Fr. Bona's Blog

 

Francis: The Joyful Pope of the Neglected, Oppressed, Vulnerable and Voiceless. 

“Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them, he parted from them and was taken up to heaven” (Luke 24:50-51).  

This text from the Gospel of Luke captures the last act of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth before his ascension. This is what came to my mind when I heard the news of the passing on of His Holiness, Pope Francis.  

Pope Francis made an unannounced public appearance at St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday. The Holy Mass was concluded at the Basilica and the crowd of worshippers and visitors were at the Square. Of course, they were not expecting to see the Pope, because all the functions he was supposed to perform had already been delegated to other appropriate ministers. Lo and behold, the Pope showed up in the popemobile. He greeted the people as he was driven around the square.   

Thereafter, the Pope went up to the main balcony of St Peter’s Basilica and from there, he imparted blessing on the people. The blessing he gave is traditionally called “Urbi et Orbi”, which literally means “to the city (of Rome) and to the world”. Such is the solemn blessing that the Pope imparts on people present in the city of Rome and on everybody everywhere in the world. This was the last public action of Pope Francis on earth, blessing the world.   

The pope looked frail but determined to see his people and to bless them. His body was weak, but his spirit was both willing and eager. He yielded to his spirit and the body followed suit. This sums up the way of Pope Francis all through his pontificate which spanned a period of twelve years (March 2013-April 2025). 

The Pope just survived a near-death sickness of double pneumonia which kept him in the hospital from February 14 to March 23, 2025. The doctors who treated him confessed that twice, they felt that all hope was gone, but that did not happen. It was not yet time. He had not yet finished the mission assigned to him by the Father. He finished it on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025.  

It was not the will of the heavenly Father that Pope Francis would depart during Lent. The spirit of Francis resonates more with Easter than Lent. His life story exemplifies both, but the joy of the Lord best describes his personality. Come to think of it: His first major publication as Pope was an apostolic exhortation entitled The Joy of the Gospel, Evangelii Gaudium, 2013. Among his other writings are: The Joy of Love, Amoris Laetitia 2016, Rejoice and be glad, Gaudete et Exsultate 2018, and A Gift of Joy and Hope 2023. These titles alone leave nobody in doubt that joy and rejoicing are central to the spirit and mission of Pope Francis. The eternal Father chose to confirm this by calling him back to glory within and as part of the rejoicing and joy of the Resurrection.  

Rejoicing and joy are inseparably connected with the spirit of gratitude in Pope Francis. After the Pope came back from the five-week admission in Gemelli hospital, Rome, he asked that a meeting be arranged at the Vatican between him and the physicians and staff of the hospital. The Pope invited them to this meeting solely to appreciate and thank them for taking care of him. He said to them, “Thank you for all that you did”. He did not want to delay the gratitude or to write a letter or card or send an envoy to thank them. He preferred to render the thanksgiving personally. He will be remembered for his spirit of gratitude and this meeting remains a tangible and concrete expression of it. 

Pope Francis will be remembered as a beacon and symbol of hope. Hope is one of the very outstanding and remarkable expressions of the spirit of Pope Francis. He inaugurated the Jubilee of Hope in December 2024 which will be concluded in January 2026. The Pope did not live to round off the jubilee year. Perhaps, it was the will of the Almighty God that the Pope would pass his spirit of hope to the generation that comes after him.   

Francis is the Pope of the needy, the poor, the oppressed, the neglected, the vulnerable and the voiceless. The official document published by Pope Francis to announce the Jubilee of Hope, Spes Non Confundit, has a list of these people for whom he spoke and fought relentlessly until death. They are the prisoners, the sick, the young, the immigrants, migrants, and refugees, the elderly especially grandparents, and the poor and hungry (Spes nos 10-15). In addition to this list is the natural environment that suffers terribly at the hands of human beings (see his encyclical Laudato Si, 2015).  

Pope Francis’ advocacy for the neglected may explain the bold steps he took to make St Joseph the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary more prominent in the liturgical life of the Church as well as raising the memorial of St Mary Magdalene to the status of a feast (July 22nd). In a world where the strong, the powerful, and the wealthy live at the expense of the weak, the powerless and the deprived, the voice of Pope Francis was like John the Baptist’s crying in the desert.   

Pope Francis lived in a guest house. There is an official residence in the Vatican City where popes live, called the Apostolic Palace or Papal Palace. Pope Francis broke with the tradition of residing in this papal residence. He chose to live in a guest house built to accommodate visiting clergy to the Vatican, called Domus Sanctae Marthae. His decision to reside in a guest house appears to me to reflect his belief that we are on earth as pilgrims of hope. Pilgrims live in guest houses. While he dedicated everything to making the world a better place, he lived in it as a pilgrim on a journey. He did not hesitate to move on when the call came in the early morning of Easter Monday April 20, 2025.  

While I was putting this reflection down, I saw myself many times writing St Francis instead of Pope Francis. I kept canceling saint and replacing it with pope. I pray that the heavenly Father would honor Pope Francis with this title both for God’s greater glory and example for us to follow. For as I remember the Pope, I recall the words of Scripture which says, “Remember you leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).  

Thank you, Pope Francis. Thank you for all the sacrifices you made to lead the Church and the world the way you did. Thank you for the “yes” you kept saying to the Holy Spirit for direction. Thank you for the courage you showed in the face of many challenges. In all, I thank God who called you to be the visible vicar of Christ on earth, and who honored you with a close association with his glorious Resurrection. Adieu.  

© Fr Bona 2025. April 22.  

Happy Easter, dear Saints 

After forty days of preparation (Lent), which brought us to the days of the passion of the Lord that started on the Palm Sunday and ended on Holy Saturday evening, we eventually came to the great day of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. With joy and gratitude that are immeasurable, I wish every member of our community “Happy Easter”.  

Easter is one day that is celebrated for fifty days. Every day in these fifty days is Easter. This day is made by the Lord for us to rejoice and be glad in it. Alleluia is our Easter song. We praise God and glorify him because he raised his Son Jesus from the dead for our sake.  

The resurrection of Christ happened for our sake. Jesus did not need to rise from the dead. Whether he rose from the dead or not, Jesus is God who is perfect in himself. He rose from the dead to perfect our salvation by re-creation and renewal.  

What Jesus raised from the dead is the human body that he assumed from his mother the Blessed Virgin Mary. Human nature was condemned to corruption, weakness and decay by the fall of Adam and Eve. By his Resurrection, our nature has been radically transformed. We became children of the Resurrection and are given an inheritance of a new life that will never end. Jesus gives us this assurance when he said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14: 19).  

My joy of the Resurrection started on Easter night as I participated in the celebration during which a number of our NDP students received new life through the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist). The Church of St Bernard of Clairvaux, Scottsdale was aglow with the radiance of God’s glory. Together, we renewed our relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father.   

As I participate in the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ and of the mysteries of our salvation in this Easter time, what keeps coming to my mind are questions that Jesus asked his disciples during the Last Supper. As it is written, after Jesus had washed the feet of his disciples, he took his seat and said to the, “Do you realize what I have done for you?” (John 13: 13). Jesus asks us the same question: Do you realize what I have done for you by my Resurrection?  

I pray that as we go through the fifty days of Easter celebration, we will come to realize what Christ did for us and enjoy the full benefits of his Resurrection.  Happy Easter. 

© Fr Bona. 2025.  

Holy Week, Triduum, and Easter 
This was shared with our students at our Holy Thursday Prayer Service. 

 

Holy Week.  

