Loneliness like Orphans

27 April 2008 6th Sunday of Easter
Acts 8, 5-8, 14-17; John 14, 15-21

If there is one feeling that plagues us, it is loneliness. How can we feel lonely if we believe in God whom we know is always with us? Jesus promises us today in the Gospel that He will not leave us orphans. But still we often feel lonely. Our loneliness and the need to connect with another has brought millions of dollars into telecommunication companies such as SMART, GLOBE, SUN, etc. The top products today are cellphones and internet cards. The younger generation (and many more such as myself) has many social platforms in the internet: Friendster, Multiply, and Facebook. In these social networking, we are able to know what is happening with a friend or colleague just by viewing their pictures and reading their blogs. We are able to ‘collect and connect’ with friends and acquaintances --- if only it would appease our wanting.

Our need to connect is imbedded within our very own system. There is that hunger and emptiness in our hearts that eats into our very core. We cannot help it but feel alone, abandoned and estranged from the rest of the world. Those abroad may feel financially secure or admire the efficiency or orderliness of a foreign country, but they remain --- and look --- different from the locals abroad. They would still pine for Manila, with all of its traffic and disorder. Even in our local communities, like our circle of friends, we may still feel alone in their midst. Loneliness is felt as an existential need, at the very root of our existence. Our relationships and our need to have people around us physically is what we are.

However, we have been frustrated by a lot of people, including our friends whose promise to be with us forever cannot keep their promises. They cannot be with us right away when we needed them. Meeting them, whether for coffee or for a movie, needs to be scheduled. We have to postpone our hunger for them. In fact, no one can or have the capability to fulfill our infinite need for physical companionship.

We just have to believe in their promises that even when apart, they think about us often. We just have to believe that the least that they can do is to try to move an appointment or do an unfinished work fast and quick so they can rush immediately to us. We just have to believe in their word that we have their heart. We have to accept that we are lonely and that the remedy for our infinite desire to have someone is not another human person, but God who can fill it.

Thus, we can move out of our loneliness (the infinite hunger for another human being) towards solitude. Solitude is being at home with ourselves. It is being at peace spending the time with God. It means that having coffee and reading a book by ourselves is fine with us. It means going to the movies and having dinner with ourselves, our “me-time” is equally enjoyable and precious as when we are with our families and friends. Solitude means finding time to pray, reflect and examine our lives; and finding the time meaningful and necessary.

So this is what Jesus meant. He may have left the world and his disciples physically. It saddened Him. It made the disciples long for him. But the departure of Jesus did not paralyze them to continue His mission. Because they are assured that Jesus remains with them just as He had promised. His Holy Spirit remains in us. This is the reason why Philip, in a foreign country such as Samaria in the first reading, was able to convert the people there. They have paid attention to his preaching about Jesus, and they have seen the presence of Christ in the words that he did.

Centripetal Force

24 April 2008. Thursday of the 5th Week of Easter
Acts 15, 7-21; John 15, 9-11 Off-Route

In Physics, we were taught about two pairs of forces associated with circular motion. Isaac Newton’s first law of motion tells us that a moving body travels along a straight path with a constant speed or velocity, unless it is acted on by an outside force. In a circular motion, the constant force acting on a body, pushing it toward the center of the circular path is the centripetal force or the ‘center seeking’ force. For planets to orbit around the sun, the centripetal force is gravity. For objects twirling on a string, the centripetal force is mechanical. For an electron circling an atom, the centripetal force is electrical.

Second, Newton’s third law of motion tells us that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In circular motion, the opposite force is the centrifugal force or the ‘center-fleeing’ force. An object flies out of its circular force when the centripetal force is withdrawn. Therefore, without the center-seeking force (centripetal force), objects would fly out of its circular path. The centripetal force is what keeps an object in orbit and in its course. Remove gravity, everything will fly out. Remove the mechanical force, an object will be off route. Remove the electrical force, an electron will not circle around an atom.

This simple laws of Physics can be applied to the readings today. The centripetal force is Jesus. The centrifugal propensity to move away from Him is in us. We all have the tendency to move out off course. We may embark on an adventure, an experiment, a different way of life. We may enter into different relationships or explore the world. Without a center, we would scatter all over the place. We would find our lives directionless and meaningless because there is nothing that would gather us and keep us whole and in orbit. Without a center that would hold things together, we will always be lost. When Jesus tells us to remain in Him, He is inviting us to have Him as our sole and central principle in life.

