Advent Part 1: The Face of a Promise

29 November 2009 First Sunday of Advent
Jer 33, 14-16; Psalm 25; 1 Thes 3, 12 - 4,2; Luke 21, 25-36

Note: I would like to share with you four dimensions of Advent. Each dimension will correspond to the four Sundays of the liturgical season. And just as it prepares us for the Christmas season, we too are being lead to ally with God’s plan to save humankind. So the next four Sundays will have a common thread. It will have four parts.

Part 1: The Face of a Promise

In her most influential book, The Human Condition, the German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt said that we are in a state of chaos and confusion. Basically, we are insecure of the future because it is always uncertain. We cannot control what will happen. We cannot determine its outcome. We are constantly anxious by what will be. In addition, we are troubled by our past. We have been hurt and wounded. We have relationships wanting for a closure. We have a dark history that we want to forget but unfortunately it continues to haunt us. We have secrets we do not want to disclose or else we fear that we will be rejected or our names be tarnished. But Arendt maintains that there are two factors that keep us at bay. Promises secures the uncertain future and forgiveness undoes the mistakes of the past.

The first Sunday of Advent tackles the uncertain future. It tells us that God promises us a safe and secure future. It tells us that God fulfills His promises. The first reading from Jeremiah says:

“The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah.
In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot ; 
he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe 
and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: “The LORD our justice.”

In fact, theology teaches us that the whole of the Old Testament can be summarized by the word, promise. God makes a promise, and then, as the coming of Jesus dawns, will actively keep His word. Because of that, Hannah Arendt says, that the Judeo-Christian religion is built on a promise: on the covenant of God with Abraham. Promises therefore are sacred to us, because the very One who made the first move to promise is God Himself.

What then is the appropriate response to a promise? Since God keeps and fulfills His promise, we are to hinge our lives on it. We are to trust that God will continually remember us. Scripture reminds us that we are to keep our gaze on Him and on Him alone. We are to train our minds and our hearts to behold God all the time; to have Him as our one and only desire. This is where we find the theme of waiting in the season of Advent.

Have you ever waited in line for a ride home? Or queued for a movie or a game? Or experienced being in a long television series, faithfully watching every episode until its conclusion? Waiting makes the heart long for what it truly desires. It helps us focus on what we truly want. We will not wait if there is an alternative --- as we can always choose another movie and postpone watching the movie that has the longest line. But ask the people in malls who waited for as long as an hour and a half for “New Moon” --- they wouldn’t settle for less.

We do experience some form of waiting. Many of us would like to find where we ultimately belong in the greater scheme of things. We have our dream jobs, so we continually apply and go through series of interviews. Some are waiting for the promise of a brighter future that is partially settled by a diploma. Some are waiting for the time when they meet their partners who will be “perfect for them”; or the time of a marriage proposal. The longer we wait, the more precious it becomes. In all of these moments of waiting, the heart is shaped by that one and only desire. It makes the heart fall in love to the only One.

Fr. Pedro Arrupe SJ, former General of the Jesuits, said, “What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, what you know that breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love and it will decide everything.”

And thus the first season of Advent has a corresponding grace: we pray that God will teach us to focus on Him alone; to gaze and put our trust in His promises. That whatever happens in the future, as the Gospel warns us of the signs of confusion and perplexity in nature and in relationships among people, God will not forget His promise to save us. He will keep us safe and prepare for us a secure dwelling place.

In the meantime, we relish every opportunity to wait for that One we truly desire.

The Fall of Our Jerusalems

26 November 2009 Thursday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
Daniel 6, 12-28; Daniel 3; Luke 21, 20-28

Jerusalem fell to the Roman armies in AD 70 after a desperate siege in which the inhabitants were actually reduced to cannibalism and in which the city had to be taken literally stone by stone. Josephus says that an incredible number of 1,100,000 people perished in the siege and 97,000 were carried away in captivity. The Jewish nation was obliterated and the Temple was fired and abandoned.

Josephus in Wars of the Jews writes about the beauty of the Temple: the pillars and columns are of white marble, each made of a single block of stone. Of the ornaments, the most famous was the great vine made of solid gold. “The outward face of the Temple in its front... was covered with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun’s own rays. But the temple appeared to strangers, when they were at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow, for, as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceedingly white.

