Forceful yet gentle

IN our discussions and exchanges, especially when we have

to sort out differences and settle conflicts, it always pays to be

gentle in our ways even as we like to be forceful in advancing our

views. Good manners always pays.

  

            It should never be set aside even if the other parties do

not practice it. That would be their problem, not ours. No matter how

right one thinks he is in his views or how wrong the others are in

theirs, we has no reason to bully others to submit to our opinions,

nor to resort to ironies, sarcasm, personal attacks, character

assassinations, bitter zeal, etc.

  

            Gentleness does not take away the forcefulness of our

arguments. It, in fact, would make our views clearer and more

attractive. It would foster a sober, deeper and more meaningful

dialogue.

  

            Gentleness is not the contrast of forcefulness. Both can

get together quite well. With gentleness, the pursuit for the truth,

for what is fair and just, would be greatly facilitated. And unity and

charity would be maintained even if the differences remain. Friendship

and good relations are not destroyed. Bluntly said, gentleness is

always the winner’s quality, not the loser’s.

  

            Gentleness enables us to listen more and better, to be

more keenly discerning of the subtle nuances of the discussion, and

thus to react properly. It facilitates a better understanding of the

issues at hand and of the persons involved.

  

            It helps us to keep a more global picture and perspective

of things such that we would be restrained to give merely impulsive,

short-sighted responses. Yes, it effectively checks on our tendency to

fall into Pavlovian reactions, especially when we feel provoked and

threatened.

             It lends itself to better thinking and judgments, as well

as to better tact, prudence and discretion. Rash judgments and a loose

grasp of the issues would be avoided. With it, the tongue, emotions

and passions are better controlled and supervised. It makes the

discussions, no matter how conflictive, amenable, and not immediately

brought to a dead-end, which is what usually happens when the

exchanges get too hot for comfort.

  

            Besides, Christ highlighted this quality of gentleness

when he made it one of the beatitudes by saying that “Blessed are the

meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Mt 5,5) It’s an intriguing

assertion, given the usual bias we have about meekness. But Christ is

very clear about what meekness can bring about. With it we shall

inherit the earth!

  

            We should have no doubt about the effectiveness and the

many advantages we can get from being gentle and meek in our

discussions and exchanges. Yes, we may have to bear certain

inconveniences that gentleness and meekness can occasion in the short

run, but to be sure, in the long run, it assures us of victory.

  

            We really need to learn and develop this virtue. And the

given the temper of the times when we are pressured always to be

assertive and dominating if we want to get ahead, we really would need

some stronger motive and significant effort to learn to be gentle and

meek.

             We can always start by making an effort to think first

before we speak, or to keep the tone of our voice or of our writing

warm and friendly always, to develop a good sense of timing as to when

to speak and when to keep quiet at least for a while, etc.

             We need to develop the allied virtues of patience and

temperance, simplicity and humility. We have to instill in ourselves

that attitude spelled out one time by St. Paul when he said: “Do

nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but with humility of mind regard

one another as more important than yourselves.” (Phil 2,3)

             In other words, we have to aim at serving the common good

always, not just our own interest. We always need to consider the

interest of the others.

Active-contemplative synergy

GIVEN the increasingly pressing conditions of the world

today and the permanent, ultimate and most precious goal of ours, we

really need to be more serious and more skillful in synergizing both

the active and contemplative modes of our life.

  

            Yes, we have to be immersed and get involved as much as we

can in all our worldly affairs, attending to their requirements as

promptly and actively as possible. But we also have to see to it that

we do not lose sight of what is most important in our life—to be with

God and to aim at heaven. “What does it profit a man” Christ said, “if

he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?” (Mk 8,36)

  

            We need to be both with God and with the world. These two

modes of our life need not be in conflict. They can and should be put

together to enable us to live a life that is proper to us as persons

and as children of God. We have to learn to find the connection

between the material and spiritual aspects of our life, between the

temporal and eternal, the mundane and the sacred.

  

            The active and contemplative modes of our life may each

have their own ways, but we have to develop a strategy of how those

distinctive ways can be put together. It would not be good for us if

we would just be active but fail to be contemplative, or just

contemplative but not active. We have to be both.

  

            The secret, I believe, is to begin everything we think,

desire, speak and do with God, for after all he is the creator of

everything, the author of what is true, good and beautiful in the

world. With him, we get to see the unity that binds together all the

different aspects of our life. He is the source, pattern and end of

unity. 

  

            Thus, a period of prayer, meditation and contemplation

should have priority over our work and other forms of activity. Prayer

in its many forms, together with the recourse of the sacraments and

making sacrifices, should help us to have a deep, strong supernatural

outlook such that we can somehow feel God’s presence everywhere and

see and abide by his will and continuing providence.

  

            We have to devise some means that would help us keep our

presence of God all throughout the day even in the middle of the most

mundane activity we have. In this regard, we have to be most inventive

and creative, flexible and versatile. It helps that to be truly

motivated by our love for God and for others, we be sportive and game

in our lifestyle, since everyday is actually like a game with

endlessly varying possibilities.

