Hide and Seek

3rd Sunday of Lent (A)
John 4: 24: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and
truth.”


When I was young, I used to play the game “hide and seek” with my friends. It was a game of running and hiding. The rule of the game: Not to be found or seen! It was a simple but exciting street game. Now I don’t see children playing hide and seek. But the grown-ups are still playing this game. It is God who seeks and we are the ones hiding.

Our gospel for today is another “hide and seek” game. The seeker was Jesus and the Samaritan woman was the one hiding. She did not want to be seen. She was hiding from everybody because of her immoral life, having five husbands! Going to the well at noon (John 4:6) was the best time to avoid the crowd because people seldom go to the well at noon. But Jesus was a smart seeker. He knew how to find the sinners. He went to the well at noon.

But to catch the woman near the well was just the beginning of the game. He needed to catch the woman “within.” And so after having a lengthy conversation with her, Jesus offered the water of life and said, “Go, call your husband and come back.” (John 4:16). The woman realized that Jesus knew him well. She was found! Without any desire to hide her sins anymore to somebody who knew everything, she decided to come out openly and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus without any judgment said in reply, “You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” (John 4:18). Jesus saw her sincerity to repent for she did not give any alibi or blame somebody but herself. She admitted her fault in full humility and took the responsibility.

Jesus must have admired the woman’s sincerity. The humility to accept one’s sins is the beginning of conversion and real worship. “God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

Anyone who finds Jesus (or shall I say, when we allow Jesus to find us), everything in this world becomes secondary. The woman found Jesus. She left her water-jar and went back to the city to tell the good news. (John 4:29).

Like the Samaritan woman, we are also playing hide and seek with God. First, we tried getting satisfaction in the different “earthly wells” – power, fame, and wealth! We feel the “thirst to grab material things” but we always end up unsatisfied and unquenched. Second, we easily see the faults of others but not ours. We hide in our “self-righteousness.”

Like what he did to the Samaritan woman, Jesus is lovingly seeking us by calling our names. Have you ever felt “emptiness” in the midst of your own security? Or a more meaningful life? Or when friends, high paying job, trip abroad and successes can no longer make you happy? Sometimes, in our desire to fill this “emptiness” within, we are tempted to seek more of these worldly desires. Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.” (John 4:14). The choice is ours now. Follow the footstep of the Samaritan woman: Stop hiding. Accept our sins and leave our jars!

The call of CBCP for a “communal action” and the increasing call from different concerned groups for truth and accountability should be taken seriously by the Arroyo Government. All Filipinos are called again to be socially engaged – to pray and discern together, to demand truth and accountability on the ZTE scandal from the Arroyo Government and vigilance against any individuals, political parties and groups who are taking advantage of our present political situation for their own political dreams and interests.

My eyebrows rise every time I hear members of the opposition, some disgruntled congressmen and a former president shouting for moral revolution but are perceived to be corrupt themselves. Moral revolution will never come until all of us change – First, by humbly accepting that all of us have contributed something to this graft and corruption we failed to exorcise since EDSA I. Second, accept that the graft and corruptions in our government are also present in our midst. They have already metastasized in our schools, churches, offices, and even in our families in different forms.

Our gospel today is offering us a handy advice. Be like the Samaritan woman. Accept that we have our own shortcomings and misgivings to our country. I am also guilty. When we won in EDSA I and II, we promised to be more vigilant and watch our present government. But when all the euphoria died down and GMA was proclaimed President of the Philippines, I simply returned to my “non-involvement and observer” mode. For this…I ask for forgiveness. Mea Culpa!


In March 2000, Pope John Paul sought forgiveness for the many past sins of his Church, including its treatment of people of other religions during the Inquisition, the Crusades, and forced conversions of natives. John Paul knew that a genuine inter-religious dialogue with other faith was impossible without forgiveness.

Last January, President Roh Moo Hyun of South Korea apologized for the killings by police officers and troops of more than 800 citizens in the early months of the 1950-53 Korean War for their past involvement in leftist activity.

Last week, led by PM Kevin Rudd, the Australia Federal Government made an apology to the aborigines for the “stolen generations” (aboriginal children who were taken away from their families by the government and church mission from 1869 to 1969). The apology was the government’s attempt to reconcile with Australia's Indigenous people and become one people.

In this Lenten season, let’s stop hiding from our own self-righteousness. Humbly accept our faults and apologize to people we have hurt and offended.

There is a profound and liberating experience in accepting that we are all sinners … yet loved and sought by God.


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

Lotto

2nd Sunday of Lent (A)
Matthew 17: 1-9: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased;
listen to him!”



