Nourishing our hope

IF we are guided by our Christian faith, we know that our life here on earth is not our definitive life. We are meant to pursue our ultimate definitive life with God in heaven. Thus, our life here on earth can only be marked by the indispensable virtue of hope which is first of all a gift from God. 

 We are reminded of this truth of our faith in the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans. “We groan within ourselves, anticipating our adoption as the sons of God, and the redemption of our body,” he said. “For we have been saved by hope. But a hope which is seen is not hope. For when a man sees something, why would he hope? But since we hope for what we do not see, we wait with patience.” (8,23-25) 

 To be sure, this waiting with patience that hope involves is never a matter of doing nothing. It’s an active waiting filled with desires and deeds to do a lot of good. In other words, to fill our waiting, our patience, with love. Hope is nourished by love. 

 This love that nourishes our hope for heaven need not involve big, extraordinary challenges and trials. It can first of all involve the usual ordinary little things that we get involved in everyday. It’s precisely in taking care of the little things that can truly show how our love is genuine, and how our hope is nourished by it. 

 Yes, we can have a foretaste of heaven, our true definitive home, through the little things of each day. Impossible? Think again. It’s Christ who says it in so many words. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…The Kingdom of heaven is like a yeast…” (Lk 13,18-21) 

 We need to reconcile ourselves with this happy truth of our faith that we do not have to wait for extraordinary circumstances for us to reach heaven and even to have a taste of it even while still here on earth. With the little, ordinary things in our life, we have all the means and chances to have heaven within our reach. 

 The secret again is to do everything, no matter how little or insignificant it is in human terms, with love. That is, with the love of God, reflecting and channeling God’s abiding love for us in everything that we do, which usually are small and ordinary things in our day. 

 Sanctity, our ticket to heaven, certainly requires heroism, even to the point of martyrdom. But we can be sure that by being consistently loving in doing the little things of life, especially when they are hidden and unappreciated humanly, we would already be very heroic indeed. 

 The Book of Sirach says: “He who despises small things will fail little by little.” (19,1) We have to be most careful because the neglect of little things can easily lull us to complacency, or to think that nothing is wrong and that everything is just fine. 

 We obviously have to contend with many obstacles along the way. We can tend to be narrow-minded and short-sighted, full of improper biases and attachments. We easily make rash judgments and are often at the mercy of our emotions and passions, putting our reason and faith to sleep. 

 What we have to do is to learn to find Christ in the little things which comprise most of our day, if not of our whole life. Another way of saying it is to learn to refer everything to Christ, no matter how little or insignificant it is. 

 This is how we nourish our hope!

Our laws’ constant need for the proper spirit

WE are reminded of our laws’ constant need for the proper spirit in that gospel episode where Christ was accused by the leader of a synagogue of violating the Sabbath law because he cured a woman of her crippled condition on a Sabbath. (cfr. Lk 13,10-17) 

 “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day,” the synagogue leader said. But Christ immediately corrected him by saying, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” 

 We obviously have to be governed by the rule of law. Without the law, we can only expect disorder and chaos, and all the forms of injustice. But we need to distinguish between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and know how to understand and apply the law properly. 

 Ideally, both the letter and the spirit of a certain law should be in perfect harmony. But that is hardly the case in real life. The problem, of course, is that the articulation of the law is conditioned and limited by our human powers that cannot fully capture the richness of human life, considering its spiritual and supernatural character that will always involve the intangibles and mysteries and the like. 

 That is the reason why we can go beyond but not against a particular law, when such law cannot fully express the concrete conditions of a particular case. 

 But, first of all, we have to understand that all our laws should be based on what is known as the natural law that in the end is a participation in the divine eternal law of God, our Creator and the first and ultimate lawgiver. And that part of natural law that is specific to man is called the natural moral law that would recognize, as its first principle, God as our Creator and source and end of all laws. 

 A legal system not clearly based on this fundamental principle about laws would already be a system that is defective ab initio. A legal system that is based only on some human consensus would put the spirit of the law in full subservience to the letter of that law. 

 That's why any human law should always be a dynamic one, always in the process of refining, polishing and enriching itself. It should never be considered as static, irreformable, or unenrichable. 

 That's simply because charity, truth, justice, and mercy, which our laws should embody, have aspects that can be mysterious and that will always demand new requirements from us. 

 Let's hope that the proper structures are made available to address this ongoing need with respect to continually polishing our laws. The task is definitely daunting. But rather than be daunted, it should challenge us to do it whatever it costs. We actually have the means. God, for his part, will always give us the grace for it. We just have to have the necessary attitude, will, and skills to do it. 

 We have to understand that for this task to be properly undertaken, those involved should be vitally in contact with God, the source of all good things, of all truth, charity, and justice. Being the creator, he is the foundation of reality and the supreme lawmaker and lawgiver.

Always feel God’s love for us

IT’S amazing that despite the many good things Christ said and did that impressed many people, there were still some leading Jews who doubted him and were fond of asking some what are termed as ‘gotcha’ questions. (cfr. Mt 22,34-40) 

 One of these questions was, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” This was asked by no one less than a scholar of the law who later on was floored when Christ responded, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 

 And without being asked what the second greatest commandment was, Christ volunteered to also tell him, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Somehow, Christ wanted to teach him—and us—that love for God is never separated from love of neighbor. 

 Indeed, we have to realize that loving God and neighbor is meant to be the very essence of our humanity. It is the primal force and principle of our whole life. It is what would keep us moving and living as we should. It is what integrates the different aspects and dimensions of our life—the material and spiritual, the personal and social, the temporal and eternal, etc. 

 That is why Christ said it very clearly that loving God and neighbor are the dual commandment that occupies the greatest place in our life. But we also need to realize that our capacity to love God and neighbor can only take place if we always feel God’s love first. We should realize that it is God who loves us first (cfr. 1 Jn 4,19), and we can only learn to love properly if we know, feel and imitate that love of God for us. 

 That is why Christ said it also very clearly that we have to love one another as he himself has loved us. (cfr. Jn 13,34) We therefore need to know how Christ loved us and continues to love us. Better said, we have to be truly like Christ because he is the very personification of true love, a love that can handle all conditions and situations in life, both in good times and in bad, etc. 

 To know and feel God’s love for us, as shown by Christ who shares that love with us, is crucial because that love is what would keep us going properly in this life which will always be marked with all kinds of challenges and difficulties. 

 We should never depend only on our own human version of love. This kind of love cannot go far. It lacks the stamina and the strength to handle life’s many twists and turns, let alone dealing with those problems that not only are difficult to solve but also are humanly unsolvable already. 

