Happy even amid troubles?

YES, why not? We should throw away the notion that when we have troubles, we should be troubled and sad. No. It does not have to be that way. If we have faith in God, if our spiritual life is strong and healthy, we know that after all is said and done, God will always take care of everything. 

 Yes, we may not be spared from pain and suffering, physical, emotional, mental, etc. But then if our Christian faith is working, we would know how to handle all these and still manage to be happy and serene in a way that goes beyond the physical, emotional and mental, etc. 

 There is something in us that can accommodate the prescriptions of God’s grace that solves everything, even those things that we ourselves, with our human powers, are unable to solve. God’s grace can take care of everything! What is impossible with us is always possible with God. 

 We have to learn how not to be overly or even unduly affected by the unavoidable troubles we are going to have in this life. To be sad, depressed, worried, discouraged, etc., is simply not a healthy state for us to be in. We are meant to be happy, which does not mean that we simply ignore our problems and troubles. 

Sadness restrains if not prevents us from doing our best in whatever we do. It’s a drag, a very toxic state to be in. It paints the world and life itself in dark, gloomy colors. It tends to make us hide, feel lonely and not face our responsibilities. It has to be eliminated early enough before it becomes worse, affecting our very soul. 

 Sadness can adversely affect our cognitive powers, our memory, our ability to make decisions. It can also affect us physically and our over-all health. It can leave us stressed and drained out. 

 To overcome sadness, we have to see to it that we feed our soul properly with prayers, strengthening our faith, hope and charity, so that all the assurances and ever-reliable promises of God would not be lost in us. When our soul is animated with the spirit of God, nothing can actually disturb or trouble us. And we can afford to be cheerful and at peace even amid huge difficulties. 

 With that outlook, we can see things more clearly, we can penetrate into the sphere of the spiritual and supernatural, we can work better. In fact, we would be in a much better condition to deal with our problems and troubles. There just are many advantages that we can enjoy when we manage to be truly happy and peaceful. 

 Everyday, we have to spend some time putting ourselves in a state of joy and peace. We have to take note of all the possible sources of troubles during the day so that we would be better prepared to deal with them without compromising our joy. 

 This, of course, will not spare us from some pain and suffering, and so we just have to learn to suffer by having the same spirit and attitude Christ had toward his passion and death. It is important that we meditate often on Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, so we would have a complete picture of things and understand better why there are troubles and why there is hope. 

 Let’s remember Christ saying, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33)

Our training and testing ground

THAT’S our life here on earth. God is still forming us to be what he wants us to be—his image and likeness, his adopted children meant to share in his very own life. Our creation is not yet finished. It’s still a work in progress. Considering how God is and how we are, his creation of us in eternity has to enter into the dynamic of time and space. 

 This is a truth of faith that should be clear in our mind so that we can do our part properly in God’s creation of us. In short, we can say that God is still training us as well as testing us, because even if he is the one who solely creates us, he wants us to correspond properly to his designs for us. 

 That’s because we are not merely inert creatures or living creatures like the plants and animals that are incapable of knowingly and lovingly corresponding to their creation by God. We, on the other hand, being endowed by God with intelligence and will and freely given his grace, have to also want what God wants us to be. We have a role to play in making ourselves God’s image and likeness. 

 We need to realize then that every event and circumstance in our life is an element in God’s creation of us to which we have to correspond. That is how we should see everything in our life. That is the proper context. We should not regard them only in temporal and worldly terms. We can even say that everything is meant to be an encounter with God. We should try never to miss that reality. 

 So, no matter how things are in a given moment, whether we consider them as good or bad, a success or a defeat, something that gives us joy or one that causes sadness, etc., we should realize that God is still intervening in our life and is expecting us to relate ourselves with him. 

 He will always be with us, a truth that we are often reminded of especially in the Holy Mass when the celebrant addresses us many times, “The Lord be with you!” Being our creator he can never disappear from us, for he is the very keeper of our existence. We may do wrong, we may disobey and rebel against him, but for as long as we exist, God is always with us. 

 Thus, to ask where God is, especially in moments when we are severely tested, can only show ignorance of a very basic truth about ourselves. I remember St. Augustine saying, “to know where God is may be difficult, but to know where he is not is even more difficult.” We have to overcome that ignorance, studying the doctrine of our faith and developing a working life of piety. 

 It might be a good practice that often during the day, we pause and ask ourselves, “Lord, what do you want me to do now?” “How should I react to this particular item?” etc. Even if we do not get a clear and immediate answer, we know that by asking these questions we would be given some light. 

 Let’s remember always that God is not only a Creator. He is also a Father who loves us no end. He will never fail us. It’s us who can fail our own selves!

The best and the worst in us

BECAUSE of the way we are, with our intelligence and will that enable us to know, to choose, to feel free, to love, etc, we will always have the possibilities of either rising to the zenith of our humanity, making ourselves no less than “another Christ” as we are meant to be, or plunging south to be the most wretched of all God’s creatures. 

