Redemption

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Why is there so much anger and hatred in the world? What kind of minds would kill helpless and innocent people and then shout to the world that they are doing this in the name of the god they worship? Do they actually believe this? Or are they just using religion as a dissimulation for their nefarious activities? In the face of all this senseless cycle violence, it is only love that will break this vicious cycle. Our salvation as the human race can only be through authentic love. It is the stronger and nobler person who can respond to all this anger and hatred with love.

Why is the so much greed and selfishness in the world? How much wealth does a person really need? What kind of reasoning makes it possible that one person gets to own more wealth than an entire country? How can we explain the fact that many people go hungry or naked when the sheer mathematics of it would show that there is more than enough for everybody? In the face of such absurd inequality, we see the iniquity of systems that would deprive others of the basic necessities of life. We will survive as the human race only when we learn to share everything in authentic love. It is the more righteous person who can respond to this greed and selfishness with love and generosity.

Why is there so much pain and loneliness in the world? In a world teeming with people, why are so many of us today leading lonely lives? In a world driven by noise ans haste, why are so many people all alone? How can someone die unnoticed at a time when people have never lived in such concentrations in cities as before? How come we do not even know the people living across the street from us? Is it because they are of a different color? Or, they speak another language? Or, we find their food too odorous for our liking? We will truly come together as the human race only when we shall have mustered the courage to open our doors, walk across the street and meet our neighbors and fellowmen. It is the more compassionate and courageous person who can reach out in love to others in the face of so much pain and suffering around us.

Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Psalm 107

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:34-40

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Not Taking Things For Granted

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Because I keep on receiving the same awesome blessings everyday, there is a tendency in me to take these things for granted. The sun rises every morning, always beautiful, fresh and full of promises. Most days I welcome it with gladness and gratitude. But there are days I feel like it’s just another day. The sun sets every evening in blazing colors rich with the memories of the day’s blessings. Most evenings I smile as the day ends in humble thanksgiving for another day to be living. But there are evenings I feel so exhausted all I want to do is plunk down to sleep in my bed.

I enjoy nature and love going on nature-hikes. Nature speaks to me of goodness, wholeness and nurturing care. But there are times I take Mother Earth for granted and do not do my share in taking care of her. I always count my blessings through the people that God has blessed my life with. I am who I am because of all the delightful people in my life. But there are days they do get on my nerves and I behave very anti-socially. I spend many moments in prayer, trying to listen to God speaking to me and to discern His will for me, everyday. But there are moments of dryness where the silence is deafening and I feel all alone, just talking to myself.

Life is gift. But there are many moments I take it for granted. I should be thankful for it everyday. My life is not worth anything but for my loved ones around me. But there are many moments I take them for granted and think only of myself. I should show my love and care for them every chance I have, specially when I am hurt or when it is very difficult to do so. I am here because of God. But there are many moments I turn away from Him or do not recognize His presence. I should live every moment of my life as a prayer to God. I should be in my proper attire and attitude.

A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Psalm 51

But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:11-14

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Why Envy?

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Spirit Moments

One of the things I truly admired at the Paul McCartney concert we went to last week was that he never did a medley. He sang each and every song in their entirety and integrity. Medleys try to capture a whole repertoire without giving anything. In fact, medleys mangle the beauty of a song. Singing an entire song completely is respecting the wholeness and integrity of a song.

God created me – entire and complete. I have everything in me that I need to be happy and fulfilled. I just need to sing my entire song. But there are many times I envy others for the things I think I lack or do not have. Envy is an affront to God’s loving goodness for me to think that He has created me lacking something. Others have their own songs to sing, also given to them by God in their entirety and integrity. If I just learn this lesson, I shall not envy anyone anymore for anything.

There is nothing I need that God has not given me. Therefore, there is nothing I shall want nor anything in others that I should envy. Instead, I should be truly thankful for all the graces and blessing everyone receives.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Psalm 23

So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.’
Matthew 20:10-16

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Serendipity

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Spirit Moments

While we marvel at the beauty and order there seems to be in the universe, it is actually a chaotic and dangerous place out there. New stars are constantly exploding into existence while old ones are imploding into black holes. Galaxies are expanding at a frenetic phase and on course to colliding with one another. In space, there are countless chunks of meteors traveling at speeds several times faster than sound, ready to crash into any objects on their path. Earth gets bombarded daily by these meteors and one fairly large one is enough to wipe out all life on earth, as what happened during the times of the dinosaurs. In such a milieu, life can be very fragile and tenuous.

