BEING RELIGIOUS

Our call to become religious is the call to move from darkness into the Light and back into the darkness. That is to recognize the voice of the Shepherd calling us out of darkness, to encounter the Shepherd in the silence of our hearts, and to go back into the darkness to bring the Light of the Shepherd.

The Lord calls us from darkness; from sinfulness. He wants us to move away from obscurity to certainty; from the ways of this world to His own way. He calls us to be gathered as people of God; qahal Yahweh – to become the household of God ever ready to submit one’s self to the will of the Father. The voice within us that tells us to be holy, to hind the call of the Shepherd, is of no human voice. It is the voice of Christ, telling us to come and see the goodness of the Lord.

From the darkness of our own sinful folly and worldly allurements, we move into the light. We step into the light guided by the voice of the Shepherd, of the One who called us. In the light, we encounter the Lord. We encounter the Lord in his words read before us. We encounter the Lord in the Eucharist we received. We encounter the Lord in the priests who dispense the graces that sanctify us. We encounter the Lord in the assembled people, blessing and praising Him. In a more intimate way, we encounter the Lord, the Shepherd, in the silent moments we spend before Him. In silence, we clearly hear his words; we understand His will. We encounter the Lord in silence for silence is the language of the Lord. He speaks in the silence of our hearts; communicating the will of the Father. That silent encounter enables us to grow, as seeds grow in the silence of the night. It is very tempting to remain in those solemn encounter and say “Lord, it is good to be here. Let us remain and pitch our tent here.” After that encounter, however, we are changed persons. We are never been the same again. We are transformed from being people of darkness into bearers of light. Our encounter with the Lord charges us with a great mission: to go back into the darkness where we were called from, and bring the Light of Jesus.

Our call and encounter with the Lord bestow upon us the vocation to bring Jesus in the world so that this world may more and more be configured with the image of Christ. How are we to bring the Light in the darkness of our world? How can we be religious in this seeming irreligious world? We can be effective bearers of the Light by becoming imitators of the Light; becoming little lights that illumine. We can be effective bearers of the Light by living a holy life ever consistent to the will of the One who called and sent us. It is by the holiness of our lives guided by the radical way of following Jesus through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. Modern man, Paul VI said, listens not to teachers but to witnesses. If ever they listen to teachers it is because they are witnesses first. Becoming witnesses of the very message we received through those silent encounters, is enough to dispel the darkness of this world. By sharing the light of faith we received, this world of sinfulness may have the chance of permeating the goodness of the Lord. Holiness of life is a potent salve that can heal the wounds of this world; wounds brought forth by sins. Holiness of life can charge the words we utter with great transformative power. To bring the light in this world by the holiness of our lives does not require grand and pompous events. It can be done even in lowly and simple things. St. Martin de Porres found holiness in swiping the floor of the Priory in Peru. St. Terese of of the Child Jesus found holiness in washing the sauce pan. Mother Teresa found holiness in embracing the beggars of Calcutta. The history of the Church is replete with thousands of stories of the saints who found holiness in little things they did in the name of Jesus Christ. They were able to transformed the people around them, and the community where they lived in, into the image of Christ; illumined by the light of faith, moving them from darkness into the Light.

Our call to become religious is a movement from darkness to the Light, to encounter the Light, and to go back into the darkness bringing the Light. Our vocation commences with our recognition of the voice of Shepherd calling us. It is nurtured through the silent encounters we have with the Shepherd; the Light of the world. It charged us to bring the light to those who are in darkness by living a holy life. Our vocation may post great challenges; challenges that may seem to be impossible to overcome. We do not need to be afraid. The Lord who calls us into this life, whom we encounter, and who sends us, is always with us until the end of time.

SACRA PRAEDICATIO

In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ sent the twelve apostles two by two, to preach repentance, to cast out demons and to heal the sick. The Lord sent them to proclaim to everyone, in cities and villages, the Good News of salvation. Notable in this “diaspora” is the manner by which the apostles were sent: two by two. Would it be more profitable to send the twelve on their own and go to twelve different places? In that way they would be able to preach the gospel in more place, unlike the fewer places that the six pairs of apostles would be able to reach. But the Lord chose to send them two by two.

The commandments of the Lord are summarized in two instructions alone; You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). The love of God and neighbor is the gist of the Lord’s commandments. It is not the Love of God alone but of neighbor also. For if someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20).

