Pentecost

27 May 2007 Pentecost Sunday
Acts 2, 1-11; Psalm 104; 1 Cor 12; John 20, 19-23 or John 14. 15-16, 23-26

Pentecost Sunday is a feast of the universal Church. It commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, fifty days after Easter. Let us look at the history of this feast. In the Old Testament, the Pentecost was an ancient Jewish feast known as “the harvest of the first fruits (Exodus 23, 16); the “feast of weeks” (Exodus 34, 22; Deut 16, 10; 2 Chronicles 8, 13); the “day of the first fruits” (Numbers 28, 26) and later, the Jews called it, ‘asareth or asartha’ meaning, the closing festival of the harvest and of the Paschal season. It was celebrated on the fiftieth day from ‘the next day after the Sabbath’ of the Passover (Leviticus 23, 11).

The Pentecost was associated with the first fruits of the harvest. In ancient times, especially with agricultural peoples, the consecration of the first fruits --- hence, the best of the harvest--- was a common practice. They believed that the best yield of the earth belongs to God, and thus the offering is an acknowledgment of God’s gifts. Only after the best produce is given to God, can the yield become lawful for people to eat and used.

The coming of the Holy Spirit is remarkably the opposite of the Jewish Pentecost. In the Jewish Pentecost, it is the people who offer their best gifts to God. In the Christian Pentecost, the Father and Jesus offers us the greatest gift that proceeds from them: the Holy Spirit. It is the other way around.

The gifts or fruits of the Holy Spirit are categorized into two. The first gifts are for the sanctification of the person such as wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, godliness and fear of the Lord. By wisdom, we relish and love what is of God. By understanding, we are able to grasp the truth of our faith. By counsel, we are enabled to see and choose correctly what is for our salvation and God’s greater glory. By fortitude, we gain the courage to overcome difficulties in our life of faith. By knowledge, it guides us towards a holy life. By godliness or piety, it inspires us to love God. By fear of the Lord, it helps us dread what would offend God and at the same time, accord the respect He deserves. In other words, these are the virtues that makes us holy.

Second, the gifts of the Holy Spirit is called, charism or charismata. These are extraordinary gifts granted to us at the service of the community, for the help of another. Our talents and personal abilities fall in this category. In other words, these are tools we can use to show our love for others.

In the Christian Pentecost, the same loving gesture is offered to us by God. The words from the Gospel of John is true: God so loved the world. He gave us His Only Son. Now He gave us His Spirit --- the Spirit that would accompany us and not make us orphans (John).

It is just appropriate, that we too respond to God with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls. How? We use the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Take Lord and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my entire will. Whatever I have or hold, you have given to me, and I restore them all to you.” Thus every talent is consecrated to God, at the service of others. We always give our best, because God gives only His best.

Ignatius proceeds with his prayer, “Give me only your love and your grace that I am rich enough and ask for nothing more." All then is gift. All is grace. All is love. The Spirit is Grace Himself. The Spirit is Love Himself. When we celebrate mass today notice the color red. Red signifies love. Red signifies fire. Red signifies ardent and passionate love. That is the love of God for us. And that too, should be the way we love --- ardent, passionate, on fire.

The Number One Priority

25 May 2007 Friday of the 7^th Week of Easter
John 21, 15-19 The Number One Priority

The Gospel today is almost at the end of John’s Gospel and it is seems like a nice summary of the ministry of Jesus. Here are snippets from the Gospel accompanied by short reflections on it.

First, Jesus eats breakfast with them. Table-fellowship, as modern theologians call it, marks the ministry of Jesus. During his time, Jesus would eat with anybody, sinner or saint. He would even provide the meal even if it meant feeding five or four thousand. Even after the resurrection, two disciples recognized Him when He broke the bread. When He appeared to them, He proved that He was indeed alive by asking for food. For Jesus, eating together was important. Eating together made memories.

Mealtimes are important in creating a community. Here we share each other’s lives. Here we celebrate our friendship. And as the case of many nice restaurants, it becomes the venue for long-time friends to catch up, deepen their relationships, or even repairing broken unions. Many families come together because of a favorite dish that brings back the memories of their parents and their childhood. For example, my family gather around the bicol express or the malunggay cooked in coconut milk only our mother can cook well. This is the reason why we come to mass: it is not a personal devotion or an individual activity that many of us think it is; the mass is a meal --- it celebrates community. It celebrates the memory of Jesus who eats all the time.

Second, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me MORE than these?” Jesus asked Peter how deeply Peter loved Him --- Do you love me more than your family, your friends, and your work? Am I on top of your priorities? Will you drop everything for my sake? In another passage, Peter had affirmed his love for Jesus: “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away” (Matthew 26, 33).

