haaaayyyyyy

We just heard the word woe from the mouth of Jesus. Woe is a translation of the Greek word ouai (aw-ay). In hiligaynon we translate woe as kailo - Kailo ka man Corazin! Kailo ka man Betsaida! Both the English and the Hiligaynon translations seem not to capture the real emotions that accompany these statements of Jesus. I think, and this is just my opinion, this would be better translated in hiligaynon as haaaay Corazin, haaay Bethsaida. But alas this expression which we call panghay-hay is not properly speaking a word but more of an emotional outburst. But the long haaaay, ang malawig nga panghay-hay captures and expresses more accurately the emotions of Jesus in this particular passage - an expression of exasperation, an expression of sadness - the expression of one who has offered everything and yet was disregarded. If there is anger here it is not the anger of one who was slighted or insulted, it is not the anger of one whose pride was wounded, but it is an anger of one who is broken-hearted.


Probably you yourself may have experienced the same emotion sometimes. For love of someone you gave him or her everything, you cared for him, you provided him the kind of loving that only true love can give, in your concern you never failed to give warning and advice, in your desire for him or her to be happy you lavish him with the most precious thing a human person can give. But alas he or she did not take note of this and despite all you pleadings he or she went the other way. Nahimo ko na ang tanan, diin pa ako nagkulang. With these thoughts how would you react - haaay - exasperation, sorrow and the anger of a broken-hearted.
Today we hear Jesus reacting the same way towards Chorazin and Bethsaida, the reaction of one who has given the most precious thing that he could give, the reaction of one who has given all that he has, and yet was disregarded, unheeded and even overlooked in the end. Why so? What did Bethsaida do and what did Chorazin do to Jesus? Why was there exasperation and sorrow in his heart? What did they do to him?
The answer is, nothing, Chorazin did nothing to Jesus, Bethsaida did nothing to Jesus.
Most often we think that by doing nothing we could do no wrong. In fact we use it most often as a defence and as an excuse - “Look, I did nothing. I have done nothing.” But that reasoning is precisely the source of Jesus’ sorrow and exasperation.
What is doing nothing? Doing nothing is most often referred to as the sin of indifference or what we commonly call the sin of sloth or listlessness.
The sin of sloth is not laziness as we often think it is. It is not. Laziness is just one minor effect of sloth. The desert fathers would define sloth as forgetfulness. Forgetfulness in the definition of the desert fathers is the inability to be amazed, the inability to marvel or even the inability to see. This is the sin of Corazin and Bethsaida - they failed to see Jesus, and despite the many wonders he did among them they were not amazed nor did they marvel, and so they did not believe. So what did they do? They did nothing - that was their sin. Sloth is actually a way of thinking and valuing where the only relevant criteria are utility and profitability, as in what’s in it for me - ano gid dira ang akon haw? Kon wala man lang ako kuhaon, ano gid ang akon da? We react like this when we forget, and we forget when we are too pre-occupied with ourselves and only with our own profit and well-being.
Another characteristic of sloth is not, having nothing to do, rather it is the opposite - a slothful man has an over-crowded agenda, tam-an ka sako sa bagay nga wala na sia tiempo, where every activity leads to another and another, and still another. In effect he or she forgets God and His creation and he or she would even forget death and the possible meaning beyond it. Thus, the desert fathers would consider this as the greatest of all sins.
Consider this: if we do not remember God in our day to day life, we will not also value spiritual things. We will not value the world God created, and we will see no value in mankind whom He created in His image and likeness. So what becomes too important now is just me, myself and I. With this level of indifference, there will be nobody to stop us from stealing, from taking advantage of others, from committing injustices; there will be nobody to stop us from checking our greed and tendency to selfishness; there will be nobody to stop us from lying, from committing murder, from doing abortion, etc., etc,. With indifference in the soul one opens the floodgates of sin, for man without God, man without remembrance of God, is capable of so many and even unthinkable sins.
Let me end by quoting from the Book of Revelation which the Lord said to the Church of Laodicea:
"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."
Beware of the sin of sloth, the sin of indifference when we forget God in our day to day lives. Haaaay.