No one is so poor that he cannot give. No one is so rich that he cannot receive.

I forgot the source or the author of this quote. But two incidents related to this I cannot forget.

One: in 1991 during the deliberations at the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, commonly known as PCP 2 in Church documents, Bishop Legazi kept repeating it. He was implying the beautiful paradox of the Church of the Poor “rich in her poverty and poor in her generosity.”

Two: a touching encounter with old women in a poor barrio in Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte, in the Diocese of Iligan where I was the diocesan bishop (May 1977 – August 1994).

I was invited to give the Sacrament of Confirmation in that poor barrio whose name I also forgot. The parish catechists had prepared the 300 kids and young adults as well as their sponsors and parents with the catechesis on the Sacraments of Confirmation and Reconciliation or Confession. Upon my request the parish priest had informed everyone that since the barrio was very poor financially there would be no money offering or stipends for the celebration of the sacraments which were held in the dilapidated elementary school building.

After the Mass and Confirmation 5 old women, who were confirmation sponsors, hesitantly approached me to give them the favor of accepting their 5 pesos.

Being already tired I must have looked and sounded exasperated as I said, “Wala ba mo gisultihan sa Padre Kura nga wala nay offering?” (Were you not told by the parish priest there would be no offerings?). They admitted he did announce but they had to approach me because they had a problem.

What they told me was extremely touching, something I have never heard before. “Monseñor, pasayloa kami kay duna kami problema: kon dili nimo dawaton ang among gisakripisyohan nga halad bisan gamay ra, dili madawat sa mga bata ang bendisyon sa sakramento” (Forgive us. Monsignor, we have a problem: if you do not receive the offering we have sacrificed to obtain, the children will not receive the blessing of the Sacrament).

Wow! The first thing that came to mind was “No one is so poor…” But there is something deeper. And it is about the faith of the old women. Their 5-peso was the symbol of their sacrificial faith in the Sacraments which are the actions of Jesus. Which reminded me of Matthew 9:2-6, “And suddenly some men brought him a paralytic stretched out on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Take comfort, my child, your sins are forgiven… get up, pick up your mat, and go off home.'”

“Seeing their faith…” To the old women their faith in the Sacrament was symbolized by the hard-earned 5-peso. The bishop accepting the money assured them Jesus had seen their faith and consequently the kids would receive the grace of the Sacrament.

The bishop is “rich” in many ways, yet he needs to receive an insight into the mystery of the deep faith possessed by the poor women!