May God's face shine on you

I love the first reading on the first Mass of every year. It is taken from the book of Numbers.
It speaks of the Lord telling Moses how Aaron and his sons (the priests) are to bless the Israelites:
  The Lord bless you and keep you!
  The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
  The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!
I've read somewhere that the phrase "shine upon you" means "make you smile".
Yes, my prayerful wish is that we may turn our face to God so that His face may shine upon us. As Pope Benedict XVI said, "God doesn't take anything away from us. Rather, He gives us everything".

Just instruments

I am very much touched with the recent events in the Church. From Pope Benedict's humble resignation that rendered all the more clear his humility and only desire to do God's will, to the Church's (and I mean people of all walks of life and not only the hierarchy) journey of understanding God's plans in all these events, to Pope Francis' installation Mass, we saw and felt that indeed, Jesus is the Pastor of his Church. This was repeatedly said on many occasions by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and these days by Pope Francis as well.
Perhaps here in Rome we are caught up in a more special way. More and more I am grateful for the blessing of being here. I wasn't able to go to any of these important functions for various reasons, but I really journeyed and I feel very much the hand of God in everything. I believe that God asks us to grow in responsibility and love for the Church and at the same time to grow in mercy and goodness, in understanding that the Kingdom of God is greater than the Church. In one homily I heard last Sunday (Gospel of the woman caught in adulterty), the priest said that "Jesus is radical but not rigorous".
In our passion for the truth and to bring the values of the Gospel to our society, Jesus first of all calls us to be inwardly converted, to remember that first of all, the call to conversion is addressed to us personally. He calls us to see the many shades of darkness that are still in our lives, and in doing so we will become more merciful, more open and more willing to see the good that is in others, even in people or parties that do not espouse our belief.
I am always reminded by the words of Henri Nouwen, that often Church people are not listened to when they espouse certain causes because their passion leads them to be very domineering. They become angry in their passion to work for peace, which is actually a contradiction, isn't it? Truth has its own inner attraction. It doesn't have to be forced upon anybody. The problem is, we want the easy way out and we think that by forcing people or by frightening people they will adhere to the truth. But this will never do. In our lives we know that this will never have a long-term effect.
Anyway, Pope Francis' words in his installation are a very good reminder. Our greatest contribution to the world is our tenderness and goodness. I think they are the most radical of all the Gospel values because they are totally incomprehensible in a world that is dominated by the criteria of power and control.
Mother Mary teaches us to be humble and to recognize that at every moment of our life we are saved by the mercy of God. In her Magnificat, she proclaims that everything is God's grace. Hence, there is no reason to boast or to think of ourselves as better than others. When we believe this, it will be easier and indeed more natural that we become more tender and kind towards others. Who knows, perhaps our kindness will in the long run win them over to God and to God's cause; but if not, let us remember that we are just instruments of God in saving the world. He is the savior, not us.

