2nd Sunday of Lent (A): Pangasinan Reflection

Agaylay taken la nen Abraham nen tinawag ya Dios ya sikato so onpikal ed baley to tan onlad pasen ya agto amta no antoy nasabian tod man. Say ilaloan nen Abraham et diad itaken to sikato la so man-retire: manpainawa la, anggapo la so baleg tan ambelat ya gawaen tod bilay. Baet, diad sayan inpan-onor nen Abraham ed say Dios, binirbir to so pakayari na Dios ed amin: say Dios so Dios na amin a pinalsa. Siopa sirin si Abraham ya akoen ton kayaryan to so mundo?

Diad sayan inpan-onor nen Abraham ed Dios, agamoran to so sipan na Dios ed sikato: say bendision na dalin tan agnabilang ya ilalak!

Ontan met so kabaliksan na say Transfiguration nen Jesus. Say transfiguration et sipan na gloria na Dios ed say Anak ton maonor ed say Ama to. Sayan inpan-onor nen Jesus ed say Ama et sikato so angiter na gloria na inkiolid bilay.

Saya met so kekerewen na Dios ed sikatayo ed sarayan panaon na kuaresma: obedience ed say Dios. Say pan-onor ed say Dios. Sayan obedience et bibirbiren to ya say Dios et kayaryan ton amin; tan walad sikatayo labat so panangasikaso na mundo tan amin ya wadia.

Sikatayo labat so manangasikaso na Dios. We are God’s stewards. Tan lapud agtayo kayaryan so mundo, no ingen et inpabayes tan papa-asikaso na Dios irayan amin ed sikatayo, sikatayo so tatawagen ya STEWARDS labat.

Panon tayon nipanengneng iyan panangasikaso ed sarayan kayaryan na Dios? Anto ra so inter na Dios ya asikasoen tayo, anggaman usaren tayo ra?

Say Dios tayo so aliwan masiblet. Amin tayo walay kayaman tayon nanlapud say Dios. Kayamanan ya mabolos ya inter na Dios ed sikatayo ya usaren, asikasoen, pabolaslasen: say Time, Talents tan Treasure.

Unaan, say PANAON. Time. Say panaon et aliwan usaren parad dili labat. Say panaon ya iter ed arum et aliling toy iter tayon kayaman ed arum. No mabolos tayon iter so oras tan panaon tayo ed sakey, panangaron iiter met iman. Ta say twa: agtayo sarag ya aroen so sakey no agtayo itdan na panaon man ya too. No ibaga tayon anggapo so panaon tayo ed sakey ya too, anggan saya et asawa, anak, ateng o kaaro, say kabaliksan to et wala ni so mas importante nen sikara. No agtayo mangiter na oras tan panaon, panon tayon aroen iraya sirin? Agkayo natatakot ya mangiter na panaon ed sarayan totoon importante ed bilay yo. Say panaon ya iter yo, panangaro man ya nipanengneng yo. Daiset odino maganat ya panaon, say kabalikasan to: daiset tan melmelag ya panangaro.

Kumadwa, saray TALENTO tayo. Nanlapud Dios iraya. Nanlapud inkianak odino naaralan tayo ra. Diad sarayan talento tayo: panagluto, panangansion, say maong a panag-salita, say maong ya panag-galaw, panag-tanem, tan arum nira: saraya et iner na Dios aliwan para sikatayo dili. Wala iraya para napanlingkuran iray arum. Anggapo so kakanaan na bosis ya agay lay dakep no anggapo met lamlamang so makakarengel tan say dilim labat so kakansionan mo. Anto so kakanaan ya masamit ya luto no anggapo so mangan? Diad sarayan talento tayo, si Kristo so manga-aro diad panamegley ed sikatayo. Agkayo natatakot ya i-share irayan talento ya nanlapud say Dios para say arum.

