Keep Sowing

For the past two Saturdays of July, the football field of Don Bosco Seminary in Lawaan, Talisay City has been swarmed by more than 50 elementary boys from Grade 2 to Grade 5 eager to learn football. Since the rise to fame of the Philippine Azkals, this sport has drawn the attention of the country. Many have been caught up by the football frenzy especially that the Azkals have earned a slot for the second round of the World Cup qualifier for the first time in this country’s football history. Not to be outdone, Mr. Reynaldo Singco, Elementary Principal of Lawaan Elementary School, began to dream of having a representative in this sport for the District of Talisay. Now with the support of the Don Bosco Past Pupils of Lawaan (DBPPOL) this dream is slowly becoming a reality.

Some members of the DBPPOL have formed a Football Club and call themselves Razkals FC. They have committed themselves to train these elementary boys every Saturday from 1 to 4 PM in the basics of the sport. The aim is to come up with a 15-member team. Thus Coach Rhosner Bollozos, chairperson of the DBPPOL Razkals FC, announced to the eager participants at the very start of the football clinic: “I insist on discipline and punctuality.” It is also a dream come true for the Football Club who whose members are more than willing to pass on their skills especially to the grassroot level. “We have to start them young to hone their skills,” says another football enthusiast Kit Sigue.

Football is a sport we Filipinos can excel. We have the agility, the speed and gracefulness that can turn us into a football powerhouse. But It’s still a long dream to the World Cup 2014. And the solution is to start at the grassroot; to the elementary boys who can acquire football skills to become champions. To achieve this dream we start now. We pass on the skills. Keep dreaming. Let’s keep believing. We keep sowing though the harvest is still a long way to go.

This Sunday’s Gospel speaks about the sower who went to sow. The sower shows his prodigality in wasting seeds. And they landed on different types of soil. Some to the rocky ones or thorny ones but also to the rich soil. God’s Word can grow abundantly and fruitfully in a receptive soul. Yet God’s grace can also make miracles in harden hearts. After all it is His grace who can turn saints out of sinners. What is important we keep on sowing the seeds in season and out of season.

Once, after my mass in St. Joseph Parish, Tabunok, Talisay, I happened to meet my former Christian Living Teacher in my elementary days at the University of San Carlos, Miss Sabellano. I introduced myself to her since she did not recognize me immediately. Perhaps it was due to poor eyesight. From her looks, I guess she was now in her 70s. When I asked her what she was doing, she said “the usual thing I love --- teaching religion.” She said she was retired but “not tired.”

Since her younger days she had been sowing seeds. Even after retirement she is still at it. Perhaps up to the very last ounce of her life. She keeps on sowing. Non-stop. Amazing! Who knows how many seeds she has sown to receptive students. I received the gift of vocation through her. Perhaps many more of her students have become better nurses or lawyers or engineers from little seeds she has sown in their hearts. Only God knows how many have become better persons from her effort.

Jesus tells us to keep sowing; to go and teach. We should not stop. God gives us seeds to sow in each of our status in life whether as parents, teachers, coaches, priests or bishops. We may not be the perfect instruments but in God’s mysterious designs He can transform our mess into inspiring messages.

Image of God

I attended the 18^th birthday celebration of Willia Kristine Cabatingan at Café Laguna. It was suppose to be an intimate family affair. But at the last moment, her mom Chili Tita wanted to surprise her by including in the list significant persons in her life, relatives, extended family members and friends. Unaware of the surprise ‘party’ for her, she came in late. It dawned on her that something big was going on when she saw, among the crowd of invitees, her handsome friends, the siblings John and Axel Bordario who serenaded her with songs and music.

After the sumptuous dinner, there was a simple debut program that began with a video presentation of the debutante’s growing years. The event was punctuated by an extemporaneous giving of 18  roses and 18 candles to Willia from among the guests. The most moving scene of the night was the speech of her mom Chili that brought tears even to the birthday celebrant herself. She spoke of things that strike the heart – asking for forgiveness, encouraging her to live a God-centered life, being proud of her and assuring her of unconditional love.

As I was listening intently, what struck me was when she said: “you remind me of myself.” If there is the adage that goes “like father, like son;” there can also be a comparison of “like mother, like daughter.” For indeed, looking at Willia – tall, good looking, smart with a big compassionate heart --- there is so much  her mother has in her. Yet she is definitely her own, unique individual.

