Going on the offensive

IN our spiritual life, we need to always go forward, to

advance, to cover more area. In other words, we have to always go on

the offensive. We cannot be all the time defensive, though that is

also necessary, but as a complement to our efforts to reach our

ultimate goal.

            For our spiritual life to be truly alive and healthy, we

should not just wait for things to happen. We have to make things

happen. We cannot afford to be cold. We have to try our best to be as

hot as possible and for always.

  

            This is not going to be an easy task, of course. But we

have been assured of God’s grace, and if we correspond to that grace

as much as we can, somehow some progress can be made. More virtues can

be acquired and developed. We can reach out to more and more people.

We can do a lot of good.

  

            Let us remember that in our spiritual life, that is, in

our relation with God and with everybody else which is marked always

by love, there is no such thing as a fixed position. Either we move

forward or we slide backward. Let us not be deceived by the idea that

we can be in some stable and fixed condition. The spiritual life is

supposed to be always in a dynamic state.

   

            So, everyday we should make some strategy that is

realistic and doable. That way we would have a clear idea of how our

day would go. Hardly anything would be worse if we do not know what we

are supposed to accomplish for the day, putting ourselves completely

at the mercy of the external factors.

             Let’s be clear of the goals to reach, the resources to

use, the circumstances to contend with, etc. In this, we should try to

be experts, hopefully moving from the amateur level to that of a

professional.

            Truth is everyday we are always confronted with

challenges. If we just care to take note of them, they will always be

around. For example, we need to fight daily against laziness,

sensuality, improper attachments to things. We need to improve our

skill at praying and offering sacrifices. We need to do some tweaking

and polishing of the virtues we already have.

  

            Yes, our life here on earth is always in a state of war.

Our heart is the battleground between the forces of good and evil. The

Book of Job says it: “The life of man upon earth is a warfare...”

(7,1) And Christ himself said: “From the days of John the Baptist

until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and

violent people have been raiding it.” (Mt 11,12)

  

            To be sure, this spiritual warfare is always done in

charity. It is waged without bitterness, hatred, but rather in peace

and joy. For it, the primary armaments are the spiritual and

supernatural means of prayer, sacrifice, the sacraments and the

constant effort at ascetical struggle.

  

            Going on the offensive in our spiritual life will make us

always on the move, always trying our best to be in the best condition

for the fighting, sharpening our combat skills and our ‘intelligence’

work, so to speak, etc.

  

            Let’s remember that we are ranged against formidable

enemies, first of whom would be our own selves who have been weakened

by sin, and the world with its many deceptive allurements, and the

devil himself who is so astute.

  

            May it be that as early as possible, we are aware of this

need and start to train ourselves for this purpose. Yes, the families

should be the first training ground, and they should be helped by the

schools, the parishes, and other entities.

Lay all our cards on the table

IT is indeed necessary that we be brutally sincere when we

go to confession and to spiritual direction. We have to learn to lay

all our cards on the table so that the human instruments used by God

to help us in our spiritual life, can truly help us.

  

            We should not be afraid or ashamed to do so, because in

these occasions, it is indeed God who is acting through the human

instrumentalities. We have to approach confession and spiritual

direction with a strong supernatural outlook, because it is only then

that we can go beyond our human respect.

  

            As our dictionary would put it, human respect is “a kind

of fear of the judgment of others...one acting from this motive lacks

courage or fortitude...it seeks honor rather than the works worthy of

honor.”

  

            There is really no reason to fall into human respect when

we go to confession and spiritual direction. God is a father who will

always understand and love us. He is always ready to forgive us of

whatever sin and failures we may commit. He is always there for us, to

defend and protect us. His judgments will always be with mercy.

  

            To be truly sincere is not only to say facts and data. It

is to probe into the motives of all our actions, especially our sins

and misdeeds. In the end, it is to see what the spirit is behind all

our actions. Is it the spirit of God or is it another spirit?