• The Holy Week refers to the last week that the Lord Jesus Christ spent on earth  

• This last week of Jesus on earth is crucial to Christian faith and human salvation.  

• Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday (Sunday before Easter).  

• Technically, Lent brings us to this week which begins the passion of the Lord. 

• The passion week is more intense than the ordinary period of Lent. 

• This week is holy because of the events that took place in it.  

• The last three days of the holy week are the most valuable days in Christian history. 

• These three days are altogether called Triduum.  

• Triduum is the Latin word for three days.  

• The Triduum includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. 

• During the Triduum, Christians focus attention on three things: 

• The Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. 

• These three events are called the Paschal mystery of Christ.  

• We are gathered to reflect on and celebrate these mysteries of our salvation.  

• It is good to note that Jesus suffered, died and rose from the dead for the salvation of the world, and not for Christians only. 

• Therefore, the fruits of our celebrations are for the good of everybody.   

Holy Thursday  

• This is the day that Jesus gave or donated himself for human salvation. 

• It is the day of self-donation or self-giving. 

• He said to his disciples: Take, “This is my body”, “This is the chalice of my blood”. 

• This happened during his last Supper with his disciples.  

• This is the establishment of the Holy Eucharist. 

• Today is the anniversary of the establishment of the Holy Eucharist.  

• Jesus concluded his actions of self-donation by saying, “Do this in memory of me”.  

• What did Jesus ask us to do in his memory? 

• Jesus wants us to continue the Eucharist.   

• The Eucharist is like a coin; it has two sides; the ritual and practical sides.  

• The Gospel of John sheds light on the practical/service side. 

• Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. 

• He ends the action by asking the disciples to continue doing what he did. 

• On this day, Jesus made the Eucharist the principle of the life of the world.  

• The Eucharistic principle means that life is made possible We too should give our bodies and blood to others in the same way that he did to us 

• The Gospel of Matthew 25: 31-46 shows us how we can give our bodies and blood to others.  

• “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, thirsty and you gave me something to drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, sick or in prison and you visited me” (v35-36).  

• This is symbolized by the washing of the feet. 

• The washing of the feet is a life of service, servant leadership, and practical charity.   

• Like a coin, the Eucharist has two sides: ritual and practical sides.   

• This is why at the end of the ritual celebration of the Eucharist, we are dismissed to go and “Go and proclaim what we have celebrated by the witness of our lives”.  

• Thus, everybody is a minister of the Eucharist.   

On Good Friday 

• On this day, our attention is completely fixed on the cross of Christ. 

• The cross is a central Christian symbol. 

• 1 Cor 1: 22-23: The Jews demand signs, the Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified.   

• The cross is not the physical wood that Jesus carried and which he was crucified. 

• The cross refers to the totality of Christ’s suffering and his death.  

• The body and blood that Jesus gave on Thursday is seen physically on the Cross.  

• The ritual of Thursday is completed by this physical reality.  

• Holy Thursday and Good Friday are inseparable; one is not complete without the other. 

• The Eucharist combines the events of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. 

•  Therefore, the Eucharist is both meal and sacrifice.  

• The Cross that Christ carried includes   

1. mental agony that started at the garden of Gethsemane,  

2. deprived of sleep from Thursday evening until his death on Friday,  

3. being falsely accused of things he never said or did,  

4. denied justice; Pilate found him innocent and yet condemned him, 

5. scourging at the pillar (he was tied to a stake and flogged mercilessly),  

6. the physical weight of the heavy rough wood laid on his bruised body,  

7. falling on a rough path, out of tiredness, hunger, and loss of breath,  

8. the humiliation of being stripped naked in the full view of everybody,  

9. the indescribable pain of the nails driven into his body on the cross,  

10. the agony of being suspended on the cross for hours, 

11. the feeling of abandonment by people and his Father, 

12. dying in agony (this was the culminating point of the suffering).  

• By his suffering and death, Christ saved the world.   

• This is the event that makes this Friday good; It is Good Friday. 

• This is the Christian Valentine’s Day. Celebration of one who died for others to live. 

Holy Saturday/Easter 

• Christ’s body lay in the tomb all through this day. 

• On this day, the world had the deepest experience of hopelessness.  

• Darkness reigned over the world as was the case before creation (Genesis 1: 2) 

• As Jesus was in the grave, the whole of creation stands still in silence. 

• There is silence everywhere.   

• Suddenly, God acted, broke the silence, and dispelled darkness.  

• They were dispelled by the Resurrection of Christ.  

• The Risen Lord destroyed death and restored hope for the world forever.  

• The Easter celebration begins tonight with the ceremony of light. 

• We celebrate the victory of life over death, the victory of the life over the grave.  

• This celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection will continue for 50 days.  

• It will end on Pentecost day.   

Expectations 

• During this time of the holy week the following is expected of us  

• Active participation in the ceremonies. 

• Be in a state of good relationship with God (Confessions can be helpful).  

• Show gratitude for what Christ did for us by word and action. 

• Put into action the lessons from the celebrations of the week. 

© Fr Bona, 2025.  

 

Judgement became part of the human history because of the unfortunate disobedience of Adam and Eve. Their Fall brought about the institution of the throne of judgement for human beings (Genesis 3: 13-19). Over time, through Moses, the law came into existence, which served in sustaining the throne.  

In God’s own time (the Kairos), the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came and changed our history. By becoming human (his incarnation), the Son of God became the Son of Man. Through his life, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension into heaven and sending the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus established a new throne, the throne of grace, which overturned the throne of judgement. The Scripture says, “From his fullness we have received grace upon grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1: 16-17).  

The throne of grace was established for our wellbeing and eternal redemption, and there is an open invitation to us to approach it. The invitation reads, “let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace when we need help” (Hebrews 4: 16). From this text, we can identify three important things: (1). We are invited to come to the throne of grace (2). The reason for the invitation is stated; it is for timely help (3). We are told how to respond to the invitation; come with confidence.  

The tone of invitation to something that is for our wellbeing and redemption is congruous with the nature of God to respect our freedom and not force anything down our throats. The human being is by creation a person in need, a person who is not complete in himself, a person who is dependent. He was created male and female (Genesis 1: 27). This implies that the man is not complete without the woman and the woman is not complete without the man. They were created in the image and likeness of God, which denotes that the male and female together are not complete without God. Moreover, the Fall brought about other needs such as healing and forgiveness and introduced inordinate and disordered cravings into human needs.  

Thus, we humans are constantly in need of help; of forgiveness when we sin, healing when we are sick or hurt, comfort when we are in sorrow, nourishment when we are hungry, companionship when we feel alone or abandoned or emotionally disturbed, enlightenment when we are confused, strength when we feel weak, and so on. The throne of grace has been established for us for timely help for all our needs.   

By ourselves, we lack the qualifications, the credentials, or the merits for approaching the throne of grace. The consciousness of our unworthiness robs us of confidence. The first obvious effect that sin had on Adam and Eve was loss of confidence. They lost confidence in approaching or appearing before God. As it is written, “When they heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the garden at the cool of the evening, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3: 8). However, the invitation to the throne of grace asks us to approach it with confidence.  

Our confidence is not founded on anything we can do by ourselves or for ourselves. The Scripture says: “Not that of ourselves we are qualified to take credit for anything as coming from us; rather, our qualification comes from God…” (2 Corinthians 3: 5). The one who invites us qualifies us. His invitation carries with it our qualification for approaching the throne. The holiness we need to approach this throne comes from God; it comes to us from the throne. The consciousness of our qualification from God overrides our unworthiness. It is the enemy and not God that floods us with the consciousness of unworthiness and this he does to keep us away from the throne of grace.     

