It’s Lent again

Every year the Church gives us a second chance. A time to sit back and reflect on life; to get our perspective aright and take stock of our relationship both with God and one another. This second chance is called Lent. This is the springtime of life. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday when we receive ashes on our forehead to show that we are ready to humble ourselves and repent of our sins, to do penance, to pray some more and to think of others more than we think of ourselves. There are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. So what will you do differently this year?

Last year, in this blog, I gave you some practical suggestions on how to observe Lent. I talked about sin reduction rather than giving up food and things. I wrote about kicking some bad habits, like smoking and avoiding gossiping. I did not write much about assisting others, though I suggested that you should give the savings from giving up a bad habit like smoking to assist the poor. This year I want to stress the importance of thinking of others before self (avoiding ‘I before others’ syndrome and replacing it with ‘others before me’ mentality). Let us talk about giving alms instead of giving arms. In giving alms, we see ourselves as God’s stewards who have been entrusted with many blessings by the creator and the author of life. We are to see how we can share these many blessings with others. In giving alms, we see ourselves in relationship with one another as well as with God. I am sure you know that being a Christian means being in a relationship with a living person - Jesus Christ, the second person of the blessed Trinity. Do you have to be rich before you share your blessings with others? By no means! Our gifts are meaningful when the giving hurts us. That is what is called sacrificial giving. And that too is how God loves us. He sent his only Son into the world to redeem us and he did this by giving his life as expiation for our sins. So instead of giving arms, let us give alms. Giving arms only brings misunderstanding and conflicts. It robs us of our peace of mind and instills disunity and disharmony in our lives. A good and practical observance of Lent should help us to experience the peace that only Christ can give us.

This Lent, therefore, let us learn to be all things to all people. Be available to the people around you. Ask a simple question like, how may I be of help to you? Share your blessings with the people around you. Go out of your way to assist someone in need. Pay attention to simple things, like sharing a smile or laughter with people around you. Let your parting words be ‘May God bless you’. And wish everyone the best of the day. Forget not simple pleasures of life and remind your friends to do the same.

You can now see that being a saint is not that difficult after all. This indeed is how God wants us to live, and Lent will all the more be meaningful because we care! 

What are you driving or what is driving you?

Life’s lesson has it that as all lizards lie with their stomach on the ground it does not make it easy to know which of them has stomachache. In our everyday life we meet people. They are tall while others are short. They are beautiful while others are not so beautiful. They are white and others are black. They are well endowed in shapes and seizes while others are of moderate shapes and seizes. Some are rich while others are not so rich. Many are healthy while others are sick. No matter how much we try, it is not easy to determine who; among those that we meet, are really happy and who are not. How right was William Shakespeare when he noted in Macbeth Act 1, scene 4 that “there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”

Many of those that we meet are either driving a big truck or are being driven by it. Driven by something that will make our jaw drop if we were to know the forces behind them. Unless we are invited to navigate in their world and are allowed to share their problems we will never know the terrain of their world and the load that they carry. Few days ago we were shocked with the sudden death of Whitney Houston, the lady of Songs with a magnificent voice that would want us to keep listening to her. She was rich and famous, had enough money to have guaranteed her happiness, but she was either driving a heavy truck or was being driven in the wrong direction. She was found dead in her bathtub, in a hotel room. Last year Michael Jackson, another musical icon, the king of Pop bowed down and out under a powerful drug called propofol. Our dear brother was unable to sleep in spite of his popularity and fame. He was either driving a heavy truck or was being driven by something greater than himself. So we wonder why such a rich man found it so difficult to sleep at night. We have read of many sport stars who have crumbled under the powerful influence of drugs or who adopted a life style that is difficult to understand.

As I watched the funeral of Whitney Houston I realized that all those who are driving a heavy truck or who are being driven by it have one thing in common: they are looking for something. They want to be happy. To have peace of mind! To be loved, not just because of their money or because of how they make us feel when they sing or dance, but just to be loved for who they are. They want to go to bed and sleep as every other person without paparazzi following then around, waiting for them to make a mistake so that they would report it to the whole world. Oh the burden of stardom! Life’s lesson comes handy here: nothing and no one can make us happy. We are either happy or we are not. Money, things, and even human beings cannot make us happy. St. Augustine was on the money when he noted: “God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in you.”

Another life’s lesson, this time from the Book of Psalm #49 is at rem at this point. Please read and learn: Hear this all you peoples, give heed, all who dwell in the world, men both high and low, rich and poor alike! My lips will speak words of wisdom. My heart is full of insight. I will turn my mind to a parable, with the harp I will solve my problem. Why should I fear in evil days the malice of the foes who surround me, men who trust in their wealth, and boast of the vastness of their riches? For no man buy his own ransom, or pay a price to God for his life. The ransom of his soul is beyond him. He cannot buy life without end, nor avoid coming to the grave. He knows that wise men and fools must both perish and must leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes for ever, their dwelling place from age to age, though their names spread wide through the land. In his riches, man lacks wisdom; he is like the beasts that are destroyed.

