29 June 2009. Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles
Acts 12, 1-11; Psalm 34; 2 Tim 4, 6-18; Matthew 16, 13-19
The Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul is a feast of foundations, of beginnings, and, most of all, of the people who forged the basic principles by which we live. For Catholics all over the world, it is Saints Peter and Paul. Peter and Paul risked their lives to make us free. They left us enshrined words to protect those freedoms. For Catholics, these are Scripture and tradition. The country has been at its best when it has observed its founding principles. It has been at its worst when it has not, when the power of the few rules the lives of the many, when the law is twisted to curtail freedom rather than expand it. The Church has been at its best when it has observed its founding principles. It has been at its worst when it has not: when power and corruption have contracted and suppressed the freedom and the hearts of the faithful.
The Philippines and the Church have known internal strife. For the country, it is called the different revolutions, quite like the national crisis we face today. For the Church, it is called schism. Recovery for both has always meant going back to basics, going back to the foundations and to the “founding fathers,” as the saying goes, the people--men and women--who built the nation and the Church.
That is why we celebrate the feast of Saints Peter and Paul: to call us back to the basics. The Church has known glory in the past two thousand years. Yet it is also true that the Church has known shame in the past two thousand years: times of stress, persecution, and corruption. It is no secret that right now, we are going through one of the recurrent stress times.
Since Vatican II, liberal and conservative Catholics are at odds with each other all over the world. The liberals are agitating for issues such as the ordination of women and married men, freedom of choice, the popular election of bishops, more democracy, and sexual freedom. The conservatives are agitating for order, obedience to the pope, and a return to pre-Vatican. Each is convinced that the other is destroying the Church. Whichever side is right (if anybody really can be right in a debate such as this), the Church is sick. Vocations have dried up. There are few priests left and they are aging fast. Sunday Mass attendance is down to one-fourth of the total number of Catholics.
The young have abandoned the Church. Since they are raised in a highly secular society--many come from broken homes or have parents who don’t practice their faith, as well--they get their primary impression of the Catholic Church from a media which is hostile to the Church. For them, the Church is what the media says it is over and over again: a sexist, homophobic, chauvinistic, patriarchal, hypocritical, and corrupt institution.
Well, we’ve been through all this before. Many times in history. What has always brought us back to stability, what has always brought about a glorious renewal, is a return to the basics: a return to Peter and Paul, to what they learned from Jesus and passed on to us. After all, it is instructive to remember that Peter and Paul also lived in very unsettled times. Like Christians in many parts of the world today, they, too, were persecuted. Peter was eventually crucified upside down in Rome--he didn’t feel worthy to be crucified right side up like his master--and Paul was beheaded on the spot where his cathedral stands today.
And so it is today. In the partisan church wars what often goes unnoticed is that these basics have stayed put. For all of the troubles in the Church--and no one denies them, they are so obvious--there nevertheless exists, behind the headlines as it were, a pervasive, massive, worldwide, ongoing mission to spread the Word of Jesus. Every day--every single day, on a scale you cannot imagine--reconciliation, compassion, evangelization, and prayer are common fare.
Think of the daily heroism of our teachers in the public schools, the Catholic hospitals, the orphanages. Think of the countless missionaries, clerical and lay, who even as we sit here are toiling under repressive governments, risking life and limb for Christ.
Think of the fact that the Catholic Church is arguably the largest AIDS caregiver in the world. Think of the millions and millions of people, inspired by Christ, who daily, quietly, practice reconciliation, compassion, evangelization, and prayer all over the world, even in the most remote places.
This is the Church, not the well-publicized institutional hierarchy consisting of only one percent of baptized Catholics. The Church is the ninety-nine percent who toil in the marketplace and try to bring decency and honor to it. Behind the hot issues and behind the headlines, there is that daily, consistent presence of Christ in the world that is the Church--the People of God--who are, as we speak, seeding this world with grace. We’ve got to tell both ourselves and the world such good news. We can’t leave it up to the media. We can’t be so engrossed in our own agendas that we ourselves don’t see the larger picture.
And we can’t go around blaming our leaders. Even if they were the most evil and corrupt people that ever existed, we could still find Christ, for Christ does not depend on the leaders. He depends on his Church, which is us. Corrupt popes, bishops, priests, or lousy Catholics have no power over grace; these people we shouldn’t make bigger than they are. Blaming them is an attempt to get ourselves off the hook for our failures to be Church. After all, the sacraments work even from the hands of an unworthy minister.
God is larger than us, God’s servants. Sacraments, compassion, teaching, healing, grace--they quietly abound, full-measure and overflowing every single day all over this world. I was once asked about what happens to those people who were not baptized in the Catholic church, who never heard about Christ. What happens to them? I told them, that the Lord is far larger than our Sacraments. He is not bound by our sacraments and rituals. He too saves them.
On this feast of Peter and Paul we must remember that, in fact, there are many good things about the church, many daily, endless heroisms, public and private, deep prayer, everyday mysticism, life-giving nourishment in its great sacramental life, and profound and sustaining traditions--all this in spite of the good, bad, and the ugly who make up our leaders and our followers.
The Church of Peter and Paul is wounded and always has been, even in their time--but it is alive and striving to do well. This is what you should be preaching about and inviting people into. After all, we don’t often take note of the historical fact that the Catholic Church is the longest, continuous government in the world--some 1700 years longer than the next contender, the United States. That says something about our deep roots in the apostles and in Christ.
That’s why we celebrate the feastday of our founders, because we’re still here, 2009 years later! The Christ that Peter and Paul knew, lived for, and died for is alive in his people, alive in the people of God and not just in the hierarchy. You want a motto for this feast? St. Paul says it best: “Jesus Christ: yesterday, today, and forever.” We pray that we hold on to the same faith and values as Peter and Paul.
How should we Heal?
28 June 2009. 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 1, 13-15; 2, 23-24; Psalm 30; 2 Cor 8, 7-15; Mark 5, 21-43
In an age of pandemics such as the influenza A(H1N1) virus, today we hear of healing when it is most appropriate. In the Gospel, Jesus encounters two women: the daughter of Jairus and the woman with a hemorrhage. Both stories have someone seeking out Jesus. Jairus, the synagogue official, seeks Jesus’ healing touch for his daughter. In the story of the woman with a hemorrhage, she herself looks for Jesus. The synagogue official continues to trust Jesus even when news about his daughter’s death reached him. Likewise, despite her fear, the woman desires to touch even a piece of Jesus’ clothing hoping for healing.
How then should we heal? Let us pick up bits and pieces of the story. First, there is a clear desire for Jesus to heal those who are sick or to restore to health those who are dying. In situations of illness, the first thing is to have a great trust in the Lord; a confidence that God desires to make us whole again. The first reading from Wisdom says that “God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living... He made us imperishable.” If we want to be healed of any form of sickness, or if we desire to heal others, we have to believe that illness is not of God. So if it would be possible for us to prevent, protect or cure, the very act of healing is God’s act. With the number of cases of A(H1N1), one way to regard prevention methods is to see it as an act of charity. Hygiene is not just about ourselves; it is also about others. Taking responsibility by following quarantine measures when manifesting symptoms is an act of concern and love: you preserve the life of others.
Second, there is a strong motivation and desire that we want to be healed. Desire counts a lot in many people who recovered. Studies according to a Time Magazine article now show the relationship between faith and healing; that recovery can be speed up by prayer. In the Gospel, desire can either come from the very sick or from someone who loves. In the story of the paralytic, his cure is attributed to his friends who lowered him down from the roof. It is not uncommon for us to pray for those who are afflicted whether physically, emotionally and spirituality. Thus, Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage approach Jesus, moved by their desire for healing.
Third, take your medicine. Faith and medicine are complimentary. Jesus himself acknowledge the role of doctors. They are at the service of those who are sick. Jesus says that “Doctors minister not to the well, but to the sick; I came not for the righteous, but for sinners.” It is the doctor’s job to minister to afflicted. St. Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, was a doctor too. By taking our medicines, we are able to participate in God’s act of making us whole again.
Finally, we are reminded of the power of human touch and affection. Just as Jesus healed by touch, we too are able to heal by showing our tender loving care. From babies to the aged, the need to feel loved palpably cannot be ignored. Research from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, tells us that human touch, the non-sexual and supportive kind, tempers stress and blood pressure. Psychology has it that we need five affirmations a day to remain healthy in body, mind and spirit. Therefore, it is no wonder that one of the eight corporal works of mercy is to visit the sick. And by extension the creative means we do to get another spring to life such as our get-well-soon cards, texts with warm and affective messages, and flowers sent from friends and family. The need for human affection is all too clear when I asked students: Why don’t you want to be quarantined when you will be on vacation for 10 days? They said, “because we will be away from every body else.” Affection connects us; sharing the life energy that heals us all.
Wisdom 1, 13-15; 2, 23-24; Psalm 30; 2 Cor 8, 7-15; Mark 5, 21-43
In an age of pandemics such as the influenza A(H1N1) virus, today we hear of healing when it is most appropriate. In the Gospel, Jesus encounters two women: the daughter of Jairus and the woman with a hemorrhage. Both stories have someone seeking out Jesus. Jairus, the synagogue official, seeks Jesus’ healing touch for his daughter. In the story of the woman with a hemorrhage, she herself looks for Jesus. The synagogue official continues to trust Jesus even when news about his daughter’s death reached him. Likewise, despite her fear, the woman desires to touch even a piece of Jesus’ clothing hoping for healing.
How then should we heal? Let us pick up bits and pieces of the story. First, there is a clear desire for Jesus to heal those who are sick or to restore to health those who are dying. In situations of illness, the first thing is to have a great trust in the Lord; a confidence that God desires to make us whole again. The first reading from Wisdom says that “God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living... He made us imperishable.” If we want to be healed of any form of sickness, or if we desire to heal others, we have to believe that illness is not of God. So if it would be possible for us to prevent, protect or cure, the very act of healing is God’s act. With the number of cases of A(H1N1), one way to regard prevention methods is to see it as an act of charity. Hygiene is not just about ourselves; it is also about others. Taking responsibility by following quarantine measures when manifesting symptoms is an act of concern and love: you preserve the life of others.
Second, there is a strong motivation and desire that we want to be healed. Desire counts a lot in many people who recovered. Studies according to a Time Magazine article now show the relationship between faith and healing; that recovery can be speed up by prayer. In the Gospel, desire can either come from the very sick or from someone who loves. In the story of the paralytic, his cure is attributed to his friends who lowered him down from the roof. It is not uncommon for us to pray for those who are afflicted whether physically, emotionally and spirituality. Thus, Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage approach Jesus, moved by their desire for healing.
Third, take your medicine. Faith and medicine are complimentary. Jesus himself acknowledge the role of doctors. They are at the service of those who are sick. Jesus says that “Doctors minister not to the well, but to the sick; I came not for the righteous, but for sinners.” It is the doctor’s job to minister to afflicted. St. Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, was a doctor too. By taking our medicines, we are able to participate in God’s act of making us whole again.
Finally, we are reminded of the power of human touch and affection. Just as Jesus healed by touch, we too are able to heal by showing our tender loving care. From babies to the aged, the need to feel loved palpably cannot be ignored. Research from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, tells us that human touch, the non-sexual and supportive kind, tempers stress and blood pressure. Psychology has it that we need five affirmations a day to remain healthy in body, mind and spirit. Therefore, it is no wonder that one of the eight corporal works of mercy is to visit the sick. And by extension the creative means we do to get another spring to life such as our get-well-soon cards, texts with warm and affective messages, and flowers sent from friends and family. The need for human affection is all too clear when I asked students: Why don’t you want to be quarantined when you will be on vacation for 10 days? They said, “because we will be away from every body else.” Affection connects us; sharing the life energy that heals us all.
We can Heal!
