The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is not about "conquering" people for God. Rather, it is about bringing God to people through concrete expressions of love. Just like Jesus did.

The code

Lord, help me to remember "the code" so that I may be able to read your message in the people that I meet and in the events of today.

Psalms

Last Sunday while praying the Lauds I almost choked when we reached the part that says "I was punished, I was punished by the Lord, but not doomed to die" (Psalm 118).
I've never believed that God punishes us or puts us to the test. In fact, I often feel bad when people speak of their problems as God's test.
God is Father.
Perhaps in this day and age this affirmation doesn't mean anything; or worse, it may arouse something negative.
But when I say that God is Father, it means that I believe that God is the giver and sustainer of life. God wants nothing else but that we live to the full His gift of life.
So where does suffering enter? Well, this is how I understand it: Suffering is a "given", as a consequence of our creaturehood, our finite life, our imperfect world. That is why no one is exempt from suffering.
But to get back to Psalm 118...
While reciting it, I just thought of how the author of that Psalm, written thousands of years ago, has adequately expressed something that is mine. I, too, experienced the depth of suffering. I've "kissed dirt". I thought there was no way out. I thought the pain would never end...
But here I am...
Once in a while the thought of how much I've suffered still comes back...
the ache in the heart...
but it's a quiet ache, a reminder to forgive;
a gentle assurance that, indeed, things get better.
The psalmist expressed it so well, yes, God did not let me die. "I shall live and recount his deeds."

Don Riccardo

I consider it a blessing that Don Riccardo is our community chaplain on Sundays. He has a way of communicating that leaves me always fascinated. One time after the Mass I approached him and told him "You know Don Riccardo your homily made me want to love Jesus all the more."
And I believe that he has this effect on many people.
And the beauty of it is that Don Riccardo is a coherent witness to what he communicates. I can call him goodness incarnate.
In his lectures and homilies he always focuses on Jesus, the merciful, the Good shepherd, the one who came to give us life to the full, the friend of the poor and the marginalized. And just looking at him and listening to Don Riccardo, you get to experience what this means.

He was my professor many years ago. One of the things that have struck me most about him was his capacity to see something positive out of any person or situation. And he wasn't doing it in an artificial or forced way. He just has that intuition, that open-mindedness that is able to see something good, despite the fact that it may have been so insignificant or "microscopic" that it has eluded the majority.
Don Riccardo reminded us this morning that we should not get lost in the "what" and the "how" of our mission; rather, we should always ask ourselves the "why" of our mission. And I believe that the why of our mission is always something personal. Of course the Church gives us beautiful and correct statements that express the "why" of our mission. But in the end, what really counts deep in our hearts is our personal experience that answers this "why": Jesus! I experience Him as the meaning of my life in a very deep and existential way. And I want to share it with others so that they, too, may have this wonderful gift: a life full of hope.

Self-acceptance

If you are not comfortable with yourself, how can you expect others to like you?

Joy is within

Do not let the world fool you. Joy is not something you earn. It is not something other people give you. It is not something material things assure you of.
You are not a beggar. Joy is your heritage.
Joy is within you, in your heart.
And that is the trick. We are often more comfortable in exploring the world than in entering the silence and the truth of our heart.

Hoping for the worst?

Yesterday evening I had to give a reminder to our community. I didn't want to do it since what I was about to say meant a half-day inconvenience to all. Yes, I didn't want to say it. I dreaded the complaints that I would hear, and as I was going to our community room, I was almost intimidated by the string of possible comments that were playing in my mind.
What is it about human nature that it is easier for us to think of something negative? Is it in order to brace ourselves and lessen the impact of a "NO"? Or is it the cynic in us that has been disillusioned time and again that it just refuses to believe that a different outcome can take place?
But I had a big surprise. Nobody said anything in contradiction or to lodge a complaint.
I was humbled. Perhaps it is time to recover trust, that important attitude necessary for living.
Hoping for the best may not bring out the best in people, but it can bring out the best in me.

Time

 "This experience has marked my life. I am never the same. Suddenly I feel as if my heart has been torn apart and it is going to take a long time to heal. I will take this time and be gentle with myself. I will entrust myself to Jesus, the friend who never fails. He alone can heal me.
I hope that when you read this, you will be okay.
Take care always and remember, especially in your difficult moments, what an amazingly strong woman you have become." 

I wrote this to myself a year ago. I don't even remember having written this letter to myself. As I read and re-read every line, it dawned on me how time is a great healer.
I am okay now. In fact, I could say that I am in a good place.
But I had to respect the law of time. Time is its own rule. It cannot be hurried. It cannot be brought back, nor can it be anticipated.
And it turns out that what I wished for myself a year ago all came true.
But it took time...