There are many things that can take us off our orbit. Personal or institutional issues can shake and disturb an established system. Circumcision in the first reading was an established custom among the Jews. It symbolized commitment to the Mosaic law. The acceptance of Gentile converts placed the custom into question. If the Jews viewed circumcision as necessary for one to be saved, then uncircumcised Gentiles should undergo the procedure too.

But the disciples including Peter experienced the grace of God among the Gentiles as well as the Jews. “God does not make any distinctions,” Peter said. Everyone whether Jews or Greeks, circumcised or not, are saved. Thus the law of circumcision does not save us, as Peter reiterated. We are saved by faith --- not by circumcision. We are saved by remaining in Christ, no matter the form used to symbolize this commitment to be with God.

The disciples therefore fixed their eyes on Jesus (their sole and central principle) that they were able to see what normally blinded them: a well-established custom was not actually essential and necessary. Having seen this truth, Peter, James, Paul and Barnabas had brought division to an end, saved the Gentiles from an unnecessary burden and had placed the Church back on its normal orbit.

In other words, Christ remains constant and stable. The rest, we are free to create and explore.

What is Essential to Salvation

23 April 2008 Wednesday of the 5th Week of Easter
Acts 15, 1-6; John 15, 1-8

There arose a great debate among the Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem. They were overjoyed with the growing number of Gentile converts. Yet some were not as happy. They took the opportunity to lobby for Gentile circumcision. To Jews, circumcision was a law that has to be kept. You see, for the Jews it is like baptism: it is a symbolic act of commitment to keep the Law of Moses as the Israelites did in the Old Testament. They believed that the Gentiles cannot be saved unless they be circumcised. The newly-baptized Christians can only participate in God’s blessing unless they did what Abraham had done. The Jewish Christians thought that anyone who wanted to be saved must be saved like they were.

But God had led Peter to witness the conversion of Cornelius’ household which made him realize that it was God who baptized by the Spirit. Cornelius’ household had been saved by faith and not by the law they practiced. And so Peter made a remarkable statement: “We believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they (Gentiles) are.” So the decision of the Jerusalem Council was unanimous: the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised.

Peter then proceeded to tell everyone that the Jews must be saved the same way Gentiles were saved by faith, apart from law-keeping. What united them with Christ was their faith in Him, not the little laws that they kept.

Therefore, the disciples reflected on what is essential and necessary and what were not. They believed that circumcision was not necessary for salvation; but faith in Christ was.

At present, there are indeed ‘little laws’ that we hold stubbornly. Most of them are superstitious beliefs: we should not sweep the floor at wakes; we should not laugh on Good Friday because ‘God is dead’; we should give sticky dishes on New Year’s for a tight-knit family. At mass, we are troubled by the length of a reader’s skirt, or whether we should hold hands or not. Oftentimes we get to wonder whether Catholicism is about these petty law-keeping than what is the only thing necessary. And what’s worse is that we impose or require them of others believing that the younger generation who question these traditions will not be saved --- because they are not like us.

We are therefore challenged to assess the little rules that we keep. St. Ignatius has a good principle: tantum quantum. Keep the tradition if it leads you to God; if it doesn’t, then it is time to let it go. We have to refocus on what is essential and necessary: being united to the One True Vine.

Thus, if a new method will lead you to God, this is the time to adapt it.

How Can One be at Peace When One Suffers

22 April 2008 Tuesday of the 5th Week of Easter
Acts 14, 19-28; John 14, 27-31

It is often difficult to reconcile the two themes of the readings today: the first reading accounts Paul’s suffering and the Gospel tells us that Jesus gives peace to us. How can one be at peace when one suffers?

Paul enjoyed the privileges and esteem of dual citizenship. Paul was brought up as a Jewish Pharisee which gained respect from the Jews. At the same time, his Roman citizenship likewise esteemed him among the Gentiles. He was probably called by his two names: Saul to the Hebrew, Paul to the Greco-Roman. He could have boasted and used his background, but even then, he was not spared from suffering.

St. Paul said that it is necessary to undergo hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. He had been stoned and rejected. He had been flogged, imprisoned, and persecuted. He has been ridiculed several times. In the first reading, it was the Jews who stoned him outside of the city. But for Paul, suffering gains meaning only when it is a consequence of his mission. Suffering for the sake of another is meaningful; suffering for its very sake is meaningless and inhuman. He writes to the Philippians (1, 21): “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” What kept Paul going is that hope of death, when he will be united finally to Christ.