  

            To be contemplative is usually associated with being

isolated, withdrawn from things, reflective, silent, recollected and

far-looking, but it has to blend with our need to be with others,

immersed in things, constantly reactive to whatever immediate stimuli

may come our way.

  

            If we have a true contemplative spirit, the things of the

world would not be a hindrance in our relationship with God. In fact,

the things of the world would become the means, instrument, occasion

and reason to be with God. It is in them that we can and should

develop and show our love for him and for others.

  

            In other words, our active life of work and other worldly

concerns is also where we can contemplate God. It is in them that we

can and should meet God. There is no event in our life where we cannot

meet God.

             Even when in our earthly affairs we suffer some misfortune

or commit mistakes or even fall into sin, we should not forget that we

can and should still be with God. Yes, even in our worst condition,

God would be most solicitous of us, as illustrated in the parable of

the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son. (cfr. Lk 15)

Charity is madness

THERE is no doubt about it. If we truly live the virtue of

charity that reflects, echoes and replicates the love of God for us,

we should be ready to fall into some madness. We have to be ready to

be some kind of madmen.

  

            This charity will surely overwhelm all our ideas of

rationality, common sense, justice, etc. It would require us to go

beyond our human powers and to allow the supernatural power of grace

to take hold of us, leading us to where we rather would not go.

  

            This phenomenon should not surprise us, because the

charity that we talking about here is something supernatural. It will

always involve some mysteries, some truths and ways that are beyond

our comprehension. It will make possible what is impossible to us.

  

            This charity cannot develop in us by using our human

powers alone. But we have to be clear about a certain point. The

supernatural character of charity does not do away with its natural

and human aspect. In fact, it demands the full cooperation of our

natural and human powers. What it does is to purify the natural and

human, and to expand and elevate it to the level of God’s love.

  

            Just consider again the description St. Paul made of this

virtue. “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)

  

            I wonder if we do not get some goose-bumps just going

through those words. Are they practicable, we are likely to ask? Is

this not some kind of madness? Who can really observe them?

  

            Well, Christ did all this. He put these words into action,

especially in his passion, death and resurrection. He even taught us

to love our enemies, to offer the other cheek is we are slapped in

one, and to go two miles if we are challenged to walk one mile.

  

            We are taught to be magnanimous and merciful, always

offering forgiveness to those who may have offended us. We are taught

to be generous without counting the cost, since every good thing we

have is freely given to us by God and therefore we ought to also

freely give good things to others. We are taught not to be afraid to

lose all our earthly treasures so we can gain the one that never

fades.

  

            This is the madness of love. Even in our human love

affairs, we already show traces of these signs of madness. We are

willing to make sacrifices for our loved ones. Mothers will never

hesitate to clean up the mess of their babies. Fathers are willing to

work long hours just to support the family. Lovers are willing to go

to far distances just to be near their beloved.

             Charity definitely breaks down our natural and human

limitations to enable us to identify with our beloved who is

ultimately God. But along the way, we have to learn how to live

charity with the others who, in a manner of speaking, are our way of

reaching God. As St. John said: “If we do not love people whom we see,

how can we love God whom we cannot see?” (1 Jn 4,20)

  

            There are times when we find loving God easier than loving

people. We should bridge that gap. For loving God in theory, in

intention and in some other spiritual operations would be proven false

if it is not supported by loving people—and all kinds of people,

including those who consider themselves our enemies.

  

            The test of real charity is when we can manage to echo

from our heart, one of Christ’s last words: “Forgive them, Father, for

they know not what they are doing.”

A really good rest

THERE are, of course, different ways and kinds of rest.

But we should try to have a really good one that is fit to our dignity

as persons and children of God. And this kind of rest can only be

found in Christ who precisely said: “Come to me, all you who are weary

and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11,28)

  

            It is this rest that takes care of all the aspects of our

need for rest—physical, mental, emotional, etc.—integrating them and

reinforcing them in their contributions to serve, rather than

undermine, our human and Christian dignity.

  

            With this rest, our love for God and for others continues

to vibrate. In fact, with this rest, our love for God and for others

would grow and would keep on being creative and inventive. With this

rest, a certain renewal takes place that would trigger impulses and

drive to continue doing good in spite of difficulties.

  

            It is this rest that would prefigure the ultimate heavenly

rest that Christ promised us to enjoy, where endless and pure bliss is

assured. Of course, in our temporal and earthly life, our rest would

always include some sacrifice, and we should not be surprised by that

reality. We need to understand that a really good rest is one that

will always nourish and fuel our love for God and for others.

Otherwise, it is not a real rest.

  

            We have to be wary of associating our rest with the merely

physical, mental or emotional, etc., because without basing it on

Christ they can only give us some semblance of rest but not the real

one. Sooner and later it can only lead us to some anomalies and

irregularities that, of course, are not proper to us.

