On line and on call
The story is told about two sons who asked their father who would inherit his vintage Cadillac. Both of them wanted the car so much, and every day, they tried to win their father’s heart. A few weeks later, the father fell while rafting with his two sons, and the last thing he heard was one son shouting: “Daddy, Daddy!” and the other, “Car key, car key!”
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In today’s Gospel, we hear of two sons and their two different responses to their father’s call. One said no but went eventually, while the other said yes, but did not go. One did not promise, but did it anyway. While the other promised to do it, but didn’t. Who did the father’s will? The first son, and so is anyone who is not only on line, but also is on call for the Father’s will.
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Doing the Father’s will was the whole mission of Jesus. This was so clearly expressed at Gethsemane when He prayed: “Take this cup of suffering away from me, yet not my will, but Thy will be done” (Mk. 14,36). Jesus teaches us that there is a God who has a master plan, and we are supposed to do our part. We must listen, accept, obey and carry out His will and plan.
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The Blessed Mother’s “Fiat” is an expression of her submission and obedience to God’s will. Like Jesus, she had to struggle and suffer as a result of her saying “yes” to God’s plan of salvation. She could just have said “No.” She could have taken the road of comfort and convenience, the road of least resistance and non-involvement. Instead she chose the difficult road of humility and obedience.
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The story of the saints and martyrs is a statement that it is possible for us sinful and weak mortals to go out of our way and go His way. Many of them did not start out holy and docile. On the contrary, many of them initially refused, struggled, questioned and even disregarded the Father’s will. But somehow, grace prevailed. Grace always prevails in the end. Indeed, there is no sinner without a future, and there is no saint without a past.
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All of us are called by the Father. All of us are called to life, to love, to goodness – and to heaven. Yes, all of us have a calling, a vocation, a mission in life. Unless and until we see life as a mission for something or someone greater than ourselves, we will end up empty, vain, cynical, proud, angry, selfish individuals. There is a God who is calling. Are you listening? There are people around you. Are you responding?
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As a little boy, I remember Papa braving rain and wind to check on his area at the Bureau of Customs where he worked for 23 years, “just to be there” even at the height of typhoons and floods. In Papa, I personally witnessed what it means to go beyond the call of duty. For him, beyond the call of duty was the call of the country, and the call of the Almighty. I wonder what call our government officials are responding to nowadays? Careful. The call of money, power and fame can be loud and deafening.
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The Lord does know how to test our perseverance to His call. Last Sept. 16, when I entered the hall to say Mass for the Divine Word College of Laoag faculty and personnel, I noticed that the air-conditioning was not functioning, and it was hot. Soon after, the power went off and it was not only hot, but also dark. But we just kept on going and went on anyway without air-con, without lights, without microphone. Guess what? After the final blessing, the power came back and the air-con began to function!
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In our column last September18, the name of Fr. Emeterio de la Paz, SVD was inadvertently omitted as one of our SVD Golden Jubilarians as a priest. Now 79 years old, Father Emy could still be seen walking or taking the jeepney with his sick call-kit on hand to minister to the sick and the dying at nearby St. Luke’s Hospital where he is a chaplain-on-call, and he still teaches Latin to our students at Christ the King Seminary. For Father Emy, his calling to the priestly-religious life which started when he entered the seminary on June 6, 1950 is permanent and ongoing.
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Today is National Seafarer’s Day. We remember and pray for them who risk life and limb in the high seas for their families and for our country’s economy, and bring our faith far and wide. One with you in prayer.
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October 1 is the day for our traditional Walk with God to Manaoag. This three-hour walk with continuous praying of the rosary starts at 6 a.m. in Urdaneta, Pangasinan and ends with the 11 a.m. Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag. Let us begin the month of the rosary with thanksgiving and sacrifices. By the way, “manaoag” is a Pangasinan word which means “to call.” Yes, Our Lady is calling us, and the world is waiting for our service and love.
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Inviting you to “An Evening with Fr. Jerry for the Missions” at the PICC on Oct. 9, 2011 starting with a 5 p.m. Mass, dinner-dance, auction and raffle for the benefit of our Filipino missionaries working abroad. For inquiries, please call 7217457.
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, help me to be not only on line but also to be on call to you and to your people. Amen.
