The empty tomb

IN the gospel of the Mass on Monday within the Easter Octave (cfr. Mt 28,8-15), we are given a vivid description of the immediate aftermath of the empty tomb that gave rise to different reactions. 

 When some holy women discovered the empty tomb where Christ was buried, they immediately went to inform the disciples, joyful yet also fearful. But along the way, they were met by the risen Christ himself who made them literally ecstatic, overwhelmed with joy. 

 But the guards of the tomb were deeply disturbed by what took place. They also went to report to the chief priests who bribed them to fabricate the story that the disciples stole the body while they slept. 

 All this simply shows that the things of God will always cause different if not conflicting reactions of belief and unbelief with disbelief playing in the middle. It shows how this supernatural gift of faith can be received by us. 

 We just have to know where and who to believe and who not to. The episode of the empty tomb is actually a test of where to base our faith. Would it just be anybody who can appear to us as reasonable, or would we look for the one with real authority? 

 We know that the authentic authority to teach the truths of our Christian faith belongs to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church which is the living teaching office entrusted by Christ to the apostles and their successors, the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Pope. 

 This authority ensures the faithful transmission of the Gospel, guarding against error and providing definitive interpretations of Scripture and Tradition. No individual or community can claim this mandate for themselves. It comes from Christ through the sacrament of Holy Orders, empowering the ministers to “in persona Christi” (in the person of Christ). 

 The Pope, when he speaks “ex cathedra” (from the chair), that is, in fulfillment of his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians, possesses the infallibility promised to Peter when defining a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the whole Church. 

 That is why, we should always make it a habit to refer ourselves to this teaching office of the Church to see if we are truly dealing with a truth of faith, and not something that is just a human invention. 

 Nowadays, we have to be wary of the flurry of false prophets and demagogues who make their own interpretation of the truths of Christian faith. They can appear and sound credible through a smart use of words and persuasive techniques. But if their teaching on truths of faith does not channel what the Church Magisterium teaches, then they can only be false. 

 A false doctrine can sound good and can come up with fair promises and assurances, but they actually lack the power to make things happen. They can contain many theoretical truths and can also be supported by a lot of data, facts and other so-called scientific findings, but they lack the most crucial element—the proper spirit. 

 A true doctrine is not some clever human wisdom that can yield at best some worldly results. It goes far beyond that, though it can be accessed and lived quite easily if one simply has faith. A true doctrine always requires faith! 

 Thus, in Psalm 119,100, we read these consoling words: “I discern more than the elders, for I obey your precepts, Lord!”

The best news of all time

HELLO! Happy Easter to all! 

 Once again, we are on this most resplendent and happy day when we commemorate and celebrate the final conquest of sin and death with the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 It marks the fulfillment of God’s salvific plan and forms the very foundation of our Christian faith. Remember St. Paul saying: “If Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain.” (1 Cor 15,14) We come to believe what Christ teaches us because he conquered death through his resurrection. He must be God whose words we should believe. 

 This is the best news of all time. We are assured of victory in Christ as long as we show at least a little of faith in him and also a little of repentance for whatever mistake and sin we commit. 

 Let’s always remember that time when one of the thieves who was crucified with Christ expressed his desire to be with Christ in Paradise. He did not even explicitly say sorry for all the crimes he committed. But Christ did not delay in saying, “This day you will be with me in Paradise.” (Lk 23,43) That’s how magnanimous God is with his mercy for us! 

 But we should avoid tempting God by getting ourselves spoiled by his ever-available mercy. Rather, we should make use of that assurance of his love that can conquer whatever evil there is in the world, to do a lot of good, to fill ourselves with the love that is nothing other than the love of God for all of us. Tempting God would just be fooling ourselves and would surely earn us harsh punishments. 

 Let us process slowly this truth of our Christian faith that with Christ’s resurrection we have been made a new creation. His resurrection unites us with his death and resurrection, enabling us to die to our old sinful selves and live a new life in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit for transformation, purpose and hope in God’s coming new world. 

 As a new creation through Christ’s resurrection, we are given a fresh start where the old ways of sin pass away and are replaced by a divine life that is made possible by acquiring anew our identity in Christ. 

 We, indeed, need to meditate and process slowly this tremendous transformation that is given to us because, for sure, we would most likely consider these effects of Christ’s resurrection on us as just incredible. 

 We need to realize that Christ’s resurrection which came as a result of his passion and death on the cross can also take place in our life if we also experience the cross of Christ. St. Paul said something pertinent to this when he said: “If we have been united with him (Christ) in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Rom 6,8) 

 The death referred to in his regard is our death to sin. This means a spiritual transformation where we are no longer controlled by sin by identifying ourselves with Christ’s death and resurrection through faith and repentance. Death to sin means we offer ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness, actively putting our sinful desires to death while living only for God. 

 Of course, struggles with sin can continue. Death to sin does not mean an instant sinless perfection. It simply gives us a new direction in life. Thus, as a new creation, we should live our life, with all its drama, only with Christ and for Christ.

The Last Supper

THE Mass of the Lord’s Supper, celebrated in the evening of Maundy Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. It also marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum. It’s a joyful Mass, distinct from the somber services on Good Friday, and includes unique elements like the washing of the feet and a procession of the consecrated host. 

 It is held in the evening to align with the Jewish Passover tradition. In includes some unique rituals like the washing of the feet of twelve persons to symbolize Jesus’ command to serve and to be humble always. There is also an Altar of Repose where the consecrated hosts are carried in procession for adoration, somehow replaying Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane. Then the altar is stripped bare, and the church becomes quiet, leading into the silence of Good Friday. 

 And thus begins the Easter Triduum, a three-day liturgical celebration, beginning with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday, continuing through Good Friday (Passion of the Lord), and culminating in the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, ending with the Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday that commemorates Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection. 

 All these celebrations are considered as one continuous liturgy. And while everyone is encouraged to participate as actively as possible in all of them, there is no obligation for us to attend, except the one of the Easter Sunday. 

 We just have to remember that the Easter Triduum is the most solemn three-day Christian observance that marks the core of our Christian faith and the culmination of the liturgical year. Its significance lies in reliving Christ’s redemptive sacrifice, beginning with Last Supper, moving through his crucifixion, and culminating in the triumph of the Resurrection at the Easter Vigil. 

 In all of these, what is shown is God’s tremendous love for all of us that is able to conquer whatever evil we may commit. But, of course, with at least a trace of our cooperation. This Easter Triduum is a great occasion for us to savor this love of God for us which is not meant to spoil us but rather to prod us to correspond as best that we can. 

 The principle to follow here is that God’s love for us should be repaid also by our love for him and for everybody else. We are called to respond to God’s total, gratuitous, and merciful love with a similar total self-giving, even it involves great sacrifice. We should avoid responding to that love with ingratitude or indifference. 

 This, of course, means that we have to learn to give ourselves entirely to God and to others without counting the cost or expecting any reward, trusting that God will never fail to provide us with what we truly need. 

