Since we are travellers and pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of our roadway is our home (St Columban, 8th sermon).
Showing posts with label Columba Chang Eun-Yeal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Columba Chang Eun-Yeal. Show all posts
GospelLuke 3:10-18 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)
And the crowds asked John the Baptist, “What then shall we
do?”And he
answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has
none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”Tax
collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall
we do?”And he said to them, “Collect no more
than you are authorized to do.”Soldiers also
asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not
extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with
your wages.”
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were
questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the
Christ,John
answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is
mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to
untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn
with unquenchable fire.”
So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the
people.
Groot Nederlands Jongerenkoor with Musica Sacra Chorus
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Amen.(Philippians 4:4, 6-7, Authorised [King James] Version.)
Note: this translation uses 'alway', not 'always'.
The above
is a setting by
George Rathbone of the first and last verses of today's Second
Reading. It emphasises a basic theme of Advent: Joy. And today the Church
focuses on that. We call the Third Sunday of Advent 'Gaudete Sunday' from
the Latin opening word of the Entrance Antiphon, 'Gaudete in Domino semper,'
'Rejoice in the Lord always'
The First
Reading begins with the same theme: Sing aloud, O daughter of
Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O
daughter of Jerusalem! (Zephaniah 3:14).
'Ligaya'
is the Tagalog word for 'joy' and is a common enough name for girls in the
Philippines. It is the name used for the girl at the heart of the story below,
though not her real name, which was a particularly beautiful one. St Joseph is
one of the central figures in the gospels read at Mass as we approach Christmas
and is highlighted in the gospel for Friday, 17 December, Matthew 1:1-17, and in the gospel for Saturday, 18
December, Matthew 1:18-24. It was through St Joseph, the Husband of
Mary, that Jesus was born of the line of David, as God had promised. And by
naming Jesus, as the angel asked him to do, St Joseph became the legal father
of Jesus.
I published
the story below, written by Korean Columban lay missionary Columba Chang
Eun-Yeal, in the November-December 2015 issue of MISYONonline.com, the
magazine of the Columbans in the Philippines of which I was then editor. It had
appeared there before in the November-December 2002 issue. I have used it
in Sunday Reflections a number of times because it is a story
that shows the joy that only God can give, a joy that usually comes from within
a very painful situation, a situation where one's suffering may well be the
result of the grave sin of an aggressor, as in this case.
I MET ST JOSEPH IN MANILA by Columba Chang Eun-Yeal
The author
There may be as many as close to ten million Filipino overseas workers spread all over the world. They greatly help the country’s economy by the money they send home. However sometimes they may be taken for granted for those at home who think that they have an easy life abroad. Read Aling Maria’s story below and find out the dangers that OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), and their counterparts from other countries, face and the abuses they experience. We thank ‘Mang Pepe’ for his help in writing this article in which we’ve changed the names.
'Mang' and 'Aling' are Tagalog honorifics for a man and woman, respectively, older than oneself. 'Tatay' is the equivalent of 'Papa' and 'Daddy'.
I met Mang Pepe and his daughter Ligaya through my work with Caritas Manila. I visit the family regularly. They live in a poor part of the city and Mang Pepe makes a living by doing odd jobs. My work takes me to families affected by HIV/AIDS. I knew Mang Pepe’s story before he shared it with the congregation at the Saturday evening Mass in Baclaran Church on 7 December 2002 at the end of a celebration organized by Caritas Manila for World AIDS Day.
Mang Pepe and his wife Aling Maria were having difficulties putting their five children through school. This sometimes led to arguments. Eventually Aling Maria decided to work in the Middle East. She felt happy when accepted as a nursing aide with a two-year contract in the UAE. She prepared her documents. She and Pepe sold their house and lot for her fare and placement fee. She flew out on 5 February 1989, full of hope for her family’s future financial stability.
Aling Maria soon discovered that her contract as a nursing aide was terminated just a few months after she arrived, without any hope of renewal. But she didn’t want to go back to the Philippines with an empty pocket. She decided to take the ‘TNT’ (tago ng tago, Tagalog for hidden or illegal) route. She managed to find a series of jobs as a saleslady, cashier and office worker.