 That is why there are many cases of people nowadays who find it hard to persevere in their commitments. Initially they are filled with fervor, but as time passes, they slowly become disenchanted, losing steam and finding no meaning in the things they need to do. 

 This is when they really need to feel God’s love which they can achieve if with humility they realize that they need to pray and meditate on Christ’s life and love, avail of the sacraments, the usual channel of grace, and resolve to make another renewal of their commitment, etc. 

 It’s when we are touched by God’s love that we will feel energized to love again!

Making the right judgments in these changing times

THAT’S what Christ is telling us in that gospel episode where he reproached the crowds of his time for knowing how to read the appearance of the earth and the sky, and yet fail to interpret the temper and the ethos of the time then. (cfr. Lk 12,54-59) It’s a reproach that continues to be made on us, especially now. 

 This gospel somehow reminds us that we have to learn to read the signs of the times, so we can identify the positive and negative elements, the good and the bad things, the helpful and dangerous elements, and so be accordingly guided.   

Yes, with all the progress and advances in our sciences and technologies that we are having these days, we can know many things, and, definitely, there are many good things that we can derive from that knowledge. Yet, we cannot deny that in many occasions we fail to see the many dangers these advances also give. 

 We make many wrong judgments, even to the extent of frontally going against common sense and the very nature of things. In many places in the world today, the God-given nature of things are redefined. The fetus, for example, is just a bundle of cells. It’s not yet a human person. Marriage can now be between two men or two women. Gender is not anymore limited to male and female. There are something like 50 genders now, and counting. 

 Man-made ideologies are now replacing our Christian faith. The “woke” craze in the US and in other places, for example, has made many people over-sensitive due to their perceived sense of racial prejudice and discrimination, stemming from what they consider to be social inequalities like in the issues of sexism and LGBT rights. 

 The irony of it all is that while those in this craze are quick to judge others, they themselves do not want to be judged by anybody. They feel they are always right. They often say that others should not be judgmental of them. 

 What they are doing is actually the reverse of what true and Christian judging should be. We all are meant to make judgments. But we should judge fairly which can only take place if we judge with Christ himself, and now in the Holy Spirit. 

 With respect to this point, St. Paul had this to say: “He that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” (1 Cor 2,15). We have to aspire to reach this ideal of being spiritual so as to be able to judge all things fairly. It’s a judging that knows how to blend truth, charity and mercy. 

 When we make judgments with Christ, we would know how to deal with the absolute and relative things in life, the immutable and changing elements of our life. Different times, different generations, different cultures, etc., require different ways of judging but still animated by the same spirit of Christ where true love and fairness can be found. 

 Since we are made to judge because we are gifted with intelligence and will, we should realize that we can only judge properly when we do it with God always. We should be wary of our tendency to judge simply on our own, relying only on our own powers. 

 We should have no doubt about our capacity to judge with God always. Our spiritual powers of intelligence and will, plus the grace of God, would enable us to go beyond what we can only sense and understand with our reason alone. With our spiritual powers and God’s grace, we can judge according to the faith, hope and charity that God shares with us.

Does Christ promote violence?

THAT’S a question that immediately comes to mind when we read in the gospel the following words of Christ: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!...Do you think I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three…” (Lk 12,49.51-52) 

 Obviously, we wonder why Christ said these words when he is supposed to bring peace and unity here on earth. There must be something that we are missing to reconcile these two apparently contrasting attitudes of Christ. That is why we need to be most careful in handling the word of Christ. Otherwise, we will find ourselves at a loss. 

 What we can gather to see the consistency of his teachings is that given our sinfulness, there is no way but to employ in our life a certain forcefulness, a certain energy, drive and zeal, a certain focus and singlemindedness that would involve discarding certain things in life. 

 It’s a forcefulness that is not a destructive violence and that cannot cause unwanted division. It’s rather a forcefulness that builds, keeps and enhances purity of intention and real love in the end. 

 Yes, if we are really intent in pursuing the ultimate goal of our life, that is, to love God and everybody else, we need to be energized, driven and zealous. That is the ideal condition for us. Even if we are endowed only with the most phlegmatic and melancholic temperaments, something must be burning inside our heart that cannot help but burst into a flame, a flame of love, of self-giving, of serving without expecting any return. 

 If we are truly in love, with the love of God who is the source, pattern and end of love, we cannot help but, like Christ, be always energized, driven and zealous, no matter what the cost. Of course, this condition, this requirement is quite tough to meet, but if we would just try, and try again as often as necessary, certainly the ideal effect would just come about. 

 What can always help is that we avoid getting imprisoned in our own world and allow ourselves to simply be at the mercy of the state of our physical, emotional and mental condition. With our spiritual faculties of intelligence and will, plus of course God’s grace that will always be made abundantly available, we can transcend beyond these constraining conditionings. 

 So, we just have to use everything within our power to attain that ideal state of being always on the go, dynamic, eager to serve and to do things for everyone. We may have our limitations, and we can commit mistakes, yet we cannot deny that everything is already given for us to be how we should be in our earthly life. And that is to be like Christ, whose only desire is to love all of us. 

 We have to spend time praying and looking closely at the example of Christ, begging him for the grace of having the same intense interest and love for everyone, including those who may be considered our enemies. Thus, we cannot overemphasize the need for prayer and the other means that bring us closer to Christ: recourse to the sacraments, spirit of sacrifice, development of virtues, etc. 

 Let’s not be scared of the challenges to face, the difficulties to bear, the trials to go through. Rather let us consider them as golden opportunities to be like Christ and to show and prove the authenticity of our love.

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much”

CHRIST clearly said this. In that gospel parable where he told his disciples to be always prepared for judgment, (cfr. Lk 12,39-48) Christ clearly admonished his disciples to be ready to face the Lord, able to account for all the things that have been entrusted to them. If they are given much, much will also be expected from them. 

 The lesson Christ wanted to impart to his disciples, and to us, is that whatever blessing, gift or privilege given to us should never lead us to feel entitled. Rather, we should feel that a greater responsibility is actually given to us, for which we have to do some accounting on Judgment Day. 

 That gospel parable somehow reminds us that we are just stewards, not owners, of the things of this world. Thus, we have to be responsible and accountable for how we use the things of this world. In this regard, we have to see to it that we be as fruitful and generous in the use of the things of this world, not wasteful and prodigal. We need to distinguish between generosity and prodigality. 

 We have to learn to distinguish between the two since both can look the same and can involve more or less the same amount of money, time, effort, etc. Generosity is, of course, not prodigality, though it is never sparing of the resources that may be needed to pursue a real good. 

