THIS is our daily challenge and task. How to get in synch with God in our daily affairs should first of all be in our mind, since we tend to take this responsibility for granted. From there, let’s develop the relevant attitudes and skills, first individually and then later on, socially, culturally, politically, etc.
We have to graduate from a fetal or primitive level of Christian life. While it’s true that our development in the spiritual life takes a lot of stages, not to mention, tortuous turns, it should also be true that after some time of Christian living, we as a whole should have acquired a certain level of Christian maturity.
This has to be expected in any living organism. In this regard, we have to help one another. Those who are more gifted spiritually should realize that they are expected to give more.
We should try to be more apostolic, making all kinds of initiatives, like teaching catechism, etc. For this, we need to develop the virtues—prudence, fortitude, order, etc.—so that we can carry out our Christian duties properly and promptly.
We should see to it that our life of prayer is continuous all throughout the day. Let’s remember that God actually engages us in a direct, live conversation through the ordinary duties, affairs and concerns of everyday.
We should quit thinking that God intervenes in our life only on special occasions, as when we are in church, doing some spiritual exercises or attending some church activities. He is right there where are daily duties and concerns are.
God intervenes in our life all the time. We should learn to correspond to this reality, coming up with the appropriate plan to sustain us in this abiding conversation. We have to learn to feel at home with this reality.
For example, we can develop the habit of offering whatever we do to God and to the others, never letting ourselves to be held captive by our own designs and purposes only. This is actually how we ought to behave.
We can also find time for deliberate mental prayers, for reading the gospel and some spiritual books, going to Mass and confession regularly, for these practices of piety serve to build up a deep spiritual reservoir to help us through all the challenges of the day.
We can learn the art of living in the presence of God all the time, making use of some human devices to keep it alive and to prevent us from falling into routine and complacency. We have to learn how to rectify our intentions, so that all that we think, say and do are always meant for the glory of God and for serving the others.
There are many things we can do to keep ourselves spiritually alive and awake to the flowing divine interventions in our life. Again here, we have to help one another. Thus, we have to learn to give spiritual guidance, counseling and direction to the others, especially those who are close to us. We cannot neglect this duty anymore.
We too can take advantage of the different schools of spirituality developed through the centuries that have been found to be helpful to people in different situations. The lives and examples of saints, the many charisms that have enriched the Church through the ages, are a great source of help for all of us.
Let´s take some serious effort to familiarize ourselves with these varieties of spirituality and charisms, so we would have a better idea of what can fit each one of us.
We have to aim at nothing less than spiritualizing and supernaturalizing our daily work in all its stages and levels—from the personal to the social, from the local to the global, from the sacred to the mundane.
In fact, we need to spiritualize and supernaturalize our whole life, for that is how our life is meant to be. We should not get contented with purely human and natural goals—like more wealth, power, fame or merely socio-political and economic progress and development, etc.
We are meant for a lot more. Let’s not cheapen our true dignity. Let´s remember what our Lord told us, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?” Yes, we are meant for something greater than mere worldly perfection.
Synching ourselves with God daily should be pursued with no let up. This is what God wants for us to which we have to correspond as best we can.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Church leadership
THE question of Church leadership has come again to our attention with no less than Pope Benedict describing his work in the new book, “Light of the World.”
Leadership, of course, is a very dynamic phenomenon that needs to be studied and learned thoroughly. And of all kinds of leadership, it’s leadership in the Church that takes the lion’s share in any effort to master it.
But ironically enough, the secret of Church leadership does not lie mainly on one’s own strength and vision, but on his capability to follow and to serve, on his ability to be vitally united to Christ and to everyone else. For this, it might be good to recall some words of Christ.
It’s found in the gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 23, where our Lord talks quite a bit about how one ought to lead, what attitude to cultivate, and what dangers to avoid. It’s worthwhile to go through his words again, which run in this way:
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do, for they preach, but do not practice.
“They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
“They do all their deeds to be seen by men, for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men.
¨But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren...He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.¨ (2-12)
It´s quite clear how Church leadership, if it has to follow the leadership of Christ, has to be. A Church leader is a servant, whose master is Christ, and because of Christ, he has to serve the people.
The privileges he enjoys because of his office and because of our human condition should never detract from this core, irreducible truth that he is meant to serve, echoing Christ´s ¨I came not to be served but to serve.¨
Thus, the more privileges attached to one´s office, the more demanding he has to be in giving himself to God and to the others. If because of our human limitations, this self-demand cannot be done externally, then one has to make sure that he does it internally, in an increasingly intense way.
This is always a tricky position that needs to be constantly examined, since our tendency is always to get spoiled by the perks of power, wealth and fame. The wiles of this world can be so subtle that we can play the devil´s game even in the name and appearance of goodness and holiness.
Pride can mimic humility. Conceit can wear the mask of piety. We need to be brutally frank about ourselves, baring ourselves completely to God and to the extent that prudence dictates, also to the others, so that we drive away any trace of vanity and earthly attachments that can compromise Church leadership.
