The cross as our constant companion

LET’S hope that we can develop a deep devotion to the Holy Cross of Christ, perhaps by carrying a crucifix with us all the time, saying some pious ejaculatory prayers everytime we see a cross and even kissing it, celebrating well the feasts dedicated to it in our liturgical calendar, etc. 

 Such devotion should always bring to mind what Christ himself said, that if we want to follow him, we should deny ourselves and carry the cross. (cfr. Mt 16,24) It’s in the cross that we can truly find Christ, and Christ in his supreme act of redemptive love for us. 

 Certainly, the cross is an unavoidable and even an integral part of our earthly life. But we should regard it the way Christ regarded it. We should be attracted to it the way Christ was attracted to it. 

 Thus, we need to overcome the awkwardness, if not, the resistance we may have against this devotion. We have to realize that our faith in Christ should filter down to the level of our heart, our senses, our feelings and emotions. It should not just get stuck in the intellectual and volitional level. 

 Making Christ’s cross a constant companion of ours will definitely help us to feel that we are never alone in our daily affairs. Christ is always with us, guiding us, enlightening us and empowering us to accomplish what is even beyond our human powers to accomplish. With the cross, we can manage to feel secure and confident despite whatever. 

 Especially in our moments of difficulty, trials and temptations, having the cross as a companion can truly help us to be strong and hopeful, preventing us from falling into our weaknesses. With it, we can manage how to suffer and to find meaning in suffering. We can manage to be at peace, and even cheerful, amid the pain. 

 And that’s because this devotion to the cross assures us that Christ is suffering also with us, a suffering that has redemptive effects for all of us. We get to realize that suffering is not purely a negative thing. Christ has turned it into a means of our purification, our strengthening, and ultimately, our salvation. 

 When we have those moments of vulnerability, as when we are tired and lonely, disappointed, frustrated and sad over something, or severely tempted, looking, clutching and even kissing a crucifix can truly help us to remain steadfast in our faith and trust in God’s merciful providence. We can feel his tremendous love for us. 

 It would be good if we can spread this devotion to Christ’s cross more widely. If properly understood and lived, there is no doubt that it can help all of us to live a good and happy life and to know how to deal with all the unavoidable negative elements in our earthly sojourn. 

 Let’s try to market this devotion especially now when we are celebrating the 500 years of Christianity in our country. This devotion will definitely be a sign of a certain maturity in our Christian life. And given the growing and more complicated challenges of our times, this Christian maturity is what we all need. 

 With the cross, we can attain what St. Paul described as “mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Eph 4,13-14)

Consequences of addiction to pornography

SORRY if I have to bring up this topic. But we cannot deny that nowadays this addiction to pornography is getting widespread. It’s now all over the place, even affecting little children. We have to do something drastic about this problem that is eating away the strength of the people, and weakening the spiritual and moral fabric of our society. 

 We have to know more about the bad effects of this addiction if only to be more wary about it and be more ready to protect ourselves from it. Pornography, like drugs and alcohol, creates a certain state of euphoria which the addict longs for, yet which never completely satisfies him. 

 There are studies that show that pornography strongly affects the brain, such that the addict gets an irresistible attachment to pornographic images. It somehow modifies the workings of the neurons that can even lead to the diminution of the grey matter of our brain that can impair our decision-making. 

 Over time, a compulsion can develop when the addict needs more of it, and even more hardcore versions. What may start as a way to achieve pleasure can become later on as an irresistible urge to pacify whatever anxiety or negative mood the addict can have. The urge can be so strong that the addict would still resort to it even if no pleasure can be derived from it anymore. 

 This addiction will obviously affect the addict’s understanding of sex, love and relationships. It can even dramatically affect the addict’s sexual preferences. He loses his sense of autonomy and his ability to relate to others properly. He can tend to see others merely as objects of pleasure. From here, other forms of perversions can emerge. 

 The addict would likely be dominated by whatever sexual inclination he happens to have—heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, etc. And this will start the move to legalize certain practices that normally are considered sinful and immoral. 

 In this addiction, unlike some other addictions, there is no such thing as a moderate or temperate use. The usual experience is that it leads the addict toward a downward spiral, as the normal stimuli of sex becomes substituted by exaggerated ones that can lead to violence. 

 This addiction can affect even the so-called holy and pious people who are not sincere in their interior struggles during their confessions and spiritual direction, or worse, who refrain from seeking help. Things would be much worse for them since their double life and hypocrisy can become almost invincible. 

 And yet, in spite of all these bad effects of this addiction to pornography, not everything is lost. There is always hope. That’s because the same process which shaped the brain’s addiction can also form the mind in healthier ways. 

 Just as wayward cravings grow stronger over time when acted upon, such desires also become weaker if they are not acted on. A repetition of virtuous acts can create a positive ‘virtuous cycle’ that can lead the person toward higher ideals. 

 For this to happen, we may launch a campaign of building positive atmospheres, fostering positive freedom in the face of instincts and opening new horizons. The bottom line here is not so much just a matter of leaving this addiction behind as re-centering the focus of our life on God, of faith and piety.

Beware of the IAD

I DON’T mean the Integrated Access Devices like the smartphones, though they are very much related to what I would like to bring up here. I am referring more to the Internet Addiction Disorder that is becoming a big, albeit silent, menace in our society today. 

 Initial statistics regarding this matter already indicate an alarming rate of people affected by this disorder. This is now a huge worldwide challenge to face, and it would be good if we start with our own selves. 

 How do we describe persons who are affected by this disorder? They are persons who are not able to disconnect from the Internet. They live a life which is absolutely dependent on the web. Their entire way of life is shaped by being in front of the computer at the expense of their family, friends, work and even their health. 

 To them, the Internet has become their outlet to relieve stress or to alleviate anxiety. They have reached the point at which they are not capable of controlling their use of it, even losing sleep because of it. 

 The signs of this addiction are actually quite easily observable. They include large amounts of time spent on the Internet, neglect of important commitments, not paying attention to or denying the complaints of others who express concern about Internet use, constantly thinking about the Internet. 

 Other signs can be an inability to limit time or keep track of time online, lying about the time spent on the Internet or with videogames, becoming socially isolated, an increased tendency to anger, the lowering of quality of one’s study or work, and a great feeling of euphoria when one is in front of a computer. 

 There are a variety of factors behind this sad phenomenon. The most obvious is that the Internet and the allied devices can be so irresistibly attractive and engaging. While these technologies offer a lot of good, when one is not properly prepared to handle them, he can easily fall into excessive use that can inhibit the development of authentic relationships. He falls into pure self-indulgence and fails to attend to other more important areas of his life. 

