Spirit-power

No. It was not money-power. He was just an ordinary carpenter. Neither was it political power. He was rejected from the very beginning by the influentials of the day. Much less was it military power, for his followers were simple fishermen – defenseless and unarmed.

Spirit-power. This was what possessed him, when he lined up like the rest and was baptized by John. After that, the world was never the same again. You either accept or reject him – but you cannot ignore him. For he was one of us, one among us, showing us the way to the Father. The spirit of God descended upon him, and a voice was heard from above, saying: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." (From Today’s Gospel reading, Mk. 1:7-11).

All that Christ was and all that Christ did emanated from this Spirit-power. And so every one of us who has been baptized like him, can allow himself/herself to be possessed by this Spirit-power and be like him, and do as he did.

Integrity of life. Fearless loving. Courageous living and dying. This is the history of every human person possessed by Spirit-power.

Jose Rizal’s heroic life of fearless dedication to his beloved country, condemned as a traitor, all the way to his martyrdom. Spirit-power.

Ninoy Aquino’s decision to come home from exile – knowing the threat to his own life. All this he did for the sake of righteousness and love of country. Spirit-power.

Jaime Cardinal Sin’s unforgettable radio message to his people that led them to EDSA as a collective protest against the Marcos regime. Spirit-power.

In more recent times, those moments of grace from Chavit Singson, Clarissa Ocampo, Ed Espiritu, our Magnificent Eleven from Congress, ten admirable Senators, and that grand old man Davide – all from Spirit-power.

The thankless and heroic task of Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo – working on a huge backlog of graft cases at the Sandiganbayan. There are thousands of pending cases with only 45 public prosecutors working with the Ombudsman. There is a proposed Senate Bill No. 1543 which seeks to allow the appearance of private lawyers in the Sandiganbayan to prosecute graft cases. To involve the private sector, including you and me, in fighting against graft and corruption, is no more and no less than Spirit-power. The culture of corruption in all sectors of society is the greatest evil in our life as a nation.

And to unite us all in our huge task of nation-building without political factionalism, our President made her humble and Spirit-inspired decision not to run for re-election in 2004. She can then dedicate all her efforts to moving our most crucial national programs for the remaining months of her administration.

Each one of us, on our part, is called for the Lord to courageously live by the Spirit-power we received through our baptism. In our personal, family, and community life. So that in our quiet moments, we can hear a voice from within, saying: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."