Inside and outside the box

THE box can symbolize many things. In this particular

piece, it symbolizes mainly our togetherness, our unity, our being one

human family. Yes, we belong to one big box, the box of humanity.

            We can also say that inside that one big, original box,

there are many other smaller boxes that can indicate the race we

belong to, our nationality, and other distinctions. Still there are

other smaller boxes that indicate the kind of profession or opinions

we share, or anything that we share in common.

            It’s in these smaller boxes that we can have our

differences and even our conflicts, especially in the area of

opinions, politics, fashion, etc. That is something to be expected and

should not be considered “a priori” as bad.

            These differences and conflicts can be good, and we should

try our best to make them work for the good of all by making them

complement each other, thereby enriching everyone somehow.

  

            Thus, it is good that we stay inside our boxes as much as

possible without, of course, allowing ourselves to be boxed in when it

is necessary for us to open ourselves to the other different and even

conflicting boxes.

            Yes, for the sake of privacy we can have our own space,

our own shell, but we should not allow these private spaces and shells

to imprison us. Just like when we are developed as a fetus inside the

womb of our mothers, we cannot stay there indefinitely. We have to get

out of it.

            This is when we have to acquire the nose to smell the

distinction between when we should be inside our specific boxes and

when we can and should be outside them. Offhand, I believe that we

should be inside our specific boxes most of the time.

            To be outside our boxes should be something exceptional

and should be pursued with the appropriate reason that hopefully would

redound to the good of all or at least of the majority. In the end,

what should push us to go outside is what our conscience, our intimate

dialogue with God, would tell us.

            We need to get out of our boxes from time to time if only

to avoid routine and complacency. Staying inside our boxes can give

rise to simply doing things out of compliance which is already a good

reason to be inside. But for our boxes to grow, to improve, to be more

enriched, we need to get out of it to get inputs from outside that can

be helpful. Let’s be wary of the danger of in-breeding.

            That is why we need from time to time to think out of the

box, for example. This way our systems and procedures can be improved,

and the problems and difficulties encountered there can be resolved

with greater probability.

            Let’s remember that there will always be new things and

new challenges to tackle. The world is always evolving even if it

remains basically the same. We just cannot meet them effectively by

doing the same things inside our own boxes.

            Even in the issue of fidelity to one’s vocation or to

one’s commitments as in marriage, for example, there is always need to

think out of the box from time to time to keep that fidelity going and

growing, adapting to the new challenges of the times. We just cannot

be doing the same things blindly or mindlessly. That’s the formula for

infidelity and death.

            In the end, to think out of the box is a matter of being

vitally united with the Holy Spirit. He will always be leading us to

where we should be. He never allows us to get boxed in or imprisoned

in our own world.

            Thus, Christ said: “Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You

must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its

sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going.

So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (Jn 3,7-8)

Let’s be properly occupied

WITH all this restricted life we are having these days,

let’s see to it that we are properly occupied. Let us, of course,

avoid idleness, but even if we fill ourselves with activities, let’s

see to it that we are properly occupied.

            The most important thing to remember is that whatever we

are doing should be done with love for God and for others. This, we

can say, is what can be considered as the subjective requirement of

how we ought to occupy ourselves properly these days.

            Without this requirement, our activities would be

practically worthless and can even pose as a danger, even if these

activities appear to be impressive in human terms. But with it, even

our smallest and most hidden act of service would acquire tremendous

value for all of us. Let’s do all we can to see to it that it is love

that inspires and moves us to do whatever we may be doing.

            Obviously, this subjective requirement of how to be

properly occupied has its objective counterpart. And this means that

we have to have the proper sense of priority over the many options we

can have in spending our time during these stay-home dispensation. In

the end, things depend on what in our conscience God is telling us to

do.

            We just cannot do anything to fill up our time. Of course,

we have already said that as long as there is love, anything can be

pleasing to God. But again, we can also say that if there is real

love, we also would have a keen sense of order as to which activity

has greater importance over another. We would not just be doing things

simply for the sake of doing.

            In other words, in choosing the things to do out of love,

there has to be a certain order of priority. That’s because not

everything has the same value. Obviously, the things that relate

directly to God and others have priority over the things that simply

are related to our own legitimate personal interests.

