Up to the Mountain

28 October 2008 Feasts of Sts. Simon and Jude
Ephesians 2, 19-22; Psalm 19; Luke 6, 12-16

The Gospel today begins by telling us that Jesus ‘went to the mountain to pray and he spent the night in prayer to God’. After praying, he called his disciples, and from them, He chose Twelve, whom he called apostles. In other words, before He decided who among the many disciples who followed Him would be leaders, He prayed.

A few days ago, I gave a retreat to UP Christian Life Community (UPCLC). They wanted a silent retreat, even though many of them had not experienced one. During their sharing periods, one of them said that the retreat allowed him to look interiorly while another said that it gave him time to see the bigger picture. Moreover, the prayer periods helped them make decisions about many things in their lives. Just as Jesus brought His concerns to God in prayer, many of those who prayed about their concerns are able to make good decisions in their lives. Often it is good to spend quiet moments before making important resolutions.

But many would ask, “If Jesus made a good decision from his prayer, why did Jesus choose Judas Iscariot “who became a traitor”? To me, Jesus made the right decision in choosing Judas. He had the ability to become a good leader. He had potential in keeping the finances of the group. Remember, he held the purse. There are people who are good at money, there are those, who aren’t. When we elect someone for a position, we judge them according to their qualities and abilities at present. We also judge them using their track record. However, what they will do once in the elected position will be determined by them. In the course of Judas’ many decisions as an apostle, he decided to betray Jesus. It was his decision, not something that was pre-ordained. When we are given a leadership position, we decide whether we would like to become a corrupt or an honest leader. Who we are today is a product of our many previous decisions.

The first reading tells us that our church is built upon the foundations of the apostles, with Jesus as the capstone. Whatever decisions we make at present should be in the spirit of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The feast of Sts. Simon and Jude reminds us of this.

There is a wrist band that has the letters, WWJD (What would Jesus do?). This is a good thing to remember: when making decisions, especially in moral cases, we ask ourselves, “WWJD”. And in order to know what Jesus would do in a particular situation, it is good to “go to the mountain to pray”. We would know what Jesus would do if we know Him well.

Loving Passionately and Intensely

26 October 2008 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exodus 22, 20-26; Psalm 17; Thess 1, 5-10; Matthew 22, 34-40

The Gospel today is about the Pharisee who asked which commandment in the law is the greatest. And Jesus answered that there are two: Love God, and from this commandment flows one’s love for neighbors. The responsorial psalm affirms our love for God. While the first reading from Exodus enumerates what constitutes our neighbors. The second reading tells us about the conversion of the Thessalonians who heard the Word of God from Paul and readily listened to him despite enduring suffering and persecution. They grew in their love for God and neighbors that they became models of believers in their own and in other regions. They have made a clean break from their pagan past, whereas some of their fellow Christians such as the Corinthians struggled from (1 Cor 10, 14).

In our lives today, we have, to a certain extent, been loving to God and our neighbors. But we all know that our love is not totally passionate, intense and in total selflessness. Many of our loves are inadequate. Sometimes our loves are wasted and bitter. What prevents us? What causes these struggles?

One of the many barriers that prevent us from loving intensely and passionately are the many structures that cover us. As we grow older and accumulate knowledge, we build many facades that cover our core. We have our ideologies or our ‘shoulds’ in life: for example, some of us have set up a criteria to determine which person suits us. We also have our learned doctrines, our values and disvalues, our attitudes and behaviors. When stripped of all these, what remains is our affectivity. This very core is the ultimate truth of our lives and our capacity to love intensely, truthfully and passionately. It is what makes us live our lives, not just “going through our lives” as if all of our lives is just about survival. Our loves are inadequate because it is not a love that is honest and truthful. We have used our ‘structures’ like the skins of onions to hide the truth. We have been accustomed by lying about ourselves, putting on defenses, “keeping some parts of ourselves” just in case we get hurt in the future.

To live and love intensely and passionately is to have a heart that is open and exposed to the elements --- exposed to being hurt and vulnerable. A person who is intense and passionate, literally, has a heart that burns. It is no accident that we call these people warm. However, there are people who have been hurt and therefore decided to extinguish whatever embers remain. These are the people we call, cold and lifeless. These are the people who have closed their hearts for fear, distrust and selfishness. They withdraw because they are afraid to get hurt again.

And there are those who tread in the middle. Those who love but love with too much calculation and reluctance. Those who express their love with a ‘thousand reluctant acts’ but fails to make one loving act that is intense and passionate and free (freedom here is choosing what is good). This love is not reckless and uncritical. It is a love patterned on the intensity, passion and freedom of Jesus’ love for us --- the love that Paul and the Thessalonians imitated.

If we have to reflect on the greatest commandment, I suggest writing real names of real people in our lives. This will make the reflection concrete. Who among them have you loved reluctantly? What prevents you from loving them intensely, passionately and free?

God's Greater Glory

23 October 2008 Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 3, 14-21; Psalm 33; Luke 12, 29-53

The phrase, “for the greater glory of God” has become common to many who grew up with Jesuits and those who share the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Many Ateneans would place, on top of their papers the letters, AMDG, meaning: “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” (for the greater glory of God). However, though a common practice, I feel that this term needs some explaining. I think the readings today sheds light to it.

In the first reading, Paul prays that the Lord will bestow on us gifts “in keeping with the riches of his glory” so that, in return, the gifts that we have reflect and mirror the “breath and length and height and depth of Christ’s love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge.” In other words, in order for us to experience, though never totally, a taste of the immensity and boundless glory of God, we have to be very aware of the gifts that the Lord personally bestowed on us.

