Author: dotheartfrarlon

• Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18
• Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
• 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
• Matthew 5:38-48

Today we are in the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year A. It is obvious that for the past consecutive Sundays we have had scriptural readings about the Beatitudes, and the related topics give us the very solid foundation of becoming good Christians. It is a teaching coming from the Lord Himself to further mold us into a better person. Jesus calls us to pursue greater righteousness and not settle for conforming to the world around us.

We are influenced much to being attentive to the proliferation of modern gadgets to disturb our minds and hearts and be less focused on the spiritual side of us. Some are preoccupied with tremendous workload, consequently affecting our dedication to God. Work-overtime becomes a common excuse to simply live and make short-sighted decisions, all motivated by greed or fear to discover who we are. We forget who God is and about our knowledge of how God is present and active in our own lives.

Our readings speak to us right now. The first reading taken from the book of Leviticus says, “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am Holy.” This is how we should be attracted to Him and live in communion with Him because God is Holy. We are called to be in a close relationship with God by keeping and fulfilling all His commandments. Our liturgical practices remind us that how we worship is the way we live in ordinary life.

The second reading from the 1st Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians states, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” St. Paul exhorts the Christian community at Corinth to live in holiness because they are individually and collectively the “temple of God” because God the Holy Spirit dwells within the holy soul of every faithful believer in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, Paul then gives a teaching about true wisdom where he says, “for the wisdom of the world is foolishness in the eyes of God” because he reminds them that when they think one of us wise according to human standards is only a foolishness to God. Thus, St. Paul convinces them to desire life according to God’s plan which he thinks is wiser. We must be looking into the supernatural level where Jesus manifests His care and love to alleviate us from every evil in order to reveal His divine glory.

The gospel always teaches us the ways of Jesus according to the evangelist Matthew: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of God….be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. His is the salient points of the gospel.

First, love your enemies. This is the fraction of God’s commandment which is important so that God shines through us. We mirror God’s goodness and love in the way we treat our fellowmen.

Second, pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of God. I believe that when we are conscious of our dignity being children of God, then it is easy to do this. Our hurts will continue to haunt us so it is better to pray for those who offend and persecute us because the more we pray for them, the more our wounds will be healed completely.

Third, be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. It is Jesus’ will to live our life according to the way we are originally formed, “We are formed in the likeness of God.” In human standards becoming perfect is difficult, but we transcend our understanding to the concept of God that He shared His gift of divinity with us. It is His gift that we are oriented towards perfection.
I do believe that Jesus’ way of perfection is something that we can do. We must live our “True-Self.” Many spiritual writers call us to live the very core of who we are, deeply rooted in God’s gift of wholeness and holiness.

Jesus teaches us that we can place our confidence in Him, especially when it comes to learning about the will of God for our lives. We must understand that God is always present to dispense His grace as long as we are willing to submit and cooperate with Him.

Finally, our commitment to Jesus means more than just confession of faith. It involves a change of heart that affects our actions. When someone seeks understanding of their faith in the context of a living personal relationship with God, then their encounter with Him becomes the ultimate motivation to transform and become motivated disciples of the Lord. There is that deep understanding about the heart of Jesus which corresponds to His Heart as our own.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

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El dictado del corazón: Séptimo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A
Levítico 19:1-2, 17-18 Salmos 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13 1 Corintios 3:16-23 Mateo 5:38-48

Hoy estamos en el Séptimo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A. Si se han dado cuenta, estos últimos Domingos, el evangelio ha sido sobre las Bienaventuranzas y sus temas nos dan una base muy sólida para convertirnos en buenos cristianos. Es una enseñanza que viene del Señor mismo, para moldearnos aún más en una mejor persona. Jesús nos llama a buscar una mayor justicia y no conformarnos con el mundo que nos rodea.

Estamos influenciados por estar atentos a la propagación de aparatos modernos para perturbar nuestra mente y corazón, y nos alejan de lo que realmente necesitamos que es nuestro lado espiritual. Algunos vivimos preocupados por la tremenda carga de trabajo, consecuentemente afecta nuestra dedicación a Dios. El exceso de tiempo se convierte en una excusa común, simplemente vivir para tomar decisiones torpes. Todos menos motivados por la codicia o el miedo de descubrir quiénes somos. Olvidamos quién es Dios y nuestro conocimiento de cómo Dios está presente y activo en nuestra propia vida.

¿De qué nos están hablando las lecturas en este momento? La primera lectura tomada del libro de Levítico dice: “Sed santos, porque yo, el Señor, vuestro Dios, soy santo”. Así debemos vivir en comunión con Él, porque Dios es Santo. Estamos llamados a estar en una relación cercana con Dios, y a guardar y cumplir todos Sus mandamientos. Nuestras prácticas litúrgicas nos recuerdan que la forma en que adoramos es la forma en que vivimos en la vida ordinaria.

La segunda lectura de la primera carta de San Pablo a los Corintios dice: ¿No saben ustedes que son el templo de Dios y que el Espíritu de Dios habita en ustedes?” San Pablo exhorta a la comunidad cristiana de Corinto a vivir en santidad porque son individual y colectivamente el “templo de Dios” porque Dios Espíritu Santo habita dentro del alma santa de cada fiel creyente en Cristo Jesús. Además, Pablo luego da una enseñanza sobre la verdadera sabiduría, dice, “porque la sabiduría del mundo es locura a los ojos de Dios” porque les recuerda que cuando piensan que uno de nosotros es sabio según los estándares humanos, lo cual es solo una locura a Dios. Así, san Pablo los convence de desear la vida según el plan de Dios. Debemos mirar hacia el nivel sobrenatural en el que Jesús manifiesta su cuidado y amor para aliviarnos de todo mal para revelar su gloria divina.

