The First Temptation - Bread: First Sunday of Lent (C)

The Judean Desert: "A great and terrible wilderness,
an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions" (Deut 8:15)
photo grab: bibleplaces.com

Here's my commentary on Luke 4:1-13, the Gospel Reading for the First Sunday of Lent Year C:

The Text (NAB)

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
"If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread."
Jesus answered him,
"It is written, One does not live on bread alone."
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
"I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve."
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
"If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.

Commentary

Tests and temptations are common in the Bible. The primordial test in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:-1-7) is a serious warning that human beings must not be too confident of themselves. They can fail a test as the first pages of the Bible inform us.

Great people underwent tests and overcame them: Abraham (Gen 22), Hagar (Gen 21:9-21), Moses (Exod 34:28; Deut 9:9), Elijah (1 Kgs 19:4-8) and Job (chaps. 1-2). No wonder a late book of the Old Testament (around 300 years before Jesus’ time), the Book of Sirach, shares his piece of wisdom when he compares a tested righteous person with a “gold tested by fire” (2:5). More than 400 years later, a leader of the Christian community encourages the followers of Jesus to "rejoice" in the midst of various trials "so that the genuineness of your faith-- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:7). The Hebrew word for "test" nissah means literally to "lift up" The noun nes means "flag". The rabbis then explain that the purpose of testing is to "lift up" the righteous like a flag, quoting Psalm 60:6 "You have given a flag (nes) to those who fear you, that it may be displayed because of truth".

Israel’s forty years of struggle in the wilderness (Deut 8:2-6) appears to be the background of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness. Notice that Jesus quoted three times the Book of Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:13; 6:16). There are two significant differences in these two episodes. While Israel failed the tests a number of times, Jesus prevailed over them. It was God who tested Israel, while it was Satan who tempted Jesus. Perhaps, a better background to this would the series of tests that the "adversary" (satan in Hebrew) conducted on Job (in the first two chapters of the book). Nonetheless, the New Testament uses the wilderness trials of Israel not only to depict the temptation of Jesus but also the trials of the Church (1 Cor 10:1-10). It is no wonder that the Church reflects on this common human lot every first Sunday of Lent when we read a Gospel account of Jesus in the wilderness.

The typical place of tests is the wilderness. More than half of the Land of Israel is desert. The desert is unforgiving. Rain is rare but when it rains it is in a sudden storm causing dangerous flashfloods. The Book of Deuteronomy describes the desert as a "great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions" (8:15). Scholars, however, wonder which desert he was tested in. There is no desert in Galilee (northern region of Israel) and thus locate it in the Judean desert in the south.

The three synoptic Gospels attest to this tradition of temptation albeit with reasonable differences—Mark is the shortest (1:12-13); Matthew has three separate temptation moving from the desert to the pinnacle of the Temple to a high mountain (4:1-11); Luke reverses the last two temptations so that the climax occurs at the Temple, where his Gospel begins and ends (4:1-13). A text in the Letter to the Hebrews also mentions that Jesus "in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin" (4:15).

John does not have a temptation in the wilderness narrative but he recounts a number of tests that Jesus had to face in his public ministry (6:26, 30-31; 7:3; 12:20, 27). The most obvious is the temptation to make more bread (6:30-31).

Why bread? There is an expression "staff of bread" (Lev 26:26; Ezek 5:16; 14:13) which implies that bread enables one to “walk”. It means that as bread is essential for one's physical sustenance, it is also needed to conduct and direct oneself properly and wisely. Mens sana in corpore sano ("a healthy mind in a healthy body"), as the old Latin adage says. The devil does not only tempt Jesus to satisfy his physical hunger, but also to seduce him to reorient (or better, disorient) his life according to the devil’s way. No wonder Jesus' retort is also metaphor: "One does not live by bread alone" (cf. Deut 8:3).

Bread in the wilderness is a contradiction of term. Expect no bread in the wilderness (see Luke 9:12). There is bread when there is enough rain to cause the wheat or barley to produce grain. The devil is tempting Jesus to transform the desert into a fertile land or at least to an oasis. What is wrong with this? In fact, the devil is proposing a practical solution to the economic problem of Israel--lack of food because of lack of rain, long before the invention of the trickling irrigation system as used today in the Judean desert. In this way, the mission of Jesus to “bring glad news to the poor” will get moving (Lk 4:18).

Every spring, the wilderness blossoms in the Judean desert-
but for a short time (see Isa 40:8)
photo grab: bibleplaces.com

In ancient Canaanite religion (the religion of the neighbors of Israel), the one who causes the rain is the god Baal as he is called the "god of thunder". The temptation apparently is not only about an instant satisfaction of hunger after many days of fasting, but it is about turning to Baal rather than to YHWH, or even perhaps attempt to make Jesus Baal ("baalization" of Jesus). This temptation is reflected later on when the devil is called, Beelzebul (literally "Lord Baal" in Lk 11:15) and when Jesus is accused to be the incarnation of Beelzebul (Lk 11:18-19). Thus , the second and the last temptations carry the theme of worshipping the true God who is YHWH.

Baal, right arm raised.

Bronze figurine, 14th-12th centuries,

found in Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit)

photo grab: wikipedia

"When you give alms": Almsgiving in the Bible (An Ash Wednesday Reflection)

Tobit burying the dead
Andrea di Lione (Italian, Neapolitan, 1610–1685)
(photo grab: metmuseum.org)

Here's an article on the biblical understanding of almsgiving. The text was first written on Ash Wednesday of 2003.

