We all have something to give ... and to receive

I was recently in Mozambique and in one of my visits to our communities one girl told me these unforgettable words: "we are poor, but what we have we would like to share with you, the fruit of our labor".
In my many experiences, this is something that I can confirm: we all have something to give. Happy is the person who knows how to share.
But in a world where we try to show off an air of independence and autonomy, "happy is the person who knows how to receive, without a sense of shame or entitlement, but only of recognizing that we are all on a journey, and together we reach far".

Remember

This year is special. I celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of my religious profession.
Wow, time flies, and flies fast.
Last year i celebrated my fiftieth birthday, another milestone.
Come to think of it, I could say that half of my life has passed.
How do I proceed with the rest?
To remember is to take a look at my life, see the footprints and the heart prints. And as I remember, I have nothing but gratitude.
Sure, my life isn't perfect. No life ever is.
Sure, I could have done better. But it is useless to berate myself for what-could-have-beens and what-ifs.
But as I remember, I can only be grateful, to Him who has always been present.
I am grateful to God because in the inconstancies of life, His love is the constant.
Oh my heart, never forget to recount God's marvels time and time again.
To remember is to have life.
To remember is to believe that life makes sense, that life has a meaning, that life will never end.
Gratitude is the memory of the heart.

Do you love me?

In today's Gospel, Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?"
This is more than a rhetorical question. For me, the repetition indicates seriousness and a call to go deeper, and at the same time, an effort to make oneself understood by taking the other's perspective. Jesus wanted Peter to respond in a way that goes beyond a mere yes or no; certainly, it will be a response that would impact Peter's life.
Since this took place after Jesus' resurrection, I think it emphasizes that this love should be seen as more than just an intimate you-and-I relationship with Jesus.
To love Jesus is to assume His cause, to feed His sheep.
To love Jesus is to assume His mind and His heart, that is, to be in total availability to the Father's will.

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.