 This also means that we should learn to love with a universal scope, extending our love to everyone, including enemies, since God is kind even to the ungrateful and gives special attention to the lost, as dramatized in the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son. 

 This definitely would require us to go through a lifelong process of developing virtues with the view of becoming more and more like Christ and assuming the very spirit of love of God in whose image and likeness we have been created. 

 Let’s hope that these considerations are not lost as we go through the celebration of the Easter Triduum that starts in the Evening Mass of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday.

God always knows what is in our heart

THAT’S why we have no reason at all to keep things to ourselves alone. Everything we have in our mind and heart is known by God. We would be fooling ourselves if we think we can keep things from God. What we should rather do is to learn how to always be with God, especially in our thoughts and desires, from where all our words and deeds would spring. 

 This truth of our faith was highlighted in that episode where Christ told his disciples who among them would betray him. (cfr. Mt 26,21-25) “Amen I say to you, that one of you is about to betray me,” he said. Then Judas asked: “Is it I, Rabbi?” To which Christ simply said, “You have said it.” 

 Let’s always remember that we by nature are not only rational, but also relational. The mere fact that we have intelligence and will can only mean that we are rational beings meant always to enter into relation with others. Of course, in our relation with others, the most important and indispensable one should that with God who, being the Creator, is the very essence and personification of truth. He knows everything. 

 This is where we have to consider more deeply certain duties that we have. We cannot be passive and indifferent to our relationships. Our growth, our maturity and perfection depend on how well we take care of this essential aspect. Otherwise, we would end up not only in error but, worse, also betraying and denying God himself. 

 We have to actively purify our mind and heart so as to put them in proper relation with God, and from God with everybody and everything else. We just cannot allow them to drift in any direction, blindly obeying the forces and impulses of the flesh and the world. They have to be directed. 

 We have to understand then that we are made to enter into relations with God and with everybody else. Having relations is not a marginal or optional aspect of our life. It is essential to us. Even in our conception and birth, we need parents, we need a family, then a community, and all sorts of persons, both individually or collectively considered. And most especially, we need God. 

 We need to understand therefore that truthfulness can only start with our proper relationship with God. Other than that, our truthfulness, even in what we may consider as its best form, would always be suspect and vulnerable to elements that undermine the truth. 

 In short, we can only be truthful and sincere when we are with God who revealed himself in fullness insofar as we are concerned in his Son who became man, Jesus Christ. 

 Thus, Christ clearly said that he is “the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through him.” In other words, we can only be truthful through him. We can only find the proper way for whatever is good for us through him. We can only have the real life, proper to us, in him. 

 Christ said it very clearly. “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.” (Mt 5,37) 

 Truthfulness therefore starts with our relationship with God, and with how well we maintain that relationship. This is something we have to realize more deeply, since very often we get contented with mere human criteria for truthfulness, that are often subjective, incomplete, imperfect, and vulnerable to be maneuvered and manipulated. And with that, the next thing to happen is to betray God, like Judas.

Working daily on our fidelity

WE should never take for granted this duty to work daily on our fidelity. We cannot presume that just because we were fervent when we professed to be faithful to some commitment we made, we can hack it simply by going along what is expected of us. We need to do more than that. And definitely, we need, first of all, to always ask for God’s grace since fidelity is not simply a matter of human effort. It depends on God’s grace. 

 Remember that episode where St. Peter told Christ he was willing to die for him in order to follow him? (cfr. Jn 13,37) Christ responded in no unclear terms: “Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen I say to you, the cock shall not crow, till you deny me three times.” (Jn 13,38) And so it happened as foretold. 

 We need to realize that the key to fidelity is the love that is nothing less than a living participation of God’s love for all of us. It’s the love that will always make us young, new and refreshed, in spite of the passing of years. It is self-renewing and creative, and never runs out of initiatives to look and try new ways of expressing that love in deeds. 

 It’s the love that is not afraid of problems, challenges, trials, failures, mistakes, difficulties, suffering, etc. It does not surrender to them even if death overtakes it. It regards them as opportunities and occasions to grow more in love, to grow more in trust in God’s loving providence where everything works for the good as long as we cooperate with him. It’s a love that will always fill us with peace and joy whatever the situation. 

 We have to understand that this kind of love can only be had if we try our best to be with God, to identify ourselves with him through Christ in the Holy Spirit. This kind of love can only be had if we pray always, if we constantly look for Christ, find him, serve him and imitate him, making him direct and shape our daily life. 

 This kind of love can only be had if we have recourse to the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist where we have Christ offering himself as the bread of life. In that way, our love acquires a supernatural power that goes infinitely beyond our natural powers. With him, what we cannot do or solve are all taken care of. 

 Yes, we have to do our part, and we, in fact, should give our all. But we do it always with Christ. With him we would not be afraid where our love and our life will take us. He takes care of everything. What he simply expects from us is to trust him and to try our best to cooperate with him. We therefore would always have hope. And we would always find meaning in everything we experience in life. 

 Let us see to it then that we are with Christ always. He is real and alive, and not just a figment of our desire to believe. We do not make him up in our mind. More than that, he is full of love for us, full of solicitude toward us. He always has us in his mind and heart. And he is actually actively guiding us at every moment. There is no moment when he is indifferent to us. If we are lost, he, like the Good Shepherd, will take the pains to look for us and rescue us. 

 We have to learn to discern his presence and his constant interventions in our life. That is why, we need to develop certain practices of piety so that we also can properly and actively correspond to his constant guidance over us.

Going beyond our human and natural justice

THAT’S how true love is! It, of course, does not do away with natural and human justice, but it does not get stuck with it either. It goes further. Human and natural justice somehow involves self-interest that is of the good kind. But charity enables us to give our all even at the expense of what is legitimate to us according the standards of human and natural justice. It is willing to suffer injustice. 

 Charity, in fact, is what perfects human and natural justice. But make no mistake about it. It should be the charity as shown, nay, commanded, to us by Christ himself. He showed this charity in its purest form when he offered his life as a ransom for our sins. It’s a charity that is purely gratuitous and most magnanimous. He suffered the greatest evil here on earth, and in return, he offered forgiveness and mercy. 

 How is this charity a perfection of our justice? It perfects our justice since it does not so much get stuck with what wrong we committed as it renders the best consideration of who we really are. We might commit many mistakes, even grave sins, but we continue to be children of God. And it’s for that reason that it, as shown by Christ, is willing to suffer for us and die for us if only to pay for whatever sin we commit. 

 This, of course, does not mean that we should do away with our human and natural justice. We can and we should pursue the requirements of our human and natural justice. But we should not get stuck there. We should continually ask for God’s grace to acquire the relevant spirit, attitude, virtues and skills of how to raise our sense of justice to the level of divine charity. 

 We need to see to it that we learn how to go beyond our human and natural justice by being merciful the way Christ is merciful with everyone of us. And everyday, we actually are given many opportunities to live mercy that goes beyond our brand of justice. 