Our confidence should be supported by the fact that we are not alone. God has made it that we are always in the company of the Holy Spirit, the eternal helper, and we have the companionship of our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Guardian Angels, and all the angels and saints. It is about this that the Scripture says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us, while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12: 1-2).     

The throne of grace does not exist as an abstract or imaginary thing, or something beyond our reach. We do not need to climb any mountain or take a flight to any distant land to get to the throne. The throne is experienced in ways and forms that are concrete and approachable. Hence, the Scripture says, “Do not say in your hearts, ‘Who will go up into heaven’? (that is to bring Christ down) or ‘Who will go down into the abyss’? (that is to bring Christ up from the dead” (Romans 10: 6-7).   

In prayer and through prayer, we experience the throne of grace to find help for our needs. The word of God is also an expression of the throne of grace where we experience cleansing, healing, nourishment, strength, and enlightenment (Matthew 4: 4; John 15: 3, Hebrews 4: 12, John 15: 7). The Sacrament of reconciliation or confession is a clear and concrete expression of the throne of grace. Those who approach the throne obtain mercy, healing and peace. The Eucharist is another concrete expression of the throne of grace. At the Eucharistic assembly and table, we meet the Lord Jesus both in his word and his body and blood. Jesus continues to do everything he did when he was physically on earth and even more through his active and real presence in the Eucharist. There are other forms and ways through which the throne is experienced.   

Let us waste no time in constantly responding positively to this explicit invitation. Let us approach the throne of grace and the assurance of obtaining timely help in moments of need? 

© Fr Bona. 2024 October 25.  

Christian Call, Christian Mission, and Christian Identity 

Recently, I met a lady who during our conversation told me that she was born and baptized a Catholic, but she now attends a Bible church. I asked her the reason for the change, and she told me that her new church takes the Bible church very seriously. According to her, the Catholic church does not identify itself very strongly with the Bible. Such is the story of Christianity today.  

There are many Christian groups or churches or denomination in the world, and each of them uses one or more Christian values or symbols for its primary identity. Some identify themselves with the Bible and others with miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues or spiritual healing. Of course, the Catholic Church is not left out in this identity issue; it’s obvious marks of identity include the Eucharist, other sacraments, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Pope, celibate clergy, canon law, elaborate liturgy and so on.   

As important as all these values and symbols are, they are not the fundamental identity which the Lord Jesus Christ intended for his followers. Christ is very clear about what he wants as Christian identity; concerning this, he said, “I give you a new commandment; love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34-35). 

Christianity is a way of life and relationship established by love, in love, and for love. Christians are people called to love. For this reason, loving as Christ loved is our vocation as Christians. To be a Christian is to be a lover, a lover of God, humanity and the world. When I say that a Christian is a lover of the world, we mean loving the world in the sense of laboring and suffering for its promotion, preservation and salvation in the same way as God does. The Scriptures says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3: 16). The Christian mission is to spread love in the world until everything and everybody in it becomes both loving and lovable.  

The meaning and measure of Christian love is found in God. Just as the Father loved the world so much that he gave his only Son for its redemption, so the Son loved the world so much that he accepted to become human, and gave up his life in a humiliating death on a Cross. In Jesus, we understand what it means to love God with all of one’s heart, and soul, and strength. God loves us unconditionally and the only response that is adequate for this is love that takes the whole of us leaving nothing in reserve. This is what we find in Jesus’ love for his Father. He showed this love most vividly in obedience unto death. 

Jesus obeyed the Father unreservedly and unconditionally even in the most critical moments. The Gethsemane experience was a true test of the love of Jesus for the Father. Jesus was faced with an impending passion which appeared too heavy to bear and he wanted it to pass away. He pleaded with his Father to have the passion pass; he prayed once, twice and thrice, asking for the same thing, but the Father was silent. The Father said nothing, because he was going through the same agony with his Son, but he knew that if his Son did not undergo the passion, their agreed plan for the salvation of the world would take a different turn. Jesus knew that it was necessary for him to suffer and then enter into glory (Luke 24: 26). So, he submitted himself to the will of the Father as he said, “not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26: 39). This is love in its purest form. 

The love of the Son for his Father did not make the passion softer for him. The passion was truly tough. The executioners kept trying Jesus’ patience. It got to a point where he felt abandoned by his Father, and he cried out: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 26: 46). Even so, Jesus still trusted fully in the Father and submitted everything to him; he cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23: 46). The love of Jesus, the Son for the Father was not based on the Son receiving everything he wanted from the Father.  

This is the love that the Lord Jesus set forth as the identity mark of his followers. Unfortunately, we leave this mark and cling to other things as our identity marks. I do not think the problem is ignorance. Not at all! We know what the mind of Christ on this matter is, but because we find it very challenging to abide by it, we settle for making up our own marks of identity. Clinging and defending our self-construed and self-constructed marks of identity are part of the major obstacles to the unity of the followers of Christ.  

The day that Christians would repent and take Jesus by his words by adopting the one and only identity chosen by him, the world will truly know that we are his followers. We shall stop hearing or speaking of Catholic identity, Pentecostal identity, Evangelical identity and so on, because there is just one Christian identity. Adopting this identity as ours is the greatest contribution that Christians would make towards the transformation of the world. The world will become a better place. Christianity will become very attractive as the way to life and eternal salvation.  

The Lord Jesus prayed earnestly for the unity of his followers and stated that their communion will be the testimony of love before the world (John 17: 22-23). A lot of effort (funds, dialogues, conferences and prayers) has been put, and is being put into Christian unity, and yet it has not yielded much fruit. The goal of these efforts, which is unity, is realizable, but it is not being realized because those seeking unity are not willing to submit themselves to the common Christian identity, vocation, and mission.    

I pray, yearn, long for, and dream of the day when we, Christians, would yield without reservation to Christ’s injunction about our call, our mission and our identity.  

       © Fr Bona 2024.  

Of all created realities, the human being is unique. The Psalmist recognizes, appreciates and thanks God for this uniqueness in these words, “I praise you, because I am wonderfully made” (Psalm 139: 14). The most striking uniqueness of the human being as captured in the biblical story of creation is that God created human beings in his image and likeness (Genesis 1: 26-27). We, humans, are the only creatures created this way.  

Equally unique about the human being is the fact that they are by constitution, flesh and spirit. They are the only creatures of God that are flesh and spirit. Other creatures are either spirit or flesh, but human beings are both. The heavenly hosts and even the devil and his legions are pure spirits. The earth and the rest of the planets are populated by species of realities that are without spirits.  

We, humans, are embodied spirits or spirited bodies. By our flesh, we share the life of all material realities in the world, while our spirit dimension connects us with the spiritual beings. 

In the beginning, the flesh and spirit were designed for a harmonious co-existence in an inseparable communion for the purpose of representing the Creator as the overall master of creation (Genesis 1: 28). This design was terribly affected by the Fall of Adam and Eve.  

From the point of the Fall, the flesh was set against the spirit in the human being, and a sort of a battle started between the flesh and the spirit. Since the human being is made of these two realities, flesh and spirit, the battle is inevitable for him. The human life becomes a battle ground. About this battle, St Paul testifies, “I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand …. I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind” (Romans 7: 21-23). In sum, he says that “the concern of the flesh is hostility towards God; it does not submit to the law of God” (Romans 8: 7). 

