LOVING the Church is a duty we all have. But how are we developing and
cultivating it? For, mind you, it is not just a passing sentiment. It has to be love that is deep and strong, able to penetrate the true dimensions of the Church and transform people’s lives individually and socially.
Given the complexity of life in the Church, given our weaknesses and mistakes, the occasional scandals among Church leaders, etc., if we are not scientific in developing this love, we certainly would be lost.
There are at least three points which, to me, are crucial in developing this love. There can be many other elements involved, of course. But in the meantime, I feel these three are basic and indispensable.
First is that our model in loving the Church should be none other than Christ himself. Second is that this love is shown in our love for the Eucharist. Third is that our union with the person and intention of the Pope, and the bishops in union with him, is a sure proof of our love for the Church.
Who can question Jesus as model in our love for the Church? He is the founder, and he considers the Church as his bride, the object of his undying love. He is faithful to her. He is generous in endowing her with the best of things, especially his mercy that limits evil.
On our part, we can imitate him by offering our life to her. Our faith in her should be such that we believe she has the answer to all the questions affecting our salvation, our faith and morals.
We should do all we can to foster the development and growth of the Church. For this we have to be generous in our sacrifices and in our efforts to do active apostolate in any form available to us.
For example, the apostolate of doctrine. The Church is in dire need of men and women who can consistently give witness to their faith in their respective families and in places they work, as well as in business, politics, culture, etc.
Church doctrine should cease being merely intellectual concerns. They have to infuse and leaven our thoughts and deeds, and leave their mark in all aspects of our life. Faith and life should merge.
Then, loving the Church is concretely shown also when we take care of developing true Eucharistic piety. This is because the sacrament contains nothing less than our greatest treasure, Jesus Christ himself.
It is the sacrament that effectively brings us closest to Christ, fills us with his life and goodness, reminds us of everything that Christian life entails. This is the sacrament that builds the Church.
As such, the sacrament brings us closest to others in the endless variety of our possible conditions. As St. Paul explains: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Cor 10,17)
That is to say, union with Christ is also union with all those to whom Christ gives himself. I cannot possess Christ just for myself. I can only belong to him if I unite myself with all those who have become, or will become, Christ’s own.
This is how the Holy Eucharist should strike us. It should not just give us some tender moments of nice feelings. It has very practical consequences that need to be acted out by us.
Thus, Eucharistic piety should give us constant impulses to show our faith and love for God and his Church with deeds.
The third element for loving the Church is to be united with the person and intentions of the Pope, and all the other bishops in union with him.
This is because where Peter is, that is where the Church is (“ubi Petrus, ibi Ecclesia”). In short, if we are not united with the Pope, we are not united with Christ.
This union with the Pope and the bishops is shown by loving and appreciating the Church magisterium: studying, reading and following the encyclicals, letters and other documents from the Pope and the bishops.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Living by faith
WE have to understand that as Christian believers, we view our life not simply as a physical or biological life, nor a sociological or temporal life. Our life is life with God, a supernatural life born and nourished in faith, hope and charity.
Yes, even while we are still here on earth, immersed in the things of this world without being worldly, we are already meant to share the supernatural life of God. Our life should not only be natural. It also has to be supernatural.
Living by faith is an indispensable characteristic of Christian life. We may be subject to hormones and other physical factors, we can’t escape from the effects of our culture, our business, politics, etc., but in the end our life is governed by faith.
Living by faith can mean thinking like God. If our life is a participation in the life of God, we can’t help but think the way God thinks. Our reasoning is not completely our own. Our reasoning should reflect God’s reasoning.
That may sound strange, I know, but that’s what it actually means. We simply don’t use our reason, actuating it in anyway we can. We use reason, but reason enlightened by faith.
Faith can mean many things. It is first of all a supernatural gift. It’s not something we create and develop. It’s given and received. It can only be lived in grace. We have to ask for it, echoing the apostles” “Lord, increase our faith.” (Lk 17,5)
But it can also mean doctrine or teaching, revealed by Christ and now authoritatively taught by the Church. Thus, faith can mean studying and familiarizing with the doctrines to the point that these become flesh of our flesh.
The faith should be the leaven of all our thoughts and desires. Since our Lord has something to say to everything we do, our faith is always relevant in our life. Our faith is never distant and abstract to our affairs. It is concrete and practical, it is in the core of all our concerns.
Establishing and nourishing this connection comprises the essence of what
it means to live by faith. Faith is not a special-occasion event. A permanent feature, it flows with life itself.
It certainly does not supplant reason and everything natural and human. What it does is to purify reason and the natural and human elements in our life. Then it elevates them to the supernatural order, since we are meant for that.
To be able to live by faith, we need to interpellate it with our reason. That’s why we have to realize that there’s always a need to keep a dialogue between our faith and reason. This is a need of ours.
