Monday, December 31, 2018

Let’s go to Mary on New Year’s Day


JANUARY 1 is, of course, New Year’s Day. We will be noisy on that day,
heartily welcoming 2019, a new page in our book of life. But that day
is first of all, in our liturgical calendar, the Solemnity of the
Divine Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It would be nice that with all our human ways of celebrating the New
Year’s Day, we would also be aware that we have to celebrate it
liturgically, that is, going to Christ, now recently born, who will do
everything to teach, sanctify and lead us to heaven, our definitive
home. Let’s not to get distracted by our human way of celebrating the
New Year’s Day.

In the liturgy, especially in the celebration of the Holy Mass, we
join Christ in his continuing work of redemption, carried out now
through the instrumentality of the sacraments of the Church. The
liturgy makes present and effective the saving work of Christ. As is
known, Christ’s work of redemption is not simply a historical event,
buried in the past. It continues up to now ‘in vivo.’

And the Church wants us to start the new year with Mary, the Mother of
God because she is the Mother of Christ, and she is also our Mother,
because Christ gave her to us as our mother too. “Behold your mother,”
(Jn 19,27) Christ told the apostle John who at that moment represented
the whole of humanity.

It is good to be mindful of this truth of our faith because Mary our
Mother is the best companion we can have in going through our earthly
pilgrimage toward God, toward heaven.

Being the mother of Christ, she is the one closest to God, the first
link between God and us, since with her ‘Fiat” (Be it done to me) she
became the instrument of making God become man in Christ through the
Holy Spirit.

In a sense, we can say that for us to get to God in Christ through the
Holy Spirit, we have to go to Mary. She is the bridge we can use to go
to Christ. Thus, we have this famous expression, “Ad Iesum per
Mariam.” (To Jesus through Mary)

Because she is the mother of Christ who is the pattern of our humanity
and the savior of our damaged humanity, we can also consider her as
the mother of the entire humanity.

No wonder then that she has been given all the privileges any human
person can have from God. She was conceived without original sin, she
was sinless all throughout her life, she maintained her virginity, she
was assumed into heaven body and soul upon her death.

She kept all these privileges intact without being spoiled by them,
somehow correcting the example of our first parents who also were
created in a state of original justice but which they lost through
their sin.

She is the perfect human person, of whom no one is greater, according
to one saint, except God himself. She is the perfect model for us,
since of all humanity she is the one who is most identified with
Christ himself. She is even called the Co-Redemptrix, because even if
all of us are expected to be co-redeemers with Christ since we also
have to do our part with Christ in our redemption, Mary co-redeemed
with Christ is the most perfect way.

We really should develop a deep and abiding devotion to Mary. Like St.
John who, after being told by the dying Christ to behold his mother
(Mary), took her to his home and cared for her, (cfr. Jn 19,27) we too
should do the same.

We have to be truly Marian to be truly Christian. That’s part of God’s
will for us. We cannot go to Christ, we cannot understand him properly
and cooperate with him in our redemption, if we do not go to Mary.


Saturday, December 29, 2018

Both active and contemplative


WE have to learn to be both active and contemplative in our life.
Active in the sense that we immerse ourselves as deeply as possible in
the dynamic of earthly and temporal affairs, while also contemplative
in the sense that in all these affairs, we see God, we are driven by
love for God and everybody else, we get to know, love and serve him
and everybody else.

It’s an ideal that definitely is not easy to achieve. But we have our
whole life to do it, and we actually are also given all the means to
attain it. It just depends on us as to whether we want to have that
ideal or not.

Contrary to some popular belief or fear, to be both active and
contemplative is not a futile exercise. To be active and to be
contemplative are not two exclusively separate qualities. There is a
distinction between the two, but not division. They can co-exist in a
subject at the same time. Both are meant to build a unity of life
proper to us.

We have to be active in our life because we need to do many things, we
have to work and produce things, we have to apply a certain
forcefulness. We cannot be totally passive, waiting for things to
happen even if they also happen without us doing anything.