Especially in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, the retreat begins by being sensitive to these gifts of God. We are asked to reflect on everything we have and are, our talents and abilities, our relationships and opportunities. We are made aware of God’s creation around us. To see that the birds and the flowers and the grass are all gifts. And eventually, to see the whole universe and everything in it as gifts of God for us. Gerald Manley Hopkins once said that the world is charged with the grandeur of God. This is what we are led to experienced. And thus, Ignatius would ask the one who is making the retreat to pray the desire (id quod vollo) and grace of gratitude. And when we are able to be sensitive to all of these gifts, the overflowing gratitude allows us to glimpse God’s glory.

Thus, in response to this experience, we respond in the same way. Just as God has given us gifts, we respond in love and gratitude to Him. When these gifts are used for the sake of a specific community, we give glory to God who gave that gift to us. When we develop our talents, we show gratitude for the talents given. At the same time, the effort we place in progressing is our contribution to God’s ongoing creation of us. This is how we grow and mature. So, when we study, we reflect the intelligence of God. When we play the piano, we reflect the Source of our music. When we post beautiful pictures on the net, we reflect God’s beauty. When we act kindly, we reflect God’s goodness.

When we say ‘AMDG’, we mean that whatever we do will reflect God’s glory. If we will be in a competition and we say that our abilities will be offered for God’s greater glory, then whether we win or not, we continue to reflect it. If we win, then we mirror God’s greatness through our talents. If we lose, then we mirror God’s love through the value of sportsmanship and friendship.

I think many of us miss the point of sportsmanship. And this is a disease for both the winners and the losers. On one hand, many of us have a doctorate in sour graping. Think for example many instances when schools compete. There is always a complaint from the losers or when one goes down a few notch and another goes up. We scour the universe to justify our loss. On the other hand, think for example the attitude of those who won, who in a bonfire, wrote the names of those they beat --- in poor taste, very uncivilized, very uncouth, very unChristian. I would be very happy if they stop writing AMDG on their papers --- or perhaps, if they really love the school, deny that they have been schooled there. This would spare the many better people the shame.

Win or lose, what matters is character. Who we are should mirror who God is.

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

22 October 2008 Wednesday of the 29th Year in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 3, 2-12; Isaiah 12; Luke 12, 39-48

Central to the test of our faith is the challenge to be constantly ready for the Master’s return. In the parable today, Jesus emphasizes that His return is guaranteed, but the timing is not. His return is certain, but He may come, like a thief, at an “unexpected day or at an unknown hour.” Nevertheless, preparation is important.

Part of our preparation is the development of our gifts and the accomplishment of our responsibilities. While the “master” is away, the servants delayed preparing for his return. They became complacent and irresponsible.

Each of us has our share of strengths, talents and abilities. God has given them to us. Our responsibilities --- meaning our response to these gifts ---- are supposed to be used at the service of others, whether it is our household, our communities or the society at large. When we are given a job, for example, we have been assessed whether we have the abilities to fulfill them. We are qualified for a job because we have the gifts necessary to accomplish the task. The more we are able to accomplish the work entrusted to us, the more we become qualified for bigger responsibilities. Thus, the parable tells us that to whomever much has been given, much will be expected.

We move up the corporate ladder because we are qualified. We are given higher positions of leadership, not because of the strings we pulled or the connections we have, but because our track record of service is impressive.

The Word of God is counter-cultural. This parable goes against the pervading culture of nepotism as practiced both in the private and government sector. And it goes against what we often think: that in order to climb the ladder, all it takes is to ask whom we know.

Unity through Peace

21 October 2008 Tuesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 2, 12-22; Psalm 85

The first reading talks about the relationship between the Jews and the Gentiles. In the past the Gentiles has been excluded by the Jewish community. They had to part of the covenant relationship with God, and so did not share in the promises of God. That is why they were called citizens without hope, without God, without Christ. The Jews in fact called them by the epithet, “foreskin” since they entered God’s covenant through circumcision. But with Christ, those who were far away from hope has now belonged to Christ. Christ has now brought the Jews and Gentiles together.

The reading took up the theme of peace to show the unity between the Gentiles and the Jews in Christ. Christ who is shalom, peace affected the enmity between these two groups. Jesus did this by abolishing the law and prescriptions of the Jews that are divisive, and replaced them with a new law of love and reconciliation. Thus, in Christ, there is a creation of a new being. A being that seeks peace and unity, than a being that is exclusive and divisive. Thus, in the final verses of the readings, we see that the Gentiles, who were once ostracized, are no long outsiders but are fellow citizens in the Church, having equal rights with them. All are built up in a church founded by the prophets and the apostles. The responsorial psalm today sums it all, “The Lord speaks of peace to his people.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola tells us in the process of discernment, that the confirmation of the Lord is experienced as peace. It is when our hearts are aligned with the heart of the Lord. It is when our decisions jibe with the will of God. If we work for peace, we definitely are working for the Kingdom of God. Blessed are the peacemakers, the Lord said.

The challenge today is to be open to people. Many of us are comfortable with our set of friends. From an experience of a friend of mine, there are groups of people who believe that they should associate themselves with a certain group of people, because they can be influenced by them. I get the point. Indeed we can be influenced by our “bad company”. This, however, presupposes that the person is immature, unprincipled, and without a strong faith foundation.

When we run away from what people call “bad company”, we lose the chance to influenced them. Can we be strong enough to be more influential? If we are always within the same clutches of what we consider ‘holy people’ are we not making the same mistake as the Jews who thought they were the only ones who were chosen by God? Or are we openly admitting that our faith is weak against the forces of evil?

And if this is the case, then we cannot effect peace. We do not believe that we can bring those outside of the fold, into the loving arms of God.

