Repentance, conversion, Christian consistency

THE gospel of Friday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time, (cfr. Lk 10,13-16) celebrated on September 30 this year, reminds us that we all need repentance and conversion, since we are all sinners. Besides, we are also called to live Christian consistency such that whoever sees and listens to us would see and listen to God himself. 

 Let’s be frank about ourselves. We are all sinners! No matter how much we try to be good and holy—and to a certain extent, we can actually manage to achieve that ideal to some degree—we can still find ourselves falling into sin, if not big ones, then small ones, which can actually be more dangerous since we can tend to take them for granted, until we get used to them and would not feel anymore the need for repentance and conversion. 

 Christ expressed this concern when he reproached some people for not repenting in spite of the many good things he had done for them. “Woe to you, Chorazine! Woe to you, Bethsaida!” he said. “For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.” (Mt 11,21) 

 We have to understand that conversion is a continuing affair for all of us in this life. We can never say, if we have to follow by what our Christian faith tells us, that we are so good as to need conversion no more. 

 We are all sinners, St. John said. And even the just man, as the Bible said, falls seven times in a day. 

 Besides, it is this sense of continuing conversion that would really ensure us that whatever we do, whatever would happen to us, including our failures and defeats, would redound to what is truly good for the parties concerned and for everybody else in general. 

 That’s because conversion brings us and everything that we have done in life to a reconciliation with God, from whom we come and to whom we go. And once converted, let us strive to live Christian consistency all the time. 

 In the gospel, there is a part where Christ gave a stinging rebuke of the leading Jews at that time. “Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,” he said, “but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.” (cfr. Mt 23,1-12) 

 It’s Christ’s call for us to practice sincerity and consistency in our life, avoiding even the slightest trace of hypocrisy and double life. In fact, we should develop what is called as unity of life, rooted on our earnest effort to identify ourselves with Christ who is the pattern of our humanity, the savior of our damaged humanity. 

 We have to understand that only with Christ can we aspire to have unity and consistency in our life, one that is not rigid. Rather it is a consistency and unity that knows how to adapt itself properly given the different and changing conditions and circumstances of our life. 

 So, we really have to earnestly pursue the effort of living and defending our Christian identity all the time. We should not be afraid to show our Christian identity at all times and in all situations. We should not be Christian by name only, but also by our thoughts, desires and deeds, and in all aspects of our life. We should not be Christian in good times only, but also, and most especially, in bad times. We should not be Christian only in our sacred moments, but also in our mundane activities.

Deepening our belief in angels

WE might wonder why on the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, celebrated on September 29, the gospel reading used is about the vocation of Nathanael as one of Christ’s apostles. (cfr. Jn 1,47-51) 

 As that gospel narrates, Nathanael who was praised by Christ as a man with no guile since he said that famous line, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” referring to Christ, finally came to believe in Christ when Christ told him that Christ saw him under the fig tree. That was when Nathanael recognized Christ as the “Son of God, the King of Israel.” 

 The only reference to angels in that gospel episode was when Christ said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man,” addressing these words to the bewildered Nathanael. 

 So, the thought can come to us that the reason Nathanael came to recognize Christ was because he must have seen some extraordinary things while he was under the fig tree. And the possibility of angels ministering to the Son of God who is also the Son of Man must have taken place there. 

 Whatever may be the case, we cannot deny that there must be some relation between being transparent and simple like Nathanael, even to the point of being childishly impertinent, and the capacity or the privilege to see some extraordinary events. 

 It’s always worthwhile to remain simple and humble like children because, as Christ himself said, the things of God are hidden from the wise the learned and are revealed instead to the little children. (cfr. Mt 11,25) 

 In any event, it is also important that our belief in angels and archangels grows strong and abiding. In fact, we have to popularize their devotion. The archangels, for example, are great allies that we can count on especially during our difficult moments. They are so close and so identified with God that we can refer to them as God’s organic or vital extensions of his own self, if we may describe them that. 

 Remember what Christ said about angels in general? It was when he talked about the angels of little children whom the disciples wanted to shoo away from Christ for being a disturbance. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones,” he said. “For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 18,10) 

 Angels, to be sure, are real beings. They are not fictional, figments of our imagination, projections of what we like to have. They are pure spirits who have entirely identified themselves with God. They are not God themselves, but creatures of God who upon their creation have chosen to be with God for all eternity. 

 And among them are the archangels. They are especially chosen by God to undertake some special tasks. They help us in our constant struggle against temptations and sin, in receiving some special messages from God and in healing some difficult sicknesses. 

 It’s important that we be aware of the existence of these very powerful archangels who, for sure, would be most willing and most happy to help us in their own way. We just have to enliven our faith in them and develop the appropriate devotion.

Cultivating a proper sense of commitment

ESPECIALLY these days when there are so many developments that can confuse us and lead us to have a superficial if not erroneous and dangerous sense of commitment, we need to clarify the real meaning of commitment, and why we need it, where its real source is, etc. 

 If we take our life seriously, that is, if we know what the real purpose of our life is, what duties and responsibilities we have, then we cannot help but realize that we have to assume certain commitments. Yes, commitments in our life are actually unavoidable. We just have to have them one way or another. 

 We are reminded of the importance of commitment in our life when in the gospel Christ himself said to those whom he asked to follow him that “no one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Lk 9,62) 

 That’s because those whom he asked to follow him made some conditions. One said, I will follow you wherever you go, “but let me go first and bury my father.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” (cfr. Lk 9,57-61) 

 But we have to understand that commitments, if properly understood, are actually a genuine manifestation of freedom and love. They are never constraints and obstacles to our freedom and our loving. Any understanding of commitments that would somehow equate them with constraints and obstacles to our freedom and loving would simply be wrong. 

 Yes, far from straitjacketing or stereotyping us, entering into a commitment would simply show that we are so driven with the true love of God and a deep sense of freedom that we are willing to take on whatever consequences our commitment would make on us. 

 We are human with a soul that is spiritual but with a body that is material. While our spiritual self orients us to the infinite and to an endless range of possibilities, our material self puts us under so many conditions and specifications. In a sense, a commitment concretizes the spiritual in us. 

 We have to learn how to blend these two fundamental qualities of our being, because we can neither be purely spiritual nor purely material. We have to be both. Our spiritual self needs to be materialized, while our material self needs to be spiritualized. 

 And entering into a commitment simply puts the spiritual and infinity-oriented character of our love and freedom into the material conditions and specifications of our life. A commitment is our love and freedom expressed in a concrete and specific way. It makes our love and freedom avoid being fuzzy. Rather, it makes them clear. 

 Obviously, the sense of commitment can only take place when we are so in love with God as to identify ourselves with him whose sense of commitment toward us knows no limits. 

