Failure to Love

30 September 2007. 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Amos 6, 1-7; 1 Tim 6, 11-16; Luke 16, 19-31

Fr. James Keenan SJ has a very insightful look at sin using several examples from the Gospel, including the Gospel today about Lazarus and the rich man.

Many of us attribute our sins to our weakness. We even say that many of our sinfulness have been committed in moments of weakness: the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. When we confess our sins, we have an array of weaknesses: I was angry, I struggle with my patience, I lied, I quarreled my brothers and sisters, I talked back at my mother, I disobeyed my parents, I fell short of my goals, and the frequent confessional matter is in our sexuality. We confess when we are broken and messy and weak. In this state, we believe we sin.

However, many theologians know that the stories in Scripture tells us that sins are committed out of our strength. In the Gospel today, the sin of the rich man is in his neglect of Lazarus who was in need. He knew who Lazarus was: he knew his name. He knew Lazarus waited at his gate, hoping to eat the scraps of bread he threw to the dogs. He could have done something for Lazarus, but he didn’t. That is not about weakness: he was capable of helping, but he just didn’t care. In the story of the Pharisee and the Publican, the sin of the Pharisee is in his consideration of what he has, in comparison with the Publican’s lesser assets. To bloat with one’s gifts is a sin about strength. Arrogance is egotism: we feel superior over others. In the Good Samaritan, the Levite and the priest ignore the wounded Samaritan. They were capable of extending help, but they didn’t because they do not want to mess their lives with long rituals of purification. In the Last Judgment, the goats and sheep will be separated: the goats are damned forever. What did they say to the Lord? “When were you hungry and we didn’t feed you? When were you thirsty, and we didn’t give you drink…” The sin of the ‘goats’ is the refusal to see Christ in each person: they could have done something but they didn’t. Sinning therefore is about our strength: we are capable of it, but we didn’t do it. Omission comes from the word, to omit. Thus we deliberately leave out, pass over, neglect, and exclude. We know it is there, but we decided not to do it.

Thus, Fr. Keenan captures the scope, depth and pervasiveness of sin. He defines it as simply the failure to bother to love. This captures the sins of the people we mentioned in Scripture. It captures the sins of the people in history. It captures our sins. We sin when we are comfortable and complacent, when we do not want to be bothered by the kid in the streets, the people in the slums, and the many victims of violence. When we are comfortable in our big houses, we do not want to shaken by the world’s problems, just as the people who dine and enjoy themselves in the first reading. Ayaw na natin maabala. Many of the students in the University of the Philippines as well as in the Ateneo de Manila University and perhaps in many universities are apathetic. By ignoring the plight of Cris Mendez and all other victims of hazing, because many of them are also members of fraternities, they actually sin out of their strength. The Lord says in the first reading, “Woe to the complacent!”

When we attribute our sins to our weakness, we sugar-coat the gravity of our sins and ignore the extent of our personal responsibility. But when we see that our sins is from our strength, we acknowledge that we have not used the power we have: the strength of our will, the existence of our freedom, the authority of our conscience, and the power of our gifts.

But what is not surprising and thus very alarming is this: Just as many students being hazed are not aware that they are being hazed, we sinners are not also aware how deep and serious our sins are. Ask them, they will always say, it’s ok.

*the sand that buried many houses in Albay: remnants of typhoon Reming.

Angels are Presences of God

29 September 2007. Feast of the Archangels Rafael, Michael and Gabriel
Daniel 7, 9-14; Revelations 12, 7-12; John 1, 47-51

We are fascinated by angels. One of fastest growing businesses today is the angel industry: specialty stores that sells pictures, statues and cross-stitch patterns of angels. In the last few years until the present, we also see the rising popularity of guardian angels: it is claimed that we can know our guardian angels by birthdate. However, the Church has never defined this belief that every individual soul has a guardian angel; thus, it is not an article of faith. In other words, you will not cease to be Catholic if you do not believe it. The belief has not been declared binding for all Christians or has not been definitively proposed for the assent of the whole Catholic Church. It is, nevertheless, in the mind and tradition of the Church as St. Jerome said, “How great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.”

Historically, the belief in angels appears in most, if not all religions. We have the kuribu of the Acadian culture, the angels of Assyria (an angel decorates the Assyrian palace, now displayed in the British Museum), Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar’s father believed that a cherub had been sent to make his work succeed) and Persia. We have the Jewish angels in the Old Testament: the cherubs of Genesis who guard the entrance to Paradise, the angels of Lot who delivered him, the angels of Moses whom God promised to go before him, the cherubim of Ezekiel (angels of fire with the face of animals), the seraphs of Isaiah who sit on the throne of God, Rafael who cures Tobit. In the New Testament, we hear of Gabriel at the Annunciation. And Michael in the book of Daniel, Revelations and the Catholic Epistle of St. Jude. Finally, the individual guardian angels who appear during the Middle Ages. Moreover, there are many kinds of angels: the good angels and the evil angels like Lucifer. There are even hierarchies of angels: from the seraphs who sits on the throne of God to the cute little angels we all love.

As many as the kinds of angels, we have various meanings of angels. We see them as attendants to God’s throne. We see them as messengers of God. We see them as divine agents who protect the world. We also see them as our personal bodyguards.

However, the archaic concept of an angel is simple but profound: they are units of the presence of God in the world. Since God is unfathomable, we cannot see Him. But we can see ‘angels’. Thus angels are sensible and palpable manifestation of the presence of God. When we say, “You are an angel to me!” we are saying to the person that he or she has manifested God to us. Through the person, the beauty and goodness of God has been revealed to us. The Greek, anguelos means messenger. Angels are thus messengers of the presence of God in what is beautiful, what harmonizes, what unites, what is good, what heals, what is virtuous, what gives us hope, what makes us happy (notice angels sing in choir!).