 When we take the initiative to love and understand people, irrespective of how they are and what they may have done, we are already practicing mercy. When we are quick to disregard differences and just work for the common good, when we try to find excuses for the weaknesses if not the mistakes of others, we are clearly being merciful. 

 We should try our best to be above purely human considerations in our dealings with others, and just follow the example of Christ. That way we would know how to make our human and natural justice give way to mercy, the ultimate expression of charity. 

 I wonder if our idea of what Christian life ought to be includes this very important factor of mercy and charity. Only when we have these desires to dispense divine mercy to others can we sincerely say that we are truly Christian, another Christ if not Christ himself, as we ought to be. 

 In our daily examination of conscience, let us try to see if we have been doing something concrete in this regard. Are we willing to bear the sins of others, in an effort to reflect Christ’s attitude toward all of us who are all sinners? Are we quick to forgive and bear the consequences of the mistakes people commit even as we try to sort out things according to our human and natural justice?

Infidelity a fact of life

WE, of course, should try our best, without giving up, to be faithful all the way to the end. No matter how many times we fall, we should just get up as many times as necessary, and just move on. We might arrive at our proper destination with a missing eye, hand, leg or whatever, but, at least, we should see to it that we reach our final goal. 

 Our infidelity should not be a surprise to us. Right from the start of humanity, with our first parents who were already in the perfect state of original justice, infidelity took place. When the plan of divine salvation started to take place, cases of infidelity also came about. 

 And even among the disciples of Christ, there was one who betrayed him, and another one who denied him. And cases of infidelity continue to take place, ad nauseam, even up to the present. 

 That is the bitter truth and the harsh reality of our human condition. But we should not worry so much about it because God’s mercy is always available, ready to be given in abundance as long as we do our part, no matter how small. 

 With the way we are, we should just try our best to continue struggling, to always feel the need for repentance and conversion, and to never get tired of having to begin and begin again. 

 Yes, as long as we struggle, we can be assured of our fidelity to whatever commitment we have entered into. The ideal situation should be that we are always in awe at the presence of God in our life, making him the principle and objective of all our thoughts, words and deeds. 

 When we have a strong faith in God as our father, whose love and mercy are always ready to be given, we can have the conviction also that it is always worthwhile to just begin and begin again. 

 Whatever failures or sins we may have committed, no matter how grave and ugly they are, we just have to go to him, asking for forgiveness and he will forgive us. We just have to move on. 

 Remember the parable of the prodigal son. That spoiled brat finally came to his senses after suffering so much for his stupidity and decided to go back to his father even if he would not anymore be considered his son. The father welcomed him back with great joy and restored him to his dignity. 

 The important thing is just to come home. We may have strayed from the right way and have done it knowingly and freely, and therefore with guilt. But God is always a father. He will never reject his son. 

 In other words, we should just come home. It’s understandable that we can present ourselves to God with shame and fear, but let’s be reassured that God will always take us back and would be most happy with our return. 

 We should just be realistic about our wounded condition here in this life but never fail to remember that God is bent to bring us back to him no matter how many times we fall. For our part we should just know how to renew ourselves always by going through the lifelong process of having to begin and begin again. 

 The attitude to have is to never surrender. We should just get up after every fall, say sorry for every mistake and sin we commit, continue asking for grace and polishing our virtues and skills in the ascetical struggle, and just move on. God always understands, always forgives, and is eager to help us in every way if we would just be receptive to him.

Never tempt God

WITH all the assurances that God will take care of everything, especially when we are in most need of help and mercy, etc., we might be tempted to think that we can do anything, including intentionally doing bad things, since God will forgive us anyway. 

 This is what tempting God is all about. We would be testing his patience and limits. We fail to realize that God’s abundant and gratuitous goodness, his ever-available mercy and all the graces that he is eager to share with us, is meant for us to get closer to him, to love him more, to do a lot of good in accordance to his will and ways. They are not meant to spoil and corrupt us, thinking we can just do anything. 

 In the Bible, there are a number of cases of tempting God that, of course, ended very badly. The Israelites, for example, tempted God multiple times, questioning his presence and provision, leading to consequences like fiery snakes and 40 years of wandering. (cfr. Ex 17) 

 There was also the case of the couple Ananias and Sapphira who tempted God by lying about their donation, leading to severe consequences. (cfr. Acts 5) Of course, Christ was tempted directly by the devil who was immediately dismissed. (cfr. Mt 4) We have to be wary of the dire consequences that tempting God can cause. It can lead to loss of faith and spiritual dryness. 

 What we should rather do, given God’s overwhelming love for us, is to try our best to love him in return. His love for us should teach us how to love in return, how to love him and everybody else in return. 

 And if we really want to be in love, let’s fill ourselves first of all with the source of love who is none other than God. “Deus caritas est,” God is love, as St. John says, indicating the ultimate essence of God. And since we are his image and likeness, we cannot be other than men and women full of love, of God’s love. 

 We have to be wary of distorting this fundamental truth about ourselves by simply generating our own kind of love that will always be limited, highly conditioned, effective only under what we consider to be favorable conditions. 

 We have to make the effort to feel the love of God for us which he pours on us abundantly. That’s simply because unless we feel that love and get moved by it, we cannot manage to love as we ought to love. Let’s always remember that Christ himself commanded us to love one another as he himself has loved us. Christ makes himself the standard and source of our love. 

 Otherwise, what may happen is that we may just rely on our own self-generated kind of love that can only do so much. For example, our self-generated love would not know how to be patient for long with trials and sufferings, how to love and be merciful with those who give us trouble. It would be a love that tends to tempt God. 

 Everyday, we should work out this need of filling ourselves with God’s love, since this does not come to us automatically. In the first place, we have to contend with our human and natural limitations that simply cannot cope with the fullness of God’s love. 

 This is not to mention that we are also burdened by the effects of our sins and weaknesses, the environment of temptations and other conditionings that would make us not only insensitive and resistant but also hostile to God’s love.

The proper accepting attitude

IN our life, in all our relations with others, in all situations and conditions that we can encounter, we have to learn how to be properly accepting of things without forgetting what needs to be done for everything to be how it should be. It’s a tough balance to make, but we should try our best to pursue it. This will unavoidably involve some tension for which we should be prepared. 

 And the secret is simply to follow the example of Christ. He knew how to deal with everyone and everything with patience, understanding and compassion and yet without compromising the truth of things. In him, the exclusivity of truth and the inclusivity of charity were perfectly blended. Of course, we have to understand that it would unavoidably suffering and ultimately death. 

 Part of a good accepting attitude is the ability to be flexible and resilient without getting confused and lost about what is absolutely right or wrong, true or false, real or unreal. We have to know how to adapt ourselves properly to different kinds of people and conditions. 

 This would presume that we have a firm grounding on what is absolutely right and wrong, good and evil. And this could only mean that we believe in God, in a Creator who is the original author of all things in this world. He is also the one that takes care of everything all the way to the end of time and of the world. 