We cannot be complacent. Of course, we should not forget that to be
active is also a result of God’s grace. We cannot be truly active
unless we receive the grace of God. There is a certain aspect of
receptiveness in our activeness. But we have to correspond to that
grace as actively and fully as possible.

We have to be contemplative also because we have to do everything with
God as the beginning and end of all our actions. We have to see God in
everything. We have to feel the workings of his providence over us and
all over the world.

We need to see his will and follow it. In fact, to be contemplative
also requires a certain amount of effort, and therefore, it requires
us also to be active in being contemplative. While it is a result of
grace that is gratuitously given to us, it is also a result of our
active correspondence to that grace.

We have to develop a certain lifestyle that can address this necessity
of ours adequately. Given our human condition, we have to realize that
we need certain practices that will foster these active and
contemplative qualities in our life.

We have to have some moments of deep prayer, meditation, reflection,
study. We also have to have moments of intense work and deep
involvement in our earthly affairs. The ideal to reach is that we can
arrive at a point where we can hardly distinguish anymore between
prayer and work, because both are done in an active and contemplative
way.

Thus, we have to feel the need for a certain plan, a certain strategy
to pursue this ideal of ours. We just cannot and should not coast
along and flow with the tide. We need to have direction and dominion
in our life, even if there is also God’s providence that is directing
and dominating it.

Let’s hope that there will come a time when the general culture and
environment will show and reinforce this lifestyle where we would be
both active and contemplative. We have to help one another to achieve
this, but we have to start with our own selves.

It may look quixotic as of now, but everything will look like that
until we act on it. There is always hope. We have all the means. It’s
just our will that needs to assent to this project, and the daily
effort to carry it out, step by little step.



Friday, December 28, 2018

On gift-giving and receiving


-->
CHRISTMAS  being a season of gift-giving and receiving, I believe it
is good to be reminded of its deeply theological basis. Otherwise it
will remain in its purely material aspect, forgetting the more
important spiritual dimension that it eminently has. Thus, the act of
giving and receiving gifts can pose a danger to us. It can even
destroy us, instead of edifying us.

Yes, the giving and receiving of gifts has a deeply moral dimension
that in its turn springs from the fundamental truth that we are human
persons and, therefore, has a spiritual and supernatural character due
to our relation to God, our Creator.

The giving and receiving of gifts is a human act that should reflect
and follow the will of God. That’s what any human act involves. It is
not just our own act, completely subject to our will without any
reference to God’s will.

If we look at things more closely, we will realize that our will
always has to conform to God’s will and designs. Or at least we should
try our best to conform our will to will of God. That’s because we
come from him and we belong to him. We are his image and likeness,
children of his.

Our will therefore cannot absolutely be on its own. Its freedom just
cannot be exercised without reference to God’s will, his laws and
commandments, and his provident designs for each one of us and for the
whole world.

As such, we therefore should realize that whenever we give or receive
gifts, we ought to reflect God’s will and ways of giving and
receiving. God is the original and constant giver of gifts. When we
give gifts to others, we should somehow reflect God’s goodness and
benevolence in giving.

We should give something that will truly do good to the recipient or
beneficiary, just as God gave us the gifts of life, and the many
endowments that go with it, like our intelligence and will, our
talents, and the many other blessings.

We should try to avoid giving something that will do harm to a person.
And in this regard, we have to know well the person to whom we give a
gift to see to it that the gift, while intended to be a good thing,
does not actually harm or spoil him. We should not just be capricious
in giving gifts. We have to think of the good our gifts are supposed
to produce in the recipient and in the world in general.

And when we receive a gift, we, of course, should be thankful to the
giver as well as to God since in the end the ultimate gift-giver is
God. Neglecting to do this can lead us to a number of dangers. We
would fail to realize the immediate and ultimate purpose of the gift.
The gift becomes an instrument of self-indulgence instead of
self-giving to others. It will surely spoil us.

