Big Bang!

3rd Week of the Ordinary Time
Matthew 4: 12-23: “When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he
Withdraw to Galilee.”


For many years, a giant rules the Kingdom of Himosh. Every day the giant goes up to the hill and challenges the villagers; but nobody dared to challenge him because of his enormous size. One day, a little boy suddenly accepted the challenge and started walking towards the giant. To the boy’s surprise, the giant started to shrink as he comes nearer. When they are facing each other, the boy is taller than the giant. The boy asked his name and the giant said, “My name is FEAR.”

It is interesting to see when Jesus begun his public ministry, it was at the note that his cousin, John the Baptist was arrested and imprisoned. Suddenly, the possibility of being arrested and imprisoned became a reality to Jesus. Not a promising way to start an enterprise! … Warning! Looming crisis ahead! But without losing precious time, Jesus seized the opportunity and took the “Fear Factor” Challenge! He wanted to start with a BANG in his ministry by choosing the most challenging, most dangerous, but most promising place for change – Galilee. It was a defining moment! He took the relay’s baton from John and shouted his ra-ra-ra! : “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus was a smart strategist oozing with optimism. He knew the danger of going to Galilee but he was not intimidated. "The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity." (Winston Churchill) For Jesus, running away was not an option.

But why choose Pit Stop “Galilee?” It was a melting pot of foreign cultures. Of all places in Palestine, the Galileans were most disposed to change, innovations and had a delight in seditions. Cowardice was never a characteristic of the Galileans. From eight century until the 2nd B.C., Galilee had been largely in the Gentiles hands. Thus Galilee made it more attractive to a new teacher with a new message.

Jesus was a wise strategist. His Father’s Enterprise to save humanity suffered a major setback with the arrest of John, but it didn’t stop Jesus from grabbing the opportunity for a potential “Big bang” in Galilee. Upon arriving in Galilee, he immediately recruited his first disciples and organized his rag-tag J-Team. After the Galilee Pit Stop, everything was history. In 2007, there were more than 2.4 billion Christians around the world. Big Bang! Jesus turned his crisis into an opportunity by facing the challenge, capitalizing strength and making a decisive move – a defining moment! Jesus was determined, confident and swift in all his actions. He knew the Kingdom was “at the Father’s hand.”(Matthew 4:17)

In 1980s Aluminum Containers Inc. was the major supplier of collapsible toothpaste tubes to Colgate and Close-Up. They enjoyed profit growth with the big demands. But in 1985, the two toothpaste companies shifted to plastic toothpaste tubes. The company was forced to close. Crisis loomed! But when Dr.Pedro, the owner, realized his old equipment could still be put to use, he seized the opportunity! He formulated his own local toothpaste and started manufacturing Hapee toothpaste. Dr.Pedro knew he could not compete with Colgate and Close Up in areas of promotion and distribution, he decided to cut price by 50% and successfully captured the market. The strategy: Target the multinationals Achilles’ feet: Price. Big bang!

In 1970s, hamburger became a hit. Hundreds of small entrepreneurial burger stores mushroomed in Manila. But when McDonalds entered the scene in 1980s, those budding burger houses started to fold up. Crisis loomed! Jolibee knew they could not compete with the US-based Mcdonalds. But to run away from the giant was not an option. They seized the opportunity. They upgraded their food preparation and sanitation, professionalized the crew and offer a Filipino-taste menu (sweet spaghetti with hotdog, yumburger against the bland Mcdo burger, and tasty chicken joy) against the Mcdonalds imported appeal. Their strategy: Be a Filipino. Emphasized its Langhap Sarap taste and hence, it’s Filipino-ness. The rest is history. Jolibee out-marketed McDonalds. Now after 32 years, Jolibee has 600 local stores and 30 international stores. Big bang!

Our gospel for today is challenging us to be more daring and courageous to face our giants and see opportunity in our crisis. Be confident to face the challenges in your life, be creative, think outside the box and strategize! Orient yourself on your enemy’s strengths and weaknesses - and yours. Knowing that we are in the loving hands of God, to leave our Nazareth and go to Galilee is a God-given opportunity.

