Primera Palabra

"Ama, patawara sanda bangod owa sanda kasayod ku andang ginhimo." Ku Marso 25, 2013, lagpas sa 8:30 it agahon, si kaibahang Butz Maquinto it DYRU habatian ko nga sa mawraya nga bisaea o tinaga nagtao it paglaygay sa gapamati kana sa kahanginan. "Ama, patawara sanda bangod owa sanda kasayod ku andang ginhimo." Raya nga bisaea hay naghalin sa baba ni Hesus suno sa sugid ni San Lukas 23:34. Ag daya man ro una nga bisaea sa Siete Palabras nga aton igapamaeandungan makaron.  Magaumpisa kita sa pagpamaeandong paagi sa isaeang ka pangutana. Ano ro kaundan it mga tinaga ngara ni Hesus?  Agod makit-an ta ro ginahambae nga kaundan, aton anay himay-himayon ro hauna nga bisaea ni Hesus. Una nga paghimay, kon aton taw-an it igtaeupangod ro tinaga ni Hesus, atong mabinag-binag sa tanan nga imaw nagapanawag bilang unga sa ana nga ama. Kaparehas it maisot nga unga nga sa ana nga pagtinangis imaw nagadaeagan paadto sa ana nga ama. Bilang unga imaw nagapati nga ro anang ama hay ana nga daeangpan. Imaw nagasalig nga ro ana nga ama makapatawhay ag makapahagan-hagan sa anang ginabatyag nga kasakit. Ro hauna nga mga tinaga nga gumuwa sa baba ni Hesus hay nagapamatuod nga imaw hay unga nga maeapit sa ana nga ama. Owa imaw nahadlok magsungkoe o magsugid sa ana nga ama sa ana nga kabudlay. Bukon imaw it isaea ka unga nga magpipi eang sa binit ag magtago ku ana nga ginabatyag.  Pangaywa, sa haunang bisaea ni Hesus, mataeupangdan  naton nga bukon eamang nga maeapit si Hesus sa anang ama kundi nagapamatuod guid nga imaw hay may mapinalanggaon nga ama. Batyag guid ni Hesus nga palangga imaw ku ana nga ama. Ngani kasayod ag kaeobot si Hesus nga maakig guid ro ana nga ama kon masayran na ro natabo kana nga maeain. Sin-o abi nga ama man ro malipay nga ro ana nga sambilog nga unga hay patyon eang nga owa man ngani it saea? Sin-o abi nga ama ro indi maghunahuna nga magbaeos sa maeain nga gin-obra sa mabuot na nga unga?  Pangatlo, sa paghambae ni Hesus nga "Ama, patawara sanda bangod owa sanda kasayod ku andang ginhimo" ginapaabot na sa ana nga ama nga imbes uyangan o kauyaktan ku ama it tyempo ro mga tawo nga naghalit sa ana nga unga hay indi eon lang. Kaysa unahon na nga mag-linagas o maghingabot sa mga maeain nga tawo, hay ro ana nga unga lang anay ana nga paga-ulikdan. Kaysa itao ku ama ro ana nga panueukan sa iba hay sa ana lang guid nga unga. Si Hesus nakasayod nga kon ro ama magapabilin nga nagatueok kana nga ana nga unga, magapangibabaw ro paghigugma.  Ag sa ngaean it paghigugma ku ama sa unga, ro unga nga si Hesus nagahinyo sa ama nga paghigugma man ro itao maskin sa mga naghalit kana. Ag ro pinakamataas nga pagpakita it paghigugma hay ginatawag nga pagpatawad. Ngani mabudlay makapatawad sa tawo kon kueang o owa it paghigugma. Sa raya nga paghimay-himay ta, ano eon ro kaundan it mga tinaga ngara ni Hesus?  Ro pagpatawad isaea ka timaan nga ro mabahoe nga paghigugma hay mas mabahoe pa sa pinaka mabahoe  nga saea. Ro pagpatawad nga ginapangayo ni Hesus sa ana nga ama para sa mga naghalit kana hay isaea ka hueag nga magapadumdom sa tanan nga indi dapat maduea ro paging mahigugmaon bangod eamang sa mga bulok nga ginhimo ku iba. Indi dapat mabayluhan ro gugma it kaakig maskin ano pa ro nagakahanabo nga kaeainan. Ag daya ro sueod ku mga bisaea ni Hesus nga "Ama, patawara sanda bangod owa sanda kasayod ku andang ginhimo." Ro pagpatawad ni Hesus sa mga nagkasaea kana nagatungtong sa owa nagaka-hubas nga paghigugma. Sa punta it tanan, paghigugma ro kinahang-ean agod ro kaugot ag kaakig maumpawan.  Sa raya nga pang-orason, ginahangkat kita it Sta. Iglesia nga magtuead kay Hesus. Kinahang-ean pun-on ta ro atong taguipusuon it paghigugma it ama ku atong Ginuo. Sa kapupun-an eamang it paghigugma nga kita makasarang makapatawad eabi eon sa pinakamabug-at nga saea nga nahimo katon it iba.  Tapuson ko ro akon pag-giya sa pagpamaeandong paagi sa isaea ka pagsugid it hitabo nga akon nabatian sa mag-asawa nga katapo it Bukas-Loob sa Diyos. May mag-asawa nga may maintok pa nga unga. Ro unga hay sueang-hatod ku family driver sa baeay ag eswela. Isaea ka adlaw hakibot sanda nga naduea ro andang unga ag nakit-an eang nga patay eon. Nasayran nga gintabing ru unga it pilit bago pinatay. Ulihi eon hadakpan ro nagmolestya ag nagpatay sa unga. Owa it iba kundi ro andang family driver. Bisan ano ro kaakig ku mag asawa sa family driver nga ginsaligan nanda sa kabuhayon pero nakahimo giyapon kanda it kabahoe nga saea, ginduaw nanda sa prisohan ro driver ag ginpatawad. Kon bukon sanda it maeapit sa Simbahan sigurado kabudlay ro magpatawad. Mga tumueo-o ni KristoHesus, sayod ta nga sa kapupun-an eamang it paghigugma ku Dios, magahalin ro atong ikasarang nga makapaiway ag magapatawad. "Ama, patawara sanda bangod owa sanda kasayod ku andang ginhimo."

