This Sunday

Fr. Ricky V. Ordóñez

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus appears to His disciples once again to prove even more that He has risen from the dead.  It leads me to ask why they were so unbelieving when they had witnessed the great things that the Lord had done in His ministry.  

 

A possible answer may lie in the “sin of Adam” that our natures have inherited – a great lack of TRUST in God’s role in our lives.  Though He has provided us all of our needs, most continue to take the path of independence from Him.  And, of course, when things go wrong, who do you think they will blame?  Yes, blaming God is perhaps the biggest “cop out” to cover up for all our mistakes.  Meanwhile, Jesus takes it all in and never ceases to knock on the doors of our heart constantly hoping for the day that we submit to Him.  

A great blessing for us is that God LOVES US SO MUCH that He keeps on forgiving us for our shortcomings and continues to do everything HE can so that we will “get it”.  

Recently, I experienced the sad loss to COVID of two friends and an uncle in the Philippines all within a span of 2 weeks. 

  It is painful to just get the news of their loss and feel so helpless and far away.  My only consolation is knowing that they were good men, deeply spiritual and loved by their respective families.  If there is one thing that I learned in the last year is that we should not cower in fear and helplessness.  

Rather, we should be proactive with all the protocols that we are asked to take, adjust our lifestyles and do the best we can in ensuring our safety.  

If this involves quarantine, so be it!  

If this involves the use of masks and social distancing, so be it!  

If this involves avoiding crowded areas where social distancing is impossible, so be it!   

If the use of the vaccine is possible and available, so be it!  

Most importantly, we should realize that God inspires scientists, doctors, nurses to do extensive research and assist us in understanding the virus so that we can HELP CURB THE SITUATION.  

It is when people fall into the sin of PRIDE AND SELFISHNESS, “throw caution to the wind” and be conduits in transmitting the virus that keep us in trouble.     

Let us remember that one of our downfalls is to think that IT CAN ONLY HAPPEN TO OTHERS AND NOT TO US!  Let us, therefore, participate in the solution and not be the cause of the problem.   

Aside from the sound of the birds chirping, the whirr and buzz of tools excites me.  Since I came, we have been doing some renovation and restoration work in the Rectory and Office building.  

So far, hallway and some kitchen lights have been changed to LED, minor reorganization in the sacristy has been done prior to a possible major renovation.  

We have also made some changes to the display of parish historical art and re-polishing of old furniture (Hint:  Beeswax works wonders!).  

Trees are being pruned, safety concerns regarding old structures are being addressed and appointments have been made with other service providers that would look into some much needed improvements.