tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013777988106289572024-03-16T05:30:34.510+08:00Sailing Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.comBlogger3846125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-58251762810779622342024-03-16T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-16T05:30:00.135+08:00We should follow where Christ leads us<span style="font-size: medium;">THIS is the law we should follow in our life here on earth. It is Christ who shapes and leads the way for us, and we should just follow. Why? Precisely because Christ is the pattern of our humanity, the savior of our damaged humanity. Our life here on earth is a test to see whether we would like to be with Christ, as we should, or to be by ourselves which, though very attractive to us, is actually a tragedy for us. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We are reminded of this truth of our faith in the readings of the Mass for the 5th Sunday of Lent, Year B. (cfr. Jer 31,31-34 / Ps 51,3-4.12-13.14-15 / Heb 5,7-9 / Jn 12,20-33). They talk about God making a new covenant with the people, creating a new heart for them, and of how that covenant is perfected by Christ as long as we, the people, would follow him by dying to ourselves so Christ can live in us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> “If any man ministers to me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall my minister be,” Christ said. But for this to happen, he also said: “Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it, and that he hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life eternal.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And for us to believe, obey and follow what Christ indicated, we are also given some clue, and that is when the Letter to the Hebrews, the 2nd reading of Mass for the 5th Sunday of Lent, said: “Whereas indeed he (Christ) was the Son of God, he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. And being consummated, he became to all that obey him, the cause of eternal salvation.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It’s important that we meditate thoroughly on these words of divine wisdom, so we can have a clear idea of what our life here on earth is all about and what we can and should do to pursue the real and ultimate purpose of our life. We cannot be cavalier in our attitude toward this serious duty of ours. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Given, of course, our usual wounded human condition, we really would need to develop a certain plan that would effectively put us on track with respect to this duty of ours to pursue the real goal of our life. It cannot be denied that we have to contend with our many limitations like our tendency to be lazy, complacent, unbelieving, etc. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Everyone should be made to understand that this duty is incumbent on everyone. So, we should just help everyone in inculcating this very basic duty of ours, starting in the family and radiating to the ever widening and growing levels and dimensions of society and human life itself. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Yes, it’s going to involve a “bloody” struggle. But we are assured of victory as long as we go along with Christ who makes himself all available to us. We should never think that we will be going through this struggle by our lonesome, relying only on our own human powers. It’s true that what we would be tackling is overwhelming. But if we only open ourselves to God, nothing would be impossible for us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to strengthen our belief that God never abandons us. It is rather us who can abandon him. That’s the problem that we have to try our best to resolve. If our faith is strong, we would know how to go through the process of suffering and dying to ourselves so we can rise with Christ.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-49973929001235053622024-03-15T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-15T05:30:00.248+08:00The cross is necessary in our life<span style="font-size: medium;">WE have to realize that we need the cross. Whether we like it or not, the cross will be unavoidable in our life due to our wounded human condition. We should, therefore, develop the proper attitude toward it, and that can only be the attitude Christ had toward the cross. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The gospel tells us that Christ knew he was going to offer his life on the cross as the ransom for all our sins. When it was not yet his time to do it, he managed to escape the attempts of those who wanted to arrest him. (cfr. Jn 7,1-2.10.25-30) But when that time came, he even went to offer himself for his eventual arrest and execution. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to understand that the cross, in any form it comes to us, is the way to our redemption. Christ had to win our redemption through the cross. And if we believe that we are meant to follow Christ, then we too, like Christ, has to win our own redemption through the cross with Christ. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It’s important that we lose the fear of the cross. For this, we need to ask first for God’s grace, and then train ourselves to develop a certain love for the cross. While the cross would inevitably cause us some suffering, we have to look at it with faith and convince ourselves that it actually is what would give us true joy. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> So, we just have to be sport and cool about the whole reality of the cross in our life. What we need to do is to follow Christ in his attitude toward them. For Christ, embracing the cross, is the expression of his greatest love for us. We have to enter into the dynamic of this divine logic and wisdom so we can lose that fear of the cross. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Thus, we have to understand this very well. Unless we love the cross, we can never say that we are loving enough. Of course, we have to qualify that assertion. It’s when we love the cross the way God wills it—the way Christ loves it—that we can really say that we are loving as we should, or loving with the fullness of love. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to be wary of our tendency to limit our loving to ways and forms that give us some benefits alone, be it material, moral or spiritual. While they are also a form of love, they are not yet the fullness of love. Given our human wounded condition, the fullness of our love would always need the cross. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> So, everyday let’s see to it that we have the cross. It can come to us in different ways—sickness, trials, difficulties, losses, death, etc.—and if we seem to have no cross for the day, then let’s look for it, the way Christ looked forward to embracing his cross. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This can take the form of taking the initiative to do a lot of good to others, or to make better use of our time, fighting against our tendency to laziness and complacency, or to do some small mortifications like denying ourselves some food, drink, the use of gadgets, etc. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to see to it that the cross figures prominently in our daily life, since the cross would clearly enable us to follow Christ instead of just following our own will and ways, which is a strong tendency for us. Our own victory over sin and death can only come through the cross, the cross of Christ.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-71989465283526914632024-03-14T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-14T05:30:00.127+08:00Our proneness to infidelity<span style="font-size: medium;">WE have to be wary of this danger and do everything we can to avoid falling into it. We cannot deny that we are all prone to be unfaithful to whatever commitment we have with God and with others. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Our first parents, for example, started this trend. And the succeeding generations were hardly any different. In the readings of Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent, we are somehow reminded of this danger when God showed great disappointment at the Israelites who, despite plucking them out of slavery from the Egyptians, started to worship another god, a molten calf, of all things. (cfr. Ex 32,7-14) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> God threatened to inflict destruction on the people until he was appeased by the smart reasoning of Moses. In the gospel of the day (cfr. Jn 5,31-47), Christ lamented over the unbelief of the Jewish people despite the great teachings and the miracles that he performed. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> He appealed to them to believe the words of Moses, because as he said, “If you believed Moses, you would perhaps believe me also; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We really cannot overemphasize the need to always renew and strengthen our fidelity and sense of commitment to God and to others, given our weakened human condition that is marked by fickleness, forgetfulness, the tendency to take things, especially the serious matters, for granted, etc. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In this regard, it’s important that we be always moved and driven by a love that is anchored and focused on God first and then on others. For this to take place, we should make an effort to always acknowledge all the good things God has given us—from our life itself to the many talents, gifts, fortune, privileges, favors, etc. we enjoy in life. Only in this way can we feel urged to be thankful, faithful and to enter into the natural dynamic of love where love is always repaid by love. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to be wary of our tendency to be swallowed up by the many powerful and attractive distractions we have nowadays, leading us along the ways of self-absorption, self-centeredness and self-indulgence. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> As a matter of fact, we should declare an unrelenting war against our self-indulgence which has become a very formidable problem we all have. Yes, this has always been a problem to us, but these days it is much more so. We really would need to be properly trained to tackle this challenge. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> With the many new wonderful things that can instantly give us convenience, comfort, pleasure and satisfaction, many of us are trapped into the very sticky web of obsessions, addictions and the many other forms of self-indulgence that feed on our weaknesses, like lust, pride, conceit, gluttony, unhinged curiosities, envy, etc., etc. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should never forget that what we enjoy in life should be always related to God. Otherwise, we would set ourselves in a position of danger. We should always feel thankful to God. Even in our moments of difficulties and human miseries, we still have reason to be thankful because God continues to be with us and to help us cope with them. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Indeed, our problems, difficulties and miseries should prod even more to go to God. Yes, we can express our pains to him, even complain to him, but we should never sacrifice our faith and trust in him, knowing that God takes care of everything, especially those things that we ourselves cannot take care anymore due to our limitations.