FEAST OF ST. PAUL'S CONVERSION (B) 25 January 2009
This Sunday, we shall not only witness Jesus calling some of his apostles, but we shall also hear him appealing to us to repent and believe because the kingdom of God is at hand (cf. Mk. 1: 14-20).
Repentance is not just about one’s display of sorrow. A cursory glance in various dictionaries would reveal us that repentance is equated with regret, remorse, or shame in connection with one’s wrongdoing. Yes, these will do, but they are substantially incomplete.
If we are truly sorry for something, we must carry out certain measures in order to avoid being in circumstances that will make us fall to sin again. Otherwise, repentance is reduced to a mere sham. Fake, in other words.
For a repentance to be sufficient (and if I may add, authentic!) there has to be an about face from sin. There has to be a change of mind concretely expressed in one’s behavior. There has to be conversion.
Perhaps, we know some individuals who try their very best to change their old bad ways. For example, our friends who opt to stop smoking, a classmate who wishes to discipline himself by waking up earlier so as to avoid being late at school.
This Sunday, we are presented with an example of a man who underwent real conversion. In fact, nearly two thousand years after his conversion, he would be hailed as “The Apostle” even if Jesus did not choose him to be part of the Magic Twelve.
I am talking about St. Paul who preached the Gospel to the Gentiles (that is, the non-Israelites).
After that fateful encounter with a blinding light on his way to Damascus, he resolved to change his ways. This change is not merely limited to switching his name from Saul to Paul. The shift goes beyond this as has been evident in the course of life he took after that meeting.
Just last Sunday, I went to my place of ministry with a heavy heart. Somehow, I know the reason why.
You see, my apostolate is to take care of the chapel youth ministry in one of the far-flung barrios in the Parish of Mayapa. Not really to organize activities, but to make sure that the young people in that chapel are mobilized so that whenever the Parish would call for a meeting, somebody from the young people of that chapel would be present. But you see, there are no much young people in that area. I mean, there are of course young people in that place, but they seem to be unaware of the fact that there is such a thing as a ‘Sunday Mass.’ But then, I cannot totally blame the young people since the adults in that barrios are also missing in action.
There. More or less, that’s one of the reasons why I am disheartened to go there.
While waiting for my three young sacristans to arrive (I give them basic catechism before the Mass), I decided to take a walk within the vicinity. Seeing some actions happening in a nearby basketball court, I thought to drop by for a visit. It was nice to see some of the children playing basketball. I think most of them are about 10 years old. I tried to make a small talk with them, asking them basic questions I normally throw to new faces I’d come across with: their abode… their school… their favorites… subjects… TV programs… etc… That time, I wrapped that series of questions with an invitation for them to attend the Mass.
I was not sure if they’re just shy, but they seemed not to hear anything. I did not court any woman in my entire life yet, but that particular experience led me into sympathizing with those who got rejected. I was wretched.
The Mass was already about to start when I decided to move to another chapel (I divide myself, not literally of course, between two chapels). Moving away from that little church, I saw someone who made my heart leapt for joy. Erickson, One of the kids I met in the basketball court, was all dressed up on his way to the chapel. I threw him a wider smile as a sign of my appreciation.
He may just be one, in fact the only one, out of the many whom I invited, but seeing him going to the Church really made my day.
I recall this experience since this Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Sto. Niño.
In the Gospel following the account of the evangelist Mark, Jesus was indignant when his disciples prevented the children from coming to him. The word indignant is such a strong word. In St. Matthew’s version of the story, he merely used the word “scolded,” and interestingly, in St. Luke’s narration, nothing like that was written to describe how Jesus felt when his disciples warded off the kids from coming to him.
St. Mark’s (Mk. 10:13-17) account is worthy of note since his description of the event is supplied with so much vivid details on how Christ allowed himself to be vastly personal, awfully near, and exceptionally connected with those blessed little kids.
…And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessedthem.
But, come to think of it. There’s nothing surprising with these motions. Christ is just being consistent with his outlook to be with those who are the poorest, humblest, littlest. He once proclaimed “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (cf. Mk. 9:42).
As we celebrate this feast of the Sto. Niño, of the Holy Child, we are invited to consider the many beautiful dispositions of children which earn for themselves outstanding recognition from a God who is so powerful.
SOLEMNITY OF THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD 11 January 2009
Before performing a baptism, the priest approached the young father and said solemnly, "Baptism is a serious step. Are you prepared for it?"
"I think so," the man replied. "My wife has made appetizers and we have a caterer coming to provide plenty of cookies and cakes for all of our guests."
"I don`t mean that," the priest responded. "I mean, are you prepared spiritually?"
"Oh sure," came the reply. "I`ve got a case of beer at home all set!”
***
The situation above gives us a glance at how some of us regard baptism.
More often than not, preparing for one’s baptism means sending out the invites early on to the guests, making sure that the catered food will come on time, and yes, the souvenirs are ready for distribution!
And the most essential part of the ritual is, sadly, neglected: the disposition of those who would bring the child to the Church for baptism.