The flesh is not essentially evil, but it is weak. The Lord Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26: 41). Based on the weakness of the flesh, it is easily and readily hijacked by the evil one for its destructive works. The Lord Jesus does not leave us in doubt about what the enemy the devil does in our lives; he comes to steal, to destroy and to kill (John 10: 10a). So, we can see what a mistake it is for any human being to allow the flesh to lead or control or direct his or her life.  

Therefore, the Scripture repeatedly invites us to be filled, led, controlled, directed and possessed by the Holy Spirit. The reason is simple; “It is the Spirit that gives life, and the flesh counts for nothing” (John 6: 63). Moreover, “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Romans 8: 14).  

How do we know those who are led by the flesh or by the Spirit of God? This is not something that is determined through voting, debate, argument or human logic. Jesus tells us the simple way to know this, “by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7: 20). The flesh shows itself in immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of anger, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, etc (Galatians 5: 19-21). On the contrary, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23).  

From their fruits, we know if and who is led by the flesh or the Spirit. We can know who is winning or has won the battle between the flesh and the Spirit as individuals, families, workplaces, institutions, or society. Our human spirit can take a lead of the flesh only when it is strengthened and possessed by the Holy Spirit.   

Task: (a) To take concrete steps to dethrone the flesh and enthrone the Spirit as the master, ruler, leader, director of our lives, families, schools, society, churches, political/economic systems. (b) To make a fundamental choice for the spirit to lead. (c) To multiply and fill the world with of the fruit of the Spirit in the world.      

Prayer: For a harmonious human living wherein the Spirit of God leads, directs and controls all that we say and do in the flesh.   

© Fr Bona. 2024, October 16.  

The Learned, the Wealthy, and the Powerful Seek Jesus

In the fourth Gospel, the evangelist, John reports that “there were some Greeks among those who had come up to worship at the feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we would like to see Jesus’. Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip told Jesus” (John 12; 20-22).

The Greeks in the ancient times were known for their excellence in learning. The reputed fathers of philosophy, that is, the great philosophers of antiquity: Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, were Greek. Through their learning, the Greeks greatly influenced the civilization of the ancient world. They contributed immensely to the development of politics, music, literature, science, technology, and sports. The Greek language is one the oldest written languages in the world. So, we are not surprised that the New Testament books were originally written in Greek, and from this, it was translated to other languages.

The Gospel according to Luke tells the story of a man called Zacchaeus. He was “a chief tax collector, and also a wealthy man” (Luke 19: 2) and of him it is said he “was seeking to see who Jesus was” (Luke 19: 3). The Jews hated the Romans for the heavy taxes that they imposed on them, and hated more their own fellow Jews who as tax collectors helped the Roman government with extorting taxes from them. The only thing that would have made Jews like Zacchaeus to choose this kind of work was the desire for wealth. He became wealthy but did not have the fulfilment he needed in life.

During the trial of Jesus, Pilate got to know that he was from Galilee, an area under the jurisdiction of Herod. For this reason, and since Herod too was in Jerusalem at the time, Pilate sent Jesus to him to try him. The Scripture says that “Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him for a long time…” (Luke 23: 8).

Herod Antipas was a great political power of his time. He was from a noble and royal family. His father, Herod the Great was the one that massacred the innocent children with the intention of having Jesus killed. Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptist and ordered him to be beheaded (Matthew 14: 3-12). This was how powerful he was, and yet, this powerful man had a long-lasting desire for Jesus.

Learning, wealth and power represent the great ways, things and positions that men and women in the world desire and seek. People make extreme sacrifices to have these and those who have them are usually admired and accorded respect and honor in society. As good, and as useful as learning, wealth and power might be, they do not guarantee lasting peace, joy, fulfilment, or satisfaction. They are not solutions for the restlessness and emptiness that human beings feel within them.

Jesus has all it takes to give us rest, and he invites us: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11: 28). This invitation is for all, particularly the learned, the wealthy and the powerful. The learned, the wealthy, and the powerful need Jesus and they seek him.

© Fr Bona. 2024, October 1.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, some wise men from the East came to Jerusalem in search of him. According to them, they saw his star in the East and came to worship him (Matthew 2:1). When they saw the child with its mother Mary, they prostrated themselves, worshipped him, and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2: 1-11). These men are traditionally and popularly known as the “wise men” or “the Magi”.

Wisdom, as the ability to make right judgements and to follow a sound course of actions in life, is a value, a virtue and a gift that is highly cherished by people in every age and land. Most human beings desire wisdom and wish to be counted among the wise. The love of wisdom, philosophy, is the mother of all intellectual pursuits.

The Old Testament has a collection of books known as the “Wisdom books”. These books: Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom, Psalms, and Song of Songs, educate people on the meaning, importance and operations of wisdom, and invites them to be wise.

Beyond the Old Testament’s emphasis on wisdom, and its belief that all true wisdom comes from God, the New Testament identifies wisdom with Jesus Christ. The Scripture calls Jesus Christ “the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 24). He is “God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2: 7).

Jesus repeatedly called the attention of his followers to the need for them to be wise. He concluded the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7), with these words: “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock….But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand” (Matthew 7: 24,26).

The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13) is one of Jesus’ teachings about the importance of wisdom. Virginity is a symbol of purity and innocence. All the ten were virgins, but five of them were wise and the other five, foolish. The foolish virgins lost out because they lacked wisdom.

While sending out his disciples on mission, Jesus gave them this instruction: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, therefore, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10: 16). The parable and the instruction show that innocence without wisdom is not sufficient for success in life and salvation.

In Jesus Christ, wisdom became revealed not just as a value or virtue, but as a person. True wisdom cannot be conceived outside Christ Jesus. So, we can understand why the men from the East who came looking for the new-born Jesus are called wise. They are wise on account of their actions in relation to Jesus: they sought Jesus, when they found him, they worshipped him, and they gave him the most precious gifts that they had.

In sum, we can confidently say that they are wise who seek Jesus. They are wise who worship him. They are wise who offer him the best of their treasures. They are wise who listen to him, and they are wise who abide by his words. Human actions, decisions, and choices are wise to the extent that they in Christ, through Christ and with Christ. Such is the wisdom that guarantees the journey of humans through time to eternity. The choice is ours to make, to join or not join the company of the wise. Think of wisdom, think Jesus!

Relationship is something that every human being needs for a meaningful existence. People do not just need relationships; they need lasting ones. Times without number, I hear people say that they want somebody with whom to spend the rest of their lives, and by this, they mean either a wife or a husband. Well, marriage is one of the lasting relationships in human life because it is usually “for better, for worse”, that is, for life.

However, there is no human being that can spend the rest of his or her life with us. This is just the fact. Parents and their children cannot spend the rest of their lives together. Husbands and wives cannot also do so. Friends cannot be there for one another always. There are times when we cannot be there for the people we care for and love.

Jesus is the only person with whom we can spend the rest of our lives. He is the only one who has been with us right from our conception, who is with us throughout our life on earth, and will be with us in eternity. Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1: 23).

A personal relationship with Jesus is necessary for human existence. For this reason, every human being is called to a personal relationship with Jesus. This call is not for members of any religion or Church but every man and woman in the world. We are called to be in relationship with Jesus as brothers or sisters, disciples, companions, and friends.

One of the mistakes that people make is that they associate Jesus with religion, Church, morality, or heaven. So, when one speaks of Jesus, they immediately think of religion or Church. This mistake goes to the point that people transfer their anger and disappointment with a religion or Church to Jesus.

Well, the Christian religion takes its origin from Jesus and the Church is the body of Christ, but Jesus did not come for the sake of any religion or any Church. He came to save the world, which includes everybody and everything. This is what the Bible says (John 3: 16): “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him will have eternal life”.