  

            To develop this virtue, we need time to get close to God

in our prayer and in all the other ways that foster unity with him all

throughout the day, especially when we are immersed in our daily

concerns. Let’s remember that God is the source of all truth. We can

only see the truth through him.

  

            Without God, we can only make some estimation that often

misleads us. What is worse is that we can get fully convinced that we

are truthful when in fact we are not. Our pursuit for truth is often

marred by some forms of self-interest, and these forms can be very

subtle and deceptive.

  

            What can help in developing sincerity when we go to

confession and spiritual direction is to have faith-based trust in the

confessors and the spiritual directors. Yes, they are also human with

their own share of weaknesses and sins. But they have what is called

the “grace of state” which is different from being in the state of

grace. The grace of state is accorded either sacramentally or through

some authority.

  

            Of course, it is always helpful if we spend time preparing

ourselves well before confessing or going to spiritual direction. We

have to put ourselves in the presence of God and really try our best

to fathom the real and ultimate reasons for our thoughts, desires,

words, actions and omission.

   

            A saint also suggested that to facilitate sincerity, we

should say first the thing that we consider to be most shameful. We

should avoid saying that we stole a rope when in fact at the end of

that rope was a carabao.

             To be sure, when we are brutally sincere, we make our life

more simple. We can get to see things more objectively. Our judgments

of things and events become more fair. We unburden ourselves of many

unnecessary baggage. We can act more properly and easily. We somehow

manage to stay above the usual drama of our daily life.

  

            We should try our best to be sincere all the time, with

God, with ourselves and with others. Let’s avoid making stories or,

worse, to create smoke and mirrors in our relation and dialogue with

others—that act of “obscuring or embellishing the truth of a situation

with misleading or irrelevant information.”

Angels and demons

WE have to be aware of their presence, purpose, function

and activities in our life. They, for sure, are real beings, as real

as you and me. They are not fictional characters, or some merely

literary devices meant to make a point or teach us a lesson.

              They are always around. Their interventions and

interferences in our life are not restricted to some extraordinary

occasions. They actually get involved in our daily affairs. And we

just have to be more perceptive of them so we would know to whom to

run to and from whom to run away.

  

            Let us remember that we are not purely material beings. We

also are spiritual, with a spiritual soul, and not just a plant or

animal soul. As such, our life cannot help but be in the loop of the

spiritual beings also, like the angels and the demons. We need to be

more aware of this reality and learn how to live with it properly.

  

            We have to remember that in the gospel, there are many

references to angels and demons. We have no basis to think that in

today’s world, their presence has diminished if not eliminated. They

are very much with us!

   

            Strangely enough, some people think that way, with the

reason that since Christ has already assured us of our redemption

because of his passion, death and resurrection, the role of angels and

the danger of demons are practically made obsolete.

  

            That is not quite so. It can also be argued that precisely

because Christ has completed his work of our redemption and just waits

for us to do our part, the workings of the angels and the demons have

also become more relevant. The demons’ evil interest in us has spiked,

and our need for angelic help has increased.

  

            That’s why, when we get closer to God, making an effort to

sanctify ourselves seriously, we can also experience a more vicious

and subtle attack of the demons. We should not be surprised by this

phenomenon, but rather feel confident that what we are doing must be

good.

   

            Angels are our tremendous friends who would help us in all

our needs. Demons are our worst traitors. They indeed can appear to be

very friendly too, but only to turn us in, so to speak.

            Angels can be our security guard, our defender and

protector, our errand boy, or simply our good companion in our daily

activities. They are good in reminding us of things important to us

and of warning us of potential dangers. We should take advantage of

the many things they can do for us.

  

            The demons, on the other hand, are more tricky in their

ways. In fact, they can appear like our allies, and even as an “angel

of light.” (cfr 2 Cor 11,14) But the fruits of their actions will

always be bad. For us to be keenly discerning of their wiles, we need

to be truly identified with Christ with the help of the angels and

saints.

