Dr. Narciso D. Monfort, MD

Dearly beloved, last Monday we were having a lunch meeting for the Prayer Warriors of the Holy Souls. As we were eating, one of those at the table remarked about Dr. Narciso. She said that Dr. Narciso might perhaps be one of the very, very few politicians who really understood what it means to be a "statesman". At the end of the meeting I glanced upon the autobiography of Narciso. And as I was reading it on my way home, suddenly, I realized that the man who just passed away was really, really a great statesman. Not a politician but a great statesman. His accomplishments speak for themselves like the things which we take for granted: for example, the volunteering of students for rural work. I think we take that so much for granted but we have Dr. Narciso to thank for because I think he was the one who initiated it even as he was a medical student in UST. And I really was struck by the accomplishment of the man; and indeed, a great man has passed away.

When I saw him on the day he passed away, there were no traces of greatness; he was not in elegant barong the way he would always be at the halls of Congress; he was bedridden, assisted by Chita his wife, and his son Joey and his daughter Mitchie. Even as I was anointing him, suddenly I realized how human accomplishments at that moment would simply give way to the work of God.

The first reading of today speaks of that. In the first reading, St. Paul asked whether Abraham was justified for his good deeds so it was Abraham who justified for his deeds because if he were so, he has grounds to boast.

If you look at the autobiography of Dr. Narciso you could conclude that before, Dr. Narciso indeed had grounds for boasting but in the end, St. Paul says that is not so in God’s view because Abraham believed in God and it was belief in God that was credited to him as his point of justification.

Dr. Narciso was a great doctor, well-loved by his fellow Ilonggos, well-loved by priests. In fact, he has done so much for the church that even the good Archbishop of Jaro, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, saw it as his obligation to be there if not for his funeral, at least on the night before the funeral. If Dr. Narciso were not all those things, the Archbishop would not feel obliged to be present at the wake of somebody who is engaged in politics. We priests, and I think also the Archbishop feel the same, that sense of obligation comes from knowledge of a person’s greatness. Hindi porque politician siya, nakaburol siya sa Iloilo, the Archbishop has to be there; but he came. He came because he cherished the friendship of Dr. Narciso He was a friend of the priests, great doctor, statesman and yet at that moment when he was about to pass away what actually counted was his faith in Christ.

All of a sudden such human greatness would really be nothing as compared to that faith in Jesus which Narciso took with him and professed until the very end. That was the faith that justified. The gospel says something about hypocrisy. The Lord cautioned us to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Then he says, for "there is nothing concealed that cannot be revealed, nothing hidden that will not be known". I suppose that it is the trouble with death. Death is frightening. Well, first of all because our destiny after death would really be in the hands of God, it would either be reward or condemnation. Now, death there is no debate about that. But somehow for public figures, death becomes even more frightening because of what Jesus said: "Nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nothing hidden that will not be made known while we are alive."

Powerful people could make use of their power in order to beautify their edifice in order to keep secrets but all crumbles down on death. The Lord says well nothing concealed will not be revealed. Siguro iyon ang isa sa nakakatakot tungkol sa death: that we will no longer be there to make damage-control. Well, that would be one of the merits of the great statesman in the sense that even if they died the greatness becomes even more revealed; not the notoriety but the greatness; good things which perhaps he wanted kept secret when he was still alive. Suddenly people talk about him after he passes on to eternity. You could take the Lord’s word negatively as a warning or you could also take it as a source of joy and consolation.

I suppose one of the characteristics of Dr. Narciso is for being God fearing because if he were not God-fearing, I don’t think he would be loved that much by his constituents and more so by his own family. It is perhaps that virtue, the gift of the Holy Spirit just the fear of the Lord. I must admit this is lacking in most politicians. No fears perhaps it is the illusion of power that takes away from them every shred of fear of the Lord and that is why many politicians are unwise because sacred scriptures says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom and I think that is also one of the reasons why Dr. Narciso was a wise man. His wisdom came from the fact that he feared the Lord.

The Lord spoke of the fear of the Lord in today’s gospel. He says: "Do not be afraid of those who killed the body and can do no more. I will show you whom should you fear, He says. Fear him who has the power to cast into Gehenna (a place where the wicked are punished after death, ED.) after he has killed. I tell you fear him." People no longer want to talk of fear of the Lord, because it’s probably so medieval; so middle ages. And yet I think that is so dismissing now, that people failed to consider eternity, people failed to think of the afterlife. We become very much obsessed with the present world that we erase from our memories thoughts of eternity. And together with that, when we keep God out of sight and when we keep God out of mind, we lose fear of the Lord. We are more sensitive to human respect but we are not afraid of the judgment of God. We are not afraid of God himself and I think that should be the root cause of most social ills of today. It is the absence of the fear of the Lord in the hearts of people. When we put things in our own hands without considering eternity, when we put things in our own hands without considering God himself, then we turn order into chaos and we destroy society.

Jesus teaches us that the very foundation of all wisdom of all righteous living is fear of the Lord. The constant consideration of the eternal consequences of everything that we do, such constant consideration of eternal consequences are rooted on the fear of the Lord.

Dr. Narciso was a congressman and doctor but he never never forgot that he was first and foremost a Christian. Kaya siguro mayroon siyang hiya which we don’t find in many politicians now. Kasi malamang he would not have founded the Prayer Warriors of the Holy Souls if he never considered thoughts regarding eternal consequences of his earthly actions. He would never have reprinted those folletos like "How to Avoid Purgatory". He was really one of a kind. He was a man who allowed his faith to be influenced in the way he engaged politics. He was really a man who understood that his Christian faith should influence his secular affairs. Because of his constant consideration of the truth that everything we do on earth has eternal consequences.

Dearly beloved, in the end, it was his faith in Christ that saved him. And I think that is a reason for us to celebrate a Eucharist. For the one who passed away was indeed a Godly man. And we should ask the Lord to take into consideration Dr. Monfort’s Godliness. Lord for the sake of his Godliness forgive his inequities, for the sake of his Godliness cover his sins. Dr. Monfort did not seek refuge in his earthly power. And I think that is the reason why the Lord did not allow him to pass without receiving the comfort of the last sacraments that to us is enough reason to be confident in Christ. So let us celebrate the Eucharist and let us keep our hearts and our minds raised to the things of heaven. Let us always keep in mind as we have lived, so we shall die. Dr. Monfort tried to live a righteous life; he was justified by his faith passed on with confidence in his friendship with Christ.

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