Greater than the pain of illness

Today is the feast of St. Camillus de Lellis, patron of hospitals, of the sick and of those who take care of the sick. By the grace of providence the gospel for today, Saturday of the 14th week of Ordinary time, exhorts us not to be afraid of those that kill only the body, rather be afraid of those that destroy both the soul and the body.

Sickness kills the body. If we allow it, it can also affect the soul. But in faith we can decide not to. Oftentimes we are helpless in the face of the fact that sickness weakens our body. But we can decide not to let sickness weaken our soul. Be not afraid of sickness. But be afraid of sin.

Sickness is part of the natural course of the material world. It can be very freigthening. But St. Camillus reminds us today that we should not let the fear of sickness paralyze us, for the pain of illness can never be greater than the comfort of the love of God. Like St. Camillus we are called to be ministers to the sick.

We pray to St. Camillus that through our concern and care for the sick - our family, our friends and neighbours - that they may never give in to fear and despair; through us may they experience the consolation of the gentle mercy of the Lord.

Let us not be afraid of sickness, for it can only destroy our bodies. Let us be afraid of sin, for it destroys not only our body but also our soul. Sickness separates us from the rest of the world, while sin separates us from God. What can be sicker than that?

Hulaan

What fruit is this? Ano sa palagay mo?

Where does your faith live?

Here's a crass but accurate way of putting the real challenge of love from D. Berrigan.

"Where does your faith live? In the head? In the heart? Your faith is rarely where your head is at, just as it is rarely where your heart is at. Your faith is where your ass is at! Where are you living? What are you doing? These things - our actions, our charity, our morality - are what determine whether we belive or not."

True love is not measured by the amount of knowledge stored in our minds, or by the passion contained in our hearts. It is in the doing, relating, trying, helping, communicating and sharing. What use is the knowledge of faith if they are not shared? What use is passion if not translated into action? Genuine loving is in the doing.

Reach out and hold his hand

We arrived at the monastery aroung 12 noon. We had our lunch, simple but filling. Then, we all went to our rooms for siesta. My room was still locked so I went around. I investigated the image that welcomed us when we entered the gates of the monastery.

In front of the Carmelite Monastery is the statue of Our Lady with two angels guarding her. Mary was holding Jesus at her side while giving the scapular. I tried to meditate on the image by standing in front of it. My attention focused on the hand of the boy Jesus.

This is the hand that Mary caressed while in Bethlehem. This is the hand that tried to help Joseph in putting pieces of wood together This is the hand that waded on the river Jordan during the baptism by John. This is the hand that healed a leper, touched the tounge of a mute, gave life to the dead, stopped a coming storm, encouraged children, and forgave sins. This is the hand that carried the cross; the hand that was wounded; the hand that was nailed on the cross. This is the hand that showed the scar of crucifixion even after the resurrection. This is the hand that bore the proof that he is Jesus, and he is alive.

I reached out and held Jesus' hand.

KAILANGAN MABUNTIS AT MANGANAK

[A homily delivered on July 10, 2007, during the Novena Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Tambacan, Burgos, Pangasinan, with the theme Mary: the Perfect Model of Christian Life and the scriptural passage, “And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”]

The scripture passage talks about Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ by his mother Mary. If Mary is the perfect model of Christian life, how can we imitate Mary in the Lord’s Nativity?

Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, in his book “Against an Infinite Horizon” asserts that “God still enters the world in the same way as Christ did.” The Incarnation of the Son of God through the blessed Virgin Mary is the same pattern that God continues to come to the word today. Mary’s birth of our Lord provides a model for us to follow in order to ensure the incarnation of God in our lives today. Like Mary, we have to give birth to Jesus Christ. How?

1. Impregnation by the Holy Spirit.
The message of the angel to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

Sa binyag tinaggap natin ang Espiritu Santo na siyang nagdulot sa atin ng biyayang maging mga anak ng Diyos. Sa Kumpil tinanggap natin ang Espiritu Santo na siyang nagdulot sa atin ng lakas upang maging saksi ni Kristo. Pero kailangang maging totoo ito sa pang-araw araw nating buhay. Kailangang mapuno tayo ng Espiritu ni Kristo upang maipanganak natin sa Kristo. We have to be filled with Jesus in order to give birth to Jesus.

Ang mata natin kailangang maging mata ni Kristo nakikita hindi lamang ang kahinaan kundi ang mga katangiang kayang ibigay ng Diyos. Ang bibig natin kailangang maging bibig ni Kristo na pinagmumulan ng mga salitang nagpapagaan ng loob at hindi nananakit. Ang mga kamay natin ay kailangang maging mga kamay ni Kristo na umaakay sa kabutihan at hindi tumutulak sa mali. Ang mga paa natin ay kailangang maging mga paa ni Kristo na naghahanap sa nawawala at hindi lumalayo sa Diyos.

