Making the New Year a good year

UNFORTUNATELY, we are still hearing that this COVID pandemic will still be with us for months and even for years. Let’s hope and pray that this piece of information would be proven wrong as early as possible, and that those things that are needed to end it are discovered and given to us. But even if that disturbing news holds true, we should not allow it to sour and darken our vision about this new year that has just begun. 

 If we have faith in God, we know that no matter how things go and develop in this new year, everything would just work out for the good. With God, we would know how to derive good even from the worst evil that can menace us this year. God is always in control, and if we are with him, we too can have a certain degree of dominion over whatever would happen. Whatever crisis we may have would always offer us a new opening for a greater good. 

 We should just deepen our faith so that our hope would continue to be vibrant instead of thinning, and our charity, instead of fading, would grow stronger. With God, we are assured that not only would we survive whatever trials would come our way. We would even prosper, as we would certainly learn new things, acquire new virtues and invigorate those virtues that we already have, be purified of the remains of the sins of all men, etc. 

 In other words, this pandemic would give all of us an occasion to get closer to God and to cooperate more closely in the continuing divine work of human redemption. That is how we should look at this news, so that not only would we be egged to prepare ourselves accordingly but would also lead us to see things under a very positive and meaningfully light. 

 We can also say that God allows these trials, challenges and difficulties to happen because he wants to remind us that we need to to get closer to him. To be sure, he does not directly wish evil to happen to us, but allows the limitations of nature and the abuses of our freedom to play out because he can always derive a greater good from them. 

 Perhaps what we can do to help us face the new year with a very hopeful attitude is to immerse ourselves in the celebration of the 5th centenary of Christianity in our country, which is also made more meaningful since 2021 is also the Year of St. Joseph, a most faithful man of God who can help us in strengthening our relation with God. 

 I believe that is a very practical and helpful way of living out this new year that strikes us now to be challenging. Instead of worrying and brooding, letting ourselves to be dominated by fears and anxieties, we would put ourselves in a pro-active, optimistic mode, doing a lot of good, the possibilities of which are actually endless. 

 With this celebration of the 5th centennial of our Christianity and the Year of St. Joseph, we are given a perfect occasion to learn more about our faith and to develop a more solid life of piety where we would know how to abandon ourselves in the loving providence of God even as we do our part as productively as possible!

Lessons from housekeeping

THIS may not be a major concern that would elicit a strong interest from most people. But to me, at least, this has given me some precious lessons and insights into how a good housekeeping culture should be. And if I could beg your indulgence, I would like to do some sharing of what I learned. 

 Because of the lockdown regimen due to the pandemic, which lasted for quite a while, I found myself doing household chores, especially in the kitchen, because our helpers could not report for work. 

 At first, I felt like a fish out of water, since by fate or whatever, I have been spared so far from doing tasks like laundering, cooking, washing dishes, setting the table, cleaning the house, shopping and going to the wet markets to buy fish, veggies, meat, things I hardly bother about before, etc. 

 I believe that if there is such a thing as division of labor and that one is assigned to where he is most fit and gifted, then I believe that household chores are not really for me, though I know I am not completely exempted from them. And true enough, doing household menial chores were never my cup of tea. I never developed a liking for them. And if I could avoid them, I would have no second thoughts avoiding them. 

 I have always thought that I am meant more for some intellectual work, doing a lot of reading and researches, writing, analyzing data and the like. That’s where I feel most at home. I like being with people rather than with pots and pans, brooms and the washing machine. And so, when I could not avoid the housekeeping chores anymore, my initial reaction was something like having a crisis. 

 But then I have been trained to be game to any new challenges that can come my way. And so I tried to activate this attitude this time toward something that I considered completely unexpected. And it paid off. 

In spite of my initial awkwardness and difficulty, I still considered myself lucky because I had companions who, even if they were highly-placed professional men, were experts in housekeeping tasks, especially in cooking. They happen to come from families that had excellent housekeeping cultures. And so I learned a lot from them. The whole period of forced lockdown became for me a great blessing in disguise. 

 First thing I learned was that there has to be a good wholistic plan of how the whole housekeeping concern should be done. The different tasks were identified and assigned to us. I was given as my main chore that of dishwashing. Perhaps, they found me capable only of that, though I was also asked to lend a hand in the other chores to which I gradually developed a certain liking and skill. 

 Of course, a schedule for each task was made, and everyone was expected to do his job punctually. I notice that when everyone cooperated, the whole house became a haven of good life. Everyone was cheerful and of good disposition, despite being deprived of their usual business. 

 One concrete lesson I learned and which I consider precious is that in the preparation for cooking, things have to be cleaned and washed after each step of the preparation process. And so despite the mess involved, the whole place still appeared clean and orderly. Clutter was practically eliminated.

Devotion to the archangels

WE have to popularize this devotion some more. The archangels are great allies that we can count on especially during our difficult moments. They are so close and so identified with God that we can refer to them as God’s organic or vital extensions of his own self, if we may describe them that. 

 Remember what Christ said about angels in general? It was when he talked about the angels of little children whom the disciples wanted to shoo away from Christ for being a disturbance. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones,” he said. “For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 18,10) 

 Angels, to be sure, are real beings. They are not fictional characters, figments of our imagination, projections of what we like to have. They are pure spirits who have entirely identified themselves with God. They are not God themselves, but creatures of God who upon their creation have chosen to be with God for all eternity. 

 And among them are the archangels. They are especially chosen by God to undertake some special tasks. The Archangel Michael, for example, whose name means “He who is like God” led in the fight against Satan and all the devils. He will be most helpful to us in our lifelong struggle against temptations and sin that nowadays are getting more subtle, daunting and irresistible. 

 And let’s remember what St. Paul said about whom we are up against. “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 6,12) 

 The Archangel Gabriel, whose name means “God’s strength,” would be most helpful to us in knowing God’s concrete will and mission for us. He was the one who announced to both St. Zachary and Our Lady about the birth of their respective child. 

 He will also be helpful to us in facilitating our communication with everybody else. We cannot deny that despite the tremendous communication technologies we are enjoying these days, we still are bothered by miscommunication, misinformation and the like. He will help us to be faithful always to the truth that will always have to be delivered with charity. 

 The Archangel Raphael, whose name means “God’s remedy,” was the one who helped the youth Tobias to carry out the errand of his father and to meet his wife and rid her of demonic possession, as well as healed the blindness of Tobit, Tobias’ father. (cfr. Tobit 12) We can just imagine what he can do for us! 

 It’s important that we be aware of the existence of these very powerful archangels who, for sure, would be most willing and most happy to help us in their own way. We just have to enliven our faith in them and develop the appropriate devotion. 

 Many great saints have benefited from the help of these archangels. For one, St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, entrusted to them the tremendous apostolic work he and the faithful of Opus Dei have to carry out till the end of time. 

 It would be good if we train ourselves to develop an intimate relationship with them. To be sure, only good things can come out of such relationship!