The basis for this dialogue is the fact that faith in itself is always in need of understanding, and so it needs reason to act on it. At the same time, our reasoning cannot help, unless something extraneous intervenes, but to enter sooner or later into the world of faith.
Keeping this dialogue is a skill we all need to learn. It is not just an intellectual or purely theological affair, though the use of the intelligence or our theology figures prominently.
Better said, this dialogue is done best through prayer, a loving conversation with God in our heart, even if that conversation cannot help but be theological also. Because the moment we try to understand our faith, we would be doing theology.
But this theologizing should never undermine, but rather reinforce the father-and-son-loving-conversation character of the dialogue between faith and reason. Theology should never be pursued outside of prayer.
In fact, theology is always needed. It is the language and necessary tool of our faith. With it, we get to discern endless implications of our faith. Thus, our faith becomes active and transformative, never passive and of little effect.
Doing theology is to live by faith. It makes us know and love God better.
It helps to conform our life to God’s life, that is, to get connected with him. It widens our perspectives, and deepens our beliefs and convictions.
Yes, even while we are still here on earth, immersed in the things of this world without being worldly, we are already meant to share the supernatural life of God. Our life should not only be natural. It also has to be supernatural.
Living by faith is an indispensable characteristic of Christian life. We may be subject to hormones and other physical factors, we can’t escape from the effects of our culture, our business, politics, etc., but in the end our life is governed by faith.
Living by faith can mean thinking like God. If our life is a participation in the life of God, we can’t help but think the way God thinks. Our reasoning is not completely our own. Our reasoning should reflect God’s reasoning.
That may sound strange, I know, but that’s what it actually means. We simply don’t use our reason, actuating it in anyway we can. We use reason, but reason enlightened by faith.
Faith can mean many things. It is first of all a supernatural gift. It’s not something we create and develop. It’s given and received. It can only be lived in grace. We have to ask for it, echoing the apostles” “Lord, increase our faith.” (Lk 17,5)
But it can also mean doctrine or teaching, revealed by Christ and now authoritatively taught by the Church. Thus, faith can mean studying and familiarizing with the doctrines to the point that these become flesh of our flesh.
The faith should be the leaven of all our thoughts and desires. Since our Lord has something to say to everything we do, our faith is always relevant in our life. Our faith is never distant and abstract to our affairs. It is concrete and practical, it is in the core of all our concerns.
Establishing and nourishing this connection comprises the essence of what
it means to live by faith. Faith is not a special-occasion event. A permanent feature, it flows with life itself.
It certainly does not supplant reason and everything natural and human. What it does is to purify reason and the natural and human elements in our life. Then it elevates them to the supernatural order, since we are meant for that.
To be able to live by faith, we need to interpellate it with our reason. That’s why we have to realize that there’s always a need to keep a dialogue between our faith and reason. This is a need of ours.
The basis for this dialogue is the fact that faith in itself is always in need of understanding, and so it needs reason to act on it. At the same time, our reasoning cannot help, unless something extraneous intervenes, but to enter sooner or later into the world of faith.
Keeping this dialogue is a skill we all need to learn. It is not just an intellectual or purely theological affair, though the use of the intelligence or our theology figures prominently.
Better said, this dialogue is done best through prayer, a loving conversation with God in our heart, even if that conversation cannot help but be theological also. Because the moment we try to understand our faith, we would be doing theology.
But this theologizing should never undermine, but rather reinforce the father-and-son-loving-conversation character of the dialogue between faith and reason. Theology should never be pursued outside of prayer.
In fact, theology is always needed. It is the language and necessary tool of our faith. With it, we get to discern endless implications of our faith. Thus, our faith becomes active and transformative, never passive and of little effect.
Doing theology is to live by faith. It makes us know and love God better.
It helps to conform our life to God’s life, that is, to get connected with him. It widens our perspectives, and deepens our beliefs and convictions.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Apostolic zeal
I WONDER how many people realize that their life as Christian believers involve them to be apostolic, that is, constantly concerned with bringing souls to God. There appear signs many are completely ignorant of this life’s purpose.
To do apostolate is a necessary consequence of being a follower of Christ. Our Lord did not preach about holiness only. He wants everyone to help everybody else attain sanctity. Otherwise, one’s claim of sanctity is empty.
In no unclear terms, Our Lord said: “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father…, teaching them to observe all things…, and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (Mt 28,18-20)
While given directly to the apostles, these words are actually meant for all those who profess to believe and to follow Christ. The whole exciting, overwhelming world of Christianity as lived and taught by Christ is entrusted to all of us to share and spread among ourselves.
Actually, the apostolate is the ultimate purpose of our life here on earth. It’s not some achievement or success in the professions or in politics or in just any human endeavor. It’s apostolate, helping one another achieve holiness.
This truth simply corresponds to the ultimate truth about ourselves. We are not just creatures with earthly ends. We are children of God, made in his image and likeness, meant to participate in his very own supernatural life.