 Prodigality is simply a matter of wastefulness, oftentimes of the thoughtless and selfish kind, as dramatized in that parable of the prodigal son. (cfr. Lk 15,11-32) It is an irresponsible way of using one’s resources, endowments and blessings that are made to respond simply to one’s whims and caprices. 

 It’s always good that whatever service we do for others, we should be as generous as possible without spoiling them. And whatever attention we give to ourselves, we should try to be as sparing as possible without, of course, harming us or jeopardizing our health, etc. 

 Pertinent to this point, Christ said: “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (Lk 6,38) 

 In other words, the more we give, the more we actually will receive. Christ promised as much when he said: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children of fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Mt 19,29) 

 We have to realize then that any privilege, honor or praise given to us is a call for us to be more generous in our self-giving to such an extent that we would not run away from making the supreme sacrifice of giving our life for God and the others, just like what Christ did. Our attitude should be to sharpen even more our desire to serve and not to be served. 

 We should never feel entitled. Christ himself was the first one to live by this principle. Being God, he emptied himself to become man and to bear all the sins of men by dying on the cross, all for the purpose of saving mankind. (cfr. Phil 2,7) 

 He reiterated this point when he lamented about the domineering sense of entitlement of some of the leading Jews of his time while praising the poor widow who put all that she had into the temple treasury. (cfr. Mk 12,38-44)

Always prepared for death

THIS definitely is not a matter of having a dark or gloomy outlook in life. On the contrary, this is what would make us truly realistic, able to have a wholistic picture of our life and knowing what life’s true character and purpose are. 

 We are reminded of this truth of our Christian faith in that gospel episode where Christ told his disciples to be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open the door immediately when he comes and knocks. (cfr. Lk 12,35-38) 

 “Should he (the master) come in the second or third watch and find them (the servants) prepared in this way, blessed are those servants,” Christ told his disciples. 

 That gospel episode somehow tells us that our life here on earth is not our definitive life. Our definitive life is an eternal one due to our spiritual nature that is poised for a supernatural life, or a life with God forever since we are his image and likeness, meant to share in his life and nature. 

 Our life here on earth is just a test to see if what God wants us to be is also what we ourselves would want to be. It’s a test to see if we want to be with God or simply to be by ourselves. God gave us a clear commandment about what we ought to do in this life. 

 In fact, the first mandate God gave man through our first parents was to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” (Gen 1,28) In other words, everything that we do here in this life is supposed to be done in obedience to this original divine mandate. There is nothing in our life that ought to be considered as outside this duty to follow this mandate. 

 And so, we just have to be always vigilant and prepared to meet God when he finally calls us in our death. There will be judgment to see if we have followed his will all throughout our life. 

 Death is a crucial point in our life, because our spiritual condition at that moment would determine our eternal destiny. And so, it would be most advisable that we overcome whatever fear or awkwardness we may have with respect to having an abiding consideration of the possibility of death at any moment of our life. 

 As said earlier, it is not to have a dark or gloomy outlook in life. Rather, that abiding consideration of death would truly help us not to lose focus on what is truly essential and necessary in life. We know that we have that notorious tendency to get entangled with the non-essentials in life. 

 Thus, the daily practice of examination of conscience at the end of the day is most advisable since it gives us the time to check whether we are still on the right path or not. This practice means that our spiritual and moral life is in a state of constant struggle, in a continuing warfare, since we meet the forces of good and evil in every step of our daily affairs. 

 The situations and predicaments can be big or small, extraordinary or common, but we always find ourselves in situations of making choices and decisions. We have to continually deal with our weaknesses and temptations, not to mention sins, on the one hand, and the need to reach our proper and ultimate end, God, on the other.

“Be rich in the things of God”

ONCE again, we are reminded in that gospel episode where a man asked Christ to arbitrate in his matter of inheritance with his brother (cfr. Lk 12,13-21) that we should be focused more on the things of God rather than on our earthly affairs. 

 Not that our earthly affairs are not important. They are, but only as a means or an occasion to lead us to God. Our usual problem is that we get trapped in the drama of our temporal affairs without referring them to what has eternal value, and that is, to be with God, to be like God. That is how we can be rich in the things of God. 

 We need to see to it that in our temporal affairs, even as we take care of their technical and other human and natural aspects and requirements, we should build up things like the virtues of honesty, integrity, patience, compassion, etc., because these are what would make us rich in what matters to God. 

 We have to have the good sense of living the basic social principles of the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity that would constitute the proper sense of responsibility for us. And we have to understand that by the common good, we mean God first before we think of any good for man. 

 To be rich in what matters to God is not so much a matter of how much wealth and possessions we have as it is of how much love we have for God which is always translated in our love for the others, expressed in deeds and not just in intentions. 

 We may be rich or poor in our worldly standards, but what should be pursued with extreme care and seriousness is that our heart gets filled with love for God and love for the others. 

 Yes, one can be rich materially—he can be a millionaire or a billionaire—but he should see to it that he fits the category of what one of the beatitudes regarded as “poor in spirit” because in spite of or even because of his great wealth, his heart is fully for God and for the others. 

 This, of course, will require tremendous struggle and constant purification and rectification of our intentions and ways, given the fact that we are always prone to get attached to the things of this world and to the ways of greed, envy and the like. 

 We have to continually check ourselves especially these days when we are bombarded with many tantalizing and intoxicating things that can capture our heart and remove God from it. It always pays to lead a very simple and austere life in spite of the great wealth that we may have. 

 And to be clear about this also: that the more wealth we have, the greater also would be our responsibility to show our love for God and others with deeds. The scope and range of that love should grow exponentially, so to speak. 

 We should be wary of our tendency to get complacent in this duty of living true Christian poverty and detachment. We really have to fight tooth and nail against this tendency because the likelihood for us to fall for this sweet poison of the new things today is high. 

 At the end of the day, we should be able to say that with our struggles and rectitude of intention, we are truly getting rich in what matters to God!

On our human autonomy

THAT rather amusing gospel episode where some leading Jews tried to entrap Christ by asking if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar (cfr. Mt 22,15-21) brings to light this delicate question about the human autonomy we enjoy in our temporal affairs. 

 As Christ deftly answered their gotcha question, it was made clear that it was legitimate, even moral, to pay taxes to Caesar. “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” Christ asked them referring to the image in the coin used to pay taxes. When they replied, “Caesar’s,” he immediately told them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” 

 We certainly enjoy a certain autonomy in our temporal affairs, like paying taxes to some public authorities. But we have to understand also that this autonomy comes also from God’s will for us. In other words, we can say that paying taxes to Caesar is also doing the will of God as we ought. 

