It’s a Blur!

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Blur: The Speed of Change in the Connected Economy was a popular book several years ago. It described how things are changing so fast in today’s world that everything seems to be in a blur. Moore’s law, for example, states that the power of microprocessor chips would double every eighteen months. So, we get products and gadgets that become obsolescent even before they have outlived their useful life. I remember that we had just one and the same radio during my growing up years. Today, people change their phones, TV sets, computers almost every other year. The computer itself has gone from the desktop to the laptop to the notebook to the tablet and on to a wearable device. Even the difference between a phone and a computer is swiftly getting blurred.

In the midst of all these changes, there is another blurring that worries me. There also seems to be a blurring of principles and morals. Man has always lived within certain boundaries and nature has always followed a certain rhythm. Now, these boundaries and rhythms are also getting blurred. It used to be men lived by the rhythm of the harvest. There was a time for sowing and there was a time for reaping. There was a season for fruits and a season for vegetables. Now, crops are grown the whole year round and fruits are available in season and out of season. It used to be daytime was for work and human activities; and nighttime was for rest and recharging. Now, people are up and about 24/7. Today, crops are crossed to produce new fruits, animals are cloned and people are not just a man and a woman anymore. Even in nature, we get rains in summer, hot days in winter and not to mention the massive floods and other weather aberrations.

I enjoy and marvel at man’s inventions and all the changes happening around me. I could probably not live my life as I am living it now without many of these things. But often, I wonder and become afraid of the implications of all these changes. With moral boundaries getting blurred, what and who is now to say what is right or wrong? Some of the thinking that arises out of all these changes and blurring strikes real fear in me. Like, some people believe that if something can be done, we should do it. Or others believe that if they can afford it, they can have it. And the most pernicious of all: if it feels good (as in eye candy or ear candy or others pleasurable thing), do it!

Men, and I, have to stop and think through all of these changes. I have to learn to slow down, be silent and savor all the changes rather than be overwhelmed by it all. I need to stop and smell the flowers, to feel the warmth of a human embrace, rather than the heat from an overworked machine. The spiral of changes goes faster and faster and I become dazed and everything indeed looks like a blur. Many today feel like shouting: “Stop the world. I wanna get off.”

Through the ages and from deep within my heart, a voice says: “You will know them by their fruits.”

Jesus told the crowds, “Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Thus you will know them by their fruits.””
Matthew 7:15-20

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Being Proactive

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Life is constant change. From the moment I was born to the day I will die, I am always being transformed into something different and hopefully for the better. I can choose what changes I want to see in my life and be proactive. Or, I can simply let things happen around me and be reactive. Being proactive is a struggle; but through it, I can continue God’s work of creation in me. I create my own future. Being reactive is easy; but it sooner gives way to frustrations. I wallow in mediocrity and regrets of the past.

What makes life truly wonderful is we have others to live it with. I do not make the journey alone. By being proactive, I choose to live by the golden rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” I want to be joyful as I go through life; therefore, I will give joy to others. I want a hand to hold or a shoulder to rest on when the going gets rough; therefore, I will offer my hands and my shoulders to anyone going through difficult times. There are times I would need the help of others to accomplish some of my cherished dreams; therefore, I shall also be generous in extending help to friends and family and even complete strangers who are in need of help.

Jesus said to the crowds, “Do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:12-14

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Presence and Prayer

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Spirit Moments

During the early days of space exploration, I came across this story (probably apocryphal) of two astronauts and their experience of space travel. The first astronaut, looking out of his space capsule into space, said: “I traveled into the heavens and I did not see God there.” The second astronaut, looking at the same scene, exclaimed: “I felt God’s presence at I gazed at both the earth and the moon and I imagined the universe as God was calling it out into existence.”

In his time, God says the word and it is. He said “Let there be light.” And there was light. Man sees the light and marvels at the brightness and searches for the word to capture the experience. For me, this process looks like the natural order of things. God says the word and the word takes form and substance, takes on flesh and reality. Man sees the form and substance and searches for the word or words to name that flesh and reality. This is the creative process.