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Every Ash Wednesday, through the Gospel reading from Matthew (6:1-6.16-18) the church exhorts us to observe the three traditional Jewish acts of piety namely, almsgiving (vv. 2-4), prayer (vv. 5-15), and fasting (vv.16-18). In Greek, the word,"piety" is dikaiosýnē, its Hebrew translation, sedaqa, means, "justice".

In other words, these traditional acts of piety are also acts of justice. As faithful Jews, Jesus and his disciples could have observed them especially on Yom Kippur ("the Day of Atonement"), an annual Jewish festival celebrated on the 10th day of the 7^th month (Lev 16:29; 23:27). It would be interesting to know what the Bible says of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, so as to guide today’s Christians who, with sincerity to follow the Gospel’s exhortations, would want to observe these three acts of piety especially on Ash Wednesday, the Christian version of Yom Kippur.

In this post, let me deal wth the first, almsgiving.

Almsgiving as charity to the poor is a common practice in the Bible. Every three years, tithes are reserved to the poor (Deut 14:28-29) and at every harvest, some portions are allotted to them (Deut 24:19-22). It is, however, in later books of the Bible (Greek period) that almsgiving becomes one of the principal works of charity (Prov 3:27ff.; Sir 7:10; Dan 4:24). A book in this period, the book of Tobit which has a number of passages on almsgiving so that it can be called “the book of charity” (e.g. Tob 1:3.16; 4:7-8), states that even burying the dead is considered an act of charity (Tob 1:16). Almsgiving became an increasingly valued practice in Hellenistic and rabbinic Judaism. Likewise, the early Christian community gives special importance to almsgiving. The gentile commander of the army, Cornelius (Acts 10:2ff.), and a woman, named Tabitha (Acts 9:36), are known in the community for their acts of charity. Paul speaks of fulfilling the duty of almsgiving in Jerusalem(1 Cor 16:1-3 and Acts 24:17).

Iconography of Tabitah (or Dorcas), a woman
devoted to "good works and acts of charity"
here being raised back to life by Peter
(see Acts 9:36-42)
(photo grab: comeandseeicons.com)

The social background of the practice of almsgiving is the increasing number of poor people and the widening gap between the rich and the poor during the Greek period. The obligation incumbent upon the rich to give alms to the poor arises in the context of a culture that considers all goods as limited in supply and already distributed. Anyone with a personal surplus will normally feel shame and/or considered greedy (Lk 12:15) or rapacious if that surplus is not shared with less fortunate "neighbors" (Lk 11:41). Another reason to give alms is to remind the Jews of their humble and poor beginning, " slaves in Egypt", and care for the poor is a concrete gesture of gratitude to God who liberated Israel out of Egyptian bondage (Deut 5:12-15). This two-fold basis of almsgiving can be perceived in the Filipino values of paglingon sa pinanggalingan and pagtanaw ng utang na loob.

The technical word for almsgiving in Greek is poieîn éleēmosýnēn (hence the word, "limos") and it means literally "to do an act of mercy". By doing an act of mercy or almsgiving, the human being performs a divine act inasmuch as one of the attributes of God in the bible is mercy (Exod 34:6; Eph 2:4). It is no wonder then that Jesus exhorts his disciples to practice almsgiving. However, he warns them that almsgiving must not be an act done to draw the attention and admiration of others which is tantamount to a fake and insincere care for the poor.

The warning of Jesus against "blowing a trumpet" provides such scene (Mt 6:2) which is a simple metaphor for broadcasting to the public one's donations. The Jews did not have trumpets announce donation, contrary contrary to what we usually hear in the church from popular preaching. Jesus calls those who act in this way as "hypocrites". The word, hypokritaí originally denotes the Greek stage actors who performed behind their masks. In other words, these people have hidden motives. In the end, they are not giving, but buying. They buy people’s respect and admiration. The Filipino term for this is "pakitang-tao"—one who renders help to others but whose motive is not really to help the person in need but to be praised by others (and gain more votes in the next elections). Social scientists label this religious syndrome as "split-level Christianity".

A shofar made from the horn of a kudu,
in the Yemenite Jewish style
(photo and citation grab: wikipedia)

In contrast, the disciples must give alms in complete secrecy, which is expressed by the hyperbole of the ignorant left hand (v.3). The left hand is probably a metaphor for one’s best friend, as in a contemporary Arabic proverb, implying that even one’s closest friend must not know when one gives alms. The reason is that genuine deeds of justice are done "in secret" where only God, "who sees in secret," which is to say that only God knows the heart (Fil. loob). The twelfth-century Jewish philosopher Maimonides advocated secret almsgiving as the second-highest of his eight levels of "tzedakah."

The good deeds of Christians will of course be seen by others. According to Mt 5:16, the followers of Jesus should let their light shine "before others so that they may see your good works." Although this may seem to be a contradiction, the passage goes on to say: "that they might glorify your Father who is in heaven," which is in bold contrast to the desire of the hypocrites that "they might be glorified by others" (6:2). The basis then for eschatological reward is good deeds done ad maiorem Dei gloriam ("for the greater glory of God").

References:

R. Bultmann, " e'leoj e,lee,w e,leh,mwn e,kehmosu,nh a,ne,leoj a,neleh,mwn " in TDNT II, 477-487.

D. Hagner, Matthew 1-13 (WBC 33A; Dallas, Texas: Word Books, 1993).

J.Pilch – B. Malina (eds.), Handbook of Biblical Social Values (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998).

J.L. McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible (NY: Macmillan, 1965).