 We have to strengthen our awareness of this truth of our faith that the autonomy we enjoy in our temporal affairs should have God as their beginning and end, their reason and purpose. Our autonomy should never be understood as something where God has nothing to do with it. Quite the contrary. The autonomy in our temporal affairs has God at its core. 

 Thus, right from the beginning of creation, God told our first parents that they could enjoy whatever they want in Eden, except for eating the fruit of a certain tree. They were given some freedom, some autonomy, but clearly according to God’s will that also contained certain limitations. 

 In fact, the original mandate God gave man through our first parents involved a certain exercise of autonomy. “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it,” he told them. (Gen 1,28) In other words, we have to be fruitful, etc., but understanding it as us being commanded by God. Thus, everything that we do should be done in obedience to God’s mandate first of all. 

 We should always have God in mind when we exercise our autonomy in our temporal affairs. This was also highlighted in that parable of the talents (cfr. Mt 22,15-21) where a man who was planning a journey left his property with his three servants, giving them different amounts of talents according to their capabilities, and clearly telling them to do business with what was given them. 

 As the parable showed, the first two servants who did business with what were given to them were richly rewarded, while the one who just put the one talent given to him in a hole was also heavily punished. 

 We have to sharpen our awareness that everything we do here in life should be done freely, of course, but always with the knowledge that we are doing everything with God and for God. 

 We can never say that what we may be doing are just personal things of ours, or that they are just technical in nature, or meant only to achieve some earthly goals like income, production of some goods, power or fame. While these motives have their legitimate role to play, we have to understand that whatever we do is done because we are actually working for God. 

 And the ultimate purpose of our temporal affairs is to do God’s will which in the end is about achieving our own sanctification, our own redemption. That’s when we are truly productive and fruitful.

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees”

IT was quite a stinging statement Christ told his disciples once. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” he said (Lk 12,1), referring to the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. It reminds me of what Pope Francis said to a group of new bishops sometime ago. 

 “The world is tired of charming liars, and I might say, of ‘trendy’ priests or ‘trendy’ bishops,” he said. “People can ‘smell’ it...when they see narcissists, manipulators, defenders of their own causes, and bandits of vain crusades.” 

 He instead urged them to make their ministry an “icon of mercy, the only force capable of permanently attracting man’s heart.” He said that “mercy should form and inform the pastoral structures of our Churches.” 

 Obviously, when I read those words, I immediately felt the need to examine myself if indeed I have become one of those “charming liars” and “trendy priests.” It can happen that even without intending it, one can fall through a certain conspiracy of circumstances into that notorious category. That has happened before. It can happen now. 

 It cannot be denied that if the Pope says there are such priests and bishops, then we need to look at oneself first and then to look around to see what can be done with this unfortunate phenomenon. I suppose the Pope himself is doing is own self-examination in this regard, and is precisely offering some ideas of how to avoid those dangers. 

 Perhaps the only mitigating consideration one can make out of these hard words of the Pope is that this class of charming liars is not exclusive only to priests and bishops. If priests and bishops can be such charming liars and manipulators, you can just imagine the field of politicians, lawyers, doctors, journalists, etc. 

 But, of course, when these charges are thrown to the clerics, they acquire a heavier and more serious gravity due to the very delicate ministry they carry out. That is why I think it is time to examine what kind of leaven, of motivation, is driving us in our work. 

 Remember Christ saying, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees,” (Mt 16,6) referring to their teaching and lifestyle. “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men...they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues...” (Mt 23,4-6) 

 We should see to it that we always rectify our intentions in doing whatever work we do. We should always do everything for the glory of God and in the service of all men. Our attitude should always be to serve and not to be served. 

 This was the attitude of Christ himself. He said once, “The Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10,45) 

 This is what love is all about, love in its most distilled form. It goes beyond merely wishing others well, or giving something and sharing things. This is love in action, in total self-giving even if nothing can be gained by doing so. 

 Besides, it is a love done in total obedience and availability to his loved ones, the Father and us. For love is true when done both at the instance of the loved ones and of one’s personal gratuitous initiative.

When confronted with our sinfulness

THERE are times when our conscience confronts us with our sinfulness, usually the hidden and persistent ones, the way Christ confronted the sinfulness of the leading Jews of his time. (cfr. Lk 11,47-54) Instead of reacting the way these Jews did—they reacted with hostility toward Christ—we should be humble enough to acknowledge our sinfulness and start to do something about it. 

 What we actually have at hand when these times take place is a golden opportunity to have another real conversion and recover our true dignity as children of God. Let’s take advantage of it. God is calling us back and he would be most happy if we decide to return to him in earnest. 

 We cannot deny that we are all sinners. We are very fragile since, as the gospel says, we are vessels of clay and we have feet of clay. Just a little disturbance and we are likely to collapse. 

 Besides, we are ranged against powerful enemies of our soul. Our weakened flesh, the devil and the deceiving allurements of the world all conspire to take us away from our true happiness which is to be with God and with others. They often force us to live in our own world, thinking that it is where our joy would be. 

 Yes, we may manage to appear good in the eyes of the others, but it’s an incontrovertible fact of life that we still manage to sin. And sometimes, we sin precisely in a manner that is hidden and persistent. We can manage to cover them up with some good work we do. 

 This is when we are given a chance to develop and grow in humility which is a constant challenge for us. With that humility we can manage to admit our sinfulness and start to seek forgiveness and to do some atonement for our sins. 

 We should not hesitate to do so, knowing that God’s joy is to forgive us. He is all too eager to forgive us, in spite of the gravity of our sin. As St. Paul once said, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…” (Rom 5,20) 

 Let’s remember that Christ never tires of forgiving us. It is not his delight to see our spiritual death. Rather, he is happy when we go back to him like the prodigal son. This should give us an idea about what would make God happy with us. 

 Remember Christ’s words in the parables of the lost coin, lost sheep and the prodigal son: “There shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.” (Lk 15,10) 

 It surely would be good if we develop the habit of making regular examinations of conscience at the end of each day, and end our day asking for forgiveness. Going to frequent confession is very much advisable, as well as availing of spiritual direction where we should lay all the cards on the table, unafraid and unashamed to show ourselves as we are and ready to carry out whatever piece of advice is given us. 

 The world would be much better if each one of us manages to deal with our sinfulness properly. That’s when we can see things more objectively and contribute in putting the world in general in its proper direction. 

 So, when our conscience confronts us with our sinfulness, let’s welcome it!

The urgency of evangelization

ON the Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist, celebrated on October 18, the gospel reading is about Christ appointing 72 disciples and sending them to places where he intended to go. (cfr. Lk 10,1-9) Somehow, a sense of urgency was injected in this commissioning when Christ told them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so, ask the master of the master to send out laborers for his harvest.” 

