THIS is an abiding concern for all of us. Even if we have to contend with many aspects and dimensions of our life, it is only one life that each of us has, not two or three. And thus, to build and keep our unity of life is a daily task of ours. We can neglect it only to our own serious risk and damage.
Our life is not only biological that relies simply on our biological functions. Neither is it just purely physical or material that requires merely material nourishment.
Our life has many more important aspects and dimensions that need to be integrated into one whole consistent thing. There’s the manual and intellectual, the active and contemplative, personal and social, the material and spiritual, the temporal and eternal, etc.
And precisely because of our spiritual nature, we open ourselves to a supernatural level. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. Thus, we should also be aware of what is natural and supernatural in our life, the mundane and the sacred.
I must say that of the different pairs of distinctions among the aspects of our life, that of the natural and supernatural is the most tricky, and therefore the most ignored, the least appreciated and lived with consistency.
And yet, we also have this intriguing reality that a good portion of the people all over the world, usually the poor and simple, automatically realize that our life has both these natural and supernatural dimensions.
They may not be aware of it or able to explain it, but they show it in their behavior, their reactions to issues and problems, their lifestyle. They just believe in the supernatural and try to conform their life to it.
I must say that this wonderful phenomenon is an indication of the supernatural dimension itself of our life, because no matter how badly understood, there’s no other human or natural way to explain such faith in the supernatural.
The task of integration falls mainly but not exclusively on our intelligence and will. Moved by grace, they go beyond what is naturally true and good. They look for an object that is metaphysical, and enter into the spiritual and supernatural world.
The proper operation of these spiritual faculties of ours is that of knowing and loving. But it’s not just in discovering some cold facts, or enjoying a certain transient good. It’s more in having and keeping a living relationship with their proper objects.
Since the ultimate object of these spiritual faculties is in none other than God, the pursuit of this object is endless, and is done in a crescendo, since God will always be asking for more from us.
Besides, for Christian believers, being able to keep this living relationship requires constant sacrifice and conversion. Christ himself said so. “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16,24) There’s no other formula for this relationship to prosper.
And precisely because of our spiritual nature, we are also capable of giving more, and of demanding more from us. We have to understand that whatever we know and love, no matter how mundane, should lead us to know and love God better.
Otherwise, we would not be knowing and loving properly. We would be misusing these spiritual faculties. We would miss building and strengthening our unity of life.
It is this loving relationship between God and us, always immersed in mysteries, which provides us with the highest principle and pattern of our unity of life. This is the gospel we have to spread widely to disabuse those who think our unity of life can be attained by other principles and patterns.
We have to understand then that our unity of life is a very dynamic process, never static. It may need some stable elements from us, like appropriate characters, attitudes and virtues, but these elements have to be alive to be able to grow, improve and be purified endlessly.
We just have to ceaselessly know and love God, a process that will involve sacrifice, since we have to contend with the limitations of our human conditions when oriented to the supernatural. This is not to mention the further limitations and deficiencies caused by our sin.
We therefore have to be willing and ready to undertake this process with a great spirit of sacrifice.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Embracing the cross
THIS, to be up-front about it, is what Christian life adds up to. Indispensable in our life, the cross assures us of being with Christ and of participating in his redemptive work and merits. As saints consistently affirmed, “no cross, no Christ.” It’s as simple as that.
This truth will always be breaking news for us. Even if it’s an old item, it will always strike us as something new since it will always make fresh demands on us to correspond to Christ’s love. It will also lead us to learn new things.
As St. Paul said: “We glory also in tribulation, knowing that tribulation works patience, and patience trial, and trial hope, and hope confounds not, because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts…” (Rom 5,3-5)
Bearing the cross can never be routine. We are expected to issue another new impulse of love every moment. In short, the cross makes sure we are always vibrating with love—for God and for everybody else. And it’s love that makes things new!
Thus, we have to lose any fear we may have toward the cross. Of course, loving it has to be understood properly. It’s not loving in the masochistic or self-interested way. It’s loving it in the way Christ loved and continues to love it. Loving it means obeying God’s will, which was how Christ embraced the cross.
If the distinction fails you, try studying Christian Spirituality 101. In fact, I think this is what is needed urgently and massively these days.
How ironic that though we in general have already acquired great theological literacy and the cross in all its forms are unavoidable in our lives, we still miss the mark of loving the cross properly.
We are held hostage by a certain popular mentality that fails to digest this truth properly. In fact, it’s a truth that is still waiting to be made mainstream, already 20 centuries after Christ.
Christ was very direct about this. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16,24) Variations of this teaching are plenty. And saints down the ages come methodologically confirming this.
Embracing and loving the cross is not an impossible act to do. Again our spiritual nature, more than our bodily aspect—and this propped up by grace with its faith, hope and charity—can turn the cross into an object of attraction.
The cross correlatively purifies and strengthens our faith and love for God and others. It makes sure that such faith and love is genuine, not simply put-on. And today, our pretending skill is no pittance. But the cross can unmask that.
One area we can learn to embrace the cross today is to practice a certain detachment from our opinions, no matter how excellent and superior to those of others we believe ours to be.