In the midst of all that chaos and danger, there is a beautiful and peaceful spot in the universe we call home, a pale blue dot in the vastness of that space, our planet Earth. It sustains and nurtures a unique experience we call life and a special life-form we call humans. Is this all a chance occurrence or a grand and magnificent design? If it is all by chance, isn’t that a bit like trying to make a camel pass through the eye of a needle? If it is by design, I only need to look deep down inside me to know that it is indeed by design. I keep still in prayer and I encounter God’s life-giving presence in my body, my mind, my heart and in the whole of my life.

My body is of such complicated and fascinating design, it could not have come about by blind chance alone. It is such a wonderful machine that can heal and repair itself. It has served me well from the time I was born till today. If I do not abuse it, as I have been wont to do in my younger days, my body should be good for many more years. It took years of evolution for humans to become, with many happy surprises and developments along the way. But even looking at the process over millions of years, there was some force or energy behind it all working out a design.

I believe in synergy; that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And I have seen synergy at work in nature and in people working together. But synergy alone cannot explain the power of my mind. My brain cells are made of exactly the same materials as the other cells in my body. But how is it possible for my brain cells to be capable of thought, of reasoning and most of all of imagining even things that do not exist in reality? This cannot be a random event. Serendipity? Yes, serendipity is what we call a joyful and surprising turn of events when we do not see and understand the grand design behind them.

It is my heart that tells me that this there is more than just randomness to my life. My heart beats to keep me alive, 80 beats a minute. That’s more than 42 million beats in one year. But more than just keeping me alive, my heart is the barometer of the kind of life I am living. It beats faster when I am excited or afraid or angry. It skips a beat when I feel love for another person. It aches when I am sad or lonely or at loss. It floats or palpitates with excitement when I am happy. It is beats serenely when I am at peace with myself and the world around me. My heart tells me I am a person of worth and value and therefore lovable. Because I am loved, I want to give that love to others as well. My heart tells me when I have done good. It bothers me when I do otherwise. Now, all of this cannot just be random.

All my life and all the world tells me and affirms that life as we know it is no accident but the design and the handiwork of a loving God.

All the earth proclaim the Lord; sing your praise to God.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:23–26

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Fullness and Perfection

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I have always desired and worked for perfection in my life – in the things that I do, in the things that I have and in myself and in the people around me. I have always hungered for life and have always wanted it in its fullness. I have found this perfection and fulness through the relationships I have in life: with my loved ones, with my family and friends, with nature, with myself and with God. And the times, I have been disappointed I have realized I have not given enough of myself.

I have always asked: what else do I lack? what else must I do? to attain the perfection and fullness of life. And often, I am afraid of what the answer might be. Something might be asked of me that I wouldn’t be able to give. Someone might be taken away from me that I wouldn’t be able to let go. There are times I know that God is asking me to give up something for my own good. But like the still profligate Augustine, my prayer is “Lord, make me pure and chaste. But not yet.” Or, sometimes I try to negotiate with the God, promising Him that I will do my best to be good but that He allows me to keep just this one little foible of mine, or perhaps two or three.

I borrow St. Augustine’s prayer: “Lord, make me good and pure – in your time and in the manner and place of your choosing. Only give me your love and your grace to do your will. Let your Your light shine upon me to know and discern what it is that I must do.”

The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
Matthew 19:20-22

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Life is Meant for the Giving

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Spirit Moments

IMG_0594There are two large bodies of water in the Holy Land, connected with each other by the river Jordan – the Dead Sea in the south and the Sea of Galilee/Tiberias/Gennesaret in the north. The two seas are no more than a hundred miles apart and yet there is a world of difference between the two of them. The Dead Sea, as the name implies, is dead. Because of its saltiness, nothing lives nor can live in it. In contrast, the Sea of Galilee is alive and teeming with all kinds of life:  lush vegetation, birds of all kinds and, of course, fishes. It was in this sea that the miraculous catch of fish happened: “they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” Luke 5:6  Why the world of difference? The Dead Sea is fed by the river Jordan but it does not have an outlet. It receives and receives but it does not give; therefore, it is dead. The Sea of Galilee is fed by many streams and rivulets and its waters flow out into the river Jordan. The Sea of Galilee receives and receives and then gives back; therefore it is alive.

