Saturday, March 30, 2019

When losing is winning


WE need to be familiar with this phenomenon and eager to
welcome it. This is how God treats us given our wounded condition
which is prone to undue attachments to earthly things and other
anomalies.

            Divine logic many times baffles us because God’s ways are
different from our ways. St. Paul articulates this predicament when he
said, “O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and untraceable his ways. Who has
known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Rom
11,33-34)

            He wants us to lose in human terms so that we can win in
the end in divine terms which is what really matters. This is made
clear, for example, when Christ articulated the beatitudes that would
somehow put us in the losing end in order to have the victory of being
truly blessed. (cfr. Mt 5,3-12)

            This is reiterated when he talked about the willingness to
lose an eye, an arm, a foot, if these would cause us to sin. Better to
lose them and enter heaven rather than to have them and get to hell.
(cfr. Mt 5,29-31)

            In another instance Christ clearly told us that for us to
be his disciples, we should be willing to ‘hate’ our father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even our own
life. We should be willing to carry our cross. (cfr. Lk 14,26-27)

            Of course, he means that nothing and no one should compete
in our love for God. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mt
6,33) He does not mean that we hate anyone, for he himself told us to
love even our enemies.

            St. Paul was willing to be regarded as scum and refuse of
the world just to be with Christ. (cfr. 1 Cor 4,13) The ultimate
example of all this is Christ himself when he offered his life for our
salvation.

            To be able to live by this divine logic, we of course
would need first of all the grace of God. We have to ask for it with
humility. And then we need to do our part, exerting the due effort to
acquire the appropriate attitude and corresponding virtues.

            We should have the attitude of willingly giving up
everything else just to be with God. “Vale la pena,” it is all
worthwhile, should somehow be like a slogan for us. In the gospel, the
same spirit is expressed when Christ said, “The kingdom of heaven is
like a merchant seeking pearls, who when he had found one pearl of
great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Mt
13,45-46)

            We know that even in our daily affairs, we often have to
give up certain things if only to get a greater good. Thus, we are
willing, for example, to skip some moments of relaxation if only to
attend to an emergency, etc.

            Everyday, we have to see to it that there is always
something that we give up not only for some personal goal or interest,
but also and mainly for the love of God and others. Let’s hope that
the little self-denials we do everyday will prepare us for the
ultimate self-detachment we have to make to enter into our definitive
union with God.

            Yes, the virtue of total detachment from oneself should be
developed with gusto everyday. Every time we suffer inconveniences,
discomfort, misunderstanding, and all kinds of pain, we should somehow
be happy in the sense that we are actually going through what is
necessary in our life—detachment from self so we could have the
attachment with God and others.

            We should not be afraid to lose in order to win!


Thursday, March 28, 2019

We really should learn to pray


IF there’s a skill which is fundamentally indispensable in
life, it is the art of praying. When we really manage to pray, we
would truly be in touch and in union with God.

            And in that state, even while we are still here on earth,
we would already have a foretaste of our definitive state of life.
That is when, as described in the Book of the Apocalypse, “He (God)
will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed
away.” (21,4)

            Praying is our way of uniting ourselves with God, our
Creator and Father, with whom we are supposed to be always with, since
our life, as an image and likeness of God, is meant to be a shared
life with God.

            Praying is to our spiritual life what breathing and the
beating of the heart are to our biological life. That is why St. Paul
clearly said, “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes 5,17-18)

            When we manage to truly pray, we can also manage to
protect ourselves from all kinds of evil, and to heal whatever wounds
and weaknesses we may have because of our sins. A sense of holy
invulnerability can come to us. We can find peace and joy in spite of
the drama of our life.

            That’s because when we pray, we unite ourselves with
Christ, and with him no evil can affect us badly. We may not be spared
from suffering, but we would know how to convert that suffering into a
means of our purification and eventual salvation. With him, everything
will work out for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28)

            It is when we manage to truly pray that we comply with
what St. Paul said about putting on the armor of God. It might be good
to remit here his very words: “Put on the full armor of God, so that
you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle
is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms....” (Eph 6,11-12)

            We really have to learn how to pray, and I mean, real
prayer, not just an appearance of prayer, which happens to be common
these days. Perhaps the reason why our prayer does not seem to have
the response we want is because our prayer is not really prayer.