 This choice is actually presented to us at every moment of our life, in every situation, condition and circumstance of our life. We have to be more aware of this fact and know how to make the proper choice. Of course, we should try our hardest to be the best that we can be. 

 But let’s always remember that whatever fate we fall into, whether we are a saint or a sinner, God never ceases to love us. Of course, he wants us to be like him, since we have been created in his image and likeness. That is why he is most demanding of us. We are asked to love God with all our heart and might, and love our neighbor the way Christ loves us. 

 The epitome of this standard of love is, of course, Our Lady who was conceived without sin and remained sinless all throughout her life. She followed everything that she knew about God’s will and ways. She so identified herself with her son that she would be rightly called the Mother of God. (cfr. Lk 8,21) 

 But God also knows that we can be bad or that we choose to be bad, doing precisely the opposite of what God wants us to do and to be. No problem. God will not stop loving us. Instead he will do everything to save us. This truth is dramatized in those parables of the lost coin, lost sheep and the prodigal son, (cfr. Lk 15) and actualized in the very passion, death and resurrection of Christ. 

 As shown by Christ, God’s mercy is always there for us. Christ, for example, readily forgave the woman caught in adultery (cfr. Jn 8,1-11) and the thief who was crucified with him and who only wanted to be with him in Paradise (cfr. Lk 23,43). And whenever he performed some healing miracle, Christ was more interested in forgiving the sins of those who benefited from his miracles. 

 Ultimately, Christ asked forgiveness for those who crucified him, even trying to find excuses for them—“for they know not what they are doing.” (Lk 23,34) God will do everything to bring us back to him. He predestines no one to hell. If one finds himself in hell, it would not be because of God, but rather because of the person concerned, who chooses in spite of God’s mercy and goodness, to reject God. 

 We should really try our best to unceasingly grow in our love for God. We actually cannot exaggerate that love, since true love is given without measure. But in case we fall short of that love and, worse, find ourselves alienated from him, let’s never hesitate to go back to him. Let’s humble ourselves and feel convinced that God is ever willing to give us his mercy. 

 And in our dealings with others, let’s encourage them to be and to do their best even as, like Christ, we should be always merciful when we see their negative side.

Need for daily strategizing

OUR life in this world will always be in some state of war. That’s because there will always be things to conquer and things to defend for as long as we live. That’s how things are. And we should just be ready to deal with this kind of life-long condition. 

That is why we have to realize that we need to make daily strategies, ever keeping and sharpening our focus as well as making ourselves strong and as much as possible invincible to all those things that can take us off-track. 

We just cannot be complacent and cavalier about this condition. Yes, we should be willing to complicate our life, since complications will always be unavoidable even if we are not serious about our life’s real goals. 

The first thing to consider is the clarity of the objectives we should be after. In this, there are different and varying levels. But we should know exactly what our ultimate goal to reach is, irrespective of the changing conditions and circumstances. This ultimate goal should be the one to give the proper ranking and direction of the different secondary goals we have. 

In this regard, we should have no doubt that our ultimate goal is to be what God wants us to be, that is, for us to be his image and likeness, his adopted children, meant to share in his very life for all eternity. The other name for this goal is the quest for sanctity. Thus, we need to understand that everything in our life is meant to train and test us whether we want to be what God wants us to be. 

 To come up with the appropriate strategy to deal with this condition of our life, we should have, first of all, some structure or system that can guide us irrespective of the changing circumstances of our daily life. This structure or system should be made up of some practices of piety that would keep our spiritual and supernatural bearing intact as we cruise the seas and oceans of our life. 

 These practices of piety should be the basic ones like a time for prayer, recourse to the sacraments especially the holy eucharist and confession, some devotions like the praying of the holy rosary, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and other practices like regular examinations of conscience, presence of God all throughout the day making use of human devices, etc., 

 Everyday, we have to tweak this system to adapt it to the peculiar conditions of the day. In this regard, it is also good to consider our concrete physical, emotional and mental conditions, so we would somehow know what to do when their strong and weak points would impact on the different events of the day. Not all days are the same. There are what we call ‘good’ days and ‘bad’ days. 

 Definitely, we have to plan things well, monitoring the different developments of the day and assessing our reactions to them from time to time. We should see how things are meeting the goals, especially the ultimate one, that we have set for the day. 

 This, definitely, will require a certain discipline from us. At the beginning, we might feel ourselves awkward and having some difficulties. But if we persevere, time will come when the skill and art of daily strategizing would come to us like an instinct!

Patience, indifference and insensitivity

THEY may look similar and share certain qualities. But they are actually opposed to each other. Patience is a virtue, while indifference with its accompanying trait of insensitivity is a vice. And these days when things can get so complicated and confusing, it would be good that we have a clear grasp of the difference between the two. 

