Life's punctuation marks

Life itself shows us what punctuation mark to put on our experiences. Perhaps it would be good to brush up on our grammar and remember the difference between a period, a comma, a question mark and an exclamation point.
When we insist on putting a comma where a period is necessary, or a period in place of a question mark, we not only commit a grammatical error; we create a disharmony in the whole composition.
Isn't this true with life itself?

Jesus is the face of God

I look at God in the face of Jesus and I realize that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Honor your father and your mother

To honor our father and our mother is to love them. We don’t love people because they deserve to be loved. That is not love. That is barter.

To love people because they love us is not love. That is negotiation.

Love is a higher calling. It doesn’t depend on a person’s worthiness or on our feelings. Jesus tells us the real measure of love: our Father in heaven who lets the his sun rise on both the good and the bad alike. Can anybody beat that? I don’t think so, but that is the standard. So when our love is selective, perhaps we shouldn’t call it love.

To love our father and mother is to reconcile ourselves to our personal history and to the imperfections of life.

It isn’t easy. Who says it is? But it is the only way to find peace, healing, a way to move forward in life.

May there be no more weeping children

For yesterday's Feast of the Holy Innocents

Dear God,
we pray for all the innocent children who are daily brought to the slaughterhouse, condemned to die without defense. Their crime? They are "not in our plans". They upset our projects. Please grant them eternal peace, a special place in heaven where there is no more weeping, where they can be as carefree as they want to be, for they are children, after all.
We have blood in our hands. We confess our sins of ignorance, indifference, greed and self-centeredness. We have our values turned upside down. Forgive us.
May there be no more weeping of mothers who are forced to lose their children. May there be no more Herods blinded with insecurity who turn into lunatic murderers. May there be no more children deprived of the light of day because of human decision.
Amen.

Fighting for rights

To be passionate in defending our rights means to be willing to defend others' rights, including our enemies'.

God in the most unexpected places

I woke up early, as I usually do, despite the fact that our community wakes up half an hour later during the Christmas holidays. I am already so used to my morning ritual of walking a little and breathing some fresh air before going to the chapel to pray the Office of the Readings.
Well, today something happened. One Sister had to go out early so she asked me right then and there to bring to the kitchen the bread delivered by the baker. That meant a deviation in my schedule, but I agreed to her request, without giving it a second thought. So instead of praying all three Psalms of the Office I just prayed two; yet  there was no feeling of guilt that my prayer was incomplete. I just felt in my heart that God wants me to meet Him in the need of that Sister.
That was a good occasion for me to pray, after all, prayer is to "listen and obey".

Dreaming God's dream

It is said that when we sleep at night we always dream; but often we forget the dream. I think I agree with this because lots of times when I wake up in the morning, I know that something significant happened the night before, I feel it in my heart, though I cannot remember anything. Or sometimes we remember some bits and pieces. We feel still the joy or the pain or the excitement of the dream though we don't remember the details. Sometimes, too, when something happens we feel that we have been in that situation already, like a déjà vu. Could it be that we have dreamed about it?
After John the Baptist was born, the people who knew about the circumstances of his birth were wondering what would become of him since it was sure that the hand of God was with him.
Everyone of us has this same blessing, that of having the hand of God with us. God has a plan and a dream for us. Does it mean we are not free? No, I'd rather interpret it this way: we are precious to God and each one of us is not an accident. We are willed, we are loved by God. He has a dream for us. And just like our nocturnal dreams, we do not always remember it, but there is something in our heart that reminds us of the dream, no matter how vague it may be.
Our life is a whole journey of remembering God's original dream for us.

Silence

After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, “So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.” (Lk 1:24-25)

Faced with a great mystery, our only response is silence. Silence sums up our awe and gratitude. Too many words, too much noise deprives us of a deep experience of something beautiful and totally undeserved.

Beautiful music

Listening to beautiful music just uplifts the soul. I may not understand the words, but the whole song can still  penetrate the heart. After all, a song is not only words. It is also music and silence. And all together they speak to us. Perhaps if we just surround ourselves with "clean" and beautiful things, we can rediscover that slice of paradise that is in our heart.

Create life

When we look at it with our own criteria, life is not fair. But the truth is, there is goodness, kindness, love and loyalty around us. When we don't see them, perhaps it is a call for us to create them for ourselves, for the people we love, for whoever crosses our path. For though life is a gift, life is also what we make it happen.

What is beauty?

Beauty is not about flawlessness or perfection. Beauty is gracefulness in your own truth.