 Yes, a good accepting attitude would include the firm belief that God takes care of everything through his constant providence over all his creation. He knows what to do in any condition that we and the world would get into. With him, we would know what and how to let go of certain things and what and how to hold on. 

 For this, we have to be very clear about our constant and ultimate goal which is something spiritual and supernatural. We have to understand that this goal transcends our earthly and natural condition, and that in pursuing it we would always need the supernatural help of grace from God. We cannot hack it using our human efforts alone. 

 And we also have to be clear that the things of this world, whatever and however they are, whether good or bad to us, favorable or not to us, only serve as a means, occasion, reason and an instrument to pursue our ultimate goal. We should not be unduly immersed in them as to be trapped by them. 

 That is why we have to learn how to be recollected and contemplative in the middle of the world. This is the proper condition for us. While here on earth, our mind and heart should somehow already be in heaven with God. And this condition is not impossible to attain since God is always with us. All we need to do is to learn to pray and to live out as fully as possible the divine gifts of faith, hope and charity. 

 For this, we cannot exaggerate the importance of learning really how to pray. Only then would we know how to be immersed in the things of this world without being trapped by them. 

 In this way, we would know how to be accepting of anything in this life while at the same time able to make the necessary adjustments and corrections and to move on to pursue our ultimate goal.

“Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum”

THAT’S “Be it done to me according to your word,” the response of Mary to the Archangel Gabriel who told her that she was going to conceive the very Son of God in her womb. (cfr. Lk 1,26-38) She at first asked, “How shall this be done, because I know not man?” But when she was told how it was to take place, she gave that response which is an act of supreme faith, and with that God became man. 

 We should try to echo the same response of Mary, since we cannot doubt, if we have a working faith, that the Son of the Most High would also like to be born in us, since we are actually patterned after him. As God’s image and likeness, we are supposed to share the very same nature and life of God. And we can only achieve that if we have the same faith that Mary had in responding to God’s invitation to be the mother of Christ. 

 Remember what Christ once said: “Whoever is not with me is against me. Whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Lk 11,23) It’s very clear that we are supposed to be so united with Christ, so identified with him, that he and us can be considered simply as one. We are meant to assume the very identity of Christ. 

 We need to process this truth of our faith about ourselves very slowly, because it will obviously astound us to think that we are supposed to be one with Christ. Who, me, one with Christ? We most likely would be tempted to say, tell it to the Marines! 

 But that’s just the naked truth about us, whether we like it or not. We cannot be any other if we just bother also to know why it is so. An expression that is relevant to this matter is ‘alter Christus,’ another Christ. And it’s worthwhile to know what it is all about. 

 We are supposed to be ‘alter Christus,’ the goal and ideal that is meant for us, though we need also to do our part, free beings as are, to achieve that status. God, our Creator and Father, wants us to be that way, though he does not impose it on us without our consent that should also be shown with deeds and not just with intentions or words. 

 We are supposed to be ‘alter Christus’ simply because, if we have been created in the image and likeness of God, and Christ is the Son of God who is the perfect image and likeness that God has of himself, then we can only conclude that we have to be like Christ. 

 We need to do everything to pursue that goal of assuming the very identity of Christ. For this, a strong faith is needed. And it should give rise to the appropriate action on our part, so that little by little we think, speak and do as Christ would think, speak and do. We should react to the different situations of our life the way Christ would. 

 This can involve a number of things. We have to know more and more about Christ by reading, studying and meditating on the gospel and the other sources. We have to avail ourselves of the sacraments. We need to continually develop and grow in the virtues to slowly become more and more like Christ, etc. 

 Hopefully, at Christ’s birth on Christmas, let’s see if we can allow Christ to be born in us too! He wants it. We should also want it!

Making Christ relevant to our times

THANKS be to God, we can still be considered as a strongly Christian country. Especially in this Lenten season we can see churches filled with people praying and doing all kinds of penitential practices. Yes, there are also those who take advantage of the Lenten break to go to the beaches, but on the whole the strong faith and piety of the people cannot be denied. 

 Just the same, we should always feel the need to further strengthen our faith in Christ. Now that we are facing rapid and confusing developments, complicated challenges that can test our Christian consistency, we cannot afford to keep our faith in Christ stay at its current state. It has to grow, deepen and broaden. 

 Strengthening our faith in Christ can mean many things. But one clear way we can do that, considering the current conditions of our world, is for us to dedicate time to study, reflection and reading. This, of course, will be a challenge, as time is scarce. But we can always find time if we are truly interested in strengthening our faith. It’s a matter of setting priorities. 

 Let’s just see to it that our study, reflection and reading about the current developments are motivated by our love for Christ which actually is equivalent to our love for others, whoever and however they may be. We have to convince ourselves that it is only with Christ that we can be truly updated with the new developments, and able to handle them properly. 

 Obviously, we have to know what to study, reflect on and read, since there are many materials around and not all of them are good or relevant. So much has been published and not everything is valuable and useful. It is important to know how to choose and to consult others about what is worth reading. 

 Pope St. John Paul II once said in this regard: “In my reading and in my studies, I always tried to achieve a harmony between faith, reason, and the heart. These are not separate areas, but are profoundly interconnected, each giving life to the other.” (JP II, Rise, Let us be on our way.) 

 Pope Francis also offered this idea about the importance of literature which he considers as “essential for believers who sincerely seek to enter into dialogue with the culture of their times, or simply with the lives and experiences of other people.” 

 Strengthening our faith in Christ such that it can effectively tackle the challenges of the times definitely would require us to continue reading and studying. The habit of reading has many advantages. 

 Among them, it helps us to express ourselves better and acquire the “gift of tongues.” It helps us acquire a wider vocabulary and develop broader intellectual abilities. It stimulates our imagination and creativity. It also improves our ability to concentrate, reducing the levels of cognitive decline and calming stress and anxiety. 

 By strengthening our faith in Christ in this way, we can effectively animate with the Christian spirit the many sectors in our society, like politics, business and entertainment, that are showing signs of going to the dogs. We can truly sanctify the world and direct it to its proper goal. 

 We have to help one another in this important need of ours to make our faith in Christ relevant to the current conditions of our world.

Quick to accuse vs. quick to forgive

THESE are the two opposing attitudes that can be seen in God and in us. We are quick to blame and accuse others for whatever fault, defect, mistake others may commit, including those that we make up simply because of our biases and differences. But God is quick to forgive, even if there are some passing anger involved and corrective reminders given. 

 These opposing attitudes are highlighted in the readings of Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent. (Daniel 13,1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62; Jn 8,1-11) 

 In the First Reading, we are told about how two old men who were judges plotted against the beautiful Susanna who refused to give in to their lustful desires. Susanna had to go through a terrible period of being accused falsely until Daniel the prophet saved her by exposing the malicious tricks of the old men. This is a sample of how we can go accusing someone, even falsely, if only to get what we want. 