Fr. Rey Roda, an Oblate missionary priest who works for the poor Muslims in Tawi-Tawi was killed last week. He could have avoided his bloody death if he listened to his nonstop death threats for ten years and left Tawi-Tawi. But he ignored them and decided to stay. It was a defining moment! He saw Tawi-Tawi as his Galilee - a potential ground for the unity of Muslim and Christians. His strategy: Muslim empowerment through education and advocating the culture of peace. He got a piece of his dream! Thousands of grieving Muslims and Christians paid him a respect last week on his burial. His death has fired-up the zeal of Catholic Missionaries and Muslims to continue his advocacy on peace and progress in Tawi-Tawi. Fr. Ramon Bernabe, OMI Superior, said, “The death of Fr. Rey is painful but is, at the same time, a blessing, a blessing for us, for his spilt blood, as a martyr, will nurture the faith. They killed the dreamer but not the dream.” Following the footsteps of Jesus … his death will not be in vain - the Big Bang will surely come one of these days!

"The highest form of insanity is doing the same things over and over, expecting different results. The point is, if you want different results – you have got to make some changes” (Bill Goodwin) – Courage! Do not be afraid! The Kingdom is at Father’s hand. Running away is not an element of growth and success. Face your giant! Go to the next pit stop … Galilee!


- Fr.Willy M. Samson,SJ
Jesuit Residence Chapel
Ateneo de Zamboanga University

Panatang Mabayan

Feast of Santo Ñino
Matthew 18:1-5, 10: “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the
Kingdom of heaven”


Today is the Feast of Feast of Santo Ñino. It started when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu on April 7, 1521. Rajah Humabon, his wife Hara Amihan, and their subjects were converted to Christianity. Magellan planted the wooden cross and gifted Hara Amihan an image of Santo Niño. From then on, the devotion to the child Jesus became an important part of our Filipino culture, highlighting the Filipinos’ religiosity and deep faith in God. Ironically, we are the only Christian country in Asia and we are proud of it - yet we are one of the most corrupt and less developed nations in Asia.

Majority of Asian countries have grown economically for the past ten years. Twenty years ago, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand were trailing the Philippines, now we are trailing behind. We used to export rice to Cambodia. Now we are importing rice from them. When I was in Sydney last year, I felt sad when their travel agencies have colorful promotional posters of Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia but none from the Philippines. We have more than 7,000 islands - blessed with simple smiling folks and breath-taking natural sceneries to offer. Our Taal Volcano is as beautiful as Australia’s majestic Blue Mountain. Our El Nido in Palawan is a divers’ heaven. Our OFWs are the preferred skilled and professional workers in the Middle East. The Filipino Catholic communities abroad (like the Chatswood Community in Sydney) are havens of beautiful liturgies. We have lots fiesta celebrations all year round all over the country. We have so many things to boast of. Unfortunately, we are progressing very slowly. The graft and corruption, peace situation, and the poor image of our country scratch us out from the tourists’ list.

The Feast of Santo Niño is offering us a challenge; unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven …unless we turn and return to reclaim our culture… we will never see progress in our country. To turn and to become like children in our context today is to return to our inner “generating cultural energy.” Fr. Albert Alejo defines this “generating cultural energies” as “the people’s collective capability or desire to be the best of who they really are.” We need to reclaim and relive our uniquely Filipino culture by demonizing all bad practices we have acquired in time and strengthened the life-giving values that our culture possesses.

In spite of the many negative feedbacks we receive - like our notoriously known “Filipino time,” crab mentality, and political immaturity of our leaders, our culture has its own beauty and potential to transform our country. We just need to return to our beautiful values and traits our culture possesses but lost along the way because of greed and desire to survive in the midst of widespread poverty, graft and corruption and peace problem.

Trish, a young Filipina living in Sydney, will be in Bacolod this January to help build houses under the auspices of Gawad Kalinga. That’s a personal revival of “bayanihan spirit”… in dark contrast to a Filipino who reported to the US immigration his well-off TNT kababayan out of jealousy. On my way back to Manila from Melbourne, I met Joel, a middle age Filipino who became an Aussie ten years ago, proudly accompanying his 15 year-old niece for her first trip to the Philippines. He wants his niece to experience the Filipino Christmas tradition like the dawn masses and noche Buena, and retrace her roots in Bohol.

We have a treasure in our trunk… a beautiful culture worth regenerating … that needs to be rediscovered to revive our unique but dying Filipino identity. We look elegant wearing the American suit but we are more “we” wearing barong Tagalog and saya…The Philippines is not a hopeless case. We should do our share to build that “collective capability” to do our best to upgrade our country to a more respected status economically and socially.

