was a full moon. As he was on his way, another man joined him in the same in just the same situation (he was also drunk). They exchanged a lively conversation but their conversation turned into a heated argument when they reached the topic about the moon.
The first man said: “The color of the moon is yellow!” at which the second man countered that: “It is not yellow, but orange!”. They both insisted their way and they reached the point that they already quarreled in such a discussion.
As they were proving who was right between them, another man joined them and listened to their argument. The first drunkard noticed the man who joined, and so he remarked to the second drunkard: “For our discussion to be over, why should we not ask this “friend” who joined us?” The second drunkard agreed to the suggestion of the first. So, they both ask the man who joined them: “What is the color of the moon? Yellow or orange?” The third man looked at the moon and opened wide his eyes, and said: “Which moon are you referring to? The one on the left or the one on the right?” (He is even more drunk than the two!}

Moral:

People see things in varied perspectives, with different opinions and ideas yet the truth remains. No matter how we see and what we see in the moon, the reality is, the existence of the moon is real. We tend to judge people according to our own measures, by our own standards, by the way they impress or depress us, by the way we look at our ideals, yet the truth remain that every person is made in the IMAGE AND LIKENESS of God… that no matter how “lowly” the person is, in our own standards, he/she is INVALUABLE in the eyes of God since each one of us is God’s MASTERPIECE! Let us stop judging one another instead let us look at one another as God’s gift. Persons are gifts… they only pass through our life but once! How about giving people a hug? As you embrace them… you embrace God too!

32nd Sunday in Ord. Time(Nov. 11, 2007)

REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
(November 11, 2007)

The Sadducees are people who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead, that is why they posed a “trap” to Jesus on how to justify the case of the woman with seven husbands. Jesus knew their thoughts, and answered their “curiosity” by going to a deeper aspect of married life. Making it clear to them that they themselves invoke the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who happen to be LIVING in the bosom of God, then it just goes to show that there is life after death. As such the God we believe in, is the God of the living and not the God of the dead. We could always look with hope to the glory prepared for the just as GLORIFIED children of God. There are no more marriages in heaven since we already share the eternal bliss with our Father in heaven.

By believing in the resurrection, we on earth, become hopeful, that despite of the hardships we encounter in our worldly life, there is always a shining radiant of a happy and full-filled life.

The life of husband and wife is never easy in this world. All the more, they should fix their eyes on the reality of the resurrection, as this will provide them the strength to go on despite of the trials they encounter everyday. They could always HOPE for a better tomorrow through the power of the resurrection! Amen!

Homily for the Baptism of the Lord (Jan.13, 2008)

“ Ang hinigugma nga Anak yara sa Eukaristiya bilang Kabuhi sang Kalibutan”

“INI AMO ANG AKON HINIGUGMA NGA ANAK; PAMATII NINYO SIYA”
(Mt 3: 13-17)
“PAGBUNYAG SA GINUO”

By: FR. JOSE RONNIE T. BANIAS
Parish Priest, St. Joseph P.U.C.
Dulangan, Pilar, Capiz


May isa ka Obispo sa Latin America, si Bishop Herder Camara, nga nagtugda sang subong sini: “ Sang nagahatag ako sang pagka-on sa mga imol, ginasiling nila nga ako, Kristiyano. Sang nag-abut ang tion nga ginpamangkut ko ang akon mga ginhatagan sang pagkaon kon ngaaman nga “gutum” sila, ginbansagan nila ako nga isa ka KOMUNISTA!

Daw halos isa na ka ginabaton nga sitwasyon ang kaimulon kag gutum, indi lamang sa aton pungsud kundi sa bug-os nga kalibutan. Daw sa upod na sa nesisidad sang aton pangabuhi ang pagkakulabos kag pagkagutum. Ang aton katilingban daw sa indi sang kumpleto kon wala ang presensya sang mga imol! Kon sa bagay, may isa ka manunulat nga nagsiling: “Ang Diyos naghigugma sing kapin sa mga imol sa bagay nga nagtuga Sya sang sobra kadamu sa ila!”

