29 March 2009 5th Sunday of Lent
Jer 31, 31-34; Psalm 51; Hebrew 5, 7-9; John 12, 20-33
The Responsorial Psalm today sums up the purpose of the Season of Lent: to create in us a renewed and clean heart. What does a new heart have? A new heart will have God’s law and covenant as Yahweh promised Jeremiah. Every one of us will be able to distinguish right from wrong, just from the unjust; even when we have not yet ‘studied’ the law. We would feel ‘bad’ if we have committed a sin, or have been mistaken. We feel it; we are troubled even before we can pin it down. The reading said that all of us, “from the least to the greatest” will know God.
But what is the way to a renewed heart? The way is death. The Gospel tells us that unless a grain of wheat dies, it will not yield fruit. The way to new life is not to preserve it. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross said, “The key to the question of death unlocks the door of life.” Thus, the more we accept that death always has been and always will be with us, the more life-giving we will be. Death in other words is integral to human existence.
This truth is glaring only if we open our eyes and be awake to all the dimensions of life. There is a natural and cultural allergy to the topic of death, in fact, we avoid talking about it. But all around us, some form of dying is necessary to life. Biology tells us that all cell divisions pave the way for new growth. The death of a cell gives way to more living cells. A fruit comes from the death of a flower. Our history tells us that our present civilization is an off-shoot of ancient cultures. In literature, Thomas Mann said that without death there would scarcely have been poets. The first epic, the Babylonian Gilgamesh, and the Sappho’s first known lyric poems were all about death. Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and many others, have death as a theme. Music itself is a series of deaths: to produce a melody, a note should give way to another note. Or else, when all the notes do not ‘die’ and their sounds are all sustained, the effect is noise.
Relationships are all about dying. But many of us, do not want death. We fear the death of a friendship, that we would rather lie that tell the painful truth. We would rather keep some secrets than reveal them because we might lose the very person we love. But experience has it that a relationship is about trust, and thus, secrets and lies destroy the very foundation of love. The depth and authenticity of friendships are tested by numerous deaths that lovers shared and endured. The genuineness of a relationship is determined by our selfless sacrifices for our loved ones. If one dies, we produce much fruit. Growth and development --- whether it is physical, emotional, social or spiritual --- are made possible by death. Our heartaches are experiences of death. It’s like a balloon: the expansion paves way for more space. When we are challenged to die, we are invited to expand our hearts so that there would be more room for love.
People who preserve life --- by avoiding death --- do not grow. They remain immature. And therefore, do not reach their full potential. In other words, the more we are spent --- having used up our energies in our pursuit of outstanding love and service, the more we are able to contribute to the development of humankind. The essence of life is in risking life and spending life, not in saving it and hoarding it. True, it is the way to weariness, exhaustion, (we have to rest too), and giving ourselves to the uttermost ---- but it is better any day to burn like a candle in the dark, than to rust like a metal chair in the stockroom without use. Or the fruit is far better than the flower.
Graduation Address
27 March 2009
High School Graduation
Ateneo de Zamboanga University
Zamboanga City, Philippines
Note: this is not a homily; but an address to high school graduates of the high school of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University. I hope this may also be useful for all of us. I made this speech as their guest speaker.
When Sch. Neo Saicon SJ asked me to do a graduation speech for all of you, I wondered why me? I knew I practically spent most of my time with young people like you, having taught in Xavier University High School and worked with college students in UP and the Ateneo de Manila University. Some of you I will see in a few months if you’ll be in the dormitories of the Ateneo: I live in the 4th floor of the North Wing of the University Residences where the boys are, but the girls are just a bridge away. I wondered what to say to you, because it feels like my high school was a century ago. There were no computer games yet like Counterstrike, Dota and Starcraft in the early 80s, which you are all addicted to; but ours was the simple game-and-watch and tetris. You go to the mall for leisure, we used to go to the park. You text your crush, girlfriend or boyfriend, while we scribbled our small love note and give it shyly to them personally. You do your papers on Microsoft Word, we did ours using the manual typewriter --- the electric typewriter became fab on my 2nd year in college. So what will I say to you? The gap between us is far wider than you think: I am as old as your parent at 40 --- though I might look like Michael V. once in awhile.
So, I hope you don’t mind if I will sound like a person from the future --- because I will be rightly so: I belong to your future. I know what many college students undergo, especially if you’ll be studying elsewhere, or you’re studying to go elsewhere. You can ask me: what will I need, to go through college successfully?
First, you need fire. You need all the passion that you can muster. You need all the energy in the world; the energy and drive that would keep you awake late at night, or even early in the morning. You need all the patience to sit on a chair and work on a table, not just memorizing as we used to do in high school, but comprehending, analyzing and synthesizing. The teachers of the college are not like the teachers of the high school: they will not follow you up. If you fail, you flunk; you hit the floor hard. In many universities, you either do a re-take of the subject, or if you did not reach the required GWA (General Weighted Average), you transfer to another school. Who cares? --- they say. There are other students who can take your place.
So you need more than just to survive. Those who live in the dormitories, whether on or off campus, they struggle with loneliness and financial difficulties, aside from adjusting to the academic demands. Moreover, in the succeeding months, we will feel the effects of the global recession: many Filipinos abroad (which may already include your relatives and friends) have already been threatened or have already lost their jobs. Take it from the hit TV reality show, Survivor: it is all about strategy. Without fire in one’s determination and strategy, you will be easily prey to helplessness especially when all around you --- including your friends --- are already resigned to what is. The Atenean’s fire is not just for himself. He should also inspire others. He should enkindle other fires. He should not let the spirit of despair extinguish the fire in themselves and in the hearts of others. I like what our Superior General, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas SJ, said: “Make people different, that would be a Jesuit thing!” If they are involve in the social justice, or in the medical field, or in the arts, they end with spirituality.
Second, you need to explore new frontiers. It is said that you will know a student’s future from where he or she sits in the classroom --- where you want to sit, not where you were assigned to sit. The front row folks? Managers. The ones over the window staring at the scenery? The creatives. The ones near the door? The office staff. Or, better yet, those who would chat and YM? The marketers. Those who would spend time in the computer, experimenting with visuals and games? The creatives. I posted this theory on my Facebook updates, from my Plurk and my Twitter accounts. I got 25 reactions right away, fast and from all over the world. Many said that the theory didn’t fit: THIS is precisely the point. You don’t have to fit into a category: when the bandwagon decides to go nursing, should you join or blaze another trail? Now, for the millions of nurses who graduated this year or previously, the job-seekers whose opportunity dims slowly, the competition in the job market is steep. I have several students who are still waiting for a call. With the slump in the market, the waiting might take a year or more. Maybe think of another job, or perhaps, take nursing if that’s what you want, but be different: perhaps you’re the best nurse for geriatrics (that’s taking care of the elderly), or the excellent nurse for cancer patients. Either way, the Atenean should not mediocre: we were meant for greater things --- I mean, we maximize whatever talent God has given us, and find new ways to serve others whether in degree or intensity, or in blazing another trail.
Finally, you need friendship. A month ago, I received a call from a high school barkada. He called me because he heard that a classmate of ours had Stage 4- Liver Cancer and has spread to his lungs. He was a military Coronel, who was deployed in Mindanao. We texted our classmates who were in Manila. I updated those who were abroad from my Chat, my Friendster, Multiply, Facebook and by blog. Those who couldn’t make it offered their sympathies and their prayers. For us who could visit, we organized groups. We graduated in 1985, and last week was the first time we saw him since graduation. He looked different, but was happy to see his classmates in high school in the first batch, and more in the second batch. I heard several others visited him a week after. One of my classmates remarked, “The best friendships are forged in high school. This is one friendship that would keep me alive and happy all my life.” Now at the middle of our life at 40, we meet more often: and what do you think we talk about more frequently than married life and kids? High school. Remember the events that marked your young days: the senior ball, the prom, the research papers, the Greek play festival and the barrio fiesta. These memories will become meaningful as you grow older.
I have presented a gloomy picture in the first two points, but I believe, the tragedy strikes when you lose your friends --- especially when you lose your high school friends. Some of you may still hold a grudge towards another or harbor resentments and thus resolve not to connect with them any longer. When this happens, you will feel alienated and alone. Friendship is the bond that keeps people together; it is the company we need when we’re lonely (even if it’s connecting through text or the internet); and it is the hope when we are sick and in despair. It is not surprising that Christianity is about friendship: being friends with the people you like and being friends with the people who are different from you whether in belief or culture or race.
So, do you have a future? I, Fr. Jboy Gonzales SJ, whom you will see in the future, says, “Yes, you have!” God has plans for each one of you, and college will help you realize them. But how do you survive? Simple, make friends first; then discern your frontier; then finally, keep your heart burning like flames. And you will find yourself in heaven.
You see, I believe that fire is not in hell. And I am in good company. Dante Alighieri, the famous Italian poet and writer of the Divine Comedy, also believed so. Those who are in hell have very cold hearts. But those who are in heaven have warm hearts because they have friends. Heaven is on fire! So, before you graduate today, remember how you started the school-year in high school: with a Mass of the Holy Spirit. God’s love, the Holy Spirit’s sign is fire. It is red, as the passion of love. You begin with the fire, you end with blazing fire. So keep it burning. In Zamboanga, when war ravages our land, we never say: “Die!” I say, we say, “Live”.
High School Graduation
Ateneo de Zamboanga University
Zamboanga City, Philippines
Note: this is not a homily; but an address to high school graduates of the high school of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University. I hope this may also be useful for all of us. I made this speech as their guest speaker.
When Sch. Neo Saicon SJ asked me to do a graduation speech for all of you, I wondered why me? I knew I practically spent most of my time with young people like you, having taught in Xavier University High School and worked with college students in UP and the Ateneo de Manila University. Some of you I will see in a few months if you’ll be in the dormitories of the Ateneo: I live in the 4th floor of the North Wing of the University Residences where the boys are, but the girls are just a bridge away. I wondered what to say to you, because it feels like my high school was a century ago. There were no computer games yet like Counterstrike, Dota and Starcraft in the early 80s, which you are all addicted to; but ours was the simple game-and-watch and tetris. You go to the mall for leisure, we used to go to the park. You text your crush, girlfriend or boyfriend, while we scribbled our small love note and give it shyly to them personally. You do your papers on Microsoft Word, we did ours using the manual typewriter --- the electric typewriter became fab on my 2nd year in college. So what will I say to you? The gap between us is far wider than you think: I am as old as your parent at 40 --- though I might look like Michael V. once in awhile.