 For the specific forms of IAD, we can cite the following: cybersexual addiction, compulsive online gambling, multi-users dimension addiction which involves a form of role playing, cyber relationships which involves establishing affective relationships that are exclusively online and which allow the person to maintain an idealized image of the other, and information overload addiction. 

 Certain personality characteristics and emotional states also make one vulnerable to IAD. These characteristics can include excessive shyness, low self-esteem, insecurity, and melancholy. Also previous psychiatric problems like depression, attention deficit disorder, anxiety or a stressful environment can increase the risk of IAD. 

 Other predisposing factors can include impulsiveness, being in a bad mood, frustration in the face of physical or psychological problems, or the exaggerated search for strong emotion. 

 Added to these conditions is the easy access to the Internet, plus the possible anonymity that the Internet provides together with its affordability. All these can create a perfect storm for anyone to fall into IAD. 

 We need to see to it that we are aware of this danger and be prepared to tackle it. Obviously some virtues would be needed like temperance and prudence. At bottom, we really need to invigorate our life of faith and piety not only to protect ourselves from this danger but more to give ourselves the proper sense of direction in our life.

Focused and driven

IF we want to have a truly good and happy life, one that is not simply a result of some worldly props that can only go so far, then we should be focused on God and driven and excited in carrying out his will and in following his ways. 

 And the simple reason is because, to be blunt about it, God is already the supreme good for all of us. There could be no other good better than him to whom we should be attracted more or who should arouse in us a greater attraction. 

 God is everything to us. More than that, he loves us so much that he created us to be like him. It’s with him that we can have our eternal joy in heaven, and while here on earth we can always count on his help, guidance and powerful, wise and merciful providence. 

 Obviously, we need to process this basic truth properly and thoroughly, since it is a truth of faith that certainly involves a lot of mysteries that we have to learn to live with. Once we get convinced of this truth, then it follows that God should be the constant and strongest cause of our desire and attraction. His presence and interventions in our life should be intimately felt by us. Pursuing or being with him should give us the greatest joy. 

 We have to be wary of our tendency to get entangled and trapped in some worldly and temporal goals as our main focus in life. These goals, for sure, also have their objective value. But we need to understand that these worldly goals cannot stand on their own. They have to be grounded on God, on his will, on his abiding providence over us. Otherwise, they can only pose as a danger to us. 

 This truth was articulated quite clearly by Christ when he said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Mt 12,30) We really need to know and love Christ, the fullness of the revelation of God to us. He should not only be known by us. He has to be loved too, so that we can truly enter into his life and be identified with him, which is what is proper to us. 

 We need to examine ourselves to see if we are exerting the necessary effort to know and love Christ. That is why we need to spend time meditating on the life, word and example of Christ to such an extent that Christ becomes alive in us and is the one who motivates us in our thoughts, words and deeds. 

 All throughout the day, we should have the sensation that we are doing things with Christ and for Christ, praising him, thanking him, asking him for some favors, and asking for forgiveness for whatever mistake, failure or sin we commit. 

 We should begin and end the day with him, convinced that that is the proper way to spend our day, and our whole life, in fact. That way, whatever the drama of our day is, we can manage to be happy and at peace. Yes, there will always be things that still need to be done, improved or corrected, but as long as are with Christ, we know that everything will be all taken care of.

Why we have to be born again

THAT’S what Christ told Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, an exception of the group since he believed that Christ was a teacher who came from God. “Unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God,” Christ told him. To which, Nicodemus, not knowing what to think about Christ’s words, asked, “How can a man once grown old be born again?” 

 This thing about being “born again” or being “born from above” is Christ’s way of telling us that we, as human persons, are not just a matter of genes or of some other natural and earthly elements that may define or identify us. 

 Our real identity is to be like Christ who is the Son of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, and as such, is the perfect image God has of his own self. And since God created us in his image and likeness, then we can say that we have been patterned after the Son who became man to save us, to recover us, to show us the way of how we can be that image and likeness of God. 

 And since Christ is both God and man, we have to understand then that our humanity would be not be complete unless it is also hinged to the divinity of Christ. This “hinging” of ourselves to the divinity of Christ is what is involved in our being “born again.” In other words, there is something divine also in our humanity, if our humanity has to have its fullness, completion or perfection. 

 That is to say that we need to be born again in Christ. We have to remember that since we have been conceived and born with original sin, which is a sin that we inherit from our first parents who lost their state of original justice with their sin, we come into this world simply as a natural creature, defined only by our genes and other natural elements. 

 That’s what Christ meant when he said, “What is born of the flesh is flesh. What is born of the Spirit is spirit.” God meant us to be in the state of grace so we can be true image and likeness of him and sharers of his divine life as he wants us to be. He did this in the beginning when he created our first parents in the state of original justice. 

 With the sin of our first parents, we lost our being image and likeness of God. We have to recover it, this time with the Son of God, the pattern of our humanity, becoming man and assuming all our sins and conquering them with his own passion, death and resurrection. 

 For this, we just have to try our best to unite ourselves with Christ, following his teaching and example. We are enabled to do this with our baptism where the process of being “born again” in Christ “of water and Spirit” takes place. With our baptism, our life is once again reconnected with the life of Christ who with his divinity attached to his humanity, enables us to enter and share in the supernatural life of God. 

 On our own, without Christ, we cannot be image and likeness of God, sharers of his life. We need Christ for that. This is what is meant by what St. Paul said: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” (Phil 1,6)

Our duty to inspire others

WE have to be more aware of this most important duty that is actually incumbent on everyone of us, and not just on some special people. We know that we are all interrelated, obviously not biologically that only has a limited scope, but definitely to a large extent, politically, economically, socially, etc. The fact that we all live in the same one world somehow makes us all interrelated. 

 But there’s actually a more radical basis of our interrelation. And that is that we are all creatures of God, children of his, meant to be the people and the family of God. It is a relationship that is spiritual more than material, forged by a supernatural principle and not just something natural. 

 This basic truth about ourselves gives rise to the duty that we have to help one another spiritually more than anything else. It is in our spiritual bond that actually gives rise to all our other relations with everybody else according to the different aspects of our nature. 

 This is what is meant by our duty to inspire others. Etymologically, the word ‘inspire’ means to breathe into. And it definitely is not only air that we should breathe into others. We have to breathe a spirit that in the end is nothing other than the spirit of God, who is the original inspirator. 

 Obviously, we have to see to it that that we inspire others properly. And by that, we mean that the spirit we ‘breathe into’ the others by our mere presence or by our words and deeds, should be the spirit of God. 

 In other words, to inspire is to infuse the spirit proper to us, the spirit that gives us life and that animates our thoughts, desires, words and actions. And that spirit is ultimately nothing other than the spirit of God who is our Creator and Father. We need to correspond to the spirit of God. 

