It was a Good Friday in the year 2007, that after a long procession, some of my friends in the parish would like to take pictures with me. It was a significant event because I would be leaving the parish after Easter to go back to our diocese (in Kalibo, Aklan) for good. While we were busy taking some pictures, one of them received an emergency call from a relative. We learned that her son met an accident. But she did not believe it because she knew that before she left home her son stayed there to rest. In order to verify the information, she immediately went home with her friends accompanying her. There they learned that her son was fetched by his cousins. Although he initially refused to join them, he gave in to their persuasion and had a joy ride with them going to Tagaytay. They were along their way to Tagaytay that they met an accident. Among the four in the car, he was the only one who got injured and immediately died. The other three suffered neither injury nor wounds. The following day, I visited her in the funeral home where the body of her son was laid for the wake. I could neither say nor do something for her. I could not even say a mass on that day as it was Black Saturday. I was even dumbfounded when she started asking me, “Why is this happening to us? Where is God? Why this has to happen when I am starting to participate actively in our parish activities?” To be honest, I did not say anything. I was totally silent.
I realized there and then that in life, there are questions which we can answer. There are also some questions which are difficult to answer though we can give a try to answer it. There are questions which we do not need to answer. But most of all, there are really some questions which have no answer. One of these is the question of an innocent man who suffers –Why Lord? Why me?
Jesus Himself had this kind of question while he was hanging on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). Jesus did no wrong. Rather, he brought glad tidings to the poor. He proclaimed liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, he cured the sick and proclaimed a year acceptable to the Lord (Luke 4: 18-19). And yet he was betrayed by one of his chosen ones –Judas Iscariot. Peter denied him three times. His other disciples hid themselves from him while he was facing the harsh judgment of the people. He was sentenced to death without due process, without even invoking his rights. He alone carried his cross. He was then crucified. What did he do to deserve these? And in the height of intense pain and suffering, he asked “Why?” and there was no answer. As there was no answer, Jesus did not ask again why to God instead he cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46) and then he died. Jesus showed us through his suffering and death that instead of asking “why”, better ask “what can I do now with my suffering”. Jesus himself gave us the answer: to lift up everything to God. Suffering and death must not separate us from God. Suffering and death are not reasons to abandon or blame God. Suffering and death cannot get hold an innocent or good man to die in vain because he can still do something and that is to die in faith.
Today, we are going to venerate, kiss or touch Jesus on the cross. Our veneration is not only on Jesus but Jesus on the cross. Our kiss is an act of resignation to God just like what Jesus did on the cross. It is like saying that even in the worst times of our life, even if everything is beyond our understanding, we leave everything to God. In our suffering, we let God be glorified. Though this is difficult to do so, it is not impossible to do. Allow me to end with a true story. In one of the parishes where I was assigned, there was this woman who would go to the church early in the morning and she would wake us up by shouting outside our convent telling us to open the church. She would even make several calls or use the doorbell to tell us priests that we have to be at the entrance of the church some minutes before the mass. She was a prayerful person. She never missed mass or community prayers until she went to abroad sometime in August. When she arrived on November 18, 2007 she was waiting for her favorite son to fetch her at the international airport. Her son who supposed to fetch her was Melvin, who was newly married and whose wife gave birth to their first baby on October 20, 2007. Unfortunately, Melvin did not show up at the airport. So she decided to go home by riding a taxi. It was already late in the afternoon of the same day when someone called her up on her phone and told her to watch the news on a television. She was terribly shocked to watch on television that her son Melvin was treacherously killed in his car by some unidentified persons. On the next day, I was requested to say mass for Melvin. When I arrived at the funeral home, I heard her say to me, “Father, si Melvin.” Then she cried. She spent the whole week at the wake crying for Melvin until the burial. I thought the event would weaken her faith. I thought after the burial, she would stop praying. I thought she would ask me “why”. But I was wrong. After the burial, she even prayed more than she used to do. She remained strong in her faith despite what happened. Last year, I happened to say mass for Melvin’s death anniversary in the cemetery, I found no signs of anger on her face. She kept her faith. Suffering and death have no power over her. Suffering and death cannot drive her away from God. She kissed Jesus on the cross.