Life as a contact sport

THAT’S right. While our life can be described in many ways, a lot of which in sweet, colorful terms and soothing tones, we should not forget that it can also be seen as something like a contact sport, where we need to really fight tooth and nail if we are interested in keeping our human and Christian dignity intact. 

Yes, life can be harsh and bloody, what with all the bad elements we have to contend with. Imagine a boxing match, definitely a severe contact sport. There the contenders would really do everything within the rules of boxing to win, and so they have to train themselves like hell in the art of attack and defense. 

They have to make themselves strong like a rock, so they don’t get easily hurt by the unavoidable blows they will receive. And yet they also have to be flexible, even nimble, to be able to make those rapid moves that are necessary in a highly dynamic and unpredictable bout. 

 Many techniques have to be learned. A serious training program has to be put up. Strict discipline has to be instilled. The muscles, both the physical and the spiritual, have to be power-packed so that the blows we make against the enemies of our soul can really make a knockdown, if possible. 

 We have to be knowledgeable about the many possible game plans both the enemies of our soul and us can use. We have to know when we are being set up for a kill, and vice-versa, how we can set up our spiritual and worldly nemeses. So, some serious study should also be made. 

 As much as possible, we have to know how our enemies are—what techniques they use, what their usual behavior and mannerisms are, etc. The strengths and weaknesses have to be known as much as possible. 

And like in basketball, we also have to learn to pass the ball to those who can help us—going to confessors, chatting with spiritual directors and friends, etc. We can never afford simply to be on our own in our life struggles. We need coaches, and even avid fans to give moral support. 

 We have to practice our shooting skills to score points and hopefully win the game eventually. We have to know how to block a driving player and to avoid being blocked. And when we commit a mistake or are being fouled, we should know how to get up and move on immediately, without undue delay. 

 And like in wrestling, we have to learn the art of hand-to-hand tackles, beatdown, the rapid series of holds, strikes and maneuvers, making a pinfall, as well as a rest hold. 

 It’s important that we have the proper attitude toward all these maneuvers. We should be emotionally, mentally and spiritually strong, not easily discouraged or scandalized. We have to be sport all the way, knowing that whether we win or lose in a game, God will always be with us. 

 We have to assume the same attitude spelled out by St. Paul: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize…Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it my slave…” (1 Cor 9,24 ff.)

Blessed are the poor, indeed!

I CONSIDER it a great honor and privilege to have been invited to the house of a poor couple up in the mountains of Cebu the other day. It was truly a refreshing experience to spend some time with them as they very eagerly told me the story of their life. 

 They are parents of someone whom I met sometime ago, a person who had a hard life growing up in poor conditions but who struggled and eventually won in the pursuit of his dreams. But that person has already passed away. God bless him! 

 The house was actually just a shack, a two-room affair. One served as an all-purpose room that is used as sala, dining room and kitchen. There was a little toilet annexed to it and covered only with a flimsy curtain. The other room was their bedroom, with the size that was just enough for the couple to sleep. But it had a window that gave a very beautiful panoramic view of the mountain landscape. 

 What struck me at the beginning of our conversation was that while they acknowledged that they were poor, they did not show any sign of self-pity or of inferiority. On the contrary, what I noticed was that they had good self-esteem as they narrated how felt they were greatly blessed and protected by God in the heavy drama of their life. 

 They lost the two children they had, one at birth and the other while he was already in the early twenties. But what kept them going was their strong faith in God expressed in their ardent life of piety. 

 They pray practically all day, since they consider their work—they are farmers—as a form of prayer also. In other words, they are always in the presence of God even while dirtied by their manual work, and they refer everything to him, asking for light and guidance, help and strength. 

 On Sundays, they do not fail to go to the small chapel a few kilometers away to attend Mass. That’s before the pandemic. More than that, the wife volunteers to do some tasks in the chapel, organizing the people around for the affairs related to the chapel. 

 The couple is already in their 70s, hair all white, teeth almost all already missing, with lines all over their faces and body, but they look sturdy and in good spirit, cheerful even if they were unrestrained in shedding tears when they told me about the difficulties and misfortunes they encountered in life. 

 They felt they were very lucky and blessed by the two children they had, because even if they went ahead of them, the two children, according to them, gave them great joy. 

 I could only draw from this attitude of theirs regarding this point that they are truly very simple people, with hearts that are so clean and pure that they could see the loving hands of God in every event of their life, whether good or bad, humanly speaking. 

 I left the house feeling renewed and convinced that, indeed, as one of the beatitudes would put, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Yes, I felt like I saw glimpses of heaven as I listened to them, squatting on the floor and taking in some chicken soup they prepared for me in their simple but wholehearted gesture of hospitality!

Reversing “Knowing me, knowing you”

THAT ABBA song, “Knowing me, knowing you,” while having a very nice tune typical of their brand of music, actually has a very sad message because it is about a break-up of two lovers. It highlights what they consider to be the irreconcilable differences between the two. 

 “Knowing me, knowing you,” it says, “there is nothing we can do. / Knowing me, knowing you / We just have to face it / This time we’re through….” These lyrics can only tell us that the two cannot be together definitively. 

 The root of the problem is, of course, because one of them makes as the basis of their relationship his or her own self-knowledge, of how he or she is at the moment, which definitely will always have differences with the other party in spite of the things they share in common. And if one insists on how he or she is, then sooner or later the differences will overwhelm what they have in common. That relationship is doomed. 

 What should rather happen is that instead of starting with oneself, we have to start knowing the other, the object of our love, and from there try to make the necessary adaptations for the relationship to hold. In other words, it should be “Knowing you, knowing me.” 

 That way, one gives priority to the object of his love and adjusts himself to the way the other party is. That is what loving is. The lover identifies with the beloved and adjusts himself to the beloved, not the other way around, and that relationship would last. 

 But obviously, since all of us have our defects and weaknesses, knowing the object of our love would not be enough for us to relate to him or her properly. If we simply base our loving on the way the other party is, then sooner or later the couple will share the same defects and weaknesses, even as they also share some good qualities. The likelihood of a break-up would be high. 

 The ideal condition to have is first to know and love God so that we may know and love ourselves and others properly. Thus, instead of “Knowing me, knowing you,” it should rather be “Knowing you (God), knowing me.” 

 This was what St. Augustine precisely said. “Noverim te, noverim me,” Latin for “May I know God, may I know myself,” St. Augustine said. It is when we know and love God first that we can know who we really are and ought to be. God is our Creator and Father in whose image and likeness we have been made. How he is, who is pure love in essence, is also how we ought to be. 

 It is God who will tell us what is true and false, right and wrong, moral and immoral. It’s not us who define and determine these things. And if we know God first, then we would know how to relate ourselves with the others, how to love them properly the way God loves us, as shown, taught and commanded to us by Christ himself. 

 Thus, if we really want to truly fall and remain in love with our beloved, if we want our relationships to last long until forever, then we have base it on our knowledge and love of God first. There can be no other way to assure us that our relationships here on earth would last!

