Do you tend to compare yourself with others? What motivates you to do that? - Daily Reflections February 19,2016

RIGHTEOUS LIKE THE SCRIBES?

 

Nobody loves to compare, but there are times when it is good to gauge oneself and one’s position relative to someone else, not to outshine others, but to outdo oneself. Benchmarking is not a bad thing. Using others as standards for one’s improvement is not deadly but healthy competition.

       The Lord Himself today makes use of such a negative comparison for a higher purpose. He challenges us to rise above and beyond the shallow, merely external standards of righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.

       Having been an educator for many years, I see minimalism and its effects almost every day. Postmodernity has forced upon us the culture that says less is more. The passion for excellence has been supplanted by mere attention to the good, the passing and the acceptable. The passage from good to great no longer catches the fancy of most people in our times. Why work so hard for something you could get for much less effort?

       The Scribes and the Pharisees were, by no means, bad people. They were actually respectable in their own right. They were relatively well-educated, well-read and well-esteemed by the people around them. They were real experts in the law.

       But the problem is not that they were learned. The problem is more like because they were stagnant in their misguided sense of accomplishment. In a very real sense, they never got beyond the level of earning a diploma that was good only as a wall accent piece.

       The Lord calls us to more, not less. Righteousness that spells only conformity with external rules does not make the cut. The holiness that we are called to begins some place, and that is from the inside out, not the other way around. Christian holiness is, first of all, holiness from deep within.

       “Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed,” says the Lord, “and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONs: Do you tend to compare yourself with others? What motivates you to do that?

 

Help me to believe in my uniqueness, Lord. Banish all envy and misguided sense of accomplishment in my heart. Amen.

Do you avoid suffering? Or do you welcome it as a way of strengthening and shaping your character? - Daily Reflections February 18,2016

DE PROFUNDIS

 

Few people now have the actual experience of pressing mature grated coconuts to extract coconut milk. It now comes in cans, imported mostly from Thailand or Taiwan, and are more processed than pressed manually. The best part in the pressing is seeing the milk ooze out of the grated strands of coconut meat. The rich and milky white nectar is unmistakably and deliciously aromatic, contrasting as it does with one’s darker fingers, busily engaged in getting the best from what it can only give by being crushed.

       Yes, dear friend, you can only get the best by doing the worst to nature’s gift that is the lowly coconut. You get the milk only if you crush the meat. I was told that Hadassah, the equivalent of Esther, really meant “myrtle,” and myrtle leaves pleasant aroma only when crushed. Esther had the worst imaginable nightmare for a woman, and for a Jew. Hers was a tough responsibility that even a man would cringe at having to face, let alone shoulder. But like the coconut, the myrtle that was Esther rose to the occasion, and delivered her best after being at her worst.

       I don’t wish it on everyone, but I can personally assure you of this. The best prayer times I had was when I hit rock bottom in my life — when I was a veritable pariah, when those I never expected to do so crushed me and made me suffer. For weeks and months, my every prayer, my constant utterance, what emerged from within me was always a prayer de profundis — from the depths!

       Here’s a prayer that best serves everyone in pain or pushed against the wall, real or figurative. Esther’s prayer is tailor fit for all who feel they have nowhere else to go. It is a prayer from the deep end of a swirling whirlpool of seeming hopelessness – a prayer that I would like to make my own, as we face insurmountable problems: “Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you avoid suffering? Or do you welcome it as a way of strengthening and shaping your character?

 

It’s not always pleasant to accept tribulations, Lord, but You know what’s best for me. Keep me in Your loving hands even as I go through the darkest moments of my life. Amen.

If you are at fault, do you repent or do you manipulate? If you are a parent, do you give in to your child’s manipulative ways? - Daily Reflections February 17,2016

MAN REPENTING; GOD RELENTING

 

Jonah was an interesting and complex character. He obeyed orders from God, but he did not do so without a struggle, both internal and external. He hemmed and hawed. But as we reflected on yesterday, God’s Word, God’s Will, for whatever purpose, “does not return to Him void.” God’s plan eventually unfolded, despite Jonah’s foot-dragging.

       No matter what they say about our generation back then, we were different. Allow me to explain. We had no electronic gadgets, no touchscreens while growing up. Our games did not have to do with pressing buttons and deafening speakers. We actually did play games, and they were collectively called “outside” — in the streets, in the empty lots, out in the backyard.

       But we had a mean disobedient streak, too, like Jonah. When we were called home to do errands, how many times did we do a Jonah and say “yes” but actually meant “no”? But there, too, was a mean spiritual side in all of us, especially when we went home tired, famished and sweaty by night fall. And when, owing to our childish defiance and disobedience, the rod was not spared by our loving and caring parents (and grandparents, too!), we all knew how it was to repent.

