I DID NOT look closely at the poster that proclaimed it. So on the day when the recollection speaker arrived at the Church, I saw Fr. James for the first time and blessed him with a greeting, “It’s an honor to have you, Father.” His response was so quick, “Honor na agad.” I thought a similar retort was necessary, albeit nonchalant, so I hastened, “Your reputation precedes you.” and didn’t regret the off-the-cuff remark. Then I went back to the pew where Sis Cora and Bro Greg were. We continued with the long-time pleasantries we were sharing before the arrival of the Recollection Master.
From our get-go, he struck me as a simple man. I reminded myself that simplicity speaks volumes about its owner and I was not disappointed to find that out soon enough.
For starters, he was plainly clad, pleasantly plump, and humble enough to label himself as Facilitator; it was clear on the tarp, and (later) on his power point presentation. I braced myself for what I was sure would be more surprises ahead.
Parishioners trickled in. Among them Ates Becky and Rose who saw me and came to where we were seated, and Ate Myla suggested it was better if we sat up front, and we did, and soon it was time. Ate Minnie went to the rostrum and welcomed the audience and thanked them for coming and called on Ate Ali to say the opening prayer. She did without making the sign of the cross and Ate Minnie thanked her and called on Ate Mimee next to introduce the speaker. Ate Mimee read from her notes the short and succinct facts about Fr. James Wenceslao Gascon, SJ. And then, the smiling picture on the poster was already right in front of us, smiling better than his poster could ever muster, asking us all to rise to join him in prayer for his talk on the Jubilee Year of Hope.
I had to double time on maximum-recalling Ate Mimee’s intro while trying to hear him. I promised myself I’ll return to the fisheries degree fisher-of-men connect later.
Fr. Adrian was his student last semester for a Safeguarding Diploma for recruits for the Promotion of Safety and Safe Spaces in Church; his student is now a safeguarding specialist.
This is his second time in the Holy Spirit Parish, the first being when he was asked to celebrate Mass as a guest priest. He said Fr. Jigs (our parish priest then) was a good friend but he never invited him to be a speaker he doesn’t know why. (Laughter)
Then he started. Real recollection does not happen while you are listening. It happens when you go back home and start to pray, and reflect, and let what you hear settle down, and take root in your spirituality. That’s why a recollection is called a recollection of points; it points you to something, but it is you who should look at what is pointed at, and reflect, and enjoy, and savor, and actually feel. Kaya nga ang recollection ay parang daliri, it’s like a finger that points to a reality, but the spirit hastens you to what you want to receive, the fruit of your reflection. The fruit itself is the truth. He said he just facilitates the Spirit in delivering the truth.
Fr. Adrian has given him the topic to talk about, which is ‘Preparing for the Resurrection,’ ‘Preparing for Hope, a Lenten Recollection for the Pilgrims of Hope for the Jubilee 2025.’ Which makes our celebration of Lent, he quipped, quite different from previous celebrations.
Lent is about change and that is the first point that he asked us. Are there any changes in us? He said that during Lent, sa simbahan, bawal ang berde (it took me an effort to divert from the three pots of foliage on the altar right behind him. Not his fault). Violet. Change. Bawal ang Aleluya. Ang Gloria. Changes. Bawal ang karne. Changes. At ang ating panahon, nagbabago rin. Ang init na. You know it’s Lent because it’s hot. Kuwaresma na kasi mainit na. Lumabas na naman yung mga star apple. Those fruits only come out during hot months. So you can see, there are really changes outside, but that’s not what Lent is all about.
Lent is changes inside, pag may nabago sa inyo. Character changes. Lent is a preparation for Easter, which is the preparation for the birth of Jesus, Christmas, and we prepare for Christmas for 4 weeks, represented by 4 candles, for 4 weeks, for 4 Sundays para sa Pasko ng Kapanganakan, which is an important celebration in the church. But there’s a much more important celebration, and that is the Resurrection. That’s why we have to prepare not only for 4 weeks, but 5 weeks of Lent, plus 1 holy week. Therefore, a lot of preparation, a preparation for us to celebrate Easter. But what do you celebrate, how do you celebrate, how do you prepare, and when do you know that you are preparing for it? You weigh yourself. (Laughter) Dapat after Lent, may bawas na ang timbang, para sa pagdating ng Pasko ng Pagkabuhay! It is unfortunate if, when you look at the weighing scale, that is not the case.