“Fratelli tutti”

THAT’S the title of the latest encyclical of Pope Francis that was issued last October 3, the vigil of the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi who coined that expression. That’s the Italian for “Brothers all,” and with those words the Pope makes a very extensive description of how Christian fraternity and social friendship should be, especially in the context of today’s very complicated world. 

 St. Francis, of course, was known for his special love for the poor and for animals and for all of God’s creation that he even called the sun and the moon as Brother Sun and Sister Moon. He considered everything as “fratelli tutti” to mankind. 

 When I started reading the encyclical, I cannot help but feel a bit uncomfortable since it was asking for something that I considered as impossible to do. It was talking about the right of man to migrate practically anywhere anytime, especially if one is pressured to do so for some urgent reasons. 

 It also talked about having open borders, to welcome practically everyone to our country and homes, to give special attention and care to unexpected and uninvited people who usually bring with them big problems, etc. I found all this quite relevant to us in our country, since we have lots of OFWs and people migrating to other countries. 

 Feeling a bit uncomfortable was my first impression which, of course, changed as I continued reading the document. I remember my childhood days when my mother was so open to receive beggars at home that they practically crowded our home daily. They would freely enter the kitchen area and wait to be given food or alms. 

 At a certain point, my father complained because the beggars were already disturbing the peace at home and that of his law office which was also located at home. I understood the position of my father, but I also liked what my mother did. 

 So I was a bit torn between the two, though I tried to agree with both of them. Or said in another way, I did not take sides. Both have good reasons for their positions. I just assumed the wait-and-see attitude, knowing that one way or another, sooner or later, some resolution of the issue would be made. 

 Anyway, as I continued reading the encyclical, I got impressed by the very extensive, incisive and finely-nuanced treatment of the subject matter. Indeed, we really have to care for one another, since we are all brothers and sisters, all children of God, subjects and objects of our all-out love, irrespective of our temporal differences and conflicts, and our worldly conditions and statuses that can vary very widely, increasingly and complicatedly. 

 Yes, we should be willing to be the good Samaritan as Christ wants us to be and as the Pope now reminds us of. We should be willing to inconvenience ourselves if only to help anyone, especially the one in some urgent and special need. 

 But the encyclical also mentioned about the rule of law that should always be upheld, although it is asking that our laws should be more and more inspired by the true Christian spirit of fraternity and social friendship. 

 This is where, I think, the big challenge is. We have to find ways and mechanisms of how our laws, social structures, cultures, attitudes, etc. can truly capture the Christian spirit of brotherhood and friendship. A very tall order!

In haste to serve

THAT heartwarming story of Mary immediately going to see her cousin Elizabeth once she knew the cousin was already with child, teaches us a very precious lesson about the beauty of serving and avoiding any trace of entitlement and privilege despite a great blessing and honor that may be given to us. (cfr. Lk 1,39-45) 

 In that gospel episode, it is mentioned that Mary went “in haste.” She just learned that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God, the highest dignity any human person could have, but that knowledge did not go to her head. Instead, she rushed to visit her cousin to help her in her difficult condition since Elizabeth was already old and it would be her first and only time to bear a child. 

 It is an example worth emulating by everyone, for it is clearly what is proper to us. A truly good person, a holy one so close and identified with God, would be quick to serve everybody else, because that is simply the expression of love. Love is always a matter of deeds and service, and not just sweet words and good intentions. 

 This eagerness to serve would really identify us with Christ who is our “way, truth and life.” He being God became man to save us, the greatest service anyone can do. And all throughout his earthly life, serving was the constant rule that he followed. He was always at the beck and call of anyone who had need of something. 

 Definitely, to be able to serve, one has to be humble. And that’s what we see in our Lady, and of course, in Christ, first of all. Pride and all its cohorts would always extinguish any desire to serve others. They only are interested in serving their own selves. 

 We need to humble ourselves so that we can serve everyone, and not just those whom we like. We have to serve even those whom we don’t like and who may not like us. If we are truly humble, our spirit of service would not make any discrimination among the people. We would serve everyone, whether they deserve to be served or not. 

 A Christian and Marian spirit of service would neither give rise in us to a certain sense of entitlement and privilege because of whatever claim of authority or superiority we may have over others. Let’s remember that Christ himself emptied himself completely up by offering his life on the cross to serve the salvation of mankind. He never felt entitled by the mere fact that he is the Son of God, and God himself. (cfr. Phil 2,7) He never went about his mission with an overbearing presence. He knew how to hide and disappear while fulfilling his most important mission on earth. 

 The same with Mary, St. Joseph and all the saints. Their interest was purely to serve and doing it gratuitously, not counting the cost nor expecting any reward. They did it with joy in spite of the sacrifices involved. 

 Let us learn to serve God and everybody else with all our heart. This way, we would effectively become more and more identified with Christ who is the pattern of our humanity. It is also this way that we can find our true joy, and our true self!

When things get beyond our control

THAT’S when we just have to abandon ourselves in the hands of God, in his most wise, powerful and merciful providence. He never abandons us and he will always have the last word no matter how things turn out in the world. 

 Let’s go back to those reassuring words of Christ when things in our life precisely get beyond our control. It’s in the gospel of St. Matthew where Christ said: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature” 

 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 

 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (6,26-33) 

 We have to learn how to develop and live this healthy sense of abandonment that is nourished by our Christian faith, hope and charity. Let’s put into vivid memory the example of the many saints and of Christ himself who lived by this sense of abandonment. 

 St. Paul, for example, was simply sport with all the trials and difficulties he had to go through to follow Christ. “I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers,” he said. 

 “I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep. I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked.” (2 Cor 11,26-27) 

 In this life, we will not be spared from suffering. We should never be surprised about this condition. It’s part of our earthly life. But if we have faith, everything will be taken care of. 

 Again, let’s remind ourselves of these reassuring words of St. Paul: “All things work together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8,28) 

 We should just train our emotions and feelings, our memory and imagination, and most especially our intelligence and will, to be guided by our faith rather than simply by our human estimation of things. 

 Our first and spontaneous reactions to trials and difficulties may be too human, but let us not allow ourselves to stay long in that condition, dominated by fears, worries and doubt. We should rectify as soon as we can and try to regain our spiritual and supernatural bearing. 

 We can always do that because the grace of God is never lacking. We should just do our part!

God never fails us

ESPECIALLY in our dark and difficult moments, which these days are not anymore uncommon, when we feel so miserable that we can think that we have been deserted by God, we need to react immediately and reassure ourselves strongly that God never fails us. 

 It might be a good idea to rally the power of our faith that tells us that God takes care of everything. There is really nothing to worry even if we are made to suffer, since that suffering, if united to that of Christ, becomes something purifying and redemptive not only to oneself but also to everybody else. 

 It might be a good idea to come up with the different arguments of our faith to buoy up our drooping spirit that is weighed down by our many challenges in this life. God is a God of mercy and compassion. He will take up all our suffering more than us bearing them ourselves alone. 

