TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY
TIME. Green
Ez 18:25-28/ Ps
25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9/ Phil 2:1-11/ Mt 21:28-32
Fulfilling our Word
RUDOLF STEVEN N. SEÑO, O.P.
Today, we
celebrate National Seafarer’s Sunday and remember our Filipino Seafarers in our
prayers. Come to think of it, we are also seafarers since we are pilgrims on
the way to our true homeland in heaven. But owing to our weakness, we sometimes
divert from the right path to our destination. Yet what is important is that we
revert back to the proper course. This is the message of today’s gospel. It is
not so much saying ‘yes’ to God as repenting ourselves and doing His will that
matters. For doing God’s way is the only way to have life. Our Lord explains
this to Ezekiel in the 1st reading: “When someone virtuous turns away from
virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed
that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and
does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned
away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall
not die.”
Does this mean
that verbal promises are useless? Not at all. Otherwise, public promises or
vows like ordinations & religious professions would be impractical. The
reason why we could not keep our word is that we have become so used to
disregarding it that we have become weak. This is quite different from the case
of God who upon saying “Let there be light,” produces light. The technique here
is to develop the virtue of keeping one’s promises starting with the simple
ones.
A perfect
example of a person who keeps his word is St. Lorenzo Ruiz whose feast occurs
today and who is himself a seafarer. Upon receiving the chance to save himself
by the judges, he says: “Had I a thousand lives I would gladly offer them all
for Him. Never shall I apostatize. You may kill me, if that is what you want.
To die for God—such is my will.” And he did; thereby, becoming the first
recognized Filipino martyr. To emulate this saint, let us obey Paul’s
exhortation in the 2nd Reading to conform ourselves to the Word of God—Jesus
Christ. That is the best way of fulfilling our word.
KEYWORDS:
Cycle A, Ordinary
Time, OP Friars, Seafarers, Saints, Fulfillment
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