HUMILITY IS TRUTHFULNESS

Years ago, a soda commercial portrayed a fan girl meeting her celebrity idol, she was given options on how to react in front of her idol: will she get his autograph? Ignore him? or will she kiss him? She chose none of the options and rather chose to be simply human. She shouted at the top of her lungs: I love you Piolo. The commercial ended with a tagline: Magpakatoo ka.  She simply expressed her real feelings, as a thirsty person would simply drink the soda, without any pretensions and hesitations. Nagpakatotoo lang. Life may not be a soda advertisement, but the message of this commercial reverberates in real life. How many of us are being truthful about who we are, or pretending to be someone else (willfully living in lies), and worse is, do not know who we are?  

Truth hurts. We heard this saying many times, and many times we try to avoid some truths in our lives for they truly wound us. We choose to ignore them, even deny them at times. Whatever we do, however, they remain to be in our lives. Ignoring them can never diminish truths. We are simply delaying the day we come face to face with them and accept them. 

A worse attitude towards the truths in our life (more than ignoring), is fantasying. When the truth hurts so much, some may replace it with alternative truth, half-truths, and lies; letting themselves believe that what they thought is what is real, but actually, is simply a lie. Surrounding himself with self-made beliefs, he grows detached from who he is. As he is living in a lie, he ends up being a delusional, hypocrite, living a double life, a hidden life. One illusion a person can concoct is that he is better than the rest; better than who he is.  

In the gospel (Lk 14:1, 7-14), Jesus tells us to take our proper seats in a banquet. Some may think of themselves as one worthy of seats of honor, and so they take them, only to be embarrassed when asked: Give your place to this man. Detached from his true worth, one may over-valuate himself, and thinks he is better than the rest. The key to knowing our proper place is humility. Jesus says: When you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, My friend, move up to a higher position. Truths (about ourselves and life) are discovered in humility. Humility is not always about taking the lowest seat, doing the menial work, wearing tattered shirts, and other mean things. Humility is about truth. St. Thomas explains that humility is about knowing ourselves for what we are, and in relation to God and our neighbor. It is one's regard for himself according to the reality of his life. In the face of God's greatness, and the merit of our neighbor, we cannot remain to be in our delusions and make beliefs. Knowing the truths about ourselves, with all our weaknesses and shortcoming, we cannot but be humble about ourselves. That humility leads us to truthfulness. Ang pagpapakababa ay syang daan sa pagpapakatotoo. 

Who among us would like to be humble? As humility becomes synonymous with modesty (pagkamahinhin), meekness (pagkamaamo), and submissiveness (masunurin), who would desire to embrace this virtue? When almost all are ready to give a fight whenever they are challenged, who would think of humility? Only those who are courageous enough to take the lowest seat, and face the truth will do so (and become humble).

The good news for those who take the path of humility is that they will find true joy and peace in being truthful (about themselves). The book of Sirach reminds us: My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God...Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins (Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29). The humble ones find favor in God: For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Lk 14:1, 7-14). For those who have been made poor in the name of humility and truthfulness, God, in His goodness, makes a home for them (Ps 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11). 

Who would like to be humble; to be humbled?

Who would like to be truthful? 

Magpapakatotoo ka ba?

TRUTH PERSISTS

At face value, telling a lie is easier than telling the truth. The truth may be too difficult to be accepted by some, for it hurts. The truth may not be compatible with the values the world demands. People may expect one thing from us which we cannot deliver to them. Consequently, to please them, we tell them what they want to hear and not necessarily what is real. We tell fantasies to please the world. Later, one would realize that conveying a false statement is far more difficult than simply living by the truth of one’s life. Deception gives birth to dishonesty one after another while telling the truth liberates us. Though it may not please the world and its demands, surely, the truth will please the Father in heaven.

In the book of Daniel, Susana was completely trapped whether to give in to the malicious advances of the two elders or remain pleasing to the world. She said: "If I yield, it will be my death; if I refuse, I cannot escape your power." She was in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. But she was quick enough to realize that there was a third option: to remain truthful before the eyes of God.  She said: "Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to sin before the Lord." She had full trust in God who knows what is hidden and is aware of all things before they came to be, and from whom she would have her vindication.