So its is with life. Life is a gift, flowing into us – unbidden, undeserved. But the essence of life, it reason for being, is not in the receiving but in the giving. A star exists but its existence is not what makes it a star. A star is a star because it gives out light and energy that enlivens and enables other heavenly bodies around it to exist or even come into being. A tree is alive but its life is not what makes it a tree. A tree is a tree because it gives shade, or fruits, or timber. A tree is a tree because it gives seeds from which other trees can grow. A man receives the gift of life but his being alive does not define his humanity. A man is a man because he gives life to and shares it with others.

The essence of living is not in the receiving but in the giving. It is in the dying that we come into life. It is in the emptiness that we discover the fullness of our existence. Nothing in nature is ever wasted for as long as it is shared and given away. It is only when something is received, keep it in selfishness or greed just for ourselves and not give it out or shared that it is destroyed or lost.

O God, let all the nations praise you!
Psalm 67

Jesus said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.
Matthew 15:24-28

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Imagine a World Without Children

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Imagine a world without children. It would be a sad and lonely place. In fact, it would be a dying world.

The greatest joys of my being a grandparent has been the privilege and opportunity in being part of the care and upbringing of Jane and Jonathan. It is literally life-giving for me to participate in the nurturing and growth of new life even as my own life is slowly fading away. I can get a sense that a part of me will live on forever in them – not only in the genes they got from me but more importantly the lessons and memories. Genes, lessons and memories, these will all be somehow etched in their DNAs forever. Give me any day and I would rather be with rambunctious children than be with bickering adults. I would rather be living in the presence of innocence, trust and total openness rather than dealing with duplicitous, cunning and calculating adults.

It is sad how the world treats children today – another indication we are on the road to perdition and self-destruction. Poverty is dehumanizing and it can be fatal to children. Many infants are dying from hunger and malnutrition. This happening even when the world has the resources to feed everyone. Some families sell their children into slavery or prostitution because of their dire poverty.

War is reprehensible and leads to the utter destruction of lives and properties. Children are often pawns in this stupid enterprise. Some unconscionable adults would use them as human shields or human bombs. And in many places, children are recruited, trained and fielded as boy soldiers.

What is happening in the borders of the United States in downright tragic. Children, the hope and promise of their countries, are flocking to the richest country in the world. In the process, their country of origin will become the poorer for it; while the US acquires at no cost the resources to build an even more prosperous society.

Children in many societies have no rights and have no voice, even if the statutes say otherwise. It is totally unforgivable why any society can sanction the taking of the life of an unborn child. All sorts of silly arguments have been fabricated to justify abortions. But every child that dies is a guarantee against the survival of the human race.

We have a lot to be sad and sorry for in the treatment of children today.

Create a clean heart in me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Psalm 51

Children were brought to Jesus
that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said,
“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
After he placed his hands on them, he went away.
Matthew 19:13-15

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Let it Be – The Beatles’ Marian Anthem

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Last night, we watched the concert of Paul McCartney  at Candlestick Park, the final event/concert at that legendary venue. It was a memorable and awesome experience. As Marjorie, one friend who also witnessed the event, sighed, “I don’t want to end the night.” The high point, the most poignant part of the night for me was “Let it be!” the parting song of the Beatles. Even in their hour of darkness, in their times of trouble, when the night is cloudy; there was still a light that shines. In the sadness, there was still a glimmering of hope and meaning in the horizon:

            For though they may be parted
           There is still a chance that they will see
           There will be an answer, let it be.

Somehow, the song always reminds me of Mother Mary and her Fiat. In the face of strange things happening around her (her pregnancy not by her betrothed, Joseph’s fidelity and devotion even at her ‘unexplained’ pregnancy, her cousin’s Elizabeth own pregnancy in spite of her old age), she could only mutter: “Let it be done to me according to Thy word. . . . Let it be done to me. . . . Let it be done. . . . Let it be!” And she breaks out in to song, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” And the simple maiden acknowledges how the Almighty has done great things for her. In her simplicity and ordinariness she expresses a longing rooted deeply in the human heart: the hungry shall have their fill, the lowly will be uplifted, the poor and persecuted will obtain mercy for the proud shall be scattered and the the mighty will be brought low.