26 June 2009. Friday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
Genesis 17, 1-22; Psalm 128; Matthew 8, 1-4
As a Jesuit novice, I was assigned to Tala Leprosarium for my hospital trials in 1990. I was cleaning their wounds with a disinfectant, using long forceps. But they never complained about pain. Since leprosy kills the nerves, they couldn’t feel any physical affliction. But emotionally, they are one of the most wounded. It is not anymore an incurable disease, thanks to MDT, but many still consider it an abomination. Outside of my hospital duty, I would talk to them. I would visit a building in the compound where they assemble Christmas lights to earn something since many of the family and friends cut off whatever is left of their relationship.
In biblical times, leprosy is not just the typical nodular, tubercular or anaesthetic leprosy we know today as Hansen’s disease. The Hebrew term covers a wide range of skin diseases such as an-an, buni, alipunga or had-had. Anyone covered with psoriasis, thus, was considered a leper. The discoloration of the skin turning it white, is what was referred to as “a leper as white as snow.” In the Book of Numbers (12, 9ff), the Lord made Miriam, a ‘snow-white leper’ as a punishment for her jealousy over Moses’ superior position. She said, “Is it through Moses alone that the Lord speaks? Does he not speak through us also? Any such skin disease renders the sufferer unclean. The leper in the Gospel was banished from the fellowship of men and women; he must dwell alone outside the camp; and he must ward everyone of his presence with the cry, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ The leper had not only to bear the physical pain of his disease; he had to bear the mental anguish and the heartbreak of being completely ostracized from human society.
What can we learn from the Gospel today? We can learn how Jesus heals. First, He talks to the person kindly. Many doctors know that a soothing and comforting word to the patient helps in the healing process. Many of our wounds, even physically, will have some bearing on our psychological life.
Second, He touches them compassionately. Jesus simply ignored the law that stipulates that He would be ritually unclean. To Him, compassion is what the leper needs more than anything else in the world. So how do face people who wounded us? Overflowing compassion. Eternal forgiveness: seventy-times-seven. Meaning, forgive all the time. If we allow our anger and our pain to control and determine our lives and our decisions, it would be difficult for us to grow and glow. I got a text message: "Never give the devil a ride -- he will always want to drive."
That is why one of our corporal works of charity is to visit the sick. It is not easy to go to hospitals and share with those with affliction. But our family and friends need both our kind words and our tender touch.
For many who are conscious about one’s appearance. we can heal by praying. Think about a text message: “Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a face-lift.”
Genesis 17, 1-22; Psalm 128; Matthew 8, 1-4
As a Jesuit novice, I was assigned to Tala Leprosarium for my hospital trials in 1990. I was cleaning their wounds with a disinfectant, using long forceps. But they never complained about pain. Since leprosy kills the nerves, they couldn’t feel any physical affliction. But emotionally, they are one of the most wounded. It is not anymore an incurable disease, thanks to MDT, but many still consider it an abomination. Outside of my hospital duty, I would talk to them. I would visit a building in the compound where they assemble Christmas lights to earn something since many of the family and friends cut off whatever is left of their relationship.
In biblical times, leprosy is not just the typical nodular, tubercular or anaesthetic leprosy we know today as Hansen’s disease. The Hebrew term covers a wide range of skin diseases such as an-an, buni, alipunga or had-had. Anyone covered with psoriasis, thus, was considered a leper. The discoloration of the skin turning it white, is what was referred to as “a leper as white as snow.” In the Book of Numbers (12, 9ff), the Lord made Miriam, a ‘snow-white leper’ as a punishment for her jealousy over Moses’ superior position. She said, “Is it through Moses alone that the Lord speaks? Does he not speak through us also? Any such skin disease renders the sufferer unclean. The leper in the Gospel was banished from the fellowship of men and women; he must dwell alone outside the camp; and he must ward everyone of his presence with the cry, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ The leper had not only to bear the physical pain of his disease; he had to bear the mental anguish and the heartbreak of being completely ostracized from human society.
What can we learn from the Gospel today? We can learn how Jesus heals. First, He talks to the person kindly. Many doctors know that a soothing and comforting word to the patient helps in the healing process. Many of our wounds, even physically, will have some bearing on our psychological life.
Second, He touches them compassionately. Jesus simply ignored the law that stipulates that He would be ritually unclean. To Him, compassion is what the leper needs more than anything else in the world. So how do face people who wounded us? Overflowing compassion. Eternal forgiveness: seventy-times-seven. Meaning, forgive all the time. If we allow our anger and our pain to control and determine our lives and our decisions, it would be difficult for us to grow and glow. I got a text message: "Never give the devil a ride -- he will always want to drive."
That is why one of our corporal works of charity is to visit the sick. It is not easy to go to hospitals and share with those with affliction. But our family and friends need both our kind words and our tender touch.
For many who are conscious about one’s appearance. we can heal by praying. Think about a text message: “Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a face-lift.”
How To Love and To Have a Strong Faith
25 June 2009 Thursday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
Gen 16, 1-16; Psalm 106; Matthew 7, 21-29
The Gospel tells us of the relationship between words and deeds. Between what we say and what we do. It says that it is not enough to say, “Lord, Lord” for only doing God’s will allows us to enter the Kingdom of God. St. Ignatius of Loyola said that love ought to shown more in deeds than in words. It is easy nowadays to say what we feel, what we think, how we view life in general. For many of us, expression is a piece of cake. We can text, email, or update people in our social network through Twitter or Plurk.
But when difficulties arise in our relationships, I guess, a much more challenging to do is to express our love in deeds. Many young couples profess their love for each other; but when conflicts in interest or schedules come, their love is put on trial. Many friends acknowledge the strength of their bond with each other; but when a hurting remark has been made, that bond suddenly goes up in the air. Many of the pious and the religious or even those who have come freshly from a retreat would profess their faith in the Lord, only to be abandoned once the “euphoria” is gone and the experience of failure, loneliness, fear and tragedy seeps into their lives. Many people who advocate certain issues have fought for principles, but often, we find them wanting in their lifestyles. Adlai Stevenson once said, “It is often easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.” Words nowadays need to be enfleshed more solidly into our lives.
It is important to note that we are not saying that words are inconsequential. Words are also important because there are things that should be articulated so that the meaning of the action will not be misinterpreted. An action without words will be prone to many interpretations; just as words may move different people to various actions. So we need to articulate what we do; as well as we should do what we articulate. We have to walk the talk. We have to live up to what we say.
There is a favorite song of mine from the play, Fiddler on the Roof, which illustrates the point of the Gospel today and the advice of St. Ignatius of Loyola: love being expressed more in deeds that in words. The lyrics of that song begin this way. Tevye, the husband, nervously asks his wife, Golde, this unusual question: Do you love me? Golde responds: Do I what?
Tevye: Do you love me? Golde: Do I love you? With our daughters getting married/and this trouble in the town,/ You’re upset, you’re worn out, Go inside, go lie down. Maybe it’s indigestion.
Tevye: Golde, I’m asking you a question: Do you love me? Golde: You’re a fool.
Tevye: I know--- But do you love me? Golde: Do I love you? For 25 years I’ve washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked the cow. After 25 years, why talk about love right now?
Tevye: Golde, the first time I met you was on our wedding day. I was scared. Golde: I was shy
Tevye: I was nervous. Golde: So was I.
Tevye: But my father and my mother said we’d learn to love each other. And now I’m asking, Golde, do you love me? Golde: Do I love him? For 25 years my bed is with him, starved with him. Twenty five years my bed is his. If that’s not love, what is?
Tevye: Then you love me? Golde: I suppose I do.
Tevye: And I suppose I love you too. Golde and Tevye together: It doesn’t change a thing, But even so, after 25 years, it’s nice to know.
Watch the video from the Fiddler on the Roof:
Golde truly loved Tevye--- expressing her love more in deeds than in words. Such love is solidly founded. It will not break, nor is it fragile.
The same way with our faith. If we do what we believe in, our faith becomes stronger. But if it remains on paper, the Gospel warns us: when the rain, the flood and the wind buffets the house, it will collapse and will be completely ruined.
Gen 16, 1-16; Psalm 106; Matthew 7, 21-29
The Gospel tells us of the relationship between words and deeds. Between what we say and what we do. It says that it is not enough to say, “Lord, Lord” for only doing God’s will allows us to enter the Kingdom of God. St. Ignatius of Loyola said that love ought to shown more in deeds than in words. It is easy nowadays to say what we feel, what we think, how we view life in general. For many of us, expression is a piece of cake. We can text, email, or update people in our social network through Twitter or Plurk.
But when difficulties arise in our relationships, I guess, a much more challenging to do is to express our love in deeds. Many young couples profess their love for each other; but when conflicts in interest or schedules come, their love is put on trial. Many friends acknowledge the strength of their bond with each other; but when a hurting remark has been made, that bond suddenly goes up in the air. Many of the pious and the religious or even those who have come freshly from a retreat would profess their faith in the Lord, only to be abandoned once the “euphoria” is gone and the experience of failure, loneliness, fear and tragedy seeps into their lives. Many people who advocate certain issues have fought for principles, but often, we find them wanting in their lifestyles. Adlai Stevenson once said, “It is often easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.” Words nowadays need to be enfleshed more solidly into our lives.
It is important to note that we are not saying that words are inconsequential. Words are also important because there are things that should be articulated so that the meaning of the action will not be misinterpreted. An action without words will be prone to many interpretations; just as words may move different people to various actions. So we need to articulate what we do; as well as we should do what we articulate. We have to walk the talk. We have to live up to what we say.
There is a favorite song of mine from the play, Fiddler on the Roof, which illustrates the point of the Gospel today and the advice of St. Ignatius of Loyola: love being expressed more in deeds that in words. The lyrics of that song begin this way. Tevye, the husband, nervously asks his wife, Golde, this unusual question: Do you love me? Golde responds: Do I what?
Tevye: Do you love me? Golde: Do I love you? With our daughters getting married/and this trouble in the town,/ You’re upset, you’re worn out, Go inside, go lie down. Maybe it’s indigestion.
Tevye: Golde, I’m asking you a question: Do you love me? Golde: You’re a fool.
Tevye: I know--- But do you love me? Golde: Do I love you? For 25 years I’ve washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked the cow. After 25 years, why talk about love right now?
Tevye: Golde, the first time I met you was on our wedding day. I was scared. Golde: I was shy
Tevye: I was nervous. Golde: So was I.
Tevye: But my father and my mother said we’d learn to love each other. And now I’m asking, Golde, do you love me? Golde: Do I love him? For 25 years my bed is with him, starved with him. Twenty five years my bed is his. If that’s not love, what is?
Tevye: Then you love me? Golde: I suppose I do.
Tevye: And I suppose I love you too. Golde and Tevye together: It doesn’t change a thing, But even so, after 25 years, it’s nice to know.
Watch the video from the Fiddler on the Roof:
Golde truly loved Tevye--- expressing her love more in deeds than in words. Such love is solidly founded. It will not break, nor is it fragile.
The same way with our faith. If we do what we believe in, our faith becomes stronger. But if it remains on paper, the Gospel warns us: when the rain, the flood and the wind buffets the house, it will collapse and will be completely ruined.
The John the Baptist in Our Lives
24 June 2009. Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Isaiah 49, 1-6; Psalm 139; Acts 13, 22-26; Luke 1: 57-66, 80
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist reminds me of my birthplace and the people who have been the “John the Baptists” of my life. The role of John the Baptist in the history of salvation is pivotal. It connects the Jewish past with both Zechariah and Elizabeth who come from the priestly tribe; they were blameless in the observance of the Mosaic law. But this elderly couple who have been open to be surprised by God knows that something is on the way, that God will soon intervene in history. That their son, who is a ‘surprise gift’, will help change history. The people also see this surprise. They are awed by John’s birth and naming. They know that Zechariah’s ability to speak again has a far deeper meaning. Zechariah thus proclaims a canticle (called the Benedictus), a hymn of praise, and also a prophecy. Prophecy in Scripture does not mean a foretelling of a future, but a ‘revelation from God of a deeper meaning of events’. Zechariah now sees that God remembers his people and has come to fulfill His promise of salvation.
