On the day I called, O Lord, You answered me

Year C, 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 27, 2025 @ St. Patrick’s
(Sunday 11am, 1pm and 4pm Masses)

First Reading:                      Genesis 18:20-32

Do not be angry, O Lord if I speak

Responsorial Psalm:          Psalms 138: 1-2a, 2b-3, 6-7ab, 7c-8 (R.3)

On the day I called, O Lord, you answered me.

Second Reading:                Colossians 2:12-14

God made us alive with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses.

Gospel:                                Luke 11:1-13

Ask, and it will be given you.

 

On this 17^th Sunday in ordinary time, the Church is asking us to reflect on this great gift. This gift is PRAYER.

The Lord says in the Gospel: “ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

This is not a “make-good or feel-good” statement that politicians or any public figure do to get attention. This comes from the Lord……. Jesus himself spoke these words. And for those who believe, these words come with a promise – God sees, hears, and feels you and he will act accordingly.

In the first reading, we see Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah. God’s decision to destroy these 2 cities is a response to an “outcry” (in Hebrew implies oppression and suffering), in this case, to extreme moral corruption and injustice.

The cities became symbols of sin and of people who believe they are not doing anything wrong because they have taken away God in their society and everyone decides which is good or bad.

I wonder if we can say the same thing with what is happening in our society today.

And here was Abraham, pleading on behalf of the righteous people of these cities – “suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”  God has committed to honor Abraham’s prayer and could have relented and turned his back. But there was none – Abraham’s final bid – not even 10 righteous in these cities (pause).

And this is the first prayer lesson for all of us today, my dear brothers and sisters.

(1) God hears and acts on the prayer of a righteous man:

·     Bible scholars observed that in Abraham’s prayer, he uses one of the languages of God - mercy. It is that prayer: is first and foremost about asking for mercy.

·       Mercy for our own self but also important, mercy for other people.

·    Abraham was not even there, but from a distance, he pleaded and interceded for the family of Lot (wife and 2 daughters), and he was hoping there were 6 more righteous people living in either of the cities.

Don’t we come here with prayer intentions or petitions for someone we know? We are here and offer that prayer and in doing so, we are interceding, pleading with God on their behalf.

And maybe, our city, our country and probably the world have been saved because of the intercession and pleading of righteous people, some of them maybe right here with us. And this is a good reason why it is important why need to go to Church on Sundays.

Because here, we learn the second prayer lesson. And that is:

(2) We don’t pray alone. Seemingly as we kneel here today, that the prayer we say is private. Something between me and God, but it is not. Just think about this:

·       Collect prayer: by being here, the prayer you have said here becomes the prayer of not only the 650 +/- of who are here but of all the people present on the same Liturgy being celebrated on this 17^th Sunday in ordinary time in every place and in every time.

·       It is the same Liturgy, and we are all united in prayer wherever this Liturgy is taking place, regardless it was said 14 hours ahead in the East or 14 hours later in the West.

·       It is the same Liturgy and God and the heavenly realm are present in this one Liturgy where in the mystery of God’s love unites all believers.

·       We are talking about millions of Catholic faithful in the same Mass, partaking of the same bread that has been broken down for us.

·       And even if there are only 1000 righteous Catholics in attendance this weekend over the millions in attendance, it is still like having a thousand Abraham pleading, interceding and praying for you and me today. (Pause).

Supposing one night on your drive home, you see a car wreck on the road. Paramedics, police, ambulance, fire truck are all there to attend to the crash victim, what do you do?

If you are a good Catholic, you make the sign of the Cross and say a prayer for the victims of this crash and you go along.

But in case, you recognize that the car is your son’s or daughter’s or husband’s or wife’s….. that is another story. You will stop and run to the crash scene, not because you can do better than the first responders, but because he or she or they are not just random persons.

And this is the third and final lesson about prayer for us today……

(3) That God is not a random person and you are not a random person to God.

In the Gospel, Jesus reveals to us that God is first our Father (Greek: Abba)

·       Abba is a word of endearment for a father. Jesus taught us to call God – Abba

·       He is not teaching us some grammar or some historical or geographical lessons on relationships. He is trying to teach us who we really are.

·       If God is our Father, what are we? – we are brothers and sisters!

Two weeks ago, we encountered in the Gospel the man left dying after being robbed. The priest and the Levite regard him as a random person.

·       The priest serves in the temple only 1x a year and if he touches a random bloody person, he becomes ritually unclean and will have to be isolated and do the religious ritual process of cleansing. It was inconvenient and so the same for the Levite.

