CHRISTIAN believers always regard the beatitudes as the ultimate ideals to pursue in life. They are considered the pitch of Christian perfection, the very canon of God’s ultimate will for us.
As such, they embody and consummate all God’s commandments as revealed in stages through time and recorded in the Scriptures. The Catechism says they are the way pointed by Christ himself that leads us to eternal bliss.
This is how the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about the beatitudes:
“They depict the very countenance of Jesus and they characterize the authentic Christian life. They reveal the ultimate goal of human activity, which is eternal happiness.” (360)
From this doctrine alone, we can easily gather that the beatitudes must be shrouded in deep mystery, despite the simple human words with which they are expressed. Understanding and living them requires nothing less than grace.
For sure, the “very countenance of Jesus” is not just a matter of physical features. His inner identity is all steeped in mystery, because while he is man, he is also God. While it tells us many things, the revelation is not meant to diminish God’s mystery.
Thus, the beatitudes cannot help but express baffling, puzzling and even confusing ideas. “Blessed are the poor in the spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy…” (Mt 5,3-12)
They cannot help but evoke fits of contrasts, as their substance exhausts and overwhelms what human words and concepts can discern and enunciate. They beggar all description. They break all human molds and limits.
In them, the widest, loosest sense of freedom coincides with the strictest, most painful fulfillment of obedience. The most lenient charity and mercy goes together with the keenest, most exacting exercise of justice. Our weakness becomes our strength.
To understand and appreciate them, God’s grace is needed. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” (Mt 11,15) our Lord used to tell the crowd after transmitting divine lessons in parables, referring to grace.
When St. Peter correctly answered about who our Lord was, Christ told him, “Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven,” (Mt 16,17) again referring to the need of grace for us to see divine designs.
One of these beatitudes really intrigues me. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth.” (Mt 5,4) There is no way we can understand this. How can a meek person ever win and dominate the world?
But this was how our Lord lived. And this was what he taught. “Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Though he needed to reveal himself as our Redeemer, he most of the time passed unnoticed, from birth to death.
He did not spend all his time raging at the stubborn, stiff-necked people, though he had every reason to do so. In fact, he was very magnanimous. He forgave all, “for they know not what they do.”
Meekness, in all its forms, appears to be an indispensable ingredient for us to be able to absorb the malice of evil, remove the poison of sin, immunizing us from it and transforming it into a vehicle of our own salvation.
This must be the reason for meekness. It converts human defeat into our victory over sin and death, making us above the ravages of time. It enables us to share Christ’s passion and death as well as his resurrection.
Through it, we can say together with him: “In the world, you will have distress. But have confidence, for I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33)
This must be what our Lord meant when he said the meek will possess the earth.
So, we need to live the different forms of meekness: passing unnoticed, always being nice and affectionate to everyone, finding excuses for them, hardly taking any offense from them, eager to forgive and to ask for forgiveness.
We need to be patient and cheerful. Meek persons become sowers of peace and
joy in the world.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
The Mass and the elections
THE election fever is now upon us. Many feel it’s a nightmare, a madness that beats all other forms of madness. However we may feel about the election, we cannot deny it is a necessary national exercise in a democracy.
We may choose to be angered, sad or tortured by it. Or be amused and play it just like any sport with due study. Whatever, I propose that we do something I feel is truly indispensable.
Truth is no matter how dirty the elections and politics can be, which only show the raw and naked truth about ourselves, there is always hope. Often, great things rise from the scum and slime of our fallen humanity. God’s providence cannot be thrown off by our stupidities.
Whatever our political color may be, let’s be reminded that we need to pray. And for Christian believers, there’s that special prayer, the acme of prayer with Christ himself as both the offerer and the offered, the priest and victim.
This is none other than the Holy Mass. This is the sacrament of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, the culmination and summary of Christ’s redemptive work.
It has a universal and unifying character, such that however we may be in our life, in business as in politics, etc., we all somehow get reconciled, united and saved in Christ.
Through the Mass, God’s grace and mercy, his redeeming truth and teaching can still manage to rescue us in spite of our sin. It effects our genuine reconciliation with God and with everybody else, in spite of our differences and conflicts.
God’s providence cannot be thwarted, no matter how much we oppose it. This is the effectiveness of the Holy Mass. It is the best way to adore God, to thank him, and especially to atone for our sins and defects, and to ask for favors.
It perfects what is imperfect, heals what is wounded, makes up for what is missing. It empties sin of its evil, death of its sting. Whatever form of human misery we may have, the Mass offers what is truly necessary for us.
All times and places, all men and women find their life and strength, their meaning and purpose in the Mass. Thus, it cannot help but be a living, actual action of Christ with us up to now and even to the end of time.
It links us to heaven while still on earth. It connects us to the very sacrifice of our Lord on the Cross and enables us to receive the fruits of that sacrifice
As a sacrament, its action is not simply to dramatize or symbolize what happened in the past. It makes that event present again right before us. We should understand that in the Mass we have a living encounter with Christ on the Cross.
