Holy Mass for the 24th Tuesday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Homily by Fr. Daniel Voltaire Hui

Quiapo Church, 17 September 2019

Isang magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.

Ang Ebanghelyong ating narinig ay muling… isa nanamang pagpapakita ng Awa at Habag ni Hesus, muling nahabag at naawa si Hesus. Nakita ni Hesus ang libging ng kaisa-isang anak na lalaki ng isang balo, kaya naman naawa at nahabag si Hesus. Bakit naawa? Bakit nahabag si Hesus? Alam niyo po noong panahon ni Hesus, tanging lalaki lang ang puwedeng magtrabaho, ang mga babae hindi puwedeng magtrabaho, tanging mga lalaki lang ang binibilang sa lipunan ang mga babae hindi kabilang, kaya yung babaeng balo walang asawa – balo nga eh, di ba? Walang magtratrabaho para sa kanya, namatay pa yung kaisa-isa niyang anak na lalaki, na sana yun yuong tutulong sa kanyang buhay, na sana yun yong mag-aahon sa kanya, yun yong makakaagapay niya sa buhay kasi yun lang ang puwedeng magtrabaho para siya’y mabuhay ngunit namatay pa. Balo na, namatayan pa ng anak na lalaki, kaya naman ano na lang ang mangyayari sa balong iyon? Kaya ganoon na lang ang awa at habag ni Hesus.

Pangalawa, dahil alam ni hesus ang pakiramadam kung paanong maging isang balo spagkat ang kanyang ina, si Maria, ay naging balo rin pero hindi katulad ni Maria itong balong babaeng na ito, namatay yung lalaki. Kaya nga kung fast forward tayo, maalala natin yung kuwento ni Hesus habang siya’y nakapako sa Krus, hindi ba nung mamamatay ni siya, ibinilin niya si Maria kay Juan, sa kanyang pinakamamahal, (cf. Jn. 19, 25-27) bakit?kasi alam niya wala nang magtratrabaho para sa kanyang ina, ganon ang kalagayan ng isang balo, isang balong namatayan pa ng anak. Awa at Habag.

Ngunit itong awa at habag ni Hesus, hindi lang nauwi sa pakikiramay, tayo pag mayroon tayong kilalang namatayan, nakikiramay tayo, dumadalaw tayo, puwedeng maki-iyak, puwedeng nalungkot tayo pero yung kay Hesus yung awa at habag niya may kasamang pagdamay. Damay, kasama siya doon sa pagdurusa, kaya tinulungan niya yung balo.

Ito yung hamon sa atin, hindi lang makiramay kundi dumamay kasama ka, gumawa ka ng isang bagay na makakatulong, huwag ka lang maki-iyak, huwag ka lang makinig, huwag ka lang tumangis, makidamay. Yung dating ikaw na may sakit, noong ikaw ay gumaling, damayan mo naman yung ibang maysakit, turuan mo kung paano ka gumaling, ituro mo kung ano ang ginawa mo. Yung OFW ka sa ibang bansa at may nakilala kang bagong OFW o bagong salta lang sa bansang iyon, tulungan mo, turuan mo kasi hindi madali ang karanasan doon. Yoong nakilala mong isang babae na may pinagdadaanan sa kanilang pagsasama mag-asawa dahil ikaw ay nakaranas din ng ganoon, tulungan mo, gabayan mo. Yung dating ikaw ay nagipit, kaya pag mayroong isang taong gipit, alam mo yung pakiramdam, tulungan mo, turuan mo.

Ito yung hamon sa atin, huwag lang maawa, huwag lang makitangis, kundi dumamay at gumawa. Ang awa at habag hindi lang isang pagtangis kundi isang pagpapakita ng awa, habag na mayroong gawa. Amen.

[translation]

Good morning to all of you.

The Gospel we heard was … once again a manifestation of Jesus’ Mercy and Compassion, once again, Jesus showed having Mercy and Compassion. Jesus saw the burial of a widow’s only son, so Jesus had Mercy and Compassion. Why he had pity? Why was Jesus merciful? You know in Jesus’ day, only men could work, women couldn’t work, only men in society counted women not included, so the widow was single – right, right? No one would work for her, and her only son died, the one who would help her life,  the one that would take care of her, that he could live her life, because he could only work for her to survive but he died. After all, she’s a widow and the son had just died, so what would happen to that widow? So that’s just the Mercy and Compassion of Jesus.

Second, because Jesus knew how to be a widow because his mother, Mary, was also a widow, but unlike Mary, this widow, the man died. So if we fast forward, we can remember the story of Jesus as he was crucified, when he was about to die, he entrusted Mary to John, his beloved, (cf. Jn. 19, 25-27) why? because he knew no one would work for his mother, such is the case of a widow, a widow who has lost her child. Mercy and Compassion.

But this Mercy and Compassion of Jesus, not only leads to sympathy, we, when we know a person who died, we sympathise, we visit, we can cry, we can be sad but Jesus his mercy and compassion has sympathy. Sympathy, he was there in suffering, so he helped the widow.

This is our challenge, not just empathy but sympathy with you, do something that helps, don’t just cry, don’t just listen, don’t just weep, sympathise. When you used to be sick, when you were cured, help others who were sick, to teach them how you were healed, to teach what you did. If you are an OFW overseas and you have met a new OFW or just leaped in that country, help, educate because the experience there is not easy. Those of you who know a woman who has had a difficult time with their marriage because you have experienced the same, help, guide. You used to be desperate, so when someone is desperate, you know how to feel, help, teach.

This is our challenge, not only to feel sorry, not to mourn, but to sympathise and to act. Mercy and Compassion are not just a lamentation but an expression of mercy, compassion with action. Amen.