So, I hope you don’t mind if I will sound like a person from the future --- because I will be rightly so: I belong to your future. I know what many college students undergo, especially if you’ll be studying elsewhere, or you’re studying to go elsewhere. You can ask me: what will I need, to go through college successfully?
First, you need fire. You need all the passion that you can muster. You need all the energy in the world; the energy and drive that would keep you awake late at night, or even early in the morning. You need all the patience to sit on a chair and work on a table, not just memorizing as we used to do in high school, but comprehending, analyzing and synthesizing. The teachers of the college are not like the teachers of the high school: they will not follow you up. If you fail, you flunk; you hit the floor hard. In many universities, you either do a re-take of the subject, or if you did not reach the required GWA (General Weighted Average), you transfer to another school. Who cares? --- they say. There are other students who can take your place.
So you need more than just to survive. Those who live in the dormitories, whether on or off campus, they struggle with loneliness and financial difficulties, aside from adjusting to the academic demands. Moreover, in the succeeding months, we will feel the effects of the global recession: many Filipinos abroad (which may already include your relatives and friends) have already been threatened or have already lost their jobs. Take it from the hit TV reality show, Survivor: it is all about strategy. Without fire in one’s determination and strategy, you will be easily prey to helplessness especially when all around you --- including your friends --- are already resigned to what is. The Atenean’s fire is not just for himself. He should also inspire others. He should enkindle other fires. He should not let the spirit of despair extinguish the fire in themselves and in the hearts of others. I like what our Superior General, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas SJ, said: “Make people different, that would be a Jesuit thing!” If they are involve in the social justice, or in the medical field, or in the arts, they end with spirituality.
Second, you need to explore new frontiers. It is said that you will know a student’s future from where he or she sits in the classroom --- where you want to sit, not where you were assigned to sit. The front row folks? Managers. The ones over the window staring at the scenery? The creatives. The ones near the door? The office staff. Or, better yet, those who would chat and YM? The marketers. Those who would spend time in the computer, experimenting with visuals and games? The creatives. I posted this theory on my Facebook updates, from my Plurk and my Twitter accounts. I got 25 reactions right away, fast and from all over the world. Many said that the theory didn’t fit: THIS is precisely the point. You don’t have to fit into a category: when the bandwagon decides to go nursing, should you join or blaze another trail? Now, for the millions of nurses who graduated this year or previously, the job-seekers whose opportunity dims slowly, the competition in the job market is steep. I have several students who are still waiting for a call. With the slump in the market, the waiting might take a year or more. Maybe think of another job, or perhaps, take nursing if that’s what you want, but be different: perhaps you’re the best nurse for geriatrics (that’s taking care of the elderly), or the excellent nurse for cancer patients. Either way, the Atenean should not mediocre: we were meant for greater things --- I mean, we maximize whatever talent God has given us, and find new ways to serve others whether in degree or intensity, or in blazing another trail.
Finally, you need friendship. A month ago, I received a call from a high school barkada. He called me because he heard that a classmate of ours had Stage 4- Liver Cancer and has spread to his lungs. He was a military Coronel, who was deployed in Mindanao. We texted our classmates who were in Manila. I updated those who were abroad from my Chat, my Friendster, Multiply, Facebook and by blog. Those who couldn’t make it offered their sympathies and their prayers. For us who could visit, we organized groups. We graduated in 1985, and last week was the first time we saw him since graduation. He looked different, but was happy to see his classmates in high school in the first batch, and more in the second batch. I heard several others visited him a week after. One of my classmates remarked, “The best friendships are forged in high school. This is one friendship that would keep me alive and happy all my life.” Now at the middle of our life at 40, we meet more often: and what do you think we talk about more frequently than married life and kids? High school. Remember the events that marked your young days: the senior ball, the prom, the research papers, the Greek play festival and the barrio fiesta. These memories will become meaningful as you grow older.
I have presented a gloomy picture in the first two points, but I believe, the tragedy strikes when you lose your friends --- especially when you lose your high school friends. Some of you may still hold a grudge towards another or harbor resentments and thus resolve not to connect with them any longer. When this happens, you will feel alienated and alone. Friendship is the bond that keeps people together; it is the company we need when we’re lonely (even if it’s connecting through text or the internet); and it is the hope when we are sick and in despair. It is not surprising that Christianity is about friendship: being friends with the people you like and being friends with the people who are different from you whether in belief or culture or race.
So, do you have a future? I, Fr. Jboy Gonzales SJ, whom you will see in the future, says, “Yes, you have!” God has plans for each one of you, and college will help you realize them. But how do you survive? Simple, make friends first; then discern your frontier; then finally, keep your heart burning like flames. And you will find yourself in heaven.
You see, I believe that fire is not in hell. And I am in good company. Dante Alighieri, the famous Italian poet and writer of the Divine Comedy, also believed so. Those who are in hell have very cold hearts. But those who are in heaven have warm hearts because they have friends. Heaven is on fire! So, before you graduate today, remember how you started the school-year in high school: with a Mass of the Holy Spirit. God’s love, the Holy Spirit’s sign is fire. It is red, as the passion of love. You begin with the fire, you end with blazing fire. So keep it burning. In Zamboanga, when war ravages our land, we never say: “Die!” I say, we say, “Live”.
Living in Daily Life the Announcement of the Lord's birth
25 March 2009 Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Isaiah 7,10 - 8,10; Psalm 40; Hebrew 10, 4-10; Luke 1, 26-38
In the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Birth of the Lord, we ‘pause’ a bit from the mood of the Lenten Season with the singing of the Gloria. There is indeed reason to glorify the Lord. Let me give you the reason by contrasting it with the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth.
The birth of John the Baptist stressed the continuity of the hopes and history of Israel. Just as Yahweh promised a Savior in the Old Testament, it will be preceded by a great prophet who would pave the way of the Lord, crying out in the desert to prepare for His coming. The coming of the Lord, the fulfillment of the hope for a Messiah, will indeed come just as Yahweh promised the people of the past.
But the focus of the birth of Jesus is the radical newness of God’s saving action. It is radical because it is not within the expectation of the people. The Jews expected a political Messiah born with a silver spoon, but God’s Messiah was an ordinary citizen. Horacio de la Costa SJ said that Christmas is a season of surprises. John’s birth was announced in Judea the center of Jewish worship; but the surprise was that the birth of the Messiah was announced in Nazareth of Galilee, a lesser province and a Roman secondary outpost. John was great in the eyes of the Lord, but the Child was the Son of God. Elizabeth gave birth naturally to John by the healing of her barrenness, but Mary gave birth to Jesus by the power of the Spirit. John was a prophet, but Jesus was the Messiah, the eternal King.
Thus, the point and meaning of this celebration for us today is seen in the openness and response of Mary to the announcement. The angel Gabriel called her favored and blessed. But how? Not of her making, but that God has chosen her for a special role in salvation. A mere human, even if she was ‘holy’ and pious, is not worthy to have God in her womb; or even to give ‘birth’ to Him. But it was God who made her worthy of it, because He chose her. That was why she was favored and blessed. And so she responded, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." This is the appropriate and right reception to the radical action of God: we say as the Responsorial Psalm, "Here I am Lord, I come to do your will."
Vatican II’s Constitution of the Church (#53), stated that “At the message of the angel, the Virgin Mary received the word of God in her heart and in her body, and gave life to the world”. It means that we can all share in the graces received by Mary by being open and responsive to the will of God. First, we are to receive the word of God in our heart and in our body. We do hear the word of God in our liturgy, when we read the bible privately, and when we pray using Scripture. We receive God’s word in our heart when we savor it in personal prayer, religious activities, recollections and retreats. We live God’s word if we follow God's will and practice it in our daily lives. Thus, we can change the world if we can integrate the teachings of Jesus with our everyday life, just as Mary’s yes meant having her heart “pierced with the sword” and her life revolving around her Son.
But what about our sinfulness which we reflect in the Season of Lent. We remember Mary: our being blessed and graced is not on our account, but on the choice of God to make ourselves worthy. Have you not notice that this is precisely what we say before we come to communion? There is a general absolution at the Penitential Rite at mass (thus, we are indeed cleansed or made worthy at mass, but still require private confession), and then, we say “Lord I am not worthy to receive you (and we know why), but only say the word and I shall be healed” (meaning, it is Jesus’ decision that makes us worthy). Thus, when we line up for communion, we have been favored and blessed to receive Jesus in our hearts and in our bodies. And as we go, we are made worthy to be missioned to spread the Word of God to the people we encounter everyday. Hoping, that with our preaching and example, we, as Jesus representatives, can give life to the world.
Isaiah 7,10 - 8,10; Psalm 40; Hebrew 10, 4-10; Luke 1, 26-38
In the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Birth of the Lord, we ‘pause’ a bit from the mood of the Lenten Season with the singing of the Gloria. There is indeed reason to glorify the Lord. Let me give you the reason by contrasting it with the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth.
The birth of John the Baptist stressed the continuity of the hopes and history of Israel. Just as Yahweh promised a Savior in the Old Testament, it will be preceded by a great prophet who would pave the way of the Lord, crying out in the desert to prepare for His coming. The coming of the Lord, the fulfillment of the hope for a Messiah, will indeed come just as Yahweh promised the people of the past.
But the focus of the birth of Jesus is the radical newness of God’s saving action. It is radical because it is not within the expectation of the people. The Jews expected a political Messiah born with a silver spoon, but God’s Messiah was an ordinary citizen. Horacio de la Costa SJ said that Christmas is a season of surprises. John’s birth was announced in Judea the center of Jewish worship; but the surprise was that the birth of the Messiah was announced in Nazareth of Galilee, a lesser province and a Roman secondary outpost. John was great in the eyes of the Lord, but the Child was the Son of God. Elizabeth gave birth naturally to John by the healing of her barrenness, but Mary gave birth to Jesus by the power of the Spirit. John was a prophet, but Jesus was the Messiah, the eternal King.
