Jose: why Pepe? 4th week of Easter Tuesday

The third article of Faith teaches us that Jesus was “conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.”

Indi bala sang una kon ang imo ngalan si Jose ang imo ayo Pepe?  Kon diminutive ginatawag ta Pepito.  Ngaa Pepe?  It refers to the Spanish letter P pronounced as pe – “doble P”, or in English letter letters P and P.  Pepe is an acronym or an abbreviation of Padre Putativo .  Putativo means the reputed – so the reputed father, ang ginakilala nga amay ni Jesus – ginakilala kon sayuron indi sia tuod nga amay ni Jesus.  Mary is the true Mother of Jesus because she conceived him in her womb, but Joseph is only the Pepe, the reputed father, but not the true father, for Jesus was not formed in the womb of Mary because of Joseph but by the Holy Spirit.  That is why the creed says that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary.  Mary was and remained a virgin because there was no intervention by Joseph.

Sang na-assign ako sa cathedral nagpahimo ako sang perdon nga kandila, ang tuod-tuod nga perdon.  Ngaa tuod-tuod kay it was made with a certain percentage of bees wax.  A real perdon candle has at least 25 percent bees wax.  But because it is wax from bees it was not cheap.  Mahal sia gawa comparar sa ordinaryo nga perdon.  Pero mas mahumot sia kon sindihan kag mas healthy kuno kay lower ang iya aso nga tuga sang paraffin which is a by-product of crude oil. 

Ngaa bees wax.  Because in the past the people of the ancients believe that bees are parthenogenetic.  Parthenogenetic means that the bees are born without a father, without the intervention of a male.  Amo ini ang pagpati nila sang una.  That is why the preferred ingredient for candles, for the real perdon, which is the symbol of Christ is bees wax because Jesus was born without the intervention of a human father.

This part of the creed upholds our belief that Jesus is really God because he was born without a father, but he is also truly human because he was born of the virgin Mary.  I would like to warn you that there are certain sects who do not believe that Jesus is God and thus technically they cannot be considered Christians, because to be a Christian means to believe that Jesus is God, to believe in the Trinity.  Iglesya ni Kristo does not believe that Jesus is God and the Mormons also do not believe that Jesus is God. 

In today’s gospel the Jews were asking Jesus are you really the Christ?  How long will you keep us in suspense?  If you are the Christ, then tell us plainly.

Many times in our lives we also ask for proofs – are you really God?  Then show yourself that you are God – do not allow this to happen, do not allow me to suffer; if you are God make me well and banish all sickness and hunger and wars in the world.  Many times we demand for proof that Jesus is God not in the form of an argument but in the absence of evil in our lives, in the absence of suffering, in the absence of pain and misery. 

But as for me, and I believe this is also the belief of the ancient Christians, to believe that Jesus is God, we have only to look on Joseph and Mary.  St. Joseph, Pepe, is called, ever since, as the most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Even in his humiliation, even in his suffering, even when he could not understand, Joseph took on Mary to be his bride, Joseph protected the child as his own even going as far as Egypt to do so.  For Joseph it was not in the absence of suffering that Jesus is God.  It was not in the absence of pain and misery.  Rather it was in faithfulness – the tremendous trust of Joseph in the faithfulness of God.  Joseph did not avoid sufferings.  His life was filled with suffering probably ever since he got to know Mary.  But he knew God to be faithful.  And that is the reason why he trusted to the end.

Again Jesus presents himself as the good shepherd who will lay down his life for his sheep.  He is faithful.  Faithfulness is a quality of God and we find that in Jesus as Joseph did.

Lord Jesus, you are my Lord and my God not only because you are powerful, not primarily because you do miracles but because you are faithful, because you are the shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.  Teach me also Lord to imbibe this quality of faithfulness like you reputed father Joseph who trusted even when he could not understand.  God is faithful.  This is enough knowledge – to know that you, God, are forever faithful.