Let’s remember what happened to our first parents who were created
with the tremendous gift of being the image and likeness of God, and
of being in the state of original justice where aside from the
supernatural gift of grace, they enjoyed the so-called preternatural
gifts of immortality, integrity and impassibility (the capacity not to
suffer anything).

When at a given moment the tempter managed to separate them from God,
they fell into sin and lost the original blessings God gave them. And
what a disaster it created for them and for all of us!

We should refer the gifts we receive, no matter how mundane and
insignificant, to God and his will and ways. Everything that we
receive and that we have actually plays a role in the over-all
providence of God. This we always have to discern.

With every gift we receive, there is actually a duty and
responsibility attached to it. We need to be most aware of this truth!


Monday, December 24, 2018

Flowing with the times


HOW should we flow with the times without getting lost
along the way? That’s the question many people, especially the elderly
ones, are asking these days. They know that they always have to make
adjustments in the way they handle the new developments, but they want
to know the parameters so they can safely cruise our increasingly
dynamic world.

            We cannot deny the fact that the different generations
have their distinctive ways of understanding things and of coping with
them. They have their distinctive sensitivities. The young ones these
days, for example, are generally more exposed to the new technologies
that definitely can create a distinctive behaviour, manners, lifestyle
etc. We should not submit them to more or less the same ways of the
previous generations.

            My take in this issue is that first of all, we should try
our best to remain calm and to refrain from making instant reactions
and rash judgments. We have to do a lot of observation, reflection and
study. We may need some consultation. There definitely are fixed
principles to follow, but as to how these principles are understood,
applied and followed, given the changing times, that’s the challenge
to face.

            In other words, for us not to get lost or even confused
with the new, changing and fast-moving developments, I imagine that we
really have to pray, to get in touch as intimately as possible with
God who in the end is the real guide, since he is on top of
everything.

            Without him and simply depending on our own lights, we
certainly could not cope with all the complexity of the things around
us. Our current culture can only do so much. The same with our legal
systems and whatever social, economic or political consensus we may
have regarding what is proper and improper, fair and unfair, etc.

            Obviously, we have to work under some human systems, but
these should always be animated by a vital contact with God, with his
spirit, with his will and ways, his laws and commandments.

            This is a big challenge because many people today are
unaware of the need to have a living relationship with God, let alone,
having the proper attitude, practices and skills in how to get in
contact with God. The usual practice is simply to rely on one’s own
criteria and standards.

            There is definitely a need for some massive catechesis,
but of the kind that would really address the issue properly. It
should not just be a repeat of the rote type of catechesis. It should
not just dwell in the general principles and doctrines but should go
deeper to the finer points and nuances of these principles and
doctrines.

            The problem that we sometimes meet is that many people are
still ignorant of the basic moral principles and doctrines. These
should be taught first before the finer points are brought up.

            To be sure, there will always be a need for updating and
consultation so that our moral and spiritual criteria and standards
are made finer and more relevant to the concrete issues of the times.

            For example, to know how much time we should spend in the
Internet, what guidelines can we have regarding the use of the cell
phones, etc.—these things vary according to the circumstances of the
persons involved. Yet, in spite of the growing variety that can be
expected in this regard, we should come out with some general rules.

            This is not an easy task, and it would be most welcome if
some people can dedicate more fully in studying this issue in a
systematic way. They may just be a group of parents who meet
regularly, compare notes and come up with some guidelines. Or they can
form some kind of think tank dedicated to this task. I believe there
is a great need for this type of work.



Saturday, December 22, 2018

The joy of Christmas


THE joy of Christmas springs from the fact that Jesus
Christ, our savior, is born. “Puer natus est nobis,” says the entrance
prayer in the Christmas Mass. A child is born for us, he is Christ the
Lord, our Savior.

            This good news should give us unspeakable joy. Whatever we
may experience in this life, and many of them will not be good, we are
sure of our salvation because Christ, the Son of God, the perfect
image that God has of himself, and the pattern of our humanity, has
come to redeem us, to reclaim us as his own.

