When I was still in grade school, I had this experience of being complained by lots of parents. And when I say “lots”, I mean the whole Parent-Teacher Association. My mom would always be called by my adviser (teacher) for a talk. Every year the complaint is the same: “your son, bluepanjeet, is a horrible teaser“. Yep, I tease kids in all shapes and sizes, in all forms and species: Big kids, chubby kids, small kids, even teachers who think like kids, they were all my victims before. My mom was immune to the perception of the people about me, being a brat and a bully rolled into one. I can imagine how she suffered humiliation every time she would be called at school. She thought I would never shake off that kind of attitude and would eventually drag it up to my adult years. But eventually it faded as I matured through the passage of time. No one really thought that I would reach this level of maturity, but in the merciful hands of the Almighty, the pride and arrogance faded gradually from my system and psyche.

I am fully aware of the truth that learning is a process. It takes time before a lesson can finally sink in to one’s mind and heart. That’s why everywhere we go, we have this so called formation so that everything that we’ve learned, will eventually be applied in our daily life and turn it into a good habit. In the office we are taught of management and administrative skills. In Nursing we are taught to care and serve as patients’ advocates. In the seminary we are taught to serve in faith, hope and love. We have differet pace of learning. Sometimes it takes only a month for others to fully grasp what is being taught. While others takes forever to learn. Worse, others pass through this lifetime without even learning.

And one key of learning is Humility

You see, from grade school up to 8th grade, the world humility is alien to me. I am so proud of myself before that I never accepted defeat even to the extent of being ganged upon by my classmates, just so I would not fold and show them that I am beaten or defeated.

But when 9th grade began, I met this bunch of kids who showed me the value of humility, whome I now call friends. Some of my friends belong to the upper class of the society. Some of them are beautiful, handsome, rich, popular, intelligent, smart, talented and the whole package of endowment. Yet not even once did I felt that I was an outcast. I never heard them boast their lifestyle, their money or even their successes in the academic field. Befriending them and being accepted as one of their own is a slap on my face for lo and behold, the kid who was once egotistic has found himself in the midst of people who never even had a tiny ego about themselves.

And today, as I witnessed the match between Oscar Dela Hoya and Manny Pacquiao, I can’t help myself relating to the former and to the latter at the same time. Every time Pacquiao has an upcoming match, the same thing happens again and again to his opponents. Every time these Mexican warriors are interviewed by the press, they all have the same common element: Pride

From Mexicans Marquez, Velasquez, Morales, to Larios, Solis, Diaz, Barrera and recently De La Hoya, all of them claimed that they are mightier than Pacquiao. They gave predictions about themselves that they will finish the round quickly and will knockout Pacquiao without him knowing what hit him. But as history destined it to be, not even one of them knocked out Manny or even matched the Filipino Boxer’s speed, strength and stamina. The same Manny who never, not even once, told the press that he could defeat these line of Mexican behemoths. Why, there were even times that even Filipinos believed that Pacquiao would not prevail over his opponents.

These familiar scenario has been shown to me over and over again for the past 31 years of my life.

This week’s Gospel hinges on the theme of preparation for the way of the Lord by the voice crying in the wilderness in the Person of John the Baptist. From the first reading up to the Gospel, the theme was constant, prepare for the way of the Lord. But what struck me most on this Sunday’s Gospel is the passage which John the Baptist spoke to his followers:

“One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit.”

I can very well relate.

You see, in all of Manny Pacquiao’s fights, the proud Mexican boxers all fell one by one like toy soldiers. Some analysts would say that it is attributed to Pacquaio’s strength. Others would claim it is because of his speed and stamina. While those who patriotically romanticize Manny’s victory would say that it is the courage of the boxer that made him triumphant in all of his battles. Each and every one of these analysts and sports fanatics have demographed Manny’s statsistics, styles, punches, pacing and speed. But they failed to analyze one important secret of Manny’s succes: Humility

Everytime he is interviewed he always put space on the possibility that his opponent is stronger than him I have followed Manny’s Interviews everywhere on the boob tube and even on articles and newspapers but not even once did he demean or belittle the capacity of his opponents. Everytime he steps into the ring, he begin and end his fight with PRAYER, on his KNEES, asking for STRENGTH to the one he worship with bow heads in front of the world.

Today, as I watched his recent fight, I noticed that everyone was already rejoicing, tapping his shoulders, jumping all over the MGM Grand ring, yet he remained on his knees, saying his personal thanksgiving to God for his success. This is always the scene that melts my heart and gives chills running down my spine as tears gradually fall on my cheeks.