J. P. Meier, Matthew (New Testament Message 3; Wilmington, Delaware: Michael Glazier, 1980).

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time C: "Love Your Enemies"

photo grab: allposters.com

Here's a reflection on the Gospel reading this coming Sunday (Feb 18, 2007). An edited text is also found in the SVD Bible Diary 2007 (all copies sold, I heard).

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As the campaign period has begun (at least for senators), we hear again the oft-repeated saying in politics: "No permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permament interests." But enemies there are, and very often politics of greed and envy begets violence.

"You have enemies? Good", says Winston Churchill."That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." All of us have enemies. As the great Tagalog Filipino poet writes: Sa paligid ay maraming/ Mga kaaway na lihim ("The surrounding is full/ of secret enemies").

Even Jesus has enemies (Lk 19:27; Phil 3:18). Jesus does not then command his disciples not to have enemies but what to do when they have enemies. That is, "Love your enemies". In this Gospel reading, he gives three applications of the principle of love for enemies (vv. 29-30):

1) Turn the Other Cheek. Striking a person on the cheek is a form of insult as it is today. An insult is "sampal sa mukha" (a slap on the face). To shame him, the soldiers slap the face of Jesus (John 18:22). Turning the other cheek then is a dramatic and physical sign of non-retaliation that breaks the cycle of violence.

photo grab: abrenian.com

At the funeral of the murdered Abra congressman, Chito Bersamin: Fr. Nilo Peig, outgoing diocesan administrator, is seen here presiding in the funeral mass. Abra is submerged in politically motivated violence earning the title, "the murder capital of the North". For an interesting and striking article on the violence in Abra, please click on this. May Jesus' command of loving one's enemies dawn in this first mission area of the SVD Philippines.

2) Do Not Withold Your Shirt. At that time, people usually wear two pieces of clothing, an undergarment and an outer garment. The outer garment is multi-purpose: to indicate one’s social status, to cover the head, to use as a blanket at night, to carry kneading bowls, and to serve as a pledge or collateral for one’s debts (Exod 22: 25-24). In this Gospel reading, loving one’s enemies is readiness to pay one’s debts by not withholding one’s outer garment. That’s a practical wisdom especially to those who have bunch of enemies because they don’t pay their debts!

3) Give to the One Who Asks of You. Those who ask are the poor, the beggars in particular. Loving enemies means then loving the beggars. During that that time (even today), beggars are considered practically as "enemies" because they are outside the circles of community and friendship.

This recalls an old story about St. Lawrence the Deacon. He was the treasurer of the Church of Rome in the 3^rd century A.D. The Roman authorities, thinking that the Church was wealthy, commanded Lawrence to bring to them the Church’s treasures. After three days Lawrence returned. "Where is the treasure?" the Romans demanded. Lawrence led them to the entrance of the hall and threw open the great doors leading to the courtyard. Outside was assembled a great crowd of poor, beggars, blind, and crippled humanity. "Behold, the treasure of the Church," said Lawrence.

Renovated chapel of SVD Retreat House blessed

A day before the so-called Valentine's day, Fred Saniel, SVD, rector of Divine Word Seminary blessed the just renovated chapel of the SVD retreat house. It is now more spacious. SVD fathers Eli "Cute" Yance and Ed Fugoso are the present administrators of this wonderful place of prayer and meditation. They accept group as well as private retreats. Contact number is 046-4130-340, ask for Tess.

Why you should take a retreat at the SVD Retreat House, please click on this post.

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time C: "Like a Tree"

Arucaria trees guard the Arnoldus Library

Here's a reflection on the Old Testament reading of this coming Sunday's liturgy, from Jeremiah 17:5-8).

The Text:

Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
but stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.

Commentary:

Milenyo, that awful typhoon that ravaged Metro Manila and Southern Luzon last year, proved its name right, "thousand". Milenyo had felled thousands of trees. In the seminary, a number of fruit bearing trees like the Lanzones, Rambutan, Pili, failed to withstand storm signal no. 4. But among the trees that were standing tall and unbowed by Milenyo were the Arucarias (Araucaria columnaris) , a surprise, since these trees look lean and too tall not to snap at the whisk of a storm.

Among the many retreat houses, religious institutions, hotels, and restaurants in the city, what makes Divine Word Seminary unique is the thousand amazing columnar Arucaria trees guarding and towering over the compound. Nowhere can you find in Tagaytay such imposing trees except in this seminary. Beholding these trees alone, their unstoppable height, their strength, their evergreen pines forming a pyramid pointing towards heaven, one cannot but raise one’s mind and heart to their Creator. I wonder why not so many retreatants of the seminary come back to witness this miracle.

Arucaria crowd waiting for a tennis game

In the Old Testament, trees are more than what they are. The narrative of two trees, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden tells us how significant trees can be to the relationship of the human and the Divine (Genesis 2-3).

Some are sacred trees. For instance, whenever the oak tree is mentioned, it is always in connection with holy places and cultic activities. If you would like to be near to God, live among the trees. So Abraham pitched his tent by the oaks of Mamre (Hebron) and even built an altar of the Lord under those holy trees (Gen 13:18).

There is an interesting verse in the book of the prophet Hosea where God likens himself with an "evergreen cypress tree" (Hos 14:8). With this image of God as a tree, what would those who attack the Catholics for venerating wooden images have to say?

Trees symbolize also the life of a country. When trees bear fruit, the country is under Yahweh's blessing; if the fruit harvest fails, it represents a curse. It is no irony then that even if more than half of the land of Israel is desert, it is a "land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey (Deut 8:6)". In Ezekiel, the image of a better future in which human beings can hope for is a place where there is a river making grow all kinds of trees for food. "Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing" (Ezekiel 47:12).

