When I was a seminarian, I was able to join a Holy Week celebration in one of the provinces. During the procession, we went around the town, praying and singing. Very nice celebration. When the carozas returned to the Church, during the closing rites, the priests blessed all the Carozas. Suddenly there was chaos. People started going for the flowers. Terrible chaos! When I queried, “Why all the chaos with the flowers?”, the response was, “Since it is blessed, it will bring good luck.” If you think about it, something is not right if the flower is more important than the safety and well-being of your brothers and sisters.

In the Gospel, for the Pharisees, the Sabbath was more important than the hunger of their brothers and sisters. That is why the words of Christ, “I desire Mercy and not Sacrifice.”

Three things we can do to make us more merciful:

• Do what is right. All our lives are intertwined. When one is a blessing, that person blesses others not only for this generation but for the many generations thereafter. However, when one is a menace, it is unfortunately the same… the many generations thereafter are affected. Let us just reflect. How can a country be so rich in natural resources and human resources yet be so poor? Our faith tells us to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth.
• Seeing God in others. Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of your brethren, you do unto me.” In other words, the goodness and mercy we have shown others, we do it for Christ.
• Happiness. True happiness is when one is a blessing to others. In my seven years as a parish priest, the most meaningful program was when we were able to bring education, with the help of La Salle Greenhills, to the prisoners, the out-of-school youth, the poor, and the elderly.

We thank God for the gift of faith. We thank God because our faith reminds us that the most important commandments are the love of God and the love of our neighbor. May this love for God and love for neighbor make us better citizens, Christians, and people.

Yes, people are more important than flowers.