Peace does not necessary mean the absence of pain. Peace is attained when one’s heart is aligned with Christ, no matter the intensity of one’s suffering. For what is the true definition of peace? To the Hebrew, peace is shalom. It is more than just our Western way of understanding peace as a state of mind, as when one is gently massaged in a spa or a ‘wellness center’. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians described Christ as the One who has destroyed the barrier between two people, the dividing wall of hostility (2,14). Shalom thus carries with it not just a “state of mind” but the connected meaning of unity and integrity. Shalom is achieved when two warring people reconcile. That is why with Christians, there are no Jews, nor Greeks, nor Gentiles, no walls between men and women, servant or free. The walls that divide a community is abolished in Christ. Christ reconciled all things to Himself, those in heaven and on earth. Each of us thus is one with Christ. Paul said, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2, 20). And therefore, if suffering is experienced as a necessary consequence in bringing people to Christ, then Paul has achieved peace.

When we talk of peace, we are clearly assessing whether our actions are in tune to the actions of Christ. There are times when we are troubled or bothered by something we have done or said to another. We are disturbed because we are afraid that we may have said something that is offensive or hurting. Our bodies give the signal when we are not united with the heart of Christ, as pangs of conscience.

In other words, we may have undergone hardships when asking for forgiveness, when taking an exam, when working steadily for our dreams or the future of our children. But we are still at peace. Why? Because these hardships are necessary in achieving our dreams or ensuring the future of those we love. When we suffer for our loved ones, we experience peace: because our hearts are one with them and with God.

Having Jesus as the Way

20 April 2008. 5th Sunday of Easter
Acts 6, 1-7; Psalm 33; 1 Peter 2, 4-9; John 14, 1-12

Jesus says in the Gospel today that He is the Way for those who are lost. What does He mean? It is like finding someone who knows the way and offers his help. It is different when you have a map of a friend’s house, than when you have someone who have been there.

Being lost and finding Jesus as their way is experienced in our personal lives. New situations bring with it new challenges. When our lives make a sudden turn, we feel lost. We lose sight of our life’s directions, or we feel that we are moving without a sense of purpose. Even if we have in our hands a map, a mental plan we have concocted in order for us to reach our goals, an unexpected situation throws us off balance. And we just don’t know how to get there. Should I resign and take the offer of another company? Should I break up with my girlfriend for 7 years because I am not happy with her anymore? Should I follow what I really wanted for my life and risk everything I have built?

Being lost and finding Jesus as their way is not just experienced personally but also institutionally as the community of the first Christians. The first reading tells us that the ‘young community of believers in Jerusalem’ were increasing in number and organization. The overwhelming expansion brought new problems.

The Jews had a greater sense of social responsibility. Every Friday morning, two collectors were sent to houses and the marketplace to collect goods or money for the poor, including those who were permanently dependent or temporarily in need. What the collectors got and distributed was called the kuppah or basket. The fund for emergency needs was called the tamhui or tray. The kuppah and tamhui were distributed in the afternoon of Friday to sustain the poor at least during the week.

The Christian community adapted this beautiful custom, however, there were discriminatory problems: the Hellenists’ widows were neglected in this weekly distribution. Why? In the Christian community there were two groups of Jews: the ‘pure’ Jews who spoke Aramaic and had no admixture of foreign blood and the foreign Jews who do not speak Hebrew but Greek. The latter were the Hellenists who complained. The ‘pure’ Jews looked down on the Hellenists. The distribution thus were more in favor of the Aramaic-speaking Jews.

Invoking the Holy Spirit, the disciples appointed deacons to correct this practical situation. It is interesting to note that deacons were first appointed for a practical purpose than for preaching.

When we are lost in our personal and institutional lives, we have a choice: we can follow the Way of Christ and be fulfilled, or take another route. In our lives, our being lost may be a result of several factors. We may have followed the road paved by someone else or by a motivation that moved us away from our heart’s desire such as fame and fortune. We may have joined the bandwagon when we were meant to blaze new trails. Or we have been controlled by our fears. If we follow our hearts, we have two roads: one with guide, and the other is at your own risk.

Our Name Defines Us

15 April 2008. Tuesday of the 4th Week of Easter
Acts 11, 19-26 What’s in a Name?

Scriptures put significance to one’s name and the act of naming. In Genesis, man names creatures. The Israelites put a great ceremony in the naming of a child such as John the Baptist. The first reading records that we were first called, Christians, in Antioch. Why is naming important?

