Salamat, Panginoon, salamat

Inspired once again by today’s Gospel incident about that grateful, Samaritan leper (Lk. 17: 11-19) to the point of being autobiographical, allow me to publicly share with you, dear readers, my never-ending gratitude to the Lord for all that He has been and has done for me up to this point in my life.

I will turn 73 this year, and as far as I know from statistics, the average lifespan of the Filipino male is between 60 and 65 years old. So I am now living on bonus time. Not only that. I have undergone two coronary angioplasty procedures due to blocked arteries, and am on maintenance medicines.

Looking back at my life of more than seven decades, I am simply overwhelmed by the boundless love and mercy of God in countless ways. First of all, I was born to an ordinary couple who led extraordinary lives. They were a most loving couple, and as such were the envy of their friends. All the way to the end, when my mother passed away at the age of 57, they were literally the closest of friends and the most passionate of lovers. Amazing grace indeed. You can imagine how I grew up with so much inner security, affection, and peace — raised by such dedicated parents.

My father’s entire life was focused on just two areas of concern: his family and his work. To love and to work, as Freud would say. He had absolutely no vices that brought problems to his family. And his marital fidelity to my mother was total and untarnished, inspite of the fact that he was an attractive, good-looking man. As an army officer during World War II, he was a survivor of Bataan, the infamous Death March, and the concentration camp.

My equally attractive mother was a fulltime housewife and mother. Her vibrant personality and affectionate character were contagious, and her generosity with people was unlimited. She was my father’s constant companion in his business trips abroad, which also served as their continuing honeymoon. Their spirituality was less focused on rituals, and more on a day-to-day living centered on love.

So when people ask me how come I ended up in family ministry as the focus of my priestly work, only one answer comes straight from my heart: I am inspired to share with as many people as possible what I have personally experienced with my own parents! I am by no means canonizing them as saints, for like all of us, they had their own share of human defects and limitations. But overall, I could never thank the Lord enough for giving me parents like them.

As for my priestly formation in the Society of Jesus, I have always felt "spoiled" by God in placing me under formators, both here and abroad, who were genuinely caring and understanding. And in the midst of all this, Lord, you kept healing me from my sinfulness and woundedness, as you healed those ten lepers of old.

Even in the darkest moments of my life – like when each one of my beloved parents passed away, or when two of my dear nephews died suddenly at the prime of their youth —

I felt your presence, sharing my grief and pain of loss. What comes to me now are those words of Footprints in the Sand:

"One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, at other times there was only one. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, "You promised me, Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there was only one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, you were not there for me?" And the Lord replied, "Those times when you only saw one set of footprints, my child, were the times I carried you."

Salamat, Panginoon, salamat.