psalm 46: katholikos - 31st wk Thursday Sangkan 2017
I would like to continue my reflection on the responsorial psalm of the
mass. Today we reflect on Psalm 46. In the second stanza we find the verse which
says, there is a stream whose
runlets gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. Thus, our response echoes this,
saying, The waters of the river gladden the city of God.
Every major city or town in the past was built near rivers. Kalibo, Capiz and Jaro, the old towns and cities of Panay were built near rivers for the obvious reason that water is a necessity – a city cannot survive without water. Added to that is the fact that water served also as a high way in those days . But Jerusalem was not built near a river and Sennacherib, the Assyrian King exploited this disadvantage when he surrounded Jerusalem in a siege. He thought that without water Jerusalem will fall in a few days' time. But Jerusalem did not. It stood its ground. Why? Because 1,777 feet below ground, beneath layers and layers of rock is the Gihon Spring whose runlets supplied water for the Pool of Siloam. This was the life-blood of Jerusalem. The spring may be unremarkable, it is just to this day a runlet, a small stream, flowing through underground tunnels so that one can wade through the water which mostly reached knee high. But this small stream, says the psalmist, gladdens the city of God. It might be small, it may be silent, quietly hidden beneath the tunnels, perhaps this was just a trickle compared to the mighty rivers of Babylonia and Assyria, but it was constant and unfailing, always there to refresh and to enliven even to this day. This constant supply of water was seen by the psalmist as God's constant care for his people, a sign of God's faithfulness, and even a sign of his presence. God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn. The LORD of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Every major city or town in the past was built near rivers. Kalibo, Capiz and Jaro, the old towns and cities of Panay were built near rivers for the obvious reason that water is a necessity – a city cannot survive without water. Added to that is the fact that water served also as a high way in those days . But Jerusalem was not built near a river and Sennacherib, the Assyrian King exploited this disadvantage when he surrounded Jerusalem in a siege. He thought that without water Jerusalem will fall in a few days' time. But Jerusalem did not. It stood its ground. Why? Because 1,777 feet below ground, beneath layers and layers of rock is the Gihon Spring whose runlets supplied water for the Pool of Siloam. This was the life-blood of Jerusalem. The spring may be unremarkable, it is just to this day a runlet, a small stream, flowing through underground tunnels so that one can wade through the water which mostly reached knee high. But this small stream, says the psalmist, gladdens the city of God. It might be small, it may be silent, quietly hidden beneath the tunnels, perhaps this was just a trickle compared to the mighty rivers of Babylonia and Assyria, but it was constant and unfailing, always there to refresh and to enliven even to this day. This constant supply of water was seen by the psalmist as God's constant care for his people, a sign of God's faithfulness, and even a sign of his presence. God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn. The LORD of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
The feast of the dedication of the Lateran
Basilica is not just a celebration of a physical structure in Rome. No. In this feast we celebrate
interconnectedness, we celebrate the bonds that tie us not just to Rome or to
the Pope but to each other, we celebrate our links to each other. In the feast of the dedication of the Lateran
Basilica we celebrate our being Katholicos.
What is Katholikos? Kath means throughout, holos means the
whole. Katholicos means throughout the
whole. Our influence cannot be confined
in our assigned space. we are living and moving throughout the whole, just as yeast is affecting
and changing the whole dough. We affect each
other. We are
katholikos, we are Catholics.
Tomorrow there will be a lot of discussions on
intersubjectivity, interconnectedness, akitalibutan. It will be followed through with their
consequent ethical systems like Empathy, the Other, the Face, becoming
egological or nosological. We even call
ourselves sangkan, isang angkan kay Kristo.
And now our theme is ohana.
For me this consciousness that we are Katholikos is
the same runlet which Psalm 46 is talking about, the stream that gladdens the
city of God. It speaks of the presence
of God, the assurance that we are never alone.
I cannot claim that my vocation was solely my work and solely my struggle. No. My
vocation was borne out of the friendships I formed in the seminary, it was
nourished because of the community that supported it and allowed it to
grow. It was further animated by the
communities I immersed myself in during our pastorals. I also have to factor in
the prayers and sacrifices of my parents, our spiritual sisters in Carmel and
even the manangs in the parishes. I did
not walk alone, I do not walk alone, I am Katholikos. And the more I am conscious of this reality
the more I become responsible with my actions knowing that our
interconnectedness is God's way of leading and forming us.
PS Many times the persons I'm referring above are not acknowledged with applause during ordinations. Usually you only have the rectors, the benefactors, the parents, etc. But I remember now that my vocation was once saved by friends. I wanted to go out of the seminary after high school but two friends from the college invited me to join them in their pastoral. It was an affirming and joyful experience so much so that I went back to the seminary and applied for college. There, I recovered my initial enthusiasm for the vocation .... because of friends. The rest is history.
We are katholikos.
PS Many times the persons I'm referring above are not acknowledged with applause during ordinations. Usually you only have the rectors, the benefactors, the parents, etc. But I remember now that my vocation was once saved by friends. I wanted to go out of the seminary after high school but two friends from the college invited me to join them in their pastoral. It was an affirming and joyful experience so much so that I went back to the seminary and applied for college. There, I recovered my initial enthusiasm for the vocation .... because of friends. The rest is history.
We are katholikos.
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