Kumatlo, saray KAYAMANAN tayo. Treasure. Lapud say Dios so akan-kayaryan na amin tan nanlapuan na amin ya walad sikatayo, anggapo sikatayo so tatawagen ya exclusive ownership na kayamanan tan say kuarta tayo. Lapud sikatayo so naitdan na panangasikaso na Dios, say Dios sirin so manunaan ed bilay tayo. Aliwan makana tan makabaliksan no say ibabagat tayo ed say Dios et saray kakera-kera. Mabetbet ya say ipawil tayod say Dios et saramay kera-kera tayo: sinsilyo para say Dios; papel para say load. Mikol para say Simbaan, dolyares para say kawes.

Tangay kayod tagey tan nengneng yoy krus: diad sayan krus, inter na Dios ya amin para sikatayo. Anggapo so intilak to! Amin inter na Katawan para sikatayo. Panon tayon nakontento ya mangipawil ed say Dios na saray kera-kera tayo labat? Anto so kabaliksan na sayan bilay ya inbagat na amin na Katawan ed say Ama to para sikatayo? Agkayo natatakot ya mangiter ed arum, tan aliwan kera-kera.

Diad sayan pamirbir tayo ya sarayan Panaon, Talento tan Kayamanan tayo et agtayo ya kayaryan, no ingen pabayes na Dios ed sikatayo, naawat tayo so sipan ya bendision ya agnasabsabaan. Ta say Dios ya nanlapuan na amin et aliwan masiblet ya Dios! Inter tan iter ton amin irayan nakaukolan tayo. Ontan pa komon. Amen.

Based on the Meditation for the Second Sunday of Lent, “Renunciation and Fruitfulness” by Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, DD, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan

St. Joseph, Husband of Mary

St. Joseph had so many plans for Mary. He would have wanted to have a grand wedding. Instead, he found out that Mary was already with child!

He planned to divorce her quietly. But his plans had to take another turn. God, through an angel told him to marry Mary because she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit! What? So, he married Mary.

He would have wanted Mary to give birth in his house: safe and secure. But, there was another change of plan. They had to go to Bethlehem because the Emperor from far away Rome wanted a census for all the Jews. And Joseph was from the tribe of David. And David was from Bethlehem. While they were in Bethlehem, it was time for Mary to give birth. Another change of plan: she gave birth to Jesus in a stable!

Joseph, through all these changes of plans, followed God’s guiding hands. He allowed God to direct him to places and situations he was not familiar with. He allowed God to surprise him! Would be like St. Joseph?

After all, God knows what is best for us. His ways may not be according to our plan, but his ways in the end will lead us to what is best for us!

How do we know that what we are following is God’s plan and ways, and not our plan and our ways?

Many times, we compromise what we believe in, tell a lie, follow an advice which we know is against truth or honest just to have our plan accomplished.

We were able to accomplish the plan, but at what expense? We suffer the anxieties and sleepless nights. There is no peace of mind. This is not then God’s plan and His ways.

The Tongue

I tremble to think that I have to give an account of my tongue. There is life, but there is also death in the tongue. Sometimes we kill with the tongue: we commit real murders. And we are still to regard that as a small thing? (Diary, 119)

A parishioner came crying her heart out. Hers were painful tears brought about by the talks spread by her “sisters” in her group.

“I am just doing the work of God. I am just serving the Church”, she cried.

“Why are these lies being spread against me?”

 

Our ”white” lies, talks that are half-truths, conversations that are “for entertainment” may cause untold pain and suffering on the “victims”.

Truth is always motivated by justice. And justice without mercy is not liberating.

"What would Jesus want ME to do?"

There was a popular phrase in the the 1990’s and printed in some t-shirts. It is a question that seems to be very simple, and direct to the point. Even for some, probably capturing the whole essence of how one is going to live his Christianity. The phrase is in a question form which goes like this: “What would Jesus do?” Ano ang gagawain kaya ni Jesus? Implying that in a concrete situation, if we ask this question, we are actually doing the will of God in our life. It further implies that if we answer this question, and commit ourselves to acting upon the answer we have found, we can truly change and even transform the world as Jesus would want us to do.

