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
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