God Manifests His Power to Save

The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord (A)
January 5, 2014
Matthew 2:1-11
Preached at Holy Will UMC, Cavite
 

 
Introduction

Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek word επιφανεια, epifaneia, which means ‘manifestation’. It is used only once in the Greek New Testament but at least 23 times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint. Most of the time it means ‘God showing himself to people to save them’.

Originally, the Epiphany is a celebration of the ways of how God “manifested” himself to humankind. Nowadays, the Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas Season, the Twelve Days of Christmas. But in the Early Church, it commemorated the following: Jesus’ Nativity, his Adoration by the Magi, his Baptism, and his Miracle in the Wedding at Cana. We know this because of a sermon of Peter Chrysologus (the ‘golden-worded’), a fifth-century bishop, theologian, and saint. Eventually, these events were commemorated on separate days: the Nativity became Christmas and was moved to December 25; the Adoration of the Magi remained on January 6; the Baptism of the Lord was moved to the second Sunday of January; and the Miracle in Cana on third Sunday of January (in the Revised Common Lectionary, only every Year C).

The Epistle to the Hebrews says that God “…at sundry times and in divers manners spake of old to the father by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son” (1:1 John Wesley New Testament). In these events—the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, the Baptism, and the Wedding Cana—how did God manifest himself through his Son, Jesus Christ?

 

I. The Nativity: God with Us

The Nativity of the Lord was the first manifestation of God to us through his Son, Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is called עִמָּנוּ אֵל, Immanuel, ‘God with Us’ (literally, With-us-[is]-God) (Matthew 1:24; cf. Isaiah 7:14). In the Gospel of Luke, the angels sang at his birth: “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace: goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:13-14). And how is the glory of God show? By a “babe, wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger” (v. 12). As Peter Chrysologus said in his sermon, the Child was “…heaven on earth, earth in heaven, man in God, God in man, one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body.”

 

Lastly, the Gospel of John calls Jesus the “Word”: “In the beginning existed the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (v. 1). “And the Word as made flesh, and tabernacle among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” (v. 14). In Jesus Christ, “the Word…made flesh” God has spoken to us!

 

 

II. The Adoration of the Magi

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judea, as Star rose in the East and it was seen by the Magi, Wise Men from the East. John Wesley wrote in his Notes upon the New Testament:

Wise Men—The first fruits of the Gentiles. Probably they were Gentile philosophers, who, through the Divine assistance, had improved their knowledge of nature, as a means of leading to the knowledge of the one true God. Nor is it unreasonable to suppose, that God had favored them with some extraordinary Revelations of himself, as he did Melchisedek, Job, and several others, who were not of the family of Abraham; to which he never intended absolutely to confine his favors. The title given them in the original was anciently given to all philosophers, or men of learning; those particularly who were curious in examining the works of nature, and observing the motions of the heavenly bodies. From the east—So Arabia is frequently called in Scripture. It lay to the east of Judea, and was famous for gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The Magi were the first among the Gentiles to be believers of the Lord Jesus Christ (just as the shepherds were the first among the Jews to be believers in him). How did they come to believe in him. God showed them the Star in the East. About this Star, John Wesley wrote in his Notes, “Undoubtedly they had before heard Balaam's prophecy [in Numbers 24:17—G]. And probably when they saw this unusual star, it was revealed to them that this prophecy was fulfilled.”

The Bible is not a story of men struggling to know and reach God; ultimately it is God who stooped down and made himself known to men. The shepherds were not looking for the Child Jesus; it was revealed to them by the angel. The Magi were not in a search for a child who is “born King of the Jews”; it was God who brought them to his Son by the light of his Star.

 

 

III. The Baptism of the Lord

Next Sunday we will be celebrating the Baptism of the Lord in the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist. In his Baptism, God revealed his as his only-begotten Son: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight” (Matthew 3:17). Peter Chrysologus said,

Today, as the psalmist prophesied: “The voice of the Lord is heard above the waters” [Psalm 29:3]. What does the voice say? “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” Today the Holy Spirit hovers over the waters in the likeness of a dove. A dove announced to Noah that the flood had disappeared from the earth; so now a dove is to reveal that the world’s shipwreck is at an end forever.