A name points to a reality. When we name or put a label, we try to make sense of reality. When we talk about the weather, the name “weather” means all external phenomena at a given atmosphere (such as the Philippines) at a given time (such as today). It will include wind, cloud, rain, snow, fog or dust. We have special weather conditions such as storms which are less common than the daily change of weather conditions (though my homeplace experiences around 22 typhoons a year). In the Jewish faith, the Israelites do not pronounce the name of God, because it points to God, Himself. And a person who gives a name is someone greater than the creature or thing one names. Thus, the Hebrew rule not to use the name of God in vain (or even say His Name) comes from utmost reverence.

When we name, we define it. The etymology of define is “to put an end” --- we clarify and therefore it will not end its vagueness or being amorphous. We capture the reality as in a photograph. We label a human being, an animal, a thing, a place, a product (a brand name), an idea or concept so that we may identify and distinguish it from one another. To name would point to a class or a category. A personal name identifies us as specific, unique, existing and identifiable individual persons. We name a person civilly as what we place in our birth certificate, or we add a name when we are baptized to mark a new person. There is an interesting study that dolphins respond to individual whistles, as in a name: in a group of dolphins who look almost the same, the “individual whistle” puts an end to “general” existence and would point to one specific individual dolphin. Or we define a relationship: we have to name the relationship so that we may act accordingly. Lovers have to define what they have: are they friends or are they companions with commitments?

We are identified as Christians. Our name carries with it the name of Christ. It does not only refer to an aspect of our lives, but it refers to everything about us. Christ defines who we are; as well as our name identifies the person we are named after. However, part of our identity is the process of growth: we are dynamic individuals. We struggle with God, as Jacob wrestled with the angel. But it is also with the struggle that Jacob acquired a new identity, “Israel”. Our name tells us that we remain the same, but it also designates that we are also ‘not the same’ --- as we are homo viator.

In our lives, we acquired ‘different names’. We accumulated these names over the years. We have our nickname when we were children. We have names in school, in the workplace. We have our terms of endearment. All these names point to a specific stage in our lives or the degree of a relationship.

Let me propose something to think about today. List the names you have acquired all these years. What is the most significant name and why? Who calls you by that name? How does that name define you?

Then, look at your baptismal name. Are you moving towards being worthy to be called, Christian?

The Gatekeeper

13 April 2008 4th Sunday of Easter
John 10:1-10 The Gatekeeper

This Sunday is usually called the Good Shepherd Sunday. The readings and the responsorial psalm are about Jesus as a shepherd who takes particular and personal care for His flock. In the Gospel of John, Jesus used the image of the shepherd as a gatekeeper: the shepherd who opens the gate of the sheepfold and the sheep who enters are those who recognize His voice. You see, in Palestine, there are many shepherds and thus, many flocks who belong to different owners (a village sometimes owns the flock). When the sheep mingles with other flocks, the shepherd calls them through a unique whistle or a peculiar voice which the sheep recognizes --- as a dog responds to its owner’s voice. Whoever recognizes the voice of the shepherd belongs to his flock, enters the gate, and will be under his protection. Belonging to the shepherd, the sheep experiences his unique and personal love.

To belong to the Shepherd is to recognize His voice. Language enables us to belong to a certain person or a group. A couple shares common memories, stories, and lifestyles. They develop a certain language after a period of time, of being together, of sharing struggles with each other. A group of friends come together and speak in a particular manner. Their ‘language’ mainly includes the things they like doing together. Some even develop ‘terms’ --- whose meaning they only share. In addition, dialects determine a person’s origin. The same way with God. The way of God is different from our way and the way of the world. To recognize God operating in our lives today, we have to know His voice. That is why those who are serious about their relationship with God will find retreats, recollections, bible studies, personal and communal prayer important in their lives. They would spend time and money in order to join these opportunities to get to know God objectively and personally in their lives. God has a unique way of dealing with our personalities and it is therefore important to know how He moves and relates with us.

Second, to belong to the Shepherd is to know the criteria He uses to filter those who are allowed to enter the gate. Conversely, it is what He uses to reject those who do not fall under the category. I learned about gatekeeping as a student of mass communication. Gatekeeping was first introduced in 1947 by Kurt Lewin who is a social psychologist. In human communication and journalism, the term, gatekeeping, refers to the process in which ideas and information are filtered for publication. It is a decision-making process of relaying and withholding information for media and mass consumption. This process begins from a reporter filtering which stories to report on, to the publicist deciding which stories to print.