The Lord sent his apostles two by two for his most important precepts are two; Love of God and Love of neighbor. This precepts cannot be accomplish by less than two persons. One cannot truly love God without loving his neighbor. He would be deduce to being a liar. The apostles cannot authentically preach about love of God and of neighbor if they themselves have not experience such love; such difficulties and struggles in loving God and their “neighbors.” The apostles’ words could have been powerless if their very own lives did not manifest the very message they would like to communicate. Words proclaimed are empty, unless charged with actions; with witnessing. These words uttered by someone who experienced what these words mean, would really mean what they say. They would be able to preach the Lord’s Good News authentically, in words and deeds. All these through the help of one’s companion, with whom one breaks his bread with. The Lord, thus, sent his apostles two by two that they may be able to preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words (St. Francis).

We too, every day, are being sent by the Lord, not just two by two but by tens, hundreds, even thousands. We are being sent, as a community, as a family, to proclaim the Lord’s message of love in this modern world. We know the message and the precepts; love of God and neighbor. We have our companions; plenty of them. The great challenge is how are we to preach effectively; with powerful words. “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses (Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiadi).” We have to be witnesses of the message we would like to communicate to others. We have to love God, more so our brothers, our sisters. For it is only that we can call our preaching, that resonates from the very lives we live, a sacra praedicatio.

FORMAL AND INFORMAL ENGLISH

Various topics to be delivered before or read by an audience require different styles to effectively communicate the message that the speaker would like to convey to his listeners or readers. The use of Formal and Informal English is one of the elements that a speaker or a writer have to learn and consider in preparing a speech or an article. One have to determine the difference between these two ways of using the English language, so as to be able to learn when and how to use them. This short paper is an attempt to elucidate Formal and Informal English by drawing their difference in situation when they are used, the grammar they employ, and their vocabulary.

Formal English is often used during serious situations such as necrological service, writing a formal letter, delivering a speech, etc., before a group of people whom one does not know well. It is often use in writing. However, it is not limited in writing. Formal English can be used also in speaking, as the situation will demand. Informal English is often used in a relaxed atmosphere before persons whom one knows well. It is ordinarily used in speaking. However, it is limited in speaking, as Informal English is also used in writing emails, casual notes etc., that do not demand any formalities.

On grammar, Formal English is complex and thorough. It uses longer sentences with full words. It does not contract words and does not use abbreviations. This particular style would always use relative pronoun corresponding to a relative clause, and would use auxiliary verbs. Sentences constructed through this style would often have a passive structure, in as much as the doer of the action seem to be renegade to the sidelines so as not to inject any personal tone regarding the topic of the sentence. Informal English sounds more conversational and has a personal tone, manifested through the active structure it assumes. It communicates the message directly to the reader or the listener. Thus, it is uses contracted words and abbreviations. It would often omit relative pronouns and auxiliary verbs.

The vocabulary that is used in Formal and Informal English also differs from one another. Formal English would often use words with Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, and Anglo-Saxon origin. Informal English employs colloquial terms; those which are more familiar to the people.

Each of the manner of using the English language has their own advantages. The usage of either Formal or Informal English depends on various consideration such as the audience, topic and the desire tone that the speaker or writer would like to achieve. Both Formal and Informal English can prove to be helpful and effective means in communicating a message. However, to realize and achieve such effectively of the style in the usage of language, rest on the ability of the speaker or writer to determine when to use Formal and Informal English.



References:

Formal and informal language rom English Grammar Today, retrieved from http://dictionary. cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/formal-and-informal-language on October 3, 2014.

Formal and Informal English, retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/english/ writing/formal_informal/revision/4/ on October 5, 2014.

Rachel Clarkson, Main Differences between Formal and Informal English, retrieved from http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic55311.html on October 6, 2014.

ST. JOHN PAUL II: A MODEL PREPARED BY THE LORD

Man needs role models to imitate. To live a particular virtue or vice, he has to see it lived, modeled before his eyes; in flesh and blood, mobile. That is the purpose of role models; to exemplify in virtue that others may have the courage to take a bold step to follow their paths. Today the world needs role models, more than celebrities who merely create fuss out of their new Cadillac. The world thirsts for men who can talk about virtues and walk their talk about virtues. And role models are not lacking in this generation. The good Lord provides for man models whom they can look up to and imitate in living in virtues. One of these role models for the post-modern world is Karol Józef Wojtyła popurlarly known as St. Pope John Paul II.

On May 18, 1920, in the town of Wadowice, Poland, Karol Józef Wojtyła was born to Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska. Youngest among the three children, Karol Józef Wojtyła had a brother, Edmund, and a sister, Olga. He was baptized on June 20, 1920. He received his first communion when he was nine years old. He was ordained to the order of priesthood on November 1, 1946. He was appointed as a bishop by Pius XII on July 4, 1958 and was consecrated to the episcopate on September 28, 1958. He was created as a cardinal by Paul VI on June 26, 1967. He was elected by the 1978 conclave as the 263rd successor of Peter. His papacy lasted for 27 years. He died on April 2, 2005. He was beatified by Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011, at St. Peter's Square. Two years after, he was canonized by Francis on April 27, 2014. 