Thus, the point and meaning of this celebration for us today is seen in the openness and response of Mary to the announcement. The angel Gabriel called her favored and blessed. But how? Not of her making, but that God has chosen her for a special role in salvation. A mere human, even if she was ‘holy’ and pious, is not worthy to have God in her womb; or even to give ‘birth’ to Him. But it was God who made her worthy of it, because He chose her. That was why she was favored and blessed. And so she responded, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." This is the appropriate and right reception to the radical action of God: we say as the Responsorial Psalm, "Here I am Lord, I come to do your will."
Vatican II’s Constitution of the Church (#53), stated that “At the message of the angel, the Virgin Mary received the word of God in her heart and in her body, and gave life to the world”. It means that we can all share in the graces received by Mary by being open and responsive to the will of God. First, we are to receive the word of God in our heart and in our body. We do hear the word of God in our liturgy, when we read the bible privately, and when we pray using Scripture. We receive God’s word in our heart when we savor it in personal prayer, religious activities, recollections and retreats. We live God’s word if we follow God's will and practice it in our daily lives. Thus, we can change the world if we can integrate the teachings of Jesus with our everyday life, just as Mary’s yes meant having her heart “pierced with the sword” and her life revolving around her Son.
But what about our sinfulness which we reflect in the Season of Lent. We remember Mary: our being blessed and graced is not on our account, but on the choice of God to make ourselves worthy. Have you not notice that this is precisely what we say before we come to communion? There is a general absolution at the Penitential Rite at mass (thus, we are indeed cleansed or made worthy at mass, but still require private confession), and then, we say “Lord I am not worthy to receive you (and we know why), but only say the word and I shall be healed” (meaning, it is Jesus’ decision that makes us worthy). Thus, when we line up for communion, we have been favored and blessed to receive Jesus in our hearts and in our bodies. And as we go, we are made worthy to be missioned to spread the Word of God to the people we encounter everyday. Hoping, that with our preaching and example, we, as Jesus representatives, can give life to the world.
Joy in the Season of Lent
22 March 2009 4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
2 Chr 36, 14-23; Psalm 137; Eph 2, 4-10; John 3, 14-21
Let me introduce this particular Sunday in the context of the whole Liturgical Year. In the liturgical life of the Church, the Seasons of Advent and Lent are weeks of preparation for Christmas and Easter respectively. These weeks of preparation carries with it two faces: solemn penitence and expectant joy. A deeper current of optimism, hope and newness accompanies the themes of repentance, reconciliation and transformation. Thus within Advent and Lent are “breaks from the penitential character of the seasons” --- Sundays that remind us of this gladness. These are the Gaudete Sunday for Advent, and Laetare Sunday for Lent. Both Gaudete and Laetare means to rejoice.
What is the source and reason for our rejoicing? The joy is expectant: it has not come but it is guaranteed to be fulfilled. God has promised a Savior and He will come. God has promised salvation and it will be fulfilled. Our joy is in the trust that God keeps His promises. Thus God’s promise is the source of our eager joy. In the Old Testament reading from the book of Chronicles, King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree allowing all exiled Jews in Babylon to return to Jerusalem. For the Jews, it was the fulfillment of Yahweh to bring them back home. And indeed it came about: in 537 BC, those who returned began to rebuild their temple, authorized by Cyrus the Great and ratified by Darius the Great. The 2nd Temple of Jerusalem was finished in 516 BC and dedicated a year after. This was the same Temple in the time of Jesus.
Moreover, the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians tells us that another source of joy is God’s mercy to us. And John’s Gospel tells us that the prime motivation of God is His profound love for us, that He truly gave His only Son for our salvation. This overflowing and extravagant love for us is God’s initiative to patch our broken relationship with Him, like a friend extending His hands in reconciliation --- even if we know the break up was actually our fault. Jesus assured us that He was not sent to condemn us, but to save us. It is to help us, not to punish us like a predator ready to pounce on us the very minute we commit a mistake. God’s mercy springs from His great love for us: this love is reason enough for us to rejoice and be glad.
But even if God extends His hands to us, it needs also our willingness to lower our pride, accept our mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Thus, we are to respond by also shaking his hand. This is the “condition” Jesus said: we are to believe that God Himself forgives us or has forgiven us already. We are to trust that God is sincerely merciful and loving. Reconciliation is the sacrament of forgiveness. But we have to come to confession as a sign that we are remorseful of the sins we committed.
God does not condemn: the very “prayers” that one says is not commensurate to the hurt that we caused another, the damage that resulted from the words we said and the acts we’ve done --- even if you were given a whole rosary. As the Parable of the Prodigal Father (prodigal means extravagant which is the love of the father to his lost son): the father has long ago forgiven his son and would wait for his return. All it needed was the return, as the act of ‘coming’ to confession. The son, who expected to be condemned and relegated to being a mere servant, was surprised: His father did not listen to his “dialogue” but restored his sonship immediately, symbolized by the new robes, the ring and the banquet.
As we continue to make Lent meaningful, we can reflect on this question. What is my attitude to my sinfulness, weakness and mistakes? Do I condemn myself? Or am I resigned to the fact that I cannot change? On the other hand, do I continually hope that I can change? When Jesus forgave our sins, He believed and hoped that we can.
We can also extend the first set of questions to others. What is my reaction to sinful people I know? Am I judgmental of them, condemning them as utterly hopeless? Or do I hope that they, like myself, can also change?
2 Chr 36, 14-23; Psalm 137; Eph 2, 4-10; John 3, 14-21
Let me introduce this particular Sunday in the context of the whole Liturgical Year. In the liturgical life of the Church, the Seasons of Advent and Lent are weeks of preparation for Christmas and Easter respectively. These weeks of preparation carries with it two faces: solemn penitence and expectant joy. A deeper current of optimism, hope and newness accompanies the themes of repentance, reconciliation and transformation. Thus within Advent and Lent are “breaks from the penitential character of the seasons” --- Sundays that remind us of this gladness. These are the Gaudete Sunday for Advent, and Laetare Sunday for Lent. Both Gaudete and Laetare means to rejoice.
What is the source and reason for our rejoicing? The joy is expectant: it has not come but it is guaranteed to be fulfilled. God has promised a Savior and He will come. God has promised salvation and it will be fulfilled. Our joy is in the trust that God keeps His promises. Thus God’s promise is the source of our eager joy. In the Old Testament reading from the book of Chronicles, King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree allowing all exiled Jews in Babylon to return to Jerusalem. For the Jews, it was the fulfillment of Yahweh to bring them back home. And indeed it came about: in 537 BC, those who returned began to rebuild their temple, authorized by Cyrus the Great and ratified by Darius the Great. The 2nd Temple of Jerusalem was finished in 516 BC and dedicated a year after. This was the same Temple in the time of Jesus.
Moreover, the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians tells us that another source of joy is God’s mercy to us. And John’s Gospel tells us that the prime motivation of God is His profound love for us, that He truly gave His only Son for our salvation. This overflowing and extravagant love for us is God’s initiative to patch our broken relationship with Him, like a friend extending His hands in reconciliation --- even if we know the break up was actually our fault. Jesus assured us that He was not sent to condemn us, but to save us. It is to help us, not to punish us like a predator ready to pounce on us the very minute we commit a mistake. God’s mercy springs from His great love for us: this love is reason enough for us to rejoice and be glad.
But even if God extends His hands to us, it needs also our willingness to lower our pride, accept our mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Thus, we are to respond by also shaking his hand. This is the “condition” Jesus said: we are to believe that God Himself forgives us or has forgiven us already. We are to trust that God is sincerely merciful and loving. Reconciliation is the sacrament of forgiveness. But we have to come to confession as a sign that we are remorseful of the sins we committed.
God does not condemn: the very “prayers” that one says is not commensurate to the hurt that we caused another, the damage that resulted from the words we said and the acts we’ve done --- even if you were given a whole rosary. As the Parable of the Prodigal Father (prodigal means extravagant which is the love of the father to his lost son): the father has long ago forgiven his son and would wait for his return. All it needed was the return, as the act of ‘coming’ to confession. The son, who expected to be condemned and relegated to being a mere servant, was surprised: His father did not listen to his “dialogue” but restored his sonship immediately, symbolized by the new robes, the ring and the banquet.
As we continue to make Lent meaningful, we can reflect on this question. What is my attitude to my sinfulness, weakness and mistakes? Do I condemn myself? Or am I resigned to the fact that I cannot change? On the other hand, do I continually hope that I can change? When Jesus forgave our sins, He believed and hoped that we can.
We can also extend the first set of questions to others. What is my reaction to sinful people I know? Am I judgmental of them, condemning them as utterly hopeless? Or do I hope that they, like myself, can also change?
Joseph Husband of Mary
19 March 2009 Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary
2 Samuel 7, 4-16; Psalm 89; Rom 4, 13-22; Matthew 1, 16-24
It is said that in today’s world, patriarchy or matriarchy is considered an enemy of equality. And since a large number of single-parent families are headed by women, the father’s role now seems confusing. In a changing world where we are becoming more socially equal, what lies ahead of the role of fatherhood?
Though this is a brewing issue, I still believe in a family with the father as the head. His job is to discipline, educate and prepare children for the world. Of course, I am talking about an ideal complete family. If in families where one or both parents are absent, then we make do of what is best in that particular situation. I hope I don’t get into hot water. There is danger of me being accused at every side: you talk about fatherhood, you raise the eyebrows of women; you talk about motherhood, you get a stern look from the fathers. But since it is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, then I have reason to talk about the father’s role both personally and experientially. And this is not a paper on equality; but on our uniqueness. We are equal in dignity, but unique in our roles in life.
The ideal Christian family is a complete family. We spend most of our lives preparing for the world within the context of the family. Jesus himself, in his years unmentioned in the Gospels, spent his hidden life under the care of Joseph and Mary. And thus, despite the changing times, the family is and will always be in the plan of God.
And now Joseph. We do not know much about Joseph. We know that he was a descendant of King David based on the genealogy of Matthew and Luke. We know that he spent some time in Nazareth, then Bethlehem, and was exiled in Egypt for a time. We do not know of any spoken word in Scriptures; thus, Joseph was seen as a quiet worker, unassuming but had put his heart and soul into his life and work.
