'I am sorry'?

THERE IS A JOKE I HEARD ABOUT A PENITENT who confessed that he had been receiving and forwarding all sorts of green jokes and pornographic pictures via his cell phone. The priest gave him the absolution, but before leaving the confessional, the priest told him: "By the way, here is my cell phone number. Could you forward your sins to me?"

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In today's Gospel (Mt. 18, 21-35) Jesus reminds us that whoever has been forgiven must pass on and forward forgiveness to others as well. He or she who has been forgiven much must also forgive and love much. If he or she does not do so, it is because he or she was not really sorry -- a case of repentance coming just from the mouth, but not from the heart.

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"I am sorry" is a beautiful word, if it comes from the heart. It should lead to gratitude, which in turn should lead to forgiveness of others, and to true repentance that bears fruit in good works. "I am sorry" should not be used just for tactical or theatrical purposes.

Tactics will eventually fail, and theatrics will eventually be uncovered. In the long run, saying "I am sorry" and really meaning it and living it will be the better choice than just mouthing it.

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Someone once said that true repentance has two eyes: A weeping eye for the sins of the past, and a watchful eye for good works in the future. Too bad that some people never get to have these two eyes because they never saw beyond the "I."

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I feel sorry that the spirit of "I am sorry" has not really sunk deep into our hearts as a nation. Our sense of right and wrong has become so numb and dumb. "I am sorry" has become a convenient white flag we raise whenever we are caught or just to get us out of trouble. Do you know what I feel so sorry about most? It is the thought that we are passing on and forwarding the message to the next generation that it is all right to cheat, lie and steal, as long as you don't get caught, you don't get sentenced, you don't get impeached; and that you can do all these if you have the money and the numbers. May it never be said that our generation sailed smoothly because we sailed too closely to comfortable shores and never taught our children to sail into the deep.

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Reminds me of a story about a teacher who chanced upon a group of little boys huddled around a puppy. When asked what they were doing, one of them said that they were having a contest of telling the biggest lie, and the winner gets to keep the dog. "Boys, you know lying is bad. You should be ashamed of yourself. Me? I have never told a lie all my life," the teacher said. After some moments of quiet, one boy finally spoke up and said: "Well, she wins. I guess she keeps the dog." In all our present-day winnings, what do we leave behind to the next generation for reaping? What seeds are we sowing? What examples are we giving?

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I saw him again this morning as I passed by Balete Drive. There he was, this deranged man going over the garbage and putting all sorts of trash into the sack that he drags with him wherever he goes. I was reminded again by the Lord that many of us carry a lot of trash as we travel on in life. Many of us cannot let go of our hurts, our pride, our selfishness and unforgiveness, and all the trash; that's why we are weighed down by so much burdens and we live miserable lives. When we come before the Lord at the end of our lives and He examines our bags, may He find not trash, but lots of forgiveness and love.

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Last Sept. 8, I ended the day by sending a text message to many people reminding them that they are loved by Mama Mary very much. This was my way of expressing my love and gratitude to Mama Mary on her birthday. It took a lot of time and money from me, but the response from the people was so touching and overwhelming. Many times I had to stop to wipe a tear and say a prayer. It's amazing how a simple message of love could evoke so much emotion, hope and love. Yes, people are thirsting for hope and love. Let us not give them rhetoric and trash.

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I am praying that by Christmastime, there will already be real healing, unity and progress in our land. With all the beatings we have been taking from our so-called leaders and politicians, it is amazing that we are still standing, still hoping, still smiling. We are a forgiving people. May we have more giving leaders.

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Today is the "Day of Healing with Jesus Through Mary" at the Ultra. Mass with Julia Kim will be at 2 p.m. There will also be a Mass with her at the Sacred Heart Parish in Cebu City tomorrow at 7 p.m.

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Inviting you all for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Egypt on Oct. 12 to 22. Let us remember that Jesus once walked the earth. Let us follow his footsteps. Let us listen to His words and live his precepts. For inquiries, please call +63 2 5238581 to 88.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help me to mean what I say when I say "I am sorry." Amen.