Columba Chang, left, with friend in Manila
Hope turns into a nightmare
As an illegal worker, she was often subjected to different abuses like underpayment, long hours of working without a day off and so on. But the worst thing was when one of Aling Maria’s employers took advantage of her and made her pregnant. When she came home to the Philippines in October 1993 Mang Pepe and the family were very shocked to learn that Aling Maria carried a child in her womb. She hadn’t mentioned anything about this before. However, despite this they still welcomed her and the child with joy . . . but deep in their hearts there was a shadow of sadness, fear and uncertainty.
After a few days the tabloids reported that three Filipino overseas workers had been sent home because of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS – and that one of them was Aling Maria. These stories, and the rumors they spawned, continued for a month. Some relatives, neighbors and friends rejected Aling Maria. The children of Mang Pepe and Aling Maria were torn apart. Some wanted to quit school and leave the area. The family suffered greatly because of the stigma.
Aling Maria and Mang Pepe went to the Department of Health (DOH) for a series of blood tests. The tests confirmed what Aling Maria knew already, that she and her ‘little mercy child', as Mang Pepe called his wife’s daughter, had HIV. The doctor gave them counseling and advice and information about HIV/AIDS.
Ligaya is born
Aling Maria decided not to stay in the hospital and continued to work as a pension plan insurance agent. In time she gave birth to a baby girl whom they named Ligaya. Gradually, however, Mang Pepe saw his dear wife turning into a picture of misery as she suffered from constant headaches and flu. Aling Maria was hoping for a miracle that would ease her agony. It was not to be. The HIV developed into full-blown AIDS. Her appetite disappeared until she couldn’t eat anymore. Mang Pepe and the children saw Aling Maria slowly dying. He prepared the family to accept her death as the will of God. She died on 15 December 1997, aged 46.
Like everyone else in Baclaran Church, I was deeply touched by Mang Pepe’s story, even though he had told it to me many times. I was touched by the great love of this simple man who accepted as his own a daughter who was the fruit of the brutal violation of his wife. Mang Pepe is ‘Tatay’ to Ligaya. Her schoolmates sometimes teased her because her features clearly show her Middle Eastern origins. But her Tatay stands by her, as do her brothers and sisters.
Proud to be her Tatay
Tatay Pepe is proud of Ligaya’s singing ability and smiled as she sang at the celebration in Baclaran. Ligaya is very proud of her Tatay and knows the depth of his love as a father. She has very uncertain health and is often in the hospital. The shadow of AIDS hangs over her.
St Joseph named Jesus, the Son of Mary, and thereby became his legal father. He loved Mary, his wife, and raised Jesus as his own son. Mang Pepe has gone through the agony of knowing that his wife was violated overseas, after dishonest employers had taken advantage of her in other ways. When she brought home a child who was not his, he made her his own. This latter-day St Joseph in Manila has given much joy to his daughter Ligaya as she has given much joy to him and others, like myself, who have come to know and love her.
+++
‘Ligaya’ died in the latter part of 2004. I was in Baclaran Church at the invitaion of Columba the day that Mang Pepe told his story and I came to know ‘Ligaya’ as a friend. Shortly before she died I had the privilege of talking to her on Columba’s mobile phone. She was a delightful child. The light of heaven upon her.
Gospel Luke 3:10-18 (English Standard Version
Anglicised: India)
The crowds asked John, “What then shall we do?”And he
answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has
none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”Tax collectors also came to be baptized and
said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”And he said to them, “Collect no more
than you are authorized to do.”Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And
he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false
accusation, and be content with your wages.”
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were
questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the
Christ,John answered them all, saying, “I baptize
you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of
whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire.His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his
threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff
he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So with many other exhortations he preached good
news to the people.
Groot
Nederlands Jongerenkoor with Musica Sacra Chorus
Rejoice in the Lord
alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rejoice in the Lord
alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Amen.(Philippians 4:4, 6-7,
Authorised [King James] Version.)
Note: this translation uses 'alway',
not 'always'.