As husband to Mary, God has given Mary a companion in life. And as a father, Joseph has given himself as a gift to Mary and Jesus, using his time and talents at the service to the Messiah himself. And because Joseph was a good husband and father, Jesus obeyed him as a response to his parents’ love. However, Christian tradition has it that Joseph probably died before Jesus’ public ministry since there is nothing written about him from that time, and Mary has been alone in His passion.
But in Joseph, we see the personal meaning of work in the context of the family. We know that he was a tekton, a skilled artisan, a professional carpenter who works with wood, steel and stone. A tekton was not just a house builder, but a ship builder. It is through Joseph’s profession that he was able to provide for his family. Work was an expression of his concern for them, and thus it deepened his capacity to love by bringing his family together. Think of the family who eats together: the food on the table, wrought by the hands of the parents, enriches each member of a family. Food not just nourishes the body, but the spirit. I remember how my family became closer because of the stories we share at table. Work acquires personal meaning when it is an expression of our love for people who matter. Through the inspiration of Jesus who identifies himself as the carpenter’s Son, then we too acquire honor and identity by the work that we do. It is sad that some interpret the role of the father as just provider, in the sense that many fathers focus on career, money, success and hobbies without nurturing and maximizing their potentials to change the world as fathers to their children. Jesus changed the world.
2 Samuel 7, 4-16; Psalm 89; Rom 4, 13-22; Matthew 1, 16-24
It is said that in today’s world, patriarchy or matriarchy is considered an enemy of equality. And since a large number of single-parent families are headed by women, the father’s role now seems confusing. In a changing world where we are becoming more socially equal, what lies ahead of the role of fatherhood?
Though this is a brewing issue, I still believe in a family with the father as the head. His job is to discipline, educate and prepare children for the world. Of course, I am talking about an ideal complete family. If in families where one or both parents are absent, then we make do of what is best in that particular situation. I hope I don’t get into hot water. There is danger of me being accused at every side: you talk about fatherhood, you raise the eyebrows of women; you talk about motherhood, you get a stern look from the fathers. But since it is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, then I have reason to talk about the father’s role both personally and experientially. And this is not a paper on equality; but on our uniqueness. We are equal in dignity, but unique in our roles in life.
The ideal Christian family is a complete family. We spend most of our lives preparing for the world within the context of the family. Jesus himself, in his years unmentioned in the Gospels, spent his hidden life under the care of Joseph and Mary. And thus, despite the changing times, the family is and will always be in the plan of God.
And now Joseph. We do not know much about Joseph. We know that he was a descendant of King David based on the genealogy of Matthew and Luke. We know that he spent some time in Nazareth, then Bethlehem, and was exiled in Egypt for a time. We do not know of any spoken word in Scriptures; thus, Joseph was seen as a quiet worker, unassuming but had put his heart and soul into his life and work.
As husband to Mary, God has given Mary a companion in life. And as a father, Joseph has given himself as a gift to Mary and Jesus, using his time and talents at the service to the Messiah himself. And because Joseph was a good husband and father, Jesus obeyed him as a response to his parents’ love. However, Christian tradition has it that Joseph probably died before Jesus’ public ministry since there is nothing written about him from that time, and Mary has been alone in His passion.
But in Joseph, we see the personal meaning of work in the context of the family. We know that he was a tekton, a skilled artisan, a professional carpenter who works with wood, steel and stone. A tekton was not just a house builder, but a ship builder. It is through Joseph’s profession that he was able to provide for his family. Work was an expression of his concern for them, and thus it deepened his capacity to love by bringing his family together. Think of the family who eats together: the food on the table, wrought by the hands of the parents, enriches each member of a family. Food not just nourishes the body, but the spirit. I remember how my family became closer because of the stories we share at table. Work acquires personal meaning when it is an expression of our love for people who matter. Through the inspiration of Jesus who identifies himself as the carpenter’s Son, then we too acquire honor and identity by the work that we do. It is sad that some interpret the role of the father as just provider, in the sense that many fathers focus on career, money, success and hobbies without nurturing and maximizing their potentials to change the world as fathers to their children. Jesus changed the world.
Being Legalistic
18 March 2009. Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent
Dt. 4, 1-9; Psalm 147; Matthew 5, 17-19
In reference to the Old Testament, the role of Jesus becomes prominent. He said that He was sent to bring out the true meaning of the Law. What was the Law? During the time of Jesus, many Jews understood the Law as the many prescriptions and regulations laid out by the Scribes and Pharisees. These little precepts were the common understanding of the Law, and these were the prescriptions that Jesus (and Paul) condemned.
But the Jews knew that there were different meanings when they mentioned the Law. It could mean the a) Ten Commandments, b) the Pentateuch which were the first five books of Scriptures, and thus regarded as the most important among all other writings, c) the Law and Prophets, meaning the entire Scripture, and finally d) the Scribal laws. The Ten commandments were broad principles for moral living. However, the Jews thought that these principles were not enough, so the scribes interpreted the Law and applied them to every single aspect in their lives. Eventually, they got so engrossed with these little laws to the point of losing the very essence of the Law itself. Jesus said, that He had come to fulfill the Law, meaning He was to be the authoritative teacher of the Law, and thus to express what the law and the prophets wished to convey. And with the true interpretation of the Law, He has come to bring to light the profound meaning of the Old Testament, and thus to fulfill them.
What was the essence of the Law? Jesus summarized it when He simply put it: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, the Law was about putting God at the center of our lives. Today, we seek and know His will, and thus dedicate our whole lives in fulfilling it. St. Ignatius said in the Principle and Foundation (Spiritual Exercises) that we are made to praise, reverence and serve God. We do this by basically respecting God, His name and His sacred day. We respect people such as our parents, life, property, truth, another’s good name, and ourselves. On all of these, all laws are based.
Unfortunately, the scribes and Pharisees lost their focus when they followed the thousand little rules mandated by the Scribal Law, and forget the very essence of these rules. They became legalistic than charitable. They thought their petty rules were eternal, than the basic principles of love for God, neighbor and oneself.
We can be very legalistic like the Pharisees and scribes when we follow many of our practices blindly. PCP II affirmed that our faith has been based on many of these pious practices, but we lack in the basic understanding about why we are still practicing them. We could be like the Pharisees when we do not know --- or even bother to know --- the reason why we observe certain faith traditions.
Let me put it bluntly: We do fast and abstain from meat as part of our Lenten observance. That is good. But do you know the why and what for? We do practice the Visita Iglesia, which I also do. Is the reason for the Visita Iglesia, just tradition, something you have to do on Holy Thursday? Or is it something else, perhaps a devotion to the Eucharist, since the Solemnity of the Institution of the Eucharist is celebrated on that day? PCP II tells us that we need a faith that is formed and informed. When the evangelicals like the Born Again Christians challenge you by asking why we do this and we do that, are you able to defend our practices with real facts and reason? Or do we just dismiss them, because we actually do not know?
The Season of Lent is a season to reflect on how grounded our faith is. Are we becoming Pharisaic (meaning legalistic), people lost among the trees in the forest?
Dt. 4, 1-9; Psalm 147; Matthew 5, 17-19
In reference to the Old Testament, the role of Jesus becomes prominent. He said that He was sent to bring out the true meaning of the Law. What was the Law? During the time of Jesus, many Jews understood the Law as the many prescriptions and regulations laid out by the Scribes and Pharisees. These little precepts were the common understanding of the Law, and these were the prescriptions that Jesus (and Paul) condemned.
But the Jews knew that there were different meanings when they mentioned the Law. It could mean the a) Ten Commandments, b) the Pentateuch which were the first five books of Scriptures, and thus regarded as the most important among all other writings, c) the Law and Prophets, meaning the entire Scripture, and finally d) the Scribal laws. The Ten commandments were broad principles for moral living. However, the Jews thought that these principles were not enough, so the scribes interpreted the Law and applied them to every single aspect in their lives. Eventually, they got so engrossed with these little laws to the point of losing the very essence of the Law itself. Jesus said, that He had come to fulfill the Law, meaning He was to be the authoritative teacher of the Law, and thus to express what the law and the prophets wished to convey. And with the true interpretation of the Law, He has come to bring to light the profound meaning of the Old Testament, and thus to fulfill them.
What was the essence of the Law? Jesus summarized it when He simply put it: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, the Law was about putting God at the center of our lives. Today, we seek and know His will, and thus dedicate our whole lives in fulfilling it. St. Ignatius said in the Principle and Foundation (Spiritual Exercises) that we are made to praise, reverence and serve God. We do this by basically respecting God, His name and His sacred day. We respect people such as our parents, life, property, truth, another’s good name, and ourselves. On all of these, all laws are based.
Unfortunately, the scribes and Pharisees lost their focus when they followed the thousand little rules mandated by the Scribal Law, and forget the very essence of these rules. They became legalistic than charitable. They thought their petty rules were eternal, than the basic principles of love for God, neighbor and oneself.
We can be very legalistic like the Pharisees and scribes when we follow many of our practices blindly. PCP II affirmed that our faith has been based on many of these pious practices, but we lack in the basic understanding about why we are still practicing them. We could be like the Pharisees when we do not know --- or even bother to know --- the reason why we observe certain faith traditions.
Let me put it bluntly: We do fast and abstain from meat as part of our Lenten observance. That is good. But do you know the why and what for? We do practice the Visita Iglesia, which I also do. Is the reason for the Visita Iglesia, just tradition, something you have to do on Holy Thursday? Or is it something else, perhaps a devotion to the Eucharist, since the Solemnity of the Institution of the Eucharist is celebrated on that day? PCP II tells us that we need a faith that is formed and informed. When the evangelicals like the Born Again Christians challenge you by asking why we do this and we do that, are you able to defend our practices with real facts and reason? Or do we just dismiss them, because we actually do not know?
The Season of Lent is a season to reflect on how grounded our faith is. Are we becoming Pharisaic (meaning legalistic), people lost among the trees in the forest?
