“Breathe the Holy Spirit”

Pentecost Sunday (C)
May 23, 2010
John 20:19-23 “As the Father sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Today is Pentecost Sunday – also known as the birthday of the Church. This was the day when the disciples received the Holy Spirit and transformed themselves from simple timid fishermen to energetic charismatic disciples of Jesus. That was the work of the Spirit.

As we celebrate this feast, it is good to stop and reflect for a while the state of the Catholic Church today. The Church is under serious attack from many parts of the world. We are scandalized and discouraged from the news of scandals done by the clergies; even Pope Benedict VI is not spared from the attacks. Although we know that scandals are widespread in many religious and social institutions, we cannot not help but ask ourselves, “What’s happening in the Church? Who are our enemies? What do we do now?”

Since the beginning, the Church enemies – kings, emperors, anti-catholic groups and individuals, atheists, schisms, new ideologies – have tried in vain to destroy the Church. They failed and the Church flourished. In the midst of persecutions and crisis, God intervened and raised Spirit-filled men and women to save the Church. That was the work of the Spirit.

Today is a different story. Our real enemy is more dangerous, cunning and knows us well. The battle fields are no longer the plains and seas, emperors’ courts, lions’ den or coliseums. Our enemy deeply hates us – the devil; and the battle ground is inside us - our hearts. With an increasing incidence of sexual scandals, broken families, hopelessness, hatred, violence, loneliness and other forms of moral, social and spiritual degradation, it’s clear that the devil and its cohorts are gaining grounds. They cunningly sneak themselves in our fears, selfishness and sins; and they control us in the process. They are desperate to take away the Holy Spirit from us; for without the Spirit - the giver of life, light, and hope - we are good as dead.

In our gospel today, Jesus gave his peace to the disciples, commanded them to preach the good news and breathed on them the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gave them new strength, hope and renewal – a rekindling of fire within themselves! When the Spirit of God rules our hearts, peace, transformation, and a sense of mission follows. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Through baptism, we received the Holy Spirit and its seven gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Do you use them in your daily discernment and dealings with others? Do you feel love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23)? They are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Live and cooperate with the Spirit and you will be renewed and empowered every day. The Spirit’s power is with us; but sad to say, we barely use it.

The Holy Spirit is with us. Now is the time to purify our hearts from all traces of evil. What areas of your life need conversion, rejuvenation or renewal? Pray to the Holy Spirit for courage, guidance, and enlightenment. Then breathe-out all your sins, fears, and doubts and slowly breathe-in God’s peace and forgiveness. Evil may come strong for us, but the power of the Holy Spirit is much greater. Listen to the Spirit and obey his promptings - and you will see wonders in your life.
For those who daily seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, every day – is Pentecost day.

“Come Holy Spirit, rekindle the fire within us, and we shall renew the face of the earth.”

- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ / Blessed Sacrament Parish, Hollywood / May 23, 2010

"Your ID please."

5th Sunday of Easter (C)
May 2, 2010
John 13:31-35 “This is how all will know that you are my disciples …”
Our gospel brings us to the last moments of Jesus where he bids goodbye to his disciples. It is very human that when we leave, we want to be remembered. He wants to give his followers a lasting sign that will distinguish them from the rest of the world – the ability to love one another (John 13:35). A passport allows us to know each others’ nationality; but our love for one another will allow others to recognize us as disciples of Jesus.

Let’ stop for a while and reflect the following paradox of life I recently read:

“We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and divided families. More conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less love; more knowledge, but less good judgment. We have more experts, but fewer solutions; more medicine, but less health. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, but don’t know how to listen. We have learned how to make a living, but not a life; we have added years to life, not life to years. We have been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour. We have higher incomes, but lower morals; we’ve become long on quantity, but short on quality. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition. We have cleaned up the air, but polluted our soul.” – Anonymous.

This paradox of life simply tells us that some of us have lost their Christian I.D.

