The Legacy Of Corazon Aquino

I hope that history will judge me as favorably as our people still regard me, because, as God is my witness, I honestly did the best I could. No more can be asked of any man.

On June 30, 1992, the traditional ceremony of political succession will unfold at the Luneta. The last time it was done that way was in 1965. I shall be there with you to proudly witness the event. This is the glory of democracy, that its most solemn moment should be the peaceful transfer of power.
- Corazon Aquino's Last State of the Nation Address

The Light Of An Empty Room

"This is the anguish of good men, that the good they do will come to nothing, that pains suffered in obscurity or sacrifices made away from the sight of men amount to the same and mock the man or woman who bears them… That is not true. None of the good that we do is ever lost, not even the light of an empty room is wasted." -Corazon Aquino-

Tita Cory, Para Sa Iyo

The Passing Away Of Tita Cory

Mrs. Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, former President of the Republic of the Philippines, widow of slain senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, restorer of democracy to this republic, passed away early Saturday morning, August 1, 2009.

The Lord's Compassion

The Eighth Sunday After Pentecost

Genesis 9:8-17
Ephesians 3:14-21
Mark 6:45-56



Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Last Sunday we saw how the Lord provided in spite of the disciples’ lack of compassion and faith. This Sunday, we see more of the Lord’s compassion, for his disciples, for his people.
Our Gospel lesson this Sunday picks up right after the feeding of the five thousand. St. Mark reports that after the feeding of the five thousand,
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
And we realize that even the Lord needs some time by himself, to reflect, to shut the noise of the world out, to pray, to commune with his Heavenly Father. The long awaited, possibly long planned for vacation was interrupted. Now, after the feeding of the five thousand, they have time at last.
After the Lord prays,
And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
Why did the Lord walk on the sea? Well, first of all, he can. And possibly, he wanted to go ahead of the disciples in order to welcome them when they came to shore.
He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."
Now, the Jews had a superstition that a spirit or ghost seen on the sea was a harbinger of disaster. The disciples were afraid because of their superstition. And so, in order to calm them, the Lord comes to them, saying, “Take jeart! Do not be afraid. It is I.” Even in the midst of their fear and superstitious, the Lord reaches out to the in compassion and reassures them that it is no ghost, but the Lord himself. This situation will be repeated later on, when, out of fear, the disciples will mistake the Lord once more for a ghost, refusing to believe that he had risen from the dead. The disciples were terrified, because, St. Mark says, “they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” They saw the miracle of the loaves, and saw their Lord walk on water, and still they were confused and afraid. Why? Because their hearts were hardened. They did not believe in the Lord.
MALADY
And much of the time, we are like the disciples. We also do not understand the Lord’s Word. Do we read the Lord’s Word? And if and when we read his Word, do we understand it? If we do not understand his Word, do we go to Bible study so that someone may explain his Word to us? When the Lord speaks his Word to us through his pastor, do we listen? When we worship, are our minds on the liturgy, or are we off somewhere else? In the events outside, or on our mobile phones, perhaps? And because we are unfamiliar with the Lord’s Word and his promises, we become fearful, like the disciples. We are afraid of our past, which results in guilt; we are afraid of our present, which results in anxiety; we are afraid of our future, which results in worry. We are, like the disciples, superstitious. And so, we attach superstitions to our fears: “Did i do something wrong?” “Am I the target of witchcraft?” “Is this an evil spirit’s doing?” “Shouldn’t we consult a Feng Shui expert?” “What’s my horoscope for today?”
Our unbelief is like the unbelief of the disciples, because we too are witnesses of the Lord’s miracles. Everytime the Lord’s Word is preached, we are witnesses of the Lord’s miracles; eveytime an infant is baptized here in front of us, we witness a miracle; everytime we partake of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we witness a miracle. And yet, in spite of these miracles, still we will not believe. Like the disciples, our hearts are hardened – because of sin.
GOSPEL
But wait. There is another miracle here. The disciples’ unbelief and hardness of heart does not hinder the Lord from being compassionate.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
The disciples’ unbelief and hardness of heart does not stop the Lord from showing compassion to those in need, to those who could not help themselves. Jesus, in spite of fear, unbelief and confusion, reaches out in compassion and heals them. Nothing can hinder the Lord from healing the sick, and saving the lost. Nothing can hinder the Lord from loving us.
And the Lord’s compassion reaches not only those people in need; the Lord’s compassion reaches not only the disciples. The Lord’s compassion also reaches us – even through time, because, like the people in his time, we too are like sheep without a shepherd; we too need his touch so that we may be healed, so that our needs may be met, so that our sins may be forgiven, because his touch brings grace, forgiveness and life. We also need the Lord’s healing touch for we too are sick with fear and unbelief.
So great is the Lord’s compassion that it reaches even to Calvary. And so vast is his sacrifice on that hill that it reaches up to heaven, to the presence of God, so that God’s grace may reach us. And because of the grace which we have received, our unbelief and fear are washed away by the blood of the only begotten Son of God, by his death on the cross.
But not only that. We see, again and again, our Lord’s compassion, even to this day. Whenever his Word is proclaimed, the Lord’s compassion reaches us. Whenever we witness and partake of his Sacraments, his compassion reaches us, bringing forgiveness and new life. Because of what he has done for us on the cross.
And so, in the midst of our guilt, our fear, our confusion and unbelief, once more, through His Word and Sacraments, the Lord comes to us full of compassion, and he tells us: “Take heart. Do not be afraid. It is I.” This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