 Then he proceeded to describe what his disciples could expect from this commissioning. “Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals…” 

 These words of the gospel should impress on us the idea that Christ too is sending us to evangelize, that is, to communicate the saving word of God to others. In a world that is becoming more and more toxic with all sorts of hot issues, confusing ideologies, belligerent opinions, etc., practically drowning us, there is the urgent need to let God’s healing word to reach and touch people’s hearts. 

 This task of evangelization belongs to everyone, whether one is a priest or a religious person or a simple lay person. Everyone should realize that it is Christ who is asking us to evangelize. He is actually appealing to us, begging us to help him carry out the continuing work of human redemption that definitely involves the evangelization of people.   

This is simply the effect and consequence of being a Christian who is supposed to be like Christ and to share his mission of evangelizing and redeeming everyone. We also have to apply to ourselves those words Christ told his apostles: “As the Father has sent me, so also I am sending you.” (Jn 20,21) 

 Evangelization is an integral and indispensable part of the whole mission of Christ—the redemption of mankind. While it may immediately concern itself in the transmission of the doctrine of our faith, it cannot go alone without being vitally and organically connected to the other aspects of human redemption. 

 For this, there is a great need for those of us who feel intended by Christ to evangelize, to truly master the doctrine of Christ and the Church, internalizing and living it such that we can have a vital communion with Christ himself. 

 It’s only in this way that we can manage to communicate the saving word of God with effectiveness, clarifying things both in truth and charity, and drowning evil with an abundance of good. 

 There is definitely the need to learn the art of effective delivery of the message of Christ which is at the heart of the gospel. We have to be wary of the danger to get lost in the different gimmicks of trying to be attractive in our delivery while failing to transmit the real message. Sad to say, many people are complaining that some priests resort to preaching techniques that detract from the real purpose of evangelization. 

 When jokes and other incidental items are remembered by the people instead of the real lessons of the gospel, there definitely is a failure of evangelization. It’s not that these rhetorical tools can’t be used. They just have to be studied properly so that they truly can help in establishing the real Christian doctrine rather than detracting from them. 

 Let’s help one another in becoming true evangelizers which in the end is a matter of becoming more and more like Christ.

Missing the forest for the trees

IT’S an idiomatic expression that means “to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it.” It’s an expression that aptly describes what was dramatized in that gospel episode where Christ was accused by a Pharisee who invited him for dinner of not observing the protocol of washing hands before the meal. (cfr. Lk 11,37-41) 

 “Oh, you Pharisees!” Christ said. “Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?” 

 With those words, Christ was trying to tell his host that he, being the son of God which the Pharisees could not believe, ought to be exempted from that detail of washing since he was trying to show them that he was the maker of both “the inside and the outside” of things.” In other words, the host missed to get the bigger and more important point Christ was showing him due to a tiny detail that blinded him from seeing it. 

 It’s a danger that we should be most wary about, because it can also happen to us quite often. It’s when we become too legalistic or too formalistic in our interpretation of certain things that we miss the more important part of a situation or issue. We would be missing the true spirit of a law, or get so trapped in the details that we fail to see the whole picture. 

 We need to be keenly aware of this common danger and do everything to protect ourselves from it and to fight it, since it will always be around, given our human condition here on earth. 

 The secret again is to be in vital union with Christ, referring everything to him, especially our legal and judicial systems, and the ways we make, interpret and apply our laws. 

 Christ clarified this point in so many words when he told the Pharisees who questioned him about why his disciples were doing something that was forbidden in the sabbath, that “the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” (cfr. Mk 2,23-28) 

 We have to understand that all our laws should be based on what is known as the natural law that in the end is a participation of the divine eternal law of God, our Creator and the first and ultimate lawgiver. 

 And that part of natural law that is specific to man is called the natural moral law that would recognize, as its first principle, God as our Creator and source and end of all laws. It is the law that would lead us to be God’s image and likeness, and children of his, sharers of his divine life. 

 A legal system not clearly based on this fundamental principle about laws would already be a system that is defective ‘ab initio.’ A legal system that is based only on some human consensus would put the spirit of the law in full subservience to the letter of that law. 

 This kind of legal system is what is referred to as legal positivism. This means that the laws are valid not because they are rooted in moral or natural law, but because they are enacted by some human authority and are accepted by society as such.

Faith plays a foundational role in our life

“THIS generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” (Lk 11,29) 

 Words of Christ that expressed his disappointment at the weakness of the faith of the people then. Despite the many signs that showed his divinity and his mission as the redeemer of humanity, they were still doubting about Christ. 

 It’s a complaint that can still be addressed to us today. We cannot deny that even if we pride ourselves as a Christian country, already for 500 years, we can never say that our faith is already invincibly rooted in our mind and heart. There are many signs that point to this reality. 

 The increasing cases of mental illness can be traced to a large extent to the lack or the weakness of faith. That many people do not know how to deal with their problems and difficulties can point to that. 

 Our life of faith is an ongoing affair. It needs to be taken care of, regularly nourished and fortified. In fact, among the many concerns that demand our attention, our faith should rank as the first. That’s because everything else in our life depends on it. Our faith plays a foundational role in our life. It’s the main light that should guide us. Our intelligence and other faculties we have depend on it. 

 Taking care of our faith means that it should not just remain in the theoretical or intellectual level. It has to be a functioning one, giving shape and direction to our thoughts and intentions, our words and deeds. In fact, it should shape our whole life. 

 The ideal is that we feel it immediately. Indeed, it should be like an instinct such that whatever we think, say or do, or whenever we have to react to something, it is our faith that should guide us. 

 For this to happen, we should take the conscious effort to let faith guide us rather than be directed simply by our senses and our reasoning. It’s a Christian duty to acknowledge this need, since we have the tendency to simply rely on our human faculties. 

 We have to understand that it is our faith that gives us the global picture of things, since it is God’s gift to us, a gratuitous sharing of what God knows about himself and about the whole of creation. It is meant for our own good, for us to live out our true dignity as children of God. 

 It is a kind of knowledge that will lead us to our eternal life. It will make us relate everything in our earthly life, both the good and the bad, to this ultimate goal in life which is to be in heaven with God, a state that is supernatural. But it is a divine gift that we need to take care of. It is like a seed that has to grow until it becomes a big tree that bears fruit. 

 For this, we really need to have a living contact with Christ who is the fullness of God’s revelation to us. He is the substance, the content and the spirit of our faith. So, the first thing that we have to do is to look for him always in whatever thing we are thinking, saying or doing.