God and Taxes

19 October 2008 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 45, 1-6; Psalm 96; 1 Thes 1, 1-5; Matthew 22, 15-21

Jesus, in the Gospel today, is in the middle of a controversy. The opponents are the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Pharisees resent paying taxes to the emperor, while the Herodians administer the tax system in Palestine. They join forces to trap Jesus. If Jesus denies that taxes should be paid, then He would be arrested as a political revolutionary. If Jesus affirms paying taxes, then He would lose the esteem of the religious nationalists. Jesus eluded the trap by asking someone to hand him a coin. The fact that both the Pharisees and the Herodians used the currency, then they should pay the emperor. But Jesus brought them to another level of understanding, by saying that both of them should be as diligent in paying what’s due to God as they pay what’s due to the emperor.

The coin, a denarius, bears the name of the reigning emperor. History has it that it was Tiberius Caesar, thus the inscription would say, “Tiberius Caesar, son of Augustus” and the reverse of the coin would have, “Pontifex maximus” the high priest of Rome. (The Pope is called Pontiff). Thus, the coin was a symbol of power. When a king conquers a nation, one of his first task is to mint his coin. Whenever the coin is valid, the king’s power reaches that part of the territory. And whoever head the coin bears owns the currency.

The coin therefore is a symbol of the state. The laws of our country are needed to preserve peace and order. Consequently, the citizens of the state enjoys services that preserve life. If we enjoy the services of our country, then we have responsibilities to it, like following rules and regulations, obeying traffic rules, paying taxes, etc. When citizens follow the law, they contribute to the prosperity and the building of a nation.

Moreover, currency shows boundaries. If a currency is not valid in a certain area, then the jurisdiction of the ruler ceases. There is a certain limitation of power even if one is an emperor, a prime minister or a president of the country. Thus, the coin ‘rules’ over the state it symbolizes. But not outside of it. That is why we have to exchange our currency when we travel to another country.

However, God is the only one who has jurisdiction over the souls of people. Including the ruler as the first reading says: Cyrus becomes an instrument of God. And therefore, anyone who exists and lives is under God --- including the state that comprises people. God is beyond the boundaries that a currency establishes.

Jesus therefore teaches us that we should comply with our obligations to our country. But above all other state law is the human being, made in the image and likeness of God. And thus, human rights cannot be violated by anyone, regardless of his or her position in government. As we learn to deepen our faith, we also learn to contribute to society. Our faith should teach us to be better citizens of our country.

Following Christ Fearlessly

17 October 2008 Thursday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 12, 1-7 Following Christ Fearlessly

Jesus points publicly the hypocrisy of the Pharisees: they thought that their outward image of respectability will keep hidden their blemishes from being discovered. But not so. All personal secrets will be revealed --- if not during our lifetime, but on Judgment Day. So, Jesus tells all of His disciples not to be afraid to openly live their faith. People can only kill the body. We should fear God who has power over our future and our destiny. But this fear is not like a slave towards a cruel master. It is a relationship of a child to his doting Father. It is not an enslaving fear but an enabling and empowering love. Because, we are worth more than ‘many sparrows’. In the Acts of the Apostles, the fearlessness in discipleship is a gift of the Spirit.

There are many times in our lives when we have to be fearless in our faith. Religion and spirituality become a challenge to a world that is growing more and more secular and commercial. Though our world may not frown upon our belief system, faith nowadays is regarded as inconsequential. Many, though baptized, take faith for granted. It does not mean we have to wear our faith on our sleeves. It is more like this: when we do not agree with the value system in our families or workplace or culture, we express our disagreement; we just don’t conform when it is against our conscience. There are more times when we would rather go with the flow out of our need for belongingness and abandon whatever virtue we hold dear if it threatens our acceptance or our work. Lawyers, for example, who have been assigned to work for the death penalty in the Philippines expressed that they couldn’t, in conscience, support it and have asked to be removed from the job. Remember February 9, 1986? Computer workers at the Commission on Elections notice discrepancies during the history of the fall of President Marcos. They walked out of the computer center in protest of the election fraud.

But fearlessness have to be defined and clarified. It does not mean arrogance, self-righteousness, independence or to be autocrats in leadership. Because we are afraid to lose, we will do anything, try anything, bribe anyone, so that we don’t lose. We see this especially during elections in the Philippines. Candidates will try all sorts of ways, especially crooked and corrupt, to win the elections. This is not the fearlessness we’re talking about. Jesus tells us in the Gospel, that our fearlessness finds its very source in the very love of God, in our deep relationship with God, and in the assuring trust that God will not abandon us in what noble thing we do.

Practically, to be fearless means that we must have faith in ourselves and in God. It is a combination of a confidence in our power to change the world and at that same time, the humility in the knowledge that all these power comes from God. It is a partnership between believing that we can determine and work out our future and trust in whatever its result. And thus, with God’s assuring love --- whatever the outcome, success or failure ---- we will be less pessimistic about the world. We will be less cynical and critical. When we are so negative about the world, we contribute to its misery.

Fearlessness enables us to take risks, not to be afraid to make changes in our lives, not be intimidated to move on from heartbreak, to be trusting again in a relationship, and to feel safe and secure to take another chance.

Introducing God

16 October 2008 Thursday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 1, 1-10 The Knowledge of God

Except for the first two verses, the first reading (v. 3-10) is a Jewish-Christian benediction. A benediction is an invocation to the Divine, usually seeking Divine help, blessing and guidance. It comes from the Latin, bene (good) and dicere (to speak): thus to speak well of the Divine. The poetic material in the letter to the Ephesians emphasizes God’s action in Jesus and speaks of the role of the Holy Spirit. God is blessed because He has decided to bless us “with every spiritual blessing under the heavens.” The benediction tells us that God is the source of all wisdom and understanding, and He has initiated to reveal Himself and His plan to us. So that, having known His plan, we can share in the fulfillment of that plan.