Such is the mystery of the human person. And much more, such is the mystery of God.

The liturgy of the Church invites us to reflect on the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The word “Trinity,” it is not found in Scriptures. But throughout the New Testament there are references to the three distinct persons who are equally divine, yet one. For instance, St. Paul in writing to the Christians in Corinth ends his second letter to them with: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Cor. 13:13). In history, it was the Christian writer Tertullian (160 – 220 AD) known as the “father of Western theology” who coined the term “Trinity”as an easy way to refer to this reality.

The mystery of the Trinity reminds us that Christianity is not just a religion of keeping the rules. But above all it is a personal relationship with God. The greatest character of God is love. And love is an outward-moving verb. It always needs someone for love to be complete. Thus the essence of God as Trinity is its self-giving, self-donating love. He is therefore a community of three, in their uniqueness as Father, Son and Holy Spirit who have been loving each other “as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever.” And the good news is, this divine-three, distinct yet one has invited every single person to share in their friendship and communion. To love, then, is to share in the very life of the Trinity. And it is in this that we become the image of God.

The saints were people who looked very much like God in their love, compassion and service to others. They were definitely their own unique selves. But there is so much of God in them that reflects the life to the Holy Trinity in their lives. We think of modern saints like Blessed John Paul II, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta or St. Maximilian Kolbe. Now I understand what Leon Bloy once wrote “there is only one sorrow, the sorrow of not being a saint” for the saints are God’s masterpieces. In them we see His image clearly.

That We May Be More

One of the graces God gave me was the chance to study in the Holy Land for four years. A month before my ordination as deacon, I made a retreat with my classmates at the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem. This place is very near the Upper Room, the site where tradition says Jesus had his Last Supper with his apostles.

One afternoon, during the time of our personal reflection, I went on my own to the Upper Room. I was alone. This historical site is quite big. When I arrived it was empty. No furniture; no tables and chairs. I just had to sit down on the pavement. At that moment I just tried to imagine what happened there in one of the last nights of Jesus’ life.

I could imagine the whole room transformed with furnishings, carpet and curtains. Perhaps a long and beautifully decorated presidential table would be at the center with the disciples sitting together in the company of Christ just as we see in Leonardo Da Vinci’s obra. How would the apostles look like, I wonder. Were they able to eat and drink well knowing that it was Jesus’ last night on earth?

Most of all, I tried to picture Jesus. How tall would he be? I could imagine his long, flowing hair and his signature beard. What would be the color of his eyes? Blue? Green? Red – soaked with tears? Would his face be more handsome than Dingdong Dantes or Gerard Anderson? The fact is, artists for centuries have tried to portray Jesus in art – in canvas, murals or sculpture. I’m sure all of us have our own pre-conceived features of Jesus. We see him depicted so often as a crucified victim, the Good Shepherd or the Teacher instructing his disciples.

But in this Upper Room, in one of the holiest nights of the year, we see a very different picture of Jesus. Jesus is not presented in his best form – not the powerful miracle worker or the glorious messiah. We see him on his knees, wiping dirt, washing feet. We see a God getting down from his pedestal, coming down from his ivory tower for us. He lowers himself. He becomes a servant, a humble slave. He tells us: “I have given you a model to follow. As I have done, so also, you should do!” From this Upper Room, Jesus would like us to learn three things: service, sacrifice and simplicity.

Jesus wants us to serve. I heard a story of a barber in the USA who decided to offer his “hair-cutting” as a community service for a month. It would all be free. A customer came and he did him his usual service. But when he was about to pay, the barber told him it was gratis! Imagine the surprise and joy of the man. He thanked him profusely and left. The next morning, the barber found boxes of grocery items in front of his shop. There was a note of thanks from yesterday’s customer who owned a convenient store. That day, a second customer came and had his hair cut. When he was about to pay, he was told the cut was free. The man almost cried in disbelief and left. The next day, the barber found boxes of bread in front of his shop from his 2^nd customer. The man was a baker. The barber’s 3^rd customer was a Filipino. After his hair cut, the Pinoy was so thankful for the community service the barber was doing. He even asked for his calling card. The next day the barber was surprise to see a long line of Filipinos in front of his shop for a “free hair cut.”

In Jesus, we see God offering his service not for what He can get but for what he can give – an example for us to follow.