A lot of things can be said about St. John Paul II such: He made 146 pastoral visits in Italy. He 317 visited parishes of the current 322 Roman parishes. He took 104 international apostolic journeys. He wrote14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. He was published five books, namely: Crossing the Threshold of Hope (October 1994); Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination (November 1996); Roman Triptych, meditations in poetry (March 2003); Rise, Let Us Be on Our Way (May 2004) and Memory and Identity (February 2005). He celebrated 147 beatifications, during which he proclaimed 1,338 blesseds. He presided over 51 canonizations in which event he raised to the altars a total of 482 saints. He convoked 15 assemblies of the Synod of Bishops, 6 ordinary general sessions (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1994 and 2001), 1 extraordinary general session (1985) , 8 special sessions (1980, 1991,1994,1995,1997,1998 (2) and 1999). He promulgates the Codes of Canon Law for the Latin and the Oriental Churches. He allowed the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He began the celebration of World Youth Day, in 1984. Truly with these immense tasks accomplished, St. John Paul II was blessed by the Lord to be able to do all these. And St. John Paul II became a blessing too for many in the modern world; becoming their inspiration, their role model today.

* * *

Isaac was a day dreamer, Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper and denied Christ, David had an affair and tried to cover it up with murder, Noah got drunk. Elisha was suicidal, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer and he was way too religious.

Timothy had too many ulcers, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Rahab was a prostitute, Samson – he liked prostitute. Isaiah preached naked for three years, John the Baptist ate bugs and had second thoughts about the very Messiah he baptized.

Jeremiah was way too emotional, Moses stuttered, Zacchaeus was too short, Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies those who are called!

St. John Paul II was called by God to his vocation as the servant of the servants of God. He, just like many of us, is not qualified for the vocation God has called him to live. Through an in-depth analysis of the life of St. John Paul II, one can understand how God prepared this person to receive a great task from God and fulfill it more than satisfactorily. The life of St. John Paul II is filled with many aspects and instance where one can see the hands of God working in his life; guiding him towards the path of holiness and salvation. It is also evident in his life, how St. John Paul II cooperated in the will of the One who called him. For the purpose of elucidating this point, this paper will present four incidents in the life of St. John Paul II, with the aim of illustrating how God made him qualified to the vocation He had given to His servant.

Death of Emilia Kaczorowska, his mother. At the age of nine, St. John Paul II's mother died. He lost his mother but he found his heavenly Mother in the Lady of Czestochowa. There is a pious story on how St. John Paul II formed his devotion to Mary. One day, his widowed father, who had solely raised his son after the death of his wife, brought St. John Paul II to the Shrine of the Lady of Czestochowa. There the elder Karol introduce his son to the Lady. Looking intently at the icon of the Lady, he silently uttered “You would now be my Mother.” From that time on St. John Paul II took Mary as his Mother, and indeed Mary took him as her son. When St. John Paul II became a Pope he took as his motto the phrase of a Marian saint; Totus tuus, Totally yours. It is a phrase written by St. Louis de Montfort. It pertains to the total dedication of one's self to Mary; his personal Consecration to Mary. He lost a mother. But in Mary, he gained a one true spiritual Mother who guided him through his life.

Spending Childhood in a Jewish Community. As a young boy, St. John Paul II spent his childhood days in a Jewish community in Wadowice. Football games were often organized between teams of Jews and Catholics, and St. John Paul II often played on the Jewish side. This exposure to other faith would prove to be of great help to St. John Paul II in his Petrine ministry, particular on inter-faith dialogue. On October 27, 1986, in Assisi, he organized a gathering of various religious leaders in a inter-faith activity. In 1986, he became the first pope who entered a synagogue. In 2001, he entered too in a mosque in Damascus. His interest with other religious was not limited to the Abrahamic tradition. He also reach-out to the religions of Asia such Hinduism, Buddhism and others. His early encounters with persons belonging to other faith, perhaps, made him realize that God is present too in other religions, in Judaism, in Islam and the likes. 