El evangelio siempre nos enseña los caminos de Jesús según el evangelista Mateo: ama a tus enemigos y ora por los que te persiguen, para que seas hijo de Dios… Se perfecto, como tu Padre celestial es perfecto. Suyos son los puntos sobresalientes del evangelio.
Primero, ama a tus enemigos. Esta es la fracción del mandamiento de Dios que es importante para que Dios brille a través de nosotros. Reflejamos la bondad y el amor de Dios en la forma en que tratamos a nuestros semejantes.

Segundo, orar por los que te persiguen, para que seas hijo de Dios. Creo que cuando somos conscientes de nuestra dignidad de hijos de Dios, entonces es fácil hacer esto. Nuestras heridas seguirán acechándonos, así que es mejor orar por los que nos ofendieron y persiguieron, porque cuanto más oremos por ellos, nuestras heridas sanarán por completo.

Tercero, sean perfectos, así como su Padre celestial es perfecto. Es la voluntad de Jesús que vivamos nuestra vida de acuerdo con la forma en que fuimos formados originalmente, “somos formados a semejanza de Dios”. En los estándares humanos, llegar a ser perfecto es difícil, pero trascendemos nuestra comprensión al concepto de Dios que compartió Su don de la divinidad con nosotros. Es Su regalo que estemos orientados hacia la perfección.

Sí creo que el camino de perfección de Jesús es algo que podemos hacer. Debemos vivir nuestro “Verdadero Yo”. Muchos escritores espirituales nos llaman a vivir la esencia misma de lo que somos, profundamente arraigados en el don de Dios de la integridad y la santidad. Jesús nos enseña que podemos depositar nuestra confianza en Él, especialmente cuando se trata de conocer la voluntad de Dios para nuestras vidas. Debemos entender que Dios siempre está presente para dispensar Su gracia siempre que estemos dispuestos a someternos y cooperar con Él.

Finalmente, nuestro compromiso con Jesús significa más que una simple confesión de fe, sino que implica un cambio de corazón que afecta nuestras acciones. Cuando alguien busca la comprensión de su fe en el contexto de una relación personal viva con Dios, entonces su conocimiento se convierte en la máxima motivación para transformarse y convertirse en un discípulo motivado del Señor. Existe esa comprensión profunda sobre el corazón de Jesús que corresponde a Su Corazón como el nuestro.

Dios los bendiga.

Padre Arlón, osa

• 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
• Luke 18:31-43

We are now in the Quinquagesima Sunday, which is the last week before we enter the season of Lent. We cry out, “In Thee, O lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in Thy justice and save me. (In te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in aeternum: in Justitia tua libera me et eripe me.)

This epistle, from 1st Corinthians 13:1-13, has very famous biblical quotations written by St. Paul. This is a beautiful reminder for everyone as we prepare for Lent. St. Paul describes the very nature and effects of love or charity. He reminded the people of Corinth that their conduct had been a contrast to what they believed in. Their selfishness is total opposite from charity; it does desire its own praise, honor, or pleasure. Many times, we have the same tendency as those Christians in Corinth. We may think about serving the community and our family, doing works of charity toward others, when in fact there is an ulterior self serving motive on our part in order to preserve power, honor, and glory. In so many ways, we are guilty of this sin of selfishness. I do believe that a charitable person should neglect himself and all his interests and prefer the welfare of others to its private advantage. We do charity ultimately for Christ. We commit ourselves under the Divine principle. Let us make ourselves be pleasing dwellings of this Divine Love.

This coming season of Lent, are we willing to lay aside selfish objects and aims? We need to be watchful and diligent in our prayer life. There is room to examine our Faith in God, Hope to focus on our future with God in heaven, but most importantly we have Charity to perfectly love God and others. For God is love as He is according to 1 John 4:8-16, and we must strive to reach that height of God’s love.

Today’s gospel about the healing of the blind man points to the three important ways to process ourselves as we are about to enter the season of Lent:

First, let us try to pay attention to people around us and be curious. Curiosity is not about knowing private information. The gospel points out “that the blind man sat by that wayside begging,” probably as his daily routine. Then, Luke wrote, “He heard the multitude passing by, and he asked what this meant?” He inquired about what was happening which signifies his curiosity. He wants to know what is going on, and his being inquisitive changed his life.

This is what we need to do when we meet and see new people around us, especially first timers coming and worshiping with us. This is an encouraging attempt to be open and show our interest with our fellow believers. We don’t know whether they may need assistance in trying to follow the Traditional Latin Mass. If we are snobbish and unmindful, I believe that we truly miss the point of being God’s children.

Second, let us use our instinct to listen attentively to know what is right and advantageous. Listen also to the inner voice that comes from the heart. The gospel narrates to us that when the blind man was told that Jesus was passing by, he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” When we believe that God is present, then we must be persistent. When others are trying to silence us, please don’t be discouraged. Don’t lose the opportunity to pursue God’s blessings by being constant and relentless.

Third, let us try to be clear about what we truly need from God. Be specific, direct, and precise. This is the best way we need to pray. Not because God already knows what we need before we pray, but in this way, we recognize our own humility to depend on Him and to show that we believe in His power. When Jesus asked the blind man, “What wilt thou that I do to thee?” he answered, “Lord, that I may see.” Jesus did not assume what the blind man needed: thus, this particular story wants us to realize how we need to look inside ourselves with our prayerful request first and foremost to do His Will in all matters that concern us.