In Psalm 1, a tree, planted by near streams of water, whose leaves do not wither and yields its fruit in season, is an image of righteous person who studies (“meditates” in some translations), the Torah of the Lord day and night.

So when Jeremiah, in the first reading of this Sunday, wants to illustrate the person "who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord", at once, he uses the image of a tree transplanted beside the waters, its root stretching out to the stream, whose leaves are evergreen and, despite the heat, bears fruit. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, the Beatitudes (Gospel Reading, Luke 6:17, 20-26), such a tree becomes the "kingdom of heaven".

For a quick introduction to the Book of Jeremiah, click on this.
One of the best English commentaries on Jeremiah is Robert P. Carroll, Jeremiah (Old Testament Library; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986).

For further reading of the different meanings of trees in the Bible, see K. Nielsen, There Is Hope for a Tree: The Tree as Metaphor in Isaiah (Sheffield, 1989).

More on SVD Ordinations 2007

"Where are we to get enough bread in the desert
to feed so great a crowd?" (Mt 15:33)

--part of the thousands of visitors at the ordination reception

On the eve of Ordination, there was a "subdued" (after dinner cocktail) for the SVD confreres held at the Garden of Providence. Among those who present were:

(photo credit: J. Sepe, svd)

seated from left: Loi Ebisa (parish priest in Kalinga);

John del Rosario (former SVD now works as personnal manager in Trece Martires);
standing from left: Jerome Marquez (director of St. Jude Catholic School and Assistant Provincial of PHC);
Romy Benitez (parish priest in Kalinga);
Ondoy Espuelas (USC Girls' High chaplain);
seated at the back from left: Joey Sepe (PhD candidate DLSU-Manila);
Flor Camacho (former president of Holy Name University, Tagbiliran);
Roger Solis (parochial vicar in Zamboanga Sibugay).

Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales ordains 13 SVD Seminarians

Cardinal Rosales of the Archdiocese of Manila has just ordained to the priesthood 13 SVD deacons here at Divine Word Seminary Chapel, Tagaytay City. Close to 200 priests are concelebrating and more than 2ooo relatives, friends, and acquaintances including religious sisters and brothers are witnessing the priestly ordination. Here are some stills taken from the ongoing eucharistic celebration which began around 9:00 in the morning (Manila Time).

2nd National Catholic Bible Quiz held

The four families at the finals
of the 2nd National Bible Quiz.
Winner was Tabilin Family (4th from left)

The Tabilin Family of the Diocese of Malolos (Bulacan), besting three families, won the 2nd National Catholic Bible Quiz, held on Jan 22, 2007 at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City. The broad knowledge on the biblical text manifested by these four families, especially the Tabilin family, were amazing and impressive. Question such as "Where can find in the Bible the verse that says: "Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death" (answer: Deut 30:15), was answered correctly and precisely in just a few seconds.

Mr. Leopoldo Tabilin, the father of the family is a jeepney driver while his wife Edna is vendor in a local public market. Among the three sons who were with them (Patrick, Percival, and Peter Paul), it was Patrick who had been winning earlier bible quizzes. The family was trained by a lay catechist and supported by the nuns of the Handmaids of the Divine Word Sisters from the Diocese of Malolos. Winning a bible quiz with a P50,000 prize is not only a family matter, the local church plays a significant role.

Among the alumni of the Divine Word Seminary who were present are Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD, the executive secretary of Episcopal Commision on Biblical Apostolate; Bishop Arturo Bastes, SVD, head of the Commision; Bishop Elect Pol Jaucian, SVD, former provincial of the Philippine Central Province (he, this blogger and five others were asked to be part of the judges in the contest); and Bishop Joel Baylon of the Diocese of Masbate and head of the Episcopal Commissionon Youth (he did his theology in 1975-79, formation house was Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol).

Miss Elvira Yap Go heads the Catholic Bible Quiz secretariat.

Members of of the Bible Quiz secretariat
includes Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD (third from left)
and singer Miss Ivy Violan

Well, the biblical text was never really intended by the biblical writers to be quizzed on. We do have an instance in the Gospel of John, where, in a sort of true or false, the scribes and the Pharisees quizzed Jesus on the Hebrew Scripture: "The Law of Moses ordered adulterous women to be stoned to death" (see John 1-11). Many biblical experts, however, consider this text as a non-Johannnine interpolation.

The winning family and their supporters
with Cardinal Vidal and Bishop Bastes, SVD

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time C: Santo Niño, Feast Proper to the Philippines

Fr. Paul Bumanglag, SVD missionary in Vicenza, Italy
poses in front of the monument of Antonio Pigafetta,
Magellan's chronicler. Vicenza was Pigafetta's hometown.

The Text: Isaiah 9:1-6 (NAB)

1 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.

² You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, As they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing spoils.

³ For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, And the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

⁴ For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames.

⁵ For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.

6 His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, From David's throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains By judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!

Commentary

Santo Niño

This Sunday, third Sunday in Ordinary Time, is feast of the Santo Niño (Holy Child), a feast proper to the Philippines. The origin of the first image of the Santo Niño (now in Cebu) is interesting. When Magellan came to the Philippine Islands in 1521, his chronicler, the Italian Antonio Pigafetta gave as a gift to the local queen, Doña Juana, an image of Santo Niño. When the Spaniards returned in 1565, they found an image of the Santo Niño inside a house, enthroned in a sort of an altar, the image adorned with flowers. Thus, it shows that the locals continued their veneration of the image even without the Spaniards for more than 40 years. A legend today would even claim that locals addressed the image as "Bathala" (the Filipino name of God). See other stories on the origin of the image of Santo Niño, click on this site.

