A Glimpse of Paradise Amidst Tragedy

Two criminals were crucified with Jesus on that Friday afternoon. Both of them were staring death at the face. Between them was Jesus on the Cross. To some, this Jesus who was crucified between them was a criminal so much like the others who were condemned to die. But to those who believe in him, this Jesus is the Son of David to whom the Lord said: “You shall shepherd my Israel and shall be the commander of Israel.” The Crucified One is the Shepherd who left heaven to search for the lost sheep. Here, he meets two lost sheep at the most decisive part of their lives – the moment of their death. Enthroned upon the wood of the Cross, Jesus is the Shepherd who segregates the sheep from the goats. His presence to them was an invitation to come to Him and find mercy and eternal life.

One of the criminals reviled Jesus: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” Even at the moment of death, he could not see beyond himself. He could not see his fate as a just punishment for his crime. Failing to admit his guilt, he could not recognize his need for mercy. What he wanted was an escape from his predicament – the very predicament that he caused himself on account of his sin.

The other criminal looked at Jesus and saw the Lord as so much unlike himself. Jesus was innocent and yet he suffers the same condemnation of a sinner. The search for man began when Adam hid himself from the Lord who called out to him in the garden of Eden. This search finds its culmination in the mystery of the Incarnation in which God the Son assumed our human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. It was for this moment that He became human. He became man in order to suffer the condemnation of a sinner. The criminal looked at Jesus and saw Him as his last hope and so he dared to ask: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” That was all he had to do. That was all he had to say and so Jesus declared: “Amen, I say to you, today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

He found the Lord when death stared at him.

It was the most unlikely of all places that he found Jesus. He found the Lord when death was staring at him. It was at the Cross when he found the Lord…or rather it was at the Cross when he realized that the Lord was there searching for him. The ending of the Year of Faith finds us in the midst of the most unfortunate circumstance. A powerful earthquake and a super typhoon of biblical proportions forced us to stare death at its face. Thousands of lives were lost and properties were destroyed. And yet, like the thief in the gospel, it is here where we realize that the Lord has been there all along searching for us. The calamities made us ask “Why? What is the sense in all these?” And it is in asking questions that we find the Lord. Pope Francis said to the Filipino community: “In these times of suffering, never tire of asking why, because you will attract the tenderness of the Father... We cannot explain why things like this happen; there are so many things we cannot explain. When children start to grow up they don’t understand and ask their mums and dads so many questions. Psychologists call it the “why age”, they don’t wait to hear the answer but continue with other questions. Children need to feel their parent’s love and attention; in that phase of insecurity they need the eyes and hearts of their parents... In these times of suffering, never tire of asking why, because you will attract the tenderness of the Father and his attention, just as children do when they ask “why”...In these times of suffering, prayer is of even more help"  (Pope Francis, Blessing of the Mosaic of St. Pedro Calungsod, Nov. 21, 2013) 

Storm surges may have washed away houses but not faith which was built on solid rock. And this we see again and again in pictures of people kneeling down in prayer amidst the ruins of their parish churches, in pictures of children salvaging pictures of our Lord from what remains of their houses, of mothers searching for their lost children, of people keeping vigil over their dead. We likewise see this faith in people giving and volunteering to come to the aid of those whose lives were challenged by this tragedy. This faith we see even in our own diocese when we have raised close to four million pesos from our collections for Yolanda victims, when we were able to send 5 trucks loaded with relief goods, when we are able to adopt communities and help them rebuild their lives. Indeed, adversity cannot destroy our faith. It simply makes our faith stronger. As the thief in the Gospel found our Lord in the most unlikely place of death and suffering, so do we find Him in the same circumstance. The tragedy that has befallen us made us examine our conscience and repent of our sins. It made us weep with those who weep. It made us sensitive to human need. It opened our eyes to see that the Lord is always there. It made us run to him for “in him, all things hold together.” In this moment when we are shaken by the enormity of devastated lives, we cry to him: “Jesus, remember us when you enter your kingdom.” And he assures us that he will bring us to paradise, but for now he will stay with us. And we realize that this is true. The Lord already has brought us a glimpse of paradise, yes, even amidst tragedy. After all, paradise is wherever God is present…and where charity and love is found, God is there. Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.