Fourth, let us remember that all the graces of healing and blessings we have received call us to acknowledge God and to give glory to Him. Psalm 116, says, “To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.” After the healing of the blind man, he immediately followed Jesus, glorifying Him. The blessings received by one person caused the community to glorify God also. This gospel says, “And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”

Brothers and Sisters, these inspiring readings today, I pray will help us to heal our spiritual blindness and may our profound eagerness compel us to act as Charitable Christians and humbly cry out to God in faith. We shall be healed.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

• Genesis 11:1-9
• Psalms 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
• Mark 8:34—9:1

I am happy to celebrate mass with the employees of the Diocesan Pastoral Center. It is a good practice to come together in prayer and offering mass which is the center of our Christian life. Our work is essential but in order to become more efficient, we always find time to worship God.

Reading this passage from the book of Genesis, I remember the conspiracy theory about the “New World Order.” It means a possibility and opportunity of having a controlled world community that is totalitarian. Those behind this theory want complete political control of people and government, one financial currency and banking system, and everybody has an Identity code for equality and unity. But here comes the Book of Genesis states, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we shall be scattered all over the earth.’” But God never allowed them because humanity thinks everything could be under their human control, this begins misunderstandings, and strife of every kind. Human beings lose their humility and depart from their reliance on God. Pride again strikes human beings’ quest for personal power and desire to be the “boss,” instead of being servants of God. This story is a humbling human experience to increase our awareness of the need for our total dependence on God in order to seek from the Lord guidance and direction in our life.

In the gospel taken from St. Mark, Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Ash Wednesday will be on February 22, 2023. It will be a season of Lent. Let us prepare to re-focus ourselves. Remembering our daily challenges, we face to carry our crosses each day. How do we manage to deal with those challenges in our life? Let us take some quiet time to reflect on the costs of discipleship:

First, if we really convinced that we must follow Jesus, we must learn how to deny ourselves. Dying to self is the continual denial of the flesh, denial of inordinate or selfish desires which become possible with the agreement to be fully a “new creation” convicted by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, when we deny ourselves, we put others first, especially, seeking God’s glory is the utmost priority.

Second, following Jesus, we need to take up the cross. The cross is the most important element of Christianity. Oftentimes, our understanding of the cross is about our struggles, pain, encountering opposition and suffering. However, those images of the cross are not according to our Christian understanding. For us Christians, the cross doesn’t cause us pain but to give us strength and give life for others because we totally rely on Jesus to be our strength. Indeed, the cross is a blessing and life. Our faith, prayers and complete surrender are what counts most in order to succeed.

Third, Jesus says, “follow me.” Everyone has given the opportunity to retrospect and think our honest response to the invitation of Jesus. It is a command but giving us free choice in order to follow Him. It is a call to a life-time commitment. But we need to understand that this calling is solely not for religious or ascetic practices, but Jesus’ statement clearly speaks that we must carry-out our mission for our family, work and community.

All we need today is the Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon,osa

• Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22
• Psalms 116:12-13, 14-15, 18-19
• Mark 8:22-26

Every time we hear the promises of God, we are always delighted because they are always in our favor. God says, “Never again will I doom the earth because of man since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start: nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” This promise is the revelation of God’s goodness toward us for which we must offer our praise and thanksgiving.

We heard Noah’s ordeal and had been through so many trials, but he committed patiently to obey His plan. After Noah’s journey on the Ark, and after knowing the earth dried up when the dove went back to him with an olive leaf, Noah built an altar to start the burnt offering to the Lord as a thanksgiving.

Most of us are like Noah, patiently waiting to free us from our troubles. Thus, it is in today’s responsorial psalm 116, that in gratitude, we say, “To you, Lord I will offer a sacrifice of praise.”

The gospel today is a story distinctive to the evangelist Mark. He narrates to us the healing of the blind man of Bethsaida. We know that there are so many miraculous physical and spiritual healings Jesus performed as recorded by the four evangelists. However, this pericope from Mark was told right before Jesus asked His disciples about who people think He is.

I believe that there are important teaching points we need to discover here:

First, this healing of the blind man of Bethsaida tells us that Jesus has not only the power and authority to heal physically, but it conveys a deeper healing of spiritual maladies.

Second, this story correctly identifies Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, which some of His apostles are spiritually blind to see what had been revealed to them while Jesus was performing several wonders right in front of them.

Third, this physical healing of giving back the sight of the man from Bethsaida is symbolic because we have eyes but fail to see. We remain clueless of Jesus’ teaching that recipients of all forms of healing, we must follow Him, to bear one’s own cross and to serve one another.

Finally, this story reveals that His disciples and us need to undergo healing of our spiritual blindness to accept Jesus being the true Messiah and to understand what it means to follow Him. Let us beg Jesus to touch our hearts and eyes to see afresh the reality of being genuine followers of the gospel.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

• Sirach 15:15-20
• Psalms 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
• 1 Corinthians 2:6-10
• Matthew 5:17-37 or Matthew 5:20-22A, 27-28, 33-34A, 37

Today is the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. On this Sunday, February 12, 2023, in the United States of America, people will be enjoying watching the 57th Super Bowl. Two teams will be showing mighty effort to win this year’s National American Football Game, the Philadelphia Eagles vs the Kansas City Chiefs. Everybody is excited to watch the clashing of two good teams. Those who don’t understand the game and people who do not like football will all be together with their families, enjoying house-parties, which is indeed part of the life here in America. Millions of people will be watching and also millions of dollars will be spent for TV advertising of the entertainment show during half time of the game. This is the popular social-sports event which I have learned in my 15 years here in the US. Some anticipate the fulfillment of their Sunday obligation but some even sacrifice their Sunday obligation because of this event. I wonder which team will win, but it brings surprises to all.

