The Greatest Commandment

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Moses, speaking on behalf of Yahweh, gave his people the Ten Commandments. Later on, these commandments were expanded in the more than 600 laws in the Torah. And Jesus simplified them all into one word: Love.

I read the others day that there are three things that drive people to change: their dreams, love and suffering. My dreams are the reason I get up in the morning, not why I sleep at night. They are the things I love to do and the people in my life that I love. Love is such a simple word but hard to live by. It will bring suffering with it but love is perfected in that suffering.

God loves me that is why I am here. I am from God and there is a bit of him in everyone just as I realize that there is a lot of Ima (Happy birthday, Ima) and Tatang in me. There are times I try to seek God outside of me: in my activities, in my relationships, in my dreams. But I soon realize that god is already dwelling in the deepest parts of me. I only need to stay calm and be silent to realize his presence. In prayer.

“Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-34

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Discipleship is a Choice

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Spirit Moments

I am alive and life life is such a wonderful, unmerited gift. I have been endowed with reason to understand and make sense out of this life I have been gifted with. I have also been endowed with emotions as to help me know those things too complicated for my reason to comprehend. I have been endowed with a will as well to help me make my choices. Reason helps me discover my options and determine which one is best for me. My emotions drives me towards what I know in my deepest being to be the truth, the good and the beautiful in my life. And with my will, I make the decision which way to go.

That is the way things are supposed to work. But things are often not that simple. My reason can sometimes come up with false or wrong choices. And I go astray. Or, sometimes my reason comes up with the right and correct options but my emotions lead me where I should not be going. There are times my options are so conflicted that deciding becomes very difficult; in fact, so difficult that I would wish I did not have the freedom to choose and just go by my primitive instincts as most of nature does. When I can’t make up my mind, I need someone to help me.

I need someone to show me the way, where to go so that I can realize the promise and potentials out of my life. I need someone to show me the truth, for everyday I am bombarded with so much information I often have to struggle to know which is the truth and what are the lies. I need someone to show me life, for sometimes I do make choices that are destructive and harmful to myself and others.

Jesus said he is the Way , the Truth and the Life. But he does not want me to follow him blindly. He wants me to use my reason and emotions to know him more clearly and then use my will to decide to follow him more nearly and love him more dearly.

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
Luke 11:14-23

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Dos and Don’ts

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Spirit Moments

The law and its implementing rules are often expressed in terms of Don’ts and as a list of prohibitions. When Christ came to fulfill the law, he turned all these Don’ts in to Do’s and changed the prohibitions into affirmative actions.

Thus, “Thou shalt not kill” became healing the sick and the dying, healing broken relationships, bringing people together in community. “Thou shalt not steal” became sharing what I have with the needy, giving food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” became welcoming the stranger and sheltering the homeless without any ulterior motives, clothing the naked instead of taking advantage of them. “Thou shalt not bear false witness” became witnessing for the truth, glorying in the accomplishments of my neighbor and sharing in the joys of their achievements.

Expressed in this manner, Don’ts are easier to do than Dos. Don’ts are passive and relatively free of risk. Dos are proactive and fraught with risks – the risk of getting hurt, being misinterpreted, and being subject to failure. In the Parable of the Talents, the master praised the servant who actually took the risks and did something with the money entrusted to him. In contrast, the master condemned the servant who did nothing, risked nothing and instead just buried the money for safekeeping.

Fulfilling the law is not avoiding risks nor is it about doing nothing. Fulfilling the law is about taking action and doing my share in building the kingdom of God here on earth. I pray that my observance of the law be expressed more in the things that I do rather than in those that I avoid doing.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.”
Matthew 5: 17-19

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Seventy Times Seven

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Seventy times seven – that is how often we are asked to forgive. In one word, always.

But does love always have to go with forgiveness? If I love someone, I will always find it in my heart to forgive. But do I have to love everyone I forgive? I have been hurt or harmed by many people in my life: at work, by friends, by family, sometimes inadvertently, sometimes maliciously. Most, I have forgiven because I love them and I want them still to be  part of my life. A few, I have forgiven but have sworn not to have anything to do with them ever again in my life. Is that real forgiveness?