Every child is a bundle of surprise. A Greek teacher would always make a bow whenever a student enters his class. He said that you will never know what that child will become someday. When celebrating the nativity of John the Baptist, we all go back to our birthplace and recall the stories about our beginnings. Perhaps it is beneficial to us to see how we have become since childhood. Have we contributed to make the world a better place?
Moreover, the celebration today conjures memories of people who have been the John the Baptists in my life. My parent’s patron saint is John the Baptist. Our pharmacy before was named after him. Every night, my mother would lead the rosary and would ask St. John to lead and guide our family in our journey in life towards the Lord. Our parish until today is named after him. Under the Franciscans during my time, they helped nurture my sense of service through music. Eventually what the Franciscans began paved the way for a priestly vocation. Thus, my parents and the Franciscans prepared the way for the Lord in my life.
Furthermore it tells us that we can all be like John the Baptist to other people. The first reading is about the call of the Servant. Though commentaries are not so sure whether it refers to an individual, to Israel itself, or to a prophet, they all agree that the mission is to restore Israel, to gather people together and to set things right in the eyes of God. In the light of John the Baptist, the second reading says, that he begins to gather people by proclaiming to them that the coming of the Messiah is at hand.
Service that prepares people for a future that is God-fearing is noble. We find chances to be prophets like John the Baptist. Parents, teachers, catechists, worship leaders, and ordinary men and women are asked to become ‘prophets’ --- to be able to preach the good news by reflecting and helping people to reflect on the deeper meaning of the events in our present history.
In some parts of the Philippines whose patron is St. John the Baptist, it is a tradition to throw water at people to remind them that John baptized at the River Jordan. To me, the most important is to remember our baptism where God has commissioned us to be prophets in the world today --- to see God in all the events of our present life.
Isaiah 49, 1-6; Psalm 139; Acts 13, 22-26; Luke 1: 57-66, 80
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist reminds me of my birthplace and the people who have been the “John the Baptists” of my life. The role of John the Baptist in the history of salvation is pivotal. It connects the Jewish past with both Zechariah and Elizabeth who come from the priestly tribe; they were blameless in the observance of the Mosaic law. But this elderly couple who have been open to be surprised by God knows that something is on the way, that God will soon intervene in history. That their son, who is a ‘surprise gift’, will help change history. The people also see this surprise. They are awed by John’s birth and naming. They know that Zechariah’s ability to speak again has a far deeper meaning. Zechariah thus proclaims a canticle (called the Benedictus), a hymn of praise, and also a prophecy. Prophecy in Scripture does not mean a foretelling of a future, but a ‘revelation from God of a deeper meaning of events’. Zechariah now sees that God remembers his people and has come to fulfill His promise of salvation.
Every child is a bundle of surprise. A Greek teacher would always make a bow whenever a student enters his class. He said that you will never know what that child will become someday. When celebrating the nativity of John the Baptist, we all go back to our birthplace and recall the stories about our beginnings. Perhaps it is beneficial to us to see how we have become since childhood. Have we contributed to make the world a better place?
Moreover, the celebration today conjures memories of people who have been the John the Baptists in my life. My parent’s patron saint is John the Baptist. Our pharmacy before was named after him. Every night, my mother would lead the rosary and would ask St. John to lead and guide our family in our journey in life towards the Lord. Our parish until today is named after him. Under the Franciscans during my time, they helped nurture my sense of service through music. Eventually what the Franciscans began paved the way for a priestly vocation. Thus, my parents and the Franciscans prepared the way for the Lord in my life.
Furthermore it tells us that we can all be like John the Baptist to other people. The first reading is about the call of the Servant. Though commentaries are not so sure whether it refers to an individual, to Israel itself, or to a prophet, they all agree that the mission is to restore Israel, to gather people together and to set things right in the eyes of God. In the light of John the Baptist, the second reading says, that he begins to gather people by proclaiming to them that the coming of the Messiah is at hand.
Service that prepares people for a future that is God-fearing is noble. We find chances to be prophets like John the Baptist. Parents, teachers, catechists, worship leaders, and ordinary men and women are asked to become ‘prophets’ --- to be able to preach the good news by reflecting and helping people to reflect on the deeper meaning of the events in our present history.
In some parts of the Philippines whose patron is St. John the Baptist, it is a tradition to throw water at people to remind them that John baptized at the River Jordan. To me, the most important is to remember our baptism where God has commissioned us to be prophets in the world today --- to see God in all the events of our present life.
Do You Know Where You're Going?
23 June 2009. Tuesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
Gen 13, 2, 5-18; Psalm 15; Matthew 7, 12-14
Nomads such as Abraham and Lot searched for pastures for their flock. The larger a flock got, the more arguments arose among the herdsmen and their owners. Here, Abraham and Lot decided to separate ways to stop conflicts in the future. Abraham, though older, deferred the first choice to Lot, who was younger. In the past, the older one got the first choice. Of course, Lot wanted the Jordan Plain where the land looked greener. He then settled near Sodom. Abraham, on the other hand, settled near the terebinth of Mamre (terebiths are trees with red flowers and fruits). The Lord then promised Abraham of innumerable descendants and allowed him to walk the “breath and length” of the land as a symbolic act of taking possession of what was not his, but God’s.
In the Gospel, Jesus talks about choices. First, about the gifts we have. Will you throw your pearls before swine? Meaning: Will you waste your talents carelessly or put them to good use? Second, about who we all are. Having the same dignity as others, will you do to them what you want them to do to you? This is the golden rule. Hillel, the Jewish teacher, also said that same thing in the negative: What you do not like, do not do to your neighbor.
Finally, about our life’s vocations discovered by entering the narrow gate and following the constricted road. Allow me to expound on this. Vocation is literally a calling. It does not necessarily mean to a religious ministry. In religious terms, the calling is from God. Someone calls and naturally, the one being called responds. When we are invited, we have to make choices: to respond or to be undecisive.
Our choices individuate and defines us. We discover who we are, what we are, where we’re going, what gives us meaning primarily by choosing. By failing to choose, our personhood becomes shapeless and amorphous. But people who made choices slowly acquire a solid identity. Their choices helps them understand who they are and at the same time, their understanding of themselves make them choose paths that are complimentary to their person. Choosing is entering the narrow gate. Freedom is operative when we choose among many options; the result of which is to further limit our options. In a multiple choice exam, we have to tick the right answer (eg. C). The act of choosing C is the act of freedom. The limitation is this: we put all of our hope for the correct answer in C alone (thus, not A, B or D). Our choosing narrows down the options. In the end then, when we become more mature, our future acquires shape. We eventually discover the type of life we want. Our lifestyle according to the kind of life we live, limits the options to only a few. Even if we would like to have the whole cake, we can’t. People who are married will have privileges and responsibilities that are not obligatory or proper to those who are single. The same way with those in religious life.
Likewise, the Gospel passage asks us to make a choice: for or against God. The road that is wide have been taken by those who are not serious in committing to God. They live constantly in a state of indecision. They are voluntarily afflicted by indetermination. They say, “I don’t want to be determined by any one else” and so they live life that is constantly afloat. Like nomads, they do not settle. And while being that way, they stay conflicted. They want to do what they like, wasting their life on any thing that catches their fancy, determined by their desires, throwing their pearls to swine. They want their lives to be determined by a what not by a who. Many take this road. But note: when Abraham and Lot made a choice, they ‘settled’. St. Thomas Aquinas said, “The things that we love tell us what we are.”
But the road to eternal life is narrow and constricted. To be determined by one’s family or by a significant other is a willful choice. To voluntarily choose to live a celibate life as an act of total availability to the people God wills us to serve narrows down our choices. But these are the choices of the few. The few who are sure of who and what they are. The few whose life’s direction is clear. The few who found meaning and joy in their lives, because they found their true vocation. Let me end with a quote from Fr. Jett Villarin SJ:
“Don’t worry, because your vocation, your personal calling is the intersection of your heart’s deepest happiness and the world’s deepest need. What God wants you to do is what makes your heart and that deepest most Christ-present part of you happy, and where that meets with what the world needs most.”
Gen 13, 2, 5-18; Psalm 15; Matthew 7, 12-14
Nomads such as Abraham and Lot searched for pastures for their flock. The larger a flock got, the more arguments arose among the herdsmen and their owners. Here, Abraham and Lot decided to separate ways to stop conflicts in the future. Abraham, though older, deferred the first choice to Lot, who was younger. In the past, the older one got the first choice. Of course, Lot wanted the Jordan Plain where the land looked greener. He then settled near Sodom. Abraham, on the other hand, settled near the terebinth of Mamre (terebiths are trees with red flowers and fruits). The Lord then promised Abraham of innumerable descendants and allowed him to walk the “breath and length” of the land as a symbolic act of taking possession of what was not his, but God’s.
In the Gospel, Jesus talks about choices. First, about the gifts we have. Will you throw your pearls before swine? Meaning: Will you waste your talents carelessly or put them to good use? Second, about who we all are. Having the same dignity as others, will you do to them what you want them to do to you? This is the golden rule. Hillel, the Jewish teacher, also said that same thing in the negative: What you do not like, do not do to your neighbor.
Finally, about our life’s vocations discovered by entering the narrow gate and following the constricted road. Allow me to expound on this. Vocation is literally a calling. It does not necessarily mean to a religious ministry. In religious terms, the calling is from God. Someone calls and naturally, the one being called responds. When we are invited, we have to make choices: to respond or to be undecisive.
Our choices individuate and defines us. We discover who we are, what we are, where we’re going, what gives us meaning primarily by choosing. By failing to choose, our personhood becomes shapeless and amorphous. But people who made choices slowly acquire a solid identity. Their choices helps them understand who they are and at the same time, their understanding of themselves make them choose paths that are complimentary to their person. Choosing is entering the narrow gate. Freedom is operative when we choose among many options; the result of which is to further limit our options. In a multiple choice exam, we have to tick the right answer (eg. C). The act of choosing C is the act of freedom. The limitation is this: we put all of our hope for the correct answer in C alone (thus, not A, B or D). Our choosing narrows down the options. In the end then, when we become more mature, our future acquires shape. We eventually discover the type of life we want. Our lifestyle according to the kind of life we live, limits the options to only a few. Even if we would like to have the whole cake, we can’t. People who are married will have privileges and responsibilities that are not obligatory or proper to those who are single. The same way with those in religious life.
Likewise, the Gospel passage asks us to make a choice: for or against God. The road that is wide have been taken by those who are not serious in committing to God. They live constantly in a state of indecision. They are voluntarily afflicted by indetermination. They say, “I don’t want to be determined by any one else” and so they live life that is constantly afloat. Like nomads, they do not settle. And while being that way, they stay conflicted. They want to do what they like, wasting their life on any thing that catches their fancy, determined by their desires, throwing their pearls to swine. They want their lives to be determined by a what not by a who. Many take this road. But note: when Abraham and Lot made a choice, they ‘settled’. St. Thomas Aquinas said, “The things that we love tell us what we are.”
But the road to eternal life is narrow and constricted. To be determined by one’s family or by a significant other is a willful choice. To voluntarily choose to live a celibate life as an act of total availability to the people God wills us to serve narrows down our choices. But these are the choices of the few. The few who are sure of who and what they are. The few whose life’s direction is clear. The few who found meaning and joy in their lives, because they found their true vocation. Let me end with a quote from Fr. Jett Villarin SJ:
“Don’t worry, because your vocation, your personal calling is the intersection of your heart’s deepest happiness and the world’s deepest need. What God wants you to do is what makes your heart and that deepest most Christ-present part of you happy, and where that meets with what the world needs most.”
Our Lives at Sea
21 June 2009. 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Job 38, 1, 8-11; Psalm 107; 2 Cor 5, 14-17; Mark 4, 35-41
The climate of our lives is constantly changing the same way as the weather around us is unpredictable. Since time immemorial, we have described the turbulence within our hearts using the terms from nature. The imagery of the Gospel today can also be used to describe our lives. We already left the shore and land is still far from reach. Like the disciples on the boat, we are at the mercy of the storm and the waves of the sea. But note: the Gospel tell us that Jesus is IN the boat with them. The fact that they have Jesus did not appease their fear; they panicked.