 Precisely God sent the Son to us to save us. And this Son, Jesus Christ, perfected his redemptive work on us by assuming all our sins through his passion and death on the cross. He conquered sin and death and gave us the possibility of eternal life of bliss with God in heaven through his resurrection. 

 The merits of this redemptive work of Christ are made effective all throughout time through the mechanism of the sacramental economy that is provided by the Church. 

 Christ himself has told us that while troubles would unavoidably come our way in this life, we should not worry too much because he has overcome whatever troubles we may have. (cfr. Jn 16,33) 

 And so, let us assume the same thinking and reactions that St. Paul beautifully articulated when we are faced with all sorts of difficulties in life. At one time, he said, “If He (God) who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things.” (Rom 8,32) 

Earlier, St. Paul said that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him.” (Rom 8,28) And the Catechism reinforces this kind of reasoning of how good can be derived even from evil by teaching us that: 

 “…God in his almighty providence can bring a good from the consequences of an evil, even a moral evil, caused by his creatures: ‘It was not you,’ said Joseph to his brothers, ‘who sent me here, but God…You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.’  

“From the greatest moral evil ever committed—the rejection and murder of God’s only Son, caused by the sins of all men—God, by his grace that ‘abounded all the more,’ brought the greatest of good: the glorification of Christ and our redemption.” (CCC 312) 

 So let us not over-react when troubles come our way by allowing ourselves to fall into lasting anger, bitterness, hatred, sadness, discouragement, etc. Let us just be game and sport about the drama in our life. 

It may be helpful to familiarize ourselves with the story of Job who handled the test of his faith very well in the face of the many difficulties and misfortunes he suffered, if only to strengthen our conviction that God never fails us. (Job 1,6-22)

Dealing with the unavoidable fallouts

HOW should we handle the inevitable fallouts of our new situation these days? I suppose the quick answer is not to mind them so much and to just move on. But such attitude definitely is easier said than done. Not tackling this particular issue properly would be like the ostrich burying its head under the sand in the face of some danger. 

 We cannot deny that given the continuing crisis caused by this notorious COVID pandemic, many of us are at a loss as to how to deal with this predicament’s adverse side effects, consequences and implications. 

Of course, we try to be resilient, looking for more ways of how to cope with the new situation. But for sure we cannot avoid having to deal with fallouts that pose new problems, difficulties, challenges. 

 We need, first of all, to identify as clearly as possible these fallouts in the different aspects of our life—personal, spiritual, moral, family, professional, financial, social, etc. This is important because we tend to gloss over them, preferring to give knee-jerk reactions to problems rather than well-studied ones. As a result, we are likely to put ourselves in a greater, more formidable bind. 

 We already have heard that many people nowadays are falling into some mental and emotional conditions because of this pandemic. Others are wasting time simply brooding, feeling depressed and unable to do anything. 

 Many are trapped into some distractions, like games and even pornography in the internet, as their way of escaping from boredom. Worse, there are reports of a growing number of people, especially the young, going into occult practices and witchcraft that are marketed in the social media. 

 There seems to be a trend to escape the reality of things and to create some kind of fantasy world instead. As the anguish caused by the fallouts grows, the trend to escapism also grows, until one gets swallowed up by a completely unreal world, setting him up for a very bad, even fatal, fall. 

 We need to realize that in all these fallouts, the one basic, indispensable thing to do is obviously to go back to God, growing and sharpening our faith and hope. We have to realize that we are nothing and completely helpless without God. We have to overcome the thought that with our own powers alone, we can handle all these problems. 

 God takes care of everything. And he has reassured us that while we will always have some trouble in the world, he already has overcome them. (cfr. Jn 16,33) We need to see the wisdom of these divine and redemptive words, finding why indeed God can do so. Obviously, we have to learn how to have some faith-based sporting spirit, one that includes the capacity to suffer the way Christ suffered. 

 With God, we would know that these fallouts are given, allowed or tolerated by God because we can make something good out of them. They can occasion a greater and more realistic understanding of our condition in this life as well as the development of more virtues or the refining, polishing and maturing of the virtues that we already have. With God, we would realize that these fallouts are actually a blessing rather than a curse, another golden opportunity for greatness rather than a setback and a punishment!

Vicarious suffering

WE have to understand this phenomenon very well, especially these days when a lot of people are going through all kinds of suffering, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, moral, financial, social, political and a long etcetera. When we understand it well, we would have the chance to take advantage of suffering, since suffering can open up a lot of good things for us. Suffering is not just a purely negative thing in our life. 

 We cannot help but suffer with everyone else, because whether we are aware of it or not, we are actually interconnected with one another. When one suffers, everybody else also suffers. Yes, we suffer too. 

 This truth about ourselves can be described in many ways: that we are in the same boat, we belong to the same body, we are actually one family, we cannot help but live in some communion among ourselves. 

Let’s remember what St. Paul said in this regard. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1 Cor 12,26) And this is made possible because God has designed us to be so. 

 We actually form not only one body in Christ but also parts of the very body of Christ, who is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity. As such, he assumed all the suffering of all men due to sin. Christ is the very epitome of what is known as “vicarious suffering,” since he, who need not suffer, chose to suffer for us and with us. 

 If we want to conform ourselves to this pattern and savior of our humanity, then we ought to have the same attitude Christ had and continues to have toward the suffering of men. We have to learn to choose to suffer for and with one another! We have to be eager to have the vicarious suffering for the others. 

 And these days, with so many suffering around, we should realize that we have a golden opportunity to identify ourselves more with Christ by suffering with and for the others. 

 In this regard, it would be good if we are always aware of the suffering of others. We should be pro-active in this. We should not just wait for others to tell us they are suffering. We have to take the initiative. 

 And our own suffering should not prevent us from thinking also of the suffering of the others. In fact, our own suffering would become useful and more bearable if we go through it with the suffering of the others, offering it to God and making it part of the continuing suffering of Christ that is meant for our redemption.  

Thus our suffering that we convert also as a vicarious suffering for the others would also become a share of the redemptive suffering of Christ. With this understanding of suffering, our fear of it disappears, and instead of fear, we would have an eager desire for it. Suffering becomes a very positive element in our life.  

Just as Christ embraced his suffering, his cross and his death, so should be our attitude toward all kinds of suffering, whether it is ours or those of others. We should suffer with and for everybody else. This way, we suffer with Christ also. We identify ourselves with him more, and our suffering becomes redemptive.

Hunger and thirst for souls

IF we truly are Christians, if we really would like to be another Christ as we ought to be, then we have to see to it that we develop and actually have an unsatisfiable hunger and an unquenchable thirst for souls, for all souls, irrespective of who and how they are. 

 This was how Christ was and how he continues to be. He came to the world with the intention of saving all men, not just some, but all. That’s why even if he was rejected by many and eventually crucified, he offered forgiveness to everyone, especially those who crucified him. 

