Selfless service

We see in the first reading and in the Gospel today how poor widows sacrificially gave their whole lives and means of livelihood to God. Their actions symbolized the supreme sacrifice Jesus would make by giving His life for others.

Taken from the First Book of Kings, a poor widow who had barely enough food for herself and her son welcomed the prophet Elijah as a man of God. She offered all her food to him and received her reward from God in the form of a continuing daily food supply.

In the Gospel, Jesus gave emphasis to the sacrificial offering of a poor widow and declared that she had found true honor in God’s eyes compared to the external signs of honor sought by the scribes. The poor widows in both the first reading and the Gospel gave away all that they possessed for the glory of God. The sacrificial self-giving of the widows in the first reading and the Gospel reflects God’s love in giving His only Son for us, and Christ’s love in sacrificing himself on the cross.

The second reading tells us how Jesus, as the High Priest of the New Testament, surrendered His life to God His Father totally and unconditionally as a sacrificial offering and in atonement for our sins — a sacrifice far beyond the sacrifices made by the poor widows.

In our generation today, I know several widows and single moms that have to be appreciated.

They are found not only in our parishes and communities but also in society. These widows (and widowers) as well as single moms and dads are experiencing deep grief, often suffering from economic loss, from the burden of rearing a family alone, and from a strange isolation from friends, which often sets in soon after the pledges of support at their spouses’ funerals.

Let us learn to appreciate the widows and widowers of our community. Their loneliness draws them closer to God and to stewardship in the parish. They are often active participants in all the liturgical celebrations, offering prayers for their families and for their parish family. Frequently, they are active in parish organizations, as well as in visiting and serving the sick and the shut-ins. Hence, let us appreciate them, support them, encourage them and pray for them.

Meanwhile, I can say that under the leadership of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, there is no corruption in the agency.

The Department of Education (DepEd) condemns corrupt practices in its procurement activities, committing that there will be transparency with Secretary Angara at the helm.

In an advisory, the DepEd assured that it adheres to Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, “to ensure equal opportunity for all qualified bidders at all levels,” from its central office down to the public schools nationwide.

I believe that the advisory serves as a warning that any individual or entity found guilty of corrupt practices “will face severe consequences, including blacklisting and criminal charges.” Last 28 October, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Dennis Legazpi, the Special Assistant of Secretary Angara, and I know that through them the agency will attain its highest achievements.

Moreover, the DepEd is set to fast-track the review of the senior high school (SHS) curriculum and reduce the number of subjects, allowing learners to focus more on work immersion.

During the 2024 Regional Conference on Educational Planning in Asia on Monday, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said that DepEd aims to reduce the core subjects of the SHS curriculum to five or six. This would mean that DepEd will be more flexible in its system.

“If we reduce the subjects of our SHS curriculum, the students will have more time for the on-the-job training or work immersion needed by industries so that our senior high school graduates will be more employable even if they lack work experience,” Secretary Angara said.