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-41977437273878275092024-03-13T06:30:00.001+08:002024-03-13T06:30:00.139+08:00God never leaves us<span style="font-size: medium;">THAT passage from the Book of Isaiah that has become very popular among many people deserves to be indelibly printed in our mind and heart, especially when we are going through some rough times in our life. “Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee.” (Is 49,15) </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Yes, God never abandons us! Even if it strongly seems otherwise, we should just let our faith prevail and stick to the truth that God never abandons us. And more than not abandoning, he helps us. We should be wary of our tendency to be overcome by the negative thought that God would be abandoning us. That would be a tragedy for us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> When we find ourselves in great difficulties and we seem to be helpless, we should just drill into ourselves this truth of our faith: God never abandons us. God loves us. He takes care of everything, including those things that we cannot anymore handle. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should not allow our feelings of sadness to be so dominant and pervasive that we shut off God’s many and often mysterious ways of helping us. If we do not pose a deliberate impediment to God’s ways, there is always hope. In our darkest moments, some light will always come piercing and dispelling the darkness away. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> That is why it is important that we always nourish and strengthen our faith-driven hope. Given our condition of pilgrim here on earth, we should make sure that we be guided by hope so we can manage to be always on the move toward our ultimate, spiritual and supernatural goal. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should not get distracted or entangled by our earthly affairs, whether good or bad, for as the Letter to Hebrews would put it: “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” (13,14) Thus, we have to strengthen our hope always. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Hope is first of all not just a virtue that we produce, cultivate or keep ourselves. It is first of all a gift of God, given to us in abundance. It is the gift of Christ himself who, by the Holy Spirit, is made present in us through his words, his sacraments, his Church. All we have to do is to correspond to this wonderful reality as vigorously as possible. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to strengthen our faith in God’s constant love for us. As dramatized in the parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep, God will always take the initiative to look for us if we happen to be lost. And if we would be like the prodigal son, we should not hesitate to return to God who is all eager to receive us no matter how unworthy we feel ourselves to be. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should have a good control of our emotions and our other human faculties that certainly cannot cope with all the mysteries of our life so that these do not give problems to our faith and trust in God’s ways. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And, yes, we have to learn to suffer. In this life, there is no other way but to suffer. This is simply the consequence of all the sins of men. But if we unite our suffering with that of Christ, we can look forward also to our resurrection and victory over sin and death with Christ. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Yes, God never leaves us!
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-59728449780759722722024-03-12T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-12T05:30:00.245+08:00The danger of being trapped by our human laws<span style="font-size: medium;">WE, of course, need laws. Otherwise, our world would be in chaos. But we have to learn the different kinds of laws and know the importance, coverage and effectiveness of these laws. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Offhand, we can distinguish between divine law and human law, the natural law, which more or less governs the material order of our life and the world in general, and the moral law that looks into the spiritual and supernatural dimensions of our human acts. There are, of course, many other subsets of these general laws. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> At the outset, what we have to be clear about is that our human laws should try their best to reflect the spirit of the divine law which is the source of all laws. This is where some tricky things will have to be dealt with as best that we can. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> That’s because the divine law would always contain some mysteries that would be challenging for us to decipher in a precise way. Thus, we have to be wary of considering our human laws as containing the final say or judgment about everything. They can only go so far, and they are always in need of regular updating, enrichment and the like. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> To know, for example, the relationship between truth and charity, justice and mercy would require not only the power of our rationality but also the power of God’s grace, the power of faith. It requires nothing less than pursuing in a vital way the goal of identifying ourselves with God in Christ who, in the end, is the pattern of our humanity since we are God’s image and likeness, sharers of his divine life and nature. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> So, we have to be wary of the danger of being trapped by our human laws. That’s when we consider these laws as the ultimate guide of our life. When these human laws miss or even just loosen their necessary connection with God, the ultimate lawgiver, there is no way but for them to fall into some kind of legalism. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This danger was shown quite often during the time of Christ on earth. He was often accused of violating the Sabbath law because he did some miraculous cures on that Sabbath day when the law then specified that the Sabbath day should strictly be a day of rest where no work, not even caring for the sick, would be allowed. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> That was what happened when Christ cured a paralytic who was waiting for his turn to get into miraculous water of the pool of Bethesda. (cfr. Jn 5,1-16) We may find that episode funny now, but it happened many times before and similar cases continue to happen up to now. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We need to see to it that our legal system is always vitally connected to the divine law, to an intimate relation with God in Christ who, being the very personification of love, fulfills all law, just as St. Paul said: “Love does not wrong to a neighbor; therefore love (Christ) is the fulfilment of the law.” (Rom 13,10) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to be wary when we make, interpret and apply our laws without this necessary spirit of Christ. When we would just depend on our human estimation of things, we cannot help but fall into some anomalies, inconsistencies and the like. We really need to acknowledge our need for God in Christ in anything that has to do with our human laws.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-69067361494088555122024-03-11T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-11T05:30:00.239+08:00With God we have every reason to be happy<span style="font-size: medium;">SINCE God takes care of everything, even in our worst conditions, we have no reason to worry for long and every reason to be happy instead. While we cannot avoid pains and sorrows, we also know, if we truly have God in our heart and we enter into an intimate relation with him, that everything will always work out for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28) </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should just strengthen our faith in God who always takes care of us, especially in those situations when we would find ourselves already at wit’s end. For this to happen, we should see to it that we know how to be aware of God’s presence and constant interventions in our life. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In the gospel of the Mass for Monday of the 4th Week of Lent (cfr. Jn 4,43-54) we are presented with the example of the great faith of a certain ruler in Capernaum whose son was gravely sick. Even if Christ did not have to go to see the son, he simply believed what Christ told him—that if he had faith, his son would be cured. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This incident is proof of how God is most eager to help us. More than that, God is eager to share what he has with us, since we are supposed to share his life and nature. To be blunt about it, we can say that God shares even his very powers with us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This, of course, would depend on how strong our faith is, on how receptive we are to what God wants to share with us. And knowing how God is all good, we have reason to conclude that God puts no limits on what he wants to share with us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The real problem in this regard is us. Our faith and receptivity are not that strong and abiding. Before this reality about God’s loving concern for us, we behave like little children who just want to play around, unmindful of the many great things God is willing to share with us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We, of course, as we grow more in knowledge and maturity, try to cooperate with God’s will and ways. But our cooperation is often erratic. That is why we have to come up with a certain plan where we grow in our awareness of God’s presence and interventions in our life. More than that, we should grow in our capacity to cooperate with God’s will and ways. This can only happen if our strong faith in God is translated into hope and charity. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should see to it that as much as possible we always feel the joy of being in union with God. It should be a joy that would make us active and energetic to do a lot of good things. It should be a joy that would enable us to face any situation in our life. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> When we feel sluggish, lazy or sad, it’s a clear sign that we are not with God as we should, that we are not corresponding to his will and ways. Let’s remember that more than us, it is God who actually directs and shapes our life. Ours is simply to follow him as knowingly, freely and lovingly as possible. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Again, we have to remind ourselves that Christian life is a happy life even if it also would involve a lot of suffering, challenges and difficulties, for which we just have to learn how to be patient the way Christ bore all the sufferings due to the sins of all men.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-53491425803182373632024-03-09T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-09T05:30:00.245+08:00Reason to rejoice in Lent<span style="font-size: medium;">THE 4th Sunday of Lent is usually dubbed as “Laetare Sunday” for the simple reason that its Entrance Antiphon starts with this passage from the Book of Isaiah (66,10), “Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breast.” </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Indeed, we have every reason to rejoice even in this season of Lent, marked as it is by calls to penance, fasting and abstinence, because in the end we are assured of victory over sin and death itself due to the redemptive work of Christ. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should not lose sight of this truth of faith and neither should we lose our Christian confidence even as we cannot avoid going through the rigors of all the penitential acts encouraged of us these days. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In fact, only in this way would we be most generous in joining Christ in his suffering, convinced that it is through this suffering that we can also partake of his victory over sin and death which should give us a great joy, since it can only mean total liberation from what is not proper for us. It is through this suffering that we recover our true dignity as children of God, sharers of his divine life and nature. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to learn to capture the intimate link between suffering and joy by meditating deeply on the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. If we would finally understand the reason why Christ had to suffer and die, then we would know why our suffering and eventual death, if we go through them with Christ, would give us great joy. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Not only would we lose our fear for any suffering in our life, but also would we look forward to any suffering that can come our way. That’s because we would be convinced that precisely our suffering and death with and in Christ would constitute as our supreme act of love, a love that is a vital participation of the love of Christ for us. It’s this kind of love, the only true love, that would give us true and everlasting joy. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Somehow this piece of divine wisdom which, if considered only by our human estimation of things, would appear to us to be unacceptable, is played out in the gospel of the day. (cfr. Jn 3,14-21) There, we are assured that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to understand then that only with Christ can we find joy in suffering. We need to process this truth of our faith thoroughly, always asking for God’s grace and training all our powers and faculties to adapt to this reality. That’s why Christ told us clearly that if we want to follow him, we simply have to deny ourselves, carry the cross and follow him. There’s no other formula, given our wounded human condition. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Our reaction to any form of suffering in this life should therefore be theological and ascetical. It should be guided and inspired by faith. It should not just be physical or a natural affair. It should reflect the spiritual and supernatural realities to which we are all subject. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Everyday let us find ways of deepening our understanding and appreciation of this truth of our faith, and also of acquiring the capacity to live it as fully as possible, until we can truly say that we are finding joy in our suffering.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-92013387247128055202024-03-08T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-08T05:30:00.243+08:00God begs us to return to him<span style="font-size: medium;">IMAGINE that! The giver of all good things, who is already all perfect and from whom nothing would be lost if we would not only mind him but also offend him, makes this appeal for us to return to him. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This goodness of God was expressed in the first reading of the Mass for Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent (cfr. Hosea 14,2-10) when we hear from him these words addressed to the chosen people of Israel: “Return, O Israel, to the Lord thy God: for thou hast fallen down by thy iniquity.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> God’s love and magnanimity really knows no limits. This is truly what pure love is which we are supposed to channel also in our lives, since we supposed to be God’s image and likeness, sharers of his divine life and nature. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Let’s remember how St. Paul described love: “Love is patient, love 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 easily 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) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And Christ commanded us to love in this way. When asked what the greatest commandment was, the clear answer was: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Mk 12,30-31) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Christ himself personified this love by following the will of his Father by becoming man and saving us through his passion, death and resurrection. He now commands us to love one another as he himself has loved us and continues to love us. (cfr. Jn 13,34) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to realize then that for us to return to God, we have to love the way God loves us, and the way Christ embodied that love. This is what God is begging of us, and we should just try our best to learn to love the way it should be. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It obviously is a tremendous challenge for us, given the way we are. But we are actually given all the means so that we can truly live that kind of love. All we have to do is first of all to humble ourselves so that the seed of faith can start to grow and can lead us to have hope in spite of the difficulties we encounter in life, and eventually to capture the essence of charity. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This humbling of ourselves may mean that we start forgetting more and more of ourselves and think more and more of God and the others. A true lover gives himself more and more to his beloved, irrespective of how the beloved reacts to his love. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Hopefully, this humbling of ourselves would fill us more and more with the spirit of Christ who is the only one who can empower us to love as we should. Let’s see to it that everytime we say sorry for whatever mistake, failure or sin we commit, we can get the sensation that we are putting ourselves on the path of charity. There should at least be a lessening of anguish, fear, sorrow. Joy and peace should prevail!
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-8258571884574383872024-03-07T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-07T05:30:00.132+08:00Let’s learn to listen to God’s voice<span style="font-size: medium;">THIS is definitely a necessity for us. We have to learn to listen to the voice of God who actually intervenes in our life all the time, prompting us about what to think, desire, speak and do. And that’s simply because our life is supposed to be a life with God. We, as God’s image and likeness, are meant to share God’s life and nature, without erasing the distinction between God as Creator and us as creatures. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We need to realize that failing to listen to God’s voice in an abiding way undermines our humanity, and there’s no other way for us to go than to fall into some anomaly. About this truth we are reminded in the readings of the Mass for Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent. (cfr. Jer 7,28-28 / Ps 95,1-2.6-7.8-9 / Lk 11,14-23) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In the first reading, we are told of how God begged the people to listen to him. “This thing I commanded them, saying: Hearken to my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people: and walk ye in all the way that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> But they refused, and so the inevitable happened. “They hearkened not, nor inclined their ear: but walked in their own will, and in the perversity of their wicked heart: and went backward and not forward…” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The responsorial psalm presents to us God’s appeal to all of us, to which we should try our best to correspond the best way we can. “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The gospel spells to us in no uncertain terms what would happen to us if we are not with the Lord. “He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathers not with me, scatters.” That’s simply the way the cookie crumbles. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We really need to learn how to listen to God’s voice, discerning his will and ways in an abiding way. In this we should not be sparing in our effort to pursue it. Definitely, it will require of us a lot of discipline, given the way we are, dominated as we are most of the time merely by what we can get through our senses, emotions and our very limited capacity to know and understand things. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to feel more and more at home with the truth that we are meant to be real contemplatives even as we immerse ourselves in our earthly and temporal affairs. It should encourage to pursue this effort when we realize more deeply that we are meant to share not only the knowledge of God but also, and more importantly, the very power of God as shown to us by Christ who was willing to bear everything just to save us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to learn to be both active and contemplative in our life. Active in the sense that we immerse ourselves as deeply as possible in the dynamic of earthly and temporal affairs, while also contemplative in the sense that in all these affairs, we see God, we are driven by love for God and everybody else, we get to know, love and serve him and everybody else. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It’s an ideal that definitely is not easy to achieve. But we have our whole life to develop it, and we actually are also given all the means to attain it. It just depends on us as to whether we want to have that ideal or not. We are actually wired and equipped for that ideal, since that’s how God created us.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-15491577039129783592024-03-06T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-06T05:30:00.131+08:00Beware of the danger of worldly entrapment<span style="font-size: medium;">THIS worldly entrapment is actually a clear and present danger. But the intriguing part is that hardly anyone is aware of it. Many of us allow ourselves to be caught in the widening web of the modern technologies which, while offering us a lot of conveniences, also hook us into the dynamic of self-indulgence, with love for God and the others practically thrown out of the window. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We are reminded somehow of this danger in the readings of the Mass for Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent (Dt 4,1.5-9; Mt 5,17-19) where we are strongly told to give priority to following the commandments of God which actually give us the proper condition for us to be in this life. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In the first reading, a prophet told the people of Israel, “Give heed to the statutes and ordinances which I teach you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, gives you.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And in the gospel of the day, we hear Christ telling the crowd who followed him, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them.” These words clearly tell us where we can find the fulfillment of the law proper to us—it’s in following Christ. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should train ourselves to have as our abiding and strongest passion, as our most precious treasure, the need and urge to be intimate with Christ. We actually cannot afford to be without Christ. The only thing to expect in that condition is to get into some form of disaster! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This will, of course, require of us a lot of effort, a tremendous dose of faith, hope and charity, to contend with our usual feeling of doubt and awkwardness with respect to this need of ours. But, to be sure, it would all be worthwhile! We just have to humble ourselves and remind ourselves to always pray, to always do things with Christ and for Christ. We should not take this most basic need of ours for granted. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We cannot deny that especially nowadays, the lure and the hook of worldly entrapment that has as its bait the many wonderful technologies we are having these days, can be so overpowering that we can feel helpless before this phenomenon. We really need a lot of discipline to put ourselves always in God’s presence and to consciously follow his will and commandments. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In this we have to help one another. We cannot afford to be casual anymore to this need. All around us are many cases of people in certain types of addiction, obsessions and other forms of bondage. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Even those who appear to be good and saintly-looking can be in the grip of some of these forms of bondage, usually hidden and well covered by all sorts of justifications and rationalizations. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It has to be made clear to everyone that what is proper to us is to have God first and everything else would just follow in their proper order of importance. Let’s never forget that we are meant to be always with God. Our life, given the way we have been created, cannot but be a sharing in God’s life and nature. To stay away from him would be a fundamental anomaly that would have bad consequences for everything else in our life. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should therefore give priority to our spiritual needs of prayer, recourse to the sacraments, development of virtues, the habit of having presence of God always, doing everything with God and for God, etc.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-48835569083262077632024-03-05T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-05T05:30:00.135+08:00God’s mercy is stronger than our sinfulness<span style="font-size: medium;">THE readings of the Mass for Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent, (Daniel 3,25.34-43; Mt 18,21-35) which this year falls on March 5, remind us that we are all sinners, but God’s mercy is always available if we only do our part of repentance and conversion. Also, the gospel, in particular, highlights the point that in our relation among ourselves, we should be as merciful with each other as God is with us. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> With respect to our unavoidable sinfulness, we should avoid over-reacting. What we should immediately do is to go to God, asking for forgiveness, promising some amendment and reparation for our sins, and when able, to go to confession. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should avoid staying too long keeping some guilt-feelings and sadness in our heart. These conditions are not good for us. They are harmful, and worse, they can be like wedges that make more openings for temptations to come to us. We should get rid of these feelings as soon as possible. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The ideal condition is always for us be at peace with God and with everybody else. We have to ooze with our faith-based confidence. The moment we feel some disturbance in our heart, we should act quickly to seek relief through God’s mercy. Remember St. Paul saying, “Where sin abounded, grace did more abound.” (Rom 5,20) He is slow to anger and quick to forgive. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> God is always a father to us. He will always understand us and do everything to help us. Before him, we are like little children who cannot avoid making a mess around. Let’s remember that we have to contend not only with our own weaknesses, but also with powerful evil spiritual enemies. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Let’s just strengthen our sense of divine filiation, that is, that we are all children of an infinitely good and merciful father who will do everything to bring us back to him. His justice is never without mercy. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Whenever we feel the sting of our weaknesses and sinfulness, together with their antecedents and consequences, their causes and effects, let’s never forget to consider also God’s mercy that is always given to us, and, in fact, given to us abundantly. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Acknowledging our faults and sinfulness does us a lot of good. It deepens our humility, very crucial in our life for without it, practically no other virtue develops in us. It keeps us simple and prevents us from falling into complications, since we would then have no need to come up with a web of excuses, rationalizations and other unnecessary self-defense mechanisms. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Acknowledging our faults and sinfulness leads us to have a working spirit of penance that purifies us and makes up for them. It puts us in the proper condition for further spiritual growth. It gives us greater intimacy with God and closer relationship with others. We would become more objective and fair in our views and outlook, since acknowledging our own faults, defects and sinfulness would make us more understanding towards others. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to learn to be quick to say sorry to God and to run to him once we feel the sting of our weaknesses and defects, and especially when we fall. We should end our day with an examination of conscience that concludes with that word so endearing to God: Sorry. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Given this fact of life about ourselves, we should also be merciful with one another, willing to bear the burden of the others, just as Christ did for all of us on the cross. This is actually how we become more and more Christ-like which is the ideal goal of our life.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-24746760090317920942024-03-04T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-04T05:30:00.139+08:00Faith should always guide our reason<span style="font-size: medium;">THAT Bible story about that Syrian general, Naaman, who was a leper, (2 Kings 5,1-15) and the gospel reading about Christ reproaching the people in the synagogue for not believing the prophets (cfr. Lk 4,24-30) remind us that while we have to make full use of our reason, it should always be guided by faith, it should always bow to faith when at a certain point we are made to choose between our faith and our reason. These are the readings of the Mass of Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> As the Naaman story went, he was at first hesitant to believe what the prophet Eliseus told him, that is, for him to wash 7 times in the River Jordan. He expected that Eliseus would go to him and, invoking God, would heal him. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> “Are not the Abana, and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean?,” Naaman complained. But his servants managed to convince him to follow what the prophet told him. And when he did, he was made clean. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The gospel story simply reiterates the same point. Christ told the people in the synagogue of their usual tendency when they would prefer to listen to their own reasoning and estimation of things than to what the prophets would tell them. “No prophet is accepted in his own country,” he lamented, and proceeded to tell them that only those who believed the prophet got their favors granted. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to realize very deeply that our reason always needs the light of faith. Being the human faculty we use to know and later to love, our reason just cannot be beholden to the data provided by our senses and our own understanding of things. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> That would confine our reasoning to the world of the sensible and the intelligible, that is, to the world of matter and of ideas. Thus conditioned, our reason cannot go beyond those levels and would miss the world of the spiritual and the supernatural. It would get trapped in some subjective mode as opposed to what is entirely objective. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It’s important that we do some disciplining to our reasoning because it tends to get contented only with the sensible and the intelligible in the many forms that they come and attract us. It can willingly let itself be held hostage by these dimensions of reality. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We know that our reason does not create the truth. It does not create the reality. It can only apprehend, reflect, process and transmit the truth and reality. It will always depend on a reality that is outside and independent of itself. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And reality just cannot be sensible and intelligible. A lot more goes into it than what our senses can perceive and our intelligence can discern and understand. Our reason itself, if used properly, can acknowledge that at the limits of its capability, it can discern a world that is beyond the physical and the ideal. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This is where we need to humble ourselves, a predicament that many of us find hard to resolve. We tend to hold on to our own ideas and the facts and data that we can manage to gather, guided mainly by our senses and intellect. In short, we make our own selves, and to be more specific, our own senses and intellect, to be our own sole guide, our own god.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-64808275276184051082024-03-02T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-02T05:30:00.153+08:00Zeal for all the things of God<span style="font-size: medium;">THIS is what we can learn from that gospel episode of Christ driving those who converted the temple into a market place (cfr. Jn 2,13-25), which is the gospel reading for the Mass of the 3rd Sunday of Lent. We need to develop this zeal because otherwise our heart can only be captured by earthly things that in the end would lead us nowhere. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> With respect to the things of God, be they churches, liturgical items, sacred books, sacraments, means of formation, etc., we should see to it that there is that constant zeal that would let us consider them as our real treasures. Anything that would undermine these things should stir in us some passionate reaction to defend, protect and uphold them. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should be wary of that common tendency of ours to be just casual about the things of God. Christ himself warned us about this danger when in that gospel cited above, he said, referring to those who claimed they believed in him, that he did not believe them. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> “But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature,” says the gospel. He was referring, of course, to the fickleness of our human condition. Thus, we should be wary of this fact of life and do our best to do something about it. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Indeed, we need to exert effort, we need to educate our feelings and emotions, training them to consider the things of God to be our most precious treasure, for which we should be willing to sacrifice everything else when necessary. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In our relation with God and the things directly related to him, we have to involve not only our spiritual faculties but also the basic element of our humanity which are our feelings, our emotions and passions. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Our Catechism tells us that our emotions and passions are “movements of the sensitive appetite that incline us to act or not to act in regard to something felt or imagined to be good or evil.” (1763) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> As such, we can say that our emotions and passions play an important and crucial role in our life. And that’s why we have to take pains in forming them well. We just cannot be complacent with this responsibility. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In fact, the Catechism tells us that our emotions and passions are “natural components of the human psyche; they form the passageway and ensure the connection between the life of the senses and the life of mind.” (1764) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Our emotions and passions therefore serve as a link between our body and soul. They are where we materialize what is spiritual in us, and spiritualize what is material in us. As such, they create a rich texture in our lives. They create the consistency proper to us as a person and as a child of God. They also help to give focus on our judgments, modulate our will, and add sensitivity to our reasoning. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In other words, they play a decisive role in achieving a happy and fully human life. They contribute to achieving the full potentials of our humanity. But given the wounded condition of man, our emotions and passions need to be purified and thoroughly educated. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> They should not be allowed to just develop at the instance of our hormones and instincts, for example, and the many other blind or short-sighted impulses and trends in our social, cultural, economic, or political environment. They need to be reined in, to be guided and given direction.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-80312472784736497592024-03-01T05:30:00.001+08:002024-03-01T05:30:00.133+08:00Christ wants us to be productive<span style="font-size: medium;">THE gospel of the Mass of Friday of the 2nd Week of Lent (cfr. Mt 21,33-43.45-46) reminds us that Christ wants us to be fruitful and productive, making use of everything that he has given us—our life, our talents, and the many other gifts that we have. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The gospel also tells us that failing to be fruitful and productive is tantamount to nothing less than rejecting Christ. We should be wary therefore of our tendency to be lazy, to waste time, and to pursue useless and even harmful things. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Fruitfulness and productiveness here refer more to the spiritual and moral fruitfulness, a bountiful growth in our love of God and of others, than of mere material productiveness. More than profitability in terms of money and other earthly standards, our fruitfulness should be measured according to the growth in our own sanctity. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> At the end of each day, we should be able to present to God something like a report card or a balance sheet that hopefully shows some improvement or growth in the virtues like charity, faith, hope, fortitude, patience, etc. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> No matter how small or seemingly insignificant, we should be able to tell Our Lord, “Today, Lord, I am happy to say that I managed to hold my temper amid an irritating incident, or to be more understanding of an annoying person, or to be more patient and persevering in pursuing a goal, etc.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Yes, everyday, we should be keenly aware that we need to be fruitful and productive. That’s simply because even from the beginning of our creation in Adam and Even, this has always been God’s will for us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it,” (Gen 1,28) God told our first parents, clearly outlining his mandate to them. It’s a mandate that continues to be repeated up to now. Christ himself said as much. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In his parable of the three servants (cfr. Mt 25,14-30), for example, a master clearly told each one to trade with the amount given to them. He was happy with the first two who gained as much as was given. But he was mad at the third one who did nothing with the amount given. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to realize that God has already given us everything that we need, not only to survive but also to improve our lot that ultimately translates into realizing the fullness of our dignity as image and likeness of God, as children of his. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In this regard, we truly should be most enterprising, coming up with daily plans and strategies such that at the end of the day, when we make our examination of conscience, we can show God that we have gained something, and that the daily balance sheet of our spiritual life is in the black, not in the red. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to realize that the capitalization of this enterprise cannot be any better. God has given us everything—life, talents, intelligence, freedom, all kinds of capacities, his graces, etc. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And even if we commit mistakes or we fall into sin, no matter how grave, his mercy is always available. It’s really just up to us to make use of what is all there for the taking. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to assume the attitude of a shrewd businessman who is keen in discovering new possibilities of making money and expanding his business. Thus, in our spiritual life, in our relationship with God and with others, we should never say enough in loving them! We can always love them more.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-5174261388369951912024-02-29T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-29T05:30:00.187+08:00Honing our concern for the poor<span style="font-size: medium;">THAT parable of the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, (cfr. Lk 16,19-31) which is the subject of the gospel of the Mass for Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent, strongly reminds us of our duty to always take care of those who are in need of anything, not only material necessities but also and especially, moral and spiritual ones. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Said in another way, it reminds us of the danger, so common among ourselves, to be so trapped in our own affairs, in our own status or in our own world, that we become insensitive to the needs of others. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> While it’s true that we have to take care of our own selves, it’s never an excuse for not attending to the needs of others. In fact, we need to realize that our true self-care can only take place when we take care of our duties, first to God, and then to others. Thus, if we truly want to take care of ourselves, we have to take care of our duties to God first, and then our duties to the others. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Indeed, we need to make some special effort to assume this kind of mindset since it cannot be denied that given our human condition, weakened and wounded as it is by all kinds of limitations, temptations and sins, the usual thing to happen is for us to be self-centered and self-indulgent. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should see to it that our thoughts and intentions always revolve around God and the others. The moment we notice that they are revolving around ourselves, we should try our best to correct ourselves. We need to convince ourselves that by so doing, we are actually gaining in our human dignity, rather than undermining or losing it. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Thus, constant practice in this direction is a must, given the fact that everything around us sort of pressure us to be self-centered. This indeed will require of us a life-long struggle. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Definitely, some sacrifice in one form or another would be unavoidable. And we should not be surprised by that. On the contrary, we have to understand that for us to be truly human and a child of God as we should be, we need to do some sacrifice. Again, given our wounded human condition in this world, we cannot help but have to make sacrifices to pursue and keep our proper human and Christian dignity. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> So, everyday we should be aware that we are making some sacrifices which is always possible, because even in our worst condition, as when we are sick or isolated for one reason or another, we can always make the sacrifice of thinking and offering prayers for the others instead of just thinking of ourselves. Our sacrifice can start in our thoughts and intentions. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We also need to realize that while we should try our best to help others in their needs, we have to give priority to those whose needs are truly grave, and that is always in the area of their spiritual and moral life. They may be rich economically, but if they are truly wanting of spiritual and moral health, they deserve our utmost attention and care. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This would indeed require of us a certain toughness that would enable us not to be scandalized by whatever sinful things they commit and to be somehow dirtied due to our accompaniment with them. But we should just persist until we manage to lead them back to God and recover their proper human and Christian dignity.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-46562011762612461472024-02-28T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-28T05:30:00.256+08:00Let’s learn to stand up to suffering<span style="font-size: medium;">SINCE suffering in one form or another is inevitable in our life here on earth, we should know how to handle it such that we can and should even derive something good from it. The secret, of course, is to go through any suffering with Christ. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Only then can our suffering acquire a positive value, since it can only strengthen us, purify us and win us our own redemption. Indeed, suffering, if experienced with Christ, can teach us many precious things that we often take for granted. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We are reminded of this truth of our Christian faith in the readings of the Mass on Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Lent. The first reading, from the Book of Jeremiah, (18,18-20) talks about how some evil men plotted against Jeremiah out of disbelief about what the prophet was telling the people. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> These men, with their own idea of righteousness, just could not believe what Jeremiah was saying, a phenomenon that continues to take place even up to now. There are just some who are so fixated with their own estimation of things that they automatically dismiss whatever may even seem to contradict their estimation. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The gospel (cfr. Mt 20,17-28) talks about Christ warning his disciples of the impending suffering he was going to have. And the rather amusing twist in this gospel is that in spite of the serious tone of that impending suffering of Christ, we, in the person of the mother of James and John, tend to think only of our own glorification without the cross. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to understand that suffering will always be around in our life. And we should learn how to lose the fear of it. That’s because if we believe in Christ and follow what he has taught and shown us , we will realize that there actually is nothing to be afraid of suffering and even of death. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> He bore them himself and converted them into our way for our own salvation. Yes, even death which is the ultimate evil that can befall us, an evil that is humanly insoluble. With Christ’s death, the curse of death has been removed. “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 15,54-55) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> So, we just have to be sport and cool about the whole reality of suffering and death. What we need to do is to follow Christ in his attitude toward them. For Christ, embracing suffering and ultimately death, is the expression of his greatest love for us. We have to enter into the dynamic of this divine logic and wisdom so we can lose that fear of suffering and death. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Yes, we need to discover and appreciate the link between suffering and loving. The two need not go against each other. In fact, they have to go together if we want our suffering to be meaningful and fruitful. And we have a way to do that. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> By uniting our suffering with the passion and death of Christ on the cross, the vital link between suffering and loving is established. The sting of suffering and death is removed, and the guarantee of our resurrection and our victory over death, sin and all forms of evil that cause us suffering is made. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We just have to learn to be sport about our unavoidable condition of suffering in this life and adapt the proper attitude and reactions that should be inspired by our Christian faith. We have to educate our senses, feelings and emotions according to the indications of our faith and the recourse to the sacraments. By developing a life of authentic piety, we can hack it!