 Before that, he already told his disciples that they should love even their enemies. Yes, it’s true that he scolded and corrected some people, spoke some harsh words especially to those who were constantly finding fault in him, but that’s precisely because they failed to love everyone. They were so self-righteous, and in their self-righteousness, they failed to love everyone. 

 We need to see to it that we do not fall into the same condition of self-righteousness. Yes, we will meet people who are in error, who may have offended us, etc., but these do not excuse us from loving them. 

Even if we have differences and conflicts among ourselves, even if we have been wronged, it is not good to hate anyone, not even to be angry at anyone for long. Like Christ we should learn to forgive, or at least to offer forgiveness. More than that, like Christ we should see what we can do to bring them back to what is right, what is true, good and beautiful as defined by Christ. 

 That is why we should always be thinking of others. This is the concrete manifestation of what we usually proclaim that we love God. If we truly love God, then we have to love everyone, the way Christ loved and continues to love everyone. 

 We have to be wary of that subtle trick of the devil that would lead us to get trapped in our own world of sanctimonious practices—doing a lot of prayer, even having recourse to the sacraments, doing many altruistic and philanthropic activities, but still keeping hatred, resentment, anger to others in our heart. 

That’s falling into what is known as simply being “goodish,” but not really being good and holy. To be truly good and holy, we should love everyone, irrespective of who and how they are. To do this, we should be willing to follow the example of Christ who did not stop simply in proclaiming what is good and bad, what is true and false, but went all the way to assuming all the sins of men, offering forgiveness to everyone. 

 And he gave the new commandment that we love our neighbor as he himself has loved us. (cfr. Jn 13,34) To top it all, he commanded his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Mt 28,19-20) 

 In other words, we would know that we are becoming authentic Christians when we carry out these commandments of Christ. Our hunger and thirst for souls should be unsatisfiable and unquenchable!

A crisis, an opening

THIS is how we should react whenever we are into some crisis. We have to look at it as giving us another opening, another opportunity to explore the different possibilities not only survive but also to prosper. 

 If we have trust in God’s providence, if our faith is strong and abiding, we know that as St. Paul once said, everything will work out for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28) Even our problems, difficulties and misfortunes can turn out to be great blessings which otherwise would not come to us if these predicaments did not come about. 

 I know a friend whose business was badly affected by the pandemic and the quarantine restrictions. He had a string of grocery and department stores that had all but closed down. He literally had to subsidize the staff who were obviously in dire straits. He knew his resources cannot sustain that gesture for long. 

But an idea came to him. He has this hobby of collecting decorative plants that are small in size. Through the years he has been accumulating already a good quantity of these plants. He knew where to source them. 

 When this phenomenon of the “plantitos” and “plantitas” came around, he immediately thought of selling at least some of them, and involving some of his staff in the process. The idea caught on like wildfire, especially because he asked his charming 6-year old grandson to advertize the plants online. Orders came pouring in. 

 Were the sale of the plants enough the offset the losses in his regular business? I did not bother to ask. But I am sure that what he did helped him and others in some way. I believe this is what counts more than anything else. 

 I am sure there are many other examples of how difficulties can occasion novel and creative initiatives. We should just be game about our predicaments, since that attitude is more helpful than just allowing ourselves to succumb to worries and fears. 

 Let’s remember that life is like a game. We just have to play our best even if we suffer some losses and defeats along the way. We just have to move on, knowing that the important thing is just to keep going until our last breath. 

 We have to remember that when one door closes, another or even several other doors open. We should just be quick to discern and take advantage of the new opportunities. 

 In this regard, what is important is to strengthen our faith, hope and charity, so that we can always go along the ways of God who, in his providence, would know how to derive good from evil, strength from weakness, blessings from difficulties. 

 Let’s never forget that we are supposed to live always under God’s providence and never just by our own selves, relying solely on our human powers and earthly factors, even if we have to make full use of them, of course. 

 So, let’s avoid getting stuck with worries and fears when some crisis would strike us. Rather we have to look at them as challenges God allows to give us because a greater good can be derived from them. 

 We have to learn to look always at the brighter side of life rather than to get entangled in its dark side. We have reason to be serene, confident, optimistic and cheerful in spite of whatever crisis may come.

At peace with everyone

THIS is the ideal condition for all of us. And let’s hope that we can achieve it. It’s when we are at peace with everyone that we attain our ideal state which we should try our best to pursue. Yes, even if differences and conflicts continue to hound us, as long as we follow the example of Christ as we should, we would manage. 

 The secret is precisely to follow the example of Christ who went about proclaiming the truth always in charity. And even if he was met with resistance and finally put to death, he just offered forgiveness for everyone. 

 His ultimate desire was the reconciliation of man with God. The differences and conflicts, the resistance and the murder did not matter much to him, though he suffered gravely. Anyway, there will be judgment when God knows how to separate the goats from the sheep. 

 That should also be the ultimate motive for us to be at peace with everyone, God first and then everyone else. Just as what Christ did, we should just try to follow the will, the commandments of God as best that we could, and offer forgiveness as well as ask for it, whatever the case may be, in our dealings with the others. 

 We should not end the day with some resentment, anger and much less, hatred, still gnawing at our heart. This may sound difficult if not impossible to do, given the way we are, but as long as we persist in following the example of Christ, no matter how tenuously, we can manage to clear our heart of any negativity that would rob us of our peace. 

 We need to train ourselves in keeping our mind and heart conformed to Christ’s. His attitude toward everything in life should be ours. His words and example should be the light that guides our every step. 

For this, we have to do the appropriate practices, like meditating on the words and life of Christ as recorded in the gospel regularly, like everyday. We should continually develop and deepen the virtues, especially humility, purity, order, etc. 

 Most especially, we should follow what Christ told us about what is needed to follow him. “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me,” he said. (Lk 9,23) 

 We should not be afraid of the suffering that would be involved, and even of death itself. Christ reassured us that everything will be all right as long as we are with him. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” he said. “Instead, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt 10,28) 

 God will take care of everything. We should not worry about anything. He reassured us that while here on earth we will always have some trouble, he has everything overcome already. (cfr. Jn 16,33) 

 And St. Paul has this wonderful insight about this truth of God taking care of everything. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1,6) Ours is simply to go along, as best that we can, with God’s plan for us as shown by Christ. Just like Christ, we are not expected to solve all the problems in this world. But the resurrection takes care of everything without compromising the real justice that comes from God.

Year of St. Joseph

POPE Francis has declared year 2021 as the Year of St. Joseph that spans from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021. It is meant to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the foster father of Christ as patron of the universal Church. 

 So, the year 2021 is made even more significant to us, since aside from the celebration of the 5th centenary of Christianity in the Philippines, we also have this celebration of the importance of St. Joseph in our life. 

 The two celebrations need not compete but rather mutually help with each other. To be sure, the life and example of St. Joseph can help us greatly in making our Christianity more meaningful. The Year of St. Joseph should not distract us from the celebration of the 5th centenary of our Christianity. 

