5th Sunday Ordinary – A few good men to whom bad things happened

In the readings today, we find three good men who became victims of unfortunate events. In the 1^st reading, Job, a good man, says: "My life is like the wind, I shall never see happiness again." This was because after so much honest and hard work, Job’s life becomes fruitful – children, wealth, flocks, servants… until misfortune befalls him, and takes everything away, except his nagging wife.   In the 2^nd reading we find Paul, a good man who only wanted to reach out to people and tell them of the good news. In the process he was flogged, imprisoned, shipwrecked and later killed. In the Gospel, there is Jesus Christ, a good man, who healed the sick, cast out demons,  and preached kindness. And he is maligned, persecuted, despised.  So, why do bad things happen to these good people?

Through the ages people have tried to give an answer to this question :

The Mathematician Augustus DeMorgan, 1866 came up with the Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Psychologist Scott Peck , 1978, wrote in his book: Life is difficult.

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump (1994): Life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re going to get.

One day in Boston, Massachusetts, there was this good and upright rabbi - Harold Kushner who was told by the doctors that his 3 year old son Aaron would never grow taller than 3 feet since he suffers the symptoms of progeria “rapid aging.” This news devastated him. He wondered why the God to whom he had been so loyal to could do this to him. And so Harold Kushner contemplated on this mystery of life and came up with his book: “When Bad Things happen to good people.”

The fact of life is: we all suffer blows in life that seem unfair. One day when I was a third grader, my teacher accused me of talking to my seatmate during a test. Then she made me sit at the trash can for the whole period.  That afternoon, I went home crying to my mother: “Mama, my teacher punished me for something I did not do. It’s not fair.” She turned to me and said, “Gigi, that is life. It is never fair.” At the time I thought she was teasing me, but now I realize that she had given me a very important lesson in life.

It seems to be the case with nature. It does not discriminate between good and bad, the faithful and the faithless, the criminals and the saints.  Rain pours on the good and bad alike right? But, why does a poor village have to get wiped out in a landslide because the rich plundered their forest ? Why does a mother lose her baby after all the care she had given? Why do innocent people die when they collide with a drunk driver? 

Why do the good have to suffer?

Many times we blame God, ourselves, everything, when we cannot find an answer and explanation to this question. Somehow, maybe, just maybe, the question isn’t “why do bad things happen to good people?” Probably, the better question to ask is: “What do we do when bad things happen to good people (or us)?”

There is this 1913 novel, Pollyanna (by Eleanor Porter)- a little girl who lived with her poor father. One Christmas Pollyanna was hoping for a doll in the missionary barrel, but she found only a pair of crutches inside. To lift her spirits, her father invented the Glad game: The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation. In this case, Pollyanna and her father were glad about the crutches because they didn't need to use them!  When her father died she had to live with her rich but stern and cold spinster Aunt Polly.   When Aunt Polly puts her in a stuffy attic room without carpets or pictures, she rejoiced at the beautiful view from the high window; when the aunt tries to punish her for being late to a dinner of bread and milk in the kitchen with the servant Nancy. Pollyanna thanks her joyfully because she likes bread and milk and she likes Nancy.

Soon Pollyanna taught the game to her neighbors who were inspired by her sunny disposition to life. Until one unfortunate day Pollyanna fell from the top story of the house and lost the use of her legs. She fell into depression. But all the neighbors visited her and told her how she had inspired them to find something to be happy about in every situation. And so, Polyanna did not give up hope that someday, she would be able to walk again. I will not tell you the end of the story, you’ll have to read it yourself.  
     
Let us remember that God allows things to happen for His reasons, whether or not we understand them. We must remember that God is good, just, loving, and merciful. Oftentimes things happen to us that we simply cannot understand. However, instead of doubting God's goodness, maybe it would be better to trust Him. As Proverbs would put it:  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov 3:5-6) 

References:

Goldstein, E. (2011). “Bad Things Happen to Good People, But Is It Our Fault?”  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elisha-goldstein-phd/when-bad-things-happen-to_b_829875.html

Levine, Murray. “Pollyanna and the Glad Game: A Potential Contribution to Positive Psychology.” Journal of Positive Psychology 2, no. 4 (2007): 219-227.

Potter, E. H. (1913). “Pollyanna.” Bibliomania.

http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/39/77/frameset.html

4th Sunday Ordinary - Casting out our Emotional Demon

Readings: Deut 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 7:32-35; Mk 1:21-28

Last October, as millions around the world dress in ghostly costumes to mark Halloween and the darker side of life, Pope Francis warned that the devil is no myth and must be fought strenuously with "God's armor." He said: "This generation, and many others, have been led to believe that the devil is a myth, a figure, an idea, the idea of evil. The devil exists and we must fight against him." In another Mass, Pope Francis adds: ‘Some of you might tell me: But Father, how old fashioned you are to speak about the Devil in the 21st century!’ But look out because the devil is present! The devil is here, even in the 21st century! And we mustn’t be naïve. We must learn from the Gospel how to fight against Satan.”