Rhapsodic Theater Experience at the Krakow's Jagiellonian University. IN 1938, after finishing high in Wadowice, St. John Paul II entered the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. In the University, he enrolled in a school of drama. And in 1942, he would be a pioneer member of the Rhapsodic Theater. It is a clandestine theater aimed to foster Polish patriotism. This experience in the theater would help him in optimizing theatrical movements and postures as a pope who faced the “global theater.” This does not mean that his actions were merely actions by an actor pretending to be someone else. His actions resonated from his genuine self. However, his thoughts, feelings, and emotions were beautifully expressed through his theatrical skills. He would use his eyes, hands, cane, staff, the children around him and the likes to communicate more effectively the message he would like to convey. He can be likened to an actor, a showman. However he neither pretended to be another person, nor he mounted a show. He simply be who he is and utilized theatrical skills to expressed his genuine self.

Sweat and Blood at the Quarry and Factory. In 1939, the Nazi occupied Poland. They closed the Jagiellonian University. They forced non-Jewish students and members of the academe to work in quarries and factories (Jews were sent to concentration camps to be executed). From 1940 to 1944 St. John Paul II worked in a quarry and factory in Solvay. Here he experienced the difficult conditions of workers. He too shed blood, sweat and tears just like the other workers. He felt hunger, thirst, tired and the likes. He became a worker. This working experience had formed his heart to have compassion to the working force. As a pope he wrote social encyclicals namely, Centesimus Annus (The Hundredth Year) in 1991, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern) in 1987, and Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) in 1981. He fiercely spoke against the inhuman treatment of workers in the present times, which have use man as a means towards the economic gains of some. He knew what he was talking about for he himself experienced such inhuman treatment. And he wanted others to suffer the same difficulties he had in those quarries and factories of Salvoy.

The life of St. John Paul II showed how God prepared his servant to the task that would be entrusted to him. Indeed, God does not call the qualified. He qualifies those who are called by preparing them through the various chapters of their lives. However, God is asking for one thing from those who are called. God is asking for a “Yes.” Yes to His call. Yes to the preparations he laid down. Yes to the task he entrusts. Yes to Him. One need not be afraid, for whenever God calls, He makes sure that he who is called is well prepared, and is made qualified to the vocation entrusted to him. Just like St. John Paul II, do not afraid!




References

Weigel George, The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II – The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy (New York: Image Books, 2010).

Booklet for the Celebration of the Canonization of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II, 27 April 2014.

Short Biography (of Karol Józef Wojtyła), retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/news_ services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html on October 10, 2014.

John Paul II Biography, Pope (1920–2005), retrieved from http://www.biography. com/people/john-paul-ii-9355652#synopsis, on October 11, 2014.

BEFORE YOU DECIDE

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called to him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.

Every day, we face a lot of situations that demand decisions from us: Am I going to wake up early? Am I going to the Lauds and attend the Mass? Am I going to the school? Am I to ask forgiveness from a friend? Am I going to be faithful to my commitment? Some situations need decisions that require a little effort from us. Some decisions, however, have to be thought thousand times before we make such them. 

 

 

 In the Gospel (Luke 6:12-16), Christ teaches us how to make decisions in life. Being the Son of God, decisions come instantaneously to Him. He does not need any deliberation and discussion. For our sake, however, He leads us by His own example to the right process of decision making. After preaching the Word of God, and healing sick people, Christ perhaps realized the need to name persons who can help Him in spreading the good news. He thought of choosing and sending persons to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Christ have commanded them (Mt. 28:16-20). Before He chose apostles among His disciples, before he made a decision (very important), there is something Christ did. He prayed! 

Christ prayed before making a decision. In this way, according to St. Cyril, He teaches us to be instant in prayer to God, going apart by ourselves, and in secret, no one seeing us; putting aside also our worldly cares, that the mind may be raised up to the height of divine contemplation and this we have marked in the fact, act, that Christ went into a mountain apart to pray. 

Solitude and silence are two prerequisites of prayer and decision-making. Every turning point in our life requires from us decisions. Every decisions we make ought to be thought over a thousand time, more so prayed over a million times. Only in the atmosphere of solitude and silence we can be able to grasp rightful decision we have to make. Only in the atmosphere of solitude and silence we can be able to grasp the will of Father for us; the solitude and silence of the stable in Bethlehem, the solitude and silence in the garden of Gethsemane, the solitude and silence at the cross of Golgotha, the solitude and silence of an empty tomb. Decisions can be rightfully made only in the solitude and silence of our hearts before the Lord, placing Christ and the will of the Father at the very center of our lives.

Pray in solitude and in silence, before you DECIDE!

