The Baptism of Queen Juana
My name is Joy. I live in Heroes Hill. I started to serve in the
Church sometime in 2000. My husband and I served at the Mt. Carmel
Parish at Project 6 because we used to live at Sanville Subdivision in
Tandang Sora.
It was my husband who was first called by God to serve Him. Bong had
been actively working in the Church since he was in high school, and
there was even a point when he entered the seminary, long before I met
him, of course. My involvement in the Church, however, used to be
limited to just attending Mass on Sundays. I never felt that God was
inviting me also to serve in His vineyard. Since my husband and I got
married, he stopped serving in the Church. I suspected that he did it in
deference to me because he knew that I didn’t have much enthusiasm in
Church activities.
But, there was a period in our married life when I felt we needed to
put Christ at the center of our relationship. I felt that Bong would be
happier ministering again in the Church. Also, there was slight
attraction stirring in my heart to respond to a vague invitation to
share my time to Him. One day, I suggested to my husband that we serve
at Mt. Carmel. He was surprised to say the least, looked me straight in
the eyes for some time, and said slowly: “If that is what you want.” I answered: Yes. And that’s how I started working in the vineyard of the Lord.
Working in the vineyard is one thing, but working with a happy heart
is another. I wasn’t prepared to discover the varied characters that the
Lord has also invited as laborers in his farm. There were the gossips,
the grumblers, the self-righteous, the attention-seekers, … I couldn’t
understand. I was disappointed and discourage. Then, Bong, my husband,
told me: Who did you expect to see? We are all broken in one way or
another, and in our brokenness God is inviting us to come near to Him to
receive healing. And we receive healing only when we forget our own
hurt and see the need of our fellow brothers and sisters, and we could
give our shoulder for them to lean on so that they, too, can approach
our Lord.
I realize that we are all called to service for others. Our life will
have meaning only when we expend it in the service for others. When my
family transferred to Heroes Hill in 2004, the St. Andrew’s Chapel
didn’t have a regular lector or commentator. Then, one day, one
parishioner approached my husband and asked if we would serve in the
chapel. Without hesitation, we answered yes. And so we were at St.
Andrew’s Chapel in Heroes Hill every Sunday while serving at Mt. Carmel
Parish, at Project 6, at the same time. And we felt at peace because it
was the right thing to do. Bong continued to serve in both churches, but
I decided to serve only at St. Andrew’s Chapel. I felt that one of us
must stay with our children. They are our mission, too.
So, every time I work in the vineyard of our Lord, before the Mass, I
would give thanks to the Lord for giving me the grace to accept again
his invitation to serve Him, and I would pray that I may be a worthy
instrument to bring His message to His people.
In this Week of Laity, let us remember that the Lord is constantly
inviting us to help Him be near His people. He needs our feet to walk
with the weary; our hands to embrace the lonely; our lips to proclaim
His message of hope; our eyes to see the needy; and our heart to love
the unloved. Won’t you allow yourself to be His labourer in His
vineyard, for there is much work that needs to be done but few workers
are willing to respond to His call. You know it is never too late to say
YES.
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