What is common with these three situations?

· Here is Junior, just graduated from college which mom and dad paid for. But he refuses to find a stable job. Bumming around, anyway nariyan naman ang parents house to live in. But he doesn’t even contribute to the home’s upkeep; di tumutulong maglinis or magluto or run errands. Dakilang palamuning di makuntento sa lutong chowking kasi dapat raw Saisaki pero wala man siyang pangtip.

· Tide commercial: Ako si Mister Payong. Walang takot sa putik. Astig ako di mahuhuli. Kaya damit ay laging puti. Then mud (putik) splashes on his all-white outfit. And he cries like a baby. Puti ang suot ko, di dapat nila puputikan.

· Then there’s Belle – a very outgoing and friendly sales manager. The company had done a good job in setting her up for success since she shows a lot of promise. But Belle and her team could not close the deals… they perform always below their quota. Belle complains: “But I’m a good and caring person naman. Everyone in my team loves and respects me. Lahat naman kami nag-put ng effort ah. I deserve to be appreciated by the company for these things that I do.

These people have what we call the Entitlement virus.

Entitlement is the belief that I am special, and I am exempt from responsibility and I deserve special treatment, you have to roll out the red carpet. But excuse me, you are not special… there’ll always be someone ahead of you, someone better than you. No one gets to be No. 1 forever.

Entitlement is the person who thinks he is above all the rules. Excuse me, you are not God. It is He who makes the rules…. Ex. Gravity (dagsin) – what goes up must come down. Alam ko gusto mong lumipad gaya ng mga superheroes o gaya ng mga airbender, pero di mangyayari noh! Kasi may gravity. You are not above the law of nature.

Entitlement is the person who feels mistreated and therefore all others have to make it up to her. In the movie Camp Sawi: Maganda ka naman, sexy, talented, malaki ang sweldo mo. So if you’re so wonderful, bakit hindi sya nagrereply? Hindi na siya nagpapakita. Hindi na kayo!

Sabi ni Yassie: “You look horrible.” Sagot ni Bella: “Talaga pangit ba ako?” Yassie: “Medj! (a little)” Bella: “Sino ba kasi ang broken hearted na maganda, sasaksakin ko.” Now that’s entitlement. Miserable ka, you want others to be miserable too, di bah!

Entitlement is a person who is actually capable of taking care of himself, but then he still expects others to do that for him, because we all owe him that.

We all have that sense of entitlement; this virus exists in us -some have it in small doses and others with a very extra large dose of it. So what is the cure for it?

In Luke (13:24) today, Jesus tells us the cure: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” The narrow gate, the narrow way, the hard way – that is the only path to undo the negative effects of the entitlement virus. Dr. John Townsend in his book:”The Entitlement Cure” explains that: The narrow gate or the narrow way is the habit of doing what is best, rather than what is comfortable, to achieve a worthwhile outcome. Hebrews (12:12) adds: “So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees… that what is lame in you may not be disjointed but healed.”

When you strive for something worthwhile, be it career or family, or a financial dream, you have two ways to go about this. Entitlement directs you to give the minimum, find the shortcut, and think only of yourself. The narrow way directs you to the opposite, it focuses on doing what is best for you to reach the goal, even if it is difficult or uncomfortable, even if it takes longer, and spends more of your energy.

After all, the narrow way originates from God. He had to do six days of creation instead of completing it in one (which of course he could if he wanted). Then he sent down his own Son Jesus to become human like us. Then Jesus suffers and dies just to prove his love to a world who didn’t like him and instead crucified him. Now that was a more difficult way, but then it was the best way – the narrow way, the hard way.

Many times we complain to God: “How hard this life is! Bakit ba ako laging pinahihirapan ni Lord?” Hebrews (12:5) reminds us of how God exhorts his children: “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by Him. For whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. Kung sino pa yung mahal Niya, yun pa ang pinahihirapan niya. So endure your trials as discipline.”

O convinced na ba kayo, that for God, the narrow gate, the narrow and hard way is better? And it is the only way to cure the entitlement virus.

Now if you do choose to undertake the narrow way or enter through the narrow gate, there are certain life principles that make this journey possible. These principles cannot be violated or ignored forever. You may disagree with them, deny their existence, insist that these principles are not fair, but that will not change their impact and power. They are larger than we are for they come from God. The first principle will be in next week’s gospel. See you then.

Reference:

Adapted, taken and quoted from: Townsend, J. (2015). The Entitlement Cure.

http://www.boundariesbooks.com/the-entitlement-cure/

Camp Sawi. (2016). Camp Sawi Official Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMl9A5vCe-g