From faith to fidelity

 

The other day the priest who celebrated our Mass gave a very interesting insight. He said that faith is a gift from God that we have to constantly ask for; fidelity is our response to this gift of faith.
What is faith? There are so many responses and insights on this question.
At this point in my life I can say that faith is acknowledging that life is immersed in a greater mystery that is beyond myself and my concerns. This is the grace I ask from God: to see this truth and to live by this truth.
Living in faith will help me to make sense of, or at least to accept the contradictions and perplexities of life.
Living in faith will help me to live life with enthusiasm, creativity and activity even when I do not see the results of my efforts.
Living in faith will help me to see that I am connected to people, to the whole universe and to God. I am and will always be a daughter, a sister, a friend, a spouse, a mother.
And this is fidelity- a journey of living in faith.

Doors

As I looked at the open door, something poignant tugged at my heart. An open door says "you are welcome to come in" as well as "you are free to go". Both are expressions of surrender. I am not in control. I leave the decision totally to the other. Open doors are a sign of freedom. Open doors are a sign of growth.

Advent

There was an ache in my heart as I left Krakow yesterday. I was leaving behind an experience that for almost ten years have engaged me. I was cutting close ties with people whose lives have somehow intertwined with mine.
How wonderful to do it at autumn when nature itself reminds me to surrender, that it is necessary to lose, to say goodbye and to live little deaths; that somehow life goes on.
How wonderful that I do it at Advent time when the Church goes on a journey of simplicity, of inviting us to the things that reallhy matter. The Lord comes and makes his visitation. I may lose everything. Nay, I am called to lose everything for it is the law of life.  But when the Lord is present, life goes on.

Faith

Faith is not resignation.
Faith is openness to mystery, a mystery that surpasses our most logical reasoning and our most sophisticated preparations.
Faith is making a courageous step despite the scarcity of resources and the uncertainty of success.
Faith is anchoring one's heart in someone other than ourselves.
Faith is rising up from the rubble and claiming the victory of life in the midst of death.

In front of suffering

 

In front of suffering, we can only bow our head. May it not be out of despair but with a hopeful and trusting surrender to the Mystery that surpasses the best human reasoning.
In front of suffering, the only response is silence. Words are stale. They might even be downright insulting.
In front of suffering the tears in our eyes are a sign of wisdom of the folly of pride and self-sufficiency. There is a Truth that is beyond us.

After the tragedy

To my fellow Filipinos:
Perhaps we can cut down on the glittery Christmas decorations, the glamorous parties and the expensive gifts. Let us share our presence and our material resources to those who have been hit by this tragedy. Let us rediscover the things that really matter. Let us rediscover the real meaning of Christmas.

Random thoughts

 

In our world characterized by the rat race, unbridled competition, a seemingly insane drive to annihilate the other so as to get everything or, at least, the larger part of the pie, we need to really make an honest examination whether it is all worth it.
Do we really need to be bitchy, insulting and hurting just to prove our point?
Do we really need to make a "public exhibition" of ourselves (what we eat, what we wear, what we feel, where we are) just because it is in vogue?
Is it really necessary to do what everybody does. like headless chickens just jumping here and there?
Do we really need to wait for big occasions before we show people that we care?
When will we start living our own lives and not the vicarious lives of the rich and the famous?
We only have one life. It will never be perfect, but it is ours and we have the right be true to ourselves. This we owe to ourselves.
Be coherent ... dare to be different.

A gift for the journey

 

Before I left for Rome last 2001, a priest friend of mine gave me Joyce Rupp's book "Your sorrow is my sorrow". Little did I know that this book would become a significant part of my journey as I grappled through the dark and wrestled with my demons.
I thank my friend for this "prophetic" gift as I remember him on his 50th birthday tomorrow.
Nothing happens by chance in our lives. A book, a friend, name it and God has them all in place at the right time and the right place in your life.
We just need the eyes to see!

My alphabet

Always remember that God is in you and you are in God.
Be present to the present.
Carry out your commitment up to the end.
Don't let failure discourage you.
Eat well at the right time.
Forgive from the heaert.
Give thanks at all times.
Have a good laugh at yourself once a day.
In your dealings with others, be charitable.
Judge no one. You don't have all the facts.
Keep a happy face.
Listen to the person you are with right now.
Make the first step.
Never keep a grudge.
Open your senses to the wonders of creation.
Pray like a child.
Quit saying, "It is impossible".
Respect other people's choice, but have a mind of your own.
Say "Thank you", "Please", "May I" and "I'm sorry".
Trust the road.
Understand that even the best of people can sometimes let you down.
Visit the sick and those who are alone.
Welcome change.
Xpect some bumps along the road of life.
Yearn for what is good, true and beautiful.
Zip your mouth rather than say something uncharitable.