“What would Jesus do?” or rather, since we are His disciples, and His apostles, and we are only His followers obeying His commands and living His Life and Words, a better question would be: “What would Jesus want ME to do?” It is a question that can be answered concretely; it manifests how we are in following Jesus, in becoming His true followers.

We all want to live comfortably, secure in our future. Walang problema. But would Jesus want me to tell a lie, so that I will continue to support a life of ease, comfort? Will Jesus want me to turn my back to a child begging for alms because I presume the child is being used by a syndicate and being exploited by them? Would Jesus want me to forgive a person who has hurt me and my family? What would Jesus want us to do with the many extra possessions we all have?

What would Jesus want met to do amidst the lying, the injustice and poverty caused by corruption in our government? What would Jesus want me to do when people who stand for truth are being jailed, and the thieves and liars, who steal money from the people are the ones out of jail, going where they please, and doing what they want? Will Jesus expect me to be angry? to be outrage? To be courageous and to make a stand for people who are crying for justice?

Truly answering and acting on the answer will not be without cost. Discipleship is costly. Apostleship is costly. Doing what Jesus wants me to do is costly. It can cost you your friends. It can cost you profits for you business. It can cost you your job. It can cost you your freedom, as Jun Lozada is now experiencing.

But it has its rewards which no money, and no power and no position can buy. IT can give us Jesus Christ, and with Him, serenity, peace. And eternal life.

I ask each one of you here present. Even for a week. I ask you while you are at home with your family, or at work. Or enjoying yourselves with your friends. Or just alone by yourself. When faced with a situation that would split your heart and your spirit, ask: What would Jesus want ME to do?

A homily given during the "Misa de Gracia" of the Parish of St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, Manaoag, Pangasinan on 7 May 2009.

Danny’s Miracle

Today, the Parish celebrated the Feast of the Divine Mercy. The activities were celebrated in the afternoon: confessions, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction, Mass and blessing of the Divine Mercy images and the procession.

I saw Sis. Lourdes hurrying towards me at the sacristy after the mass. She was clutching an image of the Divine Mercy. She was with Sis. Teresing of Brgy. Bigbiga. A woman and a man who I did not recognize were with them.

Sis. Lourdes was all smiles as she approached me.

“Kumusta?” I asked her. I wanted to follow up our mass schedule in their barangay. But before I could do so, she was already saying something. Unceasingly. Sis. Lourdes was usually reserved and quiet.

“Father, malagip yo ni Danny?” she asked me.

Of course, I remember Danny. I administered to him the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick last February (2009). Did Danny pass away already?

“Wen,” I told her, waiting for her to say that Danny had passed away.

She then pointed at the man who was standing beside her.

“Ni Danny datoy!” She said.

This is Danny?

I could not believe my eyes. Danny was smiling at me. The woman who was with her, probably her mother, was crying. “Naimbagen ni Danny!” she cried.

Then to remind me, Danny brought out the stampita I gave him when I last visited him two months ago. He had it laminated.

“Gapu ti Divine Mercy, Father!” he told me. It is because of the Divine Mercy!

God’s mercy is unfathomable, gushing forth and covering the whole world! We need only to ask for God’s Mercy. And in asking, put our complete trust in Him!

Danny asked for God’s Mercy! The Lord manifested to him His Mercy!

“Awan ti imposible ti Divine Mercy,” Sis. Lourdes reminded me. True, there is nothing impossible with God’s Mercy!

I cried out, “Unbelievable!”

It is not “unbelievable” anymore! In putting his trust in God’s Mercy, Danny’s miracle is a living sign that with God, everything is possible! It is expected! It is believable!

Danny’s miracle!  With Sis. Lourdes (3rd from left) and Sis. Teresing (4th from left)