"Thanks-Giver"

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 12, 38-44 “…but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had.”

After the Mass one Sunday morning, a mother complained, “The choir was awful.” The father commented, “And the priest gave a lousy homily.” And their six-year old boy said, “But you’ve got to admit, it was already a good liturgy for the P 10 coin we gave.”

Many Catholics are more generous to waiters in the restaurants than to God. We don’t complain when 10% service charge and another 10% VAT are added to our bill. They are our social duties. Unfortunately, we don’t do that to God. We don’t render to Him our religious duty. God deserves more than our “barya” (coins). He deserves a “tribute” for all the work He is doing in creation and for providing all our needs. He deserves everything in us.

The two widows in our 1st reading (1 Kings 17:10-16) and in our gospel (Mark 12:28-44) are deeply aware that everything is gift. Out of deep gratitude, they dutifully returned and offered to God everything they possessed as an act of “thanks-giving,” They cannot afford to be selfish to a generous God who provides all their needs.

By definition, a widow is one the poorest in the Jewish community. When she lost her husband, she also lost her status, protection, income and suffer social stigma. The two widows may be poor in the eyes of the community, but rich in the eyes of God because of their selfless giving of everything. The irony of life is, those who have plenty are selfish and the poor are the ones who are selfless and generous. .

The generosity of the poor widow who shared her little flour with Elijah was rewarded by God. Her jar of flour and jug of oil went bottomless until the end of famine. While the generosity of the second widow in the gospel gained admiration and respect from Jesus Himself. He said, “This poor widow put in more than all the other contributions in the treasury.” (Mark 12:43). Indeed, God loves cheerful “thanks-giver.”

Anyone who discovers God as the REAL TREASURE, does not need anything in their life. God is more than enough. They become selfless and other-oriented individuals.

Many years ago, I was asked to bless the remains of a poor old man in a far flung village in Kitaotao, Bukidnon. I was expecting a very quiet and modest wake. To my surprise, I found myself in a small nipa hut overflowing with grieving people. I learned that the old man was a jolly kindhearted person. The villagers cannot imagine their life without the old man. Having nothing to share but his time, presence and his worn-out broom, the old man gladly swept the backyard of everybody for years, expecting nothing in return. And every night, their children eagerly gathered around him for a story telling moments.

A simple act of kindness or self-less giving done in love is a diamond in the eyes of God. We touch people through our total commitment to things we do – big or small. We convert people through our daily simple witnessing and not through our beautiful words. Looking at the widows, we are challenged to offer everything to God with a joyful heart.

We should strive to provide the needs of our families. This is our main responsibility. But we are also love-bound to return to God what is due to Him and extend our hands to those in need. We don’t need to wait for another Ondoy to help. Genuine generosity is in the here and now, and not only when there is a surplus or excess in our wealth and time. God never ceases to provide all our daily needs. Poor and rich alike have something to share. Let’s give and alleviate suffering. It’s our “thanks-giving” - a fitting tribute to God’s generosity.

“The test of progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” – F. Roosevelt

- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ / November 8, 2009 / Ateneo de Zamboanga Chapel

Ripples of God

All Saints Day
Matthew 5: 10-12 “Be glad and rejoice, for your reward in heaven is great”


Candles, fresh flowers, rosaries, water, rice, dinuguan and adobo. All are perfectly packed. My family is now ready to visit the tomb of our Tatay Paco in Manila Memorial Park. I wonder why we Filipinos traditionally visit the tombs of our departed loved ones on All Saints Day? Are we presuming they are also “saints” in their own rights? Or this day is the best time to pray for their eternal repose to all unknown Saints of God?

In the Jesuit Cemetery in Novaliches, there is a tomb where the remains of unknown Jesuits and lay friends are laid together, bearing an interesting epitaph: “Here lies people who are unknown to men but known to God.” One of my Jesuit professors taught us that holy people do not know that they are holy (Revelation 7:13-14). They are more aware of their sins and limitations, but the love of God is also so real to them. The love of God overwhelms and compels them to offer their lives in total oblation just to seek the will of God.

Our gospel today gives us hints on how Saints lived their lives. By becoming living witnesses of faith, they create ripples in peoples’ lives. We love throwing stones in the pond. It creates circles of waves that disturb the water surface. Saints are like that. Their lives (as described by the beatitudes) are like stones thrown to us by God. They create ripples in our souls and wake us up from our slumber to do “magis” (more) for God’s glory. A Saint is someone who achieves perfect joy here on earth by placing God ahead of any comfort, honor or satisfaction - and thus opens his soul to the endless joy with God forever. Blessed are the poor, sorrowing, lowly, hungry, thirsty, merciful, single hearted, peacemakers, persecuted and insulted because they follow God, the reign of God is theirs and their reward in heaven is great! (Matthew 5:12)

Saints are totally selfless people. They die to themselves to follow God. Their only desire is to obey the will of God even at the cost of being misunderstood, hated and out casted by the world. Thus, they are beautiful in the eyes of God. They are blessed! (1 John 3:1-3) We venerate Saints not because of their great miracles, but because of their ability to offer their lives for the sake of God’s Kingdom. And when we remember their inspiring stories, they disturb us! They moved our hearts! And challenge us to move out of our comfort zones! Ripples! Saints are indeed ripples of God!

My Father died seven years ago but the ripples he created in my family left a lifetime mark in my heart. How can I forget his loving presence and how he gave us a wonderful family? Ripples! My father is unknown to many but known to God. It’s All Saints Day. Let’s honor the Saints and our “saints” by making a difference in other peoples’ lives. Let’s be ripples of God.

Today, as celebrate the Feast of all unknown Saints of God, we beg for their intercessions to help us follow God faithfully. We also remember and thank God for our departed loved ones who also created ripples in our lives.


The challenge of sainthood is to go where love takes us


- Wilfredo m. Samson,SJ
Krisong Hari Chapel, Montalban, Rizal
November 1, 2009

All is Blind

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 10:46-52 “What do you want me to do for you?”


Blindness was very common during the time of Jesus. Medicine has yet to discover laser treatment and eye operation to prevent blindness. Blind people are literally at the mercy of others. They beg for money or food to live Thank God we are not blind.

But today we are facing a different kind of blindness. It is the blindness of “not seeing” the meaning of what’s happening to us or the meaning of life. When one failed to understand and accept what’s happening in his life, he could end up miserable, hopeless, and lost.

Think about these: Some of us have everything in life, but unhappy and grumpy. Some will sleep tonight with an empty stomach but thankful to God for the peace of mind. Typhoon Ondoy destroyed the house of Mang Tinoy in Marikina but grateful that his family is intact after the flood. I guess some of us saw the meaning of life, while others did not.

All of us are blind. Nobody possesses a “crystal-clear” understanding of what happened to us, what’s happening and what’s ahead of us. We need the eyes of faith to see and understand things in our life. We don’t have a keen eye to see the finger of God in the midst of our pains and trials. In our present world where everything is possible and conveniently available, it is ironic that some of us are more frustrated, hopeless and lost. In our era of technological advancement, we have lost our sight to see God in all things. Suddenly we realized that Google cannot answer everything, especially the meaning of life and God’s will for us.

