One of the most beautiful illustrations I’ve ever heard about the depth of our knowledge of the Lord goes like this: Before starting the day’s business, the presiding judge called on anyone from the courtroom who knew Psalm 23 and requested to share it at the front.

The phenomenon of Church people leaving or abandoning the Church has become a normal event in the life of the Church, particularly in developed countries as well as in developing nations. This crisis is nothing new to us today but somehow began in the early years of Christianity. The gospel of John affirmed this crisis: “… many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” This provoked Jesus to confront the Twelve: “Do you also want to leave?”

Typhoon Carina and monsoon rains have both had an impact on the country in recent days. Metro Manila experienced the worst flooding in most places, resulting in damage to people’s lives, homes, and livelihoods. River water levels surged as a result of severe rainfall. Many people needed shelter, food, and clothing for the next few days. People are desperate for even the most basic essentials.

The 71-year old congregation to which I belong to, took a hit early 2023 when many of our members seceded in relation to a wider struggle of the church that is dividing the institution globally. Despite being relatively small in number, we decided to move on with new leadership and vowed to continue serving and worshipping as those who came before us did. In my view, this experience has broken an old “banga”, which was molded from the grounds by diverse communities of faith journeys and witnessing experiences.

Many people sleep during Sunday services. Many people find such behavior unacceptable. Many other people understand the reasons why many people sleep during Sunday services.

But Sunday’s lection on Jesus’s homecoming paints a different picture. His townmates ask, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” Mark’s ‘The carpenter from Nazareth, the son of Mary’ (read, bastard) was a hard sell. It was certainly a hard sell for the other Nazarenes; in the Lukan version of this story, they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff.

I love quiet times. Perhaps it is the best sign of my “coming of ageing”, or perhaps it is just the way I am loving that moment when I transitioned into 60 years. No fanfare, no special 60th party. I was alone. But it was not a lonely moment. If I am affected by comparisons to other people who have celebrated their 60th with fireworks and expensive staycations, I would have been the loneliest. One of my friends even told me, seriously, “You are like an outcast!” But sure enough it was the most intimate of my celebrations ever. In the quiet and stillness of that day, God’s love became real. It was a miracle. It was a healing moment.

Today’s Sunday reading is about the threat of evil in our world. May we be reminded and inform our conscience that evil is the result of sin, and if we do not want evil to overwhelm us, we must fight against the act of sin. The first reading in the book of Genesis tells us the origin of sin. It originates both from the serpent and man by accepting temptation and by encouraging fellow humans to commit sin.

As I write this, I am now on the seventh sojourn of my life as a solitary pilgrim. I began this life after retirement when homelessness was imminent and that’s when I decided to embrace uncertainty. Embrace what is yet to come. Embrace what you don’t know. Embrace life as it comes. And that’s when I thought of volunteering for food and a place to lay my head. And it has been a most meaningful life of retirement one could ever live. A life in solidarity with the poor and marginalized is a life that is so much worth living for. A life of freedom and a life that gives the best lessons on humility. (As you age, you need more help from people, right?)

Today’s Gospel reading is taken from an extended narrative, a farewell discourse by Jesus before His arrest (John 13-17). And thanks to the Gospel writer (s) for including this poignant and comprehensive account of the last hours of our Lord before leaving the then-frightened disciples of His.

I have been away from everything familiar to me for the last seven weeks living in Antigua, Guatemala. I am learning Spanish at a language school and living with a Guatemalan family. Like a child, I am trying to learn the basics of this language. It is humbling to be told so many times that I am not getting it right and that I have to exert more effort. Walking the streets of this old Guatemalan city was a joy in the beginning but after some time reality sinks in that I am far from home. Familiar it may be after so many weeks, there is that lonely thought that I am alone and away from home.

The atmosphere of fear and doubt prevailed among the disciples. Some of the disciples at the moment have not seen Jesus after rising from the dead. They continued to be in hiding after Jesus’ brutal death on the cross in fear of being caught and put on trial as one of those who followed Jesus, whom the authorities have called a blasphemer.

Contemplate the metaphor of yeast and unleavened bread, inviting us to examine the presence of malice and wickedness in our own lives. What old ways of thinking and being, and how might we clear out the old yeast of oppressive colonial ideologies, embracing the sincerity, truth instead, and love of our kapwa-tao that lead to freedom and unconditional love of neighbor?

By this time, we, Christians are in meditation as we enter the last week before the Palm Sunday. It is the fifth Sunday of Lent and we begin to anticipate Jesus’ passion and death, before finally, getting to the promise of resurrection. In some traditions, it is called ‘Passion Sunday’ as it marks the final two weeks which ends on Holy Saturday.

The season of Lent invites us to commemorate Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. In this holy season, we are called to reflect on Christ, who was beaten by Roman soldiers, humiliated, stripped naked, wounded, hung on a cross, and suffered until death.