 Patience enables us to suffer certain negative situations in our life. It is willing to go through certain discomfort, disadvantage or inconvenience for the sake of a higher good. It is motivated by love that is inspired by the teaching and example of Christ who went through all that passion and death for the sake of our salvation. Christ is the epitome of patience. 

 Indifference is just some human technique to avoid certain discomfort, disadvantage or inconvenience. It is mainly a defense mechanism motivated by self-preservation or self-interest. It has nothing to do with love, with obeying God’s will and following the example of Christ. 

 Patience involves the effort to acquire the mind and attitude of Christ who is the final authority to tell us what is moral and what is not. Indifference and insensitivity simply depend on our own personal idea of what is convenient to us in a given predicament. They hardly refer themselves to the teaching and example of Christ. At best, they rely only what is generally known as situation ethics—nothing absolute there, everything only has relative value. 

 Patience also requires the grace of God, without which it simply is impossible to have. It would even be considered as foolishness. Indifference and insensitivity simply rely on our own raw powers that definitely can only do so much for us. 

 Patience is always compatible with joy and peace even as the sharpness of the suffering involved cannot be underestimated. It finds meaning in suffering. Indifference and insensitivity are often accompanied by bitterness and anguish. They consider suffering as having nothing to gain from. 

 Patience does not take away charity toward anyone that may cause us some suffering. It is eager to understand, to be compassionate and be merciful. It is not tempted to respond to forms of evil with another evil. Indifference and insensitivity quietly develop and accumulate hatred and are prone to respond to evil with evil.                

When one is patient, he welcomes the negative things in life as occasions to grow in love. In a sense, one looks forward to suffering if only to grow in love, convinced God’s providence is always at work and can always derive good from evil. It does not equate pain and suffering as something good, but rather as chances to derive a greater good. 

 On the other hand, when one is simply indifferent or insensitive to pain and suffering, he is only playing some games to derive immediate relief from a predicament. Indifference and insensitivity are notoriously short-termed and shallow in outlook. 

 Patience is based on our faith and hope in God’s providence, and is animated by charity that comes from God and meant to be given back to God through our love for the others. It enters into the spiritual and supernatural dynamic of things. Indifference and insensitivity are simply based on personal beliefs and human ideologies, at best. They only have short-termed practical purposes. They are mainly stop-gap measures. 

 Patience involves self-forgetfulness and self-detachment. Indifference and insensitivity have the comfort and convenience of oneself as first priority. They are actually self-centered at bottom. 

 While patience involves self-forgetfulness and self-detachment, it knows very well that it is the way to fill ourselves with what is truly proper and essential to us—to be identified with Christ. 

 Indifference and insensitivity has a very limited world that revolves simply around oneself. They practically cannot see anything beyond oneself. 

 We have to help everyone to understand the true nature of patience and to appreciate its real beauty. And let’s expose the deception, the alluring lie of indifference and insensitivity.

What do we feed in us?

IT’S a question we have to ask ourselves from time to time. It is to see to it that we are feeding ourselves correctly. Especially these days when a lot of people take keen interest in their diets, we have to realize that we should not just feed our body. Much more important than our body is our soul that also needs to be properly nourished. 

 In the end, we can say that what and how we feed ourselves can determine whether we are merely a carnal man or a spiritual man as we are supposed to be. This distinction was made by St. Paul (cfr. 1 Cor 2-3) to make us realize that while each one of us is indeed one single person, we are made up of at least two different constituent parts that need to be properly fed. 

 We just cannot feed one and neglect the other. Both have to be properly fed, though of the two, our spiritual soul has greater importance than our body, since the soul is what truly gives life, what immediately connects us to the true source of life and everything that is good, and that is the spirit of God. (cfr. Jn 6,63) 

 The body depends on the soul, though the condition of the body can also affect the condition of the soul in some way. That is why we have to take care of our body also, seeing to it that it becomes increasingly spiritual and not just purely carnal. For the body to be spiritual means that it obeys the will and ways of God, rather than just the law and the prudence of the flesh and the world. 

 While at the beginning when God created Adam and Eve, there was unity and harmony between the body and soul, that unity was damaged because of sin. There is now the need for us to reestablish that lost unity and harmony. Thus, if we have to consider our Christian faith regarding our human condition now, there are times when we need to starve the body in order to nourish the soul. 

 How then do we feed our spiritual soul? By making many acts of faith, hope and charity, which in the first place are God’s gifts to us, so we can start sharing our life with his. We have to remember that God is the source, the end and everything in our life. We need to connect with him. In fact, we need to identify ourselves with him because we are supposed to be his image and likeness. 

 And to keep our life in the loop of faith, hope and charity, we need to pray, to really know the mind of God through Christ who is the fullness of the revelation of God to us. We need to read the gospels, familiarize and start to assimilate the teachings and example of Christ. 

