Three by Conrado de Quiros

From Conrado de Quiros' Column: There's the Rub
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:35:00 09/30/2009

Note: There is a thing about blogs these days. They welcome guest bloggers. The reason is simple: To put in new blood. But Mr. Conrado de Quiros is not a guest blogger. His pieces deserve much attention. I like this piece particularly. So I decided to repost. And this is his link. You may want to follow him, one of the most superb writers of our time. And oh, this is not a religious article, but certainly it is not wanting. You better read.

One, after Fernando Poe, Jr. died on Dec. 14, 2004, they did an inventory of his things. In one bodega, they found cartons of relief goods that were meant to be delivered to Infanta, Quezon. Infanta had been buried in mudslides a couple of weeks before his death and, along with many others, FPJ had bestirred himself to help.

With one difference: While all the other relief-givers were busy putting their names on their donations—or as in the case of many public officials, putting their names on other people’s donations—FPJ was not. His people would swear later he would not hear of it. He gave strict orders for the relief goods to be unmarked and just sent where needed. It altered my view of the man completely and made me vow to make amends to his family for some of the things I had said about him.

That is class. Which makes me furious today about the politicians who want to exploit the misfortune of others for their ends. Or indeed their continuing travail, many of them having lost everything in one of the worst disasters ever to hit this metropolis. It’s a sentiment I know is shared by many, even those who were not directly ravaged by the floods, as I’ve seen in news reports and blogs.

Heading the pack is Willie Revillame who was busy announcing that “kami nga ni Senator Villar” have been tireless in delivering relief goods to the needy. You’d think the guy would have learned a thing or two from being crucified after he vituperated about Cory’s coffin being shown on his show, consequently disrupting his and his audience’s fun. Clearly his chastisement hasn’t chastened him enough. Or he’s just fundamentally tasteless he cannot see that the last thing the victims want is to be treated like contestants, or supplicants, of “Wowowee” waiting upon his generosity.

Thankfully the tack is likely to backfire. People are in a foul mood and are not likely to remember Revillame—or his principal—with fondness come election time.

The last thing we need is to see politics mix with relief. “When you want to shoot, shoot,” as Eli Wallach said in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” finishing off the guy who was threatening him with all sorts of mayhem. Same principle here: When you want to give, give, don’t advertise. All you’ll get back is mayhem in the minds of the beneficiaries.

Two, on Tuesday government’s disaster council gave a briefing. They were three days late. The time to have done that was Saturday at the height of the rains. The time to have appeared in public to calm down a metropolis in the grip of panic was last Saturday. The time to have gone to the aid of people who had every reason to panic (some of them were huddling on the roofs of their houses, along with their children and their aged, pounded by unceasing rain) was last Saturday. The time to have unleashed the full resources of government, which should have been there because government has—or should have—billions of pesos in calamity and emergency funds, was last Saturday.

In fact the monumental thing that happened last Saturday was the complete absence of government. The only government there was were the media, notably ABS-CBN and GMA-7. You can forgive both for advertising their wares, or relief efforts, under the extenuating circumstances. They were the government. They were the central authority apprising the public of the situation. They were the central authority coming to the aid of the victims. They were the central authority running the country.

The Internet is full of reports that the emergency fund is depleted, having gone to fund Arroyo and company’s not-very-emergency trips abroad. I’ll leave that for when it’s confirmed. But the breakdown of government is staggering. Arroyo should thank God, or whatever entity she worships, we have elections—the same elections she tried to monkey with earlier with Charter change. Without that she would probably not last this week, given an incensed citizenry, given an aroused citizenry, given a citizenry that will no longer brook abuse. This is as angry as I’ve seen residents of Metro Manila in a long time.

Three, indeed to this hour, what government we have is courtesy of the private sector where voluntarism has sprung like wildflowers. That is the bright spot in all this, the light amid the darkness, the blazing sun after the storm. Truly the Filipino rises to his finest self during trying times, the more trying the times, the finer the rising. Or it is in times of disaster that the Filipino ceases to be a disaster, thinking of others first before self.

It’s especially heartening to see the kids go en masse on relief mode. Many of the kids in my neighborhood have done so, teeners who normally while away the holidays playing basketball, flipping rollerblades, and drinking beer in the stores. They’ve enrolled themselves to help without thought of pay, without thought of recompense, without thought of reward. Just the thought of doing something nice for a change, just the thought of doing something to make things better.

It rekindles memories of the July-August floods of 1972, when students also went in droves to places in Greater Manila no longer traversable by land, or indeed outside the metropolis where they were greeted by a greater ravaging. But then there was activism to fuel, or goad, or flagellate the youth to idealism. Well, there was also the prospect of meeting a cool chick or a cool cat while on your best form. Today, there’s just spontaneous goodwill to do the trick. And the prospect of meeting a cool chick or a cool cat while on your best form. The kids come home happy, comparing the welts and bruises on their arms from lifting crates while drinking beer in the stores.

Makes you wonder what on earth you need government for.

When We Reach Rock Bottom

30 September 2009. Wednesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time
Nehemiah 2, 1-8, Psalm 137, Luke 9, 57-62

A few days before Christmas, my grade school teacher asked us to draw a picture of something to be thankful for. Many of us drew matchboxes (these are little toy cars in the late 70s), food, a house, a family. But one of my classmates drew a hand.

Everyone tried to guess what the hands were all about or whose hands he drew. Of course, everyone thought it was God’s, or his parents. But no one could tell. He too do not want to tell us. When the bell rang for recess, our teacher came to him and asked, “whose hand did you draw?” He said, “yours!”

Our teacher was deeply touched. She recalled the hands she used to guide his pencil, or the hands that drew the lessons on the board, or the hands that led him around school. The boy was lame.

The point of the readings tell us how important gratitude is in discipleship. Nehemiah said about Cyrus, the Great granting him permission to rebuild the temple, “the king granted my requests, for the favoring hand of my God was upon me.” And Psalm 137 would remind us, “Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you.” Remembering God’s goodness is the way towards a greater commitment to the Lord, and would help us along the way of discipleship. GK Chesterton said that “gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” It is joy with awe at a God who gives us gifts we don’t deserve.

It is good to recall and give thanks for the many good things God has given us. We can practice gratitude for many basic goods, like being alive and kicking, being with the people you love, being with students and the younger generation who reminds you of hope, having food to eat, having a company we like working in, or a school to learn and meet new friends.

We can practice gratitude at this very moment when many people we know have been affected by the typhoon Ondoy that submerged many houses and displaced people. The practice of gratitude is a very valuable exercise especially at the most difficult periods in our lives. In many relief operations, there is overwhelming turn-out of volunteers and rescue teams; there are many donors who gave out goods from their generosity. We too can help even at home by using our social networks to inform everyone of what is needed. By helping out in whatever capacity, we develop our sense of the other: we give because we have received.

When I am in a crisis, when suddenly I just feel tired and lonely, or when something do not turn out right, I look at my scrapbook where I collect Christmas cards, letters, notes from my family, friends and significant people in my life. So instead of focusing on the negative things, I focused on what was good: the love of my family and friends, my accomplishments, the personal fulfillment of great days. My prayer would just be like that: thanking God for all the blessings and graces He has given. Thornton Wilder said, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

True, when we think we are at the brink of death, when we reach rock bottom, or when floods drown our hopes, the way up is to count our blessings.

