A reflection by Br. Beaujorne Sirad A. Ramirez, OP
April 24, 2016 ■ 5th Sunday of Easter ■ John 13:31-33a, 34-35
Whenever I pass the corridors of Santo Domingo and witness the exchange of vows of the soon-to-be husbands and wives, the atmosphere of sincerity and love fills the air.
Ideally, vows should never be broken. However, in this frail world we are living, vows are meant to be broken. Thank God there are still spouses who have the strength to show their undying love to one another. This undying love propels them in their life. However, the idea of undying love cannot be owned by the sacrament of marriage since the sacrament has a source that primarily manifested the perfect undying love for all of us. This source is Christ.
Today’s Gospel speaks of a vow that Christ gave to mankind. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he freed mankind from the pegs of sin. In his remaining days on Earth before the Ascension, he vowed to the people of a greater Kingdom in the afterlife free from all the sufferings that dominate the earthly Kingdom if and only if they will love another. When Jesus Christ gave up His life for us, he perfected the idea of unconditional love. This perfection of unconditional love is also asked from us since we are freed from sin through this kind of love.
Looking back at the marriages I witnessed in the Church, a vow is a manifestation of love. However, love cannot be always a manifestation of a vow since we are the people moved by our interests. It is only by unconditional love that we can always equate with a vow. Loving someone despite their imperfections and their possible misgivings we are perfected. This unconditional love is the very core of our being and Jesus Christ is inviting all of us to give an undying love for one another. ■
Br. Beaujorne Sirad A. Ramirez, OP hails from Los Baños, Laguna. He made his profession to the Dominican Order on May 8, 2013. After finishing AB Philosophy at the Philippine Dominican Center of Institutional Studies, he takes up Bachelor of Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, Manila. ■
PANANAW 