We then have to understand that every time the Mass is celebrated, beyond its prayers and rituals, we have to see our Lord dying on the Cross in Calvary. Our Lord is inviting us to somehow participate in his suffering, in his loving.
We then cannot remain passive in the Mass. We cannot be mere spectators. We necessarily have to get moved by our Lord’s supreme act of love. Even if we only have the barest of common sense and human decency, we can already make many considerations and resolutions while at Mass.
In the Mass, we are transported to what took place 20 centuries ago, standing beside our Lady, with some holy women and St. John, right there at the foot of the cross.
Our faith tells us more. In the Mass, we somehow would be with everybody else, because the Mass is the act of Christ together with the whole Church, the people of God. So it is the most social thing we can take part in, even if the Mass is celebrated by a lonesome priest with no people.
Given all these data about the Mass, should we not rather take our duties towards it most seriously? Especially, as we plod through the treacherous trails of our elections?
We may choose to be angered, sad or tortured by it. Or be amused and play it just like any sport with due study. Whatever, I propose that we do something I feel is truly indispensable.
Truth is no matter how dirty the elections and politics can be, which only show the raw and naked truth about ourselves, there is always hope. Often, great things rise from the scum and slime of our fallen humanity. God’s providence cannot be thrown off by our stupidities.
Whatever our political color may be, let’s be reminded that we need to pray. And for Christian believers, there’s that special prayer, the acme of prayer with Christ himself as both the offerer and the offered, the priest and victim.
This is none other than the Holy Mass. This is the sacrament of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, the culmination and summary of Christ’s redemptive work.
It has a universal and unifying character, such that however we may be in our life, in business as in politics, etc., we all somehow get reconciled, united and saved in Christ.
Through the Mass, God’s grace and mercy, his redeeming truth and teaching can still manage to rescue us in spite of our sin. It effects our genuine reconciliation with God and with everybody else, in spite of our differences and conflicts.
God’s providence cannot be thwarted, no matter how much we oppose it. This is the effectiveness of the Holy Mass. It is the best way to adore God, to thank him, and especially to atone for our sins and defects, and to ask for favors.
It perfects what is imperfect, heals what is wounded, makes up for what is missing. It empties sin of its evil, death of its sting. Whatever form of human misery we may have, the Mass offers what is truly necessary for us.
All times and places, all men and women find their life and strength, their meaning and purpose in the Mass. Thus, it cannot help but be a living, actual action of Christ with us up to now and even to the end of time.
It links us to heaven while still on earth. It connects us to the very sacrifice of our Lord on the Cross and enables us to receive the fruits of that sacrifice
As a sacrament, its action is not simply to dramatize or symbolize what happened in the past. It makes that event present again right before us. We should understand that in the Mass we have a living encounter with Christ on the Cross.
We then have to understand that every time the Mass is celebrated, beyond its prayers and rituals, we have to see our Lord dying on the Cross in Calvary. Our Lord is inviting us to somehow participate in his suffering, in his loving.
We then cannot remain passive in the Mass. We cannot be mere spectators. We necessarily have to get moved by our Lord’s supreme act of love. Even if we only have the barest of common sense and human decency, we can already make many considerations and resolutions while at Mass.
In the Mass, we are transported to what took place 20 centuries ago, standing beside our Lady, with some holy women and St. John, right there at the foot of the cross.
Our faith tells us more. In the Mass, we somehow would be with everybody else, because the Mass is the act of Christ together with the whole Church, the people of God. So it is the most social thing we can take part in, even if the Mass is celebrated by a lonesome priest with no people.
Given all these data about the Mass, should we not rather take our duties towards it most seriously? Especially, as we plod through the treacherous trails of our elections?
Monday, February 19, 2007
Concern begets initiative
I USED to see him walk some mornings towards the school where we both work, he as a foreign IT consultant and I as chaplain. I always felt obliged to give him a ride, because the approach to the school is a 200-meter steep and, to me, hard climb.
It took me some time to realize that he did not need a lift. An inveterate athlete, he wants to walk, climb and do many physical things, if not always, then often. His body just craves for these exertions.
The other day I was told that he biked from Cebu up to Bogo then down to Balamban at the other side and crossed the island back to Cebu through the transcentral. That’s easily about 180 kilometers of rough terrain, treacherous climbs, and he did it all in one day!
Of course, biking is his main sport. And he has been to many places in the country biking, accumulating enough knowledge of the places to produce an excellent guidebook for bikers in the different parts of the archipelago.
A few months ago, he with a friend also made a more-than-a-thousand-kilometer biking expedition from Pakistan to China. And he continues to make plans of ambitious biking excursions like this. He might manage to make a world guidebook for bikers too.
