Reflection for the Sunday within the Easter Octave, the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday | Jn 20, 19-31
Whenever the Gospel episode on the Doubting Thomas is read, I normally would focus on Thomas himself. However, this time, as I asked God to guide me in my contemplation, I came to be strucked with the fact that led me to realize the connection of this Gospel to the feast we are celebrating today, which is the Divine Mercy.
Tonight, 16 songs will vie for the grand prize for this year’s edition of Himig Handog. But, wait, I am not writing this reflection to promote it. 😆
It has something to do with two of my favorite songs in this album.
Yup, you read it right. These two songs had a great impact on me. And to be honest, it moves me to pray when I hear them play on my playlist in Spotify. It is because they speak profoundly of my relationship with God as of this moment.
So, allow me then to reflect on these two songs and to share my thoughts on it.
The first one is the song Monumento as composed by Jungee Marcelo and interpreted by Kyla and Kris Lawrence. You may listen to the song at the link below:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5TG1gC9J5H3ptdW2AHlyQn
Meanwhile, we ponder on the lyrics:
Ikaw ang sumisindi sa aking napupunding pangarap.
Lalong tumitindi ang apoy ng pagsisikap.
Ako ang pinipinta larawang sinisintang hangarin.
‘Di mo iniinda ang pahirap sa damdamin.
Hulog ka ba ng langit.
Tila anghel ka na walang kasing bait.
Palaisipan kung bakit.
Mahiwaga nga ang pag-ibig.
Konting bato, konting semento.
‘Di pa rin kuntento.
Para ipakita ang pagmamahal sa’yo. At parang santo sa kumbento. Bidang star sa kuwento.
Idol ka, taas kamay ako sa’yo.
Ikaw ang dakila, syento porsyento. Hayaan mo’t ipagtatayo kita…
Ng monumento.
Mento, mento, mento.
Mo-monumento.
Mento, mento, mento.
Sa dami ko nang sablay at dami nang pasaway na banat.
Ang dapat sa akin ay…
sa presinto na lang magpaliwanag. Buti na lang wagas kahit na ang dalas magkulang.
‘Di ka nababanas pangiti-ngiti ka lamang.
Parang nananaginip.
Ayaw gumising na sa pagkakaidlip. Sobrang napapaisip.
Dedma sa bad trip.
Ibang klase nga ang pag-ibig
Konting bato, konting semento.
‘Di pa rin kuntento.
Para ipakita ang pagmamahal sa’yo. At parang santo sa kumbento. Bidang star sa kuwento.
Idol ka, taas kamay ako sa’yo.
Ikaw ang dakila, syento porsyento. Hayaan mo’t ipagtatayo kita…
Ng monumento.
Sa bawat sulok, kanto at rotonda
Ibabantayog, walang kokontra…
Konting bato, konting semento.
‘Di pa rin kuntento.
Para ipakita ang pagmamahal sa’yo. At parang santo sa kumbento. Bidang star sa kuwento.
Idol ka, taas kamay ako sa’yo.
Ikaw ang dakila, syento porsyento. Hayaan mo’t ipagtatayo kita…
Sa Edsa, Caloocan o Luneta. Kahit saan ipagtatayo kita…
Ng monumento.
Mento, mento, mento.
Mo-monumento.
Mento, mento, mento.
I definitely fail God with my mistakes. True enough because of my human nature. But God does not make me feel I am a failure to Him because of my fraility and weakness. How can Someone whose nature is love can make the other feel he or she is a failure? How much more to God? I believe it does not matter to Him, though. As what the song poignantly says: “Buti na lang wagas kahit na ang dalas magkulang. Di ka nababanas, pangiti-ngiti ka lamang.” And that exactly reminds me of how God manifested to me in a prayer workshop I attended witn the Jesuits at the Ateneo de Manila while doing my Contemplation Exercises. He is a God who is easy and light, who definitely knows how to laugh at my mistakes.
