WE have just been reminded about the parable of the
barren fig tree
(Lk 13,1-9). The obvious lesson to derive is that we should never
waste time and that we should try our best to be as productive and
fruitful as possible.
This might already sound like a trite reminder, but then again, given
our culture of self-indulgence and complacency, the warning actually
continues to be current and urgent.
That’s because our tendency to take things for granted is simply
limitless, especially when we are in our comfort zones, like when we
are at home, or alone, or simply pursuing personal hobbies and
interests.
We obviously need to know when to be serious and when to relax, but
the latter should not be taken to mean that we can forget the more
serious concerns of our life. If ever there’s any value to our rest
and recreation, it is to refresh us so we can go back to our weighty
concerns and challenges in life.
Otherwise, our rest and recreation can be harmful to us, as they can
only give us means of escapism, thereby nurturing our dissipation and
intemperance.
We should be wary of our tendency to break the link between our work
and rest, our business and recreation, just as we should avoid
breaking the connection between our work and prayer, our temporal
affairs and our spiritual activities.
We only have one life, though with many aspects and needs. We have to
learn how to integrate and blend them well to strengthen the unity of
our life. And this task can be challenging, since these aspects and
needs can compete with each other. We have to learn the necessary
skills and competence for this.
That is why, even as we pursue with our rest, recreation and fun, we
should never forget that their purpose is to make us more able to face
the serious matters of life. And these days, the challenges can be
daunting.
The developments all over the world have become fast-paced and
complicated, leaving in their trail a lot of questions to answer,
issues to resolve, and new skills to acquire. We should avoid being
blind to these concerns, otherwise we will just find ourselves in a
deeper mess in the future.
Just the same, we should never forget that the way to tackle the
future challenges is to strengthen and not to weaken, much less,
neglect, the basic structures of our life—our own personal spiritual
and moral life, our family, our work, and the responsibilities we now
have due to our current state and condition in life, etc.
With respect to our spiritual life, we need to fortify our faith in
God. Especially these days when ideologies with their corresponding
lifestyles are questioning the validity of faith, the existence and
providence of God, etc., it’s important that our faith should stand
firm, strong and fruitful.
That’s why, we really have to make our prayer real prayer, not just
mumbling of words or a surge of sweet religious feelings, but one
where we engage God in a serious father-and-son conversation where we
bring up and sort out our concerns with him.
God is everything to us. We should never forget that. We should
rather trust in him and in his ways, even if sacrifices and
inconveniences are involved, rather than get taken in by the
allurements of some quick-fix philosophies not founded on God but
rather on our human estimations of things alone.
As to the family, we need to see to it that the family is bright,
cheerful and vibrant, with the interrelationships within it
functional. Parents have the grave duty to form their children well
humanly, spiritually, morally, doctrinally, etc.
The parents should be quick to recognize the problems and issues
affecting every member of the family, and to start resolving them.
That’s why the parents also need to be strong and always abreast with
the developments of the times.
Subsidiary entities, like schools, parishes, clubs, etc., should be
established and enhanced, and their relation with the families and
individuals, especially the children and weaker members of society,
should be clearly defined and strengthened.
I feel this is the way to brace for the future challenges. No matter
how complicated they are, these challenges can always be manageable if
we take care of the basic and fundamental aspects of our life.
We would be in a better condition to face these challenges.
waste time and that we should try our best to be as productive and
fruitful as possible.
This might already sound like a trite reminder, but then again, given
our culture of self-indulgence and complacency, the warning actually
continues to be current and urgent.
That’s because our tendency to take things for granted is simply
limitless, especially when we are in our comfort zones, like when we
are at home, or alone, or simply pursuing personal hobbies and
interests.
We obviously need to know when to be serious and when to relax, but
the latter should not be taken to mean that we can forget the more
serious concerns of our life. If ever there’s any value to our rest
and recreation, it is to refresh us so we can go back to our weighty
concerns and challenges in life.
Otherwise, our rest and recreation can be harmful to us, as they can
only give us means of escapism, thereby nurturing our dissipation and
intemperance.
We should be wary of our tendency to break the link between our work
and rest, our business and recreation, just as we should avoid
breaking the connection between our work and prayer, our temporal
affairs and our spiritual activities.
We only have one life, though with many aspects and needs. We have to
learn how to integrate and blend them well to strengthen the unity of
our life. And this task can be challenging, since these aspects and
needs can compete with each other. We have to learn the necessary
skills and competence for this.
That is why, even as we pursue with our rest, recreation and fun, we
should never forget that their purpose is to make us more able to face
the serious matters of life. And these days, the challenges can be
daunting.
The developments all over the world have become fast-paced and
complicated, leaving in their trail a lot of questions to answer,
issues to resolve, and new skills to acquire. We should avoid being
blind to these concerns, otherwise we will just find ourselves in a
deeper mess in the future.
Just the same, we should never forget that the way to tackle the
future challenges is to strengthen and not to weaken, much less,
neglect, the basic structures of our life—our own personal spiritual
and moral life, our family, our work, and the responsibilities we now
have due to our current state and condition in life, etc.
With respect to our spiritual life, we need to fortify our faith in
God. Especially these days when ideologies with their corresponding
lifestyles are questioning the validity of faith, the existence and
providence of God, etc., it’s important that our faith should stand
firm, strong and fruitful.
That’s why, we really have to make our prayer real prayer, not just
mumbling of words or a surge of sweet religious feelings, but one
where we engage God in a serious father-and-son conversation where we
bring up and sort out our concerns with him.
God is everything to us. We should never forget that. We should
rather trust in him and in his ways, even if sacrifices and
inconveniences are involved, rather than get taken in by the
allurements of some quick-fix philosophies not founded on God but
rather on our human estimations of things alone.
As to the family, we need to see to it that the family is bright,
cheerful and vibrant, with the interrelationships within it
functional. Parents have the grave duty to form their children well
humanly, spiritually, morally, doctrinally, etc.
The parents should be quick to recognize the problems and issues
affecting every member of the family, and to start resolving them.
That’s why the parents also need to be strong and always abreast with
the developments of the times.
Subsidiary entities, like schools, parishes, clubs, etc., should be
established and enhanced, and their relation with the families and
individuals, especially the children and weaker members of society,
should be clearly defined and strengthened.
I feel this is the way to brace for the future challenges. No matter
how complicated they are, these challenges can always be manageable if
we take care of the basic and fundamental aspects of our life.
We would be in a better condition to face these challenges.
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