I will go to my father

Yes, four years ago what happened to the prodigal son happened to me. I have squandered my life. I didn't go into drugs or anything of that sort. But I did things for many wrong reasons.
Then something happened, the most hurting experience I have ever had in my life. What made it worse was I was alone to do the battle. Had it been something ordinary like an illness or a death in the family, I would have certainly received the comfort and assistance of a lot of people. Instead it was something that I could not even share with anybody out of fear that I would be misunderstood and condemned.
So I went through my days pretending that everything was okay. In fact, it seemed like nobody even noticed anything different. Except for a few. And when I say few they were really so few I can count them in one hand. Yet even to them, I cannot say anything. How can I say anything when I cannot even figure out what was happening in my life?
My situation continued for a few more months.
Then somehow I found a person to whom I could confide. I know that it was not by chance that this person has entered my life. She was God-sent. She seemed to remind me with her presence and her patience that although my pain was very real, my place was not there "with the pigs". But she did stay with me even as I continued to stay in that uncomfortable place. I knew that was not my place but I just felt so powerless to leave.
And so I stayed there for over a year: knowing in my head what I had to do, yet too powerless to do it. Sleepless nights were a common occurrence. Crying too, for no reason at all. My prayers became more frequent but only because I had to hold on to something or I will break. God became so true to me because of desperation. Yes, I had all the signs of depression.
Then somehow, this is the miracle, one day I just woke up with a feeling that that day was going to be the start of a new phase in my life.
I cannot explain it, but it did happen. My situation remained the same but somehow, each morning I woke up there was a little bit more hope and enthusiasm, and, little by little, I found my smile back.
I am now in a good place. I live every day with gratitude and trust. It is true what Pope Benedict XVI said, "If only everyone could experience the joy of being Christian, being loved by God who gave his Son for us!". Yes, even when we go back to God for all the wrong reasons, somehow like the prodigal son's father, they don't matter to him. What matters is we're back. He brings out the best robe and clothes; restores our dignity and organizes a feast for us.
Believing in the love of God hasn't exempted me from suffering and from doubts. But they no longer frighten me. I know that I am not alone. I am beloved. My God and I are one.

Thank you, Benedict XVI

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of Pope Benedict XVI. His life and his message always remind us what you said that the only way to true meaning in life is the way you have taught us, the way of littleness and service. In today's Gospel you tell us "Among you this is not to happen", that is, your followers shouldn't just follow the prevailing mentality. We shouldn't blindly follow the crowd or the noise or people's expectations. Instead, we need to go deep in our heart, in the sanctuary of our soul, and make our decisions accountable to no one else but God.
Thank you, Pope Benedict for this wonderful example. God bless you!

Quiet joy

I am not an expert in words but there is something about the word "joy" that fascinates me. I used to interchange it with the words happiness and cheer. But more and more I prefer the word joy. I cannot yet fully explain, but something in my heart says that "joy" expresses something deeper and more lasting.
Other synonyms for joy according to thesaurus are mirth, pleasure, hilarity, bliss, liveliness, revelry, etc. But they seem too superficial for me, too boisterous.
Instead for me joy is something deep. It is not something spectacular or bombastic. Joy is something that is so transparent you cannot see it but you sense it and you feel its absence.
Joy isn't a result of being in a state of perfection or absence of problems and worries.
Joy is the fruit of an ongoing journey of coming to terms with our imperfections and with the imperfections of life. When we accept these imperfections not with a skeptical nor defeatist attitude, but rather on bended knees, knowing deeply that somehow, in a way that surpasses our understanding, we are Loved with a love that endures and which has no end. This is joy. So it is necessarily something humble and quiet, free from grandstanding. Then the other face of joy is necessarily gratitude to the Love that accompanies us and never lets us be crushed.
Yesterday evening Pope Benedict XVI addressed the crowd gathered at St. Peter's Square in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. He said that it is indeed a moment of joy; but ours is a quiet and humble joy as in these 50 years we have come to terms with the weaknesses within the Church. But we have joy in our hearts all the more because we know that the People of God depends at all times in the God of everlasting and gratuitous love. This is the cause of our joy.

The eyes who see Christ

Dear Pope Benedict,
When you were elected Pope, I felt a lot of tenderness in my heart. I knew that many people weren't too happy about it. Your election was preceded by a lot of prejudices. And of course it is no small thing to be the successor of the great Pope John Paul II.
I have been accompanying you with my prayers everyday, asking God to give you the strength to carry such a difficult mission. Yours must be a lonely life. I remember that in one of the meetings you had with young people somebody asked you if you feel lonely. In your simplicity you answered that question and it brought tears to my eyes and a great hope in my heart.
As I follow your messages, your writings, your speeches, your answers to questions, more and more I become fascinated with your person. More and more I am convinced that God gives us the right shepherd at the right time.
I admire the clarity of your thought, how you are able to communicate with the widest range of people: children, youth, adults, intellectuals, etc.
I admire your meekness and gentleness. You say that truth doesn't need to be imposed on anyone because it has a force of its own.
You convey your principles, the truths you believe in, not through the brilliance and eloquence of your speech, but through the calmness that your words and your gestures transmit. No grandstanding, as if you are always aware that your presence should point to The Presence.
Your eyes communicate the transparency of your soul. Just looking at your eyes gives me a sense of peace.
Most of all, thank you for reminding us, repeatedly, that faith is an encounter with a Person, nay, it is an encounter with The Person of the One who has always loved us. That was your first message. That is your constant message: "There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him."
And you do just that, Pope Benedict.
Thank you for sharing with us your friendship with Jesus Christ and for reminding us that it is the most exciting adventure of our life.
God bless you, Pope Benedict XVI!