The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office reported last Jan 21 that the winning ticket combination 4-8-11-13-22-26 won P133 Million, the largest lotto jackpot since 2002. Four lucky Filipinos became instant millionaires. Two days before, thousands from all walks of life flocked to lotto outlets nationwide after the newspaper reported the prize had gone up to P 100 million. They were hoping to become an instant millionaire!

Nilda grew up in Cagayan de Oro in a poor family. Her best friend married an American and regularly sends dollars and chocolates. Nilda followed her best friend’s advice to try the mail-order bride website. She got married to an Italian who owns a small restaurant in Rome. Nilda was not as lucky as her best friend. She was verbally and physically abused by her husband. She was treated like a house-helper by her husband’s family. She went home emotionally disturbed. Her Italian dream turned into a lifetime nightmare.

In the midst of the recent broadband deal scandal that rocks Arroyo’s government today. An Aussie friend told me that he used to admire Filipinos’ EDSA revolution in 1986. It was one of the most peaceful revolutions in the modern time. But he was amazed how EDSA II, the so called “EDSA III”, and numerous coup d’etat followed suit. He commented, “In the Philippines, if the Filipinos want to change their President, they just march to EDSA or to Manila Peninsula and call for people power. Instant political solution!

I am a veteran of EDSA I and EDSA II; but with the present scandal in the Arroyo government, I am not that keen to join another people power movement to oust President Arroyo. Corruption in this administration should be condemned but I don’t want other parties and individuals to capitalize the situation for their own selfish political interest. CBCP calls for a “communal action;” but it should not be equated to rallies and street protest. We should engage ourselves in a serious prayer, careful discernment, and have a broad-based consultation and dialogue, and not to jump hastily to another EDSA for the sake of ending it soon or to just get rid of GMA. I am tired of moving in circles. The two EDSAs where we victoriously ousted a corrupt government in haste did not bring us to new heights.

There is a “lotto attitude” in our midst, the culture of instant gratification. Anything that is “instant” is good! Instant coffee, instant noodles, instant pain-killer, instant trial separation, and instant college degree from the “diploma factory” in Recto Avenue. We want to lose weight in few weeks but we don’t want strenuous exercise and disciplined diet. We take Bangkok Pills! We don’t want to fall in long line and sweat for our driver’s license. And so we pay the “fixers.”
We want everything to be done quickly. We don’t have patience anymore to go through the process and struggle. We want shortcuts… we want quick results. We do not want inconvenience. We do not want to suffer. We avoid the cross. And because of that, we don’t grow.

In our gospel, Jesus took with him Peter, James and John and led them to Mount Tabor where he was transfigured instantly before their eyes. Jesus allowed his disciples to get a glimpse of his divinity to inspire them and see the possibilities of their own transformation.

Peter was awe-struck, “Lord it is good that we are here. I will make three tents here …” At that instant, he wanted to set up an instant dwelling place with Jesus, Moses and Elijah. The moment was so consolingly beautiful that Peter did not want to leave the mountain anymore.

But the voice of the Father interrupted him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The words of the Father was intended for the disciples and summed up everything. Our own transfiguration is not in the mountain but down in the plain - by listening to Jesus and carrying our daily crosses faithfully, “bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God” (2 Tim 1:8).

On their way down, Jesus said, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Jesus wanted to keep his messianic secret. He did not want “instant disciples” who sees him as an instant messiah who can deliver anything instantly! Jesus wants real disciples – seasoned and matured by their daily crosses and struggles. Jesus does not want spiritual babies … he wants spiritual giants!

We have glimpses of hope to inspire us. We need not to be mesmerized and tempted by the culture of instant gratification! We need to be at “home” with the virtues of waiting, sacrifice, hard work, monotonous daily work, and commitment. When God commanded Adam to till the soil and Eve to suffer pain in child bearing, these were not only for punishment but for corrections. God wanted them to see the value of hard work and enduring pain. God was giving them opportunity to correct their mistakes and regain their human dignity after falling to the devil’s temptation of instant gratification. In our last Sunday’s gospel, Jesus did survive the temptation of instant food, honour and power. (Mark 4:1-11).

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin,SJ summarized it well: “Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability- and that it may take a very long time…Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.”

One Friday morning in New Bilibid Prison, an inmate came to me for confession. In the end of his long litany of sins, he said, “Father, mas masarap palang pakainin ng tuyo o sardinas ang aking pamilya mula sa aking pawis kaysa ng masasarap ng pagkain na galing naman sa pagnanakaw.” I gave him God’s absolution and blessing. His face lit. Tears flowed in his face. And he smiled … A glimpse of human transfiguration!


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