 Let’s be wary of the fact that there are actually many kinds of spirits that we can ‘breathe into’ the others. There is the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ as opposed to the antichrist. There is also the evil spirit, and the spirit of the world that is dominated by the evil one, and the spirit of the flesh. 

 St. Paul distinguished between the fruits of the Spirit of God and the works of the flesh dominated by the evil spirit. The former include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (cfr Gal 5,22-23)

 The latter include fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing. (cfr Gal 5,19-21) 

 We have to see to it that we are always inspiring others properly. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, let’s be conscious of this duty to inspire others properly. Let’s not pursue our work or whatever it is that we are doing at the moment without considering this duty of having to inspire the others properly. 

 We should also remember that even in our most hidden condition, we can still inspire others because of the spiritual bond we have with everybody. This spiritual bond is not limited by space and time. It’s not even limited by whether we are conscious of this bond or not. This bond is always at work. 

 May we take this duty to properly inspire others seriously!

What spiritual maintenance work would involve

MAINTENANCE work is always a necessity for us. It has to be done in everything that we handle, big or small, institutional or personal, especially when talking about our health. And it is not only for the oldies who expectedly would already have some health conditions. It has to be done also by the young ones who may still be in the pink of health. 

 In spite of the generally good condition of the young ones, they have to have some occasional check-ups to see if their bodily organism is still in good shape. We know that some serious health issues can pop up anytime despite their good appearance. And it would be good if these health issues can be detected as early as possible, so that the appropriate action can be given and the proper maintenance regimen can be prescribed. 

 But more important than taking care of our physical health is our duty to take care of our spiritual health. This dimension of our life certainly needs the appropriate maintenance regimen, because it too, more than our physical condition, is exposed to more challenging tests and drama. 

 If we go by our Christian understanding of man, we know that man is made of body and a spiritual soul. Though both are important since they are constituent parts of our nature, it is actually the spiritual soul that has greater value, since it is the one that gives life to us. In fact, since our soul is spiritual, it is also immortal. It can continue to exist despite our death where the body disintegrates. 

 As Christ said, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” (Jn 6,63) Though these words of Christ would need further explanation to be properly understood, we can already cite them as basis for the assertion that our spiritual soul has greater importance than our body. 

 It is for this reason that whatever our age and condition in life, we should closely monitor our spiritual health. Is it still strong, vigorous and productive? Or is it weakening, sick or dying? 

 Our spiritual life always needs some maintenance regimen even if it appears to be healthy at the moment. That’s because whatever good condition we may have at the moment can easily get spoiled even with a passing temptation or distraction. 

 We may be charitable and kind now to others, but at the next moment we would notice that we become filled with anger and even hatred against somebody who may annoy us. Or we can be pure and chaste now, yet it only takes a little distraction before we get assaulted by the strong stirrings of lust and sensuality. That’s how our spiritual life is. We should just acknowledge that fact of life and be prepared for it. 

 The maintenance regimen for our spiritual life may involve a strong and abiding prayer life that would lead us to have constant presence of God, enabling us to develop a genuine contemplative spirit where we can manage to see God everywhere and feel his love for us and be inspired to love everyone ourselves. 

 It’s important that we have a working life of piety that includes recourse to the sacraments, continuing formation in the areas of spirituality, asceticism, developing and deepening of virtues, regular examinations of conscience and confession if only to monitor the state of our spiritual life regularly, etc.

Hackers, scammers, swindlers

LET’S be wary of them. We are into more tricky times, made more vicious because of the power of the new technologies which they deftly use. We need to level up in our skill of prudence and self-guarding and protection, always vigilant and on the alert. 

 Not only do we have to contend with those who tag us with malicious videos, inserting malware into our systems. We also have to deal nowadays with those who hack our accounts, offer us some fraudulent transactions, and if they succeed, manage to rob us blind, and even big time at that. 

 The other day, a high school classmate of mine, who I know is quite well-placed and with whom I’ve been chatting through Messenger, sent a request if I could advance 32K to a certain account because for one reason or another he could not do it himself, and that he would immediately repay me the next morning. 

 It was good that I don’t have such kind of money, and so I certainly could not do him the favor. I felt sorry for him and wanted to know more about his problem. So, I tried to video chat with him. But to my surprise, there was no response. Rather, the reply was a message that said that the signal was weak in his place at that time. 

 That made me already suspicious, since we have been video chatting for quite a while before. So I turned to my high school class chat group and informed them of what I just received. To my horror, practically everyone also received the same message, and all their effort to contact my requesting classmate failed. 

 That was when the wife of my classmate informed us that her husband’s Messenger account was hacked. But this came only after one of my classmates, also well-placed but with a soft heart, readily deposited the amount to the account. A day later, another high school batch, the one next to ours, experienced the same scam. 

 I’ve been hearing of these scams for quite awhile now. A friend of mine was swindled of his 30K when he tried to get a laptop online. Another friend told me that a friend of his was robbed of millions while trying to sell his house. The scammer sounded very credible, dropping big names, like an ambassador of a certain country. 

 I wonder what is being done on the part of the government to run after these crooks. I also wonder what we ourselves can do to track them down. Obviously, the big techs that provide the social media can and should also do their part to protect the users of their technologies. We need to put our act together. 

 Of course, I know that these hackers, scammers and swindlers are also brothers and sisters of ours whom we have to love. But it does not mean that we would just allow them to go on with their nefarious business. It would not be the proper love we would be extending them. They have to be corrected and rehabilitated. And they have to face whatever requirement of justice applies for their crime. 

 We obviously need to do a lot of praying, sacrificing and doing apostolate if only to effect some healthy spiritual transformation of these brothers and sisters of ours. We should try our best that their crimes do not provoke us to commit sin ourselves by falling into hatred and its ilk!

Avoid getting spoiled by God’s love

THIS is always likely to happen. We tend to be spoiled by God’s love because he is infinitely good and merciful, full of love, ready to forgive us no matter how many times we sin and no matter how ugly the sins are. 

 When God created us in Adam and Eve, he already knew from all eternity what was going to happen—that we are going to be unfaithful to him. But that did not stop him from creating us. He proceeded to create us and to launch the work of redemption that was going to be costly and bloody. 

 Try to imagine the immensity of that love when we consider that God himself has to become man and to offer his life on the cross for our salvation. And we are told that he did not come to condemn us but to save. He does not take delight in the death of the wicked. He will do everything to bring us back to him. 

 Who would not be intoxicated by this kind of love that is lavished on us? It would be very easy to say, I can commit sin anytime since I will be forgiven and saved anyway. I have the assurance for that. All I have to do is to show some signs of repentance. 