            He will bear all our burden, our sins, our miseries, and
conquer them with his passion, death and resurrection. He will give us
everything that will enable us to recover our dignity as children of
God, image and likeness of God, no matter how unworthy we feel we are
of such dignity, no matter how we mess up our life.

            As long as we show some openness to God’s mercy, salvation
is assured, without prejudice to some purifying processes that may be
necessary, and the truth about hell. But God’s mercy, which goes
together with his justice, abounds more than our sins.

            This is the very core of our joy in Christmas. We are
given a tremendous gift—God himself in Jesus Christ made present in
our life through the Holy Spirit. He has made himself visible,
tangible and accessible in the Church, in the sacraments, especially
the Holy Eucharist, in his word recorded in Sacred Scripture, in the
lives of saints, etc.

            We really have no reason to worry. On the contrary, we
have every reason to be happy in spite of whatever. We may not be able
to fathom the depth of his love for us, nor capture the richness of
his mercy, but God is bent to save. He predestines no one to hell. If
we get to hell, it is because of us, not because of him. And sad to
say, we are capable to choosing hell rather than heaven.

            The practical consequence of this truth of our faith is
that we just have to be sport in our life, trying our best to do what
we ought to do, although we know that we often miss the mark. We just
have to help one another to be holy, to try to be worthy of God’s love
by corresponding as fully as we can to his love. We have to be patient
with one another.

            We have to learn to be like Christ who is willing to
suffer for all of us. This is the way we can attain our true joy, and
not be deceived by the many forms of false joy proliferating in the
world today.

            We need to train ourselves to have our sense of joy
properly rooted. In this regard, let us try to be theological about it
and not just sentimental or emotional, though the latter are also
important, but as expressions of the objective foundation of our joy.

            The spiritual and supernatural foundation of our joy has
to be expressed also in a human way, through our emotions and
passions. This is also to be learned, because many people do not know
how to translate their interior joy externally, or to show their
spiritual joy on their faces.

            Let us try to keep our Christmas joy alive all throughout
the year. This is the kind of joy that can be felt even in the midst
of our suffering and difficulties. It is the joy, and the peace that
goes with it, that the world cannot give. It only comes from God!


Friday, December 21, 2018

Don’t be afraid to complicate your life


IF it is for a good cause, we should not be afraid to
complicate our life. This is what Christ in effect told us when he
talked about that shepherd who left behind the ninety-nine sheep of
his flock to look for the one that strayed. (cfr. Mt 18,12-14)

            We have to develop this attitude of looking for a lost
sheep. This should be deeply ingrained in our system. Christ reassured
us that our joy would be greater when we would finally find that lost
brother or sister of ours. “If he finds it,” Christ said, “amen, I say
to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did
not stray.” (Mt 18,13)

            For this, we should have the proper dispositions of real
and abiding concern for everyone. Once we notice, for example, one of
our brothers or sisters, or friends or colleagues, kind of straying in
some way, especially in the spiritual and moral aspects of our life,
that’s when we have to give special attention to that person, unafraid
of the challenge it would pose.

            We have to reassure ourselves that behaving in that way
would please God immensely and that he would give us all the means to
carry out that task successfully. There may be great difficulties
involved, but as long as we persist, we can only expect success that
may come in ways and forms different from our expectations.

            God will always have his own ways, and they can be
mysterious, even to the point that his ways can seem contrary to what
we want. We have to be ready for this eventuality. That is why we need
to be tough and not too delicate or sensitive as we go through the
drama of the task. It would also help if we have a sporting attitude
with a good dose of sense of humor to lighten the burden of the
search.

            We have to be wary of our tendency to be contented with
simply looking after those persons who are more or less okay
spiritually and morally. While we also have to watch over them, we
should be more keenly vigilant over those who are lagging behind or
are already straying from the right path.

            Let’s take comfort in the words of St. James in his
letter. “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way,” he said,
“will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
(5,20) These words should somehow convince us that whatever sacrifice
would be involved in this task would be all worthwhile. “Vale la
pena.”