The above
is a setting by
George Rathbone of the first and last verses of today's Second
Reading. It emphasises a basic theme of Advent: Joy. And today the Church
focuses on that. We call the Third Sunday of Advent 'Gaudete Sunday' from
the Latin opening word of the Entrance Antiphon, 'Gaudete in Domino semper,'
'Rejoice in the Lord always'
The First
Reading begins with the same theme: Sing aloud, O daughter of
Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O
daughter of Jerusalem! (Zephaniah 3:14).
'Ligaya'
is the Tagalog word for 'joy' and is a common enough name for girls in the
Philippines. It is the name used for the girl at the heart of the story below,
though not her real name, which was a particularly beautiful one. St Joseph is
one of the central figures in the gospels read at Mass as we approach Christmas
and is highlighted in the gospel for Friday, 17 December, Matthew 1:1-17, and in the gospel for Saturday, 18
December, Matthew 1:18-24. It was through St Joseph, the Husband of
Mary, that Jesus was born of the line of David, as God had promised. And by
naming Jesus, as the angel asked him to do, St Joseph became the legal father
of Jesus.
I published
the story below, written by Korean Columban lay missionary Columba Chang
Eun-Yeal, in the November-December 2015 issue of MISYONonline.com, the magazine of the
Columbans in the Philippines of which I was then editor. It had appeared there
before in the November-December 2002 issue. I have used it in Sunday Reflections a number of times
because it is a story that shows the joy that only God can give, a joy that
usually comes from within a very painful situation, a situation where one's suffering may well
be the result of the grave sin of an aggressor, as in this case.
I MET ST JOSEPH IN MANILA by Columba Chang Eun-Yeal
The author
There may be as many as close to ten million Filipino overseas workers spread all over the world. They greatly help the country’s economy by the money they send home. However sometimes they may be taken for granted for those at home who think that they have an easy life abroad. Read Aling Maria’s story below and find out the dangers that OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), and their counterparts from other countries, face and the abuses they experience. We thank ‘Mang Pepe’ for his help in writing this article in which we’ve changed the names.
'Mang' and 'Aling' are Tagalog honorifics for a man and woman, respectively, older than oneself. 'Tatay' is the equivalent of 'Papa' and 'Daddy'.
I met Mang Pepe and his daughter Ligaya through my work with Caritas Manila. I visit the family regularly. They live in a poor part of the city and Mang Pepe makes a living by doing odd jobs. My work takes me to families affected by HIV/AIDS. I knew Mang Pepe’s story before he shared it with the congregation at the Saturday evening Mass in Baclaran Church on 7 December 2002 at the end of a celebration organized by Caritas Manila for World AIDS Day.
Mang Pepe and his wife Aling Maria were having difficulties putting their five children through school. This sometimes led to arguments. Eventually Aling Maria decided to work in the Middle East. She felt happy when accepted as a nursing aide with a two-year contract in the UAE. She prepared her documents. She and Pepe sold their house and lot for her fare and placement fee. She flew out on 5 February 1989, full of hope for her family’s future financial stability.
Aling Maria soon discovered that her contract as a nursing aide was terminated just a few months after she arrived, without any hope of renewal. But she didn’t want to go back to the Philippines with an empty pocket. She decided to take the ‘TNT’ (tago ng tago, Tagalog for hidden, ie illegal) route. She managed to find a series of jobs as a saleslady, cashier and office worker.
Columba Chang, left, with friend in Manila
Hope turns into a nightmare
As an illegal worker, she was often subjected to different abuses like underpayment, long hours of working without a day off and so on. But the worst thing was when one of Aling Maria’s employers took advantage of her and made her pregnant. When she came home to the Philippines in October 1993 Mang Pepe and the family were very shocked to learn that Aling Maria carried a child in her womb. She hadn’t mentioned anything about this before. However, despite this they still welcomed her and the child with joy . . . but deep in their hearts there was a shadow of sadness, fear and uncertainty.
