23/03/2026
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WE HAVE A FUTURE
By Fr. Jerry M. Orbos SVD
The story is told about a girl who asked a guy if he would still love her even if she had a past. And the guyβs answer was: βThatβs okay. I donβt have a future either.β
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In todayβs Gospel (John 11:1-45), Jesus raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. He called out to him: βLazarus, come out!β We all have a future, no matter what past weβve had. Today, the Lord calls out to each one of us to come out of our tombs, our prisons, and to live again, not just exist. What are the tombs and prisons, real or imagined, received or of our own making, that prevent us from true living and loving?
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βMaster, the one you love is ill.β In humility, too, we come to the Lord today and say: βMaster, our world is ill, our country is ill.β Let us accept that we have big problems and challenges confronting us today not only on the socioeconomic-political level, but more so on the moral level because the foundational values, i.e., family, truth, justice, and public service have been corrupted and infected.
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Let us all come out of the darkness and cross over to the light. Let us all come out from falsehood, and cross over to the truth. In this battle of light and darkness, falsehood, and truth, which side are you on? Are you an agent of the light or of darkness? Are you an agent of lies or an agent of truth?
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Somewhere along the way, all of us had a βLazarus momentβ when we were healed from a sickness, spared from an accident, relived from a burden or, perhaps, simply experienced a liberating insight. All these should make us grateful, and remind us that we just go on because we still have a mission. Are you one who has been healed? You were healed for a reason, for a mission. Are you one who has been blessed much by God? That, too, has a reason, and you, too, have a mission.
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Jesus wept over Lazarus. Will people weep for you when you are gone? Are you worth weeping for? Or, are people weeping now because of you, while you are still alive, meaning, are you the one causing them so much pain and sufferings in life? To those who make people cry now, will people cry for you when you die?
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I remember a story about a widow whose husband was about to be buried. When the casket was being carried out of the house, it hit the door and the husband came back to life. Some years later, the husband died again, and this time, the widow asked the pallbearers, as they were bringing the casket out, βSlowly please, donβt bump the door again.β
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The Holy Week is all about a God who loved us so much, that He gave His only son to sacrifice and suffer so much that we may have eternal life. We ask ourselves today: What have I done? What have I really sacrificed for God and for His people? Is my life all about my pleasures, fulfillment, success, and comfort?
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Last week, a young Filipino SVD missionary went back to his mission assignment in Africa, making the sacrifice of leaving his loved ones, especially his sick mother. The other week, another Filipino SVD missionary went back to his mission assignment in South America in spite of his health condition, making the sacrifice of leaving his loved ones, especially his mother who is so worried and concerned of his only son. Life without sacrifice is just a vacation. Life, with sacrifice, is a vocation and a mission.
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Moments with Fr. Jerry Foundation Inc. prayerfully invites you to an anticipated Palm Sunday Mass and Recollection on Saturday, March 28, 2026 starting at 1:30 p.m. (Recollection) and 5:30 p.m. (Mass) at the Mary, Mother of Hope Chapel, 4th floor, Landmark Trinoma, Quezon City. Free admission. Let us enter the Holy Week with prayer and reflection.
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, remind us that no matter what, we still have a future ahead of us. Amen.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
