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!