Spread joy

Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth, which we remember in today's feast of the Visitation, shows a great heart that is able to see the needs of others even if one also has its own needs and concerns.
Both women are "graced" by God: Mary, a virgin with a child in her womb; Elizabeth, a woman past the prime of her life now awaiting her first child.
Both women suddenly finding themselves at unexpected and uncharted situations.
I like this picture of the Visitation because it shows the unique gift that each one shares with the other: JOY. The cause of this joy is Jesus, the one who unites these two different women into an experience of communion.
When we welcome Mary into our life, she doesn't come alone. She always brings with her Jesus, the cause of our joy.

First witnesses to the resurrection

Why women? Why were women the first witnesses to the empty tomb? Why were women the first to receive the news that Jesus has risen?
Why women? Why was Mary Magdalene the first to talk to the Risen Christ?

Women have been much maligned in history as the "cause of the fall", of men, of families, of governments, of civilizations, even of the entire human race.
Today is a special day for us women. We are vindicated.
But this post is not about women's vindication.
This post is about recovering a very special gift that we, women, have, which we often take for granted. And of course, it is not a gift that is reserved to women alone, though we have a special openness to it.
And what is that? We are not afraid to look at pain, at suffering, at death in the face, and to feel its intensity to our very bones. Because of this, we are more attentive to the signs of life and of hope, no matter how faint or small they may be.
Easter is the feast of new life. It is not a life that comes from zero; nay, it is "life that has overcome death".
Easter is a promise, a sign, and a certainty, that "if we die with Christ, we shall also rise with him". If we go deep into the mystery of brokenness, suffering, and death, then we will be ready to rise again when we hear Jesus' voice calling us by name as He did more than two thousand years ago, "Mary".

Look to Jesus

The death of Jesus shows us His complete solidarity with the human race. He didn't only take on our humanity; nay, he took it to the extreme, sharing the lot reserved only to the worst criminals - death on a cross.
Contemplating Jesus on the cross makes me realize how no one, absolutely no one, is excluded from God's mercy.
By Jesus' wounds we are healed, healed of shame, of despair, of meaninglessness.
Look up to Jesus, and in that disfigured man on the cross, see your Savior.

Who do I invite to my table?

Who do I invite to my table?
When I invite the poor, those who are different from me, those farthest in my heart, it means that I exclude no one.
This is the essence of the Eucharist: to partake in the love that knows no bounds.
At the Last Supper, Jesus showed the extent of His love. He came to serve, not to be served. He gives us an example that we, His followers, ought to learn from.
When we choose to give without expecting anything in return, or choose to serve those who cannot pay us back, we can truly call ourselves Christians.

Don't be judgmental

"Don't be judgmental" is more difficult than "don't judge".
More than the act of judging, it's the attitude of being judgmental that causes a breach between us and God, between us and others.
More than just refraining from judgment, it means to cultivate a heart that recognizes the truth that all of us are pilgrims on a journey. There are ups and downs. The important thing is to continue the journey.
More than the negative "don't", it is an invitation to believe that we're all in this together. When one is left behind, all of us suffer.

True love of self

Unhealthy love of self is fatal. A person who only focuses on himself is on a road to self-destruction. It is in the human person's very identity to long for communion with others, and this desire for communion helps us to rein in our never-ending desire for self-fulfillment, addressing it in a healthier direction.

Born to be free

"It was for liberty that Christ freed us."
To live by the Spirit is to live in freedom, and this freedom is always projected to something higher, to something noble: the true, the good, the beautiful.
The journey to freedom is never easy because it requires us to strip ourselves of each and every security we have. True freedom is not some haughty or arrogant independence. It is rather based on the awareness that I come from God and I am going back to God; everything in between is passing.