WE are referring to Christian unity, an ardent desire dramatically expressed in one of the last prayers of our Lord before his death. It is distilled in these Latin words: “Ut unum sint,” that they may be one, which was our Lord’s appeal to his Father.
The complete text is found in John 17, 11-22: “Holy Father, keep them in your name whom you have given me, that they may be one as we also are one.” Our Lord must have known how difficult this business of attaining unity among God’s children could be, and thus that most heartfelt plea to his Father.
We have to pray for this unity always. It can only take place through God’s grace, and so we have to continually ask for it. We should never take this petition for granted. As of now, several efforts have already been done on the part of the Church to pursue this goal, but obstacles big and small manage to find their way to mar the process.
In the meantime, it is good that all of us try to sharpen and polish our skills at dialogue and others that can help build up unity. As long as we are driven by love with its properties of understanding, patience, respect for one another, etc., we can do a lot in this department.
We have to try to eliminate those attitudes and practices that create and nurture division and conflict. Some words of St. Paul can give us concrete ideas of how to go about this point.
In his Letter to the Philippians, he says the following relevant words: “Fill up my joy by thinking alike, having the same charity, with one soul and one mind. Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of vainglory, but in humility let each one regard the others as his superiors, each one looking not to his own interests, but to those of others.” (2,2-4)
This, to me, is a great secret that can foster unity—regarding others as superior to us, making ourselves servants of the others, always humble and simple, not allowing pride, conceit and vanity to lodge in our mind and heart.
This attitude of humility and simplicity somehow cleans up our vision of things, making us truly objective of who we really are, who the others are, and what God is to all of us. It makes us follow closely the example of Christ who with his cross ¨draws all things to myself.¨ (Jn 12,32)
Our main problem is that we dare to free ourselves from God, to hew our own path independently and even going against the teachings and example of Christ, God-made-man.
With this mindset, we cannot avoid getting into the loop of self-centeredness that creates division among ourselves. Instead of bridges, we build walls. Instead of understanding and compassion, we generate self-righteousness.
Instead of loving, we get stuck at simply knowing. Thus, instead of giving ourselves to others, we expect to receive something from others. St. Paul has something relevant to say about this point: ¨Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies.¨ (1 Cor 8,1)
We have to make sure that our pursuit for knowledge should always increase our love for God and for others, expressed in greater worship, thanksgiving, and eagerness to serve, to be patient and forgiving.
When knowledge grows sans charity, there´s no way to avoid pride and conceit, vanity and that tendency to control and dominate others. These have no other effect than resentment, division and conflict.
We have to develop the appropriate attitudes, skills and virtues in our daily affairs and dealings with everybody. We have to deepen and strengthen our attitude to eagerly understand others, even and especially when they offend us or commit some mistakes.
Our Lord told us to love our enemies. We have to stretch our love to such an extent of loving those who don´t love us, or who hate us. Like Christ, we have to be willing to bear the burden of the others, especially that burden that is called sins, offenses and mistakes.
This is actually not going against justice, because justice in the end is about sanctity, that is, identification with Christ who was willing to make himself like sin to snatch us from the grip of sin.
This is how we can aspire to attain that elusive unity among us in the normal course of our daily life. Before we think of some big enterprises to build Christian unity, let´s see to it that we have the basic attitudes and practices in place.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
We need to go spiritual
WE have to be clear about this. Going spiritual is a human need, not to mention, a Christian need. It constitutes our perfection which everyone, and not just a few, should aim at. Obviously we have to help one another in this task, because it´s not easy.
We have to blare out this piece of vital truth as widely as possible these days. People seem to be unaware of it. They feel contented with simply living a sensible or rational life, acting out the full range of their emotions, instincts and passions, and guided only by the principles of practicality, convenience, popularity, etc.
We have to understand that short of the spiritual, we are left handicapped, unable to attain our ultimate goal.
Many young people, for example, untrained still in the ways of spirituality, are very vulnerable to the tricks of the flesh, the world and the devil. They are helpless before the unregulated workings of their hormones, the wild aspects of the environment, and other bad influences.
