“CAN I LOVE YOU ALL THE WAY?” (Mk 12:28-34): 29 February 2008 (Friday)
I remember watching a hilarious sketch from “The Carol Burnett Show” many years ago. Carol Burnett plays a woman who is put to some kind of “Virginity Test.” She is asked to cross a special narrow bridge, which according to legend, allows only virgins to make it to the other side. Those who have lost their virginity fall into the waters and drown.
‘WHO’S DEAF AND WHO’S MUTE?’ (Lk 11:14-23): 28 February 2008 (Thursday)
They’re way up there with paralytics and lepers. I’m referring to the deaf and the mute–people who are among our Lord’s favorite people to heal. One such occasion is found in the gospel reading today, where our Lord drove out “a demon that was mute” from a man.
This story, like the other miracle stories of Jesus, is an invitation for us to believe in the power of God to work miracles in our lives.
‘WHY DON’T YOU BREAK YOUR RULES?’ (Mt 5:17-19): 27 February 2008 (Wednesday)
I still remember that afternoon in June 1991 when I stepped out of the library and was greeted by a darkened sky. It was too early for sunset. It turned out that the eruption of Mount Pinatubo had injected tons of volcanic ash into the sky, creating a thick haze over the city.
In the next few days we learned of the death and destruction caused not only by the eruption and the ash fall, but also by–of all things–the arrival of a typhoon. As we know, those events of 1991 drastically changed the landscape of Pampanga and the lives of its people.
“HOW MANY SECOND CHANCES DO I GET?” (Mt 18:21-35): 26 February 2008 (Tuesday)
There are times in your life when you just have to ask God, “How many second chances do I get?” These are the times when you’ve gone wrong–sometimes very wrong–and you know deep in your heart that no one who knows what you’ve done is ever going to accept you or love you or forgive you for what you’ve done. You could have sworn that any minute now, the earth would open up and swallow you alive.
“WHY DO WE GET MISUNDERSTOOD AND REJECTED?” (Luke 4:24-30): 25 February 2008 (Monday)
Some years ago I was involved in a local production of “Sino Ka, `Shua?” (“Who Are You, `Shua?”) starring the late RJ Leyran. The video was adapted from a one-man play in English written by Rev. William Burke It’s the story of Jesus (“Y’shua” in Aramaic) as narrated by a fictional childhood friend who reminisces about his best friend years after the crucifixion. He does so with regret because like so many others, even as he tells his story, he fails to understand the strange and radical prophet that his friend has turned into.