We will talk more about the Baptism of the Lord next Sunday.

 

 

IV. The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana

The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana is when Jesus turned water into wine. Peter Chrysologus compares this to the wine and water in the Holy Eucharist. In Catholic and Orthodox churches, they follow the custom of adding a small amount of water to the wine in the chalice. (Actually, the Orthodox use warm water to symbolize the “fervor of the Holy Spirit”, among other things.)

Today Christ works the first of his signs from heaven by turning water into wine. But water has still to be changed into the sacrament of his blood, so that Christ may offer spiritual drink from the chalice of his body, to fulfill the psalmist’s prophecy: How excellent is my chalice, warming my spirit.

The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana is called as σημειον, sēmeion, which means ‘sign’ in Greek. The turning of water into wine is a sign of the power of Jesus to transform. Just as he transformed water into wine, he has the power to change people’s lives: in the next chapter, Jesus talks about a person having the need to be “born again” (3:3) “by water and the Spirit” (v. 5). This “born again experience is not mere intellectual assent (“Accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior”) but through the Sacrament of Baptism: “There we are buried with him in baptism into death, that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4)

(See sermon on turning “Water into Wine” from January 2012 here.)

Conclusion: The power to save

The theme of Epiphany is the manifestation of God to human beings in his power to save.

In his Nativity, the Lord Jesus, who is “God with us”, was born in order that “he might save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

In his Epiphany, when he was adored by the Magi, Jesus was manifested to the Gentiles by the leading of a Star. In the gifts of the Magi, he is shown as “King and God and Sacrifice”.

In his Baptism, Jesus was manifested as the only-begotten Son of God, who baptism is a prefiguring of the washing away of our sins.

In his Miracle at the Wedding in Cana, Jesus showed his power to have things and people transformed.

In Covenant with God

The Feast of the Holy Name (A)
New Year’s Eve Covenant Service
December 31, 2013
Preached at Holy Will UMC and at Noveleta UMC,
both in Cavite
 

An Orthodox icon of the Circumsion of the Lord 

Introduction

It is the practice of Methodists around the world to celebrate January 1 or December 31 with a Covenant Renewal Service. The first Covenant Renewal Service was conducted by John Wesley at the French church in Spitafields, London on August 11, 1755.

Here are some excerpts of from the Journal of John Wesley regarding the Covenant Renewal Service. On January 1, 1773, Father Wesley wrote:

1773. Friday, January 1.--We (as usual) solemnly renewed our covenant with God.

“As usual”. This means that the early Methodists have been regularly celebrating the Covenant Renewal Service for around twenty years now. Three years later, Father Wesley wrote:

1776. January 1.—About eighteen hundred of us met together in London in order to renew our covenant with God; and it was, as usual, a very solemn opportunity.

“As usual” again. Just three years later, 1,800 people attended a Covenant Renewal Service in London! Then in an entry the following year, Father Wesley described the blessings they experienced in during a covenant renewal service:

1777. Wednesday, January 1.--We met, as usual, to renew our covenant with God. It was a solemn season wherein many found His power present to heal and were enabled to urge their way with strength renewed.

 

Finally, we have the following two entries, a few years before Father Wesley died in 1791:

1783. Wednesday, January 1.--May I begin to live today! Sunday, 5. We met to renew our covenant with God. We never meet on this occasion without a blessing; but I do not know that we had ever so large a congregation before.

1785. Saturday, January 1.--Whether this be the last or no, may it be the best year of my lifel Sunday, 2. A larger number of people were present this evening at the renewal of our covenant with God than was ever seen before on the occasion.

The Early Church did not observe January 1 as “New Year’s Day”. January 1 is the Eighth Day of Christmas. According to our Gospel reading today, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day of his birth (Luke 2:21), hence it was observed as “the Feast of the Circumcision”. It is still observed as such in among the Eastern Orthodox churches.