 Let’s remember that if there’s anybody more knowledgeable about how to take care of Christ and how to follow him closely, which is what Christianity is all about, it would be St Joseph together, of course, with Our Lady from whom he cannot be separated. 

 The original and model earthly family of which all of us are supposed to form part is that of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We should constantly refer ourselves to them so that little by little we can see that we are truly becoming part of the Holy Family as we should. 

 In this regard, Pope Francis has given us some pointers on how we can learn precious lessons from St. Joseph in his Apostolic Letter “Patris corde” (With the heart of a father). He offers 7 bullet points on how we have to regard St. Joseph and what we can learn from him. 

 First is that St. Joseph is “A beloved father. The greatness of Saint Joseph is that he was the spouse of Mary and the father of Jesus. In this way, he placed himself, in the words of Saint John Chrysostom, ‘at the service of the entire plan of salvation’”. 

 Second is that he is “a tender and loving father.” He saw Jesus grow daily in wisdom, years and divine and human favor, teaching him to walk, taking him by the hand, etc. 

 Third is that he is “an obedient father.” He acted immediately on what was revealed to him in dreams by an angel. 

 Fourth is that he is “an accepting father.” Though he had to face situations where he could not understand many things and may even appear as unfair to him, he just accepted what was told to him without any question. 

 Fifth is that he is “a creatively courageous father.” He knew how to take advantage of difficulties to develop more virtues and to deepen and strengthen them, never saying enough. 

 Sixth is that he is “a working father.” He highlighted the true dignity of human work, any kind of work, including those that in our human estimation, we consider lowly. 

 Seventh is that he is “a father in the shadows.” He did his role as foster father of Christ without attracting unnecessary attention. He was always in the background, with mind and heart fully focused on Christ. 

Let’s hope that these considerations that Pope Francis is suggesting to us in this Year of St. Joseph help us to be like him, so that like him we would know how to deal with Christ, with Mary and everybody else!

Joy amid penance

THAT’S the main message of the readings and prayers of the 3rd Sunday of Advent, otherwise called the “Gaudete” Sunday. The expression comes from the entrance antiphon of the Mass that cites some words of St. Paul, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.” (Phil 4,4) 

 It’s important that we don’t lose sight of our need for joy even as we go through the exercise of penance which is what is called for in this season of Advent. And that’s because, as St. Paul said, the Lord is near. This piece of news should gladden our heart even as we intensify our penitential acts to prepare ourselves properly to receive him. 

 This Good News, which with faith we can consider as already done, should remind us of the bigger picture about ourselves. We come from God and not just from our parents. We are meant to be with God in our definitive state of life in eternity. Our life here on earth is simply a training and testing ground to see if what God wants us to be is also what we want to be. 

 We should develop the appropriate sense of nostalgia and expectation that should bring us beyond the limits of time and space, and lead us to God in eternity. That’s where we came from and where we are meant to be. And for this, we have been given the adequate means, none other than Christ himself who told us that he is “the way, the truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14,6) 

If we live by this conviction provided to us by our Christian faith, then we have every reason to be happy and at peace however our earthly life turns. We should try our best never to lose our joy and peace despite the difficulties, trials and other negative things we can encounter in our earthly life. 

 We have to remember that joy and peace are what are proper to us. As Sacred Scripture would have it, “A merry heart is the true life of man, is an unfailing store of holiness. Length of years is measured by rejoicing.” (Sir 30,23) And St. Thomas Aquinas has this to say also: “Happiness is a good proper to human beings. Animals can only be called happy by a misuse of language.” 

 There are many benefits of joy and peace. The Book of Proverbs says, “A cheerful heart makes a quick recovery. It is crushed spirits that waste a man’s frame.” (17,22) Joy facilitates thinking and reasoning. It helps us understand people and situations. It fosters simplicity, creates a good atmosphere around, builds up unity. Joy facilitates the exercise of penance. 

 We have to make sure that we are happy and peaceful. Obviously, we have to understand that to be in that state is first of all a result of grace which we should always ask for. But it is also a product of our own correspondence to God’s grace, and of our effort to closely follow Christ’s teaching and example. 

 The joy and peace rooted on Christ transcend the physical and earthly dimensions. They can be lived even in what may be considered humanly speaking as difficult moments of pain, suffering and privation. 

 For this joy and peace to be with us, we have to have a strong faith in Christ!

Gradually, as on an inclined plane

THIS should be our approach as we propose to everyone that we aim at the ideals presented to us by Christ, and now by the Church. We should avoid just ramming them in on the throats of people without considering how ready they are in accepting and living them. 

 Let’s remember that these Christian ideals are eminently spiritual and supernatural in nature, although adapted, of course, to our human condition. As such, they usually are above our head, and cannot be attained simply using our natural powers. We need God’s grace to which we should try our best to correspond. 

 This is where a lot of effort, adjustments, sacrifices are required. And this will obviously take time, even a lot of time. We have to learn, for example, how to materialize the spiritual, how to put in the proper context the supernatural messages of the gospel, how they can be made attractive and doable to the people, etc. 

 When we propose these Christian ideals, we should try our best not only to give the doctrine, the principles and some ideas. We should also come out with the appropriate plans, strategies, training and formation programs, etc., plus the fact that we have to accompany the people in pursuing these ideals as best that we could. We should avoid just preaching about these ideals. 

 Obviously, we should first live what we preach, since we cannot give what we do not have, nor be convincing and credible when we ourselves are not practicing what we preach. The inconsistency would be shown one way or another, sooner or later. 

 By living first what we preach, we would be richly supported by practical considerations that would be most helpful for the people to live what is being preached to them. At all costs, we should avoid preaching what we do not live ourselves or preaching in a way that we know people are not yet ready to live them. Thus, we should try our best to know the people very well so we would know how to adapt the preaching to them. 

 It’s true that we should preach in season and out of season as St. Paul said (cfr. 2 Tim 4,2), but this does not excuse us from adapting our preaching to the concrete conditions of the people. Otherwise, our preaching would be regarded as overwhelming and would just turn people off rather than inspire them. 

Let’s remember that Christ himself did this. That is why he used parables and other devices to impart important lessons to the people. Obviously, employing the right way to preach, to walk the talk and to accompany people in their pursuit for the Christian ideals would be a very dynamic thing, a life-long process that will never end. We should just be ready for this condition, humble enough to accept its tentative character and to make the necessary adjustments and adaptations along the way. 

 In this regard, it would be helpful that we assume a sporting but creative spirit in this task. We have to expect some mistakes that we can commit, some failures, etc., but these should offer us precious lessons rather than be simply discouraged. 

 If we persist in this, time will come when it is kind of instinctive in us to know how to preach and guide people gradually as on an inclined plane.

Intimacy with God most important

WE have to do everything to have intimacy with God all the time because that is the best and proper condition for us to be in this life. And by intimacy, I mean not only involving our mind and will, such that we have an abiding awareness of God’s presence in our life, but also our feelings and passions. This may not be easy and quick to accomplish, but we have our whole life to achieve that condition. 

