Meditation

I KNOW there’s a nice song by that title. It’s by the famous Brazilian composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim, who captures the strains of sadness in an endearing beat irresistible to anyone who has a feeling heart. He makes melancholy sweet.

But I mean something else. In fact, this is about the serious business of reflecting more deeply on the word of God, allowing the impulses of one’s faith and piety to go winding and branching into considerations that can eventually lead to contemplation.

This kind of prayer is, I think, what we of this modern, fast-paced age need to learn well. From what we can gather, we are wired for this activity. We are not just for action. Though often frustrated, our spiritual DNA intends us to meditate and contemplate.

This gives us a sense of anchor and root, a sense of direction that can bring us where we truly belong—communion with God and with others. It provides us glimpses of the complete view of things, where the eternal becomes current and vice-versa.

Now, we seem so lost in a swelling ocean of developments that we just pretend we are enjoying life’s adventure to lull us or to quell the persistently creeping realization that we are going nowhere.

Or we immerse ourselves in musings of all kinds, romantic, literary, intellectual, etc., that can give us a good measure of joy, but still cannot satisfy our deepest longings. We know that such mental exertions are mainly fictional or functional meant for entertainment, therapy and other merely practical purposes.

In short, we try to equate the thrill and suspense of the life process as the eternal joy our heart will always long. We dare to exercise our creativity outside of the abiding creative moment of God. This error will not do, and will sooner or later be exposed.

We are meant for meditation. If not hampered by undue earthly attachments, our spiritual faculties, namely, our mind and heart, our intelligence and will, will look for their proper objects. That’s their natural appetite.

And these objects are the truth and goodness which make for authentic happiness for us. We squirm at anything that’s not true and that’s not good. We may be deceived for a while by things that appear true and good. But once the deception is uncovered, we repel them.

And this ultimate truth and goodness cannot be found in our material world. It cannot even be found in the best possibilities of our human world that can already include spiritual realities.

These spiritual realities need to be grounded by their proper author, their proper beginning and end, and this can only be God. That’s why, man is called a religious being, because even if he is not aware of it, he tends always toward God. His quest for truth and goodness will give him a sense of God.

Obviously, we have to train ourselves for this. Meditation just does not come about automatically. It has to be developed, and its requirements of attitudes and dispositions, art and skills, time and effort have to be met.

I remember the first time I attended a meditation given by a priest many years ago. I was, of course, struck by the novelty. But I also was aware of the critical thoughts that spontaneously came to my mind.

My experience with sermons during my childhood days made sure of that. I felt I was going through a survival course. I thought the priest was just acting, or was trying to impress. I always discovered defects. Yet I also could not deny that together with these negative thoughts, I discerned something good.

And that was that if I wanted to, I could make that meditation my own conversation with God. Never mind the human quality of the meditation. Things depended on whether I opt to turn that meditation into a human soliloquy or an intimate dialogue with God.

With some prodding from my spiritual director then, I chose to make it a dialogue with God, no matter how imperfect. And again with his help, I made an effort to develop a discipline of doing meditation with others or on my own.

And I must confess that the result has been wonderfully different since then. I was not just thinking about anything. I was talking with God. And the insights and realizations I made were not just my own. I was aware that regardless of their quality they were done with God…

P-words to reckon with

NOW that elections are coming, I think some P-words have to be considered. We can start with four: patience with politics, politicians and the people.

Patience is, of course, a virtue we have to practice everywhere and with everyone. In the first place, our life is a journey. We just have to be patient to be able to reach the end. We have to move toward the destination, without getting stuck at a certain point. Patience is what keeps us moving. It’s hope in action.

Besides, with all the challenges and trials, problems, difficulties and failures that we have to contend with in life, patience indeed is a virtue that has become indispensable. Because of this, patience requires strength. To be weak-hearted works against patience.

Then try imagining God without patience. No one would have survived now. We would have become extinct long time ago. Thus, if he is patient, you can just imagine how much more we ought to be!

With politics, we have a special reason to be very patient. Politics is an indispensable aspect of our life. By its nature, it demands of us patience since we often get involved in raw issues and uncharted waters of social development.

We have to learn how to go slow to sort things out properly. We need to use a lot of restraint, holding our horses to allow reason and good sense rather than emotions to lead us in our discussions, consultations and dialogues. We have to be wary of the temptation to rash judgment, uncharitable thoughts, etc.

Politics is unavoidably like a contact sport. We cannot help but commit some fouls, all sorts of infractions and mistakes, big and small. We just have to learn to move on in spite of these hindrances. That’s part of patience.

With patience, we can afford to be open-minded as opposed to being close-minded, gripped in biases and prejudices. We can manage to be sport, to focus more on the essentials and not to get entangled with irritating non-essentials.

Patience facilitates forgiveness, purification of memory, optimism and positive outlook. It prevents ill-feelings and heals resentments. It fosters unity and reconciliation.

