St. Paul already warned us quite clearly. Those who take their Christian faith seriously better be prepared to be humiliated and treated like a laughing stock.
“We have been made a spectacle to the world…we are fools for Christ…we are maligned…we have become as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all.” (1 Cor 4,9-13)
Talking about Christ, now as it was then, will always meet some resistance. “For the Jews ask for signs, and the Greeks look for ‘wisdom,’ but we, for our part preach a crucified Christ—to the Jews indeed a stumbling-block and to the Gentiles foolishness.” (1 Cor 1,22-23)
These thoughts came to mind when I was following some commentaries related to the forthcoming showing of the film, “Da Vinci Code.”
Yes, dear, we are now in the middle of a media firestorm to hype this controversial movie. So, we just have to activate our critical mind. We cannot be naïve. Times are extremely tricky.
The usual tack used by most commentators is that we should not be too bothered by this movie, since after all the author of the book on which it based said it’s just fiction.
Actually this view amuses me more than piques me. I smell naiveté here or a sense of helplessness. It is as if these hardened commentators suddenly become ignorant of the many tricks and gimmicks in this world.
What most amused me most was to read a columnist who said that those who are asking for the banning of the movie are actually “weirdos.” Now, wait a
minute! Am I now a weirdo?
Though I’m too old to be talking about banning and boycotting a movie, I just can not let a movie that satirizes my faith, my most intimate treasure, to pass by without me airing some complaint.
How would you react if someone approaches you to say the he has just written a book, now being made into a movie, and that he has used your wife or mother as the main character, portraying her as a slut, but that you should not worry because the book is just fiction?
If to complain about this development is to be a weirdo, then by all means I am one such weirdo.
The problem we have is that many of us are such suckers of any movie and novel that we seem not to mind anymore if there are certain basic values that are being perverted in the process.
Especially if the movie has some action, drama or feel-good themes, or it has some titillating sex scenes, it seems to me that we can just forget about the integrity of our faith.
This, in my view, is again another manifestation of addiction and obsession. And I must say this phenomenon is quite widespread.
I find this funny, because many people come to me and ask why they have a hard time praying, etc. I also ask them, how many hours do you spend on TV and the DVD? I always find a correlation between more movies and less prayer.
We need to discipline ourselves. We need to be more discerning. As I said, I will not talk about banning or boycotting the movie. The nature of the story itself should tell us whether it should have been written in the first place, then read and promoted, then filmed and watched.
Alas, we expose the real problem we have. It has many layers. Among them, that many of us are so weak we cannot say no to any curiosity that may grip us. Worse, is the crisis of faith that many of us are having, most of the time not even being aware of it.
As for me, I remain unrepentant in pursuing my resolution not to read the book, much less to see the film. And I will pray for divine mercy and divine retribution.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Keeping Christ alive
OF course, Christ is always alive, whether we are aware of it or not.He is God. But as the Easter Triduum reminded us, he truly died, a victim of all our sins. And on the third day he rose again. He now lives, and forever. "Why seek the living one among the dead?" (Lk 24,5)
We have to be more aware of this truth, and be more consistent to this reality. Our problem is that we are good in professing it--even turgid and pompous in expressing it--but our life many times reflects the opposite.
Christ, for many of us, remains dead, a figure buried in the past, a word, an idea, a psychological crutch, a pious decoration, a political tool, a mere symbol. We mangle him again, use and abuse him, exploit him to suit our will.
The constant challenge we have is how to activate our faith such that Christ is truly alive in us. He should be present in our mind and heart, in our lips and senses. We should continually deal with him, speaking to him, consulting him, asking, begging, etc.
Christ should be in our thoughts and desires. He should be inside us and outside us as well. We should learn to see his face, no matter how disfigured, everywhere and in everyone.
We should look for him, find, love and serve him in all aspects of our lives--personal, family, social, professional, business, political, etc. This is the challenge. But how can we effectively meet this challenge?
Even before consciously activating our faith, our common sense will already tell us that we have to exert the effort to deal with him, trying to get to know him better, to spend time with him, to stay close to him.
From this basic intuition, we will realize through our faith that we need to develop certain indispensable practices and habits, like praying, spiritual reading, having recourse to the sacraments, undertaking a lifelong ascetical struggle, and having other norms of piety truly helpful to us in all our circumstances.
We have to realize that we need to study well the doctrines of Christ, now left with the Church and authoritatively taught by it. These doctrines are not just brilliant ideas. They are the living Christ impacting on our human condition. They have to be taken seriously.
We need to be mature Christians, "unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ," as St. Paul told us (Eph 4,13), Christians who know how to be so both in the Church and in the world, in name and in deeds, actively pursuing God's plan for man through the apostolate.
But, alas, these things can sound Greek to many. The truth is many of us appear helplessly gripped in worldly allurements. We seem completely infatuated with the world, and our taste for the sacred is disappearing.