Faith-ful

 

"Give yourself to God and give every part of your body to God to be instrument of uprightness, and then sin will no longer have any power over you - you are living not under law, but under grace," (Rm 6:13-14)

"Faithfulness is keeping one's word, promise, and commitments no matter how tough or difficult it gets."

Faithfulness comes from the word faith.
Faithfulness is only possible because of faith. Life is constantly changing. My feelings and emotions, too, have their ups and downs. So these factors don't make it easy for me to be faithful. That is why I need faith.
I need faith - to trust and to be convinced that my conviction makes sense despite its general rejection by the world.
I need faith - to persevere in my choice even when I encounter contradictions or even when my feelings are not so high.
Lastly, I believe that what is most important is to be faithful to my identity. So there is a need to constantly remember - Who am I? What is the purpose of my life? Then all the externals will just fall into place very naturally without any stressful effort on my part, because a life in God can give nothing but true peace.

Where God leads us

Where God leads us is always the best place for us to grow.

Grown ups

Facing the consequences of one's choices sets apart the grown ups from the children. But it is the paradox of life that once in a while we see children who act more as grown ups and a lot of so-called grown ups engaging in tantrums like spoiled brats.
We are usually forgiving when people make mistakes. But it's the gall to twist the story, to beat around the bush, to engage in name-calling and dramatics, in short, everything to put the blame on others that really turns us off.

Peace

Our contribution to peace begins from God.
Let us ask God to grant us peace, peace from within.
Let us ask God to free us from unnecessary needs and clinging, because these are the walls that we create in our hearts. Where there are walls, there is a need to defend, and often we do so by force.
Let us ask God to give us eyes that see the beauty of the variety of colors and sounds that come from encountering other people. When we meet others, we build bridges. Where there are bridges there are wider possibilities, greater horizons.
Let us do our part in creating a world of peace especially for the future generations.
Peace be with you.

Authority

"Jesus' teaching made a deep impression on them because his word carried authority." (Lk 4:32)

Jesus' authority comes from His being, from within. It comes from His identity as Son of God and of living a life coherent to that identity.
For in reality, authority is not in loudness, nor is it in power, influence or popularity. The seed of authority, or better still of authoritativeness is already within us because we are children of God. But we must make the necessary step, and that is to be coherent to that identity.

Changes

 

There are experiences in life that totally change us. The price to pay is higher when we think that up until that moment our life has been going well or was nearly perfect. So we resist change.
We ask ourselves so many "whys".
Why can't things stay forever the same?
Why did this happen to me?
Why is life unfair?
We may repeat these questions again and again. Well-meaning people may try to give us the answers. But in reality there are no easy and clear-cut answers.
It is then that we are called to just stay and live with the questions.
And when we reach the point of having even a little opening in our hearts to welcome the new, little by little we will realize that the "new" has something to offer us.
We may not arrive at the answers to our whys, but they won't matter anymore because something new has sprouted and is growing in our lives. We are at peace.

The right way

 

"Daang matuwid" (the straight way) should not be a mere slogan for the Philippine government. It should be a way of life for each Filipino...
when those who have more choose to serve and not to be served,
when respect is dictated not by social status or position but simply because we are human beings and are worthy of respect,
when simplicity of life is chosen so that others who have less opportunities in life may have their due share,
when we live by principles and not by the prevailing crowd mentality,
when we are more concerned and more passionate about creating a better life for others than with the pettiness of the personal lives of others,
when we can argue and disagree without killing each other (physically or otherwise).
It is not something new. The right way is the way of Jesus. It is not an easy way, and we know the price Jesus paid for it. But it is the only way that can change the world. Because the world, structures, are just reflections of what is in our heart.
Let the change begin in me.

When ...

When I can see that everything is a gift, I become humble.
When I can understand that no one in his right mind deliberately chooses to do wrong, I can forgive.
When I realize that between the black and the white is a bigger shade of gray, I begin to understand.
When I remember that I am God's image and likeness, I learn to respect myself.
When I look up to the cross and see the way of Jesus, I can truly love, without ifs and buts.

Envy

 

Envy is a poison that kills our joy.
Envy makes us suspicious and judgmental. It prevents us from seeing the good in people and in events.
Envy sows discontent in our hearts. It makes us blind to the good things that we have because it rivets the eyes to look at what others have.
Envy turns us into never-ending complainers. It makes us think that the problem is outside of us and never inside.
Where there is envy, there can never be joy.

Change

Fidelity is not about immobility. In fact, to refuse to change is to be unfaithful to God because God's is a love that is ever ancient and ever new.