There are times when we would like to ask our friends who we are to them. Not that we are insecure, but it would be nice to know. But an occasional affirmation of our love for each other helps smoothens any rough edges or heals little unsaid hurts. In this Gospel, Jesus speaks to us: Do we love Jesus more than anyone or anything else? Does Jesus determine our lives and our lifestyle?

Third, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” three times. We knew Peter denied Jesus three times. And it was hurting to Jesus. Jesus gave Peter the chance to repair the damage: a threefold denial was mended by a three-fold declaration of love.

The number of times that we need to forgive is also the number of times others --- or ourselves --- hurt us. Forgiveness has always marked Jesus. Jesus has always been forgiving. Sometimes it is easier to ask God for forgiveness, than ask another person. And each time we fail to love Jesus, each time we need to declare our love for Him. Thus, we experience God’s love for us by the number of times He has forgiven us --- even if we don’t deserve it.

Fourth, Jesus then requested Peter to feed and tend His sheep. Love brought Peter a task and a responsibility. St. Ignatius of Loyola said that love ought to be shown more in deeds than in words. Thus, Jesus asked Peter to show his love by becoming the shepherd of His people.

If by chance we have a great devotion to the Good Shepherd, then we know what it means to be shepherd to others. It takes the form of being guides, teachers, parents, and friends to those who are astray.

And finally, Jesus told Peter what His love would entail, “When you were young, you can choose where you will go; but the day will come when you will be taken away you did not choose.” Many said that this was the prediction of Peter’s martyrdom. But, it carried with it a truth: the cross was part of the package. Some form of suffering accompanied love.

Therefore it means to continue loving even when it hurts. Love is about someone. And that someone will take us away even to things we do not choose --- like a hurtful word, an occasional betrayal as Jesus experienced. When we were young, we had the delusion that we would be able to do what we want --- without the clutches of our parents, the schedule of the school, or the demands of class. In real life, the younger years are years of greatest freedom. When we become older, someone or something else would determine our life. A newly born baby becomes the center of attention of newly-married couples. They will have to abandon their night-outs that characterized their life before marriage. The older person who have been someone before --- as one of the who’s who in the university --- suddenly find themselves ignored by younger generations who do not know who they were. Or their lifestyle has been determined by their illnesses.

But there is one question that summarizes all these: as we move ahead, we are asked who takes the number one priority in our lives --- the person who gives meaning and focus to our lives. Fr. Pedro Arrupe SJ 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 spend your weekends, what you read, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love. And it will decide everything." For Christians, that person has a name: Jesus.

*some of the students in UP whom I love. They determine my life.

The Glory Given to Us

24 May 2007 Thursday of the 7^th Week of Easter
John 17, 22-26 The Glory Given to Us

In the Gospel, Jesus said that the glory that the Father gave Him, He also gave to us so that we may share it with them. Thus, this glory makes us one with God.

What is the glory of Jesus? First, Jesus referred to the cross as His glory. Whoever would carry His cross and follow Him will be His disciples. What is the glory of the cross? The cross we bear can bring the best in us.

During the time of the knights in the Middle Ages, it was an honor for a knight to fight the fiercest battle for his king. When a knight was missioned to lead the army, the knight became grateful and loyal. It was his badge of honor. To lead an army was indeed a difficult challenge, but for a soldier, it was a privilege. The cross was seen not as a burden or a punishment, but an honor.

In school today, when a student is chosen as an officer of a class or organization, the leadership position should not be seen as a burden, but an opportunity to lead others. The cross the student carries --- dealing with difficult personalities, promote unity, create a good learning and working environment --- becomes an affirmation of the person’s ability, the other people's trust. When we give a task to people, we are saying that they have our trust. Our trust is based on their credentials --- they have been excellent in the little jobs they've done, and so the are now entrusted with the bigger things.

Furthermore, there is another dimension. Jesus said that the glory given to us is for us to be one. The scriptures affirm that each person is given a specific gift or charism. Only when that specific gift is used at the service of a community, can that particular gift be called a ministry. Thus, when our positions of leadership are used for the welfare of the group we serve, then our glory becomes authentic and true.

The knight’s victory in battle is not for himself alone, but for the kingdom that he serves. The student leader’s success is not for himself alone, but for the organization he serves --- and the bigger community to which the organization belongs such as the university. The glory is always in the context of a community. It is indeed selfless sacrifice --- the cross itself.

*sampaguita vendors outside of the church in UP.