·       The easier option is to avoid the encounter and continue to make way and just do what they do best.

 

I believe that is the same reason why last week, Jesus commended Mary and telling Martha that Mary chose the better part.

·       We have forgotten who we are and when we look around, the person sitting besides us, in front of us or behind us are not random persons – they are our brothers and sisters.

·       If blood siblings are connected via the same umbilical cord coming from the same mother, we are all connected because we all have been baptized by the same Holy Spirit.

·      And this relationship does not end when one dies. For we die yet we live in Christ. This is what we mean in the article of our faith that we profess every week and we will profess in a short minute, we say: “we believe in the communion of saints.”

·    This is, if we can pray for one another here and now, our brothers and sisters in heaven who are more alive than us can do the same.

·    And in this Liturgy, imagine how many saints are here right now in heaven praying for you and me.

When we understand what actually happens when we are at Mass, nothing should bother us. The stock market can drop a thousand points in a day, flight maybe delayed or cancelled, favorite team can lose, plans can fall apart, lose a job, diagnosed with a big C...etc... but our joyful outlook and deep inner peace will remain in our hearts.

I believe God created us with some kind of a homing device right there in our hearts. This maybe what St. Augustine was thinking when he said that 'our hearts are restless until if finds rest in God.'

God as our Father longs for our voice and affection. He knows our pain and we can't hide it from Him. He is waiting for us to come and meet Him. He awaits us in the Eucharist not just as a random person. But as a Father to a son…as a Father to a daughter. I pray we approach him with the same disposition in our hearts. Amen.

May God bless us all…...

Peace and Presence: God Dwells With Those Who Love Him

6^th Sunday of Easter, Year C
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 1pm and 4pm Masses

May 25, 2025

THEME: “Peace and Presence: God Dwells With Those Who Love Him”

This Sunday focuses on the promise of Jesus’ continued presence through the Holy Spirit, the gift of divine peace, and the Church’s call to remain united and faithful in love and obedience.

1^st Reading:     Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29

                              It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than what is

essential

Res. Psalm:      Ps. 67: 1-2, 4-5, 6-7 (R. 4)

                              Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you

2^nd Reading:    Rev. 21: 10-14, 22-2

                              I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.

Gospel:            Jn: 14: 23-29

                              Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.

Introduction – The Promise of Divine Presence

A blessed afternoon/evening to all of you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

This Sunday’s Gospel passage comes from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper, a continuation from last Sunday.  Liturgically, we are still in the joyful season of Easter and the Church continues to draw our hearts closer to the Risen Lord, who has conquered death and now offers us new life.

Today, on this 6th Sunday of Easter, we are invited to reflect on a powerful promise: God is not distant. He dwells among us. He makes His home in the hearts of those who love Him.

And the readings today resonate with a beautiful harmony. They speak of peace, guidance, and presence—three gifts that are inseparable when you have a relationship with God.

In the Gospel, Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure and since we will be celebrating His ascension next week, Jesus’ final departure from the earth, He also assures us - that though He is going to the Father, He is not leaving us orphaned.

He promises to send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who will remind us of everything He has taught. This is not just a theological truth—it is a personal, living reality.

This beautiful reality that God is with us. And not just with us, but within us, if we open our hearts in love and obedience.

The Gospel – Love, Obedience, and Peace

From the time of Moses to early Christianity, people believe that God’s presence is only found in the temple. But in the Gospel today, Jesus revealed a profound mystery - that the presence of God is not limited to temples or rituals, but that He dwells in the heart of every believer who lives in love and obedience.

I was kind of hoping that our angelic choir will remain true to the Liturgy and give us the right Gospel Acclamation and they did not disappoint.
In the Gospel acclamation that came from the Gospel reading itself, we have just heard Jesus says:

“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."

We become his temple. For those who love and obey - their bodies become the temples of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus adds a crucial element: peace.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”

"Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!" (I announce to you a great joy: We have a Pope!)

Three weeks or so ago, we have been given a new Pope – Leo XIV. He was elected on the 5^th balloting, the 2^nd day of Conclave. And I can imagine as his name is called – “Cardinal Prevost” over and over again as the votes are tallied, from the 1^st balloting to the last, that he would have felt some kind of fear and the overwhelming feeling of unworthiness.

This maybe a big moment in Cardinal Prevost, but his life has been marked by many occasions of saying yes to God. He has lots of experience facing God with love in his hear and saying yes.

You see brother and sisters - Love and obedience—these are not meant to be burdens. They are the fruit of a relationship with Christ. When we love someone, we naturally desire to please them, to honor their words, to live in harmony with their will.

