How does one preach about the great mystery of Christ’s Ascension in light of recent events that rocked our nation’s faith: the Maute
group’s brazen attack on Marawi City and the subsequent declaration of Martial
Law in the whole island of Mindanao? Does our celebration connect with our
people’s fear of terrorism and wariness of possible abuse under Martial Law?
In Mathew 20,25-28, He taught us what it means to wield power. “You
know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make
their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever
wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first
among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be
served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The powerful in the world today, as in Jesus’ time, still like to
consolidate more power for themselves. The unscrupulous ones do so by violence
and deceit. The more dangerous ones couch their ambitions in some lofty vision,
capitalizing on people’s fears and frustrations to get what they want. This is
the way of terrorists and dictators. They don’t conform to the power of Christ
for they don’t want to serve but to be served, they don't care as much for collateral damage so long as they can further their cause.
2. Proclaiming Christ. From
His power comes a mandate. He sent His disciples on a mission to spread the
Good News, make other disciples, baptizing and teaching them so they observe
all that He has commanded. The Good News is not some mere report of events no
matter how significant for our salvation, nor is it about doctrines or wise
teachings. The Good News is the person of Christ Himself; when it is preached
the end goal is not just belief but relationship with Christ Himself.
When it comes to preaching I find myself drawn to the words often
attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “At all times preach the Gospel, sometimes
with words.” There is an even shorter term for this: witnessing. The most
eloquent preaching anyone can do is the witness of a person’s actions and way
of life.
During the crisis in Marawi, we may have seen frightening footages of
fighting and bloodshed, but there is also a wellspring of stories of witnessing.
A group of non-Muslim students were trapped for two days in a dormitory inside
the campus of Mindanao State University. As terrorists roamed the campus, their
Muslim classmates gave them moral support and protection, and even facilitated
their rescue. Even now there are many civil society organizations which are
mobilizing relief efforts for evacuees who fled to Iligan City and those still
trapped in Marawi.
3. The Peace of Christ. He
promised: “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28,20). Our
liturgy today describes the Ascension this way: “He ascended not to distance
Himself from our lowly state but that we, His members, might be confident of
following where He, our Head and Founder, has gone before” (Preface I of the
Ascension). And even before we reach our final destination, He promised to send
us His Spirit, to be another Advocate to guide us to all truth (Jn 14,26).
Where Christ’s Spirit is, there is peace. Philippians 4,7 says: “the
peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus.” Christ’s Spirit and promise enables us to pray and hope. What
is it that we pray for in this time of crisis?
Foremost, we pray for the safe and immediate release of Fr. Chito
Suganob and other hostages still being held by the terrorists. May they find
strength and hope in the peace of Christ at their time of need. We pray that no
harm fall upon our police and military forces keeping peace and order. We pray
for the conversion of hearts of those who instigated the crisis and continue to
live a life of violence. We pray for the end of the crisis and quick recovery
of Marawi City. We pray that Martial Law be limited and short.
The Spirit of Christ leads us to truth and brings peace. When we welcome His Spirit, we are enabled to
pray for ourselves as well as our enemies, and inspired to dream dreams not
just for ourselves and pursue visions of a better country.