After a few days the tabloids reported that three Filipino overseas workers had been sent home because of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS – and that one of them was Aling Maria. These stories, and the rumors they spawned, continued for a month. Some relatives, neighbors and friends rejected Aling Maria. The children of Mang Pepe and Aling Maria were torn apart. Some wanted to quit school and leave the area. The family suffered greatly because of the stigma.
Aling Maria and Mang Pepe went to the Department of Health (DOH) for a series of blood tests. The tests confirmed what Aling Maria knew already, that she and her ‘little mercy child,’ as Mang Pepe called his wife’s daughter had HIV. The doctor gave them counseling and advice and information about HIV/AIDS.
Ligaya is born
Aling Maria decided not to stay in the hospital and continued to work as a pension plan insurance agent. In time she gave birth to a baby girl whom they named Ligaya. Gradually, however, Mang Pepe saw his dear wife turning into a picture of misery as she suffered from constant headaches and flu. Aling Maria was hoping for a miracle that would ease her agony. It was not to be. The HIV developed into full-blown AIDS. Her appetite disappeared until she couldn’t eat anymore. Mang Pepe and the children saw Aling Maria slowly dying. He prepared the family to accept her death as the will of God. She died on 15 December 1997, aged 46.
Like everyone else in Baclaran Church, I was deeply touched by Mang Pepe’s story, even though he had told it to me many times. I was touched by the great love of this simple man who accepted as his own a daughter who was the fruit of the brutal violation of his wife. Mang Pepe is ‘Tatay’ to Ligaya. Her schoolmates sometimes tease her because her features clearly show her Middle Eastern origins. But her Tatay stands by her, as do her brothers and sisters.
Proud to be her Tatay
Tatay Pepe is proud of Ligaya’s singing ability and smiled as she sang at the celebration in Baclaran. Ligaya is very proud of her Tatay and knows the depth of his love as a father. She has very uncertain health and is often in the hospital. The shadow of AIDS hangs over her.
St Joseph named Jesus, the Son of Mary, and thereby became his legal father. He loved Mary, his wife, and raised Jesus as his own son. Mang Pepe has gone through the agony of knowing that his wife was violated overseas, after dishonest employers had taken advantage of her in other ways. When she brought home a child who was not his, he made her his own. This latter-day St Joseph in Manila has given much joy to his daughter Ligaya as she has given much joy to him and others, like myself, who have come to know and love her.
+++
‘Ligaya’ died in the latter part of 2004. I was in Baclaran Church at the invitaion of Columba the day that Mang Pepe told his story and came to know ‘Ligaya’ as a friend. Shortly before she died I had the privilege of talking to her on Columba’s mobile phone. She was a delightful child. The light of heaven upon her.
In preparing Sunday Reflections last week I didn't avert to the fact that Sunday, 5 December, was
the 230th anniversary of the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 35. My apologies to the great man whose house in Salzburg, Austria, I visited in the spring of 1988. Here is a recording of his setting of Ave verum corpus, a Eucharistic hymn dating back to the 13th
century. He wrote the music for the feast of Corpus Christi, just a few months
before he died.
Offertory, Corpus Christi Mass
Thursday, 3 June 2021
Chapel of the Chair of St Peter
St Peter's Basilica, Rome
Ave verum corpus, natum de Maria Virgine, passum,
immolatum in cruce pro homine cuius latus perforatum unda fluxit et sanguine
exto nobi praegustatum in mortis examine.
Hail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary, having
truly suffered, sacrificed on the cross for mankind, from whose pierced side
water and blood flowed: Be for us a foretaste [of the heavenly banquet] in the
trial of death!
+++
God gifted all of humanity through Mozart and his music. Let us commend his soul to God.
GospelMatthew 1:18-24 (New Revised
Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)
Now the
birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary
had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be
with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph,
being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned
to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had
resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the
child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he
will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to
fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look,
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from
sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife.