Our gospel today challenges us to follow the footsteps of Bartimaues. We need Jesus to heal our spiritual blindness. It is unlikely of Mark to give details in his gospel. But here, he specifically named Bartimaeus as the blind man. Mark wanted us to emulate Bartimaeus’ remarkable virtues of courage, humility, and self-detachment.

When Batimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, he did not hesitate to shout at the top of his voice, “Son of David, have pity on me.” The crowd rebuked him but it did not stop him! And when Jesus finally called him, he threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and went to Jesus immediately. That was a display of courage and humility.

The “throwing of his cloak” was surprising. Cloak was very important for blind people for their survival. It was both for protection against weather and for begging purposes. It was on the cloak laid on the street that people would normally tip few coins. When Bartimaeus threw his cloak, he was abandoning the source of his security and leaving everything to Jesus. He realized that Jesus was the real source of security. And holding on to his securities and comforts blinded him from seeing God and His will. For all of us, our cloak may mean our personal attachments: people, things, possession, talents, honor, pride, etc. We need to set aside our cloaks to see essentials things we have taken for granted.

Jesus is passing by every day. Take the challenge of Bartimaeus. Set aside your cloak. Leave your comfort zones. Wear the virtues of courage, humility and self-detachment. Shout out loud and beg, “Jesus, I want to see.” And healing will take place.

Bartimaeus saw Christ clearly with the eyes of his faith. So must you and I.

“Miserable people are not those who are blind but rather those who refuse to see.”
- John Kiley


- Wilfredo m. Samson,SJ
Ateneo de Davao University / October 25, 2009

The Big Picture

Thursday of the 27th Sunday
Luke 11:5-13 “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find.”

We are now into the 6th day of our novena in honor of our Blessed Mother Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar. But what really is a novena prayer? Why do we pray the novena? Our catechism would tell that novena is “a nine-day private or public devotion to obtain special graces. It is usually made in honor of a saint, asking his/her intercession for a specific intention.” In our case, the novena mass we are celebrating today is in honour of our Blessed Mother, La Virgen del Pilar. We are deeply grateful to our Blessed Mother for a century of accompanying us in our personal and community journey.

I am sure you have your own personal intentions for our novena mass this year. We visit this shrine to attend Mass or to just light coloured candles and say a little prayer for ourselves, our families and friends. And some of us are begging for a miracle: healing of loved ones who are sick, praying for a better job for a better life, good health, reconciliation in the family, financial problem, love life, to pass the Bar or teacher’s board exams, and others. Today we pray for the intercession of our Blessed Mother, that God will grant our prayer intentions.

But for today, in the midst of the recent events in our country, let’s think, reflect, and go beyond Zamboanga. Let’s look at the big picture.

Just a week ago, Typhoon Ondoy dumped a month’s worth of rainfall in just 24 hours causing huge flood in Luzon. More than 300 people died and thousands were forced to stay in the evacuation center. Fortunately, many Filipinos quickly responded and helped them with food and other assistance. But the struggle does not stop there, they need to reconstruct their houses and rebuild their lives. Most of their savings and things were washed away by the flood.

Last week, here in our locality, the Municipality of Indanan, Sulu experienced another armed conflict. More than 1,400 families were internally displaced when they were caught in the middle of the crossfire. Most of them are now staying in the evacuation centers. They have nothing to eat and nowhere to go.

When you go international, we see the news of powerful earthquake in Indonesia, tsunami in Samoa, and bombings in Afghanistan that killed hundreds of people. The big picture is not really good. And when we look at the big picture, we realized that we are more fortunate.


A friend of mine who complains a lot, have stopped complaining when he saw in the television how thousands in Luzon were affected by Typhoon Ondoy. A woman who lives in a shanty is very grateful that her family is not living in the evacuation center in Indanan. When they saw the big picture, their perspective changed.

The “not so good” big picture we are in today should compel us to go beyond ourselves and beyond Zamboanga. In this novena, we beg for the intercession of our Blessed Mother, not only for our own personal intention, but for the whole country and the whole world. Let’s pray for the big picture

Suddenly, we realized that we are still fortunate here in Zamboanga. We do have our own personal and family concern that we need to attend to. There is a great need for us to pray for our own personal intentions. But the “big picture” of people who are “suffering more than us” compels us to gaze our sight to them and pray for them. And we do that today through the intercession of our Blessed Mother La Virgen del Pilar.

When Fort Pilar was built on 1635 under the instruction of Governor Juan Cerezo de Salamanca and under the supervision of Padre Melchor de Vera, a famous Jesuit engineer, it was principally to protect and defend Zamboanga Peninsula against possible attacks from the pirates and armed groups.


Today, after 100 years, Fort Pilar takes a different role. It is now the symbol of Zamboangeños perseverance against the many challenges in our city and Mindanao at large. While our Blessed Mother La Virgen del Pilar remains Zamboangeños source of protection and inspiration in the midst of our personal and social challenges.

Our gospel for today teaches us the right disposition in praying the novena. Some of us have this wrong notion of novena - that God will grant any of our prayer intention after completing the novena. Some are disappointed when their prayer intentions were not granted. Novena is not a way to twist the hands of God to grant our prayers. Novena is not a magic prayer. Instead, novena prayer should lead us to be more open and dispose to the will of God. He knows what’s best for us. He knows the grand design of everything. The will of God plays a big role in the big picture. Let us learn from our Blessed Mother.

When angel Gabriel told our Blessed Mother that she would be the mother of the savior, she was dumbfounded and confused. God was proposing to engage herself in the plan of God and be part of the big picture of saving humankind. She has a personal dream. She was already engaged to Joseph. But after listening to Gabriel, she decided to submit herself to the will of God – salvation of humankind – by saying, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your will.” It was our Mother’s YES to the big picture. And the rest is history.

We have a small picture – our personal care, concern, and trials. We have a big picture – our city and country’s concern and challenges. Both are important. But each time I pray to our Blessed Mother La Virgen del Pilar, I cannot help but look beyond myself and remember the original intention of Fort Pilar – to defend Zamboanga against the enemies. We don’t have pirates anymore, but the challenges being posted to us by Ondoy, Indangan, Mindanao conflict and others, calls us to pray for our country and do something. Like our Blessed Mother, let’s contribute something to the big picture.

We don’t lose hope. We should persevere in our prayer. Perseverance could produce miracles. We have many accounts of the miracles of Our Blessed Mother La Virgen del Pilar in our history: the failed attempt to capture the Fort by a big armed group in 1734, the story of the earthquake and tsunami in 1897 and 1976, and hundreds of undocumented miraculous intercession of our Blessed Mother as the Protector and Patroness of Zamboanga.

These stories should inspire and rekindle the fire within us, to move out of our comfort zones and be engaged in the big picture.

There is always hope for those who persevere in prayer and action. We don’t lose hope in our struggle for peace and progress in Mindanao, because in the end, through our prayers and actions, the good will prevail.

Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar, pray for us.