Nowadays, the Roman Catholic Church observes this day as “the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God”. Meanwhile, the Church of England (from which Methodism came from) observes this day as “the Feast of the Holy Name” because when he was circumcised, he was given the Holy Name of JESUS--‘the LORD saves’, “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

So on this day, we have the concepts of covenant and of the holy name of Jesus. What implications does this have to us as we renew our covenant with God today?
 
I. The concept of “covenant”

According to the Bible, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day. According to the Torah, which is Jewish Law every male child shall be circumcised when he is eight days old. The covenant of circumcision was given by God to Abraham as a “token” “in the flesh” of God’s covenant with him (Genesis 17:10-14). In Hebrew, circumcision is called בְּרִית מִילָה‎, brit milah—‘covenant of circumsion’; or simply brit.

Jesus was circumcised in order for him to live and fulfill the Torah: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). John Wesley wrote,

To circumcise the child—That he might visibly be made under the law by a sacred rite, which obliged him to keep the whole law; as also that he might be owned to be the seed of Abraham, and might put an honour on the solemn dedication of children to God. (Notes upon the New Testament)

If circumcision is the “token” “in the flesh” of the Old Covenant, Christian baptism is the token in the flesh of the New Covenant.

…baptism, now saveth us, (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ… (I Peter 3:21)

Some have the mistaken notion that one has to “believe first” before being baptized. But if we look at circumcision, a Jew does not need to “believe first” in order to get circumcised. He is circumcised first and then he gets nurtured in the faith until he professes it for himself. In the same way, Christian children are baptized first and then they get nurtured in the faith until they are able to confess it for themselves—which we call “Confirmation”.

Thus, “covenant” is a sign of God’s grace. God does not make a covenant with us because we “deserve” it, but because he loved us first: “But God recommendeth his love toward us, in that, whie we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

II. The Holy Name of JESUS

When Christ was circumcised, he was formally given the name JESUS ('YHWH saves'), the name given to him through the message of an angel. In Jewish Law, a boy child was given a “Hebrew name” when he was circumcised, much like a Christian child a “Christian name” during baptism (hence, baptisms are also called “christenings”). (Jewish boys are usually given the name of one of their relatives; Christians used to name their children after the saint whose day they were born on.)

In the Old Testament, the name of God is used to bless God’s people. Our First Lesson is about the Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Benediction. It is the blessing which the LORD, blessed be he, commanded Aaron and his children to use when blessing the children of Israel.

 

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ.

יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ.

יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם.

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee;

The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

What is the Name of God? The Name of God is written as the Tetragrammaton, the four letters YHWH (יהוה). The pronunciation has long been a topic of debate. (One Orthodox Jewish website says that most certainly not pronounced as “Yahweh”.) What is the Name of God, then? I teach Hebrew in a small seminary somewhere; and I only discuss that on the day before final examination! Let’s not talk about that now.  Our second reading says,

And ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sin into your heats, crying Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)

What is the Name of God? One of the names of God that Jesus taught us is “Father”. When his disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), he taught them what we would call the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven…”

Conclusion: The Covenant Prayer of John Wesley

Before we pray the Covenant Prayer, let us spend time studying it.

The Covenant Prayer says:  I am no longer my own, but thine. Just as St. Paul wrote in the Epistle to the Galatians, “I am crucified with Christ, and I live no longer, but Christ liveth in me” (2:20).

And since “Christ liveth in me”, Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. God can put us wherever he wants, and put us with the people he wants. The Church is not an exclusive “country club” of the rich which is “for members only”. God will place is wherever and with whomever he wants.

Put me to doing. Our prayer is: Lord, use me. Put me to suffering. Oh, we love praying, “Lord, bless me indeed!” but we loathe to pray, “Put me to suffering”. But since we’ve prayed, “I am not longer my own, but thine,” if it is the Lord’s will that we suffer, so be it!

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee. Not only we are to pray for God to use us, we are also to pray that we are will to be “laid aside” for him. Exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Oh, we love to be exalted! But now let us pray: Let me be “brought low for thee”.

