WORD ALIVE

SVD priestly ordination. Five deacons of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), class “Koinonia” will be ordained priests on Feb. 8 at 9 in the morning at the Divine Word Seminary Chapel, Tagaytay City.

The five SVD deacons are allFilipinos: Rev. Jeyvee Vagilidad, missionary to Ecuador; Rev. Ian Mar Limbag, missionary to SVD Southern province; Rev. Jonathan Florino, missionary to Poland; two Chinese missionaries are: Rev. Yawei “Joseph” Wu missionary to Philippine Central Province; Rev. Min Gyo Daniel Lee, missionary to US Chicago.

Ordaining prelate is Most Reverend Raul B. Dael, DD, Bishop of the Diocese of Tandag. 

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The gospel of this Fifth Sunday relates about Jesus calling his first apostles — a band of simple fishermen. “They left everything” — their work, their boats, their families — and followed him (Lk 5,11). This formed the core group on which Christ founded his Church.

Unfortunately, many have the idea that the call of Christ is addressed only to the apostles and their successors, the priests, bishops and popes. 

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That’s not true. Every Christian is commissioned to the ministry of healing, preaching and teaching by virtue of his or her baptism. 

The Decree on the Laity of Vatican II states: “Incorporated into Christ’s Mystical Body through baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through confirmation, the Laity are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord himself” (3). 

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How can you be an apostle of Christ or “fisher of men”? You could participate in church works in your parish. Today there are numerous lay Catholics who sacrifice time, talent and treasure for the church, rendering services as lay ministers, lectors, collectors, choir members, catechists, social workers.

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Then there are those involved in church organizations like the Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s League as well as the renewal movements like the Marriage Encounter, Couples for Christ, and others.

Of course, the most basic and effective form of being a fisher of people is the testimony of Christian living or witnessing to such gospel values as charity, justice, forgiveness, honesty, peace.

The British TV journalist Malcolm Muggeridge was a celebrity who did not care much about God and religion. He did something he swore he would never do—become a Catholic.

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What led to his conversion? He had an assignment to write about the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Travelling to India, Muggeridge thought the trip was just the usual work but the amazing thing was, in the course of his talks and days of observation of the kindly nun, he experienced a change of heart. 

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Muggeridge said: “Words cannot express how much I owe her. She showed me Christianity in action.” 

Ask yourself: Would lukewarm and non-Catholics be so edified by your way of life as to want to become active Catholics? 

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Humor. Three classmates in high school met in a class reunion. “In our town,” said the first, “people call me ‘Monsignor’ because I am a lay minister.”

The  second bragged: “Well, I’m a charismatic  elder. I give spiritual talks so everybody calls me ‘Cardinal’.”

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Unimpressed, the third said: "I’m higher than you two. I’m a  sales representative going from house to house but I serve as collector at Mass. Many call me ‘God’.”

The friends were dumbfounded and said: “What, God? How come”?  “You see, when I knock at  the doors of my customers and they see me,” the sales rep said, “they exclaim,  ‘My God, my God, you again!’” 

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There are those who serve at Mass as “Lay minister.” There are also those who are “Late Ministers.”