We are also like a team who prepares to win the heart of God. Every Sunday we are called to participate in the most important weekly event in our life, that is to bring both our best and worst to God, then we ultimately win many unexpected blessings from Him. Fulfilling our Sunday obligation is the best socio-religious event which gives meaning to our existence as children of God. Sports are just an added flavor of life to be healthy and to entertain us. However, we cannot give up our priority to worship, praise and express our thanksgiving to God.

Let us be nourished by the Word of God we heard today. Today’s first reading, taken from the Book of Sirach or Ecclesiasticus, presents to us God’s revealed wisdom through wise and practical sayings that are important in life. We are created to participate in God’s divine wisdom through the Spirit of our awareness that God wants to reveal His wonderful plan according to this book. It says that “He understands man’s every deed. No one does He command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin.” This is God’s Wisdom; therefore, we must use our understanding of our own faith according to His ways. We cannot insist to remain in a head-level wisdom because God’s wisdom is sublime law to guide people to prosperity, harmony, and peace. This reading reminds us that we have a choice in how we act, that we are not forced, but can choose to follow God’s will by our own dispositions of the heart and our fidelity to Him.

In the second reading taken from the first Letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that God’s revelation is “revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything even the depths of God.” How is it revealed to us? We must be attentive to the Spirit of discernment. It is a process which comes about usually through faithful and intensive prayer or talking to God as we mature in our spiritual life.

In today’s gospel, St. Matthew continues his discussion of Jesus’ sermon on the mount, chapter 5:17-37, as a set of core values or principles that we must fulfill and must do. Jesus is applying into the different existing laws a correct understanding rather than being too legalistic. It is proper that we acquire the spirit of Jesus to form both our mind and heart.

There are three things we need to know so that we can have proactive ways to keep God’s basic commandments: Jesus does not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but rather with a disposition to fulfill them. We heard these commandments:

First, God says, “You shall not kill.” Whoever kills is liable to judgment which our Lord expands in this way, that when we are angry with brethren, then we are liable to judgment when we are verbally and physically abusive. However, when we are just having emotional discontent or are a little upset without having internal malice to do something bad to others, then it is understandable because of our human emotion, just like Jesus was upset and angry with the people for showing no respect for the temple in Jerusalem. When we have experienced anger in the heart, which is the root of murder and deep seated anger towards others, that sin certainly manifests from the heart to do evil intent and to do harm.

Second, God says, “You shall not commit adultery.” Jesus expands our understanding to the fact that anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart, because lustful desires come from the heart, and it is from the heart that sin comes. But this too applies to women having lustful desires to covet men in their heart.

Third, God says “do not take a false oath.” Jesus expands on the fact that we do not promise or swear at all, if we can’t commit ourselves from the heart- for it is from the heart that sin comes.

The heart of the message of the scriptural readings is simply to grow in our spiritual life, to be pure of heart, to be trustworthy and live with integrity. Let us try to move forward to what God wants us to be. Let us be winners for Christ.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

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El Dictado del Corazón: Sexto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A

• Eclesiástico 15:15-20
• Salmos 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
• 1 Corintios 2:6-10
• Mateo 5:17-37 o Mateo 5:20-22A, 27-28, 33-34A, 37

Hoy es el Sexto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A. Este Domingo, 12(dose) de Febrero del 2023 (dos-mil, veintitrés), los Estados Unidos de América disfrutarán viendo el 57º(cincuenta y siete) Super Bowl. Dos equipos mostrarán una gran victoria para el Juego Nacional de Fútbol Americano de este año, los Philadelphia Eagles contra los Kansas City Chiefs. Todos están emocionados de ver el partido de dos buenos equipos, incluso aquellos que nunca entienden el juego y las personas a las que no les gusta el fútbol se quedarán juntas con sus familias, disfrutar de las fiestas en casa es parte de la vida aquí en Estados Unidos. Millones de personas miran y también se gastan millones de dólares en programas de entretenimiento de publicidad televisiva en el medio tiempo del juego. Este es el evento social-deportivo popular que he aprendido en mis 15 años aquí en los Estados Unidos. Algunos anticipan el cumplimiento de su obligación dominical y algunos incluso sacrifican su obligación dominical a causa de este evento. Me pregunto qué equipo ganará pero trae sorpresas para todos.

Somos también como un equipo que se prepara para conquistar el corazón de Dios. Todos los domingos somos llamados a participar en el evento semanal más importante de nuestra vida, que es traer lo mejor y lo peor a Dios, y finalmente ganamos muchas de las bendiciones inesperadas de Él. Cumplir con nuestra obligación dominical es el mejor acontecimiento sociorreligioso que da sentido a nuestra existencia como hijos de Dios. Los deportes son solo un añadido de sabor a la vida para estar sanos y para entretenernos. Sin embargo, no podemos renunciar a nuestra prioridad de adorar, alabar y expresar nuestro agradecimiento a Dios.