The New Evangelization and Catholic Education

The homily of His Excellency Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco, DD, Bishop of Cubao, at the Mass of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Academic Year 2012-2013, at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, on the 11th of July 2012:

As we invoke the Holy Spirit at the beginning of this academic year 2012-2013, my mind is raised towards the opening of the Year of Faith this coming October. This Year of Faith will be marked by the Synod of Bishops which will be about “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Faith.” Our first reading today spoke about the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles who gathered in prayer. He descended in the form of tongues of fire and by His inspiration, the apostles declared the praise of God in different languages. The Spirit-inspired proclamation of the praise of God in different languages on that Pentecost Sunday tells us that Evangelization has always been an integral part of the life of the Church even from the very beginning of her existence.

If Evangelization has always been part of our life as Church, why do we speak today of a “new evangelization”? What is this “new evangelization” which seems to be an important concern for the Church today? Are we talking of an overhaul of the doctrines of the Church? Will there be a rewriting of the Gospels of Jesus? Are we embarking on some sort of modernization in the way the Church transmits the Christian message?

In order to appreciate the “new evangelization”, we have to acknowledge the changes happening in the global culture. We are now “facing social and cultural changes that are profoundly affecting a person’s perception of self and the world, and consequently, a person’s way of believing in God.” (Instrumentum Laboris, 6.) There seems to be a prevalent distrust for anything the Church received and hands down to us from Divine Revelation. There is a recognizable “de-Christianization of many ordinary people who, despite being baptized, live a life not in keeping with their Christian faith or express some kind of faith but have an imperfect knowledge of its basic tenets.” (Instrumentum Laboris, 12.) In other words, we are confronted today by widespread religious indifference, secularism, and even atheism.

There is truly a need to “mend the Christian fabric of society” and this begins by remaking the Christian fabric of the Church ((Instrumentum Laboris, 13.). Thus, when we speak of the ‘new evangelization”, we are referring to the “pastoral outreach to those who no longer practice the Christian faith.” (CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization (3 December 2007), 12: AAS 100 (2008) 501.) “Through the new evangelization, the Church seeks to insert the very original and specific character of her teachings into today’s world and everyday discussion. She wants to be the place where God can be experienced even now, and where, under the guidance of the Spirit of the Risen Christ, we allow ourselves to be transformed by the gift of faith.” (Instrumentum Laboris, 88)

It is here where we appreciate the presence of the Church in the field of the academe. The presence of the Church, our presence, in the world of education inserts the teaching of Jesus “into today’s world and everyday discussion.” Our schools mark the presence of the Church where God can be experienced and where we allow ourselves to be transformed by the gift of faith. Let us not underestimate the importance of our Catholic Schools. Let us not underestimate the importance of our Catechists in the public schools. Through these important institutions, we are placed at a privileged position of molding young minds into the mindset of Christ and the culture of Christianity. This privileged position should make us now evaluate seriously as to whether we exert a Christian influence among our young people. Do we still keep in mind that our Catholic schools are the evangelizing arms of the Church? Do we still keep in mind that the primary objective of engaging in the work of Catholic education is the transmission of the faith? Remember that our schools are not simply to produce graduates who are competent in various professional fields. Our schools must produce good Christians…good practicing Catholics.

