Creators, Not Consumers

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Spirit Moments

A preacher goes out to preach and a teacher goes out to teach.
A sower goes out to sow and a farmer goes out to plow.

We are often defined by what we do and accomplish, by what we make and create, by what we build and found. A poet looks deep into people’s hearts and writes about the inherent goodness in there and captures this in his poems. A philosopher discerns the truth and life and leaves behind his writings to share these truths with others. A painter looks at a scene and sees behind the squalor to capture the beauty in people’s humanity. We are meant to be makers and creators, more than takers and consumers.

Yet, life today is driven by so much materialism and consumerism. We are moved by various means to consume more and to take more for ourselves. How many clothes does a man really need? And yet, there is always something or someone telling us to get another new shirt or the latest design in coats or just another fancy pair of jeans. How much food does a man really need? And yet, we must try that lavish meal at this expensive bistro or taste this delicacy that has been prepared using force-fed fowls or have a bite of this fancy-schmancy dessert.

We will be remembered not by what we have used up or consumed or possessed in our lifetime. We will be remembered by what we shall have left behind, by what we have created and by what we have shared of ourselves. We are not sheep being fed for the slaughter. We are the shepherds tasked with taking care of the flock.

I will sing of your salvation, O Lord.

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow. . . .”
Matthew 13:1-3

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In My Finitude Are The Seeds Of Infinitude

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Spirit Moments

One of the greatest capability of man is his freedom to choose. In the face of the constant changes of life, I always have a choice. And yet, this great power is rooted in man’s basic deficiency – his finitude, his limitedness.

Because I have only two hands I can hold only so much. I must choose what to take up and what to leave behind. I only have 24 hours given to me each day. Therefore, I must choose with whom and how to spend these hours. Because I have a limited amount of material resources, what I give to someone I can no longer give to another. I have to decide with whom and how to share my physical goods.

Paradoxically, it is through my finitude that I experience intimations of the infinite in my life. I find my wants and desire to be almost limitless, boundless. There is always something else and something more I long for. My yearnings, my hungers. my thirsts are insatiable. Even my capacity for love and giving can be limitless if I choose to do so. In my heart, here is always room for one more person to love. Though I only have two hands, I have learned that I always have something to give even when I seem to have nothing else to give – be it a touch, an embrace or just a reaching out and giving my hand for someone to hold.

It is truly amazing how the God of Creation, who made us all out of nothing, is also the God of Options and Possibilities, who turn our weaknesses and inadequacies into endless blessings. Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. Out of her nothingness, God gave us a model of a most loyal and most courageous disciple. She it was from whom Jesus drove out seven demons. She was a known prostitute. And yet, Jesus called her to follow Him. And she did. She stayed on even when everybody else had fled in fear and disappointment at the crucifixion. It was no surprise that it was to her that the Risen Christ first appeared.

Lord, show us your mercy and love.

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
John 20:14–16

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Moments of Grace

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Spirit Moments

My faith can sometimes be so weak and shallow that I still want and look for signs and proofs that God exists; that there is life after death and that I am destined for eternal life and happiness with God. Sometimes, I get so caught up in the idea that this life is all there is to existence. After this life, that is it.

Sometimes, my faith is a little stronger and a bit more secure and I acknowledge God’s presence in my life. But then I doubt whether He really cares for me and is looking after me in a very personal and special way. I doubt that He became man for me in particular; that He guides me and abides with me everyday of my life. I still look and search for God’s love and care for me, for His real Presence in my life.

Then there are also moments of grace when I realize that I could never have arrived where I am today or have become who I am today without God’s guiding and abiding presence in my life. During such blessed moments, I see and feel God’s love and presence permeating everything in my life. I see the people in my life as God’s angels bringing to me His message of love. I see everything and everyone around me suffused with God’s loving Presence.

Sometimes, I struggle to remind myself of such moments of grace. Sometimes, such moments just break into my awareness and consciousness unbidden and unexpected. At all times, I keep the name of the Lord upon my lips

To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.”
Matthew 12:38-40

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Seeds And Beginnings

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Praise for them springing fresh from the word.

I pray for the passengers and crew of Flight MH17.
They never bargained for what has befallen them.
Just like that, in one passing moment, their lives were snuffed out:
Obliterated into oblivion by a fiery ball of an explosion.

Cutting over to another fiery explosion at the beginning of time,
the Big Bang did not end up in obliteration nor oblivion.
On the contrary, it was the beginning of everything there is,
including us and our life as we know it today.

Explosions usually are the end and annihilation of whatever blows up.
But the primeval Big Bang was the inception of all that there is.
Spitted out cosmic dusts from that original ancient blast
Were the seeds that would give rise to life and existence everywhere.

“Let there be light.” He said and there was one big explosion of light.
From out of the chaos and nothingness, He created everything.
From something small as a seed, He made us all indeed.
He is the Lord of Creation, not of annihilation.