Where do I begin? Think big in small things. Start with small things. Just tickle the imagination of every Filipino and allow their childlike mind to explore and be creative. Re-introduce Filipino values to our children, re-learn our history and heroes, recall the Panatang Makabayan we used to recite in grade school, play with your children traditional street games like piko, luksong-tinik, and patintero, proudly wear a barong tagalog in a formal gathering, watch an old Filipino movie like Vilma Santos’ Kampanerang Kuba or Nora Aunor’s Himala, eat Filipino products - choknuts and curly tops, refrain from saying negative things about our country or people (there is no perfect culture) but say something positive or constructive, attend a Chabacano or Visayan Sunday mass with your family, visit the Banaue Rice Terraces before visiting the Great Wall of China (don't be a stranger in our own country ). Be spontaneous and creative like a child. Solicit wild but positive regenerating suggestions. Recall and Explore. Be a Filipino. Discover your own cultural identity, be in-touch and you will know your strength as a Filipino. Rizal said, Ang hindi marunong tumingin sa kanyang pinanggalingan, hindi makakarating sa kanyang paroroonan.”

One time, Fr.Bert Alejo was asked, “Can anything significant be done to transform our national situation? We feel hopeless because our culture of corruption is like a cancer, and therefore it has no cure.” His usual candid reply comes from a friend in the Amuna Cancer Support Group Foundation, “Father, we may lose hair, but we never lose hope.”

We are eternally indebted and grateful to Magellan and Spain for bringing the Sto. Niño and the whole Christian faith in our land. In fact, Magellan died because he wanted to convert Lapu-lapu to the Catholic faith. But Lapu-lapu’s revolt against the Spaniards symbolizes our ninunos’ resistance from being invaded by a foreign culture. But in the present modern era of one global community and cyberspace technology, the call is not to resist the influence of other cultures. The call is to preserve the life-generating colors of our Filipino culture and strengthened it with our own experience of the beauty of other cultures.

Be like children … they know how to enjoy and learn something from the school of life … but they know their home.

-Fr.Willy Samson,SJ
Mercedes Retreat House
Zamboanga City

Lundagin mo baby!

Feast of the Lord’s Baptism
Matthew 3:13-17 - “Let it be so for now… to fulfill all righteousness”



One day, the King invited everybody for a big feast. A day before the feast, rain came and turned the road muddy. Everybody came except for a young man who was hesitant to join the feast when he accidentally fell flat on the muddy road. The King came and warmly asked him to join the feast. The man replied, “I am not worthy, my King. My clothes are muddy.” Without any warning, the King suddenly jumped and rolled himself into the mud, then said, “Now, you can come to the feast and join the celebration”

The Feast of Lord’s Baptism liturgically ends the Christmas season and the beginning of the ordinary time. Now is the time to leave Bethlehem and move on, like the three wise men. On New Year’s Eve, children are asked to jump to grow physically. Today, on the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism, God asks us to jump in the name of love to grow spiritually.

John’s baptism was for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus had no need of baptism for he was Son of God and faultless. But He voluntarily jumped into the Jordan River as a sign that he willed to assume the burdens of our sins – death on the cross (Mark 10:38) for our salvation as prophesized by Isaiah. His “jump to Jordan River” was to "fulfil all righteousness," that was, submitting Himself entirely to the Father's will to save humanity. The Father's voice responded to the Son's obedience, proclaimed His delight in His Son, “This is my Son with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17) The baptism of Jesus then signifies God’s jumping out of His comfort zone (divine nature) to an unsheltered zone of uncertainties (human nature).

Our baptism then is a call to “jump out” from our “comfort zones” in the name of love. Yet we are afraid to leave our comfort zones and risk ourselves because we are afraid to lose control and be vulnerable. We failed to realize that the source of our frustration is our desire to control people and situation, inability to trust God into the unknown and be vulnerable to others.

To make this world a little better place to live frequently proves agonizing; because we cannot control people, nature, and situation. Everybody wants the driver’s seat... John the Baptist even asked Jesus to be in control: 'I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?' But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so for now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.' John then realized that Jesus was teaching him a very important lesson on spiritual maturity – Allow the Father to control, Trust Him and Jump! No worries. The Lord knows the way, trust God and you will never be disappointed. Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”(Luke 23:4). He trusted the Father. He jumped.