 And in the Gospel, we are told about how some scribes and Pharisees dragged a woman who was caught in adultery to Christ. The purpose was to see if Christ would follow what was written in the Mosaic law that such woman should be stoned to death. Instead, Christ did nothing until the accusers left. He just told the woman to go free and to sin no more. This is a sample of how God can be quick to forgive. 

 We should be wary of our tendency to accuse and blame others. This can happen because we may want to deflect attention from our own mistakes or shortcomings, or because we fail to fully consider others’ perspectives or feelings. There are many other reasons why we tend to be quick to accuse and blame others. 

 What we should rather do is first of all to reflect before reacting, to try to see things from the other person’s perspective, or from where he is coming from. We should try to focus on the issue or problem involved rather than on the person himself. We should also try to give the others the benefit of the doubt. This would help us restrain our tendency to judge rashly and to be quick to accuse and blame others. 

 On the other hand, we should learn to be forgiving just as God himself is forgiving to everyone. In fact, Christ himself told us clearly that given the fact that we also have our mistakes and sins, we should be forgiving to everyone since only then can God be forgiving to us. 

 If Christ can offer forgiveness to those who crucified him—and there can be no worse evil than killing Christ who is God—why do we find it hard to offer forgiveness to others? 

 All of us sin one way or another. The awareness of this truth is not meant to depress us but rather to keep us humble and always feeling in need of God. We should be wary when we would just depend solely on our own resources to tackle this predicament. We need God. 

 The awareness of this truth should also help us to develop the attitude to forgive one another as quickly as possible, since that is the only way we can be forgiven. When we find it hard to forgive others, it is a clear sign that we are full of ourselves, are self-righteous, proud and vain. It is a clear sign that we are not yet with Christ. A true Christian is always a forgiving person!

Our resurrection to eternal life

THE readings on the Third Sunday of Lent remind us that we are meant for eternal life. In the first reading, from the Book of Ezekiel 37,12-14, we see how God promises to raise his people from their graves and fill them with his Spirit. 

 The Responsorial Psalm (130) practically asks us to trust in God’s mercy always, considering that we cannot avoid falling into sin. The Second Reading, from Romans 8,8-11, tells us that it is the Spirit of God that will give us true eternal life to our mortal bodies. The Gospel Acclamation, from Jn 11,25-26, reminds us that it is Christ who is the resurrection and the life, and if we believe in him, we actually will never die. 

 And the Gospel, from John 11,20-45, talks about the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It clearly shows that Christ has power over death. 

 With all these truths of our Christian faith, what we have to do is to correspond to them as best that we can. And it can only mean that we should try our best to be eternity-ready all the time. 

 We should therefore be clear about this point. Our time here on earth is a time of transit toward eternity, from where we came and to where we are heading. That’s because we are creatures of God who is in eternity. We came from him, and since we have been made in his image and likeness, we are meant to be with him in all eternity. 

 Our definitive state of life is to be with God in eternity. We therefore need to be eternity-ready in our time here on earth. And we can approximate that state of life and prepare ourselves for it by trying to be with God always, following his will and ways as we go through the drama of our earthly life. 

 We should know how to flow with the times without getting lost along the way. While there are changing things as we flow with the times, we also have to know that there are things that are not supposed to change, that will always have permanent value and relevance to us. 

 We need to see to it that our thoughts and desires are immersed in the supernatural gifts of faith, hope and charity, those theological virtues that enable our earthly and temporal affairs to acquire spiritual, supernatural and eternal value. 

 That is why, we need to study and assimilate the doctrine of our faith, make it generate hope in our earthly pilgrimage, and fuel the love that catapults us to eternity, uniting us to God and others. 

 This is how we can link our time here on earth with the eternity of our definitive life. It’s a matter of the belief that there is God and that he is our creator who gives us our very existence and that he continually, without any gap or break, intervenes in our life. 

 We have to be more aware of this truth, and more important, know how to deal with it. We often take it for granted, or worse, we can think that our life can just be on our own, completely dependent on what and how we make it to be. 

 Or we can think that we can be with God at some time and can be on our own at other times. We need to outgrow this mentality, because it simply does not correspond to reality. Ok, it’s not easy. There’s deep and vast awkwardness especially in the beginning. But it’s not a problem that cannot be solved.

No worldly algorithm can outwit divine wisdom

WE, therefore, should be wary of our tendency to rely more on our human and worldly estimation of things. Rather, we should always choose to be guided by God’s will and ways, by his abidingly loving and merciful providence, which we should try our best to discern at every moment of our life. 

 To be sure, no human plan can surpass divine guidance. Divine wisdom always outsmarts worldly logic. And God’s plan for us and for the world is above all else. We need to be clear about this and do everything to live by this truth of our faith. 

 Especially nowadays, when we are facing an increasingly complicated world, we need to strengthen our belief in this truth, and cultivate the appropriate skills and lifestyle. We obviously should try our best to make use of whatever human knowledge we can get from our human sciences, but all this should be motivated and guided by our faith, hope and love for God and for everybody. 

 This is not to mention that when one is determined to follow God in the best way he can, he has to expect to contend with the most devious ways of the enemies of God and of our soul. 

 This was articulated, for example, in the Book of Wisdom where some ungodly people said: “Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraids us with transgressions of the law, and divulges against us the sins of our way of life.” (2,12) 

 But again, we should not worry too much. As long as we try our best to stick to God’s will and ways, we know that no opposition to God and to us can dominate us. What we have to worry is when we allow ourselves to be guided simply by some worldly doctrine and standards. 

 In this, we have been forewarned by St. Paul who said, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” (Col 2,8) 

 And he went further to say that we should rely solely on Christ. “For in Christ,” he said, “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.” (Col 2,9) 

 This is, indeed, a call for us to truly develop a strong and intimate relationship with Christ. In other words, to develop an authentic and effective spiritual life, since only then can we get some knowledge of divine wisdom and be guided by it. 

 In this regard, we have to acknowledge our need for a continuing formation that, at least, would cover the doctrinal, spiritual and ascetical aspects of our relation with Christ. 

 This is how we can aspire to acquire nothing less than the wisdom of God. We have to understand that formation involves assuming the very mind and heart of Christ, the very wisdom of God. It should lead us to center our lives on Christ’s love and to assume God’s plan with creativity and initiative. 

 Thus, the capacity for reflection is necessary so as to faithfully channel Christ’s love for everyone. We need to go through some philosophical and theological study of our faith, coupled with the appropriate cultural formation so we can be effective in transmitting God’s living word in the middle of the world. 

 This is how we can acquire the divine algorithm that would lead us to discover divine wisdom, rather than just a worldly one.

The greatness of St. Joseph

IT’S definitely his humility and simplicity that built up his greatness. And because of these qualities, faith in God’s will and ways was easy for him to follow and comply. In fact, especially in some crucial moments, he attracted some kind of special divine intervention that quashed his doubts and baffled condition. 

