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Father Allan
Fenix is an American
Catholic diocesan priest
currently serving in his
native land, the
Philippines. His
work first appeared
on RNJ in 2007, and
we're delighted to
welcome him back
after a 5 year
hiatus.
In 2012, he published his
first book, a collection
of some of his best
reflections appearing on
RNJ and also titled, A
Few Minutes with Father.
Father
Allan
has a global following
and a down to earth
perspective on the
challenges we all face
as Catholic
Christians. He is
a veteran SWL and an
avid DX'er.
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A Few Minutes with Father:
2022
Meditations on Our Life as
Catholic Christians
By Father Allan Fenix |
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THE
LIGHT
...the light
shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not
overcome it. (John 1:
5).
I do not know
how many of you have
ever experienced living
in the dark. I grew up
in a very rural area
before there was an
electrical service, and
I know how it is to live
in the dark.
I saw how
townsfolk had to shell
out their hard earned
money just to buy a
small amount of kerosene
gas to tide their
families through the
darkness of the night.
Many ate their dinners
and retired early to
save on their gas.
Our parents
operated a convenience
store. We were able to
afford two units of
petromax, which I saw
our father light before
the darkness of the
night set in. One was
hung at the storefront,
and the other at the
back, by the kitchen.
With nowhere to
go in the darkness, I
saw how people would
congregate by our
petromax-lighted
storefront to share
stories and wait until
the gas ran out to end
the day.
In the
beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with
God, and the Word was
God. He was in the
beginning with God. All
things came to be
through him, and without
him nothing came to be.
What came to be through
him was life, and this
life was the light of
the human race. (John 1:
1-4).
Living in that
rural town back then, I
saw how people would
literally stop in their
steps when they heard
the six o'clock evening
Angelus church
bells. On Sundays, they
would listen patiently
as our parish priest
delivered a half hour
homily.
Living in that
rural area, I saw the
fear in the hearts of
people towards the
strong presence of
communist rebels in the
peripheries. I often
heard them say how their
livelihoods are affected
and disrupted. There was
this fear that, perhaps,
one day we'll all wake
up under a different
form of government, as
harsh as what our
neighboring countries go
through.
Gratefulness is
in my heart that, while
our parents were able to
afford to send us off to
learn how to read, write
and pray in a Catholic
school in the city, and
that light came to our
town when the electrical
service started to
operate. People now
lived in the light. No
longer were they
wallowing in the
darkness as they did
before. People started
to have other options in
life. They started to
own basic household
appliances like electric
fans, refrigerators, and
televisions.
On my part, my
siblings and I were
thankful to be able to
understand what we were
reading and to be able
to write what was in our
minds. No longer were we
living in the darkness
of our ignorance.
A man named
John was sent from God.
He came for testimony,
to testify to the light,
so that all might
believe through him. He
was not the light, but
came to testify to the
light. The true light,
which enlightens
everyone, was coming
into the world. He was
in the world, and the
world came to be through
him, but the world did
not know him. He came to
what was his own, but
his own people did not
accept him. (John 1:
6-10).
The light,
Jesus Christ, has
already come. Someone,
perhaps teacher, priest,
or catechist brought him
to us. We need to accept
him wholeheartedly.
However, we cannot blame
people who continue and
persist with their own
beliefs. While many have
already gathered up
their act, moved on and
live much better lives,
there are those who
continue to live in the
darkness at the
periphery of refusing
and rejecting anything.
No society, no church
community, no family, no
school is perfect.
However, we do as much
as we can to better what
has served us. Day by
day we work on it,
hoping that a better
outcome will arrive at
the end of the day.
But to those
who did accept him he
gave power to become
children of God. (John
1: 12).
There is no
point in resisting. When
we accept, we receive
more than we lose.
Because, as it says in
John 1: 14, “And the
Word became flesh and
made his dwelling among
us, and we saw his
glory, the glory as of
the Father's only Son,
full of grace and
truth.” And, further on,
John testified to him
and cried out, saying,
“This was he of whom I
said, 'The one who is
coming after me ranks
ahead of me because he
existed before me'”.
From his fullness we
have all received, grace
in place of grace,
because while the law
was given through Moses,
grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ.
(John 1: 15- 17).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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BRING
HOME THE BACON
This is how the
birth of Jesus Christ
came about. When his
mother Mary was
betrothed to Joseph, but
before they lived
together, she was found
with child through the
Holy Spirit. Joseph, her
husband, since he was a
righteous man, yet
unwilling to expose her
to shame, decided to
divorce her quietly.
(Matthew 1: 18-19).
There was a
fairy tale like story
about a young girl from
the countryside who was
impregnated and
abandoned by her
irresponsible boyfriend.
Disowned by her own
family and trying to
avoid the stigma, she
left their village and
went to a nearby city.
In the city,
working as a dishwasher,
she met someone who
accepted her life
entirely. They stayed
with his family and she
was accepted by them as
well.
Such was his
intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a
dream and said, "Joseph,
son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary your
wife into your home. For
it is through the Holy
Spirit that this child
has been conceived in
her... When Joseph
awoke, he did as the
angel of the Lord had
commanded him and took
his wife into his home.
(Matthew 1: 20, 24).
Joseph did what
the idiomatic expression
“bring home the bacon”
says. He did not only
earn and achieve success
in life, but he
literally brought home
the “BACON:” the BABY
CONCEIVED through the
Holy Spirit. The BACON –
the Baby Conceived – is
Jesus who will save his
people from their sins.
Behold, the virgin shall
be with child and bear a
son, and they shall name
him Emmanuel, which
means, "God is with us."
Do we also bring home
the BACON, Jesus, the
BABY CONCEIVED by the
Holy Spirit? If not
Jesus, what we are
bringing homed with us
is a BAD CON.
The BAD CONS
are the negative
energies we absorb from
our workplace, the
school, the marketplace,
the playground, the
friends we're around. We
are the same and,
perhaps, like the worst
person, who left and
went back home again in
the late afternoon or
evening. We are like a
withered flower, drained
of its positive energy.
Are you
bringing home the BACON?
Jesus, the BABY
CONCEIVED by the Holy
Spirit? Or the BAD CON,
the negative energies
that cause more
desolation than
consolations in us and
in the others around us
at home?
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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THE
JESUS DOSE
This is the
penultimate medical
mission. Whereas medical
missions organized by
numerous cause-oriented
groups are focused only
on the distribution of
almost expiring
medicines, minor
operations, tooth
extractions, for Jesus,
it is holistic. It is
the healing of the
entirety of the human
person:
"Go and tell
John what you hear and
see: the blind regain
their sight, the lame
walk, lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised, and
the poor have the good
news proclaimed to
them." (Matthew 11:
4-5).
Health is the
primary concern
nowadays. Can we really
put our trust in our
modern medicines? For
reasons of lifestyle or
genetics, it is ironic
that the more and newer
medicines we are taking
nowadays, the sicker we
also get. Many of us
have been through and
seen hospital wards, and
have seen the numerous
sick patients seeking
cures and healing. Many
are dying now, not on
the fields of battle, in
freak accidents, or
through natural
calamities, but in
sickness and diseases.
When John the
Baptist heard in prison
of the works of the
Christ, he sent his
disciples to him with
this question, Are you
the one who is to come,
or should we look for
another?" (Matthew 11:
23).
It is because
of this that more we
need even more of the
Jesus dose. It might
take some time, but we
can go directly to him
for cure and healing. We
no longer need the
prescription of a
medical professional for
a very powerful drug to
solve our health
problems. The Jesus dose
alone suffices. As
Isaiah 35: 5-6, 10 says
it:
Then will the
eyes of the blind be
opened, the ears of the
deaf be cleared; then
the lame leap like a
stag, then the tongue of
the mute will sing...
Those whom the Lord has
ransomed will return and
enter Zion singing ,
crowned with everlasting
joy; they will meet with
joy and gladness, sorrow
and mourning will flee.
And that is the
penultimate medical
mission: the Jesus dose.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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DIVINE
MECHANICS
Universally,
the sacred host we
receive during Holy
Communion is in a circle
shape. Have you ever
asked yourself why is it
so?Why not a
square, a triangle, or
in any other shape?Why a circle
host?
The answer is
the english word GOD
itself.
The word God is
a three-letter word.
These three letters
comprise the three parts
which completes a host.
To illustrate:
G - Side 1
D - Side 2
O - Lock
Putting the
letters G and D side by
side with each other
forms the circle shape =
GD.
Then finally,
inserting the letter O,
the lock, completes the
entire circle.= O
The letters G
and D is now encircled
by the letter O.
This is why the
sacred host we receive
during Holy Communion is
universally shaped as a
round circle.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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STAY
AWAKE!
In those days
before the flood, they
were eating and
drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, up
to the day that Noah
entered the ark. They
did not know until the
flood came and carried
them all away. So will
it be also at the coming
of the Son of Man. Two
men will be out in the
field; one will be
taken, and one will be
left. Two women will be
grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and
one will be left.
(Matthew 24: 37-41).
Back in the
days when the only
available weekend
entertainment after
school was the movies.
The censorship was not
that strict (unlike
nowadays), and, as long
as I had the money to
buy a ticket, I was able
to watch all kind of
movies, particularly
those dealing with
terror and violence: not
knowing that many of
these were instilling
fear in my heart.
So, when talk
and stories about the
end of the world, due to
nuclear war, and extreme
natural calamities,
became so prevalent in
those days, I felt
afraid and sad that
everything would come to
an end, just exactly as
I saw it in the movies.
I won't see my parents,
my siblings, my
classmates, my friends,
or my town-mates
anymore: everyone that I
hold dear in my life.
After the
movies, the next place
we went before the start
of class days was the
church. Again, most of
the readings I heard
were from the Book of
Revelation, and they
concerned eschatological
matters like death, the
end of the world,
judgment and the Kingdom
of God: the end times.
It was just like what I
saw so vividly in the
movies.
My pillow is
soaked; my bed is
dripping wet from my
tears. My enemies have
caused me such sorrow
that my eyes are worn
out from crying. Go
away, you wicked people,
because the Lord has
heard my cries. (Psalms
6: 6-10).
As a little
child, with my limited
comprehension about
matters of the world, I
was thrown into a
mixture of dilemma and
fear. Where and to whom
will I run to when even
the church was talking
about it?
Therefore, stay
awake! For you do not
know on which day your
Lord will come. Be sure
of this: if the master
of the house had known
the hour of night when
the thief was coming, he
would have stayed awake
and not let his house be
broken into. So too, you
also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do
not expect, the Son of
Man will come. (Matthew
24: 42-44).
At last, I
discovered that we are
all in the same boat!
And we share the same
anxiety and fear about
the coming days. Like it
says in John 16: 33: “'I
have told you these
things, so that in me
you may have peace. In
this world you will have
trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the
world.'”
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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TABLOID
FODDER
“By your
perseverance you will
secure your lives.”
(Luke 21: 19).
Born in a
typhoon-belt area, where
typhoons pass by all
throughout the year, and
located along the
Pacific ring of fire,
where earthquakes are
far too common, we are
used to natural
calamities happening
here and there. Being
survivors is in our DNA.
After a calamity, we, as
a people, are up
fighting in the arena of
life once again. For me,
it is “By your
perseverance and
resilience you will
secure your lives.” We
make do.
However, late
one night, bright
lightning and loud
thunder woke me up from
my sleep. From my bed,
looking out the window
at the play of lights
and sounds, I don't know
why I felt so afraid
down to my bones. It
seemed to sound so
different from previous
thunder and lightning
occurring in the daytime
hours, which I had
previously experienced
in my life.
Going further
on. We want to feel
good, not bad. We want
to be happy, not sad. We
wish only positive
things, not negative.
But what about this
passage?
See that you
not be deceived, for
many will come in my
name, saying, “I am he,”
and “The time has come.”
Do not follow them! When
you hear of wars and
insurrections, do not be
terrified; for such
things must happen
first, but it will not
immediately be the end.
Nations will rise
against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful
earthquakes, famines,
and plagues from place
to place; and awesome
sights and mighty signs
will come from the sky.”
(Luke 21: 8 -11).
Just as we are
about to reach the
summit of the present
liturgical year, we are
confronted with
something uncomfortable.
I told myself that we
get enough of these
uncomfortable things
from the ever-present
media. That's why I
found it hard to reflect
well on the second to
the last Sunday of the
present liturgical year.
We came to church to
uplift ourselves and not
drag ourselves down. Do
we want another tragedy?
For me, the scenarios
being painted were like
the doomsday movies and
melodramas that I had
watched in the past. It
was like fodder for the
tabloids.
Another thing,
we grew up valuing our
own families. Our
families are our true
home. It is where we run
to when we get lost, so
we can recover in its
warmth. But what if you
will even be handed over
by parents, brothers,
relatives and friends,
and they will even put
some of you to death:
“You will be
hated by all because of
my name.” (Luke 21:
16-17).
I remember
something I overheard
one day: “I thought it
only happens in the
movies! It is happening
right within our family.
We siblings are fighting
and killing each other
over the small
inheritance that our
parents left us!”
All that you
see here will end. “The
days will come when
there will not be left a
stone upon another stone
that will not be thrown
down.” (Luke 21: 6).
If we refuse to
be on guard, our
greediness and
selfishness will
overwhelm and eat us. It
will really be the end
of it all.
All along, we
have been talking about
nothing but somber
things. I do not wish
you a bad or sad day.
Just remember
that it is by
your
perseverance
and (as I added),
your
resilience, that
you
will secure your
lives.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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THE
LAST AND THE FIRST
So the last
will be first,
and the first
will be last.
(Matthew 20: 16).
The times are
getting exciting.
However, it seems that
the scriptural passage I
used is not very apt for
the Solemnity of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, King
of the Universe Sunday –
a happy day for all of
us faithful.
I highlighted
the words: “last”
and “first” to
express that Christ the
King Sunday takes place
on the last Sunday of
the liturgical year, and
right before the first
Sunday of another one.
It caps the entire run
of the long liturgical
year, Year C, and, at
the same time, it is
coming right next to the
First Sunday of Advent,
Year A, the start of
another liturgical year
in our lives.
The Solemnity
of Christ the King
Sunday fills me with
great curiosity. Like a
hinge, it sits at the
cusp of the tail and the
head of two liturgical
years. Originally, it
was solely a Roman
Catholic feast,
celebrated on the last
Sunday of October, but
now, it is observed by
Christians of all
denominations, as a way
to recognize and honor
Jesus Christ as the
“King of kings.”
With the aim to
remind the increasingly
secular world of the
importance of God and
his teachings, it was
initiated in 1925 by
Pope Pius XI. For him,
Jesus Christ is the
eternal ruler of the
world. The good pope saw
the ill effects of the
rapid encroachment of
secularism, manifested
in such human systems as
fascism, communism and
consumerism in the
modern world, and thus
counteracted it with the
Solemnity of Christ the
King Sunday, to remind
people that Jesus Christ
is really the genuine
ruler of mankind.
The Solemnity
grounds the human race
back on earth in
recognition of God and
the benevolence of
Christ. It is a firm
anchor among the
swirling tide of
ideologies fomenting a
Godless society.
Why an image of
a king? What is there in
a king? In general, the
role of a good king is:
1. The ability
to bring order into our
lives.
2. Unify the
people.
3. Convey the
truth.
4. Protect the
people from harm.
5. Do what is
best for them.
Jesus Christ
exemplified all these
traits of a good king,
as he fulfilled them in
his own life and compels
his followers to also
live proper lives.
Jumping now to
Mount Calvary on that
Good Friday:
One of the
criminals who was hanged
there was hurling abuse
at Him, saying, “Are you
not the Christ? Save
yourself and us! But the
other responded, and
rebuking him, said, “Do
you not even fear God,
since you are under the
same sentence of
condemnation? And we
indeed are suffering
justly, for we are
receiving what we
deserve for our crimes;
but this man has done
nothing wrong. And he
was saying, “Jesus ,
remember me when You
come into Your Kingdom:
And He said to him,
“Truly I say to you,
today you will be with
Me in Paradise.” (Luke
23: 42-43).
We need to
train ourselves to look
for signs of Jesus'
reign. His real identity
can be seen only by the
humble. The good thief
saw things as they were.
He knew his own
sinfulness. He
recognized Jesus'
character. He asked for
little, yet was rewarded
for his honesty.
Humility brings a true
perspective and is the
ground for meeting God.
Pray for humility.
From all these,
we now see that Jesus
Christ has eternal
authority, as opposed to
these Godless
ideologies, which only
offer temporal and
fleeting liberation.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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CHILDREN
OF
GOD
Jesus said to
them, “The children of
this age marry and
remarry; but those who
are deemed worthy to
attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection
of the dead neither
marry nor are given in
marriage. They can no
longer die, for they are
like angels; and they
are the children of God
because they are the
ones who will rise.
(Luke 20: 34-36).
Just a few days
ago, during the All
Souls' Day, we, as a
community, flocked to
the cemeteries where our
departed loved ones
were. We offered
flowers, candles, and
food to our
grandparents, parents
and other deceased
family members.
Reflecting on
the example given by the
Sadducees, about the
woman who outlived seven
husbands, I reached the
conclusion that she must
have been a very strong
person to be able to do
so. We have heard many
stories of widows who
also soon die following
their husbands' deaths.
It is because they
cannot bear the
heartaches, the
loneliness, the sadness
and everything else that
comes with losing
someone very significant
to their lives. That's
why I was able to say
that the widow who
outlived seven husbands
must be a very strong
person.
That the dead
will rise even Moses
made known in the
passage about the bush,
when he called, 'Lord,
the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob; and he is
not God of the dead, but
of the living, for to
him all are alive."
(Luke 20: 37-38).
I once
overheard someone, upon
seeing the crucified
Christ hanging on a
cross, asked why we
Catholics praise someone
who is dead. I answered
that our God died for us
so that we might have
life. He is not dead but
alive for us. He is just
taking a rest from his
tiredness after giving
us our lives back.
Along with all
the heartaches, the
loneliness, sadness and
discontentment it brings
us, the world offers us
nothing but death; death
and more deaths. There
is only one who remains
alive, for he is life
itself. He is God. He
gives us hope. For he is
life, life and more
life, he, himself
especially in the Holy
Eucharist that is ever
with us on this planet
Earth.
