“SI POSSUNT, CUR NON ET EGO?” – “IF THEY CAN, WHY NOT
I?” These were the words of St.
Augustine of Hippo after reading “The Lives of the Saints”.
St.
Augustine was, indeed, a sinner during his youthful years. By the grace of God, through the prayers of
her mother, St. Monica, he repented and became a true Christian. He was ordained a Priest and even consecrated
as a Bishop. Inspired by his readings on
the lives of the Saints, he uttered those words: “If they can, why not I?” He then lived the life of a Saint – and later
canonized a SAINT.
His words kept ringing in my ears as I was
confronted with some forthcoming Church
activities that are being scheduled by our parish, namely, the SANTACRUZAN and
VENERATION OF THE CROSS. Being the
Barangay Pastoral Coordinator, I felt
that these activities would need the involvement of the people in our barangay
which requires a lot of ‘spade-work’. My
initial reaction, therefore, was just to lie low and not to do anything to
implement these activities in our barangay.
The words of St. Augustine,
however, have challenged me to tackle the job wholeheartedly, strengthened by
the thought that ‘if others can do it, why not I’. It dawned on me that life on
this earth is, indeed, a challenge to pursue worthwhile endeavors so as to be
able to contribute something to ‘make this world a better place to live in’.
History tells us how several men, whom we
now consider as heroes, have done
something that in one way or another have enhanced the quality of life here on
earth. Therefore, I believe there is a
standing challenge to every man in this world to evaluate the circumstances of
his life and see in what way he can become an asset in his own community.
Right now I
see myself living in a community which is populated mostly by business
people. Most of them I do not know, even
by name. Since the thrust of the Church
is to build Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC), there is a need to have a
personal relationship with them. This
poses a great challenge for me. How to
go about it is, a big question. In our
parish exchanges, we were given examples of how communities with similar
problems were able to overcome their obstacles. Hence, I say, that ‘IF THEY CAN, WHY NOT
I?’. I do pray that I be enlightened and empowered by the GRACE OF
GOD, so that what seems impossible at this moment may become possible.
by: Buddy Cagurangan
May 6, 2012