His name is Jens (pronounced Yens) Funk, fortyish, blond, pale blue eyes, and German all over, with no hint of fat in his bodily frame. But you’d be amazed at how well he blends with the local folks, and with everyone in the school.
The rural setting and rural living are no problem to him. His capacity to adapt is tremendous. In fact, given the economic level of most of our students, I’ve never seen him in formal or semi-formal attire. He dresses and behaves almost like any of them. No first-world airs about him.
The students and staff, of course, love him, and I could see that the distance of deference students normally give to teachers, let alone, a foreigner, is practically non-existent. Respect accorded him is done in true friendship, indeed a beautiful sight to see!
This set-up has produced something wonderful. The other day, I was asked to bless more than 100 bikes together with their new owners, the smiling, obviously happy students.
It turned out that Jens, by his own initiative, arranged for these bikes—slightly used—to be shipped to Cebu from Germany.
As I tried to piece things together, Jens had been concerned with many of the students’ conditions. That concern made him see opportunities, crackled him to action, assumed some responsibilities, etc. He believes a bike is a right, not just a privilege.
He asked some people in Germany to donate bikes. He organized some foundation, established a network of contacts, raised some money just to make these bikes arrive here.
These bikes mean a lot to the students. These save them a lot of fare money. And of course, these enable them to be more mobile, a necessity these days. And there are many other advantages too subtle to enumerate and describe here.
Somehow, I feel in a very special way the great impact this gesture of generosity has made on the students. As chaplain, I am acquainted with the living conditions of the students.
My conversations with them often end up with tears in my eyes. Because of
poverty, ordinary problems become crises of epic proportions to many of them. It has become very challenging for me to give them reasons to hope, to be patient, to persevere in their studies.
This is not to mention the other aspects of formation that they also have to tackle. They may be good in one aspect, but terrible in another, and so any help to relieve some of their difficulties is always welcome.
If only we make personal initiatives, no matter how little, I’m sure we can make a difference, if not big then at least something, if not now then later. Nothing is wasted in personal initiatives.
Let’s thank God for kind hearts like Jens!
It took me some time to realize that he did not need a lift. An inveterate athlete, he wants to walk, climb and do many physical things, if not always, then often. His body just craves for these exertions.
The other day I was told that he biked from Cebu up to Bogo then down to Balamban at the other side and crossed the island back to Cebu through the transcentral. That’s easily about 180 kilometers of rough terrain, treacherous climbs, and he did it all in one day!
Of course, biking is his main sport. And he has been to many places in the country biking, accumulating enough knowledge of the places to produce an excellent guidebook for bikers in the different parts of the archipelago.
A few months ago, he with a friend also made a more-than-a-thousand-kilometer biking expedition from Pakistan to China. And he continues to make plans of ambitious biking excursions like this. He might manage to make a world guidebook for bikers too.
His name is Jens (pronounced Yens) Funk, fortyish, blond, pale blue eyes, and German all over, with no hint of fat in his bodily frame. But you’d be amazed at how well he blends with the local folks, and with everyone in the school.
The rural setting and rural living are no problem to him. His capacity to adapt is tremendous. In fact, given the economic level of most of our students, I’ve never seen him in formal or semi-formal attire. He dresses and behaves almost like any of them. No first-world airs about him.
The students and staff, of course, love him, and I could see that the distance of deference students normally give to teachers, let alone, a foreigner, is practically non-existent. Respect accorded him is done in true friendship, indeed a beautiful sight to see!
This set-up has produced something wonderful. The other day, I was asked to bless more than 100 bikes together with their new owners, the smiling, obviously happy students.
It turned out that Jens, by his own initiative, arranged for these bikes—slightly used—to be shipped to Cebu from Germany.
As I tried to piece things together, Jens had been concerned with many of the students’ conditions. That concern made him see opportunities, crackled him to action, assumed some responsibilities, etc. He believes a bike is a right, not just a privilege.
He asked some people in Germany to donate bikes. He organized some foundation, established a network of contacts, raised some money just to make these bikes arrive here.
These bikes mean a lot to the students. These save them a lot of fare money. And of course, these enable them to be more mobile, a necessity these days. And there are many other advantages too subtle to enumerate and describe here.
Somehow, I feel in a very special way the great impact this gesture of generosity has made on the students. As chaplain, I am acquainted with the living conditions of the students.
My conversations with them often end up with tears in my eyes. Because of
poverty, ordinary problems become crises of epic proportions to many of them. It has become very challenging for me to give them reasons to hope, to be patient, to persevere in their studies.
This is not to mention the other aspects of formation that they also have to tackle. They may be good in one aspect, but terrible in another, and so any help to relieve some of their difficulties is always welcome.
If only we make personal initiatives, no matter how little, I’m sure we can make a difference, if not big then at least something, if not now then later. Nothing is wasted in personal initiatives.
Let’s thank God for kind hearts like Jens!
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