I’d like to share here the experience of Sr. M. Necitas, one of our three PDDM missionaries in Hong Kong. Her reflection confirms my faith that if we only pay more attention to our lived experience, we would sense that the Lord is there talking and walking with us all along the way.
“Last Sunday I was asked to give a sharing (homily) during the English Eucharistic celebration in St. Vincent parish. The parish priest is a Belgian CICM and the pastoral workers are the ICM sisters. The Legionaries here are the regular beneficiaries of my liturgical-spiritual formation. The Church was full; there were around 300 persons present, including many Europeans - Belgians, Britons, persons from other parts of Europe. There were also Chinese from abroad coming home and more than half were Filipino residents and Overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
“Last Sunday I was asked to give a sharing (homily) during the English Eucharistic celebration in St. Vincent parish. The parish priest is a Belgian CICM and the pastoral workers are the ICM sisters. The Legionaries here are the regular beneficiaries of my liturgical-spiritual formation. The Church was full; there were around 300 persons present, including many Europeans - Belgians, Britons, persons from other parts of Europe. There were also Chinese from abroad coming home and more than half were Filipino residents and Overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
For myself I was moved by how the Lord was working on me in the process. The fact was I was not so disposed to giving the homily and could not concentrate on the preparation during the week. I was still a bit shocked of the news of Sr. Luz condition (another member of the community) whom I accompanied in Caritas Hospital and consoled as she faced the operation after being diagnosed with cancer. That Saturday came as my last chance to prepare. I did not go to the usual Lectio Divina session at the park and just tried to concentrate on the homily preparation. Then I went to visit Ma. Luz. Just when I came back at around 1:30 pm the phone rang. It was the Mother of an OFW whom I have known in our Church. She was bringing her daughter to the hospital, another OFW, 5 months pregnant and with a big lump in her breast extending to her armpit. She told me: “Sister we have no one with us.” I told her, “I could not go with you, I have another urgent work now.” But then I was bothered after that, thinking of the subject of the homily: the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37)!!. So I called back telling them I’d be there. I needed still to do some errands and iron my habit. By the time I finished and was about to leave the phone rang. They told me they were already okay. I felt at peace.
That evening I still had nothing clear in my mind. I just asked the Lord to let me sleep so I could have a good mind and fresh thoughts tomorrow. I could hardly believe it - I woke up at 5 am and ideas just flowed! At 7:30 I had everything in my heart. I just entrusted everything to the Lord.
As I ended the homily, the clapping of hands just came like a flowing water. God took over in my time of powerlessness. I have seen how people were all eyes and ears to the flow of words the Lord put in my lips, even foreigners were taking notes on the points stressed. After the Mass, a Belgian educator and principal of an International school told me that the 3 points stressed constitute as the soul of her vision and mission for the school she heads.
Here are the 3 points on the Good Samaritan (GS): at every point I gave concrete stories of my life which I prefer not to write here.
LISTEN - this is the key attitude invoked in the first reading in regard to the Law, listen to and live the commandments... (see Dt 30:10-14). The disciples are among those who “hear what they hear”and “see what they see.” This is concretized by the GS, and by Mary of Bethany in the text that follows (Lk 10:38-42). The model for this listening is above all Jesus' listening to the Father and his acting on God’s will.
That evening I still had nothing clear in my mind. I just asked the Lord to let me sleep so I could have a good mind and fresh thoughts tomorrow. I could hardly believe it - I woke up at 5 am and ideas just flowed! At 7:30 I had everything in my heart. I just entrusted everything to the Lord.
As I ended the homily, the clapping of hands just came like a flowing water. God took over in my time of powerlessness. I have seen how people were all eyes and ears to the flow of words the Lord put in my lips, even foreigners were taking notes on the points stressed. After the Mass, a Belgian educator and principal of an International school told me that the 3 points stressed constitute as the soul of her vision and mission for the school she heads.
Here are the 3 points on the Good Samaritan (GS): at every point I gave concrete stories of my life which I prefer not to write here.
LISTEN - this is the key attitude invoked in the first reading in regard to the Law, listen to and live the commandments... (see Dt 30:10-14). The disciples are among those who “hear what they hear”and “see what they see.” This is concretized by the GS, and by Mary of Bethany in the text that follows (Lk 10:38-42). The model for this listening is above all Jesus' listening to the Father and his acting on God’s will.
RECONCILE, HEAL -The GS is a minister of reconciliation and healing in his unconditional love to people hostile to him. He moved on and made himself the disadvantaged in many ways as the text indicates.
EMBRACE - If we follow the moving gestures of the GS: how He used his own provision of oil and wine forthe travel, how he tore his shirt, bandaged the wounded man, lifted him up to the body of the beast, walked the way, not riding on horse back, brought the wounded to the inn, cared for him that night, paid with his money, risked his name as he vouched for the debt incurred for whatever the wounded man would need.
In the end, I brought home the point: such is the living symbol of what God has done for us! He embraced our humanity and made himself Saviour to us. God, in Jesus, is actually the Good Samaritan. And we are called to be such, a neighbor to the other. In the parable, Jesus subtly changed the focus to his interest. Neighbor is SUBJECT for Jesus, not object as the Lawyer perceived.
In the end, I brought home the point: such is the living symbol of what God has done for us! He embraced our humanity and made himself Saviour to us. God, in Jesus, is actually the Good Samaritan. And we are called to be such, a neighbor to the other. In the parable, Jesus subtly changed the focus to his interest. Neighbor is SUBJECT for Jesus, not object as the Lawyer perceived.
I ended the homily with my lived experience of that Saturday. Who is my neighbor? She was the needy woman who came to me at a time I was distraught and not ready to help. But the Word of the Lord “changed me…”
We need to develop a discerning heart so we may be able to find God in everything especially in the unexpected... The challenge then is “do we listen to the call of God in our day to day life?” - SR. MARY NECITAS, PDDM