This situation, of course, makes us prone to worse things. St. Paul talked about us being like "children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive." (Eph 4,14)
Worse, St. Paul also warned us that "there shall be a time when people will not endure sound doctrine, but will heap to themselves teachers according to their own lusts...and will turn away their hearing from the truth, but will turn to fables." (2 Tim 4,3-4)
This, in my view, is what is happening in the phenomenon of the "Da Vinci Code" book and forthcoming film, and the recent issue of the "Gospel of Judas."
The curiosity generated by these things speaks volumes of the kind of Christian life many people are having these days. This is really lamentable, made worse when all sorts of rationalizations are made to prop that curiosity.
Sometimes, I wonder why with all the achievements of modern science and technology, we still appear quite naive with respect to our faith and worldly matters. We cannot seem to outgrow it.
Christ is alive! He is in the Holy Eucharist and in the sacraments and in the Gospels. He is in the Church and also in the world, and in every person, rich or poor. We have to find a way to find him and love him truly with deeds whatever the circumstance!
We have to be more aware of this truth, and be more consistent to this reality. Our problem is that we are good in professing it--even turgid and pompous in expressing it--but our life many times reflects the opposite.
Christ, for many of us, remains dead, a figure buried in the past, a word, an idea, a psychological crutch, a pious decoration, a political tool, a mere symbol. We mangle him again, use and abuse him, exploit him to suit our will.
The constant challenge we have is how to activate our faith such that Christ is truly alive in us. He should be present in our mind and heart, in our lips and senses. We should continually deal with him, speaking to him, consulting him, asking, begging, etc.
Christ should be in our thoughts and desires. He should be inside us and outside us as well. We should learn to see his face, no matter how disfigured, everywhere and in everyone.
We should look for him, find, love and serve him in all aspects of our lives--personal, family, social, professional, business, political, etc. This is the challenge. But how can we effectively meet this challenge?
Even before consciously activating our faith, our common sense will already tell us that we have to exert the effort to deal with him, trying to get to know him better, to spend time with him, to stay close to him.
From this basic intuition, we will realize through our faith that we need to develop certain indispensable practices and habits, like praying, spiritual reading, having recourse to the sacraments, undertaking a lifelong ascetical struggle, and having other norms of piety truly helpful to us in all our circumstances.
We have to realize that we need to study well the doctrines of Christ, now left with the Church and authoritatively taught by it. These doctrines are not just brilliant ideas. They are the living Christ impacting on our human condition. They have to be taken seriously.
We need to be mature Christians, "unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ," as St. Paul told us (Eph 4,13), Christians who know how to be so both in the Church and in the world, in name and in deeds, actively pursuing God's plan for man through the apostolate.
But, alas, these things can sound Greek to many. The truth is many of us appear helplessly gripped in worldly allurements. We seem completely infatuated with the world, and our taste for the sacred is disappearing.
This situation, of course, makes us prone to worse things. St. Paul talked about us being like "children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive." (Eph 4,14)
Worse, St. Paul also warned us that "there shall be a time when people will not endure sound doctrine, but will heap to themselves teachers according to their own lusts...and will turn away their hearing from the truth, but will turn to fables." (2 Tim 4,3-4)
This, in my view, is what is happening in the phenomenon of the "Da Vinci Code" book and forthcoming film, and the recent issue of the "Gospel of Judas."
The curiosity generated by these things speaks volumes of the kind of Christian life many people are having these days. This is really lamentable, made worse when all sorts of rationalizations are made to prop that curiosity.
Sometimes, I wonder why with all the achievements of modern science and technology, we still appear quite naive with respect to our faith and worldly matters. We cannot seem to outgrow it.
Christ is alive! He is in the Holy Eucharist and in the sacraments and in the Gospels. He is in the Church and also in the world, and in every person, rich or poor. We have to find a way to find him and love him truly with deeds whatever the circumstance!
Keeping Christ alive
OF course, Christ is always alive, whether we are aware of it or not.He is God. But as the Easter Triduum reminded us, he truly died, a victim of all our sins. And on the third day he rose again. He now lives, and forever. "Why seek the living one among the dead?" (Lk 24,5)
We have to be more aware of this truth, and be more consistent to this reality. Our problem is that we are good in professing it--even turgid and pompous in expressing it--but our life many times reflects the opposite.
Christ, for many of us, remains dead, a figure buried in the past, a word, an idea, a psychological crutch, a pious decoration, a political tool, a mere symbol. We mangle him again, use and abuse him, exploit him to suit our will.
The constant challenge we have is how to activate our faith such that Christ is truly alive in us. He should be present in our mind and heart, in our lips and senses. We should continually deal with him, speaking to him, consulting him, asking, begging, etc.
Christ should be in our thoughts and desires. He should be inside us and outside us as well. We should learn to see his face, no matter how disfigured, everywhere and in everyone.
We should look for him, find, love and serve him in all aspects of our lives--personal, family, social, professional, business, political, etc. This is the challenge. But how can we effectively meet this challenge?
