POWER OF WORD, POWERFUL WORD

Days ago, I went to Recto to order a rubber stamp. As there were a great number of rubber stamp makers lined up along the sidewalks of Recto, I randomly chose one. I gave the text of the rubber stamp and asked him if he can do it. He answered with an assuring nod. Without looking into my eyes, he priced the purchase for four hundred pesos. Quite a sum of money, I thought. I haggled for the item for two-hundred. He bargained for three. I gave in. He issued a receipt with the sum on it. But I insisted on paying half the price. the other half I will pay the next day when I will retrieve the item. He agreed. With soothing words, he reassured me "Surely you will have your stamp tomorrow." On my way back to the convent, I thought how foolish of me to shelve few pesos to a person I never met before, especially to a person from Recto, which is a notorious place for tricksters. I only had his words. He had my money.   

In our volatile and uncertain world, what are words? When only handful of persons uphold honor, what are words? Where promises and statements easily changes based on vested interest, how can one's words assure us?

Since time in memoriam, God gave us His words. We have the scriptures as the record of His words. But God's words are different from man's. The words of God are powerful for they turn into reality. Makapangyarihan ang Salita ng Diyos sapagkat ito ay nangyayari. When God said, let there be light, there was light. When Jesus said, "Let the temple be a place of prayer, the temple became a place of worship." God's words are reliable and worthy of trust because God fulfills His words. Thus, people were attentively listening to Christ. They hang on His words. 

What are the words of God to us?

According to a recent survey, in the past six years, the most referred scriptural passages are Jeremiah 29:11 and Philippians 4:6. In Jeremiah the verse reads: "'For surely I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord, 'plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope'." The author of Philippians writes: "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." These words of God address anxiety at their heart; a reflection of our deepest concerns in our lives today. May we ultimately find rest in the WORD of God, made flesh.

A day after, I closed a deal with a stamp maker in Recto, I went back to his makeshift stall to claim my order. To my worry, he was nowhere to be found. My suspicions were right, I thought, that man will not keep his words. I was tricked. Hoping for the contrary, I immediately brought out the receipt he issued and started asking other rubber stamp makers if they recognize the man who issued such receipt. One of them did. He was his nephew. He gave to me the stamp I ordered from his uncle saying "Pinasasabi ho pala ni Tito, maraming salamat." I paid my balance and thank them likewise. I had my stamp and the words fulfilled by a humble stamp maker.

In our world wanting of trust, many of us find solace in the powerful words of God; in the WORD incarnated, made flesh. 

On what word of God do you hang on?

BUILDING A GENUINE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

Months ago I was assigned to our Parish in Manaoag. Besides the Lady who calls, I met another two ladies. Hilaria Perez serves in the parish as a volunteer catechist for more than 40 years. In her retirement, she now serves the parish as a BEC adviser and guide to younger BEC leaders in Lipit Sur. She is now more than 90 years old. The other woman is Rosalia Esteves. She served the parish as a volunteer catechist until in 2001 when she was asked to retire to give way to younger catechists. Her old age is never a hindrance in serving the Church. She is now a coletora in the Minor Basilica, and one of those who maintain the sanctuary of our Lady; making sure the flowers are fresh, and the candles are lighted for the Lady. When the Typhoon Ompong was ravaging the province of Pangasinan, Lola Rosalia still went to the Basilica to serve in the mass. She is now 82 years old. When I asked Lola Rosalia why she was doing all these things even at her age, she answered: Ito po ang ambag ko sa ating simbahan.

Today we celebrate the dedication of the Major Basilica of St. John Lateran. It is an imposing edifice as it is the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Rome. No single person can claim to be the sole builder of this Major Basilica. The Lateran family who donated the lot where the major basilica stands today cannot claim the grand church building we see today as their own making. We can only thank the billions of Catholic, from 313 AD to the present, who helped in building and conserving that basilica. Today we celebrate not an edifice or a church building in Rome, but the Church that grows united with, and presided by the bishop of Rome. From the mother church of Christendom to our local churches, we owe the growth of our Church to the many Catholics who tirelessly, and wholeheartedly impart their resources and their very own lives, inspired by the grace of God.

Our Church is more than a place of worship. It is the Body of Christ composed of billions of members: the clergy and the laity. More than magnificent structure, we build the Body of Christ by forming genuine Christian communities where Christ can make his dwelling among men. Are we capable of building these communities? Yes! When we were baptized, we were made temples of the Holy Spirit, through the resurrection of Christ. Our body, our being, had become the temple of God (katawan at pagkatao bilang tahanan ng Diyos). And this, our being temples of God, moves us to form a community, as its origin is a community that goes beyond itself; the Trinity. Christ founded our Church. He is our very own foundation. We have in us the capacity to build a Christian community because the Trinitarian community provides whatever is necessary for us to contribute to the growth of the body of Christ, our Church.

No one among us can say we have nothing to contribute to the growth of the body of Christ because God as a community provides. As the PCP II says “Walang sinumang singhirap na walang maibibigay.”  Bawat isa ay may mailalahok sapagkat di tayo pinagkaitan ng Diyos. Ikaw, anong ambag mo (sa  pagbuo ng ating Kristyanong communidad)?