 Well, that’s how it is! We can always get spoiled by God’s tremendous love for us. But if we truly love him from our heart, we would try our best not to commit sin even if we can and be assured of forgiveness. We should be just like God who keeps his love for us in spite of our infidelities. 

 That, I think, is the best manifestation of love. It’s when we continue to be faithful even if we can be unfaithful and there would be no big problem about that, since God will always be forgiving. It’s when we choose not to be spoiled by God’s love when we have every chance to get spoiled that we can show our true love. 

 It is this love that is not contented with fulfilling the minimum requirements of love. It goes all the way. It will always be generous and magnanimous. This is the love that truly reflects God’s love. This is the kind of love that we should all be aiming at. It’s a tall order, alright, but it’s also very possible and practicable. 

This is the kind of love that Christ has shown us. It’s also the kind of love that was reflected in the life of Our Lady who remained immaculate when she could have every reason to get angry and to hate, considering that her son was executed in the most unjust way. 

 This kind of love will definitely require grace and an all-out effort on our part. But it is all worthwhile. We should just try our best to develop this kind of love. Everyday, we will always have the chance to develop this love, one step at a time. 

We have to learn to be patient and forgiving, not to be scandalized by the evil and sins around. We have to learn to handle temptations and the stirrings of our own weaknesses. We have to learn to fill our mind and heart with good thoughts and desires, keeping them so even in the midst of challenges, trials, resistance, etc.

Our hunger and thirst should lead us to God

WE need to educate our biological or bodily functions, insofar as possible, such that they acquire a theological meaning and purpose and not just purely biological functions. 

 If we are truly serious in our Christian duty to make ourselves “another Christ” who is the pattern of our humanity and the redeemer of our damaged humanity, then the Christian transformation of our own selves should not only involve our spiritual faculties—our intelligence and will—but also our biological or bodily powers. 

 Thus, when we experience hunger for food or thirst for some drink, it should not just be food and drink that we should be interested in. We should not remain in the level of the material aspect of our life. Our hunger and thirst should also lead us to God. 

 In fact, more than food and drink, it should be God, his will and ways that we should be more interested in. We have to train ourselves to realize that our biological hunger and thirst can fully be satisfied only when we fulfill the will of God. 

 This truth of our faith was graphically demonstrated in that episode where Christ met a Samaritan woman beside the well and where the apostles offered him some bread to eat. That’s in Chapter 4 of the gospel of St. John. 

 When the Samaritan woman asked him about the living water he was offering her, Christ said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again (referring to the water at the well), but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jn 4,12-14) 

 In this particular case, Christ is telling the woman about a water that is more important than the natural water. This is the water that refers to having a life with God. 

 The same idea is highlighted when the apostles offered Christ some bread to eat. Christ retorted, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (Jn 4,32.34) 

 We obviously have to find food and drink that would meet our bodily needs. That is part of God’s will for us. But we should go further than that. We have to see to it that our hunger and thirst for food and drink would lead us to God. Otherwise, remaining only in the meeting our bodily needs would trap us into the dynamics of self-indulgence which is the antithesis of what true love is. 

 Our hunger and thirst should lead us to God and as a consequence should lead us also to others. They should make us praise God and express our willingness to follow his will which is also for us to love and serve the others. 

 This is a truth of our faith that is worth clarifying and spreading around, since it would make live our Christianity with greater integrality. It would be Christianity that touches on our bodily dimension, and not just on the spiritual aspects of our life. 

 Perhaps the practice of saying a little prayer before and after meals can be a good way of to remind us of this truth of our faith. What we eat and drink should not just be food and water. What is involved is assimilating the will of God in our life.

Order and dispatch

THE way things are now, we really should learn how to blend well the requirements of order and the necessity of dispatch. There are now such a growing number of things to attend to that if we do not know how to blend these two items, we would simply be lost. 

 And if we are not emotionally stable and psychologically healthy to handle this predicament, then it is very easy for us to fall into all kinds of mental illness. Things would just get worse in our life. 

 In a previous essay, I have said that the virtue of order has become these days a huge, tricky and nasty challenge. And that’s simply because there are just so many things to take care of. 

 In that scenario, the likelihood is high for us to get easily distracted, to lose our proper sense of priority, to simply give knee-jerk reactions that would fail to consider see the over-all picture of any issue at hand. 

 It’s important that while we should worry about doing things with certain dispatch, we should also see to it that everything is done with the proper priority. The obvious reason was articulated once by a saint who said something to the effect that it profits us nothing if we manage to run fast but out of track. We will never reach the finish line that way. 

 Keeping the proper priorities means that we should first of all be motivated by love of God and others. This is and should be the ultimate and constant motivation of everything we do in our life. 

 We should be wary of our strong tendency to be motivated only by self-interest or by some worldly goals which, while having their objective value, would give us nothing in the end if they are not animated by the love of God and others. 

 Let’s always remember what Christ said in this regard. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul,” he said. (Mk 8,36) Of course, given our weakened human condition, we usually act with purely human and worldly motives alone. But it would be good if from time to time, we pause so that we can purify our intentions and set things aright. We can always do that. 

 Let’s remember that two of the most important elements that would make any human act of ours to be good and moral, pleasing to God and capable of bringing us to him, are that both the object of the act and the intention behind the act should be good, that is, in accordance with the will of God, our Father and Creator. 

 We should not just be concerned with the technical aspects of what can be considered as meeting the requirements of order and the necessity of dispatch. These technical aspects should be attended to as a consequence of our love for God and others. In other words, religion, faith, hope and charity have to come in as primary consideration and the animating spirit behind our actions. 

 Thus, of the many things we have to do, let’s give primary attention to prayer, recourse to the sacraments, and other related duties we have toward God. They should not be attended to only when we have extra time. They have to be given time and priority always!

“For they shall see God”

THAT’S the promise Christ made in one of the beatitudes that he articulated. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” he said. (Mt 5,8) It’s a clear indication, coming from Christ himself, about how we can see God. It’s when we are pure in heart. It’s when we live the virtue of holy purity or chastity. 

 And holy purity, to be sure, is not simply a matter of not doing this or that, nor of avoiding falling into some sexual practices that we know are not proper to anyone, whether celibate or married. Holy purity is much more than that. 

 This virtue is actually a matter of ever growing in love of God, a continuous life-long process that involves always seeking God and following his commandments. In short, it is a matter of vitally identifying ourselves with Christ who is the fullness of the revelation of God to us and the very pattern of our humanity, the savior of our humanity damaged by sin. 