Praying in Behalf of Others

23 May 2007. Wednesday in the 7^th Week of Easter
John 17, 11-19 Praying in behalf of others

The first few verses of the Gospel today tell us that Jesus prays in behalf of His community of disciples. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us that Paul prays with the Church of Ephesus at Miletus. In both cases, Jesus and Paul’s hearts go out to their people. Such is their passionate love for people, that their desires for their welfare are greater than their power to give them. These desires made them “lift their eyes to heaven” and pray.

At the mass, this is what we call the intercessory prayer: the Prayers of the Faithful. We pray for various needs. We pray for continuous blessings when we offer the mass in thanksgiving. We pray for specific and personal needs when we mention the needs for a safe trip, enlightenment in exams, healing in times of sickness, a relationship that needs repair. We pray for the repose of the souls of our relatives and friends who have died.

We have been empowered to pray in behalf of people. When Joshua led the Israelite army to battle against the Amalekites, Moses went to the mountain overlooking the battleground and lift his hands over them and prayed. As Moses got tired, Aaron and Hur helped him lift his hands in prayer. Joshua was in physical combat, while Moses, Aaron and Hur became his prayer army. The success of the battle was attributed to all of them. Thus, when we go before God on behalf of others, we practice our common priesthood; the universal priesthood of all Christians.

What is the basis for this ability to pray in behalf of others? The basis is Jesus. He backs us up. He is the go-between. He is the translator when we are not understood. Paul said, “Christ Jesus, who died, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us” (Rom 8, 34). The Gospel of John (13-17) tells us that Jesus has enabled us to pray for others. St. Ambrose said, “Unless He intercedes, there is no intercourse with God either for us or for all saints.”

But there is something more powerful: when we pray together as one community in behalf of others. Our love for each other is seen when we pray for each others’ needs --- and for those who do not have others to pray for them. In other words, as Jesus said, we are in the world, but we do not belong to the world. Only when we are in both --- that we can become intercessors too.

The Knowledge of God

22 May 2007. Tuesday of the 7^th Week of Easter
John 17, 1-11. The Knowledge of God

The 2^nd Week of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is called the heart of the Exercises. It is the heart of the 30-day retreat because it is in this period that the retreatant gets to know Jesus. Thus in the 2^nd Week, the grace being asked for is this: That I may know the Lord, so that I may love him and follow Him. Thus, we cannot love the Lord as He is, or follow Him, unless we know Him.

What does knowledge of God mean? The Gospel of John which we read today says that “to know God is eternal life.” To know God is an underlying idea in the Old Testament. Wisdom is “a tree of life to those who lay hold of her (Proverbs 3, 18).” “To know Thy power is the root of immortality (Wisdom 5, 3).” The Golden Age according to the prophet Habbakuk is when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God (Habbakuk 2, 14).” Also, Proverbs (3,6) tell us, “Know Him, and He will direct thy path.” or “Seek me, and life” as the prophet Amos said (5,4). To seek God is to know him. The Broadway musical, Godspell, has the song, Day By Day: “Day by Day, O dear Lord, three things I pray: To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow him more nearly, day by day.”

Knowledge of God has some form of intellectual knowledge. Knowledge of God has some objectivity about it. Some facts about Him. It is not about how YOU FEEL about Him. Because that feeling should be confirmed by the facts about Him. For example, it is tremendous to know that God is not stern, cruel but a loving God. It is tremendous to know that God is one --- and not many. Imagine how burdensome it would be if we follow many gods as the Greeks; and we are subject to their whims and fancies? If you know a person, that knowledge does not depend on how you feel about him or her, but about the facts about that person.

How do we know some intellectual facts about God? First, we have the Scripture, the Word of God himself. The readings at weekday masses have a two-year cycle; and the Sunday readings have a 3-year cycle. If you come to mass every day, divide your age into 2. The result will tell you how many times you have heard the whole bible in your life. If you just attend Sunday mass, then divide your age into three. The result will yield the number of times you have completed the whole Scripture. Thus, the question is this: How many times did you listen to the Word of God? Has Catholic life been about following rituals?

Second, knowledge is also used to mean sexual knowledge. Don’t get me wrong. Genesis (4,1) says “Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived, and bore Cain.”. When the angel asked Mary, she said, “How can this be? Since I do not know man? (Luke 1, 34).” The knowledge between husband and wife is the most intimate knowledge. Here, they are no longer two, but one. The sexual act is about being one, when the heart, mind, soul in true love makes two into one. Therefore, to know God is not merely to have an intellectual knowledge of him; but to have an intimate, personal relationship with Him.

Therefore, how do we have eternal life? It is to know God. First, get to know the facts of God by studying Scripture. By listening to the Word of God. Second, get to pray. It is only when we pray and spend time with God, that we gain that personal and intimate relationship.