We may find ourselves in the same predicament Susana found herself in. We may be walking in a dark valley that desires lies more than the truth. But we should fear no evil threats in telling and living by the truths of our lives, for God is at our side.  Jesus, after all, is the light of the world: “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12-20).

When pressed by the Pharisees and the scribes to prove His credibility by soliciting testimony from others, Jesus presented the Father as one who can testify for Him. But no amount of truthful testimony can convince the Pharisees and scribes, for evil intents cloud their minds from seeing the Lord; evil intents that aim to preserve their status as privileged ones, aggravated by their love for the treasures of the temple. They would insist to believe the lies they themselves created, to the extent of crucifying Christ. But the truth about the Son of God will surely persist.    

In a world that may prefer lies more than the truth, choose to be honest, for we are here not to please the world but the Father who knows everything about us. In return, God will be truthful to His promises to us: to be with us in this valley of tears and darkness.

KEEP US IN TRUTH

Young people are curious. They ask many questions. I am assigned in Letran Calamba, at present, as chaplain of the Basic education department, and every day I would be visiting pupils from nursery to Junior High School. Toddlers would often pose questions to me; lots of questions. Why are you wearing white? Why are you so tall compared to us? Why are you always here during our recess?

We young people ask a lot of questions in life, and the world is not wanting of answers for us. Everyday we are bombarded with thousands of information. They fill our minds with content we readily consume. But does this information truly form us to become whom God intends us to be? Are these truths faithful to our identity and destiny as children of God?

The world today makes us believe a lot of truths.

You can be good if you only use this product; if only you wear these clothes; if you purchase these latest gadgets; if you belong to this kind of people; if you have all sorts of honors and recognitions.

With your failures, mistakes, shortcomings and sins, you are good for nothing. You can never be loved with your scars. You have to be flawless. Thus, we do all sorts of things to please this world. But even if you fulfill the demands of this world, you will never be good enough for this world.

This world feeds us with THESE HALF-BAKED TRUTHS. They do not speak the whole truth. They are lies.

Be critical to the truths being peddled before our screens and walls. Seek the truth behind the things in your life. DARE TO ASK: IS IT TRUE? St. Thomas had always been critical about the truths in his days. When Christian thinkers thought works of Aristotle and other non-Christian thinkers should not be used in discussing things about God since they are of pagan origin and uninspired, St. Thomas dared to ask: Is it true? He examined them and in fact used these pagan works to write a summary of our theology which is still used today: The Summa Theologiae. If St. Thomas took hook-line-and-sinker the truths espoused by many during his time, we might not have his Summa Theologiae. Indeed, truth is not dictated by plurality, but by its faithfulness to the reality it pertains to, and ultimately by its faithfulness to the will of God. Thus, dare to ask, IS IT TRUE?      

Yes, it is true, you are broken. Yes, it is true, you have sins. Yes, it is true, you are imperfect. But is it true that you can never be loved with these inadequacies? NO!

I stand before you as a testimony for these. We young priests, just like you, have all these sorts of imperfections, sins, and temptations. But because of God's love and mercy, we were made priests.

WHAT IS THEN THE TRUTH? THE WHOLE TRUTH?

The truth, dear friends, is, with all humility we have to admit, we cannot have all the answers to our questions. We can never achieve the whole truth in our life. If Jesus (God) is the truth, we can never contain this Truth in all the books of this world. St. Thomas, upon seeing the back of the Lord in a vision, was tempted to burn all his writings, for he thought his work was straw in comparison to what he had seen. He stopped writing and months later, he died. For the whole Truth can be likened to the vast ocean, and our mind is simply a bucket. Can a bucket contain an ocean? No. It will explode! Our limited minds will never fully comprehend the complex truth and plans of God for us. We will explode and die. What we can do is to simply immerse this bucket (our minds) in that vast ocean of Truth. With faith in God, pray that we may know even just a portion of God's will; that we may contain in the cupboard of our mind a piece of Truth God possesses.

The Good News is God revealed to us, through Christ, the truths that are necessary for our salvation; the truths we need to know to be a better person.

HOW DO WE KNOW THE TRUTH?

We can only know and process by bites. We know truth through springs and rivers of truth that faithfully leads us to the vast ocean of TRUTH. St. Thomas counseled a brother: “You should choose to enter by small rivers and not go right away into the sea, because you should go from easy things to difficult things.” Begin by reading the scriptures, by studying the teachings of the Church, for they contain the truths revealed by Christ.