Let me explain. How do we know our friends? There is a time element. Friendships often begin as acquaintances. We meet them at a gathering. We have common friends. We get to know them because we belong to the same social circle or network. Many of our social networks like Friendster, Multiply and Facebook operate like this. We add and accept friends who ‘discover’ us from another person’s list of contacts. We are therefore introduced.

God is also introduced to us by our parents, friends and acquaintances. Notice that our “image of God” is the same image as those who introduced them to you. My students whose family are active Catholics regard God differently as those whose family are merely nominal. I find it sometimes amusing that those people who take God for granted come from a religious environment, and those who are curious about God are those who come from schools without religious education.

But real friendship, usually, the personal face-to-face friendship, begins when someone dares to reveal some aspect or personal experience of theirs. Revelation is done incrementally. In small dosages. Tingi-tingi. You choose what part of you to reveal.

God also is revealed to us in small dosages. We get to know Him through stories taken from the Bible. I still remember the Bible stories with colorful pictures. We get to know Him through the stories of different people. Like getting to know our children through the stories of their friends. The person is revealed to us when someone else other than us tell us of their experiences of them. And stories vary: for those in the office, they will tell us about their work ethic, for their childhood friends, they will tell us of their adolescence. The same way in the Bible: we get to know God through His friends who experienced Him. And we get a different picture. That is why there are many titles of God. Each title is an experience.

When we pray and meditate on passages in the Scripture, we are getting to know God little by little, incrementally, and in small dosages. Hopefully, we will be able to somehow get a comprehensive picture, but not a complete picture. Like people we love: we say that a person is a universe in itself. There is always something new about them as we spend more time with them. This is how relationships get exciting: we do not give and reveal everything all in one sweep, like a one-time-big-time event.

As our friendship deepens through time, the content of our sharing becomes more personal and intimate. It reaches a point when we share the very core and essence of ourselves. This is the time when we share our deepest desires and our darkest secrets. We say, “I’ve never shared this to anyone before.” This time, we are not just sharing the safe experiences which we post in the internet. This time, the sharing cannot be posted and broadcasted; because it is shared in trust and confidentiality. It is the sharing of the person himself or herself. The ultimate revelation of a person is not therefore virtually, like those in our internet social networks (some we have not seen for a long time, some we never saw). The ultimate revelation is the very presence and experience of the person himself.

This is Jesus to us. If in the Old Testament, we hear about Him through stories from other people, when Jesus came into the world, we hear about Him directly. As they say, “from the horse’s mouth.” God has revealed Himself totally to us --- because Jesus is God Himself. That is why, if we would like to know God’s plan, we go to Jesus. If we would like to know who God is, then be with Jesus.

We therefore can ask the question: How well do you know God? Are you stuck in your childhood knowledge of God --- or have you advanced?

What is True Freedom?

15 October 2008 St. Teresa of Jesus
Galatians 5, 18-25

Let me take our reflections from the first reading. St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians talk about true freedom. But before we go and understand true freedom, we should define our terms. The common understanding of freedom --- the way freedom is talked about in contemporary culture --- may refer to 1) our individual capacity to be self-determining, 2) the feeling of freedom in a certain situation (for example, one has a number of choices and options), or 3) to the act itself of choosing this object and that object (Haughey, Behavior Underpinnings).

St. Paul believes that we do not have absolute freedom: we are always subject to someone. The closest absolute freedom is when we are subject not to the elements of the world or to legalities such as the Torah, but solely to God. If we are subject only to God, then differences between us are unimportant. We are all brothers and sisters whether we differ in culture, race or orientation. If, however, we are subject to a specific human-made law (especially in a specific community), then what differentiates us from others becomes important. For example, under God, it doesn’t matter whether you are an Atenean, a Lasallite, or a scholar in UP. But, under a specific community of the Ateneo, then being an Atenean matters --- and the rest of the La Salle and the UP community are out of its fold. If we operate under the law of God, then we do not discriminate because everyone is equal. But if we operate under the UAAP, then being Atenean or Lasallite or UP matters.

Paul makes a distinction in his letter. Those who subject themselves to the elements of the world are people of the ‘flesh’. Their desires determine their actions. Paul therefore makes a list of a way of life rooted in the flesh such as sexual aberrations, idolatry, social evils and intemperance or lack of self-control. These failures are against justice and love. These are people whose lifestyle have not accepted the rule of God in their lives.

On the other hand, those who subject themselves to God are people of the ‘Spirit’. These are those whose faith works through love (Gk, agape). And Paul lists the fruits or qualities of those living in the Spirit in his letter. As contrasted with qualities of the people of ‘flesh’, these are desirable qualities about a believer’s relationship with others such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

From the above, freedom then is not the capacity to choose anything recklessly and unfettered. Freedom is to choose what is good because it makes us move closer to our true nature as God’s children. Our freedom then makes us choose what is more eternal (such as love). What we have chosen to love, will determine our actions. Begin to love music, later on, you see yourself becoming a skilled musician. Start to act kindly, later you see yourself becoming a kind person. Begin to commit yourself to someone, eventually, you allow your beloved to determine your life. We allow who or what we chose to determine our lives. Our beloved will stamp us with its shape. We become what we love. Just look at those who genuinely vowed to love each other: they enjoy something together, which was, once in their lifetime, the sole enjoyment of one of them.

On the other hand, to choose what is bad is not freedom. When we let our ‘flesh’ determine us, the more we become enslaved by it: choose to cheat once, until cheating becomes irresistible; choose to take drugs, and later we become addicted to it. It is therefore not an accident that our favorite sins and bad habits are called, even scientifically, as ‘addictions’. We are held bound by a specific desire or a particular chemical.