Only then that our love of God becomes genuine and informed. We prevent ourselves from loving the IDEA of God. And when we get to know God, it would be easier for us to follow Him more deeply.

The Ascension of the Lord

20 May 2007 The Ascension of the Lord
Acts 7, 55-60; Rev 22; John 17, 20-26

Let me introduce the celebration today. The Ascension of the Lord is often celebrated on the 40^th day after Easter, commemorating the ascension of Christ into heaven (Mark 16, 19; Luke 24,51; Acts 1,2). The 40^th day strictly falls on a Thursday, but the Church decided to celebrate it on the 7^th Sunday before Pentecost. According to many writings especially St. Augustine, the celebration traces its origins to the Apostolic Period (time of the Apostles after the Ascension). The Eastern church calls this, analepsis or the taking up or the episozomene, the salvation --- meaning that Christ completed his work of salvation when He was taken up to heaven. In the Western church, the word ascension is used --- meaning that Christ was raised by his own powers.

We shall take our reflection from these meanings. First, the feast is an analepsis or a taking up. We know that scene. Luke said that “he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.” In a sense, the analepsis is a blessed goodbye, a blessed withdrawal. It is not one of those bitter and sour goodbyes when one leaves with anger and resentment. When parents love their children, they have an idea of perfect freedom in mind: “I want my children, each in their own special way, to be equipped and freed to enjoy all that life has to offer.” Thus, when we leave our homes for university life, we ask for our parents’ blessings, and then, with their consent, we board the bus. We experience some empty place in our hearts which needs to be filled. We discover that we are without someone like our parents or something, like our homes, that has given us meaning.

The second, the feast is an episozomene or a completion. If the goodbye leaves a space that needs fulfillment, the ascension can also be its finishing point. For example, my experience with the dying tells me that on the last few days, people who have been unforgiving, find themselves willing to forgive and die in peace. It is a wonderful experience when the dying suddenly says, “it is finished” or “into Your hands I commend my spirit.”

The third, the feast is an ascensio. The power of goodbye and completion is also from us. When we experience our aches and goodbyes in our lives, we often find ourselves helpless and distressed. We think that we cannot handle the pain of being separated. We think that we do not have the ability to complete the tasks and responsibilities we have set for ourselves --- like a thesis, a project, or a significant leadership position. The ascension teaches us that we can actually do it; that we have the power to see things through. And who gives us the power? Jesus. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit as He promised during his Ascension.

Thus, the celebration of the Lord’s Ascension tells us of its relationship to Pentecost. The feast is celebrated in view of the coming of the Holy Spirit. And thus underscores the fact that Christians are charged with the responsibility of continuing Christ’s action on earth.

*Youth For Christ leaders completing their planning.

Birth Pangs

17 May 2007 Thursday of the 6^th Week of Easter
John 16, 16-20 Birth Pangs

I presume that when some of you come to mass with your missal, you really would like to understand the Scripture --- that you do not want to miss a thing from what is being read. But there are passages, even if we have read them clearly, we cannot understand them. Such is the passage from the Gospel of John, “In a little while you will not see me any more; and again in a little while you will see me.” It’s like, “Now you see me. Now you don’t. Now you see me again.”

Whenever people say something, there is a context. May pinanggagalingan. During the time of Jesus, the Jews believed that time is divided into two ages: the present and the future days to come. The transition between these two ages is called the Day of the Lord when the world will experience terrible catastrophes. In other words, the “end of the world” will pave way to a better harmonious world in the future.

Thus Jesus is saying: “Now you see me (in this present world). Now you don’t see me (in the day of the Lord). Now you see me again (in the future age).” As we move ahead, we will experience pain; but our sorrow will soon turn into joy. The Jews called this transition, the “birth pangs of the Messiah” --- like a mother who painfully labors to deliver her child. This future image is what we reflect on especially in the time of death. The passage tells those who have experienced joy: this joy will be complete and permanent. This pursuit of this complete and permanent joy makes us forget the pain we go went through to possess this pearl of great price.

These birth pangs are not alien experiences. When we are at present struggling in completing our thesis, the experience is taxing and difficult. But when we are done, the experience of joy is overwhelming, that we forget the pain that went with it. These moments of joy are precious moments, celebrated with special people and punctuated with happy faces.

And if one looks at it in another angle, this is also how we grow. Like a mother who carries her child in her womb, we too carry our dreams within us. Hoping that soon our dreams will come true.

What is Mine Will be Declared to You

16 May 2007 Wednesday of the 6^th Week of Easter
John 16, 12-15 The Holy Spirit

“He will take from what is mine, and declare it to you.”