            When we truly pray, we would really get in touch with God.
We would know how to deal with him. We would know what he is showing
us and how he is intervening in our life. Our life would go in synch
with God’s providence, with his will and his ways.

            It’s always worthwhile to spend time and effort to learn
how to truly pray. Especially these days when we are dragged by a
strong current of activism and secularization, we need to really force
ourselves to learn this indispensable skill.

            We just cannot resort to prayer during special occasions
when we are faced with some difficulty. Prayer is not meant to be the
remedy of last resort. It is what we have to do always, both in good
times and bad.

            At the beginning of the learning process, things might be
a bit difficult. We might feel awkward. That is to be expected, but we
just have to go on, sometimes forcing ourselves a little, making many
acts of faith, hope and charity, until we can overcome that learning
curve and start to fly like a professional in our prayer.

            To be truly human and Christian, we need to pray.
Otherwise, we may just look like a human being but in reality are not.
Humanity and Christianity are not a matter of biology. They are a
matter of being intimately united with God!


Monday, March 25, 2019

Ending the day well


JUST as we like to begin the day well, we should also like
to end the day well. That is always the ideal we want to pursue,
though many, if not most times, we fail to do so. And the problem is
actually because we do not know what ending the day well is.

            For many of us, ending the day well usually means that
there should be no problem that would weigh heavily on our mind and
heart as we go to bed. This, of course, is not realistic, since
especially nowadays life is full of challenges, issues, difficulties,
etc. We simply cannot cope with all of those.

            If our criterion for ending the day well is that there
should be no problem at day’s end, then we will never end our day
well. We need to be more realistic about this and consider the fact
that usually at day’s end, there will always be unfinished businesses,
let alone, problems unsolved, challenges not yet tackled.

            Ending the day well, for sure, should mean that we can
manage to feel good as we go to bed. There should be peace and joy,
the sensation that despite the drama of life, things are resolved
somehow. We should feel the sensation that we have arrived home
somehow, a sense of reaching our final goal.

            This can only happen if ending the day well is associated
with reconciling ourselves with God regardless of how things in our
life are at the end of the day. With God, everything is taken care of.

            Remember Christ saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt
11,28-30)

            It would be good if we meditate closely on these words so
that we strengthen our faith which is what should guide us in
understanding how we can end the day well, rather than our own human
estimation of things.

            Aside from telling us where we can find our proper rest,
these words somehow tell us also that whatever we do during the day
should be considered as a burden that is not only ours, but also
Christ’s. Our problem is that we consider our earthly affairs simply
as ours. We have to overcome and correct this wrong attitude.

            Of course, the underlying problem here is that many of us
do not know how to deal with God, how to refer everything to him. We
often think that our earthly affairs and concerns are simply ours. If
we ever go to God, it is only when we have some difficult or
unsolvable problems.

            Many of us have forgotten that our life, whether we are
aware of it or not, is actually a shared life with God. The ideal, of
course, is that we should always be constantly aware of that basic
truth, so that whatever happens, even in our worst scenario, we still
can feel secure that everything will just turn out right.

            There would be no real reason to feel disturbed or to fall
into sadness, anxiety and even depression. Even in our worst
situation, like when we really have committed a big, stupid blunder,
things can still be made right, because we can always say, Sorry, and
God will always understand and forgive us.

            Remember the parable of the prodigal son. (cfr. Lk
15,11-32) The spoiled brat in the end decided to go back to his
father. And the father was very happy to have him back.

            Let’s strengthen our faith in the all-powerful providence
of God who is always in control of whatever happens in our life. As
the Book of Ecclesiastes would put it, “To every thing there is a
season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...” (3,1-8)


Prepare for the worst scenario


IF we are truly smart and clever, which is what Christ
himself told us when he said, “Be wise as serpents and innocent as
doves,” (Mt 10,16) we would be preparing for the worst scenario every
time we plan or launch a project, a business, an enterprise.

            This is simply because despite our best efforts to plan
these projects well, there is always the possibility that the exact
opposite of what we expect would happen. There are factors and
elements that are beyond our control. While it’s true that our
prospect for success is always infinite, the same is also true with
the possibility of failure.