It was from a comment about this Temple, that Jesus was moved to prophesy. Here we learn some things about Jesus. First, Jesus could read the signs of history. Second, Jesus truthfully said that those who would follow him would meet persecutions and difficulties. Third, Jesus assured them that those who would face persecution would never be alone: He is with them. Finally, Jesus gives a second assurance, “not one hair of your head will be harmed.” They might destroy the body, but never one’s soul.

If we reflect on our lives, much of what we learn about Jesus is indeed true to us. Some of us have graciously loaned a lot of money to someone and that person has exploited our generosity. Some of us have been victims of false accusations and gossip, abandoned by friends and families even by members of the church, because they believed in the false statements made against us. Some of us have labored willingly behind the scenes, doing most of the work--- whether in a school or a work project --- and another got the credit. Some of us have tried to make things better, but we meet a lot of difficulties from people who resist change.

Here is the message that is often difficult to accept: that it is in this kind of pain that God gives His best message. CS Lewis calls pain, “God’s megaphone”. In his book, The Problem of Pain, he writes: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.” Thus, when everything falls, like the Temple of Jerusalem, when we are destroyed by people, we are asked to put our complete hope and trust in God. When we do that, the simplest message from God calms our spirit.

Remember Angelito Nayan? On October 28, 2004, this Philippine diplomat spent three weeks in captivity in the hands of gunmen in Afghanistan. Every day their captors would threaten to kill him and his fellow captives. Nayan said that words from the Bible sustained him in dark times and how they would repeatedly utter a quote from the book of Jeremiah which says, “For I know my plans that are laid for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you.”

An image comes to mind in the movie 2012. It captivates the attitude when all else fails. Harry Helmsley (Blu Mancuma), father of Adrian (Chiwetel Ejiofor) went out of the ship and faced the tidal wave courageously knowing that he has his son’s love. In the first reading, the prophet Daniel faced the consequence of his faithfulness to the Lord, despite the decree from King Darius. He went to the burning flames. But it is in this final step of giving one’s life for the truth that the God of Israel was recognized by King Darius. It is therefore the lives of the martyrs of the faith, or what we call the “cloud of witnesses” that becomes proof of faith’s authenticity. It is the same with heroes: their lives is the proof of the validity of the virtue of nationalism and love of country.

And so, take heart. Never lose hope. Trust in the Lord. In our desperate times, when all else fails, when all else falls like the splendor of Jerusalem, God never abandons us.

Do You Interpret Your Dreams?

24 November 2009 Tuesday of the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daniel 2, 31-45; Dn 3, 57-61; Luke 21, 5-11

The story of Daniel and his interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar simply points out that the ruling kingdoms of the world will eventually fall, giving way to an eternal kingdom being established by God alone. Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a huge human statue made of different metals that crumbled to its feet when struck by a mysterious stone. He had all of Babylon’s interpreters to explain his dream and its details. But none of them had the ability; they acknowledged that no human being will be able to do what the king desired. In his frustration, the king ordered them killed. It was in this context that Daniel and his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were summoned.

Daniel said that the different parts of the body of the statue, consisting of different metals and materials, represented different kingdoms. The head of gold represented Babylon; chest and arms of silver, Media; belly and thighs of bronze, Persia; legs of iron, Greece; finally, the feet of iron and tile symbolized Alexander’s empire ridden with division with the Ptolemies running Egypt and the Seleucids governing Syria on which the dreaded Antiochus Epiphanes in the story of the book of Maccabees belonged.

In the end, the king acknowledges the superiority of Daniel’s God by the wisdom he displayed. And so Daniel was given the highest office in the land, while Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were given provincial posts upon Daniel’s request.

In the bible, Daniel was not the only dreamer. Joseph of Genesis 37 had a similar story. It was a dream that led his brothers to sell him to Egypt. It was the interpretation of two dreams of his co-prisoners, the butler and the baker that led him to the court of Pharaoh. And it was finally the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream that he was rewarded the governorship of Egypt in the time of plenty and famine. It was as governor that his family was saved from famine. Another Joseph in the New Testament, would also save the baby Jesus and his family from the hands of King Herod.