Legitimate Pretension

14 October 2008 Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Galatians 5, 1-6; Psalm 119; Luke 11, 37-41

In the Gospel today, the host of the party was surprised that Jesus did not perform the ritual ablutions. The washing before meals was a Pharisaic practice not required by law. His puzzlement provoked a reply from Jesus that was more than what he asked for: it led to a condemnation of a general religious attitude associated with Pharisees. In the pericope today, Jesus accused the Pharisees of emphasizing the externals in religion while overlooking in their own conduct the failure of the essentials. Jesus mentioned the prescription of religiously cleaning the outside of a cup while the inside was full of dirt and grime. If our insides were greedy, the antidote was to give away one’s money or possessions in alms. The ideal was that we cleanse both our insides and our externals, that what one sees outside mirrored one’s interior countenance.

We can also be afflicted by the Pharisaic attitude, often not done out of malice. There are those who are obsessed by the externals that they become disturbed at mass: when the liturgical color is wrong, when there are no flowers on the altar, when they would prefer the priest to kneel than bow. Some of them has acquired this habit from their specific ministry at church. They may be members of the Mother Butler’s Guild or the Liturgical Environment Committee in charge of decorations or liturgical art. Or, they may be old people who have been so used to certain customs that they cannot stand changes, even though these changes are legitimate. For example, with the growing appreciation of the correct performance of liturgy, we implement contemporary liturgical gestures like bowing instead of genuflecting as allowed by the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference as a cultural custom of respect. These concerns are also important, but they are not substantially more important than the mass itself. I guess the trouble is that we are disturbed by these trivial concerns that we lose our focus on worship.

Let’s stretch this reflection to some aspects of our lives. Again, the ideal is that what we are on the outside is a reflection of our true selves. However, this is not true all the time. There are jobs that require an external image, no matter what happens in the interior. This is true especially for those who are in the hospitality business like those who run restaurants, hotels, and spas. In daily life, there are times when we should rather keep things to ourselves. When we are having trouble at home, we cannot let our bad moods affect the office or else it would affect our relationship with our co-workers and our clientele. These, to me, are times when we have to keep our ‘outside cup’ clean, despite our filthy insides. Sometimes we have to smile to fellow workers when we are seething with rage for our wives or husbands or children or friends. These fellow workers have nothing to do with our personal issues, and so do not deserve the brunt of our anger. These are “legitimate pretensions”.

The danger is living a lie. That means, we have lost our real self because we become our pretension. That means, we are still acting when we do not have to, like when we are in the privacy of our homes with our family and friends who accept us for what we truly are --- warts and all. We have to find people whom we can be true to ourselves. And in order not to lose what we are, we have to find time to reflect on our interior lives so that we can move closer to our ideal of cleansing the inside and the outside as well.

During semestral breaks, let us take time to reflect on ourselves. As we pushed our brains to its limits, we now set academic life aside and look closely in our hearts. Or for those who are working, you might want to take a few minutes for reflection and prayer. So that we won’t lose the essentials to the trivial.

Updating for Faith

13 October 2008. Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Galatians 4, 22-31 - 5,1; Psalm 113; Luke 11, 29-32

Allow me to explain the Gospel today. We always want to have tangible evidence to establish the fact of a claim or a statement. But if the claim is fantastic, we demand spectacular proof. We want something that is empirical. The Gospel today is no different. The Jews demanded for proof that would prove Jesus’ claim as the Messiah.

So Jesus gave two examples. He said that the Queen of Sheba recognized the wisdom of Solomon and therefore benefitted it. The people of Nineveh discerned from Jonah the voice of God, and therefore repented and mended their ways. Both Solomon and Jonah did not display any spectacular sign for the Queen and the people of Nineveh, but they responded to them positively. (In Filipino, we say, “Buti pa sila” or Good for them!) With the people of Tyre and Sidon, these people will be recognized as more open to God’s will than the Jews who claim to be God’s chosen people. Jesus asserted that He, Himself, was the sign of the present generation, and thus there was no further need for a sign that would prove His spiritual authority (v. 16). Jesus, like Jonah, had a message for the people, if only the people would heed His call. The Queen of Sheba and the Ninevites were given an opportunity and they grabbed it.

In our lives today, there are two things I believe are privileges and opportunities for us. First, Sacred Scripture has been made available for all of us since the invention of the printing press. You see, Scriptures were in the possession of priests who studied them before it was mass produced. Now, we all have copies of bibles --- some with study notes like community bibles --- but we do not care to read it and diligently study them. We read the Scriptures at masses, but sadly, we take the Word of God for granted. We should learn from our brothers and sisters who are also Christians. They diligently read the Scriptures. They mark important passages and memorize the verses.

The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines said that Filipino Catholics are more at home with devotions and popular piety but continue to be ignorant of Sacred Scripture and Church doctrines. Devotions and popular acts of piety such as processions and celebrations trace their source from the Scripture. In addition, we love people we know. How can we love people we don’t know. So, if we claim that we love Jesus, how much do we know about Him? How sufficient is our love for Jesus when we do not even care to meditate on His life?