In the gospel of today, we find Jesus driving out an unclean spirit from a man in the synagogue. Jesus performed an exorcism of demons. Whenever he exorcised, he liberated people captive to Satan and delivered them to God (Mat. 12:28-29). In words of the Apostle Peter, "Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him" (Acts 10:38). Today, as Pope Francis warns us, demonic possession is a reality and these unclean spirits have to be driven out. But remember, Satan, the devil, the demon literally means the deceiver. He doesn’t always show himself as frightening, but rather pleasing in order to tempt us and fool us more easily. And many times we fall into his deceit without realizing it.  You see, many times we get so obsessed by the exorcisms of these supernatural demons that we forget that we need to be healed and exorcised of our own demons- our emotional demon. 

Dr. Holy Hunt puts this in a metaphor in her book Emotional Exorcism.

The Emotional Demon originates from our negative and traumatic emotional experiences in childhood. As a Baby or a toddler, you wet yourself; you cry; no one comes. And you think: no one cares for me.

As we grow to childhood, some call us degrading names and use harsh words. “You are stupid. You are selfish. No one will ever love you.”

Then our emotional needs are ignored. They don’t spend time with us. They do not praise our accomplishment but when we mistake we get embarrassing punishments. They never came to see us acting or singing in a school play or struggling to win in a game. These early negative experiences lead us to believe that we are fundamentally defective.

Our Emotional Demon is then created through directly experiencing other people’s destructive words and actions (like whenever we hear the F words and witness the violence around us).  And so we learn to blame ourselves for aversive events that occur in our lives that we did not even cause. We go through life not knowing that our belief of unworthiness is our Emotional Demon- it’s like an unclean computer program – a virus – that has been installed without our awareness or approval. Thus the emotional demon grows every time we blame ourselves for these stressful events that occur in our lives which in reality we are not even at fault.

Since it forms so early through childhood experiences, we go through life believing that we are defective and unworthy of the forgiveness and mercy of God. And worse of all, we don’t realize that it is separate from us –because it is installed without our awareness or approval. We are not our demons.

In the gospel, the person possessed by the unclean spirit was not conscious of what the demon was doing to him. It’s just that the man thought he was bad and that there was no way out of his misery and the unclean spirits fed on that thought that’s why they grew stronger possessing him. Jesus drove out the unclean spirit from the man because He knew that basically that man has goodness in him and that the unclean spirit installed itself unto the man without his awareness or approval. So do you see the similarity now? So the first step for us to be cleansed by Jesus of our emotional demons is to recognize and to be aware that God made us good. And that we are not our demons. And that we can choose to fight and to be cleansed of our emotional demon with the help of Jesus. But why is it so hard to get rid of this emotional demon?

Perhaps Satan's best-kept secret to prevent a person's soul from healing, is to cause them to feel like God is somehow disappointed in them, or even angry with them. If the devil can cause a person to feel like God is not eager to forgive or be merciful to them, this is a sure roadblock to anybody's healing process. This causes a person to distance themselves from the very person (Jesus) who desires to heal them. And so we cannot distance ourselves from God and receive healing to our emotional demons at the same time. We must draw near to Him regardless: that is a key to receiving healing.

In the time of Jesus, there probably were many possessed by demons, but the only ones he was able to heal where those who came near to Him. Many times in confession people tell me, “Father, I keep doing the same crazy stuff everytime. I think it’s hopeless to resist, so I don’t pray anymore and go to Mass anymore since I could not receive Communion.” And I answer: “All the more you need to go to Mass more frequently and let Jesus heal you. It will take time. You just have to persevere.” We have to come and stay near to Jesus and believe that He can heal us even if it takes a long time.

However we make sense of demons today, the message of the Gospel is that Jesus is Lord: it is he who can release us from all kinds of bondage and he alone can empower us to live a new life in service and in praise of God. Let us not be afraid to call on him for healing. He will never abandon us if we but draw near Him.

References:

Hunt, H. (2009). Emotional Exorcism: Expelling the four psychological demons that make us backslide. Greenwood Press, Westport, USA.

Emel, B. (ed.) (2013). "How to manage your emotional demons."  Bounce.

http://thebounceblog.com/2013/06/28/how-to-manage-your-emotional-demons/

Vatican Radio. (2014). “Pope Francis: Satan exists in the 21st century and how we can fight him.”

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-satan-exists-in-the-21st-century-and

Beliefnet. (2004). “Jesus Christ: Exorcist”

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2004/04/Jesus-Christ-Exorcist.aspx?p=1

3rd Sunday Ordinary: The Jonah complex

Last Sunday I talked to you about listening to that invitation and call coming from God. If you answer the call, you will have to face its consequences – every call has a risk.  You see, although we hear an authentic call clearly, many times we simply do not want to respond or follow that call to greatness and greater goodness.

Look at many young people today, they’d rather aspire to be nurses rather than doctors, employees rather than entrepreneurs. In class, they would prefer to sit and study by themselves than face a couple of bullies who disturb the lessons. In the parish, they’d rather be sitting on the bench rather than doing just a bit more in the service of their fellow brothers and sisters. Instead of committing a lifetime to be priests, brothers or nuns, they’d rather be volunteers for a week or a year. Instead of wanting to be the next Einstein, they would just rather be casted with Sheldon and Amy Farah Fowler in “Big Bang Theory.” Don’t get me wrong all these are good, I’m just questioning the dynamics – the “why are we afraid of greater goodness and of facing our destiny?”