  

            We should never forget that our life will always involve a

continuing struggle. In our mind and heart will take place the

constant battle between the forces of good and evil. We should be

prepared for this lifelong condition of ours.

   

            In all this, it would be good that rely on God’s grace and

the most effective support of the angels. We have to develop the

proper devotion to the angels. It might be good to use this prayer:

  

            “Angel of God from heaven / I ask that you shelter me

under your wings. / Lighten my path, direct my steps. / Do not leave

me, stay near me and defend me against the evil spirit. / But above

all come to my help in the last struggle of my life. / Deliver my soul

so that I can praise, love and contemplate the goodness of God forever

and ever. / Amen.

Forgive and move on

THIS is what we should do if ever we become a victim of

some offense by someone. We should be quick to forgive and then move

on, focused on doing what we are supposed to do. We should avoid

getting stuck with the offense, wallowing in anguish, complaints and

hatred, and keeping resentments, grudges and desires for revenge.

  

            Let’s remember that all of us have sins that need to be

forgiven also. And as Christ said it clearly, we can only be forgiven

if we also forgive others. “If you will forgive men their offenses,

your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offenses,” he said.

“But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you

your offenses.” (Mt 6,14-15)

   

            Other relevant gospel passages are the following:

“Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone,

forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your

trespasses.” (Mk 11,25) “Judge not, and you shall not be judged.

Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be

forgiven.” (Lk 6,37)

  

            We have to develop the proper attitude in this particular

issue because, truth to tell, we cannot avoid being offended by others

just as neither can we avoid offending others also. That’s part of our

human condition here on earth.

  

            We have to have compassion and mercy for everyone, not

condemnation. We have to have desires for redemption of the offender,

the lost sheep, and not rejection. This was what Christ has taught and

shown us.

  

            While we may have to sort out things through the

requirements of justice, may it be that our concern for justice does

not undermine in any way our charity, our compassion for those who

have offended us.

             It would be better to suffer losses, defeats,

misunderstanding, etc., than to lose charity and compassion. This way

we liken ourselves, as we should, with Christ, who is the pattern of

our humanity, “the way, the truth and the life” for us.

  

            In this way, we develop the very noble virtue of

magnanimity which, as any dictionary would define, “is a loftiness of

spirit, enabling one to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and

pettiness, and to display a noble generosity.”

  

            This is the virtue that we can readily see in Christ,

especially in his Passion and Death, when even without us asking for

forgiveness yet, already assumed all our sins without committing sin

himself and offered us forgiveness.

  

            Let’s always remember Christ’s command that if we are hit

in one cheek, we offer the other also. If we are challenged to walk

one mile, we walk two miles with the challenger. Let us not miss the

bigger picture that magnanimity offers us.

  

            We have to learn how to be patient and sport in this life,

not losing our sense of humor. What is more important is that we focus

on what we are supposed to do, which we ought to do with great passion

since God expects us to be very fruitful and productive, considering

the many graces and blessings he has given us.

  

            We have to learn how to disregard certain things that will

only hinder us in carrying out the real purpose of our life here on

earth. Yes, we have to be sensitive especially to the needs of people,

but we also have to learn how to be insensitive to certain things and

developments around that get in the way of charity.

  

            We have to know how to move on. May our relationship with

those who may have offended us continue to prosper in charity and

goodwill. In fact, those offenses, if considered from the point of

view of our faith, would occasion great lessons for us to learn. God

knows how to derive good from evil.

The art of killing birds

O blessed times, how complicated and complex you have

become. You never fail to make new challenges to us. May we understand

you better, and know how to handle you in such a way that we continue

to pursue our proper goals in life without getting confused and lost.

  

            These words come spontaneously to mind whenever I realize

that my work is getting more exciting and challenging. In spite of

trying my best to be sport in all this, I just can’t help but feel

overwhelmed sometimes.

  

            For a long time, I have been an avid fan of the idiomatic

expression, to kill two birds with one stone. I have tried to live it

out always, and to some extent, I have been successful.