Forgiveness and Transformation
17 March 2009 Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent
Daniel 3, 25-43; Psalm 25; Matthew 18, 21-35
We continue with the Lenten theme of transformation and renewal towards becoming children of God. Jesus answered the question, “How many times should we forgive our brothers and sisters?” He said that we should forgive them, not just seven times but seventy seven times. Seven was for the Jews an infinite number, and thus seventy seven times means more than just infinity. It means: all the time, every time, until the end of our lives. This to me is consoling, difficult to do, but nevertheless consoling. It means God knows and understands humanity (John 2, 25).
We all have the tendency to err, to sin. There are things which we willfully do, but a lot of instances we do not intend to hurt others. We often say hurting remarks at the peak of a surging emotion such as depression or anger; or our outbursts come from stress. These pent up emotions needed release, and we displace them around us even at the most inappropriate venues. But as we always say at the Confiteor: “in what we have done and in what we failed to do”. That means we are capable of hurting others from what we actually neglected, failed to do, overlooked doing --- and sometimes we were not able to fulfill them because we honestly did not remember. We had what we say in jest, “senior moments” and thus, we failed to do them without malice. In other words, we commit mistakes very often than what we are aware of. So when our relationships are strained or have ended, we attribute them to the things we did or neglected.
But we are social beings: we live, grow, develop and mature in relationships. The meanings in our lives are wrought by the bonds we belong to. St. Paul said that no one lives for himself or herself alone. Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang. The philosopher, Hannah Arendt said in her book, The Human Condition, that there are two factors that preserves life from chaos: forgiveness, which deals with the mistakes of the past and promises, which deals with the uncertainty of the future. Therefore forgiveness patches broken or strained relationships. Forgiveness maintains, sustains, and deepens relationships. It is also the factor that makes relationships stay longer, and for many people, move till forever. Forgiveness promotes love, and when we promote love, we transform and become loving individuals. Warm and loving individuals mirror God who is love.
Thus the equation is simple: infinite forgiveness for our infinite mistakes.
And one more thing: forgiveness does not mean that we should forget. It means that we should let go of the pain, and transform it into concern. That is why we should not forget: we should correct the person we love by pointing out to them the pattern of their sinfulness (or to forgive ourselves means that we reflect on the pattern of our sinfulness). To know a pattern means to remember how many times it was done. You see, the first time is easily forgiveable. We can let a mistake pass, or a snide remark go. But if it is repeated, then we should correct the habit or as much as possible nip it in the bud. Forgiveness is therefore not to forget the mistakes, but to correct it in the context of a loving relationship.
Daniel 3, 25-43; Psalm 25; Matthew 18, 21-35
We continue with the Lenten theme of transformation and renewal towards becoming children of God. Jesus answered the question, “How many times should we forgive our brothers and sisters?” He said that we should forgive them, not just seven times but seventy seven times. Seven was for the Jews an infinite number, and thus seventy seven times means more than just infinity. It means: all the time, every time, until the end of our lives. This to me is consoling, difficult to do, but nevertheless consoling. It means God knows and understands humanity (John 2, 25).
We all have the tendency to err, to sin. There are things which we willfully do, but a lot of instances we do not intend to hurt others. We often say hurting remarks at the peak of a surging emotion such as depression or anger; or our outbursts come from stress. These pent up emotions needed release, and we displace them around us even at the most inappropriate venues. But as we always say at the Confiteor: “in what we have done and in what we failed to do”. That means we are capable of hurting others from what we actually neglected, failed to do, overlooked doing --- and sometimes we were not able to fulfill them because we honestly did not remember. We had what we say in jest, “senior moments” and thus, we failed to do them without malice. In other words, we commit mistakes very often than what we are aware of. So when our relationships are strained or have ended, we attribute them to the things we did or neglected.
But we are social beings: we live, grow, develop and mature in relationships. The meanings in our lives are wrought by the bonds we belong to. St. Paul said that no one lives for himself or herself alone. Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang. The philosopher, Hannah Arendt said in her book, The Human Condition, that there are two factors that preserves life from chaos: forgiveness, which deals with the mistakes of the past and promises, which deals with the uncertainty of the future. Therefore forgiveness patches broken or strained relationships. Forgiveness maintains, sustains, and deepens relationships. It is also the factor that makes relationships stay longer, and for many people, move till forever. Forgiveness promotes love, and when we promote love, we transform and become loving individuals. Warm and loving individuals mirror God who is love.
Thus the equation is simple: infinite forgiveness for our infinite mistakes.
And one more thing: forgiveness does not mean that we should forget. It means that we should let go of the pain, and transform it into concern. That is why we should not forget: we should correct the person we love by pointing out to them the pattern of their sinfulness (or to forgive ourselves means that we reflect on the pattern of our sinfulness). To know a pattern means to remember how many times it was done. You see, the first time is easily forgiveable. We can let a mistake pass, or a snide remark go. But if it is repeated, then we should correct the habit or as much as possible nip it in the bud. Forgiveness is therefore not to forget the mistakes, but to correct it in the context of a loving relationship.
Change from a Temple to our Hearts
15 March 2009 3rd Sunday of Lent
Exodus 20, 1-17; Psalm 19; 1 Cor 1, 22-25; John 2, 13-25
The Season of Lent has a running theme: the motif of change and transformation. The reason for all the mortifications such as fasting and abstinence, the rituals and liturgies of Holy Week, find its meaning in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus; but its effect should be a change of heart. The Gospel story of the purification of the temple is another story of newness.
The Temple of Jerusalem was, for Jews, the site of God’s presence and a visible sign of His faithfulness. Thus, every Jew would come to Jerusalem to worship and offer sacrifices. We could imagine how shattering the experience of the Jews when they saw their temple destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman soldiers of Titus. This was not the first time it was destroyed. King Solomon built the first temple, but it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC when they sacked the whole city. Construction of the Second Temple was authorized by King Cyrus the Great and ratified by King Darius the Great when the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland after being exiled to Babylon. The temple was constructed again in 537 BC and dedicated in 515 BC. It was renovated five centuries later by Herod the Great in 20 BC. This was the temple that was destroyed by the Romans.
But the impact of the physical loss of the Temple was softened by the Theology of John the evangelist. He said that the temple was not anymore a building. It has been replaced by the risen Body of Christ. And thus the Gospel tells us that when Jesus was raised from the dead, the disciples remembered what Jesus said, that He was going to rebuild it in three days. Thus, He was not anymore referring to the physical building, but to His Body which was raised after three days. St. Paul further expanded it by saying that we are now the Temples of the Spirit (1 Cor 6, 19). In other words, the center of worship, does not anymore reside in one specific place such as Jerusalem. God is now present in ourselves, as He was in the Jerusalem temple. The sign of God’s fidelity can be found in our lives. He is now present in every single person you see around. This is new; this is the transformation. You can actually imagine that every person you see is indeed honorable and sacred: since all of us are temples of the Spirit, then we are to regard each one not just humanely but holy.
However, we seldom experience and see the presence of God in our lives. Why? Our lives are like business stalls in the marketplace; our pre-occupation is selling our wares and minding our own businesses. Bishop Henri Nouwen tells us about the restlessness of our contemporary lives: First, our days are filled with things to do, people to meet, projects to finish, letters to write, calls to make, appointment to keep, prayers to recite. Second, though we are satisfied with many things at parang walang katapusan ang trabaho (and we feel like our work will never end), we seldom feel satisfied and at peace. Ironically, we see that when we are filled, we become unfulfilled. There is never a space, a time to stand behind our own lives and reflect.
Jesus Christ tells us to drive and whip out all of our sheep and oxen, our daily businesses; to over turn our tables; to stop our work so that, the temple of our lives is reclaimed, and its sacredness becomes apparent again.
Exodus 20, 1-17; Psalm 19; 1 Cor 1, 22-25; John 2, 13-25
The Season of Lent has a running theme: the motif of change and transformation. The reason for all the mortifications such as fasting and abstinence, the rituals and liturgies of Holy Week, find its meaning in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus; but its effect should be a change of heart. The Gospel story of the purification of the temple is another story of newness.
The Temple of Jerusalem was, for Jews, the site of God’s presence and a visible sign of His faithfulness. Thus, every Jew would come to Jerusalem to worship and offer sacrifices. We could imagine how shattering the experience of the Jews when they saw their temple destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman soldiers of Titus. This was not the first time it was destroyed. King Solomon built the first temple, but it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC when they sacked the whole city. Construction of the Second Temple was authorized by King Cyrus the Great and ratified by King Darius the Great when the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland after being exiled to Babylon. The temple was constructed again in 537 BC and dedicated in 515 BC. It was renovated five centuries later by Herod the Great in 20 BC. This was the temple that was destroyed by the Romans.
But the impact of the physical loss of the Temple was softened by the Theology of John the evangelist. He said that the temple was not anymore a building. It has been replaced by the risen Body of Christ. And thus the Gospel tells us that when Jesus was raised from the dead, the disciples remembered what Jesus said, that He was going to rebuild it in three days. Thus, He was not anymore referring to the physical building, but to His Body which was raised after three days. St. Paul further expanded it by saying that we are now the Temples of the Spirit (1 Cor 6, 19). In other words, the center of worship, does not anymore reside in one specific place such as Jerusalem. God is now present in ourselves, as He was in the Jerusalem temple. The sign of God’s fidelity can be found in our lives. He is now present in every single person you see around. This is new; this is the transformation. You can actually imagine that every person you see is indeed honorable and sacred: since all of us are temples of the Spirit, then we are to regard each one not just humanely but holy.
However, we seldom experience and see the presence of God in our lives. Why? Our lives are like business stalls in the marketplace; our pre-occupation is selling our wares and minding our own businesses. Bishop Henri Nouwen tells us about the restlessness of our contemporary lives: First, our days are filled with things to do, people to meet, projects to finish, letters to write, calls to make, appointment to keep, prayers to recite. Second, though we are satisfied with many things at parang walang katapusan ang trabaho (and we feel like our work will never end), we seldom feel satisfied and at peace. Ironically, we see that when we are filled, we become unfulfilled. There is never a space, a time to stand behind our own lives and reflect.
Jesus Christ tells us to drive and whip out all of our sheep and oxen, our daily businesses; to over turn our tables; to stop our work so that, the temple of our lives is reclaimed, and its sacredness becomes apparent again.