 We certainly have to learn how to make sacrifices, and to avail of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist where Christ makes himself totally available to us. There should be a growing awareness in us that we are increasingly becoming like Christ, having his mind, his reactions to things, etc. 

 So we have to see to it that we spend time feeding our soul just as we spend time and use the appropriate means to feed our body.

Adapting to the online system

WITH how things are now, we just have to learn how to do things online. In my case, I now have to do most of my preaching and teaching, be it at Holy Mass, a recollection or retreat, a simple meditation or commentary on the gospel, a class, etc., online. It’s nice to know that I am developing a growing audience of listeners and viewers. I hope I can keep or even improve the pace. 

 Mind you, this new development has forced me to prepare things better, coming up with scripts and texts, outlines of talking points, pictures, etc., if only to facilitate the delivery as well as, hopefully, the reception. I notice that I have to blend depth with ease, substantial coverage of a topic with conciseness. 

Besides, this online system can pressure us to learn how to think fast and talk smart, because no matter how prepared we may be in the online classes and conferences we are conducting, there will always be surprises to deal with. And somehow we have to be ready for them. 

 I’m still in the stage of discovering things. And since I consider myself as dumber than dumb in things technological, I have to seek help and advice from much younger fellows in this department. It can be a humbling experience, but I believe it’s all worthwhile. I’m learning a lot, I must say, and I am very happy. 

The only thing that somehow irritates me is when I am pressured to have some facial make up before I face the camera. They say it’s necessary to block the sheen on my face. But like anything else in that category, I just offer it as a sacrifice. I really feel uncomfortable with it. 

 But more importantly, what should be attended to more seriously in this new development is the purity of the motive and intention for engaging in this online system. It should be for the glory of God and the good of everyone. It should never be about pride and vanity, strutting one’s stuff before a bigger world. 

 The temptations can be daunting in this department. Thus, it really behooves everyone to strengthen their life of prayer and piety. Otherwise, there is no way one can resist the pull of worldly pride and vanity. 

Besides, I believe this online system requires a lot more of patience, since there are just so many nitty-gritty to be attended to, and the likelihood of failures, mistakes, mishandlings is quite high. We have to learn how not to be easily and overly affected by them. 

 Prudence, tact and discretion are also a must, since a little slip or mistake in this system can easily be magnified. The virtue of order is also important. With so many things that are made available online, we can easily get distracted and entangled along the way. Our latent weaknesses, which till now we may not even be aware of, can be aroused and can lead us out of our proper track. 

 There is a great need to have a good sense of priority, otherwise we would be lost. Self-discipline and the need of self-denial as Christ has told us are indeed indispensable also. This online system has many features that can easily spoil us. 

 We should also see to it that the personal and human touch with our relation with others is not lost.

Yet another ordination

JUST attended another ordination recently where two close friends received the sacrament of Holy Order. It’s always a day of joy and thanksgiving when someone becomes a priest simply because what is involved is the transformation of a person to become another Christ in a most special way, that of Christ as head of the Church. 

While everyone is supposed to “another Christ,” since Christ is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity, priests enjoy the privilege of being conformed to Christ as head of the Church and not just members of the Church. 

Yes, in spite of how unworthy a person is to be another Christ as head of the Church, it cannot be denied that with the sacrament, he is made so. The effectiveness of the sacrament does not depend so much on the person’s qualities or qualifications (ex opere operantis) as the power of the sacrament itself that comes directly from Christ (ex opere operato). 

All we have to do to verify this fact is to just look at the apostles, the first bishops, who definitely had their human weaknesses. St. Peter, for example, was an impulsive man and he denied Christ three times. And Christ would often scold them for their lack of faith or their very shallow understanding of the truths of faith. 

Yet, in spite of all that, the apostles were made recipients of the full powers of Christ. Remember Christ telling them, “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 18,18) 

Priests share in this power, albeit not fully. Their power needs to be subjected to that of the bishops who in turn have to be united together with the Pope, and with the Pope the connection with the first Pope, St. Peter, and the rest of the apostles is made. It is this power that comes directly from Christ and connects them to him. 

Given this tremendous dignity that priests have, it behooves them to really try their best to be worthy of such. Thus we can never overemphasize their need to really take care of their spiritual life, nourishing it with prayers, sacrifices, the recourse to the sacraments, the development of virtues and the continual waging of spiritual warfare, since their life and mission cannot be other than war. 

They—we, me included—truly have to be the first ones to seek total identification with Christ. As St. Paul would put it, we should have the very mind of Christ (cfr. 1 Cor 2,16) such that with him we can also say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2,20) 

We priests should be most eager to proclaim the Good News of the gospel, in season and out of season, no matter what it costs. And more than preaching by word, we have to preach first by example, by deeds. 

And given the tenuous condition of a priest’s life, we priests should be first ones to seek spiritual direction and have recourse to frequent confession. It cannot be denied that the higher one’s dignity and privileges are, the more tricky and irresistible would also be the temptations. Priests should be ready for this fact of life.