Easter is a time to get closer to God. A time to build on our determination to succeed in anything we do. Ito ang nagsasaad kung ano ang Lent. Tawag natin sa Tagalog, Kuwaresma. Dahil sa salitang kuwarenta. Kuwarentang araw ng paghahanda. From Ash Wednesday to Pasko ng Palaspas.
But how do you prepare? Sabi ni San Ignacio, you should be able to distinguish the means from the end. Ano ang paraan at ano ang kahihinatnan. Yung paraan, pwedeng palitan, like the saying that there are nine ways to kill a cat, the means, but not the end. During Lent, we have three ways of preparing ourselves: through prayer, through fasting, and through almsgiving. These are the pillars of faith of the Jewish people. Christ was not a Christian. He is a Jew. Tayo ang mga Kristiyano. Ang mga ginagawa natin ay galing sa tradisyon ng mga Hudyo. These three pillars of faith are the means by which a Jew celebrates Easter.
Ano ang ibig sabihin ng prayer? Prayer is not so much what you say as what you hear. Hindi siya beynteng rosaryo, one thousand Hail Marys. Hindi po siya dasal. Ang dasal is our relationship with God. Hindi ito katulad ng isang umiibig sa isang babae na gumagamit ng iba’t-ibang regalo. Sinasabi mong ‘I love you.’ Pero ano ba ang halaga ng babaeng ito sa iyo? Kaanu-ano mo ba siya? Ano? Kaanu-ano mo si ano? Ano? (Laughter) Di ba? Ang mahalaga, yung relationship. That’s the first thing that I would like you to reflect upon. Now we go to real prayer. Does your prayer make you more believing? Does your prayer deepen your relationship with God? That is what true prayer is all about. Hindi lang yung quantity, dami, kundi yung quality, The amount, the quantity of prayer, sustains and deepens the quality of prayer. A quality prayer does not easily get distracted. The importance of how you pray to God is how you get more and more devoted to Him. How it gets you more and more related to God.
That was how Jesus prayed. He prayed with the intention of deepening His relationship with God.
Second, what is the importance of fasting? Basically, fasting is a discipline of self-denial. When we fast, yun yung mga kailangan natin, kailangan natin ng pagkain, karne, gulay, isda, but when we fast, we tell ourselves, even those we need, we can give up. Because God is more important. But fasting should have a good objective, hindi lang yung para pumayat, sana yung ipinag-fast nyo will go to someone with a greater need. That’s why fasting, as an act of self-denial, is related to almsgiving. Almsgiving is giving something, whether material or non material, to someone who needs it more. That is real almsgiving. It is not giving something that is in excess of what you have, or no longer interests you, pangit na, luma na, ipamigay ko na lang. That is not almsgiving. Almsgiving is giving something that, I need it, in a way that you need it, but I know that you need it more, that is why I will offer it to you as my self sacrifice. Ngayon ang dami-raming needs sa palibot natin. Need for foods, need for what is right, baka pwede tayong mag-almsgiving. Can we give more time? To pray. For children. To have time to at least talk to their old parents.
So these three pillars are what we are doing: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, as our spiritual retreat from sin, to repair our relationship with the Lord, and open ourselves for holiness.
How do you know that you have adequately prepared for the celebration of Easter? The proof of Lent as preparation for Easter is when you appreciate yourself as God appreciates you. When you value yourself as God values you. Yun bang parang sinabi sa iyo ng Diyos, mahalaga ka sa Akin, kaya nga handa Akong mamatay para sa iyo, that is the real preparation for Lent.
