Despite our unworthiness

THAT gospel story about Zaccheus (cfr. Lk 19,1-10) reminds us precisely of this point. No matter how unworthy we are of God’s favor, we should never lose hope nor the conviction that God is always there for us, ever ready to grant us mercy and to help us in every way. 

 As the gospel narrates, Zaccheus was a chief among the publicans and a rich man that in the very judgmental ways of the people then automatically meant that he was a big sinner. Yet, despite that condition, Zaccheus had in his heart of hearts a deep longing to see and know Christ. 

 When he heard that Christ was passing by, he immediately climbed up a tree to have a good sight of Christ since there was a large crowd and he was short of stature. And when Christ saw him up the tree, Christ told him to climb down and invited himself to Zaccheus’ own home. That was when the people also exploded in their judgmental ways by murmuring that Christ went to be a guest of a sinner. 

 We should not make a big fuss about our own unworthiness because of all the sins we all have committed. Never lose sleep over it. It’s a given and it is what precisely would attract Christ to us. We should just be transparent about ourselves and welcome Christ into our life. 

 Christ is the good shepherd who would always look for the lost sheep, never stopping until he would find that sheep. We should always be welcoming to Christ. This should be the attitude to have in our relation with Christ. He always takes the initiative to come to us, to knock at our heart’s door. We should be welcoming to him, and more than that, we should be appreciative of his love and concern for us and learn to correspond by knowing, thanking and loving him better each day. 

 Toward this end, we may just need a few moments to touch base with this reality and to make it our guiding spirit all throughout the day. We have to feel this need for him, for without him, we can only do nothing good, or worse, the only possibility left for us is to sin. 

 Christ spelled out this innate need for him when he said: “I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in me, and I in him will bear much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned…” (Jn 15,5-6) 

 Thus, we have to learn the art of praying, or spending a few moments of meditation, which is not only a matter of a technique but more, that of learning how to be with Christ. A few minutes of meditation is like the refueling and the recharging that we need to make us going properly throughout the day. 

 Remember that God first created us. And upon our creation, he took the initiative to establish a personal relationship with us. He talked to our first parents, gave them some instructions. And even if our first parents, and then us, messed up the original plan of God for us, he did not sever that relationship with us. 

 Let us foster the desire for Christ to come into our hearts. We have to remember that as St. Augustine said, “The entire life of a good Christian is in fact an exercise of holy desire.” That desire not only has to be maintained. It also has to increase as time passes.

Persistent hope amid our helplessness

THAT gospel episode about a blind man sitting on the wayside where Christ was passing by, reminds us about this point: we need to always have hope even if we already would feel totally helpless. (cfr. Lk 18,35-43) 

 As the gospel narrates, the blind man, upon learning that Christ was passing by, unabashedly cried out to call the attention of Christ. Even if he was rebuked by the others to keep quiet, he continued to cry out. And finally, Christ approached him, asking him what he wanted. 

 The response was simple and direct: “Lord, that I may see.” It’s a response that should inspire us to also make our requests for some special divine intervention in the same way. We should just say what we want, and if it is for our own good, for sure Christ would grant it. 

 We know that there is always the possibility for us to fall into some state of helplessness, not only of the transitory type but also of the permanent one. That’s just being realistic. And upon that possibility, let’s make the necessary preparation, building up the appropriate attitude, skills and practices to tackle it. 

 There’s always hope even in our worst scenario. And that’s because God never leaves us, but continues to love and care for us, in spite of all. He gives us everything we need to handle this situation. 

 We should be quick to realize this truth of our faith, and act accordingly. Let’s avoid aggravating the situation by avoiding falling into discouragement and depression, a fertile ground for the devil to tempt us into worse conditions. The devil obviously wants us to be alienated as much as possible from God. Rather, like the prodigal son, let’s return to God asking for mercy which he readily gives. 

 God, of course, does not spare us from falling into some serious, and sometimes insoluble predicaments. That’s because he will always respect the limitations of our nature that can sometimes lead us to some trouble, and more so, our own freedom, no matter how much we misuse and abuse it and lead us to sin, the worst evil. 

 And even if personally we have not sinned or do not seem to deserve a particular burden, we all suffer just the same as an effect of all the sins of men, ours and those of others. We should not be surprised by this and waste time complaining about it. 

 In other words, we should never hesitate to ask God for any help we need, especially in times of emergency. Even if our appeals appear to be unanswered, we should just go on asking him, never feeling that we would be disturbing him. 

 God always listens and cares for us. Our usual problem is that we tend to lose our faith in him or at least to doubt his compassion when we feel our requests appear to be rebuked. 

 One way to counter this danger is to pray the Rosary. This Marian prayer, which many people consider as boring since they consider it as just a repetition of Our Father’s, Hail Mary’s and Glory be’s, is actually an effective prayer that teaches us how to insist and persevere in our petitions to God. 

 And we do it with Mary, the mother of God and our mother, who is the most powerful intercessor we can have. We know that, as dramatized in that wedding at Cana, when it is Mary who would make the request on our behalf, Christ would find it difficult to refuse.

Preparing for the end

THAT’S what we can get from that gospel episode where Christ made the people, who admired the temple for its rich adornment, to realize how it was going to be at the end of time. (cfr. Lk 21,5-19) 

 Oh, many terrible things were going to happen, he told them. But at the same time, he reassured them that while they shall be hated by all men for Christ’s sake, not a hair of their head shall perish. “In your patience you shall posses your souls,” he said. 

 This gospel episode is definitely a call for us to prepare for the end, either of our own life or of time and the world. It’s a preparation that is also a call for us to really strengthen our faith, and to keep on going and growing in our spiritual life that in the end is what truly matters, since that is the life that brings us to our eternal bliss with God. 

 In this regard, we need to see to it that our profession of our belief in God, and the accompanying practices of piety that it involves, should always continue to grow and improve, making appropriate adjustments, proper adaptations and even necessary corrections along the way. 

 We cannot deny that we always tend to fall into lukewarmness and complacency, leading us to fall into all sorts of inconsistencies between what believe in, what we teach and what we do. It calls to mind that accusation Christ once made against some of the Pharisees whose words we may follow but not their deeds, since, as he said, “they preach, but do not practice what they preach.” (Mt 23,3) 

 We have to continually check and review how we are doing in our spiritual life, in our relation with God and with others. Do we really find time to pray, to know more about God? Are we progressing in our skill in discerning God’s will and ways at every moment of the day? 

 This definitely would require of us to have some kind of a plan of life that covers everything in our life, making them pursue the ultimate goal of our life. If we are to be effective especially in facing the many challenges and opportunities today and in the future, we need to hone our skills at making plans and strategies, both of the short-run and the long-run types. 

 This may require a lot of patience and self-discipline, and the learning curve may be very slow at the beginning. But then again if we persist, there is no other way but to succeed. 

 Of course, the most important goal of the plans and strategies is how to relate everything to God. We have to come out with concrete ideas as to how to make that goal achievable. Obviously, this would involve developing the virtue of order and of inculcating the proper sense of priorities, giving the inputs of our Christian faith the first priority. 

 We have to examine our attitudes, practices and habits, and see which ones would reinforce this effort and which would hinder it. We have to learn how to make plans and strategies that are realistic and are organic in the context of our personal circumstances. They have to be plans and strategies that know how to flex with the changing circumstances without getting confused or lost in our proper focus. 

 We should be able to see a gradual process of developing our spiritual life such that we can feel more intimate with God himself and that our whole life goes truly in synch with God’s will and ways! This is what is meant by preparing for the end.