As soon as we get to know who Jesus is, our need for a relationship with him becomes clearer to us. Let us take a few passages of the Bible that shed light on who Jesus is for us. In John 14: 6, Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”. In John 8: 12, Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life”. In John 8: 36, Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, then you are truly free”, and in John 10: 10, Jesus said, “I came that they might have life more abundantly”. This is Jesus.

Jesus is everything we need as humans (the life, light, freedom, truth, and way) to be and to do everything is life. So, when we think or talk of Jesus, we have in mind the source of our needs for meaningful existence.

A relationship with Jesus begins with an encounter with him, which can happen in diverse ways, times, and places. Prayer, the word of God, the Eucharist, retreats, works of charity,

and meeting with people are means of encounter with Jesus. The places of encounter with him include the family, school, Church, workplace, etc.

The NDP campus offers us many opportunities of encounter with Jesus. Some of these opportunities include places, people and symbols: the chapel, celebration of Masses, exposition of the Eucharist, monthly adoration, sacrament of reconciliation, devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary especially through the praying of the rosary, daily Examen, retreats, Kairos, visible religious symbols like crosses, chaplets, holy pictures, and so on. Any of these can generate an encounter with Jesus.

Like every healthy personal relationship, our relationship with Jesus requires commitment to presence and communication. Our relationship with Jesus can be measured by the intensity of our presence and communication with him. Sometimes, being present with Jesus requires setting apart time and place for encounter, but often, it does not. The Eucharist gives advantage to Catholics in terms of presence. He is always they for us. Essentially, presence with Jesus is more a matter of consciousness; being aware of his presence with us. This can take place at any time and in any place.

The awareness of Jesus’ presence with us gives rise to communication; we say something to Jesus or listen to him speak to us: “Good morning/afternoon/evening Jesus”, “I know you are with me”, “I love you”, “I need your help now”, “I am sorry for…”, “Please, bless…”, “Thank you for…”, “Bye”, etc. Silence is an effective way of presence and communication.

Having and building up a relationship with Jesus has some challenges. Jesus is not as physical to us as he was to people during his earthly life. Relating with a person that is not visible to us requires faith and imagination. Jesus is not popular to many people in the present generation. Relating with him is like moving against the tide of peer pressures and societal resistance. The enemy, the evil one, because his plans towards us is to kill, steal and kill (John 10: 10), does not want us to be in relationship with Jesus. God has provided us with power to overcome these challenges, namely, our faith and the Holy Spirit. We shall take time to reflect on these gifts later.

My prayer is that we discover and appreciate our need for a relationship with Jesus Christ and have the courage to live by this discovery. Amen.

© Fr Bona September 9, 2024.

15 Minutes with Mary

Praying the rosary is a way of spending quality time with Mary. The Rosary is one of the most beautiful prayers in human-Christian history. It is spending time in the company of Mary.

The Scriptures portray Mary as one who loves the company of people. She is every time seen in company. In the house of Elizabeth, with Jospeh, with Joseph and Jesus, in the wedding in Cana in Galilee (John 2), with the other women at the foot of the Cross (John 19), with the disciples at the Upper Room after the Ascension (Acts 2).

Mary craves the company of people not primarily because of her need but for the sake of the needs of others. She was there for Elizabeth, for the wedding family, for Jesus and for the disciples. Her constant apparitions are for the same purpose.

If there is one person whose company we need in life, it is Mary’s. In her company, we experience God’s favors. Think of the wedding in Cana in Galilee; Jesus and his disciples were there at the wedding, but if it were not for Mary’s presence, the wedding would have ended in obvious shame. The shame was averted because Mary was there.

Mary is the highly favored of God (Luke 1: 28). She is the most highly favored of all the children of Eve and Adam (Luke 1: 42). Favor can be contagious. By associating closely with the favored, we become favored too. Those in need of favor should seek Mary’s company.

Mary is a person of joy. She has a rejoicing-spirit. Her song is a song of praise and rejoicing (Luke 1: 46-55). She is the kind of person we should fellowship with. Joy radiates joy.

The company of Mary gives us an assurance of Jesus’ presence. We cannot have Jesus without Mary. What God has joined together; no human being should separate.

Time spent praying the rosary is time spent with Mary. Five decades of the rosary takes about 15 minutes. Habitually having fifteen minutes with Mary can greatly contribute to transforming our world.

© Fr Bona, 2024, September 3.

Thanksgiving and our Salvation 

We are in the Thanksgiving week. Thanksgiving is on the air, in the malls, in our homes and workplaces and, in fact, everywhere. This annual celebration is typically American, though there are similar practices in other countries in the world. It all started as an agrarian feast of thanksgiving to God for a bountiful harvest, but over time, one wonders about how many people still remembers the original signification of this celebration. Nonetheless, even if the original reason for the celebration is no longer clear to many people, there is hardly any American that does not know that thanksgiving is at the heart of the celebration of thanksgiving.  

Almost everybody looks forward to the Thanksgiving; some because of the fellowship of relatives and friends associated with and others for the holiday and the opportunity it offers for travels and rest. In all, Thanksgiving brings joy to people’s hearts. One of the most interesting things about the Thanksgiving is that it shows how America as a nation situates the gratitude at the center of its national values. There may be nothing more than this that teaches the people the lesson of thankfulness as a way of living.  

I wish to remind us that thanksgiving is not only a cherished human value, but above all, a way to eternal salvation.  The source and summit of Christian life according to the teaching and practice of the Catholic Church is the Eucharist (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, no. 11). The term “Eucharist” comes the Greek word eucharistia, which means, “thanksgiving”.  Every celebration of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church begins with a Preface, which is, “is a formal thanksgiving that comes before or is part of the Eucharistic Prayer in the Catholic Mass” (AI Overview). The opening of the preface reads: “It is truly right and just, our duty and salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Father most holy, through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ”. So, giving thanks to God is our salvation. 

The truth about how thanksgiving connects with human salvation can be seen in the story of Jesus’ healing of ten lepers (Luke 17: 11-19). Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and some, ten, lepers saw him; they stood at a distance and cried out to him in a loud voice; “Jesus, Master, have pity on us” (v.13). Jesus responded and sent them to see the priests. On their way, they received healing; they were cleansed. Realizing this, one of them, the only Samaritan among them, returned to thank Jesus.  

On the return of the one leper, Jesus wondered aloud why it was only him out of the ten lepers that came back to give thanks. He said to the one leper, “Rise and go, your faith has saved you” (Luke 17: 19). Some biblical translations of the text read, “Go your faith has made you well” or “Go, your faith has made you whole”. Making well or making whole does not bring out clearly what happened and what Jesus said. The physical healing of the man in question had taken place along with the other nine lepers, so Jesus spoke about something different from and beyond physical healing. The translation which says, “your faith has saved you” is more accurate. It agrees with the test in Latin which reads: “vade quia fides tua te salvum fecit”. Therefore, we can affirm that Jesus spoke about the salvation of the leper that returned to give thanks.  

Coming back to give thanks brought salvation to the Samaritan leper. All the ten lepers received physical healing from Jesus, but only one of them had salvation in addition. The physical blessing from Jeus such as healing or other favors does not mean salvation. An encounter with the Savior, Jesus Christ, is needed for salvation; it was gratitude that brought the healed Samaritan leper to this encounter with Jesus. He came back to thank the one who transformed his life by healing and he received a gift of a higher value, salvation.   