FAITHFULNESS IN A VOCATION

Last Tuesday, I attended a meeting wherein we discussed a fundraising project. There were plenty of ideas presented on how to strategize and increase the profit of the said project. While things are being deliberated and argued, a question popped in my mind; Are we not religious, called by the Lord to follow Him, in a radical way? After the meeting, I continued meditating on this question and realized how much our community seem to be engaged with various activities; so called apostolates. Other activities seem to deviate from the way Dominic chose for our forefathers. One may say time changed. New situations demands for new solutions. The way of the old cannot be the ways of today. True. However, in the midst of changing facets of religious life, there remains to be unchanged - Ante omnia, fratres carissimi, diligatur Deus, deinde et proximus, quia ista sunt praecepta principaliter nobis data.

In the gospel, the Lord is criticized by the Pharisees for breaking the law of the Sabbath. He allowed his disciples to work during the Sabbath. However the Lord presents himself as one knowledgeable about the law (and a precedent case). He knows what the law means; the reason behind the law. Epikeia! He did not break the spirit of the law, though he seemingly did otherwise to the letter of the law. He did not break the law for he knew what the law means. 

In the midst of progress, it is tempting for us to confuse our vocation (of being religious) to those professions we embrace under the pretense of apostolate; of being a successful academician, administrators, managers, fund raisers etc. But how much have we strive to be faithful to the call of the Lord (Follow me!) towards the path of charity, which is the soul of holiness? How much have we love? 

Mother Theresa once said “We are not called to be successful, but faithful.” May all that we do in the community make us faithful to our religious vocation, more than being successful professionals. This we ought to keep in our minds or else we might break not just the letter but more so the spirit of our vocation to love.

NANOTECHNOLOGY AND THE GIFT OF INTELLIGENCE

God created us in his own image and likeness. He created us with the capacity to think. Among the animals, we are the only specie who can inquire about the wonders we see around, who can recreate these wonders through our own hands, and who can use them to improve our ways of living. And this gift of intelligence is given to us with the mandate from god to use it to cultivate the entire creation.

At the dawn of civilization, man asked “What is the world made of?” As the discovery and development of new technologies, man was able to know about atomic particles; electrons, neutron, protons, and the likes. Recent studies speak of nanotechnology. These pertains to the study of the smaller particles than the atomic paticles. It opens a new vista on how we perceive and can use the things around us. Attached with this technology is the capacity of man to manipulate and control the tiniest particle known to dictate the character of this said particle, to conform to the intention of the manipulator’. It enables man to change the natural characteristics of a thing. Say for example a wood that is usually combustible by a fire can be a fire recitant material by changing and altering the atomic composition of the wood into an atomic composition comparable to that of an adobe slab. Wonderful! Imagine a world where no house can catch a fire. Our fire men can surely rest for a while. Side by side with the good usage of this technology offers, is the danger of using it to malevolent intent such us the development of military armament, and weapons of mass destruction. Think of a nanotech-bombs that can obliterate an entire cities and transforming it to ruins?!?  

The wonderful gift of intelligence can either be creative or destructive. It can built hospitals, schools, green cities, etc. It can manufacture food and clothes for the destitute. But it can also push others to a mass power and worldly riches. Together with the gift of intellect, God gave us the mandate to use our intelligence to develop the entire creation, as God would have us do. We are tasked to be stewards of the creation. We need not be nanotechnoligist, atomic scientist to be a good steward of God’s creation. Even in simple ways, with the proper use of intellect, we can be God’s good stewards. When was the last time you had used God’s gift of intellect to take good care of His creation, more so of your brothers and sisters?  

THE POWER OF TWO

In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ sent the twelve apostles two by two, to preach repentance, to cast out demons and to heal the sick. The Lord sent them to proclaim to everyone, in cities and villages, the Good News of salvation. Notable in this “diaspora” is the manner by which the apostles were sent: two by two. Would it be more profitable to send the twelve on their own and go to twelve different places? In that way they would be able to preach the gospel in more place, unlike the fewer places that the six pairs of apostles would be able to reach. But the Lord chose to send them two by two.    

The commandments of the Lord are summarized in two instructions alone; You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). The love of God and neighbor is the gist of the Lord’s commandments. It is not the Love of God alone but of neighbor also. For if someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20).

 The Lord sent his apostles two by two for his most important precepts are two; Love of God and Love of neighbor. This precepts cannot be accomplish by less than two persons. One cannot truly love God without loving his neighbor. He would be deduce to being a liar. The apostles cannot authentically preach about love of God and of neighbor if they themselves have not experience such love; such difficulties and struggles in loving God and their “neighbors.” The apostles’ words could have been powerless if their very own lives did not manifest the very message they would like to communicate. Words proclaimed are empty, unless charged with actions; with witnessing. These words uttered by someone who experienced what these words mean, would really mean what they say. They would be able to preach the Lord’s Good News authentically, in words and deeds. All these through the help of one’s companion, with whom one breaks his bread with. The Lord, thus, sent his apostles two by two that they may be able to preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words (St. Francis).

