BE THE BEST WITHOUT BECOMING THE BEAST

During a mass I attended, as the consecration part proceeded, I noticed a collectora continued to collect offerings from the faithful who were already kneeling. As the priest elevated the host, she continued to collect, and I too continued to stare at her praying she would stop whatever she was doing and adore Christ raised by the priest. As the priest continued to consecrate the wine, to my great relief, she ended up walking around for offerings and kneeled down. As I adored Christ in the consecrated wine, I realized how much I was distracted by the collectora. In my desire for orderliness, I missed the great mystery unfolding before me.

In our desire to be the best, we forget to be good and we become the beast. In our desire to see the best, we miss the simple and good things before us. The standard of this world demands only for excellence and never settles for good. In the process, even the best others give may always fall short of our expectations, and may still be at fault. So indeed, blessed are the faultfinders, for they will never be frustrated. We will always find a reason for annoyance and distress for others' failure to achieve what we expect from them. That is how this world sees man. That is how Pharisees saw the actions of the apostles, who in their hunger pulled off the heads of grain and ate them on a Sabbath (Mt 12:1-8). That is how we become pharisaical sometime when we choose to see the worse in others more than the good they intend. That is how we become the beast!

Christ desires mercy more than sacrifice. He wants the realization of the spirit of the Law, more than the outward and strict observance of the laws. And what is the realization of the sense of the Law if not the return of man to God through God and of man's mercy toward his fellow man. When we begin to see others actions through the eyes of mercy, the way God sees our very own efforts, we begin to look at the goodness embedded in them. When we begin to be merciful as our Father, we begin to see the goodness in everything, in everyone, though how little that goodness maybe. We begin to be tolerant and charitable towards the mistakes of others and of ourselves. And we cease these shortcomings as opportunities to fill-in whatever is lacking.    

Let not our desire to see the best; to be the best, blinds us from seeing the good, though how little it may be, in every action of our fellow men. Let not our desire to see the best make the beast out of us. Can we see each other, the way Jesus sees us; the way God sees us through His eyes filled with mercy?!?

Aspire to be the Best without becoming the Beast!

WANT TO RAISE YOUR CHRISTIAN PQ?

As a young brother in formation, Dominican sisters would bid me farewell almost always with the exhortation "Persevere, brother!" I never knew what perseverance meant until I met one bump after another on my road to being religious. Despite the difficulties and discouraging results of my efforts in my formation, I did not quit. Through God's grace and mercy, I persevered in my formation.

Perseverance is the steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. A person's PQ (Perseverance quotient) defines whether he attains the goals he sets, more than his IQ and EQ. Intelligence identifies objectives, but it is perseverance that will realize them. To a persistent and determined person, no obstacle can intimidate him.

  

In the gospel, Jesus sends his apostles with the mission to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. It was no easy task. Jesus forewarned them: Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. You will be met with oppositions and persecution for the message you proclaim. Two thousand years after, the admonition of Christ is still very much true. The Christian faith that Jesus set before us as our life goal is still met with oppositions, intimidations, temptations, and persecutions from the wolves of materialism, worldliness, and from Satan himself.    

How are we to persevere in living out, and preaching our faith? When push comes to shove, how are we to be Christians? We must be clever as a snake and innocent as a dove!

Snakes are wise. When threatened, some snakes coil up into a ball with the head protected inside the coils of the body. They do so to protect their head, the seat of life. They do not allow themselves to be hurt in any deadly part. When threatened, we ought to protect and uphold that which is important in our life as Christians; our faith in the Risen Lord. As we defend our faith we are to be like doves too; innocent, harmless. No amount of violence inflicted can justify a Christian to retaliate with violence. Sheep do not kill wolves. Sheep convert wolves by their docility and meekness.

 

We defend our faith not by the strength of our arguments but by every word that comes from God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our audacity in proclaiming the Word of God does not come from our selves but from the one who sent us, Jesus Christ; God Himself. He sends us, and He remains with us as we tread the path He had given to us; cheering us to persevere; lifting us up when we grew tired and weary. Christ is our consolation in the midst of our hardship. Jesus is our strength in enduring persecutions, and persevering in our Christian vocation. 

The Kingdom of Heaven certainly comes for every Christian who perseveres.

Dear friends, persevere!

THE GAZE OF CHRIST: MAKUHA KA SA TINGIN

Makuha ka sa tingin!

Elder people often use this phrase in instilling discipline among their young ones in public. To spare them from embarrassment before their friends, they avoided verbal communications in correcting their children; employing gazes instead of words.  It is a gaze that needs few words or no words at all to communicate what the other wants to relate to another. It is a meaningful eye contact. 

In the gospel, Jesus called out Matthew in two words "Follow me." Without further explanations or questionings, Matthew got up and followed Jesus.  Caravaggio portrayed the calling of Matthew in a celebrated painting that hangs in Contarelli Chapel, located within the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. In that painting, one would see that there is something the way Jesus looked at Matthew. We can say "Nakuha sa tingin si San Mateo," that even in just two words he got up from his seat and followed Jesus. 

What is it in the gaze of Jesus? How did He look at Matthew?

In the eyes of Jesus, there is mercy. He looked at Matthew compassionately.  God's mercy and compassion move Him to reach out towards man despite the lethargic attitude of man towards God. Despite his sinfulness and unworthiness, Christ called Matthew. He did not wait for Matthew to be good enough, for it is God's grace that would bring out the best in him. Moved by that gaze of Christ, Matthew God up and embraced his vocation as an evangelist. He immediately threw a party probably to introduce Christ to his fellow tax collectors; to share what he experience; the mercy of God.

The Good News is Christ look at you the way He looked at Matthew. Christ sees you mercifully and he chooses you. God reaches out to you, whatever you are doing in life, whatever you have become in life. God meets you where you are, e.g., sinful life, being a lapsed Catholic, someone struggling to be holy, one in search for answers and explanations about our faith, etc. As Christ looks at you and chooses you, how do you respond in His merciful and compassionate gaze? How do you return that merciful and compassionate gaze of God?

Will you get up from where you are sitting; from where you are sinning; and follow Him?       

Only when we stand up from our sinfulness, that we can embrace Christ, to embrace the life he is giving to us. Only when we stand up against sinfulness, that we can preach truthfully the grace and forgiveness we experience through the merciful and compassionate gaze of Christ.

Makuha sana tayo sa tingin ni Kristo!

Mapasa Dios nawa tayo sa pagtingin natin kay Kristo!