A Valentines Homily

Mark 1, 40-45, the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Gospel was the Gospel last Thursday, 12th January 2006. Open the January Archives, and look for the title, The Lepers in Ourselves.

I have not done a homily for this Sunday (12 February 2006), which is close to Valentines Day, but perhaps my homily last year on Valentines (though the Gospel was about the Temptations of Jesus) might be of help to those who would like to read, reflect or use a Valentines theme for this Sunday. Anyways, compassion and love are one and the same theme. And to push the Gospel further, the importance of touch in the healing of the leper, is the same as comforting gestures we give when our beloved needs it. Touch is one of the best expressions of Love.

And just in case I will be able to do something for this Sunday, I will post it soon.

The Temptations of Jesus and Love

The importance of the Gospel today is to see that Jesus was choosing his method of teaching: the values that he is going to promote, the characteristics that distinguishes a follower from those who are not, and the way that leads to God. The devil tempts Jesus to choose material possessions, power and popularity, but instead, Jesus chose the words of God, the adoration of God, and the primacy of God over His own. In other words, Jesus chose the principle of love above all else: love God with all your heart, with all your strength. To those who are truly in love, it is easier to understand Jesus’ words.

First: “Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Pablo Neruda has a poem called, Tu Risa (Your Laughter) about why it is fine to deny ourselves of anything else, but never the laughter and voice of those whom we love.

Tu Risa (Your Laughter)

Pablo Neruda

Laugh at the night, at the day, at the moon, laugh at the twisted streets of the island, laugh at this clumsy boy who loves you, but when I open my eyes and close them, when my steps go, when my steps return,

deny me bread, air, light, spring, but never your laughter for I would die. niégame el pan, el aire, la luz, la primavera, pero tu risa nunca porque me moriría.

Second: “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve.” We all say that God is a mystery. And that love is a mystery. All we know that there are things that cannot be explained, thus we worship He who has given us such grace. We wonder why among all other girls, or all other boys, or all other persons, it is this person who has captured our hearts. All indeed is grace, gifts of God.

Sonetong Hindi Kailangang Nasulat

Cerilo Rico Abelardo

hindi kailangan na nariyan ka pero nariyan ka nga at nakangiti pa hindi kailangan na kilala kita pero heto at nag-uusap tayo hindi kailangan na ibigin ka pero ikaw lagi ang laman ng aking alaala

hindi kailangang ipagtapat ang damdaming ito pero ipagtatapat ko dahil totoo hindi mo kailangang umoo pero tumugon ka sana kahit paano may mga bagay na hindi kailangang narito pero totoo at nasa harap ko kaya’t kailangang galangin katulad ng pag-ibig ko sa ‘yo.

Finally: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” The meaning of the word, temptation in Hebrew is to test. Thus, in the Bible, to tempt has the idea of testing, to test one’s loyalty and obedience, to test one’s strength. Thus, temptation is not designed to make us fall. Temptation is designed to make us stronger and better persons. Temptation is not designed to make us sinners. It is designed to make us good, and to make us holier. We may fail the test, but we are not meant to. We are meant to emerge stronger, with much dignity and worth. Temptation is not so much our penalty, but our glory. If a metal is to be used for bridges, the metal is tested at stresses and strains far beyond those which it likely has to bear.

So too with love. Many things have changed in the course of our loving. We have a long history of heartbreaks, of rejections, and of being abandoned. We have our pasts: those people whom we met, we found, and we lost. And yet, despite all the changes in our hearts, one thing remains constant: that we are worthy of love, that we have been truly loved by God. We are made by the love of God, and thus it is our nature to love and to continually love. That is the reason why we wear red: the color of passion, the color of blood, the color of life itself. It is the color of the fire of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love. By wearing red, we tell everyone that as long as we live, we will nurture this fire in our hearts. The final poem.

Mangyari Lamang

Cerilo Rico Abelardo

mangyari lamang ay tumayo ang mga nagmamahal nang makita ng lahat ang kagandahan ng mukha ng pag-ibig ipamalas ang tamis ng malalim na pagkakaunwaan sa mga malabo ang paningin. mangyari lamang ay tumayo rin ang mga nagmahal at nasawi nang makita ng lahat ang mga sugat ng isang bayani ipadama ang pait ng kabiguan habang ipinagbubunyi ang walang-katulad na kagitingan ng isang nagtaya. mangyari lamang ay tumayo ang mga nangangambang magmahal nang makit ng lahat ang kilos ng isang bata ipamalas ang katapatan ng damdamin na pilit ikinukubli ng pusong lumaki sa mga engkanto at diwata.

mangyari lamang ay tumayo ang mga nagmahal, minahal, at iniwan ngunit handa pa ring magmahal nang makita ng lahat ang yaman ng karanasan ipamalas ang mga katotohanang nasaksihan nang maging makahulugan ang mga paghagulgol sa dilim. at sa mga nananatiling nakaupo mangyari lamang ay dahan-dahang tumalilis papalabas sa nakangangang pito umuwi na kayo at sumbatan ang mga magulang na nagpalaki ng isang halimaw. at sa lahat ng naiwang nakatayo mangyari lamang ay hagkan ang isa’t isa at yakapin ang mga sugatan mabuhay tayong lahat na nagsisikap na makabalik sa ating pinagmulan. manatiling masaya at higit sa lahat magpatuloy sa pagmamahal.