Spiritual Hold-Up

In our parish, a publication called "Lift Up Your Hands" is distributed every Sunday where one may read reflections on the readings/Gospel. The reflections are written in both English and Tagalog so that one may read the version in the language that one is more comfortable with.

Out of the blue, my husband, who believes in my superior (compared to him, that is)Tagalog-speaking skills, asked me: "How do you translate Lift Up Your Hands into Tagalog?"

We both thought of "Taas ang kamay" but knew that that wasn't accurate. Then again, come to think of it, "taas ang kamay" may yet be the best translation. "Taas ang kamay" is something one would hear in a hold-up or when thieves or criminals are caught by authorities. In both cases, the person who hears "taas ang kamay" is expected to follow whatever the other person says and turn over all his possessions or even turn himself in, as the case may be.

As we go through life, spiritually, shouldn't we also be like that? We should be ready to turn over what we have and all that we are as we follow the path that God has set for us. It is up to us to find out what it is that is expected of us and to live out that purpose as part of the church.

As a priest so interestingly put it last Friday: "The mass is ended. Your mission begins..."