As limited
beings as we are, with
our own individual
experience with
heartaches, loneliness,
sadness, discontentment,
it is but human desire
to propagate our human
species, thinking that
it is the solution to
all of that; a means to
attain happiness.
However, as we all know
by now, it all ends once
again in heartaches,
loneliness, sadness,
discontentment; in
death, death and more
deaths.
All we need to
have is God; God and
only Him. He is our
life. That's why those
who are deemed worthy to
attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection
of the dead neither
marry nor are given in
marriage. They can no
longer die, for they are
like angels; and they
are the children of God
because they are the
ones who will rise.
(Luke 20: 35-36).
God, Himself,
suffices. He is our
strength and our life.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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SPIRITUAL
AGGRANDIZEMENT
Now a man there
named Zacchaeus, who was
a chief tax collector
and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who
Jesus was; but could not
see him because of the
crowd, for he was short
in stature. So he ran
ahead and climbed a
sycamore tree in order
to see Jesus, who was
about to pass that way.
(Luke 19: 2-4).
About a month
ago, while we were
having the biggest of
our regional Marian
celebrations, something
like what happened with
the crowd and Zacchaeus
was glaringly obvious
during the Traslacion
(transfer) of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, Our
Lady of Penafrancia,
from the Penafrancia
parish to the
Metropolitan Cathedral
for the traditional 9-
day novenario.
In expressing
our fervent religious
devotion, is there a
definite physical
distance required? Is
there a difference in
the grace received by
those who came very near
and those who were just
standing by the
roadside, or waiting up
in a tree, silently
praying the rosary and
waving a handkerchief?
The pandemic is on the
way out and we are going
back to being our usual,
normal, unruly selves.
Is that why what
happened in our streets
took place during the
aforementioned
procession of our INA
(Mother)?
For a year or
two, our Penafrancia
celebration was so
silent and subdued. Many
just stayed home,
staring out the window
with their candles when
the motorcade passed by.
Now, the usual
unruly, drunken crowd
came in droves, as
though storm troopers
attacking their enemy.
They wanted to get
close, and came ever
nearer. During the
procession, I was in
front, walking with the
Knights of the Altar,
and holding the ciriales
(processional
candlesticks), when I
saw, with my own eyes,
how the mob of drunken
devotees met us head on,
and jumped at us, while
trying to grab hold of
the standarte
(banner) located between
the ciriales.
What can the
poor Knights of the
Altar do against this
drunken, unruly crowd?
And, at the back of the
procession, an even more
drunken and unruly crowd
was overpowering the
hundreds of police and
military personnel
charged to guard the Divino
Rostro (Holy
Face), and our INA.
...[he] was
seeking to see who Jesus
was; but he could not
see him because of the
crowd, for he was short
in stature. So he ran
ahead and climbed a
sycamore tree in order
to see Jesus, who was
about to pass that way.
With their
theatrics and antics,
the drunken, unruly
crowd blocked sincere
devotees from seeing the
Holy Face of Jesus, and
our Mother, who was
passing by. There were
devotees going up on
higher grounds, even
climbing trees, just to
clearly see the Holy
Face of Jesus and INA.
When he reached
the place, Jesus looked
up and said to him,
"Zacchaeus, come down
quickly, for today I
must stay at your
house." And he came down
quickly and received
him, with joy. (Luke 19:
5-6).
At the end of
the day, who do you
think Jesus and our INA
went home with? With
those in the drunken and
unruly crowds, or with
the sincere devotees by
the roadside, waiting or
climbing up in trees,
while praying the rosary
silently and waving
their handkerchiefs?
When they all
saw this, they began to
grumble, saying, "He has
gone to stay at the
house of a sinner." But
Zacchaeus stood there
and said to the
Lord,"Behold, half of my
possessions, Lord, I
shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted
anything from anyone I
shall repay it four
times over. (Luke 19:
7-8).
Whether we are
like Zacchaeus or the
drunken and unruly
crowd, we are all
sinners. All of us carry
a heavy weight on our
shoulders. We are all
guilty of something. But
remember Wisdom 11: 1-2
and 26-12:
But you spare
all things, because they
are yours, O Lord and
lover of souls, for your
imperishable spirit is
in all things! Therefore
you rebuke offenders
little by little, warn
them and remind them of
the sins they are
committing, that they
may abandon their
wickedness and believe
in you, O Lord !
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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REASON
OVER
INSTINCT
And if your eye
causes you to stumble,
gouge it out and throw
it away. It is better
for you to enter life
with one eye than to
have two eyes and be
thrown into the fire of
hell. (Matthew 18: 9).
On several
occasions, I have
overheard people saying
that it would be better
for them to just stay
home rather than go to
church. According to
them, they sin more in
church than at home.
Their eyes keep on
roaming and looking
around. They cannot
stand to see persons
they know, who fool
around on weekdays, but
on Sundays are like
sheep; like lambs
serving and attending
mass. They have
judgmental eyes that
label them as
hypocrites.
With this, I
also recalled the days
of the horse-drawn
carriages, or the calesas,
going around our city
streets back then. The
eyes of the horses were
shielded with cut-out
rubber patches, to not
only protect them from
the glare of the sun,
but to keep their focus
on the road. With their
eyes shielded, they
won't get distracted by
the things around them.
Why? Who is in
our churches? It's the
sinners. The saints are
already up there in
heaven. They are all
“long gone.” There are
no more saints left
inside our churches, but
only the sinners, who
stand like the tax
collector who “...stood
off at a distance and
would not even raise his
eyes to heaven but beat
his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to
me a sinner.'"(Luke 18:
13).
The people I
mentioned earlier are
like the Pharisees:
The Pharisee
took up his position and
spoke this prayer to
himself, 'O God, I thank
you that I am not like
the rest of humanity –
greedy, dishonest, and
even like this tax
collector. I fast twice
a week, and I pay tithes
on my whole income.'
(Luke 18: 11-12).
How can you say
to your brother,
'Brother, let me take
the speck out of your
eye; when you yourself
fail to see the plank in
your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take
the plank out of your
eye, and then you will
see clearly to remove
the speck from your
brother's eye. (Luke 6:
42).
We are not
brutes ruled merely by
instincts. So much so
that it needs those cut
out rubbers to cover its
eyes to avoid
distractions around. Do
not be like the horse or
the mule, which have no
understanding but must
be controlled by bit and
bridle or they will not
come to you. (Psalm 32:
9).
We are gifted,
rational humans. We have
control of our senses.
Reason is our great
connection to
civilization. Once we
lose it, it is all
downhill from there. We
will be like the brutes,
who are at the mercy of
their instincts.
Reason must
rule over instinct, but
reason must also be at
the service of instinct.
Instinct is placed in
the proper order of
things because of
reason, “... for
everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles
himself will be
exalted.” (Luke 18: 14).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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BE
A PRAYER
Will not God
then secure the rights
of his chosen ones who
call out to him day and
night? Will he be slow
to answer them? (Luke
18: 7).
Don't just pray
but be a prayer.
Many people
expect a lot from us
priests about prayer.
Having gone through a
number of years in the
seminary, they see us as
more knowledgeable, and
even experts, on all
things about praying.
Honestly, we
priests are not
superhuman when it comes
to praying. We are also
going through it one
step at a time, day by
day. I, for one, am
having a hard and
difficult time with it.
Except for our spiritual
giants, who have really
made it and were
certified so by the
Church, no one can claim
an expertise in the
field of praying.
Everyone is a mere
amateur, just doing it
for the love of it. Just
being a prayer.
As in any other
enterprise, the business
of prayer is very
tricky. Personally, I am
almost done with it. I
have long ago almost
given up on it. My
experience is that of
going through a vicious
cycle –repetitively
doing something hoping
to get a better result
than the previous one.
It is like a gambler who
keeps on betting hoping
to win more when, in the
end, he is losing a lot
more and going bankrupt.
There are many
desperate “pray-ers,”
who went to great
lengths, and exhausted
their vast fortunes, to
offer mass intentions,
give donations, even
going on far and
expensive pilgrimages.
There are those who even
employ prayer
traffickers, who buzz
around church premises,
and who for an specified
amount, promise to do an
expeditious novena
prayer for their
critical intentions,
just to get their
prayers answered.
But do not
forget this one thing,
dear friends: With the
Lord a day is like a
thousand years, a
thousand years are like
a day. (2 Peter 3:8).
After all of
this, when nothing
positive comes of it,
they will be told to be
patient and wait. It is
not yet the time.
God is time. He
owns it. Humans
subdivided it into
calendar years, months,
weeks, days, hours,
minutes, and seconds.
We really have
to be patient and wait,
wait and wait, because
PRAYER is being Patient
for the Response
Awaiting You in Every
Rosary.
Brothers and
sisters, don't just pray
but be prayers of the
Rosary. Because praying
the Rosary teaches us to
be Patient for the
Response Awaiting You,
the pray-er, in Every
Rosary.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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GRATEFULNESS
And one of
them, realizing he had
been healed, returned,
glorifying God in a loud
voice; and he fell at
the feet of Jesus and
thanked him. He was a
Samaritan. (Luke 17:
15-16).
I often heard
that to be grateful is
to be happy. If we are
not, we won't be happy.
Perhaps, that's the main
reason why there are a
lot of thanksgiving
intentions being offered
by parishioners. Big or
small, each of them have
their own story of
gratitude.
Reflecting on
my gratitude, I felt so
overwhelmed. I do not
know where to start. It
seemed so broad to me.
So, what I did was to
ruminate on the word
GRATEFULNESS. For me,
this word encapsulates
what I'm thankful for.
GRatefulness.
From head to toe, we
were GIVEN and GRANTED a
lot by God; too much to
be counted and thought
of. We will spend almost
the whole day and time
just going through it
and we will not yet even
finish and see the end
of it.
grATEfulness.
Amidst all of these, let
us just begin by being
thankful for what we ATE
today. Minimally, we eat
thrice a day- the
Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit. We might
have to work hard for
the food we put on our
table . But, the
inspiration and strength
to do so all came from
God. Remember, without
him, we can do nothing.
grateFULness.
We really have to be
thankful. What we ate
gives us the FUEL. The
strength to work hard
for our next meal and
pay for all the fuels we
need in our day to day
life from the gas for
our transportation,
energy to put on the
lights, the stove, the
fan, the air
conditioner, the floor
polisher, the washing
machine..... and to pay
all the rest of our
utility bills.
In the Our
Father, it says: “Give
us this day our daily
bread.”
gratefulNESS.
We have to be thankful
for the fuel to
strengthen us and tackle
the NEXT SECONDS and
SEGMENTS of our lives.
One day at a time. The
whole day has in itself
enough trouble. Be
thankful for the life to
go on to the next
second, minute, hour,
day... week,
month...year...
Just for today,
be thankful. Be
grateful. Be happy. As
Matthew 6: 34 says,
Today has enough trouble
of its own.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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SEANCE
When the poor
man died, he was carried
away by angels to the
bosom of Abraham. The
rich man also died and
was buried, and from the
netherworld, where he
was in torment, he
raised his eyes and saw
Abraham far off and
Lazarus at his side.
(Luke 16: 22-23).
Teaching about
the eternal reward which
awaits us all in heaven,
many vehemently blamed
the church for the
poverty in the world.
They said the poor
became too lazy to work
to better themselves,
since there is a
heavenly reward in the
after life. The image
made of the poor was
Lazarus lying at his
door covered with sores,
who would gladly have
eaten his fill of the
scraps that fell from
the rich man's table.
Dogs even used to come
and lick his sores.
(Luke 16: 20-21).
And he cried
out, “Father Abraham,
have pity on me. Send
Lazarus to dip the tip
of his finger in water
and cool my tongue, for
I am suffering torment
in these flames.”
Abraham replied, “My
child, remember that you
received what was good
during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise
received what was bad;
but now he is comforted
here, whereas you are
tormented. (Luke 16:
24-25).
More so, the
church seems to put the
rich in a bad light.
When, in fact, most of
its benefactors and
benefactresses for its
construction projects
and all, are like the
rich man dressed in
purple garments and fine
linen, who dined
sumptuously each day.
(Luke 16: 19).
Moreover,
between us and you a
great chasm is
established to prevent
anyone from crossing who
might wish to go from
our side to yours or
from your side to ours.
(Luke 16: 26)
I remember the
time when I first
learned how to swim in a
river. The next thing
that I had to learn to
do was to jump off into
the water from a raised
rock. I was so afraid to
do it. I told my friends
that I would like first
to know what was there
at the bottom of that
deep river. They keep on
encouraging me to just
jump off as I will not
reach the bottom of the
river anyway, but
immediately float back
to the surface. I did it
and floated back to the
surface. It was all
water I felt under my
feet.
He said, 'Then
I beg you, father, send
him to my father's
house, for I have five
brothers, so that he may
warn them, lest they too
come to this place of
torment. But, Abraham
replied, 'They have
Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to
them.' He said, 'Oh no,
father Abraham, but if
someone from the dead
goes to them, they will
repent.' Then Abraham
said, 'If they will not
listen to Moses and the
prophets, neither will
they be persuaded if
someone should rise from
the dead.' (Luke 16: 27-
31).
I remember a
medium who conducted
seances, who offered to
our mother that, for a
price, he would
facilitate it so our
departed father could
talk directly to her. I
said that our father,
and all the rest, are
already resting in
peace. No need to
disturb them. More so,
our father when he was
still alive was very
silent and
uncommunicative. A
person of few words. He
and mother seldom talked
to each other. I told
him that we would just
pray the rosary for all
of them and read some
scripture passages. For
sure, they will
appreciate it more and
be forever at peace
wherever they are.
Just keep on
praying. The numbers and
repetitions of our
prayers, novenas and
other forms of devotion
are our heavenly
investment account that
will pay off with great
interest at the end of
our lives. Amen.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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FAITHDOZER
I tell you,
make friends for
yourselves with
dishonest wealth, so
that when it fails, you
will be welcomed into
eternal dwellings. (Luke
16: 9).
Nowadays, when
almost everything we
need is already
available and provided
for us, do we still
appreciate creativity
and resourcefulness?
Yes, of course!
We admire very creative
and resourceful persons:
McGyvers who can make do
with anything that is
available on hand. Their
can-do attitude always
finds a way to get over
various challenges
blocking their paths.
This is faith
in action, as they don't
simply give up but just
keep on going on. They
are the ones referred to
in Matthew 21: 21:
Jesus replied ,
“Truly I tell you, if
you have faith and do
not doubt, not only can
you do what was done to
the fig tree, but also
you can say to this
mountain, 'Go, throw
yourself into the sea,'
and it will be done.
Faith, which
many of us lack, moves
mountains. First and
foremost, we have faith
by virtue of the
sacrament of Baptism we
received . But, If we
find it hard to activate
and get motivated, we
say we lack faith. Where
can we start? We have to
start somewhere.
So, how do we
manage the 24 hours that
are gifted to us each
day?
Remember, there
is a time for
everything:
There is a time
for everything, and a
season for every
activity under the
heavens: a time to be
born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a
time to uproot, a time
to kill and a time to
heal, a time to tear
down and a time to
scatter stones, and a
time to gather them, a
time to embrace and a
time to refrain from
embracing, a time to
search and a time to
give up, a time to keep
and a time to throw
away, a time to tear and
a time to mend, a time
to be silent and a time
to speak, a time to love
and a time to hate, a
time for war and a time
for peace. (Ecclesiastes
3: 1-9).
If we can only
start on this very first
step. One at a time,
step after step, soon
you will be the person
who is trustworthy in
very small matters, who
is also trustworthy in
great ones, rather than
the person who is
dishonest in very small
matters, and who is also
dishonest in great ones:
So, if
therefore, you are not
trustworthy with
dishonest wealth, who
will trust you with true
wealth? If you are not
trustworthy with what
belongs to another, who
will give you what is
yours? Luke 16: 10-12
If the journey
of a thousand miles
begins with the first
step, this is the first
step to having a
faithdozer, a faith
McGyver, which can go
through almost anything
in its path. It is not
hard nor difficult, but
only if we are
courageous enough to
take the first step, the
second, third,
fourth....
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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A
GOD AND HIS ANGELS (WHO
ONLY KNOW HOW TO COUNT
UP TO ONE!)
A big religious
procession was recently
held in our place. While
looking at all the
throngs of people
processing by, a funny
question came to mind:
“What kind of a God can
keep each of them deep
in his thoughts?”
A person
working in a
correctional facility
shared that they, as a
routine, have to do a
thrice a day roll call,
morning, afternoon and
evening, among the
inmates to ensure that
everyone is accounted
for.
A mother with
several children also
shared that , with all
the day's concerns in
her hands, sometimes she
hardly knew whether all
of her children had
already taken their
meals.
In the seminary
before, our Prefect of
Discipline would also
often do a surprise
attendance check of
seminarians, usually
during our community
activities, like prayers
and meals, to know
whether anyone left the
place without his
permission.
Isaiah 43: 1
says, “But now, this is
what the Lord says – he
who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you,
Israel; “Do not fear,
for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by
name; you are mine.”
We are not a
lost cause. We properly
belong to someone who
calls us, not by a
number nor a generic
term, He calls us by our
own baptismal name. A
name which is uniquely
ours alone. We might
have thousands of
namesakes, but that
particular name is
particularly ours. Our
God focuses on us ONE by
ONE. Not in a blanket
kind of way – nameless
and impersonal.
We are a people
of celebrations. Because
our God loves it. He has
found us all of these
opportunities to
celebrate. He is God,
the Good Shepherd...
...who would
leave the ninety-nine in
the desert and go after
the lost one until he
finds it. And when he
does find it, he sets it
on his shoulders with
great joy and upon his
arrival home, he calls
together his friends and
neighbors and says to
them, “Rejoice with me
because I have found my
lost sheep.” (Luke 15:
4-7).
Our God is not
like a prison warden who
just keeps on counting
inmates on his watch so
that he has a perfect
count report at the end
of the day. Nor is he
like a seminary Prefect
of Discipline, who has
his eyes wide open to
ensure that all formandis
are following the
schedule by heart. And,
more so, he is unlike
the distracted mother of
several children who
cannot keep track of the
whereabouts of each
child.
Our God is like
a woman, who, having ten
coins and losing one
would light a lamp and
sweep the house,
searching carefully
until she finds it. And
when she does find it,
she calls together her
friends and neighbors
and says to them,
“Rejoice with me because
I have found the coin
that I lost.” (Luke 15:
8-9).
