No True Joy Without the Cross

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Last Thursday was the Jog-athon Day at St. Clare School.  Jonathan completed 31 laps. Jane managed to do only 12 as she scraped her knees early on in her jogging. The theme of the event was “Give Joy! Get Joy!”

There is great joy in doing things for and in the Lord’s name, as the disciples found out after returning from their missions. I can feel this joy as several events have come together to help me see God’s handwriting all over the place.

It was a joy watching the students in St. Clare run the oval as they jogged in glee and merriment. Even as the country’s leaders are bickering, presiding over what seems to be turning out to be yet another meltdown and disaster, here are families and their children joyfully building the future in the small acts of togetherness and community. No fanfare but the bouncy music the children run by. No earth shaking speeches nor debates but the warm and strong affirmation of each child by his classmates, his teachers and the parents who were there. In this hiddeness and simplicity, the strength and future of this nation is being built. Pope Francis, in his pilgrimage to Assisi, also visited an orphanage and being with the children there noted that, similar to how Jesus is hidden in the Eucharist, he “is hidden in these young people, in these children.”

Following Jesus is not about money, nor about power. Joy is not about being changing the world through power or money. That is the way of the world. Following Jesus is the way of the cross; it is about being poor and powerless yet, in that nothingness and emptiness, still loving and serving others. Power and money are the ways of the world. In the same pilgrimage to Assisi, Pope Francis said: “Money indicates the whole spirit of worldliness — that path leads us to vanity, arrogance, pride. And that is an idol; itʼs not God.” There are those who would make Christianity ‘a little more human’ by taking away the cross. But the Pope dismisses this as ‘bakery Christianity’, where everything is beautiful and sweet like a cake.

“And if we want to be Christians, there is no other way,” the Holy Father added. “We must undress ourselves today from a very serious danger that threatens each person in the Church: the danger of worldliness.”

The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’
Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’
Luke 10:17-24

Posted in Discipleship, Family | Tagged , , | Comments Off on No True Joy Without the Cross

Friday Flashbacks and Flashforwards

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Spirit Moments

More and more these days, I come to a fork on the road
And I am at loss on which path to take.
I have simplified much of my life that choosing should be easy.
Still I come to a standstill not knowing how or where to move forward.

Sometimes, I feel like wishing and wanting to level up
Let me leave this time and place now and show me what’s next
If the fulness of life comes after this level,
Why would people want to tarry and linger here longer?

I could have taken another turn way back on my journey
That could have brought me to a lot more than what I am or have now
I don’t think it would matter now
For I feel I would have these same feelings of wanting to move on.

Or I could have taken another turn too
That could have brought me to a lot less than less
But I feel I would still have had my full share
Of joys and laughter, of life’s ups and downs.

This is not boredom. This is not anxiety.
I do no feel like I am stuck nor am I lost.
It is just like reading a beautiful story
And I can’t wait to get to the end
But would want to miss on the details getting there.
And I do not know where or how to get the answers.

“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
Luke 10:13-16

Posted in Mystery | Tagged | Comments Off on Friday Flashbacks and Flashforwards

The Paradox and Challenges of Being a Christ Follower

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Spirit Moments

The restless agitation on one hand and the extreme boredom on the other in people today are symptoms of a deep longing and hunger of something beyond material goods and possessions, an emptiness that cannot be filled with fleeting and temporary relationships. Poeple today engage in a flurry of activities and indulge in so many addictions in a vain attempt to fill in this emptiness and satisfy this longing.

No one who has seriously tried to listen to the words of Christ has come away uninspired or unmoved. Many have had their lives changed. And there are the courageous few who have gone on to change for the better not only themselves but also the world they lived in. His words calms down the tempest in people’s souls. His love is the one relationship that can fill in the emptiness inside. But not everyone stays because He turns the lives of those who would follow Him upside down.

He has but one commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Easy, one might say; specially if one thinks of a romantic falling in love. But no, he say to love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. And if and when needed, give up your life for love of others. Huh? This is not easy.

In world mad for power and glory, everyone wants to be the Lion and many act like wolves. He tells His followers that they are lambs. And on many occasions in history, His followers have indeed been led to the slaughter like lambs – even in this day and age. He said to serve others. But to do this in one’s poverty not out of one’s fullness. In fact, he challenges those who would follow him to give away everything they have.