  

            But nowadays, it seems that killing two birds is not

enough. With all the things I have to face—the challenges, the issues,

the projects, the people, plus my own personal needs that also would

get more complex with age—I need to kill many, many birds with just

one stone as much as possible!

  

            Of course, I have realized long time ago that 24 hours a

day, 7 days a week, are really not enough for me to be on top of

everything. I just have to learn to live with that reality. But it

should not stop me from trying to do what I know I have to do as much

as I can.

  

            Truth is there are so many people to reach out to and each

one has to be understood and helped in his concrete situations and

distinctive circumstances. I know I have to avoid dishing out generic

pieces of advice and other blanket forms of help and support.

  

            And I am sure that this predicament is not unique to my

case but is rather shared by many people. We just have to learn how to

cover a greater area of responsibility with more or less the same

resources at hand.

  

            What is clear is that we have to sharpen our virtue of

order. Whatever helps in growing in that virtue should be pursued and

cultivated.  We have to have a good sense of focus.

  

            This can mean that we develop the skills of making good

use of time, organizing our day with clear vision of what we are

supposed to do during the day, doing things with dispatch without

unnecessary delays, learning how to shift from task to another without

wasting too much time.

  

            This can also mean that we have to know how to group more

or less related tasks together so they can be done with some sense of

synergy and save time and energy, how to prioritize things and

delegate some tasks to others, how to make prudent use of technologies

so they can truly help us in our work and not become distractions.

   

            This can also mean that we know how to ignore certain

things that can unduly interfere in our work, and these days, there

are just so many of them. We also need to know how to be flexible as

we can encounter surprises anytime. Also the art of moving on

especially when we suffer some setbacks along the way. A good part of

our problem is that we tend to get stuck with our failures and

difficulties.

            What to me is most important in this regard is to have an

abiding presence of God, since after all everything has to be done for

his glory. Besides, with God we tend to have a keen sense of order and

propriety. With him we would find it easier to handle any situation,

good or bad, without getting spoiled, diverted or stuck. We would have

a good sense of direction.

  

            In the end we would know that whatever happens, we are

still playing along the all-wise providence of God!

Let’s be cheerful givers

THIS is what St. Paul encourages to do and to be. His

words: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever

sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he

has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God

loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9,7)

            If with faith we believe in these words of St. Paul, then

we would know what to do and how to be so as to draw more love for us

from God. It is to sow goodness everywhere bountifully. It is to be

generous even to a heroic degree, doing it with utmost freedom. It is

to be a cheerful giver.

            This is self-giving at its best mode. This is how we ought

to love God and everybody else. It is to give not only things but our

own selves without measure, for as St. Francis de Sales would put it,

“The measure of love is to love without measure.”

            We should not be afraid to be generous, especially with

God, because God cannot be outdone in generosity. The more we give

ourselves to him, the more we will receive also from him. Whatever

loss we seem to suffer because of loving is actually regained a

hundredfold.

            Let’s take note of the following gospel passages that

reassure us of how we can gain much more than what we seem to lose in

loving:

-“Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sister or father or

mother or children or father or mother or children or farms of My

name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal

life.” (Mt 19,29)

            -“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but

whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mk

8,35)

          -“If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to

the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow

me.”(Mt 19,21)

            It would be good if we examine our attitude and

dispositions when we give something, if not our own selves, to God and

to others. The ideal we should try to reach is to give ourselves

unconditionally, without calculation, without strings attached.

            This does not mean that we do so without prudence. In the

words of St. Paul cited above, we are told that “each one must give as

he has decided in his heart.” So, it is not a matter of giving without

thinking, without weighing things, without considering certain needs

in our life.

            Prudence should not be understood as some limitation of

our generosity. Rather, it should be understood as precisely enhancing

our generosity given our human condition. Let us always remember that

Christ always respects the way we are, giving due consideration to our

human needs.