The passage which we read today is very much important especially today. What makes the teachers of the Church credible in their teaching? Without Jesus, who guides them? How do they know that their teaching is what Jesus would also teach? The answer is simple: the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth is the one guiding all people in discerning what to do in the present age. The Holy Spirit helps us decide on courses of action about present issues, such as genetic manipulation and cloning, that is very much faithful to the teaching of Jesus. The Spirit receives from the Father and the Son all that he is to teach the apostles, “He will take from what is mine, and declare it to you.” When the Spirit descends in us, the Father and the Son also comes with Him (John 14, 23).

Thus, when we participate in the Spirit by doing what is good, then we will palpably see the fruits of this Spirit. How do we know that it is the Spirit who is within us?

First, in our actions. St. Paul writes to the Galatians (5, 22-23), “The fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long life, compassion, faith, modesty, continence, chastity.” St. Thomas Aquinas says, “Every virtuous act which man performs with pleasure is a fruit.” The fruits of the Holy Spirit are thus acts, not habits or permanent qualities. Therefore, when we are charitable in our words to someone whom we are pissed, then it is the Spirit within us. When we are peaceful when we do our work or pray, then it is the Spirit.

There is another thing: if they are fruits, therefore they are performed with ease and pleasure, that the difficulty in performing them disappears in the delight and satisfaction in accomplishing them. If we find pleasure and ease in doing good, then it is Spirit. If we find being compassionate easy to do, then it is the Spirit.

On the other hand, when we do the opposite of charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long life, compassion, faith, modesty, continence and charity, then we find ourselves bothered, ashamed or guilty. The negative results of these acts indicates that the evil we’ve done is not of our nature.

This is what happens to us: we are then formed. We do not do good, we become good. We do not carry out compassion, we become compassionate. We do not perform chastity, we become chaste. Then we become like Christ. Christ who deals with the present situation. We become Christ in the today’s world.

Partings and Goodbyes

15 May 2007. Tuesday of the 6th Week of Easter John 16, 5-11: Partings and Goodbyes

The Gospel retells the story of Jesus bidding them goodbye and promising them the Holy Spirit who will take his place. The disciples became sad and their hearts were heavy (“Grief had filled their hearts”). But Jesus said that his leaving was necessary, ‘It would be better for you that I go.’ The Holy Spirit would not come unless Jesus left.

There are goodbyes that are necessary. Death for example is part of the cycle of life. As we grow older, we let the younger ones take their path. As children grow older, partings are inevitable: they leave us for college; they take permanent residency somewhere when they marry and build a family. As new career paths are chosen, our friends study or work abroad.

For me, May is the time of many goodbyes. Every May, Jesuits who are assigned to another area begin packing their things and head for mission. I remember the time I was assigned to Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City. The mandate is to be in the area on or before May 15th. May reminds me that I am vulnerable. It carries the truth that life is fragile, that there is no guarantee that people can be with you permanently. There is always a certain dying in living and loving and that change will be inevitable. Many people call this the pain of separation. No wonder the disciples grieved over the fact that Jesus, their friend, would also leave them.

But Jesus said, that these goodbyes are necessary for growth. Life has its going, grieving and growing. The child who leaves home for college needs to do it for his future. The newly married son or daughter needs to build a family on their own. The Jesuit’s parting is part of his life’s mission and purpose. Another kind of life is offered to the one who leaves and to the one who is left behind.

And so we pray today that we may grow accustomed to the life’s cycles of partings and goings. And believe that in every goodbye is a promise of new life.

Achieving Peace

12 May 2007: 6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
John 14, 27-31 Achieving Peace

Many people nowadays seek for peace. When our hearts are troubled or conflicted whether the source comes from our personal lives, families, work, and school, we are not at peace. When our minds are confused and uncertain, we become restless.

The Gospel today tells us that Jesus leaves us with peace and gives us the Spirit of peace. Thus, in order to be at peace, we must have the Holy Spirit in us. When our hearts are aligned to the heart of God, then we become at peace. When we become attune with the Spirit of God, when our plans and our decisions are aligned with God, we become peaceful and deeply contented.

Moreover, the peacefulness we seek is also within us. When there is no congruence between our inner and external self, we will not be at peace. When we have not accepted some parts of ourselves and our past, then we will not be serene.

Anne Morrow Lindberg said in her book, Gift from the Sea, “I want first of all --- in fact, as an end to these other desires --- to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact --- to borrow from the language of the saints --- to live ‘in grace’ as much of the time as possible. I’m not using this terms in a strictly theological sense. By grace, I mean inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony. I’m seeking what Socrates asked for in the prayer from the Phaedrus when he said, “May the outward and the inward man be as one.” I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God.”