  

            Sad to say, the common idea of rest nowadays is one where

Christ is not the basis and the end. It is the kind that does not

result in the renewal and growth of real love. It rather feeds our

self-love, definitely a sweet poison.

  

            And as a consequence, it is a deceptive kind of rest that

can give some feelings of rest that actually would give rise to

conditions that would rouse our weaknesses and would attract all kinds

of temptations. It tickles the flesh but numbs the spirit. We would

become vulnerable to our weakness and the temptations.

  

            We need to clarify this issue of our rest, and find

practical and attractive ways to make the really good rest appreciated

by all. As said earlier, our real rest may involve some sacrifice, but

we have to reassure everyone that the dividends of such rest far

outweigh the sacrifices that may be involved.

  

            We need to sustain some kind of campaign in this regard,

encouraging some people to be models and experts in showing and

explaining what a really good rest is. Now that we are facing

tremendous and complicated challenges in practically every aspect of

our life, we really need to inculcate in everyone the true kind of

rest.

  

            Yes, to this end, there will be considerations about the

virtues of order, sense of priority, prudence, and the practices of

prayer, meditation and contemplation, as well as self-denial and a

healthy spirit of mortification.

  

            We have to find ways of how to relate the different kinds

and forms of resting to the real rest that has Christ at the root,

center and end. It’s a pity that we seem to have developed very

sophisticated forms of physical, mental, emotional rest, etc., but

fail to connect them to the real source and objective of rest.

  

            Let’s hope that some people would dedicate time and energy

in developing programs that would attend to these problems and

deficiencies insofar as the really good rest is concerned.

Christian perfection and poverty

“If you wish to be perfect, go sell what you have and give

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

me.” (Mt 19,21)

   

            This was the reply of Christ to that young man who,

despite being faithful to God’s commandments, still felt something was

missing for him to gain eternal life, that is, the perfection of man,

the fullness of his humanity.

             We know what the reaction of the rich young man was. “He

went away sad, for he had many possessions.” (Mt 19,22) What a pity

that this young man failed to understand what Christ was proposing to

him! What a missed opportunity he had! It was already Christ who gave

him the clearest and surest answer to his question.

  

            But his attachment to his many possessions blinded him

from the truth of the highest order that Christ himself told him. It

is this attachment that we should be most wary of, because it can

truly lead us to the worst of what is now known as cognitive

distortion.

  

            In fact, Christ himself lamented against this crazy

tendency of ours that would lead us to stick to things that perish in

exchange for what will last forever and will bring us to our eternal

life. “It is easier for a camel,” he said, “to go through the eye of a

needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.” (Mt 19,24)

  

            Yes, like the rich young man, we may be following the

general indications of God’s will as expressed in the commandments.

But we have to understand that this obedience to God’s commandments

that specify what is naturally good for us, still needs to be

perfected with our total self-giving to God which is shown also in our

self-giving to others.

  

            Such total self-giving to God and to others is when we

start entering the supernatural character that our life is supposed to

have, since we are the very image and likeness of God, children of

his, meant to share in God’s very life that obviously is supernatural.

  

            We are not meant to live a purely natural life. There is

no such thing. Our nature opens us to make a choice between a

supernatural life with God or an infranatural life. But make no

mistake. Our supernatural life with God does not eliminate or suppress

what is natural in us. What it does is to purify and elevate to the

supernatural order what is natural in us.

  

            And so we can say that what Christ meant when he told the

young man about selling everything and giving everything to the poor

and then to follow him is that we of course should have things or

possessions for the simple reason that we always need things. But we

just have to make sure that we are completely detached from these

things.

   

            That complete detachment is not just a matter of emptying

ourselves completely. That detachment and self-emptying should lead us

to be completely filled with love for God and for the others. In other

words, the acquisition, use and enjoyment of things in this life

should be a function of our love and total self-giving to God and to

the others.

  

            That part of Christ’s reply about giving everything to the

poor precisely refers to our love and self-giving to the poor. That’s

because our love for God always involves our love for the others who

can be described as poor since they will always be in need of God.

Christian poverty has nothing to do with emptiness and nothingness,

but rather with filling ourselves with God.

  

            It’s when we manage to live this kind of poverty that we

actually would be enriched and perfected, as we make ourselves truly

identified with Christ, turning ourselves as God’s image and likeness

which is what God wants us to be.

Dealing with routine

FALLING into routine, which is another name for spiritual

lukewarmness, is a common occurrence that we should know how to

handle. It cannot be denied that there are certain things that we do

day in and day out. Yes, falling into routine is a constant threat to

us. If we are not careful or, worse, we do nothing about it, it would

just be a matter of time when we would become spiritually numb and

dead.

