Honoring our Promises

Last week, I had a great surprise in my life. I witnessed a marriage vows that went viral in Social Media. As to this writing, it had more than 375 thousand views and counting. It was never intended though. I was just at the right place, at the right time. It began with Daylinda Cuyos, a catechist from Sitio Arca, Punta Princesa, who asked me to anoint a sick neighbor. As I interviewed the couple Arce and Salome, I realized they were co-habitating for fourteen years because of lack of documents. Arce, who hails from Misamis Oriental, confirmed that his parish records got burned. But they welcomed with delight receiving the sacrament of matrimony.

After securing their Cenomar, I gave Arce conditional baptism and confirmation; Salome made her confession. Their marriage was set on June 19 in their small shanty because of Arce’s precarious health. When I got to their home for the marriage, I was surprised to see the ABS CBN News Team headed by Jude Torres already inside their home. I was later told that the neighbors called the station to cover the event. To mark the couples’ milestone, the neighbors even prepared a little reception.

I was touched by Arce and Salome’s sincerity. In their hearts, they believed in each other and in the sacrament of marriage that would give stability and indissolubility to their relationship. As they held hands and declared “till death do us part,” I was inspired by the depth of their commitment. As they exchanged rings, they publicly proclaimed that it would be the lifetime sign of their love and loyalty. Indeed, their unconditional commitment and generous service to each other and their children also becomes the living sign of their being followers of Christ.

Today’s gospel challenges us to persevere in following Jesus. As Christians, our basic commitment is our baptismal vows. Through it, we made a promise to reject sin and to love God by making Him the center of our existence. To follow Jesus means to honor our promises and be faithful to it in our daily journey of life.

Prayer: Lord, give me the grace to be true to my baptismal commitment and follow you joyfully. 

Eucharistic Amazement

Last May 25, I attended the Thanksgiving Mass of Fr. Jake Caballo in Baclayon, Bohol. This new salesian priest was my student way back during his high school years in Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC). Moreover, being assigned in Lourdes Shrine as a deacon, I also represented our Salesian Community with my presence. The homily was given by Fr. Fidel Orendain, his former high school Principal. After congratulating Fr. Jake, he told him: “Welcome to the cross!”

I was touched by this inspiring reminder of the priesthood. Fr. Fidel explained that some people may think it strange or weird that he is becoming a priest at a time when priesthood or religious life is no longer popular. Today the priest can be an easy target of ridicule; he can be bashed in social media, cursed, persecuted or even killed. It is the worst time to become a priest. Yet it is also the best time to be a witness of Jesus because when the priest begins to say mass, he also begins to suffer. And so this older priest mentors a young priest by advising him: “Welcome to the cross!”

Today, we celebrate Corpus Christi and we honor the Holy Body and Blood of Jesus. The Eucharist is a memorial of the Last Supper; the re-enactment of Jesus sacrifice on Calvary and completed in his resurrection. St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out that the Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the Cross. For this reason, it is both a sacrament of his love and his greatest sacrifice for the remission of humanity’s sins.

As a Christian Community, we thank God for the gift of the Eucharist. We also need to pray unceasingly that priests will never be lacking in the Church. St. John Paul II used to say: “there can be no Eucharist without the priest.” I believe the Lord continues to call and inspire young people to the priesthood. But as believers, we need to continually awaken our Eucharistic amazement, our personal commitment to Christ, our love for the Eucharist, our fervor in celebrating it and our devotion in adoring it. As Pope John Paul II wrote: “from the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share it with others.”

Prayer: Lord, grant me a renewed amazement of your presence in the Eucharist so that I may have the strength to serve you in my daily life.

God is Love

The news that gave me the greatest displeasure this week was about a Chinese vessel ramming a Philippine boat in the West Philippine Sea causing it to sink and putting the lives of the crew at risk. Moreover, this vessel simply left 22 Filipino fishermen at the mercy of the elements. It was a case of “hit and run” because the hapless fishermen had to swim for their lives. Fortunately, they were immediately rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the area. It was a great display of humanity. Indeed, no man is an island. For survival, we need to help one another.

The feast of the Holy Trinity reminds us that God is a family. His greatest attribute is love. It is love that binds each person together, in communion with each other. Every time I enter the massive church of Lourdes Shrine and look up, I am awed by the three intertwined circles above. They remind me of the Trinitarian communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Rooted in a personal relationship of love, they exemplify the true meaning of unity in diversity. They embrace their uniqueness and their difference does not become a hindrance for their unity. Their unconditional love for each other overflow in the universe, in the world and in each living creature. 