            But to determine how to be generous with prudence is,

obviously, not an easy thing to do. It is very easy for us to

rationalize and justify our egoism and selfishness. And we also can

easily mask our self-interest as generosity. We have to bring this

point to our prayer. We may even have to consult others to enlighten

us. But we just have to do it.

            To be sure, being a truly cheerful giver will give us a

good measure of peace and satisfaction despite the sacrifices

involved. It may happen that the option we take in order to be a

cheerful giver would be considered bad and even foolish according to

human standards. But let’s take comfort in the truth that in the end,

it is God who will judge us, not us.

            In this, let’s take comfort in St. Paul’s reassuring

words: “We are pressed on all sides, but not crushed. Perplexed, but

not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down, but not

destroyed.” (2 Cor 4,8-9)

To be truly Christ-like

KNOWING that as a human person we are patterned after

Christ, we should aim at making ourselves more and more like him. This

should be our constant daily concern. All our other concerns in this

life, no matter how important and urgent they may be, should be

subordinated to this primordial one.

            To be sure, this fundamental desire does not undermine our

humanity. If anything at all, it will only bring us to our human

perfection. We should not be afraid to give priority to this desire,

for it can only put all our other plans and ambitions in their proper

order.

            To be truly Christ-like would, of course, require that we

know Christ through and through. This will certainly ask of us that

we, at least, read and meditate on the gospel regularly, for it is

where we can find Christ. As St. Jerome famously said: “Ignorance of

the Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” We have to make it a daily

habit to read, study and meditate on the Bible. With our new

technologies, this should not be difficult to do.

            To be truly Christ-like would, of course, be an endless

affair. We can never say we are definitively Christ-like, since we can

never exhaust the richness of Christian life no matter how much effort

we exert. We just have to try and try. At least, everyday we should be

able to say that we are becoming more and more like Christ in a

specific aspect.

            Definitely, if we want to be truly Christ-like, we should

be full of goodness and love. We should reach out to everybody, no

matter how difficult that would be or how undeserving the others may

be of our care and attention. Like Christ, we have to be willing to

empty ourselves so as to identify ourselves with everybody. We have to

fan into a bursting fire this desire to serve others.

            Like Christ, we have to assume the attitude of wanting to

serve everybody and not to be served. We have to be wary of our

tendency to fall easily to a sense of self-importance or conceit. Like

Christ, we have to be willing to “wash and kiss the feet” of

everybody.

            Like Christ, we have to love our enemies, and to bear the

burden of everybody, willing to replicate in our life the very passion

and death of Christ, so that we too can join him in his resurrection.

We should be willing to offer mercy to everyone as well as to ask for

pardon for our own sins.

            We also have to understand that our identification with

Christ can be achieved sacramentally. Aside from baptism and

confirmation, let us see to it that we regularly go to confession and

receive Christ in the Eucharist.

            Like Christ, we have to pray constantly, keeping an

abiding conversation with our Father God. We have to learn how to pray

in all situations and circumstances of our life, be it happy or sad,

light or heavy.

            Like Christ, we have to have a sharp hunger for souls. The

apostolic dimension of our life should be considered essential and

indispensable. Wherever we are, whatever be our situation, the

apostolic concern should always be in our mind and heart. We should

always be praying for souls and thinking of how we can help them get

back to God.

            Like Christ, we have to offer everything in our life to

God. We have to learn to give up everything for God, to live true

detachment from earthly things even as we continue to use them. We

have to reach that point that we are willing to offer our life to God,

unafraid of death and all the suffering that goes with dying. All

these to a heroic degree!

Some indices of personal growth

NO matter how imperfect and non-conclusive, it is always

helpful that priests, or anybody who has the duty to take care of

others, like parents and teachers, avail of some measurements or

indices that can show if there is progress and development in the

personal life of the those under their care.

            These indices will help them to be very effective in their

work, which means that they are truly helping those under their care.

Besides, these indices would allow them to discover more areas that

need to be looked into in their effort to guide souls. They can serve

as leading and directing guide to discover the more specific needs of

the people.