 We need to be aware of this basic law and principle, since it is only then that we can truly say we are loving God and thus enabled to live chastity as a consequence. Remember Christ telling us, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (Jn 14,15) 

 Loving Christ by keeping his commandments is simply another way of saying that we would have the same mind and spirit of Christ, that we would have the same desires and sense of purpose and mission that he had, that we would have the same reactions that he had to the different situations that he found himself in. In short, loving Christ is to live our life with Christ. 

 Only then can we achieve the more technical aspect of this virtue of holy purity which, as the Catechism defines it, is “the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. 

 “Sexuality, in which man’s belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. 

 “The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift.” (CCC 2337) 

 When we understand the virtue of holy purity in this way and live it accordingly, then the capacity of seeing God is established and strengthened, not only in some future time but even now. We would be able to see God in everyone and in everything. Our sexuality would not be an obstacle. Rather, it is what would enhance that capacity to see God. 

 That’s why that we should more openly talk about this virtue and about how it can be properly developed. Considering that this virtue is currently lived very badly, we need to step up our catechesis on it and our giving witness to it. Let’s hope that we can have credible models for this virtue. 

 Of course, we should not forget that pursuing this virtue will always involve some heavy drama. Let’s hope that we would not be easily scandalized by the failures that are unavoidable in this area. We should just move on, reassured that as long as there is struggle, victory is always assured. Christ will complete and perfect in us what we cannot accomplish for a number of reasons. (cfr. Phil 1,6)

Making daily resolutions

IF we are to be guided by our Christian faith, we would know that our life here on earth is always a work in progress. It is like a journey we are taking toward our final destination which is to be with God in heaven and to be like him. God wants us to be his image and likeness, and our life here on earth is meant to train and to test us if what he wants us to be is also what we would want to be. 

 Since we are made to be like God who is love which is an expression of his freedom, we are supposed to correspond to God’s design and will for us with love also, which, of course, should be an expression of our freedom. God does not impose his will of love on us. We are expected to return his love with love, his freedom with our freedom. 

 With that basic consideration alone, we would already know that there are things that we need to do to correspond properly to God’s will of love and freedom for us. This need to correspond to God’s will is even made more serious and urgent given the fact that we have to contend with our wounded and sinful condition. 

 That is why we can never do away with our duty to make daily resolutions in order to satisfy this need. But, alas, are we even aware of this duty? If ever we have some plans to do something, they usually involve only our personal interests that hardly have any relation to God’s will for us. In fact, most of the time, these personal interests are at odds with God’s will. 

 We need to do something about this problem of ours. We have to see to it that we are clear about what the real and ultimate purpose of our life is and about how we can pursue it. It’s for this reason that we should develop the practice of making some resolutions at the end of each day to carry them out the following day. 

 The idea is for us to relate everything in our daily life to this real and ultimate purpose of our life. We need to have clear plans and strategies for this purpose so we would not get lost or confused in our daily grind. This is where daily resolutions are needed, since there will always be things to do, to improve, to change or correct, to keep them in line with our ultimate purpose in life. 

 All of this should be in line also with the ideal condition that at the end of the day, we should try our best to be reconciled with God and with everybody else, being at peace with them and keeping a faith-based joy in our heart. We should feel light. Nothing should weigh heavily in our heart as we go to bed, as long as we have made resolutions to address the things that we need to do, to improve, to correct or to make up. 

 This practice of making daily resolutions should be popularized as widely as possible. It should be made part of everyone’s lifestyle and of our culture. That way, we can be more consistent with our Christian faith. After all, with the 500 years of our Christianity, we should feel urged to be more serious with our Christian faith.

End the day in thanksgiving

I SUPPOSE that is the proper way to end the day. Regardless of how the day went—it can be very bad—we still have reason to be thankful. At least we have reached the end of the day, and that is reason enough to be thankful. But I am sure there are many other reasons to be grateful. 

 We must have done something worthwhile and positive, even if it was also mixed with some bad elements. We should see to it that that we always look at the bright side of the day rather than get stuck with the negative things, like our mistakes, lack of proper intention, etc. Let’s focus more on the positive things, and from there start or continue to do more good things. 

 Together with a great sense of thanksgiving, we should end the day feeling reconciled with God and with everybody else, asking for forgiveness and also forgiving everyone who may have wronged us or caused us some irritation. Even if there are things to be resolved, things to be confessed, etc., we should try our best that peace and joy reign in our mind and heart as we go to bed. 

 Insofar as God is concerned, we are reassured that he is always forgiving. His mercy is forever. We should not go around or keep for long some heavy feelings of guilt, as long as we also have the intention to fix whatever needs to be fixed. 

 We need to see to it that our daily rest at the end of the day anticipates the final rest we are supposed to have with God and everybody else in heaven. To be sure, this is not a way of falling into presumption or of cultivating a lax conscience. We are meant to be with God in heaven at the end of our life. So, we have to sort of practice for it in our daily life and rest. 

 We have to be wary of the tendency to feel afraid or ashamed of God that sometimes is being promoted by some supposedly good and saintly people. Yes, there is a holy fear of God that we should foster in ourselves, but that should be distinguished from the unhealthy fear that separates us from God all the more. Even as we try our best to develop a most delicate conscience, we should see to it that we avoid falling into having a scrupulous conscience. 

 We are told that our mistakes and even sins can be a good occasion to go back to God. God will always welcome us back as illustrated vividly in the parable of the prodigal son. 

 Besides, we all know that we do better when we have peace and joy in our heart, when in spite of our differences and conflicts, in spite of our defects, mistakes and sins, we can still manage to be at peace with everyone. 

 Let’s be wary of the tricks of the devil who would take advantage of our weaknesses, mistakes and sins, of our differences and conflicts to separate us from God and from others. Such state of our relationship with God and from others has no other way but to lead us to further deterioration in our relationship with them, until we become completely alienated from them. 

 Let’s see to it that at least at the end of the day, thanksgiving, peace and joy, that feeling of being reconciled with everyone reign in our heart.

The vocal prayers

IF we only know the real beauty and power of the vocal prayers! It’s a pity that nowadays these prayers are practically regarded of little importance, if at all. Many people treat them only casually. They are resorted to simply out of mindless habit or out of mere compliance to some social or cultural expectations. But the spirit of these prayers is often missed. 

 It’s a pity because these vocal prayers are actually very special prayers. They are given directly by Christ himself as in the case of the Lord’s Prayer (the Our Father), or are composed by saints and the Church herself. They are truly inspired prayers. They are not mere words conveying some literary message and beauty. They convey the Holy Spirit himself. 