Today in the gospel we are introduced to the calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John whom Jesus named apostles. “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of people. (Mk.1.17)” Wow that’s a tough order! Yes it’s true, they immediately followed Jesus thinking he’ll just go fishing and without knowing the consequences of this call. But right after the transfiguration, right after they saw the preview of the glory that awaits them, Jesus invited them to follow him to his impending death in Jerusalem: “for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Mt.12:40) The Son of Man must suffer many things and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mk 8:31). Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you! (Mt 16:22)" So why were Peter, James, and John afraid to scale new heights of glory with Jesus? And why prevent Jesus from fulfilling his destiny?

There is greatness trapped in every one of us. We are all born with the potential to be great and to contribute something special to the world. There is no one born without a purpose and no one without a destiny to fulfil. But the hard fact is many of us are afraid to learn what this purpose or destiny is. Because if we did, then we’ll have to endeavour to fulfil it. And that entails a difficult path and we are afraid we will not succeed. This is what Peter, James, and John felt. They had a “Jonah Complex.”

Our first reading describes this “Jonah complex” clearer. The Lord calls Jonah: “Get up, go to Nineveh and tell everyone to repent from their wickedness; forty days more and Nineveh will be wiped out (Jon.3.1).” First we must understand that Nineveh was the great capital of Assyria and the Assyrians were the mighty archenemy of the not-so-powerful Jews. So tell me, If I were Jonah, why would I, a Jew, go to Nineveh alone and tell them to change their ways. For one, I am not going there to tell them: “Hello, you know God loves you and cares for you.” No - God wants me to go there and preach against them- “Hey all of you, your evil is a dirty stench to the Lord. Your judgment has come!” They will definitely gang up, torture and kill me. And two, well if I don’t go, they don’t repent, it would be better for God to wipe them out, that way, we have one enemy less, right? But deep down inside Jonah’s heart, he knows that if he does go and succeed, then he could go down in history as a great prophet who followed God and in doing so managed to sway the mighty enemy to good. But Jonah would rather do the former- the status quo. So Jonah flees from God. Instead of going to the direction of Nineveh, he takes a ship to the opposite direction. That my friends, is the “Jonah complex.”

The “Jonah complex” is a psychological term first proposed by Frank Manuel and Abraham Maslow (hierarchy of needs). The “Jonah complex” is the fear of success which prevents one’s growth, or the realization of one’s potential. It is the fear of one’s own greatness. It is when a person evades of his or her destiny, and avoids of exercising his or her talents. It is when one has the opportunity and he chooses to escape and turn back in fear.  In simple terms, it is the fear of growing up. This was what Jonah felt and so did the apostles in the middle of their journey. We all have some degree of this Jonah Complex. We all try to some extent to divert our attention, to look the other way, and to cotton our ears to the call of God in our lives. No wonder there are fewer who would dare follow Christ’s call to be priests, brothers, or nuns.

Robert Frost has a poem: “The road not taken.” It starts with: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both.” The first was a grassy road, familiar to many. The other was a narrow pathway filled with leaves, a road less travelled. The poem ends with: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.” That road is destiny. That road will lead to greatness. And yet for us, we fear that road because we will find ourselves isolated. And that is frightening- to be in the minority, to be all alone. That is why many of us would rather take the familiar road… we’d rather spend our life staying away from being brilliant, from reaching our potential, and from achieving our destiny. The Jonah complex!

Abraham Maslow would ask his university students: “Who is going to write the next great psychology textbook?” No answer. No one would dare raise a hand.  So Maslow tells them a secret. A phrase to lead them out of the Jonah complex: “If not you, then who?”  When Jonah was doubting why he should go to Niniveh, God must have told him: “If not you, then who?”  When the apostles were asking themselves on that fateful day why they were chosen as part of the twelve? Jesus must have told them: “If not you, then who?”  And when today, you come face to face with that giant whale that will swallow you to bring you to your destiny, in fear you might ask it: “Why me?” The whale will answer: “If not you, then who?” And don’t you dare tell that whale: "There, eat Fr Gigi first."

References:

O’Brien, J. (2014). “The Jonah Complex.”

https://writerjobrien.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/the-jonah-complex/

McInerney, L. (2014). “The Jonah Complex: Why We Are Afraid Of Being Brilliant.” http://lauramcinerney.com/2014/01/30/the-jonah-complex-why-we-are-afraid-of-being-brilliant/

McKone, G. (2011). “The Jonah Complex.” http://EzineArticles.com/6665827

Jiale. How to Overcome the Jonah Complex. http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/How-Overcome-The-Jonah-Complex-/4014434#.VMFnJ_nF-So

Frost, R. (1916). “The Road Not Taken.” Mountain Interval.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173536

2nd Sunday Ordinary- Listen, come, see, stay, love!

“Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Jesus answers: “Come and see.” Priests usually start their homilies with a scripture passage like this.