He is speaking figuratively, right? Like a figure of speech? Metaphorically? I don’t think so. Because He did die on the cross for His friends, me included. He came not in power and might but in the poverty and simplicity of the manger. He did not surround himself with generals nor geniuses. He picked the poor and the simple folks to proclaim His Kingdom. He would some day be adored and revered with much pomp and glory. But during His time one earth, He did not even have a place of his own where to lay his head.

Still, the world as we know it today would not be what it is but for the love of the Christ.

He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!”
Luke 10:1-12

Posted in Discipleship, Encounter, Spirituality | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Paradox and Challenges of Being a Christ Follower

Detachment and Eternity

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Try to hold on to a moment and it is gone forever.
Never to come again and never ever to be enjoyed.
Live the moment and just relish it
And it is captured and saved for eternity
Etched in the mind and stored in eternal memory.

Holding on to material possessions is an enslavement.
Earthly treasures enchant and seduce but never satisfy.
Enjoy them for a while and there is a hankering for more.
Unquenchable thirst. Hunger that cannot be satisfied.
Give away material possessions and earthly treasures
And help others become happy and satisfied
Even for just a while.
Reap smiles and gratitude that will be remembered
And treasured long after the earthly treasures are gone.

There are things that pass away and are gone.
There are memories that remain and stay on forever.
There are people who come and go.
There are people who come and stay on forever.
With all the comings and goings,
There is a me that stays forever.
With all the comings and goings,
There is a Presence that stays with me forever.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:57-62

Posted in Encounter, Spirituality | Tagged , | Comments Off on Detachment and Eternity

Minima Maxime Facere

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Among the joys and blessings of living in this day and age are the many options available to people. There are so many jobs available today that were unheard of when I was studying in college. Who would have thought that video games would be a multi-billion dollar industry? Think of all the many jobs this industry have spawned, created by kids who would not be kept away from their games. In the multicultural environment I find myself in, there are so many festivals to celebrate, so many different foods to savor, so many different languages and music my ears have to be attuned to. In this most beautiful and most cosmopolitan of all valleys, there are so many sights to enjoy, so many leisure activities to choose from, so many shows and events to watch and go to, so many sports activities to engage in, so many sporting events to be thrilled by.

These same options, however, often are the source of so many distractions. They tear at me and pull me in different directions. I get inspired and challenged by all these possibilities. There are so many things I want to do and accomplish. There are times I would end up not being able to do anything or being paralyzed into inaction by all these possibilities.

Jesus set his face to Jerusalem. He wouldn’t be distracted from doing the Father’s will. Even His own followers tried to dissuade Him and push Him into other directions, based on their own hidden agenda. But He would not be distracted. St. Therese of Lisieux, whose feast it is today, was similarly single-minded in her love for God and in doing the will of the Father. She did not do great things but she is a great saint. She never ventured far from where she was born and lived but she has had a deep influence that went far beyond her place and time. She spent her time doing small and simple things with great love and dedication. Minima maxime facere. To do the least of things in the best possible way.

When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
Luke 9, 51-56

Posted in Character, Discipleship, Spirituality | Tagged | Comments Off on Minima Maxime Facere

Some Amazing Lessons

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Spirit Moments

So much of life’s meaning can be gleaned from ordinary elements.

Earth. The soil on which we plant that by which we live is nothing but clumps of earth. The hill and the mountains that we look up to for challenge and inspiration are nothing but mounds of earth. And we have indeed been fashioned out of clay made from dust. Star dust if you may, but transformed into earth. We are of the earth and we belong to her. Not the other way around.

Wind. The wind blows and its breezes bring us comfort. Sometimes it rages and it becomes a storm, bringing about destruction but also rebirth. The wind is power that is both gentle and destructive. But most important of all, wind is the air we breathe keeping us alive. The spirit that makes us human is but a breathe of the wind.

Water. Water flows and brings life and refreshment to everyone and everything. Water is live giving; but, in torrents and deluge, it becomes destructive. Water cleanses and purifies. It is also an agent of change and creation. We use water to cleanse and change everything around us. And, beyond the just symbolic, water also cleanses and changes our spirit.