This image is important to me. It tells us that even believers, such as ourselves, are prone to fear even if we know that Jesus is always with us. In the midst of our greatest tragedies, our faith is threatened or put to the test. We ask God, like the disciples, why these things happen to us and why doesn’t he care about our difficulties. And those who are already convinced of their religious adherence are not spared from regrets and complaints about God. Job asks the question: why do bad things happen to good people. St. Ignatius of Loyola has some words of wisdom, “If God sends you much suffering, it is a sure sign that He wishes to make you a great saint. If you desire to be a saint; then also desire to suffer much.”
In the midst of these storms, the first reading from the book of Job tells us to look at the bigger picture. Despite the turbulence, God is in-charge of the natural cosmos, both in its structure and its regular operation; it will not revert to chaos. God can calm the storms of our lives, because He is powerful over them. God can put order in our lives.
In handling the confusions and conflicts in our lives, we first have to identify what’s troubling us. We have to put our finger on what’s causing the restlessness in our hearts; you can’t fight an enemy unless you know what it is. Second, we have to see the bigger picture. Often, we think that many of our problems cannot be resolved because we are too obsessed with ourselves. As if we are the only ones burdened by it. But in reality, many people have encountered our problems, though approximately. In fact, many people are healed because they are able to share their burdens with a support group who underwent or are handling the problem at present. It is good to have someone who can listen to us. All these can be done in silent prayer. We ask God to enlighten us, then talk to God about it. When we repair our lives, it is like repairing a boat at sea: we don’t tear everything down or build it up there, but we replace every little thing one at a time leaving the boat intact.
Finally, the storms of our lives can also be an experience of Divine encounter. In the Old Testament, appearances of God are frequently described with “storm terminology” such as in Exodus (19, 17-20) and Psalms (18, 7-17). The same way in the first reading, Yahweh speaks out of the storm. And thus, it is also good to see that any storm in our lives invite us to change and become better. For St. Ignatius, the pains and sufferings invite us to become saints --- to become a ‘new creation’ as Paul said. The resurrection, as St. Paul says in the second reading, gives us a new perspective. If before the resurrection, we have used human standards in judging our lives, now we see everything differently. We see our lives in the eyes of God.
All is new with Christ. We are a new creation. Thus, priorities have changed. The same God who created the universe is also capable of recreating and changing us, however undeserving and destructive though we are. He has even made us sharers of His work, and thus we too have been given the responsibility to help recreate our world once again. Think global: just as we have contributed to global warming and climate change, we are also responsible for any turbulence in our lives.
Job 38, 1, 8-11; Psalm 107; 2 Cor 5, 14-17; Mark 4, 35-41
The climate of our lives is constantly changing the same way as the weather around us is unpredictable. Since time immemorial, we have described the turbulence within our hearts using the terms from nature. The imagery of the Gospel today can also be used to describe our lives. We already left the shore and land is still far from reach. Like the disciples on the boat, we are at the mercy of the storm and the waves of the sea. But note: the Gospel tell us that Jesus is IN the boat with them. The fact that they have Jesus did not appease their fear; they panicked.
This image is important to me. It tells us that even believers, such as ourselves, are prone to fear even if we know that Jesus is always with us. In the midst of our greatest tragedies, our faith is threatened or put to the test. We ask God, like the disciples, why these things happen to us and why doesn’t he care about our difficulties. And those who are already convinced of their religious adherence are not spared from regrets and complaints about God. Job asks the question: why do bad things happen to good people. St. Ignatius of Loyola has some words of wisdom, “If God sends you much suffering, it is a sure sign that He wishes to make you a great saint. If you desire to be a saint; then also desire to suffer much.”
In the midst of these storms, the first reading from the book of Job tells us to look at the bigger picture. Despite the turbulence, God is in-charge of the natural cosmos, both in its structure and its regular operation; it will not revert to chaos. God can calm the storms of our lives, because He is powerful over them. God can put order in our lives.
In handling the confusions and conflicts in our lives, we first have to identify what’s troubling us. We have to put our finger on what’s causing the restlessness in our hearts; you can’t fight an enemy unless you know what it is. Second, we have to see the bigger picture. Often, we think that many of our problems cannot be resolved because we are too obsessed with ourselves. As if we are the only ones burdened by it. But in reality, many people have encountered our problems, though approximately. In fact, many people are healed because they are able to share their burdens with a support group who underwent or are handling the problem at present. It is good to have someone who can listen to us. All these can be done in silent prayer. We ask God to enlighten us, then talk to God about it. When we repair our lives, it is like repairing a boat at sea: we don’t tear everything down or build it up there, but we replace every little thing one at a time leaving the boat intact.
Finally, the storms of our lives can also be an experience of Divine encounter. In the Old Testament, appearances of God are frequently described with “storm terminology” such as in Exodus (19, 17-20) and Psalms (18, 7-17). The same way in the first reading, Yahweh speaks out of the storm. And thus, it is also good to see that any storm in our lives invite us to change and become better. For St. Ignatius, the pains and sufferings invite us to become saints --- to become a ‘new creation’ as Paul said. The resurrection, as St. Paul says in the second reading, gives us a new perspective. If before the resurrection, we have used human standards in judging our lives, now we see everything differently. We see our lives in the eyes of God.
All is new with Christ. We are a new creation. Thus, priorities have changed. The same God who created the universe is also capable of recreating and changing us, however undeserving and destructive though we are. He has even made us sharers of His work, and thus we too have been given the responsibility to help recreate our world once again. Think global: just as we have contributed to global warming and climate change, we are also responsible for any turbulence in our lives.
Tough Love
19 June 2009 Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Hos 11, 1-9; Isaiah 12; Eph 3, 8-19; John 19, 31-37
I texted a friend of mine for help. I asked him how to handle certain cases with addictions. Among other things, he told me what they need is tough love. What is tough love? There may be some understanding of what tough love is: there are those who would find it mistreatment of adults towards their children. So let me define what I mean. When a person who genuinely loves another treats them rather sternly and harshly so that they will be helped in the future is practicing tough love. There is love and affection, but in a specific situation a “soft” love is not called for. For example, in drug addiction, parents may have to cut off their financial support for their child unless they enter rehabilitation. In our ordinary life, we discipline our children or students by delaying gratification: we have to let them study even if asking them to stay put and read their books will be “hurting” to them. The coach of a basketball team have be hard and strict to instill discipline. Not all expression of love is pleasurable. When we wish to grow in a relationship, pain is part of the package. As the Gospel tell us blood and water gushed out of the body of Christ. To love is to willfully decide to be claimed by death.
First, tough love has in its very roots a love that is borne out from pain. You need a large heart to accommodate someone who is difficult to love in the first place. In the first reading from Hosea, Israel here is seen as a wayward child. And Yahweh is now seen as a loving parent. For many Scripture scholars, this image of God in the ‘warm flesh of human parenthood’ is the supreme revelation of divine love in Hebrew Scriptures. Hosea writes also in view of his love for his wife who is unfaithful. He has to overcome his anger knowing the illegitimate children of his wife. He has to remove from his mind the sexual excesses of Canaanite fertility rites. So that he could reach the depths of compassion. Meaning, should he forgive his wife and give her another chance as demanded of divine and heroic love or to submit to death as a consequence of adultery according to human law (Deut 21, 18-21)?
In the first reading, Hosea sees God as compassionate and forgiving despite Israel’s unfaithfulness. Here, Hosea uses the image of God as maternal and as healer to Israel and to its sins. Isaiah 49 says how could a mother forget her child. But the love of God is far greater than this. Paul encourages us to “know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” and to have the strength to comprehend, the “breadth and length and height and depth” of Christ’s love for us. To me, the Sacred Heart of Jesus tells assures me of God’s constant and personal love for me, despite my sinfulness and wayward ways.
Second, tough love requires the lover to further stretch that love even if the heart is already bleeding. The heart is stretched to its limits. The realization of the breath, length, height and depth of God’s love should encourage us to strive to have a love as God’s. There are times when God disciplines us: when we commit mistakes, he allows us to rise up again, as parents allowing their children to fall on their first steps so that they learn how to stand. When we fail, we are allowed to be hurt so that we would learn from them. Ask parents: when they discipline, it is not just their children who are hurt. The disciplining is also painful to them. But they have to do it. If they don’t, they will not instill the values the children need in the future. The pain is necessary for growth. Tough love.
Our faith must permeate all of our lives. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus makes us bask in the breath, length, height, and depth of God’s love for us. But it should also help us love another, including those who are difficult for us to love such as our enemies, the nuissance, the pest, the troublesome and the unmanageable in our lives.
Hos 11, 1-9; Isaiah 12; Eph 3, 8-19; John 19, 31-37
I texted a friend of mine for help. I asked him how to handle certain cases with addictions. Among other things, he told me what they need is tough love. What is tough love? There may be some understanding of what tough love is: there are those who would find it mistreatment of adults towards their children. So let me define what I mean. When a person who genuinely loves another treats them rather sternly and harshly so that they will be helped in the future is practicing tough love. There is love and affection, but in a specific situation a “soft” love is not called for. For example, in drug addiction, parents may have to cut off their financial support for their child unless they enter rehabilitation. In our ordinary life, we discipline our children or students by delaying gratification: we have to let them study even if asking them to stay put and read their books will be “hurting” to them. The coach of a basketball team have be hard and strict to instill discipline. Not all expression of love is pleasurable. When we wish to grow in a relationship, pain is part of the package. As the Gospel tell us blood and water gushed out of the body of Christ. To love is to willfully decide to be claimed by death.
First, tough love has in its very roots a love that is borne out from pain. You need a large heart to accommodate someone who is difficult to love in the first place. In the first reading from Hosea, Israel here is seen as a wayward child. And Yahweh is now seen as a loving parent. For many Scripture scholars, this image of God in the ‘warm flesh of human parenthood’ is the supreme revelation of divine love in Hebrew Scriptures. Hosea writes also in view of his love for his wife who is unfaithful. He has to overcome his anger knowing the illegitimate children of his wife. He has to remove from his mind the sexual excesses of Canaanite fertility rites. So that he could reach the depths of compassion. Meaning, should he forgive his wife and give her another chance as demanded of divine and heroic love or to submit to death as a consequence of adultery according to human law (Deut 21, 18-21)?
In the first reading, Hosea sees God as compassionate and forgiving despite Israel’s unfaithfulness. Here, Hosea uses the image of God as maternal and as healer to Israel and to its sins. Isaiah 49 says how could a mother forget her child. But the love of God is far greater than this. Paul encourages us to “know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” and to have the strength to comprehend, the “breadth and length and height and depth” of Christ’s love for us. To me, the Sacred Heart of Jesus tells assures me of God’s constant and personal love for me, despite my sinfulness and wayward ways.
Second, tough love requires the lover to further stretch that love even if the heart is already bleeding. The heart is stretched to its limits. The realization of the breath, length, height and depth of God’s love should encourage us to strive to have a love as God’s. There are times when God disciplines us: when we commit mistakes, he allows us to rise up again, as parents allowing their children to fall on their first steps so that they learn how to stand. When we fail, we are allowed to be hurt so that we would learn from them. Ask parents: when they discipline, it is not just their children who are hurt. The disciplining is also painful to them. But they have to do it. If they don’t, they will not instill the values the children need in the future. The pain is necessary for growth. Tough love.
Our faith must permeate all of our lives. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus makes us bask in the breath, length, height, and depth of God’s love for us. But it should also help us love another, including those who are difficult for us to love such as our enemies, the nuissance, the pest, the troublesome and the unmanageable in our lives.
Loving Enemies, Handling Anger
16 June 2009. Tuesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time
2 Cor 8, 1-9; Psalm 146; Matthew 5, 43-48
The command to love our enemies may pose as an impossibility. How many of us have been successful? There are, of course, success stories. But a majority have struggle with it, or to some dismiss the tenet completely. But Jesus clearly said that if we love our enemies, it will mark us from the rest of the world.