The Spirit of Peace is the Spirit of Truth. We will not be at peace when there are lies and deceptions in our hearts. Only when we become honest with ourselves and with others, can peace be ours.

And so we ask ourselves: Are we at peace? Is our inner self and outer self one? Are there aspects in our lives that needs acceptance?

Love One Another

11 May 2007: Friday of the 5^th Week of Easter
Acts 15, 22-31 and John 15, 12-17 Love One Another

The background of the first reading is the tension that arose between the churches of Jerusalem and Antioch. Here we see the major development of Christianity from a Jewish sect to a universal Church. It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. The Church was expanding to Gentiles or non-Jews. It seems that when one has to convert to the ‘Jesus movement’ the Gentiles must undergo the rituals and rites of conversion of Judaism. Do they have to be circumcised? Do you have to adhere to the Torah and thus the dietary and purity regulations that comes from it? Thus the question: Do they have to be a Jew in order to become a member of the Christian movement.

Paul believed that it is then possible for a non-Jew to enter Christianity without having to pass the Jewish rites. So Paul went to the Jerusalem Church, where the apostles and presbyters discerned about the growing controversy. Finally, they decided that Gentiles do not have to undergo the Jewish rites, with a few exceptions: not to eat meat sacrificed to idols, blood from strangled animals and unlawful marriage. The letter sent by the Jerusalem community to their Antiochian brothers and sisters was an illustration that they were able to recognize the Holy Spirit working in them, and they had treated them as their friends. The first reading tells us that the disciples took to heart Jesus commandment “to love one another” as He loved in the Gospel today.

The major shift from a Jewish sect to a universal Church requires a refocusing of one’s commitment. The Jerusalem church struggled with an agonizing choice between Judaism (the religious community of the Chosen People) or the new faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ and Son of God. Thus Paul has refocused his commitment to the religious institution of Judaism, to a selfless commitment to Jesus. His commitment to Jesus enabled him to have a faith that is open to the unexpected and the Truth.

We Filipinos have kept the faith. But our faith, though simple and sincere, possess deficiencies. Many are ignorant of the doctrines of the faith. We have kept our faith by popular religious practices like the rosary, fiestas, processions, but we are not completely adept at our faith that many Catholics become vulnerable to the teachings of aggressive and evangelical groups. We forget that to be Christian is to have an informed faith that recognizes the presence of Christ in others.

Remain in My Love

10 May 2007: Thursday of the 5^th Week of Easter
John 15, 9-11 Remain in My Love

The request of Jesus in the Gospel today to remain in His love is a call towards commitment. But commitment is something very difficult to do. To remain in a relationship, for example, is harder than to enter or to end it. To remain committed to someone may mean to some people being determined by them: ang pagpapa-kasal daw ay pagpapa-sakal. To commit one self is giving up the right to remain free of everyone --- and the ‘freedom’ to do anything they want. In fact, to marry is to tie the knot, pagpapa-tali sa minamahal. Moreover, commitment to one sole person --- and God --- is difficult because of the variety of things we commit ourselves to and thus take our attention from God or that one sole person. We commit ourselves to organizations. We commit ourselves to friends and barkadas. We commit ourselves to our work and to things that occupies our time. With all of these ‘distractions’ from the one sole vine, the source of our life, how do we remain in Jesus?

I came across the following, photocopied and without authorship (the internet says, “Author unknown). The title is, The Difference.

I got up early one morning

and rushed right into the day:

I had so much to accomplish

that I didn’t have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

and heavier came each task.

‘Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.

He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

but the day toiled on, gray and bleak.

I wondered why God didn’t show me.

He said, “You didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence;

I tried all my keys at the lock.

God gently and lovingly chided,

“My child, you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning,

and paused before entering the day;

I had so much to accomplish

that I had to take time to pray.

Thus, a suggestion: take a few minutes (like 2 minutes, though a little longer is advisable) after waking up in the morning to think about God before rushing for work or study. Even if the pause is quick, it ensures faithfulness. Just as teenagers require their boyfriends/girlfriends to text each day, at least, a few moments of prayer might make a difference.

Abiding in the Lord

9 May 2007. Wednesday of the 5^th Week of Easter
John 15, 1-8 The Vine and the Branches

The image of the vine and the branches reminds us to always abide in the Lord. Let me present an analogy. As we know, analogies are imperfect. But nevertheless, the analogy may help us understand the image of the vine and the branches.

There are people who are all over the place; who spread themselves thinly; who widely extend themselves too much that they lose focus and direction. There is nothing that anchors them and gives them their fundamental meaning. But when they find someone to love and who love them in return, suddenly they acquire some direction and meaning in their life. Thus, in order to remain focused, these people have to abide in the person who gave their lives focus and meaning.