Even as I was singing along with most of the songs Paul rendered for us last night, I kept being amazed at his and the Beatles’ genius. Starting out their careers as teeny-boppers singing mushy love songs, they progressed to brilliant musicians producing mystical and metaphysical songs and lyrics. They wrote about ordinary things and ordinary people. And in the process they went into the heart of things.

There were instances last night, when at the sound of just the first chords of a song; there would be people or groups who would already shriek in sheer delight as though those few strains have tugged at heartstrings deep within their heart. That is the beauty of the Beatles’ songs for me. Their melodies are at once original and familiar. When I hear them for the first smile, I smile and am happy at such a happy or captivating melody. At the same time, I get a feeling that I have been singing the tune all my life. It is the same thing with their lyrics. I feel some wonderful or eloquent emotions and I am at loss for words. And the lyrics of their songs just captures exactly how I feel. And I take their lyrics as my own. After I while, I cannot express myself with referencing their lyrics and the lyrics become my very own. There comes a point when I start imagining the Beatles actually took the lyrics from my mouth.

I am puzzling over this experience. Did the Beatles and I go to the same experience and their genius is giving words and melody to this experience? We all fall in love, just seeing a girl standing there. We all are sometimes lost like the Nowhere Man. We somehow sometimes fly up with Lucy in the sky with diamonds, with or without LSD. We all know it is along and winding road. But could it be that there a common essential core within everyone of us and without us that binds us together in our shared humanity? And is this core within me and without me the Divine Energy that has created and made us possible.Therein lies the essential genius of Paul McCartney and the Beatles.

And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Luke 1:46 – 55

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Forgiveness

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Spirit Moments

In the past days, people have been saddened by the death of Robin Williams. Both mainstream and social media are replete with stories about him: how he has brought laughter, joy and inspiration to millions through his movies and TV shows, his many acts of kindness often anonymous and unheralded, the many people he has helped often ordinary and simple folks he never knew, his kind and unassuming ways ever ready to extend a hand in friendship or to help, the way he has endeared himself to the Bay Area communities by simply being there. And behind all these, people are puzzled why and what drove him to commit suicide.

All of us have personal demons to wrestle with. And our life stories are about these struggles. There are stories of inspiring victories and of devastating defeats. Most life stories are a mad mixture of both success and triumphs. Every story is unique, one of a kind and never to be repeated. And every story is worth listening to. But we can never judge nor condemn another for we cannot fully fathom what goes on within them. We can only listen and be grateful for the privilege of listening.

I have recently read about children who are afflicted with reactive attachment disorder (RAD). RAD is characterized by markedly disturbed and developmentally inappropriate ways of relating socially in most contexts. These children will lie without batting an eyelash. They would just take or steal anything they want, believing it is their prerogative. RAD is rooted somewhere in the past where a child never received enough love and nurturing as he is growing up. Deprived of such love and nurturing, children with RAD would take things that will satisfy their longing or create a world of lies that would give them comfort. How can we judge or even condemn such children?

Still, I believe we are good by nature because we came from the source of all goodness. We may not judge. We may not condemn. We are challenged to love and to forgive not seven times, but seventy-seven times. And the Lord, in His kindness and mercy, will make everything right in His time

Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Psalm 78

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed,
and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
Matthew 18:31-35

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Synergy

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I am properly defined as a being-with-others-in-the-world. Indeed, it takes a village to raise a child. The poet John Donne famously wrote,
          No man is an island,
          Entire of itself,
          Every man is a piece of the continent,
          A part of the main.

          Any man’s death diminishes me,
          Because I am involved in mankind,
          And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
          It tolls for thee.

Our interconnectedness reveals our intimate interdependence. We need one another. It is sad that where we should work for inclusions and trust, we often lapse into exclusions and suspicions. I look at the world and I see people wishing others were dead or not here at all. Yet, when I look at the achievements of humanity, our best accomplishments were realized when we worked together in harmony.

Synergy happens whenever people work together. Communities thrive when they work in harmony. We achieve more and better results when working together rather than working by our lonesome. God blesses our work when we do it with others and for others. Nothing can be more reassuring than to know that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is right there in our midst.

The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
Psalm 113

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
Matthew 18:19-20

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