Sunday Mass

August 29, 2021, at 8:30 a.m

Actual

St. Antoninus Parish

The gospel supports the saying, " do not judge a book by its cover." Today the gospel taught me that to
be honored as a clean man. You do not need to be clean from the outside; instead, you need to be pure
as white on the inside. Eating with an uncleaned hand does not mean that you are an uncleaned man
because a good man can be determined from the things that come from the inside, not from the
outside. The same goes for the armies. A good soldier cannot be determined by the guns and bullets
they carry, and a good soldier is a man with a clean soul and heart. And for the students that study face-
to-face or online like me, leave our families for a few hours and mix with other people who have
different statuses in life, religions, and beliefs. The gospel reminds us to be true to what we are, no
matter what.

Context

We are familiar with the comment in Filipino that goes like this: Hindi mo ako naiintindihan
dahil hindi mo naranasan ang aking napagdaanan (You cannot understand me because you did
not experience what I went through). The following questions are only meant to be pondered. 
1. Cite an instance when somebody says this to another person. 
A common situation that somebody says to another person is a boy who bullies in the school but
is bullied at home. The ways he encounters inside their home is what he does when in the school,
so when somebody asks them why they bully others, some always says, "Hindi mo ako
naiintindihan dahil hindi mo naranasan ang aking napagdaanan." Another instance is those
experiencing family problems that keep them inside their own space instead of looking for
accompanying.
2. Is it true that we can understand somebody better and genuinely be united with that person if
we have gone through his/her experiences? Explain your answer. 
It depends on how a person thinks. I can understand somebody better and genuinely even though
I did not go through her experiences because imagination is enough critical thinking of what
circumstances when I stand in their shoes. But still, all of us have hidden problems. Even others
tell us that we will never understand what they feel deep inside us. We are experiencing the
same, and they have no idea. 
3. Give a word in your culture that approximates the meaning of genuine unity with others.
Explain the implications of the word.
Pagkakaisa is a word in our culture that means a lot. Especially to those friendships that
encounter all the struggles and conquer them. Being with your buddy is knowing and
experiencing what they see, feel and do when you are not around. Even in time, their family
refuses them. You are still there for them. That is the love of a friendship or Pagkakaisa, being
as one.