Who would have thought that a legend like Oscar de La Hoya would fall to his knees in surrender to his opponent. Everyone saw the fight which really disapointed the mexicans, for lo and behold, De la Hoya was as slow as a turtle compared to Manny.

It is not the physical strength, nor the speed nor the courage nor even the pride that makes a warrior a such. It is in the humility of a person that makes him stronger. For a true warrior does not attribute his strength to himself, but to the one who is the source of all strength:

“I can do all things with God who strengthens me” – Philippians 4:13.

When I was in the seminary, my immediate superior took away all of my responsibilities from me, thinking that I was becoming self-centered as I fulfilled each and every task and chores given to me with flying colors and pride. He literally removed from me the responsibilities which I fulfilled wholeheartedly and devotedly and gave them to my brother seminarians instead. I became a floating feather for weeks in the seminary, at lost and confused on what do with so much free time.

From that point, I began to gain ire in my superior who I respected and regarded in high esteem, that whenever we would pass each other on the corridor, I would bow my head or look elsewhere just to avoid him because at that tme it was very painful for me to be stripped off of my responsibilities.

With so much free time, I spent more and more time in the chapel, praying and reflecting. I was suffering terribly at that time. Until one feast day, during the homily of my superior when we were at mass, as humble as my superior was, he suddenly came to my seat, fell down to his knees and kissed my feet. That was for me a total act of humility. Little did I know that my superior was very well aware that I was suffering so much in silence, that I was humiliated and demoted to a lower rank. Yet he did that on purpose, even to his heart’s ache, just to show me the value of humility. And you know what, he did show me, striking and profound.

Up to this day, I am thankful that he had showed me the value of true humility. The Capuchin Order values the virtue of humility very much and I can say aloud, that after a decade, that lesson is still embedded on my heart wherever I go. Of all the lessons that I learned form my superior, it is humility that struck me the most and molded me to what I am now.

Humility is a process. It is actually the hardest virtue to practice both in religious and secular life. But like what my superior always told me: Practice makes perfect. Just like Manny Pacquiao who practiced the art of humility, in and out of the ring.

This Sunday’s Gospel rings true to all of us who are struggling to fight our own egos, our own craving for power and fame, our own pride and our own selfish desires.

John the Baptist, great as he is, and born as the voice crying in the desert to prepare the way of the Lord as the prophets say he was, had the humility to acknowledge that his cousin, Jesus is mightier than him, that even he is not worthy to remove the sandals from the Lord’s feet.

Like my superior who had the humility of kissing my feet though I know in my heart up to now that I do not deserve such act of humility, may all of us emulate Manny Pacquiao’s humble example as a warrior, as we fight against the temptation to put ourselves before others and to hail ourselves important than our peers, for it is in humility that God gives us the strength to render and proclaim that the high and mighty has fallen.

It is a profound and undeniable truth, that throughout the course of human history, humility humiliate the proud. No matter how strong you are, no matter how brave you are, without God, you are just like any other high and mighty heathens who falls on the ground when struck by the unlikely and puny.

Before I end this, I would like to show you once again this picture of Manny Pacquiao in one of his ads in Nike. Look, stare and reflect:

If Manny Pacqiao, who gained success, fame and fortune in his boxing career, and who is not even ashamed of kneeling in prayer for all the world to see, in a country were abortion and gay marriage are practiced, how much more we, mere nobodies, who call ourselves catholic and yet ashamed to even kneel on the pew during mass…

Let us all be John the Baptist to all the people we meet. putting the Lord before us in all humility, as we prepare his way towards our hearts in our everyday journey in life, especially this Advent season.

I leave you my dear brothers and sisters the words of St. Francis of Assisi, which for the Nth time, I will quote again:: “For man before God is he is, and nothing more”

For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying on our very egos and pride, that we are all born to eternal life… Amen.

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Gospel Readings this Sunday, the 2nd Sunday of Advent
First reading: Isaiah 40,1-5.9-11.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85(84),9-10.11-12.13-14.
Second Reading: 2 Peter 3,8-14.
Holy Gospel: Mark 1,1-8.

Prayer for the Advent Wreath

Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.
He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.
He is the Savior of us all.
O Lord,
let your blessing come upon us as we light the first and second (purple) candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ?s promise of salvation.
May He come quickly and not delay.
We ask this in His holy name. Amen.