            We should just be ready and game when the opposite of what
we desire happens, learning how to let go and move on, instead of
getting entangled in the web of sadness, self-pity, anxiety,
depression and the like. These latter conditions would only worsen
things further.

            By preparing for the worst scenario, we would be imitating
Christ himself who, in redeeming us, prepared himself for the worst.
In fact, he already knew about his death and how it was going to be.
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him,”
he told his disciples, “and three days after his death the Son of Man
will rise.” (Mk 9,31)

            Preparing for the worst scenario may mean that we come out
with various alternative plans so that we can move on. This is always
recommendable. But we have to remember that the most important way to
prepare for the worst is just to be with God. It is always possible
that even our alternative plans may fail. Yet what cannot fail is when
we stick with God no matter what.

            This point was highlighted in that episode of the sisters,
Martha and Mary, welcoming Christ in their house. (cfr. Lk 10,38-42)
Martha was busy doing the chores of hospitality, while Mary simply sat
at the foot of Christ, listening to him.

            When Martha complained to Christ that her sister was not
helping her, Christ reminded her that while what she was doing were
good, there was only one thing that was necessary, and Mary, her
sister, chose it, and it will not be taken away from her.

            We have to be clear about this point. Yes, we will try our
best, stretching ourselves to the limit, to make all our projects and
endeavors succeed. Still things can turn out the opposite. Due to this
possibility we make some alternative plans to move on. But still,
these may fail. The last resort, and in fact, what should always be
with us, should be the conviction that we be with God whatever be the
outcome of our efforts.

            St. Paul in his letter to the Romans assures us that as
long as we are with God, everything will work out for the good. “We
know that in all things,” he said, “God works for the good of those
who love him…” (8,28)

            We just have to make sure that our love of God is always
vibrant. We have to make it grow day by day. We have to feel that love
so intensely such that it is actually what would energize us in any
endeavor we have.

            We have to see to it that we do not take this love for
granted. This is the best and ultimate weapon we have to prepare for
the worst scenario of any project we have. With this love, we would be
willing to go through what Christ himself went through—suffering all
the indignities of the world and ultimately dying on the cross.

            But then, after death, there is the resurrection, the
final victory that is meant for all of us, irrespective of how we fare
in this life.


Saturday, March 23, 2019

Freedom is not ‘free’


MY father wrote the valedictory address I delivered during
my high school graduation more than 50 years ago. I still remember the
opening lines, a play of words that continue to intrigue me even up to
now. “Freedom is not free,” I said, trying to sound dramatic. “You
have to pay for it or it buys you out.”

            I indeed agreed to that affirmation at that time, but I
did not quite capture the richness of its content until I went through
many experiences these past 50 years that simply validated it.

            Yes, we have to pay for our freedom to be true freedom. In
fact, the price is quite high, because it involves nothing less than
giving away all we have to gain it. We have to give away many
‘freedoms’ to gain the real one.

            It is indeed a paradoxical thing. To be truly free, we
need to be lose our own ideas of freedom that simply are expressions
of what our body wants, what the external conditionings would lead us
to, etc. True freedom can only come when we manage to unite our mind
and will with God’s.

            That is when freedom will truly serve the cause of truth,
charity, mercy, justice and all the good things proper to us as
creatures of God made in his image and likeness and, with his grace,
are adopted children of his, meant to share the very life of God.

            It is this freedom that would clearly put us on the right
track toward our final destination which is heaven. It does not get
entangled with the things of this world, though it would know how to
use them. It is one that can prefer to enter by the narrow gate if
only to reach its ultimate goal, rather than by the wide gate the
opens up to the by the many allurements of this world, but eventually
would lead to our perdition. (cfr. Mt 7,13-14)

            It is a freedom that needs to be constantly guarded and
guided to make sure it comes from the right source and goes to the
right destination. It has to be properly inspired and motivated, as
well as properly oriented. Otherwise, as we have been warned in the
gospel, it can simply give an opening to self-indulgence, thus
imprisoning us into our own world. (cfr. Gal 5,13)