Lahat tayo makasalanan, simula sa pari, ang pinakamakasalanan. Narinig nyo yung kwento? And he didn’t wait for the audience to respond and told the story of a bishop who died and, after him, a parishioner named Francisco and, on their way to heaven, the bishop was surprised to find out that Peter knew Francisco, and has offered him a Mercedes Benz, because he had suffered a lot while on earth. Midway to heaven, Francisco saw someone on a scooter, whom he recognized as Fr. Adrian (Laughter), and then ahead, a sister on horseback (Laughter) riding well because as a missionary she can ride a carabao as well. Soon, in the rearview mirror, Francisco saw an old man, walking slowly, whom he recognized as the bishop. (Laughter) Long story short, when they all got to heaven, Francisco asked Christ why he was driving a Benz and the others traveled poorly. Christ answered: You need to know your real value to Me to enter heaven.
So sana, pag nagdasal kayo, pag nag-fasting kayo, pag nag-almsgiving kayo, this Lent, remember that the true preparation for Easter is to realize who we are. How much God loves us that, at Christmas, He became like us in all things but sin. And at Easter, He was willing to offer His life for us. Tapos na! (Laughter)
Ngayon, what is hope? Pano papasok ang hope sa Lenten reflection natin? What makes our Lenten reflection take off for hope. Now, what is jubilee, and why are we celebrating it? Do we understand what jubilee really means? Pope Francis, on May 9, 2024, the Solemnity of the Ascension declared, through the document entitled Spes non Confundit, Latin for ‘Hope Does not Disappoint’ or, ‘Ang Pag-asa ay Hindi Nakakawalang-Gana,’ ibig sabihin, palaging may dalang pag-asa at ito ay pinupuno ang ating inaasam. So it’s there that the jubilee year will be on 2025. The jubilee year is celebrated from December 24 last year to January 6. 2026 so the jubilee year will end on the Feast of Epiphany next year making the whole of 2025 a jubilee year. During this period, the entire church will celebrate many activities not only in Rome but all over the world. Rome will be very crowded because people will be going there on a pilgrimage because it is the center of our faith.
Jubilee year is also known as holy year, a special year in the life of the Church celebrated every 25 years or some specific years declared by the Church. Noong 2000 was the most recent jubilee year and this year after that and we will celebrate jubilee year again in 2050. Buhay pa kayo tayo noon? (Laughter) It has been celebrated by the Church since 1300, then 1325, 1350, and so on. The jubilee has a Jewish root in the Hebrew bible known as Yobel, which is a celebration every 50 years. For the Jews, it is intended to mark a time to reestablish proper relationship with God, and with one another. So jubilees are about relationships that’s why prayer during Lent deepens our true relationship with God.
Jubilees are about restoration. To set slaves free. Let them rest. And restore what they have lost. Even animals are made to rest. And the land. Is why some farmers stop planting at some point to let the land breathe. Because the jubilee year restores and nourishes relationships. And does not disappoint. Like hope.
But what is hope? In the heart of each person, Pope Francis says, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future might bring. Hope is to be able to expect goodness even if we do not know what is going to happen. So the uncertainty of the future might conflict with feelings ranging from confident trust to apprehension, from severity to anxiety, from contradiction to estimation and doubt which come from people who are discouraged, pessimistic, and cynical of the future as if nothing can possibly bring them happiness.
For all of us, the jubilee is an opportunity to renew ourselves. God’s word helps us find reason. There is still something good that will happen. Life is to be enjoyed. Even for missionaries who are sent anywhere.
The jubilee is being able to face situations with certainty like his story about the Chinese farmer who, in spite of a series of misfortunes that befell him, was certain that, whether they were bad luck or good luck, who knows. That is what reality is all about. As Pope Francis postulates, spes non confundit is a virtue closely linked to hope in a fast-paced world. We have problems but we have hope. We have situations that are challenging and seemingly hopeless but we ought to remember what the farmer said about not knowing whether it is bad luck or good luck. Who knows.