Our “Thanksgiving” as a nation and as individual families and persons, for the material benefits we have in life can be a step capable of leading us to availing ourselves of eternal salvation. This would happen when our thanksgiving leads us to an encounter with the ultimate giver of all the favors we have. I wish and pray that in our annual Thanksgiving celebration there be a recognition and/or rediscovery of the dimension of the ultimate giver. Happy Thanksgiving to All.   

© Fr Bona 2024.  

Welcome to Advent 2024 

Every year, the liturgical or Church’s year begins with Advent. This period of four weeks is set aside to lead us to appreciating afresh and more deeply the first coming of Christ to the world, to pay closer attention to his continuous coming to us in various ways throughout our lifetime, and to prepare us for his final coming in glory. In concrete, Advent brings us to Christmas, which celebrates Jesus’ first coming, his continuous coming in sacraments particularly the Eucharist, and in the needy, and anticipates his final coming.  

Sometimes, as people who are used to having Advent come and go every year, we tend to lose sight of its meaning, and thus fail to experience its power to transform lives and the world. We do not sufficiently realize the implications that Advent has for our earthly life and eternal salvation.  

Advent is a moment of grace that draws our attention to God’s promises, and the plans he has for us in this life and in the life to come. Without neglecting the past and the present, Advent focuses strongly on Christ as our hope, the Alpha and Omega of history. This is why expectation and waiting are key elements of the season of Advent.   

Human life is lived in expectation and hope of things that are not immediately seen or available in the present. For this reason, humans can rightly be described as advent people. Our lives are greatly oriented to, conditioned and sustained by hope that points to the future. The Scripture rightly says that we are saved in hope (Romans 8: 24). This saving hope is in Jesus Christ.  

Experiences of excessive anxiety, unfulfilled expectations, despair, and loss of meaning that characterize the lives of many people in society today can be redressed through the power of the spirit of Advent. Recognizing, accepting and living the message of Advent will bring about a better world and assurance of eternal life.  

For us Christians, our waiting, expecting, and hoping for the fulfilment of God’s promises is not a time spent in idleness or inactivity. It is rather a time of active service or stewardship. The fulfilment of God’s promises requires that people put in their best in doing what is right and just. This calls us to have a concrete agenda for Advent; steps to take and things to do for a fruitful Advent.  

As we go through the season of Advent this year, let us pray and hope for the renewal of lives, families, the Church, and face of the earth, and for our eternal salvation, through active cooperation and co-working with God for the fulfilment of his promises.   

© Fr Bona 2024.  

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary  

(Readings: Genesis 3: 9-15, 20. Ephesians 1: 3-6, 11-12. Luke 1: 26-38).  

 

The Immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary refers to the Church’s belief and teaching that Mary was free from original sin from the moment of her conception.  

Down the ages of Christianity, Christians believed in the purity and holiness of Mary, and as far back as the 5th Century, Christians had started to celebrate the immaculate conception.  

However, it was in 1854 that the Immaculate Conception was defined as a dogma by Pope Pius IX. This definition became necessary because people began to doubt what was all along taken for granted. A dogma is a belief defined by the Church as a revealed truth which every member of the Church is expected to believe. Four years after this definition, precisely, in 1858, Mary appeared to a young girl by name Bernadette in Lourdes, southern France; during the apparition, the girl asked the lady who appeared to her to identify herself. Her response was, “I am the Immaculate Conception”.   

Immaculate conception begs the question: What is Original Sin? The reality of sin in human life cannot be denied by anybody. Nobody can also deny the fact that there was a first time that sin happened in human history. Original Sin refers to the First Sin that was committed on earth. And the Bible reveals to us that the first sin was committed by the first man and woman that God created, Adam and Eve. We know the story of the sin of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2: 16-17).  

Consequence of Original Sin: By their sin, Adam and Eve lost God’s friendship. All their children were born into the condition of lost friendship with God. If we become citizens of a country simply because we are born by parents of the country, it is not difficult to understand the claim that by being born of parents who had lost God’s friendship, the children of Adam and Eve found themselves in the same condition as their parents. Thus, every descendant of Adam and Eve falls short of God’s grace and glory at conception and birth. This is what the Scripture means when it says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3: 23). The immaculate conception means that Mary was an exception to this rule. Mary was full of grace and glory of God at conception and birth.  

How did it happen that Mary was conceived and born without original sin? The answer is simple: It was God’s doing, not Mary’s. God exempted her. The Scripture (our second reading) says that God “accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will” (Eph 1: 11). The practice of exemption is not something foreign to us human beings. For example, in soccer, the use of hands on the ball is forbidden. Handling the ball with the hand is an offense that attracts serious penalties. However, two persons are exempted from this rule, namely, the goalkeepers. They are exempted from the rule because of their role in the game, which is, guarding the posts. This was the case with Mary. 

Why was Mary exempted from the rule? Was it necessary that Mary be immaculately conceived? God exempted Mary from sin for the sake of the mission of bringing forth his Son to the world. The angel said to Mary, “The child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Luke 1: 35). Since an unclean vessel can make its content unclean, it was necessary that the vessel from which the holy one of God will come to the world will have to be holy.   

How did the Church know about this? The knowledge about Mary’s immaculate conception came from the Scripture. The Bible does not explicitly use the word immaculate conception, but it affirms it. When the angel Gabriel appeared to announce the birth of Christ, he also made a revelation of Mary’s identity, who she is. The angel addressed Mary in these words,  

• “Hail, (Mary), full of Grace, the Lord is with you” Luke 1: 28 
• Chaire, kecharitomene, kyrios meta sou (Greek). 
• Ave (Maria), Gratia Plena, Dominus tecum (Latin).  

First, the angel greeted Mary, then, went on tell her who she was, that she did not even know about. She is one filled with grace or grace filled.  

The Greek word Kecharitomene implies an action completed in the past. In other words, the angel was announcing what Mary will be but what she already was.     

That Mary was full of grace was not a greeting but her identity. Grace is the life of God in human beings and the world. Grace is the opposite of sin, which is a condition of lost friendship and communion with God. Where grace is full, sin is absent. One who is full of grace is sinless. Thus, from the words of the Scripture comes the logical conclusion that Mary was exempted from the condition of all the other children of Adam and Eve.  

Lessons: This story about Mary tells us that (1) Mary is special. Sometimes, some people think and say that we overemphasize Mary and give her too much importance, and honor, and that we worship her. Well, the point is that all the honor and importance that the whole world can accord Mary over a period of one billion years cannot come close to the honor that God has done to her. Whatever we do as humans falls short of who she is. (2) God takes time to prepare for what he intends to do. God takes time to prepare person, places, and thing chosen by him for missions. Our stories are not different. We did not come to this world or become humans by chance. God’s plan for every huma being goes even before our conception, and each is created with some missions in mind. God bestows on us different abilities to carry out these missions. (3) A clear knowledge or vision of our mission on earth is either discovered or revealed to us with time. Mary’s own was revealed to her by the angel. Even so, I think that the full knowledge of who she is came to her after the Assumption. A perfect knowledge of who we are comes only when we are perfected in Christ. She did not identify herself as the Immaculate Conception while she was on earth because such a knowledge was not available to her. We all are different stages of the process of discovering who we are. Parents, teachers, coaches, counselors, priests, relatives, friends, colleagues, and circumstances in life all combine to help us in this discovery. When Mary’s identity and mission were revealed to her, she accepted and kept to them. Thanks to this, we have the Savior Jesus Christ. (4) Holiness is fitting to God’s house. Scripture has it that we are God’s temple (1 Cor 3: 16) and that holiness is the adornment fitting for God’s house (Psalm 93: 5).             

 

© Fr Bona. 2024.  