We love to pray, Let me be full, “pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). But we are afraid of praying, let me be empty. We love to pray, Let me have all things, but we are afraid of praying, let me have nothing. If it is God’s will that we may “have all things”, so be it. But if God says, “I will take away everything from you”, so be it. For, I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

Come now, brothers and sisters, let us begin the New Year by binding ourselves in covenant with God.

THE COVENANT PRAYER OF JOHN WESLEY

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

 

A FILIPINO/TAGALOG TRANSLATION

Hindi na ako para sa aking sarili, kundi para sa iyo.
Ilagay mo ako kung saan mo nais, ihanay mo sa kung kanino mo nais.
Ilagay mo ako sa paggawa, ilagay mo ako sa pagdurusa.
Ako ay magamit para sa iyo, o maisantabi para sa iyo,
maitaas para sa iyo, o maibaba para sa iyo.
Punuin mo ako, o alisan mo ako ng laman.
Mapasaakin ang lahat ng bagay, o mawala sa akin ang lahat ng bagay.
Malaya at buong-puso kong isinusuko ang lahat ng bagay sa iyong kalooban.
At ngayon, O maluwalhati at pinagpalang Diyos,
Ama, Anak, at Espiritu Santo, ikaw ay akin, at ako ay sa iyo. Siya nawa.
At ang tipan na ginawa ko sa lupa, nawa ay pagtibayin sa langit. Amen.

The Massacre of the Innocents

First Sunday after Christmas (A)

(The Feast of the Holy Innocents/Feast of the Holy Family)
December 29, 2013
Matthew 2:13-23

The Flight into Egypt, Coptic Orthodox icon (Image via Pravmir.Org)

 Introduction

Christmas is not the end of the Christmas season. Just as Easter is not the end of the Lenten season, but the center and the beginning of a new season, Christmas is the center of what is called the Christmas Cycle and the beginning of a new season—the Christmas Season (or Christmastide). In our Church, we have two great “cycles”—the Christmas Cycle and the Easter Cycle. These two great feasts—Christmas and Easter—are preceded by seasons of preparation—Advent and Lent, respectively. These preparatory seasons climax in the two great feast days of the Church—Christmas and Easter—which in turn are the beginning of seasons of celebration: the Twelve Days of Christmas and the Great Fifty Days of Easter. Both celebratory seasons are concluded by festival days: Epiphany is the end of the Christmas Cycle while Pentecost is the end of the Easter Cycle.

Christmas is followed by three feast days: the Feast of St. Stephen the Protodeacon and Protomartyr (among the first seven deacons of the Church and also her first martyr—Acts 6:1-7 and 7:54-8:1) on December 26; the Feast of St. John the Theologian, Apostle and Evangelist (the writer of the Gospel of John,  the First, Second, and Third Epistles of John, and Revelation) on December 28; and the Feast of the Holy Innocents on December 28. The first Sunday after Christmas is also observed in the Roman Catholic Church as the Feast of the Holy Family; and this year being Year A in the liturgical calendar, we have a reading from the Gospel of Matthew—the only place in this Gospel that mentions the “Holy Family”: Matthew 2:13-23.

(In The United Methodist Church, at least here in the Philippines, December is usually celebrated as “Family Month” and one Sunday as “Family Sunday”, perhaps for sentimental reasons: “Christmas is for family”. Might I suggest that “Family Sunday” be observed on the Feast of the Holy Family, the Sunday after Christmas?)

Matthew 2:13-23 tells of the story of the Massacre of the Innocents. King Herod the Great, in his murderous rage, ordered the killing of all boys two years old and below in and around Bethlehem. Is this an untimely message during this season of joy?

I. The Visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12).

The Gospel of Matthew tells us that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judah, Magi from the East arrived came to Bethlehem to look for the newborn King. The liturgical calendar currently celebrates the visit of the Magi on a separate date—January 6—to show that some time had already passed since Jesus was born.  When Jesus was born, the Magi saw the Star over Bethlehem. It took some time for them to travel from the East (most probably Persia, now modern-day Iran) to Judea. By the time they arrived, Jesus was probably in Jerusalem, for his presentation at the Temple, forty days after his birth (Luke 2:21-40), so the Magi followed the Star there. After conferring with Herod and the chief priests and the scribes regarding the prophecy of Micah the Prophet, the Holy Family must have returned to Bethlehem. They saw the Star over Bethlehem which led them “over where the Child was” (Matthew 2:9). After presenting him their valuable gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the Magi were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod but instead returned to their country by another way.