 As such, they are very helpful prayers. They easily connect us with God or with whomever is the object of some pious devotion to whom we go to ask for some favors. They help us in articulating the deep yearnings of our heart that we often find hard to express. They are an effective doorway to a contemplative life which we all should aim at, since at the end of the day, that’s what we are meant for. 

 We have to recover, if not develop in the first place, the proper attitude toward these prayers. We have to give this concern some special attention since we know that these days especially, with the mainstream lifestyle of activism generated by our new technologies and other allied developments, the life of piety of the people is fast fading away. Many people are drifting toward hardened secularization or paganism. 

 We need to pause and consider once again the origins of these vocal prayers. We have to develop a certain sense of being duty-bound to have recourse to them. And for that to happen, we really would need to realize from whom these prayers come, to whom we are addressing them, what they are telling us, etc. 

 As usual, we need to activate our faith that would always require of us to humble ourselves so that we could feel the need for prayer, for connecting and being with God. Without humility, we would just be full of ourselves and fail to consider the most important dimension of our life—our relation with God which is crucial in developing our proper relation with others and with everything else in our life. 

 The vocal prayers, in fact, can be and should be a constant companion of ours, considering that we are often easily swallowed up and trapped in our worldly affairs. Without the vocal prayers, we become easy target to our own personal weaknesses and the many temptations around. The vocal prayers help us in keeping a spiritual and supernatural bearing which is proper to us. 

 We truly need to popularize the recourse to the vocal prayers that should start with oneself, then with the family, the school, offices and other work places. We need to constantly remind everyone of the importance of vocal prayers without, of course, compromising the naturalness that should go with it. We have to make it attractive, always highlighting its beauty and power. 

 As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in our country, I believe that highlighting the importance of the vocal prayers would be one most helpful contribution that can make the celebration most meaningful.

True love is open to anything

INDEED, if our love is true, that is, it is a love that is a vital participation of God’s love for all his creation, especially for man, then it is open to anything. That love remains steadfast and continues to grow and to be creative irrespective of how it is received by the object of such love. 

 It can be received well or not, it can be reciprocated generously or be betrayed. Regardless of the fate it falls into, that love will remain faithful. Thus, St. Paul once said: “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” (2 Tim 2,13) 

 This basic truth about true love should be known and appreciated by everyone of us, and especially those who are into some commitments, like married people and those with special vocations. They have to pattern their love and sense of commitment after God’s love. 

 When God, for example, decided to create the universe, which he did not have to do since he is already all perfect, needing nothing, he did so out of pure love. And this pure love can be seen in its highest degree when he created angels and men where he took the risk that his love and goodness would not be reciprocated properly. 

 God was and is open to anything because of pure love. This is the kind of love that we should try our best to cultivate in ourselves too. It’s purely gratuitous, and even more, it will do everything to recover the beloved even if the latter not only not corresponds to that love but also betrays and goes against that love. 

 That is why when someone tells me that he is doubting whether he really has the vocation to the priesthood because of a certain problem or difficulty he is encountering, or whether she has to remain with her husband who has been found to have cheated on her, etc., I would simply tell her to look at God, at Christ, who even told us to love our enemies. 

 Many people think that love is all sweet and beautiful. That, of course, is the ideal state of love which can only take place in heaven, when everything is resolved. And it’s good that we look forward to that ideal state and do everything to at least have an anticipated taste of it. 

 But while here on earth, our love cannot avoid suffering. In fact, our love would be proven genuine when lived in the crucible of all kinds of suffering here on earth. This truth about love should be more highlighted these days. 

 This is what Christ has shown us with his passion and death. That is why he once said that “greater love has no man than this, that a man lays down his life for his friends.” (Jn 15,13) 

 Let us hope that we can hear less and less complaints and lamentations whenever some difficulty and suffering would come our way in carrying out our duties and living out our commitments and vocation. Rather, let us hope that more and more of us would welcome these difficulties and suffering, seeing in them opportunities to grow and develop a greater love. 

 Let us remember that love by definition has no limits. It is given without measure, without calculation. With Christ, we can learn to have this kind of love.

The art of coping

WITH many of us continually subjected to increasing pressures from all kinds of sources—challenges, trials, temptations, consequences of sin, etc.—we really need to know the art of coping if only to survive, at least. The idea is how to keep calm amid all these unavoidable conditions so that we can better handle these situations. Losing our cool would only worsen things. 

 Perhaps the first thing that we have to do is to truly rev up our faith and trust in God, in his loving and wise providence that actually takes care of everything, especially those things that we cannot handle properly anymore. With a strong and working faith, we can think better and would easily know which aspects of our life need to be addressed. 

 It could be that we have to have a tighter grip and control over our emotions and passions, especially our anger and fear that can go ballistic and can lead us to over-react to things. Or, more than our passing emotions and passions, it is to do some tweaking on our temperament itself to make it more open to the healthy inputs of our Christian faith. 

 When we are guided by our faith, we know that while we have to try our best to solve whatever problem and difficulty we have, there will always be things that are beyond our control. In spite of our best efforts, we can still commit mistakes and suffer failures in our tasks and other endeavors. 

 We should then just be game with the idea of having to suffer whatever there is to suffer, not anymore making a big issue about why we have to suffer. Whether we like it or not, suffering and eventually death are always an integral part of our life here on earth. 

 But Christ precisely has warned us about this. And he also has reassured us that everything is taken care of. “In this world you will have trouble,” he said. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33) 

 In another instance, Christ recommended us to live a healthy spirit of abandonment in the ways of God. “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow 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?” (Mt 6,26-27) 

 The idea is simply to follow the example of Christ, if not to assume his very mind and his own spirit. In that way, whatever there is for us to suffer, we can manage, we can cope. We would find all these negative things that would hound us in this life possessing a certain beautiful meaning and purpose. With Christ, we would see them as a means for our salvation. 

 In a certain sense, we should just be accepting of how things are even as we try our best, as we already said before, to be on top of them. We should not worry too much. If ever we have to worry, it should be only for a while. We should not allow it to last long. 

 By always asking for the grace of God and doing our part, we can make the healthy inputs of our faith animate our emotions, passions and even our temperament itself, so we would know how to cope with any problem in our life.

Christ and our laws

WE need to realize that it is Christ who ultimately gives the real meaning and purpose of our laws. We have to disabuse ourselves from the thought that our laws can be based only on our common sense, or on our own estimation of what is good and evil according to the values of practicality, convenience, etc., or on our traditions and culture, etc. 

 While these things have their legitimate role to play in our legal and judicial systems, we have to understand that they cannot be the primary and ultimate bases. It should be God, his laws and ways that should animate the way we make laws as well as the way we apply and live them. After all, being the Creator of all things, he is the one who establishes what is truly good and evil. 