In December 2002 I met a man in
Manila, Mang Pepe, and his daughter Ligaya whose story
reminded me so much of that of Joseph and Jesus in today's gospel. The story
of Mang Pepe and Ligaya is told here by a Columban lay
missionary from Korea, Columba Chang, who worked for many years in the Manila
area and whose ministry at the time she wrote this story was to families
affected by HIV/AIDS. The names used aren't their real names. 'Pepe' is a
nickname for a man named Jose or Joseph. 'Mang' is a Tagalog
term of respect for a man older than oneself. 'Aling' is the
equivalent term for a woman. The name 'Ligaya' means 'Joy'. The story was first
published, as I recall, in a newsletter ofCaritas Manilaand I used it in the November-December
2003 issue of MISYON, the Columban magazine in the Philippines that
I edited from 2002 until 2017. I republished itin the November-December 2015 issue of the
magazine, now calledMISYONonline.com.
I think it is a story worth telling over and over again. Columba was assigned to Myanmar as a member of a small team of Columban Lay Missionaries for some years but is now back in her home country, Korea. I
have updated the introduction.
According to official Philippine government figures there were more
than ten million Filipinos, about ten percent of the population, overseas as of
December 2012, more than half of them temporary or irregular in the countries
where they are staying. These temporary and irregular residents are mostly
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). They greatly help our country’s economy by
the money they send home. However sometimes we seem to take them for
granted, thinking that they have an easy life abroad. Read Aling Maria’s
story and find out the dangers our OFWs face and the abuses they
experience. We thank ‘Mang Pepe’ for his help in writing this article in
which we’ve changed the names.
I met Mang Pepe and his daughter
Ligaya through my work with Caritas Manila. I visit the family
regularly. They live in a poor part of the city and Mang Pepe makes a
living by doing odd jobs. My work takes me to families affected by
HIV/AIDS. I knew Mang Pepe’s story before he shared it with the
congregation at the Saturday evening Mass in Baclaran Church on 7 December 2002
at the end of a celebration organized by Caritas Manila for World AIDS
Day. (Baclaran Church is the huge Redemptorist church in Parañaque
City, Metro Manila, filled to capacity all day every Wednesday when the
Perpetual Novena to the Mother of Perpetual Help is celebrated from morning
till evening.)
Greener Pastures
Mang Pepe
and his wife Aling Maria were having difficulties putting
their five children through school. This sometimes led to
arguments. Eventually Aling Maria decided to work in the
Middle East. She felt happy when accepted as a nursing aide with a two-year
contract in the UAE. She prepared her documents. She and Pepe sold
their house and lot for her fare and placement fee. She flew out on 5
February 1989, full of hope for her family’s future financial stability.
Aling Maria
soon discovered that her contract as a nursing aid was terminated just a few
months after she arrived, without any hope of renewal. But she didn’t
want to go back to the Philippines with an empty pocket. She decided to
take the ‘TNT’ ('Tago ng
tago', a Tagalog expression meaning to
be an illegal immigrant worker) route. She managed to
find a series of jobs as a saleslady, cashier and office worker.
Columba (inset) in Manila
Hope
turns into a nightmare
As an illegal worker, Aling Maria was often subjected
to different abuses like underpayment, long hours of working without a day off
and so on. But the worst thing was when one of her employers took advantage of
her and made her pregnant. When she came home to the Philippines in October
1993 Mang Pepe and the family were very shocked to learn
that Aling Maria carried a child in her womb. She hadn’t
mentioned anything about this before. However, despite this they still
welcomed her and the child with joy . . . but deep in their hearts there was a
shadow of sadness, fear and uncertainty.
After a few days the tabloids reported that three Filipino overseas
workers had been sent home because of being infected with HIV, the virus that
causes AIDS – and that one of them was Aling Maria. These
stories, and the rumors they spawned, continued for a month. Some
relatives, neighbors and friends rejected Aling Maria. The children
of Mang Pepe and Aling Maria were torn
apart. Some wanted to quit school and leave the area. The family
suffered greatly because of the stigma.
Confirmed HIV
Aling Maria
and Mang Pepe went to the Department of Health (DOH) for a
series of blood tests. The tests confirmed what Aling Maria
knew already, that she and her ‘little mercy child,’ as Mang Pepe
called his wife’s daughter had HIV. The doctor gave them counseling and
advice and information about HIV/AIDS.