Meron daw isang nagdarasal na galit na galit sa Diyos, sabi niya, “Panginoon akala ko mabait ka. Bakit mo hinahayaan magpatayan ang mga tao sa giyera? Bakit mo hinahayaang mamatay ang mga batang walang kamuwangmuwang? Bakit mo hinahayaang mabuhay sa hirap at pagdurusa ang mga dukha? Bakit wala kang ginagawa?” Bigla daw sumagot ang Diyos, “Kaya nga ginawa kita.” We have to be overshadowed by the Spirit of Jesus so that with St. Paul we can sincerely say “It is not I who live, but it is Jesus who lives in me.”

2. Accepting the pangs of birth.
A matter of fact rendering of Christ’s birth: “And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

Wala tayong karansan ng panganganak. Pero sa kuwento ng mga nanay na kakilala natin hindi madali ang manganak. Meron pang nagsasabi na sa sobrang hirap sinusumpa nila ang kanilang mga asawa. Pero limot ang lahat ng hirap paglumabas na ang bata, kapagnakita na ang sanggol, kapag kinarga na ang munting anghel na biyaya ng Diyos.

Hindi madali ang maging saksi ni Kristo. Kailangan ng pagtiyatiyaga, pagsasakripisyo, disiplina sa sarili, pagmamahal ng hindi naghihintay ng kapalit, pagbabahagi ng mabuting balita. Pero sa kabila ng pagbubuhat ng ating krus may naghihintay na kaligayahang walang kapantay na tanging si Kristo lamang ang makapagbibigay.

Merong kuwento ng dalawang magkaibigan na binigyan ng tigisang krus para buhatin papunta sa langit. Parehas mabigat ang krus. Iyung isa tiniis ang bigat ng krus at nagtiyaga sa pagbubuhat nito hanggang makaakyat ng bundok. Iyung isa naman unti unti pinuputol ang paanan ng krus, upang unti unting gumaan ang kanyang pagbubuhat hanggang makaakyat ng bundok. Pagdating sa bundok kailangan nilang tumawid sa isang bangin para makarating sa pintuan ng langit. Kailangan nilang gawing tulay ang kanilang mga krus. Madaling nakatawid ang unang nagbuhat. Paglapat niya ng krus sakto sa laki ng bangin. Nakatawid siya agad. Ung Ikalawa, paglapat niya ng krus kapos ang kanyang krus, hindi umabot sa kabilang ibayo ng bangin dahil pinutulan niya ito.

If we want to imitate Mary in giving birth to Jesus today, we have to be ready to accept the pangs of giving birth. We must be ready to carry our crosses everyday. For it is in sharing in the pain of the cross of Jesus that we also share in the glory of his resurrection.

Mary is the perfect model of Christian life. To imitate her is to follow her in giving birth to Jesus today. But in order to that we have to be filled with the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Jesus and we have to be ready to face the pangs of giving birth, to carry our crosses everyday. Tulad ni Maria kailangan nating mabuntis at manganak. Kailangan nating mapuno ng Espiritu Santo at maging Kristo sa isa’t isa.

What is a poet?

“What is a poet?” Kierkegaard once asked. His answer, “A poet is an unhappy person who conceals deep torments in his or her heart, but whose lips are so formed that when a groan or shriek streams over them it sounds like beautiful music.”

What a wonderful image of poetry - a groan or a shriek that streams over as beautiful music. But is poetry mere groans and shrieks of deep torments? Are all poets unhappy persons? Hmmm... Hindi yata totoo.

MASAYA!

Sabi ng ebanghelyo isinugo ni Jesus na dala-dalawa ang pitungpu’t dalawang mga alagad. At nagbalik silang tuwang tuwa. Nagblik silang masayang masaya. Nagbalik silang galak na galak.

Sa iba’t ibang tao, iba’t ibang bagay ang nakapagbibigay ng saya at tuwa. May malalim na kasiyahan. Merong mababaw na kasiyahan. Ano po ba ang nagpapasaya sa atin? Ano ba ang nagpapaligaya sa iyo?

Sa ebanghelyo masayang masaya ang mga alagad ni Jesus dahil isinugo sila; dahil nakapagpalayas sila ng masasamang espiritu; dahil nakapagpagaling sila; dahil nakapagpahayag sila ng turo ni Kristo. Sa madaling salita, masayang masaya ang mga alagad dahil sumunod sila kay Kristo.