            Thus, spiritual activities and the acts of piety have

priority over our mundane and secular activities. Also, those

activities that have more impact on others have priority over those

that simply benefit us more.

            It’s important that we plan our day well so that we can

really say that we are occupying ourselves properly. We should not

just be whiling away our time by filling ourselves with all sorts of

random activities that simply do not reflect true love for God and for

others.

            In this, of course, we have to expect things that may not

be to our liking. This is when we can show the genuineness of our love

as motive for doing things. This is where we can live out those words

of Christ: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and

take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mt 16,24)

            We can project the same drama Christ underwent in his

passion, especially during his agony in the garden when he “bargained”

with his Father by saying, “Father, if it is your will, let this cup

pass by me, but not my will but yours be done.” (Mt 26,39)

            So you see, we don’t need extraordinary situations to live

out the passion of Christ. We can practically do it while cooking,

doing laundry, cleaning house, doing repairs, etc., as long as we do

them with love and with the proper sense of priority and spirit of

sacrifice.

            Let’s take advantage of our stay-home time to cultivate,

polish if not perfect the way we can occupy our time properly. This

present dispensation can serve as a basic school to train ourselves in

that department.

            Part of this art of occupying ourselves properly is the

development of skills of resilience and quick adaptation, since there

will always be surprises and plans may have to be modified and revised

as we go along.

Learn to leave all behind

THIS is not meant to be a morbid piece. Far from it.

Rather, it’s meant for us to be realistic and to really focus on what

is absolutely necessary and essential in our life, without getting

unduly entangled with the things in this life that at best only have a

relative value.

            Our present condition, where we are deprived of certain

comforts, conveniences, privileges, etc., is a good occasion for us to

learn the art of how to leave everything behind , because one day it

will be our turn to go, and what is left with us would be what we have

in our heart.

            This is what we are going to present to our Creator when

we go back to him on judgment day. This is the only thing necessary.

(cfr. Lk 10,42) Of course, that love can only be proven by the way we

handle all the things in this life—whether we did them or lived them

always with love for God and for others in mind and heart.

            Love for God and others should always be the motive of

everything that we do—from our thoughts and intentions, to our words,

and to our work. It should also be the motive when we have to go

through the different circumstances of our life, the good ones as well

as the bad ones, our fortunes and our misfortunes.

            We have to be wary of our tendency to get entrapped in our

earthly and temporal affairs or when we fail to live love for God and

for others in the different events and circumstances of our life.

            We usually have the strong tendency to be motivated only

by human and earthly values in everything that we do. We have to be

more wary of this danger and do everything to avoid it or correct it.

            As St. Paul once said: “Whether you eat or drink or

whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10,31) Not

contented with this, he again said: “Set your minds on things above,

not on earthly things.” (Col 3,2)

            Not that our earthly and temporal affairs are not

important. They are! They are very important, in fact. But as means

and occasions to love God and others. Failing in that love, we can be

accused of what Christ once said: “What shall it profit a man, if he

shall gain the whole world, but loses his soul?” (Mk 8,36)

            As said earlier, our earthly and temporal affairs only

have a relative value, and they acquire that value only when it is

related to the absolute value, which is none other than love for God

and others.

            That relative value of our earthly and temporal affairs

certainly would lead us to love them—and we can love them with a

certain passion—but also with a certain detachment. We should not

consider them as our ultimate end.

            A saint once said that our affairs in this world can and

should be the “divine paths of the earth.” It is there where God

intervenes in our life in his continuing work of creation and

redemption. Because of this truth, he even went to the extent of

“passionately loving the world.” But, of course, without becoming

worldly.

            Thus, we always need to rectify our intentions and

motives, because we are easily seduced and beholden to worldly values

only. In this we have to constantly examine ourselves. Our human

condition here on earth is very precarious insofar as our proper

motives for doing things are concerned.

            Toward this end, we definitely need frequent reminders and

appropriate practices of piety, like doing examinations of conscience,

saying many ejaculatory prayers and aspirations all throughout the

day, as well as some human devices like looking at the crucifix and

religious images if only to put us in the proper spiritual and

supernatural mode as we go through our earthly affairs.