Our dreams have something to say about where we are and what we are to do. God can speak to us through our dreams. Psychology tells us that every dream and the characters in it are symbols of ourselves. It can tell us where we are. When we dream of being chased, our subconscious tells us that maybe we are anxious. Running away from something is a symbol of being afraid of something. When we have recurring nightmares, it may tell us that it is time to face the greatest fears that we have been avoiding. What are we afraid of? What do we need to confront? Of course, our dreams are not as definitive, but analyzing them may teach us something real and true at present.

Dreams can also tell us where we want to be; where we want to go. To be able to imagine ourselves in the future is the content of our dreams. It gives us direction, because it is the goal to which all our decisions and our motivations lead to. It is, if we are to use the first reading, the establishment of that eternal and ideal self. Our dream are envisions of our perfect self, in an ideal life-setting. A person who do not have dreams will always find themselves directionless and confused. Often, these are the persons whose personalities have not reached a solidification, a clearer identity, that they do not know what they want or, tragically, who they are. Thus, like the statue made of different materials, eventually they will crumble to their feet. On the other hand, those who are successful use and interpret their dreams in the present context and then they move towards their vision.

Let’s put this thing on the ground. After all, this blog is about practical faith. What are we to do with dreams which we find harder to reach? Often these dreams look like vanishing objects on the horizon. They slowly disappear because we have put off a lot of work that leads to the fulfillment of these dreams.

One thing to do is to have our eye on the prize as St. Paul said. And then give ourselves a deadline. Oftentimes, other people give us a deadline; it is often beneficial if we are the ones who decide when such a thing will be accomplished. A sense of urgency comes with a deadline. How many times have we finished a paper because the deadline is in about a few hours? When the “deadliest deadline” is within the horizon, we suddenly find ourselves resourceful.

Second, when a self-imposed deadline is given, we work out steps towards it. At first, we will find it taxing, but my experience teaches me that the tediousness comes like the first lessons in music. Once you get into the groove, everything falls into place. Do the detailed steps 1, 2, and 3. And tick each step once it’s done. One of the things that gives me satisfaction during the day is ticking one step done at a time; the excitement is derived from nearing the prize.

Finally, include the people we love into our schedules. Tell them about our goals. Often we tell ourselves to do things alone, on our terms. People just mess things up. And when we don’t reach the goal, the shame is greater when people know. But my experience tells me that the opposite is true: when we have friends who know and they support us, reaching our dreams becomes easier. On occasions when our dreams are wild and weird, the support from friends make what is insane, sane. Take Daniel: he had Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who prayed with him before they took steps to present themselves at the foot of King Nebuchadnezzar. The rest is history.

The Gifts of the King

22 November 2009 Solemnity of Christ the King
Daniel 7, 13-14; Psalm 93; Revelations 1, 5-8; John 18, 33-37

Note: The Filipino version of this homily, previous this post, appears in the Tagalog Sambuhay today. Sambuhay is a missalette for Sundays; a publication of the Society of St. Paul.

Many of us are crazy about everything ‘Idol’. We watched every season of American Idol. In world religions, an idol is an image of a divinity used as an object or medium of worship. In the Christian and Jewish tradition, an idol is a false image of a god that does not exist. In common jargon --- the way we used idol in the Philippines --- an idol is a person loved or adored excessively. This Sunday, we are introduced to someone real and deserving our excessive love and adoration: Christ the King. Why? A true king is someone who serves his people. What are the things Christ has given us?

First, Christ has given us royalty. The reading from the book of Revelation says that Christ has given us a kingdom, and made it a kingdom of priests. Taken from the Exodus 19, this verse tells us about our status and our dignity.

A person with a kingdom is royalty; that he or she is descended or related by blood to a king or queen. With Christ, the King, we are indeed royalty. With Christ, we become sons and daughters of God --- not just the highest specie in the animal kingdom. This is the reason why the church protects the rights of human beings and condemns any form of oppression. From the rights of the unborn to the criminal sentenced to death, the Church has not wavered in its stance on human life. Science see a human being as the highest form of animal --- animal nevertheless --- thus, human beings can be experimented on. Any form that curtails our dignity as children of God is condemned by the Church as immoral.

