Last Christmas, I received something
small simply wrapped in a manila paper. It was so small it could fit in the
palm of my hand. Initially, I told myself: “ay, kini ra?” (Is this it?).
Without yet opening it, I have already pre-judged the content. However, the
gift turned out to be one of my best presents.
Inside
the cheap trappings was a solar-powered torchlight with a compass. On pressing
the compass, the cute flashlight turns on! The gift was small but meaningful.
It is very practical. At night, I could use the flashlight during brown-outs;
during outing, the compass could be a useful tool. Above all, the gift is a
beautiful reminder. In our life we need light and compass: to brighten the way
and give us direction.
We
have embarked on a Lenten Pilgrimage. Our light and our compass in this 40-day
journey is Jesus. Ours is a journey of discipleship. In this 2nd
Sunday of Lent, the Gospel is about Jesus’ transfiguration. In this episode,
Jesus enlightened his closest disciples about his real identity. The three
disciples (Peter, James and John), saw a different Jesus; a Jesus they never
knew. For the first time, they saw his glory. They were confronted by his
splendor and his fullness! If we were to ask them to describe the experience,
they would surely say: “we saw his brightness!”
This
experience of feeling his brilliance enlightened them. While it exposed them to
the light, it also gave them a tiny glimpse of the bigger picture. Jesus had a
bigger story to tell. Hence, it opened them to the possibility that this Jesus,
their Master, has something more to offer. His dream was to replicate heaven
here on earth; to re-create the world.
Jesus
continues to challenge us today. The Church continues to echo the message of
Christ especially through her ministers. Pope Francis recently marked the first
anniversary of his election. Though largely unknown when he stepped out into
the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square twelve months ago, this obscure
prelate from Argentina has electrified the world. In the words of Vatican
journalist John L. Allen, Jr., “Pope Francis has given the Church a new lease
in life, an adrenaline rush.” Even among non-Catholic and secular circles, they
speak of a “Pope Francis effect.” His “rock star status” has given the gospel a
global platform that has created a climate of acceptance.
Yet
the “coolness” of the Pope is not just focused on the superficial aspects of
his papacy. His predominant theme is his call to radical renewal. He has taken
bold steps toward reform modeling it himself. He wants to take us back to the
roots of our faith, to foster our closeness to Jesus and to step out to be a
missionary. By taking on the name “Francis” and asking the crowd on his first
papal appearance to pray for him before imparting his official blessing, he was
sending a strong signal of simplicity as his style. He is teaching us a paradox
he learned from Jesus: the more simple and humble he is, the larger his
popularity as a pontiff grows. He is aware that he is simply a messenger with a
message. To be effective, he must become the message itself! No wonder he has
graced the front cover of Time Magazine and Rolling Stones.
He
is challenging fellow pastors to live simple lives in order to focus on the
healing mission of the Church. He encourages them to stay close to the poor and
needy and to be “shepherds living with the smell of the sheep.” These are, in
fact, qualities that have endeared him to the world.
Our
journey of renewal in our country has made very little progress. This year is
another opportune moment to make further steps especially with the Year of the
Laity. The Pastoral Exhortation of Archbishop Socrates Villegas, President of
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines urges our lay faithful to be
“saints and heroes.” He points out three special areas of concern which the lay
Christians are to direct their attention and action: poverty, politics and
business. These have become dark areas because our culture has been
contaminated by the two-fold greed for money and power. The task of every
Christian is to allow the brightness of Christ to shine in these areas. To
renew the social and political fabric of our society, a concerted effort is now
needed. We need a bigger flashlight and bigger compass to remind us. We are
invited to gaze on Jesus in order not to lose our vision of transformation.