Piety and mental health

BECAUSE of the pandemic, there is growing concern about the mental health of the people. It seems the mental cases are surging. Many people are getting depressed, gripped in some inescapable worries and anxieties and hardly able to cope with their difficulties, trials and challenges. Their thoughts and reactions are generally negative and dark. There are even signs of discouragement and despair. 

It’s good that many people, of course, have sought medical and psychological attention. And some authorities have organized classes, seminars and conferences about self-care and mental fitness to address this issue. 

These are very understandable reactions to our current condition. But I believe we should not forget one basic element in all these concerns. And that is that developing a genuine life of piety can greatly help in handling these challenges. 

Let’s remember that in the end, we are body and soul. There is something material and biological in us, as well as something spiritual. And if we take our Christian faith seriously, we also know that we are meant to have a supernatural life with God even now, while we are still here in this world. 

Though the relationship between the body and the soul, the natural and the supernatural is wrapped in mystery, we also know that what happens in the body is somehow caused by our spiritual soul as well as affects it. 

It’s also vice-versa. How our spiritual soul is affects our body. If the spiritual soul is healthy, as expressed in our thoughts and desires, then the body would also be healthy, unless there are some underlying organic disorders. We would have peace and joy inside us, and our outlook would be positive and bright. 

Again, if we take our Christian faith seriously, we know that it is actually our spiritual soul that gives life to our body. Of course, our soul has to be properly animated by the true spirit, which is the Spirit of God. Regarding this point, Christ said: “The Spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing…” (Jn 6,63) 

This is where the value of piety comes in, playing a crucial role in keeping us healthy mentally, emotionally, psychologically and even physically. Piety is our relationship with God. It is nourished by God’s gifts of faith, hope and charity to which we have to correspond knowingly, freely and lovingly. 

We have to realize more deeply our need to have a genuine life of piety to be truly healthy, first in the spirit and then in the body. We have to spread this Good News widely. It hardly involves money or some material things. What only is needed is an act of faith, which is something spiritual, a matter of our will and intelligence. 

For this, we really have to learn to pray, to refer everything to God whom we have to regard as our Father who never fails us. Our belief and love for him should be such that we trust him for everything, even in those things that humanly speaking cannot anymore have human solutions. 

This means that we also have to develop a certain sense of abandonment in the hands of God. It should be such that whatever happens in our life, we can still remain calm, cheerful, optimistic and confident. 

Let’s not leave behind this need for piety even as we look for human solutions to our problems and challenges and develop good mental health!

Giving and receiving Christ

REMEMBER Christ telling his disciples, “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.” (Mt 10,40) These words clearly show that we are meant to be so identified with Christ that anyone who receives us receives Christ. 

In another gospel, Christ said something similar also. “He who hears you hears me. He who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” (Lk 10,16) These words tell us that there has to be some kind of organic continuity between Christ and us. 

Tremendous words, indeed, pointing to a tremendous reality about ourselves! And these words are meant not only for the original apostles or for a few people. They are meant for all of us, since we are supposed to be patterned after Christ, the Son of God who is the perfect image God has of his own self. 

Since we have been created in God’s image and likeness, we can say that we are patterned after Christ. We are supposed to be like Christ, or as some theologians have described it, we are supposed to be “alter Christus,” (another Christ). 

We can never overemphasize our need to be so identified with Christ that we really have to do everything to acquire the very mind and spirit of Christ which are where our identification with Christ takes place. In fact, we are meant to have the very sentiments of Christ as we face all the possible situations of our life. 

The identification with Christ should be such that whatever we think, say and do, it is always Christ that we perceive, understand, follow and live. It is his goodness, wisdom, mercy, charity, compassion, etc. that should guide the way we understand and react to things. The way he reacted to things should also be the way we react to them. 

No matter how mundane and technical the things are that we get involved in, it should always be Christ that we give or receive. Not in the sense of the physical Christ, of course, but rather in his mind and spirit. This way, we live out what Christ told his first disciples: “He who receives you receives me…” 

This, of course, will require a lot of discipline on our part, since we always and strongly tend to be guided only by our human estimation of things. We get contented with just staying in that level. And often as a consequence, we find ourselves unable to handle our differences and conflicts, and the many difficulties and mysteries in our life. We find it difficult, if not impossible, to love everyone as we should. 

Little by little, but in a lifelong and continuous way, we have to know more about Christ, as he presents himself in the gospels, in the teachings of the Church, in the sacraments, and in the many other acts of piety. We should pursue this path until we can say with St. Paul that we already have the mind of Christ. (cfr. 1 Cor 2,16) We have to remember that we can never know him enough, no matter how much we study him. 

Anyway, we should not worry too much since Christ himself will take care of everything in the end. He will be the one to finish and perfect everything. Ours is simply to try to be with him. We may still commit some mistakes along the way. But if committed in good faith, it will be Christ who will correct them. 