Being Archangels

29 September 2009 Feast of Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael
Rev 12, 7-12; Psalm 138; John 1: 47-51






We celebrate today the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. These archangels are found in Scripture as well as many references to angels. Michael is seen as the protector of the people of God. Gabriel is the messenger of God in the Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus to Mary. Raphael is the healer in the book of Tobit. The date today coincides with the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Michael, located northeast of Rome.

In the midst of the flood that displaced a large number of families in Manila, the roles of the archangels can teach us what we need to do:

First, we take Michael’s role as the protector of the people. As the death toll rises to 240 from the typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana) and many people lost their homes and are now in evacuation centers, we are challenge to protect people from hunger and help rebuild their homes. And thus if we are to take in the role of the Archangel Michael, then we can donate food, clothing, water bottles, blankets, and other basic necessities needed for the victims to regain their morale and their battered physical lives.

Second, we take Gabriel’s role as God’s messenger. To bring Good News to the poor, as Jesus said, is give hope to people who have been traumatized by the calamity. Thus, relief operations are not just about the care for the victims’ physical well-being, but also feeding their distressed souls from losing hope. Julius Babao, one of our famous newscasters said, that in the midst of these storms in our lives, one can see the overflowing volunteers who are willing to do anything for them.

Here at the Ateneo Covered Courts, the center of relief operations, we have a deluge of good-hearted people presenting themselves as volunteers or as donors. This is the good news: that we are able to weather storms in our lives, because there are many generous people who are willing to offer their time and services for people in need.

At the Covered Courts, all relief operations stops at 11:30 AM for the mass. This is important. When Jesus said that there are two greatest commandments, He said that the first of all these commandments is to love God and from which flows the second commandment, which is to love our neighbors as ourselves. This means that loving our neighbors do not necessarily mean to love God. By being at mass we are witnessing to what Jesus said: that the source of our love for our neighbors spring from our love of God. There are those who do not find loving God important, or those who do not love God, but they love their neighbors. These are the people who will not find caring for the soul important: they will not pray, they will not worship, they will not attend retreats and recollections, they will not decide to stop and give an hour to the Lord. But at least here at the Ateneo Covered Courts, we show that when we say AMDG or “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” (For the Greater Glory of God), all our works and our hearts spring from this one and only love.

Finally, we take the role of Raphael. Raphael rebuilt the lives of Tobit and his family through healing. Healing may mean the rebuilding of devastated lives back into a wholeness. Thus, the role of Raphael, if taken to heart, challenges us to retain and maintain our passion to be of service even after the first wave of relief operations; the second wave, is what we call rehabilitation. The victims have to return to their normal lives, and in order for us to help them, we have to provide the things they need to build their homes and the spirits again. So that the wounds from the tragedy will heal. Only when this profound restoration happens, can they begin to “live” again.

Angels help us look at our hearts so that we are able to encounter God. And in this encounter, we are led to reach out to people outside of ourselves. Whatever role we take --- Michael’s, Gabriel’s and/or Raphael’s --- the result will always lead us to God. Love is always overflowing. It cannot be kept all for ourselves. A natural lover thinks always of the Beloved. This is the truth that angels teach us: God is the one who ultimately protects, saves and heals us. Only if we make ourselves available to this qualities of God can we become angels.

St. Lorenzo Ruiz and Companions

28 September 2009: St. Lorenzo Ruiz and companions
Luke 9, 7-9: Vanities

The book of Ecclesiastes declares all things are vanity, thus it makes us think about what is eternal and worth dying for. If everything passes, what then is stable? When we take saints’ lives seriously especially martyrs like St. Lorenzo Ruiz and companions, we are faced with the question of eternity. “Had I a thousand deaths, I will all give it to the Lord,” he said. A few centuries earlier, St. Teresa of Avila calms the troubled heart, “Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing affright you. All things are passing. God only is changeless. He who has God wants nothing. God alone suffices.” Then it is correct to say that everything is vanity, except finding God. Everything passes. God alone is enduring.

If everything goes by, we are like pilgrims on the move. Our questions tell us of this journey: Where am I headed? What has God in store for me? Where will I be happy? We trek our own paths, we struggle with our destinies. Often we follow the paths of others like that of our parents or even our friends because they have been tried and tested. And somehow, for the risk-taker, the paths turn toward a bend, and we are left alone blazing our own trials. We take chances. We take risks. We get hurt and beaten up. We learn to survive failures. And yet, when we journey we know we are headed somewhere, towards something more eternal and enduring.

This was the life of Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions. They were ordinary Filipinos, perhaps a little Chinese, trekked the tried road, like everyone else. And then, they decided to go on a mission to Japan, risked life and limb and blazed a new trail. They took chances, endangered their lives, got hurt and beaten up, and died for the faith. Was it all in vain? Lorenzo said, “Had I thousand lives, I would have offered them up to the Lord.”

There is a book called, “Night” by Elie Wiesel, that records the memories of the death of his Jewish family who were taken from their Transylvania home in 1944 to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. The foreword was written by Francois Mauriac who met Elie Wiesel as a journalist. Elie Wiesel told him about it and he writes:

“And I, who believe that God is love, what answer was there to give my young interlocutor whose dark eyes still held the reflection of the angelic sadness that had appeared one day on the face of a hanged child? What did I say to him? Did I speak to him of that other Jew, this crucified brother who perhaps resembled him and whose cross conquered the world? Did I explain to him that what had been a stumbling block for his faith had become a cornerstone for mine? And that the connection between the cross and human suffering remains, in my view, the key to the unfathomable mystery in which the faith of his childhood was lost? And yet, Zion has risen up again out of the crematoria and the slaughterhouses. The Jewish nation has been resurrected from among its thousands of dead. It is they who have given it new life. We do not know the worth of one single drop of blood, one single tear. All is grace. If the Almighty is the Almighty, the last word for each of us belongs to Him. That is what I should have said to the Jewish child. But all I could do was embrace him and weep.”

The worth of Lorenzo and his companions’ blood and tears is in the eyes of the Almighty, in the view of eternity. And perhaps for all of us, we may look at Lorenzo in the past, and then see ourselves now and ask what Lorenzo had asked himself: If I had been given a thousand lives, would I give it all to God? Perhaps, it is good to answer truthfully with our unmet desires, forgotten dreams and deepest regrets. Would you trade your life now for someone else more popular, rich and famous? Would you give your thousand lives to God? Or if not for God, then for whom?

Animals in the Forest

27 September 2009: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Numbers 11, 25-29; Psalm 19; James 5, 1-6; Mark 9, 38-48

Once upon a time, the animals decided they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world. So they organized a school.

They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming; in fact, better than his instructor, but he made only passing grades in flying, and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his web feet to be badly worn, so that he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable, so nobody was worried about that --- except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered constant frustration in flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up instead from the treetop down. He also developed a nervous twitch from overexertion in running and thus got a C in climbing and D in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist. In climbing, he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way...

The moral of the story is simple: each creature has its own set of capabilities in which it will naturally excel --- unless it is expected or forced to fill a mold that doesn’t fit. What is true of creatures in the forest is true of Christians in this present jungle. God has not made us all the same.

The first reading and the Gospel tell us that we are all born with gifts or charism by the Holy Spirit. In the first reading, the Lord bestows his Spirit to whom He wishes. Moses reprimanded Joshua who complained that the Lord has given His Spirit to two others, Eldad and Medad, who were not with them in the tent of the Lord, but outside in the camps. Similarly, Jesus in the Gospel recognizes those who are also exorcising demons in His name who are not formally “disciples of his”. “For whoever is not against us is for us.” We can say that the Lord recognizes people outside of the Church fellowship, whose activities are genuine witness to the work of the Spirit.

In other words, we should rejoice and thank the Lord that His Spirit is given to all people, not just to a select few. Thus, lay people have with them the Spirit and his gifts. Each of us can contribute to the well being of the Church. And the priest should also recognize that there are many gifted individuals who are more capable than him in many ways and thus can help in the building of a community.

And thus, we are to respect and appreciate the gifts we have and that of others, even if their gifts are so diverse from us, their ways of doing things are unusual to us, and perhaps, their personalities are poles apart from us. So, stop comparing! Ducks don’t run. Rabbits don’t fly. Squirrels don’t swim. Enjoy your capabilities! Develop whatever you have. Cultivate your own style!

Call to Community

24 September 2009 Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
Haggai 1, 1-8; Psalm 149; Luke 9, 7-9

We shall focus on the first reading today from the prophet Haggai. The Temple needs reconstruction. The first batch from Babylon has laid the foundations of the Temple in 536 BCE; however there has been no progress since. Though we do not know what kept the community from rebuilding it, the reading tells us of an urgency to prioritize the Lord’s house than their daily concerns. The members of the community work for food, drink, clothing and wages but they remain unsatisfied. They are not fulfilled because their relationship with God has much to be desired. Haggai believed that to reconstruct the Temple, they have to restore their relationship with God first. Thus, the task to rebuild lies with the community. We are therefore talking about two “levels” of restoration: the physical setting up of the place of worship and the renewal of a relationship. These levels are not mutually exclusive. The Temple of the Lord is an enhancement of what God is already doing to them. As the building is constructed, God is forming a community who was once scattered and exiled, bringing them again under one roof.

The Federation of Asian Bishops Conference (FABC) in the IX Plenary Assembly in Manila (10-16 August 2009) calls all of us to reflect on the significance of building a community by living the Eucharist in Asia. FABC hopes that the new fervor in worshipping the Lord at mass, the source and summit of worship, will bring us to encounter the Lord and lead us to communion. Thus, we will be able to form community in our active and prayerful participation in hearing the Word and sharing in the breaking of the Bread. Asia is a continent with diverse cultures, but we can bring a sense of belonging when we see that we have common cultural elements. We keep in mind that Asia cherishes family, common meals and community celebrations that foster and promote unity. Thus, if we are able to promote these values through our daily life, we will be able to generate in everyone “the courage to build authentic communities that reconcile, forgive, minister to the poor and the marginalized.”

I believe if we are to take heart what the readings today tell us, we will be able to build God’s temple as we form our community just as Haggai the prophet envisions the Word of Yahweh. It is profitable to think that God’s Temple in the Christian viewpoint mean every single human person (the Temple of the Holy Spirit), every community (The Mystical Body of Christ) manifested in Basic Ecclesial Communities. The church building houses the worshipping community. This is thus a challenge as well as a warning to church leaders such as parish priests: though building a church is important, it is more significant to build the community which the building houses. It is not true that only when we have buildings that communities are built. What is true is the other way around. In fact if we form communities and the people are happy encountering God and palpably feeling loved and accepted in the community, they will eventually construct the building.

We end with a quote from the FABC IX Plenary Assembly message: “We cannot celebrate the Eucharist and at the same time maintain, practice or tolerate discrimination based on religion or race, culture or language, caste or class. If we are grafted into the Eucharistic Lord, we will reach out and become bridge-builders in a world that is becoming increasingly divisive.”

Preaching in Cyberspace

23 September 2009 Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
Ezra 9, 5-9; Tobit 13; Luke 9, 1-6

When Jesus chose the Twelve apostles, He decided to share His mission with them. In the Gospel today, Jesus sends them to do what He does: to preach and proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal people of their maladies. To care for the body and the soul. It is therefore important that the care for both the body and soul becomes part of the concern of evangelization.

The necessity of caring for the body is important in preaching the Gospel. It is difficult to teach when the stomach is empty. Many people say that the way to a person’s heart is through the stomach, it is also the same for a good vocation, a vibrant community life and for catechism. I was assigned as Campus Minister of Xavier University High School in Cagayan de Oro City. Students who were members of religious organizations went to a public elementary school to teach catechism and tutor children in Math, Science and English. We were given permission by the school authorities to teach after school. At first, the children were distracted when we began our classes, eventually many of them would make their way home. We realized they were already hungry by the time we started the lessons. So, we decided to provide some food for both the student tutors and the children. We got the food from the daily offerings of classes who sponsored school masses. In lieu of flowers and fruits, we requested food items and beverages. Since then, the students were eager to go to the apostolate area and the kids regularly attended the classes.

Second, the disciples were to preach the Kingdom of God. In our world today, to preach the Kingdom of God can be done through different means and ways: from oral tradition to print to television and now to cyber-evangelization. The internet is now a new way of preaching the Gospel.

Many people think that the problem is the how in preaching that homilies are sometimes reduced to entertainment. Many priest can make the congregation laugh, but upon listening intently, there is much more to be desired like substance. But I think content is what people are looking for. The 2nd Plenary Council of the Philippines affirmed that though our faith is genuine, it failed to be a ‘leaven of transformation’ in Philippine Society. Many Filipino Catholics are ignorant of the doctrines of the faith. If the people kept the faith it was largely because of popular beliefs and practices like the rosary, processions, novenas, fiestas etc. But many Filipinos are not able to give an account of what they believe (PCP II, Position Paper on Religious Concerns) or the faith does not lead them to a commitment and a conviction (Fr. Adolfo Nicolas SJ, Talk on Education, Ateneo de Manila University). Faith has an intellectual component. Faith includes a belief in the teachings of Christ. These teachings are found both in Scripture and the living Tradition of the Church.

Finally Luke stresses the importance of spreading the Gospel elsewhere. This is the Lucan theme of universality: the Gospel for all peoples. Our mission as Christians is not just to enrich those who are already within the faith, but to continually reach out to others. To me, if people are in the internet, then I believe the Church should go there. Many parents today ask me how to raise the internet generation. So this is our mission now: how to reach out to the people who spend most of their time, not in the classroom, but in the chatroom. Today, we affirm that the most important thing is dialogue: understanding people of different faith traditions or in this case understanding a different culture. This I believe is the reason why Jesus asked his disciples to trust in the Lord: their stark provisions and dependence on God’s providence helps them keep an open mind and heart. They may have to leave their “way of doing things” and adapt to another culture. And therefore make use of their cultural expressions in the transmission and assimilation of their faith.

Do You Discriminate?

21 September 2009: Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle
Ephesians 4, 1-13; Psalm 19; Matthew 9, 9-13

There are two things to be said about the Feast of St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist.

First, about who he is. St. Matthew, one of the twelve Apostles, is the author of the first Gospel. This has been the constant tradition of the Church and is confirmed by the Gospel itself. He was the son of Alpheus and was called to be an Apostle while sitting in the tax collectors place at Capernaum. Before his conversion he was a publican, i.e., a tax collector by profession. He is to be identified with the "Levi" of Mark and Luke.

Writing for his countrymen of Palestine, St. Matthew composed his Gospel in his native Aramaic, the "Hebrew tongue" mentioned in the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Soon afterward, about the time of the persecution of Herod Agrippa I in 42 AD, he took his departure for other lands. Another tradition places the composition of his Gospel either between the time of this departure and the Council of Jerusalem, i.e., between 42 AD and 50 AD or even later. Definitely, however, the Gospel, depicting the Holy City with its altar and temple as still existing, and without any reference to the fulfillment of our Lord's prophecy, shows that it was written before the destruction of the city by the Romans in 70 AD, and this internal evidence confirms the early traditions.

Second, about what we can glean from his life for our life. St. Matthew's Gospel was written to fill a sorely-felt want for his fellow countrymen, both believers and unbelievers. For the believers, it served as a token of his regard and as an encouragement in the trial to come, especially the danger of falling back to Judaism; for the unbelievers, it was designed to convince them that the Messiah had come in the person of Jesus, our Lord, in Whom all the promises of the Messianic Kingdom embracing all people had been fulfilled in a spiritual rather than in a carnal way: "My Kingdom is not of this world." His Gospel, then, answered the question put by the disciples of St. John the Baptist, "Are You He Who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

And thus the life of St. Matthew points at certain things about our faith. Before Jesus called him, Matthew was a publican, who was discriminated against by the Jews. As a publican, he worked for the Roman Government. And the Pharisees often would remark to his apostles about Jesus, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus would say, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” And yet, Matthew never took it against the Jews, his Gospel was written for them.

Thus, our faith is against all forms of discrimination. Let me quote from the document, Nostra Aetate, Proclaimed by Pope Paul VI, October 28, 1965:

"5. We cannot truly call on God, the Father of all, if we refuse to treat in a brotherly way any man, created as he is in the image of God. Man's relation to God the Father and his relation to men his brothers are so linked together that Scripture says: "He who does not love does not know God" (1 John 4:8). No foundation therefore remains for any theory or practice that leads to discrimination between person and person or people and people, so far as their human dignity and the rights flowing from it are concerned. The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men/women or harassment of them...."

As we celebrate the feast of St. Matthew and the end of the Ramadan for our Muslim brothers and sisters, we look into our hearts. Do we discriminate people of a different color? With whitening lotions all over the market, how do we regard those with darker skin? Do we ostracize other people: people outside of our circle of friends or househelps for example? Do we think that we are far better than them: people of a different religion? Do we think we are cleaner or better Catholics than others judged solely by external practice such as appearing pious? Let us reflect on our lives and see the times when we have put ourselves higher than what we truly are.

Power is a Poison

20 September 2009 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 2, 12-20; Psalm 54; James 3, 16 - 4, 3; Mark 9, 30-37

There are many challenges in being and living in a Christian community. Even if we are with religious and pious members, we are not immune to the wiles of the world. The Gospel today tells us about Mark’s concern in his community, namely, ambition among themselves. Even among the disciples, they are arguing which of them is the greatest and the most important. The response of Jesus is direct and simple: to be important for Jesus means to be a humble servant, not a proud “first”. To be important is be a servant-leader; to find oneself not at the presidential table in feasts, but to identify with the servers who wait and make themselves available to whatever the guests need. In other words, the attitude of a humble servant is one of openness. With open arms, they accommodate, listen and receive the needs of the least, the lost and the little ones. Mark thus uses the image of the child to illustrate openness.

There is a basic trust in the goodness of others. One can be “open” to others because they see that the people they serve are trustworthy. There are people who still find beauty and goodness in others. Thus, they are happy to serve them. Above all, they trust because they have Someone who is also trustworthy. There is a time when children think their fathers know best. They go through their life with the complete thought that no matter what befalls them, there is someone whom they can go back to, someone who loves and cares for them no matter what. This child who has acquired such an attitude grows up confident and hopeful; even if some of their friends betrays that trust. So no matter what befalls them, they have completely placed themselves totally in the hands of their parents.

The growing tenet of the world to “distrust” people and to be skeptical and cynical about what is happening at present form a closed attitude to others. When we become closed and exclusive, we find it harder to genuinely serve. Often, the ‘service’ is self-centered, the way many corrupt government officials have shown to us. Therefore it is important that anyone given a position of leadership and power should know by heart what ‘important’ is for Jesus. With this spirituality, power becomes a potent tool for service. Without this spirituality however, power becomes dangerous.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said “Power is a poison, well known for thousands of years. If only no one were ever able to acquire material power over others. But to the human being who has faith in some force that holds dominion over all of us and who is therefore conscious of his own limitations, power is not necessarily fatal ... But for those, however, who are unaware of anyone Higher, power is a deadly poison. For them there is no antidote.” (The Gulag Archipelago)

Oftentimes, those who are ambitiously self-centered find fulfillment in themselves and in the enrichment of those whom they considered within their circle of friends only. The rest of us are insignificant.

However, Christian happiness means to enjoy life with others; to find joy in the company of others; to find peacefulness receiving and serving others. This is what is most important. To them, power can be entrusted. Let me end with this story.

Doyal Van Gelder tells about his son, Ronnie, getting ready to go to kindergarten. Ronnie turned to his father and said, “I think I’ll be sad today.” When asked why, he replied, “Because when you’re sad about something, the teachers take turns hugging you.” I believe to be important in the name of Jesus is to be able to know when people are sad, and at the same time, to be willing to hug them if need be.

The Apathetic Churchgoer

16 September 2009 Wednesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
1 Tim 3, 14-16; Psalm 111; Luke 7, 31-35

Jesus describes His generation as unresponsive and uninterested. John and Jesus teach the same message, but their style of presentation are different. Their lifestyles are also diverse: John lives in the desert, but Jesus’ base is Capernaum. Whatever way the same message is delivered --- through the style of John or Jesus --- people do not listen. That is why Jesus compared the situation to children who do not dance when a flute is playing (the flute is used for weddings and celebrations) or mourned when a dirge or a funeral song is sang.

This passivity is also seen in many worshipping communities today. But let us use an example close to home. We experience the many liturgical changes in Vatican II. The Council exhorts all Christian communities: “In the restoration and development of the Sacred Liturgy the full and active participation by all the people is the paramount concern, for it is the primary, indeed the indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit” (Sacrosanctum Concilium II.141). We give credit to our liturgical committees who tried to make the mass better. Or the many choirs who tries to make their songs accessible to the congregation. I have seen them practice more often than usual, offering to the Church their precious time.

Despite these efforts to animate liturgy, however, we remain passive, apathetic and unresponsive. At mass, we stare blankly and appear impatient. We want to finish the mass as quickly as possible. Paul writes to Timothy: In the event of a delay, Timothy knows how to behave in the house of God. We mistakenly interpret acceptable church behavior as rigid, stiff and inflexible; as many socialites carry themselves in weddings when they are all made up; it seems their cosmetics petrify them.

Why are we unresponsive? Primarily, we are used to a mass with minimal participation. Everything is focused on the the priest and the altar. But Vatican II tells us that the presence of God is also seen in the people at mass, turning the spotlight on the congregation, encouraging community participation. Like the noontime Philippine TV show Wowowee: it gained popularity because it actively involved the audience.

We enjoy change and variety. In a diverse Church, millions come from different cultural backgrounds and affiliations. To promote orthodoxy is to have some uniform way of doing things. At present we have these rubrics, except we tend to make it boring. Liturgical norms, even in history, incorporate the arts to add life and zest to worship. Thus, if we put in some drums and percussion, some dancing as Catholics in Africa, Latin America and Asia do, perhaps we can animate our communal worship. We can make some of the rigid churchgoers to enjoying the mass; or perhaps, influence some priests to put in some energy and excitement. After all, Christian faith is about hope, joy and love. It is about celebration!

One more thing. It is also possible that God is doing a lot of things for us so that we can notice Him. But our attention is somewhere else. Various distractions are part of modern life, but it can turn our senses away from the call and desensitize us to the presence of God. We are unresponsive because we do not notice God.

Perhaps, let us begin to train ourselves in quiet prayer. When we are accustomed to silence, we get to manage our distractions. We are able to focus ourselves on the voice of God. After all, we are to gaze upon the Lord at all times.

Have You Ever Watched a Person Die?

15 September 2009 Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
1 Tim 3, 1-13; Psalm 101; John 19, 25-27

To watch a person die is excruciating. And when there is nothing I can do, except to be there, the situation aggravates what I feel. To accompany a family member or a dearest friend succumb to disease is unbearable. To see the body wasting away, to feel the agony of a person whose cancer progresses, and to finally be present at the last breath constitute one of the most sorrowful and intolerable experiences many of us have.

As a priest, I have been in many of these moments; I have been summoned by family members or friends to give the final sacraments to their sick. And even if I am not directly related to them, whether by blood or affinity, I have always been affected by it. The emotions cannot be hidden even in their silence. As I stand next to the hospital bed with them around the infirm, I sometimes wish that I can do something to stop the pain. But the best that I have done is just to be there and wait. This is the experience of Mary who stood beneath the cross, watching her Son suffer and die.

Think of the many parents whose child died in a freak accident; or those whose child committed a crime, and they too have agonized watching their sons or daughters being tried and convicted. Think of family and friends whom we have undergone great mental anguish as we see them helplessly being eaten by drugs. Remember those whom we have listened to and given advice, but still deny their issues. They suffer the consequences of their choices, and we know that the source is a blind spot in their lives --- something that we see, but they refuse to believe. In all of these, we have stood beneath their crosses and endured the pain like Mary. Moreover, we do not know what will happen to our loved ones. Or when they would accept their ailment and begin to ask for help; or when they would die. We would go through all their medical examinations with them and wish for them to live, but we also have to accept any eventuality.

But if we have endured trials for others and with others, then we have loved much. If we stood beneath the crosses of others, then we are a real friend to them. I believe the graces of “just being there” is faithfulness and constancy. If we stood by our friends --- or our teams --- no matter what, then our love for them is sincere. We willfully choose to be one with them. When friends suffer from lapses of judgment or they have done something scandalous, we too take upon ourselves the fear of looking foolish and endure the bickering of others. We feel what they feel and we do not regret feeling it. Mary is the opposite of Peter who doesn’t want to be identified with Jesus who was being tried like a criminal. She did not mind being seen in public, proof of her unfailing love.

When we support, encourage, comfort and console others in the very depth of their sorrows, then we also develop an inner strength and a resiliency amidst the storms of life. Consider our parents who endured with us, they have a strength from which we derive our own. They have an inner life-giving energy from whose inspiration we take the strength to carry on. This is the same life-giving Spirit that develops in us when we stand beneath the crosses of others; just as Mary stood beneath the cross of her Son.

As we remember Mary, our Lady of Sorrows, we take two positions for reflection. What is it like to stand beneath the cross of another? Where do you get the strength and courage to remain faithful and strong for them? On the other hand, what is it like to be on the cross, and have someone else stand beneath our suffering? How does it feel to have someone to lean on to, from whose strength we rely on?

Can Our Pain be the Source of Healing?

14 September 2009. Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross
Numbers 21, 4b-9; Psalm 78; Phil 2, 6-11; John 3, 13-17

The first verse of the Gospel today gives us a parallel, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” What happened during the time of Moses? When the Israelites were on the way to the Promised Land, they complained against God and Moses. They regretted their having to leave Egypt. As a punishment, Yahweh sent serpents so that many of them died. In their distress, they asked for mercy and healing. And Yahweh instructed Moses to “make a fiery serpent, set it on a pole” so that “everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” Moses then made a bronze serpent, and those who looked at it lived (Numbers 21, 5-9).

This serpent scourge was interpreted therefore as a divine judgment upon the people’s rebellion. A footnote of the RSV Bible tells us that the Israelites remembered this incident; with the bronze serpent (Nehushtan) as a popular object of worship during the Israelite monarchy (2 Kings 18,4). William Barclay mentioned that they began to ask whether the bronze serpent was worshipping an idol. The rabbis said that the bronze serpent was not the source of healing, but it made the Israelites turn to God who instructed Moses to construct it. The bronze serpent therefore enabled them to focus themselves on God. The bronze serpent then was a symbol that reminded them of Yahweh.

This is the image Jesus painted of his passion and death. Just as the serpent reminded them of their suffering, it was also their salvation. And just as Jesus was lifted up on the cross, it would also bring us eternal life.

We therefore ask two questions: When can a cross be salvific? or When can suffering be healing? Verse 16 of the Gospel gives us a simple answer: For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. The nature of God is revealed in the cross --- God totally gives Himself for the love of us. Thus, suffering is meaningful and salvific when it is for someone whom we love, or for something of greater value such as faith (in the case martyrs) or the love of country (in the case of soldiers). The blessedness in all our sufferings, our hurts and aches in our hearts is that when we totally give ourselves, we find ourselves. When God gave Himself totally to us, we also get a glimpse of the nature of God: God is total self-giving. We invest our hearts deeply --- as marriage does --- though we know that investing our hearts to our friends and loved ones will cost us the price of sufferings and goodbyes. But we believe that the investment of our love for them is worth it. Think of the parents at graduation. Graduation is the triumph of their suffering. Think of the excellent marks a student gets, they are the triumph of their cross of discipline in studies. Think of the artists whose works dazzled the world, their applause is the triumph of years practice and self-giving. God so loved the world: for Him, we are worth all of it.

Second, the value of symbols. Bishop Chito Tagle said that symbols make present one who is already present. Symbols do not fill in an empty space: Jesus is already present. But in order for us to feel or experience him tangibly, symbols are essential. As Jewish rabbis explained of the bronze serpent on the pole, symbols direct our focus on God.

Unfortunately, we are losing our symbols and the meaning behind the symbols. We have been influenced by the many sects that accuse us of worshipping idols because of the images we have in the Catholic faith. Here we see that we do not worship these images of wood, stone or paper. Think of the numerous symbols of God’s presence at mass --- the Book of Readings, the presider, the people who attends it.

Let us surround ourselves with symbols: those that direct our minds to remember Yahweh. The Responsorial Psalm says, “Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget You.” As we placed our family picture so that we don’t forget them, we can also place pictures of God or saints to help us remember what God has done for us. As coffee shops put pictures and objects that complete the theme and ambience of their cafes, we can also carry with us the symbols of our faith such as the cross and the rosary in our pockets. They lead our thoughts to God.

Bestfriends: Faith and Work

13 September 2009 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 50, 4-9; Psalm 116; James 2, 14-18; Mark 8, 27-35

The letter of St. James tells us that faith and works authenticate each other. Good works prove a living faith; and faith validates good works. We cannot just pray for someone to get well; it is necessary that we also come and attend to their needs. I found a good illustration from the book, 1,500 Inspirational Quotes and Illustrations by M. Lunn:

I was hungry
and you formed a humanities club and you discussed my hunger. Thank you.
I was imprisoned
and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar to pray for my release.
I was naked
and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.
I was sick
and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
I was homeless
and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.
I was lonely
and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so holy; so close to God.

But I’m still very hungry
and lonely
and cold.

So where have your prayers gone?
What have they done?
What does it profit a man to page through his book of prayers
When the rest of the world is crying for help?

***

It is crucial for Jesus to ask His disciples who He is to them. There is an intellectual component to all our loving: we must know whom we love. Through prayer and reflection --- yes through our book of prayers ---- we get to have a deeper knowledge of Christ.

However, our deeds will show the depth, intensity and genuineness of that love. Thus, Jesus knows that unless His disciples would grasp a clearer understanding of who He is and what He is doing, they will not be able to understand the necessary suffering that He is to undergo.

And if they are to follow Him and take up His cross, that requires action: feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoners, keeping people warm, attending to the sick, etc. St. Benedict taught us, Ora et Labora, prayer and work.

St. Luis Alfredo Cruchaga SJ said that it is in our work that we are sanctified. If we are to assess the depth of our faith, then all we have to do is reflect on what we’ve done. Our works mirror the depth of our knowledge of God.

Faith is a verb: it moves, it grows, it develops. It has to be done.

Starfishes

11 September 2009. Friday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
1 Tim 1, 1-14; Psalm 16; Luke 6, 39-42

My particular interest in marine life makes me a “beach person” --- I would rather be next to a body of water than trek the highest heights. One night, there was a heavy downpour and the wind lashed on the beach. It was a little scary when my imagination began to work on tsunamis like that in Aceh, north of Indonesia in 2004. But when the wind subsided the next day, I decided to walk on the shore to see the damage. Numerous starfishes were thrown ashore and were kept stranded on the beach. They would die once the sun dried them up. A little boy was hurling starfishes back to the water. I told him that he cannot save all of them. But the boy said, “At least I was able to help some.” He did made a difference to every single starfish he threw back to the sea.

The boy’s compassion for the starfishes stranded and helpless on the shore is what Jesus invites us to do and to be. He calls us to be compassionate, just as the Father is merciful and loving. The Gospel tells us what it means to have compassion. We are not to judge or condemn; but we are to forgive offenses and to give without counting the cost, as God Himself has done. And God will repay more than what we have given out from our generosity. Judging others is further emphasized when the Lord said that before we are able to see the splinter in other people’s eyes, we should take notice of the larger beam stuck in our eyes. The hypocrite, blinded by his own faults, is interested only to expose another person’s weakness. The call for compassion is what we call fraternal correction: we do it out of our concern and love. Fraternal correction is generated by love. Being judgmental is generated by false righteousness (and some people believe that they are always right).

The evangelist Luke uses the tenet, The blind leading the blind, to warn the people of false prophets or teachers who claim that they are at the Lord’s side. True disciples will always remain faithful to their Master. They will not change their teacher’s instructions. They will stick to them by all means. Thus, when Jesus calls for compassion; they will try with all of their life and energy to follow Him in obedience. They will not say, “there are too many people who need help, and I am just a student and I don’t have much to give.” These are all excuses given by the invited guests at the wedding feast. There is always a reason for the things we do not want to do.

The disciple will work within his means to help nevertheless; he will continue to throw starfishes into the sea and make a difference to the lives even if they are just a few. We become apathetic to what is happening in our country because we have been overwhelmed by rampant graft and corruption. Overwhelmed, we have become resigned to it. By doing so, we have tolerated this system that it has become our culture.

However, we forget the process of change begins in incremental steps. Like broken people, we have to pick up the pieces and gather them again. Every single step in building the nation is like picking one starfish at a time and throwing it back into the sea. This I believe is what we do when we participate in training student leaders. We teach them to hope in the midst of helplessness. We assist them so that they are able to acquire the skills they need to lead. We empower the young one at a time and give them opportunities hard to come along without some help. When Jose Rizal said that the youth is the hope of our nation, we too have to contribute to make it happen.

Celebrating Motherhood

8 September 2009 Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Micah 5, 1-4 or Rom 8, 28-30; Psalm 13; Matthew 1, 18-23

At the birthday of our Mother Mary, we are surprised that the Gospel is not about Mary’s birth, but her being Mother to Jesus, Her son. I guess the celebration of the birthday of Mary is closely connected with her being mother to Jesus, and being mother to us, her children. The significance of her birth is seen in the significance of Jesus in our salvation. Without Jesus, salvation could not have been possible. Without Mary’s “Yes” Jesus would not have been born. So today, we ask this question, “What does it mean to be mother?” How is Mary mother to me? We first look at our experiences of our mothers. One mother puts it:

“I am reminded of one of the main features of my mothering style. Like my own mother did, I talk to my children a lot! Since they were babies I have instinctively blanketed my three sons with songs, humming, whistling, and words. My mother’s theory went something like this: “You never know when your children are listening or what they will hear. So I say everything several ways, over and over. Perhaps one of the times or ways I speak will get through.”

I view my monologues with my children as a big part of my role as transmitter of values, and both general and specific operating instructions for life. I dare say that my children are not in the dark about my views, feelings, opinions, and wishes for them about almost anything from proper table manners to proper sexual conduct.”

Raising moral children, guiding them through their struggles, comes from instruction and teaching. And, as that mother said, it comes from saying the same things over and over again. Wise parents provide this sort of training all the time. They teach their children to act with virtue and thereby develop the ability to do so on a regular basis. Here are some examples of everyday advocacy:

"Anak, alam kong mas gusto mong maglaro kasama ng iyong mga kaibigan, pero meron kang assignment. Gawin mo muna ang assignment, pagkatapos, pwede ka nang maglaro. Makikita mo, kong tiis lang, matatapos mo rin yan." (I know you want to play with your friends, but you have to do your assignment. After that, you can play.)

"Alam kong ayaw mong isuot ang binigay ng lola mo sa iyo, pero mas mabuti kung pasalamatan mo pa rin siya." (I know you do not like what your grandmother gave you, but it would still be nice to thank her.)

"Alam kong may mas exciting na gimmick na gusto mong puntahan kasama ng iyong barkada. Kaya lang, nakapag-commit ka na sa activity mo sa iyong organization. Kailangan pumunta ka doon sa iyong apostolate. Mas mahalaga ang iyong commitment." (I know going out with your friends is more exciting than your organization’s apostolate, but go and fulfill your commitment.)

If you’re a parent or at least like a parent, would you say things like that to your children? If you don’t, what kind of message are you sending? It’s OK to break your commitments, your word, when something better comes along? Later on, when their marriage breaks up, you will wonder, where did they learn that? Parents don’t have to be perfect to teach by telling. They can say to their children, “I do the best I can. I don’t know everything. I’ve made my share of mistakes. You’ll make some, too. But I want to tell you what I’ve learned.”

At one time, parents used to try to have all the answers. But children resent and reject that approach. Now a lot of parents, unsure of themselves in a world of diversity and relativism, have lost their confidence and have gone to the other extreme: they don’t give any answers. As a result, kids suffer from a lack of guidance and grow up without any values to live by.

Parents can tell their children what they believe without playing God. They can guide and instruct, listen and advise. Says one mother: “I believe in telling kids what you think is important, what you think can help them in their lives. You have to catch them at the right time, and you can never be sure when that is. You may have to say it a lot before they start taking it in. But they will remember it. They will say, ‘My mother always used to tell me…’”

Here is how people remember what their parents “used to say”:

My mother always said, “Dare to be different. If people are painting themselves yellow and jumping in the pond, feel perfectly free to paint yourself green and walk backwards. Never mind what the rest of the world is doing; you are your own person.” She also taught us that we were sacraments and our lives were a prayer.

My father always emphasized that to help a friend in need was one of the best things you could do in life. This has always been a rewarding experience for him. It has been an equally rewarding experience for me when I have helped friends in need.

Our children don’t know because no one has told them. They are desperate for guidance. When it’s given, consistently and repeatedly, you get someone like Michael Jordan. His father, as you might recall, was murdered in the summer of 1993. Before that happened, Michael said this to columnist Bob Greene:

“My heroes are and were my parents.…It wasn’t that the rest of the world would necessarily think they were heroic. But they were the adults I saw constantly, and I admired what I saw. If you are lucky, you grow up in a house where you can learn what kind of person you should be from your parents. And on that count, I was very lucky. It may have been the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.”

To Michael Jordan, good parents meant as much to him as his incomparable basketball skill. Remember, our children achingly want adults in their lives as they negotiate through the world, someone to teach them the way of righteousness.

This is what Mary does. She leads us to Jesus. She is NOT GOD, but leads us to God. Through her life, she has raised and guided Jesus, and how Jesus is reflects her care for him. Mary has been a good parent to us: though her various apparitions, she warns us, tell us what to do, and advise us like a mother does. It is up to us, whether we follow or believe. The birth of Mary therefore is not a sentimental celebration: it reminds us of two things: First that we are never alone and second, that there are things we have to do, things our mothers teach us.

Do You Enjoy Your Illness?

6 September 2009: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 35, 4-7; Psalm 145; James 2, 1-5; Mark 7, 31-37

When Jesus arrived back in the regions of Galilee, He came into the district of the Decapolis, and there they brought to him a man who was deaf and who had an impediment in his speech. Usually, the deaf and the mute go together. The person’s inability to hear made his speech so imperfect. Here we see how Jesus treats people.

First, Jesus showed some physical healing. Jesus put his hands in the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. In those days, people believed that spittle had a curative quality. Seutonius, the Roman historian, tell us of an incident in the life of Vespasian, the Emperor, that a certain man who was blind and lame came to Vespasian and craved for a remedy for his infirmities, and thereby shown in his dreams that all he needs is spittle or saliva (Seutonius, Life of Vespasian). This belief exists today. When our cut our hands, the natural reaction is to put the wound in our mouth. In the Philippines, we chew guava leaves and put it on the wound. In whatever case, people who are sick want healing.

But not all those who are deaf, mute or blind want healing. After all, begging is an easier way to eke out a living. We hear on television stories of many prisoners who would intentionally commit crimes in order to be brought back to prison. Being in prison has advantages: food is provided. There are many people who in their heart of hearts do not dislike their weaknesses. They do not wish to lose their sins especially if they derive pleasure and comfort from it. For those who are involved in graft and corruption, they do not actually wish for its abolition. Alcoholics and drug addicts do not wish for freedom from these addictive substances. Many people do not desire healing. Or else, the very source of their relief and enjoyment vanishes.

Today is a day of healing and growth. It is a time when we bring to God our wounds and illnesses, and ask for healing. It is a time when we should take a moment to think about what we need to bring to Jesus for healing; to identify our pain and wounds; and to accept the fact of our deafness and brokenness. St. Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises recommends that we should be clear with the desire we request of God and that the grace being asked is articulated. Are we sincere and genuine enough to desire healing? What would you say to Jesus if He asks you what you need?

Second, he took the man aside from the crowd, all by himself. Here is the tender considerateness. Deaf people are always a little embarrassed. In some ways it is more embarrassing to be deaf than to be blind. A deaf person knows he cannot hear; and when someone in a crowd shouts at him and tries to make him hear, in his excitement he becomes all the more helpless. Jesus showed tender consideration for the feelings of a man for whom life was very difficult.

It is interesting to note that Jesus answered his desire, not in the streets, but alone. You see, it is only when we are faced with ourselves and when we are alone with Jesus that we are able to be honest with ourselves. It is when we are alone that our wounds stare at us closely. We can hide our wounds and dark secrets from a crowd; we can make promises to God like an avid fan for all to hear; and often we shout to everyone what they would like to hear, so that they will appreciate us. We can loudly claim our commitment to Christ in the middle of a spiritual frenzy and when we are emotionally charged like many of those who went into a charismatic fellowship, or a retreat that employs letters from parents and significant people to highlight affirmation as an experience of God’s love. But what matters is what happens when the crowd is gone, when the emotional high has dipped, and when we return alone to the privacy of our rooms, if not our existential isolation and loneliness

A wound or any disease can consolidate and reveal our true character, our true self, our real home. Our wound can thus bring us to who we are, to that inner home which we yearn for. And thus healing happens in the passage of time, when we face ourselves squarely and answer truthfully the questions raised by our wounds. Carl Jung said, “If you get rid of the pain before you have answered its questions, you get rid of the self along with it.”

Today is the time for self-awareness, and for answering the questions of our sickness, our pain, and our brokenness. What are the areas in my life to which I am deaf? What are people saying about me, and I do not listen to them, because they are painful. Although many truths in our lives are painful to accept, the very awareness of these wounds helps us to see our true selves. When our ears are opened to the truth of our lives, healing happens.

Condemning a Closed Mind

3 September 2009. Friday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
Col 1, 15-20; Psalm 100; Luke 5, 33-39

We do get an impression that those who consider themselves pious and religious have a passion for the old. They latch onto traditional attitudes and values. They are conventional and thus are averse to changes or innovation. And thus, if progress is to be spoken of, the traditional and conservative will slow it down. If they hold on to the past, any alteration of an outdated practice will have strong reactions and criticisms. What they have been used to, though effective in the past but not anymore today, will have to go. The point of the passage is that it condemns a person with a closed mind. New wine should be put in new wineskins. It cannot be in the old container. When new wine releases gas in fermentation, the inelastic skin will burst.

First, a closed mind will not allow change. However, the Christian spirit is adventurous. The whole outlook of Jesus was startlingly radical and new. Where the trend is to love whoever loves us, Jesus demands loving even our enemies. Where the first communities thought that they were a Jewish sect, the Spirit showed the disciples that He means the evangelization of the Gentile world. Through Paul, Christianity became a universal religion. The Spirit continuously leads us to new truths, new insights, new paths to take. Faith is dynamic and alive as it moves with history. Unfortunately, the person with a radical idea may have to fight for it --- even die because of it. Galileo was a heretic when he said that the sun was the center and the earth revolves around it. And he suffered greatly, especially from those who still held that everything revolved around the earth as Copernicus said.

Second, a shut mind will not be open to new methods; they would rather stick to the tried and tested. But the outmoded methods will not be able to keep up with the fast changing world. Take for example music. Everyone knows that music is amoral: meaning it is neither bad nor good; it depends on how you use it. When used for its real purpose, music can bring us to loftier things. It can help our hearts dream of higher moral ideals as a community of faith. When we sing together at mass, we experience community. When we sing a love song, we experience love --- including that part of love that cannot be grasp and articulated. When we praise God as the people of the bible have been doing, we are enabled to pray and bring our hearts to God; as well as connect with our ancestors.

But when music is used for a different purpose especially when the words of the song glorifies the values of the world, then music seduces the person to do evil. In the past, rock music has been associated with force, sex and drugs. Since the appearance of Trixie Smith in 1922 whose lyrics included “rock” and “roll”, rock stars exhibited an attitude, a lifestyle that is altogether outrageous. I am glad that nowadays rock singers and bands are much healthier than before, most of them have a positive attitude toward life. Some of them are even Christian bands singing songs about faith. But take note: I said the lyrics --- not the musical form. Rock music is a musical genre like classical, pop, country or jazz. Rock became popular in the 1950s, and it has spawned sub-genres like acid rock, art rock, progressive rock, pop rock, psychedelic rock, speed rock, punk, punk rock, funk rock, etc. The “evilness” lies not in the musical arrangement, but often in the content of the song.

In Catholic liturgies, we are asked to use three kinds of judgments when we choose songs. First, the musical judgment: Is the music good? Second, the liturgical judgment: Are the words of the song appropriate for the liturgy? And finally, the pastoral judgment: Can the people sing it? Since Vatican II and the latest rules in liturgical music stressed the value of maximum participation at mass, then we have to consider the people who come to mass, their age-group, their culture, and their ability to pick up the tune. If the aged and infirm attend a specific mass, then the songs are appropriated to them. Ideally, the choir sings the traditional songs. If the congregation is made up of teenagers, then perhaps a Christian rock song can make them sing.

Thus, it is about discerning which means are the most effective in evangelization. The key is what we call creative fidelity. The first reading from the Colossians tell us whom we should ever be faithful: Christ and no one else. And the rest? We should never tire in finding new ways and means to spread the Word of God. In other words, if it takes a million cartwheels or a flying trapeze to bring a soul back to God, then by all means learn them. Flexibility, as St. Ignatius would always remind us, is a virtue.

How To Be Aware of God in our Daily Lives

2 September 2009 Wednesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
Col 1, 1-8; Psalm 52; Luke 4, 38-44

The first reading is the introduction of the letter to the Colossians. It begins with a greeting in typical Pauline tradition (meaning, the author though unknown is said to be a disciple of Paul) to the community at Colossae. The greeting is usually used at mass: “The grace and peace of God our Father,” and the Lord Jesus Christ.... The greeting reflects the grounding of our community’s life in the saving activity of Christ. We look at everything that we do and experience in the eyes of God. It is successful if it is good and beautiful in the eyes of God. Even if, it is not in the eyes of the world. We evaluate our lives according to our purpose: that we are meant to praise, glorify and love God.

Often we lose our sensitivity to the workings of God in our lives when we are too busy. When the demands of our work claim most of our time, the first thing that goes is our prayer. It is said that ideally when we are too occupied, the more we need to pray. Jesus in the Gospel gives us the example: despite His work, He takes time to go up the mountain to pray. He talks to His Father: about the worked He had done, and where He needs to go. In order to align ourselves to God, we must be aware of His workings in our daily lives. We need the sensitivity of the author of the letter to the Colossians to see and acknowledge that the seed of the Gospel is growing in his community whom he described as “the holy ones” and “faithful ones in Christ”. To feel the presence of God and the work that He is effecting on us, we need to tune our ears to Him.

St. Ignatius of Loyola teaches us what we call the “Consciousness Examen” or the “Awareness Examen”. This is different from the Examination of Conscience. The Consciousness Examen helps us to be aware of the presence of God in the whole of our lives, while the latter focuses on our sins. To help us in our awareness of the movement of the Spirit in our daily lives, we can follow these two simplified methods. We can do it as the day ends, or at the end of the first half of the day. Ideally, each examen is 15 minutes.

A. Awareness Examen (longer version) in five steps.

1. Act of Presence and Gratitude to the Trinity: I begin by placing myself in the presence of the Trinity. I try to become aware of God beholding me as the beloved one. I thank God for creating me and for God’s presence with me.

2. I ask for what I seek and desire: With the Spirit leading me, I try to get in touch with what has been happening in and through me. I ask the Holy Spirit for an interior knowledge of God’s presence to me.

3. Examination: I go through the past half-day or day. Choose only a few questions or even just one. Ignatius said that the point is not quantity but depth.

a. What has been dominating my mind and heart?
b. When did I feel most alive?
c. When did I most feel life draining out of me?
d. Experiences of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
e. Experiences of interpersonal relationship with others, whether of love and rejection.
f. For what am I most grateful to God about.
g. Where do I experience regret about?
h. Where have I experienced consolation and/or desolation?
i. Interior experiences of intimacy with God.
j. What were the high points?
k. What were the low points?

4. With my new awareness: I speak to the Trinity seeking understanding and meaning of these experiences as well as the ability to recognize God’s constant companionship with me. I make further responses to the Trinity of gratitude or sorrow.

5. Looking Toward the Future: “What returns can I make for all God’s goodness of me?” (Psalm 116, 12). I ask for what I need as I continue on my journey today. I close with the prayer Jesus taught us: the Our Father.

B. Awareness Examen (shorter version). Choose any set.

1. For what moment today am I most grateful? For what moment today am I least grateful?
2. When did I give and receive the most love today? When did I give and receive the least love today?
3. When did I feel most alive today? When did I most feel life draining out of me?
4. When today did I have the greatest sense of belonging to myself, others, God and the universe? When did I have the least sense of belonging?
5. When was I happiest today? When was I saddest?
6. When was today’s high point? When was today’s low point?


Notes:

1. This is not the only method to root ourselves in the love of God everyday. There are many others. Some may be more complicated. But for now, this is a good way to start. All you need is 15 minutes of your time.

2. Awareness Examen is taken from the Center for Ignatian Spirituality Philippines (CIS Phil). If you need to go on a one-on-one retreat or Spiritual Direction or be trained to become a Spiritual Director, please contact the Center for Ignatian Spirituality Philippines (CIS Phil). Ateneo de Manila University. Loyola Heights, Quezon City. Tel.+632 42642-50 & 51. Email: cis@cisphil.org. Web www.cisphil.org.