Ordinary ‘lay faithful’ not “Pastor”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 897 – 913) defines the role, mission and vocation of the lay faithful, the ”laity”.  Through the Sacrament of Baptism, ”we are incorporated into Christ and integrated into the People of God, are made sharers in their particular way in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ” (CCC 897).

Judy and I delivered our respective “life testimony” or the “story of the Lord in our life” last March 22, 2014.

Four (4) days later, I was one among the 28 godparents or principal sponsors of Luther V. Dejadena and Ma. Kristine Hope L. Ibañez during their wedding at Metropolitan Cathedral, Cebu City.  Their wedding date (March 26, 2014) is personally significant to me because 38 years ago, I graduated from the Visayas State College of Agriculture (ViSCA) to earn a degree in agricultural education.

In God’s appointed time, I met and actively interacted with one of my co-sponsors during the reception.  Wittingly and with a good sense of humor, he tried to qualify what it is to be “past Thor” and “present Thor”.  (Looking back at my life, “it is past, Nestor!”)

He is Bro. Allan Abelgas, Oasis of Love and co-host of “Paghigmata” CCTN TV 47 program every Monday, 9 – 10 pm.

Days earlier, Judy and I were requested by the Phil. Coconut Authority (PCA Reg. 7) to be part of the “stress debriefing” program for PCA Reg. 8 employees.  That unexpected invitation was through Ms. Bing Escoton.  Without hesitation, we readily accepted the responsibility because we were too excited for a reunion with co-alumni and previous co-workers from the Visayas Agricutural College (VAC) later on renamed the Visayas State College of Agriculture (ViSCA), Baybay, Leyte. 

We were not given specific function but allotted an hour with the 30 participants.  With Judy and our daughter, Marianne Claire ready to help me facilitate, I prepared an outline employing the “Look, Listen, Love Method” of life sharing we gained from our active involvement with the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP). 

In the afternoon of the day before the schedule, the team from PCA Central Office met  us. But, before we were formally introduced to each other, the psychological counselling expert from UP Diliman was already ”blowing her trumpet”. The 1-hour allotment to deal with “looking at life”; “listening to God” and “loving in action” was simply rejected with her claim that she is the one being paid.  Unsure about her religion, I was uneasy and stressed with her over-emphasis for the need of a pastor with the abilities of a certain Pastor Villanueva who has an evangelical TV program to deliver the inspirational message.  They expected inspirational messages full of Biblical verses.

After more than 2 hours of stressful deliberation, Judy and I agreed to deliver our life story. But then again, they were apprehensive that we will be boasting our achievements.  They were not sure whether we can inspire the participants.  Not knowing about BCBP, I readily “stood up for Jesus”.  In that instant, I remembered our “multi-disciplinary team’s” visit to upstate New York, U.S.A. in 1984.  I bought and  proudly wore the Hanes t-shirt with its print, ”Yes, there is a Chateague!”.  At that very moment, I readily proclaimed, “Yes, there is BCBP!  We are active members and we will deliver the inspirational message following the BCBP culture.”  Instead of the one (1) hour allotment, we agreed a maximum of 30 minutes delivery.

We arrived at the venue an hour earlier than the schedule but we were required to deliver soon.  Dismaying, annoying and distracting was the flashing of the “5 mins. left” for Judy’s testimony on “prayer, service and surrender” on a personal level. At a national and global scenario, I delivered, “God’s creative intentions” posted December 16, 2013 @ www.nestofglory.blogspot.com that fitted in the participants' experienced trauma with Super Typhoon Yolanda.  I was subjected to the same irritating flashes of the “5 mins. left” that reminded me of the same experience when I delivered the talk, Repentance and Faith in a Christian Life Program in a BCBP Chapter in Cebu City many years ago.  Although we felt being harassed and unwanted, we tried our best to set the tone of their day-long “stress debriefing”.  Judy and I received our respective certificates of appreciation though. 