Dejémonos nutrir por la Palabra de Dios que escuchamos hoy. En la primera lectura de hoy tomada del Libro del Sirac o Eclesiástico, nos presenta la sabiduría revelada de Dios a través de dichos sabios y prácticos que son importantes en la vida. Somos creados para participar de la sabiduría divina de Dios a través del Espíritu de nuestra conciencia de que Dios quiere revelar Su plan maravilloso según este libro, dice que “Él entiende cada obra del hombre. A nadie manda Él obrar injustamente, a nadie da licencia para pecar.” Esta es la Sabiduría de Dios; por lo tanto, debemos usar nuestro entendimiento de nuestra propia fe de acuerdo a Sus caminos. No podemos insistir en permanecer en una sabiduría a nivel de la cabeza porque la sabiduría de Dios es una ley sublime para guiar a las personas hacia la prosperidad, la armonía y la paz. Esta lectura nos recuerda que tenemos una opción en cómo actuamos, que no estamos obligados, sino que podemos elegir seguir la voluntad de Dios por nuestras propias disposiciones del corazón y nuestra fidelidad a Él.

En la segunda lectura tomada de la primera Carta a los Corintios, San Pablo nos recuerda que la revelación de Dios “se nos revela por el Espíritu. Porque el Espíritu lo escudriña todo, incluso las profundidades de Dios.” ¿Cómo se nos revela? Debemos estar atentos al Espíritu de discernimiento. Es un proceso que se produce generalmente a través de la oración fiel e intensa o hablando con Dios a medida que maduramos en nuestra vida espiritual.

En el evangelio de hoy, San Mateo continúa su discusión sobre el sermón de la montaña de Jesús, capítulo 5:17-37 (cinco, del diecisiete al treinta y siete) como un conjunto de valores o principios centrales que debemos cumplir y debemos hacer. Jesús está aplicando las diferentes leyes existentes con una comprensión correcta en lugar de ser demasiado legalista. Es propio que adquiramos el espíritu de Jesús para formar tanto nuestra mente como nuestro corazón.

Hay tres cosas que necesitamos saber para que podamos tener formas proactivas de guardar los mandamientos básicos de Dios: Jesús no viene a abolir la ley y los profetas sino más bien una disposición para cumplirlos. Oímos estos mandamientos:

Primero, Dios dice: “No matarás”. Cualquiera que mate está sujeto a juicio que nuestro Señor expande de esta manera que cuando estamos enojados con los hermanos entonces, estamos sujetos a juicio cuando somos verbal y físicamente abusivos. Sin embargo, cuando solo tenemos descontento emocional o un pequeño malestar sin tener malicia interna para hacer algo malo a los demás, entonces es comprensible debido a nuestra emoción humana, como Jesús estaba molesto y enojado con la gente sin respeto por el templo en Jerusalén. . Cuando hemos experimentado la ira en el corazón que es la raíz del asesinato y la ira profundamente arraigada hacia los demás, ese pecado ciertamente se manifiesta desde el corazón para hacer malas intenciones y hacer daño.

Segundo, Dios dice: “No cometerás adulterio”. Jesús amplía nuestra comprensión al hecho de que cualquiera que mira a una mujer con lujuria ya cometió adulterio en su corazón, porque los deseos lujuriosos vienen del corazón y es del corazón de donde viene el pecado. Pero esto también se aplica a las mujeres que tienen deseos lujuriosos de codiciar a los hombres en su corazón.

Tercero, Dios dice “no hagas un juramento falso”. Jesús amplía el hecho de que no prometemos ni juramos en absoluto, si no podemos comprometernos de corazón, y es del corazón de donde viene el pecado.

El corazón del mensaje de las lecturas bíblicas es simplemente crecer en nuestra vida espiritual, ser puros de corazón, ser dignos de confianza y vivir con integridad. Tratemos de avanzar hacia lo que Dios quiere que seamos. Seamos vencedores para Cristo.

Dios los bendiga.

Padre Arlón, osa

• 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9
• Luke 8:4-15

We are in the 2nd Sunday before the first Sunday of Lent. This is the pre-Lent Sunday where we are going thru preparations to commence the season of Lent. Though our vestment is already violet color, we presume that we are starting to look into the process of arising from our sleep. Seek God to aid and deliver us. “Exsurge, Domine, adjuva nos et libera nos.” (Arise, O Lord, help us and deliver us.)

The epistle today, taken from St. Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, expresses Paul’s happiness that his advice has been well received and listened to by the church of Corinth. He knew so well that he suffered due to criticisms about his personality and his legitimacy to preach the gospel. Instead of being discouraged, he pursued his dedication to share comforting words which Christians have quoted often to overcome their struggles. He never has given up to show much love and care for all believers and to remind them that the Church of Corinth will make good in their promise to do something to alleviate the sufferings of believers in Jerusalem. Though Paul suffered much for Christ, he never loses his direction to walk with Christ all the way of his life.

This is how we continue to survive our difficulties to succeed in our journey in this season of preparation. We have so many things that bother us, probably, our disbelief to make things right. What is important is our total surrender and abandonment of self to the Lord.

The gospel today takes us to a closer look about ourselves. How intense is our sensitivity to fully hear and understand God’s words? God is the “Sower.” The “Seeds” are His words. The “types of soil” are our attitudes to accept the seeds being sown into our hearts. Let us examine ourselves when hearing the words, “embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit.” There are four types of hearers of the word of God.

First, there are people who heard God’s word and yet are so closed-minded that they do not mind nor care of things about God.

Second, there are shallow hearers as well. These are people who lack spiritual depth. They initially respond with emotional enthusiasm and joy, but when it wears off, when difficulty arises, their mind wanders to something else.

Third, there are people who listen to and reflect on the word of God carefully but are too busy with other chores, like building their business empire, living lavishly in the materialistic world, then sure enough forgetting their commitments to love and serve God more.

