Proclaim!

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
~ Luke 8:1

I read the papers or watch the news and I often end up dejected or frustrated. There simply is too much hatred and violence in the world today. Too much greed and selfishness. Too many exclusions and divisions. There is too much insecurity and fear. Too much worry and bitterness.

We have driven away the God of love and given in to hatred and violence. We have forgotten the generous God who made us all and have instead been enslaved by greed and selfishness. We have turned away from the God who makes all things beautiful and turned to our petty insecurities and worries.

And yet if we look at the small things very close to us, there is so much to love. There is so much to be thankful for in the small events and happenings of our everyday life. This is the quantum reality of grace. There is grace and beauty in small children being raised with love and generosity by their parents. There is grace and inspiration is two people leaving and forsaking everyone and everything else to live a life of committed love and mutual sharing in marriage. There is grace in a father and a mother making sacrifices to give their children a home that is free of worries, fears and insecurities. There is grace and joy in children playing and growing as they catch the values and warmth of the rearing they get from their parents. As long as we can proclaim these seeds of good news, there is hope for the world.

“Lord, teach us to be generous and let us begin by proclaiming your generosity and love for us.”

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Behold, Your Mother!

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Spirit Moments

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
~ John 19:26

 I see a lot of my father in my temperament and talents. But it is my mother who has been the greater presence and influence in my life. And it gives me great joy and happiness that Ima spent the last years of her life with us in our home. I am very grateful to Anabelle for the love and care that she showered on my own mother in her final years.

A woman’s motherhood starts with great joy as she feels the growing child in her womb. But she also experiences great pain at childbirth. And from there on, every suffering her child bears the mother also feels, maybe with even greater intensity. When the child suffers, it is Mother that he spontaneously calls.

Mary stands at the foot of the cross, her heart totally broken to see her son crucified life a common criminal. The physical pain. The shamefulness of it all. The betrayals and being alone. And down the ages, followers of her son would also turn to her in times of pain and sorrow. Mary has responded in a manner like any mother would. She is always there for her children. History is replete with Marian apparitions from the earliest Christian times to the present. According to tradition, the Apostle Saint James the Greater (brother of Saint John the Evangelist) was sent by Saint Peter to Spain to evangelize the Gentiles of that province. While praying by the banks of the Ebro at Saragossa, the Holy Mother of God bilocated and appeared to the Apostle. She instructed him to build a church there, which he did.

Many songs have been written for and about Mary. Among my favorite Marian hymn is this one:

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
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The Way Of The Cross

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Spirit Moments

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
~ John 3:16

At the deepest level, faith is counter-intuitive. And no one has taught this better to us that Jesus himself.

History is written by victors. And victors are conquering generals, powerful kings and emperors, big business moguls and industrialists. Yet, when Jesus came to save the world, he came as a poor baby born in a manger and grew up to be a carpenter’s son. And yet, he changed the world like no other king or general or rich man.

Famous and important people are remembered by the battles they have won – either in the battle field or in courts and boardrooms. Jesus never went to battle and, on the contrary, his life ended on the cross rather ignominiously. And yet, he has won more followers and disciples who have accomplished more than many famous and important men and women.

The rich, the important and the powerful. They all want to be the first. They all want to be served and kowtowed to. This itinerant preacher would rather be last and he’d rather serve. He preached and practiced love in a world gone mad with hatred, forgiveness in a world driven by revenge, caring and sharing in a world given to greed and selfishness.

“Lord Jesus, show me and teach me your ways which are often in contradiction with the ways of the world.”

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Blindness

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Jesus told his disciples a parable:
“Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?”
~ Luke 6:39

There is so much misrepresentation today by leaders of their followers, by corporations of the clients that bring them business, and even by teachers of their students who have put their trust in them. There are so many lies being propagated that often people can no longer tell what is true and what is false, what is right and what wrong.

And the tragic thing is leaders know the lies but speak them anyway in only to get their way. Corporations purposely disambiguate to seduce people to buy their products or services. Teachers feed their students half-truths or downright disinformation because they are too lazy to check out facts or even to learn the truth. Today, we have so many blind people leading other blind people. And what is even worse is that there is none so blind as those who refuse to see.

“Lord, You are the source of all truth. Remove the scales from our eyes and the hardness of our hearts so that we may see the truth that comes from you.”

