06/07/2020
ABASEMENT, SPIRIT, RELATIONSHIPS, BURDEN
(Homily of Fr. David Tampus Concepcion | 14th Sunday, OT | Sta. Maria Goretti Parish | July 5, 2020)
1st Reading - ZEC 9:9-10
Psalm - PS 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14
2nd Reading - ROM 8:9, 11-13
Gospel - MT 11:25-30
I would like to begin with our opening prayer: "O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world."
What is abasement? Abasement literally means by the humility of your Son you have raised up a fallen world. Bakit hindi na lang ginamit iyong term na humility? Kasi mas exact iyong term na abasement. The abasement of your Son because abasement is not just simply about being humble, but having to suffer because of it.
Four words I would like you to remember today. Four words in today’s reflection:
1. Humility
2. Spirit
3. Relationship
4. Burden
First - The first reading speaks of humility. It is the opposite of how the world thinks of conquering their enemies. You know that horses are beasts of wars and donkeys are beasts of burden. Jesus did not enter Jerusalem riding a horse but with a donkey. It was a humble gesture. You can win wars, intimidate people, perhaps achieve your goal by raising your voice, by shouting, by humiliating others, by cursing or maybe by using arms and killing people, - but that is not the way of God.
If you are tempted to win an argument by simply raising your voice, then you are not doing it in the way of God. If you think you will get what you want by intimidating people, by making life miserable for them, it is not the way of God. The way of God is a humble way, He does not exert himself.
The humble person is the one who has the right to be proud. Sino ang may karapatang magpakumbaba? Iyong mga taong mayroong karapatang magmalaki, hindi po ba? Kung ang Diyos na napakatayog ay ibinaba ang sarili Niya, wala nang bababa pa para sa Kanya. Sino ba ang may karapatang bumaba sa second floor papunta sa first floor? Ay di iyong may second floor, hindi po ba? Kung puro tayo nasa first floor, huwag mong sasabihin bababa ako sa first floor. Wala kang bababaan. Ililibing ka kung gusto mong lumalim, hindi po ba?
How many among us, you in your relationship in the family, in your community, tend to win something by intimidating or by using your power? If you do so, you are not doing it according to the ways of God.
Second - The second reading says, you need the Spirit because your humility is not enough. Your humility alone cannot give you everlasting life. Jesus came not only that you may learn humility but that you may have Spirit.
The moment you are baptized, you received the Spirit. The moment you received life, you received a soul. It is when you are baptized that you received the Spirit. It is the soul that is judged, not the Spirit, because the Spirit is always right. The Spirit of God is the one that endows you with wisdom. Mahalaga iyong nasa iyo ang Espiritu ng Diyos.
Noong pinaalis ang espiritu ng demonyo sa isang taong naalihan, the evil spirit was driven out from the person and the spirit will roam around. Maghahanap iyan ng matitirhan. Kaya nga kung naalaala ninyo, iyong mga demoniacs, nakiusap sila kasi alam nilang hindi sila makakapasok sa mga tao. Nakiusap sila, “Baka pwede kami pumasok na lang sa mga baboy.”
If that evil spirit, cannot find a place, they will go back to the person and finding it empty, it will bring more spirits. Kaya hindi pwedeng walang Espiritu. Pag nangalat iyang masasamang espiritu at wala sa iyo ang Espiritu ng Diyos, gagawin ka nilang tirahan. And if they find you empty, it will make you worse than before.
You need to be humble, because only in humility will you have the Spirit.
Third - You cannot have the spirit of God without your relationship with God. That is what the gospel is trying to tell us. If you want a Spirit that will give you new life and that will raise you up from the dead, then you must have a relationship with the God who gave it. Again, Humility, Spirit, Relationship. That is why we need to have a relationship with God.
If you look at the gospel of Matthew 11:27 -
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
It is all about Spirit.
Now what comes with the relationship? Matthew 11:28-30 -
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Ang sinasabi lang Niya, all relationships have a burden. Pag pinanganak ka, you have your burden. As Scott Peck said, “Life is difficult.”
Pagusapan lang natin iyong ipinanganak ka, ikaw ay naging tao. You have your burden, how to grow, how to live, how to survive. But if you want to be a Catholic, there is an extra burden, di po ba? There is an extra burden. If you want to be a Catholic, it is more than to have life. There is an extra yoke, an extra burden. And what is that? The minimum is the Ten Commandments.
You will have no other God beside me.
You will not use the name of God in vain.
You must keep Sabbath holy.
You must honor your father and mother.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness.
You must not covet your neighbor’s wife or husband.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
That is the extra yoke if you want to be a Catholic. Hindi pantay ang burden compared to being just mere human.
