the magnificat: Mary, Elizabeth & Fr. Dennis: 3rd sunday of advent B 2017

Today, as I have been doing for more than two years now, we allow our responsorial psalm to lead us in our reflection on this Sunday’s readings.  Today our responsorial psalm is not actually a psalm but a canticle.  It is a song like the psalms but since it is not taken from the book of psalms it is called a canticle.  Specifically, it is the song of Mary, the magnificat taken from the gospel of Luke.

One can only understand more fully the intent of this song of Mary when we put it in its context.  Waay lang ni sia ginkanta solo, sa baylo ginkanta ini bilang sabat, sabat sa dayaw ni Elizabet sang nakita niya si Maria sa puerta sang iya balay – this song is a response to the outburst of praise coming from Elizabeth when she saw Mary at her door.

Elizabeth said, “Most blessed are you among women . . . who am I that the mother of my Lord would come to me.”  Mary in a way replied, you praise me?  No.  “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,” not my greatness but the greatness of the Lord.

Then Elizabeth said, “the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”  Then Mary replied, “your son leaped for joy at my voice?  No, my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

Then Elizabeth would say, “blessed are you who believed…,” but Mary would reply no, I am blessed not because I believed, instead “all generations will call me blessed because God has done great things for his lowly servant.”

Nagasabtanay sila nga duha, si Elizabeth masiling, bakod ka Mary, petmalu ka, lodi ka gid ya, but Mary would reply probably remembering psalm 115 which she must have often prayed in her home, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name give the glory.”  Indi ako ang dapat padunggan kundi ang Dios.

Diin ini naghalin nga pamatasan ni Maria, diin ini nga reaction kay Elizabeth nagahalin?  Probably your answer, as my initial answer also was, would be Mary has the virtue of humility.  But, and this is a big but, one cannot find the word humility to describe Mary, indi mo makita ang tinaga nga mapainubuson.  Instead Mary describes herself in the magnificat as a lowly servant, ako isa man lang ka kubos nga alagad nga gintalupangod sang Dios.  This is not just the virtue of humility but a consciousness that I am lowly.  Indi ni ya pinulitiko nga mga tinaga, “ang inyo kubos nga alagad.”  It is really a consciousness that I am poor, I am a nobody, wala ako ikasarang, pigado ako, wala ako sing mataas nga tinun-an, sa Dios lang gid ako nagkasubong sini, indi gid ni ya akon, iya ini sang Dios binuhatan.

This is what made Mary blessed.  Let me give you an example of a person conscious of her lowliness.  When the angel Gabriel announced to her that she will be with child, Mary was confused – she does not know man, ulay sia.  And so how did she clarify this to the angel.  Mary did not say, Gabriel ulay ako daw indi gid na ya puede.  Instead she said, paano ina kay ulay ako?  By the way she framed her inquiry she was acknowledging that there are things she doesn’t know. By framing her inquiry like she did, she was begging Gabriel, Please teach me, I do not know what to do?  She was not just humble, she was acknowledging her lowliness.

Subong ginadul-ong namon diri sa inyo si Fr. Dennis.  Ang Obispo ang naga-appoint diri sa iya, pero kami sa seminaryo ang nagpili kag nagrekomendar sa iya.  Kay man ini nga parokya gintugyan sa pagtatap sang seminaryo kag gani dapat sia mag-reflect sang panghunahuna, sang panimuot, sang tinutuyo sang formation program sang seminaryo, ang sahi sang pagpadalagan sang parokya nga luyag namon itudlo sa mga manugpari, sa mga seminarista.

Kag isa sa mga sahi sang pagpadalagan sang parokya ginatudlo karon sang aton responsorial psalm, that the priest in-charge here, the future parish priests there should form always a consciousness that he is lowly, he is a lowly servant.

Kada Martes nagameeting kami nga mga pari sa seminaryo, siyam kami.  Kag isa sa mga resolution namon in reclaiming this parish is to meet in this parish every second Tuesday.  And nemesis ni Fr. Dennis sa amon meeting amo si Fr. Marvin kag ambot kon ano man ini ang ila nagliligad ngaa pirme lang ni Fr. Marvin gina-torment si Fr. Dennis.  Of course sunlog man lang ni, pero bilang rector kag presider sang meeting nagaka-amuse ako kon magsunloganay na sila.  Halimbawa, kon kaisa mabutang sa meeting nga lima na naman ang failure sa Latin.  Si Fr. Dennis ang nagatudlo sang Latin.  Dayon na bayaw ni Fr. Marvin kag magsiling, “Msgr ano na ya nga lima gid ang failure sa Latin, matyag ko Msgr. teacher factor ina.”  Tapos ang iban nga pari matubong-tubong man na, “tuod no, teacher factor gid na guro mo?”  Kag maghagi kinadlaw.  Bal-an nyo si Fr. Dennis sa Espana ni sia ya nagtuon, pinasahi ni sia nga seminarista sang una, pero sa mga muni nga okasyon dayon na salibat ni Fr. Marvin, “Fr. Dens, pigado ka gid man, indi ka gid man mayo a.”

Langas-langas man lang ini kontani nga akusasyon pero may dulot, indi bala Fr. Dennis?  This is a good reminder of your lowly estate, of our lowly estate.  Real humility is blind to itself, real humility is consciousness of lowliness and this is how you should lead this community.  Siguro indi ka gid man mamangkot pareho kay Maria nga masiling, paano ini kay ulay ako?, but you can acquire the attitude of one who is conscious that I am in need of help, I need to be taught, I don’t have all the answers, I need to listen to the people, I need to be guided, affecting perhaps even the way you frame your questions, kay man indi gid man ko maayo.

Katilingban ini sang seminaryo.  Bilang rector sang seminaryo akon ini responsabilidad kag ginpadala namon diri si Fr. Dennis.  Indi nyo pagpatiha ang ginpanghambal ni Fr. Marvin nahanungod kay Fr. Dennis, – Fr. Dennis is a very capable person, but remember humility is the only virtue which is blind to itself.  A humble person cannot see his humility.  Assume the attitude of Mary the attitude of a lowly servant.