God's tenderness and mercy

"Because of the faithful love of our God in which the rising Sun has come from on high to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow dark as death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Lk 1:78-79).

I continue to savor the consoling promise of these words as we celebrate Christmas. In this long period of darkness, may we not forget that God continues to visit us and share our experiences of fear and darkness. As the years pass, I understand more and more that God's power is not all about having a magical solution to my problems or the world's ills. His power is in His presence amongst us that enables us to have the strength, the kindness and the perseverance to find solutions and to learn and become better persons. Christmas is a celebration of this good news. Merry Christmas to you and to your dear ones. May the coming year be filled with experiences of God's mercy and tenderness.

What is mercy?

Mercy is to be given a recognition that is totally undeserved.
It is not being "looked down", rather, it is being "lifted up".

God remembers

It is almost Christmas; just three more days.
Today, Mary accompanies us on our journey to the stable in Bethlehem by Mary, the woman of the Magnificat. In the midst of all the bad news that we hear, we are tempted to ask, "where are you, Lord?".
Mary reminds us that God hasn't left us alone. Just as winter doesn't cancel out life, rather, keeps it pulsating within until it bursts out in full force at springtime, God "remembers His promise of mercy".

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.

Bargaining with God

Why, O Abraham, did you stop bargaining with God when you arrived at ten righteous people? Sodom and Gomorrah could have been spared even if there was not even one righteous person. You see, God's mercy has no limits!
But then, of course, you belonged to the Old Testament. You didn't know the wonderful truth about God: His mercy is everlasting.
When we look at Jesus on the cross, we realize that no one and nothing can be outside God's mercy.

Totally yours

At the start of this new year, I renew my choice to be totally God's. There is a great temptation in me not to say this, knowing how many times I've made two steps forward and three steps backward.
But I will do this renewal because I feel that it is the Spirit urging me to do so.
Lord, you don't need me, but I need You.
You don't deserve me, and neither do I deserve you.
Everything about You is totally gift, and I am blessed by the very fact that my life is immersed in Your immense ocean of mercy.

At the end of the year

The end of anything is always a call to look back; looking back always provokes sentiments.
Today, as I look back at the year 2015, I feel amazed at how I manage to be serene despite the fact that so much has happened.
I also feel grateful because more and more I see that my life is really in God's hands. I have lost count of the times I have acted in a very positive way, when all the while I was ready with an angry retort. I know all the more that it is Christ living and acting in me.
Lastly, I feel in awe of God's mercy. I have so many limitations. There are many times I don't give to God what He deserves. But God is kind and merciful. God always leads me to a new beginning.

In an eternal embrace

God chooses us and invites us to stay with Him. God draws us close to His heart where we find rest and comfort. The closer we are to God in this embrace, the more our heartbeat becomes in harmony with God's heartbeat. When we respond with mercy and compassion, that is God's heart beating in our own heart.
Saint Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. That is true; but I think God's heart is also restless until He draws all unto His own heart in an eternal embrace.

A heart like God's

When Jesus asks us to love our enemies, I don't think that He meant that we begin to treat them as our best friends. That wouldn't be possible.
I believe what He means is that we treat people well, we wish people well, even those who do not treat us well. We don't wish people harm, even those who do us a lot of harm.
Instead, we pray for them. We ask that in God they may find what is best for their life. We pray for their sake, not for ours.
And as what happens when we truly pray, God will transform our hearts unto His own heart, a heart of goodness and mercy.

From God's mercy to compassion

At this point in my life I believe that my relationship with others must be characterized by compassion. And interestingly, that is the name of this blog, which I haven't visited lately.
To be compassionate is to enter into another person's shoes, without any agenda of trying to change the other person. When I enter into another person's situation, I will stop judging because I will realize that each person has a reason for every decision he or she makes. Others can only see what is external, but they always come from something within which others don't know or may not even enter their minds. Doing this will lead me to understanding. I may not agree, but there is respect for the other person's time and circumstances.
But this will only happen after I have had a deep experience of God's mercy, His non-judgmental love that still accepts and embraces me, warts and all.

A big heart

I wanted to title this reflection "Envy" but it sounds so negative I had a change of heart.
One of the most common roots of unhappiness is envy. It closes the heart and narrows our vision. It isolates us from others because we see them as threats to our well-being. Envy makes us suspicious, it takes away our capacity for delight. Envy takes away our joy because we fail to see and to appreciate the gifts that we have; rather, we focus on what others have that we don't have which, according to us, is a cause of injustice with us as the victims.
Instead, a big heart enables us to see people and circumstances in a positive way. They are not perfect but they are trying their best.
A big heart enables us to be more merciful and less judgmental.
We become more grateful and more forgiving.
We are more willing to give people a chance, and that includes ourselves, too.

Magnificat

 

Sing to me, O Mary, your magnificat.
Sing it to me when my heart is overwhelmed and when my senses are lusting for the glitters of this world. Your magnificat is both promise and proof that no matter how much they are attractively packaged, the values of this world are not what they appear to be. They leave me craving for more. They will never appease the restlessness in my heart.

Sing with me, O Mary, your magnificat.
Sing it with me everyday as I try to choose according to the mind of Jesus. Your magnificat assures me that if I willingly accept the truth about myself, that I am a creature living by God's mercy, then I will always live in joy. God will be the source of that joy. And it will be enough for me.