A Surprise Quiz

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 16:13-20 “But who do you say that I am?”


One of the things I hated most when I was in high school was a surprise quiz. I was a crammer student. I studied my notes a day before the quiz, but I still got high grades because I was good in memorizing things in my younger years.

In our gospel for today, we see Jesus giving a surprise quiz for the disciples. And they were caught flat footed and unprepared. Two surprised questions were given.

The first question was an objective question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they answered immediately with gusto: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” It was a give away question. Everybody had an answer. It was just a recall of what they hear everyday about Jesus.

The second question was a tough one. It separated the “a serious student” to “not so serious students.” It was a question that only those who seeks to know Jesus could answer: “Who do you say I am?” Suddenly everybody became dumbfounded and surprised. The question was not a “head question” but a “heart question.”
It was Simon who saved the rest of the disciples from failing the surprised quiz. “You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” Good answer! I can easily imagine a smiling Jesus.

Students who study their notes regularly are always ready for a surprise quiz. In their desire to know and discover more of their subjects, they spend more time in the library and in the internet. They seek knowledge on their own and learn from it. Peter answered the second question with confidence because he learned many things about Jesus by watching, listening, and feeling Jesus. He was with Jesus always. It was his personal encounter with Jesus that led him to answer correctly and convincingly, “You are the son of the living God.”

In the midst of the MoA-AD controversy and the war in Mindanao, we suddenly find ourselves into another surprise quiz. The same questions are asked: “What do people say about the Muslims?” Unfortunately, the answers are not very encouraging: “I hate Moros…They cannot be trusted…They just want war.” Such negative answers were triggered by the MILF recent attacks in North Cotabato and Lanao de Sur and the killing of innocent civilians indiscriminately. The emotions are high and we are living in fear, anger and frustrations. We should condemn the aristocracies of MILF. But we should also be aware of some clear distinctions to avoid inflammatory remarks and hasty generalization. MILF are Muslims, but not all Muslims are MILF. Condemn the MILF violence but not our brothers and sisters Muslim in general who want peace in Mindanao.

The second questions may stop us from judging the Muslims: “But what do you say about them?” Mixed feelings may surface because of our some “not so good experience” with some of them. But set aside our biases and prejudices, and allow our hearts to see, listen and feel, we realize that they are our brothers and sisters. They are like us, who dream of peace and normal life for their families. They are like us who feel hopelessness, fear and confusion in this never-ending cycle of violence.

We also face these two questions every time we relate with one another and encounter people whom we don’t really know like the poor, the oppressed, and the prejudiced sectors of our community and society. The comments, opinions, and judgment we hear about others may help us to know each other, but this is not enough to know them fully. To know and understand them is to immerse ourselves in their world, feel them and have a taste of their life: To feel and to taste (sentir y gustar). The more we know and understand people, the more it becomes difficult for us to judge them.
Now I understand why Jesus is not condemning us in spite of our weaknesses and sinfulness. He knows us more than anybody knows. He can see something good in us. And He continues to forgive and trust us in the hope that someday we will discover our own goodness.

When Peter answered the second question correctly, he was praised and rewarded by Jesus: “Blessed are you Simon. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church… I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven…”
Anyone of us who understand and learn by “sentir y gustar” will be like Peter. Like a rock, we are well grounded. We cannot be easily swayed and influenced by our emotions and bad remarks coming from other people. Our own experience of each other grounds us to continually hope and trust each other. Such hope and trust will give us the key to understand each other and dare to risk again..

When Peter got the right answer to the surprise quiz – that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus strictly ordered his disciples to keep it secret. He wants us to discover the answer by ourselves. To genuinely know Him by heart is to engage ourselves in prayer. It is only in prayer that we can “feel and taste” Jesus.



Fr.Willy M. Samson,SJ
Ateneo de Zamboanga
August 24, 2008

The Wall

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 15: 21-28 “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from
the table of their masters.”


In the middle of the MoA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain) controversy, a friend of mine suddenly blurted out, “Only a dead Muslim is a good Muslim.” But when he saw my violent reaction in my face, he immediately said, “I am sorry Father for being uncharitable and judgmental. I know I am not supposed to say those words. It’s just that I feel so helpless with our present situation. I don’t know what to do. I just want peace in Mindanao.”