- Wilfredo M. Samson,SJ
Fort Pilar Shrine, Zamboanga City
October 8, 2009

In the Beginning

27th Sunday in Ordinary Times
Mark 10: 2-16 “What God has joined together, no human being must separate”

The sunset in Manila Bay is a beauty to behold; but the sight of an old couple holding each others’ hand as they watch the sunset is more consoling and uplifting to behold!

Our gospel for today is a foretaste of what’s happening now. More and more people are questioning the indissolubility of Catholic marriage vows. They don’t see the practicality and wisdom of couple staying together until death when marriage turns sour. They want a quick fix and divorce is the ultimate remedy to all marital problems. Fast, simple and easy.

But our gospel for today reminds us of God’s grand plan. His intention from the very beginning is a permanent union: “The two shall become one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Mark 10:8-9). Jesus even scolded the Pharisees and the Jews when he said that Moses was forced to allow divorce because of hardness of their hearts. They did not want to obey God’s plan.

One of the things that struck me: How come some couples who are happily married for many years will suddenly want a divorce or legal separation? What went wrong? Who are to blame, when at the beginning of their married life, they mutually agreed to live together for better or for worse? Somewhere along the way, they lost their selfless love to one another. When misunderstanding, open-ended argument, unexpressed resentment, and unresolved issues start to creep in, the foundation of married life “one flesh” is severely shaken. When I don’t see the “I in You” and the “You in Me,” selfishness creeps in. And when selfishness creeps in, I start to disengage from my vows of being in “one flesh” with my partner.

Marriage for God means undivided and unconditional loyalty and union of hearts at all times, for better or for worst. Marriage is not a question of "What's in it for me?" But Jesus wants a married couple to ask each other, "What's in it for us?"

Some marriages failed not because they married the wrong persons, but because they allowed their love to die a natural death because of distrust, hatred and non-forgiveness. Soon enough, they lost their desire to save it. They simply break their promise “to be one heart and one soul from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

Hardness of heart and selfishness are the main culprit for marriage break-up. If only they treat each other the way they treat themselves, their marriages will become more attractively beautiful, life-giving and emotionally stable.

Each time I preside a marriage rite, I take extra effort to remind the couple to remember their marriage day, especially when they have misgivings, to remind themselves of their “in the beginning” moments - where they genuinely and freely expressed their love to each other and promised to live together “for better or for worse, till death do us part.” To file a divorce or seek legal separation without exhausting all possible solutions to fix your marriage is to implicitly tell everybody that your vows is nothing but a big joke. In the beginning, you know it was not a joke. In the beginning, when you and your partner genuinely fell in love and mutually agreed to tie the knots, you know its forever.

In marriage, both husband and wife must say "I will do more than belong, I will participate. I will do more than care, I will help. I will do more than believe, I will practice. I will do more than be fair, I will be kind. I will do more than be friendly, I will be a friend. I will do more than forgive, I will love." - Annonymous

- Wilfredo M. Samson,SJ / St.Joseph Chapel, Zamboanga City/ October 4, 2009

Building Bridges

26th Sunday in the Ordinary Time
Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 "Do not prevent him…For whoever is not against us is for us.”

The gospel today starts with John reporting to Jesus that a man is exorcising demons in His name yet the man is not a disciple. Instead of being alarmed, Jesus simply said, “Anyone who gives a cup of water to drink will surely not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:41). The disciples, who are unconsciously developing “religious elitism”, are surprised to hear Jesus’ response. They thought that preaching the good news, healing the sick, and exorcising demons are exclusively reserve to the disciples.

The first reading tells us the same story. A young man complained to Moses that two men, Eldad and Medad, are prophesying in the Israelites’ camp even without being formally authorized by the Spirit. Like Jesus, Moses answered the man, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets?" (Numbers 11:29)

In our ever changing world that moves closer to “global community,” we are compelled to build bridges with our brothers and sisters of different faith and religion. Today we cannot exclusively claim that Christianity is the only religion where God reveals Himself. Evangelization should take a different mode to respond to the signs of times. Now, it is not merely the propagation of our Christian faith, but allowing our faith to manifest through active engagement in the different challenges and issues of the modern world. Our faith challenges us to love inclusively and promote bridging religions, cultures, and people.

Visiting Cambodia many years ago, I was exposed to Jesuits working closely with their Buddhist lay partners. Aware of their cultural and religious diversities but united in their desire to help the poorest of the poor of Cambodia, they visit far-flung villages all over the country to assist victims of mines and war. Indeed, love can build bridges within us.

Recently, I received a clipping from New York entitled “Zamboanga.” Interestingly, the article sees Zamboanga as the cradle of inter-religious dialogue in Mindanao. It cites the city’s unique multi-cultural environment where Christians and Muslims alike have learned to respect and co-exist peacefully. In the never-ending conflict between MILF and government troops, majority will agree that is not a religious issue but political. The solution is in us – Christians and Muslims alike should build bridges to each other through respect, sensitivity and acceptance. We need to transcend our deeply rooted biases and prejudices and begin recognizing and appreciating each others’ uniqueness and differences. Appreciation of each other’s belief and religious practices will certainly lead us to discover God’s presence with one another. Do I see a brother in every Muslim I meet?

A week ago, the Campus Ministry Office and the Muslim Students Association of Ateneo de Zamboanga sponsored the annual “Grand Pagbuka” (A festive Muslim tradition of ending Ramadan). To see Christian students, teachers, and even Jesuits joining the celebration console and inspire everybody. It’s building bridges in action! The inter-religious dialogue is gaining grounds in Ateneo de Zamboanga University, but the journey is still a long way to go. We need more “bridge builders” to push this ever challenging and peace-promoting frontier.

Let’s open our eyes. Let’s change our understanding of evangelization and the meaning of discipleship in our present context. That is, to see God in all people!

“We must cultivate optimism and hope. Inter-religious dialogue can not be reduced to an optional extra. It is in fact a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends”. - Pope Benedict XVI

- Fr.Willy M. Samson,SJ

Aspire to Inspire

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 7: 31-37 “He looked up to heaven and groaned, "Ephphatha!"


In the old baptismal rite, priest used to touch the ears of the candidate with his thumb and says, “The Lord Jesus who made the deaf hears and the dumb speaks grant you the privilege to listen to His word and profess your faith.” We don’t do that anymore. Unfortunately, it is an important part of the baptismal rite. It emphasizes the Christians’ obligation to listen to the Word of God and to faithfully proclaim it.

In our gospel today, it is good to note that the deaf and dumb man represents all those who are deaf to the Word of God. Our concern here is not the physical deafness but the spiritual deafness. We do hear the Word of God but we don’t internalize it. If listening to the Word of God regularly and faithfully is already difficult, how much more of the call to proclaim it? We cannot effectively preach what we don’t faithfully live and practiced.

When I was in high school, I had a hearing problem. After visiting an E.E.N.T. specialist, I was informed that it was just a big “tutuli” (ear wax) that caused my hearing problem. It was a big relief to hear perfectly again after the doctor removed my big “tutuli” in my right ear. In our gospel, Jesus placed his finger into the man’s ears. I guess he was trying to remove the “tutuli” from the man’s ears! Pause for a moment. Ask yourself, “What are your spiritual “tutulis” that block you from hearing what God wants you to do? From hearing the voice of the marginalized and the poor? From hearing our Muslim brothers and sisters? Anger, hate, pride, hurt, biases and prejudices may contribute to our spiritual and psychological “tutuli.” They do block our capacity and sensitivity to listen to God and also to our others.