II. The Flight into Egypt (vv. 13-15).

Just as the Magi were warned in a dream, so was Joseph warned by an angel of the Lord of the impending danger: “Arise and take the young child, and flee into Egypt, and continue there till I shall tell thee; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him” (v. 12). Egypt is the traditional place of refuge for Israel:  In I Kings 11:40, Jeroboam, who would be king of the northern kingdom of Israel, fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon; while in Jeremiah 26:21, King Jehoiakim and his court fled to Egypt to escape the invading Babylonian army.

The Church views Jesus’ flight into Egypt as a means to reenact the Exodus from Egypt. St. Matthew quotes Hosea the Prophet: “Out of Egypt have I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). In the prophecy of Hosea, it is Israel who was the “son” which God called out from Egypt. In the Gospel, this prophecy was fulfilled when an angel of the Lord bade Joseph to bring Jesus and his mother out of Egypt after the death of Herod.

 

 
III. The Massacre of the Innocents (vv. 16-18).

When Herod released that he had been “deluded” by the Magi, he became exceedingly mad (both in the sense of ‘angry’ and ‘crazy’) and ordered the killing of all male children in and around Bethlehem two years old and younger.  (Which leads us to believe that the visit of the Magi and the massacre of the innocents occurred around two years after the birth of Jesus.)

The massacre of the innocents is a fulfillment of a prophecy of Jeremiah the Prophet (v. 18):

In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

According to the Torah, Rachel the wife of Jacob died giving birth to her second child, Benjamin, and she was buried in Bethlehem (Genesis 35:16-20). In the book of Jeremiah the Prophet, Rachel is depicted as weeping over her children, the Jewish people, as they passed through Rama before going to exile in Babylon. Rama was five miles north of Jerusalem while Bethlehem was five miles south. Thus the wailing of the mothers whose sons were murdered by Herod ten miles away!



The tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem today. (Image via RachelsTomb.Org)

IV. The Return from Egypt (vv. 19-23).

“But when Herod was dead…” (v. 19). How did Herod die? According to the Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his War of the Jews (Book I, Chapter 33). Herod had “intolerable itching over all the surface of his body, and continual pains in the colon, and dropsical turnabouts turnout about his feet, and an inflammation of the abdomen, and a putrefaction of his privy member, that produced worms.” He died at the age of seventy and his kingdom was divided among three of his sons (Archelaus in Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Herod Antipas in Galilee; and Philip in Transjordan; all mentioned in the New Testament).

Achelaus was said to be so cruel that in 6 AD he was banished him into Gaul (modern-day France) because the Jews protested to Augustus Caesar. This explains why Joseph was “afraid to go dither” and return to Bethlehem but instead went to back to Nazareth. “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene” (v. 23).

There is no prophecy in the Old Testament that contains those exact words. It could be a reference to a prophecy of Isaiah the Prophet that the Messiah would come as a “Branch” (Hebrew, נֵצֶר, netser) from the family of Jesse, father of King David (Isaiah 11:1). There may also be an allusion to the Nazirite (Hebrew, נָזִיר, nazir).

Conclusion

There are still “Holy Innocents” that are suffering and dying today. Consider the following statistics: 

• In 2000, it was estimated that there were 470,000 induced abortions performed in the Philippines; meaning that one out of three woman are getting an abortion. In 2010, there were an estimated 560,000 abortions and about 90,000 women were hospitalized due to complications. (Rappler.com)
• In 2011, there are an estimated 5.492 million working children aged five to 17 years old. (National Statistics Office)
• UNICEF estimates that there are over 246,000 street children working or living in the Philippines in 2012. (Philippine Star)
• In 2010, 4,749 cases of child abuse were reported to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). One fourth of these are children below five years old. One half of these children have been neglected or abandoned. Furthermore, 27.3% have been sexually abused through rape, incest, prostitution, or cyber pornography. (National Statistical Coordination Board)
• UNICEF airlifted $ 1.3 million worth of relief goods like water purification tablets, soap, and medical kits to help an estimated four million children who were victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Why does God allow such evil to exist? And why do we preach this during this “season of joy”? In his sermon on the Holy Innocents, St. Quodvultdues said,

The children die for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourn for the death of martyrs…. They cannot speak, yet they bear witness to Christ. They cannot use their limbs to engage in battle, yet already they bear off the palm of victory.