The road to glory

"And it happened that, as Jesus was praying, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became sparkling white. And suddenly there were two men talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem." (Luke 9:29-31)

The only way to glory is to follow the way of the cross.
The great lie of our age is to think that we can live meaningful lives without going through difficulties, that the most clever people are those who succeed with little price to pay. So many people live forever, or almost forever, trying to evade suffering or to cushion themselves from the blows of life.
But that wouldn't do. Somehow, life will deal you a blow, one way or another.
And here is where our attitude towards suffering enters.
To forever evade suffering is to refuse to grow up. It is to never discover the depths of strength, hope and creativity that we have in us.
When we face suffering head on, with our bruised egos and tear-stained faces, but with the certainty that we are not alone, we discover that glory is not something that is from the outside. Glory is within us and it takes suffering, the cross to let it shine.

How to live

Don't let the way you live your life be dictated by your feelings. Follow the way of Jesus. It may not give you an immediate feeling of consolation, but it will slowly give you a quiet joy and an inner peace that no one can take away.

Gracefulness

 

We were at Mass this morning when I saw something very ordinary but which gave me great joy. There were two elderly sisters sitting in front of me. One came late so we were already singing and she wanted to know the number of the song. The other cannot seem to understand what the other wanted. When finally they understood each other they just smiled, but with a smile that I often only see in children. Taking away the wrinkles and the white hair, I seem to see in front of me not two nuns but  two giggling girls “in a conspiracy”.

Thank God for this experience. Gracefulness comes from a heart that delights in the ordinary things of life.

Choosing the better part

 

In today’s Gospel reading taken from Luke 10:38-42, Jesus tells Martha the words that, according to me, are wise reminders to us. “Martha, Martha, you are worried about a lot of things. Only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

We worry about a lot of things. We want to have everything under control. 

To want to be in charge of situations is not bad. In fact, it is a sign of maturity, of taking life seriously. The problem is, we have a mistaken way of understanding it. What we want in our life is often a fruit of a previous experience of joy, success, well-being, etc., anything that is positive. Our vision is limited only to that and we want it at all cost, closing our doors to other possibilities. So when something other than what we have focused our minds and our hearts on comes along, we are often unwilling to welcome it.

This is where the second part of the Gospel passage enters. “Mary has chosen the better part and no one can take it away from her.” What did Mary choose? Mary chose to live the present moment, to delight in the present moment, that is, in paying full attention to Jesus. It was okay to make meticulous preparations before the coming of the visitor, Jesus; but when the visitor is already present, “the only thing necessary” is to be there and be fully present to the visitor.

Perhaps this is the reason why children are naturally happy, because for them nothing else exists except the present moment, so they are just there and taking delight in it in ways unimaginable to us adults. 

Today's Gospel reading reminds me to live the present moment and delight in it. After all, there is no use in worrying about what is not yet in our hands, nor in crying for too long over the past. 

I have a hunch that when we are able to live well the present moment, to delight in it, to be grateful, without wanting to hoard it, our worries will disappear, or at least we can laugh them off. 

The only one thing necessary is to live totally the present moment. May we learn to choose this better part.

Our legacy

Let us sow peace and forgiveness, not hatred. Let us leave a legacy of kindness, forgiveness and joy. At the end of our life what will give us the greatest consolation is not how blameless we are but how much happiness we have spread.

To love God

To love God is to refuse God nothing.

A certain sadness

So what will save us from pain? Nothing ... because what is truly human has always a tinge of sadness and incompleteness. We, Christians, make sense of this when we look at it from the perspective of the Paschal Mystery. Life and death are not separate entities opposed to each other. Rather, there is a bit of both in anything.

Radical

A Christian's radicality is in the gift of self, not in dividing the world between those who are for and those who are against us.

Go with God

 

Go with God, don't settle for less.

In today's first reading, Abraham, after waiting for many years for the fulfillment of God's promise to make of him a great nation, tries to make a deal with God.
Since he has become an old man, and his wife Sara is way past her child-bearing years, surely this promise of God will not come true in the literal sense? So Abraham uses his brain and thinks that perhaps God meant to use another way. Could it be that God's promise will come true through his son, Ishmael, from the slave-girl Hagar? So Abraham tells God to bless Ishmael.
God promises that He, indeed, will bless Ishmael.
But God didn't have Ishmael in mind as Abraham's offspring from whom a great nation will come. God meant that Abraham and Sara will have a son.
And we know for a fact that, indeed, a son was born to Abraham and Sara who was way past her child-bearing years: Isaac.

