Elections in the time of easter
Christ is raised from the dead, Alleluia! As human as we are, our limitations will definitely have their equal share of disappointments and doubts. But if we allow such emotions to control our dreams and aspirations, then unquestionably we have surrendered “the good fight”. To be consumed by our disappointments will bring us nowhere. And it is in the victory of Christ over death at Easter that a sense of hope dawns upon us despite all these frustrations and fears most especially during our upcoming National and local Polls.
To maintain a positive outlook amidst overwhelming opposition and odds brings to light the Easter message. Christian hope unfolds our trust in Christ’s promises and manifests our child-like dependence on God through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Hope is the sure and steadfast anchor of our dreams and aspirations where Jesus has gone as the forerunner on our behalf. And to be buoyed up by hope is to enable us to experience joy even under intense trials and struggles.
In close analogy thereof, allow me to share with you this story by Roger William Thomas in the book, “Chicken Soup for the Soul”: A young child diagnosed with cancer went to his spiritual adviser to discuss his funeral. When it seemed that they had covered just about everything, Jim looked up with a twinkle in his eye, and then added, “One more thing, preacher. When they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other.” “A fork?” The priest was sure he had heard everything, but this caught him by surprise, “Why do you want to be buried with a fork?” “I have been thinking about all of the church dinners and banquets that I attended through the years,” he explained. “I couldn’t begin to count them all. But one thing sticks in my mind. At those really nice get-togethers, when the meal was almost finished, a server or maybe the hostess would come by to collect the dirty dishes. Sometimes, at the best ones, somebody would lean over my shoulder and whisper, ‘You can keep your fork.’ And do you know what that meant? Dessert was coming!
“It didn’t mean a cup of Jell-O or pudding or even a dish of ice cream. You don’t need a fork for that. It meant the good stuff, like chocolate cake or cherry pie! When they told me I could keep my fork, I knew the best was yet to come!”
“That’s exactly what I want people to talk about at my funeral. Oh, they can talk about all the good times we had together. That would be nice.” “But when they walk by my casket and look at my snappy blue suit, I want them to turn to another and say, ‘Why the fork?’ That’s when I want you to say that I kept my fork because the best is yet to come.”
In Faith, we look at all our struggles either personal or social and say to ourselves … The BEST IS YET TO COME! Yes the best is yet to come … but like Jesus, we too are invited to rise and be resurrected. We have to die from our old self, our stingy motives, our personal desires and conveniences, our wicked actions, our despair and misery. Furthermore, our Gospel challenges us to shun from our corrupt and evil ways in dealing with other people. Instead, we are urged to rise and become new persons in Christ. In its real sense, being renewed this time of Easter is forgetting the old ways, thus becoming new. And, as we change and transform into a new person, we too are expected to be repentant, full of hope and joy, radiant with satisfaction, sincere and faithful.
Hope is indeed an act, which defies all logic. But it is in this transcendental act that we take that leap of Faith in trusting God that He will bring order from chaos, joy from sadness, meaning from nothingness, light from darkness … And it is in our Easter celebration that we reaffirm this confidence in God and His fatherly care.
In conclusion allow me to share with you the Easter Message of Rev. Fr. Paschal Ma. R. Gorgoña, Parish Priest of San Roque de Pasay, “Ang Muling Pagkabuhay ng ating Panginoong Hesukristo ay pag-asa sa ating mga sumasampalataya na ang buhay natin bagamat may kabalikuan ay may pagtututwid, bagamat may pagkakasala ay may pagpapatawad, bagamat may kadiliman ay may liwanag, bagamat may pagsubok ay may tagumpay, bagamat may kalungkutan ay may kaligayahan, bagamat may kakulangan ay may kaganapan, bagamat may hilahil ay may paghihilom, bagamat may pagtatapos ay may bagong simula, bagamat may kamatayan ay mayroong muling pagkabuhay. Dahil sa misteryong pang-paskuwa (paschal mystery: suffering, death and resurrection) ng ating Panginoong Hesukristo tayo ay pinagagawang matuwid sa Harap ng Ama (we are justified before the Father). At sa pagkakataong ito ay binibigyan ng bagong simula. Kay Kristo tayo ay laging may bagong pag-asa anuman ang ating dapat harapin sa buhay”.
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