The same way with our lives of faith. A flux of information, the seduction of different forms of entertainment, the variety of worldviews, the pressure from friends and colleagues --- all of these would require a certain filtering. Which of these would you accept or reject? Which would you adapt as a life principle or a value. Which would you find unacceptable? The criteria for Christians is simple: that which is consistent with Jesus are the ones we accept, and the disvalues according to Jesus are the ones we don’t. Jesus is the Way. The second point therefore is about making decisions through a daily discernment.

Finally, to belong to the Shepherd is to enter His world. The movie, Stardust, has a gatekeeper who guards the forbidden wall that separates another world from the rest of England. Tristan (Charlie Cox) discovers the world where his father once entered. Eternal life rewards those who belong to the Shepherd, but it also means that we too would adapt the lifestyle of those who belong there --- it becomes our world too. Just as ‘heaven’ to the sheep means being with their shepherd, “heaven” to us is being with Christ. The final point therefore is about being identified and marked by Christ. Being with Christ and becoming like Him.

Getting to Know the Bread of Life

10 April 2008 Thursday of the 3rd Week of Easter
John 6, 44-55 Getting to Know the Bread of Life

Jesus clearly says today in the Gospel, that the way to know the Father is getting to know the Son. Thus, Jesus made it easier for us to know God. All we have to do is to know Jesus. He is the greatest revelation of God, because He is God Himself. He is the tangible and visible God. In other words, the world has seen God, because it had Jesus in its history.

However, for many of us who have been born after His resurrection, it would be a challenge to know who this Jesus is. And the way to know Him is to read and listen to what people wrote about Him, especially the primary witnesses of Him. We find that in Scripture, particularly the Gospels.

This is therefore the challenge. Catholics are not thought of as People of the Word --- that is, of Scriptures. The 2nd Plenary Council of the Philippines said that we are more at home with devotions, rituals and processions. For 500 years, this has been drawing line between Catholics and our fellow Christians. Other Christians are very much familiar with the bible. However, there has been some changes within Catholic appreciation of the bible. In the olden times when the mass was in Latin, there was only one set of readings repeated year after year. Today, we came up with three cycles for Sundays (ABC) and two cycles for weekdays (Year I & II). In other words, our readings at mass cover Scripture. This development gave way to what we call a Common Lectionary (the Book of Readings), adapted now by the Lutherans, United Methodists, Anglicans, Presbyterans and the United Church. This is therefore what we learned from our fellow Christians, and has made us closer to each other because we share the same love and awareness of Scripture.

And rightly so: as Christians we share the same memoria: the memory of Jesus and the stories of people of the faith. What makes us united is the common stories we share. Simple: a group of friends, a barkada, shares the same stories; family members are drawn together by a common tradition and memory; we get to know our great grandparents from the anecdotes our parents or grandparents repeatedly share to us.

The point of the homily is therefore a challenge: it is a call for many of us Catholics to become a People of the Word. Therefore, to appreciate a deeper way of praying using Scriptures. Not that we are going to abandon devotions (they should lead us towards an authentic love of Christ), but we should not forget the importance of getting to know personally and deeply Christ, who is God Himself.

The Bread of Life

9 April 2008 Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Easter
John 6, 35-40 The Bread of Life

Today, allow me to explain the opening passage of the Gospel: “I am the bread of life,” Jesus said. Bread is a staple part of the diet of the Jews; as rice is to us. Bread dominates the Jews’ dining tables, but it is slowly taking over the Filipino breakfast menu. A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities as to constitute the main part of the diet, and supplies majority of the energy and nutrient we need. Statistics have it that three specific species of grass, supply about half of our intake: wheat, rice and corn. They can all be baked into bread. These specific ‘grasses’ generally give us life. Thus, the image of the bread comes from something that is ordinary to us: that which we encounter regularly but also the most needed daily.

In the same manner, when we say Jesus is the bread of life, it means that Jesus sustains us daily, nourishing our souls and giving us strength. How? We come to church to be nourished. When we are lonely, we know that our family and friends cannot fully satisfy our infinite need to be with someone. But Christ can be present to us wherever we are. When we are anxious and afraid, we know that no one can assure us --- except God. That is why we need to hold on to something we associate with God like a cross or a rosary. It is not the ‘object’ itself but that object reminds us of God who gives protection. When we fail in our exams, we run to the church and ask God to give us hope. A faith that has depth will even realize that all that we are, have or use, comes from God.

