The celebration of this solemnity of the two great saints reminds us of our mission and action in the Church despite of our limitations and weaknesses. St. Peter denied Jesus yet he was able to confirm his love and faithfulness and became the symbol of unity and stability of the Church. St. Paul was a persecutor of Christians, yet he became the symbol of mission an evangelization of the Church. They were ordinary men called to do extraordinary mission. We too, in our ordinariness as living stones of the Church can do extraordinary mission and continue the work of evangelization in ways that we may never had imagined.

In the midst of our fear and the uncertainty of many things including perhaps our future, Jesus reminds us to take courage, have faith, and feel the Shalom of God. St. Paul reminds us of his letter to the Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Trusting the Shalom of God does not mean, however, that everything will change into better circumstances of life. Having the Shalom would assure us rather, that we will endure the sufferings and hardships, still feeling at peace in the midst of difficult situations. That was Christ’s assurance to His disciples and still His assurance to all of us. SHALOM!

Pope Leo XIV was asked this question, “How can the Church attract people and draw them in to an experience of faith?” He said, “The Church has recognized after the experience of the past 50 years that we should not be trying to create spectacle… just to make people interested in something which in the end is very superficial and not profound, not meaningful in their lives. Liturgy (for instance) should be about what faith should be… coming in contact with the mystery of God who is love, God who dwells within us, God who is indeed present in humanity and who was revealed to us through Jesus Christ…” An experience of God’s love through the community can definitely attract people to come and embrace the faith. The liturgical activities which we participate should be an experience of love and belongingness in which it brings us to a more intimate experience of the presence of God.

Going out from our comfort zones is something we do next to impossible. It is always a challenge to step out from what is comfortable, easy and where our expertise is. My spiritual director would always challenge me to do the things I wasn’t comfortable with. He would usually ask, “Are you comfortable doing this thing?” And if I say “No” he would tell me, “Then do it.” Going out beyond our comfort zones might be fearsome but it gives us the chance to grow, learn and develop things which we might have thought of to be impossible.

This final Sunday of Lent, we somehow feel the frustrations and grief of Martha who tells Jesus “If you had been here, my brother would not have died…” (John 11:21) Whether she’s confessing her faith to Jesus who could have healed her brother Lazarus or accuses Jesus of being neglectful of their brother, Jesus assures her of one thing, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 1:25).

Jesus is the light of the world. We are invited to turn from darkness to the light of truth. Our second reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians (5:8-14) reminds us not to try to take part in the works of darkness for we are children of light who are capable of producing the fruits of righteousness, goodness and truth. In the Gospel, John (9:1-41) presents the account of the healing of the man born blind who was taken out from that dark void with Jesus’ command, “go and wash,” which are outward signs for that man to experience the miracle of seeing the light for the first time. But more than the healing of his blindness is the transformation of his spiritual sight. Although he was tested and ridiculed by the unbelieving authorities, he was able to see clearly who Jesus was, the true light of the world, and so he confessed his faith “I do believe, Lord.”

We are now on the second week of our Lenten journey. Last week, we have journeyed with Jesus on his wilderness experience, having faced and eventually defeating the devil in every test. After that wilderness experience, we come to another faith-filled experience we call the mountain-top experience, - the transfiguration of Jesus.

As we embark in this Lenten journey and enter into the wilderness of our life of faith where we may experience. Where we may listen attentively to the quiet voices of the Holy Spirit. The Dutch priest Fr. Henri Nouwen said: “We have to fashion our own desert where we can withdraw every day, shake off our compulsions, and dwell in the gentle healing presence of our Lord Without such a desert we will lose our own soul while preaching the gospel to others. But with such a spiritual abode, we will become increasingly conformed to him in whose Name we minister.”

Jesus goes right into the eyes, heart and life of anyone who wants to be his disciple - a disciple must know how to identify where his blind spot is, a disciple must always seek to learn from his teacher and knows his teacher well, and a disciple must always have the humility to look at himself first before pointing his finger to others.

A simple act of mercy can change the life of a lost soul and who knows, that lost soul will one day change your life forever.

Blessed is the one who is able to accept and be part in the upside down world of God for he/she allows the Kingdom of God to be revealed but woe to the one who misses this opportunity and turns away and rejects the invitation of God to be part of it.

Have you ever thought what would be your response if God calls you to do something you’ve never done? Or how about doing something you’ve always been doing and had to do it in God’s own way?

What we have in this Feast is a reminder about faithful serving and hopeful waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises. The story of Simeon and Anna is a story of many of us - keep on hoping and looking ahead of what God can do to our life and giving up is not an option.

We are so familiar with this traffic safety warning: STOP, LOOK and LISTEN. Our Gospel this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time invites us to dig deeper into this safety warning as we embark in this Ordinary Time spiritual journey but will be rearranged a bit: STOP, LISTEN and LOOK.

In the Gospel on this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, a voice came from heaven saying: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22). By virtue of our own baptism, we too have become sons and daughters of the heavenly Father and are called to live a life pleasing to Him. This identity is indissoluble and this is the grace of God in the sacrament of Baptism.

Searching for Jesus in the midst of discouragement and uncertainties might be challenging but fulfilling, and meeting Jesus is an invitation to have a change of route, a change of heart. The journey of the Magi is our own journey of faith and hope in finding Jesus. There might be challenges, some might be discouraging but finding Jesus at the end of the journey is having that transformative relationship with him.

HAPPY FEAST DAY OF THE HOLY FAMILY, LA SAGRADA FAMILIA of Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Yes, God is full of surprises and loves to surprise us. Having this in mind would lead us to be hopeful for the best even when sometimes things get rough and tough. Maybe, the next time God makes another surprise, it would be for YOU and that would be your greatest surprise gift for Christmas.