“THE SPIRIT of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord,” Jesus reads this in the synagogue.
Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing. Attending the online mass, Fr. Arnel Aquino, S.J., challenges those running for office to give their years of service to the poor when elected. I look at this in reverse, with 9 years of God's given mandate by the people of Zamboanga have I brought upliftment na vida especialmente na pobre familia?
I was scheduled to deliver mi ultimo SOCA on January 24 but as we were making the final preparations, colleagues turned positive and some sent regrets to attend because of Covid. Personally too, my voice was hoarse and the possibility of being positive is not far. With prayers to our Blessed Mother Mary, we agreed to respect the situation and be sensitive to the needs of those suffering from Covid. We were also busy attending to two Covid patients, one with oxygen level at 80 past midnight.
Jesus teaches me to be sensitive to the needs of others. We need to respect the plight of others to share their burden and lighten the load. A mother of my student shared her difficulties in life and I listened as she unburdened her load. We need to listen to give people the chance to unload their difficulties. We might not give concrete solutions but the mere action of listening with encouragement for others to find hope in life. As Jesus did, he brought healing, forgiveness and recovery and the good news of Salvation that brought glad tidings to the poor.
This past week was devoted to reaching out to families even in remote areas within the City. I saw a beautiful path and went down to capture the beautiful scenery in photo. Since my knees were weak from carrying heavy loads for the outreach, especially last December, yan slide yo na camino y ya cay cerca ya roldia. Ya aguanta mi mano y después ya se levanta. This did not stop me from reaching out to families even with a heavy loads. Later I noticed bien duele ya mio pies. Since I cannot call Nang Cathie para suba, I had to diligently do my stretching to regain strength and healing.
As Christian Olasiman and I prepared the final touches for SOCA, I recall Sir Mars who did his work bringing his laptop even in the hospital amid his difficulties in breathing to help our City Government. Dr. Abelle Cajita, though she was from CDO, really helped uplift our competitiveness as a City. Sir Art Onrubia who reached out to the Elderly in pioneering programs. Exemplary individuals who went the extra mile to uplift our lives. We pray for their eternal joy with Jesus. They lived lives all to uplift others may we do the same as Jesus taught us! (MBC)
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