  

            As much as possible we should not allow our routinary

tasks to muffle our enthusiasm and love for God and others. The

challenge is how to keep ourselves burning with love in spite of our

routinary tasks. In fact, if we are clever enough like the serpent

that Christ talked about, (cfr. Mt 10,16) we can even make use of

these routinary tasks as a way to nourish our love for God and others.

  

            For this, we have to see to it that we are always

activating our faith, hope and charity by making frequent acts of

faith, hope and charity in spite of the lack of gusto for them. Much

like everything else in our life, there are things that we should just

do even if do not feel like doing them simply because they are

necessary to us. These frequent acts of faith, hope and charity can do

a lot of wonder and can fan into a flame our waning enthusiasm and

love for God and others.

  

            These theological virtues, these God-given gifts are the

ones that enable us to live our life in a way that is full of love,

the love that comes from God himself. It’s a love that always renews

itself, not allowing itself to get accustomed, much less, bored by

what we do everyday.

  

            As the Catechism would put it, these theological virtues

“bestow on one the capacity to live in a relationship with the

Trinity. They are the foundation and the energizing force of the

Christian’s moral activity and they give life to the human virtues.”

(CCC 384)

   

            With this love that the theological virtues impart on us,

everything will always strike us as something new. With it, the prose

of everyday is somehow converted into beautiful verses that are

engaging to both the body and the soul, the heart and the mind.

  

            With this love, we can manage to see beauty and find

meaning in everything, even in things, events and situations that

humanly speaking are not pleasant. With it we can manage to escape

from the shallow and narrow appreciation that our senses and our human

understanding can achieve of things in general. It lets us go to the

deeper and higher levels of reality.

  

            This love enables us to relate the material to the

spiritual, the mundane to the sacred, the temporal to the eternal, the

natural to supernatural. It connects us and everything else to God,

the source of all good things.

  

            Obviously, while these theological virtues are divine

gratuitous gifts to us, we also have to do our part to take care of

them well, otherwise they would have no effect on us. Thus, we need to

develop the corresponding human virtues which the theological virtues

are meant to animate. We can never overemphasize this point.

  

            It is also helpful that we try to train our emotions to

discern and appreciate the spiritual and supernatural aspects of

ordinary life, of the routinary tasks. In this way, we can better live

a consistent unity of life where the body and the soul, the heart and

the mind, the feelings and the convictions are integrated, and are

friendly and helpful to each other rather than being at war.

  

            The proper formation for this purpose should be done at

all levels—from the family to parishes to schools and offices, etc.

The family get-togethers

OFTEN overshadowed by what we consider to be more

important concerns, like those in our professional work, politics,

business, etc., taking care of our family get-togethers actually hold

a certain priority over them, since these gatherings possess a

foundational or cornerstone type of importance in our life.

  

            And the simple reason is that these get-togethers play a

crucial role in making family life vibrant and healthy. That’s because

they have a highly formative and educational value.

  

            If we regard the family as the first school a person has

where he learns the fundamental values in life, or as the basic unit

of society whose health depends on the health of the families that

comprise it, or as the domestic Church where the spiritual and

supernatural values are first imparted and transmitted, then

everything has to be done to make family life as healthy as possible.

  

            The status of each person and of the world somehow depends

on the status of the family. Said in another way, how the family

somehow determines how a person is and how society and the world in

general are. More specifically, we can say that how the family is

determines how the spiritual life of each person and the spiritual

quality of society and the world are.

  

            The heads of family should realize more deeply this

serious responsibility they have in their hands. Thus, they have to

see to it that they arrange their lives in such a way that this

primordial importance of the family life and the get-togethers so

essential to it are given due recognition and are properly attended

to.

  

            The heads of family should take the initiative to organize

these get-togethers where all the members, from the oldest to the

youngest, can participate as actively as possible. Regular absenteeism

of some members, especially the heads, should be avoided.

  

            This obviously will require efforts to make everyone aware

of the importance of family get-togethers. Ways have to be found to

motivate everyone to look forward to having these get-togethers and to

actively contribute to them. Among the things that we can do in this

regard is to prepare edifying stories, anecdotes, even jokes, etc.,

before going to the get-togethers. We have to learn how to spice up

the get-togethers.

  

            In these get-togethers, bonding and a sense of unity amid

the unavoidable differences and conflicts that can occur even in the

best of families is developed and reinforced. Mutual knowledge and

concern for one another grow, and from there the basic skills that

would enable us to relate with others in society and the world in

general are also developed.

  

            The family get-togethers can actually prepare us to handle

our responsibilities toward others in society and in the world. The

social skills we need to relate ourselves with others in a meaningful

way are developed.

  

            Of course, everyone should be encouraged to be more

mindful and thoughtful of the others. This is a basic attitude to

have. We have to overcome the tendency to look after our own interests

only. We have to get more and more involved in the interests and the

very lives of the other members.

