are you happy? an important criteria: 3rd sunday of advent B 2011

Today is Gaudete Sunday, a rest from the tediousness of a penitential season. It is called Gaudete Sunday because the Opening Antiphon or the Introit says, Gaudete, in Domino semper, rejoice in the Lord always. The liturgical color is rose to be precise, not pink, because rose is supposedly a combination of two colors, namely, violet and gold. Violet represents penance and gold represents joy. As we come closer to Christmas we keep the penitential spirit, the violet color of penance to prepare the way of the Lord, but beneath this penance is the excitement and joy of meeting the Lord represented by gold. The hiligaynon description for this day is more poetic and appropriate - tago nga kalipay - represented by the color rose, in contrast to hayag nga kalipay. But this joy will slowly reveal itself this week. In the universal church it will start on the 17th of December with the O Antiphons and in the Philippine Church it will start on the 16th with the Aguinaldo masses. From there you will begin hearing the joyful sounds of tambourines and castanets and the subdued rhythm of the drum. Even the melody of the songs for the Misa Pastoril sung in Aguinaldo masses will express this contrast of emotions, a combination of joyfully fast melodies and the slow and nostalgic melody of longing. But this sweet longing will eventually give way to the joy at the end of each song. ------ I bet you could not find any other song that develops these two emotions as expertly as the Misa Pastoril. If I would describe it, I would say that the melody is too advent, very advent. 


Tonight the reading which I chose for our reflection is the second reading from the letter to the Thessalonians. I chose this for it starts with the invitation, rejoice always. Rejoice because the Lord is near. Rejoice for our salvation is at hand. Joy is always the indication of a vocation in the same way that generosity is. It may not always be indicated by a smile or a happy face but it is a satisfaction within, a feeling of completeness, a feeling of this is it and there can be no other. Joy is characterized by desires at rest. When your desires are at rest you feel that this is the right way for you and there can possibly be no other. This is it. Sa binisaya may hurobaton to describe this situation - nakita mo ang imo pugad. 

As we start the months for discernment with the 4th year college, the 4th year high school, and the pre-college it is good to revisit this human emotion, this feeling of completeness when desires are at rest and use it as a measure if you are called to become a priest. First question is, are you happy here - does this place, the kind of life we live, give you a feeling of completeness. Probably you still have with you desires - but mostly smaller ones, the little desires like tani namit amon sud-an, tani pirme lang naga-smile is Fr. Rector. These might still be present but over-all, are you happy here, do you feel complete? This is a very important criteria because if until now naga-ingos-ingos ka man sa gihapon nga luyag magguwa, if until now nagakalam pa buli mo nga magguwa then you are not complete here and this might not the place and the vocation for you. If until now kon going home nagakuyampad pero kon magbalik na gani pirme late, then something is wrong. Ask yourself, are you happy here? Because if you are not why waste the joy of your youth?
Are you happy here? Are you happy with our routine? Are you happy with the responsibilities given to you? Do you feel complete? Do you feel at home? Are you happy when you are called to serve the community? Well nobody wants to wash dishes as in yehey manghugas kami pinggan, but ask yourself, deep within, especially after you have done your work, do you feel satisfied, do you feel you have done something for the community, are your desires at rest - no regrets, no misgivings, no doubts, this is part of my choice. Pero kon pirme lang nagapa-excuse, pirme lang may rason kon ngaa indi mabuhat ang responsabilidad, pirme lang sakit tiyan ko, sakit ilong ko, pirme lang kumod-kumod kag dayon mareklamo, pirme lang nagapalagyo sa trabaho, then probably this is not the place and the vocation for you. You are not happy. 

Are you happy in your pastoral? No I am not saying nga naga-yapa-yapa ka gid kadto to sa pastoral area mo, yes you are asked to do some sacrifice - but the thing is are you happy with the sacrifice, are you at home with the sacrifice? After the pastoral work, do you feel satisfaction, do you feel you have done something for others, do you feel you have given your best to people, and are you happy doing so?
Do you love working with people. 

You might be asking me ngaa amo gid na nga Christmas Tree akon ginpa-obra, ice candy, daw taga-uma. But you see that is the most work-intensive Christmas tree I can think of. Indi na ma-obra sang isa lang ka tawo, indi na mahuman in time sang pila lang kabilog. Bululigan gid ina sang tanan. Kita nyo you did not finish it on time. It is work intensive. But as you have worked there, ask yourself, would you work there with people, rubbing elbows with those who know and those who just pretend to know what to do, nga ang mga kailinit nga mga tawo ara da, or would you rather work alone, nga ikaw lang ang nagapanumdum, kag ikaw man ang magatuman sang imo ginapanumdum. In that Christmas tree you will have to listen to suggestions, there you would work your way with people, there people would ignore you and just follow what they want, ma-ugtas ka gid. Can you bear it? Dira mo makita ang sunod-sunod lang, dira mo makita ang diktador, dira mo makita ang ma-suggest kag manghikay nga wala man mainobrahan, dira mo makita kon palasunggod ka, dira mo makita kon persevering ka kag tubtub ka gid sa diin kag san-o, dira mo man makita kon maayo ka nga leader, dira mo makita kon maayo ka mag-organize, kon ma-foresight ka, kon mabuhat mo ang isa ka butang bisan wala gid ina ginadahumdahum nga buhaton sang una, dira mo man makita ang nagapanginluwas lang sa mga kabudlayan. Are you happy working with people who may at times simply ignore you and tell you by their actions that you are not the wisest of them all. Are you happy working with them? Because if you cannot work with people, if you cannot persist working with people then do not become a priest. I suggest you become a hermit because you will be unhappy later working with a parish priest who may not think as you think, or working with a parish council who will do things not always to your liking, or you will end up lording it over them.

Let your imagination play, and think of yourself in Durog - will you be happy? Think of yourself in Pitogo or Calmay, will you be happy? Think of yourself sa konbento nga indi ka kasaho sang mga tawo didto, will you be happy? Kon sa pastoral pa lang nagapili ka na you will find it very difficult later to be happy where the bishop will assign you. As General MacArthur once said, you fight with the soldiers you have not with the soldiers you want. Very important criteria - are you happy, will you be happy?