Pastor's Corner

In my July 20 bulletin message, I mentioned about the accident that happened to me on June 6, 1970. Many years have already passed but the events are still fresh in my mind. Let me elaborate the details of this incident. As I’ve mentioned, “I was rushed to the hospital, diagnosed with broken thigh bone, had surgery, and was confined for some weeks in the ward”. The healing process did not come that quick. Recuperation was difficult and had to be dealt with gradually.

During that time, as I had mentioned also, my parents’ loving care and fervent prayers to God became the source of my strength. This was where I witnessed how grounded they were in their faith, which later on had a great impact on me.

After my series of treatments at the Orthopedic Hospital in the city and each time we went home to the province, we would stop at a famous Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (in Baclaran, Manila). My parents would leave me inside the car since my leg was still in a cast , and they would spend some time in prayer. And here is the thing, I would see them from afar , crying while walking on their knees in prayer from the entrance of the big church all the way to the sanctuary, pleading and begging for God’s mercy for my recovery. Like the woman in our gospel it seemed they were telling God, “Our son is severely injured, Lord help us, help our son to recover, have pity on us.” For them, this gesture of sacrifice by walking on their knees was a way to show how sincere they were in what they were asking from God. You may call it devotional, but it was a unique gesture of their faith.

Their pleading for God’s help involved patience, persistence, perseverance, insistence or fighting spirit. They were really determined to “knock on the doors of heaven with prayers or to storm heaven with their knocking”. I understood their feelings since this involved their only boy who is also their youngest child. Little did they know at that time that this child will become a priest of God.

At the latter part of my recovery, there were some coincidences that happened. I was confined again in a hospital with a name, Perpetual Help Hospital. One of my aunts suggested that instead of going back and forth from the province to the city, why don’t we look for a temporary residence in the city. And we were offered to stay in a residence where the nearby parish’s name is Perpetual Help Church. Many relatives and friends who sent me some cards for my recovery would insert prayer cards (stampitas) bearing the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. We may call it coincidence, but it can turn out to be a providence. Thanks to the intercession of our Blessed Mother with her Perpetual Help. It is also a good occasion to remember her, especially last Friday on the Feast of her Assumption, August 15.

After all the prayers and professional medical treatment I had, I finally regained my health, strength and ability to walk. Praise God for his kindness.

We can conclude then, when God sees how great the faith of people, it will be done for them as they desire. Though both of my parents are now deceased and are not saints due to human imperfection, what they did for me in the spirit of prayer can be considered as “saintly”. Their faith and their love is what mattered after all.

Fr. Ted Magpayo

Pastor

Praying On A Rough Sea

During my missionary work in Papua New Guinea (PNG), I was once assigned in a small volcanic island called “Manam”. If you will search it on the internet, it is now an abandoned island due to a massive volcanic eruption in the late 90’s, just about the time I left PNG in 1997. The island people here are typically conservative and even ‘preservative’; for no matter what happens, even in an eruption, they won’t leave “their” island.

People in mainland PNG have a play of words/letters: MANAM, read straight or backwards spells the same, as its people remain the same and won’t change. Wow… that sounds challenging to any missionary whose work is to be an agent of change. But I heard the government was able to convince them to evacuate to a safer place in mainland PNG during one major

eruption.

Nevertheless, this preconceived information did not discourage me from doing apostolic-missionary work there for I found the people welcoming and they value very much family and friendship. I first learned their language and then their culture which is rich in songs. They love music and singing! Their local songs are still in my head up to this time.

The trip from the mainland to this island takes only about an hour and 15 minutes by boat, if the sea (Bismarck Sea) is calm. But when the sea is rough (“Maasi igoala”) it can take three hours! There was a frightening incident, it was March 25 then, when returning to the island riding a small boat, with 3 companions, one of them a nun, we experienced a “white squall”(a whirlwind at sea or a violent disturbance of small radius indicated by whitecaps and turbulent water). That was one incident in my life where I thought would be the end of me. We were holding our wet rosaries in prayer until we disembarked. During the trip, our boat was beaten/ tossed by strong waves and winds. It sounds the same like the disciples’ experience in the gospel. I remember when a turbulent wave would hit us, our voices too become louder in prayer. So frightening! And when we finally reached the port of the island, people flocked to us, not only to welcome us but asked, “How were you able to make it, it is a rough sea?! (Bakaraka Kupura, Maasi igoala?!). Even the local people were wondering how we made it.

I recall, in the middle of the trip, the motor man was asking me if we need to go back to cancel our trip, but I felt that we were ALREADY travelling and ALMOST close to our destination. Why QUIT? Though I knew it was RISKY, this was the time to show FAITH and TRUST in God.

In our gospel, Peter was distracted, he was already walking on water, and he almost reached where Jesus was… When trials, temptations, adversities, troubles, difficulties, calamities, struggles come our way like a “life-threatening storm”, how do we take it?

While Jesus was not with them in the boat, he watched for them in prayer. The Lord keeps watch over us at all times. When calamities or trials threaten to overwhelm us, do we respond with faith and hope in God's love, care and presence with us?

Fr. Ted Magpayo

Pastor