The Liturgical Readings

The Old Testament reading (Isa 9:1-6) and the Gospel text (Lk 2:41-52) are probably chosen as Liturgical readings for this Filipino feast because they allude to the child as divine. The prophet Isaiah speaks of "a child is born to us…on whose shoulders dominion rests…and whose name is “Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace" (9:6). The evangelist Luke tells us a story of a child who gets lost from his parents and eventually found in the Temple. Asked why such a comportment, the child replies that he must be in his "Father’s House' (2:49). The child would grow to become the divine Jesus of Christian faith.

Historical Background of Isaiah 9:1-6

The context of Isaiah 9:1-6 is not so clear though biblical scholars share some reasonable suggestions. The text is likened to ancient Egyptian rituals celebrating the accession of a new pharaoh. Such enthronement is usually accompanied by the giving of throne names by the assembly of the gods and goddesses which ends with the divine assembly adopting the king as their child. Notice that in Isaiah 9, four names are conferred on the child.

A few suggestions have also been made as to the identity of this anonymous child “who is born to us” and who becomes a ruler. The most reasonable that we can think of here is the birth of Hezekiah, the future king of Judah. Both biblical and extra biblical sources attest to the war strategy employed Hezekiah against the invading Assyrian army led by Sennacherib (705 BC – 681 BC). In that invasion, through Hezekiah’s negotiation and prayer, Jerusalem was spared (2 Kings 18-20, Isaiah 36-39, click also this).

The Downfall of Sennacherib, an early work of Rubens (photo grab Wikipedia)

The text speaks of oppression in the familiar images of servitude yoke, pole, and rod (v. 3) - a "yoke placed in the neck" (Isa 10:27); the pole is used to strike the shoulders (see Isa 10:24); and the rod is an instrument for beating prisoners into subjection (see Isa 10:24).

The identity of the oppressor in this text is not also specified but interpreters point to a brief period foreign rule by the Assyrian empire, perhaps during campaign of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (744-727 B.C., see 2 Kgs 15:29) and later on continued by Shalmeneser V (726-722 B.C.). Oppressive means in those times include the payment of tributes to the empire and the exile of its leaders.

In any case, prophet Isaiah portrays in symbolic imagery the coming liberation of its people from oppression: the transition from the land of gloom (9:1), figurative language for the underworld (see Job 10:21-22) to a place of brilliant light. In other words, there will be an end to hostilities, war is abolished and replaced by "abundant joy". There will be peace (shalom) characterized by "judgment and justice" (mishpat and tsedaka, see 9:6).

All these great events would surely unfold because of the birth of a wonderful child.

The fact that such great hope could rest on a child would be a factor for Christians to identify the child with Jesus (note that this text is read at Christmas midnight mass, see also Lk 1:33).

The Child as Divine

It is unusual in the Bible and even in ancient Near East that a deity assumes the form of a child. In contrast, when gods are described, images that characterize strength and power are used. In Canaanite religion, the supreme god, called El, bears the title of "Bull". The goddess Anat could take form of an eagle. The god Baal is associated with thunder. In the Bible, God is at times compared with a lion (see Amos 1:3) or an eagle (Exod 19:4), even with a mother (Isa 66:13), but rarely with a child. The reason, perhaps, is that a child symbolizes weakness.

In short, that our God would assume the form of a child speaks of his humility and solidarity with those who are weak. St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians articulates best this divine humility and solidarity (called kenosis in Greek):

Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. (2:6-8 NAB).

Edwin Fernandez and Teofilo Perey, SVD missionaries here for a visit

Fr. Edwin Fernandez (left) missionary in Chile
and Fr. Popo Perey (right) missionary in Chad

Two former SVD scholastics, graduates of the Divine Word Seminary, dropped by their former home for a visit. Fr. Edwin Fernandez, SVD, 37, born in Binmaley, Pangasinan ordained in 1996 is the present recor of the SVD seminary in Chile. He has been a missionary in Chile for ten years now, going there immediately after ordination. Please click on this for SVD Chile website.

Fr. Teofilo "Popo" Perey, SVD, 51, is from Indang, here in Cavite. Before he entered Christ the King Seminary in 1985, he was an engineer working with Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) in Quezon City. After ordination, he was sent to Togo, a country in West Africa, and a former German colony. Three years ago, the SVD superior general asked Popo to be one of the pioneeer SVD missionaries to Chad in Central Africa.

Fr. Tony Pernia, SVD superior general
celebrating a Mass on his visit to Chad

A day in the life of a missionary:
Fr. Popo Perey (wearing a hat) helped "liberate"
their mission car stuck in the mud.

Chad has 7.5 million people with 20% Christians (7% Catholics), 60% Muslims and the rest Ethnoreligionist. 80% of the population lives below poverty line due to a hostile climate, long years of civil war, corruption, and a high rate of illiteracy. Chad is easily one of the poorest countries in teh world. This is the kind of place that the SVD would want to go to "preach the Good News."

Chad missionaries themselves have to till the soil to survive


Chad's Basic Ecclesial Community meeting under the tree

Chad photos credit: Fr. T. Perey, SVD

Points for Homily: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time C -- A New Name, A Crown, and A Wedding (Isaiah 62:1-5)

A wedding in Aguinaldo, Ifugao

Here are some points for Homily and Spiritual Reading on this coming Sunday's Readings (14 January 2007). This commentary will focus on Isaiah 62:1-5 (first reading) entitled in some commentaries as "Apostrophe to Jerusalem".

