by Frank D.B. Savadera, SJ
The past weeks I had been confirming invitations of old friends on Facebook. I say “old” because I’ve met them 25 years ago … and we are celebrating our 25th anniversary this year … they … with names of people like Pracha Sangthongsuk, Hironori Uchibori, Sopon Chiechanpanich, Witthaya Sintharapantorn, Manawi Iwata, Siti Aisha, Siriwan Mena, etc. Who are they? I took a boat ride with them 25 years ago around Asia … and it was fun. It was my first time out of the country and my first time as well to closely interact with cultures other than mine. I was 20 years old then and had a lot of vitality in me … on a huge boat, a big cruise ship, a love boat … they call it … where you can actually get lost … either by yourself or with someone else. I realized then that I was already a well behaved person. I valued purity amidst many temptations.
Looking
back now, I say that God gave me that
trip as a graduation gift … to make a retreat of sorts. I lived a very busy college life. I was asking myself about where I will
go. I was active in the student movement
and was so concerned about being entrapped in the political compulsions of my
time. My parents wanted me to find work
and yet I wouldn’t wish to be associated simply with foreign owned and
multinational corporations. I had
priesthood already in my mind but was just so afraid to entertain the
idea. And so … what a crucial break
indeed it was for me … to get away from a lot of life distractions.
Consequently,
I felt that I’ve met real, good and generous people. I was away from home for the first time and I
felt safe and secure. I’ve allowed
myself to be fascinated by foreign lands, temples and pagodas, cultures,
histories, costumes, royalty, food, people and friendships. Experiencing all those at 20years old, I
thought … was more than what I bargained for.
I felt that I was stretching out my hand and simply allowing myself to
absorb all the goodness that was coming my way.
(I am the king of the world).
Friends,
this feeling is what I remember while reading the account of Genesis today. God, the Creator stands in front of all that
He had created and gets absorbed simply by GOODNESS. He created the heavens and the earth; he brought forth light; he created day and night; he fills the earth with all living creatures;
he creates man and woman … he stands in front of all of them and acknowledges
them as good.
Friends,
you know .. my capacity to feel and absorb goodness around me was crucial to my
discernment. From whom all these
goodness come … is a God who himself is good to you and me. BE
ABSORBED BY GOODNESS TODAY. (To
those taking the psychological exams, this is what we tell them: HAPPY THOUGHTS! HAPPY THOUGHTS LANG kung may time)!
The
second point has something to do with what the Creator declares: LET THERE BE LIGHT and there was LIGHT. Let
the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every
kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it.” AND SO IT
HAPPENED! God’s word is accompanied always with REALITY. There is a God who
speaks and who makes REALITY HAPPEN. Thus,
it is crucial for us to hear his words.
What word is God speaking to you today?
Sixteen years ago, I was just out
there … in the veranda … during a recollection sponsored by the Vocprom team
staring at that huge MANGO TREE outside.
I remember telling myself: Wow …
that TREE is HUGE … bigger and taller than Arvisu House … and it is just there
STANDING and BEING sustained by something BIGGER than itself. You know everyday … I stay at the back of the
CHAPEL and look at that tree and remember God’s word for me: THERE
IS SOMETHING MUCH MUCH BIGGER THAN ME … and the reality of that statement
is … I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE IN IT. GOD’s WORD IS INDEED ACCOMPANIED BY A
REALITY which for you and me can become truly palpable if we just listen to
it intently.
Thirdly,
I was on that boat and there was that huge storm. Before Yolanda, Sendong, Ondoy or Habagat …
there was RUPING in 1990 that devastated Cebu.
Ruping just crossed the Philippines and our boat was along the storm’s
path in the South China Sea. Well, it
was a Japanese boat and they say that its state of the art STABILIZERS will
minimize the boat’s movement. But the
storm was just so strong. The windows
were leak-proof and yet from inside we can see the huge waves hitting the deck
outside. The huge ship would SLIDE and
DIVE DOWN and RESURFACE AGAIN. We were all carrying around VOMIT BAGS … and
that time, these bags were just so useful. For a rare moment then, I felt like JONAH running away from
Nineveh. I prayed and prayed … promising
God that if I survive this I’ll do something meaningful in my life. Yes … GOD GOT ME PRAYING … and it was a
SINCERE PRAYER: I WANT TO DO SOMETHING
FOR YOU. Friends, the Gospel today is a typical picture of Jesus
and his disciples entering cities and villages, touching and healing the sick
and even exorcising demons. They are
like soldiers marching into a territory and FREEING and LIBERATING people and RECLAIMING LAND and peoples for
themselves. Do you remember the last
time you DEEPLY and SINCERELY prayed?
For me, praying is always about God
FREEING and LIBERATING ME from my self-imposed illnesses. Each time I pray, my constant wish is to
experience touching the cloak of Jesus and simply allowing myself to be healed
and reclaimed by Him.
Friends,
the past weeks I’ve been confirming invitations of old friends on
Facebook. Why not? Life … at least for the past 25 years for me
… had been good and yes … life is good if we simply absorb goodness around us,
if we allow ourselves to realize that there is a REALITY BIGGER THAN US … and
if we allow the God of goodness to reclaim our old, weary and broken selves.