A quick explanation. In Greek, there are three words for love. Roughly, eros for those whom we are intimate with; Philia for those within the family and friends circle; Agape for the love we have for the general humanity. Agape is what Jesus used. It would be very difficult to love our enemies with an eros and philia kind of love. But, of course, it may be possible. Commonly though, it is more manageable to be able to at least give what is due to the dignity of the person we do not like; this is agape. If God sends the sun and the rain to both the just and the unjust, as the Gospel tell us today, then God loves all of us, including our enemies. If God loves all, then we have to strive to love them --- even if not of the same degree --- as God loves us all.
The first challenge in loving our enemies is handling our anger. Psychologists have it that our outbursts are not just about a present situation of hurt. Anger carries with it the past. Thus, we fly off the handle when we are triggered --- that means, there are situations that predispose us to be excessively angry. For example, when our managers critique our jobs, despite the effort we have given, we overreact. We believe that our work reflects our dignity. We take the criticism personally. Thus, evaluation periods have never been popular among employees.
But what we don’t know is that our attitude towards anger situations trace its history years ago: when our parents have not been generous with their affirmations, when we were bullied and insulted. We feel their love if our grades are better; and their wrath if our grades are not satisfying to merit attention. We are as good as the last awarded project.
We notice that our pet peeves are not the same with others. Some will not be affected by our anger situations; and we too will not be angered when they will be reacting. We should therefore identify these situations in order for us to be free from them. So that, aware of situations that anger us, we will be able to respond fairly well to them, not reacting to them.
2 Cor 8, 1-9; Psalm 146; Matthew 5, 43-48
The command to love our enemies may pose as an impossibility. How many of us have been successful? There are, of course, success stories. But a majority have struggle with it, or to some dismiss the tenet completely. But Jesus clearly said that if we love our enemies, it will mark us from the rest of the world.
A quick explanation. In Greek, there are three words for love. Roughly, eros for those whom we are intimate with; Philia for those within the family and friends circle; Agape for the love we have for the general humanity. Agape is what Jesus used. It would be very difficult to love our enemies with an eros and philia kind of love. But, of course, it may be possible. Commonly though, it is more manageable to be able to at least give what is due to the dignity of the person we do not like; this is agape. If God sends the sun and the rain to both the just and the unjust, as the Gospel tell us today, then God loves all of us, including our enemies. If God loves all, then we have to strive to love them --- even if not of the same degree --- as God loves us all.
The first challenge in loving our enemies is handling our anger. Psychologists have it that our outbursts are not just about a present situation of hurt. Anger carries with it the past. Thus, we fly off the handle when we are triggered --- that means, there are situations that predispose us to be excessively angry. For example, when our managers critique our jobs, despite the effort we have given, we overreact. We believe that our work reflects our dignity. We take the criticism personally. Thus, evaluation periods have never been popular among employees.
But what we don’t know is that our attitude towards anger situations trace its history years ago: when our parents have not been generous with their affirmations, when we were bullied and insulted. We feel their love if our grades are better; and their wrath if our grades are not satisfying to merit attention. We are as good as the last awarded project.
We notice that our pet peeves are not the same with others. Some will not be affected by our anger situations; and we too will not be angered when they will be reacting. We should therefore identify these situations in order for us to be free from them. So that, aware of situations that anger us, we will be able to respond fairly well to them, not reacting to them.
The Covenant Relationship
14 June 2009. Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
Exodus 24, 3-8; Psalm 116; Heb 9, 11-15; Mark 14, 12-16, 22-26
One comment from Youtube said that Catholics are cannibals because of what we believe about receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. But it is not the first time I heard this comment; history has it. And so, allow me to attempt an explanation just from the Sunday readings.
The first reading from Exodus tells us how the people of the past established covenants or agreements. When the Israelites agreed to willingly accept the will of Yahweh, Moses wrote the stipulations; meaning the terms of agreement demanded of the people. Sacrifices made covenants. Moses read “the book of the covenant” and then sprinkled blood on both the altar and the people. Blood symbolized life for the Israelites; the altar symbolized God. Sharing the same blood from the animals, a union was created. However in this ancient ceremony, the conditions that would preserve the blood relationship became the focus.
The second reading from Hebrews tells us of a new covenant formed from the sacrifice of Christ. And by His blood, He restored our relationship with God, and thus formed a new covenant. In the past, people who were ritually unclean became purified when sprinkled with the ashes of a young female cow. Thus, the author of Hebrews said Christ’s blood was more powerful and potent in the forgiveness of sins, purification and making a covenant relationship.
Finally, the Gospel tells us that Christ Himself said when He took, blessed, broke and gave the bread to the disciples, “Take it, this is my body.” And then, He took the cup with wine, gave thanks and gave it to them to drink, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” The words of the Institution of the Eucharist, which we hear during consecration, pegs the belief of Catholics that what we take during communion is the Real Presence of Jesus. When the words and actions of Jesus are said during the consecration, the bread and the wine transubstantiates into the real presence of Jesus. And why do we repeat what Jesus did? Because He said so: we do it to remember Him. In other words, our memory will open our eyes to really see His real presence. And so, when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we commit ourselves in a new covenant (second reading) and become one with Christ, united by His body and blood (the first reading). And because Christ lives in us, we become the presence of Christ in the world.
How can we live up to the new covenant? How can we become the presence of Christ in the world? There are three things we see in the readings today (and I am sure there are more, like the obvious Ten commandments or the Beatitudes). First, the restoration of a relationship. For those who have strained relationships, we can restore family ties, friendships or partnerships by forgiveness or dialogue.
Second, the commitments we enter into. It may be the start of a business partnership, a new significant other, or a new vocation as we have seen in marriage and in taking religious vows. Commitments will require a change. By entering into a relationship, you have willfully decided to be determined by another person. You’re schedule will revolve and include them.
Third, maintenance of a relationship. The most difficult part of a relationship is not entering or ending it, but maintaining it. Many people who have long relationships enrich and strengthen their commitment by doing many things. It can be in the business of remembrance: the regular celebration of birthdays and anniversaries, the reliving of significant memories may involve keeping a photo album, a scrapbook, or a box of things taken from restaurants the couple dined.
It can be in the business of creativity: of experimenting on new ways of expressing love. There are a hundred and one ways of showing our love --- ways whose purpose is the show of affection. For those who think that sex is the one and only expression of love, sorry you lack imagination. Because the purpose of genital activity is not just an expression of love, but for the creation and education of children. You don’t use a DVD machine to cook food; you use it to watch movies. It requires sacrifice to wait till marriage; to delay gratification. GK Chesterton said that dead things go with the flow, living things can go against it. This is the time to show life. To live requires sacrifice.
One final word. Entering into a covenant is not a free ride. It will always involve some form of “blood letting”. The sooner we accept the reality that everything has a price, we will soon be able to see that to blame God for our difficulties is nonsense. He worked for our salvation. Even God Himself has to die. In Scripture, the Greek term for covenant is the same for a testament. A testament, like a last will and testament, is an agreement that the will of the person will be executed only after death. Thus, entering into a relationship is, as popular tenets say, a death wish.
Exodus 24, 3-8; Psalm 116; Heb 9, 11-15; Mark 14, 12-16, 22-26
One comment from Youtube said that Catholics are cannibals because of what we believe about receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. But it is not the first time I heard this comment; history has it. And so, allow me to attempt an explanation just from the Sunday readings.
The first reading from Exodus tells us how the people of the past established covenants or agreements. When the Israelites agreed to willingly accept the will of Yahweh, Moses wrote the stipulations; meaning the terms of agreement demanded of the people. Sacrifices made covenants. Moses read “the book of the covenant” and then sprinkled blood on both the altar and the people. Blood symbolized life for the Israelites; the altar symbolized God. Sharing the same blood from the animals, a union was created. However in this ancient ceremony, the conditions that would preserve the blood relationship became the focus.
The second reading from Hebrews tells us of a new covenant formed from the sacrifice of Christ. And by His blood, He restored our relationship with God, and thus formed a new covenant. In the past, people who were ritually unclean became purified when sprinkled with the ashes of a young female cow. Thus, the author of Hebrews said Christ’s blood was more powerful and potent in the forgiveness of sins, purification and making a covenant relationship.
Finally, the Gospel tells us that Christ Himself said when He took, blessed, broke and gave the bread to the disciples, “Take it, this is my body.” And then, He took the cup with wine, gave thanks and gave it to them to drink, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” The words of the Institution of the Eucharist, which we hear during consecration, pegs the belief of Catholics that what we take during communion is the Real Presence of Jesus. When the words and actions of Jesus are said during the consecration, the bread and the wine transubstantiates into the real presence of Jesus. And why do we repeat what Jesus did? Because He said so: we do it to remember Him. In other words, our memory will open our eyes to really see His real presence. And so, when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we commit ourselves in a new covenant (second reading) and become one with Christ, united by His body and blood (the first reading). And because Christ lives in us, we become the presence of Christ in the world.
How can we live up to the new covenant? How can we become the presence of Christ in the world? There are three things we see in the readings today (and I am sure there are more, like the obvious Ten commandments or the Beatitudes). First, the restoration of a relationship. For those who have strained relationships, we can restore family ties, friendships or partnerships by forgiveness or dialogue.
Second, the commitments we enter into. It may be the start of a business partnership, a new significant other, or a new vocation as we have seen in marriage and in taking religious vows. Commitments will require a change. By entering into a relationship, you have willfully decided to be determined by another person. You’re schedule will revolve and include them.
Third, maintenance of a relationship. The most difficult part of a relationship is not entering or ending it, but maintaining it. Many people who have long relationships enrich and strengthen their commitment by doing many things. It can be in the business of remembrance: the regular celebration of birthdays and anniversaries, the reliving of significant memories may involve keeping a photo album, a scrapbook, or a box of things taken from restaurants the couple dined.
It can be in the business of creativity: of experimenting on new ways of expressing love. There are a hundred and one ways of showing our love --- ways whose purpose is the show of affection. For those who think that sex is the one and only expression of love, sorry you lack imagination. Because the purpose of genital activity is not just an expression of love, but for the creation and education of children. You don’t use a DVD machine to cook food; you use it to watch movies. It requires sacrifice to wait till marriage; to delay gratification. GK Chesterton said that dead things go with the flow, living things can go against it. This is the time to show life. To live requires sacrifice.
One final word. Entering into a covenant is not a free ride. It will always involve some form of “blood letting”. The sooner we accept the reality that everything has a price, we will soon be able to see that to blame God for our difficulties is nonsense. He worked for our salvation. Even God Himself has to die. In Scripture, the Greek term for covenant is the same for a testament. A testament, like a last will and testament, is an agreement that the will of the person will be executed only after death. Thus, entering into a relationship is, as popular tenets say, a death wish.
Do You Feel Unworthy to Serve?
11 June 2009. Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle
Acts 11: 21-26, 13: 1-3; Psalm 98; Matthew 5, 20-26
Have you ever wanted --- or at least the idea crossed your mind --- of being at the service of God in whatever capacity you have (and not necessarily religious life), but felt unworthy of the call? The first thing that chicken us out is our sense of sin --- knowing our dark past, our tendency to be rebellious, or even the awareness that there are many questions, doubts and disagreements with a practice or a promulgation by the Church.
But despite all these, there is a lingering attraction to offer some of our precious time off our work, for some noble and meaningful task. For some even, yielding to a nagging force to offer their life to a loftier ideal, a pro-bono work, or even considering religious life. Many of us suffer from this “low self-esteem” because there is a pervading perception that religious activity is for the holy and the saint.
In fact, many people resolve to come to pray before the Lord when the time is right and perfect. They plan to enter the church only when they have already ‘cleanse’ themselves of any stain of sin. But our experiences tell us that the ‘perfect time’ does not come. Even those who have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation minutes before the mass find their minds wandering during the Scripture readings or their eyes would rest on an exposed skin on a cute churchgoer no matter how briefly. Or for many, a feeling of exasperation on the senseless and unorganized homily of the priest at mass. By the time, they are to receive communion, their hearts are never ‘thoroughly’ clean and spotless; thus unworthy for the Lord to dwell.