Amo gid bala ini ang luyag sang Diyos ukon ini tanan nagaluntad tungud sa aton kahimuan? Naupud bala sa plano sang Diyos nga ang Paskwa ukon ang New Year para lang sa mga manggaranon kag mga may ikasarang, samtang ang kadamuan nagakamusmus sa kapigaduhon? Yara bala sa tinutuyo sang Diyos nga magluntad ang daku nga gil-at sang mga may ara kag mga wala-wala?

Ginasiling subong sang aton Santos nga Ebanghelyo nga ang aton Amay sa langit nahamu-ut gid sa Iyang Anak, tungud kay paagi sa Iya pagbaton sang bunyag ni Juan, nga indi man gani Niya kinahanglanon, natuman ang plano sang Amay. Sang pagtusmug sa aton Ginuo sa suba sang Jordan, Iya man gintusmug ang Iyang kaugalingon sa pagpakig- angut sa kabuhi sang katawohan. Ginasiling gani nga sa pagbunyag sa aton Ginuo, Iya ginsuklub ang aton pagkatawo kag pagkamakasasala… nangin isa Sya sa aton pagkatawo agud kita mangin isa sa Iya pagka-Diyos! Upud sa Iya pagsalum sa aton kahuyangon, Siya nagbutwa agud kita man maka-upod sa Iya sa Iyang kabuhi nga Diyosnon! Sa sini, nahamu-ut ang aton Amay!... Nahamu-ut Siya tungud nga sa liwat ang bug-os nga katawhan nangin isigkamanunubli sang Iya Ginharian nga Iya gintigana sa tagsa-tagsa sugud pa sang ginsuguran!

Ang plano sang aton Amay amo nga kita magkabuhi sang may kabuganaan tungud Siya isa ka bugana nga Amay. Indi Siya sang imol nga Diyos kag nagakaigo lang nga ang Iyang mga anak indi man mag-mangin-imol! Isa ka daku nga insulto sa aton Amay sa langit ang kaimulon tungud gani Siya amo ang kapupun-an sang tanan!

Apang, ngaman may mga imol? May mga ginakulabus? May mga ginakulang? Kon indi ini kahimu-an kag upud sa plano sang Diyos, ayhan wala kita sang iban nga balikdon kundi ang aton kaugalingon, kag usisa-on ang aton mga kakulangan kag kapaltahan. Samtang nagasaulog kita sining Santos nga Eukaristiya, aton usisa-on ang aton kaugalingon kon bala nangin matutum kita sa pagsunud kag paghatag sang katumanan sa sining selebrasyon nga ginbilin sa aton sang aton Ginuong Jesus.

Suno sa aton Santo Papa, Benedicto XVI, ang Santos nga Eukaristiya may mga kaundan nga dili naton sarang mabale-wala ukon mapabulag-bulagan. Sa iya ginsulat nga libro “ Sacramentum Caritatis” siya nagpamalandung sang mga masunud sa “paragraphs 88-95”: “Nga ang Santos nga Eukaristiya nagabuyuk sa aton, nga personal nga makig-angut sa isa kag isa nga nagadala sang paghiusa, agud mabag-o ang mga estruktura nga nagapakanubo sa tawo, sa diin ang tagsa-tagsa magkatalupangud sang ila pagka-alalangay, kag sa sini, paga-pakig-ambitan sang tanan ang bunga sang duta kag ginpangabudlayan sang tawo sa pagpahayag sang matahum nga mga gintuga sang Diyos para sa bug-os nga katawhan.”