Second, Christ has given us priesthood. You see, in the olden days, the priest has the only right of access to God. Thus, the priest mediated prayers of the people to God. In the Jerusalem temple, any Jew can enter from the outermost court to the Court of the Israelites. The outermost is the Court of the Gentiles, followed by the Court of Women, and then the Court of the Israelites. But only the priest can enter the Court of the Priests, leading to the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. With Jesus, everyone is now a priest: someone who has direct access to God, and to go closer to his presence. And this is a new way of living as Hebrews 10 tells us; that we now share a common priesthood, which was endowed to us in baptism.

Thus, it gives us a new way of regarding the church: an ecclesiology. Sacrosanctum Concilium or Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (SC) and the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) tells us that “Catholics need to have a strongly developed liturgical spirituality that makes them more aware that at the Eucharist they join with the presider in the offering that Christ, the one and only high priest, makes to his Father for the life of the world. The royal priesthood of baptism consecrates the assembly of believers to a life of worship that finds its ‘source and summit’ in the Eucharistic gathering.” Therefore, when we participate at mass by singing and responding with our whole heart and attention, we are practicing our common priesthood. The mass therefore is not just the presider’s (or the priest’s) mass, but our mass. SC said that the best Eucharist is when there is ‘full, active, and conscious participation by everyone during mass.”

Third, Christ has given us hope. With the promise that the Lord will come --- na Siya ang maghahari kailanman --- we are given hope, strength and comfort when life is difficult. When John was writing the book of Revelations, he was writing at a very difficult time for Christians. They were hunted and persecuted in the Roman Empire. Many became martyrs. They knew that to believe in Christ, and to become a Christian, can also mean death. To believe that eventually, the Lord Almighty, is Lord of all, then any type of suffering and dying is worth it. Because nothing can destroy faith.

Ang Mga Handog ng Hari ng Sansinukob

ika-22 ng Nobyembre 2009 Maringal na Kapistahan ng Kristong Hari
Daniel 7, 13-14; Psalm 93; Rev 1, 5-8; John 18, 33-37

Note: This article appears in Sambuhay in Filipino today. Sambuhay is a publication of the Society of St. Paul.

Taon-taon, inaabangan ng bawat Pilipino sa telebisyon ang mga pagalingan sa pagkanta at pagsayaw. Nagiging “idolo” at labis na hinahangaan ang mga nagwagi. Ngayong linggo, ginugunita natin ang higit na nararapat paglingkuran at kalugdan. Noong unang mga panahon, ini-ikot sa buong bayan ang imahen ng Kristong Hari, isang pagpapakita kung sino ang namumuno sa lahat. Pinupunyagi ito sa buong lalawigan, upang ipakita ang nararapat na tagurian tanging bida sa buhay. Ano ang tunay na hari? Sa mga Hudyo, isang tunay na pastol ang isang hari. Ang pagtugon sa pangangailangan ng kawan ang kanyang pangunahing tungkulin. Sa kanyang paglilingkod, nagkakaroon ng mapayapa at masaganang pamumuhay ang lahat ng sakop sa kanyang kaharian.

Ayon sa Pahayag, ipinagkaloob sa atin ang karangalan na maging lahing hinirang ng Diyos, isang kaharian ng mga pari at bayang banal. Batay sa Exodo 19, ipinapahayag nito ang pagbabago ng estado at dignidad ng tao.

Maharlika ang isang taong may kaharian. Nananalaytay sa Kristiyano ang dugong-makahari. Samakatuwid, bilang kaanib sa kaharian ni Kristong Hari, nagiging parte ng ating pagkatao ang pagiging mapagkalinga, mapag-alaga at mapag-sanggalang sa bawat tao at nilikha ng Diyos. Nakaukit ang tungkuling ito sa palad ng bawat bininyagan sa ngalan ng Diyos Ama, Anak at Espiritu Santo. Higit na mataas ang ating estado sa pananaw ng Simbahan, hindi lamang ang pinakamataas na specie sa Kaharian ng mga Hayop. Dahil dito, isinasanggalang ng Simbahan ang karapatang pantao at tinutuligsa nito ang lahat ng uri ng pagsisiil at pangaapi. Kaya hindi kailanman magiging tama ang pagkitil sa buhay ng isang tao, maging isang kriminal o sanggol sa sinapupunan.

