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CatholicPilgrimagePH.com | Rev. Fr. Henry Bocala | Stay Where You Are, Grow Where You Are | Some married people imagine saying, “I wish I remained single.” And the singles yearn, saying “I wish I were married.” The young desire, thus, “I wish I were more mature,” and the old ones fancy, “I wish I were young.” We tend to want to be other than what we are and where we are.
It’s okay to dream and long to change our lot. But quite another thing is wishful thinking – to believe that what you want to be true is true, attributing reality to what is unlikely to happen.
All of us want the pandemic to end so we could get back to work and resume normal life. Who doesn’t want it? But the situation is beyond our control. To be restless and impatient won’t help. And to imagine that the virus is no longer a threat is short of wishful thinking.
Covid-19 has gone viral (pun intended) and to this day its exact nature is unknown. The virus is already elusive enough; it would be a great irony if men couldn’t also be contained. Stop dreaming! Live in the present! Put your mind and heart in the things at hand!
The contagion will surely taper off one day. For now, let’s stay home. That’s where we are meant to be. Be where you are! It’s well worth the wait. You can best help society by following the rules of containment! Some 500 million people were infected and 50 million perished during the Spanish flu in 1918-1920. A huge number of casualties came in the second wave, when people lowered their guards. History repeats itself, especially if we ignore its lessons.
To stay put is not senseless, there’s a reason for it. What’s odd and wishful is to want to be elsewhere other than where we are meant to be. You’re not alone; millions of people are in the same boat. Nor is it a waste of time, if you’re creative and resourceful. Take good care of your family! Perhaps we have often neglected our loved ones in the past. It’s time to make up for it, spending quality time with them.
We may want to go out just to stay away from people we find hard to be with. That’s escapism! Face the reality that you belong to/with them! We simply have to learn anew the basics of family living: serve them, bear with each other, talk in a nice way, laugh and be of good cheer, pray together! Value little things and think of creative ways to enjoy family life: play board games, sing, watch a movie, cook your favorite dish, read interesting stories, open the Bible, clean the aquarium, etc.
We all spent nine months in the womb. In darkness we were enclosed, yet we grew in that uterine quarantine. We couldn’t go out, but in there we were kicking, punching, opening and closing our mouth, moving our head, sucking our thumb. The long wait was necessary for us to see the light of day. By analogy, our home stay is needed for us and others to live. Though unable to go out, there’s so much we can do to remain active and productive. With ingenuity, we can all grow as a person in the domestic sanctuary. The family, let us recall, is the most basic social unit and the building block of society!
So, stay where you are and grow where you are! The key is LOVE. St. John of the Cross tells us to “Put love where there’s no love and you’ll reap love.
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REV. FR. HENRY BOCALA, JC is a secular priest incardinated in the Prelature of Opus Dei. He is a Life Coach, Lecturer, and Author of books such as, Arise and Walk: How Does Your Christian Faith Fit in a Confused World?, Mending A Broken Society: What Happens When We Forget Who We Are?, Vital Signs: Where Is Your Life Heading?, and Your Life Begins Here: Dare To Find Your True Self and Be the Person You Are Meant to Be.
Before receiving the Sacrament of the Holy Orders, Fr. Bocala had worked as a freelance writer and an aide to a Senator in the Philippine Congress. A Political Science graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP), he entered the UP College of Law, but later shifted to ecclesiastical studies. He is also a seasoned painter and has joined several art exhibits.
Since his ordination to the priesthood, Fr. Bocala has devoted himself entirely to pastoral tasks especially among students and young professionals. His initial training as a new priest was carried out in Spain, Italy, South Africa, and Israel. He was also the Chaplain of Warrane College at the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia) before coming back to the Philippines in 2003.