I am not
blaspheming, but Our God
and his angels, in all
their absolute power and
with all of their
attributes, know only
how to count up to ONE.
Yes, only ONE:
There will be
more joy in heaven over
one sinner who repents
than over ninety nine
righteous people who
have no need of
repentance and that
there is rejoicing among
the angels of God over
one sinner who repents.
(Luke 15: 7, 10).
Are you glad
that our God can only
count up to ONE? Yes, He
knows only me and you,
individually and
personally, and not in a
massive and impersonal
manner. No point in
being envious and
jealous of others, then,
as each of us is
personally the apple of
his eye.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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CROSS
FEAT
Do you and how
much do you love your
own family? I am sure
all of us will respond
in the affirmative 101%.
I had the
chance to talk with some
seminarians about the
reasons they went out of
the seminary. A number
of them shared that they
were extremely
discouraged when, one
time, they asked
permission but were
denied to go home to
attend the funeral mass
of a grandparent. The
formator went as far as
asking the question, “If
you go home, will you
bring your grandparent
back to life?”
The seminarian
was so devastated. He
could not take the
rejection of not being
allowed to attend the
funeral mass of his
grandparent. It turned
out that the formator
was just testing the
seminarian to see how
far he would go in
following Matthew 8: 22:
Then he said to
another man, “Follow
me”. The man replied,
Lord, first let me go
and bury my father.” But
Jesus told him, “Let the
dead bury their own
dead. You, however, go
and proclaim the kingdom
of God.”
As far as I can
remember, it was a
seminary policy that
seminarians were only
permitted to go home and
attend the funeral mass
of their immediate
relatives, like a parent
or sibling. That's why,
during those times, I
really prayed hard that
nothing fatal happened
to my parents or
siblings. It is so
devastating to lose a
loved one.
One time, I
encountered a person
who, due to his strong
cultural influence,
decided not to belong to
any organized religion,
particularly
Catholicism, as he was
against its teaching,
“If anyone comes to me
without hating his
father and mother, wife
and children, brothers
and sisters, and even
his own life, he cannot
be my disciple.” (Luke
14: 25).
Do you? And how
much do you love your
own family? What if I
present to you the
passage of Luke 14: 25
to which Jesus himself
says, “If anyone comes
to me without hating his
father and mother, wife
and children, brothers
and sisters, and even
his own life, he cannot
be my disciple. Whoever
does not carry his own
cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14: 25-25).
How will you
respond or react now?
Which one for you is
more valuable and
carries the greater deal
of weight?
In recent
years, aside from the
additional two years of
senior high school and
free public college
education in the
countryside, vocation
directors have a hard
time filling up
seminaries or houses of
formation because almost
all the younger
generations had a hard
time being parted with
their gadgets, which
have become such a big
part and parcel of their
lives.
Of course,
anything that distracts
one in the formation is
not allowed. Rarely
anyone now would wish to
put themselves amidst a
life full of rules and
regulations, and one of
which is being parted
from one's beloved
gadget.
This is the
cross feat which almost
everyone of us are
failing in.
And someone
came to him and said,
“Teacher, what good
thing shall I do that I
may obtain eternal
life?” And he said to
him, “Why are you asking
me about what is good?
There is only one who is
good; but if you wish to
enter into life, keep
the commandments. Then
he said to him, “Which
ones?” And Jesus said,
“You shall not murder,
you shall not commit
adultery, you shall not
steal, you shall not
bear false witness,
honor your father and
mother.”
The young man
said to him, All these
things I have kept; what
am I still lacking?
Jesus answered, “If you
want to be perfect, go,
sell your possessions
and give to the poor,
and you will will have
treasure in heaven. Then
COME, FOLLOW ME.” When
the young man heard
this, he went away in
sorrow, because he had
great wealth. (Matthew
19: 16-22).
This is the
cross feat. What is our
greatest wealth which we
just can't do without?
Remember, “Where your
treasure is, there your
heart will be also.”
(Matthew 6: 21).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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FORM
A LINE AND WAIT FOR YOUR
TURN
On
a
sabbath Jesus went
to dine at the home
of one of the
leading Pharisees,
and the people there
were observing him
carefully. (Luke 14:
1).
When I started
to reflect on the
preceding passage, I
remembered in the past
when, after attending a
mass, we would go to eat
some ice cream at a
nearby restaurant. While
waiting for our order,
we noticed some
barefooted street
children in their dirty
torn clothes staring at
us through the windows
of the restaurant. Our
aunt, who was with us,
told us that we would
buy something for them
on our way out. However,
when our ice cream
arrived, the staff
immediately shooed them
away.
Up to this day,
I keep on wondering if
those street children
whom we encountered at
that restaurant, staring
at us and begging, ever
had a better turn in
their lives and, thus,
were now able to bring
their own families to
eat ice cream at that
restaurant.
He told a
parable to those who had
been invited, noticing
how they were choosing
the place of honor at
the table. When you are
invited by someone to a
wedding banquet do not
recline at table in the
place of honor. A more
distinguished guest than
you may have been
invited by him, and the
host who invited both of
you may approach you and
say, 'Give your place to
this man,' and then you
would proceed with
embarrassment to take
the lowest place. (Luke
14: 7-10).
In our movie
going days, when there
was nothing else to do
on weekends, I would
notice the empty front
seats close by the wide
screen. Most would
usually choose the
middle seats, as it was
not too near nor to far
from the widescreen.
Now, as a
priest, I observe that
we seem to carry this
movie going habit over
into our church habit.
Many of the early bird
parishioners seat
themselves from the
middle to the last pews.
Some even choose to
endure to stand at the
back, rather than
braving the walk to the
still empty and
available front pews.
So, overcrowding occurs
when latecomers arrive
while the mass is
already underway. Then,
during the distribution
of communion,
parishioners would all
rush to the front,
without even forming a
proper line, to receive
the Holy Eucharist. With
all the hurrying and
jostling, the scene is
similar to the
distribution of relief
goods during calamities.
Many of us already have
forgotten the basic
thing we learned in
kindergarten: to form a
line and wait for your
turn.
Rather, when
you are invited, go and
take the lowest place,
so that when the host
comes to you he may say,
' My friend, move up to
a higher position.' Then
you will enjoy the
esteem of your
companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles
himself will be
exalted.' (Luke 14:
10-11).
Life is all
about what we learned on
our first day in
Kindergarten: forming a
line and waiting for our
turn. We do this in our
elementary grades, high
school, college, higher
learning, work, family
life; we do this until
we reach senility, and
up until when we breathe
our last. Even when we
die.
Continuing my
reflection on forming a
line and waiting for our
turn:
Then he said to
the host who invited
him, “When you hold a
lunch or a dinner, do
not invite your friends
or your brothers or your
relatives or your
wealthy neighbors, in
case they may invite you
back and you have
repayment. Rather, when
you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, the
blind; blessed indeed
will you be because of
their inability to repay
you. For you will be
repaid at the
resurrection of the
righteous.” (Luke 14:
12-14).
Jesus is
teaching us that in
forming a line, the
poor, the crippled, the
lame, and the blind must
come first, while our
friends, brothers,
relatives and neighbors
can must wait for their
turn. Everybody will be
served anyway.
In her own
little way, our aunt,
who was with us that day
we ate ice cream in the
restaurant after church,
did it by expressing her
intention and teaching
us children what we
should do for the street
children staring at us
through the windows.
Even though, in the end,
they were shooed away by
the staff.
Our large
family, in our own
little way, shared
whatever food we could
still scrounge from our
table with a homeless
person, who usually
stayed in front of our
store waiting for any
help we might provide.
How about you?
What little thing have
you done to invite the
poor, the crippled, the
lame, and the blind into
your lives?
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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THE
BRAVES
After the
master of the house has
arisen and locked the
door, then will you
stand outside knocking
and saying, 'Lord, open
the door for us'. He
will say to you in
reply, 'I do not know
where you are from' ...
and there will be
wailing and grinding of
teeth when you see
Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob and all the
prophets in the Kingdom
of God and you
yourselves cast out.
(Luke 13: 25, 28).
Reflecting on
this passage, I remember
an incident we had in
the seminary when some
of us were locked out of
our classroom. Between
classes, we have short
breaks while waiting for
the next class. While
doing so outside the
classroom by the garden,
we lost track of the
time. By the time we got
back and were about to
enter our classroom, the
doors were already
locked. We were locked
out for being late to
class. And so, we were
absent from class that
day. It was so
humiliating being locked
out of our own classroom
while all of our other
classmates were having
class without us.
I also
experienced this kind of
humiliating feeling once
when I was sick,
confined in the
infirmary, and looking
out the window. I saw
the entire seminary
community celebrating
the Holy Eucharist and
praying without me.
Whether due to sickness
or a fault of our own,
it is so difficult to go
through isolation from
the rest of the
community or family. Of
course, we would wish to
be a part of their
happiness, celebrations
and, as well, sufferings
and hardships.
Someone
asked
him, “Lord, will only
a few people be
saved?” He answered
them, “Strive to enter
through the narrow
gate, for many, I tell
you, will attempt to
enter but will not be
strong enough.” (Luke
13: 23-24).
The narrow gate
is the door to the
confessional room. When
we commit a particular
sin, we not only cut our
relationship with God
but with the community,
the Body of Christ, as
well. To seek pardon for
our sins and be
reinstated in that
divine relationship, we
need to do it through
the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, inside
the confessional room.
The priest, the proper
minister of the
sacrament and
representing the church,
the community, the Body
of Christ, through the
formula of the
absolution recited,
orally pardons and
reinstates our broken
relationship with God
and his Church.
We are all
sinners. However, how
many of us are brave
enough to approach, open
and enter the narrow
door of the confessional
room? Are we strong
enough to have the
courage and energy to
squeeze open the door
knob to the confessional
room and celebrate the
Sacrament of
Reconciliation with God?
Be brave enough
and join “...the
people coming from the
east and the west and
from the north and the
south... [that] will
recline at table in
the Kingdom of God.
(Luke 13: 29).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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FIRE
and RAIN
Jesus said to
his disciples: “I have
come to set the earth on
fire, and how I wish it
were already blazing!”
(Luke 12: 49).
This passage is
so timely. It comes up
at a time when it is at
the height of summer in
some parts of the world,
where occurrences of
heat waves, forest
fires, and droughts are
common due to extreme
temperatures. On the
other hand, there are
also places experiencing
strong rains and floods.
Even in our
case, living in a
tropical country, we
also go through humidity
and warmth all
throughout the year. To
help dissipate it,
taking a bath twice a
day has become a habit.
This is our own small
way of coping to make
things bearable in our
lives. A fan is no
longer enough. Nor the
humble electric fan. We
now need strong air
conditioners.
Jesus, then, is
the culprit responsible
for all of these heat
waves, forest fires,
droughts, landslides and
floods due to strong
rains. And added to it
are all the lives and
property destroyed by
volcanic-related
earthquakes and
eruptions.
Mother nature
is God and he is the
instigator of all these
inconveniences and
sufferings in our lives.
Let us make a formal
complaint and bring him
to trial and, perhaps,
punishment!
There is a
baptism with which I
must be baptized, and
how great is my anguish
until it is
accomplished! (Luke 12:
50).
Jesus, through
all these natural events
occurring in our
surroundings, is
constantly reminding us
of our own baptism,
which we received when
we were still infants,
and which many have
already forgotten.
In the
sacrament of baptism,
there is the presence of
WATER and FIRE. These
are the external
reminders of Jesus
coming into our lives.
It is a great
pity that for many of
us, that we have already
forgotten where we came
from. We have already
forgotten the baptismal
promises that we made,
through our god parents,
when we were baptized as
infants (and which we
renew annually on Easter
Sundays – to believe in
a One God; Father, Son
and Holy Spirit; and
reject the deceptions of
the devil in our lives.
Do you think
that I have come to
establish peace on the
earth? No, I tell you,
but rather division.
(Luke 12: 51).
In many ways,
all of us have been
enchanted by the evil
one. We were convinced
and deceived into
believing that we
already found HEAVEN on
earth. This is not yet
the ONE. This is just a
foretaste of the true
heaven to come.
In pain and
suffering, through the
destructive and fatal
incidents occurring all
around us, God is
shouting at us to
separate ourselves from
the evil one. We have to
make division with him
by going back to the
sacraments – to
Confession and the Holy
Eucharist.
When we are
powered by the
sacraments, we are away
from and divided from
the evil one. All of the
heat waves, forest
fires, droughts, floods,
and volcanic earthquakes
and eruptions will only
stop when all of us have
surrendered ourselves to
the sacraments – to God.
COME ONE! COME
ALL!
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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MUCH
AND MORE
Much will be
required of the person
entrusted with much, and
still MORE will be
demanded of the person
entrusted with MORE.
(Luke 12: 48).
In my other
reflection, I concluded
that MORE means MARY
OFFERING the ROSARY, the
Redeemer, for ETERNITY
and not Materialism
Obstructing our Resolve
for Eternity.
We have been
entrusted with much and
much MORE. In life, we
have seen how a lot of
people did not even take
good care of the single
life that was entrusted
and gifted to us.
Just look at
how many are wasting
away in the streets, in
prison both physically
and psychologically.
There are those who, due
to some factors, are
dependent for their care
on others. And, there
were even those who
couldn't take it anymore
and just took their own
lives.
We have been
entrusted with much
MORE. Just daily taking
good care of the life we
have is already a big
business enterprise. How
do we take good care of
it?
Aside from
providing the proper
rest, nutrition and
hygiene, we have to feed
it with study and
prayer. We need to find
our own time to study.
Studying is not only for
those who are still in
school, but for all of
us still seeking how to
improve and sustain this
life. And, of course,
more prayer .
We have to feed
our life with a lot of
prayers. If we do so,
our energy tank will be
full for the whole day's
challenge. This will be
the only way by which we
can be of service to
others. An empty tank
has nothing to give.
We have to do
this. If not, we will be
inundated with MORE,
which is MATERIALISM
OBSTRUCTING our RESOLVE
for ETERNITY.
We will be
reliant on objects. On
what satisfies us for
the moment. On instant
gratification. We will
be bogged down. We will
have a lot of clutter in
our lives.
For where your
treasure is, there also
will your heart be.
(Luke 12: 34).
Our treasure
should be with the other
MORE who is Mary
Offering the Rosary, the
Redeemer, for Eternity.
Indeed, this is
the MORE we need. You
also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do
not expect, the Son of
Man will come into our
lives.
Fr. Allan Fenix
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MARY
OFFERING
the ROSARY for ETERNITY
Then he said to
the crowd, “Take care to
guard against all greed,
for though one may be
rich, one's life does
not consist of
possessions.” (Luke 12:
15).
Nowadays, many
things in the past which
we considered as
luxuries and prohibitive
to a lot of us, like air
conditioning, high
definition television
sets, washing machines,
refrigerators,
motorcycles and
automobiles, and other
gadgets, have already
become a necessity and
are even so affordable
for everyone.
Our market is
flooded with the
availability of just
about any products that
one can think of, there
is the assurance of next
day delivery, and the
payment system is so
convenient.
Cash is king!
Everyone is in a feeding
frenzy to find it so as
to possess the latest
product being offered on
the market. And, there
is never enough of it.
We want MORE, MORE and
MORE!
Greed now is
being justified as a
necessity; a hobby; a
recreation.
With our desire
for MORE, we become
impatient with the
humble electric fans not
giving us the cool air
we want. So, we look
forward to having air
conditioning.
Our life is now
so stressful that the
old television set in
the corner cannot
satisfy anymore the
entertainment escape we
so long for at the end
of the day.
We gradually
learn to abhor hard work
so that we don't have
anymore time to even
wash our laundry by hand
.
People are
living farther and
farther away from the
downtown areas for
cheaper housing and
rent. It is now
justified to have our
own motorcycles and
automobiles to bring us
to school and work. Life
now has become so busy
that we barely see and
talk to each other.
So, we need the
latest gadget model. We
need MORE, MORE and MORE
to save more of our
precious time, and to
make our lives more
convenient, but we also
forgot the most
significant thing of
all.
Like the rich
man whose land produced
a bountiful harvest:
He asked
himself, “What shall I
do, for I do not have
space to store my
harvest?” And he said,
“This is what I shall
do: I shall tear down my
barns and build larger
ones. There I shall
store all my grain and
other goods and I shall
say to myself, 'Now as
for you, you have so
many good things stored
up for many years, rest,
eat, drink, be merry!'
But God said to him,
“You fool, this night
your life will be
demanded of you; and the
things you have
prepared, to whom will
they belong?” Thus will
it be for the one who
stores up treasure for
himself but is not rich
in what matters to God.
(Luke 12: 16- 21).
Our lives are
now full of clutter.
People purchase
religious icons,
rosaries, miraculous
medals and request them
to be blessed, not for
any devotional purposes,
but as amulets to help
them attract more
fortune, luck, and
riches. Just take a look
at our practice of
putting rosaries on the
handlebars and rear-view
mirrors of our
motorcycles and
automobiles. Putting
miraculous medals in the
cornerstones of our
houses to make it firm
against earthquakes and
natural calamities. But,
the question is, do we
ever use it to pray? Do
we still even find time
to pray?
Our lives have
become so busy and
stressful in our desire
and quest for MORE, MORE
and MORE and we don't
have time anymore to
stop, reflect and pray.
We are bogged down by
“Materialism Obstructing
our Resolve for
Eternity.”
We have to make
up our mind. The desire
and quest for MORE, MORE
and MORE, or is it
rather, “MARY OFFERING
the ROSARY, the
Redeemer, for ETERNITY?”
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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GOD
MANIFESTING
HIMSELF TO US
Lately, three
simple things happened,
which might just appear
trivial and
coincidental. However,
seeing and finding God
acting in these small
things uplifted me a
lot.
And I tell you,
ask and you will
receive. For everyone
who asks, receives.
(Luke 11: 9-10).
One time, I was
in my room feeling alone
and down. I was
complaining about why
God never answered my
petition prayers to Him,
when suddenly the phone
rang. The moment I
accepted the call, the
first thing I heard was
my name and it was my
mother, who seldom calls
and who had unexpectedly
called me that day. I am
sure it was God
consoling me through the
call of my mother.
I remember what
happened to St. Mary
Magdalene on the first
day of the week, when
she came to the tomb
early in the morning
while it was still dark
and saw the stone
removed from the tomb.
Jesus said to her,
“Woman , why are you
weeping? “Whom are you
looking for?” Jesus said
to her, “Mary!” She
turned and said to him
in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.
(John 20: 1, 15-16).
Seek and you
will find. The one who
seeks, finds.
At another time
again, I was praying
before the Sacred Heart
altar, asking for a sign
as to whether it really
heard my prayers, when
suddenly I heard the
short and sudden sound
of a cricket chirping
outside the window. I
got amused by the
incident. I told myself,
“Why of all things! A
cricket suddenly
chirping at that time
when I was praying
before the Sacred Heart
altar!”
Knock and the
door will be opened to
you. To the one who
knocks, the door will be
opened.
Reflecting on
the above passage, I
remember the Lord
appearing to Abraham by
the terebinth of Mamre,
as he sat in the
entrance of his tent,
while the day was
growing hot. Looking up,
Abraham saw three men
standing nearby. When he
saw them, he ran from
the entrance of the tent
to greet them; and
bowing to the ground, he
said: “Sir, if I may ask
you this favor, please
do not go on past your
servant.” (Genesis 18:
1-3).
One time, I was
again in my room bored
when the intercom rang
telling me that someone
wished to see me. When I
went down, it turned out
to be three parishioners
from a former assignment
whom I had not seen for
a long time. They were
THREE! After the brief
drop by, I saw the three
of them as the Holy
Trinity -- the Father,
the Son and the Holy
Spirit. They broke the
chain of boredom and
monotony I had been
feeling lately and on
that day.
Then, I started
to pray: Father,
hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come. Give
us each day our daily
bread and forgive us our
sins, as we ourselves
forgive everyone in debt
to us. And do not
subject us to the final
test. (Luke 11: 2-4).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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LDR
Ambulant
vendors, who used to go
around shouting loudly
about their wares on
foot and on bicycles,
are now being silenced.
A recorded voice from
their cheaply-bought
megaphones repeatedly
blares about their
products, as they go
around town. Now, on
their tri-mobiles.
Silence is
really precious that it
is now kept and saved.
Nowadays, people rarely
speak to and with each
other. We now have the
technology and apps to
do it conveniently for
us. Let it do its work
for us, then.
In our quest to
be efficient, even the
practice of our faith is
likewise heavily
affected. We are being
silenced.
From the
ringing of the church
bells, the recitation of
the Angelus, the
liturgical music, the
praying of the rosary,
the novenas, the
Eucharistic Adoration
and down to the
celebration of the Holy
Mass itself, everything
is already played,
recorded or live
streamed.
So, who still
needs to get up from
their easy chairs to
brave pollution and
heavy traffic when
everything is just being
spoon-fed to us? We are
no longer making noise.
We are no longer
reciting, speaking, or
singing. We are just
being kept silent with
all these new
technologies.
The only thing
that cannot be
prerecorded, replayed
and copied is the
presence of Jesus Christ
in the Holy Eucharist,
as it all shouts
genuineness and Real
Presence and not
virtual. The Real
Presence is just too
deafening to be ignored.
It cannot be silenced.
The real
presence in the Holy
Eucharist cannot be a
LDR (Long Distance
Relationship), as what
is being done nowadays
with many of our human
relationships, but,
rather, it can only be a
LDR - a “Living Devoted
Relationship.”
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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LISTENING
and
DOING
Martha,
burdened with much
serving, came to him and
said, “Lord, do you not
care that my sister has
left me by myself to do
the serving? Tell her to
help me.” The Lord said
to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are
anxious and worried
about many things.”
In reflecting
on this passage, I
remember the many
“Marthas” I saw in our
village masses. Village
chapels have
multipurpose functions.
Some use it as the
stockroom for their
agricultural products.
As an extra classroom. A
medical center. An
evacuation place. A
homeless shelter. Even
stray dogs just come and
go.
Usually, a day
before the scheduled
mass, the Marthas, or
those in charge, will be
very busy cleaning the
chapel, putting on
curtains and table
mantles, and wiping the
pews. Then there are
looking for mass
sponsors, coordinating
the sound system, and
furnishing the snacks
for the visiting priest
and his companions.
Even during the
day of the mass, they
are seldom seen, as they
just keep on going to
and fro, still
coordinating things, as
something will always be
lacking and wanting, and
won't be seen during the
preparation. These
Marthas in our villages
are very admirable. They
are the movers and
shakers. It seems that
without them nothing
would be accomplished in
our village religious
activities.
Nowadays, with
all the various concerns
vying for our precious
attention, we are taught
to multitask- doing a
number of activities at
the same time. However,
it was found out that
doing so divides our
attention. We think that
we are accomplishing a
lot in a very short
period of time when, in
fact, there is the
strong tendency to be
haphazard as we lose
focus. There is even the
risk of double work:
doing something all over
again.
She had a
sister named Mary who
sat beside the Lord at
his feet listening to
him speak... There is
need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the
better part and it will
not be taken from her.
(Luke 10: 39, 42).
Work smart, not
hard. I remember a bad
experience of mine in
the past when I received
a failing grade on an
exam. In my excitement
to get it over with, I
immediately answered and
accomplished everything
upon receiving the test
paper, and without
listening and reading
the proper instructions
from the teacher. The
Mysteries of the Holy
Rosary. The novenas. In
our prayers, there is
also the great tendency
in us to be so talkative
so as to accomplish a
lot. However, in doing
so,we fail to be silent
and just listen to God.
No wonder so
many of our Perpetual
Adoration Chapels, which
used to be so popular in
the past, are fast
closing their doors and
disappearing in our
parishes, as no one
wants to be silent and
listen anymore. Instead,
we like to be active and
talkative so as to
seemingly accomplish a
lot in a very short
time. When was the last
time we had a silent
exposition of the Holy
Eucharist in our
parishes and
institutions?
We wish not to
be bored and sleepy. So,
we incorporate a lot of
things from playing
meditative music,
singing, praying the
rosary, spiritual
readings.
You are anxious
and worried about many
things. There is need of
only one thing. To sit
beside the Lord at his
feet listening to him
speak.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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PROFESSIONAL
VERSUS
AMATEUR
“And who is my
neighbor?”
A couple, who
were petitioned by their
married child to come
and live with them in
another country,
eventually decided to go
back home, realizing how
much lonelier they had
become when they could
not even see who their
neighbors were.
Their neighbors
minded their own
business. The streets
were empty. People just
kept to themselves. The
most that they could do
to relate to them was
with a wave of a hand
and cliche greetings
like a “Hi!,” “Hello!,”
or “Have a good day!”
During months
and years living there,
they did not form any
good neighborly
relationships. Their
immune systems weakened.
They became sickly. They
started to miss their
old neighborhood. And
thus, they decided to go
back home.
“A man fell
victim to robbers as he
went down from Jerusalem
to Jericho. They
stripped and beat him
and went off leaving him
half dead. A priest
happened to be going
down that road, but when
he saw him, he passed by
on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came
to the place, and when
he saw him, he passed by
on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler
who came upon him was
moved with compassion at
the sight. He approached
the victim, poured oil
and wine over his wounds
and bandaged them. Then
he lifted him up on his
own animal, took him to
an inn and cared for
him. The next day he
took out two silver
coins and gave them to
the innkeeper with the
instruction, 'Take care
of him. If you spend
more than what I have
given you, I shall repay
you on my way back.'”
(Luke 10: 30-35).
This is the
case of a professional
and an amateur neighbor.
A certified
professional, like the
priest or Levite, are
bound by their job
descriptions. Sometimes
their titles act as cordon
sanitaires,
fencing, tying and
walling them up away
from the people who they
must serve. Certified
professionals are into
specializations, so that
they can just say; 'It's
not my job!' or 'Its for
the next guy!'
On the other
hand, there are the
amateur neighbors like
the Samaritan who do
something just for the
love of it without lots
of kudos. Our reaching
out to help our
neighbors should not
carry with it any brand
or labels. It should be
pure and simple help.
Otherwise, with all the
considerations we keep
on harboring, we will
not be able to deliver
the kind of help that is
needed.
There are
people around us who do
this. They say that
their religion is the
natural one. They do not
profess to belong to any
organized, big name
religions. However, they
just silently help
however, whenever, and
with whatever they can.
The true neighbor is the
one who helps with
mercy, and not due to a
sense of duty and
obligation.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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LAMBS
AMONG
WOLVES
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you
like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no
sack, no sandals; and
greet no one along the
way. (Luke 10: 3-4).
There was a
couple who, during their
courtship period, would
often be seen coming
together to church to
attend the mass. It was
their weekly routine.
When they got
married they still came
together for the mass
during the early part of
their marriage. However,
time came when it was
only the other partner,
coming together with the
children to church. The
other partner already
had some other, more
interesting things to do
besides going to mass on
Sunday. In time, when
the children all grew up
and went away, it was
just the wife who was
consistently coming to
church for the mass.
Then, the time
came when one day when
both of them showed up
in church for the mass,
but it was for a funeral
mass for the other
partner. At last, both
of them came to do their
usual activity when they
were still in their
courtship period, and
early on in their
marriage, but now one
was already inside a
coffin.
Life used to be
very simple. Very light.
We would go to the
movies on weekends and
after school, and to
church for the mass on
Sundays. Nowadays, there
are just about a
thousand and one things
that cross our paths to
distract us.
The children in
our neighborhood who we
grew up with, and who we
used to go together to
church with by walking
on a sunny Sunday, were
all gone. Except on very
special occasions, none
of them were coming to
church together with
their growing up
families. They had
already found some other
more interesting things
to do.
Is the mass
only for children? Is
the mass merely for the
simple? For the lambs?
For those who have no
money bags, no sacks, no
sandals and have no one
to greet them along the
way?
Is there a
point in our lives when
we become “too good” for
church? Have we stopped
coming because it is no
longer our priority? We
have found some other,
more interesting things
to do? These are the
wolves that take us far
away from God.
No wonder, in
the story that I related
above, that after a long
time both partners,
husband and wife, at
last came together to
church. But it was for
the funeral mass of the
other one inside a
coffin. And it was the
wolves in their lives
that had finally
devoured him.
As children, I,
and I'm sure most of us,
were brought up to be in
church on Sunday. Let us
be like lambs. Let us go
back to that habit.
Because the times keep
on changing, and the
simple things we learned
as children will give us
the power to tread upon
serpents and scorpions,
and upon the full force
of the enemy and nothing
will harm us. We need no
money bag, no sack, no
sandals nor to greet
anyone along the way.
Just show up and be in
church on Sunday.
Nevertheless,
do not rejoice because
the spirits are subject
to you, but rejoice
because your names are
written in heaven. (Luke
10: 20).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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MYOPIA
vs HYPEROPIA
“...foxes have
dens and birds of the
sky have nests, but the
Son of Man has nowhere
to rest his head.” (Luke
9: 58).
In the past, to
enter the seminary, I
remember asking our
grandmother for the
amount of P 150 (US
$3.00), telling her that
I was going on a 3-day
holy retreat, which was
actually the 3-day
seminary orientation
period. After a month, I
received a letter,
together with all the
needed requirements,
saying that I was
accepted for the opening
school year. Thus began
a very long journey.
And to another
he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord,
let me go first and bury
my father. “...I will
follow you, Lord, but
first let me say
farewell to my family at
home.” (Luke 9: 59, 61).
In our time,
with all the ongoing
research and
development, our gadgets
have become part and
parcel of our lives. We
allow ourselves to get
distracted big time. I
see motorists staring at
them while on the road
driving. I have had the
experience of seeing
communicants, when
receiving the Holy
Eucharist by hand,
dropping the host on the
floor because they were
holding dearly in their
hands their expensive
and bulky gadgets. They
let the consecrated host
drop on the floor, but
not their gadgets.
Members of the mourning
family are busy with
their gadgets during the
funeral masses of their
dead loved ones.
“Let the dead
bury their dead. But
you, go and proclaim the
Kingdom of God... No one
who sets a hand to the
plow and looks to what
was left behind is fit
for the Kingdom of God.”
(Luke 9: 60, 62).
Is it now more
difficult to follow
Jesus than in the past?
Nowadays, many
still would like to
follow Jesus, but they
want more time to finish
their Tik-Tok videos,
their online games, and
vlogs. There was even a
gruesome incident in
which a student
committed suicide when
he was prohibited from
using his gadget due to
failing grades. There
are those who steal
other people's gadgets
due to enviousness.
We have allowed
ourselves to get
addicted and attached to
the point that our view
of life has become
myopic. All we see is
just what is in front of
us. We have become
addicted to the mundane,
the earthbound and the
temporary – something
that perishes.
As they were
proceeding on their
journey someone said to
him, “I will follow you
wherever you go.” (Luke
9: 57).
“Hyperopia” is
being far sighted.
Seeing the longer view,
the permanent, the
transcendent, and the
heavenly. This is the
challenging part, and it
is just getting more
exciting by the day.
As Peter
replied:
“Master, to whom
would we go? You have
the words of eternal
life. And we believe and
are sure that you are
the Christ, the Son of
the living God.” (John
6: 68-69).
Fr. Allan S
Fenix
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TRUSTING
AND
RUSTING IN GOD
I read the
following inscription on
a dollar bill: “In God
We Trust.” Yes, we need
to trust in God and
stick with him until we
rust – die.
Have you heard
about the smallest
seedling that can grow
into the biggest tree
even without being
exposed to the sun nor
watered? How about the
magic flour that with
just a little amount, a
few granules at best,
makes bread enough to
feed a hundred or even
thousands?
Each of these
mass productions I have
related is made possible
not because they were
"Made in China," which
has now become
synonymous with anything
made available at a
cheap price, but because
they were all "Made in
Christ:" made through
Him, made with Him, and
made in Him.
They replied,
“Five loaves and two
fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go
and buy food for all
these people.” Now the
men there numbered about
five thousand. Then he
said to his disciples,
“Have them sit down in
groups of about fifty.”
They did so and made
them all sit down. Then
taking the five loaves
and two fish, and
looking up to heaven, he
said the blessing over
them, broke them, and
gave them to the
disciples to set before
the crowd. They all ate
and were satisfied. And
when the leftover
fragments were picked
up, they filled twelve
wicker baskets. (Luke
9:13-17).
Groups of about
fifty... made them all
sit down... Then taking
the five loaves and two
fish, and looking up to
heaven, said the
blessing over them,
broke them, gave them to
the disciples to set
before the crowd... All
ate and were satisfied.
All the rubrics
of this miracle happened
inside the mass. In the
mass, we stand, we sit,
we kneel...There is the
offertory. The offering
of gifts. The
consecration. The
distribution of
communion. In the mass,
there is a mass
production of graces.
More than enough for
each and everyone
including our sick loved
ones left at home.
Yes, we really
need to trust and rust
in God, for your father
knows what you need
before you ask him.
(Matthew 6:8).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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SHARP
AS
A HARPOON
I went through
some difficulties
reflecting on something
as abstract and formless
as the Holy Spirit.
However, as I persisted,
the words that kept on
forming in my
imagination were “sharp”
and “harpoon”. Yes, the
Holy Spirit comes to me
as sharp as a harpoon.
Remember the
whale movie, Moby
Dick?
Two incidents:
As soon as
Jesus was baptized he
went up out of the
water. At that moment
heaven was opened, and
he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove
and alighting on him.
(Matthew 3: 16).
The Holy Spirit
is so sharp that it
opened heaven:
Suddenly a
sound like a mighty
rushing wind came from
heaven and filled the
whole house where they
were sitting. They saw
tongues like flames of
fire that separated and
came to rest on each of
them . And they were all
filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to
speak in other tongues
as the Spirit enabled
them. (Acts 2: 2-3).
The Holy Spirit
as a mighty rushing wind
and flames of fire.
Every time a
new school year opens,
the first thing listed
in the program are the
masses of the Holy
Spirit. Education and
the Holy Spirit are very
much interrelated. John
16: 12-13 says it
succinctly:
Jesus said to
his disciples: “I have
much more to tell you,
but you cannot bear it
now. But when he comes,
the Spirit of truth, he
will guide you to all
truth. He will not speak
on his own, but he will
speak what he hears, and
will declare to you the
things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take
from what is mine and
declare it to you.”
Our mind, our
natural power, must be
sharp to pierce the
darkness of ignorance.
Knowledge burns through
us, as we travel into
the light. To make it
realistic and concrete,
knowledge is like a
sharp harpoon, spearing
the largest fish in the
sea.
As I asked
earlier, remember the
whale movie, Moby
Dick?
The Holy Spirit
is sharp as a harpoon.
So much so that when
Jesus let out a loud
cry, and breathed his
last, “...the veil of
the temple was torn in
two from top to bottom.”
(Mark 15: 37-38).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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BEDRAGGLED
Whoever does
not love me does not
keep my words; yet the
word you hear is not
mine but that of the
Father who sent me.
(John 14:24).
When I started
to reflect on this
scripture, the image of
a person who used to sit
waiting for food to be
handed to him, when our
parents used to operate
a convenience store,
came up in my mind.
This person, in
a word, looked
“bedraggled” – wet,
limp, soiled, as if from
being dragged through
mud. He might be likened
to the ones we see, from
time to time, on the
streets we call “taong
grasa” (which
means “oiled person”).
They do not have a bed
to lay their heads on,
their clothes are like
rags, and their minds
are loose.
Can the Word of
God be considered
bedraggled? The Word of
God just sitting by
waiting to be read,
eaten, appreciated? Is
it only a prop? A
display gathering dust?
A bygone symbolic
nuptial offering?
Whoever loves
me will keep my word,
and my Father will love
him, and we will come to
him and make our
dwelling with him. (John
14: 23).
As I continued
in my reflection, the
lyrics of a popular song
started playing in my
mind:
Talk in
everlasting words.
And dedicate
them all to me.
And I will give
you all my life.
I'm here If you
should call to me.
Words, words,
words... Sometimes, they
are spelled and used
correctly. Sometimes,
they are misspelled by
the text generator and
used wrongly.
In what shape
does the Word of God
exist?
In science, we
learned that matter is
anything that has weight
and occupies space.
Yes, the Word
of God is matter. It
matters a lot. It exists
in three different ways:
1. Solid. As it
is found written in the
sacred scriptures, it is
read in the Bible and
lived in our lives.
2. Liquid. When
it is the content of our
conversations. Or shared
orally. Or is seen
written on the walls and
ceilings of our public
transports, or on signs,
streamers, billboards,
or in the movies.
