REJECTED

Jesus brought the Good News to His townmates. Being too familiar with Him, they began to question His credibility and consequently the Good News He brought with Him: "Is this not the son of Joseph?" Though they were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth, their prejudices and biases prevailed over the glad tidings He announced to them. They rejected Him, as their townmates rejected other prophets. They attacked His personality more than the validity of His arguments. In logic, this is called an ad hominem fallacy; an assault on the character or circumstances of an individual who is furthering a statement or an argument instead of seeking to refute the truth of the statement or the accuracy of the argument. In another gospel account (Mt. 13:56), His town mates would even dare to include His relatives: "Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?" Eventually, the rejection of Jesus would culminate with His passion and death, instigated by people before whom Jesus preached and performed miracles. Why would the Nazarenes and Israelites reject Jesus?

More than their bias towards Jesus' background, they rejected Jesus because of the message He brought with Him. The people were not ready to hear such words, or probably did not want to hear those words (As Jesus may seem to compare Himself with the people's most revered prophet as he said: This day, this prophecy fulfilled). Perhaps, they preferred to hear another thought that could be of great relevance to their current struggles (not that of Jesus' conviction against their evil intents). Or most possibly, His townmates were simply envious of Him. All that Jesus preached and did was for the good of people, for that He was rejected and crucified.

We too encounter rejections in our life, though like Jesus, we may simply desire the good of others. We are misunderstood and even ignored sometimes for the good news we bring. How are we to deal with rejections, particularly rejection of the good intentions we may have towards other people? We can learn from St. Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians (4:13-18). He admonished them to hold fast to the truth of the resurrection of the dead and be consoled by this Good News. Jesus, too, teaches us how to deal with rejections. As His townmates planned to hurl him down the hill, he simply passed through their midst and went away. We are not to be overcome by the rejections we receive. We can maintain our composure and self-possession, confident of the Good News we bring. 

When faced with rejection in proclaiming and living the Good News, we are to hold fast and not give in to the renunciations and discouraging results. The Good News we preach and live is itself our consolation. 

  

THE MOST ESSENTIAL IN LIFE

Time management is of great essence in our life. Today there are hundreds of ways beings promoted for us to use our time well. These, too, optimize our energy and efforts for the things and causes that are worthwhile. It is so, for there are many things too that may distract us and put into waste our precious time and energy. 

I remember one of my brothers in the seminary who cannot finish his studies, particularly master’s degree thesis, for he is so distracted by many things in his life. He is stuck with online games and social media. He spends almost eight hours a day surfing the Internet, watching movies online, commenting on all issues posted in Facebook. Should one ask him about the latest issues being talked about in the Internet, he can readily answer it. But such is not the case in his studies. He cannot focus and gather all his efforts to the thing which matters most in his stage of formation; his thesis.   

There are many things demanded from us. But as Christian there is only one thing asked of us; our faithfulness in the mission God gives to us. That mission refers to God's call for us to live a holy life (cf. 1 Thes 4:1-8), for God calls us to holiness. How can we be holy if our efforts and energy are focused and used elsewhere? How can we be holy if we spend our days dealing with mundane things and businesses? We may grow too tired preparing ourselves for things that do not matter in the end; the way we look, what are we going to wear, where are we going tomorrow. All these things are valid concerns as they refer to our sustenance and survival. But we are not to forget the most essential aspect of our life; that is, to answer faithfully to God's call. This is our priority.  As the gospel of Matthew (6:33) says: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

In answering our calling from God, we may be distracted and fall asleep in attending to the needs and demands of our life. Therefore, stay awake and learn to conserve your limited energy and use it well in answering God's call.  

The good preparation for tomorrow, as they say, is to do your best today. But tomorrow is not promised. Thus, our best preparation is to live every second of our life, in the here and the now, according to God's will. 

