Be amazed and avoid over-familiarity

“A PROPHET is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” (Mk 6,4) Famous words of Christ that tell us that we should be wary of our tendency to take the things of God for granted, especially nowadays when we can feel we can depend on God less and less because we happen to know more, do more and achieve more. 

 This is a very common danger to all of us, and is at bottom a result of letting ourselves be simply guided by our senses, or feelings and our other ways of human estimation, without the guidance of our faith that should lead us to develop the appropriate piety. 

 We have to be more aware of this danger of over-familiarity and install the necessary defenses against it. More than that, we have to aggressively cultivate the art of always being amazed at God and at all his works. That should be the proper state for us to be in. 

 Yes, we should cultivate the attitude and habit of always being amazed at everything since everything in the end comes from God and is meant to lead us to God and to glorify him. 

 We always tend to believe that we can manage to live our life and to handle all kinds of situations just by relying on our own powers, practically denying the fact that our powers come from God and are supposed to be a participation of God’s powers. This is especially so since we now appear to be gaining more power through our inventions and creations. 

 We obviously have to do our part. In fact, we have to make full use of everything we have got to resolve whatever problems, difficulties, issues, etc., we have in this life. Yes, we have to be very realistic and practical about everything. But we should not forget that we always need God. 

 Even in our small, usual and very manageable concerns, we should go and be with God first before we attempt to tackle them. We have to remember that everything depends on God, and also in a certain sense, everything also depends on us. It’s a 100%-100% proposition. 

 This does not mean that we are getting too dependent on him. Truth is, we actually depend on him for everything even if we also should fully use whatever capabilities we have. Yes, we enjoy a freedom that enables us to have a certain autonomy but never a total independence or separation from God. 

 We have to remember that being God’s creatures who have been created in his image and likeness, we are meant to live our whole life with him. Our relationship with him is not that of a parasite to a host, but rather that of a child to his father. That is our undeniable and inalienable lineage. God and us are meant to be together always. We are meant to share the same life and nature, since God made us his image and likeness. 

 We have to understand, though, that this abiding state of amazement that we should try to develop is simply not a matter of sensations. Of course, it would be good if we can always feel amazed and in awe. But given the limitations of our bodily organism, we cannot expect that to happen all the time. 

 The ideal abiding state of amazement is more a matter of conviction, of something spiritual, moral and supernatural. It should be the result of grace that is corresponded to generously and heroically by us.

Be ready to complicate your life

THAT gospel episode where Christ had to cross to the other side by boat and then immediately was met with a large crowd eager to listen to him, (cfr. Mk 5,21-43) somehow tells us that if we have to truly follow Christ as we should, we have to be ready to complicate our life. 

 Not only was Christ met with a large crowd. A synagogue official, Jairus, came begging him to come to his house to cure his dying daughter. And that was not enough. While he was on his way, a woman afflicted with hemorrhage for 12 years stealthily approached him to touch his cloak, convinced that by so doing, she would be cured. And in fact, she was cured! 

 That gospel episode tells us so many things. Since we always tend to get into trouble, and it can be something impossible for us to resolve, we should never forget that we can and should always go to Christ for help. With him, nothing is impossible, although his ways may not be in full accord with what we have in mind. But to be sure, he always listens to us and gives us what is best for us. 

 We just have to strengthen our faith so that we can overcome whatever obstacle we may have in approaching Christ to ask for help. This was the case of Jairus whose daughter eventually died but was resurrected by Christ, and the woman with that terrible ailment of hemorrhage. 

 We just have to train our mind and will to have that strong faith. For this, we should make many acts of faith during the day, so that more than just our reason and other human powers, we should be guided first by our faith in God. 

 We have to be wary when our human powers and faculties tend to take over as the main director and shaper of our life. In all our affairs and situations in life, we should always go to God to ask for his help and guidance, and to trust his ways and his providence, even if our prayers and petitions appear unanswered, if not, contradicted. Whatever happens, as long as we go to God, everything will work out for the good. 

 Another lesson we can learn from this gospel episode is that if we have to be like Christ, we need to deepen our sense of compassion with everyone, unafraid to tackle whatever trouble such compassion may cause or occasion. 

 Christ’s heart flowed always with compassion, quick to notice the needs of others and to respond to them. And all this in all simplicity, telling the beneficiaries who were so bursting with gratitude that they wanted to broadcast what they received to the whole world, to keep quiet instead. 

 It’s an example that we should all try to imitate. One deep desire we should have is that of making as some kind of default mode that attitude of thinking always of the others, wishing them well all the time and doing whatever we can to help. 

 It’s obviously not easy to do, but we can always try. With God’s grace and with our persistent effort, we can little by little and day by day hack it, such that it becomes second nature to us to think and feel for the others. That’s what compassion is all about. 

 Compassion starts in the heart, in our thoughts and desires. In this level, there is no limit in what we can do. Obviously, when we try to translate these prayers, thoughts and desires into action and material things, we can be greatly limited. But insofar as prayers and sacrifices are involved, the possibilities are unlimited.

Never lose hope

EVEN if we feel we already are a hopeless case because we have been abusing the goodness and mercy of God countless times, we should never lose hope. God is always ready to forgive and forgive, ready to help us in any way we need. We should banish the fear that there can come a time when God would finally say, “That’s enough!” It’s rather us who tend to say, enough, because of our lack of faith and hope. 

 The mercy and compassion of God is endless. He may be mad at us for a while, and give us some punishment, but we can be sure that if are to abide by our Christian faith, we know that his anger will only be for a moment, while his mercy is forever. 

 And any temporal punishment he gives us will always be for our own good, our own purification and strengthening. It may help us to do some restitution, but it’s never a pure act of revenge. 

 We are reminded of this aspect of our Christian faith in that gospel episode where Christ freed a man who was possessed by a legion of evil spirits. (cfr. Mk 5,1-20) Despite his seemingly hopeless case, Christ helped and cured him. 

 This reminder about this virtue of hope is crucial these days since we cannot deny that many people today, especially the young ones, appear to be helplessly trapped in some addiction. Yes, the many intoxicating conveniences and advantages that our modern sciences and powerful technologies are offering are spoiling many of us, since we fail to use and enjoy them with God as the motive and goal. Instead, it is self-indulgence that is being always reinforced. 

 There is always hope because God is always a father who cares for all his children, both the good ones and the not so good ones. In fact, he gives some preferential attention to those in some difficulty, whether materially or spiritually and morally. 

 We need to avoid being swallowed up by the horror of our predicaments, difficulties and sins. We should not stop at lamenting and complaining. We have to remember what St. Paul once said: “Where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly.” (Rom 5,20) And more, from the Book of Ezekiel: “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?” (18,23) 

 We have to reassure ourselves, based on what Christ has promised and has actually done for us, that there can be no crisis that is too big for the grace of God to handle. 

 We have to remember that nothing happens in this life without at least the knowledge and tolerance of God. And if God allows some really bad things to happen, it is because a greater good can always be derived from them. 

 We just have to put ourselves in God’s side to tackle whatever crisis plagues us. That is the real challenge we have to face. And just like what Christ did and continues to do to redeem us, we have to follow the formula he once spelled out: deny ourselves, carry the cross and then follow him. (cfr. Mt 16,24) 

 If we are willing to do that, then we can even gain a lot more than what we appear to lose and to suffer. In other words, we can say that the bigger, the more serious the problem, the bigger, plentier and stronger also would the grace God will give us. So, let us just be game and do our part of the bargain. 

 There’s always hope for us!