Like the branches in the vine, when the branches are cut off from the main stem, they die. They have been cut off from the very source of their nourishment.

So how do we find ourselves cut off from Jesus? Let us put this principle in a very narrow application --- in the sense of using wisely our time. Leo Rock SJ wrote this as an examination on the use of our time.

How do I kill time? Let me count the ways. By worrying about things over which I have no control. Like the past. Like the future. By harboring resentment and anger over hurts real or imagined. By disdaining the ordinary or, rather, what I so mindlessly call ordinary.

By concern over what’s in it for me, rather than what’s in me for it. By failing to appreciate what is because of might-have-beens, should-have-beens, could-have-beens. These are some of he ways I kill time. Jesus didn’t kill time. He gave life to it. His own.

Thus when we are cut off from Jesus, we are like wasting time: when we worry about things which we cannot control; when we harbor resentments over past hurts; or hating the ordinary; or what we can get out of anything; or failing to appreciate the present moment.

When we abide in Jesus, then, we will not lose focus. We gain the central and fundamental point that gives direction to our lives.

*Canto Cinco (C5) choir member, Mei-ann Zamudio, praying using scripture in their retreat at Manresa Retreat House, Banawe, Quezon City.

Shalom: The Prayer for Peace

8 May 2007: Tuesday of the 5th Week of Easter
John 14, 27-31 Our Desire for Peace

In today's readings, the prominent characters are about to leave. In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas finish their journey by revisiting the churches they have started. They have asked the community to continue to hold on to their faith and continue to proclaim Christ's work. In the Gospel, Jesus tells them after the resurrection, that he too will leave. But he is leaving with them a gift and a promise, the gift and the promise of peace (shalom). For Paul, Barnabbas and Jesus, the best gift we offer to our loved ones when leaving is the gift of peace. And this gift of peace, is above all else, an act of love.

I have a favorite goodbye prayer, The Irish Blessing:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rain fall softly on your fields;

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

To be at peace is to be held by God in the palm of his hand. Just as St. Ignatius would say, only God can give peace, and thus only in God we gain peace.

It is true that our many troubles and conflicts whether in our families, work, school and in ourselves, are caused by things we do that are not of God. So our mind is not at peace and our hearts are not quiet and restful. When we become attune with the Spirit of God, when our plans and our decisions are aligned with God, we become peaceful and deeply contented.

What is peace? Is it the absence of pain and suffering? Is it the exemption from daily trouble and worry? When we pray for a peace of mind, are we praying that God will remove all that distresses us? But we all know that even God suffered too. What then is peace?

But we have to work for peace. The famous Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr, adapted in different ways by Alcoholics Anonymous tells us what may give us peace:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom, to know the difference.

Peace then is a gift from God, but we have to receive it in our hearts, and be convinced that we too have to give peace to each other. And it is not easy as experience tells us that it needs all our love to work for it. We need to look at Jesus’ dying at the cross as an act of love. We have to believe that when we imbibe Jesus' values and practice them, there will be peace. Pope John Paul II once said that "Peace is not a utopia, nor an inaccessible ideal, or an unrealizable dream... Peace is possible." St. Francis of Assisi prayed, Lord make me an instrument of your peace.

However, there is something else: peace is attained when we have the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of peace. There is a song called The Prayer for Peace. It goes this way:

Peace before us, Peace behind us, Peace under our feet.

Peace within us, Peace over us, Let all around us be peace.

And as the song progresses, the word, peace is substituted with Christ. I think this is important. When in the middle of our loneliness, we look up to Jesus and realizes we are not alone, then we have peace. When in the center of much sorrow, we turn to Jesus and are comforted, then we have peace. When in the midst of darkness and confusion, we look at Jesus' guidance and find light, then we have peace.

And thus, as Paul, Barnabbas and Jesus wished, left and gave their peace, we too wish and give to each other the desire that each of us will be held in the palm of God's hands.

* Carlo Tuazon, an excellent violinist of Musica Chiesa who plays regularly at the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass, praying during their retreat with Canto Cinco (C5).

Loving As Jesus Loved

6 May 2007. The 5^th Week of Easter
Acts 14, 21-27 and John 13, 31-33a – 34 & 35.

“I will not be with you much longer... Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13, 33a & 34.)

I will take my reflections on these two phrases. The first one is Jesus’ statement of goodbye. The second one is His last will before he leaves.

When we take the Paschal Mystery --- the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus --- is indeed a passing over from death to new life, or a moving (using very corny terms!) from a goodbye to a grand hello in the resurrection! The beauty of the Paschal Mystery is that it is a movement towards new life and a grand hello! If Calvary is the deepest goodbye then the Resurrection is a bonggacious hello!