 Of course, when we have a good sense of commitment, then we cannot help but be faithful to whatever we commit ourselves into. Commitment and fidelity are inseparable. And their requirements are precisely the strong manifestations of love and freedom. Thus, when we miss this equation, we would easily fall victim to the blind forces of the flesh and world, if not of the evil ways of the demons.

Charity should animate our zeal

WE should see to it that our zeal to do the things of God is always animated by charity. Without charity, that zeal would us more harm than good. It would be a zeal that defeats the purpose of serving God. 

 We are reminded of this danger in the gospel when some of the apostles told Christ to rain fire on those who did not welcome him who was then passing by a certain town on his way to Jerusalem. (cfr. Lk 9,54) Christ had to tell them, “You know not of what spirit you are. The Son of man came not to destroy souls, but to save.” (Lk 9,55-56) 

 When the zeal is not animated by charity, it can only mean that that zeal is not righteous, that it does not channel the zeal of Christ who himself once said, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk 12,49) It would be a zeal that would only satisfy one’s own desires. It is a self-righteous zeal that often is marked by bitterness and recklessness. 

 The zeal that is animated by charity is always marked by patience, understanding, compassion, magnanimity. And while it can connote quickness of action, it is also very much compatible with prudence. While it is clear about its focus or goal, which is the glorification of God and salvation and sanctification of man, it is willing to adapt to the way people are. It is quite versatile. 

 This aspect of the zeal proper to us is very relevant these days since we are bombarded with so many things and have to contend with so many confusing developments. A proper amount of restraint and moderation is needed if only to study things well and come out with a good action plan. 

 When we have a charity-animated zeal, we would always end up energized and optimistic in spite of the great effort and sacrifice that may be involved. It would be zeal that is self-perpetuating, since it would be fueled more by the grace of God than by our mere efforts. 

 We have to be careful with the phenomenon that is called bitter zeal. It is the wrong zeal of intending to do good but discarding the requirements and details of charity. It is Machiavellian in spirit. 

 Bitter zeal makes a person hasty and reckless in his assessment of things. It makes him fail to consider all angles, to listen to both sides, so to speak. He is prone to imprudence. 

 Inflammatory, incendiary words are his main weapons. Being belligerent is his style. He relishes in rousing controversies and sowing intrigues. He’s actually not as interested in looking for the objective truth and justice as in carrying out his own personal cause. 

 He is prone to keeping resentments and to being unable to forget the perceived wrongs done on him. He finds it hard to understand, much less, forgive others in their mistakes. He likes to exact vengeance of the tit-for-tat type, evil for evil. 

 We have to learn the art of loving with the love of God as shown by Christ on the cross. It is a love that is patient, willing to suffer for the others. It is gratuitously given, even if it is not reciprocated. 

 We have to make sure that we are always burning with the zeal of love!

Christ wants us to be child-like

IT’S intriguing to note that while Christ wants us to be as mature and tough as we can be, he also wants us to be like a child. I suppose this is again one of the paradoxes he is fond to telling us. 

 Given the condition of our life here on earth, we actually cannot avoid having to assume apparently contrasting qualities, as long as we do not go to extremes such that we end up either like brutes or a marshmallow. We have to learn how to stay somewhere in the middle, just as one proverb puts it: “In medio stat virtus,” in the middle there is virtue. 

 That he wants us to be child-like is highlighted when at a certain moment with his disciples who were arguing as to who among them was the greatest, he took a child and told them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” (Lk 9,48) 

 Christ is quite clear about this point. “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,” he said, “for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” (Mt 11,25) 

 Christ reiterated this necessity of being childlike a number of times during his preaching. “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18,3) “Let the children come to me. Do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mk 10,15) St. James, in his letter, made the same affirmation. “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (4,6) 

 We can ask what it is in children that Christ would want us to be like them? I suppose what can come to mind are the qualities of simplicity, transparency, complete trust to elders, etc. 

 It’s quite clear that we all need to be childlike even as we grow in age and stature, and even as we accumulate already quite a significant amount of knowledge with our exposure to the world and the life in general. 

 Yes, children and heaven are almost synonymous to each other. No wonder we feel like we are in heaven every time we see children around. Every time a baby is born, we are very happy because we somehow know that he just did not come out of his mother’s womb, but rather from the very hands of God who created him before the parents procreated him. 

 In spite of the many limitations of children, what makes them always desirable is their pure, innocent heart, incapable of malice, ambition, pride and haughtiness. They are a source of many other good things. 

 Their heart is always trusting in the Lord, just like a little kid is always confident with his father. Faith and hope easily grow and acquire strength when nurtured in a child's heart. It's this attitude that leads them to go on and move on no matter what, for life to them could only be an adventure of discoveries. 

 We just have to make sure that to be childlike does not become to be childish. A passage from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians can serve as a very relevant reminder to all of us: “Do not become children in sense. But in malice be children, and in sense be perfect.” (14,20)

Be truly poor to be truly rich

WE have to understand this point very well. We need to be truly poor so we can be truly rich in God, attaining the fullness of our dignity as God’s image and likeness, children of his, sharers of his divine life and nature. This is how we can be truly rich. To be truly poor is to acknowledge that we depend on God for everything. 

To be truly poor is not about how much one has or does not have. That is a very poor description of what is to be truly poor. And that’s because one can have a lot of things and yet know that everything comes from God and is for God and for everybody else. 

 A truly poor person knows that he is not the absolute owner of whatever he has, even if he is entitled to the right of private ownership. He is at best only a steward tasked to make use of whatever he has to start building the kingdom of God here on earth. A truly poor person has an abiding awareness that he is only a caretaker of the goods of the earth and that he is answerable to God and to everyone for that duty. 

 In a certain sense, our earthly life can be described as a matter of emptying and filling. That is, emptying of our own selves, our own egos, so we can be filled with God, with love, which is what is proper to us. 

 In whatever we do, let’s see to it that this business of emptying and filling is the underlying law and principle that is being followed. Failing in that can only mean failing in our ultimate purpose in life, no matter how successful we may appear to be in our work or social and political life, and in the other aspects of life. 

 We need to adapt and develop the relevant attitude and skills so we can turn this ideal into a working lifestyle. We should not forget that Christ clearly said: ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mt 16,24) That, in a nutshell, is the biblical basis for this business of emptying and filling. 

 Christ himself, our way, truth and life, lived this principle perfectly by emptying himself so he can be filled with the will of his Father. 

 St. Paul expressed this fact in this way: “Christ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2,5-8) 

 Christ’s self-emptying cannot be overemphasized. Being the son of God with whom nothing is impossible, he chose to be born poor in a manger and led an austere life all throughout. Even in his impressive moments of preaching and making miracles, he did not want to be treated as a king or some kind of celebrity. 