We are all invited to the heavenly feast

ONCE again, Christ uses a parable to impart to us the great truth of our Christian faith that we are meant to be in heaven, with God for all eternity where our definitive state of life is a sharing in the very life and nature of God himself, by whom we have been created in his image and likeness. 

 In the gospel reading of the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, the Kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who invited his guests to a wedding feast, but those invited snubbed the invitation. (cfr. Mt 22,1-14) 

 The parable is an image of a common unfortunate phenomenon of many of us who prefer to pursue our ultimate joy in our temporal affairs—our work, our business, our politics, etc.—instead of giving our all to reach our real definitive home which is heaven with God. Many of us are trapped in our worldly concerns, failing to relate these affairs and concerns to our real ultimate goal in life. 

 A quick survey would readily reveal that many hardly have any abiding longing for heaven. What many are most interested in is money, worldly power and fame. The idea of success, or of “having arrived,” is pegged in these worldly standards and categories. Many fail to consider our temporal activities and conditions as means or occasions or instruments to pursue our real goal. 

 There is indeed a need to clarify this very basic aspect of our life here on earth. Our earthly life is meant to see if what God wants us to be—that is, to be his image and likeness, to be sharers of his life and nature—is also what we would want ourselves to be. 

 To put it bluntly, every event in our life is actually a choice we have to make—whether we want to be with God to be like him or we want to be simply by ourselves. But, alas, how many make God as the be-all and end-all of our life. Many of us prefer to get stuck with our gadgets, with our businesses and politics, etc., without relating them to God. 

 We have to enter the spirit of true love which St. Augustine described with these words: “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him the greatest achievement.” 

 But how can we know and love God? To be sure, everything has been given to us so that we can truly know and love God although we cannot fully comprehend him, since he infinitely above our nature. 

 In the end, we are given no one less than Christ himself who as God who became man, offers us “the way, the truth and the life” proper to us. For this purpose, he went all the way to offer his life on the cross as his way of assuming all our sins and stupidities and conquering them with his resurrection. It’s all up to us to accept his offer of love and mercy. 

 Let’s remember that moments before he died on the cross, he said these words, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23,34) And besides, he makes himself very available in the many instrumentalities of the Church—the doctrine of our faith, the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, the inspiring witness of many holy men and women, etc. 

 God is madly in love with us, because he treats us as his children. Let’s try to correspond to that love by loving him in return with all that we have got!

When we reason without faith

“BY the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” (Lk 11,15) That was the reaction of some unbelieving Jews when Christ drove out a demon from a possessed person. They did not realize that their reasoning was marked by a contradiction. 

 Thus, Christ pointed it out to them. “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid to waste,” he said. “If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” To top it all, Christ told them what should have taken place if the demon was driven out. 

 “If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” 

 It’s when we see, think and reason out with faith that we can discern the will and the powerful ways of God in our life. It’s faith that gives us the whole picture of things, blending well the different aspect of our life—the material and the spiritual, the natural and the supernatural, the temporal and the eternal, etc. 

 And faith means that we always do things—starting with our thoughts and intentions, and then with our words and deeds—with Christ and for Christ. And because of that, we would always be thinking and caring for the others, for everybody and for everything else, because that is what Christ does. Christ has no other business than to love all of us, to sanctify and save us, even all the way to offering his life. 

 We need to train ourselves to have the very mind and heart of Christ because that is what we are meant for. We need to strongly and widely propagate this truth of our faith about ourselves, helping one another to pursue and achieve that goal as best that we can. 

 In the gospel cited above, Christ also tells us how to protect ourselves from demonic attacks. And that is simply to be with him always. When our relationship with Christ is not strong, deep and abiding, we open ourselves to the tricks of the devil and to possible demonic possession and even infestation. 

 To be sure, we are already given all the means for us to be with Christ always. We have the Church, the enlightening doctrine of our faith, the inspiring examples of many saints and holy men and women, starting with Our Lady and St. Joseph. We have the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist where Christ himself gives us his own self as our Bread of Life. 

 Given the state of today’s world culture and lifestyle, marked as they are with an overload of data and all sorts of information that tend to displace the indispensable role of faith in our life, we should realize that we have a lot of work to do to correct the dangerous tendencies we are having these days. 

 Special attention should be given to the young ones and those who in their effort to pursue higher levels of the sciences, arts and technologies, tend to set the faith aside and prefer to be guided only by their own human faculties. 

 Let’s strengthen our conviction that only with Christ, with faith can we see things properly and reason out properly too.

Insist, persist, persevere in prayer

WE cannot deny that there are times when we can find ourselves in some emergency situation. We feel helpless, grasping at straws. And we find ourselves having no other alternative than to run to the nearest fellow who can lend us some help, going to the extent of pestering and disturbing him. 

 This kind of situation was dramatized in that story Christ told his disciples about a fellow whose friend arrived in the middle of the night needing to be fed. Obviously, the fellow had to run to another friend to ask for some bread. (cfr. Lk 11,5-13) 

 At first, this friend-storeowner refused to give what was requested because it was already late in the night and his children were already asleep. But because of the persistent appeals of the fellow in need, this friend finally acceded and gave what was requested. 

 The lesson Christ wanted to impart to his disciples—and now to us—is that we should just insist, persist and persevere in asking God for whatever we need, especially in some extraordinary moments when we would find ourselves in some helpless situation. 

 “I tell you,” he said, “ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” 

 And to underscore this reassurance, he further said, “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” 

 In other words, we should never hesitate to ask God for any help we need, especially in times of emergency. Even if our appeals appear to be unanswered, we should just go on asking him, never feeling that we would be disturbing him. 

 God always listens and cares for us. Our usual problem is that we tend to lose our faith in him or at least to doubt his compassion when we feel our requests appear to be rebuked. 

 One way to counter this danger is to pray the Rosary. This Marian prayer, which many people consider as boring since they consider it as just a repetition of Our Father’s, Hail Mary’s and Glory be’s, is actually an effective prayer that teaches us how to insist and persevere in our petitions to God. 

 And we do it with Mary, the mother of God and our mother, who is the most powerful intercessor we can have. We know that, as dramatized in that wedding at Cana, when it is Mary who would make the request on our behalf, Christ would find it difficult to refuse. 

 The repetition of Hail Mary’s in the Holy Rosary actually corrects our tendency to be short of faith in God’s loving providence and leads us to develop a heart burning with desire and belief in God. 

 We need to make people realize the beauty and power of this Marian prayer that has been recommended by no less than Mary herself in some of her apparitions. We should also show how this prayer can be said even in our days when we have to contend with many challenges and trials. 

 Let’s remember that to be strong and firm in our faith and piety or to be weak, cold or lukewarm in them is a choice we make.