Now, among Catholics, if you want to be among the religious, gusto mong magpari o magmadre, or you want to be part of a community, like the Open Door Ministries that is joining us today, there is an extra burden.
Hindi lang Ten Commandments, may mga kasamang norms iyan pag ikaw ay naging pari, naging madre. It is part of the burden that you pray the Liturgy of the Hours faithfully. Mas mataas ang yoke noon, mas mataas ang burden. Pero kung gusto mo maging Santo, it comes with another burden, an extra yoke.
Every layer of relationship comes with a yoke, a burden. That is why huwag mong kakalimutan ito. You hear the word, you believe, you follow, you remain and then you are being set apart for God. It comes with a burden.
Kaya nga ang tanong ng Diyos pagkatapos niyang sabihin sa kanyang mga alagad, “That if you want to have an intimate relationship with me, you must eat my flesh and drink my blood.” For some it was too burdensome that’s why they left God.
Minsan nakapila kami sa sinehan, “Passion of the Christ” and palaces. Sa harapan ko, merong isang babae, lingon siya ng lingon. Maya-maya, hindi siya nakatiis, “What church do you belong?”
Akala ko nakilala niya akong pari…
Sabi ko, “Nagmimisa ako sa Chapel ng Greenbelt.”
Sabi nya, “I don’t know of any church in Greenbelt.”
Sabi ko, “There is in the middle of the park.”
Sabi niya, “Aaaaaaah! you’re a Catholic.”
Sabi ko, “Yes Ma’am.”
Bigla niyang sabi, “I used to be a Catholic, now I’m a Christian.”
Bigla akong napaisip, kami bang mga Katoliko, hindi ba kami Kristiyano?
So tutal nag-aantay lang naman kami ng sine, sabi ko, “Oh! What made you a Christian? What made you decide to leave behind your Catholic faith?”
Sabi niya, “Because I hate Catholics. n Catholic church, you are not allowed to love the person you love.”
Sabi ko, “What do you mean?”
Sabi niya, “I was married before, and I’m no longer in love with my husband. So I’m going with another man whom I love. In the Catholic church that is not accepted, it is sinful. We in the Christian church, we are allowed to do it.”
Mahirap iyong mali ka na, nangatuwiran ka pa. Di po ba?
Every relationship has a burden. Mamili ka. Kaya ang sabi ng Diyos, “Take my yoke. This is the burden that comes with those who want to have a relationship with me.” Hindi kita pinagbabawalan kung kaninong Iglesia ni Batman ka gustong pumunta. “But if you want to be part of me, it comes with a burden.”
My dear friends, my brothers and sisters, you ask yourself. Whose relationship you have? Kanino? Sapagkat hindi lahat ng nagsisimba, hindi lahat ng nangungumunyon, hindi lahat ng nagnonobena, hindi lahat, magsabi kayo, hindi lahat ng naglilingkod sa simbahan ay may relasyon sa Diyos.
What is more important is your relationship and not simply what you do inside the church. Of course, doing nothing means you don’t have a relationship. Relationship means, anong sabi? You avoid evil then you are good, but not doing good, you are evil.
Four things: Humility, Spirit, Relationship and Burden. Habang gusto mong lumalim ang relasyon, bahagi nito ang pananagutan.
Doon sa mga nagtatanong sa “Di po ba, Father?” I only answer questions, I will not justify your sinfulness. Pagkaminsan, nakakapagod sumagot, na sinabi mo na mali, mangangatuwiran pa. Hindi ko po tungkulin iyon, ano po? Ang mali ay mali. Di po ba?
Do not forget this. What makes sin more evil, is when you try to justify them. Don’t make your emotion a justification for your sinfulness. Kahit pa nagmamahalan kayo, kung iyang relasyon ay mali. Sasabihin mo “ang kanyang dugo ay aking dugo”, tumigil ka. Pag kayo ay nilagyan ng linta, alam nyo yung linta? Iyong hayop na pag dumikit, sinisipsip ang dugo. Ang dugo mo, dugo nya. Ngayon, linta ka ba? Di po ba? Gamitin mo ang iyong utak. Sabi ko nga sa inyo, pag ang inyong puso ay kumilos, kapag tumibok ang puso, tumigil kayo ha. Kasi pagkaminsan pag tumibok ang puso kinakalimutan ang utak, di po ba ano? Kaya nga hiwalay iyan, ang utak ay dito nasa ibabaw ng puso.
Be humble.
Remember the Spirit.
Only God can give you the Spirit, your relationship with God.
And that relationship comes with a burden.
For the live homily:
https://youtu.be/vopMSLNFKSQ