A few days ago, Pope Francis in his Mass to the Philippine bishops, priests, and religious wanted to start his homily by quoting the gospel of John 21:15 where Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love me… tend my sheep.” So the Pope begins with: “Do you love me?”  And the priests and nuns shout: “Yes!” The Pope was shocked, he laughs and answers: “Uh Ok, thank you very much. But I was referring to the words of Jesus” – They did not get it initially that he was referring to the passage. 

Those words: “Do you love me?” spoken by Jesus is an invitation he extends to all of us in the liturgy of today and because he asks it in a different way, sometimes we just do not get it.

In the first reading, the Lord calls the boy by name: "Samuel, Samuel." And Samuel mistakes the voice for the priest Eli. Samuel just did not get it thrice. He only gets it the fourth time when Eli tells him when you hear the voice again say: Speak Lord, your servant is listening. 

It is only when Samuel listened well, that he was able to follow God’s personal invitation. The same is true with us. Listen to his invitation and you can hear your name if you are silently waiting. Otherwise you just won’t get it.

In the gospels, the disciples of John the Baptist, among them Andrew and John, were preparing for the coming of the Messiah. And then Jesus walked by and they didn’t even recognize him, until John the Baptist pointed out: “Behold, here is the Lamb of God.” So the two disciples follow Jesus curiously but they still did not get it. And so Jesus asks them: What are you looking for?  Let me ask you this same question today in this Mass. Why are you here? Do you have an answer?  

Back to the gospel, Jesus was inviting them, and yet they did not get it. Instead they ask: Teacher, where are you staying? What a question! You do not answer a question with another question, right? And so Jesus continues his invitation: “Come and see.”   

Many times Jesus asks this of us. And we answer him with: “No thanks, I’m fine this way. Let me just continue praying my rosary, going to my mass and don’t bother me with getting involved in the parish.” Pope Francis tells us in his Joy of the Gospel: “Some people want a purely spiritual Christ, without flesh and without a cross. The Gospel tells us constantly - run the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others, with their physical appearance which challenges us, with their pain, and their pleas, with their joy which infects us in our close interactions."(EN.88)  “Come and see” is a call for us to do things differently from what we are used to. It is an invitation for us to get out of our comfort zones.

So what happens next in our gospel story: “They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him.” And as they stayed with him, they became closer to him, and they began to love him. The “invitation principle” is simple: the more you listen, the more you will come; the more you come, the more you will see; the more you see, the more you will stay; the more you stay, the more you will love Him. 

Our Christian calling is as a personal invitation to come to Christ, to see the truth as revealed in Jesus, and to stay forever faithful to him throughout life. And this is possible, this we can do only if we can answer “Yes” to the invitation of Jesus today: “Do you love me?”

(Then mass goers shouted “Yes” so I replied: Thank you very much!)

References:

Pope Francis. (2013). Evangelii Gaudium. No. 88.

http://www.vatican.va/evangelii-gaudium/en/files/assets/basic-html/page72.html

GMA News. (January 16, 2015). ‘Do you love me?’ Pope Francis takes on a lighter note during his first Mass in PHL.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/popefrancis/story/406490/do-you-love-me-pope-francis-takes-on-a-lighter-note-during-his-first-mass-in-phl

Sanchez, P. (2000 ). “Here I am.” Sanchez Archives.  Celebration Publications. Kansas, USA. http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/sanchez/locked/cycleb/ordinarytimeb/sunday0297b.htm

Lord's Baptism - Moment of Pain, Lifetime of Glory

Today we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus Christ. This feast is similar to that which we celebrated last week. In fact, this feast is also called: “The second epiphany or Epiphany according to St Mark.” Throughout this year of Ordinary time, we shall be reading from St. Mark’s Gospel, and here we can find three great moments of revelation. At the beginning, Jesus is baptized, and the Father’s voice declares to all, “You are my Son, the Beloved: with you I am well pleased.” (Mk.1)  Half-way through, Jesus is transfigured, and the voice tells the disciples, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.”(Mk.9) At the end, Jesus dies on the Cross, and the centurion declares, “Truly this man is the Son of God.”(Mk.15)  What then does Jesus want to tell us today through this feast when he is revealed by God- this feast of his baptism?

http://one-hand-clapping.blogspot.ca/2012/03/art-in-lent-baptism-of-christ.html

One day there was this drunk who was walking home very late in a very dark street. Because of his tipsiness, he did not realize a big hole ahead of him. So obviously, he fell into it. When he came into his senses after a bit, he realized that the hole was too deep and he would not be able to get out by himself. So he started shouting for help.  Luckily another man was coming along that same street and heard his call for help. The man shouts back: “Hello… are you the one shouting for help. What happened to you?”  And the drunk replies: “Yes, yes, you see my friend, I was walking home and fell into this hole. And it’s too deep for me to get out by myself, so I shouted for someone else to help me.” And you know what the other man did? He jumped straight at the hole and now finds himself beside the drunk man. The drunk says: “Oh ok, I may be drunk, but I’m not crazy, why do you have to jump to be with me in this hole?” The man said: “You see my friend, I heard your shout for help which was not so much heard up there. So now I’m here to help you. I will now shout together with you so we can be louder and people will hear us better.” Ok you may call this man crazy.