You see, when the disciples experienced the Resurrection, they begin to understand the words of Jesus which at first were rather confusing. They begin to witness the leafing of wheat seed that fell to the ground and died (John 12, 20). They begin to experience the rejoicing after the tears of sorrow (Matthew 5, 5). They begin to see the light after the darkness (John 8, 12). They begin to feel the blessing after the taking up of one’s cross and following Jesus (Luke 9, 18-27)!

Thus, the Resurrection gives us a new life perspective; a positive outlook on look.

For us the Resurrection makes us realize the meaning of the cross here in UP (Note to those who never saw the Napoleon Abueva cross at the Church of the Holy Sacrifice. The cross that hangs in the middle of the circular church has “two sides”: the crucified Jesus facing the sacristy, and the Resurrected Christ facing the main entrance.) The UP cross reminds us about two important thing about our faith: our sufferings contain the promise of salvation; and our successes have sacrifice as its background.

Thus, when Jesus rose from the dead, he proclaimed the greatest hello after his goodbye in Calvary. Jesus is now the witness of the promise of salvation: that when we face our pains, our sorrows, our goodbyes, we can grow through them. We can be changed and transformed. We can experienced something new with us at the onset of suffering and pain.

Suffering per se --- as it is --- has no value and meaning unless we do something to it. For example, our choir and musicians today are on retreat. In their sharing they said that they were awed to discover the possibility that they can serve the Lord with what they have --- such as singing or playing a musical instrument at mass. In another sharing, the officials who were reluctant at the beginning of the school year to accept their responsibilities suddenly realizes that they have the ability to lead others and to organize a huge concert (such as the February Band Concert for Bicol) for a cause. These realization came after much pushing and suffering. When sufferings bring us a ‘resurrection’ in us, then suffering is valuable. When it enables us to discover a hidden talent, strength and energy within us, then it is necessary for growth. If direction is discovered after a period of confusion because of hours spent studying and practicing, then the sweat and tears becomes meaningful.

Our moments of suffering can reveal to us our vast storage of resiliency (tibay sa pagsubok), vitality (discovering the importance of life), fidelity (the test of commitment), endurance (how much pain we can take) and finally, love (to what extent we are willing to suffer for the ones we love). Jesus is telling as that if He can love as he loves, even to the extent of saying goodbye and letting go, then WE too can love as He loves. If He can make it, then so can we: we have experienced the Resurrection, thus success is guaranteed. The Paschal Mystery ends not in the cross, but in the Resurrection!

In the middle of great pain, the Christian therefore never says die!

*C5 and Musica Chiesa after their retreat!

Our History is Going Somewhere

4 May 2007. Friday of the 4^th Week of Easter
Acts 13, 26-33 History for Paul

The first reading is a part of a full-length report of a sermon by St. Paul. Here we must see the viewpoint of Paul. Paul believed that the consummation of history is Jesus Christ. Paul tells the Jews that their history leads to Jesus. The story of Abraham, Moses and David and the promise of Yahweh to them is fulfilled in Jesus. The idea that history leads to Jesus is quite revolutionary during Paul’s time. The Stoics like Seneca believed that history repeats itself.

A modern view of history is seen in the 2006 British film, History Boys where young students from Cutlers’ Grammar School have the chance to be accepted in Britain’s finest universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. Mrs. Lintott (Frances de la Tour) is their history teacher; and Rudge (Russel Tovey) is one of the students. Here’s the dialogue:

Mrs. Lintott: And you, Rudge? How do you define history?

Rudge: Can I speak freely without being hit?

Mrs. Lintott: You have my protection.

Rudge: How do I define history? Well, it’s jut one f***ing thing after another, isn’t it?

For the modern cynic, history is a record of people’s sins, failures, misjudgments, and stupidity. News for example is more often bad news.

Christianity however, believes that history is going somewhere. It has purpose and a goal. It moves towards union with God, which is heaven. History then does not repeat itself. History is not a record of wrongs. History is positively moving towards something.

When we look at our own personal history, do we think that our life is a repetition of things in the past? For example, do we think that our life is just a repetition of our sins (as we discover that our sins in the past is still the same sins as today) or a routine (as we do the same things all over and over again)? Do we say, my life is not going somewhere and feel discouraged and resigned to things? Do we think that our personal history --- or world history for that matter --- is just one f***ing thing after another?

Or, do we think that our life is meant for someone out there and is now moving to that direction? Do our dreams help us move towards a purpose and a goal? Do we feel that we are headed somewhere and this direction is giving us inspiration to move on, even when we fail?