Love begets joy
For more than some decades our cooks and personnel have been working in the seminary, day in and day out. They have feed our seminarians, set and cleaned their tables, washed their dishes, cleaned their refectory.
Some of these seminarians became priests and when they come in the
seminary, they are still our cooks, our personnel.
bishop. But that is not enough. During the feast of St. Martha, our
seminarians give them a party and we usually go with their families to
a place for a mass, an outing and a good lunch when this feast occurs. Last moth however, it was beautiful when I decided to bring our two
cooks to a restaurant in the capital town. It was an act of love and
appreciate for them. Moreover, sometimes I need to have a reason to
go out and dine outside. So I invited two of them. We went to a good
restaurant. They enjoyed the food which they themselves ordered from
the menu. We went even to another ice cream house for a good dessert.
It made their day and the next day, to the surprise of the priests,
we had like a fine dining on our table. It was not very special, but
if one considers the usual menu we always had, you would really be
grateful to the the cooks who prepared out of love those following
meals. Love begets love.
But yesterday was another discovery! I decided to bring to a parish
feast two our personnel: the one who cooks our rice and he has to wake
up before 4:00 am to make the rice ready (we are more than 250 in our
seminary community) at breakfast; and the one who sets and collects
the dishes after meals. It was the feast of our Lady of Most Holy
Rosary, the parish of our Diocesan Shrine. The church was build under
the auspices of the late Jaime Cardinal L. Sin. Going there, we have
to pass at Kalibo airport. I asked one of them if they have ever gone
to the airport. I was amazed that he answered no! Again, for me, it
was a chance to love. I turned the car straight to the airport. It is
meant to be, in a few months (or years), an international airport. He
was struck at the sight! The roads were expanded and there are
constructions new to him. But we could not stay, we need to go ahead. The road crosses through the end of the run way and in passing, a big
jet, going to China is preparing to take-off, from the beginning of
the air strip, near the road we are passing. ONe explained, Look!
there's an airplane. I stopped knowing that the exhaust of the jet
engines could easily rock our car. Our table setter likes to see a
plane flying: a man of more than 50 years old! I did not stop our
engine but we remain to see the little spectacle but for him, perhaps
a spectacle of a life time. I did not mind the little earthquake
inside our car when the engines started to blow its strong winds. The
plane slowly started moving, accelerating till it flew. He was
ecstatic like a child and still wanted to see its direction. It means
that we have to stay. At last he decided that we could go after he
could not see anymore its where abouts. Leaving that airstrip, a
feeling deep in my heart: profound joy that I made this man enjoy by
seeing a plane fly. We enjoyed very much our trip. I believe Mary has been with us and
how he loved simple people. When we dropped by a nearby beach, since
it was still early for lunch, they took a couple of beer while I swam,
For them it was a feast. One bottle is not enough. Upon the invitation
of the waitress, they welcomed another bottle. But what is another
bottle for many years! We greeted our blessed Mother upon entering the shrine for some
minutes, and went to the convent for lunch. It was exquisite since the
parish priest prepared local foods, all lot of sea foods. The guests
have been gone and it was the our turn and of the parish priest to sit
down for lunch, after the baptism of a number of babies and children.
We were therefore lead to enjoy each other's company and the culinary
expertise of the parishioners: some spicy, some with coconut milk,
some with local shells, and wow, the oysters! We were all grateful in coming back, since I have a funeral early that
afternoon. They were all very happy, but in my heart, I feel happier
for making them happy. They said to me, on sunday, father, will go to
mass with a gratitude in our hearts. I did not ask anymore why.
