Forgive and be forgiven

WE are all familiar with the Lord’s Prayer or the “Our Father.” It’s the prayer Christ told his apostles when they asked him to teach them how to pray. Since it contains all the basic elements and purposes of prayer, it is considered the model prayer. Our personal prayers should reflect at least some aspects of this paradigmatic prayer.

            A part of it is most relevant in guiding us in our relationship with one another. It’s when Christ said, “Forgive us our sins (trespasses) as we forgive those who sin (trespass) against us.”

            As if to underscore the importance of this point, Christ reiterated: “For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.” (Mt 6,14-15) It’s clear therefore that we can only be forgiven if we also forgive others.

            We have to be clear that his injunction is meant for everyone, and not only for a few whom we may consider to be religiously inclined. That’s why when asked how many times we should forgive, he said not only seven times, but seventy times seven, meaning always.

            That’s also why he easily forgave the woman caught in adultery. And to those whom he cured of their illnesses, it was actually the forgiveness of their sins that he was more interested in.

            To top it all, Christ allowed himself to die on the cross as a way to forgive all of our sins, and to convert our sins through his resurrection as a way to our own redemption. What he did for us he also expects, nay, commands that we also do for everybody else.

            Thus that indication that if we want to follow him, we have to deny ourselves, carry the cross and follow him.

            It is presumed that all of us sin one way or another. That’s why St. John said: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 Jn 1,8) I am sure that our personal experience can bear that out easily.

            No matter how saintly we try ourselves to be, sin always manages to come in because of our wounded humanity and the many temptations within and around us. As St. John said, we have to contend with three main enemies: our own wounded flesh, the devil and the world corrupted by sin.

            The awareness of this truth is not meant to depress us but rather to keep us humble and always feeling in need of God. We should be wary when we would just depend solely on our own resources to tackle this predicament. We need God.

            The awareness of this truth should also help us to develop the attitude to forgive one another as quickly as possible, since that is the only way we can be forgiven. When we find it hard to forgive others, it is a clear sign that we are full of ourselves, are self-righteous, proud and vain.

            We have to continually check on our attitude towards others because today’s dominant culture is filled precisely by the viruses of self-righteousness, that feeling that we are superior to others, etc. We have to do constant battle against that culture.

            That’s why we need to douse immediately any flame of pride and egoism that can come to us anytime. We have to learn to understand others, to accept them as they are, warts and all, while praying and doing whatever we can to help them. It’s not for us to judge their motives which will always be a mystery to us.

            In fact, as St. Paul once said, we have to consider others as always better than us. Only peace and harmony can result with such attitude. The abuses that can arise will soon be overcome if we are consistent with this attitude.

            We should not fall into the trap of putting justice and mercy in conflict. Both have to go together. Their distinction does not mean they are opposed to each other. Any appearance of conflict is only apparent.

            But obviously the way to blend them together is to follow the example of Christ, and not just to rely on our own lights, no matter how brilliant these lights may appear. We can always forgive, and forgive from the heart, even if the requirements of justice still have to be met.

            We need to be clear about the intimate relationship between justice and mercy. One cannot go without the other.

Open, discerning, focused

I IMAGINE that these are good traits to develop in life. You may have other and better ideas, but let me tell you why I say so.

With all the twists and turns in life, and with all the factors, conditionings and forces in play, many of them beyond our control, we just cannot help, if we want to save our sanity, at least, but to be open to everything, yet also discerning and focused so as not to get lost.

Our openness, which brings with it many other good qualities like being game and sporty, cheerful, confident and optimistic, should be based on the fundamental truth that whatever happens in life, God is always in control and he never wavers in his love for us. He knows what to do with anything that can happen in life, whether good or bad.

“All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven…A time to be born and a time to die…A time to destroy, and a time to build…A time of love, and a time of hatred, “ the Book of Ecclesiastes tells us. So, let’s just take it easy, and not worry too much.

Our openness should lead us to develop a certain sense of abandonment in the hands of God, in his almighty, wise and merciful providence, so that we don’t get carried away by the mere and shallow workings of our emotions, estimations and understanding of things that often distort and warp things, if not miss the point completely.

Everything that happens in life, even those that are reeking with human malice and openly against God’s will, can always be made use of by God himself to generate a greater good. This is a core belief that should guide us especially in our low and difficult moments.

The parable of the prodigal son bears this out as well as many other parables in the gospel. The ultimate proof is the very passion and death of Christ which came as a result of man’s worst malice and from which Christ did not avoid—he was open to it—and yet all that led to his glorious resurrection and to our salvation.

We have to echo the same conviction that St. Paul once expressed: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8,28) The important thing is to keep our faith and love for God unmoved in spite of our sins and infidelities. There’s always hope!