            Let’s remember that whenever we are generous with God by
following his will more closely, God would even be more generous with
us. We should not be stinting in this regard. We have to give our all
in this task.

            The Book of Proverbs testifies to this truth. “One gives
freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should
give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.” (11,24-25)

            Of course, this is easier said than done. We should have a
way of developing daily this concern for the lost sheep. Are we
willing to leave our comfort behind whenever someone needs help,
especially spiritual and moral help? Are we training ourselves to be
more and more competent in handling the complex and complicated
spiritual and moral issues of others?

            Can we really say that we have the mind of Christ who
presents himself as the Good Shepherd who always looks for the lost
sheep? Are we convinced that by having that readiness to look for the
lost sheep, we are becoming more and more like Christ?

            Our Christianity would not really be authentic when we
have no or little concern for those who are far from God.



Thursday, December 20, 2018

Breaking the ‘as-usual’ mold


WE have to be wary of our strong tendency to fall into
routine that can spawn many other anomalies such as complacency,
spiritual lukewarmness, mediocrity, a self-satisfaction that seeks no
further improvement in oneself, etc.

            It’s true that many times we do the same things day in and
day out. But we should try our best that we avoid falling into simply
doing them mechanically, that is, mindlessly and/or deprived of the
love that is always needed in all our activities.

            Besides, with how things are now, many times we really
have to react to the ways things are done usually because of the many
imperfections such ways have. That is why many people give a negative
connotation of resignation or surrender when they say ‘politics as
usual,’ for example, or ‘business as usual.’

            We have to see to it that whatever we are doing, even if
it is done in a routine way due to its nature, should be done with
love. Where there is love, everything will always appear and feel new
and fresh even if it is done a thousand times in a day and even for a
long period of time. We would never get used to them.

            With love, there will be no boredom at all. Tiredness will
hardly be felt. The dangers of stress are properly handled. There will
always be some kind of drive and zeal, a sensation of excitement,
thrill and suspense.

            Of course, this is easier said than done. Given our human
condition, we cannot deny that we are easily prone to all these
not-so-welcome situations of boredom, tiredness, stress, etc. But we
have a way of dealing with these predicaments.

            And what is this way? It is the way that Christ taught and
showed. It is to actively look for the reason to love, which in the
end is a matter of looking for God. Otherwise, we would just succumb
to our human limitations and weaknesses, and put ourselves prone to
temptations.

            “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you,” Christ said. (Mt 7,7) In
other words, we should not just wait for some special inspiration to
come to us for us to continue loving God through what we are doing. We
have to actively look for love, for God in the routine things we do.

            And neither should we just have that attitude of following
where the things will lead us, a rather popular meme among some young
people today. Given our limited, not to mention, weakened and wounded
condition, if we just follow where things will lead us, then sooner or
later will we find ourselves nowhere, or confused, if not lost.

            We have to actively look for God, by making acts of faith,
hope and love. In that way, even in situations that challenge or go
beyond our comprehension and our human condition, we can still manage
to do things with love.

            And this should be done irrespective of whether our moods,
our physical, emotional, psychological and intellectual condition at a
given moment are favorable or not in making those acts of faith, hope
and love.

            In this way, we would be asserting our spiritual and
supernatural bearing, freeing ourselves from the grip of our purely
material and worldly condition. And we would get to see things
differently.

            Even the negative events—the difficulties, challenges,
even the failures, setbacks, etc.—acquire meaning, shed new lights,
provide new angles of understanding. As St. Paul would put it, “all
things work together for good to them that love God.” (Rom 8,28)

            We have to help one another acquire the skill of breaking
the ‘as-usual’ mentality and lifestyle, so common these days. We have
to help everyone to do things with real love, so that even in their
routine activities, they will see things always new and fresh, and
urged to embark on an adventure of love.


Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Altruism vs. narcissism


WE have to be aware of this danger. With how things are
now, it is quite easy and tempting for something that is good to be
spoiled because of a rotten intention one has in carrying it out. Yes,
one can give alms, do a lot of social work and many works of mercy,
but the motive is not true love for God and for others, but self-love.

