OUR SECOND SHARING

The first time I shared with you I said that back home I was the speaker of the house. But I failed to tell you who my wife was. Well, she was the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and the Secretary of Finance. I handled the Committee on Entertainment and Religious Affairs.

As I have always been saying, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and other religious venues was a childhood dream of mine. But all I was able to attain then during my younger days was a chance to participate in a musical game called “Trip to Jerusalem”. If not for the committee on Ways and Means and the intelligent financial maneuvering of my wife plus the insistent invitation of Letty Meim this wouldn’t have been possible.

God’s ways were for ever mysterious. Often He used other people as instrument to make things possible. Like in my case, God used Letty and my wife for me to have the chance to follow His foot steps. He probably used me to bring cheers to the group.
But a pilgrimage to me had several aspects, like the social aspect, the historical aspect, the spiritual aspect as well as your favorite aspect, the shopping escapades. It was sometimes a kind of status symbol. And if you noticed that lately I have been relatively quiet, it was because I was trying to evaluate as to which of the different aspects was gaining a bigger ground.

I was not embarrassed to admit that if not for my wife I would never experience joining a pilgrimage. Each of us was playing a big role. While Fr. Dennis was providing us with the necessary spiritual nutrition, his mother Letty was very often catering to our gustatory needs. To me, everything that was happening had a message and truly God was in constant dialog with us.

When God allowed the breakage of Dra.Paderna’s porcelain plate I thought God was only reminding us of that time when He broke the first tablet of the Ten Commandments because the Israelites were sinning while Moses was on top of Mt. Sinai. Other little incidents that we were experiencing were God’s voice whispering to us something. But the question was, were we listening?

Two days after our arrival to the Philippines I shall be handling a seminar on Marital Preparedness. My audience shall consist of boys and girls who sooner or later shall contemplate on getting married.

In my outline I was going to discuss a lot about love. The love as symbolized by a heart, by a rose, by a ring or by an upward arrow entwined with a hanging T, the symbol of male and a female united. I’ll also talk about love as symbolized by Cupid. I’ll discuss love of Concupiscence, love of Benevolence, mutual love, crush, infatuation and even the confusing love-like feelings.

We always say that God is Love and in this pilgrimage it was that kind of love referring to God that I thoroughly learned. While we were doing the Via Dolorosa, one by one, these qualities of God’s love occurred into my mind.
During the Last Supper, Jesus said: “Do this in memory of Me”, to remind us that True Love is REMINDFUL.

During is Agony in the Garden of Getsemane Jesus said: “Thy will be done”, telling us that t rue love is OBEDIENT.

True love is COURAGEOUS as He showed when He accepted the verdict of death at the Sanhedrin.

When He was scourged at the pillar and crowned with thorns, He did not complain to emphasize that true love is PERSEVERING.

When He carried the cross, it was very heavy as it contained the sins of the world, yet, He did not complain because He wanted to say that true love is STRONG.

True Love is PATIENT as shown when He fell down, stood up again and continued walking with the heavy cross.

He allowed Simon Cireneo to help Him carry the cross to show that true love is HELPFUL.

When He met the women of Jerusalem He said: “Don’t cry for Me, cry for yourselves and your children” because He wanted to let them realized the true love is UNDERSTANDING.

During the crucifixion He shouted: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing “, teaching that true love is FORGIVING.

True love is also CARING, as shown when He said to Dimas: “Today, you will be with me in Paradise”.

From the cross He said: “Woman, behold your son; son, behold your mother” because He trusted them and was saying that true love is TRUSTING.

True love is REDEEMING as proven when He died to save the whole world.
Ha also allowed His Holy and Blessed body to be laid peacefully in the tomb to show the lesson that true love is PEACEFUL.

Most of all, true love is TRIUMPHANT as proven when He resurrected from the dead.
To tell you frankly when we were doing the Via Dolorosa I wasn’t disturbed or distracted by those shouting vendors around those noisy shops. I imagined and felt that when it was happening it was even worse be cause people were a laughing, shouting, spitting at Him and kicking Him endlessly.

Our chance to see the treasures of Topkapi Palace and the Grandeur of other places and then the chance to see the relics of St, John Bosco and those of many other Saints was to me the most enlightening moment of this pilgrimage.
The Ottoman Sultan of Topkapi Palace was long gone as well as the Savoy family of Turin’s Royal Palace. They left behind priceless material treasures good only for the eyes of the living to behold.

St. John Bosco and all those other Saints also left this world but they left behind not only magnificent Churches but Churches of people, the Mystical Body of Christ, and religious congregations that will continue to propagate their mission here on earth.

Now my question is… We, the Pater Noster group of pilgrims, when we leave this world someday, what shall we leave behind us?

Let us not be satisfied just leaving behind us material things that we bought during our shopping escapades. Let us leave behind memories of each other, memories of our experiences, memories of our transformations.
Let us all practice love as exemplified by the Way of the Cross.