In the conduct of the Brotherhood Christian Marriage Retreat (BCMR) at the Consolacion Chapter, Judy and I used to deliver the talk, “Serving God Through Christian Marriage” defining the role of the husband and father as pastoral head of our “domestic church”, our family. However, the title ”pastor” is not applied to the Catholic Church but to other religious denomination.

My younger brother being converted as “Jehovah’s witness” by marriage was off-guard and did not expect the striking question of our father, “Ruben, pastor ka na sa inyong reliheyon?”  Once serving as Catechist in Christ the King Parish, Alang-alang, Mandaue City for four (4) consecutive years, I saved him from humiliation and readily explained to the satisfaction of our father who used to serve as Lay Minister himself at a younger age.

Our voluntary service to deliver the inspirational message for the PCA Reg. 8 employees was a ‘labor of glory’, an “Opus gloriae, the fundamental destiny of every creature and above all of man, who was created in order to become in Christ, the priest, prophet and king of all earthly creatures” (Crossing the Threshold of Hope by His Holiness Pope John Paul II. p.18). nmg

Prayer, service and surrender by Judy P. Gloria

My dear brothers and sisters, Good Morning! How are you today? We are so glad to be with you this morning. 

The life testimony I am sharing with you is inspired by a verse in the Book of Psalms, “Because they cling to Me, I will rescue them says the Lord, I will protect those who know My Name” (Ps 91:14).

In each person’s life, there is always a moment of truth, reality and acceptance. I always see this in lives of the persons I am mentoring. Mine came last January 20, 2013 the day Cebu celebrated Sinulog Mardi Gras in honor of Señor Santo Niño.  I experienced shortness of breath accompanied by severe chest and back pains. I passed out. The reality of my situation was clear. I was on death’s hour.  Silently, I kept praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy asking for a happy and quick death. The naked truth of my unpreparedness flashed like lightning. I saw my baggage of ill feelings, my arrogance, my pride, my bitterness, my unwillingness to forgive. My only refuge was God’s mercy. I asked for the impossible, “I could not imagine myself using a cane as a third leg. It was between happy death and full recovery and nothing in between.” My feeling was like a pendulum swinging from pleading, arguing, helplessness and finally acceptance.

God willed me to live! I was discharged after 5 days in the Intensive Care Unit. But my health was still downhill. I could not do any physical work because I felt so weak. My prayer life has become my major activity. I ask God to put me back on my feet, my activities and community services since He granted me another chance to live. Day in and day out, in my waking moments, I bombarded Heaven to put me back in my feet. Praying without ceasing . . . and in four (4) months, God answered my pleadings. I was able to attend a health wellness seminar. I decided to stop all my synthetic maintenance medication. Simply changing the kind of food I eat reversed my health condition. I lost a total of 17 kgs body weight. What was so impossible has become easy and very possible.

Last August 2013, I gave myself a birthday gift. Together with few friends, I joined a Silent Retreat at Mountain Pines Place, Bukidnon, conducted by the Sisters of the Opus Dei. How can I appreciate a retreat with silence and my personal journal as companions and all alone in my room? The instruction was, write one or two realizations that could be implemented.  This retreat was a big mistake. I presumed it was a retreat like the ones I usually attended where we share reflections in small groups.

Every now and then I saw participants taking pictures. I always avoid group pictures because I could not see any beauty in my face and figure! But I followed suit for lack of something to do. And behold, I was able to capture the face of a strict, frowning, unhappy woman. The previous day lecture was “GOD WANTS ME TO BE HAPPY!”  So I took another selfie picture, this time smiling and …what a transformation! I now join group pictures with a smile always pasted on my face. I will remember that God wants me to be happy always! That was my first workable reflection entered into my journal. For a person not used to express this emotion, well, it is an effort.

A priest was always available for confession during the retreat. I took the opportunity to unload my miserable feeling. His first question was, “why are you angry?” My lame answer was, “I could not remember!” His reply, “Are there some expectations not met? Still I gave a confused answer. Finally, he instructed “when you can remember, then comeback!”