The other day, someone told me about an increasing number of young students so addicted to this so-called DOTA that they sacrifice their sleep, and from there all sorts of problems arise—lack of attention in classes if ever they manage to go to school, wasting money, etc.
From that book, Light of the World, where the Pope was interviewed, the journalist told him that a Brazilian supermodel declared that no one now enters marriage as a virgin, indicating the state of sexual immorality worldwide.
A news item highlighted an American movie dealing on the theme of promiscuity of boys and girls as young as 13. When some parents complained, the reply of the producers was that the movie simply reflected what is actually taking place among these boys and girls today.
We don’t have to look far to see the dearth of spirituality around. There’s a lot of frivolity, deception, vanity, sensuality, etc., etc., around us. Everyone is constantly teased and titillated with sensual images and worldly, materialistic values. The spiritual life is left to starve and die a slow death.
Just recently, while waiting for my boat ride in the terminal, I was surrounded by a group of young boys and girls. And from their words and behaviour, one can readily notice that spiritual life is all but absent.
Of course, they were still young boys and girls. It’s very easy to understand them. We all passed through the same stage. But this can also happen to the not-so-young and, in fact, to everyone else. Thing is we should not just allow this state of affairs to go on. We have to do something about it.
We have to learn the way of spirituality—how to pray, to offer sacrifices, to know the value of the sacraments and the virtues, the art of ascetical struggle, how to behave with propriety in public, etc. These are things that should not just be confined to spiritual books and practiced by a few people. Everyone in his own way has to learn these things.
We have to know how to infuse our thoughts, words and actions with faith, hope and charity. A trace of refinement and an abiding concern for one another always mark our behaviour when spirituality is lived. An eagerness to understand one another, to forgive and help others bear their burdens characterize a spiritualized lifestyle.
We have to bust the many myths about the impracticality or irrelevance of the spiritual life. One is that spiritual life is an optional, not necessary, thing. It truth, our spirituality is the most necessary element of our life, one that gives over-all meaning and direction to our life. It’s where our freedom is exercised to the full.
Going spiritual is the goal everyone of us should target. For this, everyone has to be involved. Obviously the clergy takes the lead part, but all the others also should do their part—parents, teachers, public officials, employers, etc.
Not only is spiritual life to be cultivated by individuals in the personal order. It also has to be developed in all the other aspects of our life—social, professional, political, cultural, economic, etc. Even our various institutions have to be spiritualized. They cannot and should not just remain in the bureaucratic level.
We have to upgrade our understanding of our life. It’s true that we have to be concerned about justice, peace, economic effectiveness and political harmony, but if these are not based on a spiritual life, these things will just remain phantoms, ghosts.
Go spiritual to go essential!
We have to blare out this piece of vital truth as widely as possible these days. People seem to be unaware of it. They feel contented with simply living a sensible or rational life, acting out the full range of their emotions, instincts and passions, and guided only by the principles of practicality, convenience, popularity, etc.
We have to understand that short of the spiritual, we are left handicapped, unable to attain our ultimate goal.
Many young people, for example, untrained still in the ways of spirituality, are very vulnerable to the tricks of the flesh, the world and the devil. They are helpless before the unregulated workings of their hormones, the wild aspects of the environment, and other bad influences.
The other day, someone told me about an increasing number of young students so addicted to this so-called DOTA that they sacrifice their sleep, and from there all sorts of problems arise—lack of attention in classes if ever they manage to go to school, wasting money, etc.
From that book, Light of the World, where the Pope was interviewed, the journalist told him that a Brazilian supermodel declared that no one now enters marriage as a virgin, indicating the state of sexual immorality worldwide.
A news item highlighted an American movie dealing on the theme of promiscuity of boys and girls as young as 13. When some parents complained, the reply of the producers was that the movie simply reflected what is actually taking place among these boys and girls today.
We don’t have to look far to see the dearth of spirituality around. There’s a lot of frivolity, deception, vanity, sensuality, etc., etc., around us. Everyone is constantly teased and titillated with sensual images and worldly, materialistic values. The spiritual life is left to starve and die a slow death.