 This was shown, for example, when he found out that Mary, to whom he was engaged, was found already with child in her womb before they lived together. (cfr. Mt 1,16.18-21) He at first thought of separating from her. But being a just man, as the gospel narrated, he planned to do it not publicly but privately. 

 That’s when some special divine intervention came in the form of an angel appearing to him in his sleep, clarifying the whole matter to him. And with that, he immediately changed his mind and, without further question, accepted Mary as his wife. 

 St. Joseph is worth emulating, worth giving more and better attention than a cursory, casual one. His condition is very much identifiable with that of the majority of the people all over the world. Like him, many of us do very ordinary simple duties, with hardly any public or social consequence. But the possibility of being great, like St. Joseph, is always there. 

 We need to strengthen our realization about the very intimate and mutual relation between humility and greatness. When one is truly humble and simple, it can only show the greatness of his heart. That mutual relation enables one to do God’s will faithfully, and eventually to share in the very life and nature of God himself. True greatness is never shown in pride and vanity. It is proven and verified in humility and simplicity. 

 This mutual relation between humility and greatness is expressed when we manage to value others, whoever and however they are, above ourselves and when we look after their interest instead of our own. (cfr. Phil 2,3-4) 

 This is what we clearly see in the life of Christ. Let’s call to mind that stunning example of his when he shocked his apostles when he started and insisted to wash their feet at the Last Supper. (cfr. Jn 13,1-17) 

 With humility and simplicity, we, like St. Joseph, would be enabled to see the sacredness of what may appear simply as ordinary duties according to our human standards. By being faithful to these ordinary duties, we, like St. Joseph, can practically manage to touch heaven while here on earth. The many ordinary little things we do can somehow acquire eternal and redemptive value. 

 Of course, it must have helped St. Joseph a lot to be keenly aware of whom he was taking care of. Proximity helps. But that should not be an excuse for us to feel not as lucky as St. Joseph. Christ is always close to us. He is always watching over us and guiding us all the time. We just have to learn how to discern and correspond better to that reality. 

 That’s why it’s important that from time to time we pause and pray so that we can have or regain our spiritual and supernatural bearing, and feel’s Christ’s continuous presence and guidance in our life and in our affairs, and be moved to react accordingly. 

 St. Joseph is showing us that the ordinary things in life, the performance of the duties inherent to our state in life, are the very occasions we can be with Christ and deal with him as we ought. 

 That’s when, like St. Joseph, we can also aspire to greatness in the very simple things of our life!

Never worry about anything

IN this Lenten season when we are encouraged to do some deep reflection and penance if only to grow in our spiritual life, to make ourselves more identified with Christ, we should try to develop a lifestyle of abiding faith and hope such that nothing should worry us. 

 And the reason for this is because Christ, the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity, takes care of everything. All we have to do is to try our best to be with Christ who makes himself ever available to us, providing us with everything that we need. 

 This Christian attitude has basis on what many saints have testified very vividly. St. Paul, for example, has these following testimonies to support that claim: 

 - “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4,6-7) 

 - “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4,12-13) 

 - “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Cor 4,8-10) 

 We really need to learn how to think, react and behave according to what our Christian faith teaches us. For this, we need to spend time meditating on these truths of our faith, and to develop the appropriate skills and attitude. We should not dare to live our life, tackling all sorts of conditions, by relying simply on our human powers. 

 What is also helpful is to avail ourselves of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, where we can have the very body of Christ in us, and hopefully share his very own spirit that animated the souls of all the saints. 

 With Christ, we really would have no reason to fear, nor to wallow in worries, anxieties and sadness. Christ himself has reassured us in this regard: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33) 

 Let’s also remember that these unfortunate states are fertile ground for the enemies of our soul, especially the devil, to take advantage of us. Rather we should learn to convert these unfortunate situations as occasions to go to Christ. 

 About the only reason to fear, worry and be sad is when we lose our faith, when we lose touch with God. We have to pray and pray so that our doubts and fears would not undermine our faith. 

 What also helps is to develop a sporting attitude in life, because, to be realistic about it, we will always have frustrations, disappointments, mistakes, failures, sins and defeats in our life. But we just have to learn how to move on, just like a good sportsman. 

 We should always be cheerful in life, and strive to show it even externally with smiles and happy, warm and encouraging dispositions. Even in our grief and mourning, we should manage to learn how to be serene, knowing that suffering and death have already been redeemed by Christ and are now endowed with redemptive power.

“A clean heart create for me, O God”

THAT’S from Psalm 51,12 that is often used as Responsorial Psalm in some Holy Masses. It’s a psalm that is worth keeping in mind always because in the end our real identity and condition can only be found in our heart. We should try our best that our heart be as clean and pure as possible, reflecting the very heart of Christ that is full of love. 

 We really need to take good care of our heart, which means that we should anchor it on Christ, since we are patterned after him. Thus, in the Book of Proverbs, we have this invitation from God, “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.” (23,26) This invitation should be clear in our mind and heart, and we should do everything to be able to correspond to that invitation properly. 

 Nowadays when our heart is glutted with so many worldly things, it is really a tall order to say, yes, to this invitation. But with God’s grace, which we can always receive with due humility on our part, there is no doubt that we can do it. 

 Obviously, to get a handle on our heart, we first of all need to go to God. Our human powers alone can never be enough. They can even be dangerous, since they are often very limited and, worse, erratic. 

 This is where strict self-discipline is most needed. We cannot deny the fact that we are often dominated by passions inside us and fashions outside us. We have our usual weaknesses of pride, laziness, attachments, etc. Thus, we need to undertake a continuing struggle, using all kinds of spiritual armory to wage this daily battle and aim at nothing less than conquering our heart for Christ. 

 Things may look difficult and unwinnable, but with faith, with persistence and God’s abundant grace, we can actually manage. Besides, there is deep within us a natural longing for God. Remember St. Augustine’s words: “My heart is restless until it finds its rest in You.” The natural attraction of our heart, if not corrupted, is God. 

 If we don’t complicate our heart, we can easily be led to God because he is where all good comes from. If we can just discipline ourselves and allow ourselves to be guided by faith and reason, we can always find God. 

 He is not someone who takes delight in hiding from us. His presence is everywhere. Christ himself assured us: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28,20) 

 And when we manage to keep our heart clean, then we can experience what Christ said in one of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Mt 5,8) 

 Imagine how it will be when we manage to see God in everything and at all times because we strive to make our heart clean and pure! To be sure, God is never sparing in giving everything that we need to make our heart clear and pure. Things would just depend on how we correspond to what God is giving us. 

 Everyday, we have to see to it that we strive to keep our heart clean and pure. We should never let it float in any which way. We have to see to it that our heart increasingly gets united to God until it is fully identified with him. As said earlier, we have all the means to achieve that goal. 

 Thus, we have to constantly ask the question: “Where do I give my heart? To whom do I give myself completely?” And let’s be ready with the correct answer.