       But parents then were also made of sterner stuff. Even as they did not spare the rod, they also knew the best response to our then provisional change of heart. They met our act of repenting with their own act of relenting.

       Good, old Miguel de Unamuno comes in handy as I write. He said, “I am able to love my God because He gives me the freedom to deny Him.” Never dictatorial, never manipulative, but lovingly creative, He meets our repenting with generous relenting. “When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, He repented of the evil that He had threatened to do to them; He did not carry it out.” But mind you, it happened because of a Jonah, who, despite delays, obeyed — and did his part. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: If you are at fault, do you repent or do you manipulate? If you are a parent, do you give in to your child’s manipulative ways?

 

I humbly repent of the times I have tried to manipulate You through my prayers, Lord. Please forgive me. Amen.

 

What is your own giant that you need to slay? - Daily Reflections February 5, 2016

CRUSHING THE GIANT THAT IS NOT GOLIATH   We all have egos. Without getting into a lot of psychobabble, let us just agree that our egos are either inflated or deflated. Both extremes are not good for you and me. In between the two extremes is the mean of virtue, or the mark of a healthy personality.        For simplicity’s sake, let us look at Goliath as one with a bloated ego. Small wonder the Bible portrays him as a giant. Pit him against the scrawny David, who carries no sword nor heavy shield, and you have an image that Sirach wonderfully portrays — that of a weak, lowly and humble young man, who put Goliath’s giant ego in place, in one fell swoop, with nothing more than a slingshot and a well-chosen pebble as his weapon.        The secret of course, and Sirach aknowledges this, is not because David was lowly and powerless, but that David “called upon the Most High God, who gave strength to his right arm,” and who came to the side of the young man, precisely because he was lowly, poor and powerless.        Years of counseling work have taught me precious lessons. One of them is that brilliance of mind alone does not guarantee a happy and fulfilled life. But neither does being a simpleton and being a good-for-nothing lout assure one of that elusive life of contentment.        Let us allow Sirach and his ramp model for the day give us a clue. David shows us two important truths. First, he was aware he was poor and powerless. He acknowledged it to himself and to at least one more — to God. Now, pan your imaginary camera to Goliath, who had a giant’s physique. He had a humongous ego and he made no secrets he disdained the boy.        The story ends well. Goliath’s inflated ego went pfftt! David, whose glory Sirach extols, may have put down a giant, but before he could do that, he first slayed the bigger enemy within — his pride, as shown by his humbling plea and prayer to the “Most High God.” How does your own story unfold? Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   REFLECTION QUESTION: What is your own giant that you need to slay?   I humbly pray to You, O Lord, to help me conquer my biggest enemies — those that lay within me. Amen.

How are you living your faith today? - Daily Reflections February 4,2016

TAKE COURAGE; BE A MAN!

 

Last year’s social media reports showed us a number of grisly and gruesome killings perpetrated by those who hate Christians and Christianity in general. While they do not come from mainstream and traditional media, we have no reason to take them as rumors and dismiss them altogether as fake news, given the fact that the killers themselves uploaded videos of the murders.

       Death, in itself and of itself, being a consequence of sin as we learn from Scripture, is already a difficult matter to discuss, let alone experience. We all cringe when we speak of death — our own and that of others. But we find it even more revolting when we see it happening to our brothers and sisters who are killed in the most heinous fashion, all done in the name of God, guilty of nothing more than simply not sharing the same faith with those who do the dastardly deed.

       It takes courage to live, but it takes even more courage to give up that which stands at the basis of everything else we enjoy. Even St. Paul, who was himself beheaded and died a martyr, spoke of the “sting” of death.

       Today, we read about a great man’s passing and the courage he passes on to his son. David takes the bull by the horns and accepts the reality that no one can escape: “I am going the way of all flesh.” But more than just facing death squarely and showing himself a model of dying well, he takes it a notch higher and challenges his son, Solomon: “Take courage and be a man.” He counsels Solomon to do the better thing — to live fully and face up to his responsibilities as king.

       We are all afraid to die. I am the first to acknowledge this. But not too many of us put focus on the business of living responsibly, honorably and heroically. As Pope St. John Paul II said in 1981 during the beatification of Lorenzo Ruiz, “Not all of us may be called to die for the faith, but all of us are called to live for the faith.” “Take courage and be a man.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: How are you living your faith today?

 

Grant me courage, Lord, to live for my faith each day. Amen.

 

Are you a stepping stone or a tripping stone for someone you know? - Daily Reflections February 3,2016

STEPPING STONE OR TRIPPING STONE?

 

Familiarity, they say, breeds contempt. I do not fully subscribe to it, for there are cases I know where familiarity leads not to contempt, but towards full acceptance. Family members, for one, are very familiar with one another. They grow in unity, in affection, in concern for each other, and in mutual responsibility.