If I was made in His image, I was made to create and not destroy.
Yet, we are today too busy on using up and destroying
Everything beautiful and worth preserving.
We are too busy just using up and consuming
things that we have for our pleasure and self-gratification.

We were not made just to use up and consume the riches of the earth.
And when we are not consuming, we busy amassing.
Hoarding things, more than what we need for ourselves.
In the process, we destroy, annihilate, obliterate and use up the earth’s riches.

No, we were born to make and create and build.
We must add up to the beauty and riches round us
by making splendid things that last from the rich resources around us,
by creating works that will inspire others to greater heights of achievements,
by building lasting monuments to the goodness and beauty we are capable of.

When we use up and consume things, we destroy.
When we employ and use things for others, we build.
The explosion that ended MH17 destroyed and ended more that 300 lives.
The explosion at the beginning of time created us and the universe.

Lord, you are good and forgiving.

He proposed another parable to them.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
Matthew 13:31-32

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Transactional vs Unconditional Love

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I am always wary and very hesitant in using comparisons and superlatives, specially in describing my relationships. When I describe a friend as my best friend, what happens to all my other very good friends? They are not as good? And yet, the reality is that there are persons with whom I feel more at home and comfortable. There are indeed special people who know my heart, who can get my meaning even before I say a word, who can feel the pain by just drawing close to me, who can share in my unspoken joys just by being around.

I guess it is because I am a finite and limited being that I come upon the difficulty of loving every one in the same way. If time is the currency of love, I have only 24 hours every day to give away. The time I spent with someone is time I cannot spend with another. If space is the arena of love, I have only my present space within which to operate. So, I love the one I am with; and I just mope and pine away for loved ones I miss or who are absent.

God’s love is different. It is infinite and unconditional. He can love me to the max and still have a lot more max-es to spare for others. He loves me for what I am and not for what I can give back to Him in return. So, my situation does not matter, He will still love me to the max. With men, love is often transactional. With God, love is always unconditional.

Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Matthew 12:14-21

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Conjunctions And Life

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Spirit Moments

As I write my daily reflections, I often find myself spending time deciding which proper conjunction to use. I love dealing and playing with nouns, verbs and adjectives. They give flesh and color to what I am thinking of. Adverbs are greatly appreciated for they add flavor and quality to what I am trying to express. But it is the conjunctions that provide the tone and structure to my thoughts.

AND – the elemental connective. AND allows me to connect all the people and things I want and love in my life. I am not here alone. I have been blessed with my loved ones AND my family AND my friends. AND then there are the many things AND events that make my life what it is. AND expresses the richness AND the endless possibilities there are in my life.

BUT – the precautionary note. Life is beautiful BUT there are moments that it is not. Life is good BUT, as they say, into each life some rains must fall. In life everything is gift, BUT I cannot have everything I want all the time. BUT then again, someday I just might. BUT is a good reminder that life can often spring surprises on us.

IF – the ultimate indicator that life is conditional. Life can also be said to random often times. Life is so subject to the laws of cause and effect, we often must ask the question what IF. Everyday we have to make decisions and IF helps us make the choice. IF I do this, what will I gain or reap as a result? Will I still do it, even IF I do not get what I expect?

YET – the poignant promise that I am an unfinished creation. I know I am good. YET, I have my moments of evil and iniquity. And I have YET to overcome my faults and shortcomings. I may be undergoing some difficult times, YET I know that these will pass away and things will become better. And that is what really excites me about life – the best is YET to come.

WITH – the clear sign of my decisiveness or lack of it. AND tells reminds me of my blessings. WITH reminds me of my choices. I can go through life WITH optimism or WITH negativism. It is my choice. I can also choose whom I want to spend my time WITH. I can choose whom I want to work WITH. And I can choose to work WITH enthusiasm or WITH disinterest.

OR – the constant reminder that I always have a choice. OR often goes around with WITH. No matter what situation I find myself in, there is always an OR I can choose from. And indeed life is a series of ORs.

Simple words, conjunctions are. Yet, we often take their power and significance for granted. I cannot imagine expressing myself without them. And so it is in life. We take so many things for granted; in the end, we lose sight of the real reasons why we do things. Like, mercy is weightier than sacrifice, not the other way around. Or, the Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around.

You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

And Jesus said:
“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,‘
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
Matthew 12:6-8

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It’s Take Three For Me

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Spirit Moments

This is the third time in three weeks that today’s Gospel reading has come up: June 27, July 16 and today. Is there something magical or mystical about the number Three?

The human mind is more accustomed to dualities: day and night, good and bad, darkness and light, subject and object. Life is a constant rhythm of this 1-2 beat: up and down, contraction and relaxation, inhale and exhale. Yet, these dualities and polarities are bound together by the word ‘and’. Indeed there comes a point where the total (made possible by ‘and’) becomes greater than the sum of the two or of its parts. One and one is not only two but becomes generative of yet another one or two or even more. Life may be sustained by dualities but it is the Trinity that makes life and existence possible.

