WORD ALIVE

 

FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD Once heavy rains pounded and flooded a town. As the water kept rising, inundating the houses, a man known for his piety  climbed up to  the second floor of his house. A rescuer on a banca (row  boat) came near and yelled, "Come, I came to save you." But the man said, "Don't worry, I have faith in the Lord. He  will  save me."

 

The water continued to rise. This time the man had to  climb to  the rooftop. A second boat came to rescue him. But  again he said, "I trust in the Lord; He'll save  me." The banca left without him.

 

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Finally, the water rose so high that it went over the man's head and he drowned. When he woke up in the next life, he came face-to- face with God. The pious man said, "Lord, I have always lived a good life, praying always. Why didn't you save me when I was in that terrible flood?"

 

 

God replied, “Don't blame me. I did everything to save you. Didn't I send those two boats for you?"

 

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In  the gospel of this 13th Sunday, we read about the beautiful stories of faith--that of  Jairus, an official  of  the  synagogue, and a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years.

 

 

These two episodes tell us through Jesus' action that  God,  in his  compassion, helps. He is  sensitive and caring. He does have  time  for people: big people like Jairus and little people, like the unnamed woman.

 

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There’s another important lesson we can learn from the two episodes. Both had strong faith in the Lord. But take note: each one took extra effort to look for Jesus. The woman jostled through the crowd to get near the Lord. The synagogue official, likewise, went through all the trouble of  seeking Jesus.

 

 

The two people in today’s gospel did more than just trust in the Lord, unlike that pious man in the flood who was just waiting.

 

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The message is that while we should put our faith in the Lord in all our undertakings, we should also take part. In short, our faith should be PARTICIPATIVE. 

 

 

To cite some concrete examples. If we pray to pass the exams, we have to take time seriously to review; if we ask God for good health, we must avoid an unhealthy lifestyle, like gorging food rich in cholesterol; on the national level, if we pray for economic progress, we should avoid malversing government funds. One major drawback to economic progress of nations is attributed to their negativistic traits and attitudes. Where there are corrupt practices, greed, social injustices, a country becomes poorer (cf. Gunnar Myrdal, Asian Drama).

 

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ASK YOURSELF: Do I always pray to the Lord in my undertakings but fail to do my part? On the reverse side, do I keep on working, trusting in myself forgetting God in my life? 

 

 

We are a religious and prayerful people and that’s great. However, we should translate our Christian values in our deeds and moral conduct.

 

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MISSION APPEAL. Msgr. Esteban U. Lo, LRMS, national director, appeals: “Today, June 27, 2021, we will celebrate St. Peter the Apostle Sunday.  This is the day when, in a special way, we once again remember our brothers and sisters in the mission territories in the Philippines and outside the Philippines.  For them we offer prayers and financial assistance, particularly “for the formation, training and support for seminarians, clergy and religious.” 

 

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“I most respectfully request that you remind and encourage our communities to once again celebrate St. Peter the Apostle Sunday and to offer prayers and financial contribution to assist Pope Francis in supporting mission worldwide. Those who cannot go to church today and give their donation for this intention may deposit their love offering in the following bank accounts:  Pontifical Mission Societies of the Philippines, Inc.  – BDO c/a 006578010868 or Metrobank s/a 091-3-09151543-2.  

 

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“For proper acknowledgment and delivery of official receipt the soft copy / screenshot of the deposit made, name and postal address of donor may be emailed to [email protected].”

 

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The lighter side. After Father’s Day, a husband said to a friend, “I hope you enjoyed Father’s Day last Sunday,” “Why,” his friend said, ”Well, after Father’s Day, the rest of  the year will be Mother’s Day!”

 

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Husband: “A family has a mother-in-law; it also has a father- in-law. But I…have a wife who is the law!”

 

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Favorite hymns of married couples: Newly-married—“Papuri sa Diyos.” After 10 years—“Panginoon, maawa ka sa akin.” After 20 years—“Kunin mo, O Dios.”