The following day, we were introduced to two simple steps to forgiveness. First step: excuse a person’s doing, action, words when you feel hurt but no sin has been committed or it is not the intention of the doer to hurt. Do not believe on messages passed to you because the circumstance and emotion when the messages were expressed could not be passed on. Believe when it is said directly to you. It is your ego that has been hurt? . . . . Ah. . . that was why I forgot the reason of my anger. SO EXCUSE STARTING TODAY! This was my second doable reflection written in my journal.

 

Second step: Decide to forgive anyone who has sinned against you! Ah very tall order but difficult to implement. It was the second statement that gave me the wisdom to follow! We, you and I are all sinners, Jesus decided to forgive! He took the first move to reconciliation even though He has not sinned! I DECIDE TO FORGIVE! This was the third entry to my journal.

After I decided to be HAPPY, to EXCUSE and to FORGIVE, many long overdue petitions were answered. The many answered prayers that were personal and those requested were tremendous. I am amazed at the Power of God and His Perfect Timing. One significant grace received is the mending of my relationship with our eldest and married daughter. This is a 15 years old prayer petition.

Our youngest and only son decided to quit college this semester to pursue his passion in cooking. It was mind blowing for us. Nestor and I took refuge in prayers, waited and reflected on God’s wisdom. One reason I did not consent was I could not imagine him called “kusenero” and how much do we pay Kuseneros? But God provided us the means to enroll him in an International Culinary Arts Academy in Cebu City (ICAAC) and their graduates are called “Chefs”. Ah class na! Ok na ko! Chefs earn big money!

Our middle child is an Applied Physics graduate. After her graduation she wanted to study further on Medical Physics. Since this entails radiations and the like, we did not support her but instead prayed what is best for her and waited. She is now gaining prominence as she develops her skills in Live Blood Analysis (LBA) being part of the medical team of her networking business. Soon, she will be opening her LBA and Healthy food center in Mandaue City.  All these are answered prayers.

One universal law is the giving back to God our treasure, time and talents. We give tithes to our community and chosen parish.  Nestor, my sister and I went to the parish where our coconut farm is located to give our tithes derived from the farm income last December 16, 2013. When we arrived late in the afternoon, the rectory was closed. A gardener was around, so we inquired for the priest. He went inside and brought along the cook. The cook informed us that the priest was asleep and should not be disturbed because it was the first day of Mesa de Gallo. My sister and I waited outside wondering what to do. In silence, I prayed and asked for Divine intervention. We traveled for two (2) hours just for nothing? The cook made us enter the rectory and disappeared. Since the parish priest was new, we were not able to recognize him when he went out from a room. We exchanged greetings and introduced ourselves. We informed him of our intention to give our tithes.

The parish priest was teary eyed when he thanked us being the answer of his day-long prayer for financial assistance to repair part of the church roofing destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda. We became God’s instruments to answer his prayer.  He was very grateful and amazed for the amount we gave was three (3) times more than what he prayed for. Isn’t God so amazing?

To pray without ceasing is our life-line to God. Service is our paying forward for the graces received and answered prayers. Returning back to God a portion of our treasure, time and talent is our submission to His ownership of everything that we are and have. We acknowledge we are nothing without God and His Divine Providence.

Brothers and sisters I am your humble servant, Judy Perez Gloria an agriculturist by profession; a real estate lessor by business and a health wellness consultant by hobby. I am married to Nestor M. Gloria also an agriculturist and a real estate lessor and a blogger as hobby.  We have three children and three grandchildren.

The Lord promises us, “When they call Me, I will answer, in time of trouble, I will be with them, I will deliver and honor them, I will satisfy them with long life, and show them My salvation” (Ps 91:15-16).

Your being here today is not a coincidence. The Lord protected you from the snares of super typhoon Yolanda because you called His Name!

Thank you and have a blessed and enjoyable day!