Life, Like Love, Never Dies

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Jesus said to them,
“The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die, for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God.”
~ Luke 20:35-36

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The other week, we watched the Warriors opening game of the NBA season versus the Spurs. They lost in a blowout. But midway the fourth quarter, many of the seats in the Oracle Arena were already empty. The outcome was a foregone conclusion – the Warriors would lose and they would lose terribly. We waited till the bitter end.

Great movies these days have fantastic endings you want to stay till the very end. And these parts usually usually come either as the credits are rolling or right after the credits. It is either a surprise ending, an unexpected final twist, a reprise of all the bloopers making the movie. It is what many fans stay on for and expect of truly enjoyable movies these days.

I sometimes feel like that about life. Sometimes, I feel that I have seen everything and know the rest of the story and I just want to move on to the next level. Okay this is life. I got it. What next? Let me get on to the after-life.

Sometimes, I feel there is still one last exciting scene just right around the bend, or an unexpected development that ties up all what has gone before, or the answer to all the questions I have been asking all my life. These thoughts can really thrill me and I want to stay till the very end, sometimes not wanting the story to end.

I realize that I can no longer influence people or events like I used to. But I love staying around. Even if it is just to run an errand for a son, take pictures of a daughter, scoop some ice cream for a grandson, watch a granddaughter dance, visit an ailing cousin, have lunch with some friends.

Life is not spent in only in boardrooms or in offices. It is often spent running around, sometimes aimlessly, with and around loved ones. Life actually is simple. We just love to complicate it.

Here is my simple prayer for today:

Take and receive, O Lord, my liberty
Take all my will, my mind, my memory
All things I hold and all I own are Thine
Thine was the gift, to Thee I all resign.
Do Thou direct and govern all and sway
Do what Thou wilt, command, and I obey
Only Thy grace, Thy love on me bestow
These make me rich, all else will I forego. 

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Integrity

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.”
~ Luke 16:10

I’ve been told and I believe that integrity is doing what is right even when there is no one looking. It is also not doing the wrong thing even if no one is watching or will even know. Integrity is wholeness. I am either a person of integrity or I am not. I cannot be a 90% or 95% person of integrity.

In the end, I am my own true judge whether I have been a person of integrity. That is why God will ask me an accounting of my stewardship. Right now, I am failing and have a lot of work to do.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands. 

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Accounting And Salvation

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.”
~ Luke 16:2

One really comforting thought for is is that of a loving God, who created me out of nothing and expecting nothing in return but my love. And when I do wrong or fall short of expectations, I think of Him as the infinitely merciful and all-forgiving Lord, who came to save from my sins and failings.

But there is a dynamic I have learned about the spiritual life that balances this compassionate and potentially careless view of God. I have been blessed with the gift of life and loved immensely by God. But of everything else in my life, I am but His steward. And there will be a time of reckoning when I will be asked to give a full account of my stewardship. Even the talents I have, I will be asked what I have done with them. Because I was made in the image and likeness of a loving God, I cannot but be an echo and a mirror of that reality. My life was given to me to be spent not for myself but in love and service of others. I will be judged not by what I have and have received but by what I do and have done with what I have received and by what I give away and share with others.

And here is the clincher: the Lord will remember more the good things I have done that those where I have missed and He will show me how and where I failed but will take these upon Himself for me.

This is my prayer to thee, my lord – strike, strike at the root of penury in my heart.
Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows.
Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service.
Give me the strength never to disown the poor or bend my knees before insolent might.
Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifles.
And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love.
~ Rabindranath Tagore
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God Does Not Make Garbage

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.”
~ Luke 15:7

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God does not make garbage. Man does.

Out of the dying embers of exploding stars, God has fashioned out planets. Out of the dust in the cooling down planets, He made nature – trees, plants, living things and animals. And when everything was ready, He fashioned man from out of the dust. Nothing wasted. Nothing out of place. Everything that was needed was there. There was abundance and yet nothing was in excess nor extra. Thus works our awesome God.