We too, every day, are being sent by the Lord, not just two by two but by tens, hundreds, even thousands. We are being sent, as a community, as a family, to proclaim the Lord’s message of love in this modern world. We know the message and the precepts; love of God and neighbor. We have our companions; plenty of them. The great challenge is how are we to preach effectively; with powerful words. “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses (Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiadi).” We have to be witnesses of the message we would like to communicate to others. We have to love God, more so our brothers, our sisters. For it is only that we can call our preaching, that resonates from the very lives we live, a sacra praedicatio.    

GOD LOVES US!

The love of the Lord for us is manifested in the Holy Spirit sent forth upon us, in the daily bread we receive, and in the strength that moves us to love others. His love for us is ever present in our midst. It never leaves us. Though we look around us and see the misery and suffering of some our neighbors, we need not doubt about the Lord’s abiding love for us all. He care for us His children in this valley of tears. He provides our daily bread. He moves us to act towards the alleviation of the suffering of our brothers and sisters. The first community of disciples experienced the Lord’s love for them, and allowed Him to empower them to comfort those who mourn and weep in their midst.

The Lord sent forth the Holy Spirit upon His disciples, gathered in the upper room, ten days after He ascended to Heaven. Tearful, confused and afraid, the disciples prayerfully waited for the promised of a Paraclete. The Lord did not fail them. The Holy Spirit descended upon them as promised. That very moment, the disciples felt the care and love of the Lord for them. The fear, confusion, and thoughts of being abandoned were banished and were replaced by the Lord’s love and care for His disciples.

The community of disciples, with the converts for Judaism to Christianity never lacked the things they needed for the good Lord provided. No one kept the blessing he had received from the Lord for himself alone. They held all things in common, making available everything that they had to the disposal of those in need. They learned how to share.  

The lord’s love for the primitive Church did not remain within the community of disciples. The love they received from the Lord moved them to help those who are in need around them. They manifested the love of the Lord through concrete acts of justice and charity. They distributed alms and healed the sick.

The Lord loves us. This is evident in the past experiences of our forebears; in the first community of disciples. The suffering and tragedies around us, in our midst, should not discourage to believe that the Lord care for us. Let these be our inspiration to call for the Holy Spirit and to remind us of the Lord’s immense love for us, greater than the harsh realities of life we see and experience today. Let His love moves us to do something to lift our neighbors from their miseries, just like what the first disciples did. Let His love permeate in us, because in the end it His love that would save us.  

ROMEO AND JULIET, AND WEST SIDE STORY: CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE

Universal truths are expressed, time and again, in different manners, wrapped with varied colors and decors. The truth that love knows no boundary, even death and warring families and gangs, is well articulated in two magna opera of distinguished masters in their own field of expertise. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, first printed in 1597 written by William Shakespeare. This great work is adapted in the West Side Story.  West Side Story is a romantic musical drama film, showed in 1957, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. These two great works have points of convergence and divergence when put side by side with each other.

These literary masterpieces have plenty of similarities; points of convergence. They both adapted literary works that serve as the backbone of their stories. Romeo and Juliet borrowed from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Pyramus and Thisbe), Xenophon’s The Ephesiaca (a potion that induces a deathlike sleep). West Side Story is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Rome and Juliet. The characters of the two literary works almost perfectly correspond to one another; Romeo and Juliet with Tony and Maria, Prince Escalus of Verona with Lieutenant Schrank and Officer Krupke, Mercutio (Montague) with Riff (Jets), Tybalt (Capulet) with Bernardo (Sharks), Friar Laurence (provided the “poison” to Juliet) and Anita (cause of “death” of Maria). Both works begin with a street brawls. Romeo and Juliet begins with the street fight between the Montague and Capulet servants, in Verona. West Side Story commences with the brawl between the American gang named Jets, led by Riff, and the Puerto Rican gang named Sharks, led by Bernardo, West Side's Lincoln Square neighborhood in Manhattan. One of the significant rising actions in these works is the meeting of the lovers in a ball. Romeo meets Juliet in the ball organized by Juliet’s Family (Capulet). Tony meets Maria in a ball too. These initial meetings are nourished by the lovers secret conversations over a balcony, in the case of Romeo and Juliet, and over a fire exit, in the case of Tony and Maria. Another rising action is the killing which involves the male protagonists and antagonists. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio (Montague) is killed by Tybalt (Capulet) who in turn is killed by Romeo (Montague). In West Side Story, Riff (Jets) is killed by Bernardo (Sharks) who in turn is killed by Tony (Jets). Towards the end of the stories, both male protagonist, Romeo and Tony desire to die. Romeo dies by drinking a poison. Tony is shot by Chino (a member of the Sharks). Both the ends of the stories mimic the unity gained through the deaths that happen. The death of Romeo and Juliet (and Paris) cause the unity of the feuding family of Verona (Capulet and Montague), and the Prince Escalus of Verona. The murder of Tony causes the unity between the Jets, Sharks, and Lieutenant Schrank and Officer Krupke.          