 He preached about meekness and humility and lived what he preached. “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart,” he said. (Mt 11,29) In the Last Supper, he shocked his apostles when he began to wash their feet and insisted on doing so, despite the protestation of Peter, to give an example for them to follow. 

 We need to be truly poor to be truly rich in God!

Christian faith on life and death

“THE Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” (Lk 9,22) 

 These words of Christ show us the general trajectory of our life here on earth. Like Christ, we have to expect all sorts of sufferings and death. But we should never forget that there is also the resurrection. This is what our Christian faith tells us about our life and death here on earth. 

 Thus, St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans stressed this truth of our faith by saying, “If we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” (6,8) How important, therefore, for us to carve these words of Christ and St. Paul in our mind and heart, so that we can have the proper understanding and appreciation of everything in our life, including our sufferings and death! 

 In short, as long as we are with Christ, we can expect the resurrection, the victory over sin and death, if we suffer and die also with Christ. We need to do everything to live by this truth of our faith so we can go through the drama of our life in peace, joy and confidence. We can avoid unnecessary worries. 

 Let us also remember that the best condition we can enjoy in our earthly life is when we are with Christ. We would know how to handle any situation properly. And as St. Paul again said it in his Letter to the Romans, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8,28) 

 This should strongly motivate us to know, love and serve God who has revealed himself fully in Christ. And as far as Christ is concerned, he has left us with the beautiful story of his life, his teaching, his Church and the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist where he makes himself entirely available to us, even making himself the Bread of Life for us to eat and achieve the highest communion we can have with him here on earth. 

 We really do not have any excuse why we cannot go through our life, with all its ups and down, in a manner that would be marked always by joy, peace and hope. We should try our best to be always guided by our Christian faith in our general attitude toward life and death. 

 With this Christian faith, we will always feel reassured and can echo what St. Paul once said: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?...But thanks to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 15,55.57) 

 We should spread widely this Good News about our Christian faith on life and death. We know that many of us are still ignorant about it, or worse, not convinced by it, and thus we unnecessarily suffer the consequences. Where there is supposed to be only joy and peace, we are often hounded by fear, worries, sadness and the like. 

 Let us always strengthen the conviction that the best condition for us to be in is when we are truly with God who has done everything to make himself available to us!

Our inherent desire for God

DESPITE whatever, we cannot deny that there is in us an inherent desire for what is good, and ultimately for God and for heaven. This truth about ourselves is dramatized in that gospel episode where Herod was so intrigued about Christ that he longed to see him. 

 This is how the gospel says it. “Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, ‘John has been raised from the dead’; others were saying, ‘Elijah has appeared’; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ But Herod said, ‘John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he kept trying to see him.” (Lk 9,7-9) 

 Yes, despite our weaknesses, mistakes, sins, etc., we have in our heart of hearts an inherent desire for God. As the Catechism would put it, “This desire (for happiness) is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it.” (1718) 

 This truth of our faith is also illustrated in that gospel episode where a rich young man approached Christ, asking what he had to do to gain eternal life. (cfr. Mk 10,17-27) As that gospel story unfolded, Christ told him first to follow the commandments, and when the young man said that he had observed all those, Christ then told him to “sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 

 Again, this truth of our faith shows us that no matter how bad a person is, there is deep within his heart a desire for God. This is what the Catechism teaches us about this truth: “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.” (CCC 27) 

 Just the same, that desire can be thwarted by a variety of reasons and, thus, cause bad consequences. Herod’s urge to see Christ was not so much a matter of following him as of eliminating him. So, let’s just also be prepared for the worst scenarios in our life. 

 By preparing for the worst scenario, we would be imitating Christ himself who, in redeeming us, prepared himself for the worst. In fact, he already knew about his death and how it was going to be. “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him,” he told his disciples, “and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” (Mk 9,31) 

 Toward this end, we should just make sure that our love of God is always vibrant. We have to make it grow day by day. We have to feel that love so intensely such that it is actually what would energize us in any endeavor we have. 

 We have to see to it that we do not take this love for granted. This is the best and ultimate weapon we have to prepare for the worst scenario in our life. With this love, we would be willing to go through what Christ himself went through—suffering all the indignities of the world and ultimately dying on the cross. 

 But then, after death, there is the resurrection, the final victory that is meant for all of us, irrespective of how we fare in this life.

Everyone has a vocation

THE Feast of St. Matthew, one of the apostles, celebrated on September 21, reminds us that all of us has a vocation. We are all called by God, which is what vocation means, since we come from God and we are meant to belong to God—in fact, in a most special way, since of all his creatures, we are the ones made in his image and likeness, sharers in his divine life and divine nature. 

 Yes, God calls all of us to be with him. That is why he can call anyone of us anytime. That calling may appear to be done at random, as what may appear in the case of St. Matthew. He was just sitting by his tax collector’s table, and Christ happened to pass by, and from out of the blue, just asked Matthew to follow him. (cfr. Mt 9,9-13) 

 We need to be more aware of this element of vocation in our life. We cannot deny that many do not know this reality. And of those who know, many think it is only for some special people, and that vocation only means some special, if not extraordinary, calling from God given to someone special. 

 We need to widen and deepen our understanding of vocation, and spread it around as extensively as possible, so hopefully many can correspond to it as they should. We have to understand that our vocation is a most important element in our life, since it is meant to direct and shape our life here on earth, as we journey towards our eternal home in heaven with God. 

 Let’s always remember that our vocation can come in different ways and forms. Some are called to the priesthood, others to a religious life, but most of us will be called in our state of being ordinary citizens in the world. Yes, the husband, the wife, the children, the farmer, office worker, politician, businessman, etc., do have a vocation. 

 And when this sense of vocation is sharp and abiding, we would realize always that every event in our life, everything that happens in our life, is actually an encounter with God who is always calling us to be with him. In other words, everything in our life is an occasion to seek sanctity and to do apostolate, which is what being with God means. 

 Let’s sharpen our awareness that God continues to be with us, and while respecting our freedom always, he calls us to him, for it is him, more than us, who directs and shapes our life. This is the essence of vocation—God calling us to share his life and activity with us. 

 Let’s always remember that God created us for a purpose. He did not create us just to leave us on our own. He created us to participate in his life and in his love which is the essence of God. 

 This is what a vocation is. It is God inviting us to be with him, to correspond to the reality that God is already with us and wants us to actively participate in his plan for each one of us, which can assume an infinite variety of forms and ways. 