Iginawad din ni Kristo ang pagiging pari nating lahat. Noong unang panahon, ang pari ang naging tagapamagitan ng tao at ng Diyos. Siya ang naghatid ng mga panalangin at hangarin ng tao, upang itaas ito sa Poong Diyos. Hindi nakakapasok sa “Banal ng mga Banal” ang sinuman sa Templo ng Jerusalem. Dahil nakalagay ang kaban ng Tipan, naniniwala ang mga Israelita na doon nakaluklok ang Diyos. Ang mga pari lamang ang maaaring pumasok sa silid na ito. Ngunit dahil kay Kristo, ayon sa Hebreo 10, nagiging pari tayong lahat na may karapatang lumapit sa Diyos at mag-alay ng panalangin. Ito ang tinatawag nating common priesthood na ipinagkakaloob sa Sakramento ng Binyag.

Paano natin pinapa-iral ang pagiging kasapi sa “kaharian ng mga pari”? Ayon sa Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) at ng General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), kailangang magkaroon ng malalim na pagunawa sa Eukaristiya, upang makita na kasama tayong lahat sa pag-aalay ng sarili ni Kristo Hesus, ang nag-iisang Paring Walang Hanggan at Hari ng sansinukob. Sa binyag, itinalaga at inihandog tayo sa Diyos. Sa paglago ng ating pananampalataya, ang pag-aalay na ito ay higit na nagaganap sa misa, ang bukal at tugatog ng pagsamba. Samakatuwid, kung nakikilahok at nakikisama tayo nang buong puso at diwa sa pag-awit at pagtugon sa misa, pinapamalas natin ang ating pagiging pari. Higit sa lahat, tunay na nakikita sa pagkakaisa natin sa ngalan ni Kristong Hari, ang sambayanan ng Kaharian ng Diyos. Kaya, mahalagang baguhin natin ang pagtingin sa misa: hindi ito misa ng paring nasa altar lamang, kundi misa nating lahat. Kasangkot tayong lahat sa pagsamba sa Diyos.

Higit sa lahat, ang nararanasan natin sa pakikilahok at pakikiisa sa pagsamba ay isang tikim lamang ng magpakailanman. Sa Kapistahan ni Kristong Hari, naaaninag na natin ang kahihinatnan ng ating pagsisikap bilang mga anak ng Diyos. Sa Kaharian ng Diyos, magkakapatid tayong lahat, tunay na anak ng Poong Maykapal. Higit sa lahat, isang sambayanang iisa lamang ang natatanging laman ng puso: ang pag-ibig kay Kristo. Hindi ba’t ito ang turing natin sa hari? Ang hari sa ating buhay ang siyang tanging sinusundan ng ating puso. Handa natin isaalang-alang ang ating buhay makamtan lamang ang pag-ibig nito. At dahil alam nating buhay si Kristo, hindi humihina ang ating loob sa gitna ng maraming unos sa buhay. Hindi kailanman nawawala ang pag-asa dahil ang kaharian ni Kristo ay walang hanggan, puspos ng kabanalan, at tigib ng pag-ibig.

Scriptural Basis for Self-Improvement

18 November 2009 Wednesday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
2 Mc 7, 1-31; Psalm 17; Luke 19, 11-28

The Gospel today is Luke’s version of Matthew’s Parable of the Talents, though Matthew’s “talents” are larger in value than Luke’s gold coins. In the time of Jesus, “talents” are units of mass almost like three times that of a precious metal. Though wiki is not as accurate but to give you an idea: it is around $20,000 in 2004 or the equivalent of 9 years of skilled work (check this). Luke however uses mnas, which is translated into “gold coins”. But the message of the parable remains the same: while waiting for the coming of the Lord, we must not sit around idle or simply keeping the status quo, we have to actively continue God’s work. When the Gospel of Luke was written years after the death of Jesus, the early church were asking the question about Jesus’ return and what to do while waiting. The parable was used in this context.

And it is in this context too that we hear the Gospel today. As we move towards the Solemnity of Christ the King, the question of the final coming of Jesus, the parousia, is placed at the fore. While waiting for the end of days, what do we do? Again the answer is the same.

