The Philippine Online Chronicles

Jesus said to the Jews, “My Father goes on working and so do I.” And the Jews tried all the harder to kill him, for Jesus not only broke the Sabbath observance, but also made himself equal with God, calling him his own Father.

Jesus said to them,”Truly I assure you, the Son cannot do anything by himself but only what he sees the Father do. And whatever he does the Son also does. The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does; and he will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed.

As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whom he wills. In the same way the Father judges no one, for he has entrusted all judgment to the Son, and he wants all to honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever ignores the Son, ignores as well the Father who sent him.

Truly, I say to you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life…Truly, the hour is coming and has indeed come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and, on hearing it, will live. For the Father has life in himself and he has given to the Son also to have life in himself. And he has empowered him as well to carry out Judgment, for he is a son of man.

Do not be surprised at this: the hour is coming when all those lying in their tombs will hear my voice and come out; those who have done good shall rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

I can do nothing of myself, and I need to hear Another One to judge and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

John 5: 17-30

A consular officer called me up the other day. Another cancer survivor is looking for Buhay Ka. She asked me if it is alright to give my mobile number to her. I said yes. Later that day, Maria Isabel called me up and asked to be connected to Buhay Ka. We agreed to eventually meet somewhere in Central on Wednesday afternoon.

I finally met Maria, and she began telling me about her journey as an OFW. She has been here for a while now. She first worked for nine consecutive years and decided to go home “for good.” As with so many OFWs, “for good” is a relative term. It means anything from one month to one year or more of staying at home until their savings run out and they begin to wonder whether they should work abroad again. There are very few opportunities for work in the Philippines. This is the reason why the government keeps promoting the OFW phenomenon. They have a convenient excuse not to create jobs at home when cheap but reliable Phillipines labor is on high demand abroad.

Isabel is one of millions who fit into this category of cheap but reliable labor. When she left, her children were still small. She was healthy and strong. Now her children have grown up and she is not so well.

There are thousands of OFWs in Hong Kong. Although I see thousands of these faces every Sunday, I only get to speak to a handful of them. I have learned to just look at faces and allow these to speak to me. There are happy faces and sad ones as well. There are thousands of eyes giving hints of painful secrets aching to be told and shared. In the last three years, I have had the blessing of encountering cancer survivors who have removed their masks to reveal what is beneath and behind those apparently happy faces.

When we leave the comfort and security of home to live in a foreign land, we learn to put on masks as protection against intruders and exploiters. What may seem a friendly and accepting environment may prove to be hostile and harmful. Part of the psychology of disease is the manner by which we deal with threats both real and perceived. When I listen to cancer-survivors, aside from learning about their physical suffering, it does not take long for them to share their emotional, moral and spiritual pain. As they share, it becomes clear to them how much they also need to heal in other areas of their lives.

Sickness makes us vulnerable. Vulnerability melts away our masks to reveal how we really look and who we really are. This does not only apply to the sick. It applies even to the healers like counselors, pastors and doctors.

Today's gospel asks us not only to look at others but also ourselves. It challenges us further to look deeply and see the face of God in everyone. When we look at Jesus we see the Father. When we look at each other, we don’t merely see faces of skin and flesh. Beneath lies a spirit, mysterious and delicate. Jesus’ face reveals the Father. Shouldn’t our faces reveal something more than our own individual stories?

Isabel’s story is both an individual’s story and the story of God stirring and transforming a soul. Isabel’s face is not hers alone. Vulnerable, unmasked and honest, it is also the face of God.