none is as dumb as all of us: talking to the ex-sems

There is a saying which goes this way, none of us is as dumb as all of us. It means that when we gather we are more stupid than when we are alone, it means that when we meet and talk and plan together, chances are we become more foolish and ridiculous that when we are alone. This has always been our experience whenever we gather as alumni, isn’t it? We cannot agree on anything worthwhile because when we gather together none of us is as dumb as all of us.
This is not a new problem actually. If you read through our second reading which is from the letter of Paul to the Corinthians we see behind this exhortation by St. Paul the same problem. In fact Paul had to remind them not to become a yes and a no disciple - disciples who had difficulty committing themselves to the community as they find themselves always squabbling and quarrelling and behaving rudely towards each other. So what should we do now? Do we just simply disband and leave each other to their liking? Do we to go each our own way and leave the rest to their own preoccupation?


St. Paul, in all his frustrations with the church of Corinth never reached that conclusion and advice. He could only go as far as to criticize them, to censure them and even to condemn them. In our second reading he is encouraging them, strengthening them in their commitment and resolve. But he never said anything that told them to give up on one another. Why? Because St. Paul knew that one can never follow the Lord in isolation. None of us can follow Jesus in isolation.
Sometimes it is nice to fantasize about being a Christian on your own, to be a Christian without the complexity and sometimes the unpleasantness of interacting with all sort of people. Wouldn’t it be nice for example to just go to the beach on a Sunday, alone, and worship God while walking along the shore? Or probably we could all just say, I am a good Catholic, I worship God every Sunday in the quiet of my garden.
Remember those times for example when I said mass to some of you and toldl you nga matalikod lang ako a. Kay actually sa masami sang sadto nga tiempo natak-an ako sang tsura nyo, kag bal-an ko man nga natak-an man kamo sang itsura ko. So the feeling is mutual.
But you see in reality we could not do that, I mean, indi ang talikod, kundi ang rason kon ngaa nagatalikod ako kon magmisa. I cannot become a Christian in isolation, I could not close my eyes to the congregation even if they are not that pleasing to look at.
Remember those times when you were here, how we would often invoke these two words to bring you back to the refectory even if you don’t like the food, or to make you hurry so that you could be in the chapel on time? Remember those two words which we often use as a reason why you could not go out at this time, why you have to be back at this time, why you cannot do what you want to do at that time? Remember those two words - community act. A Christian can never follow the Lord in isolation. A would be priest cannot serve the Lord in isolation. In fact, in our time a seminarian nga nagapalain-lain, nga naga-isahanon lang prime - mala senyal.
Today, our gospel deepens further our understanding why a christian can never follow the Lord in isolation. And in effect it deepens our commitment to one another even if none of us is as dumb as all of us. St. Mark in this beautiful story is showing us the value of friendship. It is a story of five friends - one of them is a paralytic. They planned to bring him to Jesus not knowing that everyone in the village had the same plan. And so they were caught up by a large crowd which blocked their way and their chances of having a cure. The four friends however had no plans of giving up, and they looked for a way to bring their friend in the presence of Jesus, this time creatively. They went up the roof, dug a hole on it and lowered him down on a mat.
Left to his own devices the paralytic could not have seen Jesus. But he was not left to his own devices. He had friends to bring him to the Lord. He had friends to bring him to the Lord.
I came to know of an ex-seminarian, just recently graduated, who for several days came here surreptitiously to ask for money from our seminarians. Obviously, since even the seminarians have noticed, he was in need of drugs. Why does it have to come to this?
You might be thinking that I have encouraged you to gather so that I can ask money from you to help us form seminarians, seminarians who took your place and probably who may now want to continue your dream, a dream that died out when you were here. No I don’t want your money. Later, probably, but not now. You are just starting anyway. All I want from you is to treat this place as your home. I want you to realize that in this place you have friends to bring you to the Lord. You can come here to play or just simply unwind. You can come here to celebrate perhaps with your wife and children your wedding anniversary in one of our masses, basta wala lang sang daw kasal gid because it is prohibited here. You may want to hear mass on your birthday here. Here you will find confession. You may just want to pray the rosary in the chapel. You may want to talk to a spiritual director. You may want to have supper with us or to at least remember ang sabor sang mga sud-an nga ginpangawat nyo sa priest refectory kag sa amon common room. Or you may just want to be here. Because here you have friends to bring you to the Lord.
None of us is as dumb as all of us, but we have to realize too that we can never grow in isolation, we can never grow apart from our community and apart from our home.
This is your community. This is your home.