THAT’S the victory of Easter, the resurrection of Christ
when he
finally conquered death itself and with it all the malice of sin and
evil. It’s the victory that recovers our original dignity as image and
likeness of God and nothing less than God’s children in Christ, the
dignity we lost because of sin.
This ultimate victory even enhances that dignity, since it involves
God becoming like us so that we can be like him! It’s this very
sublime exchange and sharing that comprises the supreme good that can
happen to us.
Some people have considered it a Pyrrhic victory since it involves
quite a tremendous cost. It’s like saying that the resurrection of
Christ has given us only a zero-sum triumph, since what we gain with
it is almost the same as what we lose.
This is, of course, a very poor understanding of this truth of faith.
While it’s true that this culmination of the redemptive work of Christ
on us entailed nothing less than his life, it’s also true that that
death has been converted into a gateway to our salvation with his
resurrection. What matters is what happens in the end, with an effect
that will be for always.
If we believe this truth and live it ourselves, identifying
everything in our life with the life and the passion, death and
resurrection of Christ, then we too can partake of this ultimate
victory.
We should not forget that it will involve nothing less than the
offering of our life. Before that, it obviously will entail a lot of
suffering—the cross, in other words—which Christ already warned us
about when he said that if we want to follow him, then we should deny
ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.
It would be nice if we can quit wasting time by fussing about this
truth, and simply proceed to live it, acquiring the relevant attitude
and skills to put it into practice. Yes, with this truth about our
assured ultimate victory in Christ, we ought to have the confidence
and serenity in going about the affairs of our life. Plus, a driving
sense of responsibility that should push us to do things for others
without counting the cost.
The other day, someone told me about an advanced management program
designed in the likes of those in Harvard and the number 1 European
business school, IESE, in Barcelona, Spain.
What caught my attention is that this program is offered to the CEOs
and owners of big companies in the Philippines and the other countries
comprising the ASEAN, because by 2016, there is supposed to be an
economic integration of the region that would boost economic
activities.
What is prominently distinctive of this program is that it infuses a
strong Christian spirit into the complex art of managing big companies
with global impact. I consider this a very bold move, since it will
bring religion at the center of business and economics, a combination
that is often considered taboo, at least in the practical sense and
not so much in the theoretical.
It’s about time that God is seriously put into these human
activities, so crucial in our lives. Those behind this program
reassured everyone that freedom of conscience will always be
respected, but that God, faith and religion would be unabashedly
talked about in relation to these affairs of ours.
I consider this as a kind of having the Easter mentality, the
attitude of a confident winner who goes beyond merely monetary and
other technical criteria in their business and economic activities.
That it is given to the business leaders is also very significant,
since that would surely have a great effect on the ethical climate of
the regional and global economy. Every time I pass by the IT Park in
Cebu where I usually see a lot of young people, I cannot help but
think of how to evangelize them.
I can already detect certain attitudes and behaviour that are
actually disturbing, most of them related to how the virtue of
chastity is lived, how time and money are spent, etc.
Casual flings seem to be the in-thing among them. They are only
interested in the money and the so-called freedom that money can give
them. There’s a great need to clarify things and to inculcate the
proper values and develop the virtues.
We need to have the Easter spirit in dealing with this challenge.
finally conquered death itself and with it all the malice of sin and
evil. It’s the victory that recovers our original dignity as image and
likeness of God and nothing less than God’s children in Christ, the
dignity we lost because of sin.
This ultimate victory even enhances that dignity, since it involves
God becoming like us so that we can be like him! It’s this very
sublime exchange and sharing that comprises the supreme good that can
happen to us.
Some people have considered it a Pyrrhic victory since it involves
quite a tremendous cost. It’s like saying that the resurrection of
Christ has given us only a zero-sum triumph, since what we gain with
it is almost the same as what we lose.
This is, of course, a very poor understanding of this truth of faith.
While it’s true that this culmination of the redemptive work of Christ
on us entailed nothing less than his life, it’s also true that that
death has been converted into a gateway to our salvation with his
resurrection. What matters is what happens in the end, with an effect
that will be for always.
If we believe this truth and live it ourselves, identifying
everything in our life with the life and the passion, death and
resurrection of Christ, then we too can partake of this ultimate
victory.
We should not forget that it will involve nothing less than the
offering of our life. Before that, it obviously will entail a lot of
suffering—the cross, in other words—which Christ already warned us
about when he said that if we want to follow him, then we should deny
ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.
It would be nice if we can quit wasting time by fussing about this
truth, and simply proceed to live it, acquiring the relevant attitude
and skills to put it into practice. Yes, with this truth about our
assured ultimate victory in Christ, we ought to have the confidence
and serenity in going about the affairs of our life. Plus, a driving
sense of responsibility that should push us to do things for others
without counting the cost.
The other day, someone told me about an advanced management program
designed in the likes of those in Harvard and the number 1 European
business school, IESE, in Barcelona, Spain.
What caught my attention is that this program is offered to the CEOs
and owners of big companies in the Philippines and the other countries
comprising the ASEAN, because by 2016, there is supposed to be an
economic integration of the region that would boost economic
activities.
What is prominently distinctive of this program is that it infuses a
strong Christian spirit into the complex art of managing big companies
with global impact. I consider this a very bold move, since it will
bring religion at the center of business and economics, a combination
that is often considered taboo, at least in the practical sense and
not so much in the theoretical.
It’s about time that God is seriously put into these human
activities, so crucial in our lives. Those behind this program
reassured everyone that freedom of conscience will always be
respected, but that God, faith and religion would be unabashedly
talked about in relation to these affairs of ours.
I consider this as a kind of having the Easter mentality, the
attitude of a confident winner who goes beyond merely monetary and
other technical criteria in their business and economic activities.
That it is given to the business leaders is also very significant,
since that would surely have a great effect on the ethical climate of
the regional and global economy. Every time I pass by the IT Park in
Cebu where I usually see a lot of young people, I cannot help but
think of how to evangelize them.
I can already detect certain attitudes and behaviour that are
actually disturbing, most of them related to how the virtue of
chastity is lived, how time and money are spent, etc.
Casual flings seem to be the in-thing among them. They are only
interested in the money and the so-called freedom that money can give
them. There’s a great need to clarify things and to inculcate the
proper values and develop the virtues.
We need to have the Easter spirit in dealing with this challenge.
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