We cannot deny that all of us feel so helpless in our fragile situation today. We do want peace in Mindanao but it continues to elude us for more than 35 years. The planned signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Muslim’s Ancestral Domain was an attempt to permanently bring peace in Mindanao. But when the signing was stopped by the Supreme Court, the supposedly “seed of peace” suddenly became “seed of division and resentment.” Emotions flared up again when an arm conflict erupted in North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. Some of our unspoken resentment and hidden frustrations against the Muslims surfaces again. Biases, prejudices, and mistrust are in the air again, which should not be the case. Forwarding cell phone text messages circulating around against the Muslims will not help us. Let’s make it clear to all. The MoA-AD brouhaha is not a religious issue but a political issue. We do recognize the right of our Muslim brothers and sisters to claim their ancestral land. But we need cooler heads and “peace-loving” panelists on both sides - GRP and MILF, to return to the table and revised the MoA under the scrutiny of everybody and under the ambit of our Constitution.

I do understand why some Christians are openly expressing their disgust and disappointment against the Muslims. They do have their own “not so good” experience living with our brother and sister Muslims. But giving up and hastily judging them in general is not fair to them also. In fact, they too have their own biases, mistrust and “not so good” experience with us Christians.

We do say we are for peace, but it means to continue trusting our Muslim brothers and sisters. In the midst of this very fragile situation, let’s avoid uncharitable words against them and avoid forwarding biased negative text messages. We don’t want to create an atmosphere and culture of hate against one another. Peace cannot be achieved as long as we have this “we are better than them” and “they are like that” attitude.

The need for honesty is important. And so we acknowledge the fact that people do have biases, prejudices and mistrust because of our experiences of betrayal, violence and discrimination. But this are man’s work and not of God. For our God is a God of love who desires to draw all people to Himself. He is a God who seeks to remove all biases, prejudices and mistrust that brings divisions to all people. Our reading from Isaiah shows us that Yahweh welcomes the Gentiles in his holy temple: “The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servant.” (Isaiah 56:6). The Koran also says the same message: “It may be that Allah will grant love (friendship) between you and those whom you (now) hold as enemies. For Allah has power over all things and Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful.” (Koran 60:7)

Our gospel today shows the bias of the disciples against the Non-Jewish Canaanite woman begging for the healing of her daughter. They said, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” (Matthew 15:23) Jesus’ seemingly cold reply to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel… and it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs,” (Matthew 15:24,26) were just to test her faith, but in the end, Jesus healed her daughter. Jesus clearly has a heart to those who were not Jewish. The salvation Jesus is offering is for all. The love of God is not exclusive to some “chosen people” but being offered to all. It is an all-embracing love. Jesus is a picture of God who wants to save all. He had no biases against anybody. He healed his enemies, dined with public sinners, touched the lepers, talked to the prostitutes, and spent more time with the marginalized, oppressed, and neglected. If Jesus has a bias, it is his bias to love everybody.

But we do have our own biases and prejudices to other people. We look down on people who don’t think and behave like us. We treat people differently according to their status in the society. We don’t trust an ex-inmate. We don’t mingle with people of lesser intelligence than us. We have all our ears listening to Mayor Lobregat or to Piolo Pascual; but the “kwentos” (stories) of our unschooled “katulong” (house helper) falls in our deaf ears.

What are the walls we have built to keep others out from our life? What are our fears that keep us from welcoming people who are different from us? What are our biases and prejudices that stops us from loving others?

Jesus is challenging us to go beyond these walls of fear, biases and exclusivity – by learning to trust and love one another. It is to realize that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ; that we are all Filipinos alike. It is only love that can move us beyond those walls that separate us from our marginalized and neglected brothers and sisters. We can only live in peace and in security when we learn to forgive and accept each other as God’s precious gift; and to see that there is unity in our diversity. Let us not forget the words of St. Paul, the disciples of the Gentiles, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32).

A student asked his master, “How can I know, if it is already dawn? Is it when I can say that this tree is a mango tree and that one is an acacia tree?” The master said “No.” The student asked again, “Is it when I can recognize a cat from a dog in a distance?” The master replied, “No.” “Is it when I can say that the man coming is a Muslim or a Christian? The master replied, “No.” “Then how can I know if it is already dawn?” And the master smiled, “It is when you see the man coming and you said to yourself, that’s my brother. Then it is already dawn.”




- Fr.Willy M. Samson, SJ
Ateneo de Zamboanga