            It is a freedom that requires real and total detachment of
self and of the things of this world so that we can have the one that
gives everything. Christ articulated this point when he said: “Seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things
will be added unto you.” (Mt 6,33)

            We have to be wary of being deluded by the charms of the
many forms of false freedom we have in this world. To be able to do
this, we have to be ready to follow Christ’s indication to deny
ourselves, carry the cross and simply follow him. (cfr. Lk 9,23)

            Yes, genuine freedom will always involve sacrifice. A
freedom in this world that does not involve sacrifice is simply not
true freedom. It would be a freedom that would set us up for inhuman
slavery even as it dishes out a lot of perks and privileges for a
while. We have to be most discerning of the tricks of false freedom.

            What is more, we can somehow distinguish between genuine
and fake freedom, since the former is usually done gratuitously,
without any strings attached, without any condition, without counting
the cost nor expecting any reward. As they say, it is done freely
despite the steep cost. It is what identifies us with Christ.

            Fake freedom usually has ulterior motives. The intentions
are not pure. It usually likes to flaunt itself. It will sooner or
later corrupt our soul.



The animal in us


WE are supposed to be rational animals, rationality being
the quality that distinguishes us from the other animals. But let’s
never forget that we are and will always be an animal also that is
governed by natural, physical, biological, chemical, social, economic
laws, etc.

            And these latter laws have impulses that often go against
the dictates of rationality. That’s why, especially in our vulnerable
moments, when we are tired, sleepy, intoxicated by drinks, or when we
are not yet in our full senses, etc., we are usually assailed by these
impulses. And so, we really have to be most careful. We have to be
properly guarded and protected from these eventualities.

            What we have to do is to undertake a lifelong process of
integrating all these aspects together with rationality as the guiding
and directing principle. It is rationality that indicates that we too
are spiritual beings meant to have a supernatural goal that we can
achieve through God’s grace and our all-out effort. Yes, it’s our
rational nature that tells us that we are meant beyond, but not
against, the physical and natural aspects of our life.

            The challenge therefore is how to carry out this very
tricky and demanding task of integrating all these aspects. And for
this, we should first of all rely on the grace of God, always asking
for it even if it is readily given to us. That’s because we often take
God’s grace for granted, and thus make ourselves the improper ground
unable to take advantage of the grace that is sown on it.

            Yes, we should never forget our animality no matter how
high a level we think we have achieved in terms of our rationality and
spirituality. We will always be hounded by the erratic impulses of our
animality.

            Remember St. Paul lamenting about this lifelong
predicament of ours. “I see another law at work in my body,” he said,
“warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law
of sin that dwells within me.” (Rom 7,23)

            We need to discipline and purify the animality of our
humanity. That’s why Christ, the pattern of our humanity and savior of
our damaged humanity, told us clearly that we need to deny ourselves,
carry the cross and follow him. (cfr. Lk 9,23) We should be careful
with pampering our body too much. It’s is not a matter of repressing
our bodily impulses. It is rather a matter of directing them properly.

            So, with respect to our passions, those strong emotions
that often overpower the indications of reason and faith, we need to
mortify them so as to purify them of their tendencies toward evil.

            St. Paul said: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Gal 5,24) We can
never over-emphasize the need to ‘crucify’ our passions and desires
the way Christ was crucified and by so doing rendered death to all
kinds of evil in man and in the world.

            The ideal to pursue is that our passions and desires would
be those of Christ. We have to convert our passions and desires into
those of love, a love that is not afraid of anything, a love that can
conquer anything. It is a love that, while involving struggle and some
kind of warfare, will give us peace and joy that the world cannot
give. (cfr. Jn 14,27)

            In other words, we have to strive to be a spiritual man
instead of a carnal man as described by St. Paul: “The person without
the Spirit (carnal man) does not accept the things that come from the
Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand
them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

            “The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all
things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,
for ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we
have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor 2,14-16)


Friday, March 22, 2019

Disagree, yes, disagreeable, no


IN our political exchanges, especially in these days of
electoral campaigning, we should see to it that while it is
unavoidable to disagree on some issues, we should try to avoid being
disagreeable with one another.

            We should keep our political exchanges at the level of
charity. That way, we would maintain our humanity, let alone, our
Christianity, intact. Otherwise, we would revert to our status of
animality, with the distinctive quality of rationality badly abused.