 Since God lives in eternity, his call to us, though discovered and carried out in time, springs also in eternity. In short, if we cooperate with him, we can say that what he starts with us will also be completed by him. 

 So, there’s really nothing to worry. Our sense of vocation actually puts us in the best condition in our life here on earth.

Our will needs to be properly anchored

WHEN Christ was told that his mother and relatives were around and would like to see him, he said it very clearly that his mother and brothers and sisters are those who do the will of his heavenly Father. (cfr. Lk 8,19-21) 

 The response of Christ is a clear indication that for us to be part of God’s family, as we should since we are not only ordinary creatures of his but rather the masterpiece of his creation since we have been created in his image and likeness, our will should channel and reflect the will of God. 

 Our will should not just be floating around on its own, thinking that it is how it enjoys its freedom. We need to acknowledge that our will is a creation of God and is meant to be united to God’s will since we have been created in his image and likeness. We need to acknowledge the truth that our real freedom is when our will is united to the will of God. 

 This, definitely, is not an easy task to do, given the fact that it is precisely in our will where we choose whether we would like to be with God, to be part of his family, or to be simply on our own. And given how we handle this issue, starting with our first parents all the way to the present, we always have the strong tendency to think that our will is simply our own. 

 We therefore have to be strongly wary of this danger and do everything we can to avoid it. I suppose it goes without saying that we need to be frequently reminded that our will needs to be anchored on the will of God. That’s how our will acquires its proper status. 

 We have to learn to live always by God’s will. This is a basic truth that we need to spread around more widely and abidingly, since it is steadily and even systematically forgotten and, nowadays, even contradicted in many instances. We need to inculcate this truth to children as early as when they can understand and appreciate it. Then let’s give them the example of how it is lived. 

 We have to realize that God’s will is the source of everything in the universe. The whole of creation in all its existence, unity, truth, goodness and beauty starts from God’s will and is maintained by it. The entire range and scope of reality—be it material or spiritual, natural or supernatural, temporal or eternal—is “contained” there, not only theoretically but also ‘in vivo.’ 

 It would be absurd to believe that the whole reality can be captured by our senses and feelings alone, or by our intelligence that is working on its own and producing the arts and the sciences that we now have and that we continue to discover. 

 It would be equally absurd to speculate that we cannot know the origin of the universe, or that the whole cosmos just came to be more or less spontaneously, directly contradicting a basic principle that from nothing, nothing comes. 

 In the end, we have to realize that we can only be in the orbit of truth and everything that is good when we unite our will with the will of God. The only thing to happen when we are not united with God’s will is to sin, to do evil. 

 Let’s follow the example of Mary who with her ‘Fiat’ during the Annunciation opened the path of our reconciliation with God.

We have to give good example always

“NO one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Lk 8,16) 

 These are words of Christ that clearly tell us that we have to give good example always to others. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we should always keep in mind that we have a serious duty to give good example to others. 

 That’s simply because as man, we cannot help but be connected with others, and thus, affect their lives in some way, even if we are isolated physically. More than just a social being which already gives rise to serious responsibilities for us, we belong to a certain communion among ourselves, a communion that is more spiritual than material, and reinforced by its supernatural dimension that goes beyond the merely natural. 

 We need to process this basic truth about ourselves so that it would really sink deep in our consciousness and would effectively shape and direct the way we act and relate ourselves to the others all the time. 

 We have to realize that it is a duty of ours, as Christians, to always give good example to others. Not that we have to flaunt whatever good thing we have or do, for Christ clearly said also that we should not show off our good deed before men, to be seen by them, lest we lose our reward in heaven. (cfr. Mt 6,1) 

 We have to be aware that we always have to give good example to others for the sole purpose of leading others to God. It is to edify others, to encourage them to be holy and to pursue the path of sanctity in an abiding way. 

 This duty, therefore, should be carried out deliberately. It should somehow be planned and aimed at. It should not just be something incidental or something optional. Of course, this duty should not be done out of pride or vanity, but out of obedience to the will of God who wants to save all men. (cfr. 1 Tim 2,4) 

 Thus, Christ warns us never to scandalize others, especially the “little ones,” who can be interpreted not only as children but also as any person whose spiritual life is not yet that well established and strong, and therefore can easily be misled. 

 “It is inevitable that temptations will come,” Christ said, “but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” (Lk 17,1-2) 

 To avoid scandalizing others or causing them to sin, we should focus more on giving good example. That way, we would be most sensitive to our duty not to scandalize others. We would be aware that we are following Christ’s command and will, and not just pursuing our own agenda in life. 

 Let us hope that we can echo sincerely in our heart what St. Paul once said: “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor 11,1) This should be the motive and the attitude we have in desiring to give good example to others. It is to imitate Christ, to have his mind, to identify ourselves with his will and ways.

Friends with everyone regardless…

WE really have to be careful in understanding and interpreting the words of Christ in the gospel, since there are instances when our initial reaction would be that of surprise, disbelief and even of scandal. 

 A sample of these words is when Christ said: “Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Lk 16,9) These are very intriguing words, to say the least. 

 But to be sure, Christ did not say that we should generate our wealth in a dishonest way. This can be verified because he also said, “No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and mammon.” It’s clear that we should avoid dishonesty. 

 What Christ really wanted to say was that since we cannot avoid dishonest wealth given our wounded and sinful condition that often leads us to be dishonest, we just have to make sure that we use that dishonest wealth properly while trying to eliminate dishonesty wherever it is found. 

 In another part of the gospel, he already warned his apostles, and us, about the naked reality of our life in this world. “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Mt 10,16) In short, we have to learn to deal with this condition. We are not yet in Paradise. 

 Christ wants us to know how to cope with this ugly condition of our life here on earth, and even convert it into something that is good, purifying and redeeming. What usually happens is that the so-called “good people,” or those who want to follow Christ or who want to be holy, get so idealistic that they would be at a loss as to how to deal with the ugly reality of our earthly sojourn. 

 In other words, we have to learn how to be friends with everyone regardless of how they are, because only then can we help them to attain the ultimate goal common to all of us. We also have to learn how to deal with any situation, no matter how difficult and ugly, not so much in physical terms as in the spiritual and moral. If we are truly Christian, we would have his desire “not to condemn the world but to save.” (cfr. Jn 3,17) 

 As one saint said it, we should be willing to go to the very gates of hell, without entering it, of course, if only to save a soul. This obviously would require of us to be tough and clear about the real goal to reach, and yet flexible and adaptable to any person and to any condition. 

 In this regard, we have to learn how to fraternize with sinners. We have to replicate Christ’s attitude towards sinners, who actually are all of us—of course, in varying degrees. We have to give special attention to the lost sheep and to the lost coin. We have to open all possible avenues to be in touch with all sinners. 