  

            That basic attitude articulated by St. Paul to bear each

other’s burdens (cfr. Gal 6,38) and to regard others as better than us

(cfr, Phil 2,3) should be developed. Like Christ we should just want

to serve and not to be served. (cfr Mk 10,45)

  

            In fact, putting these get-togethers to their highest

values, we can say that they teach us how to reflect that inner life

of God who in his Trinitarian life is in a perpetual mode of knowing

and loving. Being God’s image and likeness, we have to somehow reflect

God’s Trinitarian life among ourselves, and this starts in the family.

  

            Let us hope that the importance of family life and the

family get-togethers is adequately taught to all those preparing for

marriage and for founding a family.

Where to find effectiveness

OF course, we have to use all the means to be effective.

Like, we need to be clear with our goals to reach, the relevant

resources we need, the time-frame in which we work, etc. But let us

realize that all these are more to assure us of being efficient than

of being effective. Efficiency is not necessarily effectiveness. We

can be efficient without being effective.

   

            Effectiveness is mainly about reaching our real goal, our

ultimate end. It is not about attaining some secondary goals that

admittedly are also important, since without them we cannot reach our

ultimate goal. We may be successful in reaching our secondary goals,

but if we miss the principal one, we actually have failed. Sad to say,

this is the common phenomenon nowadays.

   

            We need to realize that our ultimate goal is to be with

God, to conform ourselves as fully as we can to God’s will and ways.

And this is because we come from him and we belong to him. We are

still being created and redeemed by God. We have to be most aware of

this fundamental truth about ourselves.

  

            And all this is more a matter of the spiritual dimension

of our life more than of the material and the external aspects of our

life which, of course, are also very important. As Christ said, “What

does it a profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own

soul.” (Mk 8,36) We need to realize more deeply that everything that

we do should begin and end with God. Otherwise, we would be making our

own world.

  

            So, it should be a constant question we ask ourselves: “Is

what I am doing now what God wants me to do, in the manner God wants

it? Or am I just doing my own will, or worse, considering my will to

be God’s will?”

  

            The immediate corollary of this realization is that we

need to be truly united with God. And this is always possible as long

as we live a life of prayer. It is prayer with all its complement,

like the recourse to the sacraments, assimilating the doctrine of our

faith, the willingness to make sacrifices and to grow in the virtues,

etc., that assures us of this union with God.

  

            It’s in our prayer that we become keenly and promptly

aware of what God wants of us in any given moment, without getting

lost in the generics of what is true, good and beautiful, something

that usually happens. We may be doing a lot of good things, but not

what God wants us to do. The real good, amid the many choices of good

things, is simply what God wants us to do.

  

            Our prayer should be a genuine, intimate and abiding

contact with God. And we should know how to convert everything into

prayer, always relating ourselves and things to him and always trying

to see him and his designs in every event and situation in our life.

God’s providence is constant and universal. It does not stop even if

we mess up things.

   

            Thus, prayer is not just about saying vocal prayers and

making novenas and other special acts. It is more a matter of

awareness, of attitude, of lifting our mind and heart to God in a

stable manner. It lends itself to endless ways, forms and manners. We

can even pray when we are asleep. In short, prayer is very much

doable.

   

            It’s when we pray and truly become united with God when we

can echo Christ’s words: “I have come down from heaven not to do my

will but to do the will of him who sent me.” (Jn 6,38) These words

should be like the motto of our whole life. They truly make us

effective!

Accepting whatever God gives

I WAS very moved and impressed when a young man, now

rising in his profession, said that he accepts whatever God has given

him or has allowed to happen to him.

  

            An illegitimate son, he holds no resentment or grudge

against his father who practically neglected him in his growing up

years because the father also had some personal demons to contend

with. Nor is he ashamed to publicly tell everyone that he is the son

of such a father. In fact, now that the father is very sickly, he

reaches out to his father and takes care of him, especially because he

is now a doctor.

  

            We can learn great lessons from this episode. Yes, we may

be victims of some misfortune, natural or man-made, but if our mind

and heart are in the right place, that is to say, they are with God,

we know that everything will always work out for the good. There’s no

reason to feel bad and to fall into worse cases of self-pity, anger

and bitterness, hatred and desires for revenge, etc.

  

            With God, everything is taken care of. What we cannot take

care, God will do it for us. Of course, God’s ways are not our ways.

They may differ greatly from what we like to happen, but definitely

God will take care of everything. He will solve, complete and perfect

what we cannot anymore solve, complete and perfect. Nothing is

impossible with him. We should just trust him.

  

            This reassurance has been revealed to us by Christ

himself. He was willing to offer his life for our sins and for

whatever misfortunes we can suffer in this life. And he conquered them

all with his resurrection. If all our misfortunes are suffered with

Christ, we for sure will also take part in the resurrection of Christ.

  

            Before Christ’s supreme act of love to take care of

everything and to save us and to bring us back to God, we already have

been reassured of this wonderful truth of God taking care of

everything with the example of Job who was severely tested by all

kinds of trials and misfortunes. But with his strong faith in God, he

stood his ground and in the end was amply rewarded by God.