Man marvels at life, strings his words together and writes stories that survive over time to be recognized as great literature. But even the greatest literature cannot quite fully capture the richness and beauty of the story of God’s creation. Man is awed by all the colors in nature and tries to capture all that beauty and truth in paintings or photographs that in time are preserved as works of art. But not even Michelangelo or Ansel Adams could ever truly capture the ineffable beauty there is the world or in the human form and faces. Man hears all the marvelous sounds in nature from the rush of the winds to the chirping of the birds to the beat of the waves to the rhythm of rain and mimics the sounds and rhythm to create great music. But now even the greatest symphony can rival the hymn that the whole universe is singing to its Creator.

This sensitivity to the Word and to its Origin, the Creator, is something I treasure and struggle to cultivate in me. I hear the sounds and I see the colors. I feel the emotions and I sense the inherent meaning in all that there is. And I know deep in my heart that there is a Presence and a Reason that keeps me in his all-embracing love. I meet him as a Person every morning when I pray.

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
Luke 1:57-66

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The Super Moon, My Special Birthday Gift

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Image

Last night, I went out to take this photo of the ‘Super Moon’. Dark. Somber. Brooding. Kind of melancholic with only the outlines of the landscape visible. This Super Moon is closer to us by some 50,000 miles than when it is farthest from the earth. I have always been a moon-child. My emotions often rise and fall with the waxing and waning of the moon. From where we are on earth, the moon may seem a constant presence in out night sky. But from outer space, it gyrates wildly as it revolves around the earth, much like the ebb and flow of the tides that it moves on earth.

I love the moon with its soft glow. When night comes and the cool air blows, the mellow light of the moon gives comfort from the heat of the noon day sun. Embraced by the darkness of the night, the moon gives me an assurance that even in the darkest night, there will always be the moon and the stars to give me light. When I think of life and all its energy, I think of the sun. When I think of love and feel romantic, I think of the moon.

The sun is not there just by chance. Nor did I just sprout out of the earth spontaneously. The moon tells me that love is the reason I am here. As I celebrate another birthday, I am coming to realize that love is the driving principle of the universe and all of human interactions. This realization has taken all of my lifetime to become from head-knowledge to heart-knowledge. And it has been an exciting journey of discovery. One lifetime is not enough to learn all there is to learn everything about love, to experience all there is to experience in love and service to others, to love everything and everyone there is to love. That is why life cannot end in death. For no matter what kind of life we may have here on earth, there will still be a lot of unfinished business among us and between us and our Creator that we will need eternity to see these through.

And when I finally come face to face with God and he asks me: “Who do you say that I am?” I will answer: “You are my Creator who placed a piece of yourself in my heart and called it love; so that I will always seek you and not find rest until that part of you that you put in me shall be reunited with its Source.”

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.’
Luke 9:18-24

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When I’m Sixty-four

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Spirit Moments

I am marking another milestone and passing through another threshold tomorrow. Now, I can really sing one of my favorite Beatles song: “When I’m sixty four!” I feel that I am coming full circle. I am coming back to where I started. I have gone out exploring and what wonderful and unbelievable explorations I have been through. And at the end of it all, I find myself where I started and know the place for the first time. It seems like I am learning a lot more in my old age than I did when I was young. And I thought I was a fast and deep learner then.

I came into the world with nothing, not even clothes on my back. In my 64 years, I have acquired and accumulated many things. Some I treasure; many I can do without; there is some trash and garbage; there is a lot of excess baggage. As I get ready to move on to the next level, I have kept my needs few and simple. Can I make do with just one half of what I have today? Yes, I can. Can I cut it down to one third and still be happy and contented? Yes, I can. How low can I go in discarding all the accretions and accumulations of the years and still be happy and fulfilled? This is actually fun.

I came into my nuclear family of origin, the first of four children. Over the years, the circle of people I knew greatly expanded. I have met thousands of people at work, in the classroom, in rallies and conferences. There have been hundreds I really grew attached to. Some have truly touched my life and changed me for the better just as there have been some whom I have helped change and become better persons. Now, many of these people are gone. Many were gone all  of a sudden. Others just simply drifted away. Still others are no longer around but I still keep their memories in my heart. Now, it is pretty much back to my nuclear family of choice. It is a bit bigger than my family of origin but it is still a lot smaller than when I had hundreds of phone number memorized or even more birthdates remembered and celebrated or even more people to meet, greet, please, lead and interact with. Today, there is greater joy in my conversations with Jane and Jonathan than in my meetings with important people in the past. The important people I dealt with in the past valued and listened to my words and often acted upon them. Jane and Jonathan are always questioning what I tell them and have to check it out first with Mommy or Daddy. Yet, the important people and I knew that our relationship could end anytime and we could very well end up at opposite ends of a proposition. Jane and Jonathan know that I will always be there for them to drive them to school, to cook for them, to play their interminable games and to sing their silly songs. I will always be present for them as they are for me.

