God Feeds Us and Sends Us to Feed Others

May 1, 2022, Third Sunday of Easter (Memorial of St. Joseph, the Worker)

John 21:1-19, Year C

Our Gospel today presents to us another of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. 

There are 2 sections. The first is John 21:1-14, which is about Jesus inviting the seven disciples to a breakfast of fish and bread He prepared. In the Holy Mass, this is the part where Jesus feeds us with the Bread of Life in Holy Communion.

In the second, vv. 15-19, after their breakfast, Jesus and Peter had an intimate conversation. Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" And every time, Peter replied, "Yes Lord, I love you," declaring his love for Jesus, whom he previously denied three times having known Him, Jesus commissioned Peter with the task of feeding and tending His sheep.

Throughout the scriptures, God’s people are referred to as sheep and Him as the Shepherd who cares for them, feeding, tending and pasturing them. In John 10: 11-14, Jesus introduces himself as the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep. In Luke 15:4-7, (the Parable of the Lost Sheep) He is the Good Shepherd who searches out the lost sheep until He finds it. "And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy."

In the tasks of pasturing His flock, Jesus wants Peter and his successors, the Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, and priests to express their love for Him through the pastoral ministry of tending, caring for, and nourishing God’s people with spiritual food to bring them to maturity.

While this specific pastoral ministry is entrusted to the ordained, a common pastoral ministry was also entrusted to everyone, to the sheep themselves, when they were baptized. This pastoral ministry of the sheep is always nourished at every celebration of the Holy Eucharist particularly in the Holy Communion of the Word and the Word made Flesh, the Body of Christ. God feeds His sheep and, at the end of the celebration, the Dismissal, sends them forth as shepherds to tend and feed other members of the flock. He feeds us with His love that we may love Him in return by feeding others as well. 

Now, in silence, let us ask ourselves, 

"Am I expressing my love for Jesus in the way He wants me to as a shepherd?" 

or Am I content with just being fed all the time without having to feed others?

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

Image credit: catholicforlife.com

We are Born from Above

April 26, 2022, Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

Gospel: Jn 3:7b-15

Through our baptism, we are not born again; we are born from above.

Under the cover of darkness, Nicodemus came to Jesus to protect his standing as a reputable Pharisee and ruler of the Jews (a member of the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin). He, himself, was in the darkness of his beliefs. And Jesus welcomed him in that state and cast upon him the light of the truth.

During our Easter Vigil, we were in darkness, and Jesus came to us as the Light. Like what He did to Nicodemus, God enlightened us with the truth, instructing us with His Words. Yet, unlike Nicodemus, we received this Light at our baptism, which we all renewed that Easter night or Easter day. 

Our Gospel today started with verse 7b of Chapter 3 of St. John’s. In the verses that precede this, Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." He replied, "How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?" Clearly, Nicodemus misunderstood Jesus.

The Greek adverb anōthen means both "from above" and "again." Jesus means "from above" (see Jn 3:31) but Nicodemus misunderstands it as "again." He never mentioned being "born again," and this is not what He meant by "being born from above." And so, Jesus explained what he meant and repeated to him several times the terms, "born of water and Spirit" and "born from above." Jesus said, "‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

When we were baptized with water and the Spirit (which we renewed on Easter), we were incorporated into Jesus, who is from above. Our baptism, then, was our birth from above. We were regenerated into Christ’s glorified body, the Holy Eucharist we receive at every Mass. Let us then live our being born from above by remaining in the Body of Christ, by being attuned to God’s purpose and by walking in this life towards our one and only destiny, the Eternal Banquet in heaven. 

Through our baptism, we are not born again; we are born from above.

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

Image credit: ncregister.com

Let us be Like the Doubting Thomas

Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday of Divine Mercy

April 24, 2022

Readings

    Reading I: Acts 5:12-16

    Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

    Reading II: Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19

    Gospel: Jn 20:19-31

If we refuse to gather and worship with the community of faith, when we say that we can pray alone anywhere we want, we will never experience the Lord revealing Himself personally to the worshiping community in a special way.

There are many Catholics today, who, after receiving the sacraments, no longer come to church for Mass. One of the many reasons they have is that God is present everywhere, so they can pray anytime, anywhere. They believe that they do not need to join the church for Holy Mass.