WHAT ARE SOME TRUTHS KNOWN TO US?

What can we fill in our bucket? God loves you. This is the single truth that we can hold on to in our life. Don't make it difficult for Him to love you by telling yourself that you cannot be loved; by filling in our minds with the half-baked truth that this world offers to us. Do not fill the cupboard of your mind with lies. You are loved despite who you are; despite your mistakes, imperfections. You will never be good enough for this world. But for God, His love is more than enough for you.

Holding on to this truth that God loves you, immersing our bucket in the ocean of Truth, we pray that God may shield us from the lies and deceptions of Satan. We pray that we may be at the service of Truth as God keeps us in Truth.

'DI CHEAP ANG KABANALAN, LALONG DI CHEAP ANG KATOTOHANAN

 Inihabilin tayo ni Kristo Hesus sa mapagkalingang kamay ng Diyos Ama. Isa sa mga paraang kanyang binanggit, upang tayo ay lubusang maangkin ng Ama, ay ang pagpapabanal sa atin sa pamamagitan ng Katotohanan (Juan 17:17). Ang pagkalinga ng Ama, kung gayon, ay napapaloob sa kabanalan at katotohanan. Ngunit ano nga ba ang totoo? Ano ang ba ang banal? Paano maging totoo? Paano maging banal?

Sa kasalukuyan, napakaraming ibinibentang produkto sa mercado. Merong pampaputi, pampakinis, pampapula, pampapayat, pampataba, nagbenbenta ng laman, aliwa, panandaliang ligaya at marami pang iba. Ngunit may nabalitaan ka nabang nagbebenta ng pampabanal? O di kaya tableta na sa punto lunukin mo ito ay magsasabi at mamumuhay ka na sa katotohanan? Wala. Walang nagbebenta ng pampabanal o tabletang kung saan ikaw ay magpapakatotoo. Wala kasing market ang kabanalan at katotohan. Kung meron man eh kakaunti ang magnanais bumili ng kabanalan at katotohanan.

Sa kabilang banda, si Kristo Hesus ay di nagbenta o naglako ng katotohanan at kabanalan. Ito ay kanyang ibinahagi at ibinabahagi sa tuwina, sa Eukaristiya, sa pagpapahayag ng Salita ng Diyos, at sa turo ng Inang Simbahan. Ibinibigay ni Kristo ang Kabanalan at katotohanan. Ngunit hindi ibig sabihin na libre ito. Hindi Cheap ang Kabanalan. Hindi Cheap ang katotohanan. Naririyan ang kabanalan at katotohanan ibignibigay ni Kristo. Kailangan pagsumikapan mong angkinin ito at isabuhay.     

Napakahirap maging banal. Napakahirap maging totoo. Ngunit posible ito. Binigyan tayo ni Santo Tomas de Aquino ng halimbawa.  Sa kanyang buhay ating masasalamin ang higit na hirap na kanyang dinanas upang maging banal at totoo, ang paghihirap na maangkin at maisarili ang dakilang bigay ni Kristo. Maraming kwento na tayong narining patungkol sa kanyang buhay. Nariyan na ang mga kwento patungkol sa mga salawahang babae na sadyang inilagay ng kanyang kapatid sa kastilyong nagsilbing kanyang bilangguan, upang siya ay tuksuhin at tuluyang talikuran ang buhay na banal at totoo. Nagsumikap si Santo Tomas. At ngayon siya ay tinitingala bilang halimbawa ng isang taong namuhay sa kabanalan at katotohanan.

Hinahamon tayo ng Panginoon na mamuhay sa kabanalan at katotohan, ang angkinin ang kanyang bigay. Hindi natin ito kaya nang mag-isa. Nawa ay ating isa-isip sa tuwina, na nariyan ang Ama upang tulungan tayong maging banal at totoo.  Nariyan ang mapagkalingang kamay Niya upang tayo ay gabayan sa ating daan, upang tulungan bumangon mula sa putikan. Ito ang dalangin ni Kristo sa Ama para sa atin. Nawa ito rin ang mamutawi sa ating mga labi sa tuwina.

Ama, turuan mo kaming maging banal at totoo. Amen.