 This capacity to fraternize with sinners is first of all a gift from God which we have to take care of and develop. It’s meant to mature us and to involve us in the continuing work of redemption of Christ. It’s not meant, of course, to dilute the teachings of Christ and the very essence of goodness and true holiness.

The duty to evangelize

WE have to be more aware and more willing to carry out our Christian duty to evangelize, to go out into the whole world, preaching the Good News, and baptizing people, as Christ himself clearly told his disciples. (cfr. Mk 16,15) 

 Christ, of course, gave us the proper example to follow. In the gospel, it is said that “Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities…” (Lk 8,1-2) 

 It’s good that the Pope recently made another push for a more effective evangelization all over the world. And it is also worth noting that a group is doing the same push, encouraging the parishes to be more missional and not just stuck in the maintenance aspect of parish life. 

 Of course, we should never forget that the energy and success we can expect in our evangelization and missionary efforts can only come about if we are truly animated by the spirit of Christ. Otherwise, everything would just be a show. Our apostolic zeal can only be an expression and a consequence of a vibrant and healthy spiritual life. 

 Let’s remember that while evangelization and mission work urges us to reach out, to break new grounds, to spread the Good News as widely as possible, we should be more interested in how to keep the integral Christian life going. We should not be interested only in proclaiming the gospel of Christ, but more in how the spirit of Christ is lived consistently and abidingly. 

 As one saint put it, while conversion is a matter of a moment, sanctification is a matter of a lifetime. There has to be the appropriate mechanisms and structures to facilitate the continuing accompaniment of those evangelized. 

 We should never forget that sanctification is and should be our main business in this life, our constant concern all throughout. And that’s simply because at the end of the day, at the end of our life, that is what truly matters. Everything else is meant only as a means, an occasion or a reason for pursuing this ultimate goal of ours. 

 St. Paul said it clearly: “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thes 4,3) St. Peter echoed the same sentiment: “Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Pt 1,15-16) 

 Christ, of course, repeatedly told us about this. “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5,48) And this ideal can be attained, not only after our death, but even now, as we cruise through this vale of tears of ours, because Christ does it with us and for us. 

 Christ has given us all the means. In fact, he has given us his very own self, because we can only be truly holy when we become entirely “alter Christus” (another Christ), if not “ipse Christus” (Christ himself). 

 We have to realize that all the situations of our life here on earth, including those that involve our miseries, failures and sin, can be and should be a means and occasion for sanctification if they are referred to Christ. And that’s because Christ precisely would show us how to convert everything into a means of our sanctification. 

 In our evangelization and mission work, this truth of our faith should be made clear.

Our Lady of Sorrows

WHAT does the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, celebrated on September 15, remind us of? I would say that among other things, it reminds us of how our Lady can teach us how to handle our unavoidable sufferings and sorrows in our life. 

 She is the best person to teach us this, since, being perfectly united with her Son in all his life and especially in his passion, death and resurrection, she knew exactly the meaning of suffering and sorrows and how to convert them into the very means of our own salvation. 

 On the cross, Christ entrusted his Mother to St. John, and through St. John, to us. (cfr. Jn 19,25-27) That gesture can be interpreted in many ways, and one of them can certainly be that of Christ reassuring us that with his and our Mother, the phenomenon of suffering and sorrows in this life can be properly handled. 

 It’s always a good piece of advice to go to Our Lady whenever we experience these sufferings and sorrows. Accompanied by her, we can always expect instant relief and peace of mind, even if the pain continues to linger. Like her who simply stood in silence at the foot of the cross, we too can manage to bear the sufferings and sorrows well. 

 Especially when we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, it would do us well if we meditate the passion and death of Christ with Our Lady. Doing so would lead us to have a theological understanding and appreciation of our sufferings and sorrows. 

 Our predicament today is that our attitude towards this unavoidable element in our life is taken out of its fundamental context of faith and religion. We just look at it in a purely human and natural way. We just look for the human and natural causes as well as for their human and natural solutions or remedies. 

 I think this is wrong, or at least, is quite handicapped. We would not be fathoming enough the enormity and richness of the nature and purpose of our sorrows in life if we fail to bring in the pertinent basic inputs of our Christian faith. 

 Thus, we often exaggerate or worsen our sufferings, as we fail to know their ultimate whys and wherefores. Thus, we often would not know how to suffer them, since we would merely rely on our physical, emotional or psychological stamina, or some external material resources like drugs. The spiritual and supernatural way is not resorted to. 

 Worse, we often don’t realize that our pains and sorrows in life, irrespective of their causes and effects, are a rich material for our final redemption. In fact, many people’s idea of redemption is strictly earth-and-time-bound. Nothing spiritual or supernatural about it! Hardly any reference to our sin is done. 

 It would be good if we adapt the attitude of our Lady of Sorrows towards our problems in life. Certainly, meditating on the passion and death of Christ in a regular way would help a lot in developing that attitude. 

 That attitude brings our understanding and experience of sorrow to another level—deeper, more comprehensive, more integrated. For example, it helps us mediate the complicated interplay of the requirements of truth and freedom, and of charity, patience, mercy on the one hand, and as strict a justice on the other, etc.

Our redemption only through the cross

ON the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated on September 14, we are reminded that our redemption can only be achieved through the cross of Christ. That’s where all our sins are forgiven, where God’s mercy is poured on us and the fullness of redemption is given to us. 

 We are told of this wonderful Good News in the gospel of the feast where it is said that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (Jn 3,16-17) 

 We have to understand then that the cross of Christ is indispensable to us. We need to look for it everyday so we can find it. More than that, we have to learn to love it, embracing it in the best way we can. The appropriate motto we can have in this regard should be something like this: In joy, there is no day for me without the cross. 

 The cross should not be viewed simply as something negative, a problem in life, a source of pain and suffering. It can be all these, but we should never fail to realize that at the end, it is what gives us our ultimate joy. 

 We have to actively look for the cross everyday. Usually it would just be the small inconveniences we encounter in our daily routine, bearing it with joy and aplomb. It can also simply be making those little self-denials in terms of food and comfort, or in terms of our attachment to our preferences, views and opinions. 

 There can also be those extraordinary forms of the cross, as when we suffer major problems, failures, crises, or when we are unfairly offended and yet we choose to keep quiet and just bear the injustice inflicted on us. 

 Let’s strengthen our conviction that it is in the cross that we can most intimately identify ourselves with Christ who shows his greatest love for us by offering his life on the cross for us. This truth of our faith should always be in our mind to convince ourselves that it is always worth it to suffer the cross of Christ in our life. 

 Let’s remember that that cross not only brings about our own salvation, our own purification and strengthening of our spiritual life. It also helps in the salvation, purification and strengthening of the spiritual life of others. 

 The cross can represent in the best way what Christ said about the paradoxes of Christian life: that it is when we die that we live, when we lose that we win, when we give that we receive, that we empty ourselves in order to be filled. The cross, in other words, offers us the best deal in life. 

 Thus, we really have to know why the cross is essential and indispensable in our life. And by knowing the purpose of the cross, we mean that we need to refer everything in our life to the passion, death and resurrection of Christ where the cross plays a crucial role. 

 Yes, that’s right. We need to refer everything to the cross because that is how everything in our life, whether good or bad, big or small, spiritual or material, would find its true and ultimate meaning and purpose!

Let’s be quick to show compassion

“AS he (Christ) drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her…” (Lk 7,12) 

 So goes the gospel of Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time. To this sight, Christ immediately told the mother not to weep and proceeded to raise the dead son to life again. 

 Everyone was, of course, amazed. “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people,” they said. And the report of this event spread like wildfire through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region. 

 While it’s true that we may not have the same power that Christ has, we should realize that like Christ we have to learn to be quick to show compassion and to be of help to anyone who is in need in one way or another. 

 We need to train ourselves in this department. If we really want to be “another Christ,” we should be quick to show compassion to others who are in need of one thing or another. 

 This is typical of Christ. Wherever he went, though he had to convey difficult and hard-to-understand messages to the people, since these messages were mainly spiritual and supernatural in character, he never neglected their more immediate human needs. 

 His heart always flowed with compassion, quick to notice the needs of others and to respond to them. And all this in all simplicity, telling the beneficiaries who were so bursting with gratitude that they wanted to broadcast what they received to the whole world, to keep quiet instead. 

 It’s an example that we should all try to imitate. One deep desire we should have is that of making as some kind of default mode that attitude of always thinking of the others, wishing them well all the time and doing whatever we can to help, irrespective of how they are to us. They can even be hostile to us, but that should not excuse us from being compassionate to them. 

 It’s obviously not easy to do, but we can always try. With God’s grace and with our persistent effort, we can little by little and day by day hack it, such that it becomes second nature to us to think and feel for the others. That’s what compassion is all about. We just have to learn to be tough to take on whatever effort is needed. We have to learn to be all things to all men. 

 Compassion starts in the heart, in our thoughts and desires. In this level, there is no limit in what we can do. Obviously, when we try to translate these prayers, thoughts and desires into action and material things, we can be greatly limited. But insofar as prayers and sacrifices are involved, the possibilities are unlimited. 

 We need to examine ourselves more deeply to see if indeed we are always thinking, praying and wishing others well. We have to be wary of our tendency to let our thoughts and desires be dictated only by self-interest, usually done in a most subtle but effective way. For this, we have to do regular examination of conscience. 

 Definitely, to be compassionate would involve self-denial and the courage to carry the cross as Christ himself told us clearly. (cfr. Mt 16,24)

The centurion’s faith

THAT gospel episode about a centurion who asked some people to approach Christ for him, and to beg on his behalf for the cure of his sick slave (cfr. Lk 7,1-10) teaches us the lesson that we should have a strong faith if we want to ask some special favor from God. 

 As the story goes, Christ responded immediately to the request, but when he was near the centurion’s house, the centurion told him not to bother to enter his house, saying that he was not worthy to have Christ enter his house. 

 He told Christ that like him, the centurion had certain authority and would just give orders to his subordinates who would carry them out. He wanted the cure of his slave to take place that way—“just say the word and my servant will be healed,” he said. 

 Christ was so impressed by this show of the centurion’s faith that his servant was immediately healed at that hour even if Christ did not have face-to-face encounter with the servant. 

 We should try our best to develop the faith as that of the centurion. The problem we have is that we lack faith. It is this deficiency that disables us to see a deeper and richer reality that is beyond what we simply see, touch and understand. It is this deficiency that prevents us from asking for some miracles in some difficult situations we can find ourselves in, and from experiencing them. 

 Remember that time when Christ was pursued by two blind men (cfr Mt 9,27-31). They shouted, “Lord, have pity on us.” But Christ asked them if they have faith. “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they immediately replied. Then Christ told them, “Let it be done to you according to your faith.” And they were cured. 

 In all the other miraculous cures narrated in the gospel, faith plays a very crucial role. The woman who was cured of her hemorrhage was also commended by Christ because of her faith, though it was a faith that was not openly expressed. “Be of good heart, daughter, your faith has made you whole…” (Mt 9,22) 

 The same with the blind man, Bartimaeus, the father of the possessed boy who in his great distress told our Lord earnestly, “I believe, but help my unbelief.” 

 Besides the lack of faith, many of us have come to associate miracles with big, extraordinary things. Unless a blind man sees again, or a lame starts to walk, or a dead rises to life again, people nowadays say there can be no miracles taking place. 

 It’s a question of faith. When one has faith, even if it is just little, we can see the marvels of God taking place all around everyday. That one perseveres in prayer, or decides to confess his sins after a long period of sinfulness, or a husband being faithful to his wife in spite of the strong temptations, etc., these are miracles too. 

 They are miracles because these situations often defy human logic and worldly wisdom. But then again, they can only be acknowledged if one has faith. Faith enables us to see beyond appearances and the reality painted only by human and worldly values. 

 Let us hope that we can be like the centurion, often repeating more or less the same words that now are part of the liturgy of the Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. But only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”

Learning to love the unlovable

IT’S a daunting challenge, no doubt, but if we have to be truly consistent to our Christian identity, we better learn, with God’s grace and our earnest efforts, to love the unlovable. 

 This is what we are practically told, nay, commanded in the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. (cfr. Lk 15,1-10) And that’s simply because if we are truly children of God, created in his image and likeness, and whose very essence is love that is fully revealed and lived by Christ himself, then we have to understand that love has a universal scope and covers everyone, including our enemies and those we consider unlovable. 

 Like Christ, we should have the same love for everybody, irrespective of how they are with us. They can even be our enemies. Thus, Christ himself told us very clearly that we should love our enemies. (cfr. Mt 5,44) This is the kind of love that is the very essence of God and that is also meant for us. It has a universal scope even if it never compromises the truth. It can prefer to suffer and die for the truth. 

 On our part, we just have to learn to adapt our mind and heart to this kind of love that God through Christ in the Holy Spirit is actually sharing with us. We have to develop a certain compassion for the lost sheep and know how, like Christ, we can fraternize with those in error spiritually and morally, or at least with those wrapped up with all sorts of weaknesses. 