Sixty four years of life: many happy times and some sad moments, many thrills and victories with some losses and defeats, much laughter sometimes so hard that it brought on tears, some tearful moments that somehow always gave birth to deeper joys. Through it all, I have tried to keep God present and be aware of his presence. And in some mysterious and wonderful ways, he has made it worth the while. I have had a life way beyond my expectations that I am always thrilled by the thought that the best is yet to come, that he has saved the best for last.

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6: 24-34

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Where My Heart Is

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Spirit Moments

I was watching a video the other day on how to live a good life by managing one’s finances very well. The speaker counseled viewers to live within their means. That sounded like a sound advice. What he said next floored me: “Do not buy what you cannot afford.” At first glance, that too is a sound advice. But if one were to work that statement to its logical conclusion, it would mean I can buy anything I can afford. What is wrong with that? That is the pernicious reasoning behind all the crass consumerism of today. I can afford to but several cars, say 10. Therefore, I buy them? And since I have 10 swanky and sleek cars, therefore I need a proper garage for them and have it air conditioned?  And if I have an air conditioned garage, imagine how my house would look like. I’d have a palatial mansion with bathrooms that have gold trimmings? Far-fetched? Hardly, for I have read of all these things in the news. One only has to look at the lifestyles of the rich and famous to see examples of conspicuous consumption and the ostentatious display of luxury and wealth.

It is not only the rich and famous who are enslaved by this pernicious philosophy of “I can afford it therefore I am entitled to it.” I have seen people who could barely life keep body and soul together but who would still manage to own a cell phone; or those who in spite of their meager resources would still insist on brand name clothes; or those who would spend their hard earned money on vices rather than spending it for the education of their children. Material possessions enslave and they can enslave anyone, whether rich or poor, young or old, men or women, even the wise and the otherwise.

I am impressed by people who look at their possessions with detachment and there are many of them too that I know. They are fully liberated, able to say: “I could lose it all tomorrow and never mind at all.” They easily part with their wealth to give it away to others or share it with generosity. And I have encountered such people among the rich and the poor, among the old and the young, among men and women, among the wise and the otherwise. These people have decided that their treasure will not be measured by the amount of things they possessed. They have stored their treasures in the people they have helped, they have loved, they have meaningful relationships with. And that is where their heart is.

I too succumb to the trappings and blandishment of wealth, luxury and a life of ease. I know too that path is the wrong path. For that easy road often leads to perdition. I have decided that my treasures will be the people the Lord sends into my life to love and to serve. And I will be generous in loving and serving them.

Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-23

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Our Father

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Spirit Moments

I love praying the Lord’s Prayer. Biblical scholars agree that the ‘Our Father’ are the very words (ipsissima verba) of Jesus himself. They reflect the mind and heart of Christ. I get to see a glimpse of the person that Jesus Christ is. And what do i see?

I see the one-ness of all life and creation. Everything that is alive and everything that exists come from one source – the Lord and the Giver of Life. Everything in heaven and on earth has been willed by him into existence. By His Word, we were designed, done and delivered into life. And yet this creative force is not some inanimate principle that operates automatically. This force is a person that beats and exists for love. The very act of creation is an expression of that love. This person cares for each and everyone of us. He is not some distant power not really caring for us. But someone who cares deeply and infinitely for us moment by moment. In fact, he is very much like . . . . our Father.

This oneness of the cosmos and the interconnectedness of this grand creation that is the universe also happen in my daily ordinary existence. I rely on the fruits of the earth for my daily bread. These have been designed, done and delivered by the many  people who make it possible for me to have food on my table. I do my share in sustaining this life we share in anyway I can. And the others I share this earth with, we live together, we laugh and we love one another. There are times we fight and have disagreements. I pray for forgiveness as I am ready to give it to those who have offended me. For always, there are temptations and there is the evil one who would frustrate the divine will for us to love one another.

I image all these words and all the thoughts coming from Christ and I am awed by the gentle greatness and indeed the divinity of his person, summing up in these few words the awesome adventure we all share that we call life, existence, creation.