Mga utod, ang mga pulong sang aton Santo Papa isa ka daku nga paghangkat nga ginapa-atubang sa aton! Sa kadugayon na nga kita nagasa-ulog kag nagapasakup sa Santos nga Misa ukon sa Santos nga Eukaristiya, aton bala napahayag sa aton kabuhi ang pangkabilugan ukon “social” nga bahin sang Santos nga Misa? Pila ayhan sa aton ang nagasiling sa pagkatapus naton simba sa adlaw sang Domingo: “Ah… ok na ako kay naobra ko na ya ang akon obligasyon… bahala da ya ang iban nga wala pa ka simba!” Pila ayhan sa aton nga sa pag-abut sang paghinatagay sang paghidait, matam-is nga yuhum ang aton ginahuptan, apang pag gwa sa simbahan, nagasilabo ang aton dugo sa aton pagkakita sa aton kaaway? Pila ayhan sa aton nga kon yara kita sa sulud sang Santos nga Misa daw mas mabuot pa kita sa mga imahen sang mga Santos nga yara sa sulud sang Simbahan apang pagpa-uli naton sa aton panimalay, nagatuhaw ang aton kapintas sa aton mga kabataan kag mga kabulig? Pila ayhan sa aton nga yari diri subong sa sulud sang Simbahan, nga sa aton pag gwa, naga-gwa man ang aton minatu-od nga pagkatawo… sa gihapon naluyag kita magpanglibak, magpinangbantay sang hulag kag sala sang iban, mag-inimut sa mga nagakinahanglan, magpanumdum lang sang aton kaugalingon nga kaayohan bisan ginalapak na naton ang deretso sang aton isigkapareho? Pila ayhan sa aton ang yari diri subong nga sa gihapon nagapabilin nga hakugan kag sungak-sungak sa mga pagkabutang sining kalibutan, bisan pa nga nakita naton ang aton mga kautoran nga mga wala-wala kag mas kapin nga nagakinahanglan?

Mga kautoran, Kapiestahan subong sang Pagbunyag sa aton Ginuong Jesukristo, kag Iya nga ginapabatyag sa aton, sa aton nga selebrasyon nga Siya, amo ang matuod nga kabuhi sang kalibutan. Apang maangkon lamang naton ining kabuhi nga Iya ginatan-ay sa sining Santos nga Misa kon ang tagsa-tagsa sa aton maghimud-os nga mag-angut sang iyang kabuhi sa KAUNDAN sang Santos nga Eukaristiya. Ang Santos nga Eukaristiya indi sang isa ka sarswela o palagwa-on, ukon drama, nga sa pagkatapos hambal sang pari “maglakat kamo sa paghida-it”, tapos naman dayon ang tanan! Ang Santos nga Misa isa ka ganhaan nga nagalapad ang iya nga pagbukas paagi sa aton pagpahi-ambit sini sang Iya mga bunga sa aton mga kautoran… ini nagapabilin nga bukas agud kita makalab-ut sa aton mga isigkapareho ilabi na gid sa mga kubos sang aton katilingban!

Ang Santos nga Misa isa ka selebrasyon nga nagatudlo sa aton nga aton kabuhi dapat igapa-ambit sa aton isigkatawo… ang kaalwan sang Diyos nga aton ginabaton sa tagsa naton ka pagsaulog sini nagabuyok sa aton nga mangin maalwan sa isa kag isa… ang pagpatawad sang aton Amay nga aton ginabaton dapat man aton dalhon sa aton mga kautoran nga may mga kakulangan sa aton… ang pagtubos nga ginahatag sang aton Ginuong Jesukristo paagi sa Iya paghalad sang Iyang kabuhi sa aton, amo man ang pagtubos nga aton pagadalhon sa aton mga isigkatawo nga nagakalumos-lumos tungud sang ila kaimulon.

