Beyond doom and gloom

THE STORY is told that one day, God, tired from an ongoing argument between Jesus and Satan as to who was better in the computer, told them to slug it out in a contest and settle the score once and for all. So, Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away, sending faxes, sending e-mail, downloading, doing spreadsheets and doing everything they could do best with their computers. Then, there was lightning and thunder and the electricity went off. When the power came back, Satan was screaming that his screen was blank. Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started punching out all his files. Seeing this, Satan cried out, "Wait! He cheated! How did he do it?" (You'll love the punch line...) God shrugged and said, "Jesus saves."

The Gospel today speaks about the "end-time," the coming of the Son of Man which will be preceded by signs and tabulations (Mk. 13, 24-32). It will be a time of dread and fear. But Jesus will calm our fears with the assurance that He will be with us, that goodness will be victorious and that his "words will not pass away."

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There are a lot of prophets of doom and gloom who continue to reprimand and warn us of catastrophe and sufferings, if we do not repent and mend our ways. Let us heed their warnings, but let us not succumb to fear. Fear is useless. What is needed is trust in God's mercy and a resolve to mend our ways.

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Crooks and clowns. We have plenty of them in the Philippines. We even elect them to lead us, and I understand many are already lining up for the 2004 elections, and predictably will win simply because they are popular and moneyed. Why do the bad people prosper and the good suffer? And why do bad people always seem to get away with it? Faced with this frustrating and disheartening situation, we question, but still, deep in our hearts we hope and believe that goodness will triumph in the end. The seeds of goodness we have sown will not come to waste. Keep believing. Keep sowing.

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Here's an uplifting moment shared with me by our co-worker at the Mission Office, Father John O'Mahony, SVD. Last November 11, Father John took a taxi going back from a funeral Mass to Christ the King Seminary. The conversation with the taxi driver, Frank, lifted up his heart. Here was an honest, hardworking man who still believed in goodness, family and God. As Father John was about to pay for the fare, Frank told him there was nothing to pay. In return, Father John gave him special rosaries brought back from the canonization of Saints Arnold and Joseph. But that was not the end of the story. Fifteen minutes later, Frank was back, bringing along with him Father John's cell phone which he left behind in the taxi. Says Father John: "I am hardly likely to see Frank again, but as he goes about his work, earning a frugal but honest living, I will be praying for God's protection for him. The same goes for many other hidden anonymous people like him who are the real treasures and heroes of our country. Sure, we have corruption, political intrigues and show-biz scandals, but thank God for people like Frank who inspire us and give us hope." Amen, Father John!

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Instead of focusing on the doom and the gloom around us or ahead of us, we must continue to have hope. We must see the glass half-full, rather than the glass half-empty. We must see the whole doughnut rather than the hole in the doughnut. We must see the big picture rather than the little screen before us. It is easy to give up in anger and frustration, and to become desperate or cynical given such a situation, but we must make a choice: to heal and not to hurt; to forgive and not to despise; to persevere and not to quit; to build up and not to destroy; to love and not to hate.

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Here's a beautiful text message I want to share with you: "To get to heaven, turn right and keep going straight." Gets mo?

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As we keep heaven and the "end-time" in our minds, let us not forget the mission before us in the here and now. Reminds me of a story of a father who lived alone and was hardly visited by his only daughter. One day, she received a note from her dad that read: "I presume you will come to my funeral when I die. Forget my funeral. May I request you to please come and see me now while I'm still alive. I love you. (Dad)"

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Think about it, we all will die. Either we die OF something or, FOR something. Are you living FOR something or FOR someone in this life now aside from yourself and your immediate family?

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Our fifth book, "Inquirer Moments" (Year C) is now available at National Bookstore. It is a collection of my Sunday columns in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Please consider it as a possible Christmas gift, and help our Filipino missionaries abroad.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, through it all, help me not to lose sight and hold on to goodness, hope and love. Amen.