“Lord, teach us to pray”

WE should repeat these words often. (cfr. Lk 11,1) We cannot deny that even if we have been praying already for the longest time, we still can learn how to do it better. These words of Christ’s disciples express the proper attitude we ought to have when we pray. They express the attitude of humility, so basic in prayer because only through it can the dynamic of faith and piety start to play out. 

 We need to study and meditate on what we now call as the Lord’s Prayer, since it was what Christ told them about how his disciples should pray. We can consider that prayer as the model prayer, showing us how to address God and what we should tell and ask from him. We should try to discern and catch the spirit behind that prayer. 

 In the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we are told that “the Lord’s Prayer reveals us to ourselves at the same time that it reveals the Father to us.” (2783) 

 In other words, we are told who we really are and who God is to us. Thus, no matter how our life here on earth goes, we should never forget that we are children of God who will do everything to bring us back to him. Psalm 129 reinforces this truth of our faith: “With the Lord, there is mercy and fullness of redemption.” 

 We just have to make sure also that, as expressed in this prayer, we also have to be merciful to everyone just as God is merciful to us. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

 We have to understand that forgiveness or mercy is the ultimate expression of love which is the very essence of God and which is also meant to be essence of our humanity since we are God’s image and likeness, children of his. 

 And as if to underscore the importance of this point, Christ reiterated: “For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.” (Mt 6,14-15) It’s clear therefore that we can only be forgiven if we also forgive others. 

 We have to be clear that this injunction is meant for everyone, and not only for a few whom we may consider to be religiously inclined. That’s why when asked how many times we should forgive, he said not only seven times, but seventy times seven, meaning always. 

 That’s also why he easily forgave the woman caught in adultery. And to those whom he cured of their illnesses, it was actually the forgiveness of their sins that he was more interested in. 

 To top it all, Christ allowed himself to die on the cross as a way to forgive all of our sins, and to convert our sins through his resurrection as a way to our own redemption. What he did for us he also expects, nay, commands that we also do for everybody else. 

 Thus, that indication that if we want to follow him, we have to deny ourselves, carry the cross and follow him. 

 It is presumed that all of us sin one way or another. That’s why St. John said: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 Jn 1,8) I am sure that our personal experience can bear that out easily. 

 We really need to live the spirit behind this model prayer!

The relation between God and our work

THAT rather amusing story of how the sisters Martha and Mary received Christ in their home highlights a very important aspect of our life. (cfr. 10,38-42) And that is that we have to know and live well the proper relationship between God and our work. 

 As the gospel story narrates, both sisters were obviously very happy to have Christ in their home. But Martha, the elder one, showed that joy by busying herself preparing things for Christ. It was Mary, the younger one, who appeared to be doing nothing other than staying close to Christ. 

 When Martha complained about Mary to Christ, she was corrected and clearly told, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” 

 While what Martha did was truly good, what made it somehow wrong was when she failed to recognize the priority of prayer over work. Better said, she failed to make her work a form of prayer as it should be, since any work should be a form of prayer. Work should be a means to lead us to God, to glorify him even as it contributes to the good of everybody else also. It should sanctify us. 

 We need to make this truth of our Christian faith better known, appreciated and lived. We cannot deny that many are those who fail to see, let alone, live the intimate relationship between our work and God and the others. Very often, our work has become a function of our self-indulgence or self-interest only. 

Very often, we work to achieve self-satisfaction, or at best, to meet the needs of the family or of some special group. Its relation to God is often taken for granted. Its purpose of sanctifying us, the others and the world itself, is practically ignored. 

 We need to remember that as our Christian faith tells us, God created us to work just as He created the birds to fly. (cfr. Job 5,7) As such, God designed any work we have as a way to relate ourselves with God, and because of God, with everybody and everything else in this world. 

 It’s when we work with this truth of our Christian faith in mind that we can truly do a lot of good. Ignoring or, worse, contradicting this truth would only lead us to a lot evil that can cover itself with a lot of transitory and false joy and sense of achievement. 

 Let’s also remember that God has designed any work in this world as a way to lead us to God. If we work with God always in mind, we would always follow the moral and spiritual laws that govern our work. Ignoring God in our work would only lead us to all kinds of immorality—greed, avarice, lust, envy, etc. 

 We need to spread this truth of our Christian faith about work more widely. Our different institutions of learning should be experts in carrying out this duty. Of course, the parents should inculcate this truth as soon as their children can understand things. 

 We should not be interested only in acquiring knowledge and skills. Their pursuit should lead us to God and to the others, never just self-interest. We should not be interested only in gaining money, power and prestige. Most important and indispensable should be desire to be truly holy as God wants us to be.

Charity means all in

INDEED, that’s how charity is. It’s all in, irrespective of how the objects of our charity are. They may reciprocate our love for them or not, they may like us or not. On our part we should just continue to love them if charity truly dwells in our heart. 

 We are reminded of this truth of our Christian faith in that gospel episode where a scholar of the law asked Christ what he had to do to inherit eternal life. And Christ simply said that he had to love God with everything that he had and to love his neighbor as himself. (cfr. Lk 10,25-37) 

 And when asked who his neighbor was, that was when Christ told the parable about a man who fell victim to robbers in his journey and was left half dead on the road. A priest saw him but passed by. A Levite also just passed him by. But a Samaritan, who at the culture of that time had the least relation with the man, was the only one who took pity on the man. It was the Samaritan who proved to be the good neighbor to the victim. 

 Yes, charity is for everyone. It has a universal coverage. It’s not only for those who are right in something. It’s also for those who are wrong. It’s not only for the winners. It’s also for the losers. Not only for friends, but also for enemies! 

 But the universal inclusivity of charity does not do away with the exclusivity of truth. It does not do away with the distinction between good and evil, between right and wrong, between truth and falsehood. In fact, it sharpens that distinction. And yet, it still works in all that distinction. 

 Yes, charity is all-inclusive, though it is expressed, of course, in different ways. As they say, we have to have different strokes for different folks. And that’s simply because at the end of the day, whether we like it or not, we are all creatures and children of God, brothers and sisters to each other. We have been created by our Creator out of love and for love. 

 We have to realize that our life here on earth can be described as a journey toward our ultimate home, which is to be with God our Father and Creator in heaven. It will be charity that would keep us going and that would enable us to leap to the eternal supernatural life with God. 

 While here on earth, we have to realize that we form one body and that we are actually on the same boat. Despite our differences and conflicts, we have a common origin and a common end. We are bound to care for one another. We are meant to love one another. 

 Charity is what binds us together despite our unavoidable differences and conflicts. Yes, we form one body, but we are different parts of that body. We play different roles and carry out different functions. 