Some weeks ago, I recall a young friend who dropped an offline message in my YM asking me this question:Kuya Donnie, paano ba maging ninang? Hindi ko alam e. Help! (How is it to be a godmother? I am clueless.)
I found her inquiry innocent and cute. But on the second look, I recognized the profundity of this question. And before I typed in “You have to wear something white, and make yourself dashing because there will be photo ops right after the ritual,” I sheepishly replied “Live your Christian life to the full!”
This Sunday we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, the Gospel account of St. Mark (cf. Mk. 1:7-11), which we’ll hear proclaimed today, transports us back to that very event.
The passage opens up with St. John the Baptist preaching “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” We can imagine that the bank of the flowing river from where he baptizes was filled sinners who come to be baptized by him.
Then Jesus appears. For a time, recognizing that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Baptist hesitates (my golly, He just preached earlier on that he is not even worthy to untie the straps of His sandals, what more to baptize Him!). However, Jesus insists and receives baptism. Then, the heavens split and the Spirit descending like a dove on him and a voice from heaven proclaims, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
The baptism of Jesus signals not only the beginning of his mission to proclaim the Good News; this also marks that he is about to face suffering.
The relevance of this feast goes down to us because at one point in our life, we have also received the sacrament of baptism. Our catechism tells us that “Through Baptism the Christian is sacramentally assimilated to Jesus, who in his own baptism anticipates his death and resurrection.” (CCC 537)
Let this feast of our Lord’s baptism draw us closer to the importance of our very baptism. More than the social aspect of the celebration, this ritual should be highlighted on its spiritual plane since our baptism marks that God owns us not as a slave, but His very own child.
If it is true that “a tree is known by its own fruits,” may we really strive to show others the quality of the “Tree” from where we come from by living an excellent Christian life: compassionate, understanding, and forgiving.
SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD
4 January 2009
A man was driving in a zigzagged road. It was night time and a thick blanket of fog made it impossible for him to move on. He runs the risk of meeting an accident if he continues and so he stops by the side of the road to think of a way to get himself out of the mess.
Some minutes came, a car with strong headlights passed by.
And then it hit him: he could follow the car, and he’ll be able to manage reaching his destination.
Some kilometers after, still following the car, he was driving in a breeze! He just needed to drive closely to the car in front. No sweat.
He drove further…
…And further.
And further…
Until the unexpected came. The car he was trailing behind made a calculated stop. The man became anxious, but he tried to relax. He waited for at least 30 seconds and when there was no movement, he decided to let out a friendly honk.
No movement still.
A whole minute ensued. And he was impatient. Telling himself that the man driving the other car is blocking the driveway, he blared out an irritated horn.
Then, there was a sudden movement in the car to the fore. The man saw distinctly that the driver alighted from the car.
The man readied himself for any altercation that might take place. He tried to collect his thoughts and composed his arguments before finally rolling down his window in order to confront the driver.
And then the driver of the other car goes “This is my garage. Do you have any problem?”
End of the story.
This little tale demonstrates to us the importance of a guide.
I’m sure that there have been some points in our life when we grope in the dark and hope that someone comes to lead us out of that situation.
Two years ago, I was with some friends in a mountain in Batangas. The beauty of the environment and the company of each other must have caught our fancy that we hardly noticed that it was already dark. We had to make our pace faster but to no avail. Our camp was far from our present spot. That time, it was already pitch dark that we could not even recognize each other. Good thing, the sky was clear; the stars cast luster to the path and before we knew it, we were just steps away from our camp.
But the darkness I am talking about may not be just about the philosophical absence of light. Darkness applies as well in those events in our life that only seem to lead us to hopelessness and desperation: conflict among our peers, a looming failing mark towards the end of the semester, deep-seated vices which we very wish to kick out of our system, the list goes on and on.
And when these dark moments visit us, we find ourselves praying for the grace to be led out of that situation.
God’s wisdom and love must have considered this situation. When it would be utterly impossible to slip away from misfortune, He sends us someone or even something to relieve us of the pain, to soothe and comfort our tired bodies and spirits. A friend who comes over upon receiving your text message asking for help, a mother who is quick to offer support when failure is imminent, and an encouraging word from a significant other that she would stick it out whatever happens.
In this feast of Epiphany, our Gospel passage (Matthew 2: 1 - 12) draws us to the importance of the star that led the Magi to reach the newly born Child. The star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.
Like many of us, the Magi also had to endure the long journey in order to reach their destination. And in the depth of one gloomy evening, a star brilliantly shone before them. This caused among them rejoicing “exceedingly with great joy.”
And going into the house they saw the Child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Towards the end of the passage, when the Magi had reached their destination and offered their presents to the Child, the star seemed to have secretly vanished into the thin air and thus, did no longer receive even the smallest attention from the evangelist.
The star must have faded away to offer brilliance to the newly born Child. And rightly so, the Baby in the manger enjoys the limelight.
The Prophet Isaiah, in the first reading (Isaiah 60:1-6) , invites each of us to “Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.”