Therefore, when we pray so that we may see what is good in us and in the world, we actually would like to see angels. When we look at the beauty of nature, we actually are looking at angels. When we acknowledge the goodness of a person, we actually acknowledge the angels. When we know that wherever we go or whatever happens in our lives, we are protected and kept safe, we know that we are personally guarded by angels. In all these sensible and palpable experiences, we see the face of God.

*the angel in the picture has been in the old tabernacle in the Parish of St. John the Baptist in Camalig, Albay, my hometown.

Consider your Ways!

27 September 2007: Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul
Haggai 1, 1-8 and Luke 9, 7-9: Consider how you have fared

Ancient history had it that Cyrus, King of Persia gave out an order for the exiled Jews in Babylon to return and rebuild their temple in Jerusalem. In his decree in 538 BC, he even asked citizens of the Persian Empire to support the Jews in their reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1, 1-4). However, there was no significant progress by the year 520. The building of the temple was resumed in the reign of Darius who was the king of the Persian Empire from 521-485 BC. The old temple was the Temple of Solomon, plundered and burned in 587 BC (2 Kings 25, 8-7). Assisted by Zechariah, the prophet Haggai was the principal mover of this major project.

In the reconstruction of the temple, the Lord in the first reading kept repeating the following: Consider your ways! Consider how you have managed. Consider how you have progressed. In the reconstruction of the temple, there was also a need for a personal and spiritual reconstruction. As the foundation stone of the temple was put into place, the people were asked to look at the foundation stone of their faith. To make the temple become a unifying project of all people, the prophet Haggai exhorted the joint leaders of the Judean community --- Zerubbabel, the governor and Joshua the high priest --- to assume leadership in the construction of the temple and urged the priests to purify the cultic worship. These two projects became unifying points for factions in the community to come together. In other words, the physical reconstruction also became a spiritual renewal. The building of a temple was also a building of a community of faith.

The Gospel from Luke is about Herod who heard about Jesus. He said, “John, I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?” In a way, Herod is now being haunted by his guilt that he sought to see Jesus (Luke 9, 9). He was perplexed. He was confused. This guilt and puzzlement directed Herod to seek for the truth and perhaps, led him to some self-evaluation. Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

As we come to worship or pray in a building such as this physical church of the community of UP, we come to consider our ways. To see how we have managed our lives. To assess how we have progressed in our faith. We can do two things from our two points.

First, we take from the Gospel. When we are confused and perplexed about the teachings of the Church, we must seek clarity, as Herod tried to look for Jesus to clarify all the rumors. The things we do in our faith, from rituals to doctrines, are reasonable: there is always an explanation for it. Thus, we can google it. We can consult experts in Theology (not just priests, but also lay people who study theology). If the issue is still a gray area, we can seek the opinion of people, and in the end, we follow our conscience.

Second, we take from the first reading. We can use three questions which St. Ignatius directs those who take the Spiritual Exercises: What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I to do for Christ? By these questions, we would be able to assess our ways.

*UP ICTUS sharing group during their retreat in Tagaytay last April 2007.

Wine in Earthenware

26 September 2007. Wednesday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 9, 1-6: All We Need is Ourselves

What should you bring in proclaiming the Word of God? Jesus tells us: nothing! Our life is sufficient enough: no extra clothing needed, no luggage. Just bring yourself.

Often we suffer from low self-esteem. We cannot believe that the Lord can make some good out of us. So we find ourselves making excuses: I am not intelligent; I am not talented; I cannot speak to a crowd. There is a thousand and one reason why we cannot proclaim and evangelize. Why we do not let our light from Christ shine on a lamp stand or on a hill. We cannot believe that God can store something greater than us in a person such as ourselves. In other words, we think we are ugly. I have a story which I found in a book called Fr. Frank Mahalic SVD’s book, 1,000 Stories: Volume 1.

Joshua was a very wise counselor to the king, but he had a rather ugly face. One day, the king’s daughter, jealous that Joshua was getting more attention from her father than she, tried to cut him down to size. So mockingly she asked him one day.

“If you are so wise, tell me why God chose to store so much wisdom in such a plain vessel.”

Joshua then asked her, “Does your father have any wine?”

“I thought everyone in the world knows that my father has cellars full of the finest wine in the land. How stupid can one be?”

“And where does he keep them?” he went on.

“Why, in large earthenware jugs,” she answered quickly.

“Earthenware!” Joshua roared with laughter until the young princess shouted at him in anger. “Forgive me,” said Joshua, “but I am surprised that anyone of your father’s stature would use such plain material. Even peasants store their wine in earthenware. I would expect that the royal wine would be kept in something more elegant, such as silver or gold.” He bowed and left the young woman.

Quickly, the princess marched to the wine cellars and told the chief steward to pour all the wine out of earthenware jugs into vessels of gold and silver.

Shortly afterwards, the king invited people to a banquet and served his best wine. The guests sipped it and their faces puckered up. The wine had turned sour.

The king was furious and called the chief steward and asked for an explanation, which he got. The daughter got a proper scolding.

After the banquet the princess ran to Joshua’s room and shouted, “Why did you trick me into pouring the wine from the earthenware pots into vessels of silver and gold.”

“I am truly sorry, little one,” began Joshua, “but perhaps you now see why God sometimes prefers to put wisdom in ugly containers. Wisdom, like wine, is best preserved in humble vessels.”

In other words, all we need is what we’ve got: no need to carry extra luggage --- sandals or an extra cloak. All we need is wisdom: Wisdom that comes from a deep and personal reflection of how God’s love works in our lives. Wisdom in earthen vessels.

Building the Church

25 September 2007. Tuesday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time
Ezra 6, 7-8. 12, 14-20 and Luke 8, 19-21 Building the Church

There are basically two meanings of the word, church. The Scriptures today gives us these two connotations: as a building or structure for public worship and as a body of believers.

The first point is the church is the small c: the reading from the Book of Ezra is about the rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, issued an edict for the Jews exiled in Babylon to return to Jerusalem and construct their temple. This second Temple was completed by Darius the Great in 516 BC. The church is a place of worship. It is a sanctuary, a sacred and holy place where one meets God.

It is easier to bring people together for a specific mission and cause when there is a place to congregate, meet and organize activities. That is why an office, a tambayan, a practice venue is essential in the existence of an organization. This place also provides the environment in which the shared ideals, values, goals are nurtured and maintained.

The second point is the Church is the big C: The Gospel today is about the body of believers. Jesus emphasized that whoever hears the Word of God and acts on it is family to him. The body of believers is united with a common belief and a shared history. The Catholic Church traces its roots to the original Christian community founded by Jesus and his apostles. This body of believers in Jesus is first of all diverse: it is made up of one Western or Latin church (Roman Catholic Church) and 22 Eastern Catholic autonomous churches (eg. Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian, Antiochian or West Syrian, etc.). Though diverse, we all look to the Pope and the College of Bishops as the highest authority on earth for the matters of faith, morals and church governance. Because of this, the Catholic Church is the largest Christian Church, representing half of all Christians and the largest organized body of any world religion. In 2005, the Statistical Yearbook of the church records 1, 114,966,000 members, 1/6 of the world’s population.

But what makes us truly united is not so much the organizational structure and the statistics of today, but the common love and belief in Jesus. In life, our consanguinity (of the same blood, ancestor or origin) does not necessarily make us one. Case in point: our friends know us better --- they know our secrets which our family does not necessary have. The Gospel tells us the core of our union with Him: when we listen to the Word of God and act on it. It is not only about knowing our faith, but living what we believe in. St. James, the Apostle said faith without good works is dead.

The governing body such as the College of Bishops provides us with the information we need and at the same time, guide us in the practice of the faith. But this does not exempt us from our personal responsibility: we are, as individuals, asked to know the faith and at the same time reflect and decide how we can live and appropriate our faith to our personal lives.

*this is the Parish of St. John the Baptist. I was baptized here. My vocation grew as I served my town as the organist in church when I was in high school. The smaller picture is the interior of the church in Camalig, Albay. You can see the paintings on the ceiling: the seven sacraments, articles of faith, the four evangelists on the dome, etc. They were visual catechism for many of the faithful.

As light on a stand

24 September 2007 Monday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 8, 16-18 The light on a lampstand

The need for light is basic and fundamental. Life is dependent on light. Before electricity, people relied on gas, oil and candles for artificial light especially in the evenings. I still remember Petromax, the paraffin pressure lamp invented by Max Graetz. You have to preheat it with alcohol. Then use a hand pump to pressurize the paraffin in a closed tank. In vapor form, paraffin is mixed with air and blown into the mantle to burn. In the ‘70s, we used Petromax in the evenings before electricity was introduced in our town.

Scriptures are filled with the image of light. Genesis tells us of the beginning and the first day: “The earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw how good the light was.” The very first action of God is creating light.

In the New Testament, light was also a key image. John the evangelist refers to Jesus Christ as the light himself. And Jesus used the imagery to teach his disciples that they should shine like as lights on the hilltops or as Luke says in the Gospel today, as lighted lamps on a lamp stand.

At the lighting of the candles in baptism, all the parents and godparents take the light from the Paschal Candle. The Paschal Candle symbolizes Christ. All parents, godparents and the baptized thus share in the light of Christ. Moreover, they are entrusted to keep the light of Christ burning in their lives, and to use that light to guide them in forming the child in the faith and in the building of a community of witnesses of Jesus, our light.

There is an old Catholic custom to remind us to keep Christ in our hearts day in and day out: when you light a candle or switch on an electricity light, we pray, “Jesus is the Light of the World, a light which never knows darkness.”

Before Becoming Big-Time

23 September 2007. 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 16, 10-13 Before Becoming Big-Time

Wesley Snipes before becoming famous worked as a parking assistant at Columbia University. Whoopi Goldberg was a bricklayer on a San Diego Zoo construction project in California. Then she become a make-up artist for corpses at a funeral home. She said, “Death puts a lot of things in the right perspective. Race and class cease to matter. And if there is no disfigurement, the face of the dead person often looks very peaceful. It was a kind of privilege to make them look their best for their friends and families.” Before Chris Tucker laughed his way to the bank, he didn’t laugh at his former work: cleaning the floors and restrooms of a fastfood restaurant. Nora Aunor sold water at the train station in Bicol before water became a commodity in bottles. Marvin Agustin and Diether Ocampo were once waiters. Raymond Sajor was an unknown from Lucena City before he joined Philippine Idol, got eliminated early, but grabbed a much bigger trophy at the 11^th World Championships of the Performing Arts in Hollywood. Or, the UP Pep Squad who won the championship of the Cheerdance Competition this year after months of practice and sacrifice.

These famous artists illustrates the simple yet practical point of the Gospel: Before we are entrusted with bigger things, we have to start small. The maxim is very important for many Filipinos. We like to hit it big right away. Many are called one-time big-time millionaires: once they get their pay check they splurge.

But life teaches us that the best way to the top is the incremental process: hinay-hinay pero kanunay (slowly but surely). Many would like to start a business, but couldn’t because they wait for big-time financing. Small business magazines and books like “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and “The Millionaire Next Door” tell us that small businesses can be started with nothing. The requirement is that we possess a marketable skill, a potential client and the guts to creatively market ourselves. Bravery is key in one’s incremental climb to the top. In other words, it is ok to start from the garage of the house, or for many Filipinos, from our window with a few items for a sari-sari store.

The same thing with building our character. The Gospel tells us, “the person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.” We are all called to grow, and as St. Paul would say, “to advance”. But any growth is a journey towards God. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) said: “To stand on the way of the Lord is to move backwards.” For Christians, the journey to the top of the ladder is the climb towards God. The journey towards God means choosing the right road or the correct way to get there. Choosing the right way is choosing to live according to a virtuous life. And living the virtues is a process that involves little successes and often big pitfalls. Like forming a habit: all we have to do is practice one virtue at a time for 30 days. Conversely, a vice is practiced 30 consecutive days for it to become a habit. Thus, if one is to build character for greater things, we start building small and slow, brick by brick, one at a time.

You can therefore see with the ZTE scandal involving top government officials that grace Philippine headlines today: they did not begin to be corrupt NOW. I bet they began cheating way before they became famous.

*Mr. Raymond Sajor at the Diocesan Youth Assembly. He sings today Sunday at the UP Church, 11:00 AM Students' Mass. The UP Pep Squad also thanks the Lord for winning this year's UAAP Cheerdance Competition at the Araneta Colliseum.

Paul's Advice to Young Leaders

20 September 2007. Memorial of Andrew Kim Taegon and martyrs
1 Timothy 4, 12-16 Young Leaders

There is a cultural and moral norm that we should respect the old. They have lived more than us, and they have learned a lot from their lives. This is indeed true. However, they also do not possess the whole truth. Truth also resides in the young. Timothy was a young leader compared to the elders. Paul tells us that the older Christians need to see that the younger generation also have great gifts. They also know the truth and they will be able to preach it. The older generation should not despise Timothy by reason of age, but should recognize and listen to the voice of the young.

The Philippines recognizes the importance of the young. Our Constitution states: “The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs” (Article II, Section 13).

The contribution of the youth in Philippine history is a record of youthful aspirations for reform: Jose Rizal published, Noli Me Tangere, when he was 25 years old. Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto were in their twenties when they organized armed resistance against Spain, thus founded the Katipunan. Emilio Aguinaldo was 29 when the flag of the First Philippine Republic was raised in 1889, assuming the presidency of the Republic. In th 1970s, organized youth movements were mobilized against Martial Law and a repressive regime. People power in 1986 was noteworthy as a peaceful revolution led mainly by the young who provided mass and logistical support.

In the first reading, Paul gives advice to Timothy --- and thus to youth leaders --- in order for them to be credible not just to the elders but to the community. Credibility may well be one of the most difficult attributes to earn and easiest to lose. The qualities are the following:

First, speech: What a Christian says is important, but not just what we say, but how we say it (Ephesians 4, 25 & 29). People rely on our word, and thus, we do what we say we will do. We keep our promises, follow through our commitments, and articulate the aspirations of people. Our word and actions are consistent with the wishes of the people they lead.

Second, our life and lifestyle. By our actions do leaders establish morale and integrity. Their values are consistent with their values of the people they lead and with their lifestyle.

Third, compassion for the people. There is genuine love for their welfare. St. Ignatius would add that personal care is important. We get to appreciate their work; grieve when a family member passes away; and celebrate on their birthdays and anniversaries.

Fourth, faith. As religious leaders, when we talk about faith, we know what it is. It would be better to even articulate our spiritual struggles with them.

Finally, generosity. Any gift God has bestowed on us, must be used for others and the community. This presupposes that we know what we have in order for us to give. We cannot give what we do not have. But these gifts should be cared for.

These qualities are important when one is chosen by God to lead his people. And God may chose whoever, in whatever way. Abraham was old and Timothy was young when God asked a favor. And when He does, we never say no.

The Unresponsive

19 September 2007 Wednesday of the 24^th Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 7, 31-35 The Unresponsive

Jesus describes his generation as unresponsive and uninterested. John and Jesus taught the same message, but their style of presentation were different. Their lifestyle was also diverse: John lived in the desert But whatever way the message was delivered --- through the style of John or Jesus --- they would not listen. That is why Jesus compared it to children who did not dance when a flute was played (the flute was for weddings and celebrations) or mourned when a dirge or a funeral song was sang.

This passivity is also seen in many worshiping communities today. But let us use an example close to home. We have explained the many liturgical changes in Vatican II, exhorting 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. Many choirs tried to make their songs accessible to the congregation. They practice more often than usual: twice weekly for many UP choirs.

However, we remain passive, lethargic and unresponsive. At mass, we stare blankly and appear impatient. We want to finish the mass as quickly as possible. Kung ikaw ang pari, parang utang-na-loob mo pang nandoon sila. When Paul wrote to Timothy that in the event of a delay, Timothy knows how to behave in the house of God, we have mistakenly interpreted acceptable church behavior as rigid, stiff and inflexible; as many socialites carry themselves in weddings when they are all made up.

Why are we unresponsive? Primarily, we were used to a mass where there was minimal participation. Everything was focused on the altar and the priest. 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 audience participation. Like the noontime show Wowowee: it gained popularity because it actively involved the audience. We enjoy change and variety. I understand that in a church of millions with different cultural backgrounds and affiliations, to promote orthodoxy is to have some uniform way of doing things. We do have them, except we tend to make it boring. Liturgical norms, even in history, have incorporated the arts to add life and zest to worship. Thus, if we put in some drums & percussions, some dancing as Catholics in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe do, perhaps we could make some of the rigid churchgoers to begin enjoying the mass; or perhaps, influence some priests to put in some excitement. After all, Christian faith is about hope, joy and love. It is about celebration!

There is, however, one more thing that we can reflect on. It is also possible that God has been doing a lot of things for us to notice Him; but our attention is somewhere else. Various distractions are part of modern life, but it could turn our senses away from the call and presence of God. We are unresponsive because we don’t notice the presence of God.

Perhaps, we begin to train ourselves in quiet prayer. When we are accustomed to silence, we get to manage our distractions and thereby focusing ourselves on the voice of God.

A Tribute to Mothers and Women

18 September 2007 Tuesday of the 24^th Week in Ordinary Time
1 Timothy 3, 1-13; Luke 7, 11-17 The Widow of Nain

In all accounts of Jesus raising a dead person to life, women were always involved. The Gospel narrated that Jesus was moved with pity on the widow who lost her only son. In Eastern tradition, to lose a husband and a son was a tragedy. She would then be at the mercy of her relatives; she would have to fend for herself by working in the fields and carrying buckets of water from long distances. In the story of Lazarus, Jesus was moved by the grief of Mary and Martha (John 11, 38-53). And in the story of the raising of the daughter of Jairus, Jesus was stirred by the mother’s supplication (Mark 5, 35-43). In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter raised Tabitha or Dorcas, moved to pity by wailing widows who showed Peter the clothes Tabitha made for them (Acts 9, 36-43). And Elijah raised from the dead the Zarephath widow’s son.

Mothers and their love for their children is legendary. Mary holds the highest distinction of honor as the mother of Jesus. With her are numerous women who influenced the lives of many great biblical leaders. The mother of Moses, Miriam and Aaron was Jochebed who taught Moses his Hebrew faith. Despite the background of Bathsheba, she became a good mother to Solomon. In Proverbs 31, Solomon revealed what his mother taught him about what a good wife and mother should be. During Solomon’s time, we had the mother who was willing to give up her son, as long as no harm befell him (1 Kings 3, 16-28). We knew of Salome, the mother of James and John, who would like her sons to occupy the place of honor with Jesus. Or Olympia, the mother of Alexander the Great, who wanted the same thing for her son. Lois and Eunice, the mother and grandmother of Timothy respectively, influenced his life of faith (2 Tim 1, 2-7). And we knew St. Monica who prayed for the conversion of her son, Augustine.

The influence of mothers on their children is undeniably the most prevailing. When the wine ran out at the Wedding at Cana, it was Mary’s suggestion to her son that Jesus performed his first known miracle even before his time. Likewise, it was the tears of the grieving mother in the Gospel that moved Jesus to perform another miracle.

We can do any of these two things today: reflect on the influence that you have on your children or offer a prayer for the women who influenced your lives. Women who contributed to our growth and our ‘greatness’. Women who inspired and built us up --- whose prayers to God metaphorically brought us to life. A poet once said that the grass that grows in an orchard is different from the grass that grows in the jungle.

Changing the Image of the Good Shepherd

16 September 2007 24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 15, 1-10 Changing the Image of the Good Shepherd

Many of us have a deep devotion to the Good Shepherd. This devotion springs from the many paintings and statues of the Good Shepherd who looks at his sheep with kindness --- or who looks kind, sweet and gentle himself. In many of these depictions in parishes, houses, and institutions named after the Good Shepherd, Jesus looks like a Hollywood actor. Esteban Murillo Bartolome (c 1660) in his rendition of the Good Shepherd, even depicts Jesus as a child, the symbol of tenderness (Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain).

But if one reflects on the story of the Good Shepherd and knows the background of shepherding in the time of Jesus, the shepherd is no tender, sweet image. The ancient Israelites were pastoral people and many of them own flocks of sheep; or the village itself was the owner of the flock. Shepherding was one of the oldest professions beginning around 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat, and wool. And in many societies, the shepherd became part of the economy. Since the responsibility to care for the flock which the village owned was given to the shepherd, he literally placed his life on the line. The rocky terrain of the Palestine made it easy for sheep to wander or to get lost. Since each sheep was important, the duty of the shepherd was to find the wandering sheep.

Moreover, the duty of the shepherd was to keep the flock together and protect it from wolves and other predators. Furthermore, the shepherd guided the whole flock and guaranteed that they made it to market in time for shearing. Having this background, it was not an easy feat to become a shepherd. Now, if you are one of the faint of heart, you cannot be a shepherd. If you’re soft and fragile, you cannot tend a flock.

Therefore, the image of the Good Shepherd has to be modified. The test of the real shepherd is not in how he treats his flock, but how he treats the enemies of his flock. In the Gospel today, we find a tough Jesus: one who is not afraid to challenge even the most powerful and influential people in his time like the Pharisees and the scribes. He says to them, “Woe to you, you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” In addition, remember how angry Jesus was at those merchants who defiled the temple! He showed his fangs if necessary! In the Old Testament, many Biblical heroes were shepherds like Moses, the prophet Amos who was a Tekoan shepherd, and King David. In fact, the shepherd was so important that it would become the leadership icon of Israel. All of them became heroes because they fought the enemies of Israel. They were tough. They were warriors. They were rugged. They were soldiers. They keep vigil. They were alert. They watched over their flock, and sprang to defend them at all cost. They were far from the sweet and soft image that we have today. We know that from Jesus: at all cost means his life, dying for the sake of his flock.

I know you might find this very repulsive. Or you might be uncomfortable with this image. But faith is not about being comfortable. The cross isn’t. Faith is not about being nice all the time. Sometimes, when we are right, we have to be angry. Many people are nice, but unprincipled. They will not fight and stand to their principles when threatened. Why? Because they erroneously believe that Christianity is about being nice even to those who are obviously predators of the weak in society.

Christianity then is about being tough and principled.

Redemptive Suffering

14 September 2007 Exaltation of the Cross
Numbers 21, 4b-9; Philippians 2, 6-11; John 3, 13-17

Today, we celebrate the exaltation of the cross. How can the cross --- a symbol of suffering and death --- be a source of adoration? Let us look first into the symbol of the cross. When one looks at the cross today, we easily forget what it actually is. Crosses nowadays are embellished and has become not just a faith symbol but a fashion accessory. We find ourselves looking at crosses on sale and saying, “What a beautiful cross pendant!” But the cross was a symbol of horror and great suffering: the Roman government in ancient times crucify criminals. And Jesus was killed on the cross.

We shall not take the academic road to the question of suffering that would lead to a more generalized philosophical, theological and speculative discussion on why the reality of suffering in a world created by a loving God. What we will tackle is the more practical, concrete and much more strategic level called, the ‘survival level’ where we provide support and comfort to the person who is experiencing his or her suffering --- her cross.

What we mean by suffering is the ‘distress brought about by the actual or perceived impending threat to the integrity or continued existence of the whole person’ (Eric Cassell, The Nature of Suffering). This means that the ‘sufferer’ recognizes that he or she will never be able to obtain some good that is seriously important for them. For example: health, mobility, a loving marriage, a trusted friend, a decent job. When these goods are threatened, we suffer. Fr. James Keenan, SJ in his book, Moral Wisdom, notes four defining experiences of those who suffer. First, they discover the necessary goods that they lost. Two weeks ago, while at mass, I felt a general weakness, only to discover that my blood sugar was at my highest at 250 (normal is 120). My health --- and my ministry--- is thus threatened. Second, the sense of loss is heightened by a sense of isolation. I cannot eat what I love most: chocolates, ice cream and cheesecake. Not like those without diabetes who can enjoy them. Third, the sufferer searches for ways to re-negotiate the future, trying to recoup what was lost. I now have to follow a strict diet, take Metformin, and in case I crave for something sweet, I use an artificial sweetener. Fourth, the sufferer looks to their many relationships to see who will support them in their search for ways to renegotiate their future. Some call them their support group. I call them my community of Jesuits.

There are sufferings which are senseless like the following victims of hazing in UP: Gonzalo Mariano Albert (1954, Upsilon Sigma Phi), Ferdinand Tabtab (1967, Alpha Phi Omega), Arbel Liwag (1984, Beta Sigma), Joselito Hernandez (1992, Scintilla Juris), Mark Martin (1995, Epsilon Chi), Alexander Icasiano (1998, Alpha Phi Beta), Marlon Villanueva (2006, Alpha Phi Omega), Cris Anthony Mendez (2007, Sigma Rho). Those who died from fraternity wars are Rolando Perez (1969, Upsilon Sigma Phi), Rolando Abad (1977, Alpha Phi Omega), Dennis Venturina (1994, Sigma Rho), Den Reyes (2000, Alpha Phi Beta), and a non-frat member, Nino Calinao (1999, a case of mistaken identity, was near tambayan of Scintilla Juris at odds at that time with Sigma Rho.)

Human reason and the scriptures cannot explain suffering. Edward Schillebeeckx OP, said, “The Christian message does not give an explanation of evil or our history of suffering. That must be made clear from the start. Even for Christians, suffering remains impenetrable and incomprehensible, and provokes rebellion. Nor will the Christian blasphemously claim that God himself required the death of Jesus as compensation for what we make of our history.”

Though having different responses to suffering, many religions share the last word: they give it to the good, and not to evil. Their concern is how to overcome suffering. What kind of suffering then is redemptive and deserves exaltation? It is the suffering which people choose as their responsible concern for other people’s suffering. It is an “elected suffering” (Keenan) and the primary model is God himself. The second reading tells us that Jesus who is God ‘emptied himself and took the form of a slave… humbled himself, became obedient to death on the cross.’ Therefore, if we closely look at the Gospel and the first reading, the focus is God who decided to help the people who are suffering and have been bitten by serpents. It is God who chose to help those who suffer. This is the suffering we choose as part of our loving: the parents who choose to work hard for their family, the student volunteers who choose to forego their free time to teach children, the friend who says, “I do not know what to do with your brokenness, nor do I have answers to your problems, but I will walk with you and be with you whatever happens.” Or take the story of a faculty member whose wife died. A colleague tried to comfort him by explaining death philosophically. His student came, put his arms on his shoulders, and stayed that way without saying anything. The teacher said later that he was more consoled by his student than his colleague. The student entered the heart of his suffering professor. In more ways than one, this is the underlying template of the lives of saints and heroes whose memory of elected suffering for the faith or for humanity we still commemorate. Notice that feast days of saints and heroes are marked on the day of their death.

Therefore, what do we celebrate in the ‘exaltation of the cross’? We celebrate Jesus who deliberately choose to accompany us in our suffering. Just like a friend: when we are heartbroken, we would rather be with a friend who also experienced it. And thus, we also celebrate those who have given their lives for our sakes. Those whom we call our companions.

The Answer to our Past Hurts

13 September 2007 Memorial of St. John Chrysostom
Colossians 3, 12-17 & Luke 6, 27-38

The letter of Paul to the Colossians and the Gospel from Luke all mentioned forgiveness. The Gospel tells us about Jesus’ command to love and to forgive our enemies. And in as much as we forgive, we too will be forgiven. In addition, the first reading admonishes Christians to “put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing one another and forgiving one another if one has a grievance against another.”

A lot of us think that the value of forgiveness is in the relief one feels when being forgiven as in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We think that the importance of forgiveness is in our feeling of liberation from guilt. Forgiveness does not try to ‘undo’ the past since the past can never be undone.

However, forgiveness is aimed at healing the wounds of the past. Hannah Arendt in her book, The Human Condition, identifies two factors that she finds essential to preserve life from chaos: promises which deals with the future, and forgiveness, which deals with the wounds of the past. As we respond to God’s forgiveness, we renew our relationships with people in our community. We patch things up. Thus, our relationships with God and with fellow human beings are transformed. Some of these relationships deepened. Forgiveness therefore makes community. In order for relationships within a community to be smooth, we need to forgive.

Second, forgiveness allows us to face the truth about ourselves and confess our sins and our faith to one another in friendship. Notice what we say at mass: ‘I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own faults…” We admit our faults. We own our sins. We ask pardon even for the things we have neglected to do. And the beauty of reconciliation is that when we hold ourselves accountable for them in front of a fellow human being, they, in turn, accepts us in love and friendship. A relationship therefore is formed.

Finally, it tells us why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is important: it links the truth of our lives, both praiseworthy and blameworthy, with God’s forgiving love. And within this link, we are able to exercise this relationship within a community: in as much as we forgive others, so too are we forgiven. Notice that this is the very words from the Our Father: forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who sin against us.

Only when we develop this culture of forgiveness can a community of faith grow into what God intends it to be.

Upholding our Ideals

12 September 2007 Wednesday of the 23^rd Week in Ordinary Time
Colossians 3, 1-11 Ideals

In every profession, there is a quality that we seek. Would you consult a doctor without a sense of a person’s dignity? Would you seek advice from an architect or an engineer without an aesthetic sense? Would you trust a lawyer without a sense of justice?

The letter of Paul to the Colossians urges us to “seek… and think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” When those accused of directly or indirectly participating in the death of Cris Mendez were summoned by the UP administration, they had with them five lawyers who belonged to their fraternity. They were to defend their ‘brothers’ at all cost. Even when the truth is blatant. On the other hand, the victim did not have someone --- or even afford a lawyer to defend him. For the lawyers or would-be lawyers who give premium on ‘brotherhood’ than justice, they demonstrated that they do not deserve to be lawyers in the first place.

To seek what is above is to have ideals and values to uphold. Ideals are desirable excellences worthy of actualization. The values of justice, dignity and the aesthetics are some examples. When we seek what is above, these ideals give direction and meaning to our lives. It becomes our motivating power. It gives us identity. It becomes the measuring rod for all our individual activities and choices. While goals are attainable, ideals are guides. Ideals are like the rays of the sun: when you face the sun, you know when you’re looking at it head on. And when you’re face is turned slightly away from direct sunlight, you also know.

At the Youth for Christ gathering, the young have a song called, “One Way Jesus”. Just as the sun is the source of its rays, there is only one way to go in our lives. It is the way to Jesus. However, just as there are numerous rays, so too with the diversity of paths that leads to Jesus. This is what makes Christians: in the diversity of cultures and personalities, one finds ideals and values which everyone shares and upholds. Jesus tells us to love God and neighbor. If one looks at it closely, our personal, mental, psychological and sociological ideals boils down to the simple and all-encompassing ideal of love.

A point for reflection then for all of us: What makes you do the things that you do?

The Search for Union

11 September 2007 Tuesday of the 23^rd Week in Ordinary Time Col 2, 6- 15 and Luke 6, 12-19

If you were given a chance to bid a loved one goodbye shortly before you die, who would you call, and what would be your message? This sounds like one of our usual beauty contest questions for the question-and-answer portion, but for the 2,800+ victims of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center which we remember today, this question is what they actually faced. Minutes before the crash, passengers on the plane and those at the burning building were able to call who mattered to them. At the end of the day, what matters is whom we love.

The Gospel today names Jesus’ friends whom He chose to accompany Him in His ministry. After His resurrection, He hoped that they would continue His work on earth. Eventually, these friends of His strived to be one with Him at all times. Paul was one of the disciples who introduced Jesus to many others especially to the Gentile world. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul reminds those who received Jesus, that they share in the fullness of Christ. That they are to “walk in him, [be] rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith.” In other words, Paul exhorted the Christians to be one with Christ. To be one with Christ establishes a relationship of friendship, just as He had said, “You are not anymore slaves, but My friends.” At the end of the day, what matters is whose heart binds ours.

When St. Ignatius realized that his men will have to go to faraway places, he encouraged each one to constantly communicate through letters. These letters kept them together though dispersed. As St. Francis Xavier traveled to India and the Moluccas, he would cut out their letters and placed them closed to his heart.

In all these, we get to see something: love drives, animates and moves us. The love of Christ for His disciples became the inspiration and life-giving force for them to continue His work until their last breath. In turn, the love of the disciples for their specific community enabled them to undergo countless sufferings as Paul experienced in his travels. Succeeding generations of saints would encourage the union of minds and hearts among their community members while on mission. And what moved the people to call their loved ones minutes before their death, professing their love for them, was the human spirit’s seeking for union.

Perhaps today we can look at the ties that bind us. Are their relationships that need strengthening? Or we can ask the same question the victims of 9/11 faced. The people that comes to our minds are the people who matter to us. Are we spending quality time with them? Or, are we spending a lot of our time with people who are not as important?

The Power of Self-Determination

9 September 2007 23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 9, 13-18, Luke 14, 25-33 The Tower Builder

Note: Sorry everyone. I have been out of town. I went home to Bicol, my hometown, for the Ordination of my fellow Bicolano Jesuits: Xavier Olin SJ and Nono Alfonso SJ. Pictures here. They are now deacons. So, blogging then continues.

The Gospel today is very practical. It tells us why planning is very important in our lives. We see the tower builder or the present-day engineer calculating the cost of the project. We also see the king who looks into the strengths and the number of troops in his army before going to battle.

There is a toxic notion of God that we have: that God controls our lives like a puppet master. Pre-destination means that whatever we do, we cannot determine our future. God plans it. You get to see it when people say in the event of a misfortune, “Don’t worry God maybe has a plan.” Or, when at a break-up in a relationship, we tell our friend, “Maybe it was for the better.” Or at the wake, for the lack of things to say, we tell them, “God must have a reason for this to happen.” Or, when we say, “God must want me to feel this way for a reason. There is something I still need to learn.” If we say these things, we mean that God controls the events in our personal history, and we renounce our accountability for our own lives. In other words, we become less responsible for our lives.

But God indeed has a plan for us. He desires that all creation be drawn to the reign of God. Ephesians 1, 10 says that Jesus gathers up all things in him, things in heaven and earth. Thus, God does not manipulate events in order to achieve his plan, or else it would violate our will and freedom. We can see that in parents who has one plan and desire: mapabuti ang kanilang anak. Kahit ano pa man ang gusto niya, basta masaya ang kanyang anak. Wala yan sa pagiging doktor, pag-abroad, atpb.

However, God does not become idle. The first reading tells us that He sends the Holy Spirit who becomes the active and driving force in the fulfillment of our personal plans. Nonetheless, the effort of the Spirit can be resisted as when we become lazy or rejected as when we do evil by free human beings.

So concretely, how do we live the Sunday readings today. When we plan for our lives, we participate in God’s spirit, na malagay tayo sa mabuti, so that we are able to straighten the paths of our individual, specific lives. We are therefore responsible for our lives, and the choices we make is our exercise to determine ourselves. We can be good doctors or bad doctors. We can be good lawyers or bad lawyers (or bad would-be lawyers as those who participated in Chris’ hazing and death). It is the Spirit who draws us to choose doing the good in a specific manner depending on what we want in our lives.

There is a common tenet however: we cannot give what we do not have. When we plan, we assess our resources as the king assessing his army. We understand the options available to us. We get all the information we need. Studying therefore is a preparation. It is part of the planning stage. We will be able to serve others, according to the resources we have.

What then is the benefit in planning our lives? Planning ahead means less emotional and financial stress for you and your family or the people who would be affected by your decisions. The rapid changes in our environment and the complexities of our work and lives all the more need strategies and contingency plans for our future. Para hindi tayo magkakalat. We would not be scatter-brains. That way we do two things: we exercise our freedom, and we are able to do the ultimate desire of God. So that we would be like Him. We are God’s children after all.

When Disaster Comes

4 September 2007. Tuesday of the 22^nd Week in Ordinary Time
1 Thess 5, 1-6, 9-11 Encouragement

There are things which are inevitable. The pregnant woman will surely experience birth pains. All of us will grow old and die. No one can escape these eventualities. And there are things which come suddenly and unexpectedly. The mother of Chris Mendez surely did not expect her son to die this way. Neither the love ones of the marines who died in the battlefield of Mindanao, or the Bicolanos from the wrath of Mayon and typhoon Reming. The ebbs and tides of life affect all of us. And disaster comes in all forms. Like the thief in the night. I know what it means: I live at the foot of Mayon Volcano. We live in constant anxiety --- it can erupt anytime. But on the other hand, we also live in unwavering trust in God. All the more, we do feel that our lives are always in the palm of God’s hands. Nothing is permanent, but God.

The letter to the Thessalonians speak of these unexpected events when the ‘day of the Lord’ comes: it can mean any day or time when the Lord enters our lives; or it can also mean our own individual death; or it can mean the parousia, the 2^nd coming of Christ at the end of the universe. However, there is more to the first reading: it tells us about two things.

First, it tells us that Christians do have some confidence when the unexpected comes. It is the confidence that is found in a deep faith in God. A dog was found by the Suncoast Humane Society in Florida during the hurricane. In 2004, Debra Parsons-Drake who was the executive director featured the dog on television. She got a phone call from the dog’s guardian who wanted to be reunited with their family pet. They have lost everythnig, except their dog. The confidence in God is like finding the family’s dog, when thinking one has lost everything. The difference is that, we will never lose God no matter what happens. Romans 8, 35 assures us that no one can ever be separated from the love of Christ.

Second, it gives us a disaster strategy: “Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up.” To prepare for life’s inevitable is to strengthen each other up. Sometimes it is hard to praise someone for a work well done. But it is easy to criticize someone for the mistake made. When we grow, there is a process of socialization in which we rely on external praise to appreciate our self-worth. Studies show that we need 5 affirmations a day to be healthy. And therefore, to make someone stronger is to give them credit when due and recognition when there is reason to appreciate them. We should not prevent ourselves from showing our appreciation when someone’s hair looks good on them or another’s presentation at the meeting was excellent.

As a teacher, I have seen that the confident student gets the higher mark than those who suffer from low self-esteem. To encourage and to build one another positively strengthen us, and therefore, prepare us for life’s battles.

The Gadfly

3 September 2007 Memorial of St. Gregory the Great
Luke 4, 16-30 The Gadfly

The ancient philospher Socrates claimed that he was a gadfly. A gadfly is a fly that stings or annoys livestock; hence a ‘gadfly’ is someone who provokes others to think or to act. Socrates was trying to arouse those who are apathetic, or people who claim that they know, but actually don’t.

Jesus was a gadfly. His teachings provoke people to think, to re-evaluate and re-direct people’s lives. The Gospel today tells us that Jesus visited Nazareth, his hometown, after having been popular. His kababayans or townsfolk expected that He would show to them what He was doing in other places like Capernaum.

The synagogue service was basically like the Liturgy of the Word of the mass. There were three persons who participated: the reader, the interpreter and the preacher. On special occasions such as the Sabbath, there were more readers. The lessons were read from the parashah, from the Law, and the hapthorah, from the prophets. Jesus was asked to read from the prophets. So He read Isaiah 61,1: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” The response of the people to his readings was positive: all looked intently at him, all spoke highly of him, and were amazed at the gracious words from his mouth.

However, Jesus challenged their distorted concept of the Messiah --- of Himself. The people expected that He would do great things for them, as a political Messiah who would save them from the clutches of Rome. But He told them that the Messiah was to save all peoples, including the Gentiles. Historically, prophets were never honored in his own country. Prophets were rejected. They were persecuted and even killed (1 Kings 19, 10, Jer 35,15, Acts 7, 52). And they were more kindly treated by Gentiles, and in return, the Gentiles received blessings from them. Elijah stayed at the home of the Zerephath widow. Elisha healed Naaman, the Syrian who was a military leader, an enemy of Israel. The examples of Jesus challenged the way people think of a Messiah: they could not accept that the Messiah was also sent for the Gentiles: that He was sent also to bring glad tidings to the poor, blind, oppressed Gentiles.

Who are the people who function like gadflies in our lives? They do not easily agree with all of our ideas. They challenge how we think. They question our systems. They dare dispute our long-held beliefs. And they confront our ideas.

These are the people whom we often react to. People who annoy us.

But perhaps they may tell us the truth. And the truth hurts. We can at least consider what they say. They might give us a new perspective. Or, a truth we long denied.