Fourth, there are hearers who are ready to receive the word of God faithfully so it can take root and grow, and bear much fruit. These are people who are receptive to hear and act what God wants through His words, having fertile soil to produce the best harvest.

I exhort you, my dear brothers and sisters, to understand the spiritual truths behind this parable. God is expecting us to look into how much fruit we produce after hearing His spoken and written words.

Gaining God’s offering of salvation depends on how we become productive and “fruit-bearing, and not just remaining passive listeners or readers of God’s words. The devil takes away the word; so as not to be victimized, we must believe, act and be saved.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

• Genesis 2:18-25
• Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
• Mark 7:24-30

Today we have beautiful scripture passages from the Book of Genesis and from the evangelist Mark. Reflecting on the Book of Genesis reminds us about the origin of everything in the world. The book begins, “In the Beginning when God created heaven and heart.” It is a story of God’s creation. In this chapter, the second version of man’s creation was presented, “out of the clay of the ground, blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so became a living being.” God provided them beautiful plants, food, and animals to live in prosperity, joy and peace and human dignity until they disobeyed God.

In today’s gospel, there is a new teaching coming from Jesus. He wanted to be incognito in the district of Tyre. Jesus entered the house when a woman came and fell at his feet pleading to drive the evil spirit out of her daughter. The Gentile woman fell at Jesus’ feet begging for help, with humility likening to a dog seeking the scraps from the master’s table. Jesus says, “For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dog.” This is not an insult but a test of faith. While the evil spirit continues to inflict pain and suffering to her daughter, but this woman says, “Please, Sir. I hear that you have tremendous powers from God to heal people. Please heal my daughter.” Jesus commanded the woman to go. There she was obedient and went home only to find that her daughter was healed.

Jesus is deeply moved by the woman’s amazing faith. His heart is pounding with joy because He knows the great relief and freedom for the woman and her daughter would come to unfold. This is what we call the “personal encounter with Jesus.” Jesus knows so well that the encounter between Him and the woman with much faith will be remembered by his disciples who would also bring the Good News to others. Here Jesus is teaching us to be obedient and to be humbled. We should not avoid the sin of the sin of pride.

As we cooperate with God in the on-going work of creation, we must accept humility to further God’s vision for our own good. God is indeed greater than anyone of us here. I believe there are three important messages– perhaps lessons Jesus intended to teach:
1. Pursuing demands on behalf of the weak and afflicted requires risk-taking. We must be ready to face the consequence of humiliation. If ever we have to speak on behalf of those who are weak, let us face the consequence of helping them…
2. Doing good demands constancy, be persistent like the woman in the story.
3. Like Jesus, we must be open to and be willing to offer any kind of help. Those who are teachers, principals, and all authority figures must be open to requests from the weak and the despised. Let us expand our horizon to help others.

The Gentile woman in today’s gospel reading fight for healing for her daughter who is weak because the evil spirit tormented her. It’s an extremely important lesson for all of us. We must persist when we fight for justice because Jesus’ ultimate response to the woman gives us hope that we will surely win with Jesus.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

• Isaiah 58:7-10
• Psalms 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
• 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
• Matthew 5:13-16

Today is the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. These readings, both from the Old Testament and New Testament, respectively, emphasize the importance of God being the main source of light, a light that shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it, which is presented to us by the evangelist John 1:4-5.

When we come inside the church, we are oblivious at times of that tiny light near the tabernacle. It reminds us that tiny sparkle of light signifies the presence of God which gives us hope. We believe that God defeated darkness in the world. We are wanting to possess that light, to follow Him and discern that God shines.

In today’s first reading, Isaiah echoes this message of being attentive to the needs of the world. “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked when you see them and do not turn your back on your own.” Many are worried when their next meal will be and how can they survive. It has more to do with what we can do for the good of others and not about how we can excuse ourselves from practicing this. When we do charitable works, then the world is seemingly lighted and brightness happens. I believe that neglect of sharing something with our needy neighbors is a deliberate way of committing a sin, which is the cause of darkness. When we have nothing to give, a prayer is being heard by God and He will respond, “Here, I am.” There is, indeed, a divine payment that “the gloom shall become for you like midday.” With God it is easy for us to respond to what is necessary and needed to accomplish.

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with demonstration of Spirit and power.” I feel that St. Paul is showing his confidence to his people in Corinth. Hence, he preached to them with the words coming from the Spirit of Christ which he cannot boast. He lived his absolute faith and truth in Jesus Christ, yet he cannot do this alone; he relies on the power of God.

Again in today’s gospel, it calls us to live out our baptism, our participation in the life of Christ as part of His body. We are called to keep our baptismal promises and not to draw attention to ourselves, but to point others towards Christ for we are the salt of the earth; we are the light of the world. This statement from Jesus is both a responsibility and an accountability. Our light must shine before others, so that they may see our good deeds and also to glorify our heavenly Father. Ultimately, the one who is giving us the courage to do good things is God.

From the gospel, we heard the instructions of how to act as a disciple of Jesus. At all times, our good works are not to be hidden, but they are to be revelations of the Light of Christ. God becomes visible through our good works and can be seen as sparks of the light within us. Our being faithful to the Lord gives the right flavor and light to make God shine through us.

So, what does all of this mean to me?