Man generates garbage. There is humongous garbage patch in the middle of the Pacific that is 7 million tons heavy, twice the size of Texas and up to 9 feet deep. It is there because we are generating too much garbage to fit into our dumping grounds on land. Whatever we make eventually breaks down or become obsolete, and we throw these away. For our convenience, we have made everything ‘instant’ and disposable. We end up creating even more garbage.

God does not throw away things. Instead, He fixes things. He makes things better. And when people are broken. He does not throw them away. He makes them whole again. Better. Stronger. And more beautiful. God does not create disposable things. Whatever He creates, He values for all eternity. He said let there be light and the stars started exploding all over. He made man in His image and likeness and men will live forever with death as but a portal to come o the fullness of God’s glory.

Man’s value is as infinite as his source. Heaven rejoices when one life is saved. Heaven is glad when but one sinner repents and returns.

O Lord, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

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All Hallows Triduum

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.”
~ John 6:39

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In our Christian tradition the past three days are actually a triduum, celebrating the Communion of Saints that we profess in the Creed. It is composed of Hallow Evening (Halloween), Hallows (Saints) Day, All Souls Day. Halloween is for those of us still here on earth, opening ourselves to remembering and commemorating those who have gone ahead of us. All Saints Day is remembering and celebrating those of us who are now enjoying the joys of heaven. All Souls Day is for remembering those of us who are still making up for earthly shortcomings in Purgatory. We all belong to the Communion of Saints through our Baptism.

In our old hometown in Pampanga, these days are as hallowed as Christmas itself, sometimes even more so. You can be excused for not coming home for Christmas but there is no excuse possible for not coming home for daun, which literally means offering. We remember our dead by making an offering of prayers and time. Like Christmas, it is a time for coming home and homecomings, family gatherings and, of course, feasting.

I see this Triduum as a portal in time where the past, the present and the future converge in an eternal now. Our thoughts naturally turn to death. In temperate countries, this is the time of the year when fall is well under way but the snow has not fallen not yet. The harvest has been brought in and people are preparing for the death of winter. It is time to celebrate the harvest but also to prepare for the cold wintry months ahead. This portal in time allows us to pierce the veil that separates our material world with the afterlife. It is a reminder that there is still to our story after and beyond death.

Even as I think of death, I cannot but help also think of heaven. I think of it as a banquet, a celebration, a coming together with people I love and who love me. There is no image more poignant than this:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul. 

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Rejoice And Be Glad!

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Rejoice and be glad!
~ Matthew 5:12

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Today is the Solemnity of All Saints.

Growing up, I thought or imagined saints to be people with long faces, morose-looking and spending endless hours in solitary prayer. Many of the saints I read about were martyrs who suffered and died for their faith. Although I knew it was good to be a saint, it did not look like a happy proposition for me.

I think now that nothing could be farther from the truth. Saints are the happiest people. Jesus told them, “Rejoice and be glad!” If there is anything that would keep people from being happy, Christ was sure to remove the impediment. Those who mourn will be comforted. Those who are hungry and thirsty will have their fill. The blind will see. The lame will walk. Those who are ill will be healed.

Christ’s words to his saints are very reassuring: Come and I will give your rest. My yoke is sweet and my burden light. Do not be afraid. Peace. He had nothing but blessings for those who believed. He promised them the Kingdom. And what a thrill it is. Imagine the Kingdom of God, where there will be no mourning and no tears. It is a feast with loved ones. Imagine a beautiful place with the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, where the lamb lives in harmony with the wolf and the lion feeding with the ox.

To be a saint then is to be happy, knowing that we have been saved and redeemed. To be a saint is to be glad and rejoice for the many gifts and blessings we have received from a loving God. To be a saint is to want to share the goodness and love that God has so bountifully showered on us. All of us are saints for this we have been created. And we have been called.

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The Challenge Of Generosity

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Spirit Moments

When you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
~ Luke 14:13-14

Honestly, I often do good for the wrong reasons. I do good because I expect something in return. So, I choose the people I do good to. Or, I want affirmation and praise for the good that I do. So, I do that which has high visibility or popular to do. Or, I do good just to feel good about myself. So, volunteer for work no one else want to do.

Seriously, I should be doing good for those who cannot repay me. Better yet, do good anonymously. I will begin by getting rid of what I do not really need. And I can take care of one person, not related to me, maybe even unknown to me. Give out on my abundance and not out of my excesses.