3. Gas. When
the Word of God is
broadcast on air.
Live-streamed online, or
use in blogs and vlogs.
The Word of God
is not only matter but
truly a mater,
the Latin word for
mother; one who gives
birth. The Word of God
is a mother who gives
off seeds which, when
they fall on fertile
soil, produce a crop
that is thirty, sixty
and even a hundred times
as much as had been
planted! “He who has
ears, let him hear.”
(Matthew 13:8).
We cannot
afford to let the Word
of God get bedraggled.
For it has its proper
home in us, in our
minds, in our hearts, in
our hands, and in our
feet.
Jesus said to
his disciples: “If you
love me, you will keep
my commandments. I have
told you this while I am
with you. The Advocate,
the Holy Spirit that the
Father will send in my
name – he will teach you
everything and remind
you of all that I told
you. (John 14: 15,
25-26).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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PRAY
AND FLY
Then he led
them out as far as
Bethany, raised his
hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he
parted from them and was
taken up to heaven.
(Luke 24: 50-51).
There is a
popular song that says:
I believe I can fly. I
believe I can touch the
sky. I think about it
every night and day.
Spread my wings and fly
away.
As a child, I
used to watch a lot of
futuristic movies about
outer space, space
ships, and unidentified
flying objects. At one
time, I dreamed of being
a pilot myself, flying
my own plane to the
highest heights, and
seeing the earth from
that different
perspective. However, I
got discouraged when I
saw a TV news report
about a student pilot
perishing when his plane
crashed and burned up in
a fireball on the tarmac
while having his test
flight.
Nowadays,
whenever I have the
opportunity to go on an
international flight, I
make it a point to sit
by the window and, in
those cottony clouds, I
relive the moment when
Jesus was taken up to
heaven. Up, up and away!
And behold I am
sending the promise of
my Father upon you; but
stay in the city until
you are clothed with
power from on high.
(Luke 24: 49).
“Clothed with
power from on high.” If
we have agoraphobia, or
fear of heights, why not
pray? Praying is akin to
being in a supersonic
vehicle. Because it
takes us to great new
heights that we have
never been to before.
Using our minds and
hearts, we will be one
on one, face to face in
an encounter with the
supernatural – God.
After the utter
exhilaration we
experienced at the
Easter resurrection of
our Lord Jesus, and
after the celebrations
of the Solemnities of
Pentecost, the Most Holy
Trinity, and the Most
Holy Body and Blood of
Christ, we are now
gradually touching back
down to the ground in
the Ordinary Season.
...and that
repentance, for the
forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his
name to all the nations,
beginning from
Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47).
Twenty-one
Sundays of the Ordinary
Season lead up to Christ
the King Sunday, and the
end of another
liturgical calendar
reminds us always of two
things.
Repentance.
Remember the words
spoken to us as the
blessed ashes were
imposed on our
foreheads: “Repent and
believe in the gospel.”
This was also the Advent
message: the voice of
one crying in the
wilderness:
“Prepare the way
of the Lord; Make
straight in the desert a
highway for our God.
Every valley shall be
exalted. And every
mountain and hill
brought low; The crooked
places shall be made
straight . And the rough
places smooth.” (Isaiah
40: 30-34).
Forgiveness of
sins would be preached
in his name to all
nations, beginning from
Jerusalem. It's the
great jubilee once
again. Then shall you
cause the trumpet of the
Jubilee to sound on the
tenth day of the seventh
month, in the day of
atonement shall he make
the trumpet sound
throughout all your
land.
And yet shall
shallow the fiftieth
year, and proclaim
liberty throughout all
the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof: it
shall be a juniper unto
you; and he shall return
every man unto his
possession, and he shall
return every man unto
his family. (Leviticus
25: 9-10).
We don't need
any platform nor
scaffolding, crutches,
or mind-altering drugs
for take off, all we
need is to pray and we
will fly with Jesus to
great heights!
Up, up and
away!
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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BENEDICAMUS
DOMINO
(Let us bless the Lord)
Jesus said to
his disciples: “Whoever
loves me will keep my
word, and my Father will
love him, and we will
come to him and make our
dwelling with him.”
(John 14:23).
I remember our
grandmother, who would
usually ask on a day to
day basis come
nighttime, if those of
us already at home knew
whether the other
members of the household
were safely home. I
would often see her
sitting in a chair by
the main door, keeping
vigil waiting for
everyone. Then, when
everyone was in, she
would finally put on the
wooden beam to lock the
door.
I remember
being taught to pray to
my guardian angel before
and upon waking up from
sleep. In my innocence,
I even asked how many
“Our Fathers”, “Hail
Marie's” and “Glory
Be's” would satisfy my
guardian angel. I also
remember that, back in
the seminary,
seminarians would
usually respond with a “Deo
Gratias” (Thanks
be to God) upon rising
up, when the assigned
timer would announce “Benedicamus
Domino” (Let us
bless the Lord).
Whoever does
not love me does not
keep my words; yet the
word you hear is not
mine but that of the
Father who sent me.
(John 14:24).
At the start of
my reflection, I related
those stories, as we
were being challenged to
live out the 7 Spiritual
Works of Mercy in a
world full of sinners,
ignoramuses, doubters,
the sorrowful, those on
the wrong side of life,
offenders and the living
and dead, all needing
prayers. And finally, we
are to bring them all
home to the Father.
The Advocate,
the Holy Spirit that the
Father will send in my
name, he will teach you
everything and remind
you of all that I told
you. (John 14:26).
The Advocate,
the Holy Spirit, being a
spirit, is infused in us
when we sinners remind
and instruct each other.
We easily forget, or
take for granted, many
things. Sometimes, there
is the tendency in us to
just keep on presuming.
It is so humbling to be
reminded and instructed.
Peace I leave
with you; my peace I
give to you. Not as the
world gives do I give it
to you. Do not let your
hearts be troubled or
afraid. (John 14:27).
Life is full of
insecurities. Along the
way, we lose many
precious things in our
lives. Even with our
faith, we are, in the
same way, beset with all
doubtfulness and
sorrows. We need to
carry each other through
it all on our shoulders.
You heard me
tell you, “I am going
away and I will come
back to you.” If you
loved me, you would
rejoice that I am going
to the Father; for the
Father is greater than
I. (John 14:28).
Please be
patient with me. God is
not yet finish with me.
Imperfect as we are, we
all need patience and
forgiveness.
At the end of
the day, as we go home
and go to our rooms, we
again pray to our
guardian angels, to the
Holy Spirit, the living
and the dead, to grant
us a peaceful rest so
that tomorrow we can all
say once again
“Benedicamus Domino”
(Let us bless the Lord).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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QUANTITY
VS. QUALITY
I give you a
new commandment: love
one another... (John
13:34).
Just as most of
us have a very short
attention span, we also
have short memory banks.
We are too preoccupied
with many concerns that
we easily forget. That's
why we have to be
constantly reminded of
the many important
things in our day to day
lives like paying our
taxes properly, voting
wisely, registering our
automobiles, renewing
our licenses.
And this is so
timely, as the national
and local elections have
just ended, and we are
being reminded to love
one another as Jesus
loved us.
In our
catechism, we learned
that our primary mission
in this life is to know,
love and serve God, our
creator. And so, win or
lose, we are again being
reminded to start
getting to know, love
and serve our neighbors
(and constituents), and
not just in terms of
using and gaining from
them for our own ends:
"How much? Can
you please give me a
good price? I'll give
you a tip!"
In the world to
know, to love and to
serve is quantified. It
comes with a price tag.
We like to know rich
influential persons so
we can social climb. The
pricier an item is, the
more it represents the
amount of love and
serving we feel.
It is even
distorted. To know, to
love and to serve is
equated with the
pleasure of the senses.
Some even abuse it to
the extreme. Knowing,
loving and serving is
primarily motivated by
ulterior motives.
Love one
another. As I have loved
you, so you also should
love one another. This
is how all will know
that you are my
disciples, if you have
love for one another.
(John 13: 34-35).
Just a few
weeks ago, on Good
Friday, Jesus Christ,
through the wood of his
cross, showed us how he
knew, loved and served
us totally and without
any reservation. He
knows, loves and serves
the people of yesterday,
today and tomorrow.
Coming back to
us, now that the
elections are over, win
or lose, the acid test
for the authenticity of
our knowing, loving and
serving is if, like
Jesus on the cross, we
continue on knowing,
loving and serving our
neighbors and
constituents
unconditionally.
If we follow
this divine blue print,
"Now the Son of Man is
glorified, and God is
glorified in him. If God
is glorified in him, God
will also glorify him in
himself, and he will
glorify him at once."
(John 13: 31-32).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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OMNI
Jesus said: “My
sheep hear my voice; I
know them, and they
follow me.” (John 10:
27).
Our parents,
who operated a small
convenience store, would
usually take turns
eating their meals. Our
father ate first and our
mother followed, then
the help.
On summer
vacations, which
provided the only
lengthy span of time in
which we could all be
together, we siblings
would also usually
choose to either eat
with our father or our
mother. I noticed how
large our family really
was when I overheard our
mother, who was
preoccupied with the
store and the kitchen,
say that she did not
really know whether all
of her children had
eaten.
Do we really
know how to listen to
the voice of God? Does
he really know each one
of us? Is it God whom we
follow?
It's election
time and we have posters
of candidates
prominently plastered in
every corner of our
community and, as well,
on the television and
online. Even on T-shirts
and fans. These are ways
to let voters see and
know who they are.
There are many
voters who really don't
know who to vote for, or
about the individual
issues they are an
advocate for. On the day
of voting, face to face
with a ballot to fill
up, many merely rely on
name and face recall.
Some do a guessing game
or just do whatever
comes to mind. Some do
it haphazardly.
So, the
candidate, who has
invested much on
posters, banners,
television, online ads
and other campaign
paraphernalia, has the
greatest probability of
gaining a lot of votes
and, if fortunate
enough, wins the
position. It's actually
just a big popularity
game.
My Father, who
has given them to me, is
greater than all, and no
one can take them out of
the Father's hand. The
Father and I are one.
(John 10: 28-29).
Is this also
true of God with us, his
children? With the
billions of us existing
on this planet, can he
keep up with each one of
us personally?
Is there a
possibility of going
unnoticed, “flying under
the radar,” like when
our mother says that she
does not even know
whether all of her
children had already
eaten their meals? How
about those people who
die unexpectedly and
tragically?
My Father, who
has given them to me, is
greater than all, and no
one can take them out of
the Father's hand. (John
10: 28).
God is
omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent. Being
omnipotent
(all-powerful), he is in
total control of himself
and his creation. Being
omniscient
(all-knowing), he is the
ultimate determiner of
truth and falsity. He is
the truth. Being
omnipresent, he is
everywhere. His power
and knowledge extend to
all parts of his
creation. God is our
good shepherd who is
powerful, knows us, and
is present beside each
one of us.
With God, it's
a one on one – a “man to
man” thing. One Master
Near an Individual.
“Omni.”
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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I
AM GOING FISHING
So the disciple
whom Jesus loved said to
Peter, “It is the Lord.”
The appearance
of Jesus to the seven
disciples was the gospel
reading on the First
Week of Easter Friday, a
week after Good Friday,
to show how close the
heart of Jesus is to
this certain group of
people – the
fisher-folk. John the
Apostle, the disciple
with whom he entrusted
Mary, his mother, was
there.
Talking about
fisher-folk: We read and
hear in the news about
those fisher-folk who
cannot catch anything,
as the places where they
used to fish are now
guarded by a foreign
power asserting their
sovereignty over it.
There are also those who
employ illegal means
like dynamite and
electronic shock to get
the most possible number
of fish.
Simon Peter
said to them, “I am
going fishing.” They
said to him, “We also
will come with you.” So
they went out and got
into the boat, but that
night they caught
nothing. (John 21:3).
In schools and
families, one does not
hear anybody proudly
saying that when they
grow up, they would wish
to be simple
fisher-folk. Maybe for
some, in the absence of
any options to survive
and help support their
needy families, they
instead chose fishing as
a lifetime livelihood.
Small-time
fishing, as a
livelihood, occupies the
lowest rung of the
social ladder. However,
Jesus chose from among
them his first
disciples. He chose the
least to teach those who
have the most
financially,
academically and
socially.
Fishing, as a
livelihood, does not
have a lot of formal
training. No classroom
instruction is required.
No standard testing
certification or
accreditation is needed,
just a lot of hands on
training. Fishing is
also a lifestyle. One
has to live it. Working
at odd hours in all
weather conditions;
lacking sleep. The sea
hardens and strengthens
them.
Feed my lambs.
Tend my sheep. Feed my
sheep.
It is to these
hardy and strong
characters, the simple
fisher-folk, with which
Jesus entrusted the land
based mission of feeding
and tending his lambs
and sheep.
When Simon
Peter heard that it was
the Lord, he tucked in
his garment, for he was
lightly clad, and jumped
into the sea.
Furthermore,
fishing, as in many
other forms of
livelihood, does not
require any uniforms so
as individuals may be
differentiated and
recognized.
The lambs and
sheep sitting in the
pews, do we give respect
to the sacredness of a
place? Many go to church
not properly dressed and
playing with their
mobile phones. Going to
church nowadays seemed
like going for a walk in
the mall or park. Many
are just wearing short
pants and slippers, but
sport high-end brand
mobile phones, which are
sometimes, even often
times, a source of
distraction for others.
There were even times
during communion by hand
when they dropped the
blessed hosts on the
floor. All because their
hands are holding on to
their high-end brand
mobile phones.
Jesus said to
them, “Come have
breakfast.” And none of
the disciples dared to
ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it
was the Lord. Jesus came
over and took the bread
and gave it to them, and
in like manner the fish.
(John 21:12-13).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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A
LIFE IN HIS NAME
A Life in his
name. When I read, “On
the evening of that
first day of the week,
when the doors were
locked, where the
disciples were, for fear
of the Jews, Jesus came
and stood in their midst
and said to them, 'Peace
be with you,' I
remembered a similar
situation we just had
during the recent
pandemic, wherein
everyone was told to
stay indoors, avoid
group gatherings, and
wear a mask or else
incur a penalty. Death
seemed to be at our
doorsteps. We were also
in fear like the
disciples.
Now, we are in
the middle of a hot
summer and almost
everyone wants to be
outdoors. It seems as
though the pandemic, all
of a sudden, is over.
The prices of gasoline
maybe at an all-time
high, nevertheless our
roads are busy all
throughout the day, with
motorists in droves
coming and going to
cooler destinations.
It is also at
this time of the year
when a number of
drowning incidents have
occurred, and the
question that I often
hear from bereaved
families is, “Father,
where is now our loved
one?” Feeling pressured
whenever I hear that
question, I also say the
answer to myself, “If
only I could say to your
dead loved one, in Jesus
name, arise.” For the
bereaved families, who
lose a loved one
unexpectedly, they also
pray how they wish that
he or she was still
alive.
For the
disciples of Jesus,
everything that
transpired that Good
Friday seemed but a bad
dream. A snafu. And,
although they were
already told to be
prepared for it, they
didn't have the proper
time to even think on
what was the right thing
to do. So, they just
melted and run away.
Their formation together
with their master did
not sufficiently “kick
in” at the very crucial
time of his passion.
When he had
said this, he showed
them his hands and his
side. The disciples
rejoiced when they saw
the Lord. (John 20:20).
A Life in his
name. It was a big
surprise for them to see
him resurrected and
alive except for Thomas,
who wanted to see more
physical validations.
Thomas is like the
bereaved families who
lose a loved one and who
would also like to know
where their loved one is
in the great beyond.
They want some
assurances.
A Life in his
name. My only answer is
that all of our dead
loved ones, whether they
died naturally or
otherwise, are now at
peace in the nailed
hands and pierced side
of Jesus Christ.
Let our only
apt response be, “My
Lord and my God!” We
will be blessed if we
have not seen, yet
believe. We believe that
Jesus is the Messiah,
the Son of God, and that
through this belief we
may have a Life in his
name.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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LIFE
OVER DEATH
On the first
day of the week, Mary of
Magdala came to the tomb
early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone
removed from the tomb.
(John 20: 1).
Are you a
morning or evening
person? Just as there
are some who stay up,
sleep in and wake up
much later in the day,
there are also those who
are already in bed and
up early in the morning
just like Mary of
Magdala who discovered
something.
Going further
on this line of
reflection and following
on the quote which says,
“the early bird catches
the worm,” there are
some event organizers
who prepare some items
as giveaways for early
registrants. The early
registrants are the
“early birds” who are in
the place first and will
get what they want. Mary
of Magdala was an early
bird and got what she
was looking for – the
resurrected Jesus .
With the great
scoop she discovered,
“...she ran and went to
Simon Peter and to the
other disciple whom
Jesus loved, and told
them, 'They have taken
the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where
they put him.'" (John
20: 2).
And, just like
a lot of our media
outfits check out this
kind of breaking news,
so Peter and the other
disciple went out and
came to the tomb. One
thing about Mary of
Magdala; she merely
relayed what she
discovered in the tomb.
However, the two
disciples were more into
details:
They both ran,
but the other disciple
ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb
first. He bent down and
saw the burial cloths
there, but did not go
in. When Simon Peter
arrived after him, he
went into the tomb and
saw the burial cloths
there, and the cloth
that had covered his
head, not with the
burial cloths but rolled
up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple
also went in, the one
who had arrived at the
tomb first, and he saw
and believed. (John 20:
3-8).
Thus proving
the statement he made
before the Jews,
“Destroy this temple,
and I will raise it
again in three days.”
(John 2: 19).
Now, going back
to being either a
morning or an evening
person, we have to
remember this, and do
this, understanding the
present time! The hour
has already come for you
to wake up from your
slumber, because our
salvation is nearer now
than when we first
believed. The night is
nearly over; the day has
drawn near. So let us
lay aside the deeds of
darkness and put on the
armor of light.
For Mary of
Magdala, Simon Peter and
the disciple whom Jesus
loved, with what they
witnessed at the empty
tomb – the
triumph of life over
death –
their lives were never
the same again. They now
had put on the armor of
light to be witnesses of
LIFE over DEATH.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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FUN
MASS
If there is a
Youth Mass, and a
Children's Mass, is
there also a Fun
Mass?
Upon seeing the
handwritten Mass
Schedule on the bulletin
board, which was written
this way: “9:00 A.M. –
FUN Mass,” a parishioner
asked if there is a FUN
Mass, is there also a
SAD Mass?