Even before consciously activating our faith, our common sense will already tell us that we have to exert the effort to deal with him, trying to get to know him better, to spend time with him, to stay close to him.
From this basic intuition, we will realize through our faith that we need to develop certain indispensable practices and habits, like praying, spiritual reading, having recourse to the sacraments, undertaking a lifelong ascetical struggle, and having other norms of piety truly helpful to us in all our circumstances.
We have to realize that we need to study well the doctrines of Christ, now left with the Church and authoritatively taught by it. These doctrines are not just brilliant ideas. They are the living Christ impacting on our human condition. They have to be taken seriously.
We need to be mature Christians, "unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ," as St. Paul told us (Eph 4,13), Christians who know how to be so both in the Church and in the world, in name and in deeds, actively pursuing God's plan for man through the apostolate.
But, alas, these things can sound Greek to many. The truth is many of us appear helplessly gripped in worldly allurements. We seem completely infatuated with the world, and our taste for the sacred is disappearing.
This situation, of course, makes us prone to worse things. St. Paul talked about us being like "children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive." (Eph 4,14)
Worse, St. Paul also warned us that "there shall be a time when people will not endure sound doctrine, but will heap to themselves teachers according to their own lusts...and will turn away their hearing from the truth, but will turn to fables." (2 Tim 4,3-4)
This, in my view, is what is happening in the phenomenon of the "Da Vinci Code" book and forthcoming film, and the recent issue of the "Gospel of Judas."
The curiosity generated by these things speaks volumes of the kind of Christian life many people are having these days. This is really lamentable, made worse when all sorts of rationalizations are made to prop that curiosity.
Sometimes, I wonder why with all the achievements of modern science and technology, we still appear quite naive with respect to our faith and worldly matters. We cannot seem to outgrow it.
Christ is alive! He is in the Holy Eucharist and in the sacraments and in the Gospels. He is in the Church and also in the world, and in every person, rich or poor. We have to find a way to find him and love him truly with deeds whatever the circumstance!
We have to be more aware of this truth, and be more consistent to this reality. Our problem is that we are good in professing it--even turgid and pompous in expressing it--but our life many times reflects the opposite.
Christ, for many of us, remains dead, a figure buried in the past, a word, an idea, a psychological crutch, a pious decoration, a political tool, a mere symbol. We mangle him again, use and abuse him, exploit him to suit our will.
The constant challenge we have is how to activate our faith such that Christ is truly alive in us. He should be present in our mind and heart, in our lips and senses. We should continually deal with him, speaking to him, consulting him, asking, begging, etc.
Christ should be in our thoughts and desires. He should be inside us and outside us as well. We should learn to see his face, no matter how disfigured, everywhere and in everyone.
We should look for him, find, love and serve him in all aspects of our lives--personal, family, social, professional, business, political, etc. This is the challenge. But how can we effectively meet this challenge?
Even before consciously activating our faith, our common sense will already tell us that we have to exert the effort to deal with him, trying to get to know him better, to spend time with him, to stay close to him.
From this basic intuition, we will realize through our faith that we need to develop certain indispensable practices and habits, like praying, spiritual reading, having recourse to the sacraments, undertaking a lifelong ascetical struggle, and having other norms of piety truly helpful to us in all our circumstances.
We have to realize that we need to study well the doctrines of Christ, now left with the Church and authoritatively taught by it. These doctrines are not just brilliant ideas. They are the living Christ impacting on our human condition. They have to be taken seriously.
We need to be mature Christians, "unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ," as St. Paul told us (Eph 4,13), Christians who know how to be so both in the Church and in the world, in name and in deeds, actively pursuing God's plan for man through the apostolate.
But, alas, these things can sound Greek to many. The truth is many of us appear helplessly gripped in worldly allurements. We seem completely infatuated with the world, and our taste for the sacred is disappearing.
This situation, of course, makes us prone to worse things. St. Paul talked about us being like "children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive." (Eph 4,14)
Worse, St. Paul also warned us that "there shall be a time when people will not endure sound doctrine, but will heap to themselves teachers according to their own lusts...and will turn away their hearing from the truth, but will turn to fables." (2 Tim 4,3-4)
This, in my view, is what is happening in the phenomenon of the "Da Vinci Code" book and forthcoming film, and the recent issue of the "Gospel of Judas."
The curiosity generated by these things speaks volumes of the kind of Christian life many people are having these days. This is really lamentable, made worse when all sorts of rationalizations are made to prop that curiosity.
Sometimes, I wonder why with all the achievements of modern science and technology, we still appear quite naive with respect to our faith and worldly matters. We cannot seem to outgrow it.
Christ is alive! He is in the Holy Eucharist and in the sacraments and in the Gospels. He is in the Church and also in the world, and in every person, rich or poor. We have to find a way to find him and love him truly with deeds whatever the circumstance!
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