That is why pilgrimage of hope is for us. We are all pilgrims. St. Ignatius declared himself as a pilgrim, living a pilgrim’s journey.
His dream was to go to the Holy Land. Because he wanted to see the mark of Jesus’ foot. Which was imprinted on a rock. Which was on the spot from where He ascended into heaven. He wanted to know if it was the left or the right foot. On that spot was built a chapel, guarded by a Muslim man, and tourists had to pay upon entrance. Long story short, St. Ignatius went to the Holy Land, he went to the chapel, paid his way, saw the rock, started praying and was so happy, then left. But he forgot what foot it was of Jesus that he saw. He went back but the Muslim man asked him to pay his way again and it made him so angry and he left without ever finding out which foot of Jesus was imprinted on the rock.
The pilgrim’s path never goes in a straight line. It goes up, down, sometimes has a detour, crossroad, is under repair. Also, God uses our mistakes, our lack of knowledge, our weaknesses, sa ating paglalakbay. Our strengths and weaknesses are used by God to make us who we are, so we learn by walking.
How do we walk our talk? How do we walk our pilgrimage of hope? HOPE stands for holiness, openness, passion, and encounter.
Holiness is perfection, not being perfect like the Father is perfect. Rather, it is faithfulness, by struggles, mistakes, to make news, joy, celebration, admission of weakness, growing from it, this is what holiness is all about, to see where God leads us through the events of our life. That’s why prayer is a disposition, a relationship with Him. So when our prayer is a relationship with God, we are able to become holy. Holiness. Ordinariness. From the moment we rise to the time we recite our evening prayer and ask if we are faithful to God.
Openness is charismatic, we are spirit-filled so are able to realize who directs us. Is it the spirit, or our ambition, possession, mga gustong mangyari? Openness is discernment, a tool which requires holiness. You do not discern when you already know what you want. Openness is not the lack of plan. A pilgrim knows the end of the journey and how it’s going to happen. Openness is to be directed by the spirit.
Openness is also passion. Passion, not suffering, but desire. Passion is everything that sustains a pilgrimage. Where is your heart? Whose is your heart? Sabi ng novice master namin, congratulations, you are all good-looking. Kasi sa Jesuits, hindi tatanggapin ang pangit. (Laughter) Sabi nga ni San Ignacio, isang impediment ang distracting ugliness. (Laughter)
Passion for a Christian is very important. Because Passions are graces in themselves and they push us to a place where God is. Passion is giving your best where mediocrity has no place. Hindi pwede ang pwede na; dapat, pwedeng-pwede!
And, finally, hope leads to encounter. Hope facilitates encounter, encounter with the self, encounter with the fathers, and encounter with God. Faith is the result of encounter. How can you believe what you have not encountered? Hope is about encounter. There are people who are quick to change religion. Those people are people who have not encountered God. Tapos, pag mamamatay na, magpapatawag ng pari. (Laughter)
Because if you have not encountered hope, how can you believe. A community is always a place for encounter. Minsan negative. Minsan good luck. Minsan bad luck. And his audience was quick to add ‘Who knows.’ Because every encounter is God’s promise. Kung babalikan natin ang inumpisahan ko, ano ang bago sa inyo? Where are you now? Because we are all pilgrims.
He shared a tik tok message of (an unconfirmed) Pope Francis’ message which enumerated on fasting as a sacrifice being not in the stomach but in the heart; people abstaining from eating meat but also from talking to their siblings and relatives, and visiting their parents and taking care of their children; not sharing food with those who need it most and criticizing the lives of others and mistreating their partners. It concluded by saying that it is better to seek a good relationship with God by being good to others and being humble of heart.
So what does God want us to discover about ourselves so that we can say with pure conviction that this God sees us for who we are. That is the Paschal mystery. Good afternoon.
With that, applause filled the church. The Question and Answer portion that followed gave me an opportunity to rephrase what I said to him about being honored by his presence. I said his talk has been a holy, hope-filled honor.
Amen.