            Obviously, priests, and the others similarly situated,

should have a clear plan of formation for those under their care.

Depending on the concrete conditions of the parties involved, this

plan of formation may include doctrine classes, periods of

recollection and retreat, personal chats and mentoring, administering

of the sacraments, especially confession and the Holy Mass, etc.

            This plan of formation should cover the different aspects

of personal growth toward maturity. These can be in the human,

doctrinal, spiritual, apostolic and professional aspects. The

different virtues have to be explained well. Same with the doctrine of

our faith. The art of praying, making sacrifices, waging spiritual

struggle have to be taught. Concern for others has to instilled. Love

for study and work has to be instilled.

            These activities in this plan of formation should be

adapted to the level of the persons involved. We have to avoid being

too theoretical or the other extreme of being too practical in these

means of formation. And they have to be delivered in such a way that

those who receive them would really appreciate them. As much as

possible, the priests and others should show consistency between what

they preach and what they do.

            With this plan of formation taken care of, the priests and

the others similarly entrusted with the duty to take care of people

have to see to it that some progress and development can be observed

in the life of those they are giving guidance.

            For me, with the students that I am taking care of, I look

first of all if there is an improvement in the way they take care of

their appearance and their relation with others, that is, if they are

cultivating social skills which in some concrete terms means they do

less bullying and are learning to be more refined in their speech.

            I also look into how they are overcoming their shyness,

especially in approaching the sacraments of confession and the Holy

Mass. If they come to see me for some chat and spiritual direction and

eventually to open up his personal life and have a confession, I would

know that the student is improving spiritually.

            When they invite their friends to see me also, then I know

that they are developing an apostolic spirit. And when their grades

improve, I also would know that they are acquiring the proper

discipline of studying.

            I also look into their classrooms and see if they are

clean and orderly, the lights and fans turned off when these rooms are

empty. I also try to see if the noise they create are in proportion to

the specific circumstance they are in at a given moment.

            It is a matter of accompanying them, motivating them and

opening to them new horizons, new goals to reach. In this regard, it

is important that we win their friendship and confidence.

            Of course, they can commit mistakes and offenses against

school policies anytime. And when these happen, it is important that

they realize that they will always be understood even if some

appropriate penalties would be given.

The priest as mediator

WE have to understand well the role of a mediator. He is

like a bridge that connects two ends. A perfect mediator is one where

he is both in the one end as in the other. He just cannot be in one

end but not in the other, though he may orient or dispose himself to

the other without reaching it.

  

            Christ is a mediator between God and man. In fact, he is

the sole perfect mediator because he is both God and man. St. Paul

testified to this truth of our faith. He said, “There is one God and

one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” (1 Tim 2,5)

   

            Christ is the perfect mediator because he is not only God

but is also man. And he is not only man, but also God. As the

Athanasian Creed would put it, Christ is “perfect God and perfect

man.” He is not half God and half man. The two natures, divine and

human, are together in him inseparably without diluting each other. He

is not a ‘mestizo.’

  

            This truth of our faith is, of course, a mystery. We

cannot fully understand it. But we believe it because Christ said so

and this is what the Church now teaches. “I and the Father are one,”

Christ said at one time, pointing to his divinity. (Jn 10,30)

  

            As to his humanity, St. Paul said these relevant words:

“When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born

under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive

the full rights of sons.” (Gal 4,4-5) Only a man could be “born under

the law.”

  

            This little explanation about the mediator is important

and relevant because we, as human persons, patterned after Christ,

have to learn the ways of a mediator. Of course, of all men and women,

the priests are especially meant to be mediators, because they are at

the forefront of the task of reconciling men with God.

  

            With the sacrament of Holy Orders, they are configured to

Christ, head of the Church, and participate in Christ’s task of

mediation in a very intimate way. That is why priests, of all men and

women, have to be particularly adept in this art of mediation.

