doing more for jesus - 7th sunday C 2019

Suno sa regulasyon sang seminario bilang rector indi ako kontani makapamati sang konpesyon sang mga seminarista.  Seminarians cannot come to me for confessions.  Nevertheless I always make it a point to sit on the confessional every time there are confessions in the seminary because of several things. First you will be amazed in what we call the sense of sin of these young people.  I am amazed sang mga makita nila nga sala sa ila kaugalingon.  Probably because of their youthfulness and innocence nga kita nga mga hamtong na bangud siguro kay nagtubo na sa aton ang pagkabertoldo, indi na makabatyag.  Sins like hurting their parents because of unkind words or just the slightest rise of their voices toward them because of anger.  

But there is one other thing that draws me to hear their confessions.  You can sense positivity in their negative actions, nga sa ila pagpabutyag sang ila sala you can also feel an acknowledgement that he could have done better, that he could have been nicer, that he could have done something good at the moment if only he paid closer attention to the situation. In short, ang pagkilala niya sang kaayo nga yara sa iya kaugalignon nga sarang gid niya kontani mabuhat.

And I believe this is the point of our gospel today.  Sarang ko mahigugma ang wala nagahigugma sa akon.  Sarang ako makabuhat sing maayo sa mga nagapakala-in sa akon.  I can be more and I could do more.

I recognize that naturally I am inclined to hate those who hate me, to get even with those who harm me, to love only those who love me - but deep within I know I can be better than these, I know I can do better that these, I know I can make things better than just follow my natural inclinations.

Kis-a kanami mangdukol.  Kon kaisa kanami mangkadi.  Kis-a kanami mamatay.  David in our first reading must have felt the same way when he had the opportunity to kill Saul who was accusing him wrongly and persecuting him unjustly.  It was only natural for David to hate Saul and mean him harm.

But like David we know that there are other ways of reacting to a situation of hate.  Bal-an ko nga masarangan ko magpasensiya.  Bal-an ko nga sarangan ko magsaway sing matawhay kag may pag-ulikid sa kaayohan sang isa.  Bal-an ko nga sarangan ko magpatawad.  These may not come out naturally in my angry and impatient heart, but I know I am capable of becoming more than just my natural inclinations.

Karon nga adlaw may mga seminarista kita diri nga maga-agda sa aton mga kabataan kag kaapuhan nga magsulod sa seminario.  Allow me also to share my own experience.  When I entered the seminary wala gid man ako handom nga magpari.  Ang ginapapari sang lola ko amo ang magulang ko. So kontani sia ang pari kag ako ang cook and it would have been a disaster kay indi ako kabalo magluto.  But when I was in the seminary I saw this poster on the bulletin board which says, hard work low pay.   Gusto ka magpari, hard work, low pay.  Siling ko lang sa kaugalingon ko, daw lain ni ya haw.  Ever since I was small I was always told to struggle harder, to work harder so that in the future I can become rich.  Then I can take things easy.  Pero ini iya nagasiling hard work, low pay.  So maiskwela ako, I have to study hard, I cannot get out of the seminary every time I want to, agwanta kag pag-antus kay law-ay ang sud-an, tapos kon makagraduate ako hard work, low pay.  Daw la-in ni ya haw?  And I took it.  I want to work without running after compensation.  I want to work not for myself but for people.  I want to spend my life not running after money but running after God’s goodness in myself and in people.  I wanted to do more.  And that is how I found my vocation.  Do more. As lovers of Jesus we can do more. And so we ask ourselves today, what is that more which Jesus is inviting us to become, what is that more…