The WORD in other words (2022) by Fr Roger Bag-oa SVD – Cebu City
Saturday 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
A government irrigation project in my parish in Palawan took several years to be realized. When I asked the engineer why it took them too long to implement the project, his answer to me was: “because we had to find a good site along the Apurawan river where there is a solid rock where we can anchor the foundation of the dam.” Many years had passed since this dam was finished, and it has withstood typhoons and floods and continues to be of service to the farmers in my parish, making their farms more productive.
Another government project in my parish, a two-classroom building, was sponsored by a politician running for governor. He promised the people to allocate one million pesos for this purpose and that it will be finished in less than two months, in time before the election ban. Indeed, the promise was delivered accordingly. He got the votes during the election, but two years after, the building collapsed at the onset of a strong typhoon. Soon people discovered, that the foundation was too shallow and the cables were undersized.
The above illustrations depict the same picture as today’s Gospel. Jesus is telling us to bear good fruits, and this bearing can only be possible if we are anchored in solid, sincere, and true fundamentals. Experience has taught us that meaningful results can only be possible if started with correct motivations, tedious processes, and earnest efforts.
A good tree can only produce good fruits, while a bad tree could never produce good ones. Let us go, therefore, and be rooted in the gospel values to bear good in abundance.