The Holy Trinity, then, is our model of the family and our Christian community. As social beings, we are mutually interdependent. We will need each other, not only for survival but to be truly human. We can never live an isolated and self-sufficient life. In truth, it is only in caring and serving one another that we can mirror the communion of the living God. In this way we become God’s image in the world.

Prayer: Lord, make me your living image by practicing unconditional love and generous service. Amen.

Empowered by the Spirit

St. Francis Xavier was the first Jesuit Missionary in the East. When the priest-missionary appointed by St. Ignatius of Loyola became seriously ill, at the last moment, he had to replace Francis with great hesitation and uneasiness. Before becoming a Jesuit and a priest, Francis has his personal ambitions of worldly advancement in order to repair the damage of his family’s fortunes. But greatly influenced by the ideas and witness of Ignatius, he became one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus. Thus, almost by accident, he became a missionary. As Francis was about to leave for the missions in India, Ignatius instructed him: “Go, set the world on fire!”

This, he did! He did not only go to India; he also travelled to Sri Lanka, some believed he may have been the first apostle in the Philippines and finally settled in Japan. As in India, he was well-received and baptized thousands in Japan. His effectivity came from his hard work and passion for spreading the gospel, his deep trust in God, his obedience and prayerfulness. One of the miracles attributed to him is how he got back his cross after losing it at sea.

It was said that Francis was caught up in a storm as he was travelling to Malacca in 1546. With much faith, he threw his cross into the sea, asking God to make it an instrument to pacify the turbulent sea. God, indeed, came to his aid. The storm ceased and the sea calmed down. Upon reaching the shores of Malacca, he found a crab crawling towards him holding the missing cross on its claws. Like St. Paul in apostolic times, Francis was used by the Holy Spirit to set the modern world on fire! Though his work in Japan seemed destroyed by persecution, Protestant Missionaries three centuries later discovered 100,000 Christians in the area of Nagasaki.

Today, we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. We recall the Holy Spirit descending upon Mary and the apostles through tongues of fire. As a result, the frightened followers of Jesus were transformed into courageous and zealous witnesses. They became fiery preaches, indomitable evangelizers and enthusiastic martyrs of the faith. Their joy and sincere way of life made their witness attractive and credible. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit to set the world on fire. Thus, they were able to change the world. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with greater courage, new hope, brighter light and deeper love in order to be joyful witnesses of Jesus in our times.

Prayer: Lord, let me follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in my life so that I may be your courageous and faithful witness today.

Owning the Mission

In the 5^th century, St. Augustine, one of the most influential writer and theologian, wrote “The City of God.” The book was in response to allegations that Christianity brought about the decline of the Roman Empire. Through it, he presents human history as a conflict between the Earthly City and the City of God; the warfare between good and evil. In the end, the City of God would ultimately triumph because it is guided by Divine Providence. St. Augustine wanted his readers to fix their eyes on heaven, while their two feet are set firmly on the ground.

The Second Vatican Council’s Gaudium et Spes Document further confirms: “The Lord Jesus is the goal of human history, the focal point of the longings of history and of civilization, the center of the human race, the joy of every heart and the answer to all its yearnings.” In this view, the world and all its treasures are simply passing away. The Earthly City is merely temporary. We need to gaze way up and beyond to the real treasure that last forever.

Today, we remember the ascension of Jesus into heaven. He reminds us of our dual citizenship. While we are citizens of this world, we are also citizens of heaven which is our real home. After his sojourn on this earth, Jesus has completed his task and mission of revealing the love and mercy of God. He has shown the world the path to greatness and glory. He is now returning to the Father after winning the world through the painful experience of his cross and calvary. For Jesus, it has been mission accomplished!

Moreover, he now entrusts the mission to his disciples and to every church member. The mandate is: “Go and Teach. Be my witnesses.” We are now the bearer of Christ’s message of love and forgiveness today. He challenges us to make a stand and become the light of the world. We are entrusted with the responsibility of building the kingdom day by day in all sectors of society. Empowered by the spirit, we start this mission at home by making our life our message. 

Prayer: Lord, let me own your mission as my vocation; let me be your witness today by what I say and do. Amen.