       The opposite of acceptance is rejection, and rejection of someone, whether familiar or not, is something that anyone can freely decide to do. Rejection, per se, is not a fruit of over-familiarity. It comes from dislike, from a certain bias against a person, or active hatred for that person.

       Today’s Gospel passage from Mark has a significant line: “And they took offense at Him.” From the context, it sounds almost like asking themselves, “How could He do such things when He is no different from the rest of us?” They were scandalized — that is, unable to go beyond their prejudgments and accept His teachings and actions. But there is an even sadder line: “He was not able to perform any mighty deed there.”

       A “skandalon” is a tripping stone, a block that stands in one’s way. It hampers one’s otherwise smooth journey. It prevents one from freely reaching his or her destination with ease, comfort and speed.           

       Preachers and public speakers like me know that audience sympathy contributes a lot to efficacy in their homilies or talks. People who only want entertainment will not find a serious homily or talk acceptable, while those who expect to hear what they want to hear will not find the topic interesting if it does not touch on what they expect.

       But we know the full story. The Lord fulfilled His mission despite the rejection. He did not just cure the sick by the laying on of hands. He actually laid down His life for you and me and them — yes, including those who did not accept Him. Instead of a tripping stone, the Lord became a stepping stone for us on our way to fullness of life and salvation. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you a stepping stone or a tripping stone for someone you know?

 

Let me be a stepping stone to the people You bring into my life, Lord. Amen.

What are you willing to die for? - Daily Reflections February 2,2016

FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN LOVE   I was 16 years old when I first heard of the greatness of the man. I remember being awestruck at reading about how he literally offered his life in place of someone who was much younger, who had a family, and who still had a responsibility ahead of him.        Three prisoners had escaped from the concentration camp. Ten men were chosen at random to pay for the crime they did not commit. One of them was a youngish man who cried in anguish for his wife and children.        Like Simeon, the prophet, the occasion proved to be the older man’s shining moment. And like in the case of the venerable prophet, Maximilian Kolbe’s generous act of taking the place of the younger man seemed to drive home a similar message: “You may let me go!”        St. Maximilian was a martyr of charity. He did not have to die. He did not have to go just yet but he chose to stand in for someone who, in his mind, had more compelling reasons to live.        Last year, at about this time, we were jarred at the news of 44 policemen mercilessly killed as they served our country and people. Whatever may have been the cause, and whoever may have been responsible, there is no denying the fact that they died not because they wanted to, but because they were sent for a mission that proved to be not only dangerous but disastrous.        They died so that others might live. They were heroes no less and the nation, although grieving, was also grateful for the valor they showed.        St. Maximilian was no soldier, but he was just as heroic. He laid down his life for a stranger he had not even met before. His was a selfless love and his self-offering was solely motivated by charity.        The 44 gallant policemen died heroes’ deaths. Fidelity to duty cost them their lives. Simeon and Maximilian chose to recede from the scene, by choice. Simeon did so for his goal in life was done. But Maximilian chose to do so unbidden, for no other reason but charity. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   REFLECTION QUESTION: What are you willing to die for?   Today, I pray, Lord, for all who died selflessly so that others may live. Amen.

What are you willing to die for? - Daily Reflections February 1,2016

FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN LOVE

 

I was 16 years old when I first heard of the greatness of the man. I remember being awestruck at reading about how he literally offered his life in place of someone who was much younger, who had a family, and who still had a responsibility ahead of him.

       Three prisoners had escaped from the concentration camp. Ten men were chosen at random to pay for the crime they did not commit. One of them was a youngish man who cried in anguish for his wife and children.

       Like Simeon, the prophet, the occasion proved to be the older man’s shining moment. And like in the case of the venerable prophet, Maximilian Kolbe’s generous act of taking the place of the younger man seemed to drive home a similar message: “You may let me go!”

       St. Maximilian was a martyr of charity. He did not have to die. He did not have to go just yet but he chose to stand in for someone who, in his mind, had more compelling reasons to live.

     Last year, at about this time, we were jarred at the news of 44 policemen mercilessly killed as they served our country and people. Whatever may have been the cause, and whoever may have been responsible, there is no denying the fact that they died not because they wanted to, but because they were sent for a mission that proved to be not only dangerous but disastrous.

       They died so that others might live. They were heroes no less and the nation, although grieving, was also grateful for the valor they showed.

        St. Maximilian was no soldier, but he was just as heroic. He laid down his life for a stranger he had not even met before. His was a selfless love and his self-offering was solely motivated by charity.

       The 44 gallant policemen died heroes’ deaths. Fidelity to duty cost them their lives. Simeon and Maximilian chose to recede from the scene, by choice. Simeon did so for his goal in life was done. But Maximilian chose to do so unbidden, for no other reason but charity. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: What are you willing to die for?

 

Today, I pray, Lord, for all who died selflessly so that others may live. Amen.