Jesus showed the depth of his love through sacrifice. In the Upper Room we also remember the institution of the Eucharist and gift of the Priesthood. Here, we priests recall the origins of our vocation. It’s a life of sacrifice. We give up home, career, having a wife, family and children for a greater calling: to follow Christ. Yet, all of us are also called to a life of sacrifice in our own particular vocations.

I just came with the seminarians from our Summer Camp in Panay Island. We had an overnight in the military camp at Camp Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz. There, I realize what sacrifice our soldiers have to undergo. They freely give up their right to live near their family and relatives. They brave weather conditions, rain or shine. If duty calls, they bear with isolation or even.

Many of us too have our own silent sacrifices as parents, grandparents or as a brother or sister. Our sacrifices will never be heard or splashed on the front pages of  news papers. These are the sacrifices, like that of Jesus, which can save the world.

Jesus teaches us simplicity. In the Upper Room, we see Jesus as a simple man; a simple friend. No greater love than this, for a man to lay down his life for his friends. The people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They are simply the ones who care and love us.

In the Upper Room, God despite his grandeur, greatness and glory, makes himself less so that we can be more. He humbles himself so that we can be great! If we want to know how Jesus looked like, we won’t find it in art, in painting or pictures. We find it in the Gospel as he was portrayed in the Upper Room. Here, on his knees with his head bowed in humility and love, doing the dirty work of a slave, we see the true image of Christ. And here in this Upper Room we see him appear three days later resurrected. Love conquers all.

Service, sacrifice and simplicity are expressions of God’s love which is stronger than death; even stronger than hell. As He has done, so also we should do. Happy Easter!

Spiritual Muscles

A newspaper reported that Manny Pacquiao will start his serious training on Monday in Baguio City. He will climb the ring again for a 12-round title fight against former 3-time champion Shane Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Indeed Manny has come a long way since his days of selling bread in the streets of General Santos City. Today he has earned the distinction as an eight-division world champion; the first boxer in history to win 10 world titles in eight different divisions. Moreover, he is the only active boxer to become a congressman in the Philippines.

            Currently, Manny is rated as the “Number One” pound-for-pound best boxer in the world by most sporting news and boxing websites. He was included by Time Magazine as one the world’s most influential people in 2009 for his exploits in boxing and his influence among the Filipino people. He was also included by Forbes Magazine in its annual Celebrity 100 list for the year 2009 joining Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and fellow athletes Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant.

            During the press conference at Beveryly Hills Hotel in California last month, Manny gave out a challenge “I hope you train hard for this fight” while looking in the direction where Mosley and his handlers sat. Then he was quick to say that he too “will train like hell!” He was not mincing words. Even his coach Freddie Roach says “no one trains as hard as Manny.” For indeed, during training camps he jogs; he does workout in 4 hours without break. He performs warming exercises and 4,000 sit-ups every day; he does the ropes, hit the mitts and spars.  “Even though he’s pound-for-pound number one, he still trains very had” admires Amir Khan, the current WBA Featherweight Champion, referring to his work ethics. No wonder Manny Pacquiao has become the most exciting boxer of his era as he himself said “when you train hard, the fight is easy.”

            The Church has also started its “training camp” through the season of Lent. It will be a 40-day period of preparation in order to celebrate the Resurrection. Forty, in Scripture, has been associated with cleansing, purification and preparation. The Israelites spent 40 years in the desert for cleansing and purification. It took that long for God to purify His Chosen People from disobedient and hard-headed members. Once purified, he guided them to enter the Promise Land. Even Jesus spent 40 days in the desert to fast and to pray in preparation for this Public Ministry (Mt 4:1-11). Satan came to dissuade him in pushing through with his mission. From this desert experience, Jesus came out stronger with a solid spiritual character and with a strong sense of purpose.

            Ash Wednesday signaled the beginning of the Lent observance. Christian faithful had their foreheads imposed with ashes. There are two formula priests use during the ritual. One is: “Remember man you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” It is a poignant reminder to each believer that one day life will end. Each one will die. The 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan and its tsunami aftermath is a graphic example. Initial report from CNN said 900 plus have died. The number can still rise.  It may be a morbid thought. But quoting from Mitch Albom’s book Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie gives this insightful observation: “Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

The other formula is “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” It’s a reminder that we are all sinners. The payment of sin is death. Repentance will bring us to life in Jesus Christ. Thus the keyword of Lent is “returning to the Lord.” St. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians beautifully expressed it: be reconciled to God! Such returning will find expression in practicing the traditional Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting and works of charity. The focus of prayer is to be closer to God. The aim of charity is to be generous to others. Fasting focuses on self-deprivation to tame our greed and selfishness. The goal of the discipline is to strengthen our spiritual muscle in order to win the spiritual battle of life. We need to train really hard to constantly fight against temptation and evil in our lives.