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-78027905696740919642024-02-27T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-27T05:30:00.130+08:00The crucial role of humility in our life<span style="font-size: medium;">“THE greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt 23,11-12) </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Words of Christ, addressed to his disciples and now to us, that clearly tell us about the crucial role of humility in our life. It’s the virtue that would truly make us great, since it would liken us to Christ who made himself a servant of all of us, and whose humility, expressed all the way to the cross, led to the victory of his resurrection, opening the door of our salvation. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We need to do everything to keep ourselves humble, especially in these rapidly changing times when all sorts of complexities and complications keep growing. Humility enables us to be flexible and adaptable to the varying environments and circumstances of our life, while anchoring us in the foundation of our Christian faith. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Indeed, humility fosters our capacity to be more keenly discerning in a world that is becoming less and less black and white, and more and more grey and multi-colored, with all sorts of shades and nuances to contend with. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> With humility, we would be willing, like Christ, to be misunderstood, to suffer, etc., if only to keep ourselves in the hold of charity and mercy that in the end are what truly matter in our life. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In other words, humility assures us to have the righteousness proper to us, the righteousness that channels the very righteousness of God, and not the righteousness akin to that of the scribes and Pharisees of old. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It’s a humility that enables us to be slow to judge as well as to anger, but quick to forgive and even willing to bear the consequences of whatever mistakes, injustices and all sorts of evil that others may inflict on us. It’s even willing to repair whatever damage is caused by the mistakes of others. It’s what makes us generous and magnanimous in our relation with others, irrespective of how they are to us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It helps us to be constant and persevering in pursuing our real goals in life despite some adverse or unfavorable situations and circumstances, knowing what and how to give up certain things that may need to be given up, but never sacrificing what is truly essential in life which, in the end, is to be charitable with everyone. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Yes, humility helps preserve whatever goodness we have, whatever we have received from God. And if we happen to lose that goodness, it is also what helps us to recover it, since it facilitates our asking for forgiveness and our trust in God’s ever-available mercy. It keeps us always hopeful and confident, despite our limitations and our errors. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We need to understand that humility involves giving our will to the will of God. It is a giving away that actually is not a loss at all but an immense gain for us. That’s because that is how we have been created, how we have been designed. Without God, like a branch cut off from the vine, we just die and are capable only of doing evil. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And precisely because Christ did only what his Father commanded him to do, he managed to recover us from the state of sin and restore us to the state of grace. How truly important it is to be humble! It is what would enable us to obey God’s will, and to do so irrespective of the great cost in terms of suffering it may involve.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-14172288525715797482024-02-26T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-26T05:30:00.129+08:00Be always merciful and not judgmental<span style="font-size: medium;">THAT’S what Christ told his disciples. (cfr. Lk 6,36-38) “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.” </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This does not mean that we are not meant to make some judgements and some condemnation. We are actually designed by God himself to judge things because that is how we begin to know. Together with those judgements is the possibility of some condemnation, since we really need to reject what we know is truly wrong and evil. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We just have to realize that our judgments and condemnations can never be final, since only God can do that. And that’s because only God knows everything thoroughly, while our knowledge of things, the basis for our judgements and possible condemnations, can only go so far. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In other words, while we try to be as clear as black and white in our worldview, we should never forget that there are many grey areas also that we need to handle with utmost care, delicacy and discernment. And because of that, we have to withhold our final judgements. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This is indeed a most tricky thing to carry out, because while we have to make judgements, we have to know also up to where our judgements can go. And we are told by Christ himself that given this condition of ours we should just have to be merciful the way God in Christ showed mercy to all of us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And how was Christ merciful to all of us? First of all, being the son of God, he emptied himself to become man. That way, he already adapted himself to our wounded, sinful condition. He identified himself with us so that we would have a way to identify ourselves with him. He preached the truth about God and about ourselves. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> He gave preferential attention to the sick, that is, the sinners. He was always ready to forgive, his mercy and compassion having no limits—“not only seven times, but seventy times seven times,” he said. (Mt 18,22) He taught about loving the enemy and lived it. He did not mind all the insults and mockeries that were poured on him just to accomplish his mission of saving us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And in the end, he assumed all our sins without committing sin by dying on the cross. In that way, he dealt death to all our sins, and with his resurrection he offered us a way for our own salvation and reconciliation with our Father God. He was thoroughly magnanimous. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This is the ideal we should try our best, with God’s grace, to aim at. This, of course, will be a lifelong, let alone overwhelming, effort and process. But it can be done. And it would be good if we can start it as soon as we can. God waits for us to learn this virtue. And to be sure, he provides us with all that is needed in this regard. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> On our part, we have to exert the effort to widen our heart so as to resemble it with the merciful heart of Christ. Everyday, we have to practice to detach our heart from the clutches of our own likes and dislikes, the very earth-and-flesh-bound condition of our physical, emotional and intellectual dynamics, so that it can conform itself to the universal heart of Christ, full of mercy and compassion. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to be wary of the danger of being pharisaical in our judgements.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-31526098415285744002024-02-24T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-24T05:30:00.132+08:00Becoming more and more like Christ<span style="font-size: medium;">THE gospel episode about the Transfiguration of the Lord (cfr. Mk 9,2-10) reminds us that like Christ we are meant to be transfigured in our definitive state of life in heaven for all eternity. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This is, of course, a very incredible truth of faith about ourselves. It definitely requires tremendous faith from us. That’s why, in the first reading of the Mass of the 2nd Sunday of Lent, (cfr. Gen 22,1-2.9a.10-13.15-18) we are told about the great faith of Abraham who believed what was told him no matter how incredible the messages God gave him were. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We also are given a reassurance of why this faith is all worthwhile in spite of its incredible character in the 2nd reading (cfr. Rom 8,31-34) where St. Paul tells us, “If God be for us, who is against us? He that spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how has he not also with him given us all things.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In the face of such a tremendous truth of our faith about ourselves, we should just say, Amen, so be it, Lord. If that is what you want us to be, who are we to question? Let’s also remember that faith of Mary when she was told she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Even if she did not fully understand how it was going to be, she just said, “Be it done to me, according to your word.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Let’s not waste time analyzing too much this supernatural truth about ourselves that will always be a mystery to us. Let us just do our best in pursuing the goal of our earthly life to become more and more like Christ. Thus, at the end of each day, as we make some kind of accounting as to how our day went, we should ask ourselves, “Is there some progress or growth in my pursuit to become more and more like Christ today?” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to be clear about this point. We are meant to assume the identity of Christ. And that is not a gratuitous, baseless assertion, much less, a fiction or a fantasy. It is founded on a fundamental truth of our faith that we have been created by God in his own image and likeness. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And this truth of faith has been vividly shown to us since it is acted out in the whole history and economy of salvation that culminated in Christ offering his life and his very own self as the Bread of Life so we can have the eternal life with him, and so that he and us can be one. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to arrive at that point where we can make St. Paul’s words as our own too: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” (Gal 2,20) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We just have to learn to set aside whatever difficulty or awkwardness we may have in dealing with this basic truth of faith about ourselves. We have to try our best to know Christ and to adapt his very own mind and will, his own ways, behavior and reactions to whatever situation we may find ourselves in.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-53068111270003552682024-02-23T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-23T19:17:59.981+08:00The danger of becoming holier-than-thou<span style="font-size: medium;">WE have to be most careful with this danger which can easily afflict especially those who desire to be good, holy and a firm believer of God. The devil, who can appear to be an angel of light, can with a most subtle deception trip us in our pursuit for holiness. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Thus, in the gospel of Friday of the 1st Week of Lent, (cfr. Mt 5,20-26) we hear Christ saying, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (who were the leading religious people of that time), you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Christ even spelled it our further: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> To be holier-than-thou is to be like those scribes and Pharisees whom Christ reprimanded with some strong words. (cfr. Mt 23) They were quick to judge others and make final, condemnatory judgments of others who did not agree with them. They were hypocrites who were good at preaching but were not practicing what they preached. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> They paid exaggerated attention to little, not-so-significant details while ignoring the most essential part of an issue—what Christ referred to as straining a gnat while swallowing a camel. They regarded themselves as having the exclusive possession of what was right and true. They were rigid in their ways and so literal in their interpretation of laws that they miss the proper spirit behind those laws. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> They thought of themselves as living already in a perfect world, already in heaven, and anything that disturbed that world aroused their final condemnatory judgments. Everything was black and white with them. Tolerance, offering of understanding, compassion and mercy were not known. The gradual struggle to uphold and defend what was right and true was hardly known. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> What Christ rather taught was to love everyone, including the enemies. He never taught us to hate anyone, because hatred only belongs to the devil. The moment we hate, we start playing the game of the devil who can easily take advantage of it to lead us to worse conditions. When we reject the temptations of the devil, it should not be an act of hatred but of prudence. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Remember Christ telling his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well…”(Mt 5,38-40) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It’s definitely a hard teaching to follow, but that is what Christ is telling us. We just have to learn how to be generous and magnanimous in our consideration of the others, no matter how wrong they may be. Christ is showing us what true love is. Love becomes more authentic the more tested it is, the more unlovable the object of our love is! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Christ showed it himself when he bore all the sins of men by going through his passion and death on the cross and conquering all those sins with his resurrection. It’s in the very essence of love to give oneself without measure, without calculation, without expecting any return. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It just gives and gives, even if along the way it encounters difficulties, rejection, suffering. It embraces them, not flee from them. By its nature, it is given gratuitously.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-17904243743996221132024-02-22T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-23T19:14:58.276+08:00The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter<span style="font-size: medium;">FEBRUARY 22 is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter which obviously would bring our attention to the role of the Holy Father in our life. He is the Vicar of Christ on earth. No matter how undeserving we may think of him for that position, as long as he is properly chosen, he speaks and leads with the authority of Christ himself. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This is, of course, a truth of faith. There is no way we can accept this view if we only rely on our human estimation of things, no matter how brilliant we regard that human estimation to be. We should just rely on Christ’s words when he chose St. Peter to be the first Pope of the Church: </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> “I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16,18-19) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We need to strengthen our faith in these words, because times are changing, and the Popes can be teaching us things according to how things are changing. We believe that the Holy Spirit will always guide him. We will be passing through periods that may surprise and confound us. But the invincibility of God’s protection over the Church should not be doubted. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In that controversy of the Fiducia supplicans, we are made to consider how to deal with people who are into same-sex relation. Is it ok to bless them or not? </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> I would say that if they ask for a blessing, it should not be denied, since that is already some kind of sign of at least some faith in the blessing of God. It was clarified that that blessing does not mean approval of their condition. It’s a simple blessing of goodwill that can invite them to take things more seriously that would hopefully lead to their repentance and conversion. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In spite of what we may not like in some of the moves and decisions of the Pope, we have the duty to love him, support and help him in any way we can. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We have to realize that the Pope, whoever he may be, whether Germanic or Latino, is always the Vicar of Christ, or as St. Catherine of Siena would put it, the sweet Christ on earth. He deserves to be loved and followed, his teaching listened to and obeyed. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And that’s mainly because he is vested with the same power that was first given to St. Peter to be the main Shepherd of the Church of God here on earth. Christ has entrusted St. Peter and his successors with the government of his Church to continue Christ’s mission on earth. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Through him we can hear the voice of Christ. In him, in some mysterious way, we have Christ himself, the head of the Church. He is given divine protection. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> He obviously, like any human being, also has his own share of weaknesses and everything else that can arise from these weaknesses. We should not be surprised by this, much less, make a big issue out of it. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We just have to look at St. Peter who was quite impulsive and who denied Christ three times. But then he repented, and by divine order was made the rock on which the Church of Christ is built, with the assurance that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16,18)
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-104829107059125292024-02-21T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-23T19:10:13.901+08:00May we heed the call to repentance<span style="font-size: medium;">THE readings of the Mass of Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent, which this year falls on February 21, invites us to heed the call to repentance and conversion. This need for repentance and conversion is actually a constant need of ours. But given the temper of the times, this call has become very urgent and most necessary, because it looks like it is largely ignored. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In the first reading from the Book of Jonah (3,1-10), we are told about how Jonah was asked by the Lord to warn the great city of Nineveh of an impending destruction that would be wrought on it for some serious reason by the Lord. And the city, from the king down, went through a serious process of repentance and conversion. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And in the responsorial psalm, we are assured that “a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” (Ps 51,17) This assurance should encourage us to go through the process of repentance and conversion as soon as possible, no matter how tedious and challenging, considering it as all worthwhile. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The gospel of the day (cfr. Lk 11,29-32) talks about Christ complaining about “this generation is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” He must have been referring to the hard-headedness of the people of that time with respect to the need for repentance and conversion. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> And we can say that the same hard-headedness can be observed also these days when many of us are so trapped in our earthly and temporal affairs that not only do we ignore the need to refer everything to God, but also deny the need for it. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Many of us would readily say, “What’s wrong with what I’m doing? I’m doing nothing wrong since I’m just looking to earn money, trying to develop my career. My all-time interest in the new technologies is for pursuing what is good for myself and my family, etc.” There can be many other rationalizations. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> What’s obvious is that many of us fail to realize that everything we do here should be for the glory of God, and not just for our own interest. We fail to realize that we are falling to pure self-indulgence. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should never say that we are already good enough. As long as we are still in this world, there is no level in our spiritual life that can be considered as good enough. It’s time we remind ourselves of that old saying, ‘the good is the enemy of the best.’ </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We need to move on always, to continue conquering new frontiers in our spiritual life which is a matter of growing in our love for God and for others. Let’s avoid falling into self-indulgence, complacency and lukewarmness. These will put a stop, or at least to divert us, in our continuing journey toward our eternal home and they do it with lulling and most tricky appeal. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> With love, there is actually no limit. It will continue to make new demands on us, because life itself will also make new challenges and trials on us. Let’s never forget that our life will always be some kind of warfare. We have to contend with many enemies of our soul. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> With every conversion we make, we get closer to God, we grow in his divine wisdom and goodness. No doubt, we get to gain a lot more than what we seem to lose every time we make a conversion. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should always feel the need for repentance and conversion, and especially during this Lenten Season.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-88323763431534137602024-02-20T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-23T19:07:26.581+08:00The power of God’s word<span style="font-size: medium;">WHAT reassuring description we have about God’s word! From the Book of Isaiah in the first reading of the Mass for Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent, we read: “As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, ang give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my words be…” (55,10-11) </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> What should then be our attitude toward the word of God? I would say that basically it should be the same attitude that we have toward God himself. And the reason is this—since God is absolute simplicity with no division, parts or distinction in his being, his word must be his being also, his whole divine substance himself. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We, on our part, make some distinction between God in his being and in his word because that is how we understand things in general. We need to distinguish and analyze things, breaking them into parts, before we can arrive at the whole, integral picture. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In fact, in the Trinitarian nature of God, the Second Person whom we refer as the Son, is described also as the very Word of God, the Divine Word, who is God himself insofar as he perfectly and fully knows himself and all his creation. So, God’s word is God himself! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The word of God which now comes to us with some human and natural instrumentalities through the Gospel or the Sacred Scripture together with Tradition and the Church Magisterium, should be regarded in that light. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Its primary purpose is to bring us back to God. And so more than just giving us some helpful earthly knowledge, it gives us the ultimate spiritual knowledge we need to return to God. This character of God’s word is described in the following words in the Letter to the Hebrews: </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> “For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword, and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (4,12) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Its purely eternal, spiritual, sacred and transcendent nature is now subjected to the conditions of time, culture, history, etc., in view of how we are. But we should not forget that it is primarily purely eternal, spiritual, sacred and transcendent, which with our spiritual powers plus God’s grace we can manage to abstract from its temporal, material, mundane and prosaic condition. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Let’s remember that God became man. With his incarnation, the divine word assumes the nature of a human word. And just as God became man to bring man back to God, his divine word becomes human word to bring and reconcile the latter with the former where it comes from and where it belongs to. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Since God’s word is God himself and God is everything to us, we have to understand that it contains everything for our needs, especially our ultimate need to be with God. All things true, good and beautiful are contained in the word of God. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Thus, insofar as our sciences, arts and technologies contain truths, goodness and beauty, no matter how technical they are, we have to conclude that they also come from God’s word and belong there also. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Anyone who does not acknowledge this truth about our sciences, arts and technologies can be considered ungrateful and presumptuous. We need to overcome the dichotomy that detaches our sciences, arts and technologies from God’s word.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-10846021533644108942024-02-19T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-23T19:04:58.830+08:00The pursuit for holiness<span style="font-size: medium;">THIS business of seeking holiness is something that is commanded of us by God. That is what we can clearly see in first reading of the Mass of Monday of the 1st Week of Lent from the Book of Leviticus. “Be ye holy, because I the Lord your God am holy.” (19,2) </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> That is why God proceeded to spell out the commandments that we have to follow so we can be on the way toward holiness. And the responsorial psalm reinforces that call for holiness by telling us where to find the true life of holiness. “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.” (Jn 6,63) We should have no doubt as to where we can find that true Spirit and life that is meant for us. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The gospel of the day (cfr. Mt 25,31-46) points to us where we can find Christ who offers “the way, the truth and the life” proper to us. It’s not so much in doing big things. Rather it is in taking care of the small ordinary things of the day and in giving attention and care to the poor and needy of our society. “As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> To be holy is actually a matter of becoming a living, functioning part of the body of Christ. That would mean that we become identified with Christ, infused with his spirit of love and conformed to his will and ways. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> To be holy is to be with Christ, although in different ways, just like the different parts that form and serve one body. And we should not worry if, continuing the same imagery of the body and its parts, we happen to be that part that we consider of least honor. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> St. Paul has this to say about that: “The parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those parts which we think less honorable we invest with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require.” (22-24) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> The important thing to remember is that each part of the body, however it is considered in our human standards, has to serve the whole body. In other words, whatever our condition, position or status in life, we should always aim at sanctity, the end-all and be-all of our life. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should refrain from getting entangled with petty comparisons with others, generating unnecessary envies, jealousies, conflicts, etc. We should learn to be contented with what we have as long as we use them for the attainment of our ultimate goal of holiness. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> But we obviously have to attend to opportunities to a better condition, position or status when they prove to be coming from God’s will, and not just from our own desires that can be driven by pride, vanity, greed, and the like. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Let’s see to it that our work, for example, should have as its main purpose the achievement of holiness, and not just the fulfillment of some technical requirements and the attainment of some worldly goals, no matter how legitimate they are. Remember Christ saying, “What does it a profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul.” (Mk 8,36) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We should see to it that the Christ-and-Church provided instrumentalities lead us to have a living encounter with Christ, something that can happen only when we activate our faith, hope and charity through a functioning life of piety.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701377798810628957.post-67661624116626483542024-02-17T05:30:00.001+08:002024-02-17T05:30:00.247+08:00Sharpening our sense of sin and repentance<span style="font-size: medium;">“THIS is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1,15) These words are from the gospel of the Mass on the First Sunday of Lent that remind us of the need for repentance and conversion especially as we enter the season of Lent. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> They remind us first of all to recover and sharpen our sense of sin, especially these days when that sense of sin is continually and aggressively eroded by all sorts of elements that tend to desensitize us of our tendency to sin. Not only that. There is a strong movement to justify all sorts of evils and sins, even regarding them as part of our human rights. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Besides, with all this talk and general thrust of the Church today on mercy and compassion, a very commendable campaign, I must say, we just have to make sure that we do not lose our sense of sin as a consequence or unintended side-effect. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We always have to be wary of the possible bad effects that our good plans and initiatives can have. The world is not perfect. Loopholes, hidden traps, mistakes, etc., can always spoil what otherwise is thought of as a very good strategy. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We might get too easy and presumptuous about God’s omnipotent and gratuitous mercy that we may not be able anymore to acknowledge sins, ours and those of others, that need to be forgiven. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> In other words, we might get too intoxicated with divine mercy that initially would lead us to think it would just be ok to commit sin since it will be forgiven anyway. But later on as in a slippery slope, as we get used to committing sin that can get forgiven anyway, we would find ourselves not anymore considering anything as sin. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Our conscience would be distorted and would become lax. Little by little, we lose our capacity to hear God’s voice in our conscience. In its place, we would just hear our own corrupted voice. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> This can happen because our capacity to identify what is good and evil depends on our relationship with God. If that relationship is not good, or is not healthy and working, then obviously we would have a bad or wrong notion of sin, or even lose the very sense of sin. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> It is for this reason that we all have the need to base ourselves on the very foundation of reality, the very source of what is moral and immoral. This is none other than God, the author and creator of the universe. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Grounding our capacity to distinguish between right and wrong on another basis would set us on the offside. Sadly, this is what is happening these days. There seems to be a systematic distancing from God and a growing dependence on our own ideas, ideologies, philosophies, and other methods that practically ignore or are even hostile to God. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> We need to remind ourselves strongly these days that we need God for us to know and judge properly. We just cannot depend entirely on our legal and technological systems, for example, no matter how sophisticated they have been developed. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> For this to happen, we need faith to give substance and direction to our reason. Reason cannot stand on its own. It is incomplete without faith. In practical terms, this means we need to overcome our tendency to make ourselves the standard, the ultimate lawgiver.
</span></div>Fr. Roy Cimagalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105381072402554415noreply@blogger.com0