When Jesus led the man away from the crowd, Jesus knew that we don’t have the courage to openly admit our “tutuli.” Cleaning ears is a private thing. Most of the time, accepting our faults is also very personal. We are more comfortable to admit our faults and ask forgiveness in private. And yet our gospel tells us that removing our “tutulis” through repentance is necessary, for us to hear clearly the voice of God.

In the Old Testament, prophets proclaimed the message of God with their lips. Thus, Jews believed that the Spirit of God was intrinsically connected to the prophets’ breath. They believed that the “Breath of God” (Holy Spirit) was concentrated in the prophet’s saliva. So when Jesus touched the tongue of the man with His saliva, Jesus freely gave him the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of God dwells in us, we become bold and fired-up in proclaiming the God’s love. After touching the ears and tongue of the man, Jesus then said, “Ephphatha” (“Be opened”) and immediately the man was healed and started proclaiming God’s love.

Proclaiming the good news of God does not necessarily mean becoming a prominent speaker or gospel evangelizer like Mike Velarde, Bishop Chito Tagle and Bo Sanchez. Most of the time, we touch and convert souls, not because we are good speakers, but because people see something beautiful and enticing in our lives. The early Christians attracted new members because of how they loved one another (Acts 2:43-47). Christians don’t work for praises, for self-interest, and for self-glorification. Everything we do is for God’s greater glory. What the world needs now are living witnesses of the loving God. We are His presence here on earth. As the saying goes, “Let’s aspire to inspire people before we expire.”

Fr.Bustamante,SJ posted in his Facebook wall, “I think this Sunday Gospel speaks this: “The greatest tragedy of all is NOT to be born deaf and dumb, but to have ears and fail to listen and to have tongues and fail to speak and act the message of God’s love.””

- Willy M. Samson,SJ
September 6, 2009 / Sacred Heart Chapel / Ateneo de Zamboanga

Walk Your Talk

Finally after five Sundays, this passage brings the sixth chapter of John's gospel to a decisive conclusion. To choose our course: to follow Jesus or abandon Him? It all begun in the multiplication of bread and feeding of thousands. Then three Sundays ago, Jesus bluntly told the crowd of their real reason why they follow Him, they are well fed (John 6:26). But Jesus remained calm and even offered different bread that comes from heaven…Himself.

It was a bombshell to everybody when He said, “You must eat my flesh and drink my blood.” Many of his followers murmured in disbelief, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" (John 6:60). His words were too much for them to believe. As a result, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.

Jesus then turned to the twelve, “Do you want to leave?” And Peter answered, “Master to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68). It was a relief and consolation to Jesus. At least they wanted to follow Him because of Him and not because of the bread he gives. The disciples successfully passed the motivation test.

In today's first reading Joshua tested the Israelites: "Decide today whom you will serve. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” And the people responded without doubt, “We will also serve the Lord, for he is our God.” (Joshua 24:21)

In the midst of our monotonous work, tiring school-work-home routine and never-ending energy sapping challenges we face everyday, we also need to re-affirm our commitment to God and His words every day. Decide whom you will serve. It is in our daily affirmation of our commitment to God that we show our deep love for Him.

I realized that if there’s one thing that pushes us to our limits and challenges our faith, it is our daily grind and work. They purify us. Whether we like it or not, our commitment and dedication to our “de more” (daily ordinary routine/work) defines us as good parents, good religious Sisters, good teachers, and good Christians. To follow Christ, one must take the words of Joshua, “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord for He is our God.” And walk your talk.

But such commitment to the Lord as exemplified by Joshua and his people did not come in handy. It was not a spontaneous lip service to please God. It was the fruit of their reflection as they recall their personal and communal experience of God’s love: “For it was the LORD, who brought us out of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey.” Peter and the disciples have also something to remember with regard to the greatness of Jesus: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Such act of remembering God’s goodness, allows us to rekindle the fire of love within us and prompts us to say “We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” The Psalm today even encourages us to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalm 34).

Let’s encourage each other to have that habit of “recalling” or “remembering” God’s goodness in our prayer. We are good in remembering when it comes to our mistakes and faults, but we are poor in remembering God’s goodness and love to us.

Beginning today, let’s have the habit of remembering and reminiscing God’s goodness in us and in our families. Let it be our prayer. Let the love of God be your “baon” when you go to work, school, or to your apostolate. And you will discover the secret of Joshua and Peter’s quick YES to God. You are God’s children. Walk your talk.

- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ
Zamboanga Catedral / August 23, 2009

Eat All You Can

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
John 6:51-58 “I am the living bread …whoever eats this bread will live forever”


Reading our gospel, the words “eat” and “drink” are repeated many times. John’s Chapter 6 is indeed about “eating and sustenance.” It is about the Holy Eucharist.

When we eat, our body assimilates the food for nourishment. We become what we eat. Vegetarians have healthy bodies and long life. Meat lovers have high level of cholesterol and prone to heart problem. While in the Eucharist, when we eat the body of Christ, we are transformed inside and gain eternal life! “Just as the Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” (John 6:57) Pope Benedict XVI once said, “The Eucharist is a dynamic Presence that grasps us and makes us His own.” In the Eucharistic celebration, we receive Jesus saving us now and we are fully united with Him. Such saving presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is offered to all, but without faith, the saving grace of the Eucharist evades us.

I used to enjoy smorgasbord dining before. Unlike ala carte dining where the choice of food is limited, smorgasbord offers a variety of delicious food. The wide range of food is too difficult to resist and we end up indulging, eating almost everything, and filling all available space in our stomach. But after we indulged and enjoyed, we end up blaming ourselves for eating too much. As always, regret comes last. We regret. And we comfort ourselves by saying, “Better luck next time.”

For the past three weeks, our Sunday gospel readings have revolved around Jesus offering a different manna to the Jews. After the multiplication of bread, Jesus offered his body as the bread from heaven - a food to eat. Unfortunately, we are not totally attracted to this bread. In the midst of the more alluring options being offered by the world, many of us prefer the bread (wealth, power, and fame) the world is offering; and ignore what Jesus is offering: union with Him and the Father and the promise of eternal life.

We do recognize the necessity of the material things in our life. But like anything else, anything excessive will not bring good to us. Moderation in eating lechon plus our deliberate decision to eat fish and vegetables will bring us health and long life. In the same way, dreaming a beautiful house, money, car and other luxuries is natural and commendable. But if our whole life revolves around these things and we forget God, we may end up gaining the world but lose our soul (Mark 8:36). We regret. But in this context, there’s no next time or second chance around.

Lets’ keep in mind that Alexander the Great, Napoleon and the Egyptians have established powerful empires but all have disappeared. Weddings of the rich and famous that we envied much were already forgotten; but the Sacrament of Eucharist that Jesus instituted remains with us. Believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Spiritual nourishment is always available to those who believe in Jesus as the bread of life. Eat all you can! It’s a guaranteed “soul satisfying experience.”