I know refusing to forgive enslaves me and allows my anger and bitterness to tie me down. That is why I make it a point to forgive everyone who has offended me; otherwise refusing to do so would only allow the anger and bitterness to fester and cause even more pain. And knowing that I am myself sinful, I am also in need of forgiveness. As much as I can, I say sorry when I have offended someone. But there are times I am not even aware that I have offended someone out of my denseness and insensitivity. 

I pray for magnanimity, generosity and love to forgive all who have offended me. I pray for courage and humility to ask forgiveness of those I have offended.

Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Matthew 18:21-35

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Just Another Ordinary Day?

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Spirit Moments

When I am convinced that I am right, who can convince me that I am wrong? It is very difficult for me to hear what the other person is saying or to see what he is trying to tell me. Even when I am wrong, it is still very painful to hear from others about the wrong I have done or that I have made a mistake. Often these words truly apply to me: “There is no one is so blind as those who would not see nor one so deaf as those who would not hear.”

When Jesus came preaching, he did not teach some sophisticated and complicated philosophy nor lectured on some complex theories. He told people stories. He talked about the everyday life of ordinary people. He talked about the concerns and problems they encounter in the course of any ordinary day. He laughed with them in their joy and happiness and he wept with them when they were in tears. He shared their table and told them his parables often around the dinner table. And the truths he told them were there already right before their eyes. For those who listened with faith and humility in their hearts, his words were liberating and life-changing. For those who thought they knew better or who had anger in the hearts, his words were blasphemy or total rubbish.

I pray that I will ears to hear and eyes to see what the Lord is telling me. I pray for humility and faith to hear and see him in the ordinary events of my everyday life. Just another ordinary day? It is probably the Lord trying to get my attention.

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.
Luke 4:24-30

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Repentance and Self-Knowing

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Spirit Moments

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God’s call to me during the season of Lent is for repentance, to turn away from my sinful ways and bear good fruits in the Lord.  For often I know that what I am doing is displeasing in God’s sight but I do it anyway. Just because Jesus has redeemed me, I think I can do just about anything I wish to do. Just because my God is an all-loving and all-forgiving God, I think I will always receive his mercy and forgiveness. Just as I struggle to find the right path in my life, I also keep on searching for God, often unsure if what I know and understand of him is even correct.

I know my God has loved me first and his love for me is unconditional. But I also know him to be the God of justice and judgement. I know he has given me life and all the good things that come with it, totally unmerited on my part. But I also know that he expects me to bear good fruits and share this goodness with others. I know he desires nothing for me but everlasting joy and happiness but at the same time he asks to carry my cross daily. In his infinite greatness, it is possible for God to be all of these things, often conflicting and contradictory, at the same time. But often my feeble mind is hard put trying to comprehend and understand all of these.

My understanding of God is like a bottle of murky water just stirred up and shaken. The water is brown ans all sorts of debris is floating around. But in the stillness and the silence, the dirt settles down to the bottom. In time, the water clears up. This is prayer in my life. in the stillness and the silence, I let the murkiness in my life settle down to the bottom and let the clarity come forth. Still, I see but a poor reflection of the glory that has been promised me. As St. Paul has written,  “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them-do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’
Luke 13:1-9

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The Other Son

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Spirit Moments

One of the most famous and endearing parables of Jesus is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It speaks of the total, unconditional and totally forgiving love of a father. It gives great comfort to a habitual sinner like me – always in need of forgiveness. There are times though, my thoughts turn to the other brother and I somehow feel the unfairness of it all. There are times when my efforts at being good and doing good do not seem to bear fruit or go unrewarded. Peter, who always speaks his mind out, says it best for me: “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

I guess it is our unredeemed nature that desires love, mercy and forgiveness when we have done wrong but demands justice and retribution when we have been wronged. So, depending on what the weather is like, we desire one or demand the other. But the sun keeps on shining whether the weather is stormy or not. The sun does not depend of the weather to give out its light and energy to all. So does God keep on loving whether we are faithful to him or not. He does not condition his love on whether we love him or not. He himself said “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

And to those who have left everything and followed him, Jesus has promised: “Truly I tell you, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Prayer is where and when I come to understand what these words truly mean.