When we trust our own logic, our own resources, we have very limited possibilities. When we trust God, we can reach for the stars.

Finding myself

Doing God's will is the goal of my life. It gives meaning and direction to my life. Indeed it is a paradox that when I lose myself in God, it is then that I truly find who I am.

Chosen

 

God knows each one of us from all eternity, even the minutest details of who we are, even the things that we have already forgotten. He loves each one of us in a special way. And God's love for one doesn't diminish his love for the others. I don't know how God does it, after all, He is God and surely I cannot fathom the depths of God's being.
God chooses and calls each one of us from all eternity. He calls us for a mission. And on this depends the meaning of our life.
But mission is not equivalent to "role" or "work". Mission does include doing something, but it is just a part of it. Mission is our special participation in the building of the Kingdom of God. Of couse God can build His Kingdom even without me, but God is so generous and magnanimous that He wants me to have a part in the building of this Kingdom.
In today's Gospel, Elizabeth and Zechariah both insist that their child's name is John. The neighbors say that there is nobody in their family named John.
Well, to fulfill our mission means to create our own path, perhaps to venture on ways unknown. For some it may mean being alienated from the people closest to us. But it is okay. We have to look into our heart and hear the echo of the voice that is part of our truest self: I have chosen you. I send you. I am with you.

God first

When God is in His proper place in our life, it is easier to arrange and rearrange the other places.

Laws

Jesus said, "Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them." (Mt 5:17)
What an appropriate Gospel passage for me as we, Filipinos, celebrate our Independence Day.
There are some consequences in my life:
First, To be truly free, we need the law. Aristotle defined law as reason free of passion. Our passions are not bad. Nay, they are even necessary because they give color and flavor to our life. But our passions need to be put in place, which is the function of the law, for our sake and for society's sake.
Second, The challenge is to go beyond, not against, the letter of the law; to go right to the spirit of the law. To obey the law for its own sake is slavery. We are called to obey the law because of what it promotes: the true good of the human person and of society. In other words, we obey the law out of true love and respect for ourselves and for others.
Third, When we are guided by a correctly-formed conscience, and this is always a work in progress, the law loses its "oppressive" hold over us. There is an inner "law" that dictates what we think, say and do, and they are not against external laws. When we have acquired the mind and the heart of Jesus, all other laws are unnecessary, because the law of love guides us from within.

Love

Love is a choice of the heart, enlightened by the mind and carried out by the will.
Or,
Love is a choice of the mind, that becomes desired by the heart and carried out by the will.
Or,
Love is a choice of the will, that acquires a motivation from the mind until it becomes desired by the heart.

Love can begin from the heart, from the mind, or from the will, but it isn't love until the three are united.

Principles

To live by principles is a sign of maturity.
But how do we know the authenticity of our principles?
True principles are guided by universal values that don't change, that don't become outdated by the passage of time, values that are not dependent on gender, race or social class.
Here is the test: We live by authentic principles when, in spite of being alone we are at peace. Otherwise, it is only egoism.

Seeking what is true and good

 

God, in this journey of seeking what is true and good, grant that I may have a humble heart that acknowledges that I cannot be self-referential.
Grant that my intelligenec be purified of its desire for confirmation.
Grant that I may have open hands to receive and to let go, knowing that truth and goodness are not mine to keep; rather, they are yours that you so willingly share with me.
God, you are the truth, you are goodness.
And when you share a part of Yourself with me, no matter how small it is, even if they be the crumbs, I know that is enough for me.

Bloom

We can never bloom until we decide to grow our roots in the soil where we are planted and dare to stretch out our branches to infinite horizons.

God as number one

To make God the number one, the top priority of my life is the best thing I can ever do. It gives me a stable base on which to build my life. The other things do not lose their value; nay, their true value becomes clearer in the light of God.
To make God the number one does not mean I always have to be constantly saying prayers. No, it rather means that my life itself is a prayer, a constant seeking to do God's will.
To make God the number one is to live life to the full. It frees me from the illusion that I am the center of the world, which is the cause of a lot of regrets and disappointments that rob me of true joy.
To make God the number one is to never feel alone even in the deepest moment of solitude, when people let me down and my old securities crumble. I know that when I don't feel that God is walking beside me, He is in fact carrying me in His arms.

I-don't-know

We say “I don’t know” for two reasons.

The first is when we really don’t know. Then it is followed by “I would want to know if it is possible” or “I would want to know if it is necessary for me”.

The second reason is when we want to save face. It’s like saying “I don’t know and I don’t really care”.

To know the difference is to be wise. To accept the difference is to be humble.