Thus the Church regards the Holy Innocents as martyrs of Christ.

John Wesley writes,

The preservation of Jesus from this destruction may be considered as a figure of God's care over his children in their greatest danger. God does not often, as he easily could, cut off their persecutors at a stroke. But he provides a hiding place for his people, and by methods not less effectual, though less pompous, preserves them from being swept away, even when the enemy comes in like a flood. (Notes Upon the New Testament)

 



Rachel weeping for her children.

"No Stone Upon Another"

26^th Sunday after Pentecost (Ordinary Time/UM Kingdomtide), C
November 17, 2013
Luke 21:5-19

Stones from the Temple in Jerusalem which were thrown down by Roman soldiers in 70 AD. (Photo from FreyerDrew.Blogspot.Com)

In today’s Gospel reading, we read that Jesus and his disciples were at the Temple in Jerusalem. His disciples had been admiring the “goodly stones and gifts” that adorned the Temple (v. 5). But Jesus said, “As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (v. 6).

I usually do not make references to current events in my sermons. After all, as a pastor it is my job to preach the Word of God, not to interpret current events. That’s the job of “talking heads” or commentators on television or on radio. I’m sorry, but I do not find anything uniquely “Christian” about giving current events commentaries. You don’t need to be a believer in order to give your comment about the news. Perhaps those who preach on current events do so in order to appear “contemporary”, “relevant”, and “up-to-date”.

But today’s Gospel reading mentions “there shall not be left one stone upon another”. It brings into mind the recent earthquake in Bohol. (I would have been blind and insensitive if I ignored this.) Last October 15 a killer earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit Bohol and Cebu; which was also felt throughout the Visayas and northern Mindanao. In this tragedy, more than two hundred people lost their lives. One of the things that made rounds in the news and in social media is the destruction centuries-old Roman Catholic churches in Bohol and in Cebu.

 

 

This is the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. It houses the statue of the Sto. Niño (Christ Child) which Ferdinand Magellen, “discoverer” of the Philippines, gave to one of the first Filipino converts to Catholicism, the wife of Rajah Humabon (baptized as Isabel after the queen of Spain), in 1521. (Image by Jose Farrugia via Rappler.)

This is the famous Church of San Pedro Apostol in Loboc, Bohol, said to be the second-oldest church in Bohol.

 

 

Its intricate façade was completely crumbled and its belfry, made from crushed coral, was reduced to a mere stump. (Images by Robert Michael Poole via Rappler.)

Some misguided people wrote on social media that the destruction of these churches was God’s judgment on Roman Catholicism. I do not have news of other churches—like United Methodist local churches, etc.—in Bohol or Cebu that may have been destroyed or damaged. I guess that the destruction of these Roman churches made the headlines is simply because the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country. Also, no one can deny the historical and artistic value of these centuries-old churches. I feel that saying that the destruction of these churches is a judgment from God is irresponsible and callous.

Then, barely two weeks after the earthquake, the Visayas faces a “supertyphoon” named “Yolanda” (international code name: Haiyan), which had wind speeds from 230 kilometers per hour and gustiness up to 315 km/h. The typhoon left towns and cities devastated with storm surges more than five meters high, reaching kilometers inland. As of this writing, more than 1,700 have been confirmed dead.

I asked my friends on Facebook to join in the praying an oratio imperata. In the Roman church, an oratio impeata (Latin, ‘obligatory prayer’) is prayed when a bishop asks the people in his diocese to pray for a special concern. The Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle asked Catholics in the Archdiocese of Manila to pray an oratio imperata:

ORATIO IMPERATA PARA SA PAGHINTO NG ULAN AT BAHA

Panginoon, sa hudyat ng iyong salita

sumusunod ang hangin at dagat.

Iunat mo ang iyong mapagpalang kamay

upang huminto na ang ulan at pagbaha. 

Lingapin mo ang aming mga kapatid

na ngayo’y giniginaw, nagugutom at lubog sa baha.

Pawiin mo ang lahat ng aming mga takot at pangamba.

Imulat mo ang aming mga mata

at buksan ang aming mga puso

upang makatugon kami sa pangangailangan ng bawa’t isa.

Amen.

 

ORATIO IMPERATA FOR DELIVERANCE FROM CALAMITIES

 Almighty Father, we raise our hearts to You

 in gratitude for the wonders of creation of which we are part,

 for Your providence in sustaining us in our needs,

 and for Your wisdom that guides the course of the universe.

 We acknowledge our sins against You and the rest of creation.

 We have not been good stewards of Nature.

 We have confused Your command to subdue the earth.

 The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing,

 and now we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference.

 Typhoons, heavy rains and floods occur in increasing number and intensity.

 We turn to You, our loving Father, and beg forgiveness for our sins.

 We ask that we, our loved ones and our hard earned possessions

 be spared from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made.

 We beseech You to inspire us all to grow

 into responsible stewards of Your creation,

 and generous neighbors to those in need.

 Amen.

 

Meanwhile, I was quite overwhelmed by the messages from my brothers and sisters in the Order of St. Luke in the US:

We in the Order of Saint Luke join you in this prayer. --Abbot Daniel Benedict, OSL, on the oratio imperata

Indeed we do, as Br. Abbot says, Br. Gil. Your OSL sisters and brothers hold the Phiippines in our hearts and prayers. --Sr. Cynthia Astle, OSL

Br. Gil, Joining with the rest of the order in prayers for your country, its people and those rushing aid. The pictures are devastating, but I assume you escaped most of the storms effects. --Br. Gary Smith, OSL (former US serviceman who served in Clark AFB in the 1960’s)

Abbot Daniel was anxious to hear of news from members of the Order in the Philippines:

Br. Gil, we'd appreciate hearing news from you vantage point as you have time and energy to share it, especially as you hear from other sisters and brothers in the Order and their churches.

I responded,

Dear Abbot Daniel, Most of the members of our Order live in Luzon in the north and in Mindanao in the south. Hardest hit were the Visayas islands in the middle. The devastation as seen in the news is beyond words. I personally have no news of UM's and churches in the area. Thank you for holding the Philippines in your prayers.

In today’s Gospel reading we read Jesus giving the signs of his coming: “Many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ” (v. 8); “ye shall hear of wars, and commotions… Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (vv. 9-10); there shall be “great earthquakes in divers places, and famines and pestilences” (v. 11); there shall be “fearful sights and great signs from heaven” (v. 11). There shall also be persecution, when “they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake (v. 12).

But at the end of today’s pericope, Jesus said, “In your patience possess ye your souls” (v. 19). Patience (Greek υπομονη hupomonē) here has the sense of ‘to remain’ or ‘to abide’ (hupomonē comes from the word μενω, meno, which means ‘to abide’; the same word used by Jesus in the Parable of the Vine and the Branches (John 15:1-8). Thayer’s definition says, that this is “the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”

John Wesley (Notes Upon the New Testament) wrote:

Be calm and serene, masters of yourselves, and superior to all irrational and disquieting passions, By keeping the government of your spirits, you will both avoid much misery, and guard the better against all dangers.

The message of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading resonates with what our nation is going through right now. Typhoons, earthquake, destruction of property, loss of lives—and we have not even discussed the corruption in the government! In all of these, the Lord Jesus Christ tells us: Though “there shall not be left one stone upon another”, though there shall be “great earthquakes in divers places” or whatever else, we should patiently endure, for “In patience possess ye your souls”.

 

The Filipino spirit is waterproof and unshakable...but only by the grace of God. (Image via Facebook)