Listen, obey and share

THE STORY is told about an old man who was boasting about his new hearing aid. A friend asked him: "How much did you pay for it?" He replied, "Yesterday."

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In Sunday's Gospel (Mk 7, 31-37), Jesus made a deaf man hear. He also removed his speech impediment. We, too, need to be healed by the Lord for many of us can hear but refuse to hear; many of us can speak, but refuse to speak truly.

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Listening to the Senate hearings, one gets the impression that there are many deaf people in our midst. Not only deaf but dumb people as well. Let us all pray for the gift of openness and honesty. Some people specialize in "selective hearing," i.e., hearing only what they want to hear. Likewise, there are people who specialize in "selective speaking" i.e., saying only what they want to say. When it comes to hearing and speaking, specialist ka ba?

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How many times in your life have you refused to listen to God? How many times have you turned off your receivers so that you would not get to hear His word? If you look back, those were the times when you sinned and turned your back on Him. Maybe, those moments gave you temporary pleasure and fulfillment, but they led you to sadness and misery. Listen to God, and obey. If you don't, youwill be sorry.

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There's a story of a man who went to a hearing. Try as he might, the lawyer could not get any response from the man who refused to answer all the questions. Finally, the judge asked him why he refused to speak. His response? "Sir, I was told to go to a hearing. Nobody, told me that I will also be asked to speak."
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It is not enough to hear God's word. Some of us hear it well and hear it a lot. The problem is that we do not obey it, and we also do not share it. We all should spread God's word by our deeds and by our words. We are all missionaries. God speaks to us through His word. He also speaks to us in simple moments. I believe in being reminded of God's presence and love in ordinary things or events in our everyday life. These are "contact prints." My spirituality is basically that of remembering and being reminded. All of us have moments with the divine. All we need is to "fine tune," and to be sensitive to the stirrings of grace in our daily lives.

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Recently, God spoke to me in a powerful way when I visited Sorsogon, the diocese of my former professor in the seminary, the energetic Bishop Arturo Bastes, SVD. I had the privilege of meeting one of his priests, Father Frat, who lost both of his legs in a car accident last May 16. Fr. Frat Nepomuceno was on his way to a barrio Mass in his parish when it happened. He had alighted from a jeepney to help a woman with two children get off the vehicle. Just then, a speeding jeepney bumped him from behind. Immediately he lost one leg. The other had to be amputated later. In a flick, this young, active, athletic priest lost his ambulatory functions; but not his cheerful spirit. Talking to him, I could feel no trace of anger or bitterness. I was so edified with his obedience to God's will and for his openness to whatever mission still in store for him up ahead.

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The world should hear more stories like Father Frat's, and much less of the trash and garbage we hear in the news. There are a lot of good people around, but we hardly hear of them, and often, we hardly speak of them. May we hear and speak more of the good and not the bad.

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Monday is the birthday of Mama Mary, a woman who listened and obeyed God's word, and a woman who spoke of God's wondrous deeds with her magnificat. You know what I am asking her on her birthday? That the Lord give us and our land good leaders and officials. That there be peace and progress in our country so that someday soon, there will be more joy in every Filipino home, more food in every Filipino table. I am praying that we be given leaders who really listen to the poverty and sufferings of our people, and who really speak the truth. Amen.

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Sept. 8 is the Foundation of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). Our founder, Blessed Arnold Janssen, together with our first SVD missionary to China, will be canonized in Rome this Oct. 5. Like them, may we all become listeners of the Word, doers of the Word, and sharers of the Word.

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Calling on all my fellow pilgrims, friends, acquaintances through the years, and you, dear reader, to join me on my 50th birthday in the "Concert for the Missions" to be performed for the benefit of Filipino missionaries abroad. Organized by fellow pilgrims headed by Ella Sanchez of Executive Resources and Nita Trofeo, the concert will be held at the Meralco Theatre on Oct. 1, 2003, 7 p.m. To be hosted by Boots Anson Roa, it will feature friends like Christopher de Leon, Ivy Violan, Cocoy Laurel, Josephine Roces, Nolyn Cabahug, Iwi Laurel, John Lesaca, Jong Cuenco and Margo Gonzales; with the special participation of my brother Oscar Orbos and other special guests, like Fatima Soriano, the 10-year-old blind child who undergoes dialysis every day. The concert will be directed by Adrian Panganiban. For inquiries, please call: +63 2 7217457/4147044.

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A Moment with the Lord

Lord, help me to listen to your Word, do your Word, and share you Word. Amen.