The weakening of our faith and charity, and of our Christian life, especially as we live our social and political life as a nation, is due to this inordinate frenzy to uphold and impose our political opinions at all costs.
I think this is madness. When one has in a narrow sense a grip of the truth and with that flaunts and extrapolates it to justify his sweeping judgments, we have a clear case of a righteousness that has gone berserk.
Even some bishops, priests, nuns and other public icons are not exempted from this illness. No matter how much I triangulate their position, giving them the utmost empathy, I still could not understand why they are so close-minded that any view contrary to theirs appears like a mortal sin.
The gospel has already warned us about foolish virgins. Our Lord was clear about this: “Be wise as serpents and simple as doves.” (Mt 10,16). Let’s just do whatever we can to clarify and expand their minds to show other possibilities of resolving and Christianizing political issues.
We can presume everyone is for the truth. But if that truth is pursued without charity, we will never get near it. A certain detachment from our opinions can truly constitute embracing the cross these days. It makes our mind more nimble and open to other options.
This truth will always be breaking news for us. Even if it’s an old item, it will always strike us as something new since it will always make fresh demands on us to correspond to Christ’s love. It will also lead us to learn new things.
As St. Paul said: “We glory also in tribulation, knowing that tribulation works patience, and patience trial, and trial hope, and hope confounds not, because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts…” (Rom 5,3-5)
Bearing the cross can never be routine. We are expected to issue another new impulse of love every moment. In short, the cross makes sure we are always vibrating with love—for God and for everybody else. And it’s love that makes things new!
Thus, we have to lose any fear we may have toward the cross. Of course, loving it has to be understood properly. It’s not loving in the masochistic or self-interested way. It’s loving it in the way Christ loved and continues to love it. Loving it means obeying God’s will, which was how Christ embraced the cross.
If the distinction fails you, try studying Christian Spirituality 101. In fact, I think this is what is needed urgently and massively these days.
How ironic that though we in general have already acquired great theological literacy and the cross in all its forms are unavoidable in our lives, we still miss the mark of loving the cross properly.
We are held hostage by a certain popular mentality that fails to digest this truth properly. In fact, it’s a truth that is still waiting to be made mainstream, already 20 centuries after Christ.
Christ was very direct about this. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16,24) Variations of this teaching are plenty. And saints down the ages come methodologically confirming this.
Embracing and loving the cross is not an impossible act to do. Again our spiritual nature, more than our bodily aspect—and this propped up by grace with its faith, hope and charity—can turn the cross into an object of attraction.
The cross correlatively purifies and strengthens our faith and love for God and others. It makes sure that such faith and love is genuine, not simply put-on. And today, our pretending skill is no pittance. But the cross can unmask that.
One area we can learn to embrace the cross today is to practice a certain detachment from our opinions, no matter how excellent and superior to those of others we believe ours to be.
The weakening of our faith and charity, and of our Christian life, especially as we live our social and political life as a nation, is due to this inordinate frenzy to uphold and impose our political opinions at all costs.
I think this is madness. When one has in a narrow sense a grip of the truth and with that flaunts and extrapolates it to justify his sweeping judgments, we have a clear case of a righteousness that has gone berserk.
Even some bishops, priests, nuns and other public icons are not exempted from this illness. No matter how much I triangulate their position, giving them the utmost empathy, I still could not understand why they are so close-minded that any view contrary to theirs appears like a mortal sin.
The gospel has already warned us about foolish virgins. Our Lord was clear about this: “Be wise as serpents and simple as doves.” (Mt 10,16). Let’s just do whatever we can to clarify and expand their minds to show other possibilities of resolving and Christianizing political issues.
We can presume everyone is for the truth. But if that truth is pursued without charity, we will never get near it. A certain detachment from our opinions can truly constitute embracing the cross these days. It makes our mind more nimble and open to other options.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Promoting priestly vocations
THIS is everyone’s concern. Obviously the bishop is the nerve center of this universal concern. But he would be useless if all of us are not organically united with him.
In this regard, families should realize they are the seedbed of priestly vocations. Everything has to be done for them to be able to do this crucial mission effectively.
Playing subsidiary roles are schools, parishes and seminaries, equipping them aptly to enable them to develop and mature possible vocations. Hard? Maybe. But not impossible. We just have to put our will into it.
All of us have to use both supernatural and human means to carry out this task. We need to pray a lot, offer sacrifices, avail of the sacraments. But the recruiting, selecting, admitting and forming should always be a function of personal apostolate and dealings.
Friendship and confidence should exist between the candidates and the officials, humanizing whatever structures and programs are needed. Genuine, not officious, friendship is indispensable to truly know the candidates’ human, intellectual and spiritual fitness.
Truth is we can rightfully presume that God provides for all the vocations the Church needs in any given moment. They must already be there, waiting to be found and developed.
Priests are indispensable in the Church and in the world. No matter how good and holy the lay faithful are, a point comes when they meet a wall in their path to follow Christ. They need priests to pass through it.