The fact that rice is a staple food does not depend on our acceptance --- we just eat it. The same way with Christ. Christ showers us with every good thing. This fact does not depend on us. In another Gospel, it says, “God sends rain both for the young and the old.” It does not depend on whether we have been good or bad, or whether we accept Christ or not. Thus, the statement that Jesus is the bread of life does not depend on any student who doesn’t believe: Jesus is not impaired from service.

Never Enough

8 April 2008 Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Easter
John 6, 30-35 God has given us enough

When I went to Baguio for a short 4-day vacation with my fellow Jesuits, I spent the days sleeping. I was tired from work and wished I had more time. I’d wish I had larger chunks of solitude, longer hours in a day, or more days in a month: thinking that more time would help boost my spiritual life by providing time to pray. I thought that I need more of God’s bread so that I could do my jobs well, or do every good work better. I yearned for what Jesus’ listeners asked of Him in the Gospel today: “Give us this bread from heaven!” (and I beseech God with passion!)

However, a wake-up call in the form of an accident made me realize one thing: God has given me enough blessings. No need to ask for the extra! St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work” (2 Cor 9,). God gives me all that I need, even if it isn’t all that I want. I was always asking for more. And sometimes to have more does not help us. Parents would share how they raise their children: they give them enough for each day --- the right amount of food and allowance --- but let the children budget what they have. But those whose children become spoiled are those whose parents give them more than enough.

God has given enough time and enough blessings. And enough time to rest --- too much of it slackens me. The accident was simple: I almost hit a truck because I was sleepy! (The side mirror and the door of my car got damaged!). I often think that I need more time to work, that I lose sight of the need to sleep.

Many of us feel as though we never have enough. We need a deeper faith. We pray for a better relationship. We beg for a moving inspiration that could catapult us to change. We are always wanting --- believing that when we have what we ‘lack’ we will be ready for God. However, we are never satisfied with what we have. And we will never be perfectly ready.

Perhaps we have to give time to focus on the things we have received and accept that they are enough to make us holy. Rather than focusing all our attention to what is lacking in our lives.

Movement and Growing in Faith

6 April 2008 3rd Sunday of Easter
Luke 24, 13-35 Movement and Growing in Faith

The Christian vocation is to grow towards becoming like Christ. On God’s account, we must advance and move forward. St. Paul said, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 3, 13-14). The notion of movement is seen in many characters in Scripture: one is the story of the disciples on their way to Emmaus. It is a growing movement from confusion to enlightenment, from sadness to joy, from failure to hope.

First, the two disciples were mourning. They were frustrated and downtrodden about the death of Jesus to whom they pinned their hopes for the emancipation of Israel. They thought everything was a failure, and so they decided to return to their place of origin. It was along the first part of their journey that Jesus joined them, but they were not able to recognize him.

We can be blinded by our tears. When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the tomb, Mary in her tears thought that He was the gardener. When our projects and exams fail, or when someone dear to us bid us farewell, our tendency is to wallow in our disappointment and heartbreak. Whatever assuring words our parents and friends say, they do not console us. We would just like to cry and spend time alone. This is necessary: unless we are able to acknowledge our pain, we will not be able to move on.

Second, Jesus slowly brought them out of their misery by inviting them to see the bigger picture. Jesus reminded them what the Scriptures said about Him. He refreshed their memories with the things He said during His time with them. Jesus invites them to see the greater design of life and anchor themselves to a higher plane of possibilities. The prophets said that He has to die and suffer to save humanity. And therefore, death is but a necessary step towards the possibility of salvation.

The ability to see the bigger picture is called resiliency. Usually those who have survived crisis in their lives believe that there is a bigger plan for them. And those who pursue what is right despite the storms in their lives succeed. In the greater scheme of things, they accept the fact that life has difficulties, however, the manner in which their difficulties are met is the deciding factor towards further growth and fulfillment. It should also be noted that another person is needed for one to see the bigger picture, as Jesus did. It can be a spiritual director, a mentor, or friend.

Finally, the disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, and they return to Jerusalem with great joy and enlightenment. Jesus finally gave out the last straw of remembrance: He did what He was known for.

When we are in a crisis, one survival kit is to find a mechanism for finding and sustaining hope. It can be a belief system or faith, the memory of a loved one, or the experience of peace before the crisis. It is no wonder why many of us would take out our photo albums and reminisce the events in our memories. Or, many of us recognizes inherited behavior in others: like sons and daughters possessing a particular way of doing things taken from a parent who recently died. It helps us survive, find meaning and give us the energy to move out of our misery towards great joy.

*I wrote this homily for Sambuhay this Sunday, published by the Society of St. Paul in the Philippines.