Then if we take into account how we are as persons and citizens, we have greater reason to practice the most exquisite type of patience when dealing with politicians.

As things are, politicians can come to us in many, endless forms and combinations. Let’s be wary when we tend to see only their defects and mistakes. For sure, they have, and given the games they play and the pressures they bear, theirs can be bigger and worse than the average.

But it would be unfair if we just give all our attention to these negative elements. Let’s try to be more understanding to them. And if we have the chance, let’s help them to be truly Christian, to be men and women with real integrity.

Though we can have our personal choices, let’s always be open and civil to everyone, no matter how in disagreement we may be with some of their views, or how we disapprove of their performance.

Let’s be always kind in our thoughts and words with respect to them. They may be crooks, and we have more than enough evidence of this type of creatures, but they too are our brothers and sisters who deserve to be loved and helped. Let’s never forget that they too can be real saints, if often disguised.

As to the people, another demanding type of patience is needed, since we cannot deny that they should be continually educated and motivated about their duties as the electorate.

We have to put more passion to our desires and actions to help one another to be responsible citizens and fair voters. We need to teach everyone the practical ways of prudence, anchoring it on prayer and due study and consultation.

For all these, we need to develop a more focused and abiding sense of cultivating this patience and prudence with politics, the politicians and the people.

Our problem is that often we tend to improvise on the spot and to give only ad hoc and stopgap solutions to problems. In the process, we make a lot mess, much like that of an emergency fire truck rushing with sirens and all to a burning scene.

Let’s reflect on these P-words and draw some concrete resolutions.

Resting and recovering

WITH bags packed and tickets ready, I flew to Tagaytay from Cebu the other day for my annual 3-week seminar. This has been a routine for me for almost 40 years now, part of a continuing formation that I submit myself to.

Tagaytay in summer is, I think, the perfect place to be. It certainly will make you forget about global warming. It’s like a lucky halfway house, right at the middle between urban and rural life. It’s got flowers, fruits, views, nice people, serenity and isolation.

The activity is actually many things to me. First, it affords me a wonderful time to rest, a most welcome break from my usual work load. I get to wake up later than usual, I have time to do sports and exercises, and to go to excursions where I don’t worry about getting lost in the mountain, for example.

This is still a mystery to me but I can’t deny the fact that I yearn for this change of regimen. Part of me pines for an occasion to rough it up with others, doing physical, even strenuous things, away from my usual intellectual work. It soothes nerves, relieves stress, dissipates tension.

This type of activity has a peculiar and effective way of being united with others. I am getting convinced that this direct physical contact with people and with things gives one a different kind of communion that can’t be attained through ideas, words and arguments. I can’t explain this yet.

I get a certain kind of satisfaction when I can let go of the usual amenities and savor again the hand-to-mouth way of life. One time when I gave a seminar to young altar boys, I realized I enjoyed dipping my fingers together with theirs in a common bowl of food.

I also get the chance to indulge in my hobbies—reading, singing, and just allowing my thoughts free-range movement. I feel like a child who suddenly gets scot-free to play under the rain, or a prisoner who manages to escape.

And it’s amazing what thoughts and insights one can get out of this situation! Truly, many mysteries of life get revealed in these occasions. A certain lavishness bursts out amid the Spartan conditions.

Of course, the yearly activity provides me with precious moments to go deeper in my spiritual life. I seem to discern more clearly the enigmatic ways of Providence and to feel more keenly the inexplicable stirrings in the heart and soul. These will always remain intimate and personal.

But there’s also a serious part of this affair. I get assigned to teach something. This year, the class I give is on ecclesiology, a discussion about the nature of the Church. This is always a very fascinating subject to me.

The students are all professional men who already know a lot of things. What they need to have is to get an organized over-all understanding of the subject. The usual problem is that their knowledge is often one-sided, and not very systematically theological. It’s more anecdotal.

But they are quite aware of the problems and the issues in current Church life, and some are conversant of the historical background. Thus, the classes end up in very animated exchanges of thoughts. I just have to worry a bit about seeing to it the bare essentials of the subject are well taken up.

Another blessing of this activity is the chance to mingle with more people and to know new ones. At this stage, I am becoming more conscious of the inter-generational, inter-regional and even inter-racial wealth the activity provides.

It warms the heart that in spite of the variety and differences of temperaments, backgrounds, characters, professions, etc., one can still notice a certain unity of spirit and continuity of the same vocation.

The joy this gives me is indescribable, and it can only lead me to an outburst of thanksgiving, and a more ardent resolution to be ever faithful, eager to find ways, big and small, to be such.

I think this is the real beauty, importance and relevance of our need to rest. We get to act out God’s rest after the creation of man and the world. We get to realize more deeply that true rest is when one is with Christ, who said:

“Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11,28) Once rested, one is raring to return to ordinary work.