That’s why while we have to be open to anything in life, let’s also be discerning and focused on Christ, on our faith, because this is the ultimate and constant guide we need amid the ebb and flow of time and life’s ups and downs.

In this the perfect model is Christ himself. He was open to everything and anything, even to the point of being betrayed by one very close to him, an apostle. He was open to the possibility of being misunderstood, persecuted and executed. He allowed human freedom to do whatever it wants to do with him.

Yet, in spite of all this openness, he was focused. He did not get lost. He knew how to take advantage of everything to be able to do the will of his Father. “I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me,” he said (Jn 5,30)

And he must have been discerning also, because in spite of all the hectic pace of his life, he managed to pray, to spend time with his apostles and friends, to attend to the requests of many individuals. “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work.” (Jn 4,34) He knew exactly what he had to do.

We have to learn to reflect the life of Christ in our own lives. He is the very pattern of our life. There is no other, since as he said, he is “the way, the truth and the life.” (Jn 14,6)

Let’s develop the proper attitude and vision of our life by taking care of our daily routine. As we wake up everyday, let’s do a morning offering to remind ourselves that we need to serve God and offer the day the way God created the universe in the beginning—with all the love and goodness he could give.

Then as we go through the day, let’s reflect Christ’s life as he tackles all sorts of things but orienting them toward his passion, death and resurrection.

Year of the Laity

OUR beloved bishops have declared 2014 as the Year of the Laity. I suppose it is part of the 9-year preparation, a novena of sorts, for the celebration of the fifth centennial of the Christianization of our country in 2021. Remember that Magellan discovered our country and introduced Christianity on March 16, 1521, as that naughty Yoyoy Villame ditty had immortalized.

            In their pastoral letter of exhortation, they appeal to the laity to be more aware of their duty and responsibility in the Church and in our country. The bishops wish that the laity to be consistent to their faith, translating it from belief to action, from something personal to something social and collective, especially in the area of politics.

            Let’s hope and pray that this initiative acquires more meat and structure, gains foothold and traction, and runs far and wide. It should not just be a good idea, a beautiful letter. It has to be a living reality, widely and immediately felt, and concretely acted out.

            Many things need to be done, many concepts to be clarified, programs to be acted on, and goals to be pursued. Even the very concept of laity is not clear to many people, including those who consider themselves very Catholic. So, imagine what idea they have about the responsibilities attached to their status.

            While every believer who is baptized is called a faithful in the Church and therefore enjoys a basic equality with everyone else in terms of dignity and responsibility in the Church, there is also a functional diversity that distinguishes them into clergy on the hand, and laity on the other, with the consecrated religious men and women comprising as a third division.

            There should be no question about who is higher or lower in the Church. The hierarchical structure of the Church is not meant to elicit that attitude but rather to put in place and to keep the vitality of the Church as animated by the Holy Spirit himself.

            Everyone has to be aware that, whether cleric or lay, he is part of an organic body that has dimensions both visible and invisible, material and spiritual, human and divine. He has to realize that the Church is also in his own hands. He has to learn to work in tandem with others.

            All faithful are conformed to Christ in baptism. Those ordained to the priesthood are conformed to Christ in a more specific way, that is, to Christ as head of the Church.

           

            Yes, they enjoy a certain authority over others, but that authority is precisely meant to serve the others. They preach, administer the sacraments, etc. Their power should not be understood as a claim of entitlement. On the contrary, priests should feel like rags for the lay faithful to step on softly on their earthly pilgrimage.

            But the laity has a great responsibility too in the Church, and especially in the world, since they have to bring Christ, his spirit, his teaching into the world, transforming it to make it more human, more Christian, more in accord with the will and plan of God for it.

            Thus, they should never feel like secondary citizens in the Church. They have to stop acting like little, uneducated kids, or mere amateurs. They have to earnestly aim to be mature Christians, aware and alert to do their duties. This truth has to be pounded on their heads more often, because they tend to get contented with an idea of maturity that is simply temporal.

            Their faith has to be a matter of conviction, guiding them in their thoughts, words and actuations, whether in private or in public, and in every level and aspect of life. To achieve this, they have to learn to pray, to spend time conversing with God, to study thoroughly the doctrine of our faith, develop the virtues, avail of the sacraments, etc.

            They have to burn with desire for holiness and with apostolic zeal, such that wherever they are, they would always be aware and feel urged  to be holy and to be apostolically concerned with everyone else.

            Let’s hope that we can make use and activate all structures and mechanisms to enable the laity actualize their potentials. We have to start with the individual, then the families, schools, parishes, offices, etc.

            It’s good to note that there are now many groups with different charisms that are working to make everyone an authentic Christian. Let’s hope that little by little, we can see a transformation, a new spring in the world of politics, entertainment, business, etc.