Just recently, while waiting for my boat ride in the terminal, I was surrounded by a group of young boys and girls. And from their words and behaviour, one can readily notice that spiritual life is all but absent.
Of course, they were still young boys and girls. It’s very easy to understand them. We all passed through the same stage. But this can also happen to the not-so-young and, in fact, to everyone else. Thing is we should not just allow this state of affairs to go on. We have to do something about it.
We have to learn the way of spirituality—how to pray, to offer sacrifices, to know the value of the sacraments and the virtues, the art of ascetical struggle, how to behave with propriety in public, etc. These are things that should not just be confined to spiritual books and practiced by a few people. Everyone in his own way has to learn these things.
We have to know how to infuse our thoughts, words and actions with faith, hope and charity. A trace of refinement and an abiding concern for one another always mark our behaviour when spirituality is lived. An eagerness to understand one another, to forgive and help others bear their burdens characterize a spiritualized lifestyle.
We have to bust the many myths about the impracticality or irrelevance of the spiritual life. One is that spiritual life is an optional, not necessary, thing. It truth, our spirituality is the most necessary element of our life, one that gives over-all meaning and direction to our life. It’s where our freedom is exercised to the full.
Going spiritual is the goal everyone of us should target. For this, everyone has to be involved. Obviously the clergy takes the lead part, but all the others also should do their part—parents, teachers, public officials, employers, etc.
Not only is spiritual life to be cultivated by individuals in the personal order. It also has to be developed in all the other aspects of our life—social, professional, political, cultural, economic, etc. Even our various institutions have to be spiritualized. They cannot and should not just remain in the bureaucratic level.
We have to upgrade our understanding of our life. It’s true that we have to be concerned about justice, peace, economic effectiveness and political harmony, but if these are not based on a spiritual life, these things will just remain phantoms, ghosts.
Go spiritual to go essential!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Technology revolutionizes piety
LAST Christmas, someone gave me an MP4 player. It’s a small electronic gadget that stores a tremendous load of material for listening. To the young, it has become an irresistible apparatus, a must-have. It’s where they can have their fill of music in the most convenient way.
I know there are many other more powerful and sophisticated gadgets like the Ipod, Aiphone, etc., but they are still beyond my reach.
When you see a teener wired with earphones, looking hypnotized but with sudden twitches on his face or jerks in his shoulders or legs, you can be sure he is in his own world, enjoying music. He is either singing or dancing in his mind or simply dreaming.
But I have discovered that it is a good instrument to help me in my prayer. There I download the gospel, the Holy Rosary, homilies of famous saints, the psalms, etc. I’m still in the process of gathering more materials.
Instead of reading them, I just listen to them. It’s a more relaxing way of learning, thinking and praying, since it frees me from some eye and intellectual strain, and allows my mind to capture ideas more quickly and to explore them more deeply and widely.
All of a sudden, my time for driving, commuting, waiting in terminals for my boat or plane rides has acquired a more substantial and meaningful dimension. Instead of just trying to pass the time, snoozing or struggling to read and stay away from distractions, I now have a good way of keeping my mind, heart and soul in focus. I can now say goodbye to these idle time-fillers.
In fact, even in my time meant for serious study and prayer, I sometimes use it, since it facilitates things. Yes, it´s truly a blessing as long as one has mastered the appropriate discipline and has a clear sense of purpose. Otherwise, I know it will dominate me and can lead me to unknown and dangerous destinations.
This discovery has also made me realize that though we can be swimming in an ocean of images, data and information, thanks again to the high tech we have now, the media and publicity work that has gone ballistic, we can manage to get nothing, or worse, something that can actually be a sweet poison to us.
This is because things depend on how our mind works, what motivations move us, what objectives we want to pursue. If we are not properly grounded, we can appear to do a lot of things and yet end up with nothing. We can think we are gaining, when in fact we are losing.
We have to understand that the reality that governs us is not simply a physical, material reality. Neither is it only intellectual which already gives us infinite possibilities of scenarios, always malleable and ever morphing.