This is because the clergy act in the person and authority of Christ as head of the Church to teach, sanctify and govern it. They sacramentally extend the continuing presence and redemptive action of Christ here on earth.
Bluntly if simplistically put, no priests, no Christ. No priests, no Church. They may be unworthy personally, but that’s who priests are sacramentally. Their unworthiness does not negate Christ’s presence and work through them.
The soul of the world, the Church nourishes the spiritual and moral life of the believers. If the Church is badly serviced because of lack of priests, you can just imagine how the world will be!
Recent reports claim that the ratio of priests to faithful in our country is low: 1 priest for every 10,000 faithful! We have to disabuse ourselves from the occasional thought that we have a lot of priests around.
No matter how you look at it, the picture is bad. Imagine a priest taking care of 10,000 souls. Even if he is holy and competent, and aided by a broad network of help and support, it’s hard to imagine he can do his ministry effectively.
For example, how can hearing sacramental confessions and giving spiritual direction, a very important aspect of the priestly ministry, be done if the priest is only one as against 10,000 people to serve?
The urgent need to promote priestly vocations has to be pursued both in terms of quantity and quality. These criteria should never be separated.
For this purpose, the true nature and beauty of priesthood should be made to shine. Often the problem is portraying the priesthood so negatively, exclusively highlighting the sacrifices, which undeniably exist, that people don’t see its original beauty and its divine character.
We have to correct that. Besides, priests themselves should be adept in making themselves attractive models of priesthood, following the example of St. Paul who boldly said: “Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.” (1 Cor 4,16)
The issue is truly complex and has to be studied thoroughly by Church authorities. How to support them, I know, is already a complicated problem. But that’s the least of the problems.
More attention has to be given to the ongoing formation of priests. When spiritually healthy and pastorally vibrant, priests become magnets, a walking commercial for the promotion of priestly vocations.
Of course, we also have to worry about how to improve the culture and transform the mindset of the people who much prefer to go into IT and nursing than to go to the seminary.
We have to pray for holy, generous, cheerful and faithful priestly vocations!
In this regard, families should realize they are the seedbed of priestly vocations. Everything has to be done for them to be able to do this crucial mission effectively.
Playing subsidiary roles are schools, parishes and seminaries, equipping them aptly to enable them to develop and mature possible vocations. Hard? Maybe. But not impossible. We just have to put our will into it.
All of us have to use both supernatural and human means to carry out this task. We need to pray a lot, offer sacrifices, avail of the sacraments. But the recruiting, selecting, admitting and forming should always be a function of personal apostolate and dealings.
Friendship and confidence should exist between the candidates and the officials, humanizing whatever structures and programs are needed. Genuine, not officious, friendship is indispensable to truly know the candidates’ human, intellectual and spiritual fitness.
Truth is we can rightfully presume that God provides for all the vocations the Church needs in any given moment. They must already be there, waiting to be found and developed.
Priests are indispensable in the Church and in the world. No matter how good and holy the lay faithful are, a point comes when they meet a wall in their path to follow Christ. They need priests to pass through it.
This is because the clergy act in the person and authority of Christ as head of the Church to teach, sanctify and govern it. They sacramentally extend the continuing presence and redemptive action of Christ here on earth.
Bluntly if simplistically put, no priests, no Christ. No priests, no Church. They may be unworthy personally, but that’s who priests are sacramentally. Their unworthiness does not negate Christ’s presence and work through them.
The soul of the world, the Church nourishes the spiritual and moral life of the believers. If the Church is badly serviced because of lack of priests, you can just imagine how the world will be!
Recent reports claim that the ratio of priests to faithful in our country is low: 1 priest for every 10,000 faithful! We have to disabuse ourselves from the occasional thought that we have a lot of priests around.
No matter how you look at it, the picture is bad. Imagine a priest taking care of 10,000 souls. Even if he is holy and competent, and aided by a broad network of help and support, it’s hard to imagine he can do his ministry effectively.
For example, how can hearing sacramental confessions and giving spiritual direction, a very important aspect of the priestly ministry, be done if the priest is only one as against 10,000 people to serve?
The urgent need to promote priestly vocations has to be pursued both in terms of quantity and quality. These criteria should never be separated.
For this purpose, the true nature and beauty of priesthood should be made to shine. Often the problem is portraying the priesthood so negatively, exclusively highlighting the sacrifices, which undeniably exist, that people don’t see its original beauty and its divine character.
We have to correct that. Besides, priests themselves should be adept in making themselves attractive models of priesthood, following the example of St. Paul who boldly said: “Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.” (1 Cor 4,16)
The issue is truly complex and has to be studied thoroughly by Church authorities. How to support them, I know, is already a complicated problem. But that’s the least of the problems.
More attention has to be given to the ongoing formation of priests. When spiritually healthy and pastorally vibrant, priests become magnets, a walking commercial for the promotion of priestly vocations.
Of course, we also have to worry about how to improve the culture and transform the mindset of the people who much prefer to go into IT and nursing than to go to the seminary.
We have to pray for holy, generous, cheerful and faithful priestly vocations!
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