A young lady is in constant fight with her parents. She says her parents do not listen and know nothing but to scold her. I do understand the wisdom of our parents. We do not want our children to commit mistakes. We want to give them bright future and happy life. But the more we control our children, the more we lose them. Try the jump of trust. Listen to them first and they will listen to you. Set them free and they will love you. Let them have their own jump – the jump of responsibility. A dying cancer patient suddenly smiles in the midst of pain and the reality of death. He finally gave up of his favourite question, “Why me Lord?” and faithfully said “I trust the Lord.” A jump of faith. A successful young accountant in Makati left his high salaried job and entered the priesthood. A jump of yes to the call! A doctor who decided to stay in Cagayan de Oro city and go to far-flung barrios of Bukidnon on weekends for free medical check up. A jump of service. All in the name of responding to the call of love to serve, even to the point of leaving one’s comfort zone – following Jesus’ footsteps. In the end, when they hit the bed at night, they will hear the Father proclaims with delight, ‘This is my child with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17).

What are our comfort zones? What are our zones of challenges and growth? Renew your baptismal promises today. We are baptized for mission! We share Jesus’ priestly, prophetic, and kingly call! Fear not. Trust God and Jump! … Lundagin mo baby!

The Searchers

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Matthew 2:1-12 “Where is the King of the Jews?”
January 6, 2008


One day, Nemo, a small fish went out of the sea to search for the ocean. When he saw the shark he asked, "Where is the ocean?" and the shark answered, "Nemo, you are swimming in the ocean!" Nemo just swam away and asked the whale, "Where is the ocean?" The whale said, "You are swimming in the ocean!" But Nemo just swam away and continue searching.

Today's gospel speaks of two kinds of searchers of God: The wise men as the "genuine searchers" and King Herod as the "self-centered searcher." Matthew challenges us to ask ourselves what kind of searchers are we?

King Herod's desire to see Jesus was not to worship but to kill the child. He wanted no other king but himself. Caesar Augustus quoted, "I'd rather be Herod's pig than Herod's son. Herod didn't eat pigs, but he murdered his sons for fear of taking his throne.” Selfishness can blind us. Spiritual blindness can lead us not to find the real treasure - God Himself.

On the other hand, the wise men's desire to see Jesus was to worship the King of all kings. In full humility, without any selfish intentions, they only wanted to pay homage to the newly born King. God loves genuine searchers and He reveals Himself to them. The scripture says “faith can move mountains,” but genuine prayer can move God. Like the wise men, those who seek God earnestly will never be disappointed. The wise men had one thing in their mind: To see the King and to accept His rule in their life - that is worship worthy of God. Selflessness makes us see God. When the wise men found Jesus, they found the real treasure. When one finds Jesus, all earthly treasure becomes secondary! It is epiphany - An inspired understanding arising from connecting with profound insight, awareness, or enlightened truth.”

Last Christmas eve, a friend of mine went to SM CDO for her last minute Christmas shopping. She was so excited to spend Christmas with her family. She even spent her 13th month pay for her family’s noche buena and bought nothing for herself. She got a small piece of ham, ingredients for sweets spaghetti, a loaf of bread, and a can of fruit cocktail for salad. It was a traditional noche buena feast in the making. But when she arrived home, her father scrutinized her things and said bluntly, “Ito lang ang dala mo?” Tears flowed from her eyes. It was Christmas. Which one is more important? The gift or the Giver? The wise men knew the answer. Herod did not.

We may find ourselves cursing the father’s insensitivity. But we might fall into the same trap. God is an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) for many of us. Sometimes we measure the “love of God” to the number of His “answered prayers.” Somehow we are insensitive to the Giver because our eyes are fixed on the gifts we want to receive. We seek for the gift and not the giver of gifts. God has feelings and it hurts. The grace of epiphany escapes us when we failed to see that finding Jesus is finding everything. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you (Luke 12:31).

Be wise! Follow the trail of the wise men. Go to Bethlehem. See Jesus and the search ends.

“When I see the eternal God wrapped in a swaddling clothes, when I hear the poor cry of the Divine Word made flesh, O Mary, I no longer envy the angels, for their powerful Lord is now my dearest Brother!” (Therese of Lisieux)