Second, the internet revolutionized information. Information is now at our fingertips. Do we use the net wisely in terms of our faith? Because of cyberspace, we can now update ourselves on the new teachings of the Church. The ignorance as articulated by PCP II can be responded to if priests would update themselves with Church teachings which they can access through bulletins sent by Rome to the local church, or they can get it online. Catholics too can update themselves through the Church’s websites. Often the intellectual component of our faith life is outdated. If doctors and pharmacists update themselves with new medicines to be better contemporary medical practitioners, why can’t we Catholics update ourselves so that we can respond fully well to contemporary times? I receive questions from many of students --- many of them through chat rooms, personal messages, emails and social networks (Friendster, Multiply and Facebook. Click the icons in the navigation bar above). Some of articles of our faith remain mind boggling for them, because their elders, parents, catechists, teachers were not able to answer them well. They also did not know their doctrines or even know how to account for their faith. They were told JUST to believe!
Updating is in fact a renewal of theology because doctrines also develop. We remain faithful to Jesus and to His Church, and part of it, is to move at the same pace with them. It is not just Church authorities who should reflect but also lay people. We must continue to reflect as a Church, in dialogue, so that we may recognize the Spirit in the signs of our times.

Kasalang Para sa Lahat

October 12, 2008 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Indigenous People’s Sunday
Isaiah 25, 6-10; Psalm 23; Phil 4, 12-20; Matthew 22, 1-14

Note: This homily appears on this Sunday's Sambuhay, a publication of the Society of St. Paul.

Ang buong sambayanan ang nagdiriwang sa kasalan. Noong panahon ni Hesus, matagal nang inimbitahan ang mga panauhin upang mailaan nila ang buong araw para lamang sa ikakasal. Ngunit ang oras ng salu-salo ay hindi sinasabi. Pinapalagay ng may handa na naitala na ang buong araw para sa kanila, kaya kahit anong oras maaari silang tawagin upang simulan ang pagdiriwang. Ang paglalaan ng araw ay isang pagpapahalaga sa ikakasal.

Ngunit ang mga panauhin sa talinhaga ni Hesus ay isa-isang tumanggi sa panawagan. Marami silang pinag-aabalahan. Kanya-kanya silang lumisan maunlakan lamang ang pansariling pangangailangan. At dahil matagal na silang nasabihan, wala silang maidadahilang nagkulang ang punong-abala. Kaya hinimok ng hari ang kanyang mga alagad na suyurin ang kahit sinong makikita nila sa iba’t ibang gusali, kalsada at iskinita at imbitahing makisalo sa pinakamasayang panahon sa kanyang buhay: ang kasal ng kanyang minamahal na anak.

Ang panawagan ng Diyos ay para sa lahat. Tulad ng pagsuyod ng kanyang mga alagad sa iba’t ibang tao, mayaman o mahirap, banal o makasalanan, lahat ay tinatanggap sa hapag kainan ng Diyos. May puwang ang bawat isa sa puso ng Diyos. Sa Eukaristiya, pinagsasaluhan ng iba’t ibang uri ng tao ang dahilan ng ating pagsasama, ang Diyos na nag-alay ng Kanyang buhay para sa lahat.

Hinihimok din sa lahat ng Kristiyano na buksan ang puso sa lahat ng tao. Kadalasan pinipili natin ang ating iaanib, at tinatanggihan natin ang ayaw nating isali. Mas mapanatag tayong kasama ang sariling tao kaysa makipag-usap sa mga taong iba ang pananaw, pananampalataya, o paninindigan. Ang pagsasarili ang dahilan kung bakit nagkakawatak-watak ang ating sambayanan.

Bilang pagdiriwang ng Indigenous People’s Sunday, pinapahalagahan natin ang iba’t ibang kalahi nating iniwalay at binawian ng lupa’t karapatan. Sa welcoming ceremonies noong nakaraang World Youth Day sa Sydney, Australia, pinuri ni Pope Benedict XVI ang pagsisisi ng mga Australian Government sa mga karahasang ginawa nila sa kanilang mga katutubo. At pinahalagahan ng Santo Papa ang mga hakbang ginagawa nila upang ituwid ang ganitong pagkakamali. Noong dumating ang mga taga-Europa sa Australia, hiniwalay sa pamilya ang mga anak ng katutubo upang gawing mga katulong sa kanilang bahay at industriya. Sa Pilipinas, maraming mga lupang pagmamay-ari ng ating mga katutubo ang unti-unting kinakamkam ng iba’t ibang tao sa gobyerno, pribadong sektor o mga dayuhan.

Bilang Kristiyano, muli natin silang ibalik sa ating hapag kainan.

To Go Out to the World

8 October 2008 Wednesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Galatians 2, 1-2 & 7-14; Psalm 117; Luke 11, 1-4

The Responsorial Psalm summarizes the readings today, “Go out to all the world, and Tell the Good News.” Paul went to the Gentile world and offered them the Gospel. Paul’s letter to the Galatians tells us of his second visit to Peter (Cephas) and the leaders of Jerusalem. He and his companions, Barnabas and Titus (a Gentile), had a private conference with them. Paul explained the good news which he had been preaching to the Gentiles. The point of the conference was not about his teachings. Paul was worried about his converts if they did not get the support from Peter and the Jerusalem leaders. If Paul will not be supported by Peter, then the converts would transfer to the Judaizers and his work would have failed.

But Peter and the leaders supported Paul. They decided not to impose any part of the Jewish law on Gentile converts to Christianity. For example, they did not order Titus to be circumcised. This made Paul’s work legitimate and valid. Second, Peter and the leaders “extended the right handshake to Paul” making Paul their apostolic partner, thus their equal. In the first reading today, Paul tells us of two things. They decided on a territorial division of labor. Peter and the leaders of Jerusalem would continue evangelizing Palestine (the circumcised), and Paul and his companions would take the dispersion, that is, both Jews and Gentiles living outside of Palestine (the uncircumcised). In addition, they agreed to remember the poor, “God’s spiritually-privileged” (not necessarily economically destitute).