What can build up our mental health

“I WILL praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.” That’s from Psalm 30,2, sometimes used as a Responsorial Psalm in some Holy Masses. It’s a psalm that is most worthy to keep in mind and heart always, for it does nothing other than to assure us that no matter how our life goes with all its drama, Christ takes care of everything. There is actually nothing to worry. 

 Of course, given our human limitations, we oftentimes cannot help but react to certain things in our life with overwhelming worries and sorrows. But we should learn to overcome them as quickly as possible, since we know, if we are guided by our Christian faith, that everything works out for the good as long as they are referred to and lived with Christ. (cfr. Rom 8,28) 

 We obviously have to avail of all that our medical sciences can offer to alleviate if not solve our problems in the area of mental health. But we should not forget that the ultimate way to handle issues that have a great, albeit adverse, bearing on our mental health is by strengthening our faith in God’s loving and merciful providence. 

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

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

 How important it is that we get to have a clear idea about the intimate relationship between faith and psychology! At the moment, it seems that psychology is largely grounded and ruled by one’s feelings, moods, temperament or some organic elements alone, if not by some cultural or social factors, then even by mere ideologies. 

 There are even those who develop their psychological life along lines of mere techniques, or worse, by some drug-induced sense of stability and calmness or other escape and defense mechanisms. 

 Yes, the human and medical means are important, but what is truly indispensable is to develop an authentic life of piety. For this, we really have to learn to pray, to refer everything to God whom we have to regard as our Father who never fails us. Our belief and love for him should be such that we trust him for everything, even in those things that humanly speaking cannot anymore have human solutions. 

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

 Let’s not leave behind this need for piety even as we look for human solutions to our problems and challenges, and develop good mental health! Let’s strengthen our belief that, as mentioned, in the psalm cited above, Christ has rescued us already. We are assured of that. What should remain in our mind and heart is the joy and peace that come with our praising God always. This is what truly builds up our mental health!

Curing our blindness

THAT gospel episode about Christ curing a man born blind (cfr. Jn 9,1-41) reminds us that given the truth of our faith that we are supposed to live a spiritual and supernatural life with God, we are prone to have some kind of natural, if not infranatural blindness because we fail to enter into the spiritual and supernatural world, and prefer to remain in the natural level of our life. 

 Because of that, we miss to see many things that are actually proper for us to know and to live by. Our infranatural blindness is worse than our natural blindness because we can even fail to see the natural things of our life. That’s when we are in the state of sin that obviously would have a big effect on how we see and understand even the natural things. 

 Remember that in the beginning, in the life of our first parents before they fell into sin, they were in the state of original justice. They could see God and the things of God directly. 

 But since they fell into sin, they lost that state of original justice. And we, being their descendants, would now be born without that state of original justice. In this sense, we can also be said to be born blind. That’s what original sin is all about. 

 And to cure this blindness, the only way is to go to Christ who clearly said, “I am the light of the world…whoever follows me will have the life of life.” (Jn 8,12) Obviously, the upshot of this consideration is for us to know and love Christ to such an extent that we become like him as we should. In other words, we become “alter Christus” (another Christ). 

 As “alter Christus,” we should go to the extent when we can echo St. Paul’s words: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2,20) 

 With Christ we would have discernment, able to see the things of the heart of men rather than relying simply on appearance or some worldly trends. With Christ, we would be able to make proper judgments, rather than being judgmental. 

 We therefore should do everything to become more and more like Christ. We need to know him more by studying his life, meditating on the gospel, and following his example. We should try to make ourselves one with him especially through the sacraments, and most especially through the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. 

 Yes, we have all the means for us to truly become “alter Christus.” We have the sources of divine revelation that show us the truth about ourselves. We have the word of God. We have the Church and the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. 

 We just have to make the necessary adjustments in the way we think, in the way we identify ourselves. It would not be presumptuous, even given our limitations and woundedness, to start thinking that “I am another Christ, ‘alter Christus.’” We just have to try our best, with God’s grace to think and act like Christ. 

 With Christ we would have the proper understanding of things. We would have a universal outlook, and we can take on anything that can happen to us, whether good or bad, because Christ himself has assumed everything human including to be like sin even if he himself has not committed any sin. “He (God) made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor 5,21)

A call to return to God

THIS is one of the important messages of the Lenten season. We are asked to return to God even if we feel we do not deserve to be received by him. God’s love is such that it can heal whatever wound we have both in body and soul. God’s love can even bring back the dead to life again. 

 This Lenten message is somehow articulated in the Book of Hosea where it says, “Return, O Israel, to the Lord thy God, for you have fallen down by your iniquity.” (14,2) And then it continues with this assurance from the Lord: “I will heal their breaches, I will love them freely, for my wrath is turned away from them.” (14,5) 

 We should not hesitate to respond to this invitation, trying our best to do our part of going through some sincere transformation by way of true repentance that is deep and heartfelt, and not just through some outward rituals or gestures. 

 Let’s take this Lenten season as an occasion to realize more deeply our need for continuing repentance and conversion and to cultivate an abiding spirit of Christian penance that does not take away our hope, joy and peace. 

 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 good enough 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. In this regard, we just have to cultivate the spirit and virtue of penance. It’s not to paint a dark world for ourselves. If we believe in God, we know that our life ought to be always bright and cheerful, and that everything, including our mistakes, can work out for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28) 

We cannot deny that we have weaknesses. And temptations are never lacking. And in spite of our best efforts, we know that sooner or later we find ourselves falling into sin. 

 We need to know how to deal with these conditions.  We need to find a way to derive some good from them, since if we have hope, some good can always be achieved from them. 

 The virtue of penance starts when we acknowledge these conditions about ourselves. We should be humble enough to accept this reality. 

 But the virtue of penance goes farther than that. It grows when we put up the necessary defenses against these enemies of our soul and wage a lifelong ascetical struggle. Yes, our life will be and should be a life of warfare, a war of peace and love that will also give us certain consolations in spite of the tension. 

 And for this penance to be a true virtue, it has to include an indomitable hope that can survive even in the worst of scenarios. In fact, this hope gets stronger the uglier also the warfare gets. 

 It's a hope based on God's never-sparing mercy. Some relevant words of St. Paul: “I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil 1,6) It would be good if these Pauline assurance forms the deep attitude we should have toward our fragile human condition.

Beware of the dumb devil

THAT gospel episode of Christ casting out a dumb devil reminds us that we have to be wary when we keep critical and negative thoughts in our mind and heart, allowing them to fester to such an extent that we cannot anymore have any positive and constructive thought about something or someone. (cfr. Lk 14,11-23) 

 To counter this, we should try to enter into a dialogue first with God in our prayer and then with all the parties involved in any issue. This means that we should try to be open, sincere and transparent in sorting out whatever problem we have, always relying on the belief and hope that God will always help, that with him everything will work out for the good. 