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Changes Happen Through The Poor

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

When God decided to send His only begotten Son to take on our humanity, He chose not a princess nor someone from royalty but a poor maiden from a poor remote town to be the mother.

When the Son of God began His proclamation of the Kingdom of God, He chose as His apostles (“those sent”) not generals nor kings nor philosophers nor sages but ordinary and poor fishermen and workers.

Whenever in the history of men revolutionary and radical changes take place, these changes are often driven not by the elite but by the poor and the masses. The elite are often the conservatives who would want to maintain the status quo.

“God our Father we thank you for your great love for us, specially the poor. When in the fullness of time your Son was to take on our humanity, you chose a poor and simple maiden to be His mother. Thank you for the gift that Mary has been in our lives, a perfect model of being obedient to your will.”

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Blessed Are The Poor?

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
~ Luke 6:20

 Is it indeed a blessing to be poor? Many people would rather be rich.
Yet, many of the saddest and loneliest people are among the rich.
And many who are poor lead happy and contented lives.
Someone wrote, “God must love the poor; He made so many of them.”
Christ told His disciples, “The poor you will always have with you.”

God indeed loves the poor. The Anawim Yahweh had a special place in His heart.
Jesus proclaimed them blessed and announced that the Kingdom of God is among them.
And if one listens to Jesus, compassion for the poor indeed makes one a better person.
When one sees poor people, there is that urge and desire to do something for them.
The empathy one feels drives the aspiration and the impulse to make things better.

It is also the poor who are more receptive to the message of Jesus.
It is also the poor who drive change in social structures.
It is the rich who usually want to maintain the status quo.
It is the rich who would sacrifice one man for the sake of the whole nation.
It is this lesson what history teaches us but we never learn.

Lord Jesus, let me not be entranced by the seduction of riches that I become blind and unfeeling of the plight of the poor and oppressed.

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What Do I Ask In Prayer?

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
~ Luke 6:12

I am still thinking of what Mother Teresa said of prayer: “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

Jesus spent a lot of His time in prayer. His favorite time of day to pray was early in the morning. And in this incident reported in today’s Gospel reading, he spent the whole night in prayer. Thinking of what Mother Teresa says about prayer, I cannot imagine Jesus spending the whole night asking things from the Father. Bit I can imagine Him thanking the Father for the gift of His earthly life and just relishing being in His Presence.

We have done nothing to merit or deserve life. It was freely and lovingly given to us by God. And I can spend my whole expressing my gratitude and still not be able to thank God enough for the gift of life. Indeed, just for the gift of life alone, I cannot imagine asking God for anything else but simply stand in His Presence in utter gratitude. I cannot imagine asking for more things in life since He gave me everything I needed when He gave me life. I cannot imagine asking God to make other people do things for me; instead I should pray for God to show me what I can do to make the live of other people happier and fuller. I cannot imagine asking God to make certain things happen that would make me happier; instead I pray that God would teach me to see His Presence in the daily unfolding of events in my life.

I pray the Suscipe of St. Ignatius but in Pilipino to truly feel the great gifts og God in my life and why and how that is reason enough to spend the rest of my life in thanksgiving to the Lord.

Kunin mo, o Diyos at tanggapin mo.
Ang aking kalayaan, ang aking kalooban,
ang isip at gunita ko, lahat ng hawak ko,
lahat ng loob ko, lahay ay aking alay sayo.
Mula sayo ang lahat ng ito,
muli kong handog sa iyo. 
Patnubayan mo’t paghariang lahat
ayon sa kalooban mo.
Mag utos ka, Panginoon ko.
Dagling tatalima ako.
Ipagkaloob mo lang ang pag ibig mo
at lahat ay tatalikdan ko.

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Life Is A Precious Gift

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Then Jesus said to them,
“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
~ Luke 6:9

Life is such a precious gift; its protection and preservation should supersede all other laws and principles. It is not unlawful for a starving person to take food to keep alive. It is not unlawful to put one’s life at risk in order to save or protect the lives of others. Christ got Himself into trouble often for doing good or saving a life even on the Sabbath.

If life is of such inestimable value,  why do people is there so much wanton destruction of this precious gift? Thousands are killed in the Philippines because of the war being waged by the President against drugs and drug-dealers. Thousands in the Middle East are driven off their homes and even outrightly murdered because of their faith.  Millions of babies are killed through abortion in the the US every year, just because these babies are unwanted, voiceless, and defenseless.