One clear to-do is to develop our talents or the gifts God has given us. Jesus said, “to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” The statement of Jesus may seem a surprise and even an injustice. But in the context of a talent (including present-day denotation), Jesus expresses a reality. When we improve on our skills, the more we discover our potentials. The only way to sing is to open our mouth and sing; the only way to improve on our writing is to write; the only way to be better dancers is to practice. On this road of achieving mastery of our skills, we eventually find other skills. Some find themselves capable of a wide range of particular genres in a general skill: ballroom and ballet in dance; the classical and the blues in musical performance, etc. Some find another skill altogether. But to those who are lazy, whatever talent they have deteriorates. If we do not practice, even if we’re gifted, eventually we will find ourselves skills-deficient.

The motivation to be better is gratitude. The parable clearly states that the gold coins come from the nobleman. It is not theirs. The mother in the first reading reminds her sons on their way to their deaths that it is God who is the creator and who also gives life. It is God who is the source and the owner of the gifts. Everything that we have is borrowed. Nothing thus is ours. And thus, the development of our talents is a show of utmost gratitude. Consider: we feel honored when the gifts we’ve given is used by the recipient. God is honored if we invest on our gifts. In addition, we become fulfilled as we discover and use the very gifts we have. When we improve, we are given more responsibilities like the servants who were given 10 or 5 cities to manage according to the investments they earned. Therefore, when we use whatever we have, we discover more. Much more will be given to us.

How do we improve on our skills? I think there is more truth that many of us are already trying to dabble into many things; hoping that we’ll find some interesting thing to do on our free time or to perk up our work with new know-how. I find myself surfing for how-to videos on podcasting; or scouring articles on blogging; or trying to learn a new program.

But how do we sustain constant improvement? Let me share what I do. First, coffee or tea; it jump-starts my day. It keeps me up and about; my mind becomes alert. Second, I keep a small idea notebook. I write whatever comes to my mind. Since it is small and portable, I hold on to it wherever I go, ready to grab an inspiration while traveling, walking, or sleeping. In this notebook are blueprints of blog topics, event themes, wild ideas. They’re unedited, irreverent sometimes, grandiose to the point of an impossibility. But no matter how wild or how mild, they’re in that notebook. I refer to it on dry moments. In this notebook are also mind maps. Here is a link on how to do mind-mapping. Fourth, do not stop talking to people. The best ideas are usually from people you casually talk to: even children, even our enemies (they usually have a different take on what we have or how we do things). Keep an open mind to them; empty your cup so it can be filled up by others. Finally, try it before judging if you’re taking it or abandoning it. Sometimes the judgment that we can’t do it before trying kills all the possibilities of a new life with a new skill.

And oh I forgot: get yourself to enjoy. Sometimes the best ideas are the things you and other people love to do or like to experience.

How Would You Like to Die?

17 November 2009. Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary
2 Mc 6, 18-31; Psalm 3; Luke 19, 1-10

We have two men of advanced age in the readings today. Eleazar was a priest who chose to die a martyr’s death. He accepted death joyfully and voluntarily, rather than violating God’s will, even if it was trivial. He was being forced to eat pork, which he refused. Trying to save him from a brutal death, an old friend of his persuaded him to pretend eating the king’s prescribed meat by having, instead, Eleazar’s choice of a legitimate one. However, “Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all, he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.” (v. 23) To him, it was unbecoming of an old man to show such a pretense. So Eleazar kept his integrity and hoped that he would be a good example to the young.

Zacchaeus, on the other hand, had his reputation damaged in the sense that as the district supervisor of tax collectors, he was viewed by the Jewish religious leaders as the chief of sinners. Tax collectors were dishonest. But Zacchaeus had with him a saving grace. Despite his wealth and stature, he was not ashamed to climb the sycamore tree, to publicly declare his sin, and to announce his repentance. There was in him some genuineness that eventually led him to open his heart to the Word of God. We can say that his spontaneity and impetuousness provided a rich soil for the seed of God’s word to grow. This old man regained his reputation and his integrity. Age does not matter: God accepts a renewal of heart anytime, any day. Zacchaeus was able to find his way back to the flock; of course, with the Shepherd finding him first.

