17/05/2026
🙏🏼
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their Sounds. 🔸Psalm 147:3
Present always, and in all ways
By: Fr. Jerry M. Orbos SVD
The story is told about a wife who asked the maid: “It’s been one month since you’ve been with us. How are you?” The maid replied: “Oh, I’m very happy ma’am because you all treat me like kapamilya (one family), and also because your husband treats me like a kapuso (one heart)!”
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In today’s Gospel (Matthew 28:16-20) Jesus, the Christ, before He ascended to heaven, assured His disciples (and us) that He is not only a kapamilya (one family), and also a Kapuso (one heart), but a kasama (one with us) always, and till the end of the world. Come to think of it, that’s all we need to know and remember as we go through and whatever we go through in life! Yes, enough for us to know that He is with us and He is one with us!
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Aug. 15, 1984 was some kind of an Ascension moment for me when I boarded a plane for South Korea for my mission assignment. It was my first international flight, going to the great unknown. It was a tearful goodbye for me, my family, and friends at the airport, not knowing when and if I’ll ever see them again. The only assurance was the Lord’s promise: “I am with you, and I go before you, always. Come follow me.” I’ve had many goodbyes hence and thence, but that was one of my biggest goodbyes, made bearable and acceptable because of the Lord’s promise, “I am with you always till the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).
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Why must there be goodbyes? Because of mission. In everything that happens, there is a reason, there is a mission. All goodbyes, whether to things or persons, are reasons and/or seasons for moving on. Goodbyes should lead to greater mission, not stagnation. Focus not on the separation, but on the mission, so that we can meaningfully move on.
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For the past 20 years or so, I have lived at the Mission House here in Christ the King where our oversees Filipino missionaries come and go. We have about 120 Filipino SVD missionaries now working in 40 countries worldwide. The Mission House is some kind of a hello-goodbye place where we welcome returning missionaries and send off our departing missionaries. It is the place for joyful reunions and tearful goodbyes. All for, with and through the Lord, the reason for all that we are and for all that we are doing. The greatest and the only assurance are Jesus’ words: “I am with you always.” Yes, God is with us always, and He blesses all of our hellos and goodbyes.
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We send off missionaries with their mission cross, along with the words: “Behold the cross, your constant companion in your travels, your only consolation in your work and in your sorrows, your companion in sickness, your companion in death.” I don’t really know who said it, but I hold on to these words: “It is only bodies that are separated, but hearts remain united especially in Him for whom the sacrifices mode of leaving all that is dearest.”
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It is always a very touching moment when we entrust our departing missionary to Mama Mary with a Marian song. Not much words are spoken after that, but the assurance ls there: It’s the Lord whom we serve, Mama Mary is with us, and we hope to meet again, in His time.
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“Angels can fly not so much because they have wings, but because they carry no burdens.” Here’s praying that we be freed from burdens that tie us down and imprison us. Let us continue to pray to the Risen Lord to set our spirits free and to cleanse our hearts of sin, fear, attachments, apathy, and shortsightedness. May we all experience our personal resurrection cm ascension as we journey on.
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Received this text message from Bishop Marlo Peralta, D.D.: “There is a resurrection of the body which will happen on the last day, and there is a resurrection of the heart which can happen every day.” Amen!
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Focus on the Lord, not on the load. Let us learn to rise above worldly noise and chatter, and ascend into His presence as we get bombarded and dismayed by worldly cares.
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At the Ascension, the Lord left us with a mission: “Go to the whole world and preach the Gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) And we are reminded that after doing our mission, we have a final destination—Heaven.
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, thank you for the blessed assurance that you are with us always, and in all ways. Amen.
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Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
