When Late Is Late?

A lot of times I had been asked how late one can be for mass and still be considered as having attended it? At what point must one make sure that he is already in the church so as not to be guilty of having missed it? Are there reasons that are valid enough to be excused for being late? May we make up for the missed parts of the mass in the next mass? Related questions like; How grave is the sin committed in being late? What if he is in a place when there is no church? When one is sick or suddenly has some important things to attend to, is he excused?
I believe these are very dangerous questions. They are questions that are usually proposed by those whose attitude, in this case, whose worship, are determined more by having attended rather than experienced and celebrated the liturgy in its essence (presence more than essence). For someone who is serious about his faith and considers it as necessary in his life, being late is not an issue.

In the first place, there is no reason to be late. Exceptional cases are legitimate excuses. The assumption is that one had prepared well for the celebration. Enough time and anticipation of unexpected delays had already been considered. Therefore, if one is late because of too much traffic, helping somebody in need on the way to the church, an emergency, flat tire etc., he is excused. It really does not matter at what part of the mass he arrived. The point is if he really intended to be present on time but did not make it because of unanticipated delays. Without the anticipated delays, however, there is no excuse to be late.

This brings us to the very meaning of the mass in our lives. It is the summit of Christian worship. It is also the center of our Christian life. We can not be a Christian without celebrating the mass. There was a time when attendance in a mass is not really a celebration because of meager participation (if it can be called as such) from the congregation. The priest faced the tabernacle with his back towards the people. The congregation responded depending on the gestures made by the priest. That was the only way they could determine at what part of the mass they were already in. They were practically reduced to being watchers to the mass. Vatican II paved the way for the renewal of Christian worship. The mass is now being celebrated the way we have it now. Priest and congregation are now having a dialogic celebration. There is greater participation on the pat of the people. Now, worship is more alive and active.

The mass is the continuation of the act of Jesus in Calvary. His death on the cross was the bloody event that merited forgiveness of sin and salvation to all. The saving action of Jesus did not end in Calvary. When He instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, He commanded the apostles to do the meal in remembrance of Him. He told them that every time they do the meal, He is being remembered and that it effects the salvation of all. Therefore, every mass that is celebrated is not a repetition or mere intellectual remembrance of the event in Calvary, but a continuation of that same event in an unbloody manner. (“Remember” in the Jewish tradition and the Christian meaning is not only an exercise of the mind but an experience of that that happened in the past.) In the mass, it is still the Lord Jesus who is the Victim. The priest, by virtue of his ordination, represents Christ, the true Lamb of God.

It follows too that if we really value our salvation, then, the mass is a necessary event. More than any other commitment, the mass should rank the highest. Because of its unfathomable worth, it can not be taken for granted. It can not be compromised. It can not be forgotten. It can not be set aside. It can not be missed. We can not be late for it.

At the mass, we believe that Jesus is present in Himself (mismo). He is actually present in so many ways in a mass. He is present in the priest (His alter Christus). He is present in the gathered community. He is the Word of God read before the congregation. But He is perfectly present (par excellence) in the Eucharist. When we receive communion, the priests says, “Body of Christ!” He means to tell the communicant that he is giving Jesus Himself. The communicant responds with “Amen!”. It is a response of faith, meaning, “Yes,, I believe it is the Lord Jesus I am receiving.” Nowhere in the world could we best find and meet the Lord than in the Eucharist. Therefore, the necessity for the mass can never be overemphasized. Its meaning and significance extends beyond it.

The more relevant questions should be; Why should we go to mass? How must we prepare for it? How should we participate in it? What do we miss or lose when we fail to participate in it? Can we live without it?

So, do not be late! Rather, anticipate it with excitement!

What Did Jesus Write?