That’s why, we are basically a religious being. Even if such awareness may
be stifled by a number of reasons, there is in us a basic thirst for God, who is beyond what our nature can give and make us understand.
We just have to learn to foster and nourish this thirst and hunger for God, by being able to relate everything that we do to God. Apostolate is about relating everything to God. Otherwise, we are deceiving ourselves.
Besides, it is in our nature to care for one another. No man can ever live alone. He necessarily lives with others. He needs others. This is true not only in our material needs, but also in our spiritual concerns.
This is the big challenge we are facing today. Many of us are entangled with earthly affairs, with visions and horizons that do not go beyond the physical limits of our present life.
There is a crying need for Christian believers who are so consistent with their faith that their every action and involvement in earthly matters leads others to the realization of God’s existence and his loving plan for us.
For this, a genuine spiritual life is needed, for the apostolate cannot be other than an overflow of one’s life with God. Separated from God, one would never feel the urge to do apostolate. He can only be held captive by mundane matters.
Of course, that spiritual life is developed through prayer and sacrifice, our usual way to identify ourselves with Christ. Together with this, we need to avail ourselves of the sacraments and assimilate Christ’s doctrine.
Plus, a good grounding of present situation and crisis we are facing today. What makes people ignore God, commit sin almost without any sense of guilt, simply concern themselves with purely earthly affairs, should be known.
Apostolate, while a phenomenon of grace, also requires our utmost efforts to grapple with real problems besetting people. Thus, it can only flourish in an atmosphere of friendship, of trust and confidence with an apostolic friend.
There should be a scientific effort to know the causes of the crisis. For this, n interdisciplinary approach is most welcome, since things now are complicated, and problems can have multiple causes.
There is need for today’s apostles to be mature and knowledgeable of things around us, never naïve with the things of this world. They should be beyond
being easily scandalized.
They should be able to give a credible witness and defense to their faith. In all this, they should ooze with charity and understanding, always encouraging, staying away from unnecessary conflicts and resentments.
To do apostolate is a necessary consequence of being a follower of Christ. Our Lord did not preach about holiness only. He wants everyone to help everybody else attain sanctity. Otherwise, one’s claim of sanctity is empty.
In no unclear terms, Our Lord said: “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father…, teaching them to observe all things…, and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (Mt 28,18-20)
While given directly to the apostles, these words are actually meant for all those who profess to believe and to follow Christ. The whole exciting, overwhelming world of Christianity as lived and taught by Christ is entrusted to all of us to share and spread among ourselves.
Actually, the apostolate is the ultimate purpose of our life here on earth. It’s not some achievement or success in the professions or in politics or in just any human endeavor. It’s apostolate, helping one another achieve holiness.
This truth simply corresponds to the ultimate truth about ourselves. We are not just creatures with earthly ends. We are children of God, made in his image and likeness, meant to participate in his very own supernatural life.
That’s why, we are basically a religious being. Even if such awareness may
be stifled by a number of reasons, there is in us a basic thirst for God, who is beyond what our nature can give and make us understand.
We just have to learn to foster and nourish this thirst and hunger for God, by being able to relate everything that we do to God. Apostolate is about relating everything to God. Otherwise, we are deceiving ourselves.
Besides, it is in our nature to care for one another. No man can ever live alone. He necessarily lives with others. He needs others. This is true not only in our material needs, but also in our spiritual concerns.
This is the big challenge we are facing today. Many of us are entangled with earthly affairs, with visions and horizons that do not go beyond the physical limits of our present life.
There is a crying need for Christian believers who are so consistent with their faith that their every action and involvement in earthly matters leads others to the realization of God’s existence and his loving plan for us.
For this, a genuine spiritual life is needed, for the apostolate cannot be other than an overflow of one’s life with God. Separated from God, one would never feel the urge to do apostolate. He can only be held captive by mundane matters.
Of course, that spiritual life is developed through prayer and sacrifice, our usual way to identify ourselves with Christ. Together with this, we need to avail ourselves of the sacraments and assimilate Christ’s doctrine.
Plus, a good grounding of present situation and crisis we are facing today. What makes people ignore God, commit sin almost without any sense of guilt, simply concern themselves with purely earthly affairs, should be known.
Apostolate, while a phenomenon of grace, also requires our utmost efforts to grapple with real problems besetting people. Thus, it can only flourish in an atmosphere of friendship, of trust and confidence with an apostolic friend.
There should be a scientific effort to know the causes of the crisis. For this, n interdisciplinary approach is most welcome, since things now are complicated, and problems can have multiple causes.
There is need for today’s apostles to be mature and knowledgeable of things around us, never naïve with the things of this world. They should be beyond
being easily scandalized.
They should be able to give a credible witness and defense to their faith. In all this, they should ooze with charity and understanding, always encouraging, staying away from unnecessary conflicts and resentments.
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