A story is told that a group of mountain climbers met an old woodsman with an axe on his shoulder. “Where are you going?” they asked him. “I’m headed up the mountain to get some wood to fix my house.” But why go up the mountain?” they asked incredulously. “There are plenty of tree around here.” “I know. But I need a strong timber for my house  and it grows only on the highest elevations where the trees are tested and toughened by the weather around them. The higher you go up, the stronger the timber grows.”

To stand the test of temptations, one’s spiritual muscles needed to be toughened and trained by constant acts of self-denial. For there can be no Easter victory without the cross of Calvary from Good Friday.

Year of Youth

A story is told that a gypsy came upon a well with his son and rested beside it after a long journey. He felt very thirsty and quenched his thirst from the water of the well. After sometime, he examined the well and wanted to see how deep it was so he looked deep down. Meanwhile his son got curious and asked: “Dad, what do you see?”

“I see God inside the well!” the father confirmed.

In excitement, the son cried out: “I want to see God!”

The big, strong gypsy helped his son look deep down the well. But his son only saw his reflection and mumbled: “But that’s me!” And his Dad quipped: “Now you know where to find God.”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) launched last December 16 the “Year of Youth” dedicating 2011 to promoting Youth Ministry. In spearheading this move the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) Chairman and Legaspi Bishop Joel Baylon gave this encouragement: “Let us work together to intensify awareness about the youth and their importance to the life and activity of the Church. By our own witness, let us help the young in our midst to find God in their lives and generously answer His call to service and love.” Thus this year is an opportune moment to let young people realize what Jesus said in scripture: “the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk 17:21).

Incidentally, this coincides with the International Year of Youth declared by the United Nations with the theme: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the world “to harness the talents, energy of the world of young people to promote better understanding and dialogue between different generations, cultures and religions.” The UN estimates 1.2 billion people worldwide between 15-24 years old. Hence the world’s youth account for about 18 percent of the world’s population most of which are found in developing countries.

The first International Year of Youth proclaimed by the United Nations was 25 years ago in 1985. In response to it, John Paul II invited youths all over the world to come to Rome on 31 March 1985,  Palm Sunday. An enthusiastic crowd of about 250,000 youths flooded St. Peter’s Square. On that occasion the Pope delivered the Apostolic Letter “Dilecti Amici” which became the founding document of World Youth Day. Here the still young and energetic John Paul II described the youth as “a special treasure of both Church and society.”

Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, then president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum recalled that on Easter Sunday, during a televised broadcast of the Liturgy in St. Peter’s Square, Pope John Paul II said in his homily: “I met last Sunday with hundreds of thousands of young people, and I have imprinted on my soul the festive image of their enthusiasm. I am hoping that this wonderful experience might be repeated in future years, giving origin to the World Youth Day on Palm Sunday.” So began the celebration of World Youth Day which celebrated the importance and appreciation of the gift of young people.

Young people are indeed a “special treasure.” For this reason, it is of great need that they “stand firm in faith.” Like the episode of the crippled beggar in Acts 3:1-10 whom Peter healed., the young man’s feet and ankle became firm. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Such is an icon of an effective Youth Ministry: young people able to stand on their own in whatever situations they will find themselves – personally, in the family, in their career, in politics even in making a difference in society.

It is my ardent prayer and wish that young people in the Philippines, in this Year of Youth, grow up in these 3 areas of their lives:  passionate faith, use of freedom and concern for the future.

I pray that our young people will acquire a passionate faith. Such faith can make them move mountains, change hearts, transform society and bring progress and prosperity for our country.

I pray that they learn to use their freedom for the greater good instead of just using it for their own selfish ends. Such right use of freedom will help them love God generously.

I pray that our young people may have a strong concern for the future. Such concern will lead them to take initiatives in building a better world and rouse them to be competent steward of the environment.

This prayer also includes our new Archbishop of Cebu, Jose Palma who will lead us to minister to our young people so that they too can participate in the life and mission of the Church.