Survey says that only 10% of the Catholics attend Mass regularly. A good number of us go to Mass out of obligation and not out of devotion. We should examine and ask ourselves: Do I look forward to attend Mass? Is it an obligation or a devotion to me? What is the quality of my participation in the Mass? Do I feel incomplete without receiving communion? Do I have a “Eucharistic hunger?”

In an “eat all you can” restaurant, we eat to satisfy our palates. In the Eucharist, we eat to satisfy our souls. For without the Eucharistic meal, we are incomplete.

– Willy M. Samson,SJ
August 15, 2009 / Bacolod City

A Trbute to Cory

I have learned that one of the things I need to accept in life is the reality of pain and suffering. Why good people suffer in pain? Why good people whom we love like Cory Aquino, suffered and died of cancer? I guess, we know that in the end, answers to these questions will always evade us.

All of us here are deeply affected with the sudden death of Cory. As we hear from TV and read from the internet the courageous fight of Cory against the big C, we also remember her uphill battle to uphold and preserve democracy for our country. When she was asked if being afflicted with cancer is her greatest fight of her life, she simply said no. She said that her greatest and painful fight was when her husband Ninoy Aquino was imprisoned and when she decided to leave her well secured private life in the United States and decided to run for presidency. Her return was a fight against a different cancer, more lethal and dangerous - the social cancer that almost killed the Philippine democracy.

It is unfortunate that our young people do not have a first hand experience of Cory. In our society today lacks model or living witnesses to emulate and inspire our youth, Cory could be one of the best model to imitate. We have limited faces or images of democracy, dedication to public service, and love for our country. We need heroes like Cory Aquino and her husband Benigno Aquino to inspire us how to fight a seemingly undefeatable social injustices, poverty, and graft and corruption. Cory fought up to the end and never wavered in the advocacy. For Cory, what matters most is fighting up to end.

The battle of Cory against her physical cancer and the cancer of the Philippine society was not an easy one. It was a long painful bout but she took everything in stride with God. Yes, cancer took Cory’s earthly life but not her spirit. She remained a fighter, ever faithful to God. She remained loving mother and grandmother to her family throughout those difficult times. In the midst of her fight against the big C, she remained in touch with us in our advocacies, encouraging and challenging us to fight up to end. During the last days of her life, what made her more admirable was her ability to trust the will of God. Her last days were echoes of St. Paul’s words, “Who can separate us from the love of God? Trials? Sadness? Persecution? Even death cannot separate us from the Love of God.”

When I saw the long queue of Filipinos from all walks of life who wanted to see Cory for the last time, I must admit that what I saw was the Filipinos’ dream of having heroes or inspirations within us. Somehow the death of Cory challenges me to ask myself, how’s my life? How’s my dedication to my country? Am I ready to fight for our country?

When I think of Cory now, I don’t want to think of her as a cancer victim. Every time I remember Cory, it inspires me to trust God the way she trusted God. It inspires me to hold on to Jesus in the middle of my own storm. Cory was indeed a child of God and God is very please with her. Cancer my have killed her but she died healing all of us.

As I look back, Cory taught me how to trust the Lord with all my heart. Cancer had snatched away a hero from the Filipino people but not the wonderful legacy she left for us – Freedom. She is indeed the icon of the Philippine democracy. I will surely treasure her memories… forever grateful to the Lord that He blessed us with Cory… it was a short presidency… but her memories will last for a lifetime.

Cory … please do pray for us

- Fr.Willy M. Samson,SJ
Carmel Monastery
August 4, 2009

The Bread of Life

18th Sunday in the Ordinary Time
John 6:24-35 “You are looking for me not because you saw signs…”



One day in the forest, a hungry hunter saw a bear giving a piece of meat to an injured hungry wolf. The hunter said to himself, “If God loves the wolf, how much more of me. I am sure God will feed me too.” So the hunter waited for God to give him food. But nobody came to feed him. He blamed God and went home. On his way, he saw starving children on the street. He blamed God again, "Why don’t you do something for them?" Finally God answered, "I have done something. I created you. But you choose to behave like the wolf when you could act like the bear."

Our gospel today is a continuation of last Sunday’s gospel where Jesus multiplied bread and fed the multitudes. Because of the miracle, the crowd thought of making Jesus their king; and so Jesus escaped to the mountain (John 6:15). In our gospel today, many pursued Jesus, not because they finally found their saviour, but because he gave them bread. Jesus explicitly voiced out his disappointment, “You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” That was very disappointing on the part of Jesus. The crowd even demanded to provide bread for them to believe: “What sign can you do that we may see and believe in you?” (John 6:30). But Jesus calmly reacted in the midst of their apparent spiritual immaturity and instead, offered a life-giving option, “Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (John 6:27).

What is this food that Jesus is telling? It means two things: First, He is referring to His body and blood we partake in the Eucharist. (John 6:54). Second, the Word of God. When the devil tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread; Jesus simply said, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). Motivated by His great love to the Father, the life of Jesus revolved around obeying the Father’s will. For Jesus, His Father was his everything.

Our gospel challenges us to purify our motivation every time we pray. Do we pray to seek His will and guidance? Do we pray because we have these hunger and thirst to know Jesus? Or we pray because we have something to ask?

There is nothing wrong asking for something in prayer. God even encourages us to ask anything in His name. But if God becomes like an ATM (automated teller machine) to us, we missed the point of prayer. Prayer should disturb us. Prayer should lead our eyes to the poor, marginalized and abandoned. Prayer is listening and responding. It is not only asking. We seek Jesus in prayer because we want to know Him more intimately. We want to imitate Him especially His faithfulness and obedience to the Father.

When Jesus told the crowd not to seek for food that perishes but food that endures forever, the crowd suddenly made a breakthrough when they asked: "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" They understood what Jesus wanted to convey – to set aside our “What can I get?” attitude and practice the “What can I do?” attitude.

Let’s choose to behave like the bear. Be a bread-sharers and not just bread-eaters. Be like Jesus. Be the bread to the hungry. In our 2nd reading, Paul exhorted us “to put away the old self and put on the new self” (Eph 4:22-23). And let the words of the crowd be our prayer, “What can I do to accomplish the works of God?"

The shortest but the best prayer I’ve ever heard goes this way …
“Lord God, tell me what to do. Amen.”


- Fr.Willy M. Samson,SJ
August 2, 2009 / St. Joseph Parish, Zamboanga City

I Believe in You

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 6: 1-6 “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place”



A father and son love to collect rare paintings. Their collections were much sought and envied by art collectors and museums. One day the son volunteered in Vietnam War and died after saving another soldier. A month later, the soldier visited the grieving father and gave him a portrait of his son. It was not a beautiful painting but the father placed it in the middle of his priceless collections. After two years, the father died without anybody to inherit his wealth including the paintings. Millionaires and famous people went to the auction, ready to spend millions of dollars for the rare paintings of Van Gogh, Picasso, and Juan Luna. All were excited but the auctioneer begun with the soldier’s painting of the son. He said, “Any bid? 100 dollars?” Everybody laughed and said, “We want the paintings of Picasso, Klimt, and Pollock! Not that one!” But the auctioneer just continued, “50 dollars? Thirty? Ten? Five? No takers?“ Then an old man shouted, “I will take it! That boy in the painting saved my son in Vietnam.” Everybody said, “Good. Take it. Let’s move to the real things!” Much to their surprise, the auctioneer said, “The auction is over. The father, in his last will, requested that anyone who buys the portrait of his son will get all the paintings for free.”