The Lord's Provision

The Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

Jeremiah 23:1-6
Ephesians 2:16-22
Mark 6:33-44


Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Our Gospel lesson for this Sunday shows us the basic difference between our compassion and the Lord’s compassion. Our compassion rarely results into action. Do we not see this everytime we hear about and see dire news on the radio and on TV? And do we not see this everyday in our reactions to the various issues of everyday? For instance, if we see an accident or some act of terrorism on TV, don’t we all feel bad for the victims? Yes, we do, and yet so much of the time, that is the extent of our compassion. When we are on the street and see children sniffing glue, or begging, playing hopscotch with speeding cars and trucks on the highway, we most certainly feel pity for these children, but that is all. Rarely does our pity, our compassion, result into action. With the Lord, it is different. St. Mark tells us:
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
Like sheep without a shepherd. Meaning, that no one bothered to teach them, to guide them, to bring to them God’s Word. It could also mean that their lives were going nowhere. Do we not, at times, feel like this? A lot of times, we feel LOST. I myself feel this sometimes, that I am lost amid a great sea of doubt and indecision, and i feel that something is lacking in my life, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. And I know you’ve felt the same way at one time or another. So many times we are like the people who struggled to follow Jesus: we are like sheep without a shepherd. And often, we try to plug up this void, this uncertainty through our own efforts at seeking after meaning. Some try to find that meaning in drink, while others immerse themselves all the more into their work. Different means, desperate measure, but in the end, it all amounts to the same thing: we’re no better than we were. We still end up like sheep without a shepherd.
I have no doubt the disciples saw this too in the faces of the people that day. And it is likely that they too felt compassion. The thing is, they didn’t know what to do. But now look at the Lord. He doesn’t just feels compassion, he acts upon that compassion. He taught them many things, St. Mark says. In other words, the Lord responded to the needs of the people. He gave them His Word. The Lord respomds to our needs. He gives us His Word.
But all this teaching gives rise to another problem. We all know what happens in small towns when twilight descends. Farm animals are herded from the pasture back into the sheds, and stores begin to close up for the night. People young and old go into their houses, for darkness is coming.
And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."
Again we get a glimpse of the extent of the compassion of the disciples, but, if we are to go by St. Mark’s report, the disciples’ suggestion seems to be logical. For to be able to feed five thousand, you need to prepare. A lot. You don’t just go someplace and ask people to sit for their meal. But apparently, the Lord knew what he was doing. But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." Could the Lord have been testing the disciples? St. John, in his gospel, thinks so: He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Maybe the Lord was testing the limits of the disciples’ faith, or the limits of their compassion. And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denariif worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" And once more, the disciples show their doubt in the Lord’s compassion, in his provision.
And so much of the time we are like the disciples. So many times we doubt the Lord’s compassion for us. How many times have I desperately asked the Lord for a mirace and get me out of a sticky situation, a situation, often, of my own making? And when nothing happens, i look sullenly at heaven, doubting his compassion, and ask, “Why did you forsake me?” “Why do you continue to forsake your church?” So many times, we doubt the Lord’s compassion.