            We need to toughen ourselves and cling tightly to what our

faith tells us whenever we suffer some kind of misfortune in this

life. For this, we have nothing else to do but to try our best, always

asking for God’s grace, to assume the mind of Christ with respect to

his suffering and death.

  

            Like Christ, we should be magnanimous, always offering

kindness, compassion and mercy to those who may cause us some

misfortunes, even the life-long types. Like Christ, we should try to

be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Let us have the kind of love

that Christ himself commanded us to have: to love one another as he

himself has loved us. (cfr. Jn 13,34)

  

            St. Paul described this love in this way: “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 rejoice with the truth. It always protects, always trusts,

always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor 13,4-8)

  

            It is this love that conquers everything, that identifies

us with Christ, with God. It is what enables us to happily accept

whatever God gives us or allows to happen to us, good or bad in human

terms.

  

            Let us try to always and immediately remove anything that

negates this kind of love. Let’s put all our trust in God, and let’s

just be game with whatever situation, predicament, or misfortune we

can have in this life.

Mental case or demonic possession?

THERE seems to be a sharp surge of disturbed people around

these days. As a result, we can see more people who are clearly

mentally ill, with very erratic behavior. And if they are not

withdrawn from the world, alienating themselves and rotting away in

their own universe, they get overly aggressive, violently aggressive,

in fact. Some commit suicide.

  

            This is a problem we have to learn how to cope and to try

to solve. Of course, it’s a phenomenon that can easily be attributed

to the complications and pressures of the times, which in themselves

are admittedly no mean things. But there must also be other factors

and causes deeper than the toxic complications and pressures of the

times that give rise to this world predicament.

  

            More and more people are of the thinking that these

disturbed persons are more than just mental cases, to be treated only

with psychiatry, some medicine and therapy which are no mean help.

They now talk of the strong possibility that some demonic interference

is involved, even demonic oppression and possession. And they cite

instances where the persons concerned act in ways that are considered

already beyond human possibility.

  

            We need to have a good grip on this rapidly emerging

menace. And the first thing to do is to entertain the possibility that

indeed these disturbed people are both mentally sick and demonically

bothered.

  

            Yes, while it’s true that the predicament can be an

either-or proposition, we should not dismiss the possibility that it

can also be a both-and one. Not just disjunctive, but also

conjunctive. Let’s remember that the devil is always around. It’s not

paranoia to be always alerted of the devil’s existence and constant

efforts to destroy us, usually in very sweet ways.

  

            It would be good if we level up in our knowledge of

psychology. This field of science is getting to be more and more

relevant these days. It cannot anymore be the exclusive interest of

some people. Everyone should know at least the basics of psychology

and from there start accumulating relevant helpful information.

   

            But we should never forget that the psychological and

mental mechanism of a person is steeped in his spiritual dimension

that can lead him either to the supernatural or infranatural world. It

cannot be studied from the point of view of empirical science alone.

It has to input the truths of faith to enable it to cope with the full

range of its possibilities.

  

            This is a point that should be taken more seriously these

days. The complicated challenges of our times that have brought about

many good things and also many bad things cannot but make this kind of

demand. We have to take our faith more seriously, assimilating it in

our system and making it the guide and shaper of our lives.

  

            With our faith, we have the answer to all the questions,

the solution to all our problems, even if the answers and solutions it

offers may not be the ones we want. But they are the answers and

solutions that God himself gives, and not just us.

  

            Faith is the great healer, the constant pacifier, because

it brings Christ into our lives, Christ who heals and who constantly

tells us, “Do not be afraid...” We should bring our faith to bear on

our sciences and on our other sources of knowledge.

  

            With respect to this phenomenon of rising cases of

disturbed people, our faith can detect whether a particular case is

just a pure mental or psychological problem, or something where evil

spiritual forces are involved.

  

            To be sure, the workings of the demons will always

manifest themselves in some mental, psychological or emotional

predicaments. But if a person is a man of deep faith, he most likely

will have a very good mental or psychological health, and would know

how to deal with evil spirits.

Our freedom needs temperance

THE reason is simple. Freedom is such a tricky thing to

handle. It can easily be abused and ruin us. If not handled properly,

its comeuppance is much graver than whatever pleasure its so-called

perks and privileges can give us. So, caveat emptor!

  

            That’s why St. Paul in his Letter to the Galatians issued

this warning: “For you have been called to live in freedom, my

brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your

sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in

love.” (5,13)

   

            We need to understand that freedom is a gift from God and

is governed by God’s law. Freedom is not something we generate

ourselves. It is something given by God and received by us.  It cannot

be exercised simply on our own designs. By definition, it has to be

related to God, its source and law.

  

            It is something relational, not something absolutely ours.

We have to be most wary of linking freedom with being absolutely ours,

sadly a common phenomenon these days. That is not true freedom. That

would be an abuse, a distortion of freedom. It would be a false

freedom that sooner or later will lead us to some form of bondage.