In our gospel today, Jesus wants us to wear our Christian identity: our capacity to love one another. When we know how to love unconditionally, we become effective messengers of God’s love. People remember us not because we did great things for them; but because they felt our presence when they need us most. Anything done with great love – listening to your son, a good evening family meal, serving a cup of coffee to your dad or mom, stroll at the park with grandma, a warm morning greeting to a homeless, a surprise visit to a friend, a phone call just to say hello, a thank you note to your teacher and other small act of kindness – is worth remembering. Love spells T-I-M-E.

Do you still remember your favorite teacher in grade school or high school? I do. Her name is Miss Maria Calica. Her lovely face is still vivid in my memory. She gave me a bar of chocolate and a hug to ease my fear on my first day in school. That small act of kindness left a wonderful memory in my heart; that’s love – the disciples’ I.D.

It’s fun to walk in the famous Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Viewing the names of more than 2,000 movie stars engraved along the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard is interesting and entertaining; but everything ends there. But each time I walk through my own memory lane, it gives me joy and gratitude remembering people who touched my life - their kindness is deeply engraved in my heart. I will never forget them for the rest of my life.

- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ / Blessed Sacrament Parish, Hollywood / May 2, 2010

Cricket in the City

4th Sunday of Easter
April 25, 2010
John 10: 27-30 “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”


On our way out from the Ateneo de Manila Campus, an old Jesuit said, “I hear a cricket.” We just smiled at him. It was impossible to hear a cricket in the middle of the city noise. But he insisted, “Please stop the car and listen.” Respecting an elderly brother, we did stop for a while and we listened; to our surprise, we did hear the cricket as he told us. The Jesuit Father smiled and said, “I spent a lot of time listening to crickets when I was young. I know them well. Their sounds are music to my ears.”

Today is the fourth Sunday of Easter – also known as the Shepherd Sunday. The gospel invites us to stop, dwell in silence and listen to the voice of God - with our inner ears.

Unfortunately, listening with our inner ears is easier said than done. In the midst of other inner and outer noises that compete with God’s voice, it would entail lots of time, patience and sensitivity to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd in our hearts. The first step and the secret of listening begin with the words STOP and LISTEN.

To fully appreciate our Gospel today, we need to understand its context. Earlier in this chapter 10 of the Gospel of John, Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd loves his sheep. He is willing to do sacrifices and hard work to keep his flock safe and secured. When Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me,” it was presumed that his sheep knew him well. Thus, if we don’t have an intimate relationship with God, hearing the voice of God in the midst of other noises would be very difficult.

The call of our gospel is to deepen our prayer life and be intimately connected with Jesus. It is only in prayer that we could know Jesus the Good Shepherd; and there is no other way of knowing the Father but through Jesus. The more I immerse myself in prayer, the more I understand God’s mysterious movement in my life. And the more I listen to God in prayer, the more I understand myself - especially what God wants me to do. I admit that even in my prayer, I may not totally understand everything in my life; but to hear the voice of Jesus is enough to make me serene – I know that in the hands of God, all shall be well.



Do you have an ear for God? What are your distractions? What are three “unhealthy” voices that grab your attention and distract you from listening to God? Is it the voice of anxiety or anger or hopelessness? Is it the voice of wealth or fame or honor? If we are not familiar with the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd, we can be easily distracted and enticed by these ungodly voices that longs for our attention.

During the day, it is good to stop for a few minutes, drop what you are doing and listen to the Good Shepherd. Some of the things we do everyday can wait - net surfing, facebook, laundry, shopping, a friend’s invitation for a cup of coffee – but not God. In this busy, chaotic and seemingly impersonal society, the voice of God is too good to be ignored. Jesus the Good Shepherd is calling us to come and rest in his presence; His voice is not only music to our ears – it is music to our souls.

“The shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests
and his own are the same” – Stendhal

- Fr.Willy M. Samson, SJ / Blessed Sacrament Parish, Hollywood / April 25,2010