Listening to Fr. Mario speak is always a blessed moment, whether it be on TV or in person. This Tuesday’s teaching is no different from the other times we heard him talk. He is as passionate, as learned and as eager to share God’s word and love.
The topic of John the Baptist comes alive in his extemporaneous teaching making it relevant through the devotion to the Black Nazarene and the hero that is 1st Lt Francis Damian.
When Jesus was baptized by John, it was so that he could belong to the family of Mary and Joseph so He can be introduced to the world, so that He can belong to the family of man.
Our sacrament of baptism, the tangible sign that grace is given happens, to cleanse us of our original sin, to become a child of God, heirs to His kingdom, and part of the chosen people beloved by God.
It is when the priest says, “ Now child, I claim you for Christ in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ” that we in turn belong to the family of God.
The feeling of belonging is engrained in our hearts and spirits so much so that the devotion to the seemingly archaic Black Nazarene draws over 3 million people every year. Three million people who belong to this devotion of prayer (pagdarasal), obedience (pagsunod) and witness (pagsaksi) to the greatness, love and care of our Lord.
Fr. Mario talks of a young soldier from a family of soldiers who died in Zamboanga. He was a true lieutenant of God. He knew that he was put on this earth to serve his God by serving his country. His passion and devotion was such that before he died he quoted Erma Bombeck in one of his journal entries, “As I stand before God at the end of my life, ‘I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left because I have given it all to you.’”
From our baptism when we first belong to the family of God, to when we have to face Him and hopefully able to say these same words to belong to Him eternally, that the in between of our lives are spent in ‘living up to the dignity’ of the life He has so joyfully given us.
by Marga Baula