Merry Christmas 2024 

The long-awaited Christmas is here; it is everywhere on the air. A lot of energy, time, money and other resources have gone into preparations for it. As we know, there are many sides to Christmas. It means different things for different people. For the men and women in commerce and industry, it is a time of great sales, turnovers, and profit. They start marketing Christmas before even the Churches begin to prepare for it. What Christmas is for children is not the same for the adults. The way it is celebrated in one part of the world is not as it is in others. However, in general, at Christmas, people do a lot of travels, holidaying, giving and receiving gifts, eating and drinking, fellowshipping with friends and families, decorating and beautifying selves and places, and of course, having religious programs and activities.  

Going beyond these expressions of Christmas, its truer meaning is in its revelation of the new and eternal covenant between God and humanity, the supreme love of God for the world, and the dignity of the human person.  

As far back as one can go in the history of humanity, one sees God always having a special and unique relationship with human beings. The most solemn form of this relationship is the covenants. We know of his covenants with Noah, Abraham, Israel at Sinai, David and so on. The prophet Jeremiah announced that the days are coming when God will establish a new covenant totally different from the ones he made with Israel in the past (Jeremiah 31: 31-34). This new and eternal covenant (Hebrews 8: 8; 13: 20) became fulfilled in Christmas. It is new because such has never been, and it is eternal because it remains forever. By becoming human, God bound himself to humanity in a way that has never been. In Jesus and through him, God became and will forever be human. Similarly, in him, the human became and will forever be divine. This is the new and eternal covenant made possible by Christmas. 

Christmas is the gift of the Son of God to the world, and this is an expression of God’s supreme love for humanity and the world (3: 16). We can appreciate this love more when we think of what God did to himself to make Christmas possible. For Jesus to be born, he was first conceived and carried in the womb. This means that the God of all creation, the infinite, the immeasurable, and the limitless contracted and accommodated himself as a fetus within the space of the womb. When Jesus was born, God became a newly born baby. He accepted to be helpless and dependent on adults for his sustenance and survival. His parents had to take him away to Egypt to save him from the King Herod. We can imagine the times that Jesus was hungry or thirsty or probably beaten up by some bullies in their village. All these were crowned by the humiliating and agonizing suffering and death of God in Jesus. 

God allowed all these on himself to make Christmas happen, and he did them for our sake. We are the reason for Christmas. Christmas is for us. It is the expression of who God is for us and who we are by his definition. Christmas is God’s definitive statement about the value, importance, and dignity of the human being (you and I). It reveals and announces that we are lovable, loving, and loved. As often as we think Christmas, we think God’s love for us.  

Christmas proves the thesis that exaltation is God’s plan for humanity and the world. God’s plan for us is to raise us up, and he does nothing that puts us down. Even when he humbles us, he does it to exalt us. He began to exalt us by our creation. We are the only creatures of God that are made in his image and likeness. He blessed us and made us the caretakers of everything he created (Genesis 1: 27-28). He went further to make us his co-workers in his mission of continuing creation (Genesis 2: 19-20). He entered covenants with us as partners in relationship. At last, he became human (our Christmas). 

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the typical example of God’s exaltation of humanity through Christmas. Through Christmas, she, a human being, became the mother of God. This is unimaginable, unbelievable and inconceivable, but it is so. Christmas mandates us to reject any definition, qualification or treatment of ourselves or others as mere human beings or mere mortals. Such a definition cannot be mistaken for humility; it is rather “a transgression” against Christmas.  

Christmas leaves us with a mission. It invites us to join God in his mission of exalting, upgrading, uplifting and promoting humanity through love, sacrifices, genuine relationships, giving and receiving to the point of laying down one’s life for the other. This mission demands that we intentionally avoid, reject, and do away with everything including choices, rules, regulations, customs, traditions and practices that puts down, diminishes or destroys the human being or his dignity and destiny. Participating in this mission also implies taking positive steps to raise people up, support them to stand and direct them towards the paths of true life.   

The recognition, appreciation and personalization of this understanding of Christmas will help us celebrate it more meaningfully and fruitfully. By recognizing what God did for us in Christmas, appreciation and or gratitude follows. Personalizing Christmas implies our continuing to always make Christmas real in the world. God did not intend Christmas to be seasonal affair. The Word of God is designed to continue taking flesh in the world through us. By so doing, Christmas ceases to be a seasonal and Christian life becomes an endless Christmas.  

Oh Christmas! What a great revolution and revelation you are to humanity! We give glory and eternal praise to the God of Christmas who made Christmas for us. On earth may peace reign in and through those who recognize, appreciate and personalize the truth that Christmas reveals and represents.   

Merry Christmas, and may we be filled with heavenly gifts.   

© Fr Bona 2024.     

Let Us Celebrate Love 

Love is everywhere on the air; It is Valentine.  

Many things happen, many are happening, and will happen in love’s name. 

Some are for the valentine, some against it and some indifferent to it.  

This is what I think: 

 

If the valentine is all about love, 

Let us not shy away from love, 

Let us fill the world with active and genuine love. 

Let us make the world loving and lovable. 

 

Let us fill our lives and families with true love. 

Let us fill our work and worship places with real love. 

Let us fill our communities and society with authentic love. 

Let us teach the world how to love and what it means to love.  

 

Our God is love. 

The Father is the lover par excellence. 

The Son is the beloved of the Father. 

The Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son. 

 

Together, the Trinity teaches us what is love and how to love. 

The Father loves so much that he gives everything he has.  

The Son loves so much that he laid down his life for those he loves. 

The Spirit loves so much that he chose to live in us.  

 

Living like God is living in and by love. 

Let us appreciate and celebrate love in its purest form. 

Let us learn love and to love. 

Let us suffer and die for love. 

 

Love is patient, kind, and not pompous. 

Love is not inflated, not rude and not selfish. 

Love is not quick to anger and does not rejoice over wrongdoing. 

Love bears all things, endures all things and hopes all thing.  

 

To all who uphold true love,  

To all exemplars of the true love, 

To all who teach and witnesses to eternal love, 

I wish you happy Valentine's Day.  

 

© Fr Bona. February 2025.  

 

The Votive Candles at the NDP Chapel 

As part of the NDP participation in the celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, we now have two dedicated votive candle stands in our chapel. They were blessed on February 11, 2025, being the day the Church celebrates the memorial of our Lady of Lourdes.  

Light has a very deep significance in our Christian faith. God is light (1 John 1: 5; Psalm 27: 1), Jesus is the light of the world (John 8: 12), and light is the first act of God’s creation (Genesis 1: 3). So, light is both the person and presence of God as well as his gift. 

Votive candles and other traditions of lighting in the Church have their origin from this Christian understanding of the light. Initially, votive candles were lit by people to mark the end or fulfilment of their vows to God. The word votive implies vows. Overtime, people’s intention for lighting candles expanded to include seeking help and favors from God for both the living and the dead through the intercession of the saints. Candles are lit in memory of the dead with the intention that God’s eternal light may shine on them.  

In general, votive candles are lit with concrete intentions in mind. While lighting a candle, for example, we may pray God to accept the light in his honor as an expression of our faith in him and love for him. We may also ask the Lord to grant us some favors which we ask of him, such as direction, protection, forgiveness, healing, or success. We may light a candle to thank God for our parents, siblings, friends, teachers, students, priests, staff, and leaders. A candle may be lit to thank God for favors already received. We may simply say, “Lord, by this candle, I thank you for you for this or that favor in my life or family or Church etc.  

