Your finest hour

The story is told about a couple who decided to use only biblical passages in their conversations during the Holy Week. When the wife woke the husband, she quoted Jesus’ words at the Garden of Gethsemane: “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.” (Luke 22, 45) Whereupon the husband, quoting Jesus’ words at Cana, responded: “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2, 4)

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In today’s gospel (John 12, 20-33), we hear Jesus say: “The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified.” Further on, He says: “But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” There is an appointed hour for everything, and everything happens in His time, according to His will and plan. As it were, God has perfect timing. Let us be in tune with His timetable, and let us be constantly on the lookout, and be open to His schedule and call in our lives.

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We are living on borrowed time in this world. We are accountable to God for what we do in our lifetime. And there is an appointed hour when we will come face to face with our God. Jesus tells us today how to truly live: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.” Our finest hour is when we can come before God and be able to say: Mission accomplished, Lord. I have served and I have loved!

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We do not know when God will take us. Death came unexpectedly and fast for my brother-in-law Butch del Rosario, who died in his sleep last March 18. He was 59. As I blessed his lifeless body at the hospital emergency room where he was taken to be revived, I couldn’t help but cry and be reminded of the shortness of life, the reality of death that literally can come “like a thief in the night.” His hour had come … could mine be far behind?

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There isn’t much we can say when a loved one dies for words will never be enough. We take comfort in what Jesus says today about a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, and produces much fruit. We can never know what is in a man’s heart, nor can we judge. We can never fathom the love God has for each of us. When our final hour comes, may we too become recipients of His mercy and unimaginable love!

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In one of my pilgrimages, a prayer leader prayed the “Hail Mary,” saying “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hours of our death. Amen.” I corrected her then, but come to think of it, there are many hours of death before we come to that final hour. We die a thousand deaths before we finally die. Let us not die before our time comes. Let us not die by our sinning, or giving up on people, our goodness, or life itself.

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Speaking of pilgrimages, in a sharing session one of our pilgrims came to his finest hour when he publicly acknowledged his unfaithfulness and misdeeds, and sought forgiveness from his wife. He finally faced the light, and went past the shadows in front of him. The truth has set him free. Because of his humility and honesty, he opened the floodgates of grace upon the whole group, especially to his loving and forgiving wife. Indeed, a grain of wheat falls and dies, and produces much fruit!

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Has something died in your life? Has something gone wrong? Is there no more fire or not even a glow between you and your loved ones? It is time to invite the Lord into your heart, into your home, into your relationships. He wants to come in, but many times we shut him out, and that is when troubles and problems come up. One of our finest hours is when we realize our helplessness, and in humility acknowledge our need for God. Unless and until we do that, we will continue on the road of selfishness and self-fulfillment that does not bring us to the road of true life and, ultimately, to eternal life.

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Couples, please remember that at the wedding in Cana, the Blessed Mother was there, and Jesus was there as well. On your wedding day, you invited Jesus to be with you. But that is not enough. What is important is that you invite Him to be in your marriage. Your finest hour comes when you finally focus not so much on each other as on the same direction together. Come, Lord! We need you. Stay with us, Lord!

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Please don’t wait for the “last two minutes” before you come out with your finest moments and your finest hour. Don’t wait to be fined! Do not postpone your conversion, and do not postpone your loving. Yes, capture the moment and seize the day. And live in such a way that you will have no regrets in any way.

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Mama Mary teaches us to take the road of humility, obedience, and self-denial. When we take that road, we may become the “Biggest Losers” in the eyes of this world. But in the end, we turn out to be the biggest gainers, after all. Remember, what matters most is not what we hold in our hands but what we carry in our hearts. If you think this is a losing proposition, think again when your final hour comes, in that hour when all your money, power and influence are useless. Unaided and alone, what will matter then is the love in your hearts and the mercy of God.

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Inviting you to our Palm Sunday family recollection at the Meralco Theatre, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., on April 1. Please come early as we have limited seats. One with you in preparing to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the finest hour of our Christian faith.

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Bantay Matanda invites you to a lay forum on March 31, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Janssen Hall, Christ the King Seminary, E. Rodriguez Blvd. Extension, Quezon City (near St. Luke’s Medical Center). Topic: Do’s and Don’ts in Taking Medication by Dr. Deana Santos-Ringor. For inquiries, call 373-2262, 998-2548, or 09174167849

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A moment with the Lord: Lord, help me to live in such a way that when my final hour comes, I will be ready to face You. Amen.