But just as the previous posts in this blog tell us about the experiences of St. Paul who has been a persecutor and murderer of Christians and Danniel Sunga nSJ in his article in the Philippine Inquirer, all of us ministers of the Lord are unworthy. Our human qualifications cannot make us worthy of the task of the Lord. And thus, St. Paul said that it is the Lord who make us worthy because Jesus said that though we did not earn the honor of being at the service of God, He made us worthy by his word. That is why after the Agnus Dei and before we line up for communion we say, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed” (of our unworthiness).
Having said this, St. Barnabas will thus hold a special part in the life of many of us who suffer from this “low self-esteem”. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tell us that Barnabas was a “good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith”. Thus, “a great number believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11, 21). Barnabas supported St. Paul when he was newly converted. When Saul (Paul) first visited Jerusalem (AD 33-38) after his conversion, the Church there found it hard to believe Saul. Thus, Barnabas helped the apostles to accept Saul. He offered his house in Tarsus for Saul, as he remained in obscurity for some time, perhaps for some soul searching that helped him prepare himself for a daunting task in the future.
Meanwhile, some disciples from Cyrene and Cyprus left Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen (whom Saul had been partner to) and began preaching in Antioch in Syria. They made numerous converts there, which the Jerusalem community heard about. Barnabas, a Jew, was sent to Antioch and welcomed the new converts and saw an immense opportunity for the faith. He remembered Saul in Tarsus, and gave him the task to preach to the Gentiles. The rest is history: Christianity which began as a Jerusalem sect, became a universal religion. It was in Antioch, that we were first called Christians. It was therefore Barnabas who encouraged Saul, after having a dark past, to believe that he too can do God’s task.
In our lives, we know that when faced with a great challenge, we find ourselves afraid. There are many reasons for us to back out because we are afraid to fail or for our credentials to be questioned by people. If we are called by God, we serve as best as we can because we are qualified by God’s word.
For those who took the leap of faith, many of us have our support group who cheer us. People who believed in us and what we can do. And thus, as Barnabas supported Paul, we too have to develop a culture of encouragement. Who knows: the person who needed a few words of encouragement may turn out to be the person who can change the world.
Acts 11: 21-26, 13: 1-3; Psalm 98; Matthew 5, 20-26
Have you ever wanted --- or at least the idea crossed your mind --- of being at the service of God in whatever capacity you have (and not necessarily religious life), but felt unworthy of the call? The first thing that chicken us out is our sense of sin --- knowing our dark past, our tendency to be rebellious, or even the awareness that there are many questions, doubts and disagreements with a practice or a promulgation by the Church.
But despite all these, there is a lingering attraction to offer some of our precious time off our work, for some noble and meaningful task. For some even, yielding to a nagging force to offer their life to a loftier ideal, a pro-bono work, or even considering religious life. Many of us suffer from this “low self-esteem” because there is a pervading perception that religious activity is for the holy and the saint.
In fact, many people resolve to come to pray before the Lord when the time is right and perfect. They plan to enter the church only when they have already ‘cleanse’ themselves of any stain of sin. But our experiences tell us that the ‘perfect time’ does not come. Even those who have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation minutes before the mass find their minds wandering during the Scripture readings or their eyes would rest on an exposed skin on a cute churchgoer no matter how briefly. Or for many, a feeling of exasperation on the senseless and unorganized homily of the priest at mass. By the time, they are to receive communion, their hearts are never ‘thoroughly’ clean and spotless; thus unworthy for the Lord to dwell.
But just as the previous posts in this blog tell us about the experiences of St. Paul who has been a persecutor and murderer of Christians and Danniel Sunga nSJ in his article in the Philippine Inquirer, all of us ministers of the Lord are unworthy. Our human qualifications cannot make us worthy of the task of the Lord. And thus, St. Paul said that it is the Lord who make us worthy because Jesus said that though we did not earn the honor of being at the service of God, He made us worthy by his word. That is why after the Agnus Dei and before we line up for communion we say, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed” (of our unworthiness).
Having said this, St. Barnabas will thus hold a special part in the life of many of us who suffer from this “low self-esteem”. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tell us that Barnabas was a “good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith”. Thus, “a great number believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11, 21). Barnabas supported St. Paul when he was newly converted. When Saul (Paul) first visited Jerusalem (AD 33-38) after his conversion, the Church there found it hard to believe Saul. Thus, Barnabas helped the apostles to accept Saul. He offered his house in Tarsus for Saul, as he remained in obscurity for some time, perhaps for some soul searching that helped him prepare himself for a daunting task in the future.
Meanwhile, some disciples from Cyrene and Cyprus left Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen (whom Saul had been partner to) and began preaching in Antioch in Syria. They made numerous converts there, which the Jerusalem community heard about. Barnabas, a Jew, was sent to Antioch and welcomed the new converts and saw an immense opportunity for the faith. He remembered Saul in Tarsus, and gave him the task to preach to the Gentiles. The rest is history: Christianity which began as a Jerusalem sect, became a universal religion. It was in Antioch, that we were first called Christians. It was therefore Barnabas who encouraged Saul, after having a dark past, to believe that he too can do God’s task.
In our lives, we know that when faced with a great challenge, we find ourselves afraid. There are many reasons for us to back out because we are afraid to fail or for our credentials to be questioned by people. If we are called by God, we serve as best as we can because we are qualified by God’s word.
For those who took the leap of faith, many of us have our support group who cheer us. People who believed in us and what we can do. And thus, as Barnabas supported Paul, we too have to develop a culture of encouragement. Who knows: the person who needed a few words of encouragement may turn out to be the person who can change the world.
What Qualifies a Minister
10 June 2009. Wednesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary
2 Cor 3, 4-11; Psalm 99; Matthew 5, 17-19
Let me give you the background of the first reading. The Corinthians charged Paul of arrogance and boasting because Paul does not have a letter of recommendation from Jesus whom he represents. His ministry as Paul reflected on his apostolate is to extend the ministry of Christ. Messengers or representatives usually carry such letters that proves his credentials, gifts, or the approval of authorities. The Corinthians valued these things.
So Paul said that He didn’t need a letter of recommendation. He said that no mere human qualifications can prepare someone for God’s mission. Whatever he has, whether skills or gifts, are not enough to equip him for God’s work. It is God who sent and chose him, and therefore made him worthy to accomplish God’s task. If there are people who can testify to his “qualifications” they are the Corinthians themselves whom he lived with and loved. And thus, their stories about him that proves of his authority to preach is not written on paper, but written in the hearts of the Corinthians.
In the first reading, Paul then tells us that the basis of confidence of a ministry does not reside on his “qualifications” but “in the Lord”. God is now making a new covenant and thus “fashioning” new ministers. If the old covenant was written in stone (as Moses and the tablets), the new covenant is now written in the hearts of people. If the old covenant measures and defines sin (Thou shalt not... ), the new covenant in the Spirit of God gives life.
In our lives, it is a matter of perspective. A person who focuses on the don’ts tend to be judgmental and legalistic. They tend to be rigid and Pharisaic. Their lives are governed by their numerous small laws, like the various interpretations of the law by the scribes. Like the Corinthians, they would look at resumes and written qualifications. Their conscience tend to be scrupulous because they are always afraid that they would be punished if they break any of these laws --- despite many of them are absurd. They force people to respect them because of the authority or title they hold. But we all know that not all with a doctorate decree and the most impressive resume are good teachers or even pastors. Often, they are boring and bookish. Likewise, not all candidates for a government position can perform and serve well, despite their educational background and track record.
The best qualification of leadership is experienced by the community themselves. They have lived with the person and so they see their characters. Character is defined as who you are when no one is looking. The people can testify to the qualifications of the person intended to serve; they are the best witnesses of the person. The people who tends to be optimistic and positive are open to life and its challenges. They see some goodness in people, despite their being bad. It would be difficult to remove the sunshine in their faces. And therefore, if we would like to testify to Jesus, we have to spend time with Him so that we would know His Spirit apart from the others. This is the reason why contemplation as a form of prayer becomes important: we truly live with Jesus and thus would quite know His spirit. The analogy is simple: in our knowledge of a person, we would be able know that they like with or without their physical presence. No explanation asked: we just know! Basta! We don’t feel restricted as the first; we would even feel free because there is much, much more in the world that can be enjoyed and explored happily like free spirits! What is the basis? The law is written in your heart. You don’t need a list or pamphlet of rules about the do’s and don’ts, likes and dislikes of your significant other. It is written in your heart because you just know that a t-shirt in a boutique will be appreciated than the thousand other t-shirts on the racks.
2 Cor 3, 4-11; Psalm 99; Matthew 5, 17-19
Let me give you the background of the first reading. The Corinthians charged Paul of arrogance and boasting because Paul does not have a letter of recommendation from Jesus whom he represents. His ministry as Paul reflected on his apostolate is to extend the ministry of Christ. Messengers or representatives usually carry such letters that proves his credentials, gifts, or the approval of authorities. The Corinthians valued these things.
So Paul said that He didn’t need a letter of recommendation. He said that no mere human qualifications can prepare someone for God’s mission. Whatever he has, whether skills or gifts, are not enough to equip him for God’s work. It is God who sent and chose him, and therefore made him worthy to accomplish God’s task. If there are people who can testify to his “qualifications” they are the Corinthians themselves whom he lived with and loved. And thus, their stories about him that proves of his authority to preach is not written on paper, but written in the hearts of the Corinthians.
In the first reading, Paul then tells us that the basis of confidence of a ministry does not reside on his “qualifications” but “in the Lord”. God is now making a new covenant and thus “fashioning” new ministers. If the old covenant was written in stone (as Moses and the tablets), the new covenant is now written in the hearts of people. If the old covenant measures and defines sin (Thou shalt not... ), the new covenant in the Spirit of God gives life.
In our lives, it is a matter of perspective. A person who focuses on the don’ts tend to be judgmental and legalistic. They tend to be rigid and Pharisaic. Their lives are governed by their numerous small laws, like the various interpretations of the law by the scribes. Like the Corinthians, they would look at resumes and written qualifications. Their conscience tend to be scrupulous because they are always afraid that they would be punished if they break any of these laws --- despite many of them are absurd. They force people to respect them because of the authority or title they hold. But we all know that not all with a doctorate decree and the most impressive resume are good teachers or even pastors. Often, they are boring and bookish. Likewise, not all candidates for a government position can perform and serve well, despite their educational background and track record.
The best qualification of leadership is experienced by the community themselves. They have lived with the person and so they see their characters. Character is defined as who you are when no one is looking. The people can testify to the qualifications of the person intended to serve; they are the best witnesses of the person. The people who tends to be optimistic and positive are open to life and its challenges. They see some goodness in people, despite their being bad. It would be difficult to remove the sunshine in their faces. And therefore, if we would like to testify to Jesus, we have to spend time with Him so that we would know His Spirit apart from the others. This is the reason why contemplation as a form of prayer becomes important: we truly live with Jesus and thus would quite know His spirit. The analogy is simple: in our knowledge of a person, we would be able know that they like with or without their physical presence. No explanation asked: we just know! Basta! We don’t feel restricted as the first; we would even feel free because there is much, much more in the world that can be enjoyed and explored happily like free spirits! What is the basis? The law is written in your heart. You don’t need a list or pamphlet of rules about the do’s and don’ts, likes and dislikes of your significant other. It is written in your heart because you just know that a t-shirt in a boutique will be appreciated than the thousand other t-shirts on the racks.
Priesthood
Priesthood
by Danniel Sunga
Philippine Daily Inquirer
by Danniel Sunga
Philippine Daily Inquirer
6 June 2009
I don’t even exactly deserve to be a seminarian. Di po ako kagaya ni Santino na araw araw tumatambay sa monasteryo at nakikipag-usap kay “Bro” katulad ng napanood natin sa TV. (I’m not like Santino, as we know him on TV, every day finding time to be at a monastery and talking with “Bro” [Jesus]). Me, I was a mischievous kid, and my behind was no stranger to my father’s belt. I was a typical teenager of my time—always out of our house, enjoying watering holes and Friday-night-outs with friends. I fell in love a couple of times and broke hearts. I’ve disappointed family members and hurt friends’ feelings. Do you see a religious vocation in someone with this description?