I remember one priest, when I decided to leave the seminary in hiatus to undergo serious discernment to the religious life, telling me me blatantly that I was a failure. I could not blame him, though. His mindset was that I was too old and still discerning, that religious orders still prefer young than old who join them, that because I am old I have to make a decision already, that I should finish my theological studies first so I can be stable and become a priest ASAP, that, most of all, since I haven’t finished my priestly formation yet, I haven’t proven anything as of yet. Well, those are definitely true. But, I thought, isn’t this a thought of chronos, i.e. everything is planned and designed as what we wanted in life? That by merely having that mindset, I am making my vocation to the priesthood as a career and not as a call of service and dedication?
But not with God, as I believe. My strong conviction is that, if God calls me really to this kind of life, then I should trust that everything falls in His proper place and proper time, that it is His plan and not ours that we ought to follow. That is what we call kairos. My departure to the structure of the seminary and clericalism led me to a realization that God has a higher plan for me. It costed me a lot of rejection, disappointment, and disowning from others especially to my family. But God had used that moment of grace to make me realize that I should put my trust in Him, no matter what, even if it is painful and difficult.
Another song is that of Nyebe, composed by Aries Sales and interpreted by Kaye Cal. You can listen to it in this link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/670o0NIdjvI9f7I6apdQK8
And here is the lyrics which we can ponder on to:
Hindi ko maintindihan
Pag-ibig mo’t kapatawaran
Pag-ibig na di mapantayan
Hinding hindi mo ko iniwan
Sino ba naman ako
Ako’y hindi karapat dapat
Sino ba naman ako
Upang mahalin ng ganito
Ako’y kulang ngunit
Pinuno mo ng pagmamahal
Di mo kawalan ngunit ang sabi mo
Ako’y iyong yaman
Ako’y binago mo
Ikaw ang buhay ko
Walang katulad mo sa mundo
Panghahawakan ko’ng pag-ibig mo
Sa’yo lamang ako
Kahit maramot kong isinasarili
Tinalikuran’t di ka pinili
Hangin lamang salita ng aking labi
Subalit pag-ibig mo pa rin naghari
Sino ba naman ako
Ako’y hindi karapat dapat
Sino ba naman ako
Upang mahalin ng ganito
Ako’y kulang ngunit
Pinuno mo ng pagmamahal
Di mo kawalan ngunit ang sabi mo
Ako’y iyong yaman
Ako’y binago mo
Ikaw ang buhay ko
Walang katulad mo sa mundo
Panghahawakan ko’ng pag-ibig mo
Sa’yo lamang ako
Walang sino man ang katulad mo
natatangi ang pag-ibig mo
kulang ang kahit ano-anong salita ng pasasalamat
Bakit pag-ibig mo lamang sakin ang nagpamulat
Binuksan ang mga mata ng aking puso
kita ko na ang tunay na kulay; anyo mundo
Hinding hindi na ako lilisan sa piling mo
‘Yan ang ika-lulumpo ng buhay ko
Ako’y kulang ngunit
Pinuno mo ng pagmamahal
Di mo kawalan ngunit ang sabi mo
Ako’y iyong yaman
Ako’y binago mo
Ikaw ang buhay ko
Walang katulad mo sa mundo
Panghahawakan ko’ng pag-ibig mo
Sa’yo lamang ako
My first impression of the song was that it was more of an inspirational song than a usual love song because, drawn in prayer, I felt that it was also my own Suspice, the famous prayer of Take and Receive by St. Ignatius of Loyola. True enough, when I heard the story behind it from the composer’s interview, it was based on Isaiah 1, 18 which states that ” though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow.” And that is true, at least to my own conviction. I have my own share of my sinfulness and frailities and issues. But God makes, by His grace, even makes something of our brokenness. And He assures and re-assures that, with His love, we our bound to be moulded in His love. And as the song poignantly says it: “Panghahawakan kong pag-ibig mo, Sa’yo lamang ako!”