Ligaya is born
Aling Maria
decided not to say in the hospital and continued to work as a pension plan
insurance agent. In time she gave birth to a baby girl whom they named
Ligaya. Gradually, however, Mang Pepe saw his dear wife
turning into a picture of misery as she suffered from constant headaches and
flu. Aling Maria was hoping for a miracle that would
ease her agony. It was not to be. The HIV developed into full-blown
AIDS. Her appetite disappeared until she couldn’t eat
anymore. Mang Pepe and the children saw Aling Maria
slowly dying. He prepared the family to accept her death as the will of
God. She died on 15 December 1997, aged 46.
Like everyone else in Baclaran Church, I was deeply
touched by Mang Pepe’s story, even though he had told it to me
many times. I was touched by the great love of this simple man who
accepted as his own a daughter who was the fruit of the brutal violation of his
wife. Mang Pepe is ‘Tatay’ to
Ligaya. Her schoolmates sometimes tease her because her features clearly
show her Middle Eastern origins. But her Tatay stands by
her, as do her brothers and sisters.
Columba with a friend in Manila
Proud to be
her Tatay
Tatay Pepe is proud of Ligaya’s
singing ability and smiled as she sang at the celebration in Baclaran.
Ligaya is very proud of her Tatay and knows the depth of his
love as a father. She has very uncertain health and is often in the
hospital. The shadow of AIDS hangs over her.
St Joseph named Jesus, the Son of
Mary, and thereby became his legal father. He loved Mary, his wife, and
raised Jesus as his own son. Mang Pepe has gone through
the agony of knowing that his wife was violated overseas, after dishonest
employers had taken advantage of her in other ways. When she brought home
a child who was not his, he made her his own. This latter-day St Joseph
in Manila has given much joy to his daughter Ligaya as she has given much joy
to him and others, like myself, who have come to know and love her.
I was in Baclaran Church that day at
the invitation of Columba and, during an activity before Mass, came to know
‘Ligaya’ as a friend. Shortly before she died towards the end of 2004 I had the
privilege of talking to her on Columba’s mobile phone. She was a delightful
child. The light of heaven upon her.
The late American Scripture scholar Fr Raymond E.
Brown SS points out that St Joseph, by taking Mary as his wife and by naming
her Son, as the angel in today's gospel told him to do, in Jewish law, became
the legal father of Jesus, something more than being his foster-father, as he
is often described. And because St Joseph was of the line of David, so was
Jesus, as the Messiah was foretold to be.
The Church honours St Joseph above all as the
Husband (or Spouse) of Mary. Pope Francis has underlined this by adding the
words 'and blessed Joseph her spouse' to Eucharistic Prayers II III and IV, as
they were added to the Roman Canon (now also known as 'Eucharistic Prayer I')
by Blessed Pope John XXIII.
Mang Pepe
totally welcomed Aling Maria back from the Middle East as his
wife whom he loved, despite his initial shock at what had happened to her. And
he totally welcomed her daughter Ligaya as his own, as St Joseph welcomed the
Son of Mary as his own.
Today's Gospel reminds us of the fact that the
basic vocation, ie, call from God, of every married couple is to be spouses,
not to be parents. Being parents is a consequence of their being spouses. I'm
well aware that there are single parents, many of whom have never been married,
who are heroically raising their children, often in very difficult
circumstances. But it is God's will that children be born within marriage.
St Joseph was a loving husband to Mary and a loving
father to her Son Jesus, God who became Man. Mang Pepe
continued to be a loving husband to Aling Maria until she died
and was a proud and loving father to her daughter Ligaya, as I could see so
clearly.
Today's Gospel shows us something of the wonder of
being called to be a husband and father and of the immense responsibility that
goes with that. St Joseph as husband and father enabled Mary and Jesus to carry
out the mission that God the Father had given them.
What applies to husbands/fathers applies equally to
wives/mothers.
And the
Gospel reminds us very clearly that in God's plan the foundation of the family
is marriage, that is, of husband and wife, of man and woman. It can never be
anything else.
Motet for five voices (SATTB) by William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)