Minsan pagpinag-usapan ang pagsunod kay Kristo ang naiisip natin ay ang hirap ng pagsundo sa kanya; ang hirap ng pagsasakripisyo, ng pagsubok, ng pagtitiis at pagtiyaityaga, ang sakit ng matanggihan, maayawan, at pangungutya. Nakakaligtaan ng marami ang tuwa at saya ng pagsunod sa Panginoon; ang saya ng paglilingkod at pagbibigay.

Hindi po madali ang sumunod kay Jesus. Pero kung dahil sa inis kaya tayo tutulong, kung dahil sa inis kaya tayo magbibigay at maglilingkod, hindi pa po natin natatagpuan ang isang malalim na kagalakan na tanging si Jesus lamang ang kayang magbigay – ang ligayang dulot ng paggawa ng mabuti, ang tuwang dala ng paggawa ng tama, ang galak na bigay ng pagtulong sa kapwa.

Why does following Jesus bring joy to our hearts? Because in Jesus we become the best of who we are. The world can make us somebody. Our achievements and success can make us somebody. But that does not necessarily mean the best for us. But Jesus can make us the best that we can be. And being happy with Jesus is the best expression of our faith.

Minsan may isang batang lumapit sa akin (mga 10 years old) sabi niya, “Father, gusto ko pong maging pari.” Natuwa naman ako. Sabi ko, “Bakit naman?” Sagot ng bata, “Kasi po mukhang ang saya-saya niyo.” [Sa loob-loob ko, “Yun ang akala mo.” Hehehe.]

Kay Jesus makakatagpo tayo ng tunay na saya. At ang sayang ito ang makapag-aanyaya sa ating kapwa upang sumunod din kay Kristo at makatagpo din ng saya sa pagsunod sa kanya. Amen.

I Want to be a Saint

As a newcomer in the seminary the first book that was given to us for spiritual reading was "The Lives of Saints." I remember reading about St. Dominic Savio, St. Tarcisius, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, St. Augustine, St. Thomas, and St. John Bosco. Formators gave us the book with the admonition, "Imitate them."

If there is one thing I learned from that book is that saints are human. Saints are not aliens from far far away, totally different from us. They were like us; weak, with hearts full of questions, confused, struggling, misunderstood, sinners. I remember formators point out that when asked what our ambitions are, rather than say "I want to be a priest" it is more right to say "I want to be a saint."

Can anyone really dream of becoming a saint? Would it not be boastful to dream so? Is it realy possible to aspire for sainthood and not come as a show off?

I want to be a saint! Who can say this with all honesty and humility? I know I can't. But on second thought why not. Why can't we? For in its simplicity is found the will of God for all his children. We are called to be holy. And so, we are all called to be saints.

A Cardinal was once asked, "What are saints?" The Cardinal candidly answered, "Saints are normal Christians. The problem with us is that we are not normal."

Get in front of the mirror and say, "I want to be a saint." Then, get in front of the Blessed Sacrament and say, "Only you can make me a saint."

Seeing Goodness

Looking at a white paper with a single black dot at the center, people often see the dot more than the paper. When people look at each other people often see what is not so beautiful. People remember mistakes. People recognize imperfections. People talk about weaknesses.

This is exactly the opposite of how God looks at us. Yes, God sees imperfections. God sees weaknesses. But he sees so much more. God sees beauty in his creation and in humanity because he has created us in his image and likeness.

It is not easy to look at suffering and see goodness. It is not easy to look at poverty and see goodness. It is not easy to look at crime and see goodness. It is not easy to look at destructions and see goodness. But that is how God looks at his creation.

And so when we look at the world and at one another, let us not look only with our physical eyes. Let us look with the eyes of faith. For with the eyes of faith when we look at weaknesses and imperfections we also see what the grace of God can do in the world and in our lives.

The Curious Incident

I just finished reading an interesting and unique novel by Mark Haddon, with a curious title "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time". It's unique because the story is told by a 14 year old gifted child who loves numbers and dreams of becoming an astronaut. It's a touching story of love and logic, of patience and patterns, of moving on and mathematics. Read this:

"And when you look at the sky you know you are looking at stars which are hundreds and thousands of light-years away from you. And some of the stars don't even exist anymore because their light has taken so long to get to us that they are already dead, or they have exploded and collapsed into red dwarfs. And that makes you seem very small, and if you have difficult things in your life it is nice to think that they are what is called "negligible", which means that they are so small you don't have to take them into account when you are calculating something."

When you have your own difficulty and you begin to listen to the difficulties of others, it's like looking at the stars and realizing how "negligible" your difficulties are compared to those of others. It doesn't make the difficulties go away, but they become easier to face. So, always look at the stars.