To shorten the
word “funeral,” the
secretary would usually
write the shortcut
“FUN.” However, that day
she missed putting a
period after the word
“FUN” to complete it.
To the question
of the parishioner, my
answer is: “No! There is
neither a 'Fun' nor a
'Sad' Mass. There is
only a 'Happy' Mass,
because Jesus Christ is
alive!”
Alleluia!
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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THEY
DIVIDED
HIS GARMENTS BY CASTING
LOTS
In the final
scene of Bonnie and
Clyde, after the
criminal couple died
when the police strafed
their getaway vehicle,
the people alongside the
road, the bystanders who
had merely heard of
their criminal exploits
on the news, crowded
around their bloodied
corpses, retrieving any
personal effects they
could grab, like a
button, a hat, or a
belt. That scene sprang
into my imagination when
I read:
Then Jesus
said, “Father, forgive
them, they know not what
they do.” They divided
his garments by casting
lots. (Luke 22:34).
In the same
way, and featured in the
news from time to time,
are stories about the
ordinary personal
effects of long gone
celebrities fetching
thousands, and even
millions, of dollars at
auction compliments of
their die-hard fans.
These are the
usual images that come
to me when I think of
how they came up with
the idea of dividing his
garments by casting
lots. They seemed to
indicate that, though
Jesus Christ could not
be equated with any
celebrities that came
around during his time,
he had already attained
a certain level of
notoriority among the
people. He had gotten
hold of their attention.
So much so that they did
what the modern
equivalent of the
die-hard fans of dead
celebrities do with
whatever personal
effects they have left
behind, for they also
cast lots by bidding at
auctions.
I am pretty
sure that, quality and
price wise, the garments
that Jesus Christ had on
his way to Calvary were
nothing in the eyes of
the fashion conscious
people watching all of
the events transpiring
that day. So, what made
them decide to do what
they did? They were
convinced that the
person whom they
crucifed between the
criminals there, one on
his right, the other on
his left, was Someone.
Then Jesus
said, “Father, forgive
them, they know not what
they do.” (Luke 22:34).
He has a Father who can
forgive the sins of
many. We all have our
own fathers. But, how
many of them can
dispense forgiveness
because we did not know
what we were doing?
The people
stood by and watched;
the rulers, meanwhile,
sneered at him and said,
“He saved others, let
him save himself if he
is the chosen one, the
Christ of God.” (Luke
22:35).
He saved
others. Nowadays, we
often read in the news
about people getting
rewarded with medals or
plaques for saving
someone from drowning,
from a vehicular
accident, or a wounded
comrade in war. That's
the same feeling that
the rulers, soldiers and
the unrepentant criminal
had when they said, “He
saved others, let him
save himself if he is
the chosen one, the
Christ of God.” They
were confident that he
was able to take good
care of himself.
And, finally,
even the repentant
criminal was rewarded
when he said, “Jesus
remember me when you
come into your kingdom.”
And he replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with
me in Paradise...” (Luke
22: 42-43).
People,
whatever their religious
persuasions may be, deep
within their hearts, are
in agreement that our
lives consist not only
of our presence here in
this material world, but
that there is the
everlasting life that we
all have to go to at the
end of our lives. And
the only person who can
give it is Jesus Christ.
Now, who won
and who got the pieces
of his garments?
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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DEAD
PROJECT
In school, I
learned the idiomatic
expression, “To kill two
birds with one stone,”
which means to complete,
achieve or take care of
two tasks at the same
time or with a singular
series of actions.
I have a dead
project which I wish to
share with you. In a
nearby cemetery, lie our
maternal grandfather,
grandmother and our
mother's two younger
siblings – an uncle and
an aunt – all in one
single plot of land.
Whenever I have time, I
will go visit them, pray
the rosary, and wipe
their headstones with a
rug.
One time, while
I was doing the usual
routine visit, an idea
popped in my mind that
instead of putting
flowers which wither and
fade anyway over their
headstones, as the
others around us were
doing, why not use the
empty wine bottles we
have around the house?
In a way, I had
an ulterior motive in
doing it. I would wished
to “bribe” the souls of
my dead loved ones. So,
I filled up four stray,
empty wine bottles I
found just laying around
the house with water,
and put one of them over
each one of their
headstones.
Unless someone
removes it, these four,
used-to-be empty wine
bottles now filled up
with water, will not
wither and fade, but
will endure the elements
for a long time. Why
fill them up with water?
Jesus himself said, “But
whoever drinks the water
that I shall give him
shall never thirst, but
the water that I shall
give him shall be in him
a well of water
springing up into
everlasting life.” (John
4: 14).
Doing this, I
killed two birds with
one stone. I not only
recycled those empty
wine bottles sitting
around the house, but
also, hopefully, pleased
the souls of my dead
loved ones enough to
grant me all my
petitionary prayers. I
am confident that it
will come to fruition.
As Philippians 4: 9
says, “Whatever you have
learned or received or
heard from me, or have
seen in me, put it into
practice. And the God of
peace will be with you.”
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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WHERE
IS GOD?
Then the
scribes and Pharisees
brought a woman who had
been caught in adultery
and made her stand in
the middle. They said to
him, “Teacher, this
woman was caught in the
very act of committing
adultery. Now in the
law, Moses commanded us
to stone such women. So
what do you say?”
Reading the
above passage, I
remembered a grisly
scene which I wished I
had never seen. It was
while watching a 24-
hour news network
channel. The image
stayed with me. It
reverberated in my
memory, bringing me
sleepless nights. The
clip, taken by a hidden
camera, showed a packed
sports stadium where a
fully-shrouded woman,
sitting on the ground in
the middle of the field,
was shot point-blank in
he head with an
automatic rifle by a
person clad in black and
showing no qualms of
conscience. The scene
was very strong. What
had the woman done to
deserve such a fate?
It was good for
the woman in the gospel,
caught in the very act
of committing adultery,
that Jesus was there to
defend and free her from
a similar sentence to
what I saw in that
grisly news clip. He did
this with his remark,
“Let the one among you
who is without sin be
the first to throw a
stone at her.” (John
8:7).
Jesus employed
a very effective verbal
assault and repulsed
them. And in response,
they went away one by
one, beginning with the
elders. So he was left
alone with the woman
before him. (John 8: 9).
But where was
Jesus when thousands,
and even millions, of
nameless and faceless,
innocent people lost
their lives for being
caught in the middle of
the whims of the
so-called
powers-that-be? Has God
abandoned and forgotten
them?
Again, I
remembered a childhood
war movie I had seen
titled, Three Years
without God.
People caught in the
middle of a seemingly
never ending conflict
were asking as to where
God was in the middle of
their sufferings and
deaths experiences. Why
was he so silent? Did he
pull the plug on them?
Can we dismiss the issue
by just telling them
that it was a means of
purification? Go and try
telling that to a
bereaved family who has
just lost a loved one in
a very senseless manner.
“So he was left
alone with the woman
before him.” Whether
with our health or with
our lives, when we have
already exhausted all
ways and means and yet
it's the same dismal
negative results over
and over again. When it
is as though there's no
way out for us anymore,
when we are at the end
of our rope, when it is
as though God is playing
deaf and mute to all our
cries and pleas, the
best thing that we can
do is to kneel down and
pray. In prayer we will
be left alone with God.
It's between us and him.
Let God just take over.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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A
MIRACLE OR JUST A
COINCIDENCE?
Recently, a
parishioner approached
and told me about her
plan of disposing by
burying old icons with
missing parts like an
arm, an eye, peeling
paint, or damaged areas.
I suggested to her that
instead of doing that,
why not pass them on to
me? I will continue
taking good care of
them.
In the past, I
also picked up and
adopted an icon, in
similar condition, of
the Holy Family I found
by the church premises.
I cleaned it and put it
in my room. My room did
not have any
sacramentals installed
in it.
I started to
regularly pray the
rosary in front of it.
Touched and hugged it
whenever I feel any
desolations in my life
and, I was sure, with
the consolations I
received, that it was
working.
On the day that
the icons were brought
to me in a large paper
bag, they were in the
condition that was
earlier on described to
me. Some parts were
missing, the paint was
peeling here and there,
and the appearance was
disheveled
I decided to
bring one of them, the
icon of the Sto. Nino
(the Infant of Prague)
home. Ordinarily, no one
lives at our home
permanently. It is just
locked. So, I talked
with the icon of the
Sto. Nino, and asked him
to look after it while
all of us are away.
One of the
lingering issues we have
at home was that of
water, as with a water
pump or none, it does
not climb up to the
third floor.
The gospel
reading for that day was
from Luke 5:1-7:
There was a
feast of the Jews, and
Jesus went up to
Jerusalem. Now there is
in Jerusalem at the
Sheep Gate a pool called
in Hebrew Bethesda, with
five porticoes. In these
lay large number of ill,
blind, lame, and
crippled. One man was
there who had been ill
for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying
there and knew that he
had been ill for a long
time, he said to him,
“Do you want to be
well?” The sick man
answered him, “Sir, I
have no one to put me
into the pool when the
water is stirred up;
while I am on my way,
someone else gets down
there before me.”
I am a person
of little faith. Was it
a miracle or just mere
coincidence when, one
early morning, I
happened to pass by our
house to check around,
and to my great
surprised, upon opening
the door, I heard the
loud gushing sound of
water coming down from
the third floor. My
initial reaction was
that someone had broken
into our property. I do
not live in our house.
So, I do not know the
whereabouts of
everything.
I got scared
and immediately biked
and woke up our
caretaker living a few
streets away. When I
related to him what I
just discovered at home,
he told me that he had
gone there as early as
four o clock, and had
opened the gate valve to
test the water pressure.
Was it a mere
coincidence that the
water pressure that time
was much stronger, now
that we are ramping up
to the hot dry season?
Or really a miracle from
the Sto. Nino?
Oh God, please
help me strengthen my
faith in you. I know you
went up our house and
filled our water tank
with water. You stirred
it and it gush forth
down to shower our
family with graces from
your bounty.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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FOUR-GIVES
In the past,
and even nowadays, to
help potential customers
conveniently pay for
certain merchandise,
enterprising persons
devised the installment
system, which was aptly
called, “Two-gives,
three-gives,
four-gives.”
Just as many of
us dread going to our
dental and medical
appointments, so also do
we dread approaching the
Sacrament of
Reconciliation. To help
lessen that feeling, the
parable of the Prodigal
Son is usually used in
penitentiary services to
prepare people for the
activity. Let us go
through it in small
chunks: in “four-gives.”
Just like the
younger son in the
parable:
After a few
days, the younger son
collected all his
belongings and set off
to a distant country
where he squandered his
inheritance on a life of
dissipation. When he had
freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck
that country, and he
found himself in dire
need... (Luke 15:
13-14).
We were also
given a lot in life.
It is a lot but
limited which, most of
the time, gets
misused.
In the past,
when I first heard this
parable, I thought the
younger son was lacking
in economics, which is
the allocation of
limited resources. The
younger son had poor
financial management
skills. So, this taught
and pushed me to save
money a lot. I do not
want to be in dire need,
going as far as eating
the food meant for the
pigs. However, later, I
learned that the message
was far-ranging. I must
not waste my time,
talent or treasure.
Life is one big
gamble. We win some, but
lose a lot. Our bounty
depends on the amount we
bet. The younger son
definitely put up a big
bet and, as often is the
case, he lost big time.
Have you
already experienced
hunger pangs in a
foreign land where you
do not know anyone? How
many of us have hit
bottom or the hard wall?
What can we do to get
out of the rut?
The younger
son's one great skill
was praying. As
children, we play a lot
but as adults we learned
to pray, and learned of
prayer's importance in
our lives. The following
realizations occurred:
Coming to his
senses he thought, “How
many of my father's
hired workers have more
than enough to eat, but
here am I, dying from
hunger. I shall get up
and go to my father and
I shall say to him,
'Father, I have sinned
against heaven and
against you. I no longer
deserve to be called
your son; treat me as
you would treat one of
your hired workers.'”
(Luke 15:17-19).
This was the
fruit of his prayers:
his prayers were
answered. It was a Grace
that he was able to
think of it that way and
not in a worse way and
manner.
The younger son
bet again and, thanks be
to God, this time he
won! He hit the big
time. So he got up and
went back to his father.
While he was still a
long way off, his father
caught sight of him, and
was filled with
compassion. He ran to
his son, embraced him
and kissed him...
But his father
ordered the servants,
“Quickly bring the
finest robe and put it
on him; put a ring on
his finger and sandals
on his feet. Take the
fattened calf and
slaughter it. Then let
us celebrate with a
feast, because this son
of mine was dead and has
come to life again; he
was lost, and has been
found.” (Luke 15:
20-24).
We should never
stop showing up. Never
stop betting. One day we
are going to get what we
have been betting on for
such a long time.
Now the older
son... became angry with
him. He said to his
father in reply, “Look,
all these years I served
you and not once did I
disobey your orders; yet
you never gave me even a
young goat to feast on
with my friends. But
when your son returns
who swallowed up your
property with
prostitutes, for him you
slaughter the fattened
calf.” He said to him,
“My son, you are here
with me always;
everything I have is
yours. But now we must
celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was
dead and has come to
life again; he was lost
and has been found.”
(Luke 15: 25-32).
The Sacrament
of Reconciliation is
far-reaching and
ranging. It reaches
everyone. The final
statement of the father
is so touching. When we
confess and get
absolved, the grace we
receive does not solely
go to us, but also to
the persons around us at
the house, in school or
at work. This is what
the Sacrament of
Reconciliation gives us.
Lesson learned.
If we think in one big
chunk, it is so
difficult. But, if we
break it down into small
bits and pieces, it will
be a breeze – and all so
easy to be forgiven by
way of the four-gives.
Fr. Allan Fenix
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REPENT
OR NOT
I overheard
someone say, "Repent or
not repent, we will all
perish anyway. Remember,
none of us will get out
of here alive."
In light of the
recent COVID-19
pandemic, when a lot of
motorist checkpoints
were set up within the
boundaries of every
area, I saw a lot of
trucks with the
inscription boldly
painted, as if shouting,
on the front of their
hoods: PERISHABLE. DO
NOT DELAY.
These were food
trucks delivering either
much-needed relief goods
in quarantined places,
or fresh produce to
supermarkets being
rapidly depleted of its
supply due to the panic
buying which ensued.
Reflecting
further on these events
happening around here,
John 1: 23 came to mind:
John replied in the
words of Isaiah the
prophet, “I am the voice
of one calling in the
wilderness, 'Make
straight the way for the
Lord.'” In which, I also
correlated it with the Archimedean
and the Geometrical law
of straight lines - the
shortest distance
between two points is a
straight line.
This is the
simple and obvious power
of straight lines.
Anything we want in life
is subject to this said
law. To find the
shortest way to our
goal, we have to know
two coordinates: “Point
A,” where we are
currently, and “Point
B,” where we want to go.
So in Luke 13,
verses 3 and 5 it says:
“By no means! But I tell
you, if you do not
repent, you will perish
as they did!”
We no longer
just heard: “Repent and
believe the gospel,”
just like we heard it on
Ash Wednesday, as the
blessed ashes were
imposed on our
foreheads. There was
already the great sense
of urgency- Repent or
else you will perish.
It is now
vitally an “either/or”
choice. There is no
longer a need for more
delaying tactics for we
might perish like the
Galileans, whose blood
Pilate had mingled with
the blood of their
sacrifices. Or those
eighteen people who were
killed when the tower at
Siloam fell on them.
(Luke 13: 1, 4).
Or, in our
recent days, the
numerous drug-related
summary executions which
happened in our country
over the last several
years, and the
innumerable deaths that
visited us with the
COVID- 19 pandemic.
Then, also, the war
raging in Ukraine.
Now, going back
to last Ash Wednesday,
when blessed ashes were
imposed on our
foreheads, I imagined
that the ashes on our
foreheads formed the
following inscription:
PERISHABLE. DO NOT
DELAY.
This is our
straight line. We are
the perishable, fresh
produce which is
delicately perishable.
We must not delay or
else we will be like the
fig tree that the owner
told the gardener, “For
three years now I have
come in search of fruit
on this fig tree but
have found none. So cut
it down. Why should it
exhaust the soil?” To
which the gardener
suggested a simple
straight line to saving
it. He said to him in
reply, “Sir, leave it
for this year also, and
I shall cultivate the
ground around it and
fertilize it; it may
bear fruit in the
future. If not you can
cut it down.” (Luke 13:
7-8).
Repent or not
repent, we will perish
anyway. But it's best to
perish repenting than to
perish without
repenting.
Fr. Allan Fenix
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HOBNOB
As I reflect on
the Transfiguration of
Jesus, my mind keeps
getting distracted by
the prefix “trans.”
In recent days,
with the rise and
growing assertion of the
so-called LGBTQ
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transexual, Queer)
communities, the prefix
“trans” has been
understood to mean
“transgender,” which
refers and relates to
people whose sense of
personal identity and
gender does not
correspond with their
birth sex.
The
Transfiguration of Jesus
has nothing to do with
this at all. It happened
while he was praying:
His face
changed in appearance,
and his clothing became
dazzling white. And
behold, two men were
conversing with him,
Moses and Elijah, who
appeared in glory and
spoke of his exodus that
he was going to
accomplish in Jerusalem.
(Luke 9:29-31).
As I continued
reflecting, the word
“hobnob” sprung to mind.
There are some people
who love to hobnob with
the rich, famous and
powerful. To associate
familiarly with them is
somewhat akin to sharing
in their richness,
popularity and, of
course, power.
In the
Transfiguration of
Jesus, we find Peter,
John and James
hobnobbing, not only
with Jesus, but with
Moses and Elijah as
well. They represented
the long history of the
law and the long line of
the prophets,
respectively.
The reaction of
Peter summarized it all.
He likes it, and wants
to continue the
hobnobbing. No wonder he
made such a very
inviting suggestion.
Peter and his companions
had been overcome by
sleep, but becoming
fully awake, they saw
his glory and the two
men standing with him.
As they were about to
part from him, Peter
said to Jesus, “Master,
it is good that we are
here, let us make three
tents, one for you, one
for Moses, and one for
Elijah.” Luke 9:32-33
We can hobnob
with God by imitating
what Jesus did:
While he was
praying, his face
changed in appearance
and his clothing became
dazzling white. And
behold, two men were
conversing with him,
Moses and Elijah, who
appeared in glory and
spoke of his exodus that
he was going to
accomplish in Jerusalem.