So the only thing that should drive us is our desire to be at one with God, to see things from God’s perspective. God meant for us to be happy, to love him and be loved by him, to be in touch with our inner-self, to know that we brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out of it. We are meant to live simple lives, not to accumulate too much for ourselves but to share what we have with others. By so doing we will only be driven by one thing, and one thing only and that is love.      

It’s Pay back Time.

Everyone wants to love and be loved. Many people love human beings, others love things while a good many others love animals, pets, like dogs, cats, snakes, pigs, lion, you name it. Many people have their hearts broken when the object of their love may not even know that they are loved. Others are devastated when their love is not reciprocated. Even God is devastated, anthropomorphically speaking, when his love is not reciprocated.

When we return people’s love, we pay it back in kind, but when we do not, we are perceived as being ungrateful. Parents spend a lot of money to train and bring their children up, not necessarily so that they may pay them back in return, though there is nothing wrong with children taking care of their parents in their old age, but so that they may be productive in future and be self sufficient. Every parent rejoices at the success of his/her children. One of the things that parents have taught their children is to be able to say ‘thank you’ when a good deed is done and to give back to others when the time is ripe.

Christmas season is a pay back time for all Christians. We pay back by being grateful to God for the incarnation of Jesus Christ his son who left the comfort of heaven and come down to earth so that we may have life everlasting. It is pay back time, as we remain ever grateful to the mother of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, because she said ‘yes’ to God.  Let us be grateful to God for the gift of life. We must say ‘thank you’ for the blessings received. This is paying back to God. Though God has no need of our praise, the desire to praise him is his gift to us. Merry Christmas!

Advent

Advent means ‘coming or arrival’. It is used to denote the coming or the arrival of someone very important or an ostentatious event. For the Jews it was the period of waiting expectantly for the coming of the Messiah. For Christians it is not different. At Advent, we await the coming of the messiah, no less, but much more, we also await the second coming of Christ at the end of time. Now let us apply life’s lesson to Advent and see how it fits into our life.

Remember when you had to wait for the weather to clear before you traveled? You may have bought your ticket to fly out to meet with friends for ‘Thanksgiving’ or any other important holiday that is best celebrated with friends and family far away. You are all packed and your friends are excited about your coming so they wait eagerly for you. Then there was this announcement that a bad snowstorm has broken and that all airports are closed till further notice. You must, no doubt, wait; there is nothing else to do. Your friends will have to wait and pray with you till the storm clears for you to travel. There you have it. That is Advent! Waiting for the Lord. In spite of the seeming hopelessness, sadness and darkness there is always something lurking in both your mind and theirs; you still expect to see and celebrate with them. What kept you going is called hope. Advent is all about hope!

Eugene H. Maly in ‘Word Alive’, said in his reflection on the first Sunday of Advent, Year B, “One of the distinctive characteristics of biblical religion is its insistence on hope in the future. Hope pervades both the Old and New Testaments. It is why we celebrate a season of Advent in our liturgical year; for Advent is essentially hope in the future coming of the saving God. In him is our hope, as the New Testament Scriptures make abundantly clear.” We dare to hope in the face of crisis, frustrations, and disappointment because not to hope is disastrous. We hope because we believe, we believe because God saw us through in the past and we believe that he will be there for us in future, though we may have no clue how that future will be. One thing we do know though is that this future is not without Christ. So we wait patiently in hope for the birth of Christ even as we await his second coming. “Thus, in Advent hope and faith are expressed equally; we can hope because we believe.”

The conflict with this season though is the commercialization of Christmas. Sometimes we may allow this to get in the way of Advent and we may even forget that Christ is the reason for this season. As Christians, we should know where to draw the line. Though we may think of the material preparation for Christmas let us remember that it is ultimately all about Christ. How would you feel if everyone prepares for your birthday and forgets to invite you to the celebration? Let us remember this warning given us by Christ himself on the need to be prepared: “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” Mark 13:32-37.

Is Christ your King?

The last Sunday of the year in any cycle of the Church’s year is the Solemnity of Christ the king. The idea of a king is no doubt, funny for those who have no idea of who a king is, especially when one thinks of the Lording it over them as seen the world over. In designating Christ as the king of the universe, the Church was certainly looking for a good role model in the world that had lost all sense of decency in governance and administration. The feast is relatively new in the Church. Pope Pius XI declared it on December 11, 1925, barley 86 years ago. The world was coming out of a terrible World War 1, and Communism was sweeping across Russia while fascism controlled Italy, and the Nazi party was on the rise in Germany.

When Pope Pius XI inaugurated this feast he felt that “it is necessary that the royal dignity of Our Lord be recognized and accepted” if the Church was to stem the tide of cynicism and apathy that was felt across the globe. As Father Edward Steiner stressed, “Each year, by celebrating the feast of Christ the king, we are reminded afresh of the kingdom of God and its ruler and of the truth that all nations should form themselves in the image of God’s kingdom. Knowing that the completion of God’s kingdom has not yet been realized, we celebrate the event that has not yet occurred: the coming of Christ in glory at the end of time.”

Many territories observe this feast differently. In some areas, it is celebrated with pomp and pageantry as the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession with Bishops, priests and the people of God amidst singing, praying and jubilation, demonstrating the kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ over their lives.

The celebration of Christ the King this year has a different connotation to it. This Sunday ends our use of the second edition of the Roman Missal. Next Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, we welcome the third edition of the Roman Missal. Fr. Steiner noted “the new translation of the Roman Missal gives us the opportunity to experience the faith of the Church and the presence of Christ in a deeper way. New words give us the opportunity to hear familiar ideas in more accurate language.” For instance when the priest says “The Lord be with you” our answer will be, “And with your Spirit”. We are given a new lease of spiritual life, as it were, to see Christ and his kingship over us differently. We are called to give ourselves over to Christ, our King who is visible as we celebrate the Mass on the altar, and as we receive him in Holy Communion. We are to show to people around us that Christ is our King by the way we relate with them in the streets and as we interact with the poor and the needy of our community. “As we exercise authority, whether it is the authority as parents, teachers, manger or in government, we are to do so in the understanding that all authority comes from Christ.” Let us remember most especially that we demonstrate his kingship over us by our love one for another. “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” Jn. 13:35.

How much time do we really have?

On his reflection on the thirty-second Sunday of the year in the Priest magazine, Fr. Edward Steiner started with this very interesting story: “Satan was frustrated. The number of souls gained for hell was lower than the year before. He laid out the problem at the annual convention of devils and demons, describing how the number of souls gained for hell had decreased over the past year. Humans had been catching on to the methods that were being used to lure them into hell. Another approach was needed. Study groups, focus groups and other groups had been formed, and they had done hard work. The groups’ reports were given at a plenary session of the convention. One group after another reported on new ways to recruit new souls for hell, but Satan dismissed all of them, saying, “We’ve tried that.” “We’re doing that now, and it’s not working.” “That’s too obvious.” Finally, as all the devils and demons were growing weary, one of the oldest of the devils slowly rose from his chair, making sounds like fingernails on a blackboard as he stood. All heads turned in his direction. “Yes, Old Devil,” said Satan, “do you have something to offer?” “This is an easy problem to solve,” replied the Old Devil. “Yes, it is easy to gain more souls for hell. Just tell the human souls that they have plenty of time to change their lives.” What an interesting story!

In a few weeks we will enter into the season of Advent. This season puts us in a constant state of preparedness for our Lord and master both at his birth and at his second coming. During this period the Church reminds us of the four last things, namely: death, judgment, heaven or hell. These are non-negotiable. I have written many posts in this blog, reminding us of how imminent death is. Yet many times we live as if we will not die. So the questions for this week are; ‘How much time do we really have?’ How should we live so that we may be admitted into the presence of the Master if he should call us today?

Matthew’s Gospel warns us in the 25^th chapter with three parables to help us think of the end of our lives on earth and the need to prepare for it. These are: the parable of the ten virgins, (five were wise and five were foolish); the parable of the three servants and the final judgment story; all keep us on our toes and make us think of what really matters in life. In verse 13 of the chapter Jesus warns: “Watch out then, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Verse 30 on the other hand states, “As for this useless servant – throw him outside in the darkness; there he will cry and gnash his teeth”, while verses 45 and 46 conclude the chapter with: “The king will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.’ These then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.” Here we are faced with judgment day and our final destination- heaven or hell.

The simple truth and life’s lesson here is that we do not have much time to procrastinate doing what is right. We do not know when the Master will come, therefore, whatever good we have to do should be done now. Whoever we need to forgive should be forgiven today. Putting it off till tomorrow may be too late and we do not want to hear the Master say to us, “I do not know you!”

It is the devil’s desire to make us believe that we have enough time to play around with. If you look around you would notice that the Devil has succeeded in confusing and derailing most of our plans under the false pretext that there is no rush in life. There are too many people who feel guilty today because they missed the opportunity to make peace with their parents before they were called home to be with God. Do not be caught in this web. If today you would listen to his voice harden not your heart.

The letter of St Paul to Philemon

Remember I told you that there are many books in the bible you may not have heard of before or even read? What about the letter to Philemon? Philemon was a wealthy man. He had a slave named Onesimus. Well,Onesimus ran away from his master Philemon. He may have even stolen from him. As you would have expected, our dear Philemon was upset with his runaway slave. But then Philemon was a Christian who also knew Paul. Onesimus also met Paul while he was on the run from his master and became converted. You would have thought that Paul would not send him back to his master, right? Well you are wrong. Paul did just that but not before writing a very passionate letter to Philemon concerning Onesimus - the short letter I want you to spend some quality time with. This letter has only 25 verses. Here Paul is pleading, "...if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me." Please read this short letter and pray for the courage and strength to do what Paul is asking Philemon to do, forgive those who hurt you. Good luck!