Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Eugene Docoy SVD – University of San Carlos, Cebu City
January 5 – Before Epiphany
In one SVD Inter-Provincial meeting, the president of an association of former SVDs proposed a program of collaboration with the SVDs in the Philippines. I was impressed by their dedication and commitment to partner with the SVDs in the mission field.
An encounter with the Lord and subsequent experience of His goodness is an awesome experience of excitement, happiness and deep faith. It generates in anyone an undying sense of trust and gratitude. This is what happened to Nathanael. When he saw the Lord he made a confession and an emphatic assent to the kingship of Jesus, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
The ex-SVDs who long to pursue works for the poor in their different capacities as lawyers, businessmen, educators, etc. in collaboration with the SVDs must have shared closeness with the Lord, similar to that of Nathanael. Their encounter with the Lord and experiences of blessings from Him triggered in them a similar sense of service even if they have already chosen a life different from that of being consecrated religious.
The Lord’s call is strong and irresistible yet gentle and impelling. When he called the apostles, there was no second guessing. The response to God’s call is deliberate and decisive as in the case of Philip’s as featured in this gospel. Nathanael did not join the 12, but he internalized and lived a life of obedience to the Lord.
We all have encountered and experienced the goodness of the Lord. It is just right that we return that goodness to Him in ways we can – by being faithful to God’s calling, generous to the hungry, a consolation to the lonely and the desperate, and an inspiration to those who have lost hope.
One comment