 And the will, laws and ways of God are revealed to us in full by Christ. That is why at one point Christ said to the Pharisees and scribes regarding the proper interpretation of the Sabbath law that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man (Christ) is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mk 2,27-28) 

 So it is Christ who can guide us as to the content and intent of our laws. He is the one who can interpret our laws properly. He is the one that would give our laws their proper spirit, which in the end is the spirit of charity that summarizes and perfects all virtues and values. 

 Without Christ, our laws would unavoidably become rigid and harsh in certain instances. They would tend to absolutize certain things that actually should only have relative value. They would hardly recognize their limits, and so would find it hard to accept exceptions. 

 Without Christ, our laws would only lead us to the path of self-righteousness that will always be accompanied by the ways of hypocrisy. They can tend to rationalize things that actually are against God’s laws and our own objective good. 

 We need to openly acknowledge the necessity of putting Christ into our laws—into their making, application and interpretation. At the moment, there seems to be a certain hesitation, awkwardness and even resistance on the part of many law-making bodies in the world, even among the so-called Christian countries. 

 Often underlying this hesitation, awkwardness and even resistance of the role of Christ in our legal system is the badly-understood principle of the separation of Church-and-state that puts a preventive bracket on God, on Christ, in the making, application and interpretation of our laws. 

 This attitude is what may be described as legal positivism that places the ultimate source of our laws on some government entity or political institution, or even on some philosophy and ideology alone. 

 Such attitude, of course, can already give a lot of good, but it is also vulnerable to many errors and abuses, depending on the people behind those government entities, philosophies or ideologies. This is where we have to be most careful, since we always tend to be contented with what legal positivism can already give us, preventing us to go any further. 

 To clarify and make the necessary corrections in this issue is definitely not easy, but it has to be started and kept going through a sustained effort to give the appropriate education and formation to everyone in this regard.

Our greatest need

IF we are serious with our life, if we realize that our life has an ultimate purpose, then we have to be clear also about what our greatest need is, so we would know at every instance of our life, in every situation and condition that we may find ourselves, how to address and fulfill that need. 

 We cannot and should not be casual about this matter. This is a serious one. It would be a real pity if after giving our all-out efforts to take care of the many subordinate, minor or immediate needs we have, we fail to address the real, ultimate need we also have. 

 This greatest need of ours should be the one to give order and direction to all the other needs we have. It should never be forgotten. It should be given first priority. Attending to our other needs should be subordinated to this ultimate need of ours. 

 We cannot deny that we have all kinds of needs, considering the way we are. We have physical needs, biological needs, emotional and mental needs, social, economic needs, etc. The list can go on. While each of these needs has its legitimate value and requires due attention from us, we should know how to fulfill them so that the ultimate need is served in the first place. 

 And what is this greatest need of ours? Well, God, of course! We need him more than we need air, water, food and all other earthly and temporal needs we have. He is our Creator, our ultimate Father who created us in his image and likeness. We are meant to share his life not only in our definitive state in heaven, but also while here on earth. He is actually our constant need, though we may need time and effort to realize this. 

 Since God is someone spiritual and supernatural, we need to develop first of all our spiritual life. As early as possible, we should try to impart to everyone the reality of this need and to start developing the appropriate attitude, awareness and skills of how to deal with this need. 

 We have to be wary of our current world mainstream culture that seems to rivet us to the here and now, to our immediate and instinctive needs, or to trap us in our worldly and temporal needs only. We have to know how to overcome this danger. While these needs have to be attended to also, they should be done in such a way that they serve the primary and ultimate need of ours in the first place. 

 In this regard, it is always important that we try to live our faith, hope and charity as fully as possible, making them filter down to the different aspects of our natural organism—our emotions and passions, our psychological, mental and intellectual faculties, etc. The idea is that in whatever condition we may find ourselves, even if we are dealing with the most mundane tasks, we would always be aware of our need for God. 

 This, obviously, will require of us to develop a certain plan of life where we always enliven our spiritual and supernatural life, our relation with God, through prayer, sacrifices, recourse to the sacraments, continuing spiritual formation, developing virtues, waging war against temptations and sin, etc. 

 Let’s hope that we always feel the need for God in our life!

Charity is for all

THAT’S right! Charity is for everyone. It has a universal coverage. It’s not only for those who are right in something. It’s also for those who are wrong. It’s not only for the winners. It’s also for the losers. Not only for friends, but also for enemies! 

 But the universal inclusivity of charity does not do away with the exclusivity of truth. It does not do away with the distinction between good and evil, between right and wrong, between truth and falsehood. In fact, it sharpens that distinction. And yet, it still works in all that distinction. 

 Yes, charity is all-inclusive, though it is expressed, of course, in different ways. As they say, we have to have different strokes for different folks. And that’s simply because at the end of the day, whether we like it or not, we are all creatures and children of God, brothers and sisters to each other. 

We have been created by our Creator out of love and for love. We have to realize that our life here on earth can be described as a journey toward our ultimate home, which is to be with God our Father and Creator in heaven. It will be charity that would keep us going and that would enable us to leap to the eternal supernatural life with God. 

 While here on earth, we have to realize that we form one body and that we are actually on the same boat. Despite our differences and conflicts, we have a common origin and a common end. We are bound to care for one another. We are meant to love one another. 

 Charity is what binds us together despite our unavoidable differences and conflicts. Yes, we form one body, but we are different parts of that body. We play different roles and carry out different functions. 

 Thus, we have to learn to serve in our different but interrelated ways what is truly good for the whole body. Charity demands that we learn how to play our part properly, how to connect with the other parts properly. It requires us to know how to deal with all kinds of people in all situations and conditions, in good times and bad times. 

 All these considerations should make us realize that we have to learn how to develop and live charity. Given the way we are, that is, that we are not merely material beings that can just be mathematically arranged perfectly, but rather spiritual beings also that need to do things knowingly and willingly, we should realize that charity is not something that comes to us like an instinct. It has to be learned. It has to be developed. 

 We have to know where it comes from and how it is to be developed and lived. We have to find the proper pattern for it and the law that governs it. Most importantly, we have to know how it can be put from potency to act, from theory to practice, from knowledge to life, from living it from time to time to living it all the time. 

 For all this, we have been given the adequate means. We have the teachings and example of Christ, made alive and communicated to us through the Church. We have the sacraments. And most importantly, we have Christ himself who gives himself completely to us. Christ is the very personification of charity who makes himself available to us.

The Easter spirit

MANY things can be said about what the Easter spirit is. In fact, I don’t think we can ever exhaust them. The implications we can derive from the consideration of what the Easter spirit is would be endless. But what we already can say about it should already be enough to make us so understand it as to live it adequately. So what is the Easter spirit? 