We have to overcome the usual awkwardness we feel when we take this truth of our faith seriously and start to act on it. If we simply persist with faith and humility, time will surely come when this identification with Christ becomes second nature to us. And whatever we think, say and do, whatever we give or receive, it is always Christ who is presented and perceived, followed and lived!

Celibacy an innate or acquired taste

CHASTITY, especially when lived in celibacy, can be difficult. Some people have regarded it as an impossible virtue, especially these days when the world is so soaked with all sorts of impure elements. Wherever you turn, they say, even in a crowd and especially when alone, temptations against this virtue attack with savagery. 

It’s an understandable view to take. After all, to live this virtue well, we have to contend with hideous nemeses. First of all would be our own weakened flesh, then the many temptations in the world that have penetrated even in cyberspace, then the devil himself. 

But then again, we need to pause and realize that there is God who loves us, gives us the grace that we need and will always forgive us no matter how many times we fall. We should just move on and do whatever we can to be faithful to this commitment to chastity through apostolic celibacy that is usually assumed by priests and religious men and women. 

We cannot deny that each one lives this virtue in a very unique way. Chastity, of course, is for all, whether married or single. It is the virtue that properly integrates the body to our spiritual soul, putting our human sexuality into the very dynamic of true love that can only come from God. 

But celibacy is for some who can take. Remember Christ saying, “There are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” (Mt 19,11) 

These words of Christ should tell us that celibacy is, of course, first of all a gift from God that is received by us in different ways. One can have it like it’s something of an innate taste to him. Another can have it by developing an acquired taste for it. Whatever, the virtue will always be an interplay between God’s grace and our effort to correspond to that grace. 

It is in this regard that we have to realize more deeply that chastity, especially when lived celibacy, will always require effort from us. We need to keep our mind and heart focused on God. 

Obviously, this will require a constant spirit of recollection, especially when we are in the middle of the world, exposed to all kinds of things and temptations. We just have to learn the art of recollecting our mind, heart, senses, feelings, memories, imagination, etc., so that God would always be the permanent focus. 

For this, we need to develop the virtues of prudence and fortitude, which can include a lot of self-denials and sacrifice. Whenever we encounter difficulties, let us make them a good occasion to get closer to God. We should not be afraid to face and tackle them, but always with God. 

We should always be aware that we have a great treasure in a vessel of clay and that we can fall anytime. And so, we need to be ever vigilant without falling into paranoia God. 

Most of all, let us employ all our energies to the cause of love, adoring, praising and thanking God, and always reaching out to others. This is how the virtue and the vow or commitment to chastity in apostolic celibacy can be lived with fidelity!

“Without you, Lord…”

LET’S count the endless sad possibilities we can fall into

if we dare to simply be by ourselves instead of being with God always.

This obsession of saying, “Without you…” need not only be expressed

when thinking of missing a loved one or of being rejected by a

beloved. The most appropriate object of such expression is when it is

directed to God himself. Such gesture would certainly elicit the best

results for us!

            Without you, Lord, the only thing possible for us is to

revert to nothing, and even less than nothing. You are everything to

us, Lord. You are actually at the very core of our being. May this

fundamental truth be seared indelibly in our mind and heart. May we be

always conscious of it and moved to act on it properly.

            Without you, Lord, the only thing we can think of would

only be ourselves. And who are we? Are we not your creatures, your

most beloved creatures whom you have created to be you image and

likeness, meant to share in your very own life? How can we dare to

think only of ourselves?

            But yes, Lord, help us to always feel a yearning for you.

Make us long for you with a passion, much like what is expressed in

Psalm 41: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants

for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

            Free us, Lord, from being deceived by our own selves, by

our own ideas and desires. No matter how fantastic they may appear in

the eyes of men, if they are not inspired by you, Lord, we actually

know that they are dangerous. Help us to overcome our tendency for

self-indulgence and strengthen in us the desire for you.

            We know that you, Lord, have given us a certain freedom

and autonomy in our actions. But help us to realize always that our

freedom and autonomy are your gifts, are your ways of resembling us to

yourself, of allowing us to share in your life.

            We should do nothing without referring our freedom and

autonomy to you. Make us feel the need to offer everything we do to

you, and to thank you always for whatever comes out of our free human

acts.

            Make us realize more deeply and constantly that our human

acts are supposed to be a participation of your continuing providence

over all your creation. We should never think that there are things

that we do where you are not involved, Lord. Yes, even in our business

and politics and in all our temporal affairs, you are there.

  

            Without you, Lord, the only thing we can do is to sin.

Without you, we would have no resistance to temptation, no way to

handle properly our human weaknesses and the different predicaments we

will  encounter in our earthly life. Without you, we will never know

how everything in our life, including the bad things, can work out for

the good. We would easily be held hostage by fears, doubts, sadness,

etc.

