I BELIEVE these are aspects of our
life that we need to be
more aware of. The idea is to let ourselves be more conscious of their
implications and consequences, especially the rights, duties and
responsibilities we have because of them.
This is not to mention the many dangers that often beset
us due to our ignorance, misunderstanding or confusion about them. Sad
to say, these dangers are usually taken for granted, and so we suffer
as a result, often unnecessarily. We have to learn to avoid them, if
not nullify or, even better, to eliminate them.
It is a fact of life that we as human persons are composed
of a material body and a spiritual soul. The materiality of our body
cannot be denied. The spirituality of our soul can be proven by the
fact that we can do the spiritual operations of thinking, knowing,
reasoning, willing and loving.
It is also because of the spirituality of our soul that we
have the capacity to receive the supernatural grace that God, our
Creator, in whose image and likeness we are made, constantly supplies
us. This is especially true of the actual grace, more than the
sanctifying grace.
As such, we are both individuated and at the same time
meant to enter into communion with others, starting with God. That we
are individuals never means we are meant to be alone, isolated,
indifferent to others. And that we are meant for communion with others
neither means we are not individuals.
That’s just how the cookie crumbles for us. Because of our
material body, we will always be an individual subject of many things,
since matter is the very principle of individuation. We will always be
subject to space and time. We cannot be in two places at the same
time, unless we enjoy the supernatural gift of bilocation.
Whatever we have, including those elements that can and
ought to be shared with others, like our feelings and emotions, our
talents and aptitudes, our skills and even some special charisms that
we may be privileged to have, will always be held by our individual
selves. They can never be held collectively or communally without
first being held individually and abidingly.
This is where we have to learn how to blend our
individuality with our universality. Yes, there will be some tension
involved here, but it is going to be a healthy tension that will give
verve and suspense to our life. Let’s just be game about this.
May it be that while we enrich our individuality as we
should, we don’t become individualistic, isolated and indifferent to
others. In the same way, while we try to enrich our universality as we
should, we avoid becoming so universally minded that we trample on our
individuality with the legitimate differences that we will always
have.
These differences, we have to understand, are meant not to
be divisive and destructive, but rather to unleash the dynamics of
complementation and ultimately of love and mercy and compassion which,
in the end, are what matter in our life.
And so all the channels for dialogue and for fostering
family life and fraternity among ourselves should be made available,
and ideally, made part of a living and working structure of the
family, firms and companies, and the community and society in general.
We have to learn to respect our individual differences,
being quick to identify both our individual strengths and weaknesses,
so as to integrate them properly toward a working and productive
order.
We have to avoid petty envies and jealousies, unfair and
biased comparisons, indifference as well as greed, rash judgments,
gossips and backbiting, laziness as well as pride and vanity,
unreasonable impatience and intolerance, bigotry and discrimination.
Sad to say, my personal experience is that even among
priests who ought to know better and have the obligation to be models
and examples of what is proper to us all, these bad things are
rampant.
All of us have to learn to be always mindful and
thoughtful of others, trying to follow what St. Paul once said to be
“all things to all men to save all.” (1 Cor 9,22) Take note that the
motive to be all things to all men should be that of Christ, that is,
to save men. Absent this motive, we cannot go far.
This may not be easy, given our human limitations, but if
we strive to be with Christ, we too can say together with St. Paul: “I
can do all things in him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4,13) So, let’s
not be afraid and doubtful. Let’s just have faith, and see how Christ
can work wonders in us!
more aware of. The idea is to let ourselves be more conscious of their
implications and consequences, especially the rights, duties and
responsibilities we have because of them.
This is not to mention the many dangers that often beset
us due to our ignorance, misunderstanding or confusion about them. Sad
to say, these dangers are usually taken for granted, and so we suffer
as a result, often unnecessarily. We have to learn to avoid them, if
not nullify or, even better, to eliminate them.
It is a fact of life that we as human persons are composed
of a material body and a spiritual soul. The materiality of our body
cannot be denied. The spirituality of our soul can be proven by the
fact that we can do the spiritual operations of thinking, knowing,
reasoning, willing and loving.
It is also because of the spirituality of our soul that we
have the capacity to receive the supernatural grace that God, our
Creator, in whose image and likeness we are made, constantly supplies
us. This is especially true of the actual grace, more than the
sanctifying grace.
As such, we are both individuated and at the same time
meant to enter into communion with others, starting with God. That we
are individuals never means we are meant to be alone, isolated,
indifferent to others. And that we are meant for communion with others
neither means we are not individuals.
That’s just how the cookie crumbles for us. Because of our
material body, we will always be an individual subject of many things,
since matter is the very principle of individuation. We will always be
subject to space and time. We cannot be in two places at the same
time, unless we enjoy the supernatural gift of bilocation.
Whatever we have, including those elements that can and
ought to be shared with others, like our feelings and emotions, our
talents and aptitudes, our skills and even some special charisms that
we may be privileged to have, will always be held by our individual
selves. They can never be held collectively or communally without
first being held individually and abidingly.
This is where we have to learn how to blend our
individuality with our universality. Yes, there will be some tension
involved here, but it is going to be a healthy tension that will give
verve and suspense to our life. Let’s just be game about this.
May it be that while we enrich our individuality as we
should, we don’t become individualistic, isolated and indifferent to
others. In the same way, while we try to enrich our universality as we
should, we avoid becoming so universally minded that we trample on our
individuality with the legitimate differences that we will always
have.
These differences, we have to understand, are meant not to
be divisive and destructive, but rather to unleash the dynamics of
complementation and ultimately of love and mercy and compassion which,
in the end, are what matter in our life.
And so all the channels for dialogue and for fostering
family life and fraternity among ourselves should be made available,
and ideally, made part of a living and working structure of the
family, firms and companies, and the community and society in general.
We have to learn to respect our individual differences,
being quick to identify both our individual strengths and weaknesses,
so as to integrate them properly toward a working and productive
order.
We have to avoid petty envies and jealousies, unfair and
biased comparisons, indifference as well as greed, rash judgments,
gossips and backbiting, laziness as well as pride and vanity,
unreasonable impatience and intolerance, bigotry and discrimination.
Sad to say, my personal experience is that even among
priests who ought to know better and have the obligation to be models
and examples of what is proper to us all, these bad things are
rampant.
All of us have to learn to be always mindful and
thoughtful of others, trying to follow what St. Paul once said to be
“all things to all men to save all.” (1 Cor 9,22) Take note that the
motive to be all things to all men should be that of Christ, that is,
to save men. Absent this motive, we cannot go far.
This may not be easy, given our human limitations, but if
we strive to be with Christ, we too can say together with St. Paul: “I
can do all things in him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4,13) So, let’s
not be afraid and doubtful. Let’s just have faith, and see how Christ
can work wonders in us!
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