And how many times have Kristi and I doubted the Lord’s provision in the midst of our need? Whenever Kristi and I find that we’ve come up short on our budget, we look at each other and say, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” And yet, deep in our hearts, we have begun to doubt. Deep inside our hearts, our apprehension and fear ask: “Will the Lord indeed provide?”
And our doubt isn’t only on physical things. Oh no. Our doubt extends to spiritual blessings too. We doubt the Lord’s compassion and provision especially in the spiritual things. “Will the Lord truly forgive? O! But my sin is too great!” Is this piece of bread truly his body?” “Is is little cup of wine truly his blood?” The truth is, like the disciples, our hearts and our lives are steeped in doubt. Because of sin. Because we are sinners. And because of sin, it is only fitting that the Lord leave us in the middle of our doubt, in the middle of our sin. It should have been fitting that the Lord heeded the suggestion of the disciples then, and it is only fitting that the Lord send us away, for we doubt his compassion and provision.
GOSPEL
And yet, wonder of wonders, the Lord does not heed the suggestion of the disciples. Instead, he has a suggestion of his own:
And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied.
Five pieces, and two fish. If you compare that to the number of people that needed to eat that evening, you’d say that those five loaves of bread and two fish were worse than nothing. But Jesus takes what the disciples have, which is nothing, and blesses it. And see what happens because of the Lord’s compassion, because of the Lord’s provision: And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And the blessing that the Lord bestowed that day to fill the physical needs of the people, he bestows upon us today to satisfy our spiritual need. There on the hill of Calvary, his body was broken, his blood was shed so that we who are steeped in sin might receive his blessing: grace, forgiveness, life. The Lord blesses what we have, which is nothing, and fills our souls to overflowing, because that is the nature of the Lord’s compassion and provision. His grace and provision is not merely enough; it is more than enough! It is overflowing! And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
The people that evening witnessed a miracle, and we read about this miracle too. But there is a much, much greater miracle that the Lord did for us: he died on the cross so that we who cannot, by our own reason or strength, enter into his kingdom, may be recognized by God as his children. Because of the compassion and provision of his only begotten Son. And the miracle of the Lord’s provision is this: it is certain, it is abundant, it is more than sufficient for our needs. His Word, His Sacraments, are his provision for us – they are certain they are abundant, they are more than sufficient for the forgiveness of your sins.
When the Lord provides, it is always more than enough. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

The Grand Inquisitor

“There are three powers, three powers alone, able to conquer and to hold captive forever the conscience of these impotent rebels for their happiness – those forces are miracle, mystery and authority. . .for man seeks not so much God as the miraculous. And as man cannot bear to be without the miraculous, he will create new miracles of his own for himself, and will worship deeds of sorcery and witchcraft. . .Thou didst not come down from the Cross when they shouted to Thee, ‘Come down from the cross and we will believe that Thou art He.’ Thou didst not come down, for again Thou wouldst not enslave man by a miracle, and didst crave faith given freely, not based on miracles.”
- The Grand Inquisitor, speaking with Christ (Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)