Though they may have similarities, Romeo and Juliet, and the West Side Story have differences two; some elements present in the other while lacking in the other. Romeo and Juliet involves a family. West Side Story presents a conflict between two warring gangs, more so a clash of races (American and Puerto Rican). One happens in Verona while the other in West Side's Lincoln Square neighborhood in Manhattan. Romeo has an infatuation with Rosaline, a Capulet, while Tony solely falls in love with Maria. Juliet has Paris as her lover, while Maria remains to be a damsel protected by her kins. Romeo and Juliet secretly marry each other through the help of Friar Laurence, while Tony and Maria do not. The father of Juliet has the idea of marrying Juliet with Paris after the death of Tybalt (Capulet), while the father of Maria is almost perfectly silent throughout the film. The “death” of Juliet is due to the poison given to her by Friar Laurence. The “death” of Maria is due to the make-beliefs of Anita. After finding Romeo dead, Juliet takes her own life, while Maria, after witnessing the murder of her lover, Tony, does not take her own life.    

Romeo and Juliet, and West Side Story may have a lot of similarities and differences, of points of convergence and divergence, which span through centuries of existence, but they remain to be faithful and effective in fulfilling their purpose. That is to communicate to the readers, and viewers a universal truth about love; love conquers all.            

WAY BACK HOME

Charity begins at home, an old adage says. Whoever thought of it, perhaps, forgot to say that faith, hope, strength, happiness, camaraderie, fraternity etc. began too at home. Home is the seedbed where everything in man begins and where everything in man can be traced back. Thus, there would always be an atmosphere of reminiscing, coupled with nostalgia, every time one who had been far away home, goes home. One begins to remember his humble beginnings, the dreams he wove under the old mango tree. Vivid images of childhood days begin to re-appear as one walks through the same dusty road back home. But more than going home to his place of origin, one actually ventures to journey back to himself, a return from the place he chose to be to the place the Other chose him to be, to the abode God first wish him to be.  

Last summer I went home. More than a compliance to the mandatory home vacation in the seminary, I took this vacation as an opportune time for me to go back to my beginnings, to my roots, a time to reintegrate with my family. It was a chance to waste time with my father and mother, to be there simply, recalling stories of the old. Yes it was to waste time with them. In this world where time had become so precious, and no amount of it ought to be wasted, each single second spent productively, expecting result/output, I dared to waste time with my family. I was simply there acknowledging them as important part of my life.

Along the years of being in the seminary, away from my family, I fell out of love from them. I thought it was totally fine putting them aside to the dark back burners of my self. It is not fine. They are my family. With all the hustle and bustle they bring with them to my life, I cannot deny the fact that I came from them. Denying them is tantamount to denying a part of me. That home vacation I took to embrace them. To love them again just like before when all I had in this world was them. I learned to love them again not for who they were in the past but they are now in my life. We cannot choose our family, our life situations. But we can always choose how we are going to take them, to have them in our lives. Will we love them? Hate them? Deny them? I chose to love them, to affirm them in my life, though how imperfect they are, as I am to them.       

ANG NATATAGONG KAYAMANAN AT ANG PERLAS NA MAHALAGA

Hitik ang ating kapaligiran ng mga biyaya at pagpapala ng Panginoon para sa atin. Mababanaagan ang mga ito sa ating masiglang relasyon sa ating kapwa, matiwasay na pamumuhay, o ang katotohanang buhay ka pa rin sa sandaling ito. Ang mga ito ay pawang mga sinyales na tumutukoy sa higit pang pagpapalang ipinapakita sa atin ng Panginoon. Ito ay ang kanyang kaharian, ang makapiling ang Panginoon, at lubusang damhin ang kadakilaan ng Kanyang pagmamahal.

Sabi ni San Hilario ng Poitiers, matatagpuan ang yamang ito; ang kaharian ng langit, nang walang bayad; sapagkat ang Mabuting Balita ay bukas para sa lahat, ngunit ang magamit at makamit ito kasama ang kanyang bukid ay di maari nang walang bayad, dahil ang yamang mula sa kalangitan ay di nakakamit nang di nawawala ang mundong ito.