What Makes Change Possible
10 March 2009. Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent
Isaiah 1, 10-20; Psalm 50; Matthew 23, 1-12
There are two types of people in the Gospel. The audience are Jesus’ disciples and the crowd. Jesus criticizes two groups of people, the Pharisees and the scribes. Not all Pharisees are scribes; and not all scribes are Pharisees. Let me put it this way: Pharisees are those who ate communally and they strictly observed the law. The scribes, on the other hand, are religious intellectuals who interpreted the Old Testament and applied these interpretations to daily living. Jesus see that both the scribes and the Pharisees like to sit on the “chair of Moses” which is the seat of honor in the synagogue. The teacher in the synagogue preaches from the chair of Moses. Thus Jesus said that the scribes and the Pharisees are those who love honorific titles, self-display, popularity and attention. They like to be called “Rabbi” or “Master” or “Father”. They enjoyed sitting on places of honor in religious and social gatherings. Their pretensions do not escape the eyes of Jesus. And therefore, the Gospel urges all readers, to hear what the scribes and the Pharisees preach but they are not obliged to follow what they do.
The lesson then is for us to be consistent with what we say. To walk our talk. To practice what we preach. Many of us know matters of our faith substantially enough that we know what is proper, moral and ethical behavior. We know that an informed decision affects not just our lives but the life of the community. And thus conversely, when we make drastic decisions, we contribute to consequences that we later on regret. We already know that even our slightest act as cutting off trees, contribute to environmental damage. In the first reading, despite God’s warning to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, they did not heed His words. And thus they perish.
If we read carefully the first reading, God’s call is consoling. Even if our sins are scarlet, we can still become white and pure as snow. We are always given a chance (or several chances) to reform our lives and make ourselves clean. We are to be morally upright and learn to do good: we have to put our ‘misdeeds and cease to do evil’. We are to check our goals and values in our lives: do we value justice and aim to defend the powerless? Do we correct and ask for forgiveness to those whom we have wronged? Does our lifestyle show the things we value? The readings to me is consoling, because God acknowledges that it is difficult for us to make a 360-degree change in an instant. How many of us know what we do not like about ourselves, but despite our millions of resolutions, we find ourselves still doing what we hate? We are not wanting in our willingness to change. But maybe we lack in something else: a factor that makes change difficult to happen. In this light, we have to forgive ourselves too. When we prod ourselves to change, we have to do it gently. There is a kind of prodding that is violent, that does not respect process.
I believe what makes people holy is not that they became perfect as angels on earth. But that they have struggled and tried to be one. Little by little. Incrementally. When they fail, they ask God and one another forgiveness. They do not just give up and say, “well, I am like this, so I will remain like this.” By believing that we cannot change, we make God a liar: He believes we can grow and develop into someone “made in His image and likeness”. It is not just accidentally that in every mass, we admit and confess to one another and to God that we have sinned through our own faults. And we are continually forgiven in the Penitential rite. And before communion, we ask the Lord to make us worthy to receive Him. And by receiving Christ in communion, we affirm our belief that only with the grace of God can we become better people --- and thus, worthy to preach the Good News to others. The greatest factor that makes and compliments our efforts to reform, is God alone. He makes change possible.
Isaiah 1, 10-20; Psalm 50; Matthew 23, 1-12
There are two types of people in the Gospel. The audience are Jesus’ disciples and the crowd. Jesus criticizes two groups of people, the Pharisees and the scribes. Not all Pharisees are scribes; and not all scribes are Pharisees. Let me put it this way: Pharisees are those who ate communally and they strictly observed the law. The scribes, on the other hand, are religious intellectuals who interpreted the Old Testament and applied these interpretations to daily living. Jesus see that both the scribes and the Pharisees like to sit on the “chair of Moses” which is the seat of honor in the synagogue. The teacher in the synagogue preaches from the chair of Moses. Thus Jesus said that the scribes and the Pharisees are those who love honorific titles, self-display, popularity and attention. They like to be called “Rabbi” or “Master” or “Father”. They enjoyed sitting on places of honor in religious and social gatherings. Their pretensions do not escape the eyes of Jesus. And therefore, the Gospel urges all readers, to hear what the scribes and the Pharisees preach but they are not obliged to follow what they do.
The lesson then is for us to be consistent with what we say. To walk our talk. To practice what we preach. Many of us know matters of our faith substantially enough that we know what is proper, moral and ethical behavior. We know that an informed decision affects not just our lives but the life of the community. And thus conversely, when we make drastic decisions, we contribute to consequences that we later on regret. We already know that even our slightest act as cutting off trees, contribute to environmental damage. In the first reading, despite God’s warning to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, they did not heed His words. And thus they perish.
If we read carefully the first reading, God’s call is consoling. Even if our sins are scarlet, we can still become white and pure as snow. We are always given a chance (or several chances) to reform our lives and make ourselves clean. We are to be morally upright and learn to do good: we have to put our ‘misdeeds and cease to do evil’. We are to check our goals and values in our lives: do we value justice and aim to defend the powerless? Do we correct and ask for forgiveness to those whom we have wronged? Does our lifestyle show the things we value? The readings to me is consoling, because God acknowledges that it is difficult for us to make a 360-degree change in an instant. How many of us know what we do not like about ourselves, but despite our millions of resolutions, we find ourselves still doing what we hate? We are not wanting in our willingness to change. But maybe we lack in something else: a factor that makes change difficult to happen. In this light, we have to forgive ourselves too. When we prod ourselves to change, we have to do it gently. There is a kind of prodding that is violent, that does not respect process.
I believe what makes people holy is not that they became perfect as angels on earth. But that they have struggled and tried to be one. Little by little. Incrementally. When they fail, they ask God and one another forgiveness. They do not just give up and say, “well, I am like this, so I will remain like this.” By believing that we cannot change, we make God a liar: He believes we can grow and develop into someone “made in His image and likeness”. It is not just accidentally that in every mass, we admit and confess to one another and to God that we have sinned through our own faults. And we are continually forgiven in the Penitential rite. And before communion, we ask the Lord to make us worthy to receive Him. And by receiving Christ in communion, we affirm our belief that only with the grace of God can we become better people --- and thus, worthy to preach the Good News to others. The greatest factor that makes and compliments our efforts to reform, is God alone. He makes change possible.
Glimpses of Glory
8 March 2009 2nd Sunday of Lent
Gen 22, 1-18; Psalm 116; Rom 8, 31-34; Mark 9, 2-10
The Transfiguration is the revelation of Christ’s glory on Mt. Tabor in Galilee. Jesus appeared dazzling in His glory, as a manifestation of His true divinity. For Peter, James and John, it was a taste of heaven and of the resurrected bodies promised for all Christians. As Christ transfigured, Moses, who represented Old Testament Law and Elijah, who represented the Prophets, appeared with Jesus and conversed with Him. This tells us that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Law and the Prophets.
The Transfiguration then should console us. Peter himself wants to capture the moment and to linger with Moses, Elijah and Jesus. But the moment is brief, momentary and partial. Mark does not want his readers to take too long on the mountaintop. He brings the readers down from the mountain. Thus, this mountain moment is a refreshing break; and it ends so soon. Mark is therefore clear with the point of the Transfiguration: glimpses of glory that Christians receive from the Lord are real and true, but they are given so that we might be able to move and follow Jesus alone including His suffering and death.
There are glimpses of glory that God gives us. We get a taste of success in little forms like a perfect score in an exam, a medal from a competition, a college degree. We get a brief look at a model house so that we can work for it. We get a glance at the lifestyle of a celebrity or a victorious contestant of a game show. We get to read about a prosperous business and experience working with the company as an apprentice. We get to be emotionally high when we spend a few hours with a very special someone, that we yearn to live the rest of our lives with him or her. We get to be spiritually euphoric after a retreat or an uplifting activity that we are intoxicated for anything like it, like a recollection, a prayer meeting or an experience of community and fellowship. We get to see and taste these things so that we could yearn, desire and work for them. And endure the necessary demands that they entail. With these glimpses in mind, we set out courageously and pursue our dreams.
In 1984, there was a play called, “Manlalakbay” (The Pilgrim). It was the story of a boy who saw a star. Taking with him the cloak made by his mother, he embarked on a journey towards the place of the star. On the road, he met a friend who also saw a star. He was so happy that he found a companion; the journey wouldn’t be lonely after all. However, their pilgrimage was not without difficulty. Every challenge demanded that they gave up something that they had. As they approached the end of their journey, the boy had to hand over the most difficult: the cloak from his mother. He thought that that was the last thing to relinquish. At the gate of the star was the final demand: to give up even his best friend. There they discovered that they saw a different star and they had to part.
Will you give up the most precious thing or person in your life for your most coveted dream? In the first reading, we saw Abraham offering Isaac in his test of loyalty. In the Gospel, we saw God himself offering His only Son for our salvation. And in addition, we read about Jesus predicting His suffering and death: will He relinquish His life for us all? We know that He did.
Mark said that the glimpses of glory was to inspire us to know, to love and to follow Christ closely and Him alone. Would you give your life for Christ? St. Ignatius asks three questions for prayer: First, what have I done for Christ? Second, what am I doing for Christ? And finally, what ought I to do for Christ?
Gen 22, 1-18; Psalm 116; Rom 8, 31-34; Mark 9, 2-10
The Transfiguration is the revelation of Christ’s glory on Mt. Tabor in Galilee. Jesus appeared dazzling in His glory, as a manifestation of His true divinity. For Peter, James and John, it was a taste of heaven and of the resurrected bodies promised for all Christians. As Christ transfigured, Moses, who represented Old Testament Law and Elijah, who represented the Prophets, appeared with Jesus and conversed with Him. This tells us that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Law and the Prophets.
The Transfiguration then should console us. Peter himself wants to capture the moment and to linger with Moses, Elijah and Jesus. But the moment is brief, momentary and partial. Mark does not want his readers to take too long on the mountaintop. He brings the readers down from the mountain. Thus, this mountain moment is a refreshing break; and it ends so soon. Mark is therefore clear with the point of the Transfiguration: glimpses of glory that Christians receive from the Lord are real and true, but they are given so that we might be able to move and follow Jesus alone including His suffering and death.
