Aldin Francis Canobas, OFM
When I visited Banaue in the Philippines, I was touched by the simple nipa huts of the Ifugao people. These huts are made from wood and leaves, yet they are strong and full of life. Families eat, rest, and share their daily joys inside them. What surprised me most was the tabernacle inside the parish there. It was shaped like a nipa hut. Seeing the Eucharist in that humble hut reminded me of this truth: Jesus Christ chose to make His home with us. As the Gospel of John says: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The original word for “dwelt” means “to pitch a tent.” Just as God once lived in the Tent of Meeting with His people, now He lives in our human life.
This mystery is also our calling. St. Paul teaches: “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). In Baptism, we die with Christ and rise with Him to new life. However, this is not limited to the past. Each day, when we say no to selfishness or pride, we share in His death. Each time we suffer loss, pain, or grief, we walk with Him on the way of the Cross.
Jesus Himself knew these experiences. In His Passion, He cried out in anger, He prayed to escape suffering, He felt sorrow, and finally, He surrendered His spirit to the Father. But none of these moments ended in despair. In the Resurrection, His anger became peace, His sorrow became joy, His surrender became glory.
St. Francis followed the same path. When his father rejected him, Francis put his trust in God. When he became sick and blind, he still sang the Canticle of the Creatures, praising God for everything. When he received the stigmata, he carried in his body the suffering of Christ. At his death, Francis lay on the bare ground, blessing his brothers and welcoming “Sister Death” with peace. He showed us that death is not an enemy, but a doorway into the Father’s love.
This is also true for us. The Resurrection is not only about life after death. It begins here and now. Whenever we forgive instead of staying angry, whenever we trust God instead of controlling, whenever we find hope even in sadness, we are already living the Resurrection.
The nipa hut tabernacle in Banaue reminds me: Christ has chosen to live with us, in the small and simple places of our lives. He walks with us in our dying and rising. One day, Sister Death will come to us, too. But if we belong to Christ, she is not to be feared. She is the guide who leads us home to God.
And so, with St. Francis, we can pray with peace: “Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death.”
Br. Aldin Francis Canobas, OFM is a Franciscan Friar and Registered Nurse with experience in Psychiatry, Mental Health, and Addictions. He joined the Franciscans in 2020 and made his first profession in 2022. He is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Newman Theological College and shares his passion for music, healing, and compassion as expressions of Gospel living.