Our ultimate reality lies on how we develop our relation with God our Creator and Father. That´s because our spiritual faculties of intelligence and will that put us into a subjective world in the end have a beginning and an end, and these can only be God.
I just hope that we can be more aware of this truth about us. Very often, we get stuck in the physical and material dimension of our life, and then in the purely biological, emotional and psychological level.
Or we just play the game of the social, political and economic factors that also mark our life. We might simply follow the requirements of practicality, profitability and popularity, and forget about morality that tries to conform our life to God´s will.
For example, politicians may just think about what will get them more votes, at the expense of what is objectively good for the people. We have to be warned about this predicament that can likely fall on us if we are not careful.
That´s why, the tremendous practical advantages offered to us now by our growing technology, like the MP4 player, should always be related to God. We just cannot get stuck at the level of fascination because of the novelty it offers, the convenience and practicality it gives. We should relate them to God.
At the very least, we can thank God for them. After all, the human ingenuity that produced them comes from God. These new things should bring us closer to God and to one another, instead of distancing us from Him and putting us in self-absorption.
From here, let´s try to discern what God´s purpose is for these new powerful things.
I know there are many other more powerful and sophisticated gadgets like the Ipod, Aiphone, etc., but they are still beyond my reach.
When you see a teener wired with earphones, looking hypnotized but with sudden twitches on his face or jerks in his shoulders or legs, you can be sure he is in his own world, enjoying music. He is either singing or dancing in his mind or simply dreaming.
But I have discovered that it is a good instrument to help me in my prayer. There I download the gospel, the Holy Rosary, homilies of famous saints, the psalms, etc. I’m still in the process of gathering more materials.
Instead of reading them, I just listen to them. It’s a more relaxing way of learning, thinking and praying, since it frees me from some eye and intellectual strain, and allows my mind to capture ideas more quickly and to explore them more deeply and widely.
All of a sudden, my time for driving, commuting, waiting in terminals for my boat or plane rides has acquired a more substantial and meaningful dimension. Instead of just trying to pass the time, snoozing or struggling to read and stay away from distractions, I now have a good way of keeping my mind, heart and soul in focus. I can now say goodbye to these idle time-fillers.
In fact, even in my time meant for serious study and prayer, I sometimes use it, since it facilitates things. Yes, it´s truly a blessing as long as one has mastered the appropriate discipline and has a clear sense of purpose. Otherwise, I know it will dominate me and can lead me to unknown and dangerous destinations.
This discovery has also made me realize that though we can be swimming in an ocean of images, data and information, thanks again to the high tech we have now, the media and publicity work that has gone ballistic, we can manage to get nothing, or worse, something that can actually be a sweet poison to us.
This is because things depend on how our mind works, what motivations move us, what objectives we want to pursue. If we are not properly grounded, we can appear to do a lot of things and yet end up with nothing. We can think we are gaining, when in fact we are losing.
We have to understand that the reality that governs us is not simply a physical, material reality. Neither is it only intellectual which already gives us infinite possibilities of scenarios, always malleable and ever morphing.
Our ultimate reality lies on how we develop our relation with God our Creator and Father. That´s because our spiritual faculties of intelligence and will that put us into a subjective world in the end have a beginning and an end, and these can only be God.
I just hope that we can be more aware of this truth about us. Very often, we get stuck in the physical and material dimension of our life, and then in the purely biological, emotional and psychological level.
Or we just play the game of the social, political and economic factors that also mark our life. We might simply follow the requirements of practicality, profitability and popularity, and forget about morality that tries to conform our life to God´s will.
For example, politicians may just think about what will get them more votes, at the expense of what is objectively good for the people. We have to be warned about this predicament that can likely fall on us if we are not careful.
That´s why, the tremendous practical advantages offered to us now by our growing technology, like the MP4 player, should always be related to God. We just cannot get stuck at the level of fascination because of the novelty it offers, the convenience and practicality it gives. We should relate them to God.
At the very least, we can thank God for them. After all, the human ingenuity that produced them comes from God. These new things should bring us closer to God and to one another, instead of distancing us from Him and putting us in self-absorption.
From here, let´s try to discern what God´s purpose is for these new powerful things.
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