Text: Isaiah 62:1-5 (from NAB)
1For Zion's sake I will not be silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
Until her vindication shines forth like the dawn
and her victory like a burning torch.
2 Nations shall behold your vindication,
and all kings your glory;
You shall be called by a new name
pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.
3 You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,
4 No more shall men call you "Forsaken,"
or your land "Desolate,"
But you shall be called "My Delight,"
and your land "Espoused."
For the LORD delights in you, and makes your land his spouse.
5As a young man marries a virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
And as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in you.

Points:
1. The ministry of the prophet. Note that the speaker here is a prophet whose ministry is one of being "not silent" and "not quiet". Reading further this ministry is compared to sentinels ("watchmen" or "security guards") stationed on the walls whose task is to remind Yahweh continually of his promise to liberate Jerusalem. This prophetic ministry is one of intercession and prayer in behalf of the community.
2. The background. The prophet is anonymous but preaches in the tradition of Isaiah. This section of the book, from chapters 55-66, is often called by biblical scholars as Third Isaiah written after two hundred years from the time of Isaiah. The context of our reading is the end of the Babylonian Exile (around 537 B.C.).

It was becoming certain that the exiled people of God would be allowed to return to their homeland in Judah and once again be free to worship Yahweh in Jerusalem and to begin a new life. This exciting change to a better life is symbolized in the change of the status of Jerusalem. This change is expressed in three symbols -- (1) a new name, (2) a crown, and (3) marriage.

3. A new name. From the name "Forsaken" (Hebrew "Azubah" = Abandonada) and "Desolate" (Hebrew "Shemamah"), Jerusalem is renamed "She's my Delight" (Kepsi-bah = Tagalog "O Giliw ko") and "Married" (Hebrew Beulah, Tagalog "Pinakasalan") In the Bible, change of names indicates a new status. We have another example in the book of the prophet Hosea where the prophet is told to rename his children from Lo-ruhamma-"No Mercy" to Ruhamma -"Mercy" and Lo-ammi – "Not My People" to Ammi - "My People" (Hosea 1:6,9 and 2:25). We recall also Ruth's mother-in-law who invited the people of Bethlehem to call her Mara ("Bitter") rather than Naomi ("Pleasant") because of the suffering that she experienced - she was widowed (see Ruth 1:20). Likewise, the change of name from Saul to Paul might have something to do with Paul’s conversion on the way to Damascus (Acts 13:9).

Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah
to return to the land of Moab by William Blake, 1795
photo grab wikipedia

4. A crown. In this text, there seems to be a coronation. The Lord is presented as placing a crown and a diadem on Jerusalem (v. 3). In antiquity, like in Babylon, when a city is said to have been crowned by a deity, that city is to be protected by the gods. In the same way, the crowning of Jerusalem is not only to raise her status from being a slave city to a free and honorable one but also because the Lord assures Jerusalem to be under his care.

5. The marriage. Here the prophet uses the metaphor of marriage to express the new status of Jerusalem. If Jerusalem felt abandoned during the exile, now she is being loved, in fact being courted by no other than the Lord. Here the Lord is the groom marrying his bride, Jerusalem. Such relationship between God and his people expresses more intimacy than the usual covenant relationship which is more political and diplomatic. Again we are reminded here of the love story of Hosea imitating the love story between God and Israel. As unfaithfulness led to the break-up of the marriage between Hosea and Gomer, so is Israel's infidelity. But the Lord is always a faithful lover that he seeks out Israel in spite of her infidelity (see also Isa 62:12). The use of the symbolism of marriage to express God's love to his people is probably the reason why, in our liturgy, the Gospel reading is about the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12).

6. Certainty of God’s promise. In any case, each of these symbolisms indicates the certainty of the prophetic word and the fulfillment of God’s promise to act in behalf of his people. This is also our assurance and our hope as we live in this "valley of tears". As St. Paul says in one of his letters, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God" (Rom 8:28).

From a reflection of John Donahue, SJ.

In the early church the Epiphany cycle included other manifestations of Jesus—his baptism and the wedding at Cana. Today’s liturgy focuses on the third manifestation, the wedding feast at Cana, the first of Jesus’ signs, that is, symbols of the divine power at work in the incarnate Word. The Gospels this Sunday and next provide distinct pictures of the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry. Please click on this for the full article.

From a reflection of Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM

The Gospel of the second Sunday in Ordinary Time is the episode of the wedding feast at Cana. What did Jesus want to tell us by participating in a wedding feast?

Above all, in this way he in fact honored the marriage between man and woman, implicitly reaffirming that it is a beautiful thing, willed by the Creator and blessed by him. But he wanted also to teach us something else. With his coming the marriage between God and humanity promised through the prophets was realized under the name of the "new and eternal covenant."
Please click on this for the full article.

Bishop-elect Leopoldo C. Jaucian: Curriculum Vitae

Bishop-elect Pol Jaucian, SVD concelebrating

with Bishop Chito Tagle at the fiesta of
Poong Hesus Nazareno Church
Dasmarinas Bagong Bayan, Cavite

Announcements:

The ordination of Bishop-elect Pol Jaucian, SVD is set on 26 March 2007, this years solemnity of the Annunciation, at the Divine Word Shrine in Christ the King Mission Seminary along E. Rodriguez Blvd, Quezon City. His Eminence Gaudiencio Cardinal Rosales is the ordaining bishop.