 That’s is what is in the heart of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It’s also the heart we should try to cultivate, since he himself gave us the new commandment that summarizes and perfects all the previous commandments that “you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (Jn 13,34) 

 It’s a love that covers everyone, including our enemies, the unlovable, the sinners, offenders, those who are wrong in a human issue and all others who for one reason or another we may have some reason not to love or like. 

 In fact, one sure sign our loving is authentic is when we include these people in our loving. Otherwise, our love is fake, no matter how fervently we profess it. Our love gets spoiled and deteriorates into self-rigtheousness. 

 Remember what our Lord said about this point. “If you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the publicans do this?” (Mt 5,46) 

 Thus, our Lord explicitly said that we have to love our enemies, to do good to them that hate us and pray for those who persecute and calumniate us. This is how we are going to be identified as children of God who makes his sun to rise upon the good and bad, the rain on the just and the unjust. 

 Love by definition involves all and is given without measure or calculation. This essence of love is what breaks us loose from our limited human condition to make our world universal, not entangled in some parochial, partisan or isolationist grip. 

 We should just discipline ourselves and train ourselves to overcome the usual natural aversion we have against those who differ with us or who offend us. This obviously will require humility from us, but that’s what would truly liken us with Christ who is the pattern of our humanity.

The truth amid our unavoidable biases

HOW can we see the truth amid our unavoidable biases and other conditionings that affect how we see, judge and react to things? The simple answer is to be like Christ who himself said that he is “the way, the truth and the life.” 

 Thus, in the gospel (cfr. Lk 6,39-42) Christ said: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” And then he gives a clue on how to resolve that predicament by saying, “No disciple is superior to the teacher,” somehow pointing to the fact that for one to know the truth, he has to follow the teacher who is Christ himself. 

 That we have unavoidable biases and other conditionings that affect how we see, judge and react to things is somehow alluded to when Christ said, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” 

 We have to be constantly aware of this constant predicament of ours and try our best to deal with it properly by trying to be like Christ, that is, to see, judge and react to things the way Christ sees, judges and reacts to them. 

 In this raging controversy about alleged historical revisionism now still ongoing in our political scene, we should remember that the truth about the issues involved does not depend solely on facts that supposedly the parties involved can cite. Facts and data can be cold, that is, they can only be external appearances of things without the proper spirit of truth and charity that should animate them. 

 Truth is not simply about facts and data. It has to have the proper spirit. It cannot simply be historical, since many things considered as historical are only facts and data that can be understood, interpreted and used by people according to the spirit that motivates them. 

 The Bible itself is not all historical. It is not simply a litany of facts. It has historical facts, of course, but it also uses all kinds of literary devices to proclaim the truths of our faith. Christ, for example, used parables, similes, metaphors and hyperboles to convey precious lessons which are truths. 

 Thus, unless we see things through Christ who said that he is the light of the world (cfr Jn 9), we actually cannot see things as they ought to be seen. If we simply rely on our senses and even on our intelligence, but without Christ through the exercise of our faith, we actually are blind. This we have to acknowledge. 

 We need to be more aware of this predicament of ours and start to develop and use the appropriate means to correct, if not avoid, that delicate situation. We need to be humble and to always feel the need to be with God even in our most intimate thoughts, let alone, our words, deeds and public interventions. 

 There is actually no other way to correctly and properly understand and react to things and events in our life. We have to be wary of our tendency to rely solely on our human estimations of things, quite independent, if not contrary to the way God understands them. 

 In fact, not only should we be guarded against this tendency. Rather, we should also actively fight it, converting it into what is our proper way of thinking, judging and reasoning. And that is to do all these spiritual operations with God as the main guide and inspiration. 

 That way, we can see the truth always in charity, which is how truth should be!

The Nativity of Our Lady

THE Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady on September 8 is a great cause for joy and thanksgiving in the Catholic Church, for it celebrates the birth of the one who is the prototype of a human person in her original and ultimate status as a child of God, a perfect image and likeness of God, as God wants us to be. 

 The feast reminds us that man indeed is meant to be like God, a tremendous and incredible truth of our faith to which we should try our best to conform ourselves with our relentless efforts and God’s grace. We should just learn to overcome whatever disbelief and awkwardness we may have to accept this truth of our faith. 

 Let’s try to analyze and understand this truth of our faith. 

 Mary, as the mother of Christ, can be considered also as the mother of God (Mater Dei), since she is not only the mother of Christ as man, but also and first of all as a divine person. 

 And since God is a triune God, Mary can be considered as the perfect daughter of God the Father, the perfect mother of God the Son, and the perfect spouse of the God the Holy Spirit. That’s how she is related to God. Her relation with God cannot be any better. She has attained the fullness of the dignity as image and likeness of God. 

 And when Christ gave his own mother to us through St. John while Christ was still hanging on the cross just before his death—remember Christ’s words, “Woman, behold your son…behold your mother” (Jn 19,26-27)—it’s clear that Mary too is now also our mother. (Mater Dei, mater nostra). 

 The figure of Mary should reinforce our belief that we indeed are children of God, made in his image and likeness, meant to share his life and his very own nature. Yes, while every creature has a certain degree of connaturality with God who, as creator of all things, shares something with his creatures, we, of all the creatures and together with the angels, share the highest degree of connaturality with God. 

 This truth of our faith should impel us to develop a deep and working sense of divine filiation, of being children of God, so we would really know who we are and, thus, also know our true dignity and the great responsibility we have to be worthy of that dignity and to live it out. 

 We should try our best that in every moment, and in all our thoughts, words and deeds, in all our understanding and reactions to things and the different situations of our life, we should always remember that we are children of God and try our best to truly be like God. 

 This, of course, is a tremendous if not an impossible challenge, but at least we can always try to be so. We know that we, with our own efforts alone, cannot attain the fullness of our dignity as children of God. Only God, with his grace, can do that. But we should always do our part. 

 The fact is that many of us do not realize this basic truth about ourselves. And so we easily fall into all kinds of disorder that actually are unnecessary and are avoidable if we simply would be more conscious of who we are!

The realism of the beatitudes

HAVE you ever regarded the beatitudes, as proclaimed by Christ, (cfr. Lk 6,20-26) a confusing doctrine, if not a crazy idea, impossible to be lived, and an exaggeration? Don’t worry so much about it. We can be sure that Christ would understand if we have that reaction. But we should also try to understand why Christ came out with those doctrines. 

 The beatitudes are actually Christ’s way of telling us how to be realistic about our life here on earth, marked with all kinds of negative things which can actually be converted into our pathways to heaven, to our eternal joy and the fullness of life. The secret is to follow the example of Christ. We can only understand and live the beatitudes if we have the very spirit of Christ. 

