WORD ALIVE
FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD
Here is a test for you. You are sleeping and then dreaming. A holdupper is running after you. You turn sideways, but every side you turn to, you find another guy holding a knife coming after you. Too scared, you don’t know where to run to. You’re blocked. How can you escape? The answer is: Wake up.
By waking up, one enters a world of reality, different from that of the dream world.
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Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Church's liturgical calendar. The call is to "wake up" (Rom 13,11) or "Hoy Gising," in local parlance.It does not mean that we are literally in a state of dormition. That reminds me of that quip: “Some are working hard; others are hardly working.” “Waking up” in the gospel means rising from SPIRITUAL slumber and laziness. In short, it is a call for renewal.
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As we enter Advent, the Church's "New Year," we would do well to pause and ponder where our life is heading to? Am I making any progress or retrogressing? Do I realize how time flies? But most importantly, am I making a change for the better or for the worse?* * *
I came across a true story about an escaped convict from Devil’s Island, the penal colony off the French Guiana coast. The man was apprehended and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with a murder in Marseilles. While in prison, he suffered remorse of conscience for his crime and in reparation, since he was a doctor, he devoted the remaining years of his life to curing the sick on the island.* * *
When he died at 72, several hundred people gathered to pay their last respects to the man who had done so much to heal their physical illnesses.From a murderer, he became a healer and a hero. The story illustrates how we, too, can rise from our sinful past and live a worthwhile life.
It happened because the man woke up to the urgent call of spiritual conversion
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There is no real transformation in society unless there is an inner personal transformation. For whatever is wrong with society is the accumulated result of whatever is wrong with the people who compose it.Who fight senseless wars, who cause death and poverty, who pollute our atmosphere and rivers? Society doesn't do it; people do.
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Our undesirable traits are not only contrary to Christian teachings, but also have a negative effect in our national life.It's been repeatedly said that the cause of national stagnation and economic retrogression is traced to our negativistic traits: graft and corruption, lack of discipline, political disunity, greed, to mention some.
Remember what the Greek philosopher Plato said about greed? "Poverty (being poor) consists not in the decrease of man's possessions, but in the increase of one's greed."
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Hoy, gising! Wake up! Like what that murderer doctor did, examine where you have failed and start to reform. That’s the message of Advent. And that’s the best way to prepare for Christmas, too.* * *
THE LIGHTER SIDE. Doctor: “Son, why did you slap the guy you were talking with?” The angry man replied: “Imagine, he saw me very nervous about the result of my swab test and still said... THINK POSITIVE!”* * *
In an international convention in the USA, a man introduced himself to a Filipino, saying, “I’m Joe Smith from the state of Texas.” The Filipino replied: “I’m Freddie Ubaldo from the State of Calamity.”* * *
PERENNIAL PROBLEMS. There are, indeed, numerous calamities in the country. However, let’s remember that the destructive effects are not only the tantrums of nature but are also man-made. For instance, the effect of flash floods could be prevented or minimized if our forests are not wantonly denuded by unscrupulous, illegal loggers. Also, fewer lives would be lost if there were early and ample warning by the concerned agencies on the release of huge volumes of water from the dams.* * *
These problems have been perennial. As a country that’s prone to floods and typhoons year in and year out, our government should have become an expert on flood control and typhoon management. Somebody said, “Those who don’t learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them.” Hence, no progress.* * *
FAMILY TV MASS – is aired on TV5 One Sport Channel 59, Free TV Ch. 41 at 6-7 a.m. Sunday and anytime at “MCFI SVD Media” Account on YouTube and Facebook Page. Priest presider: FR. DONDION SORIANO, SVD.The FAMILY that prays together stays together.