by Neil Andrew Tallayo and Diomell Cernero
With a single bite of an apple, we began to carry a burden that will last for eternity. Thus, beginning men’s fall from grace.
Now on its fourth day, the 27th Family Rosary Crusade continues to preach the word of God and teach the Dominicans and the public how to live a moral Christian life. With the theme “Inang Maria: Liwanag sa Gitna ng mga Hamon at Dagok sa Buhay,” the Catholic Church also celebrates the feast day of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus who lived a holy life devoted to God that even in her final moments, she never failed to express her love to the Divine Creator.
Rev. Fr. John Patrick Gumasing, the mass presider, emphasized the word ‘normalize’ in his homily. People—especially the current generation—tend to normalize immorality on a daily basis as if humanity’s sense of sin is fading. His classic example was that even cussing becomes their friendly language. Here, people tend to romanticize immoral acts that become the basis of normal as time progresses, therefore, setting a bad example to the next generation.
People nowadays think that there is always a room for unlimited repentance and that somehow, it is a free pass for them to commit sins like it is just nothing. But, through a holistic lens, repentance is so much more than a mere apology. It is the willingness to change and be the bringer of change to others; it is to go back to God’s warm embrace with a pure heart; it is to take action and responsibility for mistakes.
Similar to the thief crucified alongside Jesus, so long as a person repents and asks for forgiveness with the purest intentions, then God will take them to the paradise of Heaven. Life has no certainty on when death will come—cherish the time you have left to right your wrongs. As Fr. Gumasing said, “Conversion is urgent.” To change oneself is to set the chain reaction of change to others.
He ended his homily with a quotation from St. Therese, “Use the gifts you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God, do all that you do with love.” It is never too late to start repenting; do the right thing with love because God sees men with greatness and worthy of His kingdom.
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