This I think is the reason why Pope Leo’s first word as he steps onto the balcony and gives his first blessing, Urbi et Orbi ("To the City and the World"), to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square and watching around the world.

"Peace be with you all"

This is not the fragile peace of politics or the temporary calm of a stormy day. This is Christ’s own peace, rooted in trust, in presence, in the unshakable reality that God is with us.

This peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God amid trouble.
How many of us today long for this peace? In our families, in our hearts, in our world? Christ offers it freely, but it begins with a heart open to His presence.

The Early Church – Unity Through the Spirit

The First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows us a practical example of the Holy Spirit guiding the Church. The early Christians faced serious conflict—what was required of the Gentile converts? Must they follow the Mosaic Law?

Instead of division, the apostles, with prayer and discernment, listened to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They send Barsabbas and Silas with Paul and Barnabbas to Antioch with this beautiful message:

"It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than what is essential"

This phrase teaches us a deep truth: the Holy Spirit is not just a divine inspiration floating above us. He is active in the life of the Church, especially in moments of discernment, unity, and leadership.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to guide ourselves, our families, our parishes, or our personal decisions—we participate in this same divine wisdom. And it brings peace. It brings clarity. It brings communion.

This is the same Spirit Jesus promised in the Gospel, and He continues to speak in the Church today.

The Heavenly Jerusalem – A Vision of Fulfilled Presence

Finally, in the Book of Revelation, we are given a vision of the New Jerusalem. It is a radiant city, but what makes it truly glorious is not its walls or jewels, but the fact that God dwells in it.

“I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.”

This vision is not just about heaven; it points to what we are already called to become: a people in whom God dwells. Every Mass, every act of love, every time we obey Christ’s word, we allow that heavenly Jerusalem to take shape in us.

The Church, even in her imperfections, is meant to be a sign of that future city, a foretaste of heaven, where peace reigns and God is fully present.

Conclusion – Living as Dwellings of God

So today, dear friends, let us open our hearts anew to the promise of Christ:

• Let us love Him by keeping His word.

• Let us welcome His peace, not as the world gives, but as a gift of the Spirit.

• Let us live as the early Church did—guided by the Holy Spirit, building unity and truth.

• And let us become, more and more, a people in whom God dwells.

May our lives reflect the joy of Easter, the presence of the Risen Lord, and the peace that comes only from Him.

And may we say with confidence: “Come, Holy Spirit, dwell in us. Make our hearts Your home.”

Amen.

 

6^th Sunday of Lent, Year C
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, April 13, 2025
 
Gospel:                 Luke 19: 28-40
                              Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
1^st Reading:         Isaiah 50: 4-7
                              I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. I know that I shall not be put to shame.
Res. Psalm:         Psalm 22: 7-8, 16-19, 22-23 (R. 1)
                              My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
2^nd Reading:        Philippians 2: 6-11
                              Jesus humbled himself. Therefore God highly exalted him.
Gospel:                Luke 22: 14 - 23: 56
                              The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

 

My dearest brothers and Sisters, today we are gathered to celebrate the sixth Sunday of Lent. For us Catholics in the Latin West, this Sunday is both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday, the beginning of the Holy Week. This is the time of the year when we pause ….. the same way we do during the liturgy to observe sacred silence, pray and thank God for this great gift of salvation he has given us.

There is no time of the year in the life of the Church that is more important than the Holy Week. If we are to borrow the Hebraic expression of acknowledging that we are in the holiest of all weeks – we will say: Holy, Holy, Holy Week.

For the reason we have hope for heaven is because of what we celebrate this week. And this week ….. things will become ugly …. awful …. and really bad. As we enter Holy Week, we want to remember how ugly, awful and bad it got not because we want to feel sad about Jesus, of how much he suffered for us. But to be reminded that this happened because somebody loves us so much.

If I am to tear the pages of the gospel we have just read and give it to people who do not know and have not heard about Jesus nor have ever read a bible, they may find it difficult to believe this ever happened. Why would a man endure such things ….. For what reason???

For us, as we have grown accustomed with the story of Jesus’ passion and death year after year, it may be easy to overlook the significance and importance of these events. Because we know how the story ends, we have the tendency to skip the horrific details of Jesus’ passion and death and proceed with the glorious ending of his Resurrection.

However, for people in Jesus' time, it is not the case. Imagine the Blessed Mary standing at the foot of the cross, alone (almost) ….. she could have been beating her chest and uttering the prayers, Oh God, o God why have you allowed these horrible things to happen to my son ….. your Son?