There are glimpses of glory that God gives us. We get a taste of success in little forms like a perfect score in an exam, a medal from a competition, a college degree. We get a brief look at a model house so that we can work for it. We get a glance at the lifestyle of a celebrity or a victorious contestant of a game show. We get to read about a prosperous business and experience working with the company as an apprentice. We get to be emotionally high when we spend a few hours with a very special someone, that we yearn to live the rest of our lives with him or her. We get to be spiritually euphoric after a retreat or an uplifting activity that we are intoxicated for anything like it, like a recollection, a prayer meeting or an experience of community and fellowship. We get to see and taste these things so that we could yearn, desire and work for them. And endure the necessary demands that they entail. With these glimpses in mind, we set out courageously and pursue our dreams.
In 1984, there was a play called, “Manlalakbay” (The Pilgrim). It was the story of a boy who saw a star. Taking with him the cloak made by his mother, he embarked on a journey towards the place of the star. On the road, he met a friend who also saw a star. He was so happy that he found a companion; the journey wouldn’t be lonely after all. However, their pilgrimage was not without difficulty. Every challenge demanded that they gave up something that they had. As they approached the end of their journey, the boy had to hand over the most difficult: the cloak from his mother. He thought that that was the last thing to relinquish. At the gate of the star was the final demand: to give up even his best friend. There they discovered that they saw a different star and they had to part.
Will you give up the most precious thing or person in your life for your most coveted dream? In the first reading, we saw Abraham offering Isaac in his test of loyalty. In the Gospel, we saw God himself offering His only Son for our salvation. And in addition, we read about Jesus predicting His suffering and death: will He relinquish His life for us all? We know that He did.
Mark said that the glimpses of glory was to inspire us to know, to love and to follow Christ closely and Him alone. Would you give your life for Christ? St. Ignatius asks three questions for prayer: First, what have I done for Christ? Second, what am I doing for Christ? And finally, what ought I to do for Christ?
Handling Anger
6 March 2009 Friday of the 1st Week of Lent
Ez 18, 21-28; Psalm 130; Matthew 5, 20-26
This is an interesting passage if we look at it as a thesis and antithesis structure. Let me explain. A thesis is a statement or a theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. In Hegelian philosophy, the antithesis disproves the thesis in a dialogue; it is the direct opposite of the thesis. In the Gospel, we see that the contrast begins with “You have heard ...” (‘that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment’). And the antithesis, which is Jesus’ saying starts with “But I say to you...” (‘whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment...’). In other words, the antithesis describes Jesus as fulfilling the law and the prophets by explaining the meaning of the Old Testament at its deepest levels. Beneath every prohibition (e.g. “Thou shall not... “ from the Old Testament) there is a root disposition (e.g. anger).
Let me explain. The Gospel tells us about the prohibition against murder (Exodus 20, 13 and Deut 5:17). But Jesus said that we should not be concerned only about the act of murder, but we should look at its root disposition --- that is, anger, which may lead us to kill another. Jesus said that we should be more focused on the root disposition so as to prevent ourselves from committing a greater crime. Thus, reconciliation takes precedence over worship, and to some extent, let a misunderstanding or a disagreement end up in court.
Many of us encounter anger situations everyday. Our feelings may vary in intensity: we can be slighted, irritated, irked, peeved, enraged, annoyed, rubbed the wrong way, displeased, vexed, enraged, had our blood boil, aggravated, so and so forth. It can be triggered by a word, an attitude, an incident, a misunderstanding, or aggravated by traffic-violators. The Incredible Hulk is a good image about how our anger can transform us into a monster that has incredible power to destroy and kill. To some extent, we have destroyed a thing or two out of our anger like a water glass or the picture of someone close who hurt us. Anger affects our well-being and our relationships. It can ‘kill’ our bodies, disturb our peace, and even damage or end our precious relationships.
Many of us do not like anger because it is a negative feeling; it is a painful and not a pleasurable experience. When pain is experienced in the present, we are hurt. When pain is experienced as a past incident, we are angry. Anger sometimes originates before the incident, meaning, we already have frustrated and unexpressed emotions that when something triggers it, we react violently because we cannot contain these pent up emotions any longer. Think again, when we are angry, we remember many other incidents that have hurt us. They cumulatively come out like lava from a volcano.
Psychology teaches us how to handle anger: that is why when we are hurt, we must have a certain self-confidence to express it somehow constructively. Thus, we must find a way to de-stress ourselves. We must develop a new way to respond to these emotions. By doing so, it would be easier for us to forgive and reconcile with another. Sometimes, we are over-reactive: our reaction to the action of another person is not commensurate to his or her deed. That is why we regret what we said or did when it is too late. The key is simple as Jesus proposed: go, put down that pride, and ask for forgiveness.
Ez 18, 21-28; Psalm 130; Matthew 5, 20-26
This is an interesting passage if we look at it as a thesis and antithesis structure. Let me explain. A thesis is a statement or a theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. In Hegelian philosophy, the antithesis disproves the thesis in a dialogue; it is the direct opposite of the thesis. In the Gospel, we see that the contrast begins with “You have heard ...” (‘that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment’). And the antithesis, which is Jesus’ saying starts with “But I say to you...” (‘whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment...’). In other words, the antithesis describes Jesus as fulfilling the law and the prophets by explaining the meaning of the Old Testament at its deepest levels. Beneath every prohibition (e.g. “Thou shall not... “ from the Old Testament) there is a root disposition (e.g. anger).
Let me explain. The Gospel tells us about the prohibition against murder (Exodus 20, 13 and Deut 5:17). But Jesus said that we should not be concerned only about the act of murder, but we should look at its root disposition --- that is, anger, which may lead us to kill another. Jesus said that we should be more focused on the root disposition so as to prevent ourselves from committing a greater crime. Thus, reconciliation takes precedence over worship, and to some extent, let a misunderstanding or a disagreement end up in court.
Many of us encounter anger situations everyday. Our feelings may vary in intensity: we can be slighted, irritated, irked, peeved, enraged, annoyed, rubbed the wrong way, displeased, vexed, enraged, had our blood boil, aggravated, so and so forth. It can be triggered by a word, an attitude, an incident, a misunderstanding, or aggravated by traffic-violators. The Incredible Hulk is a good image about how our anger can transform us into a monster that has incredible power to destroy and kill. To some extent, we have destroyed a thing or two out of our anger like a water glass or the picture of someone close who hurt us. Anger affects our well-being and our relationships. It can ‘kill’ our bodies, disturb our peace, and even damage or end our precious relationships.
Many of us do not like anger because it is a negative feeling; it is a painful and not a pleasurable experience. When pain is experienced in the present, we are hurt. When pain is experienced as a past incident, we are angry. Anger sometimes originates before the incident, meaning, we already have frustrated and unexpressed emotions that when something triggers it, we react violently because we cannot contain these pent up emotions any longer. Think again, when we are angry, we remember many other incidents that have hurt us. They cumulatively come out like lava from a volcano.
Psychology teaches us how to handle anger: that is why when we are hurt, we must have a certain self-confidence to express it somehow constructively. Thus, we must find a way to de-stress ourselves. We must develop a new way to respond to these emotions. By doing so, it would be easier for us to forgive and reconcile with another. Sometimes, we are over-reactive: our reaction to the action of another person is not commensurate to his or her deed. That is why we regret what we said or did when it is too late. The key is simple as Jesus proposed: go, put down that pride, and ask for forgiveness.
Pray to Change
5 March 2009 Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent
Esther C, 12-25; Psalm 138; Matthew 7, 7-12
The readings today are all about prayer. Prayer brings us to our very depths; to the innermost and central core of our life. There we meet God. Thus, prayer is about our relationship with God. Prayer then transforms and changes us. When our depth is transformed, everything that radiates outwards is affected. If we want to better, we have to pray.
To pray is to transform and to change. It is the way God converts, reshapes, alters, and rework us. It is the way God continually creates us. If we do not want to change, we discover that prayer does not anymore become central in our lives. This is what I like about prayer. I like prayer because it is a better make-over.
Often there is a desire to be like the great pray-ers in history. We look at the great mystics and the saints who were very adept at praying. Sometimes we suffer from a low self-esteem in the business of praying: we look at our sinfulness and find ourselves unworthy to pray. We look up at the greatest pray-ers both in Scripture and in history like Moses, David, Queen Esther in the first reading, Paul and the saints, and think that we cannot pray like them. We easily become discouraged in front of these great masters.
But the apostles who have been praying all their lives, still asked Jesus, “Lord teach us to pray” (Luke 11, 1). That means praying is learned. And like all learning, we begin from the simplest way and later on move on to different ways in praying like meditation and contemplation. Or find other types of prayer: often we are accustomed to praying for our needs or the pious and traditional prayers. And we are not too familiar with adorations, surrendering prayer, prayer for rest, and many others.
The Gospels tells us that the first thing that Jesus taught his disciples was the “Our Father”. We are to pray simply, as a child to his parents. We remember that God will not fault us for our being beginners. We are not even to condemn ourselves --- despite our age --- that our pray is still juvenile. God always meets us where we are, and slowly brings us to our deepest depths. We know this in life: we prepare and train ourselves first before we embark on a bigger scale. In music, we have to begin with a simple piano exercise before we can play a Bach or a Mozart. Jesus said, begin by “asking”; start “seeking”; commence with a “knock” on God’s door. And every time you ask, seek and knock, you’ll get an answer. The psalmist affirms that on the day they he called for help, God answered him (Psalm 138).
We pray, however, because we want to change. And yes, we want to move God so that He too will change His will. Strange, but true. Many people believe and emphasize submission and resignation to the way things are as “God’s will”. God’s will is for us to be good, loving and just; God’s will is for a peaceful world. The way things are may not be God’s will. When a parent abuses his child -- that is not God’s will. The unfortunate situation is an effect of the maligned will of another person. Moses prayed hoping that his prayers will be able to change God’s will. And God changed His will in view of His unchanging and infinite love for us (Exodus 32,14). God’s will changed when the people of Nineveh repented. We are to change the way things are in the world, by praying. And by praying we cooperate and participate with God in His initiative to make this world better for us. Think of a mother or a father: she changes her decision out of her love for her child. But all in the name of love.
When do we pray? We pray for a family or a friend who is sick. We want God to reverse the course of his or her sickness. We pray for political change. We pray for our personal lives to turn for the better.