Our gospel for today is like that. It was tragic that the town mates of Jesus did not believe his authority and failed to see who Jesus was, the Son of God. They questioned Jesus’ teaching and healing authority because they know him well (Mk 6:3-4). He was once one of them! Indeed, familiarity breeds contempt. Familiarity stops us to see the positive in others. He was just an ordinary carpenter and the son of Mary, and so they did not have faith in him. Because of this, “he was not able to perform any mighty deed there…” (Mk 6:5). It’s crystal clear: Without faith, expect no miracle.

First and foremost, our gospel calls us to take the Son. We proclaim with our lips that we believe in Jesus. And yet our action betrays what we proclaim. We proclaim that we trust God, and yet we could not let go of many things. We say I believe and yet you look sad and worry a lot. We say that God is our priority and yet we only give him one hour every Sunday. If you want to see miracles in your life, believe in Jesus. Seek the giver and not the gifts. Prioritize the Son. As Matthew said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mt. 6:33) Take the Son and possess everything.

Second, our gospel also calls us to believe with one another. We seldom see miracle or breaks in our families and communities because we always doubt in each other’s potential and talents. Familiarity breeds contempt. We raised our eyebrows when one does something innovative. We seldom encourage and complement people, but we are quick in criticizing and judging. All of us are gifted, for God created us that way, but many of us will die without discovering their full potential. We should be “talent spotters.” When was the last time you say to someone, “I believe in you.” Or tap the shoulder of someone and say, “Kaya mo yan! Ikaw pa!” But the sad part of our story is, when somebody gained little confidence to fly, instead of giving him more wings to fly, somebody from us will shoot the poor guy’s wings with criticism and contempt. Miracle stops when we cease to believe with one another. But
when there is encouragement, there is always miracle to expect.

When I was in college, to speak in public and to write an article were my two greatest waterloos. Today, I still have butterflies each time I give a talk and still grasping for words each time I write a homily. But with friends and God around to encourage me, it gives me some guts to speak and write as well. Miracles do take place, if you believe.


- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ
Carmelite Monastery / July 5, 2009

Worry Not

13th Week Tuesday
Matthew 8: 23-27 “Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea”

There are two kinds of storms in Lake Galilee. One originates from the outside, like the continental wind storms that are common in the Mediterranean area. It is seasonal. The second originates from Lake Galilee itself. The natural geographical set-up of the lake and the nearby mountains creates a unique movement of cold and warm air that produces storms. They are potentially dangerous to seafarers but they don’t usually last.

In our gospel today, Jesus and his disciples were confronted by this local storm. They were well-seasoned fishermen. But because of fear, they panicked and forgot who they were and who was sailing with them.

Think about this: We have two kinds of storms in our life. The first storm is the “outside” storm. We cannot control them but they are legitimately important in our life: political, social, economical, ecological and other concerns. The second storm is an “inner” storm, this is our personal, family or community concerns that we normally encounter: family feud, broken relationship, financial difficulties, health concerns, community or work related issues. They are not life-threatening storms but they are life-defining opportunities that we need to face. Like the disciples, sometimes we lost our bearings in the middle of the storm because of fear and failure to trust God.

But I realize that one of the things that contributed to this fear factor is our bag-full of worries. Many of us are worriers. We love to say, “We’ll never make it.” We forgot that Jesus is with us. The funny thing is, much of what we worry about doesn't matter at all! Take a look at these statistics about worry:

• 40% of all things that we worry about never come to pass.
• 30% of all our worries that involves our past decisions that cannot be
changed.
• 12% focus on criticism from others who spoke because they felt inferior.
• 10% are related to our health, which gets worse when we worry.
• 8% of our worries could be described as "legitimate" causes for
concern.
• It means that 92% are useless and unnecessary worries!

I guess “worry” is one of the devil’s most powerful weapons in his armoury against us. When worry rules our hearts, we lost our identity. Worrying robs our now. It is either we are trapped in our past mistakes or anxiously living in the future. Thus we failed to enjoy the “beauty of the now” and “the gift of each moment” that God is giving us. The man who is free from worries can leisurely eat and enjoy his breakfast of dried fish, red eggs, tomatoes, and fried rice. He can immerse himself in the morning sunlight and breathe the fresh morning air. She takes a bath and enjoys the water gently flowing to her body without thinking what she will do in the office or school today. He can close his eyes and count his blessings. She can afford to smell a flower. He can work well under pressure. She can laugh at her mistake. He can set aside his voluminous work when weekend comes and waste his time with his family. And when evening comes, they pray, leave everything to God, and sleep in peace.
Worry not. God is with us.

"The moment the little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing." - Eric Berne

- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ
Carmelite Monastery / June 30, 2009

To the Other Side

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 5:21-43 “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured.”


A text joke: Nanay: Anak, bumili ka ng tinapay sa tindahan.
Pedro: Nanay, gabi na po, natatakot po akong lumabas.
Nanay: Anak, huwag kang matakot, lagi mong kasama si Hesus.
Pedro: Inay, si Hesus na lang kaya ang utusan ninyo.


Jesus loves crossing the Lake of Galilee. This is the fastest way to travel between two towns separated by this body of water. But crossing this lake is dangerous because it is notoriously known for its sudden storms. You need a lot of courage to cross this lake especially in the evening.

Encarta defines courage as the ability of a person to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear. In other words, fear is not an alien thing to courageous people. They just don’t allow fear to stop them from “crossing to the other side.” The four gospels tell us that even Jesus experienced fear (Mt.26:39, Luke 22:44). But it is crystal clear that his faith to the Father gave him courage to say, “Let’s cross to the other side.” (Mk 4:35).

Our gospel today introduces another two courageous souls to emulate: Jairus and the woman with haemorrhages. Both of them have mustered enough courage to “cross to the other side” and seek Jesus’ healing. Their faith in Jesus gave them strength to overcome their fear and approached Jesus. They were rewarded. Jesus gave them what they want … healing!

The decision of Jairus to kneel and beg Jesus to heal his dying daughter was a brave move. As a synagogue officer, to invite Jesus in his house and be identified with Jesus was a blow to his social status, knowing that Jesus was already unpopular to the scribes and Pharisees. For Jairus, the life of his daughter was much more important than his career, social status, and pride.

Like Jairus, the woman who was bleeding for twelve years was also desperate to find a cure to her malady. Aside from being physically sick, her bleeding isolated her from her family, community and God. When one has a haemorrhage, she is considered unclean and is barred from entering the temple. Anybody who touches her becomes unclean too until after a performing a very tedious purification rituals recommended by the Pharisees.