 The important thing to remember is that we have to set our whole selves to meet that condition. We have to convince ourselves that our relationship with God and also with everybody else attains its best condition when we manage to be intimate with them. 

 It’s when we are intimate with God and others where we can really see ourselves and God and everybody else as we truly are, in our rawest and unvarnished selves. Intimacy is where the most fundamental expressions of our humanity are made, where we become aware of our personhood, and where our identity is established and defined. 

 As such, intimacy is what would make us strongly feel that we need God and everybody else. They become a necessity to us, and not just optional items in our life. Intimacy heals our common tendency, a weakness and an anomaly actually, to think and feel that we can just be by our own selves. 

 Intimacy is what makes our human powers and faculties attain their proper exercise and trajectory. Otherwise, we would just misuse or abuse them, much like prostituting them since without intimacy, we would just be using them purely for self-indulgence. 

 To achieve this intimacy with God and with everybody else definitely would require some discipline and training. It does not come quite automatically, because we will always have the tendency to misuse our freedom. Instead of loving God and others, as what our true freedom ought to lead us, we tend to simply love our own selves. 

 That is why we need to pray and to deepen our faith which is the source of the ultimate truth that governs our life here on earth. And then we need to train all our faculties and powers—our intelligence, will, feelings, passions, etc.—to conform to this faith-provided truth about ourselves. 

 We also have to convince ourselves that contrary to some beliefs, to be intimate in our relationship with God and with everybody else would not make us appear or behave weird. It’s actually when we are intimate with God and with everybody else that we are directed to the perfection of our humanity. 

 To be intimate with God and with everybody else will definitely require effort and a lot of sacrifice, given our weakened human condition in this life. We need to follow the teaching and example of Christ that would always involve self-denial, carrying the cross, etc. We need to be very understanding, patient and charitable with everybody with whom we may have differences and conflicts. 

 It’s when we manage to handle these difficult conditions that our intimacy with God and with others is tested and proven true and authentic. In the end, intimacy teaches us how to transcend the twists and turns of our earthly drama to focus on what is truly important for us—our eternal life with God and with everybody else in heaven!

Survive and prosper

IT’S an art that is most worthwhile to learn and to have. Whenever there are drastic changes in life, like what we are having now when our movements are significantly restricted, we should know how not only to survive but also to prosper. 

 Impossible? Well, that really would depend on how we see things in general. If we are the pessimistic and negative type of fellow, then we would readily give up when new and more difficult challenges come our way. The impossibility of survival is already a foregone conclusion, and prospering is definitely out of the question. 

 But if due to our great faith and trust in God and the objective awareness of our own capabilities, we would just be game about our life, irrespective of how it turns, then we know that we not only can we survive but also can prosper. 

 Obviously, the standards to use to see if we are surviving and prospering should not just be the worldly and temporal ones, but rather the spiritual and supernatural ones. The former standards definitely cannot cope with the limitations of our human condition here on earth. The latter ones can, since they can transcend our earthly and temporal limitations. 

 So, more than anything else, when we are faced with difficult and impossible situations, we should strengthen our faith, for it is through it that the impossible becomes possible, and that the assurance of everlasting victory despite our earthly defeats is given. 

 We have to be wary of our tendency to react to our difficulties, trials and challenges in a purely human way, relying simply on our own natural powers, that usually depend more on feelings and emotions rather than on reason, and much less on our reason enlightened by our spiritual and supernatural faith. 

 We need to discipline ourselves so that the light of faith takes a leading role over our reason, emotions and other human powers we have. For this, we need to also learn how to live a certain sense of abandonment and also to suffer and to be patient and optimistic. 

 These qualities definitely are necessary if we want our faith to take root and be operative. With these qualities, we allow God to work in us and we can also see and understand the ways Christ has shown us in dealing with all kinds of predicaments we can face in this life. 

 Yes, we may not be spared from suffering and even from death, but with faith as our guide, with God working in us and with Christ showing us the way, we can see things more objectively and globally, we can see openings and opportunities in our difficulties, strength in our weakness, victory in our defeats, virtues in our trials, life in our death. 

 With a strong faith, we would be more able to help not only our own selves but also others. In fact, we would see the intimate relation of how being with God through our faith, hope and charity can bring us more closely to others and how in the end we would be helping ourselves greatly. 

 Yes, there is always the possibility not only of survival in our difficulties, but also of prosperity. We can have peace of mind because Christ has assured us that everything will just be all right. “In this world, you will have trouble,” he said. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33)

True love is not scandalized by anything

THAT’S how true love is, a love that is a clear sharing of the love that is in God as shown and lived by Christ himself. It’s a love that is not scandalized by anything. It, of course, continues to maintain that what is wrong is wrong, what is sinful and evil is sinful and evil. It does not compromise the truth of things. 

 But that fact would not take away one’s love for the person who happens to be wrong not only in some matters of opinion but also in some very serious matters, like matters of faith, hope and charity. 

 It’s a love that clearly shows one is with God and is following the new commandment Christ gave us—that we love one another as he himself has loved us. (cfr. Jn 13,34) It’s a love that was clearly described by St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (13,7) 

 Instead of being scandalized by evil, anyone who has this true love would rather be motivated to do all he can to help and save that person who is in error. He is not afraid to suffer in that effort. He would consider the suffering and sacrifice involved as his joy—of the kind that transcends the usual human and worldly standards. 

 This is the love that all of us should aim at acquiring and living. For this, of course, a lot of discipline is involved. First, we have to have recourse to the spiritual and supernatural means of prayer, sacrifice, going to the sacraments. 

 There should be unrelenting effort to know Christ so well as to identify ourselves with him more and more. It’s only then that we can be strong enough to take on anything without being scandalized, discouraged or left invincibly bitter by whatever gross stupidities people can commit. 

 Then, we obviously have to train ourselves humanly to be tough, resilient, patient and always hopeful and optimistic. A lot of discipline is needed here to prevent ourselves from falling into some negative state of mind and heart. We have to learn how to be sport, how to bear and grin in spite of whatever. 

 All these should be a result of our firm faith that with God, we are always assured of the final victory even if in the standards of the world we may appear to have lost. We, of course, will continue to be human, and our immediate reaction to setbacks, failures and things like that, would always be anger, worry, sadness, but we should not stay long there. We should be quick on the rebound to recover our true spiritual and supernatural bearing. 

 Thus, everyday we should put to practice what Christ has told us—that we should always look for opportunities where we can deny ourselves and carry our cross daily. (cfr. Mt 16,24) We should not wait for suffering and sacrifice to appear and come to us. We have to look for them. 

 That’s how we can toughen ourselves with the toughness of love that is invincible to whatever evil can come our way. It’s what would enable us not to be scandalized by anything. Instead, we would be moved to intensify our charity, our concern and care for the others!