And thus, we pray more fervently with fasting and abstinence during Lent. Because we want to change. And we would like God to effect that change on us. But first, we begin simply.
Esther C, 12-25; Psalm 138; Matthew 7, 7-12
The readings today are all about prayer. Prayer brings us to our very depths; to the innermost and central core of our life. There we meet God. Thus, prayer is about our relationship with God. Prayer then transforms and changes us. When our depth is transformed, everything that radiates outwards is affected. If we want to better, we have to pray.
To pray is to transform and to change. It is the way God converts, reshapes, alters, and rework us. It is the way God continually creates us. If we do not want to change, we discover that prayer does not anymore become central in our lives. This is what I like about prayer. I like prayer because it is a better make-over.
Often there is a desire to be like the great pray-ers in history. We look at the great mystics and the saints who were very adept at praying. Sometimes we suffer from a low self-esteem in the business of praying: we look at our sinfulness and find ourselves unworthy to pray. We look up at the greatest pray-ers both in Scripture and in history like Moses, David, Queen Esther in the first reading, Paul and the saints, and think that we cannot pray like them. We easily become discouraged in front of these great masters.
But the apostles who have been praying all their lives, still asked Jesus, “Lord teach us to pray” (Luke 11, 1). That means praying is learned. And like all learning, we begin from the simplest way and later on move on to different ways in praying like meditation and contemplation. Or find other types of prayer: often we are accustomed to praying for our needs or the pious and traditional prayers. And we are not too familiar with adorations, surrendering prayer, prayer for rest, and many others.
The Gospels tells us that the first thing that Jesus taught his disciples was the “Our Father”. We are to pray simply, as a child to his parents. We remember that God will not fault us for our being beginners. We are not even to condemn ourselves --- despite our age --- that our pray is still juvenile. God always meets us where we are, and slowly brings us to our deepest depths. We know this in life: we prepare and train ourselves first before we embark on a bigger scale. In music, we have to begin with a simple piano exercise before we can play a Bach or a Mozart. Jesus said, begin by “asking”; start “seeking”; commence with a “knock” on God’s door. And every time you ask, seek and knock, you’ll get an answer. The psalmist affirms that on the day they he called for help, God answered him (Psalm 138).
We pray, however, because we want to change. And yes, we want to move God so that He too will change His will. Strange, but true. Many people believe and emphasize submission and resignation to the way things are as “God’s will”. God’s will is for us to be good, loving and just; God’s will is for a peaceful world. The way things are may not be God’s will. When a parent abuses his child -- that is not God’s will. The unfortunate situation is an effect of the maligned will of another person. Moses prayed hoping that his prayers will be able to change God’s will. And God changed His will in view of His unchanging and infinite love for us (Exodus 32,14). God’s will changed when the people of Nineveh repented. We are to change the way things are in the world, by praying. And by praying we cooperate and participate with God in His initiative to make this world better for us. Think of a mother or a father: she changes her decision out of her love for her child. But all in the name of love.
When do we pray? We pray for a family or a friend who is sick. We want God to reverse the course of his or her sickness. We pray for political change. We pray for our personal lives to turn for the better.
And thus, we pray more fervently with fasting and abstinence during Lent. Because we want to change. And we would like God to effect that change on us. But first, we begin simply.
The Desert and our Temptations
1 March 2009 1st Sunday of Lent
Genesis 9, 8-15; Psalm 25; 1 Peter 3, 18-22; Mark 1, 12-15
Mark is very economical with his words about the temptations of Jesus in the desert, unlike the accounts of Matthew and Luke. Mark tells it in brief simplicity. The Spirit leads Jesus in the desert. He was tempted and tested there for forty days. God’s angels protected Him there. And Mark tells his readers, that Jesus withstands the test and He is ready for His saving service to God and His people. Mark assures them that just as Jesus was tested in the desert and protected by angels, we too will have the protection of God in our weaknesses and in our desert experiences.
I have three brief points. First, I believe we have to change our way of regarding temptations. The infinitive, “to tempt”, is commonly defined as to seek to lead one to sin like a seductress to a man or a seducer to a woman. It is to lure people to do evil. But the Greek word, peirazein, is better translated as “test”. In the Old Testament, God tested Abraham’s loyalty by seeming to demand Isaac’s sacrifice. “And it came to pass that God did tempt Abraham” (Gen 22,1). In the Gospel today, Mark said that the Spirit drove Jesus to the desert. With our first definition of temptation, it would seem that God lured Abraham and Jesus “to sin”. But God does not lead us to sin or to commit evil. The Bible’s idea of temptation is ‘peirazein’ --- to test our loyalty, our commitment, our obedience, and our strength. Therefore it is not designed to make us fall. Temptations are designed to make us better persons, as gold is tested in fire. Temptations are not sins yet, how we respond to them will determine its morality. The idea is not to yield but to overcome it. Therefore we should regard temptations as a challenge to our holiness.
Second, the idea of the desert. In their journey to the Promised Land, the Israelites became God’s people in the desert. They journeyed for 40 years, learning of the wisdom of the desert. Prophets would encourage the Israelites to go back to the desert whenever their love and faithfulness to God began to wane and weaken. John the Baptist and some of our early Fathers in the Church spent and lived in the desert. And here, Jesus too finds wisdom in the desert. What is in the desert? The desert is harsh. There is no water, and food is scarce. In the desert one is stripped to the bare minimum. There is no room for extravagance. One becomes dependent on God for everything one needs. One becomes aware of the importance of water and food, when these basic needs are scarce. One becomes aware of the importance of relationships, when you don’t see people around you often. In the desert, one is powerless over the forces of sandstorms and the vast wasteland. In the desert, one’s security and life lies on the hands of God.
Third, we bring these two points together. We do not need to live in the desert to realize our total dependence on God. There are many situations when we are led to the desert, sometimes reluctantly. When our pockets are empty or when we lose our jobs, we are tempted to steal from others, to cheat on our transactions and covet our neighbor’s goods. When we feel alone and there is no one to talk to, we are tempted to enter into illicit relationships and find pleasure in pornographic materials and videos. When we are insecure and we are given a position of leadership, we tend to be intoxicated by control and we abuse power.
The desert drives us to these situations in order for us to learn. Just as universities give us examinations to pass, so too life’s desert experiences enable us to be better individuals. Great people went through all these. We know the stories of heroes and great leaders of our time like Gandhi and Mother Teresa. We know the lives of saints and even the lives of scientists like Galileo Galilei. In the desert, we are led to decide on what is important in our lives. A high paying job that would sacrifice family time. To fight for what is just but to be vulnerable to death threats. A moment of pleasure vs one’s reputation, dignity and honor. To save one’s face now, but to lose one’s self-worth in the future. When we are able to withstand the test, we are now ready to be truly a true servant of God and humanity.
Genesis 9, 8-15; Psalm 25; 1 Peter 3, 18-22; Mark 1, 12-15
Mark is very economical with his words about the temptations of Jesus in the desert, unlike the accounts of Matthew and Luke. Mark tells it in brief simplicity. The Spirit leads Jesus in the desert. He was tempted and tested there for forty days. God’s angels protected Him there. And Mark tells his readers, that Jesus withstands the test and He is ready for His saving service to God and His people. Mark assures them that just as Jesus was tested in the desert and protected by angels, we too will have the protection of God in our weaknesses and in our desert experiences.
I have three brief points. First, I believe we have to change our way of regarding temptations. The infinitive, “to tempt”, is commonly defined as to seek to lead one to sin like a seductress to a man or a seducer to a woman. It is to lure people to do evil. But the Greek word, peirazein, is better translated as “test”. In the Old Testament, God tested Abraham’s loyalty by seeming to demand Isaac’s sacrifice. “And it came to pass that God did tempt Abraham” (Gen 22,1). In the Gospel today, Mark said that the Spirit drove Jesus to the desert. With our first definition of temptation, it would seem that God lured Abraham and Jesus “to sin”. But God does not lead us to sin or to commit evil. The Bible’s idea of temptation is ‘peirazein’ --- to test our loyalty, our commitment, our obedience, and our strength. Therefore it is not designed to make us fall. Temptations are designed to make us better persons, as gold is tested in fire. Temptations are not sins yet, how we respond to them will determine its morality. The idea is not to yield but to overcome it. Therefore we should regard temptations as a challenge to our holiness.
Second, the idea of the desert. In their journey to the Promised Land, the Israelites became God’s people in the desert. They journeyed for 40 years, learning of the wisdom of the desert. Prophets would encourage the Israelites to go back to the desert whenever their love and faithfulness to God began to wane and weaken. John the Baptist and some of our early Fathers in the Church spent and lived in the desert. And here, Jesus too finds wisdom in the desert. What is in the desert? The desert is harsh. There is no water, and food is scarce. In the desert one is stripped to the bare minimum. There is no room for extravagance. One becomes dependent on God for everything one needs. One becomes aware of the importance of water and food, when these basic needs are scarce. One becomes aware of the importance of relationships, when you don’t see people around you often. In the desert, one is powerless over the forces of sandstorms and the vast wasteland. In the desert, one’s security and life lies on the hands of God.
Third, we bring these two points together. We do not need to live in the desert to realize our total dependence on God. There are many situations when we are led to the desert, sometimes reluctantly. When our pockets are empty or when we lose our jobs, we are tempted to steal from others, to cheat on our transactions and covet our neighbor’s goods. When we feel alone and there is no one to talk to, we are tempted to enter into illicit relationships and find pleasure in pornographic materials and videos. When we are insecure and we are given a position of leadership, we tend to be intoxicated by control and we abuse power.
The desert drives us to these situations in order for us to learn. Just as universities give us examinations to pass, so too life’s desert experiences enable us to be better individuals. Great people went through all these. We know the stories of heroes and great leaders of our time like Gandhi and Mother Teresa. We know the lives of saints and even the lives of scientists like Galileo Galilei. In the desert, we are led to decide on what is important in our lives. A high paying job that would sacrifice family time. To fight for what is just but to be vulnerable to death threats. A moment of pleasure vs one’s reputation, dignity and honor. To save one’s face now, but to lose one’s self-worth in the future. When we are able to withstand the test, we are now ready to be truly a true servant of God and humanity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)