However, sometime between the Council of Jerusalem in AD 50 and the writing of this letter to the Galatians in AD 55), Peter visited Antioch and freely mingled with all believers including those who were converted from paganism or from Judaism. But when a Jerusalem group arrived, Peter began to withdrew from the fellowship and meal sharing. Probably he was conscious about what the group would say about his being with the uncircumcised. Worse, the rest of the Jewish Christians including Barnabas began to withdraw, Paul rebuked him, because he thought that “they were not on the right road in line with the truth of the Gospel.” So he reminded Peter of his decision not to impose Jewish law on converts from paganism. It was not the Jewish law (Torah --- the first 5 books of the Old Testament containing instructions and directives) that bound them, but their love for Jesus. This is precisely the point of the Gospel. When we pray the “Our Father” we acknowledge that we are all brothers and sisters, equally loved and united by our one and only Father. No one is excluded. Not by nationality, race, or even orientation.

Let’s bring this to earth. There are things we know by faith. In principle, we know that we should not discriminate. We know that as Christians we are to mingle with different kinds of people, recognizing the presence of Christ in them. We know this. However, this is easily said than done.

Allow me share an experience. I remembered my first few months in UP as chaplain. I grew up in Catholic schools and surrounded by Catholics all throughout my life. UP was outside of my comfort zone. The first struggle I had was to mingle with people who were vocal enough to assert their disagreement with the Church’s involvement in politics or the Church’s directives contrary to their advocacy. In addition, I met all sorts of people, from the ultra-conservative to the lax and the reckless. The variety was just overwhelming. Later on, I found myself at home with variety and thus very much at home in UP. I have friends whom many priests would not want to be seen with in public --- precisely because they are afraid of the judgment other people would give them. They are those who might externally look eccentric; or those who have publicly professed their atheism; or those who have lifestyles that are questionable to many ultra-conservative individuals. My friends in this circle would often ask me why I stay. And I answer them, “why should I not?” When I was in Mindanao, I used to spend time with my Muslim students. And I enjoyed and loved their company. This is where I learned to re-define what it means to “go out to the world, and tell the Good News”. To go out to the world is not anymore to convert them to our religion, but to extend “our right hands” in friendship. It is to recognize in each other, despite our differences, our common Father.

Why I Pray the Rosary

7 October 2008. Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Galatians 1, 13-24; Psalm 139; Luke 10, 38-42

As we celebrate the memorial of our Lady of the Rosary, allow me to talk about the rosary personally. If you were to ask me why I pray the rosary, I would probably answer you this way.

First, the rosary reminds me of the history of my faith. It was like St. Paul in the first reading who narrated the history of his conversion. You see, my family was not the very pious type; with members belonging to one or more religious organizations. My father was not particularly a devotee; it was my mother who convinced him to pray and to attend mass regularly. He was one of those dads you see outside of the church during the homily. My brothers and sisters were members of choirs. But we were not raised up doing long novenas and reciting chants in latin. But if there was one thing I remembered about my family’s love affair with God, it was the daily night rosary led by my mom. Every night, the whole household stopped for prayer. No matter who dozed off (usually it was me and my Dad), it did not matter. The practice continues until today. The rosary was the staple personal prayer of the whole family.

Second, the rosary was the stuff of our grade school and high school faith-life. We remembered the living rosaries we held every October. A large part of the recitation of the rosary was mechanical: repeated Hail Marys and Our Fathers, and the mindless blurting out of the Three Mysteries (it was still the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious during my adolescent life). But if there were things I learned about the repetitions it was these: I memorized some parts of Scripture. The Hail Mary is taken from Luke 1, 28 from the words of the Angel Gabriel and from Luke 1, 42 from the lips of Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary; the Our Father is in Luke 11 and Matthew 6). Moreover, the Glory Be is a prayer to the Trinity. And more importantly, I memorized the Life of Christ. Memorize all of the Mysteries of the Rosary, and you basically know the life of Christ. This is not far from history. During the Middle Ages, education was a privilege of the monks. A large number of the populace were uneducated. In order for them to know snippets of the Word of God, the monks taught them the Hail Mary, the Angelus, the Pater Noster (Our Father). The first part of the Hail Mary was succeeded by different petitions which eventually led to the 2nd verse of the oral prayer. The rosary was an educational or a catechetical tool.

Third, the rosary led me to appreciate the life of Jesus. I prayed the rosary more often during travels. Admittedly, it was a good way to while away time. Often it could get me to sleep. But what I like the most about the rosary was its flexibility. There were many ways of praying it. You could go through all of the mysteries, or you can pray just one decade and meditate on a particular aspect of the life of Christ, or you pray it so that you know that the last thought you had before you sleep was God. It was good to sleep in the embrace of God.

If I were to pattern my life to Christ today, I must meditate on His life repeatedly. There is one thing that we have to make clear: we do not worship Mary --- we worship only the Blessed Trinity. But we give Mary the highest honor. In many of Mary’s icons, each gesture mean something. One of the gestures we see about Mary is that she points to the Child in her arms. She tells us that the proper way of Marian devotions should lead us to love Christ. It is not an accident that we call the rosary, a devotion. Devotions increases our love, loyalty and enthusiasm for a person, an activity or a cause. This time, the devotions should increase our love for Mary’s Son.

Finally, if asked why the rosary is a repetition, well it is about real life. There is a pervading culture that loves change. Anything that is repeated is boring. But look again. Many new things comes from repetition. A scientific discovery traces its source from repeated experimentation. An additional idea comes from repetitious studies. An improvement in our skills comes from discipline. A deepening of love comes from consistent repetition of both the words, “I love you” and various ways of love expressions: the everyday meal our mother prepares for us, the daily text messages, the regular dates and celebrations are all repetitions. Change does not happen unless something is repeatedly done. If one would like to love Jesus, then repeat and repeat and repeat His life. You just don’t form a habit, you actually become the habit. Pray the life of Jesus, and eventually you become like Jesus. This is the rosary to me and my family. And this is why I still pray it until today.