Luke 9:29-30
We are at our
best when we are
praying. When we pray,
we put our best foot
forward ,which means to
embark on an undertaking
with as much effort and
determination as
possible. When we pray,
we show ourselves in the
best or most positive
way possible. It is no
wonder that we will have
both external and
internal transformation.
While he was
still speaking, a cloud
came and cast a shadow
over them, and they
became frightened when
they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came
a voice that said, “This
is my chosen Son; listen
to him.” (Luke 9:34-35).
As prayer is a
two way communication,
when we hobnob with God
in prayer, audibly and
inaudibly, he is also
talking to us. God is
talking to us! This is
the absolute and
ultimate form of
hobnobbing.
When we hobnob
with God in prayer, like
in the Transfiguration
of Jesus, we will also
share in his holiness,
power, glory and
everything that is in
Him without exception.
After the voice
had spoken, Jesus was
found alone. They fell
silent and did not at
that time tell anyone
what they had seen.
(Luke 9:36)
For sure, while
we will be reduced to
silence, we can still
afford to share it with
everyone we encounter
after coming down from
this, our own mountain
of prayer.
Fr. Allan Fenix
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DUST
DEVIL
I was able to
watch a documentary
video about human
remains being found in
the desert. It was found
out that people coming
from some third world
countries, with the
objective of finding a
“kingdom” where they
might be free from their
extreme destitution,
brave and risk
everything by illegally
crossing the desert
without knowing full
well what awaits them
there.
We Filipinos
don't have an ordinary
experience of the
desert. Reflecting on
the passage:
Filled with the
Holy Spirit, Jesus
returned from the Jordan
and was led by the
Spirit into the desert
for forty days, to be
tempted by the devil. He
ate nothing during those
days, and when they were
over he was hungry.
(Luke 4: 1).
I took me
sometime to let it sink
in. I came to understand
why Jesus got hungry in
that place, as the
desert is a dry, often
sandy region of little
rainfall and sparse
vegetation. I once had
the opportunity to
actually experience what
it was to be in the
desert, when we drove
across two desert
states. It was a long,
monotonous drive,
traversing a vast
expanse of sand, stones,
and saguaro cactus.
I was awakened
from my reverie when the
person I was with
pointed to a tower of
swirling sand called a
dust devil. It was my
first time hearing that
term, so, at the first
opportunity, I looked up
what it was about.
Dust devils can
produce radio noise and
electrical fields
greater than 10,000
volts per meter . They
pick up small dirt and
dust particles, and, as
the particles swirl
around, they become
electrically charged
through contact or
“frictional” charging.
With this formation of a
dust devil occurring in
the desert, I rightly
concluded that the devil
must really be in that
place.
Jesus
encountered three kinds
of temptation in the
desert.
1. The devil
said to him, “If you
are the Son of God,
command this stone to
become bread." Jesus
answered him, “It is
written, One does not
live by bread alone.”
(Luke 4: 3-4).
Jesus outwitted
the devil. To eat bread
in a desert setting is a
dry feeding. One will
get more hot and
thirsty. One needs water
like what he offered the
woman at the well. Jesus
answered, “Everyone who
drinks this water will
be thirsty again, but
whoever drinks the water
I give him it will
become in him a spring
of water welling up to
eternal life.” (John 4:
13-14).
2. Then he took
him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the
world in a single
instant. The devil said
to him, “I shall give to
you all this power and
their glory; for it has
been handed over to me,
and I may give it to
whomever I wish. All
this will be yours, if
you worship me.” Jesus
said to him in reply,
“It is written: You
shall worship the Lord,
your God, and him alone
shall you serve.” (Luke
4: 5-8).
Jesus reminds
us of the first
commandment: “I am the
Lord your God: You shall
not have strange gods
before me.”
Going back to
the story of the
documentary video I
watched earlier, I
cannot blame those
people, who risk
everything not knowing
full well what awaited
them in illegally
crossing the desert,
only to end up dry and
dead on the desert
floor. Their minds were
“drugged” with the
belief that the
“kingdom” up north is
the cure for their
extreme destitution.
3. Then he led
him to Jerusalem, made
him stand on the parapet
of the temple, and said
to him, “If you are the
Son of God, throw
yourself down from here,
for it is written: He
will command his angels
concerning you, to guard
you, and: 'With their
hands they will support
you, lest you dash your
foot against a stone.'”
Jesus said to him in
reply, “It also says,
You shall not put the
Lord, your God, to the
test.”
There are many
people who engage in
death defying sports and
stunts. One of them was
this individual who
decided to make his
birthday a very
memorable one by
skydiving.
Unfortunately
during the dive, both
his and the guide's
parachute did not
deploy. That was indeed
a very memorable
birthday. A once in a
lifetime experience. He
was among the 21, or
.0007 percent,
fatalities that occur
out of 3 million annual
jumps.
Our lives are
too precious to engage
in such death defying
activities. It is
gambling with death;
with the devil. God did
not create us to
endanger our lives. More
so, we shall not put the
Lord, our God, to the
test.
When the devil
had finished every
temptation, he departed
from him for a time.
Luke 4:13
We humans have
small memory banks.
These three temptations
– these three “dust
devils” cited above –
will keep on occurring
again and again in our
lives until we are
filled with the Holy
Spirit.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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HALITOSIS
A good tree
does not bear rotten
fruit, nor does a rotten
tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known
by its own fruit. For
people do not pick figs
from thorn bushes, nor
do they gather grapes
from brambles. (Luke
6:43-44).
Among the vital
organs of the human
body, which one of them
can be replaced? The
eye, the teeth, the
kidney, the skin, but
what about the heart?
Yes, recently
in the news there was a
story about the
successful heart of a
pig transplant operation
to a human. There was no
mention in the article
whether after the
procedure the recipient
started acting or
speaking differently
from what he used to.
His family was just
overjoyed and thankful
that their once very
sick loved one can still
be with them for a much
longer time.
Happy Hearts'
Day/Month! Among the
vital organs of the
human body, it is only
the heart that worldwide
has a whole day and,
even a month, dedicated
to it. In fact, we just
celebrated Valentine's
Day, which directly
refers to the heart, as
it is the celebration of
love among lovers. So,
we greet each other on
that day, “Happy Hearts'
Day!” while putting our
hands on our left chest
where our heart is. On
other days, do we also
greet each other, "Happy
Kidney, Spleen, Pancreas
Liver, Intestines, or
Appendix Day?"
In physiology,
we learned that the
heart is far reaching,
as it pumps blood and
oxygen to all parts of
the body to bring health
and life.
So,in the study
of philosophy, just as
the object of the will
is the good. And so
also, only truth and
goodness is the rightful
content of the heart. It
is its proper fuel. Any
other such as lies,
hate, anger and the
like, will bring havoc
among our other vital
organs. That's why we
have the so-called liver
cirrhosis, burst
pancreas, colon cancer,
and kidney diseases.
I even read
that one of the causes
of halitosis or bad
breathe is not only poor
dental hygiene caused by
rotting teeth or dietary
intake, but also it is a
symptom of an internal
organ illness. Something
is corrupting and has
gone wrong within the
internal organs. The
breath proves it.
A good person
out of the store of
goodness in his heart
produces good, but an
evil person out of a
store of evil produces
evil; for from the
fullness of the heart
the mouth speaks. (Luke
6:45).
Fr. Allan Fenix
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PLIERS
It was my day
off and decided to spend
part of the day just
looking around in a
nearby Chinese-owned
shopping center that
sold all kinds of cheap
merchandise.
While walking
the aisle of the
construction supply
section, I happened to
stop by a bunch of
pliers beautifully made,
and displayed with a
price tag that was less
than half of that of a
similar pair. Looking
at, and handling some of
them, I recalled what
had just happened
recently.
We all have
heard and read about
work-related accidental
deaths. However, this
time, it hit somewhat
close to home, as it was
a person related to
someone I know.
This person
worked as a
troubleshooter for the
local electric
cooperative. He was
always in demand and
sought after whenever
and wherever there was
an electrical issue.
One day, on
what was also his day
off, he was called to
fix someone's electrical
line. To make the long
story short, everything
was already up and
running. However,
everything ended when,
without his PPE
(Personal Protective
Equipment – his gloves),
he climbed back up the
post to retrieve his old
familiar pair of pliers,
which he noticed still
hanging intact on a live
wire where he had left
them. Imagine the
thousands of watts of
electrical voltage that
entered through his body
through that pair of
pliers with its frayed
rubber handle.
Going back to
that Chinese-owned
shopping center selling
all kinds of cheap
goods, as I held and
played with that pair of
pliers, I kept on
thinking about whether
the person in a very
faraway land who helped
manufacture this pair of
pliers ever knew that
they would bring light
and better lives to
thousands and even
millions of people.
On the other
hand, did it ever enter
his mind, that the pair
of pliers, in a matter
of seconds, can snuff
off the life of someone,
the breadwinner, the
father of growing
family?
Now that pair
of pliers involved in
the accident, after they
are retrieved, washed
and sanitized, will be
put out by the corner
and, eventually, will
get sold in a second
hand store.
Will the next
owner, the excited buyer
finding a cheap bargain,
ever know their grim
history? That, many
times, it gave light and
better lives to
thousands, and even
millions, of people and,
at another time,
kilowatts of electrical
voltage passed through
it to snuff out the life
of someone, the
breadwinner, the father
of a growing family.
The pair of
pliers, which used to
belong to the departed
person, are long gone
and all that the deeply
bereaved family has are
his memories of that day
that was supposed to be
his day off.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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MAYHEM
The word
“mayhem,” which means
the crime of willfully
maiming or crippling a
person or the infliction
of wanton destruction,
sprung to mind when I
reflected on the Lucan
gospel chapter 66,
verses 27 through 38,
regarding the love of
enemies.
It is mayhem
when a person strikes
you on the cheek, a
person takes your cloak,
a person takes what is
yours. Mayhem has a
negative connotation.
However “may hem,” a
two-word simple phrase
that means “may,” an
auxiliary word
indicating possibility
or expressing a fervent
wish, and “hem,” a
smooth, even edge on a
piece of cloth made by
folding the salvage edge
under and stitching it
down. It is positive.
Do to others as
you would have them do
to you. Be merciful,
just as your Father is
merciful.
Jesus was
may-hemming when he said
to his disciples; To you
who hear I say, love
your enemies, do good to
those who hate you,
bless those who curse
you, pray for those who
mistreat you, offer the
other cheek as well, do
not withhold your tunic,
give to everyone who
asks of you, lend
expecting nothing back.
Jesus was
may-hemming when he
said; then your reward
will be great and you
will be children of the
Most High, for he
himself is kind to the
ungrateful and the
wicked.
Again, “mayhem”
is negative as it causes
death, division and
disunity, while may hem
is positive as it
promotes life, love and
harmony. As John 17:21
aptly said it: “...that
all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are
in me and I am in you.
May they also be in us
so that the world may
believe that you have
sent me.”
Fr. Allan Fenix
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WORKING
OVERLY EXCESSIVE
We have a
saying in our local
dialect that when
translated into English
roughly means, “A dog
which is always full
tends to be often
asleep.” I am not a pet
person. However, someone
explained to me that to
keep them up on their
toes, alert and on
guard, normally a dog
should be fed only once
a day. Otherwise, it
will often be on its
stomach fast asleep
which defeats the very
purpose of having a dog
to guard the life and
property of its owner.
Reflecting on
the Sermon on the Plain
found in Luke 6: 20-26,
I felt somewhat anxious
and guilty:
Blessed
are
you who are poor, for
the Kingdom of God is
yours. Blessed are you
who are now hungry,
for you will be
satisfied. Blessed are
you who are now
weeping, for you will
laugh. Blessed are you
when people hate you,
and when they exclude
and insult you, and
denounce your names as
evil on account of the
Son of Man. Rejoice
and leap for joy on
that day! Behold your
reward will be great
in heaven. For their
ancestors treated the
prophets in the same
way. But woe to you
who are rich, for you
have received your
consolation. Woe to
you who are filled
now, for you will be
hungry. Woe to you who
laugh now, for you
will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all
speak well of you, for
their ancestors
treated the false
prophets in this way.
Having attended
a conventional school
teaching the standard
curriculum system, I
learned the following:
Study well and finish
school. Get a good,
high-paying job. Earn
the money to raise a
future family of your
own, and be able to buy
the basic necessities of
life – a house, food on
the table, education for
your children, clothes,
medicines and, perhaps,
a little extra for
entertainment, travel
and investment.
The educational
system that our
generation went through
prepared us for all the
material eventualities
of life, and for when
the time would come when
we would be out there in
society. Our parents
also fully agreed to all
this.
If in our own
case we receive
consolation, are filled
up, happy and merry and
are well spoken of, then
our schools have
achieved their
objectives. And our
parents are happy that
they have received their
money's worth – we are
the return on their
investment.
Who wants to be
in grief? Who wants to
be hungry and famished?
Who wants to live a sad
life? Who wants to be
stigmatized? A faith
that encourages these
will be very unpopular.
It won't prosper. Our
educational system and
our parents prepared us
for a life where we can
find comfort and
convenience. No parents
would wish grief,
hunger, sadness, or a
bad reputation to grip
their children.
However, like
the dog in our story, we
need to live the meaning
of the word “enough,”
which means
“...sufficient and
adequate to meet a need
or satisfy a desire.”
The human
person by nature is
“non-satisfied” – he is
not satisfied. There is
a very strong tendency
in us to let greed
reign. To exceed the
normal range or dosage.
It is no wonder that
there are many who die
early and young of this
overdose, overeating,
over drinking and
flaunting excessive
riches to the point of
being targets for the
bad elements of society.
We need to
relearn “enough” in our
lives or else we will
fall in the pit called
“woe:” Working Overly
Excessive – which
destroys and kills
lives.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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THE
CALL
In
Kindergarten, I learned
the following song:
“Row, row, row your
boat. Gently down the
stream. Merrily,
merrily, merrily,
merrily. Life is but a
dream.”
How many among
us love to go boating? I
do. When I lived at a
coastal village, I would
usually run, then row
myself a short distance
out to sea in the
afternoons aboard my
rubber boat, where I lie
down and just enjoy the
scenery. I could feel
the lolling of the
waves, see the sight of
the mountain ranges,
watch the slow flying
home of birds in
formation, and watch
parishioners from afar:
the view from the sea.
What is a boat?
It is a relatively
small, usually open
water craft. Each of us
has his own boat. This
boat acts as an
allegorical figure to
mirror the kind of lives
we are living now.
In Luke 5:
1-11, regarding the call
of Simon the Fisherman,
we saw four kinds of
boats. Which ones are
we?
A. He saw two
boats there alongside
the lake; the fishermen
had disembarked and were
washing their nets.
(Luke 5: 2).
Our lives are a
retreat in survival
mode. Sidelined and on a
maintenance level. Maybe
our lives right now are
in dry dock, and we are
undergoing detailing and
repair. We all have just
gone through a lot.
Maybe, for some,
experiencing more
negatives than
positives. While a lot
have lost their
employment or are just
working from home, to be
alongside the lake with
the fishermen
disembarked and washing
their nets does not mean
giving up but, rather,
we are just gathering
steam and strength to
wait on for the right
opportunity to pounce
upon life again. “Wait
until the dust storm of
this pandemic settles
down and we will be on
the sea again.”
B. Getting into
one of the boats, the
one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out
a short distance from
the shore. Then he sat
down and taught the
crowds from the boat.
(Luke 5: 3).
This is already
good. We are going and
getting somewhere. We
might be doing something
small but significant
nevertheless.
The impact of
what we are doing right
now is not found in the
quantity of it but
rather in the quality
with which we are
performing it.
As St. Mother
Teresa of Calcutta said:
“There are no great
things. Only small
things done with great
love. And there's where
one will find
happiness.”
C. Keep on
working and your work
will teach you. This was
what happened in Luke 5:
4-7. After he had
finished speaking, he
said to Simon, “Put out
into deep water and
lower your nets for a
catch.” Simon said in
reply, “Master, we have
worked hard all night
and have caught nothing,
but at your command I
will lower the nets.”
When they had done this,
they caught a great
number of fish and their
nets were tearing. They
signaled to their
partners in the other
boat to come to help
them. They came and
filled both boats so
that they were in danger
of sinking.
We often hear
the phrases: “Practice
makes perfect, trial and
error, try and try until
one dies” so often that
they become merely
cliches to us. However,
there is a golden truth
to all of them – we must
never stop. Keep on
sailing and lowering
one's nets for the great
catch.
D. When they
brought their boats to
the shore, they left
everything and followed
him. (Luke 5: 11).
Same thing with
Simon Peter. When Simon
Peter saw this, he fell
at the knees of Jesus
and said, “Depart from
me, Lord, for I am a
sinful man.” For
astonishment at the
catch of fish they had
made seized him and all
those with him, (Luke 5:
8-9).
We came face to
face with our weaknesses
and limitations and we
feel unworthy of God's
mercy and compassion for
us. We have to totally
empty ourselves out to
let him come and occupy
our lives .
Row, row, row
your boat. Gently down
the stream. Merrily,
merrily, merrily,
merrily. Life is about a
CALL.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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TO
PASS AND GO AWAY
In my
reflection regarding
Jesus' rejection
experience at Nazareth,
when the people in the
synagogue heard what he
told them, they were
filled with fury. They
rose up, drove him out
of the town, and led him
to the brow of the hill
on which their town had
been built, to hurl him
down headlong. (Luke 4:
28-30).
I admire so
much what Jesus did: he
passed through the midst
of them and went away.
As I continued to
reflect on this, it
occurred to me that
there were three
instances in the life of
Jesus when I wished he
had been able to, again,
just pass through the
midst of them and go
away.
-
Jesus'
temptation in the
wilderness:
Then Jesus
was led by the
Spirit into the
wilderness to be
tempted by the
devil. After fasting
forty days and forty
nights, he was
hungry. The tempter
came to him and
said, “If you are
the Son of God, tell
these stones to
become bread.”
Jesus
answered, “It is
written: ‘Man shall
not live on bread
alone, but on every
word that comes from
the mouth of God.’”
Then the
devil took him to the
holy city and had him
stand on the highest
point of the temple.