   

            We need to understand then that the proper exercise of

freedom is not simply a matter of being free to choose anything. Yes,

there is a free choice involved, but it has to be a choice that has to

be related to God. Our choice that is inspired by true freedom is when

such choice coincides also with God’s choice in a given situation.

  

            But, alas, this is not easy to do for us. And that’s

because of our wounded, sinful condition that often leads us to give

priority to what we want rather than to what God wants. And often,

this anomaly springs from the urgings of our flesh that definitely

needs to be disciplined and purified and directed to our proper

ultimate end—God.

  

             This is where the virtue of temperance enters. It has as

its purpose the integration of the bodily aspect of our nature with

our spiritual dimension and supernatural goal. It aims to keep and

nourish the integrity of our life that is often threatened by a

variety of divisive factors and fragmenting conditions of our earthly

life.

  

            It’s actually a very positive virtue, though it obviously

involves some restrictive and prohibiting elements. Unfortunately,

many of us get stuck with the latter negative side of it, while

ignoring its very constructive character.

   

            We need to be realistic about our life. We should not

forget what Christ said once in this regard: “The spirit is willing

but the flesh is weak.” That’s the naked truth about ourselves insofar

as the relation between the body and soul is concerned.

   

            We have to overcome that prevalent thinking that somehow

allows the body to have whatever it wants as long as it does not make

a mess in public or with the law. In short, it can have what it wants

even if it goes against God’s law for us or even our own nature as

long as one is not caught.

  

            It’s this kind of thinking that is behind the surge these

days of alcoholism, gluttony, eroticism, infidelity, frivolity, etc.

Modesty and moderation are hardly known, let alone practiced.

  

            Temperance actually constitutes for us a liberation from

our carnal self. It’s actually an expression of freedom so that we can

realize more fully our dignity as persons who know how to think and

love properly, and as children of God who are supposed to live their

lives with God.

  

            So, far from undermining our freedom, the virtue of

temperance helps us to live our freedom properly. It helps us to be

always vigilant so that we don’t get easily deceived by the false

values our wounded flesh often offers us.

Be practical also

WHILE it is true that to be prudent in our actuations, we

need to come up with some theories and hypothesis, we also need to

realize that we should not stop only in the speculative level. We have

to go all the way to the practical level too. The virtue of prudence

would not be prudence unless its speculative part is accompanied by

its practical aspect. Theories without action distort the true nature

of prudence.

  

            Yes, it is important to theorize and hypothesize if only

to concretize some highly abstract truths, principles, standards and

criteria. Theories and hypotheses make sure that the truths,

principles, standards and criteria we are using are truly relevant and

applicable to a particular situation, problem or issue. They offer us

good guidelines in our actions.

              So, theorizing and hypothesizing is indispensable,

otherwise we might just be doing a lot of things, giving ourselves the

impression that we are progressing or accomplishing something when, in

fact, we are missing the real point.

  

            But no matter how important and indispensable the

theories, hypothesis, formulas and the other forms of speculative work

are, they would amount to nothing if we fail to act on them. Action

completes our prudent actuations.

  

            Acting on our theories and hypotheses, of course, may

involve some trial-and-error stage. And it may happen that we can be

in error in the end in spite of our best efforts. But that would be

better than doing nothing, unless it is quite clear that to withhold

action for a while may be the most prudent thing to do.

  

            It’s important that we act. That’s why we not only have

heads to think but also hands to do, and both faculties have to be

used. And even if the results of our actions are contrary to what we

aim at, our actions, at the very least, can always give us precious

lessons, can shed light on certain things that we may have forgotten

to consider in our planning. It’s always worthwhile to act. We should

not be afraid to act.

  

            Of course, given our human condition, some people may lean

more on the speculative type than on the active type, and vice-versa.

But no one can and should be exclusively speculative or exclusively

active. Everyone has to have both dimensions, though in varying

degrees.

   

            Yes, there are the so-called planners and policy-makers,

but even in their planning and policy-making they have to do action to

make their work attain its intended objective. There are also

implementors who carry out what the planners and policy-makers suggest

or propose. These should do their job in close coordination with the

planners and policy-makers.

  

            There therefore has to be collaborative work between the

mind, heart and hands, between thinkers and doers, between superiors

and workers. And toward this end, good relation should be established

and developed. There has to be mutual influencing among the different

parties involved.

            In this regard, it should be said that whatever task one

has to do, whether it is more of the speculative type or the active

type, he should do it as best that he can. And while the quantity of

their work is important, priority should be given to the quality of

their work. “Non multa sed multum,” as one Latin aphorism aptly puts

it, not many things but much. In short, quality over quantity.

  

            Again, in this regard, everyone should realize that

whether he is doing speculative or practical work, he is actually

lending himself as instrument and material for the continuing work of

God over his creation. In other words, our work is a participation of

the abiding providence of God over all his creation.

