Who says eating and drinking are bad? If eating and drinking are, in themselves, essential to our daily survival, then what was in the eating, drinking and merry-making of the people in Noah and Lot’s time that caused their destruction by flood and fire? It was because they were imprisoned and so not yet ready to let go of the extravagance and excesses of their merry-making when God called them to follow His designs. The teaching of Jesus which says, “…whoever loses his life will save it” would not make sense to these kind of people. “Kalami ra aning kinabuhi-a ah!” And as a result, it ended their lives. Now, if we are going to describe such events using the beautiful message of our 1st reading today, we would see that the people (in Noah and Lot’s time) were not able to see, through their extravagant possessions, the One who is most important. They gradually forgot to acknowledge the Creator and source of all those possessions that they had. They soon got hooked (imprisoned) only to the beauty and enjoyment of things. They weren’t able to transcend anymore. Those earthly things gradually became their idols and gods. They could not simply let those treasures go. They soon forgot that they don’t need those things to please God.
Now, in our seminary context, who says that competition is unhealthy? Being competitive is healthy; it is when we compete because of envy at other’s success that makes it unhealthy and superficial. Who says that having a benefactor is unhealthy? It will never be. What makes it unhealthy is when we unreasonably exploit more benefactors to satisfy our extravagant lifestyle. Who says that acquiring a cell phone is unhealthy? It is not, unless it is used for offensive messages and overtakes our time for study. Who says that having friends is unhealthy? It is even essential. What makes it unhealthy is when we compete in accumulating friends out of envy and jealousy at other’s natural gift of friendliness and nurturance. Who says that money is evil? It will not be, if we learn to use them wisely because we are aware that our parents and benefactors really worked hard for it.
Thus, as what was presented in our 1st reading and Gospel, we too can be blinded and imprisoned by the prestige and alluring beauty of these things. We too can gradually forget the SIMPLICITY that our vocation calls us to be.
2-time world champion (in the field of marathon) Kenyan Robert Cheruiyot said in Time magazine about a skill he uses in marathon: “When the lion is chasing the deer (antelope), he doesn’t look back; he has to eat.” In the art of marathon, when you look back to see how far or near your opponent is, you will be wasting amounts of energy for what is not necessary and competitive. Runners would just run and run and aim for the finish line. To use Fr. Frank’s words, they run “with the end in mind”.
What makes us “look back” (in bisaya: gapanglingi, nag-alanganin, adunay gikawilihan) brothers? What makes people compete unreasonably; what makes people exploit benefactors and friends; what makes people unjustly waste money; what makes us not focused on our finish line? One of these would be our self-centeredness and egoistic tendencies that makes us feel insecure and envious which, if left untreated, these issues will become like a treasure – lisod na buhi-an.
My brothers, we don’t have to wait for the time for us to become priests in order to avail of the assist and healing programs. PREPAREDNESS TO DO THE DEMANDS OF DISCIPLESHIP must be practiced here as early as now; as soon as possible. GA, cleanliness, punctuality in our liturgical activities, punctuality in our apostolates must be availed and nurtured now.
For then, if we are already prepared to run the race without looking back at our “opponents” (our issues), then walay masayang nga energy; we’ll have all the energy, strength and power to reach for the finish line, to the holiness and wholeness that we aim as priests. Jesus calls us now, “whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it.”
So, my brothers, when the Lord calls us to do mission, are we ready to let go of whatever hinders us to follow Him anytime, and go beyond it? Are we aware of the consequences of rejection and hardships, so are we ready to embrace them when they come anytime? Let us ask the Lord for that grace. Again, my brothers, allow me to read back the lines of the Kenyan marathoner Robert Cheruiyot: “When the lion is chasing the deer, he doesn’t look back; he has to eat.”
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