St. Expeditus: Patron Saint of Speedy Causes

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St. Expeditus:  Patron Saint of Speedy Causes The venerated image of St. Expeditus in  the Lipa Cathedral In the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Lipa City is a venerated image of a young Roman Centurion saint named Expeditus. Every month of April, a nine day novena in his honor is held in the cathedral that culminates in the celebration of his feast day on the 19th of the month. Who is this saint whose intercession was also invoked in the Oratio Imperata  to avert a catastrophic eruption of Taal Volcano prepared by the Archdiocese of Lipa when the volcano exhibited extra-ordinary activity early  in January, 2020?  St. Expeditus could have found affinity with the Lipenos since the martyr shares a lot of commonality with St. Sebastian, the city’s patron. St. Expeditus, like St. Sebastian was also a young Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was also martyred as a consequence, during the period of Diocletian persecution.  Hence, a devo...
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Homilies and Reflections: Pebrero 23, 2020, Ika-7 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon (Cycle A)

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Pebrero 23, 2020, Ika-7 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon

Pagninilay sa Mabuting Balita ng Panginoon ayon kay San Mateo 5: 38-48

Sa ating mga pagbasa, tayo ay inaanyayahan na maging banal sapagkat ang ating Panginoong Diyos ay banal. At bilang nilikhang kanyang kawangis, kailangang matularan natin Siya, iyan ang dignidad natin bilang mga anak ng Diyos, ang mahalin Siya, umunlad sa kabanalan at makapiling ang Diyos pagdating ng panahon.

Ngunit paano ba ang umunlad sa kabanalan? Sa mabuting balita, nabanggit ang batas ukol sa mata sa mata at ngipin sa ngipin na base sa sinaunang batas ni Hamurabi. Nilikha ang batas na ito para masigurong sapat at patas lamang ang gagawing paghihiganti ng kabilang partido. Halimbawa ikaw ay pumatay, isang buhay lang din ang kapalit. Sa ganoong pamamaraan, ang katarungan ay napapangibabaw. Napapanatili ang kaaayusan at kapayapaan sa hindi makatarungan at sobra-sobrang galit at paghihiganti. 

But Justice is just the minimum of love. Jesus tells us that we should not just settle for the minimum, we are challenged to go beyond, towards self transcendence, ang lampasan ang ating kakayanan, tungo sa pagkamatay sa ating sarili sa pamamagitan ng daan ng pagmamahal at pagpapatawad. Ang batas ng katarungan, papalitan ng batas ng pag-ibig. Ang pag-ibig ang kaganapan ng kahit na anong batas o pamantayan. 

Madaling magmahal sa taong kayang ibalik ang pagmamahal na ibinibigay mo. Pero paano mo mamahalin ang taong paulit-ulit kang sinasakyan, paulit-ulit na ginagawan ka ng kamalian at hindi ka nirerespeto?

Mahalin mo ang iyong kaaway, wika ni Hesus. Parang madaling sabihin pero mahirap gawin. Sa praktikal, kailangan nating magpatawad sapagkat majority of our burdens are self inflicted sabi ng mga psychologists. Marami tayong dala-dala excess baggae ika nga na ayaw natin bitawan, kaya't tayo'y nabibigatan. Pangalawa, ang gawain ng pagpapatawad ay hindi gawain ng tao, bagkus gawain ng Diyos. Ang pagpapatawad ay pagpapalaya rin sa ating sarili - sa galit, hinanakit, sama ng loob at tampo sa ating kapwa. "Let it go" ika nga. Kapag tayo ay nagpapatawad, pinatutuloy natin ang Diyos sa ating buhay at para nating sinasabi, Panginoon Kayo na po ang bahala. Sapagkat kung aasahan natin ang ating sariling kakayahan, hindi talaga natin makakayanan magpatawad. Pero sa tulong at grasya ng Diyos, magagawa natin. 

Kapag tayo ay nagmamahal at nagpapatawad, umuunlad tayo sa kabanalan sapagkat tinutularan natin ang Diyos at nagiging ganap din tayong katulad Niya. Sapagkat ang kaganapan ng Panginoon ay ang Kanyang pagiging mapagmahal at mapagpatawad. Hindi magagawa ng Panginoon na hindi magmahal at magpatawad. Amen.

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