WORD ALIVE

In basketball, a player is hailed as a hero when he commits a few errors and makes points during crucial moments. He becomes a "darling of the crowd." But the next time, he is treated as a villain when he fumbles, misses some baskets and does not score as expected. \* \* \* We can say a similar thing about Jesus although he wasn't into basketball. During Christ's public ministry, he cured the sick, fed the hungry, performed miracles for the people. These material, physical favors aroused the enthusiasm of the crowd to a point that they wanted to make him their king. Thus, when he entered Jerusalem, the premiere city, he was greeted with cheers and jubilant "hosannas." \* \* \* But Jesus knew the "royal welcome" would be short-lived. A few days after, the cheers and hosannas were changed to boos and cries of "crucify him, crucify him." Peter and the other apostles were privileged to be in the company of their master. \* \* \* They must have basked in his celebrity status as Jesus entered Jerusalem. But on Good Friday when they saw him being dragged ignominiously from one court to the other, Peter and the other apostles could not bear it anymore. Except for John the evangelist, they fled and went into hiding. \* \* \* Today we do have a good number of Peters and apostles who are loyal and faithful to God--and friends--when all is going well. But when hardships, adversities or defeat as in elections happen, it might be the end of loyalty. As the truism goes, “Victory has many fathers; defeat is an orphan.” \* \* \* In daily life, we have commitments of loyalty not only to God and our church but also to the government, our family, work places, our religious vows, moral obligations. \* \* \* On Palm Sunday, we have palm and coconut branches (palaspas) to be blessed and brought home. Some believe that hanging them at the door jambs will drive away evil spirits or bring good luck. Those palaspas, however, should remind us that our love and loyalty to Christ and our personal commitments do not wither and fade away, just like the enthusiasm of the fickle-minded crowd on that first Palm Sunday. \* \* \* The lighter side. When Jesus made His triumphal entry to Jerusalem, He rode on a lowly donkey or an ass. As the Jews waved palm branches and shouted "Hosanna," the donkey thought the crowd's wild adulations were for him. So, he kept nodding his head. \* \* \* Aren't we much the same at times? When we have talents, titles and positions, pride gets into our head. We think we owe it all to ourselves, totally forgetful of the Giver? \* \* \* A man who always had himself crucified on Holy Week was told by a doctor that the spikes may cause tetanus infection. So, he advised him to get anti-tetanus injection. The man replied: “Doc, I don’t want to. I can’t stand the pain of injection.” (But he can stand being nailed to the cross!). \* \* \* ‘7 Last Words.’ The SVD Mission Communications Foundation, Inc., will telecast online on ABS-CBN or Kapamilya Channel the “7 Last Words” on Good Friday, April 7 at 12 noon-3 p.m. Join us and reflect at the Divine Word Shrine in Christ the King Seminary, E. Rodriguez Blvd., QC. \* \* \* By the way, we sent out solicitation letters for ad placements and donations for the TV program. May we hear from you? Call Brian Deguito at tel. 8723-3343 or e-mail me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). Thank you.