And maybe our own human experiences are the same. That there are moments when we feel abandoned, betrayed, left alone, ignored and our prayers seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Thus, many don't find the value of pain, suffering, hardship and many more other negative circumstances that life throws at us.

Our liturgy today and the rest of the liturgies this holy week leading to the Sacred Triduum, does not just aim that we commemorate and relive Jesus’ dying and rising, but our own dying and rising in Jesus, which will result in our healing, reconciliation, and redemption.

We were not redeemed at a discounted rate; we were paid in full including the exorbitant interests. On resurrection Sunday as the cross and the rest of the sacred images are unveiled for us, we will see once again the image of God’s Justice and Mercy on the cross.

Did I say Justice? ….. Yes! As St. Paul said in his letter to the Romans in 6:23: “for the wages of sin is death.” This death, in the biblical language is not just the separation of our immortal soul from our body, but it is our eternal separation from God.

This is the same separation we experience when somebody we do really love, and care is taken away from us ….. and multiply that by a gazillion times. This is when you wake up the following day and realize that the one so dear to you was taken away by death and the very things this person does every day to annoy you are now the things you long to see and experience. And now you live in this reality that they are not coming back.

If you are a parent, this is the same experience of loosing a child or a child being  taken away from you in a crowded mall and you do not know if that child is now in some other part of the world being sold to slavery and you will never going to see your child anymore.

It is like being left alone on the scorching heat of a desert by yourself. No familiar faces, no company to talk to and walk with. You are isolated and separated from all the people you have ever love and care, you are separated from God. You will be there by yourself. You don’t know where to go, the desert does not seem to end ….. for all eternity ….. alone. That is the biblical meaning of death. Dead to our sin and selfishness.

And as Fr. Jerome said last Friday, there is no forgiveness of sins if there is no shedding of blood. And by dying on the cross, Jesus has paid the price so we may live. That this curse of forever be separated from God and from one another has now been lifted up.

The ransom and the penalty for this curse is his life and all his blood. That is God’s justice – his death for our life. It is like walking out of prison for the crime we have been convicted of and found guilty of. But we don’t walk out because of a stroke of a presidential pen issuing a presidential pardon, we walk out because somebody took our place.

Justice demands payment for the crime. And Jesus’ life and all his blood are the payment. Not our death but his death. Not us hanging on the cross, not us drained of our blood – but his life and his blood ….. that my friends ….. brothers and sisters is mercy.

On the Cross, we see the justice of God and the mercy of God. This is the reason why we don’t eat meat on Friday and also eat only 1 meal on this day. It is because we remember what happened on Good Friday. It used to be all 40 days of Lent, but now it is relegated to only the Fridays of Lent. And yet for many, we go through this Fridays of lent just like any other Fridays of the year. I hope we remember that as we only have one Friday left before us, this Friday – the Good Friday.

 

But Jesus in respect to our free will can’t force us to walk out of our prison cell. Remember that there are two thieves who were crucified with our Lord on Good Friday, but only one received the promise of heaven. Did Jesus not die for all of us?

 

We will have to make that choice in the same way the thief on the right did. That is to accept this love from God and maybe again, we may want to look into going to confession if we have not done so this Lent.

 

Sometimes, we also need to remember that God invites us to make a leap of faith as what St. Paul, at the end of his life has said: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). His faith was trust that life has a goal, and it is realized in the eternal existence offered by the Creator who made us in his image.

 

Today brothers and sisters, let us start praying to Jesus to get our hearts ready. Let us ask him to help us not to hesitate to do whatever he wants us to do even if they are something beyond our human understanding. Even if we are so ashamed we have not gone to confession for 15 years.

 

For we now know that it is part of how God saves us, that is, the surrender of our will just as Jesus surrendered his will to the Father that costed him his life and all his blood.

 

The prison gate is now open and all we must do is walk out. May the experience of the Holy week renew and restore our faith in God. That all these things are not empty shows, empty promises, old broken tradition. That we realize our prayers don’t fall on God’s deaf ears.

 

May we receive the grace to be a better child of God. May it strengthen us in moments of difficulties. May we see beyond our sufferings the victory that lies ahead.

 

Brothers and sisters, if this week is very special, then we need to prepare for it. We need to be ready for it. For the glory of the resurrection does not happen without Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

This week, we are going to celebrate the worst and best things that ever happened to us. And let us thank God for it.

 

I keep you and your family always in my prayers. Amen.