The Lord’s Prayer has always been my favorite prayer. I try to pray it at least once a day. From now on, I will pray it as often as I can. When sleep is hard to come by, I will recite it instead of counting sheep. When I am angry, I will pray it instead of counting up to 10. When caught in traffic, I will say it instead of automatically reaching for my cell phone as I often do.When I am happy I will pray it in gratitude. When I am sad, I will pray it for strength and comfort.

Jesus said, “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:7-15

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My Life Is a Garden

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Spirit Moments

I have had my moments when I thought I could and tried to save the world; or at least change it in a major kind of way; or at the very least make a big contribution that would be the critical difference. Now in my old age, I know how quixotic my dreams had been. The only thing I could really change is myself.

I dreamt of being wealthy to be able to help all the poor and the needy I come across. Now, I realize that there is greater generosity in anonymous giving and in giving to those who could never pay me back.

I have tried to help bring people to God through massive and public spectacles to experience a tremendous outpouring of Faith. I still enjoy going to Mass and big religious gatherings. But I need moments of silent and private moments for me to feel more intensely God’s presence in my life.

I had tried to fast on days of fasting without really giving it much thought, often making sure others around me knew I was fasting. These days fasting for me means asking “What are the things I can do without. And I am pleasantly surprised that when I really make an effort there are many things I can do without?”. I use up less of almost everything I have needed before. Now, there is more available for others that I can give away. There is more I can pray in gratitude for.

I have fallen in love with gardening of late. I love how plants grow in silence and unnoticed, taking up only what they need from the soil and the air, nothing more. And then, in a very unobtrusive way, they one day bloom with with beautiful flowers. I will be a plant and the Lord will be my gardener in the garden that is my life.

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father in secret.
When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret.
Matthew 6: 1-6,16-18

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Easy Answers Are Often the Wrong Answers

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Though people often take the path of least resistance and would rather take it nice and easy, our natural state is not one of rest and comfort but one of movement and struggle. Sure, I need periodic moments of rest but movement and activity are the sure signs I am still alive. Medicines, diet and just plain rest (as in doing nothing) do not help me control my hypertension. I need my regular physical exercises to maintain my blood pressure at 120/80.

And so it is too with life’s questions and challenges. The easy and obvious answers are often the wrong answers. So many wonderful people love me. I love those who love me, right? Christ says: “Not quite. You should also love your enemies. Love others as much as you love yourself.” Really? For every action, there is always an opposite and equal reaction. So, if somehow hits me; I hit back, right? Don’t get mad, get even. Christ says: “Forgive those who hurt you or do you harm.” Really? Today, most everyone is looking out after themselves, enjoying good times and chilling out, with so many choices for leisure, pleasure and entertainment. Christ, almost sounding like a spoilsport, says: “Take up your cross daily. Be meek and humble of heart. Sell what you have and give to the poor.” Really?

Christ has often been contrarian and his teachings counter-cultural. That got him into trouble with the authorities and many of his followers too. He has inspired many people down the ages and in many places, all having worked to make this earth a better place to live in. I have tried all these years to be his follower. Some times I enjoy some measure of success. Often, I struggle for it is not the easy way. But I would not have it any other way.

Jesus said to the disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48

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Generosity is the Hallmark of Love

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Spirit Moments

I grew up in an environment and around people who took parenting seriously. I know of fathers, who would slave it out, sometimes in boring jobs or back-braking work, to be able to provide for their family. I know of mothers who would make unbelievable sacrifices like staying up all night for a sick child or giving up personal comforts for the sake of their children. Such boundless generosity is the hallmark of unconditional love. For giving without love is very difficult; but with love, giving is always a joy.

For many, Christ’s call to give more than what is asked for is a stumbling block. For who would want to turn the other cheek when one already feels so insulted and offended have been struck on the right cheek? Or, who would give even his cloak if he has already given his coat, specially in a world grown cold through selfishness and indifference? But then, don’t many companies today teach their employees about going the extra mile to delight their customers? There are more and more people doing serious philanthropy and there are banks willing to lend even to credit unworthy but needy borrowers.

A generous spirit will solve many of the world’s ills. Such a spirit is born and nurtured only in an environment of love. I will always choose to be a loving person so that I can give without counting the cost.

Jesus said to the crowds, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”
Matthew 5:38-42

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