Also, I lived a worry-free life. I graduated from college with ease, passed the board exams in electronics engineering while I was overseeing a few small businesses for my family. Life as a whole was comfortable and I felt fortunate, but something was still missing. I longed for more and searched for a deeper meaning to my life.
It was a Sunday, while I was waiting for Mass to start, when I came to a religious experience I wouldn’t ever forget. On that eventful afternoon, I was contemplating on what I wanted to do with my life. It was the first time I allowed the thought of becoming a priest to linger in my mind. Suddenly, I realized that this was a desire of my heart and that I could do something about this. The next thing I knew I was knocking on the door of the Jesuit Vocprom office, led there by some posters around the campus, which had earlier caught my attention.
After a few months, I had become a friend to several Jesuits. After some time, I was living with them. Arvisu House is a place where young men discern their vocation and God’s will for their lives. We were guided by Jesuits who, more or less, had the same experience as the one we were going through at that time. I found myself in the company of men who felt God’s call. It was an experience that was so mysterious yet so real for all of us.
Don’t get the impression that everything was a euphoric experience. I’ve had my own share of struggles in this vocation. My discernment took some time, longer than the usual, so I was told. I struggled against myself and my God. I was tempted to be indifferent to the call and take the easy way out. There were times I asked the question: “Lord, why me?” I felt the real challenge of giving up my dreams to embrace a life far out of my comfort zone. However, these experiences made me realize that it is God who chooses, not us. Because of His unconditional love, we are always given full freedom to respond and step up to the line.
But the most crucial part of the journey was when I found an ever-present God in my personal history. I basked in the love of this God, who accepts and loves me wholly. My eyes were opened to the reality of our world—and through this I found fulfillment in helping others. My imagination was captured by the person of Jesus—living life as His companion and the mysteries of this way of life. A life shared with others, living not solely for your own. I was drawn to this least “society of men” called the Jesuits, sinners all, but nevertheless “called.”
I felt like half of me was gone when I left family and friends on the day I joined the Jesuits as a novice. That was last May 30. The other half of me was scared to let go of the life I had before. However, I felt much trust in this faithful God with whom I am now making this journey. Deep inside, I also feel the excitement of a greater adventure, and in the promise of a life filled with meaning.
It pains me to leave my family, but sacrifices have to be made when we have to follow our heart’s deepest desires. It is only by going through such pain that we truly see the beauty of life. Perhaps the experience is similar to a mother experiencing birth pains, as she brings new life to this earth. I also believe that everyone will make their own sacrifices at a point in their lives. It’s just that this is mine and I had to offer it last May 30.
For those who feel the same, have more or less the same experience as I had, I would like to say congratulations! Isn’t it an awesome feeling? Don’t be afraid to make your move when the right time comes. Be brave and courageous. Tibayan ang loob! Marami kang pagdadaanan ngunit sulit ang laban. (Steel your heart! You will go through a lot of trials, but the struggle will be worth it.) At the same time, I invite you to pray more. It is only through prayer and through closeness to the Lord that we can truly listen and know what He wills.
Note: I am reprinting this article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Opinion Column, Youngblood. The writer, Danniel "Butch" Sunga, is now Jesuit novice who entered Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Quezon City, Philippines on May 30, 2009. He tells us about his vocation and discernment that led him to decide to apply to the Jesuits. It is a good read for all those contemplating to enter religious life. The link to the article is here.
If you asked me a few years ago if I wanted to become a priest, my answer would have been “no.” I did not give attention to this vocation until I was about to graduate from college at the Ateneo. The idea of priesthood would come to me once in a while, but I would readily brush it off and went on with whatever I was doing. Religious life for me was simply out-of-my-world.
If you asked me a few years ago if I wanted to become a priest, my answer would have been “no.” I did not give attention to this vocation until I was about to graduate from college at the Ateneo. The idea of priesthood would come to me once in a while, but I would readily brush it off and went on with whatever I was doing. Religious life for me was simply out-of-my-world.
I don’t even exactly deserve to be a seminarian. Di po ako kagaya ni Santino na araw araw tumatambay sa monasteryo at nakikipag-usap kay “Bro” katulad ng napanood natin sa TV. (I’m not like Santino, as we know him on TV, every day finding time to be at a monastery and talking with “Bro” [Jesus]). Me, I was a mischievous kid, and my behind was no stranger to my father’s belt. I was a typical teenager of my time—always out of our house, enjoying watering holes and Friday-night-outs with friends. I fell in love a couple of times and broke hearts. I’ve disappointed family members and hurt friends’ feelings. Do you see a religious vocation in someone with this description?
Also, I lived a worry-free life. I graduated from college with ease, passed the board exams in electronics engineering while I was overseeing a few small businesses for my family. Life as a whole was comfortable and I felt fortunate, but something was still missing. I longed for more and searched for a deeper meaning to my life.
It was a Sunday, while I was waiting for Mass to start, when I came to a religious experience I wouldn’t ever forget. On that eventful afternoon, I was contemplating on what I wanted to do with my life. It was the first time I allowed the thought of becoming a priest to linger in my mind. Suddenly, I realized that this was a desire of my heart and that I could do something about this. The next thing I knew I was knocking on the door of the Jesuit Vocprom office, led there by some posters around the campus, which had earlier caught my attention.
After a few months, I had become a friend to several Jesuits. After some time, I was living with them. Arvisu House is a place where young men discern their vocation and God’s will for their lives. We were guided by Jesuits who, more or less, had the same experience as the one we were going through at that time. I found myself in the company of men who felt God’s call. It was an experience that was so mysterious yet so real for all of us.
Don’t get the impression that everything was a euphoric experience. I’ve had my own share of struggles in this vocation. My discernment took some time, longer than the usual, so I was told. I struggled against myself and my God. I was tempted to be indifferent to the call and take the easy way out. There were times I asked the question: “Lord, why me?” I felt the real challenge of giving up my dreams to embrace a life far out of my comfort zone. However, these experiences made me realize that it is God who chooses, not us. Because of His unconditional love, we are always given full freedom to respond and step up to the line.
But the most crucial part of the journey was when I found an ever-present God in my personal history. I basked in the love of this God, who accepts and loves me wholly. My eyes were opened to the reality of our world—and through this I found fulfillment in helping others. My imagination was captured by the person of Jesus—living life as His companion and the mysteries of this way of life. A life shared with others, living not solely for your own. I was drawn to this least “society of men” called the Jesuits, sinners all, but nevertheless “called.”
I felt like half of me was gone when I left family and friends on the day I joined the Jesuits as a novice. That was last May 30. The other half of me was scared to let go of the life I had before. However, I felt much trust in this faithful God with whom I am now making this journey. Deep inside, I also feel the excitement of a greater adventure, and in the promise of a life filled with meaning.
It pains me to leave my family, but sacrifices have to be made when we have to follow our heart’s deepest desires. It is only by going through such pain that we truly see the beauty of life. Perhaps the experience is similar to a mother experiencing birth pains, as she brings new life to this earth. I also believe that everyone will make their own sacrifices at a point in their lives. It’s just that this is mine and I had to offer it last May 30.
For those who feel the same, have more or less the same experience as I had, I would like to say congratulations! Isn’t it an awesome feeling? Don’t be afraid to make your move when the right time comes. Be brave and courageous. Tibayan ang loob! Marami kang pagdadaanan ngunit sulit ang laban. (Steel your heart! You will go through a lot of trials, but the struggle will be worth it.) At the same time, I invite you to pray more. It is only through prayer and through closeness to the Lord that we can truly listen and know what He wills.
Attributes of the Trinity
7 June 2007. Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity
Deuteronomy 4, 32-40; Psalm 33; Rom 8, 14-17; Matthew 28, 16-20
Just as we begin with a sign of the cross, an invocation to the Blessed Trinity, we also greet one another in the Trinity, with the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” Thus to begin and end with the sign of the cross, and to greet one another who belongs to the koinonia or community or fellowship, we profess our belief in One God in Three Persons.
But the Trinity itself is something that puzzles us and for many priests, religious and catechists alike, this is one thing difficult to explain to the common people. Every time we use an image such as the candle that cannot be what it is unless you have the stem, the wick and the fire, these images will always be inadequate. What many of us have done, including the best theologians in the world and in history, is to present different angles of this mystery, but not a complete and clear explanation of what it is. This is what a mystery is anyways! And true, in the Church’s understanding of the word, mystery, it is a truth that can be understood but not totally. Its meaning will always be inexhaustible. Take for example love. We have produced innumerable literature about love, but not one claims to have articulated its full meaning. We are continually fascinated by it, but there is always something unique that we discover about love thus, we do not stop from reflecting on it. But we do know what love is -- especially when we have been in love. I guess what poses as a challenge to us is not to try to fully comprehend it, but to accept it: the way we accept the reality of love, hope, peace, and friendship. How many of us have asked why among the bevy of girls/boys around us, we choose this particular person and not the rest to be forever friends or partners in life? We accept but we don’t try to comprehend.
Allow me thus to reflect on some aspects of the Trinity. We know that God sent Jesus into the world to save us. For the early Christians it is an intimate relationship of God’s nature or self and his expression of this self in the form of an act in our concrete life. So it is God’s nature to love; Love is Himself. His expression finds concrete action through Jesus who saves us. Jesus who came to the earth and become one like us. In the Exodus, God’s name is YHWH who is a “merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” Theologically, it contains three important descriptions of God. First, He is merciful. The Hebrew of mercy comes from ‘womb’ and suggests God’s intimate attachment to us. Second, He is kind or ‘steadfast in love’ as some would translate. It reveals how strong God’s love and commitment for us. Third, He is faithful, meaning, despite our sinfulness, God makes us trustworthy. The grace of mercy, kindness or steadfast love and fidelity are not just given to those who are ‘faithful’, but are given to all. When this revelation of God’s nature was given to Moses, it was after the golden calf incident. It is to these people that God showed mercy, kindness and faithfulness.
Thus when we reflect on the Trinity, we focus on the God who does not give up on us. That God will continually grace us with his kindness, mercy and fidelity as St. Paul say in our greeting. The love of God is given to sinners and worst sinners like us. That the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is given to all members of the community who does not deserve God’s faithfulness, but through His word, He made us worthy of Him. Isn’t it that we always find ourselves unworthy of the genuine love people shower us, but what makes us worthy is not our achievement, but their choosing to love us. We are made worthy of God, not because we earned it or we are entitled to it, but because He said so. Before communion, we express this unworthiness to receive Jesus: so we invoke God to “only say the words, and we shall be healed” --- meaning, His words make us worthy to receive Him.
And thus, what is then asked of us? In the realization of God’s grace, love and fellowship as the Trinity, we bow down in adoration and reverence. St. Ignatius said that we are meant to praise, reverence and serve God. And renewing this lived truth, we commit ourselves to build a community or koinonia in love. A community that is inclusive, whose arms are open even to people who are different from ourselves. Paul said that we should “mend our ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, and live in peace.” When we live in peace, we mirror who God is.
Deuteronomy 4, 32-40; Psalm 33; Rom 8, 14-17; Matthew 28, 16-20
Just as we begin with a sign of the cross, an invocation to the Blessed Trinity, we also greet one another in the Trinity, with the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” Thus to begin and end with the sign of the cross, and to greet one another who belongs to the koinonia or community or fellowship, we profess our belief in One God in Three Persons.