 We have to realize that the beatitudes actually expand our understanding of what would comprise as our true happiness by including those situations which we normally regard as unsavory and therefore to be avoided as much as possible and hated. 

 We know that these situations are hardly unavoidable. In fact, they are inescapable, what with all the growing differences and conflicts we are having among ourselves nowadays. If we have to be realistic about our life here, we better take the beatitudes seriously. 

 Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they who mourn, blessed are the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness or justice, those who are merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted, those who are insulted…There can hardly be any worse predicament than all these! 

 Yet Christ reassures us that it would just be fine, and in fact he promises us a great reward, if not now then certainly in the life hereafter. And he is not bluffing because he himself underwent all those disasters and yet he conquered everything with his resurrection. In short, he has proven the veracity of this teaching with his own experience. 

 We need to study well the content and spirit behind the beatitudes by looking closely at the example of Christ. There we will have the reassurance that all the suffering and sacrifices that we have to go through, and the effort that we have to make in this life would be all worth it. 

 And to be sure, we can live those beatitudes, because Christ himself would give us all the necessary graces. We just have to train ourselves in the appropriate attitudes, skills and virtues. 

 The beatitudes are meant to extricate us from our own prison, our own world which is the antithesis of what true love is. They are meant to expand our heart to save it from being trapped by our own worldly and bodily desires. They are meant to teach us how to give ourselves to God and to everybody else, irrespective of how they are, which is what true love is. 

 Love is always a matter of total self-giving, be it in good times or bad times, in favorable conditions or not. Love has a universal scope. It is supposed to be given without measure, without counting the cost nor expecting any reward. It can be very discriminating without ever being discriminatory. 

 In short, the beatitudes detach us from our own selves so that we can truly identify ourselves with Christ who is the very pattern of our humanity and the savior of our sin-damaged humanity. They are actually a way to our liberation from our own self-inflicted bondage to merely earthly and bodily urges. They purify us from any stain caused by our worldly attachments.

Our need to pray

WE should never underestimate the importance and indispensability of prayer in our life. It is what keeps us in union with God. And that union is what is meant for us if we truly would like to live as God’s image and likeness, as God wants us to be. With that union, we would know how to view, understand and decide things in our life. We would share God’s power. 

 Christ himself showed these effects of prayer when in the gospel, it is said that after spending the night in prayer, he chose his apostles and healed many sick people. (cfr. Lk 6,12-19) We have to remember that Christ is the pattern of our humanity. What he did and accomplished, we could also do and accomplish if we truly identify ourselves with him. 

 We have to understand that it’s when we pray, that is, when we truly pray and not just going through the motions of praying, that we would be engaging ourselves with the most important person in our life, God himself. He is absolutely our everything, without whom nothing and no one has any importance. 

 It’s when we pray that we manage to relate who we are, what we have, what we do, etc. to our ultimate end which, to be sure, is not something only natural but is also supernatural. Nothing therefore can rival the importance of prayer. In other words, prayer is irreplaceable, unsubstitutable, indispensable. It’s never optional, though it has to be done freely if we want our prayer to be real prayer. 

 We really need to learn to pray and to make prayer a constant thing for us in our life, like breathing. We need to go through a certain training for this, developing the proper and relevant attitudes, discipline and practices, so that this ideal can become a reality. 

 Without prayer, there’s no way but to succumb to our weaknesses and the many temptations around, sooner or later. We can think that we can simply be on our own which is a most terrible mindset that can possess us. 

 Prayer is by definition an act of love. As such, it brings us out of ourselves to attach ourselves to God. And when we unite ourselves with God in prayer, then we can start to share in his power, in his understanding of things, etc. And love in turn is always self-perpetuating. It never stops giving itself to God. As one saint would put it, “The measure of love is to love without measure.” 

 And because of our love for God, then our prayer which is an act of love for God will always lead us to love others. That is always the trajectory of a true, love-inspired prayer. Its vertical aspect never leaves behind the horizontal aspect. 

 It definitely would not be real prayer if after a period of prayer we end up thinking more of ourselves, and less or hardly anything about the others. If our prayer is a genuine union with God, there is no way but to sharpen our interest, concern and love for the others. 

 We should always feel our need for prayer, and meet that need with an earnest effort to learn and do it. Let’s be convinced that when we pray we become more and more human and Christian. Let’s remember that our humanity and Christianity, while already with us, are a dynamic and living enterprise, a continuing work in progress. Prayer is what accomplishes that progress!

The way to know and love properly

SINCE God is the creator of all things, and the original and ultimate lawgiver, he should know all things and love them in the proper way. As a corollary to that, we can also say that we can only know and love all things properly if we base our knowing and loving on God himself. Otherwise, we would just put ourselves along the paths of error and impropriety. 

 Somehow we are reminded of this point in that gospel episode where the leading Jews of the time of Christ were always suspicious of him and at one time watched if he would cure somebody with a withered hand on a Sabbath. (cfr. Lk 6,6-11) That was when Christ made his point when he asked: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” 

 We have to realize then that we cannot simply depend on our human estimation of things based simply on our sciences and technologies, on our feelings and passions, on our different social, political and cultural consensus, etc., though they too are important, but as secondary means of our way of knowing the truth and of loving everyone and everything. 

 We should try our best to know God which should lead us to love him also. By so doing, we would know everybody and everything else properly and to love them properly as well, as a consequence. 

 And knowing and loving God, the pattern of our own knowing and loving, should not be that difficult because these have been shown to us by Christ, the fullness of God’s revelation to us. And Christ continues not only to reveal them to us but also to enable us to do them because of the many instrumentalities he has left behind. 

 He founded the Church in which we can have his living teaching, the doctrine of our faith, his presence and continuing work of redemption through the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. And we are helped by the effective witness and intercession of the saints, especially that of our Lady, the Mother of God and our Mother. 

 We should just do our part of sitting down and spending time and effort to study the life and teaching of Christ and of the Church, and to develop a working plan of a life of piety that would help us to nourish our relation with God through prayers and sacrifices, ascetical struggles, recourse to the sacraments, development of virtues, etc. 

 We have to remember that our life ought to be always a life with God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. We have to adapt ourselves to this basic truth of faith about ourselves, because we are notorious in believing that our life is simply our own, and relying only on our own estimation of things. 

 We really need to humble ourselves to accept this truth of our faith, because it is usually our pride that prevents us to realize this truth. We need to work on our faith in order to keep it alive, vibrant and functional, especially in some difficult if not impossible occasions. 

 We should not be surprised that life and all the challenges and trials we are going to face in it will always demand from us things beyond our powers and resources. And that’s simply because we are meant to go to God for all our needs, without neglecting any effort we can give along the way. 

 Only through God can we know and love everybody and everything else properly.