Fire. Fire is power in the hands of man. Fire purifies like water, bring comfort life the wind and burns the earth to transform it. Like the other elements, it is necessary for life. And like the other elements, it can be destructive of life. Fire is power. Fire is intensity. Fire is commitment and determination

It is amazing how much there can be to learn just feeling earth with our fingers or blowing the dirt from our hands with puffs of air or washing our hands clean with water and then drying and warming them up with fire. It is amazing how much we can learn from children who have seen nothing of life yet. It is amazing how God talks to us in the ordinary things in life and teaches us life’s deep lessons through the innocence and simplicity of the child

An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.’
Luke 9:46-50

Posted in Life, Nature, Spirituality | Tagged , | Comments Off on Some Amazing Lessons

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Spirit Moments

ImageI have always loved watching the rays of the sun bursting forth in the sky in all directions. Be it the first glimmering of dawn or the slow fading of the setting sun or the full splendor of the noon day, the rays of the sun reminds of the infinite and unconditional love and grace that God pours out to all of us every moment of our lives. A life might be bad or blessed, it is still in God’s hands. This truth is sometimes difficult to accept or to see. But for Pope Francis, nothing can be clearer nor more certain:

“I have a dogmatic certainty: God is in every person’s life. God is in everyone’s life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else-God is in this person’s life. You can, you must try to seek God in every human life. Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.”

Pope Francis is out to change the current global view based on this truth. In 2008, when the financial meltdown happened, the leaders of the world scrambled around to save financial institutions that were too big to fail. Some were let go into bankruptcy but many were given billions in aid and assistance to save them from collapse. Never mind that the opportunism of these corporations has caused the loss of the savings of millions of ordinary people. Now, five years after, these leaders are patting themselves in the back for have averted a bad situation from getting worse. They have rewarded themselves  with fat pay increases that averaged more than 80% since the start of the crisis. Meantime, the ordinary employees have seen their own paycheck increase by no more than 15% during the same period. In the meantime, the gad between the rich and the poor has become even greater.

All these decisions and intervention were done by the rich and for the rich. Pope Francis would change all of that. It has always been that the fulcrum of decisions have always been the rich. The Pope would have that fulcrum shift to the poor. The decisions that affect the live of people should not be decided in or by Wall Street. Ask the people who live on Main Street. Even more radical than that, Pope Francis says to ask the people on the edges, on the peripheries. Ask those who have to live on a dollar day, not those who have billions in their bank accounts. Ask those who go to bed hungry every night, with only sleep to relive their hunger pangs, not those who feast on hundred-dollar meals as everyday fare. Ask those who shiver in the cold for want of warm clothing, not those whose walk-in closets are bigger and more luxurious than the hovels of the poor.

Often the poor are condemned as being lazy, illiterate, unmotivated and deserving of their lot in life. Scrounging through garbage the whole day just to have something to eat is not lazy. Surviving in the streets with nothing but your wit may not require literacy but it does need a lot of smarts. Getting up in the morning and even sometime managing a smile, in spite of the raw deal life might have dealt you, requires a lot of spunk and spirit. Often, the poor are poor because of unjust structures and systems, because some have more, much much more than they need, because there are those who just want to keep others down to get the semblance or feeling that they are up.

Pope Francis is not waiting for the next life to see that happen. He wants to see that change happen here and now. I join him and will do what I can to contribute. I will not have nor keep more than what I need. I will give or share what I have. I will be welcoming of everyone in need even if they are stinky or messy or repugnant to the senses.

‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.‘
Luke 16:19-25,27-31

Posted in Evil, Faith, Human Rights, Photography, The Good News | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Lazarus and the Rich Man

Faith is a Gift and also a Struggle

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Sometimes I wonder if it would have been easier for me to believe and have faith had I lived during the time of Jesus and walked the earth with him, if like the disciples He sent forth, I had been able to do the wondrous deeds that they did in His name. I doubt it.

For even while they were in the presence of Jesus and witnessing His deeds and listening to His words, the disciples were often beset by doubt and lack of faith. They remained ignorant, unperceiving, slow to understand and too timid or shy or plainly unable to ask Him questions to clarify. And when the end came and He was crucified, most of them ran away in fear and trembling. Yet later, this band of fearful and timorous souls came forth boldly at the risk of persecution and even death to proclaim Jesus as the Christ. After His death, they experienced and encountered the Risen Christ. After a while, they experienced and encountered His continuing presence in the Holy Spirit He sent to console them and in the community of believers that He has gathered together.