After the mass for this fifth Sunday of Lent where the Gospel was about the adulterous woman, I was approached by at least three people and asked me about what Jesus wrote on the ground while waiting for the elders to cast a stone at her. I was a bit surprised at how that little detail interested and intrigued some of the people. As far as I know, there had been books by some theologians trying to interpret that act of Jesus. But nothing was conclusive. I believe it was just an attempt of the Lord Jesus to merely while the time while waiting for some actions from the elders. It was a gesture of being disinterested. The key to the Gospel is not in what Jesus wrote but in what He did for the woman and the challenge He put before the elders. The Gospel showed God's mercy to the miserable and His serious quest to save everyone. On the other hand, His statement of challenge to the elders was just to probe and expose their real motivation for bringing the woman before her. In the first place, they could have gone on punishing the woman. But they, instead, used her for their purpose of trapping Jesus. There was no doubt as to the guilt of the woman because she was caught in the act. Jesus had no dispute against the law of Moses nor did He insinuated that the best judgment can only be made by one who is clean. He was questioning the intentions of the elders. The decision o f the elders not to cast a stone at the woman proved that they had evil intentions rather than seek for justice.

We must be thankful that God is God. We must be thankful that He is merciful. The mercy that we doubt and do not want for other sinners, maybe the very mercy we will need for ourselves! Mercy had been God's way from the very beginning. We just had not tried it fully yet. If only we will exercise mercy to each other, justice and peace are not that far away!

Divinity Through Forgiveness

"To err is human, To forgive is divine." This seems to be the refuge of many and I may add, some sinners. It is a very convenient excuse when we are guilty. It has become an easy resort for our weaknesses to cope with our human limitations. It further implies that hard commandments like forgiveness and loving one' s enemies are not achievable by us but by God alone. Therefore, because we are humans, we can commit mistakes now and then and not feel guilty about it.

But forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith. A Christian could not just dispense "forgiveness" as strictly a divine act. He is expected to live it. The fact that he had been created in God's image and likeness proves that he are capable of the divine. His humanity does not enslave to the point that we can not transcend it. The grace of God, when received and lived would help any human being to go beyond himself and achieve that which is normally impossible.

I claim that many would not believe divinity would be achieved through forgiveness because they had not tried it at all! We usually get even. We prefer to the "silent treatment" tactic. We prefer to plant grudge or keep it in our hearts. We feel violated and therefore, forgiveness is merely a sign of weakness much more an act of consenting or allowing what had happened. These are what are expected in every human. These are expected of those who prefer to remain human. These are what happens to those who wanted to take cover in their humanity. These are what we resort to. But these are not what we are only capable of. We can forgive if we want. We can be like our Father who is perfect not because we want to be God too, but because it is what had been willed by the Father for us. The least we could do is to fulfill God's plan and hope for us. That much we must do if only to be worthy of this life, His life, that He shared to us.

Indeed, to forgive is divine! But not to mean that because God is divine, He is the only one who can forgive. When humans forgive, they share God's divinity. It is precisely the reason why He commanded us to forgive. God wanted us to achieve divinity in being forgiving. The Christian differs from from all other believers due to his capacity and willingness to forgive. Forgiveness is being Christian. Forgiveness is being divine!

St. Al's Rebuilding (2) - It Was A Fiery Welcome!

After our September 3, 2004, (Friday), Installation ceremonies, we prepared for the next important celebration; September 8, the birth of the Virgin Mary. The faithful brought their images of the Virgin Mary in the church. The altar was beautifully decorated. The joy of the installation and the celebration of the birth of the Virgin made us more inspired and elated. Little did we know, that it will be the "calm" before the storm. At the ceiling, heat had been intensifying and slowly developing to a potential fire. I was awakened in my sleep at about five in the morning by the sounds of sirens from firemen and a knock from one of my households. Fire! Fire! Fire! I asked, "Where?" "The church!", came the response. I could not believe it. How can our church, which is dominantly concrete, could catch fire? When I looked to see the fire, I could not believe it. The fire was raging and gives off too much heat. I just found myself staring blankly at what was happening. I did not know how to respond. I just froze! It was useless to get inside and get the Blessed Sacrament. Nothing can be saved anymore.

After the fire, I asked the security guard-in-charge, what happened. He said that he went to the church at about half past four to open the door, as was customary, for the early mass goers who would pray the rosary. He did not notice that the church at that point was already full of smoke and was very very hot. When he opened the door, the church immediately went aflame. The fire quickly spread all over the church. After investigation, it was found out that it was caused by "faulty electrical wiring". When the church was air-conditioned, a ceiling was placed to cover the wiring and provide for aesthetic and acoustic purposes. The fire started in the ceiling and got to the pews when burning ceiling panels fell down.