If I were to ask you what the rosary is for you, what would you say?

The Song of the Vineyard

5 October 2008 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 5, 1-7; Psalm 80; Phil 4, 6-9; Mathew 21, 33-43

A note before we begin: The responsorial psalm between readings at mass functions as a bridge from the first reading to the next. The psalm summarizes the meaning of the readings and foster meditation on the word of God. As a psalm, therefore, it is meant to be sung.

The responsorial psalm today provides us with the setting of the readings: “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.” The first reading is a song, sung by a friend. It is a parable, like the many parables of Nathan the prophet or of Jesus as in the Gospel today. The speaker does not disclose his real subject but leads his listeners to pass judgment before they realize that they are passing judgment on themselves.

The vineyard in Israel is a very valuable property that contributed to the luxurious life of the people involved in it. It was also a symbolism of the wealth of the land. In the song of the vineyard, the owner had the vineyard on a “fertile hillside” and done everything for it to produce quality yield. He even built a watchtower to protect it and a wine press, obviously, to produce good wine --- a favorite both in ordinary meals or extravagant celebrations. Unfortunately, it produced “wild grapes.” The parable suggests that this wealth has not produced a just society. Literally, the threat that the vineyard would be overgrown by thorns and wild grass was fulfilled when Assyria invaded Israel. When they were exiled to Babylon, they looked back at their life and yearned for it. In Babylon, they suffered. And their suffering led them to realize how they have lived a better life in Jerusalem and wasted all of them away.

There are many things in our lives that we do not realize unless it was been taken away from us. We feel sad and disappointed over something that has happened and been done especially when there is a loss or missed opportunity. How many students never realize how important study habits are unless they failed in an exam? How many of my students who ‘lived the luxurious life catching up with the Joneses’ repented when they were asked to transfer to another school? In addition, how many relationships did we let go of because of a trivial hurt? We regret a good friendship when we have drifted apart from them. Often, remorse comes when it is too late.

God provides us with everything we need to be better individuals. The fertile vineyard symbolizes all the conditions we need to be fruitful. The essential conditions are already there: but it needs the participation and cooperation of each individual. Whatever failure we have and who we are today (especially when we do not like what we have become) can be traced, not from God’s lack, but from our unwillingness to cooperate.

When God calls, Do We Actually Leave our Families?

1 October 2008 St. Therese of the Child Jesus
Job 9, 1-16; Psalm 88; Luke 9, 57-62

I learned the art of letting go when I was a Jesuit novice. Every semester we would transfer from one room to the other, leaving the furniture of the room there. All we have to carry are our basic things. Every time we transfer to a new room, we would decorate and re-arrange the room the way we want it. Sometimes, we get attached to the room perhaps because the location was better --- a good view of the greenery or it was near the common restroom (you don’t have to travel a long way at night)--- or we have decorated it so beautifully. The exercise was called, mutationes. It was supposed to help us get used to being transfered from one mission area, and increase our sense of mobility and availability.

I didn’t know that the Gospel today will have a concrete impact on my life. Letting go was not a matter of rooms, but a matter of ties. Jesus said that if anyone wanted to follow him, he should leave everything behind --- even the burial of one’s kin. My father died when I was a novice, a few months before the Jesuits asked me whether I would like to take my perpetual vows. I was in our remote mission area then, a good five-hour trek to inland Bukidnon, and I heard the news from the radio. But the Jesuits did not take to heart the Gospel’s leaving the family. They bought the tickets for my journey home to Bicol.

Does the Gospel really mean forgetting one’s kin and completely having no care at all to one’s loved one? Job in the first reading lost all of his property and his family despite his being a good and godly man?

My experience tells me to completely forget one’s family is brutal and cruel --- even to missionaries. We have many foreign Jesuits who died here in the Philippines, but have kept in touch with their families abroad. Our families are our lifeline and they are our support system. Jesus’ family and friends where with Him all through His mission. Many missionaries suffer great emotional upheavals when they learn about the misfortunes their families suffered --- a terminal illness, a financial trouble, death and in many cases, natural disasters. If there is one thing that shakes missionaries, whether religious or lay, it is the family. In my case, a large part of the suffering we encounter comes from not being able to support them except perhaps spiritually through prayers and masses. My consolation is in believing that spiritual gifts greatly helps. St. Therese of the Child Jesus is the patron of the missions, but she never left the convent. St. Francis Xavier SJ, is also a patron of the missions, but while he was out into the world, he kept the letters of St. Ignatius and his friends deep in his heart. They never “left” the people they loved.

With these two saints, the Gospel to me becomes clearer and so is the reason why the Jesuits arranged my journey home on that fateful March day in 1990. Discipleship is a matter of the heart: whether one leaves or one stays, a disciple’s heart is open to the future. A heart that welcomes new experiences and trusting they would also encounter God whether they are in the quiet of their room or overseas. It could also mean whether God would like us to try out a new way of evangelization and leave behind an outdated and ineffective way. It is a heart that is ready to go if God wills so, or stay if God wanted us to remain put. We are ready to just bring what we need, and leave anytime, anywhere. This is to me, great availability and mobility. We do have different loves, but the key is whom we love the most.

We now discover a fact. Those who have stable support systems are those who are ready to go wherever they are sent. They felt so much loved by their friends and families that they are so happy to share it to others. When we talk of availability and mobility in mission, we presume that that person experienced God’s love first. His availability and mobility is a response to that overflowing love.