So here I am, some two thousand years removed from the historical Jesus. I have been inspired by the words and stories that He left behind. I have read about the many people he has inspired and done great things in his name. In my life, I have met, been close to and worked with people who are His followers and who have lived inspiring lives of love and service. I liked what I have seen and experienced and have stayed in that community of Jesus followers. My life has been a constellation and network of meanings and relationships built around this belief and community. I have stayed on in spite of the doubts and difficulties. And there are moments I realize that I have stayed on precisely because of these doubts and difficulties.

And all were astounded at the greatness of God. While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
Luke 9:43-45

Posted in Encounter, Faith, Mystery | Tagged , | Comments Off on Faith is a Gift and also a Struggle

Prayer and Suffering

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Prayer is as natural to my spiritual life as eating is to my physical existence. Hunger pangs tell me when and how much I have to eat. Uneasiness in my spirit tells me when to calm down and seek quiet and solitude in prayers. A feeling of emptiness tells me when to stop and fill up on spiritual energy to keep me going on my journey. Pain and suffering tell me when to stop and see which direction I am being challenged to grow, to go and eventually to glow. Suffering is never desirable but it is through suffering I become aware of the empty holes in my life and fill them with God’s grace. My faith in Christ has always taught me of the salvific potential there is in suffering. Mother Teresa has often been faulted at romanticizing and glorifying suffering. But that is the whole idea of Christianity being born and borne out of the cross.

In prayer, I become more sharply aware of who I am, who my God is, and the relationships in my life that prod and push me along in my life journey. I do not know what or when the end is. But in prayer, I get a glimmer of what the future holds for me. In prayer, I am strengthened in my Faith, which has been my response to a call and invitation to a relationship with Him who brought me into this world through my parents and sustains me through the people He has sent into my life.

Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’ He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’
Luke 9:18-22

Posted in Faith, Family, Friendship, Mystery | Tagged , | Comments Off on Prayer and Suffering

Who is Jesus Christ for me?

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Who is Jesus Christ?

He claimed that He is God. For the Jews, this was the ultimate blasphemy punishable by death. And put him to death, they did. But He rose from the dead, as he said He would. He backed up His claim to divinity with mighty deeds, inspiring words and life-changing teachings. He was born in manger and was unheard of until the ripe age of 30. But when he came upon the scene, he changed the course of history like no other. The world today is a better place because of all that his followers and believers have done in His name. He was the son of a carpenter and everyone knew that. But He declared Himself the Son of God and called God His father with the intimate and endearing “Abba”.

Who is Jesus Christ for me?

It was Ima whom I remember first talking to me about Jesus. She taught me how to pray and talk to him. And I have tried to keep on this conversation with Him all these past 60 years or so. I have seen the mighty deeds He has done in my life. I have had a life-journey so much more beautiful than any I could have written for myself. I have received gifts way beyond by my wildest imagining and expectations. Yet, there are still moments, I doubt His presence and influence in my life. There are moments when I turn fatalistic and say that these things were just meant to happen like they should.

I have been inspired no ends by His words. In my younger days, I remembered collecting and memorizing His sayings: “What does it profit a man . . . ” “Come to me all of you who are burdened . . . ” “Learn of me because . . . ” “If anyone would be my disciple . . . ” “To whom much is given . . . ” Even today, I relish reading and meditating on His words. Yet, there are moments when I turn cynical and say that all these are empty words, nice to hear and say but without any effect on my life and actions.

I have studied and taken to heart His life-changing teachings and have made these the basis and foundation of the major decisions in my life. From the earliest days when I first became aware that I was my own person, I have always turned to Him in prayer before I made any major decision: entering and then leaving the seminary, getting married and having a family, career changes, moving to the US. I have tried to share what I have learned about Him and His teachings in my classes and with groups I have associated with. Yet, there are moments when I turn pessimistic and say I am the same sinful and mediocre person I have always been, unaffected and unchanged by the teachings of the Christ I profess to believe in.

So, I struggle in faith and love with the fervent hope that I shall not be confounded but justified in this faith, hope and love around which I have built my life.

Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, “John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see him.
Luke 9:7-9

Posted in Discipleship, Faith, Love, Mystery, The Good News | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Who is Jesus Christ for me?