And then, there are the burning questions of the day: Is it lawful to abort unborn and unwanted new lives just because there are too many of us already? Is it justifiable to wage war against another nation because they are a threat to our own security? Is it acceptable to kill persons who a danger to themselves or to others in society?  Is it just to terminate a life that is wracked by an incurable illness or even simply because of old age?

“Lord, You are the Giver and Source of Life. Bless us with your grace so that we will value the sanctity of your gift of life and do everything we can to preserve, protect and propagate this precious gift.”

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The Cost Of Discipleship

Posted on September 4, 2016 by Spirit Moments

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“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?”
~ Luke 14:27-28

Mother Teresa is officially proclaimed a saint today. Like in the beginning, good persons like her were already venerated as saints when the official Church would formally proclaim their sainthood. Mother Teresa once said: “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

Life is a great gift. No one has ever asked to be born. But just to be here and alive defies all reason and possible explanation. I see the beauty around me and I marvel that I am part of that beauty. I experience all the goodness of the people around me and I am amazed to be part of all that goodness. There is truth in the reality of my life and I know deep in my heart that I am but a shred of that infinite Truth that made me possible.

I cannot ask of anything more but be grateful of this life I have been blessed with. Like Mother Teresa, I just put myself in the hands of God, deep in gratitude before His Presence that I can share in the beauty, the goodness and the truth that can only come from Him. I dare not ask for anything more.

Prayer is the awareness of this great blessing of life. Without this awareness, I merely exist. One of the many creatures of God. But when I become aware of God’s presence and action in my life, I sign on to life. I see God’s hand in the unfolding of my life: from nothingness to life, from life in the womb to a life on my own, from childhood to adulthood, from adulthood to the transitioning to eternal life. I am not only a being. I am more a becoming.

This becoming comes in stages. I see more and more of beauty and goodness and truth. But as I journey through life, I also must go through some pain and difficulties to get out of the depths and the valleys. I must endure sufferings and hurdle obstacle to reach the peaks and the mountains. When I signed on for life, I signed on not only for the beauty and the goodness and the truth, I declared myself also ready for the ugliness and the evil and the lies along the way.

Prayer is my time to realize that beauty is stronger than ugliness, goodness is stronger that evil and that truth will overcome lies and deception. When I say I am a disciple to Christ, I am also saying that I am willing and able to carry my own cross. I know the cost of discipleship and Christ has put in the downpayment for me.

“Lord, thank you for the gift of life. I am awed by the beauty, the goodness and the truth you have created for me. I am aware of the cost of following you. With you by my side, may I have the courage and the strength to carry my cross daily.”

 

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Lord Of The Sabbath

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
~ Luke 6:5

The Lord of the Sabbath is also the Lord of Creation.

I wake up every morning to a new. refreshed and recreated world. As I sit in prayer, the sun slowly rises over the horizon, gently at dawn till it reaches its scorching heights at noon. The birds sing perched in the trees outside my room. The mountains stand in guard over the valley, where rivers and streams water the fertile land to make this place the valley of the heart’s delight. Nothing and no one seem to have a particular reason to be where they are. And yet together, they make the place one awesome sight. There is so much beauty all around.

Such is nature. It is perfect. Everything looks so random and yet together, there is simply spectacular beauty. Everything falls into place and it all makes sense. Nature is prodigal and yet never random. It has been here for billions of years and yet it gets renewed everyday. There is constant death and destruction and yet everything is constantly re-created. Nothing ever goes to waste. The debris and detritus of the old become the seeds and origin of the new.

Like a cosmic kaleidoscope, everything in our world gets turned upside down regularly. But with every turn, new shapes emerge; new combinations are formed; new colors burst forth. The beauty we see must be infinite for it never ends. The goodness of the earth keeps on giving even when it has to end in destruction in the giving. The truth simply is irrefutable that there is a Lord of Creation who lords it over what we see. In response, I can only treat everything and everyone with love and care, with kindness and gentleness.

“Lord, I praise you and I thank you
for the beauty of your creation for we see a glimpse of your infinite beauty. 
for the goodness that your creation brings us and may we share in your infinite goodness.
for the truth that you teach us through your creation, the truth the lives in our hearts.
May we always respond to your love and care with our own loving and caring, feeble and frail it may be.”

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