siling ni monsi - 21st sunday B

In the seminary when I was still rector, may seminarista nga in-charge sang discipline sang iya kasubong nga mga seminarista and often times of course pareho sa mga mag-ulolutod sa isa ka panimalay kon imo-imo lang saway, bisan matuod magulang ka pa, wala gid effect kon kaisa.  Ti kay pareho man lang kamo magulolotod.  Ti amo man sa seminaryo kon sila lang ang nagasaway sa isa kag isa. Hipos, hmm gahod man sa gihapon, pungko, hala libot-libot man sila sa gihapon, tuon na kamo, wala sia ginasapak. So this seminarian devised a way of making them follow his commands.  He would say siling ni Monsi hipos, gahipos ang tanan; siling ni Monsi pungko, aba pungko ang tanan; siling ni Monsi tuon, ang tanan balik sa ila desk kag dayon kuha sang ila tulun-an.  Ngaa?  Kay siling ni Monsi.  Bisan sa tuod tuod lang wala gid ako na nagsiling.  Pero tungod kay siling ni Monsi, ang tanan nagasunod.

St. John Chrysostom commenting on the gospel said:  “Let us act likewise in respect to the Eucharist, not looking at thethings set before us, but keeping in mind His words. For His words cannot deceive.”  Did Peter believe because he understood?  No.  Did Peter stuck it out with Jesus because he was very bright, summa cum laude and he has fully seen the logic of what Jesus proposed?  No.  Peter did not understand – how can he give his flesh to be eaten, how can he give his blood to be drunk?  How can he do that.  And so the poor disciples because they looked only on his words, they analyzed only the logic of his words, went away leaving Jesus behind.  They cannot accept it.  And yet Peter believed, Peter stuck it out with Jesus, why?  Because Jesus said so. We believe not because of what was said, we believe not because we understood what was said, but we believe because it is Jesus who said it, it is Jesus who said so, siling ni Jesus.

Let us be realistic, naintiendihan ta gid bala ang pagtuo ta? Two months ago my brother died of cancer.  It is a different feeling than when my parents died.  With the death of my parents I surrendered.  They’re old.  They have suffered much and I don’t want them to suffer more.  In the death of my brother it was different,  I did not surrender him to God, no, instead I negotiated – Lord, bata pa sia, may kabataan pa sia, ga-iskwela pa, naga-umpisa pa lang nga na-appreciar namon in what he is really good at.  And yet every time I prayed like this I kept hearing the words of Jesus, “Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds!” Jesus said.  

Or when I tell God Lord kadamo na man ang nahatag ko sa imo, ihatag man ini sa akon.  Indi gid man ni budlay ang ginapangayo ko.  And again I would keep on hearing the words of Jesus:  “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”  Jesus said.

I heard it many times before Jesus said, si Jesus nagsiling and it never made an impact until that time nga wala ka na uyatan except those words, those words uttered by no other than Jesus.

Read your bible.  Be familiar with your bible, with the words of Jesus, be familiar with Jesus, be familiar with what he said, because many times amo lang na ang mahawiran naton sa aton kabuhi.  Jesus said. Jesus promised.  And from there we can stand firm because we know and we believe that his words cannot deceive.