We cannot simply resign to the prevalent religious indifference among people. As the Holy Father himself said, “We cannot accept that salt should become tasteless or the light be kept hidden (cf. Mt 5:13-16). The people of today can still experience the need to go to the well, like the Samaritan woman, in order to hear Jesus, who invites us to believe in him and to draw upon the source of living water welling up within him (cf. Jn 4:14). We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the word of God, faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the bread of life, offered as sustenance for his disciples (cf. Jn 6:51). Indeed, the teaching of Jesus still resounds in our day with the same power: ‘Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life’ (Jn6:27). The question posed by his listeners is the same that we ask today: ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ (Jn 6:28). We know Jesus’ reply: ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’ (Jn 6:29). Belief in Jesus Christ, then, is the way to arrive definitively at salvation.” (Benedict XVI, Porta Fidei, 3.) Let us embark on this new academic year with a renewed commitment to the transmission of the Faith. Even if we have to contend with “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints for the sake of Christ,” let us continue to profess the faith. For belief in Jesus Christ is the way to arrive definitively at salvation.

Bishop's Homily on Transfer of Assignments

When we first decided on this day, August 29, 2011, as the day for the public announcement of the new assignment, we were all amused when one of the priests said that this day is the memorial of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. The amusement seemed to be over the fact that a new assignment was sort of like an execution: “parang pupugutan ng ulo.” Despite the jokes, I think that this feast is a very appropriate time to talk about new assignments.

A few months ago, we had Bishop Ambo David, auxiliary bishop of San Fernando, as our guest in our monthly clergy formation. He gave a commentary on the story of the execution of St. John the Baptist. He said that this was not just the story of the Baptist’s martyrdom. It was not just about John the Baptist being decapitated. It was also about the Johannine community losing John the Baptist as the head of their community. “When (John’s) disciples heard about (the execution of John), they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.” Afterwards, they went to Jesus. Here the words of the Baptist came to be fulfilled: “He must increase; I must decrease.” By his martyrdom, St. John the Baptist delivers his community to Jesus. From this day forth, Jesus will be the head of the community. “He is the head of his body, the Church,” St. Paul would later on teach in his rich theology on the Mystical Body.

In this light we look at the new assignment of our parish priests in the diocese. For many of you, the past six years have been the occasion to forge friendships with your respective parish priests. You benefited from their preaching and guidance. You were blessed by the sacraments they celebrated. But now, your parish priests have to move on to new assignments. You yourselves will have to welcome new pastors. The attachment to the persons of our parish priests might hinder us from recognizing the fact that the Lord Jesus is the head of the Church. The parish is not the parish priest’s flock. Rather, it is part of the flock of Christ. We priests care for our respective parishes without owning them. “God’s flock is in your midst. Give it a shepherd’s care. Watch over it as God would have you do,” said St. Peter.

John the Baptist did not lose his head. He willingly gave it up for the Lord. I find it significant that this is what the promise of obedience really is. When you, my dear priests, were ordained, you made a promise of obedience to your ordinary. You willingly surrendered your individual plans, your dreams, your independence. You are submitting everything that should transform you into self-made men to the will of your bishop. You have so opted to find your self-fulfillment not in your own will but in the will of Christ as expressed in your bishop’s will. Like John the Baptist, you are not losing your head. You, in a sense, gave it up so that you might have the mind of Christ. The promise of obedience might sound good in theology but it is in moments like a transfer of assignments that the promise is put to the test. Understanding our human inclination to hold on to what we have been accustomed to, the exercise of obedience to your bishop is a real experience of self-denial. It is a true martyrdom, an authentic witness to Christ whose food is to do the will of the One who sent him.

And on this second transfer, I am humbled as your bishop by your heroic obedience, my dear priests. I was truly edified by the assurance of your obedience: “I want to glorify God,” so you said. A bishop could not ask for more. Thank you, dear priests. Thank you for your availability. Thank you so much. I am honored by the fact that I am bishop to priests who truly have the mind of Christ.

John the Baptist glorified Christ with his martyrdom. Let us glorify him with the witness of our obedience. In this way, we live out the true identity of the priest as alter Christus – the Christ who glorified the Father by saying: “Not my will but your will be done!”