The installation of the bishop-elect will be on 31 March 2007 at the Cathedral of St. James in Bangued, Abra. He will be installed by Archbishop Ernesto Salgado of Nueva Segovia (Vigan, Ilocos Sur).

Here's more biographical data of the incoming bishop of the Diocese of Bangued in Abra (source: Provincialate of the SVD Central Province):

Name : LEOPOLDO CORPUZ JAUCIAN
Date of Birth : July 27, 1960
Place of Birth : Santa, Ilocos Sur
Civil Status : Single
Citizenship : Filipino
Religion : Catholic
Parents name : Ernesto Ballesteros Jaucian, Sr.
Veronica Bello Corpuz
Home Address : Catholic Trade Bldg. 1916 Oroquieta,
Sta. Cruz, Manila

Education:

Lalapac Elementary School : Elementary Education 1966-1972
Divine Word Academy, Urdaneta, Pangasinan: Secondary Education 1972-1976

Christ the King Seminary,Q.C : A.B Philosophy, Postulancy 1977-1979
Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay : Novitiate 1979-1981
Taiwan, R.O.C : Overseas Training Program 1982-1984
Fu Jen Catholic University Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C : Theology 1984 - 1987
De la Salle University, Manila: MA units in Guidance Counseling 1992-1995

Work Experience
Christ the King Mission Seminary : Sacristan 1976-1977

Religious Vows and Ordination
Chiayi, Taiwan,R.O.C : Perpetual Vows September 8, 1987
Fu Jen Catholic University : Ordination to Diaconate September 27, 1987
Divine Word Academy Chapel, Urdaneta, Pangasinan : Ordination to Priesthood
Ordaining Prelate : Bp. Miguel Cinches, SVD,D.D March 12, 1988

Assignments
St. Joseph the Worker Parish Chiayi, Taiwan, R.O.C : Assistant Pastor June 1988 - 1989
Fu Jen Catholic High School Chiayi, Taiwan, R.O.C : Campus Minister August 1989 - 1992
St. Jude Catholic School near Malacanang : Campus Minister, Assistant Principal and Assistant Director July 1995-July 2000

From August 2000 to March 2005
St. Jude Archdiocesan Shrine near Malacanang: Parish Priest;
Discrict superior of the SVD Manila District;
Vicar Forane of the Archdiocese of Manila - Vicariate of San Jose de Trozo

From March , 2005 to January 2007: Provincial Superior of the SVD Philippine Central Province

Feast of Poong Hesus Nazareno celebrated

Children danced the Gloria in

the Holy Mass for the fiesta of Hesus Nazareno Church;
main celebrant: Bishop Chito Tagle

The Church of Poong Hesus Nazareno, an SVD administered parish in Dasmarinas Bagong Bayan in Cavite, celebrated its fiesta last 09 January with Bishop Chito Tagle as the main presider in the Eucharistic Celebration. Most parishoners are relocatees, meaning former "squatters" of Manila who were resettled to this place in the mid-80's.

Concelebrants in the photo are

Fr. Joey Guinto (assistant parish priest);
Fr. Arnel (diocese of Imus);
Fr. Alex Muana, SVD (missiology professor at the DWS);
Fr. Marty (diocese of Imus);
also in the picture is Mrs. Teresita R. Jaca, lector and one of
the pioneer members of the church

The parish is significant to Divine Word Seminary as two of its professors, Fr. Jerome Marquez (Canon Law) and Fr. Randolf Flores (Biblical Studies), had helped begun in the summer of 2001 the establishment of the church and basic ecclesial communities. Seminarians from DWST also come to the parish for their week-end apostolate.

Click on the image for a videoclip of Bishop Tagle's homily on Hesus Nazareno.


You can download the full homily here, click on this Poong Hesus Nazareno
note: at megaupload wait for 45seconds, at the last 10 seconds an ad pops out and blocks the download box, close that ad and click download. This is an MPEG file 431MB, it will take some time to download, be patient.

Ordination date of bishop-elect Leopoldo C. Jaucian set

Fr. Pol Jaucian during the Triduum Mass
for the Hesus Nazareno Fiesta
Poong Nazareno Church, DBB Dasmarinas, Cavite

Leopoldo "Pol" Jaucian, SVD, bishop-elect of the Diocese of Bangued in Abra will be ordained as bishop on 26 March 2007 at the Shrine of the Divine Word in Christ the King Seminary along E. Rodriguez Blvd, Quezon City.

Leopoldo Jaucian new bishop of Bangued, Abra

Bishop-elect Pol Jaucian (middle) was the main celebrant

in the Mass of the Epiphany at the SVD administered
Poong Nazareno Church in Dasmarinas, Cavite,
also a Triduum mass for the Church's fiesta on 09 Jan 07.
Concelebrants were Joey Guinto (right, assistant parish priest)
and Ed Orpilla (left, parish priest)

The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Leopoldo "Pol" C. Jaucian, SVD, the current provincial of the SVD Central Province as bishop of the Diocese of Bangued in Abra. The appointment was posted at the Vatican Information Service and broadcast over Radio DZPA in Bangued at 7:00 this evening (05 Jan 2007)

Indeed, this is a good news for Abra as the province needs urgently a shepherd in the midst of worsening political situation and violence. Before Christmas, the congressman of Abra, Luis Bersamin, was murdered in the compound of a church, after attending a mass.

The Diocese has a population of 236,545 with 198,497 Catholics. There are 38 priests and 38 religious. Abra was the first mission area of SVD missionaries when they first came to the Philippines in August 1909.