Thomas was not with his community when Jesus first appeared to them. Still having that crisis brought by the death of Jesus, he refused to believe the story of his companions that Jesus was alive. He said, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." He doubted not Jesus, but the account of his community. He desired to personally see and touch Jesus for himself.

When he was finally with the community, and Jesus appeared to them again, Thomas experienced Jesus’ kindness and mercy. Instead of condemning Thomas for his doubts and unbelief, Jesus let Thomas feel and experience His Real Presence. It was an intimate encounter with Jesus. He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." With that, Thomas replied with great faith, "My Lord and my God!"

Yes, it is true that God is present everywhere and that we can pray to Him at anytime, but, His presence in the Holy Eucharist is personal and unique, for it is Jesus Himself. His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist is par excellence.

On the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), it is written, (I quote), "In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present -- body, blood, soul, and divinity -- under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. (End of quote).

This presence is not everywhere. It is only in the Holy Eucharist. And we can only and intimately experience God’s Real Presence by gathering and worshiping together as a community. Let us be like the "doubting Thomas" who deeply desired to touch Jesus personally. Jesus granted him that experience. He will do the same for us if we gather with our community around the Table of the Lord. 

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

Image credit: wikimedia.org

Feast of Sr. Sto. Niño

Feast of the Sto. Niño

January 16, 2022, Sunday

Readings

    Reading I: Isaiah 9:1-6
    Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2-3,3-4, 5-6
    Reading II: Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18
    Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

Jesus Always Finds Us

When we are lost and could not find our way to God, Jesus is waiting for us at His Father’s House.

Apparently, in our Gospel reading today, Jesus was lost. He stayed in Jerusalem without the knowledge of His parents, who were already on their journey back to Nazareth. His parents anxiously searched for Him among their relatives. And not finding Him, they went back to Jerusalem to continue their search. It was only after three days of continuous searching that they found Him in the temple area, listening to the Pharisees and asking them questions. 

The Gospel presents to us Jesus being lost and how Mary and Joseph find Him. Jesus was lost. However, was He truly lost? Or was it Mary and Joseph who were actually lost?

In the Gospel, when they found Jesus at the temple, Jesus asked them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s House?" In saying this, Jesus implied that it was Mary and Joseph who were lost. They did not know where Jesus was. They did not know where to find Him and so they looked for Him everywhere. Actually, they were the ones who were lost, not Jesus. Jesus was exactly where He had to be, in His Father’s House.

When Christianity came to the Philippines, God found His people who were lost. It was the image of the Holy Child, the Son of God, the Sto. Niño, who found the lost people.

And yet, today, 500 years after being found, many people are still lost. They searched for God everywhere. They seem not know that God is in His temple, the Church. Let us be their guides, "tourist guides" (well, in this life, we are all resident tourists). Let us help people find Jesus by directing them to churches where Jesus is waiting for them. 

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

Image credit: sugbo.ph

January 7 Homily

Friday after Epiphany

January 7, 2022

Readings (Click here to read full text.) 
    Reading I: 1 Jn 5:5-13
    Responsorial Psalm: Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
    Gospel: Lk 5:12-16

Lord, If You Wish, You Can Make Me Clean

Our gospel reading today is one of the shortest. It's only four verses long. This presents us with Jesus healing a man with leprosy. But let us focus our reflection on the leprose person who was outcasted by the Jews. Coming near him, more so touching or being touched by him, would make others impure or, worse, they would catch the disease and be outcasted as well. We could just imagine the people's reactions when this man approached Jesus, prostrated himself before Him and pleaded with Him to cleanse him of his leprosy, placing himself at the will of Jesus. He said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." He was so focused on Jesus that he did not mind what others would say. He did what he needed to do; he earnestly prayed. Jesus did not mind either. And of course, without hesitation, Jesus cured and made him clean. Jesus said to him, "I do will it." Be made clean." As the news of this healing spread, many came to Jesus to listen to Him and to be healed.

Today, let us come to Jesus prostrate ourselves before Him, and plead with Him to heal us. Let us ask ourselves, "What is it in me that needs healing?" What is it in me that needs cleansing? Let us bring our disease to Jesus, who wills our healing, and He will heal us without hesitation.

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

Image credit:twitter.com