“If you are the Son of
God,” he said, “throw
yourself down. For it
is written: “‘He will
command his angels
concerning you, and
they will lift you up
in their hands, so
that you will not
strike your foot
against a stone.’”
Jesus
answered him,“It is
also written: ‘Do
not put the Lord
your God to the
test.’”
Again, the
devil took him to a
very high mountain
and showed him all
the kingdoms of the
world and their
splendor. “All this
I will give you,” he
said, “If you will
bow down and worship
me.” Jesus said to
him, “Away from me,
Satan! For it is
written: ‘Worship
the Lord your God,
and serve him
only.’”
Then the
devil left him, and
angels came and
attended him.
-
The agony
of Jesus in the
Garden of
Gethsemane:
“My soul is
overwhelmed with
sorrow to the point
of death... Going a
little farther, he
fell with his face
to the ground and
prayed. “My Father,
if it is possible,
may this cup be
taken from me. Yet
not as I will , but
as you will. He went
away a second time
and prayed. “My
Father, if it is not
possible for this
cup to be taken away
unless I drink it,
may your will be
done. (Matthew 26:
38-39, 42).
-
Jesus'
crucifixion:
And at the
ninth hour Jesus
cried out in a loud
voice, “Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani?” -
which means, “My
God, my God, why
have you forsaken
me?” (Mark 15: 24).
Good for Jesus!
He is God with
superhuman strength and
intelligence. How about
us? How we wish to also
do what Jesus did when
we are heavily and
strongly tempted; to
also do as he did and
pass through the midst
of them and go away.
But, the thing is, in
our weaknesses, in our
confusions, in our
dilemma, in our
limitations, we have the
tendency to just stay
put and dwell on it. To
stay put is to remain
where one is or is
placed. In a way, to
stay put is good if it
is to stay put in the
state of grace. To bask
in God's love and mercy.
To be at peace that we
are under the mantle of
God's protection against
sickness and failures.
However, what usually
happens is that we stay
put with the temptations
until we notice too late
that we have already
succumbed to it. We are
already staying put with
the sins that brought it
about.
We tend to
“enjoy” and stay put
where we find ourselves.
The answer now to our
predicament is found in
Matthew 26: 41: “Watch
and pray so that you
will not fall into
temptation. The spirit
is willing, but the body
is weak.”
We have to
learn from Jesus how to
pass through the midst
and go away. Because to
dwell and stay put will
lead us to dwell and
say, “Pooh!”*
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
* An
interjection used to
express disgust at a bad
smell – in our case,
SIN.
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URN
Jesus, once
more deeply moved, came
to the tomb. It was a
cave with a stone laid
across the entrance.
"Take away the stone,"
he said. (John
11:38-39).
I recently went
to a cemetery to bless
the cremated remains of
someone before they were
interred underground.
Along the way
to the gravesite,
passing the rows of
mausoleums, niches, and
tombstones, I
immediately noticed how
full to the brim the
cemetery was already.
Just a few years back, I
can clearly recall that
it was still spacious
and empty.
Where will we
bury our dead loved
one's tomorrow? Or, to
put it more bluntly,
where will they bury us
in the coming days? What
if we come up with a
vertical cemetery?
Nowadays, with
the onset of the
pandemic, cremation has
suddenly become in
vogue. Bereaved families
would usually receive
back their dead loved
ones in an urn.
What is an urn?
It is a tall vase,
usually with a stem and
a base, especially one
used for holding the
ashes of a cremated
person.
Connected to
its teaching on the
resurrection from the
dead in the last days,
the Church used to be
against cremation.
However, with the recent
theological developments
and exigencies, it has
already allowed
cremation among the
faithful.
The recent
pandemic has greatly
impacted our lifestyles.
Like many who are
working from home,
shopping online, or
taking food deliveries.
What about the burial of
our dead loved ones?
Without
transgressing any
cultures or religious
beliefs, with the
cremated remains of a
dead loved one in an
urn, we can just take it
home and place beside
our altar. Aside from
not taking too much
space, we can always
remember that person
whenever the whole
family kneels down
before the altar to pray
the rosary.
An urn, in the
modern language of the
texting generation,
means U (you) R (are) N
(nearby). With the
cremated remains of our
dead loved ones in an
urn sitting by besides
our home altars, it
means that in life and
death we will never be
far away from each
other. Because U (you )
R ( are ) N ( nearby ).
"I am the
resurrection and the
life. The one who
believes in me will
live, even though they
die, and whoever lives
by believing in me will
never die. Do you
believe this?” (John 11:
25-26).
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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SEE
THE BUS!
Since many have
undertaken to compile a
narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled
among us, just as those
who were eyewitnesses
from the beginning and
ministers of the word
have handed them down to
us, I too have decided,
after investigating
everything accurately
anew, to write it down
in an orderly sequence
for you, most excellent
Theophilus, so that you
may realize the
certainty of the
teachings you have
received. (Luke 1: 1-4).
We are just in
the Third Sunday in the
Ordinary Time and
everything still smells
fresh and new – still in
the honeymoon stage.
Even in many schools
around our area, they
have just started their
second academic semester
and usually on the first
day of classes
individual course
instructors give out
their syllabus.
What is a
syllabus?
It is an
outline of the subjects
in a course of study or
teaching. It is a course
roadmap to what and
which route the class
will go through for the
remainder of the
semester, until they
achieve their course
objectives.
Did you
remember to make your
usual list of New Year's
resolutions? Why do they
“fizzle out” completely
merely by the second or
third month of the year?
It is because we fail to
put in black and white
our specific strategies
on how we will tackle
and achieve our
individual objectives.
The Lucan
gospel for this Sunday
gives us the
syllabicated Galilean
ministry syllabus of
Jesus Christ:
1.The Spirit
of the Lord is upon
me, because he has
anointed me to bring
glad tidings to the
poor. The Beatitudes
spoke much about being
poor:
Blessed are
you who are poor, for
yours is the Kingdom
of God. Blessed are
you who hunger now,
for you will be
satisfied. Blessed are
you who weep now for
you will laugh.
The poor are
those who recognized
their own spiritual
poverty, their need
for God. The poor in
spirit are those who
mourn over their sin,
recognizing that they
have no righteousness
of their own, and they
can only depend upon
God and his grace
towards them.
2. He has
sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives:
The spirit of
the Lord God hath
anointed me to preach
good tidings unto the
meek; he hath sent me
to bind up the broken
hearted, to proclaim
liberty to captives,
and the opening of the
prison to those that
are bound. (Isaiah 61:
1).
The liberty
that Jesus had in mind
was neither political
, nor financial, but
rather spiritual.
Humanity was in
bondage to sin, and
Jesus came to provide
freedom from the
constraints of sin. In
philosophy, liberty
involves free will. It
entails the
responsible use of
freedom under the rule
of law without
depriving anyone of
their freedom.
3. ...and
recovery of sight to
the blind:
Then they
came to Jericho. As
Jesus and his
disciples, together
with a large crowd,
were leaving the city,
a blind man,
Bartimaeus (which
means “son of
Timaeus”), was sitting
by the roadside
begging. When he heard
that it was Jesus of
Nazareth, he began to
shout, “Jesus, Son of
David, have mercy on
me!”
Many rebuked
him and told him to be
quiet, but he shouted
all the more, “Son of
David, have mercy on
me!”
Jesus stopped
and said, “Call him.”
So they
called to the blind
man, “Cheer up! On
your feet! He’s
calling you.” Throwing
his cloak aside, he
jumped to his feet and
came to Jesus.
“What do you
want me to do for
you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man
said, “Rabbi, I want
to see.”
“Go,” said
Jesus, “your faith has
healed you.”
Immediately he
received his sight and
followed Jesus along
the road. (Mark 10:
46-52).
Being blind
is to be spiritually
lost. It does not mean
that the blind
themselves were
spiritually lost, but
that they were unable
to see as someone who
is spiritually lost is
unable to see the
Truth.
4. ...to let
the oppressed go free:
He who
oppresses the poor
shows contempt for
their Maker, but
whoever is kind to the
needy honors God.
(Proverbs 14: 31.)
To be
oppressed is typically
under someone else's
control or rule. They
are taken advantage of
and treated in a harsh
or cruel way and so it
is seen as the
exercise of authority
or power over another
person or people, and
using them for their
own purpose in a
burdensome, cruel, and
unjust manner. The
people have no control
of their own lives and
have no freedom, as
they are living in a
state of bondage.
5. ...and to
proclaim a year
acceptable to the
Lord:
To proclaim a
year acceptable to the
Lord refers to the
Jubilee year in the
Hebrew tradition
whereby debts would be
remitted, lands
restored to their
original owners, and
the liberation of
slaves. A jubilee is a
special anniversary
celebration of God's
intent that the
Israelites should
remain free from
slavery for all time –
and so with all of us.
We just went
through the syllabicated
Galilean ministry
syllabus of Jesus
Christ. The word
“Syllabus" seems to
rhyme with the simple
phrase "See the bus!
Yes, the syllabus is the
bus, the mass transport,
that will take us to
where we should all go
for the remainder of
this great liturgical
year – up until we reach
Christ the King Sunday
again. And beyond!
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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FLAVORED
WATER
He shall dwell
on the heights, his
stronghold shall be the
rocky fastness, his food
and drink in steady
supply. (Isaiah 3: 16).
In the
Philippine countrysides,
during the pre-pandemic
period, one could
normally witness the
following scenes:
Wakes for the
dead would be held as
festive celebrations
lasting for days on end
and, even weeks
sometimes, primarily
sustained by a lot of
card games and gambling
on the side, food
readily available,
blaring sing-along music
and, of course, the
flowing free cheap
liquor to lubricate the
endless conversations.
This would ensure that
everyone would stay put
until the wee hours of
the night and guaranteed
that most, if not
everyone, would be drunk
by the break of dawn –
and the mission was
usually accomplished!
When everybody was
happy, no one would ever
complain that the food
and drinks were wanting.
This cultural
practice goes on the
same way with our
marriages as well, where
almost the entire
village is invited and
seemingly all are
helping themselves.
To avoid
embarassment and losing
face, the contracting
parties and their
families would go as far
as taking out a big
loan, or pawning or
selling something very
valuable to buy the food
and drinks needed to
fuel the days-long
celebration. This would
be good enough if the
prepared food and drinks
were in excess but what
if, as most often
happens, the uninvited
as well as the invited
show up together?
But whoever
drinks the water I give
them will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give
them will become in them
a spring of water
welling up to eternal
life. (John 4: 14).
In many
scriptural
circumstances, Jesus
used water to symbolize
himself, the life
everlasting.
Water is life.
In our daily lives,
specially for us living
in a very temperate
region, it is a very
important commodity that
we are often reminded to
have handy to avoid
dehydration and system
collapse. However, there
are also people who
don't want to drink just
plain water. For them,
it is bland. Tasteless.
Uninteresting. They want
something for their
taste buds. A favorful
flavor. Water is life
and if we have faith, it
would be favorably
favored by it.
Just like Mary
said to the servers at
the wedding in Cana, “Do
whatever he tells you.”
Now there were
six stone water jars
there for Jewish
ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to
thirty gallons. Jesus
told them, “Fill the
jars with water. ” So
they filled them to the
brim. Then he told them,
“ Draw some out now and
take it to the
headwaiter. ” So they
took it. And when the
headwaiter tasted the
water that had become
wine, without knowing
where it came from –
although the servers who
had drawn the water knew
– the headwaiter called
the bridegroom and said
to him, “Everyone serves
good wine first, and
then when people have
drunk freely, an
inferior one: but you
have kept the good wine
until now.” (John 2:
5-10).
Having life as
well as faith is as if
we are drinking the best
mixed flavored water of
all. And with this, it
is a mission
accomplished for us and
everybody is happy!
Fr. Allan Fenix
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ARE
YOU ALREADY THE ONE?
There was a
story of a woman who
dreamed of marrying the
ideal and perfect man of
her dreams. She rejected
series of suitors, as
they did not fit the
ideal and perfect man of
her dreams. In short,
there being no ideal and
perfect man of her
dreams coming, she
eventually became a
spinster for life.
There was also
the story of a man with
multiple partners. Every
few years, he kept on
changing partners, as he
was looking for the
ideal and perfect woman
of his dreams. In time,
he grew frustrated and
bitter with life. All
because he could not
find the ideal and
perfect partner of his
dreams.
Is he already
the ONE? The people were
filled with expectation,
and all were asking in
their hearts whether
John might be the
Messiah? (Luke 3: 15).
In terms of
quality and even of
quantity, sometimes, and
most often in our
impatience, there is a
very strong tendency in
us to just settle for
what is less; the lesser
and more mediocre
choice.
Is he already
the ONE?
The people
cannot be blamed if they
thought that John the
Baptist was already the
Messiah. It is
understandable. With our
very limited range of
understanding of things
around us, we often
become too impatient. In
their case, they had
been also waiting for
eons for the oft
repeated promise of the
coming of the Messiah.
And, at long last,
someone is already there
in front of them, acting
the part, just as it had
been narrated to them
for generations. The
people were saying to
John the Baptist that
maybe you will do. You
are good enough for us.
However in all
admirable humility, John
answered them all
saying, “I am baptizing
you with water (this is
all I have!) but one
mightier than I is
coming. I am not worthy
to loosen the thongs of
his sandals. He will
baptize you with the
Holy Spirit and fire”
(He is better than me! He has with him
TWO better ones - the
Holy Spirit and fire!).
And to top it
all off, three very
wonderful things
happened. After all the
people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been
baptized and was
praying:
1. Heaven was
opened...
2. ...and the
Holy Spirit descended
upon him in bodily form
like a dove.
3. And a voice
came from heaven, “You
are my beloved Son: with
you I am well pleased.”
(Luke 3:21-22).
John the
Baptist was admirably
humble to accept that he
was not the ONE.
Instead, he pointed us
to the perfect, ideal
and divine ONE, who is
Jesus. For him the
heavens opened, the Holy
Spirit descended upon
him in bodily form like
a dove, and with a voice
coming from heaven all
heard, “You are my
beloved Son, with you I
am well pleased.”
And so no one
had to ask him, “Are
you already the ONE?”
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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RIGHT
OVER
He said to them
in reply, “Give them
some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Are we to buy two
hundred days wages worth
of food and give it to
them to eat?” (Mark 6:
37).
There are some
of us who abhor eating
reheated leftover food.
On my way to church, I
passed by a still
unopened box of cake
with a ribbon on top
sitting prettily on a
garbage bin, while I saw
many young urchins and
indigenous people
running around begging
for food.
At this early
part of the year, I am
sure that, for most of
us, if we try to go
through our
refrigerators and
cabinets at home, we
will find that they
still contain the
leftover food items we
have had since Christmas
and New Years.
We live in a
time of abundance and,
in celebration of the
easing down of the
pandemic restrictions,
we celebrated and
prepared a lot of food.
I read that
globally, one in four
individuals feels hunger
pangs on a daily basis.
Among us here attending
the holy mass or reading
my reflection, who among
us went through hunger
pangs in the last few
days, weeks, months or
years?
None. I am
pretty sure of that.
Even
psychologically, just
the sight of the
cornucopia of food
waiting for us on the
table is enough to make
us feel sated or even
lose our appetites.
There were even
some among us, or
persons we know, who
were hospitalized and
must remember again to
reach out for their
medicines, needed for
hypertension or
hypoglycemia from
consuming the rich in
sugar, salty and oily
delicacies of the
season.
The miracle of
the multiplication of
the five loaves and two
fish which fed five
thousand men reminds us
of Luke 3: 10, When the
crowds asked John the
Baptist, “What should we
do?” He said to them in
reply, “Whoever has two
cloaks should share with
the person who has none.
And whoever has food
should do likewise.”
Food will not
rot, nor pass its
expiration date, when it
is shared. Instead, it
multiplies and reaches
around to everyone. And
no food will be leftover
because many will be
right over.
Fr. Allan S.
Fenix
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OVERJOYED
AT
SEEING THE STAR
They were
overjoyed at seeing the
star, and on entering
the house they saw the
child with Mary his
mother. They prostrated
themselves and did him
homage. Then they opened
their treasures and
offered him gifts of
gold, frankincense and
myrrh. (Matthew 2:
10-11).
As I kept on
reflecting on the three
gifts that the Magi had
offered to the child
Jesus, questions started
creeping up in my mind:
So what eventually
happened to the gold,
frankincense and myrrh?
In their haste
to escape Herod, who was
looking to kill the
child, could it have
fallen by the wayside,
left somewhere,
entrusted to someone.
Was it used to finance
his public ministry? Was
the myrrh ever retrieved
for his eventual burial?
May I please hear from
anyone who might know?
Reflecting
further on, could the
gold, frankincense and
myrrh from the Magi have
found its way to our
doorsteps, our lives, to
us right here and now?
Today is just
the second day of a
newly God-given year in
our lives. It is golden
to find ourselves in
Church, together with
our family members, not
only to take selfie
pictures by the manger
besides the altar, but
to attend and receive
Jesus Christ in the Holy
Eucharist.
We also
remember this day to
pray for the living and
dead members of our
family.
As it is still
a holiday and there is
no need to be in a hurry
to be anywhere and
somewhere, as a family
we go home and eat
together whatever
leftovers are still on
our tables and as we
talk, talk and talk.
Talk is cheap.
There is no price on
talking. In the process
of our exchanges with
each other, unknowingly,
we are instructing the
ignorant, counseling the
doubtful, admonishing,
bearing wrongs
patiently, forgiving
offenses willingly, and
comforting the
afflicted. These are all
the “golden nuggets”
that the Magi had given
to the baby Jesus that
have found their ways
into our lives.
As an
alternative activity, we
can also spend the day
outdoors, feeding the
hungry as well as giving
drink to the thirsty,
sharing whatever we have
with the naked and weary
travelers, visiting sick
relatives and those
imprisoned, and, a bit
out of season, visiting
the cemetery of our
departed loved ones.
Again, these
are the bits and nuggets
of the frankincense and
myrrh that the Magi
gifted the baby Jesus
that have found their
way into our lives.
As Isaiah 60:
1, 5 says it:
Rise up in
splendor, Jerusalem!
Your light has come, the
glory of the Lord shines
upon you....Then you
shall be radiant at what
you see, your heart
shall throb and
overflow, for the riches
of the sea shall be
emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations
shall be brought to you.
Father Allan S.
Fenix
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