PLEASE GOD ALONE

Herod had a convoluted character. This is manifested in his dealings with John the Baptist. He feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak, he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. When the daughter of Herodias asked for the head of John from Herod, he was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests, he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back the Baptist’s head. Herod knew what was morally right from wrong. Thus, he would feel perplexed and deeply disturbed whenever confronted by truths about his life and situations where he had to choose between the good and the bad. Despite his knowledge of the truth, Herod would choose to do what is wrong: to execute John the Baptist. He did so, to save his face before his guests.

Herod missed the opportunity to embrace the truth in life that could have saved him from becoming a murderer. If ever we are to please anyone in our life, it is God alone more than anyone else. There lies the difference between Herod and John the Baptist. They both know the truth and the preeminence of God over anyone and anything else. John, unlike Herod, chose to preach and serve the Truth even if it meant laying down his life for God. He chose to be faithful to God though he may lose his face before man; though he may lose his very life. He stood by the truth God revealed to him.

We often find ourselves in the same situation where Herod and John found themselves. We too come to know about the truths in our life; what is right and wrong. Do we choose to please the Lord or the people around us? Do we rather save our faces and lives or willfully offer them in the service of the Truth?

KNOW THY PRIORITIES

One afternoon, I was preparing for my class the following day. I was making my PowerPoint presentation and searching the Internet for relevant photos when suddenly I saw a photo that caught my attention. It led me to an interesting article, then to a video, then to another photo. One tab of the windows opened after another. Without noticing it, I had been randomly surfing the net for hours, until the bell rang. It was time for prayers.

In our busy world replete with distractions, it is very easy to lose track of our priorities in life. We may grow too entertained with the side trips we make, or too active on the less essential elements of our life that we neglect the principal goal of our life. That is the case, if ever we don’t bother to set our priorities in life.    

In the gospel (Mt 23:23-26), Jesus reminds us about an aspect of our spiritual life that has to be prioritized more than anything else. He points to our internal disposition more than the external, as the essence of our spiritual life. He said to the "blind" Pharisee, "Cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean." What is inside of us, in the deepest recesses of our heart reveals our true identity and desires in life. From there, everything proceeds; all that we do and what we will become. Thus, our internal disposition is our priority more than the external, lest we become hypocrites whose concerns in life get mixed up and confused. What is inside of him differs from the outside.

In his first letter to the Thessalonians (2:1-8), Paul showed to us the goal which every Christian should prioritize: To please God who judges our hearts. Paul knew that by doing so, all else would follow. He was transformed into becoming a gentle apostle like as a nursing mother who cares for her children. He was even determined to share with the Thessalonians, not only the Gospel of God but his very self as well, as they had become his so dearly beloved children. His priority in life; to please God alone, transformed him, his work, and his attitude towards others. The secret to Paul's success in his ministry and mission is his consistency to the priorities he had set and embraced in his life; his consistency to please God alone more than man.

Today we celebrate the memorial of Sta. Monica. As a Christian mother, she knew her priority; that is, to raise her son, Augustine, to be a good Christian. Such priority is very clear to her, so much so that she did everything just so Augustine may become a good Christian. Only God knows how much tears Monica shed for the conversion of her son. And it paid off. Her son did not only convert to Catholicism. He even became a bishop, a doctor of the Church, and a saint of God. All this, because a mother knew her priorities.

How about us? What is our priority in life? 

HUMILITY AND THE TRUTH ABOUT ONE'S SELF

Hosting or attending parties can be tricky. You can make it or break it as a host; slay or disappoint as a guest.