In the Seven Habits Workshop, we are taught that everything is created twice: first, as a concept in the mind; second, as an object in reality. I now add that if I do it a third time, it starts to become a habit, a part of me. In the Discovery Weekend, we are told to read the letters from our loved one twice: once for the head for understanding, and a second time for the heart for feelings. I now add that if I read it a third time, it seeps into my whole being and into my hands to be translated into actions.

After the Resurrection, Christ asked Peter, who denied him three times earlier that week, this question also three times: “Do you love me?” We need to be reminded not once, not twice but thrice or even more to learn our lessons well. It is by the constant and consistent repetition that I remember and eventually change my life. Excellent speakers always tell their message three times: first, they tell their listeners what they are going to tell them; then, they tell their listeners what it is they want to tell them; then, they tell their listeners what it is they just told them.

For the third time in the last three weeks, the Lord has been inviting me, “Come to me.” And He is full of concern, “I will give you rest.” He does not force nor threaten but gently cajoles, “I am meek and humble of heart, where you will find rest for yourself.” And I feel like staying on and lingering for His yoke is easy and His burden light.

From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.

Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

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The Wisdom in Children

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Summer has been daily playtime for Jonathan and Jane with their friends Max and Allie. And watching them at play has been a delight and filled with lessons of wisdom for me.

Max and Allie were gone with their parents for a week for an out of town vacation. Afterwards, I asked Jonathan and Max if they missed each other. They jumped at each other and hugged real hard to show me how much. At that moment, I learned always to let my friends know how I feel about them, how they are an important part of my life. Jonathan and Max also fight and get mad at each other. But they always make up. I have learned to be honest and open about my feelings with friends. If they are true friends they will understand or make room for my dark moods. And I will do the same for them.

Jane and Allie walk around the house holding hands, when their hands are not busy playing with their dolls, or doing their artsy stuff, or dancing, or modelling. I learned that it is always good to reach out and hold somebody’s hand – whether during good times or bad. Reaching out in good times multiplies the joy and happiness I have. Holding somebody’s hand in bad times divides the pain and the sorrow and makes them easier to bear.

The four kids spend hours living in a world of pure imagination. But it is amazing how living in that make-believe world, they learn how to live better in the real world. They learn and get to use words to describe realities that exist in the real world. They dream of possibilities in that fantasy realm that can be translated later into realities in their lives. They experiment on behaviors that will help them cope with real life later. It seems like they are trying to remember the good things from the place they came from and bring these into this life before these are totally forgotten.

The Lord will not abandon his people.

At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.”
Matthew 11:25-27

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Seeing Rightly with Faith

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Spirit Moments

How many times I have failed to see the love and goodness right before me just because these did not come in the shape and form I expected? How many time I have taken love and goodness in my life for granted just because I have gotten used to seeing and receiving these without fail everyday? How many times have I missed appreciating love and goodness in my life just because I was busy with trivial and mundane things or was looking in another direction?

I long to be loved but often I would dictate the manner in which I should be loved. And when this does not happen, I get hurt or disappointed. I begin feeling I am not loved. And in the end, I miss out on the love that is expressed in the simple touch and embrace, in the forgiving heart that refuses to dwell on my faults, or in that abiding deep affection that refuses to give on me even at my worst behavior.

Sometimes, I wish my life were something else; or that I should be somewhere else, or that I could be doing something else. But I have learned not to brood over regrets. As my life has turned out, I could not have written it better myself. In allowing myself to be guided by the continuing Divine Presence in my life, I have been endowed with blessings too many to count and too marvelous to describe. For I could not have dreamed them up even in my wildest imaginings.

Yes, often, I lose sight of my many blessings because I am not listening or looking closely enough at the Source of all these blessings.

God upholds his city for ever.

Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 11:20-24

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To Give, One Must First Recieve

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Spirit Moments

“We are what we eat.” I have learned this lesson many times over. When I eat healthy foods, I am and stay healthy. I splurge on sugars and sweets, I easily put on unhealthy pounds.  I indulge in rich and fatty foods, my blood sugar and cholesterol levels shoot up. I pamper myself with a buffet meal, my blood pressure instantly goes up.

“You can give what you do not have.” But to have something to give, one must first receive it. If I allow love into my life. I am able to give love. if I allow hatred and anger into my life, I bring hatred and anger to others even if I do not want to. If I allow beauty and goodness into my life; then I will have beauty and goodness to give away. But if I entertain evil and ugliness, I inevitably end up sharing these with people I come in contact with.

Therefore, receive love to be able to give love. Receive beauty to be able to give beauty. Receive goodness to be able to give goodness. From their Source.

To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
Matthew 10:40–42

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