 So, we have to develop with God’s grace the true charity that is a living participation of the charity God has for everyone, including those who go against him. Let’s remember that Christ went to the extent of loving our enemies. 

 St. Paul describes charity in these words: “Love is patient, is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor 13,4-7)

Let’s always be faithful to our commitments

THAT gospel parable about a landlord who leased his vineyard to tenants (cfr. Mt 21,33-43) reminds us that we should be faithful to whatever commitments we enter into. Commitments are an expression of an undying love which can only be carried out if we have true and undying love as well, one that is the fruit of God’s grace and our all-out effort. 

 In other words, we can only be faithful if we are truly with God, that is, if God is the principle and goal of our commitments. Outside of that dynamic, that is, if we rely only on our own powers, we would have serious reasons to suspect that we cannot go the distance in fulfilling our commitments. Pieces of evidence of these unfortunate cases are plenty. 

 But how can we keep our commitments of love—of God and of everybody else—till forever? How do we keep the flame of love ever burning despite the cold and the dust that can come our way? I believe the answer is in our understanding of the very nature of the commitment of love. 

 For many of us, we understand the commitment of love more as a matter of feelings or of material, bodily or carnal attraction. Of course, it is true that in love, everything that we have and we are, are involved. The emotions and the passions play an important role. Except that in true love, we have to give the primary role to our spiritual faculties of the intelligence and the will, not to mention, the primary role of God’s grace. 

 It’s these faculties or powers that would enable us to enter into the spiritual and supernatural dimension of love. And it’s in these dimensions where we can find the true source, pattern, energy and purpose of our commitment of love, who in the end is God. It’s in these dimensions that can make our commitment persevere and constantly burning despite the ups and downs of our life, or the dizzying drama of our earthly sojourn. 

 The commitment of love that is a participation in the love of God can take on anything. The good things would not spoil us, making us proud, conceited, vain, complacent, etc. And the bad things would neither put us down, no, not even the scandals and betrayals of those close to us. 

 This true commitment of love will always stay on course, just like what couples promise on their wedding day—to love and honor each other “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” 

 When young people come to me telling me that they are already dating somebody, I always give them a primer on relationships which should be anchored properly on God and the whole truth about what love, commitment and fidelity would involve. They usually have a very narrow and shallow view of these realities that they like to chase more with their emotions only. 

 When they are still very young, as when they are still studying, I tend to discourage them from making any serious relationship, since they are not ready for marriage and family life. I tend to advise them in a ribbing way by saying that at their age, they should make as many friends as possible so that when they are ready to marry, they can choose the best one for them.

May others see Christ in us

THIS is the mark of a true Christian. It’s when others see Christ in us. Remember Christ telling his disciples, “Whoever listens to you listens to me, whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Lk 10,16) 

 We cannot overemphasize the fact that we are truly meant to be another Christ (alter Christus), if not Christ himself (ipse Christus). It’s a truth of faith that we should bear in mind always with the view of acting on it as consistently as possible. 

 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. 

 This does not mean that we have to flaunt our Christian identity or to exude some kind of a triumphalistic aura. In fact, we have to be most natural and discreet about it. But it should not be hidden because of fear or shame. 

 Remember Christ saying: “Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.” (Mt 10,32-33) 

 That Christ is the Son of God who became man to redeem us means that God in Christ through the Holy Spirit identifies himself with each one of us at all times. This is the basis for keeping a consistency in our Christian identity. 

 This is what our Catechism teaches us clearly: “Christ enables us to live in him all that he himself lived, and he lives it in us. ‘By his Incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a certain way united himself with each man.” (Catechism 521) 

 We have to understand that everything in our life can only have its proper meaning and purpose when referred to Christ. Our mundane activities and concerns can only acquire their ultimate meaning and divine value when related to Christ. Even our weaknesses, errors, failures and sins can only be taken care of properly when referred to Christ. 

 We need to spread this truth of our faith, so crucial in our life, as widely as possible. Let’s listen to St. Paul in this regard: “Preach the word. Be prepared in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.” (2 Tim 4,2-3) 

 We have to know how to be adaptive to the different and changing conditions of our life without losing our Christian identity and consistency. The secret, of course, is to become truly like Christ. He is the master of adaptation, flexibility, versality and consistency. 

 This was shown, first of all, by the fact that out of sheer love for us, in spite of our stupidities, he became man to recover us from our state of alienation from God. Yes, out of this unwavering love, he did everything, including offering his own life, to redeem us, so that he and us can truly be one, as we should be.

Developing the urge to reach out

“JESUS appointed 72 other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so, ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way.’” (Lk 10,1-3) 

 With this gospel passage, it is quite clear that Christ wants us to go out and reach out to as many people as we can for the purpose of bringing them to their—and our—ultimate goal in life. 

 We have to make a loud and strong proclamation of this truth of our faith to awaken everyone of us of this need and duty. We should feel this call of Christ deeply and abidingly, making use of everything in our life, of every situation we can be in, to carry out this will of his. 

 Especially these days when we can see a growing segment of the people all over the world drifting away from God and from religion, we should act on this call of Christ. Even in our country which we can say is quite Catholic, Christian or religious in different ways, we cannot deny that we can also see many people who are practically cold, lukewarm if not dead spiritually. 

 There is a lot of work to be done. And what can reassure us in this duty is that practically everything in our life can be an occasion to reach out, because even if we happen to be isolated, we still can reach out to others by praying and offering sacrifices for them which can be done anytime anywhere. 

 And now with the new powerful technologies we have, this duty can be more easily carried out. We don’t have to travel far to reach out to those in far-away places. The mission land need not be in the other side of the globe. It can be right where we are and where the light of faith is practically lost. 

 We should just sharpen our apostolic zeal and develop the proper skills, like training ourselves to be more friendly, warm and open to everyone, and to be more creative in adapting ourselves to how others are, etc. 

 We can always try to develop a certain gift of gab so we can talk to different kinds of people in the same wavelength. We should learn how to speak with the young ones with their slangs and all that, as well as with the intellectuals, the manual workers, those in the mainstream of society and those in the peripheries, etc., in an engaging way. 

 We can hack this if we would just strengthen our intimate relation with Christ. Let’s always remember that our apostolic zeal can only be the overflow of our spiritual life. If our belief and love for Christ is strong, the natural effect is for us to reach out to others, just like what Christ did and continues to do with us. 

 Yes, the zeal we ought to have in reaching out to everyone can only be the effect of Christ’s power playing in us. We cannot rely simply on our own powers. And on the part of Christ, he has given us everything we need for this purpose already. He is eager to share his power with us. 

 We should just develop the urge to reach out to everyone!