Hope whisperer

HAVE you heard the story about the three men who died smiling? The first one was an American who ate plenty of steak and died, happy and smiling, after suffering a heart attack. The second one was a French man who drank plenty of wine and died, happy and smiling, after suffering a heart attack. The third one was a Filipino. Amid thunder and lightning, he went out smiling, thinking there was some picture-taking going on. He got hit by a lightning and died, happy and smiling.

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Today's Gospel (Mt. 3, 13-17) tells us that after Jesus was baptized by John at the Jordan River, the Father's voice was heard: "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased." If the Father were looking at you right now, would He be happy and smiling? Are you living a life pleasing to the Father? Is the Father happy and smiling looking at your family? Is He happy and smiling looking at our country? Is He happy and smiling looking at the world today?

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We are children of one and the same Father, and it must be a pleasing sight for Him to see us helping each other after the tsunami that swept South Asia. It is so heartening to hear that all nations are trying to give their share to help the victims of the cataclysmic Dec. 26 tragedy. Finally, hopefully, we are learning our lesson. Instead of spending millions to spy on and kill each other, we are now helping one another. The Father must be smiling seeing us reach out to one another again as brothers and sisters.

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"Let it be so for now." There are many things that are beyond our control in this life. We must admit our limitations and our human condition. There are so many things we cannot comprehend, explain, or understand. It is our faith, our belief in Someone greater than you and me, that help us to cope and go on. Without faith, life would be a dead-end. Without faith, life -- with all its tragedies and broken dreams -- would be a relentless series of earthquakes and tsunamis, with no end in sight. Faith is a gift, for it lets us see beyond what meets the eye. Faith gives us meaning, and hope. Thank God for the faith we have received through our baptism.

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We must not stop at the calming effect of faith in our lives. True faith should disturb us, stir us and move us. Our faith should not just be a spare tire-just there, in case of a flat tire. Rather, it should be the engine that should keep us going, that should bring us to our earthly mission, that should lead us to our final destination. Check your engine. Maintain your engine. If necessary, overhaul your engine.

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We are now on television every Sunday, 7 a.m., at Studio 23, for a Sunday TV Mass and a talk show to deepen the faithful's appreciation of the Sunday Gospel. It is our way of spreading our faith worldwide, through media. What have you done, what are you doing to share the faith? Note that we are not talking of imposing our faith on others. Instead of triumphalism or the holier-than-thou stance, we are talking of dialogue, respect, appreciation of the faiths of other people.

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We pay tribute to "Tatang" Orly Punzalan who spent many years of his life spreading the faith through radio, particularly Radyo Veritas. Here was one person who shared his talent in broadcasting and his faith by broadcasting. Shouldn't we all be busy sharing our talents and sharing our faith through our talents, which are, after all, God-given?

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I had Christopher de Leon and his son Rafael in our talk show recently, and I could feel the closeness of this father-and-son duo. I was particularly touched by their mutual respect for one another. So evident too was Christopher's pride and delight in his son. Rafael is a son that is pleasing to his father. May parents raise sons and daughters who will give them (parents) joy and pride; and may the children be blessed with parents who don't give them too much resentment, heartaches and shame.

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By the way, Christopher de Leon was the "horse whisperer" during the burial of Fernando Poe Jr. Unknown to many, it was Christopher who fed, entertained and encouraged the horse Tisoy to go on in spite of the fatigue, the heat, the noise and the crowd. The more I think about it, the more I see the role of parents as whisperers (not "shouters") of hope, encouragement and love. Children need parents who not only feed or clothe them, but who whisper to them what life is all about. If parents themselves do what is right, they don't have to shout, for they can say their truth "quietly and clearly." And they too need not say much, for "They say little who have much."

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May we all become hope whisperers. We need, today, men and women who will stand up and inspire hope despite the dark clouds hovering around us. Let each one of us give not only love, but hope for and in each other.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, make everyone a love whisperer, a hope whisperer to others. Amen.

E-mail jorbos@manila-online.net.

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