            When we talk about issues and offer our views, preferences
and, yes, biases, let’s see to it that we are always clear, showing
the reasons behind them. But let’s also be open-minded about views and
opinions that differ from ours. Everyone offers opinions from where he
is coming from, and we definitely have different backgrounds. We
should respect these differences.

            Let’s try to avoid getting too personal, because even if
we have what we may consider as evidence for our accusations against a
particular person or candidate, the fact is we would not know
everything about the matter involved, let alone, the conscience of the
person involved.

            Yes, we may present some facts, but let’s not do it to
bash or question the integrity of the person. We have to avoid
nitpicking and fault-finding and other techniques that are filled with
all kinds of negativities and venom. Even innuendos, sarcasm and
ironies should be avoided. Same with name-calling and character
assassination. Shooting from the hips should be a no-no.

            We have to be clear about this. This kind of tactics is
not part of the freedom of speech. It is an abuse of such freedom. It
serves only to muddle things, not to clarify. It spreads poison around
and would really pollute the environment, let alone, the spiritual and
moral lives of the people in general. It generates a lot of garbage,
not useful items.

            Our electoral campaigns should be an edifying moment, not
a downgrading one. They should be constructive, not destructive. They
should foster unity and understanding of one another, not division,
anger and hatred. They should be an exercise of pursuing what is truly
good for all or at least for most of the people without disadvantaging
too much the minority. It should not be an act of attacking opponents.

            We have to change the temper and tone of our electoral
campaigns. We have to make it more human, more Christian. In this some
continuing formation has to be done by everyone—the candidates
themselves, the political leaders, media and the people in general.

            We have to find ways of how we can exchange opinions
without compromising the respect due to everyone. We have to learn to
agree and win in an issue without lording it over others, just as we
too have to learn to disagree without being disagreeable.

            We have to realize more deeply that to achieve this kind
of political exchanges will always involve, first of all, a vibrant
and intimate relationship with God. Without this, there is no way we
can keep our discussions in charity.

            Unfortunately, there are already a lot of people who find
this conditio-sine-qua-non irrelevant and useless. They believe that
in politics, God should not be involved. The voice of the Church
should not be heard, otherwise it would be accused of meddling.

            It’s clear that the doctrine of separation of Church and
state is gravely misunderstood. This is a challenge that has to be
tackled squarely, but always in charity and with tons of patience. We
have to pray first of all for a massive and thorough conversion of
everyone.

            Perhaps, this current election campaign period is a good
moment to undertake a program of educating everyone about how our
political exchanges should be. I believe everyone can contribute in
his own way, even if it is just a few enlightening words posted on the
social media.


Wednesday, March 20, 2019

We’re still being created


WE need to be clear about this fundamental truth about
ourselves. We are still being created by God. Our creation is still
ongoing. Our creation is still in the making. This time though, our
creation involves our cooperation.

            If we review the story of the creation of the world (cfr.
Gen 1,1-2,1), we will notice that God created everything before man in
a generic way—the heaven and the earth, light, darkness, land, sea,
animals, birds, etc. But when it came to the creation of man, God
became personal and entered into relation with man by giving them
instructions.

            With man, God had to make the garden of Eden for man to
cultivate it. Since it was not good for man to be alone, God created
woman to be his helper who is equal to him. They were told that they
can eat the fruits of all the trees in the garden except the ones of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

            This only shows that the creation of man is not yet
finished since man, being created in God’s image and likeness and
therefore has the capacity to know and to love, has to do his part of
cooperating with God’s creation of him.

            That stint in the garden of Eden was for man, i.e., Adam
and Eve, to do his part of his own creation. And we know what
happened. Our first parents failed, and so God who at first was angry
and punished them, started to undertake the re-creation through a very
complicated plan of redemption.

            That plan that involved patriarchs, prophets, a chosen
people, many holy men and women, finally had its culmination when the
very Son of God became man. The God-man, Jesus Christ, bore all our
sins and had to show us the way to redeem ourselves by following him
in his teachings and ultimately by suffering, dying and resurrecting
with him.

