under my roof - 3rd week Tuesday 2013
This is one of the most obvious changes
in the new translation which upon closer examination means almost the same as the former translation. But why the change? The translation was changed because we want
to recapture the biblical allusions of this dialogue. By translating it literally we want the
biblical allusions in this dialogue between priest and people just before Holy
Communion, to come out.
What are biblical allusions? Biblical allusion refer to the words or
phrases that we used nga may mga reference sa biblia. Halimbawa ang pangadi nga Hail Mary. The Hail Mary is not an invented prayer. It has biblical allusions and
underpinnings. Magsiling kita, “Hail
Mary full of grace the Lord is with you.”
These are the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary during the
annunciation. Remember? So that part of the Hail Mary has a biblical
allusion.
To continue we then say, “Blessed
are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Again that has a biblical allusion. It makes us recall another event - this time
in the hill country of Judea when Mary and her first cousin Elizabeth met. Remember?
This one prayer, then, the Hail Mary, has biblical allusions. This is not just simply prayer. It has a bigger story in it. It contains a bigger story to tell - the
wonder of the incarnation where God was made man through the yes of a virgin in
Nazareth, when God so loved the world he gave us his only Son through a Virgin;
and still another we recall the joy that the zygote Jesus in the womb of Mary
brought to the pregnant Elizabeth whose son John leaped for joy even in her
womb. Every time we pray we are reminded
of a bigger story and a bigger context and it makes the prayer even more
profound. Ang mga born again ni hagi
lang sila atake kon mangadi kita sang Hail Mary wala lang sila kahibalo kon ano
katahum, kon ano ang contexto sini nga prayer.
Pero ang mas lain pa gid diri bal-an n’yo kon ano? Kita nga Katoliko wala man kahibalo!
Going back now to this beautiful
dialogue, “Blessed are they who are invited to the supper of the Lamb” - this
is a biblical allusion found in the Book of Revelation chapter 19 verse 9, when
at the end of time an angel announces, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper
of the Lamb.” The marriage supper is the
very first time when the groom and bride shall eat together, together for the
first time, alone for the first time and after the supper the marriage will be
consummated. What does this mean? In communion we come to that part which is
the most intimate and most personal encounter with Jesus - intimate and
personal. Imagina bala nga sa isa ka
kwarto for the first time duha lang kamo - he is giving you his full attention,
and you are giving him your full attention - that is what I mean by intimate
and personal - to be invited to the supper of the Lamb.
But
so how do we respond to this invitation, the invitation to supper with the
lamb. We quote another passage from the
scripture, from the gospel when a centurion, a gentile, an unclean person and a
hated Roman officer entreated the Lord to heal his servant. And when the Lord said, “OK, we will go to
your house,” the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under
my roof. But only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.” So when the Lord invites us to supper with
him - manyapon ta, duha lang kita - it is an invitation to an intimate
encounter. Jesus comes knocking at the
door of our hearts calling for a personal encounter. And yet the liturgy does not permit us to
respond nga nagahara-hara. Ay sige,
sige, sige. No. The liturgy makes us
answer instead: I am not worthy. Don’t
come in Lord, just say the word from afar.
I am not worthy.
Is
this not our reality? Does not this
dialogue, the words of the centurion now placed on our lips speak of our
reality when we come face to face with the Lord? This is the beauty of biblical
allusions. It tells a bigger story, it
delves a deeper context. These lines are not just about communion. It speaks of our relationship with the Lord. It asks us, how is your relationship with the
Lord? Are you are mother, a brother, a
sister to the Lord. Is your relationship
defined by doing and accepting the will of the Lord as the gospel demands?
There
are instances in the liturgy that makes you stop, and sometimes instances that
can make you cry. This is one instance,
when I begin to look at myself and examine my relationship with Jesus, and many
times it makes me want to cry.
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