            This is when altruism is used as a mask for narcissism.
How many times do we notice that some prominent people—usually
politicians and even clerics, bishops not excluded—showing off their
good work! It’s truly a pity.

            They simply go against what Christ said. “Be careful not
to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you
do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Mt 6,1)

            They simply go against the example of Christ—the way, the
truth and the life for us—who performed a lot of miracles, but who
always told the beneficiaries not to announce these miracles openly.

            Christ knew how to pass unnoticed even while carrying out
the most important mission for mankind. When he was asked to go to
Jerusalem to show his good works there, he refused. (cfr. Jn 7,1-10)
But when disciples went there for the Jewish Festival of the
Tabernacles, he also went, but not publicly. He did it in secret.

            We have to be wary of our tendency and the strong
temptation to bask in the limelight, flaunting whatever we have or
have done. Such tendency and temptation is our way of glorifying
ourselves because we would then be acting on our own authority and not
on the authority of God.

            Regarding this point, Christ said, “He who speaks on his
own authority seeks his own glory. But he who seeks the glory of the
One who sent him is a man of truth. In him, there is no falsehood.”
(Jn 7,18)

            To be able to distinguish between authentic altruism and a
fake one that can only masks one’s narcissism, we need to defer always
to the authority of God. Our thoughts, words and deeds, our
intentions, desires and plans should only be inspired by God’s will
and ways, by his tremendous love for us that knows how to pass
unnoticed.

            It’s amazing that nowadays we see a lot of prominent
people, including high clerics, falling into the false charms of
narcissism by deftly using the mask of altruism. They do a lot of
selfies, they flaunt their accomplishments, they show unashamedly the
foreign places they gone to, the restaurants and the food they have
eaten, the number of fans they have, etc.

            They talk a lot about themselves. Actually the spotlight
is more on them than on their good deeds. The latter are mere props,
simply used to feed their own egos. We have to be careful with this
kind of leaders. Christ already warned us amply about false prophets,
wolves in sheep’s clothing, etc. We have to be discerning to avoid
being taken for a ride.

            While it’s true that some kind of publicity is needed in
one’s work, extreme care should be made so that we do not hijack for
ourselves the glory that only belongs to God. In everything that we
do, only Christ should be known, loved and served. We should try to
avoid the incidental glory that can fall on us due to our work. And if
it cannot be avoided, we should immediately refer it to God.

            In this regard, constant rectification and purification of
our intentions is needed. We should be able to echo what St. John the
Baptist once said: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3,30)


Monday, December 17, 2018

Generosity and total detachment


WE have to learn the precious lesson Christ wants to
impart to us in that episode where he praised the poor widow who gave
two small coins to the temple treasury more than the rich ones who put
a lot of money.
  
            “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in
more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of
their wealth. But she out of her poverty put in all she had to live
on.” (Lk 21,3-4)
  
            The lesson to learn is that generosity is not a matter of
how much we give but rather of total detachment from the things of
this world so that our heart can only be for God. We therefore have to
be wary of our strong, if often subtle, attachment to the things of
this world such that our heart would at best be a divided heart, which
is actually an impossibility.
  
            That’s because in our relation with God, there is no
middle ground. It is either we are with him completely or not at all.
We have to overcome that strong tendency to think that we can be
partly with God and partly with our own selves, even if we can say
that we are giving God 99% of what we have and keep only 1% for us.
  
            We have to give all. In fact, with God we have to give our
very own selves, and not only things, not only some possessions.
Remember Christ telling us that we have to love God with “all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Mt 22,37)
  
            Let’s hope that we can echo these words of an old song: “I
have no use for divided hearts. I give mine whole, and not in parts.”
Let’s strive to reach that goal. It’s not an easy goal, but neither is
it impossible. With God’s grace and our all-out humble efforts, we can
hack it.
  
            But given our human condition which allows us to learn
things in stages, we have to understand that everyday we have to
conquer our tendency to some earthly attachments so that we can say we
are giving ourselves more and more to God until we give ourselves
completely to him.
  
            This will require a constant reminder and self-reassurance
that it is all worthwhile to give and to lose everything for God
because we will in fact gain a lot more than what we give. Let’s
always remember Christ telling us “to seek first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”
(Mt 6,33)
  
            We need to strengthen our faith and trust in Christ’s
words and in his promises to us. Truth is we actually would feel much
better when we manage to give ourselves more and more to him, when we
are unstinting in our self-giving. It’s a mysterious phenomenon that
can only be explained by our faith. It is indeed a spiritual and
supernatural phenomenon.
   
            We have to learn to let go of our possessions, our
preferences, our opinions, etc., until we can say that we are letting
go of our whole selves so as to give everything to God.
  
            This is what generosity is all about. Instead of feeling
emptied, we feel filled with peace and joy. No earthly happening can
add or diminish that peace and joy. It’s a peace and joy that can only
be an effect of having God with us. As St. Teresa once said, “Solo
Dios basta,” with God we have enough.
  
            Everyday, we should be able to say that we are giving up
something, we are conquering more area of self-giving. This giving up
and self-conquest should have the consequence of gaining more peace
and joy, a true sign that we are having God more and more in us.


Saturday, December 15, 2018

Avoid tempting God


IT was nice to learn about Blessed Bartolo Longo
(1841-1926) who, as the Wikepedia puts it, “was an Italian lawyer who
has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. He was a former
satanist who returned to the Christian faith and became a third order
Dominican, dedicating his life to the Rosary and the Virgin Mary.”
  
            Other sources provided some more information about him: he
was orphaned early in life, he was involved in the nationalist
movement of the time that was anti-Catholic, he became a Satanist in
his 20’s, he went into the occult, attended in séances, experimented
on drugs, participated in orgies... There’s a lot more, but let’s
spare ourselves from more unpleasant things.
  
            But since all these did not give him peace, but rather a
lot of problems including psychological and emotional ones, leading
him to depression, he sought some relief and eventually was led back
to the Catholic faith. Later, he became so deep a devotee of the Holy
Rosary that St. John Paul described him as a man of the Rosary during
his beatification.
  
            His story, for sure, will elicit very reassuring responses
from us who often wonder how we can become a saint as we should when
we are hounded always by our weaknesses, temptations and sin itself.
Sometimes, we think that to become a saint is impossible and that
stories of saints are more fantasy and fiction than real. Or at best,
saints are very special people who never went into really bad things.
  
            Somehow, his story reminds us that God and his grace can
take on anything we can mess ourselves in. There is always hope. As
St. Paul said, “where sin has abounded, the grace of God has abounded
more.” (Rom 5,20) His story calls to mind that as said in the Book of
Ezekiel, God does not take delight in the death of the wicked but in
his salvation. (33,11)
  
            The writer Oscar Wilde also put it so succinctly: “Every
saint has a past, every sinner has a future.” In other words, we
really have no reason to fear and to worry too much over our delicate
condition here in this world.
  
            But for all that, we should also be careful not to fall
into the opposite side, which is presumption, or tempting God. That is
to say, we can fall into the trick of the devil who can suggest to us
that since God is very powerfully merciful and can forgive us our sins
no matter how grave they are, then we can just go on sinning, or exert
no adequate effort to avoid sin and temptation.
  
            We have to be wary of the wiles of the devil who is good
in the rebound if at a certain moment his initial attempts to tempt us
fail. Tempting God by putting him to some test, or by presuming that
he will forgive us anyway no matter what, is a grave sin and
represents a big success for the devil.
  
            Remember the devil tempting Christ himself. “The devil
took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of
the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself
down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will life you up in their hands, so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written:
Do not put the Lord you God to the test.’” (Mt 4,5-7)
  
            This is what tempting God is all about. When we are
tempted by the devil, or by the world, or by our own selves, let’s
never put God to the test by rationalizing that since God is all
merciful, he will always forgive me if I fall to this temptation, or
that he will not mind if I sin.