WORD ALIVE

A patient, who was being wheeled into the operating room, pleaded with the young doctor: “Doc, ple…please be gentle with me; this…this is my first time to be operated on!”

The surgeon, who also looked nervous, glanced at her and blurted out: “Do…don’t worry, madam, this…this is also my first time to do an operation!” She almost passed out of nervous breakdown.

Entrusting ourselves in the hands of a surgeon, especially a first-timer, is human Faith. Spiritual faith is trusting in Jesus who said, “Don’t worry. Have faith in me; have faith in my Father.”

The theme of the 2^nd Sunday of Lent is faith. The Lord’s glorious transfiguration in this Sunday’s gospel (Mk 9:2-10) served as a spiritual booster to strengthen the faith of his disciples in the days to come when he would suffer terribly, nailed to the cross and die in Jerusalem, episodes we commemorate during Lent and Holy Week.

Transfiguration faith has mountain peak as well as low or valley moments in life. Peak experiences are moments of joy and fulfillment, like recovering from a critical illness, passing a bar or board exam, a long-awaited marriage, a visa to work abroad, a priestly ordination.

The low points of life are misfortunes like the death of a loved one due to Covid-19 pandemic, a severe financial crisis during this pandemic time, a failed marriage, a disability.

When such adversities hit us, we can feel discouraged and even lose hope in God. However, that should not be the Christian spirit. A good Christian should have the RESILIENCE to rise from hardships and sufferings, doing the best he can to overcome them.

This reminds me of the story of Filipina-American lady,  Jessica Cox, who was born without arms due to a rare birth defect. What’s amazing about her was that she can comb her hair, apply her own make-up, put on her contact lenses, play the piano, drive her car – USING ONLY HER FEET!

Jessica, daughter of William Cox and Inez Macabares, a Filipina from Guian, Eastern Samar, can do more. At age 14, she became a two-time black belter champion in Taekwondo in the US and after college, she became the first ever world’s first licensed armless pilot.

“My father taught me that I was never any different from the others. He never saw me as a victim of any disability. And because he didn’t see me as a victim, I never believed that I was one.”

 “From my mother, she said, ‘“I believe that God had a reason for creating you this way. He has allowed you to be His wonderful instrument to go out to the world and bring hope to many.’”

LESSON. Whatever seemingly insurmountable your difficulties may be like that of Jessica or poverty, sickness, or economic crisis from the pandemic, you can rise and succeed with steadfast faith and hope in God along with your spirit of resilience and perseverance.

 “WHAT YOU ARE IS GOD’S GIFT TO YOU. WHAT YOU BECOME IS YOUR GIFT TO GOD.”

THE LIGHTER SIDE. In the USA, a book titled: “How To Change Your Wife in 30 Days,” sold a million copies in one week. But the author discovered that the title had a spelling error!

The correct title should have been: “How to Change Your Life in 30 Days.” After the correction, for a whole month, only 3 copies were sold.

REFLECTION:   People are more interested in changing their wives rather than their own lives. By the way, it could be the other way around, too.

The above story shows that changing one’s moral and spiritual life or “changing one’s life” is not easy. But nobody is perfect so life is a continuing renewal, doing the will of God.

Roberto: My wife wants to lose weight, so she rides horseback. Friend: And what’s the result? Roberto: The horse lost 20 pounds!

LENTEN PENANCE. As a penitential sacrifice in this season of Lent, how about chipping in an amount or sponsoring a seminarian’s schooling for one year?

Please remember: without seminarians we cannot have priests, missionaries and bishops.

For inquiry, e-mail me at: or send donation through my BDO savings account: Fr. Isabelo San Luis #000220051623. Thank you.

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