Remembering the Three L’s

During the homily of Fr. Farley Santillan at San Antonio Abad Parish Bacolod last Sunday, I learned about the 3 L’s – The Least, The Lost and The Last

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is The Good Samaritan. This is found in Luke 10:25-37.

Jesus told this parable in response to the question raised by an expert in the law (a lawyer), asking Him who was his brother, to which Jesus narrated The Good Samaritan as His answer.

In short, Jesus is telling us that our “neighbor” is the one who is considered by society as the Least, the Lost and the Last. Those whom society does not want to take in.

We may be guilty of not seeing this at one point or another in our lives. How many times did we refuse beggars when they stretched out their hands towards us begging for alms? How many times did we relish at our own abundance when there are others who longingly look from afar? How many times did we waste food, not finishing that piece of Chicken Joy or the Chicken Singles at McDonalds, while many of our brethren enjoy eating what we have already thrown?

Faith without works is dead

Indeed, how can there be faith when it is not shown? And how then can profound acts of love come about without faith?

Today’s readings at the San Antonio Abad Parish church in Bacolod City tell us a lot about what faith is all about. Faith is a gift. It is something that has been given to us from the time that we were in our mother’s womb. And we are tasked to practice that faith, to nurture it, and to show that we are living that faith.

Experiencing His Love in SAAP

The San Antonio Abad Parish is a simple and “down-to-earth” church that is regularly visited by parishioners every Sunday. The English mass, which is at 10:30 A.M. is normally filled by people from all walks of life, but who has got one thing in common – the desire to be spiritually nourished and to be blessed by the presence of the Lord Jesus in the Holy Mass.

Every Sunday, you can see parishioners coming through the gates, families walking hand in hand, the elderly being towed by their sons, daughters, or grandchildren, the crippled, and the lowly individuals who happen to arrive 30 minutes before the mass starts.

Everyone waits in anticipation for the lector to call the attention of those in the church, to kneel down and utter the Prayer to the Holy Spirit.

When the time comes for the mass to start, everyone looks towards the altar and start singing the entrance hymn, which, is led by the ever energetic choir, and sung by the parish priest – Rev. Fr. Farley Ray Santillan. One thing that will come to your mind upon hearing Fr. Farley sing is that, “Hey, he should be in The Voice.” Fr. Farley is gifted with music and he offers every song to God. You can simply feel it.

And of course, when the time for the homily comes, you can see and feel the eagerness of each individual to listen, to learn, and to once more be refreshed by God’s Word, providing them the strength to face another week of their lowly existence on earth.

It is not every day that you will find a church that can make you look forward to the next Sunday mass. Perhaps, San Antonio Abad Parish is one of those churches. And with the way the church is filled with parishioners every Sunday, then many individuals surely have had felt this way.