Forbes: Forgive your enemy. Gefli’e’ i enemigu-mo kosa ke un ma ågang påtgon Yu’us

This morning the Archdiocese of Agana held the annual Liberation Day commemoration Mass at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica. The Mass was said in Chamorro.

Fr. Eric Forbes, read the Gospel and have a powerful homily about the Japanese occupation, the strength of the Chamorro people, and the message from Christ to forgive our enemies.

The video here begins with the Gospel reading, followed by the homily. We provide the text of Fr. Forbes’ homily in Chamorro, with its English translation by line:

Kinse åños ha’ yo’ edåt-ho

Annai hu faisen i tiå-ho as Tan Ana

I che’lon i nanå-ho biha

Para u estoriåye yo’ pot i gera

Ha sangåne yo’ na man hånao siha

Desde Barrigada asta Talofo’fo’

På’go mañågo si Tan Ana lao måtai i nene

Ya ma håfot i patgon gi papa’ såtge

Man ma’å’ñao siha nu i Chapanis

Sa’ mås man imperao yan chaddek man lalålo’ i Chapanis ke ni åntes

Gi hinanao-ñiha para Talofo’fo’

Yanggen uchan, meggai na taotao man sulon gi fache’

Lao man ma chonnek siha ni Chapanis

Para u fan lachaddek mangahulo’

En fin, man måtto Talofo’fo’ ya man attok

Man attok sa’ ma hungok i batkonairen Amerikåno

Ma hungok i bomba

Yan i cheflan i båla siha ni man gugupu gi aire

Lao ma repåra un oga’an na esta kalan chågo’ i burukan i mimo

Ma repåra na manaigue esta i sendålon Chapanis

Ya gi sigiente dia, ma li’e’ i hechuran otro siha na sendålo

Ni man maloloffan gi sabåna siha gi me’nan-ñiha

Lao pot i man gaige ha’ trabia este siha na sendålo gi chago’

Ti ma tungo’ kao Chapanis pat Amerikåno

Mampos lemlem

Lao an esta man lahihot i sendålo, manana na Amerikåno siha

Annai hu atan i tiå-ho gigon ilek-ña : manana na Amerikåno siha

Hu li’e’ na tutuho’ i lago’-ña gi fasu-ña

Håssan na hu li’e’ na tumåtånges si tiå-ho

Lao ayo na dia hu li’e’ na tumånges

Annai ha hasso i ha’åne annai man måtto ta’lo i Amerikåno

Ya ha tungo’ na tåya’ esta peligro

Na siña i Chamorro man ma puno’ ni Chapanis

Hu o’onra si tiå-ho yan todo i mañaina-ta

Annai hu o’onra este na ha’åne

Sa’ ha’ånen minagof para siha i dia 21 de Hulio

Ilek-ña i Saina-ta på’go gi Ebanghelio :

Gefli’e’ i enemigon-miyo

Komo eståba mohon si Jesukristo giya Guam

Gi mes de Hulio gi 1944 na såkkan

Siempre ilek-ña i Saina-ta

Chamorron Guam! Geflie’ i Chapanis siha!

Håfa mohon? Kao para ta osge i Saina?

Hu tungo’ na mappot ma osge i Saina guine na asunto – para unos kuåntos

Åmbres si nanå-ho lokkue’, ti ya-ña yanggen hu po’lo i telebision

Gi Chapanis na estasion

Siempre ha essalågue yo’, “Tulaika ayo! Puno’ i TV!”

Hu hungok na annai maloffan un bus ni puro ha’ Chapanis na tourist

Ya på’go ma tutuhon i tourism gi isla

Annai maloffan este na bus gi un songsong gi san lichan na bånda

Guaha siha na Chamorro man huyong ya ma åcho’ i bus

Didok na pinite mañåga gi korason meggai na Chamorro

Ni man maså’pet gi gera

Ni man inamot ni tatan-ñiha pat nanan-ñiha

Annai man pinino’ ni Chapanis

Lao pot i mangilisyåno todo i Chamorro guihe na tiempo

Hu tungo’ lokkue’ na ti måtto gi magåhet na chinatli’e’

I sinienten-ñiha para i Chapanis

Man pininite, lao ti måtto gi chinatli’e’

Ti siña sumåga i guinaiyan Yu’us gi korason-ta

Yanggen gaige lokkue’ i chinatli’e’

Ennao mina’ ilek-ña si Jesus

Gefli’e’ i enemigu-mo

Kosa ke un ma ågang påtgon Yu’us

Asi’e’ i enemigu-mo

Sa’ hågo lokkue’ – inasi’e’ hao as Yu’us

79 åños esta man maloffan desde ke måkpo’ i gera

Pues håfa taimano siña hit på’go na tiempo

Ta praktika este na finanå’guen Jesukristo

Ta tungo’ na guaha na biåhe na maipe i politika gi tano’-ta

Para håfa ta puni na måtto gi mala’et i atgumento siha

Entre i man ma’gås-ta

Ya debe de u maipe i politika

Maolek na ti man pareho todo i hinasson-ñiha i man må’gas

Sa’ ti siña i un taotao ha’ para u tungo’ kabåles i remedio

I tinemtom ti propiedåt-ña i un taotao ha’

Pues, hamyo ni man må’gas

Diskute maolek entre hamyo

Na’ maipepe i kuentos-miyo

Lao sångan i magåhet, suhåye i dinagi

Defiende i hinengge-mo yan mumu para i hinengge-mo

Lao annai esta monhåyan ma diskute todo

Fan a’konfotme ya ta fan hånao mo’na

Sa’ i taotao este na isla

I taotao ni man masåså’pet man man angongokko giya hamyo

Ya masea ti pareho i hinasson-miyo

Lao mungnga ma chatli’e’ i kontrariu-mo

Sa’ un tåno’ ha’ tano’-ta

Kulan mohon un båtko ha’ nai man gaige hit gi tasi

Yanggen uno måtmos

Todos hit man måtmos

Eståba na taigue gi kanai-ta i gobietnamienton i islå-ta

Eståba na man gaige hit gi papa’ i US Navy

Despues eståba na man gaige hit gi papa’ i banderan Japón

På’go i podet politika gaige gi mismo na kanai-ta

Nihi ya ta fan banidoso na hita ni Chamorro

Ta cho’gue i maolek, ta cho’gue i dinanche para i taotao-ta

——-

I was 15 years old

• When I asked my aunt Ana

• The sister of my grandmother

• To tell me stories about the war

• She told me that they went

• From Barrigada to Talofofo

• Ana had just given birth but the baby died

• And they buried the child under the house

• They were afraid of the Japanese

• Because they were more domineering and quicker to get angry than before

• On their way to Talofofo

• If it rained, many people slipped in the mud

• But they were pushed by the Japanese to get up quickly

• In the end they arrived in Talofofo and they hid

• They hid because they heard the American planes

• They heard the bombs

• And the whiz of bullets flying in the air

• But they realized one morning that the noise of battle seemed far away

• They noticed that the Japanese soldiers were gone

• And the next day they saw the outline of other soldiers

• Passing through the highlands before them

• But because these soldiers were still afar off

• They did not know if they were Japanese or Americans

• It was too obscured

• But when the soldiers got closer, they were clearly Americans

• When I looked at my aunt when she said : they were clearly Americans

• I saw her tears fall on her face

• I rarely saw my aunt crying

• But that day I saw her cry

• When she recalled the day when the Americans came back

• And she knew there was no more danger that the Chamorros could be killed by the Japanese

• I honor my aunt and all our elders

• When I honor this day

• Because July 21 was a day of joy for them

• Our Lord says in the Gospel today :

• Love your enemies.

• If Jesus were on Guam in the month of July in 1944

• Our Lord would say

• Chamorros of Guam! Love the Japanese!

• How about it? Shall we obey the Lord?

• I know it is difficult for some to obey the Lord on this point

• Even my mother didn’t like it if I put the TV on a Japanese station

• She would shout to me, “Change that! Turn off the TV!”

• I heard that when a bus full of Japanese tourists, and tourism had just started on the island,

• When the bus passed through a southern village, there were Chamorros who came out to stone the bus

• Deep pain remained in the hearts of many Chamorros

• Who suffered in the war

• Who lost fathers and mothers

• When they were killed by the Japanese

• But because all Chamorros were Christians at that time

• I also know that their feelings for the Japanese

• Did not rise to true hatred

• They were hurting, but not to the point of hatred

• The love of God cannot remain in our hearts

• If hatred is also there

• That is why Jesus said : Love your enemy – So that you will be called a child of God

• Forgive your enemy

• Because you yourself have been forgiven by God

• 79 years have passed since the end of the war

• So how can we practice this teaching of Jesus in our times today?

• We know that at times politics in our island is fiery

• Why deny that arguments become bitter

• Between our leaders

• And they should be fiery

• It’s good that our leaders don’t all think the same

• Because one person alone cannot fully know the solution

• Wisdom is not the property of the one person alone

• So, you leaders,

• Debate well among yourselves

• Be vehement in your deliberations

• But speak the truth, avoid the untruth

• Defend your stance and fight for it

• But when all debate has ended

• Come together and move forward

• Because the people of this island

• The people who suffer

• Are depending on you

• And while your thinking differs

• Don’t hate your opponent

• Because we have but one island

• It’s as if we are all inside one boat in the sea

• If one drowns

• We all drown

• It used to be that the governance of our island was not in our hands

• We were under the US Navy

• Later we came under the Japanese flag

• Now, political power is in our own hands

• Let’s be proud that we Chamorros did the good thing, the right thing

• For our people