First, we know that Jesus is not simply talking about a real lamp. Simply put, God is light, and the lamp represents Him. In turn, Jesus is the light, and we represent Him. As His followers, we reflect His light. We are meant to be so focused on Him that the light shines forth from us. It is not hidden under a basket or a bed. It is placed on a stand so that everyone may see the light. It is important to note that just as the moon reflects the sun, we reflect the light of God. We are not a light ourselves. Our lamp is fueled by our close contact with the light of the world. This is why Jesus mentions men seeing your good works and glorifying God. We are constantly pointing the way to God.

Second, what is being the Salt of the earth today? On the spiritual meaning of salt, let us know this concept. Salt has been used to preserve meat for thousands of years. It prevents it from spoiling. As followers of Christ, we are a kind of preservative. As we spread the gospel of Jesus and share His words with others, we preserve truth. Jesus is telling us several things; we preserve the truth by being obedient to Him. We are meant to share God’s truth with the world. It is an ongoing process as we draw closer to God. I believe Jesus is referring to those who are not willing to be closer to the Lord and finally remove the sin in their lives, warning that they will be cast into hell. When asked what happens when the salt loses its effectiveness, I know this sounds harsh but so are those who refuse to follow the Lord; their efforts are worthless. Thus, as we lean into Jesus and grow closer to Him, we can pass that truth and preserve the path to heaven for those who come after us.

Being the salt and the light of the world begins in your heart. Ask God to show you where you can be a light. Are you obeying and sharing Christ’s words? Are you both walking in the truth and reflecting it? Have you denied your obeying Christ’s command to be the salt and light of the world?

Let us be God’s light shining through our deeds of salt and light. Maybe it will be such a joyful way of revealing God’s goodness to us that our times of gloom might be less.

Together we can light up the world with God’s light and love!

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

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El Dictado del Corazón: Quinto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año, A.

• Isaías 58:7-10
• Salmos 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
• 1 Corintios 2:1-5
• Mateo 5:13-16

Hoy es el Quinto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, Año A. Estas lecturas tanto del Antiguo Testamento como del Nuevo Testamento, respectivamente, enfatizan la importancia de Dios, siendo la principal fuente de Luz, una luz que brilla en las tinieblas y las tinieblas no han llegado a vencerla, que nos presenta el evangelista Juan 1:4-5.

Cuando entramos a la iglesia, a veces no nos damos cuenta de esa pequeña luz cerca del tabernáculo. Nos recuerda que ese pequeño destello de luz significa la presencia de Dios que nos da esperanza. Creemos que Dios derrotó la oscuridad en el mundo. Estamos queriendo poseer esa luz, seguirlo y discernir que Dios brilla.

La primera lectura del profeta Isaías, se hace eco de este mensaje de estar atentos a las necesidades del mundo. “Comparte tu pan con el hambriento, acoge a los oprimidos y a los desamparados, viste a los desnudos, cuando los veas y no des la espalda a tu propio hermano”. Muchos están preocupados cuando habrá próxima comida, ¿cómo pueden sobrevivir? Tiene más que ver con lo que podemos hacer por el bien de los demás y no con cómo podemos excusarnos de practicarlos. Entonces, cuando hacemos obras de caridad, el mundo aparentemente se ilumina y aparece la luz. Creo que el descuido de compartir algo con nuestro prójimo necesitado es una forma deliberada de cometer un pecado que es la causa de la oscuridad. Cuando no tenemos nada para dar, Dios está escuchando una oración y Él responderá: “Aquí estoy”. Hay, de hecho, un pago divino, “las tinieblas serán para nosotros como el mediodía”. Con Dios se nos hace fácil responder a lo que es necesario y necesario de realizar.

San Pablo escribió a los corintios: “Vine a ustedes con debilidad, temor y mucho temblor, y mi mensaje y mi proclamación no fueron con palabras persuasivas de sabiduría, sino con demostración de Espíritu y poder”. Siento que San Pablo está mostrando su confianza en su pueblo en Corinto. Por lo tanto, les predicó con las palabras que provienen del Espíritu de Cristo. Vivió su fe y verdad absolutas en Jesucristo, pero no puede hacerlo solo, sino que confía en el poder de Dios.

Nuevamente en el evangelio de hoy, nos llama a vivir nuestro bautismo, nuestra participación en la vida de Cristo como parte de Su cuerpo. Estamos llamados a cumplir nuestras promesas bautismales y no a llamar la atención sobre nosotros mismos, sino a señalar a otros hacia Cristo porque somos la sal de la tierra; Somos la luz del mundo. Esta declaración de Jesús es tanto una responsabilidad como una rendición de cuentas. Nuestra luz que viene de Cristo debe brillar a través de nosotros ante los demás, con nuestras obras y acciones, y así glorifiquemos juntos a nuestro Padre celestial. Porque a El se debe toda Gloria.

Del evangelio escuchamos las instrucciones de cómo actuar como discípulo de Jesús. En todo momento, nuestras buenas obras no deben ocultarse, sino que deben ser revelaciones de la Luz de Cristo. Dios se hace visible a través de nuestras buenas obras y pueden verse como chispas de luz dentro de nosotros. Nuestra fidelidad al Señor da el sabor y la luz adecuados para que Dios brille a través de nosotros.

Entonces, ¿qué significa todo esto para mí?

Primero, sabemos que Jesús no está hablando simplemente de una lámpara real. En pocas palabras, Dios es luz y la lámpara lo representa. A su vez, Jesús es la luz, y nosotros lo representamos. Como sus seguidores, reflejamos su luz. Estamos destinados a estar tan enfocados en él que la luz brille en nosotros. No está escondido debajo de una canasta o una cama. Se coloca sobre un soporte para que todos puedan ver la luz. Es importante notar que así como la luna refleja al sol, nosotros reflejamos la luz de Dios. Nosotros mismos no somos una luz. Nuestra lámpara se alimenta de nuestro estrecho contacto con la luz del mundo. Por eso Jesús menciona a los hombres viendo vuestras buenas obras y glorificando a Dios. Estamos constantemente señalando el camino hacia Dios.