Traditionally, the lighting of the votive candles is accompanied by offerings or donations made to God as a form of sacrifice. Such offerings are usually not compulsory. In our community chapel, except if a person feels obliged to make money donations, I strongly suggest and appeal that in place of donations, we accompany our votive candle devotions with practical acts of charity in the form of either spiritual or corporal works of mercy.  

The spiritual works of mercy include instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, admonishing sinners, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving offenses, comforting the afflicted and praying for others. The corporal works of mercy are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned and burying the dead. These acts respond to the spiritual and physical needs of our neighbors.  

Very importantly, we should not let the idea or practice of lighting a candle as an act of faith that attracts favors from God baffle us or appear too simple or even bizarre to us. For we remember that in the land of Egypt, the Israelites were spared of the disaster of the death of every firstborn son that happened to the Egyptians by the sign of the blood of an ordinary lamb on the doorposts and the lintels of their houses (Exodus 12: 7). God has not stopped working and bestowing blessings through acts as simple and ordinary as lighting candles in our chapel provided that they are done in faith and in obedience to his words. As it was during the time of Moses, so it is now: the Church announces to us through me that we will be greatly blessed this jubilee year and afterwards through the lighting of votive candles in our chapel and other places we may find the same.  

The votive candle-stands in the NDP chapel are found at the foot of the images of Mary, the Blessed Mother of God and our mother. Thus, every candle is lit under her motherly watch. She is the same woman who was at the wedding at Cana in Galilee. She does not keep quiet when she sees us in need, her request to her son never goes unanswered. 

I encourage us to avail ourselves of the opportunity of grace that this Jubilee year affords us, using the lighting of the votive candles as one of the portals. Let us make it a point of devotion to visit the chapel to light the votive candles as many times as ever.  

We appreciate and thank God for the leadership and administration of our school and our donors through whose support we are able to get these votive candle stands.  

To God who is and who lives in unapproachable light be eternal praise both now and forever. Our Lady, Patroness of Notre Dame, pray for us.  

Long live NDP! Happy Jubilee Year 2025! 

© Fr Bona. 2025.     

Have you wondered why the Gospel text on every first Sunday of Lent in the Catholic Church is the story of the temptation of Jesus Christ? The three synoptic evangelists (Matthew, Mark and Luke) tell this story. In this reflection, I invite us to recognize, appreciate, and give thanks to God for the importance of the temptation of Jesus for our salvation. 

The temptation is a story of Jesus, the Son of God, on a face-to-face encounter with the devil. The first time that humanity came one on one with the devil was in the Garden of Eden, and the outcome of that encounter was disastrous for human history (Genesis 3). From this encounter, the devil believed that every human is the same, and thus, would fall for his promises and tricks. So, seeing Jesus in the human form, he felt comfortable engaging him in a combat. 

One of the most tempting features of the devil’s temptation of Jesus was that Jesus had the power and reason to do all the things that he wanted him to do. For example, after forty days and forty nights without food, Jesus was hungry, and he had the power to change stone to bread. He changed water into wine, fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and fish, and raised the dead to life.  

For Jesus, having the power, the reason and the need was not enough for one to embark on an action. It was particularly important to consider who is asking us to do what. No matter how necessary the issues in question appear, obeying the devil stands in opposition to God.  

The temptation reveals Jesus as one who did not need to prove himself. Human beings constantly face situations in which they feel compelled to prove themselves. Many mistakes we make or the wrongs we do in life are done in our bid to prove a point. The words of the devil, “If you are the Son of God….” (Luke 4: 3) were meant to put Jesus on the spot to prove himself. Jesus knows that he is the Son of God, and he does not have to prove himself to anybody; if at all he has to do so, it is not to the devil. We too can stand strong against temptations if we are able to resist the pressure to prove ourselves to others.   

The evangelist Luke notes that Jesus’ temptation was not a once-for-all incident. As it is written, “When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4: 13). Temptations are never a once-for-all incidence in the life of any human being. Jesus’ experience in the Garden of Gethsemane was a severe temptation. Faced with the eminence of what was about to happen, Jesus was troubled to the point of asking the Father to let the cup of his passion pass away without him undergoing it (Matthew 26: 36-46). Again, the whole of Jesus’ journey from Gethsemane to Calvary and to the point of his death was a stage-by-stage temptation that was extremely difficult to handle. The temptation was for him to say no to the cross. 

Beyond these obvious lessons that Jesus’ temptation holds for us in our journey to heaven, it has a direct impact on human salvation. The temptation is one of the first definitive actions of Christ for the salvation of the world. The temptation of Jesus is a saving act; one of God’s saving actions. Just as we say that we are saved by the cross and resurrection of Christ, so we should say that we are saved by his temptation.   

The Scripture reveals that the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3: 8). The temptation marks the beginning of this program of the destruction of the works of the devil by Jesus. Through his temptation, Jesus began the reversal of what the devil did to Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve left us with the standard that human beings cannot resist the devil. In Jesus, we have the example that a human being can resist all the temptations of the devil.  

God chose to become human to do exactly what he started doing through the temptation of Jesus. All things are possible to God, and so, he could have fixed everything he needed to do and have perfect reconciliation with humanity without becoming human. If God had done this, the devil would have remained with his history of triumph over the human being. To change this history, God chose to confront and defeat the devil as a human being. 

By the temptation of Jesus, God inaugurated a history of humanity that can stand the devil, and not fall for all his promises, traps and tricks. The old order of history that came into existence through the fall of the first Adam was reversed. Jesus removed the reproach of Adam’s defeat from his descendants and restored the confidence which humanity lost by the downfall. The feeling of utter fear and timidity of a defeated people which humanity inherited from Adam is rectified. The mistaken belief of the descendants of Adam that the devil ranks higher than them is corrected. The original plan of God is reestablished by which the Creator gave the power and authority to humans to have dominion over every created thing or being (Genesis 1: 28). All these happened, thanks to the temptation of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus did not only by his own temptation establish a new order of history, an example for us to follow, and lessons for life, but he also gave us the power to resist temptation. In the light of this, St Paul says, “I can do all thing through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4: 13). This power is the Holy Spirit, and it is readily given to all who ask for him (Luke 11: 13).  

Therefore, let us thank God for the temptation of Jesus. Let us glorify the Father who in his wisdom and love allowed the temptation to happen for our sake. Let us praise the Holy Spirit who led Jesus to the desert to be tempted and who stayed with him all through the time. We can see the sense in the Church’s tradition of placing the story of the temptation right at the beginning of our journey to Easter. To all believers, I say, “Happy Temptations of Jesus!”. Happy Lent! 

© Fr Bona. March 2025.        

Pope Francis designated this year, 2025, as a Jubilee Year of Hope. It started on the eve of Christmas, December 24, 2024 and will end in January 6, 2026.  

A Jubilee year is a time traditionally set aside every 25 years to inspire believers to experience God’s favors in deeper ways through spiritual actions like pilgrimages, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, penance, and acts of charity. These are aimed at renewing humanity and the world.  

Every Diocese, Parish, School, family and person is expected to join the universal Church to celebrate this jubilee in remarkable ways. 

Therefore, we, at NDP, wish to celebrate this Jubilee of Hope in ways that will benefit us both spiritually and physically.   

The All School Mass on January 16, 2025, will be the inauguration of the Jubilee Year celebration in our community.   

We hope to throw more light on the significance of the Jubilee Year and on the activities for our all-year celebration as time goes on.  

Everybody in the community, faculty, staff, students and parents should endeavor to take part in the celebrations of this great event.  

Happy Jubilee Year of Hope. 

Fr Bona (Chaplain)