The woman knew that she will be expelled from the crowd and publicly humiliated if somebody recognizes her. But she mustered enough courage to “cross to the other side.” She made a brave move when she said, “If I can touch his cloak, I will be healed.” She did and she was instantly healed. When Jesus felt her touch, he said, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed of your trouble.” (Mark 5:34)

Driven by their great faith in Jesus and their courage “to cross to the other side,” the two brave souls got their wish – a new lease of life!

Today’s gospel invites us to reflect on how Jesus could heal us. Sometimes we don’t have the courage to “cross to other side” (to forgive a friend, to do things the right way, to correct a mistake, to stop delaying things and firmly decide for the good of the family) and come to Jesus for healing and new lease of life. Take heart! Trust God. He is our real provider, healer and giver of life. God is assuring us today, “Do not be afraid; just have faith. Let’s cross to the other side.” Transcend your fear now, come to Jesus. Whisper your prayer. Believe and you will never be disappointed.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." - Ambrose Redmoon


- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ
Ateneo de Zamboanga Chapel
June 28, 2009

Fear Factor

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 4: 35-41 "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?"



Three months ago, I visited an alumnus of Ateneo de Zamboanga in Western Mindanao Medical Center. He was diagnosed with cancer, fourth stage. After anointing him with oil, he politely asked me, “Father Willy, answer me. I am 38 years old and dying of cancer. Two years ago, I was a very healthy person. But two years ago, when I started attending the mass and became close to God, it was then that I was diagnosed with cancer. I can’t understand, now that I am close to God; it is also now that I got a cancer. Where is His promise of protection and care?”

I paused for a moment and said, “It is unfair to God to conclude that your closeness to Him has something to do with your cancer. Maybe God knows that you will have cancer that He decided to bring you closer to Him. He knows you will need Him now, more than ever.”

Our gospel today brings us to a realization: Storms (life’s ordeals, hardship, sickness) and fear are parts and parcels of our lives. The setting of our gospel was frightening. Jesus and his disciples were caught in the middle of a perfect storm: “A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up; and it is evening.” (Mark 4:37). Fear ruled the disciples’ hearts. They panicked and sought the help of Jesus. Only to find out that Jesus was sleeping in a cushion. Imagine the frustration of the disciples when they saw Jesus sleeping. They woke him up, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He simply woke up, rebuke the wind and said to the sea, “Quiet, be still.” And there was a great calm. Jesus asked them, “Why are you afraid?” Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4:38).

When Jesus said to the sea, “Quiet, be still.” I have this feeling that those words were also intended to the disciples and to us. Each time we are asked to “cross the other side” or each time a storm comes to us, fear will always be there. But this fear is pretty much normal. Fear is a basic survival instinct in response to any danger. Even Jesus, in his humanity, have experienced fear but he learned to conquer it, “Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.” (Matthew 26:38). In our gospel, Jesus is giving us his secret antidote against fear: 1. Be quiet 2. Be still.

When Jesus said, “Be still….”It means to relax, not to panic and have faith that God will surely help and protect us. God is with us. He said, “Be still and know that I am you God.” (Psalm 46:10). On the other hand, “Be quiet” means go to your room and pray. Allow God to talk to you. Listen to Him and be consoled. A child can sleep soundly in the arms of his mother or father because he knows his protected. Jesus could sleep in the middle of the storm, because He knew that his Father in heaven would protect him.

Storms will always be part and parcel of our lives. Face it and it will make you strong. Fear will always be there every time we are asked to cross to the other side. Take courage. Be not afraid. Not all crossings have storms along the way. But if ever a storm comes to meet you and fear rules your heart, do not forget the antidote, bring God with you and listen to his words, “Quiet, be still.” Then with confidence say, “With God at my side, I can. I will.”

"Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence." – Pope John Paul II

- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ
Our Lady of Peñafrancia Parish, Zamboanga City
June 21, 2009

Make My Heart Like Yours

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
John 19: 31-37 “They will look upon him whom they have pierced.”



One summer morning in Florida, a crocodile snatched the right leg of a boy while swimming in the lake. Fortunately his mother was there and grabbed his hands. It was a fierce battle of tug of war between the crocodile and the mother. Fortunately, a man came to the rescue and shot the crocodile. After a month, reporters came and interviewed the boy. Hesitatingly, he showed his wounded legs and said, “These are the wounds of evil.” Then he proudly showed his wounded hands caused by the mothers’ fingernails and said, “These are the wounds of love.”

The water and blood that came out from the side of Jesus was caused by humanity’s sin and wickedness. They were the “wounds of evil.” Jesus felt the physical and emotional pain of crucifixion, but when He humbly embraced the cross for our sake, the water and blood that came out from His heart became the sign of God’s unconditional love for us.

The water (symbol of Baptism) that flowed out from the side of Jesus purifies and cleanses our hearts from all our sins and selfishness. His blood inebriates our spirit and saves our soul. His wounds become the “wounds of love.”

Today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Let’s pray that our hearts will be transformed and be like the heart of Jesus – gentle, compassionate, forgiving, and ever ready to embrace and love humanity. Let’s pray that Jesus’ humble heart will console, inspire, and strengthen us to follow Him – to heal the wounds of others and stop adding pain to the already deeply wounded humanity.

Let this simple prayer of humility to the Sacred Heart be our guide and inspiration, “Lord, have mercy on me, make my heart like yours.”

From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of comfort and ease, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being criticized, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being passed over, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being lonely, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being hurt, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering, deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, strengthen me with your Spirit.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, teach me your ways.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
help me put my self importance aside
to learn the kind of cooperation with others
that makes possible the presence of your Abba's household.


Adapted from a prayer by Rafael, Cardinal Merry Del Val,
from the prayer book, For Jesuits, 1963, Loyola University

Anger-Revenge Virus

11th Week – Monday
Matthew 5: 38 – 42 “But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other
one to him as well.”


We hurt people because someone had hurt us. Think about it. The reason why we tend to hurt other people is because somewhere in our past, we were victims of others’ uncharitable acts. Most of the time, we are not aware of our temptation to retaliate, unfortunately, because of our frustration to get even or return the hurt done to us, we ended up hurting other people or hurting ourselves. Sometimes, we are not aware that we are already infected with the “anger-revenge” virus. In fact, this is more dangerous than the H1N1 Virus that is floating around the globe. H1N1 is now curable with the discovery of an anti-virus. But this “anger-revenge” virus will always threat us.

In our gospel today, when Jesus said, “offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. Should anyone ask you to walk for one mile, go with him for two miles.” (Matthew 5: 39.41). Jesus is giving us an antidote or cure to this highly infectious and dangerous virus that lives in our hearts. The only way to kill this virus is to stop it from spreading. Nursing a hurt will lead us to anger. Anger will lead us to hatred and hatred will lead us to revenge. Then in it becomes a vicious cycle. Anger breads more anger. And when anger virus controls and poisons one’s heart, he loses his sensitivity, self-control, and hurt people in small or in big ways, knowingly and unknowingly. It will never end. Like any other virus, it is very infectious. Revenge breads revenge. Someone has to stop it. Someone has to bear the pain, bear the blow, to stop it. Someone has to forgive. When one forgives, the cycle or the infection stops. In forgiveness, the person who forgives benefits most.

