Letting go

THE STORY is told about a young fellow who found a dollar on the road. From that time on, he never raised his eyes from the ground when he walked, hoping to find more. In the next 30 years, he found about 10 dollars, about 20 coins, 10,000 buttons, all sorts of pins etc., but he became a hunchback, a miser, with a grouchy disposition. All those years, he never looked up, never saw the beauty of sunshine, the smiles of friends and all things that make life worthwhile, because he kept looking for that dollar.

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The Gospel today (Mk 10, 17-30) is about the man who went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus warns us again: "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God." Money can make life convenient and easy, but the pursuit of money, the love of money can make life miserable, uneasy and unhappy. Are you going through life so engrossed in your search for the things that money can buy and have forgotten the things that money cannot buy?

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When I hear of a person having millions, and even billions, I find myself asking again: Why? How much money does one need in this life? I mean, you can only spend so much in a day. Maybe they are making provisions for the children and the grandchildren down to the great grandchildren? The rich who are reading this now must be smiling and saying: "Father Jerry, if you were rich, you won't ask that question." Okay. Sorry I asked. Okay, I'm poor. But I'm happy. Are you?

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The problem with some people is that they think they are migrants in this world. We are all tourists here, just passing by. "The world is merely a bridge. You are to cross over it and not make your dwelling on it" (inscription in an old mosque). Think again: What can you bring with you when you leave this world?

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Here is a story of a young man who did not go away sad. Chito Lorenzo was a third year medical student when he answered the call. This young, handsome, only son gave up everything (including a girlfriend) and joined the Divine Word missionaries (SVD) and is now assigned in Japan. I met him when I went to Akita last May, and I saw in him a happy missionary who is loved and appreciated by his flock. If we think back, the happiest moments of our lives were when we let go, and the loneliest moments were when we refused to let go because of selfishness and greed.

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Recently we were deluged with the story of a woman who gave up everything and risked everything for the man she loved. In the end, she ended up hurt and devastated. Real love. Wrong man. Such is the tragedy of human love. But with God, we are assured of faithfulness. And yet we barely love Him, and continue pursuing our other loves. If only we exerted as much effort in seeking God as we do in our pursuit of worldly pleasures and love. May we not end up saying "too late have I loved thee..."

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In our "Concert for the Missions" at the Meralco Theater last Oct. 1, 2003, I experienced what being at the center stage literally was. When the lights are all focused on you, you hardly see the audience. You hardly know who are there with you. Such is the fate of people who are blinded by power, money, popularity and pleasures. It could be a very lonely life. And empty. And it doesn't last.

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Still at the "Concert for the Missions," Fr. Erick Santos brought the house down with his natural and contagious sense of humor. He is funny, without even trying. What makes him so effective I think is his willingness to give himself, even make a fool himself, for the sake of others. Give na give talaga. He is one priest who knows how to be self-effacing to make the flock happy and see again the bright side of life. Father Erick, in so many ways, reminds us again of the "11th Commandment," i.e. "Do not take yourself too darn seriously!"

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If I may use myself as an example, may I say in all humility, that the Lord indeed rewards those who left everything to follow Him. In my 23 years as a priest, and 16 years as a seminarian, I have met so many people who have taken me in as their son, their brother, their friend and have treated me as family. It was not easy to leave the family when I entered the seminary. Homesickness was a reality in my life at an early age. Along the way I had to let go and forego a lot of things. But my little sacrifices along the way are nothing compared to God's overflowing generosity.

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Calling on men and women with generous hearts to serve the Lord in his vineyard. All of us are called to do our mission in this world, and if God is calling you for a mission as priest, Brother or Sister, please be generous. As a text message put it: The pay is not great, but the rewards are "out of their world."

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A Moment with the Lord:

Teach me Lord to be generous, to let go and just embrace you. Amen.

Comments to jorbos@manila-online.net