 And with the other parties involved, we should just present our side as well as listen to theirs, and see how things can be resolved peacefully and satisfactorily. Of course, in this dialogue, we should follow Christ’s way of presenting the truth and our views always with charity, which can mean that in the worst scenario, we, like Christ, would just allow ourselves to suffer for whatever unfairness may come about. 

 It’s when we go to God first whenever we have this kind of predicament that we can manage to overcome the tricks of the dumb devil, that is, when we can talk and start the process of having a dialogue that eventually will lead to some resolution of any problem or issue we have. 

 In this regard, we need to see to it that we are most aware of a persona-non-grata that is called pride. We should keep it at bay, exerting appropriate effort to resist its many strong impulses and urges. 

 Pride always spoils dialogue. It feeds on our self-interest to the point of making us deaf and blind to the points, let alone, the valid points, of the others. It usually sources its strength more from feelings than from reason, more from our own estimation of things than from faith that gives us the full picture of things and leads us to the common good. 

 Besides, pride usually has bad manners and employs bad language. It always tries to dominate the conversation, using bullying tactics. It is more interested in scoring more points than in earnestly looking for what is true and fair. Its logic clearly follows the path of selfishness. Charity is a complete stranger in pride. Suffering and humiliations play no positive role in pride. 

 When one, for example, is accused falsely of something, pride would lead him to react very badly, and even violently. He cannot stand being misjudged and mistreated. His pride-stained sense of justice would immediately give a knee-jerk response along the lines of the tooth-for-a-tooth law of the wild. 

 Pride leads one to see things superficially. There is no depth in its considerations. It gets entangled in the externals and in the appearances. Besides, it usually assumes a rigid attitude, unable to be flexible and to adapt to different circumstances. It makes a person one-track-minded. A proud person is always closed-minded. 

 We have to be extremely conscious of the workings of pride in us, because it is so embedded in our systems that we often would not know we are being victimized by it. A saint once said that pride is so strongly incorporated in our life that it would only disappear twenty-four hours after our death. 

 We need to be humble to allow the spirit of God, which is the spirit of truth, justice and mercy, to enter into our hearts, enabling us to engage in a fruitful dialogue.

Divine law and human law

SOMEHOW, when Christ said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not abolish but to fulfil,” (Mt 5,17) we are led to realize that there must be different categories and levels of law and that in the end, the ultimate distinction is between divine law and human law. 

 Divine law, of course, comes from a higher power, no less than God himself, and covers everything in our life since it focuses on the moral and spiritual dimensions of our life. Human law is made by men through a variety of agencies, and it mainly focuses on rules for social order, rights and governance. 

 This divine law has been embodied, revealed and commanded of us by Christ, the son of God who became man to redeem us and the very pattern of our humanity. As such, he rightly claims to be the fulfillment of all the laws we have. 

 We have to disabuse ourselves from the thought that our laws can be based only on our common sense, or on our own estimation of what is good and evil according to the values of practicality, convenience, etc., or on our traditions and culture, etc. 

 While these things have their legitimate role to play in our legal and judicial systems, we have to understand that they cannot be the primary and ultimate bases. It should be God, his laws and ways that should animate the way we make laws as well as the way we apply and live them. After all, being the Creator of all things, he is the one who establishes what is truly good and evil, what is right and wrong, what is fair and unfair. 

 In this regard, we have to learn to distinguish and properly blend both the letter and spirit of our human laws. That’s the ideal. In our earthly reality, of course, the letter of the law will always be found wanting in terms of capturing the whole spirit of the law which should channel the spirit of God. 

 This discrepancy between the letter and the spirit of the law has been referred to a number of times in the gospel. One example is when Christ told the Jews: "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.” (Mk 7,9) 

 We need to understand that our laws, both in the civil and especially in the ecclesiastical sphere, should be animated by the spirit of God who knows all things and keeps everything in its proper order. We should not just make our laws, interpret and apply them to specific cases by basing them only on our own estimation of things, inspired only by some cultural, historical, political, social, economic or some ideological ethos. 

 We need to realize that it is Christ who ultimately gives the real meaning and purpose of our laws. We have to disabuse ourselves from the thought that our laws can be based only on our common sense, or on our own estimation of what is good and evil according to the values of practicality, convenience, etc., or on our traditions and culture, etc. 

 For this, we have to learn how to assume the very identity of Christ. This may need a certain discipline, like spending time meditating on the life and teachings of Christ, developing the art of being recollected and contemplative so that we would always be aware that our thoughts, desires, words and deeds should always be with Christ and not just by our own selves.

Why is God so forgiving?

AND why should we, like God, be forgiving also? These questions can rise after reading that gospel episode where St. Peter asked Christ how many times should he forgive someone who has offended him. (cfr. Mt 18,21-35) St. Peter dared to suggest, 7 times, which already meant a lot. But Christ told him, not only seven times, but seventy times seven times, which practically means always. 

 The quick answer to these questions is that no matter how we are to God and to each other, we will always remain children of God and brothers and sisters to each other. As such, we are meant to love God and everybody else, irrespective of how we behave. And it is forgiveness which is the ultimate form of love. 

 If God, in Christ, loves us so much that he became man and went all the way to offer his life for us, and if we are children of God who are supposed to be like God, then we too should have a love for God and for one another that is boundless. 

 Christ’s boundless love for us is shown not only in the fact that he offered his life for us—and as St. John said, “Greater love has no than this, that a man lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15,13)—but he also offered forgiveness to those who crucified him. (cfr. Lk 23,34) 

 We should just learn how to be forgiving the way God in Christ is always forgiving us. And the reason is because by always forgiving, we liken ourselves with God, with Christ, who is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity. Forgiving is the ultimate act of love which is the very essence of God and which is also intended for us since we are supposed to be God’s image and likeness. 

 Thus, we have to learn to be forgiving always of others, no matter how undeserving we feel they are of forgiveness. That’s how God forgave us. He took the initiative. He offered forgiveness and continues to do so if only to bring us back to him. 

 The awareness of this truth should also help us to develop the attitude to forgive one another as quickly as possible, since that is the only way we can learn to love. When we find it hard to forgive others, it is a clear sign that we are full of ourselves, are self-righteous, proud and vain. 

 We have to continually check on our attitude towards others because today’s dominant culture is filled precisely by the viruses of self-righteousness, that feeling that we are superior to others, etc. We have to do constant battle against that culture that undermines our duty to be always forgiving. 

 Obviously, to be always forgiving, we need to make a lot of sacrifice since we have to conquer our pride. Forgiveness is a real game-changer since with it we would be willing to let go of whatever hurt and anger we may have. It actually takes a huge weight off our shoulders. 

 Pride often stems from the feeling that we have been wronged or disrespected. But with forgiveness, we can manage to let go of that feeling, enabling us to be stronger than our ego. It’s not actually about letting someone off the hook. The guilty still has to face the consequences of his acts. But with forgiveness, we free ourselves from negative vibes. 

 With forgiveness, we can manage to be at peace with anyone even as we continue to sort out things to fix whatever problem or issue we may have at hand.