Wadeford School Graduation 2015

There  was once a mother and her son who lived in a faraway land. The mother just like any other mother of her time sent her son to school. One day, she was surprised when her son arrived from school with new pen and papers. She asked her son where did he get them. The son replied, "Those things belonged to my classmates. I stole them." Upon hearing this, the mother said to him, "Ok son, but just don't let people catch you." So every time her son brought to her what he had stolen, the mother just said to him,  "Ok son, but just don't let people catch you." These activities of her son continued until he grew up. But one day, the mother learned that her son was in jail to wait the judgment of the court for his crime of theft and robbery. She could not do anything except to cry for him. When her son faced the judge, his mother tried to convince everybody that her son is a good person. But the judge sentenced him to death. All the more the mother cried. She went to her son to give him her last hug. To her surprise, her son bit her ears. But she managed to get away from her son's agression. For the first time, she scolded her son saying, "You must be punished. You know you have done many bad and nasty things since you were young." The son retorted, "This is all your fault. If you only taught me before that I should be punished for doing bad things, I would not end up as a bad person." My dear friends, this sort of story reminds us that first, education is important and second, education is not only confined in schools.  First, education is important for everybody.  The word education means to bring up or to build up. It means then that primary purpose of education is to see to it that a child grows up to be able to stand on his/her own feet and finally can decide what is best for his/her own life.  Yes, it is good to receive some medals or certificates during the graduation ceremony to affirm the determination of the child to aim what is best in life. But these symbols of graduation cannot limit the meaning of education. If these symbols of graduation create the impression that we are the best among the rest, it is through education that we learn that not all best things happen to best people of this world. Education allows us then to decide what is best for us not only during the times we experience success but also during the time we experience failure in life. I remember a grade 6 pupil from St. Scholastica who approached me many years ago. She was a consistent topnotcher during her kindergarteen years until grade 5. But she was frustrated when she learned that she was never among the Top Ten of the graduating class. She wanted to die. She was afraid of her parents who expected too much from her because all her siblings graduated with honors. She was really afraid to go home. She really wanted to die rather than to hear her parents blaming her. My dear friends, do you think this is the meaning of education? Of course not. This sounds more of a competition where the winner takes it all while the loser gets nothing. So I tried to educate the girl. I told her to confront her parents. If they could not accept her as their daughter, she could stay with us in the parish. She could start anew after graduation. After how many days, the girl sent me a text message informing me that she learned how much her parents love her despite her failure. She promised to do her best within the true meaning of education which is to see to it that a child grows up to be able to stand on his/her own feet and finally can decide what is best for his/her own life. Second, education is not only confined in schools. My dear friends, I would like to remind you that it seems useless for the school to teach the best for the children which the home could not support or follow up. If the school teaches the children to pray before and after meals, but they are not encouraged to practice it at home, then what is the use of education? If the school teaches a child that it is bad to tell a lie, but he/she lives with a dishonest parent, then what happens to the so-called education? My dear friends, it is the primary task of the parents to educate their children. The school is there to complement or to assist the parents in giving good education to their children. Remember, what happens to the child when he/she grows up, falls back to his/her parents. If the child grows up as a great physician, it is the parents who can benefit directly from their child's achievements. Then the school can just make a good advertisement that the said great physician was once their student, a product of their education. And if the child grows up as an addict, it is still the parents who will be directly liable for their child's failure. The school has nothing to do with what goes wrong in the life of the child after the child has left the school premises.  So, my dear friends, especially to the parents, educate your children well. Teach them to respect you. Teach them to say thank you, or sorry or even I love you when it is proper to say it. They are your children, they are yours. Teach them to love your home. To end, I would like to tell you -to the graduating class, never stop learning. Allow yourselves to be teachable and be educated. Say thank you for the gifts you received. Say sorry for the sins you committed. Say I love you to your parents who have loved you. Above all, because you are graduates of Wadeford School, students who are inspired  by St. Jose Maria Escriva, learn from Jesus. Do what is right and avoid what is wrong. In the long run, you will realize the difference if you get good education from this school i.e., RO MAY MAYAD NGA TINUN-AN, MAY MAYAD NGA BATASAN. God bless you.

9th Day of Simbang Gabi December 24, 2014

A father was always scolding his son because of the latter’s vices. The son rebelled against him that he never went home anymore. One day, the said son met an accident and the doctor said he could not be able to walk. He blamed his father because of what happened to him. After some months of sitting on his wheel chair, the son was confused when he was carried by his father outside their home. His father carried him on his back and told him to start walking. Since then his father never failed in carrying him outside the house and assisted him to walk again. Miraculously, the son could walk again. He learned how much his father loved him and so he loved his father. My dear friends, a father in the family plays an important role just as much as a mother does for their children. A father is not just a figurehead but a person who sets the tone and atmosphere of the home. He exercises some influence in the decision-making of his children. He teaches them what respect and authority means. He is not just a breadwinner who supplies his family with their basic needs but also the first one to sacrifice even his needs for the sake of his family. The name of a good father is worth remembering and children should not blemish his family name. Zechariah was this kind of a father. In Luke 1: 67-79, Zechariah who was filled with the Holy Spirit announced God’s vision for his son John the Baptizer. As a father, he wished all good things about his son. But above all these, he never doubted that his son would serve and be pleasing to God. My dear friends, the fathers of our time should know this –that they are not only sperm donors whose role is to make babies. They have to understand that as procreators, they should see to it that their children know God more so as to serve Him better. Being a father is not just a social, cultural or economic reality but most importantly is a spiritual reality.

8th Day of Simbang Gabi December 23, 2014

Nick Vujicic was born without four limbs. As a child, he struggled mentally and emotionally as well as physically, but eventually came to terms with his disability and at the age of seventeen, started his own non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. In 2005, Vujicic was nominated for the Young Australian of the Year Award. My dear friends, I think it was very difficult for Nick’s parents to see him in his situation. But I appreciate their courage to let Nick live despite his physical disability. Nick’s story is a living testament that we cannot judge a child’s future until we see him/her grow. In our Gospel, Luke 1: 57-66, it is mentioned that people who heard about the birth of John the Baptist asked, “What then will this child be?” This question should be asked not only about John but also about every child in this world. It means that people recognize in each child the capacity or potential in the process of “becoming”. It also means that parents, by asking such question, are becoming aware of their role in the life of the child. If they shall not teach their child the ways of God, the devil shall make the child learn its evil ways. Moreover, it means that the child should know what to do with his/her life and do not blame his/her parents for his/her misfortunes. Amen.