His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

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Sede Vacante

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Spirit Moments

Sede Vacante(Photo courtesy of Fr. Daniel Huang, SJ)

Yesterday was the last day in office of Pope Benedict XVI. The Chair of Peter is empty. The Church he left behind is roiled in turmoil – beset financial scandals, numerous incidents of sexual abuse, seemingly out of touch and dense to the signs of the times.

Christ has challenged his followers to be the salt of the earth and give ‘flavor’ to life. He once asked: “If the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” In many instances, the Church has become too salty. Salt is also a preservative and the Church today is a great force for preservation. It has become such a bastion of conservatism it is difficult to make real and meaningful changes. This situation is such a far cry from the Christ I read in the Gospels, who loved to turn things on their head.

Christ also instructed his disciples to be the light of the world, shining enlightenment to a world groping in darkness. In many places today, the light of the Church has burst out into flames with some church leaders invoking fire and brimstone upon those who oppose the Church. This is the reason why many today are turning away because they find it difficult to see in the Church the Christ who has said: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Christ prayed that his disciples be like the leaven of the world. But in many places and times, the leaven has become the dough. Some Catholic countries indeed today look like unleavened breads, compared to the fluffy and fulsome breads of rich and progressive secular societies. The Church used to be at the vanguard of progress. Today, it is looked upon as an obstacle to development. Yet, Christ’s promise to his followers was: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

And yet, I see ferment everywhere I go. I am inspired by the many dedicated men and women in various Christian communities. I am specially thrilled by the many young people who are finding their way again to the Church. I see what we are going through as another desert experience for the People of God.

I pray for the Church I love so much and to which I have devoted time, talent and treasure. I pray for a humble and listening church, as Cardinal Tagle has challenged the Church to be, silently and anonymously being salt and leaven to a hungry and aching world. I pray for a caring and loving Church, sharing the warmth and glow of God’s Word with a bewildered world.  I pray that we all stay steadfast in our faith and dedication to the Church. I pray that God will send the Shepherd we need to bring us out of the wilderness into the new promised land.

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”
Matthew 21, 33-43 & 45-46

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I am More Than Just A Body

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Spirit Moments

I take great pleasure in enjoying beautiful photos and paintings. Sure, there are those who would take photos or do paintings in order to make a fortune. But there are a lot more who do so just to capture the perfect moment, to make one fleeting instance last forever, indeed to catch a glimpse of eternity.

I love listening to music to soothe my soul and relive memories. Sure, there are those who would compose music to come up with that hit that will bring them fame and fortune. But there are a lot more who make music simply to capture the melody that lifts their heart and soul, to echo the tune that the rest of creation is singing, indeed to catch the songs that the heavenly choirs are singing.

I love reading poetry and good literature. Sure, there are those who would write with an eye to making the bestseller list that will bring them millions in adoring fans and even more millions in book revenues. But there are a lot more who love to string words together just to express what they are feeling deep inside, to tell the moving tale of love or betrayal among people, indeed to write but just a piece of the great eternal love story.

Art is not about money like business is. It is about giving expression to what is deeply and truly human within us. Business is not about what is deeply and truly human within us. It is about functionality, productivity and return on investment. Business ties us, our bodies, to the ground. The arts lift us, our spirits, up to the skies. I have my body to exist in the world. But I am more than just a body.

The rich man said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house — for I have five brothers — that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”
Luke 16:19-31

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Discipleship and Discipline

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Spirit Moments

God’s boundless love is so prodigious and abundant I sometimes take it for granted.  It is totally unmerited I often think there is nothing I need to do to receive it. But I realize that I cannot come before the Lord with a sieve. Otherwise, the graces and blessings that God showers upon me will just fall through the holes, not doing me any good. Following Jesus is not easy. Not because he wants to give me a difficult time; but because I have to prepare myself to be worthy to be his disciple. I have to fill the holes in my life so that I can catch the graces God sends my way. I need discipline in my spiritual life. I need to apply the 10,000 hour rule to my spiritual life. I must make time and space for God to come into my life.

I remember something I read and learned from Henri Nouwen. He writes that discipleship and discipline go together. Discipleship without discipline is like running a marathon without practicing. Doing things that way, I might not be able to finish the race or even suffer serious injury. On the other hand, discipline without discipleship is like practicing for a marathon but never participating. I have to let God come into my life to change and transform me.

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:17-28

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