  

            In a sense, even if we are doing a very mundane work, we

would actually be doing some sacred work since that work is part of

God’s providence.

An apt description of today’s troubles?

SOME words of St. Paul in his letter to the Romans appear

to be a good description of today’s trouble in the world. In that

letter, he describes the troubles and identifies the cause.

             It’s in Chapter 1,18-32 of said letter, and I think it is

worthwhile to remit the whole text if only to realize how St. Paul

ably captured the why-and-wherefore of today’s troubles. To wit, he

says:

  

            “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against

all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth

by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to

them, because God has made it plain to them.

  

            “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible

qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen,

being understood from what has been made, so that people are without

excuse.

  

            “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as

God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their

foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they

became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images

made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and

reptiles.

  

            “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of

their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with

one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and

worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator…

  

            “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.

Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural

ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with

women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed

shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due

penalty for their error.

  

            “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to

retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind,

so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled

with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are

full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,

slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful.

   

            “They invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their

parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.

Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such

things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things

but also approve of those who practice them.”

  

            I consider these words a bullseye description of the

situation of much of the world today. Let us hope that we react to

these words properly by launching a deep desire to return to God, to

be most faithful to his teaching as taught and shown by Christ, and

now by the Church. This is not going to be an easy task, but neither

is it impossible.

   

            And as St. Paul himself recommended, let us help one

another in this task of going back to God in such a way that we would

be “mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (Rom 1,12) This should

be a concern of everyone.

  

            As we approach the celebration of the 5th centennial of

the Christianization of our country, let us hope that we grow in our

faith, attaining a more mature faith able to see God everywhere, to

cooperate as fully as possible in his will and ways, one that is

operative, knowing how to gain more ground in our spiritual life and

more able to bear our human frailties and resist temptations and sin.

   

            Let’s hope that we can have a faith that knows how to undo

or resolve the moral troubles we have at present.

Virtues most needed today

FAR from falling into irrelevance, and much less, into

obsolescence, as some people claim, virtues are actually most needed

today. And that’s simply because with the fast-moving and more

complicated developments of the times, virtues actually help us

greatly in properly tackling the challenges of these new developments.

  

            We are actually in urgent need of these stable qualities

in our modern times. We have to debunk the myth that virtues hinder

our reactions to the challenges of the times. It is a piece of

pre-historic thinking that would consider the virtues as obstacles in

our effort to grapple with the new developments.

  

            It is amazing that some people, even the self-proclaimed

highly educated people who are supposed to be very scientific in their

outlook, would still cling to that fiction. If anything at all,

virtues help us not only to facilitate our reactions to these new

developments but also to see to it that our reactions are the right

ones.

   

            We need to dismantle the bias against virtues as wrongly

understood by some people. In fact, these days we should be into some

intense campaign to promote the importance, development and practice

of the virtues. This should start in the family, and always reinforced

in parishes, schools, offices and everywhere else. They are always

relevant. There is nothing in our life where the virtues would be out

of place.

  

            Take, for example, the cardinal virtues under which all

the other virtues are grouped and which are the hinges of a virtuous

life, a life that would resemble us more and more with our Creator God

who made us to be his image and likeness.

   

            Prudence “disposes reason to discern in every circumstance

our true good and to choose the right means for achieving it. Prudence

guides the other virtues by pointing out their rule and measure.”

(Compendium 380)

  

            Given the confusing culture of our times where we not only

have to distinguish between what is good and evil, but also between

competing good options, we really would need prudence to be able to

make the right choice. Under this virtue, for example would the virtue

of order that enables us to have the proper priorities amid the many

things that we have to consider.

   

            Justice enables us to give to others, especially God,

their due. (cfr. Compendium 318) This virtue is always necessary since

we are not supposed to live simply on our own. We always live with

others, and we have duties and responsibilities toward them. This

virtue will help us avoid falling into self-indulgence and

self-absorption which are the common anomalies today.

  

            Fortitude “assures firmness in difficulties and constancy

in the pursuit of the good.” (Compendium 382) Since our life will

always involve moves of conquest and defense, we cannot overemphasize

the importance of this virtue.

  

            And again, given the complexities of our times, we have to

make sure that we are tough and strong enough to tackle the many

challenges of the times. Sad to say, many now have fallen into despair

precisely because they lack this virtue that will always include a

certain sense of optimism despite all the possible mishaps we can

experience in life.

  

            And then we have the virtue of temperance which “moderates

the attraction of pleasures, assures the mastery of the will over

instincts and provides balance in the use of created goods.”

(Compendium 383)

   

            This is a virtue that I would say is most immediately

needed, since we are easily carried away by the movements of the flesh

as it interacts with the new, fascinating albeit intoxicating things

of today’s environment.

   

            This is where we need to have self-discipline and a good

sense of restraint and moderation in the use of the new technologies,

for example.

  

            If we want to be truly human, let alone, authentically

Christian, we need these virtues more than we need food, drink and

air.