Hinigugma ko nga mga kautoran, ang aton selebrasyon sang Santos nga Misa isa ka selebrasyon sa PAGPA-AMBIT sang kabuhi. Ginapahanumdum kita diri nga kita mga engkargado lamang sang aton nga Amay sa langit, kag kon ginhatagan kita sang mas kapin sang sa iban naton nga kautoran, indi ini agud kabigon naton nga mangin aton lamang, kundi agud aton man ini ipa-ambit sa aton mga kautoran nga nakulangan, agud nga paagi sa aton, mabatyagan sang tagsa-tagsa ang wala’y tupong nga kaalwan sang aton Amay sa langit. Sa sini nga paagi, aton matuman ang binu-buot sang aton Amay… mapadayon naton ang pagpanubos sang aton Ginuong Jesukristo, kag mapabakud naton ang ginahikut sang Espiritu Santo agud kita maghili-usa bilang isa ka katilingban nga may pag-alalangay bilang mga matuod nga mga anak sang aton Diyos.

Mga utod, kon nagapamangkut kita ngaman may mga ginagutum o may mga imol, ini indi tungud kay komunista kita, kundi, ini tungud nga luyag naton mahibalu-an kag matukiban ang sistema nga nagpaluntad sini sa aton katilingban. Ini nga mga sistema amo ang mga pagpa-iya-iya, pagpamintaha, kag pagkahakug! Tungud sang indi mapuno nga kaluyagon sang tawo, siya nagapatuyang sa iya luyag nga maangkon bisan pa ini nagakahulugan nga ang iban mawad-an! Kita ang naghimo sini nga sistema, kag nagakabagay lang nga kita man ang magtadlong kag maghimo sang isa ka sistema nga nasanto sa aton selebrasyon sang Santos nga Eukaristiya sa diin aton mabatyagan nga matuod kita nga makaangkon sang dignidad sang isa ka anak sang Maalwan nga Amay.

Mientras may mga imol sa aton palibut, ayhan masiling naton nga kita man may salabton sa ila nga sitwasyon, apang sa aton pagpasakup sa Santos nga Eukaristiya, kita man nagahuput sang solusyon sa paghaw-as sa ila gikan sa ila kaimulon. Suno sa dinalan sang Santos nga Kasulatan, sang paghimo sang aton Ginuo sang milagro sa pagpamuad sang tinapay kag isda, Siya nagsiling sa Iya mga gintutun-an: “Kamo mismo ang maghatag sa ila sang pagka-on”, kita man Iya ginamandu-an subong nga indi lamang magkalu-oy sa mga imol, kundi nga kita maghimo sang mga LIHUK agud kita mangin bahin sang pagpinabag-o sang sistema nga nagalugmuk sa mga tawo sa kaimulon. Kita Iya ginamandu-an nga MAGHULAG agud maglab-ut sa aton mga kautoran nga ginakulabos, kag Iya kita ginamanduan sa paghimo sang mga TIKANG sa pagpalapit kag paghaw-as sa aton mga kautoran nga wala-wala.

Nasa-ulog na naton ang bag-ong tuig. Isa naman ka bag-o sang kalendaryo kag sa pagdugang sang edad sang kalibutan. Kabay pa nga ini nga tuig magpahamtong man sang aton nga pagtuo, nga paagi kay Kristo, kag upod kay Kristo, kag dira kay Kristo aton malab-ut ang mga handum sang aton Amay sa langit, nga kita tanan magkabuhi bilang Iya mga alalangay nga mga Anak kag utod sang aton Ginuong Jesukristo. Sa sining aton nga hilikuton kabay pa nga ang aton Amay sa langit makasiling man sa aton: “Ini amo ang akon mga pinalangga nga mga anak… nahamu-ot gid ako sa ila!”.

A Reflection

In this crucial moment of our history, where everything seems to be going tupsy-turvy... when we seem to be groping in the dark, the words of the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta echo in our ears! WE HAVE TO GIVE JESUS... ONLY JESUS... ALWAYS JESUS... to the world. Let's try it and see God's miracles happen right in our very own eyes! We just have to try even just little by little... everyday!