EARLY BIRDS Before the usual crowds come rushing in on the traditional day of the dead, early visitors clean up and light candles at the graves of their loved ones in a public cemetery in Barangay Barangka, Marikina City, on Friday. LYN RILLON
The story is told about a man who prepared to send greeting cards to two of his friends.
Unfortunately, he got the cards mixed up, and ended up sending to the friend whose wife had just died, the greeting: “Enjoy your new life!” And to the one who had just gotten married, the greeting: “With deepest sympathy.”
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In today’s Gospel (Mt. 5, 1-12a), Jesus gives us the Beatitudes, the attitudes that will help us find peace and meaning in whatever situations we are in, and which will help us move on. Whatever we go through, good or bad, happy or sad, the Beatitudes give us the consolation and the assurance that all will be well if we hold on to God. Stay with the Beatitudes, and you will always have a good attitude.
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This world tells us that life is all about success, wealth, popularity, comfort and convenience. The Beatitudes, on the other hand, tell us that there is meaning and blessings in our sorrow, poverty, persecutions and deprivations. This is something difficult to understand, and perhaps even foolish for those who do not have faith. But it is a source of consolation, and even joy, for those who believe in eternal life. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
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Today is the Feast of All Saints. Put simply, saints are those who believed in and lived the Beatitudes. Saints are those who took the road of prayer, goodness and humility, and sacrificed worldly pleasures and wealth, for the Kingdom of God. Let us ponder and be inspired by their words and examples. They were not extraordinary people. They were people like us, who allowed God to shine through in their ordinary lives. The problem with us is that we leave out God, and we just let ourselves shine in our lives.
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By the way, who is your patron saint? Your devotion to and imitation of your patron saint should lead you closer and dearer to God. My patron saint is St. Therese of the Child Jesus, who constantly inspires and challenges us to take the “little way.” Being the “Patroness of the Missions,” she reminds us that life is a mission and that we are journeying pilgrims, with a final destination—heaven.
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We have been blessed with modern-day saints that lived in our lifetime: Padre Pio, Mother Teresa, John Paul II, to name a few. They remind us that sainthood is not unreachable or a thing of the past. There are living saints in our midst, in our present day and time—like you, or the person beside you! Impossible? That’s how the saints thought so, too. Sainthood is not so much about human achievement as about the grace of God shining through in our lives.
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“Let your light shine.” I saw this big tarpaulin at the gate of St. Bridget School in Buhi, Camarines Sur, with the photo of a smiling Kristel Mae Padasas. Remember her? She was the 24-year-old volunteer who died in an accident in Tacloban during the visit of Pope Francis last Jan. 17. She was a 2004 graduate of St. Bridget. Sr. Mary Ann Terrenal, RGS, shared with me what “Mhaimhai” wrote in the 2004 yearbook: “What is important in this life is not how happy you are, but how happy others are because of you.” A modern-day saint! Amen.
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I was in Buhi recently to lead the recollection of the St. Bridget faculty upon the invitation of Sr. Ting Sevilla, RGS. One of the things I cannot forget about Buhi (aside from the sinarapan, the world’s smallest fish) is the sound of the church bells that begin to peal at 5:30 a.m. and go on continuously, three peals at a time, until 6 a.m. when the Mass starts. It reminds me of God, continuously and patiently calling us, persistently reminding us that we have a final date with eternity. Yes, the bells toll for all of us. Life is short. Death is certain. Eternity is waiting.
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Tomorrow, the Feast of All Souls, reminds us that no matter how hard we try, we cannot prolong our earthly life, nor can we prevent eternity to come upon us. Are we preparing for eternity? You have all sorts of plans—educational plan, retirement plan, memorial plan. What about your eternal life plan?
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“Life is our journey from B to D—that is, from Birth to Death. What is between B and D is C—that is, your Choice on how to live it.” Let us all choose the Beatitudes in our journey through life. We may not become saints in doing so, but the Beatitudes will bring us to the doorsteps of eternity, and there be embraced by God, there and then, where and when there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more persecution, no more problem, no more goodbye.
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“Eternal rest grant unto them, oh, Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” And may we, the living, live in peace! Amen.
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Think about this: “Life comes in three broad categories—i.e., easy, difficult, and impossible. Those who choose the easy have a safe and boring life; those who choose the difficult are tough and have a sense of fulfillment; those who choose the impossible inspire others that everything is possible, and that nothing is impossible with God.”
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, help us to believe in and live the Beatitudes so that we will be truly blessed in this life and in the next life. Amen.