And that is how the readings goes on for this Fifth Sunday of Easter. Paul, in the First Reading from tbe Acts of the Apostles, encourages the disciples after his missionary travel that “it is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” And that was exactly the gift of Easter: it was through the Cross that Jesus brought forth the realization of the Kingdom of God here and now but not yet by His ressurection. Jesus had to go that hardship, that sufferring, so He can make all things new, as He affirmed in John’s vision from the Book of Revelation in the Second Reading.
And how does God makes all things new? His mandatum: “Love one another as I have loved you, so you should also love one another,” as affirmed in today’s Gospel.
Because if we beleive and trust in God’s love, His grace abounds, no matter how sinful we are, no matter how fragile and vulnerable we are. He makes something out of that to realize His loving plan to us, to “renew all things” in us.
And precisely, these two songs express that very special relationship that I have with God right now.
No matter what, He will renew things out of my sinfulness and fragility.
The next episode following the post-resurrection narratives in today’s Gospel reveals Simon Peter, together with some of the disciples, going back to fishing.
What is significant in this episode is the scenario. When Peter said “I am going fishing,” he was hinting somehow that he was going back to his old life.
Probably, he was discouraged by the death of Jesus and had realized that  following Him becomes meaningless.
But Jesus appeared to them to enkindle their hope.
And just as He did to them when He called them to follow Him to become fishers of men, He once more ordered them to lower their nets for their catch.
When they lowered their nets and had caught many, it was no doubt: IT IS THE LORD!
When life becomes meaningless, we go back to our old ways.
But God , in His most intimate manner, calls us back to be His own.
And then, with much faith, we acclaim like Peter, “IT IS THE LORD!”
Peace.
This was what Jesus greeted and offered to his troubled, frightened, and doubtful disciples when He appeared to them in today’s Gospel. He knows their fears very well because his disciples were still overwhelmed by the events following the crucifixion and His eventual death. The disciples were fearing for the Jews to capture them, because they thought that they have lost their Master and Teacher.
But, here is Jesus amongst them. He reassures them their faith. He enkindles once more their hope.
And, they were not seeing a ghost. They were seeing the glorified body of Jesus.
To convince them, He told his disciples, “Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have.”
And the disciples had the peace of mind when they were convinced that He is truly risen!
Unfortunately, nowadays, we cannot achieve peace. We are struggling to build peace with nations torn with war, to all the killings that had happened in the past days. People are “troubled” with hatred and chaos around them and thus cannot attain peace.
But how do we achieve peace?
We can only have peace only when we are able to recognize in the eyes of God’s mercy and compassion to all of us.
When we reach out our hand and become more generous to our needy brothers and sister, we attain peace.
When we learn to forgive those who have hurt us, when gain peace.
When we let go of our fears, troubles and anxieties, we have peace.
Last year, during the celebration of the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, he delivered a moving homily pertaining to Jesus’ greeting of peace to his disciples. He explains how God’s peace is connected with His mercy.
Here is the complete video of his homily:
Happy Easter Thursday!
“Were not our hearts burning with us?”
Today’s Gospel recalls Jesus’ post-resurrection apparition to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Every youth minster knows very well the story by the heart, for it encapsulates the very core of the experience of every youth. It retraces every step and experience that the two disciples had: their fears, doubts, anxieties and their eventual realization that Jesus is among them.
We young people, too, are beset with so many challenges in our daily life which obscures our faith. But Jesus accompanies us with a silent heart. He leads us to a path of acceptance and healing, conversion and transformation, and to who we are meant to be. He makes us strong in times of trials. He gives us hope when we are in despair. He moves our hearts and makes us renewed by His resurrection. He opens our eyes and makes us convinced that, truly, He is risen and He is among us journeying in our life.
Like Jesus, a youth minister accompanies his fellow youth and inspires them in times of their trials and to help them be strengthened when their faith is challenged, guide them in times of their doubts and help them understand what God wants of them.
Today, let us remember in our prayers all youth ministers that, in their noble work of guiding their fellow young people, they may always be inspired by the story of Emmaus and may their hearts continue to burn with conviction in the Risen Lord as they carry out this ministry with love and compassion.
Meditations of a Wounded Soul 