The early mass goers were also there witnessing what was happening. The church that had served them for more than forty years is now being gutted slowly by fire. Many were in tears. Gen. Aglipay, a regular morning mass attendee was there to give support. He told me that we will immediately rebuild the church. After the fire, we gathered ourselves in the bahay-kubo at the back of the church. We celebrated mass together with Fr. Raffy, our guest assistant priest. When the time for my homily came, I was only able to say some introductory words and then I broke down and cried. What dawned on me was what I said during my installation. I felt guilty having said that I was in this parish not to build buildings but people. I realized that I was being given a lesson by God for not being humble and for having my own will than His. Now, I am faced with building a new church. In the Sunday that followed, I gave a message to the people and explained to them what happened and what are our plans. Now, we will build the community through the rebuilding of the church. These are times when we have to live more our faith. The burning of our church is not the end. It is our Good Friday that will lead to its rebuilding which will be our Easter. It will be a blessing in disguise. It is part of God's plan. God has a very important message for all of us. God will see us through this.

The day after, many came to see the remains of our burned church. They have their own stories to tell regarding their experiences in our church. I was there to welcome them and inform them about what happened. They empathize with us and promised that they will help. Archbishop Dency Rosales, who was just with us six days ago during the installation also visited. He condoled with me and intimated that during the installation, he meant to tell me that the church needed renovation because it was too dark. Little did he know that not a renovation but a complete rebuilding would be done. He said, "Fr. Benny, you had a fiery welcome!"

It is God's Power And No Other!

In our Gospel reading we have today, the paralytic waits for the pool of Bethesda to stir and strives to plunge himself to the pool first in order to obtain healing. But he would always be beaten by another sick person who is quicker. It seems that he should resign himself not to be healed anymore for he could never get to the pool first. But Jesus came and thanks to Him, he was healed without having to get to the pool first.

The Jews believed that if they plunge themselves to that pool first, they will be healed. They have faith that the pool water will cure them. It was not mentioned in that Gospel of John whether those who plunged first were all cured. But Jesus, in healing the paralytic, had driven home the essential meaning of healing or a miracle. It is God's power that heals. It is not the water (in this case), or the oil, or the words, or the touch, or the cloth, or anything that is being used in healing, that heals. Nor is it the person or place. Things, places, and persons are instruments of God who is the real healer. It would be wrong to attribute the healing to any of these other than God. Miracles or healings happen when the grace of God meets with the faith of human beings. Miracles can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. God always make available His power. You need not be in Fatima (Portugal), Lourdes (France), Naju (Korea) or Lipa (Batangas, Philippines) in order to be healed. Yes, those places were special places of healings for many, but not to all. Faith still is necessary. Those who had gone there did not necessarily change or were healed. In fact, they are even expected to exhibit more holiness because they were able to be in a place of special presence of God.

If change, or conversion, or healing or miracles do always happen in these places, then, all we have to do would be to finance the trip of people who we believe need change. In that way, the world will be a better place to live in. But we know it is not the case. It is the grace of God and the faith of men that effect change. Remember that God is everywhere and He could effect miracles or healing anywhere, at anytime, to anyone. Also, it hard to imagine that only those who can afford to be in special places of miracles, approach gifted healers, or avail of healing materials, will be healed or converted. God would then be a God of those who can afford and avail. No, it is not so. God graces are available to all.

The Good News is thatthe perfect presence and graces of God are really readily and always available to all of us, especially here in the Philippines. The place and event when we can meet the Lord in His perfect presence and avail of His healing grace is in the daily mass, in the Eucharist. One can expect healing in every Eucharist attended. The Eucharist, being the highest form of prayer and worship offers God' Himself in His body and blood. The Eucharist is salvific because it is the continuation of Jesus' saving action on the cross. The salvation that resulted in His death on the cross is also given in every celebrated Eucharist. The Eucharist is the bloodless saving action of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, in order for one to obtain healing, or miracle, or conversion, he can avail of it now, here, and to himself. More than anything, anyone, or anywhere, God's power does it. Faith is the only response that can put it into fruition. Believe and live!