At the end of our lives, we are to die with grace and ‘gracefully’ like Eleazar and Zacchaeus. In the movie 2012, a scene there strikes the central message of the readings. A ship was built to save those who were privileged to repopulate the world including world leaders. When the ship was about to be launched, people were shut out of its doors (think Noah’s ark and the people who would eventually drowned). But then, Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) cannot in conscience allow the people to die, so he talked to the Heads of State to open the gates. He said, “What will you tell your children, and what will your children tell their children?”

Adrian’s question is beneficial for all of us --- young and old. It is good to consider it at the end of the liturgical year. What would we like people to remember us by? We are to set a good example to the young by keeping our integrity and nobility like Eleazar. Will people say that we have lived worthy of our years, in the dignity of our advanced years?

And if we think that reconciliation with someone or with Someone has been long delayed, then we can take the inspiration from Zacchaeus: there is no latecomer in the Kingdom of God.

What's Keeping You Here?

16 November 2009. Memorial of Sts. Roque Gonzalez, Juan del Castillo, Alonso Rodriguez, Jesuit martyrs
1 Mc 1: 10-63; Psalm 119; Luke 18, 35-43

In the memorial of the above Jesuit martyrs, the Scripture passage today in the Common of Holy Men in the Liturgy of the Hours summarizes the points of the readings at mass: “Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12, 2).

The first reading tells us of the Maccabean family who decided to rebel against the forced Hellenizing of Judaism by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus needed money to finance his military endeavors and to unite the people under his rule for defensive purposes. He forbade the practice of Judaism and wanted the people to worship Zeus in the temple itself. So he plundered the temple in Jerusalem in 167 BC. The reading draws our attention to the Maccabean family who remained faithful to God and to the Law despite persecutions and constant threats. Their loyalty to the faith caused them their lives.

The Gospel today is about the blind man on the road to Jericho. He wanted Jesus to heal him. So he shouted with all his might, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” However, he was ridiculed by the crowd including the disciples, for creating a stir among them. They do not want an “insignificant” person to bother Jesus. Because of his perseverance, he got what he yearned for: Jesus healed him because of his faith. The Gospel draws our attention to the least and the lost on whose faith and example we are to follow.

The memorial of Jesuit saints and martyrs Roque Gonzalez de Santa Cruz, Alphonsus Rodríguez and Juan del Castillo speak of the same theme. They were architects of the Jesuit reductions in Paraguay. The reductions, from the verb “reducir” is a Jesuit way in the missions: they worked with the Guarani people who lived along the Paraguay and Pilcomayao rivers. The Jesuits would like to bring the Guarani to live in towns. At the small mission of St. Ignatius, Roque Gonzalez supervised the construction of houses, the public square, the school and the church. The reductions spread to Uruguay, Southern Brazil and Panama. To them they focused on the “insignificant” in society and empowered them. The cost, like the Maccabees, was their lives: they were bludgeoned to death by religious leaders and killed in the very chapel they built for the people. Their stories here.

The context on which these faithful people lived may not exist in the same form today. But if we look more closely, the Christian faith is besieged by several groups who would like to force us to accept their convictions even if it is contrary to our faith. Let’s put it more bluntly. If you are a Catholic, you will be ridiculed by those who are not. If you are a faithful practicing Catholic, the ridicule may come not just from the first group, but from within the ranks. If you are a catechist or a teacher of the faith, it is very challenging to draw attention to religion. You have to shout louder like the blind man because people do not want to be bothered. You have to keep the attention of your audience who are already attracted to the present culture; who do not think faith is more important than one’s work, studies or relationships. Case in point: the top reason why many do not come to Sunday mass is that they’re tired from the party the night before; or that they are to study for the next day’s quiz --- as if it’s the fault of the mass schedule. It is indeed difficult to keep the faith.

But who said that Christianity is suppose to be easy? No one. Jesus never said that we will be comfortable in practicing it. He never said that we have to compromise the faith in order to keep the peace, to please people, or to have a comfortable life. So what's keeping you here?

Our faith is suppose to transform us to be better: better in judging what is good, what is pleasing in the eyes of God, what is perfect that is worth even our lives. Better in judging God’s will in many different situations we find ourselves in. No one improves without foregoing something they like; No success is without a trail of sweat and blood.