Now we can easily understand the silence of Jesus during His crucifixion: “Have you now answer to give to these accusations against you? But Jesus kept quiet.” (Matthew 26:62-63). He said nothing against His enemies and even prayed for them, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”(Luke 23:34). Jesus knows that revenge is not the solution, “Put your sword back in its place. Don’t you know that I could call on my Father for help, and at once He would send me more than twelve armies of angels?” ( Matthew 26:50-54). To absorb the pain and to forgive are the only antidote to this very infectious “anger-revenge” virus. Someone has to stop it. Someone has to do the sacrifice. Christ did it for us. Can we do that also for others?

Today, we are being called to forgiveness. We are being asked to swallow our pride and reverse the customary way of re-acting to injustices, uncharitable acts, persecution and unkind words against us. We are called to do the impossible. We are called to magis (to give more): to love our enemies and share our very best with them, the peace and love we have received from God. In doing so, we can be called real children of God.


"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we would find in each person's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


- Willy M. Samson,SJ
Ateneo de Zamboanga Chapel

The Pelican

Solemnity of Body and Blood of Christ
Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26 “Take it, this is my body…this is my blood…”



One of the oldest symbols for Jesus in Christian art is the pelican bird. In Medieval Europe, the pelican was thought to be particularly attentive and caring to her chicks. When a mother pelican failed to catch fish, she would strike her breast with her beak and feed her young with her blood to prevent them from starving to death.

This is precisely what Jesus did on the cross. His blood saved us. But He wanted more. He made a promise of continuing presence, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20) and a promise, “when I go, you will not be left alone, I will come back to you.”(John 14:18). And He fulfilled these promises by instituting the Eucharist.

Today as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, we thank our Lord for His unconditional generosity of sharing Himself - by feeding our spirits with His body and blood in the form of bread and wine. The Eucharist satisfies our spiritual hunger and thirst each time we partake in the Holy Communion. Each time we receive the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, we allow ourselves to commune with Him, and Him with us. The Eucharist nourishes us and gives us life. Such realization of Jesus living in our hearts should console and transform us into His likeness.

Unfortunately, we have taken for granted this wonderful sacrament. The celebration of the Eucharist becomes so ordinary and routine to us that we failed to see its importance in our lives. It is ironic that we are always asking for signs of God’s presence and yet we failed to see that the body and blood of Jesus we receive in the communion is the greatest sign of God’s real presence in our midst. We have taken for granted the Holy Eucharist, thus we’ve never fully experienced the hidden saving power of the sacrament in our life.

Think about these: If we say we believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, how come we are not excited to attend a Sunday Mass? Is attending Mass out of obligation or out of our heart’s desire? When was the last time you attend a weekday Mass because of your great desire to receive communion? If we believe that it is Jesus we receive in the Eucharist, how come we are still sad after communion and go home feeling empty? We are like the disciples in last week’s gospel, “they worship him but doubted.” (Matthew 28: 17). We are like shipwrecked sailors who died of thirst without realizing that their boat had drifted into a fresh water cove. They failed to dip their bucket into the fresh water. In our case, we failed to dip ourselves in faith into the mystery of the Eucharist. Thus, some of us, in spite of attending the mass, still went home with an empty heart and broken spirit.

We need to rediscover the importance of the Eucharist in us and in our families. The Eucharist is our home. It is in the Eucharist that we are forgiven, loved, and fed. When one cannot feel God’s presence in the Eucharist, we should not put all the blame to the priest for his unprepared homily, to the choir’s lousy singing or to the lector and commentator’s wrong pronunciation. We should transcend all human limitations and faults that may distract our participation in this saving mystery unfolding before us… the bread and wine becoming the body and blood of Jesus - for our spiritual nourishment. Our human senses cannot help us see the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine. Faith will help us. Believe in Jesus, “This is my body…this is my blood…” Participate prayerfully and listen attentively. And you will see and taste the goodness of the Lord in the Eucharist.

One monk says, "Being close to Christ is not a prize. He challenges us to earn. It is a gift. He invites us to accept."


- Fr. Willy M. Samson,SJ
St. Joseph Parish, Zamboanga City / June 14, 2009

The Three in Me

Feast of the Holy Trinity
Matthew 28: 16 – 20 “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”


Leo Buscaglia was asked to judge in a contest to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four-year-old child, whose next door neighbour was an old man, who recently lost his wife. When the child saw the old man crying, he climbed onto the old man’s lap, and just sat there. The next day, the old man was up and back to his old happy self. When he was asked what he said to the old man, the little boy just said, "Nothing, I just cried with him." Presence is always consoling and empowering.

Today as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity, our gospel shows us how the loving presence of Jesus did two wonderful things to his disciples: they were consoled and empowered; and commissioned them to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

We do believe in the Holy Trinity - three Persons in One God. We have accepted that full understanding of this Trinitarian dogma will elude us for the rest of our lives. It will remain a mystery to reckon until we finally meet God in heaven.

But the best way to understand how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit become one is not through Mathematics (for it will surely fail us) but by how they unitively relate to one another and how they reveal themselves to us in different ways. Three different ways of manifestation yet one loving God: The Son, by becoming like us, shares his eternal presence, “I am with you always, until the end of age.” The Father’s eternal protection and unconditional love provides our daily bread, protects us from all evil and empowers us to face our struggles in life. The Holy Spirit’s eternal light consoles and reminds us of the teachings of Jesus. Three different ways of manifestation but unitive in nature.

In our gospel today, when Jesus met the disciples in Galilee, “they worshipped him but doubted.” Somehow we can relate with the disciples here. We do believe in God. We pray and attend Mass regularly. But a part of us doubts God’s power and presence in our life. We still have some anxiety attacks, pockets of sadness, and unrecognized emptiness.

Today, beg the Holy Trinity to touch our hearts. Let the Holy Spirit consoles us. Believe that “all power in heaven and on earth has been given” to Jesus by God the Father and all your fear will disappear. Then say YES to lend a hand in the Trinity’s Enterprise of saving souls. The Trinitarian love (presence, consolation, empowerment) we have experienced should move us out of our selfishness, sins and comfort zones.

Our Jesuit theology professor in Loyola School of Theology attempted explaining to us the Trinitarian mystery for one semester, but he closed the course with an expected conclusion, “The Trinity is in the realm of mystery. No amount of words or logical explanation can fully grasp the mystery. Faith will do.” But faith is for the believers only.

For the unbelievers, the only way to understand the Trinity is through our examples, by becoming LIVING WITNESSES of the Holy Trinity’s loving presence in their lives. Be like the Son – be the presence of unseen God to others. Be like the Holy Spirit – guide and console people. Be like the Father – love unconditionally and empower people to discover their own giftedness. Witnessing is more convincing than explaining.

I don’t need to understand the Trinitarian mystery in its fullness. My experience of the Father’s unconditional love, the Son’s eternal presence and the Spirit’s consolation, are more than enough to wipe away my tears, move on, and face the day with a smile.


- Fr. Willy M. Samson, SJ
Santa Maria Parish, Iloilo City
June 7, 2009