Fr. Jaucian was born in Santa, Ilocos Sur on July 27, 1960. He grew up in Urdaneta, Pangasinan and finished his high school at the Divine Word College ofUrdaneta. He entered Christ the King Seminary not as a seminarian but as one of the sacristans being a working student. He later joined the postulancy program and in 1979 entered the Novitiate in Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City. He spent a number of years in Taiwan for the Overseas Training Program for SVD scholastics and also did his theological studies there. He pronounced his perpetual vows in 1987 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1988.

After ordination, Pol worked as a missionary in the China province of the SVD (Taiwan and Hongkong). After sometime, he was appointed parish priest of St. Jude Shrine near Malacanang and in 2005 he was elected provincial of the Philippine Central Province.

Bishop-elect Fr. Pol Jaucian(first one standing from right, in white Polo Barong)
with the Filipino delegates of the SVD Chapter in Rome last July 2006
Standing from left: Jerome Marquez (St. Jude Catholic School director),
Pablito Tagura (rector of Christ the King Seminary),
Ronnie Crisostomo (student, Liturgical Studies),
Jerome Adriatico (provincial of the Northern Province),
John Benas (missionary in Mexico),
Bubi Scholz (now the SVD Archivist),
Dionisio Miranda (Moral Theology professor),
Jing-Jong Rocha (Vice-Provincial of the Southern Province),
and bishop-elect Pol Jaucian;
seated from left: Oliver Quilab (doctoral student in Germany),
and Joey Artienda (missionary in Ecuador).

A Christmas Reflection

Mother and Son with Aunt
Badjaos begging infront of the Church
in Balayan, Batangas

The following is a Christmas reflection written in December 2001 by the late Fr. Anthony R. Ceresko, OSFS for a handout of Simbang Gabi homilies.

"Today"

So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the
manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds (Luke 2:16-18).

Some years back I had the opportunity to attend an audience with Pope John Paul II. I was not able to come near to the Pope because of the crowd. But I remember how the Pope entered the place of the audience on foot, walking down the aisle taking the hands to the pilgrims and blessing each one, especially the children.

But the Pope's favorites were the small children and infants. When he saw an infant being held out to him by the mother, the Pope loved to take the child into his own arms and embrace the child affectionately as he gave it his blessing.

There is something in all of us that is drawn to the simplicity and vulnerability of infants. We instinctively feel an attraction and desire to protect. Thus the centerpiece of our Christmas season is the infant Jesus lying in the borrowed bed in a borrowed shelter, watched over the protected by his young and perhaps bewildered and anxious parents.

In the midst of our Christmas celebrations, perhaps it is good to fix our attention on that vulnerable babe lying in the dark and damp stable lighted only by one or two lanterns and reflect on the children of our world today.

It may be good to remind ourselves that so many, too many, children who are born this very day face similar precarious and anxious circumstances as this child born more than two thousand years ago in Bethlehem.

Traditional Belen (Nativity Creche) inside Hesus Nazareno Church
an SVD parish in Dasmarinas, Bagong Bayan, Cavite

A speaker at an international conference on the plight of millions of underprivileged children made a moving call. She said,

We are guilty of many errors and many faults but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life. Many of the things that we need can wait. The child cannot wait. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To the young child we cannot answer, "Tomorrow". His name is "Today" (repeat): His name is "Today".

The children born into poverty, the children born into anxious and trying circumstances call out to us in the person of that child of poverty born at Bethlehem. "Today" is the name of the poor, and we are called upon to respond to them as a community of the disciples of Jesus, who preached about the coming of God’s kingdom to the "poor". How do we respond to their cries? How do we hold out some hope to them?

I would suggest that, one way would be in examining the priorities in our decision making during the coming year – our decisions as individuals, our priorities as a society, our decisions and priorities as a people. Our former President is on trial at this moment, charged with violating the public trust. What are the criteria by which we make decisions regarding the guilt or innocence of an individual? What are our criteria and priorities in choosing public officials and leaders?

As a nation we face difficulties in the future in the economic sphere, and the challenges and pressures with regard to globalization. How do we establish criteria and decide on the priorities for our economic arrangements?

For ourselves as individuals or as families, what are our criteria and priorities in our decision-making? Certainly the example of the patience, the simplicity, the mutual love of the manger scene at Bethlehem offers us one example: no throne or sumptuous palace for this new born messiah-king. But for so many millions of children born into our world today, a single night’s shelter is not enough. The child of today, needs food and clothing and shelter, clean and safe water, health care, education: "TODAY" is the name of the poor. When we talk about priorities and criteria for decision-making, we can see here the logic and wisdom of the Church’s “option for the poor” – the poor, especially the children, cannot wait until tomorrow.

This is the criterion that the Church offers for our decision-making, our priorities our policies – in the government, in society for our national leaders, for our economy, and in our personal lives. This is the criterion that Jesus proposed: I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; naked and you clothed me, a stranger and you took me in, like the innkeeper in Bethlehem who offered that poor family shelter from the cold night almost two thousand years ago this very day.

When we gaze with wonder on this manger scene and the young couple with their newborn child, poor and helpless, we also see ourselves, our own poverty, our won helplessness in the face of so many challenges that confront us as individuals and families, as a society and as a people. But the message that this poor child brings is that we are not alone. God has not abandoned us despite our blindness, our selfishness, and our failures. Emmanuel, "God is with us," is the name that the angel proposed when his birth was first foretold.

Today’s reading from the letter to Titus sums it up beautifully:

But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because
of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through
the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on
us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life (3:4-7).