   

            While they are already sacramentally configured to Christ

as head of the Church, they have the special, albeit very demanding,

duty of truly assuming the mind and heart of Christ. If everyone is

meant to be “another Christ,” the priests have to be particularly so.

They have to lead the way.

  

            This can mean many things. Their mind and heart should be

both on heaven even as they are on earth. They should exude the

fragrance of heaven even as they can also have the odor of earth, just

like what Pope Francis said about priests as shepherds—they have to

have the smell of the sheep which they tend.

            Like Christ, they have to identify closely both with God

and with men. Like Christ, they have to pray constantly so as to be

always in touch with God whose will and ways they have to follow.

  

            Let’s remember that Christ said: “I have come down from

heaven, not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me.” (Jn

6,38)

  

            Like Christ, priests have to mix well with the people,

adapting themselves to them all the way to assuming their sins without

committing sin. In this regard, St. Paul said: “God made him who knew

no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the

righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5,21)

  

            Just imagine what practical considerations can be made

from this ideal of priests as mediators like Christ!

Avoid over-familiarity

DURING the proximate preparation for my priestly

ordination, an idea that was repeatedly hammered ‘ad nauseam’ on us,

the ‘ordinandi,’ was that we should never get accustomed to the sacred

things, especially the celebration of the Holy Mass. Our formators

told us that we should celebrate each Mass as if it were for the first

time.

  

            That immediately reminded me of what the now Saint Mother

Teresa once said: “Celebrate this Mass as if it is your first Mass,

your last Mass and your only Mass.” Opus Dei founder, St. Josemaria

Escriva, said something similar in so many words and showed it in the

way he said each Mass. What solemnity he generated every time he said

Mass!

  

            Our usual problem is precisely that we get easily

over-familiar with the sacred things. We tend to take for granted the

many blessings we have. Not only do we not count our blessings, we

often complain that we do not have enough. We can then elicit those

reproaching words of Christ to his townmates: “A prophet is not

without honor, except in his own country.”

  

            Instead of being amazed and thankful for having among them

not only a very special person but the very son of God, Christ’s

townmates found him too much for them, and were in fact scandalized by

him. That is why Christ refused to do many miracles there.

  

            This is a very common danger to all of us, and is at

bottom a result of letting ourselves be simply guided by our senses,

or feelings and our other ways of human estimation, without the

guidance of our faith that should lead us to develop the appropriate

piety.

  

            We have to be more aware of this danger of over

familiarity and install the necessary defenses against it. More than

that, we have to aggressively cultivate the art of always being amazed

at God and at all his works. That should be the proper state for us to

be in.

  

            We have to understand, though, that this abiding state of

amazement that we should try to develop is simply not a matter of

sensations. Of course, it would be good if we can always feel amazed

and in awe. But given the limitations of our bodily organism, we

cannot expect that to happen all the time.

  

            The ideal abiding state of amazement is more a matter of

conviction, of something spiritual, moral and supernatural. It should

be the result of grace that is corresponded to generously and

heroically by us.

  

            It is a state of amazement that sooner or later, of

course, will have some external manifestations like an aura of

serenity and confidence even in the midst of great trials and

suffering. It will most likely show itself in the lilt in one’s voice,

optimism in his reactions to events, a smile, a warm word of praise

and encouragement to others, etc.

  

            To be sure, God will always give us this grace. The

problematic area is our correspondence to that grace. In this regard,

we should try to pray and meditate on God’s word. Let’s see to it that

we get to relish the spirit behind the word of God as presented to us

in Bible.

  

            We have to be wary of our tendency to go through God’s

word in a mechanical way. We can produce the sound, we can use the

word in some sensible and intelligible way, but still miss the very

spirit of the word. We can still miss God and ignore his will, because

our heart is still not in God’s word.

  

            Besides, we need to develop a deepening sense of total

dependence on God. Let’s see to it that our talents, faculties and

powers, our achievements do not blunt, but rather sharpen this sense

of dependence.