            Christ also founded the Church and instituted the
sacraments so that his presence and redemptive work can effectively
continue with us till the end of time, which is the end of our
creation.

            At our death and at the end of time, our creation is
supposed to be finished with each one of us receiving a new name that
only each of us would know. It’s a name that is distinctive and unique
to each one of us. This will be our definitive name for all eternity,
indicating the very personal relationship between God and us, the
Creator and the co-creator.

            This new and definitive name is referred to in the Book of
the Apocalypse where it says, “To him who conquers I will give some of
the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name
written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it.”
(2,17)

            It would be good if we are keenly aware of this truth of
our faith because this will give us the proper perspective, meaning
and direction of our life here on earth. At the moment, I am afraid a
great majority of the people, even among educated Catholics, are not
quite aware of this truth and are therefore not doing what they are
supposed to do to conform to this truth. Many are actually confused
and lost.

            It would be good if a catechesis be made on this
fundamental truth about ourselves and our earthly life. We are still
being created, and our creation by God involves our cooperation, given
the way we are as designed by God. We are God’s co-creator of our own
selves.

            We need to do our part, making use of everything we have
in this life to further this lifelong process of our creation. We have
to be responsible for the practical consequences and implications
contained in this fundamental truth about ourselves.


Monday, March 18, 2019

‘Et erat subditus illis’


THE Latin expression means “he was subject to them,” or
“he was obedient to them.” This is lifted from the gospel of St. Luke
(2,51) in that episode where the child Jesus was lost and then found
in the temple.
  
            In the concluding part of that episode, Mary, the mother,
asked the child, “Why did you do this to us?” To which the child Jesus
replied, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And
yet in spite of that reply, Mary took no offense and the child went
back home and was “subject to them,” referring to Christ subjecting
himself to Mary and Joseph.
  
            These passages of the gospel somehow show us how we can
integrate our dual duty of obeying first the will of God and that of
obeying our earthly authorities and subjecting ourselves to the many
temporal and human conditionings in our life.
  
            While Christ did nothing other than to do the will of his
Father in heaven (cfr. Jn 5,30; Jn 6,38), he also willed that he
subjected himself to human authorities and to the different
conditionings of any person at any given time and place. Thus, he also
paid his taxes (cfr. Mt 17,24-27), attended the synagogue (cfr. Lk
4,16), worked as a carpenter (cfr. Mk 6,3), etc.
  
            In theory, Christ, being God, should have been exempted
from all these, but as man, he has to live like any other man who is
always subject to some human authorities and to the conditionings in
the world.

             And when finally asked what to do when God’s authority and
the human authority appear to clash, Christ replied: “Render to Caesar
the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God.” (Mt 22,21)
  
            The lesson we can derive from this consideration is most
helpful especially to those who enter into some commitments—whether to
marriage or to a particular vocation and spirituality. A commitment
usually restricts or conditions a person to behave in a particular way
even if there are other legitimate ways of behaving in a given
situation.
  
            Thus, in the way of living the virtue of poverty, for
example, a Franciscan has to live it the Franciscan way, even if the
Dominican way of living it is also good but different from the
Franciscan way. Same with a person who is married as compared to an
unmarried one, and also with a lay person as compared to a consecrated
one. It is the same virtue but lived and expressed in different ways.
  
            Same with the practice of prayer. The ordinary person in
the middle of the world would have a different way of doing it
compared to how a contemplative nun would do it.
  
            There should be no comparing actually, and much less,
envying. A commitment is not so much a restriction or a conditioning
as an expression of a more fervent love and fidelity for God and for
everyone else. A commitment would only show how fervent one’s love is
that he chooses to confine himself to a particular way when many other
ways can also be availed of.
  
            This clarification is relevant these days because many
people are falling into some kind of wistful thinking, like “if I were
not married,” or “if I did not enter the priesthood,” or “if I did not
have this vocation or spirituality, I would have been more free,” etc.

              We need to follow Christ in living out our commitments
that would involve doing God’s will and our unavoidable subjection to
some earthly authorities and conditionings or concrete ways of doing
things. Let’s always remember that Christ “erat subditus illis,” he
subjected himself to his earthly parents and to the human
conditionings even if could be exempted from them.