But the Trinity itself is something that puzzles us and for many priests, religious and catechists alike, this is one thing difficult to explain to the common people. Every time we use an image such as the candle that cannot be what it is unless you have the stem, the wick and the fire, these images will always be inadequate. What many of us have done, including the best theologians in the world and in history, is to present different angles of this mystery, but not a complete and clear explanation of what it is. This is what a mystery is anyways! And true, in the Church’s understanding of the word, mystery, it is a truth that can be understood but not totally. Its meaning will always be inexhaustible. Take for example love. We have produced innumerable literature about love, but not one claims to have articulated its full meaning. We are continually fascinated by it, but there is always something unique that we discover about love thus, we do not stop from reflecting on it. But we do know what love is -- especially when we have been in love. I guess what poses as a challenge to us is not to try to fully comprehend it, but to accept it: the way we accept the reality of love, hope, peace, and friendship. How many of us have asked why among the bevy of girls/boys around us, we choose this particular person and not the rest to be forever friends or partners in life? We accept but we don’t try to comprehend.
Allow me thus to reflect on some aspects of the Trinity. We know that God sent Jesus into the world to save us. For the early Christians it is an intimate relationship of God’s nature or self and his expression of this self in the form of an act in our concrete life. So it is God’s nature to love; Love is Himself. His expression finds concrete action through Jesus who saves us. Jesus who came to the earth and become one like us. In the Exodus, God’s name is YHWH who is a “merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” Theologically, it contains three important descriptions of God. First, He is merciful. The Hebrew of mercy comes from ‘womb’ and suggests God’s intimate attachment to us. Second, He is kind or ‘steadfast in love’ as some would translate. It reveals how strong God’s love and commitment for us. Third, He is faithful, meaning, despite our sinfulness, God makes us trustworthy. The grace of mercy, kindness or steadfast love and fidelity are not just given to those who are ‘faithful’, but are given to all. When this revelation of God’s nature was given to Moses, it was after the golden calf incident. It is to these people that God showed mercy, kindness and faithfulness.
Thus when we reflect on the Trinity, we focus on the God who does not give up on us. That God will continually grace us with his kindness, mercy and fidelity as St. Paul say in our greeting. The love of God is given to sinners and worst sinners like us. That the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is given to all members of the community who does not deserve God’s faithfulness, but through His word, He made us worthy of Him. Isn’t it that we always find ourselves unworthy of the genuine love people shower us, but what makes us worthy is not our achievement, but their choosing to love us. We are made worthy of God, not because we earned it or we are entitled to it, but because He said so. Before communion, we express this unworthiness to receive Jesus: so we invoke God to “only say the words, and we shall be healed” --- meaning, His words make us worthy to receive Him.
And thus, what is then asked of us? In the realization of God’s grace, love and fellowship as the Trinity, we bow down in adoration and reverence. St. Ignatius said that we are meant to praise, reverence and serve God. And renewing this lived truth, we commit ourselves to build a community or koinonia in love. A community that is inclusive, whose arms are open even to people who are different from ourselves. Paul said that we should “mend our ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, and live in peace.” When we live in peace, we mirror who God is.
The Story of Tobit
4 June 2009. Thursday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
Tobit 6:1-11, 7:1 & 9-17; 8:4-9 Psalm 128; Mark 12, 28-34
Let’s take the introduction from the New Jerome Biblical Commentary. The Book of Tobit is a Hebrew romance. It tells us of the love story of Tobiah and Sarah at its helm; but the focus is the joining of two families by their union and Divine aid given in answer to Tobit and Sarah’s prayers. Thus, the climax is the healing of Tobit’s blindness and Sarah’s affliction. Moreover, it is a deuterocanonical; meaning it is not included in the Hebrew canon and therefore, the Protestant canon. St. Jerome translated it into Latin from Aramaic; Sts. Augustine and Ambrose upheld its canonicity. Then, the book was accepted by the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (419), and appears in the Vulgate (the Latin version of the Bible in the Roman Catholic Church). The Council of Trent in 1546 accepted its canonicity. The great leaders of the Church like Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Clement of Alexandria and Origen quoted and considered the book inspired.
The book of Tobit began with two people in distress. Tobit became blind from cataracts in Nineveh; and Sarah in Ecbatana found herself husbandless after seven of them died during the night. Sarah’s affliction was attributed to a demon called Asmodeus (from the Persion folklore, “The Monster in the Bridal Chamber”). In answer to their prayers, God sends Raphael, the archangel, to them. When Tobit needed money which he deposited with his relative, Gabael in Media, he sent his son, Tobiah, on a journey. Tobiah’s guide was Raphael. On the first part of their journey, Tobiah was nearly endangered by a large fish, which also contained the medicine to cure both Tobit’s cataracts and Tobiah’s future wife. To cut the story short, Tobiah was betrothed to Sarah and survived the night in answer to the couple’s prayer before they went to bed. Raphael chased the demon and bound it in the desert of Upper Egypt. The wedding was sealed by a written contract as was customary. And the marriage formula was articulated, “She is my wife and I am her husband from this day forever.” In the end, the marriage was consummated, Tobiah didn’t die as Raguel (Sarah’s father) expected and the wedding was celebrated twice the traditional number of days. Finally, the money of Tobit was recovered and Tobit was healed. In the end, Tobit prays in gratitude to God.
The purpose of the book of Tobit is to edify. It gives several teachings: that almsgiving is better than to heap up gold, and blessings are derived from acts of charity such as burying the dead, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. But the most important, I believe, is that it tells us that God is just, He does not forget those who practice virtue such as Tobit, and no matter what befalls the good, He will someday turn misfortune into joy. It tells us that our good deeds may not bear fruit immediately in our earthly life, but it will eventually in God’s time.
As in the Gospel, Jesus tells us of a hierarchy in our loving. Loving God is the first and primary commandment. From this love flows the second commandment: to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is the story of Tobit. He was a righteous and just man who loved God foremost. Suffering is not a punishment from God, as the Jews believed, but a test in our ordinary faithful lives. In the long run, God continues to reward the just and punishes the wicked, though not immediately. As the first reading tells us, we, believers are called to trust God and then to mirror in our daily lives God’s justice, mercy and righteousness, just as Tobit mirrored these attributes in his daily life.
Tobit 6:1-11, 7:1 & 9-17; 8:4-9 Psalm 128; Mark 12, 28-34
Let’s take the introduction from the New Jerome Biblical Commentary. The Book of Tobit is a Hebrew romance. It tells us of the love story of Tobiah and Sarah at its helm; but the focus is the joining of two families by their union and Divine aid given in answer to Tobit and Sarah’s prayers. Thus, the climax is the healing of Tobit’s blindness and Sarah’s affliction. Moreover, it is a deuterocanonical; meaning it is not included in the Hebrew canon and therefore, the Protestant canon. St. Jerome translated it into Latin from Aramaic; Sts. Augustine and Ambrose upheld its canonicity. Then, the book was accepted by the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (419), and appears in the Vulgate (the Latin version of the Bible in the Roman Catholic Church). The Council of Trent in 1546 accepted its canonicity. The great leaders of the Church like Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Clement of Alexandria and Origen quoted and considered the book inspired.
The book of Tobit began with two people in distress. Tobit became blind from cataracts in Nineveh; and Sarah in Ecbatana found herself husbandless after seven of them died during the night. Sarah’s affliction was attributed to a demon called Asmodeus (from the Persion folklore, “The Monster in the Bridal Chamber”). In answer to their prayers, God sends Raphael, the archangel, to them. When Tobit needed money which he deposited with his relative, Gabael in Media, he sent his son, Tobiah, on a journey. Tobiah’s guide was Raphael. On the first part of their journey, Tobiah was nearly endangered by a large fish, which also contained the medicine to cure both Tobit’s cataracts and Tobiah’s future wife. To cut the story short, Tobiah was betrothed to Sarah and survived the night in answer to the couple’s prayer before they went to bed. Raphael chased the demon and bound it in the desert of Upper Egypt. The wedding was sealed by a written contract as was customary. And the marriage formula was articulated, “She is my wife and I am her husband from this day forever.” In the end, the marriage was consummated, Tobiah didn’t die as Raguel (Sarah’s father) expected and the wedding was celebrated twice the traditional number of days. Finally, the money of Tobit was recovered and Tobit was healed. In the end, Tobit prays in gratitude to God.
The purpose of the book of Tobit is to edify. It gives several teachings: that almsgiving is better than to heap up gold, and blessings are derived from acts of charity such as burying the dead, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. But the most important, I believe, is that it tells us that God is just, He does not forget those who practice virtue such as Tobit, and no matter what befalls the good, He will someday turn misfortune into joy. It tells us that our good deeds may not bear fruit immediately in our earthly life, but it will eventually in God’s time.
As in the Gospel, Jesus tells us of a hierarchy in our loving. Loving God is the first and primary commandment. From this love flows the second commandment: to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is the story of Tobit. He was a righteous and just man who loved God foremost. Suffering is not a punishment from God, as the Jews believed, but a test in our ordinary faithful lives. In the long run, God continues to reward the just and punishes the wicked, though not immediately. As the first reading tells us, we, believers are called to trust God and then to mirror in our daily lives God’s justice, mercy and righteousness, just as Tobit mirrored these attributes in his daily life.
In Awe and Wonder
3 June 2009. Wednesday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
Tobit 3, 1-17; Psalm 25; Mark 12, 18-27
The Gospel tells us that Jesus and the Jewish leaders were in conflict. The Gospel today speaks about questioning the belief in the resurrection and life after death. A group of Jewish leaders like the Sadducees did not believe in life after death. In response to their questions, Jesus displays a wisdom that shows their intention to “ensnare him in his speech” (v. 13). He was able to show their ‘shallow wisdom’ of Scripture, and showed them than the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” was a God of the living. But disproving them bravely, Jesus elicits from the readers of Mark, a certain awe, amazement and wonder at His wisdom and love for His Father. Mark, the evangelist, hoped that those who were amazed, would follow Jesus till death.
In order for many of us to follow Jesus, we must first be full of awe and wonder, not just on the wisdom and miracles of Jesus, but the whole person of Jesus. The road to a greater knowledge of Jesus is through meditating or contemplating on the life of Jesus. When taking the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola urges the retreatant to ask for the grace of knowing Christ clearly, loving Him deeply and follow Him closely when the person begins contemplating on the Life of Christ. The mysteries of the rosary are supposed to be prayed about, so that in understanding who Jesus is, we may grow in love with Him and thus, lead us to follow Him closely and faithfully.
I believe, this is the primary objective of a prayer session, a recollection or a retreat. In these spiritual activities, we begin to appreciate what Jesus taught and did for us. We begin to see God’s faithful love to us, so that feeling loved, we may be able to assess our sinfulness and see how in synch or out of synch our lives are viz-a-viz the life of Jesus.
Tobit 3, 1-17; Psalm 25; Mark 12, 18-27
The Gospel tells us that Jesus and the Jewish leaders were in conflict. The Gospel today speaks about questioning the belief in the resurrection and life after death. A group of Jewish leaders like the Sadducees did not believe in life after death. In response to their questions, Jesus displays a wisdom that shows their intention to “ensnare him in his speech” (v. 13). He was able to show their ‘shallow wisdom’ of Scripture, and showed them than the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” was a God of the living. But disproving them bravely, Jesus elicits from the readers of Mark, a certain awe, amazement and wonder at His wisdom and love for His Father. Mark, the evangelist, hoped that those who were amazed, would follow Jesus till death.
In order for many of us to follow Jesus, we must first be full of awe and wonder, not just on the wisdom and miracles of Jesus, but the whole person of Jesus. The road to a greater knowledge of Jesus is through meditating or contemplating on the life of Jesus. When taking the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola urges the retreatant to ask for the grace of knowing Christ clearly, loving Him deeply and follow Him closely when the person begins contemplating on the Life of Christ. The mysteries of the rosary are supposed to be prayed about, so that in understanding who Jesus is, we may grow in love with Him and thus, lead us to follow Him closely and faithfully.
I believe, this is the primary objective of a prayer session, a recollection or a retreat. In these spiritual activities, we begin to appreciate what Jesus taught and did for us. We begin to see God’s faithful love to us, so that feeling loved, we may be able to assess our sinfulness and see how in synch or out of synch our lives are viz-a-viz the life of Jesus.
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