A dying
husband on his death bed makes a request to his wife: “my dear, when I die and
you bury me… please do not put R.I.P. on top of my grave.” Surprised, the wife
replies: “why not? What would you want us to put instead?” With a solemn voice the
husband suggests: “simply put S.Y.S” “And what would that suppose to mean? she
inquires. The husband says: “See You Soon!”
St. Paul in
the 2nd Reading (1 Thes 5:1-6) reminds us that the “day of the Lord
will come like a thief in the night.” Therefore, we need to be prepared; to be
awake and sober.
Our Sunday
Readings have two lessons to teach us:
1. We need to Prepare. Right now,
there are three big events I am preparing for: the Christmas Concert on
December 9; the Misa de Gallo and the Loudes Fiesta 2018. We are aware that
without preparation many things will not be in order and the event will not be
meaningful.
How then should we prepare for the most
important day of our life? Surely that is the day of our death! It is the day
when we shall meet God face to face; the day we encounter Him. Hence we should
look our best. Because I believe after death – the best is yet to come.
It may happen that we may
deliberately stay away from Him. I saw in facebook a coffin being carried in
church by 6 men. Under it was a caption in Bisaya: “Bisag unsaon nimo’g palayo
sa Dios ug sa Simbahan, sa katapusan ibalik ra ka gihapon sa Simbahan.” (No
matter how you distance from God and the Church, in the end you will still be
returned to the Church). Its something to thinks about.
2. We need to take responsibility. The gospel
reminds us that God is the master and the owner of whatever we have. He gives
us talents, gifts and abilities for our use. But he expects us to use them responsibly
in order to honor and glorify him.
American writer, Mark Twain said: “there
are two most important days in our life: the day when we were born, and the day
you discovered why.” One afternoon, I was surprise to see a new name for
Ganciang Street – Gabriel Elorde Street. I was more surprise to learn that the
promulgation from the City Government was still way back 1985.
Who was Gabriel “Flash” Elorde? He is
considered the greatest Filipino boxer of all time. In Asia, he is first to be
inducted into the prestigious New York Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993. Looking back
at his life, he actually discovered boxing by accident because of an ex-boxer
friend, Lucio Laborte. After teaching him how to box, he made history by
becoming a champion.
But he is a real champion in and
outside the ring. In one of his visits to the clinic after being diagnosed with
cancer of the lungs, he met a boy with the same sickness. Feeling compassion,
he gave his gold necklace crucifix to the hapless lad who was so grateful of
him. Writer Ronnie Nathanielz described Gabriel Elorde as “a champion who
feared no man, but humble to all men.” He was indeed a giver. He did not just
give punches; he also gave away his heart.
Our talents are God-given. Whatever talent
we may have – we use it! God does not wants us to bury them under the ground. It is how we honor and give glory to God. Moreover, It will also
serve as our entrance ticket for the banquet of life – the banquet of heaven!
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