April 20, 2008 Easter 5th Sunday Cycle A Homily

Every time I celebrate a funeral Mass, I particularly love to proclaim the Gospel we heard in today's liturgy: "Do not be troubled, you have faith in God, have faith also in me." Death can be so disconcerting an experience, to say the least. It was one question that haunted the husband of a friend in Taiwan, making him wonder what will happen after his last breath, and what about his father and uncles and grandparents, and constantly finding in Christ some little consolation. And since death is something that basically scares each one of us, the words Jesus says can give a calming effect. In fact, if I am not mistaken, the line He spoke connotes the same meaning which is 365 times used in Scriptures: "Do not be afraid." Faith thus becomes our courage in the face of such a powerful enemy as death, and fear that ensues with it.

This brings us to the fact that in Jesus, human nature has nothing to hide before God. For those among us who are more sceptical, the evidence that God truly understands us is this: In Jesus, He has truly taken a human body; hence His speaking about not becoming troubled before He would be crucified was to show us this basic nature in us - that we can be troubled when someone close to us goes away in death, or in any separation for that matter. I remember my first day in school way back 1970. While seated where I was assigned, I would now and then look back to see my sister who sat at the back. The moment I missed her because she had to go for her classes, I cried. Hence, for parents who would be bringing their kids to school the first time, talk to them about it weeks before so they can ready themselves for this must-happen situation, and begin to know that he needs to stand on his own and find himself and his security as he faces the world. We will be there for him, that's for sure, just as Jesus assured His disciples that He goes ahead to prepare a place for us and will come back to take us with Him wherever He is.

The same logic goes for those among us who are thinking of going abroad to earn more. I remember Paul, one of our guys involved in caring for our old and sick confreres, who once approached me years ago if I could lend his wife some capital so she could go to Taiwan. Before addressing his immediate concern, I asked him: have you talked about it? As a couple, they had. But to their children, they haven't. This may be one of the key factors that make children feel even more isolated nowadays because parents don't consider the reactions they have with their absence, particularly for years, and the effect on them of growing without their parents there when they so need their mom or dad. Let's not look at children only from the monetary or material angle. Let's keep this tip from Jesus Who's shown us something about ourselves, and let's talk about it so we are prepared. Come to think of this: even after He had told them about His imminent departure and death, the apostles ended up scatted in fear when He was crucified. But as shown by Peter, it was not difficult for him to acknowledge where he failed because he knew ahead of time what was going to happen. Remember how Jesus told him that he would three times deny knowing the Lord before the cock crows? This is in the same line as "Do not be troubled." Assure each other then of your empathic stance for the other so that fear need not permanently destabilize us.

Indeed, what Christ did for us, was to raise our dignity back to its original state: that of a beloved. He created each one of us in His own image. Thus, in Christ Jesus, the human person, particularly the believer, the follower of Christ is something sacred, precious. In the words of Peter in the second reading, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation." We have been ransomed by His blood. Therefore, let's live within this dignity and not allow ourselves to stay enslaved to whatever keeps us from living the life of a beloved, someone special and very important for God.

Now in Christ, the other is really entitled to our respect. None of us is then given the right to hurt the other. Or as in the experience of the early Christian community, we have no more right to simply neglect the others. The more we know what's inside of us, what's taking place in our emotional life in particular, the more free we become because we need not act out our anger, our rage at the other. Once we know what's inside of us, we can make a choice as we search for better ways to solve problems than create new ones because of the carelessness we do when disrespecting the other by our shouting or cursing at or belittling the other. If only we can learn from the lessons of history, of the ruins that lay announcing the destruction of our careless disrespect for the rights and dignity of the other. Followers of Christ are really rational people, those are more calm than the rest, those who know better what other alternatives to choose to protect the human right of the other, one which we will ourselves appreciate when guaranteed by the other. The more we do this, the more peace we have as we await our ultimate and complete salvation in Christ.

God bless and take care