But you see, that is the same thing Jesus Christ did for us when he decided to be human like us. Jesus jumps into this hole where we are all need of saving in order to join us- to shout out in prayer to the Father together to save us. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”- he stayed with us. A beautiful image is that which Isaiah gives us today: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the one who eats.” That is what Jesus shows us today. He comes from above to this hole called earth and stays with us to give us life. That my friends is the effect of being baptized in Him.

Whenever I do the Saturday baptisms, I always remind the assembly that for the Baptism to be truly efficacious, there has to be faith. That means the one being baptized must believe in this sacrament. But then if you ask the babies: “Hey, do you believe in one God?” they would just stare at you with those big googly eyes as if saying: What in heaven is this guy asking? 

www.pinterest.com

And so the burden now falls on the godfather and godmother to answer the questions for the child. So whenever I ask that question: “Do you reject Satan and all his works?” I am always amazed at the resounding “I do’s” of the godfathers and godmothers. But then as the children grow older they have to answer that question themselves. And today, sometimes when we ask young people the question: “Do you believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church?” It’s met with half-hearted answers like: “whatever? or “seriously?” or “ask it in facebook and I’ll just like it.” We complain that being in the Catholic Church gives us so many obligations to do and so many things to comply with. We find it too hard especially when it inconveniences us and many times we give up those promises we made in our baptism. We have forgotten that Jesus came and became man for us bearing that limitation, those accusations, and those sufferings at the cross, just to save us and to have our sins forgiven- all because we were baptized in Him.

There is this film “Unbroken” which tells of Louis Zamperini, an Italian immigrant who came to America as a boy. He almost gave up on life until he found a passion in running. At 19, he represented the US and ran the 5000 meter in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. There he won the hearts of the people because not only was he the youngest qualifier in this event, but also because at the last lap of that long 5K race he was at the end of the line but he didn’t give up, and ran the fastest lap ever to reach 8^th place. But you see, this final lap of 56 seconds was record-breakingly fast to catch the attention of Adolf Hitler, who insisted on a personal meeting and shook his hand. Remember Hitler only congratulated the German medalists – he didn’t even congratulate American Jesse Owens who won 4 golds.

Three years later World War II erupted, he became a soldier and was captured by the Japanese. For almost three years he was beaten up without a reason by the Japanese camp commander, he suffered the torture, yet he never gave up until the war ended and he was able to go back home. And after more than 50 years, at 80 yrs of age, he was invited to run again in the Olympics – this time to bring the torch in Japan near the place where he suffered his captivity. And there he met with his former captors and forgave them all.

When asked how he survived those years in the prison camp, he says: “A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory.” If you interview Jesus why he bore all those things to save us, he would have said the same thing. And as baptized Christians Jesus challenges us to keep our own baptismal promises- to say no to Satan and all his false promises and to say yes to God even unto death because “a moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory.”

As we celebrate today the baptism of our lord Jesus in the Jordan, let us thank God for the gift of salvation through the grace of baptism. Let us also ask him for the grace to keep us faithful to our baptismal promises.

Resources:

Hila, Duds. (2009). “Feast of the Baptism of the Lord , Year B.” Kiliti ng Diyos website (Filipino).

http://kiliti-ng-diyos.blogspot.ca/2009/01/reflection-feast-of-baptism-of-lord.html

Munachi. (2010). “The Grace of Baptism.” Munachi.com.

http://munachi.com/c/baptism_ep.htm

Unbroken (2014). Movie review and summary.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/unbroken-2014

Christmas Day – The sublime stinky feet

Do you know that “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You" was the verse that was shown on the first commercially available Christmas card in 1843. Christmas has always been known to be a season of merriment and happiness. But why? Is it because of the gifts, the food, or the persons around us?

In my last week’s homily, I ended with the story of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Just a recap. There is this mean green monster called the Grinch who lives on a hill and below is a village called Whoville where the inhabitants were busy preparing for Christmas wrapping gifts, cooking food, and singing carols merrily and happily. 

The Grinch however is bothered and always awakened from sleep by their noise. So he thought that if he would steal all their gifts and food, they would sing no more since they would no longer be merry and happy, and he will be left in peace to sleep. So that night he dressed like Santa and dropped down all their chimneys, but instead of leaving a gift, he was stealing their gifts and their food. So he waited for the following morning expecting the people to be sad and quiet.  But the people of Whoville continued to sing their Christmas carols. And this kept the Grinch wondering because He thought their happiness and merriment was tied to their gifts. Then these lines from the book follow:

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.

What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”

Christmas means a little bit more? Let me tell you my personal experience. And today I want you to remember yours also.  When I was a small child I always looked forward to Christmas mornings because every time I would wake up, I will rush to the Christmas tree open my Christmas presents, savor the once a year delicious Christmas food, and enjoy the company of my big family which reunites that time of the year. I was happy, there were gifts, there was food, and there were persons who shower me with love.

Fastforward when I was a seminarian, Christmas eve: there were no more gifts obviously, there was still food, and there were my fellow seminarians. I was still happy. As a priest I was assigned to this faraway very poor parish at the foot of a mountain in the Philippines with Fr Mario and another priest. It was our first year of pioneering there. Christmas eve: we had no presents, we had no food (except coca-cola and crackers), but we had each other enjoying the Coke and crackers under the moonlight counting all the stars. We were still happy.