Focused but not rigid

THE spirit of Advent is supposed to remind us that we have to be focused on our ultimate end while cruising in the shifting conditions of our earthly life. We are supposed to keep our eyes, mind and heart on our final destination which is to be with God in heaven, from whom we came and to whom we belong in a most intimate way. 

 Let’s remember that we are meant to be God’s image and likeness, and to share in his very own divine life for all eternity. For this, we have been given Christ, the son of God who became man to be our “way, truth and life.” 

 Yes, we need to follow Christ. In fact, we are supposed to identify ourselves with him to such an extent that we become, individually and collectively, “alter Christus,” another Christ. 

 Christ, of course, has already come, and did what he had to do to redeem us. He died on the cross, resurrected and ascended into heaven. But he continues to be with us in the Church, in the sacraments, and in endless other ways. He accompanies us in our earthly pilgrimage toward our heavenly definitive home with God. 

 These truths of our faith should be kept alive, and made to give us the proper impulses to keep us moving in this life, guiding and helping us as we go along. They are supposed to help us have the proper focus and sense of direction and purpose in our life. 

 But let us just remember that our earthly life can be described as a training and testing ground since through the different conditions and circumstances of our life, it is God through Christ in the Holy Spirit who is shaping us to be what he wants us to be—his image and likeness, his adopted children. 

 This is where we have to learn how to be properly focused but not rigid, since in our life, there will always be things that are beyond our control and we just have to know how to deal with them. 

 We can only do that if we are with Christ who would show us how to be rightly focused while being flexible and resilient, knowing how to adapt to the different situations without getting confused and lost. 

We have to be wary of our tendency to do things simply on our own, relying mainly on our own powers that definitely cannot cope with the many challenges, not to mention, the mysteries in life that include supernatural realities. We need Christ to be properly focused but flexible and resilient, not rigid. 

 With Christ, what can be impossible for us can become possible. With our own selves alone, we can only tend to be rigid as we would like to impose our own ideas and ways on situations where, humanly speaking, it is not possible for us to handle properly. And, of course, the impossible remains impossible to us in the end. 

 It’s important that we follow closely the teaching and the example of Christ which definitely will include suffering, self-denial, carrying of the cross. We need to regard these things as our liberating factors in our life, and not just purely negative, painful elements. 

 And we can do that, to be sure, because of the grace God definitely gives us and of the spiritual aspect of our humanity that can handle the supernatural character of God’s grace.

Developing a yearning for Christ

WE need to develop a certain yearning for Christ, a longing, an urge, a passionate desire, since this is a basic necessity for us, given the fact that Christ is everything to us. He is our savior. He is the pattern of our humanity. We achieve the fullness of our humanity when we fully identify ourselves with him, which is something that can take place only with God’s grace, but also with our all-out effort. 

 This yearning for Christ has been expressed in many ways in the Bible. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God,” says a psalm. (42,1-2) 

In the Old Testament, the people had practically been trained to long for the coming of the promised Redeemer and to make the necessary preparation. (cfr. Is 40,1-5) We can say that the culture of waiting and of expecting the Redeemer had been inculcated. 

 And when finally the coming of the Redeemer became imminent, the precursor, St. John the Baptist, had to prepare the way for him, asking the people for repentance and conversion of heart. (cfr. Mk 1,1-8) 

 This attitude of waiting, expecting and making the proper preparation for the second coming of Christ should continue to be learned by all of us. And we can do that by strengthening our belief that Christ is actually already with us. He is everywhere, around us and inside us. We just have to develop the habit of looking for him in order to find him. 

 Christ is already with us since he is the God who became man, identifying himself with us in all our conditions, even making himself like sin, the worst condition that we can be in, even if he himself has not committed sin. (cfr. 2 Cor 5,21) Yes, he identified himself with us so that we also can have a way of identifying ourselves with him. 

 In the end, what is being aimed at here is for us to be like Christ since he is the very pattern of our humanity and the savior of our humanity that is damaged by sin. And that’s because God wants us to be his image and likeness, something that we too should also want for ourselves. For this, we have been given Christ himself, who declared that he is “the way, the truth and the life” for us. (cfr. Jn 14,6) 

 It is for this reason that we should develop the yearning, the longing, the passionate desire to look for Christ, so we may find him; and in finding him we may learn to love him; and in loving him, we get to identify ourselves with him. 

 And Christ is present everywhere. We have to learn to look for him and find him in the little ordinary things of our life—in our respective homes and communities, in our work, in the things that we use and handle, etc. We actually do not need to go far and to do extraordinary things to find him. 

 And most especially, Christ is present in the sacraments, especially in the Holy Eucharist. That is why we are encouraged by the Church to have frequent recourse to Holy Mass and Holy Communion. 

 Let us develop this longing for Christ, a good resolution for this season of Advent!

Distinguishing the person and his acts

THOUGH there is a close relationship between the person and his acts, we should try our best just the same to distinguish between the two. True, how the person is somehow determines how he acts. And how a person acts reveals the kind of person he is. We can even say that the acts of a person help make a person to be how he is. This was articulated by that Scholastic axiom, “agere sequitur esse” (acting follows being). 

 And yet we need to distinguish between the two. That is simply because a person is more than the sum of all his acts. He is not totally identified by his acts. There is something in him that transcends the kind of acts he makes. And that is simply because no matter how a person acts, whether good or bad, he is first of all a child of God, an object of God’s love and therefore also of all of us. 

 That is why Christ told us, nay, commanded us that we love everybody, even our enemies. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy,’” Christ said. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mt 5,43-44) 

 And his reasoning is quite interesting. By doing so, he said, “you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and the sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous…” (Mt 5,45) 

 This is, of course, very difficult to do, considering the way we are. But if we just have to be consistent to our Christian faith and do whatever is needed to achieve that state, it for sure can be done. More than anything else, God’s grace is always there to enable us to do what would seem impossible for us to do. 

 But yes, we really need to submit ourselves to intense self-discipline if only to conform our natural, or shall we say, our wounded natural ways to God’s ways. And what would this self-discipline entail? 

 Well, in the first place, we should really try our best to recognize the image of God in everyone of us, irrespective of how one is, since all of us are created in God’s image and likeness. We have to learn how to go above our differences and conflicts without, of course, ignoring them. But precisely because of these differences and conflicts, we should be more moved to love one another instead of hating each other. 

 We should never allow ourselves, for example, to be dominated for long by anger and hatred whenever we are wronged by someone or whenever we see someone clearly in error in some point, issue or aspect of our life. In this, we really need to discipline our emotions and passions, and enliven some more the virtues of faith, hope and charity. 

 Especially in the area of politics where we cannot help but take partisan positions, we should not allow our disagreements with others take such a serious turn that we fall into hatred. Rather, what we ought to do is, first of all, to pray, offer sacrifices, and see what can be done to enter into a civil discussion or dialogue so our differences and conflicts can be sorted out well. 

 We should never let the sun set down on our anger. (cfr Eph 4,26)