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Come And Stay

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Spirit Moments

When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
~ Luke 19:5-6

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Yesterday, I wrote that God’s ways are often counter-intuitive. Today, I read that God is also the God of surprises and the unexpected. Zacchaeus just wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Instead, Jesus surprises him by calling him down from his perch on the tree and coming to dine in his house. With God around, the surprises never quite seem to end.

I am reminded of Rudy V, a very good friend from my days in the seminary. Like Zacchaeus, he is handicapped. He is not short. In fact, he is tall. But he is wheel-chair bound. And the Lord has chosen to come into his house and stay with him. From his wheelchair, Rudy is still able to reach out to friends and family with his kindness and concern. He fills his share of cyber space with positive thoughts and heartwarming posts. He gives encouragement and strength, when he seems to be so deprived of these. God has transformed his handicap into a real blessing for himself and for others. God has stayed at his house, like He did at Zacchaeus’s.

Stay. God’s promise to those who love Him. Yesterday, we attended the 70th birthday of Rai Phil, another good friend. And I thought “stay”is a delightful word for friends and friendship. A friend need not say anything nor do anything nor even give anything. He merely stays. In good times and in bad times. In sadness and in joy. Through laughter and the tears. During praise and during blame. In the doghouse or in the mansion. A friend just stays.

And this God of surprises just keeps on making things more and better, beyond our expectations. He comes to seek out the lost, to magnify the least, and to make first the last. He makes the blind see and the lame walk and the dead to rise again. He redeems our debts. He saves us from our failings. And He shares His life and divinity with us. He brings so much beauty and richness to our lives, we can only sing in praise and gratefulness to Him. With so much gifts and blessings, how can we live life in any other way but happy.

Sing like no one is listening.
Love like you’ve never been hurt.
Dance like nobody’s watching,
and live like it’s heaven on earth.

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Agere Contra

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
~ Luke 14:11

The teachings of Christ have always been counter-intuitive, very contrarian to accepted and popular wisdom:

  • The last shall be first and the first shall be last.
  • Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.
  • Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
  • Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
  • Do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
  • Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

And yet, the wisdom and truth of the words of Jesus have been proven down the ages, in the lives on many holy men and women, in communities that have seriously heeded his call. St. Ignatius advises us, “Agere contra.” Act against. Do the opposite. Salmons have to swim against the current to get to their spawning grounds so that the next generation of salmons can be born. Kites and planes fly against the wind in order to take flight. Ans so must we, in order to soar and become.

There is a time to go with the flow and there is a time to fly against the wind. The time and the manner to discern is what prayer is all about. In prayer, we ask for the enlightenment to know when, for the courage to go against or to go with, and the strength to carry through.

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For Better Decisions, Pray First.

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles.
~ Luke 6:12-13

Jesus always prayed early in the morning to start his day. He prayed whenever he was about to make a big decision. He prayed before he started his public ministry, before he chose the twelve, and before his passion and death.

It is always a good practice to keep calm and quiet, to collect oneself and pray before making any major decision. This makes sense for me, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

It is nearly impossible to make a good rational decision when I am physically challenged. When I am tired, or physically spent or seriously ill, I do not have full possession of my faculties to make decisions, specially major and life-changing ones.

The mind can play tricks on a person when fatigued or harassed.  When I am rushed into a decision, I am likely to overlook some important factors or miss out some important details that would cause me regrets later. Taking time to mull things in my mind help me come to the right decision.

Saint Ignatius wrote about discernment and he taught us two key words: desolation and consolation. He cautions against making decisions while in desolation and encourages us to use the energies we get from consolation to know our deepest desires and make these the basis for our decisions.

Finally, moments of prayerful silence are always helpful to making a good decision. In quiet solitude, I ask God to lead me in my decision, I lift up to Him whatever decision I arrive at, I ask him to bless and support my course of action and help me carry them to fruition.

Direct, O Lord, we beseech you,
all my actions by your holy inspirations,
and carry them on by your gracious assistance,
that every prayer and work of mine 
may begin always from you,
and by you be happily ended.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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