Homily on Friday, 27th Week in OT, Memorial of Bl. Alessandrina da Costa, 13 Oct 2023
We are all aware that Satan’s power is much greater than any human power in this world. Yet in the gospel we have heard today, Jesus is revealed as one whose power surpasses that of Satan, for indeed he is the Son of the God the almighty Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth.
The sad thing, however, is that certain people during his time, particularly the ones in authority, could not believe in his divine power. In their narrow understanding, Jesus was able to expel demons because he was given power by Beelzebul himself who is believed to be the prince of demons. And this was the rumor they were spreading around as part of the demolition job in order to discourage the people from following Jesus.
A couple of years ago I heard my Parish Priest, Fr Randy, saying in his homily on this day: “Grabe ang smear campaign nga gibuhat niining mga tawhana batok kang Hesus. Sumala nila si Hesus kuno palahubog, dakogkaon, amigo sa mga tax collectors ug prostitutes; gitawag pa gyud siyag buang, ug ang pinakagrabe sa tanan, gitawag siya nga prinsipe sa mga Yawa, kay gikan man kuno kang Beelsebul ang iyahang gahum sa pagpahawa sa mga Yawa. Grabe ang pagdaut nila kang Hesus. Posible siguro nga nasuya sila pag-ayo kang Hesus, ug tungod sa ilang garbo wala nila nakita nga kining anak sa usa ka karpintero mao ang Mesiyas nga gisugo sa Diyos isip Manluluwas sa tibuok kalibutan.”
The good news is that Jesus proved them all wrong. And despite their blatant criticism and rumor mongering, he continued his ministry of preaching and healing, unaffected by the noisy “Mariteses” of his own time.
May I invite you to reflect on this: There are really times when people would criticize us and even try to ruin our reputation especially when they see us doing so much good. Do we easily lose heart because of this, and thus feel discouraged in serving God and those in need? Jesus showed to us an example of integrity of life and inner strength despite being vilified by others. He remained focused on the good and the positive and thus persevered in fulfilling his mission as the Messiah sent by God to save of the world from sin.
Today as we remember the last apparition of our Lady of Fatima, we celebrate Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, a Salesian Cooperator from Portugal. She was born in 1904 in a small town called Balasar, and grew up to be a beautiful young lady with beautiful plans for the future. But all these were shuttered when at 14 years old she broke her spine after jumping out of the window of their house to escape from the violent attack of three men who wanted to abuse her. How much she prayed day and night for her healing and recovery, so that she could one day go to Africa and be a missionary nun to many children in order to save their souls for Jesus. But instead of getting well, by the time she was 19 years old her spine injury had deteriorated to a total paralysis of her body thus making her bedridden and separated physically from the world for the rest of her life.
Soon however she realized that her prayers were not at all in vain. One day God revealed to her his plan of making her a victim of his love for the salvation of souls. To this call, she willingly responded by offering to God all her sufferings in union with the passion of Jesus our Lord on the cross. She said “I have no other aim in life but the glory of God and the salvation of souls.” And she took as her program of spiritual life the following words “to love, to suffer, to repair.”
In 1944 a Salesian priest came to visit her and he invited her to become a Salesian Cooperator. From then on she began to smile again and found joy in her victimhood as she continued to offer her sufferings this time for the salvation and sanctification of youth. She drastically lost weight when her body could no longer take in any other food except Holy Communion. It was precisely the Eucharist and only the Eucharist that miraculously sustained her for the last 13 years of her life.
She died on this day October 13, 1955 in her humble home in Balasar at 51 years old, her last words being “I am happy because I am going to heaven” She was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 2004.
May this amazing life story of Blessed Alexandrina inspire us to live with a sense of mission even beyond our dreams. Through her intercession may we discover the real meaning and purpose of our life as missionary disciples of Jesus. GiGsss!
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