I didnt' see the Pope

I was in Madrid for World Youth Day 2011. I cannot explain how I feel. There are so many wonderful experiences, big and small, that I feel overwhelmed by this opportunity that God has given me to be confirmed in my faith.
I know that our faith in God is something personal. It is not a mature faith until it is something that one owns personally. But being personal does not mean that faith is something private that one keeps only in the heart or, at most, shares with the people nearest to him/her. This is what I have experienced in Madrid.
It is so overwhelming to know that I am not alone in living my Christian faith. There are many others who share the same faith with me. Probably we manifest this faith in different ways, but still we acknowledge this faith.
I didn't have the opportunity to see Pope Benedict XVI at close range, but I don't really feel bad about it. Being in Cuatro Vientos with those people, with those young people, and staying, despite the rain, is something I will carry in my heart for always. God has touched me with the presence of these people.
Skeptics might say that it will only be an event among many others for many of the young pilgrims. But I don't believe so. The fact that they stayed and braved the heat, the rain and all the inconveniences makes me believe otherwise.
May God make our faith really strong, and may we be joyful witnesses to this faith.

Lent lengthens our horizon

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent lengthens our horizon, it orients us to eternal life. On this earth we are on pilgrimage., "for here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come," says the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebres 13:14). Lent makes us understand the relativity of the goods of this earth and thus makes us capable of the necessary self-denials, free to do good. Let us open the earth to the light of heaven, to the presence of God in our midst. Amen.

(Benedict XVI)

Lent is a call to conversion

Remember

Pope Benedict XVI's Angelus message (Jan. 6, 2010)

I call you friends

In today's Gospel text from St. John (15:15), we hear the powerful words: "No longer do I call you servants ... but I ahve called you friends." We are not useless servants but friends! The Lord calls us friends; he makes us his friends; he gives us his friendship.

Jesus defines friendship in two ways. There are no secrets between friends: Christ tells us everything he hears from the Father; he gives us his full confidence and, with confidence, also knowledge. He reveals his face to us, his heart. He shows his tenderness for us, his passionate love that goes to the folly of the cross.

I remember how moved I was as I listened to the Holy Father's homily at the beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome on April 24, 2005. Three times during that memorable homily, Benedict XVI spoke of the importance of "friendship" with Jesus: "The Church as a whole and all her pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the palce of life, toward friendship with the Son of God, toward the One who gives us life, and life in abundance...

"There is nothing more beautiful than to know him and to speak to others of our friendship with him."

"Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potention of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation."

Eight months later, in his Angelus address of Jan. 15, 2006, Benedict XVI said: "Friendship with the Teacher guarantees profound peace and serenity to the soul, even in the dark moments and in the msot arduous trials. When faith meets with dark nights, in which the presence of God is no longer 'felt' or 'seen', friendship with Jesus guarantees that in reality nothing can ever separate us from his love" (cf. Rm 8:39).

Again on Aug. 26, 2007, the theme of friendship was front and center: "True friendship with Jesus is expressed in the way of life: It is expressed with goodness of heart, with humility, meekness and mercy, love for justice and truth, and a sincere and honest commitment to peace and reconciliation."

(By Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB)