Powerful passion

Two Sundays ago, the Gospels told us about the "unfairness" of God’s love that went beyond what was legally fair and just. A week later, we were reminded that His love was even way beyond that — all the way to giving one’s very life for the sake of love. "Unless a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jan. 12: 24). Today, the Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we re-live once again how Christ Himself suffered through His Passion and Death for love of us, to bring us to new life, both here and hereafter.

As Jesus went through His Passion for our sake, we, too, are to go through our passions for the sake of others. It is in this way that we can lead others to new life, together with ourselves. The Passion of the Christ. We know now how powerful it is. Yes. Suffering is powerful. It saves. This is the love-story of Jesus, as well as our own. From the day He was born, all the way to His crucifixion, he suffered through human hardships, rejections, and crises. And so do we. As the late M. Scott Peck wrote in the very first line of his famous book, The Road Less Traveled, "Life is difficult."

Often, when we meet a crisis in life, many of us misinterpret it as a test from God. Isang pagsubok ng Panginoon. But the very word crisis is most meaningful. It comes from the Greek word Kpisis, which means turning point. A crisis is therefore not a test, much less a punishment, from God – but rather a graced opportunity to move forward to what I call the three G’s: one’s Growth, Greatness, and Godliness as a person, motivated by love.

This young woman is now 32 years old. At age 16, right after high school, she lost her father in a car accident. Her mother was a plain housewife, uneducated and unemployed. As the eldest of 3 children, this teenager suddenly felt responsible for herself and her family, although several relatives extended some help. She found a humble-paying job during the day, and continued her studies at night. You can imagine the hardships and sacrifices she had to go through at such an early age. She carried on as the veritable head of her family, until her 2 younger siblings finished their own education.

At age 28, she had a serious relationship with a boyfriend, who was pressuring her to get married, even after only six months of having known each other. She insisted that they needed much more time for their relationship to really grow and mature before marriage. He then pressured her to at least have premarital sex with him, for after all, they sincerely loved each other. This was clearly against her moral-spiritual values, which she patiently explained to him. This became a source of conflict between them, and after several weeks, he broke-off with her – just like that. She felt her whole world would collapse, but in God’s own time, she was able to recover. Today, she is a dedicated professional, an active member of a socio-spiritual renewal community, and looks to the future with inner peace. Her core value in life: "As long as I give my human best, God will take care of the rest."

This coming Maundy Thursday, our Marriage Encounter Communities will hold a recollection at the Teatro Enrile in Camp Aguinaldo, with our theme as: "Passions of the Family." I have invited an exceptional 40-year old husband-and-father to share his personal experience. He will come with his wife in a wheelchair and their 9-year old daughter.

Ten years ago, after giving birth to their first child, his loving and lovely wife suffered severe brain injuries that rendered her totally paralyzed and she lost her power of speech, although mentally aware and able to understand. She has been in this condition for the past 10 years. One cannot even begin to imagine the suffering she has been going through. And what about the husband’s own passion that he quietly but heroically carries every single day? Allow me to quote a tiny bit of this in his own words:

"We feed her, bathe her, clothe her, carry her, transport her, accompany her, care for her, love her…. She speaks with her body, her eyes, her facial expressions, her moans. The sounds that she makes in her attempt to communicate is often mistaken for crying… In her vulnerability and fragility, she invites us everyday to be gentle, to be selfless, to be caring, to be loving, to appreciate all that we have."

Amazing grace. A living miracle indeed. Growth. Greatness. Godliness.