Once we were invited to a religious family gathering. Weeks before the dinner, the hosts sent invitations with an RSVP (please answer), to require confirmation of an invitation. Some did reply while others did not. During the event, the tables were assigned to specific guests who confirmed their attendance. However, some guests who did not reply to the invitation attended and occupied the pre-assigned tables. To make things worse, they removed the nameplates of those properly assigned to those tables. While they were seating comfortably and waiting for the program to start, the guests who were properly assigned to the tables they occupied arrived. They demanded their tables as the ushers informed them that those were assigned to them. The no-reply guests began to complain, as there seems to be no order in the party; why would guests already seated be asked to stand and move to other tables? These no-reply guests would even point out the absence of nameplates on the tables they occupied (which in fact they had removed the moment they sat, knowing that the tables were not assigned to them). A commotion followed. Until the hosts, together with the head usher who held the guest list, approached the squabbling guests. In the end, the guests with the reply to the invitation were properly seated. The guests who gave no reply were asked to stand at the back part of the hall. And the order was restored in the event.

Anxieties and disturbance arises whenever there is a disorder that emanates from lies and untruthfulness. The no-reply guests could have easily avoided the trouble they caused in the party if only they were honest enough to admit and accept that they did not have assigned tables. And so it is in many pains and unhappiness in life. They are all caused by lies chosen over truths.

In the gospel (Lk 14:1, 7-14), Jesus urges us to be humble guests and kind hosts. What does it mean to be humble and to be kind? 

Humility is more than being the lowliest (Lt: humilis); being soil (Lt: humus). Humility directs man to his origin. It is about the truthfulness to his identity; pagpapakatotoo, living by the truths about himself. Do you have a talent in singing? Then sing. If you can stir a group towards its desired goal, then lead. If you deserve that seat, then take it, if not then don't. As the book of Sirach (cf. 3:17-18, 20, 28-29) says: What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. The guests in the wedding feast attended by the Lord (Lk 14:1, 7-14) were choosing the places of honor at the table. Is it a fitting obligation and task of the guests to determine their place in the event where they were invited? Who assigns the seats for the guests? Is that the truth of the identity of the guests?

Others would shy away even from the things which they know they can do, in the name of humility or for some other reasons. Timidity can be a vice that may lead man to false humility. When one does not acknowledge the truth about himself and does not use what was given to him, then disorder and anxieties follow. When parents live the life of bachelor and bachelorette, disregarding the truth in their lives as parents, their children are neglected. Humility is living by the truths of one's life.

Knowing the truth in one's identity and capacities lead to gratitude towards the Giver; God. One recognizes that all these (one's talents and goodness) come from the Lord, that the Lord deserved all the credit and glory. In front of the majesty of God, we are nothing. Without God in our life, we are nobody. That is a truth about ourselves; a truth we ought to live by.

When man deviates from the truth about himself, and seek something that does not belong to him, he ceases to be humble and becomes proud of himself. But he is mistaken, for left on his own, he is doomed to fail, regardless of how smart and wise he claims to be. He may be led to the chief vice of pride. And pride (the opposite of humility) changed angels into devils, while humility is what makes men angels (St. Augustine). When man becomes proud of himself and removes God from the picture, he begins to be like demons who claim to be gods themselves. By being humble (recognizing the truth about ourselves in relation to God), man saves himself from useless anxieties that may be caused by lies and deceptions. 

Humility leads to kindness, as bridged by the known truth about oneself. Knowing that whatever he has comes from the generosity of God and that he is nobody without God, man begins to be charitable and kind to those considered by the society as nobodies; the poor, for man himself is a nobody. To be kind is to see others as someone of one's own (Old English: kin); of the same kind. To be kind to the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind is to realize that they are of the same kind as oneself. That is not a difficult task for a humble person who realizes the truth of his being a nobody (without God in his life). Knowing the feelings of the destitute, one will move to act. He is to do something not out of vainglory. He desires that the misery suffered by his kind be alleviated. He invites them to the feast that he enjoys (the banquet of truth in the presence of God).

From being invited (as a guest) by the Lord, transformed to humility by the truths of his identity, man can be a kind inviter (a co-host) of the poor, to the banquet of the truth of the One True Host: God. 

Will you be kind?

Will you be humble?

Then know the truth about yourself!