A few years after, I was assigned in a parish in a jungle in Papua New Guinea. It was my first Christmas where I had to walk 30 kms to a very far village - walking with only my slippers and my bare feet practically the whole day of the 24^th - just to be able to celebrate Christmas mass the following morning there. All the food I had was in my knapsack. Christmas eve: no presents, no food, all alone in the small hut. But was I happy? Maybe yes, maybe not (To tell you the truth, I was homesick.) But as I lay awake in bed that night, I felt something else… joy…. I understood probably for the first time that Christmas is not all about me, whether I will be happy or not- ‘cause happiness is fleeting… it is about him. And that is Joy…

Joy to the world the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king.

Did you know that Isaac Watts in 1719 did not write Joy to the World to be a Christmas song. The original theme of this song was the second coming of the Lord. You see, Christmas won’t always be a happy time, happiness is a feeling that comes and goes but joy that is different – joy stays in your heart .  For when Jesus comes back, even the fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains will repeat the sounding joy.

And this reminded me:  I was not there in that village to make me or the villagers happy, I was there to tell them: Joy to the world! the Savior reigns. He rules the world with truth and grace.  In short I was there to tell them of the wonders, the wonders of his love.

Only with that, I have personally fulfilled the passage of Isaiah 52 today: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces “Joy to the world” because your God, your Savior reigns.”

I do this because Jesus by becoming a child today has fulfilled this prophecy of Isaiah ahead of me. I could only but follow him because as John would put it: Today “the Word became flesh and lived among us. And now we see his glory, the glory as of a father’s only begotten son, full of grace and truth.”

I observed a certain Christmas tradition among Asians. On that part of the world, after the Christmas mass, the child Jesus would be carried in front, and young and old would line up to kiss Jesus and greet him a Happy Birthday. Well that’s normal, you would think. But then I noticed that people would not kiss the cheek or the hand of the child…. Majority would kiss the feet…. I really never knew why. But today I realize it really must be because it fulfills the passage from Isaiah:

“How beautiful are the feet of the One who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation (Joy to the world) because your God, your Savior reigns.”

You know sometimes we glamorize this passage. Beautiful feet do not really mean clean and manicured feet. One who goes up and down the mountains to bring news will definitely have his feet dirty, sweaty, tired, bruised, and stinky. Those are the feet of the messenger. Those are the feet of Christ. Even at that manger where he was born, his parents after miles and miles of travel, the animals with all their dirt and dung, the trough where the animals drink…boy was the real manger where Jesus was born really stinky. But was it beautiful. Yes. And this is telling us that today God, the Word, so divine, so eternal, so sublime, so heavenly -becomes flesh – so small, so helpless, so stinky, so ugly, so limited as nature… and yet oure song ends with: And heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing (3x). Because today heaven and nature are united in Jesus. ‘The Word became flesh’ – the divine becomes human, and the sublime gets stinky feet – and heaven and nature continues to sing.

And now we all have reason for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And that my dear friends is my wish for all of us today.

References:

Brukett, C. (2013). PreacherRhetorica.  http://www.preacherrhetorica.com/christmas-day-homily1.html

Dr Seuss. (1957). How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

http://www.xmasfun.com/Stories/Grinch/Text.asp

Felix, D. (2012).  Mental_floss  http://mentalfloss.com/article/26650/first-christmas-card-was-sent-1843

Kalis, R. Joy Bringer Ministries. “ Hymn.” Accessed December 22, 2014.   http://joy-bringer-ministries.org/hymn1.html

The Green-eyed Monster called "Envy"

Today I will no longer talk about vampires. I’ll tell you about a monster that creeps in us and many times we may not be aware of it…. It’s the green-eyed monster. A realtor offers you half-a-million dollars in cash for your year old townhouse you bought for 250K. What would you do? Sell it… But then you find out out that the ones on your right and on your left were offered a million each. What would you do? It’s not fair, so you complain and fight for what you think is rightfully yours. And you think you are fighting for justice, but then the real issue is that you are envious. That’s Envy – the green-eyed monster.

We hear in the parable of today: “Are you envious because I am generous”? The first batch of workers had agreed upon a set wage. The subsequent batches of workers were promised a fair wage. Thus, there was no question of injustice. They were paid according to what they had agreed. The sore point came when those who did the least amount of work got the same as those who did a full day’s work. The question is not about justice or fairness but of envy.

Envy is something which afflicts all of us. It is the Green-eyed monster. In Shakespeare’s Othello and Merchant of Venice, this green-eyed monster is “jealousy and envy.” But in Marvel Superheroes, it is called the Incredible Hulk, a good and kind man named Bruce Banner will at times turn into this green-eyed monster over which he has no control of and this Hulk destroys things along his path without reason. That’s what jealousy and envy does. Envy, this G.E.M, destroys persons along its path, and you don’t even realize it’s you who are doing it.

Would you like to know if the green eyed monster called envy has entered you? Here are three questions to ask:

(1) Is there anyone I don’t like? 

Sometimes you don't like someone because he offended or hurt you. But sometimes you don’t know why you don’t like someone and you can’t explain it. Hmmm is this envy… go to Q2.

(2) What does the other have that I don’t have- but I want to have?

You look enviously on your friend’s Iphone 6, you have only 4S… this might be just jealousy and not yet envy. Go to Q3.

(3) Will I be secretly delighted if something bad happens to that other?

Envy secretly delights to hear the falls, faults, fumbles, and failures of the other person. It is envy when you find delicious satisfaction in knowing that the person you are envious of is now getting his series of bad luck. You even spread the sad news of what happened to him around. You belong to a church ladies group, one of the members won a brand-new Mercedes Benz in the raffle. She bought only one ticket, you bought so many and didn’t even win the starbucks certificate. Of course you are envious. Not only that, she just entered the group and you have been there for years, and all the members like her, of course you are envious. So one day you hear rumors about her failing marriage. And during the meeting she was absent. It’s your turn to get back at her.  “Ladies, let us pray for our member Marcela, the charming lady who won the Mercedez Benz… and let us pray for her because I heard her marriage is falling apart.”

Rick Warren wrote a book: The Purpose Driven Life. After describing the deadly effects of envy, he proposes steps to eradicating this vice in the chapter "The Envy Trap".

The first step to eradicating envy is: Stop comparing yourself to others. There is this man - Tony Melendez. He was born without arms, so Tony learned to play the guitar with his toes. In 1987, He performed for St. John Paul II when the pope visited Los Angeles. Visibly moved, John Paul descended from his chair to embrace Melendez. The crowd broke into a sustained applause. Tony could have been filled with anger and envy for what others have and he was not given, but he did not do that. He gave thanks for his two feet and developed the gifts God gave him. So the first step to overcome envy is to stop comparing with others. When envy tempts you, say: "I am not going down that path."

The first step is a big one, but the second is even more difficult: In place of envy, celebrate God's goodness to others. The Bible says, "rejoice with those who rejoice." That can be hard. You and I thank God for gifts we receive. How often do we thank God for what God does for someone else? Eph 3:8 speaks of "the unending, boundless, fathomless, incalculable and exhaust-less riches of Christ." So don't worry. If someone else receives a blessing, God has plenty more where that one came from.

Have you ever walked a beach when the tide is coming in? It raises every boat, every buoy, everything it finds in its path, big or small. Something similar happens with God's love. When the other person receives a gift, it doesn't take something from me. On the contrary, God's love is like an incoming tide… an incoming wave from the ocean that lifts us all.  Celebrate God's goodness to others and he will lift you with them.

Today God asks, "Are you envious because I am generous?" Do not be afraid to give him an honest answer - and then recognize his gifts to you and that his goodness to others will ultimately lift you up. As our Responsorial Psalm (145) of today says: "Every day I will bless you...Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised...The Lord is good to all."

References:

Martin, G. (1995) “Green Eyed Monster in Shakespeare.” The Phrase Finder.  http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/green-eyed-monster.html

Marvel (2014).Hulk (Bruce Banner). Marvel Universe Wiki.

http://marvel.com/universe/Hulk_(Bruce_Banner)

Roth, I. (2010). “Envy – the Green-Eyed Monster.” Ezinearticles.com.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Envy---The-Green-Eyed-Monster&id=3560135

Sanchez, B. (2014). How to deal with Difficult People. Shepherd’s voice publication, Philippines.

Bloom, P. (2014). “Finding your Place.” Simple Catholicism.

http://stmaryvalleybloom.org/homilyfor-25sunday-a.html

The Cross of Christ- it's red, white, never blue, eh (disclaimer: I'm color-blind)

Today we celebrate the exaltation and the triumph of the Holy Cross. Strange, why do we celebrate an object, a symbol? Symbols remind people of what is and what should be. It reminds us of who we are and where we are destined to. But most of all symbols are important for us because we find meaning in it. Take for example the Canadian flag- it is a symbol. For a non-Canadian, it may be just a piece of cloth… But for us here in Canada, we honor this flag, we respect it, because for us it has meaning, it signifies something sacred- the land, the people.

In the upcoming  movie “Tusk”… There’s this American guy named Wallace who is crossing the border to go to Manitoba.  The Canadian Immigration Officer asks him if he likes hockey. Wallace replies: "If I say I don’t like hockey, will it make you Canadians sad?"

The Officer remarked: Canadians don't get sad. Sadness was invented by the USA. Wallace asks: “How’s that?” The Officer points to the Canadian flag and says: See that flag … what do you see beyond it?  Wallace: "A white wall? (He could not see the meaning behind the symbol)".  The Officer remarks: You see that in America; you may be red, white and blue. But in Canada you're red, white, but never blue, eh, ever. 

Now for us Christians our flag is the Holy Cross of Jesus. Many people could not see anything behind this symbol but for us, it is the symbol of our salvation.

In the Old Testament today, the people of Israel were losing their faith in God, and poisonous snakes began to appear and attacked them. All who were bitten died.  Then God commanded Moses to fix a bronze serpent on a pole and then raise it up for all to see.  And all those who looked and gazed upon this symbol, even if they would be bitten by the poisonous snakes would live and not die.

This event foreshadows what happens in the New Testament which says God loved the world so much that He sent his only begotten Son to be sacrificed and lifted high on the cross for all to see… and all who believe will be saved. That Cross on which Jesus hung is the instrument of our salvation. And this cross we are proud of and today we celebrate it. But the story does not stop there.

When the Body of Jesus was removed from it, to prevent His followers from finding it, the Cross was thrown in a ditch or well, and then covered with stones and earth.  In 312 A.D., while Constantine, who had not yet converted to Christianity, was in combat with Maxentius for the throne of the Roman Empire, he prayed to the Lord God of the Christians to help him in his battle. In answer to his prayer, a sign appeared in the sky. A luminous cross was seen with the words “In hoc signo vinces” (By this sign you will conquer) inscribed on it.

Following this, Constantine won the battle over Maxentius. Indebted to God for his victory at the Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312, Constantine commanded that the sign of Christianity be placed on the Roman standards and on the shields of all the soldiers.

And according to St John Chrysostom, Constantine's mother, St Helena, longed to find the cross of Christ. For this reason she travelled to Jerusalem where she organized a dig at the hill of Calvary. The diggers uncovered three wooden crosses. They could not tell which was the cross of Jesus and which were the crosses of the two thieves crucified with him. Finally they brought a sick woman and a dead man who was being carried to burial. One after the other, the three crosses were made to touch the sick woman and the dead man. Two of the crosses had no effect, but on contact with the third cross, the sick woman was healed and the dead man came to life. They have found the holy cross.

News of the finding of the true cross quickly spread and believers gathered to see the true cross and to venerate it. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Makarios, standing on a raised platform, lifted high the cross, "exalting" it, for all to see. The people fell to their knees, bowing down before the cross and crying out repeatedly: "Lord, have mercy!" St Helena then commissioned a church to be built over the site. The church of the Holy Sepulchre was consecrated on September 13, 335. The feast of the finding and exaltation of the Cross was appointed to be celebrated annually on the following day. The basilica of the Holy Sepulchre is today regarded as the holiest spot on earth by Christians of all denominations.

To the world the cross looks like hardship and pain, but to those of us who believe, it is a fortress against the night and an oasis against the heat. All of the world’s wisdom has stood in opposition to the cross, and yet here we are. All of the world’s wisdom sees the cross as a sign of defeat and failure, and yet here are. All of the world’s wisdom tells us that the cross is not the way, that we must be strong and independent, and yet here we are, bending down, as it were, to kiss the holy cross.

Do not think, my brothers and sisters, that the world can be right. If you believe that acceptance of the cross or the practice of humility is a sign of weakness and failure, then you do not know the truth. For only cowards rely on brute strength, and only weaklings prey on the vulnerable. The cross is the very fulcrum which has turned the world upside down – where once there was evil sitting on the throne, now there is love.

That is what we come here to remember. For we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a scandal and to Gentiles foolishness but God’s foolishness is wiser than any human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than any human strength and so, for us who believe, Jews and Gentiles alike, the cross of Christ is nothing less than the power, the wisdom and the glory of God.

So what color is the cross, then (disclaimer, I'm color-blind, so I'm not infallible when it comes to color)? For me, it’s like the Canadian flag. It’s always red, for the true cross is soaked by the blood of Christ poured out for love of us. It is always white, for the true cross asks us to carry it with purity of heart to realize the brightness of Christ’s resurrection. It is never blue, for in spite of the sacrifice behind the symbol is the joy and the hope which brings true happiness. The Cross of Christ- always red, always white, and never blue.

References:

AMC independent. (2014) "Tusk- Exclusive Clib - Canado's and Canadon'ts" Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k55r_nSGog

Ezeogu, M. (2014) “Light a Candle”- website. http://munachi.com/z/exaltationofthecross.htm

Zehnie, D. (2008) Servant and Steward – website.

http://dzehnle.blogspot.ca/2008/09/homily-exaltation-of-holy-cross.html

Adapted from the homily of St. Peter Damian on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and of a homily of the Rev. Michael Fuller, adapted from the same homily of St. Peter Damian. Both in C. Colt Anderson, Christian Eloquence: Contemporary Doctrinal Preaching (Chicago, Illinois: Hillenbrand Books, 2005)

Pain demands to be felt

I watched this movie: The Fault in our Stars (from a novel by John Green). And there was this scene where Hazel reads from the Peter Van Houten book “An Imperial Affliction” this passage:

"PAIN demands to be felt.  [Pain -] It is the ultimate superhero: backs down to no one, overcomes every obstacle.  All the nerve blocks and neuro-chemical disruptors and inflammation antagonists line up, and PAIN barrels through them all, refusing to go unheard, bringing justice where otherwise there would only be peace.  It rises up, sears through me once more, and reminds myself that no single moment is unbearable, [and] that all will be borne."

It is true: Pain has to be borne. Pain has to be suffered. That is what our mortal lives is all about. The One Up There never promised to remove the pain. But then He sent that SomeOne Near Him down here to see us through it... to walk with us through the pain.