Segundo, ¿qué es ser la Sal de la tierra hoy? Sobre el significado espiritual de la sal, conozcamos este concepto. La sal se ha utilizado para conservar la carne durante miles de años. Evita que se estropee. Como seguidores de Cristo, somos una especie de preservación. A medida que difundimos el evangelio de Jesús y compartimos sus palabras con los demás, preservamos la verdad. Jesús nos está diciendo varias cosas; preservamos la verdad siendo obedientes a Él. Estamos destinados a compartir la verdad de Dios con el mundo. Es un proceso continuo a medida que nos acercamos a Dios. Creo que Jesús se está refiriendo a aquellos que no están dispuestos a estar más cerca del Señor y finalmente quitar el pecado de sus vidas, advirtiendo que serán arrojados al infierno. Cuando pregunta qué sucede cuando la sal pierde su eficacia. Sé que esto suena duro, pero también lo son aquellos que se niegan a seguir al Señor, sus esfuerzos son inútiles. Por lo tanto, a medida que nos apoyamos en Jesús y nos acercamos más a él, podemos pasar esa verdad y preservar el camino al cielo para aquellos que vienen después de nosotros.

Siendo la sal y la luz del mundo, comienza en tu corazón. Pregunta a Dios para que te guíe a dónde puedes ser una luz. ¿Estás obedeciendo y compartiendo las palabras de Cristo? ¿Estás caminando en la verdad y reflejándola? ¿Has negado tu obediencia al mandato de Cristo de ser la sal y la luz del mundo?

Seamos luz de Dios brillando a través de nuestras obras de sal y luz. Tal vez sea una forma tan alegre de revelar la bondad de Dios que nuestros tiempos de tristeza sean menores. ¡Juntos podemos iluminar el mundo con la luz y el amor de Dios!

Dios los bendiga.

Padre Arlón, osa

• 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 10:1-5
• Matthew 20:1-16

The word Septuagesima is Latin for “seventieth.” We really don’t know why 70 days, but we know that it is 63 days before the celebration of Easter. However, it signifies that today is the 3rd Sunday before the start of Lent which falls on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023. This is traditionally marked as the beginning of preparations for Lent. This coming Sunday will be the 2nd Sunday before Lent, which we call Sexagesima (60th) Feb. 12th, and the last Sunday, Quinquagesima (50th) Feb 19th, which is 49 days before Easter, or 50 if you include Easter. We use the traditional Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar in the traditional Latin Mass. After these three consecutive Sundays, we begin the First Sunday of Lent.

Our spirituality is not about being confined in our belief that legitimate mass is Latin, or that the celebration of the sacraments must be in Latin, or that the priest celebrating the mass is not a genuine priest. Let us deeply reflect what God speaks to us today.

The scriptures speak to us from the epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, “Brethren, know you not that they run in the race, all run indeed, but one received the prize? So run that you may obtain. Everyone who strives the mastery refrains himself from all things, that they may receive a corruptible crown.” We must receive the crown which is an incorruptible one. The gospel exhorts us not to be self-righteous with the last or to consider ourselves to be best; hence, we would be the first, or where it seems, we are always trying to make sure that someone didn’t get more than we did. We are obsessed with first and being ahead of others. I think we should strive to do good and to be loving. This is to challenge ourselves to live-out the gospel. Too often, however, we look at others and compare ourselves with a slightly whiny tiny voice, saying wow, she or he got more than me, and thinking, that’s not fair at some perceived slight if a co-worker appeared to get a better deal than me.

As I have mentioned, today is the pre-lent Sunday. Instead of looking outward at what others have, we need to look inward. We need to focus on our spirituality where we need to pay attention to how we are living our life, whether we are reflecting God’s love and charity, or whether we are encountering God through our community. Being envious of others is a waste of time and energy. As an alternative, we need to turn that destructive energy around and think what we are doing positively to others and what we can do to change for the better. If we want to start this preparation for Lent to be meaningful, we need to stop being condescending, take a deep breath and be thankful to God for all His blessings. Remember that God’s love is with us wherever we are; whether we are last or we are first, we believe that God is generous and forgiving.

The gospel today makes us aware that God’s way is in conflict with our human standard. The notion of “fairness” is simply the center and the focal idea conveyed in the story of the landowner and the vineyard laborers. With our limited mind to understand God’s logic, we always question that the story seems unfair for the same wage to be paid to workers who worked only an hour compared to those that worked all day. A significant message of this parable is that we are all equal recipients of God’s gifts.

We always succumb to this reality that we often manifest a weakness in our personal faith journey and that we are often jealous when God’s gifts of forgiveness and life are given to others in equal measure.

Jesus’ parable focuses on the goodness and generosity of God. God is the ultimate “landowner,” God eternally exercises His power as Creator for our own good even if we fail to understand His own depth, His own Divine wisdom, and why, because we are continuously absorbed by the earthly criteria and even attitudes.

If God gives grace to others or relief from pain and challenge, it is kindness to them, so give praise to God for them rather than feeling injustice or being envious. I believe that what we receive as blessings and gifts always reminds us that we must continue to live as faithful stewards to serve His kingdom.

Let us live in “fairness and impartiality.”

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa