The graver the sin, the greater should be the compassion and mercy

THIS somehow is the lesson we can draw from that gospel episode about the woman caught in adultery and dragged to Christ to see if she should be stoned to death according to some Mosaic law. (cfr. Jn 8,1-11) 

 As the story unfolds, Christ simply kept quiet, knowing that those who dragged the woman to him was simply trying to test him. After a while, he stood up and told them that he who had no sin could cast the first stone. 

 We know what happened after that. No one dared to do so. Instead, the accusers started to leave one by one, until it was only the woman left with Christ. That was when Christ asked the woman if anyone stoned her. When she answered, “No one,” Christ simply dismissed her with the advice to sin no more. 

 This story is full of meaning that reflects how deep and so entrenched and ingrained in our human condition our weaknesses are. Despite our best efforts, we know that sooner or later we would succumb to them. This reminds us of what St. Paul once lamented about himself: 

 “In my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom 7,22-25) 

 In our relation with others, let’s see to it that we channel the same attitude of compassion and mercy Christ had and continues to have towards all of us, sinners. We know that when a baby makes a mess, we don’t mind it so much. We are even eager to clean it up. That’s because we love the baby, and we understand that the baby cannot help but make some mess. 

 When we are dealing with the defects, mistakes and sins of older persons, we should even show greater compassion and mercy, because even if they are supposed to know better, we also know that their weaknesses can overpower them. 

 Nowadays, with the rise of cases of addiction, obsession and mental and psychological illnesses, we should really be ready to show more compassion and to offer mercy to those involved. 

 Even more, with those who appear normal in the different aspects of their health and yet can still fall into some mess, and even a graver mess, we should show greater compassion and mercy, since they would need it more than what babies and those older persons with some health issues would need. 

 Yes, we may apply a little of the Mosaic law, clarifying the issues involved, rendering justice and some punitive action, but in the end, we should apply greater compassion and mercy to those involved. This was the way Christ dealt with sinners. This is also how we should deal with anyone who causes some messes in our life. 

 We need to be always reminded that we are truly helpless without God. There is no other way but for us to fall into some sin. We just have to understand each other, and strengthen our conviction of what St. Paul once articulated: “Where sin abounded, grace much more abound.” (Rom 5,20) 

 Of course, we should try our best to avoid sin and making a mess. But we know that we can only go so far. Let’s just be consoled by what a psalm once expressed: “God’s anger is for a moment, but his mercy is forever.” (30,5) And let’s also live this wonderful truth of our faith ourselves.

Good resolutions, affection and inspiration

THESE should be the effects if we truly have a good prayer. We would be filled with inspiration and affection and moved to make resolutions to follow and fulfill what God wants of us. We would have a purpose-driven life, not one marked by boredom, etc. To be sure, God is always intervening in our lives, prompting us to do his will and his ways. 

 Like the saints, martyrs and other holy people through the ages, we can manage to face and tackle whatever challenges and trials there would be in our life, and bear whatever difficulty and suffering we can encounter. 

 In fact, we would lose the fear of suffering and would even be welcoming to them, just as Christ himself looked forward and embraced the cross to bring about the salvation of mankind. To top it all, we can manage to do great and even impossible things. Let’s always remember that God always takes the initiative to share what he has with us. He empowers us to be like him. That’s his will for us! 

 We really should make our prayer real prayer, a living connection with God which is actually very possible because not only is God everywhere. He is also full of love, concern and solicitude for us and for our needs. He wants to be with us always, and to direct our life towards him. It would really be just up to us to correspond to his ever-present love for us. 

 We should just really learn the ropes of how to truly pray. This requires us, of course, to activate the God-given gift of faith, hope and charity, and to submit ourselves to a certain plan and discipline, so we can use all our human faculties to this most important duty of ours to pray. 

 We know that we are easily trapped in our earthly condition, indifferent to the spiritual and supernatural dimensions of our life. We have to learn how to transcend from our natural and earthly conditions, without leaving them behind, in order to enter into the spiritual and supernatural dimension of our life, since we are meant to share in the very supernatural life and divine nature of God. 

 Especially these days when our external and corporeal senses get so easily overstimulated that we become numb to the spiritual and supernatural dimensions of our life, we have to practice what Christ himself once said—that in order to follow him, we need to deny ourselves and carry the cross. (cfr. Mt 16,24) 

 We have need to disengage ourselves from time to time from our earthly concerns, turning off our corporeal senses, so to speak, if only to engage ourselves in a spiritual conversation with God and enter into the supernatural world which God shares with us. 

 This is what is meant to have a contemplative life which is actually meant for all of us, especially those of us in the middle of the world. This contemplative life is not meant only for some people—the nuns, priests and other consecrated persons. It’s meant for all of us. 

 This contemplative life can be pursued and achieved if we manage to do a daily good prayer that should fill us with good resolutions, affection and inspiration. With it, we can manage little by little to do the things of God and not just our own things, which is how our life should be.

“Lord, show us the way…”

THIS should be the request that we should constantly make as we pursue the real goal of our life, which is our own sanctification and our duty to do apostolate. God in Christ has offered us “the way, the truth and the life” so we can manage to be on the right path despite the heavy drama that we can encounter in our earthly life. 

 We should always go to God in all our efforts to grow into the fulfillment and perfection of our humanity. We should never rely on our own human powers alone, though we have to also make full use of them, but always under the animation of God’s grace. 

 That gospel episode where Christ practically begged the leading Jews of his time to believe him rather than their own ideas (cfr. Jn 5,31-47) clearly tells us we should refer everything in our life to Christ. 

 Even the basic things of our life—like how to study and work well, how to live the virtues of humility, temperance, order, etc.—just should not be a matter of personal concern alone. God in Christ through the Holy Spirit should be at the beginning, end and the middle of them all. 

 This is how we can make all our temporal and earthly affairs acquire the eternal and redemptive value that we should all aspire. Thus, we have to learn the habit of asking Christ, “Lord, show us the way…” In fact, we should try to make that habit like instinct because such attitude is truly proper to us. 

 When we just rely on our own powers, there is no way but for us to simply end in some disaster sooner or later. When we get blinded by our own pride, we would even willingly head to such disaster not knowing that such is the case. 

 We cannot deny that given the basic truth of our faith that we are God’s image and likeness, sharers of his supernatural life and divine nature, we are faced with an impossible challenge. It would only be with him that we can manage to make the impossible possible and practicable. 

 We would not know how to pray if we would just rely on our human talents alone. Much less would we be able to resist the many strong temptations around, especially in the area of purity, if we are not with God. 

 Obviously, we have to fight against the usual natural, not to mention the infranatural, awkwardness involved in this effort to refer everything to God. We really need to activate our faith, hope and charity that first of all are gifts given to us by God. That is how we can counter that awkwardness. 

 Let’s hope that we can make it as some kind of system in our life to instinctively refer everything to God, asking him to concretely show us the way of how to deal with a particular issue in our life. We have to acknowledge that we are actually helpless when we are just by ourselves. 

 For this, we really should rev up our intellect and will, the primary faculties we have, so that they can actively engage us with God as we go through the different events and situations in life. They are the faculties that would spark and keep our faith, hope and charity alive and kicking. They are the ones that are supposed to direct the other faculties and powers we have so they can act at God’s promptings.