Since the Church is by nature a communion with God and a communion among ourselves, leadership in it will always have elements of collegiality and participativeness.
Yes, there may be one person who occupies a Church position, but for that position to function well, due attention should be given to the demands of collegiality and participativeness.
A Church leader should be the first to live what he preaches. He always needs to be vigilant so that that consistency of life, a consistency grounded on his union with God, is not weakened.
One common complaint of people against some Church leaders is precisely the inconsistency between their words and their deeds, what they profess and how they live.
For sure, this task of keeping that unity of life is no easy task. It requires first of all God´s grace, which we always have to beg, and then a merciless, continuing effort to be always true and faithful to God´s will.
That´s why a Church leader always prays and begs assistance from God, and asks the others to pray for him and to help him even to the extent of making suggestions and corrections, all done in prudence.
May we develop a culture that is purified from the contaminating influence of a worldly understanding of Church leadership!
Leadership, of course, is a very dynamic phenomenon that needs to be studied and learned thoroughly. And of all kinds of leadership, it’s leadership in the Church that takes the lion’s share in any effort to master it.
But ironically enough, the secret of Church leadership does not lie mainly on one’s own strength and vision, but on his capability to follow and to serve, on his ability to be vitally united to Christ and to everyone else. For this, it might be good to recall some words of Christ.
It’s found in the gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 23, where our Lord talks quite a bit about how one ought to lead, what attitude to cultivate, and what dangers to avoid. It’s worthwhile to go through his words again, which run in this way:
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do, for they preach, but do not practice.
“They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
“They do all their deeds to be seen by men, for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men.
¨But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren...He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.¨ (2-12)
It´s quite clear how Church leadership, if it has to follow the leadership of Christ, has to be. A Church leader is a servant, whose master is Christ, and because of Christ, he has to serve the people.
The privileges he enjoys because of his office and because of our human condition should never detract from this core, irreducible truth that he is meant to serve, echoing Christ´s ¨I came not to be served but to serve.¨
Thus, the more privileges attached to one´s office, the more demanding he has to be in giving himself to God and to the others. If because of our human limitations, this self-demand cannot be done externally, then one has to make sure that he does it internally, in an increasingly intense way.
This is always a tricky position that needs to be constantly examined, since our tendency is always to get spoiled by the perks of power, wealth and fame. The wiles of this world can be so subtle that we can play the devil´s game even in the name and appearance of goodness and holiness.
Pride can mimic humility. Conceit can wear the mask of piety. We need to be brutally frank about ourselves, baring ourselves completely to God and to the extent that prudence dictates, also to the others, so that we drive away any trace of vanity and earthly attachments that can compromise Church leadership.
Since the Church is by nature a communion with God and a communion among ourselves, leadership in it will always have elements of collegiality and participativeness.
Yes, there may be one person who occupies a Church position, but for that position to function well, due attention should be given to the demands of collegiality and participativeness.
A Church leader should be the first to live what he preaches. He always needs to be vigilant so that that consistency of life, a consistency grounded on his union with God, is not weakened.
One common complaint of people against some Church leaders is precisely the inconsistency between their words and their deeds, what they profess and how they live.
For sure, this task of keeping that unity of life is no easy task. It requires first of all God´s grace, which we always have to beg, and then a merciless, continuing effort to be always true and faithful to God´s will.
That´s why a Church leader always prays and begs assistance from God, and asks the others to pray for him and to help him even to the extent of making suggestions and corrections, all done in prudence.
May we develop a culture that is purified from the contaminating influence of a worldly understanding of Church leadership!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Charity perfects connectivity
IT´S good that there is a growing sense of connectivity that is now palpable these days. One just has to look around and realize how the steady crawl of linkages among persons and entities in different levels of society is developing.
Technology, for sure, has a lot to do with it. The mobile phone, the Internet, the social network systems, etc., are quickening the pace of communication. With them, we can get in touch with practically anyone in any part of the world.
In a way, these modern means of communication have an equalizing effect on the people. That´s because even if there are several grades and levels involved, the fact remains that they have a much larger coverage than previously known. A lot more people are drawn into the communication loop now than before.
Together with this technological angle is, of course, a growth in the sensitivity of people, especially the young ones and even the old, retired ones, toward the need to communicate.
I´m amused to see both my very young nephews and nieces and my rather elderly aunties, already pushing 80, quite adept especially in the social network. I suspect they are the ones that keep the lines abuzz, or the cyberwaves clogged. All of sudden, the world has become much smaller, and more people, despite distance and age, get close to each other.
In schools, young students are continually taught the many possibilities of the new technologies. Innovations keep on popping up, providing people with still more ways to communicate.
Obviously, the big guys are also happy with these developments. Those in business and politics, those trying to monitor social and cultural changes, etc., derive great benefit from these novel things.
