May 7, 2023 – Fifth Sunday of Easter

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050723.cfm)

For us, Easter people to fully appreciate the meaning and benefit from the fruits of the mystery of the Lord’s resurrection, we must reflect and try to discover how the Lord has resurrected and can be resurrected in our daily ordinary lives now. Somehow someway during this Easter Season we ponder on the question: Sa unsang pamaagi nabanhaw ug mabanhaw ang Ginoong Dios sa akong kinabuhi karon? In what ways the risen Lord has & may be truly resurrected in our very lives at this very moment?

As we have recently experienced during the pandemic times, we cannot deny that there are moments in our life that we experience crises and distress. Yes, we do have moments in life when everything seems to fall apart, gets very dark and uncertain, when we are down and at lost, when things get bad, when trouble, sickness, suffering and death strike, when we are left behind and find ourselves on our own, when things have no meaning and doesn’t make sense anymore. These are critical moments in our lives, where usually moments when we have nothing else but faith, have no one else but God, and can do nothing anything anymore but just to trust in God.

We, Filipinos usually express this faith through the words: “Bahala na”. Usually in moments of crises in life, we articulate our faith in God and in Jesus by saying “bahala na.” Others have criticized such Filipino faith as our fatalistic or defeatist mentality. But for us Filipino, praying and saying, “Bahala na” is more than an expression of resignation to fate or “kapalaran” but articulations of our deep trust and faith in God in times of crisis in life. Because for us, “bahala na” means more than just “come what may” (o pawala nalang), but it is our way of saying, that when after we have already done our part, but things are not complete or finish yet, now “Bathala na” “sumadios nawa”, “gipaka-dios ko na”, “gitugyan ko na sa Ginoo”. “I now entrust to Him.” All now is in God’s.

This has the same meaning with the word “Amen” “Kabay pa”. “Hinaut pa Unta”. So be it.” This is our expression of deep trust in God, saying, “after all I have done… with God, all will be well. So be it. Siya Nawa. Amen. Bahala na”.

Here in our gospel today, we hear Jesus saying to his apostles, “do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God, have faith also in me.” These are the farewell words – the ‘mi ultimo adius’ of Jesus to his apostles said during his despidida party – the Last Supper. After he had warned them of the crisis that lies ahead for Him and his disciples, Jesus have also felt the heartbrokenness his apostles must have felt of the coming loss and crisis. Here, at their crisis moment, Jesus consoles and directs his friends to trust in God and in Him – an invitation to: “Bahala na.” He said to them & to us now: “Don’t let your heart’s be troubled. Believe in God. Believe in me.”

This is Jesus’ way of saying: “Don’t worry, Me & Our Father got this. Have faith in us. Entrust this to Us”. “Ayaw na kabalaka. Kami sa akong Amahan ang bahala. Salig lang kanamo. Isalig, ipasa-Ginoo, ipasa-bahala, ipasa-Dios na kanamo”.

The same words of consolations and directions are being preached to us today. Jesus feels for us. He feels and knows the heartbreak we feel, and the difficulties we are in – in our every moment of our life-crises. He also invites us to always trust always in God and in Him. When he said “I am the Way, the Truth and Life”, he is also leading us that it is God and Him, not ourselves who will bring and deliver us to our salvation and eternal life. And only when we always follow and persevere in the Lord’s way, which is the way of the suffering and cross, as well as keep on trusting in God – “bahala na” not only during crisis moments of life, we eventually share and enjoy our life and salvation at Home with God, Our Father and Jesus.

In other words, the Lord has and can be truly resurrected in our daily ordinary lives now, if and when we learn how to trust and have faith in Him, who is our Way, Truth and Life. Thus, by saying Bahala na, Amen to His Way, Truth and Life, and allowing His Way, Truth and Life in our ordinary lives, He has indeed risen and can be truly risen.

In every moment of our ordinary lives then, as we do our part, we pray that we must always have faith and trust in God and in Jesus. For we know, without the way there is no going, without the truth there is no knowing, without the life there is no growing. Thus, we seek the way that we may go, the truth that we may know, and the life that we may grow eternally, only to discover and realize that Our Way, our Truth and Our Life is the Risen Lord himself in daily ordinary lives now.

In other words, and simply said, our prayer is  Bahala na. Amen.