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