 The Easter spirit is about God’s tremendous love for us. It’s a love that knows no bounds. It’s rather us who can give it limits since we are capable of rejecting it. But on his part, he loves us all the way, no matter what. He is bent on doing that, no matter what it would cost. 

 The Easter spirit is about God sending the son to become man to save us. It’s about God adapting himself fully to our condition, even to our worst condition without committing sin, so that we can have a way to identify ourselves with him, which is what he wants for us. 

 The Easter spirit is about Christ, the son of God and our redeemer, eager to fulfill his redemptive mission to the end. Christ does not shy away from the most difficult human task he has to carry out. And in so doing, he assumed all the sins of man and gave them the death blow with his own passion, death and resurrection. 

 The Easter spirit is about Christ sharing his triumph over sin and death with us. What we cannot do, he does it for us—but also, with us. Since on our own, we cannot turn around the infinitely evil effects of our sins, suffering death, Christ does it for us. 

 And so, the Easter spirit means that we have every reason to be joyful, hopeful and, of course, most thankful, which would put us in the ideal condition to keep our intimate relation with God and to live our life that is proper to us, that is, as children of God, created in God’s image and likeness, meant to share in the very life of God, created out of divine love and for divine love too. 

 The Easter spirit should give us an invincible sense of being a victor and conqueror, oozing in peace, serenity, confidence and security, despite whatever. Because no matter how wounded and broken we are, we have the assurance that God will mend us always with his mercy and restore us to the dignity he wants to give us. 

 The Easter spirit, of course, would also make our sense of responsibility over our life keener. We would more sharply realize that we have to do our best to conform ourselves to God’s will and ways, taking up all the spiritual, supernatural as well as the human means to that ideal. 

 If we have the Easter spirit, we would know how to always live in the presence of God, driven always with love that can conquer all things. It would give us an apostolic zeal that would provide us with a burning desire for the salvation of all souls. The Easter spirit is the slayer of complacency, lukewarmness and the other weaknesses we have. It, for sure, will protect us from all sorts of temptations. 

 There are still many things we can say about the Easter spirit. But for now, let us see if we have these marks of the Easter spirit in our life!

Demanding on ourselves, tolerant on others

THAT’S how we should be with respect to ourselves and to the others. We need to be strict with ourselves but always accommodating with the others. First, because the person we would know best would simply be ourselves, while with the others we ought to be more restrained in our judgments. 

 In fact, we need to be always nice to others, even if they are not nice to us. We should always give them the benefit of the doubt. Besides, we really would not know them very well. Most of the time, we can only base our impressions of the others mainly on appearances which can never give us a good over-all picture of how they really are. 

 It’s very likely that we hardly would have the inside story of their life. And whatever traces of other people’s inside story we may have are most likely unreliable, based only on hearsay and gossip. 

 But, yes, with ourselves, we should be very demanding. We should be strict to adhere to the difference between good and evil, pursuing the former no matter how little it is, and avoiding the latter no matter how slight it may be. But such strict adherence should not make us judgmental of the others. 

 If ever we have some observations that point to a certain weakness, failure, mistake or sin of the others, let’s remember that those are observations only which can be at best tentative. And rather than be quick to judge, let us focus more on how we can help them. 

 That attitude would indicate that we are still clear about the difference between right and wrong. Of course, this difference should be based on our identification with Christ who is the ultimate judge to know what is right and wrong. 

 Let us remember that we see and judge things the way we are. If we are simply by ourselves, relying only on our estimation of what is right and wrong, then definitely we cannot go far. But if we try our best to be identified with Christ, then we can see and judge things the way Christ would see and judge them. 

 And so, if we are truly like Christ, our strictness in knowing the difference between right and wrong would not lead us to be judgmental, but rather to be charitable, finding ways of how to help the others. That’s because that is how Christ treats others. 

 On this point, we can cite the reaction of Christ who was presented with a woman who was caught in adultery. The woman clearly committed some grave wrong. But instead of condemning her, he simply dismissed her with the admonition to sin no more. (cfr. Jn 8,1-11) 

 We have to be most wary of our tendency to be quick to judge and condemn others when we feel we know a lot about what is right and wrong, good and evil. This can only mean we are not with Christ yet. 

 Of course, we should also be wary of our tendency to lose sight of the distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, often appealing to God’s mercy, because that would only show that we are neither with Christ truly. 

 When we are with Christ, we would be strict and demanding on ourselves with respect to what is right and wrong, but at the same time, tolerant, understanding, quick to forgive and help others when we see their defects and misdeeds.

How to be like Christ?

IF we want to be like Christ as we should, since he is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity, and since he has declared himself to be “the way, the truth and the life” for us, then we should learn how to forgive everyone, including those who have done us great wrong. 

 Let’s remember that Christ is first of all God who became man to save us. Since we have been created in God’s image and likeness, and the very essence of God is love, “Deus caritas est,” as St. John said, then we have to learn to love the way Christ loved us. 

 In fact, we have to convert ourselves into love, since that is how we can be like Christ—in fact, to be “another Christ” as we ought to be, if not “Christ himself” as a saint has said it quite directly. Christ is the very personification of love. If we want to know what and how love is, all we have to do is to look at Christ and imitate him in the way he dealt with the people in different situations and circumstances. 

 That is why Christ gave us the new commandment of loving one another as he himself has loved us. (cfr. Jn 15,12) Let us just remind ourselves, as Christ himself has shown us, that the fullness of this love is to forgive, to be merciful, and in doing that, we have to be willing to bear the burdens of the others, just like what Christ did and continues to do. 

 Love is not only wishing and doing others some good. That is already great, but that would not yet be the fullness of love. Our love should go all the way to bear all the burdens of the others, even willing to offer our life for that purpose, and to forgive everyone, or at least to offer forgiveness. 

 Christ did not wait for us to ask for forgiveness. He offers it. That’s why St. Paul said in his Letter to the Romans this wonderful argument: “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5,7-8) 

 This argument about how Christ loves us so much is reiterated by St. Peter when he said: “He (Christ) himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pt 2,24) 

 And Christ himself said that not only should we forgive those who may have wronged us seven times. We should forgive them seventy-seven times, meaning always. (cfr. Mt 18,21-22) 

 It’s really a tall order, but it can be done, since Christ told us so, and we know that more than us, he is the one who will enable us to do so. All we have to do is to cooperate with him as much as we can. 

 It would be good that we develop the virtues of compassion and mercy, the instinct of always understanding others, of avoiding keeping grudges and resentments, of always looking for the positive and constructive in the differences and conflicts we can have with others, etc. 

 This is how we can be like Christ!