Di na natin kailangan pang hanapin ang pinakamahalagang yaman sa santinakpan; ang kaharian ng langit. Ito ay lantad na, nilantad, ipinahayag na ng ating Panginoon Jesu-Cristo sa atin. Ito ay mababasa at makikita sa Banal na Kasulatan, Katuruan ng Simbahan, at sa Sagradong Tradisyon ng Simbahang Katolika. Ngunit nananatiling malaking hamon sa bawat isa sa atin ang buong pagyakap at pagtanggap sa yamang iniaalok sa ating ng ating Panginoon Jesu-Cristo.

Ang pag-angkin sa kaharian ng langit sa kanyang kabuuan ay nangangahulugang ng pagtalikod sa anomang makamundong yaman, maging pagnanasa. Mahirap ito; ang isakripisyo ang mga makamundong yamang ipinundar nang maraming taon, isantabi ang mga luho at kapritso nakasanayan na atbp. Ngunit madadalian tayong talikdan ang anong yaman ng mundong ito kung lagi nating isasaisip, isasapuso at isasabuhay ang napakadakilang yamang ibinabahagi sa atin ng ating Panginoong Jesu-Cristo; ang yaman ng kaharian ng langit, ang makapiling Siya, magpakailanman. May hihigit pa ba rito?

AND DO NOT ASK FOR A SIGN

Last home vacation, it was the planting season for most farmers in our barrio. My father, an aging farmer himself, employed several workers to prepare our rice paddies, seedlings etc. in time for the rainy season. He could not work anymore in the farm as he used to. In one of my small conversations with him, I asked him how much a farm-worker earns in a day. I was surprised that what they earn is as good as a cup of an overpriced coffee I used to drink here. What they earn for a day, I only spend in less than hour in an overrated coffee shop. I realized then the value of my money, my allowance (P600) from the community; how valuable it is. Most of all, I thought how much should I be grateful for this blessing from the Lord.

I used to ask from the Lord many things; money, good-looks, perfect family, the best relationship in town, etc. thinking that attaining such would indicate that His favor is upon me. But I realized how much He has been good to me all this time. I eat more than three times a day. I sleep on a comfortable bed. I have a loving father and mother, struggling to be a better parents. My community, though not so perfect, at times reminds me of the Lord’s commandment “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).” That too is a blessing!!! I have receive a lot of blessings from the Lord. These are enough reasons for me to believe that He loves me. He cares for me. I need no sign. These are enough. Thank you Lord.  

Since the beginning of human memory, man has been seeking for signs, either natural or conventional signs. He seeks for signs to avoid danger, to charter his journey, to help him in making a decision etc. and in some cases, to find the authenticity of a thing. Some of us perhaps asked for signs from the Lord as they discerned for their entry to the Order; shower of rose petals, green roses, chocolate brown dove and other extraordinary things that could not usually be seen (that would assure the one seeking for a sign that it came from the Lord and not just a coincidence).    

In the book of Micah, we hear the Lord saying “My people, what have I done to you, how have I been a burden to you? Answer me. I brought you out of the land of Egypt, I rescued you from the house of slavery; I sent Moses to lead you, with Aaron and Miriam.” Despite the Lord’s goodness, expressed to His people, the Lord and His commandments were ignored. After hearing such goodness and kindness from the Lord, the people were asked act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God, but to no avail.

In the gospel according to Matthew, some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees asked for a sign from Jesus. But no sign will be given to them for the Lord had done great things before them but failed to comprehend such, or should we say intentionally refused to see them as wonders coming from the Lord. They were asking for a sign not to affirm that Jesus is Lord; not to authenticate Him as one from heaven. They seek for a sign to ensnare the Lord and give them a reason to condemn Him before the people. Nevertheless, the good Lord promised to them one great sign. That is the sign of Jonah; the resurrection of the Son of Man.

We are all guilty of the same offence committed against the Lord by His people, some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees. As the Lord manifest Himself to us, we asked for manifestations from Him, in accord to our caprices. We desire the Lord to act in our own terms, instead of us discerning His will for us. We ignore the Lord in front of us, around us. We sometimes pray that He be there where He already was. We disregard the Lord, though He is greater than Jonah and Solomon.     

Friends, the Lord has been good to us, all the years of our lives. Let us realize such enormous gift given to us. Look around you. Look at your room. Look at your cabinet. Look at yourself. More than the material affluence we enjoy here, our very lives, our vocations are enough signs from the Lord; sign of His goodness and love for us. Let us give thanks to the Lord. And do not ask for a sign.