            Without you, Lord, we will never know how to love as we

ought. We would simply be trapped in our version of love that at best

can never be true love, since true love can only come from you!

The means and the end

SOMETIME ago, I wrote an article about the close

relationship between faith and works, citing that famous passage from

the Letter of St. James: “Show me your faith apart from your works,

and I by my works will show you my faith.” (2,18)

            And yet, in spite of that closeness, we have to

acknowledge that the two are not identical. Faith is a supernatural

gift, while our works are a product of our effort. Faith can be lived

even without works as in the case of a baby recently baptized. He

already has received the gift, which by its nature is gratuitous, but

the baby is yet incapable of expressing it into deeds.

            It is important to acknowledge this distinction because in

our effort to pursue a goal, an objective or an end, we of course have

to use the appropriate means. We just cannot think of simply achieving

an end without the proper means. But again we should not make the

means and the end identical.

            In the first place, to reach an end, we may use different

means according to the peculiar circumstances of the persons involved.

With that alone, we can already see that the means and the end should

not be held identical.

            Truth is we can hardly say that the end can only be

achieved by a certain means, although in some exceptional cases that

may be so. But in general, the end or goal can be achieved by

different means.

            Besides, just like the gift of faith received by the baby

without expressing it in deeds yet, the end or objective may already

be given to us in a gratuitous way without us working for it through

some means. In this case, we can see that the means are not necessary

to achieve an end. The means and the end cannot be held identical.

            This distinction between the means and the end is

important as we consider the value of our fidelity to our vocation,

commitment, spirituality, mission, etc. We definitely have to use the

appropriate means, unless we are given some extraordinary gifts from

God that would exempt us from using any means and effort. But we can

imagine that that case must be very special and exceptional.

            Then we also have to realize that the appropriate means to

achieve an end may differ and vary according to the circumstances of

the persons involved. What works with one person may not work with

another. So, it would not be proper to impose a rigid set of means to

be done in a rigidly specific way to reach an end.

            There may be a general set of means to be offered to

achieve an end, but everyone has to understand that this set can be

lived in different ways according the specific conditions of the

persons involved.

            We know that the circumstances and conditions of persons

can change, and therefore the way they avail and use the means can

also vary. We should not give the impression that only some specific

means should be used and that they have to be used in a specific way.

            What is most important is that everyone is keenly aware of

the end to be achieved, and we should just let everyone feel

completely free to use whatever means he thinks is appropriate for

achieving the end, and the way those means are availed of.

Open, tolerant, patient

IT’S painful to learn that even now, despite the progress

we have in the area of culture, knowledge and technology, we still can

witness massive cases of primitive misunderstanding and barbaric

brutality in some parts of the world.

            In the US, for example, this brutality is shown in the

many violent protests, rioting, looting, burning, etc, because of some

political and cultural issues.

            We need to make a big, loud and worldwide call for

openness, tolerance and patience among ourselves, starting always with

prayers and sacrifice before we think of whatever solutions may be

needed for this problem.

            Yes, we have to learn how to coexist peacefully in spite

of and even because of our unavoidable differences and conflicts. We

should learn to make our differences, conflicts, mistakes, failures,

offenses, etc. an occasion to love each other more and more. They are

actually privileged occasions for us to broaden and extend our

capacity to love, and to know the more subtle aspects and dimensions

of love.

            And love means we need to be open to one another,

accepting each one the way he is, including his defects, weaknesses,

mistakes, failures, not in the sense of approving what’s wrong with

them, but rather because they are first and last our own brothers and

sisters whom we need to love regardless of whatever.

            Anyway, what usually also happens is that what we consider

as wrong in others are actually just matters of opinion, preferences

and tastes. They are not actually wrong and bad in themselves. They

are just different from ours.

            And so we just have to learn to be open-minded,

respectful, tolerant even as we try to expound our own opinions,

preferences and taste too.    And even when we think that what’s wrong

in others are not simply matters of opinion and taste but of things

essential, we still need to be open, tolerant and patient in an

appropriate manner.

             In this, we have to follow closely the example of Christ

himself who bore all the sins of men just to save us. He is the

standard, the pattern and the power in our effort to be open, tolerant

and patient with everybody else.

            Of course, this is possible only when we have faith in

God’s word and try to conform our ways to God’s ways. But we can start

learning these indispensable traits by pursuing them in our

unavoidable daily encounters and conflicts with others.

            For example, when we express our political opinions or

views related to anything social or cultural or even religious, we

should try our best to be respectful with one another.

            Even in our sharpest disagreements, we should see to it

that we remain courteous, civil and friendly. We should learn how to

disagree agreeably, without poisoning the air around.

            To be avoided at all costs are inflammatory language,

insults, ad hominems, all kinds of fallacies, sarcasm, ironies, etc.

These do not advance our dialogues and exchanges.

            We should see to it that we have a good grip of our

emotions, our temper, our tongue, and much more, our hand. Rather,

let’s follow what St. Peter once said:

            “If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come

from God…so that in everything God may receive the glory…” (1 Pt

4,10-11)

Crises are a test to us

ONE good and positive aspect of any crisis we may be

having, like what we have these days with this COVID pandemic, is that

it is actually a good occasion to see how we are as a person, a child

of God, a citizen, a leader, etc.

            When we are suddenly thrown into strange, unfamiliar and

difficult situations, the true face of the different statuses we have

come to the fore. Crises are like reagents that expose our inner self

and true identity. Are we a God-believer or not? Are we a practical

man or just a theoretical one? Are we brave or a coward? And many

other categories can be considered.

            What is clear is that we should always be vigilant and try

our best to be prepared for the worst scenario that can happen to us.

And the previous difficulties and crises that we have been through

should always be giving us precious lessons and clear ideas of what to

do and to have, and how we ought to be.

            Unless it is not yet the end of our life or the end of the

world, we should be collecting these lessons and come up with what is

known as a go-bag which contains the bare necessities for survival

during emergency situations.

            To be sure, the most important kind of go-bag, one that is

kept always in our heart and soul and is filled not only with

material, perishable things but more especially with a vibrant faith,

confident hope and burning love, should always be by our side, ready

to be grabbed anytime when the need arises. This kind of go-bag is

what can bring us to our ultimate and definitive home.

            Obviously, this spiritual go-bag of faith, hope and

charity does not exclude but rather would impel us to be ready

materially also. Our experiences of the past crises should give us

good ideas of what to prepare in terms of food and other basic

household necessities.

            If we happen to be leaders or officials in government or

private companies, we should have different plans for the possible

different scenarios the crises would provoke. As much as possible, we

should avoid finding ourselves flat-footed when these crises come. All

levels of authority should have the appropriate plans.

            With our experience of this COVID pandemic, we have to

learn how to meet the necessities of the people in a crisis that will

take a good length of time and that would entail drastic changes in

our life—with lockdowns and other restrictive measures enforced. We

have to condition ourselves that this kind of crisis is going to

happen with greater frequency the more so-called progress we attain in

the world.

            We should look into the areas where we are found wanting

at the moment, like how do we give due attention to those who are most

disadvantaged by these crises—the poor, the weak and sick, those who

find themselves out of work all of a sudden, etc. What help and

support can the leaders and other officials give? What appropriate

structures and systems should be put in place?

            These crises should bring out in us the many good

potentials we have as a person, as a citizen, as a leader or official.

They are great learning moments.

What should drive us

I REMEMBER a TV commercial sometime ago that had this

punchline: “Kanino ka ba babangon?” (For whom do you get up in the

morning?) I imagine it was supposed to highlight the motivation one

has in getting up so early in the morning, do some tasks and other

sacrifices to serve a loved one. It obviously resonated with many of

the audience, me included.

            Still, no matter how legitimate and worthwhile the whole

idea behind that commercial was, I would still say it did not say

enough. To put it bluntly, to work and to sacrifice for some beloved

person and yet fail to consider love for God as the main motivation,

would be a great pity.

            Sure, there is already some good being done to another,

yet it is a good that is not quite clear about its origin and its

ultimate end. If not corrected, that good according to human and

worldly standards, could not stand the test of time and the many and

often formidable challenges we can face in our earthly sojourn. It is

a perishable good that would not bring us to our ultimate imperishable

and supernatural good who is God.

            Indeed, we can say that what good we do to others out of

love for them can be translated into a good done to God out of love

for him. Loving God and loving others always go together. Still, it’s

always a possibility that what we consider good by serving our loved

ones may just be an apparent good because it is not properly animated

by our love for God, which should be the ultimate motivation for all

our actions.

            This is when we have to develop and sharpen our sense of

hope, since it is with this virtue that we would be willing to do

things and make sacrifices for others, if only to attain what we

consider to be a greater, nay, the greatest good.

            Now, we have to be clear about what this greatest good

would be for us. If it would just be something that simply revolves

around ourselves, like gaining a sense of satisfaction, or respect for

others, etc., then that good would not be worthwhile. That good would

be nothing less than an expression of self-indulgence.

            We have to aim at nothing less than the greatest good, the

ultimate good, and that is nothing other than love of God, being with

him of whom we are supposed to be his image and likeness, and children

of his.

            Some words of St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans can

shed light on this point. “I consider our present sufferings,” he

said, “not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in

us…For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own

choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it in hope that the

creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into

the freedom and glory of the children of God.” (8,18-21)

            It’s a fine point that is worth considering since it makes

a big difference. Let’s see to it that all our good actions towards

others be properly motivated by love of God and not just by some

perishable human and worldly motives. Let our hope be grounded

properly on our Christian faith and oriented toward true charity, our

love for God.