And it´s truly heartwarming to note that not only the pace but also the quality of business and politics is improving. That´s because with these gadgets the potentials of participative government are unleashed. Both politicians and citizens, businessmen and consumers, are now more sensitive to the requirements of the common good.
Let´s hope this trend goes on, without forgetting that there is also a need to be vigilant over abuses and other bad effects, usually unintended, that can spoil this development. We have to remember to practice some kind of restraint and moderation in the use of these new gadgets. They can lead us to some info overload that would not be healthy to us.
In this regard, it might be helpful to remind ourselves that the real and proper motor to drive and guide us in this new waters of communication is charity. Let´s not disparage that truth, again considering it as something irrelevant to our current state of development.
Charity can never become obsolete nor useless. It cannot and should not be held as something so other-worldly that it can have nothing to do with our earthly, mundane affairs. In fact, the opposite is true.
Charity is the very soul of our life and everything in it—our thoughts, words and deeds, our business, politics and all kinds of human dealings. It is what brings all these things to their proper foundation, their proper end, and to their proper ways.
We need to disabuse ourselves from the erroneous mentality, sadly quite common these days, of considering charity as impractical. This is actually the main problem we have now. We tend to view things almost exclusively from the practical point of view, as if everything depends on practicality.
Charity demands more things from us precisely because we are not mere animals who happen to be rational and who are just ruled by the law of practicality. We are persons and children of God, meant to enter to a real communion of life and love with God and with everybody else.
Charity tells us more things about what we need to communicate and how to do it. It equips us with a greater sensitivity that lets us fathom deeper things in persons and events. It enables us to understand and to take advantage of sufferings in this life, and of the many negative things that can come to us—our mistakes and failures, our sins, etc.
Charity links us ultimately to God, our last and final end.
Practicality is incapable of doing these things. It tends to treat us not as persons but as objects to be used. We have to be wary of this tendency that seems to afflict us these days like a sweet poison that we gladly take everyday.
It´s time that we sit down and make a serious inventory of the requirements of charity.
Technology, for sure, has a lot to do with it. The mobile phone, the Internet, the social network systems, etc., are quickening the pace of communication. With them, we can get in touch with practically anyone in any part of the world.
In a way, these modern means of communication have an equalizing effect on the people. That´s because even if there are several grades and levels involved, the fact remains that they have a much larger coverage than previously known. A lot more people are drawn into the communication loop now than before.
Together with this technological angle is, of course, a growth in the sensitivity of people, especially the young ones and even the old, retired ones, toward the need to communicate.
I´m amused to see both my very young nephews and nieces and my rather elderly aunties, already pushing 80, quite adept especially in the social network. I suspect they are the ones that keep the lines abuzz, or the cyberwaves clogged. All of sudden, the world has become much smaller, and more people, despite distance and age, get close to each other.
In schools, young students are continually taught the many possibilities of the new technologies. Innovations keep on popping up, providing people with still more ways to communicate.
Obviously, the big guys are also happy with these developments. Those in business and politics, those trying to monitor social and cultural changes, etc., derive great benefit from these novel things.
And it´s truly heartwarming to note that not only the pace but also the quality of business and politics is improving. That´s because with these gadgets the potentials of participative government are unleashed. Both politicians and citizens, businessmen and consumers, are now more sensitive to the requirements of the common good.
Let´s hope this trend goes on, without forgetting that there is also a need to be vigilant over abuses and other bad effects, usually unintended, that can spoil this development. We have to remember to practice some kind of restraint and moderation in the use of these new gadgets. They can lead us to some info overload that would not be healthy to us.
In this regard, it might be helpful to remind ourselves that the real and proper motor to drive and guide us in this new waters of communication is charity. Let´s not disparage that truth, again considering it as something irrelevant to our current state of development.
Charity can never become obsolete nor useless. It cannot and should not be held as something so other-worldly that it can have nothing to do with our earthly, mundane affairs. In fact, the opposite is true.
Charity is the very soul of our life and everything in it—our thoughts, words and deeds, our business, politics and all kinds of human dealings. It is what brings all these things to their proper foundation, their proper end, and to their proper ways.
We need to disabuse ourselves from the erroneous mentality, sadly quite common these days, of considering charity as impractical. This is actually the main problem we have now. We tend to view things almost exclusively from the practical point of view, as if everything depends on practicality.
Charity demands more things from us precisely because we are not mere animals who happen to be rational and who are just ruled by the law of practicality. We are persons and children of God, meant to enter to a real communion of life and love with God and with everybody else.
Charity tells us more things about what we need to communicate and how to do it. It equips us with a greater sensitivity that lets us fathom deeper things in persons and events. It enables us to understand and to take advantage of sufferings in this life, and of the many negative things that can come to us—our mistakes and failures, our sins, etc.
Charity links us ultimately to God, our last and final end.
Practicality is incapable of doing these things. It tends to treat us not as persons but as objects to be used. We have to be wary of this tendency that seems to afflict us these days like a sweet poison that we gladly take everyday.
It´s time that we sit down and make a serious inventory of the requirements of charity.
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