7th Day of Simbang Gabi December 22, 2014

A father taught his son to save his money. However, his son asked him why they were still poor despite they saved some money. The father said they are not poor and the money they saved is used to help other people. For his son’s point of view, they are poor and they should not help others because they too are poor and they also need help. The son further believed that one needs to be rich in order to be happy. So his son decided to separate his ways from him. Years later, he became rich and famous. He only went home when he learned his father died. He was surprised while he was at home when he received letters from a Foundation inviting him in their awarding ceremony. He visited the Foundation and was surprised to receive an award there. It was only there that he learned that his father tried to help special children and those with physical disability in their education. He also learned his father was a hero in making those children happy. He realized that he was wrong to judge his father as poor and unhappy person. He also realized that one does not need to be rich in order to be happy. My dear friends, in our Gospel passage from Luke 1: 46-56, Mary expressed her happiness saying, “My spirit rejoices in God my savior.” Through Mary we learn that happiness comes not because of something that we have, of places that we wish to visit or of the position we get in our field of work. Rather, happiness comes when we do what we do in accordance to the will of God as His instrument to lift up others. Happiness is God’s gift to His people who make themselves available for the good of others. This Christmas season, we cannot expect to find happiness when we know we have not done anything to make others better. Amen.

6th Day of Simbang Gabi December 21 2014

One day, on my Facebook page, I saw a video clip of a certain Rowden and his wife Liezel posted. It was a wedding in the hospital. The groom, Rowden was sick and dying as he made a dying declaration that he wanted to marry Liezel. True in fact that he married Liezel while he was lying on his deathbed. After the wedding, he died. My dear friends, why enter into a marriage when you know you are going to lose your beloved either by death or by some other reasons? Well, there is in us that longs to make our commitment to love something solemn, serious and sacred. Even gays, lesbians or homosexuals cry out to allow them to enter into marriage though made in a civil court. They want to forge marriage with their same sex. Though no one prohibited them to have such relationship with their same sex, why do they wish to make it legal? In other words, though their cohabitation with their same sex partners is not rendered illegal, yet why do they still want to enter into marriage? What for? Well, as I have mentioned already, there is in us the longing to make our love sacred and it is what marriage does. In fact, it is what marriage is all about. In Luke 1: 26-38 even Mary herself considered marriage as sacred. When an angel announced to her that she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, she said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” This means that being a mother which is a sacred duty, and bringing forth life to a child which is a sacred act shall be with the benefit of marriage. This is different from what we know these days that it is ok for a woman to be pregnant outside marriage. For some, it is ok to cohabitate or engage in a relationship with a semblance of marriage. While for others, it is ok to have a querida. My dear friends, if we are really a believer of God, there is in us the calling to make our commitment to love as something sacred. This is why it is often said that getting married is paglalagay sa tahimik. Our soul could not be silenced as long as we could not make a solemn commitment to love in marriage. (Note: This reflection is addressed to those who are called to the sacred vocation of marriage)

5th Day of Simbang Gabi December 20, 2014

Most of those who are married, if not all, want to have a baby in their early stage of relationship. The presence of a baby in the home brings great satisfaction or sense of completeness in a husband-wife relationship. My dear friends in Christ, our Gospel (Luke 1: 26-38) shares the same idea about what happiness could a baby bring in the home. The words of the angel Gabriel to Mary indicate that a baby brings happiness and joy as he said, “Hail” to Mary. If we try to consider the circumstances of Mary, she could not be happy knowing she is pregnant without the benefit of marriage. Mary knew the punishment for a pregnant woman who is betrothed to somebody who is not the father of the child in her womb. Even in our present day, a woman would worry if she would get pregnant outside marriage. But the Gospel gives us a better perspective. Whenever there is a woman who is pregnant, it is a sign of God’s blessing. Remember, every baby is a gift from God. However, the father and/or mother or guardian of a child has the paramount responsibility to bring him/her up to be a blessing for others. Amen.