“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – James 2:8

I am a multimedia person. I do audio-visual presentations, I direct TV shows and learning seminars, and I speak publicly. There was a time in my life when I charged a miniscule amount for the services I provided. Why? Because I felt that I was not worthy of charging the right amount. So I ended up with very little, considering the amount of work I put in.

       Until one day, Bo talked to me and said, “Randy, you cannot give what you do not have…. You should love yourself more.” It was only then did I realize that when Jesus said the verse above, He was, in a way, telling me to love myself. No wonder I had a hard time opening up to others. I couldn’t love them because I did not love myself enough.

       Today, I see and love myself the way God sees and loves me. Now, I charge the right amount for the services I render. Yes, I get a lot more but I love a lot more, too. I am able to help others better because I know who I am and what I am worth. Randy Borromeo (rborromeo@yahoo.com)

Reflection: Do you love yourself enough so you can love others enough too?

Dear Lord, thank You for Your love. Thank You for loving me the way You do. Teach me to draw upon Your love, my love for myself. Then and only then will I be able to share this love with others. Amen.

Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto, pray for us.

Why is it that most of the saints seem to come from poor backgrounds, and, if not, they eventually embrace a life of poverty in responding to God’s call? Maybe those who are rich, and certainly those who are attached to their riches, are simply too distracted to be able to hear the Word of God, let alone respond to it. This is why Jesus will tell us that it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

1 My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonored the poor. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves not haul you off to court? 7 Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you? 8 However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

1 [2] I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. 2 [3] Let my soul glory in the Lord; the lowly will hear me and be glad. (R) 3 [4] Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol his name. 4 [5] I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R) 5 [6] Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. 6 [7] When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him. (R)

Peter recognizes the identity of Jesus, but he still does not understand what this fully means. He has not come to an understanding that Jesus, the Messiah, will suffer in order to bring about our salvation. None of the disciples understand this until after the fact. We know how easy it is to be right in retrospect. Let us allow our faith to guide us according to His will, even when we do not fully understand what we are doing and why.

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.

27 Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” 30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

think: It is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Colossians 1-4

For my sabbatical in 2011, I took a short course at the Vatican II Institute in Menlo Park, California. In the beginning, I thought studies would wear me out, considering that I had been in active ministry for 25 years. But once there, it did not take a day for me to conclude that I would definitely enjoy that three-month holistic renewal program aimed at assisting priests in the understanding, integration and implementation of the vision and teachings of the Second Vatican Council. Why wouldn’t I? I had the chance to pray, reflect and rest. A spiritual director and a growth counselor closely journeyed with me as I bared myself before them to seek guidance as I took stock of myself. I had a group guided by a Jesuit counselor where many tearful recollections of our painful past were processed. And how could I forget the Ignatian retreat which I completed under the guidance of a Vietnamese Jesuit who lovingly reshaped my take on my priestly life?

       My experience in the Vatican II Institute, especially in our exposure to the ministry for the US churches, brought me closer to the realization that indeed the Catholic Church is universal and we are called in our service to “show no partiality as we adhere to the faith,” as mentioned in our reading today. The multi-cultural character of the US churches is, in essence, the same as what we have here in the Philippines, or anywhere else. Our service calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves. By doing so, we are demanded by our ministry to be fair and just, and never discriminate based on race, color, social status or religion. Jesus is for everyone. Salvation is for all. We need to go out, stand out, and reach out to proclaim that Christ is alive, in fact and not just in faith. And since He is alive, we too can look forward to the future with hope in our resurrection. For in the end, death and sin will be destroyed, and God will be all in all.

       I will always cherish my sabbatical in Menlo Park and the great people there who made my stay worthwhile. It has confirmed what I have already known, and reconfirmed what I still have to learn. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS

Lord Jesus, may I continue to learn from You.